Cougars Fall Back to Earth, Stumble in Grant's Home Debut

Final Score: Gardner-Webb 80, College of Charleston 67
Top Performers:
Jarvis Davis 22 pts (6-9 3pt), 4-4 FT, 5 rebs
Adjehi Baru 10 pts, 12 rebs

After dismantling a Furman team in their season opener, the Cougars regressed to what could be the mean this season. Against Gardner-Webb in Coach Earl Grant's home court debut, the Cougars looked very much like a team with a first time head coach and only a few month's time to learn a new playing philosophy.

Personal fouls were again an issue for CofC. The refs called this game tight from the very start, enforcing everything from traveling violations to moving picks and hand checks. That did not bode well for a Cougar team that had committed 27 fouls in their previous game.

But the Cougars were not doing themselves any favors with defensive positioning. Way too many times the Bulldog bigs would immediately establish themselves deep in the paint, with leverage and an angle to the basket. That left Baru dead in the water, as he gave up and-1 after and-1. Anytime the Cougars would sag down to offer some help, Gardner-Webb kicked it out for a wide open three from Jarvis Davis or open lane to the hoop. Some of this is coaching - Grant was hesitant to send help as Baru was getting eaten alive, some of it is player personnel and some of it was the players' lack of execution.

The lack of a competent power forward shot the team in the foot after they were able to overcome lack of production from the position in Game 1. Terrance O'Donohue can do some nice things, but he fouled out of the game with 9 minutes to go and did not register a point. David Wishon is what he is. He is a big body, without an offensive game, and he was a sieve on defense last night.

The most productive player in the frontcourt besides Baru, and the most pleasant surprise so far, has been Donovan Gilmore. The Human Pogo Stick sprung his way to 11 rebounds and 10 points in his homecourt debut and looks much better than any other forward off the bench. The problem is that he's not an ideal fit next to Baru. He doesn't have the weight to chip a guy out of position, and as a freshman he still needs time to understand where to be on the floor.

At the end of the day, last night was a reminder that this season will have it's ups and downs. Five of the team's eight rotation players are underclassmen. There's a first time head coach on the sidelines - one of the youngest in the country. The team was robbed of an entire summer of practice. There is no go-to talent on the team yet.

The team will be inconsistent for a while, maybe even the whole season. But they will improve as the year goes on. They'll need to rebound as soon as possible, because up next is the tallest task of the season. The Cougars travel to Puerto Rico to take on defending champion UConn on Thursday. Let's hope to see some positives.