Ohio Valley Basketball: Preseason power rankings for 2024-25

No. 10 – Lindenwood Lions

Lindenwood begins year three of its transition to Division 1 basketball and its OVC membership. The current Lions’ roster looks a lot more like an OVC team than last year’s squad. 

Coach Kyle Gerdeman has four returning players that appeared in at least 29 games and started at least 19. Wings Jeremiah Talton and Jaylon McDaniel each averaged seven points per game. Sophomore guard Colin Ruffin enjoyed a very solid freshman season. 

D1 transfers Reggie Bass (Kent State) and Markeith Browning II (Milwaukee) are ‘bigger’ guards that have proven track records. Bass began his career at Central Michigan and averaged over eight points per game last season and has accumulated 611 career points. 

Browning missed last season, but averaged 9.6 points per game in 2023. 

Gerdeman landed two of Missouri’s top-10 basketball players. Jadis Jones (2) and Clayton Jackson (10) are joined in Gerdeman’s best-ever recruiting class by Missouri’s fourteenth best player, 7’1 Aly Tounkara.

Jones is Missouri’s Class 3, reigning Gatorade ‘Player of the Year’ and scored over 2,000 points and grabbed more than 1,000 rebounds at his New Madrid Central High School. Jackson starred at the prestigious Cardinal Ritter High. 

Division 2 transfer Anias Futrell is a 6’5 wing that averaged over 17 points and six rebounds for Christian Brothers College. 

Gerdeman had high hopes for last year’s big find, Jordan Wildy. After playing 13 games for Iona in 2021-22, the 6’9 Wildy went to junior college where he excelled for Coffeyville Community College. He was a jucorecruiting.com top-50 player in 2023. 

During the first day of practice, he injured his knee and missed the entire season. The uber talented and eager Wildy might be one of the most intriguing new names in the OVC.