Panther’s Toothsayer: The Non-Conference Recap

📍 Where We Stand

High Point enters Big South play at 12–3 after dismantling D3 Pfeiffer to close the book on non-conference action. The gap in talent must be acknowledged, but the 123–64 win over the Falcons was a showcase of what this team can be and was built to be. An absolute offensive juggernaut where players up and down the roster can beat you, best illustrated by seven different Panthers scoring in double figures.

High Point boasts one of the most efficient offenses in the country and a roster that, on paper and often on the floor, looks capable of running away with the league again. The record books for most points in a game and largest margins of victory have already been rewritten multiple times.

And yet, the non-conference story is not a straight line.

From the opening night demolition of Furman that had Jeff Goodman floating undefeated talk, to gut punch losses against UAB, Southern Illinois, and App State that exposed real cracks, this portion of the season gave us the clearest possible self scout heading into the new year.

The talent is undeniable. The offense is elite. The margin for error, especially defensively, is thinner than last year.

The Toothsayer verdict: This is the most offensively complete team High Point has ever fielded. And possibly the most offensively talented roster in Big South history.

But championships are not won in spreadsheets alone, and the conference tournament is often decided on the defensive end, with pure grit.

THE ARC OF THE NON-CONFERENCE STORY

🔥 The Opening Salvo: Furman and the Birth of Expectations

The season began with violence.

A 97–71 neutral court win over Furman was not just a win, it was a statement that rippled nationally. The Panthers scored at will, controlled tempo, and defended with edge. It prompted hot takes, including the now infamous “could go undefeated” comment, and placed High Point squarely into the national mid-major conversation.

It was an explosion of pent up tension built from an offseason full of change. It planted the flag that High Point is more than Alan Huss, and that the Panthers are here to stay as a power in the mid-major ranks.

📈 The Highs: Offensive Mastery at Scale

Across 15 non-conference games, High Point:

• Averaged 95.3 points per game, Top 25 nationally

• Posted an adjusted offensive efficiency around 119

• Shot 38.3 percent from three

• Turned it over on just 13.1 percent of possessions

• Recorded an assist to turnover ratio near 1.9

  
  

And against lower division opponents?

Utter annihilation.

• Averett: 127–52

• Mary Baldwin: 129–47

• Pfeiffer: 123–64

These were not sloppy blowouts. They were controlled, system wide executions. Everyone ate. Everyone defended. Everyone understood spacing and pace. 

This team does not survive mismatches. It dominates from the opening tip and leaves no doubt.

📉 The Lows: The Three Losses That Still Sting

Three losses came in the three games most anticipated outside of Furman.

• UAB, 91–74

• Southern Illinois, 86–84

• Appalachian State, 86–78 in overtime

  
  

The latter two, especially, linger.

Those games revealed the same vulnerabilities:

• Open threes allowed in rotation

• Rim pressure conceded late

• Defensive rebounding leakage

• Failure to get stops when the offense briefly cooled

  
  

High Point did not lose these games because of talent. They lost because elite offense masked defensive slippage until it did not. They lost games where execution and resilience were required late.

🫆 THE IDENTITY: WHAT THIS TEAM IS

Offense: Elite, Diverse, Unselfish

There is no other way to say it. High Point’s offense is terrifying.

They score:

• At the rim

• From the corners

• In transition

• Off live ball turnovers

• Through secondary actions

  
  

They can play fast, with an adjusted tempo around 71, but they do not need chaos to score. The ball does not stick. Shot quality remains high even when the pace slows.

This is not a one man offense. It is a system run by mature guards and finished by elite athletes and shooters.

PLAYER BY PLAYER: THE TOOTHSAYER LEDGER

⭐ Known Stars

🚂 Rob Martin — The Conductor

Martin has delivered exactly what he was brought in to be.

• Primary initiator

• Late clock stabilizer

• Mistake minimizer

His usage is high, but his efficiency remains solid. More importantly, his decision making has anchored an offense that rarely beats itself. When the Panthers are steady, Martin is usually the one steering.

🤩 Cam’Ron Fletcher — The Ceiling

Fletcher is the best athlete on the floor in almost any gym and increasingly one of the most efficient scorers.

• Team leading scorer

• Elite finisher

• Defensive disruptor when engaged

When Fletcher gets downhill, High Point looks like a different weight class entirely. He steps onto the court with double-digit points already in his pocket. The key is bringing that same level of buy-in every night.

🧱 The Foundation

🫀 Terry Anderson — The Pulse

Every great team has one player who changes the emotional temperature.That player is T5.

When High Point is flat:

• He attacks the rim

• He finishes through contact

• He defends multiple positions

• He ends scoring droughts

He may not lead the headlines, but he is the soul of this team and its best two way tone setter.

🐴 Owen Aquino — The Glue

Aquino’s impact doesn’t always show up in box scores, but it lives on film.

• Rim protection

• Defensive communication

• Secondary passing

• Boxing out

He is the team’s most important defensive connector. When he is engaged, the defense stabilizes noticeably. He is also one of the better passing big men in the mid-major ranks and has recently shown growing comfort shooting from deep.

🔫 Chase Johnston — The Specialist

Still shooting the cover off the ball in the half court. Still invaluable as a spacer. But transition threes and defensive matchups led to a move to the bench.

• Elite shooter

• Championship pedigree

• Veteran voice

• True servant leader

Chase is a player every coach in the country would take. Even if his breakaway threes occasionally give this writer minor heart attacks.

⏎ Vincent Brady II — The Return

Brady’s return added another layer of toughness and shot creation. 

• Physical guard defense 

• Strong slashing 

• Secondary scoring punch 

• Nice touch from beyond the arc 

He gives Clayman flexibility and insurance. He’s another physically gifted and talented player that few mid-majors have the luxury of bringing off the bench. 

✨ Scotty Washington — The Spark

The move to the bench unlocked Washington.

• Improved shot selection

• Increased defensive energy

• Less pressure, more production

His recent stretch shows why he was so coveted in the portal. He brings that same instant impact energy that once turned a Big South title game on its head.

📈 Breakouts and Surprises

🚀 Braden Hausen — The Leap

Hausen’s improvement is real.

• Increased minutes

• Improved shot confidence

• Defensive reliability

• No longer a liability in lineups

He has gone from a rotation question to a trusted contributor, particularly in spacing heavy units. He is not just a shooter. He has counters around the rim.

🧩 Conrad Martinez — The Organizer

One of the most pleasant surprises of the season.

• Elite feel

• Unselfish playmaking

• Tough on ball defense

• Poised under pressure

He makes lineups cleaner and possessions calmer. Every good team needs a player like this. His role mirrors Kezza Giffa’s first year at High Point.

💪🏻 Caden Miller — Young Gun

The true freshman big was not projected to contribute much on such a deep roster, but here we are.

Miller has been hyper efficient in limited minutes, finishing everything around the rim and providing real defensive value. He does not need touches, does not force offense, and plays within himself.

• Developed frame as a true freshman

• Elite field goal percentage on low usage

• Solid rim protection per possession

• Active rebounder in short stints

• Plays fast and finishes clean

The limitation is obvious: free throws. Until that improves, his late game role remains capped. Still, he is already outperforming expectations and providing answers behind Aquino.

📉 The Disappointments So Far

🧅 Josh Ibukunoluwa

Flashes remain, but consistency has not arrived. Last year he was dubbed the Bloomin Onion, layered and beginning to blossom. This season has been a disappointment so far.

• Limited minutes

• Defensive mistakes

• Does not impose size

The tools are there. The impact has not followed.

🐺 Youssouf Singare

The pedigree has not translated. Coming from UConn, recruited and coached by Hurley, and beloved by teammates/fans, expectations were high. But…

• Limited offensive role

• Struggles defending in space

• Mental lapses

He remains a matchup based option rather than a foundational piece.

DEFENSE: THE UNFINISHED BUSINESS

The numbers are acceptable, but not great, and they look worse when opponent quality is considered.

• Adjusted defensive efficiency around 109 to 110

• Too many catch and shoot threes

• Too many paint touches after scramble

• Too many second chance points

  
  

According to Coach Clayman, the film shows breakdowns rather than scheme failures. That is fixable. The bigger question is what happens when the scheme does not force turnovers.

🧠 FLYNN CLAYMAN: YEAR ONE VERDICT

What He Has Done Well

• Integrated a brand new roster seamlessly

• Built elite offensive spacing

• Empowered multiple creators

• Maintained locker room buy in

• Won expected games emphatically

Where Growth Is Needed

• Defensive consistency

• Late game defensive identity

• Rebounding emphasis

• Rotation tightening in close games

HOW THIS TEAM COMPARES TO LAST YEAR

> Better

• Offensive ceiling

• Shooting depth

• Guard creation

• Ball security

• Bench scoring

< Worse

• Interior defense

• Defensive rebounding

• Rim deterrence

• Late game stops

• Mental toughness

Last year’s team was tougher defensively and mentally. This year’s team is deadlier offensively.

The question is simple. Can they meet in the middle?

🦷 THE TOOTHSAYER FINAL WORD

High Point enters Big South play as:

• The most talented roster

• The most dangerous offense

• The hunted, not the hunter

  
  

If the Panthers defend with urgency, rebound with intent, and communicate with discipline, there is little doubt this is a tournament team again.

If they do not, they are still good enough to win the league, but not dominant enough to separate when it matters most. And perhaps not tough enough to win tight games when tension peaks.

The tools are here. So are the concerns.