2025 Basketball Portal

[bghkyfan74]

Heard some good news today: Sam Towns is now expected to return for his last year of eligibility. The staff was able to convince him to stay for one more year. Those returning: Towns, Spurgin, Squire, Pardon, Khayat, Humphrey.

[hammb]

Towns and Khayat are nice "gets" and I believe Humphrey to be a high quality Mac reserve guard as well.

Hopefully we'll find some starting guards in the portal.

[guest44]

If Towns were able to stay healthy and play a full season he has the ability to be an All MAC player especially now that his shot has improved. The health is always the big IF. Simon will find scorers. He's proven he can find gems at the JUCO level. He will be able offer plenty of minutes and shots.

[mbenecke]

If Towns were able to stay healthy and play a full season he has the ability to be an All MAC player especially now that his shot has improved. The health is always the big IF. Simon will find scorers. He's proven he can find gems at the JUCO level. He will be able offer plenty of minutes and shots.

guest44 optimism? In this economy?

[guest44]

If Towns were able to stay healthy and play a full season he has the ability to be an All MAC player especially now that his shot has improved. The health is always the big IF. Simon will find scorers. He's proven he can find gems at the JUCO level. He will be able offer plenty of minutes and shots.

guest44 optimism? In this economy?

Optimism without NIL money = 4th place finish is the realistic ceiling and hope a new team each year finds something like Robert Morris did in the Horizon this past year.

[mbenecke]

If Towns were able to stay healthy and play a full season he has the ability to be an All MAC player especially now that his shot has improved. The health is always the big IF. Simon will find scorers. He's proven he can find gems at the JUCO level. He will be able offer plenty of minutes and shots.

guest44 optimism? In this economy?

Optimism without NIL money = 4th place finish is the realistic ceiling and hope a new team each year finds something like Robert Morris did in the Horizon this past year.

After how tough this year was with all the injuries, I'd gladly take a top 4 finish with a shot at doing something in Cleveland.

It's tough. We had some momentum after 2023-2024 when we won 20 games and got to the semis in Cleveland. And I thought this past year would build on that, but it never had a chance to get going with everyone getting hurt. Here's hoping we get right back to where we were, and where I believe we would have been if healthy this year.

[guest44]

If Towns were able to stay healthy and play a full season he has the ability to be an All MAC player especially now that his shot has improved. The health is always the big IF. Simon will find scorers. He's proven he can find gems at the JUCO level. He will be able offer plenty of minutes and shots.

guest44 optimism? In this economy?

Optimism without NIL money = 4th place finish is the realistic ceiling and hope a new team each year finds something like Robert Morris did in the Horizon this past year.

After how tough this year was with all the injuries, I'd gladly take a top 4 finish with a shot at doing something in Cleveland.

It's tough. We had some momentum after 2023-2024 when we won 20 games and got to the semis in Cleveland. And I thought this past year would build on that, but it never had a chance to get going with everyone getting hurt. Here's hoping we get right back to where we were, and where I believe we would have been if healthy this year.

Let's be honest a healthy version of that team wasn't going to beat Akron or probably finish top 4. Some of the pieces didn't fit and others were total whiffs. Losing the guys this year certainly isn't losing Hill and Agee.

[mbenecke]

That's fair. I won't argue that we would've won the MAC.

But I do think we could have been closer to the top 5 or 6 MAC team that we were predicted to be at the start of the year, as opposed to the team that hung out in 10th or 11th most of the year and needed an NIU over CMU upset to get to Cleveland in the first place, just to lose by 30 once we got there.

[jpfalcon09]

Humphrey and Exacte are in the portal.

[guest44]

They join Toledo, Central Michigan, Buffalo, and Western Michigan with very little left. That's college basketball.

[jpfalcon09]

They join Toledo, Central Michigan, Buffalo, and Western Michigan with very little left. That's college basketball.

And without a focused NIL effort, waiting for table scraps to fill out a roster will probably lead to another frustrating season.

[guest44]

Literally no NIL effort. I think the strategy becomes waiting. More players in the portal than roster spots given the extra eligibility handed out. Agents know Simon has gotten players paid quickly, so once the money dries up you sell playing time and a chance to make the money the following year. That's the reality. Now, someone should try to get the Frack money flipped to NIL, but who knows what that money is actually being used for.

[Falconwriter]

Humphrey and Exacte are in the portal.

Will the last one out the door please turn off the lights?

[guest44]

Don’t be surprised if Felt lands at Akron. Akron just lost center to the portal and that ramped up instantly.

[bghkyfan74]

It is hard to compete in this landscape with what we can afford. Analysts on X have said that bench players at high major schools are earning at least $200K. If they aren't transferring high major, they are transferring somewhere where the NIL budget is more than $50K that it is with us. Johnson was the highest paid player last year at $20K...