— By Bill Cornwell
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Defending Conference USA tournament champion Marshall enters the season with high expectations as the Herd returns a solid core along with several promising newcomers.
Practices began Wednesday at the Cam Henderson Center.
This is the fifth Herd squad being led by alum and Mullens native Dan D’Antoni, who has gotten plenty of attention from being the brother of Houston Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni and bringing a similar offensive style to Marshall featuring plenty of 3-point shots and a fast-paced tempo.
D’Antoni was able to lead the full restoration of Herd hoops fortunes last March as Marshall defeated Western Kentucky for the C-USA tournament title before knocking off Wichita State in the opening round of the NCAA tournament.
The win over Wichita State was the first NCAA triumph for Marshall’s program in six tries. Marshall was then eliminated by West Virginia in the second round.
The Herd’s success is garnering some national attention, as Street and Smith’s College Basketball Preview has Marshall at No. 25 in its preseason Top 25.
The team will again be led by returning senior starters Jon Elmore and C.J. Burks.
Elmore, a Charleston native, tinkered with the idea of entering the NBA Draft before deciding to return to Huntington for his final season. He’s considered one of the nation’s top guards and NCAA.com’s Andy Katz includes him among the nation’s top 25 impactful seniors.
Elmore led Conference USA last season in scoring and assists per game and he was ninth nationally in both categories. He’s only 686 points shy of Marshall’s career scoring record, held by Skip Henderson, who played from 1984-1988.
Elmore’s also threatening the school records for assists, 3-point field goals and free throws.
He’s joined in the backcourt by Hedgesville native C.J. Burks, who averaged over 20 points per game last season.
Another West Virginian, Clarksburg’s Jarrod West, now a sophomore, hopes to increase his scoring this year while continuing to be a strong defender after a solid freshman season.
Senior Rondale Watson of Lewisburg could again be a key contributor off of the bench.
Six-foot-9 forward Jannson Williams and 6-7 forward Darius George are candidates to start in the front court.
Williams has a sound inside-outside game and battles on defense, while George uses quickness and athleticism to make plays in the paint.
The veterans are rounded out by junior forward Chistian Thieneman.
There are also plenty of new faces and they bring speed, athleticism and size.
Marshall’s hope for a true big man is 6-9 redshirt freshman Iran Bennett, whose playing time likely depends on conditioning as he’s listed at 350 pounds.
Also providing size and versatility are a pair of 6-10 junior college transfers, Mikel Beyers and Ante Sustic.
There are six freshman on the roster, including two high-flying central Ohioans in Taevion Kinsey and Cam Brooks-Harris and Mingo Central alum Jeremy Dillon, who is expected to bring some scoring punch off the bench.
Former Huntington St. Joe star DeAundra Murphy will join the Herd in December.
Rounding out the roster is Proctorville, Ohio guard Luke Thomas and Wilhelm von Arndt from Stockholm, Sweden.
After about a month of practice, D’Antoni will get to see his club in game action as Marshall hosts two Mountain East Conference teams for exhibitions — Glenville State on Oct. 28 and West Virginia Wesleyan on Nov. 1.
Marshall begins the regular season on Nov. 7 at Eastern Kentucky and the home opener is November 11 against Hofstra.