Mid-major Basketball: Early Central Arkansas Basketball 2020-21 preview

Preview of Central Arkansas backcourt

Outside of Jones and Bergersen, there is not a lot of depth in the backcourt. It’s a good place to start, though, as the two paired to become the top-ranked assist man and the fourth-best scorer in the Southland conference respectively. However, their offense was not the problem last season.

The real issue for the Central Arkansas guards is that they could not defend. Both Jones and Bergersen were well below the conference average in points given up per 100 possessions and the Bears defense was second to last in the Southland in steals in 19-20. They will have to improve on both fronts to realize the expectations that they began last season with.

Joining Jones and Bergersen in the backcourt is 6’7 wing Jaxson Baker (7.1 Pts, 3.4 Reb, 0.9 Ast). Baker, a redshirt sophomore, is a former 3-star recruit with loads of upside given his size and his ability to guard multiple positions. If he can make strides on the defensive end Central Arkansas’s metrics on that side of the ball should vastly improve in 2020-21.

Jones, Bergersen, and Baker were the only guards on the roster a season ago that played more than 15 minutes a game in Conway which is where the depth concern comes into play. However, Collin Cooper (3.0 Pts, 1.2 Reb, 1.4 Ast) started seven games at the point in his freshman season in place of an injured Jones, preparing him for what will be an expanded role in the upcoming campaign. If Coach Anthony Boone can find the right ways to work Cooper into the rotation it will be a welcome sign for the defense as well. Cooper was second on the team in steals per 40 minutes last year, and more time on the floor for him will take a lot of pressure off Jones, the only “true guard” (smaller than 6’6) that saw major playing time in 19-20.

Khaleem Bennett, a prized recruit in 2018 will also take the pressure off of Jones. He redshirted last season due to offseason surgery after scoring 6.5 points per game in his freshman campaign. If he can return to the form of his first season where started 26 contests, it will be a huge boost to the backcourt

What’s the bottom line for this backcourt? Well, the guards are going to put up points and the Jones-Bergersen combination is arguably the most prolific offensive 1-2 punches in the conference. On the other side of the coin, Central Arkansas gave up the third-most points in all of college basketball a season ago, and much of that was to other guards. If the backcourt defense can improve even a little bit, the Bears have enough offense to contend for a conference title.