I didn't know exactly where to put this, but it seemed too odd (or is that being too partisan) not to mention.

Jon Rothstein's list (supposedly from the source himself) of landing spots for Matt Harms' (late of Purdue) list of potential transfer landing places.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2886...nzaga-more

One of these things is not like the others.

Also from Rothstein.........

Since the Big Ten, ACC, and now Big East and Pac-12 will go to 20-game league schedules, that's a combined 104 less opportunities for mid-majors to schedule non-conference games.

This doesn't include the AAC/SEC Alliance or the Big East-Big 12 Battle.

The struggle is real.

Jon Rothstein
@JonRothstein
· Apr 15
20-game league schedules in power conferences continue to have a ripple effect in college basketball.

Especially for mid-majors.

Furman's Bob Richey tells me his team currently has ZERO home non-conference games slated for next season.

The struggle is real.

Furman returns 5 experienced players of their top 6 (Seniors Mounce and Hunter, Juniors Gurley, Bothwell and Slawson) from a quality team that has shown the ability to knock off good opponents the last couple of years. They also have 2 good redshirts becoming eligible in Foster and Jonny Lawrence. A lot of folks will want to avoid them!

Would it make sense for mid major conferences to arrange their own exchange of games, like, say the OVC and the SoCon?

Are teams allowed to schedule another school within their conference outside the two conference games they play each year? It seems a 3rd ETSU/Furman game could benefit each team if they're unable to schedule quality out-of-conference opponents.

(04-17-2020 12:21 PM)swvabucsfan Wrote:  Furman returns 5 experienced players of their top 6 (Seniors Mounce and Hunter, Juniors Gurley, Bothwell and Slawson) from a quality team that has shown the ability to knock off good opponents the last couple of years. They also have 2 good redshirts becoming eligible in Foster and Jonny Lawrence. A lot of folks will want to avoid them!

Would it make sense for mid major conferences to arrange their own exchange of games, like, say the OVC and the SoCon?

Y.E.S. I don't know why it fell apart that last time. Can't remember what they used to call it, but those inter-regional games in February. Seems like teams wanted to focus more on winning their conference - which made sense. But they would be far more 'palatable' in November and December. Seems utterly obvious to me, but might need to be conference(s)-driven. And it should be.

I don't know if UNCG had much of a chance to sign Matt Haarms, the 7'3" center transferring from Purdue, but they just got a commitment from 7'0" Hayden Koval. Koval is transferring from Central Arkansas, where he averaged 12.2 ppg, 7.6 rpg, and 3.1 blocked shots while playing almost 33 minutes per game. He is a junior with 1 year of eligibility left. Don't know if he has to sit a year. Don't know why he is leaving, unless it is to have a chance to play in the NCAA tournament. Central Arkansas was 10-21 this season, 9-11 in the Southland Conference. Koval likes to shoot from the perimeter. He attempted 95 threes last year and hit about 33%.

Looks like Samford got a good signing. A. J. Staton, 6'5" shooting guard from Charlotte, picked them from 10 listed offers on Verbal Commits. Offers included Buffalo, Northeastern, App. State, Southern Illinois, DePaul.

Rod Johnson chose Western Illinois after leaving Chattanooga.

(04-17-2020 12:24 PM)squeak Wrote:  Are teams allowed to schedule another school within their conference outside the two conference games they play each year? It seems a 3rd ETSU/Furman game could benefit each team if they're unable to schedule quality out-of-conference opponents.

What I am afraid of with this type of arrangement is that the people doing the ratings would say "oh look they are only playing each other. They are not playing anybody. They can't be any good".

(04-17-2020 12:56 PM)posterformerlyknownasthedoctor Wrote:  

(04-17-2020 12:21 PM)swvabucsfan Wrote:  Furman returns 5 experienced players of their top 6 (Seniors Mounce and Hunter, Juniors Gurley, Bothwell and Slawson) from a quality team that has shown the ability to knock off good opponents the last couple of years. They also have 2 good redshirts becoming eligible in Foster and Jonny Lawrence. A lot of folks will want to avoid them!

Would it make sense for mid major conferences to arrange their own exchange of games, like, say the OVC and the SoCon?

Y.E.S. I don't know why it fell apart that last time. Can't remember what they used to call it, but those inter-regional games in February. Seems like teams wanted to focus more on winning their conference - which made sense. But they would be far more 'palatable' in November and December. Seems utterly obvious to me, but might need to be conference(s)-driven. And it should be.

Bracket Busters

(04-17-2020 10:03 PM)brock20 Wrote:  

(04-17-2020 12:56 PM)posterformerlyknownasthedoctor Wrote:  

(04-17-2020 12:21 PM)swvabucsfan Wrote:  Would it make sense for mid major conferences to arrange their own exchange of games, like, say the OVC and the SoCon?

Y.E.S. I don't know why it fell apart that last time. Can't remember what they used to call it, but those inter-regional games in February. Seems like teams wanted to focus more on winning their conference - which made sense. But they would be far more 'palatable' in November and December. Seems utterly obvious to me, but might need to be conference(s)-driven. And it should be.

Bracket Busters

Thank you. That's one of those things that I can only remember about 1/2 the time.

And you know......it's only April. PLENTY of time to get games scheduled. Altho for Richey to say that, it must be even worse than usual.

(04-17-2020 07:13 PM)FUATT Wrote:  I don't know if UNCG had much of a chance to sign Matt Haarms, the 7'3" center transferring from Purdue, but they just got a commitment from 7'0" Hayden Koval. Koval is transferring from Central Arkansas, where he averaged 12.2 ppg, 7.6 rpg, and 3.1 blocked shots while playing almost 33 minutes per game. He is a junior with 1 year of eligibility left. Don't know if he has to sit a year. Don't know why he is leaving, unless it is to have a chance to play in the NCAA tournament. Central Arkansas was 10-21 this season, 9-11 in the Southland Conference. Koval likes to shoot from the perimeter. He attempted 95 threes last year and hit about 33%.

Nice catch on Koval, FUATT.

Everything for UNCG depends on replacing James Dickey and Kyrin Galloway in the front court, which is where most all of their recruiting effort has gone. Abdulsalam (16.3 minutes, 3.8 ppg, 3.5 rebounds) has not looked very good his first 2 years, Bas Leyte didn't do much as a freshman (8.3 min., 2.2 ppg, 1.3 rebounds), and Angelo Allegri has been a role player, but not a difference maker. The need is there.

This year the Spartans get physical, athletic 6-8 225 RS-FR 'Ricco Williams eligible who apparently had high major offers, 6-8 225 true Freshman Jarrett Hensley with offers from LSU and UNLV, and a raw, athletic 6-5 200 Freshman Reggie Raynor.

But none of those guys gives them the rim protection that they lose with Dickey. 7-0 Koval with his 3.1 blocks could go a 'long' way towards filling that void. If he's eligible.

When Isaiah Miller gets over his NBA delusions (nobody at that level wants a 6-0 guard with a .237 3pt%, a .474 2pt% and a .573 FT%) the Spartans will be pretty well set at guard with him, Keyshawn Langley, Kaleb Hunter and Michael Huiett. They also add one good looking freshman guard in 6-4 A.J. McGinnis with offers from UAB, Stephen Austin, Southern Illinois and Samford.

Several interesting signings for SoCon teams in the past couple of days.

Chattanooga picked up rising senior transfer Darius Banks, 6'5" 220, from James Madison. Banks was a three year starter at JMU and averaged 10-12 ppg each year. He also grabbed around 5 rpg the past two years and is second all-time on the JMU career steals list. As a sophomore he hit over 49% of his three points shots - JMU record. (That was an anomaly, though. He hit less than 30% as a freshman and 33% this season.) JMU was last in the CAA and fired their coach. I am sure that was part of the reason for the transfer.

Wofford is getting 6'8" 261 lb. B. J. Mack on a transfer from South Florida. Mack was a freshman from Charlotte this year. He had a bunch of P5 schools like Georgia, N. C. State, Mississippi, and Virginia Tech listed as offers, but apparently none of them was really involved by the time he was a high school senior. Mack played in 19 games this year and averaged 2 ppg and 1 rpg.

Wandering Triston Chambers is returning to Samford after a stop at Alabama-Huntsville. Apparently he had some injury problems there although he did play some. Chambers was a quality shooter at Samford his first two years - hit over 40% from three point range. He was a starter there, also.

Astonishingly, Matt Haarms has dropped UNCG from his list of potential transfer locations.

https://www.si.com/college/purdue/basket...s-tech-byu

Assuming everyone is immediately eligible and that there are no injuries, Bucs should contend for the title in 20-21.

I could see Mercer starting 5 as:
1 Neftali Alvarez PG
2 Ross Cummings G
3 James Glisson F
4 Maciej Bender F
5 Felipe Haase F

That would include 2 guys that sat out last year in Alvarez and Haase. It would include Cummings who luckily is coming back. Bender getting big help in the paint from Haase could be a powerful duo. Glisson at the 3 to go big, or sub him out for another guard.

(03-30-2020 08:59 PM)swvabucsfan Wrote:  

(03-30-2020 06:42 PM)Stateman Wrote:  VMI Evee Freshman of the year to transfer
Samford Allen to Transfer
Wofford Goodwin to USC

All big losses -

Robert Allen a 6-8 battler with 2 more years of eligibility left. 14.1 ppg, 7.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks. He's easily their best defender in the paint. T

Sorry if this has been posted before (couldn't find it is it has), but Allen has transferred to Ole Miss. And Evee to Rice.

Not exactly the right spot for this, but Mid-Major Madness, at least, still showing ETSU some love for the upcoming season(?).

https://www.midmajormadness.com/2020/5/1...-rock-bucs

To me possibly the best thing Coach Forbes instilled here at ETSU was that the idea of a "rebuilding year" no longer has any meaning. He showed that we can be competitive immediately and every year with the way recruiting/transfers happen now. Coach Shay just needs to nail down the roster including point guards and we can compete for a championship. I believe he must be totally aware of this better than we are. Hoping for some great transfers to come in and go Bucs!

Mercer signed a JUCO guard. 6'6" Leon Ayers III. Filled up the JUCO stat sheet, but what I liked most was 83% free throw shooting.

A mostly complimentary, but low energy breakdown of the coming season for the Bucs from John Hooper. Amazingly, the word Furman isn't shoehorned somehow into an article about ETSU. Feel better soon, John.

https://www.midmajormadness.com/2020/6/1...on-preview

(06-12-2020 10:10 AM)BigIslandBuc Wrote:  A mostly complimentary, but low energy breakdown of the coming season for the Bucs from John Hooper. Amazingly, the word Furman isn't shoehorned somehow into an article about ETSU. Feel better soon, John.

https://www.midmajormadness.com/2020/6/1...on-preview

"All told, its a total of 69.4 of the 76.3 points per game lost to graduation or transfer from 2019-20."

The most telling part of next season, with regard to Buc teams in the future, may be how successfully defensive guru, Coach Shay, can develop consistent offense with a team of mostly newcomers.


"Feel better soon, John." Nicely played, BigIslandBuc