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Feb. 27, 2024: Charleston Cougars (14-15, 8-8) @ #15 ranked Towson Tigers (25-2, 15-1)

Doc the Tiger (Towson’s mascot)

I was able to get the crowd pretty psyched up before the game.  But the way the Tigers played in the first half really made my efforts unnecessary.  They secured the lead early in the game and put together both tremendous offense and defense.  While our offensive onslaught wasn’t all that unexpected, the defense was since Charleston had scored over 100 points in their previous game.  Our guys just totally shut down the Cougars and finished the half way out in front at 47-20.  The crowd was rockin’ all the way through the half.

The Tigers cooled off in the 2nd half but never let Charleston get closer than 20 points. We stomped the Cougars by a final score of 78-51. 

Reserve PG Matt Faust had a terrific game, scoring 20 points in his 13 minutes of play.  SF Wayne Burrough scored 13, had 7 rebounds and 4 assists.  PG Shaun White and PG/SG Jon Spann each scored 11 points.  C Donny Flint pulled down 12 boards.

Mac McCaffery was injured in the game.  It later was diagnosed as a strained abdominal.

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Mar. 2, 2024: #15 ranked Towson Tigers (26-2, 16-1) @ William & Mary Tribe (12-16, 8-9)

Baltimore Sun

TOWSON WINS 17TH STRAIGHT

The Towson Tigers continued rolling over the Colonial Athletic Association opposition last night.  They completed their regular season with their 17th consecutive win, burying William & Mary 91-74.

The Tigers took control early and led by 12 at 36-24 when the first half ended.  The second half turned into an offensive display by both teams.  The two teams combined to pour in 105 in those final 20 minutes.  Towson led by as much as 23 before settling for their 17 point victory. 

Freshman PG/SG Jon Spann tossed in 24 points in 16 minutes of play.  PG Shaun White hit for 19 points, C Donny Flint had a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, and SG Dominick Collins scored 10.  For the second straight game, Towson did not allow a player on the opposing team to score in double figures.  Spann said, “I just felt like I couldn’t miss tonight.  The main thing though is that we continued winning as we prepare for the conference tournament.”

The win improved Towson’s season record to 27-2.  They finished the CAA with a 17-1 record and were five games ahead of second place Hofstra.  The Tigers will be the #1 seed in the CAA Tourney which begins next week.  Coach Frederick Aura said, “Our guys have really played well this season.  We’ve had so many different players step up to lead us in each game.  That’s made it difficult for our opponents since they can’t just focus on one player and expect that will shut us down.”

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Matt Barnes, 2nd Assistant Coach (Recruiting)

We had a long-standing scholarship offer for which we finally received an acceptance.  Right after we finished our regular season, PG Weldon Walters gave us notice that he will be playing for us next season.  Weldon is a 6’4” high school senior from Wallington, NJ.  He’s presently the 537th ranked recruit but we think he is better than that.  He’s an excellent outside shooter but more importantly is a great passer and a solid ball-handler.  He’s got quick hands which has resulted in a lot of steals.  He’s a decent defender and rebounder.  He’s averaging 15.3 ppg, 4.5 apg, 6.5 rpg, 1.9 bpg, and 3.6 spg.  Although he’s had a few run-ins with his coaches, his high school coach says he’s a hard worker and doesn’t have problems with injuries. While we’re hoping Weldon will be ready to step in as a solid backup for us as a freshman, it may take a year for him to develop and mature. 

The signing leaves us with one remaining scholarship to fill.  We’re hoping to add one more incoming PG.  We don’t expect to fill that scholarship until April.

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Tiger Blog

Colonial Athletic Association—Play-in Round

#10 seed Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens (9-20, 5-13, RPI:300) vs #7 seed NC-Wilmington Seahawks (13-16, 7-11, RPI:257): Delaware on top 39-29 at the half.  9 lead changes, 5 ties. Final score: NC-Wilmington-69, Delaware-66. A slow but steady come-back by the Seahawks in the 2nd half.  The Fightin’ Blue Hens nearly won by hitting 14 of 34 3-pointers.  The Seahawks held a 40-33 rebounding advantage though and got to the line twice as much and scored 8 more points on free throws.  For NC-Wilmington: PG Bart Casper-15 points and 5 assists and SF John Shine-11 points and 7 rebounds.  For Delaware: PF Tavorris Nunn-17 points and 7 rebounds and PG Peter Woods-15 points.

#9 seed Northeastern Huskies (11-18, 7-11, RPI:282) vs #8 seed Drexel Dragons (14-15, 7-11, RPI:212):  Teams were tied 25-25 at the half.  11 lead changes and 6 ties.  Drexel moved out to a 10 point lead in the 2nd half and then held on.  Dragons outshot the Huskies 48% to 38%. Final score: Drexel-62, Northeastern-56.  For Drexel: C Dave Holmes-12 points, 5 rebounds and 3 blocks; PF Justin Towns-12 points and 6 rebounds; SG Kareem Bickerstaf-10 points and 8 assists; SF Aaron Dupay-10 points and 8 rebounds.  For Northeastern: PG Paul Caspers-16 points.

Colonial Athletic Association—Quarter-Finals

#5 seed Elon Phoenix (14-15, 9-9, RPI:186) vs #4 seed James Madison Dukes (15-15, 9-9, RPI:134):  Neither team was able to pull away in the first half, but James Madison managed to take a 41-36 lead at the break.  The second half was The Nick Calhoun show.  He scored from all over the floor and led the Dukes to an 86-71 victory.  SG Nick Calhoun finished with 34 points and 6 rebounds for James Madison with C Jordan MacLean adding 12 points.  PF Erick Church and C Bill Smith both scored 14 points for the Phoenix.

#6 seed William & Mary Tribe (12-17, 8-10, RPI:253) vs #3 seed Charleston Cougars (15-16, 9-9, RPI:146):  This game was close the entire way although there were just 12 lead changes and 6 ties in the game.  Charleston carved out a slim 36-33 halftime lead.  Twice as many fouls were called on William & Mary than Charleston in the game so that the Cougars scored 12 more points at the line.  That was more than enough for Charleston to eke out a 66-61 win.  Charleston’s SF Russell Brown scored 15 with SG Marius Nichols adding 13.  The Tribe was led by PG Kueth Johnson’s 13 points and C Keith Dillard scored 10.

#7 seed NC-Wilmington Seahawks (14-16, 7-11, RPI:257) vs #2 seed Hofstra Pride (18-11, 12-6, RPI:75):  While they never got more than 5 points ahead, Hofstra achieved a 33-31 lead at the break.  NC-Wilmington’s offense caught fire in the 2nd half and the Seahawks steadily drew away from the Pride.  The final score was NC-Wilmington-75, Hofstra-62.  The Seahawks leading scorer was SF John Shine with 16 points.  PF Byron Humphries scored 13 and had 7 rebounds.  For Hofstra, PG Marco Smith had 14 points and PG Jackie Dondon had 13 points.

#8 seed Drexel Dragons (15-15, 7-11, RPI:212) vs #1 seed, #14 ranked Towson Tigers (27-2, 17-1, RPI:12):  The Tigers beat Drexel twice this season, by 13 points and 16 points.  Drexel’s leading scorer, PG Ryan Killion, averaged 13.6 ppg this season.

The Tigers started slowly and fell behind by 6 points.  They took their first lead at 16-14 with 12:34 to play.  The two teams battled throughout the middle portion of the first half, but Towson took control in the latter stages to move out to a 44-35 halftime advantage.  Drexel outshot the Tigers 60% to 50% but made 13 turnovers compared to just 3 by Towson.  C/PF Donyell Porter came off the bench to score 12 points for the Tigers, while the Dragons’ starting SF Aaron Dupay topped all scorers with 17 points in the half.

The refs began the 2nd half calling 7 fouls in the first 2 minutes.  Even though the fouls continued to pile up, the Tigers powered through, steadily expanding their lead with exceptionally accurate shooting.  Towson, hitting 58% of their field goals, drubbed the Dragons 104-78.  The Tigers also turned the ball over just 5 times while Drexel had 22 turnovers.

C/PF Donyell Porter finished the game with 24 points.  SG Dominick Collins popped in 17 points and C Donny Flint and PF Kevin Holmes each scored 10.  Flint also picked off 9 rebounds.  Twelve players scored for Towson.  For Drexel, SF Aaron Dupay drilled in 21 points.

Coach Frederick Aura said, “We had a shaky start, but once we got going we just got stronger and stronger as the game proceeded.  Donyell (Porter) had a terrific game, but the entire team played well.”

Colonial Athletic Association—Semi-Finals

#3 seed Charleston Cougars (16-16, 9-9, RPI:146) vs #7 seed NC-Wilmington Seahawks (15-16, 7-11, RPI:257):  The first 8 minutes were exceptionally close, but Charleston then got out on top and finished the first half with a 47-38 edge.  The second half was a defensive battle during which Charleston was able to expand their lead to as much as 18 points before settling for an 81-70 victory over NC-Wilmington.  SG Marius Nichols poured in 25 points to lead Charleston.  PG Bart Casper topped the scoring for the Seahawks with 18 points.

#4 seed James Madison Dukes (16-15, 9-9, RPI:134) vs #1 seed #14 ranked Towson Tigers (28-2, 15-1, RPI:12):  Towson beat James Madison by margins of 15 and 22 points during the regular season.  One challenge for Towson was to control the Dukes’ SG Nick Calhoun who was averaging 17.2 ppg.  With his 34 points, he nearly single-handedly carried the Dukes past Elon in the quarter-finals.

Horrible foul shooting by the Tigers allowed James Madison to hold onto a small lead throughout most of the first half.  But in the last 2 minutes of the half, SG Copley Dwiggins came in off the bench and knocked down three straight 3’s to catapult Towson into a 45-41 halftime lead.  His 9 points were high for the Tigers in the half with SF Wayne Burrough just behind with 8 points.  SG Nick Calhoun dropped in 12 points for James Madison.

Towson’s offense slumbered through the 2nd half.  The Dukes were ahead by 7 points with 6 minutes to play.  The Tigers cut the lead to 4 but C Donny Flint fouled out with 5 minutes to go.  But Towson was unable to hit baskets when it counted and were upset by James Madison by a final score of 79-73.  Ultimately though, it was the Tiger’s inability to make free throws, making just 17 of 32 that cost them the game.  On the other hand, James Madison made 26 of 34 free throws.

SG Copley Dwiggins scored 13, SF Wayne Burrough hit for 12, and C Donny Flint added 10 points for the Tigers.  James Madison was led by C Jordan MacLean’s 20 points.

“We just never got our act together tonight,” said Coach Frederick Aura.  “We looked like we were sleep-walking out there.  We were simply out-played by the Dukes tonight.”

After the game it was announced that SG Dominick Collins sustained a minor concussion late in the 2nd half.

Colonial Athletic Association—Championship

#3 seed Charleston Cougars (17-16, 9-9, RPI:146) vs #4 seed James Madison Dukes (17-15, 9-9, RPI:134):  The teams exchanged baskets for the first 4 minutes but then Charleston went a 10-2 run and James Madison was unable to answer.  By the end of the first half, the Cougars were on top 49-33.  Then the simply buried the Dukes in the 2nd half, going up by as much as 31.  Charleston then cruised to an 89-74 trouncing of James Madison.  SF Russell Brown scored 16 and PF Corey Harris hit for 15 points while pulling down 12 rebounds for the Cougars.  SG Nick Calhoun scored 24 and PG Del Stowers hit for 23 for the Dukes.

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Perry Winkle, Athletic Director:

The team and coaches got together to watch the Selection Show.  All were sitting on pins and needles, hoping against hope that they would be selected.  But knowing that getting two teams into the NCAA Tournament from the CAA was unheard of.  Since Charleston won the automatic berth, it was likely that the Tigers would be relegated to the NIT.

NCAA Selections:    

#1 seeds:  #1 ranked Duke, #3 ranked Kentucky, #2 ranked Texas, #6 ranked Ohio State

CAA Selections:

Charleston, 14th seed in the West Region and will play #3 seed Xavier

Towson, 5th seed in the Midwest Region and will play the winner of the Southern Methodist/New Mexico play-in game for the 12th seed.

Cheers went up all around the room. The players and coaches were up and jumping and high-fiving.

Not knowing which team the Tigers will go up against means that Coach Aura and his assistants will need to study and prepare for both Southern Methodist and New Mexico.

Other Tournaments for CAA teams:

Hofstra, #1 seed in East Region of the CBI Tournament and will play #8 seed Maine

James Madison, #4 seed in Midwest Region of the CIT Tournament and will play #5 seed Coastal Carolina

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CIT and CBI Tournament Results for Colonial Athletic Association Teams:

 

CIT, Round 1:

Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (15-15) vs James Madison Dukes (17-16): James Madison took a lead early in the 1st half which they never relinquished.  At the break they were ahead 50-33 and then continued to dominate in the 2nd half, leading by as much as 26 points.  While Coastal Carolina cut into that lead a little at the end, there never was any doubt as to the outcome with James Madison hitting 60% of their shots.  The Dukes won convincingly by a score of 90-72.  James Madison was led by SG Nick Calhoun who scored 23 points and had 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks.

CIT, Round 2:

James Madison Dukes (18-16) vs NC-Greensboro Spartans (20-11): This was pretty much of a replay of the Dukes opening victory.  James Madison quickly took control and pulled away to a 44-31 halftime advantage.  They again gained as much as a 26 point lead in the 2nd half and James Madison stomped the Spartans 84-66.  As in their previous game, SG Nick Calhoun was stellar, scoring 24 points and dishing out 5 assists.

CIT, Round 3:

Florida Atlantic Owls (20-13) vs James Madison Dukes (19-16):  The game was exceptionally close throughout the first half.  The Dukes came out of it with a slim 41-40 lead.  But the Owls flew into a big lead in the 2nd half as their fans hooted it up.  Down by as much as 17 points, James Madison came on strong as the game was ending but the gap had been too big.  Florida Atlantic held off the Dukes to win 80-75.  James Madison top scorer was C Adam Ash with 16 points.  Their typical high point man, SG Nick Calhoun fouled out with 11 points.

CBI, Round 1:

Maine Black Bears (21-11) vs Hofstra Pride (18-12): Hofstra held a small lead throughout most of the 1st half, finishing it ahead 41-37.  The Pride came out and left the Black Bears behind in the dust.  Hofstra finished by decimating Maine 84-65.  C Colin Leith had a double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds plus had 4 blocks.

CBI, Round 2:

Florida State Seminoles (17-15) vs Hofstra Pride (19-12):  Hofstra took a 5 point lead over the Seminoles 6 minutes into he game, but Florida State came back to lead 37-30 at the break.  The Seminoles defense dominated early in the 2nd half which allowed Florida State to go ahead by 18 points midway through the half.  Hofstra came back and chipped away at the lead but couldn’t overtake the Seminoles.  Florida State sent the Pride home by a score of 72-66.  SG Norman Cherry scored 17 points while C Colin Leith had 9 points and 14 rebounds.

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NCAA Tournament Results for Colonial Athletic Association Teams

NCAA, Round 1:

#14 seed Charleston Cougars (18-16) vs #3 seed, #11 ranked Xavier Musketeers (26-8):
 Xavier controlled the Cougars in the first half to gain a 48-34 halftime lead. But Charleston came back in the 2nd half with an explosive offense, and regulation time ended with the teams tied at 83-83. After a first overtime, the game remained tied at 94-94. But the Cougars ran out of gas in the 2nd overtime. Xavier ran away with a 112-99 victory. SF Russell Brown topped Charleston’s scoring with 19 points, but SF Marques Smith scored 28 for the Musketeers.

#12 seed Southern Methodist Mustangs (20-12) vs #5 seed, #14 ranked Towson Tigers (28-3): The Mustangs won their play-in game over New Mexico by a score of 87-76. Southern Methodist has been a streaky team throughout much of the season with several mid-sized win streaks and losing streaks. They won 3 and lost 3 against ranked teams this season and placed 3rd in the AAC standings. PG Jeremy Felder scored 18.4 ppg and had 5.6 apg. Towson’s head coach Frederick Aura said before the game, “We haven’t had much of a chance to study the Mavericks, so we’re going into this game partially blinded. Southern Methodist is a heckuva strong 12th seed that plays well on both ends of the court. We’ve got our work cut out for us. We got our butts kicked in our last game, so I’m hoping the guys come out committed to proving that we’re a lot better than that.”

Towson scored the first 11 points of the game as they held Southern Methodist scoreless for 4-1/2 minutes. The Tigers continued to dominate and led 39-17 with 5 minutes remaining in the half. The half ended with Towson holding a solid 45-22 lead after holding Southern Methodist’s shooting to just 27%. C Donny Flint had 12 points and 11 rebounds in the first half.

Towson edged a little further out front in the 2nd half. With 8 minutes to go it was 65-36 in favor of Towson. The Tigers’ shooting then went ice cold allowing the Mustangs to trim the lead all the way until the end of the game. But Towson had enough of an advantage to avoid a serious challenge. The final score was Towson-73, Southern Methodist-61.

C Donny Flint had a big double-double with 16 points and 16 rebounds as well as 3 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. SG Dominick Collins scored 12 and PF Kevin Holmes added 11 points. The Tigers held the Mustangs’ high-scoring SG Jeremy Felder to just 4 points (all on free throws).

Coach Aura said, “I didn’t like the way we fell apart in the final 8 minutes, but before that our guys were excellent. We had enough of a margin that our entire bench got to play, so everyone can say they played in the NCAA Tourney.”

NCAA, Round of 32:

#5 seed, #14 ranked Towson Tigers (29-3) vs #4 seed, #19 ranked Virginia Cavaliers (26-10): Virginia’s SG Ilian Johansen averaged 18.3 ppg and PF Darelle Bruce averaged 15.2 ppg and 7.8 rpg this season. Virginia tied for 4th place in the ACC standings and lost the ACC Tourney championship game to #1 ranked Duke. The Cavaliers defeated Southern Illinois 75-65 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. On paper the two teams look pretty equal, but coming out a tough ACC season would seem to give the Cavaliers an edge. Coach Aura said, “It’s going to be tough trying to contain two star players like Bruce and Johansen, but we came here to play the big boys so here we go.”

Two teams, one from the prestigious AAC and one from the not so prestigious CAA from locations 170 miles apart met on a neutral court 1000 miles away from their campuses to see who would reach the Sweet 16. Most people in the stands felt Virginia would make mincemeat of Towson. But the Tigers came out with a sense of purpose and took a 11-5 lead after the first 5 minutes. Eleven minutes into the game Towson was on top 22-9 forcing the Cavaliers to take a time out. Virginia began to hit their shots, but the Tigers stubbornly matched up with them. The first half ended with Towson in charge, 40-31. The Tigers were led by C Donny Flint’s 9 points and reserve SG Dominick Collins 8 points. PF Darelle Bruce knocked down 14 points for Virginia.

With 14 minutes remaining in the game Towson still led by 9 points. But Virginia then scored 5 quick points and the crowd sensed the momentum changing. At the 7:45 mark the Cavaliers tied the game at 57-57. It then became a defensive battle. Towson bent but did not break. With the Tigers ahead by a single point with 48 seconds to go, PG Shaun White launched a 3 that sunk cleaning through the net. The Cavaliers had a tough time getting off a shot, but with 21 seconds remaining they hit a tightly contested 3 to narrow the gap to one point. Virginia put on a full court press that the Tigers barely beat. With time ticking off he clock, the Cavaliers were forced to foul. PF Kevin Holmes hit the first of a one-and-one but missed the second. Virginia quickly got the ball across midcourt and put up a 3 that ticked off the rim giving Towson a 67-65 win.

C Donny Flint scored 12 and had 11 rebounds. SG Dominick Collins scored 11. For Virginia, PF Darelle Bruce poured in 30 points and pulled down 12 boards.


After the game, PG Shaun White said, “Before the game Coach Aura told us, ‘We’re being called underdogs, but let me tell ya, we’re not underdogs, tonight we’re going to be top dogs! Now get your asses out there and play like it!’ and we did.”

C Donny Flint added, “We fell behind late in the game but we never gave up and came back to beat a really tough team. Now we’re in the Sweet 16, baby!

NCAA Sweet 16:

#5 seed, #14 ranked Towson Tigers (30-3) vs #1 seed, #3 ranked Kentucky Wildcats (34-2): The Wildcats breezed through the SEC with a perfect 18-0 record. Kentucky is riding a 32-game win streak coming into this game. SF Dave Perry is averaging 18.5 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 5.5 apg, 1.1 spg, and 2.4 bpg. Kentucky’s debilitating man-to-man defense has only allowed their opponents to average 61.3 ppg. Towson’s Nate Culuko, their scouting coach, said, “Kentucky is a really tough team. But we’re a better shooting team that are they, and I think our guards can possibly outplay their guards and could give us a chance in this game. But we’ll have to play our very best to win this one.”

Kentucky wasted no time revealing why they are a #1 seed and the #3 ranked team in the country. The Wildcats employed a devastating defense that put Towson on its heels. Unable to get off clear shots, the Tigers slid steadily behind even though the Wildcats were having their own difficulties scoring. C Donny Flint and SG Dominick Collins were sent to the bench early after picking up 2 fouls apiece. Then PF Kevin Holmes left the game with an injury with Kentucky on top 17-8. Later in the half PG Shaun White and PF/C Donyell Porter also got into foul trouble. When the half concluded, Towson was trailing 32-18. Kentucky had hit just 29% of their shots, but the Tigers had shot an abysmal 22%. The Wildcats also had outrebounded Towson 26-17. C Donny Flint scored 6 points to top the scoring for Towson. Kentucky’s SF Dave Perry was held to just 4 points but had 10 rebounds in the first half.
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Kentucky scored the first 6 points of the 2nd half to gain a 20 point lead. Towson made a small run that cut the deficit to 40-29 with 15 minutes remaining in the game. Flint fouled out with 12 minutes left and the Tigers fell behind by 20 again with 11 minutes to go. Both teams were scoring much better than in the first half, but with 7 minutes on the clock, Kentucky had opened a 30 point lead. Porter fouled out with 5 minutes left. The Tigers were unable to make any inroads and lost 85-56. Kentucky outshot Towson 43% to 35%, went to the line 20 more times where they made 17 more points than the Tigers, and held a 41-29 rebounding advantage.

The leading scorer for Towson was SF Wayne Burrough with 17 points, and he also hauled down 10 rebounds. SG/PG Jon Spann added 10 points. For Kentucky SF Dave Perry finished with 12 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 blocks.

“We ran into a real buzz-saw out there tonight,” said Coach Frederick Aura. “But making it to the Sweet 16 was an accomplishment for us and a step up the ladder from previous seasons.”

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Coach Matt Barnes, Recruiting Assistant:

The day after we played in the Sweet 16, PG Marco Fergerson, a 6’-0” high school senior from Bloomfield, CT accepted a scholarship offer we had extended a few months ago.  Marco averaged 11.9 ppg, 5.5 apg, 5.6 rpg, 1.8 bpg, and 2.0 spg.  He’s an excellent passer, very good ball handler, and great outside shooter.  He’s ranked #382 nationally and has a tremendous work ethic, rarely missed practices, and while not leader, doesn’t cause problems. 

We therefore filled all 4 scholarships we had to offer this season with 2 PG’s and 2 SF’s.

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TIGER BLOG

Donny Flint ran away with the big awards for the Colonial Athletic Association. Flint averaged 12.7 ppg and 10.1 rpg and consistently made life hell for opponents' interior players. This season he was a junior so, much to the pleasure of Coach Aura and Tigers' fans, he will be returning for his another year of collegiate competition this coming season.

Towson TIgers Colonial Athletic Association Award WInners:

C Donny Flint, CAA Player of the Year

C Donny Flint, CAA Defensive Player of the Year

C Donny Flint, CAA 1st Team All-Conference

Frederick Aura, CAA Coach of the Year

It's likely that Tigers' fans feel that some of Flint's teammates should have made the All-Conference teams, particularly PG Shaun White and SG Dominick Collins. But with stats pretty evenly divided between all the starters and several subs, they excellent play doesn't stand out on paper.

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Coach Frederick Aura:

Pretty good offers, but nothing that I got excited by.  So I will stick around at Towson next season. 

1st Asst Kenyon Haynes wanted to land a head coaching job but didn’t get one. He plans to look again after next season after his contract with us expires so he didn’t want to discuss an extension.  I did extend 3rd Assistant Nate Culuko for an extra year, though.  So he now has 3 years left on his contract.

My request for a Facilities Upgrade was approved b ythe board improving our facilities rating to a B, so I’m stoked about that.  And thus this season ends.

Edited by PointGuard

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2024-2025 SEASON

Coach Frederick Aura:

We lost 2 starters off last year’s squad. But we have both starting interior players back (C Donnie Flint and PF Kevin Holmes) and Dominick Collins returns to start at SG again this coming season. Joe Spann got a lot of playing time last season. He split his time at PG and SG, but he’s a natural PG and I expect he will perform very well starting at PG this year. At SF, Mac McCaffery performed well as a backup last season during his freshman year and is ready to step into a starting role. So I think our starting lineup will be as strong as last season. We’ll have to see how our bench looks when we begin practice in October.

We have three scholarships to fill this coming year. 2nd Assistant Coach Matt Barnes and I will get together soon to map out our recruiting strategy.

On the home front both my boys are now in high school. They’re doing pretty well academically and both are good basketball players. My daughter is in grade school. Janeka, my wife, is still a nurse at the local hospital. She also mentors a junior high school student who comes from a disadvantaged family and has had a rough childhood. It’s a big challenge but one at which Janeka excels.

Edited by PointGuard

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Perry Winkle, Athletic Director

Things were really looking up for Coach Aura and the team after getting to the NCAA tourney the past 3 years and into the Sweet 16 a month ago.  His professional and personal life were on all-time highs.

Coach Aura came into my office this afternoon to let me know his parents were driving home today when their car was hit by a guy trying to evade pursuing police officers.  Both are in critical condition.  If they survive, it’s likely that they will be laid up for some time recovering.  Fred told me he needs to be there with them as much as possible.  I told him to go and do what’s needed and that his assistant coaches will handle the team in his absence.

It's strange how things can go topsy-turvy in weeks, days, hours, or minutes.

Our thoughts are with Fred’s parents…that they recover fully.  

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2nd Assistant Coach Matt Barnes

Coach Aura gave me complete control of recruiting this season since he just won’t have the time to oversee it.  While I’m looking forward to that, it’s a big new challenge.  We’ll be losing SG Dominick Collins and big men Donny Flint and Donyell Porter.  So hopefully we can land at least one good big man and a SG this recruiting season with the 3rd being whoever best fills a need for our team.

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Recruiting Coach Matt Barnes:

We’re into November and I’m sorry to say our recruiting efforts were far from what I had hoped for. We got a fairly early signing of a SG…Marque Worrell from Gaithersburg, MD. He’s got good height, 6-5 and is a good scorer with a nice outside shot. His other forte is defense. While he’s not highly rated, I think he could turn into a solid player for us. Then in late autumn PG Glen Fox from Dover, DE accepted a scholarship offer. He’s 6-2. He’s an excellent outside shooter and has scored well in high school. He’s probably going to need a lot of grooming to be up to playing in prime time, but he’s a hard worker so we gotta hope for the best. I suspect that initially he will be a backup at both PG and SG for us.

So both recruits are likely to need time to develop into potential starters, but 2 of 3 scholarships filled. We still haven’t been able to land a big man, though, and that could present problems for us next season. Without Coach Aura around to close the deal, recruiting has been a lot tougher.

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1st Assistant Kenyon Haynes

While I wasn’t able to land a head coaching job, it looks like most of the responsibilities of that position for Towson this season are going to be placed on my shoulders with Coach Aura expected to be out of town most of the time.  As such I’ll give you a brief recap of each game.  I think I will be too busy to do much more than that.

Starters will be: PG Jon Spann, 6-0 Soph. (9.0 ppg, 2.8 apg, 2.4 spg last season), SG Dominick Collins, 6-0 Sr. (10.7 ppg, 2.2 apg, 2.5 rpg), SF Mac McCaffery, 6-7 Soph. (4.1 ppg, 0.8 apg, 1.9 rpg), PF Kevin Holmes, 6-7 Jr. (8.1 ppg, 1.7 apg, 4.6 rpg), and C Donny Flint, 6-9 Sr. (12.7 ppg, 1.6 apg, 10.1 rpg).  Our primary reserves will be C/PF Donyell Porter, 6-10 Sr. (7.5 ppg, 1.0 apg, 3.4 rpg), SG Copley Dwiggins, 6-1 Jr. (3.3 ppg, 0.7 apg, 0.3 rpg), and C/PF Calvin Williams, 6-8 Soph. (2.8 ppg, 0.8 apg, 3.3 rpg). Our other subs are freshmen and a JC transfer so we’ll have to see how they will fit in.  But I foresee a much shorter bench than we’ve had the past few seasons.  We worked hard on conditioning the past month, but I still think the starters plus the top 5 reserves will be dragging at times.

Realizing that with Coach Aura absent we’d be under a lot of pressure, our AD Perry Winkle set up an easier pre-conference schedule for us.  We’re again picked to be tops in the Colonial Athletic Association though, so hopefully we’re ready to take on the CAA opposition once conference play begins.

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Game #1—We played awesome defense against the Cal State Fullerton Titans (0-0) in the first half to take a 44-20 halftime lead.  Our defense softened in the 2nd half and the refs whistled us repeatedly allowing the Titans to narrow the gap.  We were never seriously challenged and won 78-64.  CSU Fullerton went to the line twice as much as us and scored 15 more points on free throws, but we outshot the Titans (44% to 39%, outrebounded them 37-23, and held a 17-10 advantage on turnovers.  [1-0]

SG Dominick Collins-24 pts; C Donny Flint-12 pts, 19 reb, 5 ast, 4 stl, 1 blk; PG Jon Spann-12 pts, 14 ast; PF/C Donyell Porter-10 pts; SF Mac McCaffery-9 pts.

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Game #2—We jumped out ahead of the Howard Bison (0-1) and never trailed.  At the half we were on top 41-29 and then added to our lead in the 2nd half to come away with a convincing 98-70 victory over the Bison.  We hit 52% of our FG attempts and made just 10 turnovers compared to Howard’s 22. [2-0]

SG Dominick Collins-19 pts, 5 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl; PF/C Donyell Porter-18 pts; SG Copley Dwiggins-12 pts; PG Jon Spann-11 pts, 6 ast; PF Kevin Holmes-10 pts, 8 reb; SF Mac McCaffery-10 pts, 6 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl.

C Donny Flint suffered a pulled groin that will limit him for at least 2 weeks.

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Game #3—We stayed ahead of the Saint Peters Peacocks (0-2) throughout almost all of the first half and came away with a 45-39 advantage at the break.  But both of our starting guards would be relegated to the bench in the early part of the 2nd due to each being called for 3 fouls.  PF Kevin Holmes joined them when he picked up his 3rd foul with 18:47 remaining.  With C Donny Flint unable to play, that made exposed our lack of interior depth.  While unimpressive in the 2nd half, we played well enough to pad our lead and win by a final score of 81-70.  We again shot well, lighting up the nets by hitting 55% of our FG attempts.  [3-0]

C Donyell Porter-19 pts, 8 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk; PF Kevin Holmes-16 pts; SG Copley Dwiggins-10 pts; SG Dominick Collins-8 pts, 4 ast; PG Weldon Walters-8 pts, 4 ast.

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Game #4—A stellar defense by us held the S.E. Missouri State Redhawks (3-1) shooting to 32% plus forced them to make 15 turnovers in the first half as we cruised to a 37-19 halftime advantage.  Our lead held up in the 2nd half and we cruised to a 70-54 win.  [4-0]

SG Dominick Collins-19 pts, 6 reb, 4 ast, 3 stl, 1 blk; PF Kevin Holmes-12 pts, SF Mac McCaffery-8 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk; C Donyell Porter-8 pts, 8 reb.

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Game #5—In our first away game of the season, we fell behind the Weber State Wildcats (2-2) by 11 points.  But we were able to dig ourselves out of that hole to take a 2 point lead before letting the Wildcats come back to take a 43-40 halftime lead.  We captured the lead early in the 2nd half and expanded it to 10 midway through the half.  We held onto a double-digit lead most of the rest of the way before settling for a 91-84 victory even though Weber State hit 15 of 29 from beyond the arc.  But a 36-27 rebounding advantage and a 17-12 turnover advantage made the difference. [5-0]

C Donyell Porter led the way with 18 points and 6 boards.  PG Dominick hit for 17 points plus had 6 rebounds, PG Jon Spann scored 16 points and dished out 7 assists, and reserve SF Freddie Jackson also popped in 16 points.

Acting Head Coach Kenyon Haynes’ press conference after the game:

Reporter1: Congratulations on the win, Coach.  You’re undefeated as a head coach.  How’s it feel to be leading the team this season?

Haynes: I’m having fun.  It’s definitely a big challenge but I’m getting tremendous support from the coaching staff and the team.  They’re really all pulling together.  And Coach Aura is in contact with me regularly to go over things.  I truly appreciate his input and advice.

Reporter2: Has Coach Aura indicated when he might be back?

Haynes: I’m sure he’d like to be back immediately, but his first priority is his family and his parents still need him there with them.  The injuries were severe so even though recovery is progressing, it’s not surprising that it’s a slow process.  As an only child, Crash (sorry, that’s my nickname for Coach Aura), it’s doubly important that he’s there with them providing support and encouragement.

Reporter3:  What’s been the biggest surprise on the team so far this season?

Haynes: Well, luckily we’ve been winning so I haven’t been hung in effigy.  But seriously, maybe the biggest surprise is how strongly Donyell Porter has been playing.  He was coming off the bench to play both center and power forward and ringing up a lot of points for us and giving us a real shot in the arm.  And then when Donny Flint got injured, Donyell has been starting at center for us and just doing a tremendous job, both in putting points on the board and being a big presence on the boards.  And the pick he set at the beginning of the 2nd half to free up Jon Spann was awesome.  I doubt you would have seen him do that last season.  He's just progressed so far.  Another player who has come on strong this season is Dominick Collins.  He’s been our leading scorer and tremendously consistent.  He’s become a real leader on the team and there’s been points in our games where he’s really carried the team.

Reporter2: Speaking of Donny Flint, when do you expect him back?

Haynes: I never predict that sort of thing.  But he’s rehabbing well and getting darned close to being ready to get back into games.  He’s begun practicing with us again…at reduced speed and not at full intensity, but that’s going to ensure he’s back in the flow when the doc and trainers say he’s ready to go physically.  It will be great to have him back on the floor for us.

Reporter4: Was the injury bothering Flint before it was reported?  He was less productive in the games he started before the injury was announced.

Haynes: I don’t agree at all.  He played extremely well…scoring, rebounding, defending.  We have good overall strength, so it’s not surprising that the scoring is more evenly distributed amongst a variety of players.  One thing that has slowed Donny down is the officiating.  He’s been called for some really questionable fouls…and that cut down on his time on the court.  He plays rock solid defense…the refs just have to let guys play the game and quit tooting their whistles so quickly.  Some of the refs seem to think players should maintain social distancing out there.

Reporter5: Do you think as the acting head coach, you need to be taking it to the refs more than you’ve done?

Haynes: That definitely would be satisfying at times.  But with fewer coaches on the sidelines for us, it’s important that I don’t get thrown out of games.  So I make my case known, but I’m not going to cussing out the refs, start throwing chairs, or anything like that.

Reporter1:  How long do you think you can continue to go undefeated?

Haynes:  Hopefully forever but that’s not a reasonable expectation.  My desire is for our team to play up to their full potential each and every game…then we just have to let the chips fall where they may.

Reporter6: Do you think this is a better team than last year’s team was?

Haynes: That’s a tough call. Last season’s team was pretty special.  But we certainly have a good team this year as well.  One big difference this season is that we have a lot of first-year players, so they’re still getting used to what we do.  That’s reduced our depth from what we had last season.  The young guys are coming along.  A prime example is Freddie Jackson coming in off the bench tonight to pour in 16 points and haul down 5 rebounds.  He came to us with JC experience but is still learning our sets and approach to the game.  The rest of the new guys are freshmen so it’s a slower process.  So let’s just let the guys play things out and see how they do rather than saddle them with a comparison.

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Game #6—C Donny Flint returned to action in our game against the California Golden Bears (4-0).  He’s not yet 100% so we’ll see how many minutes he’s able to play.  In the 3 games he missed, Donyell Porter started in his place and scored 45 points and grabbed 22 rebounds.  Cal comes into the game with a 4-0 record.

We got off to a hot start offensively and defensively, taking an 18-6 lead in the first 7 minutes of play.  In the first half we outshot the Golden Bears 48% to 25% and outrebounded them 23-15 resulting in a 35-25 lead at the break.  Donny Flint played just 11 minutes but scored 9 points and pulled down 9 boards.  Aided by ref calls against us, Cal gradually cut into our lead in the 2nd half and overtook us by a score of 51-50 with 10 minutes left.  We literally fell apart and went down by 6 points before rallying to cut the lead to 63-62 with 3 minutes remaining.  Unable to pull ahead, we had to foul late in the game and went down to a 72-68 defeat. [5-1]

C Donny Flint had 13 points and 11 rebounds as well as a steal and 3 blocks.  PF Kevin Holmes dropped in 13 points while hauling down 9 rebounds.  SG Dominick Collins had 9 points, 6 boards, and 4 assists.

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Game #7—We opened a 13 point lead in the first half over S.E. Louisiana Lions (4-2), but they cut into it late and the half ended with us on top 44-36. We played lackadaisically throughout the 2nd half. While we never gave up the lead, we just held our own and won unimpressively by a 78-72 score. We hit just 37% of our shots and had it not been for advantages in rebounding (+5) and turnovers (12-6), the results could have been different. [6-1]

We were led by C Donny Flint (21 points and 10 rebounds) while our SG’s Dominick Collins and Copley Dwiggins chimed in 12 points and 10 points, respectively…but they combined to hit just 8 of 27 shots. PF/C Donyell Porter had 9 points and 8 boards and PF Kevin Holmes scored 7 while pulling down 9 rebounds.

PG Jon Spann strained an abdominal and will likely see limited play for the next week.

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Game #8—Jon Spann can play, but we’re going to use him judicially against the Bucknell Bisons (1-5).  So we’ll start Dominick Collins at PG instead of SG and start Copley Dwiggins at the 2. 

The Bisons’ PG James Goff apparently likes his home court.  He hit 3 quick 3’s and then 2 free throws to put the BIsons on top 11-3 after 5 minutes of play. The hometown refs called Donny Flint for his 2nd foul just 7-1/2 minutes into the game.  We struggled the entire first half, hitting just 31% of our shots while letting Bucknell knock down 46% of theirs plus hit 6 or 12 of their 3’s.  After being down by 14 we finished the half trailing 37-27.  Donny Flint, who’d played less than 8 minutes, went off on the team in the locker room, saying we looked worse than a high school team.  Although Bucknell hit a field goal on the first possession of the 2nd half, Spann buried a 3, then shot a pinpoint pass inside to Porter for a bucket, McCaffery hit a 3 and Flint took it inside to score on a finger roll…and we were within 2 points at 39-37 after just 2-1/2 minutes.  30 seconds later Collins intercepted a pass, lobbed it upcourt to a streaking Spann who laid it in to tie the game.  But a minute later Donny Flint picked up his 4th foul.  We pressed and Collins intercepted a pass, whipped it to Porter who threw down a jam to put us on top 48-46….our first lead since we scored on our first possession of the game to make it 2-0.  We scored the next 5 points as well.  We seemed to finally be in control.  But Collins picked up foul #4 with 10:38 remaining.  So we had our two top scorers on the bench with 4 fouls apiece.  The Bisons took advantage by going on a 15-1 run to go up by 8.  We had to bring in Collins and Flint and both fouled out with the refs calling foul after foul against us and none on Bucknell.  With the two of them out, we just didn’t have enough fire power.  We went down to a 76-66 defeat.  20 fouls called on us, 4 on Bucknell the entire freakin’ game. We scored 3 more points than the Bison from the field but they beat us by 10 and they only hit 2/3 of their free throws!  It blows to play on the road.  [6-2]

Top scorers for us: C Donyell Porter-14, PG Jon Spann-13, SF Mac McCaffery-10.  For Bucknell C Oliver Lindeman had 23 points and 10 rebounds and PG James Goff scored 20.

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