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Post by Commissioner on Oct 6, 2021 23:50:04 GMT -5
UICYou know, UIC really ought to be the dominant school in the Horizon. The Chicago school has over 20,000 undergrads, up about 20 percent over the last 5 years, roughly the same as IUPUI and Milwaukee (they’re close enough that which of the three is the largest can vary from year to year) and more than any other HL school. Academically, it is the best overall university in the conference, with a number of strong graduate programs. It is in an attractive city, in a good location near “the Loop.” The UIC Pavillion—now officially the Credit Union 1 Arena—is getting old, but it’s still a pretty good facility, probably in the top half of the league. Chicago is, of course, not only an attractive city and large market, but an excellent recruiting area. UIC joined D-1 in 1982 and got off to a pretty good start, finishing .500 or better in each of its first four seasons. When they joined the Midwestern Collegiate, aka Horizon for the 1994-95 season, after 13 seasons in Division 1, they had yet to make a post-season appearance, but they did have a respectable 201-179 all-time mark, and were coming off 5 consecutive seasons at .500 or better, including a 20-win season and second place finish in the Mid-Continent Conference in 1994. In their first year in the league they went 18-9 overall and finished second in the conference. In their first decade in the conference, the Flames made three NCAA appearances (including an at-large bid in 1998) and one in the NIT. Despite its advantages, the Flames never really got hot. In the last 17 years, they’ve not made an NCAA or NIT appearance. They’ve had 7 winning seasons in that time, not good but not horrible, until you realize that in none were they more than 4 games over .500, and four were 1 game above .500. They’ve had just 3 winning seasons in conference play (all under Steve McLain, from 2018 to 2020), and didn’t reach a conference tournament final between 2004 and 2020. Their best conference finish was third place in 2018. Last year under new coach Luke Yaklich was another disappointment. The Flames were actually predicted to be a solid, competitive team—the Horizon League poll predicted a 5th place finish, as did the guys at Horizone Roundtable. Two of the more serious media projections, Blue Ribbon and Three Man Weave, had the Flames finishing 4th, and a couple had them as high as second. In any event, after an 8-4 start, UIC lost nine of ten to end the season at 9-13 overall, and 6-10 in the Horizon, good for 10th place. After the season leading scorer Teyvion Kirk (14.2 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 5.6 apg) turned pro and 6-10 center Braelin Bridges (9.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg) transferred to Georgia. Starting forward Rob Howard (8.7 ppg, 4.4 rpg) graduated and moved on, and Detroit product Brian Taylor (13 mpg) transferred to Central Michigan. That’s three of the top 4 rebounders, three of the top five scorers, and the leading assist man moving on. UIC is not left without weapons, but I doubt they’ve got enough for a first division finish. If you want to be optimistic, the departure of the mercurial, turnover-prone, volume shooter Kirk may actually settle and improve the team. Maurice Commander would appear to inherit the point position. He’s a good ballhandler with a solid, long-range jump shot—the questions about him are really on the defensive end, and Yaklich emphasizes defense. Thus, while I say Commander appears to inherit the point, he could get pushed aside by Kevin Johnson, a combo guard grad transfer from Nicholls State. Johnson averaged over 11 points at Nicholls, has a passable jump shot, and is a ball hawk on defense, leading the Southland Conference in steals last year with 2.6 per game, 6th in the nation, and his third straight year at over 2 per game. Yaklich has a bunch of options at the #2 spot. Australian Jamie Ahale is a Brad Calipari-type spot up shooter who started 18 games last year. Damaria Franklin, a transfer from Tennessee Tech, doesn’t have the outside shot, but unfortunately likes to shoot it anyway. But he is good at getting to the hoop and averaged over 13 points last season. He’s also a good defensive player and rebounder. After a big start last year (averaging about 12.5 points through 6 games) Ray Mitchell averaged under 6 points per game and shot just 24% from three from late December through the end of the season. Jalen Warren is a transfer from Florida Gulf Coast, where he averaged 12.3 points, but he’s got a weak outside shot and is prone to turnovers. Jalen Johnson washed out at Murray State, before playing a year at John Logan JC, where he averaged almost 10 points, and then transferring in to UIC, where he missed last season with injuries. Freshman Jace Carter, who had a bundle of mid-major offers and was given a three-star ranking by some scouting services, should also figure in the mix. My guess is Franklin wins the starting nod based on defense. We may also see Kevin Johnson and Commander playing alongside one another with some frequency. The best front court player is 6-8 Michael Diggins, who decided to stick around and use the 5th year of eligibility granted by the NCAA due to Wuhan flu. He’s the team’s top returning scorer and rebounder, and a solid starter. Also returning is small forward Zion Griffin, who missed much of last season. He’s a solid defensive player who hit threes at a 38% clip last season. Incoming players include Brandon Battle, a 6-8 transfer from Alabama State. He had good numbers for the Hornets but the Horizon is a pretty big step up. Marcus Larsson is a tall (6-11), skinny (207 lbs) transfer from Incarnate Word who will get plenty of court time, but probably won’t start. Two freshmen, Jaden Brownell and Serbian Filip Skobalj, will get a look. This season will test Yaklich. He’s got some decent talent, but configuring it won’t be easy. High turnover is not conducive to success with Yaklich’s emphasis on team defense, and while there are several players who have some scoring ability, there’s no real “go-to” guy on offense. The front court lacks interior defense and depth. It looks like another losing season in Chicago. UIC is, however, the only HL team that this year has a true home game against a P6 opponent. A bit more on that below the roster. Probable StartersPG – Kevin Johnson, 6-0 RS Sr. (11.3 ppg, 3.2 apg, 33.9% 3Pt FG, 2.6 spg at Nicholls State) SG – Damaria Franklin, 6-4 RS Jr. (13.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 30.4% 3PtFG) SF – Zion Griffin, 6-6 RS Jr. (7.3 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 38.2% 3PtFG) F – Brandon Battle, 6-8 RS Soph. (11.6 ppg, 7.7 rpg with Alabama State) F – Michael Diggins, 6-8 RS Sr. (10.8 ppg, 5.9 rpg) BenchPG – Maurice Commander, 6-0 RS Jr. (10.5 ppg, 2.3 apg, 43.2% 3PtFG) SG – Jace Carter, 6-5 Fr. SG – Jalen Warren, 6-3 RS Sr. (12.3 ppg, 2.4 apg, 32.3% 3PtFG at Florida Gulf Coast) SG – Rayquandis Mitchell, 6-5 2xRS Soph (8.3 ppg, 30.5% 3Pt FG) SG – Jamie Ahale, 6-5 RS Sr. (6.7 ppg, 34.1% 3PtFG) SG – Jalen Johnson, 2x RS Jr. (9.3 ppg, 42.0% 3PtFG at Logan JC in 2020). F – Jaden Brownell, 6-8 Fr. F – Filip Skobalj, 6-8 Fr. C – Marcus Larsson, 6-11 RS Soph. (8.3 ppg, 7.1 rpb at Incarnate Word) UIC is the only Horizon team with a true home game against a P6 opponent this year, hosting DePaul on December 14. Over the last 20 years, we’ve watched mid-majors find their scheduling options with high majors steadily constrained until such home games have become almost a thing of the past. Of course, the declining fortunes of the Horizon over the past decade have added to the problem. This little chart illustrates the problem. It charts all Horizon true home games against teams from the P6, AAC, Atlantic 10, and Mountain West, plus select other opponents (e.g. BYU, Gonzaga, Wichita State when in the MVC, UAB etc.) over the past 20 years. Season | Games | 2002-03 | St. Louis @ Butler California @ Cleveland State Wisconsin @ Green Bay Kansas State @ Green Bay | 2003-04 | Michigan @ Butler North Carolina @ Cleveland State Northwestern @ UIC | 2004-05 | Georgia Tech @ UIC Air Force @ Milwaukee | 2005-06 | Tulane @ Butler Michigan State @ Green Bay Mississippi @ UIC Purdue @ Loyola Hawaii @ Milwaukee Duquesne @ Youngstown State | 2006-07 | Purdue @ Butler St. Louis @ Loyola UAB @ Milwaukee Wyoming @ Milwaukee | 2007-08 | Ohio State @ Butler Ohio State @ Cleveland State DePaul @ Detroit Wisconsin @ Milwaukee St. Bonaventure @ Wright State | 2008-09 | Northwestern @ Butler Kansas State @ Cleveland State St. Louis @ Detroit Massachusetts @ Green Bay DePaul @ UIC | 2009-2010 | Ohio State @ Butler Xavier @ Butler West Virginia @ Cleveland State Wichita State @ Cleveland State Oregon State @ UIC Marquette @ Milwaukee | 2010-11 | Louisville @ Butler South Florida @ Cleveland State St. Bonaventure @ Cleveland State Duquesne @ Green Bay Purdue @ Valparaiso Air Force @ Wright State | 2011-12 | Louisville @ Butler Xavier @ Butler St. Bonaventure @ Cleveland State Mississippi State @ Detroit St. John's @ Detroit Wyoming @ Green Bay Duquesne @ Valparaiso Fordham @ Loyola Wisconsin @ Milwaukee Cincinnati @ Wright State Charlotte @ Wright State | 2012-13 | Wisconsin @ Green Bay Virginia @ Green Bay Colorado State @ UIC Mississippi State @ Loyola | 2013-14 | Rhode Island @ Detroit Northwestern @ UIC DePaul @ Milwaukee St. Louis @ Valparaiso Central Florida @ Valparaiso | 2014-15 | Wichita State @ Detroit Central Florida @ UIC Wisconsin @ Milwaukee New Mexico @ Valparaiso George Mason @ Wright State | 2015-16 | Central Florida @ Detroit DePaul @ UIC | 2016-17 | Georgia @ Oakland Rhode Island @ Valparaiso | 2017-18 | DePaul @ UIC St. Joseph's @ UIC | 2018-19 | | 2019-20 | DePaul @ Cleveland State West Virginia @ Youngstown State | 2020-21 | | 2021-22 | DePaul @ UIC |
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Post by ptctitan on Oct 7, 2021 7:03:04 GMT -5
UIC started last season 5-2. That included a sweep of Oakland at UIC and wins over Northern Illinois and Valpo. Bridges apparently got hurt or left the line-up after the Loyola game. Then, Covid hit the team right around Christmas. The HL's contract tracing rules meant that UIC could not field 7 players against Milwaukee who did not have contact with the persons with the positive tests. So, those games were cancelled. The date of the positive test also meant that under HL rules, UIC could not play its first game scheduled with us the following weekend because not enough days had elapsed between the positive test on the staff member and the number of consecutive days with negative tests needed back then. So, our first game was canceled. Also, there was no certainty that UIC could field at least 7 players for the second game until 3 hours before it - if it were played on a Sunday night. The league then canceled the second game with us because of that uncertainty and other issues surrounding the trip to Chicago which had a very strict Covid regulation at that time.
When UIC returned to action the following weekend, it did not have Mitchell or Commander in the line-up and it lost at PFW. Those two players returned later in the year and helped UIC win a few more games. But last year, Covid broke whatever momentum Yaklich had been able to generate before Christmas. And the roster issues (injury, illness) with Bridges, Commander, and Mitchell left the team in a much different position than they were in before they played Oakland.
Except for Kirk, the other three departing players were McLain recruits. That leaves, I think, just Diggins and Ahale as holdovers from the McLain era. The health of Commander and Mitchell in 2021-22 will be a very important factor in UIC's ability to do well. The absence of Bridges for the rest of last year also contributed to the decline in their defense. Yet, they still beat YSU once and gave NKU all the Norse could handle in Highland Heights. Last year's Flames were a good example of how circumstances beyond a team's or coach's control can alter the end results when a roster gets depleted. The absence of a dominant post player like Bridges in 2021-22 likely will make the Flames just middle of the road in the HL. But they could be tough at guard and Diggins is an elite athlete.
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Post by ptctitan on Oct 8, 2021 6:14:17 GMT -5
Commish - there's not enough chatter on this thread, but of course these are all EXCELLENT and great primers to get us all pumped (and educated) for the upcoming season. Thank you for the time to put in the research, and the time taken to put it all in fine prose. Chatter. Chatter. Chatter!!!!! Just trying to increase the chatter in this thread.
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Post by Commissioner on Oct 10, 2021 21:28:35 GMT -5
Purdue Fort WayneOne benefit—maybe the biggest benefit—of adding PFW to the Horizon League is that they have a cool, unique mascot—the Mastodon. Indeed, so far as I can tell, they are the only collegiate or professional team in the United States that has that mascot (although Amherst uses the “Mammoths,” and most people, I would guess, can’t remember the differences between the two, or even which species came first in the great history of earth). One of the things I had really grown to like about the Summit Conference was that it was the conference of unique mascots—the Kangaroos, Jackrabbits, Mastodons, Coyotes, and Leathernecks; or, respectively UMKC, South Dakota State, PFW, South Dakota, and Western Illinois (there are three small colleges that use “Coyotes,” and one that uses “Kangaroos.”) Here are a few other unique names that I like in Division 1 hoops: Akron Zips Albany Great Danes Arkansas Razorbacks Austin Peay Governors Cal St. Northridge Matadors Campbell Fighting Camels Dayton Flyers Delaware Fighting Blue Hens Furman Paladins Loyola Ramblers UNC Tarheels Presbyterian Blue Hose Purdue Boilermakers Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns St. Louis Billikens SIU Salukis Stetson Mad Hatters TCU Horned Frogs UC- Irvine Anteaters You’ll notice that there are three old MCC/Horizon teams on the list—the Loyola Ramblers (a name I really like), the Dayton Flyers (connects them well the city), and the St. Louis Billikens. And “Flyers” isn’t actually unique—it is also used by D-2 Lewis. The old MCC also had the Evansville Purple Aces, a unique name but one that doesn’t strike me as particularly interesting, perhaps because the local high school team is the Blue Aces. The Musketeers (Xavier) also appears to be unique in collegiate sports. For current HL teams, there are at least 11 college teams around the country using “Titans,” though just us and Cal-State Fullerton in D-1. Northern Kentucky shares “Norse" with Luther College of Decorah, Iowa. Oakland’s “Golden Grizzlie” name is unique, but there are lots of schools named for some type of Bear, including four just plain ole’ “Grizzlies.” Similarly, there are quite a few “Raiders” out there besides Wright State, and several more that use variations such as “Red Raiders” or “Blue Raiders.” There are four “Flames” besides UIC, including D-1 Liberty. Vikings are common, and Panthers are all over the place. Jaguars apparently are not nearly as common as Panthers, but there are at least 8 overall, including two D-1 besides IUPUI. Seven schools use “Phoenix,” although Green Bay has sole use of the moniker in D-1. Three other schools use Robert Morris’s nickname, the Colonials, including D-1 George Washington. If you like that that nickname, use it often—there’s a movement under way to change it because, well, you know, some people have to be worked up about something. I was surprised that 3 schools use “Penguins,” although only YSU in D-1. It’s a bit funny, I think, that most fans don’t stop to think about the uniqueness of say, “Boilermakers” as a nickname, simply because the program is prominent enough that we hear it a lot. Below are some names from lower college ranks. (I tried to leave out names that seem to be of recent coinage from students thinking the name was particularly whimsical, such as the UC Santa Cruz Sea Slugs or North Carolina School of the Arts Fighting Pickles—well, OK, I guess now I’ve included them). I especially like names that have a tie-in to the school, such as the Maritime Academy Keelhaulers, a Kansas school called the “Threshers,” or the clever, somewhat intellectual Alfred Saxons and Brandeis Judges. All of these below are unique except the Mules, which is used by at least three schools. There are also other “Quakers,” but not other “Hustling Quakers,” which is the Earlham name. Maybe someone should become the “Lazy Quakers.” Anyway, some favorites: Alaska-Fairbanks Nanooks Alfred Saxons Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys Bard Llamas Bethany Swedes Bethel (Ks) Threshers Blackburn Battling Beavers Brandeis Judges Cal Maritime Academy Keelhaulers Centenary Gentlemen Central Missouri Mules (appropriately, their women’s teams are called Jennies) Colorado School of Mines Orediggers Concordia (MN) Cobbers Delta State Fighting Okra Earlham Hustling Quakers Eastern Arizona Gila Monsters Golden West College Rustlers Indiana Univ-Southeast Grenadiers Oberlin Yeomen Ponoma Pitzer Sagehens Rhode Island College Anchormen Rollins Tars Rowan Profs South Dakota Mines Hardrockers Southern Arkansas Muleriders Trinity Trolls Turtle Mountain Community College Mighty Mikinocks Webster Gorlocks Yeshiva Maccabees A Webster College GorlockPFW may have a swell mascot, but the team is not so swell. Jerred Godfrey, though, is a nice start. The 6-5 wing was forced to play out of position at the point much of last season, but still made third-team all-conference after averaging over 16 points and 5 rebounds and nearly 4 assists. The hope is that he’ll be more effective off the ball this year. What should allow that is the arrival of Damian Chong-Qui, who led the Northeast Conference last year in assists while playing with Mt. St. Mary’s, and averaged over 15 points per game to boot. A regular three-guard lineup will also feature Jalon Pipkins, a 44% shooter from three. Deonte Billups, who started last year on the wing, probably moves to the bench behind Pipkins and Godfrey. Muskegon native Jarvis Walker and Radford transfer Quinton Morton-Robertson provide added depth at guard. Or maybe Billups hands in the starting four-guard lineup, because there’s not much in the front court. Bobby Planutis returns at forward. Planutis has some size at 6-8, but he’s not an insider banger or a rim protector. Rather, he’s a deadly stretch 4, shooting 45% from three last year. But who, then, provides some inside game? 6-9 Ra Kpedi averaged 3.5 points and 3.1 rebounds last year, and I suspect claims a starting role this year. Another possibility is 6-8, 240 lb. Cameron Bedford, who has played in 110 games for Fort Wayne over the past 4 years and decided to stick around for his bonus year. 6-8 Jonathan Dejurnett saw very limited action last year as a true freshman, but many get a bigger chance this year. Freshmen RJ Ogom and Redford Dunton are the other forwards on the roster. Fort Wayne was the #3 team in the NCAA last year in three point shooting percentage, and this year’s team should be as good or better from deep. That will make them a threat every time they step on the floor. But they don’t play much defense, and they don’t have much rebounding. Two positive signs--they were a dismal 344th in the nation in turnovers last year, and that should improve immensely with the arrival of Chong-Qui and Morton-Robertson. That should be worth some extra wins. Second, with the addition of Chong-Qui they can put four 80% free throw shooters on the court (Godfrey, Pipkins, and Planutis are the others), which can make them awfully tough to catch if they have a late lead. This is a dangerous team that will likely score a big upset or two. In addition to the three point shooting, they're a veteran team and an older team, both of which are usually pluses. But they were just 8-14 last year, and I don't think that there’s enough here for a first division finish. Probable StartersPG – Damian Chong-Qui, 5-8 RS Jr. (15.1 ppg, 5.3 apg, 33.6% 3PtFG at Mount St. Mary’s). SG – Jarred Godfrey, 6-5 RS Jr. (16.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 3.8 apg, 36.1% 3PtFG). SG – Jalon Pipkins, 6-4 2xRS Jr. (14.3 ppg, 2.9 apg, 44.1% 3PtFG) F – Bobby Planutis, 6-8 2xRS Jr. (10.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 45.5% 3PtFG) PF – Ra Kpedi, 6-9 2xRS Jr. (3.5 ppg, 3.1 rpg) BenchPG – Quinton Morton-Robertson, 5-8 RS Soph. (7.4 ppg, 1.5 apg, 38.0% 3PtFG at Radford). SG – Deonte Billups, 6-4 RS Soph. (8.5 ppg, 4.2 ppg, 38.5% 3PtFG). SG – Jarvis Walker, 6-2 RS Fr. (4.4 ppg, 40.0% 3PtFG) PF – Cameron Benford, 6-8 Gr. (1.0 ppg, 2.2 rpg) F – Jonathan Dejurentt, 6-8 RS Fr. (1.3 ppg). F – Redford Dunton, 6-7 Fr. F – RJ Ogom, 6-6 RS Fr.
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Post by fan on Oct 10, 2021 21:34:04 GMT -5
How about the 1951 NIT and NCAA Champions, CCNY, the Beavers..................
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Post by Commissioner on Oct 12, 2021 21:57:51 GMT -5
IUPUI
Three teams have left the Horizon in the last decade: Butler, Loyola, and Valparaiso. They were replaced, respectively, by Oakland, Northern Kentucky, and IUPUI. The first two were very solid replacements. IUPUI, not so much.
Of course, Oakland couldn’t really take Butler’s place, and realistically, no school that might have joined the Horizon, even then, would have been as good as Butler. Oakland hasn’t reached the NCAA tournament in 8 years in the conference, but they’ve finished in the top half of the league in 6 of 8 seasons, and tied for the regular season title in 2017. Their overall conference winning percentage for 8 seasons is .592. They’ve had 9 first team all-conference players. Oakland has a small but nice arena, and every year since 2016, has exceeded the league average in attendance. Short of Belmont or Murray State, which might (but probably wouldn’t have) joined the Horizon, it’s hard to think of any team mentioned as a candidate back then that would have been better.
Northern Kentucky, which joined in 2016, was an even better addition. The Norse play in the league’s best facility, and have been one of the league leaders in attendance since 2017. They’ve won three conference tournaments and won or tied for two league titles in 6 seasons. Their overall conference record is 69-39, a .639 winning percentage. By comparison, in Loyola’s last six seasons in the Horizon, the Rambers were just 30-76, and playing in the aging Gentile Center. It is highly doubtful that Loyola would have poured resources into the program (which they have) if they had not moved to the MVC, and there’s no guarantee that the same degree of success—a Final Four and a Sweet 16 in the last four years—would have followed even if they had.
IUPUI, however, has been another story. Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis is a bit of a strange university. It was formed in 1969 by a consolidation of the IU and Purdue extension programs in the city, plus a number of graduate programs operated in the city by IU. IUPUI now operates a number of very well regarded graduate programs, including the only school of dentistry in the state, a very good law school, and the nation’s second largest medical school. The school has grown at about 20,000 undergrads, but is still largely a commuter school. IUPUI launched an athletics program in 1972; joined the NAIA in 1978 and the NCAA in 1993, and moved up to Division I in 1997.
While IUPUI has grown into a quality university, its basketball program leaves a bit to be desired. The Jaguars had some success under Ron Hunter in the early 2000s, including their only NCAA bid in 2003, and 26 and 25 win seasons in 2008 and 2010 respectively. That 2010 season got them a CBI bid. Attendance, however, peaked at 1649 back in 2004. Since Hunter left after the 2011 season, IUPUI has had 10 consecutive losing seasons. The Jags were making some progress under young head coach Jason Gardner, who recruited some quality players including Elyjah Goss, Jaylen MInnett, DJ McCall, and transfers Cameron Justice and Maurice Burk. But after a 16-17 record in 2019—the best since Hunter’s departure—Gardner was fired shortly before the 2019-20 season began, after being charged with DUI, and the program receded in two years under interim head coach Byron Rimm. In 4 seasons in the Horizon, IUPUI is 26-44 in conference play. The Jags averaged just 1202 fans per season (not including last year, of course). That’s a far cry from Valparaiso, which left the league after winning three straight regular season titles, and regularly having some of the league’s best attendance numbers. In any event, the Horizon is stuck with IUPUI now, and we all have to hope the hoops program can start to catch up with the rest of the University.
The Jaguars start the season with a new Head Coach, Matt Crenshaw, a star on IUPUI’s 2003 NCAA team and school’s all-time assist leader. Still in his thirties, Crenshaw followed a brief career overseas with 15 years as an assistant at IUPUI and, more recently, Ball State. Unfortunately for Crenshaw, IUPUI’s three dominant players in 2021—seniors Goss, Minnett, and Burk—all declined to return, with Minnett going to Missouri State and Goss and Burk trying their luck with pro careers.
Crenshaw does have two returning starters, guards Mike DePersia and Nathan McClure, but between the two of them they averaged just 9.4 points and connected on just 32% of their three point attempts. While not a scoring threat, DePersia is a competent point guard who takes care of the ball, but McClure will probably be squeezed in a crowded backcourt. Two guys the Jags are counting if they hope to avoid the Horizon cellar are Bakari Lastrap, the team’s top recruit a year ago, and a name familiar to Titan fans, BJ Maxwell. LaStrap struggled last year as a true freshman, averaging just 2.8 points and shooting just 23% from the arc, but he’s a good defensive player and ought to show more on offense. He can play the 1 or the 2. Maxwell’s career has been hampered by injuries and disciplinary issues, but he’s experienced and he can play, leading D-2 Edwards in scoring last season. With IUPUI’s thin front line, they’ll also count on him for rebounding. This is Maxwell's 7th season in college--he had a redshirt year; the NCAA gave him a second redshirt year due to injuries, and now he's taking his bonus COVID year. Calling John "Bluto" Blutarsky!
Also available for the backcourt are Azariah Seay and Bobby Harvey, the team’s top two returning scorers, albeit at just 5.7 and 5.6 ppg, respectively. Freshman KJ Pruitt was near the top of high school class of ’21—back in 2017. His development stalled and early interest from the likes of Ohio State, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State became offers from the likes of South Carolina Upstate. But you never know with these guys, and he might come on. Another freshman guard is Boston Stanton. I don’t know much about him, but he had several offers from lower major schools (e.g. Coastal Carolina, Northern Colorado, etc.) and may get some time.
Up front Crenshaw inherited a nearly bare cupboard. Deep in the back of the cupboard were 6-9 Jonah Carrasco, who scored 4 points total last year, and 6-10 Dimitar Pandev, who scored 11 points in 7 games before a season ending injury. Pandev actually has some promise, but after knee surgery its unclear if he’ll be playing at all, let alone at a higher level. To fill that barren cupboard, Crenshaw has brought in small forward Zach Gunn, a three-point shooter who averaged 3.4 points at Ball State; and Chuks Isitua, a 6-11 freshman center than who was on the Titans’ recruiting radar. Chuks’ progress has been slow—I don’t know if he’s really ready for a major role this year, but if Pandev’s not 100%, there’s really nobody else, so he’ll have plenty of opportunity.
Isitua could be a good presence under the defensive basket. Crenshaw was the Summit (nee Mid-Continent) Defensive Player of the Year way back in 2004, so the presumption is he’ll help with what has been a weak spot for IUPUI. But size is an issue, and there’s little three point shooting or proven scoring.
I think Crenshaw was a pretty good hire, and despite the general lack of fan support, I think IUPUI could be a pretty good job—it’s a strong university with some resources, in a growing, generally attractive city, in the heart of what remains a very good basketball recruiting state. But it’s not gonna happen this year. Predicting IUPUI for anything but a last place finish is a bold move.
Probable Starters PG – Mike DePersia, 5-11 RS Soph. (5.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 29.6% 3Pt) G – Bakari LaStrap, 6-0 RS Fr. (2.8 ppg, 23.1% 3Pt) G – BJ Maxwell, 6-5 3xRS Sr. (18.6 ppg, 5.4 rpg at St. Edward’s) SF – Zach Gunn, 6-6 2xRS Jr. (3.4 ppg, 40.0% 3Pt) C – Chuks Isitua, 6-11 Fr.
Bench PG – Boston Stanton, 6-5 Fr. G – Azariah Seay, 6-4 2xRS Soph. (5.7 ppg, 30.5% 3Pt) G – Nathan McClure, 6-4 2xRS Soph. (4.4 ppg, 34.2% 3Pt) G – Bobby Harvey, 6-3 RS Jr. (5.6 ppg, 36.4% 3Pt) G – KJ Pruitt, 6-4 Fr. PF – Jonah Carrasco, 6-9 RS Jr. (0.3 ppg) PF – Dimitar Pandev, 6-10 RS Jr (1.6 ppg)
If Pandev is healthy, I expect him to start ahead of Isitua, at least early on.
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Post by Commissioner on Oct 14, 2021 20:59:43 GMT -5
Oakland
I’ve got a confession to make. I’m an Oakland fan. I don’t mean I root for Oakland, or care if they lose. Perhaps its better to say that I’m just a fan of what they’ve done over the past 3 decades. They’ve move from D-2 to D-1, they made a couple NCAA tournaments out of the Summit. They’ve not made an NCAA since moving to the Horizon, but they’ve got an NIT bid and have consistently finished in the top half of the league. They’ve got a crackerjack PR department and a PR-conscious head coach that get them more buzz than their record deserves, and they’ve developed a bit of an aura as the “cool” program in town—although I think the failure to match that with post-season performance, or even winning records the last three years, is starting to take to bloom off the rose. They’ve got a tiny but sharp little arena and they’ve played up the “blacktop” thing—which is unique--for all its worth. They draw more fans than us, and they’ve whupped our ass on the court for the last eight years. I think—I hope—that last is about to change. I see Oakland as a sleeper in this year’s HL race, and the fact that they’re generally projected for 6th or 7th place is a sign of how much stronger the league is than it has been in recent years.
The Grizzlies lose two key parts from last year’s team, forward Daniel Oladapo (to Pitt), and high scoring guard Rashad Williams (to St. Louis). Personally, though, I don’t think they’ll miss Williams much. I mean, were I an Oakland fan (as opposed to a fan of Oakland achievements), I wouldn’t be happy that he transferred, but I wouldn’t lose sleep over it. Despite averaging 19.5 and 13.6 points in the last two seasons, Williams struck me as one of the league’s most overrated players. Sure, he could get hot and take over a game, as in his 37 point performance against the Titans 2 years ago. But basically, he’s a volume three-point shooter who doesn’t shoot three-point shots all that well. After leading the Horizon with a blistering 41% as a Cleveland State freshman in 2019, he’s made just 32% and 34% the last two years. He doesn’t finish at the rim (his career two-point shooting percentage is 38%), turns it over about 60% more often than he gets assists, and is nothing special on defense, despite quick hands. His teams were a combined 36-58 over the past three years. I suspect St. Louis fans will be disappointed.
The transfer of Oladapo, OTOH, I think will hurt. Oladapo was a banger on the boards and the squad’s primary inside offensive threat. The Grizz are looking to Marquette transfer Jamal Cain to fill that void. Cain is a real good player, and he’ll do well, but he’s 20 lbs. lighter than Oladapo and not the rebounder Oladapo is. But Cain is good.
The other front line spots will go to a pair of wings who made last year’s Horizon all-freshman team, Micah Parrish and Trey Townsend. The Titans had offered Parrish for the Class of ’19, but the River Rouge product took a prep year and then signed up in Rochester. Parrish had a slow start last year, averaging 3.9 points and 4.4 rebounds through the first third of the season, but blossomed as the year went on and may have been OU’s best player down the stretch. He averaged 8.7 points and 5.8 rebounds in the middle third of the year, and 12.8 points and 6.8 rebounds in the final third. He’s good a getting to the basket, a tremendous finisher at the rim (61.9% shooting from two) and can pop the occasional three, enough to keep defenders honest (34.9%). Parrish also showed good instincts for the ball, averaging 1.7 steals. Playing at the top of OU’s zone, he was too often the only guy who seemed to know what he was doing on defense.
Townsend is a bulkier player than Parrish, but his game isn’t all that different. Though less of a slasher, he’s also good at finishing at the rim, and has just enough three-point shot to keep defenders dropping off him to guard the baseline. If Kampe can hold these two, they should anchor OU for the next few seasons.
The kicker up front could be Braden Burke, the 7-0 grad transfer from Central Michigan. Burke started with Robert Morris way back in the fall of 2016. His freshman year there was nothing special at 4.3 points and 2.7 rebounds per game, especially given his low (for a 7 footer) 42 percent shooting percentage. But it was enough to build on. Instead, Burke transferred to Michigan State as a walk-on, and over the next three seasons (one a redshirt year) played a total of 25 minutes. He transferred to Central Michigan before last season, but left the team after playing in just 4 games, apparently opting out due to COVID concerns. So Burke has played a total of 54 minutes in the last 4 years. Any OU fans who are expecting a lot from Burke are setting themselves up for disappointment. And yet... well, he is a 7-footer, and as a freshman he grabbed 8 rebounds in 17 minutes against Kansas State, and had 10 points and 7 rebounds against Richmond. If Burke can average even 7 points and 5 rebounds off the bench, that would be a huge boost for the Grizzlies.
One guy who will rarely see the bench is point guard Jalen Moore, the nation’s leader in assists last year. Moore also averaged 37.5 minutes per game, good for 5th nationally (but second in the HL to Antoine Davis). Moore has excellent penetration and is great at dishing off—on offense, he may be the best point guard in the league, Antoine Davis notwithstanding. The off-guard position probably falls to Zion Young, who was inconsistent last year after transferring from Western Illinois. Titans fans will remember his most “up” game of the year—a 9 for 9 game from behind the arc for 28 points against Detroit last January (he had entered that game just 22 for 75 on the season).
Walk-on Blake Lampman, who was hampered by injuries last year and regressed from a solid freshman season, will lap up whatever minutes are available for a backup point guard. Little-used sophomore Emmanuel Newsome and a quartet of true freshmen, Brody Parker, Mason Gibson, Osei Price, and Darius Sherman, fill out the backcourt bench. I don’t expect much from any of them this year. Up front, 6-10 Chris Conway, who I thought would be pretty good last year but wasn’t, is on bench, along with 6-8, 220 lb. freshman Will Shepherd, who looks like a decent recruit.
With Moore captaining the offense, Young providing three-point shooting, Parrish and Townsend on the wings and Cain in the middle, this is a really good offensive team. But Kampe has indicated he’ll be going with a lot of zone again this year, and in this case it looks like he’s doing it to hide a weak defense--not that the zone helped much last year (KenPom had the Grizzlies 306th in the nation in defensive efficiency last year). The Grizzlies rebounded pretty well out of the zone last year, but that may be tougher without Oladapo. Depth is an issue.
So while this is a very dangerous team, I think the 6th-8th place projections they’re getting are probably right. But if things break well, they could surprise.
Probable Starters PG – Jalen Moore, 5-11 RS Jr. (17.9 ppg, 8.4 apg, 4.1 rpg, 34.9% 3Pt) SG – Zion Young, 6-3 RS Jr. (7.8 ppg, 35.3% 3Pt) SF – Micah Parrish, 6-6 RS Fr. (8.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 34.9% 3Pt) F – Trey Townsend, 6-6 RS Fr. (8.4 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 33.3% 3Pt) F – Jamal Cain, 6-8 RS Sr. (9.6 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 34.3% 3Pt at Marquette)
Bench PG – Blake Lampman, 6-1 RS Soph. (2.4 ppg, 23.3% 3Pt) G – Emmanuel Newsome, 6-0 RS Soph (0.5 ppg) PG – Mason Gibson, 6-1 Fr. PG – Brody Parker, 6-0 Fr. SG – Darius Sherman, 6-4 Fr. SG – Osei Price, 6-5 Fr. PF – Will Shepherd, 6-8 Fr. C – Chris Conway, 6-10 RS Fr. (0.4 ppg) C – Braden Burke, 7-0 RS Gr. (1.0 ppg, 0.8 rpg at Central Michigan)
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Post by Flamesmania on Oct 15, 2021 18:20:54 GMT -5
UIC started last season 5-2. That included a sweep of Oakland at UIC and wins over Northern Illinois and Valpo. Bridges apparently got hurt or left the line-up after the Loyola game. Then, Covid hit the team right around Christmas. The HL's contract tracing rules meant that UIC could not field 7 players against Milwaukee who did not have contact with the persons with the positive tests. So, those games were cancelled. The date of the positive test also meant that under HL rules, UIC could not play its first game scheduled with us the following weekend because not enough days had elapsed between the positive test on the staff member and the number of consecutive days with negative tests needed back then. So, our first game was canceled. Also, there was no certainty that UIC could field at least 7 players for the second game until 3 hours before it - if it were played on a Sunday night. The league then canceled the second game with us because of that uncertainty and other issues surrounding the trip to Chicago which had a very strict Covid regulation at that time. When UIC returned to action the following weekend, it did not have Mitchell or Commander in the line-up and it lost at PFW. Those two players returned later in the year and helped UIC win a few more games. But last year, Covid broke whatever momentum Yaklich had been able to generate before Christmas. And the roster issues (injury, illness) with Bridges, Commander, and Mitchell left the team in a much different position than they were in before they played Oakland. Except for Kirk, the other three departing players were McLain recruits. That leaves, I think, just Diggins and Ahale as holdovers from the McLain era. The health of Commander and Mitchell in 2021-22 will be a very important factor in UIC's ability to do well. The absence of Bridges for the rest of last year also contributed to the decline in their defense. Yet, they still beat YSU once and gave NKU all the Norse could handle in Highland Heights. Last year's Flames were a good example of how circumstances beyond a team's or coach's control can alter the end results when a roster gets depleted. The absence of a dominant post player like Bridges in 2021-22 likely will make the Flames just middle of the road in the HL. But they could be tough at guard and Diggins is an elite athlete. Thanks for noticing. I couldn't have said it better myself!!! All the factors you mentioned made a difference. Hopefully with some pruning of the roster and a real off season of actual recruiting; full small group practices; and official full squad practices will allow for Yaklich to install a system that will work for the players. Also before Covid and the injuries, the Flames were one of the top 3-point field goals percentage against defensive teams in the country.
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Post by Commissioner on Oct 16, 2021 12:13:40 GMT -5
Returning Stat Leaders
With the number of players transferring in and out these days, the list of returning stat leaders doesn't mean what it used to. Nonetheless, here are the top returning players in Horizon stat categories.
Scoring (points per game) 1. Antoine Davis, Detroit ... 23.4 2. Jalen Moore, Oakland ... 17.9 3. DeAndre Gholston, Milwaukee ... 16.8 4. Trevon Faulkner, Northern Kentucky ... 16.7 5. Jarred Godfrey, Purdue-Fort Wayne ... 16.2 6. Tanner Holden, Wright State ... 15.8 7. Marques Warrick, Northern Kentucky ... 15.8 8. Grant Basile, Wright State ... 15.0 9. Torrey Patton, Cleveland State ... 14.7 10. Jalon Pipkins, Purdue-Fort Wayne ... 14.3
Rebounds (per game) 1. Adrian Nelson, Northern Kentucky ... 10.0 2. Michael Akuchie, Youngstown State ... 8.3 3. Torrey Patton, Cleveland State ... 8.0 4. Tanner Holden, Wright State ... 7.3 5. Grant Basile, Wright State ... 7.0 6. Tim Finke, Wright State ... 7.0 7. Trey Townsend, Oakland ... 6.1 8. Michael Diggins, UIC ... 5.9 9. Chris Brandon, Northern Kentucky ... 5.9 10. Micah Parrish, Oakland ... 5.8
Assists (per game) 1. Jalen Moore, Oakland ... 8.4 2. Antoine Davis, Detroit ... 4.8 3. Lucas Stiber, Green Bay ... 4.0 4. Bryson Langdon, Northern Kentucky ... 4.0 5. Mike DePersia, IUPUI ... 3.9 6. Jarred Godfrey, Purdue-Fort Wayne ... 3.8 7. Shemar Rathan-Mayes, Youngstown State ... 3.5 8. Trey Calvin, Wright State ... 3.5 9. Craig Beaudion, Cleveland State ... 3.3 10. Jalon Pipkins, Purdue-Fort Wayne ... 2.9
Assists/Turnover Ratio (min. 2.0 apg) 1. Mike DePersia, IUPUI ... 3.74 2. Lucas Stieber, Green Bay ... 3.23 3. Jalen Moore, Oakland ... 2.19 4. Trey Calvin, Wright State ... 2.08 5. Shemar Rathan-Mayes, Youngstown State ... 2.07 6. Bryson Langdon, Northern Kentucky ... 1.90 7. Craig Beaudion, Cleveland State ... 1.70 8. Tanner Holden, Wright State ... 1.68 9. Antoine Davis, Detroit ... 1.46 10. Tre Gomillion, Cleveland State ... 1.43
Steals (per game) 1. D'Moi Hodge, Cleveland State ... 1.73 2. Micah Parrish, Oakland ... 1.72 3. Jalen Moore, Oakland ... 1.67 4. Jarred Godfrey, Purdue-Fort Wayne ... 1.61 5. Trevon Faulkner, Northern Kentucky ... 1.52 6. Antoine Davis, Detroit ... 1.45 7. Trey Townsend, Oakland ... 1.40 8. Garret Covington, Youngstown State ... 1.31 9. Trey Calvin, Wright State ... 1.25 10. Mike DePersia, IUPUI ... 1.22
Blocks (per game) 1. Grant Basile, Wright State ... 1.63 2. Deante Johnson, Cleveland State ... 1.30 3. Kahliel Spear, Robert Morris ... 1.28 4. Lucas Stieber, Green Bay ... 0.88 5. Trey Townsend, Oakland ... 0.80 6. Michael Diggins, UIC ... 0.77 7. Emmanuel Ansong, Green Bay ... 0.74 8. D'Moi Hodge, Cleveland State ... 0.65 9. Jalon Pipkins, Purdue-Fort Wayne ... 0.61 10. Adrian Nelson, Northern Kentucky ... 0.60
FG Pct. (>5 attempts per game) 1. Adrian Nelson, Northern Kentucky ... .688 2. Grant Basile, Wright State ... .617 3. Emmanuel Ansong, Green Bay ... .582 4. Micah Parrish, Oakland ... .550 5. Kahliel Spear, Robert Morris ... .547 6. Jalon Pipkins, Purdue-Fort Wayne ... .527 7. Trey Townsend, Oakland ... .524 8. Tanner Holdern, Wright State ... .520 9. Tre Gomillion, Cleveland State ... .509 10. Bobby Planutis, Purdue-Fort Wayne ... .500
Three Point Pct. (>2 attempts per game) 1. Bobby Planutis, Purdue-Fort Wayne ... .455 2. Jalon Pipkins, Purdue-Fort Wayne ... .441 3. Tim Finke, Wright State ... .413 4. Craig Beaudion, Cleveland State ... .407 5. Matt Johnson, Detroit ... .392 6. Deonte Billups, Purdue-Fort Wayne ... .385 7. DeAndre Gholston, Milwaukee ... .374 8. Antoine Davis, Detroit ... .372 9. Jarred Godfrey, Purdue-Fort Wayne ... .361 10. Marques Warrick, Northern Kentucky ... .361
Three Pointers Made 1. Antoine Davis, Detroit ... 83 2. Marques Warrick, Northern Kentucky ... 53 3. Jalen Moore, Oakland ... 51 4. Zion Young, Oakland ... 49 5. Bobby Planutis, Purdue-Fort Wayne ... 46 5. DeAndre Gholston, Milwaukee ... 46 5. Jamie Ahale, UIC ... 46 8. Tim Finke, Wright State ... 43 8. Jarred Godrey, Purdue-Fort Wayne ... 43 10. Shemar Rathan-Mayes, Youngstown State ... 40 10. Trey Calvin, Wright State ... 40
Free Throw Pct (> 2.5 attempts per game) 1. Antoine Davis, Detroit ... .917 2. Shemar Rathan-Mayes, Youngstown State ... .824 3. Jarred Godfrey, Purdue-Fort Wayne ... .809 4. Michael Akuchie, Youngstown State ... .805 5. DeAndre Gholston, Milwaukee ... .802 6. Tanner Holden, Wright State ... .796 7. Trevon Faulkner, Northern Kentucky ... .795 8. Jalen Moore, Oakland ... .776 9. Bryson Langdon, Northern Kentucky ... .773 10. Craig Beaudion, Cleveland State ... .770
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lafan
Iyapo Montgomery
Posts: 45
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Post by lafan on Oct 16, 2021 13:42:19 GMT -5
Like I said in another post that most have not seen, Kampe is a genius at getting the most of his talent so watch out for OU this year. Regardless of what anyone says, the guy can flat out coach. I wish he had been selected for UoD back in the day. He has taken a Division II team and turned it into a mid-major with a good reputation. He has certainly had our number since OU entered the Horiozn.
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Post by ptctitan on Oct 17, 2021 6:01:28 GMT -5
Good analysis of OU by Commissioner. The ability of all genius coaches is still limited by the quality and quantity of the talent being coached; and how that talent compares to the rest of the league in which the genius coaches. When the "Wizard of Walton Blvd" had a clear talent advantage against the league in 2015-18, he lost 4 of 5 HL tourney games with Felder and then Nunn at PG, including losses to Jerry Slocum's YSU Penguins and Dennis Felton's CSU Vikings. This year's Grizzlies have 5 good starters. Burke's size could make him a good player. Newsome, Conway, Lampman and others remain question marks. Recruiting at OU seems to have plateaued since the departures of Washington and Valentine from the staff. From my perspective, it's not so much that OU has regressed a lot; it's that the rest of the league have drawn even or passed them on roster talent and depth. And our Titans are one of those teams who have caught or passed the Grizzlies at the roster level. That does not mean that the OU core 5 or 6 players are bad. Or that Kampe is a bad coach. The league has changed. And the schedule no longer allows him to point to our game for an entire week without concern about playing the next game for another 5 days. It is now one of 3 games in 5 days for both teams.
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Post by Commissioner on Nov 2, 2021 20:45:38 GMT -5
DetroitBuay Koka is 7’1” tall. Noah Waterman and Mouhamed Sylla are 6’11”. This is the second consecutive year the Titans have had three players on the roster who are 6’11” or taller, with Sylla taking the place of Taurean Thompson. The Titans have had just 14 players who were 6’11” tall or more, and just 5 who hit 7’. At 7’1”, Koka is tied with Malik Eichler as the second tallest player in Titan history, at least as listed on the roster. Unfortunately, it’s not a very distinguished group. I had always thought that the Titans first-ever 7 footer was Gerald Smith, a talented if somewhat inconsistent member of Jim Harding’s teams. But it turns out that’s wrong. It’s this guy, #44, standing next to Dave DeBusschere in this photo of the 1960 Titans. (That 1960 squad spent most of the year in the top 20, peaking at #11 on December 28, after opening the year with wins over Iona, Purdue, Xavier, Boston College, and New Mexico, while losing by 4 points at 9th-ranked Indiana). He’s Pete Corbett, who played for the Titan varsity in 1959 and 1960. As a soph in 1959, he averaged 2.6 points and 3.8 rebounds in 17 games. In 1960 he played in just 7 games, averaging 0.7 and 1.4. I don’t know why Corbett played so little as a junior and not at all as a senior—some cursory research didn’t reveal anything and I didn’t want to spend a lot of time on it. If anyone knows, shoot me a PM or put something in this thread. Pete Corbett goes for two in a 77-63 loss to 9th ranked Bradley, January 26, 1959 Between Corbett and Smith the tallest Titans were a trio of 6-8 players, the legendary Spencer Haywood, a first team All-America in 1969; Dorie Murrey, an All-America Honorable Mention in 1966, and Ed Ferguson, a back-up center on the 1962 NCAA team. Smith, who played varsity from ’71 to ’73, was a good player, and a remarkably good free throw shooter for such a big man in those days (a career .765). The Titans wouldn’t have another player listed at 6-11 or above until the 1990 season, when 6-11 Kelan Ritchie averaged 2 points and 1 rebound in 18 games. That team did have a pair of 6-10 players, back-up center John Buszka, and freshman Greg Grant, who played in just 4 games before being red-shirted. The Titans were tall the next year, too, with Buszka and Grant returning and being joined by 6-11 John Beauford, a troubled transfer from Ohio U. who averaged 10 points and 6 rebounds in 13 games. The next Titan titan was 6-11 Walter Craft, who played from ’98 through ’01. He was joined by 6-11 Mark Harmon in the 2000 season. After two undistinguished seasons, Harmon was playing well as a senior, averaging 8 points and 5 rebounds, but he was injured for a good portion of the year. The tallest Titan ever was Jason Bennett, a 7-3 transfer from Kansas State who started 20 games in the 2009 season, his only one playing with Detroit. He averaged just 1.7 points and 1.7 rebounds. After Bennett came Olumde Solanke, a 6-11 juco transfer who rode the pine on the 2013 and 2014 Titans. The Titans had a couple of giants during Bacari Alexander’s short tenure, 7-1 Malik Eichler in 2017 and 2018, and injury prone, 6-11 Isaac Jones in 2018. The Titans have had a number of players listed at 6’10”, including, in the last decade, All-Conference selection Eli Holman and a couple of solid role players, Ugochukwu Njoko and LeMarcus Lowe. More than a quarter—4 of 14—of the Titans’ tallest—the guys who were listed at 6’11” or more--have been on the roster this year and last: Koka, Waterman and 6-11 Thompson last year, with Sylla joining the first two in place of Thompson this season. I think it’s fair to say that Waterman has already established himself as the 2d-best Titan giant ever, behind only Smith. By the end of this year, I hope we’ll consider him the best tall Titan ever to play. Antoine Davis will remain, for at least (and likely only) one more season, and he’ll remain the Titans go-to guy. In a separate post, I noted some of the individual accomplishments he’s closing in on. It would be cool to have him lead the nation in scoring, too, and after Max Abams, he’s probably the favorite to do so. More important, though, would be to get the Titans back to the NCAAs. Waterman may be as important to that goal as Davis. Most the prognosticators seem to be putting the Titans around 5th in what should be a very competitive Horizon this year. They look at Waterman’s top-line numbers from a year ago, and see 11.9 ppg, 4.5 rebounds per game, and they think, “well, he’s good, but he’s no Bul Kuol.” He didn’t transfer from Vanderbilt, like DJ Harvey, but from lowly Niagara. He wasn’t a three star recruit in high school. But to a substantial extent, I think they’re overlooking what a unique talent Waterman is. Waterman would have led the nation in three-point shooting—and by a substantial amount—had he not missed the season’s first 7 games while waiting on the NCAA to grant his waiver to play immediately (as a result he didn’t play in the required 75% of his team’s games to qualify). He’s not an inside banger, but he can go inside and finish, shooting over 60% from two. I don’t know who the other contenders would be, but he’s got to be in the running for best ball handler over 6’8” in NCAA history. There are a lot of parts to his game that remain raw and underdeveloped, and Coach seems to indicate he sometimes loses his concentration, but he’s already very good and his potential is huge. Remarkably, at the start of his third season, he retains freshman eligibility. I don’t expect him to stay in Detroit 4 more years, but I was glad to hear Coach Davis say we’d have him for “two or three” more years. That sounds right—unless Waterman has improved enormously (in which case we likely make the NCAA this year), he probably needs at least this year and next to develop a full game. But he is already very valuable. DJ Harvey will be asked to fill the Kuol role, and if he gets halfway there—say 12 points, 4 rebounds, and a 38% three-point percentage--with what I think Waterman can deliver, we’ll look real good. We’ll miss Chris Brandon, but I feel pretty good that Madut Akec or Prince Oduro will emerge as at least a modest low-post scoring threat, something we lacked last year. Oduro spent the last 3 years at Mississippi State and South Florida without contributing a lot, but he had a fine freshman season back at Siena and should contribute back at the mid-major level. Also available are Jordan Phillips, a guy I think can improve a lot on last year’s 7 points and 3 rebounds per game at Texas-Arlington; 7-1 Koka; and the always ready Willy Isiani. Speaking of Willy, while I’ve enjoyed watching him develop from a one-dimensional catch-and-shoot player into a solid, all-around role player, I wouldn’t mind seeing him pull the trigger from three a bit more often. Sylla is likely to sit and watch this year. Likewise, at guard the Titans have a lot of options to compliment Davis. Matt Johnson, last year’s HL 6th Man of the Year, does all kind of things to help the team win, not least of which is providing another three point threat (the Titans were 5th in the nation in three-point shooting last year). You can’t help but root for Titan scion Kevin McAdoo two, and at worst he should be a competent back-up point guard when needed. I don’t know much about Jeramy Shaw, but I know that he was a 2nd team JUCO All-American, I like his juco stats, and he looks like a ballplayer. Of course, Harvey or even Phillips can slip into the #2 spot as well. Sophomore Kyle LeGreair may be ready to contribute after being slowed by minor injuries as a freshman. True freshman Bryon Ottrix committed early, but won’t play much this year as the Titans pull out all the stops to win now. Coach Davis has said repeatedly that this is his best club in Detroit. The league is as deep through its top 6, or even 8, teams as it has been since Butler was a member, and the Titans open with a brutal 9 game road trip. We open with a Mountain West team at 7000+ feet in a game beginning at 9 p.m. Eastern time, play a top-40 ACC team and an SEC team on the road, and face two of the better teams from both the Colonial and MAC, with a couple of conference road games squeezed in. It will be a good test of Coach Davis’s “toughen ‘em up for conference play” theory. So while it will be tough, and the season may start slowly, I don’t see any reason why the Titans can’t win this league, which isn’t quite the same as predicting them to do so. It’s hard to believe it’s been 10 years since our last NCAA appearance, and that’s too long. Probable StartersG – Antoine Davis, 6-1 RS Jr. (24.0 ppg, 4.8 apg, 37.2% 3Pt) G – Kevin McAdoo, 2xRS Jr. (6.0 ppg, 1.5 apg w/ Bradley) SF – D.J. Harvey, 2x RS Jr. (6.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 36.8% 3Pt w/ Vanderbilt) SF – Noah Waterman, 2x RS Fr. (11.9 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 52.8% 3Pt) PF – Prince Oduro, 2x RS Jr. (2.3 ppg, 2.1 rpg w/ South Florida) Key BenchG – Matt Johnson, 6-4 RS Sr. (8.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 39.2% 3Pt) G – Jeramy Shaw, 6-6 RS Soph. (16.4 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 3.2 apg, 34.6% 3Pt @ North Central Missouri) G – Kyle LeGreair, 6-0 RS Fr. (played 5 minutes total on year) SF – Jordan Phillips, 6-7 RS Jr. (7.4 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 37.9% 3Pt @ Texas-Arlington) F – Madut Akec, 6-7 RS Soph. (2.5 ppg, 1.7 rpg @ South Florida) F – Willy Isiani, 6-7 RS Jr. (3.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg) F – Buay Koka, 7-1 2xRS Jr. (2.2 ppg, 2.0 rpg) A few more thoughts on those Titan giants. When Bob Calihan was a 2nd team All-America selection in 1939, he was a 6’3” center. Norm Swanson, Detroit’s next All-American, played from 1950 through 1953 as a 6’5” center. The first Titan to reach the lofty height of 6’7”—a big guard today—was Bob Eckert, a backup on the 1953 team who then transferred to John Carroll. Like Swanson, our next All-American, Guy Sparrow (1952-55), who averaged 18.8 rebounds his final season, stood 6’5”. So did Don Haase, who followed Sparrow at center and is 5th on the Titans’ career rebound list. Tom Costello, Haase’s back-up on the 1956 team, was the first Titan to reach 6’8”. DeBusschere was just 6’6”, as was Dick Dzik, who finished 3rd in the nation in 1964 with 20.7 rebounds per game. If you’re keeping track, you’ll have noticed that Pete Corbett was not only the Titans’ first seven-footer, he was the only Titan taller than 6-8 until 1971. Different times. * This post originally stated that Noah Waterman's three point percentage in 2021 would, with enough games to qualify, have been an NCAA record. That was incorrect.
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