Why Jay McAuley Is “feeling great” About Wofford Basketball

The Wofford men’s basketball team was picked to finish fifth in the Southern Conference by coaches. But Jay McAuley doesn’t seem like a coach who’s worried about his team having a mediocre year. 

Fans shouldn’t, of course, expect a coach to express pessimism leading into a new season. Still, it’s clear that McAuley likes his team quite a lot. “I’m feeling great,” he said at the end of October. 

And his enthusiasm stems, in part, from what he’s hearing from the players themselves. He says they’re talking about how tight-knit the group is, how much they support one another. “They say, ‘We’ve always heard about close teams, but we’ve never been part of a locker room like this.’”

I had the opportunity to chat with the coach during Wofford’s fall break. He was on the way to Atlanta to visit family. We didn’t go down the whole roster of players for comment. And if you’d like to peruse earlier columns here, you’ll see more remarks by McAuley on various players and on the state of the program. Nonetheless, he did provide some interesting updates. 

I appreciate Coach McAuley’s time and willingness to share some insights.

A few of the highlights: 

Confidence in Larson

The biggest question facing Wofford men’s basketball coming into this season is how to replace the scoring and leadership of point guard Storm Murphy, who has rejoined Coach Mike Young at Virginia Tech for his fifth year of college ball. All eyes are on Ryan Larson, a senior who has played valuable minutes throughout his career – including in two NCAA Tournament games as a freshman – and has earned a reputation as tough-as-nails defensive stopper.  Can he run the offense and provide leadership on a consistent basis? While he likely won’t be counted on to put up numbers similar to Murphy’s stellar senior-year offensive output, can he be counted on for solid scoring production? 

McAuley seems confident in Larson. He touted the Minnesota native’s three-point shooting percentage from a year ago and his hard work in the offseason. “Ryan has worked his tail off,” McAuley said. “He’s hungry and desperate for a great season.”

Unsurprisingly for those who have seen Larson play, he has been scoring high on the coaches’ “hustle chart” in preseason practices. And toughness and extra effort, McAuley said, are “keys that make Wofford so consistent.” 

Klesmit on the rise

On the morning of Homecoming, Wofford put on an intra-squad scrimmage that was open to the public. (The team has had two other preseason scrimmages, and reports are that McAuley’s guys fared quite well in both.) I saw most of the contest, and I was impressed by the athleticism of the team and the overall level of aggressiveness. 

I didn’t take close notes, and to my knowledge a box score was not published – so I don’t have an in-depth, detailed account of the scrimmage. But one guy really stood out: Max Klesmit. He made a variety of impressive shots – a fifteen-or-so-footer off the dribble, a deep three-pointer, a quick-release shot from behind the arc that was just slightly reminiscent of Fletcher Magee. Klesmit appeared confident in all areas and poised to become a leader. He was, in a word, impressive. 

Evidently, what I saw was part of a trend. 

This week, college basketball writer Lukas Harkins tweeted that Klesmit is one of his “favorite potential breakout sophomores in the country.”

McAuley evidently expects big things, too. “First of all, Max had an outstanding freshman campaign. He was on the conference all-freshman team…Now he’s definitely emerging as one of the next premier players at Wofford. He’s so competitive. He’s a real team player, just a Wofford dude. We think he’s going to be a problem for other teams in the Southern Conference.” 

Mack Attack? 

B.J. Mack, who transferred to Wofford from University of South Florida, showed flashes last season of the potential that made him a highly regarded prospect coming out of high school. But he came in on the heavy side and appeared to have a little trouble keeping up with Wofford’s fast-paced style of play for long stretches. 

During the offseason, McAuley said, Mack put in the hard work needed to take a major step in the right direction:

“I’m going to go ahead and say this: BJ is one of the most dangerous low post scorers in our conference. He has lost 30 pounds. He wants to be really good. He’s way more comfortable this year, more assertive. He’s moving quicker and is more decisive in post. Our guys have a lot of confidence throwing the ball in to him. He can be part of a dangerous 4-5 attack on offense.”

It should be noted here that McAuley seems excited about the frontcourt, on the whole. He had praise for both Messiah Jones – his leadership and overall talent – and Sam Godwin, who has added muscle in the offseason and was mentioned alongside Larson for toughness and hustle.

Bigelow a factor – possibly a big factor

Analysts guessing at Wofford’s potential this year are likely focused on returning contributors from the 2020-2021 squad – which makes sense. But they may be missing one of the Terriers’ most talented players – Isaiah Bigelow, who had a strong freshman campaign before a knee injury sidelined him last year. 

“Yeah – media have called to talk about the team and asked, ‘Have I left anyone out?’ And I say, ‘Yeah, you’re leaving out a big piece,’” McAuley remarked. 

Bigelow has the height and the shooting ability to potentially be a difficult matchup for teams. He could see minutes as a “stretch four” power forward and as a wing guard. 

So how are things going as he works to get back into playing shape? 

“He’s turned the corner mentally,” said McAuley, noting that Bigelow has had to regain trust in the strength of his knee and his ability to play at full speed. “He’s starting to get his confidence back. We’re very proud of him. He’s been through a lot, and he can be a difference-maker for us.”

*****

Wofford takes on Bob Jones University this Tuesday. I’m looking forward to finally seeing a game in person again. Surely the players are hoping for a great fan turnout. Hopefully it’ll happen. 

Go Terriers!