Stetson
2017-18 record: 12-20, 4-10 in the Atlantic Sun
Head coach: Corey Williams
Tenure at Stetson: 6th season
Career coaching record: 51-108
Home court: Edmunds Center
Starters: G Kenny Aninye, G Christiaan Jones, G/F Leo Goodman, G/F Keith Matthews, F/C Abayomi Iyiola
Bench: G Marques Sumner, F Ricardo Lynch, F Ricky Gouety, C Adam Webb
Overview: It is almost definitely going to be a rebuilding year in DeLand, Fla. this season. Last season, despite winning just 12 games, the Hatters boasted a starting lineup composed of mostly seniors, as this year’s projected starters have a combined nine games of starting experience, eight of them by sophomore Abayomi Iyiola. Iyiola, a member of the Atlantic Sun’s All-Freshman squad, will need to carry the inexperienced team as the only returning player who saw an average of more than 15 minutes a night on the court a season ago.
Stetson will surround Iyiola with a trio of shooters in senior Leo Goodman and sophomores Kenny Aninye and Christiaan Jones. The three guards each canned at least 35 percent of their respective three-point attempts and will need to up their shooting outputs—the trio combined for just 175 shots from beyond the arc last season, less than its leading 3-point shooter, Luke Doyle.
With tough nonconference matchups at Southern California and Duke, the Hatters seem poised to be on the receiving end of a few blowouts this season. But if the team can take a step forward toward the middle of the Atlantic Sun this year, that would be considered a success in head coach Corey Williams’ sixth year on the bench.
One thing that needs to go right: Iyiola blossoms into a go-to scorer in his second season, giving the team excitement heading into next season.
One thing that could go wrong: Nobody takes a step forward, and the Hatters are left dumbfounded as they struggle to reach double-digit wins.
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