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LOCATION: Lexington, VA
CONFERENCE: Southern (North Division)
LAST SEASON: 12-15 (.444)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 9-7 (t-3rd)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 2/3
NICKNAME: Keydets
COLORS: Red, Yellow & White
HOMECOURT: Cameron Hall (5,029)
COACH: Bart Bellairs (Warren Wilson '79)
record at school 66-71 (5 years)
career record 87-98 (7 years)
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ASSISTANTS: Kirby Dean (Eastern Mennonite '92)
Ramon Williams (VMI '90)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 10-18-12-14-12
RPI (last 5 years) 267-169-208-221-210
1998-99 FINISH: Lost in conference first round.
ESPN.com Clubhouse
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Most coaches facing the task of replacing a conference's leading scorer would be downplaying their chances of success for the upcoming year. Bart Bellairs is not like most coaches. "Our big men are the best quality group I've had since I've been here," he said. "Really, our only question mark is replacing Jason Bell's scoring, and in our system, that's normally not a problem. I'm really optimistic. I think we are definitely going to be one of the league's sleeper teams if people don't already think we're going to be pretty good. Our non-conference schedule is very demanding with Virginia, Florida, Notre Dame and a trip to Hawaii, but you never know how hungry you are until you try to eat the whole cow." Bellairs, entering his sixth season at VMI, has achieved a standard of success at the military school that has not been seen since the program's glory days of the late '70s. He has produced two winning seasons in five years for a school that had broken the .500 mark just once in its previous 16 seasons. The system that Bellairs refers to involves plenty of fullcourt pressure, a quickened tempo on offense and lots of three-point shooting. It is a system that has been wildly popular with the VMI faithful. So popular, in fact, that Bellairs was awarded with a 10-year contract a few seasons back. Bellairs would probably give a year or two of his contract back if he could avoid any off-season disasters. Two years ago, Southern Conference Freshman-of-the-Year Brent Conley and point guard Andre Quarles were declared ineligible for the season, and Conley eventually transferred. Last year, center Eric Mann suffered a flare-up of a knee problem that limited him to two games. The 6-9 Mann (6.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg) and the 5-11 Quarles (8.9 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 73 assists, 26 steals) are now entering their senior years. They, along with 6-3 senior forward Aaron Demory (9.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 53 steals, 20 blocks), will be the heart and soul of this year's team.
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Blue Ribbon Analysis |
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BACKCOURT C- BENCH/DEPTH D
FRONTCOURT B INTANGIBLES B
The Keydets have been the SoCon's most entertaining team since the arrival of coach Bart Bellairs before the 1994-95 season. VMI's run-and-gun style has also produced its share of results in the win column. However, Basketball 101 teaches us that up-tempo teams normally have to be able to rebound to be effective. Last season, the Keydets were the SoCon's worst rebounding team with a minus-9.0 rebounding margin. Obviously, VMI will need to do much better than that to improve on last season's total of 12 wins. The return of Eric Mann should help. Bellairs also hopes that Nick Richardson's improved strength will result in two or three more boards per game. Regardless of whether the rebounding part of the equation falls into place, the Keydets are still going to need to be able to score. There are several players with good offensive skills who should see the basketball more now that Jason Bell is gone. But with no double-figure scorers returning, the safe bet would be to predict the Keydets no higher than fourth in the SoCon's North Division. |
Demory is the most likely to step up offensively to replace some of the production of Bell (18.9 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 50 assists, 77 steals). He had a solid season last year despite playing out of position at power forward. With the return of Mann, Demory will be able to spend the remainder of his days at VMI at his natural small-forward slot. That could be just the kind of change of scenery that he needs to make a push for all-conference honors. Demory is one of the SoCon's best athletes, and his ability to play inside could make him be a tough cover for opposing small forwards. "Aaron is our human highlight film," Bellairs said. "He probably leads the entire league in dunks. His character is one of his biggest pluses; he just wants to win so badly. He also has a seven-foot wing span, so he plays a lot bigger than he is." Demory's major drawback is a suspect outside shot. He made just four of 27 three-point shots last season. Mann spent most of his rehabilitation time working on his jump shot and his post moves. He has always been an excellent defender, rebounder and shot blocker. Two seasons ago, he averaged 6.4 points and 7.3 rebounds and had 47 blocks. "Eric has the potential to be one of the best big men in the league," Bellairs said. "He's finishing more plays offensively now, and he ran the floor like a deer in the summer. He will give us a big plus, a shot blocker, that we need when we funnel things to the middle of the floor on our press." Quarles started 25 of VMI's 27 games last season. He was rusty early in the year but regained his consistency down the stretch. He shot just .364 from the field but shot .458 the final nine games of the year. Quarles' best game of the season came in the Keydets' regular-season finale against Chattanooga as he made eight of 12 shots from the field and scored 22 points in a 73-57 VMI win. He also had 20 points in an early-season game against Wake Forest. As a point guard, Quarles must learn to take better care of the ball. He had almost as many assists as turnovers (67) last season. "Andre came on strong at the end," Bellairs said. "If we can get some consistent scoring from him this year, that will lessen the burden on everyone else." The power-forward position left open by Demory's switch to small forward should be occupied this season by 6-7 junior Nick Richardson (9.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 35 assists, 25 steals, 12 blocked shots). Like Demory, Richardson also had to play out of position last season, occupying Mann's center slot. Richardson has shown flashes of all-star ability. He scored in double figures in six of VMI's final eight games and has worked this summer on improving his strength. "Nick is a versatile player," said Bellairs. "He can play inside or outside." Bellairs is high on 6-9 freshman Adam Trombley (Fork Union Military Academy/Fork Union, Va.), the younger brother of 6-9 junior Aaron Trombley (2.6 ppg, 1.7 rpg). In an unusual twist, the younger Trombley who may take minutes away from his older brother this season. Bellairs is viewing Adam as a potential starter in the frontcourt. "We feel like we have a chance with Adam Trombley to have the Southern Conference's Freshman of the Year," said Bellairs. Adam averaged 16.0 points and 11.0 rebounds last season. Aaron played in 27 games last season, averaging almost 10 minutes per game. He is a decent outside shooter but needs to add upper body strength to be able to battle effectively inside. He scored nine points last season against Virginia and the College of Charleston. He made two of three three-point shots against the Cougars. Because of Mann's injuyr, Bellairs essentially played a three-guard lineup last season. With the departure of the 6-1 Bell and 6-4 Matt Matheny (9.6 ppg, 4.0 rpg), there will now be only one opening at the off-guard spot. Three candidates 6-3 junior Richard Bruce (4.9 ppg, 1.3 rpg), 6-2 sophomore Mark Grigsby (1.0 ppg, 0.9 rpg) and 6-2 freshman Jeremy Harper (Pendleton HS/Seneca Rocks, W.V.) will be vying for a starting position. Bruce is a good three-point shooter, which is always a bonus in Bellairs' system. Bruce shot .319 (15-of-47) from three-point range last season. He scored in double figures on three occasions, including a 19-point effort in a blowout win over Southern Virginia. Grigsby was recruited out of high school as a three-point shooter. A Mormon, he missed the two seasons before last while doing missionary work. Predictably, he had a hard time regaining his form last season. Grigsby played sparingly but did make eight of the 11 field goals he attempted. Harper, who also plays baseball, is a good outside shooter. He averaged 30.0 points last season. Renard Phillips (2.0 ppg, 1.1 rpg, 73 assists, 28 steals), a 5-7 sophomore, will back up Quarles at the point. He tied Quarles for the team lead in assists last season, despite averaging almost 10 fewer minutes of playing time. Phillips is not the offensive threat that Quarles can be. He shot just .257 from the field and .265 from three-point range. Also returning in the backcourt are 6-4 sophomores Chad Kenna (1.3 ppg, 0.7 rpg) and Ryan Kenna (0.0 ppg, 0.5 rpg). The brothers are stand-still shooters who are expected to make most of their contributions in practice. Deep reserves in the frontcourt are 6-9 sophomore center Tim Cole (1.4 ppg, 1.0 rpg, nine blocked shots) and 6-5 junior forward Top Palmer (0.7 ppg, 0.4 rpg). Cole, although a project, has potential. He played in all 27 games last season.
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