Quality of big men in Horizon League

[GoRMU]

The NEC has always been described as a guard oriented league. I think that is primarily because it is difficult to recruit or retain quality big men in the NEC. Obviously it is a challenge to get quality big men at any level. I assume the HL generally gets better big men than the NEC, but not nearly as good as the P5 and other top tier basketball conferences. The HL player of the year for 2019/2020 was Loudon Love of Wright St. who is listed at 6'8" 260 lbs. Below is a link to a highlight video of Love. He is and impressive player and remarkably agile for a guy his size. Wright St was the regular season champion with Love the MVP, so Love represents the best of the big men. I am sure some of you have looked at this closer than I have so far. Generally, how much of a step up are the bigs in the HL as compared to the NEC? Is this going to be a big adjustment for the Colonials? Will it take a few years of recruiting to get on par with the better HL teams? Of course, I am hoping the that you tell me that RMU is good to go starting with 2020/2021 to compete with the teams in the HL. Go Colonials.

 

[LetsGoRomo2]

I think with Toole, they will be OK. Not sure how much he gets credit for winning games with his strategy, but I'd say it's a least a few a year. AJ can hang with anyone in HL I think, when is resting could be an issue.

 

[R-M-U-h-o-o-p-s-f-a-n]

I think with Toole, they will be OK. Not sure how much he gets credit for winning games with his strategy, but I'd say it's a least a few a year. AJ can hang with anyone in HL I think, when is resting could be an issue.

AJ is a great big but he’s a PF. RMU really needs a true Center or 2 now that they’re in the Horizon League. This year now that the roster looks set we really need Olisa to step up and improve. Are other PF’s like Bain, etc could bulk up as well and that would help.

 

[RMU_Fan]

260 is beefy for an RMU big man for sure. Love's highlights show him running the floor and putting the ball on the floor, not posting up so much. He's a load and he has skills. Hopefully Olisa has filled out as many of our big guys do entering their sophomore season. It's a lot to ask of freshman however we'll need them to play too.

 

[R-M-U-h-o-o-p-s-f-a-n]

260 is beefy for an RMU big man for sure. Love's highlights show him running the floor and putting the ball on the floor, not posting up so much. He's a load and he has skills. Hopefully Olisa has filled out as many of our big guys do entering their sophomore season. It's a lot to ask of freshman however we'll need them to play too.

Hopefully Olisa both will bulk up 10-20lbs and also show some solid improvements on the court. Would be nice if he can give us at least 10-15 min this year.

 

[GoRMU]

I think it is reasonable to be optimistic about Olisa taking a big step up this year. He clearly has the talent and the length. No doubt he will add a few pounds. He posts a lot of pictures of himself on social media, often with his shirt off. He is not bulky by any means, but he is very muscular. We know he can rebound, block shots and provide some inside scoring, he just needs to learn the system and positioning better. It's too bad he is losing time on campus this summer, same for the incoming freshmen, but then, every school is facing that problem during this pandemic.

 

[RMU_Fan]

RMU has offered center 6'9 250 high school senior-to-be Payton Sparks from Winchester, Indiana. He is quick and athletic. Payton we'd love to see you fill the middle for the Colonials!