What's Up In The Missouri Valley: What's Up In The Missouri Valley 7/19/2019

Friday, July 19, 2019

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 7/19/2019

Mid-Major Positional Rankings: Power Forward--CBB Central

#8. Elijah Childs (Bradley)

Vitals: Junior, 6-7, 225 pounds
Stats: 12.4 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 1.0 apg, .471/.236/.659

Childs’ talent immediately pops off the screen as soon as you turn on a Bradley game, so much so that it’s almost frustrating at times that he doesn’t put up bigger numbers. Despite sometimes phasing in and out of games, The lefty forward is capable of impacting things in a multitude of ways thanks to his athleticism and face-up ability as well as his touch around the rim. He was awesome in the second half of the MVC title game against Northern Iowa as the Braves overcame a double-digit second-half deficit to get back to the NCAA Tournament, where he scored 19 points and 6 rebounds against Michigan State’s elite frontcourt.
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ALSO CONSIDERED:

Jailyn Ingram (FAU), Xavier Hill-Mais (Oakland), Jordan Bruner (Yale), Seth Towns (Harvard), Temenang Choh (Brown), EJ Crawford (Iona), Lamont West (Missouri State), Lavelle Scottie (Air Force), Derrick Alston (Boise State), EJ Anosike (Sacred Heart), Tyler Scanlon (Belmont), Stanley Umude (South Dakota), Kameron Edwards (Pepperdine), Demonte Buckingham (CSUB)

Mid-Major Positional Rankings: Center--CBB Central

#6. Cameron Krutwig (Loyola-Chicago)

Vitals: Junior, 6-9, 255 pounds
Stats: 14.8 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 2.4 apg, .629/.333/.578

Despite being just a sophomore, Krutwig was already perhaps the best player in the Missouri Valley last season. Krutwig’s touch around the rim and footwork in the paint makes him very difficult to stop when he catches in the post, but his best trait might be his passing ability. Krutwig has elite vision for a big man, and the Ramblers get a lot of good looks from inside-out passes by Krutwig. It’s a no-win situation for the defense: elect to defend him one-on-one and likely give the bucket up, or double down and get burned by a shooter.
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#10. Tulio Da Silva (Missouri State)

Vitals: Senior, 6-8, 213 pounds
Stats: 14.3 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 0.7 apg, .554/.370/.654

Picked by most at or near the bottom of the MVC preseason, Missouri State blossomed into a title contender in what was supposed to be a rebuilding year and Da Silva was a huge reason why. The South Florida transfer runs the floor extremely well, which is a major asset for a MSU team that prioritizes perimeter defense and gets a lot of run-outs because of it. He also has a well-developed post game, which may get prioritized a bit less as the Bears bring in a talented group of newcomers with lots of scoring upside. Still, he’s a major asset when on the floor.