This article is part of our Conference Preview series.
There is something sad about seeing a dynasty die. Calling Middle Tennessee State a Conference USA dynasty might be a little strong, especially when they did not make the NCAA Tournament last year. However, the Blue Raiders had more success in both the regular season and the Big Dance than any other team. Coach Kermit Davis returned to the SEC at Ole Miss and the MTSU roster does not look as powerful as past seasons. Coach Nick McDevitt had success and UNC-Asheville, but it will take a few seasons for him to put a stamp on the program via recruiting.
It may be Western Kentucky's time to step into the light. Rick Stansbury has always been an excellent recruiter and it looks like he has brought another excellent player to Bowling Green in center Charles Bassey. The problem has been that the results rarely equal the talent. At Mississippi State, Stansbury took the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament six times, but they never made it past the second round. This year's Hilltoppers should be the favorite to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013.
Center: Elbert Robinson III, Old Dominion Monarchs
Other than Bassey, there is a dearth of centers in Conference USA. Perhaps Robinson will be able to use his size (7-foot-1, 290) at Old Dominion to his advantage after three quiet years coming off the bench at LSU. Robinson never player more than 9.3 minutes, which he did in 2015-16 when he played next
There is something sad about seeing a dynasty die. Calling Middle Tennessee State a Conference USA dynasty might be a little strong, especially when they did not make the NCAA Tournament last year. However, the Blue Raiders had more success in both the regular season and the Big Dance than any other team. Coach Kermit Davis returned to the SEC at Ole Miss and the MTSU roster does not look as powerful as past seasons. Coach Nick McDevitt had success and UNC-Asheville, but it will take a few seasons for him to put a stamp on the program via recruiting.
It may be Western Kentucky's time to step into the light. Rick Stansbury has always been an excellent recruiter and it looks like he has brought another excellent player to Bowling Green in center Charles Bassey. The problem has been that the results rarely equal the talent. At Mississippi State, Stansbury took the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament six times, but they never made it past the second round. This year's Hilltoppers should be the favorite to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013.
Center: Elbert Robinson III, Old Dominion Monarchs
Other than Bassey, there is a dearth of centers in Conference USA. Perhaps Robinson will be able to use his size (7-foot-1, 290) at Old Dominion to his advantage after three quiet years coming off the bench at LSU. Robinson never player more than 9.3 minutes, which he did in 2015-16 when he played next to Ben Simmons. He played significant minutes in the first five games of that season and even had a 10-point game in a win over South Alabama. He sat out last season for medical reasons and transferred after graduating in May. With the Monarchs, Robinson should start and lead the team in rebounding and shot blocking.
Also Considered: Charles Bassey, Western Kentucky; Isaiah Rhyanes, UTEP; Mark Tikhonenko, North Texas; Karlis Silins, Florida Atlantic; Jailan Haslem, Charlotte
Freshman: Charles Bassey, Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
Stansbury has the ability to pull recruiting rabbits out of his hat. Bassey may be just the latest and he may also be the greatest. The 6-10 center has excellent athleticism. He played last year with Aspire Basketball Academy in Louisville, so his proximity to Western Kentucky helped Stansbury lure the big man to Hilltopper country. Bassey reclassified to play a year early. WKU will need to replace the frontcourt production of Justin Johnson and Dwight Coleby. Bassey should combine with Auburn transfer Desean Murray to form the best frontcourt duo in the conference. Taveion Hollingsworth and Josh Anderson provide perimeter support so that opponents can't pack the paint on Bassey.
Also Considered: Dalano Banton, Western Kentucky; Umoja Gibson, North Texas; Ryan Boyce, UAB; Kalu Ezikpe, Old Dominion
Scoring: Jon Elmore, Marshall Thundering Herd
After two very nice seasons, Elmore broke through in 2017-18. He led the Thundering Herd to the NCAA Tournament where they knocked off Wichita State in the first round. With Elmore at the wheel of the Dan D'Antoni offense, Marshall zipped to the sixth fastest offense in the country. All of those extra possessions allowed Elmore to amass 22.7 points, 6.8 assists, and 5.8 rebounds. He submitted a pair of triple-doubles in overtime wins against Ohio and UAB. Elmore and C.J. Burks (20.1 points) should be among the top scoring backcourts in the country, but the questions for Marshall will focus on the frontcourt. The team will need to replace Ajdin Penava.
Also Considered: Roosevelt Smart, North Texas; Jihvan Jackson, UT-San Antonio; C.J. Burks, Marshall; Jon Davis, Charlotte; Cortez Edwards, Southern Miss; Brian Beard, Florida International
Rebounding: Byron Frohnen, UT-San Antonio Roadrunners
After just two years, the 6-6 Frohnen is already the ninth leading rebounder in UTSA school history. He has two years of eligibility remaining and should be on the upswing in his junior season. Last year, Frohnen led the team with 7.2 rebounds and grabbed at least 10 boards seven times. He did not have a double-double until the Conference USA tournament where he had consecutive dub-dubs (in a win over UTEP and a loss against Marshall). The forward converted 53.4 percent of his field goals and he should be more of a factor on offense as a secondary scorer next to Jhivvan Jackson (18.4 points).
Also Considered: Charles Bassey, Western Kentucky; Cortez Edwards, Southern Miss; B.J. Stith, Old Dominion; Najee Garvin, Charlotte
Assists: Ahmad Caver, Old Dominion Monarchs
While MTSU, Western Kentucky, and Marshall garnered most of the headlines coming from Conference USA last year, the Monarchs flew in the lofty air of the top of the standings. After Elmore, Caver was the second most productive point guard in the conference and there is little reason to think he will slow down as a senior. The 6-2 guard led ODU with 14.2 points (tied with fellow guard B.J. Stith) and provided 6.2 assists and 2.3 steals. He doled out at least 10 assists five times, including a season-high 12 in the December win over Richmond. The Monarchs had little use for a backup point guard because Caver played all available minutes 17 times.
Also Considered: Jon Elmore, Marshall; Brian Beard, Florida International; Jon Davis, Charlotte; Tyree Griffin, Southern Miss
Sleepers
Antonio Green, Middle Tennesee State Blue Raiders
McDevitt will be able to form his rotation in his own style because there is only one returning Blue Raider who played more than 10 minutes per game (senior forward Karl Gamble). Green transferred from Texas-Rio Grande Valley where he hit 111 3-pointers in 2016-17. The 6-2 guard led the team with 16.7 points and converted his long-range shots at a 37.2 percent clip. With MTSU looking for a lead scorer, Green can slide into the role and start bombing away. Green facilitated the Vaquero offense as a freshman and meted out 3.0 assists. If forward Reggie Scurry, a transfer from Missouri State, is eligible, he should also be monitored.
Zack Bryant, UAB Blazers
Chris Cokley has moved on after a great four-year career with the Blazers, so Bryant will have to step up. The Blazers' second leading scorer last season had a great freshman season. He averaged 13.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 32.0 minutes. If Bryant can knock down better than 31.9 percent of his 3-pointers, he could be among the top scorers in the conference. He was only held to single-digit scoring six times and had a season-high 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting from the field in the Conference USA tournament win over Florida Atlantic. With Cokley gone, Bryant can graduate to superstar status.
Also Considered: Reggie Scurry, Middle Tennessee State; Jahmiah Simmons, North Texas; Dominic Magee, Southern Miss; Marcus Burwell, Florida International; Evan Gilyard, UTEP
TOP 10
1. Jon Elmore, Marshall
2. Charles Bassey, Western Kentucky
3. Jon Davis, Charlotte
4. Ahmad Caver, Old Dominion
5. Cortez Edwards, Southern Miss
6. Ryan Woolridge, North Texas
7. Zack Bryant, UAB
8. C.J. Burks, Marshall
9. Desean Murray, Western Kentucky
10. Jihvvan Jackson, UTSA
