ESPN Men's Basketball

Originally Published: October 13, 2009

Team preview: Austin Peay

Blue Ribbon Yearbook previews the 2009-10 season, exclusively on Insider.

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Blue Ribbon Yearbook

Editor's Note: ESPN Insider has teamed with Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook to provide a comprehensive look at all 334 Division I teams. To order the complete 2009-10 edition of Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, visit www.blueribbonyearbookonline.com or call 1-877-807-4857.
(Information in this team report is as of Oct. 1.)

COACH AND PROGRAM

Austin Peay will be hard-pressed to replace three-time All-OVC first-team player Drake Reed, who if not for Tennessee-Martin's Lester Hudson could have been a three-time conference player of the year.

Reed was the OVC Player of the Year in 2007 as a sophomore, while Hudson grabbed the honor the last two years.

Life goes on for the Governors, though, and don't be surprised if veteran coach Dave Loos, dean of OVC coaches, has his team in the top tier of the league again.

"I think we have some solid kids coming back," Loos said. "We were awfully young last year. I think we've got some guys, when they realize Drake's not around, they'll have to step up and play."

PLAYERS

Reed (21.9 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 2.4 apg), a 6-5, 225-pound forward from Clarksville's Northeast High School, was the Govs' leading scorer and rebounder last season.

He was second in the league in scoring behind Hudson (27.5 ppg) last season and became the first player in Austin Peay history to score more than 1,900 points and grab 750 rebounds in his career. He scored 30 or more points seven times last season and finished his career as the school's all-time leader in starts.

It wasn't just his statistics that impressed Loos. "He was not only our best player but our hardest worker," Loos said. "Replacing that will be a big part of the battle. Drake was a very good player, and in fact, he was our hardest worker. That meant so much to our team."

With the departure of Reed, Loos will look for 6-3 senior guard Wes Channels (16.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3.1 apg) to take on a leadership role. Channels was the team's second-leading scorer last season and was seventh in the league in scoring.

Channels was fifth in the OVC in free-throw percentage (.776), 11th in three-point percentage (.389) and tied for eighth in three-pointers per game (2.4).

"I think Wes Channels was a good leader last year," Loos said. "That's what Wes needs to do, and now he needs to become our hardest worker. … Early on last season, he was really shooting it well. I think he tapered off some … but he's a capable shooter when he takes good shots."

Tyrone Caldwell, a 6-0 sophomore, will compete with 6-0 junior Caleb Brown for the starting job at point guard. Caldwell (4.0 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 2.5 apg) started 10 games as a freshman and averaged 15.9 minutes per game.

His free-throw shooting (.745 FT) makes him valuable at the point guard, and he has the ability to shoot the three (.375, 13-of-32). Caldwell's primary weakness as a freshman was his defense, but with a season behind him, that will change. "We're really guard heavy," Loos said. "Competition [in the backcourt] ought to be really good. Caldwell is the guy who probably played the point best for us in his first year as a freshman."

Brown (5.1 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 2.6 apg) started 21 games last season and averaged 21.5 minutes. He was a better defender than Caldwell, but Caldwell had the edge offensively.

Also returning to the backcourt is 6-1 sophomore guard James Harris (1.1 ppg, 0.2 rpg), who played in 16 games and averaged 4.6 minutes.

Blue Ribbon Previews

Take an Inside look at the Ohio Valley with Blue Ribbon's 2009-10 team reports:

Austin Peay Eastern Illinois Eastern Kentucky Jacksonville State Morehead State Murray State Southeast Missouri State Tennessee State Tennessee Tech Tennessee-Martin

There are high expectations for 6-2 shooting guard Justin Blake and 6-0 combo guard Eric Mosley. Blake, from Dyersburg, Tenn., sat out last season after not qualifying academically. Blake was a Tennessee Mr. Basketball finalist as a senior when he averaged 22.8 points and hit 117 three-point shots, shooting 46 percent from three.

"Justin's strength is his three-point shooting," Loos said. "He's got a really good stroke and good range. That's his strength, the three-point shot. We hope he really brings that to the table."

Mosley, a freshman, was considered a steal when Loos signed him in the spring. Mosley, of Louisville (Ky.) Moore High School, averaged 26.4 points as a senior. He shot 50 percent from the floor and 35 percent from the three-point line.

Mosley was a big part of Moore's turnaround in two seasons. As a junior, Mosley played for a prep school in Richmond, Ind. Moore won only nine games in 2007-08 and went 23-8 last season with Mosley on board.

"We weren't necessarily looking for another guard, and we are guard heavy," Loos said when he signed Mosley. "But Eric brings something to the table that we failed to show we had [in 2008-09] -- consistent scoring from our guard position, other than Channels. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to know we lost a lot of points in Drake Reed and we have to find ways to replace those points."

Mosley scored 40 or more points seven times last season, and he had the ability to get to the free-throw line. In 31 games, he was 189-of-254 from the line (.740).

"Eric gives us an athletic guard who has unique scoring ability," Loos said. "He is very good at getting to the line, he has a terrific crossover [dribble], gets to the basket and is a good finisher. He gets to the free-throw line an extraordinary amount of times. … When you talk about scoring, free throws is an important part of it. You have to be able to get to the free-throw line as part of your attack. We just didn't do a good job of getting there this past season."

Anthony Campbell, a 6-6 sophomore swingman, gives the Govs some versatility. Campbell (7.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg) was an impact player as a freshman when he averaged 20.7 minutes and started four games last season. "I'm really encouraged by Anthony Campbell," Loos said. "He played well as a freshman. He's got good size, he can shoot it, he plays hard and he's been very well coached. He shoots the three well, can put it on the floor and handle it. He's a savvy player."

Loos also signed 6-5 wing Chris Reaves out of Bolivar (Tenn.) Central High School in the fall. "We believe Chris Reaves is one of the top players in the state," Loos said. "We think he has a tremendous upside. He is a wing/guard-type player who has great length. He has range but he also has the ability to create a shot for himself and can get to the rim. He is really athletic."

Reed, who played power forward and low post, could be replaced in the starting lineup by 6-6 senior Earnest Fields. After an outstanding sophomore season, Fields (4.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg) had a down season last season -- in part because of knee injurieswhen he started 19 games and averaged 18.6 minutes.

"Earnest had some problems last year, primarily with his knees," Loos said. "I think the key for Earnest is to maintain his health. If he can, he's a terrific athlete and can really get the ball on the boards because of his athletic ability."

Among the players competing for jobs in the paint are 6-6 sophomore Marcel Williams, 6-8 junior Duran Roberson, 6-8 red-shirt freshman Jim Ross, and 6-8 sophomore John Fraley.

Williams (3.3 ppg, 3.1 rpg) and Fraley (2.8 ppg, 2.7 rpg) were both redshirted as freshmen. Williams started 12 games last season and averaged 15.2 minutes, and Fraley, who is a low post player, started two games and averaged 10.2 minutes. Roberson (1.9 ppg, 1.7 rpg), a red-shirt sophomore last season, averaged 6.9 minutes with no starts.

"That's probably the key," Loos said. "When you talk about losing Drake, he was such a good player and so strong inside. We'll be pretty new inside. Fraley is 6-8 and in his third year, and Marcel Williams is big, strong, 6-8 and a very good athlete. Those two will be inside along with Fields and Roberson."

BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS

BACKCOURT: B+
BENCH/DEPTH: B
FRONTCOURT: C-
INTANGIBLES: A

Loos goes from having a star player in Reed to having a team with potential stars. Channels is the most likely candidate to lead the team this year, and Mosley could be the future star.

There are plenty of quality guards on the roster, but the concern is the frontcourt. "We're not proven yet inside," Loos said. "I think we're really pretty good on the perimeter. The question will be how we play inside and how these guys take over."

They will likely do it by committee. Count on Loos to find a way. It's unusual if the Govs' veteran coach doesn't have his team in the hunt for the OVC title, or at least a top-tier finish.

For the most comprehensive previews available on all 334 Division I teams, order the "Bible" of college basketball, the 2009-10 Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, at www.blueribbonyearbookonline.com or call 1-877-807-4857.