Preseason Preview: UNCG

This is the preview I wrote over at Mocsmania.

Push the Reset Button

At this time last year, UNCG was the trendy pick to be the contenders to the long time Davidson-controlled throne of "Best in the SoCon". They returned the SoCon leading scorer, best 6th man and had a manageable schedule. Also they had hired a new, young coach which had excited the fan base. It was going to be the Spartans year. Except that it wasn't. What transpired was an unmitigated disaster. UNCG managed just 2 non-confernce wins (Winston-Salem State & Lees-McRae). At times they seemed disinterested, lost and generally seemed to not like each other very much. Also every break or close game that went the Spartans way in their 11-5 finish to the 2011-2012 season, went the opposite way in 2012-2013. In the months following the end of the season, UNCG's roster (and maybe even the program in general) has really hit the reset button. Gone are heavy volume shooters and scorers Trevis Simpson (18.7 ppg & 15.9 FG attempts per game) and Derrell Armstrong (14.7 ppg & 11.5 FG attempts per game). Simpson decided to turn pro, while Armstrong graduated. Also graduating were "glue" guys Korey Van Dussen and Kelvin McNeil. Junior defensive stopper David Williams (1.6 steals per game) then announced he was leaving the program. Even UNCG alum and assistant coach/DoBO Kevin Oleksiak is no longer with the program. All-in-all, The Spartans lost roughly 73% of their points and 63% of their rebounds from last season. That is a lot to replace and it's easy to see why no one has picked them to finish above 8th.

UNCG does return several players with starting experience, though. Senior Drew Parker (21.9 mpg, 3.3 ppg, 2.5 apg) and sophomore Jordan Potts (16.5 mpg, 3.6 ppg, 1.3 apg) both spent time in the starting lineup. Also back is forward Kayel Locke (9.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg) and sharpshooter Nicholas Paulos (8 ppg & 40% 3 Pt) . Locke is looking to build off a solid freshman campaign that saw him start over half of UNCG's games. Paulos showed what he could do when he drained 10 shots from behind the arc at the Roundhouse last season. Center RJ White was given a medical redshirt and will still be listed as a freshman. White put up some big numbers when UNCG traveled to Spain this Summer. Against the Aragon Select Club Team, White had a double-double (14 pts & 14 rebs) and looked very comfortable playing with his new front court running mate Kyle Cain.

Cain is a 6'-8" transfer from Arizona State that had to sit out last season due to the transfer rules. He could be the breakout star of the SoCon this coming season. During the trip to Spain, Cain recorded double-doubles in 3 of the 4 games, including and 18 point, 11 rebound performance against the Venezuela National team. Cain, along with White and freshman European big man Jordy Kuiper (6'-9" 238 lbs), figures to shore up the interior defense, which was a glaring weakness for UNCG a season ago. Along with Cain and Kuiper, Spartan fans are going to get to meet a huge group of new players this season. Wes Miller and his staff seemed to really concentrate on getting good in-state talent this season. Clay Byrd, Tyrone Outlaw and Diante Baldwin were all local targets that UNCG managed to pick up. Outlaw (6'-6" 205 lbs) is reminding everyone of Trevis Simpson with his athleticism. The Spartans went north to the Baltimore/DC area to find a highly sought after wing player in Tevon Saddler. They also brought in Allen Baez (Miami, FL) and JUCO transfer Modestas Masilionis. Masilionis was 2nd in NJCAA in 3 point shooting percentage (52%) last year.

In case you lost count, that's 8 new faces that will be trying to work their way into the rotation and develop chemistry with each other. UNCG has scheduled accordingly. The Spartans will face 3 non-D1 teams in its first 9 games. They also get home games with Big South favorite High Point, CIT winner East Carolina and a neutral site match up with NCAA sleeper pick LA Tech. The LA Tech game is the first game of three that Wes Miller's squad will play in Naples, Florida as part of the Gulf Coast Showcase Tournament. The tournament features a lot of mid-major teams that the Spartans should match up well against. As always, UNCG has scheduled 4 ACC teams. The young NC State team is coming to the Greensboro Coliseum, but UNCG will travel to UNC-Chapel Hill, Wake Forest and Virginia Tech. The schedule does seem much more manageable then in seasons past. But I said that last year too and we all know how that turned out.

At this point, it's very hard to make any solid predictions for the 2013-2014 season. I think most realistic UNCG fans would be excited to see the team finish around the 0.500 mark and I think that's an obtainable goal. However, UNCG has struggled for the last 5 years to win out of conference games against D1 teams. It's hard to imagine that they can get to 0.500 without getting some of those wins. With High Point, ECU, Presbyterian and James Madison all making visits to the Greeensboro Coliseum, there are opportunities to get those wins. There is a very real chance that 4 freshmen could be on the floor at the same time for the Spartans. To me, that means no one will see the best of the UNCG basketball team until January and February. But with so many freshmen, the worst case scenario would be to see the young guys start to lose confidence if things don't go well right out of the gate. I wish I could write this article and happily say that UNCG will finish with 17 wins, but I honestly think the total will be in the 12-14 win range. I can see the Spartans finishing in the 6-8 range of the SoCon and if that happens I believe we could call that a success. I am sure some in our fan base would expect more, but with all of the new faces it's just too hard to guess what kind of product we'll see on the court. But I am excited to see this newly "reset" UNCG program on the court again soon

Preseason Preview: Southern Conference

On the eve of UNCG's first game (exhibition against Lees-McRae), it' time to look at the teams of the Southern Conference. My buddy John over at MocsMania has been doing one preview a day written by all of us that contribute to his "Scanning the SoCon" weekly Q&A series. I have decided that as opposed to doing a cookie cutter preview of the whole SoCon, I would post individual links to each of those previews. I am also going to post the preview that I wrote for UNCG in its entirety. Some of the things that John asked us to look at in our previews were schedules, new players and best/worst case scenarios for our teams.

Appalachian State

There's a solid core of six guys right now (Burgess, Neal, Hamilton, Canty, Baskin and Obacha) who will start and probably will be joined by Kobani and the remaining sixth-man guard is up for grabs to make the eight-man rotation. As far as a season overview, App has a really solid chance to finish high up in this conference. Anything less would be a disappointment.

Chattanooga

The conference schedule features just one game against league favorites, Davidson and Elon. It also features just one game against the bottom two in the preseason polls, Georgia Southern and The Citadel. So the conference schedule basically balances out. There are trips to Furman and The Citadel to open SoCon schedule, and home dates with Samford and Wofford. If everything works out, there is a chance for a really fast start in SoCon play.

The Citadel

Clearly, the increase in non-D1 scheduling is partly about trying to fill out a home schedule as a low-major, with the reduction of the SoCon's league schedule to 16 games probably a factor. I do wonder, though, if the conference is trying to "game" the RPI to a certain extent.

Davidson

NCAA rule changes to protect the ball-handler and help the scoring should benefit the Wildcats. They led the nation in free throw shooting last season at 79.5% and should be excellent free throw shooters again.

Elon

With all five starters returning from last year’s squad, Elon has a terrific opportunity to unseat the two-time defending Southern Conference champion Davidson Wildcats.

Furman

The Paladins are a team that is hard to figure, but they are likely better than UNCG, The Citadel and Georgia Southern on paper heading into the season. Look for Furman to start putting things together come March, and though a conference tournament title might be several years away, I wouldn't be shocked if Furman won a game in Asheville once again this season.

Georgia Southern

The two best players on the roster will be redshirting this year and the best player on the floor hasn’t played a game in 2 years. Most likely all 4 signess will see major minutes this year and outside of Dunnican at 6’8 nobody on the roster is over 6’7.

Samford

The much anticipated return game with Kentucky (2 for 1) did not materialize. Apparently the fine print in the contract said "Kentucky State", not University of Kentucky. The out of conference schedule includes (among others) Indiana, Florida Gulf Coast, ETSU and Marquette away and Austin Peay at home.

Western Carolina

Under ninth year head coach Larry Hunter, the Catamounts return five seniors to this years team – Brandon Boggs (guard), Tawaski King (forward), Josh Mendenhall (forward), Trey Sumler (guard) and Tom Tankelewicz (guard). This group of seniors is expected to provide the veteran leadership that was lacking from last season’s team, void of any seniors.

Wofford

The key for the Terriers will be finding more offensive production. A year ago Karl Cochran took about 40% of the teams shots, and was not a particularly great shooter. They need to find a way to create more open looks for Cochran so that his shooting percentage can go up.

Spartans Picked 8th by Media and Coaches

The Southern Conference media and coaches both picked UNCG to finish 8th this season. No Spartan player was selected for the preseason all-conference team.

Coaches Predicted Order of Finish
1. Elon (7)
2. Davidson (3)
3. Western Carolina (1)
4T. Appalachian State
4T. Samford
6. Wofford
7. Chattanooga
8. UNCG
9. Georgia Southern
10. Furman
11. The Citadel

2013-14 Preseason All-Conference Team
Jay Canty, Appalachian State
De’Mon Brooks, Davidson
Ryley Beaumont, Elon
Jack Isenbarger, Elon
Lucas Troutman, Elon
Raijon Kelly, Samford
Tim Williams, Samford
Z. Mason, Chattanooga
Trey Sumler, Western Carolina
Karl Cochran, Wofford

2013-14 Preseason Player of the Year
De’Mon Brooks, Davidson

Media Predicted Order of Finish
1. Elon (14)
2. Davidson (12)
3. Western Carolina
4. Samford
5. Wofford
6. Appalachian State
7. Chattanooga
8. UNCG
9. Furman
10. Georgia Southern
11. The Citadel

Spartans Split Games in Spain

UNCG 62 - Angola National Team 82

UNCG Athletics

Halftime: UNCG 30 - Angola 46

UNCG Stats
Leader Points: Nicholas Paulos (14)
Leader Rebounds: Locke, Cain, Kuiper (5)
Leader Assists: Parker, Baldwin (3)
Team FG: 24-59 (40.7%)
Team 3 Pt: 5-15 (33.3%)
Team FT: 9-21 (42.9%)
Rebounds: 34
Turnovers: 12

Angola Stats
Leader Points: Barros (19)
Leader Rebounds: Joaquim (7)
Leader Assists: Gomes, Joaquim (2)
Team FG: 30-63 (47.6%)
Team 3 Pt: 5-19 (26.3%)
Team FT: 17-30 (59.7%)
Rebounds: 46
Turnovers: 13

Thoughts
UNCG started out the game like a team that had never played together before and fell behind 32-11 after the first quarter (they played four 10 minute quarters). The Spartans won the last 3 quarters of the game 52-51. It seem exactly like what you would've expected from this team on this trip playing against a very experienced pro team. Based on stats, it looks like fouls were an issue for UNCG. Good to see the team bounce back in the last 3 quarters and compete. All in all not a bad effort and a good learning experience.


UNCG 53 - Venezuela National Team 60

UNCG Athletics

Halftime: UNCG 32 - Venezuela 28

UNCG Stats
Leader Points: Cain (18)
Leader Rebounds: Cain (11)
Leader Assists: Potts, Saddler (3)
Team FG: 21-56 (37.5%)
Team 3 Pt: 5-18 (27.8%)
Team FT: 6-9 (66.6%)
Rebounds: 39
Turnovers: 17

Venezuela Stats
Leader Points: Lopez, Colemenares (11)
Leader Rebounds: Colemenares (11)
Leader Assists: Guillent (5)
Team FG: 23-59 (39.0%)
Team 3 Pt: 3-16 (18.8%)
Team FT: 11-21 (52.4%)
Rebounds: 38
Turnovers: 10

Thoughts
Venezuela (#25 FIBA) ended the game on a 14-2 run to defeat the Spartans.It was another game against an international team of seasoned pros. This time, though, junior transfer Kyle Cain showed why he's going to be a force in the SoCon by posting 18 points and 11 rebounds. After a double digit defeat in their first game, UNCG showed a lot more fight against a very good team. This was another good learning experience.


UNCG 87 - Aragon Select 54

UNCG Athletics

Halftime: UNCG 42 - Agaron 28

UNCG Stats
Leader Points: White, Byrd (14)
Leader Rebounds: Cain (16)
Leader Assists: Baldwin, Saddler (5)
Team FG: 37-70 (52.9%)
Team 3 Pt: 5-15 (33.3%)
Team FT: 8-12 (66.6%)
Rebounds: 57
Turnovers: 16

Aragon Stats
Leader Points: Pato (14)
Leader Rebounds: Pato (7)
Leader Assists: Garcia (5)
Team FG: 20-61 (32.8%)
Team 3 Pt: 4-20 (20.0%)
Team FT: 10-28 (35.7%)
Rebounds: 29
Turnovers: 11

Thoughts
UNCG dominated this game pretty much throughout. Kyle Cain (10 pts & 16 Rebs) and RJ White (14 pts & 14 rebs) helped the Spartans completely dominate the boards. Freshman Clay Byrd tore it up from the outside making four 3 point shots.


UNCG 77 - Catalunya Select 72

UNCG Athletics

Halftime: UNCG 39 - Catalunya 27

UNCG Stats
Leader Points: Saddler (20)
Leader Rebounds: Cain (13)
Leader Assists: Parker, Outlaw (3)
Team FG: 30-77 (39.0%)
Team 3 Pt: 5-13 (38.5%)
Team FT: 12-20 (60.0%)
Rebounds: 60
Turnovers: 20

Catalunya Stats
Leader Points: Ortega (28)
Leader Rebounds: Ortega (10)
Leader Assists: Guirao, Mbappe (2)
Team FG: 19-63 (30.2%)
Team 3 Pt: 6-33 (18.2%)
Team FT: 28-44 (63.6%)
Rebounds: 42
Turnovers: 16

Thoughts
UNCG managed to survive a huge run adn finished the game on a 7-1 run to finish off the Spanish trip at 2-2. The Catalunya team shot an amazing 44 free throws, but the Spartans controlled the boards for the second straight night and put 4 players in double figures (Locke, Cain, Saddler & Outlaw). This last game gave UNCG a chance to have to make plays at the end to win a contest. Back-to-back baskets by Locke and Saddler in the final 50 seconds allowed UNCG to grab the win.


UNCG N/A - CB Viladecavalls N/A
* Game Cancelled