Valley Roster Updates

Reinforcements and Departures

(St. Louis, MO) – It is no April Fool’s Joke that over 1,600 Division 1 college basketball players entered into the transfer portal. So, what kind of Valley roster updates can we provide?

While there is devastation in some rosters, all the coaches are working feverishly to replenish their talent cupboards. Several teams have outstanding incoming freshmen classes and the silence around some programs is almost deafening.

With two new head coaches entering the league, those two programs will be under our very watchful eye, but teams like Evansville, Southern Illinois and Valparaiso have been gutted by the 2025 version of the ‘portal pandemic’. Northern Iowa and Belmont (so far) have looked immune to the problem.

Much can still change.

It is only April 1 so everything we are about to share could be dramatically different by May 1, but as of today, this is how we see the Missouri Valley Conference ‘work force’.

Valley Roster Updates – Stable

Northern Iowa and Belmont seem to be the most stable of the league’s teams. Late last week Belmont captain Isaiah Walker entered the portal, foregoing his fifth (senior) season in Nashville. Two UNI Panthers, who have seen very little action (Charlie Miller and Wes Rubin) are looking to transfer.

Very late in the season, UNI’s Ben Jacobson told reporters that he had eleven players returning. Obviously, graduation is taking Tytan Anderson, Jacob Hutson and Cael Schmitt from the roster, but the stability provided by the return of virtually everyone else, makes the Panthers an early favorite for next season’s Valley title.

If this situation remains the same, the prospects of enjoying the services of Trey Campbell, Ben Schwieger, a healthy Leon Bond and emerging big man Will Hornseth will excite the folks in Cedar Falls.

Jacobson’s three incoming freshmen bring impressive credentials. Trevin Jirak is a 6’10 center (3.44 stars) is ranked as Iowa’s third best player. Jalen Wilson is a 6’7 wing (3.42 stars) is fourth in Minnesota. 6’4 guard Geon Hutchins owns a 3.22 star ranking coming from Michigan.

Walker is Belmont’s only significant portal loss, but they will presumably also lose grad-transfers Carter Whitt and Brody Peebles. With returners Tyler Lundblade, Brigham Rogers, Sam Orme and Drew Scharnowski, the Bruin core is solid.

Casey Alexander’s only incoming freshman is the State of Indiana’s seventh best player Jack Smiley. The 6’2 guard garnered 3.68 stars.

Better Than Most

Illinois State’s rating all comes down to Johnny Kinziger. So far the CBI champion Redbirds are in great shape. While they will sustain heavy graduation losses in Dalton Banks, Jordan Davis, Malachi Poindexter and Caden Boser, all-league center Chase Walker and all-freshman team member Jack Daugherty have announced their returns.

If Kinziger and Ty Pence return, this is a dangerous Valley team.

Ryan Pedon’s incoming freshmen may be the Valley’s best collection of rookies. Four players receiving from 3.49 to 3.89 stars are on the way to Normal. Illinois’ sixth and seventh rated players in guard Tyreek Coleman and 6’11 big man Nick Allen have solidified Pedon’s ability to recruit in the Land of Lincoln. North Dakota’s top-ranked player, guard Mason Klabo is a 6’1 point guard and Isaac Ericksen is a 6’6 wing from North Carolina.

The ‘War on 74’ could be spectacular, because Bradley’s bunch isn’t bad!

While graduation and transfers will hit Bradley hard, Brian Wardle has remaining impact players and his trio of freshmen might be every bit as good as Illinois State’s.

Graduation will take all league players Duke Deen, Darius Hannah and Zek Montgomery. Important rotational players Christian Davis and Almar Atlason are in the portal, but young guards Jaquan Johnson and Demarion Burch will partner with returning bigs Ahmet Jonovic and Corey Thomas as a very serious core.

Two of Illinois’ top four players are coming to Peoria, Matthew Zobrist and Deitrich Richardson are elite level prep players and play at nearby high schools. These are homerun signings by Wardle. Each are bigger guards in the 6’5 range and Richardson is a four-star recruit from Peoria Manual Academy. Houston, Texas point guard Montana Wheeler is just 5’9, but ranked 17^th in the Lone Star State.

Hard to Figure

New coaches at Drake and Murray State are clean pallets and existing rosters will be undergoing massive changes. More players are officially leaving Drake than are in that process at Murray, but much is yet to shake out at each university.

Eric Henderson’s introductory press conference at Drake will happen next week and Murray State’s Ryan Miller has retained assistant coach Brendan Mullins and signed his first player. His nephew Mason Miller is a Creighton transfer.

Each of these rosters will look dramatically different from last season, but there is significant excitement around each of those programs.

Indiana State has undergone significant losses, but has had very significant commitments from key returners. The base of Camp Wagner and Derek Vorst provides second-year head coach Matthew Graves a significant start.

Graves has signed a top-50 junior college player in Enel St. Bernard and two seemingly high-level prep players. 6’5 guard Martin Kaupanger (3.34) is a top-five player out of the state of Washington and 6’7 forward Kingston Land (3.53) is a top ten player from Ohio.

UIC made great strides during Rob Ehsan’s first season. Numerous players have left the via the portal, but Ahmad Henderson II (11.5 ppg) and Tyem Freeman (10.4) remain. Three high school players offer hope.

Nano Barrantes is a 6’9 forward (3.47) ranked fifth in the state of Iowa. Andy Johnson is the seventh highest rated player in Kentucky. Rashund Washington (3.38) it a top twenty player from Georgia.

Empty Valley Roster Updates

Valparaiso and Southern Illinois seem like complete make-overs. After Valpo’s dramatic performance at Arch Madness, Roger Powell Jr has lost the last two Valley ‘freshmen of the year’ winners in Cooper Schwieger and All Wright, 2024’s leading scorer Isaiah Stafford and a host of other players.

Powell basically has Justus McNair and Isaiah Shaw and no one else. He landed a high school player in the fall (J.T. Pettigrew) and two more in the last week. 6’9 Carter Hopol is a New Zealander with international experience and Rockford, Illinois’ Rakim Chaney is highly regarded.

Valpo is starting over.

SIU has seen all-league performers Kennard Davis and Ali Dibba head to the portal along with Sheridan Sharp, Tyler Bey and others. Drew Steffe, Damien Mayo and Rolyns Aligbe remain. Elijah Elliott may have been SIU’s best player last season, but his season ended after four games and now he is in the portal.

Jorge Moreno and Davion Sykes and two incoming freshmen give Scott Nagy’s team a chance.

Guard Luke Walsh is a thirty-plus per game scorer from St. Louis and the fourth best player in Missouri and Daniel Pauljukonis is a 6’9 power forward and one of the top 20 players in all of Illinois.

Big men Connor Turnbull and Joshua Hughes are the only players of any note that remain on the gutted Evansville roster. Three players that earned league-wide honors Tayshawn Comer, Tanner Cuff and Gabriel Pozzato are in the portal. ‘Favorite son’ Cam Haffner whose father is in the UE hall-of-fame, is gone.

David Ragland is starting over in Evansville.

Every Valley team is in need of an infusion of NIL cash. As players leave for a variety of reasons, there is no doubt that many of those reasons relate to cash. Some Valley players with a year of junior college in their background are searching for an extra year of eligibility.

They could end up on their current teams or somewhere else. Players like Jonathan Pierre (Belmont) and Christian Davis (Bradley) are appealing for waivers to extend their college careers.

We will keep a watch on Valley roster updates.

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