By Joel Welser
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Conference USA
2008-09: 33-4, 16-0
2008-09 postseason: NCAA
Coach: John Pastner (First year at
Some of the names may not sound familiar, but do not expect
Key Losses: G Antonio Anderson, F Robert Dozier, G Tyreke Evans, F Shawn Taggart
Key Newcomers:
Four incoming wings that include Drew Barham, Tyler Foster, D.J. Stephens and Malik Thomas will provide depth, but there are a few more experienced players who will make a bigger impact. Junior college transfer guard James Harvey will help replace Antonio Anderson and Tyreke Evans, but it is fellow junior college transfer Will Coleman who will likely be starting from day one. Coleman, a 6-9, 250 pound forward, has the size to battle under the basket, but he is also surprisingly agile and will use both of those skills to finish around the basket and hit the glass. Elliot Williams, a transfer from Duke, will be eligible to play immediately after starting 12 games for the Blue Devils a season ago.
Backcourt:
Williams has some competition on the perimeter for a starting job though and that goes to show the amount of talent that was mostly sitting on the bench in
Frontcourt:
The frontcourt has more questions. The loss of Robert Dozier and Shawn Taggart leaves a couple huge holes under the basket. Those two combined to average 23.3 points, 15.1 rebounds and 3.0 blocks during the 2008-2009 campaign. Nobody is going to put up numbers like that this year. Wesley Witherspoon is an intriguing option though. He is really a big 6-9 wing who does his best work running up and down the floor, but if new Coach John Pastner lets him run free, Witherspoon could be in for a big year. Pierre Henderson-Niles started ten games last year, but he has lacked the conditioning to play more than 15 minutes per game. If he can stay in shape, he can be a solid contributor to the frontcourt.
Who to Watch:
The most important players on this team will end up being the newcomers who are not freshmen. Kemp, Sallie and Mack are a formidable trio on the perimeter, but they will need help from Williams and Harvey. Williams was a highly touted recruit heading into Duke and is still a young player with his best days ahead of him. Perhaps it is the play of Coleman that will be the difference between the NCAA and the NIT. Coleman has to give the frontcourt a scoring punch and some toughness or
Final Projection:
Projected Post-season Tournament: NCAA
Projected Starting Five:
Willie Kemp, Senior, Guard, 2.9 points per game
Elliot Williams, Sophomore, Guard, DNP last season
Doneal Mack, Senior, Guard, 8.7 points per game
Wesley Witherspoon, Sophomore, Forward, 4.0 points per game
Will Coleman, Junior, Forward, DNP last season