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Who will be your teams starters and top reserves?

This is just a stab for SIU, which has a lot of depth and few sure things when it comes to starters/top scorers with this roster:

Potential starters

G- Xavier Johnson: Fifth-year senior who played well late in the season last year in his first year transferring in from George Mason. Shot a good percentage from 3 but will need to score more without Domask and Jones. Very good on-ball defender.
G- Trey Miller: Probably the portal add I'm most excited about. Averaged over 10 ppg as a freshman at Incarnate Word and looks like he has some offensive upside in clips I've seen.
G/F - AJ Ferguson: Barely played last year after transferring in from D2 program after freshman year, but he flashed athletically in limited action, and Mullins has talked up his offseason. A rangy, athletic wing.
F - Troy D'Amico: Versatile player who does a lot of things well and fits Domask mold in terms of being a 6-6, strong-bodied kid who can play inside and out. Will have many more shots available to up his production.
F - Clarence Rupert: Efficient finisher inside but not overly explosive, and will be pushed for playing time in a deep frontcourt. Plays with a lot of passion.

Potential top reserves

F - Jarrett Hensley: 6-8 transfer from Cincinnati who had small role with the Bearcats but will have much more opportunity at Southern. Athletic and versatile defensively.
G - R.J. McGee: 6-5 grad transfer who was a key reserve for Tulane and occasionally flashed offensively (including 17 points last year against Wichita).
G - Trent Brown: Somewhat surprisingly used his COVID year after losing minutes the past couple seasons. Mullins loves him and vice versa, but really hoping they don't start him with Johnson and Miller because that would be three small guards on an otherwise big roster. Great intangibles, but his 3-point shooting needs to improve to merit minutes.
F- Scottie Ebube: 6-10 and athletic. Has the potential to be a beast now that he appears to be healthy and in better condition. Could push Rupert to start at the 5.
G/F - Jovan Stulic: Wing transfer from Little Rock who probably projects as team's best 3-point shooter. Shot it really well two years ago and missed most of last season with an injury.
F: Kennard Davis: True freshman who had a really impressive hs career in St. Louis and is regarded as a potentially elite defender. A long wing who will compete for minutes with Ferguson and Stulic.

The other two scholarship guys who seem like they have the biggest uphill battle for minutes are true freshman point guard Sheridan Sharp (assuming Miller can handle PG duties when Johnson is resting), and Cade Hornecker, a 7-foot sophomore who Saluki fans were really excited about but played minimally last year and is battling an injury this preseason ... doesn't bode well with Rupert, Ebube and Hensley all capable of playing the 5.

One interesting note on the roster: it's one of Southern's longest teams I can recall, as eight of the 13 players are 6-6 or taller and a ninth, McGee, is 6-5.

UNI-

Starters-
G Bowen Born (5-11 175)
G Trey Campbell (6-4 185)
G Nate Heise (6-5 200)
F Tytan Anderson (6-6 225)
C Jacob Hutson (6-11 250)

Reserves-
G/F Michael Duax (6-6 210)
G Landon Wolf (6-5 200)
G Kyle Pock (6-7 215)
F Cole Henry (6-9 220)
F Wes Rubin (6-8 220)
G Ege Peksari (6-4 200)
G RJ Taylor (5-10 165)
G Drew Daniel (6-7 220)

Entire roster back from last year plus a healthy Heise and an experienced post in Hutson. Expect Kyle Pock to get the most minutes of the freshmen. This team can comfortably play 13 guys though, of course, the rotation will be shorter than that. Expect Anderson to play the 5 when Hutson isn't on the floor with Duax and Pock able to slide to the front court.

Should challenge for a title this year and 24-25 looks like one of Jake's elite teams.

siudawgs wrote:This is just a stab for SIU, which has a lot of depth and few sure things when it comes to starters/top scorers with this roster:

Potential starters

G- Xavier Johnson: Fifth-year senior who played well late in the season last year in his first year transferring in from George Mason. Shot a good percentage from 3 but will need to score more without Domask and Jones. Very good on-ball defender.
G- Trey Miller: Probably the portal add I'm most excited about. Averaged over 10 ppg as a freshman at Incarnate Word and looks like he has some offensive upside in clips I've seen.
G/F - AJ Ferguson: Barely played last year after transferring in from D2 program after freshman year, but he flashed athletically in limited action, and Mullins has talked up his offseason. A rangy, athletic wing.
F - Troy D'Amico: Versatile player who does a lot of things well and fits Domask mold in terms of being a 6-6, strong-bodied kid who can play inside and out. Will have many more shots available to up his production.
F - Clarence Rupert: Efficient finisher inside but not overly explosive, and will be pushed for playing time in a deep frontcourt. Plays with a lot of passion.

Potential top reserves

F - Jarrett Hensley: 6-8 transfer from Cincinnati who had small role with the Bearcats but will have much more opportunity at Southern. Athletic and versatile defensively.
G - R.J. McGee: 6-5 grad transfer who was a key reserve for Tulane and occasionally flashed offensively (including 17 points last year against Wichita).
G - Trent Brown: Somewhat surprisingly used his COVID year after losing minutes the past couple seasons. Mullins loves him and vice versa, but really hoping they don't start him with Johnson and Miller because that would be three small guards on an otherwise big roster. Great intangibles, but his 3-point shooting needs to improve to merit minutes.
F- Scottie Ebube: 6-10 and athletic. Has the potential to be a beast now that he appears to be healthy and in better condition. Could push Rupert to start at the 5.
G/F - Jovan Stulic: Wing transfer from Little Rock who probably projects as team's best 3-point shooter. Shot it really well two years ago and missed most of last season with an injury.
F: Kennard Davis: True freshman who had a really impressive hs career in St. Louis and is regarded as a potentially elite defender. A long wing who will compete for minutes with Ferguson and Stulic.

The other two scholarship guys who seem like they have the biggest uphill battle for minutes are true freshman point guard Sheridan Sharp (assuming Miller can handle PG duties when Johnson is resting), and Cade Hornecker, a 7-foot sophomore who Saluki fans were really excited about but played minimally last year and is battling an injury this preseason ... doesn't bode well with Rupert, Ebube and Hensley all capable of playing the 5.

One interesting note on the roster: it's one of Southern's longest teams I can recall, as eight of the 13 players are 6-6 or taller and a ninth, McGee, is 6-5.

Agree with most of this. Don’t be surprised when you see Trent Brown though lol. Also, I’d be surprised if D’Amico will be healthy when the season starts.

G- Kyron Gibson (UTA transfer 11.2 ppg, 3.9 apg)
G- Atin Wright (CSUN, 16.7 ppg)
G/F- Ethan Roberts (Army transfer, Patriot ROY, 12.4 ppg, 40.7% 3PP)
G/F- Tucker DeVries (Valley MVP)
C- Darnell Brodie (I think you guys know this guy)

A good chunk of Drake fans think Enright starts. Regardless, Connor Enright/Kyron Gibson/Atin Wright will all get starter minutes. I personally love the idea of Connor's energy coming off the bench. Lots of new faces for the first time in a long time! All of these guys range from good to elite offensive threats and that is really exciting.

There are a LOT of unknowns for who will get reserve minutes, but in a good way. Expect a lot of minutes for Nate Ferguson and Carlos Rosario (Wazzu transfer). Some combination of true freshman all have potential to be actual contributors in year one. (Kevin Overton, Elijah Price, Chico Johnson, Colby Garland, are all guys that seem to be a step above the average commit Drake has gotten in the last few decades). I really like Overton and Price out of that bunch but that's certainly not a consensus in Drake circles.

Bears will be much more settled in their rotation and roles this year, but do have 4 newcomers who should vie for at least some court time , and 6'0 PG Matthew Lee also returns from an injury rs season after transferring in from the Elite 8 St Peters team the previous season. Lee , 6'2 Alston Mason and 6'3 Damien Mayo will start in the backcourt in some combo.

G 6'2 Alston Mason/ 6'0 Matthew Lee
G 6'3 Damien Mayo
W 6'6 Chance Moore
F 6'8 Donovan Clay
C 6'9 Cesare Edwards [ transfer from Xavier]

Backing at guard will come from 6'3 soph SLU transfer Nick Kramer [ big time 3 pt shooter] and freshman 6'2 Davion Hill [ Alize Johnson's younger brother, 2x Pennsylvania POY at small school, averaged 34 ppg] . Tyler Bey is a highly regarded 6'8 freshman who will get time behind Moore and Clay. 6'5 Raphe Ayres has gotten some play and started a few games the last 2 years. 6'8 Soph NJ Bensen will see a lot of action behind Edwards and 6'11 Dawson Carpers who has been injury riddled since transferring from Hawaii 3 years ago will provide size off the bench as well.

BCPanther wrote:UNI-

Starters-
G Bowen Born (5-11 175)
G Trey Campbell (6-4 185)
G Nate Heise (6-5 200)
F Tytan Anderson (6-6 225)
C Jacob Hutson (6-11 250)...

BC probably knows more than I do - but I like:
Jacob Hutson
Tytan Anderson
Michael Duax
Nate Heise
Bowen Born

Not that Trey isn't great. But to compare:
Basically equal in minutes last year. Duax has an edge in points, steals, Box+/-, and (fewer)TOs. Trey is quite a bit better at FTs (0.786 vs 0.557). So I lean toward wanting Duax at the start and Trey at the end.

ColonialBulldog wrote:G- Kyron Gibson (UTA transfer 11.2 ppg, 3.9 apg)
G- Atin Wright (CSUN, 16.7 ppg)
G/F- Ethan Roberts (Army transfer, Patriot ROY, 12.4 ppg, 40.7% 3PP)
G/F- Tucker DeVries (Valley MVP)
C- Darnell Brodie (I think you guys know this guy)

A good chunk of Drake fans think Enright starts. Regardless, Connor Enright/Kyron Gibson/Atin Wright will all get starter minutes. I personally love the idea of Connor's energy coming off the bench. Lots of new faces for the first time in a long time! All of these guys range from good to elite offensive threats and that is really exciting.

There are a LOT of unknowns for who will get reserve minutes, but in a good way. Expect a lot of minutes for Nate Ferguson and Carlos Rosario (Wazzu transfer). Some combination of true freshman all have potential to be actual contributors in year one. (Kevin Overton, Elijah Price, Chico Johnson, Colby Garland, are all guys that seem to be a step above the average commit Drake has gotten in the last few decades). I really like Overton and Price out of that bunch but that's certainly not a consensus in Drake circles.

There is one guy who is getting rave reviews in practice that you didn't mention, and that is freshman PG Colby Garland. Everybody I know who has been to a practice said he's just tearing it up.

My guess for lineup:

PG: Enright/Garland
SG: Wright/Gibson
SF: Roberts/Overton
PF: DeVries/Rosario
C: Brodie/Ferguson

Deepest Drake team that I can remember.

My take on SIU's starters and backups:

Xavier Johnson / Trey Miller
RJ McGee / Trent Brown
Jovan Stulic / Kennard Davis / AJ Ferguson
Troy DAmico / Jarrett Hensley
Clarence Rupert / Scottie Ebube

My biggest two questions for the year, and they're probably pretty similar to every other Saluki fan:

1. Who will be our leading / go-to scorers? My guess is Xavier Johnson and Troy D'Amico, but hoping one or more or of our big men make a jump.
2. Will we (finally) see a two-big lineup and take advantage of the size we have in the frontcourt?

DUBulldog wrote:

ColonialBulldog wrote:G- Kyron Gibson (UTA transfer 11.2 ppg, 3.9 apg)
G- Atin Wright (CSUN, 16.7 ppg)
G/F- Ethan Roberts (Army transfer, Patriot ROY, 12.4 ppg, 40.7% 3PP)
G/F- Tucker DeVries (Valley MVP)
C- Darnell Brodie (I think you guys know this guy)

A good chunk of Drake fans think Enright starts. Regardless, Connor Enright/Kyron Gibson/Atin Wright will all get starter minutes. I personally love the idea of Connor's energy coming off the bench. Lots of new faces for the first time in a long time! All of these guys range from good to elite offensive threats and that is really exciting.

There are a LOT of unknowns for who will get reserve minutes, but in a good way. Expect a lot of minutes for Nate Ferguson and Carlos Rosario (Wazzu transfer). Some combination of true freshman all have potential to be actual contributors in year one. (Kevin Overton, Elijah Price, Chico Johnson, Colby Garland, are all guys that seem to be a step above the average commit Drake has gotten in the last few decades). I really like Overton and Price out of that bunch but that's certainly not a consensus in Drake circles.

There is one guy who is getting rave reviews in practice that you didn't mention, and that is freshman PG Colby Garland. Everybody I know who has been to a practice said he's just tearing it up.

My guess for lineup:

PG: Enright/Garland
SG: Wright/Gibson
SF: Roberts/Overton
PF: DeVries/Rosario
C: Brodie/Ferguson

Deepest Drake team that I can remember.

I can't believe Gibson transferred his senior year to be a backup two guard. I assumed he would be the starting point guard. I pegged Garland for a redshirt candidate.