HIGH POINT BASKETBALL 2021-2022 SEASON PREVIEW
HPU MEN'S BASKETBALL 2021-2022 SEASON PREVIEW
CAN THE PANTHERS REGAIN THE BIG SOUTH THRONE?
BY: MATT REYNOLDS
Q NEWS
For the High Point University Athletic Department, 2021 will go down in history as one of the best years for the school. Why is that you may ask? The brand new Nido and Mariana Qubein Arena opened up in time for the fall semester.
However, this is just the beginning. High Point University's Men's basketball team is looking to make the new arena one of the best home-court advantages in all of collegiate sports.
Boost from the New Arena
HPU's basketball program was home to the Millis Center since the early 1960's, which saw 4 Big South Regular season championships won by the program over that time period.
Since the Millis Center only seated 1,750 people, it was time for the school to invest in a large-scale arena that would be home to the next generation of great High Point basketball players.
When asked about how the new arena has re-energized our current group of players, HPU's Director of Player Development Dexter Gooding had this to say:
"They are ready to make history in the building as no one has ever played in the new arena except them. I am personally excited about the future as this allows us to get even more recruits, more fan turnover, and just a glimpse into what guys may see if they are afforded an opportunity to play professionally."
One way to increase fan turnover not only at the school but also nationally is to schedule games against power-conference schools, and head coach Tubby Smith will return to a familiar place to take on one of the best programs in college basketball.
Challenging Non-Conference Schedule
At the time of writing this, High Point University's record this year is 3-4. However, that mediocre record doesn't tell the entire story.
Two of those losses came against the ACC's Notre Dame and the Big Ten's Northwestern Wildcats.
Both games were played on the road and HPU even had a lead at halftime against Notre Dame in a game where they lost 70-61 and was nationally broadcasted on ESPNU.
This is just the tip of the iceberg however, as the Panthers have two games circled on their schedule against #22 Michigan State and #9 Kentucky.
Their game against Kentucky will be head coach Tubby Smith's first game coaching against his former program. Smith led Kentucky to a national championship in the 1998 season.
In order for High Point to make a run at a Big South championship, they'll need their key contributors including leading scorer John Michael-Wright and Zack Austin to continue to take steps forward.
How HPU Stacks Up with the Big South
Entering the 2021-2022 season, the Panthers ended last season finishing 8th in the conference after being eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Big South conference tournament by eventual champions Winthrop.
This season, according to 247sports, High Point was picked to finish 9th in the conference.
High Point's rising star Zack Austin, claims that "we are going to show people what we can do and the chip from being placed last in the conference just don't sit right with us so we definitely been using that as motivation."
He's currently averaging 13 points per game, 7 rebounds per game, and 3.5 blocks per game; which is best in the Big South.
When asked if we should expect to hear his name in the Big South Defensive Player of the Year conversation, he told me "we definitely should be hearing my name in that... it really comes from my high school coach who's been drilling defense in my head."
Zack Austin isn't the only Panther that has stepped up so far this season, as sophomore Jaden House has also taken a huge step forward in his sophomore season.
Zack Austin isn't the only Panther that has stepped up so far this season, as sophomore Jaden House has also taken a huge step forward in his sophomore season.
Zack Austin (55) preparing to check in
against Furman.
Jaden House, originally from Richmond, VA, has definitely shown to be the most improved player on the team. He's currently averaging 14 points per game with a 54% field goal percentage along with a 41% clip from 3 point range.
When talking to Zack about their offseason work, he says that "me and House really just been in the gym every day just trying to get better from shooting on the gun and playing 1v1's to make each other better."
Both Zack and Jaden will both be led by High Point's leading scorer, John Michael-Wright, who's turned into one of the best leaders in college basketball.
John Michael-Wright's Dominant Play and Leadership
The heart and soul of the Panther's squad comes from their point guard John Michael-Wright. Entering his junior year at High Point, JMW finished as the 17th highest scorer in the nation averaging 20.7 points per game in his sophomore year.
Most college players have a tough time initially transitioning to a higher level, but John-Michael Wright has yet to have that problem.
When asked about how he was able to have a seamless transition to college ball, John gave credit to his stepdad who "always had me playing above my age so I was prepared when I was matched up against guys bigger than me."
Yet, he somehow improves every year so far in his college career. After their first road win against Elon where JMW posted 29 points and 10 rebounds, John is now averaging 21.2 points per game which is the 9th most in all of Division I basketball.
However, John has one focus and one focus only... and that's to win the Big South and take High Point University to the NCAA tournament.
"To play in that tournament... it would be an honor, man. So many great players have played in that tournament and I want to represent HPU well there."
Big South conference play begins on December 18, and we should be expecting the Panthers to contend for the top place in the conference all season long.
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