MVC Basketball: Preseason power rankings for 2022-23 season
6. Murray State Racers – Head Coach Steve Prohm
2021-22 record: 31-3 overall; 18-0 in the OVC
The only team that had to make more changes than Missouri State was newcomer Murray State. After last year’s historic season, coach Matt McMahon moved to LSU and all but two players left the program. Former head coach Steve Prohm returned and had to rebuild overnight.
Rebounding terror D.J. Burns returns as what Prohm calls a ‘heart and soul’ kind of player. Fan favorite and seldomly used Rod Thomas remained with the team.
Former foes became Racers as Kenny White (Tennessee Tech) and Jacobi Wood (Belmont) transferred in. Those veteran guards will ease the pain of losing Tevin Brown and Justice Hill. Brown is playing professionally and Hill went with McMahon to LSU.
Stetson transfer Rob Perry may be the best Division 1 transfer to hit the Valley this offseason. The 6’4 guard averaged 15.9 points and 5.7 rebounds for the Hatters. The former ASUN Freshman of the Year scored 1,108 points during his three-year stay.
Brian Moore (junior college), Quincy Anderson, and Jamari Smith (D2) have been highly productive players at lower levels. Moore was the number 19 player among potential junior college recruits. Smith whose cousin is Jabari Smtih was a D2 all-American and conference player of the year.
Greatly sought-after prep guards, Braxton Stacker (Missouri), Jaxon Edwards (Indiana), Patrick Chew (Arizona), Sam Murray II (Mississippi), and Justin Morgan (Tennessee) all possess jaw-dropping resumes. Edwards was the Hoosier State’s second-ranked player while Stacker was a two-time all-state player and the “Show Me State’s” defensive player of the year. Chew was the number two player in Arizona while Murray had that title in Mississippi.
All Morgan did was score 2,870 points during his prep career.
This is the Valley’s most talented freshman class, but getting them ready for the rigors of MVC play might cause this team to be a year away from truly contending.