Early Looks at MVC Players

[Tom Servo]

Thanks LUsuperfan1; good info. I think if every team can be represented, we will all have a better sense of what the conference might look like once the season gets here. This is a time to be a true homer w/o any need for debate, just what does each fan base see in their roster.

Here' are my thoughts on next season's Evansville Aces. The team GRADUATED 7 players from last season's team. Both Duane Gibson and Blake Simmons will return as 5th year seniors. Fresman Javeon Eaves left the program after the season. New comers include freshman John Hall and Silas Adheke who were both red-shirted last season, JUCO SF Marty Hill, and true freshmen Noah Frederking and Evan Kuhlman. The Aces still have 2 or 3 scholarships available. Fans are hoping for a true center to be found yet and turn into the next Moskevicious.
The team is losing 54% of the minutes played, 64% of the scoring, and 42% of the 3 point scoring.

PG-Gibson 6'3 SR, Dru Smith 6'4 SO
SG-Taylor 6'6 JR, Hill 6'5 JR, Frederking 6'4 FR
SF-Simmons 6'5 SR, Hall 6'8 FR, Hainna 6'5 SR
PF-Adheke 6'10 FR, Kuhlman 6'8 FR
C- Traore 6'9 SR

Red-shirt senior Duane Gibson has always flashed the ability to score but often has not looked to shoot from the outside, which hampered the offense and packed in the opposing defenses. His career has been hampered by knee problems. If he stays healthy I look for good leadership and scoring from him.

Silas Adheke was a 6'8 red-shirt freshman last year and paid his own way to school due to a late summer decision that he could not play 2017 at the prep school he attended. It has been rumored that he was the best Aces player at practices, grew to 6'10, and the coaching staff gave him tapes of Carl Malone to watch and emulate. For these reasons I see him as the recruit that flew under the radar and the most important addition to the team.

Jaylon Brown WAS the Aces last season and will be missed the most this season. Unlike Colt Ryan's 4 years of scoring, JB gradually improved to become a scorer and leader his senior season.

Both Gibson and Simmons are 5th year seniors with a lot of experience and knowledge of the system. Solomon Hainna is also a senior and has/or will petition the NCAA for a 5th season. Dru Smith and Hainna were outstanding defenders last season and should only get better. Taylor was the team's 2nd leading scoring last year. Hopefully all the scoring is not thrust on his shoulder this season. A lot will be expected from the new players this season.

If the Aces continue to run the tightly wound motion offense of Coach Simmons as in past years, they will again be a low scoring, low shooting 3 point team and finish in the bottom half of the conference.

The recruiting is trending towards taller forwards that are also 3 point threats. Hopefully this translates the offense to a more open motion offense like Crews' offense of the 90's. The Aces have not had a true power forward since Matt Webster in 2007. Hopefully Adheke will become that missing link. With good freshman play and lack of injuries, the Aces could avoid the PIG game and compete for that 3-6 spot this season.

Really good breakdown, those last two paragraphs are spot on. Also agree that Smith could be a really, really good defender this year for the Aces.

My key's would be:
1. Break away from the star system, "motion" offense, as you noted above
2. Play real power forwards. John Hall and Kuhlman need to play a lot of minutes at the 4 spot. Kuhlman is a lights out shooter and Hall is very athletic. They could compliment each other nicely there. I'd probably do a flip if he played Silas as a 4, i wouldn't hold my breath on that happening.
3. Silas is going to have to be every bit as good as what the fans have been hearing because I see him as the primary center given Traore's back.
4. Hand the reigns to Dru Smith at the PG position.

A lot of my keys go against what Marty has been doing for 10 years...so I'm pretty worried about next season....

[Khan4Cats]

3) Under the radar recruit:
Taylor Bruninga. 6-9 incoming Freshman. Late blooming small school prospect with phenomenal
shooting numbers...60% FG, 41% 3pt, 88% FT. Very skinny and played at the lowest level but
avg. 33 pts and 11 boards per game. As with all Muller recruits he is also very athletic for his size.
Might take a couple years to develop but this kid could be really good simply because of his shooting.

UNI was in on Bruninga and the most apt comparison I have seen is to Nate Buss. Tall player but not really a post. Excellent shooter, instant offense-type player. Lacking on the defensive side. That is what kept Buss off the floor a lot early in his UNI career, not the offense. Will be interesting to see how Muller develops him.

[uniftw]

3) Under the radar recruit:
Taylor Bruninga. 6-9 incoming Freshman. Late blooming small school prospect with phenomenal
shooting numbers...60% FG, 41% 3pt, 88% FT. Very skinny and played at the lowest level but
avg. 33 pts and 11 boards per game. As with all Muller recruits he is also very athletic for his size.
Might take a couple years to develop but this kid could be really good simply because of his shooting.

UNI was in on Bruninga and the most apt comparison I have seen is to Nate Buss. Tall player but not really a post. Excellent shooter, instant offense-type player. Lacking on the defensive side. That is what kept Buss off the floor a lot early in his UNI career, not the offense. Will be interesting to see how Muller develops him.

UNI expected nothing out of Brunninga until really late into his rSo or into his rJr year - so 3.5-4 years from now. Sorry if we don't buy the "He'll be an star from the very start". Maybe he will.

He is going to need time to develop his body. He's listed between 6'9 and 6'10 but 200lbs. Buss is the best comp. Buss averaged something like 28 ppg, 11 rbg, and 3 blocks per game in high school. First team all state playing in the second largest class in the state of Iowa. However, like Bruninga he was just taller and better than everyone else. He didn't really have to develop much on defense or rebounding. Blocks were easy to come by. Rebounds had no one fighting with him. There was no understanding of team defense. Those close to the UNI program described Taylor the exact same way. Could be a real big piece in a handful of years, but that's why they weren't willing to move from a 4-5 offer.

I would have really liked to have landed him, honestly. However, I'm not worried about him burning the league until about 2020

[Redhawk]

3) Under the radar recruit:
Taylor Bruninga.
Might take a couple years to develop but this kid could be really good simply because of his shooting.

Sorry if we don't buy the "He'll be an star from the very start".

[BirdsEyeView]

Thanks LUsuperfan1; good info. I think if every team can be represented, we will all have a better sense of what the conference might look like once the season gets here. This is a time to be a true homer w/o any need for debate, just what does each fan base see in their roster.

Here' are my thoughts on next season's Evansville Aces. The team GRADUATED 7 players from last season's team. Both Duane Gibson and Blake Simmons will return as 5th year seniors. Fresman Javeon Eaves left the program after the season. New comers include freshman John Hall and Silas Adheke who were both red-shirted last season, JUCO SF Marty Hill, and true freshmen Noah Frederking and Evan Kuhlman. The Aces still have 2 or 3 scholarships available. Fans are hoping for a true center to be found yet and turn into the next Moskevicious.
The team is losing 54% of the minutes played, 64% of the scoring, and 42% of the 3 point scoring.

PG-Gibson 6'3 SR, Dru Smith 6'4 SO
SG-Taylor 6'6 JR, Hill 6'5 JR, Frederking 6'4 FR
SF-Simmons 6'5 SR, Hall 6'8 FR, Hainna 6'5 SR
PF-Adheke 6'10 FR, Kuhlman 6'8 FR
C- Traore 6'9 SR

Red-shirt senior Duane Gibson has always flashed the ability to score but often has not looked to shoot from the outside, which hampered the offense and packed in the opposing defenses. His career has been hampered by knee problems. If he stays healthy I look for good leadership and scoring from him.

Silas Adheke was a 6'8 red-shirt freshman last year and paid his own way to school due to a late summer decision that he could not play 2017 at the prep school he attended. It has been rumored that he was the best Aces player at practices, grew to 6'10, and the coaching staff gave him tapes of Carl Malone to watch and emulate. For these reasons I see him as the recruit that flew under the radar and the most important addition to the team.

Jaylon Brown WAS the Aces last season and will be missed the most this season. Unlike Colt Ryan's 4 years of scoring, JB gradually improved to become a scorer and leader his senior season.

Both Gibson and Simmons are 5th year seniors with a lot of experience and knowledge of the system. Solomon Hainna is also a senior and has/or will petition the NCAA for a 5th season. Dru Smith and Hainna were outstanding defenders last season and should only get better. Taylor was the team's 2nd leading scoring last year. Hopefully all the scoring is not thrust on his shoulder this season. A lot will be expected from the new players this season.

If the Aces continue to run the tightly wound motion offense of Coach Simmons as in past years, they will again be a low scoring, low shooting 3 point team and finish in the bottom half of the conference.

The recruiting is trending towards taller forwards that are also 3 point threats. Hopefully this translates the offense to a more open motion offense like Crews' offense of the 90's. The Aces have not had a true power forward since Matt Webster in 2007. Hopefully Adheke will become that missing link. With good freshman play and lack of injuries, the Aces could avoid the PIG game and compete for that 3-6 spot this season.

Yuck.

[BirdsEyeView]

Starters for SIU Salukis:

WE will be a heavily upperclassman team but here goes

PG 6'4" 176 Marcus Bartley--transfer from St. Louis--all stater from Decatur McAuther--can also shoot three well.

Guard: 6'5" 215 lb SEan Lloyd Mt. Zion prep--came on strong last year and averaged 8.7 ppg 3.3 Rbs--is a defensive stopper

Guard: 6'4" 190 lb Armon Fletcher 11.1 ppg last season

PF: 6' 8" 200 Thik Bol--9.1 ppg/ 6.8 rpg/ 2.3 blocks per game

C: 6' 10" 220 Kavion Pippen 10.5 ppg/ 7.3 rpg/ 1.9 Blocks per game


Other contributors: Red-shirt senior 6' 4" 198 Guard Tyler Smith Peters redshirted last year for injury--shot .405 from three; 6'6" 200 guard Jonathan Wiley; 6'3" Ed McGill averaged 11.6 ppg/ 5.6 assists/ 3.4 rbs starting on Panola Tx Juco Nationl tournament team


Under the radar may be 6' 6" guard Brendan Gooch (RS-Frosh) who started on Belleville Althoff State Championship team two years ago

Of course we'll miss Sean O'Brien

Good potential here for SIU! Thik Bol and Armon Fletcher can be very good.

[BEARZ77]

I'm one of those who thinks SIU could surprise a bit; I've seen Barry do a lot with a team like the one he has this year. He has good size, some athletics wings, but I'm not sure about the pg or the depth. But if he gets decent play at the point, I think the dawgs could be in the mix. On the other hand, I've seen Barry struggle with more talent than this as well, so it's certainly open to conjecture on SIU right now.

[siudawgs]

Starters for SIU Salukis:

WE will be a heavily upperclassman team but here goes

PG 6'4" 176 Marcus Bartley--transfer from St. Louis--all stater from Decatur McAuther--can also shoot three well.

Guard: 6'5" 215 lb SEan Lloyd Mt. Zion prep--came on strong last year and averaged 8.7 ppg 3.3 Rbs--is a defensive stopper

Guard: 6'4" 190 lb Armon Fletcher 11.1 ppg last season

PF: 6' 8" 200 Thik Bol--9.1 ppg/ 6.8 rpg/ 2.3 blocks per game

C: 6' 10" 220 Kavion Pippen 10.5 ppg/ 7.3 rpg/ 1.9 Blocks per game


Other contributors: Red-shirt senior 6' 4" 198 Guard Tyler Smith Peters redshirted last year for injury--shot .405 from three; 6'6" 200 guard Jonathan Wiley; 6'3" Ed McGill averaged 11.6 ppg/ 5.6 assists/ 3.4 rbs starting on Panola Tx Juco Nationl tournament team


Under the radar may be 6' 6" guard Brendan Gooch (RS-Frosh) who started on Belleville Althoff State Championship team two years ago

Of course we'll miss Sean O'Brien

Left off soph guard Aaron Cook, who showed flashes of being a ball-hawking defender as a freshman. I'd like to see him crack the starting lineup sooner than later.
Re: Pippen, those stats obviously are JUCO stats, and there have been rumblings his eligibility is not a lock. Key for Southern will be if Fletcher can take another step forward and whether Bartley/Cook make PG play a strength. Guessing Salukis will be picked middle of the pack - right in Barry's comfort zone.

[Blers]

Superfan did a great job for LU but i figure i'll throw in my predictions as well since these were fun to read.

Starters
G 6'1 Clayton Custer
G 6'3 Ben Richardson
G 6'4 Marques Townes
F 6'6 Donte Ingram
C 7' Carson Shanks (starting but only averaging 10mpg)

Bench (in order of PT)
6'5 Aundre Jackson
6'6 Adarius Avery
6'9 Cameron Krutwig
6'4 Cam Satterwhite
6'6 Christian Negron
6'4 Bruno Skokna

End of Bench
7ft Carson Shanks
6'4 Lucas Williamson
6'2 Tyson Smith (if he does not get a medical redshirt as rumored)

1) I should clarify that while i expect grad transfer Carson Shanks to start for LU, he's extremely foul prone and will likely play minutes similar to what Maurice Kirby did last year (older player, works hard, great in the locker room but not the most gifted). He's more skilled offensively than Kirby, but still i expect Cam Krutwig/Aundre Jackson/Christian Negron to split most of those minutes up. Overall depth is huge on this team. Last season the team had 3 players coming off surgeries, an ACL tear and one sitting out due to transfer rules. This season we should have 11-12 healthy bodies (3/4 star recruit Christian Negron is the only player coming off of injury). I could really see a situation where at least 10 players are hitting double digit minutes per game.

2. Marques Townes sat out last season due to transfer rules but averaged just under 10ppg at Fairleigh Dickinson as a sophomore and helped lead the team to the tournament. He's a winner, was high school teammates and is still close friends with Karl Anthony Towns and Wade Baldwin. In the open practices last season i was extremely impressed with his competitiveness and ability to drive to the basket. He's physical and plays with an edge this team has lacked the past few season.

I also agree with superfan that Cam Satterwhite could really take a step forward, though if i had to guess he's still a year out offensively. But i expect him to start to become a consistent pest on defense using his 7ft+ wingspan to poke balls loose.

3. Adarius Avery has to be the under the radar recruit. He ranked second in the nation in scoring for JUCO averaging 24 points and just under 11 boards. Played for a pretty good team too, he wasn't just the best of a bad bunch. From what i can tell he's Donte Ingram with a much better slashing game and without the 3 point shot.

4. The most important addition has to be 3 star center Cam Krutwig. We got him to commit to LU early which is huge as some local reporters thought he would have gotten high major offers by seasons end. He's already huge and has a college ready body (if anything he'll probably have to lose a bit of weight). His footwork is impressive coming from high school and his game seemed to excel when he played against top talent (he was one assist shy of quadrouble double in the state quarterfinals against 2018's top center in Illinois). Joe Henrickson who reports on Chicago hoops tweeted that he's the best passing big man he's ever seen since he began reporting. I think he'll have some great games this year as well as some freshmen games. Long term though, having a potential impact center for 4 years is huge for the program.

5. Losing Doyle is obviously the biggest loss, though one benefit could come from spreading the ball more in late game situations, as well as changing the emotional leadership. Doyle was always quiet, not too expressive. Richardson, Ingram and Townes play with a big more fire which could ultimately benefit a team that lost a lot of close games last season (Ingram also proved to have a clutch gene hitting shots in a lot of key situations during the regular season). But that said his all around game was huge for the team, and he was a facilitator and one of our best defenders for 4 years. He truly helped turn this program around, and his skills can't be replaced by any one player. It'll be a group effort.

Overall my hopes are high for this season. The depth is huge, I can't remember the last LU team in which I had confidence beyond the 7th man off the bench. As of now I'm completely happy with 1-13 on the roster. Which is thrilling. Now it's time to prove it and win some games.

[uniguy]

I really think Loyola is poised to have a breakout year. It is tough sometimes, mentally, for a team that hasn't been very good for a long time to break out of that rut. But if they can do that, they may be the most talented team in the league on paper.

Rambler fans, any inside info on what your schedule looks like? Do you have an opportunity to make your mark with the non-conference schedule?