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| ETSU forward Jeromy Rodriguez |
Short Recap of 2018-19:
In case you missed it, the 2018-19 season in the Southern Conference was an unprecedented campaign.The 2018-19 Southern Conference basketball season will be remembered for so many different reasons, but mainly, it was one of the best in the 100-year history of the league. The 2018-18 season in the Southern Conference was one that checked all the boxes.
It was a season that saw the league finish ranked 11th nationally in the new net evaluation rankings, or NET, which is a new rating the NCAA used this season, which replaced the the old RPI system. The No. 11 ranking to end the season in the NET is the highest the SoCon has ever finished nationally as a league.
In the history of the nation’s fifth-oldest conference, the league experienced many “firsts” as a league, as well as individual programs. Two programs achieved national rankings for the first time in their respective histories, with one of those teams likely to be ranked in the final Associated Press poll. Current AP No. 19 Wofford and former No. 23 Furman were both been ranked this season, which marks the first time that two teams have ever been ranked in the same season in Southern Conference history.
This conference has been so much fun to navigate this season, and one that I must say has been more for me personally to cover than any other.
Three teams established new high-water marks for wins in a single-season, with Wofford (30), UNC Greensboro (29) and Furman (25) all establishing a new school record for victories in a season.
Wofford went wire-to-wire unbeaten in the Southern Conference, winning a school-record 21-straight games before eventually losing in the NCAA Tournament round of 32 to Kentucky, 62-56.
The Terriers turned in maybe the best single-season in Southern Conference history, and in the ESPN Coaches Top 25 poll of the season, Wofford found itself ranked 18th. Wofford claimed the 2019 SoCon Tournament title with a 70-58 win over UNC Greensboro in early March, punching the Terriers’ ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015, but for the fifth time in the past 10 years.
Rolling into Jacksonville as the No. 7 seed, the Terriers took down Seton Hall, 84-68, to claim the school’s first-ever NCAA Tournament win and in the process, became the first Southern Conference team to win 30 or more games in a season since NC State in 1950-51. Wofford is just the third team overall to win 30 games in a single-season in league history.
The Terriers turned in maybe the best single-season in Southern Conference history, and in the ESPN Coaches Top 25 poll of the season, Wofford found itself ranked 18th. Wofford claimed the 2019 SoCon Tournament title with a 70-58 win over UNC Greensboro in early March, punching the Terriers’ ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015, but for the fifth time in the past 10 years.
Rolling into Jacksonville as the No. 7 seed, the Terriers took down Seton Hall, 84-68, to claim the school’s first-ever NCAA Tournament win and in the process, became the first Southern Conference team to win 30 or more games in a season since NC State in 1950-51. Wofford is just the third team overall to win 30 games in a single-season in league history.
A big reason for the Terriers’ success this season was the inside-outside punch of Cameron Jackson and Fletcher Magee. Both were first-team All-SoCon picks, with Magee setting a new NCAA three-pointers made record, finishing his career with 509. He did so back making seven three-pointers in the opening round NCAA Tournament win over Seton Hall.
The excitement started from the very outset of the season, when Clay Mounce’s dunk allowed Furman to claim the first of its two Final Four scalps from a year ago, as his thunderous finish allowed the Paladins to escape Loyola Chicago with a shocking 60-58 win.The Paladins would later go on to defeat defending national champion and eighth-ranked Villanova (76-68, OT) a little over a week later.
The Paladins also saw junior guard Jordan Lyons tie the NCAA record for most three-pointers hit in a single game (15) in his 54-point performance in a win over Division II North Greenville. Furman was an at-large qualifier for the National Invitational Tournament, where it lost in the opening round to Wichita State, 76-70.
The Paladins also saw junior guard Jordan Lyons tie the NCAA record for most three-pointers hit in a single game (15) in his 54-point performance in a win over Division II North Greenville. Furman was an at-large qualifier for the National Invitational Tournament, where it lost in the opening round to Wichita State, 76-70.
UNCG and East Tennessee State also had outstanding seasons, with both participating in the college basketball postseason. The Spartans were the first team left out of the NCAA Tournament, but garnered the top overall seed in the NIT. After winning a first-round game over Campbell, the Spartans eventually bowed out in the next round with an 84-69 loss to eventual runner-up Lipscomb.
It would turn out to be the final game for talented guards Francis Alonso and Demetrius Troy, with both graduating after helping lead the Spartans to 96 wins, two SoCon regular-season league titles and a SoCon Tournament title over the past four years.
ETSU put together a campaign, which saw the Bucs win 24 games and were invited to play as a part of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament. With the absence of three starters due to injury, however, the Bucs bowed out of the tournament with a 102-94 loss to Green Bay. ETSU head coach has now won 100 games in four seasons at the helm of the ETSU program.
An Early Look at 2018-19:
1. East Tennessee State (24-10, 13-5 SoCon/4th)--Head coach Steve Forbes returns all five starters and his top eight scorers from a year ago. The Bucs have a pair of sharpshooters in the backcourt, with Davien Williamson and Patrick Good back, as well as the alway-reliable Bo Hodges back for his junior season. The Bucs will continue to capitalize on have someone as efficient and skilled as Jeromy Rodriguez in the paint.
2. Furman (25-8, 13-5 SoCon/3rd)--If Furman was a surprise this season, maybe they shouldn’t have been. Bob Richey continued off his outstanding inaugural season by leading Furman to a school-record number of wins in his second. The Paladins lose once in a lifetime talent Matt Rafferty to graduation, but four starters are back, led by rising senior guard Jordan Lyons.
3. Wofford (30-5, 18-0 SoCon/1st)-Reigning Southern Conference champion and NCAA Tournament participant lost the SoCon’s second all-time winningest coach, the NCAA’s all-time three-point king and one the program’s most efficient scorers in the low post of all-time for starters. However, newly minted head coach Jay McAuley knows the program well, and he takes over one that expects to not relinquish its title so easily. Storm Murphy and Nathan Hoover return in the backcourt, and these two were a couple of 40% shooters from long range last season.
4. UNC Greensboro (29-7, 15-3/2nd in SoCon)--Head coach Wes Miller continues to do big things as the head coach at UNCG, and one thing he has done so well throughout his career is recruit to the Gate City. That theme hasn’t changed, with the additions of 6-8 Derricko Williams and backcourt twins Keyshawn and Kobe Langley, as the trio will look to offset the huge losses of seniors Francis Alonso and Demetrius Troy from the backcourt. James Dickey is back to patrol the middle of the paint once again, and look for Old Dominion transfer Michael Hueitt, Jr. to be an immediate impact player in the backcourt. The Spartans may well return the best all-around player in the league next season, in rising junior guard Isaiah Miller, as the reigning SoCon Defender of the Year will give the Spartans once again add to their trophy case.
5. Western Carolina (7-25, 4-14/9th in SoCon)--I’m going to go ahead and call Western Carolina the darkhorse to do big things in the SoCon next season. Second-year head coach Mark Prosser saw more downs than ups in close games this past season, but he returns a solid nucleus that should see the Catamounts be in the mix in 2019-20. Carlos Dotson is set to be one of the premier big men in the SoCon next season, and the backcourt will get a major boost with the Northern Kentucky Mason Faulkner joining both SoCon All-Freshman Team member Kameron Gibson and sharpshooting guard Matt Halvorsen.
It would turn out to be the final game for talented guards Francis Alonso and Demetrius Troy, with both graduating after helping lead the Spartans to 96 wins, two SoCon regular-season league titles and a SoCon Tournament title over the past four years.
ETSU put together a campaign, which saw the Bucs win 24 games and were invited to play as a part of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament. With the absence of three starters due to injury, however, the Bucs bowed out of the tournament with a 102-94 loss to Green Bay. ETSU head coach has now won 100 games in four seasons at the helm of the ETSU program.
An Early Look at 2018-19:
1. East Tennessee State (24-10, 13-5 SoCon/4th)--Head coach Steve Forbes returns all five starters and his top eight scorers from a year ago. The Bucs have a pair of sharpshooters in the backcourt, with Davien Williamson and Patrick Good back, as well as the alway-reliable Bo Hodges back for his junior season. The Bucs will continue to capitalize on have someone as efficient and skilled as Jeromy Rodriguez in the paint.
2. Furman (25-8, 13-5 SoCon/3rd)--If Furman was a surprise this season, maybe they shouldn’t have been. Bob Richey continued off his outstanding inaugural season by leading Furman to a school-record number of wins in his second. The Paladins lose once in a lifetime talent Matt Rafferty to graduation, but four starters are back, led by rising senior guard Jordan Lyons.
3. Wofford (30-5, 18-0 SoCon/1st)-Reigning Southern Conference champion and NCAA Tournament participant lost the SoCon’s second all-time winningest coach, the NCAA’s all-time three-point king and one the program’s most efficient scorers in the low post of all-time for starters. However, newly minted head coach Jay McAuley knows the program well, and he takes over one that expects to not relinquish its title so easily. Storm Murphy and Nathan Hoover return in the backcourt, and these two were a couple of 40% shooters from long range last season.
4. UNC Greensboro (29-7, 15-3/2nd in SoCon)--Head coach Wes Miller continues to do big things as the head coach at UNCG, and one thing he has done so well throughout his career is recruit to the Gate City. That theme hasn’t changed, with the additions of 6-8 Derricko Williams and backcourt twins Keyshawn and Kobe Langley, as the trio will look to offset the huge losses of seniors Francis Alonso and Demetrius Troy from the backcourt. James Dickey is back to patrol the middle of the paint once again, and look for Old Dominion transfer Michael Hueitt, Jr. to be an immediate impact player in the backcourt. The Spartans may well return the best all-around player in the league next season, in rising junior guard Isaiah Miller, as the reigning SoCon Defender of the Year will give the Spartans once again add to their trophy case.
5. Western Carolina (7-25, 4-14/9th in SoCon)--I’m going to go ahead and call Western Carolina the darkhorse to do big things in the SoCon next season. Second-year head coach Mark Prosser saw more downs than ups in close games this past season, but he returns a solid nucleus that should see the Catamounts be in the mix in 2019-20. Carlos Dotson is set to be one of the premier big men in the SoCon next season, and the backcourt will get a major boost with the Northern Kentucky Mason Faulkner joining both SoCon All-Freshman Team member Kameron Gibson and sharpshooting guard Matt Halvorsen.
6. Samford (17-15, 6-12 SoCon/7th in SoCon)--Josh Sharkey is by far one of the top returning players in the SoCon, and the jet-quick guard will be back for one more season to give the SoCon opposition fits. He'll team with rising senior Brandon Austin and Myron Gordon in the backcourt, which gives the Bulldogs one of the best backcourt alignments in the SoCon. Ruben Guerrero has graduated, leaving head coach Scott Padgett needing to go out and get a center. The good news is Robert Allen returns in the paint following a season that saw him capture SoCon All-Freshman team honors.
7. Mercer (11-20, 6-12/6th in SoCon)--Mercer will be one of two teams in the league with a new head coach, with Greg Gary, who takes over for Bob Hoffman following his firing at the end of the 2018-19 season. Gary comes to Mercer fresh off a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, as Purdue's top assistant under head coach Matt Painter. Purdue lost a heartbreaker to eventual national champion Virginia (80-75/OT) in the Elite Eight. The Bears have a talented corps of players returning, led by All-SoCon performer Ross Cummings. Three starters return, including four with starting experience. Senior forward Ethan Stair and rising junior guard Marcus Cohen need to have breakout seasons offensively. The bad news is Fardaws Aimaq is transferring, so Gary's primary focus in recruiting will be establishing depth in the Bears front court.
8. VMI (11-21, 4-14/8th in SoCon)--VMI might have had one of the best backcourts in the SoCon next season, however, shortly following the campaign, sophomore guard Sarju Patel, who was VMI's second-best perimeter threat this past season. The good news is potential preseason Player of the Year Bubba Parham does return, and the rising junior eight games of 30 or more points last season, including a 42-point performance in the SoCon Tournament win over Western Carolina. Parham will be joined by Greg Parham and the ever improving Garrett Gilkeson. Gilkeson is VMI's defensive stopper. Head coach Dan Earl will look to make freshman center Jake Stephens even more a versatile threat in the paint next season, and Myles Lewis will play the stretch-four for the Keydets once again next season. He was one of the most improved players in the Southern Conference this past season, and was the team's third-leading scorer. Look for Connor Arnold to step into a bigger role as a post presence next season. This might be Earl's most-talented team since coming to Lexington as the Keydets' head coach four years ago.
9. The Citadel (12-18, 4-14/10th in SoCon)--The Citadel looked like it might be the darkhorse team in the Southern Conference, getting off to a 10-3 start. However, when the calendar flipped to 2019, the Bulldogs mustered only a 3-15 record over the final two months of the season and caused the Bulldogs to go through a free fall following a conference-opening win over Mercer in December. The Bulldogs have to replace four of their top six scorers from a year ago, including its top three scorers. The top three alone averaged 47 of The Citadel's 85.6 PPG last season. The leading returning go-to-scorer will be rising junior forward Kaiden Rice, who comes off a season which saw him average 11.4 PPG. Head coach Duggar Baucom must replace his entire starting backcourt, and will need to get Jerry Higgins III and Kaelon Harris to step up and provide leadership. Both Alex Reed and Hayden Brown return as holdovers in the front court.
10. Chattanooga (12-20, 7-11 SoCon)--Just prior to last season, it looked as though head coach Lamont Paris was about to have the Mocs turning the corner. But with three key players already having transferred out of the program, the 2019-20 season could be another step back for the Mocs. The biggest loss is obviously Kevin Easley, who was the Mocs leading scorer and the Freshman of the Year in the SoCon last season. David Jean-Baptiste returns to lead the backcourt, and with both Jerry Johnson Jr and Donovann Toatley having transferred out, expect Maurice Commander's role to increase even more. Ramon Vila returns to anchor the front court. This recruiting cycle could be make or break for Paris and the Mocs.
Preaseason All-SoCon Team
G--Jordan Lyons (Furman)
G--Nathan Hoover (Wofford)
G--Isaiah Miller (UNCG)
F--Jeromy Rodriguez (ETSU)
F--Carlos Dotson (WCU)
Second Team:
G--Ross Cummings (Mercer)
G--Bo Hodges (ETSU)
G--Josh Sharkey (Samford)
C--James Dickey (UNCG)
F--Noah Gurley (Furman)
Player of the Year: Isaiah Miller (UNCG)
Defensive Player of the Year: Bo Hodges (ETSU)
Coach of the Year: Steve Forbes (ETSU)
8. VMI (11-21, 4-14/8th in SoCon)--VMI might have had one of the best backcourts in the SoCon next season, however, shortly following the campaign, sophomore guard Sarju Patel, who was VMI's second-best perimeter threat this past season. The good news is potential preseason Player of the Year Bubba Parham does return, and the rising junior eight games of 30 or more points last season, including a 42-point performance in the SoCon Tournament win over Western Carolina. Parham will be joined by Greg Parham and the ever improving Garrett Gilkeson. Gilkeson is VMI's defensive stopper. Head coach Dan Earl will look to make freshman center Jake Stephens even more a versatile threat in the paint next season, and Myles Lewis will play the stretch-four for the Keydets once again next season. He was one of the most improved players in the Southern Conference this past season, and was the team's third-leading scorer. Look for Connor Arnold to step into a bigger role as a post presence next season. This might be Earl's most-talented team since coming to Lexington as the Keydets' head coach four years ago.
9. The Citadel (12-18, 4-14/10th in SoCon)--The Citadel looked like it might be the darkhorse team in the Southern Conference, getting off to a 10-3 start. However, when the calendar flipped to 2019, the Bulldogs mustered only a 3-15 record over the final two months of the season and caused the Bulldogs to go through a free fall following a conference-opening win over Mercer in December. The Bulldogs have to replace four of their top six scorers from a year ago, including its top three scorers. The top three alone averaged 47 of The Citadel's 85.6 PPG last season. The leading returning go-to-scorer will be rising junior forward Kaiden Rice, who comes off a season which saw him average 11.4 PPG. Head coach Duggar Baucom must replace his entire starting backcourt, and will need to get Jerry Higgins III and Kaelon Harris to step up and provide leadership. Both Alex Reed and Hayden Brown return as holdovers in the front court.
10. Chattanooga (12-20, 7-11 SoCon)--Just prior to last season, it looked as though head coach Lamont Paris was about to have the Mocs turning the corner. But with three key players already having transferred out of the program, the 2019-20 season could be another step back for the Mocs. The biggest loss is obviously Kevin Easley, who was the Mocs leading scorer and the Freshman of the Year in the SoCon last season. David Jean-Baptiste returns to lead the backcourt, and with both Jerry Johnson Jr and Donovann Toatley having transferred out, expect Maurice Commander's role to increase even more. Ramon Vila returns to anchor the front court. This recruiting cycle could be make or break for Paris and the Mocs.
Preaseason All-SoCon Team
G--Jordan Lyons (Furman)
G--Nathan Hoover (Wofford)
G--Isaiah Miller (UNCG)
F--Jeromy Rodriguez (ETSU)
F--Carlos Dotson (WCU)
Second Team:
G--Ross Cummings (Mercer)
G--Bo Hodges (ETSU)
G--Josh Sharkey (Samford)
C--James Dickey (UNCG)
F--Noah Gurley (Furman)
Player of the Year: Isaiah Miller (UNCG)
Defensive Player of the Year: Bo Hodges (ETSU)
Coach of the Year: Steve Forbes (ETSU)
