The Frontrunner: Drake
With an amazing .704 winning record over four seasons at Drake, a major testament to head coach Darian DeVries’ impact is his players’ willingness to stay in Des Moines for their extra-year of eligibility. Last season, four seniors opted in while this upcoming season another quartet return: double-digit scoring guards Roman Penn, DJ Wilkins (an MVC All-Defense Team selection) and Garrett Sturz, as well as low-post bully Darnell Brodie.
The most impressive returnee is MVC Freshman of the Year and Darian’s son, Tucker. The 6’7 210 former four-star forward helps the Bulldogs in nearly every aspect of the game and has enough size, shooting and rim-protecting ability to play the 4 along with a true big or as the small ball 5 in five-out situations.
While the players listed above are the main reason to project the Bulldogs as the 2022-23 MVC champs, incoming Florida State and Texas Tech transfer Sardaar Calhoun is the team’s most exciting addition. The 6’6 220 senior wing has played a total of 33 games between his two D1 stops and has a career 38.2 3p% and 85.7 ft% making him a needed shooter to help improve last season’s 272nd ranked 33.9 team 3p%.
The Bulldogs will certainly miss the toughness and secondary scoring from graduating forwards ShanQuan Hemphill and Tremell Murphy, but Drake’s skill, depth and coaching make them the team to beat in the MVC.
The Challenger: Southern Illinois
Bryan Mullins, one of the most talented young head coaches in the nation, is ready to take the next step to lead his alum to the MVC crown as he enters his fourth season at the helm.
In his playing days, Mullins was a two-time Missouri Valley Defensive Player of the Year, so it is fitting that his squads have all had higher defensive efficiency ratings compared to the offense, but the retention of last season’s two leading scorers: Marcus Domask (15.1 ppg) and Lance Jones (14.7 ppg and an MVC All-Defense Team selection) plus additions on the transfer portal look to make this season’s offense its best during Mullins’ tenure.
Intraconference grad transfer Jawuan Newton was a 12.7 ppg scorer at Evansville while incoming George Mason senior point guard Xavier Johnson averaged 7.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 34.1 3p% providing the Salukis a steady pass-first point guard to allow the turnover prone Lance Jones to play off-ball.
With 6’6 215 Domask and 6’7 210 Troy D’Amico combining to play approximately half of the team’s minutes at the 5, the Salukis needed more muscle in the low post. Saint Peter’s transfer Clarence Rupert brings his 6’8 245 frame and his experience from a winning culture to pair on the low post along with fifth-year returnee JD Mulia. A touted recruit out of Norfolk, VA, Rupert is an exciting long-term piece with three years eligibility who fielded offers out of high school from eleven D1 schools including Georgia, Saint Louis, Temple, UMass, Murray State, Wichita State and Temple.
Enriching their defensive culture with more offensive reinforcements deepens the skill of the Salukis, making them my favorite challenger to Drake for the MVC crown.
The Underdog: Missouri State
Tying last season with the best record in the MVC led by a top-25 ranked defense, Dana Ford and the Bears enter the season with just one returning rotation player: senior starting forward and MVC All-Defense Team selection Donovan Clay, forcing Ford to rake in one of the most plentiful transfer hauls in the nation.
Ford’s eight-man transfer haul includes:
Four high-major transfers
Sophomore guard Chance Moore, a former four-star recruit from Arkansas
Junior forward James Graham III, a former four-star recruit from Maryland
Sophomore guard Alston Mason, a former three-star recruit from Oklahoma
Senior forward Dalen Ridgnal, a former JuCo transfer from Georgia
Three veteran mid-major transfers
Grad transfer guard Bryan Trimble from Akron (10.4 p, 37 3p%)
Grad transfer guard Kendle Moore from Colorado State (6.5p, 1.9a, 1.1s, 31.9 3p%)
Senior guard Matthew Lee from Saint Peter’s (6.8p, 2.9a, 33.7 3p%)
One JuCo transfer
Junior forward Jonathan Mogbo from NE Oklahoma A&M (14.3p, 10.3r, 3.3a, 1.8a, 1.4b, 49.7 fg%, 9-26 from three). 16 D1 offers.
The Bears are a total wildcard this season, but the depth and quality of their incoming talent makes them a dangerous team as the season progresses. Don’t be surprised if Missouri State makes a run in February and March.
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