Until
Friday, we will previewing each SoCon team with a Scanning the SoCon
participant previewing their school. Today, Sandlapper Spike from The Sports Arsenal will look into The Citadel Bulldogs.
The Citadel’s 2013-14 record: 7-26,
2-14 in the SoCon (last)Chuck Driesell’s record at The Citadel (four seasons):
31-94 overall, 16-54 in the SoConBiggest positive from the 2013-14 campaign:
—
- The Citadel’s 2013-14 record: 7-26, 2-14 in the SoCon
(last)
- Chuck Driesell’s record at The Citadel (four seasons):
31-94 overall, 16-54 in the SoCon
- Biggest positive from the 2013-14 campaign: the
Bulldogs won three of their last four games, including a rare SoCon
tournament victory
- Negatives from 2013-14: a school-record 17-game losing streak, the nation’s fourth-worst defense, an offense that ranked in the bottom 60 nationally, and an incredible ability to give up buzzer-beating shots
—
It’s hard to identify
the low point of The Citadel’s 2013-14 basketball season, a campaign in which
the Bulldogs lost 17 games in a row, did not win a league game until February
24, failed to beat any team in the RPI top 300, and finished with no road
victories.
Was it the loss to
Division II West Alabama, a contest the Bulldogs trailed by 23 at halftime?
That’s not a bad candidate, but I think I would vote for the 82-53 loss to
Georgia Southern on January 30, a game in which the Bulldogs were at one point
outscored 29-0 over 12 minutes of game action.
Some might argue the
season nadir was Chuck Driesell’s comment that he needed “to coach up optimism”
after an 18-point home setback to Western Carolina. The next game for the
Bulldogs was the above-mentioned Georgia Southern debacle, so apparently
coaching players in the art of being more hopeful is not a quick fix.
Let’s be honest: when
it comes to optimism for The Citadel’s basketball program, it’s in short
supply, at least for the fan base. It’s not just about last year, either.
The Bulldogs have had
double-digit losing streaks in each of the last three seasons. The Citadel
has won fewer than 23% of its conference games over the last four years, and
it’s not like the SoCon is on the same level with the ACC.
I hope the players and
coaches have a positive outlook for 2014-15. For longtime supporters, though,
it’s probably going to be a “show me” kind of season.
—
Note: the statistics
in the next two sections do not include the four games The Citadel played last
season against non-D1 opponents. Unless otherwise stated, statistics are
per kenpom.com.
I mentioned earlier
that The Citadel had one of the country’s least-defensive defenses. The
Bulldogs were 348th out of 351 Division I teams in adjusted defensive
efficiency, ahead of only Maryland-Eastern Shore, Cornell, and Grambling State.
Those three squads
combined to win 13 games. The team immediately above the Bulldogs in the
defensive ratings, Presbyterian, won six games — but lost to The Citadel.
The Bulldogs did not
force many turnovers (bottom 10 nationally in that category) and struggled
mightily to keep opponents off the offensive boards (bottom 50
nationally). Opponents shot two-point shots against The Citadel at a 51.1%
clip, significantly higher than the D-1 average (48.5%).
The opposition did not
go to the foul line that often against the Bulldogs; indeed, The Citadel was
actually in the top 100 in preventing free throw attempts. Of course, that could
be a double-edged sword, as it arguably suggests a lack of defensive
aggression.
For The Citadel to
have any chance of success this season, the Bulldogs must get much better on
defense. While the team obviously needs to force more turnovers, what I would
most like to see is an improvement on the defensive glass. That has been a
constant problem for the past two seasons, and if it isn’t solved, the defense
will continue to be well below average. The Citadel simply has to assert itself
on the boards.
—
The Bulldogs were
largely ineffective on offense. The numbers weren’t as bad in conference play,
but they still weren’t good enough. Rebounding was a negative (as it was
defensively), and The Citadel also couldn’t get to the foul line. The Bulldogs
were in the bottom 50 nationally in both offensive rebounding percentage and
free throw rate.
The Citadel did
improve its offensive turnover rate, which had been an enormous bugaboo over
the previous two seasons. While its overall numbers merely suggest a modest step
up in that department, the league statistics were actually solid, as the
Bulldogs had the second-best offensive turnover rate in conference play. As far
as three-point shooting went, The Citadel was respectable from beyond the arc
(its 37.2% shooting from 3-land was third-best in SoCon play). There was a
decided lack of efficiency in and around the paint, however, as the Bulldogs’
overall 2-point shooting rate was only 45.1%.
—
All the above numbers
are indicative of a lack of productivity from interior players, and that was in fact a major issue
(if not the major issue) for The Citadel in 2013-14. Injuries
decimated the frontcourt, leaving Driesell bereft of experienced big men
(player attrition from previous seasons did not help). The freshmen tried hard,
but they weren’t quite ready. This year, there are four returning post players
with significant experience. If they can stay healthy, the Bulldogs should
improve their rebounding and defensive work in the paint.
—
Four players from last
year’s team did not return.
- Nate Bowser, a 6’9″
forward/center, appeared in twelve games his freshman season for a total of 81
minutes. He only played in one contest after January 2. Bowser is no longer
enrolled at The Citadel, and is currently a student at Oklahoma.
- After playing in 19
games during his freshman campaign, 6’3″ guard Raemond Robinson appeared in 26
games last season for the Bulldogs. He shot 35% from three-point range in
2013-14 while averaging 2.9 points per game. This summer, Robinson announced that
he was transferring to Charleston Southern.
- Dylen Setzekorn
graduated from The Citadel in May with two years of hoops eligibility
remaining. Setzekorn, a 6’7″ guard/forward, played in 42 games for the Bulldogs
over two seasons. He is now playing at North Georgia, where he is in graduate
school.
- Matt Van Scyoc
averaged 14.3 points per game for The Citadel in 2013-14, which led the team.
The 6’6″ sophomore swingman transferred to Indiana State after the season. Van
Scyoc shot 43.5% from the field, 36.5% from beyond the arc, and 86% from the
charity stripe. His offensive production will be sorely missed. Someone will
have to replace his scoring punch — perhaps multiple someones.
—
The Citadel does have
three seniors (and a redshirt junior) returning for this season, along with
several other players who will be key contributors.
- Marshall Harris
III is a 6’1″ pass-first senior point guard, with an
assist rate of 29.8% and a 2-to-1 assist/turnover ratio last year. Harris had a
28.9% turnover rate, which was too high. He was also bothered by foot problems
during the season. His overall shooting percentages were decent, though in
SoCon play he did not fare as well from beyond the arc. He wasn’t a volume
shooter by any means, but Harris took his fair share of free throws, with the
highest FT rate on the team.
- Ashton
Moore was named to the ten-man preseason All-SoCon team by
the league’s coaches. The 6’0″ senior averaged 14.1 points and 3.6 assists per
game last season, both marks second-best on the team. He led the squad in
minutes played. Moore can be a streaky offensive player. He was excellent down
the stretch for the Bulldogs last year, scoring 22+ points in five of the last
seven games. That included a 35-point effort against Davidson (on just 19
shots) and outstanding performances versus Samford and UNC-Greensboro. He only
averaged 2.4 fouls per 40 minutes last season. That was actually a higher
percentage of fouls than Moore had committed the previous year, when he had the
sixth-fewest fouls per 40 minutes in the country.
- At 6’3″,
sophomore Warren Sledge is a
bigger guard than Harris and Moore, which could be helpful from a defensive
perspective. Sledge was injured at the beginning of last season, but showed
some promise when he started playing for the Bulldogs. He needs to cut down on
turnovers, and Sledge only averaged one steal every 77 minutes of play; he
should do a little better than that. His assist rate was solid, and his
shooting from beyond the arc, while limited, was good.
- Quinton Marshall is
a 6’5″ guard/forward who is one of the better athletes in the SoCon, as Samford found out late in the year. To become
a better offensive performer, the junior needs to limit his turnovers and
improve his free throw shooting (only 52% last season). He averaged just over
five rebounds per 40 minutes of play. Ideally, Marshall would be more of a
force on the boards. Last season, The Citadel entered the season without P.J.
Horgan or C.J. Bray. For the Bulldogs to be successful in 2014-15, both must be
healthy and ready to play from the opening tip.
- Bray is a 6’7″
product of James Island High School. When not hampered by ankle or shoulder
problems, the redshirt junior is a post player with an interesting skill set. He
has a nice touch from outside, and enough strength to hold his own in the paint
(Bray was a fine high school football player).
As a freshman, Bray was a dependable presence on the defensive glass. That was
three years and several injuries ago. If he can return to that form, it will be
a big lift for the Bulldogs.
- Now a senior, Horgan
was believed to be through with basketball after suffering a lower back injury.
In fact, it was announced in October of 2013 that his career was over. However, the 6’9″
forward/center returned to the team and
by January of 2014, he was playing. It was a bit rough at times (in his first
game, he fouled out after 15 minutes of action).
By February, he was
healthy enough to log 35 minutes in a lopsided loss to Davidson. He had 10
points and 9 rebounds in a late-season victory over Georgia Southern. With
Horgan and Bray out of action (or not ready to contribute major minutes), the
frontcourt was primarily left to two freshmen, Brian White and Tom Koopman.
That wasn’t really fair to either one of them, but at least they got a lot of
experience.
- White actually had
an fine freshman campaign for The Citadel. He impressed many observers with his
efficient play and made the SoCon’s all-freshman team.
He had the best eFG rate (53.6%) on the team, blocked a shot every now and
then, and had a respectable turnover rate. White (now listed at 6’8″) can
improve in some facets of his game; he had just one double-digit
rebounding game against a Division I team, and had only ten assists all season.
Regardless, White was clearly a bright spot for the Bulldogs last year, and is
expected to be even better in 2014-15.
- Koopman is a 6’8″
native of the Netherlands who was overwhelmed at times last year (according
to Blue Ribbon, he also suffered significant weight loss during the
campaign). He did show flashes of what he could become, though, including solid
performances against Nebraska and (later in the season) Georgia Southern. With
more help in the frontcourt, and having completed his freshman year at The
Citadel, there is a reasonable chance Koopman could be
The Citadel’s most improved player this season.
—
Four freshmen join the Bulldogs this
year.
- Jake Wright is a
6’4″ guard from Hopkins, Minnesota. He may be the freshman most ready to
contribute for The Citadel, assuming he brings his shooting touch from high
school to McAlister Field House. Wright played at a
high school that includes among its alums current NBA player Kris Humphries.
Thus, there are only three degrees of separation between Wright and Kanye West.
- Brandon Thompson,
like Wright, is also a shooting guard. One difference between the two: Thompson
is only 5’11.Thompson is from
Gaithersburg, Maryland. He played at Covenant Life School, a small private
school that is a member of the Potomac Valley Athletic Conference, and averaged
18.3 points per game his senior season.
- Tim Broom is also a
guard, but he is more of a lead guard than a pure shooter. The 6’2″
Jacksonville native was a high school football safety, too. Some of the
adjectives used to describe Broom in print
include “rugged” and “sturdily built”. If that translates into being a quality
defender, he could see action early and often.
- Nadi Beceri is a
6’7″ post player who went to Bergen Catholic High School in Maywood, New
Jersey. He could get some minutes in the frontcourt rotation, with the amount
possibly dependent on how much Horgan and Bray are able to play. Chuck Driesell
called Beceri “a blue-collar player” who is “not afraid to mix it up”.
—
The Citadel’s
non-conference slate includes games against three power conference schools, as
the Bulldogs will face Florida State, Virginia Tech, and Michigan State (all on
the road). The Bulldogs also play at College of Charleston.
As has been the case
for the past three seasons, The Citadel will compete in the All-Military
Classic, which is being held this year in West Point, New York. The Bulldogs
open that tournament against VMI (which will be a non-conference game) and play
either Air Force or Army the next day.
At home, The Citadel
plays Navy and Bethune-Cookman, along with three non-Division I schools —
Toccoa Falls, Bob Jones University, and Warren Wilson College.
Last year, the
Bulldogs played four non-D1 squads, so three is a minor improvement. Ideally,
the military college would not play more than two, but filling out a home
schedule can be difficult for a low-major.
The conference as a
whole has 20 scheduled matchups with non-Division I schools, which is down from
last season’s 32. It’s not an exact comparison, of course, due to the turnover
in SoCon schools over the past year.
Incidentally, The
Citadel eschewed exhibition games this year in favor of two so-called “secret
scrimmages” against Stetson and North Florida.
—
The Citadel was picked
to finish in the SoCon by the league media vote and
next-to-last by the coaches. Considering
the team’s record last season, and the fact the Bulldogs lost their leading
scorer from that squad, those are understandable placements.
In all honesty, I
would have ranked the Bulldogs a little higher. Blue Ribbon had
The Citadel in seventh, and I think that’s about right in terms of a preseason
projection. There are other schools in the league that had many more personnel
defections (hello, Samford) and weren’t exactly dominating on the hardwood in
the first place.
It appears that The
Citadel’s new director of athletics, Jim Senter, is interested in improving the
gameday atmosphere at McAlister Field House, and is taking steps along those
lines. Such action is most welcome, as it is long overdue.
I generally do not
make predictions about how a season will go. I won’t this time, either.
However, I do have expectations.
For this season to be
considered a success, the team must finish with an overall winning record, and
a winning record in conference play. Nothing less will be acceptable.
That may seem
unrealistic for a program that has lost 94 games in the last four seasons,
never winning more than ten games during any of those years. It doesn’t matter.
This is Chuck
Driesell’s fifth year as the head basketball coach of The Citadel, and it’s
time to see some positive results. Otherwise, the school should (and
likely will) move in a different direction.
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