Great pickup. Gives us much needed depth and pushes more of our roster to its natural positions.
Bow Em
I don’t imagine this was their top guy (I guess this means we are out on Moore). He doesn’t score a ton, and we definitely need help there, but I like the Asst to Turnover and rebound numbers. Looks like he’s pretty solid on defense too.
This makes it very important to get someone who’s going to score with this next scholarship.
Don't just look at points. This guy is very good and will be an impact PG for us. He averaged 4.6 assists a game, which would have far and away led the valley. Also, he did it in a league ranked ahead of the mvc. Terry Roberts led the mvc with 4.1 APG.
He plays great defense, which will fit our system and culture well. 7.7 points a game is fine when you are dishing out almost 5 dimes a game. He has 2 years left and has improved every year. He also rebounds well at 4.1 a game. Also, averaged over 30 minutes a game for a decent team in a tough league. As others have said, Jones will move to the 2, which I have been hoping for since he came here. Also, Banks is a very capable backup.
A good PG can make all the difference to an offense. Domask and Jones are probably pretty stoked, as their respective tables will be set, big time!
Johnson's defensive ability cannot be understated He was in the 90th % in Overall Defense per Synergy. Him and Jones on the floor at the same time can wreak havoc on other teams.
I don’t imagine this was their top guy (I guess this means we are out on Moore). He doesn’t score a ton, and we definitely need help there, but I like the Asst to Turnover and rebound numbers. Looks like he’s pretty solid on defense too.
This makes it very important to get someone who’s going to score with this next scholarship.
Don't just look at points. This guy is very good and will be an impact PG for us. He averaged 4.6 assists a game, which would have far and away led the valley. Also, he did it in a league ranked ahead of the mvc. Terry Roberts led the mvc with 4.1 APG.
He plays great defense, which will fit our system and culture well. 7.7 points a game is fine when you are dishing out almost 5 dimes a game. He has 2 years left and has improved every year. He also rebounds well at 4.1 a game. Also, averaged over 30 minutes a game for a decent team in a tough league. As others have said, Jones will move to the 2, which I have been hoping for since he came here. Also, Banks is a very capable backup.
A good PG can make all the difference to an offense. Domask and Jones are probably pretty stoked, as their respective tables will be set, big time!
I literally mentioned all those things. I think he can be a solid addition, but we have to have some additional scoring…we need to replace Coupet’s scoring and rebounding and if we are being honest, probably add 7-10 points more on top of that if we are going to contend for a championship (I think that is where we all expect to be next year).
So again I say we need a 4 who can score with the other scholarship because I don’t think we can expect Johnson’s scoring numbers to go up significantly. Hopefully he’ll be able to facilitate for others to up their scoring totals.
I don’t imagine this was their top guy (I guess this means we are out on Moore). He doesn’t score a ton, and we definitely need help there, but I like the Asst to Turnover and rebound numbers. Looks like he’s pretty solid on defense too.
This makes it very important to get someone who’s going to score with this next scholarship.
Don't just look at points. This guy is very good and will be an impact PG for us. He averaged 4.6 assists a game, which would have far and away led the valley. Also, he did it in a league ranked ahead of the mvc. Terry Roberts led the mvc with 4.1 APG.
He plays great defense, which will fit our system and culture well. 7.7 points a game is fine when you are dishing out almost 5 dimes a game. He has 2 years left and has improved every year. He also rebounds well at 4.1 a game. Also, averaged over 30 minutes a game for a decent team in a tough league. As others have said, Jones will move to the 2, which I have been hoping for since he came here. Also, Banks is a very capable backup.
A good PG can make all the difference to an offense. Domask and Jones are probably pretty stoked, as their respective tables will be set, big time!
I literally mentioned all those things. I think he can be a solid addition, but we have to have some additional scoring…we need to replace Coupet’s scoring and rebounding and if we are being honest, probably add 7-10 points more on top of that if we are going to contend for a championship (I think that is where we all expect to be next year).
So again I say we need a 4 who can score with the other scholarship because I don’t think we can expect Johnson’s scoring punch to go up significantly. Hopefully he’ll be able to facilitate for others to up their scoring totals.
I've also always said we need an athletic 4 and impact PG. As you inferred, Johnson will make the rest of our lineup more productive. 7.7 ppg is not peanuts when you are also dishing 4.6 apg. His overall offensive impact is measurable. Being a good defender in our system is huge too.
By the way, Johnson was a 3 star out of HS. Not that it matters that much after 3 years of D1 ball. It does however show he was pretty highly touted coming out of HS. He also has a bball pedigree with both parents playing D1 bball.
If we get that impact 4 I think we will be set. Also, I think Wonders and D'Amico will add some scoring next year.
This guy was in my top 3 out of all the PGs we were recruiting. I'm guessing he was very highly regarded by the Coaching Staff, as well.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Tennessee prospects, from different classes, caught the attention of college programs this past weekend. Brock Vice, Eddie Ricks III, Jaye Nash, and Somto Cyril picked up offers.<br><br>Chip Brunt has an unofficial visit with Southern Illinois coming up. <a href="https://t.co/9kGaph4sPL"> https://t.co/9kGaph4sPL</a></p>— Courtney Asher Smith (@CourtneyHoops90) <a href="https://twitter.com/CourtneyHoops90/status/1513699843000123407?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 12, 2022</a></blockquote> https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
6'4 PG Whitehaven, TN 19.8 ppg 21-22
This guy was in my top 3 out of all the PGs we were recruiting. I'm guessing he was very highly regarded by the Coaching Staff, as well.
He's exactly what we've been looking for. A point guard that can run the offense and he seems like a great rebounder for his size. His defense seems like a plus too, nobody is going to want to go against Jones and Johnson on the defensive end.
Would be nice to have a bit more scoring but can hit more on the offensive side on the 2nd transfer.
GMU had a few good wins in conference and some bad losses (George Washington who Mo St pounded, a bad LaSalle team, a bad Old Dominion team, a bad UMass team.....)
FYI, Dayton and St. Bonnie were NIT teams. UNI beat SBU by 10 early in the year at SBU when UNI wasn't playing great. Richmond was a surprise at the end of the year - won the A10 Tourney, upset Iowa in the NCAA (Iowa who shot 36% and 20% from three), got blown out by Providence 2nd game. I question whether the A10 was any better than the MVC - pretty even I'd say.
I hope all you optimists are correct about this PG. GMU had a good big guy, Oduro, who was the first 1st team All Con in GMU history (hard to believe when they went to the Final Four years ago), which can really help your assists. Don't forget, we only have two guys he can get the ball to that can score semi-consistently.
I'd be happier if he averaged 14 ppg, because our O has generally sucked. As far as handling the ball, Banks was fine - not a scoring threat at all though, and neither is this guy unfortunately.
PG is is not our most important need, and a great PG is not going to cure our offensive problems. We need a power forward who can score! We get that, we can be a team to be reckoned with. (Just need more firepower. Maybe Wonders can be that 3 pt gunner we need.)
GMU had a few good wins in conference and some bad losses (George Washington who Mo St pounded, a bad LaSalle team, a bad Old Dominion team, a bad UMass team.....)
FYI, Dayton and St. Bonnie were NIT teams. UNI beat SBU by 10 early in the year at SBU when UNI wasn't playing great. Richmond was a surprise at the end of the year - won the A10 Tourney, upset Iowa in the NCAA (Iowa who shot 36% and 20% from three), got blown out by Providence 2nd game. I question whether the A10 was any better than the MVC - pretty even I'd say.
I hope all you optimists are correct about this PG. GMU had a good big guy, Oduro, who was the first 1st team All Con in GMU history (hard to believe when they went to the Final Four years ago), which can really help your assists. Don't forget, we only have two guys he can get the ball to that can score semi-consistently.
I'd be happier if he averaged 14 ppg, because our O has generally sucked. As far as handling the ball, Banks was fine - not a scoring threat at all though, and neither is this guy unfortunately.
PG is is not our most important need, and a great PG is not going to cure our offensive problems. We need a power forward who can score! We get that, we can be a team to be reckoned with. (Just need more firepower. Maybe Wonders can be that 3 pt gunner we need.)
"I hope all you optimists", seriously now, have you ever known a successful pessimist?
The advancement and diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty.
James Madison
Johnson is a solid signing that fills a need. Not a home run, but a helpful piece. I'm not convinced he's head-and-shoulders better than Banks (or what Banks would be next year if he improves his shot some), but you need two solid point guards and they can both be utilized effectively, allowing Jones to focus more on scoring and defense.
As has been noted, another legit scorer or two are probably still needed if SIU is going to be championship-caliber, unless there is a very pleasant surprise or two among the returnees/redshirts. The team has a lot of role players but needs additional all-conference firepower.
We have a commit, transfer from George Mason
https://twitter.com/__XJ2__/status/1513657470064939019
Averaged 7.7 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 4.6 APG
Me likey!
March on triumphantly!
Just checking this one off the list:
https://twitter.com/Dawgs_MBB/status/1513948019405819907
Not sure how much interest we'll have in guards the rest of the way unless they have a bit of size/athleticism.
GMU had a few good wins in conference and some bad losses (George Washington who Mo St pounded, a bad LaSalle team, a bad Old Dominion team, a bad UMass team.....)
FYI, Dayton and St. Bonnie were NIT teams. UNI beat SBU by 10 early in the year at SBU when UNI wasn't playing great. Richmond was a surprise at the end of the year - won the A10 Tourney, upset Iowa in the NCAA (Iowa who shot 36% and 20% from three), got blown out by Providence 2nd game. I question whether the A10 was any better than the MVC - pretty even I'd say.
I hope all you optimists are correct about this PG. GMU had a good big guy, Oduro, who was the first 1st team All Con in GMU history (hard to believe when they went to the Final Four years ago), which can really help your assists. Don't forget, we only have two guys he can get the ball to that can score semi-consistently.
I'd be happier if he averaged 14 ppg, because our O has generally sucked. As far as handling the ball, Banks was fine - not a scoring threat at all though, and neither is this guy unfortunately.
PG is is not our most important need, and a great PG is not going to cure our offensive problems. We need a power forward who can score! We get that, we can be a team to be reckoned with. (Just need more firepower. Maybe Wonders can be that 3 pt gunner we need.)
Scoring isn't necessarily what you need from a PG for him to be a great PG, you need a distriubutor, defender, ball handler, and that's exactly what this guy is. I think everyone would agree that Bryan was one of the best point guards in siu history, and he wasn't a big scorer either. A great PG makes the guys around him better. Xavier coming in here, scoring 7-8ppg while dishing out 4-5 assists per game will make everyone around him better. Each of those assists is 2 or 3 more points for others. IF you compare Zavier JOhnson's first two full years with Mullins first two full years they are actually very similar players stat wise. Mullins had more steals, other than that they are pretty similar. Id take that in a heartbeat. IF this guy comes in and does next year what he did this year, he will lead the Valley in assists and make us a much better team offensively. Not to mention he was ranked in the to 10% as far as defenders go, that will help as well. The more i look at things, the more i like this signing. I think he will be a huge get.
Only time will tell however, is it November yet?
Still do need one more guy though, a scoring 4 would be fantastic. The young man we have visiting from Kentucky could be that piece, only time will tell.
GMU had a few good wins in conference and some bad losses (George Washington who Mo St pounded, a bad LaSalle team, a bad Old Dominion team, a bad UMass team.....)
FYI, Dayton and St. Bonnie were NIT teams. UNI beat SBU by 10 early in the year at SBU when UNI wasn't playing great. Richmond was a surprise at the end of the year - won the A10 Tourney, upset Iowa in the NCAA (Iowa who shot 36% and 20% from three), got blown out by Providence 2nd game. I question whether the A10 was any better than the MVC - pretty even I'd say.
I hope all you optimists are correct about this PG. GMU had a good big guy, Oduro, who was the first 1st team All Con in GMU history (hard to believe when they went to the Final Four years ago), which can really help your assists. Don't forget, we only have two guys he can get the ball to that can score semi-consistently.
I'd be happier if he averaged 14 ppg, because our O has generally sucked. As far as handling the ball, Banks was fine - not a scoring threat at all though, and neither is this guy unfortunately.
PG is is not our most important need, and a great PG is not going to cure our offensive problems. We need a power forward who can score! We get that, we can be a team to be reckoned with. (Just need more firepower. Maybe Wonders can be that 3 pt gunner we need.)
Beg to differ Woogs. Point Guard is absolutely our biggest need. Jones is not a point guard. He is a two guard who can play the point. But it's not his strength. Indeed we need a long 6'7'' type forward who can score, but first and foremost we need a talented PG. Banks is a solid backup but not your starting point guard. Glad we got this kid, hoping for more. He will allow Jones to roam more and get set for his shot....same thing for Domask and hopefully Foster Wonders. If he is as good as hoped he will make a big difference in this years team. If he can average 4.5 asst per game and Domask does his usual assist thing we are going to score some points.
Johnson's 4.6 assists per game in a better league would have led the Missouri Valley. Terry Roberts led the MVC with 4.1 assists per game. I think if we got the MVC leader in assists in 2022-23 via the transfer portal, we'd all be thrilled.
