Valley Vault

The media days keep rolling. The latest? The Missouri Valley. We have notes. Plus: Kansas has a decision to make on last roster spot, notes from UK media day, two 2027s come off the board, and more.

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Good morning! Another day, another media day to discuss. Let’s get to it.

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1. Missouri Valley media day notables

The media day tour continued on Tuesday here at The Field of 68 with the Missouri Valley Conference.

We encourage you to watch the full three hour show above, but below are some notable takeaways and quotes from the media day. You can also read my full MVC preview breaking down each roster.

  • Commissioner Jeff Jackson noted everyone from the all-freshman team in this league is back — which is notable in this climate. Jackson also touched on NCAA Tournament expansion, fifth-year players and the Protect College Sports Act.

  • Belmont’s new head coach Evan Bradds is the second-youngest coach in D-1 and is leading his alma mater. He also retained several key players including Jack Smiley, Jabez Jenkins and Eoin Dillon. “It was a no brainer bringing them back.”

  • Bradley’s Brian Wardle, now the most tenured coach in the league, with have 6-8 Dietrich Richardson starting at point guard. He added last year was his worst defensive team, so he really focused on adding length, athleticism, rebounding this offseason.

  • Similarly, Drake was 250th in defensive efficiency last season. Eric Henderson is trying to change that and thinks he did so in recruiting: “This year it was a lot more intentional. Who has produced in the areas we were lacking?”

  • UIC head coach Rob Ehsan brings back five of his top eight: “With those guys, [this season] brings a ton of optimism.” Ehsan also noted his squad actually had spring workouts for once.

  • Last year, Illinois State’s Chase Walker was first team all-conference while playing just 22.6 minutes per game. Ryan Pedon sees him taking a step simply because he’s able to stay on the floor longer now.

  • What did Murray State’s Ryan Miller find out in terms of what it takes to win the MVC: “You need high major players…. You need some dudes that can play to win the chip. If you don’t have a couple that are HM players, borderline pros, you aren’t going to win.”

  • Longtime Iowa State assistant Kyle Green is in his first year at Northern Iowa. What will he bring? Well, he said he hopes to have the same defensive identity that we know the Cyclones for.

  • Valpo was successful with freshmen last season, and they bring in another talented three-star guard for this season in Rajan Roberts. “He’s going to open some eyes,” Roger Powell said.

2. Kansas’ decision, plus more eligibility news

Kansas may have a real decision to make on its final scholarship spot, and it just got much more complicated.

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