Sports Illustrated's Big South Preview

[elicoolbreeze]

SI.com is the first website with FREE preseason previews!

sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/ncaa/specials/preview/2005/teams/others/bigsouth.html

[PAmedic]

Big South

1. Winthrop (27–6, 15–1)

Winthrop will be the biggest favorite since the home-standing natives at Little Bighorn. Perhaps no team in the 22-year history of the Big South Conference has been so loaded. The Eagles return 12 of their top 13 players off last season’s 27–6 championship squad. Coach Gregg Marshall is back for his eighth season with five Big South titles already under his belt. Last year, the 14th-seeded Eagles were just a couple of ill-fated possessions from giving the conference what it needed most -- an NCAA tournament first-round win -- before falling 74–64 to Gonzaga. James Shuler, a chiseled 6-foot-6 senior, is too big and strong for other Big South forwards. One of five returning starters, Shuler was a key in the balanced Winthrop attack with 12.1 points per game. Junior Craig Bradshaw, a 6-10 forward, can bang inside or bounce outside and hit 3-pointers. Junior wing Torrell Martin (13.1 ppg, 4.5 rpg) is a dazzling scorer, and the team’s most important player may just be 5-10 sophomore point guard Chris Gaynor, who averaged 4.6 assists per game.

2. Coastal Carolina (10–19, 7–9)

The Chanticleers have the Big South’s top backcourt in returning Player of the Year Pele Paelay, a muscular 6-4 guard who averaged 16.8 points and 6.0 rebounds, and the Big South Conference Freshman of the Year in Jack Leasure, who chipped in 14.5 points and is already one of the league’s most feared perimeter threats. Add another former guard, Michael Jordan’s old college roommate -- new Coastal coach Buzz Peterson -- into the mix and the Chants think they’re on the verge of something special. They may be if they get consistent inside play from 6-7 Adrian Gross (6.2 ppg, 5.5 rpg) and 6-5 Moses Sonko (6.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg). The “Buzz” has already helped get a much-needed new arena on the drawing board for the 2007 season.

3. UNC Asheville (11–17, 8–8)

UNC Asheville will again be underrated in the conference and overmatched against a non-conference schedule full of “guarantee games” -- including a late-December matchup with defending national champion North Carolina -- that keep the Bulldog athletic program afloat. By season’s end, veteran coach Eddie Biedenbach will have his team in the thick of things. The Bulldogs again don’t have the big stars -- Biedenbach joked he had “eight second-team all-conference” players -- but seven of them are back, including senior forward Joe Barber, who redshirted a year ago with a knee injury. Junior point guard K.J. Garland, who averaged 10.2 points and 4.4 assists per game, runs the veteran team.

4. Birmingham-Southern (16–14, 7–9)

The weight of expectations and key injuries derailed the Panthers last season. Now, eight seniors are gone and eight newcomers are in. Seniors Thomas Viglianco (11.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg) and James Collins (9.7 ppg, 3.3 rpg) are back, as is talented Sredrick Powe, who sat out last season with an elbow injury. Coach Duane Reboul has some junior college help on the way, and freshmen LeCory Ruffin and 6-7 Kyle Rowland look like they can play, too. Fifth-year senior Bucky McMillan (5.4 ppg, 2.5 apg) needs to come through at the point.

5. VMI (9–18, 3–13)

The Keydets thought they’d be more competitive in the Big South than they were in the Southern Conference, but in two years in the BSC, VMI has exactly seven conference wins. New coach Duggar Baucom takes over after a two-year stint at Division II Tusculum, and he’ll have some armaments. Forward Reggie Williams was named to the BSC All-Freshman team last year when he averaged 15.5 points per game. He’s one of 13 Keydets back, a group that also includes heady point guard Matt Coward (11.9 ppg, 4.9 apg) and 6-6, 240-pound junior forward Preston Beverly (5.4 ppg, 5.1 rpg).

6. High Point (13–18, 7–9)

The Panthers lost the top four scorers off the Big South’s highest-scoring team, but junior point guard Landon Quick (3.7 ppg, 2.5 apg) is back along with Arizona Reid (4.5 ppg, 3.9 rpg) on the wing, and Issa Konaré (4.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg) inside. Coach Bart Lundy has some talent coming in, including sharpshooting swingman Troy Bowen.

7. Liberty (13–15, 11–5)

Larry Blair (16.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg) is one of the best players in the Big South, but he’ll miss inside-outside threat David Dees, who has transferred to Louisiana-Lafayette. Sophomores Evan Risher and Rell Porter have to grow into expanded roles, Risher at point and the 6-7 Porter at forward. Freshman forward Damien Hubbard and wing guard Anthony Smith can help right away, but the Flames need to light a fire under their big men.

8. Radford (12–16, 7–9)

The Highlanders, who had just two losing seasons in their first 27 years, have now posted four consecutive sub-.500 campaigns. Last season imploded with the suspension of star guard Whit Holcomb-Faye and concluded with coach Byron Samuels remaking his entire staff. Junior forward Chris Oliver (14.9 ppg, 7.0 rpg) can play, and Holcomb-Faye (15.1 ppg, 3.6 apg) and incoming freshman Kenny Thomas should shore up the offense. The height-challenged Highlanders, the worst rebounders in the conference, don’t appear improved in the pivot.

9. Charleston Southern (13–17, 7–9)

New coach Barclay Radebaugh knows how to win in this league. He was Gregg Marshall’s assistant at Winthrop before joining Frank Haith’s staff at Miami for one season. Now he’s back in the Big South, and he’s got three perimeter starters in seniors Terrell Brown (10.0 ppg, 3.1 apg), Thomas Harrison (8.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg) and defensive-minded Mario Williams (2.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg). But the real key will be finding some players in the paint. The return of 6-8 Trent Drafts from a broken foot and the continued development of 6-6 Ferdinand Cain are important.

[Sly Fox]

Behind VMI? Am I missing something?

[Chris Lang]

Probably based on that fact that VMI returns four starters, Sly.

FWIW, the coaches and some of the players are hinting that Dees transferring will be tantamount to addition by subtraction.

[SCAR]

Chris, Dees was a major player for sure but it seems like there is more chemistry with Damien Hubbard and Anthony Smith with Blair's game to me. I have not spent the time with the new guys like I have in the past but I have seen some practices and flashes of sensensational play from both of those guys. Chris wait til you see what Blair does in games. The shots he takes and makes will make you scratch your head at times. Really fun to watch. I think this team is going to be fun to watch and be much better than what people think. We know Dunton's teams will guard especially on the perimeter. Points will come from the perimeter for sure and if Monroe and Eck can get decent points in the paint then it could be a great year.

[Sly Fox]

Four starters off a bad team with a new coach ... not exactly what I would call something to get excited about.

[PAmedic]

I think it only helps that we get no respect from the onset. Otherwise you carry a target all season; see: CCU-FB

[bigsmooth]

all of the publications like SI, Street and smith etc. are so full of it. they get the beat writer from the team that won it last year, and it seems they do not do their home work. at least that what it seems with the smaller conferences! i know chris would be a great representative, b/c at least he shoots it straight to readers! BTW, im sure we are better than VMI!

[grm]

It's all fine. The lack of respect is irritating, but that's all it is - irritating. It means nothing, just a beauty contest. What bugs me about life is that it seems to be always looking forward, and seldom at the present. Let's talk about the present: Liberty is a fine team. When the end of the season becomes "the present" and we have done better than predicted, they will not "own up" to their preseason predictions, and will excuse/downplay our results. They will already be talking about how weak we will be next year. Look at "the Dunton years" and see that Liberty exceeds expectations on a regular basis, sometimes shockingly so. I like what we've got on so many fronts.... don't want to start naming names again, unless I start with SCAR. But the staff, the Firehouse, the players, the Writer - this is a great time in the history of LU B-ball. Winthrop deserves all of the respect it is getting, no whining there, but Liberty will be showing up, asking no quarter and granting no quarter. Go Flames!

[WinthropEagleFan]

People who write previews (myself included), are always more comfortable with players we have seen and that have contributed at the Division I level in the past...so whenever a team (such as LU) has to replace quite a few key parts from last year (ie. Dees, Lightbourne, Woodson, etc.), they'll usually get underrated. I don't think it is a lack of respect as much as a lack of knowledge of the players that will contribute this year. Like we all know you guys are high on Smith, Hubbard, Monroe, etc., but most people outside of the program don't know what to expect from these guys. Should you guys be picked below VMI, probably not, but I don't think a prediction around 4th or 5th is out of line. Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me at all to see LU finish higher than these previews have picked them, but it doesn't seem like to big of a reach to see why the Flames are picked there....

[realist]

Flames are picked about where I think most unbiased people would pick them. VMI shouldn't be higher that's an idiot writing that. Think about it, if another team lost its best all around player, point guard, and two forwards with one the top rebounder, you might pick them even lower. I think the Flames are actually getting a little respect. The new guys might be good, or might not, most likely somewhere in the middle.

[Sly Fox]

I think most of us would disagree with your assertion that our best all-around player transferred. But your points are well taken.

[PAmedic]

And as SLY has consistently said- Winthrop is on top until proven otherwise, after that its gonna be a toss up. Not that I agree w/ the Texan on much else.

[lustudentrep]

Let them underrate all of them, i think its a good motivational piece for these young kids. Behind VMI...no, but it is tough to predict some of the potential on some of these guys in such a small program. I think LU is going to suprise a lot of ppl, the effort and team unity of these guys is already miles past of anything that resembled a team last season, there is a sense of discipline and hard work that is very comforting to see. I got to see saturdays scrimmage and russell, although competing on some smaller LU players looked like he could have an impact this year. Even hammered a few home, something we never saw last season, not even in practice, he was seeing the floor well, rebounding and scoring, something i think we are going to have to see this year out of our big men.

[SCAR]

Russell just needs to stay confident, play through mistakes and realize that he IS an impact player. Believe it or not I struggled with confidence my first moments in college but I finally started believing in myself and realized that the guys I used to look up to should now fear me because I am ready to play! Russell will have that epiphany one day and I think he will Dominate. Just my opinion but I happen to think he is a high major player. Don't like to put that kind of pressure on kids (hopefully the big fella won't read this), but I really believe he can be special.

[GOAT]

Those are strong words SCAR. Good point about Confidence. Confidence is nothing but demonstrated ability. I am sure Coach D will bring out tape and show Russell what he does well to encourage his confidence. He did that with me my senior year when I started out the year 4 for 26 from 3 pt land. He showed me games I had against VT, Radford, Winthrop etc...where I shot well. Next thing you know I go down to Texas and drop 28, drop UVA for 25, then I went on a 10 game stretch of 20 + ppg and shot over 50% from the field and finished the year shooting 45% from 3. Every game I believed that I was the best on the court through consistently demonstrated ability.

[SCAR]

You had a nice stretch there GOAT. You must have felt like, I don't know, the GREATEST OF ALL TIME. Do you remember your Freshman year the first couple of games coming off the bench, then you began to start? You didn't have a lot of experience at this level yet but you had confidence in your abilities and the coaches had much confidence in you. That is the same with Russell. He just needs to get on the court and perform through mistakes, missed shots, getting dunked on or whatever and realize that he can make more good plays than bad by far.

[GOAT]

I only came off the bench one time in my whole collegiate career and that was against VCU.

[Sly Fox]

I was at the game in Austin covering the game for a local station. I'm guessing both you & Nic were looking to show Tom Penders they should've offered, huh?

[GOAT]

Pender's started recruiting me as a sophomore but I was like 4th or 5th on the depth chart. Coach Dunton made me a priority and I have to give him much love for his perseverance because I said no to him about half dozen times about attending LU. UT was loaded that year but underachieved with Luke Axtell, Chris Mihm, Brandy Perryman, Chico Vazquez, Kris Clack and Anthony Good.

[Sly Fox]

Anthony Good? You remember Anthony? He wound up transferring to SWT and riding the pine there as well. But then again, I think you guys might have balled against each other in high school up int he Metroplex.

And yes, Coach P always seemed to have an underachieving bunch. The Sweet 16 run with BMW being the obvious exception to the rule.