Morgan State PG Blake Bozeman will see heavy minutes this year
Our final installment of Marquette's non-conference previews wraps up with the three buy games in December. These games should be the three easiest tests on Marquette's 2014-15 schedule & will allow the team to build momentum going into the start of Big East play on December 31.
Alabama A&M
The Coach: Willie Hayes has seen slow, steady improvement in his three years with the Bulldogs, but that could come to a screeching halt this year. All five starters & one key reserve graduated, taking 69.5% of the team’s scoring with them. It could be a long season in Normal.
Projected Starters: G Rakiya Battle (So), G Tyler Davis (Jr), F Ladarius Tabb (Jr), F Nicholas West (Jr), C Quinterian McConico (Jr)
Key Returning Players: West (6.0 ppg/3.7 rpg) is the leading returning player in scoring, rebounding, assists, & blocks. Davis (3.3 ppg/37.0 3P%) is the only other returning player to average double-digit minutes from a year ago.
Key Newcomers: Tabb (16.1 ppg/6.0 rpg) put up some nice JUCO numbers & is a high-motor player that should be able to contribute immediately.
On The Court: The Bulldogs were simply woeful last year, ranking 341st out of 351 D1 teams in offensive efficiency. West has the worst offensive efficiency & highest usage rate (85.7/25.6%) of returning players while Davis (98.1/11.8%) has the highest returning offensive efficiency & lowest usage rate on the team. Coach Hayes needs to adjust his priorities to make sure the ball gets into the hands of his most efficient players this year. On defense, A&M usually sticks to man-to-man & is far better on this end of the court. They ranked in the top-50 last year in both 2-point & 3-point field goal percent defense.
Season Projection: The Bulldogs were picked 8th in the SWAC & honestly will be one of the worst teams in the country. They will be the underdog in every non-conference game they play. This will almost certainly be a sub-300 RPI team & nothing more than a sacrificial lamb to the inauguration of the Al McGuire Center as a men’s basketball venue.
North Dakota
The Coach: Brian Jones has navigated North Dakota through the first five years of D1 basketball & done well to land in the Big Sky Conference, where he has a 24-16 record in two seasons and a pair of top-3 finishes. Replicating that will be though this year as UND lost 4 starters.
Projected Starters: G Quinton Hooker (So), G Lenny Antwi (Sr), F Cole Stefan (Sr), F Jaron Nash (Sr), C Chad Calcaterra (Sr)
Key Returning Players: Nash (10.8 ppg/4.5 rpg) will be the star man while Hooker (4.2 ppg/1.9 apg) will have a vastly expanded role. Minutes will be up for grabs as Nash is the only returning player to average over 5 ppg.
Key Newcomers: Freshman Geno Crandall is a pass-first point guard that will give some immediate backcourt depth, while freshmen Carson Shanks (7’0”) & Brian Cashman (6’10”) give UND some size inside. JUCO transfer Josiah Coleman will likely come off the bench at numerous positions.
On The Court: UND likes to play fast on offense, though Jones may have to slow the pace this year as his two primary ball-handlers graduated. In the past, Jones has done a good job of adapting his style of play to his roster. The top two players in terms of offensive efficiency were Nash & Calcaterra, so look for them to pound the ball inside. UND doesn’t have many quality options from long-range, so look for Hooker & Crandall to drive hard and either finish at the rim or dump it off to the inside big men. On defense, Jones likes to run ball-hawking man-to-man, but with so many new faces in the lineup, don’t be surprised to see some zone mixed in.
Season Projection: Jones has a major rebuilding project after losing four seniors that played major minutes all four years at UND, including 2,000-point scorer Troy Huff. After two years of overachieving, UND is picked 10th in the Big Sky. UND doesn’t play a home game until January 8 & are an underdog in all their non-conference games. After being one win away from the NCAA Tournament a year ago & coming off 4 straight CIT appearances, this team has the look of a sub-300 RPI team & a bottom feeder in the Big Sky.
Morgan State
The Coach: Todd Bozeman is best known for his interim coach role when he knocked off Duke while guiding Jason Kidd & Cal to the Sweet 16 in 1993. He was given the job officially, but was hit with a show-cause for paying a player’s parents. He spent 10 years as an assistant & scout in the NBA before returning to the college ranks with Morgan State. After early success, including 2 NCAA appearances & 3 seasons with 20+ wins, the Bears have struggled, winning no more than 17 in any of the past 4 seasons.
Projected Starters: G Donte Pretlow (Jr), G Blake Bozeman (Sr), F Cedric Blossom (Jr), F Shaquille Duncan (Sr), C Jordan Omogbehin (Jr)
Key Returning Players: We’ll start with Blake Bozeman (31.4 mpg/6.6 ppg/28.6 FG%) who looks like an example of nepotism at its worst. For three years he has been among the leaders in minutes on Morgan State despite being one of the worst shooters & least efficient players on offense. He is terrible with the ball in his hands. On the other hand, Cedric Blossom (6.9 ppg/5.3 rpg) has the chance to grow into a very good player. When given 27+ minutes last year, he averaged 11.3 ppg/7.7 rpg in 10 contests. With the other two front court starters having graduated, this should be Blossom’s year to bloom.
Key Newcomers: 7’3” Jordan Omogbehin was last seen by the Marquette faithful playing for South Florida. He has big shoes to fill replacing 7’2” Ian Chiles & his 15.6 ppg/6.5 rpg. He’ll have help from another 7-footer, Cal State-Fullerton transfer Zech Smith. The most prolific freshman is Jahleem Montague, an athletic forward who is effective at the rim on both ends of the court.
On The Court: Coach Bozeman’s teams are always aggressive on the offensive end. He adjusts tempo to his personnel, but you can count on the Bears to hit the offensive glass hard & get to the charity stripe. However defense is their calling card, or rather it was when Morgan State was good. Their defensive efficiency has slipped to see the last three seasons ranked among the four worst since Coach Bozeman’s first year at MSU. The Bears usually play man, close out well, & turn teams over, but they give the ball back too easily, are miserable on the defensive glass, & foul far too frequently. It certainly won’t help that they lost their two best defensive rebounders from last season.
Season Projection: The Bears were picked third in the MEAC, where Bozeman has won 10+ games in 7 of his 8 seasons. In that same span, they only have one winning non-conference season & one road win against a top-200 Pomeroy opponent. Look for the Bears to once against sputter through the non-conference, though I’m not so sure they can turn it around come conference play. They are a poor offensive team & mediocre defensive team that lost their three best players on both ends of the court. Unless Coach Bozeman takes the ball out of his son’s hands, Morgan State might not just start bad but stay bad.