Morehead State Eagles
2021-2022 Overall Rank: #120
Conference Rank: #4 Ohio Valley
A decade after upsetting Louisville in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Morehead State made their return last season. The result was not as memorable, losing to third seeded West Virginia 84-67, but it was still a very good season for the Eagles. Coach Preston Spradlin’s team took a big jump last season and now the goal will be to continue that success.
2020-21 Record: 23-8, 17-3
2020-21 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Preston Spradlin
Coach Record: 69-77 at Morehead State, 69-77 overall
Key Departed Players:
DeVon Cooper, Guard, 12.5 ppg
James Baker, Forward, 7.7 ppg
KJ Hunt, Guard, 6.9 ppg
Marcus Garrett, Guard, 1.4 ppg
Key Returning Players:
Johni Broome, Freshman, Forward, 13.8 ppg
Skyelar Potter, Junior, Guard, 12.0 ppg
Ta’lon Cooper, Sophomore, Guard, 8.2 ppg
Julius Dixon, Sophomore, Forward, 3.6 ppg
LJ Bryan, Junior, Forward, 2.7 ppg
Jaylen Sebree, Junior, Forward, 2.4 ppg
Drew Thelwell, Freshman, Guard, 0.9 ppg
Tyzhaun Claude, Sophomore, Forward, dnp last season
Key New Players:
Chris Cole, Freshman, Guard
Jaylon Hall, Junior, Forward, Transfer from Wright State
Tray Hollowell, Senior, Guard, Transfer from Wofford
Braden May, Freshman, Guard
Tucson Redding, Junior, Guard, JC Transfer
Jake Wolfe, Junior, Guard, Transfer from Lipscomb.
Projection:
Reigning OVC Freshman of the Year, Johni Broome, is back after leading the Eagles with 13.7 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.9 blocks. If he can use that experience to keep improving, Broome will be in for a big second season and Morehead State will be in for a big year as well. Skyelar Potter is the other starter returning. The 6-3 guard averaged 11.9 points and 5.8 rebounds and knocked down a team high 61 three-pointers last season. Ta’lon Cooper started 11 games as a sophomore and dished out a team high 3.6 assists per game and connected on 39.4 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc. Coach Spradlin will also welcome back Tyzhaun Claude, who missed last year with an injury. As a freshman two years ago, Claude started 19 games and averaged 9.5 points and 6.4 rebounds. Teamed up with Broome, Morehead State will have an extremely dangerous frontcourt. In order to add options on the wing and in the backcourt, four transfers are entering the mix. Jaylon Hall is a proven scorer from his days at Wright State. Tray Hollowell is another experienced player. Last year he averaged 11.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists at Wofford. It will not be easy to repeat the success of 2020-2021, but Coach Spradlin did a good job of bringing in some pieces to keep his group competitive in the Ohio Valley Conference.
Projected Postseason Tournament: CBI/CIT
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 68.8 (238th in nation, 8th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 64.1 (33, 1)
Field-Goal Percentage: 46.3 (58, 3)
Field-Goal Defense: 40.8 (37, 1)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.7 (234, 10)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 35.6 (85, 3)
Free-Throw Percentage: 68.0 (261, 8)
Rebound Margin: 6.5 (24, 1)
Assists Per Game: 12.8 (200, 10)
Turnovers Per Game: 15.4 (307, 10)
