SoCon Hoops Countdown No. 2: ETSU
Brooks Savage and the Bucs seized the moment in Asheville last year. Can they replicate that success over the course of a whole season?
There was certainly a moment last season when Brooks Savage was excited to get some work done in the transfer portal.
The Bucs were talented, no doubt, but struggled deeply in the heart of Southern Conference play. They lost five games in a row through January and shot a combined 28% from 3-point range in that stretch. Granted, those games came against top teams in the league, but some better shooting numbers would have softened the blow.
And that was the problem all season for ETSU. It couldn’t shoot the ball. The Bucs finished eighth in offensive efficiency (103.4) and ninth in effective field goal percentage (47.1%) and 3PT% (29.7%).
It simply didn’t have the personnel to shoot at high levels night after night. Ebby Asamoah was a great scorer in spurts but struggled at times to keep it going. Jaden Seymour is a fantastic all-around player but was asked to do some things offensively that he didn’t seem to be comfortable with—stepback 3s, iso ball, etc. Quimari Peterson just didn’t seem to find his groove for a while, shooting 28% from 3 on the year. Outside of those three, there wasn’t really a reliable scorer who could stretch the floor with volume, and that hindered the Bucs’ offense.
But then they arrived in Asheville.
Maybe it was the atmosphere. Maybe it was the majority of Harrah’s Cherokee Center supporting them. Maybe it was the relentlessness of Savage. Or maybe it was a tune-up game against VMI. But the bats got hot for ETSU.
It shot 55% from 3 against the Keydets (11-20), 50% against UNC Greensboro (12-24), and just 32% against Chattanooga (12-37, but pretty good considering what the last few months had looked like) en route to a title game appearance against Samford.
Ultimately, Samford got the job done, but what happened in those four games reignited the ETSU program. Savage was brought to tears at the podium, speaking on how well his team embodies him as a coach. It was full of grinders, just like him.
It was a phenomenal moment. But now, there’s expectation. How will they follow up on their magical run?
Finally, Savage got to hit that portal and improve on the foundation of identity he found by keeping Peterson, Seymour, and Karon Boyd. All he needed to do was surround those guys with shooting and size, and ETSU would be set up for success all season.
The shooting comes from 6-3 John Buggs III (.451 3p%) from North Texas and hopefully 6-5 Curt Lewis from Missouri, who shot 23% from deep at the SEC level. The Bucs are also hoping that Maki Johnson and Allen Strothers can develop as volume shooters to provide more versatility and depth in certain lineups.
The size will be no issue for Savage. 7-0, 256-pound Davion Bradford from Wake Forest and 6-11, 237-pound Roosevelt Wheeler from VCU will provide the muscle for ETSU. It’s worth noting that 6-10, 200-pound Jadyn Parker was likely top-three in Defensive Player of the Year last season. Parker was phenomenal all season in his own right, but with the size Savage likes to employ in the one through four spots, these transfers will have no problem sliding into that spot.
But, similar to Chattanooga, ETSU’s success will be dependent upon its returners, Seymour and Peterson. If they can find that magic that helped them in March, and stretch it out over a 31-game schedule plus postseason play, the Bucs will be scary.
Seymour averaged 14.7 points and 6.1 rebounds last season and earned third-team All-SoCon honors. If he can find a way to score the ball effectively and take a step forward defensively, he’ll certainly be in the Player of the Year conversation.
Peterson averaged 13.5 points last season but will have an even more expanded role outside this season without Asamoah. If he can be the Bucs’ top scorer and be efficient, the sky is the limit.
Brooks Savage has done a phenomenal job through this offseason of placing players on his team who can work together and help each other succeed. As he said at media day, “You can calm down a fool before you can resurrect a corpse.”
This team is talented, and it’s obvious that every player and coach wants to win desperately. This year will be fun for the Bucs, and they’re amongst the favorites to grab the SoCon title.