GW wins by 15
70-55

PKGW wrote:

Saw that it was a 2pm afternoon game. Is there a specific reason? I know the women’s team has had “Middle School” games in the past. The women’s game starts at 11am same day.

Intended to be a "fly-out" game for the players of both squads, allowing to get home for the holidays

Alcorn State Braves

Date: Thursday December 21st, 2023
Time: 2:00 PM ET
Venue: Charles E. Smith Center
TV: ESPN+
Analytic Ranks: 317th (KenPom), 346th (EvanMiya), 348th (Haslametrics)
NET Ranking: 340th
2022-23 Record: 18-14, 15-3 (T-1st in SWAC)
2023-24 Projected Record: 11-20, 9-9 (T-6th in SWAC)

Head-to-Head: 1-0, with GW topping the Braves 87-77 in the Florida Holiday Classic in Melbourne, FL back in 1990. Alcorn finished that year 7-22, and 6-8 in the SWAC, good for fifth place under first year head coach Lonnie Walker at the time (no relation to the NBA player). GW on the other hand finished 14-17 on the year but just 6-12 in conference in what would be John Kuester's final year at the helm before Jarvis took over. At the time, 14-17 was a step forward after the disastrous 1-27 year GW had the year before but it still included OOC losses to American and UMBC on the road and GW opened A10 play losing the first six games. Three of their wins overall came against St. Bona. The 1989-90 squad was led by Ellis McKennie, Glen Sitney, Sonni Holland, and Mike Jones.

Offensive Efficiency: 204th (KenPom), 265th (EvanMiya), 251st (Haslametrics)
Defensive Efficiency: 358th (KenPom), 359th (EvanMiya), 361st (Haslametrics)
Pace: 57th (KenPom), 80th (EvanMiya), 86th (Haslametrics)
Roster Rank: 352nd (EvanMiya)
Offensive Shot Quality Rank: 255th
Defensive Shot Quality Rank: 315th
Rim & 3 Rate: 68% (351st)

Strengths (2022-23 Season):
Offensive Rebounds Per Game - 12 ORPG (T-37th)
Steals Per Game - 8 SPG (44th)
Opponent Free Throw Percentage - 68.8% (50th)
Free Throws Made Per Game - 14.8 FTM (T-54th with GW)
Opponent Turnovers Per Game - 14.5 TO/G (57th)
Free Throws Attempted Per Game - 20.6 FTA (T-60th)
Opponent Field Goals Attempted Per Game - 54.4 FGA (T-63rd)
Opponent Steals Per Game - 5.7 SPG (T-81st)
Opponent Defensive Rebounds Per Game - 23.6 DRPG (T-109th)
Opponent Personal Fouls Per Game - 17.7 PF/G (109th)
Opponent 3-PT Field Goal Percentage - 33% (120th)

Weaknesses (2022-23 Season):
Opponent Field Goal Percentage - 44.7% (245th)
Opponent Blocks Per Game - 3.4 BPG (T-261st)
Points Per Game - 67.7 PPG (T-281st)
Blocks Per Game - 2.5 BPG (T-284th)
Opponent Assists Per Game - 14.3 APG (300th)
Field Goals Made Per Game - 23.8 FGM (302nd)
Opponent Free Throws Made - 14.7 FTM (310th)
Personal Fouls Per Game - 19 PF/G (323rd)
Opponent Free Throws Attempted Per Game - 21.3 FTA (332nd)
3-PT Field Goals Attempted Per Game - 17.3 3PA (337th)
Field Goal Percentage - 40.8% (339th)
3-PT Field Goals Made Per Game - 5.1 3PM (348th)
3-PT Field Goal Percentage - 29.6% (353rd)
Defensive Rebounds Per Game - 22 DRPG (354th)
Assists Per Game - 9.9 APG (356th)

Key Returning Players:
Jeremiah Kendall (Senior; Bronx, NY) - 11.1 ppg, 6.7 rpg; 49% FG, 66% FT per 21.9 mpg
Byron Joshua (Senior; New Orleans, LA) - 11 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 4.2 apg, 1.7 spg; 38% FG, 24% 3-PT, 72% FT per 32.1 mpg
Dekedran Thorn (Senior; Houston, TX) - 9 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1 apg, 1.1 spg; 41% FG, 36% 3-PT, 85% FT per 27 mpg

Key Losses:
DJ Brewton (Transferred to Cal State Fullerton; Cincinnati, OH) - 12 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.1 spg; 40% FG, 25% 3-PT, 82% FT per 25.7 mpg
Keondre Montgomery (Transferred to NAIA Tougaloo; Jackson, MS) - 10.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg; 35% FG, 30% 3-PT, 82% FT per 22.8 mpg
Dontrell McQuarter (Graduated; Baton Rouge, LA) - 6.9 ppg, 4.1 rpg; 46% FG, 13% 3-PT, 63% FT per 25.1 mpg
Oddyst Walker (Graduated; Baton Rouge, LA) - 5.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.3 spg; 36% FG, 36% 3-PT, 47% FT per 22.1 mpg

Key Transfers:
Jeremiah Gambrell Jr. (Graduate student transfer from Prairie View A&M; Houston, TX) - 9.6 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 1.5 apg; 33% FG, 27% 3-PT, 71% FT per 25.1 mpg
Jalen Hawkins (Graduate student transfer from Morehead State; Bronx, NY) - 8 ppg, 2.2 rpg; 36% FG, 27% 3-PT, 60% FT per 15.8 mpg (6 games played)
Rodrique Massenat (Graduate student transfer from Austin Peay; Trenton, NJ) - 4.1 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 1.1 spg; 43% FG, 30% 3-PT, 50% FT per 17.8 mpg

Preview:
It's well known that schools from smaller conferences are forced to play a number of buy games in order to fund their athletic department every year. As a result, these teams end up playing a ton of games away from home and don't have the same number of days off between games as schools from the bigger conferences until January comes around. The goal is to get in as many games as possible and collect the checks. I've always wondered what that does for team morale as those schools lose game after game, but I guess the players on the team know what they're getting when signing with those schools.

Alcorn State unsurprisingly has had to follow the same path as many of their peers in the SWAC. I'm not sure how accurate this is, but according to 3MW Alcorn State had the second lowest basketball budget nationally as of 2022, with only the good 'ol Delta Devils of Mississippi Valley State ranking lower. Since the report was from 2022, it includes figures from the COVID season, so the ten schools that did not play (Ivy League, Bethune-Cookman, Maryland Eastern Shore) as well as the military academies were excluded but it still paints a picture between the haves and have-nots.

ASU's 2023 roadtrip has taken them to Arkansas, Alabama, Michigan, Texas, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, and Iowa. From November 14th to the 24th, they played six games in 10 days. We aren't talking about an MTE or anything like that. These are true road games. They had a small break before another five games in 11 days so I factored in them returning home to Mississippi between those two stretches. Adding up the miles, it comes out to 8,173. That's like a third of the way around the world in a 45 day span. It's not quite around the world in 80 days, but still pretty crazy.

Things don't get easier for them entering SWAC play either as their first three conference games are all on the road as well. So to recap: the Braves play just 1 home game in their first 16 contests, and have a ridiculous 73 days between their first and second home game. It's a sad situation. Their lone home game during OOC play was against NAIA Xavier (LA), the alma mater of their head coach Landon Bussie.

If there's anyone up for the challenge it's Bussie, who previously served as an assistant for seven seasons at Prairie View A&M in Houston (1 with WBB, 6 with MBB). The end of his tenure included some of the best ever years at the school, including PV's second ever NCAA bid in 2018-19. After a slight adjustment in year 1, Bussie has quickly garnered success at Alcorn State, with the Braves going an impressive 29-7 in SWAC play the last two years with a couple trips to the NIT (which may not be the case going forward with the NCAA continuing to take things away from the small schools, but that's a conversation for another day). Alcorn State has not made the tournament since 2001-02, and prior to his arrival had just one season above .500 overall since that tournament appearance. Bussie seems primed to change that, and give Texas Southern some competition in the conference tournament. For context, TSU has represented the SWAC in the NCAA tournament in seven of the past ten seasons.

Bussie has done an incredible job at a place that's not particularly easy to win at given its location. The Wikipedia article says that the school is "adjacent" to the town of Lorman, MS so it's not even really in any town. There is apparently a census-designated place for the area that covers the campus.

ASU finished 247th in KenPom last season, their best ranking since 2000 under coach Davey Whitney. Since Bussie has taken over, Alcorn has excelled in a few main areas: offensive rebounding, getting to the FT line, and turning teams over on defense. All these categories are things you would come to expect with a team from the SWAC. It's important to crash the glass for second chance opportunities in order to generate more offense on a team that doesn't have a ton of firepower. ASU has finished top 100 in OR% in each of the past three seasons. Next, since shooting is largely absent from most of these squads it's important to put points on the board by getting to the line. The Braves have been borderline top 100 nationally in FT rate every season since Bussie took over. Finally, ASU has had a top 50 defensive TO% rate in two of the past three seasons. In a conference that doesn't have a ton of strong ball handlers, that can be a major advantage and generate additional offense in transition. Combine that with Alcorn having veteran guards on the roster and it's not surprising to see that they have been the top team in offensive efficiency during SWAC play the past two years, per KenPom.

The Braves will aim to keep the positive momentum going as they return three key pieces from last year's squad:

Byron Joshua is their table setter on offense (averaged 4.2 apg last year - 114th nationally) who also gets things going on defense with his quick hands. A former walk-on, Joshua won't be the biggest guy on the floor at just 5'10", but he will certainly test the young guards as he finished with 52 steals last season (111th nationally). That would have easily been the best mark by any player on GW last year. He is not as much of a shooter, but will take and make shots from deep at times.

Dekedran Thorn is another former walk-on who is the designated shooter on the team. While GW has statistically been good in terms of limiting damage from deep on the year, I have still seen the guards go underneath screens for stretches instead of fighting over them. If they do that on Thursday afternoon, Thorn will be, well a thorn in GW's side. He shot 36% from distance last year and took 60% of his shots from 3. While he can also generate steals and rebound the ball, his shooting ability stands out compared to the rest of the team.

Jeremiah Kendall is the team's leading returning scorer and rebounder who can play a number of positions at 6'6". The Bronx native is a former JUCO who most recently played at Prairie View A&M. Kendall will likely play a bulk of his minutes up front. He provides some balance on their team as an interior scorer, as he attempted just three shots from deep last season.

The trio above pretty makes up most of what Alcorn has returning this season. Walk-on Mike Pajeaud has seen an uptick in minutes with his ability to score and rebound the ball, but that's pretty much it as neither Willie Anderson nor Cameron Butler have not shown enough to earn more minutes from last season.

As a result, Bussie got busy in the offseason to fill the number of holes on the roster. Many of the newcomers come from the JUCO route, but three do come in via the transfer portal. All three are graduate students who have plenty of experience playing D1 college basketball:

Jeremiah Gambrell Jr. not only shares the same first name as Kendall but also transfers in from Prairie View A&M as Bussie used his connections from his previous stop as an assistant. Gambrell, who also previously played at Western Kentucky, gives Bussie a proven scorer in the SWAC. He has more crucially given Alcorn a second shooting threat on the floor. On the year, he leads the team in 3-PT makes (23) and 3-PT percentage (49%). He doesn't really do much else on the floor as he doesn't have the same impact defensively, but he can be a playmaker on offense.

Joining Gambrell from the portal in the backcourt is Rodrique Massenat, a NJ native who most recently played at Austin Peay. Massenat played a sizable role in the Govs rotation last season and possesses many of the traits Bussie is looking for in a player - namely one that can knock down the open shot, drive the ball/get to the line, and play with active hands on defense. He doesn't rebound particularly well for his height, but he tends to spend more time along the perimeter.

While the additions of Gambrell and Massenat will boost the team, the X-factor may be Morehead State transfer Jalen Hawkins, a journeyman who also spent time/committed to so many schools that I've lost track. He started his career at Indian Hills CC back in 2017, then moved to Moberly Area CC midseason but didn't play at either school. He then transferred to Odessa College before spending one year at Robert Morris and two years at Norfolk State. He hit the portal again and committed to Iona before switching to Morehead State where he got hurt and missed most of the season. This offseason, he originally committed to Tarleton State but ended up at Alcorn at some point. I get that things happen for a reason, but the number of schools he's been at feels like a major red flag. When healthy, Hawkins is an impact player - he averaged double figures in scoring in two years at Norfolk State and is a career 34% shooter from deep. The question will be whether he can rediscover that stroke (he's just 3/24 from 3 this year...yikes). Hawkins probably should have just gone pro after the 2021-22 season but instead he's played two more years of CBB and hurt his pro prospects quite a bit.

Five JUCOs enter the fold as well:

Stephen Byard is another NJ guy who played on a winning Cochise College squad two seasons ago that went 29-4. While not the most sound with the ball, Byard showed his talent inside, as he was second on the Apaches squad in both scoring (15.9 ppg) and rebounding (8.5 rpg). He missed all of last season (I assume due to injury) but if he can return fully healthy he will help the Braves inside.

Djahi Binet is a native of Nice, France (apparently pronounced like nees, although I'm sure it's nice). Binet is a true forward who adds efficient interior scoring and rebounding. Last year he played at Lee College in Texas, a NJCAA Region 14 program.

Roderick 'Rod' Jones is a GA native that played on a bad Polk State College team last season. While he wasn't particularly efficient as a scorer, he made his presence felt in many ways - finishing second in scoring (11.4 ppg), second in assists (3.5 apg), and fourth in rebounding (3.7 rpg) while showing the ability to make plays defensively.

Alex Tsynkevich is a native of Belarus who provides real size on the team at 6'10". Last year on a 23-8 Blinn College squad, he started 28 of 30 games and averaged 7 points/5 rebounds a contest while shooting 55% near the hoop.

Finally, Trevon 'Tre' Stoutermire is another forward who averaged 10 points, 8 rebounds, and more notably 2 blocks per game on a mediocre Lawson State CC in Alabama. It should come as little surprise that Alcorn State hasn't historically had an interior rim protector on the team so Stoutermire could be a key piece for them come SWAC play if he can get on the floor and translate those skills to a higher level.

Freshman Jalyke Gaines-Wyatt is the only true first year player that has seen action for Alcorn this season. At this point in his career, he is a drive-first guard as he as attempted just one three in the nine games that he has appeared in but should get the chance to showcase more down the line once the upperclassmen ahead of him graduate.

This is a game on paper that should be won, however it definitely has the makings of a trap game. The 2 PM start time, coming off exams, and the fact that Alcorn has some ability offensively make them a threat. The Braves shoot 34% from 3, a big difference from Coppin or Bowie State. While it has been mostly Gambrell and Thorn that have inflicted damage from there (and to a lesser extent Joshua) it will be worth watching how closely the team makes sure to close out on those two guys as GW has been inconsistent when guarding the perimeter over the course of the season. Alcorn is good at getting to the line, but I'm less worried about GW falling into that trap as they've done well there outside of the Navy game.

Outside of that, they keys are as always holding on to the ball and defensive rebounding. It feels inevitable that the team will commit some baffling turnovers coming off exams. It's a matter of limiting those and ensuring Alcorn doesn't get easy stick backs on second chances. The game will also provide GW the opportunity to focus driving the ball and getting to the line - of course, hopefully less of the 1-on-1 variety and more a product of moving the ball around. Alcorn is not an inexperienced squad compared to Coppin.

Projected Score: GW 90, Alcorn State 76. 89% chance to win (KenPom). ESPN gives us a 91.5% chance to move to 8-0 at home.
 

Let's just hope that one miserable streak comes to an end today.  GW has not won its first game back from final exams since the 2015-16 season.  Here is the slate:

2022       Lost 66-64 to Washington State in Hawaii
2021       Lost 83-58 to Dayton at home (one of those 29 game regular seasons)
2020       Lost 66-65 to Charlotte at home
2019       Lost 88-75 to Harvard at home
2018       Lost 75-61 at Harvard
2017       Lost 59-50 to Miami at home
2016       Lost 84-72 at Miami

Sure, I don't see an Alcorn State among this group.  Nevertheless, GW has not been world beaters out of the gate after long layoffs.  Am passing on 15 1/2.

By contrast, the Braves play in bunches as DMV alluded to.  This will not only be their 5th game in 12 days but it will be their second game in 40 hours having traveled from Des Moines (where they lost to Drake).  They are 1-0 at home and 0-11 on the road.  This had better not be the front end of a home and home.
 

We look like we don't care. Disappointing. Alcorn depleted lineup and we still are struggling. 

Depressing first half. Doesn't bode well for the A-10 season. Just guessing here: Most A-10 teams are better than Acorn State.  Not sure how this game helps us. 

 

Not able to watch the game (box score only) but this is extremely disappointing. Playing one of the worst teams in the nation and we give up 10 offensive rebounds and have 8 TOs?

Also, I know many of us on this board have not been too concerned by Bishop's play this season but at this point I think I'm getting nervous. He's now put up a combined 10 points in his last 5 halves of basketball. I understand that he doesn't need to do everything on his own (last year had Adams too) but I'd like to see him attack way more than he has this year. Hoping it's just a down week or two due to finals/winter break.

Bishop now #5 in career GW scoring

Clearly Bishop read my post at half time and turned it up a little (at the FT line at least).

Glad to walk away with the win but not a great showing on the boards.

Last edited by MG14 (12/21/2023 4:18 pm)