High Point Panthers
Big South (16-14, 12-4)
With six straight wins to end the regular season, High Point came out on top in a thrilling race for the Big South title. The Panthers tallied just four non-conference wins and two of them were not against Division I teams, so this team still has a lot to prove outside of the Big South, but they are riding high at the moment.
Big Wins: 11/20 at William & Mary (80-69), 1/25 North Carolina-Asheville (78-67), 2/1 Winthrop (65-64)
Bad Losses: 12/14 James Madison (69-84), 1/10 Radford (72-81), 2/8 at Gardner-Webb (76-80)
Coach: Scott Cherry (5 seasons at High Point)
Why They Can Surprise:
A big reason for High Point’s success in January and February has been the development of their freshmen guards. Jorge Perez-Laham leads the team in assists and has seen his minutes increase as the season has progressed. This is a team that shares the ball extremely well and Perez-Laham is a big reason for that. Anthony Lindauer, like Perez-Laham, will not score much, but he can spark the offense with his outside shooting ability. For now, Perez-Laham and Lindauer will cede a bulk of the scoring to Devante Wallace and John Brown. Wallace, a 6-5 guard, was a bench player last year, but his amazing outside shooting has propelled the Panthers to the top of the league. Wallace gets plenty of open looks while the opposition worries about Brown in the paint. The 6-8 sophomore averages 19.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.7 blocks per contest. The offense works through Brown and he has been the leader for High Point.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Unfortunately, Brown can be shut down by stronger opponents. He is a strong player, but lacks the size to be his usual offensive force when going up against top level competition. High Point played three games against major conference teams and Brown’s worst showings of the year came against Georgetown, Syracuse and Arkansas. He failed to reach double figures in the scoring column in those three losses. He reached double figures in every other game.
Probable Starters:
Jorge Perez-Laham, Freshman, Guard, 3.8 ppg, 3.3 apg
Devante Wallace, Junior, Guard, 12.4 ppg, 1.2 apg
Anthony Lindauer, Freshman, Guard, 4.4 ppg, 1.0 apg
Lorenzo Cugini, Sophomore, Forward, 7.8 ppg, 3.9 rpg
John Brown, Sophomore, Forward, 19.5 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 1.7 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Derrell Edwards, Senior, Guard, 3.4 ppg, 1.5 apg
Dejuan McGaughy, Senior, Guard, 4.8 ppg, 2.2 apg
Haiishen McIntyre, Sophomore, Guard, 3.0 ppg, 1.1 apg
Adam Weary, Sophomore, Guard, 11.9 ppg, 2.0 apg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 70.7 (193rd in nation, 8th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 72.2 (235, 6)
Field-Goal Percentage: 47.3 (35, 2)
Field-Goal Defense: 46.6 (302, 10)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.8 (213, 9)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 38.1 (44, 3)
Free-Throw Percentage: 73.5 (46, 2)
Rebound Margin: -0.9 (227, 8)
Assists Per Game: 14.6 (58, 2)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.0 (146, 4)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2013 CIT First Round loss to UC Irvine
*all team stats through 3/9
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
