Big South

Jon Teitel's End of January All-Conference Teams

Jon Teitel — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:35:11 -0500

With the final month of the regular season on our door step, this is a good time to put together some all-conference teams. Enter CHN writer Jon Teitel, who not only picked his all-conference teams for each league but also provided a conference Player of the Year as well. Without further ado here are the all-conference teams, with the league POY in italics.

America East
G Gerardo Suero (Albany)
G Darryl Partin (Boston University)
G Gerald McLemore (Maine)
F Chase Plummer (UMBC)
F Alasdair Fraser (Maine)

Atlantic 10
G Ramone Moore (Temple)
G Carl Jones (Saint Joseph's)
G Tu Holloway (Xavier)
F Chris Gaston (Fordham)
F/C Andrew Nicholson (St. Bonaventure)

ACC
G Terrell Stoglin (Maryland)
G C.J. Harris (Wake Forest)
F Harrison Barnes (North Carolina)
F Mike Scott (Virginia)
F John Henson (North Carolina)

Atlantic Sun
G Jordan Burgason (Lipscomb)
G Markeith Cummings (Kennesaw State)
G Adam Sollazzo (ETSU)
F Torrey Craig (USC Upstate)
F Adam Pegg (Stetson)

Big 12
G J'Covan Brown (Texas)
G Marcus Denmon (Missouri)
G Tyshawn Taylor (Kansas)
F Thomas Robinson (Kansas)
F Perry Jones III (Baylor)

Big East
G Maalik Wayns (Villanova)
G Darius Johnson-Odom (Marquette)
G Jeremy Lamb (Connecticut)
F Kevin Jones (West Virginia)
F Herb Pope (Seton Hall)

Big Sky
G Damian Lillard (Weber State)
G Charles Odum (Portland State)
G Will Cherry (Montana)
F Collin Chiverton (Eastern Washington)
F Scott Bamforth (Weber State)

Big South
G Nick Barbour (High Point)
G Anthony Raffa (Coastal Carolina)
G Darren White (Campbell)
F Stan Okoye (VMI)
F Eric Griffin (Campbell)

Big Ten
G Tim Frazier (Penn State)
G Drew Crawford (Northwestern)
F John Shurna (Northwestern)
F Jared Sullinger (Ohio State)
F Draymond Green (Michigan St.)

Big West
G Orlando Johnson (UCSB)
G Phil Martin (UC Riverside)
G Casper Ware (Long Beach State)
F Stephan Hicks (Cal State Northridge)
F T.J. Robinson (Long Beach State)

Colonial
G Mike Moore (Hofstra)
G Devon Saddler (Delaware)
G Keith Rendleman (UNC Wilmington)
F Ryan Pearson (George Mason)
F Jamelle Hagins (Delaware)

Conference USA
G Will Barton (Memphis)
G Miguel Paul (East Carolina)
G DeAndre Kane (Marshall)
F Cameron Moore (UAB)
F Arsalan Kazemi (Rice)

Horizon
G Ray McCallum (Detroit)
G Chase Simon (Detroit)
G Kendrick Perry (Youngstown State)
F Kevin Van Wijk (Valparaiso)
F Ryan Broekhoff (Valparaiso)

Independent
G Mitch Albers (Nebraska-Omaha)
G Isaiah Wilkerson (NJIT)
F Aaron Broussard (Seattle)
F Jeremy Robinson (Chicago State)
C Antwan Carter (Longwood)

Ivy
G Zack Rosen (Pennsylvania)
G Tyler Bernardini (Pennsylvania)
G Brian Barbour (Columbia)
F Greg Mangano (Yale)
F Ian Hummer (Princeton)

MAAC
G Juan'ya Green (Niagara)
G Scott Machado (Iona)
G George Beamon (Manhattan)
F Michael Glover (Iona)
F O.D. Anosike (Siena)

MAC
G Rian Pearson (Toledo)
G Trey Ziegler (Central Michigan)
F Julian Mavunga (Miami (OH))
F Jarrod Jones (Ball State)
F Javon McCrea (Buffalo)

MEAC
G Darrion Pellum (Hampton)
G Tony Gallo (Coppin St.)
F Amin Stevens (Florida A&M)
F Brandon Riley (South Carolina State)
C Kyle O'Quinn (Norfolk St.)

MVC
G Colt Ryan (Evansville)
G Rayvonte Rice (Drake)
F Doug McDermott (Creighton)
F Taylor Brown (Bradley)
F Kyle Weems (Missouri St.)

Mountain West
G Chase Tapley (San Diego St.)
G Wes Eikmeier (Colorado St.)
G Jamaal Franklin (San Diego St.)
F Mike Moser (UNLV)
F Drew Gordon (New Mexico)

Northeast
G Shane Gibson (Sacred Heart)
G Velton Jones (Robert Morris)
G Robby Ptacek (CCSU)
F Ken Horton (CCSU)
F Julian Boyd (LIU Brooklyn)

OVC
G Kevin Murphy (Tennessee Tech)
G Isaiah Canaan (Murray State)
G Jud Dillard (Tennessee Tech)
F Robert Covington (Tennessee St.)
F Tyler Stone (Southeast Missouri St.)

Pac-12
G Jared Cunningham (Oregon St.)
G Tony Wroten (Washington)
G Allen Crabbe (California)
F Brock Motum (Washington St.)
F Andre Roberson (Colorado)

Patriot
G C.J. McCollum (Lehigh)
G Charles Hinkle (American)
F Ella Ellis (Army)
F J.J. Avila (Navy)
F Mike Muscala (Bucknell)

SEC
G John Jenkins (Vanderbilt)
G Kenny Boynton (Florida)
F Jeffery Taylor (Vanderbilt)
F Arnett Moultrie (Mississippi St.)
F Anthony Davis (Kentucky)

Southern
G Kevin Giltner (Wofford)
G Eric Ferguson (Georgia Southern)
F Antwaine Wiggins (Charleston)
F De'Mon Brooks (Davidson)
C Mike Groselle (Citadel)

Southland
G Mike James (Lamar)
G Trevon Lewis (Nicholls St.)
F Patrick Richard (McNeese St.)
F LaQuentin Miles (Central Arkansas)
F LaMarcus Reed III (UT-Arlington)

SWAC
G Quincy Roberts (Grambling St.)
G Savalace Townsend (UAPB)
G Jenirro Bush (Jackson St.)
F Casey Cantey (Alabama A&M)
C Paul Crosby (Mississippi Valley St.)

Summit
G Reggie Hamilton (Oakland)
G Nate Wolters (South Dakota St.)
G Frank Gaines (IPFW)
F Alex Young (IUPUI)
F Dominique Morrison (Oral Roberts)

Sun Belt
G DeJuan Wright (FIU)
F Tony Mitchell (North Texas)
F Chris Udofia (Denver)
C LaRon Dendy (Middle Tennessee)
C Augustine Rubit (South Alabama)

WCC
G Kevin Foster (Santa Clara)
G Anthony Ireland (Loyola Marymount)
G Matthew Dellavedova (Saint Mary's)
F Noah Hartsock (BYU)
F Rob Jones (Saint Mary's)

WAC
G Kevin Olekaibe (Fresno St.)
G James Kinney (San Jose St.)
G Deonte Burton (Nevada)
F Wendell McKines (New Mexico St.)
C Vander Joaquim (Hawaii)

Tuesday Recap: Michigan Moves Streak to Three

Raphielle Johnson — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 03:31:08 -0500

Given how reliant Michigan is on the three-point shot, many would think it highly unlikely that John Beilein's team would win a game in which they shot 6-for-21 from beyond the arc. But thanks to a late basket from Stu Douglass and some solid defense on the final possession of the game, that's exactly what happened as the Wolverines beat in-state rival Michigan 60-59 at Crisler Arena. Trey Burke scored a game-high 20 points and Tim Hardaway Jr. and Zack Novak scored ten points apiece, but Novak's biggest contribution came on the defensive end of the floor.

Despite giving up three inches in height the senior did an outstanding job of guarding Draymond Green, with Green making three of eight shots for seven points. Green, who did grab 11 rebounds, also turned the ball over five times against a Michigan defense that held him scoreless over the final fifteen minutes of the game. Michigan State fought their way back into the game by shooting 52.4% from the field in the second half, and it didn't hurt to have a reserve in Derrick Nix score a season-high 13 points off the bench.

Brandan Kearney's three with 6:45 remaining gave the Spartans their first lead of the game at 50-49, and at that point it would have been easy for the Wolverines to fold. But they didn't, remaining within striking distance thanks in part to a switch to their 1-3-1 zone before taking the lead on Douglass' bucket that Burke assisted on with 36.5 seconds remaining. And while Michigan State did get two attempts to take the lead in the final seconds neither came without pressure from Michigan (one of which was blocked), resulting in opportunities that weren't as good as the Spartans would have hoped for.

"We really tried to completely deny Draymond the ball," said Beilein of the final sequence of the game. "You almost have to double him sometimes. We had to today, and then he passed the ball out of there. Fortunately they didn't have any success with either one."

Michigan's win means that they remain a player in the Big Ten race, which is currently led by Illinois by a game in the loss column. The Wolverines have won the last three games in the series, but while the recent run of success gives Michigan bragging rights it's just a portion of the big picture. Both teams remain contenders for the Big Ten title, meaning that the meeting in East Lansing on February 5th will be just as important in determining whether or not either team can win the league. Round one goes to Michigan.

Other Notable Happenings

1. Florida State builds on Saturday's win by whipping Maryland in Tallahassee.
On the heels of their emphatic win over North Carolina it would have been easy for Florida State to go into their game against Maryland dwelling on what happened Saturday. But Leonard Hamilton's team displayed both maturity and some offensive firepower on Tuesday night, beating the Terrapins 84-70 in their second straight excellent performance. One factor in the Seminoles' win was that they took care of the basketball, finishing the game with just nine turnovers (four in the second half). Michael Snaer led the way with 19 points while Ian Miller and Okaro White combined to score 31 points off the bench in a balanced effort for the Seminoles.

Maryland's Terrell Stoglin led all scorers with 27 points but the only other Maryland player to reach double figures was Nick Faust, and he finished with ten points. Florida State was balanced in their scoring and efficient in their execution, which led to them leading by as many as 21 points in the second half. FSU visits Duke this weekend, and it will be interesting to see if they can continue to play as they have the last two games. If so, the Seminoles have the ability to leave Durham with a win.

2. UNC Asheville extends its lead in the Big South to two games with a win over Coastal Carolina.
All six players who scored for Coastal Carolina reached double figures, with Sam McLaurin scoring 17 points to lead the way, but it wasn't enough to win at UNC Asheville due in large part to the Bulldogs' ability to get to the foul line and take advantage of those trips. Eddie Biedenbach's team attempted 33 free throws and made 31, winning 88-81 to take a two-game lead in the Big South as a result. J.P. Primm scored 23 points to lead the Bulldogs and Matt Dickey added 19 with 12 of his points coming from the foul line.

While it's well-known that this tandem is a handful, when they score a combined 20 points from the foul line Primm and Dickey are near impossible to beat. With the victory the Bulldogs took an important step towards the regular season crown, and with the champion getting to host the semifinals and title game of the Big South Tournament that's an important advantage to have. The goal for CCU now is to at the least remain two games back before the two teams meet again on Valentine's Day, and if they can get some help as well the Big South title would still be a realistic possibility.

3. Anthony Davis breaks Kentucky's single-season blocks record in the Wildcats' win over Arkansas.
In freshman Anthony Davis it's become quite apparent that Kentucky head coach John Calipari has a player that is extremely difficult for opponents to deal with. And now there's also the historical aspect of Davis' freshman campaign, as he is now the school record-holder for the most blocked shots in a season with 89 (blocking seven on Tuesday) and still counting. The blocked shots weren't Davis' sole contribution however as he scored 27 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in the Wildcats' 86-63 win.

Five players reached double figures for Kentucky, who shot 57.1% from the field and out-rebounded Arkansas 38-26. Doron Lamb scored 14 points off the bench, Terrence Jones (13 points, nine rebounds and five blocks) and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (ten points, four rebounds and four assists) were both all over the stat sheet and Marquis Teague played arguably his best game in a Kentucky uniform with nine assists and four rebounds with just three turnovers. With all of their young talent Kentucky's got unlimited potential, and the fact that the Wildcats have yet to play their best basketball should concern the rest of the SEC.

Quick Hitters

1. One of the keys for getting into the NCAA Tournament is to avoid bad losses, and that's exactly what Colorado State did in their 66-55 win over Boise State. Dorian Green scored a game-high 20 points and Pierce Hornung grabbed ten rebounds off the bench as Tim Miles' team moved to 2-0 in Mountain West play.

2. Louisville, which has been hit hard by injuries this season, found out on Tuesday that forward Rakeem Buckles was done for the year with a torn ACL. Buckles, who averaged 4.0 points and 3.8 rebounds per game, injured himself in the Cardinals' loss at Marquette on Monday.

3. So Western Carolina took on Toccoa Falls on Tuesday night as they wanted to avoid having too much time off between games. The final score: 141-39. Nine Catamounts scored in double figures and two others scored nine points, and WCU also held a 62-19 edge on the boards. Things got out of hand in Cullowhee.

4. Campbell picked up a 54-51 win at Winthrop, and as a result the Camels are tied with Coastal Carolina two games behind UNC Asheville in the Big South. Eric Griffin scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half while also grabbing 11 rebounds, and the Camels outscored Winthrop 13-4 over the final 6:40 of the game.

5. Robbie Hummel scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and Lewis Jackson added 14 as Purdue rebounded from a slow start to beat Iowa 75-68 in West Lafayette. The Boilermakers shot just 41.1% from the field but they out-rebounded the Hawkeyes by nine (41-32) and coverted 13 Iowa turnovers into 20 points.

6. Georgetown proved to be too much for DePaul, winning 83-75 at Allstate Arena, but the improvement that the Blue Demons have made under Oliver Purnell is definitely noticeable. Outside of Jeremiah Kelly and Krys Faber the rotation is young, meaning that as upperclassmen talented players such as Brandon Young and Cleveland Melvin will be well-equipped to improve the standing of the program within the Big East.

Three Notable Performances

1. F/C Anthony Davis (Kentucky)
27 points, 14 rebounds and seven blocks in the Wildcats' 86-63 win over Arkansas.

2. G Jason Clark (Georgetown)
Career-high 31 points (11-14 FG), five rebounds and four steals in the Hoyas' 83-75 win at DePaul.

3. G Nick Barbour (High Point)
33 points (11-16 FG) and three assists, but he didn't receive much help in the Panthers' 85-66 loss at Radford.

UNC-Asheville vs Coastal Carolina: Preview & Prediction

Greg Mengelt — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 13:41:56 -0500

COASTAL CAROLINA (13-4, 6-1 Big South) AT UNC-ASHVILLE (12-6, 7-0 Big South)

Time/TV: 7 p.m./ESPN Full-Court, ESPN3

Location: Justice Center

RPI Ratings: Coastal Carolina 135 (Big South No. 2); UNC-Ashville 130 (Big South No. 1).

Coastal Carolina Players to Watch: F Chris Gradnigo, 6-7 Sr. (16.1 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.5 apg); G Anthony Raffa, 6-1 Jr. (17 ppg, 4 rpg, 49.3% FG); F Sam McLaurin, 6-8 Jr. (9.7 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 1.4 bpg). With his next blocked shot, McLaurin will have 143 for his career, making him Coastal Carolina’s all-time leader

UNC-Asheville Players to Watch: G Matt Dickey, 6-1 Sr. (16.1 ppg, 3.6 apg, 3.4 rpg); G J.P. Primm, 6-1 Sr. (14.2 ppg, 4.3 apg, 37.9% 3s); G Chris Stephenson, 6-3 Sr. (14.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 53.4% FG). Stephenson was last week’s Big South Player of the Week. He averaged 20.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals, while shooting 60 percent from the floor, in road victories over Campbell and High Point.

Storylines: Ashville is the last remaining unbeaten in the Big South at 7-0. The Chanticleers are just a game back at 6-1. Coastal’s lone league loss came at Campbell on Jan. 2 in overtime. This could be a big game toward determining who will represent in the Big South in the NCAA Tournament since the regular-season champion gets home-court advantage throughout the conference tournament. Campbell (5-2) and Charleston Southern (5-3) could still figure into the Big South race.

Keys: The key in this one could be size matchup. Coastal Carolina is much bigger with Gradnigo, McLaurin and 6-1 Jon Pack, while its rare that a Bulldog over 6-foot-4 sees more than a handful of minutes. However, the Bulldogs’ team speed and depth could be a big advantage if they try to push the pace. They average 82.5 point per game, which ranked eighth in the nation. … The Chanticleers are just 2-3 in true road games this season, although they did beat Clemson at Littlejohn Coliseum. Asheville is 6-1 and has won six straight at home. The Bulldogs, who were the pre-season Big South favorites, only loss at the Justice Center came on Nov. 13, 91-75 to North Carolina. … The Bulldogs have plenty of experience in big games with four seniors and junior Jeremy Atkinson in the starting lineup.

The Bottom Line: Home court, a slight experience edge and an explosive offense equal a close victory for UNC-Asheville.

The Pick: UNC-Asheville 81, Coastal Carolina 74.

College Basketball Conference Ranking: RPI, KenPom, Sagarin

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 11:09:04 -0500

With the new year upon us and conference play starting in earnest, it seemed like a fitting time to check on how the computers rank the conferences so far. The computers all agree on one thing: the Big Ten is by far the most dominant league in the country. After that, there are subtle disagreements down the line. It is noteworthy that the Mountain West is ahead of 3 traditional power conferences, while the Pac 12 barely comes in ahead of the MVC and A10.

The overall ranking is based on an average of three rankings: the RPI, KenPom.com's ratings, and the Sagarin rating from USA Today.

Rank	Conference	RPI	KenPom	Sagarin	Avg
1	Big Ten	1	1	1	1.0
2	Big 12	3	2	2	2.3
3	Big East	2	3	3	2.7
4	Mountain West	4	6	4	4.7
5	SEC	6	4	5	5.0
6	ACC	5	5	6	5.3
7	Pac 12	9	7	7	7.7
8	Missouri Valley	7	9	8	8.0
9	Atlantic 10	8	8	9	8.3
10	CUSA	11	10	10	10.3
11	WCC	10	11	11	10.7
12	Horizon	12	13	13	12.7
13	WAC	18	12	12	14.0
14	MAC	14	15	14	14.3
15	Summit	13	17	15	15.0
16	Colonial	20	14	16	16.7
17	Ivy	17	16	19	17.3
18	Sun Belt	15	20	17	17.3
19	Atlantic Sun	19	18	18	18.3
20	MAAC	16	19	21	18.7
21	Big West	21	21	20	20.7
22t	Patriot	23	22	26	23.7
22t	Southern	22	24	25	23.7
24t	Ohio Valley	24	25	24	24.3
24t	Big South	27	23	23	24.3
26	Big Sky	28	26	22	25.3
27	Southland	25	28	27	26.7
28	Northeast	26	27	28	27.0
29t	America East	31	29	29	29.7
29t	MEAC	29	30	30	29.7
31t	Independent	32	31	31	31.3
31t	SWAC	30	32	32	31.3

Post your thoughts below or join us @collegehoopsnet

Jon Teitel's All-Conference Teams (Pre-League Play Edition)

Jon Teitel — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 01:59:57 -0500

With conference play beginning for many leagues this week (a few conferences began their league slate in early December) it's a good time to look back on some of the top performers. Enter CHN writer Jon Teitel, who put together his all-conference teams for each of the leagues.

America East
G Gerardo Suero (Albany)
G Darryl Partin (Boston University)
G Gerald McLemore (Maine)
F Ben Dickinson (Binghamton)
F Chase Plummer (UMBC)

Atlantic 10
G Carl Jones (Saint Joseph's)
G Tu Holloway (Xavier)
G Ramone Moore (Temple)
F Chris Gaston (Fordham)
F Chris Braswell (Charlotte)

ACC
G Terrell Stoglin (Maryland)
G Kendall Marshall (North Carolina)
F Travis McKie (Wake Forest)
F Mike Scott (Virginia)
F Harrison Barnes (North Carolina)

Atlantic Sun
G Markeith Cummings (Kennesaw St.)
G Kerron Johnson (Belmont)
G Adam Sollazzo (East Tennessee St.)
F Torrey Craig (USC Upstate)
C Adam Pegg (Stetson)

Big 12
G Steven Pledger (Oklahoma)
G J'Covan Brown (Texas)
G Marcus Denmon (Missouri)
F Thomas Robinson (Kansas)
F Royce White (Iowa St.)

Big East
G Jeremy Lamb (Connecticut)
G Darius Johnson-Odom (Marquette)
G Dion Waiters (Syracuse)
F Kevin Jones (West Virginia)
F Herb Pope (Seton Hall)

Big Sky
G Damian Lillard (Weber St.)
G Charles Odum (Portland St.)
G Will Cherry (Montana)
G Stallon Soldivar (Northern Arizona)
F Collin Chiverton (Eastern Washington)

Big South
G Darren White (Campbell)
G Nick Barbour (High Point)
G Anthony Raffa (Coastal Carolina)
F Eric Griffin (Campbell)
C Al'Lonzo Coleman (Presbyterian)

Big Ten
G Drew Crawford (Northwestern)
G Tim Frazier (Penn St.)
F John Shurna (Northwestern)
F Robbie Hummel (Purdue)
F Jared Sullinger (Ohio State)

Big West
G Orlando Johnson (UCSB)
G Casper Ware (Long Beach St.)
G Phil Martin (UC Riverside)
F T.J. Robinson (Long Beach St.)
F James Nunnally (UCSB)

Colonial
G Mike Moore (Hofstra)
G Devon Saddler (Delaware)
G Keith Rendleman (UNC Wilmington)
F Ryan Pearson (George Mason)
F Jamelle Hagins (Delaware)

Conference USA
G Will Barton (Memphis)
G Damier Pitts (Marshall)
G DeAndre Kane (Marshall)
F Keith Clanton (UCF)
F Arsalan Kazemi (Rice)

Horizon
G Chase Simon (Detroit)
G Kendrick Perry (Youngstown St.)
G Ray McCallum Jr. (Detroit)
F Ryan Broekhoff (Valparaiso)
F Ben Averkamp (Loyola (IL))

Independent
G Mitch Albers (Nebraska-Omaha)
G Isaiah Wilkerson (NJIT)
F Aaron Broussard (Seattle)
F Art Bernardi (Houston Baptist)
C Antwan Carter (Longwood)

Ivy
G Zack Rosen (Pennsylvania)
G Tyler Bernardini (Pennsylvania)
F Keith Wright (Harvard)
F Ian Hummer (Princeton)
F Greg Mangano (Yale)

MAAC
G Dylon Cormier (Loyola (MD))
G Harold Washington (Canisius)
G Scott Machado (Iona)
F Michael Glover (Iona)
F Rakim Sanders (Fairfield)

Mid-American
G D.J. Cooper (Ohio)
G Rian Pearson (Toledo)
F Julian Mavunga (Miami (OH))
F Jarrod Jones (Ball St.)
F Javon McCrea (Buffalo)

MEAC
G Tony Gallo (Coppin St.)
G Darrion Pellum (Hampton)
F Brandon Riley (South Carolina St.)
F Dominique Sutton (North Carolina Central)
C Kyle O'Quinn (Norfolk St.)

Missouri Valley
G Colt Ryan (Evansville)
G Rayvonte Rice (Drake)
G Kyle Weems (Missouri State)
F Doug McDermott (Creighton)
F Taylor Brown (Bradley)

Mountain West
G Chase Tapley (San Diego St.)
G Wes Eikmeier (Colorado St.)
G Michael Lyons (Air Force)
F Chace Stanback (UNLV)
F Mike Moser (UNLV)

Northeast
G Shane Gibson (Sacred Heart)
G Kyle Vinales (CCSU)
F Ken Horton (CCSU)
F Julian Boyd (Long Island)
F Ike Azotam (Quinnipiac)

Ohio Valley
G Kevin Murphy (Tennessee Tech)
G Isaiah Canaan (Murray St.)
G Jeremy Granger (Eastern Illinois)
F Robert Covington (Tennessee St.)
F Tyler Stone (Southeast Missouri St.)

Pac-12
G Jared Cunningham (Oregon St.)
G Jorge Gutierrez (California)
G Tony Wroten (Washington)
F Brock Motum (Washington St.)
F Andre Roberson (Colorado)

Patriot
G Charles Hinkle (American)
G C.J. McCollum (Lehigh)
G Jim Mower (Lafayette)
F Mike Muscala (Bucknell)
F JJ Avila (Navy)

SEC
G John Jenkins (Vanderbilt)
G Kenny Boynton (Florida)
G Dee Bost (Mississippi St.)
F Anthony Davis (Kentucky)
F Arnett Moultrie (Mississippi St.)

Southern
G Kevin Giltner (Wofford)
G Harouna Mutombo (Western Carolina)
F Antwaine Wiggins (Charleston)
F De'Mon Brooks (Davidson)
C Mike Groselle (Citadel)

Southland
G Brandon Fortenberry (SE Louisiana)
G Kannon Burrage (UTSA)
G Anthony Miles (Lamar)
F LaQuentin Miles (Central Arkansas)
F Patrick Richard (McNeese St.)

SWAC
G Savalace Townsend (Arkansas-Pine Bluff)
G Marquis Baker (Alcorn St.)
G Jenirro Bush (Jackson St.)
F Kenderek Washington (Alabama St.)
C Paul Crosby (Miss. Valley St.)

Summit
G Reggie Hamilton (Oakland)
G Nate Wolters (South Dakota St.)
G Frank Gaines (IPFW)
F Alex Young (IUPUI)
F Terell Parks (Western Illinois)

Sun Belt
G Raymond Taylor (FAU)
G Chris Jones (North Texas)
F LaRon Dendy (Middle Tennessee)
F Chris Udofia (Denver)
C Augustine Rubit (South Alabama)

West Coast
G Kevin Foster (Santa Clara)
G Matthew Dellavedova (Saint Mary's)
G Kevin Pangos (Gonzaga)
F Noah Hartsock (BYU)
F Rob Jones (Saint Mary's)

WAC
G Kevin Olekaibe (Fresno St.)
G James Kinney (San Jose St.)
G Zane Johnson (Hawaii)
F Wendell McKines (New Mexico St.)
C Kyle Barone (Idaho)

Jon Teitel's November All-Conference Teams

Jon Teitel — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 17:22:22 -0500

With the first month of the college basketball season concluded, this is a good time to recognize some of the top players throughout the country. With that in mind, CHN writer Jon Teitel gave his all-conference selections for each conference (and independents, which includes the Great West in this piece).

America East
G Darryl Partin Boston University
G Justin Edwards Maine
G Gerardo Suero Albany
F Ben Dickinson Binghamton
F Chase Plummer UMBC

Atlantic 10
G Carl Jones Saint Joseph's
G Mark Lyons Xavier
G Tu Holloway Xavier
F Andrew Nicholson St. Bonaventure
F Chris Braswell Charlotte

ACC
G Kendall Marshall North Carolina
G Terrell Stoglin Maryland
G Glen Rice Jr. Georgia Tech
F Travis McKie Wake Forest
F Mike Scott Virginia

Atlantic Sun
G Marcus Dubose ETSU
G Markeith Cummings Kennesaw St.
G Jordan Burgason Lipscomb
F J.J. Mann Belmont
F Torrey Craig USC Upstate

Big 12
G J'Covan Brown Texas
G Marcus Denmon Missouri
F Royce White Iowa St.
F Thomas Robinson Kansas
F Quincy Miller Baylor

Big East
G Maalik Wayns Villanova
G Darius Johnson-Odom Marquette
G Jeremy Lamb Connecticut
F Kevin Jones West Virginia
F Herb Pope Seton Hall

Big Sky
G Damian Lillard Weber St.
G Will Cherry Montana
G Kareem Jamar Montana
F Scott Bamforth Weber St.
F Collin Chiverton EWU

Big South
G Keith Gabriel VMI
G Darren White Campbell
G Anthony Raffa Coastal Carolina
F Eric Griffin Campbell
F Al'Lonzo Coleman Presbyterian

Big Ten
G Tim Frazier Penn St.
G Drew Crawford Northwestern
F John Shurna Northwestern
F Jared Sullinger Ohio St.
F Robbie Hummel Purdue

Big West
G Casper Ware Long Beach St.
G Orlando Johnson UCSB
F Stephan Hicks Cal State-Northridge
F James Nunnally UCSB
F T.J. Robinson Long Beach St.

CAA
G A.J. Davis James Madison
G Devon Saddler Delaware
G Humpty Hitchens James Madison
F Ryan Pearson George Mason
F Nathaniel Lester Hofstra

Conference USA
G Will Barton Memphis
G Miguel Paul East Carolina
F Keith Clanton UCF
F Josh Davis Tulane
F Cameron Moore UAB

Horizon
G Kendrick Perry Youngstown St.
G Chase Simon Detroit
F Kevin Van Wijk Valparaiso
F Ryan Broekhoff Valparaiso
C Alec Brown Green Bay

Independents
G Mitch Albers Nebraska Omaha
G Isiah Williams Utah Valley
F Aaron Broussard Seattle
F Jeremy Robinson Chicago State
F Antwan Carter Longwood

Ivy
G Zack Rosen Pennsylvania
G Sean McGonagill Brown
F Ian Hummer Princeton
F Greg Mangano Yale
F Keith Wright Harvard

MAAC
G Scott Machado Iona
G Harold Washington Canisius
G Dylon Cormier Loyola (MD)
F Michael Glover Iona
F Rakim Sanders Fairfield

MAC
G Rian Pearson Toledo
G D.J. Cooper Ohio
G Trey Ziegler Central Michigan
F Jarrod Jones Ball State
F Julian Mavunga Miami (OH)

MEAC
G Tahj Tate Delaware St.
G Tony Gallo Coppin St.
G Darrion Pellum Hampton
F Dominique Sutton NC Central
F Brandon Riley South Carolina St.

Missouri Valley
G Colt Ryan Evansville
G Rayvonte Rice Drake
F Doug McDermott Creighton
F Ben Simons Drake
F Taylor Brown Bradley

Mountain West
G Michael Lyons Air Force
G Chase Tapley San Diego St.
G Wes Eikmeier Colorado St.
F Anthony Drmic Boise St.
F Mike Moser UNLV

NEC
G Kyle Vinales Central Conn. St.
G James Johnson Quinnipiac
F Ken Horton Central Conn. St.
F Alex Francis Bryant
F Ike Azotam Quinnipiac

Ohio Valley
G Kevin Murphy Tennessee Tech
G Isaiah Canaan Murray St.
G Jud Dillard Tennessee Tech
F Mike Liabo UT Martin
F Robert Covington Tennessee St.

Pac-12
G Jared Cunningham Oregon St.
G Jorge Gutierrez California
G Trent Lockett Arizona St.
F Devon Collier Oregon St.
F Brock Motum Washington St.

Patriot
G Charles Hinkle American
G Jim Mower Lafayette
G C.J. McCollum Lehigh
F Ryan Willen Lafayette
C Mike Muscala Bucknell

SEC
G John Jenkins Vanderbilt
G Kenny Boynton Florida
G Brad Beal Florida
F Arnett Moultrie Mississippi St.
F Tony Mitchell Alabama

Southern
G Jamaal Trice Appalachian St.
G Eric Ferguson Georgia Southern
F De'Mon Brooks Davidson
F Antwaine Wiggins Charleston
F Mike Groselle Citadel

Southland
G Brandon Fortenberry SE Louisiana
G Anthony Miles Lamar
G Antonio Bostic Stephen F. Austin
F LaQuentin Miles Central Arkansas
F Patrick Richard McNeese St.

SWAC
G Marquis Baker Alcorn St.
G Savalace Townsend UAPB
G Tramaine Butler Alabama St.
F Casey Cantey Alabama A&M
F Demarquelle Tabb Alabama A&M

Summit
G Frank Gaines IPFW
G Nate Wolters South Dakota St.
G Reggie Hamilton Oakland
F Dominique Morrison Oral Roberts
F Alex Young IUPUI

Sun Belt
G Chris Jones North Texas
G Jeremy Allen FIU
G Phil Taylor FIU
F Chris Udofia Denver
C Augustine Rubit South Alabama

WCC
G Evan Roquemore Santa Clara
G Kevin Foster Santa Clara
F Noah Hartsock BYU
F Rob Jones St. Mary's
C Robert Sacre Gonzaga

WAC
G Kevin Olekaibe Fresno St.
G Christian Kabongo New Mexico St.
G Zane Johnson Hawaii
F Wendell McKines New Mexico St.
C Kyle Barone Idaho

College Hoops Thursday: Your Commentary

Raphielle Johnson — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:15:25 -0500

Thursday's schedule is highlighted by the first night of the SEC/Big East Invitational, and while the marquee games are tomorrow there are solid match ups to keep track of tonight. At the top of that list has to be Georgetown (5-1) heading south to take on #12 Alabama (7-0), and the question will be what John Thompson III's big men can do against JaMychal Green (15.5 ppg, 8.0 rpg) and Tony Mitchell (14.4 ppg, 7.6 rpg). To say the least this will be a tall task for Henry Sims, Nate Lubick and the rest of the Georgetown frontcourt, as Mitchell is one of the best athletes in the game and Green is considered to be one of the top interior players in the SEC.

Sims is averaging 13.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, and his ability to step out on the perimeter in Georgetown's system makes him a tough cover when on. But his performance will need to be consistent if the Hoyas are to have a serious shot at leaving Tuscaloosa with the win, and the season goes for Lubick. Georgetown will also use the versatile freshman Otto Porter (9.7 ppg, 6.5 rpg) and classmate Greg Whittington, and it's going to have to be a group effort as it wouldn't be realistic to expect any of these four to rise to the level of a Green or Mitchell on their own.

The guard play should also be entertaining, and in Georgetown's Jason Clark (17.0 ppg, 3.7 rpg) and Alabama's Trevor Releford (11.6 ppg, 2.4 apg) there will be two of the better guards in their respective leagues on display. Clark's really had to step up his offensive production with Austin Freeman and Chris Wright moving on, becoming more of a scorer in his senior campaign. Outside of he and wing Hollis Thompson (14.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg) the Hoyas are young on the perimeter, as they look to the likes of Markel Starks and Jabril Trawick for minutes.

As for Releford (11.6 ppg, 2.4 apg), he leads a young backcourt with just one season of experience under his belt. Freshmen Levi Randolph, Trevor Lacey and Rodney Cooper are all capable of being outstanding players for Anthony Grant in the future, and each has shown the ability to make plays now as well. The one concern for the Crimson Tide has to be the fact that they essentially break even in their averages for assists and turnovers per game, and Georgetown's opponents have averaged 15.5 turnovers per game this season. Both teams are good at attacking the offensive boards, but the Hoyas will need to take advantage of their superiority in offensive efficiency and valuing the basketball if they're to pick up what would be a big road victory.

Also playing in the SEC/Big East Invitational tonight is top-ranked Kentucky, which hosts a St. John's team even younger than their rotation and lacking the depth that John Calipari's group brings to the table. A prohibitive favorite to win tonight, this is a good test for the Wildcats from a maturity standpoint. Terrence Jones, Doron Lamb and Darius Miller need to lead Kentucky and make sure there aren't any signs of the team looking ahead to Saturday's game against North Carolina. Providence visits South Carolina and DePaul host Ole Miss in the other two games on the docket.

But the bigger deal on Thursday night is the start of conference play in multiple conferences that tend to play their league tournaments on the first weekend of "Championship Fortnight" (nearly 12 days is not a "Week"). In the NEC games between St. Francis (NY) and Mount St. Mary's and Wagner visiting LIU will help shape the league race that takes a break until January after this weekend. In the Big South, defending regular season champion Coastal Carolina begins their quest to finally get to the NCAA Tournament after squandering opportunities in each of the last two seasons with VMI coming to town, and defending Big South Tournament champ UNC Asheville opens at Gardner-Webb. And Liberty at Campbell should be another solid opening night tilt in the Big South.

Play in the Atlantic Sun, Horizon, MAAC, SoCon and Summit leagues also begins tonight, with gems including South Dakota State at IUPUI (Summit), Cleveland State at Wright State (Horizon) and Davidson visiting defending champion Wofford (SoCon) highlighting the slate. The conference games for this weekend may not get the major highlights on ESPN, but these are incredibly important games. League titles aren't lost on this weekend, but an 0-2 start makes it far tougher to win a conference title when getting back to that business a couple weeks from now.

Top 25 Games
7:30 PM St. John's at (1) Kentucky (ESPN2)
9:30 PM Georgetown at (12) Alabama (ESPN2)

NCAA Division I Games
5:30 PM UNC Asheville at Gardner-Webb
7:00 PM South Dakota State at IUPUI
7:00 PM St. Francis (NY) at Mount St. Mary's
7:00 PM Arkansas State at St. Bonaventure
7:00 PM Harvard at Vermont
7:00 PM Chattanooga at Georgia Southern
7:00 PM VMI at Coastal Carolina
7:00 PM Liberty at Campbell
7:00 PM Eastern Michigan at Colgate
7:00 PM Youngstown State at Detroit
7:00 PM Lehigh at Fordham
7:00 PM FIU at Georgia State
7:00 PM Savannah State at Hampton
7:00 PM Morehead State at Kent State
7:00 PM Wagner at Long Island
7:00 PM South Dakota at Oakland
7:00 PM Winthrop at Presbyterian
7:00 PM Sacred Heart at Quinnipiac
7:00 PM Fairleigh Dickinson at Robert Morris
7:00 PM Providence at South Carolina (ESPNU)
7:00 PM Monmouth at St. Francis (PA)
7:00 PM Siena at St. Peter's
7:00 PM Davidson at Wofford (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Cleveland State at Wright State
7:00 PM Central Connecticut State at Bryant (MSG+)
7:00 PM Jacksonville State at USC Upstate
7:15 PM East Tennessee State at Stetson
7:30 PM UMBC at American
7:30 PM Radford at Charleston Southern
7:30 PM Marist at Loyola (MD)
7:30 PM UMKC at IPFW
8:00 PM Murray State at Western Kentucky
8:00 PM Citadel at Charleston (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Loyola (IL) at Milwaukee (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Texas Tech at Texas A&M-CC (ESPN3)
8:00 PM UNC Greensboro at Appalachian State
8:00 PM George Washington at Kansas State (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Western Carolina at Samford
8:00 PM Middle Tennessee at Tennessee State
8:00 PM North Dakota State at Western Illinois
8:00 PM UIC at Green Bay (ESPN3)
8:05 PM McNeese State at Louisiana-Lafayette
8:05 PM Cal State Fullerton at Wichita State
8:15 PM Mercer at Lipscomb
8:15 PM Kennesaw State at Belmont
9:00 PM San Francisco at Montana
9:00 PM Ole Miss at DePaul (ESPNU)
9:00 PM Paul Quinn at Sam Houston State
9:05 PM Westminster UT at Northern Colorado
10:10 PM Stanford at Seattle

College Hoops Tuesday Recap: Missouri Blows Out Golden Bears

Raphielle Johnson — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 00:23:40 -0500

On paper the matchup between Missouri and California looked to be a good matchup, with both teams fresh off of big wins in the semifinals of the CBE Classic in Kansas City. On the floor however, things got out of hand quickly for the Golden Bears as the Tigers rolled in front of a pro-Missouri crowd. Kim English scored 19 points and tournament MVP Marcus Denmon finished with 18 points and six rebounds as the Tigers won 92-53, and it could be argued that the 39-point margin doesn't do this result justice. Six Missouri players finished in double figures in what arguably is the best showing of any team in the country at this early point in the season, considering the opponent.

Frankly the Golden Bears, one of three teams expected to contend in the Pac-12, looked overwhelmed. Cal trailed by just five shortly after the halfway point of the first half, but that would be as close as Mike Montgomery's team would be the remainder of the night. Missouri went on a 12-2 run to set things in motion, and they led 45-26 at the break. But instead of being able to play the Tigers even in the second half California fell further behind as they were outscored 47-27 in the second half. The final nail in the coffin came with 11:12 remaining as Jorge Gutierrez, who led the Bears with 11 points, committed his fifth foul out of frustration. Mizzou's aggression made it seem as if they had more than the legal number of players on the court, and Cal couldn't adjust at all.

"It starts with us playing as a team," said Denmon. "Everybody passing up the good shot for a better shot, and that's what we did as a unit. It allowed us to have California playing on their heels, and that's something I felt if we did as a team, we would be hard to guard."

Missouri shot 58.8% from the field and finished with an effective field goal percentage of 68.6%, nine percentage points above their season average. California couldn't get much of anything done as they shot 29.8% from the field, and their 34-27 rebounding edge was more a result of them missing more shots than Missouri than any exploitation of the Tigers' lack of interior depth. But even that turned out to be of little issue for Missouri, with Steve Moore scoring ten points off the bench to account for Ricardo Ratliffe's foul trouble.

While some may cite this loss as another piece of evidence that the Pac-12 is once again "down" that would be misguided. Frank Haith's got an experienced team that's not only adjusting well to a new system, but one that has no problem sharing the accolades. Should this continue, Missouri will definitely be a factor in what's expected to be a wide-open Big 12 race.

Other Notable Happenings

1. Duke and Kansas advance to the title game of the Maui Invitational.
The semifinals of the Maui Invitational produced the results many expected to see on Tuesday night, with Duke beating Michigan and Kansas withstanding a second half UCLA rally to advance to Wednesday's title game. Austin Rivers led four Duke starters in double figures with 20 points in their 82-75 win over the Wolverines in a game that opened up offensively in the second half. Duke performed well defensively in the first half, limiting the Wolverines to 22 points and 34.5% shooting from the field. The biggest problem for Michigan: ten assists for the game with freshman Trey Burke having nine of them. Michigan's assist percentage (32.3%) was nowhere near their season average (50.8%) as the Blue Devlls did a good job of taking away the passing lanes that make John Beilein's offense so tough to guard.

As for the Jayhawks they had a far different challenge on their hands, and an unpredictable one at that given the fact that few people know which UCLA will show up on a nightly basis. Kansas took on the Bruins who lost to Loyola Marymount and Middle Tennessee for much of the first half, taking a 43-26 lead into the locker room. But then the Bruins woke up, cutting the Kansas lead to as few as five points but it wasn't enough to wrestle the game away from the Jayhawks. Elijah Johnson got going for Kansas on the perimeter, scoring a game-high 23 points while Thomas Robinson added 15 points and 10 rebounds. Kansas controlled the boards against the deeper Bruins to the tune of a 34-21 rebounding edge, and UCLA made just 26.6% of their two-point shots. Both finalists will encounter far different tests on Wednesday, meaning that the team best able to adjust will likely leave the island with the title.

2. A greatly improved Meyers Leonard leads Illinois to a win over Richmond in Cancun.
With the departures of Demetri McCamey, Mike Davis and Mike Tisdale there was ample room for players to step up for Bruce Weber's Fighting Illini. And on the heels of a successful summer with USA Basketball center Meyers Leonard has looked capable of making the move, and his play on Tuesday night was the difference in Illinois' 7-061 win over Richmond in the Cancun Challenge.

Leonard finished with 22 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks to lead the undefeated Fighting Illini while Bradley transfer Sam Maniscalco added 19 and was the man Weber called on to initiate the offense in crunch time. The emergence of Leonard and the amount of trust that Weber has in Maniscalco are two things to watch with Illinois beginning with their matchup with Illinois State in Wednesday's final. Can Leonard build on his best performance of the season? If so, a championship is a definite possibility.

3. Memphis survives a virtuoso performance by Tennessee's Jeronne Maymon to beat Tennessee in double overtime.
Memphis absolutely caught fire about halfway through the first half in the first game of the day from Maui on their way to 55 first-half points. However there was an issue for the Memphis big men that some may not have expected: no one could guard Jeronne Maymon. Tarik Black had to sit early with two fouls, and the slender Stan Simpson really didn't have much of a chance in slowing down Maymon, who finished with 32 points and 20 rebounds. But despite the fight from Cuonzo Martin's team the Volunteers didn't have enough to grab the win, falling 99-97 in double overtime.

Will Barton bounced back from a poor performance against Michigan to score 25 points and Adonis Thomas added 19 and Antonio Barton 21 off the bench. Tennessee is going to go toe-to-toe with many of the teams on their schedule due to the mindset that their head coach has instilled in them. The Vols will back down from no one, regardless of the margin. As for Memphis, the win highlighted the need for Black to remain on the floor and out of foul trouble. The Tigers were out-rebounded 49-34 on the afternoon, and while they got away with it against Tennessee there will be games where they aren't as fortunate.

Quick Hitters

1. Danny Hurley's Wagner Seahawks picked up a solid win on the road as they beat Penn 71-65 at The Palestra. Guards Latif Rivers and Tyler Murray, one of the better guard tandems in the NEC, combined to score 32 points and Chris Martin addel 11.

2. One-time Clemson head coach Cliff Ellis returned to Littlejohn Coliseum, and his Coastal Carolina Chanticleers won 60-59 on a Chris Grandingo followed his own miss and scored as time expired. Grandingo finished with 21 points and Anthony Raffa scored 22 for the Chanticleers, who are 5-0 and looking to win another Big South regular season title.

3. Wisconsin rolled to a 77-31 win over UMKC as they limited the Kangaroos to 30.2% shooting on the night. UMKC made just 12.9% of their shots in the second half, and Jared Berggren led the Badgers with 21 points and Ben Brust added 12 off the bench. Those two outscored UMKC by themselves.

4. Mike Anderson's Arkansas Razorbacks are down to just nine scholarship players after receiving the news that forward Marshawn Powell was out for the season with a knee injury. Will the Hogs have the size and experience needed to navigate the ACC without Powell? That remains to be seen.

5. This will likely be a long season for USC, who survived their matchup with winless Morgan State 65-62. Maurice Jones played all 40 minutes and scored 18 points and dished out six assists. For the Trojans to win games Jones will have to be at his best, but will he be able to shoulder the load without help?

Three Notable Performances

1. F Jeronne Maymon (Tennessee)
32 points and 20 rebounds in the Volunetters' double-overtime 99-97 loss to Memphis.

2. G Velton Jones (Robert Morris)
38 points, four rebounds and two assists in the Colonials' 82-77 win over James Madison.

3. G Jim Mower (Lafayette)
37 points and three rebounds in the Leopards' 85-74 win over Fairleigh Dickinson.

Jon Teitel's "Forgotten Legends" Series: Winthrop's Charles Brunson

Jon Teitel — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 23:18:18 -0500

In the latest installment in his "Forgotten Legends" interview series CHN writer Jon Teitel spent some time with Charles Brunson, the all-time leading scorer and rebounder in the history of Winthrop basketball. Brunson was a two-time NAIA All-American at the school and also ranks second in school history in field goal percentage.

Jon Teitel: You started your college career at Gardner-Webb before transferring to Winthrop after two years. Why did you decide to attend Gardner-Webb?

Charles Brunson: Gardner-Webb had a top-ranked program at the time and Coach Eddie Holbrook was good at making you into the best basketball player you could be. It was a challenging program and a good school, but very demanding. The school president was a good person and I fell in love with the campus.

JT: Winthrop's very first season of basketball was in 1978. How did it feel to go to a school that was creating a program from scratch, and was it important to you to help start a tradition there?

CB: Winthrop had an up-and-coming program, but had to wait one year after developing the program and at the time I just wanted to play. I transferred in 1979 and was coming off of a serious knee reconstruction after ACL surgery. The Winthrop trainer really helped me get back in shape and be able to play. In that era an ACL tear usually limited your effectiveness, but I was very blessed. When I first signed with Winthrop I could not even bend my leg! Winthrop was also closer to home (only 45 miles from where I grew up) so I had some friends there as well. Winthrop had recruited some of the best talent in the nation during that first year, and I felt that my personality and goals were a great fit with the players (Ronnie/Donnie Creamer, Tim Raxter, Rick Riese, and Bennie Bennett). That is the #1 reason that I transferred to Winthrop.

JT: You played all of your home games at a junior hight school gym. What did it feel like to play a college game in a high school gym?

CB: The team did not move into the Winthrop Coliseum until the year after I graduated. The high school gym was a close environment. At a big coliseum you lose the connection with your fans. One of the building blocks for the program was the gym itself: when you ran out of bounds you had people standing there to push you back in! It was a very nice gym. I think Duke is a perfect example of tradition that does not want to change one bit. I used to go watch the Hornets when they were in Charlotte, and when I sit up high I would need binoculars.

JT: In 1981 you became only the third college team in the history of the state to win 30+ games in a single season. Was that the best team you have ever been on, and what was the reaction like on campus?

CB: The campus atmosphere was great, as the student body (from fraternities to athletes in other sports) were all supportive of each other. The closeness with the administration and faculty is also very unique. I went back last winter because our entire team was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame. To be honest, what I remember the most are not the games but the faculty who was so involved with us both inside and outside the classroom. If I was not in class the professors knew it!

JT: You won the Open Division of the 1981 Southern Textile Tournament while playing with Zam Fredrick Sr., who led the nation in scoring that season at South Carolina. How good a player was Zam Sr. back in the day, and did you ever think you would see his son Zam Jr. follow in his footsteps by becoming a great player for the Gamecocks?

CB: Zam Sr. is a good person and a great coach, and he has passed off his wisdom/knowledge to his son in addition to his players. I played against Zam Sr. in the 1977 state HS All-Star game and drew four charges on him! To see Zam Jr. do what he did was just like a flashback to his father.

JT: You were a two-time NAIA All-American. What did it mean to you to win such outstanding individual honors?

CB: Being named an All-American was a great individual honor, but more importantly it reflected the spirit, excitement and closeness we had as a team, including the university, faculty and community of Rock Hill and the state of South Carolina. I never went out and tried to win such awards and never dreamed of being an All-American. Coach Nield Gordon taught us a lot about the game and was a great mentor to me after having a great playing career himself. He taught us that if we worked hard and did our job we did not have to worry about the scorebook. I was shocked to be named All-American. I never thought about it because basketball is such a team sport. You cannot succeed unless your teammates make sacrifices. It is a great honor that I can share with my teammates because I did not do it by myself. If we had not won 30+ games, I doubt that I would have been named All-American.

JT: You remain the all-time leading scorer and rebounder in school history despite starting only 81 games in your career. Do you think anyone will ever break your records, and what is the secret to being a great scorer and rebounder?

CB: I hope somebody breaks my records. That is what they are there for, and I do not mind spotting them a year and a half! There are tricks in every sport, including basketball. How to step on someone's toes at the right time, how to hook someone without being called for a foul, etc. Much of the game is played below the rim, which most people do not realize. Once the light bulb went off I just did repetition after repetition. I never really kept track of my stats. The scoreboard told me everything I needed to know.

JT: Your 61.3 FG% is second all-time in school history. What is the secret to being a great shooter?

CB: The guy who holds the record (Eddie Gay) was a great player, but he only took about half as many shots as I did. I cannot really explain any trick to shooting: sometimes it is just about the state of mind you have, as well as knowing what shot you are going to take before you get the ball.

JT: You currently work as Executive Vice President of Operations at Evatran. How do you like the job, and what do you hope to do in the future?

CB: I really enjoy my role as Executive VP of Operations for Evatran. It is much like starting a new basketball program (as we did at Winthrop), but in the business environment. We are developing a one-of-a-kind electric proximity charging system for the Electric Vehicle industry, and it is exciting to be a part of developing new technology that will provide a tremendous benefit to the world and generations to come. The staff and CEO (Tom Hough) has a love, passion, and drive to make a difference in the world, which are the same characteristics I found in my coaches. It is a joy to be a part of such a great team that once again will make history.

JT: When people look back on your career, how do you want to be remembered the most?

CB: One thing that is not often printed in newspapers is what kind of person a player was. I would rather be known as a Christian man of character, honesty and integrity than by any of my stats or awards, as a man's values are the things that really last.

Brunson is also on Jon's list of best fantasy players in Big South history.

Campbell: Joe Spinks (1994) 1711 PTS (#4), 954 REB (#2), 220 STL (#2), 155 BLK (#2), conference POY
Charleston Southern: Ben Hinson (1987) 2295 PTS (#1), 45.7 3P% (#2), All-American, conference POY
Coastal Carolina: Tony Dunkin (1993) 2151 PTS (#1), 721 REB (#4), 52.1 FG% (#4), All-American, 4-time conference POY
Gardner-Webb: George Adams (1972) 2404 PTS (#1), 1113 REB (#1), 60.3 FG% (#1)
High Point: Arizona Reid (2008) 2069 PTS (#2), 1013 REB (#4), 2-time All-American, 2-time conference POY
Liberty: Karl Hess (1980) 2373 PTS (#1), 648 AST (#1), 89.8 FT% (#1)
UNC Asheville: Josh Pittman (1998) 1549 PTS (#4), 175 STL (#2), 2-time conference POY
Presbyterian: Dave Thompson (1956) 2195 PTS (#1)
Radford: Doug Day (1993) 2027 PTS (#1), 401 3PM (#1)
VMI: Reggie Williams (2008) 2556 PTS (#1), 820 REB (#4), 196 3PM (#4)
Winthrop: Charles Brunson (1982) 1850 PTS (#1), 913 REB (#1), 61.3 FG% (#2), 2-time All-American?

College Hoops Wednesday Thoughts: Bulldogs Fall, Aggies Roll

Raphielle Johnson — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 10:32:43 -0500

While much of the college sports world was captivated by the goings on in State College, PA, four college basketball games were being played. And one of the four teams expected to win fell at the hands of the defending MAC Tournament champs, but in hindsight it wasn't much of an "upset". Behind 19 points from Quincy Diggs the Zips beat Mississippi State 68-58 at The Hump. Simply put, Keith Dambrot's team outworked and outplayed the Bulldogs, who weren't as effective as they were on Monday night and it cost them.

"[Mississippi State] had a limited bench, and it really affected their juice level," said Dambrot. "I think we had a little more juice when it mattered. When the game got on the line and with their backup point guard being sick, they couldn't really go to their bench."

The Bulldogs were a little shorthanded on Wednesday night, but they turned the ball over 19 times and made just two of thirteen shots from beyond the arc. Dee Bost, who was outstanding in the second half of Monday's win over Eastern Kentucky, finished Wednesday's game with 13 points (2-9 FG) and four turnovers and was nowhere near as effective against Akron. Arnett Moultrie also struggled from the field, making just two of thirteen shots and scoring eight points, but he did manage to grab a game-high 15 rebounds.

And then there's Renardo Sidney, who's been quite the lightning rod throughout his time in Starkville. He finished with 12 points and five rebounds, but it is fair to question what kind of physical condition he's in. There were occasions last night where he wasn't involved in the offense and the lack of stamina was apparent, and Akron's Zeke Marshall proved to be more of a factor throughout the course of the game. Marshall played just 24 minutes before fouling out, but he contributed 10 points, six rebounds and five blocks while on the floor.

Was Akron fresher, having not played on Monday? That's a definite possibility, and something that Dambrot alluded to after the game, but that isn't the best reason for Mississippi State allowing themselves to be outworked. It's too soon to jump overboard on the Bulldogs, who have talent and will have plenty of chances throughout the season to put together an NCAA Tournament-worthy resume (it's just game two). But if anything last night's result should make people throughout the country aware the Akron will remain a player in the MAC.

Other Happenings

1. Texas A&M makes their debut and clamps down on Liberty.
Shortly before game time Texas A&M made it known that Glynn Cyprien would be acting head coach for the game against Liberty with head coach Billy Kennedy still recuperating after being diagnosed with the early stages of Parkinson's Disease. But what could have been a major distraction was anything but for the Aggies, who came out on fire defensively against a Liberty team that looked to be overmatched. Liberty made just four of twenty-four shots from the field in the first half (0-7 3PT) and trailed 37-14 at the break on their way to an 81-59 loss in College Station. Ray Turner led the Aggies with 20 points, and the game played out much easier than one would expect after noticing that Khris Middleton played just ten minutes. One other notable performer for the Aggies was guard Jamal Branch, who finished with six points and six assists (no turnovers) in 20 minutes of action. To say the least it was a solid debut for Texas A&M.

2. St. John's and Arizona withstand tough challenges at home.
The good news for St. John's came before tip last night as head coach Steve Lavin returned to the team following surgery for prostate cancer and his subsequent recovers, but once the game began the Red Storm found themselves in a battle. Lehigh knocked down their first five three-pointers and shot 53.6% from the field in taking a 43-33 lead into the half. C.J. McCollum scored 14 points in the half, and the Mountain Hawks did a good job of finding open gaps in the Red Storm matchup zone. But things changed after the break, albeit at a slower pace than most runs tend to happen. McCollum scored just three points in the second half and as a team Lehigh shot 32% from the field, as St. John's came back to win 78-73. God'sgift Achiuwa scored 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead the way while Maurice Harkless and Nurideen Lindsey added 15 apiece as St. John's rebounded to win.

Arizona has the same issues with youth, and while the Wildcats do have more returnees from last year's Elite 8 team than the Red Storm guys are having to adjust to new roles. That may explain the struggles of Solomon Hill through two games, and the point guard situation was something that Duquesne was able to take advantage of as the first half progressed despite a slow start. Eric Evans and Sean Johnson combined for 13 first-half points and the Dukes led 30-28 at the half, with Arizona not helping themselves with 11 turnovers. But Jordin Mayes played very well at the point in the second half, scoring 14 of his 19 points while Jesse Perry put the finishing touches on another double-double in the Wildcats' 67-59 win. Despite 20 turnovers Arizona was a plus-11 in rebounding margin and outscored Duquesne 19-9 in second half points, paving the way to their second win of the season. Both Arizona and St. John's are a work in progress right now, which should make next week's meeting an entertaining one.

3. UCF could be in serious trouble with the NCAA.
Things had been going well on the Orlando campus the last couple of seasons. George O'Leary's football program had won a Conference USA championship on the gridiron, Donnie Jones' arrival as basketball coach put some life into the basketball program and new facilities for both revenue sports put UCF on the radar of the Big East for a possible move. But after yesterday's happenings the program could be in some trouble with the NCAA. UCF received its Notice of Allegations from the NCAA regarding possible recruiting violations in football and men's basketball, and the fallout has already begun. AD Keith Tribble and wide receivers coach David Kelly have both stepped down and Jones has been suspended three games, and given the list of allegations that meeting with the Committee on Infractions won't be a fun one. You can read the allegations here (.PDF file), and given their nature, with the involvement of runners and agents, there could be some stiff penalties handed out.

Notable Performers

1. F God'sgift Achiuwa (St. John's)
21 points (6-6 FG, 9-9 FT) and eight rebounds in the Red Storm's 78-73 win over Lehigh.

2. F Ray Turner (Texas A&M)
20 points (9-11 FG) and six rebounds in the Aggies' 81-59 win over Liberty.

3. G Jordin Mayes and F Jesse Perry (Arizona)
Mayes scored 19 points while Perry posted his second double-double of the season (11 points, 11 rebounds) in the Wildcats' 67-59 win over Duquesne.