GETTING INSIDE
College of Charleston got way out ahead of the competition when it started the Southern Conference season 3-0. The Cougars were the only team to have three league wins before the end of December.
That fact alone has allowed Bobby Cremins’ team to look past some of the fallible showings its had in non-conference games.
The Cougars were trounced by Clemson, 94-55, on Dec. 19, prompting Cremins to joke about how happy he was the game wasn’t televised to a wide market.
“We got embarrassed,” Cremins told the Charleston Post and Courier. “They took us out of the game early. I thought we’d come out with the right mind set, but we didn’t.”
College of Charleston returned to the court four days later for a game against Hawaii in the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu, only to lose by double digits for the fourth time in the young season.
The result was a bit demoralizing for a team that has shown progress despite losing players to graduation and injury.
Still, Cremins’ goal might just be to show his team how little some of those performances mean in terms of wins and losses. That 3-0 Southern Conference start won’t be affected by the three-game trip to Hawaii. Nor will a possible negative result against defending national champion North Carolina on Jan. 4.
So at this point, getting back into conference play without further injury or letting the team’s confidence sink beyond the current level is important.
The Cougars have only three more non-conference games, against North Carolina, a Jan. 2 game against nearby South Carolina State and the yet-to-be-announced BracketBusters game in February.
None of those will mean much if the Cougars can keep their Southern Conference perfection going.
NOTES, QUOTES
• Somehow, Donavan Monroe has sort of been forgotten in the Cougars’ offense, even if it doesn’t make sense. The junior guard is third on the team in scoring, but he was also in the top-15 in the league in that category through Dec. 27. He made his mark in the Diamond Head Classic in Hawaii on Dec. 23 when he hit a last-second jumper to give College of Charleston a 72-71 victory over SMU.
• College of Charleston coach Bobby Cremins is certainly making his core players work their tails off not only in practice, but also in games. Four players—Andrew Goudelock, Jeremy Simmons, Donavan Monroe and Tony White—are averaging more than 30 minutes per game.
January At A Glance: As prosperous as College of Charleston’s season may look, it also stands to reason that the coaching staff is doing a bit of nail-biting. The Cougars are essentially playing a seven-man rotation because of need. With four players averaging more than 30 minutes per game, the only reserves getting significant minutes are G-F Willis Hall and F Andrew Lawrence. Both are freshmen.
Quote To Note: “I’m glad that television picked up the South Carolina-Wofford game. We were never ourselves. That was the worst we’ve looked in a long time.”—Coach Bobby Cremins, quoted in the Charleston Post and Courier, after the Cougars were beat by Clemson, 94-55, on Dec. 19.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
Season Recap: In many ways, the ups and downs of this season have revolved around Jeremy Simmons. Through Dec. 27, the forward was leading the Southern Conference in rebounding at 8.8 per game. And, for the most part, his biggest games on the glass have come in victories. Simmons’ three double-digit rebounding games against Georgia Southern, Davidson and Charleston Southern helped the Cougars to wins, with the two SoCon games proving pivotal to Charleston’s 3-0 league start.
Player Rotation: Usual Starters—G Andrew Goudelock, G Tony White, G Donavan Monroe, F Casaan Breeden, F Jeremy Simmons. Key Subs—F Willis Hall, G Andrew Lawrence.
Game Review:
Hawaii 84, College of Charleston 71
College of Charleston 72, SMU 71
Western Michigan 66, College of Charleston 63
Game Preview:
Vs. South Carolina State, Saturday, Jan. 2
Vs. North Carolina, Monday, Jan. 4
At The Citadel, Saturday, Jan. 9
At Samford, Thursday, Jan. 14
At Chattanooga, Saturday, Jan. 16
In Focus: College of Charleston is getting an opportunity that few schools in its place in college basketball get. On Jan. 4, the Cougars will play host to the defending national champions when North Carolina comes to the Carolina First Arena. Tickets for the game sold out in record time, and fans in the Charleston area are as excited as they’ve been about a non-conference game in years. The Cougars will find out shortly if they are able to handle the hype behind the game.
Roster Report:
• Guard Andrew Goudelock’s minutes per game were atop the Southern Conference through Dec. 27. Heading into a Jan. 2 game against South Carolina State, the guard was averaging 35.7 minutes.
• Forward Jeremy Simmons scored a career-high-tying 18 points in the Cougars’ 72-71 victory over SMU on Dec. 24. The effort helped lift Simmons into the top-10 in the league in points per game at 13.5.
• Andrew Goudelock scored a season-high 29 points in a loss to Hawaii on Dec. 22. It was the third time this season the junior guard had scored at least 23 points in a game.
