Charleston

Daily Conference Poll: Who Will Win the Southern Conference?

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 09:42:49 -0500

Southern Conference Basketball Preview: 08-09

CHN — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 12:38:50 -0500

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Conference Rank: 17th

10 year average: 19th

All-Southern Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	Stephen Curry	Davidson	Jr
G	Donald Sims	Appalachian St	So
G	Tony White	Charleston	Jr
F	Nicchaeus Doaks	Chattanooga	Sr
F	Jermaine Johnson	Charleston	Sr
CHN Award Winners		Returning Leaders
CHN All-Americans Stephen Curry Mid-Major All-Americans Stephen Curry* *Mid-Major POY		Points: Stephen Curry 25.1 Rebounds: Jermaine Johnson 8.5 Assists: Cameron Wells (Citadel) 3.8

Southern Conference Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

40	Davidson	Southern	1	NCAA
116	Appalachian St	Southern	2
141	Charleston	Southern	3
169	Chattanooga	Southern	4
205	Georgia Southern	Southern	5
216	UNC Greensboro	Southern	6
239	Furman	Southern	7
269	Elon	Southern	8
278	Wofford	Southern	9
292	Samford	Southern	10
293	Western Carolina	Southern	11
324	Citadel	Southern	12

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

** returning conference champion

Poll: Who Do You Think Will Win the SoCo? (soon)

Other Southern Content

Conference Media/Coaches Poll

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Rise & Fall: Patriot

Top SG's: Stephen Curry

Top Non-BCS Players: Stephen Curry

State of '08: South Carolina

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 15:11:18 -0400

Duke or Carolina? BC or UMASS? Gonzaga or Washington.. or Washington State? What is the best program in each state? While there's not much competition in Hawaii.. there are great debates to be had in loaded regions like California, North Carolina, and Texas. The State of '08 is a ranking of every program in every state.. based mostly on recent success (the last five years) mixed in with subjective factors such as conference prestige, historical success, and overall program direction.

For more info, check out the State of '08 introduction.

SOUTH CAROLINA

CLEMSON - Amazingly Clemson made the NCAA Tournament for just the first time in a decade, losing to Villanova in the opening round. The Tigers were an NIT team the previous three seasons, but have still trumped Winthrop in RPI in 6 of 8 seasons.

WINTHROP - The Eagles simply own the Big South right now. In Greg Marshall's ten-yea reign, Winthrop has made an amazing 8 NCAA Tournaments, and a 9th is possible in '09. In '07, Winthrop also knocked off Notre Dame in the tourney's First Round.

SOUTH CAROLINA - In Dave Odom's 7-year tenure, the Gamecocks were invited to one NCAA Tournament and 2 NITs. Former WKU Coach Darrin Horn was brought in to make the program more competitive in the SEC. Not since 1998 has USC finished over .500 in conference play.

CHARLESTON - For a long-time in the 90's up until a few years ago, Charleston was one of the top mid-major programs in the country. Ever since John Kresse retired, the Cougars have lost a little bit of their lustre and last year was the first time they finally finished below .500 in the Southern Conference.

SOUTH CAROLINA STATE - This is has long been one of the premier programs in the MEAC.. which isn't saying much because it is the MEAC. Since their last conference title in 2003, there has been some slippage however. Last year's 9-9 conference record was their worst in a decade, and RPIs of 290 & 284 in the past two years are anything but impressive.

6. FURMAN - In the previous six seasons, Furman was consistently a .500 team in the Southern Conference. But last year the bottom fell out and the Paladins struggled to a horrible 6-14 conference record, and an even worse 7-23 overall record. However, the team was young and most onlookers expect serious improvement in Jeff Jackson's third season.

7. COASTAL CAROLINA - In 2006, the Chanticleers were just a basket away from advancing to the Big Dance. This was an an aberration for a program that otherwise has been a middling to poor Big South team over the last 10 years.

8. WOFFORD - The Terriers have had similar overall success to Coastal Carolina above, hovering around winning 40 to 50% of their conference games on a yearly basis. Last season the team shocked Purdue on the road, and played Alabama very close as well.

9. CHARLESTON SOUTHERN - Other than two years of mediocrity in '05 & '06, this has been one of the worst programs in the country for quite some time. The Bucs have only won 10 D1 games the last 2 seasons, with an average RPI of 328th

10. THE CITADEL - Avoid being in last solely because there were two D1-newcomers in South Carolina last year. The Bulldogs haven't won 10 games since 2002, which was also the last season they finished above 290 in the RPI. Brutal stuff.

11. SOUTH CAROLINA UPSTATE - The Spartans beat six D1 teams in its initial season, including a decent Gardner-Webb squad. Upstate also has an advantage over Presbyterian due to their affiliation with the Atlantic Sun conference.

12. PRESBYTERIAN - Not much to say here. In the program's first full D1 season, the team went 2-25 (against D1 teams) with wins over Radford and Army.

Last: Pennsylvania - Next: Tennessee

State of '08: The Introduction (& State list/links)

Charleston Classic Matchups Announced

Press Release — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 01:44:15 -0400

ESPN Regional Television announced today the schedule of matchups for the inaugural Charleston Classic, set for Nov. 14-16 at the new Carolina First Center in Charleston, S.C.

The event will include 12 games in three days, with six games being broadcast on CSS. The Southern Conference, based in Spartanburg, S.C., will serve as the event's sponsoring conference.

The 2008 Charleston Classic field includes eight teams: College of Charleston, Clemson, East Tennessee State, Hofstra, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, Temple, TCU and Western Michigan. Two of the teams, Clemson and Temple, played in the 2007-08 NCAA Tournament.

In the first round of action, beginning Thursday, Nov. 14, TCU will take on Western Michigan in the first game to be played at Carolina First Center. Also in the first round, ETSU will face Temple, SIU-Edwardsville will meet College of Charleston, and Hofstra and Clemson will square off.

"We're pleased to have a competitive field and exciting matchups in the inaugural Charleston Classic," said Pete Derzis, senior vice president and general manager, ESPN Regional Television. "We expect this new event to provide a terrific off-the-court experience for the student-athletes, coaches and staffs while giving fans a great opportunity to watch college basketball in the great destination of Charleston."

Each team will compete in one game per day, advancing through a bracket-tournament format. The two teams that remain undefeated throughout the tournament will face off in a championship match Sunday, Nov. 16, at 4 p.m. ET on CSS. Complete matchups are listed below.

"I am very excited about the Charleston Classic opening our new Carolina First Center," said Bobby Cremins, head coach of College of Charleston. "This will bring college basketball to our beautiful Low Country and downtown Charleston area. Clemson will be the headliner, but there are other exciting teams that should challenge them for the first Charleston Classic championship."

Tickets for the tournament will go on sale Sept. 15 at www.CharlestonClassic.com, or by telephone at the Carolina First Center box office at (843) 953-2632. Fans can purchase travel packages to the tournament by going to www.AnthonyTravel.com or by calling 1-800-736-6377.

2008-09 Charleston Basketball Preview: #141

Joel Welser — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 12:41:06 -0400

College of Charleston Cougars

Overall Rank: #141

Conference Rank: #3 Southern Conference

2007-08: 16-17, 9-11, 3rd South

2007-08 postseason: none

While Davidson got most, well pretty much all, of the headlines coming out of the Southern Conference, some other teams put together solid seasons. Unfortunately, the College of Charleston was not one of them. The team struggled through a relatively difficult non-conference schedule and any time it looked like they were going to recover, another extended losing streak followed. Yet, with every player who averaged over ten minutes per game returning, Coach Bobby Cremins' team has the experience to scare Davidson a little bit.

Who's Out:

Konimba Diarra saw limited action during his senior season, but he was another big body down the bench who could come in and play a little defense and eat up a foul or two. The only other departure is David Baller, who failed to score a point in his nine appearances.

Who's In:

With all the returning talent, the newcomers will find it difficult to find too much playing time. However, Quasim Pugh could work his way into the regular rotation. The 6-0 point guard is a drive and dish player and that is not a bad thing to have on a team that has a lot of scorers and few pure passers. Shooting guard Matt Sundberg might have to bide his time on the bench, but if he can be a consistent long range shooter as a freshman, there could be a role for him right away.

Who to Watch:

The guards will win games in the SoCon, but the Cougars have a nice group of forwards who will do their part to turn Charleston into a winner. Senior Jermaine Johnson has steadily improved throughout his career and his senior season should be his best yet. The 6-7, 250 pound Los Angeles native is a wide body and can clear room in the paint on both ends of the floor. The emergence of former junior college transfer Dustin Scott has made even more space for Johnson in the paint. Scott, who can stretch the defense with his outside shooting, averaged 10.8 points and 6.7 rebounds last year. Small forward Antwaine Wiggins had a decent freshman campaign and once he uses his size and athletic ability to get to the basket instead of hoisting up three-pointers, he will be a star in the conference. The problem up front is the lack of depth and 6-8 sophomore Jeremy Simmons needs to be ready to give Johnson and Scott a rest.

Final Projection:

Andrew Goudelock and Tony White, Jr. are good scorers and solid shooters from behind the arc, but can they lead this team to glory? White will run the point once again, but the turnover numbers are a little high and he is too talented of a scorer to simply set up his teammates. Goudelock was a pleasant surprise as a freshman and shot over 42 percent from long range and tied White with a team high 13.2 points per game. The depth is there with Donavan Monroe and Marcus Hammond, but White needs to have a big year for the Cougars to have a big year.

Projected Post-season Tournament: none

Projected Starting Five:

Tony White, Jr., Junior, Guard, 13.2 points per game

Andrew Goudelock, Sophomore, Guard, 13.2 points per game

Antwaine Wiggins, Sophomore, Forward, 6.9 points per game

Dustin Scott, Senior, Forward, 10.8 points per game

Jermaine Johnson, Senior, Forward, 11.2 points per game

Complete Top 144 Ranking | 2008-09 Preview & Awards | Coach Interviews | Discuss the Preview

Turnarounds: 31 Teams to Watch: Part Four

Raphielle Johnson — Mon, 19 May 2008 10:49:33 -0400

With the off-season now upon us and the spring signing period well under way, this is a good opportunity to attempt to forecast some of the teams who could make the jump next season. Is there a team out there like this past season’s Drake Bulldogs, who went from ninth place to a dominating run through the Missouri Valley? Or how about Arizona State, a team that went from dead last in the Pac-10 to fifth place and could have the makings of a conference title run this season? With one pick for each conference, here are 31 teams you should keep an eye on next season.

Part Four

SEC: South Carolina

2007-08 Record: 14-18 (5-11)

There hasn’t been a whole lot of optimism around the Gamecock basketball program since a group led by Renaldo Balkman won its second straight Postseason NIT title a couple years back. But into the desk left open by the retired Dave Odom slides Darrin Horn, who led Western Kentucky to four straight twenty-win seasons and a Sweet 16 this past season. Given what we saw from the likes of Courtney Lee and Tyrone Brazelton during the Tournament, maybe Horn can add a little more to the game of Devan Downey and unleash some of the athletic talent in the South Carolina frontcourt. While it would be far-fetched to expect the Gamecocks to win the SEC East, look for them to make a return to postseason play next year.

Southern: College of Charleston

2007-08 Record: 16-17 (9-11)

It’s tough when you’re in the same division as Davidson, but for the Cougars to finish below .500 in conference play last season had to be a disappointment for Bobby Cremins and his staff. Four players, led by Tony White Jr., averaged double figures in scoring and they’ll all be back in 2008-09. Davidson will still be the odds-on favorite to win the Southern Conference, but don’t expect Charleston to simply roll over for the Wildcats. And the scary thing is that they may be even better the following season.

Southland: Nicholls State

2007-08 Record: 10-21 (5-11)

The Colonels are another team that suffered due to its lack of experience last season. But with Adonis Gray being the lone departure, look for Nicholls to repay some of the teams who took advantage of their youth this past season. Head coach J.P. Piper should have a full complement of players at his disposal next season, including three signed recruits and Michael Czepil for an entire season. And given the fact that they’re in the division opposite Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston State, the Colonels can make a run at a division title.

SWAC: Southern

2007-08 Record: 11-19 (9-9)

Head coach Rob Spivery loses two seniors from last season’s team, Geri Guillory and Joe Holliday, but his top three scorers will all be back in Baton Rouge. Chris Davis led the Jaguars in scoring at fifteen per game, and look for Barry Honore and Steffon Wiley to increase their production in order to become better compliments to Davis on the offensive end. The key in the SWAC, like the MEAC, is to not get buried by those “guarantee games” that many of the member schools have to play for the sake of their athletic department’s finances. I think Southern will have enough returning experience to make sure they don’t suffer that kind of letdown next season.

Summit: Centenary

2007-08 Record: 10-21 (4-14)

The Centenary Gents struggled mightily at times last season, and if not for South Dakota State they would have finished last in the conference. They only lose one senior from last season’s squad, and he (Iman Shokouhizadeh) averaged a mere four minutes per game. Three players averaged double figures in scoring, led by Tyrone Hamilton and Nick Stallings. They’ll both be back, and will be focal points as head coach Rob Flaska looks to move Centenary to the top half of the Summit League, if not win the automatic bid itself.

Sun Belt: Denver

2007-08 Record: 11-19 (7-11)

The Pioneers will have quite the task this season as their location doesn’t even remotely fit into the geographical footprint of the rest of the Sun Belt. But second-year head coach Joe Scott should be more familiar with his roster and each player’s strengths and weaknesses. The Pioneers lose four seniors, most notably David Kummer and Adam Tanner, but I think they can improve their standing within the West Division thanks to key losses incurred by other teams within the division. A full off-season in the system that Scott wants to run should also help with the completion of the coaching transition.

West Coast: Portland

2007-08 Record: 9-22 (3-11)

Personally, I thought that the Pilots should have performed better than their 3-11 record within the WCC. But with their only senior loss being Sherrard Watson, I think this could be the year in which Portland get to the middle of the pack in the WCC. Nik Raivio, who led the team in scoring last season, will be back along with fellow guard Taishi Ito and forward Rob Smeulders. Look for head coach Eric Reveno to have a vastly improved team in his third season at the helm.

WAC: Louisiana Tech

2007-08 Record: 6-24 (3-13)

Kerry Rupp heads into his second year in Ruston with a lot of young players returning after getting a taste of the “hard knock life” in 2007-08. Add to this group LSU transfer Magnum Rolle combined with other WAC teams losing some key contributors and you may have a team that can move up to the middle of the conference standings in 2008-09. In regards to competing for the conference title, that may be a little premature at this stage. But the cupboard certainly won’t be bare for the Bulldogs in 2008-09.

Part One: ACC, Big East, Big Ten etc

Part Two: Big 12, CUSA, etc

Part Three: MVC, MWC, Pac-10, etc

Daily Poll: Who Will Win the Southern Conference?

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 09:12:54 -0400

2007-08 Charleston Basketball Preview

Joel Welser — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 14:14:35 -0400

Charleston Cougars

Overall Rank: #132

Conference Rank: #3 Southern

2006-07: 22-11, 13-5, 2^nd South

2006-07 postseason: none

There has been a lot of turnover recently at College of Charleston under the watchful eye of Coach Bobby Cremins. Coach Cremins is heading into his second year leading the Cougars and this year the team is getting much more talented and much less experienced. The SoCon domination will not be back this year thanks to Davidson, but Charleston is well on its way to recapturing the glory days.

Who’s Out:

Losing four of the top six scorers from last season is the problem that will keep the Cougars on the outside of the postseason. Dontaye Draper and his 16.2 points and 5.3 assists per game is the most notable absence. Forwards Philip McCandies and David Lawrence were the top two rebounders on the team. Josh Jackson developed into a solid scoring center before opting to transfer prior to his senior season. Guards Javon Parris and Jarryd de Boer and forward Renardo Dickerson will not be returning after seeing limited action in 2006-2007.

Who’s In:

It is no secret that the rebuilding process would begin heading into the 2007-2008 campaign and the program was well prepared. Yet, picking up Antwaine Wiggins late in the game added icing to the cake. Wiggins is a versatile small forward and very well could be starting from day one. The most help is needed up front and junior college transfer Dustin Scott and incoming freshman Jeremy Simmons will need to make an impact right away. Scott is the all-time leading rebounder in Tallahassee Junior College history and his experience will be a major asset for the Cougars, especially after the transfer of Josh Jackson. Wiggins might be the most heralded incoming freshman, but guard Andrew Goudelock is a tremendous shooter and is expected to at least provide a spark off the bench. Donovan Monroe does not lack talent. The 6-1 shooting guard can score in heaps, but consistency has been a concern. If he buys into what Coach Cremins is selling and buckles down and plays a little defense, Monroe will be a star sooner than later. Lefty Roland Davis is a quality scorer as well and will try and work his way into the rotation as a freshman.

Who to Watch:

Marcus Hammond and Jermaine Johnson are the lone returning starters and both need to develop into leaders now that they are upperclassmen. Hammond averaged 7.1 points per game last year and his shooting was inconsistent, to say the least. If the freshmen are as good as advertised, Hammond may find his minutes decreasing as the season progresses. Johnson is the only proven big man on the roster, but at 6-7 and 250 pounds, he can pretty much take on the opposing frontline by himself. Coming off of a 10.1 points and 6.3 rebound season average, Johnson should blow those numbers away as the main post threat for the Cougars.

Final Projection:

It is important for Hammond and Johnson to take over the leadership roles, but it may be even more important for last year’s roleplayers to develop into solid starters. Tony White, Jr. earned seven starts in 2006-2007 and will now be asked to be the full-time starting point guard. He is a decent scorer and if he can keep the turnovers down a little bit for his sophomore season, Charleston will be in good hands. Konimba Diarra, a 6-10 center, has yet to reach his full potential. But with his senior season upon him, he is out of time. The Mali native only averaged 5.0 minutes per game his first season at Charleston after transferring from South Florida, and it may be a little too much wishful thinking to believe he can become a consistent contributor. However, if he does, the frontline suddenly is very big and very deep.

Projected Post-season Tournament: none

Projected Starting Five:

Tony White, Sophomore, Guard, 6.4 points per game

Marcus Hammond, Junior, Guard, 7.1 points per game

Antwaine Wiggins, Freshman, Forward, DNP last season

Dustin Scott, Junior, Forward, DNP last season

Jermaine Johnson, Junior, Forward, 10.2 points per game

Complete Top 144 Ranking | 2007-08 Preview | Discuss the Preview

Daily Dribble: 12/15

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 00:20:47 -0500

I took a slow Thursday of college hoops to watch some NBA Basketball on TNT. Adam Morrison and the Charlotte Bobcats faced JJ Redick and the Orlando Magic in the battle of the new white hopes (at least until Chase Budinger comes along). Morrison came through with 22 points off the bench to help lead Charlotte to a rare win. Morrison is coming off one of the worst shooting slumps of not just his young NBA career.. but of his life.. anybody's life for that matter. From December 3 to December 10, Morrison put up some the worst numbers I've seen in NBA history. December 3: 1-5 shooting, 2 points, 19 minutes. December 6: 1-10 shooting, 4 points, 35 minutes. December 8: 1-11 shooting, 2 points, 30 minutes. December 10: 1-8 shooting, 3 points, 26 minutes. Add it up.. 4 for 34 shooting (12%), 11 points, 110 minutes.. Awful. At least Morrison has shown flashes and is averaging 13 per game. Though he's supposedly healthy now, JJ has been injured and has barely made an impact with Orlando. The 5 points he scored in the loss, upped his career total to 11. JJ simply seems afraid to shoot at this point. I've never seen a guy pump fake so many times in a half of basketball. We'll give him some time before judging completely.. Anyways, back to the college game. Harvard improved to 6-4 with a road win at Central Connecticut. The Crimson haven't been over .500 in the last handful of years, so this is an impressive start. They feature one of the country's most productive 7-footers in senior Brian Cusworth. Cusworth is averaging 17 points, 8 boards, and 2 blocks per game on the season. The Ivy isn't known for dominant big man play, so Cusworth gives Harvard a unique dimenson. The win by Harvard continues what has been a pretty solid start for the Ivy League in non-conference play. The league is 31-38 (45%), which is a good amount better than last year's 39% finish. In fact, at 31-38, the Ivy has a better record than more respected leagues like the WCC (.446 to the Ivy's .449), MAC (.446), and Horizon (.406). In case you were wondering, the conference with the best overall winning percentage right now is.. the Pac-10 with an impressive 65-16 record (.802). Congrats to Northwestern for proving they're one of the worst offensive teams in recent memory. The Wildcats scored 41 and won by 2 points.. over a D3 team. This is a Wheaton team that's already lost to two D3 teams by the way.. so its not like they're a bunch of world-beaters. #19 Memphis bounced back from an embarassing loss to Tennessee by winning their second game in a row. The Tigers blew out Austin Peay, putting the game away from the tip with a 22-2 run. Chris Douglas-Roberts scored a career high 28 in the win. Memphis faces a big test next Wednesday night when they leave home to face Arizona. A loss in that game could drop the Tigers out of the Top 25. Charleston ended a 4-game slide by beating Chattanooga 62-60 last night. It was only a few years back that Charleston was winning 20+ games consistently and giving major teams problems. Right now, the Cougars are 4-6 and seem set for a season of mediocrity. Bobby Cremins has some long-term work to do, because its not even like Charleston is that young right now. Three of their starters, and their 2 leading scorers are seniors. Nothing too much happening on Friday's schedule. Eastern Washington heads to #24 Oregon in the most intriguing game. It gives high-scoring sophomore Rodney Stuckey (25 ppg) a chance to strut his stuff against a ranked opponent. Stuckey is coming off the lowest scoring game in his career, 12 points in a loss against Santa Clara, but he scored 31 in his last game against a ranked team.

Southern Conference Preview

CHN — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 13:10:27 -0500

Conference Previews | Top 144 | 06-07 Preview Home

Southern Preview

Conference Rank: 20th

Conference Page

All-Conference

Player of the Year - Kyle Hines, UNCG, F

DJ Thompson, Appalachian St, G

Ricky Hickman, UNCG, G

Louis Graham, Georgia Southern, F

Jermaine Johnson, Charleston, F

Nat'l	Team (Click for Preview)	Conf	Tourney
122	Charleston	1	NCAA
146	Georgia Southern	2
155	UNC Greensboro	3
174	Furman	4
188	Appalachian St	5
206	Davidson	6
236	Elon	7
245	Chattanooga	8
271	Wofford	9
301	Western Carolina	10
327	Citadel	11

Head Coach Q&A's

Mike Dement - UNCG

Other Preseason Articles

SoCo Media Poll & All-Conference