Projected starters
Point guard Ky Bowman did it all alongside Jerome Robinson’s scoring last season. Despite Robinson’s loss, they still return four starters from a year ago. Bowman produced 17.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game for the Golden Eagles last season while leading them in rebounds, assists, and steals per game. As the unsung leader for this team entering his junior season, expect more great things on the stat sheet.
Bowman will have senior guard Jordan Chatman to rely on in 2018-19. Chatman put up 12.9 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists per contest last year as a full-time starter. He was their best 3-point shooter last season, shooting 39.5 percent from behind the arc last year.
As they typically play a 3-guard rotation under Christian, they could look to newcomer Wynston Tabbs to start right away. Tabbs is a 6-foot-2 guard that produced 20.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 2.0 steals per game as a senior for St. Mary’s Ryken per game as a senior for St. Mary’s Ryken last season.
In the frontcourt, they return sophomore forward Steffon Mitchell and senior forward Nik Popovic. Popovic averaged 9.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game through 35 appearances (33 starts) in 2017-18. Mitchell didn’t start the first seven games of the his first season with the Golden Eagles. In the end, though he started the final 27 contests last season, averaging 6.4 points and a team-high 8.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.0 blocks per game on the year.
Bowman racked up six double-doubles last season, including a near triple-double (30 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists) in an upset victory over the Duke Blue Devils back on Dec. 9. This upcoming season, they’ll need him to be the do-it-all guard he can be in order to be successful. Guys will have to step up with Bowman as the No. 1 scoring option, but them to improve upon.