INDIANAPOLIS – To replace seven core seniors is a daunting task to ask of any men’s basketball program going into a new year.
That is just what head coach Mike Snell is faced with at Ohio Valley in his ninth season at the helm as the Fighting Scots start seventh in the G-MAC Preseason Coaches Poll presented by Under Armour.
The refresh button on 2016-17 will not include last year’s starting five and familiar faces like Darryl Walker, David Sinickas, Markese Allen and Robert Smelser. Other senior spot starters Povilas Dambrauskas and Kelvin Toma have also graduated. Corbin Bates played in 23 games last season as well.
The above group of Fighting Scots have made their impact in the career conference record books.
Darryl Walker was just eight points shy of 1,000 in just two seasons played. He ranks eighth among all G-MAC leaders in an abbreviated career from 2014-16. Walker also averaged 19.45 points per game, tops among all players since 2012.
But when on the court, Allen was just as much as an offensive threat with 555 points in 37 games played (15 ppg) over his career. Allen could catch fire from deep at any moment and Walker’s scoring savvy kept OVU in almost any contest.
Sinickas was a deadly three-point marksman, third all-time with 160 three-pointers made, and emerged as a double-digit scorer in his final season. His presence as a deep threat will be missed with an ability to stretch out the floor.
Smelser also graduated as the all-time leading shot swatter in league history with 137. He averaged 1.76 blocks per game in 78 contests throughout his career.
By the numbers strictly from an average standpoint, the Fighting Scots lost over 94 percent of their offensive production from 2015-16. All-Freshman Team member Avery Williams is the top returning scorer on paper at 8.7 ppg.
“We’ve got an entire new team in, so right now we have no idea who our starters would be but we’re looking forward to new guys coming in, stepping up and playing a key role in this upcoming season,” Snell said. “We’re looking for the newcomers to step up and be significant contributors immediately. I’ve never been involved with a change of this magnitude.”
Sophomore guard Kevin Kengne is one of the few returners and says the team is moving forward with a positive mindset this preseason. Ohio Valley has seven freshmen on the new roster and getting everyone on the same page in the preseason is key.
“We’re working hard; we are trying to stay positive and have a lot of chemistry because we have a lot of new players,” he said. “We’re just trying to focus on our non-conference schedule right now and we’re focused on trying to win as many home games as we can.”