coreyschucky
11-08-2004, 01:22 PM
From CBSSPORTSLINE.COM
Atlantic Sun Conference preview
By Tony Mejia
SportsLine.com Staff Writer
Stock Chart
Team Stock
1. Georgia State
2. Stetson
3. Troy
4. UCF
5. Jacksonville
6. Florida Atlantic
7. Gardner-Webb
8. Mercer
9. Belmont
10. Campbell
11. Lipscomb
This year's Atlantic Sun race has no real favorite, so take the following projections for what they are: an educated guess as to whose junior college transfers will fare better.
Look for another big year out of Central Florida if the Golden Knights and Kirk Speraw survive losing Dexter Lyons. (Getty Images)
Georgia State, our pick to claim the title, won 20 games last season but lost its top two scorers. So, in typical Georgia State fashion, coach Michael Perry, following the recipe of mentor Lefty Driesell, went shopping at the JUCO supermarket.
He picked himself up a wonderful backcourt in Travis DeGroot and Malcolm Manier and added highly regarded Tikoyo Barnett and Clark Williams up front.
The early buzz out of the first fall workouts had players proclaiming they would be the best team in Georgia State history, which, given their level of play in recent years, is a profound statement.
Troy State reloaded on JUCOs, Central Florida added a couple to fill its frontcourt holes, and Florida Atlantic also partook, adding to their arsenal which already includes standout former transfers Mike Bell and Pierre Tucker.
Now we'll mix it all together and see what develops. Odds are the result will be a very competitive race.
Georgia State
Top three: PG Travis DeGroot, F/G Kevin Thomas, PF Marcus Brown.
On the rise: The Panthers have remained consistent winners under Perry, but the aura of invincibility they enjoyed early under Driesell is gone. DeGroot and Co. will look to re-establish it this year with what appears to be the best assemblage of talent in the conference.
Stetson
Top three: G/F E.J. Gordon, G Anthony Register, F/G Karl Hollingsworth.
On the rise: Without a football program, basketball is king at Stetson. Unfortunately, there hasn't been much to get excited about in Deland, but that should change this season. Gordon, arguably the league's top player, is now a junior and depth has been improved by a massive recruiting class featuring transfers Hollingsworth (Tulane) and Will Holloman (Richmond).
Troy
Top three: F Eddie Baker, PG Bobby Dixon, F Ryan Hack.
On the decline: The Trojans lost all five starters from last year's regular-season champs, who posted an impressive 18-2 league mark. Troy will reload quickly, relying on a mix of returners who played bench roles on last year's squad and a host of good-looking JC transfers tailored for Don Maestri's run-and-gun philosophy.
Central Florida
Top three: PG Gary Johnson, F/G Josh Peppers, F Marcus Avant.
On the decline: Kirk Speraw's Golden Knights won a school-record 25 games and gave Pittsburgh a scare in last year's NCAAs, but the leader of the team, infectious Dexter Lyons, has graduated. UCF won't be able to replace him, but will remain very competitive if it continues to buy into Speraw's staples of strong defense and ball movement that have typified the program's resurgence.
Jacksonville
Top three: F Haminn Quaintance, SG David Lee, C Jure Lozancic.
On the rise: Four starters are back, with Quaintance, an absolute stud sophomore, leading the way. Already arguably the league's top all-around player, Quaintance can both set the table and rule the boards while getting his on offense. He's fun to watch and figures to improve his team further with a year under his belt.
Florida Atlantic
Top three: F Mike Bell, F Pierre Tucker, C Robert Williams.
On the rise: Bell didn't disappoint last season, living up to the hype by becoming a double-double machine and one of the toughest players in the league to guard. There are issues at guard though, where graduated starters Earnest Crumbley and Jeff Cowans, the most productive backcourt in school history, leave a huge hole.
Gardner-Webb
Top three: F Brian Bender, G Tim Jennings, G Josh Chiles.
On the rise: The Bulldogs look to break into the top half of the league standings as they become eligible for postseason play for the first time since moving into D-I. Although they lost two double-digit scorers, they do return a very nice forward in Bender and are excited about the arrival of Jennings, who should be one of the A-Sun's top newcomers.
Mercer
Top three: F Wesley Duke, G/F James Odoms, PG Damitrius Coleman.
On the decline: Duke was granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA, softening the loss of standout big man Scott Emerson. Despite that break, it's going to be difficult for Mark Slonaker to replace the centerpiece of his offense, particularly since players of his caliber aren't seen around Macon very often.
Belmont
Top three: G Brian Collins, F Adrian Jones, G Josh Goodwin.
On the decline: A rebuilding year awaits the Bruins, who capped their first 20-victory season in their D-I history with an NIT appearance. Only two starters return, and the team has glaring vacancies in the post and the point that will probably have to be solved by unproven commodities.
Campbell
Top three: SG Anthony Atkinson, F Dominique Klein, PG Stephon Griffin.
On the rise: The Camels won only three games last season, all in conference play, so there's nowhere to go but up for second-year coach Robbie Laing. He did a nice job recruiting players up to tiny Buies Creek, particularly Griffin, who will be handed the keys to the offense.
Lipscomb
Top three: PG Brian Fisk, SG James Poindexter, F/C Shaun Durant.
On the decline: Like Gardner-Webb, Lipscomb is also eligible for postseason play for the first time, but it's unlikely it catches a whiff of it this year. The entire frontcourt must be replaced, and Scott Sanderson has to upgrade the athleticism on his roster to be competitive anytime soon.
Accolades
First team
F -- Haminn Quaintance, Jacksonville
F -- Eddie Baker, Troy
F -- Mike Bell, Florida Atlantic
G -- Travis DeGroot, Georgia State
G -- E.J. Gordon, Stetson
Second team
F -- Wesley Duke, Mercer
F -- Brian Bender, Gardner-Webb
F/G -- Kevin Thomas, Georgia State
G -- Gary Johnson, UCF
G -- Brian Collins, Belmont
Player of the year
E.J. Gordon, Stetson
Newcomer of the year
Travis DeGroot, Georgia State
Breakthrough player
Josh Peppers, UCF
Atlantic Sun Conference preview
By Tony Mejia
SportsLine.com Staff Writer
Stock Chart
Team Stock
1. Georgia State
2. Stetson
3. Troy
4. UCF
5. Jacksonville
6. Florida Atlantic
7. Gardner-Webb
8. Mercer
9. Belmont
10. Campbell
11. Lipscomb
This year's Atlantic Sun race has no real favorite, so take the following projections for what they are: an educated guess as to whose junior college transfers will fare better.
Look for another big year out of Central Florida if the Golden Knights and Kirk Speraw survive losing Dexter Lyons. (Getty Images)
Georgia State, our pick to claim the title, won 20 games last season but lost its top two scorers. So, in typical Georgia State fashion, coach Michael Perry, following the recipe of mentor Lefty Driesell, went shopping at the JUCO supermarket.
He picked himself up a wonderful backcourt in Travis DeGroot and Malcolm Manier and added highly regarded Tikoyo Barnett and Clark Williams up front.
The early buzz out of the first fall workouts had players proclaiming they would be the best team in Georgia State history, which, given their level of play in recent years, is a profound statement.
Troy State reloaded on JUCOs, Central Florida added a couple to fill its frontcourt holes, and Florida Atlantic also partook, adding to their arsenal which already includes standout former transfers Mike Bell and Pierre Tucker.
Now we'll mix it all together and see what develops. Odds are the result will be a very competitive race.
Georgia State
Top three: PG Travis DeGroot, F/G Kevin Thomas, PF Marcus Brown.
On the rise: The Panthers have remained consistent winners under Perry, but the aura of invincibility they enjoyed early under Driesell is gone. DeGroot and Co. will look to re-establish it this year with what appears to be the best assemblage of talent in the conference.
Stetson
Top three: G/F E.J. Gordon, G Anthony Register, F/G Karl Hollingsworth.
On the rise: Without a football program, basketball is king at Stetson. Unfortunately, there hasn't been much to get excited about in Deland, but that should change this season. Gordon, arguably the league's top player, is now a junior and depth has been improved by a massive recruiting class featuring transfers Hollingsworth (Tulane) and Will Holloman (Richmond).
Troy
Top three: F Eddie Baker, PG Bobby Dixon, F Ryan Hack.
On the decline: The Trojans lost all five starters from last year's regular-season champs, who posted an impressive 18-2 league mark. Troy will reload quickly, relying on a mix of returners who played bench roles on last year's squad and a host of good-looking JC transfers tailored for Don Maestri's run-and-gun philosophy.
Central Florida
Top three: PG Gary Johnson, F/G Josh Peppers, F Marcus Avant.
On the decline: Kirk Speraw's Golden Knights won a school-record 25 games and gave Pittsburgh a scare in last year's NCAAs, but the leader of the team, infectious Dexter Lyons, has graduated. UCF won't be able to replace him, but will remain very competitive if it continues to buy into Speraw's staples of strong defense and ball movement that have typified the program's resurgence.
Jacksonville
Top three: F Haminn Quaintance, SG David Lee, C Jure Lozancic.
On the rise: Four starters are back, with Quaintance, an absolute stud sophomore, leading the way. Already arguably the league's top all-around player, Quaintance can both set the table and rule the boards while getting his on offense. He's fun to watch and figures to improve his team further with a year under his belt.
Florida Atlantic
Top three: F Mike Bell, F Pierre Tucker, C Robert Williams.
On the rise: Bell didn't disappoint last season, living up to the hype by becoming a double-double machine and one of the toughest players in the league to guard. There are issues at guard though, where graduated starters Earnest Crumbley and Jeff Cowans, the most productive backcourt in school history, leave a huge hole.
Gardner-Webb
Top three: F Brian Bender, G Tim Jennings, G Josh Chiles.
On the rise: The Bulldogs look to break into the top half of the league standings as they become eligible for postseason play for the first time since moving into D-I. Although they lost two double-digit scorers, they do return a very nice forward in Bender and are excited about the arrival of Jennings, who should be one of the A-Sun's top newcomers.
Mercer
Top three: F Wesley Duke, G/F James Odoms, PG Damitrius Coleman.
On the decline: Duke was granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA, softening the loss of standout big man Scott Emerson. Despite that break, it's going to be difficult for Mark Slonaker to replace the centerpiece of his offense, particularly since players of his caliber aren't seen around Macon very often.
Belmont
Top three: G Brian Collins, F Adrian Jones, G Josh Goodwin.
On the decline: A rebuilding year awaits the Bruins, who capped their first 20-victory season in their D-I history with an NIT appearance. Only two starters return, and the team has glaring vacancies in the post and the point that will probably have to be solved by unproven commodities.
Campbell
Top three: SG Anthony Atkinson, F Dominique Klein, PG Stephon Griffin.
On the rise: The Camels won only three games last season, all in conference play, so there's nowhere to go but up for second-year coach Robbie Laing. He did a nice job recruiting players up to tiny Buies Creek, particularly Griffin, who will be handed the keys to the offense.
Lipscomb
Top three: PG Brian Fisk, SG James Poindexter, F/C Shaun Durant.
On the decline: Like Gardner-Webb, Lipscomb is also eligible for postseason play for the first time, but it's unlikely it catches a whiff of it this year. The entire frontcourt must be replaced, and Scott Sanderson has to upgrade the athleticism on his roster to be competitive anytime soon.
Accolades
First team
F -- Haminn Quaintance, Jacksonville
F -- Eddie Baker, Troy
F -- Mike Bell, Florida Atlantic
G -- Travis DeGroot, Georgia State
G -- E.J. Gordon, Stetson
Second team
F -- Wesley Duke, Mercer
F -- Brian Bender, Gardner-Webb
F/G -- Kevin Thomas, Georgia State
G -- Gary Johnson, UCF
G -- Brian Collins, Belmont
Player of the year
E.J. Gordon, Stetson
Newcomer of the year
Travis DeGroot, Georgia State
Breakthrough player
Josh Peppers, UCF