Evansville has made the postseason two of the last three years, which is the best stretch of sustained success they’ve had since qualifying for the NCAA Tournament in 1992 and 1993 and the NIT in 1994 — coincidentally, the final three seasons before they joined the MVC. During their 17 years in the Valley, Evansville has made the postseason three times, two of which have been in the last three years. The other came when their excellent 1999 team won the MVC and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament after losing in the MVC Championship game to … Creighton.
This year, they move from the historic Roberts Stadium into the state-of-the-art Ford Center, a 10,000 seat arena in downtown Evansville that could provide the program with a much-needed shot in the arm. Head coach Marty Simmons was almost giddy when he talked about it at media day:
“We’re excited as all get-out about the new arena. We feel very, very fortunate to have the opportunity to play in such an awesome facility. It’s brought a lot of excitement not only to our basketball program but to the city of Evansville and surrounding areas.
We get to open the facility with games against Butler, a traditional rivalry for us for a long time. The credit for that game goes to coach Brad Stevens; it was something that he was willing to do. Then Indiana comes in next, so it’s a great opportunity for our program and our community to start out with a couple of sellouts.”
Those are two pretty legit opponents to open their building, for sure. Last year, the Aces defeated Butler in an overtime thriller at Hinkle Fieldhouse, 71-68, knocking them from the Top 25 rankings. As for the Hoosiers, this will be their first trip downstate to play the Aces since the 1995-96 season.
It would seem like a good time to have a tough schedule, as three starters and ten players with experience return from their 16-16 team of a year ago, including sharpshooter Colt Ryan, along with Denver Holmes and Ned Cox. That sets them up for a breakthrough year if they can have success in those early marquee games, which also includes a trip to return trip to Chapel Hill to complete the 2-for-1 deal with North Carolina.
“It’s nice to have a good core nucleus coming back, guys that understand terminology and understand offensive and defensive schemes. We did lose three really good leaders from last year, though, in Pieter (van Tongeren), Clint (Hopf) and Kavon (Lacey). That’s a challenge for our team. We need Colt (Ryan) and Kenny (Harris) and other guys to really step up and really carry the torch from a leadership standpoint.”
With the Aces returning so much from last year, how has practice been going so far?
“We’re anxious to continue working in practice and get started. Unfortunately, for us it’s taken about a week to actually get our guys to get the pick-up game habits out of their game. We’re actually setting screens this week, and jumping to the ball, and all those little details that we’d like to see our players do more often.”
Colt Ryan has led the team in scoring in each of his two years in Evansville, and last year made second-team All-MVC. Averaging 15.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and nearly 3 assists a game, he’s becoming more than just a deadly shooter — which is scary news for MVC opponents.
“He’s really developing into a terrific player, one of the better players in the league. He’s a cerebral player, really smart, really knows how to play. He knows how to get open, knows how to score. He’s somebody who wants to be good and wants our team to be good as well.
Colt is a competitive kid. He’s really driven to be one of the best players. He hates to lose, and he really understands how to play the game.”
You get the feeling Simmons could talk all day about his outstanding guard. The Aces have a solid supporting cast though, too. Kenny Harris was their second-leading scorer a year ago, and he’s back as well. The 6’6″ senior scored 8.3 points and grabbed 5.9 rebounds a game last season, but his impact goes beyond statistics. “Kenny is our glue guy,” Simmons told WBR at media day. “He’s really tough. He keeps the ball alive on the glass.”
Denver Holmes, another senior, also returns after averaging 7.8 points and 2.1 rebounds last year. He made 40.7% of his shots from behind the arc a year ago, and gave Jays fans nightmares in their February game in Omaha when he scored 15 points, dished out five assists and tied a career-high with three 3-pointers. He got much better as the year progressed, scoring in double-figures in four of their last seven games, including 13 points on 4-5 shooting in their second-round CBI game at Boise State.
“Denver can really shoot the basketball, and does an excellent job of moving without the basketball. He does a lot of things to help his team win.”
The Aces have a pretty impressive recruiting class coming in to supplement their returners, as Simmons told us. “They all bring something a little bit different,” he said, “and all of them should be able to contribute early.” Rokas Cesnulevicius is a 6’8″ 215 pounder from Lithuania who played for Hawaii Preparatory Academy, and had 25 points and 15 rebounds a game his senior year. “Rokas can really stretch the defense,” Simmons noted at media day.
Jordan Nelson is a 6’0″ guard who scored just under 2,000 points in high school. He made 111 three-pointers last season, and finished second in the three-point contest at Evansville’s HoopsFest event to open the Ford Center.
When it comes to the league as a whole, Simmons was not alone among his fellow coaches in believing the MVC in on the verge of a return to glory — but he was even more bullish on it than most.
“I think our league as a whole has been a great league in the four years I’ve been at Evansville and I think this year might be the absolute best it’s ever been. I think when you take a look back at last year, the success that Wichita State had in the NIT, looking not at the start but at the finish, that maybe our league didn’t get the credit that it deserved. It’s a terrific conference with great coaches and great players.”
The big question is whether Evansville can improve on their 9-9 conference mark of a year ago, and break into the top tier of the league. Expecting them to win seven more games than they did the previous year, as they did last year, is too much to ask. But they should be better than a year ago. Where does Simmons see his program in Year Five?
“Well, we feel like we’re moving in the right direction. This is a big year for us, especially with eight guys returning. It’s the most experience we’ve had since I’ve been here. I really believe there’s a lot of excitement around here. The community is behind this team.”
They’re picked fifth in the preseason poll, which would likely set them up for another postseason bid. If they can get confidence against their tough early schedule, they could be a very dangerous team come February and March — and could crack the top three of the league.