Primarily a collection of news links about all 11 Horizon League teams on a daily basis, culled from online newspapers, school athletic websites, the conference website, and school newspapers, plus some other content from time to time.
Peters is coming back to college, but it's not clear exactly where that will be in 2016-17. The forward is eligible for a graduate transfer, meaning the can leave for another school -- possibly a high major with a spot still open -- and play immediately. Peters averaged double figures in scoring all three seasons at Valparaiso and scored 20.8 per game in the NIT last season as he led the Crusaders to the title game. If he returns to Valpo, the Crusaders would have a shot at returning to the NCAA Tournament after some feel they were snubbed a year ago.
Johnson, a 5-9 guard, will have to sit out the 2016-17 season after transferring from Milwaukee, where he averaged 12.5 points and 8.1 assists per game.
Someone like Kay Felder had plenty of reason to stay in school. He wanted badly to play in an NCAA Tournament, and he had a shot at history this as he was within striking distance of Bobby Hurley's all-time NCAA career assist record. But in the end, he went full-steam ahead with his professional choice.
"It was just a lot of thinking," Felder said. "Coming back, being a senior, getting your degree, that definitely played into my decision when I first made it and was thinking about testing the waters. But once I really sat down and thought about how to approach this, I sat down and hired an agent because now is the right time for me to make the jump. It's not everyday someone from my neighborhood, from my family, gets to experience this."
Boston Celtics star Isaiah Thomas has become a popular man among players. Not only was the point guard the last pick in the NBA Draft in 2011, but he’s also 5-foot-9.
The rise of Thomas into All-Star has given new motivation to smaller guards like Kentucky’s Tyler Ulis and Oakland’s Kay Felder.
Ulis just opted to through testing and didn’t play in the combine, but he is still a likely first-round pick after being one of college basketball’s best players this past season. Felder played very well at the combine and has a lot of confidence going into the draft.
With the NBA game going smaller and putting a focus on perimeter shooting and ball handlers, there is still plenty of room for smaller guards who can still make plays. Ulis and Felder are both elite playmakers who should be able to make a roster if given the right tools to work with.
Felder tied the record for max vertical leap at the combine this week at 44 inches, despite skepticism about the veracity of those marks this year. Still, being anywhere near that mark shows what kind of explosive athlete we'll see in Felder.
"I just looked up at the thing and said 'go get it,'" Felder said of his leap. "I just thought if I'm going to be here, why not leave with your name on the tip of people's mouths."
That athleticism showed up on both ends in the 5-on-5 session, where the biggest revelation was his ability to defend. Felder harassed guys like Melo Trimble and Cat Barber into turnovers. Occasionally at Oakland -- because of his role offensively -- Felder didn't play with a ton of effort on defense, and it's his biggest hurdle in carving out an NBA role. His size will always be a hindrance in switching onto larger players, but he's powerfully built and he showed he can be a weapon on that end.
Offensively, Felder also played well, showing burst to get to the rim whenever he wanted and a terrific mid-range pull-up game -- essential at his size. His pick-and-roll instincts are great too, and he should be able to create for teammates at the next level. I don't believe he'll necessarily be a first-round pick, but Felder definitely helped himself.
Felder had a chance to return to college for his senior season and break Bobby Hurley's all-time NCAA assist record, but instead decided to declare for the draft and take his chances on proving yet again that his size will not be a hindrance to his game. After all, that's what he's done throughout his entire collegiate career thus far.
Felder was possibly the most statistically dominant player in college basketball last season, finishing third nationally in scoring at 24.4 points per game and first nationally in assists per game at 9.3. Remarkably, he did this despite a usage rate that was outside of the top 20 nationally, speaking to an efficiency within his game that is exemplified by his 57.2 true shooting percentage and his low 13.9 turnover rate.
The 5-foot-9 point guard will have a big chance to prove himself this week at the combine. It's unconfirmed at this point, but it's likely that he'll play in games and get a chance to show off against superior competition that he always succeeded against in minimal sample size at Oakland. Also, look for Felder to perform exceedingly well in athletic testing, as he's a little man that can really get up and throw down if he gets the chance. Here's an example of that a few years ago back when he was in high school.
As long as Felder gets solid length measurements and performs well in interviews, he could see himself be a riser coming out of the combine.
Gary Waters, the coach at Cleveland State, is a victim of the transfer craze. Over the past two years, he lost three standout players — Bryn Forbes went to Michigan State, and fifth-year graduates Anton Grady (Wichita State) and Trey Lewis (Louisville) opted for more exposure their final season.
“I understand why the kids do it,” Waters said. “It’s hard to say no to a high-major team that wants you, and everyone around them is telling them to leave. What bothers me more is that some schools are poaching players from other schools, to the point that they have a War Room and assistant coaches are assigned to track players at other schools who are on schedule to graduate with eligibility remaining. They make lists of players to raid, and then get the word to the kid, through a contact, that they’re interested in signing him for the final year.
“Those coaches don’t have to put in the work, and they get a finished product, a ready-made player. It’s not right. I am penalized because I coached a kid up and got him to graduate early. I know of six or seven mid-major coaches who had multiple players transfer and then lost their jobs the next season because the team didn’t perform. I don’t know if people realize how severe a problem this has become.”
Waters also said the suggestion that players are seeking specialized masters programs is “a farce.” Most of these moves are “strictly about basketball.”
The coach with the best chance to win immediately at his new job is ... Scott Nagy (Wright State)
MATT NORLANDER: Maybe an off-the-radar pick, but let's acknowledge how good a coach Nagy is. He was considered by some to be a lifer at South Dakota State, but in reality that wasn't the case. Yes, he took the program from D-II power to D-I legitimacy. He averaged 23.3 wins over the past six seasons and made three NCAA tournaments. He's underrated nationally. He was a deserving candidate for this gig, which was surprising in its opening to begin with. Billy Donlon averaged 18.2 wins in his six seasons with the school. No NCAA tourney showings, but the team did win 22 last season. It's only lost two players to transfer since Nagy came on. It was a really strong group on defense last season, and a large portion of the roster will be returning. Of all the coaches in one-bid leagues who took on new jobs, Nagy could have the best chance at reaching the tournament next year. Bryce Drew is now gone at Valpo, and Oakland lost its best player -- Kay Felder, who would've been an All-American candidate next season -- meaning Wright State should be in the mix.
