Virginia Military Institute Basketball

Stephen Curry has carried the Wildcats on his shoulders for an entire season. The only remaining chance his teammates will get to repay the favor will now be in the NIT after a disastrous performance by both Curry and his teammates against Charleston in the Southern Conference Championship Semifinals.

The Cougars knocked off the 'Cats to advance to the finals of the Southern Conference Championship, sending Stephen Curry and Davidson's weak resume packing for the NIT. With only a win against West Virginia and tough losses against Duke, Oklahoma, and Purdue, Davidson doesn't stand a shot to make the tournament with an at-large bid.

Curry faced double-teams and aggressive hedges all game to knock the superstar out of his rhythm. The junior connected on just two of 11 three-point attempts, needing 18 field goal attempts and eight free throws to tally his 20 points. Besides struggling to shoot the ball, Curry also only contributed three assists, tying his season low (discounting the one game he left early injured).

Stephen Curry is legitimately a one-man team in 2009. A one-man team that dazzled the young and the old with his jaw-dropping moves in the paint and toughness to boot. A one-man team that won't get a shot to knock off the Georgetown's and Kansas's of the game. A one-man team with a little left to prove in Charlotte.

But Curry isn't the only mid-major superstar that lost his chance to put on his dancing shoes.

Tennessee-Martin put together an incredibly athletic group of players that posted a solid 22-9 record overall as well as won 14 league games. A potential NBA draft pick because of his superior athleticism, Lester Hudson spurred the Skyhawks' attack.

But in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament, Tennessee-Martin couldn't knock off the one OVC team the Skyhawks couldn't beat in the regular season. Morehead State didn't contain Lester Hudson, the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year, but shut down the rest of his teammates to stamp UT-Martin's ticket to the NIT.

Hudson is one of the most prolific scorers in the country, dropping over 27 points per game. He just doesn't score either. Hudson recorded a quadruple-double last year reaching double-digits in points, rebounds, assists, and steals.

The senior took his one-man act into the conference semifinals and put on a show to be talked about in the Ohio Valley for years. After scoring 42 points in the quarterfinals, Hudson never stepped off the court against Morehead State, tallying 34 points, seven three-points and 10 rebounds. Hudson failed at out-scoring the Eagles, but succeeded at dominating his teammates who only scored 21 points.

Since Tennessee-Martin won the Ohio Valley Conference regular season title, the NIT awards them an automatic bid.

While Stephen Curry and Lester Hudson are a one-man show, two brothers have set a multitude of records together. Twins Chavis and Travis Holmes have combined to score over 3,700 points and in the process turned the Virginia Military Institute into a Big South power.  

VMI plays an up-tempo style of play that ranked first or second in pace each of the past three seasons. That tempo has produced some incredible scoring totals. The fast pace creates more opportunities to score, but talented players must be in place in order to cash in on all those chances.

Travis and Chavis Holmes can score from all over the court, in the half-court set as well as in transition (which is the overwhelming majority of the time). Together they contribute over 40 points per game this year and almost seven steals. The fraternal duo dropped 46 points against Kentucky in their season opening upset win.

Immediately the country knew that the Holmes' boys could beat anybody, anywhere. Unfortunately the Keydets' swagger began to fade, eventually losing three consecutive Big South games.

VMI righted its ship (well tank in its case), looking to take down top-seeded Radford in the conference championship game. The Holmes' twins didn't have their best games, Travis scored 12 points and Chavis notched 21, but sophomore star in waiting Austin Kenon scored 34.

The Keydets also forced the tempo and forced Radford into 27 miscues. But unlike the first matchup between the two teams which VMI won, the Keydets couldn't turn Radford's 6'11'' Belarus center Artsoim Parakhouski into a non-factor. The Big South Player of the Year, Parakhouski scored 26 points and grabbed 18 rebounds to end VMI's season.

Radford legitimately ended VMI's entire season. An NIT bid won't likely be waiting in the wings as VMI doesn't have a very good RPI and didn't win the Big South regular season title. A postseason berth may only be in the waiting if the NIT wants to raise its ratings.

This year's NCAA Tournament won't have a mid-major behemoth like Chris Kaman who led Central Michigan in 2003 to its first NCAA Tournament win since 1975. There won't be a Speedy Claxton torched the nets in 2000 as a member of the Hofstra Pride.

There won't be a high scoring duo like Loyola Marymount's Hank Gathers and Bo Kimble. The Lions are probably the only team that could out run the Keydets.

At least for the first time in awhile the NIT will be worth watching for all college basketball fans since it will be the last chance to view the greatness that is Stephen Curry, Lester Hudson, and the Holmes' Twins.

For four years, Chavis and Travis Holmes have been defying odds and proving naysayers wrong. 

After Thursday night’s convincing 78-58 win over Liberty, the brothers will attempt to continue that trend in this Saturday’s championship game of the Big South tournament—and hopefully again when the opening round of March Madness begins.

Make no mistake, however: No matter what happens Saturday, the Holmes twins will leave an indelible imprint on VMI basketball history—racking up a litany of accomplishments that vaulted VMI into national prominence.

A week ago, the twin brother standouts were both named to the 2009 All-Big South Conference teams.  Chavis was tabbed a First-Team All-Conference selection while Travis earned a spot on the conference’s Second-Team.

Chavis’ Big South Conference game stats are borderline absurd.  He ended first in scoring (22.1), first in steals (3.4), first in three-point percentage (44.8 percent), second in free-throw percentage (83.6 percent), fifth in field goal percentage (51.5 percent) and 10th in assists (3.1).  In addition, Chavis only missed double-digit points in one game this season.  

With those kind of numbers—not to mention VMI’s impressive conference and overall record—you have to wonder why Chavis did not earn the Big South Player of the Year Award, which instead went to Radford big man Artsiom Parakhouski.  But that argument is for another day. 

Meanwhile, Travis’ numbers are just as impressive.  A knee injury that forced him to miss seven games kept his numbers from counting toward the conference stats, but his line is just as balanced as Chavis’:  Per game, Travis recorded 19.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 3.3 steals.  He also shot 50 percent from the field and 79 percent from the free-throw line.  

In the season-opening win at Kentucky, Travis dropped 30 points and grabbed seven rebounds.  Against UNCA, he went for a career-high 37 points, and he also has an 11 assist game to his credit (against High Point).  Like his brother, Travis was held to single digit points in just one game.   

For his career, Travis became just the ninth player in NCAA Division I history with at least 1,500 career points, 500 rebounds, 300 assists, and 300 steals.

Combined, the two became the all-time twin brother scoring leaders at the Division I level on January 24, when they scored a collective 47 points versus High Point.

But statistics aside, the two brothers seem to play their best when the lights are the brightest, as evidenced by the combined 38 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists, and four steals in Thursday’s semi-final win over Liberty. 

More importantly, however, they limited Big South Freshman of the Year and media darling, Seth Curry, to only 10 points on 4-for-15 shooting. 

Four years ago, VMI was the only Division I team to offer the twins as a package deal.  In two days, the decision to stay together could end up reaping the benefit of every basketball player’s dream: making the NCAA Tournament. 

The final hurdle in VMI’s bid to go dancing is the Radford Highlanders—winners of the Big South regular season crown.  The championship game, Saturday at 4 p.m. on ESPN2, will be played at Radford’s home gym, so VMI has a tall task ahead of themselves. 

Then again, the last time the Keydets visited Radford, they came away with a 15-point win while holding Big South Player of the Year Artsiom (Art) Parakhouski to only two points on four shot attempts.

Something tells me the VMI Keydets, led by senior captains Chavis and Travis Holmes, will be dancing all night long this Saturday night.

The conference that flaunted college basketball's tallest player and last year's leading scorer is sending a message to viewers: Even though Kenny George and Reggie Williams are out of college basketball, there is still reason to watch Big South basketball (even after Chavis and Travis Holmes graduate at the end of this season). 

Seth Curry and Keith Gabriel will be around for three more seasons after 2008-09 and will keep the Big South entertaining to watch. 

You all know Stephen Curry, and by now lots of you know his younger brother, Seth, who plays for Coach McKay at Liberty University.

Somehow, Lil Curry, as I like to call him, did not receive any attention from the media before the season started. In fact, he still has not been the topic of any discussion—outside of Big South country—despite averaging 20.1 points per game and shooting 44.9 percent from the field and 38.7 percent from long range.

Fun fact: Stephen Curry had slightly superior stats as a freshman. He averaged 21.5 points per game and shot 46.3 percent from the floor and 40.8 percent from deep. 

Like his older brother, Seth has shown up against the best of competition. He led his team past Virginia with 26 points and four treys on nine-of-17 shooting from the floor. In a win against George Mason, Lil Curry dropped in 22 points on eight-of-19 field goal shooting. And, the freshman nearly led his team past Clemson with his 24 point performance—he was six-of-nine from deep and nine-of-16 from the floor. 

What's most impressive about Seth curry is that he is a freshman who has had a dramatic impact on his team. Liberty was 16-16 last year. This year, they are 12-6, largely because of Curry. The team is winning big games that they never won before this year.

Pretty much, Lil Curry has proven he can play. Time will tell if he will transcend his brother's achievements, but he's certainly on his way. 

In order for Liberty to make the NCAA Tournament and allow the national spotlight to find Lil Curry, the Flames will need to beat out VMI for the Big South championship. 

The Keydets of VMI have always been a high scoring team, but this year their points are actually leading to wins. They are currently undefeated in Big South play and are 14-2 overall. 

Senior twins Chavis and Travis Holmes lead the fast-pace offense and sophomore Austin Kenon is third, adding 17.8 points per game. Behind those three is freshman Keith Gabriel. 

Gabriel, who grew up in Charlotte like the Currys, is flourishing in VMI's offense. He is averaging 15.9 points per game and he is shooting 45 percent from the field and 43.1 percent from long range.

Sure, it isn't too hard to average 15.9 points per game on a team that scores 96.7 points per game. However, Gabriel could average mid-20s in this style of offense. The only block that is preventing him from doing so is the three other options ahead of him.

Gabriel's statistics against the upper echelon of competition are not as impressive as Lil Curry's, but he has played well. In his college debut and season-opening upset at Kentucky, Gabriel fouled out but scored 20 points in 19 minutes.

He nailed four three-pointers and shot eight-of-12 from the floor. At Virginia, he played in foul trouble and scored 14 points on six-of-18 shooting.

Gabriel has been vital to the success of the Keydets and if it weren't for Lil Curry, he would probably be the favorite to win Freshman of the Year in the Big South. 

Virginia Military Institute's Duggar Baucom instituted a fast-paced scoring offensive system when he was hired as head coach in 2005.

It took a year for his Keydets to fully adopt the system, but the ensuing two years concluded with VMI as the nation's leading scoring offense. They averaged 100.9 points per game in 2006-07 and 91.3 per game last season.

Reggie Williams, VMI's 6'6" forward for four seasons, led the nation in scoring both years with 28.1 and 27.8 points per game.

Last season was Williams' final as a Keydet, and he is currently playing for JDA Dijon Bourgogne in France's Pro-A league.

Although losing Williams' contributions was a wound Baucom knew he would need to heal, his medicine was not too deep in the cabinet.

Chavis and Travis Holmes were honored as members of the All-State North Carolina team in their senior year in high school, and signed on as two essential pieces to Baucom's first recruiting class at VMI.

Upon entering the 2008-09 season, Chavis and Travis stood 664 combined points behind the all-time leading twin scoring duo. The two identical 6'4" guards from Charlotte, North Carolina have already posted a combined 97 points in the first two games of the season.

Kentucky was unable to beat the combined 46 points posted by Chavis and Travis, and the twins' 51 points nearly defeated Virginia.

These guys are spectacular basketball players and prolific scorers.

Playing as second and third options behind Williams during their sophomore and junior seasons, the Holmes twins put up impressive scoring numbers. Travis averaged 15 points as a sophomore and 15.6 last season; Chavis averaged 19.2 in 2006-07 and 18.3 last season.

They can each shoot the three-ball. Travis is a career 32.4 percent shooter from beyond the arc; Chavis is slightly better at 36.7 percent.

Without Williams on the team, the Holmes twins are the leaders of the rapid offense, and could each average over 25 points per game this season.

They will have the surrounding help of senior Willie Bell and sophomore Austin Kenon. Freshman Keith Gabriel has also scored has fair share of points in the first two games.

VMI lacks size, leading Big South coaches to overlook the Holmes twins and project Baucom's Keydets to finish seventh in the 10 team conference. Most of these coaches probably questioned their choice this weekend after VMI downed Kentucky and played Virginia down to the final minute before succumbing.

Maybe Wildcat coach Billy Gillispie should just skip the whole non-conference thing.

Last year the Gillespie era at Kentucky got off to a very rocky start when the Wildcats fell to Gardner-Webb in a shocker.

Well, history repeated itself as Kentucky opened their season with a humbling 111-103 loss to the VMI Keydets in front of a stunned crowd of over 22,000 at Rupp Arena.

VMI put forth a game plan Mike D'Antoni would have called crazy.  Despite playing one of the most loaded rosters in college basketball, the Keydets did what they do best—run.

Their shooters played with confidence and Kentucky kept feeding their own demise with costly turnovers.  The Wildcats had 16 turnovers in the first half alone and it took a run near halftime just to cut the deficit to 10.

Kentucky's big man Patrick Patterson did not score his first basket until 18:27 to go in the game.  Foul trouble plagued him, and his teammates could not consistently find him when they needed a key basket.

Still, despite a very underwhelming performance and even being down twice by 23 points in the second half, it looked like Kentucky was going to pull it out.

The Wildcats scored 16 straight points and took their first lead with 4:52 to go when Ramon Harris knocked home two of his 16 points.

VMI, completely gassed, was not even attempting to play defense.  However, some well-timed timeouts and a few hustle plays down the stretch were the difference.

An offensive rebound and lay-in after Michael Sparks missed an open three-pointer gave VMI a two possession lead with only a minute remaining.

Austin Kenon then stole any ray of hope for Kentucky when he swiped the ball moments later.

From that point on it was a free throw shooting contest and if VMI proved anything, it is their ability to make an open shot.

VMI deserves a lot of credit for their heart and determination; most teams would wilt after a 23-point collapse. 

Still the Kentucky fans will point to the well over 20 turnovers, the 3-for-16 performance from behind the arc, and a 22-for-33 performance at the line. 

The Wildcats simply did not execute and it spoiled a 39-point outburst from Jodie Meeks.

Upsets are a part of college basketball, and time will tell how both teams respond to this game. 

I don't know what this means for either side but I do know this:

It's officially basketball season.

As a new resident of Columbia, S.C. I took it upon myself to visit nearby South Carolina State to watch the highlight reel known as the VMI basketball team.

I learned two major lessons.

First, SC State’s gymnasium, while outdated and poorly designed, is named after three gentlemen whose lives were taken in the 1968 Orangeburg Massacre where police officers opened fire on a protesting group of students on SC State’s campus, killing three and injuring twenty seven. I was sitting in Southern Civil Rights history and had no clue until I got home.

Second, the refs from last night’s game might actually be employed by the university.

From the beginning of the game, VMI looked sluggish and never quite got into a groove. Regardless, they shot well enough to build a 12-point lead five minutes into the second half and it looked as though they were finally going to run away with the game. A few minutes and several missed open looks later, the Keydets found themselves trailing the Bulldogs—and from there they would never reclaim the lead.

While VMI’s lackadaisical effort was certainly a part in the loss, the refs—as I suggested—did not help the Keydets’ cause. Not only did SC State shoot 23 free throws to VMI’s nine, but Coach Baucom’s staff was regularly chided—and were eventually given an ultimatum to shut up or suffer the consequences.

The real shame of the contest came in the closing seconds, however. With the help of poor free throw shooting from SC State, VMI trailed by only one with less than 10 seconds to go. Junior Travis Holmes (19 pts, 8 rebounds) drove the length of the floor but missed a contested layup. Reggie Williams (24 points, 11 rebounds) followed the play and appeared to tip in Holmes’ missed shot before the buzzer sounded.

Instead of marching out of Orangeburg with a win, though, the Keydets watched the refs huddle for several minutes, wave off the game-winning basket, then inexplicably call a foul on the unguarded Williams and add 1.8 seconds to the clock. All the while, fans, players, and coaches were baffled by the call, which was never actually explained.  From there, SC State missed two free throws and Reggie Williams’ desperation heave was far off the mark. The final horn sounded with the score reading 89-88.

It was a disappointing loss for VMI. The last 15 minutes of the game were brutal, as the Keydets missed open looks from all over the court and allowed an inferior team to crawl back into the game—and eventually take control. A win last night would have been another building block for a young team heading into conference play.

As it is, the Keydets lost their second close game in a row—and now find themselves 3-5 overall and winless away from Cameron Hall, their home arena.

VMI’s next game is home against Howard this Saturday.

Lexington, VA—After struggling through his first season at VMI, head coach Duggar Baucom unleashed a style of play last season that tore through record books and gave VMI national records in 17 categories. 

Yes, you read that correctly—17 national records.  More importantly, Baucom’s VMI squad wreaked havoc on the Big South Conference, giving opposing teams fits with their aggressive, up-tempo style.  Steady improvement throughout the season landed VMI in the Big South conference championship game, but the fairytale ended with a close three-point defeat at the hands of a very talented Winthrop team.  

A big part of VMI’s resurgence can be traced to Reggie Williams, a scoring machine who racked up 28 a game last year while claiming the highest scorer in the land honors.  Williams puts up Nintendo-like numbers while shooting a blistering 53% from the field. 

Williams will once again be counted on for scoring and leadership this season.  In an effort to improve his chances of making the league, look for Williams to showcase a more well-rounded game this season.    

Recruiting by Baucom has been drastically improved as well.  Recruiting from a military institution is hard enough, but one with no winning tradition is doubly hard.  However the crafty Baucom seems to have a way of finding diamonds in the rough.

Take the Holmes twins for instance. Chavis and Travis Holmes, both dominant high school players, were largely passed over by D-1 programs.  While other coaches scoffed at the fact that the twins didn’t have 40 inch verticals, Baucom saw in them what the other coaches clearly missed: basketball IQ, great passing, a will to win, and the ability to bring out the best in their teammates. 

Last season, each of the twins had breakout years, as Chavis chipped in over 19 a game and a conference-leading 3.4 threes per game.  Travis, meanwhile, netted about 15 a game while leading the nation in steals—earning him Big South Defensive Player of the Year honors. 

Back as captains this year, look for both to improve even more in their junior seasons. 

Junior Willie Bell is another upperclassman Baucom hopes to get more productivity out of.  So far this season, Bell has responded, posting eleven points and over six boards a game.  If VMI is in need of help anywhere, it is definitely down low—and Bell hopes to fill that void.  

This past off-season, Baucom struck gold again, nabbing a collection of freshmen who will contribute immediately.  In the backcourt, Baucom found two excellent additions to the roster.

Freshman Christian Hunter from Cleveland has been a pleasant surprise this season.  A strong and tall guard who is never shy about putting up a shot, Hunter is averaging eleven points a game in about 25 minutes per contest. 

Meanwhile, Austin Kenon, another high scoring freshman guard, is netting about ten points a game for the Keydets in roughly 20 minutes per.  A 5-11 guard from Virginia Beach, Kenon has been VMI’s most consistent three-point threat early in the year.  The Hunter/Kenon tandem should be a headache for the Big South for the next four years.

Seeking help down low, Baucom landed 6-6 forward Hunter Houston out of Birmingham, AL, whose athletic frame made him a standout tight end in high school.  Houston considered playing football in college, but Baucom convinced him otherwise--instead of hauling in TD passes, Houston is now grabbing chest passes and launching his trademark lefty three ball. 

Once again, Baucom saw in Houston what other coaches missed.  Houston has already broken the starting lineup due to his smart and steady play, which shouldn’t come as a surprise; after all, Houston’s older brother is a graduate of a little school called Harvard.

Although the Keydets lost three starters and will need a bunch of minutes from freshmen this year, you have to like their chances with Baucom at the helm.  VMI is flat out capable of beating you on any given night, and if they can gel at any point in the season, it could be a nightmare for the rest of the Big South come tournament time. 

Winthrop will certainly provide a tough test for the conference, as they return three starting seniors with March Madness experience, but parity in college sports is making it increasingly difficult to tote any team as a clear frontrunner.  Who knows—the Keydets might very well be dancing come March.