Top Departing Players: Just Missed the Top 20

With the throes of the offseason all around us, I thought it would be fun to take a look at the 20 best players that are departing from the Big Sky, either due to graduating, declaring for the draft, or transferring. First, let’s look at a few guys that just barely missed the cut.

Tremayne Johnson (Eastern Washington) – Before the season, I thought he was poised to have a breakout year, but things just didn’t work out that way under Jim Hayford. His scoring and rebounding dropped from 10.0 and 5.1 per game (respectively) in 2010-11 down to 6.4 and 3.9 per game last season. His shooting percentages plummeted as well, down to 35% for the season. He never could get consistent minutes every night with Cliff Ederaine and Laron Griffin starting (more on them later in this list), and Jordan Hickert also battling for minutes. Things just didn’t really work out in his senior year.

Abner Moreira (Idaho State) – He was in a tough spot, because he was called on to play a ton of minutes (almost 34 minutes per game) simply because the Bengals didn’t really have any other big men that were reliable. Of the guys that missed the cut, he is the one that I have the most doubts about (meaning, he could have easily made the top 20). He was a dependable rebounder and defender, averaging 7.2 boards per game. He didn’t provide a ton offensively. He had a big impact for ISU and will be missed, but I think that was partially due to his talent, and partially due to the lack of other impact frontcourt players on ISU’s roster last season.

Nate Lozeau (Portland State) – During the non-conference portion of the year, it seemed like Lozeau had the chance to be an all-conference player. He scored double digits in points in nine of the first eleven games of the year. Unfortunately, he only did that three more times the rest of the season. He was an efficient player when he was on the court, but he simply had little impact on the Vikings during the most important times of the year, which is why he was not able to make the top 20.

Matt Massey (Southern Utah) – Massey obviously wasn’t part of the Big Sky last year, but he graduated from SUU, who will be joining the Big Sky. In 27 minutes per game, he averaged 8.7 PPG and 4.0 RPG, and was a solid frontcourt rotation player. He didn't shoot a ton, but was an efficient 53% inside the arc (and 78% from the stripe) when he did. He was an average rebounder, however, with just a 13.6 DR%, not that good for a big man. He was solid for three years, and will be missed by the T-Birds.

What are your thoughts on these guys?

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Kenny McGowen is Mr. Clutch

Within a week, Kenny McGowen has transformed from being a solid senior guard for Idaho State to a guy that the other team does not want to see with the ball in his hands late in the game.

Last Saturday he hit the buzzer beater to shock Weber State, and on Thursday night against Montana State, he was up to it again.

In regulation, it was McGowen that drained a 27 footer with 15 seconds left to give ISU a 77-75 lead. On the ensuing possession, Rod Singleton found Tre Johnson for a dunk, tying the game and eventually sending it into overtime. In the extra frame, with the Bengals trailing 86-85, it was McGowen that drove to the lane and scored a reverse layup with 10.3 seconds left to give ISU the 87-86 lead.

Then, it was almost MSU's chance for magic:

The Bobcats got a desperation last chance at the win: an inbounds play under their own basket with one-tenth of a second left in the game. Sophomore forward Tre Johnson, whose dunk with 4.2 seconds left took the game into overtime, rose up for the inbounds pass and tapped it toward the rim.

The ball went towards the orange cylinder, arcing ever so slightly. Then the Bobcats' golden egg broke as the ball hit the back of the rim and bounded out, giving the Bengals an 87-86 victory.

It ended a wild game in Bozeman that saw Idaho State open up a 20 point lead in the first half, MSU crawl back to have a five-point lead with 2:48 to go in regulation, and lead by as many as four in overtime. It was a back-and-forth, thrilling game, which has become the norm for Idaho State recently.

McGowen led the Bengals with 30 points, including making 7/14 from downtown. Chase Grabau chipped in 16 points, while Abner Moreira had 14 and 7.

For the Bobcats, they struggled at the line (20/31) and in getting stops at key moments. But they did have some players make big plays. Xavier Blount led the team with 24 points and 8 rebounds, while Christian Moon chipped in 22 points (and 6 treys), as he was excellent in the second half. Tre Johnson (11 and 9) and Jourdain Allou (13 and 12) had their names called very often, as they were active throughout the game.

Montana State falls to 11-10 overall, 6-4 in the Big Sky, while Idaho State improbably improves to 8-14 overall, and also 6-4 overall. The team that everyone thought would finish at the bottom of the Big Sky (myself included), has now won four straight games, is tied for third in the conference, and has become must-see viewing for followers of the Big Sky.

Basketball sure is great.

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Article on Abner Moreira

There was a nice article in the Idaho State Sports Journal about senior F Abner Moreira:

Abner Moreira never picked up a basketball until he was 15 years old.

Growing up in Brazil, he spent his time swimming, playing hand ball and soccer. The now 6-foot-9 senior forward for Idaho State played goal keeper during his time on the pitch.

Over the course of time, his friends eventually talked him into picking up hoops. That move has turned out to pay dividends for Moreira as basketball has allowed him to get an education in the United States.

Check out the whole article and learn about one of the best rebounders in the Big Sky.

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The Importance of Jakub Kusmieruk For Idaho State

He will be the tallest player in the Big Sky next season, and how good he is will have a huge impact on Joe O'Brien's coaching prospects. And I am guessing that most Big Sky fans have no idea who he is (before this post).

His name is Jakub Kusmieruk, and he is a 7'4'' big man that will be suiting up for Idaho State after sitting out last season. He played his first two years at Central Florida before transferring to Pocatello.

In his two seasons in Conference USA, he did not do a ton. In his last season there, he scored 1.8 PPG and pulled down 1.3 RPG in 6 minutes per game. Probably all you need to know about his time there is that in the one paragraph blurb about his time there on Idaho State's website, this appears:

in four minutes in the home win over Rice, scored three points and blocked a shot

If that is one of the highlights of his two years, he did not make a big impact. But no matter, reports about him are good and Coach O'Brien is high on his prospects. O'Brien says:

There's nothing gimmicky about Kusmieruk's role on the team. O'Brien believes his mere presence on the floor will command double teams, thus freeing up other players for open looks. And the coach thinks the big guy is pretty effective with the ball in his hands, too. Conditioning should not be a problem, either; Kusmierek has slimmed down considerably since arriving at Idaho State last year weighing 315 pounds.

"He's down to about 257 now," O'Brien said during a late August interview. "If we can keep him on the court something pretty close to 25 minutes a night, I think that's going to be huge for us."

At 7'4'', it's hard not to think that he could have a big impact on games if he can stay out of foul trouble and stay conditioned well. Defensively, he will certainly make teams think twice about taking it to the rim. Plus, it is not hard to imagine him and Abner Moreira being one of the best rebounding duos in the Conference.

Offensively, we will have to wait and see. If he really has enough skill to draw double teams, that will create some room for Idaho State shooters, which will be a huge boost to the offense (Idaho State was not a good outside shooting team last year). If Kusmieruk can become one of the better posts in the Big Sky, then maybe (just maybe) Idaho State will have a chance to be playing in the Big Sky Tournament.

Bengals fans, what are you hearing/expecting from Kusmieruk?

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Idaho State's Frontcourt Production

When Deividas Busma exhausted his eligibility, Idaho State lost not only one of their two best players, they lost their best (and the cynic in me would say only) inside scorer from last season. Who will fill the void left by Busma?

One guy that will try to step in is Abner Moreira, who will be entering his senior year. He was the best rebounder on the team last year, and that should certainly continue. He shot a respectable 45% from the field, but that could stand to improve. He is decent at getting to the FT line, which is great, because he shot 80% from there last season.

After Moreira, no returning post got regular minutes last year, which leaves a lot of uncertainty. Jakub Kusmierak will get some PT for a couple of reasons. One, he has some D1 experience, having spent his freshman year at UTEP. Second, he is 7'4''. Kusmieruk will have a chance to earn consistent minutes for the Bengals.

Nobody else on the roster is taller than 6'8'', so they might have to play small for long stretches. Dejan Kostur from Australia will get a chance to be in the rotation, but he averaged just 8 PPG and 4 RPG last season (for a very good JUCO team.

Brandon Glanz is 6'6'', but he did averaged 17 RPG his senior year of high school (not a typo), so he figures to be able to play in the post a bit. He redshirted last season. Then there is Garrett Swanson, also at 6'7'', but he is more of a perimeter player than a post. He will have a role on the team though, as he can drain it from outside. If you are interested, he's got a lot of highlight videos.

Bengals fans, who do you see having the biggest role in the post this year? Am I forgetting anyone?

How Will Idaho St Replace Broderick Gilchrist and Deividas Busma?

We are talking about replacing stars this week, and the next team to look at is Idaho State. They had one of the worst teams in the Big Sky last season, finishing 9-20 on the year with a 4-12 conference record. They accomplished this by being one of the worst defensive teams in the country (Opponents had an ORtg of 111.7 against, 311th worst in the nation), and being not that much better offensively (44.6 EFG%, 318th in the country).

To add insult to ineffectiveness, they will be losing arguably their two players in Broderick Gilchrist and Deividas Busma, both Big Sky Honorable Mention selections a season ago. So how will they replace them and fill their event space?

Gilchrist was their leader last year, playing a team high 35. minutes per game, though he had a bit of a disappointing senior year after a stellar junior campaign. He was not a very efficient player, shooting 45.6% on 2s and 32.9% from 3s. He dominated the ball but had more turnovers than assists. But he will be important to replace simply because he played so much.

The onus on replacing him, it seems, will fall on two different guys. One is Kenny McGowen. McGowen had the second highest shot rate on the team, so he will be able to take over that role for Gilchrest! He also needs to improve efficiency in all facets offensively... he had very similar ARate and TORate to Gilchrest, and his shooting percentages were slightly lower. He shot more 3s than 2s, so it will be interesting to see if he can get into the paint more next year.

The other guy is newcomer Melvin Morgan, a JUCO Transfer from Mississippi. Morgan averaed 15.9 PPG while dishing out 3.4 APG, and looks to have a great chance to start from Day 1. Says coach Joe O'Brien:

“Melvin gives us our best true point guard we've recruited since we've been here,” O'Brien said. “He is a guy we have been watching since high school and someone who looks to pass first and score second. His stock really went up this year.”

Look for Morgan to take over primary ball-handling responsibilities, and the fate of the Bengals may rest in his hands.

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Busma was a 7-footer, so it will be a little more difficult to find someone to replicate that. He led the team in rebounding per game, and was one of the better shot blockers in the conference (with 56 on the season).

Abner Moreira will be counted on to pick up a lot of the rebounding slack, and he seems to be up to the ask. At 6'9'', he had the best rebounding rate on the team last season. He was also solid at getting to the FT line, and was an 80% shooter once he got there. He will be heavily relied on down low in his senior season.

After that, there is uncertainty. Brandon Glanz redshirted last year and should be in the mix, but at 6'6'' is a bit of a tweener. Jakub Kusmeriak sat out last year after transferring from Central Florida, and at 7'4'' figures to get some good run. In his last year at UCF, he averaged 1.8 PPG and 1.3 RPG in 6 MPG. He will likely be in line for some solid minutes. Incoming players Dejan Kotsur and Garrett Swanson could have a role, but I am not sure how that will play out.

The good news for Idaho State is that things can't get much worse than last season. The bad news is that I'm not sure they're going to get a whole lot better.

Would love to hear any Idaho State fans chime in on how they see these guys getting replaced.