Ohio Basketball Topic
Topic: 2022-23 MAC Preseason Honors
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GoCats105
10/26/2022 12:45 PM
First Team

Sincere Carry, Kent State
Enrique Freeman, Akron
Lamar Norman Jr, WMU
JT Shumate, Toledo
Payton Sparks, Ball State

Second Team

Emoni Bates, EMU
Xavier Castaneda, Akron
Malique Jacobs, Kent State
Kevin Miller, CMU
Settric Millner Jr, Toledo

Coaches Poll

1. Kent State
2. Toledo
3. Akron
4. Ball State
5. OHIO
6. Buffalo
7. EMU
8. WMU
9. Bowling Green
10. CMU
11. Miami
12. NIU
Last Edited: 10/26/2022 12:47:03 PM by GoCats105
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Bobcat1998
10/26/2022 2:39 PM
First Team

Sincere Carry, Kent State (by end of year will have flamed out because Jacobs is taking too many shots and Sin thinks he is an NBA prospect)
Enrique Freeman, Akron (legit First Teamer, love his game)
Lamar Norman Jr, WMU (ballhog whose team will win 2 MAC games yet he will average 25 ppg, good for him)
JT Shumate, Toledo (let's see how this dude does without Ryan Rollins)
Payton Sparks, Ball State (really? Dude will get posterized by DW3)

Second Team

Emoni Bates, EMU (if he makes it a whole year he will be a First Teamer. THAT'S A BIG "IF")
Xavier Castaneda, Akron (Really? Come on man)
Malique Jacobs, Kent State (see: Sincere Carry)
Kevin Miller, CMU (See: Lamar Norman)
Settric Millner Jr, Toledo (See: JT Shumate).

All-MAC Newcomer Team
PG: Jaylin Hunter (OU)
SG: DeVon Baker (OU)
C: Gabe Wiznitzer (OU)
SF: AJ Brown (OU)
PF: Aidan Hadaway (OU)
Last Edited: 10/26/2022 2:40:59 PM by Bobcat1998
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Victory
10/26/2022 3:02 PM
I was thinking last night that this was likely to come out today. It is almost like there are three co-favorites. Everyone that follows the MAC closely probably knew who they were. Ball State returns a lot from a middling team last year and got a couple of decent transfers. Ohio has been one of the contenders, lost a lot, but might have had the best recruiting class. Buffalo has always been a contender but has lost a lot of talent recently. EMU and WMU are expected to be better based on the younger guys they have and brought in. Then it looks like there are four teams the coaches don't think have much shot.
Last Edited: 10/26/2022 6:50:50 PM by Victory
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OUcat
10/26/2022 6:15 PM
I think you can put the top three in any order and have a strong argument. Ball State clearly the wildcard w/transfers and new coach to go along with a lot of young returning talent.

If the new coach is legit it might be tough for any team not in the top 4 (other than Ohio???) being a season-long contender.

IMO.
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Victory
10/26/2022 7:02 PM
OUcat wrote:expand_more
I think you can put the top three in any order and have a strong argument. Ball State clearly the wildcard w/transfers and new coach to go along with a lot of young returning talent.

If the new coach is legit it might be tough for any team not in the top 4 (other than Ohio???) being a season-long contender.

IMO.
When you get three teams vs. the whole of a nine team field the field as a whole probably has close to a 50/50 shot to win a least a share the regular season. Toledo was picked sixth overall in 2020-21. Akron was picked fifth in the MAC East in 19-20. But those were also the days when you expected the MAC to possibly be the highest parity conference in the whole of Division 1. That was NOT the case at all last season and those three probably look a little farther ahead of fourth than you would expect most years. We probably won't return the the crazy parity of most of the 2000's and 2010's just yet. I wouldn't say it is like any are as good as Buffalo was on paper in 18-19 but its a trio of good looking teams and there could easily still be some teams ranked 240+ in D1. The bottom four all look like decent candidates for that.
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Jeff McKinney
10/26/2022 10:29 PM
Bobcat1998 wrote:expand_more
First Team

Sincere Carry, Kent State (by end of year will have flamed out because Jacobs is taking too many shots and Sin thinks he is an NBA prospect)
Enrique Freeman, Akron (legit First Teamer, love his game)
Lamar Norman Jr, WMU (ballhog whose team will win 2 MAC games yet he will average 25 ppg, good for him)
JT Shumate, Toledo (let's see how this dude does without Ryan Rollins)
Payton Sparks, Ball State (really? Dude will get posterized by DW3)

Second Team

Emoni Bates, EMU (if he makes it a whole year he will be a First Teamer. THAT'S A BIG "IF")
Xavier Castaneda, Akron (Really? Come on man)
Malique Jacobs, Kent State (see: Sincere Carry)
Kevin Miller, CMU (See: Lamar Norman)
Settric Millner Jr, Toledo (See: JT Shumate).

All-MAC Newcomer Team
PG: Jaylin Hunter (OU)
SG: DeVon Baker (OU)
C: Gabe Wiznitzer (OU)
SF: AJ Brown (OU)
PF: Aidan Hadaway (OU)
What are you smoking?
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BillyTheCat
10/27/2022 8:39 AM
Jeff McKinney wrote:expand_more
First Team

Sincere Carry, Kent State (by end of year will have flamed out because Jacobs is taking too many shots and Sin thinks he is an NBA prospect)
Enrique Freeman, Akron (legit First Teamer, love his game)
Lamar Norman Jr, WMU (ballhog whose team will win 2 MAC games yet he will average 25 ppg, good for him)
JT Shumate, Toledo (let's see how this dude does without Ryan Rollins)
Payton Sparks, Ball State (really? Dude will get posterized by DW3)

Second Team

Emoni Bates, EMU (if he makes it a whole year he will be a First Teamer. THAT'S A BIG "IF")
Xavier Castaneda, Akron (Really? Come on man)
Malique Jacobs, Kent State (see: Sincere Carry)
Kevin Miller, CMU (See: Lamar Norman)
Settric Millner Jr, Toledo (See: JT Shumate).

All-MAC Newcomer Team
PG: Jaylin Hunter (OU)
SG: DeVon Baker (OU)
C: Gabe Wiznitzer (OU)
SF: AJ Brown (OU)
PF: Aidan Hadaway (OU)
What are you smoking?
I don't know, but I want some!!!
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Kevin Finnegan
10/27/2022 10:13 AM
I'm not criticizing anyone on this list, but if he stays healthy throughout the year, I am quite confident DWIII will be on one of these two lists. The middle half of his first season, he was incredibly dominant with us and seemed to be shooting at about 80% in the paint. I know he seemed to tire as the year ended, but I'm expecting him to be a leader who is going to put up some impressive numbers this year. I know he has worked hard to get back on the court and if he chose to stay for a bonus year, I'm betting he will be on a mission.
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OhioCatFan
10/27/2022 10:44 AM
BillyTheCat wrote:expand_more
First Team

Sincere Carry, Kent State (by end of year will have flamed out because Jacobs is taking too many shots and Sin thinks he is an NBA prospect)
Enrique Freeman, Akron (legit First Teamer, love his game)
Lamar Norman Jr, WMU (ballhog whose team will win 2 MAC games yet he will average 25 ppg, good for him)
JT Shumate, Toledo (let's see how this dude does without Ryan Rollins)
Payton Sparks, Ball State (really? Dude will get posterized by DW3)

Second Team

Emoni Bates, EMU (if he makes it a whole year he will be a First Teamer. THAT'S A BIG "IF")
Xavier Castaneda, Akron (Really? Come on man)
Malique Jacobs, Kent State (see: Sincere Carry)
Kevin Miller, CMU (See: Lamar Norman)
Settric Millner Jr, Toledo (See: JT Shumate).

All-MAC Newcomer Team
PG: Jaylin Hunter (OU)
SG: DeVon Baker (OU)
C: Gabe Wiznitzer (OU)
SF: AJ Brown (OU)
PF: Aidan Hadaway (OU)
What are you smoking?
I don't know, but I want some!!!
He's not smoking Meigs County Gold; he's drinking Geen Kool-Aid.
Last Edited: 10/27/2022 10:46:11 AM by OhioCatFan
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M.D.W.S.T
10/27/2022 11:07 AM
DW3 is one of the best players in the MAC. Period.

If he's half as good as he was before the knee, he's an all-mac performer 100%.

Especially factoring in he won't have to play 40 minutes with Wiz on the floor, I think we're gonna see a 15-10 season for sure.
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Cellis033
10/27/2022 1:40 PM
Ball State ahead of US? I'd like whatever the coaches are having. Swap us and Ball State and that would be my prediction.

EMU might gain a few more wins solely off of Bates, but not enough to make the MAC tourney.

Kent returns a great majority of their core from last year with a big portal addition in Miryne Thomas from Ball State.

Akron lost Ali Ali and a few other guys, but gain a great PF in Sammy Hunter from Ole Miss.

Ball State is a big wildcard though with Sparks returning and portal additions.

Buffalo lost a ton of their guys but gained quite a bit as well. Similar to our situation.

Nothing tells me WMU, CMU or Fiami will make any gains this year. But, WMU has dark horse potential with Norman Jr and frosh Javaughn Hannah.

Truly think this could be a last gasp for Toledo.
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spongeBOB CATpants
10/27/2022 2:03 PM
M.D.W.S.T wrote:expand_more
DW3 is one of the best players in the MAC. Period.

If he's half as good as he was before the knee, he's an all-mac performer 100%.

Especially factoring in he won't have to play 40 minutes with Wiz on the floor, I think we're gonna see a 15-10 season for sure.
He also had a legitimate NBA point guard running the offense. I'm hopeful we get the same DW3 back but I don't have great confidence in that.
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bobcatsquared
10/27/2022 6:53 PM
With all due respect to DWIII, the player that got snubbed is Noah Farakhan of EMU.
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Alan Swank
10/27/2022 9:39 PM
spongeBOB CATpants wrote:expand_more
DW3 is one of the best players in the MAC. Period.

If he's half as good as he was before the knee, he's an all-mac performer 100%.

Especially factoring in he won't have to play 40 minutes with Wiz on the floor, I think we're gonna see a 15-10 season for sure.
He also had a legitimate NBA point guard running the offense. I'm hopeful we get the same DW3 back but I don't have great confidence in that.
Bingo. Devereaux and Alexander were pretty darn good but Paul Baron got them the ball where they could do something with it.
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M.D.W.S.T
10/28/2022 9:07 AM
spongeBOB CATpants wrote:expand_more
DW3 is one of the best players in the MAC. Period.

If he's half as good as he was before the knee, he's an all-mac performer 100%.

Especially factoring in he won't have to play 40 minutes with Wiz on the floor, I think we're gonna see a 15-10 season for sure.
He also had a legitimate NBA point guard running the offense. I'm hopeful we get the same DW3 back but I don't have great confidence in that.
You're not wrong, but at least we still have B Rod in the line-up so DW can gobble up those offensive boards. #sorry #bye
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Bobcat1998
10/28/2022 9:29 AM
Jeff McKinney wrote:expand_more
First Team

Sincere Carry, Kent State (by end of year will have flamed out because Jacobs is taking too many shots and Sin thinks he is an NBA prospect)
Enrique Freeman, Akron (legit First Teamer, love his game)
Lamar Norman Jr, WMU (ballhog whose team will win 2 MAC games yet he will average 25 ppg, good for him)
JT Shumate, Toledo (let's see how this dude does without Ryan Rollins)
Payton Sparks, Ball State (really? Dude will get posterized by DW3)

Second Team

Emoni Bates, EMU (if he makes it a whole year he will be a First Teamer. THAT'S A BIG "IF")
Xavier Castaneda, Akron (Really? Come on man)
Malique Jacobs, Kent State (see: Sincere Carry)
Kevin Miller, CMU (See: Lamar Norman)
Settric Millner Jr, Toledo (See: JT Shumate).

All-MAC Newcomer Team
PG: Jaylin Hunter (OU)
SG: DeVon Baker (OU)
C: Gabe Wiznitzer (OU)
SF: AJ Brown (OU)
PF: Aidan Hadaway (OU)
What are you smoking?
My newcomer list was a joke (although 3 of them are realistic). My comments regarding the First and Second Teamers is my real opinions.
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GoCats105
10/28/2022 11:53 AM
Bobcat1998 wrote:expand_more
First Team

Sincere Carry, Kent State (by end of year will have flamed out because Jacobs is taking too many shots and Sin thinks he is an NBA prospect)
Enrique Freeman, Akron (legit First Teamer, love his game)
Lamar Norman Jr, WMU (ballhog whose team will win 2 MAC games yet he will average 25 ppg, good for him)
JT Shumate, Toledo (let's see how this dude does without Ryan Rollins)
Payton Sparks, Ball State (really? Dude will get posterized by DW3)

Second Team

Emoni Bates, EMU (if he makes it a whole year he will be a First Teamer. THAT'S A BIG "IF")
Xavier Castaneda, Akron (Really? Come on man)
Malique Jacobs, Kent State (see: Sincere Carry)
Kevin Miller, CMU (See: Lamar Norman)
Settric Millner Jr, Toledo (See: JT Shumate).

All-MAC Newcomer Team
PG: Jaylin Hunter (OU)
SG: DeVon Baker (OU)
C: Gabe Wiznitzer (OU)
SF: AJ Brown (OU)
PF: Aidan Hadaway (OU)
What are you smoking?
My newcomer list was a joke (although 3 of them are realistic). My comments regarding the First and Second Teamers is my real opinions.
I don't think your newcomer list is the one McKinney was referring to with your smoking habits.

What's your issue with Castaneda? You wanna know how many times he scored in double digits last year out of 34 games? There were 27 by my count, and most of the ones he didn't were early in the year when he wasn't fully immersed with the team. He's gonna be an issue for a lot of the MAC.

And Payton Sparks was MAC Freshman of the Year. He and DW3 might have some battles, but IMO the First Team recognition isn't undeserved. The kid can play.
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Jeff McKinney
10/28/2022 2:14 PM
Sparks is a high major talent. But DWIII can hold his own with him if he's mobile, which it appears he is.
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longtiimelurker
10/30/2022 9:51 AM
I think Sparks will be pretty good.
Last Edited: 10/30/2022 9:51:48 AM by longtiimelurker
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100%Cat
11/1/2022 8:01 AM
Preseason fluff. It means nothing. Let's revisit this in March.
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stub
11/1/2022 12:47 PM
Alan Swank wrote:expand_more

Devereaux and Alexander were pretty darn good but Paul Baron got them the ball where they could do something with it.

Loved those guys, Danny Nee and his East Coast guys.
Last Edited: 11/1/2022 12:49:38 PM by stub
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