2024/2025 College Basketball Season - Team Previews: 36 - 40
#36: Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Returning
Hunter Sallis (18.0 ppg - 49% / 41% / 78%)
Cameron Hildreth (13.8 ppg - 45% / 35% / 80%)
Efton Reid III (9.6 ppg - 55% / 28% / 84%)
Parker Friedrichsen (5.1 ppg - 40% / 37% / 69%)
Marqus Marion (1.1 ppg - 50% / 40% / 58%)
Transfers
TreVon Spillers (12.8 ppg @ Appalachian State - 60% / 0% / 69%)
Ty-Laur Johnson (8.7 ppg @ Louisville - 37% / 19% / 82%)
Churchill Abass (3.9 ppg @ DePaul - 58% / 0% / 46%)
Davin Cosby Jr. (3.6 ppg @ Alabama - 37% / 34% / 71%)
Omaha Biliew (2.4 ppg @ Iowa State - 52% / 0% / 61%)
Recruits
Juke Harris (ESPN #80 / 247Sports #99)
Wake Forest has not qualified for the NCAA Tournament since 2017 - this may be the year and the team that breaks the 7 season streak. Steve Forbes just barely missed the field in his 2nd season at the helm of the Wake program in 2022, and he came similarly close this past year until the Demon Deacons pissed away their chance by following up their home win over Duke with 3 straight bad losses to Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, and Georgia Tech. This year, Wake returns 4 solid players from its rotation, including one of the most improved players in the country from last season: Hunter Sallis. I wrote a pretty extensive write-up about Hunter last season because the leap he took was pretty incredible. After transferring from Gonzaga where he didn’t start a single game and averaged under 20 mpg, he immediately became the best player on his new team, averaged 13.5 more points per game, and improved his 3 pt shooting by 15 percentage points. He was named First Team All-ACC, and I expect him to likely earn those honors again this season. Fellow starters and rising seniors Cam Hildreth and Efton Reid are also returning for the Deacs. Hildreth was the team’s 3rd leading scorer, and a pretty effective shooter. Reid - who made the move from Spokane to Winston-Salem with Sallis last year - also improved substantially under Forbes’ coaching and was a rock-solid true big man. He’s a fantastic rebounder, he contests shots at the rim pretty effectively, and is a pretty reliable scorer. He needs to foul less to keep himself in the game, and if he can do that, he should be even better this year. Parker Friedrichsen, the sophomore shooting specialist, only shot 12 times inside the arc, but he made 36.5% of his 137 attempted triples - always good to have some reliable outside shooting, and he may be even better this season. The biggest questions for Steve Forbes’ team next year is how to replace departing point guard Kevin Miller and the versatile power forward Andrew Carr. The 3rd guard will likely be Friedrichsen, transfer Ty-Laur Johnson from Louisville (who shot 37.4% from the field and only 19.4% from 3 last season…yuck), or Alabama transfer Davin Cosby Jr. (who was basically Bama’s Friedrichsen but played less and shot worse). Incoming Top 100 Freshman Juke Harris (fantastic name) could also be an option, but I doubt he’s in the rotation ahead of the more experienced players. For my money, I think Forbes either starts Johnson to distribute as a pass-first PG or puts the ball in Sallis or Hildreth’s hands and starts Parker. There is better talent available to fill in at forward. Iowa State transfer and former 5-star Omaha Biliew seems to fit the Sallis / Reid mold of “under-utilized talent given second chance” that worked so well for Forbes last year. He’s incredibly athletic, but a bit raw offensively (and can’t shoot the 3) - which would be a big step backwards from Carr’s Top 100 offensive efficiency numbers. The other candidate for the last starting spot would be TreVon Spillers, transfer forward from App State. Spillers was a community college transfer who had a brilliant first season in the D1 ranks. He shot 60% from the field, rebounded very well (especially on the offensive glass), took great care of the ball and played solid defense. All that said, he also cannot - WILL not - shoot the three. I think Coach Forbes has a decent amount of talent on this team, but I don’t see clear replacements for the key contributors that he lost, and I don’t know if this team will be as good offensively with only 3 shooters in the starting lineup. But he’s proven that he can bring out the best in players with talent and upside, so it’s very possible that the Demon Deacons finish Top 4 in the ACC and make the NCAA Tournament field in 2025.
#37: Michigan State Spartans
Returning
Jaden Akins (10.4 ppg - 41% / 36% / 74%)
Tre Holloman (5.7 ppg - 47% / 43% / 80%)
Xavier Booker (3.7 ppg - 44% / 33% / 63%)
Jeremy Fears (3.5 ppg - 50% / 17% / 65%)
Carson Cooper (3.4 ppg - 53% / 0% / 63%)
Coen Carr (3.1 ppg - 65% / 0% / 56%)
Jaxon Kohler (2.0 ppg - 44% / 0% / 29%)
Transfers
Frankie Fidler (20.1 ppg @ Omaha - 45% / 36% / 85%)
Szymon Zapala (9.8 ppg @ Longwood - 63% / 67% / 66%)
Recruits
Jase Richardson (ESPN #25 / 247Sports #37)
Kur Teng (ESPN #55 / 247Sports #62)
Jesse McCullough (247Sports #143)
Gehrig Normand (Redshirt)
Izzo just keeps churning out so-so teams, man. I know he’s a great coach, and it’s probably a matter of time before he has another really good team, but his roster-building strategy is comparatively “old school” and it doesn’t seem to be paying off much. At first glance, this team screams “7-10 seed” at a deafening volume…there are some really interesting players that could outperform expectations and make this a Top 15-20 team, but I think that’s the ceiling. Last year’s Top 3 scorers - Tyson Walker, Malik Hall, and AJ Hoggard - are all gone. They were far and away the most heavily played and utilized guys on the team, too. The only guy that even sniffed their playing time and utilization was Malik Hall, who is probably going to be one of the two best players on this season’s team. And if you’re assuming Tom Izzo was able to reload in the portal…well, you’re wrong. Izzo has notoriously spurned the transfer portal since it became a thing, instead relying much more heavily on recruiting and developing his own players straight out of high school. But the few transfers he does take, are usually high quality players. By my count (which could be wrong), the only 3 players he’s landed from the portal since 2019 have been Joey Hauser, Tyson Walker, and now Frankie Fidler, a 6’7” wing transferring in from Omaha. What this says to me, is that Izzo is making a big bet on Fidler translating well to the Big Ten and being a team-leading, all-league type of guy from the get-go (a la Dalton Knecht). I think this is a great fit because although Michigan State returns Jaden Akins, he scores primarily on catch-and-shoot or catch-and-drive situations (or in transition), so Izzo will need a guy who can create his own shots…and that’s Fidler. He certainly has the usage rates to be a leading scorer - he played >92% of Omaha’s minutes last year, 8th most in the country, easily took the most shots on that team, and even more impressively he scored at a really efficient clip. He seems like a really talented 3-level scorer who gets to the line at will. I think he could be one of the most underrated, underhyped transfers in the country next year - I doubt he’ll be as good as Knecht, but Diet Dalton feels like an appropriate comp for Frankie. Junior guard Tre Holloman, may be primed for a breakout season: he shot 42.5% from 3 last year (!!!), he’s a pretty good distributor, but the thing that stands out from his highlights is that he has really smooth, natural handles, and he’s just a gamer. He makes a ton of hustle plays on defense, and he’s always looking to make the smart play…I really like his game.
Akins, Fidler, and Holloman are likely to be the “Big 3” for this squad - after that, there are several role-playing bench guys, looking to step their game up and make a bigger impact. Jeremy Fears - a Top 50 2023 recruit - is back after sustaining an injury early last season, and he should provide good backcourt depth. In the few games he did get to play, Fears showed awesome passing skill (best assist rate on the team), impressive defense, and decent driving / scoring ability. Carson Cooper played almost 17 mpg for the Spartans last season, ready to provide some much-needed rebounding, decent defensive play, and the occasional bucket. Not a game-changer, but he’s solid at doing everything that coach asks him to. Xavier Booker has plenty of upside and can make Sparty pretty dynamic on offense. He has a pretty good, confident shooting stroke from deep (33% from 3 last year), which should allow them to space out really well and open up the lane. He’s an incredibly athletic, shot-blocking rim runner kind of big - he won’t put up big numbers, and he needs to get stronger and rebound more effectively, but if he improves in those areas he should see more and more playing time. When I was mentioning Izzo’s rare transfer portal additions earlier, I forgot to mention he’s bringing in ANOTHER outsider this year: 7-footer Szymon Zapala from Longwood (and before that, Poland). I imagine he’s only going to provide depth as a backup center. Coen Carr is still on the team, and I think he’s still good at dunking and drawing fouls, but not much else. The Spartans also have Top 100 freshmen Jase Richardson - yes, the son of Michigan State legend Jason Richardson - Kur Teng, and Jesse McCullough joining the roster, as well. The most important of these to know for this season is, predictably, Jase Richardson. He’s on the smaller side, but he’s athletic and he can ball. Tom is going to play a pretty deep rotation, but I think Jace is a more talented scorer than some of the other guards, so I think he will play regular minutes.
This Michigan State team has decent depth and talent, and they should be pretty good on the defensive end again this season (9th in def. efficiency last year), but I’m still most concerned about the offense. Losing your Top 3 scorers doesn’t help. I think Izzo is making a bet that Frankie Fidler is indeed the next Dalton Knecht, and will be a more efficient offensive powerhouse than Tyson Walker was - and that’s possible! But I’m not convinced right now that the lineups will be better than last season’s. I like Akins and Holloman, but I’m wondering how the 3 and 4 spots are going to look. Does Booker play the 4? Is it Fidler, and maybe you play a small lineup with 3 guards? I think this team has a high floor, but I’m not sure how high the ceiling will be. Sparty probably needs Fidler to be a stud, and for Fears, Baby Richardson, and one or more of the other guys to really shine to have a Top 25 level team this season.
#38: Mississippi State Bulldogs
Returning
Josh Hubbard (17.1 ppg - 39% / 36% / 85%)
Cameron Matthews (9.4 ppg - 62% / 9% / 56%)
KeShawn Murphy (4.7 ppg - 46% / 18% / 70%)
Shawn Jones Jr. (4.5 ppg - 42% / 28% / 77%)
Gai Chol (2.1 ppg - 60% / 0% / 100%)
Adrian Myers (1.0 ppg - 36% / 22% / 0%)
Transfers
Kanye Clary (16.7 ppg @ Penn State - 46% / 38% / 81%)
Claudell Harris Jr. (13.7 ppg @ Boston College - 40% / 37% / 71%)
RJ Melendez (9.6 ppg @ Georgia - 45% / 30% / 88%)
Riley Kugel (9.2 ppg @ Florida - 39% / 31% / 70%)
Jeremy Foumena (5.3 ppg @ Rhode Island - 53% / 32% / 38%)
Michael Nwoko (2.7 ppg @ Miami - 56% / 0% / 61%)
Recruits
Dellquan Warren (ESPN #81 / 247Sports #139)
Chol Machot
Eric Paymon
For the second year in a row, Chris Jans’ Mississippi State Bulldogs won 21 games,finished 8-10 in conference play, qualified for the NCAA Tournament field…and unfortunately, lost their first game. While on the surface that may seem like a pretty flat result year over year, the analytics would tell you that the team improved - the offense was MUCH better last year although he defense slipped from 9th to 22nd, shooting improved dramatically, etc. - but ultimately, the result was the same. The last two seasons were Jans’ first two in Starkville - if he can keep the program moving in the right direction, he may be able to get over that hump in Year 3 and show real, tangible signs of improvement. A good season for the dawgs would involve a better record, finishing above .500 in conference play, a 7 seed or better in the NCAA Tournament and ideally a victory in at least that first game. Has Jans assembled the roster to do any of that? I think it’s possible…
The team’s leading scorer, sophomore combo guard Josh Hubbard, is returning to lead the team again. Hubbard was one of the most impressive freshmen and generally one of the most highly-utilized players in the country last season. He was also just fun to watch - he and Reed Sheppard were exchanging big shots back-and-forth in a game against Kentucky, and he looked like one of the best, most confident players on the floor (despite his 5’9” stature). He’s already been named to the preseason All-SEC 2nd Team. Joining Hubbard in the backcourt next season will be Mississippi State’s best transfer, junior guard Ace Baldwin, the former Penn State star. Baldwin was also a highly-utilized, high-scoring talent before being benched, then awkwardly and mysteriously dismissed by Penn State Head Coach Mike Rhoades. Coach Rhoades didn’t say directly why he dismissed Clary, but I’ve seen speculation that it became clear Clary was going to transfer out at the end of the year and Rhoades didn’t want that vibe in the locker room. Anyway, while that’s a bit of a red flag, I don’t think it’s necessarily a reason to be concerned about Clary being a problem for Miss State. Even with his high utilization, he was a great passer with a high assist rate, and he shot 49% from 2 and nearly 38% from 3. If he and Hubbard can build some chemistry and figure out how to share shots, they could be one of the better guard duos in the SEC. Claudell Harris Jr. from Boston College is another good add to the Bulldogs’ talented backcourt group - he’s a bigger guard with great scoring capacity, who takes most of his shots from deep, where he shot 37% last season. While he only scored 13.7 ppg last year, he averaged over 17 ppg his sophomore season, so the guy can ball. Junior wing Riley Kugel from Florida may also be a surprisingly impactful contributor, too. Kugel is an ultra-athletic player with a lot of upside. He was getting a lot of attention as a breakout candidate going into last season, but was still coming off the bench, didn’t see an uptick in minutes, and generally had a down shooting year after a rough start to the season (FG% and 3FG% both dropped >6%). After admission issues kept him from transferring to Kansas, he finally landed in Starkville, where he’s looking for a fresh start and an opportunity to shine a bit more.
Losing Tolu Smith is a big blow for the Bulldogs’ frontcourt, but they do retain forward Cameron Matthews, one of the best players on last year’s team. Matthews is one of the better defenders in the SEC - he averaged 2 steals per game last season and had a Top 25 steal rate in the country. He’s also a very aggressive rebounder and a great passer. He also shot 69% from the field, which will be nice to have around again this season. Transfer senior RJ Melendez from Georgia is another well-rounded forward who can score and defend well - he’s a bit more versatile on offense, as he hit 35 threes last year. The biggest issue with the frontcourt is that there might not be a very talented, SEC-starter-caliber true center. Returning backups KeShawn Murphy and Gai Chol, and transfers Michael Nwoko and Jeremy Foumena are all probably still backup quality players. Unless one of them takes a big step forward, the dawgs may have to play the best rebounder / defender among that group, or play small with two undersized forwards.
I really like how positions 1 through 4 are shaping up for Mississippi State - there are more reliable scoring options available, especially in the backcourt. As long as the outside shooting improves (268th in team 3pt FG% last year) and they turn the ball over less (298th in offensive turnover rate last year), the Bulldogs should be better off this season. And I’m sure the defense is still going to be pretty nasty because that’s just what Chris Jans coached teams do. I am a little worried about how much they’re going to miss Tolu Smith, especially without finding an adequate replacement at center - I’m curious to see what Jans’ plan is there. Whenever they don’t play Matthews and Melendez together, if they can just find a solid rebounder / defender from that group of bigs, that should be enough for this team to improve and keep the program on the right path.
#39: Clemson Tigers
Returning
Chase Hunter (12.9 ppg - 42.4% / 31.1% / 85%)
Ian Schieffelin (10.1 ppg - 56.4% / 46.9% / 73%)
Chauncey Wiggins (5.4 ppg - 44.2% / 34.9% / 71%)
Dillon Hunter (2.3 ppg - 39.3% / 25.7% / 42.1%)
Transfers
Jake Heidbreder (15.1 ppg @ Air Force in ‘22-’23 - 49% / 40% / 87%)
Myles Foster (12.4 ppg @ Illinois State - 53% / 8% / 63%)
Jaeden Zackery (11.3 ppg @ Boston College - 48% / 41% / 82%)
Viktor Lakhin (9.2 ppg @ Cincinnati - 50% / 26% / 56%)
Christian Reeves (1.7 ppg @ Duke - 67% / 0% / 50%)
Recruits
Dallas Thomas (ESPN #86 / 247Sports #116)
Del Jones
Ace Buckner (247 Sports #145)
Asa Thomas
Clemson is fresh off an Elite 8 appearance as a 6 seed in last year’s NCAA Tournament - its first since 1980! Brad Brownell’s Tigers finished last season at 24-12, 11-9 in league play, which was good for T-5th in the ACC. The Tigers retain their 3rd, 4th, and 6th best scorers from last season and bring in a seemingly promising transfer class that could keep their momentum going into next season. Fortunately for Clemson Basketball fans, Brownell has a much different philosophy around the transfer portal than the school’s head football coach, Dabo Swinney.
Clemson is going to sorely miss PJ Hall, one of the better players in program history, and Joe Girard, one of the best 3pt shooters in college basketball last season. Those are the kind of elite-level talents that make deep runs in March possible. But Ian Schieffelin and Chase Hunter returning is a very promising sign for this team - both were selected to the preseason All-ACC 2nd Team in recent days, rightfully so. Schieffelin was one of the most efficient players in the country last season - he was the best rebounder on the team and one of the best in the country, averaging almost 10 per game. He also shot nearly 60% from 2, and almost 50% from 3 (though on only 49 attempts), and he’s also a great passer who keeps the offense moving. He could be one of the most important players in the ACC next season. Chase Hunter is a super competitive, high-motor combo guard who served as the primary ball-handler for Clemson last season. His offensive game primarily starts with a hard drive into the lane, then either a mid-range attempt, a crafty layup, or a kick out to an open teammate. He’s become a very effective scorer inside the arc, though his 3pt shooting was a bit worse than the last two seasons - look for him to get right from deep this year. He also makes some very fun hustle plays on defense, to get in passing lanes and block shots. Junior Chauncey Wiggins is a very long wing / forward with impressive 3-level scoring ability - he’s one of the role player that boosts the ceiling on this team’s offense and should only get better this season. If those 3 can all step confidently into bigger roles next year, I think the Tigers can make up for losing their Top 2 scorers.
The newcomers should help in making this a pretty deep, balanced roster as well. Jake Heidbreder from Air Force is a 6’5” true shooting guard coming off a redshirt year who should pad Clemson’s shooting stats. Two years ago, he shot 60% from inside the arc, 40% from 3 on almost 200 attempts, and 87% from the charity stripe. If he can stay healthy, he will be a dangerous scoring option - he has had some hip / back issues, previously. Fun fact: his hometown in Indiana is called “Floyds Knobs”...I found that to be worth mentioning. Senior point guard Jaeden Zackery was Boston College’s primary ballhandler last season, and should start in the backcourt alongside Hunter, allowing him to play off-ball more this year. Zackery’s numbers won’t blow anyone away, but he’s a really solid all-around player. He averaged 4+ assists last year, shot 51% from 2 and over 40% from 3, and is a really solid defender who swiped 2 steals per game. I REALLY like the concept of him playing alongside Hunter. Myles Foster from Illinois State will be a really strong backup option for Schieffelin / Wiggins - he’s a similarly tenacious rebounder, blocks some shots, and scores around the basket really well. Senior center Viktor Lakhin from Cincinnati should start at the 5 spot for the Tigers - he, too, is a high level rebounder and rim protector. If he can play closer to the level he did as a Sophomore, this frontcourt will be very tough for opposing teams to deal with. Duke transfer Christian Reeves is a towering 7’2” and may be able to provide some depth at center, as well.
I don’t know that the freshmen will contribute much this season, but they may not need to based on this roster. Brownell’s top two high school recruits could be part of the rotation. Incoming 6’7” wing Dallas Thomas is a solid 3pt shooter with a quick trigger, so he could be a Wiggins-like contributor. Ace Buckner is a 3-star combo guard with a pretty well-rounded game - he’s a bit undersized / skinny, but he could get some time in the backcourt rotation.
I’ve given Brownell some trouble in the past for only fielding a good team every 1-2 years, which has just barely kept him off the hot seat - but I think now he may be building some momentum for this Clemson program. I think this team has a chance to be Top 25 good and make the NCAA Tournament for a second year in a row (something he’s never done at Clemson). I like that they have two ballhandlers that can pass well, shoot at high percentages, and defend. I like that they have several guys who can shoot really well from beyond the arc. I like that they’re going to be a really good rebounding team, and I like that they have a solid true center in Lakhin. The top 2 spots are likely spoken for in the ACC, but I could see the Tigers finishing as high as 3rd if a few things break their way.
#40: Saint Mary’s Gaels
Returning
Augustas Marciulionis (12.4 ppg - 44% / 34% / 76%)
Mitchell Saxen (11.8 ppg - 54% / 0% / 61%)
Luke Barrett (5.5 ppg - 47% / 29% / 78%)
Harry Wessels (4.2 ppg - 63% / 0% / 77%)
Rory Hawke (3.8 ppg - 80% / 100% / 75%)
Jordan Ross (1.3 ppg - 37% / 17% / 27%)
Cade Bennett (0.9 ppg - 37% / 29% / 0%)
Kevin Gad (1.3 ppg - 37% / 36% / 0%)
Transfers
Paulius Murauskas (2.7 ppg @ Arizona - 44% / 52% / 70%)
Ashton Hardaway (2.3 ppg @ Memphis - 34% / 33% / 60%)
Recruits
Liam Campbell (ESPN #80 / 247Sports #104)
Mikey Lewis (ESPN #95 / 247 Sports #127)
Joshua Dent
Oliver Faubert
At the beginning of last season, Saint Mary’s looked like it was going to have a rare down year and likely miss the NCAA Tournament. The Gaels lost 5 of their first 8 games - 4 of those were losses to decent or good teams, but two were blowouts, and the 5th loss was a home game vs. Weber State…the outlook was bleak for SMC. But Randy Bennett, one of the most underappreciated head coaches in the country, managed to right the ship and get his team back on track. Saint Mary’s proceeded to finish the season on a 23-2 run, including a WCC Tournament Championship win over Gonzaga, before ultimately falling to Grand Canyon in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. While the program has struggled to advance in the NCAA Tournament, and some years the team’s perceived success may be a result of playing in a weaker conference, one thing is certain: Randy Bennett is a hell of a college basketball coach. The Gaels are losing some critical players that made their last season as successful as it was, but they’re returning 4-5 solid contributors. The two transfers joining the team aren’t proven commodities yet, but they have some interesting upside, and there are some talented freshmen heading to Moraga, as well. Bennett is one of those coaches that I trust to turn at least a few guys with unimpressive numbers into very effective players - that’s been part of his formula for success at his small school in Northern California.
Augustas Marciulionis and Mitchell Saxen - the 2nd and 3rd leading scorers on last year’s team - were First Team All-WCC players last season. They’re on the preseason All-WCC preseason team this year, and I’d bet good money they end up there at the end of the season once again. Those two will be the undisputed leaders of this team. Augustas may be one of the better point guards in the country this season - aside from being a very capable scorer, he averaged more than 5 assists (ranked Top 75 in assist rate), and he’s a heads-up defender who’s good for about 1.5 steals per game. He’s an okay 3pt shooter, but he’s better at weaving through the lane and scoring around the basket, where he has great touch. Saxen is the force in the middle of the floor for SMC - the whole team rebounds well (maybe the best in the country), but Saxen is the leader on that front. He pulled down about 8 rpg last year, and he’s one of the most effective offensive rebounders in the country. He’s also a good rim protector, draws a lot of fouls to get to the line, and scores at a good clip in the lane. One of the reasons I like SMC to be pretty good again this year, is that they have proven veteran leaders at point guard and center - and that’s a hell of a tandem to rebuild around.
Senior wing Luke Barrett may be poised for a bigger role this year with Alex Ducas no longer on the team. Barrett is a solid rebounder at the 3 spot, who is incredibly efficient scoring inside the arc (65% from 2), but could use some improvement from outside the arc (just under 30%). He only played 17 mpg last year, his most playing time ever, but I expect to see a lot more of him this coming season. 7’1” junior Harry Wessels should also see an uptick in minutes and provide great backup appearances at center. He’s an animal when he gets in the game - he only averaged 9 mins per game last year, but managed to score 4+ pts and pull down 3+ rebounds per game in that little time. He’s a very effective shotblocker, to boot. Returning reserves Rory Hawke and Jordan Ross may see some time in the backcourt rotation, as well. Hawke may be a surprise contributor - he redshirted after sustaining a season-ending injury in December last year, but hit 8/10 shots including 4/4 threes in his reserve minutes.
The most impactful player among the newcomers will probably be forward Paulius Murauskas from Arizona (the other school where someone with his name would play). He only played 5 mpg for Arizona, but he could be really good offensively. He didn’t shoot well inside the arc, but he has a pretty pure jumpshot and hit more than 50% of his 27 3pt attempts. If Bennett can work his player development magic on Murauskas, he could be a huge addition for the Gaels. The remaining cast of newcomers is much more…let’s say “mysterious”. There are some under-the-radar, talented players who I could see being very good for Randy Bennett (because that’s his style). Sophomore forward Ashton Hardaway, Penny’s son, is also joining the team after leaving his dad’s team at Memphis. He didn’t play much, and the minutes he did play weren’t super impressive - aside from a game against Michigan, when he scored 17 pts on 6/9 shooting. For what it’s worth, he does seem to have some promising 3pt shooting ability. Incoming freshman shooting guard Liam Campbell is SMC’s highest rated recruit - he was committed to USC until Andy Enfield left for the SMU job. I expect he will see some decent playing time, based on how thin the Gaels’ backcourt seems to be. He shot 40% from 3 in his prep career, and this team could definitely using some outside shooting ability. Mikey Lewis is a “volume scoring” combo guard, who is also a talented shooter. He can play the point or off-ball, so I could see him getting some decent backup minutes this season. Joshua Dent from Australia and Oliver Faubert from Ontario, Canada join the team as the classic Saint Mary’s overseas recruits - it seems like Dent will be a reserve combo guard and Faubert is a developing stretch-four who could see some minutes behind Murauskas.
Picking this Saint Mary’s team as a Top 40 squad is a bit more of a “vibes” pick than one that I can conscionably back up with reason and data. Gus and Saxen are going to be great this year, and Luke Barrett and Harry Wessels are experienced guys who will help maintain a high floor for this team. I’m betting on Murauskas, Hawke, and at least 1-2 of the newcomers to be better than anyone expects because…Randy Bennett. The biggest risks are that the rest of the backcourt isn’t very deep or ready to compete at a high level to start the year, and that outside shooting is hard to come by - Mahaney and Ducas were far and away the best 3pt shooters on the team last year. But again, I’m trusting Randy to figure it out and nip at Gonzaga’s heels in the WCC this season.