Little Rock Trojans
2020-2021 Overall Rank: #83
Conference Rank: #2 Sun Belt
Most expected Little Rock to need more time to develop under Coach Darrell Walker. In year one in 2018-2019, the Trojans went 10-21 and won just five Sun Belt games. Most expected a slight improvement. Instead, Coach Walker’s team went 21-10 and won the conference regular season title with a 15-5 record. With no impactful seniors on that roster, the Trojans should have been looking at 2019-2020 as a building year for bigger and better things to come in 2020-2021. With how well they performed last season, this could be a huge year for UALR.
2019-20 Record: 21-10, 15-5
Coach: Darrell Walker
Coach Record: 31-31 at Little Rock, 76-49 overall
Key Departed Players:
Jaizec Lottie, Guard, 6.4 ppg
Key Returning Players:
Markquis Nowell, Junior, Guard, 17.2 ppg
Ruot Monyyong, Senior, Forward, 11.9 ppg
Ben Coupet Jr, Senior, Guard, 11.2 ppg
Kamani Johnson, Junior, Forward, 11.0 ppg
Jovan Stulic, Sophomore, Guard, 5.5 ppg
Kris Bankston, Junior, Forward, 9.7 ppg
Nikola Maric, Junior, Forward, 8.4 ppg
Marko Lukic, Sophomore, Guard, 7.3 ppg
Isaiah Palermo, Sophomore, Guard, 3.1 ppg
Key New Players:
Marko Andric, Freshman, Guard
Yacine Toumi, Freshman, Guard/Forward
CJ White, Junior, Guard, Transfer from SMU, not eligible
Projection:
Markquis Nowell emerged as a superstar during his sophomore season, averaging 17.2 points, 4.9 assists and 2.2 steals. He knocked down 77 three-pointers at a 39.1 percent clip and has a great mid-range game too. And, despite his 5-7 frame, Nowell will get to the basket too. The backcourt also boasts senior Ben Coupet who added 11.2 points per game and is always a threat to hit the long ball. Jovan Stulic was mostly a glue guy as a freshman and he will likely play a similar role in 2020-2021. The frontcourt returns double digit scorers Ruot Monyyong and Kamani Johnson. Monyyong is also a beast on the other side of the floor, tallying 9.8 rebounds and 2.0 blocks. Nikola Maric was a starter two years ago, but missed half of last season. Whether starting or coming in off the bench, the 6-10 junior will be productive. Little Rock also welcomes back Kris Bankston, a part-time starter as a freshman and sophomore. Last year he played in only three games before suffering an injury, but his return will add a ridiculous amount of depth to the frontcourt. If this group picks up where they left off, Little Rock will be right in the mix for another Sun Belt title and NCAA Tournament berth.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NIT
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 73.2 (113th in nation, 4th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 69.4 (177, 6)
Field-Goal Percentage: 47.0 (27, 2)
Field-Goal Defense: 42.4 (151, 7)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.1 (283, 9)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 34.6 (107, 2)
Free-Throw Percentage: 71.0 (176, 8)
Rebound Margin: 3.0 (88, 2)
Assists Per Game: 14.9 (38, 2)
Turnovers Per Game: 15.5 (328, 11)
