By Don Owen
NKyTribune reporter
In all honesty, who’d have ever thought that Northern Kentucky University would own trips to both the NCAA Tournament and NIT after just six years of Division I competition?
Not me. Going back to that first-ever Division I game in 2012 against the University of San Diego, I originally thought it would take at least 10 years to realistically make a national postseason tournament in men’s basketball. Or win 20 games.
But NKU has indeed done just that during the past two seasons. A year ago, NKU won the Horizon League Tournament and earned an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. The Norse met the University of Kentucky in the first round and dropped a 79-70 decision in Indianapolis before a national television audience on CBS. NKU finished with a 24-11 record.
NKU’s Drew McDonald attempts a shot against Louisville during the first round of the NIT. (Photo by Jeff McCurry)
So what’s next?
First, NKU must replace a pair of key seniors in point guard Lavone Holland II and forward Jordan Garnett. Both were integral parts of the success NKU has enjoyed the past two years, offensively and defensively. The Norse welcome back three starters and several veteran reserves, but what about potential help from incoming recruits? Could NKU make it three straight 20-win seasons in 2018-19? Will the Norse be favored to capture the Horizon League title next season?
Let’s take a look at these questions and more.
Q: Who are the incoming recruits?
A: NKU signed prep standouts Trevon Faulkner and Bryant Mocaby during the fall, and the Norse have also received a verbal commitment from junior-college big man Silas Adheke.
Faulkner, a Mercer County High School hoops legend, was named the 2018 Mr. Basketball in Kentucky. The 6-foot-3 Faulkner averaged 26.5 points and 9.2 rebounds this season. He also scored more than 3,000 points in his career at Mercer County. He figures to be capable of playing either guard position at NKU.
Mocaby, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard, averaged nearly 20 points per game this season at Derby High School in Kansas. He led the Panthers to the 6A state semifinals and netted a total of 52 points in his final two games, including a 31-point effort against eventual champion Blue Valley Northwest. Mocaby is a prolific outside shooter who should step in and give NKU a threat from 3-point range.
Adheke, a 6-foot-9, 237-pound forward from Eastern Florida State College, averages nearly seven points and seven rebounds per game for one of the top junior college programs in the nation. He is also shooting 55.8 percent from the field and has 24 blocks.
Sophomore forward Dantez Walton earned a spot in the NKU starting lineup late in the 2017-18 season. (Photo by Jeff McCurry)
Q: Could NKU make it three consecutive 20-win seasons in 2018-19?
A: Yes, but it won’t be easy. Holland and Garnett leave big roles to fill, but returnees such as Mason Faulkner and Dantez Walton figure to be major factors next season. The Norse still have forward Drew McDonald, who is probably the best all-around player in the Horizon League. NKU also has one of the league’s top defenders in Jalen Tate. So, yes, 20 victories is certainly a reasonable goal. But let’s wait and see what the schedule includes before predicting numbers of wins. And let’s see the final roster once practice begins in the fall. Given the landscape of college basketball and the massive amounts of transfers each year, a roster is extremely fluid and can change in a hurry.
Q: Will NKU be favored to win the Horizon League next season?
A: It will be a surprise if either NKU or Wright State isn’t tabbed the favorite. Oakland loses a ton of talent, as does Illinois-Chicago. Keep an eye on both Milwaukee and Green Bay next season as those two teams return some very good talent. And as always, who knows what transfers will end up where, so it’s impossible to pick a favorite right now.
Q: Back in 2012, why did you think it would take at least 10 years for NKU to earn a trip to a national tournament?
A: Despite what many believe, there’s a huge difference in the size, strength, quickness and talent levels in Division II and Division I basketball teams. Don’t let an occasional upset in an exhibition game by a Division II team trick you into thinking otherwise. It usually takes a great deal of patience to build a program making the transition from Division II to Division I. Look at former Great Lakes Valley Conference members IPFW and Southern Illinois Edwardsville — they both made the jump to Division I long before NKU and neither has made the NCAA Tournament.
NKU’s Jalen Billups (21) slams down the Norse’s first dunk in Division I against San Diego in 2012.
Q: What was the final score of NKU’s first game in Division I?
A: San Diego rallied from an eight-point deficit in the final 10 minutes to knock off NKU, 65-61, in the Norse’s first-ever Division I game at the Jenny Craig Pavilion. NKU actually owned a 51-43 lead with 9:46 left in the game, but the Toreros stormed from behind and pulled out the victory in the final minutes.
Q: Who scored NKU’s first-ever points in Division I?
A: Jalen Billups, just 33 seconds into the game and on NKU’s first possession. Billups drove down the right side of the lane for a contested layup to collect the Norse’s first Division I basket at the 19:27 mark. He also had NKU’s first dunk in Division I, a two-handed jam in the second half.
Q: Was the weather nicer in San Diego than here in the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area?
A: Walk outside and you won’t need me to answer that question.
Contact Don Owen at don@nkytrib.com and follow him on Twitter at @dontribunesport
