Tip-Off Week: Starting Five
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How will Jeylani Dublin fit in a new system and a new lineup?[/caption]
A lot about the rotation is unknown heading into the 2013–14 campaign, but here is what you can expect from the starting five going into the season:
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PG: Lucas Woodhouse, Sophomore- A January 16 injury to Nik Brown at Radford finally thrust Lucas Woodhouse into the starting lineup. All he did after that was lead the conference in assists and set a new school record for assists in season. Coach Gee has been trumpeting Woodhouse’s leadership and play throughout the offseason, Gee even went as far to claim he’ll be the “face of the program” in the Blue Ribbon Yearbook. Despite averaging nearly 6 assists per game, Lucas now has to focus on cutting down his turnovers (3 per game) and being more of a offensive threat via his jump-shot. Expect Woodhouse to continue to grow and be among the Big South’s best floor generals this season.
SG: Tristan Carey, Senior: TT Carey finally got the respect he deserves in being named to the preseason Big South Second Team, but don’t expect him to be satisfied with that accolade. Carey is the conference’s third leading scorer, and while many focus on his scoring prowess many forget that he lead the Big South in steals a year ago and also grabs over 5 rebounds per game. Carey should fit right into Gee’s pressure defense system, but he’ll also have to find that fifth gear on offense more often then not with opposing teams gunning for him every night.
G/F: Karl Ziegler, Sophomore: An offseason of hard work impressed Coach Gee and earned the “Crash Test Dummy” a starting role. You’d be hard pressed to find a player in the Big South who plays as hard and with more passion and reckless abandon than Karl Ziegler. Zigs averaged 7 points and nearly 3 rebounds a year ago and will now be asked to give multiple effort on both sides of the floor. Expect him to blossom into a double-digit scorer and a key defensive stopper for the Lancers.
PF: Jeylani Dublin, R-Junior: Dublin may be the biggest wild card in the starting lineup this year. He went from walk-on to starter and the chatter around him has been relatively quiet this offseason. He was certainly a pleasant surprise averaging 10 points and 5.7 rebounds last year, but needs to put in the work around the basket on both ends of the floor. Toughness is the key and Jeylani needs to continue to develop into more of a rim protector in Gee’s pressure defense.
C: Jeff Havenstein, Senior: Havensteain being named a starter was the biggest surprise this offseason. He averaged under 10 minutes and under a point per game last year, but Coach Gee has applauded his effort and leadership all offseason. It’ll be interesting to see how many minutes per game Havenstein will be used, as he’s averaged just about 10 per game in his first three years. He looks to be walking around with a lot more confidence and a lot more energy, could he continue to be a surprise throughout the season?
