Exactly what is a Mid-Major? Exactly, we can’t tell you, but we can release a fact. The term Mid-Major was coined by yours truly back in 1965 for our scouting service for college coaches entitled HSBI Report. Prior to HSBI, schools and players were defined as either small college or major college. But our service was designed to pinpoint the exact level we thought a player could contribute by his sophomore season. Now Harvard, Yale and Princeton were all considered major college, but so was John Wooden’s UCLA juggernaut. A way had to be found to separate the Bruins from Eli, and we don’t mean Manning. So we broke down Major College into 3 levels… Low-Major, Mid-Major, and Big-Time. High-Major was added later. Today a Mid-Major is considered any school that’s not a member of the 6 BCS conferences. But that’s football talk, folks, and we’re speaking hoops here. So our first decision is to eliminate Gonzaga from all Mid-Major discussion. The Zags have been Big-Time ever since Coach Mark Few stepped into the batter’s box. So our leadoff hitter is everybody’s favorite, Creighton. If the rest were only that simple!
Creighton
No surprise the Bluejays top our list, but if we’ve learned one thing over these many years… nothing can be taken for granted in college hoops! Along with a trio of returning starters, the great Doug McDermott’s in the house with his 1,383 career points. The 6-7 Jr. son of coach Greg McDermott wisely told the NBA to wait. More later. Creighton’s main concern is the graduation of 3-year floor leader Artoine Young (12 ppg/4.2 apg) who was a many time go-to guy at crunch time. Attempting to fill the breach will be 6-0 soph Austin Chatman who played in all of the Bluejay’s 35 games last year and displayed notable quickness along with a lead-guard mentality far beyond his freshman status. Coach McDermott has another option, swingman Grant Gibbs a 6-4 Sr. who owns the vision to find the open man as his 5 assists per game atest. Three-point shooting punch comes from a pair of off-guards, 6-1 Jr. Jahenns Manigat and 6-2 Sr. Josh Jones who shot a torrid 46.8 and 42.3 respectively from beyond the arc.
Then there’s the magical stroke of Doug McDermott who averaged 22.9 points per game while shooting a scalding 60% from the field, an enviable 48.6 from “3”, and don’t foul him…80% from the charity stripe. He’s the prototype NBA forward but must improve his defense, along with the rest of his teammates, if Creighton is to advance to at least the Sweet 16 (oh for 10 in the modern era). The middle will be patrolled by 6-9/270 lb Greg Echenique, a mountain masquerading as a man, who blocked 57 shots a year ago. The Rutgers transfer will be aided up front by 6-11 soph Will Artino, 7-0 redshirt freshman Geoff Grosell and jr. forward Ethan Wrogge, a 6-7 sharpshooter from the wings. Add to the mix the talents of 6-5 redshirt freshman, Nevin Johnson, and the Bluejays, with that anticipated improved defense, will be chirping come March and well beyond. And we warned you early on, anything can happen in college hoops. Final score: Boise State 83 – Creighton 70… at Creighton!
Ohio University
The key word here is LEFT… John Groce, one of the nation’s most underrated coaches, left Athens for the greener pastures of Illinois, but left the Bobcats with 5 returning starters from the team which upset Michigan in the 2nd-round of the NCAA Tournament before bowing to North Carolina in overtime of their Sweet 16 matchup. OU has turned over the coaching reigns to MAC-wise veteran Jim Christian who guided Kent State to a pair of NCAA appearances and 3 NIT bids in his half-dozen Golden Flash campaigns before bolting to TCU. Christian inherits All-Mid-American D.J. Cooper (14.7 ppg/5.7 apg), a 5-11 floor general who slashes to the hole or kicks out to capable stickers Walt Offitt (12.4 ppg), a 6-3 Sr. with All-MAC aspirations, or 6-3 Jr. Nick Kellogg (9 ppg)… buried 85 trifectas a year ago. A trio of inside threats keep opposing defenses honest: 6-8 Sr. Ivo Baltic (8.7 ppg/5 rpg), 6-7 Jr. Ron Smith (3.6 ppg/4.5 rpg) and 6-8/265 lb center, Reggie Keely (9ppg/5 rpg). Snow Jr. College transfer, Travis Wilkins, who followed new assistant Anthony Stewart from Southern Illinois… the name of the game is still recruiting… is a 6-3 net-shredder and 3rd-team JC All-America. With all that said it still remains in the capable hands of Cooper who, inch-for-inch rates with the most explosive back-courtmen in collegiate America.
Murray State
Speaking of explosive guards, Murray owns numero-uno. He spells his first name different from the late great Isiah, but the Racers’ Isaiah Canaan can flat-out play. He averaged 19 per game a year ago and has upped his ante to 22 ppg while finding time to dole out 4 assists and grab 3 rebounds per game this season. The 6-2 Sr. led the Ohio Valley Conference with 98 trifectas which burnt the nylon for a 45.6 pct. He was the OVC “Player of the Year’, named 1st team All-American by the Sporting News and was a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award, emblematic of the nation’s top backcourtmen. Virginia Tech’s Eric Green, Trey Burke from Michigan, Louisville’s Peyton Siva, Michael Carter-Williams from Syracuse, and Canaan are our 2013 finalists at this point in time. Isaiah’s sharpshooting was the key factor in 1st-year coach Steve Prehm’s OVC Championship in 2011-12 as the Racer’s raced to a 31-2 overall record (23 straight W’s). Prehm loses 14 point-pourer, 6-3 Dante Poole, 6-7 Ivan Aska (10.6ppg/6 rpg), who signed to play pro hoops in Europe, and the conference defensive “Player of the Year”, 6-1 Jequan Long. But Canaan’s not alone. There’s frontcourtmen Ed Daniel, a 6-7 forward who started all of Murray’s games and kicked in with 5.5 rebounds and 6.8 points per, 6-9 Brandon Garrett, a serviceable forward-center combo and a pair of 6-7 frosh corners, Terron Gillmore and “Zay” Henderson. The jury is out on the productive return of 6-5 Latreze Mushatt, recovering from a summer injury. Canaan will gladly accept backline relief from UAB’s 6-2 jr. transfer, Dexter Fields, 6-1 yearling CJ Ford, from which much is expected, and best returning bench players, 6-0 Zay Jackson (5 ppg) and 6-3 swingman Stacy Wilson (4.3 ppg). But Murray is all about Canaan, and Canaan, who spurned the NBA to stick with his guys is all about Murray. Loyalty lives!
Wichita State
It’s sort of risky business to select two teams from the Missouri Valley to reach the Promised Land considering the leagues received only two bids a year in the past. And it’s even more of a gamble with the ever-dangerous Illinois State, nearly victorious at Louisville, waiting in the wings. But the Shockers are holding their opponents to a measly 59.4 points per game while out rebounding their foes by a muscular 7.5 caroms per. In addition, they’re undefeated at press time. Who would have thunk it? Coach Gregg Marshall lost trio of starting seniors (five overall) from his 15-2 2012 regular-season MVC champs, Toure Murry (All-MVC Defensive Team) and 6-10 Garrett Stutz (All-MVC), all playing professionally, Ragland and Stutz in Spain. Marshall is hoping to become the first Wichita coach to win 20 or more games 4 years in a row. Helping him achieve this milestone are Sullivan Co. C.C. transfer Cleanthany Early, a 6-8 lock-down defender who owns enviable shot variety, 6-8 sr. Carl Hall, a human double-double this season after being named the Valley’s “Newcomer of the Year” with his 8 points and 5 retrieves per in 2011-12, and backcourters Demetric Williams, a 6-2 combo guard who claims the title of “Winningest Shocker of All Time”, and Oregon transfer Malcolm Armstead, a 6-1 sr. floor leader who’s been the shining light of the perimeter in early 2012-13 action. We also liked the shooting stroke of 6-2 redshirt freshman, Ron Baker, from the land of three. For Wichita to shock the hoop world in March they must improve on a sub-par 32% from trifectaville and also elevate an ok 71 per cent free throw norm and 43.6 from inside the line. We can just hear them chanting, “DEFENSE, DEFENSE.”
Davidson
It’s been an up-and-down beginning for Davidson with their usually challenging pre-Southern Conference schedule, but we have full confidence in coach Bob McKillop’s ability to educate his student-athletes for a prolonged March run. Getting the SoCon bid, however, is far from a given being that UNC-Greensboro, Elon and College of Charleston have all improved. But so have the Wildcats. Or so will the Wildcats! In fact, this could be McKillop’s deepest, if not best, squad in his brilliant 23-year (426-261) career, with 8 of his top 9 players…all 5 starters…returning. Leading the parade are frontcourtmen DeMon Brooks, a 6-7 jr. who shot a sizzling 53 percent from the field en route to a 15.7 ppg and 6.2 prg 1st-Team All-SoCon performance, and the league’s near unanimous “Player of the Year”, 6-10 sr. Jake Cohen (14.3 ppg/6 rpg), who remains equally effective facing or with his back to the bucket. Guards Nik Cochran and JP Kuhlman more than hold up their end of the bargain. Cochran is a brainy 6-3 floor leader who averaged 11 points and 3/5 assists per contest, and rarely turned it over, while PJ, from his two-guard position, netted 10.8 ppg and managed to snare nearly 4 rebounds each time he took the floor. Tom Droney, a 6-6 jr., converting from a top-notch high school lead-guard to small forward, can pass it with the best of them but must regain his confident shooting stroke to have that break-out year most anticipate. McKillop’s bench is by far the best in the conference and all play their roles like Tony winners. Chris Czerapowicz, a burly 6-7 jr. swing, swished 10 ppg from off the pine and stuck his nose where the action is 5 times a game, while Clint Mann, a 6-7 jr. forward, chipped in with 5.7 points and 3 caroms per. Tyler Kalinoski (4.7 ppg), a 6-4 soph, added depth to the backline. Despite Davidson’s rocky start…losses at New Mexico, Gonzaga in the finals of the Old Spice Classic in Orlando (not so bad) and home court at the hands of Charlotte (not so good), we’re almost certain McKillop will turn things around and might even equal, or better, his miracle run to the NCAA Tourney’s Elite-8 five years ago. Did anybody say Butler?
