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PHOTO/CURTIS WILSON

After back-to-back CIAA championships, J.C. Smith was knocked out in the quarterfinals by Chowan last week in Charlotte. Major changes to the lineup are guaranteed for the Golden Bulls, who lose three starters to graduation.

There’ll be changes in Johnson C. Smith basketball in the fall. The question is how much.

The Golden Bulls, who finished an 18-10 season last week with a 74-48 loss to Chowan in the quarterfinals of the CIAA tournament, will look different next season.  The core of back-to-back league championship squads will be graduated and ready replacements haven’t appeared on the bench.

The starting frontcourt (Jerry Hollis, James Dillard and Brian Mobley) and top reserve (Dante Drummer) are seniors, which means major adjustments are forthcoming. Hollis and Dillard are all-CIAA players, which makes the sting more intense. But as much as losing a combined 47.3 points and 22 rebounds per game hurts, the backcourt is a more pressing matter.

Smith’s success in 2010 hinged on whether the guards could pick up Ryan Scott’s mantle of versatile playmaker and heady defender. No one did, especially in the leadership department and head coach Steve Joyner had to make do.

Point guard was inconsistent throughout the season, punctuated by a total meltdown in the tournament when Chowan’s pressure neutralized JCSU’s access to the paint. Ryan Carter and James Otey alternated the point with less than stellar results as floor leader.

One fix could be to shift shooting guard Ronald Thornhill, where he gives JCSU a legitimate scoring threat, especially from beyond the arc.
More size would shore up the backcourt, especially on defense. Right now, the only option is 6-6 Calvin Smith, a redshirt freshman who shot 38.9 percent from the floor. He would pose matchup issues if he developed offensively, but Smith remains a project.

The frontcourt will have three new starters regardless of who returns. Michael Cooper, a 6-7, 240-pound banger, was a key reserve, averaging 4.3 points and 2.0 per game while shooting 57.1 percent from the floor.

Earl Jackson is still raw and Delonta Boyd, touted as a potential CIAA rookie of the year in preseason, didn’t even make the second semester due to academics. Although he played only eight games, (none as a starter) Boyd averaged 3.9 points and connected on 75 percent of his shots. If the 6-5, 260-pounder can get in the registrar’s good graces, he could be a factor in the future.

What type of team will take the floor next season? This season’s Bulls were undersized but athletic in the frontcourt, and not especially quick in the backcourt, which proved a liability on both ends of the floor. Historically, Joyner has recruited for big men who finish at the rim and dynamic off guards who find ways to get the ball in the hole – think Scott or Antoine Sims from the 2001 title team.

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