Throughout the Rick Stansbury era at Western Kentucky, two things have been consistent: excitement and disappointment. Going into the 2020-21 season, the Brandenburg, KY native Stansbury has once again managed to check off the first of these two elicitations, and he will try his damndest to avoid the latter in 2020-21. Since joining Conference-USA in 2014-15, the Hilltoppers have continued their traditional winning ways by posting five 20+ win seasons, even winning 27 games in 2017-18, in which they made it to the Final Four of the NIT.
Yet almost miraculously (or disastrously, but I’m a glass-half-full type guy) due to a combination of unfortunate injuries and untimely collapses, WKU has missed out on winning the conference tournament and qualifying for the NCAA tournament since they made the transition from the Sun Belt. The 2013 squad, the last one to qualify for the tournament, is quickly fading from the collective memory of the towel-waving Tops enthusiasts at Diddle Arena, and it is no surprise they expect consistent postseason play from a program that has danced in March an impressive 23 times.
That said, Stansbury’s incoming experience-laden team has more than enough firepower to run through Conference-USA this season, and his job may very well be in question if they fail to meet the lofty expectations in front of them.
Despite losing local redshirt senior sharpshooter Jared Savage and former Kentucky Mr. Basketball grad transfer Camron Justice, the red and white’s roster is stronger than it has been in years. Purely from a talent perspective, this year’s squad is the best team on the Hill in a long time, a testament to Stansbury’s stellar work on the recruiting trail.
The key to making it all work is junior center Charles Bassey, standing at 6-11, towering above his conference’s post competition in more than one way. Ranked as the no. 9 prospect in his high school class by Rivals, Bassey was the most highly-touted recruit ever to sign with WKU back in 2018. In his freshman year, he made an immediate impact as C-USA Freshman of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, and as a member of the All-C-USA First Team. In his only full season on the Hill, the big man did it all, averaging 14.6 points, 10 rebounds and 2.4 blocks in 31.4 minutes per game. Just as impressive was the efficiency with which he scored, shooting 62.7 percent from the field, 45 percent from 3-point range and 76.9 percent from the free-throw line. I was fortunate enough to witness his great play first-hand when Bassey bullied heralded Wisconsin big man Ethan Happ on both sides of the court in a WKU victory in December 2018:
After weighing the pros and cons of declaring for the draft after his freshman year, Bassey made the decision to stay in Bowling Green. His spotless play continued into his sophomore year, until ten games in, when he suffered a season-ending tibial plateau fracture in his left leg during a win against Arkansas, which required surgery. He has not seen the court since, and WKU’s success depends largely on his ability to pick up where he left off. It may be the homer coming out in me, but I think Bassey is hands down the pre-season favorite for C-USA Player of the Year, hedging on the likelihood that he receives more touches than he did throughout his freshman year. Spectators can expect Stansbury to take full advantage of having the best big man in the conference with lots of pick-and-roll, and lots of post-ups.
Bassey is not the only Hilltopper with the ability to put the ball in the hoop—in fact, far from it. Senior guard and 2017 Kentucky Mr. Basketball (Paul Laurence Dunbar HS) Taveion Hollingsworth would like a word in that regard. The past three years Hollingsworth has been WKU’s pace-setter, and he has carved out one of the most memorable careers of any Hilltopper ever as a quick-as-lightning scorer. Last year, he led the club in scoring, good for over 16 points a game, and he notched First Team All-C-USA Honors. While he gets most of his buckets at the rim, he also has a respectable long-range game, shooting 31 percent from behind the line last year. Hollingsworth dropped a career-high 43 points in an overtime win against Louisiana Tech on February 27, and proved he was born with the clutch gene with this game-tying long-range bomb at the end of regulation:
Stansbury will certainly have a weight lifted off his shoulders this year, as his offense will be in the hands of a bona fide pass-first point guard for the first time in years, in the form of Lipscomb transfer senior Kenny Cooper. Cooper’s steady hands with the rock speak for themselves: during his time at Lipscomb, the point guard notched 381 career assists against just 238 turnovers. Such reliable play at the top of the key was sorely lacking in Bowling Green last season. Cooper’s uncanny ability to deliver the ball to a stacked plethora of scoring options will transform WKU’s offense to a more fluid system in 2020-21.
Joining Bassey in the post is another former Kentucky Mr. Basketball (Owen Co. HS), redshirt senior forward Carson Williams. Undeniably undersized at 6-5, Williams might as well stand at 6-11 with the way he utilizes his beefy 240-lb. frame to overpower counterparts on both sides of the ball. A year ago, Williams averaged 14.0 points and 6.6 rebounds per game as the focal point of the short-handed squad’s post game. His steady play earned him Third Team All-Conference-USA honors. With Bassey back in the lineup this year, one can expect Williams to hang out on the perimeter more frequently this year. Shooting 39 percent from long range last year, Williams’s rainbow-arcing jay is a pretty sight that will likely see more use this season.
Rounding out the starting lineup is high-flying 6-6 wing Josh Anderson. While his range is limited, this guy is an absolute monster in transition, and his game should pair well with that of lead guard Kenny Cooper. Anderson is well-known as a fiend on the defensive end, but his true claim to fame lies in his gravity-defying dunking ability, which has landed him in the SportsCenter Top 10 a couple times throughout his career:
I don’t call this team the most talented Hilltopper squad in years for just any reason: they also welcome a strong bench mob. First off the pine will be former four-star recruit sophomore guard Jordan Rawls, who could very well end up competing with Cooper for the starting lead guard role. As a member of last season’s C-USA All-Freshman team, Rawls impressed onlookers with his sick handles as he provided a much-needed scoring spark off the bench, as well as some assists to boot. Where he will need to improve is efficiency; he shot under 40% from the floor over the course of his freshman year.
On the other hand, Davidson transfer redshirt junior guard Luke Frampton can straight up shoot the lights out. As a freshman at Davidson, the 6-5 sniper led the Atlantic 10 in both 3-pointers made and 3-pointers per game (2.9). In 2018-19, Frampton netted 100 of 266 3-point attempts. Like that of Cooper, this roster addition looks to be quite a transformative one in terms of how the offense will function. The Hilltoppers have not had the services of such a reputable shooter in quite some time, so don’t be surprised when you see this guy flying off off-ball screens looking to spot up.
Yet a third Kentucky Mr. Basketball (Martha Layne Collins HS) will look to round out this deep backcourt: freshman guard Dayvion McKnight.
While that backcourt rotation is absolutely stellar, the frontcourt’s depth raises some questions. Who will back up Bassey and Williams? If Bassey has trouble overcoming his past injury woes, this factor could be prove to be an important one, yet there is no easy answer. Sophomore forward Isaiah Cozart saw only spot minutes last year, but his role will likely grow a bit this year. Vincennes University transfer junior forward Kevin Osawe was a Third-Team NJCAA All-American last season, but we all know JUCO success does not always necessarily translate to immediate Division-I success. It will be interesting to see who Stansbury chooses to run in this spot as the season progresses.
With as many weapons as this roster possesses on both offense and defense, it would truly be a shame to see WKU miss out on an NCAA tournament berth again this year. That’s not to say the Hilltoppers will be without competition in one of the premier mid-major conferences in the land: North Texas returns reigning C-USA Player of the Year point guard Javion Hamlet, along with two other starters. Marshall and Louisiana Tech will not be slouches either.
Two words define the upcoming season for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers: no excuses. If the tournament drought continues, it’s not clear how much more disappointment Bowling Green will be able to stomach, nor is it clear how much more confidence will be left in Rick Stansbury’s coaching stock.