Post by aggiejazz on Mar 25, 2007 12:36:32 GMT -5
Big man, new facility top Jackson's wish list
DSU coach faces task of replacing 4 starters, keeping pace in MEAC
By KRISTIAN POPE, The News Journal
Posted Sunday, March 25, 2007
Delaware State coach Greg Jackson said his biggest mission this offseason is to recruit a center who can dominate inside on offense and defense.
The News Journal/SCOTT NATHAN
DOVER -- Not even 15 minutes after Delaware State's 74-50 loss to West Virginia in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament, DSU president Allen Sessoms had a few things to say to men's basketball coach Greg Jackson.
In the corridor leading to the team's locker room, Sessoms stopped Jackson. He asked why the Hornets weren't more competitive in the first half against the Mountaineers. Then, he brought up the school's ongoing pursuit to build a civic center in Dover.
To Jackson, the comments were related. Jackson believes a new basketball facility of any kind will allow him to recruit the type of players needed to be competitive against the likes of West Virginia.
Jackson may need a better grade of basketball talent just to remain at the top of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
Although the Hornets were 16-2 in conference play (21-13 overall) and earned a third straight MEAC regular-season championship this season, other teams in the league are catching up to DSU. And Jackson knows it.
That's why Jackson said Saturday his biggest mission this offseason is to recruit a center who can plug up the middle on defense and score inside. In order to get that type of player, Jackson said the school has to find a way to replace its decrepit, 1,800-seat Memorial Hall.
"We can't compete -- not just nationally, but in our own conference -- without a legitimate big man," Jackson said. "There is a changed mind-set in the conference. Teams are getting bigger. And to get the top big kids, you need to sell them something. Once we address our facilities [with recruits], we can't get them."
Jackson not only has to find a center, he needs replacements for six graduating seniors, four of whom started, including two-time MEAC player of the year Jahsha Bluntt.
"It's going to be difficult to replace all of them in one year," Jackson said. "I think we have a good nucleus coming back. There's just not a lot of experience in that group. They've only spent one year in the system, so it's going to be a long process."
MEAC rivals up the ante
Looking back at the past two seasons, Jackson said his teams won two regular-season titles almost with a "smoke and mirrors" approach.
Jackson said his team was painted into a corner in MEAC Tournament championship game losses in 2006 and 2007 because of its reliance on jump shooters. Despite trying to open up the offense with transfer guard/forward Roy Bright, Jackson said he had difficulty getting Bluntt and point guard Darrin Shine to run the floor to create easy points. That eventually haunted them in this year's MEAC title game loss to Florida A&M.
In that game, Bluntt shot 3-of-13 shots and Shine was 1-of-6. FAMU focused on defense to stay close, eventually winning on a buzzer-beating tip-in.
"They were great getting us here," Jackson said of his graduating seniors, "but to stay at this level, we've got to get an inside presence."
To prove his point, Jackson said, all one needs to do is look at his team's biggest rivals: Hampton, Morgan State and Florida A&M. Last offseason, all three got bigger inside, and DSU struggled against all three.
"In order for us to compete, we're going to have to neutralize their big men," Jackson said.
Reserves must step up
Of the nine players he expects to return, only a handful are locks for starting jobs in 2007-08.
Jackson said he expects the team to revolve around Bright, a second-team All-MEAC pick. Bright and Bluntt led the team in scoring, each averaging 15.5 points a game.
With the graduation of Shine, Jackson anticipates the starting point guard will be 6-foot-5 Marcus Neal or 5-9 Kyle White, both sophomores. White, who has the ability to penetrate, started one game this season and averaged 10.3 minutes and 2.4 points a game.
Jackson said sophomore forwards Mark D'Agostino and Dominik Hrga could start next season, despite not playing much in 2006-07. The tandem combined for appearances in 26 games but neither averaged more than five minutes a game.
Kris Douse, a 6-7 sophomore transfer from the University of Nebraska, will be eligible in the second semester, which starts in late December. He was highly recruited out of prep school but left the Huskers due to a lack of playing time. He'll likely play a big part in DSU's rebuilding effort by offering the ability to score inside and out.
The Hornets will ask for a medical waiver from the NCAA for senior forward Joe Dickens. He missed all but two games in 2006-07 and underwent surgery at midseason to remove a noncancerous tumor in his foot.
If Dickens returns, he should provide a needed boost. Dickens knows Jackson's half-court system and was DSU's second-leading scorer (8.6 ppg) in 2005-06.
Commitment to the coach
Jackson said he recently met with Sessoms about his contract at DSU, which pays him $220,000 annually through the 2011-12 season. Jackson said he's seeking to add a year or two to the contract, although he conceded the school probably cannot afford to increase his salary much, if at all.
"Greg is at the ceiling for a school this size," DSU athletic director Chuck Bell said. "To get to the next level, you've got to address facilities. Our facilities put us at a disadvantage right now. That's our No. 1 objective."
Jackson said he remains open to offers to move elsewhere, but said it would be hard for him to leave the Hornets because it would be difficult for a school to offer him what he has at DSU.
Jackson said DSU has given him three full-time assistant coaches and a director of basketball operations, which is rare in a conference like the MEAC. He also receives a recruiting budget of $80,000, thought to be the MEAC's largest.
"I have a great contract," Jackson said. "I have no complaints. They've made a tremendous commitment to me. If they want to add something, that's in their hands."
DSU coach faces task of replacing 4 starters, keeping pace in MEAC
By KRISTIAN POPE, The News Journal
Posted Sunday, March 25, 2007
Delaware State coach Greg Jackson said his biggest mission this offseason is to recruit a center who can dominate inside on offense and defense.
The News Journal/SCOTT NATHAN
DOVER -- Not even 15 minutes after Delaware State's 74-50 loss to West Virginia in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament, DSU president Allen Sessoms had a few things to say to men's basketball coach Greg Jackson.
In the corridor leading to the team's locker room, Sessoms stopped Jackson. He asked why the Hornets weren't more competitive in the first half against the Mountaineers. Then, he brought up the school's ongoing pursuit to build a civic center in Dover.
To Jackson, the comments were related. Jackson believes a new basketball facility of any kind will allow him to recruit the type of players needed to be competitive against the likes of West Virginia.
Jackson may need a better grade of basketball talent just to remain at the top of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
Although the Hornets were 16-2 in conference play (21-13 overall) and earned a third straight MEAC regular-season championship this season, other teams in the league are catching up to DSU. And Jackson knows it.
That's why Jackson said Saturday his biggest mission this offseason is to recruit a center who can plug up the middle on defense and score inside. In order to get that type of player, Jackson said the school has to find a way to replace its decrepit, 1,800-seat Memorial Hall.
"We can't compete -- not just nationally, but in our own conference -- without a legitimate big man," Jackson said. "There is a changed mind-set in the conference. Teams are getting bigger. And to get the top big kids, you need to sell them something. Once we address our facilities [with recruits], we can't get them."
Jackson not only has to find a center, he needs replacements for six graduating seniors, four of whom started, including two-time MEAC player of the year Jahsha Bluntt.
"It's going to be difficult to replace all of them in one year," Jackson said. "I think we have a good nucleus coming back. There's just not a lot of experience in that group. They've only spent one year in the system, so it's going to be a long process."
MEAC rivals up the ante
Looking back at the past two seasons, Jackson said his teams won two regular-season titles almost with a "smoke and mirrors" approach.
Jackson said his team was painted into a corner in MEAC Tournament championship game losses in 2006 and 2007 because of its reliance on jump shooters. Despite trying to open up the offense with transfer guard/forward Roy Bright, Jackson said he had difficulty getting Bluntt and point guard Darrin Shine to run the floor to create easy points. That eventually haunted them in this year's MEAC title game loss to Florida A&M.
In that game, Bluntt shot 3-of-13 shots and Shine was 1-of-6. FAMU focused on defense to stay close, eventually winning on a buzzer-beating tip-in.
"They were great getting us here," Jackson said of his graduating seniors, "but to stay at this level, we've got to get an inside presence."
To prove his point, Jackson said, all one needs to do is look at his team's biggest rivals: Hampton, Morgan State and Florida A&M. Last offseason, all three got bigger inside, and DSU struggled against all three.
"In order for us to compete, we're going to have to neutralize their big men," Jackson said.
Reserves must step up
Of the nine players he expects to return, only a handful are locks for starting jobs in 2007-08.
Jackson said he expects the team to revolve around Bright, a second-team All-MEAC pick. Bright and Bluntt led the team in scoring, each averaging 15.5 points a game.
With the graduation of Shine, Jackson anticipates the starting point guard will be 6-foot-5 Marcus Neal or 5-9 Kyle White, both sophomores. White, who has the ability to penetrate, started one game this season and averaged 10.3 minutes and 2.4 points a game.
Jackson said sophomore forwards Mark D'Agostino and Dominik Hrga could start next season, despite not playing much in 2006-07. The tandem combined for appearances in 26 games but neither averaged more than five minutes a game.
Kris Douse, a 6-7 sophomore transfer from the University of Nebraska, will be eligible in the second semester, which starts in late December. He was highly recruited out of prep school but left the Huskers due to a lack of playing time. He'll likely play a big part in DSU's rebuilding effort by offering the ability to score inside and out.
The Hornets will ask for a medical waiver from the NCAA for senior forward Joe Dickens. He missed all but two games in 2006-07 and underwent surgery at midseason to remove a noncancerous tumor in his foot.
If Dickens returns, he should provide a needed boost. Dickens knows Jackson's half-court system and was DSU's second-leading scorer (8.6 ppg) in 2005-06.
Commitment to the coach
Jackson said he recently met with Sessoms about his contract at DSU, which pays him $220,000 annually through the 2011-12 season. Jackson said he's seeking to add a year or two to the contract, although he conceded the school probably cannot afford to increase his salary much, if at all.
"Greg is at the ceiling for a school this size," DSU athletic director Chuck Bell said. "To get to the next level, you've got to address facilities. Our facilities put us at a disadvantage right now. That's our No. 1 objective."
Jackson said he remains open to offers to move elsewhere, but said it would be hard for him to leave the Hornets because it would be difficult for a school to offer him what he has at DSU.
Jackson said DSU has given him three full-time assistant coaches and a director of basketball operations, which is rare in a conference like the MEAC. He also receives a recruiting budget of $80,000, thought to be the MEAC's largest.
"I have a great contract," Jackson said. "I have no complaints. They've made a tremendous commitment to me. If they want to add something, that's in their hands."
