Jaleni Neely Declared Ineligible

From the Arizona Daily Sun, Northern Arizona junior guard Jaleni Neely has been declared academically ineligible and will miss the remainder of the season.

The junior college transfer from Eastern Utah last played on Dec. 21 at Hampton, scoring 17 points, five rebounds and four assists in 35 minutes. Neely started nine of the 12 games he played this season, averaging 7.9 points, 2.8 assists and 2.8 rebounds in his first year for the Lumberjacks.

Neely was a shooting threat, having hit 35% of his threes, though really struggling inside the arc. He was not necessarily a natural PG, with a 19.1 Assist Rate vs a 24.2 TO Rate. Still, the Jacks were excited about him before the year, and this really hurts depth.

As the article notes, sophomore guard Chris Miller transferred a couple weeks ago, and NAU is slowly running out of bodies.They only played seven guys against Portland State yesterday, and eight against Sac State on Thursday.

One guy they will need to step up is freshman Tate de Laveaga, who had hardly played (save for a game against San Diego Christian) before Saturday. Against PSU, he played 21 minutes and did well, scoring five points, grabbing two rebounds, and not turning the ball over. He is a 6'3'' guard that in time will be a good shooter and also be able to create his own shot. Jack Murphy and NAU will need him to contribute sooner than they probably expected.

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Northern Arizona Outlook

It's time to get ready for the Big Sky season again with some overviews of each team this month, and then eventually we'll get into more detailed looks at everything.

What They Lost: Northern Arizona's rebuild seemed to be a year ahead of schedule last season, where they finished third in the Big Sky before falling to Northern Colorado in the Big Sky Tournament. They won't sneak up on anyone this year. They lose one guy of note, but it is a big loss. Max Jacobsen was one of the best inside scorers in the Big Sky the past couple of seasons, as the lefty was very skilled around the basket. He shot over 60% on twos last year, and it wasn't a case of a big man only dunking the ball. He averaged 12.3 PPG, and was a nice complement to NAU's excellent guards. Though the Jacks do have other big guys (who we'll get to), they don't have anyone with a similar skillset to Jacobsen.

Who Returns: As mentioned, NAU returns a lot of talent in the backcourt, and they may have the most talented trio of guards in the conference (though Sac State could make an argument). It starts with wing man Quinton Upshur, who would be a reasonable choice for preseason Big Sky POY this year. He was excellent in his first year, draining 38% of threes (on roughly 6 attempts per game), getting to the line, and being a solid finisher. He also had a 3.4% steal percentage, top 100 in the nation.

He is flanked in the backcourt by two guys that can play point guard. One of them is senior Aaseem Dixon. He does his best work off the ball, as he shot 36% from downtown on a lot of attempts. The more true point guard is sophomore Kris Yanku. Yanku shot just 38% on two-point attempts last year, but was adept at getting to the line (and shot 83%), and was one of the best distributors in the conference. He was never afraid of the moment as a freshman, and that moxie points to a bright future. It wouldn't be a surprise to see him lead the conference in assists and/or steals at some point in his career.

In the frontcourt, Gaellen Bewernick will be a senior, and it seems like he's been around forever. He's one of the most versatile players in the conference, and a very good rebounder for his size. He is a great glue guy. With the loss of Jacobsen, they need some big guys to step up, and they have the guys to do it. Jordyn Martin started to come into his own as a sophomore, shooting 65% from the floor and becoming one of the better offensive rebounders in the Big Sky. Ako Kaluna does a bit of everything, as an efficient scorer, rebounder, and surprisingly good ballhandler for someone his size. I think he is going to be their best big by the end of the year. Len Springs will also be in the mix. He is limited offensively, but is a very good rebounder and ridiculously good shot blocker. Combined, these guys are all capable of being good contributors.

Newcomers: One signee is combo guard Tate de Laveaga, who sat out his senior year but projects as an excellent shooter who is also able to create his own shot. He projects as a long-term partner to Kris Yanku in the backcourt. In the short term, JUCO guard Jaleni Neely played last year for Eastern Utah, averaging 14.4 PPG, 4.5 APG, and 4.1 RPG. He should provide good depth. Sophomore Geoffrey Frid is a seven footer who originally committed to Cal, before transfering to MiraCosta College last season. He averaged 16 points and 10 rebounds per game in conference play. He should be in the mix.

General Outlook: Northern Arizona can absolutely win the Big Sky this year, and they seemed to have taken a step above much of the rest of the conference when it comes to bringing in highly touted recruits. Jack Murphy has an established reputation as a great recruiter, and showed last year he is a great coach as well.  Their backcourt is one of the best in the Big Sky, and enough depth up front that they should be able to find production and create enough balance. They are among the top three favorites to win the title this year, and they should be considered one of the best programs in the Big Sky for the near future.

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Some Recent Commits

With everything going on in March (there was some big tournament), it looks like I missed a few commitments to Big Sky teams! Here is a look at some of the recent players that will be coming to a Big Sky arena near you in the coming years.

- Ajak Magot (Idaho State) - Magot is a 6'11'' center from Cochise College, and it looks like he will have two years of eligibility to go. He averaged 6.1 PPG and 4.9 RPG last year, and reportedly had a lot of DI offers on the table. One scouting report I found online had this to say -

Ajak Magot, 6-8 PF Tucson (Ariz.) Cholla. A long and slender post with very quick feet, Magot has a chance to be a terrific defender. He gets a lot of deflections and blocks, due to his long arms and surprising quickness. He's not much of an offensive threat at this time, but his tools are good enough that you take him regardless at the mid major level. And he might be worth a look higher.

I also found this old tweet from the Rocky Mountain Hoop Review from when he gave his verbal:

Cochise CC's Ajak Magot 6'11, lefty can run,block shots and rebound, gives verbal to Idaho St. Men's hoops on visit twitter.com/RMHoopReview/s…
— Michael Clay (@RMHoopReview) March 16, 2013

Bill Evans is a defensive coach first, and Magot has the chance to be a really good player along the back line for the Bengals. For a team that had a huge lack of depth up front, Magot is a nice signing for them.

- Jacob Drage (Northern Colorado) - Like Sage Burmeister at Idaho State, Drage committed to play both football and basketball, which gives you some insight into his athletic ability. He is a 6'7'', 200 pound prospect who also plays TE/DE in football. I wasn't really able to find out a ton more about his basketball stats for style of play, but he could be one to watch for the future with UNC with his athletic talent.

- Casey Oliverson (Southern Utah) -He apparently originally committed to play for Utah State, but spent last year at Salt Lake Community College (where he says his goal was to get a scholarship offer from the Aggies - and it looks like he may have committed to Dixie State at some point there there as well). It looks like he originally was going to go to USU, before he got his scholarship offer pulled, at least from the article I have read. But that is neither here nor there, as he is now a member of the Thunderbirds, according to his Rivals profile.

Oliverson looks to be a physical power forward with a high basketball IQ. He averaged eight points and five rebounds per game last year at SLCC, shooting 64% from the field in 19.4 minutes per game. It looks like he will have three years of eligibility remaining and should be a solid player down low for Nick Robinson - assuming he sticks around.

- Tate De Laveaga (Northern Arizona, Class of 2014) -Jack Murphy and the Jacks are already getting work done for the class of 2014, as they got a verbal commitment from 6'3'' combo guard Tate De Laveaga. He is a good shooter, and recently put on 15 pounds of muscle, according to the linked article. He is a smart player, but probably projects to be more of a two guard than a lead guard. He also had a offer from Hawaii, and interest from Big Sky schools Montana and Idaho State (among others). Here is a scouting report from Arizona Hoop Review:

De Laveaga is a tough, combo-guard prospect that is a winner and has always played at a high level amidst his age group and even older. Tate is capable of playing both guard positions on the floor, but is at this best from the shooting guard position where he is able to score the basketball at a high rate. Tate is also a deadly shooter with nice range on his shot, and is able to create his own shot off the dribble against defensive pressure. He has a quick release on his shot. A tenacious penetrator, Tate drives the basketball hard to the basket and is an excellent finisher for his size. Has a nice mid-range game, which sets up his drives to the basket and scoring opportunities for his teammates. An aggressive defender that forces turnovers. A good passer that sees the floor. More focus on making players around him better will allow for him to continue to develop as a point guard. A very good ball handler that can get to anywhere he wants on the floor. A very good looking combo-guard prospect for the mid-major division-I level currently, but could develop into a higher prospect.

Any other recruits I have missed?

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