Men's Basketball | 5/20/2019 1:49:00 PM

SIGNATURE WIN: Signature win? More like a bold statement, emblematic of the Monarchs' eventual run to the USA South Conference Tournament championship game. At home for the first round of the USA South Tournament, Methodist delivered a 104-70 dismantling of William Peace. The 34-point victory was the Monarchs' largest margin of victory in 15 years. Methodist broke season-high after season-high, setting new totals for the years in points, shots from the field made, three-pointers made, and assists. Sam Mingledoff and Kevin McLaughlin Jr. turned in their best games of the season and you might never see a better second-half performance than Methodist outscoring the Pacers 64-30. Mingledoff led the team with a season-high 20 points and four-of-six from behind the arc and McLaughlin had a career-high 15 on five-of-six from downtown. Dante Burden had the all-around fantastic stat line of 18 points, nine assists, and six boards.

SEASON NOTES: In the annual preseason Coaches' poll, the Monarchs were predicted to finish last in the East Division. Instead, Methodist finished second in the division with an 11-6 record in league play and a 15-13 mark overall … The Monarchs defeated William Peace in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament and then knocked off top-seeded Covenant in Covenant before falling to Maryville (Tenn.) in the championship … Burden led the team during the season with nearly 17 points (sixth in the conference), four assists, and 2.4 steals per game … Kaymon Mitchell was the team's second-leading scorer with 13.6 points per game, but the team's top rebounder with six a game … Garren Dearman was the third piece of an outstanding trio as he averaged 13 points, 4.4 rebounds, two assists and two steals a game.

POSTSEASON NOTES:

• USA South All-Conference: Burden (second team)
• USA South All-Sportsmanship Team: Chris Pernell
• USA South All-Tournament Team: Burden and Mitchell

LOOKING AHEAD: Don't be surprised if the Monarchs transition from worst to first in next season's preseason coaches' poll. Head Coach David Smith should return everyone except for Pernell, the team's lone senior. While losing the team's best sharpshooter will be a blow, Coach Smith has shown the ability to weather any storm after losing eight of his top ten leading scorers from the 2017 season. With an added year of championship experience, this unit goes from a squad full of transfers in their first seasons at Methodist, to a battle-tested squad featuring the leadership of ten upperclassmen in addition to talented young guys like McLaughlin Jr. and Cam Corey. If Methodist unlocks the potential of its young bigs like 6-foot-8-inch Jeff Hintz or 6-7 Josh Weaver or 6-3 Caleb Miles, and if Burden and Dearman gain more consistency from behind the arc, these Monarchs will be the very definition of a complete team, a scary sight for the rest of the USA South.