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WarEagle22

The Jeremy Knight Experience v2.0 [Hoops Dynasty]

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AP AWARDS

 

PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Joe Nisbett                 PG       Jr.        Virginia (20.6 ppg, 3.2 apg)

 

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Vincent Bateman       PG       Jr.        Drake (8.3 ppg, 2.2 spg)

 

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR

Hung Tang                 PF        Fr.        Michigan State (10.4 ppg, 6.6 rpg)

 

COACH OF THE YEAR

Henry Fawes              HC                   Iowa (4th AP COTY Award)

 

FIRST TEAM ALL-AMERICA

PG       Joe Nisbett                 Jr.        Virginia (20.6 ppg, 3.2 apg)

SG        Robert Ross                Jr.        Gonzaga (19.1 ppg, 4.7 apg)

SF        Troy Stecker              Sr.        Illinois (21 ppg, 5.7 rpg)

PF        William Big                 Sr.        Birmingham-Southern (16.7 ppg, 7.5 rpg)

C          Charles Myles           Sr.        Providence (14.6 ppg, 7.6 rpg)

 

SECOND TEAM ALL-AMERICA

PG       Michael Smith            So.       UCLA (18.8 ppg, 4.7 apg)

SG        Clinton Spooner        Jr.        Florida A&M (22.8 ppg, 2.3 apg)

SF        Larry Wayman          Sr.        Northern Arizona (17.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg)

PF        Ronald Ortunda        Sr.        Tennessee (14.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg)

C          Frederick Carpenter Jr.        Texas Christian (20.1 ppg, 8.8 rpg)

 

THIRD TEAM ALL-AMERICA

PG       John Clark                  Jr.        Kentucky (20.7 ppg, 3.6 apg)

SG        David Smith               Sr.        Wichita State (16.2 ppg, 4.1 apg)

SF        Edwin Statler             Jr.        Bradley (16.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg)

PF        Shawn Holman          Sr.        Navy (14.8 ppg, 7.5 rpg)

C          Michael Howell          Sr.        UCLA (13.5 ppg, 7.2 rpg)

 

HONORABLE MENTION ALL-AMERICA

PG       Rodney Patterson                 Eastern Kentucky

            David Golden                         La Salle

            Michael Elizondo                   Boston

SG        Justin McKay                         Virginia Tech

            James Almanza                      Tennessee

            Ronald Bowman                    Kansas

SF        Glen Singleton                       Boston College

            David Pasko                           UAB

            Russell Bell                             Illinois

PF        Christopher Yungbluth        California

            Luis Grube                             Cincinnati

            Ruben Leist                            Marist

C          Jacob Lowery                         Alabama

            John Fisher                            Loyola (MD)

            Joshua Hendrick                    North Carolina

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NATIONAL CHAMPIONS

 

Division III: Oglethorpe (31-4) [1st National Championship]

Division II: Philadelphia (29-6) [2nd National Championship 73, 83]

NIT: Oklahoma State (23-10) [1st NIT Championship]

Division I: Iowa (33-2) [4th National Championship 37, 62, 64, 83]

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BIRMINGHAM-SOUTHERN INDIVIDUAL STATS

 

Richard Kanagy         PG       Jr.       

30 GP/0 GS    16.9 mpg        56.3% / 44.0% / 87.5%                      5.4 ppg           2.3 apg           1.5 rpg

 

Jared Lobdell             PG       Jr.

30 GP/30 GS  24.0 mpg        46.1% / 0.0% / 77.1%                        4.9 ppg           5.4 apg           2.6 rpg

*Led Big South in assists

*5th in NCAA in assists

 

Donald Bowen           PG       So.

30 GP/0 GS    13.4 mpg        41.4% / 41.5% / 75.0%                     3.4 ppg           2.0 apg

 

Paul Cheatham          SG        Sr.

30 GP/30 GS  24.2 mpg        50.0% / 50.5% / 80.0%                     14.8 ppg         2.3 apg

*Finished career with 1,080 points (14th all-time at BSC)

*Finished career with 46.0% 3-point percentage (3rd all-time at BSC)

*Finished career with 80.9 free throw percentage (1st all-time at BSC)

*Led Big South in 3-point field goal percentage

*8th in NCAA in 3-point field goal percentage

 

Chris Matthews         SG        Sr.

30 GP/0 GS    18.1 mpg        53.3% / 47.1% / 81.8%                    9.0 ppg           2.6 apg           1.5 rpg

*Finished career with 43.0% 3-point percentage (7th all-time at BSC)

 

Elbert Estrella           SF        Sr.

30 GP/30 GS  23.7 mpg        46.0% / 34.1% / 64.6%                  8.1 ppg           2.2 apg           4.2 rpg

 

William Big                 PF        Sr.

30 GP/30 GS  29.6 mpg        58.0% / 0.0% / 64.4%                    16.7 ppg         7.5 rpg

*Finished career with 56.8% field goal percentage (1st all-time at BSC)

*Led Big South in scoring

*Led Big South in field goal percentage

*5th in NCAA in field goal percentage

 

Michael Stutes           PF        So.

30 GP/0 GS    10.8 mpg        52.2% / 0.0% / 76.3%                     3.3 ppg           2.3 rpg

 

Donald Dargan          PF        Fr.

23 GP/0 GS    6.2 mpg          55.0% / n-a / 85.7%                        1.2 ppg           1.1 rpg

 

William Wright          C          Sr.

30 GP/2 GS    17.3 mpg        60.8% / n-a / 80.9%                        4.5 ppg           5.2 rpg

 

Shawn Beauvais        C          Fr.

30 GP/28 GS  18.1 mpg        54.7% / 0.0% / 73.2%                     6.4 ppg           5.4 rpg

 

Jeffrey Cain                C          Fr.

---Redshirted---

 

 

BIRMINGHAM-SOUTHERN TEAM STATS

(Big South rank in parenthesis)

 

                        OFFENSE                   DEFENSE

PPG                 77.3 (1st)                    62.0 (2nd)

REB                33.0 (T-4th)                26.9 (1st)

AST                 19.4 (1st)                    11.9 (2nd)

TO                   12.3 (1st)                    14.4 (7th)

FG%               52.5% (1st)                42.4% (1st)

FG3%             44.8% (1st)                33.2% (1st)

FT%               74.3% (4th)                72.7% (11th)

 

*6th in NCAA in assists

*2nd in NCAA in field goal percentage

*4th in NCAA in 3-point field goal percentage

*13th in NCAA in rebounds allowed

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83 NBA DRAFT RECAP

 

ROUND ONE

 

PICK   TEAM                                     PLAYER                                 POS     HT      WT     YR       COLLEGE

1          Charlotte Hornets                 John Clark                              PG       5-9      159     Jr.        Kentucky

2          Brooklyn Nets                        David Feldmann                    PF        6-5      211     Jr.        Oklahoma

3          Detroit Pistons                       Ernest Murphy                      C          7-0      264     So.       Connecticut

4          Dallas Mavericks                   Antonio Boyd                         PF        6-6      215     Sr.        Ohio State

5          Denver Nuggets                    Joe Nisbett                             PG       6-1      196     Jr.        Virginia

6          Sacramento Kings                 Adam Gray                             C          6-5      217     Jr.        Duke

7          Houston Rockets                    Clarence Hawkins                 SF        6-6      219     Sr.        Washington

8          Minnesota Timberwolves     Charles Myles                         C          6-8      214     Sr.        Providence

9          Los Angeles Clippers             Gilbert Dingman                    SG        6-0      186     Jr.        Seton Hall

10       Los Angeles Lakers                Michael Daughtry                 PF        6-6      219     So.       Kansas

11       Chicago Bulls                         Bernardo Rivera                    SG        6-1      194     So.       Iowa

12       Miami Heat                            Glen Singleton                       SF        6-7      215     Sr.        Boston College

13       Phoenix Suns                         Edward Wolski                      SF        6-8      217     So.       North Carolina

14       Portland Trailblazers            Michael Smith                        PG       5-11    174     So.       UCLA

15       New York Knicks                   William Agostini                    C          6-9      224     Sr.        Texas A&M

16       Boston Celtics                        Louis Chan                          SF        6-4      204     Jr.        Ole Miss

17       Toronto Raptors                    Dwayne Bryant                     PG       6-4      195     Sr.        Duke

18       San Antonio Spurs                Eric Henderson                     SF        6-7      214     Jr.        Ole Miss

19       Utah Jazz                                Kenny Calabrese                 PF        6-6      199     Jr.        Connecticut

20       Cleveland Cavaliers              Daniel Zahradnik                  SG        6-4      204     Jr.        Michigan

21       Atlanta Hawks                       Robert Shaw                          SG        6-4      184     Jr.        Ole Miss

22       Oklahoma City Thunder       Douglas Oakley                      SG        6-1      192     Sr.        Kansas

23       Golden State Warriors          Dennis Jiminez                      PG       5-11    182     Jr.        Ole Miss

24       Orlando Magic                       Ronald Bowman                    SG        6-0      164     Sr.        Kansas

25       Milwaukee Bucks                  Mike Knudson                       PF        6-7      213     Sr.        Rutgers

26       New Orleans Pelicans           James Blackwelder                PG       6-0      187     Jr.        Arizona

27       Indiana Pacers                      Eric Harris                              C          6-11    227     Sr.        Ole Miss

28       Philadelphia 76ers               Lonnie Butler                         SG        6-3      208     Jr.        Miami (FL)

29       Washington Wizards            Russell Bell                             SF        6-5      220     Jr.        Illinois

30       Memphis Grizzlies                 Bruce Walsh                          PG       6-0      176     Sr.        Texas A&M

 

ROUND TWO

 

PICK   TEAM                                     PLAYER                                 POS     HT      WT     YR       COLLEGE

31       Charlotte Hornets                 Vincent Harrison                       PF        6-5      222     Jr.        Iowa

32       Brooklyn Nets                        Derek Johnson                        PG       5-11    169     Jr.        Michigan State

33       Detroit Pistons                       Larry Nystrom                         SF        6-6      203     Sr.        Providence
34       Dallas Mavericks                   Michael Howell                        C          6-9      214     Sr.        UCLA

35       Denver Nuggets                    Richard Hurt                            PG       5-10    174     Sr.        Iowa

36       Sacramento Kings                 Andrew Adamo                       SG        6-2      179     Jr.        Wake Forest

37       Houston Rockets                    Ronald Nutt                           C          6-8      220     Sr.        Seton Hall

38       Minnesota Timberwolves     James Kunze                           SG        6-3      179     Sr.        Virginia

39       Los Angeles Clippers             Troy Stecker                           SF        6-2      194     Sr.        Illinois

40       Los Angeles Lakers                Jacob Lowery                        C          6-9      210     Sr.        Alabama

41       Chicago Bulls                         Mark Wallace                         PF        6-10    240     Sr.        Seton Hall

42       Miami Heat                            Jeffery Murrell                         C          6-10    235     Jr.        Ohio State

43       Phoenix Suns                         Rodney Murray                      PF        6-6      217     Sr.        Utah

44       Portland Trailblazers            Christopher Yungbluth             PF        6-8      212     Sr.        California

45       New York Knicks                   Jeffrey Brown                         PG       6-1      179     Sr.        Colorado

46       Boston Celtics                        James Vogel                         PF        7-1      264     So.       Arizona

47       Toronto Raptors                    James McGlory                      PF        6-8      232     Sr.        Providence

48       San Antonio Spurs                James Rutledge                     C          7-0      248     Sr.        Virginia

49       Utah Jazz                                Gerald Timmons                   SG        6-1      178     Sr.        Ohio State

50       Cleveland Cavaliers              William Sutton                        PF        6-5      212     Sr.        Mississippi State

51       Atlanta Hawks                       Paul Thompson                     SG        6-3      187     So.       Syracuse

52       Oklahoma City Thunder       Jacob Harris                           SG        6-0      176     Sr.        UCLA

53       Golden State Warriors          Joe Lipp                                  PG       6-0      187     Jr.        North Carolina

54       Orlando Magic                       Jarrod Ratner                        PG       5-7      168     Sr.        Texas A&M

55       Milwaukee Bucks                  Carl Williams                         SF        6-5      206     Sr.        Texas

56       New Orleans Pelicans           James Ward                           C          6-10    247     Sr.        Mississippi State

57       Indiana Pacers                      Timothy Parks                       PG       6-3      204     Sr.        LSU

58       Philadelphia 76ers               Robby Raines                         C          6-8      225     Jr.        Tennessee

59       Washington Wizards             Daniel Bohannan                  PG       6-3      175     Sr.        Virginia

60       Memphis Grizzlies                 Richard Mason                      SF        6-5      213     Sr.        Texas A&M

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THE BIRMINGHAM NEWS

 

Panthers' Success For Next Season Will Depend On Recruiting Class

 

The Birmingham-Southern men’s basketball team is coming off one of its most successful seasons in program history. The Panthers finished 83 with a 27-3 overall record and a perfect 16-0 record in the Big South Conference, which is just the second time in school history BSC has run the table in conference play. Birmingham-Southern also won the Big South Tournament Championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season, a first in program history.

 

However, the Panthers also lose five seniors that were a pivotal part of BSC’s success. Birmingham-Southern was in a similar position entering the 80 season, having won the Big South Tournament Championship and tying a school record with 28 wins in a single season in 79. The Panthers ended up turning in the worst season in coach Jeremy Knight’s tenure with the program. Birmingham-Southern posted a respectable 18-10 overall record, but went 8-8 in the Big South (the only season BSC hasn’t won 10 Big South games since Knight arrived), and a measly 3-6 in road games.

 

Part of the Panthers’ struggles in 80 were due to an extremely inexperienced roster, BSC had eight underclassmen on its 12-man roster, and a slew of strong teams in the Big South Conference. Birmingham-Southern will once again have to field a team of mostly underclassmen unless Knight signs a handful of two-year JUCO players, which is something he has never really seemed interested in. Knight isn’t against recruiting JUCO players, but it has to be a player that fits a need the team has and preferably has three years of eligibility left. The good news for the Panthers is that next season the Big South Conference should not be as formidable as it was the last time they came off a 16-0 conference season. That’s not to say that the Big South won’t have good teams, look out for Radford, but the level of competition isn’t the same as it used to be.

 

Below we break down each position group for Birmingham-Southern in terms of players returning and players lost, what we could expect to see from each group next season, and how we think BSC should address its needs in recruiting in order to try to get an early feel for how next season might shape up for the Panthers.

 

 

GUARD:

Returning Players: Jared Lobdell (Sr.), Richard Kanagy (Sr.), Donald Bowen (Jr.)

Lost: Paul Cheatham, Chris Matthews

 

Jared Lobdell is the only returning starter in this group. Lobdell established himself as one of the best point guards in the Big South Conference last season and earned second team all-conference honors for his performance. Lobdell is a wizard with the ball in his hands – last season he totaled 163 assists to just 47 turnovers – but he has always been a traditional point guard. The knock on Lobdell is that he isn’t capable of being a great scorer. Heck, he has never even been confused with being a good scorer. Lobdell’s shot isn’t the greatest and he doesn’t have a low post game to capitalize on with his big frame against smaller guards. Last season he only scored seven points or more in just eight games. He also only scored double-digits twice last season with his season high of 12 points coming against Alabama State. In Lobdell’s defense, he has never had to score a lot of points for the Panthers to be successful – he has always been surrounded by great weapons. However, as of right now there is no telling where the scoring is going to come from and with a roster (potentially) heavy with underclassmen, it’s not the best scenario to have a senior guard that can’t score when necessary. Richard Kanagy will be the other senior on the BSC squad next season. Kanagy has never been known as a great facilitator (he’s okay but not great) nor has he been known as a scorer (he’s okay but not great). Kanagy has carved out his niche as an elite defender. His speed and defensive IQ gives him the ability to guard three different positions. His defensive versatility is a real asset, but he can hinder BSC on offense. Kanagy is a more polished scorer than Lobdell is, but he isn’t exactly drawing a lot of attention to himself on the offensive end either. Birmingham-Southern’s two most experienced players will not be significant scoring options and it’s hard to imagine both of them on the floor at the same time for extended minutes. Donald Bowen had a fantastic sophomore campaign. Bowen really emerged as a good option off the bench and proved that he’s a very versatile player capable of playing both guard positions. Bowen’s ball handling and passing ability are right up there with Lobdell’s (Bowen had 60 assists to 21 turnovers last season) and his 3-point shooting ability was among the best on last season’s squad (Bowen shot 41.5% from 3). Bowen’s Achilles heel is his lack of defense. He’s just not a good defender. It actually might be a stretch to call him an okay defender. Bowen could potentially be the leading scorer for BSC next season, but the big question will be how his lack of defensive capability will impact how many minutes he plays. The good news for Bowen is that Knight has always been a coach that favors offense over defense. This group of guards will definitely have its work cut out for them. There is absolutely no way you can replace Paul Cheatham and Chris Matthews. Cheatham would have been the best player on any other team in the Big South and would have won Big South Player of the Year if William Big played in a different conference. Matthews was an all-conference guard that came off the bench to give Cheatham a break. Birmingham-Southern had the two best shooting guards in the Big South last season, according to all-conference selections, and it is impossible to try to fill the shoes they have left behind. That’s not to say that Lobdell, Kanagy, Bowen, and whoever Knight brings in can’t be successful, they most certainly can, but don’t expect to see the guards play at the same level as last season.

 

Recruiting: Knight will definitely sign one more guard, if not two, during the spring. Knight and his staff should definitely focus on bringing in another guard that can score. This might be a position that Knight would consider bringing in a JUCO transfer in order to get a more experienced and developed player on the court. If Knight can bring in a scoring guard that is also a good defender look that player to start at the 2-guard. This could allow Bowen to play as Lobdell’s backup and potentially give BSC five scoring threats when Bowen is in the game at the point. Knight might also try to bring in an additional guard to potentially redshirt and groom to take over after Lobdell leaves. Knight has a history of redshirting point guards and developing them into great facilitators that know how to run his offense.

 

SMALL FORWARD:

Returning Players: None

Lost: Elbert Estrella

 

Elbert Estrella took over the small forward position as soon as he arrived on campus. In four years Estrella earned three Big South all-conference honors and was named the Big South Freshman of the Year in 80. Estrella was always a constant on the wing for BSC – he was never going to score 20 on an opponent, but you could always count on him for eight to 12 points every night. With no small forwards currently on the roster there’s no telling what might happen here. Ideally Knight will bring in a player to start at the 3. There is a possibility that Kanagy could start at the 3 if needed, but that would most likely only happen if Knight can’t sign a small forward during recruiting.

 

Recruiting: Ideally Knight would like to bring in a JUCO transfer to take over the 3 spot and another small forward, preferably a high school senior, to come off the bench and learn from the starter. However, don’t be surprised if Knight brings in only one small forward and an extra guard instead of another 3. Knight has never shied away from loading up on guards and signing guards that are versatile enough to play two to three positions. This will be an interesting position to watch during the offseason and recruiting cycle.

 

POST:

Returning Players: Michael Stutes (Jr.), Donald Dargan (So.), Shawn Beauvais (So.), Jeffrey Cain (Fr.)

Lost: William Big, William Wright

 

Birmingham-Southern’s most solid positions heading into next season will be in the post. However, you can’t lose Big South Player of the Year William Big and call that position group solid either. Reigning Big South Freshman of the Year Shaun Beauvais will return as the starter at center. Beauvais is BSC’s leading returning scorer and rebounder after averaging 6.4 ppg and 5.4 rpg last season. Look for Beauvais to take the majority, if not all, of the touches in the paint Big left behind after graduation. It wouldn’t be shocking to see Beauvais putting up numbers like 12 and 7 on a consistent basis this season – as a worst case scenario. Redshirt freshman Jeffrey Cain will backup Beauvais in the middle. Cain will be a solid option off the bench for the Panthers and will begin his career as a very polished post player. The only knock on Cain is his poor ball handling and passing skills. Who will replace William Big at the 4 spot for BSC? Junior Michael Stutes might get the first crack at it when fall workouts begin. Stutes has a big frame (6-foot-8) but he needs to add some weight (216 pounds) in the weight room. Stutes is a great ball handler and passer for a big man, but he doesn’t excel at any one skill that a post player needs. He’s somewhat athletic with solid rebounding, defending, and shot blocking skills. He’s a solid player but not great. Sophomore Donald Dargan should give Stutes a tight battle for the starting power forward spot. Dargan is more athletic than Stutes but nowhere near the ball handler and passer he is. Dargan’s post skills are just behind Stutes, but Dargan has a much higher ceiling with his skills than Stutes does, especially with his low post offense. It’s very possible that Knight gives Dargan the nod over Stutes to let Dargan acclimate to the college game more quickly while also bringing a solid player off the bench in Stutes. However, it’s also a possibility that Knight might start Beauvais and Cain in the post while Dargan and Stutes come off the bench. Small forward is definitely the most uncertain position on this roster but power forward isn’t too terribly far behind it.

 

Recruiting: Don’t look for the Panthers to focus too much attention to the post during recruiting. Birmingham-Southern is set at center for the next few years and power forward is pretty solid at the moment. Knight might sign a post player to balance the class. If that’s the case, look for Knight to bring in a power forward he can most likely redshirt.

 

 

FINAL VERDICT

Birmingham-Southern is set at three, probably four, positions. Beauvais should be the centerpiece of BSC’s offense and provide an anchor for the defense. The biggest issue for this team is the small forward position and depth. Currently the Panthers have neither of those. Birmingham-Southern’s success next season very well may lie with how well Knight and his staff can stock and prepare the bench for next season. Look for BSC to bring in two scoring guards, probably a high school guard to come off the bench and a JUCO guard to start at the 2, along with two small forward, a JUCO and high school senior, and a post player to redshirt. Knight and his staff have some good piece in place already, but the success for next season will ultimately rely on their ability to bring in more good pieces, if not better pieces. One thing is a certainty – BSC’s staff will be busy during the recruiting period and it will be very interesting to see what they do with their five scholarships.

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THE BIRMINGHAM NEWS

 

Birmingham-Southern Adds Four Players on Signing Day

 

BIRMINGHAM | The Birmingham-Southern men’s basketball has added four incoming freshmen to its roster for the 84 season. Coach Jeremy Knight and his staff received signed letters-of-intent from point guards Melvin Frisby and Shaun McCague, shooting guard Donald Gayhart, and small forward Michael Davis.

 

Frisby is a 6-foot-2 guard from Cherokee County High School in Centre. He averaged 19.9 ppg and 4.5 apg during his senior season while leading Cherokee County to the AHSAA Class 4A playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. Cherokee County fell in the first round of the playoffs after reaching the elite eight the previous season. Frisby is a talented facilitator but he lacks tremendously in his ability to defend and shoot. Frisby is the No. 151 point guard in the 84 class. More than likely Frisby will redshirt this upcoming season so Knight can groom him into the point guard of the future for the Panthers.

 

McCague is a 6-foot guard from Arlington Christian Academy in Fairburn, Georgia. He scored 22.9 ppg last season and helped lead his team to the second round of the GISA Class AA playoffs. McCague is ranked as the No. 132 point guard in the class of 84. He played point guard in high school but his ball handling and passing, as well as his shot, are lacking for the Division I level. He’s athletic, fast, and can defend and projects more as an undersized small forward starting out. With some time to develop his game there is a good possibility McCague can eventually play three different positions for Knight and the Panthers.

 

Donald Gayhart is a 6-foot-1 guard from South Pittsburg Academy in South Pittsburg, Tennessee. Last season he scored an impressive 42 ppg and led his team to the TSSAA Division I-A state championship. Gayhart is ranked as the No. 151 overall player and the No. 33 shooting guard in the 84 class. He is also a one-star recruit according to Rivals. Gayhart is athletic and a good shooter and passer. He is also a good defender and has a very well developed low post game for a guard. He will probably start his career at BSC as a reserve off the bench for both wing positions, but as he develops his speed and ball handling ability he could become another player that can play three positions.

 

Davis is a 6-foot-7 small forward from East Linn Christian Academy in Lebanon, Oregon. Knight as his staff ventured to the other side of the country to recruit Davis and he is definitely the most established recruit enrolling this season at BSC. Davis is ranked as the No. 104 overall recruit and No. 22 small forward. He was also named Mr. Basketball for Oregon and is listed as a three-star recruit by Rivals. Davis averaged 42 ppg last season and led his team to the OSAA Class 2A playoffs where they fell in the first round. He is solid in every facet of his game, but not great at one thing. His best skills entering college are his shooting ability and low post game. He needs to get a little faster but he should be the starting small forward as soon as he steps on campus. Davis also has the ability to play power forward if needed.

 

Birmingham-Southern still has one scholarship available. The Panthers main target is point guard Mark Parry. Parry is from Northgate High School in Newnan, Georgia and is ranked as the No. 95 overall player and No. 15 point guard. He is also listed as a three-star recruit. Parry is the total package for a freshman point guard. He is athletic, fast, a capable defender, can shoot the ball, and has a solid ball handling and passing game. He has his final choices down to Birmingham-Southern and Florida State.

 

Should Parry pick the Seminoles over the Panthers, Knight and his staff will turn their attention to small forward Clement Vester (No. 266/No. 51) from Cape Coral High School in Florida. Vester is currently ineligible and would have to sit out the upcoming season should the Panthers extend an offer and he decides to enroll. The other target the Panthers would go after is Matt Pereira (No. 160/No. 35 *) from Rivercrest High School in Arkansas. Pereira would give the Panthers an extreme logjam in the guard position, but he is also capable of playing three positions.

 

Overall this is a very solid class for Knight. He got a starter on the wing in Davis who should have a very successful career, two players that can potentially play up to three different positions, and what appears to be the point guard of the future for BSC. Knight has clearly shown an emphasis and his value in versatile players that can play multiple positions. If Knight can beat Florida State for Parry look out. This class will go from solid to great. 

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THE BIRMINGHAM NEWS

 

Birmingham-Southern Signs Parry

 

BIRMINGHAM | Three-star point guard prospect Mark Parry from Northgate High School in Newnan, Ga. has officially signed with Birmingham-Southern. Parry chose the Panthers over the Florida State Seminoles. Parry is ranked as the No. 95 overall prospect and the No. 15 point guard. The signing brings BSC to a full 12-man roster and caps off the 84 recruiting period for the Panthers. Coach Jeremy Knight has declined to commit on any of the signings and will instead issue a statement through an official athletic department release later this week.

 

Parry, a 6-foot guard, averaged 31.5 ppg and 4.3 apg last season while leading Northgate to the semifinals in the GHSA Class AAAAA playoffs. Parry has a good combination of athleticism and speed and good point guard skills. His shot is solid as well. His defense is okay as well but most analysts believe he will develop into a great defender once he arrives in college. Parry will most likely see time at the point and can also play the small forward position. Parry isn’t an automatic shooter from 3-point range, but he is certainly capable, so he could also slide over and play the 2-guard position as well if needed.

 

Parry originally made a verbal commitment to BSC early in the recruiting cycle, but a late push and offer from Florida State made him reopen his recruitment. A lot of attention has been focused on Parry the last two weeks as he debated between the Seminoles and Panthers before he ultimately signed with Birmingham-Southern this morning. Sources close to Knight said that BSC’s staff decided to go all in on Parry, hoping to sign him, or finish the recruiting period with an open scholarship and sign three players next year instead of two. With Parry’s signing the Panthers will have two scholarships to fill next season, should everyone else return.

 

The addition of Parry makes this recruiting class arguably the most talented class of Knight’s tenure and should keep Birmingham-Southern in contention for the Big South Championship for several years to come.

 

 

Schedule News

 

Earlier today Birmingham-Southern announced that it had agreed to play exhibition games against Nebraska and Eastern Kentucky this season. Nebraska went 4-23 with a 1-15 record in the Big 12 last season. In 82 the Cornhuskers went 15-15 and made the NCAA Tournament. Nebraska finished 81 with a 15-13 overall record and made the NIT. Nebraska will have a young team with six sophomores and four freshmen, so it will be interesting to see how the Panthers fare against a youthful team from a high major conference.

 

Eastern Kentucky has experienced great success under coach Brad Riddell. Riddell, entering his sixth season at EKU, led the Colonels to the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Championship last season with a 19-11 overall record, and earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament. The Colonels have also won three OVC Championships and played in the NIT twice under Riddell’s watch. Eastern Kentucky will have a much more experienced team compared to Nebraska and it will give BSC a good test to play a strong mid major before regular season play begins.

 

Birmingham-Southern will visit Samford for the eighth meeting between the two schools in as many seasons. Birmingham-Southern has won all seven matches in the cross-town rivalry, but this could be the last time the two teams meet for quite a while. Sources close to the team say that Knight is considering cancelling the rivalry series in order to replace Samford with more competitive opponents in the future. Since the series began Samford has had only three season with 10 or more wins, and it’s best season was last year when the Bulldogs went 14-14 overall. During that timespan the Bulldogs have had an RPI in the top 200 only twice, with last season’s RPI of 173 being the highest during that timespan.

 

Sources say that Knight wants to play a more competitive schedule against teams with higher RPIs in order to increase the Panthers’ chance of making the NCAA Tournament should BSC not win the Big South Tournament. However, Knight also wants to keep some kind of Birmingham rivalry game on the schedule and the alternative could become a series with UAB. The Panthers and the Blazers will play for the third consecutive year this season with each team winning their home game. The Blazers have won four straight Conference-USA Championships and would provide an RPI boost for the Panthers’ schedule. It is unclear at this moment if UAB would be willing to continue this series into a long term cross-town rivalry series, but it certainly seems like it could be heading that way, at the moment. Keep up with The Birmingham News for more information on the Birmingham-Southern Panthers this season.

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Rivals Recruiting Roundup

 

The 84 recruiting period is over and its time to see which teams and conferences fared the best. Iowa has its work cut out for it as it hopes to repeat as national champion in 84. The Hawkeyes lost Bernardo Rivers (11th overall by Bulls), Vincent Harrison (31st overall to Hornets), and Richard Hurt (35th overall to Nuggets) to early entrance in the NBA Draft. This left Iowa with just four sophomores and three seniors on it’s roster. The Hawkeyes went out and put together the No. 16 class in hopes of winning another national championship. Iowa was able to sign two Mr. Basketball award winners in Minnesota small forward Julius Vitale (No. 46/No. 8 SF ****) and Iowa point guard Ronald Brune (No. 195/No. 42 PG). Iowa also added two transfers in shooting guard Greg Mahoney from Minnesota (one year of eligibility) and point guard Donald Greenwood of Dakota College-Bottineau (No. 207/N0. 32 PG) who will have two years of eligibility left. The Hawkeyes capped their class off with a late signing of small forward Oliver Cutright (No. 60/No. 9 SF ****) from Cherokee County High School in Centre, Alabama. Cutright is currently ineligible and will have to sit out the 84 season while he works to raise his GPA.

 

Providence assembled what we ranked as the top class in the country and will be looking to win its second national championship in three years. The Friars class includes point guard Gerard Lindsey (No. 2 PG), shooting guard Chuioke Amendola, small forward Daniel Langton (No. 2 SF), and centers Christopher Wilson (No. 1 C) and Edwin Meier (No. 2 C). It’s definitely a mammoth of a class and it will be interesting to see how long the prospects stay on campus. Below we rank the top 25 classes in addition to how each conference performed. We’ll also show the top 15 recruits from this class and where they signed. Remember to keep up with Rivals for all the latest recruiting information.

 

TOP RECRUITING CLASSES

1          Providence                 Big East

2          UCLA                           Pac-12

3          Virginia                       ACC

4          Ohio State                  Big Ten

5          Kentucky                    SEC

6          St. John’s                    Big East

7          North Carolina           ACC

8          Cincinnati                   Big East

9          Colorado                     Big 12

10       Stanford                     Pac-12

11       Texas A&M                 Big 12

12       DePaul                        Horizon

13       Texas                          Big 12

14       Washington               Pac-12

15       Seton Hall                   Big East

16       Iowa                            Big Ten

17       Oregon State              Pac-12

18       BYU                             Mountain West

19       Wisconsin                   Big Ten

20       Drake                          Missouri Valley

21       South Carolina           SEC

22       Kansas State              Big 12

23       Illinois                         Big Ten

24       Virginia Tech             ACC

25       California                   Pac-12

 

RECRUITING RANKINGS

1          Big East

2          Pac-12

3          Big 12

4          Big Ten

5          ACC

6          Mountain West

7          Sun Belt

8          Southland

9          MAAC

10       Missouri Valley

11       Big Sky

12       SEC

13       Conference-USA

14       Big West

15       Ivy League

16       CAA

17       Summit League

18       Patriot League

19       MAC

20       Big South

21       WCC

22       MEAC

23       Northeast

24       Atlantic-10

25       Horizon League

26       Southern

27       Ohio Valley

 

OVR    NAME                         POS     HT      WT     HOMETOWN/HIGH SCHOOL                                 COLLEGE

1          Carl Allen                   SF        6-7      217     Weatherford, Okla./Weatherford HS                        Kansas

2          John Daniel                PF        6-6      222     Watsonville, Calif./Watsonville HS                          California

3          Christopher Wilson     C          6-11    234     Hudson, N.H./Alvirne HS                                          Providence

4          Rick Johnston             SG        6-2      185     Salt Lake City, Utah/East HS                                  Air Force

5          Daniel Langton          SF        6-2      193     Malone, N.Y./Franklin Academy                              Providence

6          John Selman              SG        6-1      196     Coal City, W.V./Independence HS                           Ohio State

7          John Golla                   PF        6-9      228     Brooksville, Fla./Central HS                                      Kentucky

8          Allen Robinson          SG        6-1      195     San Angelo, Texas/Central HS                                 Texas

9          John Hart                   PF        6-8      220     Sanborn, N.Y./Niagara-Wheatfield HS                    Ohio State

10       John Mayer                SF        6-3      195     Corona, Calif./Buena Vista HS                                  UCLA

11       Stuart Korzenski       PF        6-9      222     Brooklyn, N.Y./Nazareth Regional HS                      Seton Hall

12       Brian Starling           PF        6-8      230     Verona, N.Y./Vernon-Verona-Sherrill HS                   Connecticut

13       David Norwood         SG        6-4      192     Washington, D.C./Ballou HS                                     North Carolina

14       Patrick Hisle               PF        6-4      216     Rio Linda, Calif./Rio Linda HS                                  Stanford

15       Robert Weber            SG        6-2      189     Charleston, S.C./James Island HS                            Wake Forest

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THE BIRMINGHAM NEWS

 

Birmingham-Southern Season Preview

 

BIRMINGHAM | Jeremy Knight prepares for his 11th season at the helm of the Birmingham-Southern men’s basketball team after coming off one of the most successful seasons in program history. The Panthers finished the season with an overall record of 27-3 after a first round loss to Michigan State in the NCAA Tournament. Birmingham-Southern also went 16-0 in Big South play to claim the regular season championship and then won the Big South Tournament Championship.

 

The program is experiencing the most prolific run in program history with an overall record of 121-25 over the last five seasons. The Panthers have also won three Big South Championships, two Big South Tournament Championships, and made three NCAA Tournament appearances. However, the road ahead for the BSC program could be a rocky one with the loss of five players that helped form the foundation for the Panthers’ recent success.

 

Birmingham-Southern now has to replace a two-time Big South Player of the Year and 1st Team All-American, a 1st Team All-Big South player, and two 2nd Team All-Big South players – quite the task for Knight and his staff. There is solid core group of players returning, but Knight will have to find the offensive centerpiece for the program going forward sooner rather than later. Sophomore center Shawn Beauvais is BSC’s returning leader scorer and rebounder after averaging 6.4 ppg and 5.4 rpg last season.

 

“This season will definitely be an interesting one for us,” Knight said during media day. “At the moment we don’t necessarily have an identity as far as which players are going to be our go-to guys in games. We have seven players returning, but most of them have primarily been backup and role players.

 

“Jared (Lobdell) is definitely going to be a leader for this team and perform at a high level, but he’s not a prolific scorer. That’s not his game. He’s going to facilitate the game and pick his shots. Shawn is our leading returning scorer, but he only averaged six points a game last season. Can he be a guy that’s going to put up 12 to 18 points every night? He’s going to have every chance to show that he can and we’ll find out.

 

“We have some very talented freshmen coming in. Maybe one of those guys will step up and provide scoring for us. We just won’t know for sure until we get into practice and play our exhibition games and a couple of regular season games. One thing that’s for sure is that all of these guys can play or else they wouldn’t be here.”

 

The Panthers’ season will ultimately rely on how quickly Knight and his staff can figure out the rotations and establish the offensive hierarchy. This will lead to a prime situation for the incoming freshmen with a chance to immediately make an impact at the collegiate level. This also creates a good situation for the returning players, most of who have been reserve players throughout their career. Every player on the roster will have an opportunity to make a case for serious playing time.

 

Lobdell and Beauvais are the only returning starters from last season’s squad and should be the only two players that can be penciled into a starting spot for this season. Below we’ll break down each position and take a crack at the Panthers rotation entering the season.

 

 

GUARDS

 

Jared Lobdell                       Sr.       #2       6-3      192     Varnado, La./Varnado HS

Lobdell started all 30 games at point guard last season for BSC and averaged 4.9 ppg and 5.4 apg. Lobdell will definitely be the starting point guard to kick off his senior season and will be the leader for this unproven team. Lobdell currently sits at 10th all-time in the BSC assists list with 341 career assists. He only needs 112 assists this season to break the record, which he should accomplish. Last season Lobdell dished out 163 assists. Lobdell’s combination of speed, ball handling, and athleticism make him an elite point guard in the Big South.

 

Richard Kanagy                   RSr.    #5       6-1      173     Gulf Shores, Ala./Gulf Shores HS

Kanagy has always been a role player for BSC with his lone start coming against Alabama in the first round of the 82 NCAA Tournament and eventual No. 1 overall pick Paul Smith. Kanagy’s role has always been lock down defender. He has good athleticism paired with elite speed and great defensive skills. Kanagy is versatile enough that he can guard three different positions. He has a good jump shot and averaged a career high 5.4 ppg off the bench last season. His limitation is that his ball handling and passing skills aren’t up to par. Do not expect to see Kanagy starting regularly due to his limitations. Kanagy might start sporadically if the opposing team has a stud guard or wing. Kanagy is definitely a role player, but he is a very good role player and will be a valuable asset off the bench.

 

Donald Bowen                     RJr.     #10     6-0      172     Dunn, N.C./Midway HS

Bowen is a guard with elite speed and shooting ability. He also has great ball handling and passing ability. He’s not very athletic and is a poor defender. He spent last season as a bench player that specialized in 3-point shooting. Bowen shot 41.5 percent from 3 last and 41.4 percent overall last season. Bowen averaged 3.4 ppg last season. He is BSC’s best shooter and has better point guard skills than anyone on the team not named Jared Lobdell, but his poor defensive ability might cost him an opportunity to be a starter for BSC. However, Bowen’s shooting ability and guard skills should make him one of the top options off the bench for either guard position.

 

Melvin Frisby                       Fr.       #21     6-2      183     Centre, Ala./Cherokee County HS

Frisby might be BSC’s best ball handler and passer behind Lobdell and Bowen, but his shooting and defensive abilities are awful and he’s a very poor athlete. His speed is on par with most of the other incoming freshmen. Frisby has a very bright future at BSC and appears to be destined as the point guard of the future. However, he needs time to develop. A lot of time. It be the biggest upset in BSC history if he doesn’t redshirt this season. A whole season to work on his game and learn the offense is the perfect alternative to being buried in a sea of guards. Nobody likes to redshirt, but that is exactly what Frisby needs and will benefit him the most.

 

Shaun McCague                    Fr.       #13     6-0      175     Fairburn, Ga./Arlington Christian HS

McCague comes into BSC ready to go as a top notch defender off the bench. Think of him as a freshman version of Kanagy. His shot and guard skills are poor right now and need to be developed. Right now he is capable of coming in and defender three positions off the bench, but he won’t see much more time due to his offensive deficiencies. However, as McCague grows and develops as a player he will be an extremely versatile player that can play three different positions.

 

Mark Parry                           Fr.       #25     6-0      185     Newnan, Ga./Northgate HS

Parry is the prized recruit Knight and his staff signed this offseason. He has a good combination of athleticism and speed and his guard skills are solid as well. He’s an okay defender at the moment but scouts raved about his potential to become a defensive monster. He has a shot at starting as a freshman for BSC. He isn’t projected to develop his guard skills much more, but he is definitely developed enough to be serviceable at either guard position. He can also play and defend the small forward position, which might be the position he spends the majority of his time at. He is yet another versatile player Knight recruited that can make an impact at multiple positions. Parry should have a very bright career ahead of him and should make an impact for BSC during this upcoming season.

 

Donald Gayhart                    Fr.       #11     6-1      191     South Pittsburg, Tenn./South Pittsburg HS

Gayhart is another versatile guard for the Panthers. He’s athletic and a good defender. His shooting ability and passing are great for an incoming freshman. However, his ball handling ability needs a lot of work. He’s not the fastest guard on the Panthers’ roster, but he will get faster throughout his career. One highly desirable trait Gayhart has is that he is a monster in the paint. He has elite post skills for a guard and analysts believe that he’s only beginning to scratch the surface of his post game potential. Due to Gayhart’s athleticism and defensive ability, he could make a case to start at shooting guard for BSC. As Gayhart develops his skills look for him to become yet another player that can play three different positions for Knight.

 

SMALL FORWARD

 

Michael Davis                       Fr.       #23     6-7      212     Lebanon, Ore./East Linn Christian Academy

Davis is the only small forward on BSC’s roster, but as we’ve touched on there are several guards capable of playing on the wing at the 3. Davis will get the first crack at it due to it being his natural position. Nothing in Davis’ skillset will blow you away, but he is a very solid player in every aspect entering college. Davis has a high ceiling and a very well developed low post game, which is still growing. Davis is also a versatile player and is capable of playing power forward as well.

 

POSTS

 

Michael Stutes                      Jr.        #22     6-8      216     Rockledge, Fla./Rockledge HS

Last season Stutes tripled his scoring average (3.3 ppg) from his freshman season despite his minutes per game dropping six minutes. Stutes should be the leader for the power forward position, but he has developed as much as Knight and his staff would have liked. He’s a very solid player, but he’s not elite. The power forward position will be the battle to watch too see which player takes over the position. Stutes might get the first crack at it due to seniority, but he’s going to have to go out and take the job for himself.

 

Donald Dargan                     So.       #44     6-6      212     Russellville, Ala./Russellville HS

Dargan will be Stutes primary competition at power forward. Dargan only played six minutes a game, but he displayed flashed of brilliance throughout the season. Dargan isn’t as overall polished as Stutes, but he’s not far behind. He’s more athletic and has a much higher ceiling. It will be interesting is Knight wants to go with the younger Dargan who only has 143 minutes of collegiate experience under his belt, but has more potential and could be a breakout star.

 

Shawn Beauvais                   So.       #0       7-0      258     Sumter, S.C./Wilson Hall Academy

Beauvais will return as the man in the middle after starting 30 games at center last season. Beauvais is BSC’s returning leading scorer and rebounder. Beauvais is an elite rebounder and shot blocker with a solid low post game. His big downside is his lack of great athleticism, but he managed pretty well for himself last season. The big difference for Beauvais this season is that he will be the center of attention after the graduation of William Big. It will be interesting to see how Beauvais adjusts to the larger workload, as he will be the player most likely charged with leading BSC in scoring to start with. How Beauvais performs this season should have a huge impact on BSC’s success.

 

Jeffrey Cain                           RFr.    #30     6-8      239     Auburn, Ala./Lee-Scott Academy

Cain sat out last season with a redshirt. He’s athletic with a great post game. He has the ability to develop into a top-notch rim protector as his defense and shot blocking continue to develop. Cain will be a great asset off the bench as he could probably start for at least half of the teams in the Big South as a freshman.

 

PROJECTED BIRMINGHAM-SOUTHERN LINEUP

 

PG       Jared Lobdell

SG        Mark Parry

SF        Michael Davis

PF        Michael Stutes

C          Shawn Beauvais

---

6          Richard Kanagy

7          Donald Bowen

8          Donald Dargan

9          Jeffrey Cain

10       Donald Gayhart

11       Shawn McCague

RS      Melvin Frisby

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THE BIRMINGHAM NEWS

 

Birmingham-Southern Dominates Boards and Nebraska

 

BIRMINGHAM | The Birmingham-Southern Panthers outrebounded Nebraska 41-27 en route to a 72-53 victory Wednesday night. Sophomore Shawn Beauvais led BSC with 13 points and eight rebounds.

 

“Wow. I’m really surprised that we dominated the glass the way we did,” said BSC coach Jeremy Knight. “We pulled down 13 offensive rebounds and 41 total. Just wow. It’s always a great thing when you can limit your opponent to one shot a possession on defense and you create extra shots and extend the possession on offense.”

 

Nebraska started the game with five quick points, but BSC quickly answered and two teams traded baskets throughout most of the first half. Jared Lobdell hit a fadeaway to give BSC a 19-17 lead, its first of the game, at the 6:23 mark. However, the Cornhuskers kept BSC from running away with the game and a Donald Dargan basket with three seconds left in the half gave the Panthers a 33-29 lead entering halftime.

 

Birmingham-Southern came out firing in the second half and went on a 26-12 run to seal the victory. Nebraska seniors Peter Thurston and Bruce Pulliam led the Cornhuskers in scoring with 11 and 10 points, respectively.

 

One of the big questions for this BSC team is how the large group of incoming freshmen will adjust and perform at the collegiate level. Every freshman played well while in the game. Michael Davis only scored two points, but he also grabbed eight rebounds, tying with Beauvais for the game-high. Donald Gayhart scored seven points with two assists and two steals. Mark Parry scored seven points. Shaun McCague didn’t score, but he did grab three rebounds in 14 minutes of action. Redshirt freshman Jeffrey Cain made the most of his minutes with 10 points and six rebounds in just 12 minutes on the court.

 

“I was really, really impressed with the way our freshmen performed tonight,” Knight said. “They were able to come in off the bench and contribute, or if they started they made an impact while they were on the floor. If our freshmen can continue to contribute like this and we can rebound the ball the way we did tonight (throughout the rest of the season), we’ll be alright.”

 

Birmingham-Southern will play its final exhibition game Saturday night against Eastern Kentucky. The Colonels 65-47 in their first exhibition game.

 

“Not to take anything away from this game, but Nebraska is a very young team,” Knight said. “They have a lot of freshmen and sophomores. Eastern Kentucky has a solid group of juniors and seniors and that’s going to give us a new challenge. It’ll be really interesting to see how our freshmen play. They did just fine against other players that were just as inexperienced as themselves. Let’s see how they play against some veteran college players. I’m excited and ready to get to work on preparing for Eastern Kentucky.”

 

 

Tipoff for the game is scheduled for 5 pm.

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84 PRESEASON TOP 25

 

RANK    SCHOOL                  PTS                 LAST SEASON                                              

1          Duke                           1,226              31-3, NCAA Tournament Runner-Up        

2          Connecticut                1,195              26-6, NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen

3          Illinois                         1,193              22-7, NCAA Tournament 2nd Round

4          Michigan State           1,191              24-7, NCAA Tournament 2nd Round

5          Colorado                     1,186              25-6, NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen

6          Providence                 1,171              26-5, NCAA Tournament 2nd Round

7          Virginia Tech             1,169              22-6, NCAA Tournament 1st Round

8          Northwestern            1,147              19-12, NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen

9          Florida                        1,143              22-8, NCAA Tournament 2nd Round

10       Seton Hall                   1,133              25-7, NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen

11       Kansas                        1,132              29-5, NCAA Tournament Final Four

12       Ohio State                  1,130              24-6, NCAA Tournament 2nd Round

13       Tennessee                  1,128              28-3, NCAA Tournament 2nd Round

14       Oklahoma                   1,122              26-5, NCAA Tournament 2nd Round

15       Syracuse                     1,098              21-10, NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen

T16     North Carolina           1,088              20-10, NCAA Tournament 2nd Round

T16     Iowa                            1,088              33-2, NCAA Tournament National Champion

18       Wake Forest               1,083              23-8, NCAA Tournament Elite Eight

19       UCLA                           1,081              26-5, NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen

20       Air Force                     1,068              24-7, NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen

21       Texas A&M                 1,056              24-6, NCAA Tournament 2nd Round

22       Texas                          1,052              17-13, NCAA Tournament 2nd Round

23       Minnesota                  1,050              22-8, NCAA Tournament 1st Round

24       St. John’s                    1,046              14-14, NIT 1st Round

T25     California                   1,042              21-8, NCAA Tournament 1st Round

T25     Washington               1,042              18-10, NCAA Tournament 1st Round

 

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES:

Alabama (1,033), Miami (FL) (1,028), Arizona (1,025), Georgetown (1,024), Oregon State (1,021), Utah (1,012), Stanford (998), Fresno State (997), Baylor (997), LSU (991), Florida State (988), South Carolina (988), Wisconsin (985), Louisville (983)

 

 

PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS

 

FIRST TEAM

PG       David Golden              Sr.        6-1      191     LaSalle

SG        James Almanza          Sr.        6-3      190     Tennessee

SF        Darren Banks              Sr.        6-3      196     Iowa

PF        Kent Guidi                   Sr.        6-10    221     Duke

C          Eric O’Bryan               Sr.        7-1      270     Iowa

 

SECOND TEAM

PG       Richard Harber           Sr.        6-6      215     Minnesota

SG        Justin McKay             Sr.        6-4      191     Virginia Tech

SF        Eric Hunter                 Jr.        5-11    189     Florida

PF        Wayne Dobson           Jr.        6-7      228     Wake Forest

C          John Simoneau          Sr.        6-10    242     BYU

 

THIRD TEAM

PG       Oscar Morris               Jr.        5-8      164     Florida

SG        Robert Ross               Sr.        5-11    174     Gonzaga

SF        Clarence Davis           Sr.        6-4      184     Duke

PF        Donald Little               Sr.        6-8      222     Tennessee

C          Frederick Carpenter   Sr.        6-7      231     Texas Christian

 

HONORABLE MENTION

PG       Jason Davis                Providence

            Christopher Huff       Texas Christian

            Thomas Tapia            Loyola (MD)

SG        Clinton Spooner        Florida A&M

            Ronald Antunez         Syracuse

            Felix Meza                  BYU

SF        Michael Bates           Utah

            Edwin Statler             Bradley

            Fadey Graminski       Colorado

PF        Hung Tang                 Michigan State

            John Prescott             Southern Methodist

            Bobby Tims                Duke

C          John Helms                Duke

            John Fisher                Loyola (MD)

            Brett Henriksen         Louisville

 

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THR BIRMINGHAM NEWS

 

Birmingham-Southern Facing Early Adversity

 

BIRMINGHAM | Birmingham-Southern coach Jeremy Knight knew coming into the season that it would a challenging and difficult one for his team. He never could have imagined that it would be this difficult this early on in the season. The Panthers fell to 0-4 after a 69-55 dismantling by Central Connecticut State.

 

“I knew we would be relying on some guys to do some things they haven’t done before as well as some young guys, but I never imagined we would start the season 0-4,” Knight said, “especially after the way we played in the exhibition games.”

 

Knight referenced BSC’s exhibition games, a 72-53 win over Nebraska followed by a 57-55 victory over Eastern Kentucky. Based off of those two games, the Panthers looked like they would ultimately be okay this season. Instead, BSC was shocked in the opening game with a 65-54 loss to Florida Atlantic. The Panthers followed that with a 50-48 loss against Cleveland State and a 88-78 loss at Hawaii before Wednesday’s game against Central Connecticut State.

 

Birmingham-Southern’s schedule doesn’t get any easier with game against Arkansas, at UAB, South Alabama, at Murray State, and at San Diego all coming up on the schedule.

 

“We definitely need to figure out what our problems are and fix them as soon as possible. Our schedule doesn’t give us the luxury of being able to take our time and work out the kinks. Everyone, myself and my coaches included, needs to take a look in the mirror and figure out what each of us can do better.”

 

One of the ingredients for BSC’s lack of success so far this season has been a lack of scoring. The Panthers usually lead the Big South in scoring, but are currently 10th in the Big South with 58.8 ppg. Additionally, the Panthers have been awful defensively this season too, allowing teams to shoot 50.5 percent from the field and 39.3 percent from the 3-point line.

 

Center Shawn Beauvais, last year’s Big South Freshman of the Year, was projected by many to be the guy that would carry BSC throughout the season. So far Beauvais has failed to live up to expectations, only averaging 5 ppg and 5.8 rpg.

 

“Shawn had a lot thrown on him coming into the season. People forget, this kid is just a sophomore. Yeah he was the freshman of the year last year, but he was also the second option in the post. He played with a first team All-American. Now, as a sophomore, he has to adjust to being the main guy in the post and being pressured to carry the team every night. That’s a lot for anyone to handle.”

 

Redshirt freshman Jeffrey Cain has shown promise early this season and has earned the starting nod for the previous three games. Cain had his best game at Hawaii when he scored 17 points and had seven rebounds. He currently leads BSC with 10.8 ppg.

 

“Jeffrey has really stepped up and helped to fill some of that void in the post we’re missing. It’s still early, but he’s played really well so far and we’ve been pleasantly surprised by him.”

 

Richard Kanagy is another player that has stepped up for BSC. Kanagy has always been labeled strictly as a defensive player, but over the last two games he has shown some scoring ability as well. Against Hawaii Kanagy totaled 11 points and he scored a team-high 19 points against Central Connecticut State. Kanagy is averaging 10.5 ppg for the season.

 

“Richard really surprised us over the last two games,” Knight admitted, “He’s definitely earned the right to get more touches and as long as he continues to do what he’s supposed to and ultimately scores while he’s on the floor, he will continue to get touches.”

 

The other factor that has caused so much distress for BSC this season is the reliance of young players that haven’t really performed well. The Panthers brought in five freshmen and four of them are playing at least 10 minutes a game. Mark Parry has performed the best out of all the freshmen, averaging 6 ppg, but he is only shooting 38.1 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from 3. Michael Davis is averaging 3.3 ppg, Donald Gayhart is averaging 1.5 ppg and shooting 12.5 percent from the field, and Shaun McCague is averaging 1.5 ppg and 1.3 rpg.

 

“Most of our freshmen have struggled early on,” Knight said, “part of that is just the process of them adjusting to the faster and more physical style of the college game. Part of it is my fault. I haven’t done a good enough job preparing them to play at this level yet. It’s just something that is going to take time for them to adjust to as they continue to learn and adjust.

 

“The bad news is that we’re currently 0-4. I’ve only lost four games in a row once in my entire career, back in 71 at East Texas Baptist. But the good news is that we were able to get on the right track at ETBU and we made it to the Elite Eight that season. We’re just four games into the season. It’s a very long season. I’m not saying we’re going to turn this around and make it to the Elite Eight, but we still have time to correct our issues and still accomplish all of our goals for this season.”

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Birmingham-Southern Picks Up First Win of Season

 

The Birmingham-Southern Panthers finally ended their winless skid with a 59-52 victory over Arkansas. Richard Kanagy led BSC with 13 points. The Panthers bench scored 15 of BSC’s 33 first half points and BSC also scored 10 points off six Arkansas turnovers in the opening half. Birmingham-Southern never trailed in the first half and led by as many as nine points. The Razorbacks cut the lead to 49-46 with 1:28 remaining, but the Panthers finished the game shooting 8-of-8 from the free throw line to put Arkansas (0-5) away. Free throw shooting was the main difference in this game – BSC was 21-of-29 (72.4%) while Arkansas shot an anemic 10-of-21 (47.6%) from the stripe. Donald Dargan scored a career-high nine points and Mark Parry added eight points for BSC. Birmingham-Southern is now 1-4 overall and will play at UAB (3-2) in a crosstown rivalry game next week. 

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Birmingham-Southern Looks To Turn Season Around in Conference Play

 

BIRMINGHAM | Fifteen. That’s the number of wins Birmingham-Southern coach Jeremy Knight needed to reach his 500th career victory at the collegiate level. Entering the season it was assumed a certainty that Knight’s BSC squad, though young, would reach 15 wins. However, 10 games into the 84 season the Panthers currently sit at 3-7 overall and many are left wondering how BSC can turn this season around.

 

“I’m not concerned at all about (reaching the 500 win milestone),” Knight said during a recent media session, “my main concern is our team improving every day. If we continue to put in the work and get better each day the wins will take care of themselves.”

 

The Panthers’ season hit a low point Friday night when they lost to crosstown rival Samford 70-65. Friday’s game served as the last meeting between the two programs for the foreseeable future and it was the first time in program history that crosstown rival Samford defeated BSC.

 

“Samford is definitely a talented team,” Knight said, “that was probably the best team they’ve had since we started playing them every year. They’ve got some athletes and guys with nice skillsets and on top of that most of their guys are juniors or seniors. I’ve been preaching about that a lot this year but experience is a huge factor. (Samford) had 10 juniors and seniors. We have four. I’m not making excuses or trying to blame our woes on inexperience, but it becomes very difficult to play at a high level without a group of seasoned players that know what it takes to be successful. We just don’t have enough of those kind of guys right now.”

 

All season long youth and the lack of any kind of defensive presence has plagued BSC. The Panthers have improved marginally defensively; opposing teams are shooting 46 percent from the field and 35.1 percent from behind the arc, both of which rank 5th in the Big South Conference. Birmingham-Southern is shooting well from the field, 44.6 percent (5th in Big South) and 39.8 percent from 3 (2nd), but the Panthers haven’t been able to put a lot of points on the scoreboard. The Panthers average 60.9 ppg, which is 10th in the Big South.

 

“We definitely need to start scoring more. Part of the reason we haven’t been lighting up the scoreboard is because we’ve been playing a lot slower than we normally do. With us relying on so many young guys I thought it would be best to play a litter slower starting off so they can learn the offense and once they have a good grasp on our concepts we can speed it up a little bit more. Now that we’re entering conference play we’ll definitely be looking to play a little faster.”

 

The Panthers will kick off the Big South schedule Thursday night at Liberty (3-7). Liberty guard Francis Young averages 15 ppg, which is currently second among all players in the Big South.

 

“Liberty is definitely going to be a challenge. They’re a very good team and their press is unbelievable this season. They also have a lot of juniors and seniors on their roster so that will be a challenge for us. (Francis Young) is playing great basketball right now, he does a lot of things for them. Our guys can’t get caught up in the fact that (Liberty) is 3-7.

 

“Yeah they’ve only won three games but one of those games was at Rutgers and another one was against Mississippi State, who played in the Final Four last season. They took Kansas State to overtime. They’ve played Indiana, USC, and Alabama. Yeah they’ve only won three games but they’ve been playing a brutal non-conference schedule to prepare for these next 16 games.

 

“Our first 10 games have been hard on us; it’s been difficult. A lot of these guys are used to winning 20-plus games every year. Players don’t realize how much work you have to put in to be successful and how hard it is to go out every night and perform at a high level. Our guys have been learning the hard way so far. Luckily, our first 10 games our behind us.

 

“We didn’t start out the way we wanted to but now we have a fresh slate for the Big South. All 12 teams are currently 0-0. The only thing that matters now is what we do over the next 16 games. Even with a 3-7 record all of our goals are still attainable. We can still win the Big South Championship. We can still win the Big South Tournament Championship. We can still make the NCAA Tournament. This season is far from being over; it’s just starting really. We get to have a fresh start and our guys need to take advantage of this opportunity.”

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We’ve finally reached the conference season in college basketball! Before conference play begins Thursday night let’s look at the final standings from the non-conference schedule and make predictions on awards at this point in the season.

 

 

BIG SOUTH STANDINGS                                        

1          Winthrop                               8-2      0-0

T2       Alabama State                       7-3      0-0

T2       VMI                                         7-3      0-0

4          Alabama A&M                        6-4      0-0

5          High Point                              4-6      0-0

T6       Birmingham-Southern         3-7      0-0

T6       Charleston Southern              3-7      0-0

T6       Liberty                                    3-7      0-0

T6       Radford                                  3-7      0-0

T6       UNC-Asheville                        3-7      0-0

11       Mississippi Valley State        2-8      0-0

12       Coastal Carolina                    0-10    0-0

 

BIG SOUTH AWARD PREDICTIONS

 

Player of the Year

James Bing                 PG       Sr.        6-0      192     UNC-Asheville (17.9 ppg, 3.7 apg)

 

Freshman of the Year

Mark Parry                PG       Fr.        6-0      185     Birmingham-Southern (7.1 ppg)

 

Defensive Player of the Year

Brian Storm               C          Sr.        6-9      218     Mississippi Valley State (10.2 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 1.6 bpg)

 

 

 

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Birmingham-Southern Makes Impressive Statement in Big South Opener

 

It’s an extremely small sample size, but the Birmingham-Southern Panthers look like a completely new team after dismantling Liberty on the road with a 75-50 victory. The Panthers struggled to score and were pretty bad defensively in their first 10 games. Against Liberty the Panthers shot 56.3 percent from the field and 50 percent from behind the arc. Birmingham-Southern also made 75 percent of its free throws. Liberty on the other hand was held to just 33.3 percent shooting from the field and an abysmal 18.2 percent (4-of-22) shooting from behind the arc. Birmingham-Southern defended Liberty well throughout the game and scored 24 points off of 18 Liberty turnovers. Richard Kanagy made plays in every facet of the game for BSC with a career-high 23 points, four rebounds, five assists, and three steals. The Panthers bench also outscored the Flames bench 29-15. Donald Bowen led the BSC bench with 12 points. Birmingham-Southern will play at High Point (5-6, 0-1) on Saturday night.

 

Big South Scores

Winthrop at Charleston Southern              CSU     69-59

UNC-Asheville at Alabama A&M                  AAMU 70-59

VMI at Coastal Carolina                                VMI     65-56

Birmingham-Southern at Liberty                BSC     75-50

Alabama State at Mississippi Valley State  ALST   77-74

High Point at Radford                                   HPU    81-78

 

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Birmingham-Southern Pulls Out OT Victory

 

The Birmingham-Southern Panthers improved to 2-0 in Big South play with a 89-85 overtime victory against High Point. Richard Kanagy once again had a monster game for BSC with 25 points, four rebounds, seven assists, and seven steals. The Panthers once again capitalized off of turnovers, scoring 27 points off of 20 High Point turnovers. High Point was able to keep the game interesting by hitting 11 3-point shots and going an impressive 20-of-23 (87.0 %) from the free throw line. Birmingham-Southern struggled from the free throw line going just 29-of-42 for 69 percent. Jared Lobdell missed a free throw with 17 second remaining in the game that would have given BSC a win in regulation. Once in overtime, the Panthers were aggressive getting to the basket and drawing fouls and connected on 9-of-12 free throw attempts. Birmingham-Southern once again got a boost from its bench, which combined to score 43 points. Donald Bowen led the way with 19 points off the bench. Shawn Beauvais also chipped in 10 points from the bench. The Panthers will play their first Big South game at home Thursday against the formidable Alabama A&M Bulldogs.

 

BIG SOUTH SCORES

Liberty at Radford                                                                RU       79-66

Mississippi Valley State at Charleston Southern                 CSU     63-53

Coastal Carolina at Alabama A&M                                       AAMU 77-59

Alabama State at UNC-Asheville                                         ALST   84-69

Birmingham-Southern at High Point                                    BSC     89-85 (OT)

 

UPCOMING GAMES                                                                          LINE

Alabama State (9-3, 2-0) at Coastal Carolina (0-12, 0-2)             ALST   (-12)

Mississippi Valley State (2-10, 0-2) at High Point (5-7, 1-1)         MVSU (-1)

UNC-Asheville (3-9, 0-2) at Winthrop (8-3, 0-1)                           WIN    (-19)

Radford (4-8, 1-1) at VMI (8-3, 1-0)                                              VMI     (-6)

Alabama A&M (8-4, 2-0) at Birmingham-Southern (5-7, 2-0)      AAMU (-2)

 

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Birmingham-Southern Leads Big South at Midpoint

 

The Big South Conference has reached the halfway point and, surprisingly, the Birmingham-Southern Panthers are currently in first place with a perfect 7-0 record in league play. The Panthers struggled early and often throughout the non-conference schedule with a lack of scoring and defensive capabilities. Birmingham-Southern entered Big South play with a 3-7 record.

 

Once the Panthers reached the conference schedule they seemed to turn a 180. The team that struggled to score 60 points on a regular basis now leads the Big South with 77.9 ppg during Big South play. Birmingham-Southern is also shooting 49.6 percent from the field and 44.6 percent from 3 during the conference schedule, and BSC leads the Big South in both categories.

 

Richard Kanagy has been the catalyst for the Panthers during their current winning streak. The senior point guard has scored 20 or more points four times during BSC’s first seven conference games. During Big South play Kanagy leads the league with 19 ppg and an impressive 3.1 spg. Kanagy also averages 4.4 rpg and 4.1 apg, which is second in the Big South during that span. Kanagy has been doing everything that he possibly can, from scoring to rebounding to getting guys the ball to playing defense. He’s simply done it all and consistently does whatever is needed for the Panthers to be successful.

 

Birmingham-Southern has a big road game at Alabama A&M (11-7, 5-3) Thursday night in the Big South Game of the Week. The Panthers will follow that up next Thursday with a game against second place Charleston Southern (9-8, 6-1) in what is sure to be the Big South Game of the Week as well.

 

Should BSC defeat Alabama A&M and Charleston Southern, it would be in the driver’s seat heading down the home stretch with a very good chance to win the Big South Regular Season Championship. The Panther’s toughest remaining games are at Alabama A&M, Charleston Southern, Alabama State, and at VMI. Crazy things can happen in college basketball, but with the way Kanagy has been playing lately it’s hard to imagine BSC losing more than three games from here on out. Stay up to date with the happenings in the Big South Conference by following the Big South Sports Blog.

 

 

CURRENT BIG SOUTH STANDINGS

 

POS     TEAM                                                 OVR    CONF

1          Birmingham-Southern                     10-7    7-0

2          Charleston Southern                         9-8      6-1

3          Liberty                                                8-9      5-2

T4       Alabama State                                   12-6    5-3

T4       Alabama A&M                                    11-7    5-3

6          Winthrop                                           12-5    4-3      !

7          VMI                                                     11-6    4-3

8          Mississippi Valley State                    4-13    2-5      @

9          High Point                                          6-11    2-5     

10       Radford                                              5-13    2-6

11       UNC-Asheville                                    4-13    1-6

12       Coastal Carolina                                1-17    1-7

 

! – Winthrop currently holds tie breaker over VMI due to head-to-head victory

@ - Mississippi Valley State currently holds tie breaker over High Point due to head-to-head victory

 

 

BIG SOUTH PLAYER AWARDS PREDICTIONS

 

Player of the Year:

Richard Kanagy                     Sr.        PG       Birmingham-Southern (14.9 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.6 spg)

 

Defensive Player of the Year:

Brian Storm                           Sr.        C          Mississippi Valley State (9.8 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 1.5 bpg)

 

Freshman of the Year:

Mark Parry                            Fr.        PG       Birmingham-Southern (7.8 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 1.5 apg)

 

 

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Big South Tournament Field Finalized

 

The field for the 84 Big South Tournament is finally set. All games will take place on the campus of Charleston Southern in Charleston, South Carolina due to the Bucs winning the Big South Championship. The teams will be seeded one through six in each division with the top two seeds receiving a bye in the opening round. The Big South Tournament will open with four games on Wednesday morning and conclude Saturday evening with the championship game. Birmingham-Southern enters as the top seed from the west division and will be looking to repeat as Big South Tournament Champions as well as earning a trip to the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive season. The Panthers started conference play 7-0 but have cooled off having lost three of the previous five games. That’s not the wave of momentum BSC was hoping for entering the tournament.

 

Charleston Southern should be the early favorite after finishing Big South play with a 14-2 record. However, the Buccaneers have been pushed to overtime in their last two games and BSC is responsible for one of the Bucs two Big South losses. Charleston Southern and BSC should advance to the semifinals and should be joined by Alabama State or VMI and Winthrop or Alabama A&M. The Alabama State-VMI game should be a very interesting one to watch, should VMI beat UNC-Asheville in the opening round. Winthrop should defeat Alabama A&M, but don’t be surprised if the Bulldogs pull off an upset. Alabama A&M is a team that is certainly capable of winning the entire tournament, but also a team that is capable of getting upset in the opening round. The Bulldogs will be an intriguing team to watch.

 

Charleston Southern, with its combination of talent and home court advantage, should advance to the championship game. The Buccaneers opponent for the championship game is possibly anyone’s guess. Winthrop defeated both Alabama A&M and Birmingham-Southern this season, but had the luxury of playing both teams at home. Birmingham-Southern and Alabama A&M split their two meetings this season with the home team winning each meeting. Whoever emerges from that side of the bracket to play the Bucs will have its hands full. The championship game should once again be a classic, but look for Charleston Southern to ride its home court advantage to a victory and a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

 

84 BIG SOUTH TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

at Charleston, S.C.

 

Wednesday – First Round

Game 1: [3] Alabama A&M (15-11) vs. [6] Coastal Carolina (2-24)                   AAMU (-17)

Game 2: [4] Liberty (11-15) vs. [5] Mississippi Valley State (9-17)                   LIB (-3)

Game 3: [3] VMI (17-9) vs. [6] UNC-Asheville (6-20)                                          VMI (-21)

Game 4: [4] High Point (11-15) vs. [5] Radford (7-19)                                       HPU (-2)

 

Thursday – Second Round

Game 5: [2] Winthrop (19-7) vs. Game 1 Winner

Game 6: [1] Birmingham-Southern (15-11) vs. Game 2 Winner

Game 7: [2] Alabama State (16-10) vs. Game 3 Winner

Game 8: [1] Charleston Southern (17-9) vs. Game 4 Winner

 

Friday – Semifinals

Game 9: Game 5 Winner vs. Game 6 Winner

Game 10: Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Winner

 

Saturday – Championship Game

Game 11: Game 9 Winner vs. Game 10 Winner

 

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Big South Tournament Day One Recap

 

The first day of the 84 Big South Tournament is over and it’s time to look back at a day full of action. Of the four games played Wednesday, only one was fairly competitive with the others being one-sided for the most part. Below we’ll summarize each game and look ahead to tomorrow’s second round action!

 

GAME 1: [3] Alabama A&M 68, [6] Coastal Carolina 57

Coastal Carolina just was not able to hang around with Alabama A&M and as a result its abysmal season is finally over. Alabama A&M set the tone early and had its way with the Chanticleers. The Bulldogs got to the free throw line early and often throughout the game for easy points. Coastal Carolina also found itself in extreme foul trouble throughout the game and could never really find a rhythm. Freddie Williams led the Chanticleers in scoring with 12 points off of four made 3-pointers. Christopher Peake and David Clayborn scored 12 and points, respectively, for Alabama A&M. Terry Beals was named the player of the game with a performance that included 10 points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals for the Bulldogs off the bench.

 

GAME 2: [4] Liberty 84, [5] Mississippi Valley State 80

This was definitely the closest contested game of the day with lead changes occurring all throughout the game. Liberty used an 11-3 run halfway through the second half to go up 59-52. Mississippi Valley State was able to cut the Flames lead to three on three separate occasions in the final 1:40 of the game, but Liberty responded by connecting on all of its free throw attempts down the stretch despite making just 40 percent of its free throw attempts for the entire game. Freddie Fulghum led Mississippi Valley State with a game-high 20 points. Nicholas Bold and Michael Reid added 13 and 11 points, respectively, for the Delta Devils. Stewart Hayhurst led Liberty with 18 points off the bench in just 18 minutes of action and earned player of the game recognition for his performance. Steven Hacker also provided a spark off the bench with 11 points in 13 minutes. Francis Youung, John Boyle and Phil Marchand led the starters with 13, 11 and 10 points, respectively.

 

GAME 3: [3] VMI 75, [6] UNC-Asheville 39

VMI’s top ranked defense in the Big South flexed its muscle and held UNC-Asheville to just 30.4 percent shooting from the field. The Bulldogs made just 14 field goals in the entire game and were held to just 17 second half points. Donald Johnson led VMI with eight points. Marion Steward was named player of the game after a double-double performance with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Christopher Perlman scored 13 points for the Keydets and John Pryor added 11 points off the bench.

 

GAME 4: [4] High Point 87, [5] Radford 77

Despite committing 17 turnovers, High Point was able to pound Radford inside for 40 points and came away with the victory in the opening night’s final game. Joseph Harris led the inside attack for High Point with a game-high 19 points. The Panthers built a 46-34 lead at the half, but Radford caused fits for High Point throughout the second half. However, the Highlanders dug too deep of a hole and could not dig themselves out during the second half. Robert Purcell led Radford with 14 points. Shad Robertson and Victor Lemelin added 11 and 10 points for the Highlanders. Clyde Johnson and Eric Smith scored 12 and 11 points, respectively, for High Point off the bench. Thomas Hendrix also scored 10 points for the Panthers.

 

The schedule and lines for tomorrow’s second round action is as follows:

 

Game 5: [2] Winthrop (19-7) vs. [3] Alabama A&M (16-11)                              WIN (-5)

Game 6: [1] Birmingham-Southern (15-11) vs. [4] Liberty (12-15)                  BSC (-5)

Game 7: [2] Alabama State (16-10) vs. [3] VMI (18-9)                                       ALST (-2)

Game 8: [1] Charleston Southern (17-9) vs. [4] High Point (12-15)                 CSU (-12)

 

Check back with the Big South Sports Blog for a recap for tomorrow’s action!

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Big South Tournament Day Two Recap

 

The opening day of the Big South Tournament was definitely lacking in drama, however, the second day more than made up for it with three nail-biting games, two of which went into overtime.

 

GAME 5: [2] Winthrop 95, [3] Alabama A&M 89 (OT)

Alabama A&M appeared to be just 15 second away from a big upset and advancing to the semifinals of the Big South Tournament. Roger Kimble stepped to the free throw line for two shots with the Bulldogs leading 75-73. Kimble made the first shot but missed the second shot leaving the Bulldogs with a 76-73 lead. Christopher Briggs hit iron on a 3-point attempt coming out of a timeout, but Mark Williams was able to get around a box out attempt and grabbed the offensive rebound. Williams dribbled to the top of the arch and nailed a 3 to tie the game at 76-76 with 0:04 left in the game to force overtime. The Bulldogs kept it close during overtime and cut the Eagles lead to 85-84 with 1:35 left in overtime. However, Alabama A&M ran out of gas and only made one field goal throughout the rest of overtime while Winthrop went 10-for-12 from the free throw line during that stretch to seal the victory. Franjo Zentner put up a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds and Franjo Zaharek led Winthrop with 16 points. Richard Sullivan added 15 points and eight rebounds off the bench and Joshua Mallery and Richard Ruggles added 11 points each. David Clayborn had a big game for Alabama A&M with 15 points and eight rebounds. Christopher Peake led the Bulldogs with 19 points and William Herrington added 16 points and seven rebounds.

 

GAME 6: [1] Birmingham-Southern 87, Liberty 85

Freshman Mark Parry had his best performance in his young career thus far for BSC. Parry was named player of the game after scoring 15 points with four assists and no turnovers. The Panthers had an eight-point lead at the half, but couldn’t maintain the lead throughout the second half. Birmingham-Southern trailed 80-77 with 3:15 left in the game. The Panthers finally tied the game at 83-83 with just 0:24 left. Parry drew a foul and knocked down both free throws to give BSC an 85-83 lead with 22 second remaining. Francis Young tipped in a missed shot on the other end to tie the game once again, but Parry drew another foul and made two more free throws with four second left in the game to give BSC an 87-85 lead and eventual victory. Young led Liberty with 18 points and Phil Marchand added 12 points. Liberty shot just 36.4 percent from 3 and BSC made 20-of-26 free throw attempts. The Panthers bench also scored 40 points and was led by Shaun McCague, Donald Bowen and Jeffrey Cain with 12, 14 and 10 points, respectively. Cain scored 10 points in just six minutes of playing time. Richard Kanagy had another big performance for BSC with 13 points, six assists, and three rebounds. Donald Dargan scored 11 points with six rebounds.

 

GAME 7: [3] VMI 69, [2] Alabama State 66 (OT)

After holding Alabama State in check throughout most of the game, VMI found itself in a hole late against the Hornets. The Keydets connected on 3’s in back-to-back possessions in the final 25 seconds to force overtime. Both teams traded blows in overtime until the final two minutes of the extra period. Alabama State missed turned the ball over on back-to-back possessions and missed four consecutive shots from the field. An Austin Vanbrunt putback gave VMI a 68-66 lead and ultimately led to victory for the Keydets. VMI capitalized on Alabama State turnovers throughout the game, outscoring the Hornets 17-3 in points off turnovers. Vanbrunt was named player of the game after scoring 14 points with 10 rebounds. Thomas Kelly and Antonio Hyden each added 12 points for VMI. Richard Care led Alabama State with a game-high 19 points.

 

GAME 8: [1] Charleston Southern 81, [4] High Point 48

The final game of the night was the only one that didn’t have last second drama, but host Charleston Southern’s home crowd didn’t seem to mind the result. The Buccaneers edged out a five-point lead at halftime before dismantling the Panthers 46-18 in the second half. High Point shot just 27.3 percent from 3 and turned the ball over 18 times. Charleston Southern scored 25 points off of High Point’s turnovers. Clyde Johnson led the Panthers with 11 points. Joel Longoria scored 13 points for the Bucs and Glenn Allan was named player of the game after an 18-point performance.

 

The final four of the 84 Big South Tournament is set! If today was any indication, tomorrow should be another day full of down-to-the-wire action. Below is the schedule and line for both games.

 

Game 9: [1] Birmingham-Southern (16-11) vs. [2] Winthrop (20-7)                BSC (-2)

Game 10: [1] Charleston Southern (18-9) vs. [3] VMI (19-9)                            CSU (-2)

 

Check back with the Big South Sports Blog for a recap of tomorrow’s semifinal action!

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BIG SOUTH AWARDS

 

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Richard Kanagy                     PG       Sr.        Birmingham-Southern (18.3 ppg, 3.8 apg, 2.3 spg)

 

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Richard Kanagy                     PG       Sr.        Birmingham-Southern (18.3 ppg, 3.8 apg, 2.3 spg)

 

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR

Mark Parry                            PG       Fr.        Birmingham-Southern (8.4 ppg)

 

COACH OF THE YEAR

Kevin Adams                         HC                   Charleston Southern (18-10)

 

FIRST TEAM ALL-BIG SOUTH

PG       Richard Kanagy                     Sr.        Birmingham-Southern (18.3 ppg, 3.8 apg, 2.3 spg)

SG        Christopher Peake                Sr.        Alabama A&M (12.3 ppg, 2.7 apg)

SF        Joel Longoria                          Sr.        Charleston Southern (12.9 ppg, 7.1 rpg)

PF        Thomas Mandel                    Sr.        Charleston Southern (7.3 ppg, 6.1 rpg)

C          Nathan Forbes                       Sr.        Charleston Southern (7.8 ppg, 7.6 rpg)

 

SECOND TEAM ALL-BIG SOUTH

PG       Seth Hall                                 Sr.        Alabama A&M (10.9 ppg, 3.9 apg)

SG        Glenn Allen                            Sr.        Charleston Southern (10.7 ppg, 2.0 apg)

SF        Phil Marchand                       Jr.        Liberty (10.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg)

PF        Marion Steward                    So.       VMI (7.4 ppg, 4.7 rpg)

C          Christopher Perlman            Sr.        VMI (8.6 ppg, 7.9 rpg)

 

THIRD TEAM ALL-BIG SOUTH

PG       Douglas Dorado                     Jr.        Charleston Southern (11.3 ppg, 3.6 apg)

SG        Francis Young                        Sr.        Liberty (13.1 ppg, 1.8 apg)

SF        Franjo Zaharek                      Jr.        Winthrop (10.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg)

PF        Donald Dargan                      So.       Birmingham-Southern (6.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg)

C          Ronald Dunn                         Sr.        Winthrop (8.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg)

 

HONORABLE MENTION ALL-BIG SOUTH

PG       Joshua Mallery                      Winthrop

            Donald Bowen                       Birmingham-Southern

            John Boyle                              Liberty

SG        Richard Cate                          Alabama State

            John Pryor                             VMI

            Rafael Robbins                      High Point

SF        Michael Davis                       Birmingham-Southern

            Mark Shanklin                       Alabama A&M

            Philip Moriarty                      Alabama State

PF        William Herrington               Alabama A&M

            Michael Sparkman                Alabama State

            Michael Stutes                       Birmingham-Southern

C          Brian Storm                           Mississippi Valley State

            Michael Lablanc                    Alabama State

            Franjo Zentner                      Winthrop

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BIG SOUTH SPORTS BLOG

 

Big South Tournament Semifinal Recap

 

The championship game is set for the 84 Big South Tournament and both semifinal games today provided plenty of surprises. Birmingham-Southern advancing to the championship game was not a surprise, but the manner in which it won was very surprising and the home crowd was stunned silent when VMI knocked off host Charleston Southern. Below we’ll recap each game.

 

GAME 9: [1] Birmingham-Southern 81, [2] Winthrop 60

This game was close for the first 12 minutes of regulation and then BSC ended the half on a 20-9 run. The Panthers held the lead throughout the second half until finally pulling away with another big run. Birmingham-Southern closed the game on a 21-10 run. Birmingham-Southern forced the Eagles into 18 turnovers and scored 23 points off of those turnovers. The Panthers bench also outscored Winthrop’s bench 45-29. Winthrop made just 47.6 percent of its free throw attempts while BSC was 20-of-26 from the line. Donald Bowen was named player of the game after scoring 12 points with nine assists and three steals off the bench for BSC. Richard Kanagy added 14 points with four assists and six rebounds. Mark Parry and Shawn Beauvais each scored 10 points. George Brown and Franjo Zaharek led Winthrop with 11 and 10 points, respectively.

 

GAME 10: [3] VMI 54, [1] Charleston-Southern 52

Marion Steward only scored five points for VMI, but he made perhaps the biggest plays of the game in the closing seconds. Steward scored off of a baseline drive with 32 seconds remaining to give VMI a 52-49 lead over host Charleston Southern. Antonio Hyden knocked down a pair of free throws to extend VMI’s lead to 54-49 with sixteen second left in the game. Joel Longoria missed a 3 for CSU and it was Steward who secured the rebound and sealed the victory for VMI. Longoria led Charleston Southern with 13 points, five assists, and six rebounds. Douglas Dorado and Glenn Allan added 12 and 11 points, respectively, for the Buccaneers. VMI’s stingy defense held CSU to 32 percent shooting from the 3 and only gave the Bucs three free throw opportunities. Christopher Perlman led VMI with 15 points and six rebounds. John Pryor added 10 points off the bench.

 

Birmingham-Southern will play in the Big South Tournament championship game for the third consecutive season and will look to repeat as tournament champs. VMI is looking to win its second Big South Tournament Championship in the last four seasons. Check back tomorrow for our championship game coverage!

 

Big South Tournament Championship Game

[1] Birmingham-Southern (17-11) vs. [3] VMI (20-9)                                        BSC (-3)

 

 

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THE BIRMINGHAM NEWS

 

Birmingham-Southern Wins Big South Tournament Crown

 

CHARLESTON, S.C. | Despite starting the season 3-7, the Birmingham-Southern Panthers are headed back to the NCAA Tournament after defeating VMI 54-49 to win the 84 Big South Tournament Championship.

 

Donald Dargan led BSC with 14 points and eight rebounds and was named Tournament MVP for his effort.

 

“Donald was big for us today,” said BSC coach Jeremy Knight, “it seemed like every time we needed a score or a rebound he came through for us.”

 

Birmingham-Southern lost to VMI a little over a week ago, 59-56 on the road, and it appeared that the Panthers would fall victim once again to the Keydets slow, methodical pace of play. At the half VMI led 22-20 and BSC was just 0-for-3 from the free throw line. The Panthers, however, did manage to keep the score close by holding VMI to just 1-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc in the opening half.

 

“The loss [against VMI] last week was fresh on all of our guys’ mind. We knew coming in that VMI would play a slow game and as a result they weren’t going to make many mistakes. With the pace they play at when they do make mistakes it doesn’t hurt them as much. Our plan coming into the game was to get them to make mistakes by attacking the rim and getting their guys in foul trouble. We didn’t do a very good job of that in the first half and it showed on the scoreboard.”

 

The Panthers carried out the game plan to perfection in the second half. Birmingham-Southern only attempted four 3-point shots the entire game, but they were able to get to the free throw line 21 times in the second half and connected on 15 of those attempts.

 

“We did a much better job of executing our game plan in the second half. Shawn [beauvais] and Donald were excellent down low and Richard [Kanagy] did a superb job of putting pressure on their defense, like he has all season long. We felt like [Antonio] Hyden did a lot of things for them. He may not score double-digits every night but he does a lot for that team that makes them go. We wanted to make it a point of emphasis to take him out of the game and our guys did a great job of that as well.”

 

Beauvais scored 13 points and Kanagy added 12 points.

 

The Panthers defense held Hyden to just 1-of-7 shooting for the game. With 8:35 remaining in the game the Panthers trailed 49-40. Birmingham-Southern responded by holding VMI scoreless for the remainder of the game and scored 14 points in that span. Dargan gave BSC a 51-49 lead after making a pair of free throws with 44 seconds remaining in the game.

 

“I’m just so proud of this team,” an emotional Knight said, “These guys fought through so much adversity this season. We started the season 3-7. I’ve never had a team start the season off that poorly before. Our guys could have thrown in the towel right there, but they didn’t. They continued to work hard everyday and now we’re sitting here as conference champions going to play in the NCAA Tournament again.”

 

The conference tournament championship is the second consecutive for the Panthers and the third during Knight’s tenure. Birmingham-Southern has now won the Big South Tournament 11 times, second only to Alabama A&M’s 14 titles.

 

The Panthers will be playing in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time under Knight’s reign and for the third consecutive season. Birmingham-Southern will most likely be a 15- or 16-seed due to their rocky start to the season.

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NCAA TOURNAMENT PREVIEW

 

SOUTH SUB-REGIONAL

-Louisville, Ky.- -KFC Yum! Center-

 

[1] Connecticut (30-0) vs. [16] Birmingham-Southern (18-11)

The good news for Birmingham-Southern is that Connecticut only has nine players on scholarship. The bad news is that the majority of those players are future NBA players and each one is worlds ahead of the level of competition the Big South Conference features. The Panthers will have the deeper bench, but it won’t matter. Birmingham-Southern did a nice job of going 12-4 in conference play and winning the Big South Tournament title, but the Panthers were 3-7 against non-conference opponents. Unfortunately for BSC, Connecticut is not a member of the Big South.

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