Men's Basketball 10/29/2024 8:58:00 PM

Fortified Aggies eye big basketball campaign

By Kevin Farr
Murray State Sports Information
Tabbed second in the preseason Region 2 poll, the Murray State College men's basketball team heads into the season with the highest expectations to date in head coach Josh Davis' third season at the helm.

The Aggies are coming off a 16-16 overall finish in which they ended third in the Region 2 standings, but welcome back a wealth of experience along with several key newcomers. Davis' squad has received votes in the national rankings with league coaches selecting them second behind powerhouse Northeastern Oklahoma A&M.

An extremely busy early schedule will test the Aggies quickly starting Monday, November 4 against McLennan Community College in Edmond with 10 games in three weeks before the Thanksgiving break.

"We finished the preseason very well and looked markedly improved," Davis said. "We have a good amount of talent, athleticism and size. We are working hard to incorporate all the newcomers to become a real team. It's exciting that other coaches took note of our potential with us ranking second behind NEO, who is ranked highly in the national polls. It is just the start of the expectations. In our third year here, we know what we need to compete at the top of this region."

Three starters are back for the Aggies, led by preseason All-Conference choice RJ Chatman, a 5-9 point guard. Sophomores Rustin Coffey and Ignas Juskevicius also return with good size around the paint standing 6-foot-6 and 6-foot-8 respectively.

Chatman averaged 8.5 points and 3.2 assists a year ago with Coffey chipping in 3.7 points and 3.5 boards. Juskevicius had the highest field goal average on the club at 57 percent while tossing in 7.0 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.

"Rustin started most every game last year along with R.J.," Davis commented. "Those two have picked things up and are responsible leaders. I know that I can lean on them. Even though he may not light up the stat sheet, Rustin is absolutely our most valuable in all aspects of the game. R.J. is highly respected by league coaches. He is a heady point guard and one of the best in our region."

All of the returnees should add more to those numbers of last season, but the biggest offensive contributions will likely come from an athletic cast of newcomers that are expected to make major impacts.

The biggest change will be in size and length where Murray State has definite potential to put five players on the court at the same time that all stand 6-4 or taller.

Elijah Tshibangu is a talented 6-4 guard from Belgium that transferred in last spring while Abeeng Agot is a 6-7 freshman from Canada. Throw in Ohio native Brandon Ivery at 6-4 as well as 6-8 Cloud County College transfer Bol Agu and the Aggies definitely add to their on-the-court size.

"Those four newcomers have shown in the preseason they will be major contributors for us," Davis said. "Elijah showed us a lot after coming in last spring and should be a big impact player. He is really good, athletic and strong and can play both point guard and the two. Ivery is 6-4 but has the wingspan of a 6-8 guy. He is super athlete and a major asset on both ends of the court. Bol and Abeeng are athletic players that can physically do things we haven't been able to the last couple of years. Defensively they definitely make us different. We can play a really big lineup if we need to because we have guards 6-4 or bigger that have long wingspans and defend well on the perimeter.

"Rebounding was an area we pointed to where we needed to make great improvements and we feel like we have. That has been a strength for us against a strong slate in the preseason. We have dominated most everyone on the boards and that is a reason we have a chance to be very good and compete to be in the Top 25 in the nation, which is what you have to do in this region. We sold out to that philosophy and it has worked out so far."

The talented group of newcomers also should provide Davis and company plenty of quality depth and in turn allow them to play a much more aggressive, pressure style during the course of the season.

And while the expectations have increased significantly, the Murray State head coach knows that his team has to prove it and fulfill those expectations when it counts.

"We are still having to learn to play as a team," Davis added. "We have multiple guys that are capable of scoring a bunch but there is only one basketball to go around. Our offense has stood out so far in the preseason, but our defensive potential is certainly high. Our depth is extremely good and we have a lot of guys to get minutes for, which is a good problem to have. It definitely affords us the ability to be the aggressor and play at a level not all teams will be able to stand up to.

"Expectations have risen every year, but we haven't proven anything yet. First two games are against extremely tough competition, and we play a couple early as good as anyone in the nation. Our non-conference schedule is packed with lots of high-level schools and there is not really a night off. That doesn't always bode well for your record, so we'll see where we stack up. We are trying to win the Region 2 tournament and be best team in March. We have to be willing to go up against some of the best in November and December to do that at the end of the season."

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Players Mentioned

#0 RJ Chatman: PG; 5' 9"; Sophomore

#20 Ignas Juskevicius: F; 6' 8"; Sophomore

#10 Rustin Coffey: G/F; 6' 6"; Sophomore

#3 Elijah Tshibangu: G; 6' 4"; Freshman

#4 Abeeng Agot: G/F; 6' 7"; Freshman

#13 Brandon Ivery: G; 6' 4"; Freshman

#24 Bol Agu: G/F; 6' 8"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#0 RJ Chatman
: 5' 9"; Sophomore
: PG

#20 Ignas Juskevicius
: 6' 8"; Sophomore
: F

#10 Rustin Coffey
: 6' 6"; Sophomore
: G/F

#3 Elijah Tshibangu
: 6' 4"; Freshman
: G

#4 Abeeng Agot
: 6' 7"; Freshman
: G/F

#13 Brandon Ivery
: 6' 4"; Freshman
: G

#24 Bol Agu
: 6' 8"; Sophomore
: G/F