After a long offseason of coaching changes and transfer portal additions, Samford basketball is back. Head Coach Lennie Acuff is here coming off a March Madness appearance with Lipscomb University and brings with him a whole team of players to rep the red and navy.
So, who are the new players? How does Samford stack up in the Southern Conference (SoCon) and what else can fans expect from the Men’s basketball team this year?
Projected Starters
Of the 15-man roster on the team only two played for Samford last year. Three freshmen committed to Samford after the acquisition of Acuff and the rest of the roster was made from the transfer portal. Only one coming from Acuff’s Lipscomb squad, however. Who can fans expect to see on the court at tip off?
Jadin Booth (graduate student) transferred from Division II Florida Southern College (FSC) where he finished tenth in all time points for the program. By the end of his time at FSC, he was averaging over 20 ppg while being named for many all-conference honors. Booth also has been named preseason all-conference for the SoCon.
Keaton Norris (redshirt senior) has come in from Wright State. Last year he averaged over 30 minutes per game 44.48% from the three-point line.
Zion Wilburn (sophomore) is one of the two bulldogs who returned from McMillan’s squad. Last year he played 20 games but was only able to play five minutes per game. In high school he was a three-star product who will look to use this opportunity to step up. During an exhibition game against Alabama A&M, he was able to get five rebounds in 19 minutes of play.
Dylan Faulkner (Junior) is the lone Lipscomb player to come with Acuff. Before going down with an injury, he was averaging 10.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game. In the exhibition game, he led the team in scoring and rebounds with 15 points and 6 rebounds. Faulkner is the second Samford player named to the Preseason All-Conference team.
Judson Bjornstad (sophomore) transferred from Union University. Gulf South Conference Freshman of the Year Bjornstad averaged 9 points per game and 5 rebounds per game.
Coach Acuff expects to go deep on the bench as well. “We’ll probably play 10 guys to start with,” Acuff said in a press conference before Dog’s after Dark. “We will settle into seven or eight guys when we get to conference play.”
Expect guys like Jaxon Pollard, Kam Martin and Isaiah Campbell-Finch to be some of the key contributors off the bench
The SoCon
The SoCon continues to learn in this changing environment of college basketball where teams rise and fall at the mercy of the transfer portal. This year is no different, so how does Samford stack up?
Samford has been picked to finish third in the preseason coaches’ poll. Behind Chattanooga first with Furman right behind them. Only one point behind Samford is Eastern Tennessee State University.
Chattanooga will be the team to beat in the SoCon. Coming off a championship in the National Invitation Tournament and a regular season championship should prove to be a tough challenge for the Bulldogs. Three players on their team are preseason all-conference, the most of any team, including Jikari Johnson, Tedy Washington Jr. And Collin Mulholland. Samford will have their work cut out for them when they play the Mocs on national TV Jan. 24.
Contrary to the rest of the conference, Furman was able to bring in seven players from last season. Cooper Bowser, Tom House and Eddrin Bronson are all names to look out for on Head Coach Bob Richey’s squad as Furman looks to reclaim the SoCon title and return to the NCAA tournament.
ETSU will look much different than the team Samford played for a year ago, losing 11 guys to the transfer portal. Head Coach Brook Savage was able to reload the team but lost a lot of height and size, so expect the Buccaneers to be much faster and elusive this season.
Another team in the SoCon to look for includes VMI with the Preseason Player of the Year Ricky Bradley Jr.
It is a new era of Samford basketball and only time will tell what it will bring.
Sports Editor
