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Mid-major Basketball: Early Central Arkansas Basketball 2020-21 preview

By Drew Schmelzer

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - DECEMBER 28: Rylan Bergersen #1 of the Central Arkansas Bears handles the ball while being guarded by Symir Torrence #10 of the Marquette Golden Eagles in the first half at the Fiserv Forum on December 28, 2019 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - DECEMBER 28: Rylan Bergersen #1 of the Central Arkansas Bears handles the ball while being guarded by Symir Torrence #10 of the Marquette Golden Eagles in the first half at the Fiserv Forum on December 28, 2019 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /
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MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – DECEMBER 28: Jaxson Baker #34 of the Central Arkansas Bears (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – DECEMBER 28: Jaxson Baker #34 of the Central Arkansas Bears (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

Preview of Central Arkansas frontcourt

When Hayden Koval announced he was transferring at the conclusion of 19-20 it was a huge surprise in Conway. Koval led the conference in blocked shots and was the lone advantage the Bears had on the defensive end. Replacing him will be tough to do, but with what UCA brings back and adds to its roster in the post, fans should get over Koval’s departure by midseason.

Depth is not a bit of an issue for the Central Arkansas frontcourt. In fact, despite the loss of Koval the Bears are loaded with big men, three of which saw multiple starts a season ago.

Eddy Kayouloud, the 6’7 220 pound forward out of Paris, France highlights this list (12.2 Pts, 6.1 Reb, 1.9 Ast). Kayouloud has shown signs of being able to carry this team as he was named Southland player of the week once last season and scored in double figures in 21 games. The expectation is for him to become a 15 point per game scorer as a junior, a three-point increase which is exactly what he accomplished from his freshman to his sophomore year.

Jared Chatham, 6’8, and SK Shittu, 6’9, also return and are expected to take on larger roles this season. Chatham (7.1 Pts, 4.1 Reb, 0.8 Ast), a senior out of Los Angeles, has improved his statistics drastically in both scoring and rebounding in each of his three seasons in Conway, so a leap as a senior, where he will be asked to play more than the 19 minutes per game he saw in 19-20, looks to be in the cards.

Remember when I said Central Arkansas was a team with a lot of size? Enter 7’0 redshirt freshman Jonas Munson. Munson is the ideal replacement for Koval. The DC area product was the district defensive player of the year his senior season in high school and averaged a double-double. One season learning behind Koval and time spent bulking up his frame should have Munson prepared to step in and play meaningful minutes in his first season of playing time for the Bears. His offense still has some catching up to do with his defense but given the scoring prowess that this team already possesses, Munson won’t be asked to be the focal point offensively in 20-21.

Competing for playing time at the center position with Munson will be the newly signed freshman Churchill Bounds. Bounds adds to the “these guys have size” theme, as he stands 6’10 260 pounds scoring 20 points and grabbing 10 boards per game in his senior high school season in Maryland.

Maybe the most intriguing thing about the upcoming season for Central Arkansas is the addition of Pittsburgh transfer Samson George. George, 6’8, a former 3-star recruit by Kevin Stallings, spent three seasons at Pitt but was not able to crack the rotation. Stallings was let go after his freshman season and George was never a part of new coach Jeff Capel’s plan despite being a lauded recruit. The move down will allow George to re-establish himself as the strong college forward he looked to be coming out of high school when he also received scholarship offers from power conference schools, USC and Rutgers.

What’s the bottom line in the frontcourt? There is a lot for Boone to work with here in his first full season as head coach. The only sure-fire starter of these guys is Kayouloud and beyond that, it will come down to replacing the production that Koval took with him to UNC Greensboro. A combination of Chatham, Shittu, George, Bounds, and Munson will probably have to do it by committee, and that’s ok. This is a deep frontcourt that will be among the best in the Southland.