One media day after another

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Good morning! You’ve got a breather from three consecutive days of media events. (Us too.) Back at it tomorrow with the Big West.

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1. Big South takes center stage

High Point may have a new coach, but it’s still the team to beat in the Big South.

The Panthers took the top spot in the league’s 2025-26 preseason poll, earning every vote they could (coaches can’t vote for their own team). It’s the fourth time it was picked to win in program history, and the second consecutive season.

Perhaps that’s expected for a team that’s gone 56-15 in the last two seasons. But considering it’s got a new coach (Flynn Clayman) and eight new transfers, it’s still a leap of faith.

“We lost so much. I’m a new coach. Really, it’s just a respect for High Point,” Clayman said. “We’ve got talented pieces though. It’s undeniable.”

That was one piece of coach and player interviews Jeff Goodman and Rob Dauster conducted Wednesday as part of Big South media day. You can watch all the interviews below, or catch some snippets farther down.

• UNC Asheville’s Toyaz Solomon was the preseason POY after a season in which he averaged 15.7 ppg and 7.2 rpg. How does he lock up that award? “He should’ve led the league in rebounding last year,” coach Mike Morrell said. “The most important thing is just being able to go up and grab it. He’s a 1%er there.” The 6-9 senior didn’t disagree. “Giving a more consistent effort on both ends of the ball,” he said. “Rebounding more is gonna get me over that hump.”

• Winthrop senior guard Daylen Berry spent two seasons at Charlotte, but learned it wouldn’t be a place he could thrive. And it came after a tough conversation. “I was playing non-conference games in the rotation. Wasn’t really playing that well,” he said. “Me and coach [Aaron] Ferne had a conversation and told me I was done for the rest of the year.” But that was to ensure he didn’t cement a bad impression of his game when time would come to practice. And Berry appreciated the time to learn and grow.

• When it comes to portal recruiting, Presbyterian coach Quinton Ferrell said it patience has been essential. “We’ve been able to get Division I transfers from Conference USA and those American-type guys,” he said. “With the portal, you have to spend a lot of time in there because there are guys that get overlooked. Maybe they don’t have the numbers, but you know if you get them in your program and you get ‘em in your system, you know they can produce.”

• Longwood coach Ronnie Thomas is just 33, which makes him one of the sport’s youngest head coaches. The only issue? He even looks younger. “We had a group of alums from ‘70s who were taking a picture the other day, and I stepped out to ask ‘You guys want me to take the picture for you?’ They said ‘Oh thank you so much. What year are you?’” he laughed. “I said I’m actually 33 and I’m the head basketball coach here.”

• What’s the difference between playing at a school for one season and staying for 24 months or longer? “I got to see this with good teams at Drake,“ USC Upstate coach Marty Richter said. “It’s not just the basketball. It’s the strength coach. It’s the offseason. Then you get comfortable and then you create habits.”

2. Fland will be Florida’s point guard + more SEC links

Florida’s got to replace an All-American guard in Walter Clayton Jr. and recruited two lead guards, Boogie Fland and Xaivian Lee, as options.

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