I appreciate getting to talk earlier this week with Jay McAuley about the season and the 2022 Southern Conference tourney.
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It’s Southern Conference Tournament week, and Wofford coach Jay McAuley is feeling the pressure … from daughter Addie, his second-grader.
“She said, ‘Daddy, y’all better win so we can stay in Asheville the whole time.’ I think she likes staying in the hotel and playing in the hotel pool and everything,” McAuley said.
He laughed a little, but then our conversation turned toward the seriousness of the matter at hand.
McAuley knows that in the world of college basketball, the conference tournament for most mid-major leagues – including the Southern Conference – is a very, very big deal; making it to the NCAA Tournament, the goal of every team and dream of every player and coach, requires winning the conference tourney. (Wofford’s team in 2019 likely would have gotten an at-large bid, but took care of business in Asheville and didn’t have to find out.)
“I’ve been in the tournament as part of teams that are high seeds and not-so-high seeds,” McAuley said. “We work to formulate a message for our kids to feel confidence. You’ve also got to find balance, give the players a chance to rest their bodies and then get back to work.”
McAuley said there was no practice for the team on Sunday, a day after beating Mercer in a tough game to close out the regular season. The coaches and players watched game tape and discussed team strengths to build on.
Practice resumed with a focus on the Terriers’ opponent on Saturday – VMI, a team Wofford split with in the regular season. McAuley expressed respect for this year’s edition of the Keydets and said the game will involve two “high-powered offenses going at each other.”
A win against VMI would likely set up a rematch with UT-Chattanooga, the tournament’s top seed. Wofford came up short against the senior/grad-laden Mocs twice in the regular season.
McAuley knows that no team can afford to look ahead at tournament time – it’s a one-game-and-you’re-done situation, and no one is unbeatable. And in his two seasons as head coach, he’s already experienced some major highs and lows: During McAuley’s first season, the Terriers took a seven-game losing streak into the tournament but went on to win three exciting games and play in the championship round. Last year, Wofford was among the league’s top teams in the regular season but went out in the first round after a disappointing showing against Mercer.
“You can’t warm up to the competition,” he said. “Everybody’s playing for their lives, playing to move on. Some handle it well, and sometimes a team can get a little out of character. My job is to make sure our guys have a unified mentality.”
McAuley has reason to feel good about the way his team is playing. The team has won four of its last five games – the only loss coming on the road at Furman in a game the Terriers arguably should have won.
It has been an up-and-down regular season, punctuated by some thrilling wins as well as several frustrating losses. Injuries have been a factor. Losing forward Messiah Jones, one of the team’s top returning players from last season, changed the landscape of the season. First of all, Jones is an excellent player – versatile, smart, and tough. He had legitimate all-conference potential – no question.
But his absence also limited Wofford’s depth in the post and pushed the coaches to use a four-guard lineup and rely heavily on perimeter scoring. The Terriers have had good shooting nights, but have struggled from three-point range at times.
Meanwhile, injuries to other players have been a factor. Sophomore guard Max Klesmit, the team’s leading scorer on the perimeter and an all-conference selection, missed the first meeting with VMI – a loss at home. Morgan Safford and Isaiah Bigelow, key players on the wing, have missed games. Forward Sam Godwin has battled injuries much of the season.
On the whole, Wofford is a fairly young team, and there’s been a learning and development curve. Klesmit wasn’t drawing opponents’ major focus on the perimeter last season. All-conference big man BJ Mack wasn’t carrying the load as an inside scorer a year ago. Bigelow is in his fourth year, but only his second season playing. Even senior Ryan Larson is in a new role as starting point guard.
There have been times when players have gotten frustrated and allowed mistakes to compound. “Young players can get disappointed, and sometimes a play that didn’t go our way on offense has affected our defense,” McAuley said. “What we try to do as a staff is to teach kids how to deal with disappointment and take one possession at a time – what we call a ‘next play mentality.’”
Through growing pains and twists-and-turns due to injuries, the team may be playing its best ball of the season – just at the right time.
“Our players just genuinely care about each other,” McAuley said. “They step up for each other. We’ve rarely been full strength this year, but they haven’t blinked. Our guys have great togetherness.”
McAuley is especially proud that the team is guarding the perimeter better – three-point defense has been a concern at times – and is among the nation’s leaders in defensive rebounding.
To win in Asheville, Wofford will need to continue the strong work on defense while limiting offensive turnovers. Mack, who has been terrific scoring around the basket – and is a threat to score from three-point range, as well – will surely be a key. And Wofford tends to do well when Klesmit has a good night shooting the ball. Meanwhile, McAuley pointed to Godwin – a tall, rangy athlete with “aggressiveness and a great motor” – as an “x-factor for this team.”
The head coach also had special praise for the leadership and toughness of Larson. “I will never coach another Ryan Larson the rest of my life,” McAuley said. “He’s a gem. He’s one of the most unique players I’ve coached – the way he’ll sacrifice his body to help the team win. Ryan has just set a great standard for our program and this group of players.”
If you’ve been to a Wofford game, you’ve seen how badly McAuley wants to win. He’s responsive to the game’s details and clearly focused on giving his team an overall edge. To put it another way, the young coach is pretty intense.
But McAuley also appreciates that he’s working with 18-to-22-year-olds. They’re learning and working hard, but hopefully having fun, too. He wants to keep that perspective when it comes to the SoCon tourney.
“For the players, it’s an exciting deal,” he said. “Our league has done a great job of making it one of the coolest mid-major tournaments in the country.
“We’ve stayed at the same hotel over the years. They’ve set us up with a room we use for hanging out, having snacks, study sessions. The hotel staff has rallied around us.”
And on the court, McAuley said, “You’ve watched a tenth seed beat a number one seed. There’s no weak team. It’s going to be a great tournament.”