Colonial Athletic Association 2007-08 Preview
by Jay Pearlman
It’s arguably the fastest growing league in the country. Like the ACC, it stretches up and down the eastern seaboard, from Atlanta to Boston. Four teams in post-season in each of the last two years – and not the same teams. Followed up George Mason’s run two years ago with something nearly as good: VCU eliminating Duke in the first round, and then pushing Pitt to overtime in a game for Sweet 16. They had Pitt, too, and let a win as big for the conference as for their institution get away. No matter, the CAA is back, and better than ever.
I was fortunate enough to be at CAA Media Day in DC in mid-October, to meet coaches, athletic directors, and SID’s. And this league, ably presided over by Tom Yeager and Ron Bertovich, has everything fans could ask for: terrific players, stellar coaches, beautiful campuses, great arenas, and lots of television. And present company excluded, both locally and for the conference, some terrific radio and television announcers.
Before reviewing the conference team-by-team, a quick personal word is in order. This will be my second year in the league, traveling with Northeastern as their radio analyst. My heartfelt thanks go out to editor Phil Kasiecki, who was kind enough to trade assignments with me, so that all of my basketball energies could be spent here in the CAA. Also, while I will be writing about all of the teams in the conference throughout the winter, and as objectively as I’m able, my affiliation with Northeastern and admiration for its coaching staff may shine through from time to time; I will try to hide those prejudices as much as I can.
That said, let’s look at the teams of the CAA.
VCU: Yes, these Duke-killers have lost all-conference guard B.A. Walker (second team), and all-conference swing-man Jesse Pellot-Rosa (third team). But in addition to returning one of last year’s best rookies in 3-man T.J. Gwynn (yes, they do seem to like to use initials), they return the two most important pieces from last year’s puzzle: CAA Coach of the Year Anthony Grant, and the man who should have been conference Player of the Year, now-junior point guard Eric Maynor. (Full disclosure: I hadn’t seen VCU play before the tournament, and I didn’t vote for Eric for Player of the Year.)
The former Florida assistant who recruited the two-time national champions now has a full year of head coaching under his belt. It seemed Grant’s name was whispered last spring for every big job east of the Mississippi, including Florida during Billy Donavan’s flirtation with the NBA, but he’s back at conference champion VCU and poised to defend. As for Maynor, he proved his worth in the conference and NCAA tourneys, and it is the point guard that Al McGuire used to say is the most important player in college basketball (“kill the head and the body dies”). Throw in another stellar recruiting class (seven freshmen) that includes the league’s consensus best recruit in forward Lanse Kearse from Florida, and VCU simply should not miss a beat.
George Mason: No, not quite the team that made that storybook run, but everyone’s back from the group that reached the conference tourney final, and played VCU to a dead heat for 38 minutes (ok, Gabe Norwood’s 3.6 points and 2.1 rebounds as a reserve guard are gone). Senior center Will Thomas is the best inside scorer in the conference (with a baby lefty hook reminiscent of Reed or Cowens), having shot 63% from the floor last year, and is a brute on both boards. Swing-man Folarin Campell is now a returning starter, and Jordan Carter became a consistent point guard during the second half of the season and in the conference tournament (even if he is 5-9 with the afro rather than the 6 feet he’s listed at). So don’t be surprised to see another great season from Jim Larranaga’s team as he begins his eleventh year at Mason.
Delaware: No, writing about Delaware third doesn’t mean I think they’ll finish third; however, they’re liable to be the most improved team in the CAA. First and foremost, Monte’ Ross team showed more heart than any in the country last year, devastated by injuries, dressing a manager to play seven late in the year (or was that six), and yet continuing to compete. Second, they have a bona fide star in this league in senior forward Herb Courtney. The fourth-leading scorer (second among returnees), and second rebounder (leading returnee) last season, Courtney was underappreciated by us in the media when voted second team all-CAA, likely because his team didn’t win. But while we don’t call it MVP like the pros do, recognize just how hard it is to produce when one is the only really good player, as opposed to being one in among many. David Ortiz has Manny Ramirez, A-rod has that stellar Yankee lineup; Herb Courtney was truly all alone. So while I have that guard-prejudice and give the edge to Maynor, Courtney is a bona fide candidate for Player of the Year.
There are two more reasons Delaware will be much better. One: four starters are back. Yes, I know some folks could call it good news-bad news: lost 26 games and nearly everyone’s back. But if only due to sheer numbers, All-Rookie point guard Brian Johnson was forced to play a ton last year, averaging 10 points and four assists, and should improve as a sophomore. Senior swingman Sam McMahon should as well. The second reason: Ross has two transfers who will become eligible in January, in time for all but one of his conference games: Marc Egerson from Georgetown and Jim Ledsome from Nebraska. So, while Newark was among the easier stops on the CAA circuit last year, no more!
UNC-Wilmington: Even though they played in Boston, I didn’t get to see Wilmington play last year; and I wasn’t around the league during magical 2005-06 run for this program. But that smile on second-year coach Benny Moss’ face on media day can mean only one thing: he has star guard T.J. Carter back. Carter was injured last season and had to redshirt, but his play made Wilmington champ two years ago. Carter should form a dynamic inside-outside tandem with fellow senior Vladimir Kuljanin, a 6’10” center who came into his own in Carter’s absence with 14 points and seven boards per game, as well as a shooting percentage even higher than that of Will Thomas (66%). And while Coach Moss is young, reliable sources – from his days at Charlotte – tell me that Moss is just the man to blend the old with the new, and restore Wilmington’s winning ways.
Old Dominion: Losing three stars to graduation appears to mean this may be a rebuilding year at ODU after their run to the NCAA tournament. So, yes, first team All-CAA forward Valdas Vasylius, second team All-CAA point guard Drew Williamson, and forward Arnaud Dahi are all gone from last year’s squad. But the coach my editor calls “the best coach no one knows about” (and I agree), Blaine Taylor, returns two terrific seniors, all-league defender guard Brandon Johnson and swingman Brian Henderson, and without much evidence, this writer looks for improvement from 7-3 “project’ center Sam Harris, now a senior. So yes, they’ll fall from their NCAA-bid status, but not nearly as far as one might think.
Northeastern: Freshman of the Year Matt Janning was a terrific spot-up shooter at this time last year; now he go to the rim and flat-out go get his own shot. Manny Adako started at center as a freshman, and after off-season foot surgery, should improve offensively, defensively and on the boards (and commit fewer personal fouls). Third-team All-CAA forward Bennet Davis is gone, but his production could be replaced by a pair of transfer forwards now becoming eligible in Nkem Ojougboh from Texas-San Antonio (say that name three times fast), and Chris Alvarez form Dayton. Former Boston College recruiter Coach Bill Coen continues to bring in quality, replacing two starting senior guards with two tall good-looking freshman guards, Chaisson Allen from Tennessee and Allen Aragbaye from California via Worcester Academy (and yes, when someone mentions “Allen,” I often will have no idea which of the two they’re talking about).
So yes, some shooting, scoring and leadership is gone. But two good freshmen are now sophomores, and after another brutal non-conference schedule, perhaps this year’s freshmen will be contribute toward making the Huskies competitive in conference come January.
Hofstra: Gone are two-thirds of the Three Amigos, Conference Player of the Year Loren Stokes and point guard Carlos Rivera. But the best pure shooter of the three remains, senior guard Antoine Agudio. Junior swingman Zygis Sestokas showed signs last season, as did classmate forward Mike Davis-Sabb, but for Tom Pecora’s team to resemble recent NIT teams, Agudio is gonna have to shoot and shoot and shoot, and the supporting cast is going to have to defend like crazy. And while Agudio’s shooting might make him the best pro prospect of last year’s triumvirate, like Towson’s Gary Neal last season, Agudio is gong to be guarded, and guarded, and guarded.
James Madison: Again, this writer thinks that good-new bad-new theory is good for JMU, as they lost 23 games and everyone’s back. Star forward Juwann James is now a junior, after a bit of an off-year with 13 points and five boards. Senior forward Terrance Carter came into his own last year (13 and seven), and All-Rookie point guard Pierre Curtis can flat-out guard and was JMU’s shining star. Throw in St. Joe’s transfer Abdulai Jalloh (15 points a game in 05-06) and Coach Dean Keener’s Dukes just might challenge Delaware on the CAA’s most-improved list.
Drexel: After falling just short of an NCAA bid, this team ran out of gas against a pretty good NC State team in the NIT. But they could flat-out defend, perhaps as well as anyone in the country, and at lots of positions (taking on the persona of Coach Bruiser Flint). A road schedule as brutal as Northeastern’s, but the Dragons managed to beat the likes of Syracuse and Villanova on the road (and Creighton in a great bracket-buster).
This year’s team has some holes to fill, including Defensive Player of the Year center Chaz Crawford (who Coach called the best defender he’s ever seen), 13-point scorer Dominick Mejia, and a player this writer called even better defensively than Coach’s best defender ever, third-team All-CAA Bashir Mason (this writer had Bashir first team, and Player of the Year). Now, senior center Frank Elegar (16 points and seven boards), a back-to-the-basket player, will probably have trouble dominating on his own. Last year’s terrific 6th man, guard Tramayne Hawthorne, will fill some of Mason’s shoes (including defensively), and along with back-court mate Scott Rogers, the guards will have to improve on their scoring from last year (seven and eight points, respectively). But one thing you can be assured of: Bruiser will get the most out of this year’s team on the defensive end, making Philly still a tough stop on the CAA tour.
Towson: Perhaps the toughest job in the conference falls on veteran coach Pat Kennedy, which is replacing Gary Neal’s 25 points a game. Throw in the loss of Towson’s second-best player, powerful forward Dennard Abraham (11 points, six boards), and that of Tommy Breaux at least for the first month of the season due to an injury suffered playing football, and the two returning seniors have a tough task indeed. Point guard C.C. Williams (lots of initials in this league) brings back his gaudy four assists, but those may be harder to come by without Neal around. It was hoped that Breaux would provide an inside presence and improve on last year’s scoring and rebounding numbers, but now newcomers may have to pick up more of the slack inside with his injury.
William and Mary: This writer didn’t get to see the Tribe play last season, but four of their starters are back this year. Perhaps lost in the development of Matt Janning at Northeastern was the play of the Tribe’s own All-Rookie guard, David Schneider, who averaged eight points and over three boards. Like Janning, Schneider could improve significantly as a sophomore. Now, with forward Laimis Kisielius (11 points, four boards) and guard Nathan Mann (nine points, three rebounds) both seniors, if Coach Tony Shaver can get improvement from 6-9 junior Peter Stein (six points, but only three rebounds), William and Mary could match or even improve on their 8-10 conference finish.
Georgia State: Gone are the coach, high scorer (Lance Perique) and point guard (Ron Larris) from a team that could never gel. New Coach Rod Barnes won 141 games in eight years at Mississippi, but has some work to do. Junior guard Leonard Mendez improved all winter last year, finishing with 14 points and four rebounds. Classmate Rashad Chase may have underachieved with only six boards to go with his 8.5 points. Former center project Deven Dickerson started much of the conference season, and it will be one of Coach Barnes’ jobs to keep Dickerson healthy, out of foul trouble and improving during his senior season.
