(St. Louis, MO) – If maturing rosters are the key to success, Missouri Valley Conference teams at Southern Illinois and Valparaiso are ready for some progress. Head coaches Barry Hinson and Matt Lottich are optimistic about their veteran teams.
Both teams have talented newcomers, but experience and depth are the building blocks for the success they hope to achieve this coming season. Hinson (.563 career winning percentage) and Lottich (.556) know the recipe for success at the mid major level requires experienced upperclassmen.
Southern Illinois
The Salukis finished second to the historic Loyola Rambler squad in last year’s Valley race. Finishing with 20 wins and 11 in MVC play, SIU is loaded with returning players. Guards Marcus Bartley, Eric McGill, Aaron Cook and Sean Lloyd all have starting experience. Leading scorer Armon Fletcher and forwards Thik Bol and Kavion Pippen fill up the front court.
Cook started every game and Bartley started 22 times after recovering from a broken wrist. Lloyd was named to the Valley’s all defensive team while starting 20 times. Fletcher is 52 points shy of 1,000 in his Carbondale career.
Pippen was highly successful as a newcomer last season. Hinson envisioned a ‘twin-towers’ option utilizing Bol and Pippen together, but the 7′ Bol missed the entire season with an injury. Bol, who had another surgery, has yet to practice with the team.
Hinson says his maturing roster may be his team’s biggest strength.
SIU has an early August trip to Cuba, and Hinson has been teaching his players to adopt a ‘position-less’ mentality. He wants his players to be able to play five positions and in every situation. It’s a mentality he saw in last year’s Loyola team and one he’s seeing in the NBA.
Valparaiso
Valpo returns some of the most exciting players in the Missouri Valley Conference. In this maturing roster, Markus Golder and Bakari Evelyn were two of the best players in the league last season and they return for the Crusaders’ second year as a Valley member.
The 6’6 Golder was named to the MVC’s all-bench team and led Valpo in three-point percentage (.429) and is honing his skills this offseason playing for the US team in the FISU America Games. As a red-shirt sophomore Golder averaged 9.5 points per game and was the team’s second leading rebounder (4.3 rpg). Golder is spectacular from the free-throw line (.831).
Evelyn averaged 12.6 points per game and was named to the Valley’s ‘all-newcomer team’. The former Nebraska Cornhusker led the team in assists and was the only Crusader to start all 32 games.
A pair of seven footers (Jaume Sorolla and Derrick Smits) and guard Micah Bradford are a part of that same junior class. Sophomore Mileek McMillan appeared in every Crusader contest last season, starting every conference game. The 6’8 McMillan has a very high ceiling.
Head coach Matt Lottich says his team took their collective lumps last year and they are ready to be a factor in the Valley race.
Lottich adds veterans Ryan Fazekas (junior transfer from Providence) and graduate transfer Deion Lavender (UAB) to his experienced roster. Lavender also spent a season at Southern Illinois.
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.@SEMOMBB wins at home and is 2-0, tied with @MSUEaglesMBB atop the @OVCSports. Our prayers are with the @LRTrojans after the death of one of their managers Josh Claxton. Their game with EIU was postponed today.
Good officiating in the @SEMOMBB/@SIUEMBB in a little late game dust up.
BTW, @LindenwoodWBB is 2-0. @CoachAmyEagan has that program headed the right direction.
With @SkyhawkHoops winning on the road and @LUMensBball winning at home, right now, 5 @OVCSports teams are 1-1.
