Southern Miss Center Felipe Haase shoots a layup in the first half of an NCAA College Basketball game against Mobile at Reed Green Coliseum on Sunday, Nov. 27, 2022. (Aimee Cronan/The Gazebo Gazette via AP)
by Christopher Dodson, Contributing Writer
There must be something in the Gulf South region water this sporting season. Apparently, Tulane and Jackson State football shared their pitcher of championship game elixir with the University of Southern Mississippi men’s hoops team.
Jay Ladner’s Golden Eagles won just seven games last season. Now, USM (8-1) is just one heartbreaking buzzer beater away from a perfect record. The revamped squad has come a long way in a short time with a starting lineup littered with transfers.
De’Andre Pickney hit two clutch free throws to tie the game but Northwestern State got past Southern Miss (84-82) with a last second shot on Sunday night. Felipe Haase finished with 23 points, nine rebounds, and five assists. Pinckney (19 points, 12 rebounds) and Marcelo Perez (11 points, 4 assists) helped keep the game close but an off night from Austin Crowley (3/9) on both ends of the floor contributed to the cracked egg in the loss column.
They’ll bounce back. The eight game win streak was the best start for the program since the 2006-07 when it started 11-0. USM now has wins over teams including Liberty, Purdue Fort Wayne, Winthrop, Vanderbilt and Montana – all are regulars during March Madness.
The Golden Eagles have a good shot to join them as long as they continue this team-first approach in conference play.
Ladner admitted before the season that switching to the Sun Belt would help. It was a ‘fresh start’ for USM with new players in a new league. There was a chance to change the culture and the players wanted a part of that action.
The Golden Eagles have never won an NCAA Tournament game and have only made three appearances total; the last came a decade ago. The NIT has not called since 2014.
However, this squad has the potential to make history. Southern Miss ranks 13th in scoring margin, 15th in steals per game, and 19th in turnovers forced per game. Ladner’s crew ranks 7th in scoring defense and 2nd in turnover margin nationally.
Transfers Crowley (Ole Miss) and Felipe Haase (Mercer) have really bought into Ladner’s system. It’s paid off in big moments individually. Crowley came up with a late winner against Vanderbilt and dropped a career-high 26 points against Liberty. Like Crowley against the Commodores, Haase nailed the coffin on Liberty.
Mo Arnold ranks 36th nationally with his 3.25 assist/turnover ratio. Neftali Alvarez is averaging almost two steals per game. Haase, Crowley, Pickney, and Denijay Harris are all averaging 10 points or more per game. Donovan Ivory, Marcelo Perez, and Arnold all space the floor and hit a few shots per game.
Haase was on several preseason All-Sun Belt First-Team ballots but was officially named to the second squad. USM was picked to finish second to last in the coaches poll. The only big non-conference test remaining before Sun Belt action begins is a trip to undefeated UNLV. Then the process of proving everyone wrong gets real. Sun Belt Conference play begins on Thursday, December 29.
“I do feel blessed with the young men,” Coach Ladner shared during a press conference last week. “From day one, they have been fun to practice. They allow you to coach them. They truly like each other and they are just fun to be around.”
Ladner was a former resident of Pass Christian for nearly two decades, coaching St. Stanislaus Catholic for 20 years.
