The Assignment: Heading into 2012-2013, Drexel was the near-universal pick to win the CAA. Injuries ravaged Drexel’s chance for a banner year. Give several reasons why 2014 may be finally be the year for #RevengeOfTheDragon.

***

On a sultry, stormy spring afternoon, my dad and I trekked to Glennmoore, Pennsylvania to celebrate my niece’s second birthday. Upon arriving at my sister’s house, I spied my brother-in-law and his father in the backyard. They were setting up a party tent, hammering stakes into the moist ground between intermittent downpours.

I walked over and offered to help. The 20-second exchange that occurred properly summarizes how Drexel fans feel about 2012-2013:

Brother-in-law: Are you here to brag about how much better (the mascot of your baseball team) are than the Phillies?
Me: Eh…it’s still early for all that. (Turning to his father, a proud Drexel alum) My real qualm is with the year Drexel had in basketball.
Father: Oh, you know how to hit where it hurts.

Heading into last season, Drexel was your mother’s pick to rule the CAA. The Dragons had the requisite blend of experienced seniors and talented underclassmen. But you can’t predict injuries (which makes what I said rather unfair), and when ace sixth man Chris Fouch went down with a broken ankle in the third game of the season, it became apparent that they’d be hard-pressed to meet their lofty preseason expectations.

For head coach Bruiser Flint and Company, it was a season to forget.

Fouch didn’t play another game. Damion Lee (17.1 points per game) and Daryl McCoy (8.6 rebounds per game) missed multiple conference games. Forwards Dartaye Ruffin and Kazembe Abif dealt with nagging injuries that kept them in and out of the lineup. All too often there were only seven healthy-ish Dragons, which severely hurts the team’s productivity in practice.

Frequently, the weight of the world fell on the shoulders of junior point guard Frantz Massenat, who was simply asked to do too much. As a result of the injuries, Massenat had to look for his shot more often. After averaging 4.8 assists per game as a sophomore, his assists were down to 4.2 per game. Massenat posted a 42.6% effective field goal percentage, down from 50.7% the year before.

Don’t take Massenat’s down season as an indication that he’s already peaked. He’s got a chance for a huge bounce-back season.

And so does Drexel.

Even with the struggles, Drexel was no slouch. Both Lee and Massenat were Second Team All-CAA selections. The Dragons got after it on the glass, and prohibited their opponents from doing so. Drexel’s opponents averaged just 6.7 offensive rebounds per game, the third fewest in D-I. We expect nothing left from a Bruiser Flint-coached team.

The win over Davidson in December was a microcosm of their rebounding dominance, as the Dragons’ number of offensive rebounds (19) exceeded the Wildcats’ total rebounds (14).

A sixth year of eligibility was the silver lining from Fouch’s injury. Fouch may come off the bench, but could slide into the starting lineup to replace graduated shooting guard Derrick Thomas (9.2 points per game).

Thomas’ leadership and perimeter defense will be missed, but his absence won’t stop Drexel from boasting arguably the CAA’s best backcourt. Yes, I do realize we just said something very similar about Delaware. Flanked by Fouch and Lee, Massenat can comfortably play knowing he’ll rarely be the first offensive option on the floor.

Lee built on his CAA Freshman of the Year campaign, and blossomed into one of the CAA’s top scorers. Lee is a huge matchup problem who will be a legitimate CAA Player of the Year candidate.

In his sophomore season, 6’7″ forward Tavon Allen could make a huge jump. As a redshirt freshman, Allen averaged 6.6 points in his 14.8 minutes per game. With improved shot selection, the ambidextrous Allen could create significant problems on the wing for Drexel.

The question is whether or not the defense can rise to the call. As Kevin Rossi noted in his season review, Drexel allowed 63.1 points per game, which was up almost six points from ’11-’12. It was unrealistic to expect Drexel to repeat as one of the nation’s Top 10 3-Point Defenses, but no one could’ve predicted such a precipitous fall to the middle of the pack (193rd).

And without the imposingly burly McCoy, it won’t be fair to expect Drexel to duplicate its rebounding dominance. Still, you know Flint has the blueprint for a CAA Rockfight in his back pocket.

Dartaye Ruffin (6.9 points, 6.8 boards per game) won’t be the same immovable force that McCoy was downlow, but he’ll have a chance for a big senior season. With Fouch, Lee and Massenat drawing attention around the perimeter, Ruffin should find much more room to operate. Abif had an efficient season as a sophomore, and should take a step forward.

The myriad of injuries made it impossible for Massenat to take a significant break. This season, Massenat might finally get the chance for a breather. Seton Hall transfer Freddie Wilson will be eligible at the end of the fall semester, and incoming 6’3″ guard Major Canady will boost the backcourt as well.

Freshman forwards Mohamed Bah and Rodney Williams will give the frontcourt the depth it sorely lacked. The 6’9″ Bah, who earned the nickname “Baby Shaq” in high school, should be good for some physical play underneath the basket. Knock on wood, Drexel might have some semblance of depth this season.

The CAA Tournament showed us what senior guards can do for a team. This bodes for a Drexel team that will boast the CAA’s most experienced backcourt. If Drexel’s defense can be just a little better than it was last year, the Dragons look good for a top-tier finish in the CAA.

The Assignment: The 2012-2013 Delaware Men’s Basketball Team set a school record with 13 wins in CAA play. Using statistical evidence from prior seasons, write a 500-1000 word analysis of the 2013-2014 Blue Hens, with a vague projection for their finish in 2014. Cite all sources.

Attempt to explain how the Blue Hens can move on without face of the program forward Jamelle Hagins, the CAA’s 2013 CAA Defensive Player of the Year, who set the Delaware record for rebounds (1,078) and blocks (292).

***

The YoUDees readied themselves for a standout conference performance by playing the crème de la crème during the nonconference season. Delaware earned the right to play Kansas State and Pittsburgh at Madison Square Garden by defeating Virginia in the NIT Season Tip-Off on November 13th.

Delaware also played Duke, as well as Big 5 stalwarts Temple, Villanova, and La Salle (although the only Big 5 team Delaware beat was Penn — twice) all before ringing in the new year.

Jamelle Hagins, the walking double-double who finally won CAA Defensive Player of the Year in a Kent Bazemore-less league, will not be in Newark next season. Fortunately head coach Monté Ross has another face of the program ready in high-scoring slasher Devon Saddler.

As a junior, Saddler led the CAA in scoring (19.9 per game) and raised his shooting percentages across the board en route to First Team All-CAA honors. Saddler scored in double figures in 38 consecutive games, a streak which began during his sophomore season.

Heading into his senior year, Saddler sits 360 points shy of Delaware’s All-Time Leading Scorer Mike Pegues (2,030). It seems probable that Saddler will reach that mark sometime during conference play.

Saddler will have help in this Post-Hagins Era. Junior guards Jarvis Threatt and Kyle Anderson will help weather the storm. After averaging 16.5 points over Delaware’s final 11 games of ’11-’12, Threatt was one of the big reasons for the optimism in Newark heading into last season.

After fighting through various early season ailments, Threatt averaged 14.6 points per contest in CAA games, and 13.0 per game on the season. Threatt led the team in assists (3.2 per game), and used his lengthy wingspan to haul in 5.7 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game. Threatt was a Third Team All-CAA selection, and has the chance to be an All-Defensive Team member.

So much of Delaware’s success derived from Saddler and Threatt driving the lane and cashing in at the foul line, where both shot around 80%. They combined to average 12.6 free throw attempts per game. On average, Delaware made 17.6 free throws per game, the sixth-most in all of D-I.

A potential concern is that Saddler and Threatt’s play-to-the-rim style produced few opportunities for other Blue Hens. The YouDees averaged 0.41 assists per field goals made. Among D-I teams, only Virginia Tech was worse in that category. The commonality there: both teams’ lead guards were their leading scorers.

That’s not a huge concern when your team is so efficient from the free throw line. But without Hagins and Josh Brinkley (don’t let his last few injury-marred games warp your perspective of his productive career) drawing defensive attention in the middle, the Blue Hens will need to effectively employ a more perimeter-oriented style.

It’s absurdly obvious to say, but the Hens have to knock down some outside shots. They shot 30.9% from downtown last season, and failed to make a trey on two separate occasions. That hadn’t happened in a single game since November 28th, 1990, but occurred twice within three weeks. They weren’t always bad, but were certainly streaky.

This is where Anderson, who made a team-high 62 3-pointers, comes into play. Anderson had the highest effective field goal percentage (48.7%) of the Delaware guards, and that’s with a three-point field goal percentage that was every-so-slightly lower than his freshman season. Anderson played most of the nonconference season with a protective face mask, and turned it up a notch in conference play, when he averaged 9.8 points per game.

We expect senior forward Carl Baptiste (4 points, 4.2 rebounds per game) to slide into the Blue Hens’ starting five. Baptiste is a space eater who can help pick up the rebounding slack. However, Baptiste averaged just 18.7 minutes per game, so it’s probably unrealistic to expect him to ramp up to 30 minutes a night. He played a season-high 28 minutes on two occasions, and Ross should be happy if he can get that many minutes from Baptiste on a consistent basis.

Beyond that, the rotation is unclear. 5’8″ sophomore Terrell Rogers looked like he’d be a huge factor early on, but saw his playing time diminish down the stretch. Expect him to get tons of run in games where Delaware can afford to play small ball. Redshirt sophomore forward Marvin King-Davis will have every opportunity to earn big minutes.

The Blue Hens have to improve on their 0.76 assist-to-turnover ratio to make up for the extra possessions Hagins created. It will take a team effort for Delaware to continue to be one of the CAA’s top rebounding teams. As Tom Zamonski noted in his incredibly detailed season recap, Delaware didn’t force many turnovers, but the small ball approach, and a tall, rangy freshman class should help Delaware create more easy buckets.

Delaware will bring five new freshman into the fold, along with Maurice Jeffers, who redshirted this past season. Aside from shooting guard Cazmon Hayes, all are 6’6″ or taller. Delaware can account for the loss of Hagins (even with him, defense was not a strong point) with the added length on the defensive end. Montè Ross will need at least a few of them to step in and play significant minutes.

We don’t know much about the freshmen, but most are coming off highly successful high school careers, and ESPN seems to like them as well. Expect the 6’8″ redshirt forward Jeffers and incoming big man Barnett Harris to get the first crack at major minutes, as both have an extra year of conditioning under their belts over freshmen coming straight out of high school. It’s also unlikely that all six freshmen will play, so you can expect a redshirt or two.

It’s difficult to project a team that will have so many new faces in key roles, but returning possibly the CAA’s best backcourt means Delaware will remain a contender in the CAA. With one of the nation’s best scorers in Saddler, a burgeoning star in Threatt, and a three-point ace in Anderson, Delaware will be a CAA contender again next season.

Word count? 999 words.

A couple key news pieces since we last met:

Less than a week after adding point guard Eliel Gonzalez to the fold, Joe Mihalich capped off a phenomenal week for the Hofstra Pride.

On Thursday it was announced that 6’6″ wing Jamall Robinson, who previously committed to Mihalich at Niagara, had signed on with the Pride. Robinson played on a championship team at Paul VI in the legendary Washington Catholic Athletic Conference.

More huge news: rising juniors (and best friends) Juan’ya Green and Ameen Tanksley, who both played for Mihalich at Niagara, announced their intentions to transfer at the tail end of April. Little did we know that they would be following their head coach to his new home on Long Island.

Green was the MAAC Rookie of the Year in 2011-2012, and was a First Team All-MAAC selection this past season when he averaged 16.5 points, 4.9 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game. Green actually scored more points as a freshman, but cut down on his turnovers and saw an uptick in his assists this season. He’s already scored 1,131 points in his two seasons of college ball.

The 6’6″ Tanksley has proven to be a strong rebounder (6.0 per game last season) in his first two years of collegiate basketball, and averaged 11.3 points per game as a sophomore.

Following a redshirt season in 2013-2014, Green and Tanksley will both have two years of eligibility remaining. Both players shot right at 33% from three this past season. With four recruits and the two transfers, Hofstra will have ten players of scholarship next season (three open spots). Look for more additions in the next few weeks.

Daly Dose of Hoops provides further in-depth perspective on the monumental day.

***

James Madison University announced that rising juniors Enoch Hood and Arman Marks will look to transfer. Mark Selig tweeted that Hood brought the idea up to coaching staff, and both sides came to a mutual agreement that “things just didn’t work out.”

Marks saw action in nine games, and Hood saw his playing time diminish down the stretch. Each player was a significant part of the rotation as a freshman. Hood could really benefit from the chance to bulk up in a redshirt year. Marks added significant muscle between his freshman and sophomore seasons.

One thing is clear: JMU will be very young next year. Granted, they’ll have the benefit of a sixth-year senior Andrey Semenov. Currently, JMU is set to have one senior (Semenov), one junior (Christian Pierce, who did not play last year), four sophomores, and six freshmen on the roster.

A few weeks back, Selig reported that Brady was still looking at player in 2013, so there’s a chance this huge class will grow even larger.

Plenty of roster changes for many of our teams. Things are starting to round into place…

- Joe Mihalich garnered his third commitment for 2013, as point guard Eliel Gonzalez committed to Hofstra last week. Gonzalez played at Florida Air Academy where he averaged a gaudy 11.6 points, 8.1 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game.

The 6’3″ guard also played on Puerto Rico’s National U16 Team in 2011. His prep school experience should help him become a key contributor for the Pride this season.

- On the other end of the spectrum, former Hofstra commit Marquis Moore pledged to George Mason. Moore played this past season at St. Thomas More Prep, and profiles as a combo guard. Ryan Kish fills you in on Moore, with plenty of good quotes and links.

Kish also wrote about Jalen Jenkins’ redshirt season at George Mason. Since arriving as a 17-year-old, the freshman Jenkins has added 26 pounds of muscle.

- Buzz Peterson welcomed two new Seahawks into the fold. A few weeks back, Brian Mull mentioned that JUCO Addison Spruill was on campus for a visit. Spruill pledged to UNCW last week, and should provide the Seahawk backcourt with a scorer’s punch.

Here’s one from the 2009 files: Ben Eblen will play his final season at The Dub. You may remember that Eblen, a former VCU recruit, followed Anthony Grant to Alabama, where he played three seasons for the Crimson Tide.

Eblen graduated from Alabama in December, and did not play in the 2012-2013 season. He’ll be eligible to play in the upcoming season, and Mull expects Eblen to bring leadership and defense to UNCW.

To summarize UNCW’s offseason so far: Peterson recruited new assistant coaches Eddie Biedenbach and Houston Fancher, and pulled in two veteran guards (Eblen and Spruill) with collegiate experience who can help him immediately. Peterson will have the personnel to employ the four guard lineup he alluded to earlier this offseason.

- Northeastern picked up two commitments from the state of Virginia last week. 6’2″ CJ Hill’s stock started to blow up during the Hoop Group Jam Fest a few weeks back. Hill went to Westfield High School in VA, where he averaged 15 points per game as a senior. Hill’s older brother in New York Giants (William & Mary graduate) defensive end Adrian Tracy.

Jimmy Marshall, a 6’6″ forward from Richmond, also pledged to Bill Coen’s squad. Here’s some video of Marshall, along with some high praise from Phenom Hoop Report.

- With so many graduating seniors, James Madison will have to make plenty of changes to incorporate six new freshmen. Per Mark Selig, Matt Brady and company will employ a scheme that fits the skill sets of his new players.

- Towson’s Offseason Blog Series with Marcus Damas continues, and is definitely worth a read.

It’s been awhile.

- Spring Signing Day took place last week. We gave you an update in November. Here’s the updated list:

College of Charleston

PG Joseph Chealey 6’3″ 180 lbs. Apopka, FL

G Johnathan Cook 6’1″ 175 lbs. Memphis, TN

PF Terrance O’Donohue 6’7″ 225 lbs. Norcross, GA

C Glen Pierre, Jr. 6’11″ 210 lbs. Orlando, FL

Delaware

SF Zaccary Douglas 6’8” 200 lbs. Fort Washington, MD (signed LOI)

PF Barnett Harris 6’9” 210 lbs., Monroeville, PA (signed LOI)

SG Cazmon Hayes 6’4” 185 lbs. Charlotte, NC (signed LOI)

SF Devonne Pinkard 6’6″ 195 lbs. Lancaster, PA

PF DeVarte Watson 6’7” 185 lbs. Spartburg, SC (signed LOI)

Drexel

PF Mohamed Bah 6’9″ 230 lbs. Lee Academy (ME) (Signed LOI)

SG Major Canady 6’3” 205 lbs. Saltaburg, PA (Signed LOI)

SF Rodney Williams 6’8″ 220 lbs. Richmond, VA (Signed LOI)

George Mason – TBD

Georgia State 

PG Isaiah Dennis 5’11″ 180 lbs. McDonough, GA (signed LOI)

PG Jaylen Hinton 6’1″ 180 lbs. Richmond, VA (signed LOI)

Hofstra

SG Chris Jenkins 6’4″ 190 lbs. Hillside, NJ (signed LOI)

SF Gervelle Kidd 6’6” 185 lbs. Chatham, VA (signed LOI)

James Madison

SG Jackson Kent 6’7” 175 lbs. High Point, NC (signed LOI)

PF Ivan Lukic 6’7″ ABCD Prep (from Serbia) (signed LOI)

SF Thomas Rivard 6’7″ 185 lbs. Worcester, MA (signed LOI)

PF Paulius Satkus 6’8” Lithuania (signed LOI)

PF Tom Vodanovich 6’9″ 215 lbs. (signed LOI)

Northeastern

PG T.J. Williams, 6’3″ Pfluggerville, TX

Old Dominion

SG Jordan Baker 6’2” Hampton, VA (signed LOI)

SF Ramone Snowden 6’5” Virginia Beach, VA

PF Denzell Taylor 6’7″ 215 lbs. Toronto, Canada (signed LOI)

Towson

SF John Davis 6’6” 200 lbs. Philadelphia, PA (signed LOI)

PF Walter Foster 6’8” 224 lbs. Atlanta, GA (signed LOI)

SF Shamiek Sheppard 6’5” 190 lbs. Brooklyn, NY (signed LOI)

UNCW

C Chuck Ogbodo 6’10” 215 lbs. Greensboro, NC (signed LOI)

SG Tyler Ptacek 6’2” 165 lbs. Parma, OH (signed LOI)

William and Mary

SG Daniel Dixon 6’5” 185 lbs. Langley, VA (signed LOI)

SF Omar Prewitt 6‘6“ 180 lbs. Mount Sterling, KY (signed LOI)

PG Mike Schlotman 6’4” 185 lbs. Munster, IN (signed LOI)

PF Jack Whitman 6‘9“ 210 lbs. Lexington, KY (signed LOI)

If you have newer/more accurate information, please share it with us.

Other News:

- The man you know and love, Mr. Michael Litos, did an interview with our friends over at Gheorge the Blog. It’s insightful, comical and entertaining. But you already knew that.

- Matt Brady signed a four-year extension as James Madison’s head coach. Mark Selig took the liberty of providing us the contract details.

Key pieces:

- The deal will pay $302K per year, and the first three years are guaranteed. His old deal paid him $290K annually.

- JMU has the right to terminate the contract if the university is declared ineligible for APR reasons.

- Apparently, the main hangup between Brady and the university was getting that third year guaranteed.

JMU Sports Blog gives us the fan perspective.

Also of relevance: after Brady signed the extension, JMU commits Tom Vodanovich and Ivan Lukic sent in their letters of intent. JMU has five recruits signed for next season, and redshirt freshman Dimitrije Cabarkapa will also suit up.

That link has a nice 10-minute video with Brady’s thoughts on the new recruits. Word on the street is that he’s not done recruiting.

- StarNews sports editor Dan Spears wrote about UNCW’s newest assistant, former Appalachian State head coach Houston Fancher. There will be plenty of experience on the UNCW sideline next season.

- Per The Virginian-Pilot’s Ed Miller, Lamar Barrett and John Richardson have joined Jeff Jones on the Old Dominion coaching staff. Barrett and Richardson were teammates collegiate teammates at Elizabeth City State.

More news from Norfolk: rising senior Donte Hill may have lost his final year of eligibility from playing single-digit minutes in a preseason scrimmage at Clemson, and our love for the NCAA continues to grow…

- You should head over to GMUHoops to read Ryan Kish’s recruiting news. The departures of Paris Bennett and Vertrail Vaughns have left the Patriots with increased options.

- Towson prepares for next season with yoga, with commentary from rising senior forward Marcus Damas.

- Here’s Drexel’s official release on Chris Fouch’s sixth year.

We promise that there will not be as large of a time lag between the next two posts. Stay tuned.

Hello friends. Here are a few CAA-related notes from the past week.

- AJ Davis, Jamelle Hagins, and DeShawn Painter proved to be the phenomenal CAA representatives we knew they would be in the Portsmouth Invitational. Each player played three games.

- On opening night, Hagins turned in one of the best performances of the weekend. The former Delaware big man dropped 29 points (12-of-19), snagged 11 boards, and had three steals in his team’s 90-89 victory.

We know he can rebound and defend — he had five blocks on Friday night against a frontcourt with Brandon Davies and Mouphtaou Yarou — at a high level, so it was nice to see him assert himself on the offensive end.

Hagins was one of 12 players selected to the All-Tournament team. Kevin Tresolini wrote about Hagins’ stellar first night.

- Opposing Hagins on opening night was Old Dominion’s Painter, who netted 16 points (7-of-11) and six rebounds. He didn’t play quite as well in the second two games, but it’s understandable. These were high-scoring games and Painter was a late invite to the tournament. Who knows exactly how much basketball he’s played in the last six weeks.

- AJ Davis hurt his back in the opening game, and didn’t shoot particularly well in the subsequent game, but still sandwiched two good performances around his off night. His team advanced to the championship, where Davis scored 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting (the four misses were all threes).

Mark Selig penned that NBA scouts have no concerns about Davis’ long-range shooting abilities, and were impressed by his play. Selig’s story has quotes from James Madison head coach Matt Brady, an NBA scout, and Davis himself.

Results and rosters for each team from the Portsmouth Invitational can be found here.

***

- Drexel head coach Bruiser Flint tweeted that Chris Fouch has been granted a sixth year of eligibility. This should elevate Drexel to the top-tier of the CAA next season.

- Paris Bennett will transfer from George Mason. He played sporadically, but Ryan Kish notes that the Patriots will certainly miss his leadership. Bennett will be eligible to play immediately.

- Jeff Goodman from CBS has reported that Towson sophomore guard Kris Walden will transfer.

- UNCW will host two potential Seahawks this weekend. Brian Mull caught us up on the visitors. 6’5″ wing Frank Williams played on a community college team with at least nine D-I players, averaged 11.8 points per game in his 17.1 minutes.

The other player is 6’7″ forward Bernard Sullivan, a rising junior who is transferring from Clemson. Sullivan is seeking more playing time, as he was stuck in a talented Tiger frontcourt.

Both players would have two years of eligibility remaining, although Sullivan would have to redshirt in the upcoming season.

- City of Basketball Love’s Josh Verlin wrote about the rising stock of 6’8″ forward Yohanny Dalembert, who has offers from Drexel, Hofstra and JMU, among others.

- Future conference member College of Charleston has been quite active on the recruiting trails. It’s absurd to even speculate at this point, but Joe Lunardi had the Cougars as the CAA’s lone representative in his first Bracketology for the 2014 NCAA Tournament.

- Ed Miller wrote about Jeff Jones’ crazy first few weeks as ODU’s head coach, and the staff he’s building in Norfolk. Bryant Stith, who played in the NBA and under Jones at UVA, was added to the staff last week.

***

We’ll begin our Lunardi-esque speculations in the near future.

On Wednesday afternoon, Hofstra announced that Joe Mihalich will be the new head coach of men’s basketball. Mihalich signed a six-year contract with Hofstra.

Mihalich spent the last 15 years as the head coach of Niagara. Since taking over in 1998, he amassed a MAAC-record 265 wins. This year, he guided Niagara to a regular season conference championship, which earned the Purple Eagles an NIT bid. Niagara went to two NCAA Tournaments and three NITs under Mihalich.

Hofstra SID Stephen Gorchov did the heavy lifting by compiling the stories on Mihalich’s hire.

Some highlights:

- Jerry Beach was the first to mention that Hofstra was zeroing in on Mihalich. Beach’s interview clues us into Mihalich’s basketball philosophy.

Mihalich on his team’s style of play:

“We like to play fast. You’ve got to dance with the girl you brung, so we’ll see what kind of guards we can bring in here. We bring in guys that still keep that 10-second rule in effect to get the ball over half-court. We won’t be running much, but we do like to play fast.

I played for Paul Westhead in college, coached with Morgan Wooten and Speedy Morris. I think the up-tempo style is fun — fun to play that way, fun to coach that way, it’s fun to watch. We’re hoping to have an up-tempo type of team, hope it’ll be high-scoring, but again, we’re an incomplete picture right now. We’ve got some pieces to put in the puzzle.”

Beach also caught up with rising senior forward Stephen Nwaukoni, who is impressed with Mihalich.

Nwaukoni on Mihalich:

“I think he’s going to be perfect for the job. Just the way he was talking to us, he seems like a very passionate person — not just there for the checks, not just there for anything else, just there to be there for us.”

- Zach Braziller from the NY Post discusses Mihalich’s first day, which featured two decommitments and a commitment from 6’4″ Chris Jenkins. Jenkins was picking between Hofstra and Niagara, so it was an easy decision.

- Here’s a great read from The Buffalo News and Jerry Sullivan, who covered Niagara hoops for Mihalich’s 15 years.

- Daly Dose of Hoops offers more thoughts on Mihalich.

- Daily News offers perspectives from former Hofstra guard Speedy Claxton, and others.

This looks like a great hire, as the university got the stable coach is desired (Mihalich spent 17 years as an assistant at La Salle before his 15 years at Niagara.) Hofstra has just four scholarship players on the roster for next season, but five recruits are committed to the program. Mihalich has playing time to offer other recruits.

George Mason lost by three to Santa Clara in the CBI Finals. Ryan Kish you covered on the main details, so we won’t go into it much. Kevin Foster and Marc Trasolini scored Santa Clara’s first 16 points in the second half, and combined for 44 points on the game. In my opinion, it came down to their (fifth-year) senior will.

I know the season wasn’t what many Mason fans had in mind, but when a team without a single senior plays 38 games, I think it has to be considered a success. A young team will take more away from that than a first round NIT loss.

Next year, George Mason will have a hungry senior core. The Patriots will be poised for a special season.

Related news: George Mason guard Vertrail Vaughns will transfer from the program. Wherever he ends up, he’ll become eligible immediately.

***

Lot’s of good stuff from Wilmington:

- Eddie Biedenbach discusses his decision to step down as head coach at UNC-Asheville to become the associate head coach of UNCW. The article includes a video interview with Biedenbach.

- Here, Brian Mull discusses numerous happenings in Wilimington: JUCO target Addison Spruill (other names discussed here), Tyree Graham’s appearance on Outside the Lines, and Buzz Peterson’s game plan for next year. Mull also touched on…

Hofstra news:

The Tim Cluess rumors were a false alarm. Jerry Palm discusses potential candidates here. The general consensus is that we’ll know Hofstra’s new head coach very soon.

On Delaware:

- Tom Zamonski from City of Basketball Love recaps Delaware’s season (we’ll link to their Drexel recap when it surfaces).

- Jamelle Hagins will participate in the Portsmouth Invitational.

Jake Fischer on Northeastern:

- Dinko Marshavelski will pursue a professional basketball career in Bulgaria. Marshavelski has earned a degree in International Business from Northeastern.

- A few weeks ago, we mentioned that Joel Smith played the CAA Tournament with a serious injury. The surgery to repair Smith’s ACL injury was succesful.

Georgia State:

- Panther Talk discusses Georgia State’s rotation for 2013-2014. This team will be downright dangerous if Ryan Harrow is eligible.

From the 757:

- Ed Miller discusses the aftermath (recruits, potential assistant coaches – Bryant Stith?) from the news that Jeff Jones will be Old Dominion’s new head coach.

- William and Mary’s Kyle Gaillard was named the CAA men’s basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. As noted in the article, Gaillard is the third Tribe player to win the award in the last four seasons (David Schneider ’10, Quinn McDowell ’12). Gaillard is a business finance major.

James Madison news:

- Matt Brady was voted State Coach of the Year by the Virginia Sports Information Directors. Devon Moore was voted to the All-District Second Team, along with George Mason’s Sherrod Wright and William and Mary’s Marcus Thornton.

- 6’9″ forward Tom Vodanovich committed to James Madison last week. Vodanovich is a skilled high-jumper from New Zealand. Mark Selig and Matthew Stoss discuss the commitment here.

- AJ Davis will participate in the Portsmouth Invitational. Davis will play on the same team as Peyton Siva, Ramon Galloway, and Carl Hall, among others.

With its #BacktotheRAC, George Mason pulled out a 73-66 victory over Santa Clara to force a decisive Game Three in the CBI Finals.

George Mason threw the first punch against Santa Clara by creating east transition buckets. The Patriots raced to a 39-26 halftime lead. Sherrod Wright was infinitely better than he was two days before, and finished with a game-high 20 points.

The Broncos cut within five in the second half, but back-to-back buckets from Patrick Holloway gave the Patriots a 52-42 lead with 11:25 to play. The Broncos never came closer than seven.

Santa Clara shot 5-of-25 from three on the day — you don’t have to look much closer than that. George Mason did score 30 points from the free-throw line, but 18 of those attempts came after the final media timeout.

Kevin Foster scored 16 points, which was the first time he’s been held below 23 points in the CBI. Santa Clara’s poor performance from downtown showed how volatile three-point shooting can be for those who rely on it too heavily. Mason’s three-point defense will be crucial tonight.

Now, George Mason will host Santa Clara tonight at the Patriot Center. This will absolutely be the men’s basketball team’s final game as a member of the CAA.

All the best for the Patriots.

Plenty of CAA-related news:

- Old Dominion has lured Jeff Jones from American University to become the new head coach of the Monarchs. Jones had the opportunity to move from American after back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2008 and 2009, but chose to stand pat.

David Teel of The Daily Press broke the news on Jones, who’s been playing and coaching collegiate basketball in Virginia for 35 years.

- UNCW head coach Buzz Peterson persuaded Eddie Biedenbach to step down from his head coaching position at UNC-Asheville to become one of Peterson’s assistants at Wilmington. Biedenbach had been the coach in Asheville for 17 years. This seems like a good start in Peterson’s complete overhaul of his coaching staff.

Sure, leaving your head coaching job to become an assistant seems strange, but considering Biedenbach will make $130,000 (more than he made at UNCA) it’s not an unfathomable change.

As we saw at JMU this season, having two experienced coaches on the bench can be very beneficial. Biedenbach’s hire should squash some of qualms Brian Mull listed here.

- The awards keep piling up for Jerrelle Benimon. Towson’s junior forward was named AP All-American Honorable Mention.

- Some roster announcements from Hofstra:

Junior forwards Daquan Brown and Jamal Coombs-McDaniel will complete their degrees and graduate from Hofstra. Brown was a CAA All-Academic Second Team member, and will graduate in May. Coombs-McDaniel graduate in Mary, and will continue to pursue a basketball playing career.

Sophomore guard Taran Buie has left the team for personal reasons. He asked for (and was granted) his release from the program. He will continue pursuing a degree while figuring out where he will continue his basketball career.

- Former five-star recruit, now ex-NC State, ex-Kentucky point guard Ryan Harrow is transferring to Georgia State. Harrow wants to be closer to home so that his father (who suffered a stroke before the 2012-2013 season) can watch him play.

If Harrow becomes eligible immediately, he’ll have two years of eligibility remaining. If the NCAA denies his request, he’ll be forced to sit out a year, and will lose a year of eligibility.

With an eligible Harrow, you’d have to think Georgia State would become the favorite to win the Sun Belt next season. Last year’s cream of the crop, Middle Tennessee State, was a senior-laden team.

Doug Roberson caught up with Harrow to discuss his decision.

Also of note for Georgia State: Cameron Solomon will not return to the basketball team. Solomon played 17 games in the early portion of the season, but did not play in the spring semester because of an academic-related issue.

Jaylen Hinton, a 6’3″ guard from Richmond, committed to Georgia State over the weekend. Here’s some video footage of Hinton.

- Per City of Basketball Love, Drexel’s Aquil Younger will look to transfer out of the school. Younger provided some solid defensive minutes for Drexel last season, but it’s unclear how much he would’ve played next year.

Chris Fouch is expected to return for a sixth year (we’ll have more on that when it becomes official) and Seton Hall transfer Freddie Wilson figured to challenge for some of Younger’s minutes when he becomes eligible after the fall semester. There’s also incoming point guard Major Canady.

Mid-Major Madness caught up with Drexel head coach Bruiser Flint here.

- Speaking of sixth years, your favorite Russian Andrey Semenov will be back in action next season for the purple and gold. It was announced Tuesday that Semenov would be granted a sixth year of eligibility.

Another James Madison note: when we posted on Friday, we didn’t have much information to offer on JMU recruit Ivan Lukic (on Friday, this laptop wasn’t very YouTube friendly). Mark Selig’s been hard at work filling us in on Matt Brady’s new recruit (who is probably taller than the 6’7″ we originally listed).

Here’s Selig’s Skype sesh with Serbian forward Ivan Lukic.

***

We mentioned Santa Clara’s affinity for the three-ball, and it was on full display Monday night. SCU’s all-time leading scorer Kevin Foster dropped 28 points, and hit as many 3-pointers as George Mason (five) by himself, en route to SCU’s 81-73 win in Game 1 of the CBI.

Jon Arledge had another great effort, finishing with 21 points and eight boards. Patrick Holloway tied his career high with 17 points. Bryon Allen had 15 points and eight assists, but Allen and Sherrod Wright combined to commit six turnovers apiece.

The Patriots committed 19 on the whole, but that wasn’t what killed them. Ultimately, they didn’t start hitting shots until it was too late. SCU made its free throws down the stretch.

We mentioned how Mason’s depth might play a factor, and the Patriot reserves outscored the Bronco bench 28-2. Unfortunately, three of Mason’s starters (Erik Copes — who had 14 rebounds, Edwards, Wright) combined to shoot 2-of-15 and total nine points.

Expect a better showing Wednesday night, when George Mason takes on Santa Clara in Fairfax at the RAC Complex. It’s never easy playing three time zones away, and I think we all expect Mason to play better at home. Playing at the RAC should provide an interesting atmosphere for this one