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LOCATION: Charleston, SC
CONFERENCE: Southern (South Division)
LAST SEASON: 9-18 (.333)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 3-13 (6th)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 1/4
NICKNAME: Bulldogs
COLORS: Blue & White
HOMECOURT: McAlister Field House (6,000)
COACH: Pat Dennis (Washington & Lee '79)
record at school 79-110 (7 years)
career record 79-110 (7 years)
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ASSISTANTS: Michael Hopkins (Coastal Carolina '83)
Marty McGillan (UNC Wilmington '90)
Robert Dooley (Western New England College '93)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 11-10-13-15-9
RPI (last 5 years) 268-276-203-222-292
1998-99 FINISH: Lost in conference first round.
ESPN.com Clubhouse
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The Citadel coach Pat Dennis hasn't added a nanny to his basketball staff yet, but the thought has surely crossed his mind. The Bulldogs will enter the 1999-2000 season as one of the nation's youngest teams. The preseason roster lists one junior, six sophomores and seven freshmen. "It certainly wasn't planned that way, it just kind of happened due to a series of circumstances," said Dennis. "We'll have a lot of diapers to change this season. The good thing is, this is one of the most talented groups I've had since I've been here. We won't necessarily know what kind of team we've got until we get into the season." Dennis guided the Bulldogs to one of their better seasons in recent memory two years ago (15-13). That marked the school's first winning season since 1988-89, and the Bulldogs also snapped a 13-game losing streak in the Southern Conference Tournament with a quarterfinal victory over rival VMI. On the heels of that, Dennis had to rebuild last season after losing perhaps his four best players. The Citadel had its struggles a year agao, losing its first seven conference games, but was able to develop what Dennis hopes is a nucleus for future success. "Our freshmen from last year are now sophomores, so I don't look at them at being so young because a lot of those guys logged some major minutes as freshmen," he said.
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Blue Ribbon Analysis |
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BACKCOURT C BENCH/DEPTH D
FRONTCOURT C- INTANGIBLES C
The Bulldogs are likely to take their lumps again this season. That is to be expected for a team with so many fresh faces. Eighth-year coach Pat Dennis is not panicking, having been through this process before. "In college basketball in general, there are always cycles of success," he said. "At military schools like ours, those cycles are sometimes exaggerated. Because of the nature of the school and some of the player retention problems that go along with this kind of system, you sometimes have to build about twice as long to then have about one or two years of good success." And this just happens to be year two of Dennis' latest rebuilding program. In another year or two, when Alan Puckett, Rod Shiver and Co., are juniors and seniors, the Bulldogs should be a highly competitive team. |
The Bulldogs' top two scorers last season were freshmen, although neither of those players 6-4 forward Alan Puckett (9.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 38 assists, 25 steals, .529 FG, .487 3 PT) and 6-6 forward Rod Shiver (8.8 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 29 steals, 31 blocksed shots) averaged in double figures. Puckett led the team in scoring in eight games last season and established himself as one of the nation's top long range shooters. He ranked first in the conference and fifth nationally in three-point percentage, making 55-of-113 from behind the arc. He made six of nine three-pointers and scored a career-high 22 points in a game against East Tennessee State. "Alan accomplished a lot as a freshman," said Dennis. "His competitive nature and the way he really wants to excel says a lot about him. If he can continue to improve, he can be an all-conference player." Puckett played the small-forward position last season, but Dennis would like to use him some as a guard this year in order to give the Bulldogs some size in the backcourt. Puckett has worked in the off-season on his ballhandling skills. Shiver was The Citadel's top rebounder and shot blocker. He emerged as a consistent double-figure scorer in the second half of last season. He reached double figures in seven of the team's last 12 games. Shiver shot .460 from the field but was abominable at the free-throw line, shooting just .477. "Rod is an extremely athletic player inside," said Dennis. "He has to learn to be patient and wait for things to come to him. He has worked on his perimeter skills over the summer and is coming back in good shape." Point guard Mike Roy (6.1 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 69 assists, 43 steals), a 5-10 junior, is the Bulldogs' elder statesman. He started 24-of-27 games last season. Roy is not much of a shooter from either two-point (.289) or three-point (.277) range. He also had just six more assists than turnovers last season. "Mike comes back as a two-year starter and we will count on him to run the offense," said Dennis. "I thought he had a good freshman year and a so-so sophomore year, so I'm looking for him to regain the form he had two years ago." Travis Cantrell (6.6 ppg, 1.0 rpg, .344 3 PT, .838 FT), a 6-3 sophomore, was the first guard off the bench last season. He played behind the now departed Jerald Freeman (8.0 ppg, 3.6 rpg) at off guard. Cantrell could move into a starting role this year. Cantrell is a good outside shooter who finished second on the team in three-pointers made (31). "Travis had some really good games for us last season," said Dennis. "He is a tremendous shooter with a beautiful shot. He has done tremendous work on his body in the weight room. He's like two different guys from last year to this." Cliff Washburn (6.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 12 blocked shots), a 6-6 sophomore, made 24 starts in his rookie season. Washburn is the Bulldogs' best power player. He is strong and tough and an above average defender and rebounder. Washburn can also score his share of points around the basket. "Cliff is about 240 pounds now," said Dennis. "He is tough as nails and doesn't back down from anybody. We need him to fill the role of an intimidator." Two sophomores 6-0 guard William Hines (2.4 ppg, 1.0 rpg) and 6-4 forward Wendell Heyward (2.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg) who joined the team as walk-ons last season are back. Hines also plays football for The Citadel. He is athletic and should receive spot-duty minutes. Heyward played in just two games last season. The best of Dennis' incoming recruiting class is probably 6-5 freshman swingman Michael Joseph (Deerfield Beach HS/Deerfield Beach, Fla.). Joseph averaged 19.0 points and 11.0 rebounds last season while earning first-team all-state honors. He helped guide his team to the Florida 6-A state championship. "We spent the entire year recruiting Mike because we felt he gives a dimension in our program we were looking for," Dennis said. "Mike can score points in a lot of different ways and he has the ability to defend at several positions." One of Dennis' top priorities in recruiting was to add some badly needed size. He signed a pair of 6-9 players in Gregg Jones (Westlake HS/Waldorf, Md.) and Ben Walters (Rayen HS/Youngstown, Ohio). Jones is an athletic big man who needs strength, while Walters is more of a wide-body type. "Jones runs like a gazelle and can jump," said Dennis. "His potential if he stays as involved and interested as he is now is unlimited. We haven't had an athletic big man like him in a while. Walters is a player who may be a little down the road for us. He has a lot to learn, but he has a bid body and can shoot." Romas Krywonis (Auloney HS/Baltimore, Md.) is a 6-7 freshman with a good inside-outside game. He averaged 25.0 points and 11.0 rebounds last season. "Romas can score and is versatile enough to play both inside and on the wing," said Dennis. "He is pretty skilled." Another newcomer competing for playing time in the frontcourt will be 6-6 freshman Ben Tobias (Clay HS/Oregon, Ohio). He reminds Dennis of Puckett in that he can pass, catch and shoot. "Ben will be very good in our system," said Dennis. The Bulldog backcourt will be bolstered by the additions of 6-0 freshman point guard Kenny Milford (The Asheville (N.C.) School/Charleston, S.C.) and 6-5 off guard Clyde Wormley (Spencer HS/Columbus, Ga.). Milford is a two-time North Carolina Independent Schools Player of the Year. He averaged 13.8 points, 5.0 assists and 5.0 steals last season. "We knew we had to get a point guard with speed and quickness and we got that in Kenny," said Dennis. "He has the quickest hands I've ever seen. He can really defend and penetrate defenses. He has to work on making the right decisions and on his shot." Wormley was a second-team all-state selection last season after averaging 19.0 points, 8.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists. He is a big guard with excellent athleticism.
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