Predicting Each Mountain West Basketball Starting Lineup For 2019-20
Looking at projections of each Mountain West lineup in ’19-20
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Predicting each MW starting five for ’19-20
–Who Will Join the Mountain West 1,000-Point Club in 2019-20?
–Former Mountain West Players In NBA Summer League
–Mountain West Basketball: Predicting Each Team’s Ceiling, Floor In ’19-20
Next up in our offseason basketball content is projecting each Mountain West team’s starting lineup and sixth man for the 2019-20 season.
Air Force
G A.J. Walker
G Caleb Morris
G Chris Joyce
F Lavelle Scottie
F Ryan Swan
6th Man: Keaton Van Soelen
Minus Pervis Louder, Air Force brings back everyone from last season’s sixth-place squad. Needless to say, there are some tangible expectations for Dave Pilipovich’s group in ’19-20. Lavelle Scottie and Ryan Swan are both capable of hitting 20 points on a nightly basis. The guard trio of A.J. Walker, Caleb Morris and Chris Joyce won’t pop off the page, but they produce solid minutes and have had their moments.
Boise State
G Marcus Dickinson
G Alex Hobbs
G Justinian Jessup
F Derrick Alston, Jr.
C Robin Jorch
6th Man: R.J. Williams
Boise State can go one of two ways with its starting lineup on day one. It can either opt to slot the redshirted Jorch down low for a true center in the lineup, or Leon Rice can play small ball and have Alston as the “five” while adding another swing or combo forward to the lineup. If either or both of Emmanuel Akot and Abu Kigab become eligible during the season, the latter option seems like the formidable choice going forward. Watch out for R.J. Williams, who started off with a bang and cooled off as the season progressed.
Colorado State
G Kendle Moore
G Kris Martin
F Adam Thistlewood
F Dischon Thomas
C Nico Carvacho
6th Man: Hyron Edwards
Losing J.D. Paige hurts, but Niko Medved’s team has plenty in store for ’19-20. Point guard Kendle Moore had some great moments as a freshman and Nico Carvacho and Kris Martin are both all-league players. CSU will be able to score again, but it has to improve defensively. Adam Thistlewood and Hyron Edwards will help on that end. The door is open for a handful of newcomers to solidify roles, beginning with effort on the defensive side of the court.
Fresno State
G Noah Blackwell
G New Williams
G Aguir Agau
F Nate Grimes
C Assane Diouf
6th Man: Chris Seeley
Year two of the Justin Hutson era will be far more challenging than the first. Gone are Deshon Taylor, Braxton Huggins and Sam Bittner, a trio that combined to average 43.1 points per game and hit 210 three-pointers last season. Nate Grimes is probably the most under-appreciated player in the league, Noah Blackwell and New Williams are capable scorers, and redshirt freshman Assane Diouf has legitimate star potential.
Nevada
G Lindsey Drew
G Jazz Johnson
G Jalen Harris
F Eric Parrish, Jr.
F K.J. Hymes
6th Man: Nisre Zouzoua
Considering the fact the entire city of Reno was in the transfer portal in the spring, this is a really nice starting five for Alford and company in year one. Johnson and Harris expect to carry the bulk of the scoring load while Drew will immediately make the Wolf Pack more cohesive on both ends. The non-stars will make the difference. Despite the coaching change and outgoing class, the expectation is still to compete for the Mountain West title.
New Mexico
G Zane Martin
G JaQuan Lyle
F Makuach Maluach
F Vance Jackson
F Carlton Bragg, Jr.
6th Man: J.J. Caldwell
No team in the Mountain West has as much talent as New Mexico. I don’t think it’s close, either. The projected starting lineup and sixth man consists of four former top 100 recruits (Lyle, Jackson, Bragg, Caldwell), a former 20-points-per-game scorer in Towson transfer Zane Martin, and two-year starter Makuach Maluach. The puzzle pieces are certainly there, now it’s Paul Weir’s job to make them all fit together.
San Diego State
G K.J. Feagin
G Malachi Flynn
G Jordan Schakel
F Matt Mitchell
C Nathan Mensah
6th Man: Nolan Narain
The Aztecs lost a few starters from last year’s squad, but strike a good mix of returning talent and new faces. The backcourt is completely retooled, with transfers Feagin (Santa Clara) and Flynn (Washington State) set to tag-team the ball handling duties. Schakel could be primed for a breakout junior season after shooting 41.5% from downtown. Mitchell, who is well on his way to becoming a 1,000-point scorer, and Mensah should eat up the lion’s share of minutes in the frontcourt. Narain and Joel Mensah should also provide depth and size off the bench for head coach Brian Dutcher.
San Jose State
G Brae Ivey
G Richard Washington, Jr.
F Seneca Knight
F Craig LeCesne
C Samuel Japhet-Mathias
6th Man: Ashtin Chastain
Jean Prioleau rolls out a lineup that returns three starters after losing its top scorers from 2018-19. The Spartans really need to improve their shooting, as Ivey, Knight, and LeCesne combined for nearly 20 shots per game while shooting a combined 35.4% from the field. To that end, Prioleau has brought in Washington, who transfers in from Tallahassee CC by way of Wake Forest. Another former Demon Deacon could join in, as Japhet-Mathias provides immense size (6’10”, 280 lbs) in the post. He’s something of an unknown quantity and could cede minutes to Chastain, who started 15 games last year.
UNLV
G Elijah Mitrou-Long
G Amauri Hardy
F Bryce Hamilton
F Nick Blair
C Chiekh Mbacke Diong
6th Man: Jonah Antonio
There’s enough talent on this Runnin’ Rebels roster to keep them out of the cellar. UNLV lost a bevy of talent and will depend heavily on Hardy and Diong, the main holdovers from 2018-19. Blair got a couple starts last year and will likely slide up the pecking order after the mass exodus following Marvis Menzies’ ouster. Grad transfer Mitrou-Long could have a huge impact at the guard position and could help stabilize the team. The big question mark is on the wing. Hamilton made 31 appearances last season, but might lose time to the sharpshooting Antonio, a longtime Otzelberger target.
Utah State
G Abel Porter
G Brock Miller
G Sam Merrill
F Justin Bean
C Neemias Queta
6th Man: Diogo Brito
This Aggies team should look quite similar to the squad that Craig Smith rolled out last season on their way to a share of the Mountain West regular season title and a MWC Tournament triumph. The household names are Merrill and Queta, certainly, but they are not the only studs on the roster. Porter and Miller logged serious minutes last season and should contribute similarly this year. Brito, a defensive specialist, was the perfect sixth man for Utah State and will likely fill the same role again. The other frontcourt spot should go to Bean or JUCO transfer Alphonso Anderson.
Wyoming
G A.J. Banks
G Jake Hendricks
G Trevon Taylor
F Hunter Maldonado
F Hunter Thompson
6th Man: Brandon Porter
The Cowboys lost their all-league selection and leader in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, and blocks when Justin James graduated. Now, head coach Allen Edwards is going to face an uphill climb. Luckily, Maldonado has battled back from a series of injuries that cut his season short and might be the Cowboys’ top option next season. The remaining four starters in this list each played more than 750 minutes last season and must take a collective step forward to make Wyoming successful. Porter, who appeared in 31 games last season and started two, is poised to get minutes off the bench.
Eli Boettger is the lead basketball writer at Mountain West Wire. He’s covered Mountain West basketball since 2015 and his work has been featured on Bleacher Report, NBC Sports, SB Nation, Yahoo Sports, MSN, and other platforms. Boettger is a current USBWA member.
Andrew Dieckhoff covers basketball for Mountain West Wire. He also runs the Dieckhoff Power Index, a website for college basketball analytics and bracketology.
