WKU Basketball: Preseason Preview — Core Rotation Players

A week ago, we looked at who would likely be a starter on this team. Since then, coach Stansbury has said in one of his recent press…

A week ago, we looked at who would likely be a starter on this team. Since then, coach Stansbury has said in one of his recent press conferences that he believes there are seven to eight different players on this team that could start.

That statement bodes well for the bench this season.

Last season, the bench was one of the biggest weaknesses the team had. Coach Stansbury had talented players like Jake Ohmer, Tolu Smith, Dalano Banton, Marek Nelson, and more but sadly they never produced at a consistent level or collectively. There weren’t that many games where the bench had more than ten points collectively making it harder for the starters putting extra pressure on them to play more minutes without breaks and contribute more.

I don’t believe that coach Stansbury will have that problem this season and the scoring should continue well into the bench. Let’s see who will likely be the core rotation players.

Carson Williams

I know what some of you are probably thinking. “But Jared, he should start!”

And I would agree but like I stated in my other article, coach Stansbury probably won’t start the same five players all season and I see Williams probably getting the nod to start some games at any point this season.

The fact that WKU can have someone as talented as Williams this deep into their rotation is a good sign, in my opinion. At Northern Kentucky, Williams averaged 11.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game and started all but six games of his 67 game career as a member of the Norse.

Williams has already shown that he’s a high motor guy and can hustle. Coach Stansbury even said Williams reminded him of Justin Johnson which is a very high compliment and is accurate of his style of play.

Watching Williams was fun at Hilltopper Hysteria. You could see him hustle hard during the fast breaks and played off the ball really well getting big rebounds including a big putback dunk.

Williams is very versatile for someone his size. He can hold his own in the paint and in the post but also is a good passer and three-point shooter. One thing you can expect from him whether he starts or not is him going full speed in his minutes. And with the depth coach Stansbury will have this year, it would allow Williams to play as hard as he can in his minutes and then give him time to rest.

Williams has the potential to start at the four spot this year and I believe he will at least a few games but with him being such an experienced and high energy player, look for him to make a big difference on the team.

Jordan Rawls

Rawls isn’t just the point guard of the future, he’s the point guard of today as well.

We still haven’t heard anything from the NCAA concerning the eligibility of Kenny Cooper yet and the Tops have their first exhibition game against Kentucky State this Saturday so that would likely give Rawls a lot of minutes.

Last season, senior point guard Lamonte Bearden was ruled academically ineligible until January and coach Stansbury basically ran the point by committee until he was cleared. Josh Anderson saw some minutes at the point as well as Taveion Hollingsworth but neither of them were as productive as coach would’ve wanted to be.

By having someone like Rawls on the team, whose natural position is point guard, it will give him the opportunity early on to get some minutes and experience that could be huge for his development.

Rawls didn’t shoot super hot at Hysteria but still had the most points out of all the freshmen that played but still had some good assists as well as some threes as well. I saw him miss a triple and he got a good look at another one right after it and he drained it.

Point guards are a lot like quarterbacks as far as them being the head of the offense and it’s important for them to have a quick memory. If a quarterback throws an interception, they don’t need to keep it in mind and hesitate to throw the ball deep again. A good quarterback could throw a pick but keep slinging it with success and it’s important for a point guard to have the same mentality. Rawls could miss a few shots but that shouldn’t keep him from shooting. Shooters shoot. If he can play with confidence early on that would help this team tremendously.

Rawls, just like Taveion Hollingsworth was, could be asked to do a lot their freshman year. Even if Cooper does get cleared soon Rawls is likely going to be his backup and will be just as important. The sooner Rawls can learn to help lead with confidence the better.

Isaiah Cozart

One thing that’s missing from this team a lot of forwards and centers and Cozart could see a lot of minutes playing either of those positions.

The in-state product is listed at 6’7” and 225 lbs but he plays a lot bigger than he is. Cozart shattered just about every shot-blocking record the state of Kentucky had in high school and is a tough and physical player in the paint.

Cozart didn’t do a whole lot at Hysteria but I’d still look for him to have a presence on this team. I remember when Justin Johnson was a freshman at WKU and played behind George Fant. Johnson looked uneasy on the court at times and you could definitely tell he was a freshman but once he got confident and figured everything out, he became a legend.

I’m not sure if Cozart could be the next Justin Johnson (both are built the same way, are eastern Kentucky guys, same position) but I think he would be like Johnson as far as taking some extra time and development to become an elite player.

I’d still look for Cozart to play a role on this team, especially on the defensive end but his potential is hard to predict at this point in the year. He might have some games where he looks solid and others where he looks like a true freshman. If he can keep from committing bad fouls he could see some decent minutes.

Matt Horton

Horton’s role should be more expanded than it was last season which I think is the reason he decided to come back to the Hill.

Center Matt Horton had entered his name into the transfer portal after last season and was on his way out the door when news broke that sophomore center Tolu Smith shockingly announced he was transferring as well. I’m sure this played a role in Horton’s decision to come back.

Last season, Horton only played in ten games and struggled with an injury about two-thirds of the way into the season. He was essentially the third-string center behind Charles Bassey and Tolu Smith but with Smith transferring, it opens up more minutes and playing time behind Bassey.

I’m sure coach Stansbury will try to play Bassey as many minutes as he can but 40 minutes a game for one of the most physical positions on the court would be a little too much even for Bassey. I think Horton could get some minutes on the court to give Bassey a breather or if he gets in foul trouble.

Hopefully with more playing time Horton can contribute more than he did last season and become a strong second center on the roster to help lighten Bassey’s load.

This isn’t the entirety of the bench but the ones that I see having an extended role on the team. Look for these guys to contribute in their minutes while giving the starters a rest this year. After last season, we saw a bench that didn’t do much but this season look for that to change.