MVC Teams Recruiting the Portal

The Transfers are Coming

(West Africa) – Recruiting the Portal is a mandatory thing and Missouri Valley Conference coaches are hoping to strike it rich. Players are leaving via the Portal, but some talented ones are ending up on Valley rosters.

Valley teams believe they’ve found some gems while mining that field. At this point, five Valley teams have signed transfers and five have not. Recruiting the portal is an inexact science. Based on our observations the past two seasons, there are some great finds and some big misses.

Bradley Lands a Point Guard

UC San Diego grad transfer Mikey Howell is joining the Braves. Brian Wardle’s backcourt has been decimated by the transfer of four guards and the seventh year head coach started replenishing that part of his roster with the signing of the 6’3 Howell. He is the Tritons’ all-time assists leader with 502 and averaged six per game last season. Howell was the Big West’s assist leader during the Triton’s transition year to Division 1.

Schertz Adds Three LMU Players

First year head coach Josh Schertz signed three of his former Lincoln Memorial players to help in the renovation of  the Indiana State roster. The recruits include a red-shirt senior, a red-shirt junior and a red-shirt sophomore.

Senior Cameron Henry is the most decorated of the three. The 6’6 wing is a two-time all-conference second-team member of the South Atlantic Conference. During his three years with the Railsplitters, Henry accumulated three seasons of double-digit scoring and was the SAC’s 2020 defensive player of the year.

Junior Xavier Bledson is a 6’6 guard that averaged over ten points per game and Schertz calls him a ferocious competitor and a terrific leader.

6’11 sophomore Simon Wilbar participated in 12 games LMU.

Ramblers Add Two From the Ivy League

Chris Knight (Dartmouth) and Ryan Schwieger (Princeton) were verbally committed before Porter Moser left for Oklahoma, but now have solidified their commitments to Loyola Chicago and first-year coach Drew Valentine.

Knight was a two-time All-Ivy League second teamer and averaged double digits during all three of his seasons at Dartmouth. The 6’7 forward scored over 1,000 points during Dartmouth tenure. Valentine likens Knight’s game to that of former Rambler Aundre Jackson.

During Schwieger’s junior season he average 10.7 points and 2.6 assists. He is proficient from deep and from the free-throw line and Valentine says the 6’6 Schwieger can handle multiple positions.

Clay Shifts From Valpo to Missouri State

In a rare intra-conference transfer, Donovan Clay has moved within the Missouri Valley from Valparaiso to Missouri State. The 6’7 Clay was part of the Valley’s 2020 all-freshman team and has averaged nearly 10 points per game during his first two collegiate seasons. Clay’s back-to-back seasons of 35 blocked shots indicate some of his defensive ability.

Valpo Lands a Power Six & D2 Transfer

Wisconsin transfer Trevor Anderson and Winona State transfer Kevion Taylor are grad transfers to Matt Lottich’s team.

Anderson spent one season at Green Bay and three with the Badgers. Anderson converted 56.5% of his three-point attempts last season and was part of Wisconsin’s 2020 Big Ten championship team. The 6’3 guar averaged 9.8 points per game during his one season with Green Bay.

Taylor was a prolific D2 scorer. He was a two-time first-team all-conference player. While averaging 20.5 points per game he shattered the school and conference record for three-pointers (105) and during his three seasons accumulated 1,632 points.

Both Anderson and Taylor are Wisconsin natives.

Recruiting the portal will be a key component for every basketball team in America. Over 1,400 experienced players can be found there. Valley teams are hoping to gain more talent than they lose during this brand new recruiting structure.

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