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The Southern ConferencePublished: 1/8/2025, Last updated: 1/8/2025
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The Dean's List - Jan. 8, 2025

SoCon analyst Dean Keener provides his second in-season update of the men's basketball season

Note: The following piece was prepared by Dean Keener, who provides commentary on Southern Conference men’s basketball broadcasts.

Keener played collegiately at Davidson before embarking on a successful 20-year coaching career. He served as head coach at James Madison from 2004-08. You can follow him on X: @DeanKeener1

The Dean’s List 

January 8, 2025 

 

I. Inside the SoCon 

 The non-conference slate is clearly in the rearview mirror, and we’re into league play.  I love that the Southern Conference continues to play a full round-robin schedule for a total of 18 league games. Because of this, we have a true regular season champion when we convene in Asheville. 

 

If we’ve learned anything during the first two months of this season, it’s that there is good competitive balance throughout the league.  Yes, there are varying levels of talent on each roster, but each team is well coached making conference play exciting.  That said, it’s way too early to predict the best team. 

 

Furman set a program record with 12 non-conference wins, but after opening conference play with a win at Western Carolina, they traveled to UNCG last Saturday where the Spartans shot 57% and beat the Paladins by 17.  Speaking of UNCG, Mike Jones’ crew is starting to find a rhythm on offense which will put them among the top teams in the league. 

 

The Samford Bulldogs are the defending champions and while they have several newcomers in their rotation, Rylan Jones is their leader.  Because of Jones and the talent in their top 10, they remain a threat to win the regular season.  Chattanooga lost their first three games of the season, then began to hit a nice stride in mid-December.  The Mocs rebounded from a conference opening loss at Mercer with a win against The Citadel. 

 

Yes, VMI is better this year, and Wofford had a good road win at ETSU, but the Bucs will still be a tough out. And it’s never easy to win a road game in Cullowhee or Charleston, but the team to watch is the Mercer Bears.  First-year coach Ryan Ridder’s group is just talented enough to make things difficult for their opponents.  They can score, and the back court of Ahmad Robinson and Chip Johnson is as good as any in the league.  It will be interesting to watch the Bears as they navigate through league play.  

 

Through the first week of games, just three teams went 2-0.  With very little overall separation, at least in the top seven, anyone can win on a given night, which makes things exciting. 

 

By the time we get to Asheville on March 7, we should be set for another terrific post-season tournament.  Southern Conference fans should enjoy what will be a fun regular season during the next eight weeks.  Again, it’s way too early to talk about a regular season champion, so we just need to appreciate what SoCon men’s basketball has to offer this season. 

 II. SoCon Fast Facts 

  • Southern Conference teams were a combined 52-7 at home in non-conference play this season 
  • The three-point shot continues to be a big part of Southern Conference men’s basketball. Seven of the 10 league members rank inside the top 50 in three-point attempts per game  
  •  Furman has been really good inside Timmons Arena the past five years, but with the venue getting an upgrade, the Paladins have had to play “home games” in three different venues where they are 7-0 
  •  Mercer and Samford are nationally ranked in steals per game.  Samford ranks fourth in the nation (10.6 steals/game) and Mercer is 13th (10.2 steals/game) 
  • Samford is fourth in the nation in scoring offense at 88.7 ppg  

 III. What is the Transfer Portal? 

I wrote about this last year, but because of the impact transferring has on college basketball, I thought it was necessary to touch on it again.  Transferring schools in college basketball has been going on for years as there are many reasons why a student-athlete transfers.  These reasons included a coaching change, playing time, being home sick, or a family situation.  But the process of players moving from school to school has changed dramatically since the NCAA instituted the “Transfer Portal” in October 2018.  Things really became hectic when the NCAA approved legislation in April 2021 that allowed players to transfer one time without having to sit out a year at their new school.  Then in December 2023, the NCAA allowed immediate eligibility for two-time transfers. 

 

Previously in college basketball, student-athletes were required to sit out for a year - serving “a year in residence” - before they were allowed to play at their new school.  There were a few special waivers granted for immediate eligibility, but those were difficult to come by. 

 

Because of the impact on recruiting and the year-to-year makeup of rosters, it’s more important than ever for college coaches to stay as close as possible to their players, but NIL comes into play.  That said, student-athletes are getting hit by so many external things that influence their thought process.  NIL opportunities, social media, unreasonable expectations by parents, high school and travel coaches as well as personal trainers are just a few of the outside influences that are affecting kids today.  This makes coaching more difficult than at any time in recent history. 

 IV. Transfers in the SoCon 

 The Southern Conference lost several players to the transfer portal last season, but to some extent coaches were able to recruit some very talented players as well. 

Keep in mind, transfers come from a variety of four-year institutions (DI, II, III and NAIA) as well as junior colleges. In addition, graduate transfers generally have one year to play at their new school.  Regardless of where transfers come from, they have become a way of life in college basketball, including the SoCon. 

 Here are some of the top first-year transfers in the SoCon during non-conference play:  

 

  • Frank Champion (Chattanooga) – He spent four years at North Georgia where he scored over 1,700 career points and helped lead them to the DII Tournament Elite Eight last year 
  • Bash Weiland (Chattanooga) – A graduate transfer after spending four years at Bellarmine.  He has been solid for the Mocs in the non-conference 
  • Garrison Keeslar (Chattanooga) – Another DII transfer from Walsh (OH) University where he scored over 1,200 points.  He currently leads the SoCon in assist/turnover ratio at 5.35/1! 
  • Sola Adebisi (The Citadel) – He’s taken a unique route. After graduating high school, he chose to attend Florida State University.  During his second year, he was a practice player for the women’s team, then he joined the men’s team as a walk-on for two years. He’s found a home in Charleston and leads the Bulldogs in rebounding 
  • Brody Fox (The Citadel) – The former Division III All-American at the University of Wisconsin-Stout is a major reason why the Bulldogs will be a very tough out in league play 
  • John Buggs III (ETSU) – The 6’3” guard has spent time at several schools and is now a graduate student for the Bucs.  He is currently averaging 13.3 ppg 
  • Nick Anderson (Furman) – Anderson played four years at Barry University for former Paladins head coach Butch Estes.  He’s currently averaging 11.7 ppg for the Paladins 
  • Tom House (Furman) – He was heavily recruited by the Paladins in high school but chose to go to Florida State.  After two seasons in Tallahassee, the sharpshooter is now fully entrenched in Furman’s rotation 
  • Tyler “Chip” Johnson (Mercer) – The 6’2” guard had a stellar four-year career at Division II USC-Aiken.  In fact, he was the Peach Belt Conference Player of the Year last season 
  • Ahmad Robinson (Mercer) – The engine that is helping Mercer go fast.  The transfer from New Hampshire has been really good for first-year head coach Ryan Ridder 
  • Angel Montas, Jr. (Mercer) – After two injury-filled seasons at Fordham, Montas was playing well for the Bears.  Unfortunately, he’s battling injury again 
  • Trey Fort (Samford) – One of several transfers for Bucky McMillian’s Bulldogs, Fort leads them in scoring while shooting 44% from three 
  • Jaden Brownell (Samford) – He spent three seasons at UIC in a backup role but has been terrific for the Bulldogs in the non-conference.  He is currently averaging over 14 ppg and can score from all three levels 
  • Collin Holloway (Samford) – Another transfer who has been solid for Samford.  He spent two seasons at Georgetown, then the past two at Tulane.  Holloway is a tough match-up in the Southern Conference 
  •  Kenyon Giles (UNCG) – The Radford University transfer has been good from day one for the Spartans.  He put 25 on Furman in the Spartans win 
  • Justin Bailey (Wofford) - Bailey is a transfer from USC Upstate.  He has been in the lineup for the Terriers while scoring over 8 ppg and shooting 44% from three 
  • Ice Emery (Western Carolina) – He spent his first season at Merrimack College, then the past two years at Dodge City Community College in Kansas.  He’s someone that will need to play well if the Catamounts are going to have a successful conference season  
  • Cord Stansberry (Western Carolina) – After two seasons at Pepperdine University, Stansberry is scoring 11 ppg for the Catamounts 
  •  Rickey Bradley, Jr. (VMI) – Bradley is an interesting story as he started his college career at VMI, left for Georgia State for one season, and is now back in Lexington.  He is the leader of the Keydets’ team 
  • TJ Johnson (VMI) – After spending two seasons at Lipscomb (redshirt as a true freshman), Johnson is now playing at a very high level for the Keydets 
  •  Augustinas Kiudulas (VMI) – The Keydets leading scorer and rebounder spent one season at Indiana State before moving to VMI this year  

  V. Young Guns  

Even though transfers have become a way of life in college basketball, SoCon coaches have continued to do a nice job recruiting the high school ranks.  Even though we’ve just started league play, there are several first-year players making an impact: 

 

  • Laif Diouf (Chattanooga) – Diouf has started nine games for the Mocs.  While his stats don’t jump out, he has talent.   
  • Eddrin Bronson (Furman) – Bronson was injured in the pre-season, so he’s just rounding into shape.  He has a high ceiling if he will simply continue to work. 
  • Brady Shoulders (Mercer) – The freshman from Kentucky has been solid for the Bears.  He’s tough and isn’t afraid of the moment. 
  • Kaden Stuckey (VMI) – Stuckey has been solid in his first season for the Keydets. 
  • Linus Holmstrom (VMI) – The 6’3” guard from Sweden is shooting 36% from three while averaging 9.0 ppg. 
  • Luke Flynn (Wofford) – A crafty point guard, Flynn has provided a spark off the bench for the Terriers. 
  • CJ Hyland (Western Carolina) – A solid point guard from Georgia has a bright future.  

Here’s hoping that the good, young talent in the league will stick around and keep the Southern Conference one of the top mid-major leagues in the country. 

   VI. The SoCon Ladder  

The non-conference portion of the schedule is complete, and we are into conference play. That said, it’s hard to say a team is in the” top-half or bottom-half” of the league as it’s way too early and we just don’t have clarity yet.  And injuries have played a part with some of the teams. 

 

With limited league games, we have simply placed teams in their current standing: 

 

  • UNCG – As usual, the Spartans are disciplined, especially at the defensive end. Their offense showed up in their first two wins. 
  • Mercer – The Bears were flying under the radar, but no more.  This team will be a tough out. 
  • Samford – The Bulldogs are a confident yet hungry group.  “Bucky-ball” is alive and well in Birmingham. 
  • Furman – Yes, they got hit hard on the road at UNCG, but the Paladins are a good basketball team. 
  •  Chattanooga – The Mocs spent the non-conference trying to get healthy.  They aren’t shooting the three as much as in the past, but that’s still very much a weapon for this group. 
  •  ETSU – This group is talented and will be right there all season. 
  • Wofford - This team has talent as well as solid coaching, therefore they will be a factor in the league race. 
  • VMI - Andrew Wilson has probably done as good of a job as anyone in the league.  The Keydets need to take care of home where they’re tough to beat. 
  • The Citadel - The Bulldogs have the ability to compete but simply have not shot well enough to win. 
  • Western Carolina – Tim Craft knew this was going to be a tough re-build.  Unfortunately, the Cats are like The Citadel as they need to shoot better in league play. 

 

The next Dean’s List will be released January 22, 2025.  Follow me on X: DeanKeener1 

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