WKU Basketball: 2021–2022 Season Preview

Folks, it’s hard to believe but it’s that time of the year.

Folks, it’s hard to believe but it’s that time of the year.

Basketball season is on the way and the Hilltoppers are going to play their first exhibition game November 1st against Campbellsville. It’s been a while since we’ve posted some basketball content so we’ll do our best to get you up to date.

Schedule

Here is the full season schedule from WKU Sports:

Honestly to me this is a very solid schedule. Some of the highlights will be playing in the Asheville Championship and competing against Minnesota and either South Carolina or Princeton. Asheville, NC is a great city to visit and it’s beautiful that time of year so if you’re wanting a fun Hilltopper road trip that’s definitely one to go on.

The biggest game (to me) is having Louisville at home in Diddle Arena on December 18th. The Cards last played the Tops in Diddle in the 2014 season and I was a student at the time and it was the most fun sporting event I have ever been to. Even though the Tops lost to the #4 ranked Cardinals by nine points, seeing Diddle Arena completely sold out and the environment of that game, that’s what I wish every game would be like and hope it will be like that again this season.

Looking at other non-conference games to highlight, the Tops will play Eastern Kentucky on December 4th. We all know that’s a classic rivalry game and has been for the longest time so I can’t wait to see what the 90th meeting of these two programs will be like (WKU lead the all-time series 66–23 by the way).

The Tops will also play Memphis on November 19th which should be a very good game. Memphis is preseason #12 in the country so if they’re still ranked by then that could potentially be a major win on the Tops’ resume. WKU also play Ole Miss in Oxford December 11th. Getting a win against an SEC team (and Kermit Davis) is always nice so that will be another game to watch.

Another good non-conference game to note is Buffalo. The Bulls have been a great program in hoops in the MAC and I’m interested to see how this game plays out.

Conference wise, it’s about what you would expect with some highlights being the conference title rematch game against North Texas on January 15th and the senior night game against Marshall on March 5th.

Returning Players

One of the most important players returning has to be Josh Anderson. He will be a fifth year senior (thanks to the extra year of eligibility from COVID) and should be a crucial player on the team. He’s slowly been improving his game in many ways by adding a three-point shot to his arsenal and obviously still has the potential to bring down the house with one of his highlight reel dunks.

I’m also really looking forward to seeing Dayvion McKnight and Luke Frampton back for another season. McKnight was only a freshman last year but still started in 17 games and averaged 5.8 points and 3.8 assists. Frampton only started one game last year but was vital off the bench and provided a big bucket when the team was in need. He averaged 7.4 points and made 51 shots from downtown while shooting 41% from three.

Isaiah Cozart will also be back on the team in his junior season and could potentially see a bigger role in the frontcourt with Bassey and Williams both no longer on the team and coach Stansbury’s son Noah is still with the program as well as walk-on forward Bailey Conrad.

New Additions

This season there will be a total of nine new players on the team. That’s definitely a lot but personally, I’m ready to see some new talented faces join the team.

Perhaps the biggest name to note is Zion Harmon. Listed at 5’10 and 160 lbs, the guard from Marshall county is listed as a four-star recruit and is listed as the top prospect in the state of Kentucky according to 247Sports. Harmon has been a star in high school and has moved around a bit in the state but has a ton of potential and should make an instant impact on the team. Despite having offers from blue bloods like Kansas and Louisville, Harmon is ready to play for the Tops.

Another freshman coming in would be Elijah Hughey. Hughey is a 6’5 shooting guard from Lancaster, Texas. While he doesn’t technically have a star by his name on 247Sports, I’ve seen videos of him and he seems very athletic and has a good shot.

Rounding up the freshman class is Tyler Olden aka Fluff. He’s a 5’11 guard from Scottsdale, Arizona and is likely a walk-on.

Coach Stansbury has usually done well with the transfer portal so let’s take a look at some of the players transferring in.

One instant playmaker the Tops got was Keith Williams from Cincinnati. Williams was a four-star recruit coming out of high school in New York and played four years for the Bearcats. He averaged 14.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.5 assists his senior year and has played in the NCAA Tournament twice. Having someone with his type of experience and talent is huge for coach Stansbury to add to a mostly new roster.

In the frontcourt, coach Stansbury was able to land DePaul transfer Jaylen Butz. Butz is a 6’9 and 230 lbs forward and started every game for the Blue Demons last season and averaged 10.1 points and 5.4 rebounds his senior year.

Another transfer forward is Jairus Hamilton from Maryland. Hamilton is a 6’8 and 230 lbs forward that played in all 31 games for the Terps last season and averaged 6.5 points and 2.4 rebounds. One thing I find intriguing is that he also shot 43% from deep. Having an athletic big can help spread the floor as well as just have a really big lineup in general.

Besides transfers, coach Stansbury also got three JUCO players coming in, including the top JUCO player.

The literal biggest player coming in is Jamarion Sharp. The 7’5 tall JUCO center is the tallest player in the NCAA this season and is also listed as a three-star recruit and is the top JUCO prospect according to 247Sports. He had a lot of offers from bigger schools (such as Arizona, Oregon, and Cincinnati) but he’s originally from Hopkinsville and should help fill the void that now NBA player Charles Bassey left behind. Look for him to get a ton of dunks and blocked shots.

Another JUCO center coming in would be Darrius Miles. Miles is a 6’10 and 295 lbs center that played for Odessa College one year but didn’t average a lot of points. He was a three-star recruit out of high school in Texas according to 247Sports.

The most recent addition is JUCO guard Sherman Brashear from Panola College. Brashear is listed at 6’5 and 180 lbs and he averaged 11 points and 6.2 rebounds in his one season at Panola College and is originally from Dallas.

With a solid schedule and a talented but new roster, the 2021–2022 Hilltoppers should be an interesting yet competitive team to watch. Be sure to follow us as we continue to coverage the Tops this season!