SOCON PRESEASON COACHES’ POLL:
- Chattanooga
- Furman
- Samford
- East Tennessee State
- UNC Greensboro
- VMI
- Western Carolina
- Mercer
- Wofford
- The Citadel
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-SOCON TEAM:
-Jaylen Smith – JR, G – East Tennessee State
-Cooper Bowser – JR, F – Furman
-Tom House – SR, G – Furman
-Jadin Booth – SR, G – Samford
-Jikari Johnson – SR, G – Chattanooga
-Collin Mulholland – SO, G – Chattanooga
-Teddy Washington Jr. – SR, G – Chattanooga
-Rickey Bradley Jr. – SR, G – VMI
-Marcus Kell – JR, F – Western Carolina
COMMENTS FROM DAVID:
-Chattanooga had an incredible season last year. After a tough road trip to open things up where they started off 0-3, they went on to win 29 total games, finish in 1st place in the SoCon, and after falling in the SoCon Tournament went on to win the NIT. They were an amazing 17-1 in their last 18 games. The problem is that almost none of their starters are back. They do have some solid looking transfers in Billy Smith (Bellarmine), Teddy Washington Jr. (SEMO), and Brennan Watkins (North Dakota State) who all saw significant minutes and were key players at the D-1 level, so they may be able to reload.
-Furman is another team that is coming off a really good season. They had a few slip-ups in conference play last year but were very strong down the stretch, winning six straight before losing in the SoCon championship game to rival Wofford. They are losing their two best players, but three key starters are back. Guys that played key roles last year will have to step up more this year.
-The Bucky Ball Era at Samford is over, and they are now almost completely restarting. No starters return from last year’s team and new coach Lennie Acuff will have his work cut out for him. Dylan Faulkner was a solid player for Lipscomb a year ago and is someone they will rely heavily on this year. Jadin Booth averaged over 20ppg at D2 Florida Southern last year and could be a big contributor this year as well.
-East Tennessee State, like most teams, is looking to replace most of their starters. In fact just three players return from last year’s roster. They do have some key transfers in Jaylen Smith (North Florida), Brian Taylor II (SIUE), and Milton Matthews (FAMU) who all averaged double figures at the D-1 level a year ago, but they also came from leagues that were not quite as strong as the SoCon typically is.
-UNC Greensboro is having to replace all their starters. They have had three straight 20+ win seasons, but may be in a bit of a rebuild mode this year. They have turned to some standout players from JUCO and lower divisions to try and quickly rebuild. The question is will they be able to play at this level?
-I do not recall the last time VMI was picked to finish this high. And, they may be a very fun team to watch this year! While most years most teams are able to beat them, they are usually not a fun team to play against. Last year they won 15 games after winning just 4 the year before, and with four starters back who know the system, VMI has the experience to build on that win total again this year. Rickey Bradley is one of the best guards in the conference…and he plays at VMI! Yunno, this is probably the team in the league that I am the most excited about!!
-Western Carolina also returns four starters, and I am always a believer that teams can improve with experience, but after just 8 total wins a year ago their expectations are not all that high despite that said experience. Marcus Kell and Cord Stansberry were both double-digit scorers a year ago, but they will need their teammates to step up if this team is going to show any significant improvement this year.
-It was a long year for Mercer and 1st-year coach Ryan Ridder a year ago, and after a 14-19 season he is tasked with rebuilding the roster. Expectations are not all that high for the Bears, and many of their transfers seem to have seen limited minutes at their previous schools.
-It is almost impossible to even write up Wofford. In case you missed it, their head coach was fired, or was not fired but left, or…I do not know. The story was not straight. The reason was due to players receiving extra benefits and being declared ineligible by the NCAA, or not by the NCAA but by someone else, or…I do not know. The story was not straight. Anyway, the players have been reinstated, but many indicated they only wanted to play for Coach Dwight Perry and would leave if he was not rehired, or…maybe they would stay. I do not know. The story was not straight. But, what IS clear is that things are not great at Wofford right now. Wofford has historically been an excellent program. They made the NCAA Tournament a year ago, which is something we are used to seeing them do. We are also used to seeing at or near the top of the SoCon. This year…who knows?? With all the questions surrounding whatever the hell has been going on there these past few weeks, I can see why the coaches picked them to finish so low.
-The Citadel was the unanimous last-place selection. All ten coaches voted them last. They won just five total games a year ago, none of which were in SoCon play, and finished 361st nationally in the NET. They may not be quite that bad this year, but they likely will not be good.
