Belmont

Atlantic Sun Basketball Preview: 08-09

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 14:11:48 -0500

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Conference Rank: 28th

10 year average: 25th

All-ATLANTIC SUN Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	James Florence	Mercer	Jr
G	Courntey Pigram	ETSU	Sr
G/F	Shane Dansby	Belmont	Sr
F	Marcus Allen	Jacksonville	Sr
F	Jonathan Rodriguez	Campbell	Jr
CHN Award Winners		Returning Leaders
Mid-Major All-Americans Courtney Pigram Jonathan Rodriguez		Points: Jonathan Rodriguez 20.9 Rebounds: Jonathan Rodriguez 10.1 Assists: Rob Quaintaince (FGCU) 5.3

ATLANTIC SUN Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

109	Belmont* **	Asun	1	NCAA
156	Stetson	Asun	2
176	Jacksonville	Asun	3
227	East Tennessee	Asun	4
248	Lipscomb	Asun	5
275	Mercer	Asun	6
296	Kennesaw St	Asun	7
302	Campbell	Asun	8
313	Florida Gulf Coast	Asun	9
320	USC Upstate	Asun	10
344	North Florida	Asun	11

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

** returning conference champion

Poll: Who Do You Think Will Win the Atlantic Sun?

Other ATLANTIC SUN Content

Conference Media Poll

Belmont Favored in A-Sun Media Poll

Interviews

Rick Byrd: Belmont Head Coach

Other

Rise & Fall: A-Sun

State of '08: Tennessee

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 12:22:22 -0400

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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.

TENNESSEE

MEMPHIS - Whatever blueprint John Calipari follows seems to work. In his eighth year at Memphis, the Tigers advanced to the National Title game after making back to back Elite Eights. At UMASS, it also took eight years for him to reach the Final Four.

TENNESSEE - The Vols are in the midst of a good run under Bruce Pearl, three NCAA Tournaments in a row including back to back Sweet Sixteen trips. Before Pearl arrived, Tennessee hadn't made the Tourney in five years.

VANDERBILT - Vandy has been a consistent winner the last five seasons under Kevin Stallings. There's been four 20-win seasons, 5 postseason trips, and a pair of Sweet Sixteen runs. After winning 26 games last year (the 2nd best in school history), the team's first round loss to Siena was a bit of a downer.

BELMONT - Long-time coach Rick Byrd is suddenly the leader of a mid-major power. Belmont has made three NCAA Tournaments in a row, and is once agan favored to win the Atlantic Sun in 08-09.

AUSTIN PEAY - Dave Loos is nearing 20 years at APSU, a time in which the Govs have consistently been one of the top teams in the OVC. In the last decade, there hasn't even been a sub-.500 finish in conference play. In the last six years, they've made 2 NCAA trips and one NIT.

6. MIDDLE TENNESSEE - Before Kermit Davis took over in 2002, MTSU was coming off a brutal season that included just 4 D1 wins. While Davis hasn't led the Blue Raiders to the Big Dance, the program has made amazing strides under his leadership. Last year, the team advanced to the Sun Belt finals, and many feel they are that league's team to beat in '09.

7. CHATTANOOGA - Just as Davidson is the current Southern Conference darling, Chattanooga was once the league's team to beat. The last decade has been a bit more pedestrian however, with just a lone tourney trip in 2005, though the team came close in '03 & '04 as well. The last few teams have been mediocre, with win totals boosted by playing an oddly high amount of D2 teams.

8. EAST TENNESSEE STATE - With the exception of a horrible 2005 campaign, ETSU has been one of the A-Sun's most consistent winners. In 2004, the Bucs won the league title, in 2007 they dominated the regular season before falling to Belmont in the finals, and they were solid once again in 2008.

9. TENNESSEE TECH - The Golden Eagles haven't won their conference tournament in over 40 years, but they've come close in the last decade. From 2000-2003, Tech was one of the best teams in the OVC but they couldn't get over the postseason hump. The last five years have been up and down however, and this year could be one of the downers.

10. LIPSCOMB - From 2002 to 2004, this was one of the country's worst program. But after those initial growing pains, this young program has made nice progress in the A-Sun. 2006 was the program's best season with 21 wins, a 143 RPI, and a close loss to Belmont in the conference title game. This year, expectations are a bit muted.

11. TENNESSEE STATE - In the early part of the decade, Tennessee State was one of the country's worst programs. But a lot of progress has been made, and last year was the first time in a decade that the Tigers won an OVC Tournament game. Not only did TSU win one game, but they made it to the conference championship.

12. TENNESSEE-MARTIN - Over the last 20 years, UTM has hovered between bad and worse, with only 2 winning seasons in that period. But last year was surprisingly mediocre with a 15-16 D1 record and 11-9 OVC finish. Now, there's suddenly high expectations for the first time, and some publications are projecting a league title.

* Note: An unfinished version of this article, with the wrong ranking (Lipscomb in 12th) was originally posted, but it has since been corrected.

Last: South Carolina - Next: Texas

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

Daily Conference Poll: Who Will Win the Atlantic Sun?

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 11:00:18 -0400

Atlantic Sun Preseason Media & Coaches Poll

Press Release — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 11:40:31 -0400

Coaches' Poll
Rank School (1st-Place) Points
1 Belmont (7) 113
T2 ETSU (2) 104
T2 Jacksonville (1) 104
4 Lipscomb 87
5 Stetson 76
6 Mercer (1) 74
7 Campbell 55
8 Kennesaw State 38
9 FGCU 32
10 USC Upstate 24
11 UNF 19

Tournament Champ: Belmont

All-Conference Team
Pos Player Class School
G Garfield Blair Sr. Stetson
G/F Shane Dansby Sr. Belmont
G Courtney Pigram Sr. ETSU
F Jonathan Rodriguez Jr. Campbell
G Ben Smith Jr. Jacksonville

Player of the Year: G Courtney Pigram, Sr., ETSU

Media Poll
Rank School (1st-Place) Points
1 Belmont (25) 348
2 Jacksonville (5) 316
3 ETSU (3) 305
4 Lipscomb 245
5 Stetson 240
6 Mercer 183
7 Campbell 163
8 Kennesaw State 145
9 FGCU 106
10 USC Upstate 77
11 UNF 50

Tournament Champ: Belmont

Belmont's Rick Byrd: Head Coach Q&A

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 11:39:19 -0400

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College Basketball's Best Coaches

CollegeHoops.net is lucky to have access to some of the best coaches in college basketball. As part of our preseason interview series, we thought it would be appropriate to ask these basketball minds about the best things that their team and college basketball has to offer.

Rick Byrd: Belmont

We continue this month long Q&A Series with long-time Belmont coach Rick Byrd, the man behind Belmont's three consecutive NCAA Tournament trips. Coach Byrd was kind enough to take some time out of his busy schedule to answer questions for CollegeHoops.net:

CollegeHoops.net) What will be the best strength of this year's team?

Rick Byrd) Experience. We have 5 seniors who have enjoyed a lot of success.

CHN) What's the best change you've made in your coaching style in recent seasons?

RB) Taking advantage of our depth and playing more people.

CHN) Who is the best leader on this year's squad?

RB) Andy Wicke is probably our most vocal leader, but with 5 seniors, they all have something to offer.

CHN) What's the best arena you visit during the year?

RB) This season, it will be Thompson-Boling at Tennessee.

CHN) If everything goes according to plan, what's the best case scenario this season?

RB) A win in the NCAA tournament.

CollegeHoops.net 08-09 Preview: Interviews | Complete Top 144 Ranking | 08-09 Preview Homepage | Discuss the Preview

2008-09 Belmont Basketball Preview: #105

Joel Welser — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 10:27:37 -0400

Belmont Bruins

Overall Rank: #109

Conference Rank: #1 Atlantic Sun

2007-08: 25-9, 14-2, 1^st

2007-08 postseason: NCAA

Belmont finished up last season winning 13 games in a row before losing to Duke in the first round of the NCAA Tournament by a score of 70-71. And that game against Duke was no fluke. This was a team that knocked off the likes of Cincinnati and Alabama earlier in the year. There are a couple starters that need to be replaced, but the Bruins had 12 players on their roster who started at least a game last year. Their depth might take a small step back, but Coach Rick Byrd and his squad should be atop the Atlantic Sun standings once again and possibly have the opportunity to knock off another powerhouse in March.

Who’s Out:

Justin Hare not only led the team with 14.7 points per game, but he was the guy who could take players off the dribble and get to the basket. That resulted in plenty of trips to the charity stripe during his senior year and he hit nearly 92 percent of attempts from the line. There are plenty of options ready to take over his scoring, but most need to become more aggressive getting to the basket and hit their free-throws more consistently if they want to be like Hare. Forward Will Peeples started 24 games during his senior campaign. He was not much of a scorer, but was a solid defender and rebounder. Little used Andrew House and walk-on Stefan Baskin will not be suiting up for the Bruins in 2008-2009.

Who’s In:

The continued success in Nashville has led to some solid recruiting classes and this year is no different. Point guard Drew Hanlen will have a year to learn behind some more experienced players, but he should be ready to play a bigger role soon. Hanlen is a smart floor leader, a fine passer and can do plenty of scoring when he needs to do so. Jon Rice, who redshirted last year, will add some depth at both the point guard and shooting guard spots. Small forward Brandon Baker and power forward Mick Hedgepeth will add some depth in the frontcourt. And Belmont could use at least one of those guys to step up immediately and be ready to provide some quality minutes off the bench. Walk-ons Alex Barnes and David Stanley will also be suiting up for the Bruins this season.

Who to Watch:

Alex Renfroe and Andy Wicke only combined to start 26 total games last year, but that does not mean they are not ready to take over the leadership role for Belmont. Like Hare, Renfroe will get to the basket. Once there, he can find his teammates, score himself or at least get fouled. However, his free-throw shooting leaves something to be desired. Wicke can also handle the ball, yet most of his scoring will be done from beyond the arc. In fact, Renfroe is the only probable starter who is not a major threat from long range. With Shane Dansby, Jordan Campbell, Henry Harris and Jon House joining Renfroe and Wicke on the perimeter, the Bruins have an extremely talented and experienced backcourt. Dansby should be the starter on the wing after averaging 13.4 points per game last year. The 6-4 senior not only scores, but he is also the most effective rebounder on the team. Campbell had a superb freshman campaign and is coming off a season in which he started 13 games and proved that he can score and rebound. It is almost a shame that he will spend another year mostly coming off the bench, but he will have a couple years when he will be Belmont’s star.

Final Projection:

Matthew Dotson and Keaton Belcher are both capable big men. Dotson is a great shooter from long range and led the team with 2.2 three-pointers per game at a 41.4 percent success rate. Belcher ranked second on the team in three-point shooting percentage among players who attempted more than one long ball per game. Mike Dejworek only averaged 5.3 minutes per game last year, but he, along with the newcomers, will have to provide the depth in the paint and it is that potential lack of depth up front that is the only thing that could possibly make the Bruins less successful than they were last year.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NCAA

Projected Starting Five:

Alex Renfroe, Senior, Guard, 8.8 points per game

Andy Wicke, Senior, Guard, 9.3 points per game

Shane Dansby, Senior, Guard, 13.4 points per game

Keaton Belcher, Junior, Forward, 6.1 points per game

Matthew Dotson, Senior, Forward, 11.4 points per game

Quick Evening Recap: Belmont Comes Close, Mayo Fizzles Out

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 21:55:02 -0400

A quick review of the evening action on Day One of the NCAA Tournament: (2) Duke 71 - (15) Belmont 70 One last basket away from being one of the biggest (if not the biggest) upset in NCAA Tournament history. The Blue Devils were outplayed and Coach K was outcoached the entire game. With the exception of Belmont's unfortunately horrible in-bounds play with 5 seconds left, the Bruins never looked out of place physically or mentally. Duke was saved by Gerald Henderson, who finished with 21 points, 8 boards, and the game-winning layup with 2 seconds left. Henderson was the only Blue Devil who seemed to have the mindset that he was better than his opponent. What's especially troubling if you're a Duke fan is not just the score.. but that Belmont didn't play above their heads to hang in there. They didn't shoot exceptionally well from the floor or from three, but just played their usual game. (11) Kansas State 80 - (6) USC 67 This was supposed to be the epic matchup of the evening session, but Kansas State only trailed for 26 seconds after the first basket. With Michael Beasley in foul trouble early, Bill Walker and sub Ron Anderson carried the scoring load in the first half. With USC down at half, OJ Mayo finally showed some big-time spark, leading the Trojans on a 21-10 run to take the lead. A big three by Clent Stewart opened up the game once again with 10:06 left and K-State never looked back. It was a somewhat blah ending for Mayo's brief college career. The heralded freshmen was supposed to carry USC to glory, but though his team had an okay year, they rarely showed signs of even approaching very good status. (9) Texas A&M 67 - (8) BYU 62 Give BYU credit for coming back from an 11-0 deficit.. but that poor start proved too be to much to overcome. The teams played to a standstill for the final 35 minutes, and A&M was able to hold off the comeback effort thanks to Josh Carter's career game. Carter came into the game having hit only 4 of 20 threes, but he blew threw his season high by hitting 6 threes and scoring 26 points. Carter had barely been hitting double-digits in the last month, so his 26 point outburst was perhaps more shocking than Belmont's good play. (4) Washington State 71 - (13) Winthrop 40 A neck and neck first half in which neither team led by more than 3 points gave way to an absolute beatdown in the second stanza. Locked at 29 after 20 minutes, there was little reason to think either team would win by more than 10 points. But the Cougars came out on a ridiculous 25-4 run and held Winthrop to 11 second half points.. one of the worst totals in Tournament history. Overall: After terribly mundane morning and afternoon sessions, at least the night got off to a good a start. Kansas State was the first real "upset" of the tournament, though its nothing that will generate much pub in the media. Belmont gave it a good run.. but the real underdog wake up call is yet to come.

Get to Know Belmont: Player & Coach Q&A

Jon Teitel — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 17:56:41 -0400

Live from Washington DC, CHN's Jon Teitel is covering the NCAA Tournament pod featuring Xavier/Georgia, Baylor/Purdue, West Virginia/Arizona, and Belmont/Duke. He'll be checking in periodically with player & coach interviews as well as news updates from the Verizon Center.

Tonight, Jon brings us an interview with two Belmont players and their head coach Rick Byrd:

Interview with Coach Byrd

Q: What was the significance of moving to Division 1 in 1997?

A: It was important to make the move for recruiting purposes, as well as getting the chance to play in the NCAA Tournament.

Q: Have you felt that you contributed to the renaissance of college basketball in the state of Tennessee this year?

A: I have been asked about that a lot this month, and I am not sure if there has been a “renaissance”, as the state has a history of storied NCAA Tournament victories. It is fair to say that the rise of Memphis and Tennessee has been great. Some of the local programs do not have a lot of in-state players, but it has still been a great year, with residual effects trickling down to the smaller schools.

Q: Is Justin Hare the smartest/most clutch player you have ever coached?

A: He is by far the most clutch player in my decades of coaching, if not at any other school. He is as smart as anyone I have coached, which makes me proud because we have a bunch of real college students here.

Interview with Henry Harris and Jordan Campbell

Q: It seems like you have a veteran team compared to a lot of other schools in the Tournament: how much of an advantage is it?

A: We have 5-6 guys who are 3-time conference champs and playing in their 3^rd straight Tournament, so the experience is a big help.

Q: You were leading Georgetown in the tourney last year before losing: what did you learn from that?

A: It seems like each year we hang around throughout the 1^st half, and then have a 2^nd half let down and end up losing the game. One thing we learned last year is to keep our composure and not get into a panic mode.

Q: What are your thoughts on teammate Justin Hare?

A: Justin is very clutch, and a leader for us on and off the court. He is our go-to guy, and he often keeps us in the game. He is a very smart guy.

Q: What is Coach Byrd like?

A: He is a great guy, very knowledgeable, and has coached for a very long time. He does a great job of preparing us to do good things.

Q: What do you know about Duke?

A: Duke is a great team with a lot of history, so we will have to stick to our game plan.

Q: Have you felt that you contributed to the resurgence of college basketball in the state of Tennessee this year?

A: Harris: We are proud to play for the state of Tennessee. We played Austin Peay twice this season, and they beat us twice.

A: Campbell: I had not heard a lot about Belmont before they recruited me to come here. It is a great academic school, and it shows the type of people they recruit as well as the type of people they are.

Q: Jordan, You played with Indiana freshman star Eric Gordon in high school, what is he like?

A: Eric is a great friend and teammate, and I wish him well in the tourney. I have known him since 3^rd grade, and he has always been a good player. Some players who are good at a young age “grow out of it”, but he has obviously not, so the sky is the limit.

- Coaches Q&A: Huggins, Painter, Miller

- Interview w/ Purdue's Scott Martin

- Interview w/ Duke's Greg Paulus

- Interview w/ Xavier's Derrick Brown

- Interview w/ Georgia's Troy Brewer

- More 2008 NCAA Tournament Coverage

- Sign up for the free CHN Tournament Challenge and win great prizes!

- Check out various printable & downloadable NCAA Brackets

Bracket Tactics: Sunday's Tip of the Day

Jon Teitel — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 23:23:39 -0400

Leading up to the 2008 NCAA Tournament, we'll be presenting daily tips to help you fill in your bracket.

Today's Bracket Tactic

FACT: While #15 seeds are 4-88 in the 1^st round of the NCAA Tournament since 1985, and 0-4 in the 2^nd round, the 4 Cinderellas who did win a game each entered the tourney having gone 9-1 in their last 10 games, and had an overall winning percentage of 80% or less.

BRACKET TIP: American, Austin Peay, and UMBC each fit these criteria, while Belmont exceeds it by virtue of winning each of their last 13 games.

So, if you are feeling lucky, feel free to pick 1 of these 4 teams to wear the glass slipper in round 1, but under no circumstances should you pick any of them to advance to the Sweet 16.

- Archived Bracket Tactics

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- Sign up for the free CHN Tournament Challenge and win great prizes!

2008 NCAA Tournament Capsule: Belmont

Joel Welser — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 18:52:04 -0500

Belmont

Atlantic Sun (25-8, 14-2)

Big Wins: 11/9 at Cincinnati (86-75), 11/19 at Alabama (85-83), 11/26 Middle Tennessee State (85-62)

Bad Losses: 11/10 vs Bowling Green (67-78), 1/5 at Campbell (75-83), 1/24 at Kennesaw State (79-81)

Last NCAA Appearance: 2007, First Round loss to Georgetown

Coach: Rick Byrd (0-2 in 2 NCAA appearances)

Probable Starters:

Andy Wicke, Junior, Guard, 9.1 ppg, 3.0 apg

Justin Hare, Senior, Guard, 14.9 ppg, 2.9 apg

Henry Harris, Junior, Guard, 3.1 ppg, 1.3 rpg

Matthew Dotson, Junior, Forward, 11.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg

Will Peeples, Junior, Forward, 4.1 ppg, 3.0 rpg

Key Roleplayers:

Shane Dansby, Junior, Guard, 13.8 ppg, 6.2 rpg

Alex Renfore, Junior, Guard, 8.6 ppg, 3.7 apg, 4.0 rpg

Jon House, Freshman, Guard, 2.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg

Jordan Campbell, Freshman, Guard, 7.2 ppg, 5.3 rpg

Keaton Belcher, Sophomore, Forward, 6.2 ppg, 2.5 rpg

Why They Can Surprise:

Belmont and Coach Rick Byrd do a great job running a three-point oriented offense. Five players, including a couple forwards, are very dangerous from long range. Part-time point guard Andy Wicke is not the most efficient three-point shooter on the team, but he will knock down over two per game. Justin Hare is not a one-dimensional scorer. Not only will he hit the long ball, but the lone senior on the team will also get to the basket very effectively.

However, the most dangerous shooters on the team might just be 6-8 forward Matthew Dotson and 6-9 forward Keaton Belcher. Dotson hits more long balls per game than anybody else on the team and he shoots a solid 42.4 percent. Belcher will not take as many shots as Dotson, but he does hit any outside shot he takes pretty consistently.

Why They Can Disappoint:

The Bruins share the ball well, but they turn it over a little too much. No one player has a massive turnover problem, but everybody contributes to give Belmont 14.8 turnovers per contest. Since the team will be outmatched physically, the Bruins will not be able to carelessly give away that many possessions. They also tend to give up too many easy buckets on the defensive end. There is not much of an interior presence for this year’s Belmont squad and that allows the opposition to shoot almost 47 percent from the floor.

Who To Watch:

Despite all the weapons on this team including the shifty Alex Renfroe and the versatile Jordan Campbell, Shane Dansby is the most dynamic of them all. The 6-4 wing will do a little bit of some things and a lot of everything else. He is a great scorer from anywhere on the floor and a monster on the glass and actually leads the team with 6.1 boards per contest. With a guard who sometimes comes off the bench as the leading rebounder, it would be logical to think that the Bruins have trouble on the glass. However, the team outrebounds its opponents by nearly three per game on average. For a team that has forwards who usually hang around the perimeter and a group that will miss more shots than their opponents, their overall ability to hit the boards is quite impressive.

- More 2008 NCAA Tournament Coverage

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