What's Up In The Missouri Valley 4/11/2026

Seth Davis’ Ranking of the Top 10 Coaching Hires--Hoops HQ

9. Kyle Green, Northern Iowa

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. 

Men's Basketball Retains Six Players, Bradds Adds to Staff--Belmont Vision

Iowa State basketball lands Bradley guard Jaquan Johnson from transfer portal--Des Moines Register

Transfer portal: Chase Walker, Johnny Kinziger announce return to Illinois State--The Pantagraph
Walker, Kinziger announce return to Illinois State for senior season--The Vidette

Fayta returns to Redbirds for junior season--The Vidette

NBA Draft: Three Mid-Major Gems Hiding in the Data--Sports Illustrated

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.

Read More: The Efficient Tall Freshman (ETF) Query

Iowa State basketball lands Northern Iowa transfer Leon Bond III--Des Moines Register

Former Iowa women’s basketball guard Callie Levin transferring to UNI--Des Moines Register
Panther women’s basketball signs Callie Levin--unipanthers.com