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.
Despite all of these factors going against mid-major programs, we’ve
had some incredible stories developing over the last couple of weeks.
Some players, key players to be exact, are sticking to their oaths and
staying with their coaches to build something at their programs. We
aren’t just talking about programs like Utah State who have
significantly more resources than the average team. Programs like UIC,
Vermont, Valparaiso, Evansville, Austin Peay, Illinois State, and many
more have been able to retain at least one of their key players for next
season despite the fact there is no doubt they would have made more
money else where.
Let’s dive into who’s sticking with their team for next season.
Missouri Valley
Photo: Valpo Athletics
The
Missouri Valley as a whole is doing a great job of retaining talent.
I’ll state the fact that if you are a Bradley fan reading this…I’m
sorry.
Illinois State announced that both Johnny Kinziger and Chase Walker
would both be returning to the Redbirds next season. Walker averaged
13.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists while shooting 54.5% overall
and 29% from three-point. Kinziger averaged 11.5 points, 2.5 rebounds,
3.3 assists, and 1.3 steals while shooting 40% overall and 33% from
three-point.
The Redbirds went on a run to the NIT
Semifinals and while they ultimately lost Ty’Reek Coleman to the portal,
retaining their top two players in both Walker and Kinziger is going to
position them well to be one of the top favorites in the Missouri
Valley entering next season.
The UIC Flames fired off a series of posts announcing that players would be returning including the following: Mekhi Lowery, Rashund Washington Jr., Jayce Nathaniel, Andy Johnson, and Ahmad Henderson II.
While they lost their leading scorer Elijah Crawford, they returning
their next four top offensive pieces. Just as a friendly reminder, the
Flames went on a run in Arch Madness to reach the Championship where
they fell to Northern Iowa.
Lowery averaged 8.1 points,
5.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.4 steals. Washington Jr. averaged 8.7
points and five rebounds. Johnson averaged 11.2 points, 3.5 rebounds,
and 1.7 assists. Henderson II averaged 12 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 2.3
assists. Nathaniel averaged 6.2 points and 4.5 rebounds.
Similar
to UIC, Valparaiso also released several “I’m Back” graphics to
announce the return of some key players. The full list includes: Justus McNair, JT Pettigrew, Rakim Chaney, Sader Servilus, and Carter Hopoi.
The Beacons showed a lot of improvement this season and Roger Powell
has now been able to retain some of their key players to build up for
next sesaon where they are most likely going to be a threat in the
Missouri Valley.
McNair averaged 7.9 points, 1.8 rebounds,
and one assist. Chaney averaged 10.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists,
and 1.4 steals. Pettigrew averaged 12.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.8
assists. Servilus averaged 2.6 points and 2.6 rebounds. Hopoi averaged
3.8 points and 1.8 assists.
Evansville had a rough season, but one of their bright spots came from AJ Casey.
Casey previously played on the Miami Hurricanes squad that went to the
Final Four and he’s battled injuries throughout his career. He had his
first full opportunity last year and he took advantage. He averaged 13.5
points, 5.9 rebounds, two assists, and 1.2 steals while shooting 51.1%
overall and 33.9% from beyond the arc. He continuously improved
throughout the season and was a large reason why the Aces were able to
compete in conference more strongly over the last month or so of the
season. Many assumed that he’d hit the portal, but instead he announced
that he’ll be returning.
Freshman Bryce Quinet
was another bright spot for the Aces as he averaged 8.7 points, 2.1
rebounds, 2.4 assists, and one steal per game while shooting 40.9%
overall and 30.3% from three-point. He showed a lot of promise as a
freshman, including some strong performances in conference play against
Bradley, SIU, and Valpo. Similarly, I figured he’d hit the portal, but
he elected to return with Casey.
The Aces also retained
redshirt freshman Aaron Gutman and freshman James Dyson-Merwe. They
still have a long way to go to build a roster that can compete in the
Missouri Valley, but being able to retain two strong players in both
Casey and Quinet should at least spark some hope for Evansville fans.
Jaquan Johnson, 5-foot-11 sophomore guard, Bradley to Iowa State
The reigning MVC Defensive Player of the Year is heading to a program
known for its consistent greatness on that end of the floor. Nicknamed
“Bully” for his hard-nosed, physical style, Johnson and Iowa State are a
match made in heaven. The scrappy guard stepped into Bradley’s
starting lineup this season and averaged 16.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.6
assists and 2.5 steals while shooting 38.3 percent from three. He should
assume a prominent role on the Cyclones alongside returning guard
Killyan Toure, helping to fill the massive void left by Tamin Lipsey’s
graduation.
I’m a big fan of elevating assistant coaches, so I commend Northern Iowa for
doing the right thing after Ben Jacobson left for Utah State. Green
previously worked at UNI for two years under Greg McDermott, which was the
first of four stints he had as an assistant there. Prior to rejoining
Jacobson’s staff last year, Green spent five years working for T.J.
Otzelberger at Iowa State, so he knows about building a winning culture.
Northern Iowa is one of the most stable mid-major programs in the country
(Jacobson was the head coach there for 20 years before he left for Utah
State.) This should be a seamless transition.
7. Casey Alexander, Kansas State
This was a solid choice for the Wildcats following their messy divorce from
Jerome Tang. While Tang was hired off of Scott Drew’s bench and had never
been a college head coach before, Alexander brings a long track record of
winning during his 15 years as the head coach at Stetson, Lipscomb and
Belmont. There are plenty of high-rolling donors who are prepared to help
Alexander build his roster.
Here's a look at three freshmen who had standout seasons last year, backed
by the data:
Roman Domon, Murray State
Bradley’s Ahmet Jonovic, left, defends against Murray State’s Roman
Domon in the first half of their MVC college basketball game Sunday,
March 1, 2026 at Carver Arena in Peoria. The Braves defeated the Racers
87-78. | MATT DAYHOFF/JOURNAL STAR / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Domon had an incredible freshman season for Murray State, as he
averaged
14.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.1 steals per game while
shooting
64%
at the rim (89 attempts), 44.1% on non-rim twos (68 attempts), 36.8% from
beyond the arc (114 attempts), and 76.8% from the free throw line (220
attempts). Additionally, the 6-foot-9 guard had a knack for getting to the
line, recording a very high .812 free-throw rate.
Domon's season wasn't just statistically impressive, it was actually
query-hitting good. He met the
Efficient Tall Freshman query: 41 of the 60 players (68%) who have met the criteria played five-plus
years in the NBA or are currently in the league.
Something to keep in mind , especially in regards to the query, is that
Roman Domon played professional basketball overseas prior to joining college
basketball but was deemed a “freshman” by the NCAA due to keeping his
amateur status and the “delayed enrollment” rule.
It has been
reported
that Domon will be returning to Murray State for his sophomore season.
Fortunately for Iowa State, two of the five players coming on visits are
perfect options to be the Cyclones’ next star player.
The first one is
Jaquan Johnson, a sophomore guard who played for the Bradley Braves. Johnson has been
incredible. He averaged 16.9 points per game in his sophomore year and added
3.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists.
Jaquan Johnson would be ideal Tamin Lipsey replacement
Bradley's Jaquan Johnson celebrates a Belmont turnover late in the
overtime period of their college basketball game Monday, Feb. 9, 2026 at
Carver Arena in Peoria. The Braves defeated the Bruins 95-84. | MATT
DAYHOFF/JOURNAL STAR / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
He had three 30+ point games last season, with his best game coming against
the Belmont Bruins in an overtime victory over the conference leaders.
Johnson perfectly fits the mold to be the star player of Iowa State for the
future. He’s a dynamic guard, one who can score with ease. Also, he can
rebound the ball to an extent, as well as dish the ball out like a point
guard.
Sometimes, players move up a level and really slow down, but there is reason
to believe that Johnson won’t slow down and continue at a similar pace with
the Cyclones.
