WEF'S 09-10 BIG SOUTH BASKETBALL PREVIEW - PT 2: CSU
Posted: November 1st, 2009, 9:00 pm
Charleston Southern Buccaneers
(Last Season: 9-20 overall; 4-14 in Big South, T-9th, did not qualify for the Big South Tournament)
Head Coach: Barclay Radebaugh
Returning Players (with stats from 08-09 season):
G Jamarco Warren, jr. (5-11, 165) – 17.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.8 apg, 41.2 FG%, 39.8 3PT% (99 made threes), 77.1 FT% - 33.1 min/game
F Kelvin Martin, so. (6-5, 207) – 9.0 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.0 bpg, 1.4 spg, 45.2 FG%, 6.3 3PT% (1 made three), 60.8 FG% - 26.8 min/game
F Joel Lamb, so. (6-7, 195) – 5.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.0 bpg, 43.4 FG%, 32.7 3PT% (18 made threes), 50.0 FT% - 19.0 min/game
G Austin Johnson, jr. (6-3, 195) – 4.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 37.9 FG%, 29.5 3PT% (18 made threes), 50.0 FT% - 15.8 min/game
C Billy Blackmon, sr. (6-10, 205) – 3.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.0 bpg, 54.3 FG%, 0 made threes, 50.0 FT% - 20.5 min/game – Played in 11 games
F Quinton Goods, sr. (6-9, 225) – 2.2 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 46.9 FG%, 0 made threes, 73.3 FT% - 9.2 min/game
Players that are Gone:
F Omar Carter (6-5, 220) – 13.3 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 40.6 FG%, 32.1 3PT% (45 made threes), 68.8 FG% - 28.4 min/game
C Giedrius Knysas (6-10, 213) – 7.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 55.9 FG%, 14.3 3PT% (1 made three), 33.3 FT% - 24.7 min/game
G Tovi Bailey (6-1, 175) – 5.9 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.7 apg, 38.4 FG%, 25.5 3PT% (13 made threes), 60.4 FT% - 25.5 min/game
G JT Knight (6-2, 188) – 3.4 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 3.2 apg, 53.1 FG%, 0 made threes, 81.1 FT% - 18.3 min/game
Newcomers:
F Sean Sweeney, sr. (6-4, 215) – Walk-on transfer from Penn State-Brandywine
G Stanley Honorat, jr. (6-3, 180) – JuCo transfer
F Kenny Mitchell, fr. (6-7, 234) – Redshirted in 08-09
G Glenn Self, fr. (6-0, 180) – Redshirted in 08-09
G Jeremy Sexton, fr. (6-2, 175)
F Zimmy Nwogbo, fr. (6-7, 230)
C Patrick Shaughnessy, fr. (6-9, 238)
F Tom Tankelewicz, fr. (6-5, 185)
G Theron Stephens, fr. (5-9, 140) – Walk-on
About the Buccaneers:
The Charleston Southern Buccaneers have had a difficult run over the last few years, finishing last in the Big South each of the last three seasons. Every time it looks as if the Bucs have the potential to take a step up, either injuries, defections, or just plain ineffectiveness have plagued head coach Barclay Radebaugh’s squads. Despite having a talented core of Jamarco Warren, Omar Carter, and Tovi Bailey last season, a batch of injuries caused CSU to finish last and miss the Big South tournament. And going into this year, Radebaugh has to deal with Carter and Bailey having transferred away from the program over the offseason, leading to yet another uphill climb for the Bucs.
The biggest areas of optimism for CSU going into the season are the return of a few injured players and, more importantly, Warren is still with the program. The junior guard has been one of the most potent shooters from the perimeter in the league the last two years and he will now be primarily playing the point guard spot instead of shooting guard. The effects of this move will be interesting to see as he has always been good at moving without the ball and Bailey and JT Knight were very effective at breaking down the defense, causing openings for Warren behind the arc. No matter how well the Warren-at-point-guard experiment works, he will likely again be one of the league’s top scorers and can single-handedly help the Bucs win games when he is on fire. JuCo transfer Stanley Honorat has the inside track at the other starting guard spot. Freshmen Jeremy Sexton and Glenn Self will likely play the back-up roles, with junior Austin Johnson potentially having a breakout year off the bench (or even in the starting lineup) at either the shooting guard or small forward spots.
The frontcourt of the Bucs last season had to deal with the season-long injury to freshman forward Kenny Mitchell and a broken arm early in the year to center Billy Blackmon. Both are now back and they will help try and turn the Bucs into a more athletic team inside. Mitchell can play both forward spots, but his athleticism will likely lead him to starting at the small forward position. Blackmon, now a senior, brings a lot of length to the post at the center spot. He showed some flashes of good play last season before a broken arm in December prematurely ended his year. The power forward spot will be manned by sophomore Kelvin Martin, who quietly had a very solid freshman campaign last season. Martin showed an ability to be disruptive on defense and resourceful on offense and on the boards. Sophomore Joel Lamb also had a good freshman year and he will battle for time at both forward spots. Lamb can hit mid-range (and deeper) jump shots and can stretch defenses, opening things up for CSU’s guards to drive to the basket. Senior forward Quinton Goods is a wild-card for the Bucs. He started his career at East Carolina, and has been with Charleston Southern the last couple of years, but has yet to really crack the regular rotation. He has good size and decent athleticism, but he has likely been passed in the depth charts by the four players mentioned above. Freshmen Zimmy Nwogbo, Patrick Shaugnessy, and Tom Tankelewicz are also available to add depth up front, with Shaugnessy (at 6’9”, 238 pounds) having good size for a freshman center.
Radebaugh has been optimistic in preseason publications, saying his team is as athletic and talented as it has ever been since he has been with the Bucs. However, until his teams can prove that they can defend better and have a more balanced offense than the perimeter oriented attack they have relied on the last few years, it is hard to predict anything more than a low finish for CSU. Also, with Bailey transferring out, there is not an experienced point guard on the roster, and using Warren in that role could prove to limit some of his effectiveness if he is unable to create the same openings behind the arc that he was able to get at the shooting guard spot. The good news for the Bucs is that Presbyterian should be bad enough to keep CSU out of the last place spot for a fourth straight season.
My Prediction:
10-19 overall, 5-13 in conference – 9th place finish – will not qualify for Big South Tournament
(Last Season: 9-20 overall; 4-14 in Big South, T-9th, did not qualify for the Big South Tournament)
Head Coach: Barclay Radebaugh
Returning Players (with stats from 08-09 season):
G Jamarco Warren, jr. (5-11, 165) – 17.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.8 apg, 41.2 FG%, 39.8 3PT% (99 made threes), 77.1 FT% - 33.1 min/game
F Kelvin Martin, so. (6-5, 207) – 9.0 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.0 bpg, 1.4 spg, 45.2 FG%, 6.3 3PT% (1 made three), 60.8 FG% - 26.8 min/game
F Joel Lamb, so. (6-7, 195) – 5.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.0 bpg, 43.4 FG%, 32.7 3PT% (18 made threes), 50.0 FT% - 19.0 min/game
G Austin Johnson, jr. (6-3, 195) – 4.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 37.9 FG%, 29.5 3PT% (18 made threes), 50.0 FT% - 15.8 min/game
C Billy Blackmon, sr. (6-10, 205) – 3.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.0 bpg, 54.3 FG%, 0 made threes, 50.0 FT% - 20.5 min/game – Played in 11 games
F Quinton Goods, sr. (6-9, 225) – 2.2 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 46.9 FG%, 0 made threes, 73.3 FT% - 9.2 min/game
Players that are Gone:
F Omar Carter (6-5, 220) – 13.3 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 40.6 FG%, 32.1 3PT% (45 made threes), 68.8 FG% - 28.4 min/game
C Giedrius Knysas (6-10, 213) – 7.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 55.9 FG%, 14.3 3PT% (1 made three), 33.3 FT% - 24.7 min/game
G Tovi Bailey (6-1, 175) – 5.9 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.7 apg, 38.4 FG%, 25.5 3PT% (13 made threes), 60.4 FT% - 25.5 min/game
G JT Knight (6-2, 188) – 3.4 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 3.2 apg, 53.1 FG%, 0 made threes, 81.1 FT% - 18.3 min/game
Newcomers:
F Sean Sweeney, sr. (6-4, 215) – Walk-on transfer from Penn State-Brandywine
G Stanley Honorat, jr. (6-3, 180) – JuCo transfer
F Kenny Mitchell, fr. (6-7, 234) – Redshirted in 08-09
G Glenn Self, fr. (6-0, 180) – Redshirted in 08-09
G Jeremy Sexton, fr. (6-2, 175)
F Zimmy Nwogbo, fr. (6-7, 230)
C Patrick Shaughnessy, fr. (6-9, 238)
F Tom Tankelewicz, fr. (6-5, 185)
G Theron Stephens, fr. (5-9, 140) – Walk-on
About the Buccaneers:
The Charleston Southern Buccaneers have had a difficult run over the last few years, finishing last in the Big South each of the last three seasons. Every time it looks as if the Bucs have the potential to take a step up, either injuries, defections, or just plain ineffectiveness have plagued head coach Barclay Radebaugh’s squads. Despite having a talented core of Jamarco Warren, Omar Carter, and Tovi Bailey last season, a batch of injuries caused CSU to finish last and miss the Big South tournament. And going into this year, Radebaugh has to deal with Carter and Bailey having transferred away from the program over the offseason, leading to yet another uphill climb for the Bucs.
The biggest areas of optimism for CSU going into the season are the return of a few injured players and, more importantly, Warren is still with the program. The junior guard has been one of the most potent shooters from the perimeter in the league the last two years and he will now be primarily playing the point guard spot instead of shooting guard. The effects of this move will be interesting to see as he has always been good at moving without the ball and Bailey and JT Knight were very effective at breaking down the defense, causing openings for Warren behind the arc. No matter how well the Warren-at-point-guard experiment works, he will likely again be one of the league’s top scorers and can single-handedly help the Bucs win games when he is on fire. JuCo transfer Stanley Honorat has the inside track at the other starting guard spot. Freshmen Jeremy Sexton and Glenn Self will likely play the back-up roles, with junior Austin Johnson potentially having a breakout year off the bench (or even in the starting lineup) at either the shooting guard or small forward spots.
The frontcourt of the Bucs last season had to deal with the season-long injury to freshman forward Kenny Mitchell and a broken arm early in the year to center Billy Blackmon. Both are now back and they will help try and turn the Bucs into a more athletic team inside. Mitchell can play both forward spots, but his athleticism will likely lead him to starting at the small forward position. Blackmon, now a senior, brings a lot of length to the post at the center spot. He showed some flashes of good play last season before a broken arm in December prematurely ended his year. The power forward spot will be manned by sophomore Kelvin Martin, who quietly had a very solid freshman campaign last season. Martin showed an ability to be disruptive on defense and resourceful on offense and on the boards. Sophomore Joel Lamb also had a good freshman year and he will battle for time at both forward spots. Lamb can hit mid-range (and deeper) jump shots and can stretch defenses, opening things up for CSU’s guards to drive to the basket. Senior forward Quinton Goods is a wild-card for the Bucs. He started his career at East Carolina, and has been with Charleston Southern the last couple of years, but has yet to really crack the regular rotation. He has good size and decent athleticism, but he has likely been passed in the depth charts by the four players mentioned above. Freshmen Zimmy Nwogbo, Patrick Shaugnessy, and Tom Tankelewicz are also available to add depth up front, with Shaugnessy (at 6’9”, 238 pounds) having good size for a freshman center.
Radebaugh has been optimistic in preseason publications, saying his team is as athletic and talented as it has ever been since he has been with the Bucs. However, until his teams can prove that they can defend better and have a more balanced offense than the perimeter oriented attack they have relied on the last few years, it is hard to predict anything more than a low finish for CSU. Also, with Bailey transferring out, there is not an experienced point guard on the roster, and using Warren in that role could prove to limit some of his effectiveness if he is unable to create the same openings behind the arc that he was able to get at the shooting guard spot. The good news for the Bucs is that Presbyterian should be bad enough to keep CSU out of the last place spot for a fourth straight season.
My Prediction:
10-19 overall, 5-13 in conference – 9th place finish – will not qualify for Big South Tournament