Date: 10/18
Position: Point guard

Returning Letterwinners (Key stats): Herb McGee, Jr. (8.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 3.0 apg, 40.4 FG%, 35.3 3FG%, 72.1 FT%); John Pettway, So. (3.2 ppg, 1.1 rpg, 0.9 apg, 45.9 FG%, 100 3FG%, 70.4 FT%)

Letterwinners lost (Key stats): Dederick Lee (3.5 ppg, 1.7 ppg, 2.2 apg, 35.3 FG%, 35.2 3FG%, 47.6 FT%); Devin Epps (0.1 ppg, 0.1 ppg, 0.1 apg, 0.0 FG%, 0.0 3FG%, 50.0 FT%)

Newcomers (Yr., Hometown/Previous school): Kory Holden (Gr., Salisbury, Md./South Carolina/J.M. Bennett HS)

Miscellaneous Notes
- McGee ranked 10th in the Sun Belt Conference in assists per game (3.0), and fifth in school history in 3-pointers by a sophomore (48)
- McGee was credited with eight assists in a home win over Georgia State, the most by a Jaguar all season
- McGee improved his assist/turnover ratio from minus-5 as a freshman to plus-15 as a sophomore
- Pettway averaged 10.7 minutes per game during the conference season as opposed to 7.8 per game against non-league competition
- Holden was an all-CAA pick as a sophomore at Delaware, averaging 17.7 points per game
- Holden sat out the 2016-17 season after transferring to South Carolina and was limited to just 14 games last year due to injury

Richie Riley
- On McGee's leadership style: "He's like having a quarterback on the floor. He understands our offense. He's taken time to familiarize himself with what we do and that's important to do when you're leading a team. He's an extension of me so he needs to understand what we do. Occasionally in practice I'll let them call some actions and he sees how to take advantage of mismatches and he knows how to find the guy that has it going a little bit. I'm proud that he's taken on some ownership when it comes to developing a great offensive IQ. Vocally, he's great; he holds guys accountable. I coach our guys hard and they hear my voice a lot, so the more that our guys can be more vocal and hold each other accountable, the better it will be for our team."
- On what makes Holden a good scorer: "He can really score on all three levels, which I think is valuable. He shoots the '3' at a high clip and he's very creative in his midrange game. He has a knack for getting to the rim and getting fouled. He's good at that for a guard that's around 6-foot-2. He does a good job of getting in there and drawing some contact. How we play offensively really helps him, with our spacing and how we flow into ball screens; he's got a good IQ for that. It fits his game. He's starting to get his legs back. He hasn't played in a while because of an injury and he wasn't with us this summer due to him finishing his degree. He's starting to get into game shape, which is a good thing because we're getting close to playing. He can score in bunches and he also does a good job of getting guys involved; he's got really good vision. I'd call him a true combo because he can play in both spots. His handle is certainly good enough to be a full-time point guard, but he also scores so we can slide him off the ball some."
- On how Pettway's style fits into the system: "He's starting to become more of a bulldog. He obviously has the athleticism and strength to do that, but his mentality hasn't always been that. He's developed that since we've been here. He's arguably our best perimeter defender, outside of Trhae Mitchell; Trhae is an elite perimeter defender, but John is close to that. He changes the game defensively because we press and want to speed the game up. Offensively he makes great decisions; he doesn't turn the ball over very much. That's been a point of emphasis for our team this year. He stays to the plan and doesn't try to improvise too much, and I like that. He's a strong driver and is getting better at finishing at the rim and drawing contact, which is important for him because he is a driver first. The other thing he brings to the table is his ability to rebound the ball. He's a guy we send to the offensive glass; most teams send their point guard or 2-guard back in defensive transition, but when he's in there, we're sending him to the glass."

Herb McGee
- On how his role at point guard differs under Riley: "I feel last year it was the same thing: leading the team, being an extension of the coach on the floor, knocking down open shots, getting everybody involved and knowing where everybody is supposed to be. I do feel that I'm able to shoot the ball more now and make plays. That'll be a difference from last year."
- On learning the new system: "That's just how I've always been. I've always had a high IQ on the court, so I can pick up on things pretty fast. With the new staff coming in, I knew I had to pick it up pretty fast because we're out there competing for minutes. That aspect of my game can give me an edge."
- On the competition at point guard: "It's a competition. If you see somebody doing something good, you say to yourself, now I've got to do something good. You don't want to fall behind, but you also don't want to get outside of yourself and play a different game than what you can do. You have to play your game. As far as I'm concerned, it's about knocking down shots and getting people open. For Pettway, it might be about getting to the rim or kicking out. We're always after each other; we talk a lot of trash. That just fuels the other person. When you have someone on the opposing team talking to you, then you have to bring it. That's what I think fuels the fire to get everybody better."
- On what he's seen from Holden and Pettway during preseason: "Kory is a great player. He comes from the SEC and that's big time. He can really shoot the ball and make plays for other guys. I have nothing but great things to say about him. Pettway is the same way. I feel he has an advantage over us in athleticism. He's very quick, can jump out of the gym, and he can guard. He may be able to guard better than us."

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