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UMBC Retrievers 2019-2020

21K views 134 replies 17 participants last post by  umbc32244 
#1 ·
LJ Owens has signed his NLI and is petitioning to play next season. We have a couple of other players considering UMBC but not sure their status.

We still have four scholarships to fill. We need more shooters. I feel our front court is fine. We need guards who can shoot.


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#2 · (Edited)
Nathan Johnson seems to have had a pretty quiet prep year.

He had a couple of games that appears he had 15 and 18 points but one of them was where he made five 3s on zero attempts so who knows.

In HS he averaged 16ppg and shot 52% and 70% from the floor and the line, respectively.

If you watch the video he has a jump shot where his feet provide a wide base but it’s really consistent. He showed a few step back 3s in the video as well as numerous baseline dunks and some alley oops.

He appears to be a good jump shooter and has a pretty quick shooting motion. It will be interesting to see how he looks at the Black and Gold scrimmage in the Fall.

I’m excited to have him. He is a tall wing who looks like a good shooter with athleticism.

He had offers from Stony Brook, Hartford, American, and Campbell most notably.

I corrected my post in the recruiting thread because he played with the post grad team and not the high schoolers who were full of big talent.

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#5 ·
Some more links on Johnson:

Nathan Johnson, Waukee, SF/SG
Height/weight: 6-foot-7/195 pounds

2016-17 stats: 12.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 51.4 percent shooting, 39.7 percent 3-pointers

Recruiting landscape: Air Force offered two summers ago, but it filled all its 2018 spots. We'll see if any Falcons transfer or if any of their 2018 guys decommit. Other Division Is, such as UTEP, Long Beach State, Texas State and Florida Gulf Coast, have expressed interest. Johnson's future simply depends on if a D-I offers, and if it's the right fit. Any Division II school would be thrilled to get him.

Scouting report: Probably the state of Iowa's most well-rounded uncommitted 2018 prospect, Johnson has low-major-to-mid-major D-I skills and athleticism. He plays all over for Waukee. He posts up. He makes plays for his teammates. He sits in the corners for catch-and-shoot 3s. Then, on defense, he can switch 1-5 against high school competition. He's too quick for bigs, and he's too big and long for opposing guards.

https://247sports.com/college/minne...d-Another-Offer-New-Names-to-Watch-120160210/

Rated #7 2018 player in Iowa as a junior. Offered by Air Force as a sophomore. Interest from Cornell and others including Minnesota.

Was hurt the summer between his junior and senior years and decided to do a prep year.

From all accounts, we are lucky to have him. He may have flown under the radar. Was supposed to go to Hargrave Military and ended up at Sunrise Christian.


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#6 ·
It’s June 5th, and UMBC has two commitments and possibly a third not yet announced.

But we have five scholarships available and I cannot fathom why we would go into the summer without them filled.

Odom is an exceptional coach. But his recruiting still needs work as one could argue his first season was his best. If that was Griff Aldrich, we need to consider finding a better replacement.

We cannot go into the school year with open scholarships. Not as a team who is supposedly on the rise and is looking to start taking another step.


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#11 ·
Probably as part of the Jamaica Classic US games where LSU, Utah State, URI, and North Texas host two of the four games each team will play. My guess is UMBC may likely visit Kingston for its other tourney game in the US. Will then face in Jamaica two of the other non-host participants that are rumored to be Nicholls State, UNC A&T, and Samford.
 
#15 ·
Here’s some additional information on Keondre:

JUCO:

18.3ppg, 6.5rpg, 40% 3pt, 73% FT
Conference Freshman of the Year
Labette College Athlete of the Year

Caveat: D2 JUCO

In HS:

Several of Columbia's actions involved the sharpshooting ability of senior guard Keondre Kennedy. His length allows many of his shots to go uncontested and with just a sliver of space he can make a defense pay. One of the more consistent long-distance threats for Columbia also made an impact off of the bounce by getting in the paint to show off his high arching floater.


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#16 · (Edited)
Assuming Owens gets his waiver, our opening lineup could be:

PG: Owens (W&M), Eytle-Rock, Rogers (JUCO)
SG: Jackson, Council, Schweitz
SF: Lamar, Kennedy (JUCO), Johnson (FR)
PF: Horvath, Curran
C: Akin, Dmitrije Spasojevic (ECU)

That *feels* like a deeper team than at the end of last season but it’s hard to say. Having Akin and Curran back really helps offset losing Joe and if we get Spasojevic a waiver we should be okay in the front court.

Our shooting, however, isn’t a lock to be fixed. Owens is a decent shooter and both Kennedy and Johnson look to be promising. Rogers had a terrible season shooting last year but was much better in HS.

Our perimeter shooting is a major concern for me and I can’t say for certain we recruited someone who will fill the huge hole Sherburne left on offense.

Edited to add Spasojevic per his IG; credit to LorensenUMBC for scooping it.

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#17 ·
I was worried about guard depth after Placer left, but if Owens is eligible, I feel like we’ll definitely have better guard depth than last year. I’m not sure Owens is a PG because his assist numbers were very low at W&M, but I liked Eytle-Rock a lot as makeshift PG, and Rogers seems like a willing passer.

I like Kennedy’s size and three point range based on the three minutes of accessible highlights - his shot could touch the ceiling of most mid majors arenas but if it works, it works! I’m optimistic that if Horvath and Curran are healthy that they will do a nice job in the front court, as long as they don’t shoot too many irrational 3’s. I think Akin and Spasojevic will also be good depth at the 5.

While the team does appear deeper than ever (with Schwietz being the only guy who I think has no shot at a D1 career), there is no clear go-to player on this roster to carry the scoring load. I think Jackson will lead the team in scoring, but can he take the next step in scoring 16-18 points per night? He will also have to shoot more efficiently than last year.

It’ll be a fun year I think - we’ll see how it plays out.
 
#25 ·
Your other US Jamaica Classic game opponent is still undetermined just as is the case with Rhode Island (tbd home game on top of home game with Nicholls St). I had thought one of your fans thought you were playing at Utah State in addition to the previously announced LSU game. That led me to believe that URI was most likely going to host the last team (Eastern Michigan) in the tourney field which had been unknown up until a few weeks ago. Would be nice to have this resolved soon, especially for UMBC which will have to make travel plans.
 
#28 · (Edited)
https://www.umbcretrievers.com/sports/mbkb/2019-20/bios/thompson_marcel_0627?view=bio

New player added to roster that I have not seen mentioned elsewhere. Looks like a walk-on, as he was a bench player at South Plains two years ago (JUCO champs that had many kids go D1 afterwards). He did not play last year for any team. He was a D1 freshman at Grambling and played sparingly but provides some backcourt depth. From the Baltimore area so makes sense if he walked-on to be close to home.
 
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