Western Kentucky Basketball: Rick Stansbury adding serious talent for 2019-20

Western Kentucky Basketball has signed three talented players in the last couple weeks. Rick Stansbury hasn’t led the Hilltoppers to the NCAA Tournament yet but is building a talented group for 2019-20.

Since arriving at Western Kentucky Basketball prior to the 2016-17 season, coach Rick Stansbury has proven he can attract quality talent. High major transfers Darius Thompson and Dwight Coleby and other talented transfers like Lamonte Bearden and Jared Savage are examples of Stansbury’s work through the transfer market the last couple of seasons. And then there’s Charles Bassey and Josh Anderson, who display Stansbury’s success at drawing big time high school players as well.

So should we really be terribly shocked that Stansbury is on the move again just a few weeks after the conclusion of the college basketball season? Evidently not as April is turing into a huge month for Western Kentucky. Three big recent announcements should have Western Kentucky fans excited about Hilltopper basketball in 2019-20.

First, Jordan Rawls announced his commitment to Western Kentucky. The four-star guard is ranked in the top-100 in the 2020 class but has announced plans to reclassify to the 2019 class. Regardless of exactly when Rawls shows up on campus, he’s no doubt to make a big impact. 247 Sports has had the point guard as high as No. 66 in their 2020 player rankings.

Just a few days later it was announced Kenny Cooper would be joining the Hilltoppers. In three seasons Cooper helped Lipscomb earn its first NCAA Tournament birth in 2018 as well as a 2019 NIT Tournament Finals appearance. The junior point guard averaged 9.8 points per game and a career best 4.5 assists per game this past season. Although he’s not a prolific shooter, Cooper developed more of a dangerous three-point shot knocking down 36% from 3 PT land. It appears Cooper will seek to secure a waiver to be eligible immediately despite not qualifying to be a grad-transfer.

Finally, Stansbury capped off April with a bang announcing yet another quality signing. IUPUI grad-transfer Camron Justice announced Western Kentucky as his landing spot for his final college basketball season. Another guard, Justice averaged 18.6 points per game on his way to being named a 2nd Team All-Conference Horizon player for 2018-19. Justice should provide instant offense for Western Kentucky as he can light it up from outside while also being great at putting the ball down and creating for himself or a teammate.

For Western Kentucky fans, the excitement should also come with some hesitancy. The barometer for lots of talent is often NCAA Tournament appearances and winning Conference USA titles, something Stansbury hasn’t yet done in his first three seasons at Western Kentucky. Still, there’s no denying the early outlook for the 2019-20 roster is shaping up nicely.

There’s a real chance four of five starters could be back next season. Second leading scorer Taveion Hollingsworth along with starters Josh Anderson and Jared Savage should surely benefit from Justice and possible Cooper and Rawls in the backcourt. And then there’s Carson Williams, a forward who will gain eligibility after being a double-digit scorer for Northern Kentucky in 2017-18.

The biggest question may be surround freshman phenom Charles Bassey. It may be a couple months before it’s known if Bassey will keep his name in the NBA draft. If he opts to remain a Hilltopper for his sophomore season, Western Kentucky could boast a roster worthy of top 25 recognition. With momentum already building for the 2019-20 season, coach Stansbury has an opportunity to show what he can do with perhaps his most talented Western Kentucky group yet.