Northeastern Huskies
2014-2015 Overall Rank: #93
Conference Rank: #1 CAA
Coming off a 20-13 season which saw Northeastern reach the CAA Conference Championship game after finishing first in the regular season, last year wasn’t what head Coach Bill Coen was looking for. The Huskies lost their star player in the second game of the year, as Quincy Ford suffered a season ending injury, and Northeastern ended up going 11-21. Last year’s team posted the worst winning percentage during Coen’s tenure at the Boston school, but there is plenty of room for optimism this season. Northeastern return’s the majority of the production off last year’s team and will have their sights set on making the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1991.
2013-14 Record: 11-21, 7-9
2013-14 Postseason: None
Coach: Bill Coen
Coach Record: 122-133 at Northeastern, 122-133 overall
Who’s Out:
Three reserves, Chris Avenant, Derrico Peck and Marco Banegas-Flores, depart following last season. All three appeared in at least 22 games last season providing valuable depth in the backcourt. Avenant closed out his college career by averaging 1.3 points per game in his final season of eligibility. Avenant was the lone senior on last year’s team, but Banegas-Flores and Peck made it three departures after they decided to leave the team with eligibility remaining. Banegas-Flores and Peck averaged 2.9 and 2.3 points per game respectively as reserve guards.
Who’s In:
Northeastern has just one newcomer, freshman Devon Begley. The 6-foot-5 point guard from Pearland, Texas will look to grab reserve minutes after winning the MVP of the Battle of the Gulf all-star game that featured 24 of the top prospects from the Texas and Louisiana region.
Who to Watch:
With Ford returning to the fold, Northeastern will feature a talented frontcourt. A Mid-Major Freshman All-American and a member of the CAA All-Rookie team in 2011-12, Ford averaged 12.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game in his second season before going down with an injury two games into last year. Coen will look to play him alongside his frontcourt duo of Scott Eatherton and Reggie Spencer. Eatherton transferred in from St. Francis (PA) last season and had an immediate impact, winning the CAA Defensive Player of the Year Award, as well as being named to the Second Team All-Conference team. The 6-foot-10 forward led Northeastern in scoring, 15.9 points per game, rebounding, 10.2 per game, and blocked shots, averaging nearly two per game. Spencer put together another productive season alongside Eatherton, averaging 9.2 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. The production from Eatherton, Ford and Spencer will be key, as Northeastern has just two other players, guard Jimmy Williams and forward Kwesi Abakah, on the roster who are taller than 6-foot-6, and both players averaged less than two points and one rebound per game last season.
Final Projection:
While the numbers in the frontcourt are thin, Coen has the luxury of a deep backcourt. Three players started at least 19 games last season and will compete for the last two starting spots. CAA All-Defensive Team member David Walker will return at the point and is likely a lock to start. Walker was second on the team in scoring, averaging 11.5 points per game, and led the Huskies in assists, averaging 2.6 per game. Joining him in the backcourt will either be senior Demetrious Pollard or sophomore T.J. Williams. Pollard led the team in three-point shooting last season while averaging 8.9 points per game, and Williams made the CAA All-Rookie Team after averaging 6.9 points per game. Junior Zach Stahl will return to his bench role after averaging 7.4 points per game in that capacity last season, while sophomore C.J. Hill will look to make an impact after not playing in his first season on campus. Pair these players up with the talent from the frontcourt and Northeastern has a veteran team that should be the favorites to grab the NCAA Tournament bid for the CAA.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA Tournament
Projected Starting Five:
David Walker, Junior, Guard, 11.5 points per game
Demetrious Pollard, Senior, Guard, 8.9 points per game
Quincy Ford, Senior, Forward, 8.5 points per game
Reggie Spencer, Senior, Forward, 9.2 points per game
Scott Eatherton, Senior, Forward, 15.9 points per game
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 65.9 (285th in nation, 6th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 68.7 (138, 4)
Field-Goal Percentage: 43.4 (217, 4)
Field-Goal Defense: 45.2 (251, 7)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 4.9 (307, 7)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 32.4 (NR, NR)
Free-Throw Percentage: 64.5 (324, 9)
Rebound Margin: 1.7 (129, 4)
Assists Per Game: 11.6 (252, 3)
Turnovers Per Game: 13.1 (248, 9)
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