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LOCATION: Atlanta, GA
CONFERENCE: Trans America Athletic (TAAC)
LAST SEASON: 17-13 (.566)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 11-5 (3rd)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 2/3
NICKNAME: Panthers
COLORS: Royal Blue, White & Crimson
HOMECOURT: GSU Arena (4,200)
COACH: Charles "Lefty" Driesell (Duke '54)
record at school 33-25 (2 years)
career record 716-360 (37 years)
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ASSISTANTS: Phil Cunningham (Campbellsville '90)
Michael Perry (Richmond '81)
Travis Williams (GSU '95)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 11-10-10-16-17
RPI (last 5 years) 245-245-186-195-175
1998-99 FINISH: Lost in conference second round.
ESPN.com Clubhouse
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Lefty Driesell was one of the first coaches in college basketball to slip outside the mold and start three guards instead of two forwards. He did it at Maryland in 1974-75 with John Lucas, Mo Howard, and Brad Davis and the Terps won the ACC regular-season championship. If it can work in the ACC, it can work in a guard/forward league like the TAAC. Who knows, Driesell just might have to see what a four-guard lineup looks like. The 67-year-old coach certainly has the personnel to play a guard-dominated lineup, and he's in a league that doesn't count on big production from post players. Indeed, when Georgetown transfer Shernard Long becomes eligible six games into the regular season, the Panthers' four best players will be guards: Long, Kevin Morris, D.J. Wootson, and Anton Reese. Those four could be so good Lefty might have to be truly revolutionary and play them all at the same time. Of course, that might mean GSU doesn't get a rebound that doesn't hit the ground first and Driesell, who likes to play big, isn't going to let that happen. It will be interesting to see how one of the winningest coaches (716 wins) in the history of college basketball develops the scheme and makes his team competitive in a conference that continues to get better. Morris (16.6 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 142 assists, 56 steals) certainly looks like one starter if you consider the opinion of one conference coach who had to deal with the former Georgia Tech point guard last season. "When Morris was hurt in the beginning of the season they lost a bunch of games (five of seven)," Jacksonville State coach Mark Turgeon said. "When he was healthy and playing in the middle of the season, they were a different team. He holds them together and makes them a much better team."
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Blue Ribbon Analysis |
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BACKCOURT B+ BENCH/DEPTH B
FRONTCOURT C INTANGIBLES C
In a guard/small forward league like the TAAC, Georgia State can compete on the perimeter. But, sooner or later, the Panthers are going to have to find a 6-9 inside player who can control the game in the halfcourt. That's the one issue that will keep GSU from competing with Samford, Central Florida, or Jacksonville. The Panthers may have the best player in the league in Long and a terrific backcourt in Morris, Wootson, and Reese. It will be a club that could finish anywhere from second to fourth in the conference, depending on how well it plays defense and comes together with so many new parts. The program's rise will depend how well Driesell can mine the talented Atlanta area for high school stars. The program won't get on solid ground with junior college and Division I transfers. For now, Georgia State, with its collection of same, is headed for second place in the conference this season. "We may not win as many games as last season because the schedule is tougher with teams like Kansas State, Fresno State, Creighton and our conference getting better," Driesell said. "We'll just have to see. We'll have pretty good depth if everybody is playing well, which is one thing we didn't have last year. I think we can be pretty good. "The keys to our season are playing together and playing hard. We have to play good defense and put the team first. Like I said, we could have a pretty good team, but only if we do those things." |
The 6-0 junior still has some of the same problems he had at Tech he committed 111 turnovers last season but Morris is more than capable of being a top-shelf player in a mid-major conference like the TAAC. He led the league in assists (5.9 per game) and was third in steals (2.3). Anton Reese (16.4 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 59 assists, 35 steals), a 6-3 senior, is the team's second-leading returning scorer behind Morris. A deadly stand still shooter who was third in the league in three-pointers per game (2.87), he went to work on his quickness and defense in the spring and summer. Reese, a transfer from Alabama, can be an explosive scorer, as he proved with 38 at Kansas State and 36 at Hawaii. Then there's Long, a junior who averaged 20 points the last six games of his career at Georgetown during the 1997-98 season. "He's a future pro," said one TAAC coach. It isn't often players in the TAAC get that tag. Long is 6-5, and Driesell said his top recruit can play point guard, off-guard and small forward. He can leap and score inside and get loose on the perimeter for his shot. Long didn't stay within academic boundaries at Georgetown after the death of his mother, but he has moved back home to Tucker, Ga., a suburb of Atlanta, to gather himself personally. There is the issue of classwork at Georgia State. If he stays in class and on the court, Long could develop into one of the top players in the conference. Long was in Houston this summer working with John Lucas, one of Driesell's former All-Americans at Maryland, and running with some NBA players. JC transfer Wootson, a 5-11 junior who played at Cecil (Md.) Community College, was also in Houston with Lucas. That should give some indication of his skill level. "He can play both positions, he handles the ball and can shoot it, and he's a good leader," Driesell said. "He went to Michael Jordan's camp, Duke's camp, so he's dedicated and wants to be a player." Others competing for playing time at guard are Chad Searcy, a 6-5 senior, and Henry Nieves, a 6-3 sophomore. What the Panthers need to complement the guards is an inside presence. Torquin Gresham, (7.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 32 blocked shots) an explosive leaper at 6-7, led the TAAC in blocked shots two years ago as a sophomore, but slumped last season. Gresham needs to be more productive for Georgia State to challenge Samford for the title. The most skilled inside player returning is 6-8 sophomore Donnie Davis. He started just two games last season and averaged 2.8 points, but Georgia State needs him to produce much more. The opportunity is certainly there for some minutes. While Gresham and Davis battle for one forward spot, the center will likely be Markeal King, a 6-9 senior from Atlanta. King averaged 3.3 points and should get plenty of playing time with 6-11 Brad Stricker leaving school after getting a $150,000 offer to play in Europe. GSU added another forward in Lydell Gunsby, a 6-8 junior, who transferred from Atlanta Metro Junior College. Jarrod Hill (4.8 ppg, 4.6 rpg), a 6-foot-8 senior, is also looking for some playing time on the baseline. Georgia State added a late recruit in Austin Larkin, a 6-9, 220-pound junior center/forward from Georgia Coastal Community College. He averaged just 9.0 and 5.0 rebounds a year ago, but he improved so much the second half of the season he could lend a hand against Division I opponents.
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