Spring basketball signing period ends today and the rush of transfers in/out of the league is generally over. So what does the league look like now?

1. Western Michigan -- (Believing Thomas Wilder returns) Western Michigan has arguably the best player (Wilder) returning in the league at the most important position with a slew of now young/experience talent around him. Broncos one of the few teams the really lost nothing after last season.

2. Ball State -- House is a big loss, but the Cardinals were arguably one of the three hottest teams in the MAC at the end of last season with WMU and Kent State and have a lot of returning talent/experience plus more waiting in the wings.

3. Toledo/Eastern Michigan -- Both teams are flawed to be sure, but at the same time loaded with talent; UT will do it with a bevy of 6-3 to 6-7 athletes trying to overcome a lack of muscle, while EMU has the size but inexperience in the backcourt.

That's four teams right there and all from the MAC West, which is a clear indication for a transition of power from what has historically been a dominant MAC East in basketball.

Would be curious to read if there is any consensus at all about which team/teams are at the top of the heap over there in the East.

Haha, "a clear indication"! Games haven't even been played yet. The East will have at least 2 of the byes into Cleveland, and win the tourney again. I'll go with history and not some opinion on a message board.

(05-18-2017 10:54 PM)NickleCity Wrote:  Haha, "a clear indication"! Games haven't even been played yet. The East will have at least 2 of the byes into Cleveland, and win the tourney again. I'll go with history and not some opinion on a message board.

Hey ... certainly can't argue that logic. And the East could certainly wind up with a pair of byes (as the West has often done in the past) because the power side of the divisions beat each other up.

Still ... there is no denying two of the three hottest teams at the end of last season(WMU-Ball) are from the West and return the majority of their key players for the coming season ... and ... the most roster turmoil in the league by far has happened with teams in the East, leaving a lot of questions to be answered.

Yes, history says programs like Akron, Ohio and Kent never fall too far down the totem pole in any given season, when it is all said and done. But when was the last time all three programs were in this position with so many ??? at the same time?

Now maybe some folks feel better and know more about their individual teams (Ohio, Buffalo, Kent, Akron) than an outsider can surmise from afar. If so, please share and maybe some of these opinions can change.

(05-19-2017 05:33 AM)cleveland Wrote:  Still ... there is no denying two of the three hottest teams at the end of last season(WMU-Ball) are from the West and return the majority of their key players for the coming season ... and ... the most roster turmoil in the league by far has happened with teams in the East, leaving a lot of questions to be answered.

There may be no denying it but there is room to question how "hot" they were at the end. Western finished on a ten game winning streak but 8 of those wins were against the West and the 2 East wins were Miami and BG. Ball State won 2 games against the East (nice win at Buffalo and again Miami) in early January but ended up 2-7 against the East, including 3 losses in Muncie. They didn't lose a single home game to a team from the West. So while both appear to be in good position I wouldn't start printing banners just yet. Akron is in a challenging position but Kent St, Ohio and Buffalo all have strong rosters returning.

I think Kent State will actually be improved next year. Last year, most of the roster was new, with only 4 returning players. It took us a long time to get in sync.

Yes, I know Jimmy Hall won't be easily replaced. Deon Edwin will be missed too, but Kevin Zabo and Desmond Ridenour should replace him at guard. Also new at guard will be transfer Taishaun Johnson, who redshirted last year. He had 12.5 ppg at South Alabama as a true freshman.

With the run of wins at the end of last year, we played a lot with Jimmy Hall being the only true forward on the floor. 6'2" SG Deon Edwin spent a lot of time defending forwards, and did a good job of it, along with SG Mitch Peterson. And with Hall and Edwin both graduating, we need add some height.

Over the winter, we've added 6'7" SF BJ Duling, 1st team Division I All-Ohio at Newark OH. Scout and Rivals have him at 3 stars.

At PF we've added 6'10" Jonathan Nwankwo from JUCO, a former 3-star recruit at VCU. He redshirted at VCU, then spent last year at JUCO. Also coming from JUCO we have 6'8" Akiean Frederick, who played at Sinclair Community College. His 22.4 ppg was 9th in the country for Division II JUCO, and his 11.3 rpg was 11th in the country.

We also signed 6'9" PF Phillip Whittington from Upstate. He'll need to sit out 2017-2018. He had 8.5 ppg and 6.1 rpg in 18 minutes last year as a sophomore.

Adonis De La Rosa will be a junior, and Danny Pippen and Alonzo Walker will be sophomores, and they all should improve this year. And Jaylin and Jalen will be back as juniors

Groce did a solid job retooling Akron last minute. I don't expect us to be competing for championships next season, but I do feel we'll be competitive.

Despite losing quite a few seniors, I think most UB fans are very optimistic in next years roster and beyond. (No transfers yet [knocking on wood])

Ohio, despite its losses, has some good players coming back and a good recruiting class. Groce has brought in some very good players, but several of them have to sit next year, so I would say that Akron is still a year away. I think Buffalo will contend. Kent, I doubt it.

I agree with the original post that WMU and Ball State should be strong. Both Wilder and EMU's James Thompson have declared themselves eligible for the NBA draft. The deadline to back out is May 24. I don't think that EMU will be that good, even with Thompson. For the last couple years they have fielded what looked like talented teams, but they have done poorly.

Toledo is a big question mark, but I'm a bit skeptical. In order to be good, the Rockets need their two transfers to be big-time contributors, and they also need contributions from incoming freshmen. That is not a comfortable position to be in. The Rockets lost four starters from an average team.

My take:

Biggest oversight: Why does everyone count out Kent and Akron. They won the 2 league titles. They return guys who know how to win. Their fan support is solid. Their expectations are high. They have coaches who know what they are doing.

Akron: OK, this is a thin roster but potentially a good starting 5. Jimond Ivey is a proven high level wing player who plays both ends and is more athletic than most opponents. The Oregon St grad transfer Duvivier (sp?) is a proven player at the pac-12 level who plays both ends and is physically stronger than most any guard matchup. Utomi is a potential star. a strong forward who can shoot and has a heat check streak. he might be inconsistent, but so was kwan cheatham. olajakpoke will get pushed around in a few match ups but he covers a lot of space and could be a better help defender than big dog was, and will certainly be better away from the basket. they lose scoring and interior passing with johnson, but they can play faster with olajakpoke. they'll need to play a couple frosh serious minutes but they won't need to be primary ball handlers or scorers.

Kent loses jimmy hall who was a great interior scorer who played above his size and athletic ability by bringing a lot of skill and energy. they will miss him. they will miss edwin who peaked at the end of his long college career and helped them get that mac tourney title and stick with ucla for a while. they had a couple other losses but jaylin walker is a baller and there is plenty of experienced guard talent and depth for a club that likes to play a perimeter oriented style. there's decent size and potentl returning up front and 3 interesting forward prospects coming in. say, just 1 of those 3 is really good...

Toledo I'll put up here cuz they are my team and i know the roster well. the rockets lose 3 good players (not 4 starters) and it's a glass half full-empty situation. taylor and williams were all-mac type players, but each had a habit of struggling down the stretch of close games (williams certainly showed up big in some too). for a team that played the most OT and down to the final possession games in the country last yr, and lost nearly all of them, there is a side of you that is ready to move on. The Rockets add in 2 P5 transfers who were productive in the PAC12 and Big12. Treshaun Fletcher is a legit 6-7 lefty guard who can shoot and dunk over people. He will look good in the MAC and probably be more efficient than Williams. Willie Jackson is known well to NE Ohio hs hoop fans and gives Toledo a real athletic competitor who can play a big guard or fast forward at an athletic 6-6. Won't shoot the lights out but could add some toughness for close games. Probably the most talented offensive guys-definitely the best shooters- in the program are back in 6-4 pg sanford, 6-11 stretch 4 knapke and 6-8 swingman navigato. all these guys are in the 3rd years. The Rockets also have 4 new frosh and, sans injury, their deepest active roster in near a decade. Toledo won't have any space-eaters inside and defense has been a problem the past couple years. But there hope of a half full glass.

EMU is always iffy. Murphy will find some interesting players with some talent but they are often a disjointed offensive unit. The zone can be very good when the guys pick up its fine points and are all in. So, we won't know if it will be a good EMU team until we see how they play d. Bond and Thompson (if he returns) are potentially elite defenders. there's good transfers and some talented lanky forwards that might fit well with the defensive style. and there are 4 new players that could play pg so there's hope they will find someone to conduct an actual offense, get the ball to thompson around the rim and hopefully find someone who can shoot.

Ball St: Definitely in the upper tier. honestly, their coach is so ugly I have a hard time watching them. They keep adding pretty good and versatile perimeter guys and there are some big guys who aren't pretty but can make some plays. they have one of their higher ranked frosh recruits in a while in gunn.

I also think BG will have some success under huger. they will be young next year but the talent level should go up and huger may just need a little time to get things together.

Western to me is basically about the best coaching staff in the MAC and the best player in Wilder. Those things make them dangerous, assuming Wilder does come back. they also have a couple of sophs in jones and johnson who looked like they could grow into very good players last yr. if they each come back better wilder has a couple of big wings who can shoot and drive which gives him space to operate 1 on 1. and i believe they have the coaches to put it all together if those guys are good enough.

Ohio, ehh, good fans, great arena, one of the best young bigs in the league in carter. kaminski kinda irritates me and isn't a complete player. dartis is a solid all around guard but not a true pg and not gonna physically dominate decent wing competition. I think gavin block is a real good role player and there a bunch of solid frosh recruits. but i see a team that outside of carter doesn't have a go to player and and all the true pgs are freshmen. Ohio strikes me as next year's Toledo - the team that is competitive with almost everyone but loses most of their close games.

buffalo is off the radar but has 3 pretty good pg options, the deepest group of bigs in the MAC, and a coach that's had them exceed expectations most of the time. i don't see all mac players but when they are no big holes in the roster it's easier to develop chemistry.

NIU makes me sad. Whenever they seem about to get good something goes wrong.

miami and central will be best less mentioned.

(05-22-2017 05:03 AM)pono Wrote:  My take:

Biggest oversight: Why does everyone count out Kent and Akron. They won the 2 league titles. They return guys who know how to win. Their fan support is solid. Their expectations are high. They have coaches who know what they are doing.

Akron: OK, this is a thin roster but potentially a good starting 5. Jimond Ivey is a proven high level wing player who plays both ends and is more athletic than most opponents. The Oregon St grad transfer Duvivier (sp?) is a proven player at the pac-12 level who plays both ends and is physically stronger than most any guard matchup. Utomi is a potential star. a strong forward who can shoot and has a heat check streak. he might be inconsistent, but so was kwan cheatham. olajakpoke will get pushed around in a few match ups but he covers a lot of space and could be a better help defender than big dog was, and will certainly be better away from the basket. they lose scoring and interior passing with johnson, but they can play faster with olajakpoke. they'll need to play a couple frosh serious minutes but they won't need to be primary ball handlers or scorers.

Kent loses jimmy hall who was a great interior scorer who played above his size and athletic ability by bringing a lot of skill and energy. they will miss him. they will miss edwin who peaked at the end of his long college career and helped them get that mac tourney title and stick with ucla for a while. they had a couple other losses but jaylin walker is a baller and there is plenty of experienced guard talent and depth for a club that likes to play a perimeter oriented style. there's decent size and potentl returning up front and 3 interesting forward prospects coming in. say, just 1 of those 3 is really good...

Toledo I'll put up here cuz they are my team and i know the roster well. the rockets lose 3 good players (not 4 starters) and it's a glass half full-empty situation. taylor and williams were all-mac type players, but each had a habit of struggling down the stretch of close games (williams certainly showed up big in some too). for a team that played the most OT and down to the final possession games in the country last yr, and lost nearly all of them, there is a side of you that is ready to move on. The Rockets add in 2 P5 transfers who were productive in the PAC12 and Big12. Treshaun Fletcher is a legit 6-7 lefty guard who can shoot and dunk over people. He will look good in the MAC and probably be more efficient than Williams. Willie Jackson is known well to NE Ohio hs hoop fans and gives Toledo a real athletic competitor who can play a big guard or fast forward at an athletic 6-6. Won't shoot the lights out but could add some toughness for close games. Probably the most talented offensive guys-definitely the best shooters- in the program are back in 6-4 pg sanford, 6-11 stretch 4 knapke and 6-8 swingman navigato. all these guys are in the 3rd years. The Rockets also have 4 new frosh and, sans injury, their deepest active roster in near a decade. Toledo won't have any space-eaters inside and defense has been a problem the past couple years. But there hope of a half full glass.

EMU is always iffy. Murphy will find some interesting players with some talent but they are often a disjointed offensive unit. The zone can be very good when the guys pick up its fine points and are all in. So, we won't know if it will be a good EMU team until we see how they play d. Bond and Thompson (if he returns) are potentially elite defenders. there's good transfers and some talented lanky forwards that might fit well with the defensive style. and there are 4 new players that could play pg so there's hope they will find someone to conduct an actual offense, get the ball to thompson around the rim and hopefully find someone who can shoot.

Ball St: Definitely in the upper tier. honestly, their coach is so ugly I have a hard time watching them. They keep adding pretty good and versatile perimeter guys and there are some big guys who aren't pretty but can make some plays. they have one of their higher ranked frosh recruits in a while in gunn.

I also think BG will have some success under huger. they will be young next year but the talent level should go up and huger may just need a little time to get things together.

Western to me is basically about the best coaching staff in the MAC and the best player in Wilder. Those things make them dangerous, assuming Wilder does come back. they also have a couple of sophs in jones and johnson who looked like they could grow into very good players last yr. if they each come back better wilder has a couple of big wings who can shoot and drive which gives him space to operate 1 on 1. and i believe they have the coaches to put it all together if those guys are good enough.

Ohio, ehh, good fans, great arena, one of the best young bigs in the league in carter. kaminski kinda irritates me and isn't a complete player. dartis is a solid all around guard but not a true pg and not gonna physically dominate decent wing competition. I think gavin block is a real good role player and there a bunch of solid frosh recruits. but i see a team that outside of carter doesn't have a go to player and and all the true pgs are freshmen. Ohio strikes me as next year's Toledo - the team that is competitive with almost everyone but loses most of their close games.

buffalo is off the radar but has 3 pretty good pg options, the deepest group of bigs in the MAC, and a coach that's had them exceed expectations most of the time. i don't see all mac players but when they are no big holes in the roster it's easier to develop chemistry.

NIU makes me sad. Whenever they seem about to get good something goes wrong.

miami and central will be best less mentioned.

luckily for you, Kenny Kamiski has graduated so you don't need to be irritated by him anymore.