TERRIERS READY FOR MARQUEE MATCHUPS AND HIGH EXPECTATIONS—
Last season Wofford’s men’s basketball team won their third SoCon championship in the past five years. That season saw the Terriers, who were picked to finish sixth in the Southern Conference, put on a late season run and win a championship few around the conference saw coming.
In their attempt to repeat as champions this year, the team will not be flying under the radar. At Southern Conference Media Day Wofford was named “favorite to win the conference.” The team received eight of the 10 first place votes. One of the two voters who didn’t choose Wofford was Head Coach Mike Young, who wasn’t allowed to vote for the Terriers.
Senior guard Karl Cochran was named Preseason Player of the Year. Cochran was joined on the preseason All-SoCon team by senior forward Lee Skinner and junior wing Spencer Collins. Wofford was the only team with more than one player on the All-conference team. Cochran says despite the preseason honors, the team knows nothing is guaranteed this year.
“Last year, Elon was ranked number one in the SoCon. They ended up getting knocked out in the first round of the tournament,” Cochran says. “You can’t take anyone for granted. You can lose to anyone if you underestimate them.”
Head Coach Mike Young agrees with Cochran. “We’ve never been picked to win it, so it is a recognition for the program,” Young says, “but the bottom line is that preseason stuff is for the fans and the media. All that stuff gets thrown out when the ball goes in the air.”
The Southern Conference tournament is a long way off, beginning in March. Before the conference season begins in January, the Terriers will have been tested by numerous big games. The team starts the season on Nov. 14 against a Stanford team that made it to the Sweet Sixteen of last year’s NCAA tournament. In December, Wofford has games against basketball powerhouses like Duke, NC State and West Virginia. Young says these early season tests are good for the team.
“My contention has always been, this team should be challenged,” Young says. “When you challenge yourself against the best teams you have seen great defenses, great offenses and nothing surprises you.”
Cochran agrees. “Everyone on those teams is a threat, from their first player to their tenth player,” Cochran says. “In the Southern Conference, it helps you because every team is different. Playing those big teams prepares you because you learn that you can’t take any player for granted.”
Young says, “Our goal is to keep building through the season so that we can take a good team to Asheville.” The team’s first home game is already generating excitement on campus. On Nov. 17 the Terriers will host the Iona Gaels, a rematch of a game that Wofford lost 76-55 in New Rochelle, NY last year. The game is at 7:00 a.m. in Benjamin Johnson arena and will be nationally broadcasted on ESPN. Young is excited about the opportunity to play Iona again.
“We are playing a good team. They really beat our tail last year,” he says. Young says the exposure of ESPN is great for the team and the school. “To have our team on ESPN – it’s an unbelievable opportunity,” Young says. “We have a marquee game on the mother ship of sports networks.”
Cochran says the team is excited. “It’s fun when we play on ESPN3. Occasionally when it’s a big game we get on ESPN2, but that’s nothing compared to the ESPN. Even though it will be early in the morning it will be an experience we will never forget.”
Even with the excitement of the early season games, the team still has their ultimate goal of performing well in the SoCon tournament in mind.
“We are the team with the target on our backs,” Cochran says. “The expectations are good. We just have to keep our minds focused and make sure we are firing on all cylinders when the tournament comes.”
The team returns with everyone from last year except for graduate Aerris Smith and transfer Zach Grossenbacher. The team has also added four freshmen; guards Derrick Brooks, Larry Mcknight Ir. and Bobby Perez, and forward Cameron Jackson.
Cochran says the freshmen have impressed him. “They did better than we did our freshmen year. They have really hit the ground running,” Cochran says. “They are high-profile talented players. They just need experience.”
Young is also complementary of the freshmen but says that this year’s team is defined by the amount of experience they have.
“These guys – they’ve been through it, they understand the process,” Young says. “There is no substitute for that. We have very good players who have played a lot.”
Young and Cochran agree that the team has the talent and experience to succeed if they can put it all together when the season begins in November.
“Everyone is excited. We are just ready for Nov. 14 to hit,” Cochran says.
“There is going to be a lot of exciting basketball this year,” Young says. “The student body has become such a big part of our team. We are excited for the year, and we need our whole team to help propel us on.”
