So with the Evansville Aces not having a win in the conference last year, I thought I would share how they can rebuild their team.
The Aces looked promising coming into this past season with Head Coach Walter McCarty doing a very good job recruiting. They had key players get their eligibility such as Deandre Williams, Sam Cunliffe, and Artur Labinowicz.
The win over #1 ranked Kentucky made them famous nationwide for college basketball fans. They had a very tough non-conference schedule and came out of it a very good 9-4.
On December 27th, 2019, McCarty got placed on administrative leave for allegedly violating Title IX violations. He was officially fired on January 21st, 2020.
Todd Lickliter took over the head coaching job. He had a very good resume, being NABC Coach of the Year in 2007 with Butler and taking them to the Sweet 16, losing to Florida who went on to win the National Championship.
However, things would not look good in the 2020 offseason for the Aces.
The Aces lost their top 2 scorers, Deandre Williams(transfer to Memphis) and KJ Riley(senior), along with their 4 and 5 scorers, Artur Labinowicz(transfer to TBD), and John Hall(transfer to Portland State).
They also lost a key bench player in Marcus Henderson(transfer to Flagler). McCarty brought in Samari Curtis(transfer from Nebraska) and Trey Hall(freshman) for the 2020-21 season before he was fired.
With all the transfers, however, Lickliter had to do some recruiting on his own. He brought in 2 JUCO transfers, Emmette Page Jr. and Iyen Enaruna, Kentucky Gatorade Player of the Year, Alex Matthews, and a grad transfer from UNC Asheville, Jax Levitch.
The 2020 offseason was big for the Aces but 2021 will be even bigger as the Aces will lose 6 seniors(5 scholarships). Lickliter will have one full year to recruit on his own.
Thanks for reading this article! I really appreciate it! If you would like to discuss this topic more, DM me on Instagram (@evansville.updates) and I’ll be glad to discuss it!
Photo Credit: Mark Zerof / USA Today Sports
