Date Posted: 11/6/2007

12 Days of A-Sun Basketball concludes with the Stetson Hatters. The Hatters lost just one player and return 12 letterwinners from last year’s team. Stetson began last year with an inexperienced team that combined for the fourth fewest number of Division I games started in the country (47).

Among those returners, sophomore center Tim Lang, will attempt to build on the second half of his freshman year when he averaged 8.3 PPG in his last 16 games after averaging just 2.6 PPG in his first 14 ballgames.

Head Coach Derek Waugh is the third-longest tenured D-I coach in the state, trailing only UCF’s Kirk Speraw (14 years) and Florida’s Billy Donovan (12). Coach Waugh has won the second-most conference games in school history. He needs five A-Sun wins to pass legendary coach Glenn Wilkes, who holds the mark with 64.

Coach Derek Waugh on the Hatters

Team Page

Roster

Schedule

2006-07 Statistics

SEASON PREVIEW - (Courtesy Stetson Media Relations)

The 2006-2007 Stetson Basketball season started with a tremendous amount of promise and ended with a tremendous amount of potential for the coming years. The rest of the season was a study in inconsistency, much of which can be attributed to the Hatters having the fourth youngest squad in Division I basketball. Stetson’s early pre-conference schedule is often one of the most challenging in the country. Despite playing predominantly on the road and against schools from BCS conferences, the Hatters showed great potential. In the team’s third game of the season, the Hatters held a halftime advantage over the University of Missouri out of the Big 12. Stetson’s closest game of the year came against the University of South Florida of the Big East. The Hatters led throughout the game and had a chance to win in regulation and overtime before falling in double overtime. The Big East remains the one conference that the Stetson program has not beaten. Finally, the Hatters jumped out 9-0 on the National Champion, University of Florida, before eventually falling to the talented Gators. The Kansas Jayhawks and the Hatters were the only teams that shot over 50% against the eventual national champions to that date. The final game of the season saw the Hatters with a lead over conference champion, East Tennessee State, on their home floor deep into the second half before finally succumbing to the senior-laden Buccaneers. With 11 of 12 scholarship players returning for this year, the Hatters look to return to the success of two years ago that saw them make the conference tournament semi-final and set numerous school records in the second half of the season.

“Last year certainly had some “almost” moments, but on the whole, we were not good enough defensively or mature enough to compete to our capability on a night to night basis,” says head coach Derek Waugh. “We will certainly miss Gabe and all that he brought to the table, but I am excited to have the most returning players in my tenure this year. Our first priority will be to get better defensively and on the boards. Accomplishing this will go a long way towards ensuring success. On the offensive end, we need to take care of the ball and improve our efficiency, especially in the backcourt.”

Last years one senior, Gabe McMillen, has moved on to play professionally in Spain. He finished his career as Steton’s all-time leader in games played and averaged 10.8 points per game during his senior campaign. Replacing McMillen at the point guard spot will be a pair of sophomores, Brandon Williams and Alvin “A.J.” Smith. A Miami product, Williams averaged 10 minutes per game last year coming off the bench at the lead guard spot. He had bright spots including going 3 for 3 from the 3 point arc in Stetson’s road win at North Florida. Coach Waugh will look for Williams to be more consistent with his shot and to make a marked improvement defensively. “Brandon was given a set of goals over the summer in terms of strength and physicality. He had as good a summer as anyone on the team, if not better, and I am proud of the way he has risen so far to the challenge that he was given,” says Waugh. “He can help us win by managing the game intelligently and consistently stopping dribble penetration on the defensive end. He is a very good spot up shooter, but we really need him to be an efficient distributor on the offensive end.”

Moving over to the point guard spot will be AJ Smith. Smith, a product of Cocoa High School, was 2007’s Florida’s 4A player of the year. Smith was a consistent defensive presence at his off-guard spot his freshman year, but his offensive play really took off in the second half of the conference season. Two of his more impressive feats were going a perfect 6 for 6 from the 3-point arc in Stetson’s home win against North Florida and pouring in 16 points against East Tennessee State in the conference tournament. “He was playing so well in the tournament, that I just did not feel comfortable taking him out of the game, even though he was a freshman,” says Waugh. Smith’s biggest challenge this year will be becoming a primary ball handler who will oftentimes be matched up against the opponent’s top offensive player. “I really have a great deal of confidence in A.J. He can get to the rim on just about anyone, he is unselfish and his shooting ability is a major weapon. If he has improved as much this summer as he did throughout last season, I think he can be one of the more surprising young players in our league,” says Waugh.

At the off-guard spot, the Hatters are also very young, but with another year under their belt, Kris Thomas and Mark Lohuis should be much better this year. Thomas, a junior out of Dunwoody High School in Atlanta, GA, is one of the Hatters quicker players. He averaged 9.7 ppg during his sophomore campaign after being a very capable backup for Anthony Register his freshman year. “Kris is a good shooter, but his strength offensively is that he is a good finisher. His biggest key on the offensive end is to limit his turnovers and stay within himself. His points per shot needs to come up this year to improve his efficiency. On the defensive end, he has showed flashes of brilliance, but he has the potential to be a consistent shut down defender on a good scorer” says Waugh. Thomas logged over 700 minutes last year which should aid in his development. Lohuis came to the Hatters from Vero Beach High School where he earned a reputation as one of the best shooters in the state of Florida. He did not disappoint in his freshman campaign. The 6’3 guard led the league in 3-point percentage during conference play, hitting over 50% of his shots from behind the arc. For the season, Lohuis shot 42% from 3 point land. Waugh adds, “Mark did not get off to a quick start, but the way he finished the season was very impressive and encouraging. He is one of those guys who shoots it and you assume it is going in. He is also one of the physically and mentally toughest players that we have.”

Shawn Bowen, one of two newcomers to the Hatters this year, should also make a strong contribution to the backcourt. Bowen hails from Montreal and played at Champlain College which is consistently one of the top programs in the area and sent four players to division I schools this year. Bowen is a 6’3 quick, versatile player who should help the Hatters at both ends of the floor. “What I like about Shawn is that his intangibles and effort can make a huge contribution in his team winning a game even if he is not doing it in a flashy way. He is a bit older and mature for a freshman and he is used to winning, I have no doubt that he will help us immediately,” says Waugh.

At the forward positions, the Hatters appear to be very strong. Garfield Blair, a native of Orlando, had a breakout sophomore season statistically. The junior averaged 13.2 points and 5.7 rebounds per game while shooting 50% from the floor. He led the team in points, rebounds and was second in assists while playing 888 minutes on the season. “Garfield really made an improvement in his sophomore year and he continues to work hard so I see the same thing happening this year. He poses a match-up problem for most everyone we play because he is, in essence, a perimeter player who has the capability of posting up. I have all the confidence in the world in his offense; where he needs to step up is defensively. He was one of our best defenders as a freshman and he needs to get that mindset back. If he does, he could be an all-conference type performer,” says Waugh.

Joining Blair at the forward spots will be Eric Diaz, Sheldon Oliver, and Olivier Dupiton. Diaz, a junior from Miami, is coming off a season that was derailed by a number of nagging injuries including a broken nose that kept him out of five conference games and limited him for most of the conference season. Diaz was arguably the Hatters most effective offensive player in the early season. His performance in the John Thompson Classic earned him all-tournament honors and he came up very big in the Hatters first conference game of the season hitting two big 3 pointers in a home win over Kennesaw State. Diaz broke his nose in the road game at Mercer and his subsequent surgery hampered his development. For the season, Diaz averaged 6.8 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. “Eric really came out of the gates fast and I expect him to regain that form this year. His injuries really hurt us during the conference season as he was pretty much limited for the entire post-Christmas slate. He has the potential to be one of our best players,” says Waugh.

Oliver, another Orlando native, also had a very strong start to the 2006-07 season scoring a career high 15 points against the University of Florida, all in the second half. The 6’5 sophomore is probably the Hatters best pure post scorer who utilizes quickness and superior footwork to his advantage against taller players. His biggest key for improvement will be his ability to move out on the floor and guard quick players that can shoot. “Sheldon is another player who can give teams match-up problems because he is so crafty and quick in the post. Out of all of our freshman, I thought that he was the one who hit the freshman wall last year late in the season. With another year of growth and maturity, we look for him to be as good all year as he was in the earlier stages of his freshman campaign,” says Waugh.

Finally, Olivier Dupiton starts his first active year for the Stetson program after red-shirting his freshman year. Dupiton, another Montreal product, had microfracture knee surgery in the summer that sidelined him for the entire 2006-07 campaign. “He was very diligent with his rehab and I would say that he is getting closer and closer to his old self,” says Waugh. The 6’7 230lb Dupiton is one of the fastest players on the Hatter team and he is also one of the strongest. “I had very high hopes for Olivier last year, but unfortunately his injury kept him out of action. He has had to take over a year off of basketball and he is just now getting his timing back. Later in his career, I see him developing into a very versatile player who can really cause problems for opponents. For the time being, he needs to concentrate on the things which his physical abilities really allow him to do like running the floor, defending multiple spots and rebounding the heck out of the ball,” says Waugh.

Inside, the Hatters have more experience than probably any other position. Leading the way is senior J.J. Hirst. Hirst, the Hatters only senior, has been a spot starter over his entire career. The 6’8 forward from Okeechobee will be looking to have his most productive campaign as a senior. Last year, Hirst averaged 5.4 points and led the team shooting 43% from the 3 point arc for the season. “J.J. shot the ball well from the perimeter last year and we will look to take advantage of that this year as well. His biggest contribution, however, should be made on the defensive end. He is faster and quicker than most 6’8 players in our league and we will be counting on that. He must pick up his production on the boards during his senior year,” says Waugh. Hirst, who is one of the teams hardest workers and toughest competitors will be counted on for leadership as well.

Tim Lang also returns for the Hatters at the center spot. Lang, a 6’9 Australia product, really came on as the season progressed last year. He showed the ability to step out and shoot while also being a massive physical presence at 255lbs. His top two performances of the year came against all-conference player, Boomer Herndon of Belmont, including his scoring a career high 20 points at Belmont. “Tim really came on last year and I think he will really explode this year as he has a year of American college basketball under his belt. Once he gets his confidence going, he should be one of the better post players in our league. He also has gotten a lot stronger which should help immensely,” says Waugh. Collins Okafor also returns for the Hatters. Okafor averaged 3.2 points and 3.2 rebounds for the Hatters last year despite playing all year with a nagging back injury. The Clearwater transplant by way of Nigeria is a capable post scorer who is also a good passer. “Collins should finally be healthy by the time his season starts and this should help him immensely. I give him a lot of credit for playing as hard as he did last year considering how much pain he was in,” says Waugh. Further bolstering the Hatters frontline should be Graeme Radford another product of Victoria Australia. The 6’10 freshman averaged 15 points and 11 rebounds in the Big V youth league last year. He also led the league in blocked shots. Waugh adds, “Graeme is a very hard worker and has made huge strides the past year having seen him last summer and this fall. He is not physically as strong as he needs to be right now, but once he gets this, which he will, he can be a major contributor.”

The Schedule

This season’s schedule will again mark the most regular season games ever played by the Hatters. The pre-conference schedule is challenging. The Hatters again play the University of Florida, the University of Miami and Florida State University. In addition, the Hatters also play four more times in Daytona Beach with a road game at Bethune Cookman and three games in the first annual Glenn Wilkes Classic at the Ocean Center. The conference season this year is a bit different as the Hatters will go home and home with the southernmost teams in the conference including Mercer, Kennesaw State, Florida Gulf Coast, North Florida and Jacksonville. The Hatters play single contests against the rest of the conference.

“Our schedule this year has changed as we had to find more non-conference games than usual,” says Waugh. “We are very excited to play in the Glenn Wilkes Classic and we have traditionally been very competitive against BCS conference opponents so those games should be interesting as well. Overall, however, we are judged by how we play within the conference. If we can bottle up the bright spots we had last year and make that our consistent level of performance, we will be in good shape. With a more experienced team, we should be more capable of playing to our potential night in and night out.” Lipscomb will host the conference tournament in Nashville. This marks the fifth straight year that the tournament will be held in the state of Tennessee. “We would love to have the tournament closer to Florida, but we will obviously play the cards that we are dealt. Every year it seems as though we play our best basketball in the tournament and I hope that this year is no different. I feel that the league is sleeping on us right now considering the fact that we return more players than anyone else in the league. I hope this team takes that as an insult and responds accordingly,” says Waugh.

12 Days of A-Sun Basketball Schedule
Oct. 22 - Belmont
Oct. 23 - Campbell
Oct. 24 - ETSU
Oct. 25 - Florida Gulf Coast
Oct. 26 - Gardner-Webb
Oct. 29 - Jacksonville
Oct. 30 - Kennesaw State
Oct. 31 - Lipscomb
Nov. 1 - Mercer
Nov. 2 - UNF
Nov. 5 - USC Upstate
Nov. 6 - Stetson

Related Links:
 • Interview with Derek Waugh
 • Team Photo Gallery