Men’s Basketball: Week One (Toccoa Falls/Carver College) Recap

Last week was a good time for Wofford basketball. How exciting to have games! I would have loved to have been there at the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium. But I was more than happy – here in my living room – to have the opportunity to see the Terrier hoopsters in action as they took on the Toccoa Falls Screaming Eagles and then the Carver College Cougars.

The Wofford players seemed plenty happy, too. The team hadn’t played since last March, in the Southern Conference championship game in Asheville, where the Terriers lost to a terrific East Tennessee State University team. That run provided positive momentum as players and coaches headed into the off-season.

But what a crazy off-season it was. The onslaught of COVID-19 sent Wofford students home last spring. It kept them home over the summer. There were individual workouts – when and where he guys could find a gym – and Zoom calls and FaceTime conversations and all the rest.  With the players on campus this fall, practice took place with everyone wearing masks. And due to the pandemic, the start of the season was delayed a couple of weeks.

So it had to feel good to finally play, though neither game was remotely competitive. The Terriers easily overpowered the Screaming Eagles 88-49 on Wednesday. Saturday’s game was an even greater mismatch, as Wofford beat the hapless Carver squad 111-37. Despite the lopsidedness of the games, the Terrier team showed energy and hustle and, for the most, solid focus. The two contests gave fans some things to get excited about

Here are a few takeaways (You can find full game reports, with complete box scores, here):

Seniors lead the way in opener

Seniors Storm Murphy and Tray Hollowell were sharp and looked ready to lead. They led the way in both minutes and scoring. At times over the past three seasons, we’ve seen Hollowell really heat up from the behind the three-point arc.  He did so against Toccoa Falls, hitting five threes on his way to a career-high 19 points. Murphy scored 19, too, on a variety of outside shots, short jumpers, and layups. The two seniors played fewer minutes in the blowout win against Carver, but they were nonetheless productive, especially Murphy, who scored 16 points in only 18 minutes of play.

The heralded freshman class is getting a good deal of the attention – but the ultimate success of this year’s team will likely be closely linked to the play of Murphy and Hollowell.

There’s help up front

Last season, lack of frontcourt depth was a key issue. There were times when Messiah Jones, at 6-6, was Wofford’s tallest guy on the floor. Things will look different this year.

In the two opening games, we saw a lot of playing time from a trio of new post players – Sam Godwin, Nick Pringle and BJ Mack.

Godwin was sharp. He demonstrated considerable savvy, handling the ball in the paint, making good passes, and finishing with 10 points and 7 rebounds in his college debut. On Saturday, each of the Wofford big men had their way against the Carver frontcourt – Godwin finished on Saturday with 15 points and 7 rebounds. His long-range potential may depend on adding some muscle and becoming more assertive – that should come with hard work and good coaching – but he looks ready to contribute.

Pringle appears to be a fabulous athlete who’s able to run the floor possibly as well as any Wofford post player we’ve seen in the Division 1 era. His seemingly effortless put-back dunk in the first half against Toccoa Falls surely would have brought the crowd to its feet, had there been a crowd in attendance. Against Carver, he scored on an array of breakaways, put backs, and close-range shots in the paint, including a layup that demonstrated impressive footwork, to lead all scorers with 17. Pringle may have some rough edges – most first-year guys do – but it’s hard not to be excited about his potential.

Mack, a sophomore transfer from University of South Florida, was impressive in both games. His wide-body at 6-8, 250 pounds showed considerable finesse, versatility (he made a 3-point shot in each game) and body control. Can Mack also be the kind of brute-force banger in the paint who wins physical battles against high-level SoCon post players? These first two contests probably didn’t give us a lot to go on. But if you’re looking at one of the newcomers who’s best-prepared right now to handle the rigors of SoCon competition, Mack might be the guy.

Junior David Appelgren also played significant minutes. The seven-footer has added some weight and looked more comfortable on the court than last season. Of course, he’ll face much tougher competition in conference play, but Appelgren looks like he may be ready to offer some meaningful minutes. And the alley-oop dunk at the end of first half of the Carver game was a thing of beauty!

Jones makes good things happen 

It will be interesting to see how the infusion of new talent in the post will affect Messiah Jones’ role. As a redshirt freshman relegated to playing center, he displayed considerable athleticism and grit, at times getting the better of bigger, more experienced opponents. This season, with an additional tall guy (or sometimes two) in the lineup with Jones, he may have the opportunity to expand his game away from the basket. Indeed, in both games, he handled the ball some on the perimeter and even attempted (though missed) a three-pointer.

One thing is for sure:  Jones is a very good basketball player. In 24 minutes against Toccoa Falls, he notched a double-double – 12 points and 12 rebounds. He had 14 points in 15 minutes of play against Carver.  Jones will face much tougher competition in Southern Conference play, but he appears altogether ready to build on what was an impressive freshman campaign.

Some new looks on defense

Over the years, Wofford has earned a reputation for playing in-your-face, man-to-man defense. It was a hallmark of the Mike Young era and one of the key ingredients to the team’s success last season. Against Toccoa Falls and Carver, man-to-man was Wofford’s go-to defense, but the team also played stretches of zone. At one point during the Carver game, Wofford’s zone defense featured Mack, Godwin, and Pringle. That’s a good deal of height stretching across the frontcourt – a potential matchup challenge for future opponents. While the coaches are likely experimenting with a variety of lineups and sets on both ends of the floor early in the season, it’ll be interesting to see if this zone look will become a regular part of the equation in conference play.

Safford announces his presence

Coach Jay McAuley has described redshirt freshman Morgan Safford as a guy who will fill the stat sheet. Based on his play Wednesday and again Saturday, that’s an apt description. In 28 minutes of play opening night. Safford had a solid 10 points and five rebounds. But the wing guard also racked up some less positive numbers: four fouls and a team-high four turnovers. Considering that Safford had to watch from the bench last season, it’s easy to imagine that he was pretty hyped for game action.  If he was a bit in overdrive, that’s alright. He played more under control against Carver, scoring 9 points and leading the team with 6 assists.

News on the injury front

In addition to the loss of Isaiah Bigelow, evidently out for the season with a torn ACL, Wofford was without the services of guards Ryan Larson and Max Klesmit, who are reportedly banged up with minor injuries. A returning starter, Larson will almost certainly play key minutes this season once he’s cleared. And Klesmit, a freshman, came to town with a reputation as a versatile, tough combination guard. I look forward to seeing him in the mix.

Keaton Turner, another highly regarded freshman guard, was out, as well – reportedly with mono. A severe case of mono can take quite a toll. We hope this is a mild version and that Turner will be in action before long.

Lack of fans doesn’t diminish team energy

A big thanks to play-by-play man Jim Noble for posting post-game interviews with McAuley and Hollowell here at WoffordFans.com!

In the interviews following the Toccoa Falls game, the player and coach talked about the atmosphere – no fans, just the cardboard fan cutouts on sale through the athletic department (saw longtime manager Gordon Rodgers’ face in the group!). It’s a different deal, to be sure. The spacing of players and coaches on the benches is different, too.

It’s just an odd situation. Social distancing goes against the grain of so much of what we think about in college basketball – from fans packing the arena to the pep band playing to players and coaches huddling on the bench. But there was no hint from McAuley or Hollowell that the team was any less excited than normal for the start of the season. I think the vast majority of Terrier fans feel the same way.

A new addition to the program

In another interesting development on Wednesday, Wofford received a commitment from a new recruit – guard Austin Patterson. Here’s the unusual thing:  Word is, he’s planning to enroll for second semester. Patterson graduated from high school in his hometown, Sonora, California, before heading to Brewster Academy for an extra year as a prepster.  Zion Richardson’s decision to transfer opened up a scholarship as well as a spot on the roster. We’ll see if Patterson figures into the mix this season. Either way, welcome aboard!

Action resumes on Thursday when North Carolina Central University, out of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, comes to town. It’s a game that should give us a much better idea of the potential of the 2020-2021 Terrier team.