Early 2023-24 projection

[LongTimeFan]

I think a lot of UNI's early season issues related to the abundance of newcomers and underclassmen on their team. Our last ball game with them was very close if you remember. We have lost four of our 8 rotational players from last year and we will miss their skills and experience. We were able to wear teams down with our depth. We will be the team that needs to integrate several new players, even if they are experienced. Wardle seems to get his team to gel as the season progresses but early conference games will be hard and count toward the seasons record.

[Da Coach]

Nice work from ValleyHoopsInsider.com blogger Harry Schroeder.
Here is his 4-part, "Four Tier" review of the 2023-24 MVC teams-

Part 1- Stacked and Ready (his projected top 3 contenders- Bradley, UNI, Missouri)-
https://www.valleyhoopsinsider.com/f...ings-part-one/

Part 2- Scary Potential (3 teams that could be contenders- Belmont, Drake, Indiana State)-
https://www.valleyhoopsinsider.com/m...ary-potential/

Part 3- Big Improvements (3 teams with 2nd year coaches- Evansville, Illinois State, Murray State)-
https://www.valleyhoopsinsider.com/f...-improvements/

Part 4- Blank Canvas (3 teams with unformed rosters- UIC, SIU, Valpo)-
https://www.valleyhoopsinsider.com/f...-blank-canvas/

[PhiAlphaBoy]

Thanks for that DC. Father Harry may be the best Valley sports reporter there is right now.

[yoda]

UNI will be in the mix,...
UNI 2023-24 projected roster-
https://www.panthernation.com/forum/...952#post727952
? Austin Phyfe- 7th year Sr.
1) James Betz- 5th year, Covid-senior...

Some news Re: UNI-
Last night, the UNI basketball team had a Spring Caravan event and Ben Jacobson addressed the fans in Waterloo, IA.
(Monday they were in Dubuque)
He said James Betz is graduating and not coming back, and that Phyfe still hasn't been cleared so is quite questionable for '23-24.
https://wcfcourier.com/northern-iowa...e49c693b7.html
https://wcfcourier.com/sports/college/uni/college-athletics-the-panther-caravan-makes-a-stop-in-waterloo/article_ac440afe-0a98-5b62-9073-62e977aae194.html

BTW- why can't Bradley do this sort of thing? It would greatly boost fan involvement & support and help ticket sales.
I have personally suggested of the Athletic Director & MBB off-season events, and have never gotten a return call or email. Bradley used to do things like that and maybe not so coincidentally, the average attendance at games back then was 9-10,000.

One last rumor, last season (2022-23) Illinois State played in a December event called the Indy Classic (and lost to Ball State).
It is rumored that Indiana State will play in this event this coming season.

Also

Nice work from ValleyHoopsInsider.com blogger Harry Schroeder.
Here is his 4-part, "Four Tier" review of the 2023-24 MVC teams-

Part 1- Stacked and Ready (his projected top 3 contenders- Bradley, UNI, Missouri)-
https://www.valleyhoopsinsider.com/f...ings-part-one/

Why does he say that Jonovic will be a freshman this coming season 2023-24?
He seems to hint that playing only 5 games still allows Jonovic to claim 2022-23 as a redshirt year.

[Da Coach]

In that article- https://www.valleyhoopsinsider.com/f...ings-part-one/
... he also calls Demarion Burch an "early signee", which also is not true. Burch verbally committed on January 13, 2023, and he signed on the first day of the spring signing period, April 12.
https://twitter.com/BradleyUMBB/stat...99937124945921

But as I said, other than a couple minor misstatements, his articles are very good, IMO.
Also, Betz not returning solves UNI's scholarship problem. They were projected to have 14 scholarship players for the 2023-24 season even without Phyfe. But now they are back down to the limit of 13. But it is more evidence that Phyfe won't be returning, either, since they do not have a scholarship for him.

[Da Coach]

Update on the 2023-24 UNI team and Austin Phyfe-

https://www.thegazette.com/panther-basketball/uni-is-rare-mens-basketball-program-with-no-transfer-portal-departures-in-2023/

[yoda]

Update on the 2023-24 UNI team and Austin Phyfe-
https://www.thegazette.com/panther-b...tures-in-2023/

Ha- LOL - their assistant Seth Tuttle says this in that interview:
"Tuttle said. “My senior year our second five could’ve been the starting five for almost every team in the (Missouri) Valley (Conference)"

Seriously?? They'd start for "almost every team in the Valley"?
Their "second five" that year were:
Wyatt Lohaus 9ppg
Spencer Haldeman 6ppg
Hunter Rhodes 4ppg
Austin Phyfe 3ppg (limited to just 9.8 min/game)
Mile Wentzien/Luke McDonnell 2ppg

reminds me of the fans from the old PJStar board back in 2006 who were claiming the starting five of ICC would have beaten Bradley's starting five- LOL
Of course, that's the year Bradley had a somewhat disappointing, slow start but finished in the Sweet 16.

[Stryker]

Ha- LOL - their assistant Seth Tuttle says this in that interview:
"Tuttle said. “My senior year our second five could’ve been the starting five for almost every team in the (Missouri) Valley (Conference)"

Seriously?? They'd start for "almost every team in the Valley"?
Their "second five" that year were:
Wyatt Lohaus 9ppg
Spencer Haldeman 6ppg
Hunter Rhodes 4ppg
Austin Phyfe 3ppg (limited to just 9.8 min/game)
Mile Wentzien/Luke McDonnell 2ppg

reminds me of the fans from the old PJStar board back in 2006 who were claiming the starting five of ICC would have beaten Bradley's starting five- LOL
Of course, that's the year Bradley had a somewhat disappointing, slow start but finished in the Sweet 16.

Lol I remember that, claiming the ICC roster was so great...I had a long laugh over that one.

[Serbiansniper34]

Ha- LOL - their assistant Seth Tuttle says this in that interview:
"Tuttle said. “My senior year our second five could’ve been the starting five for almost every team in the (Missouri) Valley (Conference)"

Seriously?? They'd start for "almost every team in the Valley"?
Their "second five" that year were:
Wyatt Lohaus 9ppg
Spencer Haldeman 6ppg
Hunter Rhodes 4ppg
Austin Phyfe 3ppg (limited to just 9.8 min/game)
Mile Wentzien/Luke McDonnell 2ppg

reminds me of the airbrains from the old PJStar board back in 2006 who were claiming the starting five of ICC would have beaten Bradley's starting five- LOL
Of course, that's the year Bradley had a somewhat disappointing, slow start but finished in the Sweet 16.

I think you're looking at the wrong year. According to Kenpom, UNI's starting 5 that whole year was Deon Mitchell, Matt Bohannon, Jeremy Morgan, Marvin Singleton and Seth Tuttle. That makes their second 5...

Jr Wes Washpun
Fr Wyatt Lohaus
Jr Paul Jesperson
Sr Nate Buss
Fr Bennett Koch

That's a pretty damn good second unit.

[yoda]

yeah Stryker, that was a year ICC had a pretty strong roster & Tony did a great job with them- and several of their kids had shots at the DI Level,
....guys like Shang Ping, DeAaron Williams, Wendel Mardis, Brandon Lee, Billy Baptist, Jeff Wires, Matt Nicholson...
but all of them flopped atthe next level and were really never heard of after juco.

Meanwhile, a correction from above - I misstated Seth Tuttle's senior year "second team" but the 2015 guys were also less than overwhelming...
..Buss, Lohaus, Carlson, Jesperson...
but UNI didn't even win the Valley that year - Wichita did at 17-1 !!

BUT- a reminder of who else were among the other MVC teams' starters the year Tuttle says the bench players at UNI would started over them-
DJ Balentine 2ppg
Anthony Beane 16ppg
Ron Baker 15ppg (played in the NBA)
Fred Van Vleet 14ppg (played in the NBA)
Devaughn Akoon-Purcell 13ppg (played in the NBA)
Milton Doyle 12ppg (played in the NBA)
Egidijus Mockevicius averaged 12.5ppg & 10 rpg
Paris Lee who was MVC Player of the Year
Wichita's Shaquille Morris played both pro basketball and pro football! (shades of Marcus Pollard)
..Jordan Caroline (signed free agent contract with Lakers), Reggie Lynch, Deontae Hawkins, Josh Cunningham, Bola Olaniyan- all transferred "up"

[Da Coach]

Missouri State Head Coach Dana Ford reportedly will add Jay Spoonhour to his staff.
He is the son of former Southwest Missouri State (now Missouri State), St. Louis, and UNLV head coach Charlie Spoonhour.

https://sgfcitizen.org/springfield-sports/jay-spoonhour-son-of-legendary-bears-coach-expected-to-join-missouri-state-mens-basketball-staff/

Jay Spoonhour was head coach at Eastern Illinois from 2012-2021.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Spoonhour

[Da Coach]

One of the regular rotation players for Missouri State last season, who was projected to be a potential starter this coming season, 6'7", 215 pound 5th year senior forward Dalen Ridgnal, has left the team and entered the transfer portal. Ridgnal spent his first 2 seasons at Cowley County Community College where he was a 2-time junior college All American, and lead Cowley County to 2 straight conference titles and a 2021 national runner-up finish. He then landed at Georgia for the 2021-22 season, but left after 1 season and transferred to Missouri State. For Missouri State last season, he was a part-time starter and averaged 5.0 ppg and 4.3 rpg in 18 minutes per game. He alsowas their second best 3-point shooter at 37.4%. This is a very unusual time for a transfer, but no reason has been announced.
He has one season of eligibility left.
https://www.news-leader.com/story/sp...d/70488104007/
Bio- https://missouristatebears.com/sport...n-ridgnal/7450
D1 Stats- https://www.espn.com/mens-college-ba.../dalen-ridgnal

[yoda]

on paper,he would have likely been a starter this fall...
when they used him as spot sub, his numbers weren't eye-popping...
but in games where he started or played more than 20 minutes, he averaged pretty good numbers- 11 ppg, 8 rpg and 42% from 3-pt (22-53) (11 games)

[patrick_o'brian]

I keep thinking the addition of DB to the staff may help Duke out a ton. Very similar playing styles and attitudes. Maybe if DB can pull that next level out of DD, we may have a problem for the rest of the league. Just a random, recurring thought I have.

[Da Coach]

UNI will be in the mix, but I am not quite as impressed with their 2023-24 prospects. They were the 8th place team in 2022-23 with a losing record in the MVC 14-18 overall, and 9-11 in MVC. Only the dregs of the Valley (ISU, Valpo, UIC, Evansville) finished lower.

Yes, they have virtually everyone back, but that can be a blessing and a curse. They will still have some of the same problems they had this past season. They were nowhere near the top in any offensive or defensive category in the MVC stats, which is unusual for a UNI team.
Also, I think the other MVC teams figured out how to defend Bowen Born and UNI as the season progressed. UNI started the MVC schedule 8-3, then lost 8 of their last 9 MVC games. Born was averaging 20 points per game in the non-conference games, and averaged 16.8 ppg in the 20 MVC games.

Also, I don't see Phyfe returning. It would be his 7th year at UNI if he did. The last year he played (2021-22) he was a shell of his former self (5 ppg, 2 rpg, playing in 30 games). He'd need to get a waiver for a 2nd redshirt year, and he's need to pay his own way. They have 3 big men arriving in their 2023 recruiting class, and they are already over the 13 scholarship limit and do not have a scholarship for him. As of now, UNI is at 14 scholarships, even without Phyfe....

UNI forward Austin Phyfe retires from basketball and will not seek another season of eligibility-

https://unipanthers.com/news/2023/8/17/mens-basketball-uni-mens-basketball-austin-phyfe-announces-medical-retirement.aspx