Towson is led by a solid and surprisingly experienced backcourt.  Juniors Roger Dickens and Mel Land will begin the season as the starters and have been a fine combo for the last two years.  Their first year was in D-2 and they formed a cohesive unit that helped carry that program to the elite eight of the national tournament. Things were not so rosy in their first year of D-1 but they improved as the year went on.  This duo teamed up with phenomenal wing Brian Matthews to became the focal point of the Tiger team rather.  The trio provided not only the bulk of scoring for Towson but set the tone for the style Towson would play.  That style consisted of and up and down pace and a willingness to throw up shots from anywhere on the court.   Land is one of the best penetrators in the league and when he gets in the paint he knows how to finish.  He will finish on anyone.  He is already one of the most popular player on the team and the fans have two more years of watching this slick customer do his thing.  This Baltimore street ball legend is the real deal.  Dickens began the year as the starter at point guard and set the tone for Towson.  Dickens is a terrific leader and is a gifted at going to the hoop and scoring or getting the ball to his teammates.  Dickens is the prototype point guard and played well and even came back from some challenged by some underclassmen to contribute down the stretch.  Angotti was adamant about giving everyone on the roster a shot especially knowing this program was just getting it’s feet wet in D-1.  Good strategy as first year players Bill Leonard, Rica Page and Donald Leslie got some needed experience but at times were overwhelmed by the competition.  This group gives Angotti depth but after a year without a JV some of these kids will get some more seasoning on that team against lesser competition but of course this will not be the case for the juniors.  As good as those sophomore guards are on the Tiger roster they are nowhere near the leader of the ‘little’ Dickens and Land may be the best of them all.  These two may have a hard time, however, staying in the starting lineup as rumors are the back court recruits, both first year and transfers, are an entirely different level of talent then the fans in Towson have seen wearing black and gold. 

Speaking of the carryovers from the Glory days of Division Two they include the aforementioned Brian Matthews.  Matthews is a 6’5 stud who played wing and was hugely productive at the three spot most of the year.  He can really defend as he led the team in steals for the second straight year.  Matthews is another Baltimore kid (most of them are but that is changing as Angotti spreads his wings in D-1) who is also the best rebounder on the team and really can fly and can throw down some highlight dunks with the best of them.  The rest of his game needs to catch up with his athleticism.  If Matthews develops his jump shot as well as his ability to get to the rim and finish, the world is his oyster. 

The one player who stood out in the middle was junior Pat McKinley.  McKinley is a rebounding machine on par with almost anybody in the conference and can (and will) block a shot.  Towson relied on him for heavy minutes underneath and this took it’s toll on the undersized (6’7) big man.  Still, he has tow years left and Towson will need his presence if they are going to hope to improve next year in the burgeoning conference.  He was a stud in Division Two and has had a steep learning curve at this level but he is a gamer and is arguably the most important player on the roster with the lack of an inside presence on both ends.  He might not be Ewing but he gets the job done. 

One of the problems for Towson will be finding a post mate for McKinley.  Coach Angotti tried all year to find a complimentary big man who could match up with the Goliaths of the American East and help-out the undersized McKinley.  The three that stood out as being most effective were Juniors Larry Witherspoon and Bobby Washington and sophomore Steffan Bunsavage.  Washington is another undersized (6’7) banger but he has a mean streak and performed well.  Not much of a scorer Washington is a winner and complemented McKinley well.  Witherspoon has tremendous upside as he showed with a huge 31 point game versus Drexel, but was inconsistent.  He missed too many games but has the talent to be effective and was the best offensive low post option Towson have.  He should start next to McKinley next year but has to stay healthy.  At 6’5, he gets beat up on often in the paint but can take his game out to about 15 feet which he needs to do more often.  Bunsavage has a bit more size at 6’8 but is not as developed as the two D-2 studs.  Fellow sophomore Glenn Dieter barely got off the bench but this 6’7 headbanger almost assuredly will be on JV this year. Seniors Bucky Kimmett, Dan Roberts and Tim Casey were once the guys here but have not played much since Angotti got to town.  Kimmett knows the game inside and out and will be a heck of a coach but is way too small for D-1 down low.  He can score and Angotti has tried to turn him into a wing which has not worked too well.  Speaking of wings sophomores battle for playing time but were stuck behind the irascible Matthews for serious minutes.  Mark Cooley and Michael Frink can play but are nowhere near the athlete Matthews is.  A year of JV would really help these two.  Junior Jimmy Hubbard is in this mix but has no options and he might get caught in the wash of the new kid turnover.

The Towson Tigers had a difficult first season in the American East conference.  The play of a steady and talented backcourt gives the team hope for the future.  Now to just find some thoroughbreds up front who can play with the big boys of this conference.  They do have a few studs down low who carried over from this team’s D-2 heyday but all are undersized though willing.   Coach Vince Angotti has a team that relies on the three pointer and can really light up the scoreboard but now needs to find some consistency.  Towson will improve as Angotti gets a full year of recruiting both JC and 4 year kids.  Towson might take a minute to get things going in D-1 but they might be able to compete sooner than expected as in the American East anything is possible.