Two years ago, Ben McCollum took a handful of Division-II players with him to Drake from Northwest Missouri State. It was thought to be somewhat of a rebuilding year for the Bulldogs who had lost head coach Darian DeVries to West Virginia, but we know that wasn’t close to reality. Bennett Stirtz, Tavion Banks, Mitch Mascari, Daniel Abreu and Isaiah Jackson all played key parts in winning 31 games in their lone season in Des Moines.
The Drake guys are a prime example, but they are not the only example. Every year the Missouri Valley sees players come in from non-Division-I programs and excel in the league. There is talent everywhere and with the portal well underway, there’s plenty more from the non-Division-I ranks headed in for next year.
Noah Cleveland – Illinois State
Noah Cleveland might be new to the Missouri Valley, but he is not new to Normal, Illinois. Cleveland played high school basketball at Normal Community HS and then played his at Illinois Wesleyan. At Wesleyan he was a Division-III All-American and the DIII National Rookie of the Year (via D3hoops.com).
As it goes with any player transferring up to any level, there’s always one important question: Will he translate? Cleveland’s athleticism and skill at 6-foot-8 give him as good a chance as any to succeed at Illinois State. At Wesleyan, if Cleveland was near the rim, good things happened. He was 94th percentile in at the rim field goal percentage, 93rd percentile in block percentage and 97th percentile in defensive rebound percentage. Those three things combined with other traits give him an eye-popping profile that is destined to work at Illinois State. I think he’ll play well with Chase Walker as it’ll be hard to help off of him on the weak side.
Jackson Cooper – Indiana State
Coming from the NAIA ranks, Jackson Cooper should be an instant impact player in the Missouri Valley. Cooper was a second team All-American at the NAIA level and led his Oregon Tech team to the NAIA Tournament last season. His all-around skillset will give Matthew Graves plenty of options offensively next season while also improving Indiana State’s rebounding which was something they struggled with last season.
What intrigues me the most about Cooper is the way he will fit in Graves’ system. Similar to his predecessor, Josh Schertz, Graves emphasizes a fast pace, quality shots and a ton of ball movement. Cooper’s 5.8 assists last season makes him a great fit in a system that produced that eighth best assist rate in all of college basketball last season. In addition, his scoring around the rim and rebounding will help to patch up some of the Sycamores’ holes from last season.
Christian Gilliland – Southern Illinois
After the departure of Quel’Ron House, Southern Illinois desperately needed an on-ball guard that can score. They’re getting that in a big way with Christian Gilliland.
By way of Pearl River CC where he averaged 23 points per game, Gilliland was committed to Gerry McNamara at Siena prior to him taking the Syracuse job. After Gilliland de-committed, the Salukis nabbed one of the top scorers at the JUCO level. Gilliland poses as a true combo guard that can give you minutes at the point. However, he might be at his best playing the two where he can utilize his jaw-dropping athleticism. In addition to being a slashing threat, Gilliland shot 45% from three this season, albeit on low volume.
In his two seasons in Carbondale, Scott Nagy has yet to finish in the top half of the MVC. If Gilliand can become this dynamite scorer at the Division-I level, there’s a solid chance this is Nagy’s best season with the Salukis.
