The Dean's List - Dec. 18, 2024

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

December 18, 2024

The college basketball season is well underway, and we’ve seen every SoCon member have moments of really good play.

Since the regular season tipped off just over six weeks ago, there have been enough highlights within the Southern Conference in the early going to confirm why league play will be as fun and interesting as we’ve seen in many years.  SoCon teams have generally taken care of business at home where they are collectively 46-7 through December 16.  There have been a few missed opportunities, but generally speaking the league has performed well.

In addition, the SoCon/ASUN Alliance has been terrific.  It’s delivered much needed home games to everyone.  Equally importantly, its provided a gauge for SoCon teams as to where they are prior to conference play.

The best teams in the league appear to be Furman, Samford, Chattanooga and ETSU. The Paladins streaked out to a 7-0 mark (with key wins over Belmont and Tulane) before losing to Kansas. It looks as though Bob Richey and staff have the program back in good way after having what appeared to be some selfish play last season.  The Paladins are currently 10-1 and with size upfront and terrific shooting, they will be a very tough out in conference play.  Samford’s Bucky McMillan continues to play fast – averaging over 90ppg - but more importantly the Bulldogs continue to win.  They are undefeated at home and with Rylan Jones leading the way, they are another outstanding team.

Chattanooga lost its first three games of the year, all on the road, but has since played well, winning seven of its last eight games.  The backcourt of Trey Bonham and Honor Huff has started to play at a high level.  Bash Weiland has also been a nice addition for the Mocs.

ETSU has also shown that they have the talent and ability to win. Quimari Peterson and Jaden Seymour both rank in the top five in scoring.  The Bucs have lost three in a row, but don’t worry they will be just fine in conference play.  

That said, I still don’t believe we have identified a prohibitive favorite.  All 10 league members have shown signs that they can compete every night out and that’s exciting for fans as we near conference play.  UNCG is a great example of this as they are not getting a lot of love, yet Donovan Atwell and Jalen Breath are getting help from transfers Malik Henry and Kenyon Giles. And as usual, Mike Jones has the Spartans defending at a high level. Wofford is just 4-7 but has played a solid schedule and will be ready come conference play. Mercer and Western Carolina were two programs that brought in new head coaches as well as a bunch of newcomers, yet they have shown positive glimpses in the early going.  In particular, Chip Johnson has been terrific for Mercer.  The Bears may very well be the sleeper as we enter conference play!

Perhaps that most exciting news is what’s been happening at the military academies.  VMI’s Andrew Wilson was able to bring in a few transfers, adjusted the Keydets style of play and it looks to be working.  Don’t think it will be easy to win a league game inside Cameron Hall!  Ed Conroy also brought in some transfers – two from the Division III ranks – and many have made an immediate impact for the Bulldogs.  In fact, Brody Fox leads the SoCon in scoring.  He’s a DIII transfer who has adjusted to life at the DI level quite nicely.

With just two weeks before conference play kicks off, the SoCon continues to be a solid mid-major league.  Due to how the calendar falls and league play starting on January 1, there are only a few remaining opportunities for teams to help themselves in the non-conference portion of the season.  One game to watch is Chattanooga traveling to Indiana on Saturday.

But, regardless of what happens throughout the remainder of the month, we’ve come to learn this is going to be a very competitive season in men’s basketball.  As mentioned, conference play begins January 1 when all 10 members are in action.  It’s anyone’s guess how things will play out, but it should be lots of fun.

• Brody Fox (The Citadel) leads the SoCon in scoring (17.6 ppg)
• Two of the top three scorers in the league started their careers at the non-DI level (Brody Fox & Pjay Smith)
• Over the past four-plus seasons, Samford has had one of the best home court advantages in the country by posting an overall record of 58-5
• Samford is 2^nd in the country in scoring offense averaging 90.5 points per game
• Samford is 10^th in assists per game (19.2/game) 
• Samford (81) and Furman (82) currently have the highest NET Rankings of SoCon members

1. Pjay Smith (Furman) is currently playing at a high level.  In addition, Quimari Peterson (ETSU), Jaden Seymour (ETSU), Jaden Brownell (Samford), Rylan Jones (Samford), Tyler “Chip” Johnson (Mercer), and Augustinas Kiudulas (VMI) are also playing well in the non-conference
2. Kudos to Cooper Bowser as he’s a bit old-school in his player development.  Last year as a freshman he came off the bench while averaging 12.4 mpg and 3.4 ppg.  Currently, through 11 games, he’s playing 22 mpg while averaging 8.1 ppg and 5.0 rpg.  He is also second in the league in blocks per game and his assist to turnover is positive!  I love seeing that in this age of the transfer portal there are still guys that stay in one place and grow year-over-year
3. VMI has six wins and The Citadel has five.  Both programs have shown the ability to compete – and win – at home and on the road.  Neither will be an easy out in conference play
4. Rylan Jones (Samford) continues to rank among the nation’s leaders in assist/turnover ratio.  He is rock solid for the Bulldogs and as valuable to his team as any player in the conference
5. It’s always difficult to analyze stats among conference teams this early in the season as there is sometimes a discrepancy in the competition.  I don’t believe we will really see many team stats that matter until the conference season is in full swing
6. With the scheduling partnership with the ASUN, I wish teams would cut back on the number of non-Division I games.  Even though there are fewer Power 5 opportunities these days, there are still Division I options for Southern Conference schools to play

College basketball is unique from many other sports as it’s a two-semester sport.  Conditioning begins shortly after the players step on campus in the fall and practice kicks in around late September.  This year the regular season started on November 4 and will continue until early March.

But after fall semester exams are done (sometime in mid-December as it varies for each institution) until early January, college basketball coaches have their team for several weeks without classes.  This is a time when coaching staffs can really evaluate what has transpired during the first six weeks of the season and begin preparing for the grind of conference play.  Once conference play begins, it’s really difficult to change the culture of your team.  It’s also hard to add a whole lot to your playbook.  Coaches will add a counter to some of their best plays/sets.

Coaches will usually give their players a short period of time to go home and visit family around Christmas.  This can be anywhere from three to five days depending on their game schedule.  But just before and more importantly after that break, coaches can really drill down on the fundamentals and fine tune things on offense, defense and special situations.  They can spend quality time with their players which can positively affect team chemistry – this is more important than ever in this new world of mass transferring. 

While the general student body is home celebrating the holidays, college basketball players are staying in local hotels (dorms and student housing are often closed) and working hard on their individual skills and team elements that will hopefully pay big dividends come March.

V.           New Year’s Resolutions

It’s hard to believe, but 2025 is just two weeks away. That means it’s time for our annual New Year’s Resolution List.  I think these are some realistic goals for each program as they enter the new year and conference play begins:

The Citadel – Find their touch from behind the arc. The Bulldogs have capable shooters, but until their December 16 game against Central Arkansas (16 3FGM) they had not been able to make enough threes to help them in close games.  Here’s hoping that game gets the Bulldogs going!

ETSU – Find the grit.  The Bucs have shown they are a solid team.  They have the ability to defend at a high level but need to do it more consistently.  If they collectively find that grit and effort at the defensive end, they will be as good as anyone in the league

Furman – Keep sharing the ball. The Paladins are back to playing team basketball and with the shooters and size that they have, this is a very dangerous team

Mercer – Continue to get better defensively.  The Bears have played well the past three weeks, winning four of five including two in overtime. If they can continue to improve at the defensive end, they will be a tough out in conference play

UNCG – Maximize each offensive possession. The Spartans are always going to defend.  It’s at the offensive end that they need to see slight improvement.  If they can shoot a better field goal percentage come conference play, they will be as solid as most anyone

Samford – Don’t change a thing. Bucky McMillian has lots of talent and all the ingredients for success. The Bulldogs are currently getting solid production from 10 players

UTC – Keep shooting the three ball. Even though the Mocs don’t currently lead the league in three-point attempts, it remains a big part of their offense.  They have good shooters and need to continue to find them when they are open

VMI – Stay after it!  Andrew Wilson’s Keydets are as improved as any team in the league.  They will be fine, but simply need to stay focused while limiting unforced errors

Western Carolina – Take care of the ball.  The Catamounts have talent as well as good coaching, but they are turning the ball over too much. It’s not that the Catamounts are poor at the offensive end, but the turnovers are putting pressure on their defense

Wofford – Understand that things will be alright. Statistically, the Terriers look like a solid team, although they need to be slightly better at the free throw line.  They just need to stay mentally tough.  A few too many games away from Richardson Indoor Stadium has but them behind a just a bit

We will talk about current happenings in the Southern Conference in the next edition of “The Dean’s List” on January 8, 2025.  Until then, Happy Holidays to all. Be safe.

Follow me on X:  @DeanKeener1