11/3/2009 - MEN'S BASKETBALL 11 Days of Atlantic Sun Men's Basketball: Stetson

Print Email RSS Share

Interview with Head Coach Derek Waugh

SEASON PREVIEW - (Courtesy Stetson Media Relations)

The 2008-2009 Stetson Basketball season started with great promise and saw some exciting wins. However, it ended in disappointment after some key injuries and five straight losses. In the pre-conference season, the Hatters came within one possession of defeating Florida State in Tallahassee for the first time since the 1951-’52 season. With road losses coming to Miami and University of Florida by 14 and 21 points respectively, the Hatters showed that they could compete with the very best teams in Florida and entered the conference season with the fourth highest RPI in the state behind the “Big 3” from the ACC and SEC.

Home wins over Belmont and Lipscomb, and a crucial road win over A-Sun champion ETSU highlighted the conference season. After Stetson saw an 18-point lead over Mercer evaporate on senior night, it was never again the same team finishing 9-11 in league play. Although the finish was disappointing, the Hatters have averaged a very respectable 9.2 conference wins over the last four years and are 24-6 in their last 30 home games.

Stetson’s four seniors have moved on with their careers. Tim Lang is currently playing with the Melbourne Tigers in Australia’s NBL which is the equivalent of the NBA in the United States. Garfield Blair is going to pursue his NBA dream through the NBDL franchise in Iowa. Eric Diaz left Stetson with his undergrad and Masters degrees and is now working for a bank in Miami. Kris Thomas is finishing his last semester and will then pursue a professional basketball career overseas. All four were part of three modern-day records for win streaks (overall, home and away) and their leadership on and off the court will be missed.

This year the Hatters will introduce a lot of new faces to go along with some seasoned veterans who will finally have their opportunity to play even more important roles. The senior quartet of A.J. Smith, Sheldon Oliver, Brandon Williams and Mark Lohuis add a good deal of experience to the Hatter team and have a lot to prove on the floor.

“We are getting very little respect in the early season prognostications, and that is fine. We lost some good players but we also have other good players on the roster who are more than ready to step up,” said Head Coach Derek Waugh.

A.J. Smith (Cocoa, FL) is the top returning scorer having averaged 12.6 ppg last season. He needs 113 to reach 1,000 for his career. Smith, a pre-season All-Conference selection, will probably play more off the ball this year after assuming point guard duties for the last two years.

“A.J is more of a scorer offensively and I think he can do his best work if we relieve him of some of the point guard duties”, said Waugh. “He has had a very solid career here and I know that he wants to go out with a bang. I never worry about his defense as I think he is one of the best perimeter defenders in the league. But, he will need to be consistently productive on the offensive end for us to reach our potential.”

Brandon Williams (Miami, FL) and Mark Lohuis (Vero Beach, FL) are in a similar situation entering their senior season. Both have shown the ability to knock down shots, yet consistency has escaped them so far in their careers.

“Both Brandon and Mark are no-brainers for solid defense and great effort night in and night out. Ultimately though, we need them to knock down shots. They are two dead eye shooters in practice with great strokes. They have shown flashes of brilliance shooting the ball. Those flashes must become the norm,” added Waugh. “With the type people they are, I have no doubt their senior years will be their best.”

Lohuis led the league in three-point shooting as a freshman at 42%. His career averages stand at 4.6 ppg and 2.6 rpg. Williams has been an effective back up who must produce the most in the final year of his Stetson career. His career averages stand at 2.2 ppg and 0.8 rpg.

The final senior is Sheldon Oliver from Orlando, Florida. “Reese” as he is commonly known enters his final season after having started 46 games in his career. He finished last season as one of the top offensive rebounders in the Atlantic Sun averaging 2.9 per game.

“Reese has really improved defensively, especially on the perimeter and his energy has been very good in practice”, said Waugh. “We will need an amazing effort on the defensive boards from him this year and his shooting percentage must come up (41% in 08-09) for him to really help us win night in and night out.”

All four Stetson seniors are on track to finish their degrees and graduate on time.

The Hatters are also deep in the junior class. Three players have bided their time, continued to improve, and now seem poised to make an impact every night on the floor. Olivier Dupiton and Shawn Bowen are both from Montreal, Canada. Duption, a burly 6’7” forward is actually the strongest and fastest member of the team. He has been limited in his first two years of eligibility since taking a medical redshirt his freshman year. The Haiti native, who is a member of the Academic All-Conference team has still managed to lead the team in rebounds per minute the last two years, and is poised to be one of the top premier defenders in the league.

“Olivier deserves a lot of credit for the effort he has put in to get where he is today in terms of his health and fitness level. Defensively, when he is on, he can be downright intimidating…And offensively, he is effective when he keeps things simple. I think he can be one of the most surprising players in the conference,” said Waugh.

Bowen is 195 pounds of pure energy who should see a much expanded role this year. “Shawn has been fantastic in practice and always provides enthusiasm and productivity”, said Waugh. “He is a tenacious defender and good spot up shooter. I would like to see him rise to the challenge of guarding the other team’s best offensive player on a nightly basis.” The third junior is Graeme Radford who has spent the better part of two years playing behind Tim Lang, Eric Diaz and J.J. Hirst. The 6’10” Radford from Victoria is one of three Australians on the team.

“Graeme has not been given a legitimate chance to flourish yet in his Stetson career. We need him to be an imposing defensive presence for us”, said Waugh. “He has bulked up and has the frame and quickness to be a warrior on the defensive end and under the glass. Offensively, he has made some strides and is definitely an option”.

Stetson’s fourth junior is Phil Bassan, a walk-on from Memphis, Tennessee. “Phil is the type of person who would walk on hot coals if it would help us win. He is a great part of the program and a very hard worker”, said Waugh

There are no sophomores on this year’s team, yet the freshman class is huge and talented. Ridge Graham (Stuart, Fla.) and J.R. Weston (Morral, Ohio) are both red-shirt freshman who should benefit from a year in the program. Graham, the Treasure Coast Player of the Year in 2007 from Martin County High School, is a slippery quick forward with very long arms. He can play multiple positions and is most effective when using his quickness and leaping ability.

“Ridge has come a long way in one year. I think that he can be a match-up problem for people because he is so quick and he plays like he is about 6’7”. I anticipate him going to the line a lot. His defense and strength have improved and with more improvement, he can become a really good player on both ends of the floor,” said Waugh.

Weston, the son of former Hatter Randy Weston and the cousin of former Hatter Gabe McMillan, is a dead eye shooter with a dash of toughness. He was sidelined last year with a broken foot after leading the state of Ohio in scoring as a high school senior. An excellent student, Weston managed a 3.98 GPA last year as a freshman.

“J.R. is a great shooter who can also utilize the shot fake. If he displays the technique and toughness to guard some beefier guys, we could use him at guard, and at forward where he would be a match-up nightmare for opponents. We look forward to having him healthy”, said Waugh.

The four true freshmen are Liam McInerney and Joel Naburgs from Melbourne, Australia, Tyshawn Patterson from Orlando (Orlando Christian Prep) and Aaron Graham from Ft. Lauderdale (Westminster Academy). McInerney and Naburgs both played for well respected Australian coach, Rod Popp and should be more college ready than most foreign players.

McInerney, a 6’8” forward, was one of four Australians selected to participate in Adidas camps in both China and Dallas and was a two time All-League performer in the Big V Youth League. “Liam needs to get stronger, but he will. He has a great work ethic, good anticipation skills and a soft touch. He will be a good player for us,” said Waugh.

Naburgs was the Big V Youth League MVP and while slowed by a couple of injuries has been impressive in early season practices. He was invited to the prestigious Australian Olympic Track tryouts while a prep. “Joel will be very good for us. I think his acumen and savvy will allow him to contribute immediately,” said Waugh.

Aaron Graham is a 6’5” point guard who burst on the scene late and could end up being a recruiting steal before it is all over. “Aaron must adjust to college intensity, but once he does, I think he will have a great career. There is really nothing he cannot do, he just needs to do it all with more intensity,” said Waugh.

Patterson was rated as one of the top players in Florida and led his OCP team to an overall #1 ranking in the state of Florida. “Tyshawn makes a team better with his sheer will and enthusiasm. He loves to play and compete and that is infectious. I look forward to having him on the court. As soon as he is able to harness all of his energy and sharpen up his defense, watch out,” said Waugh.

Overall, Waugh feels that this has been a fun group to coach and is probably his quickest team to date. “Our older players have been great examples and our younger players have kept up, and have shown very good ability. I am sure we will have a couple of bumps in the road with blending so many new faces and new roles for our more experienced players, but this season should be fun, successful and exciting for our fans to watch”, he said.

The Schedule

This season’s pre-conference schedule is challenging, but what else is new. An early season road trip to the University of Florida and Florida State make for a tough early sled. The Hatters visit Rick Pitino’s Louisville Cardinals on December 2nd and welcome the University of Miami Hurricanes to the Edmunds Center on December 16th. A road game against Charleston Southern and a home and home with Savannah State round out the Division I portion of the schedule.

“Overall, we are judged by how we play within the conference. Right now, we are not getting much attention, but that is not surprising. I think we are a true wildcard in the league and if we are rebounding and shooting well, we will have the ability to beat anyone, anywhere”, said Waugh.

With a young roster due to the loss of four key seniors from last year’s team, Stetson has been picked to finish seventh in the Atlantic Sun Conference in both the head coach and the media polls.

“Over the last four year cycle, we played .500 basketball in the league, which is not where we want to be. With what is going on in the program, I think this next cycle can be fantastic, and I look forward to competing for championships starting this year.”

11 Days of A-Sun Basketball Schedule
Oct. 28 - Kennesaw State
Oct. 39 - USC Upstate
Oct. 30 - UNF
Nov.  2 - FGCU
Nov.  3 - Stetson
Nov.  4 - Campbell
Nov.  5 - Belmont
Nov.  6 - ETSU
Nov.  9 - Mercer
Nov. 10 - Lipscomb
Nov. 11 - Jacksonville