Alan Huss and the High Point Panthers could run away with the Big South title this year.
UNC Asheville and Longwood have owned the Big South in recent years, but a changing of the guard could be looming on the horizon. Alan Huss’ High Point Panthers won the regular-season crown in his first season, finishing 114th on KenPom — the highest mark for a Big South team since Winthrop in 2021.
Huss retained the bulk of a roster that boasts three legitimate Player of the Year candidates. The team is talented, deep and ready to make a push for the auto-bid. But what about the rest of the league?
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Of course, the other heavyweights won’t go quietly. Asheville and Longwood bring in strong transfer classes, while Winthrop possesses some of the best roster continuity in the league.
Also of note: USC Upstate and Gardner-Webb changed coaches this offseason, while Charleston Southern removed the interim tag for Saah Nimley. Unfortunately for those programs, they appear to have an uphill climb to crack into the conference’s top half.
Projected Order of Finish
1. High Point Panthers
Alan Huss manufactured a rapid turnaround in Year 1 at High Point, leading the Panthers to a program-record 27 wins. Though they fell two wins shy of their first NCAA Tournament appearance, they revealed some massive potential under their new head coach.
Amazingly, Huss retained four of High Point’s five leading scorers from last year’s stellar campaign. Perhaps none mean more to the Panthers than sophomore guard Kezza Giffa (16.2 ppg, 2.9 apg, 50 3PM). The JUCO product became HPU’s offensive engine once the calendar turned to 2024.
Huss will feature 6-8 junior Kimani Hamilton (14.9 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.2 spg, 0.7 bpg) alongside Giffa. Hamilton flourished in his first season in High Point, shining as a slasher and above-the-rim finisher. Plus, he’s a lockdown defender with a penchant for making splash plays, ranking top 20 in the Big South in both block and steal rate.
Speaking of defense, the Panthers should rank near the top of the league thanks to Hamilton and 7-foot sophomore Juslin Bodo Bodo (7.1 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 1.9 bpg). A late addition last offseason, Bodo Bodo became indispensable almost immediately because of his mobility and rim protection. The Cameroonian big man started all 36 games and played over 24 minutes per night.
Finally, Bobby Pettiford (7.8 ppg, 3.4 apg at ECU) headlines the list of new acquisitions. A pure point guard who started his career at Kansas, Pettiford should blossom in Huss’ read-and-react system.
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