Projecting Rotations

[Wufan]

Lots of new talent in the MVC this year, so I'm going to take a stab at each teams rotation. Rather than listing the top 5 and next five, I'm going to attempt to categorize the top 7-10 players in the following way:

Starters - Players that will be in the starting line-up barring injury/discipline/complete surprise.

Rotation - Players that will might start or will play significant minutes.

* denotes first year in MVC competition

Bradley
Starters:
Tramique Sutherland 5-11 Jr*
Mike Shaw6-8 Jr*

Possible Starters:
Warren Jones 6-3 Jr*
Auston Barnes 6-8 Sr
Kendahl Amerson 6-3 Jr*
Josh Cunningham 6-7 Fr*
Xzavier Taylor 6-9 So
Omari Grier 6-4 Jr
Jermaine Morgan 6-8 Jr*
Ka'Darryl Bell 6-1 Jr

Drake
Starters:
Gary Ricks Jr 6-1 Sr
Jordan Daniels 5-9 Sr
Jacob Enevold 6-11 So

Rotation:
Trevor Berkeley 6-6 Sr
Chris Caird 6-6 Sr
Blake Danielak 6-7 So
Five freshman will compete for time.

Evansville
Starters:
DJ Balentine 6-2 Jr
Egidijus Mockevicius 6-10 Jr
Willie Wiley 6-7 Jr*

Rotation:
Duane Gibson 6-3 So
Mislav Brzoja 6-4 So*
Jaylon Moore 6-7 Sr
Adam Wing 6-4 Jr
Blake Simmons 6-5 So
Taylor Stafford 6-1 Jr*

Illinois State
Starters:
Reggie Lynch 6-10 So
Daishon Knight 6-1 Sr

Rotation:
Paris Lee 5-11 So
Bobby Hunter 5-10 Sr
John Jones 6-9 Sr
MiKyle McIntosh 6-7 Fr*
Tony Wills 6-3 So
Deontae Hamkins 6-8 Fr*
DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell 6-5 Jr*

Indiana State
Starters:
Justin Gant 6-9 Sr
Khristian Smitn 6-6 Jr

Rotation:
Jake Kitchell 6-10 Sr
Devonte Brown 6-2 Jr
Grant Prusator 6-1 So*
Charles Bennett 5-10 Jr*
Brenton Scott 6-1 Fr*

[Wufan]

Loyola
Starters:
Milton Doyle 6-4 So
Christian Thomas 6-5 Sr
Joe Crisman 6-4 Sr
Jeff White 6-1 Jr

Rotation:
Devon Turk 6-4 Jr
Marlon Jones 6-9 Fr*
Montel James 6-7 Jr*
Earl Peterson 6-3 Jr*
Julius Rajala 6-9 Fr*

Missouri State
Starters:
Austin Ruder 6-3 So
Marcus Marshall 6-3 Jr

Rotation:
Robin Thompson 6-6 Fr*
Loomis Gerring 6-5 Jr*
Ron Mvouika 6-6 Sr
Gavin Thurman 6-7 Jr
Dorrian Williams 6-3 Jr
Camyn Boone 6-6 Jr*
Christian Kirk 6-8 Sr
Tyler McCullough 6-11 So

Northern Iowa
Starters:
Matt Bohannon 6-4 Jr
Nate Buss 6-9 Sr
Seth Tuttle 6-8 Sr
Wes Washpun 6-1 Jr

Rotation:
Paul Jesperson 6-6 Jr*
Wyatt Lohaus 6-2 Fr*
Deon Mitchell 6-1 Sr
Jeremy Morgan 6-5 So

Southern Illinois
Starters:
Anthony Beane 6-2 Jr
Bola Olaniyan 6-7 So

Rotation:
Jordan Caroline 6-6 Fr*
Ibby Djimde 6-8 Jr*
Armon Fletcher 6-4 Fr*
Deng Leek 7-1 Jr*
Sean O'Brien 6-6 So
Jalen Pendleton 6-2 Jr
Tyler Smithpeters 6-3 So
Deion Lavender 6-3 Fr*

Wichita State
Starters:
Ron Baker 6-3 Jr
Darius Carter 6-7 Sr
Tekele Cotton 6-2 Sr
Fred VanVleet 5-11 Jr

Rotation:
Evan Wessel 6-5 Jr
Tevin Glass 6-8 Jr*
Bush Wamukota 7-0 Jr*
Zach Brown 6-7 Fr*

[Wufan]

Bradley's preseason story line:

Bradley added a much needed PG in Sutherland. He averaged 17, 8, and 8 as a JC sophomore. That production needs to translate to D-I for the Braves to be successful.

There are 7 new faces in Peoria. In addition to the PG add, there are two JUCO SGs in Kendahl Amerson and Warren Jones, two transfer PFs in Mike Shaw and Jermaine Morgan, and two freshman SFs in Josh Cunningham and Donte Thomas. With Barnes as a returning starter, it will get interesting to see who Ford will put in the front court. Mike Shaw is a big body, but likes to hang out on the perimeter. Cunningham is an athletic slasher and is an Uber-Talented freshman that is sure to see time. In the back court, Amerson and Jones seem to be clones of returning starter Omari Grier. As all three are juniors, Ford and Sutherland will have their work cut out for them trying to get this team to gel on the court.

[Wufan]

Drake's preseason storyline:

The Bulldogs are in rebuild mode this year…again. Gary Ricks returns after being granted an extra year and the 6-11 norseman, Jacob Engvold, is a year older. The rest of the rotation will be filled by senior PG Jordan Daniels and a slew of skilled but underwhelming 6-6 wings. Five freshman will be relied upon to provide depth and two transfers will sit out and wait till 2015-16 before taking the court. Coach Gia will work on developing talent this year, but even if some of the newcomers are able to produce immediately, it's hard to predict Drake as anything more than a Thursday night team in St. Louis.

[Wufan]

Evansville's preseason storyline:

The Aces had perhaps the best one-two combo in the league last year with high scoring guard DJ Balentine and talented big man Egidijus Mockevicius. The sophomore duo combined for 33 points and 11 rebounds. So why did UE finish 6-12 in the MVC? Because the rest of the team looked like second stringers. Freshman PG Duane Gibson shows promise, but despite playing 25 minutes per contest he was 0-1 from 3 on the season. Blake Simmons, another freshman starter, is a step slow to play the MVC SF, and 6-4 Adam Wing was out of position all year while playing the 4 spot. Joining the team this year will be Villanova transfer Mislav Brzoja, the Croatian sensation capable of playing the 1-4, and JUCO All-American's Willie Wiley (PF) and Taylor Stafford (SG). This will give the Aces a starting line-up plus one that many pundits believe will lead to a third place finish. One of Brzoja/Stafford will be joined off the bench by last year's starters; Simmons and Wing, and Jaylon Moore will provide depth to the front court. With so many offensive options, Gibson should be able to do what he does best, distribute the ball. The big question for this year is, Will Marty be able to effectively utilize so many weapons?

[Wufan]

Illinois State preseason storyline:

What excites you about Dan Muller's 3rd season as head coach? For one, at 9-9 in the Valley and 18-16 overall, the Redbirds were far from the "dumpster fire" that many expected, even before Canadian freshman phenom MiKyle McIntosh was found to be ineligible and starting center Michael Middlebrooks was dismissed early in the season. Still, there appears to be some struggles in Normal. 30 game starter Nick Zeisloft transferred to Indiana and Muller was unable to reign in second leading scorer Zach Lofton, who left the team after the season. None-the-less, the 2014-15 season promises to debut the much anticipated arrival to freshman forwards McIntosh and Hawkins, as well as JUCO AA wing Devaughn Purcell. Sophomore center Reggie Lynch looks to be a future All-Conference performer and the three starting sub-6' guards (Knight, Hunter, Lee) all return. There appears to be a lot of expectations on a team full of turmoil and turnover, but don't be surprised if they live up to the hype!

[Wufan]

Indiana State preseason storyline:

Last year's Sycamores were projected 2nd and finished as such. However, the team that was defined by balance and depth failed to gain an NCAA tournament bid. Three starters are now graduated and a new starting PG will take over the helm for the first time in 4 years. RS freshman Brenton Scott and JUCO transfer Charles Bennett will attempt to replace the ever present Jake Odum, and if they are successful in so doing, Indiana State may well be a contender yet again. Junior Khristian Smith will slide nicely into the role of starting SF, vacated by Manny Arop, and Justin Gant and Jake Kitchell return for their senior campaign. Depth may be a concern but the Sycamore's veteran team will again compete in the top half of the Valley.

[Wufan]

Loyola preseason storyline:

Despite freshman Milton Doyle's immediate impact, the Ramblers still got knocked around in their first season in the MVC. This was mainly due to the inexperience and ineffectiveness of their trio of underclassman posts. All three have now moved on, making room for a more talented, but still inexperienced front court. JUCO Montel James and freshman Marlon Jones need to have a Doyle like splash this year for the Ramblers to be competitive with the top Vally schools, but there is returning talent in Chicago! Head Coach Porter Moser returns his top 5 scorers from last year. In addition to Doyle, Jeff White will maintain the starting PG role, while Joe Crisman will join Doyle and White in the backcourt. Talented 6th man Devon Turk will be challenged by JUCO Earl Peterson in the guard rotation. Freshman Fin Julius Rajala and freshman Jay Knuth will add front court depth playing behind senior forward Christian Thomas.

[Wufan]

Missouri State preseason storyline:

The talented combo guard Marcus Marshall will be back in action after an injury ended his season after just 12 games last year! Marshall will join talented backcourt running mate, sophomore sharp-shooter, Austin Ruder and push steady junior PG Dorrian Williams back to the bench. The front court returns 6-11 sophomore Tyler McCullough, 6-8 senior Christian Kirk, and 6-7 junior Gavin Thurman. The trio has shown a load of potential, but have been frustratingly unable to produce an all-around game. Senior Ron Mvouika started towards the end of the season, but needs to demonstrate defensive effort to maintain his position. 6-6 JUCO Camyn Boone was brought in to add toughness to the post, but the key to the Bears success this year may be the addition of three undersized freshman forwards. 6-6 Robin Thompson, 6-5 Loomis Gerring, and 6-4 Chris Kendrix are great athletes, slashers, and rebounders. Ball skills and shooting is still developing, but if one of the three can be effective early in the season, MSU's chance at a high finish are dramatically improved.

[siudawgs]

Southern Illinois
Starters:
Anthony Beane 6-2 Jr
Bola Olaniyan 6-7 So

Rotation:
Jordan Caroline 6-6 Fr*
Ibby Djimde 6-8 Jr*
Armon Fletcher 6-4 Fr*
Deng Leek 7-1 Jr*
Sean O'Brien 6-6 So
Jalen Pendleton 6-2 Jr
Tyler Smithpeters 6-3 So
Deion Lavender 6-3 Fr*

Pretty much on target here with Southern, though point guard KC Goodwin, a freshman who redshirted last year, projects to get some time off the bench. A couple other freshmen, guard Chaz Glotta and forward Austin Weiher, are on the redshirt bubble. Also would say O'Brien and Smithpeters are very, very likely to start.