A-Sun Conference Overview

One of those programs joining the league this year is quite the opposite as Jacksonville ‘steps’ down from the Sun Belt and into a different Sun, the A-Sun that is.  Alliteration aside the Dolphins coming aboard is a huge coup as they bring more talent than this league is used to and have landed one of the great Juco transfers in the entire country.  Junior Artis Gilmore is a 7’2 240 pound man amongst boys who quite possibly might be the most talented big man in the Southeast.  He put up ridiculous numbers at Gardner-Webb and the hype is so big for the A-Train he was voted first team in the A-Sun preseason awards.  The Dolphins were also picked to finish second in the league just behind the Gentlemen from Centenary and their superstar seven-footer.  Yep, that’s right, this conference (ranked 29th by the preseason prognosticators) have a pair of dominant big men that 98% of the programs in the country would love to have.  Robert ‘the Chief’ Parish is a junior as well but only goes 7’0 and 230 but he has the best turn-around in Louisiana, well at least since the Big E matriculated to Houston.  Gents Coach Larry Little (you would think he would be coaching the Dolphins) might have a little better supporting cast with the likes of preseason all-league picks senior Tom Kerwin and sophomore Willie Jackson lining up next to the big man as the two forwards.  The backcourt is not as settled but there is talent and depth there and junior Barry MacLeod knows how to get the ball to the big guys and can run a break.  The Dolphins have just as much talent with seniors Rex Morgan (MD) and Roger Strickland leading an already potent offense.  Coach Joe Williams loves to press and run and recruits accordingly but this high-scoring could push for triple digits scoring with Gilmore guarding the rim and grabbing just about every board in his vicinity.  Junior James Ray has been the dominant inside player around this huge city but is perfectly suited to line up next to the A-Train.  This 6’8 stud can flat finish and has a nice little inside game but is best on the break.  Morgan is a 6’5 point guard and Strickland’s nickname is the Rifle so you know what he does and he goes 6’5 as well.  The games between these two powerhouse will be must watch and the odds are they meet at least three times as there is no other program near the talent on these two powerhouses and that does not even include the behemoths in the middle. 

As Jacksonville joins this league another team will be leaving soon as Georgia Southern moves onto the Southern League.  But first they want to win a title here.  After all of their years of dominance at the NAIA level they have not been to the Big Dance yet and the powers to be decided to move on from legendary coach JB Scearce.  New coach Frank Kerns has big shoes to fill and some huge mountains to climb with the two Everests and has brought in a seven-footer of his own.  Freshman Emmett Smith comes from Florida (no, he does not play football) and is the biggest Eagle to put on sneakers by at least 3 inches.  Smith left Jacksonville when they signed Gilmore but did not have to miss a year with the new portal.  He is a true project, however, and nowhere near as developed as the two junior big men.  Kerns does have two quality big men to build around as senior Chester Webb (1st) and sophomore Jeff Sanders (3rd) both earned preseason all-league accolades.  Webb is a legend in Statesboro but only goes 6’7 and a svelte 180.  He has been nowhere near as dominant in D-1 but he can still score down low though he does take a beating.  Sanders is much more physical and at 6’8 225 does not mind the dirty work down low.  This duo will have more impact on the Eagles year than Smith for sure but the real question is who shoots and passes the ball as Kerns has depth up front.  If he finds a couple more perimeter players these guys could surprise the co-favorites. 

The Hatters of Stetson have the best back court player in the conference and the presence of senior stud Earnest Killum gives them a shot at competing.  Coach Glenn Wilkes, a star for Mercer not too long ago, is building this program from the ground up.  Killum is his star but he has solid players competing at every other position including junior workaholic Randy Anderson underneath.  Three sophomores could play major minutes as point guard Glynn Myrick, wing Frank Burnell (from Jacksonville) and power post Mike Reddick bring some talent to the Hatters roster. 

Speaking of Mercer, the Bears are looking to maul some opponents this year with Bill Bibb’s suffocating defense.  This guy recruits athletic defensive minded-guys and lets them develop offensively.  Sophomore Sam Mitchell showed some promise last year and will get a bigger role at forward this year primarily due to his defense.  He goes 6’6 but plays physical and can guard anyone from the three to the five (well at least some fives, he is no match for Parish or Gilmore).  There is some talent in the back court with senior Tommy Mixon and junior Leonard Hardin both showing an ability to score.  The upper class bigs have taken a step back as their lack of height has caught up with them.  Bibb is trying to replace those guys with younger, bigger kids as this league, as lowly ranked as it is, is not NAIA basketball.  6’3 and 6’4 posts players do not cut it in the A-Sun.  Samford might have the best returning back court in the league as junior Al Walter and sophomore Steve Barker come back for a second season together in Homewood, Alabama.  Barker is the sharpshooting scorer who at 6’5 can also get to the hoop while Walter runs the team with a scorer’s touch.  The Bulldogs need some bigs, though, as the returners are either straight board bangers or undersized.  Or both.  Coach Jimmy Tillette has recruited some athletic wings but unless they get a couple of bigger post players who can also play this team is in trouble especially against those top two teams. 

The Camels from Campbell have some talent and little pedigree from some great lower level (D-2) teams.  Junior Sam Staggers is an athletic 6’6 who can score and board inside and is a leader but he will he giving up some size down low and that is against everyone.  Senior Johnny Marchbanks goes 6’8 and has a nice game around the basket and there are others on the front line (including their own developing 7 footer from Providence Rhode Island) who can play battling for minutes.  This team’s season comes down to a suspect back court as Coach Fred McCall is known for his ability to teach rebounding.  If McCall, the inventor of the rebounder, can somehow find a diamond in the rough from the portal or lower divisions this team could jump into the top half of this league.

 The Georgia State Panthers do not have much of a roster coming and last year’s cellar dweller was not looking to be anywhere near serious contenders.  That changed last July when this team from the ATL signed legendary Coach Charles ‘Lefty’ Driesell to lead this program.  The confident but often maligned former Terrapin stops here on the way down the food chain but his presence alone brings some much-needed attention to this team who is lost in the shuffle of the ATL.  Driesell does not have much of a roster coming back but one thing we know about Lefty is he can convince a Mom he is the next coming of Scott Baio and he really is Charles in Charge and he will take care of their sons.  He is beating every Juco in the country trying to find some kids who have been missed as his late signing but this program behind the eight-ball recruiting and they were already in bad shape.  If Lefty pulls a rabbit out of his hat for the Panthers and somehow gets them to the Big Dance then they should send the FBI to investigate.  Even with NIL money and Lefty in town, this team will be lucky to stay out of the basement once again.  They do not have one player on the preseason all-league teams and that includes 15 players while the Dolphins have 4 and the Gents have 3.  That is why those two programs are picked to be at the top of the heap when the season ends in the newly named A-Sun.  This conference might have changed names but they are still a one selection league but who knows, with the two powerhouses at the top the Gents and Dolphins could just get this league’s first at-large berth.   Now, that would be a story but it probably won’t happen (heck, this league has never even had an NIT team) so it makes those two (probably three) showdowns in Shreveport and Jacksonville (and probably one more in the ATL) the hottest tickets of the year in those cities.