In this series of previews, these are the top teams on the cusp of being in that top four group, including one team I expect to be a league dark horse and one that could potentially break into the mix as a top-four team. These four teams will certainly make the league interesting. In the SoCon, the excitement level comes not only from these teams being potential roadblocks for the top four but also from them potentially breaking into that top four as league title contenders.
“If you use injuries in the right way, it can actually be a blessing in disguise,” –VMI head coach Andrew Wilson
VMI
6-26, 1-7 SoCon/10th
“Invested” is the word that head coach Andrew Wilson used to describe his two leading returning scorers, in forward TJ Johnson (18.2 PPG) and preseason SoCon Player of the Year Rickey Bradley Jr. (DNP in 2025-26), as he talked about how the offseason game had gone and how this is the best collection he has had in his time at VMI, as he heads into his fifth season at the helm of the program.
Wilson said the main reason the duo is sticking around rather than explore other opportunities in the portal as the duo felt that their teammates and the community at-large were invested in them. That had nothing to do with anything financially but rather in a brotherhood that extended far beyond the basketball hardwood in their own personal, day-to-day lives. They weren’t sure they could get that same kind of investment if they transferred out to somewhere else.
VMI’s biggest issue in Wilson’s fourth season was very much the same issue it had his very first at the helm of the Keydets basketball program when he didn’t have enough healthy bodies to go 5-on-5 in practice.
In the 2025-26 season, VMI’s had 13 scholarship players, and 12 of those players missed a combined total of 144 games, which ranked second most in the NCAA last season. While Wilson wasn’t willing to use that as an excuse during his media day interview for the six-win season, it certainly had a major impact.
The other fascinating thing that Wilson mentioned as a part of his media day segment with the Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman and Terrence Oglesby was Johnson and Bradley Jr. turning down real life-changing financial opportunities in the transfer portal to stick around and play one more season for the Keydets.
Wilson added the lure of changing the narrative for what VMI basketball has been over the better part of the last half century. According to Wilson, Bradley Jr. has been VMI’s leader all offseason and he’s going to be a guy that is in the mix for the Player of the Year award the entire season.
The last time we saw Bradley Jr. play in a basketball was 18 months ago, and he’s now fully healthy after sitting out the entire 2025-26 season with an injury. Bradley Jr. was not only the preseason Player of the Year heading into this current season but was also the preseason SoCon Player of the Year entering the 2024-25 season when he suffered his injury.
The last time he played in an official game, which was March 2025, he nearly led the Keydets to the SoCon Championship game before VMI ran out of gas in the semifinals against eventual tournament champion Wofford. All told, Bradley finished out the 2024-25 season by averaging 16.3 PPG and 4.8 RPG, while also dishing out 2.8 APG.
Bradley shot 37.2% from 3-point range, connecting on 54-of-135 two years ago. Bradley is shooting slightly better from three for the Keydets over the long haul of his career, as he is shooting 37.6% in his two seasons with VMI, connecting on a total of 79 triples in two seasons with the Keydets.
Bradley has had a unique career in Lexington to say the least, as he was a SoCon All-Freshman pick back in 2022-23 before opting to transfer out to Georgia State for the 2023-24 season, where he played very little for the Panthers. After returning to VMI, he helped the Keydets to a 15-19 record two years ago. Bradley’s return and heightened confidence helped lead VMI’s surge over the second half of February and early March two years ago. He ended up being a player who just had that “it” factor. Bradley posted 29- and 30-point scoring performances against both The Citadel and Mercer during the month of January of 2025, as VMI started to find some offensive rhythm and defensive consistency during that 15-win season of a couple of years ago.
Motivated by his teammates belief in him, as well as the opportunity to change the narrative, this story has very much the same feel to it as Furman’s in 2022-23 when Mike Bothwell and Jalen Slawson spurned big-time offers to help lead the Paladins back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 43 years, creating a legacy for the both of them that will never be forgotten. Not only that, but the duo even go on to win an NCAA Tournament game, downing Virginia in an opening round contest in Orlando in remarkable fashion.
If Bradley Jr. and Johnson were able to lead the Keydets to a SoCon Tournament title for the first time since 1977, I’d argue that it would be an even more remarkable story than VMI’s football title in the spring of 2021.
Johnson is a player who had to go it alone scoring-wise most nights last season, and despite not really getting all that scoring help, managed to finish out the season ranking tied for fourth in the league in scoring last season along with Wofford’s Nils Machowski, as both averaged 18.2 PPG. The 6-foot-7, 215-pound forward has been arguably the best power forward in the SoCon over the past two seasons. Had VMI not finished with only six wins last season, including only one SoCon win, Johnson would have likely ended up much higher than Third Team All-SoCon at season’s end.
The Belton, Texas, native finished the 2025-26 season ranking fourth in the NCAA in 3-point attempts, shooting a total of 310 trifectas on the season, while also ranking seventh nationally in 3-pointers made per game (3.55), which also ranked second in the SoCon only behind eventual SoCon Player of the Year and Samford sharp-shooter Jadin Booth. All told, Johnson finished the season connecting on 110 threes to rank second in 3-pointers made in the league. He shot a solid 35.5% (110-of-310) and has started all 64 games he has played in for the Keydets over the past couple of seasons.
Johnson had some notable performances from the outset of the season, which included a career-high 32-point performance in an early-season road win at Southern Indiana. He would follow that up with a 31-point effort in a loss at Missouri.
Johnson and Bradley combine to form maybe the top scoring tandem in the SoCon, however, that’s only two-thirds of a trio that forms an impressive veteran nucleus returning for VMI entering the 2026-27 season. The third part of that veteran equation is senior AJ Clark, who is another player to overcome injury and adversity to persevere and to put himself into position to finally get in position to be 100% and potentially be in line for a big season, both as a team and individually. Clark was called by his head coach as the true definition of a “glue guy” during the Field of 68’s Southern Conference Preview in early October. He is athletic, and can guard all five positions, according to his head coach.
Like Bradley, however, injuries and surgeries have been commonplace for Clark during his career, as he would be limited to only 22 games last season. Another versatile aspect of Clark’s game is that he is athletic enough and with a high enough skill level on the floor to literally play any of the five positions on the floor if his coach asked him to. Though having his season cut nine games too short due to injury, Clark still managed to finish the season ranking eighth in the SoCon in rebounding average (six RPG), while adding 6.6 PPG and 1.6 APG on the offensive end of the floor. He also totaled 29 blocks and 18 steals for VMI last season.
While those three figure prominently in the plans of the Keydets in the coming season, it will be interesting who steps up in secondary roles this season. Forwards Alexander Daushvili and Cal Liston (5.3 PPG, 3.2 RPG) are holdovers from last year’s roster. Daushvili suffered a season-ending injury in a late January loss at Furman last season. Daushvili is a talented sophomore who could figure into the mix as a starter. Liston improved as a shooter, as he connected on 33.3% from long range and knocked down 33 triples. In his first season with the Keydets, Liston connected on just 20% and knocked down a total of only six 3-pointers for the season. Liston garnered starts in 24 of 32 games last season for VMI.
While the Keydets lost one Swede to the transfer portal, in Linus Holmstrom, who transferred out to Youngstown State, VMI also gained one, in 6-foot-4 guard Rodrigas Jucevicius, who comes from Stockholm but calls Lithuania as his native country. The 19-year-old combo guard played professionally with KFUM Shuset Basket and Sweden Superttan Herr in the 2025-26 as a part of the Swedish second division. He ended the season averaging 7.1 PPG, 2.7 RPG and 2.7 APG and shot 44.2% from the field over the course of 27 games and will add some depth in the backcourt. During his time with Superttan Herr in the 2025-26 season, he averaged 8.2 PPG, 4.3 APG and 3.9 RPG and helped his team to a first-place overall finish.
Zion Vaamonde and Dionysis Exarchopoulos will add depth in both the front court and backcourt. Vaamonde comes to VMI from Stockholm is a highly skilled 6-foot-7 wing that calls Stockholm, Sweden his native home, while playing his prep basketball at Southeastern Prep in Florida. The 20-year-old freshman can play any of the three guard positions, and his versatility and size could cause problems in a league like the SoCon. His basketball IQ and skill are two things that stand out about his overall game and will give the Keydets NBA like size if he plays some point guard when he’s on the floor. Exarchopoulos is a 6-foot-10 product of Kitsi Koropi, Greece. He is a true big man and rim protector who runs the floor extremely well to be a 6-foot-10 big man.
Wilson scraped the surface of how skilled and talented players who come out of the former Soviet satellite state of Lithuania can be when he had the services of Augustinas Kiudulas two years ago, and that’s when Wilson first experimented with European players.
Kiudulas spent just one season in Lexington before transferring to Colorado State, but his impact was real finishing as an all-tournament performer at the 2025 SoCon Tournament and was the Keydets’ second-leading scorer at 15.2 PPG and averaged 6.3 RPG. His 2.4 offensive rebounds per game ended up ranking second in the SoCon in 2024-25.
The talent of Lithuanian players wasn’t new to Wilson, as he first encountered that during his time as a player in the ACC, but this the most European and Lithuanian impact that Wilson has had on any one team in his fifth season as the head coach of VMI.
A total of six Europeans highlight the roster this season for VMI, and another Lithuanian who has a chance to have a Kiudulas-like impact this season is 6-foot-7 Paulius Narvilas, who committed to VMI in early August. He’s another talented player that started his career at Western Wyoming Community College where he garnered second-team all-conference honors after averaging 17.6 PPG and 10.7 RPG. His 10.7 RPG last season ranked fourth overall in the NJCAA.
Not only will the Keydets have both Bradley and Johnson returning to the fold this season, but also both of their younger brothers are rostered heading into the 2026-27 season, as both Trap Johnson and Cazell Henderson-Bradley will be freshmen on this year’s squad. Johnson is a highly sought after 6-foot-6 combo guard from Belton, Texas, was named a Top-30 prospect out of the state of Texas and rated a three-star prospect, according to 247Sports. He spent time at both UC San Diego and Montana State before arriving in Lexington to play for the Keydets in 2026-27.
Henderson-Bradley, who is the younger brother of Rickey Bradley Jr., came to VMI from Phoenix Prep in Arizona, which is the same program that produced Bradley Jr. The 6-foot guard is ranked as a Top-40 guard as coming out of the state of Arizona, according to Prep Hoops.
Another guard who could play his way into some kind of role off the bench in the coming season is Rokas Zilys out of Vermont Academy and Marist High School in Chicago. Zilys is a prolific perimeter threat and could turn out to be a pick-and-pop type shooter for the Keydets next season.
The final newcomer to keep an eye on for VMI heading into the 2026-27 season is Joao Panzo out of Porto, Portugal. The 6-foot-9, 245-pound Hillcrest Prep product from Phoenix gives the Keydets a highly-skilled scorer in the low-post and could add some depth underneath in 2026-27. He helped Hillcrest to a 31-4 record as a senior, averaging 17.4 PPG, 10.1 RPG and 4.7 APG.
Final Verdict for the Keydets:
It certainly wouldn’t be too much of a reach to see this VMI team finish within the top 5 and receive an opening round bye at the 2027 SoCon Tournament, however, after picking them to sixth last season, I remain highly skeptical this time around. I am not ready to go that far this season, but if they stay healthy I think they could be a really tough basketball team. If they do end up doing enough to garner that opening round bye in Asheville, watch out. This is the kind of team you do not want to face in March with the season on the line if you’re a higher seed. You’ve been warned!
Western Carolina
15-16, 10-8/T-5th
The Catamounts will look to continue their rise in year three under the leadership of Tim Craft, and the makeup of this Catamounts entering the 2026-27 season is one of both talent and athleticism.
The rebuilding project in this day and age in college basketball is from year-to-year, rather than over several. The Catamounts were able to get hot down the stretch run of the season last season, as WCU won its final six games of the regular-season and then in Asheville, knocked off No. 4 seed Mercer, 77-73, in their opening game in the tournament to pull off the upset in what was one of the best games of the weekend.
The one improvement Craft and staff hope to have to help them take that next step as a program is getting better on the defensive end of the floor. The Catamounts ranked 270th nationally in scoring defense (77.3 PPG) and 282nd in field-goal percentage defense (46.1%). The Catamounts were also the second-worst team in the SoCon went it came to defending the three, ranking 325th out of 361 teams nationally in 3-point field goal percentage defense (36.2%).
If those totals would have been slightly higher last season, the Catamounts could have very well been looking at an even better season than the one they ended up having. After all, the Catamounts were the only team in the SoCon to sweep regular-season meetings with both of the teams that made the tournament championship game last March — Furman and East Tennessee State.
Just four regulars from that team return from a year ago for Craft. WCU added 10 newcomers put together both out of the transfer portal as well as recruiting through the conventional high school outlets to put together what has the makings of an outstanding roster on paper.
Little-used guards Drew Hollifield and Titian DeRosa return off last year’s 15-win club, as do forwards Samuel Dada and Tayeshaun Smith. The Catamounts must replace a total of 11 players from a year ago, including the likes of guards like Julien Soumaoro (graduated), Marcus Kell (transferred to Furman), Cord Stansberry (transferred to Missouri), Tahlan Pettway (transferred to UNC Wilmington) and Tidjiane Dioumassi (graduated) to name just a few. Each of those players I just mentioned had a significant impact in year two for Craft in Cullowhee. Now it’s time to start over and nearly from scratch.
The breakdown of the 2026-27 roster for Western Carolina sees the addition of six transfers from the transfer portal along with four freshmen, who will combine with the four returning players to help Craft put on the floor as talented of a squad as he has had during his short time as the head coach in Cullowhee. This team will be not only the most talented under Craft but easily his most athletic.
Craft has a real piece to build around in this league with a big like Dada. The 6-foot-9 native of Lagos, Nigeria, is an all-conference five, and is a real impact player on both ends of the floor. Dada gave the Catamounts an edge on the glass, especially on the offensive end of the floor, as the Purple and Gold finished as the top offensive rebounding team in the SoCon last season, as well as ranking in the Top 40 in that category nationally. In fact, Dada alone averaged three offensive rebounds per game on his own last season. He comes off a season which saw him average 6.6 PPG and 7.6 RPG, while shooting 69.0% from the field last season. He has also really improved as a passer out of the low-post, which could also be something to keep an eye on in the coming season for WCU.
I look for Dada’s game to only improve this season, especially on the offensive end of the floor. I predict he will be in the running for the SoCon Defensive Player of the Year award, and he was a player who arrived in Cullowhee as a bit of a project as a player but turned into a starter that Craft could build around for the future. The future is now for the sophomore Dada. He recorded five double-doubles and lead the team in rebounding a year ago, as I expect year two will see a real jump in his overall offensive game.
One of the notable attributes was Dada’s ability to draw fouls and get to the charity stripe last season, as he connected on a solid 79% (30-of-38) from the charity stripe last season.
Smith comes off a season that saw him battle injuries, but during the offseason has seen some real improvement and could challenge to be a starter underneath the basket for Western Carolina in the coming season.
He showed glimpses of what he could in last season’s opener again UVA-Lynchburg when he scored 18 points in that contest. Smith ended up making appearances in 30 of 31 games for the Purple and Gold last season, totaling 45 points on the season, including a season and career-high 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the floor in a lopsided win over Virginia-Lynchburg last season.
Smith also posted nine points, which included burying a pair of triples in Western’s loss at Georgia. All told, Smith finished the season averaging 1.5 PPG and 1.7 RPG, shooting 41.0% (16-of-39) from the field. At 6-foot-7, 220 pounds, Smith has the size and athleticism to once again give the Catamounts some serviceable reserve minutes at the four position in 2026-27.
Newcomers Malachi Brown (transferred in from Georgia State) and Isaiah Manning (transferred in from Sam Houston State) are two players who have a chance to give a significant boost the backcourt this season, while true freshman Jacob Zhu (Overtime Elite/Atlanta) is one of the four freshmen that could end up being the starting floor general for the Catamounts in 2026-27.
Brown was a double-figures scorer last season at Georgia State, but started his career at Seton Hall back during the 2023-24 season. Between his time at both Georgia State and Seton Hall, the Peach State native saw action in a total of 83 games in three seasons, which includes 61 in Atlanta over the past two seasons, starting 58 times during that same span for the Panthers. He comes off season which saw him average 12.9 PPG and 2.9 RPG last season, and for his career is shooting 42.6% overall from the field, while shooting a strong 37.9% from 3-point range. He will be a guy that Craft will look to as one of his “go-to” options in the backcourt in the coming season.
As detailed by Craft in his media day interview with the Jeff Goodman and Terrance Oglesby from the Field of 68, Manning has not yet been able to put together a full season, having been limited by injury. He’s still got a nagging injury that, according to Craft, will have to manage throughout the season. A 6-foot-8 guard, Manning is the type of player who is athletic and can create some matchup issues.
Manning spent just one season at SHSU, seeing action in total of 16 games, where he averaged 10.7 PPG and 3.9 RPG. He finished the season by connecting on 46% from the field, while knocking down a total of 22 triples and was solid from the charity stripe, connecting on 33-of-38 from the line. He finished the season with nine double-figure scoring performances, with his highlight of the season being a 27-point, 10-rebound performance against Biblical Studies. Manning let his emotions get the best of him in WCU’s recent 83-76 win over App State in Boone, getting a pair of technicals in quick succession to earn a rare ejection in an exhibition. But before he was ejected, it was pretty evident how important of a player that Manning would be as a player on both ends for the Catamounts in the 2026-27 season.
Zhu offers a unique addition to the Catamount backcourt for the upcoming season, as the 6-foot-1 guard out of Atlanta sports some international experience, having already suited up for the U19 Chinese National Team. He performed especially well in the U19 World Cup, as well as in the National Games of the People’s Republic of China. Zhu had an outstanding performance in the World Cup against the Canadian National Team, posting 19 points, while finishing with 26 points during a qualification tournament, helping lead the Chinese National Team to a bronze medal. Zhu, who is listed as a three-star recruit by some services, figures to compete for the starting point guard role and his quickness running the point could be a game-changer for the Catamounts in the coming 2026-27 season.
His quickness off the dribble allows him to get downhill quickly, and that’s always been a hallmark of Western Carolina’s point guards throughout the program’s rich history. The Catamounts have always had those types of point guards that could make you look silly if they got downhill throughout the program’s history at the NCAA Division-I level.
Guards Jaxon Prunty (College of Charleston) and Jaeden Roberts (Hofstra) round out the players who joined from the transfer portal during the spring, and both figure to have some impact this coming season, though it will be hard to completely replace the collective talent the Catamounts lost in the backcourt from a year ago.
Roberts is the latest talented guard out of the state of Massachussetts to come to the Southern Conference, joining both Alex Wilkins (Furman) and Tahlan Pettway (Western Carolina), who both starred in the league last season. Wilkins moved on to Kentucky, while Pettway moved on to mid-major power UNC Wilmington in the CAA. Roberts hopes to have the same kind of impact that both Wilkins and Roberts did.
During his brief time at Hofstra, Roberts recorded his best performance against North Carolina A&T, as he posted 20 points in that contest, as he went 6-for-9 from the field, which included a 5-for-7 effort from 3-point land. Roberts posted a 17-point effort in a game against Old Westbury, while finishing with 14 points against Campbell and finished with 11 in a game against Syracuse.
Junior Travelle Bryson is another addition from the transfer portal that will add another combo guard/small forward into the fold this coming season. Bryson hails from Anderson, S.C., and attended the same prep school that produced Brown, which is Legacy Early College in Greenville, S.C. Bryson has spent time at both JUCO Vincennes University and then last season at the Howard playing for the Bison, helping them to make the NCAA Tournament last March. Bryson logged action in 32 games in his lone season with Howard, scoring a total of 273 points, averaging 8.5 PPG.
Rookie combo guards Antonio McKoy and Jose Martins also figure to compete for some big roles for the Catamounts in the coming campaign. McKoy is a native of Salemsburg, N.C., and played is prep basketball at Harrells Christian Academy, turning in an impressive prep career. McKoy is an absolute highlight-reel player at wing guard and can score at all three levels on the floor. The 6-foot-6 guard scored an astounding 3,000 points in his high school career, including 1,051 points alone in his senior campaign, sporting an average of 28.4 PPG. In addition to his 3,000-career points as a prep, McKoy also pulled down 1,119 rebounds and dished out over 300 assists in his prep career.
Another player who will have people on their feet at the Ramsey Center in the coming season is Fola Sodipo, who is a skilled big man that will almost be impossible to keep off the floor this season. is extremely efficient around the basket, averaging 18.3 PPG during his four-year prep career, posting 8.2 RPG, and showed excellent skill for a big man, dishing out 2.4 APG over his four years at Tompkins. His versatility can be found with a little more of a deep dive into his impressive numbers as a prep, as he connected on 58% from the field and 38% from long range.
Final Verdict for the Catamounts:
Western Carolina is one of the most talented teams in the SoCon entering the 2026-27 season, and it will all be how quickly the youthful talent is able to gel and gain experience. Arguably the toughest slate in the league and that will once again prepare the Catamounts for what will surely be a challenging league slate. I expect Western Carolina to be in the mix for a potential top-five finish.
Listen to the SoCon men’s preview podcast episode
Listen to the SoCon women’s preview podcast episode
Chattanooga
13-19, 8-10 SoCon/8th
Chattanooga’s run to the NIT title in Hinkle Fieldhouse seems so long ago and yet we’re only a year removed from that remarkable run that Dan Earl’s team put together, which lasted into the month of April. Much of the reason it seems that way is because last season was so chaotic for the Mocs, as well as being so different. The injuries obviously had something to do with that.
Now entering his fifth season as the head coach of the Mocs’ basketball program, Earl came into the offseason facing his most crucial recruiting season, needing to find players to provide a turnaround that its more in alignment with the lofty standard of expectation for the SoCon’s top hoops program. The Mocs set some of the type records that you’d rather not be remembered for last season on the heels of a season that will never be forgotten. Chattanooga sported a losing record (7-8) at McKenzie Arena for the first time in the 42-year history of the arena. “The Roundhouse,” as it has effectively come to be known, has a history of being one of the toughest away venues in mid-major basketball.
The Mocs share some eerie similarities with the program he once coached. Like his former employer VMI, Earl’s team was gutted by injuries last season and this season, and the the European influence for this team in 2026-27 will make it a highly skilled team and much different than what we normally see in the SoCon. Both UTC and VMI hearken back to some of those old Davidson teams under Bob McKillop during the Wildcats’ former days as a member in the SoCon.
For Earl, the motto “see, share, shoot” is one that resonates with players he recruits, and ever since former Keydet and Moc Jake Stephens took the league by storm after his development as a complete player, Earl has sought to find such a highly-skilled passer and proficient shooter ever since, and that. Along with the competitive NIL market in the U.S., Earl has looked across the pond to supplement the talent pool in the Scenic City, especially underneath. A big man who can pass like Stephens and has a similar shooting acumen from the perimeter seems to be more prevalent these days.
In addition to having players from France and Germany among the 11 newcomers for this year’s team, the Mocs also welcome newcomers from Israel and Australia to make it a truly internationally influenced roster coming into the 2026-27 season.
Despite the fact that there is only a total of five players returning off Chattanooga’s roster from the 2024-25 season, there are seemingly a lot of good vibes going around the Mocs basketball program during the offseason, with the return of guards Tate Darner, Zach Bleshoy, Houston Holland and Liam Vitters, as well as Sean Cusano and Josh Bowman in the front court.
It all starts with Darner, who is a player who goes from being a rookie with a bright future to being a core leader as a sophomore, and he’s a player that was forced to grow up a lot quicker than he might have originally perceived when he committed to UTC, but the major silver lining for Darner when he reflects on his career one day is the fact that the struggles of 2025-26 happened because it will shape his identity as a player and his leadership qualities in the future, which will begin in his sophomore season.
It also doesn’t hurt that one of Darner’s primary influences is his father, Linc Darner, the current head coach of Division-II Tampa University. Darner has a high basketball IQ and is a player that showed an uncanny maturity for making the right decisions with basketball last season.
Last season, the 6-foot-4 Darner saw action in all 30 of 32 games, which included making 18 starts. He missed his lone two games of the season due to a minor injury, and his 27.5 minutes-per-game average last season ranked second on the team.
Darner was right on the cusp of averaging in double figures for Chattanooga last season, finishing out the season averaging 9.9 PPG to go with 4.4 RPG and 1.7 APG. He showed his proficiency as a 3-point shooter by connecting on 37.9% (53-of-140) from downtown last season, with his 53 made triples setting a new Chattanooga freshman record, as he surpassed former Mocs player Kevin Easley’s mark of 50 made trifectas, which he recorded during the 2018-19 season.
All told, Darner posted double figures in a total of 12 games during his rookie campaign, which included a season-high 18 points on 6-of-11 from the field in an early February home win over Mercer. Darner was also strong in his final performance of the 2025-26 season, which came in the opening round loss to The Citadel in the Southern Conference Tournament, finishing that contest with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field, including going 4-for-7 from 3-point land in the loss. Darner also finished the campaign as a 73.6% (39-of-53) from the free throw line, while shooting a solid 45.1% (102-of-226) from the field.
A player who might have been the best young talent on the roster but didn’t get a chance to play because of a preseason injury that ended his rookie campaign before it had a chance to begin is 6-foot-4 guard Zach Bleshoy. One thing is for sure, and that is that if the injury had not occurred, the three-star prospect (247Sports) out of Marietta, Ga., and Pope HS would likely not have redshirted.
During his senior season at Pope, Bleshoy averaged 28 PPG, which included some nights scoring the basketball that you couldn’t help but notice, posting performances of 39, 35, 29 and 39 points, respectively, during a five-game stretch early on his senior season in 2024-25. Bleshoy chose Chattanooga over several other reputable mid-majors, which included Tulane, Towson, Murray State, Southern Illinois, and Ohio to name a few. Bleshoy likely will fill the role as a combo guard for the Mocs in 2026-27, but he possesses the versatility to play the point, which is where he played when he was at Pope.
Junior guard Houston Holland played his way into the hearts of Mocs fans, teammates and coaches last season, and he was one of the few positives to emerge from a season that ended up being so disappointing in 2025-26.
The 6-foot-3 guard reminds me of a lot of guys who paved their own way in this league as walk-ons in the past, and one that old guard — no pun intended — Chattanooga fans will remember from the 1996-97 season was a guy by the name of Wes Moore, and no I’m not referring to the former women’s coach of the Mocs. Another that comes to mind is former App State sharp-shooter Matt McMahon, who was instrumental in helping the Mountaineers to the 1999-00 SoCon title and has also turned in a solid coaching career for himself following his playing days, with his most recent stop being LSU in 2025-26.
Both Moore and McMahon were similar to Holland in that they were walk-ons who took full advantage on the opportunities they were given, and in both instances, were instrumental to leading their respective teams to SoCon titles and an NCAA Tournament appearance before their time came to an end. For Moore, his story would be part of one of the greatest athletic achievements in school history, which was helping the Mocs to the 1997 Sweet 16 in the Big Dance.
While I am not saying Holland will lead Chattanooga to the Sweet 16, NCAA Tournament or even a SoCon title next season or even in his final two years, what I am saying is that like Moore and McMahon, he has that ‘it’ factor and the positive vibes he gives off are seemingly contagious.
Holland was called into duty last season after the injury bug started to hit the team, and that included seeing action in 28 games, with four starts. Holland is a local product out of small Silverdale Baptist Academy. He has one of the purest perimeter shots you’ll ever see, shooting 46.3% (19-of-41) from the field and 50% (11-of-22) from 3-point land last season.
Switching from the backcourt to the front court, the other two primary returnees off last season’s squad include both 6-foot-9 forwards — Cusano and Bowman. Cusano headed into 2025-26, is one of the primary leaders for a team that graduated so much experience from the NIT Championship team of 2024-25.
Unfortunately Cusano saw his season end before it could really begin, appearing in only six games, which included four starts, as he missed the final 26 games of the season due to suffering a season-ending knee injury on the final day of November in a home game against Tennessee State. He played 13 or more minutes in five games before suffering his season-ending knee injury in game six. His best performance of the season came in a game against Tennessee Wesleyan, as he scored a season-high 10 points on a 5-for-8 shooting performance.
Now a senior, Cusano gives the Mocs the most on-floor experience of any player on the roster coming into the 2026-27 season. Cusano has seen action in a total of 44 games, including having made a total of eight starts in his two previous seasons with the Chattanooga basketball program. The Hilton Head, S.C., native would finish the season averaging 4.2 PPG, 2.7 RPG and one APG last season.
Another bright spot in a season in which there were few to be frank, was the play of true freshman Bowman, who had planned on taking a redshirt, was called into duty because of those injuries last season, and he would perform admirably well.
Bowman is still developing his overall offensive game, but it was his defense that stood out to me as a young player, as he was one of team’s leading players when it came to both blocking shots and affecting shots. In 23 games during the 2025-26 season, Bowman blocked a total of 23 shots and he turned out to be a team-leader in that category last season. His 23 blocks in a single season set a new Mocs freshman record, which had originally been set at 18 by former Mocs standout Sam Alexis back during the 2022-23 season.
All told, he finished the season with nine games in which he recorded two or more blocks last season, finishing the campaign averaging 3.2 PPG, 2.5 RPG and one BPG along with shooting 49.2% (30-of-61) from the field. Bowman also logged eight starts in his 23 appearances last season for the Blue and Gold, and the 6-foot-9, 220-pound true sophomore will be in competition to start underneath along with Cusano heading into the 2026-27 season. I look for the Huntsville, Ala., native to be a potential breakout performer for UTC in the upcoming season.
Combo guard/wing forward Liam Vitters rounds out the returnees from last season’s roster for Chattanooga. The junior from Arlington, Va., missed the entire season with a knee injury last season after appearing in nine games as a true freshman after joining the Mocs program as a walk-on. If he’d been available last season, the 6-foot-5, 220-pound forward would have surely seen minutes.
The 12-time tournament champions took in five players from the portal, with four set to be impact players this coming season, as well as adding five freshmen into the mix, including a couple that have international experience to help bolster and balance out a roster that looks good on paper.
In the backcourt, Earl added a pair of smaller school prospects that could make an immediate impact in 2026-27, adding juniors Matt Hampton and Tre Powell into the fold. Hampton is a 6-foot-4 combo guard from JUCO Three Rivers College, appearing in 65 games in two seasons, which he garnered the No. 15 overall ranking coming out the JUCO ranks, according to JUCOrecruiting.com.
In his 65 games over the past couple of seasons, Hampton posted an impressive 1,025 points, 377 rebounds, 289 assists and 80 steals in his two seasons at TRC. He helped TRC to a NJCAA Region 16 Championship game appearance last season, helping his squad to a 20-11 overall mark. He garnered NJCAA All-America honors in both his seasons at TRC, as the Frisco, Texas, native was a Third-Team All-America selection two years ago, while garnering second-team plaudits last season.
Hampton finished the season averaging 16.9 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 5.3 APG and 1.4 SPG, while shooting 51.3% (179-of-349) from the field and 30.8% (8-of-26) from 3-point range last season. He finished shooting 73.5% (158-of-215) from the free throw line and had a 1.7 assist-turnover ratio. He can play either point or off the ball and the way he can impact the game on both ends of the floor will likely see him to challenge for a starting job in a backcourt that will look different this season but may in fact be a lot more balanced when it comes to scoring distribution.
Powell joins the UTC basketball program with two years of eligibility remaining after spending a couple of seasons playing at NCAA Division-II program Goldey-Beacom, averaging an impressive 19.4 PPG, 3.5 APG and 3.4 RPG in what was a historic season for GBC, as Powell was a big part of that history, helping his program reach the NCAA Division-II program for the first time in its history.
The 6-foot, 170-pound point guard out of Mount Laurel, N.J., is an Earl kind of point guard in that he’s small, quick and possesses an ability to score at all three levels, and oh yeah, he’s from the northeast just like Honor Huff, who came before him. Out of all of Powell’s impressive numbers that he brings with him from his two seasons at GBC, it’s Powell’s proficiency as a 3-point threat that probably stands out the most to Earl, as the lightning-quick guard shot an impressive 41.5% (66-for-159) from long range last season. Additionally, Powell also shot 47.8% (188-of-393) from the field, as well as connecting on an impressive 82.8% (178-of-215) from the charity stripe.
There’s an excellent chance that Powell and Hampton both end up starting in the backcourt along with Darner heading into the 2026-27 season, and with the addition of two dynamic scorers, the focus shifted towards adding depth in the backcourt from the high school ranks, while focusing on adding some dynamic players to put alongside of Cusano and Bowman in the front court.
In keeping with the theme of smaller school prospects that have a chance to come in and have an immediate impact next season is 6-foot-7, 210-pound senior Anthony Swift, who joins the program after having started his career at the NCAA Division-I level way back in the 2021-22 campaign at Southern Utah. The native of Las Vegas used a medical redshirt in his only season with the Thunderbirds before making his way to Southern Nevada (JUCO) in 2022-23 where he appeared in a total of 27 games, making 13 starts and averaged 9.7 PPG, 4.7 RPG and 1.2 APG.
After spending the 2023-24 season (sophomore) at another JUCO — National Park College — where he helped his team to a 31-1 mark and averaged 7.4 PPG , 7.4 RPG and one BPG. He would spend the next two seasons (2024-26) at Nebraska Kearney where he would redshirt the 2024-25 season before taking part in the 2025-26 campaign.
In his most recent season at Nebraska-Kearney, he appeared in 28 games, making 27 starts where he averaged 12.9 PPG and was a prolific 3-point threat, as he finished the season shooting a team-best 41.8% (46-of-110) from 3-point range and connected on a team-high 46 triples for the season.
Swift also recorded 20 double-figure scoring games in his most recent campaign, including three 20-plus scoring games during his standout season. His best game was when he scored a career-high 27 points on 12-of-15 shooting from the field, including going 3-for-4 from downtown against Concordia-St. Paul on Nov. 15, 2025.
In addition to what he did scoring-wise, Swift also led the team in total rebounds (194) and rebounds-per-game (6.4). Swift will have one year of eligibility remaining at Chattanooga where he signed with the Mocs during the May 2026 transfer portal window. The 6-foot-7 small forward equates most directly as a “glue guy” type similar to a Garrison Keeslar a couple of years ago. Most importantly, Swift will add an element of maturity and experience to the lineup,and could even contend for starting minutes this summer.
Rounding out the portal additions is Yonatan Levy from Pepperdine. He is a player that would fall in that category of being a highly skilled passer and good shooter for the Mocs.
The 6-foot-10, 260-pound native of Hod HaSharon, HeMerkaz, Israel, is a unique prospect of a big man, and once again, he’s a highly-skilled type of big that fits the “Dan Earl type” when it comes to how he can fit within the motion offense for the Mocs. Like Stephens, Jan Zidek, Frank Champion and Alexis, Levy falls into the category of being a highly-skilled big man with a “developed” finished project being the exact kind of big man that Earl can utilize to the fullest of potentials in the SoCon.
In his most-recent season with the Waves, Levy averaged 5.2 PPG, 4.2 RPG, and 1.7 APG, while shooting a solid 45.2% (60-for-132) from the field. He finished third on the Waves’ team in total rebounds (133) and third assists (55) and had 10 games with six or more rebounds. Levy recorded his best game at Pepperdine against Lincoln (CA) in November 2025, posting 16 points and 11 rebounds. In a Dec. 28, 2025, game against Gonzaga, Levy posted 15 points, six rebounds and three steals in a loss to the Bulldogs.
Levy was also solid in his one season at Green Bay, averaging 7.8 PPG, 6.1 RPG and 2.6 APG, appearing in 13 games, with 11 starts. He posted a season-high 19 points against Cleveland State in a late January Horizon League contest.
There are several recruits from the high school ranks that will make an immediate impact this season, but the one that most should keep an eye on and has Wilkins-like upside is guard Christian Matos.
Matos is an impressive freshman guard, who hails from Philadelphia, and comes to Chattanooga by way of Sunrise Academy in Kansas. If you’ve heard of Sunrise Academy before, there’s a reason, and it’s because it’s one of the premier prep basketball programs in the country, having produced former Furman Paladin center and current Arkansas Razorbacks big man Cooper Bowser.
Matos is a 6-foot-3 guard who might end up being the prize of the signing class, as ESPN rates Matos as a four-star prospect and the No. 2 prospect overall in the state, as well as the No. 21 ranked point guard in all of high school seniors throughout the country. His trajectory and acclaim is even higher than that of former Furman point guard, who is now at Kentucky, Alex Wilkins. Wilkins, of course, was responsible for helping lead Furman to a Southern Conference title a year ago.
Not saying that will be the same tract which Matos will follow, however, he will have a chance to earn his place in the lineup this summer, and with such high acclaim, while he might not end up starting, it’d be hard to imagine him not seeing some major time in the rotation for Earl this coming season.
Matos is rated as the highest incoming high school recruit in the Southern Conference coming into the 2025-26 season and competed within the Nike EYBL Scholastic League last season, ranking 22nd nationally. He finished his season with Sunrise averaging 14.5 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 1.8 APG, and had 1.2 SPG, while shooting a blistering 46.0% (44-of-95) from 3-point range. In the words of ETSU head coach Brooks Savage, who said “Those guards from the Northeast are a different type of basketball player all together,” following the first meeting between ETSU and Furman last year in what was a thrilling ETSU OT win. And he’s not wrong with that assessment.
There have been some great guards from the Northeast come through this league, including former Mocs and Keydets guard Huff (Chattanooga/VMI/West Virginia 2020-2025/Brooklyn, NY) and Wilkins (Mattapan, Mass.), as well as many others like Jay Joseph (UNCG 2001-05/Lansdale, Penn.) to name a few. Matos could be the latest of those to excel in this league. Matos finished as a Top-20 ranked scorer in the EYBL Scholastic League and racked up over 160 made triples in his three seasons at the prep level. He will have a chance to make an instant impact for UTC.
Final Verdict for the Mocs:
This season has a different energy, and while last season’s team was more overloaded with portal additions rather than high school recruits, Earl has a more balanced roster this season, with the 11 newcomers, which includes five from the portal and six rookies from the high school/prep ranks. The international flavor to this roster is undeniable, as Israel, France, and Germany are all represented on this roster.
The most glaring thing that sticks out about this class is the fact that UTC will have a lot of mature/old freshmen. That’s one of the advantages you get with getting guys from overseas. This team has the makings of one that could compete for a title, as talent is not the issue here. It will be all in how this team comes together by the time league play begins at the end of December, and that’s not always as easy as it seems when you are having to incorporate different cultures and fundamental skill levels on all fronts into one cohesive unit. This team has more offensive skill and better shooting ability than the one that took the floor in 2025-26.
Mercer
19-13, 11-7 SoCon/t-2nd
Mercer is a team that very well could have won the SoCon in Ryan Ridder’s second season at the helm last season, and the Bears not had a tough first-round clash with No. 5 Western Carolina in their opening game of the Southern Conference Tournament, the Bears could have cut down the nets in Asheville.
Still, the 19 wins were the most since the 2017-18 season, which saw the Bears finish 19-15 overall, but the 19 regular-season wins for the Bears marked the most since Mercer’s final campaign as members of the Atlantic Sun Conference, as the Bears won 24 in the regular-season before winning the Atlantic Sun Tournament and the upset Duke in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament in Raleigh, defeating the No. 3 seeded Blue Devils, 78-71, at the RBC Arena. Now it’s about taking the next step in year three for Ridder, who just signed a contract extension through the 2030-31 season this past summer.
The 77-73 loss, however, brought an end to a season of “what ifs” for Ridder and the Bears. The bitter taste of that loss has served as the primary motivation for next season, and while this team won’t have the likes of Armani Mighty underneath or a point guard like Baraka Okojie, the DNA of what Ridder and the Bears won’t change. Another major part of Mercer’s team DNA is being aggressive on the offensive end, and no one was better at drawing fouls than Okojie, as he made it almost an artform. He was even better in that category than his predecessor, Ahmad Robinson. Okojie helped the Bears rank second in the league (42.9), as Okojie individually ranked 31st in the nation in individual free throw rate (69.8).
Whether it’s Robinson or Okojie running the show in the backcourt for Ridder’s Bears this coming season, the philosophy of playing fast will remain the primary mode of operation for the Bears.
Ridder not only had to replace his top scorers and overall production on the floor, he also was busy hiring some new assistants, with the second-year head coach having to hire nearly an entirely new crop of assistant coaches. One of those new assistants will be Tysor Anderson, who was a part of Wofford’s staff under former head coach Dwight Perry. Anderson will coach the Bears’ big men this coming season and was one of the better assistant coaching hires in the league during the offseason.
One of the problems with playing such a high-octane style of basketball over an especially long season is the fact that it takes it toll, and it was noticeable to see the Bears were a worn down basketball team as the month of February started to wind down and teams began to gear up for the annual Southern Conference Tournament in Asheville. Keeping players fresh with altered substitution patterns, as well as having a deeper bench this season will surely be something the new staff has thoroughly evaluated throughout the off-season, as they went about putting the 2026-27 roster together. Mercer finished the 2025-26 season leading the SoCon in scoring offense (82.7 PPG) and averaged 82.5 PPG in conference play.
The one player who returns who will be a significant piece and an all-conference performer this season will be Quinton Perkins II. The quick guard made 16 starts and played in 28 games in his first season in middle Georgia, finishing the season averaging 8.9 PPG and 1.6 RPG. He was one of the better perimeter threats on the team last season, shooting 40.8% from long range.
Perkins II will likely be in that role that Robinson and Okojie have been each of the past two seasons in that he will be the player that Ridder will rely on to be the floor general for this team, and he’ll be the player expected to establish the pace and in terms of tempo, the Bears have led the SoCon in tempo each of the past two seasons, averaging close to 70 possessions per game. The Bears’ 68.6 possessions-per-game last season ranked tops in the SoCon, while the 16.3 seconds per possession also ranked first in the league in 2025-26.
Perkins II will be joined by Brady Shoulders as another key returner from last season. Shoulders, along with ETSU’s Maki Johnson and Furman’s Davis Molnar, will be among the most veteran returning players to the league next season. Shoulders is the ultimate “glue guy” and is that “do-everything” type player that every team needs.
He will be the heart and soul of this Mercer team and comes off a sophomore season which saw him average 9.3 PPG and 6.8 RPG, finishing the season by shooting 43.7% (94-of-215) from the field and shot 33.3% (26-of-78) from 3-point range.
Shoulders logged five double figure scoring performances last season, which was highlighted by a 14-point and 11-rebound effort against Lipscomb last season. In what was a gutsy 69-64 home win over eventual SoCon Tournament champion Furman last season, Shoulders finished with 14 points and 13 rebounds in what was one of the more impressive performances of his Mercer career. He will figure into the fold as a combo guard, but is versatile enough to play as a small forward inside the paint.
While Perkins and Shoulders represent part of the old guard, one of the newcomers that could have a big impact this season is Shane Cherry, who reminds me a lot of some of the old school diminutive, quick guards that once dominated the SoCon in the past. Guys like former Georgia Southern guards Julius Jenkins and Elton Nesbitt, or ETSU’s Keith Jennings and Jason Niblett, and what about former App State guard D.J. Thompson all being guys who were small and quick and were tough to guard. That’s kind of who Cherry is, and oh yeah, the guy knows his way to the basket. He is a pure scorer and can also be a real threat from the perimeter. I think Cherry is good enough to potentially even be in the mix for player of the year this season.
The 5-foot-11 guard spent one season at Tallahassee State before making his way to Macon, as he played 30 games at Tallahassee State, logging 27 starts and averaged 19.2 PPG to lead his team. He was also a big factor on the defensive end of the floor, which Ridder loves. Last season, his perimeter defense was on-point, as he averaged 1.9 steals-per-game in his rookie season. If there’s any place this team needs to improve, it’s on the defensive end of the floor, and though the Bears were improved over Ridder’s first season in charge, the third-year head coach knows the Bears need to be even better than fourth overall in the league in defense next season no matter how good the offensive is.
Joining forces with Cherry in the backcourt could be 6-foot-3 combo guard KJ LaMonte, who comes to Mercer from Indian Hills CC, where he spent two seasons and was named a second-team All-American as a sophomore. LaMonte joins Perkins as the latest Indian Hills CC product to find his way to Macon to play for Ridder and the Bears. He is coming off a season in which he averaged 11.7 PPG and shot 50.7% from the field at Indian Hills.
Other guards added from the portal that could give the Bears some solid depth at the wing guard positions include Derek Goodman (Ohio Dominican), Ryder Cate (Clarendon College) and Manos Koveos (Georgia State). Goodman comes to Mercer from Ohio Dominican and will have two years of eligibility remaining. Goodman started 55 out of 57 games in his two seasons at Ohio Dominican, posting a season-high 25 points in a 91-76 home win vs. Hillsdale, as he finished 9-of-15 shooting from the field and was an impressive 5-for-8 from 3-point range. Goodman is an outstanding perimeter threat, finishing the 2025-26 season shooting a blistering 43.6% (75-of-172) from 3-point range last season and was a 41% shooter from deep in two seasons at Ohio Dominican. Goodman finished the 2025-26 season with 23 double figure scoring games, including eight games with 20 or more points.
With Mighty now having moved on to ACC member Pittsburgh, the player Ridder hopes will step into a Mighty-type role in the paint is 6-foot-11 Makoi Mabor Makoi, who transferred in from UNC Wilmington during the offseason. Ridder is excited about the prospects for having such a player
Makoi will have two seasons of eligibility remaining and was very much a developmental project in his first two seasons with the Seahawks but now could be ready for a breakout type campaign with a fresh start in two years under his belt, following a similar tract to that of his predecessor Mighty.
In Makoi’s two seasons at UNCW, he averaged just 1.6 PPG and 2.4 RPG, but at 6-foot-11 and athletic, he could be a force as a rim protector in the SoCon. With his tremendous athleticism and size, the product of Rumbek, South Sudan, by way of Gastonia, N.C., could equate well in a mid-major league like the SoCon. If Ridder and staff got this one right, it could instantly give Mercer one of the top frontcourts in the league once again this season.
Makoi is one of 12 newcomers to join the Mercer roster from either the transfer portal or as a freshman. In fact, Ridder has assembled a team with nine players out of the transfer portal and three freshmen as a part of his latest signing class.
Set to join Makoi as one of those potential impact players in front court from the transfer portal is another player with international roots, as Dimitrije Kovacevic joins the Bears roster from Wake Forest. The 6-foot-8 redshirt freshman from Bosnia-Herzegovina will have four years of eligibility remaining, and possesses a high level of skill, with an excellent basketball IQ.
During his prep career, Kovacevic played for KK Real Beograd U19 and led his team in both scoring and rebounding, averaging 14.3 PPG and 7.6 RPG. He posted a field goal percentage of 60%, while shooting just over 32% from 3-point land. Like Makoi, Ridder and staff are taking a bit of a chance on Kovacevic, but often, international guys have a good enough background prior to their arrival in the states that it should equate well to this level, especially in a league like the SoCon.
Also, in most instances with guys like Kovacevic, it’s more that the previous program they were apart of — Wake Forest in this case — over-recruited his position, which instead of waiting for that opportunity to come about in this ever-changing escalator of the transfer portal from season-to-season, it made more sense to transfer down to a mid-major for a player like Kovacevic in order to compete for a starting position and significant playing time at a place like Mercer rather than wait around at a big program like Wake Forest.
Keelan Steele transferred in from Maine and he figures to be another intriguing add this season and could be in line to challenge for a starting spot right away for the Bears. The 6-foot-10 power forward could tandem underneath the basket with Makoi.
Steele was a significant factor as a player during his time at Maine and comes to Macon with one year of eligibility remaining. He started 23 of 24 games for the Black Bears and finished the season averaging 8.1 PPG and 4.5 RPG. Steele was also a force on the defensive end of the floor, where he swatted 23 shots on the season.
Steele logged his best performance against perennial America East power Vermont, as he finished with a season-high 17 points on a 6-for-9 shooting effort from the field. Steele will likely add depth at the four position.
Another candidate to add some significant depth in the frontcourt is another Indian Hills CC product, in 6-foot-9 Sawyer Mayhugh. As a redshirt freshman last season at Indian Hills, Mayhugh was named All-Region 11 Honorable Mention, and saw action in 27 games, with nine starts. He finished the season putting up solid numbers as a rookie, averaging 8.7 PPG and 50.3% from the field. Mayhugh added 4.6 RPG and was a 32.6% from 3-point range and connected on 69.6% from the free throw line. Mayhugh is good size and has an excellent scoring ability in and around the basket. Still needs to see a little improvement in his perimeter jumper to become even more versatile.
Final Verdict for the Bears:
This is a team that is dangerous and will be vastly different than the one Ridder had last season. There’s not a guard with the talent that Okojie had, but there is enough scoring talent in guys like Cherry and Lamonte to give Mercer a little more depth in the backcourt than it had last season. Add to that the return of Perkins II, who figures to challenge for all-conference honors this season, and you have the makings of a team that could not only finish in the top five and garner that opening round bye at the 2027 SoCon Tournament, but it’s also a team that could win the league’s automatic bid when they arrive in Asheville.
Mercer’s program started to the turn back towards being a perennial challenger in the SoCon last season, and I expect they’ll take another step in that direction this season. The late addition of wing guard Karon Boyd from Wichita State, who spent two seasons at ETSU and was the 2024-25 SoCon Defensive Player of the Year, could pay off in a big way on the defensive end for the Bears this season. Defensive intensity and focus have been inconsistent at times during Ridder’s first couple of seasons as the head coach.