Conference USA Basketball: Preseason rankings for 2020-2021 season

12. Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders

The 2019 Middle Tennessee State season (8-23 overall, 4-14 conference) is one of those seasons that you wish you could have a do-over, as it started off as bad as it could to begin any season. One of the players MTST coach Nick McDevitt was counting on to help with the rebuilding program goes down two minutes into the first preseason game, then there were more injuries that occurred, as well as more bad news regarding the granting of waivers.

There was no doubt that the Blue Raiders knew that had a difficult season ahead of them. Coach McDevitt in the 2020 – 2021 Blue Ribbon College Yearbook was quoted as saying “All of sudden the guys we anticipated to be our #1, #2, and #3 post players were, out, so after that not only were we young, we were small”.

Last year’s team statistically, were up and down in both the defensive and offensive categories, which shows how tough those losses really were. Things can only get better for the 2020 MTSU basketball program, as they look to rebound from a horrible season last year, with some players coming back from injury and some transfer signees.

There is optimism in Murfreesboro, this year, as the 2020 team will be a collective roster, mixed with some returning players and transfers. After injuring his knee two minutes into an exhibition game last year, 6-6 junior DeAndre Dishman is back after blowing out his left knee (ACL, MCL, PCL and cartilage). Dishman was a transfer the year before from Eastern Kentucky and Coach McDivitt was counting on him to help start the rebuilding process.

Also returning is 6-1 senior guard Donovan Sims (8.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg and 3.2 apg) and also lead the team in steals (46) and assists (100), 6-5 junior Jayce Johnson (8.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg and 2.2 apg), 6-6 senior Jo’ Vontae Millner-Criss, who was injured after the second game last year and three sophomores round out the returning players, 6-9 Tyson Jackson (5.3 ppg and 4.7 rpg), 6-5 sophomore Eli Lawrence and 6-7 sophomore Tyler Millin (3.6 ppg and 2.2 rpg). The only freshman signed was 6-10 225lb Christian Fussell from Georiga’s Greenforest Christian Academy.

In an effort to get a little more experience Coach McDevitt went to the transfer market and signed multiple players. Joining the 2020 Blue Raiders are 6-3 junior Jordan Davis (9.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg, and 1.9 apg), a transfer from Dayton, 6-3 junior Jalen Jordan (14.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg and 1.5 apg, a transfer from St. Francis Brooklyn), 6-8 sophomore Elias King (Mississippi State), 6-2 junior guard Dontrell Shuler (17.9 ppg and 3.4 rpg, a transfer from Charleston Southern), 6-10 245lb Jared Coleman Jones and 6-0 junior Brian Caffey II who redshirted last year from North Florida.

There will be two keys for the Blue Raiders having a successful season. First, this team has a little more experience than last year, as well as having more depth. In the 2020 – 2021 Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook Coach McDivett was quoted as saying “Last year, we were dressing 10 at the end of the season, This year we will have at least 12, if not all 13. We’ve finally got some experience and depth”.

Hopefully, they can gel sooner rather than later. The big key will be if Dishman can return to form and how quickly he can do that. Dishman will have to shake off the rust after having not played in two years. If Dishman can get back to having any explosiveness that he had before the injury and they can get better as the year goes on, they could surprise a few people in the CUSA.