Team Preview: New Coach, Same Expectations

*Here's the team preview that will also be appearing on Mocs Mania as part of the Scanning the SoCon Team Previews. First exhibition game on Saturday. Let's get it. 

This time last year the Cougars faced big adjustments. Redshirt senior Antwaine Wiggins, the last remaining member of Coach Bobby Cremins’ first recruiting class, was asked to lead a team of young players who had only seen limited roles to that point.

Quickly the Cougars overachieved, winning nine of their first ten games including victories over Clemson and Tennessee. Things seemed to be going good but quickly turned sour once conference play began. The team looked ill-prepared on the court, star freshman Anthony Stitt broke his hand and things culminated with Bobby Cremins taking a medical leave of absence before eventually retiring.

Now the Cougars are lead by former Tulsa head coach Doug Wojcik and a brand new staff. The playing style of this team is still a big unknown but Wojcik has expressed defense, rebounding and post play as key components of the team’s system. How steep of a learning curve the players face is still up for debate; but one of the reasons Wojcik took this job was because this team is built to contend right now. There’s a new face at the end of the bench but expectations are still high for the College of Charleston.

Returning Players

Andrew Lawrence is the unquestioned leader of this team. The senior guard was an iron man for the Cougars last year, playing 35.4 minutes a game and leading the team in assists and steals. Playing for his native Britain at the London Olympics this past summer gave Lawrence invaluable experience. Nothing should intimidate him after going against the best players in the world, but the number of minutes logged is something concerning to look for this season.

Trent Wiedeman is a player many fans expect to thrive in Wojcik’s system. He’s the Cougars’ best offensive post player, rebounder and a preseason All-Conference selection. A nagging ankle injury limited Trent last year but he had surgery this past spring and appears to be fully healthy again.

Adjehi Baru will be Trent’s foil in the front court this season. After being the Cougars biggest recruiting addition ever last year, we’re expecting a big sophomore leap for the big man from the Ivory Coast. Baru is still a raw product but he is receiving a lot more tutelage in Wojcik’s system compared to the more hands-off approach Cremins would take.

New Faces

The biggest new face this year is the head coach. Even during our most frustrated moments as CofC fans it was hard to blame Bobby Cremins and his genial sensibilities. Now there’s a new man in charge. Doug Wojcik is a disciple of the Tom Izzo style of basketball; assisting at Michigan State and later North Carolina before taking the job at Tulsa. While in charge Tulsa was one of the best defensive teams in the country and was very successful during the regular season, but struggled to win the conference tournament (sounds like a team I know). In Charleston he’s got talent to work with, but the biggest challenge will be getting the players to buy into a defense-first mentality that Wojcik believes will get the team past Davidson.

Anthony Thomas is another new name to be familiar with. Unless you’re an Appalachian State fan. Thomas spent his freshman year at ASU before transferring to Hutchinson Community College in Kansas. Now he’s back in the SoCon and being asked to step right into the shoes vacated by longtime Cougar small forward Antwaine Wiggins. Thomas brings versatility and defense to the wing position but that’s about all we Cougar fans know about him.

There’s also the freshmen. Theo Johnson is an uber-athletic forward from Sacramento, CA who could see some minutes this year. Canyon Barry (son of NBA Hall of Famer Rick Barry) is redshirting this year so fans will have to wait to watch him shoot underhand free throws. Finally there is 7’2 (yes seven foot two inch) sophomore David Wishon. He has to redshirt a year after following Wojcik here from Tulsa.

Schedule

CofC’s sports marketing department will be the first to tell you that this is the best home schedule the Cougars have ever assembled. Thanks in large part to our former head coach, they may have a case. After four years, the Cougars get to again compete in the Charleston Classic Tournament that is hosted in our home arena. Teams include Baylor (who the Cougars already play six days after the tournament), Murray State, Colorado, Dayton, Boston College, Auburn and our first round opponent: St Johns. TD Arena will also host preseason #2 Louisville. The Cardinals are a favorite to reach the Final Four again this year and are likely better than the 2010 UNC team that the Cougars defeated in Charleston. The rest of the home schedule includes ODU, Coastal Carolina and a Bracketbuster. There’s also a home contest against a <cough> non-D1 team <cough cough> Anderson University… moving on!

Three Questions I Demand be Answered

How will players respond to Doug Wojcik’s system?

I get to cheat a little with this question because it encompasses a hundred more. Who will thrive? Who will struggle to grasp the new concepts? What will be the strengths and weaknesses of the ‘12-13 Cougars?

How will Willis Hall, Anthony Stitt and Trent Wiedeman perform coming off injury?

Willis Hall was a rock solid contributor for the Andrew Goudelock-led teams of his freshman and sophomore years. Last preseason he tore his ACL in practice and missed the entire year. Now he’s asked to take on a new role, coming off the bench, for a whole new team. Anthony Stitt was having a Freshman of the Year type season before breaking his hand and the team struggled mightily for the 12 games he missed. Stitt is now the starting point guard and won’t catch any teams by surprise.

How many minutes will Andrew Lawrence log?

Lead the team in minutes last year, try-out for Great Britain national team, train, practice and compete in Olympics, return to Charleston and jump right back into collegiate ball. Sounds tiring doesn’t it? With a healthy Anthony Stitt, Lawrence may have more opportunities to sit and reserve his legs this year. He faded down the stretch last season and the Cougars are going to need one of their best players come Asheville.

Final Analysis

If you read any publication that previewed the Southern Conference, you know that Charleston is firmly placed right below Davidson as the #2 team in the south division. That’s a fair ranking. I think if everything goes according to plan (players take to Wojcik, defense improves etc) we just barely hold an edge over UNCG as the team with the best chance of overtaking the Wildcats. But as all Charleston fans know, rarely do things go according to plan with this team. Injuries happen, you lose games you expect to win and nothing is guaranteed. I’m just anxious to get started already and see what these guys are all about.