Primarily a collection of news links about all 11 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.
UNI’s new head men’s basketball coach Kyle Green | Julia Hansen/Iowa
City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The college basketball coaching carousel continues to move
quickly, especially with the added pressure of the transfer portal
and NIL.
While the biggest hires
tend to get most of the attention, there are several moves this
cycle that could end up being just as important over time.
These are the types of hires that may not make headlines right
away but could lead to steady improvement and long-term success.
Here are five under-the-radar head coaching hires worth paying
attention to.:
Kyle Green offers familiarity and stability at Northern Iowa
Kyle Green is a familiar name for the Northern Iowa Panthers,
having spent multiple stints with the program before returning as
head coach. That familiarity should help maintain continuity while
still allowing for some adjustments.
His recent experience with the Iowa State Cyclones also gives him
exposure to a high-major environment, which could influence
recruiting and style of play moving forward.
Several UE and USI players already announced their
intention, either via their individual social media accounts, agents or
reputable news sources, to enter the transfer portal. Here is the
current list for all four programs, which will be updated throughout the
offseason.
Evansville men's basketball
Joshua Hughes: The 6-10 junior forward averaged 9.3 points and 4.7 rebounds in 32 games.
Kaia Berridge: The 6-4 sophomore guard averaged two points in 28 games.
Marlon Barnes Jr.:
The 6-6 redshirt sophomore forward appeared in just three games and
averaged two points. Barnes came to Evansville after a year at
Pittsburgh.
Connor Turnbull:
The 6-10 senior forward averaged 11.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.4
blocks in 16 games but was limited by injuries. All-MVC Defensive Player
of the Year in 2025.
Weston Aigner: The 6-3 junior guard saw limited minutes in five games before a season-ending injury.
Leif Moeller: The 6-7 freshman guard averaged 10.8 points, 4.0 assists and 3.8 rebounds in 32 games during his lone season in Evansville.
Evansville women's basketball
Camryn Runner: The 5-8 sophomore guard led the Purple Aces
with 18.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.3 assists. Played a major role in
guiding Evansville to the Missouri Valley Conference tournament
championship game. All-MVC Second Team.
Kylee Norkus: The 5-10 sophomore guard averaged 3.6 points and 2.6 assists in 31 games.
Sydney Huber: The 6-0 freshman guard averaged 8.5 points and 2.4 rebounds in 35 games. All-MVC Freshman Team.
Elle Snyder:
In 35 games, Snyder averaged 3.8 points and 5.4 rebounds for
Evansville. Snyder, a 5-9 sophomore guard, spent each of her first two
seasons with the Purple Aces.
Georgia Ferguson: The 6-3 freshman forward averaged 5.1 points and 2.6 rebounds in 35 games.
Georgia Cox: The 6-4 sophomore forward averaged 6.2 points and two rebounds in 35 games.
Logan Luebbers Palmer: The 5-9 sophomore guard averaged 10.7 points and 2.8 rebounds in 18 games before an injury ended her season.
BreAunna Ward: The 5-10 freshman guard averaged 6.7 points and 3.5 rebounds in 35 games.
Jelena Savic: The 5-11 freshman guard averaged 5.2 points and 3.1 rebounds in 35 games.
5. Paul Jesperson, Northern Iowa over Texas (2016 first round)
No. 11 Northern Iowa clung to a 72–70 lead late in regulation against No. 6
Texas in the first round of the 2016 Midwest Regional. With fewer than 12
seconds to play, Texas guard Isaiah Taylor drove the lane and got a layup to
go that tied the contest at 72 with fewer than three seconds remaining.
Northern Iowa inbounded the ball to Paul Jesperson on the right sideline,
who crossed over to the middle of the floor and put up a half-court heave as
time expired. Cash. The Panthers advanced to the round of 32 in an absolute
stunner.
Northern Iowa’s Paul Jesperson shoots the winning shot over Texas in the
first round of the 2016 tournament. | Greg Nelson/Sports Illustrated
15. Ty Rogers, Western Kentucky over Drake (2008 first round)
In a first-round game where both teams apparently refused to play defense,
No. 12 Western Kentucky found itself trailing No. 5 Drake 99–98 with five
seconds left in overtime. Inbounding from beneath their own basket, the
Hilltoppers turned to a play that has become one of the most trusted in
buzzer-beater scenarios—one man brings the ball up, and when the defending
team has committed just enough, tosses the ball back to a trailing shooter.
Ty Rogers was that trailing shooter, and he hit nothing but net.
Auburn, which picked up wins over Florida, St. John’s and Arkansas during
the regular season, has secured three straight victories to reach the NIT
semifinals, though it hasn’t been easy. The Tigers relied on a strong second
half to survive South Alabama’s upset bid in the first round and have since
defeated Seattle and Nevada by six points apiece.
All three wins were played at Neville Arena, meaning Thursday’s meeting with
Illinois State will be Auburn’s first NIT game away from home.
Kevin Overton and Keyshawn Hall have been instrumental in carrying the
Tigers through the tournament. Overton is putting up a team-high 17 points
so far in NIT play, while Hall is averaging 14.7 points and nine rebounds
— his 15 rebounds in Auburn’s win over Seattle were a season
high.
The Tigers have holes defensively. They allow nearly 79 points per game and
are incapable of defending the 3-ball, but the offense is a different story.
Auburn ranks 12th in the nation in adjusted offensive efficiency, and the
team gets to the free throw line at a high rate.
Illinois State suffered an early exit from the Missouri Valley Conference
Tournament but has since bounced back, knocking off Kent State, Wake Forest
and Dayton en route to the semifinal round.
The Redbirds are led by juniors Chase Walker and Johnny Kinziger, who
combine to average over 25 points per game. Three more players score at
least nine points per game, including knockdown shooter Boden Skunberg,
who’s connecting on 39.9 percent of his 3-point attempts.
Unlike Auburn, Illinois State is defined by its defense. The Redbirds defend
all areas of the floor relatively well and are exceptional at limiting
second-chance points, ranking 12th in the nation in opponent offensive
rebound percentage. They’re fairly average on offense, though they do rank
66th in 2-point percentage.
It remains to be seen if Illinois State can handle an opponent from the
mighty SEC, but this team has come on strong at the right time. Auburn can’t
afford to underestimate the Redbirds.
