Austin Peay Governors
Overall Rank: #117
Conference Rank: #1 Ohio Valley
Austin Peay Team Page
2010-11: 20-14, 13-5
2010-11 postseason: CBI
Coach: Dave Loos (351-290 at Austin Peay, 433-343 overall)
Austin Peay does not lack scoring power on the wings. TyShwan Edmondson wasted little time making a huge impact for the Governors. The junior college transfer averaged 17.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.8 steals during his first season in Clarksville, Tennessee. As a result he was named a First-Team All-OVC honoree. This year he will be gunning for Player of the Year. At 6-5, Edmondson has great size for a two guard in the Ohio Valley Conference and his ability to shoot over people and use his size to get to the basket is tough for most opponents to stop. The return of Anthony Campbell from an ACL injury will make everybody on the team better. Campbell was averaging 13.9 points and 3.5 rebounds per contest before being lost for the year ten games into the 2010-2011 campaign. Two years ago he tallied 15.5 points and 5.3 rebounds per game and the Governors hope he can get back to that form.
Who’s Out:
Caleb Brown was not the best point guard in the league, but he did dish out 4.7 assists per game. He could turn the ball over too much at times, but he did set up his teammates quite well and always played solid defense. His absence leaves a hole at the point guard spot, but it could have been filled by Tyrone Caldwell. Caldwell saw his minutes drastically decrease last year as Coach Dave Loos tightened his bench, but he was next in line to be the starting point guard. Forward Marcel Williams has also opted to transfer after seeing limited action last season.
Who’s In:
The absence of Brown and Caldwell is not that big of a deal thanks to the addition of Jerome Clyburn. Clyburn, who spent two years at Southern Mississippi before heading to the junior college ranks for a year, is a talented point guard who is ready to step in and lead this team. Clyburn is a capable scorer, more so than Brown or Caldwell, but he will look for his teammates first. On a team that has plenty of scoring options, they just need somebody to get them the ball and Clyburn can do that. Herdie Lawrence will provide some depth at the point guard spot and redshirt freshman Thomas Greer will provide some depth on the wing. However, if Coach Loos opts to go seven or eight deep, the newcomer, including forwards Chris Freeman and Joe Harms, will find it hard to earn any quality minutes right away.
Who to Watch:
Due to the personnel on the team, Campbell will likely spend most of his time at the four spot with Josh Terry at the three. Terry plays more like a four than Campbell, but is only 6-5. Unlike Campbell, Terry usually stays inside the three-point line and does most of his scoring by attacking the basket. But overall this is a dynamic group of wings. At 6-5, 6-5 and 6-7, it is a big group. It just so happens that they are all too good to put one of them on the bench for too long. That leaves the 6-7 Campbell manning the four spot. In the OVC, having that much size on the perimeter is a huge bonus. Justin Blake will provide much of the depth in the backcourt and is a solid shooter who can spark the offense.
Final Projection:
The big man in the middle is John Fraley. The 6-9, 230 pound senior eats up a ton of space in the paint and has developed into a decent interior scorer and a fine rebounder. After averaging 9.6 points and 7.4 rebounds a year ago, Fraley has proven that he is a force under the basket on both ends of the floor. Melvin Baker started 23 games a year ago, but may be relegated to the bench this time around. The 6-7 senior is a good scorer who can stretch out the defense with his mid-range jumper. When Austin Peay needs a little more strength at the four spot, Baker can do the job. So can Will Triggs. Triggs proved to be a tenacious rebounder during his freshman campaign and could be ready for a big sophomore season. His problem will be finding minutes, but that is a good thing for the team and having all of this quality depth makes the Governors the favorite in the OVC.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA
Projected Starting Five:
Jerome Clyburn, Junior, Guard, DNP last season
TyShwan Edmondson, Senior, Guard, 17.1 points per game
Josh Terry, Senior, Guard, 11.0 points per game
Anthony Campbell, Junior, Forward, 13.9 points per game
John Fraley, Senior, Center, 9.6 points per game
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