WKU Recruiting: 2019 Basketball Big Board 1.0
After Monday’s news of the transfers of Matt Horton and Dalano Banton, Rick Stansbury must find new pieces to join his 2019–20 WKU…
After Monday’s news of the transfers of Matt Horton and Dalano Banton, Rick Stansbury must find new pieces to join his 2019–20 WKU Basketball team.
We are still waiting on Charles Bassey’s NBA draft decision. With him still in the fold, WKU is currently at the scholarship limit of 13. Here is how WKU’s 2019–20 roster sits as of April 11:
Moustapha Diange — Senior (Forward)
Jared Savage — Senior (Forward)
Taveion Hollingsworth — Junior (Guard)
Josh Anderson — Junior (Guard)
Carson Williams — Junior (Forward)
Marek Nelson — Junior (Forward)
Jake Ohmer — Junior (Guard)
Charles Bassey — Sophomore (Center*)
Tolu Smith — Sophomore (Forward)
Jeremiah Gambrell — Sophomore (Guard^)
Isiah Cozart — Freshman (Forward)
Jackson Harlan — Freshman (Guard)
Nick Ongenda — Freshman (Center)
Walk On — Patrick Murphy — Junior (Guard)
*Bassey could be gone to NBA
^Gambrell could be eligible for a medical redshirt
Stansbury has proven that he can work magic with scholarship numbers (I still don’t know how WKU got to 13 last season, there were unconfirmed rumors that one player moved to walk on status). While that roster is potentially deep and experienced, WKU is still missing several key pieces that could make the difference between an NCAA tournament bid and a disappointing season.
WKU needs a point guard to replace Lamonte Bearden and also needs to try to find a shooter to prevent teams from zoning WKU to death. I look for Stansbury to add 1–2 players in the spring/early summer signing class (remember Bassey signed in June).
With that in mind here are the potential prospects that have been linked to WKU over the past few months.
Dazon Ingram, Grad Transfer Guard: Alabama
The 6'5" Alabama native averaged 7.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.6 assists this past season playing 22 minutes a game for the 18–16 Crimson Tide. In the past, he’d played a larger role, playing 28.5 and 27.5 minutes per game as a junior and sophomore (averaging more points and rebounds in the process).
With the coaching change and declining role, Ingram probably figured a fresh start might be best for his last year. Looking at his stats, he more of a bigger combo guard that will do a little bit of everything but isn’t a primary distributor or three-point shooter (career high in shots is only 67, at 28%) but is solid. Those numbers kind of remind me of Darius Thompson’s at Virginia and let’s hope Stansbury has sold him on the potential with WKU’s dire needs for ballhandlers.
Ingram has already visited WKU but that was before the perennially powerful Gonzaga Bulldogs offered him.
Ingram must now make a decision on being a role player for Gonzaga or playing a key role for the Hilltoppers. The pros and cons of each are enormous. We should know his decision within the next couple of weeks.
Sean McNeil, Junior College Guard: Sinclair Community College (OH)
The 6'4" Northern Kentucky native has been on WKU’s radar for a while since being offered after the Wisconsin game. The Division 2 junior college All-American has blown up over the past few months with power programs across the country offering the deadly shooter. WKU was named one of his six finalists on March 20.
That list will be hard for Rick Stansbury to overcome. You’ve got a team fresh off a national championship game appearance (Texas Tech), two other NCAA tournament teams (Ole Miss and Oregon), another perennially solid power program (West Virginia) and a local school that wouldn’t require him to uproot from where he’s currently at (Dayton). Should he choose the Tops, he instantly solves the shooting issue; last year, he averaged 27.9 points per game while shooting 43.1% from three-point range. He’ll have three seasons of eligibility which is also important. Making his final six was huge but the longer this recruitment drags on the less good I feel about WKU’s chances against that stiff competition.
Curt Lewis, High School Guard: Aspire Academy (KY)
The 6'4" guard is a Louisville native that finished his career at the same school that produced Charles Bassey. Lewis isn’t a highly rated prospect (not rated by either Rivals or 247Sports) but seems like a solid mid-major prospect. A few weeks back he put WKU in his top five along with several conference/regional rivals.
Lewis recently visited UAB and seems to be holding off his decision for a little longer. I think he is probably a backup option at this point for WKU, should the Tops strike out with other higher rated prospects Stans probably will put on the full court press to get him in the fold if he’s still available.
Precious Achiuwa, High School Small Forward: Montverde Academy (FL)
The McDonalds All-American is a long shot prospect that WKU continues to be in the mix for. The 6'9" forward has visited Bowling Green before and would be the perfect stretch five to compliment Charles Bassey, should he return. His crystal ball predictions and recent articles seemed to show that he’s mainly being tied with blueblood programs such as Kansas, UConn, and UNC. WKU hasn’t been mentioned much lately but The Athletic’s Andrew Slater posted this tweet at the Nike Hoops Summit.
This shows that WKU is still in the mix for the #6 player in the 2019 class. While I’d be shocked if he ends up on the Hill, he would instantly make WKU a force heading into next season. With Rick Stansbury’s recent track record of getting out of nowhere recruits, you can’t count out Achiuwa until he’s committed somewhere else.
Kobe Brown, High School Small Forward: Lee High School (AL)
Another player that changed his plans after a coaching change, Brown decommited from Texas A&M after head coach Billy Kennedy was fired in March. The 6'7" Huntsville native was high on WKU before committing to the Aggies. He attended Hilltopper Hysteria so Stansbury has an existing relationship with him. Small forward really isn’t a position of need heading into next season but WKU could always use a top 300 prospect with great size. Since his decommitment, Brown hasn’t really named any favorites, it remains to be seen if WKU is still involved. He’s one to keep an eye on until more information arises.
JD Notae, Transfer Guard: Jacksonville
The 6'2" Covington, Georgia native just finished his sophomore season for the Dolphins (fun fact; they used to be in WKU’s conference in the 90's). After a productive sophomore season where he averaged 15.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists for the 12–20 Dolphins, Notae must have wanted a better situation for the rest of his career. WKU has been linked to Notae along with 12 other schools.
Notae is a traditional transfer that would have to sit out the 2019–20 season and would have two additional seasons to play. He has proven he can be a productive player and has shot well from three-point range (shooting 35.2% on 315 attempts). With WKU having pressing needs next season and limited scholarships available, I find it hard to see WKU taking a player who can’t contribute next season, he should be a back-up option should the Tops strike out with other players.
With new players entering the transfer portal every day this list will remain fluid until WKU adds some pieces and Bassey’s decision is final. With Rick Stansbury’s track record we all know the roster isn’t complete until the start of the season (and most of the time after that). Should he find the right players the experience and pieces are in place for a long lost return to the NCAA tournament.