The Portal Engines--HoriZone Roundtable
8. Antoine Davis | 6-1 guard | graduate | Detroit Mercy
His dad has let him rock for four years, basically shooting it anytime he could see the rim. He averaged 24.6 points and 4.4 assists for his career with usage rates north of 34 percent in three of four seasons. He’s likely looking to make the jump to a higher level, and so with that will come some adjustments. But in some ways the game could get easier for him on a better team. He’s had to create his own offense with defenses geared to stop him. That can be exhausting, and on top of the offensive demands, he rarely ever went off the floor, averaging 37.3 minutes. He was originally committed to Houston out of high school, and let’s say as a thought exercise, he lands back with the Coogs. Definitely possible considering the connection and chance to play on a bigger stage. Now he’d be on a team where there are a lot of other options and guys who can set him up. He shot 45.9 percent this season on catch-and-shoot shots, per Synergy, and that’s an impressive number considering he often didn’t have much space. On a really good team, he’d get much better catch-and-shoot opportunities. He’s also got some wiggle to him and can create his own shot. With better teammates and more space to work out of, he’d have more options when he shakes his man. It’s going to take a little rewiring. There will be more demands on him to defend. He’s going to generate plenty of interest, because the man is an elite shooter.
Detroit transfer Antoine Davis announces a Top 5--Zags Blog
11. Tanner Holden | 6-6 wing | junior | Transferred from Wright State to Ohio State
The Scout: Holden was among the most productive scorers to enter the portal, having averaged 20 points per game in the Horizon League this year on his way to his second-straight Horizon League first-team All-League honors. He carried Wright State to the NCAA Tournament, where he put up an awesome 37-point performance against Bryant that led Wright State to a First Four win. Holden is a foul magnet, a guy who constantly attacks, plays well off of two feet, absorbs contact, and either finishes or gets to the line. He also moves well off the ball and finds points off of cuts, scoring more points off of cuts — per Synergy — than any wing in the country, largely playing off of Grant Basile post-ups and motion offense back-cuts. Holden is a reluctant shooter who won’t have the ball as much at a high-major stop. But he should be a high-major starter next year due to his age, experience, basketball IQ, and well-rounded game.
The Fit: Under Chris Holtmann, the Buckeyes have tended to really feature their best players with a lot of usage. Will Holden be that, or more of just a starter? It probably depends on who else the staff can bring in. Holden moves really well off the ball and knows how to create shots that way, which is something Ohio State hasn’t really had over the last few years given how ball dominant players like E.J. Liddell, Malaki Branham, and Duane Washington were. But in order to take best advantage of that in the Big Ten, given the size and length that most teams have on the interior, Holden is going to have to work to consistently extend his range beyond the 3-point line. Being a driver and cutter toward the rim is a bit tougher when going against 7-foot giants in the Big Ten. Holden hit 41 percent of his catch-and-shoot jumpers last year, per Synergy, so hopefully for Ohio State he can up his volume on those to round out his offensive game.
Horizon
PREDICTION: ANTOINE DAVIS LEADS NATION IN SCORING
Davis averaged 23.9 points per game, which put him third in the country behind Bryant’s Peter Kiss (25.2) and Liberty’s Darius McGhee (24.6). Surprisingly, that was the lowest scoring average of his career. Davis also finished in the top four in scoring in each of his four seasons with Detroit but never won a scoring title.
Rechlicz Adds Giles to Finalize 2022-23 Roster--mkepanthers.com
Missouri: Dennis Gates
Gates has been a hot commodity for high-major ADs in the last two cycles after winning a share of the Horizon League in consecutive seasons. His eventual destination: Missouri, where he’ll look to turn around a program that got stale late in Cuonzo Martin’s tenure. Gates made his name in the profession on Leonard Hamilton’s staff at Florida State, and his quick rebuilding job at Cleveland State in his first head coaching test made him a solid fit for pretty much any high-major program.
Gates is clearly an accomplished recruiter and got the most out of his teams at Cleveland State. My lone concern: None of his CSU teams even cracked the top 150 in KenPom. Gates will likely bring some energy to the Mizzou program and won’t go 12–21 like Martin did this season, but will he build good enough teams to go to the NCAA tournament regularly?
10. Antoine Davis | 6-1 guard | graduate | Detroit Mercy
His dad has let him rock for four years, basically shooting it anytime he could see the rim. He averaged 24.6 points and 4.4 assists for his career with usage rates north of 34 percent in three of four seasons. He’s likely looking to make the jump to a higher level, and so with that will come some adjustments. But in some ways the game could get easier for him on a better team. He’s had to create his own offense with defenses geared to stop him. That can be exhausting, and on top of the offensive demands, he rarely ever went off the floor, averaging 37.3 minutes. He was originally committed to Houston out of high school, and let’s say as a thought exercise, he lands back with the Coogs. Definitely possible considering the connection and chance to play on a bigger stage. Now he’d be on a team where there are a lot of other options and guys who can set him up. He shot 45.9 percent this season on catch-and-shoot shots, per Synergy, and that’s an impressive number considering he often didn’t have much space. On a really good team, he’d get much better catch-and-shoot opportunities. He’s also got some wiggle to him and can create his own shot. With better teammates and more space to work out of, he’d have more options when he shakes his man. It’s going to take a little rewiring. There will be more demands on him to defend. He’s going to generate plenty of interest, because the man is an elite shooter.
8. Tanner Holden
Old school: Wright State | New school: Ohio State
Those who watched Holden go 3 for 11 and finish with 12 points in Wright State's first round NCAA Tournament loss to No. 1 seed Arizona were likely not blown away. His three-year body of work for the Raiders is phenomenal, though, and his junior season made it clear he can handle big-time college basketball. The 6-6 guard averaged 20.1 points per game and finished second in Division I with 280 free-throw attempts. He's not much of a 3-point shooter, but Holden is skilled at finding his spots inside the arc and attacking, which leads to points at the charity stripe.
15. Antoine Davis
Old school: Detroit-Mercy
College basketball's leading active scorer is on the move and should surpass 3,000 career points at his next stop after four seasons playing for his father, Mike Davis, at Detroit. The reigning Horizon League Player of the Year is undersized at 6-1, but he's proven the ability to fill it up against quality non conference opponents during the course of his career and should be able to make an impact on an NCAA Tournament contender. If he can successfully adapt a facilitator role for a high-major team after being a bucket-getter for four seasons, he could wind up being a godsend for a team in need of quality veteran guard play.
8. Antoine Davis | 6-1 guard | graduate | Detroit Mercy
His dad has let him rock for four years, basically shooting it anytime he could see the rim. He averaged 24.6 points and 4.4 assists for his career with usage rates north of 34 percent in three of four seasons. He’s likely looking to make the jump to a higher level, and so with that will come some adjustments. But in some ways the game could get easier for him on a better team. He’s had to create his own offense with defenses geared to stop him. That can be exhausting, and on top of the offensive demands, he rarely ever went off the floor, averaging 37.3 minutes. He was originally committed to Houston out of high school, and let’s say as a thought exercise, he lands back with the Coogs. Definitely possible considering the connection and chance to play on a bigger stage. Now he’d be on a team where there are a lot of other options and guys who can set him up. He shot 45.9 percent this season on catch-and-shoot shots, per Synergy, and that’s an impressive number considering he often didn’t have much space. On a really good team, he’d get much better catch-and-shoot opportunities. He’s also got some wiggle to him and can create his own shot. With better teammates and more space to work out of, he’d have more options when he shakes his man. It’s going to take a little rewiring. There will be more demands on him to defend. He’s going to generate plenty of interest, because the man is an elite shooter.
'Hard to turn that down': NIL money played big role in Antoine Davis' decision to leave Detroit Mercy--Detroit News
46. D’Moi Hodge | 6-4 guard | senior | Cleveland State
Hodge has good size for a guard (6-4) and was the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year, averaging 2.2 steals per game. He’s a high-volume shooter who is just an OK shooter. He shot 33.7 percent from 3 this year, up from 29.9 percent his junior season. His release is quick and high, so he has no problems getting it off, but he has some really bad misses. Not sure you can count on his 3-point percentage going up much, especially if he tries to go up a level or two. He’s at his best as a cutter and in transition. He shot an impressive 62.9 percent inside the arc. He’s got some quickness to him, but he’s not very bouncy at the rim. If he tries to go to the high-major level, that could be an issue. He did produce at Cleveland State, leading the team in scoring at 15.4 points per game. His signature performance this season was a 31-point outing in an overtime loss at Oklahoma State.
The Usual Chaos--HoriZone Roundtable
45. D’Moi Hodge | 6-4 guard | senior | Cleveland State
Hodge has good size for a guard (6-4) and was the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year, averaging 2.2 steals per game. He’s a high-volume shooter who is just an OK shooter. He shot 33.7 percent from 3 this year, up from 29.9 percent his junior season. His release is quick and high, so he has no problems getting it off, but he has some really bad misses. Not sure you can count on his 3-point percentage going up much, especially if he tries to go up a level or two. He’s at his best as a cutter and in transition. He shot an impressive 62.9 percent inside the arc. He’s got some quickness to him, but he’s not very bouncy at the rim. If he tries to go to the high-major level, that could be an issue. He did produce at Cleveland State, leading the team in scoring at 15.4 points per game. His signature performance this season was a 31-point outing in an overtime loss at Oklahoma State.
Breaking down the contract for new CSU basketball coach Daniyal Robinson--Cleveland Plain Dealer
Zieniewska & Ngwafang To Return For 2022-23 Season--csuvikings.prestosports.com
