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.
The Valley already is reportedly interested in Murray State of the Ohio Valley and Valparaiso of the Horizon League. The Valley -- now down to nine schools in basketball -- could be looking to add one or three teams after the loss of Wichita State earlier this month.
Recruitment of transfers are heating up, too. We've already seen Dedric and K.J. Lawson commit to Kansas; mid-major stars Marcus Evans (Rice to VCU), Michael Weathers (Miami Ohio to Oklahoma State), Kerem Kanter (Green Bay to Xavier) move up a level; and high-majors add key graduate transfers with Rice's Egor Koulechov going to Florida.
Who are the 10 best transfers on the market? And which players are coming or going from your school?
Top available transfers
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6. Mark Alstork, RS Jr., SG, Wright State Raiders: The 6-foot-5 Ohio native averaged 19.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists last season and has numerous high-major suitors. Georgetown recently reached out. Tennessee went to see him. Michigan assistant Billy Donlon coached him at Wright State.
Finally, Alstork has received heavy interest from many programs (but does not list Wake as having shown interest) and has a visit set at Pitt in a couple of weeks.
And while some will contend that it’s tougher to do now than before because of the proverbial “ever-widening gap between the haves and have nots,” that’s not entirely accurate. Valley schools have always had to do it on a budget compared to bigger schools. Southern Illinois had three coaches over its six-year NCAA streak. Wichita State lost Mark Turgeon one year after its 2006 Sweet 16 trip. It’ll always be a fact of life in leagues like the MVC, just like it is for the Atlantic 10, CAA, Horizon, and anyone else not in that top echelon.
It would be foolhardy to expect too much from a new addition or additions because every single school being suggested as a candidate has its drawbacks. Belmont has a terrific, model basketball program but is an afterthought in its own city. The relative same can be said about Valparaiso in its region just outside Chicago; like Belmont, Valpo is a relatively niched private school that isn’t going to attract a huge audience, even as its basketball program is regularly excellent.
So, the Valley has three options, all which involve creating a bigger presence in their current geographic footprint. Adding a national presence will be tough, if not impossible, but the league can add depth, at least one great new market, and become a real player for an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament next March.
Here's a quick look at their options:
No. 1 — Add Valparaiso or Belmont right now
The Valley still has a national brand, and still has an automatic bid to the Big Dance for the winner of Arch Madness. Adding Valparaiso or Belmont in the next month or two — the league added Loyola in less than 40 days after Creighton left in 2013 — gives the league a solid 10th member that can compete for the league championship.
Valparaiso competes in the Horizon League, where the Valley got the Ramblers. The Crusaders won 30 games in 2015-16 and 24 this past season, reaching the NIT, where they lost to Illinois on the road, and produced the Horizon League player of the year in forward Alec Peters. Three Division I transfers sat out this season and will be eligible in 2017-18.
Valparaiso is located in northwest Indiana, kind of between Chicago and South Bend, Indiana, and could help the Valley get a bigger hold in the Hoosier State.
Belmont is a home run because it would get the Valley into Nashville. The Bruins went 23-7 this past season and 20-12 in 2015-16 under longtime coach Rick Byrd. They are yet to win an NCAA Tournament game. Maybe joining the Valley would be a new beginning, and open up new recruiting areas for them.
Pick up Valparaiso or Belmont, you've got 10 teams, you've added a program that wins a lot, and the Valley gets into a new market close to its current geographic footprint.
2016-17 All-Mid-Major Madness First Team
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Alec Peters, Valparaiso
We were all crushed when Peters sustained an injury at the end of the season that really stymied Valpo’s chances at a run to the NCAA Tournament. Before that, Peters was able to make a difference for the Crusaders from every spot on the floor. He shot nearly 40 percent from three in conference, often pulled down 10-plus rebounds, dished out assists, and knocked down his free throws with regularity. The Crusaders lost a couple surprising games, but with a healthy Peters, they certainly could have been a Cinderella team in March. Still, he leaves college as Valparaiso’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder. By a lot.
A couple of developments on the Wright State recruiting front this week:
1. Coach Scott Nagy signed Jaylon Hall, a guard from Louisville, and reportedly offered a scholarship to Trotwood-Madison senior Torrey Patton.
2. As chronicled last month, Patton had a puzzling lack of offers as the Rams made their run to the state final four, but he has caught the attention of a few schools since then.
At 6-4, Patton cuts a similar profile to Mark Alstork, the Raiders’ leading scorer last season. Alstork, a Thurgood Marshall grad, has announced he won’t be back in Fairborn next season.
If he is not satisfied with feedback during the NBA draft process, he will likely find a new team as a grad transfer.
Alstork told MLive.com last weekend his long list of potential destinations includes Michigan, Maryland and Cincinnati. Former WSU coach Billy Donlon is an assistant at Michigan.
The Raiders signed guard Tyler Mitchell from Kings High School during the early signing period last fall while guard Cole Gentry transferred to WSU from South Dakota State…
Have a need for a scorer? Alstork has you covered. The 6-4 wing finished third in the Horizon in scoring (19 ppg) to go along with 4.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists. He also had some monster games: 39 vs. Toledo, 33 vs. Youngstown State, 30 vs. Southern Illinois. Alstork even had a near triple-double with a 29-10-8 line against Miami (OH).
F Kerem Kanter, Green Bay
He’s the younger brother of Enes Kanter and he’s in the same mold. He put up 11.3 points and 6.3 rebounds in just 19.1 minutes this season and has the ability to step out and shoot the three.He also has a body that’s equipped to bang in the paint. Four double-doubles in his last five games were a preview of the player he could be.
Missouri Valley commissioner Doug Elgin is aware of Wichita State’s intentions. There have been reports the Valley could move quickly to replace Wichita State, possibly with Valparaiso.
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A Wichita State move would kick off a significant round of conference realignment in basketball below the Power Five level. The Horizon League is reportedly looking at schools in large cities to improve its profile. The University of Nebraska-Omaha and the University of Denver have been mentioned.
Creighton was quickly replaced by Loyola-Chicago in 2013, and odds are Valparaiso would be a sensible-yet-underwhelming fill-in for the void the Shockers leave.
State: Indiana
Division I since: 1978
Record: 634-552 (.535)
Conference history: Horizon and Summit League/Mid-Continent
Regular-season conference titles: 14
NCAA Tournament appearances: Nine
Valpo’s only been D-I since the late 1970s, but it’s got 1,100 wins, total, to its name over the ages. Its location, basketball-first mindset and solid history over the past 20 years make it an enticing replacement. If SLU really is a pipe dream, Valpo should be a reasonable get. And it’s a candidate that would make the Valley look fairly stable, if it were able to poach the Crusaders out of the Horizon. For Valparaiso, it’s a slight upgrade in league and a scene that allows the school to clearly remain top-three in its new digs. It’s going to be able to recruit at the same level still, if not a little higher. It has a workable basketball budget and name recognition to bring appeal to the league. Plus: the fanbase is good, too. From a culture-fit perspective, Valpo is a no-brainer.
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If SLU is off the table immediately, I have to believe the next three in line would all consider leaving because they are in lesser leagues. You get any of the four programs listed above, you come out of the Wichita State situation looking pretty good. If, for whatever reason, you stay basketball-minded and are looking elsewhere, here are other possible candidates: Detroit (former member, big city spot), Oakland (stable program capable of making the move), UMKC (good location, would beg to get into the Valley), Fort Wayne (any school in Indiana fits MVC profile), SIU-Edwardsville (already a member in other sports, and is near the hub of the league, in St. Louis).
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The Valley will be just fine, but there is no denying that it takes a huge hit with the loss of the Shockers. So if it wants to maintain its status as a top-12 league, it needs to lure in either Saint Louis, Valparaiso, Murray State and/or Belmont.
But so far, the rumors seem to suggest expansion is on the MVC’s mind. The Des Moines Register summarized the schools that have been floated since WSU’s AAC announcement, and they square with our list from last week:
A list of possibilities has been reported, including Valparaiso, Belmont, UMKC, Omaha, the four Dakota schools and more. The decision will likely come down to numerous factors, such as geographical fit, financial stability and basketball relevance.
FanRag’s Jon Rothstein reported yesterday that Valparaiso and Murray State are the league’s targets. And given that it’s Rothstein, it might be safe to assume that those two schools are at the top of the MVC’s wish list.
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Then there’s the market play. That would weigh in favor of schools like UMKC and Omaha, and the Kansas City Star confirmed that the Kangaroos are interested.
“Obviously we would love to be considered,” UMKC athletic director Carla Wilson said. “If we could be more regional with our conference affiliation that would create some geographic rivalries, help our travel and be a benefit to us.”
The Star also noted that UMKC, UIC and Valpo were considered when the MVC ultimately chose Loyola Chicago as Creighton’s replacement in 2013. That could mean that the Flames will be in the mix again.
TWO NKU PLAYERS DEPART: Northern Kentucky University men's basketball head coach John Brannen announced the release of Brennan Gillis (Indianapolis, Ind./Ben Davis), who will pursue opportunities to finish his education while playing football, and Brandon Maxwell (Orlando, Fla./Daytona State CC).
"I'd like to thank both Brennan and Brandon for their contributions to NKU men's basketball," said Brannen. "I wish both of them nothing but the best in their future endeavors."
Gillis played in 64 games as a Norse, averaging 2.6 points and 1.7 rebounds. Maxwell averaged 1.4 points in 24 games played this year.
Wright State got some bad news yesterday as star guard Mark Alstork announced he is not only looking into the NBA draft but plans to graduate and potentially transfer.
The Raiders won 20 games in their first season under coach Scott Nagy, though they weren’t able to do all the things he wanted to do as far as style of play.
It will be interesting to see how they look when the roster is more of what he wants.
