Primarily a collection of news links about all 12 Missouri Valley League teams on a daily basis, culled from online newspapers, school athletic websites, the conference website, and school newspapers, plus some other content from time to time.
A former
three-star prospect coming out of high school, Akron transfer Sekou Sada
Kalle is likely going to be Evansville's starting center. One of the
transfers who stayed after UE fired former coach Todd Lickliter, new
coach David Ragland said Kalle will be the Purple Aces' "anchor" on the
defensive end and will be strong offense playing above the rim.
While
he didn't feature much for the Zips, he should get plenty of chances to
show why he was rated as highly as he was in high school. — Anthony Kristensen, Courier & Press
After
leading scorer Tyreke Key went down with a season-ending injury in the
preseason, Cooper Neese was asked to take on an increased scoring load.
The 6-4 guard answered the call going from 9.5 points per game in 2021
to a career-high 15 points per game last season. Neese, a senior from
Cloverdale, may not eclipse his points per game average from last
season, but with more talent around him and another year to get
acclimated to coach Josh Schertz’s system, Neese should be a more
efficient player and compete for All-MVC honors. — Akeem Glaspie, IndyStar
Valparaiso
Ben
Krikke, a Canadian senior, has made steady strides each season, and
might be ready to make noise on the national stage. He was named to the
Missouri Valley Conference Most Improved team and All-MVC third team as a
sophomore and led the team in scoring last season (14.2 ppg) as a
junior while making the All-MVC third team again. He was named to the
preseason All-MVC first team. If he can take his assertiveness to
another level and maintain his shooting percentage (54% last season), he
can take his game to another level. — Matthew VanTryon, IndyStar
New
Purple Aces coach David Ragland and his staff have also raved about
Indian Hills Community College transfer Yacine Toumi since he committed.
The 6-10 forward didn't set the world on fire at the junior college
level, playing largely off the bench, but Indian Hills is consistently
among the top JUCO programs in the country. Toumi represented Tunisia
over the summer in FIBA World Cup Qualifying, averaging 7.6 points over
three games.
Ragland has praised his work on
both ends, saying he can play "almost like a guard" with his qualities
off the dribble, his passing and ability to step out and hit a 3 in
addition to his post play. — Anthony Kristensen, Courier & Press
Indiana
State’s top newcomer has possibly the best name in college basketball
and is a familiar one to basketball fans from the Indy-area. Former
Manual star Courvoisier McCauley transferred from DePaul to Indiana
State to finish his career with second-year coach Josh Schertz, the
coach who recruited him to Division II Lincoln Memorial out of prep
school in 2019. McCauley is a proven scorer and the 6-5 guard has a
chance to be one of the top scorers in the MVC. — Akeem Glaspie, IndyStar
Valparaiso
Maximus
Nelson, a 6-8, 215-pound freshman from Appleton, Wis., averaged 24
points and 12 rebounds as a senior in high school. His size will give
him a chance to make an impact right away. As a junior, he had a
44-point game during the state tournament. — Matthew VanTryon, IndyStar
The Bruins have pulled
first-round NCAA tournament upsets in back-to-back years and will look
to take another step forward. Two key players, junior guards Destinee
Wells and Tuti Jones, return to an offense that loves to shoot the
three-point ball.
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