The Southern Conference announced the final postseason awards today. Hard to disagree with anything here. Didn't expect Loesing to take the Defensive Player of the Year, but then again I didn't expect Trent to make the All-Conference Team. Below are all the awards.
2012 SoCon Men's Basketball AwardsAll-Conference Team
*Trent Wiedeman, College of Charleston *Antwaine Wiggins, College of Charleston Mike Groselle, The Citadel De'Mon Brooks, Davidson Jake Cohen, Davidson Jack Isenbarger, Elon Eric Ferguson, Georgia Southern Trevis Simpson, UNCG Kevin Giltner, Wofford Brad Loesing, Wofford
All-Freshman Team
*Adjehi Baru, College of Charleston Austin Hamilton, Elon Tyler Hood, Samford Raijon Kelly, Samford Karl Cochran, Wofford
Player of the Year De'Mon Brooks, So., F, Davidson
Defensive Player of the Year Brad Loesing, Sr., G, Wofford
The obvious winner last night was Wofford, who landed the bye with their win over Furman. Would have been very difficult for those starters to play their usual minutes in four straight games. GSU loses the tiebreaker and will play a very motivated Chattanooga team on Day 1.
Three teams that really scare me in the tournament:
1. UTC- Shulman always comes into the tournament like a raging lunatic and gets his kids to play way above their talent level. He's coaching of course for his job (maybe even just pride at this point) and will have his seniors ready.
2. Wofford- Two time defending champs and they got the bye they so desperately needed. Another team with very strong coaching and a senior point guard who won't get rattled. Defense wins championships.
3. App State- This one probably goes back to when they beat us in 2010. That was the game where Butts completely just shut down our front line and Donald Sims sliced through our defense. The game we played at Boone this year, the Mountaineers shot way under their 3-point average and we shot way above ours. They also dominated the glass: 43-29. Luckily they've been on a little slide going into Asheville.
Top Performers: Mike Groselle 14 points, 16 rebounds
Anthony Stitt 12 points, 3 steals, 3 assists
*App State loses to WCU 83-75. Bring on the mountain men
Don't look now, but the Mark Byington-led Cougars have won 7 of 9 heading into the Socon Tournament. The game at McKalister Field House this afternoon may not have been pretty offensively but hey, neither was the last years National Championship game between Butler and UConn. Both Charleston teams shot about 15% from outside the arc and without free throws the final score would've been a riveting 39-30. Same score as my sister's JV game. Like most games between CofC and El Cid this one got a little bit chippy at times. Groselle and Wiedeman were going at each other all afternoon. Mike Groselle got the edge with his final stats but Wiedeman was responsible for more crowd-pleasing and intimidating plays.
Because of the lack of offensive production, every possession was important and both teams really forced the issue defensively. The Citadel caused the Cougars fits with that 2-3 zone. It took away our outside shooting and prevented Trent and Baru from getting too close to the basket. What the zone did allow was a number of open jumpers inside the arc. Neadless to say we did not seize the opportunity. Still too many forced outside shots from Antwaine and Andrew. When they did feed the post, the Dogs were quick to double and triple team the big guy. The Cougars limited the Citadel's offense to tough shots under the basket and free throws. They also got the cadets to cough up the ball 17 times. I don't have the fast break numbers in front of me, but once the Cougars got out in transition their offense looked more in sync. Stitt had another solid game back from injury and everyone chipped in their fair share when push came to shove. Always good to go into the tourney playing good basketball.
A few more notes I took in chronological order:
Citadel's scouting report begins, consists of, and ends with Groselle. Trent let him get to the basket a lot in the first half but a pair of blocks in the second proved he could contain him
It wasn't until the first substitution that the Cougs finally got some penetration against that 2-3. Sundberg out on the perimeter to give some space and Stitt to drive to the rim and kick out. Lawrence, Johnson, Wiggins were too happy to just pass the ball around the perimeter and wait for Baru and Trent to fight for positioning
A lot more 3-guard lineups tonight even with Trent and Antwaine avoiding foul trouble. Stitt-Lawrence-Johnson was out a lot but there was also Stitt-Lawrence-Scott and a brief cameo by Trevonte Dixon
Sundberg's first two shots (both threes): an air ball after a sweet pass from Stitt and another that barely grazed the front of the rim
Like I mentioned in point #2, a few too many threes early in the shot clock by Antwaine and Lawrence. Move the ball fellas.
Foul problems for Lawrence and Stitt means ample opportunities for Jordan Scott to shoot
You have to get points when you have a three-on-one fast break
Freshmen backcourt from Citadel gave up way too many turnovers at halfcourt
The most impressive thing about Trent's three blocks- doing it without fouling or moving out of position
If you're not a fan of "CofC Memes" on Facebook, you're missing out
Citadel (6-22, 3-14) College of Charleston (18-11, 9-8) McKalister Field House Tipoff at 3pm on ESPN3 and Socon TV
Wrapping up the regular season, the Cougars travel up the street to take on crosstown rival and recently surging (I use that term lightly) Citadel. The Bulldogs have managed to avoid complete humiliation by winning their last two games against Chatty and Appy and look to have some sort of momentum going into Asheville as the 6S seed. It is however the last home game of the season for Mike Groselle and whoever else is on that team and they will surely be looking to stick it to their intra-city antagonists.
The Cougars meanwhile could also use some positive momentum going into March. CofC has locked up the 4S seed but still needs to integrate Anthony Stitt back into the lineup and maintain a serviceable bench behind the starters. It'll be interesting to see how Byington plays this one in regards to utilizing his reserves. Will he employ Bobby's style and ride his starters for the game? Will he pull Lawrence, Antwaine and Trent if the Cougs start to pull away? Will the Cougs give it their all even though it won't affect their seeding? I'm anxious to see how everything plays out.
It's the last day of regular season play across the conference and every Socon team is in action. The most significant game for Cougar fans is the WCU-App State matchup at 2 pm. The loser of that game gets the 5S seed and will play us in the first game of the conference tournament. The other intriguing games to keep an eye on are GSU-Davidson and Wofford-Furman. If GSU can't beat Davidson in Statesboro, they lose their bye. If Wofford wins, the 2S seed is theirs.
I'll be watching the ESPN3 stream this afternoon and expect the Cougars to pull away and get some increased playing time for James Carlton and Jordan Scott. BUT that's not the way it went when these two met at TD Arena and records between these teams are thrown out the window when they meet up. Go Cougars!
*The scene inside the huddle after the Cougars gave up the lead to GSU. Mark Byington is played by Luke Wilson and Will Ferrell takes on the role of Trent Wiedeman
Final Score: College of Charleston 58, Georgia Southern 53
Top Performers: Trent Wiedeman 18 points, 5 rebounds
Willie Powers 17 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists
Just like how I imagined it, Anthony Stitt rode into TD Arena on his white horse and delivered a dagger three ball to push the Cougars to a thrilling victory in their home finale. Ok maybe it wasn't that glorious. Stitt can't be the only one credited for this win, being that the aforementioned shot was his only make on the night in six attempts, but he definitely played a major part.
The Cougars jumped out to a 13-0 lead on Georgia Southern to start the game. The Eagles looked like the GSU teams of the last 2-3 years and couldn't get anything going offensively. Meanwhile the Cougars played the balance between energy and poise perfectly and were moving the ball on offense to get some really good looks. Unlike their previous matchup, Eric Ferguson had Adjehi Baru on him and was essentially neutralized when they went at each other one-on-one. The Cougars were in control when Stitt made his first appearance in nearly two months to a raucous cheer from the crowd.
What I was worried about more than anything with Stitt was his handle. He still has some tape on his fingers and on top of his hand that could affect the way he palms the ball. Watching Kobe play this year with a broken wrist, his shot hasn't suffered as much as his control over the basketball on the dribble. Stitt's ball-handling was actually better than I expected and his defense didn't skip a beat. I had forgotten just how quick he is moving laterally and staying in front of his man. Unfortunately his shooting hasn't come back entirely and he missed some shots he used to make with ease. On the flip side, the young man did make a big shot when it really mattered.
Now I don't know if Lawrence was seizing the opportunity to play fewer minutes or if he's turning over a new leaf, but he looked more like a pure point guard than he has all year. Our token Brit was making some pinpoint bounce passes to Trent off of cuts and only took shots when they were within the flow of the offense. The team captain finished the night with a very efficient stat line of 10 points (2-4 on 3's, 7 assists, 1 block, 1 turnover and 1 steal).
But if you have watched the Cougars at all this year you know that no lead is ever safe. The Eagles slowly chipped away at the lead, most noticeably during a six minute stretch to open the second half where the Cougs only hit two shots. To their credit, CofC played good enough defense to hold the lead, but GSU made some ridiculous shots. Like shooting from the hip kind of shots. Contested turnaround hook shots. To make matters worse during that slide, there was one series that went as follows for the Cougars.
-A no-call on a pretty obvious goaltend as Trent Wiedeman's shot was dropping down toward the basket
-A flop by Eric Ferguson that was called as an offensive foul on Trent
-Technical on Trent (I'm no lip reader but it looked like he said "That's forking Bull Street!" to the ref
- GSU basket and-1 going the other way
-Technical on Andrew Lawrence
Couple that stretch with the Cougars inability to hit free throws (9-20) and you have another nailbiter going down to the wire. Luckily, Wiedeman played like a rabid beast coming off the bench after his technical was administered. He turned on the jets and got out in transition on three plays in a row and delivered two Thor-dunks to get the crowd back into the game. The late three by Stitt and a few more plays under the basket by our big men eventually sealed the victory for the College.
More notes from this one, in chronological order:
Lawrence's passing: throwing the ball over the press into the hands of your teammate? Perfect outlet passes? Where has that been all year?!
Too much "Let's Go Eagles" made it's way through my speakers. Step it up, student section
Sundberg watching too many rebounds go the other way
Baru has been quiet offensively for a few games, but his defensive presence is still so intimidating. That block he had was such a grown-ass man type of move.
19 turnovers by the Eagles, feels like that number could've been higher
Another good coaching job by Byington. Scott and Carlton played limited minutes but Mark still makes very good offensive/defensive substitutions late in the game.
Make sure to keep track of what all these Socon scores mean for tournament seedings and matchups by checking out the Mocs pair of blogs: Mocs Mania and Socon Fans.
Hard to believe this is the Cougar's final home game of the regular season, and the last hurrah for Antwaine Wiggins. That means it's our last chance to see the long-limbed, former high-top-fade-sporting defensive specialist play in front of the Maroon faithful. This Tennessee native was the biggest catch of the recruiting class of 2007. On ESPN's scouting page, Mr. Wiggins was a highly-touted baller who ranked ahead of little known prospects like Donovan Monroe (not even listed on the site) and Andrew Goudelock (one other Division 1 offer). I mean who would want those guys?!
Antwaine gave up offers to play at Michigan, Vanderbilt and Illinois to travel down to the Lowcountry and his four years as a starter solidified him as one of the most versatile players in Cougar history. He's just eight points away from moving into the Top 15 on the all-time scoring list, ranks 5th on the D1 rebounding list (with a good chance of moving up to third), and is 7th on the all time 3-pointers made list. Not bad numbers for a guy whose career at CofC was split in half because of a season-ending ACL injury.
But this game is only mostly about Antwaine Wiggins. Georgia Southern got the better of us in that ugly game on January 21st where a befuddled Matt Sundberg and Nori Johnson looked lost in the starting lineup and the team shot a season-low 35.7% from the floor. Luckily Nori seems more at ease with his role as the off-ball guard and Matt is back to being the first big off the bench. Not to mention the team will once again have the services of Adjehi Baru inside.
Like UNC-Greensboro, the Eagles of Statesboro have lost very little since playing the Cougars. Georgia Southern has won eight of their last nine and are battling Wofford for the final tournament bye behind Davidson. Eric Ferguson leads the team in points and rebounds and is almost equivalent to the type of athletic big man that the Cougars missed out on in their last game against Kent State. Ferguson abused Sundberg and James Carlton in January for 19 points and 8 rebounds, but he'll have a tougher time doing that against someone his own size (I'm talking about Baru, fyi). Willie Powers and Ben Drayton make up an all-senior backcourt that is also very tough to deal with on the perimeter.
Senior night festivities, intriguing matchups, the return of Anthony Stitt (to the bench)...what more could you want out of the last home game of the year? Former math-wiz and benchwarmer Garrett Campbell at the scorers table, calling the game with Everett German?!
...actually I'm being told this is also happening...
