WKU Basketball: What to Expect This Season — Preview

It’s finally that time of year again. After the Tops got the call on March 12th from C-USA officials saying that the conference tournament…

It’s finally that time of year again. After the Tops got the call on March 12th from C-USA officials saying that the conference tournament was canceled, it seems like our world has changed so much. But even with all the changes and the “new normal” we have now, the excitement for this upcoming basketball season still remains.

With those things in mind, we are still going to see a much different season than we would traditionally see. With limited seating, social distancing, and limited travel, this year will look and feel different than any other season we’ve seen. But at this point, I’m just glad to see this team get a chance to play. So let’s see what this team looks like and what we could expect during the 2020–21 season.

Senior Send-off

There have been a few changes to the roster since last season but one of the greatest things that the Tops have needed in the past is present on this year’s roster and that is seniority.

WKU will have five seniors on this year’s team with four of them likely being starters. Taveion Hollingsworth, Kenny Cooper, Josh Anderson, and Carson Williams will all be seniors this season and we should expect big things from each of them.

Hollingsworth was playing at perhaps his highest level right at the end of last season and with him being able to play at the two spot this season instead of having to pull weight at point guard, he should do great things. He averaged 16.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.7 assists last season and I expect him (or maybe a healthy Bassey) will lead the team in scoring this year.

One of the unsung heroes of last season was Carson Williams. He averaged 14 points and 6.6 rebounds last season and was the most reliable big man the Tops had after Bassey went down last year. Although he’s only 6’5” he plays like someone much taller than him and has the willpower and motor of someone like Justin Johnson had in his time at the Hill. He left it all out on the court and fought for every rebound and loose ball.

Slam dunk king Josh Anderson will have a vital role this year. He averaged 10.1 points and 4.2 rebounds last season and provided us with several highlight-reel dunks. One of the things I hope to see him do this year is consistency and stay out of foul trouble. If he can do both of those things while taking care of the ball more on the offensive end he could have a breakout year his senior year. He’s been one of the most physically athletic players WKU has ever had and I hope this year is the year we’ve all been hoping he would have since he’s been here.

We also will finally get the debut of Lipscomb transfer Kenny Cooper. After not receiving a waiver to play from the NCAA, Cooper had to spend all of last season on the bench but if there’s a bright side to that whole situation, he got to see how coach Stansbury runs everything and got to spend an entire year learning this system. Having that extra time could pay off for his development but more importantly for the Tops, they get a seasoned point guard leading this offense.

Walk-on Patrick Murphy is the other senior on the team and more than anything I’d love to see him drain at least one three-pointer this season. We’re all rooting for this to happen.

Return of Bassey

Last season in a home game against Arkansas, center Charles Bassey went down with a leg injury and missed the remainder of the season. Bassey suffered from a tibia plateau fracture due to hyperextension of his knee and had surgery in Houston. From what we’ve seen, he seems to have fully healed and has fully recovered from his injury.

Before he went down, he was averaging 15,3 points and 9.2 rebounds. His presence was definitely missed but having him back will be huge. He’s already gotten a ton of preseason honors including the Naismith Trophy watchlist.

Needless to say, there will be a lot of eyes on Bassey this season seeing how well he does in his comeback season. If he can hold up and stay healthy that would be huge for WKU’s success this season.

Freshmen

The new additions to this team should excite Hilltopper fans with perhaps the biggest one being 2020 Mr. Kentucky Basketball Dayvion McKnight. McKnight averaged 20 points and 8.1 rebounds for Collins High School in Shelbyville. Having another in-state star on the team is always great to see and he should be exciting to watch the next few seasons.

Another freshman guard to look for is Kylen Milton. Milton averaged 23 points for CORE4 Academy in Atlanta and was a high profile player in his home-state of Arkansas before then. He seems to be a consistent scorer so having someone like him join this team will definitely help them out even if he is a freshman.

One person definitely worth noting is freshman Noah Stansbury. Coach Stansbury will get to coach one of his kids this season with his son Noah. He averaged 12.2 points and 3.9 rebounds in his last season with Greenwood High School in Bowling Green.

Also Bailey Conrad, a 6’7” forward from Corydon, Indiana will be joining the team as well. He averaged 18.3 points and 9.6 rebounds with Christian Academy of Indiana. I’m not sure how much he’ll see the court but he’s another frontcourt body in case the Tops need him.

New Additions

The biggest transfer the Tops landed was Davidson transfer, Luke Frampton. Jared Savage and Cam Justice made a lot of threes last season between them and the Tops will need someone to drain some big shots when they need them. Luke Frampton will likely be that guy. He averaged 9.8 points and shot 48% from deep last season before leaving the team and his freshman year, he was only the second player in Davidson’s history to make over 100 threes in one season (the other guy was someone named Stephen Curry, for what it’s worth). He should be an instant impact player for the Tops this year.

Another addition to look for is junior college transfer Kevin Osawe. He played for Vincennes University and averaged 17.2 points and 9.8 rebounds and made 66 shots from downtown. He’ll likely play on the wing a lot with his 6’6” frame and will be a very solid player likely coming off the bench this year.

Returnees

The Tops will have three non-senior players from last year’s team with perhaps the biggest one being sophomore point guard Jordan Rawls. Rawls was a big asset last year with all the point guard problems the Tops faced and he averaged 7.9 points and 2.2 assists last season and started in 16 games. He showed some flashes of greatness last year including a career-high 19 points against Louisiana Tech but still had some freshman growing pains. I’m glad he got a lot of playing time last year. Having that experience will help him, even more, this season.

Another player I really hope to see step up forward Isiah Cozart. He only averaged 0.7 points and 0.9 rebounds in 19 games last season and definitely looked a little green. I’m hoping that after having a full season under his belt he’ll get more in shape and more prepared for when he sees the court this season.

Jackson Harlan will be a sophomore. He didn’t see the court much (only four games to be exact) last season and I’m not sure how much more he’ll see it this season but hopefully, he can develop and give the Tops some good minutes when he does play.

Be Flexible

One thing that we have to remember is that with COVID, things can change at any minute for the Tops and their schedule. We were fully expecting them to play in the Golden Window Classic in Nebraska just a few days ago but when LSU backed out of it, so did the Tops. Creighton was slated to play in the Bad Boy Mower’s Classic in South Dakota but due to positive COVID tests, they had to pull out. Once that opening was available the Tops joined the tournament with more stout competition. Coach Stansbury wants to do everything he can to help build this team’s resume.

Thankfully the football team wasn’t affected by game cancelations or postponements that other teams (such as UNT or FAU) were and I’m hoping the Tops are able to stay healthy and not have many games canceled either. If the Tops are able to survive this season without any positive tests or games canceled due to the virus, that would be an incredible feat.

With limited or no capacity games, it will definitely be an adjustment for the team. Traditionally the last few years, WKU hasn’t played very well in games where there weren’t many people there. Like traveling to Ohio University or Indiana State, they seemed like they didn’t get fully invested in those games but every game this season there won’t be any crowd factor. On the flip side though, many of the early season tournaments they’ve played in haven’t been attended well and that didn’t keep them from beating Power Five teams. It seems like it would be difficult to get hyped for a game where maybe 1,000 people will be in attendance would be hard but they’re gonna have to focus fully on the game and their opponents. That’s just one of the several things that will feel different this year.

The way the outcome of this year will be is determined by what they choose to do on and off the court. If the team stays healthy, wins the games they’re able to play, and not take any bad losses they very well could break the drought and make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013. This team has the experience, talent, and coaching to do so. It’s hard to predict a year like this year but this team is extremely talented and can compete with anyone. While the football underperformed this year, I’m hoping that COVID hasn’t set basketball back any either. Having altered practices and all these new guidelines has made things a little more difficult but this team holds its fate in its hands and I’m hoping even in this messed up year, they are able to make big things happen and give us a memorable year.