Atlantic Sun primer

A team-by-team glance at the Atlantic Sun heading into the 2007-08 season.

Belmont

Strengths: The Bruins ranked 14th out of 325 Division I programs in field-goal percentage defense (39.2), 22nd in 3-pointers per game (8.7) and 44th in assists per game (15.5). Belmont led the Atlantic Sun in scoring defense, scoring margin, field-goal percentage, 3-point accuracy, 3-point defense and rebounding margin. They are smart, scrappy and unselfish.

Weaknesses: Belmont lost two large pieces of its championship puzzle with the graduation of its sizeable center platoon, 6-foot-11 Boomer Herndon and 6-10 Andrew Preston.

Scouting the newcomers: Freshman guard Jon Rice of Waubonsie Valley (Ill.) High has deep range and could be Belmont's next great 3-point shooter. Freshman guard Jon House has good size (6-6) and a lot of international experience with the Canadian Junior National Team. He was considered the top-ranked small forward prospect in Ontario. Redshirt freshman wing Jordan Campbell was a teammate of heralded Indiana freshman Eric Gordon at North Central High in Indianapolis, where he averaged 10.8 points, 5.4 boards and 5.3 assists in 2005-06. Transfer Alex Renfroe has blazing speed and is a relentless defender. The 6-2 point guard sat out last season after leading his NAIA-affiliated Trevecca Nazarene to a 51-15 record over two years.

Campbell

Strengths: Campbell's high-octane offense led the Atlantic Sun and tied for 18th nationally at 78.5 points per game last season. The Camels take a lot of high-percentage shots. They ranked third in the league in field-goal percentage (44.9) and fourth in 3-point shooting (34.1) and they took care of business at the charity stripe (72.2)

Weaknesses: The Camels are going to miss the smooth passing (143 assists) and the sticky fingers (94 steals) of departed point guard Ledell Eackles. Guards Ruell Pringle, Reggie Bishop and Jake Wohlfeil will have to turn it up a notch to replace the long-range contributions of Eric Smith, who finished fourth in school history with 172 3-pointers in just two seasons.

Scouting the newcomers: At 6-9, junior forward Eddie Brown could see a lot of time in the paint. He arrived on campus in January after two years at Pasco-Hernando (Fla.) CC, where he averaged 8.5 points and 6.0 rebounds as a sophomore. Junior point guard Julius Perkins led Dodge City (Kan.) CC to a 26-6 record, logging 7.2 points and 5.8 assists. Freshman guards Jose Cami (13.5 ppg), Junard Hartley (14.2) and Cole Dewey (20.9) were all great scorers in the prep ranks and add important backcourt depth in Campbell's up-tempo attack.

East Tennessee State

Strengths: In a league filled with guard-oriented offenses, the Buccaneers have one of the best with reigning A-Sun Player of the Year Courtney Pigram, All-Freshman team honoree Mike Smith and sophomore point guard Dequan Twilley. Led by the backcourt, the Bucs play a tough full-court defense that forced a league-best 18.7 turnovers per game in 2006-07.

Weaknesses: ETSU lost its top two defenders in the paint with the graduation of seniors Brad Nuckles and Eryk Thomas, who combined to swat 94 shots last season. Twilley is the only true point guard on the roster, although Pigram proved that he can play there in a pinch with an 18-assist game against Mercer.

Scouting the newcomers: Junior forward Kevin Tiggs tallied 18.8 points, 7.2 boards and 3.2 steals per game and led Mott (Mich.) CC to a 35-3 record and a NJCAA national title last season. The Bucs signed two others from the JUCO ranks, junior guard Jacolby Davis of Georgia Perimeter College and 6-7 junior forward Greg Hamlin, Tiggs' teammate at Mott. Freshman wing Tommy Hubbard averaged 15.7 point, 7.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists in the Boston area and 6-8 freshman forward averaged 18.6 points, 9.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists in Miami.

Florida Gulf Coast

Strengths: FGCU lost top scorer Beau Bauer (15.1 ppg), but returns four starters and its sixth man, junior Landon Adler. Adler and seniors Adam Liddell and Casey Wohlleb all scored in double-digits. Senior Yavney Neptune was MVP of the 2007 National Independent Tournament and senior Rob Quaintance dished out 163 assists.

Weaknesses: The Eagles don't have much experience against the level of competition they will face this season. They faced Drexel, Penn and Butler on the road in 2006-07 and dropped all three games by an average margin of 24.3 points.

Scouting the newcomers: Junior guard Delvin Franklin averaged 12.6 points and shot 47 percent from 3-point distance at Lamar (Texas) CC. Sophomore point guard Kyle Matheny led Miami Dade CC to a 21-4 record last season and averaged six points and five assists per game. Freshman guard Chad Lutkenhaus scored over 1,500 points at LaBelle (Fla.) High and freshman guard Harris Gelin averaged 17 points at Grandview Prep in Deerfield Beach, Fla.

Gardner-Webb

Strengths: Gardner-Webb returns four starters, led by athletic 6-4 forward Thomas Sanders (11.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg), the only senior on the roster. Junior point guard Takayo Siddle was fourth in the league in 3-point shooting (38.8 percent) and dished out 104 assists.

Weaknesses: Size could be a factor with only three players taller than 6-6, including a raw redshirt freshman from Australia. The Runnin' Bulldogs ranked ninth in the conference last year in scoring (63.4), field-goal percentage defense (46.7) and rebounding (32.0)

Scouting the newcomers: GWU landed the league's best recruiting class, according to analysts at Hoop Scoop. Third-team JUCO All-American Aaron Linn (6-3) averaged 19 points at Johnson County (Kan.) CC and could start at either guard spot. Two other junior-college imports -- 6-6 sophomore forward Lu Dovonou and 6-4 junior guard Quincy Sarpy -- will also get plenty of court time. Freshman forward Nate Blank averaged 19 points at Terre Haute (Ind.) North HS and made the Indiana Senior All-Star Team. Freshman combo guard Dillon Boggs hit 50 percent of his threes at Marietta (Ga.) Pope HS.

Jacksonville

Strengths: Jacksonville's balanced offense had six players average between 8.2 and 14.0 points per game last year. Forward Lehmon Colbert and point guard Ben Smith made the A-Sun All-Freshman Team and junior post Marcus Allen ranked fifth in the conference in rebounds and blocked shots.

Weaknesses: To keep pace with teams such as Belmont and Lipscomb in the run-and-gun Atlantic Sun, you have to make your share of 3-pointers. The Dolphins made 38 fewer threes than their opponents last season and averaged six 3-pointers made per game, better than only Mercer (5.6) and North Florida (4.0).

Scouting the newcomers: Freshman forward Tanner Jacobs (6-8) of Louisville had 25 double-doubles in 29 games last season, including a ridiculous 30-rebound game. JUCO transfer Nick Mattone, a 6-4 guard, ranked among the nation's leaders in free-throw shooting (84 percent) and 3-point shooting (46 percent) at Manatee (Fla.) CC. Redshirt freshman John Scott Allison, a 7-1 center, is the first player to go straight from Scotland to a Division I program.

Kennesaw State

Strengths: KSU ranked first or second in the A-Sun a year ago in steals, turnover margin, assist-to-turnover ratio and offensive rebounds. They may have the league's best forward tandem in seniors Shuan Stegall and Ronell Wooten, baseline-to-baseline standouts who combined for 29.2 points, 13.7 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game.

Weaknesses: The Owls must replace veteran point guard Golden Ingle, who led the league in assists for two straight seasons. The team didn't shoot very well in 2006-07, finishing eighth in the Atlantic Sun at the free-throw stripe (64.5 percent), ninth from the field (39.6) and dead last from 3-point range (27.7).

Scouting the newcomers: Freshman forward Tanner Jacobs (6-8) of Louisville had 25 double-doubles in 29 games last season, including a ridiculous 30-rebound game. JUCO transfer Nick Mattone, a 6-4 guard, ranked among the nation's leaders in free-throw shooting (84 percent) and 3-point shooting (46 percent) at Manatee (Fla.) CC. Redshirt freshman John Scott Allison, a 7-1 center, is the first player to go straight from Scotland to a Division I program.

Lipscomb

Strengths: Everybody in the Atlantic Sun knows that Lipscomb is going to play excellent defense and take care of the basketball. The Bisons turned the ball over just 11.9 times per game last season and had the league's No. 2 scoring defense, allowing 65.1 points per contest.

Weaknesses: The Bisons lost their most vocal leaders with the graduation of guards Trey Williams and Brian Fisk. The team didn't shoot the ball very well last season from the field (41.4 percent), the line (70.4) or long distance (31.7) and ranked last in the league in blocked shots.

Scouting the newcomers: Freshman Brandon Brown, a 6-7 forward from Nashville's Brentwood Academy, was Tennessee's Division 2 Mr. Basketball after averaging 16.2 points and 8.7 boards per game as a senior. Brentwood teammate Brian Wright, a 6-6 forward, is the brother of Brandan Wright, who left for the NBA after one year at North Carolina. Center Adnan Hodzic played with Indiana recruit Gordon at North Central in Indianapolis.

Mercer

Strengths: In conference play, James Florence averaged 21.6 points per game last season en route to Freshman of the Year honors. Backcourt partner Shaddean Aaron notched 16.9 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in Atlantic Sun action. Junior forward Calvin Henry (9.4 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.7 blocks) returns after sitting out last spring due to academics.

Weaknesses: Mercer ranked last or next-to-last in the Atlantic Sun last season in steals, turnover margin, scoring defense and 3-point shooting. Neither Florence (30.1 percent) nor Aaron (29.1) shot threes particularly well and both guards combined had way more turnovers (213) than assists (147).

Scouting the newcomers: After sitting out last season, 6-5 sophomore guard Michael Ellis may not wait long to crack the lineup. He was the Big South's Freshman of the Year at UNC Asheville in 2005-06, averaging 9.8 points per game. Also ready to contribute are two freshmen frontcourt players, 6-9 Justin Davis of Jacksonville and 6-6 Brian Mills of Douglasville, Ga.

North Florida

Strengths: The Ospreys return 83 percent of their scoring and 81 percent of the rebounding from last season. Senior center James Grimball had nine double-doubles in his last 19 games and senior point guard Chris Timberlake was fifth in the league in assists and assist-to-turnover ratio.

Weaknesses: North Florida ranked 335th out of 336 teams nationally in scoring last season at just 54.9 points per game. The scored 70 or more points only three times, and won all three. The Ospreys also ranked 332nd at the free-throw line (59.9 percent).

Scouting the newcomers: Two transfers who sat out last season are expected to battle for starting roles: 6-5 junior Tom Hammonds (East Carolina) and 6-6 sophomore Stan Januska (Morehead State). Freshmen forwards Justin Cecil (6-7), Kyle Groothuis (6-7) and DeVon Jones (6-6) could also make an immediate impact this fall. Cecil averaged 12 points and nine boards per game on the Canada trip.

South Carolina Upstate

Strengths: There is talent and experience in the backcourt with senior guards Luke Payne and Jeremy Byrd. Payne needs 67 points to become the 17th Spartan to reach 1,000 for his career. He averaged 11.2 points, 3.1 rebounds and dished out 93 assists last season. Byrd averaged 10.8 points and 4.6 assists and needs two steals to break the school's all-time record.

Weaknesses: The Spartans lost three starters and five other letterwinners from last season's squad and were picked to finish 12th in the 12-team Atlantic Sun in both the preseason media and coaches' polls. The only returning post player is 7-2, 240-pound sophomore Nick Schneiders of Germany, who averaged 2.1 points and 2.4 rebounds in 21 games off the bench.

Scouting the newcomers: Of the 10 new players on the team, look for JUCO transfers Bobby Davis and Justin Houser and freshmen Mezie Uzochukwu and Josh Chavis to contribute immediately. Davis is a 6-6 forward who had eight double-doubles last year at Hutchinson (Kan.) CC and Houser is a 6-9 forward who was named Most Improved Player by teammates at Cloud County (Kan.) CC. The 6-5 Uzochukwu and 5-8 Chavis both participated in the North Carolina East-West All-Star Game, with Uzochukwu claiming MVP honors.

Stetson

Strengths: The Hatters only lost one player and bring back four starters. Ten players on the roster played in at least 25 games and averaged double-digit minutes. Stetson led the league in 2006-07 and ranked 40th nationally in free-throw shooting at 73.4 percent. The Hatters were 77th in Division I with 7.7 steals per contest.

Weaknesses: Out of 325 Division I programs last season, Stetson ranked 293rd in field-goal percentage defense (47.0) and 306th in assists per game (10.6). The Hatters also ranked last in the Atlantic Sun in rebounding and 3-point defense (37.7 percent). They 3-15 at road or neutral sites, including a 1-8 record in the conference.

Scouting the newcomers: Australian Graeme Radford and Canadians Olivier Dupiton and Shawn Bowen add an international flavor to a roster made up almost entirely of players from the Southeast: nine from Florida and one from both Georgia and Virginia. At 6-10, Radford could immediately alleviate the Hatters' rebounding concerns. Dupiton is a 6-6 forward who redshirted last season. Bowen, a 6-3 guard, overcame a serious spinal-cord injury that caused him to miss most of 2005-06 at Montreal's Champlain-St. Lambert, a program that has produced 16 Division I players in the past eight years.