Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles
2022-23 record: 16-17, 9-9 in the Ohio Valley Conference
Head coach: Stan Gouard
Tenure at Southern Indiana: Fourth season
Career coaching record: 274-147 (across Division I and II)
Home court: Screaming Eagles Arena
Projected starters: G Jeremiah Hernandez, G Johnny Semany, G Jack Campion, F/C Nolan Causwell, C Kiyron Powell
Bench: F Jack Mielke, G/F Javius Moore, G/F AJ Smith, G Luther Smith Jr., G Xavier McCord, F Yarin Hasson
Overview: For a program that only completed the transition to Division I basketball last year, it was a solid first season at the highest level for Southern Indiana. The Screaming Eagles finished at .500 in the Ohio Valley Conference, an impressive record for a team with a lot of players who had never seen Division I action before.
It was an offseason full of change for this group, as a number of starters, including standout guard Isaiah Swope, transferred in the offseason. As a result, the program will be running a mostly new starting lineup, made up of a few returning players who saw minutes off the bench last year and a number of transfers who were either bench players at other, bigger Division I schools or standouts at community and junior colleges.
One source of stability for the squad has been head coach Stan Gouard, a seasoned Division II veteran who has helped the team make the difficult shift to the top level of college ball. He is a seasoned leader who spent time as both an assistant and head coach at a number of schools before coming to Southern Indiana in 2020.
Team ceiling: The Screaming Eagles have a great season with a new roster, pointing to an exciting future. The squad wins a few games in the Ohio Valley Conference tournament and manages to make a smaller, private competition like the College Basketball Invitational for the second straight year.
Team floor: The lack of experience hurts the group, and players who transferred from junior colleges struggle. The team regresses as the excitement of Division I wears off, and falls to below .500 in conference.
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Martin Heintzelman is a Trinity junior and Blue Zone editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.