The Dean's List - March 7, 2024

 

1. Inside the SoCon

 
Congratulations to the regular season champion Samford Bulldogs as they will be the number one seed this weekend in Asheville.  They’ve won a program record 26 games.
 
UNCG finished second, Chattanooga third and Western Carolina fourth as all four teams will head to Asheville with 20 or more wins.
 
The Bulldogs lost two games in a row just one time this season way back in mid-November when they opened the season at Purdue and at VCU. They were undefeated at home (18-0) and solid on the road, which is the mark of a champion.  Just as special, they have now won 21 or more games for three consecutive seasons.
 
Now that the regular season is complete, we are just days away from the start of the Ingles SoCon Basketball Championships in Asheville, North Carolina.  There is not a better time of year as Championship Week is upon us. Nothing compares to post season play with so much riding on every possession.  There will be hoop fans from all over the southeast inside Harrah’s Cherokee Center, and while it will still be a nervous time for coaches and players - there is enormous pressure during every game – it will be exciting for everyone else.
 
Yes, Samford enters as the number one seed, but there are five or six teams that can realistically win the tournament.  But like in past seasons, I believe that all ten teams can win at least one game and that’s what makes the SoCon tournament so exciting.
 
I don’t know who will win the tournament, but I do know it’s going to be a great weekend of basketball in Asheville.
 
II.         Celebrating “The Best of Everything”
 
In what has become an annual list of the Best of Everything in Southern Conference men’s basketball, let’s take a minute and celebrate those that deserve recognition after terrific regular season.The following are my 2023-2024 Dean’s List postseason award winners:
 
Best starting five – Samford

• The Bulldogs are solid at every position. They have a nice blend of talent and experience in their starting five and they play unselfish basketball. UNCG and Chattanooga starting units are really good as well.

 
Best bench – Samford

• The Bulldogs can go 12 deep while keeping the music playing. Their bench is talented and got better throughout the year.  This was an easy pick.

 
Best backcourt – Western Carolina

• There are lots to choose from as the league is full of talented guards.  The Catamounts gain a slight edge over UNCG, Samford, Chattanooga and Furman.

 
Best frontcourt – Samford & UNCG

• Samford’s Jermaine Marshall and Achor Achor can compete with anyone in the league.  Riley Allenspach added solid depth as the season progressed.  The same can be said about UNCG with Mikeal Brown-Jones, Jalen Breath, and Tim Ceaser.

 
Best freshman – Jake Davis, David Thomas, Cooper Bowser, Myles Che, Riley Allenspach, and Tryan Cook

• League coaches have continued to recruit the high school ranks well.  There are several first-year players worthy of “best freshman.”  Mercer’s Jake Davis was outstanding from early December.  Teammate David Thomas just got better and better and was arguably the best freshman down the stretch.  Look out if Furman’s Cooper Bowser has a good off season.  Chattanooga had two talented freshmen in Myles Che and Noah Melson.  There were several VMI newcomers that had fine first seasons and Samford’s Riley Allenspach has a very bright future. Wofford’s Jeremy Lorenz battled injury but also has a terrific future for the Terriers.

 
Best sophomore – Honor Huff (Chattanooga)

• Huff was voted to the preseason all-conference team and didn’t disappoint.  Sophomore teammate Sam Alexis continues to improve and was also a big reason why the Mocs won 20 regular season games.  The Citadel’s AJ Clark also had an outstanding sophomore campaign as did Western Carolina guard DJ Campbell and UNCG wing Donovan Atwell.

 
Best junior – Achor Achor (Samford) & JP Pegues (Furman)

• This class has a ton of talented players, but Achor had a terrific year for the Bulldogs and JP Pegues is the heart and soul of the Paladins. Samford’s AJ Staton-McCray, Wofford’s Corey Tripp and ETSU forward Jaden Seymour deserve mention as well.

 
Best senior/5^th year – Vonterius Woolbright (Western Carolina), Mikeal Brown-Jones, Keyshaun & Kobe Langley (UNCG), Jalyn McCreary (Mercer), Marcus Foster (Furman) and Trey Bonham (Chattanooga)

• All seven were fantastic.  Each led their team in multiple categories.  Wofford forward Kyler Filewich and Samford guard Rylan Jones, while not at the level of the above mentioned, also deserve mention as they had outstanding campaigns.

 
Best graduate transfer – Rylan Jones (Samford)

• The graduate transfer from Utah State was the glue guy for the Bulldogs.

 
Best 6^th man – Garrett Hicks (Samford) & Jan Zidek (Chattanooga)

• Hicks did not start a game in conference play, but his numbers were more than solid in 18 league games.  He shot 46.5% from the field and 42% from 3-point range.  Zidek started every non-conference game for the Mocs, then only started the final conference game, so he was considered.  An outstanding shooter, Zidek averaged 10.5ppg off the bench in SoCon play

 
Best long-range shooters – Chase Cormier (Wofford), Jaden Campbell (Samford), Keyshaun Langley (UNCG), Trey Bonham (UTC), Honor Huff (UTC), Donovan Atwell (UNCG) and Russell Jones, Jr. (Western Carolina)

• Yet another great season of talented shooters in the SoCon.

 
Best dunker – Mikeal Brown-Jones (UNCG)

• Brown-Jones has thrown down plenty this season

 
Best defender – Kobe Langley (UNCG)

• There are several players that were in the conversation, but in the end, Langley is simply the best the league has to offer at the defensive end.  A very good case can also be made for ETSU forward Jadyn Parker.

 
Best Heart – Ben VanderWal (Furman)

• VanderWal had appendectomy surgery in early December.  He’s tough and resilient and continued to battle all season helping the Paladins. While he can score, his value is that he can defend, he’s a good rebounder and he has terrific basketball IQ.

 
Best versatility – Vonterius Woolbright (Western Carolina)

• It’s hard to argue against a guy that leads the nation in double-doubles and triple-doubles.  Woolbright simply does a little bit of everything.  He led the SoCon in scoring and rebounding and was second in assists.

 
Best Glue Guy – Rylan Jones (Samford)

• Jones arrived at Samford with lots of experience and was a major reason why the Bulldogs had tremendous success.  Yes, others generally get the headlines, but Jones does whatever is needed.

 
Best Rebounder – Vonterius Woolbright (Western Carolina)

• Woolbright gets this award, not only because he led the league in rebounding, but because he did it consistently throughout the season.  He had 26 double-digit rebound games.  Mikeal Brown-Jones (UNCG), Taeshaud Jackson (VMI), Kyler Filewich (Wofford) and Quentin Millora-Brown (The Citadel) are also outstanding on the glass.

 
Best table setter – Kobe Langley (UNCG)

• The top assist man in the Southern Conference, Langley can do a lot of things with the ball. That said, Vonterius Woolbright (Western Carolina), Rylan Jones (Samford) and JP Pegues (Furman) can also distribute the rock.

 
Best Improvement – Achor Achor (Samford) & Donovan Atwell (UNCG)

• Achor and Atwell made huge strides this season.  There were other players that also showed nice improvement as well. This included DJ Campbell (Western Carolina) and AJ Clark (Citadel) who elevated their game year over year.

 
Best in transition – JP Pegues (Furman)

• Pegues is the consummate point guard.  He almost always makes the right decision in transition. He was fourth in the league in assists and third in assist/turnover ratio

 
Best toughness – Jermaine Marshall (Samford)

• Marshall always provides toughness and energy at both ends of the court - and impacts winning for the Bulldogs.

 
Best lungs – Vonterius Woolbright (Western Carolina)

• The Ironman of the Southern Conference rarely came out in league play this season.

 
Best players who didn’t get an official award – Russell Jones, Jr. (Western Carolina) & Jaden Campbell (Samford)

• Woolbright gets most of the headlines, but Jones is vital to the Catamounts success averaging almost 13 per game. Campbell was equally valuable to the Bulldogs success averaging double figures while shooting 47% from 3 and 84% from the free throw line.  They didn’t win a postseason award by the league coaches/media, but I didn’t forget him.

 
Best team improvement – Western Carolina

• The Catamounts won 18 games a year ago, but really showed marked improvement this season winning 22 games in the regular season.  They also reached double digit wins in conference games while earning the number four seed.  They will be a factor in Asheville.

 
Best coach – Bucky McMillan (Samford)

• I say this every year, but in a league with good coaches, it’s hard to select just one.  Justin Gray did an outstanding job this season and certainly deserves special recognition. Equally, Mike Jones and Dwight Perry did great work this year, but McMillian guided the Bulldogs to a record-setting regular season.

 
 
III.        It’s been how long?
 
Furman won the regular season and post season tournament last year. Here’s offering good luck to every program in the 2024 Ingles SoCon Basketball Championships:
 
Team (last time they participated in the NCAA Tournament)
 
Furman – 2023
Chattanooga – 2022
UNCG – 2021
Wofford - 2019
ETSU – 2017 (2020 SoCon Champions, but the NCAA tournament was cancelled)
Mercer – 2014 (as member of the Atlantic Sun Conference)
Samford – 2000 (as a member of the Trans America Athletic Conference)
Western Carolina – 1996
VMI - 1977
The Citadel – never participated
 
IV.        Thanks
 
I would like to say thanks to Commissioner Cross and his outstanding staff for allowing me to report again on Southern Conference Men’s Basketball.  I also want to thank those that have followed The Dean’s List. This has been a great year and I hope that everyone has enjoyed the articles and content as much as I have liked putting everything together.
 
Let’s hope we have a successful and memorable Southern Conference Tournament.  See everyone in Asheville!
 
Follow me on X:  @DeanKeener1