MBB: USA South Conference

[mattgrubb]

well, this is tough for LC.  Like I said, Whitworth is dominating at every position.  Hate to see it end this way for my panthers, but no one would have predicted they would get a bid this year.  Wallace did his job and LC better give him a raise.  Please someone get smart and give David McGreal a head coaching job. 

Wallace's job when the season started was simple.  There is nothing worse than seeing one single banner hanging in a gym.  If there is only one banner then that team may have accidentally won something once and the banner just looks like an eye sore.  Now, he has two banners and that looks like there is a streak.  His job was to raise another banner by getting another bid.  Job Well Done sir.  Although in hindsight, anyone could have seen that the panthers and Nick Mitchell were going to win the The Nick Mitchell USASC Men's Basketball Tournament presented by Nick Mitchell.

Way to come through when it counted Panthers. 

[Pat Coleman]

Narch,

I get it...your team isn't that good so the conference basketball isn't that good.  LaGrange went to Centre in the first round of the tournament last year and barely lost in the final minutes.  Take a look at Centre basketball and you will see that is an historical great program that plays a high level of basketball.  CNU was getting beat prior to them leaving the conference.  This conference plays good not great basketball but not mediocre.  Your comment just sounds like sour grapes.

CNU went 11-3 in its last year in the USA South, then 9-7 the next year in the CAC. And the CAC is right around the middle of the pack among the 43 conferences.

[mattgrubb]

Yes Pat, i agree totally and the USASC is weaker without the Captains

[mattgrubb]

Well, its time to let the coaching carousel begin....
If I don't see David McGreal announced as a new head coach at a D3 school in the next few months then several schools need new ADs!

[tigerfanalso]

Is the USASC lacking players or coaching, or both. USASC has had some really good teams over the years, don't understand why that has changed so quickly.

[mattgrubb]

I think its the schools that are getting hit in general more than just the teams.  The tuition prices are killing people.  Also, kids take sports as a right not a privilege anymore.  Lots of factors hitting the USASC from a lot of different directions.

[Mr. Ypsi]

I think its the schools that are getting hit in general more than just the teams.  The tuition prices are killing people.  Also, kids take sports as a right not a privilege anymore.  Lots of factors hitting the USASC from a lot of different directions.

And either of these factors differentiates the USASC from other conferences how?

[gordonmann]

Losing CNU certainly cost the conference one of its premier basketball programs. I think picking up Maryville (Tenn.) the season before lessened the blow a little.  But the conference hasn't been very strong in men's basketball in the last decade.

The conference was only 2-10 in its last 10 NCAA tournaments entering this season.  It'll have the same record entering the 2016 NCAA tournament. CNU has one win and Averett has the other. 

Here is the conference's winning percentage versus D3 schools since 2011:

2011: 39-42 (.481) -- 22 of 43
2012: 31-44 (.431) -- 32 of 43 <CNU's last year>
2013: 32-32 (.500) -- 21 of 43
2014: 28-54 (.341) -- 38 of 43

The best season was actually the first after CNU left. Playing a lot of non-conference games against the ODAC, which is one of the premier D3 conferences, hasn't helped, particularly for the lower half of the conference. But the USA South's NCAA tourney representative has lost NCAA tournament games to teams from eight different conferences since 2005.

We have a resource called the Conference Guidebook that puts the performance of each conference (and to a lesser degree each team) in the context of all the others.

http://www.d3hoops.com/guidebook/index

[mattgrubb]

As a rule the USASC schools don't have the endowments of the ODAC, so they are tuition driven and don't have the money for capital facility improvements and that would be a big difference between the USASC and other D3 conferences.  Have you seen Berry College's new arena?  Wont see one of those in the USASC anytime soon.
So ya, as a whole the conference is facing some challenges that some other schools are not.  Also, the academic draw of some of the USASC schools are not as strong as other D3 schools so the type of Kid a USASC school can attract is deteriorating based on rising tuition and decreasing academic prestige.
While, Emory is freakin emory and you don't ask the price at Emory, you just know you are getting what you pay for and are happy for it.

[tigerfanalso]

W&L is the only odac school with a large endowment; others are struggling relatively speaking but i do understand your point.

[scottiedoug]

Maryville recruits:

http://www.thedailytimes.com/sports/mc-men-s-hoops-adds-in-new-class/article_901d3cf8-a029-5e42-a139-52b7684ea4dd.html

Time will tell!

One from LaGrange...must want to get away from home.

[mattgrubb]

Ugh....Why am I a MC Scots fan?  This could have been the worst off season ever!!!!  I forget if I have changed my allegiance to Lagrange or back to Murvul or back to Lagrange.  Switching your loyalty a lot is hard to keep up with.  The problem is LC graduated Nick Mitchell.  I almost want to cheer for another USASC team but not really.  If a USASC team had a coaching vacancy they would need to look long and hard and Raul Placeres and/or David McGreal at Lagrange.  Both very talented and deserve a shot in the big chair.  If the league had 4 coaches from the Lambert coaching tree the level of play in the league would rise tremendously. 

Early prediction....the league is dominated by Piedmont this year then they choke it out in the annual USASC/Nick Mitchell Men's Basketball tournament and Lagrange snags another AQ bid for a third straight trip to the NCAA tournament behind a strong performance from Mark Wagner aka Nick Mitchell 2.0.  Also check the roster, Wagner 175?  come on now, he aint an ounce over 168!!!

The grubby one still dominates this league whether is the Dixie, the GSAC, the USASC whatever you call it the Grubby one is the king!!!!

[scottiedoug]

Glad you are still awake, Grubby.  Nice work in Rocky Top.

[Ben Stein Fan]

Matt,

Mark has put on a lot of weight this off-season.  Now, Mark is not FL QB Grier but he has worked out hard this off-season.

LC has some great recruits coming in.  It will be extremely difficult to replace Nick Mitchell, but I think this year's team will be better than last year's team.

[Ben Stein Fan]

Matt,

I attended LC's Midnight Madness last night.  This team is loaded with transfers and incoming freshman.  LC has three legit conference player of the year athletes on its roster this year.