It’s been such a weird, depressing, frustrating, uncertain year this year. If you are like me that fact makes the upcoming basketball season even that much more exciting. With that upcoming excitement (no I don’t want to think about the chance there may not be a season or it will be shortened) it is time to predict how teams will finish the 2020-21 season along with my predicted team MVP, and a player that could surprise
9. Western Illinois: Here’s the thing. I am genuinely excited about the future of this Western Illinois program. Rob Jeter was a very good hire and despite losing every contributing member of last year’s team there is some talent here. Jeter has had success at this level and many were surprised when he was let go at UW-Milwaukee. I am picking them last because of this unique offseason. Turning over an entire roster during a pandemic, in a season that did not allow for your typical practice and training schedules is not an easy situation. In fact I am excited for what type of talent Coach Jeter and his staff can bring in when there isn’t a pandemic. Jeter Brings in 3 grad transfers, 4 JUCO guys, and 3 freshmen including three-star recruits according to 247sports Marcus Watson and Ramean Hinton out of Chicago. It’s not very often a predicted ninth-place team has this much optimism but I think the optimism makes sense in the Leathernecks case. Heck just ask a UW-Milwaukee fan how excited WIU fans should be.
MVP: Ramean Hinton (FR). The 6’5 Hinton has been listed in many places (including the Leathernecks website) as a forward, but he certainly has the outside game to play guard. Really how do you pick an MVP for an entirely rebuilt team, but why not focus on your talented freshman. Most recruiting services consider Hinton the top-rated recruit in the Summit and highest-rated recruit in Western Illinois history.
Could Surprise: Well probably anyone, but I am going to go with Justin Brookens (JR). The 5’9 point guard will compete with Freshman Marcus Watson for the lead guard. Jeter may want to ease in the youngster. Brookens shot an unheard of 51% from 3 at Iowa Lakes while averaging over 20ppg.
8. Denver: Like Western Illinois, I feel better about Denver this year than I have in previous years. If you told me they finish 5th in the conference I wouldn’t be shocked. Much of this optimism comes from bringing back player of the year candidate Jase Townsend (JR). Townsend averaged 16.9ppg last year and considering Ade Murkey has graduated that scoring number could go up. There are a lot of other unknowns in the backcourt so it may be a tall task for Townsend. I also don’t want to dismiss the loss of Murkey it is a big loss, but the Pioneers started to put things together at the end of last year and could see that momentum continues this year. Even though Denver struggled on the glass last year, Robert Jones (SO) showed some real growth in the 2nd half of his freshman campaign and will likely add to his 4.7rpg last year. Colorado transfer Frank Ryder certainly has great size but has barely played since his freshman year at San Diego. Ryder and Jones could give Denver some special size down low.
MVP: Not a hard one here. Townsend is a potential player of the year candidate so team MVP seems almost certain.
Could Surprise: Roscoe Eastmond (SO). Eastmond probably takes over primary ball carrier duties. He’s a fun player to watch and somebody needs to help Townsend in the backcourt. If Eastmond can shoot better from the outside this year, he could put up a nice scoring total along with a decent assist total. I don’t think it would be surprising to see him put up over 10 points per game and over 4 assists per game.
7. Kansas City: The Roos rejoin the Summit after 7 in the WAC. The move certainly makes sense geographically (see map at the beginning of this article) and basketball-wise for Kansas City. The Summit is consistently considered a better conference than the WAC. One of the Reasons to be excited about the Roos joining the Summit is Head Coach Billy Donlin. Donlin had a good run at Wright State and was 16-14 in his first season at Kansas City. Kansas had a balanced scoring attack and it is likely to continue that way this year. Brandon McKissic was the leading scorer last year (11.0ppg ) and returns for his senior season. The Roos will be filling several spots for graduating players though.
MVP: Brandon McKissic (SR). Last year’s leading scorer will likely repeat. Add in the fact that he averaged 1.3spg last year. McKissic is a good all-around player. He may not have as high a scoring average as other team’s MVP’s but that is more a product of the even shot distribution at Kansas City.
Could Surprise: Marvin Nesbitt (SR). Averaged 7.1ppg last year, but shot 45% from the 3 point line with only 1.7 attempts. Career 38% shooter from behind the arc, seems to be obvious that more attempts are warranted this year. Could be a double-digit scorer for his senior season.
6. Omaha: I know I am probably underestimating the Mavericks. They are still returning 3 starters and Coach Derrin Hansen seems to always get the best out of his teams. The problem I am having is who isn’t returning. KJ Robinson and JT Gibson were just such a great tandem in the backcourt and it seems as though they will be so difficult to replace. It can easily be argued that 3 of the teams ranked above them had similar losses and don’t have the culture and track record for success that Omaha does under Hansen. As I have said though, I might have been as accurate throwing 2-6 in a hat and picking names as I am doing this. The coaches have picked the Mavericks 4th and it has been told they know more than I do. The team is easy to root for and so well-coached. Forward Matt Pile, G Zach Thornhill, and F Wanjang Tut are all returning starters along with key reserves Ayo Akinwale and Marlon Ruffin, so the cupboard is far from bare. As I write this I have convinced myself to move them up but am too lazy to edit, so you are hereby predicted 6th.
MVP: Marlon Ruffin (JR). Another reason that 6th is probably too low. The 6’5 guard is a potential star in the Summit. Probably the most likely candidate to be the next Maverick guard to average over 15 a game. During the second half of last season, I consistently had more and more times I was impressed with Ruffin. Ruffin had games where you watched thinking he was ready to break out. The numbers probably skyrocket this year. Ruffin averaged 20 minutes per game last year, looks like he will be logging 30 or more this year. Plus one of Ruffin’s family members retweeted me a few times last year so had to name him team MVP. Can you imagine what I would pronounce someone who joined us on the podcast?
Could Surprise: Wanjang Tut will have games where I think he is about to come of age. He will be hitting shots from the outside and looking polished in the plate and I will be ready to anoint his arrival. However, the surprise at least for me will be that his numbers look about the same as they did last year. Always inconsistent and I don’t see that changing. Lots of physical gifts that never seem to quite come together except for a game or two each year. I hope I am wrong though I watched a Summit League Tournament game live where he was worth the price of admission by himself.
5. North Dakota: I might be overhyping based on the run to the Summit League Championship last year. Especially considering the person driving the bus to that game, Marlon Stewart is no longer on the team. I really like the 1-2 punch of Filip Rebraca and De’Sean Allen-Eikens and those two are a great place to start. Add in transfer Caleb Nero and there is a real start to a nucleus for the Fighting Hawks. Rebraca is a true post who will have a fantastic year if UND is able to shoot effectively enough from the outside to spread the floor. Allen-Eikens had a fantastic freshman season, if he improved his shooting from the arc in the off-season, look out.
MVP: Filip Rebraca (JR). Will likely become the primary focus of the Fighting Hawks offense this season and his already great numbers will show the positive effect of it. Rebraca is a polished big man and has high major size. Rebraca shot just over 10 shots per game last year and still averaged 14 ppg while shooting just shy of 60% from the field.
Could Surprise: Caleb Nero (SO). The Weber State transfer will likely join the starting backcourt. In a reserve role in his freshman year, Nero averaged 6.5 ppg but I think he will be asked to do much more in his first season in Grand Forks. UND finishes this well in the conference if Nero comes in and adds another high-quality scorer with Rebraca and Allen-Eikens.
4. South Dakota: As I was picking Omaha 6th I kept thinking why am I picking them 6th. It’s sort of the same thing for USD and 4th but for opposite reasons. 5 of their top 6 scorers gone and that is after a 3rd place finish last year. Not only did they lose 4 starters but 1st team all Summit forward Tyler Hagedorn was one of them. The reason I don’t think it will be much of a fall if any is Stanley Umude. He gets the keys and I think for the most part the offense runs through him and that is a good thing. There is a scenario Umude leads the Summit in scoring. Many are high on the transfers brought in this year, time will tell if the new pieces fit together.
MVP: Stanley Umude (SR). Not much else to say that hasn’t already been said, but Umude averaged almost 17 ppg while shooting 13 shots a game. The shot volume is likely to go up. He is a special talent and if he chooses to stay around. Coyote fans are in for a treat as he will get to return for another senior season as the NCAA has announced this year will not count as a year on your eligibility.
Could Surprise: Brady Heiman (SO). Nebraska transfer so high major pedigree. Sat out last year, great size, and the limited numbers seem to indicate Heiman could be a defensive presence with a significant role. Could Easily see Heiman shoot over 60% from the field and average double digits and dare I say maybe 2 blocks per game.
3. Oral Roberts: Oh ORU how I want to pick thee higher. However, there is the W quote about being fooled twice. There is a lot to like about the Golden Eagles in spite of some significant loss. Emmanuel Nzekwesi and Deondre Burns are significant losses. However, I feel like the replacements are there and we may just not know who yet. Maybe some of the big time ORU insiders knew what was coming with Max Abmas but most of us weren’t aware of what a special freshman season he would have. You combine Abmas, Junior Kevin Obanor, and Sophomore Deshang Weaver and there is a special core. Sophomore Elijah Lufile is a capable replacement for Nzekwesi down low and is 3* prospect Jamie Bergens just the next great player from the Netherlands.
MVP: Kevin Obanor (JR). This is the year Obanor becomes special, isn’t it? If the over/under is 16ppg this year, I am mashing the over. Obanor in two seasons has never put up more than 8.4 shots per game. I cannot see a way that doesn’t go up. Obanor is a special talent. If someone plays at the next level from this year’s Summit League, Obanor is the most likely. He has the tools to be a player of the year. All that said for whatever reason it has never quite clicked. This player of the year candidate has had times where you barely know he is there. I am betting on him this year.
Could Surprise: Deshang Weaver (SO). Many forget one of the reasons many were so excited about Oral Roberts last year, was that they remembered watching two especially talented freshmen in Weaver and Obanor the year before. A knee injury wiped out Weaver’s season and he redshirted. The 6’8 200lb G/F is back this year and I think he has a solid return. Remember Weaver who was good around the basket and handled the ball effectively for his size, shot 42% from 3 his freshman year.
2. North Dakota State: No one will say that it isn’t going to be hard to replace Vinnie Shahid, Tyson Ward, and Jared Samuelson. I for one loved what Ward brought to both ends of the floor. However, what we sometimes forget about programs like NDSU, is the guys who have waited for their time can play. They just didn’t get to show it because they were behind players like the 3 mentioned above. Sam Griesel and Jarius Cook could easily be two of those types of players. I tend to trust that after successfully bringing in Shahid from the JUCO level that Coach David Richman can do it again. Quite frankly, I feel like the Summit League and the fans in Fargo are lucky that Richman has not been lured away by a high major program.
MVP: Coach David Richman. This is a bit of a cop-out. If I were to pick a player I think it might be JUCO guard Donald Carter. He’s probably the most likely to win the PG job and he was a do-everything player prior to arriving in Fargo, but not a huge scorer at the JUCO level and not a great shooter. As I look at this team I am not sure who the Ward/Shahid type scorer is, so I am going with Coach Richman.
Could Surprise: Boden Skunberg (FR). The North Dakota Gatorade Player of the Year. Was an amazing scorer in high school and as I said above whose the big scorers on this team? However, the answer might be no one scores more than about 15 per game this year. I have a hard time making this pick because typically a freshman waits their turn at NDSU, but if someone is a volume scorer it could be Skunberg.
1. South Dakota State: The conference is theirs to lose. Basically, everyone returns from a team that won 13 conference games a year ago. There were some reserves that transferred, but all 5 starters and most key reserves return. Douglas Wilson, Matt Dentlinger, and Noah Freidel all are potential Summit 1st team players. Alex Arians is a perfect complement to those three with intensity, rebounding, and acts as the team’s swiss army knife. Barring injury or a team like ORU finding their potential, SDSU will be crowned this year.
MVP: Douglas Wilson (SR). This pick seems as logical as picking SDSU to win the conference. Wilson was last year’s Player of The Year, and it would be logical to say maybe he doesn’t take on as much of the scoring load this year but Wilson only averaged 12.3 shots per game last year while scoring 18.7ppg. That type of efficiency is almost unheard of. So I suppose the argument could be it’s unlikely for him to repeat that efficiency, but Wilson is still most likely to win Summit Player of the Year.
Could Surprise: Noah Freidel (SO). There’s a scenario where Freidel leads the Jackrabbits in scoring. Freidel finished his freshman campaign in impressive fashion, scoring 35 in the conference tournament loss to Purdue Fort Wayne. Scorers mentality and Freidel is an absolute master from behind the arc with the ability to consistently go to the basket. Now add a year of experience. Freidel likely averages at least 16 per game this year.
Now, who is ready to watch some actual basketball.