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July 12th,
2006
By Joel
Welser
Broadcast Basketball
Charleston
Cougars
Overall Rank:
#122
Conference
Rank: #1 Southern
2005-06:
17-11, 9-6, 3rd South
2005-06
postseason: none
 There
are a lot of unknowns regarding the roster of the
College of
Charleston due to the recent coaching change. However, if
everybody sticks around, the talent level is the best in the
conference. The addition of Coach Bobby Cremins adds immediate
hype to a program that has lacked interest over the last few
years. Expect the renewed expectations on campus to go a long
way in helping the squad on the court.
Who’s Out:
Drew Hall started all 28 games last season at the point and
averaged 6.9 points and 5.2 assists. His absence will force
Dontaye Draper to move over and run the point. He is capable,
but it leaves a massive problem at the two guard spot. Seldom
used forward Pat Hastings has also run out of eligibility and
J.R. Hairston and Jose Garcia have left the program.
Who’s In:
Konimba
Diarra is eligible this season after transferring from South
Florida. The 6-10 center averaged just 1.2 points and 1.6
rebounds two years ago for the Bulls, but is expected to make a
much bigger impact for the Cougars. Diarra won’t be much of a
threat on the offensive end, but he’ll make plenty of quality
plays on the other end of the court. Javon Parris redshirted
last season and the point guard could make a big impact if he
can steal some minutes at the point.
Who to Watch:
Draper is the star, but it is Jermaine Johnson and Josh Jackson
who need to have big seasons in the paint. Johnson, a 6-7 power
forward, averaged 8.9 points and 7.5 rebounds as a freshman. It
would be helpful for the Cougars if Johnson could spend some
quality time at the small forward spot in order for wing David
Lawrence to move to the two. That would be a big line-up, but
it would get the best five players on the floor. Johnson would
be more effective at the four, but the switch would at least be
worth a try. Jackson, a 6-8 center, averaged 12.6 points and
5.8 rebounds a year ago and with another year of experience the
junior could continue to improve.
Final
Projection:
Besides hoping
nobody transfers and researching the antics of Coach Cremins,
the search for a shooting guard will be the offseason story in
Charleston. Marcus Hammond, Ryan Scott and Renardo Dickerson
are the candidates. Hammond and Scott had inconsistent freshmen
campaigns, but a hot streak or two would be enough to earn a
starting gig for either player. Dickerson, who earned nine
starts last season, is more of a traditional slashing wing than
a shooting guard, not that he won’t put up his fair share of
three balls. Georgia Southern and Elon sport quality squads
and, despite the massive loss of talent, Davidson is always a
contender; however, Charleston can get the best of them. And
Coach Cremins will get all the credit.
Projected
Post-season Tournament:
NCAA
Projected
Starting Five:
Dontaye Draper,
Senior, Guard, 18.5 points per game
Marcus Hammond,
Sophomore, Guard, 3.4 points per game
David Lawrence,
Senior, Guard, 9.3 points per game
Jermaine
Johnson, Sophomore, Forward, 8.9 points per game
Josh Jackson,
Junior, Center, 12.6 points per game
Recently, the
University of Kentucky student newspaper, the Kentucky Kernel,
made headlines by refusing to run an advertisement that
expressed displeasure with head coach Tubby Smith, and called
for his dismissal. While the ad itself didn’t run, the story
caught national attention, and the sentiment still managed to
get out, leading to the annual “Where is the program headed?”
debates that invariably follow each UK season.
Granted, the 2005-06
season was maddeningly frustrating for fans. For a variety of
reasons, the team never meshed, and rode a roller coaster all
season, as viewers tried to figure out which UK team would show
up to play that night. Would it be the team that was pounded by
Indiana in December, or the team that knocked off #20 Tennessee
on the road in March? How about the team that struggled to put
away an over-matched Ole Miss in the 1st round of the SEC
Tournament, and then nearly knocked off NCAA Tournament favorite
UConn?
However inconsistent,
uncaring or dull as they may have seemed through the season,
they did finish with another 20-win season (22 to be exact), and
did advance to the 2nd round of the Big Dance before
losing to a team that was among the most talented in the
country. It may not have looked like the dominance that UK fans
have come to expect, but the end results weren’t that far off. I
know Kentucky isn’t most schools, but I think it’s worth
pointing out that 22-13 isn’t the end of the world. It hardly
signifies that the program is on a deathbed, or that UK is
falling rapidly behind the other elite programs.
Entering his tenth
year at the helm of UK, Tubby has won 77 percent of his games,
and averaged nearly 27 wins per year. Under him, the Cats have
five SEC titles, five SEC Tournament titles, and the1998
National Championship.
Ahh.. the national
title. It’s the card that all Tubby supporters love to play,
and the one that Tubby-bashers have patented their argument
against. “Yes Tubby won a championship, but he did with [Rick]
Pitino’s players.” While it’s true that Tubby didn’t recruit the
players who cut down those nets, it wasn’t as if he took over
the uber-talented 1996 Chicago Bulls. The 1998 team started Nazr
Mohammed, Scott Padgett, Allen Edwards, Jeff Sheppard and Wayne
Turner- a great college team to be sure, but hardly one that
could simply rely on pure talent to overwhelm teams. In fact,
the team was nick-named the Comeback Cats, for their ability to
bounce back off the mats and pull out tough victories. From the
epic comeback against Duke in the NCAA Regional Finals (17 point
deficit with nine minutes remaining), to the championship win
over Utah (down 10 at the half), the 1998 team showed remarkable
character and spirit through the season- a direct reflection on
the coach.
True, Tubby can’t live
off one national title for his career- especially at a place
like UK. But should success only be measured by the trophies?
If so, does that mean that UK basketball, for all their glory
and tradition, has had only seven successful seasons in their
103-year history?
Success should, in
part, be measured by the team, and how they meet their
potential. In 2003, Tubby’s Cats rode under-recruited, gritty
overachievers like Gerald Fitch and Erik Daniels to a 26 game
win streak, before running into a rising superstar named Dwayne
Wade. Two years ago, UK came within minutes of a Final Four
berth, despite having four true freshmen in the playing
rotation. Under Tubby, players like Tayshaun Prince and Keith
Bogans, who entered college with plenty of hype, became
well-rounded stars throughout their four years, and now both are
enjoying NBA paychecks. Marquis Estill went from an overweight
high school center to 2nd Team All-SEC in 2003, and
the school’s all-time leader in field goal percentage. Even
little used seniors Preston LeMaster and Brandon Stockton had
break-out moments this past season, having paid their dues for
three years under Smith. Success can be viewed in any number of
ways, and Tubby’s teams have proved that.
Yes, last year’s squad
left a lot to be desired. As a team that many had pegged for a
deep tournament run in the pre-season, UK quickly fell out of
the top 25, and never seemed to totally right the ship. They
openly feuded with each other, and fans grew disenchanted with
watching a team trying to find itself. To make matters worse,
UK’s rival and SEC foe Florida took home the title, signifying
in some minds a changing of the guard in the SEC.
But Tubby promised
changes, and that promise has been full-filled. Gone are Rajon
Rondo, Adam Williams, Shagari Alleyne, and Rekalin Sims, along
with seniors Patrick Sparks, Ravi Moss, Preston LeMaster and
Brandon Stockton. Incoming freshmen Derrick Jasper and Jodie
Meeks lead a solid class that will offer much-needed depth in
the backcourt, and perhaps a breath of fresh air in a program
that needs it.
Tubby doesn’t need
this season to save his job, though some would have you believe
it. He may be taking some heat, but a university can hardly rely
on disgruntled, uninformed fans to guide their decision-making.
Yes, a couple more seasons like last year, and Tubby may want to
start looking for some good Lexington realtors. But let’s not
bury the man yet. He’s shown he can win basketball games, even
under the unrelenting pressure of a job like UK.
Besides, without
Tubby, what would that leave for people in Lexington to complain
about?
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