Assuming the world is going to eventually get back to normal in time for the next college basketball season I figured it would be a good time to take a look at the roster the Bearcats will have next fall. This was a very important cycle for the Bearcats basketball team because it was coach John Brannen’s first full recruiting class, a class that should set the tempo and the precedent more future classes moving forward, and frankly I think he nailed it. With that said lets take a look at the roster as it stands today and what a potential lineup might look like by game one.
Returning Players – Chris Vogt, Mamoudou Diarra, Jeremiah Davenport, Keith Williams (Currently has his name in the NBA Draft, but has the likely possibility of rejoining the Bearcats instead), Mika Adams-Woods, Zach Harvey and Prince Toyambi (depending on heart condition).
This is a solid core group to be bringing back into the mix. Vogt will still provide big minutes at the 5, plenty of perimeter options with Williams, Harvey, and Adams-Woods and Davenport and Diarra are big time energy guys off the bench.
Incoming Freshman/Transfer(s) – Tari Eason, Gabe Madsen, Mason Madsen, Mike Saunders, Rapolas Ivanauskas
Heck of a job by Brannen and the staff to bring this kind of talent to Cincinnati right out of the gate. Saunders is a lightning fast point guard, the Madsen brothers are just flat out scorers with some size to them both on the perimeter, Eason is an athletic big who can run the floor and pull up from just about anywhere and Rapolas is a 6’10 transfer from Colgate who was one of the top 20 transfers on the market, he comes in averaging 13.1 points a game to go with 7.6 rebounds last season. He can knock down shots from 3 and shoots a respectable 70.2% from the free throw line over his career. UC fans should be quite familiar with him as he walked into Fifth Third Arena and lit up the Bearcats on his way to a major upset last season. Rapolas comes in with this class as a graduate senior who will just have this year remaining, but will provide a much needed veteran presence to an extremely young Bearcats team.
This leaves the Bearcats with still having one spot to fill, maybe even two on the outside chance that Keith Williams remains in the draft. I believe UC will look to fill that last spot with another veteran point guard on the transfer market so they don’t rush Mike Saunders into the fire as quickly. If they for some reason would not land a transfer point guard, I would expect that open scholarship to go towards a freshman center, as the Bearcats would currently only have three players at forward/center on the roster by the 2021 season. (depending on Toyambi’s health status)
So what could it all look like come next fall?
Well a lot of that might depend on what kinda shape the world takes over the next few months and how much the team and the staff are allowed to work with each other before the season. If I had to guess, which I am absolutely about to do, my money would be on Brannen and the staff trying to go with as much veteran leadership as possible, especially if off-season workouts and practices are cut short, he will need to rely on guys who have been through the college game before and can help bring the freshman along.
