West Liberty Hilltopper Basketball

[Columbuseer]

Fyi
indy got soph to be from Eastern ky
Heralded indiana hs player
3 yrs to play

Micah davis 6-2 172 lb guard

One of six finalists for 2024 Indiana Mr. Basketball … earned all-state honors as a senior in 2023-24 after averaging 25.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.8 steals per game while leading Franklin Community High School to an 18-5 record and a Class 4A Sectional Championship … shot 53 percent from the field, including 37.4 percent (43-for-115) from behind the 3-point line as a senior …

[Columbuseer]

Fyi
iu indy transfer in
Jaxon Edwards 6-5 195 lbs
1 yr to play

Well traveled
St. Bonaventure
Valpo
Murray state

Hs info
A McDonald’s All-America nominee following his senior season … led Cathedral to the 2021-22 Indiana 4A state championship … averaged 10.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists while hitting 3s at a 40.8 percent clip during his senior season …

[TopperNation]

I don't know when this turned into an IU Indy message board, lol.

[Columbuseer]

I don't know when this turned into an IU Indy message board, lol.

Thought on a slow day, some might be interested in how our successful former coach and alumnus might be doing in recruiting to the system at D1 level. I will no longer post these FYI stuff on this board.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Thought on a slow day, some might be interested in how our successful former coach and alumnus might be doing in recruiting to the system at D1 level. I will no longer post these FYI stuff on this board.

It's interesting to watch how a coach takes over a new team in June and builds it.

Most people think the transfers are picked clean by early June but that's far from the truth. Now, are the 'leftovers' left over for a reason? Some. But, you have a lot of the 'job hoppers' still looming out there.

There is amazingly even still a lot of unsigned high school players (kids with actual offers).

The interesting thing about the 'system' is it can actually be a great fit for players who may not be a great fit in more conventional styles.

That said, I'd feel a whole heck of a lot better about Ben being able to whip up a quick D2 team than a quick D1 team.

IU Indy isn't Kentucky. He's going to be afforded some time. He's going to need some actual size at that level. Implementing actual bigs (not the 6'6" variety) into that pace of play will be interesting to see. Good bigs that can run like that aren't playing at IU Indy. They are in the SEC.

[boatcapt]

It's interesting to watch how a coach takes over a new team in June and builds it.

Most people think the transfers are picked clean by early June but that's far from the truth. Now, are the 'leftovers' left over for a reason? Some. But, you have a lot of the 'job hoppers' still looming out there.

There is amazingly even still a lot of unsigned high school players (kids with actual offers).

The interesting thing about the 'system' is it can actually be a great fit for players who may not be a great fit in more conventional styles.

That said, I'd feel a whole heck of a lot better about Ben being able to whip up a quick D2 team than a quick D1 team.

IU Indy isn't Kentucky. He's going to be afforded some time. He's going to need some actual size at that level. Implementing actual bigs (not the 6'6" variety) into that pace of play will be interesting to see. Good bigs that can run like that aren't playing at IU Indy. They are in the SEC.

You are correct...There are plenty of unsigned players in the portal. But do they fill all the CURRENT WLU Style blocs (3 pt killer, high motor defender, skilled ball handler that can beat his is opponent off the dribble, float down the lane and slam it home...Oh, has to have a high "Basketball IQ" and be very selfless as well)? I don't think those types of players are in abundance. So what you are left with is players with some sort of hole(s) in their game that has left them unsigned by the other 650 D1/DII programs out there. Can you get a number of the trates you want? Quite possibly, but I just don't think you are going to be able to fill your roster with "5-tool" players at this point. So how do you prioritize what you can "do without" and what is is an absolute "must have?"

As I said previously, the WLU Style has operated in the past with entire teams made up of players that didn't tick all the blocks. We (and other's that run the WLU Style) didn't go away from those type of players because we were losing...we went away to the more athletic/positionless players because the coach(s) decided we needed to to improve our Tourney prospects. There is zero actual evidence that a team running the WLU Style but with "old school" type players would not win. There are probably more of those type players available right now because no one really recruits them.

[Columbuseer]

Fyi
Max Hurray, leading scorer in North Catholic history and 1st team 4A all state PA coming to wlu. 3 yrs to play.

Following the recent coaching change, I have decided to transfer to West Liberty University. I am grateful to everyone at Coker University for their support and guidance this past year. I would like to thank Coach Lamberti for this opportunity. Go Hilltoppers!#Committed

[Layton]

There was another Coker player coming too Dean maybe

[Topper_Hopper]

Fyi
Max Hurray, leading scorer in North Catholic history and 1st team 4A all state PA coming to wlu. 3 yrs to play.

Excellent pick-up. 38% from three as a freshmen on over 170 attempts.

[Columbuseer]

Fyi
Judd Coan 6-8 39.6% 3fg. 1 yr to play
After recent coaching changes, I’ve made the decision to transfer to West Liberty University. I’m thankful for my time at Coker and for everyone who’s supported me along the way. Huge thanks to Coach Lamberti for believing in me and this opportunity.

[Topper_Hopper]

There was another Coker player coming too Dean maybe

I don't see a Dean on their 2024-2025 roster. Is he an incoming freshman?

[Layton]

I don't see a Dean on their 2024-2025 roster. Is he an incoming freshman?

Judd Coan

[boatcapt]

Howlett took the following additional WLU commits:

Corey Boston. Decommit 2025 transfer from Concord
Micha Davis. Decommit 2025 Freshman
Rece Haggy. Decommit 2025 transfer from Air Force prep

In addition to Woodard, Daugustino and Dragas, that's six players from West Liberty. Howlett's style is to have 12 players on the roster so fully half of his first year roster is made up of former Toppers. Don't want to hear about giving him time to build a roster that knows how to play the WLU Style. He could have hit the portal and unsigned High School ranks and brought in the plethora of players that can play in the WLU Style that, apparently, are still out there...but after at least four months of review of the players in the portal, he decided the only way to be successful this late in the recruting cycle was to take players from the DII team he just left.

Effectively what we will be witnessing is a DII Elite 8 team playing in a lower level D1 Conference. We hear every year about how DII team X gave big time D1 powerhouse "all they could handle" during a scrimmage...Implying that DII players and teams are "just as good" as top tier P5 schools. Well we are about to see if a team made-up of players from a DII power can consistently beat lower D1 teams.

[Columbuseer]

Micah davis was a freshman at Eastern Kentucky from greenwood IN.

Aiden Davis from steubenville is an incoming freshman and remains committed to wlu

I had not seen any info on Corey Boston coming to wlu. That would be surprising, as he is out of d2 eligibility. He could only transfer to a d1 school due to prior community college years not counting against d1 eligibility.

Reece Hagy from AFA prep and aiden miller from point park decommitted and went to Indy.

Only 3 players have experience at wlu. In an interview, coach Howlett said they will be used to accelerate the transition to the wlu style and get players to realize how much harder players must play in this style.

[Topper_Hopper]

Effectively what we will be witnessing is a DII Elite 8 team playing in a lower level D1 Conference.

Eh... sort of. That's three players from the WLU roster that went 30-5 and lost by a possession to the eventual national runner-up.