2019–20 Southern Miss Golden Eagles basketball team

The 2019–20 Southern Miss Golden Eagles men's basketball team represents the University of Southern Mississippi during the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Golden Eagles, led by first-year head coach Jay Ladner, play their home games at Reed Green Coliseum in Hattiesburg, Mississippi as members of Conference USA.^[1]

2019–20 Southern Miss Golden Eagles basketball
Conference	Conference USA
Record	9–22 (5–13 C-USA)
Head coach	Jay Ladner (1st season)
Assistant coaches	Kyle Roane Dalonte Hill Clarence Weatherspoon
Home arena	Reed Green Coliseum
Seasons ← 2018–19 2020–21 →

2019–20 Conference USA men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
North Texas	14	–	4		.778			20	–	11		.645
Western Kentucky	13	–	5		.722			20	–	10		.667
Louisiana Tech	13	–	5		.722			22	–	8		.733
Charlotte	10	–	8		.556			16	–	13		.552
FIU	9	–	9		.500			19	–	13		.594
Marshall	10	–	8		.556			17	–	15		.531
UAB	9	–	9		.500			19	–	13		.594
Old Dominion	9	–	9		.500			13	–	19		.406
Florida Atlantic	8	–	10		.444			17	–	15		.531
UTSA	7	–	11		.389			13	–	19		.406
UTEP	8	–	10		.444			17	–	15		.531
Rice	7	–	11		.389			15	–	17		.469
Southern Miss	5	–	13		.278			9	–	22		.290
Middle Tennessee	4	–	14		.222			8	–	23		.258
Note: The 2020 C-USA Tournament was canceled prior to the quarterfinals due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Previous season

The Golden Eagles finished the 2018–19 season 20–13, 11–7 in C-USA play to finish in a tie for third place. They defeated Marshall in the quarterfinals before losing to Western Kentucky in the semifinals of the C-USA tournament. They were invited to the College Basketball Invitational where they lost to Longwood in the first round.^[2]

Doc Sadler resigned on April 11 after 5 seasons at Southern Miss. Under Sadler, the Golden Eagles went 56–94 overall, but this season was their best under Sadler, in which the team went 20–13 overall and finished tied for 2nd in conference play. The following day, new Nebraska head coach Fred Hoiberg announced he had hired Sadler, a former Cornhuskers head coach who had spent a season on Hoiberg's staff at Iowa State, as an assistant.^[3][4] The school hired Southeastern Louisiana head coach and fellow alumnus Jay Ladner as their new head coach on April 17.^[5]

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Reason for departure
Dominic Magee	0	G	6'4"	190	RS Senior	Harvey, LA	Graduated
Cortez Edwards	1	G	6'2"	180	Senior	Kissimmee, FL	Graduated
Shakur Daniel	2	G	6'5"	175	Freshman	Toronto, ON	Transferred to Ranger College
Christian Clark	4	G	6'0"	175	RS Junior	Hattiesburg, MS	Walk-on; left the team due to personal reasons
Tim Rowe	12	F	6'11"	220	Senior	Lilburn, GA	Graduated
Kevin Holland	20	G	6'1"	187	RS Senior	Tuscaloosa, AL	Graduated
Anfernee Hampton	21	G	6'5"	170	RS Senior	Jackson, MS	Walk-on; graduated
LaDarius Marshall	23	F	6'5"	205	Freshman	Jackson, MS	Transferred to Hinds CC
Tyree Griffin	55	G	5'10"	175	RS Senior	New Orleans, LA	Graduated

Incoming Transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous School
Denijay Harris	1	G/F	6'7"	195	Freshman	Columbus, MS	Junior college transferred from Southwest Mississippi CC
David McCoy	4	G	6'0"		Sophomore	Meridian, MS	Junior college transferred from Jones County JC. Will join the team as a walk-on.
Jay Malone	10	G	6'1"	175	RS Sophomore	Meridian, MS	Junior college transferred from Southwest Mississippi CC
Bill Muse	22	G	6'2"	185	RS Senior	Muskogee, OK	Transferred from Coastal Carolina. Will be eligible to play immediately since Muse graduated from Coastal Carolina. Will join the team as a walk-on.
Jarrod Rigby	25	G	6'0"	160	RS Senior	Bay St. Louis, MS	Transferred from Southeastern Louisiana. Will be eligible to play immediately since Rigby graduated from Southeastern Louisiana. Will join the team as a walk-on.
Isaiah Jones	44	F	6'8"		RS Junior	Phoenix, AZ	Junior college transferred from Connors State College

Recruiting class of 2019

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Angel Smith SG	Fort Lauderdale, FL	Northeast High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Jul 19, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Jeffery Armstrong PG	Rainsville, AL	Massanutten Military Academy	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	125 lb (57 kg)	Jun 12, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Auston Leslie SG	Huntsville, AL	Westminster Christian Academy	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	165 lb (75 kg)	Jun 12, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Hunter Dean C	Mandeville, LA	Lakeshore High School	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Apr 29, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:    247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Artur Konontsuk PF	Pärnu, Estonia	Get Better Academy	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	Aug 8, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Roster

2019–20 Southern Miss Golden Eagles men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown G 0 Gabe Watson 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 192 lb (87 kg) So St. Joseph Catholic School Jackson, Mississippi F 1 Denijay Harris 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 203 lb (92 kg) RS Fr Southwest Mississippi Community College Columbus, Mississippi F 2 Jeffery Armstrong 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr Massanutten Military Academy Rainsville, Alabama G 3 Angel Smith 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Northeast High School Fort Lauderdale, Florida G 4 David McCoy (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 171 lb (78 kg) Jr Jones County Junior College Meridian, Mississippi F 5 Artur Konontsuk 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Fr Get Better Academy Pärnu, Estonia G 10 Jay Malone 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 167 lb (76 kg) RS So Southwest Mississippi Community College Meridian, Mississippi G 11 LaDavius Draine 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 212 lb (96 kg) Jr Calhoun City High School Calhoun City, Mississippi F 13 Boban Jacdonmi 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 256 lb (116 kg) RS Sr Chattanooga State Community College London, England F 14 Tyler Stevenson (W) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 207 lb (94 kg) So New Hope High School Columbus, Mississippi G 15 Clay Weatherspoon (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 212 lb (96 kg) RS Jr Ridgeland High School (MS) Jackson, Mississippi F 20 Hunter Dean 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 232 lb (105 kg) Fr Lakeshore High School Mandeville, Louisiana G 21 Auston Leslie 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 166 lb (75 kg) Fr Westminster Christian Academy Huntsville, Alabama G 22 Bill Muse Jr. (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) RS Sr Coastal Carolina Muskogee, Oklahoma G 25 Jerrod Rigby (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 160 lb (73 kg) RS Sr Southeastern Louisiana Bay St. Louis, Mississippi F 32 Leonard Harper-Baker 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 208 lb (94 kg) RS Sr Moberly Area Community College Detroit, Michigan F 44 Isaiah Jones 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 234 lb (106 kg) RS Sr Connors State College Phoenix, Arizona	Head coach Jay Ladner (Southern Miss) Assistant coach(es) Kyle Roane (Southern Miss) Dalonte Hill (UNC Charlotte) Clarence Weatherspoon (Southern Miss) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on   Injured   Current redshirt Roster

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Opponent	Result	Record	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
October 29, 2019* 7:00 pm	Mississippi College	W 73–68		Reed Green Coliseum  Hattiesburg, MS
Non-conference regular season
November 5, 2019* 7:00 pm	Delta State	W 90–71	1–0	Reed Green Coliseum (2,824) Hattiesburg, MS
November 9, 2019* 7:00 pm, ESPN+	at South Alabama	L 69–75	1–1	Mitchell Center (1,893) Mobile, AL
November 14, 2019* 6:00 pm, ESPN+	at North Florida	L 63–66	1–2	UNF Arena (2,058) Jacksonville, FL
November 19, 2019* 7:00 pm	at Iowa State Battle 4 Atlantis campus-site game	L 45–73	1–3	Hilton Coliseum (13,810) Ames, IA
November 24, 2019* 2:00 pm	William Carey	W 83–64	2–3	Reed Green Coliseum (2,635) Hattiesburg, MS
November 27, 2019* 6:00 pm, ESPNU	vs. No. 8 Gonzaga Battle 4 Atlantis quarterfinals	L 69–94	2–4	Imperial Arena (1,459) Nassau, Bahamas
November 28, 2019* 8:00 pm, ESPN2	vs. No. 13 Seton Hall Battle 4 Atlantis consolation 2nd round	L 56–81	2–5	Imperial Arena (1,204) Nassau, Bahamas
November 30, 2019* 8:00 pm, ESPNU	vs. Alabama Battle 4 Atlantis 7th place game	L 68–83	2–6	Imperial Arena (1,159) Nassau, Bahamas
December 4, 2019* 7:00 pm	Tulane	L 56–61	2–7	Reed Green Coliseum (3,668) Hattiesburg, MS
December 7, 2019* 2:00 pm	Southern Illinois	W 72–69	3–7	Reed Green Coliseum (2,009) Hattiesburg, MS
December 14, 2019* 2:00 pm	North Florida	L 69–72	3–8	Reed Green Coliseum (2,380) Hattiesburg, MS
December 16, 2019* 6:00 pm, ESPN2	at No. 24 Texas Tech	L 65–71	3–9	United Supermarkets Arena (12,290) Lubbock, TX
December 21, 2019* 2:00 pm	Tougaloo	W 96–77	4–9	Reed Green Coliseum (2,408) Hattiesburg, MS
Conference USA regular season
December 30, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN+	Louisiana Tech	L 49–80	4–10 (0–1)	Reed Green Coliseum (3,005) Hattiesburg, MS
January 4, 2020 4:00 pm, ESPN+	at Louisiana Tech	L 50–78	4–11 (0–2)	Thomas Assembly Center (2,341) Ruston, LA
January 9, 2020 8:00 pm, ESPN+	at UTEP	L 64–76	4–12 (0–3)	Don Haskins Center (4,622) El Paso, TX
January 11, 2020 3:00 pm, ESPN3	at UTSA	L 70–80	4–13 (0–4)	Convocation Center (1,095) San Antonio, TX
January 16, 2020 7:00 pm, ESPN+	North Texas	L 52–72	4–14 (0–5)	Reed Green Coliseum  Hattiesburg, MS
January 18, 2020 2:00 pm, ESPN+	Rice	W 81–68	5–14 (1–5)	Reed Green Coliseum (3,571) Hattiesburg, MS
January 23, 2020 7:00 pm, ESPN+	at UAB	W 84–77	6–14 (2–5)	Bartow Arena (2,705) Birmingham, AL
January 25, 2020 5:00 pm	at Middle Tennessee	L 63–65	6–15 (2–6)	Murphy Center (3,523) Murfreesboro, TN
January 30, 2020 7:00 pm, ESPN+	Old Dominion	L 58–68	6–16 (2–7)	Reed Green Coliseum (2,889) Hattiesburg, MS
February 1, 2020 2:00 pm, ESPN+	Charlotte	W 74–68 ^OT	7–16 (3–7)	Reed Green Coliseum (3,840) Hattiesburg, MS
February 6, 2020 6:00 pm, ESPN+	at Marshall	L 58–72	7–17 (3–8)	Cam Henderson Center (5,528) Huntington, WV
February 8, 2020 6:30 pm, Stadium	at Western Kentucky	L 72–75	7–18 (3–9)	E. A. Diddle Arena (6,170) Bowling Green, KY
February 13, 2020 7:00 pm, ESPN+	Florida Atlantic	W 68–66	8–18 (4–9)	Reed Green Coliseum  Hattiesburg, MS
February 15, 2020 2:00 pm, ESPN+	FIU	W 75–67	9–18 (5–9)	Reed Green Coliseum (4,059) Hattiesburg, MS
February 22, 2020 12:00 pm, ESPN3	Middle Tennessee	L 53–61	9–19 (5–10)	Reed Green Coliseum (3,203) Hattiesburg, MS
March 1, 2020 3:00 pm, CUSA.tv	at UTEP	L 56–75	9–20 (5–11)	Don Haskins Center (4,975) El Paso, TX
March 4, 2020 7:00 pm, ESPN3	Rice	L 57–72	9–21 (5–12)	Reed Green Coliseum (3,065) Hattiesburg, MS
March 7, 2020 5:00 pm, ESPN3	at Middle Tennessee	L 62-65 ^OT	9-22 (5-13)	Murphy Center  Murfreesboro, TN
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time Source^[6].

References

1. Magee, Patrick. . Sun Herald. Archived from the original on 2019-10-22.
2. "Wilson scores 23 to lift Longwood over Southern Miss in CBI". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2020-01-10.
3. Borzello, Jeff (April 11, 2019). "Sadler steps down as Southern Miss coach". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
4. "Hoiberg adds Sadler to Huskers' coaching staff". ESPN.com. Associated Press. April 12, 2019. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
5. Clay, Patrick. "USM hires former longtime St. Stanislaus head coach to lead men's basketball". wlox.com. Retrieved 2020-01-10.
6. Southern Miss Official Athletic Site – Men's Basketball