HATTIESBURG – Southern Miss males’s basketball head coach Jay Ladner spent the offseason giving a forthright pitch.
At 7-26, the Golden Eagles hadn’t put collectively an excellent season in 2021-22. 5 of their prime six scorers had departed by way of the switch portal after the season. Acknowledging these details throughout discussions with potential additions, Ladner offered them on alternative.
Eight incoming transfers have been prepared to purchase. The Golden Eagles accomplished an intensive rebuild over the span of only a few months, retaining solely 5 scholarship gamers from final season’s roster.
“We have to win,” Ladner stated. “My boss hasn’t instructed me that. We are able to make all the justifications on the planet, I am not into excuses. We’re going into our fourth season and we’re coming off two fairly tough seasons. The primary yr was what it was, we acquired in right here late. The final two years have been robust by way of win-loss report, and that is not acceptable. ”
The headline addition for Ladner this offseason is Mercer switch Felipe Haase. Listed at 6-foot-9, Haase scored 14.8 factors per recreation final season and shot 40.6 % from 3-point vary.
He arrived at Southern Miss because of his relationship with new assistant coach Juan Cardona, who additionally got here from Mercer.
“Actually, actually shoots it at a excessive degree,” Ladner stated. “To have a [6-foot-9] man who has the power to stretch the protection at his dimension is only a weapon that we’ve not had. ”
Guard Neftali Alvarez is one other addition from Mercer. He posted 12.6 factors per recreation and averaged 3.4 assists final season, and was a third-team All-Southern Convention choice the yr earlier than that.
Ladner additionally added Nick Williams to his employees this offseason, and he helped the Golden Eagles land Ole Miss switch guard Austin Crowley. As soon as a four-star prospect, Crowley began 11 video games for the Rebels final season and contributed slightly below 5 factors per recreation.
“We simply sort of acquired fortunate,” Ladner stated. “I would say, it is a mixture of luck and perhaps some strategic luck in the truth that that they had relationships with guys within the portal.”
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Donovan Ivory, a 6-foot-6 double-figure scorer from Inexperienced Bay, is becoming a member of the fold, too. Six-foot-eight FIU addition Victor Hart will present some necessary dimension. Guard Cobie Montgomery has joined the Golden Eagles from the junior school ranks, whereas guards Nico Aguirre and Marcelo Perez will make the step up from Division II.
Ladner made it clear that he does not take care of the brand new school basketball panorama created by the one-time switch rule. He would like to construct his program with a basis of highschool prospects.
However, adjusting to the brand new circumstances, the Golden Eagles have made scouting Division I transfers their first precedence, Ladner stated.
“I am not saying we do not recruit highschool gamers, nevertheless it must be a particular scenario,” he stated. “If we recruit a highschool participant, and so they are available in and do actually, rather well, whether or not they’re within the portal or not, they’re getting recruited. That is a actuality. It is a unhappy actuality, nevertheless it’s a actuality, and we have now to just accept that. ”
The Golden Eagles misplaced prime scorer and main rebounder Tyler Stevenson to the portal after he was elected to maneuver onto UIC. A handful of different key contributors departed, too.
Among the many seven outgoings, Ladner stated there have been some contributors who he’d wish to have again and others who probably wanted a contemporary begin because the Golden Eagles sought to vary issues up following a 1-17 displaying in Convention USA play.
Scouring the portal to fill out his roster, Ladner prioritized expertise. Every participant he introduced in has a minimum of two seasons of faculty basketball beneath his belt. The 2022-23 roster won’t characteristic a single freshman.
“There can be occasions we have been warming up, and I would look down at our group and I would look down there on the different group and assume, ‘Gosh, they’re males,’ and we simply had a bunch of young- wanting guys for essentially the most half, ”Ladner stated. “We’re coming off of a tricky season that was unacceptable and I believe a part of us getting previous was to offer us some extra expertise, and let’s examine if we are able to get this factor circled.”
Attain Southern Miss author David Eckert at deckert@gannett.com or on Twitter @ davideckert98.