Wofford Terriers
2015-2016 Overall Rank: #107
Conference Rank: #1 SoCon
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The 2014-2015 season was one to remember for Wofford. They went 28-7 overall and 16-2 in Southern Conference play. Now the Terriers will look to keep the good times going, but that is not going to be easy without Karl Cochran and Lee Skinner. The scoring pressure now falls on senior guard Spencer Collins. Collins averaged 11.8 points per game and is a dangerous all-around scorer. At 6-4, Collins has the size to attack the basket effectively, but he is also a very good outside shooter. With points to be had, expect Collins to boost his scoring output significantly.
2014-15 Record: 28-7, 16-2
2014-15 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Mike Young
Coach Record: 217-192 at Wofford, 217-192 overall
Who’s Out:
Cochran led Wofford in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals and blocks. When the Terriers needed a big play, you can bet Cochran would make it. Replacing Cochran is about more than replacing 14.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.0 blocks; it is about replacing his leadership. Skinner, a 6-6 forward, saw his production dip during his senior season to 9.9 points and 5.7 rebounds. As a junior, he averaged 11.1 points and 8.5 rebounds. The only other departure is John Swinton, who averaged 11.2 minutes per game. Swinton never played a huge role, but he was a solid ballhandler off of the bench.
Who’s In:
Coach Mike Young hopes to fix some of his size problems with the addition of Evansville transfer Ryan Sawvell. Back in 2011-2012, the 6-8 forward earned a spot on the Missouri Valley Conference’s All-Freshman team. Since then, Sawvell has been up and down with the Purple Aces and a fresh start with Wofford could help Sawvell live up to his potential. And the Terriers could certainly use his size and rebounding. Incoming freshman Matthew Pegram brings even more size to the roster. In the backcourt, Jimmy Jent, Flethcer Magee, Trevor Stumpe and Larry McKnight will look to be the next Cochran. McKnight redshirted last season and he is a big guard with enough talent and experience to crack the regular rotation this year.
Who to Watch:
Without Cochran and Skinner, Wofford has a handful of players who are ready to step up. Eric Garcia will not have to increase his scoring output from 7.7 points per game, he just needs to keep getting his teammates involved. Garcia knows how to get to the basket and finish or find a teammate and the fact that he is so dangerous from long range makes him very difficult to defend. Jaylen Allen is another dangerous shooter. He knocked down 42.1 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc and could crack the starting lineup this year. If not, he is still a great shooter off of the bench. In the frontcourt, Justin Gordon, C.J. Neumann and Cameron Jackson will join Sawvell to make up Wofford’s frontcourt rotation. Gordon started 32 games in 2014-2015 and averaged 7.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. Neumann is an experienced senior who basically played starter minutes off of the bench. He is not a scoring threat, but Neumann is a big body who can eat up space and grab some rebounds.
Final Projection:
Wofford has a couple very talented sophomores who could be in for big things this year. Jackson, a 6-7, 255 pound forward, was quite productive in limited action last year. Sophomore guard Derrick Brooks is a player to watch too. He averaged just 9.5 minutes per game as a freshman, but Brooks is a very talented guard who will play a big role on this team sooner or later. The Terriers do need to find pieces to replace Cochran and Skinner, but they appear to have plenty of options. Maybe this team will not win 26 games again, but they should not drop off too much.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA
Projected Starting Five:
Eric Garcia, Junior, Guard, 7.7 points per game
Jaylen Allen, Junior, Guard, 6.3 points per game
Spencer Collins, Senior, Guard, 11.8 points per game
Justin Gordon, Senior, Forward, 7.5 points per game
Ryan Sawvell, Junior, Forward, DNP last season
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 66.6 (194th in nation, 8th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 59.7 (19, 1)
Field-Goal Percentage: 45.4 (79, 1)
Field-Goal Defense: 41.8 (111, 2)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.3 (181, 8)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 37.2 (63, 2)
Free-Throw Percentage: 68.8 (187, 4)
Rebound Margin: 1.4 (133, 1)
Assists Per Game: 13.2 (125, 4)
Turnovers Per Game: 10.8 (38, 2)
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