Jeff Neiburg (@jeff_neiburg) &
Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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We’re now two weeks into the year 2015, which means conference play is starting to heat up and we’ll soon find out whose non-conference record’s were legit and who had their 2014’s loaded with “cupcakes.” It’s the perfect time to take a look at each of the college basketball conferences that feature a CoBL-covered team.
The Colonial Athletic Association is in a state of flux at the moment. A few new head coaches have injected life into some struggling programs, while the defending champions–among others–are struggling with youth, inexperience and injuries. And one newcomer, Elon, has some exciting young players that suggest the Phoenix will be a challenger for the league’s auto-bid to the NCAA Tournament sooner rather than later.
Here’s what we’ve learned about the CAA so far:
1. William & Mary isn’t all Thornton
They were one Marcus Thornton jump shot away from shocking Delaware in the CAA championship game last March. The talented 6-foot-4 guard got off a clean look, but it clanked off front iron. But that was OK, because Thornton is back and he’s getting plenty of help in the 2014-15 campaign.
Marcus Thornton has been W&M’s go-to player as expected, but he’s had plenty of help thus far. (Photo: Josh Verlin)
The Tribe lost a talented pair of seniors in Tim Rusthoven and Brandon Britt, but Tony Shaver’s group was picked to finish second when the preseason CAA polls were released in October. On that same day, Thornton was tabbed the conference’s preseason Player of the Year. And he’s yet to disappoint, putting up stellar numbers of 19.6 ppg, 3.0 rpg and 2.7 apg. He’s even drawing the attention of NBA scouts, who are routinely seated along the sidelines at W&M games.
But, the reason why the Tribe sit tied atop the CAA standings with Northeastern is because of all the help Thornton has had. Sophomore Omar Prewitt, who dazzled Tribe fans last season as a freshman, is back and has been just as impressive in his sophomore campaign. The 6-foot-6 wing has posted 11.4ppg, 4.2rpg and 2.2apg in 31 minutes per night. And he’s not the only sophomore in the Tribe lineup providing crucial help to Thornton. Daniel Dixon, who was buried on W&M’s bench last season – only playing around 13 minutes per game – has found a groove in his sophomore campaign. Dixon is providing similar numbers to Prewitt, with averages of 11.1ppg and 3.4rpg.
And perhaps the most efficient player on the Tribe’s roster this year has been junior guard Terry Tarpey. The 6-foot-5 Tarpey is shooting 55.6 percent from the floor, putting up 10.3ppg, snagging 8.3rpg and dishing out 3.8apg in about 30 minutes per night.
While it’s fair to say the Tribe will go as far as Thornton takes them, it’s likely his supporting cast that will determine if W&M’s 5-1 start in the CAA (11-6 overall) is for real down the stretch. –Jeff Neiburg
2. Hofstra transfers are everything we expected
There were plenty of indications that the Pride would make a big leap in Joe Mihalich’s second year as Hofstra’s head coach, mostly because of a few players who spent the 2013-14 season on the bench. A pair of Philadelphia natives, point guard Juan’ya Green (Archbishop Carroll) and Ameen Tanksley (Imhotep Charter), both followed Mihalich from Niagara to Hofstra, and former SMU guard Brian Bernardi also decided to continue his college career out on Long Island. And following seven-win and 10-win seasons the last two years, the Pride have reversed course thanks to all of those new faces.
Bernardi has been the 3-point specialist he was expected to be, contributing 11.8 ppg while converting 45.5 percent of his treys, a number that’s good enough for third in the conference. And Green, who’s averaging 17.7 ppg, 6.2 apg and 5.0 rpg, is every bit the CAA Player of the Year contender, leading the conference in assists and assist-to-turnover ratio while placing fourth in the scoring category. But the real surprise has been Tanksley, a 6-6 forward who came into the season a 34.0 percent 3-point shooter from his two years at Niagara but is knocking down a conference-leading 49.1 percent of his long-range attempts this year.
With the three transfers leading the way while senior guard Dion Nesmith gives the team 10.5 ppg and 3.4 rpg, Hofstra is off to a 13-6 (4-2) start to the season despite two recent losses to Northeastern and UNC-Wilmington. Aside from a road trip to William & Mary (Jan. 28), the Pride should be favorited for the rest of the CAA slate, which should put them in a good position at the CAA Tournament in Baltimore this March. Hofstra’s program looked like it was in serious trouble back in November 2012 after four players were arrested on burglary charges, but less than three years after that they could be headed for March Madness. –Josh Verlin
3. Keatts has UNC-Wilmington trending in the right direction
When Kevin Keatts filled the UNC-Wilmington coaching job after Buzz Peterson was let go, became the 11th former Rick Pitino assistant to take on a full time job. And he joined a pretty elite group. He’s in the company of Mick Cronin (Cincinnati), Billy Donovan (Florida), Kevin Willard (Seton Hall), Tubby Smith (Texas Tech) and even Pitino’s own son, Richard (Minnesota).
And if the previous group of names are any indicator, Seahawks fans should be pretty happy about the direction of their basketball program.
Gone are the days when UNCW was a CAA powerhouse. The Seahawks won four CAA Tournaments between the years of the ‘99-00 season and the ‘05-06 campaign. Since then, UNCW has won just two games in the conference tournament. And since 2007-08, UNCW has yet to have a winning record in conference play–or overall, for that matter.
But Keatts already has the current group – one that went 9-23 last year and finished in the basement of the CAA standings – playing above .500, even despite a four-game losing streak around the holidays. But that losing streak was snapped when UNCW picked up its first conference win of the year, a 75-68 road win over preseason CAA champion and current first place squad, Northeastern. And since then the Seahawks have amassed a 4-2 record overall in conference play.
Keatts is already paying immediate dividends, and if he can recruit like he did at Louisville – and like all of the coaches named before – then it won’t be long before UNCW is a force to be reckoned with in the CAA again. Maybe it will be this year. –Jeff Neiburg
4. The Drexel injury curse continues
It’s been another frustrating season for Bruiser Flint, though there’s little he can do about the spate of injuries that has been affecting his Dragons for the last few seasons. It was bad enough losing Chris Fouch to a broken ankle three games into the 2012-13 season, or when Damion Lee tore his ACL five games into last year’s schedule. And both of those seasons, Flint had to deal with several other minor dings and dents that forced him to shuffle his rotation and his lineups much more often that he’d have liked.
Drexel coach Bruiser Flint has once again been hit by the injury bug, something that has become a trend in recent years. (Photo: Tug Haines)
But nothing compares to this season. It started in the offseason, when starting power forward Kazembe Abif tore his ACL. Then, starting point guard Major Canady broke his ankle in practice, tearing some ligaments in the process and taking him out for the season. Lately, they’ve been without a pair of forwards, Sooren Derboghosian (knee surgery) and Rodney Williams (stress fracture), with Derboghosian likely out for the year and Williams–a starter–out until late February. To make matters worse, sophomore guard Ahmad Fields, who’s sitting out this year after transferring from Utah, also broke his foot, meaning Flint had one fewer body to use in practice.
What it all boils down to is that Flint has a total of just eight healthy players on his roster–and “healthy” is used lightly. Junior wing Tavon Allen has dealt with knee issues his whole college career, and has already missed a few games this season because of that problem. Lee, who’s leading the conference in scoring (20.2 ppg), is playing 37.5 minutes per game just 14 months removed from ACL surgery. Half of Flint’s roster are freshmen, including starting point guard Rashann London and shooting guard Sammy Mojica, plus forwards Tyshawn Myles and Austin Williams–who, coincidentally, missed nine games earlier this season with a leg injury.
True to a Flint-coached team, the Dragons haven’t been bad on the defensive end of the floor, holding opponents to .999 points per possession, which is 148th in the country, according to KenPom. But they’ve been dreadful offensively, scoring a .916 ppp that’s 323rd nationally. Lee is able to get his most nights, but behind that they’ve struggled to get a consistent second scorer. Allen (10.4 ppg) is shooting just 31.3 percent from the floor, and though London (8.0 ppg) has shown he can play with confidence, it seems to come in just flashes at this point in his career. With Williams (7.7 ppg, 8.1 rpg) sidelined, they’re really struggling to get anything going inside; if this group can stay healthy next year, though, they have a chance to bounce back. –Josh Verlin
Colonial Athletic Association MVP Race
1. Juan’ya Green, PG, Hofstra
We’re going to give Green the slight edge over Thornton here because of his all-around numbers: fourth in scoring (17.7 ppg), first in assists (6.2 ppg), third in steals (1.5 spg). Oh, and the first-ever triple-double at the Barclays Center (15 points, 10 rebs, 10 ast vs. LIU Brooklyn) doesn’t hurt.
2. Marcus Thornton, SG, William & Mary
The best pure scorer in the CAA the last three years, Thornton is rocketing towards the top of the school and conference rankings, with 1853 career points already to his name. His 19.6 ppg is second in the conference, and his 47.1 percent shooting rate proves he’s not just a volume guy.
3. Ameen Tanksley, SF, Hofstra
Tanksley clearly worked on his 3-point shooting in his year off, as he’s making 49.1 percent of his long-range attempts to lead the CAA. The 6-6 forward is averaging 18.9 ppg plus 6.3 rpg and 1.3 spg to boot.
