Danny Cheek and Josh Lepley Are No Longer on NAU Roster

The tumultuous offseason for Northern Arizona continues.As friend of bigskybball MTJack has pointed out, Danny Cheek and Josh Lepley are no longer listed on the Northern Arizona roster.

NAU is already losing James Douglas and Colin Gruber to transfer (as well as a couple walk-ons), and now they will be without a couple more. Safe to say things will be looking a lot different this year in Flagstaff.

Cheek was a guy that looked to have a really bright future, as he came into NAU relatively highly touted. He was billed as being a plus athlete for the Big Sky level with the ability to attack the rim, and the ability to be a good defender. However, things never developed his freshman year, and he didn't get a ton of playing time and didn't flash that ability. Still, I was pretty excited to see his future in the conference, and see what he would be able to do with some different coaching. It is a shame he has moved on.

The other guy on the move is Josh Lepley, who has been in the headlines a couple times over the past year, but all for things off of the court. He was dismissed from the team last year by then coach Mike Adras, for "actions and behaviors not conducive to what the program is about." According to commenters I had at the time, that seemed to stem from a general unhappiness that Lepley (and others) had with Coach Adras. That seemed to potentially be vindicated a bit after Adras was forced out and Lepley rejoined the team. I am unsure why he is transferring now.

Whenever there is a new head coach, there is often a bit of housecleaning involved. This appears to be a major one going on in Northern Arizona right now.

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Where Will Northern Arizona Get Frontcourt Production?

Back when we looked at how Northern Arizona would (try to) replace Cameron Jones, we looked at the backcourt. But perhaps the even bigger question that that is... where will they get frontcourt production?

At 6'7'', Shane Johannsen was their best frontcourt player, as he was one of the most efficient players in the country. He had the best EFG% in the country, thanks to his ridiculously good 117/161 (72.7%) shooting from the field. Yes, that is correct... he shot 72.7% from the flooer. For his career he shot 69.5% from the field. That is not a typo. Oh yeah, Johannsen was also their best rebounder (22.2 DR%), and one of the best shot blockers in the country. He will be dearly missed.

One guy that will be relied upon is Austin Smith, who was a solid performer in a fairly limited role last year (he only played 12.6 minutes per game). He was also an efficient scorer, shooting 61% from the field, and with 11.1% of ORebounds coming his way, he can generate some extra possessions for the Lumberjacks. If he can keep his efficiency up, and maybe pull down a few more defensive rebounds (13.8 DR% last year), he will be a factor for them. He will be a junior this season.

After Smith, it is difficult to project. Josh Lepley would have had a role for them, but he was dismissed from the team earlier this year. It seems likely that JUCO big man Max Jacobsen will have a role as well. He scored 22 points and grabbed 8 rebounds per game last season, so he has shown he can be productive at the JUCO level. “We are excited to get him,” said Head Coach Mike Adras. “He is a great student. We see him as someone who can score and play in the low post. He can score around the basket and also step out and shoot a 15-footer and make shots.”

There are a few other possibilities, but it's difficult to tell how playing time will shake out. Ephraim Ekanem will get a look after coming over from Irvine Valley College. He averaged about 8 points and 6 rebounds a game last year, but he is a big, bruising body, who could give Adras some minutes. Ryan Schaefer sat out last season after having knee surgery, but at 6'9'' he will get a look. And then Gaellen Bewernick was a redshirt last season, but he is a forward at 6'6''. He is in the mold of a lot of guys that have success at the college level... undersized, but has a knack for rebounding and is athletic enough to be difficult to defend.

Mike Adras typically has some smaller teams, and that will be no different this season. After losing Shane Johannsen, there is a lot of uncertainty in the frontcourt. He has some options, but it is tough to say (other than Austin Smith) who will see the most playing time.

Who do you guys see as getting the most minutes?

Josh Lepley Dismissed From Northern Arizona

This news is a little old, but still noteworthy.

Northern Arizona's reserve forward Josh Lepley was dismissed from the team. From AZ Daily Sun:

"He's been dismissed for actions and behaviors that are not conducive to what our program is about," Adras said. "I wish him good luck, but he's not going to be a part of this (program) anymore."

Last season he averaged 2.4 points and 1.9 rebounds per game in about 7 minutes, but it seems like he could have played a bigger role in the upcoming season.

At 6'10'', he was the tallest player to get any real minutes last season. His 19.2 DR% was second highest on the team, and easily the highest of any returnee. In addition, with 5 graduating seniors, he would have had a chance to earn solid minutes as a senior. I'm sure they will adjust just fine, but he would have been a solid rotation player.

Now, let's just hope he can get his head and straight and use this to become a better person.