(St. Louis, MO) – No one expected Jacksonville State’s basketball team to be where they are today. When JSU hired Ray Harper, we knew that he was the kind of coach that could help revive a program, but the Gamecocks didn’t need reviving, they needed a heart transplant, some new kidneys and a better wardrobe.
Little did we know Harper would build an immediate Ohio Valley Conference contender. JSU (13-9, 5-2) is tied for second in the East Division and is one of three OVC teams with just two league losses.
How has he moved the Gamecocks from ‘general admission’ to ‘reserved seating’?
Some people accuse me of being a stat-geek, but here are some (league play only) statistics that jump off the page. After a season where JSU was out rebounded by over five caroms per game, this year they own the best rebounding margin of any OVC team at a plus 4.4. They lead the league in blocked shots and defensive field goal percentage (.420%). They are allowing under 70 points per game (69.4) second only to Belmont, and according to the all-powerful Ken Pomeroy, they are the most efficient offensive team in the OVC (76th nationally).
When you think of quick turn arounds, you think of all the fresh talent that the new coach brings along. Not in this case. Virtually all of Harper’s key contributors are hold-overs from the James Green era.
Rebounding machine Christian Cunningham appeared in 25 games last season and even started 17 of them, but has burst on to the scene this year averaging just under nine points and nine rebounds per game. But during OVC play the 6’8 sophomore is scoring just over nine points, but is grabbing 11 rebounds per game. After blocking 45 shots during his freshman season, he has blocked 35 already this year.
Malcolm Drumwright – jsugamecocksports.com
Malcolm Drumwright is another program player. Now in his junior season at JSU, Drumwright is the team’s leading scorer at 14.3 points-per-game, good for 19th in the OVC. That fact points out that no one player is dominating the scoring for the Gamecocks. That average is two points above his non-conference average.
Newcomer Norbertas Giga is the most significant fresh face on Harper’s team. The 7’ Lithuanian is averaging 13.7 points during league contests, which is two points better than his non-conference numbers.
Other hold-overs from Green’s teams are senior guards (in their second year with JSU) Greg Tucker and Erik Durham. The two junior college transfers have provided leadership, scoring and solid ball-handling. Tucker, like Giga and Drumwright is scoring at a higher pace in league play (9.3 compared to 8.6 ppg) and both players are handing out two assists per game and have positive ‘assist-to-turnover’ ratios.
Durham leads the conference and the nation with a 53.8% three-point shooting percentage. Durham’s 57 long distance connections are seven more than he made all last season.
What else has changed? The Gamecocks win on the road! They are 4-1 while playing league road games, and their eight road wins overall, are tied for the most among all Division 1 teams. That unheard of number will serve them well as they have an opportunity to bank more conference contests as the schedule swings more in their favor.
At the time of his hiring, Harper told jsugamecocksport.com that he isn’t rebuilding, but everyone in the program is getting acquainted.
“Any time I have started with a new team, I don’t look at it as rebuilding. With this group, we have five guys back from last year and eight new guys. It is more about getting acquainted, getting to know each other and understanding what I expect from them. Kind of getting to know on the offensive end where they are most comfortable and where they are going to score the ball the best. I’ve always said I have to find out which guys I can trust to execute and do the right thing in a one-point game.”
Harper’s success shouldn’t come as a surprise, he had similar success at Western Kentucky where he was 89-64 with three 20-win seasons and two trips to the NCAA Tournament. He is a two-time NCAA Division 2 national champion and a two-time NAIA national champion. Harper knows how to win.
Loyola head coach Porter Moser is coaching at his second Missouri Valley team and he says, when taking over a team, you have to build a program, not just a one year team.
Similarly Southern Illinois Carbondale head coach Barry Hinson is working at his second MVC institution, and says to build a solid program, the whole university has to exercise patience.
Ray Harper has been at several institutions and won at each stop. He knows how to build immediately and for the long haul. The Gamecocks are experiencing that early success and looking forward to a solid future.
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As we near the closing of the portal window, we've reached 1900. Some of them never to play college basketball again, earn a college degree and some to play at a much lower level than they did last season.
I guess we'll be seeing this in a @RacersHoops uniform this year. Glad AJ is staying in the @ValleyHoops.
