National : The Citadel finding winning elusive with 14 freshmen
Ed Conroy knows what it’s like to be part of a large freshman class for a college basketball team. The Citadel head coach played for the military institution from 1985-89, and was part of a seven-man freshman class.
Conroy said he liked having a large class because the team was able to ‘lean’ on each other and do everything together, which culminated in a successful senior campaign.
So when Conroy was selected as head coach of his alma mater in April of 2006 in the middle of recruiting season, he had the choice of trying to assemble a quick recruiting class, or holding some scholarships for a larger class the next year.
Conroy decided to hold onto those scholarships. Now he’s experiencing what it’s like to coach a large freshman class and one of the youngest teams in college basketball history.
The Citadel has 16 players on its squad, and 14 of those are freshmen, making it one of the most unique teams in college basketball. In addition, with lone senior Demetrius Nelson out for the season, it leaves just one upper-classman to guide the rookies.
‘I like the idea of a big class going through it all as opposed to signing one or two in a class this particular year and not have as many people to lean on,’ Conroy said. ‘There was no grand plan to just wholesale start over, although as that was unfolding, I wasn’t opposed to that.’
Knowing he would have such a young class, Conroy set out to find players he knew he could retain. With The Citadel being a military institution, Conroy wanted to make sure the players he would sign would be with him through the long run.
Conroy signed eight players, but the team also added six walk-ons, all of whom were freshmen. In a day and age when recruiting classes often range from zero to five recruits, having 14 new players is unheard of, even to the Bulldogs’ freshmen.
‘The first that popped in my mind (when I heard the size of the class) was kind of shock,’ said freshman Austin Dahn, who just broke The Citadel’s record for 3-pointers made in a season.
As would be expected, the Bulldogs have struggled this season. The Citadel carries a 6-20 overall record, and is 1-16 record in the Southern Conference.
Dahn said one thing the team struggled with at the beginning of the season was chemistry. With players coming from different areas and all having to learn a new system at the same time, Dahn said it takes time for the team to be able to come together as a team.
Another aspect the young team has to deal with is leadership on the court. With some rotations consisting strictly of freshmen, the team is still trying to develop leaders on the court to guide the team during crunch time.
‘It’s so difficult to help a freshman become a consistent player and someone you can count on,’ Conroy said. ‘They change weekly, daily and monthly, and as a coach, you don’t know exactly what you’re going to have.’
With the team’s record looking bleak, Conroy tries to focus on how the team improves from week to week or game to game.
‘We’re going through a rough year, and nobody is happy in terms of wins and losses,’ Conroy said. ‘But I’m thrilled with our development, and that’s what really it’s all about. I think your seeing the character really being revealed about these guys and why I believe so much in them when recruiting them.’
The Citadel players pointed to a recent road loss against former league champion Appalachian State as a sign of their development. Although the Bulldogs lost, The Citadel had chances to win the game late.
‘If there’s a particular game (to show our development), it’s the Appalachian State game,’ Dahn said. ‘They’re one of the top teams in the conference, and it was in their place, and we went in there to a tough environment and we just played really well. We took them to overtime and had a couple of opportunities to beat them. But even before that, we’ve been very close, and we just continue to build on that.’
Although the team hasn’t produced many wins, the growth is there for the opposition to see. Georgia Southern head coach Jeff Price said the first time his squad bested the Bulldogs, he saw an inexperienced team, but has noted improvement.
Price also noted how having such a freshmen-laden team allows for Conroy to build his team for the next four years as he would like, and possibly turn them into a league power, if they add size.
‘Any time you have a team that young, you’re going to take your lumps early, but you hope that they continue to develop as a coach the way you want them to,’ Price said. ‘He’s molding the team exactly the way he wants from day one that’s going to be together for four years. You’re able to mold your team and develop chemistry and a style that you want to play for the next four years with same players.’
The lumps may be coming in bunches for The Citadel this season, but the team looks forward to keep improving and trying to make the best of its unique situation.
‘We’re definitely embracing this situation,’ Dahn said. ‘The coaches are teaching us, and the Southern Conference is a great conference with a lot of good teams. We just take it as a challenge to keep improving. There’s definitely optimism about the future and good things will hopefully happen.’
While Syracuse receives all the national media attention for college hoops in New York, local teams are holding their own as well.
Cornell is currently 8-0 in the Ivy League and will be dancing if it holds onto its lead, as the Ivy League’s regular season champion gets the bid to the big dance.
In the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, four teams are currently tied for first place with an 11-5 record. Niagara also has the nation’s leading scorer in Charron Fisher, who is averaging 27.9 points per game.
No. 2 Tennessee at No. 1 Memphis
Saturday, 9 p.m. ESPN
Not only is this game the game of the week, but it may be the game of the year. Both teams have excellent coaches, play exciting brands of basketball and would love nothing more than to beat its ‘rival.’ Many see this as possibly the last chance for Memphis to lose during the regular season, as Memphis’ remaining schedule is not daunting. Could this be a preview of the national title game? Possibly. Go with the undefeated team for now.
Memphis 81, Tennessee 78
Published on February 20, 2008 at 12:00 pm
