College Hoops Top 50

Last Year: 20-13; 11-7, Fifth in the American Athletic Conference, lost in the first round of the NIT

Head Coach: Andy Enfield (First Year; had been 220-147 in 11 years at Southern Cal, with five NCAA Tournament appearances)

Projected Starting Lineup

PG Kevin ‘Boopie’ Miller – 6’0″, 175 Junior

G Chuck Harris – 6’4″, 190 5th-year Senior

G Kario Oquendo – 6’4″, 220 Senior

F Matt Cross – 6’7″, 230 5th-year Senior

F/C Yohan Traoré – 6’11”, 235 Junior

Experienced Reserves

G BJ Edwards, Jr – 6’3″, 185 Junior

G AJ George – 6’6″, 190 Junior

F Tibet Görener – 6’9″, 205 5th-year Senior

F Keon Ambrose-Hylton – 6’9″, 220 5th-year Senior

F/C Jerrell Colbert – 6’10”, 235 Junior

Freshmen

W Chance Puryear – 6’7″, 190

F/C Mitchell Holmes – 6’11”, 215

C Samet Yiğitoğlu – 7’2″, 265 – Consensus Top 100 recruit

One of the more valuable things one learns over the course of one’s life is that sometimes, when it’s time to go, well…GO. Southern Methodist University seems to understand. So does their new head coach. 

It’s not a time in college sports for worrying about optics – for a great many, it’s ‘get what you can get while you can get it’ time. Which is an approach that doesn’t always win friendships, but it can be very profitable. For the Mustangs and the coach they brought in this year, former Southern Cal boss Andy Enfield, dealing with the noise was worth striking while the iron was hot. SMU has moved to the brand-name Atlantic Coast Conference, and needed a brand-name coach to legitimize their arrival. So the Mustangs booted out Rob Lanier on the heels of a 10-win improvement in the standings, brought aboard Enfield, and flung open the hefty coffers that have been well-stocked in University Park, TX. 

Back in SoCal, Enfield’s seat had been getting warm, so his slide to the Lone Star State was probably a savvy one. In the Metroplex, Enfield is starting fresh and there is tremendous enthusiasm surrounding both his arrival and the school’s move to the ACC. Will it pay off with as many wins as dollars? 

Enfield and his staff have set about molding and tweaking SMU’s roster following quite a few departures, and there is clearly talent to work with. A lack of talent was rarely an issue for Enfield at USC; the discord stemmed more from a feeling that the available talent wasn’t being utilized correctly or was not being improved to its full potential. With the veterans he’s brought in, Enfield won’t be teaching anyone how to put up numbers. Putting up big victories and climbing the standings in a league studded with blue bloods, though, will be a horse of a different color. 

There are plenty of proven guards on hand for Enfield’s debut, and two of them were prominent pieces of last year’s Mustang team. In their first seasons at SMU, both Chuck Harris and BJ Edwards played some of the best basketball of their careers, and now they’ve returned to guide a host of newcomers.

For Harris, the fact that last year was his most consistent campaign made it his best. After three productive but not completely fulfilling seasons at Butler, Harris began to put it all together for the Mustangs last winter. Paired up with Zhuric Phelps and Edwards as co-playmakers, Harris played to his strengths and posted a host of career-bests. His deep jumper, which had come and gone throughout his time in Indiana, steadied, and Harris became a viable threat by hitting 68 triples at a terrific 40.7% rate. The guard from Washington, DC, also embraced his playmaking skills like never before, and Harris became less a scoring guard who could run some point and more a steady veteran who is comfortable as a primary distributor. A pure jump shooter, Harris can get closer to the rim but is at his best hunting shots on the perimeter, and if he continues to scorch the nets from downtown, the other Mustangs will have room to roam. 

As if one quality veteran point guard wasn’t enough, Enfield brought in Kevin ‘Boopie’ Miller from Wake Forest. Over the past three years, Miller has won the Mid-American Conference’s Freshman of the Year award, redshirted his second season due to an injury, and then reaffirmed his tremendous skills with a huge year for the Demon Deacons. An energetic ballhandler and talented passer, Miller makes things happen all over the floor. 

There isn’t much that can stop Miller from getting where he wants to go on the floor, and he tends to get where he’s going in a hurry. He’s bold off the bounce and Miller loves to show off his full array of jump-stops, fakes, quick spins and fallaways to free up space on his way into the paint. He doesn’t have to convert at the rim in order to be effective, as Miller’s mixture of runners, floaters and tough-angle short jumpers get the job done. A strong 42.7% career shooter from mid-range, Miller was at his best despite the jump up to the ACC last year, sinking 45.9% of those tries at Wake. Miller also turned the free throw line into a real weapon. His comfort level and daring attacking with his dribble are a recipe for free points, and Miller cashed in the fifth-most free throws in the ACC last year. Playing with other established facilitators, Miller should be able to pick his spots more than ever, keeping the ball moving swiftly and smoothly from one scoring opportunity to the next.

There isn’t much that can stop Miller from getting where he wants to go on the floor, and he tends to get where he’s going in a hurry

With Edwards back as a third natural ballhandler and strong passer, SMU should be able to run a fairly clean offense. The former Top 100 recruit is bigger than his counterparts, and Edwards can take on some tougher defensive assignments effectively. He barely played as a rookie at Tennessee, but Edwards found his role last year as a reliable distributor and abrasive presence guarding other perimeter players. He’s also quite sticky-fingered, and Edwards will spark the Mustangs in transition and find guys after pilfering the ball. This season, the clear objective for Edwards is to become a decent shooter that defenses can’t just sag off of. He made just 33.3% of his mid-range tries, per Bart Torvik, and Edwards sank only ten three-pointers all year. If Edwards can force opponents to close out on him like they mean it, he’ll become a great deal more valuable in the halfcourt. 

Veteran guards Kario Oquendo and AJ George are a pair of proven perimeter scorers. Each can pass the rock and shoot it some, but George and Oquendo are more naturally dribble-drive scorers. Enfield’s hope is that they will give the Mustangs different ways to counter a variety of opposing lineups, and that their approaches will allow him to find mismatches as situations allow. 

Following a couple of productive but not particularly efficient years at Georgia, Oquendo played for Oregon last year. His usage rate fell from 28% with the Dawgs to just over 20% last year as Oquendo went from featured option to scorer off the bench, but he did not shoot the ball much better against the other teams’ reserves. It must be said that things started out rather better than they finished for Oquendo out west. Over the Ducks’ first 21 games, Oquendo chipped in fairly consistently, averaging 9.8 points on 60.3% true shooting. Over his final 15 games, though, Oquendo sank to a 32.1% rate from the floor and just 14.8% on three-point attempts. He’s a powerful driver and will throw down some loud and exciting dunks, but this season, the Mustangs need him to improve his jumper. He virtually didn’t try shots if they weren’t near the rim or worth three points as a Duck. If he can refine his repertoire and return to making 70%+ of his many free throw opportunities, Oquendo should be an important off-ball finisher. 

Five Stats Which Tell The Tale (with national ranks)

+ 7.7 – Average Score Margin (34th)

41.3% – Opponent FG Percentage (30th)

68.3% – Team FT Percentage (308th)

36.5% – Team Offensive Rebounding Rate (7th)

71.1% – Team Defensive Rebounding Rate (266th)

A bit more of a shooter than Oquendo, George is also a fan of runners and step-back jumpers about 15 feet from the rim. Across two years at Long Beach State, George was very effective inside the three-point arc. He’s splashed 65.4% of his attempts near the goal and 44.4% from mid-range as a collegian, and George made strides in shooting off the bounce last year. The next frontier is to add a steady three-point shot to his arsenal. He’s a 37.7% shooter from deep, but has made only 23 triples entering his junior year, and 22 of them were spot-up hits. Both Oquendo and George have the size and shot-making instincts to help out, and SMU will need their best. The Mustangs are also adding Chance Puryear, a 6’7″ freshman with a good deal of 3-and-D potential. Long and unafraid to play with physicality when guarding larger guys, Puryear should be able to grow the rest of his offensive game around a solid deep ball. 

Up front Enfield has brought in a batch of largely scoring-minded bigs with the diversity of talent to be quite effective. Going back to his tenure with the Trojans, and further into the mists of time with his ‘Dunk City’ teams at Florida Gulf Coast, Enfield has always had an affinity for skilled bigs and guys who finish plays. Enfield has taken a bit of a buckshot approach towards finding his next top post player, but a frontcourt which begins with Matt Cross, Yohan Traoré, and Tibet Görener has plenty of potential. 

Cross can play all over the frontcourt, bringing guard skills and the ability to play either forward spot. He will give Enfield the flexibility to mix and match the other bigs and find their best pairings, and Cross has the offensive savvy to get everyone around him involved. A great passer whose great vision will keep the SMU shooters in kick-out’s, Cross will find whichever teammate is open and generate a clean look. 

No stranger to the ACC following stints at Miami (FL) and Louisville, Cross truly hit his stride at UMass the past couple of years. Last winter, Cross ranked among the Atlantic 10’s top ten performers in scoring, rebounding, steals, and field goal percentage en route to earning first-team all-conference honors. He also finished four helpers shy of the UMass lead in assists, and his mix of inside and outside scoring led to Cross leading the A10 in effective field goal percentage. A tough and feisty defender, Cross can check a variety of opposing forwards, and figures to see some of his toughest assignments yet this year if Enfield plays three forwards together for stretches. 

Five Out-of-Conference Games to Keep an Eye on

vs Mississippi State – November 22

N LSU – December 14

N Washington State/Fresno State – November 27

@ Butler – November 15

vs Longwood – December 28

A big, bouncy former 5-star prospect, Traoré began to show off his skills last winter on the West Coast. While at UC Santa Barbara, he became a favorite target for the precision passing of now-NBA guard Ajay Mitchell, and Traoré started ripping off big games. He scored in double figures in 24 of 30 contests after hardly seeing the floor at Auburn two years ago. Now that he’s a Mustang, and given his immense potential, Enfield is hoping that Traoré is ready to take the next step. 

While his footwork and ballhandling are still being refined, Traoré has the correct instincts inside offensively. Namely, when he gets the ball in close and finds a path to the rim, Traoré doesn’t hesitate to throw it down. He made a terrific 74.2% of his looks near the rim last season, per Bart Torvik, buoyed by 40 dunks. His jumper is inconsistent, but Traoré will shoot when dared to; his bigger weapons are great length and the short, quick hook and set shots he can twist and lean into. As Traoré polishes his game, Enfield would love to see him develop into a more effective rim protector. Despite his reach and athleticism, Traoré has been more of a scoring 4 than an intimidating pivot so far, and a bit more aggressiveness could take him a long way. 

It took a few years, but Görener emerged as a quality, floor-stretching scoring threat last season at a different school in California. After two years as a solid rotation piece who could sometimes unleash a barrage from deep, Görener became one of San José State’s top scorers last season. Görener has made at least 54 triples in each of the past three seasons, and he became a more viable option last fall by expanding what he does inside the three-point arc. The key to his progression as a Mustang will be continuing to add more and more facets to his game. That Görener can shoot it and will occupy defenders away from the rim is valuable, but to play big minutes and give SMU the best lineup versatility, he’ll have to hit the glass and defend more urgently than ever before. 

With a couple of bigs whose primary skills lie on the offensive end, it was important that Enfield added some defense to the equation as well. He’s found a couple of guys who can help out there, and one of them was already on the roster. Former Alabama transfer Keon Ambrose-Hylton has improved in each of his two seasons as a Mustang, and returns to help in the lane. Despite averaging just under 20 minutes last year, Ambrose-Hylton finished 12th in the American Athletic Conference in blocks and 13th in offensive rebounds. He began as a starter, but moved to a reserve role as Lanier went with Tyreek Smith, a high-volume shot blocker, for the last couple of months of the season. Long and mobile, Ambrose-Hylton does the vast majority of his work near the rim, where he shot 68.3% last year, with 27 dunks. In his final season of eligibility now, Ambrose-Hylton will have to work harder than ever to earn a similar role on this new team. 

New to SMU is Jerrell Colbert, a former Top 100 recruit who was a reserve for Kansas State last winter. With even more size and length than Ambrose-Hylton, Colbert has already proven to be a dangerous rim protector; he blocked 32 shots in 31 games a year ago despite averaging just over 11 minutes per contest. If he can avoid foul trouble and finish good passes inside, Colbert will have value to a team which will otherwise be rather young at the pivot. 

The aforementioned youth will come from two freshmen. One, Mitchell Holmes, is a wiry 6’11”. The other, Samet Yiğitoğlu, checks in with a wide, sturdy 7’2″ frame. A late summer signee out of Turkey, Yiğitoğlu has been rated as a solid 4-star prospect by American recruiting services, and should be able to play immediately. A developing force in the paint, Yiğitoğlu plays a fairly classic post-up game, and shows helpful patience and awareness inside. He is comfortable with his back to the basket and can convert tip-ins, layups, or quick hook shots with either hand. The questions for Yiğitoğlu to answer will be how effectively he can range around the halfcourt defensively and whether his ability to get end-to-end might limit how the Mustangs play around him. He can protect the rim and prevent large people from establishing their preferred position, but how will Yiğitoğlu fare against shooting bigs who would like to drag him to the perimeter? Holmes delayed his arrival from the prep ranks last year, and hopes to have added the muscle and poise needed to make an instant impact. 

The Mustangs have made a series of bold moves in a short span of time, and they’re attempting to box up in weight class this year. Charging headlong into the maelstrom of a legendary league that’s never been bigger while trying to incorporate a hugely turned-over roster under entirely new management is quite an ambitious place to be. Especially coming off of a fifth-place finish in the American Athletic Conference. 

The resources are in place for SMU to be successful going forward. Enfield and his staff have landed plenty of big-time recruits over the years, and the Metroplex is an attractive destination where talent will be put on a big stage to be noticed by pro scouts. What all of that is going to mean in the standings this winter is less obvious. Though frustration had mounted towards Enfield at Southern Cal, he’s entering something of a honeymoon period with the Mustangs. In the not-too-distant future, though, folks around the program are going to expect results commensurate with all of the other leaps SMU has made.