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.
Indiana
State has already saw some success in bringing over players from the
NAIA level. Last season, Ian Scott transferred in from the NAIA and
averaged 13.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.6 assists for the Sycamores
last year while shooting 63.2% overall.
Jackson Cooper had a
tremendous season last year for Oregon Tech. The 6’7 forward averaged
17.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game while shooting 56.6%
from the floor. He’s not a three point threat as he’s attempted just
two shots from beyond the arc over his last three seasons. His
performance last year was good enough to name him as a second-team
All-American in the NAIA as well as his conference’s Player of the Year.
Cooper had some ridiculous stat lines last year, including a 28
points, 15 rebound, and 10 assist tripe-double against a strong College
of Idaho team. He in general fits the mold of head coach Matthew Graves’
coaching style very well. The Sycamores struggled mightily offensively
in nearly every category, but they dominated from inside the arc where
they were 25th in the country and took 50.6% of their shots. Cooper,
someone who is prolific from inside the arc, is going to fit in
perfectly for the Sycamores in year one.
College basketball transfer portal best pickups from mid-major schools
Tyler Lundblade, Tennessee (Belmont)
The
reigning Missouri Valley Conference player of the year was one of the
top shooters available in the portal and fills a clear need for the
Vols, who need to replace their top six scorers from this past season.
The former walk-on made 40.6% of his 3-pointers despite having a high
shooting volume, with 8.8 attempts per game from beyond the arc.
Tennessee's top returning 3-point shooters (Ethan Burg and Troy
Henderson) had 15 makes all season.
Drew Scharnowski, Duke (Belmont)
Duke
had a clear need in the post with Cameron Boozer headed for the NBA
Draft lottery and Maliq Brown out of eligibility. The 6-9 Scharnowski
could slot alongside returning Blue Devils center Patrick Ngongba II or
provide valuable frontcourt depth. A first-team All-MVC pick,
Scharnowski was the No. 50 player in USA TODAY’s portal rankings after
averaging 10.7 points, six rebounds and 2.6 assists per game as a
sophomore for a Belmont team that went 26-6. He was a strong presence
down low, too, with 1.3 blocks per game. At the start of the portal
process, the prevailing thought was Scharnowski would follow former
Belmont coach Casey Alexander to Kansas State. The big man set his
sights higher and will test himself in the Blue Devils crucible.
Jaquan Johnson, Iowa State (Bradley)
How
would Iowa State replace Tamin Lipsey? The Cyclones point guard started
all 137 games he played for ISU and left as the school's all-time
steals leader and fourth in career assists.
Enter,
Johnson. About as seamless of a fit as you could hope for if you're the
Cyclones. He took an enormous leap from his freshman to his sophomore
season, improving his scoring average from 6.6 to 16.9 points per game
to help him earn first-team All-MVC honors, MVC most improved player and
all-defensive team honors (thanks to his 2.6 steals per game).
Former Indiana guard Aleksa Ristic will play for Belmont next season.
Ristic
played limited minutes in 13 games for the Hoosiers as a freshman last
season. Prior to that, he averaged 13.9 points and 4.3 assists while
shooting nearly 40% from 3-point range in a professional league in his
native Serbia. He played for the Serbian U20 team at FIBA EuroBasket
last year.
Ristic will now play for a team that has won 20 games
for 16 straight seasons and is welcoming a new coach in Evan Bradds, an
assistant at Duke last season.
The Fort Wayne native and former North Side star transferred to Division I
after playing two seasons for the Warriors.
The 6-6 Fugate was the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Player of the
Year this past season, averaging 20.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.7
blocks and 1.0 steals while shooting 57.1% from the field and 31.6% from
3-point range. He helped the Warriors to a 22-8 record, a second-place
finish in the league and a berth in the NAIA National Championship
tournament.
For his effort, Fugate was named a second-team NAIA All-American.
Jaxson Fugate - 6’6 G/F Two years of eligibility
WHAC
Player of the Year All-WHAC Defensive Team 20.7PPG | 8.4RPG |
1.7BPG 11 Double-Doubles
With the Salukis, Fugate will join a Division I program that is entering its
third season under coach Scott Nagy, who previously led South Dakota State
and Wright State to the NCAA Tournament a combined five times in 16 seasons.
Southern Illinois went 16-16 this past season and is looking for its first
March Madness appearance since going six seasons in a row from 2002 to 2007.
