The Citadel basketball preview

#283 R.P.I. The Citadel @ #52 R.P.I. Virginia Tech:

Virginia Tech men’s basketball hosts The Citadel Bulldogs on an Association ‘esque looking quick 1 day turn on Sunday night at 7pm down in your colors past peak New River Valley.

The Hokies hoops squad just Detroit Mercy and will look to go 2-o on the year and out-of-conference vs. what we all hope are some hooping Bulldogs that lack some “bark”.

Head Coach: Robert Franklin “Duggar” Baucom: age=57, 21o-221 overall, 22-53 at The Citadel. Has a rep’ for: offense, scoring offense, and mo’ offense.
$200,000.oo

Coach Baucom you may not know by name; although his Keydet chart topping scoring offense you can remember via reputation. Yes, he was the V.M.I. coach who routinely cracked the centennial scoring mark over in Lexington before reconnoitering into another Military school over in Charleston Sc. Coach Baucom balled in high school and then went 5-o or into municipal and statie (N.C.) law enforcement as a police officer. Then he suffered a sudden heart attack and nearly died on Christmas 1990 A.D. from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (thickening of the heart); wow; and God Bless!

After graduating U.n.c. Charlotte with a history diploma; Baucom turned to coaching (H.S.) as a low(er) stress level occupation and has been coaching at Tusculum, then V.M.I. now The Citadel ever since. Coach Baucom’s team’s FORCE the tempo and shot A.S.A.P. They trap, they press, they get that rock up quick; don’t blink, or you will indeed miss something here.

The Citadel at a glance:

  • #1 in scoring O (89.9 ppg)!
  • 2nd most in 3-point attempts per game.
  • 7th in steals (9.3 spg).
  • 11th in assists (17 apg).
  • 22nd in number of FT’s made.
  • 329th in rebounding margin (6.6 rpg).
  • 347th or fourth from last in scoring D (94.6 ppg allowed)!
  • same in FG percentage allowed (51.2%)!
  • (bet the Over, here)

Bulldog Returning Starters=4

The Citadel Strengths:

  • #35, one 6’7” 2o5 lb. t-junior Zane Najdawi is the alpha-Bulldog here, make no misQ on that. As medium Zane leads the Bulldogs in: scoring (20.1 ppg), rebounding (8.5 rpg), blocks (1.4 bpg), shooting (56.1%), free-throwing (85.4%) and FT-attempts (89). Zane is second in steals (1.5 spg) and a very competitive 39% when dialing long distance. Or in other words, Zane is the Bulldog M.V.P., and at least in the mix for Southern Conference Player of the Year. In point of fact, Zane is the one Bulldog who could possibly crack Buzz’s starting line-up; or at the very least be a very savvy enough contributor from Buzz’s bench. Believe it or not, the S/F looking Zane actually does play the Five (or C) for The Citadel, and he plays it something like a “mad-dog” Mark Madsen did for Stanford and later on the Lakers to a lesser extent. Good handles on both sides, noticeably more muscular after looking downright scholastic last campaign; and he has kicked his scoring up by virtually 300% this season. Can you say: Southern Conference Most Improved?
    Medium guy who tries BIG.
    Medium guy who tries BIG.
  • Kaelon Harris is a 6’4” 220 lb. ready-made second year mini-me Swing from Tulsa Ok., who is already built like a senior year 2-guard. Harris plays above the rim and he will finish strong on you per the same if you let him. Harris is third in scoring (12.2 ppg) and second on the glass (5.2 rpg). 42% from beyond the arc and 55% overall never sucks, although his FT-shooting (60%) needs a few more gigs before it can pass inspection.  Though still yet, that’s not a bad effort if you can get it from a second season Three who looks more parts Strong-Safety from football than he does a Swing in hoops.
  • 5’1o”, 169 lb., shooting-G Quayson Williams is a fun little bugger to watch do work. As Williams is second in scoring (14.1 ppg) and second again in 3-point shooting at 46%. Williams returned to the Bulldog line-up after an ankle roll last game and went 25% for it overall. Though Williams finished third in the Southern Conference as a rookie from long-range last year for a reason as this kid can flat out shoot that rock.

The Citadel Weaknesses:

  • The Bulldogs are one of five teams in D-1 America that do not court a single senior on their roster. Maybe that is  strength next year; though it is a leadership and experience gap for the moment.
  • A truly small small-school roster with only one guy north of 6′7″ in height and nobody north of 225 lbs.!

Bulldog Bench: (depth=5-8)
6′1″, 175 lb. Preston Parks was the SoConf. Freshman of the Year last season and eventually lead The Citadel in scoring at 18.1 ppg on 33% from range and 83% from the charity-stripe. That’s not bad work if you can 18 year old get it; and neither is Parks’ defense as he is said to be the best perimeter defender (2.3 spg) in the doghouse here. Or to put it another way, Parks’ was a very recreational find for a kid who had some small school offers as a single-A all-state South Carolina H.S. baller that n0body seemed to really big time want. Matt Frierson is a 6′, 150 lb. (not a typo) back-up Pt.G in his junior season who is primarily known as the back-up or Qb2 to coach Duggar’s whacky offensive-set. Though he’s a pretty dang good game-manager at such and his  25 turnovers in two seasons as the caddie at the 1 spot tells you just how impoverished man’s J.Stockton his floor game truly is. 18 ppg in game one with his 37% shooting from deep career wise won’t hurt anything either.

After working Detroit Mercy, The Citadel is really code for... what?

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Illation, conclusion (s) and OPT digits:

Number of Bulldogs who could start @Tech=1 maybe 1.5.

the takeaway:
The takeaway here is… The Citadel just beat the crap outta over Division III Oglethorpe 109-73 on Friday in the Bulldogs season opener. And “yes” I have no idea what that means?

I do know however that The Citadel is basically Detroit Mercy that plays at a faster pace; and that almost leaves you wondering how Oglethorpe even managed to hang that close?

 ***

I read a couple of previews that said that coach Duggar was not satisfied with his #1 offense last year. I repeat, he was actually (somehow) dissatisfied with the highest scoring offense in the land and the whispers say he thinks he has invented ways to play at an even faster tempo! Shazam! Did he dig my boy Magic or at least Norm Nixon up?

I mean a lotta teams would love to have your #1 offensive problems. Though you gotta at least feign at the attempt -pardon the offensive pun- you gotta at least feign at the attempt of getting at least a few stops here-n-there in lieu of simply outgunning everyone even at a Military School (God BLess the Citadel kids on Vet’s Day weekend).

FUN bunch on O!

the skinny

Nonetheless, with so much firepower back from the #1 scoring O last year, the scoreboard light-bulbs may wanna word with coach Duggar if he does manage to light the nets up all the more. As there are more than a couple of Southern Conference teams that this offensive juggernaut scheme can simply blow right off the road. Although I’m not real sure if these forecasts of improvement are on the legit’ or not; I am sure that coach Duggar’s offensive sets sure are fun to watch and they are a campus version of Doug Moe’s old heat-check system for whoever plays The Citadel out of conference.

the call

Right now that happens to be us and this could very well be our highest scoring game of the season. Same as Detroit Mercy coach Buzz… scrubs need love -and they needs sum P.T.- too!

(95% confidence interval)
Virginia Tech
=99, The Citadel=74

LETS GO!

Hokies!

 bourbonstreet**

 

 

 

 

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