By Rocco Miller
Winthrop Eagles: 2022-23 season outlook
A look at Roster changes, expectations, the non-conference schedule, and more.
Welcome to a new offseason series called State of the Program, we hope you enjoy it. The team overviews are intended to provide the College Basketball community with an overall state of the program for personnel updates, coaching staff, non-conference schedule updates, and more.
Our goal from the start will be to meet with coaches on campus about their program. We may end up including zoom videos as well as we go, but a lot of that will come down to timing. With a national footprint to operate with, the sky is the limit here, and we may end up at your favorite school next!
The first season is in the books for Mark Posser as the head man at Winthrop. Prosser went 23-9, 16-3 vs. Big South competition.
SEASON SUMMARY
Head Coach Mark Prosser was hired in April 2021 to replace the highly successful Pat Kelsey (who moved on to the College of Charleston). Prosser was no stranger to Rock Hill though, he served as the Winthrop Associate Head Coach between 2013-2018 prior to getting his first crack at Head Coaching at Western Carolina, where he would spend the next three seasons.
Coach Prosser got to work right away in preparation for the 21-22 campaign by bringing Cory Hightower (13.8 PPG/6.2 RPG at WCU) and Sin’Cere McMahon over with him from Cullowhee. The big win was keeping big man and difference-maker, DJ Burns, in Rock Hill. Prosser also re-recruited key players like Michael Anumba, Chase Claxton, and others to stay. Then the additions of Drew Buggs (Hawai’i/Mizzou vet) and Patrick Good (part of great ETSU teams, deadly shooter) rounded out a great roster by Big South standards.
Some early success in non-league play - a win at Washington and key home wins over Furman and Mercer, paid dividends heading into Big South play. The Eagles were once again dominant in league play, going a perfect 8-0 at home, and dropping just two on the road (At Longwood and High Point) for an overall 14-2 Big South record. DJ Burns was named Player of the Year in the league after putting up 15.3 points per game and shooting a conference-leading 63.5 percent from the field. Burns became just the fifth Eagle to reach the 1,000-point plateau before his senior season. A truly unique talent. Patrick Good received votes for all-conference as well. Good had some incredible performances, including making 11 three-pointers in a loss at Washington State.
The Big South Tournament went according to plan in the Quarterfinals and Semifinals. The Eagles dismissed High Point (78-61) and Gardner Webb (76-67) to reach their third straight Big South Championship game to take on Longwood. All of the momenta was seemingly in Winthrop’s hands, getting to play in nearby Charlotte at a neutral arena and having a decisive crowd advantage. It was also their 10th straight win.
Championship Sunday was not kind. The Eagles’ dream of returning to the NCAA Tournament was merely gone early on as Longwood forced 11 Winthrop turnovers in the first half. The Lancers were hot offensively and went on multiple runs to build an early 34-14 lead and took an 18-point lead to the locker room. The deficit was too deep for Winthrop to overcome, and Longwood advanced to its first-ever NCAA Tournament.
The outcome and overall season left several positives to build on and with Cory Hightower, DJ Burns, and others expected back in 22-23, optimism is real high in Rock Hill.
OFFSEASON MOVEMENT
DEPARTURES
The transfer portal came calling early for two role players, Russell Jones (who landed at Western Carolina) and Josh Corbin (who landed at Robert Morris). Seniors Patrick Good and Drew Buggs have said their goodbyes as they are out of eligibility.
When I attended a Winthrop practice in April and met with the staff, DJ Burns was fully expected to return for another campaign. Burns was absent from practice due to being sick, and it was a bummer to not meet him - but not much was thought of it at that time. Well, things change quickly for players like Burns in today’s College Hoops world and I believe it was less than a week later that he entered the portal. It wasn’t long after that Burns decided to go north to Raleigh and play for Coach Kevin Keatts at NC State. His Big South legacy was made, you cannot knock him for testing his game at the ACC level. For Winthrop, a major interior void was suddenly created.
ARRIVALS
Kasen Harrison spent two seasons at Lamar, a struggling program, but carried himself well and showed he is a quality D1 player in about a season and a half for the Cardinals. In 21-22, he missed chunks of time. In one of his final performances, the struggling Cardinals nearly upset Abilene Christian (85-82 loss), thanks to Harrison’s 19 points, six rebounds, four assists, and perfect foul shooting (seven-for-seven). Harrison received All-Freshman teams honors in the Southland in 20-21 and has three more years of eligibility heading into his Winthrop experience.
A lot of down transfers from large conferences can make a big splash at the Big South level of course. That is what the Eagles are hoping to have with Isaiah Wilson (6’0, 170) coming in from Richmond. Wilson was part of a Richmond team that won the A10 Tournament and an opening-round NCAA game vs. Iowa. By that point in the season, Wilson had been seeing less time and had multiple DNPs in February/March. When Richmond got Andre Gustavson completely back up to 100% in January, Wilson’s minutes took a dip. The experienced Wilson was able to gain through being a starter 15 times and getting 30+ minutes against teams like Saint Louis, UNI, and Drake - will pay off for him later in his career with the Eagles.
The hole left by Burns was addressed by bringing in a bigger name from the recruiting circles. The 6’10 Michael Moore from IMG Academy has a 7’4 wingspan. Moore had offers during his Junior circuit from Seton Hall, VCU, Virginia Tech, DePaul, and others. And during the final recruiting push picked up an offer from St. Bonaventure. So this was a major pickup for Prosser and Winthrop. For Moore, visualizing himself in the DJ Burns role has to be exciting as well. Moore will be an intriguing player to follow immediately in Rock Hill.
I believe this leaves the Eagles with one open scholarship as we write this on May 23rd. Still, plenty of time to make that count. Also, Michael Anumba is back in the fold for 22-23 to provide quality and experience.
NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
Prior to my visit, it was public knowledge that the Eagles would be participating in the Cancun Challenge. The event gives Winthrop a spotlight road game at Auburn (Nov. 15) and the two bracketed games in Mexico against two of Southern Miss, Purdue Fort Wayne, or Eastern Michigan.
It was later revealed by LSU Sports that Winthrop would visit LSU on December 17th. Giving the Eagles two SEC road games. Here is what we know today about the Eagles schedule:
22-23 Winthrop Eagles non-conference schedule.
Winthrop is in the midst of a series with four schools, confirmed by the coaching staff: CCU, MTSU, Furman, and Mercer. The Eagles also have plans to host two non-D1 schools.
The unknown is if the Big South will move to an 18-game schedule instead of the 16-game schedule we have become used to. With the league downsizing to 10 teams (losing NC A&T and Hampton), this would create a full round-robin format and allow two fewer non-conference games. At last check, the Eagles have at least three spots to fill regardless.
EXPECTATIONS
If it’s not obvious by now - the Winthrop Eagles have been the toast of the Big South for a while. Winthrop has been to 18 Big South title games and won 13 Championships since the 1987-88 season. The next closest school has five (UNC Asheville and the long-departed CCU Chanticleers). Needless to say, the expectations are high in Rock Hill. After seeing upstart programs like Longwood, Garnder Webb, and Radford breakthrough for bids in the past few seasons, the stakes are high and some luck is always needed in a single-elimination tournament for one bid conferences like the Big South.
The lineup in 22-23 should feature Anumba, Hightower (out til September following offseason surgery), Claxton, Harrison, and perhaps Moore (right away). Isaiah Wilson, Kelton Telford, and Sin’Cere McMahon round out a solid top eight rotation on paper, while still allowing for other guys to break in with advanced development and/or another addition to the roster.
In summary, the Winthrop Eagles’ culture is strong. Coach Mark Prosser has a stellar reputation when it comes to taking care of his players in a family-first environment. It is rare to see a player willing to leave the program under Prosser, even in today’s era. The Burns situation is what it is because he is talented enough to take a crack at ACC Hoops. I came away thoroughly impressed with how this program is operated plus they do a number of things to stay close and connected to the Rock Hill community. It’s no surprise why these Eagles are an annual staple at or near the top of the Big South Conference.