Talented Missouri Valley Frontcourts

Part Two – Missouri Valley Units

(St. Louis, MO) – Tucker DeVries is the Missouri Valley Conference’s best player but talented Missouri Valley frontcourts will be this season’s headliners. Eight of the teams’ leading returning scorers toil in the frontcourts.

During Part One of our ‘Ranking Missouri Valley Units’ series we rated the backcourts. While creating these units we placed ‘wings’ in the front court rankings. Some could argue with our choices of which players we placed in which category. We don’t claim a superiority of opinion on those disagreements.

While DeVries is the class of the league, a wave of outstanding frontcourt stars are all over MVC rosters. Four of last season’s top five rebounders return and six of the top returning scorers are forwards.

We will rank the top six talented Missouri Valley frontcourts.

Number Six – Indiana State Sycamores

Graduation was not kind to Indiana State. Gone are Cooper Neese, Courvoisier McCauley and Cameron Henry. Those three were vital parts of ISU’s 23-win season and accounted for 38.5 points per game and 184 three pointers. Indiana State’s strength was its perimeter players.

ISU will continue to be good in the backcourt, but Schertz will focus his offense more on center Robbie Avila. Arguably the Valley’s best center, the 6’10 sophomore has good footwork inside and can pop out side make threes. Avila is a challenging matchup problem.

Possibly stepping into the starting lineup are Jason Kent and two-time all-bench player Xavier Bledson. The 6’8’ Kent attended the same high school as Avila and is a high flyer. Bledson is a sixth year player who came to Terre Haute with Schertz three seasons ago.

Niagara transfer Aaron Gray could be a difference-maker. The 6’7 forward averaged 12.4 points per game and made 50 triples. Gray is an explosive athlete.

Two freshmen add depth and potential. Two-time all-state forward Jaden Daughtry comes from nationally known Hargrave Military Academy and the 6’10 Derek Vorst is viewed as the State of Ohio’s tenth best player.

Avila could become the MVC’s most dominant post player since Loyola Chicago’s Cameron Krutwig and if so, Indiana State’s frontcourt becomes one fo the very best in the Valley.

Number Five – Murray State Racers

Murray State’s frontcourt couldn’t be any more different than Indiana State’s. The Racers possess an army of ‘wings’ and versatile players. After considering a professional career, Rob Perry chose to return to the collegiate game. The third-team all-conference wing is the scorer of over 1,500 career points and is a responsible rebounder.

Quincy Anderson can do everything. The left-handed wing’s role could expand this year as Steve Prohm begins his second season back at Murray. He can elevate, distributes well, can score in traffic and is a good defender.

Sophomore Justin Morgan scored nearly 2,900 prep points and looks ready to truly contribute.

Eastern Illinois transfer Nick Ellington adds depth and experience, while 6’9 sophomore Sam Murray II, like Morgan is poised to be a significant contributor. Portland transfer Shawn Walker is a proven three-point shooter.

Incoming freshman John McCrear comes to Murray after a high school career where he was rated as the Blue Grass State’s seventh best player. Murray State’s numerous options could truly wear down Valley opponents.

Number Four – Belmont Bruins

What does Cade Tyson do after producing a ‘Freshman of the Year’ season? The 6’7 wing hit the game-winning shot on opening night and was Belmont’s second-leading scorer. Tyson was the Valley’s second best three-point and free throw shooter. He grabbed 4.6 rebounds per game and could be the Valley’s next big star.

While the Bruins lean heavily on recruiting freshmen, Vanderbilt transfer Malik Dia is a key Bruin newcomer. The 6’9 post played just nine minutes per Commodore contest, but coach Casey Alexander calls Dia one of the most talented forwards he’s ever coached. Dia is a distinct upgrade for the interior part of the Belmont ‘four-out’ offense.

Talented freshmen are flooding the Belmont frontcourt. Sam Orme, Drew Scharnowski and Brigham Rogers all stand 6’8 or better and were ranked in the top 15 in their respective states. Each of the trio was an all-state player with Orme being named to the McDonald’s All-American ‘watch list’.

Division 2 transfer Jayce Willingham (Lee College) scored over 1,100 D2 points and has impressed teammates and coaches during summer workouts.

Number Three – Missouri State Bears

This ranking may be too low. Second-teamer Donovan Clay returns for his fifth MVC season (third at MSU) as he finishes a highly decorated Valley career. Clay is a two-time ‘all-defense’ team member and has scored over 1,200 collegiate points. He can defend four or five positions and is an offensive threat.

Chance Moore is another double-digit returning scorer for coach Dana Ford. During his first season after transferring from Arkansas Moore was an instant offense kind of player. The all-bench team member struggled defensively, but could light up the score board.

Returner N.J. Benson has great potential. The 6.8 forward sophomore can protect the rim and was a legitimate high school scorer and rebounder. 6’11 senior Dawson Carper returns after an injury-shortened 2022-23.

The X-factor could the incoming freshman Tyler Bey. The New Jersey native played in the Georgia entry in the Overtime Elite league and is a top-160 player nationally. At 6’5, 185 he possesses the right build and prep experience to step right into to the Missouri State rotation. He and freshman guard Davion Hill have the highest ceilings of anyone on the Bears’ roster.

Number Two – Drake Bulldogs

When you have Tucker DeVries you don’t have to list anyone else and you would have a solid frontcourt. DeVries was last year’s preseason and end-of-year Player of the Year. He will repeat the preseason honor at next month’s Valley ‘media day’. He’s outstanding and this likely will be his last season in Des Moines before heading to the NBA.

His 18.6 ppg scoring average was the league’s third best and in just two seasons, the 6’7 wing has accumulated 1,133 points and 163 three-point baskets. DeVries was the 2022 Freshman of the Year and the 2023 Larry Bird Trophy winner and collected the Arch Madness ‘Most Outstanding Player’ trophy.

The Drake star is not alone in the Bulldog frontcourt. Beginning his fourth season in Des Moines and sixth in college basketball is big man Darnell Brodie. After losing weight and getting significantly quicker, the 6’10 bruiser was part of the Valley’s ‘most improved’ team. Brodie finished as the league’s fourth best rebounder (7.3 per game) and he saved his best work for when it mattered most.

The New Jersey native finished the season with a ten-point, 17 rebound performance in the conference tournament semifinals, scored twelve points and grabbed nine boards in the championship game and then scored 20 points and hauled in nine more caroms in Drake’s NCAA Tournament game. He has the ability to dominate.

Washington State transfer Carlos Rosario is a 6’7 junior who was a highly rated prep player from California, but a medical redshirt year (2021-22) has slowed his development. A pair of highly rated incoming 6’9 freshmen give head coach Darian DeVries a look at the future and some depth behind Brodie. Patrick Bath (# 8 in Minnesota) and Elijah Price (# 16 in California) are three-star recruits.

Returners Eric Northweather and Nate Ferguson each has good size and they know the Drake system.

Number One – Bradley Braves

When you talk about talented Missouri Valley frontcourts, you don’t have to leave Peoria, Illinois. While all-MVC forward Rienk Mast departed for the Big Ten, two ultra competitive, athletic and defensive-minded ‘bigs’ remain. Malevy Leons and Darius Hannah are athletic and rabid rim protectors, but they can do much more.

As Bradley’s second leading scorer (11.1 ppg) Leons also led the Valley in blocked shots (52) and finished seventh in steals with 52. The 6’9 Netherlands native was the league’s ‘Defensive Player of the Year’ and a second team, all-conference player. He stepped outside the arc to bury 45 triples and made 78% of his free throw attempts. Leons is a handful.

Hannah added 32 blocks and 22 steals from his back-up forward spot. While he never attempted a three-point basket, he completed 61 percent of his shots. When Mast missed early season games Hannah thrived in a starting role.

Eastern Illinois transfer Kyle Thomas put up solid freshman season numbers in the Ohio Valley Conference (5.9 points and 3.7 rebounds). The 6’10 Thomas gives head coach Brian Wardle another experienced player with size. Wardle considers him to be a center.

The head coach is high on last year’s mid-season signee Ahmet Jonovic. The 7-1 Serbian looked raw last season, but he is making great strides. Wardle recruits internationally quite well and his next European player is Almar Atlason. The Iceland native spent most of the summer playing with his nation’s U20 squad.

If this frontcourt jells like we believe it will, the Braves will be competing for a second straight regular season conference title.

The Best of the Rest

There are so many talented Missouri Valley frontcourts that it is criminal to rank any of them less than sixth best.

Northern Iowa’s Tytan Anderson leads a very solid group in Cedar Falls that includes Loyola Chicago transfer Jacob Hutson, all-bench team member Landon Wolf and two extremely highly rated freshmen in Wes Rubin and Kyle Pock.

Kendall Lewis returns for a third season at Illinois State. Like Leons, Lewis is a rabid and versatile defender. He collected 24 blocks and 46 steals and was a double digit scorer for Ryan Pedon’s squad. 7’1 Illinois transfer Brandon Lieb could be a huge difference maker and Monmouth transfer Myles Foster averaged 12.5 points and 6.6 rebounds last year. Ohio’s ninth rated senior, Chase Walker is also in the mix. The Redbirds could be the Valley’s ‘surprise team’.

Illinois Chicago’s Toby Okani (11.0 and 7.1 rebounds) and Filip Skobalj have reinforcements joining them in the Windy City while expecting improvement out of sophomore holdovers Jaden Brownell and Cameron Fens.

The Mysteries

The strength of Evansville’s returners is up front. Yacine Toumi was solid last season and a healthy season out of Sekou Kalle could bring significant improvement to the Purple Aces. NAIA star Ben Humrichus brings experience to the Aces frontcourt.

Juniors Clarence Rupert and Troy D’Amico lead the SIU frontcourt brigade. A healthy Scottie Ebube and the development of sophomore Cade Hornecker could elevate our view of this collection of bigs. Cincinnati transfer Jarrett Hensley should be a big contributor. He and Little Rock transfer Jovan Stulic have each played over 80 Division 1 games.

Valparaiso is a mystery. Perhaps their top returner is Connor Barrett and for these rankings we called him a ‘wing’ but his 4.1 point scoring average doesn’t make anyone stand up and notice. Central Michigan transfer Ola Ajiboye and returner Jerome Palm should contribute.

Link Year Prep signee Cooper Schwieger and Blair Academy recruit Lual Manyang are rookies with some very good potential.

Talented Missouri Valley frontcourts will have fierce competition during league play and could make life miserable for opponents during non-conference action.

Do Good

 

Editor: Cover photo credit – Maeve Coulter