By: Sam Davidovich
Head Coach: Pat Skerry
Last season: 12-20 (CAA: 5-13) 9th place
Losses: G Four McGlynn, F Alex Gavrilovic, G Jonah Meredith, F Jamel Flash
Newcomers: G Jordan McNeil, G Deshaun Morman, F Dennis Tunstall, F Alex Thomas
The Towson Tigers will once again try to climb out of the CAA’s basement when they start their season against the La Salle Explorers on November 14th. In 2014-15, the Tigers accumulated a subpar 12-20 record, faring only 5-13 against teams within the conference, good for a ninth-place finish and first-round exit in the CAA Tournament to Elon.
One big addition for Towson this summer was bolstering their frontcourt with 6-9 forward Alex Thomas. Thomas played his high school ball at Hawthorne Christian Academy in New Jersey. He averaged 17.1 points, 12.3 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game as a senior. Tabbed as a versatile player who possesses a soft scoring touch and the ability to protect the basket on the defensive end, he will be looked upon to have an immediate impact in coach Pat Skerry’s rotation. Likewise, they added to their backcourt with Jordan McNeil, a 6-foot-5, 183-pound shooting guard from Mount St. Joseph’s who red-shirted his freshman season last year. McNeil was the team’s third-leading scorer as a junior in high school, coming off the bench to average more than 10 points as a sixth-man. He’s a long-limbed shooter with range, who also has some grit and toughness on the defensive end. Towson hopes these two incoming freshman can help put some points on the board while tightening up the team’s defense.
Unfortunately for the Tigers, they are losing their top scorer in Four McGlynn. The sweet-shooting guard averaged 12 points per game for the 276th ranked offense in the country. Luckily, they will be getting another year out of John Davis, the CAA’s leader in double-double’s last season (12), who averaged 11.8 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. Control of the boards proved to be crucial for Towson last year, with the team pulling in 39.3 per game, good for 11th in the nation.
Wake Forest transfer Arnaud William Adala Moto proves to be an interesting addition as well. The Cameroon native, who averaged 6.9 points and 5.2 rebounds for the Demon Deacon’s in his sophomore year, sat out last season due to NCAA transfer regulations and will bring some major Division 1 experience to a team with just one senior and four juniors.
Also crucial will be the development of sophomores Byron Hawkins and Mike Morsell. Primarily used as role-players in their freshman seasons, the two Fort Washington, Maryland natives will be expected to take a leap forward, and establish a more prominent role this season.
Bottom Line: Skerry’s squad will be an interesting bunch this season. Coming off a disappointing year he has added both proven and unproven talent, and it will be a matter of meshing if his team wants to experience any success this season. The Tigers, while they should certainly be competitive, are likely a year away from a big bump in the standings.