SOUTHERN JAGUARS
Coach: Rob Spivery | Record: 20-12
Overview:
In his first season Rob Spivery did was he has
always done --- turn a program around. After taking
Alabama State to the NCAA tournament on two
occasions, Spivery turned things around at Southern
and won both the regular season and conference
tournament titles. They have good size and play very
well together. They enter the tournament winners of
six straight and ten of their last eleven.
Possible Difference Maker: Senior guard Chris
Alexander makes them go. He averages nearly 16
points, but his real value is on-the-court
leadership. He makes the other four on the floor
much better. Sophomore Ralph Hishaw is a star in the
making. He’s a 6-foot-8 point forward. He can really
handle the basketball.
On Offense: They will look to run first. If
that isn’t there they will run motion in the
halfcourt. They will run the high-low out of that
motion and they run it effectively. At 6-foot-6
Deforrest Riley-Smith is a matchup problem because
of his ability to hit the three.
On Defense: They are primarily a man-to-man
team, but they will change it up with an occasional
zone-look.
Strength: Rebounding is their forte. They
really hit the boards hard. 6-foot-9 Jerrid Campbell
can bang with anyone and Peter Cipriano is a very
athletic 6-foot-8 forward.
Weakness: Overall they are pretty solid.
Inexperience, in that they lack NCAA tournament
experience, might be their one shortcoming. But
that’s a reach.
Key to Success: They love to play a
fast-paced tempo. They will take the first good look
and then hit the glass. They get a lot of points on
put-backs. If they rebound they will hurt you with
those second-chance opportunities.
How to Beat Them: You must keep them off the
glass. They are going to run regardless, but you
want to limit them to one shot per trip.
