It sucks but this is the new normal for CBB , at all levels. Seems like the most viable option for mid majors is to poach the best division II players possible. It seemed to work for Drake last season.
I don't see us signing a roster-full of Division II players, but it would not shock me if we bring in two or three of them. Based on the early reports that have been posted here, we're already showing interest in a few of them in the portal. This would not sit well with certain posters, but if you can find players who did well in Division II and just as important are coming from a winning culture, it's worth taking a chance on them.
Clearly there's a lot of work to be done this spring -- Nagy's future depends on it, and probably so does Leonard's -- but I'm not ready to shoot from the hip and declare next season a lost cause on March 31. I'm in the camp of waiting until the end of May, then reassessing.
Drake's players were high-level D2 players that had a history with the coach. They also brought in Cam Manayawu who was probably the best portal add for the Valley last offseason. I think taking a few JUCO/D2 players is fine but building a team of them likely won't come close to competing.
You can't make any predictions right now for any MVC team. All MVC teams are losing their best players. The only really good player we know coming back to any team is Walker for Illinois State. It's basically a portal redo for every mid major team every year. You can't even gage how good a team is going to be in October because everyone has a big rebuild and you don't know how those players will play together or gel. College basketball has been ruined for mid majors. All you can do is hope you can add talent in the portal and hope those players gel with one another and play well within that schools system. We have absolutely no idea how good SIU will be next year until mid to late November at the earliest. We could still finish 1st, finish last or anywhere in between. Let's hope we add some talent and that talent gels. Right now we know we have 5 players in Steffe, Mayo, Aligbe, Walsh and Pauliukonis. Chances are Sykes, Moreno and Webber are back too. Elliott is a crap shoot. The 4 or 5 transfers we have to add and how well they integrate into the team will determine how good we are next year. Making any predictions before we know who those 4 or 5 transfers are just makes you look stupid.Looking at a bottom 3 finish next year. Not whelmed by anyone we're after in the portal and you've lost your 3 best players (really 4 if Elliott isn't back).
1. Projecting a bottom 3 finish in March, in this volatile recruiting landscape, is not your most intelligent post. As has been posted before, we're not always privy to who all the staff is after. Yes, there is work to be done.
Losing your 3-4 best players from an already under .500 team is a death sentence. The absolute best case scenario is being in the same position next year. Maybe Steffe and Luke Walsh have good seasons as 1st and 2nd year players and they hit the portal next year and you're restarting again.
The likely scenario is this team is going to be even worse next year.
You 100% can make predictions right now. We are losing 3 or 4 of our best players from a team that wasn’t even good last year. I can tell you that we’re losing more than everyone but Valpo and Evansville. Bradley, Illinois St, and UNI are bringing in some of the best recruiting classes in their history.
There’s no fix in the portal for losing your 3-4 best players. It’s just gonna be more of the same next year, just starting from scratch.
Belmont lost pretty much everyone including their best players from last years team and finished 4th. Drake lost pretty much everyone from last years team including their best players and won the league. UIC lost pretty much everyone from last years team including their best players and finished 6th. All 1st, 2nd and 3rd team all mvc players either transferred or ran out of eligibility except for 1 or 2! Your argument doesn't hold water.You 100% can make predictions right now. We are losing 3 or 4 of our best players from a team that wasn’t even good last year. I can tell you that we’re losing more than everyone but Valpo and Evansville. Bradley, Illinois St, and UNI are bringing in some of the best recruiting classes in their history.
There’s no fix in the portal for losing your 3-4 best players. It’s just gonna be more of the same next year, just starting from scratch.
@salukiworld Not sure why you think it'd take a "miracle" when we literally picked up all of those players in the portal except for Kennard
Belmont lost pretty much everyone including their best players from last years team and finished 4th. Drake lost pretty much everyone from last years team including their best players and won the league. UIC lost pretty much everyone from last years team including their best players and finished 6th. All 1st, 2nd and 3rd team all mvc players either transferred or ran out of eligibility except for 1 or 2! Your argument doesn't hold water.You 100% can make predictions right now. We are losing 3 or 4 of our best players from a team that wasn’t even good last year. I can tell you that we’re losing more than everyone but Valpo and Evansville. Bradley, Illinois St, and UNI are bringing in some of the best recruiting classes in their history.
There’s no fix in the portal for losing your 3-4 best players. It’s just gonna be more of the same next year, just starting from scratch.
All you’re telling me is other teams built through the portal better than SIU did last year. And now you expect that to suddenly change with them losing their 3-4 best players. I didn’t think this would be a good team with Dibba back, now they might be Lowery-levels of bad especially with who they are after in the portal right now.
https://twitter.com/SIU_Basketball/status/1906822997060866072
In addition to his regular coaching responsibilities, Hawkins serves as the program's defensive coordinator on game days and will now manage the Salukis' NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) efforts.
I like it. He did a great job with the defense when he was 1st assigned that role. Probably better suited to administer the NIL than Nagy given Nagy's disdain for the process. Hopefully this keeps coach Hawk around for a while.https://twitter.com/SIU_Basketball/status/1906822997060866072
In addition to his regular coaching responsibilities, Hawkins serves as the program's defensive coordinator on game days and will now manage the Salukis' NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) efforts.
if that's what Bradley has coming back I don't think it's any better than what SIU has coming back.
https://twitter.com/VerbalCommits/status/1906830043998728515
Walk-on Isaac Billington hits the portal
Will end up D2 or D3. Was a good practice player and a good teammate. Best of luck to him. Kept his redshirt so he'll still be a freshman.https://twitter.com/VerbalCommits/status/1906830043998728515
Walk-on Isaac Billington hits the portal
Just to add to this. These 6 Bradley players represent 23.1ppg and 12.5rpg coming back. SIU's most likely returning players represent 22.9ppg and 15.4rpg. If Elliott happens to come back that jumps up to 36.9ppg and 18.8rpg returning.if that's what Bradley has coming back I don't think it's any better than what SIU has coming back.
