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LOCATION: Charleston, SC
CONFERENCE: Southern (South Division)
LAST SEASON: 28-3 (.903)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 16-0 (1st)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 4/1
NICKNAME: Cougars
COLORS: Maroon & White
HOMECOURT: John Kresse Arena (3,500)
COACH: John Kresse (St. John's '64)
record at school 493-121 (20 years)
career record 493-121 (20 years)
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ASSISTANTS: Jim Yarbrough (Florida State '87)
Ben Betts (Roanoke College '90)
Paul Harrison (Washington & Lee '93)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 23-25-29-24-28
RPI (last 5 years) 62-70-49-78-37
1998-99 FINISH: Lost in NCAA first round.
ESPN.com Clubhouse
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John Kresse is accustomed to challenges. He is, after all, a man who has guided the College of Charleston program from the NAIA ranks to a NCAA Division I top-25 ranking within a span of 10 years. This season, Kresse is once again confronted with a daunting task how to replace eight seniors and four starters and still maintain the level of success Cougar fans expect. The College of Charleston has won six consecutive conference championships (five in the Trans America Athletic and one in the Southern), and anything short of a league crown and 20 wins would probably be considered a disappointment. Fortunately for the Cougars and unfortunately for the rest of the SoCon, Kresse has been down this road as recently as two seasons ago. In the Cougars' final season in the TAAC, Kresse had to replace 98 percent of his scoring output but still guided the College of Charleston to a 24-6 record and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Some believe that the Cougars have more pure talent and athleticism than last year's team that won all 19 of its games against SoCon competition. The lone returning starter is 6-8 junior center Jody Lumpkin (10.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 32 steals, 66 blocks, .606 FG), who started 30 of the team's 31 games last season. The Rice transfer was as good as advertised in his first season as a Cougar last year, both on and off the floor. He led the SoCon in field-goal percentage and finished second in blocked shots per game (2.13). Lumpkin also earned second-team GTE Academic All-America honors with a 3.9 grade point average. Lumpkin is a strong and aggressive player inside. He is also an accurate jump shooter from up to 16 feet. Lumpkin should score a lot more this season as he becomes one of the Cougars' primary options. He sacrificed shots last season to seniors Sedric Webber (13.8 ppg, 7.2 rpg), Jermel President (11.7 ppg, 2.3 rpg) and Danny Johnson (12.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg).
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Blue Ribbon Analysis |
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BACKCOURT B+ BENCH/DEPTH B-
FRONTCOURT A- INTANGIBLES B
Rest assured, the Cougars will not walk over the rest of the SoCon this season. There are too many new faces with too little playing time under their belts. However, the College of Charleston should be one of the teams in the thick of the championship fight. The Cougars' athleticism should allow them to be successful on the defensive end and on the boards. Mastery of those those skills should translate into plenty of victories. The College of Charleston allowed opponents an average of only 59.2 points per game last season. Teams also shot only .388 from the field when facing the Cougars' ballhawking defense. Offensively, veteran coach John Kresse has a go-to guy in place in Jody Lumpkin, and potentially three more scorers in Jeff Bolton, James Griffin and Leighton Bowie. However, as with all newcomers, the wait-and-see approach is the safest. Look for the Cougars to be chasing an experienced Chattanooga team for the South Division title. |
Over the last eight games of last season, Lumpkin made nearly 75 percent of his shots and averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds. During that span, he led the Cougars in scoring on four occasions and rebounding six times. He had 25 points and 15 rebounds in a 58-53 win over Chattanooga. He also scored 22 points in a 77-75 win over Massachusetts early in the season. Besides Lumpkin, only 6-3 sophomore Jeff Bolton (4.9 ppg, 1.4 rpg, .545 FG, .469 3 PT, .788 FT) is a returning lettermen from last season. Bolton will not be eligible this season until after the first semester because of academic reasons. It is expected that Bolton will become a standout for the Cougars once he does take the court. Bolton is a pure scorer with great quickness and explosive leaping ability. He played in 28 games last season, providing the College of Charleston with instant offense off the bench. He led the Cougars in scoring with 13 points in a 66-41 win over Georgia Southern. Bolton was the team's most accurate three-point shooter last season. He should start at a wing position this season, although he handles the ball well enough to be used occasionally at the point. Bolton will be joined on the sidelines for the first semester by the Cougars' off-guard of the future 6-2 junior James Griffin. A transfer from Wake Forest, Griffin is expected to be one of the best athletes ever to don a Cougar uniform. Griffin appeared in four games for Wake Forest last season before deciding to transfer. He averaged 3.5 points in limited playing time. Griffin is a good outside shooter, as well as being capable of scoring and creating off the dribble. Tyrone Nelson, a 5-11 redshirt sophomore, should take over at the point for the departed Shane McCravy (4.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 155 assists, 58 steals). Nelson has good quickness and a good knowledge of Kresse's system. He played in 15 games as a freshman in 1997-98, averaging 1.1 points and 0.4 rebounds. Nelson is a better shooter than McCravy, who served offensively strictly as a penetrator and passer. During Bolton and Griffin's absences, the College of Charleston's perimeter game will be suspect. Freshmen Mills Hawkins (Colleton Prep/Walterboro, S.C.), Troy Wheless (Bunn HS/Bunn, N.C.) and A.J. Harris (Good Counsel HS/Silver Springs, Md.) are the only other guards on the roster. The 6-3 Wheless may be the team's starter at off-guard early in the season. He is an excellent three-point shooter who averaged 19.5 points last season. Harris is expected to back up Nelson at the point. His game is similar to McCravy's in that his strengths are his quickness and penetrating ability. Harris averaged 8.0 points and 8.0 assists last season. Hawkins made the team as a walk-on. The 1999-2000 season will mark the debut of highly touted 6-6 freshman Leighton Bowie (Port Charlotte HS/Port Charlotte, Fla.), who missed all of last season with a kidney ailment. The 6-6 Bowie was the Florida 5-A Player of the Year two years ago after averaging 23.0 points, 13.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. Bowie was put on medication last year after his kidneys began malfunctioning. The medication took hold after about six months, helping Bowie avoid transplant surgery. He has now been cleared to resume his basketball career. Bowie is a slasher who likes to put the ball on the floor and take it to the basket. He is a strong finisher and can also knock down shots from the perimeter. Bowie and 6-7 junior Derek Miller (Central Florida CC) should both get plenty of playing time. Miller averaged 15.0 points and 10.0 rebounds last season. He has a well-defined body, which allows him to be effective around the basket as a scorer and rebounder. Kresse should have solid depth in the frontcourt. Freshmen Rodgie Leggett (Spring Valley HS/Columbia, S.C.) and Marco Sanders (Spring Valley HS/Columbia, S.C.), high school teammates, were both redshirted last season. The 6-7 Leggett is a long-armed forward who can run and is an effective player around the basket. He averaged 17.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocks as a high school senior. Sanders, 6-6, was receiving attention from ACC and SEC schools before his senior season but was slowed that year because of injuries. He averaged 12.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 8.0 assists in 1997-98. Shannon Chambers (Westlake HS/Atlanta), a 6-6 freshman, is an exciting player who averaged 16.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 4.5 blocks last season. Pat Davis (Cheshire Academy/San Diego), a 6-6 freshman, was redshirted last season after joining the Cougars as a walk-on. He averaged 18.0 points and 8.0 rebounds as a high school senior. One of Kresse's recruiting priorities last season was to increase the Cougars' size. He did that with the signing of 6-9 freshman center Mike Benton (Newton County HS/Covington, Ga.) and 6-8 freshman center/forward Rudy Rothseiden (Sante Fe HS/Alachua, Fla.). Benton is a raw talent who set a school record last season with 161 blocked shots. He also averaged 20.5 points and 13.5 rebounds. Rothseiden is a hard-nosed player whose game should remind people of Lumpkin. He is strong offensively from up to 15 feet. Rothseiden averaged 12.0 points and 10.0 rebounds last season. Also available for action in the frontcourt is 6-7 freshman walk-on Nick Dyer (Dexter HS/Dexter, Mich.).
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