Newcomer Report

[Blers]

As the non-conference season enters it's final stretch I wanted to hear newcomers to look out for for everyone in the Valley. Obviously everyone on Valpo is new to us but what players do you think will frustrate opponents come conference season! Here's the skinny on LU's fresh faces:

Cam Krutwig: This really isn't hyperbole, but Krutwig is by far the best passing big man I've seen in the Valley. He's got decent post up ability for a freshmen, and positions well for rebounds even though he's not much of a leaper. A lot of his impact can't be seen just in stats. But his line against UIC was 8 points, 5 boards, 7 assists. They weren't just kick outs to the 3 point line either, it's interior passing, backdoor cuts, bounce and outlet passes. Really fun player, super vocal on the court, I really think he could be a team leader as early as next season. He spent the summer shedding 30 pounds, so putting in work after this season to build muscle will be huge for him.

Lucas Williamson: Freshmen from Whitney Young, after not doing much the first 3 games he's stepped up big since losing Richardson to injury. Playing 25+ mpg and averaging 8ppg. Rebounds, passes, and defends well. Both him and Krutwig are freshmen so dumb mistakes will happen, but both are way more advanced this early than i would have expected.

Christian Negron: Just came off injury two weeks ago. Still raw offensively, but he hits the boards really well and can make splash plays with tip dunks and blocks.

Adarius Avery: Played his first game against UIC, 7 points, 3 rebounds, and an assist in 12 minutes, attacks the rim and boards really hard, not a shooter. Hard to say too much based on one game, but i really liked his ability to get to the rim and draw fouls at 6'6'. Could be a go to weapon off the bench.

Carson Shanks- 7 foot grad transfer, last scholarship man off the bench... probably wont see him too much.

Marques Townes: Probably the most important newcomer for the team. A lot of questions with this team heading into the season were how would they replace Doyle's 15,5 and 4. Townes has stepped in that role pretty well and is averaging 13.5, 5, and 3. Relentless attacking the rim; he's not the defender Doyle was, but still really encouraging. From my limited knowledge of everyone else's newcomers he's probably number 2 on the newcomer of the year list behind Kavion Pippen of SIU.

[BCPanther]

Tywhon Pickford--Leading the Valley in rebounding (12th nationally) as a 6-4 guard. Put up 18 & 18 against NC State at Battle 4 Atlantis. Already taking top defensive assignment and playing 31 minutes per game. Inside track to be Freshman of the Year and, mayber, Newcomer of the Year and, so far, on one of the All Valley teams.

Austin Phyfe-6-9 Center, missed two games with a concussion. First big off the bench and is still playing a little too fast. If he gets to the point where it slows down a bit and he can play without fouling, he'll have a really good year. Missing the lower level games hurt his development. A lot to ask of a kid to not play for a week and then get a McDonald's All American his first time out. The future is bright.

[underdawg]

Er, Kavion Pippen has won Newcomer of the week twice in 6 games and in top ten in MVC rebounding--tied for blocks, top ten in scoring--so probably he should be on

Eric McMcGill a 6-2 PG leads the Valley in steals--we've got newcomers up the Wazoo at PG with 6-5 Marcus Bartley coming on line this week after setting a month with injury---another backup Aaron Cook starts now and in the top ten in 3 pt FG shooting

[ptownbraves]

The notable Bradley newcomer is Elijah Childs, a 6'7" Freshman from Kansas City. He can play the 4/5 and is leading the team in both offensive and defensive rebounds despite averaging only 18 minutes/game. He looked overmatched against San Diego State's trees, but he should fare well against MVC forwards. I think he'll continue to steal more minutes from Koch Bar and Donte Thomas as the year progresses. Childs may turn out to be Wardle's best recruit in his 3 years coaching at Bradley.

Ryan Stipanovich, a 6'7" Freshman from St. Louis should also see some minutes this year. He's averaging about 10 minutes/game and is a bit of a 3 point specialist. He doesn't have the size of Childs and tends to hang out on the wing. If I were to compare him to someone on the team, it would be Luuk Van Bree but with a higher ceiling. He's the nephew of former NBA player Steve Stipanovich.

Luqman Lundy is a 6'4" JuCo transfer from Northern Oklahoma College-Tonkawa. He's a Junior this year and is not going to get much playing time based on his non-con performance so far. Unless he turns things around, he'll be getting negligible minutes in conference play.

[BEARZ77]

Their stats won't be that eye-popping but two Bear newcomers are playing at very high levels. The Bears have 8 players averaging right at 7ppg or better and two are Grad transfer JT Miller and juco transfer Reggie Scurry. Miller a 6'2 guard from Howard University has moved into the starting lineup the last 4 games and is averaging 9.4 ppg on 21.3 min. He's shooting .541 fg% and also getting 4.1 rbs.

Scurry has been really coming on; probably about 6'5 -6'6 at best, none the less, his reach and jumping ability allow him to play much bigger. He's coming off the bench for 15.9 minutes a game, but is the second leading scorer at 10ppg. He's also getting 4.1 rbs, and is shooting .586 fgs, .400 3pts, and .762 fts. He has been by far the most efficient scorer for the Bears and is pretty much lights out if he gets the ball inside the foul line.

Both these guys have added significant athleticism to the Bears rotation to augment Alize Johnson and the other returnees.

[PantherSigEp]

Cam Krutwig: This really isn't hyperbole, but Krutwig is by far the best passing big man I've seen in the Valley...A lot of his impact can't be seen just in stats. But his line against UIC was 8 points, 5 boards, 7 assists. They weren't just kick outs to the 3 point line either, it's interior passing, backdoor cuts, bounce and outlet passes. Really fun player, super vocal on the court, I really think he could be a team leader as early as next season.

That sound familiar to any UNI fans? How good would be it for the MVC to have a 2nd Seth Tuttle?

[Blers]

Cam Krutwig: This really isn't hyperbole, but Krutwig is by far the best passing big man I've seen in the Valley...A lot of his impact can't be seen just in stats. But his line against UIC was 8 points, 5 boards, 7 assists. They weren't just kick outs to the 3 point line either, it's interior passing, backdoor cuts, bounce and outlet passes. Really fun player, super vocal on the court, I really think he could be a team leader as early as next season.

That sound familiar to any UNI fans? How good would be it for the MVC to have a 2nd Seth Tuttle?

I really didn't want to get carried away but that's who he reminds me of! Tuttle definitely had a bit more bounce and athleticism in his game than Krutwig currently does, but he also just lost 30 pounds in the offseason, so i'm confident he can add a lot to his game following the season. I'm pretty stoked to see Pickford play as well; sounds like a stud.

[mule]

The Aces added a RS Freshman, 2 true freshmen, a Soph JUCO, and 2 Jr JUCOS to this year's team. The Aces lost RS Senior Hainna (undisclosed surgery and on bed rest) right before the Cancun Challenge and leading scorer RS Jr Taylor broke his foot during the CC. Since then Mary has opened up playing time for the new players. Chatkevicius and Frederking have started the last 2 games. Individually, none of these players will make all conference teams, but collectively they are contributing. Four average over 15 minutes a game. They other 2 average 7 and 9. The group contributes 23 points per game. Chatkevicius, Frederking, Riley, and Hill have all had games scoring in double digits. Frederking, Kuhlman, and Hill are all 3 point threats.

Nothing to do with the topic but worth mentioning, as of this morning the Aces are leading the nation in 3pt shooting percent. The Aces took and made the least amount of 3 point shots last season in D1. Last year they made 127 of 347 attempts in 33 games. So far through 9 games this season they are 58 of 118.

[glm38]

Their stats won't be that eye-popping but two Bear newcomers are playing at very high levels. The Bears have 8 players averaging right at 7ppg or better and two are Grad transfer JT Miller and juco transfer Reggie Scurry. Miller a 6'2 guard from Howard University has moved into the starting lineup the last 4 games and is averaging 9.4 ppg on 21.3 min. He's shooting .541 fg% and also getting 4.1 rbs.

Scurry has been really coming on; probably about 6'5 -6'6 at best, none the less, his reach and jumping ability allow him to play much bigger. He's coming off the bench for 15.9 minutes a game, but is the second leading scorer at 10ppg. He's also getting 4.1 rbs, and is shooting .586 fgs, .400 3pts, and .762 fts. He has been by far the most efficient scorer for the Bears and is pretty much lights out if he gets the ball inside the foul line.

Both these guys have added significant athleticism to the Bears rotation to augment Alize Johnson and the other returnees.

Nice report. I like both Scurry and Miller a lot. They both have eye popping athleticism and compete at a high level.

Our 7ft 2in grad transfer Buhler hasn't competed at that level but I think he'll contribute as well especially once the grind of the conference schedule starts.

Buhler has limited athleticism. But he does have good hands, a soft shot and is an able passer.

[ahunte1]

Cam Krutwig: This really isn't hyperbole, but Krutwig is by far the best passing big man I've seen in the Valley...A lot of his impact can't be seen just in stats. But his line against UIC was 8 points, 5 boards, 7 assists. They weren't just kick outs to the 3 point line either, it's interior passing, backdoor cuts, bounce and outlet passes. Really fun player, super vocal on the court, I really think he could be a team leader as early as next season.

That sound familiar to any UNI fans? How good would be it for the MVC to have a 2nd Seth Tuttle?

I really didn't want to get carried away but that's who he reminds me of! Tuttle definitely had a bit more bounce and athleticism in his game than Krutwig currently does, but he also just lost 30 pounds in the offseason, so i'm confident he can add a lot to his game following the season. I'm pretty stoked to see Pickford play as well; sounds like a stud.

Yeah, let's not get too carried away! I don't remember what Tuttle was like as a freshman, but it does seem like a good comp as long as Krutwig continues to develop. Especially if he can become a better jumper. He moves pretty well, but he needs some lift.