2015-16 Men's Basketball Final Report
Rob Washburn
2015-16 MEN'S BASKETBALL FINAL REPORT (PDF format)
THREE CAA TEAMS RECEIVE POSTSEASON BERTHS: Three CAA teams received berths in postseason tournaments. CAA champion UNCW received a No. 13 seed in the West Region of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship, but was beaten 93-85 by defending national champion and No. 4 seed Duke in the first round. Hofstra was seeded No. 5 in the NIT, but dropped a narrow 82-80 decision at No. 4 and eventual tournament champion George Washington in first-round action. Towson fell 90-72 to Oakland in the quarterfinals of the inaugural Vegas 16 Tournament.
UNCW FALLS TO DUKE IN NCAA TOURNEY: CAA champion UNCW fell 93-85 to Duke in the first round of NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship’s West Region. The Seahawks led 43-40 at halftime and were up 46-42 early in the second half when the Blue Devils went on a 19-3 run. UNCW never regained the advantage, but got as close as 90-85 with 1:24 to go. Craig Ponder paced four UNCW players in double figures with 22 points, Chris Flemmings followed with 18, Denzel Ingram tallied 17 and freshman C.J. Bryce had 16. It was the fifth NCAA Tournament appearance for UNCW, but first since 2006.
HOFSTRA SUFFERS SETBACK AT GEORGE WASHINGTON IN NIT: Hofstra suffered a narrow 82-80 setback at George Washington in the first round of the NIT. The Pride trailed 80-71 before reeling off nine straight points and tying the game at 80-80 on a Juan’ya Green bucket with 14 seconds to go. The Colonials converted an off-balance jumper in the lane with 2.5 seconds left for the game-winner. Green recorded his ninth double-double with a game-high 26 points and 10 assists, while Rokas Gustys posted his 22nd double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds. The Pride also got 19 points and seven boards from Denton Koon. The NIT appearance was the fifth for Hofstra, but first since 2007.
TOWSON LOSES TO OAKLAND IN VEGAS 16: Towson was beaten 90-72 by Oakland in the quarterfinals of the inaugural Vegas 16 Tournament. The Tigers trailed by 20 early in the second half before closing within 55-48 with 13:55 remaining. Oakland hit 21-of-28 from the free throw line in the second half to put the game away. Mike Morsell hit four 3-pointers and paced Towson with 22 points, while William Adala Moto recorded his eighth double-double with 14 points and a team-high 13 rebounds.
UNCW RALLIES PAST HOFSTRA FOR FIFTH CAA TITLE: Second-seeded UNCW rallied from a 12-point second-half deficit and edged #1 Hofstra, 80-73 in overtime, to capture its first CAA title since 2006 and fifth overall. Craig Ponder scored a team-high 20 points for the Seahawks, while tournament MOP Chris Flemmings had 19 points and Denzel Ingram added 17 points and six assists. UNCW trailed 52-40 with 15:33 left, but held the Pride without a field goal for more than 10 minutes in the second half to stage a comeback. A 3-point play by C.J. Bryce with 1:20 left in overtime put UNCW ahead to stay. Ameen Tanksley scored a game-high 24 points and Rokas Gustys contributed 18 points and a tournament-record 23 rebounds for Hofstra.
CLOSE GAMES IN CAA TOURNAMENT: After a regular season in which nearly half of all conference games were decided by six points or less, the CAA Men’s Basketball Championship continued the trend. Five of the first eight games had margins of four points or less and the championship game went to overtime for the first time since 2005.
HOFSTRA, UNCW SHARE REGULAR-SEASON TITLE: Hofstra and UNCW shared the CAA regular-season title after both teams finished with 14-4 records. It was the first CAA regular-season crown for the Pride, while the Seahawks won their second straight regular-season title and seventh overall. It’s the second year in a row that there has been a tie for the CAA regular-season title. Last season, there was a four-way tie for first for the first time in CAA history. Prior to 2014-15, there hadn’t been a tie for first since 2005-06.
POSTSEASON HONORS: Hofstra senior guard Juan’ya Green was selected as the CAA Player of the Year in a vote by coaches, SID’s and media members. Green was one of three players nationally to average better than 17 points (17.7 ppg) and 7 assists (7.2 apg) this season. UNCW’s Kevin Keatts became the first-ever repeat winner of the CAA Coach of the Year award after guiding the Seahawks to a share of the regular-season title. College of Charleston forward Jarrell Brantley, who averaged 11.6 ppg and 7.2 rpg, was named Rookie of the Year and William & Mary senior guard Terry Tarpey (11.0 ppg/8.0 rpg) received CAA Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season. A complete list of the All-CAA teams is included on the left side of page 2.
VARIETY OF CHAMPIONS: Six different schools have won the CAA Men’s Basketball Championship over the past six years. The most recent champions are Old Dominion (2011), VCU (2012), James Madison (2013), Delaware (2014), Northeastern (2015) and UNCW (2016).
INCREDIBLE BALANCE: The CAA regular season was one of the most competitive in league history. Of the 20 games over the final two weeks, 13 were decided by six points or less. Over the final seven weeks, half (35-of-70) of all CAA games had margins of six points or less, including eight overtime contests.
PILING UP THE WINS: Five CAA teams (Hofstra, UNCW, James Madison, Towson and William & Mary) reached the 20-win mark and eight squads had at least 16 victories. It’s the first time in the 31-year history of the CAA that the conference has had eight teams with at least 16 overall wins. UNCW’s 25 wins tied a school record, while Hofstra’s 24 wins were the most since 2005-06. James Madison reached 20 wins for the fourth time in eight years, Towson hit 20 wins for the second time in the last three seasons, and William & Mary reached 20 wins for the third straight year.
ROAD TEAMS FINISH 45-45 IN CAA ACTION: Road teams went 45-45 in CAA play this season. Seven of the league’s 10 teams had winning road records in CAA action, including four squads that had at least six wins. All 10 teams suffered at least one home loss in conference competition and only six had winning records. Home teams finished 47-43 in 2014-15.
EIGHT CAA TEAMS RANKED IN TOP HALF OF FINAL RPI: Eight CAA teams were ranked in the top half of the final NCAA RPI report. UNCW led all CAA squads at #52, followed by Hofstra (#57), William & Mary (#72), James Madison (#106), Northeastern (#114), College of Charleston (#138), Towson (#156) and Elon (#162). The CAA was ranked #9 among the nation’s 32 Division I conferences, which matched the highest ranking (2010-11) in CAA history.
CAA WELCOMES NEW COACHES: Drexel hired Zach Spiker as its new men’s basketball coach while James Madison named Louis Rowe as its new coach. Spiker, who replaces Bruiser Flint, spent the past seven seasons as head coach at Army West Point where he compiled 102 victories, including a 19-14 mark in 2015-16. Rowe, who replaces Matt Brady, was an All-CAA player for the Dukes (1993-94 and 1995-96) and also served as an assistant coach at JMU to Dean Keener and Brady. He was most recently an assistant coach at Bowling Green. Delaware will announce a new head coach to replace Monte’ Ross in the coming weeks.
HOFSTRA’S GREEN MAKES HISTORY: Hofstra guard Juan’ya Green became just the fourth player in NCAA history to eclipse the 1,000-point mark at two Division I schools on Feb. 7, joining former CAA standout Gary Neal (La Salle/Towson), Joe Manning (Oklahoma City/North Texas) and Kenny Battle (Northern Illinois/Illinois). With 2,317 points (1,131 at Niagara/1,186 at Hofstra), he finshed third among active career scorers in Division I. Green was also second in career assists (773) and fourth in career steals (230) among active players. He trailed only Evansville’s D.J. Balentine (2,464) and Louisiana-Lafayette’s Shawn Long (2,342) in points and Oakland’s Kay Felder (788) in assists.
NU’S WALKER NAMED ALL-STAR GAME MVP: Northeastern senior David Walker was chosen as the Reese’s Perfect Player for the East squad at the NABC College All-Star Game in Houston. Walker led all scorers with 17 points on 7-of-10 FG shooting and also added four blocks and three rebounds.
HOFSTRA’S GUSTYS CLEANS THE GLASS: Hofstra sophomore Rokas Gustys became the first Division I player in six years to record back-to-back “20-20” games when he tallied a career-high 25 points and a career-best 20 rebounds vs. JMU on Jan. 16, followed by 23 points and 20 boards at Northeastern on Jan. 21. He grabbed 20 or more rebounds six times, which was the most by any Division I player in a season since Morehead State’s Kenneth Faried had six in 2010-11. Gustys recorded 18 double-doubles in his last 20 games and averaged 16.4 ppg and 15.1 rpg in CAA play. His 442 total rebounds were the 2nd-most in a season in CAA history, trailing only Navy All-American David Robinson (455 in 1985-86).
COFC’S BARRY NAMED ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA: College of Charleston junior guard Canyon Barry was selected to the CoSIDA Academic All-America first team. Barry has a 4.0 GPA while double majoring in physics and computer science. He was leading in the CAA in scoring with 19.7 ppg before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in January.
JMU LEADS NATION IN 3-POINT DEFENSE: James Madison led the nation 3-point FG percentage defense (29.0%) this season. In other national stat categories, College of Charleston was 8th in scoring defense (62.0 ppg), UNCW was 7th in turnover margin (+3.7 tpg) and Towson was fifth in offensive rebounding (14.3 rpg).
HOFSTRA’S GUSTYS AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS IN THREE CATEGORIES: Hofstra’s Rokas Gustys ranked 2nd nationally in rebounding (13.0 rpg), 4th in FG percentage (66.0%) and 9th in double-doubles (22) in the final NCAA stats. Hofstra’s Juan’ya Green (7.1 apg) was 6th in assists, NU’s David Walker was 28th in FT% (86.6%) and 29th in 3-pointers per game (2.94 pg) W&Ms David Cohn was 26th (2.88) in assist/TO ratio and W&M’s Terry Tarpey was 26th (2.07 spg) in steals.
CAA EXCELS IN NON-CONFERENCE PLAY: The CAA turned in one of the strongest non-conference performances in conference history with the 10 squads putting together a 75-47 overall record. Making the numbers more impressive is the fact that less than half of those games were at home. CAA teams were dominant (47-8) at home and had 21 victories in true road contests, which is the 3rd-most among all conferences.
College of Charleston
• Defeated Delaware 67-63 in the first round of the CAA Tournament but fell 66-64 to UNCW in the quarterfinals.
• Jarrell Brantley posted a team-leading five double-doubles this season and scored double figures in his final 13 games. He was named CAA Rookie of the Year and to the All-CAA third team. Brantley led all CAA freshmen and was 5th overall with 7.3 rpg.
• Cameron Johnson made the All-CAA third team after averaging a team-high 12.3 ppg. He scored double figures in 22 of 31 games.
• Payton Hulsey had a team-high 18 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and tied a CAA Tournament record with 7 steals vs. UD. He ranked second in the CAA with in steals (1.8 spg).
• Marquise Pointer, a member of the CAA All-Rookie team, averaged 11.2 ppg and scored double figures in 8 of the last 13 games.
• CofC limited 16 of its 18 CAA opponents to 65 points or less and allowed a league-low 59.2 ppg in CAA play. The Cougars ranked 8th nationally in scoring defense (62.0 ppg).
Delaware
• Suffered a 67-63 setback to CofC in the opening round of the CAA Tournament.
• Kory Holden scored a game-high 30 points with 7 rebounds vs. CofC. He reached double figures in 23 of his last 26 games and hit the 30-point mark three times.
• Marvin King-Davis averaged 15.8 ppg and 9.1 rpg in CAA play and scored double digits in his final seven games. He was 2nd in the CAA in rebounding (9.0 rpg) and double-doubles (12).
• Anthony Mosley had 14 double-digit efforts in the last 20 games and averaged 12.3 ppg in CAA play.
• Skye Johnson poured in a career-high 15 points on 7-of-8 FG shooting against CofC.
• Cazmon Hayes ranked 23rd in the CAA in scoring (11.3 ppg) and tallied double figures 16 times. He drained 53 three-pointers.
• Delaware made just 7 turnovers at DU and 8 turnovers against Elon to end the regular season but had 18 in the CofC loss.
Drexel
• Defeated Elon 57-56 in the first round of the CAA Championship, but fell 80-67 to top-seeded Hofstra in the quarterfinals.
• Rodney Williams posted his 3rd double-double (20 pts/11 reb) vs. Hofstra and had nine points and a team-high 10 rebounds vs. Elon. He averaged 13.2 ppg over the last eight contests.
• Tavon Allen drained 5-of-9 from three and scored a team-high 17 points against Elon. He averaged 16.5 ppg over his last six games and finished his career ranked 20th on Drexel’s all-time scoring list (1,249 pts).
• Terrell Allen scored 11 points vs. Elon, including a game-winning jumper with 25 seconds left. He averaged 9.8 ppg and led the team in assists and steals.
• Kazembe Abif had 18 points and 8 rebounds against Hofstra. He scored double figures in 11 of the last 14 games and had a team-high six double-doubles.
• Drexel committed just 10.5 turnovers per game in CAA play, which was the second-fewest in the conference.
Elon
• Dropped a 57-56 decision to Drexel in the opening round of the CAA Tournament.
• Guard Luke Eddy ranked third in the CAA in assists (4.5 apg) and was Elon’s 2nd-leading scorer with 10.5 ppg.
• Tyler Seibring, a CAA All-Rookie selection, ranked 2nd among CAA freshmen in rebounding (4.8 rpg). He scored double figures 16 times and averaged 9.8 ppg.
• Dmitri Thompson averaged 12.7 ppg over his last 11 contests.
• Senior Tanner Samson led Elon with 11.8 ppg this season and finished his career ranked 17th on Elon’s all-time scoring list (1,320 pts). Samson is Elon’s career 3-point leader (324) and had 82 treys this season.
• Freshmen accounted for 36% of Elon’s scoring. Tyler Seibring (9.8 ppg), Dainan Swoope (9.1 ppg) and Steven Santa Ana (8.6 ppg) were among the CAA’s top 7 rookie scorers.
• Elon made 10 or more treys in 17 games and led the CAA and ranked 22nd nationally with 9.5 threes per contest.
Hofstra
• Fell 82-80 at George Washington in the NIT first round. Shared their first CAA regular-season title and reached the CAA championship game for the first time since 2006.
• Juan’ya Green posted his 9th double-double at GW with team-highs of 26 points and 10 assists. He scored double figures 33 times with 11 20+point games. His 243 assists were the 4th-most in CAA history.
• Rokas Gustys tallied his 22nd double-double at GW (14 pts/13 reb) and had 18 in the last 20 games. He was 2nd in Div. I in rebounds and 4th in FG% (66%). He grabbed 10+ boards 28 times and 20+ boards six times.
• Ameen Tanksley chipped in 12 points at GW. He reached double figures in HU’s final 22 games and had 8 games with 20+ points.
• Brian Bernardi led the Pride with 87 treys this season and shot 38.8% from three.
• Denton Koon scored double figures 23 times and was 9th in the CAA in rebounding.
• HU’s 24 wins were the most since 2005-06.
James Madison
• Lost 79-64 to William & Mary in the CAA quarterfinals. Reached the 20-win mark for the fourth time in eight years.
• Ron Curry posted his first double-double of the season (20 pts/11 reb) vs. W&M. He reached double digits in a league-best 23 straight games and had 13 20+-point outings. He’s 4th on JMU’s all-time scoring list.
• Joey McLean hit 3-of-5 treys and added 13 points against W&M. He averaged 10.0 ppg over his last five games.
• Yohanny Dalembert ranked 8th in the CAA in rebounding (6.8 rpg) and 2nd in blocked shots (1.3 bpg). He averaged 9.3 ppg for the season and had five double-doubles.
• Shakir Brown ranked 14th in the CAA in rebounding (5.7 rpg), 25th in scoring (10.9 ppg) and 6th in 3-pt FG% (38.1%). He scored 20+ points six times.
• JMU led the nation in 3-pt FG% defense (29.0%) and topped the CAA and ranked 19th in Div. I in FG% defense (39.6%). Both marks set new school records.
UNCW
• Lost 93-85 to Duke in first round of the NCAA Tournament. Won their first CAA title since 2006 after rallying from 12-point deficit to edge Hofstra, 80-73 in OT.
• Craig Ponder scored a team-high 22 points vs. Duke and reached double figures in nine of his last 12 contests.
• Chris Flemmings, who was the CAA Tourney MOP, added 18 points vs. Duke. He scored double digits in 21 of the last 24 games and was 7th in the CAA with 16.2 ppg.
• Denzel Ingram tallied 17 points against Duke. He had 15 double-figure outings in the last 17 games and shot 42.3% from three in CAA play.
• C.J. Bryce had 16 points and a team-high 8 rebounds vs. Duke. He finished 3rd among all CAA freshmen in scoring (10.1 ppg).
• UNCW earned a share of the CAA regular-season title for the second straight year.
• UNCW tied its school record for wins in a season with 25.
Northeastern
• Reached the CAA semifinals after defeating Towson 70-61, but lost 73-70 to UNCW. Won 6 of their last 8 games overall.
• David Walker scored 18 points vs. Towson and 16 against UNCW. It was his 15th time in double figures in the final 16 games. He hit 5 treys, upping his NU season record to 97. He ranks 8th on NU’s career scoring list.
• Quincy Ford poured in a team-high 20 points vs. Towson and a team-best 21 points against UNCW. He scored double digits 25 times and hit 20+ points seven times. He ranks 9th on NU’s career scoring list.
• Zach Stahl posted his 3rd double-double (11 pts/13 reb) vs. UNCW. He eclipsed the 1,000-point mark on Feb. 25, joining Walker and Ford on this year’s team.
• T.J. Williams scored 16 points against UNCW and added 9 points and 5 assists off the bench vs. Towson with no turnovers.
• NU made 10 or more treys in 16 games this season and shot a CAA-best 37.1% from beyond the arc for the season.
Towson
• Lost 90-72 to Oakland in the Vegas 16 quarterfinals. Reached the 20-win mark for the second time in the last three years.
• William Adala Moto had his 8th double-double (14 pts/13 reb) vs. Oakland. He scored double digits in 22 of the last 28 games and ranked 3rd in the CAA in rebounding (8.3 rpg) and 10th in scoring (13.9 ppg).
• Mike Morsell scored a team-high 22 points vs. Oakland, which was his 4th 20+-point effort of the season. He ranked 14th in the CAA in scoring with 13.0 ppg.
• Timajh Parker-Rivera was the 4th player in Towson history to start 100 career games. He ranks among TU’s top 10 in career rebounds with 687.
• Walter Foster led the CAA with 44 blocked shots this season.
• Towson led the CAA and was 22nd in Div. I in rebound margin (+7.2 rpg). TU out-rebounded its final 19 opponents.
• John Davis scored double digits 16 times.
William & Mary
• Advanced to the CAA semifinals for the 3rd straight year after beating JMU, 79-64, but fell 70-67 to Hofstra.
• Omar Prewitt ranked 3rd in the CAA in scoring (17.8 ppg) and scored 20+ points a league-best 13 times. He was also 4th in the CAA in FG percentage (49.3%).
• Terry Tarpey earned his 2nd straight CAA Def. Player of the Year honor. He ranked 4th in the CAA in rebounds, 1st in steals and 2nd in blocks and was one of 5 players in Div. I to average 10.0ppg, 7.0rpg, 2.0apg and 2.0spg.
• David Cohn led the CAA in assist/TO ratio and ranked 2nd in assists (4.6 apg).
• Sean Sheldon shot a team-best 62.4% from the floor for the season.
• Greg Malinowski scored a career-high 22 points on 7-of-10 FG shooting, including 5-of-8 from 3, vs. Hofstra in the CAA semis.
• Connor Burchfield shot 56.3% (40-71) from 3-point range this season.
• W&M won 20 games for the 3rd straight season.