Busting Brackets
Fansided

Mid-major Basketball: Early 2020-21 preview for Bowling Green Basketball

By Drew Schmelzer

BUFFALO, NY - JANUARY 31: Justin Turner #1 of the Bowling Green Falcons brings the ball up court during the second half against the Buffalo Bulls at Alumni Arena on January 31, 2020 in Buffalo, New York. Bowling Green beats Buffalo 78 to 77. (Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images)
BUFFALO, NY - JANUARY 31: Justin Turner #1 of the Bowling Green Falcons brings the ball up court during the second half against the Buffalo Bulls at Alumni Arena on January 31, 2020 in Buffalo, New York. Bowling Green beats Buffalo 78 to 77. (Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 4
Next
BUFFALO, NY – JANUARY 31: Dylan Frye #5 of the Bowling Green Falcons (Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images)
BUFFALO, NY – JANUARY 31: Dylan Frye #5 of the Bowling Green Falcons (Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images) /

Bowling Green’ Backcourt

The Falcons lose their starting point guard Dylan Frye (13.3 Pts, 3.5 Reb, 4.0 Ast) heading into 2020-21, but in terms of meaningful contribution lost, that is it.

Daeqwon Plowden (12.7 Pts, 8.5 Reb, 0.8 Ast) and Caleb Fields (6.6 Pts, 2.3 Reb, 1.0 Ast) are both back to start alongside Turner for the second consecutive season. Plowden joined Turner on the conference honor roll a season ago as second-teamer all-MAC. Fields is the kind of guy every coach wants on their team and fit the term “glue guy” through and through, typically charged with guarding the opposing teams best offensive player. With three starting guards returning Bowling Green should be in good shape, but there is one looming question about this team. Who is going to be the point guard?

Ideally, Fields could fill that void, but he hasn’t demonstrated the distribution abilities to this juncture in his career to adequately play the point. Davin Ziegler (2.2 Pts, 1.3 Reb, 0.6 Ast), an incoming sophomore who started seven of the last eight conference games for the Falcons is also an option, but he led the team in turnovers per 100 possessions a seasons ago. Luckily for Bowling Green, Michael Huger’s biggest recruiting get to date is arriving on campus this fall and could be the answer to this question. Enter Josiah Fulcher.

Fulcher is not only Huger’s best pick up of his coaching career, but he is also the highest-ranked recruit to date in Bowling Green history. The combo guard out of Ohio was one of a handful of finalists for Mr. Basketball averaging 21 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists per game in his senior season and his athleticism makes him potentially the most versatile Falcon guard, even in year one. If the Lima High School and 3-star recruit can show he is able to run the Bowling Green offense, he has a chance to start as a freshman.

Fellow freshman Kaden Metheny is another possible solution at the point guard position. Metheny, a 5’11 true point guard is a 2 or 3-star recruit depending on who you talk to (at one point a three-star per Rivals) and as a junior led University High School in West Virginia to a state championship. Metheny and Fulcher will be one of the MAC’s best backcourts in a couple of years.

With Plowden at 6’6 and Turner at 6’4 this backcourt already has some size and athleticism. Then there is Trey Diggs (7.5 Pts, 2.8 Reb, 0.4 Ast). Diggs, a former JUCO all-conference player at powerhouse Northwest Florida St measures in at 6’6-210 lbs, is back for his senior season after starting seven games in 2019-20. This kid’s ceiling is extremely high and he hasn’t even scratched the surface yet despite leading all Bowling Green guards in 3-point shooting and true shooting percentage, an advanced statics that accounts for 2-pointers, 3-pointers and free throws.

Diggs will probably come off the bench, but if he can carve out more of role than just as a reliable shooter it will increase his 19 minutes a game, he will take a big leap as a player, and the Falcons will be even better than advertised.