NCAA Basketball: An early look at the 2018 Myrtle Beach Invitational
Saint Joseph’s Hawks
The Hawks finished at 16-16 but with a 10-8 conference record, they earned the fourth seed in the Atlantic 10 tournament. Phil Martelli’s team lost a heartbreaker to Rhode Island in the semifinals, 90-87. The Hawks do return 6-9 forward Taylor Funk who scored 10 points and nearly five rebounds per game as a freshman. They also return all of their depth as they try to replace leading scorers Shavar Newkirk and James Demery, both of whom graduated.
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The biggest returnee though could be junior guard Lamarr Kimble who scored over 15 points, four assists, and four rebounds as a sophomore, despite missing the last seven games of the season with a broken foot. Kimble broke the same bone in the first game last season and surgery cost him the entire season. As insurance Martelli did land Jared Bynum, a 5-8 point guard from Maryland who could see minutes if Kimble is unable to stay on the floor.
Central Florida Golden Knights
The Knights could be a trendy pick to win the American Athletic Conference this season after finishing at 19-13 overall and 9-9 in the conference. One of the reasons why is, head coach Johnny Dawkins returns eight of the 10 players who averaged double-digit minutes for the team last season.
Another reason is the return of All-Conference candidates, guard B.J. Taylor who averaged 15.9 points and 3.2 assists despite missing 16 of the first 17 games with a foot injury, and 7-6 big man Tacko Fall who averaged 11 points and seven rebounds. The Knights will have to replace 2nd leading scorer A.J. Davis who graduated but 6-8 Collin Smith, who is eligible after transferring from George Washington could step into that role and sophomore Myles Douglas could see an uptick in his playing time.