Samford

Jon Teitel's Coaching Greats Series: Samford's Jimmy Tillette

Jon Teitel — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 21:04:42 -0800

As part of his "Coaching Greats" interview series CHN writer Jon Teitel spent some time in the preseason with current Samford head coach Jimmy Tillette. Coach Tillette, who led a New Orleans-based Babe Ruth team to the World Series title as a child, is the all-time wins leader in Samford history and was also an outstanding high school coach in the Crescent City. Currently his Samford Bulldogs are 10-7 overall and 2-3 in the Southern Conference.

Jon Teitel: In high school you led a New Orleans all-star team to the Babe Ruth World Series title by throwing a pair of three-hitters and batting .616 in the four wins. Were you a better batter or pitcher, and how far did you think you could go as a baseball player?

Jimmy Tillette: Talk about the height of injustice. I am actually in Cooperstown and Pete Rose is not! I thought that I had a chance to go pro as a hitter but my eyes got worse over time. That was the apogee of my career.

JT: As a high school coach in your native New Orleans you went 196-55 over seven seasons and were named Louisiana high school Coach of the Year in 1986 after your De La Salle team set a state record by going 40-1 and winning the Class 4A state title. Where does that team rank among the most dominant you have ever seen, and what did it mean to you to win the title?

JT (coach): That was one of the best teams we ever had. My starting point guard Dwayne Bryant was the state Player of the Year and played four years at Georgetown, and my center ended up playing tight end for a Division I football team. I just tried to stay out of their way, as they had great chemistry.

JT: You were an assistant coach under Perry Clark at Tulane and John Brady at Samford. What made them such great coaches, and what was the most important thing you learned from each of them?

JT: Perry was more of an intuitive coach. He could smell if there was a problem and could adjust quickly. John was very intense and very detailed. Both of them had success in their own ways.

JT: You run a Princeton-style offense which relies on precision cuts and three-point shooting, and your teams are often among the best three-point shooters in the country. Why did you decide to go with that offense, and what is your secret to three-point shooting?

JT: I help teach a class on leadership and one of the first obligations is to accurately interpret reality. Samford is a private school, so you have to do three things to play for me: be a good kid, be committed to getting your degree, and be a good basketball player. If you can only do two out of the three that is not good enough. Our best plan for success is the Princeton offense because it is based on cerebral skills; if I was in the SEC I would not run that offense. I take no credit for our three-point success, but we recruit guys who can shoot the ball.

JT: In your first season as head coach in 1997 you guided the Bulldogs to a 14-13 record despite only starting one senior and having underclassmen comprise the remainder of the team. Were you nervous about having such a young team, and how were they able to finish with a winning record?

JT: We were transitioning from a motion offense, and I realized that we could not win three straight games in the conference tourney if we stuck with that offense. We had the youngest team in the entire country, but played well down the stretch.

JT: In 1999 you were named conference Coach of the Year. What did it mean to you to win such an outstanding individual honor?

JT: Those are truly team accolades, as you need a talented staff and great players. Some of my assistants from back then are still with me, and are an active part of what we do. They have the freedom to give me input.

JT: What are your memories of the 1999 NCAA Tournament (Ron Artest had 17 points and 10 rebounds in a St. John's victory)?

JT: It was the first time we made the tourney so we celebrated for a week...and then realized that we had to play the game. I quickly learned that being in the tourney is like playing the bagpipes in public. You do not have to play well to be noticed! Mike Jarvis had a great team, and we missed a lot of shots.

JT: The following year you pulled off an eight-point upset win over St. John's in the CoSIDA Classic. Was your team just out for revenge, and how were you able to beat them?

JT: We brought everyone back and added a guy who transferred from Mississippi State. We might have caught St. John's looking ahead to playing New Mexico in the title game. They ended up playing them in the consolation game. Beating St. John's was one of our four main goals that year (along with beating Alabama, beating Belmont, and making the tourney), and we were able to do all of that.

JT: What are your memories of the 2000 NCAA Tournament (Etan Thomas had 16 points, four blocks and four steals in a Syracuse victory)?

JT: The whole day was a bad omen. We played in Cleveland, it was raining when we walked into the arena and snowing when we walked out. We were only down by a couple of points with eight minutes left but could not hang with them down the stretch. Syracuse should have been a #2-seed, as they were ranked #2 in the country only one month earlier.

JT: In 2009 your player Jim Griffin died at age 23 from an undetectable heart condition. What was your reaction when you learned of his death, and how was your team able to overcome this tragic event?

JT: We were having some pre-practice workouts in September, and a trainer came over to tell me that they had found Jim dead in his room. We never did overcome it. We never quit, but the whole team was just spent by the end of the year. The two conflicting emotions we had were grief and competition, and there is no way to make them work in harmony.

JT: In January 2010 you suffered a seizure and collapsed during a win at UNC Greensboro, but you postponed an air-lift to a hospital at UAB because you did not want to miss watching your hometown Saints in the NFC title game. How serious was the incident, and what did it mean to you when the Saints went on to win the Super Bowl?

JT: My body just shut down, but luckily I had an assistant there to catch me before I hit the floor. The Super Bowl win meant a lot to me because I remember the days when fans wore bags on their head to cheer on the "Aints". I woke up from the seizure and was asking everyone what happened. I had a little headache but generally felt fine. I found out a week or two later that there was going to be some physical incapacity and mental diminution, but luckily I now feel healthy and am trying to make the most of my second chance.

JT: Earlier this season you hired assistant coach Terrence Johnson to replace Thomas Johnson. Was this just an attempt to keep all the "T. Johnson" labels that were lying around your locker room/office?

JT: You hit it on the head: I did not want to change the name on the front of his door! Thomas left for personal reasons, but Terrence is a good guy who was displaced after Hurricane Katrina and spent some time in Texas. I have to be around guys who I know, and they are all great guys. We are good at recruiting in-state, but a lot of the kids have moved to Texas, which is where TJ will help us immensely.

JT: What are your goals for this season, and how hard will it be to succeed after the graduation of Trey Montgomery?

JT: Trey was one of the most special kids I have ever been around. He was Jim's roommate and was the one who found him, but he handled it as well as I have ever seen. Samford gives out two big awards at graduation: one for the highest GPA and one for the best representative of the school. Trey won the latter award, and was the first athlete to ever win that. I am excited for this year, as we have kept moving up to stronger conferences throughout the past. I think travel is a huge issue, but our school president is aware of that. I do not have a specific number of wins in mind, I just want us to get better.

JT: You have the most wins in school history. How long do you plan on sticking around and do you think anyone will ever break your record?

JT: I plan to stick around for 3-4 more years, but I think that someone will break my record. It is like being the tallest kid in 6th grade: if you stick around long enough, you will be the tallest! I have three grandkids and want to spend more time with them.

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

JT: The equation is to live now, so hopefully people will think of me as someone who showed up, did things the right way, and put in a full day's work. We made decisions in our team's best interest, and never did anything to exploit our kids. If the only thing my players learn during their time here is a superficial skill like shooting the ball, then they will not be prepared for many aspects of life.

Coach Tillette is also on Jon's list of best coaches in Southern Conference history.

Appalachian State: Buzz Peterson (1996-2000, 2009-2010) 103-52, 1 NCAA tourney, 4 conference titles, 2-time conference COY

Charleston: John Kresse (1979-2002) 560-143, 4 NCAA tourneys, 9 conference titles, 4-time conference COY

Chattanooga: Mack McCarthy (1985-1997) 243-122, 5 NCAA tourneys, 8 conference titles, 3-time conference COY

Citadel: Les Robinson (1974-1985) 132-162, 2-time conference COY

Davidson: Bob McKillop (1989-present) 391-257, 5 NCAA tourneys, 10 conference titles, 1-time national COY, 6-time conference COY

Elon: Bill Miller (1959-1979) 329-224, 2 conference titles

Furman: Joe Williams (1970-1978) 142-87, 5 NCAA tourneys, 3 conference titles, 1-time conference COY

Georgia Southern: Frank Kerns (1981-1995) 244-132, 3 NCAA tourneys, 4 conference titles, 4-time conference COY

UNC Greensboro: Fran McCaffery (1999-2005) 90-87, 1 NCAA tourney, 1 conference title

Samford: Jimmy Tillette (1997-present) 216-188, 2 NCAA tourneys, 1 conference title, 1-time conference COY

Western Carolina: Steve Cottrell (1977-1987) 145-133, 1-time conference COY

Wofford: Mike Young (2002-present) 124-135, 1 NCAA tourney, 1 conference title

Jon Teitel's "Forgotten Legends" Series: Samford's Steve Barker

Jon Teitel — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 21:20:05 -0700

In the latest installment in his "Forgotten Legends" interview series, CHN writer Jon Teitel spent some time with Samford great Steve Barker. Barker is the Bulldogs' second all-time scorer with a total of 1,902 points and career leader in free throw percentage. Barker is now the head basketball coach at McLean County High School in Kentucky.

Jon Teitel: In 1978 you were First Team all-state for an Apollo HS team that went 35-1. Are your memories more about the 35 wins or the one loss?
Steve Barker: The 35 wins made a huge impact on my life. It made me see the power that comes with being a winner: the connections that can be made, how it opens all kind of doors, etc.

JT: What made you choose Samford?
SB: I wanted to go to a D-I school, and I knew that I could play even as a freshman.

JT: In college you led your team in scoring during each of your four years. How were you able to come in as a freshman and contribute from the start, and how were you able to continue to dominate throughout the rest of your career?
SB: My high school coach Wayne Chapman (1968 OVC POY, two-time D-II national championship coach at Kentucky Wesleyan, and father of NBA veteran Rex Chapman) prepared me for D-I basketball. He was a very demanding coach and I learned a lot from him.

JT: In 1979 you were named conference Newcomer of the Year. Did you find the college game very similar to the high school game, or were you just able to make the transition quicker than others could?
SB: I had always played the big guard position in high school and I was a physical player, which made my transition to college relatively easy.

JT: In 1981 and 1982 you were named First Team All-Atlantic Sun. Did you feel like you were one of the best players in the conference?
SB: Yes; I was able to score a lot of points and usually players that score get named to all-conference teams.

JT: You hold the all-time school record for free throw shooting (85%) and consecutive free throws made (42). What made you such a great free throw shooter?
SB: When I was young my father showed me how many points I could average if I made all of my free throws (compared to if I missed a few). After that, I made myself a good free throw shooter.

JT: In 1985 you were hired as coach at LaGrange College. Why did you decide to go into coaching and why did you choose LaGrange?
SB: I received my business degree from Samford but always wanted to influence young players. Athletics can make a grown-up out of you in a hurry, so that was my driving force.

JT: In 2008 you stepped down as coach at Brewton-Parker (a Christian Baptist college) after winning over 400 games. How were you able to win so many games, and why did you decide to step down?
SB: I had good teams because I recruited very good players. I am probably a better recruiter than I am a coach, as I have a knack for developing personal relationships with recruits even before they sign with me. I had learned just about everything you could possibly do at Brewton-Parker as basketball coach, and I just wanted a new challenge.

JT: Currently you are the head boys' basketball coach at McLean County HS in Kentucky. How does coaching high school basketball compare to coaching college basketball?
SB: The biggest difference between college and high school is the fact that in college you can recruit the kind of players that you want in your program, especially at specific positions. In high school, you have to play with whatever players happen to be attending the school at that time.

JT: When people look back on your career how do you want to be remembered the most?
SB: I want people to remember me as someone who loved the game, played it correctly, and coached it professionally. I also hope they consider me to be a good guy who would help any student-athlete achieve his goals in life, whether receiving a degree or playing basketball.

Steve is also on Jon's list of the best fantasy players in Southern Conference history.

Appalachian State: Wayne Duncan (1965) 1,734 PTS (#3), 1,108 REB (#1)
Charleston: Thaddeous Delaney (1997) 1,564 PTS (#4), 1,119 REB (#2), 203 BLK (#1), 54 FG%, All-American, conference Player of the Year
Chattanooga: Willie White (1984) 1,972 PTS (#1), 197 STL (#2), 83.1 FT% (#3), conference Player of the Year
Citadel: Regan Truesdale (1985) 1,661 PTS (#1), 688 REB (#5), All-American, two-time conference Player of the Year
Davidson: Stephen Curry (2009) 2,635 PTS (#1), 221 STL (#3), 414 3PM (#1), 41.2 3P% (#3), 87.6 FT% (#1), two-time All-American, two-time conference Player of the Year
Elon: Jesse Branson (1965) 2,241 PTS (#1), 1,969 REB (#1), two-time All-American, conference Player of the Year
Furman: Frank Selvy (1954) 2,538 PTS (#1), three-time All-American, national Player of the Year
Georgia Southern: Chester Webb (1956) 2,542 PTS (#1), 1,685 REB (#1), two-time All-American
North Carolina-Greensboro: Kyle Hines (2008) 2,147 PTS (#1), 1,047 REB (#1), 185 STL (#3), 349 BLK (#1), 58.4 FG% (#4), All-American, conference Player of the Year
Samford: Steve Barker (1982) 1,902 PTS (#2), 85 FT% (#1)
Western Carolina: Henry Logan (1968) 3,290 PTS (#1), 1,037 AST (#1), 221 STL (#1), four-time All-American
Wofford: James "Daddy" Neal (1953) 2,078 PTS (#4), 1,521 REB (#1)

Poll: Who Will Win the Southern Conference?

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 09:07:38 -0700

Southern Conference Tournament: Preview

Evan Dorey — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 09:07:39 -0800

This is one in a series of conference tournament previews, in which I run down all the teams involved, give a brief statistical review and present the log5 projections, using in-conference offensive and defensive efficiency. The basic log5 methodology comes from Bill James, and this is an area Ken Pomeroy has looked at in the past as well. I claim nothing new in the application, but obviously with slightly different methodologies, these numbers may differ from others you find. I don’t claim to be an expert on any particular conference, and I’m sure there are some mis-characterizations on some players I’ve seen sparingly at best, so please add your thoughts in the comments. Anyway, with no further ado, the preview follows below:

Southern Conference

The SoCon Tournament is in Chattanooga, TN, and uses a divisional system, with the top 4 teams getting first round byes.

#	Team	QF	SF	F	W
N1	Chattanooga	100.00%	65.87%	29.27%	5.08%
S1	Davidson	100.00%	94.62%	85.70%	74.62%
N2	Western Carolina	100.00%	35.38%	2.77%	0.82%
S2	The Citadel	100.00%	72.60%	47.43%	11.19%
N3	Samford	87.80%	26.70%	12.18%	1.64%
S3	College of Charleston	88.06%	61.74%	9.30%	4.57%
N4	Appalachian St.	77.37%	4.94%	2.07%	0.68%
S4	Wofford	76.38%	30.16%	10.46%	1.34%
N5	Elon	23.62%	3.97%	0.58%	0.03%
S5	Georgia Southern	22.63%	0.44%	0.08%	0.01%
N6	NC Greensboro	11.94%	2.88%	0.09%	0.01%
S6	Furman	12.20%	0.70%	0.08%	0.00%

Between Davidson, Charleston and The Citadel, the South division should dominate the tournament, with the hosts Chattanooga a having a decent shot to make the final, but not looking good against the dominant favorites.

North #1 – Chattanooga Mocs (15-16, 11-9) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.028

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2005 (1^st Round)

The Mocs may be North Division champions, but that’s more about the strength of the South than a ringing endorsement of their play, as Chattanooga has just barely been better than a .500 team. They put up a lot of threes, but make a fairly poor percentage, and are excellent at getting to the free throw line, where they shoot just 65%, adding up to a lot of wasted chances. Chattanooga has struggled to stop the three-point shot, allowing opponents to hit 38% of attempts, and their defensive style means more than 45% of opponents’ shots come from behind the arc, more than any other team in the country. It doesn’t take much statistics knowledge to realize how damaging that is. The saving grace for the Mocs’ defense is that they force turnovers and do well on the defensive glass, but they are still only an average team at best.

Players to watch:

5-11 SR Stephen McDowell, 18.3 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 58.9 eFG% - McDowell is the conference’s top scorer not named Curry, powered by his 42% three-point shooting on nearly 300 attempts. He doesn’t tend to do much else besides score, but when you’re this good a scorer, that’s more than enough.

6-7 SR Nicchaeus Doaks, 14.3 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 1.1 BPG, 53.6 eFG% - Doaks leads the conference in rebounds, and is a 57% shooter from inside the arc. He’s excellent at getting to the free throw line, but shoots just 63% there.

South #1 – Davidson Wildcats (25-6, 18-2) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.232

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2008 (Elite Eight)

While the Wildcats’ hopes for an NCAA at-large bid basically disappeared with a two-week period that saw them drop three games, including both their conference losses, they are still heavy favorites to win the conference tournament, and clearly the SoCon’s dominant team. While the Davidson offense gets a lot of focus because of Stephen Curry, the team’s major asset is its defense, the best in the conference by a wide, wide margin. It holds opponents under 40% from the field, and forces a lot of turnovers, in the top 25 in the nation in both areas. If it has a defensive weakness, it’s a tendency to commit a few too many fouls. Offensively, the Wildcats’ shooting percentages aren’t particularly good, but their turnover rate is one of the country’s lowest.

Players to watch:

6-3 JR Stephen Curry, 28.4 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 5.8 APG, 2.6 SPG, 55.1 eFG% - You might have heard of this Curry fellow, as he only happens to be the nation’s leading scorer. He also leads the conference in both assists and steals, and is among the national elite in both of those categories. The amazing thing about Curry is how he manages to stay so efficient when he gets so many possessions; a lot of players have shot as well as he has, percentage-wise, but only Curry can maintain that level over nearly 40% of his team’s shots. He may not get enough credit as a ball distributor, as he has a great assist rate with very few turnovers.

6-8 SR Andrew Lovedale, 12.5 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 1.5 BPG, 51.4 eFG% - Lovedale is a quality defensive player, and important to Davidson’s strong play at that end of the floor; he leads the team in rebounding and shot-blocks, and is an important influence inside. He’s not a huge scorer, but he doesn’t need to be: he takes his chances pretty well when he gets them.

North #2 – Western Carolina Catamounts (16-14, 11-9) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.012

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 1996 (1^st Round)

I promise to stop harping on it, but it’s a little unfair to the South division that the North #2 is has actually been outscored in conference play, yet still earns a first round bye. The Catamounts have allowed the highest opponent FG% in the conference, including 53% on two-point attempts, and commit more than 21 fouls a game, but actually have a league average defense. This is due to good rebounding and the best rate of forcing turnovers in the SoCon. Western Carolina is also an average shooting team, but thanks to its ability on the offensive glass, gets a lot of second-chance opportunities.

Players to watch:

6-4 FR Harouna Mutombo, 14.6 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 1.9 SPG, 51.3 eFG% - A talented freshman out of Pickering HS, not too far from where I call home, Mutombo has led the Catamounts in rebounding and scoring, and has put up a very good shooting percentage, well over 50% from two-point range.

6-2 JR Brigham Waginger, 8.6 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 3.4 APG, 2.5 SPG, 50.2 eFG% - Waginger isn’t much of a scorer, but shoots the ball pretty well, with most of his attempts coming from three, and has one of the nation’s best steal rates.

South #2 – The Citadel Bulldogs (20-11, 15-5) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.094

Last NCAA Tournament bid: None

While much of the talk about the SoCon has focused solely on Davidson, one of the great stories in college basketball this season managed to gain some well-deserved attention when the Citadel beat Davidson in mid-February. This was the highlight of a run that saw the Bulldogs go 11-1 over the last month or so of the season, and the first time that the team had reached 20 wins in thirty years. If any team has a chance of stopping the Curry show from making a stop at the NCAA tournament, this looks like it. The Citadel has depended on a dynamite defense, the only non-Davidson unit to hold opponents below a point per possession on the year. It managed this with tough perimeter defending, allowing just 39% on opponent three-point attempts, and good defensive rebounding. The Citadel’s offense is only at the league average, but it’s a solid shooting team that doesn’t make a lot of mistakes, good enough to carry them through a defensively deficient league.

Players to watch:

6-8 SR Demetrius Nelson, 16.1 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 59.3 eFG% - The team’s leader in both points and rebounds, Nelson has been one of the best players in the conference this year, hitting nearly 60% of his shots and getting to the free-throw line quite often, where he makes 76% of attempts.

6-1 SO Cameron Wells, 15.5 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.4 SPG, 49.0 eFG% - Wells is nowhere as efficient a player as Nelson, but he’s a good scorer who leads the team in assists and steals.

North #3 – Samford Bulldogs (14-15, 9-11) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.024

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2000 (1^st Round)

Samford’s overall record is a little misleading, they’ve been an .500 team in efficiency margin, though they don’t have the wins to show for it. The Bulldogs run one of the country’s slowest offenses, and take 50% of their field goal attempts from behind the arc. This has helped their inside play somewhat, as they are among the best two-point shooting teams in the country, but they’ve struggled with offensive rebounding and turnovers. Samford is also poor at defensive rebounding, and is vulnerable to opponents inside, but forces a lot of turnovers, rarely fouls and gets teams it plays to shoot a lot of threes.

Players to watch:

6-4 JR Trey Montgomery, 11.2 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.4 SPG, 57.3 eFG% - Montgomery is a do-everything player who leads the team in four separate categories, including rebounds and assists. A lot of this is due to the fact that Samford has tended to spread out its possessions and playing time, as his rates aren’t great, but he plays a lot. He’s a good shooter who scores mostly inside, and has a good complimentary long-distance shot.

6-4 FR Josh Davis, 10.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 61.9 eFG% - Davis is a three-point specialist, and he does an awfully good job of it, hitting 40% of his attempts and leading the conference in eFG%. He’s averaged 15 points a game in his last eight contests.

South #3 – College of Charleston Cougars (23-7, 15-5) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.067

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 1999 (1^st Round)

The Cougars are the fourth favorite for the tournament title, and twice fought Davidson down to the final possession, including causing the Wildcats’ first conference loss in early February. They feature the conference’s best offense, hitting shots well inside and outside, and rarely giving up the ball. Charleston’s defense has only been average, and its weak spot has been rebounding, as opponents have managed to get back a lot of their own misses. With the Cougars forcing few turnovers, this has meant a lot of chances for opposing teams to score.

Players to watch:

6-1 SO Andrew Goudelock, 16.9 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 56.3 eFG% - Goudelock is the conference’s best free throw shooter at 89%, and is also pretty good from behind the arc, where he earns a lot of points.

6-8 SR Dustin Scott, 9.7 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 1.4 SPG, 1.4 BPG, 55.5 eFG% - Scott’s best contributions come on the defensive end, where he leads the Cougars in both steals and blocks. He’s a very good percentage shooter, but doesn’t take a lot of shots, and he’s faced a lot of foul trouble in recent games, fouling out in 4 of his last 8.

North #4 – Appalachian St. Mountaineers (12-17, 9-11) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.002

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2000 (1^st Round)

The Mountaineers just barely finished with a positive efficiency margin, and featured a pretty solid conference offense. They are the best pure shooters in the SoCon, leading the league in free throw and three-point percentage, and get back a lot of the shots they do miss. They need to maximize these chances, as they generally lose out in the turnover battle by a wide margin, the worst in the conference in both forcing and committing them. The problem that Appalachian St. has had is that its opponents make a lot of shots, and while it is as good on the defensive glass as the offensive glass, it doesn’t force enough misses to really take advantage.

Players to watch:

6-1 JR Kellen Brand, 15.0 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 57.7 eFG% - Brand is one of a pair of quality long-distance threats, shooting over 40% from behind the arc, but his contributions in the other parts of the boxscore are fairly limited.

6-10 SO Issac Butts, 8.7 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 1.1 BPG, 58.9 eFG% - Butts doesn’t have a huge role in the offense, but he’s pretty much what you want out of a big guy, a high percentage scorer who dominates the boards. He hasn’t played that much in recent weeks, but has had some big games, including 12-and-10 against Chattanooga.

South #4 – Wofford Terriers (16-13, 12-8) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.019

Last NCAA Tournament bid: None

Wofford is the last of the teams in the top 8 of the conference; after it, there is a large drop-off to the teams in the league basement. It’s had a pretty good offensive showing, making a fair number of its threes, avoiding turnovers, and doing well on the offensive glass. The Terriers’ problem has been defensive, especially from behind the arc, where opponents have shot 39%.

Players to watch:

6-6 SO Noah Dahlman, 17.8 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 61.1 eFG% - Dahlman is one of the SoCon’s most efficient players, as he does a lot of things really well, an over 60% shooter who is an excellent offensive rebounder and has committed just 37 turnovers all season.

6-2 JR Junior Salters, 15.2 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 54.4 eFG% - Salters is a good three-point shooter who has seen his scoring numbers drop over the month of February, and will need to find some form if Wofford is to make any noise in the tourney.

North #5 – Elon Phoenix (10-19, 7-13) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.083

Last NCAA Tournament bid: None

All of the teams from here and below have averaged less than a point-per-possession offensively, and all are underdogs in their opening round games. Elon is the best of these teams, as it has an above-average defense, holding opponents to a fairly low percentage from behind the arc and forcing a lot of turnovers. The Phoenix have needed this defense to be good, as they’ve had the conference’s second worst offense, shooting just 43% from the field and not being able to get their misses back very often, resulting in a lot of one-and-done possessions.

Players to watch:

6-8 SR Ola Atoyebi, 14.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 57.3 eFG% - Atoyebi leads the Phoenix in both points and rebounds, and is an is an excellent shooter who takes a large role in the offense.

6-5 SR Brett James, 13.1 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 1.5 SPG, 1.5 BPG, 46.4 eFG% - James is an impressive defensive player, leading the team in both blocks and steals, but his relatively poor shooting, including just 30% on three-pointers, holds back his offensive game.

South #5 – Georgia Southern Eagles (8-21, 5-15) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.108

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 1992 (1^st Round)

Georgia Southern seemed to be going pretty well when it was 5-4 in conference in the final week of January, but totally lost its way from then on, losing 11 straight games to finish just one game out of a tie for last place. The Eagles have fallen this far because of their conference-worst defense, which has been one of the country’s worst in several areas, allowing opponents to shoot 38% on threes and 52% on twos, and getting very few defensive rebounds. Their offense has been better, but still not particularly good, below average in pretty much every statistical category.

Players to watch:

5-10 FR Ben Drayton, 11.7 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 57.0 eFG% - Drayton has been an excellent three-point shooter, over 50% from behind the arc, and while he hasn’t taken a huge number of them, he’s made enough to raise his efficiency. Drayton’s scoring average is somewhat dampened by his start, in which he played little; in the last month he’s averaged more than 17 points a game.

6-2 JR Antonio Hanson, 11.9 PPG, 1.6 RPG, 53.2 eFG% - Hanson hasn’t shot as good a percentage as Drayson, but he’s taken more threes than anyone else on the team, and made nearly 40% of them. His only real contribution is with his shot, so when he can’t get it to fall, he’s pretty much invisible statistically.

North #6 – NC Greensboro Spartans (5-24, 4-16) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.114

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2001 (1^st Round)

Only Georgia Southern has defended worse than the Spartans in the SoCon this year, despite the fact that Greensboro has been better than average at defending shots. The problem for Greensboro has been limiting the number of chances its opponents get; it rarely gets opponents to turn the ball over, and picks up relatively few of its opponents’ misses. The Spartans have also struggled on the offensive side of the ball, sitting second to last in the conference in shooting on both three-pointers and two-pointers.

Players to watch:

6-5 JR Ben Stywall, 11.3 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 1.2 SPG, 52.5 eFG% - Stywall is one of the SoCon’s better rebounders, and is pretty efficient on the offensive end, shooting 52% from the field and getting to the free throw line a lot. His 59% shooting at the stripe is a drop-off from previous seasons and an area he needs to improve.

6-4 JR Mikko Koivisto, 12.5 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 2.4 APG, 50.5 eFG% - The Vantaa, Finland native is the only major three-point shooting threat on the Spartans, and the team’s leading scorer, though he tends to be inconsistent.

South #6 – Furman Paladins (6-23, 4-16) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.146

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 1980 (1^st Round)

Furman is the weakest team in the Southern Conference, with two of its six wins on the season coming against non-D1 opponents. It is the conference’s worst shooting team, barely managing to crack 40% from the field, and is one of the SoCon’s worst teams at committing turnovers. Defensively, they’ve been pretty weak inside, and while they’ve done a decent job of forcing turnovers, they just haven’t been good enough to cover for their offensive woes.

Players to watch:

6-2 SO Jordan Miller, 13.7 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 1.4 SPG, 42.0 eFG% - Miller takes a lot of the Paladins’ shots, and is the team’s leading scorer, but his percentages are weak, especially his sub-40% two-point shooting.

6-5 SO Bryson Barnes, 8.5 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 1.1 BPG, 48.5 eFG% - Barnes has only started 10 games, but leads the team in both rebounding and shot-blocks, and is a decent inside scorer. He’s increased his role in recent games, averaging 12 points in his last six games.

My statistical all-Southern team:

Davidson JR G Stephen Curry, 28.4 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 5.8 APG, 2.6 SPG, 55.1 eFG%

Chattanooga SR G Stephen McDowell, 18.3 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 58.9 eFG%

The Citadel SO G Cameron Wells, 15.5 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.4 SPG, 49.0 eFG%

Wofford SO F Noah Dahlman, 17.8 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 61.1 eFG%

The Citadel SR F/C Demetrius Nelson, 16.1 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 59.3 eFG%

SoCo Awards: Curry Player of the Year & More

Press Release — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 10:19:54 -0800

2008-09 All-Conference
Kellen Brand, Appalachian State
Stephen Curry, Davidson
Noah Dahlman, Wofford
Nicchaeus Doaks, Chattanooga
Andrew Goudelock, College of Charleston
Andrew Lovedale, Davidson
Stephen McDowell, Chattanooga
Harouna Mutombo, Western Carolina
Demetrius Nelson, The Citadel
Cameron Wells, The Citadel

All-Freshman Team
John Brown, The Citadel
Ben Drayton III, Georgia Southern
Damian Eargle, UNC Greensboro
Harouna Mutombo, Western Carolina
Brad Loesing, Wofford

Freshman of the Year
Harouna Mutombo, Western Carolina

Defensive Player of the Year
Max Paulhus Gosselin, Davidson

Player of the Year
Stephen Curry, Davidson

Coach of the Year
Ed Conroy, The Citadel

- The league’s men’s basketball coaches voted on the All-Conference and All-Freshmen teams.

Southern Conference Basketball Preview: 08-09

CHN — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 09:38:50 -0800

Conference Rank: 17th

10 year average: 19th

Southern Conference Page

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

Other

Rise & Fall: Patriot

Top SG's: Stephen Curry

Top Non-BCS Players: Stephen Curry

State of '08: Alabama

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 11:26:28 -0700

What is the top D1 basketball program in each state.. and which program is the worst? 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 state by state ranking based mostly on recent success (the last five years) mixed in with subjective factors such as conference prestige, historical success, and overall program direction.

Up today: Alabama.. the first of the individual state articles. For more info, check out the State of '08 introduction.

Reader Poll: What is the Best Program in Alabama?

ALABAMA

Alabama - The Crimson are coming off a down season with an RPI of 114. But that still topped SEC rival Auburn, and for most of the past decade Alabama has been a Top 50 team.. even breaking into the Top 20 at times. From 2002 to 2006, Bama made the NCAA Tournament five-straight times and could very well be back there again in 2009.

UAB - During the same period that Bama was consistently making the Tourney, UAB was also in the midst of a nice run.. dancing for three straight seasons from 2003 to 2006. Mike Davis is finally getting things back on track following the departure of Mike Anderson. After an NIT bid last year, another NCAA Tournament trip is definitely possible now that Robert Vaden returns for another go-around.

South Alabama - Ronnie Arrow picked up where John Pelphrey left off, and the Jaguars made the postseason for the third straight season. While this year's group won't be able to match last year's 24 wins or Top 40 RPI, they should once again be in the running for a Sun Belt Conference title.

Auburn - The last five seasons have been pretty brutal for Auburn fans, as the Tigers have basically been a mediocre .500 team in that time. There's no reason to expect they'll break out of that trend, and another sub-100 RPI should be expected.

Samford - While not a powerhouse by any means, Samford has had decent success under veteran coach Jimmy Tillette. In '99 & '00, Samford made back to back NCAA Tournaments.. though the wins have slowed down of late. 2006 was Samford's last quality run with 18 wins and an RPI of 107.

6. Alabama State - The Hornets actually won the SWAC regular season title with a 15-3 record last season, but MVSU won the Tournament bid. The Hornets made the Big Dance in 2001 & 2004, but hadn't had much to cheer about in the meantime.

7. Troy - While the Trojans occasionally make some noise on the football field, there's nothing to get excited about on the hardwood. The usual season recently is basically 11-12 wins and an RPI of 240.

8. Alabama A&M - While not quite as bad as Jacksonville State, A&M has run into some lean years since making the Big Dance in 2005. Even that season, they started 1-8 against D1 teams and didn't beat anyone ranked better than 240th all season.

9. Jacksonville State - With the exception of a decent 15 win season in 2006, JSU has been awful recently. Last year, they were 3rd worst in the country in RPI, with provisionals North Florida and NJIT finishing at the bottom.

State of '08: The 7 Two-Program States

State of '08: The Introduction

Ohio Valley Conference Preview

CHN — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 10:30:30 -0800

Conference Previews | Top 144 | 06-07 Preview Home

Ohio Valley Preview

Conference Rank: 27th

Conference Page

All-Conference

Player of the Year - Shawn Witherspoon, Murray St, F

Mike Robinson, Eastern Illinois, G

Shaun Williams, Morehead St, F

Clarence Matthews, Tennessee St, F

Courtney Bradley, Jacksonville St, F

Nat'l	Team (Click for Preview)	Conf	Tourney
119	Murray State	1	NCAA
157	Tennessee Tech	2
164	Samford	3
191	Austin Peay	4
239	Tennessee St	5
254	SE Missouri St	6
262	Eastern Kentucky	7
297	Jacksonville St	8
305	Morehead State	9
318	Eastern Illinois	10
326	Tennessee Martin	11

Head Coach Q&A's

Mike Sutton - Tennessee Tech