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LOCATION: Spartanburg, SC
CONFERENCE: Southern (South Division)
LAST SEASON: 11-16 (.407)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 8-8 (3rd)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 2/3
NICKNAME: Terriers
COLORS: Old Gold & Black
HOMECOURT: Benjamin Johnson Arena (3,500)
COACH: Richard Johnson (The Citadel '76)
record at school 199-180 (14 years)
career record 199-180 (14 years)
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ASSISTANTS: Dan Peterson (Wake Forest '70)
Mike Young (Emory & Henry '86)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 17-4-7-9-11
RPI (last 5 years) N/A-294-300-274-240
1998-99 FINISH: Lost in conference first round.
ESPN.com Clubhouse
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Wofford may not be on the fast track to Division I success, but by all accounts, the Terriers are certainly on the right track. Wofford has improved its win total in each of its four seasons in Division I, beginning with a 4-22 record in 1995-96 and culminating in last year's 11-16 record. Of more significance for Terrier fans was the team's 8-8 record and third-place finish in the South Division of the Southern Conference. Wofford won five of six league games to finish the regular season before losing to a surprising Western Carolina squad in the first round of the league tournament. Optimism surrounding the program should be at an all-time high in 1999-2000, as three starters and 11 lettermen return, including Southern Conference Player-of-the-Year candidate Ian Chadwick (16.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 59 assists, 31 steals, .429 3 PT), a 6-3 junior. "Ian Chadwick is a really gifted player," said Wofford coach Richard Johnson. "He possesses great athleticism and has outstanding basketball skills as well. Combine that with a love of the game, and it just makes him one of those players you don't get very often." An all-conference performer as a sophomore, Chadwick ranked second in the league in scoring, first in three-pointers per game (2.9) and third in free-throw percentage (.807). Chadwick, undoubtedly one of the nation's top pure shooters, is on pace to finish as the conference's all-time leader in three-pointers made. He has 139 career treys, including 78 last season.
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Blue Ribbon Analysis |
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BACKCOURT B BENCH/DEPTH C
FRONTCOURT C INTANGIBLES C
Wofford coach Richard Johnson has done an outstanding job of overseeing Wofford's transition into the Division I ranks. He has exceeded almost everyone's expectations when it has come to the Terriers' success within the Southern Conference. Last year's 8-8 league record was a sign that Wofford has arrived as a legitimate team in the league. "I'd be dishonest if I didn't say that even I'm a little surprised at how quickly we've become competitive in the Southern Conference," said Johnson. "I think our guys have come much farther than I would have anticipated at this juncture. The key now is to continue to improve and not only be competitive, but make strides in competing for a divisional championship and conference championship." To reach the league's elite level, the Terriers will need to do better in close games. Of their eight conference losses last season, six were by a combined 16 points. And, it is within the conference that this team should be judged. Wofford's non-conference schedule is brutal. The Terriers open up the season with consecutive road games against South Carolina, Clemson, West Virginia and Marquette and play a December stretch that includes road games at Vanderbilt, Texas and Georgia Tech. "If we can survive until Christmas, we'll be all right," said Johnson. "We talk about our pre-conference schedule every year, and this may be the toughest yet." If the Terriers can maintain their confidence heading into conference play, a solid finish within the South Division should be achieved. We'll select the Terriers third in the division behind perennial contenders College of Charleston and Chattanooga. |
Chadwick is no one-trick pony. The product of athletic bloodlines his father Dennis was a football standout at Tennessee from 1970-72 he is also blessed with outstanding quickness and leaping ability, allowing him to drive to the basket and score in traffic. During the off-season, Chadwick competes in the high jump, triple jump and long jump for the Wofford track team. Chadwick scored in double figures in all but three games last season and hit for 20 or more points nine times. He scored 26 points and made six of nine three-pointers against Auburn, scored a career-high 36 points against Western Carolina and scored 27 points, including 22 in the second half, in the Terriers' season opener at Brigham Young. "Chadwick can flat-out play," said Auburn coach Cliff Ellis after witnessing Chadwick's shooting display. "I would love to have him in an Auburn uniform." Chadwick will have a new running mate in the backcourt this season after the departure of 6-0 point man Donald Davis (10.2 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 88 assists, 58 steals). Jon Pryor (2.4 ppg, 1.2 rpg), a 6-0 junior, should start alongside Chadwick after playing behind Davis the last two seasons. Pryor appeared in all 27 games last season and averaged almost 13 minutes. A pure point guard, Pryor had a 2.0-to-1.0 assist-turnover ratio last season. He has also increased his strength during the off-season. Pryor made some key contributions for the Terriers last season, including scoring nine points in 14 minutes in a 69-57 win over Furman, and scoring six key points in a 75-65 road win at Georgia Southern. Pryor should be pushed for playing time by 6-3 freshman Mike Lenzly of Lovejoy High School in Jonesboro, Ga, a left-hander who has quickness, shoots well and exhibits tremendous poise. Lenzly averaged 17.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists last season while earning Clayton County Player-of-the-Year honors from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Lenzly is from the same high school that produced Terrier standout Alfred Forbes (13.6 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 45 assists, 49 steals, 28 blocks), who graduated after last season. "It's going to be critical that we get some solid play from Jon Pryor and Mike Lenzly," said Johnson. "Donald Davis was not only a great defender, but he was an outstanding leader. We've really got to have somebody who can penetrate and open things up for Ian Chadwick and Starzee Walker." Another newcomer who should see action in the backcourt is 6-3 freshman Lee Nixon of Hanahan (S.C.) High School, an all-state performer who was a finalist for Mr. Basketball honors in South Carolina. Also left-handed, Nixon averaged 20.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.5 steals last season. Willis High (1.3 ppg, 0.4 rpg), a 6-0 junior, doubled his playing time last season, but still logged just 24 minutes. High could conceivably double his minutes again, but still won't have a huge role. The frontcourt will be affected by the loss of the 6-4 Forbes, an undersized power forward who was the Terriers' leading shot blocker and second-leading scorer and rebounder. Junior Bishop Ravenel (1.6 ppg, 1.8 rpg) is projected to be the starter at the power-forward slot. The 6-7 Ravenel is a good rebounder who doesn't mind setting screens and going after loose balls. Grant Sterley of Cathedral High School in Carmel, Ind., a 6-7 freshman, may be Wofford's power forward of the future. Sterley averaged 12.0 points and 7.0 rebounds last season. Sterley is physical, has a solid frame (220 pounds), good hands and can shoot from the perimeter. He opened Johnson's eyes with a 20-point, eight-rebound performance against rival Bishop Chatard when the Terrier coach saw him in person. So impressed was Johnson that he made Sterley just the fourth November signee in his tenure. Others looking to get into the mix at power forward will be 6-7 sophomore Matt Tucker (1.2 ppg, 0.4 rpg), who was limited to five games last season because of a back injury, and 6-6 junior Chris Mamele (0.9 ppg, 0.7 rpg), who appeared in just seven games. Tucker is a good athlete and an active player inside. At small forward, 6-3 Starzee Walker (10.5 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 40 assists, 25 steals, .363 3 PT), who finished third on the team in scoring, returns for his senior season. Walker scored in double figures in 12 of Wofford's final 14 games, including a team-high 21 points against North Carolina State, and a career-high 22 points against Furman. Walker is a reliable shooter who finished second on the team in three-pointers with 45. He also has the ability to put the ball on the floor and make plays. "Starzee has really matured and developed since he's been here," said Johnson. "As a freshman, he could barely lift the bar in the weight room. He's working now around 265 or 270 pounds on his bench. He is an outstanding shooter who has become a tremendous defensive player." Walker has a capable backup in 6-3 sophomore Colon Largent (4.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 33 assists), who emerged last season as the team's defensive stopper. Largent was the Terriers' sixth man last season, a job at which he excels. With his high energy level, Largent usually raises the intensity of the team when he enters a game. The center spot is one of tremendous depth. For starters, there's 6-7 senior Rashane DeLoach (4.9 ppg, 5.1 rpg, .590 field-goal percentage), who started all 27 games last season. DeLoach was strong down the stretch in 1998-99, averaging 7.8 points and shooting better than 78 percent from the field in the team's final nine games. He had 14 rebounds in Wofford's loss against Western Carolina in the Southern Conference Tournament and had a career-high 15 rebounds in a loss at VMI. Support in the low post comes from 6-8 junior Kenny Hastie (2.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 23 blocks). Hastie attended Duke as a freshman but was a student only. He walked on at Wofford after transferring last season. He has long arms and excellent timing, making him a formidable presence defensively in the post. Hastie had back-to-back four-block games last season against Navy and Auburn. Since arriving at Wofford, he has increased his bench press by 100 pounds. His development should give Johnson the option of moving DeLoach to the power forward spot on occasion. A pair of big performers looking to make their marks in the middle are 7-0 junior Brandon Boyce (0.8 ppg, 1.1 rpg) and 6-10 freshman Edvin Masic of Bowling Green (Ky.) High School. Boyce, the program's first-ever 7-footer, playe d in 12 games last season and made four of seven shots from the field. Masic is a native of Bosnia who lived for five years in Germany, then moved to Kentucky before his junior year of high school. Masic has intriguing potential. He averaged 11.3 points and 11.1 rebounds last season. Masic has excellent hands, good footwork and a good outside touch.
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