Colonial Athletic Association 2007-08 Season Recap
by Jay Pearlman
Only in comparison to the previous two, this was a bit of a down year in the CAA; in fairness, after Mason’s Final Four run and VCU’s defeat of Duke, how could it not be? Plus, with precious few exceptions (North Carolina and UCLA? Until recently Duke, Kentucky and Connecticut?), these things inevitably run in cycles.
From a conference point of view, the Atlantic 10 was young two years ago when the Colonial nosed in front, but with more upper classmen this year (to go with bigger gyms and bigger budgets), the A-10 moved back ahead of the CAA. In 2008-09, with lots of transfers becoming eligible (particularly at Georgia State and Towson), optimism about incoming freshmen classes (particularly at reloading Mason, Hofstra and UNC-Wilmington, and also at Old Dominion), a new coach inheriting pretty good talent at James Madison (including three terrific guards), and four freshmen point guards becoming sophomores (Chad Tomko at UNC-Wilmington, Darius James at ODU, Chaisson Allen at Northeastern, and if he’s not beaten out by incoming Andre Cornelius, Cam Long at Mason), this league should be right back up in the top ten in the country, and challenging the A-10.
And oh yes, on top of conference coaching dean Jim Larranaga turning down his alma mater at Providence, in addition to returning Player of the Year Eric Maynor, conference flagship program Virginia Commonwealth managed to retain both America’s hottest young coach in Anthony Grant, and America’s best young shot-blocker in Larry Sanders. So let it be said here first: 2008-09 will be the best year ever in the CAA, and with three post-season tournaments in need of quality teams and coaches, as many as five CAA teams could play beyond the conference tournament. Just imagine: not getting a Friday bye to the CAA tourney in Richmond, and still getting a post-season berth!
Looking back on 2007-08, while a smidge down from the past two years, particularly at the very top, the CAA was wonderfully balanced this year, and therefore terrifically competitive. Tournament 12th seed Georgia State had more one- and two-point losses, losses after misses or opposition makes at the buzzer, than any team in recent memory, yet never threw in the towel all season long. Eventually the worm turned, and the Panthers were able to win one of those, with a buzzer-beating home win over Northeastern in mid-February. Then GSU appeared the better team and led all the way to the end against Cinderella-fifth seed William & Mary in the CAA Tournament first round, before losing in the final seconds. And with respected former Mississippi coach Rod Barnes now entering his second year (and putting his own players on the floor), many of last year’s myriad close losses should now become victories.
At the other end of things, Coach Grant made a star out of former complementary player Jamal Shuler, nursed Sanders into being named a collegeinsider.com Mid-Major Freshman All-American, and along with Maynor established VCU as the best program in the conference. Non-conference wins against Houston, Maryland, Richmond, Bradley and Akron, a hiccup in the biggest regular season conference game January 29 at Fairfax (and no home rematch against Mason), en route to a 15-3 regular season title. Then, as teams figured out a pace at which to play VCU, a hard-nosed tournament win against improving Towson, a brutal last-second upset loss at the hands of William and Mary, and a tough NIT loss to Mike Davis’ UAB team. And while Coach Grant was disappointed in how the season ended (both missing the NCAA tourney and losing in the first round of the NIT), it was all-in-all quite a good season. And you know, thinking back over VCU’s 2007-08 season, reminiscent of a certain National League baseball team in New York last summer, perhaps a fairer way to characterize VCU’s season would be to recognize how much they overachieved during the non-conference and conference regular seasons with lesser personnel than upset Duke last spring, rather than to disparage their close win over Towson in the CAA quarterfinal and season-ending losses to William & Mary and UAB.
A bit more surprising, what a wonderful season for Mason coach Larranaga, along with his star center Will Thomas. Following up their Final Four run two seasons ago, the Patriots finished in a regular season second-place tie, won that only match-up against VCU, and seeded third ousted Northeastern, second-seed UNC-Wilmington and William & Mary to win the CAA Tournament and the league’s automatic bid. And while streaky Folarin Campbell’s poor shooting put Mason out of the game early in its first-round NCAA match-up against Notre Dame, that loss shouldn’t take away from Campbell’s terrific senior year, and ascension as the league’s best scoring point guard. And while we reported in this space even before season’s end that Larranaga would be offered the Providence job upon Tim Welsh’s expected firing, it is to the credit of George Mason University, really of the entire Colonial Athletic Association, that he turned down his own alma mater, likely to finish his coaching career in Fairfax.
But the real story of the year, a story this writer admittedly was late to recognize, was the story of Tony Shaver and his William & Mary Tribe. With the most academic, least athletic roster in the league (the only athletic player on the team was 6-6 sophomore Danny Sumner), relying on Princeton-style offense, tucked in zone defense, and the three-point shooting of seniors Nathan Mann and Laimis Kisielius and sophomore David Schneider, the Tribe started the conference season strong, sporting an early season six-game win streak (9 of 10 at one point), and finished the conference regular season at 10-8 in fifth place. Then, with Shaver having been named Coach of the Year (for the regular season), came that magic carpet ride of CAA Tournament last-second wins over Georgia State, ODU and VCU, before a tough fourth-day loss to Mason in the CAA Championship Game. And even in losing, Schneider, Sumner and Kisielius were named to the CAA All-Tournament team, and this writer voted for Kisielius (four-game tournament averages of 17 points, four rebounds, and three assists with 52 percent shooting and 35 percent three-point shooting) as Tournament MVP (GMU’s Campbell won the award). Perhaps the best season ever for basketball at William & Mary!
Then came the postseason, this year including a third-tournament, the new College Basketball Invitational. As indicated above, Mason bowed out to Notre Dame in the first round of the NCAA Tourney, and VCU likewise to UAB in the first round of the NIT. Then there was the CBI. First, this writer was particularly disappointed that Benny Moss’ second place UNC-Wilmington team wasn’t included in one of the tournaments; despite ODU’s non-conference win over Virginia Tech and corresponding higher RPI, this writer had Wilmington ahead of ODU. But it was Blaine Taylor’s Monarchs rather than the Seahawks that received a CBI invitation.
And in a game this writer was fortunate enough to cover, ODU overcame monster performances from both Thompson brothers of Rider to squeak out a hard-fought three-point home win. Then, in its first game against Virginia since Taylor took over the program, ODU led for most of the game and into the final minute at Charlottesville, before Virginia’s senior guard Sean Singletary took the game away from ODU in the final minute. But even just playing two games, the CBI Tournament was a great opportunity for additional growth for freshmen forwards Ben Finney and Frank Hassell and point guard James, and saw the emergence of freshman power forward Keyon Carter. Along with a good recruiting class, that bodes well for 2008-09 for Coach Taylor’s Monarchs!
Conference Award Winners
Reminding that the awards were for regular season play only (in fact, the awards dinner was the night before the conference tourney began), here are the winners (along with my votes when different).
First Team All-CAA
Eric Maynor, VCU (Player of the Year)
Antoine Agudio, Hofstra
T.J. Carter, Wilmington
Jamal Shuler, VCU
Will Thomas, Mason
I had Carter and Shuler on my second team, and Folarin Campbell of Mason and Leonard Mendez of Georgia State on the first team in their stead.
Second Team All-CAA
Folarin Campbell, Mason
Frank Elegar, Drexel
Matt Janning, Northeastern
Vladimir Kuljanin, Wilmington
Gerald Lee, ODU
I had Campbell on my first team, Elegar on none of my teams (thought he fell off considerably from his junior year, played badly when I saw Drexel at Northeastern, and was injured when Northeastern visited Philly), and Lee on my third team; had T.J Carter and Jamal Shuler in their steads (voted to the first team), as well as James Madison’s steadily improving point guard Pierre Curtis.
Third Team All-CAA (6 players, due to a tie in the voting)
Herb Courtney, Delaware
Marc Egerson, Delaware
Junior Hairston, Towson
Abdulai Jalloh, JMU
Laimis Kisielius, William & Mary
Leonard Mendez, GSU
I didn’t have mid-season newcomer Egerson, powerful rebounder Hairston or Kisielius on my ballot, and had Mendez on my first team. I replaced them with Towson’s defensive stalwart and conference assist/turnover leader C.C. Williams, Mason’s terrific defender and streaky shooter John Vaughan, and Lee.
CAA All-Rookie Team
Charles Jenkins, Hofstra (Rookie of the Year)
Chaisson Allen, Northeastern
Alphonso Dawson, Delaware
Larry Sanders, VCU
Chad Tomko, Wilmington
I had Tomko as Rookie of the Year instead of Jenkins (guess I’m partial to point guards), and despite Larry Sanders’ incredible potential, I had ODU’s Ben Finney on the team instead of him.
CAA All-Defensive Team
Brandon Johnson, ODU (Defensive Player of the Year)
Frank Elegar, Drexel
Larry Sanders, VCU
Jamal Shuler, VCU
Will Thomas, Mason
Showing my prejudices in favor of individual man-to-man defense at the guard position and against steals (somehow I equate high steal statistics with lunging and fouling), I had Towson’s Williams as my Defensive Player of the Year, and didn’t have Johnson on my ballot at all. And even though their coaches are great defensive teachers, I didn’t have Elegar or Sanders on my defensive team; I also omitted Thomas, viewing his individual post defense as substantially lesser than his help defense. I replaced those players on my defensive team with Drexel’s Tramayne Hawthorne and Randy Oveneke (I’d have made Oveneke the league’s most improved player if we had such an award), and with Mason’s Vaughan.
CAA Coach of the Year: Tony Shaver, William & Mary
I voted for ODU’s Blaine Taylor, for melding three freshmen and a sophomore with his two seniors to form a terrific team. But, as indicated above, I was way behind the curve recognizing what Coach Shaver accomplished this year at William and Mary, and the developments in the CAATournament proved the majority of the voters right in selecting Coach Shaver conference Coach of the Year.
Team Recaps
Georgia State (9-21, 5-13)
Coach Rod Barnes’ first season was best symbolized by GSU’s first round CAA Tournament 58-57 loss to William and Mary: just not quite enough. For the season, the Panthers won 7 games by six or fewer points, but lost 10 games by seven or fewer. The cast surrounding star second guard Leonard Mendez will change significantly, and Coach hopes that transfers from Mississippi and other major schools will turn this program around.
Team MVP: Leonard Mendez, 6-5 jr second guard, 16 pts, 43%, 41% treys, 4 rebounds
Leading scorer: Mendez, 16
Leading rebounder: Rashad Chase, 8
Assists leader: D.J. Jones, 2.8
Starters leaving:
Justin Billingslea (completed eligibility), 6-8 forward, 6 points, 50%, 4 rebounds
Deven Dickerson (completed eligibility), 6-9 center, 5 points, 50%, 4 rebounds
Key players returning:
Mendez, 6-5 senior guard, 16 points, 43%, 41% treys, 4 rebounds
Trae Goldston, 5-10 junior guard, 9 points, 38%, 40% treys, 1.5 assists
Rashad Chase, 6-7 senior forward, 8 points, 43%, 8 rebounds
Michael Moynihan, 5-11 junior guard, 6 points, 42%, 38% treys, 1.5 assists
D.J. Jones, 6-1 sophomore guard, 4 points, 33%, 2.8 assists
Key newcomers:
Joe Dukes, eligible transfer from Wake Forest, 6-1 junior
Dante Curry, transfer from South Florida, eligible December ’08, 6-4 redshirt sophomore
Trey Hampton, eligible transfer from Mississippi, 6-7 junior
Bernard Rimmer, eligible transfer from Mississippi State, 6-8 junior
Xavier Hansbro, eligible transfer from Mississippi, 6-10 junior
James Fields, Urban Christian HS, Savannah, Ga., 6-3 freshman
Chris Echols, eligible transfer from University of Arkansas-Ft. Smith JC, 6-6 junior
Even if only some of Coach Barnes’ transfers contribute, GSU will obviously have a whole new team next year, with a junior class monstrous both in physical size and numbers. We’ll focus on the newcomers in our CAA preview in the fall.
James Madison (13-17, 5-13)
The good news for new JMU head coach Matt Brady is that no one except Terrance Carter graduates from Dean Keener’s 2007-08 team. The bad news for Brady is that no one except Carter leaves that team. This season looked ever-so-promising for JMU, as they went 8-3 in November-December non-conference games, and opened their conference schedule with a road win at Northeastern and then a home win over defending champion VCU. While that VCU win was the high water mark of the season, it might as well have been the end of the season, as that win was followed by losses in twelve of the next fourteen games (all conference games), a monumental collapse resulting in the in-season resignation of Coach Keener (he was allowed to finish the year).
Team MVP: Pierre Curtis, 6-2 soph pt guard, 10 pts, 45%, 41% treys, 2 rebs, 4.5 assts
Leading scorer: Abdulai Jalloh, 16
Leading rebounder: Terrance Carter, 7
Assists leader: Curtis, 4.5
Starters leaving:
Terrance Carter (completed eligibility), 6-5 forward, 13 points, 47%, 7 rebounds
Key players returning:
Jalloh, 6-2 senior guard, 16 points, 41%, 39% treys, 6 rebounds, 3 assists
Curtis, 6-2 junior guard, 10 points, 45%, 41% treys, 2 rebounds, 4.5 assists
Juwann James, 6-5 senior forward, 13 points, 58%, 6 rebounds
Kyle Swanston, 6-7 senior forward, 9 points, 43%, 40% treys, 4 rebounds
Key newcomers:
Rodrigo Peggau, The Patterson School, Patterson, NC, 6-8 freshman
Having had only 12 players on scholarship in 2007-08, having two complete their eligibility (Gabriel Chami in addition to Carter), and having added one (Peggau), the new coaching staff still has two scholarships available during this late signing period, and thereafter.
In the non-conference games and first two conference games, the talent level looked good, particularly at guard and particularly on offense. Whether the players overachieved for Keener in the first half of the season and then simply reverted to form, or whether they underachieved for Keener during the conference season, is something the rest of us – along with Brady – will find out next fall. It will help a lot if point guard and team leader Pierre Curtis doesn’t get hurt and miss a few games next January, as he did this year.
Drexel (12-20, 5-13)
Perhaps no one in the league lost as much from the previous season, specifically point guard Bashir Mason, power forward Chaz Crawford, and the league’s best true 3-man Dominic Mejia. And while the first two of these were defensive standouts playing for a defensive-minded coach, it is possible that the player coach Bruiser Flint missed the most this season was Mejia. And that’s because as well as this team guarded (not as well as last year, but pretty darn well), all year long this edition of the Dragons simply couldn’t score well enough to win consistently.
Team MVP (by default): Frank Elegar, 6-9 senior center, 14 points, 56%, 8 rebounds
Leading scorer: Elegar, 14
Leading rebounder: Elegar, 8
Assists leader: Tramayne Hawthorne, 3
Starters leaving:
Elegar (completed eligibility), 6-9 center, 14 points, 56%, 8 rebounds
Randy Oveneke (completed eligibility), 6-7 forward, 7 points, 46%, 5 rebounds
Key players returning:
Hawthorne, 5-11 senior guard, 11 points, 39%, 35% treys, 3 rebounds, 3 assists
Scott Rodgers, 6-3 senior guard, 9 points, 33%, 30% treys, 4 rebounds, 2.7 assists
Gerald Colds, 5-11 sophomore guard, 7 points, 32%, 31% treys, 1.2 assists
Rob Hampton, 6-4 junior guard, 5 points, 41%, 2.2 assists
Jamie Harris, 5-10 sophomore guard, 3 points, 34%, 27%, 1.6 assists
Key newcomers:
Chris Fouch, Rice HS, New York, NY., 6-2 freshman
Sam Givens, Academy of the New Church Boys, Bryn Athyn, Pa., 6-5 freshman
Kevin Phillip, Bishop Loughlin HS, Brooklyn, NY, 6-7 freshman
For a team that wasn’t good enough to win in the conference, Drexel loses virtually all of its rebounding in Elegar and Oveneke. Incoming freshmen Givens was a terrific rebounder in high school (though undersized), and incoming freshmen Phillip was a good rebounder in a terrific conference (New York City’s CHSAA). If those two freshmen don’t help immediately on the boards, next season could be a difficult one for the Dragons.
Towson (13-18, 7-11)
In 2007-08, Towson replaced monster scorer Gary Neal with two solid transfers, scorer Josh Thornton and rebounder Junior Hairston, and this year’s group learned to win at home. Now, with a tournament win over Hofstra and a competitive performance against VCU, and with additional transfers becoming eligible in 2008-09, look for Pat Kennedy’s team to learn how to win on the road.
Team MVP: C.C. Williams, 6-0 senior guard, 9 pts, 41%, 25% treys, 4 rebs, 5 assts, 2 turnovers
Leading scorer: Josh Thornton, 13
Leading rebounder: Junior Hairston, 9
Assists leader: Williams, 5
Starters leaving:
Williams (completed eligibility), 6-0 guard, 9 points, 41%, 4 rebounds. 5 assists
Jonathan Pease (completed eligibility), 6-6 forward, 9 pts, 44%, 37% treys, 5 rebs, 1.6 assts
Tommy Breaux (injury in 2007-08, not returning), 6-8 center, 7 pts, 64%, 5 rebs (2006-07)
Key players returning:
Thornton, 6-1 junior guard, 13 points, 47%, 43% treys, 2 rebounds, 1.5 assists
Tony Durant, 6-7 senior forward, 9 points, 40%, 5 rebounds
Rocky Coleman, 6-2 senior guard, 6 points, 37%, 28% treys, 1.8 assists
Key newcomers:
Ricardo Brown, Harrisburg HS, Harrisburg, Pa., 6-5 redshirt freshman
Brian Morris, eligible transfer from Richmond, 6-5 sophomore
Jarrel Smith, eligible transfer from Colorado State, 6-7 sophomore
Jimmy Smith, eligible transfer from Colorado State, 6-4 sophomore
Tony Franklin, Mt. Carmel HS, Mt. Carmel, Md., 5-10 freshman
Calvin Lee, Allegheny, Maryland Community College, 6-8 junior
With all the new players next season, the key will be replacing conference assist/turnover ratio leader C.C. Williams. At 6-5, Brian Morris already has a year of college point guard play under his belt at Richmond, while 5-10 freshman Tony Franklin may play more like an undersized two-guard. But for a change, Kennedy should have lots of interesting choices this coming fall.
Hofstra (12-18, 8-10)
2007-08 was a difficult one in Hempstead, as Tom Pecora had to replace 2/3 of his Three Amigos in the backcourt, forcing senior star Antoine Agudio to play with freshmen Nathaniel Lester and Charles Jenkins. Lester was a disappointment, and junior Greg Johnson played most of the minutes that he might have. Jenkins surpassed expectations, played like an upperclassman, and was voted conference Rookie of the Year.
Team MVP: Antoine Agudio, 6-3 senior guard, 23 pts, 43%, 41% treys, 4 rebs, 3 assts, 39 min
Leading scorer: Agudio, 23
Leading rebounder: Darren Townes, 7
Assists leader: Greg Johnson, 3.5
Starters leaving:
Agudio (completed eligibility), 6-3 guard, 23 points, 43%, 41% treys, 3 assists
Key players returning:
Charles Jenkins, 6-3 sophomore guard, 15 points, 47%, 33% treys, 5 rebounds, 2 assists
Townes, 6-7 senior forward, 8 points, 54%, 7 rebounds
Dane Johnson, 6-10 senior center, 6 points, 55%, 5 rebounds
Nathaniel Lester, 6-3 sophomore guard, 6 points, 34%, 25% treys, 3 rebounds, .5 assists
Greg Johnson, 5-10 senior guard, 4 points, 31%, 22% treys, 3.5 assists
Key newcomers:
Kevin Nee, Bishop Canevin HS, Presto, Pa., 6-3 medical redshirt freshman
Miklos Szabo, Broward Community College, Ft. Lauderdale, Fl., 6-9 junior
Tony Dennison, Broward Community College, Ft. Lauderdale, Fl., 6-2 junior
Yves Jules, Canarsie HS, Brooklyn, NY, 6-2 freshman
With Agudio now gone, Pecora once again needs to replace both lots of offense and lots of leadership. He has gone the junior college route, seeking immediate help from two Broward Community College transfers, and back to Canarsie High School as Yves Jules will now join former teammate and Hofstra disappointment Nathaniel Lester.
Delaware (14-17, 9-9)
A topsy-turvy year for Coach Monte’ Ross’ Blue Hens, Delaware began 1-5 in non-conference play before the two transfers became eligible, plus a home conference win against Towson. Then with Marc Egerson and Jim Ledsome becoming eligible on a snowy December day in New Britain, this reporter watched the Northeast Conference’s Central Connecticut State Blue Devils administer as brutal a beating as I saw all season long. But somehow, as Delware’s bus headed into the snow toward Burlington, Vermont, Coach figured it out, embarking on a seven game run including but a single loss (to Maryland), two overtime conference wins, and a 5-0 conference start. Then 5 of 6 conference losses, before a more even .500 finish in the last 10 games of Herb Courtney’s career. All-in-all, a marked improvement from the conference celler to the 7th seed, capped by a 60-51 win over Drexel in the first round of the CAA Tournament.
Team MVP: Herb Courtney, 6-7 sr forward 14 pts, 44%, 31% treys, 6 rebs (edged Egerson)
Leading scorer: Courtney, 14
Leading rebounder: Marc Egerson, 7
Assists leader: Brian Johnson, 5.2
Starters leaving:
Courtney (completed eligibility), 6-7 forward, 14 points, 44%, 31% treys, 6 rebounds
Key players returning:
Egerson, 6-5 senior guard, 13 points, 38%, 33% treys, 7 rebounds, 3 assists
Alphonso Dawson, 6-4 sophomore guard, 11 points, 39%, 29% treys, 5 rebounds, 1.2 assists
Brian Johnson, 5-10 junior guard, 10 points, 39%, 40% treys, 5.2 assists
Jim Ledsome, 6-9 senior center, 5 points, 62%, 5 rebounds
Edwin Santiago, 6-2 sophomore guard, 5 points, 32%, 23% treys, 1 steal
D.J. Boney, 6-4 sophomore guard, 4 points, 35%, 335 treys,
Key newcomers:
Adam Pegg, Palm Harbor University HS, Palm Harbor, Fl., 6-9 freshman
With Courtney now gone, this becomes truly Ross’ team for the first time. Incoming center Adam Pegg should push former Nebraska reserve and now senior Jim Ledsome, and with Egerson as the best rebounding guard in the conference, Delaware should be strong on the boards whether or not Ledsome and Pegg can play together. Replacing Courtney’s scoring and experience will be tougher than replacing his rebounding. With his shooting greatly improved as a sophomore, point guard Brian Johnson should be ready to become the team leader Ross needs him to be.
Northeastern (14-17, 9-9)
The Huskies went from being a senior-laden team during Coach Bill Coen’s first year to being the youngest team in the league his second year. Star sophomore second guard Matt Janning became the focus of every opponent, yet improved markedly. As did his classmate, center Manny Adako. And the terrific freshman point guard Coen handed his team to for 35 minutes a game, Chaisson Allen, showed grit playing injured in the CAA Tournament, and as good as he was, as Coach McGuire always said, “the best thing about freshmen is that they become sophomores.”
Team MVP: Matt Janning, 6-4 soph gd, 16 points, 45%, 38% treys, 4 rebs, 2.4 assists
Leading scorer: Janning, 16
Leading rebounder: Nkem Ojougboh, 6
Assists leader: Chaisson Allen, 3.5
Starters leaving: None
Key players returning:
Janning, 6-4 junior guard, 16 points, 45%, 38% treys, 4 rebounds, 2.4 assists
Manny Adako, 6-8 junior center, 11 points, 57%, 5 rebounds
Ojougboh, 6-9 junior forward, 10 points, 43%, 6 rebounds, 1 block
Allen, 6-4 sophomore guard, 9 points, 39%, 24% treys, 3.5 assists, 2 steals
Eugene Spates, 6-5 senior forward, 7 points, 32%, 28% treys, 3 rebounds
Baptiste Bataille, 5-11 junior guard, 3 points, 27%, 28% treys, 1.2 assists
Vinny Lima, 6-9 soph forward, 3 points, 43%, 50% treys, 1 rebound
Key newcomers:
Erik Etherly, Annandale HS, Annandale, Va., 6-6 freshman
With Antoine Agudio, T.J. Carter and Jamal Shuler all done with their eligibility, Chaisson Allen and Matt Janning just might combine to form the best backcourt tandem in the CAA next season.
William & Mary (17-16, 10-8)
What a year! 10-8 in the conference regular season, Coach of the Year for Tony Shaver, and then that magical run to the conference final! And no matter what anyone says, even with a loss in the Tournament Final, senior forward Laimis Kisielius was the clear Tournament MVP (and I suspect named MVP Folarin Campbell would be the first to agree).
Team MVP: Laimis Kisielius, 6-8 sr forward, 11 pts, 39%, 33% treys, 3 rebs, 2.5 assts
Leading scorer: Kisielius, 11
Leading rebounder: Peter Stein, 5
Assists leader: David Schneider, 3.8
Starters leaving:
Kisielius (eligibility completed), 6-8 forward, 11 pts, 39%, 33% treys, 3 rebs, 2.5 assts
Nathan Mann (eligibility completed), 6-1 guard, 10 pts, 36%, 35% treys, 3 rebs, 2.3 assts
Key players returning:
Schneider, 6-2 junior guard, 11 points, 34%, 35% treys, 5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.7 steals
Danny Sumner, 6-7 junior forward, 11 points, 50%, 39%, 4 rebounds
Peter Stein, 6-9 senior center, 8 points, 53%, 34% treys, 5 rebound
Key newcomers:
Quinn McDowell, Moeller HS, Cincinnati, Oh., 6-4 freshman
Kendrix Brown, Norview HS, Norfolk, Va., 6-3 freshman
With freshman guard John Sexton now about to transfer elsewhere, Coach Shaver has one remaining scholarship available for a late signee.
Did that Cinderella-run in the conference tournament really happen? Well, now that it did, in a blink of an eye it is gone, along with graduating seniors Kisielius and Mann. What is left behind is talented and inconsistent Schneider, with a shot that has no business ever going in – but does – and the most improved player during the tournament run, junior forward Danny Sumner. Until Kisielius took over the tournament at halftime of the semi-final win against VCU, Sumner was William & Mary’s best player. With that tournament now under his belt, it is Shaver’s job to get that same production for Sumner’s full junior year next season. And even if he succeeds with Sumner, it’ll be difficult for Shaver to duplicate a finish over .500 in this conference with a team on which Sumner is the only athletic player.
Old Dominion (18-16, 11-7)
What was supposed to be a rebuilding year, a transition year, turned into yet another year of play beyond the conference tournament, this year in the inaugural College Basketball Invitational Tournament. And even having let a last-minute lead slip away in a second round game at Virginia, what wonderful steps forward were taken in those two post-season games, particularly for redshirt freshmen frontline players Frank Hassell and Keyon Carter. Couple that with a well-respected recruiting class and lots of seniors leaving Wilmington and George Mason, and Coach Blaine Taylor’s Monarchs could pose the greatest challenge to VCU next season, and to all those Georgia State and Towson transfers.
Team MVP: Gerald Lee, 6-9 soph center, 13 points, 48%, 6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1 blk
Leading scorer: Lee, 13
Leading rebounder: Lee, 6
Assists leader: Brandon Johnson, 4.7
Starters leaving:
Brian Henderson (eligibility completed), 6-4 guard, 10 pts, 41%, 36% treys, 3 rebs, 1.5 assts
Johnson (eligibility completed), 6-1 guard, 8 pts, 40%, 26% treys, 4 rebs, 4.7 assts, 2.8 stls
Key players returning:
Lee, 6-9 junior center, 13 points, 48%, 6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1 block
Ben Finney, 6-5 soph forward, 7 points, 44%, 25% treys, 5 rebounds
Darius James, 6-1 soph guard, 7 points, 42%, 39% treys, 3 rebounds, 2.2 assists
Jonathan Adams, 6-6 senior forward, 6 points, 42%, 32% treys, 4 rebounds, 1.7 assists
Frank Hassell, 6-7 redshirt soph forward, 5 points, 44 %, 5 rebounds, 1.3 blocks
Keyon Carter, 6-8 redshirt soph forward, 2 points, 44%, 1 rebound
Key newcomers:
Etoile Imama, Champlain St. Lambert HS, Montreal, Canada, 6-3 med. redshirt freshman
Kent Bazemore, Bertie HS, Windsor, NC, 6-5 redshirt freshman
Marquel Delancey, Mount Vernon HS, Alexandria, Va., 6-0 freshman
Trian Iliadis, Gwelup, Western Australia, 6-3 freshman
Nick Wright, Nansemond River HS, Suffolk, Va., 6-7 freshman
Chris Cooper, Forest Park HS, Woodbridge, Va., 6-8 freshman
With second guard Brian Henderson and conference Defender of the Year and theft artist Brandon Johnson departed, Taylor will need to replace some shooting, some defense, and most of all some leadership. If sophomore point guard Darius James can provide the leadership, the rest of James’ sophomore class and as many as six newcomers should more than make up the rest.
George Mason (23-11, 12-6)
When No. 1 VCU was upset by William and Mary in the first CAA Tournament semi-final, that opened the door for the winner of No. 2 UNC-Wilmington and No. 3 Mason to win the conference and earn an automatic bid without facing the Rams. With strong defense and rebounding, and dominating performances by Tournament MVP Folarin Campbell, the Patriots made the most of that opportunity. And while both a talent discrepancy and poor shooting doomed the Patriots in their NCAA game against Notre Dame, that should not take away from a season in which Mason surpassed all expectations.
Team MVP: Will Thomas, 6-8 senior center, 16 points, 64%, 10 rebounds, 2 assists
Leading scorer: Thomas, 16
Leading rebounder: Thomas, 10
Assists leader: Folarin Campbell, 3.3
Starters leaving:
Thomas (eligibility completed), 6-8 center, 16 points, 64%, 10 rebounds, 2 assists
Campbell (eligibility completed), 6-4 guard, 16 pts, 42%, 36% treys, 5 rebs, 3.3 asts, 1.2 stls
Key players returning:
John Vaughan, 6-3 redshirt senior guard, 12 points, 43%, 34% treys, 4 rebs, 2.2 assists, .8 stls
Dre Smith, 5-10 senior guard, 8 points, 39%, 38% treys, 2 rebounds, 1.3 steals
Louis Birdsong, 6-6 junior forward, 6 points, 54%, 4 rebounds, 1 block
Cam Long, 6-3 sophomore guard, 4 points, 45%, 38% treys, 2 rebounds, 1.7 assists
Key newcomers:
Darryl Monroe, 6-7 medical redshirt senior
Andre Cornelius, Victory Christian Center, Charlotte, NC, 5-10 freshman
Ryan Pearson, Christ the King HS, Queens, NY, 6-6 freshman
Kevin Foster, Kathleen Senior HS, Lakeland, Fl., 6-7 freshman
Michael Morrison, Lakewood HS, St. Petersburg, Fl., 6-8 freshman
As difficult as it will be to replace the scoring, rebounding and defense of Thomas and Campbell, it will be nearly impossible to replace their senior leadership. Prize recruit point guard Andre Cornelius will be asked to fill part of the void, and experienced John Vaughan another part, but no matter how well they succeed, there is no question that Mason will take a step back to the pack next season.
North Carolina-Wilmington (20-13, 12-6)
From 7 wins to 20 in one season was the biggest turnaround in the country this season! And while some of that turnaround can be attributed to the return of T.J. Carter, we should also credit the development of Carter’s three senior teammates, a coaching staff’s improvement in its second year, and the play of a wonderful freshman point guard in Chad Tomko (this writer’s conference Rookie of the Year). Two big negatives, neither anyone’s fault: first, I thought this team was good enough to play in post-season, perhaps even ahead of ODU in the pecking order for post-season berths. Second, as was the case for Northeastern’s Bill Coen between his first and second years, Benny Moss now loses almost everyone who contributed to this year’s team, that is, everyone except Tomko.
Team MVP: Vladimir Kuljanin, 6-10 senior center, 13 pts, 67%, 10 rebs, 2.4 assts, 1 blk (nosed out Carter in my view, though the opposite view may predominate)
Leading scorer: T.J. Carter, 16
Leading rebounder: Kuljanin, 10
Assists leader: Carter, 4.4
Starters leaving:
Carter (eligibility completed), 6-3 guard, 16 pts, 43%, 26% treys, 6 rebs, 4.4 assts, 1.3 stls
Daniel Fountain (elig. completed), 6-4 guard, 13 pts, 41%, 42% treys, 4 rebs, 2 assts, 1.4 stls
Kuljanin (eligibility completed), 6-10 center, 13 points, 67%, 10 rebs, 2.4 assts, 1 blk
Todd Hendley (eligibility completed), 6-9 forward, 13 pts, 55%, 31% treys, 5 rebs, 1.5 assts
Key players returning:
Chad Tomko, 5-11 sophomore guard, 9 points, 39%, 37% treys, 3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.5 stls
Key newcomers:
Darryl Felder, 6-3 medical redshirt sophomore
Johnny Wolf, eligible transfer from Xavier, 6-3 junior
Kevon Moore, Montrose Christian School, Rockville, Md., 6-3 freshman
Jerel Stephenson, Glenn Hills HS, Augusta, Ga., 6-3 freshman
Will O’Huaregbe, Fort Union Military Academy, Fort Union, Va., 6-7 freshman
Brad Bald, Archbishop Spalding HS, Severn, Md., 6-8 freshman
In a huge rebuilding year for the Seahawks, experienced Xavier transfer Johnny Wolf should help soften the blow of four seniors leaving, and combine with Tomko to form a respectable backcourt. And Moss is excited about his recruiting class, particularly the bigs. This class would have been even better had last summer’s Wake Forest transfer Kevin Swinton been sufficiently grown up to take advantage of the second chance Moss afforded him. Instead, Swinton was arrested for firearm possession in the fall, dismissed from the team and suspended from the university.
Virginia Commonwealth (24-8, 15-3)
Everything is just fine in Richmond, as along with Player of the Year Eric Maynor’s return for one more season, former Coach of the Year Anthony Grant and his star freshman big man Larry Sanders are both also back to the CAA’s premier program. And even if nothing were added, just those three would be enough to make VCU the favorite to repeat as champion in next year’s conference regular season.
Team MVP: Eric Maynor, 6-2 junior guard, 18 pts, 46%, 39% treys, 4 rebs, 5.5 assts, 1.3 stls
Leading scorer: Maynor, 18
Leading rebounder: Larry Sanders, 5
Assists leader: Maynor, 5.5
Starters leaving:
Jamal Shuler (eligibility completed), 6-3 guard, 16 pts, 44%, 41% treys, 5 rebs, 1.3 assts, 1.5 stls
Michael Anderson (eligibility completed), 6-7 forward, 7 pts, 44%, 36% treys, 5 rebs, .9 blks
Wil Fameni (eligibility completed), 6-7 forward, 5 points, 43%, 4 rebounds
Key players returning:
Maynor, 6-2 senior guard, 18 points, 46%, 39% treys, 4 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.3 stls
Joey Rodriguez, 5-9 sophomore guard, 5 points, 32%, 29% treys, 3 rebounds, 2.5 assts, 1.5 stls
Sanders, 6-9 sophomore center, 5 points, 50%, 5 rebounds, 3 blocks
Lance Kearse, 6-6 sophomore forward, 4 points, 53%, 56% treys, 2 rebounds
T.J. Gwynn, 6-4 junior forward, 3 points, 49%, 36% treys, 3 rebounds
Key newcomers:
Bradford Burgess, Benedictine HS, Richmond, Va., 6-4 freshman
Terrance Saintil, Monsignor Pace HS, Miami, Fl., 6-7 freshman
Jay Gavin, transfer from Marist College, 6-1 sophomore, eligible in 2009-10
While Maynor may be too slight physically to play in the NBA (or is he the next Earl Boykins?), athletic big man Larry Sanders is just about ready to blossom into a star in his sophomore year, perhaps a big enough star to make the NBA folks stop and take notice.
We’ll catch late additions (freshmen and transfers) in our fall preview, and project which newcomers could make significant contributions in their first years in the league. Have a good summer, CAA fans!
Offseason News and Notes
- Along with Hoopville Managing Editor Phil Kasiecki, this writer had a chance to attend the Jam Fest event in Providence on April 26 and 27, put on by Rob Kennedy’s Hoop Group, which was live for college coaches for the first time in a number of years. The CAA was represented by head coaches Pat Kennedy (Towson), Bill Coen (Northeastern), and Tom Pecora (Hofstra), and assistant coaches Jeff Rafferty (Delaware), Geoff Arnold (Drexel) and Jim Meil (Towson).
- One of the coaches I had a chance to visit with in Providence – one who was there to the bitter end on Sunday afternoon – was Norm Roberts of St. John’s, who is just as warm and gracious one-on-one as he appears in media rooms following Red Storm games. Typical of the conversation, when I told Coach that along with HSBI’s Tom Konchalski I was one of the only people in the room who had seen him play on Ken Fiedler’s Springfield Gardens High School teams of the early 80’s (I was recruiting for Division III NYU at the time, and Roberts was too good for us), Coach preferred to turn the conversation to his brother Marty, a year behind him and a shooter on some of those teams. Interestingly, while Coach was reluctant to blame the decline of St. John’s basketball on the university’s opening of dormitories a decade ago, just days later it was announced that St. John’s signed two senior guards who might not have been on their radar during the pre-dormitory 90’s: Tyshwan Edmondson of Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and Quincy Roberts of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. First, Hopkinsville and Harrisburg are pretty far afield from New York City’s public and particularly Catholic leagues, long a staple for Ron Rutledge in recruiting for Coach Carneseca. Second, the schools competing for these two recruits were hardly the Dukes, North Carolinas and Kentuckys of the world: Edmondson’s other choices were Western Kentucky and Dayton, and only a bit better, Roberts’ were Nebraska, Temple and Virginia. Here’s hoping that Coach Roberts found two diamonds in the rough that the rest of the Big East, ACC, SEC and Big Ten missed.
- While basketball withdrawal doesn’t usually set in for this writer until after the NBA Finals, it seems to have arrived a bit early this year. I can’t wait for the fall to get here, CAA newcomers to find their way to class, small group workouts to begin in gyms all over the conference, and then full-blown practices beginning Friday October 17.
- Until then, it’ll have to be baseball, and my new favorite team right smack in the heart of CAA country: the Washington Nationals. Go Nats!! See y’all next fall!
