Big South Virginia Cycle: Who has the brightest future?
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Quincy Taylor will add to Longwood’s depth a year from now.[/caption]
We’re at a point in the schedule where we play in-state rivals Liberty and Radford back-to-back. Obviously, we all know VMI will be moving on to the Southern Conference this July, so they won’t be in the equation in terms of the Big South. The North and South Divisions will be no more after this year, but the contests against Liberty and Radford will always be circled on the calendars of Lancer fans as long as the three schools are together in the Big South. A lot of people will say that you can throw out the record and box scores when rivals get together, but what is the long term prognosis for all three teams in the Commonwealth?
Radford: You’re probably tired of hearing this by now, but the Highlanders are Longwood’s blueprint for success over the next few seasons. I think the Highlanders are a bit ahead of schedule this year, but have certainly established themselves as a contender for the Big South title. We’ll see where Radford is at when we get to Myrtle Beach in March, as the next natural hurdle for Mike Jones is winning a postseason game. In his first two years Radford was bounced in the first round by VMI in 2012 and Winthrop last year.
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The good news is that Jones certainly has a lot that pieces that will win you a championship. His team is deep, hungry, and motivated. He has great guard play in RJ Price and Ya Ya Anderson, and also has guys that can cause trouble in the paint with Javonte Green, Kion Brown, and Jalen Carethers. But what is the long term prognosis past this March for the Highlanders? You would think Radford would hit their peak next season with Price, Green, Carethers, and Kyle Noreen all being seniors. We’ll have to see how Jones replenishes that core, although he’ll still have plenty of senior talent in 2015–16 with Brown, Anderson, Rashun Davis, Brandon Holcomb, Lucas Dyer, and Juwan Wells. Past that season is a mystery right now. Will Radford fall into a rebuilding cycle or will Mike Jones find transfers or JUCOs that could equalize his reliance on different classes? Only time will tell.
Liberty: The Flames are at their peak right now, in terms of a four year cycle. When Dale Layer’s season is done he’ll lose six seniors who account for 66% of his scoring production and 67% of the team’s rebounding. The good news is that Andrew Smith and Tomasz Gielo have been playing very good basketball lately and the Flames can a get a boost from them. Also Sommy Ogukwe should give the Flames a little size with the departure of three bigs this upcoming offseason. I’d imagine Joe Retic would become the primary ball-handler for the Flames and he’s certainly a nice player as well. The problem is whether or not the Flames have young talent and can they foster it? Retic is really the only underclassman getting serious minutes right now and Liberty has largely relied on JUCO players the past couple of seasons, so 1) we don’t know what kind of young talent the Flames have, and 2) we don’t know if they can develop that talent with their reliance on transfers lately (not to mention the exodus of players out of the programs at times).
Liberty already has signed five players this year including some highly sought recruits like Braxton Bonds, Stavian Allen, and Braxton Bonds. Can some of the older players hold down the fort while this new class comes through the pipeline?
Longwood: It can be frustrating at times to take your lumps this season while so much talent is sitting on the bench not able to play. David Robinson and Mark Parker are essentially already gone and Tristan Carey and Jeff Havenstein will say goodbye soon. Guys like Lucas Woodhouse and Karl Ziegler have been asked to play and do so much over the past two years it’s really easy to forget that they are sophomores. Woodhouse has an opportunity to be the most decorated point guard in Big South history, while Ziegler continues to develop into a very solid player. Longwood’s immediate boost will come in their most need area…the frontcourt. Tulane transfer Lotanna Nwogbo, redshirt freshman Charlie Lockwood, and recent signee Victor Dorsey will give Longwood the size in the paint that Coach Gee needs so badly. The frontcourt depth ill go from three serviceable big men to five big men who have a mix of talent, experience, and athleticism.
In the backcourt Woodhouse, DJ Allen, Isaac Belton, and Leron Fisher will all be a year older. But the biggest boost will come from Quincy Taylor a UAB transfer who will likely start alongside Woodhouse and add an experienced, high level guard to the fray. Freshman Ryan Badowski will also give Longwood an option as a shooter and a chance to spread the floor, much like David Robinson role likely would have been this year. It’s not crazy to think that the 2015–16 season will be Gee’s target year to be where Radford is now and have a team that not only has talent and leadership but depth as well.
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