NCAAB Conf USA
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Conference USA Hoop Previews: 2007-08
Memphis
Are there any doubts out there about whether John Calipari can recruit? Memphis (33-4) again had an explosive, athletic team that is off another strong season, averaging 79 ppg. This was a young team and returns all five starters from the 2006-07 team. The Tigers were ranked No. 1 in ESPN.com's summer top 25 poll. That squad posted a 33-4 overall record and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight for a second-straight year. Memphis also won the Conference USA regular season and tournament titles for a second-consecutive year in 2006-07.
Memphis uses its great frontcourt muscle with 6'-9" junior Robert Dozier (11 ppg, 6 rpg) and 6'-9" senior Joey Dorsey (8 ppg, 10 rpg). Dorsey is a good role player and a fine shot blocker. Memphis went 23-12 under the total, not quite as explosive offensively as two years ago. A pair of guards lead the way on offense in 6-6 junior Chris Douglas-Roberts (15 ppg) and unselfish 6-6 playmaking junior Antonio Anderson, who led the team in assists.
A pair of sophomores, Doneal Mack and Willie Kemp, add backcourt depth. How good are they? The Tigers shot 31 percent from the field against East Carolina, including just 4-for-23 effort from 3-point range, yet were still able to beat East Carolina by 17 points, 61-44! The 2007-08 Memphis schedule got tougher for the Tigers and more attractive for the fans adding Georgetown to the already impressive slate of games.
Memphis played Georgia Tech on a neutral court the first month of the season and lost 92-85 as a +2 dog. They won at Kentucky, 80-63, won at Gonzaga in OT, but also lost at Tennessee (76-58) and at Arizona (79-71). They are talented and deep. Calipari's teams still have a reputation of playing street-ball and they can struggle against disciplined, attacking defenses in March, like two years ago when UCLA bounced Memphis, holding them to 45 points. Note that Memphis is 1-3 SU/ATS as a dog. This team was 38-1 at home the last two years and 19-3 on the road!
Southern Miss
The Golden Eagles are off an outstanding 20-11 SU, 17-4 ATS season under Head Coach Larry Eustachy. As a result, Eustachy got a two-year contract extension that will run through the 2010-2011 season. The Golden Eagles finished 20-11 last season, including a 9-7 mark in Conference USA which allowed them to finish in a three-way tie for fourth place. It was the first winning season for the school since the 2000-01 campaign and just the third winning record in C-USA play in the Golden Eagles 12-year tenure in the league. Southern Miss was 16-2 SU, 8-1 ATS at home!
The defense has been strong under Eustachy, allowing 62 ppg last season. And get this: There wasn't a single senior on the roster! This team is loaded with quality guard play, with sophomore guard Jeremy Wise leading the Golden Eagles in scoring as a freshman with 17.5 ppg. Sophomore G Sai'quon Stone (10.3 ppf, 5.4 rpg) was the second leading scorer. The backcourt gets better with R.L. Horton, a 6-foot guard who was named The Clarion Ledger's Mr. Basketball for the state of Mississippi.
Sophomore G Jarvis Hill, junior Courtney Beasley and junior Craig Craft anchor a deep backcourt. Beasley led the team in scoring as a freshman two years ago with 10.7 ppg. 6-9 senior Demar Dotson and 6-8 sophomore Andre Stephens lead a role playing frontcourt while the guards handle the scoring. 6-foot-8, 215-lb freshman Brandon Cooks comes aboard, and spent the last two years at Genesis One Christian School in Mendenhall, Miss., averaged 19 points and nine rebounds. They also add 6-foot-9 freshman Lindsey Robinson. Southern Miss was 3-7 on the road last year and is still a dismal 4-27 its last 31 road games. They are clearly a program on the rise and another 20+ win season is expected.
Central Florida
This program made the big jump from the Atlantic Sun to Conference USA two years ago and boy have they impresses, off a 22-9 SU, 12-11 ATS campaign. Defense is their calling card, allowing 65 ppg. UCF men's basketball head coach Kirk Speraw got a new four-year contract that will keep him at the school through the 2010-11 season. Speraw is entering his 15th campaign with the Knights. This past season, he was named the Conference USA Coach of the Year after leading UCF to a 22-9 overall record. In only their second season the league, UCF went 11-5 in C-USA play to finish second in the 12-team conference.
UCF has averaged 21 victories over the last five seasons. This is not a tall team, but quick and athletic, playing tough defense. 3 starters return, led by junior 6'-4" Jermaine Taylor (12.7 ppg). He was a prize recruit two years ago and averaged 4.3 ppg as a freshman while biding his time. He's the top returning scorer now. The backcourt is very good, along with senior guard Mike O'Donnell (10 ppg, a former North Carolina transfer) and 6-3 senior Dave Noel.
The frontcourt loses its top two rebounders, so 6-9 junior Kenrick Zondervan, 6-7 sophomore Tony Davis and 6-11 senior center Stanley Billings will have to step up on the glass. Central Florida was dominating at home (15-1) but just 5-6 on the road.
Two prep standouts join the team in shooting guard Chris Baez, a local product from Kissimmee, and small forward Cordell Pope from Birmingham, Ala. Listed at 6-foot-5 and 175 pounds, Baez was a 2005-06 Florida Class 6A All-State Second Team selection as a senior at Gateway High School in Kissimmee. He averaged 25.2 points and 6.7 rebounds. Baez set a school single-game record with 50 points against Cypress Creek. This past year, the 6-foot-7, 185-pound Pope averaged 13.5 points, five assists and five rebounds. Expect UCF to keep right on rolling as one of the better C-USA teams. They were 7-4 ATS as a dog!
UAB
First-year head coach and former Indiana coach Mike Davis slowed the pace down at UAB, as they averaged 66 ppg during a 15-16 campaign. Davis likes defense and UAB was 17-11 under the total. The coach has 3 starters back for this season, plus the entire bench. The backcourt has 6-2 senior guard Paul Delaney III (15.5 ppg), who led the Blazers in scoring, and junior G Mike Davis Jr.
The frontcourt has plenty of returning talent, so the defense should be excellent again. Up front, they have 6-9 senior Frank Holmes (6.6 ppg, 5.0 rpg), 6-8 junior Lawrence Kinnard (13 ppg, 6 rpg) and 6-10 sophomore Jeremy Mayfield (4.6 ppg). Mayfield played 17 minutes per game as a freshman, but is an athletic big man regarded among the top prospects nationally two years ago.
Mayfield, a 6-10, 240-pound from Irving, Texas, is known for his versatility to play inside or outside. He was rated among the top 50 prospects in the country came out of high school and was ranked as the No. 5 recruit in Texas and the No. 12 power forward nationally by Rivals.com. Mayfield averaged 17 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two blocks in prep school. UAB was a poor 2-10 SU, 3-8 ATS as a dog.
Also former Indiana standout Robert Vaden transferred to UAB. Vaden sat out last year as an NCAA Division I transfer, but it eligible to play as a junior in 2007-08. 6-7 Reggie Huffman and point guard Ed Berrios, JUCO transfers, come aboard, joining Walter Sharpe (Mississippi State) and Channing Toney (Georgia). UAB was 9th in recruiting, topping national teams such as Duke (10), Memphis (12), Texas A&M (13) and Georgetown (16), among others. All in all, this is a program on the rise, though don't look for an explosive offense.
Houston
The Cougars are moving ahead. Basketball coach Tom Penders was awarded a new five-year contract after Houston's highly successful 2005-06 season (21-10), and last season they went 18-15. The 21 wins two years ago marks the first time Houston has won 20 games in a season since 1992-93. The Cougars also won their first postseason tournament game since 1988, defeating BYU, 77-67.
Things look promising this season, as the Cougars have 6-6 senior Dion Dowell (11 ppg, 5.8 rpg), Kyle Hatcher, Charlie Jones, 6-5 senior Marcus Malone, Robert McKiver, Nick Mosley and Tafari Toney returning from last season. Three-year starter 6-3 guard Lanny Smith (4 games) also returns after sitting out most of last season with a broken bone in his left foot.
Houston sigend 6-7 freshman power forward Yan Moukoury from Christian Life High School in Baton Rouge, La. Moukoury earned All-Metro honors after averaging 17 points, seven rebounds and seven assists as a senior. He also helped lead Christian Life to two straight Class A state championships in Louisiana, and was named to the All-Tournament team. He chose to sign with Houston after being recruited by Florida, USC, Mississippi State, Florida State, Alabama, Tulane and Western Kentucky. Moukoury will be one of four freshmen on this season's roster. The others are Zamal Nixon, Bockeith Pane and Horace McGloster.
The other newcomers are junior college transfer DaShaun Williams and Seton Hall transfer Marcus Cousin, who sat out the 2006-07 season at UH last year. Houston needs to improve its play on the road, where the Cougars were a poor 5-10 SU, 5-9 ATS three years ago, 6-8 SU, 7-5 ATS two years ago and 4-10 SU, 9-5 ATS last season. They play great defense at home allowing 67 ppg, going 18-5 UNDER the total the last two years at home! In fact, the last three years Houston is 26-6 "under" the total at home.
Tulane
The Tulane Green Wave wrapped up a very successful season, finishing with a 17-13 SU, 16-10 ATS record. It marked Tulane's first winning record in four years. The Green Wave finished with a 9-7 record in Conference USA play, good for a fourth place finish in the conference, and the program's first winning conference record since 1996-97. This team likes to run, averaging 69 ppg (17-9 over the total).
6-7 senior David Gomez (13.5 ppg, 5.8 rpg) is back after leading the team in scoring and rebounding. Gomez started 27 of 30 games and led the Green Wave in scoring (13.5), rebounding (5.8), field goals (148), free throws (106) and was second in blocks (42) en route to earning All-Conference USA Third Team accolades. He reached double figures in 22 games, including two 30-point performances, and registered three double-doubles. He completed the season ranked among C-USA's top-10 for field goal percentage, free throw percentage, blocked shots, and defensive rebounds.
Teamed with 6-7 junior Daniel Puckett (7.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg) and 6-6 senior Donnie Stith (6.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg) and the top three rebounders return. The Green Wave backcourt has sophomore Kevin Sims (10 ppg), the third leading scorer. Sims was one of five newcomers named to the 2007 Conference USA All-Freshman Team. For the season, he ranked first on the team for steals (32), assists (98) and free throw percentage (.816). This team was 8-3 SU/ATS as a favorite and 11-4 SU, 7-4 ATS at home. Look for another strong season with so much returning talent.
Tulsa
After three straight losing seasons, the Tulsa Golden Flashes (20-11) were a big surprise, busting out with 20 wins. They begin their third season under Coach Doug Wojcik. Wojcik had spent 15 years as an assistant coach at Navy, Notre Dame, North Carolina and Michigan State. They played good defense under the coach, allowing 62 ppg. In fact, they were 16-8 under the total last season.
There's good news, too, with only 2 senior starters gone and both top scorers back. Tulsa has a very good backcourt, with senior guard Roderick Earls (11.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg) and sophomore Ben Uzoh (9.9 ppg, 5.0 rpg). The duo led the team in scoring. Senior G Brett McDade rounds out a deep and experienced backcourt.
The frontcourt has some new looks, losing 6-7 senior Darold Crow and 6-10 senior Charles Ramsdell. A pleasant surprise was 6-8 sophomore Jamel McLean, who pulled down 4.8 boards per game as a freshman. 6-5 junior Ray Reese and 6-7 senior Calvin Walls should provide good rebounding muscle. You will probably see more of 6-11 Jerome Jordan, who averaged 7.8 minutes per contest, though he hasn't played a lot of organized basketball.
Virginia high school product Glenn Andrews comes aboard. Andrews, a 6'3", 185-pound guard, averaged 18.0 points, four rebounds and three assists his senior season at T.C. Williams High School. He also shot 45-percent from the field, 39-percent from three-point range and 75-percent from the free throw line. Andrews led his team to a 25-4 record, the state quarterfinals and a No.1 state ranking for most of the year. Freshman Justin Hurtt, a 6'4", 180-pound guard, averaged 17.9 points and 6.5 rebounds, while shooting 46-percent from the field in high school. Tulsa was 15-3 at home (15-3 SU/4-7 ATS) but just 4-6 SU/7-3 ATS on the road. There's enough backcourt talent for a winning season, but the frontcourt will determine whether 20 wins is a possibility again.
Rice
Rice joined Conference USA two years ago, coming over from the WAC, and has gone 12-17 and 16-16. Rice head coach Willis Wilson concluded his 15th year at Rice and his overall school record now stands at 216-219. A total of 41 games were missed by key personnel during the 2006-07 season due to injury. Center Matt Hagen did not play in the last 26 games of the season.
Three of the starting five are gone. Junior guards Rodney Foster and Cory Pflieger (6.3 ppg) will become the focus of the backcourt. Pflieger ranked third in the league in three-point field goal percentage (41.9). Sophomore point guard Chris Hagan averaged 18.8 minutes per game and will get more time. As a high school senior, Hagan averaged 12.2 points, 3.2 assists, and only committed 55 turnovers in 37 games.
Up front, 6-8 senior Patrick Britton (5.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg) was the third leading rebounder. He will get help from 6-9 senior Paulius Packevicius and 6-7 junior Aleks Perka. The Owls ranked third in free throw percentage (71.8), fourth in field goal percentage (44.2), second in three-point field goal percentage (37.7), fourth in assists (13.25), third in assist/turnover ratio (0.97), and fourth in turnover margin (+1.31).
6-8 freshman Suleiman Braimoh comes to the Owls. He spent the 2006-07 season at The Lawrenceville School, a preparatory institution in Lawrenceville, N.J. He joins 6-2 Joe Jakubowski, 6-9, 240-lb Scott Saunders and 6-3 Jasen Williams as a member of the Owls' incoming freshman class next season. The Owls were 10-5 at home, but just 2-9 SU, 4-7 ATS on the road. There are a lot of new faces and a loss of their two top frontcourt players, so this looks like a retooling season for Rice.
SMU
SMU is off 14-14, 13-14 and 14-17 seasons, but this might be the breakout year. Second year head coach Matt Doherty has 2 senior guards returning plus a recruiting class that was ranked 25th nationally by Hoop Scoop after the early signing period. Doherty brings with him 17 years of coaching experience, eight NCAA Tournament berths, seven conference titles, a Final Four appearance and the 2001 Associated Press National Coach of the Year award.
The Mustangs have senior guard 6-4 Derrick Roberts (8.5 ppg) anchoring the backcourt along with senior PG Dez Willingham and Jon Killen (8 ppg), who adds backcourt depth. SMU was 9-7 SU/4-7 ATS at home, but 3-9 SU/4-7 ATS on the road. 7-foot-1 Tomasz Kwiatkowski from Lee Academy in Maine joins the Mustangs. He averaged seven points and six rebounds as he helped his team to a 23-13 record in 2006-07.
The frontcourt has another 7-footer in junior Bamba Fall, who averaged 7 points and 4 boards last season. He weighs just 200 pounds! 6-8 sophomore Cameron Spencer is a role player on a team that allowed opponents just 62.7 points per game, which was the third-best scoring defense in SMU history. SMU was 15-9 under the total with all that defense.
6-6 freshman Bennie Rhodes averaged 19 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists as a guard for coach Antonio Fozard at Mt. Zion Academy in North Carolina and joins the team. "This has to be a big class for us, both in numbers and in its ability to make an impact," Doherty said. "This year, we will have four seniors and seven freshmen out of 13 scholarships, so there is a big gap in there." If the Mustangs will look to develop their big men to mesh with the veteran guards, but all in all this appears to be a .500 team again that plays good defense.
UTEP
The Texas El-Paso Miners slipped under first-year coach Tony Barbee last season, going 14-17. They had been 24-8, 27-8 and 21-10 the previous three seasons under Doc Sadler. The good news is only one senior was on the roster last year. Barbee likes an uptempo attack and UTEP averaged 76 ppg last season, going 17-10 over the total.
6-5 junior guard Stefon Jackson (18.6 ppg, 6.4 rpg) returns after leading the Miners in scoring and rebounding. Jackson has a high school teammate at UTEP in 6-foot-8 junior Maurice Thomas, who stepped up and averaged 9 points, and 5-4 boards. Expect the duo to be a bigger part of the offense this season. This is a guar-oriented team, with senior guards Marvin Kilgore (8.3 ppg), sophomore Malik Alvin and 6-4 senior Darren Clarke returning.
Gabriel McCulley and Julyan Stone will be joining the Miners for the 2007-08 season. McCulley is a 6-6, 210-pound swingman from Craigmont High School in Memphis, Tenn. He averaged 14 points, nine rebounds, two blocks, two assists and a steal a year ago. Stone is a 6-6, 170-pound guard from Dos Pueblos Senior High School in Goleta, Calif. He averaged 15.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 3.2 steals and 1.6 blocks last season, leading his team to a 19-6 record. Stone shot 53 percent from the field, 32 percent from three-point range and 68 percent from the line.
UTEP also adds 6'-11", 285-pound center Claude Britton. Britton joins 6'-7" forward Manuel Cass, 5'-10" guard Randy Culpepper and 6'-10" center Wayne Portalatin in Barbee's first recruiting class. UTEP's recruiting class was tied for 39th in the country by Hoop Scoop. Britton averaged 11 points, nine rebounds and two blocked shots last season at Genesis One Christian School in Mendenhall, Miss. He shot 57 percent from the field and 78 percent from the free throw line. UTEP was 11-6 at home, but 1-9 on the road. This appears to be a rebuilding season for the relatively new coach.
Marshall
Marshall is off a 13-18 season and turns over a new leaf, as Donnie Jones is the new Marshall men's basketball coach. Jones, a native of West Virginia, just completed his 11th season coaching at Florida and his 13th overall under Billy Donovan. Florida ran an uptempo style and Marshall will try to do the same, after averaging just 66 ppg.
This is not a tall team and the new coach loses two senior starters, but does return the top two scorers. 6-5 junior forward Markel Humphrey (14.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg) and 6-2 senior guard Mark Dorris (13.4 ppg) are fine offensive players and led the Thundering Herd in scoring. Senior guard Chris Ross adds backcourt depth. The new coach needs to address a 3-10 road mark.
Up front there is not a lot of talent or depth with 6-9 senior Jean Francois Bro-Grebe and 6-8, 240-pound sophomore Tyler Wilkerson, who were role players last season. They will get some help with North Carolina prep standout 6-6 Tirrell Baines. The six-foot-six, 210-pound forward averaged 14 points and 10 rebounds per game en route to helping Patterson to a record of 36-4 and a berth in the national prep school semi-finals. Patterson is ranked as one of the top five players in the state of North Carolina by several recruiting services. Don't look for a winning season with all the new faces and a lack of frontcourt muscle.
East Carolina
It's been a poor two-year run under HC Ricky Stokes, going 8-20 in his first season and 6-24 SU, 8-14 ATS last season. They have been a very young team and only one senior starter is gone. They have had little offense (59 ppg), going 15-8 and 14-9 UNDER the total the last two years. In fact, under Stokes they are 15-30 against the spread.
The backcourt has senior Darrell Jenkins (12 ppg), their leading scorer, senior Cory Farmer, senior guard Jeremy Ingram (4.8 ppg) and 6-4 junior Sam Hinnant will rotate in the backcourt. The frontcourt, though, is thin. They will ask 6-9 sophomore John Fields (9.5 ppg, 5.9 rpg) and 6-8 sophomore Gabe Blair to score a bit more.
They hope to get more out of transfer 6-7 David Bell from LaSalle. They were 1-16 SU, 5-11 ATS in conference play and East Carolina was only 1-14 SU, 5-7 ATS on the road. Which means they are 2-25 SU, 9-14 ATS on the road under HC Stokes! Don't look for much improvement.
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