Checking in with CSU Men's Basketball - Jan. 30

Charleston Southern head basketball coach Barclay Radebaugh posed a simple question last Saturday after his Bucs defeated Winthrop for their third consecutive victory: “How good can we be?” The answer to that query will play out in February, but CSU’s latest win provided yet another reason to believe there could be some March hoops on the horizon as well.

On the surface, a 75-64 win over a struggling Presbyterian College team is nothing special, but the way the Bucs dealt the Blue Hose their seventh straight loss was particularly impressive.

For starters, this was precisely the type of game a contending team doesn’t lose. And despite the best efforts of PC big-man Al’Lonzo Coleman (25 points), the Bucs turned back a senior laden and capable (PC downed then No. 20 Cincinnati in the Queen City on Nov. 19) Blue Hose club even after falling behind 37-30 early in the second half.

The reasons for that comeback were manifold, as CSU once again showcased its array of options while PC could not muster much offensive firepower outside of Coleman’s powerful post game.

Arlon Harper took the lead in a rather pedestrian first half, drilling three treys to spark a 15-2 run which erased an early 7-0 deficit and allowed the Bucs to stay within striking distance heading into halftime.

Saah Nimley entered intermission without a single point, but Harper’s backcourt mate took the game over in the final twenty minutes with a resolve and competitive zeal that his coach compared to that of Kelvin Martin. Nimley poured in 16 points, time and time again breaking down PC defenders off the dribble to get in the lane and to the free-throw line, where he converted 7-of-8 attempts as part of team-effort which tallied an 18-for-21 final mark.

As he always is in one way or another, Martin was a factor as well. The senior was a catalyst for the Bucs in halting the Blue Hose before they could swell the advantage to double digits, scoring six of his 14 markers during the opening six-plus minutes of the second half. Martin also addressed the Bucs about committing defensively (cited by Nimley in a postgame interview) and provided yet another highlight with a steal and two-hand dunk on a fast break which gave CSU the lead for good.

CSU’s second most experienced player was the unsung hero of the night. Jeremy Sexton finished with only four points and one assist in 19 minutes of action off the bench, but the junior guard’s two buckets were huge. They came back-to-back midway through the second half, as Sexton twice went off the bounce late in the shot clock to hit tough mid-range jumpers.

And there was Mathiang Muo. At 24, the well-traveled junior forward is sometimes jokingly referred to by teammates as old-man Muo, and the Sudan native has shown a knack for hitting big shots. That ability was first on display in the closing minutes of regulation against Coastal Carolina when he drove to the rim for several scores. Muo resorted to his favorite spot at the three-point line versus PC, connecting on four triples total, including two dagger threes late in the contest.

By virtue of Campbell’s loss to UNC Asheville, CSU (14-7, 8-3) sits alone at third in the Big South Conference standings, and has a chance to vault into second next weekend. The Bucs head to Buies Creek to face off against a Fightin’ Camels squad looking to avenge an 18-point loss at the Buc Dome Jan. 5. Then it’s on to Conway for a rematch with Cliff Ellis’ Chanticleers, who handed CSU a heart-breaking 80-77 overtime defeat in Charleston on Jan. 7. Should be a fun weekend. And you can hear all the action on 106.3 WJNI Thursday starting at 6:50, followed by a 1:50 matinee air-time on SportsRadio 1450 Saturday.

Now that I have my self-serving radio plug out of the way, it’s on to the more important business of sharing the odds and ends of another road trip with the CSU basketball program. Enjoy, in bullet format.
• Tip of the cap to Charleston Southern Director of Basketball Operations JT Blair for his itinerary. Not only did we stick to the times almost to the minute (no easy task), but Mr. Blair also managed to include a fun-fact: PC is home to Cyrus, the largest bronze statue of a Scotsman in the world. Nothing like random tidbits, and I’m still upset I didn’t find a way to work that in on the broadcast.

• Another tip of the cap to our bus driver, Terry Cummings, for turning me on to the poppy seed rolls at FATZ. It was this northerner’s first trip to the southern restaurant chain and the bread – served with a delicious cinnamon butter – definitely made pre-game meal.

• Apologies for providing some incorrect information in my game notes. Through a conversation with Brad Dobbels and Ahmad Smith, I discovered that Mr. Dobbels was not a member of the 1986-1987 CSU team that went 21-9 and captured the Big South Conference Tournament. Dobbels arrived a year later from junior college, and contribute to a Buccaneers squad which posted a 17-12 mark en route to finishing second.

• Got a chance to talk to Coach Smith about my New Jersey/New York roots, and I don’t think he was terribly surprised when I told him I had not played too much ball at the city’s famed Rucker Park. My skills didn’t carry me too far beyond the glory days of grade-school, although I still take pride in the sixth-grade intramural championship squad of which I was an integral part.

• Close but no cigar to BJ McKie for guessing that I hailed from White Plains. It’s as good a guess as any, but I’m Staten Island born and bred and was exposed to some pretty good mid-major basketball up on Grymes Hill at Wagner College. The Seahawks have it rolling this year at 17-4 and 8-2 in the Northeast Conference. It would be a good one if Dan Hurley’s club got together with CSU. Too much to ask for a BracketBusters matchup?