Men’s Basketball Breakdown – American Athletic Conference
by CTBasketball
Men’s basketball in the AAC kicks off this November for its inaugural season. It contains former Big East heavyweights Louisville and UConn, while absorbing former Conference USA members Memphis, Central Florida, and Houston among others. In this piece, I will breakdown each school and make pre-season rankings and accolades.
University of Central Florida Knights
The Knights of Central Florida come into the 2013-2014 campaign after failing to make the postseason a year ago. Surprisingly enough, the team itself is not getting any limelight. But the new court design is (Google it. It looks pretty…different). The new all-black court at UCF Arena in Orlando, Florida hopes to bring a new level of home court advantage. 4th year head coach Donnie Jones returns at the helm, along with senior guard-forward tandem Isaiah Sykes and Tristan Spurlock. However, the Knights graduated big-man Keith Clanton, who pulled down 1000 career rebounds and scored over 1700 career points. Bringing in a 3-man freshman class led by Steve Haney and Justin McBride and a JUCO transfer might not counter-balance Clanton’s loss.
University of Cincinnati Bearcats
The Bearcats of Cincinnati come into the season after falling to Creighton in the 1st round of the 2013 NCAA Tournament. Last year’s squad seemed to always be on the bubble, finishing with a record of 22-12. Head Coach Mick Cronin’s Bearcats play their home games at Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio. Key departures include Cashmere Wright, JaQuan Parker, and Cheikh Mbodj. Despite losing over 40% of their offense, the Bearcats bring back senior guard Sean Kilpatrick and senior forward Titus Rubles. Cincinnati also brings in Jermaine Lawrence, a 6’9” 4-star power forward.
University of Connecticut Huskies
A new logo and a new season. A year off of their post-season ban, the Huskies are back. The old Husky logo has been retired, bringing in a new, more aggressive appearance. Led by a dynamic trio of Shabazz Napier, Ryan Boatright, and DeAndre Daniels, Kevin Ollie’s Huskies will be in the running for the first AAC Championship. UConn returns over 95% of its scoring; only losing graduate student, RJ Evans. Three freshmen will embark upon Storrs this season; guard and Brooklyn native Terrence Samuel, forward Kentan Facey, and center Amida Brimah. They will join George Washington graduate student transfer, Lasan Kromah. UConn also has one of the country’s best backcourt in Napier, Boatright, and sharpshooter Omar Calhoun. If UConn can stay healthy and get help from role players Tyler Olander, Niels Giffey, Kromah, and Phil Nolan, they will be one of the most dangerous teams in the country. The return of senior center Enosch Wolf is still uncertain. If he does, UConn will be an even more dangerous team. If he chooses against returning, UConn will need others to fill in and help with rebounding and defense.
University of Houston Cougars
The Cougars are coming off a 20-13 season where they lost in the CBI Quarterfinals. Off-season departures have hurt the Cougars of Houston for the upcoming season. They lost sophomore leading scorer, Joseph Young, sophomore guard JJ Thompson, center Valentine Izndu and graduate Leon Gibson. However, Head Coach James Dickey returns junior forward TaShawn Thomas, sophomore forward Danuel House, and redshirt sophomore guard Jherrod Stiggers. The Cougars also bring in ineligible transfer LJ Rose and guard Jaaron Simmons. It could be a difficult season at Hofheinz Pavilion. If Houston can rally around its losses and get quality play from its starters, they might be able to finish with a winning record.
University of Louisville Cardinals
The reigning NCAA and Big East Champions move over to the AAC for one season before jumping to the ACC. Rick Pitino’s Cardinals finished the season with 35 wins in addition to their tournament accolades. Losing center Gorgui Dieng to the NBA and pesky guard Peyton Siva to graduation, the Cardinals will have holes to fill. However, they return senior guard Russ Smith, big-man Chane Behanan, and Final Four MOP Luke Hancok. In addition, highly touted guard Chris Jones will transfer in and is expected to fill Siva’s shoes. They should be consistently in the top 25 all season long and will contend for the AAC and NCAA Championships.
University of Memphis Tigers
Conference USA’s 2013 Champions, the Memphis Tigers, finished last season with a 31-5 record and a trip to the 2nd Round of the 2013 NCAA Tournament. Josh Pastner’s Tigers went undefeated in conference play last season, but lose 7 players from that team. Among them, NBA-bound forward Adonis Thomas and Tennessee-bound transfer Antonio Barton. However, these losses are short-lived. Memphis returns its leading scorer, Joe Jackson, along with the 2nd best recruiting class of 2013. This class includes Kuran Iverson, Austin Nichols, Nick King, Dominic Woodson, Rashawn Powell, Markel Crawford, and former Missouri standout Michael Dixon. The FedEx Forum in Memphis will see one of the best recruiting classes since the days of John Calipari.
Southern Methodist University Mustangs
One of the more interesting schools in the new conference is Southern Methodist. The Mustangs, led by Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown, went 15-17 last season. They had trouble scoring the ball last season, only averaging 64.5 points per contest. Despite this, SMU returns all five starters and only lost two role playing bench players. They bring back leading scorer and do-it all hybrid guard/forward Jalen Jones and point guard Nick Russell. In addition, they bring in McDonald’s All-American shooting guard Keith Frazier, who is considered an elite scoring option. This team has the most potential out of any in the league. Last season they lost 12 out of their 17 games by single digits. With more scoring options available this season, the Mustangs could be on the brink of having a quality season.
University of South Florida Bulls
The Bulls of USF are relieved to be out of the Big East. The Bulls put up a combined record of 104-150 during their time in the Big East, only making the post-season twice. However, Head Coach Stan Heath returns veteran player Victor Rudd, who should lead USF in scoring for the second straight season. Point guard Anthony Collins returns as well, who dished out 6.5 assists per game last season. The Bulls hope 7’3” center and fan favorite Jordan Omogbehin is healthy enough to give major minutes. If he can make a produce this season, the Bulls will have found an answer down low. However, the Bulls will be young. They bring in 6 freshmen, including the 7th best center in the 2013 class, John Egbunu. The five upperclassmen on this team will have to lead by example. USF has had good seasons before (2011, NCAA Tourament 2nd Round), and is capable of another one if they can stay healthy and play up to potential.
Temple University Owls
The Owls of Temple are coming off a very successful season. They lost in the 2nd Round of the 2013 NCAA Tournament in a very close game to #1 Indiana. The Owls posted a record of 24-10 and were able to compete with top-tier programs all season long. Fran Dunphy’s squad loses leading scorer and vocal leader, Khalif Wyatt, and slasher Scootie Randall. In addition, they graduate critical role players Jake O’Brien, Jahlir Hollis-Jefferson, and TJ DiLeo. The Owls lose 73% of their scoring and over 60% of their rebounding from last season. Junior forward Anthony Lee will likely be the go-to-man for the Owls this season. He averaged just under 10 points per game and 7 rebounds per game last season. Lee will need help, but the only returning player who played major minutes is junior guard Will Cummings.
Rutgers University Scarlet Knights
No team in the country has had a more turbulent off-season than Rutgers. Questions surrounding player abuse surfaced this spring, which proved to be a crucial blow to men’s basketball program. Former head coach Mike Rice was fired after physically abusing his players; which was videotaped and went viral. Because of this, a collection of players transferred from the program. This list includes leading scorer Eli Carter (Florida), Vincent Garrett (UW-Green Bay), Mike Poole (Iona), and Derrick Randall (Pittsburgh). Brand new head coach Eddie Jordan was able to retain top bench scorer Jerome Seagears, Myles Mack, Kadeem Jack, Wally Judge, Greg Lewis, and Malick Kone. They also bring in a slew of transfers, most notably Pittsburgh’s 6th man JJ Moore, former Miami guard Bishop Daniels, and former Iowa State guard Kerwin Okoro. Jordan is currently fighting the NCAA to grant these transfers automatic eligibility. Despite their problems, Rutgers appears to be in better shape than other schools in the AAC.
League Predictions:
The American Athletic Conference’s inaugural season will end at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee when a league champion will be declared. Some schools have a better shot at the trophy than others. Below are my pre-season conference predictions.
1. Louisville
2. Connecticut
3. Memphis
4. Cincinnati
5. Southern Methodist
6. South Florida
7. Central Florida
8. Rutgers
9. Temple
10. Houston
All-Conference Predictions:
Despite its lack of quality basketball programs, the AAC boasts some very good players. Below are my pre-season all-conference selections:
| First Team | Second Team | Honorable Mentions |
|---|---|---|
| Shabazz Napier, G, Connecticut | Sean Kilpatrick, G, Cincinnati | Austin Nichols, F, Memphis |
| Russ Smith, G, Louisville | Chris Jones, G, Louisville | Ryan Boatright, G, Connecticut | Joe Jackson, G, Memphis | Luke Hancock, F, Louisville | Omar Calhoun, G, Connecticut | DeAndre Daniels, F, Connecticut | Kuran Iverson, F, Memphis | Victor Rudd, F, USF |
| Chane Behanan, F, Louisville | Anthony Lee, F, Temple | Jalen Jones, G-F, SMU |
Pre-Season Player of the Year: DeAndre Daniels, F, Connecticut
Pre-Season Rookie of the Year: Kuran Iverson, F, Memphis
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