Big South basketball coaches, media like what they see of Winthrop men’s, women’s teams

Winthrop Coliseum might be a fun place to hang out again this winter.

That’s the takeaway from Tuesday’s Big South Conference preseason basketball media day.

The Winthrop men’s basketball team was a solid No. 2 pick in the Big South Conference this season, according to a poll of the league’s coaches and media members.

And the Winthrop women’s team, which has not been a contender in recent seasons, was picked by Big South women’s coaches to finish fourth.

“There is a lot of promise with this team,” Winthrop men’s coach Mark Prosser said Tuesday, during the Big South’s annual basketball media day in Charlotte.

High Point is the overwhelming Big South men’s favorite, and none of the conference’s coaches were willing to take exception to that prediction Tuesday.

The Panthers won a school record 27 games last season, finished second in the postseason College Basketball Invitational, and return four starters and eight letter-winners. Head coach Alan Huss is considered one of the bright young forces in college basketball.

Winthrop was an overwhelming No. 2 pick, with 15 of the 18 voters tabbing the Eagles to finish somewhere in the top three spots.

Eagles’ fans have been waiting for a return of the good old days. Gregg Marshall coached Winthrop to four straight NCAA Tournament appearances from 2005-08. The Pat Kelsey-coached teams won 20 or more games three straight seasons, including a 23-2 mark in the 2020-21 campaign that ended with an NCAA loss to Villanova.

While Winthrop has finished 32-32 the last two seasons, there is plenty of hope for better times this winter.

The top four scorers from last season return, led by preseason all-Big South first-teamer Kelton Talford, a 6-7 senior from Great Falls.

Talford considered transferring in the offseason but decided to return to Rock Hill.

“Obviously, we’re quite fortunate to have this guy back,” Prosser said. “He’s a huge part of what we’ve done, and he’s a huge part of what we hope to do this season.”

Talford led the team in scoring (14.1 points a game) and rebounds (5.7) and shot 62% from the floor last season.

He’ll be joined by 6-7 senior K.J. Doucet, who was named Tuesday to the preseason all-Big South second team; 6-2 senior Kasen Harrison; and 6-4 graduate student Nick Johnson. All of them averaged in double figures scoring last season.

Add in 6-1 guard Isaiah Wilson, who started six of the first seven games a year ago before suffering a season-ending injury, and a couple of promising transfers, and you have the makings of a Big South championship contender.

“We don’t take for granted that we have four double-figures scorers coming back,” Prosser said. “In this day and age, I don’t know how many programs have four double-figures scorers returning.”

Winthrop wasn’t that far away from being a contender last season. The Eagles’ 17-15 record included seven losses of six points or less, including a 67-61 setback to Florida State.

“We’re just anxious to get started,” Prosser said.

There’s another key addition to the program, with Monty Sanders coming aboard as associated head coach.

Sanders worked with Prosser at Western Carolina and was on the staff in 2019-20 that saw the Catamounts make a one-season improvement of 12 victories over the previous year.

“He possesses a wealth of experience,” Prosser said. “He is a wonderful teacher of the game of basketball.”

Winthrop opens its season Nov. 4 at home against Piedmont College. The Eagles face four Power 5 opponents this season — Virginia Tech (Nov. 11), Louisville (Nov. 22), Florida State (Dec. 17), and Indiana (Dec. 29). All four of those games will be on the road.

The Louisville contest will carry special meaning, as Kelsey is the Cardinals’ head coach.

High hopes for women

To put the fourth-place prediction for the Winthrop women in context, consider the preseason polls the past two seasons. The Eagles were picked two years ago to finish ninth of 10 teams. Last year, they were picked seventh.

Lay’s rebuilding project started slow, with a 6-24 record three years ago and then 8-22 in the 2022-23 campaign. But the Eagles improved to 14-16 last season, including 8-8 in the Big South.

This year, their hopes are bolstered by a pair of preseason all-Big South selections in guard Jada Ryce and forward Marissa Gasaway.

Ryce, a first-team selection, scored in double figures 18 times last season and was fourth in the Big South in steals and eighth in assists. Gasaway, picked for the second team, had 10 double-doubles and led the conference in rebounds a year ago.

The women’s team opens its season Nov. 4 at Georgia Tech. The Eagles also travel to Wake Forest (Nov. 17) and Tennessee (Dec. 29) before opening Big South play.

High Point was the Big South preseason pick for first place, with Radford second and Charleston Southern third.