2014–15 VMI Keydets basketball team

2014–15 VMI Keydets men's basketball
ConferenceSouthern Conference
Record11–19 (7–11 SoCon)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Daniel Willis (10th season)
  • Ryan Mattocks (3rd season)
  • Ben Thompson (1st season)
Home arenaCameron Hall
Seasons
2014–15 Southern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Wofford 16 2   .889 28 7   .800
Chattanooga 15 3   .833 22 10   .688
Mercer 12 6   .667 19 16   .543
Western Carolina 9 9   .500 15 17   .469
East Tennessee State 8 10   .444 16 14   .533
VMI 7 11   .389 11 19   .367
Samford 6 12   .333 13 19   .406
The Citadel 6 12   .333 11 19   .367
UNC Greensboro 6 12   .333 11 22   .333
Furman 5 13   .278 11 22   .333
2015 SoCon Tournament winner

The 2014–15 VMI Keydets basketball team represented the Virginia Military Institute in the 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Keydets were led by tenth-year head coach Duggar Baucom and played their home games out of Cameron Hall, their home since 1981. VMI rejoined the Southern Conference after an eleven-year absence, having been a member of the Big South from 2003 to 2014. VMI was a member of the SoCon from 1924 until 2003. They finished the season 11–19, 7–11 in SoCon play to finish in sixth place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the SoCon tournament to Mercer.

On March 28, head coach Duggar Baucom resigned to take the same position at The Citadel. He finished with a record of 151–159 in ten seasons.

Preseason

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Departures

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VMI graduated three seniors in 2014, including two of their top scorers, guard Rodney Glasgow and center D. J. Covington. Additionally, on October 29, 2014, head coach Duggar Baucom announced that brothers Ot and Jon Elmore would be withdrawing from the team as well as VMI.[1] Ot was an academic sophomore who was redshirted in 2013–14 and did not appear in a game. Jon was a highly sought-after freshman. Their father, Gay Elmore, who once played at VMI and is currently second on the school's all-time point-scoring list, said in a statement to The Charleston Gazette that the brothers left the school because of a "personal family matter".[2]

Later in the year, shortly following a 63–75 road loss to UNC Greensboro, it was announced that VMI guard and leading scorer QJ Peterson was placed on a medical furlough and would not be attending VMI for the remainder of the academic year.[3] Peterson ended the season averaging 19.6 points per game, but did so on only 34% overall shooting and 27% from the three-point line.

Name Position Class Reason
Rodney Glasgow PG Sr. Graduated
D. J. Covington C Sr. Graduated
Drew Absher PG Sr. Graduated
Ot Elmore G R–Fr. Left school, personal reasons
Jon Elmore G Fr. Left school, personal reasons

Coaching changes

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On May 22, 2014, it was announced that VMI hired Ben Thompson as an assistant coach to the program.[4] Thompson came from UNC Pembroke as an assistant and part of a Brave team that made back-to-back winning seasons from 2011 to 2013, the first time in over twenty years the school had accomplished that feat. He is a 2006 graduate of Virginia Tech. Thompson replaced longtime VMI assistant Jason Allison, who had been with the team since Baucom began coaching in 2005. Allison departed for an assistant coaching job with Appalachian State.

Recruiting

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College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Jon Elmore
PG
Charleston, WV Christ School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Oct 19, 2013 
Star ratings: RivalsN/A   247Sports:2/5 stars
Armani Branch
SF
Hampton, VA Genesis Academy 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 172 lb (78 kg) Jan 22, 2014 
Star ratings: RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A
Fred Iruafemi
C
Apex, NC Middle Creek High School 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Apr 29, 2014 
Star ratings: RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "ESPN – VMI Basketball Recruiting 2014". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
  • "2014 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 2, 2014.

Roster

[edit]
2014–15 VMI Keydets men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 2 Niles Tate (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr Thomas Dale Chesterfield, VA
G 3 Brian Brown 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sr Kings Mountain Kings Mountain, NC
G 4 Christian Burton 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Sr Kellam Virginia Beach, VA
G 12 Michael Donovan (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sr Western Branch Chesapeake, VA
F 21 Armani Branch (S) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 172 lb (78 kg) Fr Genesis Academy Hampton, VA
C 5 Fred Iruafemi 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Middle Creek Apex, NC
F 15 Trey Chapman 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) So Wesleyan Christian Greensboro, NC
G 22 QJ Peterson Injured 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) So Hedgesville/Massanutten Hedgesville, WV
G 23 Tim Marshall 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr Landstown Virginia Beach, VA
F 25 Craig Hinton 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 195 lb (88 kg) So East Forsyth Winston-Salem, NC
F 31 Tyrell Mason 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) So Mountain View Stafford, VA
F 32 Phillip Anglade 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr Davidson Day Long Island, NY
C 34 Jarid Watson 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Sr Springbrook Burtonsville, MD
G 35 Julian Eleby 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So Village Christian/Fork Union Fayetteville, NC
F 40 Jordan Weethee 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) RS Jr High Point Christian Greensboro, NC
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Depth chart

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Pos. Starting 5 Bench 1 Bench 2
F/C Phillip Anglade Jarid Watson Fred Iruafemi
F Jordan Weethee Craig Hinton Armani Branch
G/F Tim Marshall Trey Chapman Tyrell Mason
G Brian Brown Michael Donovan Niles Tate
PG Julian Eleby Christian Burton

Schedule

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Date
time, TV
Opponent Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Regular Season
November 14*
5:30 pm
vs. The Citadel
All-Military Classic
W 66–65  1–0
Christl Arena (1,597)
West Point, NY
November 15*
8:00 pm
at Army
All-Military Classic
L 86–92  1–1
Christl Arena (1,060)
West Point, NY
November 18*
7:00 pm
Johnson University W 124–42  2–1
Cameron Hall (884)
Lexington, VA
November 22*
7:00 pm
UNC Wilmington L 93–110  2–2
Cameron Hall (1,897)
Lexington, VA
November 26*
7:00 pm, ROOT
vs. No. 21 West Virginia L 72–103  2–3
Charleston Civic Center (8,102)
Charleston, WV
November 30*
6:00 pm, ESPN3
at Maryland L 77–95  2–4
Xfinity Center (8,896)
College Park, MD
December 2*
7:00 pm
Mid-Atlantic Christian W 133–62  3–4
Cameron Hall (1,072)
Lexington, VA
December 4
7:00 pm
at Samford W 88–66  4–4 (1–0)
Pete Hanna Center (921)
Homewood, AL
December 6
4:00 pm, ESPN3
at Mercer L 81–90  4–5 (1–1)
Hawkins Arena (2,327)
Macon, GA
December 9*
7:00 pm
at Navy L 66–84  4–6
Alumni Hall (578)
Annapolis, MD
December 13*
1:00 pm
Marist W 92–77  5–6
Cameron Hall (1,048)
Lexington, VA
December 22*
7:00 pm, ESPN3
at Virginia Tech L 74–87  5–7
Cassell Coliseum (5,326)
Blacksburg, VA
December 30*
7:00 pm
at George Washington L 60–80  5–8
Charles E. Smith Center (2,828)
Washington, D.C.
January 2
7:00 pm
at East Tennessee State L 88–98  5–9 (1–2)
Freedom Hall Civic Center (2,373)
Johnson City, TN
January 5
7:00 pm
Mercer L 75–85  5–10 (1–3)
Cameron Hall (977)
Lexington, VA
January 8
7:00 pm
at Wofford L 70–75  5–11 (1–4)
Benjamin Johnson Arena (1,970)
Spartanburg, SC
January 10
4:00 pm
at Furman W 83–73  6–11 (2–4)
Timmons Arena (1,701)
Greenville, SC
January 14
7:00 pm
at UNC Greensboro L 63–75  6–12 (2–5)
Greensboro Coliseum (1,986)
Greensboro, NC
January 17
1:00 pm
East Tennessee State W 85–79  7–12 (3–5)
Cameron Hall (2,581)
Lexington, VA
January 22
7:00 pm
at Chattanooga L 64–86  7–13 (3–6)
McKenzie Arena (3,190)
Chattanooga, TN
January 24
1:00 pm
The Citadel W 85–75  8–13 (4–6)
Cameron Hall (2,641)
Lexington, VA
January 29
7:00 pm
Western Carolina L 70–85  8–14 (4–7)
Cameron Hall (1,404)
Lexington, VA
February 3
8:00 pm, ASN
UNC Greensboro L 56–85  8–15 (4–8)
Cameron Hall (1,690)
Lexington, VA
February 7
1:00 pm
Wofford L 62–65  8–16 (4–9)
Cameron Hall (2,067)
Lexington, VA
February 12
7:00 pm
Furman W 93–59  9–16 (5–9)
Cameron Hall (1,078)
Lexington, VA
February 15
5:30 pm, ASN
at The Citadel W 84–69  10–16 (6–9)
McAlister Field House (4,248)
Charleston, SC
February 21
4:30 pm, ESPN3
at Western Carolina W 113–111 2OT 11–16 (7–9)
Ramsey Center (3,060)
Cullowhee, NC
February 26
7:00 pm
Chattanooga L 82–86 2OT 11–17 (7–10)
Cameron Hall (1,127)
Lexington, VA
February 28
1:00 pm
Samford L 69–80  11–18 (7–11)
Cameron Hall (2,536)
Lexington, VA
SoCon tournament
March 7*
8:30 pm, ESPN3
vs. Mercer
Quarterfinals
L 61–89  11–19
U.S. Cellular Center (3,544)
Asheville, NC
*Non-conference game. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

[5]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "VMI Basketball Announces Roster Changes". VMIKeydets.com. October 29, 2014. Retrieved October 31, 2014.
  2. ^ Vingle, Mitch (October 28, 2014). "Elmores leave VMI". The Charleston Gazette. Retrieved October 31, 2014.
  3. ^ "Basketball Rallies Past ETSU for 85-79 SoCon Win". VMIKeydets.com. January 17, 2015. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  4. ^ "Thompson Joins VMI Basketball Coaching Staff". VMIKeydets.com. May 22, 2014.
  5. ^ 2014–15 VMI Basketball Schedule