The Flames return to the home of their 2013 run to the Big South Tournament Championship at the HTC Center. Will their return trip be as successful? Find out in our Coastal Carolina Primer.
Ellis is 10th among active Division I winningest head coaches
1. Team introduction. The Chanticleers enter the game 11-9 overall and 4-2 in the Big South which puts them in a tie for first place in the Big South’s South Division. Coastal has won 4 of their past 5 games including their last 2 with wins over Presbyterian and Radford. Cliff Ellis is in his 7th season as head coach of the Chanticleers and sports a 124-84 overall record at CCU.
2. Offense. Coastal is the 4th best scoring offense in the Big South at 73.8 points per game. They shoot 44% from the field and 34.3% from 3-point range. Elijah Wilson and Josh Cameron combine to score over 30 points per game to lead the Chanticleers.
3. Defense. Cliff Ellis’ squad is the top in the Big South in field goal percentage defense as they hold their opponents to 40% shooting from the field. The Chanticleers rank 3rd in the conference, just behind Liberty, in scoring defense as their opponents score 69.2 points per game. Coastal is 2nd in the conference in rebounding margin, again just behind Liberty.
4. Player turnover. Coastal had to replace their top 2 scorers from a season ago in Anthony Raffa and Kierre Greenwood. Raffa led the team in scoring at 19.1 points per game while Greenwood scored 12.9 points per game and 4.1 assists.
5. Possible starters. A look at the likely starting line-up for the Chanticleers…
Guard: Warren Gillis (#0) – 6’3” 205 pound Junior – is averaging 12.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game.
Guard: Josh Cameron (#3) – 6’1″ 175 pound Junior – is averaging 14.6 points, 3 assists, and 2.1 rebounds per game. Cameron is averaging over 18 points per game in Big South play.
Elijah Wilson is one of the top freshman scorers in the country
Guard: Elijah Wilson (#22) – 6’4″ 205 pound Freshman – leads the team in scoring at 16.1 points per game and adds 3.8 rebounds per game.
Forward: Badou Diagne (#35) – 6’7″ 220 pound Sophomore – is averaging 5.4 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.
Center: El Hadji Ndieguene (#11) – 6’10″ 240 pound Senior – is averaging 5.8 points and 8.1 rebounds per game.
6. Key reserves. Some other key contributors…
Forward: Uros Ljeskovic (#13) – 6’8” 240 pound Sophomore– is averaging 4.4 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.
Forward: Michael Enanga (#12) – 6’6″ 215 pound Sophomore – is averaging 6.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.
7. Prediction. Perhaps the key to the game will be the rebounding battle. Liberty and Coastal rank 1st and 2nd in the conference in rebounding, respectively. The Chanticleers are just 1-5 in games this season where they have been outrebounded. Coastal’s frontline rotation will be enough to keep Liberty’s bigs at bay, while their superior guards control the game. Coastal 73 Liberty 67
