Way too early look at next year

[bufan39]

I'm hearing that Ben Sheppard is not going to use his covid year and will leave at the end of the season. I can't confirm this.

Seems like he can go make some money playing basketball. I don't blame him, though it's a loss for Belmont and the league.

I've been quite impressed with how Belmont reloaded after losing 11 players from last year's team, including four starters. Wasn't sure how it was going to work out for them this year. I have to imagine Belmont fans feel pretty good about how things have gone.

Yeah, especially after a few disappointing results early in the season I couldn't be happier to be sitting one game out of first place in the conference with four to play (although Ben's missed shot at the end of the Murray game is going to haunt me for a while).

Next year we will be good again, assuming Tyson and Gillespie don't bounce at opportunities to earn some NIL green. We will (almost assuredly) lose Ben which will be hard to overcome. But we have several freshman that are huge contributors already, to go along with a really solid incoming class and an Evan Brauns that is FINALLY starting to realize some of his potential. We will have to wait to see what happens in the offseason transfers, both out and in, but I'm cautiously optimistic Casey will have us competitive again.

Ben’s blatant travel at the end of the Bradley game is going to haunt me for awhile

[SalukiBand]

SIU will depend on Domask/Jones being back. I think Jones is gonna be back but Domask could easily start an international career.

I don't necessarily disagree with you but who's to say that Domask couldn't make more money in the B1G or the Big 12 rather than playing overseas?

[SalukiWorld]

SIU will depend on Domask/Jones being back. I think Jones is gonna be back but Domask could easily start an international career.

I don't necessarily disagree with you but who's to say that Domask couldn't make more money in the B1G or the Big 12 rather than playing overseas?

I don't see Domask as a high major player unless he wants to take a severe minutes cut. He's struggled against more athletic guys throughout his career. He's honestly a perfect fit for a league like the MVC.

[Majik45]

SIU will depend on Domask/Jones being back. I think Jones is gonna be back but Domask could easily start an international career.

I don't necessarily disagree with you but who's to say that Domask couldn't make more money in the B1G or the Big 12 rather than playing overseas?

I don't see Domask as a high major player unless he wants to take a severe minutes cut. He's struggled against more athletic guys throughout his career. He's honestly a perfect fit for a league like the MVC.

Domask is the classic tweener that excels in the MVC playing the 3/4. If he moved up a league, he'd probably be more of a 3 and doesn't have the quickness or athletisism that requires. It's kind of the same thing with Ja'shon Henry of Bradley. Ja'shon is a beast in the MVC down low, but really struggles when he gets against 6'8-6'10 guys from bigger schools.

[tribecalledquest]

SIU will depend on Domask/Jones being back. I think Jones is gonna be back but Domask could easily start an international career.

I don't necessarily disagree with you but who's to say that Domask couldn't make more money in the B1G or the Big 12 rather than playing overseas?

I don't see Domask as a high major player unless he wants to take a severe minutes cut. He's struggled against more athletic guys throughout his career. He's honestly a perfect fit for a league like the MVC.

Right. I think fans have an overinflated view of the NIL money. Sure, the big time guys are getting great money - but no SEC school is giving Marcus Domask a ton of money to play there for one year.

[BCPanther]

But it's WAY easier to blame it on the big guys than to actually look at how you're program is being run...

[So iLL 24]

Bradley will be good again. Watch out for Murray State with Rob Perry and Brian Moore and a full offseason for Prohm to get talent around them. Also Northern Iowa has what I think is the best recruiting class in the MVC coming in.

SIU will depend on Domask/Jones being back. I think Jones is gonna be back but Domask could easily start an international career. SIU does have a talented HS Senior coming in (Kennard Davis Jr) but SIU is an extremely veteran team right now and has put winning over development.

The rest will depend on the portal. Guessing Drake will reload. Belmont has some talented players like Tyson if Sheppard isn't back. Illinois State has a good HS class coming in.

I could see Lance Jones going home to Evanston and playing at Northwestern. CLo is an assistant coach and Lance plays legit on ball defense that will get him minutes there. He just won't have the green light to shoot 12 times a game. No idea about Domask. Moving closer to home for his parents to attend more games is a possibility.

[BuBrave2006]

But it's WAY easier to blame it on the big guys than to actually look at how you're program is being run...

Bradley would look pretty scary if Terry Roberts was still on the team. I get that's one small example and Bradley is pretty good anyway, but still.

[BEARZ77]

Like someone else said, it's likely not very useful to try to assess what teams have back until mid summer at the earliest. Missouri State could see some movement with Donovan Clay likely to forego a covid year and test the pro waters somewhere. Trimble may be gone already and he and K Moore are 5th year guys and gone either way season's end. Dalen Ridgnal is a senior but has a covid year coming, and Marcus Lee is a senior who has a medical redshirt and a covid year coming. Mason , Chance Moore, and Mogbo are sophs , Mayo & Bensen are freshmen. Graham is either a freshman or soph eligibility wise. Even w/o Clay or adding more , that could be Fords best team.

[Adunk33]

Easy to say until Iowa comes calling for Bowen.

Which they aren't going to do.

Way too much panic about the transfer portal.

Yep. Build a program that knows what it is and what its values are and then you don't have to worry about it.

Two transfers in 7 years. Antwan Kimmons because he needed to be closer to home to help his family and Noah Carter because his father might be the biggest asshole walking the planet.

I hate the buzzword that 'cUlTuRe' has become but it is a real thing and the programs that have that figured out are the ones that don't have an annual revolving door.

That, and Iowa has a STUD PG coming in out of Moline.

I'm with you in regards to "culture." It is trite but it's a real thing. I'm excited about what Pedon is building over at ISU. He's bringing in guys that want to be Redbirds. For the first time in a long time, there is a sense there is going to be some level of continuity in the ILST roster. Now, we've all seen they need to improve talent/depth but I'd be surprised if Pedon fills more than 5 scholarships in the Spring. I'm thinking it'll be 4 to fill the much needed gaps- a true post man or two and a veteran PG that can handle the reigns until incoming freshman, John Kinzinger is ready.

In terms of eligibility, the only two guys that have none left are Seneca Knight and Colton Sandage. Sandage has been hurt on and off all season, so really just replacing in the rotation. It'll be interesting to see who decides to come back. Lewis, McChesney, Schmitt and Sissoko are all academically seniors while Kotov and Petrakis are in their first year of Grad School.

Pedon mentioned recently that while recruiting Burford, Poindexter, and Kasubke he had in the back of his mind that all three could be he for 3 years together and that excited him as a foundational core of the new Redbirds.

I anticipate those three back, along with Lewis and McChesney, plus one more TBD (probably Petrakis or Kotov), with three incoming freshmen. That would leave 4 spots to fill via the portal. Hoping there is a big on Ohio State's bench that Pedon has a relationship with to bring him along and that whoever the new assistant is has is tight with a veteran PG.