Morehead State’s Preston Spradlin

Extreme Makeover Eagles’ Edition

(St. Louis, MO) – Morehead State’s Preston Spradlin is beginning his seventh season as the head basketball coach and it might be called ‘extreme makeover, Eagles’ edition’. After last year’s 23-win season and a third place finish in the Ohio Valley Conference, the portal pandemic hit MSU hard and Spradlin now has eleven new players on his roster.

All-OVC center Johni Broome moved on to Auburn and three of Morehead’s other four starters are gone too. Skylar Potter (Jacksonville State), Tray Hollowell (graduation)  and Ta’lon Cooper (Minnesota) graduated or transferred and Spradlin used the portal to rebuild.

The extreme makeover project isn’t a rebuild since the house has good bones, but Spradlin needed to find some experienced players and admits the free agency that has come to college basketball provides new challenges.

 

Losing Broome to the SEC was an obvious blow to the talent level of his squad, but Spradlin says he and Broome remain close and he understands when players have changing priorities. He believes the new challenges for the 6’10 center will help him develop his game.

 

Extreme Makeover Backcourt Remodeling

Jake Wolfe (5.8 ppg) is Morehead State’s only returning starter. The 6’5 senior is an elite defender and a precision shooter. Wolfe connected on 48 percent of his three-point attempts and 51 percent of his shots overall. He’ll be breaking in a whole new batch of backcourt teammates.

Seniors and grad-student transfers fill the rest of the backcourt. Jordan Lathon averaged nearly eight points per game for Milwaukee and Brandon Maughmer, a Division 2 all-American, were point guards at their previous stops.

Lathon can contribute in all facets of the game and he and Maughmer bring a combined eight years of collegiate experience.

Spradlin says the veteran guards have shown an ability and a willingness to move the ball and create offensive opportunities.

 

Former Tennessee State and Illinois State guard Mark Freeman returns to the OVC after collecting over 800 D1 points. Norfolk State transfer Jalen Hawkins comes to Morehead after one season at Robert Morris and two with Norfolk. He has scored nearly 900 collegiate points. UMASS-Lowell transfer Kalil Thomas averaged nine points-per-game last season.

Incoming freshmen Julian Norris (Link Year Academy) and Trent Scott (Tampa, Florida) are young players with great potential. Norris was a great defender for Link’s national runner-up team and may be more prepared to contribute.

Lathon, Maughmer and Norris are all touted as three more outstanding backcourt defenders.

Spradlin says the two youngsters will get better playing with and against his long list of veteran guards.

 

Looking for Championships

While senior L.J. Bryan probably could have started for many OVC teams last year he contributed as Broome’s backup. He will battle NAIA all-American Alex Gross for playing time this season. The 6’10 Gross averaged 23.8 points and 14.1 rebounds for Olivette Nazarene. Bryan played roughly ten minutes per game last year connecting on 64 percent of his shots.

Eleven new players have come to Morehead to chase championships. Most of the transfers have known individual success but are looking at donning the Eagles’ uniform with a chance to be a part of a winning program. Gross’ team went to NAIA championships, but now he has a chance to perform at the highest level of college hoops.

Spradlin believes the Morehead staff has found the right pieces for their team to be successful and his players will now have the chance to fulfill those team-oriented dreams.

 

Spradlin’s Building Project

It took Preston Spradlin several seasons to get the Eagles’ program to this stable position. He took over midway through the 2016-17 season and went 12-9. After three losing seasons, the Eagles have put together back-to-back 23-win seasons.

He speaks glowingly of his players and his desire to see them succeed in all facets of life. While Spradlin obviously wants his players to perform at a high-level on the basketball court, he consistently talks about his team being a family and cultivating meaningful relationships.

As he moves in on 100 career wins (92-88) Spradlin says his personal growth as a coach has been a result of the his internal growth as a man of faith.

 

He’ll need that faith as his extreme makeover team opens against the University of Indiana and his November schedule includes games with West Virginia and Vanderbilt. The OVC season begins in late December.

Morehead finished third to departing Murray State and Belmont in last year’s conference race and the Eagles were the league’s second-best defensive scoring team (63.5 ppg). They were the OVC’s stingiest team in defensive field goal percentage (.408). Spradlin knows tenacious defensive abilities are the good bones that support this extreme makeover and he has recruited defenders.

The new-look Ohio Valley Conference will be as wide-open as any conference in America. Its top two teams have left the league and three have come in to replace them. There are great unknowns about this year’s OVC race, but Preston Spradlin’s extreme makeover squad should fair well.

Do Good

 

Editor: Our entire conversation can be heard at Valley Hoops Insider Podcasts.