Catching up with ... the Missouri Valley Conference
Offseason news and notes from the Missouri Valley Conference.
Bradley
Their coach is one of the best guards in Bradley history, so it should be no surprise his team excels in the backcourt. Stars Daniel Ruffin and Jeremy Crouch are gone, but the Braves should again be strong at guard. Leadership of the team passed from Ruffin and Crouch to sophomore Sam Maniscalco and junior Andrew Warren.
Bradley coach Jim Les, a former NBA player, has had good luck mixing in transfers (such as Marcellus Sommerville and Will Franklin) and that will continue this season with guards Dodie Dunson (who started his career at Iowa State) and Chris Roberts. If Dunson and Roberts adjust to the Valley quickly, that's four quality guards to operate Bradley's pressing and 3-point shooting strategies.
The backcourt should be solid. Can Les count on it to carry the team? If not, his big men need to take a big step forward. Center David Collins was a non-factor through much of his junior season. His play in the College Basketball Invitational showed some progress. Will Egolf and Anthony Thompson, who redshirted last season, also need to be ready to play. The Braves can count on senior Theron Wilson, one of the Valley's most versatile and underrated forwards. Forward Taylor Brown, a freshman who signed on with Bradley late in the summer, is intriguing. He graduated in 2007, so he is a year more mature than most freshmen.
The break from the 2006 Sweet 16 team is almost total, so Les is making over a program after a good three-year run. Bradley is rebuilding from the strong position of having experienced guards who can guide the newcomers. Dunson and Roberts need to contribute, but the pressure on them is not overwhelming.
Les' system is guard-friendly and his roster is guard-heavy. He will need to find the right chemistry and the right amount of playing time to keep them happy and effective.
Creighton
Creighton as the MVC favorite sounds natural, something meant to be. While the Bluejays are (along with Southern Illinois) the flagship for the Valley's recent high points, they are coming off a sixth straight season without a regular-season title.
Last season's Baby Jays slipped to fourth, its lowest finish since 2000, with 10 MVC wins, fewest since 1997. The youth contributed to maddening inconsistency. Just when the Bluejays appeared to get it, they would lose to an Evansville.
Coach Dana Altman should erase those problems this season. Creighton, despite the loss of three seniors, should be much wiser. The strength comes from the backcourt, where the rotation will be the MVC's best.
Sophomore P'Allen Stinnett is one of the conference's most explosive talents. He needs only to avoid foul trouble and control his temper to be a Player of the Year candidate. Senior Booker Woodfox is one of the MVC's best shooters. Junior Cavel Witter is an excellent penetrator who shot 104 free throws last season, third on the team, while playing less than half the game. Senior Josh Dotzler must provide the steadiness others did last season. He is a tough defender and unselfish player who can juggle the egos of other players.
Altman will spend his preseason practices making sure the big men can get the guards the ball. The loss of forward Dane Watts robs Creighton's of its best rebounder on an average rebounding team. Kenny Lawson needs to be more consistent and Kenton Walker and Chad Millard must become more consistent in their second seasons at Creighton. No longer is Watts around to hold their hands.
Drake
New Drake coach Mark Phelps has, without a doubt, the toughest job in the MVC this season. It took Keno Davis four seasons to build the program wisely and patiently to produce the miracle of 2008. Keno Davis left for Providence; Phelps is charged with carrying on at a place where expectations are raised. The fact remains that it is also a place with one NCAA Tournament appearance (2008) since 1971.
Davis did leave Phelps with some important pieces from the Valley champs. It is not a total rebuilding job. Phelps' chore is to recreate the atmosphere that allowed the Bulldogs to roll through the MVC last season. The Bulldogs turned out to be the MVC's most well-schooled and unselfish team, playing with more confidence, joy and momentum than anybody else. Can those variables again favor Drake?
If not, Drake still has guard Josh Young to score and center Jonathan Cox to rebound and drive opposing big men crazy with his outside shooting. Sophomore guard Josh Parker may be the point guard, and he has the skills to be a good one.
Phelps, a former assistant at Arizona State, has taken pains this off-season to correct assumptions that his background with coach Herb Sendek means a major change to the Princeton offense. Drake's strength is shooting, and they will continue to shoot 3s under Phelps. The Sun Devils shot 688 threes in 2008, second in the Pac-10. That is not as many as Drake (840 in 2008), but it should be enough to keep fans happy.
Forward Adam Templeton, a transfer from Cal-Irvine, may be the most important new face. He is a shooter who should contribute right away. JC transfer Craig Stanley can help at point guard.
Evansville
Evansville turned to former star Marty Simmons to make its struggling program relevant again. The Aces entered the MVC with high expectations in 1995. Since a 1999 title, the program slipped away to where it is arguably the lowest-profile program in the Valley.
Simmons, by virtue of his star power in Evansville, revitalized the program to a point. That buzz won't last forever. With five starters back and two good senior leaders, Simmons needs to move the Aces forward this season on the court and in the recruiting wars.
Guards Jason Holsinger and Shy Ely are good, on some nights very good, MVC players. To be blunt, there is not enough help. Evansville ranked last in the MVC in rebound margin, blocked shots and shooting defense. Those issues are all connected to the fact the big men did not present much of an obstacle to teams making easy shots.
Simmons adds five new players, all freshmen. That is a good long-term solution to rebuilding a program. It is dangerous to count on them for immediate help. Zach House, a 7-footer who redshirted last season, needs to develop quickly to help inside. Bryan Bouchie, a 6-foot-10 transfer from Valparaiso, will sit out this season and do his part in 2009-10.
It will be interesting to compare the progress of Evansville with Wichita State. They finished at the bottom of the MVC, with the Aces one game behind the Shockers. Evansville is going forward with the same cast. WSU returns one starter and adds three transfers to the mix. Different solutions at different schools for the same problem.
Illinois State
Coach Tim Jankovich pulled together a group of individuals into a cohesive team last season and the Redbirds improved dramatically.
That success should make his job easier in 2008-09, but he still has work to do. Illinois State lost three starters. Two important returners are rehabbing injuries. A transfer with one season of eligibility needs to quickly fit into the program.
The off-season's biggest developments came off the court. Forward Bobby Hill, who played as a freshman at Illinois State, left and returned, had surgery in June to repair a torn ligament in his right knee. He also had to wait for NCAA clearance, without penalties, after an investigation into his high school program in St. Louis.
Hill may be healthy by the start of the season, and the Redbirds need his height in light of the off-season's next injury news. Power forward Brandon Sampay, whose junior was derailed by injury, had hip surgery in early August and will miss four-to-five months.
Those developments could leave the Redbirds woefully thin inside. Junior Dinma Odiakosa is a fast-improving big man. He can't do it all himself. Freshman forward Jeremy Robinson needs to mature quickly. Walk-on Kellen Thornton may be more important than originally planned.
Indiana State
Four items will detemine if the Sycamores make progress in coach Kevin McKenna's second season. His first season did not produce a winning record (15-16), yet it has the feel of a success. Indiana State's 8-10 MVC record is its best since 2001. A program growing stale under former coach Royce Waltman showed some life.
McKenna, a former Creighton star and NBA player, must find a replacement for do-everything guard Gabe Moore. He scored, passed and defended and was the guy who took over in tough times. Harry Marshall, a former walk-on, seems to have the demeanor and the leadership qualities. Transfer Rashad Reed will also get a shot.
Senior forward Jay Tunnell must stay healthy for an entire season. When he can play at full strength, Tunnell is a shooter and a rebounder with three seasons of MVC experience. He needs to be on the floor.
Even without Moore, the Sycamores must develop the toughness it takes to win on the road. They went 2-13 on the road. They aren't making a move without better results.
Sophomore center Isiah Martin needs to take a step from role player into consistent force. He is a shot-blocker who needs to improve his offensive skills and avoid foul trouble.
McKenna pushed the Sycamores to an improved season. He may find taking another step forward is more difficult.
Complete Sycamores team report
Missouri State
Cuonzo Martin is not Barry Hinson. JQH Arena is not the Hammons Center. Those are the two biggest positives entering the season for the Bears.
Martin takes over for Hinson, booted after winning a bunch of games that didn't mean enough in the Valley race or the eyes of the NCAA Tournament. JQH Arena, with 11,000 seats, replaces the Hammons Center as the home of the Bears.
Those developments will get fans through what could be a rough season. The Bears are inexperienced, with six freshmen (one a redshirt) and two starters. No returner averaged double figures last season, when the Bears finished 8-10 in the MVC.
MSU did add some experience when the NCAA granted senior guard Spencer Laurie a sixth year of eligibility. He started 18 games last season. Brother Shane Laurie, a senior, and junior Justin Fuehrmeyer return in the backcourt. That will be MSU's strength, with three experienced players who can shoot and make good decisions. They are not, however, particularly athletic or great defenders.
The front-court requires a makeover. Small forward Chris Cooks is MSU's leading returning scorer at 8.6 points. Senior forward Wade Knapp needs to get much stronger and quicker. Freshmen big men Isaiah Rhine, John Hayward-Mayhew and Dominick Brumfield are on the clock for immediate playing time. Kyle Weems, a small forward who redshirted under Hinson, needs to be able to help Cooks guard the high-scoring guards who populate the MVC.
Martin has two Division I transfers (guard Adam Leonard and center Caleb Patterson) ready for 2010-11.
Northern Iowa
Northern Iowa is the Valley's 50-50 ball. The Panthers, coming off three straight fifth-place finishes, may slide back into the obscurity that marks most of their Valley tenure. If their big men blossom, they may return to the Valley's upper crust, as they did under coach Greg McDermott.
The Panthers are hard to figure out. They are 18-18 in MVC games in two seasons under Ben Jacobson. They play tough defense and smart, patient offense in a shiny new arena. Yet, there is no sizzle and no clear signs the Panthers are ready to make the NCAA Tournament, as they did three times under McDermott. Amazingly, Drake stole the spotlight in Iowa last season and the Panthers look much less exciting than the Bulldogs.
The last significant remnants of that run are gone. This is clearly Jacobson's program. This season depends on developing a point guard and turning Jordan Eglseder and Adam Koch into something more than they have been.
Koch and Eglseder are juniors, both physical specimens with loads of experience. They should be among the Valley's best big men. Koch needs to be more aggressive. Eglseder needs to stay healthy.
Point guard was a major problem last season. Kwadzo Ahelegbe was hurt last season and comes in as the likely solution. JC transfer Ali Farokhmanesh will play from the start.
Southern Illinois
Salukis coach Chris Lowery isn't the slightest bit interested in downplaying expectations for his recruiting class. He is calling it perhaps the school's best -- and this is a school with Walt Frazier as an ex. He again scheduled the Salukis hard. They will likely play Duke in Madison Square Garden. Nevada, Charlotte, Western Kentucky and Saint Louis are also on the schedule.
To help manage that task, SIU played three exhibition games in Canada over Labor Day. Those games and practices should be a huge help integrating the newcomers. Even SIU fans can't agree who will be the biggest star. Top 100 recruits Anthony Booker and Kevin Dillard (Illinois' Mr. Basketball) or guard Justin Bocot, who sat out last season? What about guards Ryan Hare or Torres Roundtree. The smart money says Booker, but the point is Lowery is knee-deep in good options.
Assuming the physical talent is there, Lowery's biggest job may be the mental side. Amid high expectations, SIU slumped at the start of last season against a difficult schedule and never recovered fully. Their trademark defense slipped just a bit, which was enough to pull the offense down with it. SIU never developed consistent go-to players to score late in the shot-clock as it did with Jamaal Tatum, Darren Brooks and Kent Williams in recent seasons. Center Randal Falker struggled with loads of defensive attention and caught heat from Lowery for his up-and-down play.
Senior Bryan Mullins is back to grab all the young players and indoctrinate them to the Saluki way. He is the total point guard, a defender, passer, leader and improving scorer. Dillard should pay attention to his every move.
Sophomore Carlton Fay may be the difference between good and great for SIU. He came in with high expectations and never got things rolling as a freshman. His scoring touch could help this season.
Wichita State
The Shockers are on their way to being deeper, bigger and more athletic than last season. Heck, they're on their way to being bigger and more athletic than the 2006 Sweet 16 team. Unfortunately, WSU is not quite as big and athletic as it hoped to be. Nigerian center Ehimen Orupke did not receive an eligibility waiver from the NCAA and had to transfer to a junior college.
Orupke would have been a raw offensive player, but one who could have helped by blocking shots and rebounding. His eligibility was always iffy, so WSU is well-prepared to move on without him. The recruiting class brings plenty of talent. The job for second-year coach Gregg Marshall is somehow compensate for a lack of experience.
The key newcomers are junior-college transfers Clevin Hannah and Reggie Chamberlain. They are both point-guard size, but versatile enough to play together. WSU needs them to lead and give the team quickness and shooting it lacked last season. They should be able to pester opposing guards on defense and set up teammates on offense.
Even without Orupke, the Shockers are bigger and more athletic than last season. Forward A.J. Hawkins, who sat out last season after transferring from St. Bonaventure, is the team's best athlete and should start immediately. Freshman center Garrett Stutz is a 7-footer with good shooting skills. He will be a step slow for a time, but will learn quickly. Power forward Gabe Blair, a transfer from East Carolina, will sit out this season. He is another top-level athlete Shocker fans can look forward to.
The top returner is senior forward Ramon Clemente, who averaged 7.9 rebounds last season. He is WSU's lone returning starter and most experienced player. He came on strong at the end of last season and must continue that progress. Sophomore forwards Aaron Ellis and J.T. Durley also need to mature. Durley is a natural scorer who needs to improve his defense. Ellis is a power forward who can shoot from the outside.
With those pieces, and freshman guard Toure Murry, Marshall should be able to play the pressing style that made him a smash at Winthrop. The Shockers, though inexperienced, are beginning to assemble the kind of personnel Marshall wants.
