WKU Basketball: What Losing Six Role Players Might Mean for the Tops
Editors note: This is the first of two reaction pieces that we are publishing this weekend on the recent transfers of Marek Nelson and Tolu…
Editors note: This is the first of two reaction pieces that we are publishing this weekend on the recent transfers of Marek Nelson and Tolu Smith. Each piece is the opinion of the specific writer and doesn’t necessarily reflect the views of the entire Towel Rack staff
Well, it’s business as usual for Rick Stansbury and really Western Kentucky Basketball the past decade. Friday’s news of Tolu Smith transferring away from the Hilltopper program came just a few days after Marek Nelson’s Tuesday announcement of the same decision.
For those of you keeping track at home, that’s Tolu Smith, Dalano Banton, Matthew Horton, Jake Ohmer, Moustapha Diagne, and Marek Nelson all gone due to transfer. Now let’s be real: Some of them were going to have to transfer. WKU now stands with 11 scholarship players, so at one point if none of them transferred, WKU would be overloaded with 17 scholarship players (out of 13 available). Four transfers had to come from somewhere (some after the others left), whether somebody went to academic scholarship, to walk-on status, or transferred out completely. Long story short, two more than necessary have transferred thus far.
Everything was fairly normal and expected until two more important role players decided to leave The Hill this week while publicly proclaiming their love to WKU and their teammates. Both stated their awesome experiences on The Hill and how much they love Coach Stansbury.
I can’t help but be skeptical. First of all, if one is enamored with a place and has the potential to start at said place, why would one leave said place? Why transfer at all if you love where you are? Basically, the move says one thing and the posts say another. I understand they may have legitimate reasons for transferring, and some of that may become clear over time.
However, let’s just be real: Something stinks. Either Rick Stansbury is pissing players off and running them off, or someone or something else is. It’s just too much without explanation. Something is not as it seems in Hilltopper Basketball.
And here’s the frustrating thing for Johnny Hilltopper: IT HAPPENS EVERY YEAR!
Since the Ken McDonald era, players have evaporated from The Hill like somebody set off a permanent stink bomb in DUC/DSU (Yeah I hate it, too).
So What Does It Mean to Lose Them?
First of all, what did they contribute last season?
Frankly, looking at stats does not remotely tell the tale. Think about the players that left and their strengths. Was it scoring? Shooting? Big numbers? No. However, if you had a list of Western Kentucky players that were willing to dive on the floor, go after a loose ball, be tough, or make a scrappy play, a majority of that list would come from these players.
Sure, the everyday starters from last year played hard, but who did the dirty work? These guys. Break it down individually if you want.
Tolu Smith: Efficient scorer, post presence, defender, in the rotation every single game as a true freshman.
Dalano Banton: 6'8" player with ball skills and the ability to stuff stats (not scoring) in limited minutes. Nearly had a triple-double against a Power Five as a true freshman.
Matthew Horton: Only took good shots, played hard, brought energy.
Jake Ohmer: Best team defender on the roster, inspiring effort. WKU had one loss when he made a three point shot.
Moustapha Diagne: Tons of energy, played really hard, dove on the floor
Marek Nelson: Used at the point of the 1–3–1, created chaos on defense, good mover off the ball, a silent contributor to offensive flow, hardest worker, etc.
Also, think of the potential of this list of departures. Tolu was a future starter, possibly as early as this season, especially looking at the roster now. Dalano was a unique talent that needed some work to blossom, but possibly had the most potential of any of the six. Horton deserved more minutes and would’ve been a nice big body from the bench next year. Whenever Ohmer did something, everyone got excited, and only a few other players could shoot as good or better. Mou was going to be a senior and would have been motivated to go out on top, not to mention he was a fan favorite and a likable guy. Marek started some this past season and certainly could take another step to be a solid rotation player or part-time starter, especially with less size available in 2019–20.
With only eleven scholarships used now, what does the picture look like for next year? Eight players are upperclassmen or Charles Bassey, who presumably should be drafted next season barring an unforeseen setback. Long term, wouldn’t it be nice to have some experience in the program returning? Anyone that’s ever moved or transferred schools or paid attention to human behavior knows it’s difficult to step in somewhere and immediately thrive at maximum potential. Continuity is immeasurable.
In addition, with these departures goes five bodies 6'7" or taller. You now have two on the entire roster. Your frontcourt next year for the 2019–20 Toppers is Charles Bassey (6'11"), Isaiah Cozart (6'7"), and Carson Williams (6'5"), a generously termed stretch four. For height, you also have Jared Savage (6'5") and Josh Anderson (6'6"), who are listed as guard/wing type players, but they are not true forwards. Josh Anderson’s skill set and size may put him down low by necessity, but he is also electric with the ball running down the court.
Bottom line: The Tops have gone from nationally competitive in size to nationally inferior.
If WKU does not pick up another big or two before the beginning of the season, it could be another year of frustration, simply because they’re not big enough. Western may have tons of talent, but now the roster may have gone too far in the other direction. Last season, WKU was so big that it struggled to take care of the ball or shoot outside. Now it may be so short that if not for Charles Bassey, it wouldn’t be able to get the ball to the rim.
At this point, surely most WKU fans are at least on alert. If they’re not, I have no idea why they would live in fairytale land thinking this was the plan from the beginning of the off-season. No one in Diddle Arena planned on this.
By no means is this roster a complete disaster. There is a ton of talent and they should be able to shoot the lights out of the ball. However, what teams are going to end up in the Big Dance with two real post players averaging less than 6'9" in average height? Not many. Certainly, most teams will at least have another big body on the squad.
This feels like it’s heading the direction of the 2017–18 squad. Starting off the Fall Semester with barely enough to have a legitimate team with the potential of barely having enough players to get through a game if a few more transfer is not a good spot.
Now, that 2017–18 team went on to make a historic NIT run and made true legends out of the starting five, but something tells me the natives will be restless if the Tops don’t perform like a legitimate mid-major power this season.
Rightfully so.
After this weeks news, the Topper panic level is now at high anxiety, the team has 3 months to come together before the first games but the seed of doubt has now been planted.