MBB: University Athletic Association

[el_jefe_90]

According to HoopDirt on X, NYU Head Coach is heading to Florida:

https://x.com/HoopDirt/status/1912154266807984636

[y_jack_lok]

According to HoopDirt on X, NYU Head Coach is heading to Florida:

https://x.com/HoopDirt/status/1912154266807984636

Transfer portal for coaches.

[Ole Ollie 76]

It is well known that Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau got his start at the D3 level as a player, assistant coach, and head coach at Salem State but there also is a UAA connection to the Knicks coaching staff. Darren Erman attended Emory (but did not play basketball there) and Erman, Larry Greer, and Andy Greer were all Brandeis assistants.

[Greek Tragedy]

https://x.com/eeporter31/status/1921849040628527601?t=TIE5x_yazVZ7gPzp0E-lww&s=19

Brandeis' Ethan Edwards going to CWRU.

[Ole Ollie 76]

Chicago has loaded up with Wesleyan grad transfers: Wesleyan's Shane Regan and Nick Roper from Illinois Wesleyan. This should make them prohibitive favorites for the UAA next season and national contenders.

Emory and Wash U also can be top 25 teams.

It's difficult to see anyone else in the mix for the post season, but let's wait until we see the rosters before counting them out. 

[nescac1]

Agree that UChicago is a national contender but Emory seems loaded as well and (like UChicago) is a lock for the pre-season top 10.  They return six of their top seven guys (by minutes) from the Elite 8 game, and were one shot from making the Final Four last year.  Knight, Pearce and Harris will form at worst a top-three perimeter group nationally, with Knight and Pearce locks to be pre-season all-Americans.  While there are some question marks on the interior, Awasum made a late season leap and looks likely to be a solid replacement for Shanahan as the starting center. 

Wash U loses two stars graduation, but with everyone else back and some high-profile recruits, seems likely to be a top 25 team as well. 

The rest of the UAA, however, looks pretty rough next year ...

[ziggy]

The UAA claimed two spots in our Top 10 dunks of the year video (and a bonus spot with a player heading to the UAA): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgEHwiZsxrY

If you're able, please consider giving the video a thumbs up on YouTube and hopefully it can find an audience beyond those normally plugged into D3 hoops.

[WUPHF]

In 2025-2026, Emory will be a top 10 team from start to finish. 

Washington University may drop in the preseason polls, but will finish as a top 10 team if everyone is more or less healthy.

[stlawus]

Only team in the UAA I would definitely bet against is Rochester.  An already bad team that loses their best player.  Coach seems to be recruiting size for the sake of size which rarely works out in d3 and resulted in the nadir of his tenure thus far.

[y_jack_lok]

Only team in the UAA I would definitely bet against is Rochester.  An already bad team that loses their best player.  Coach seems to be recruiting size for the sake of size which rarely works out in d3 and resulted in the nadir of his tenure thus far.

Agreed. Randolph-Macon had a 7-footer about 10 years ago who only saw the court in mop up minutes over four years. Wash U had a 7-footer maybe 15 years ago who only became a starter as a senior and was never a dominant player. Players with that kind of size, who also have skill, will certainly end up in D2 or D1. In fact, I'd say size alone rarely woks out at any level.

[nescac1]

I do think the UAA will be atypically top-heavy next year.  The top three look really good.  After that:

NYU loses its coach and its top seven scorers from last year, and hasn't (as of yet) announced any impact newcomers.  It's basically an entirely different team, with no one returning who scored over 3.4 ppg and of now no head coach to even be recruiting replacements! 

CMU loses a top-five D3 player to Division 1, plus its other star, from a team that was just mediocre even with those two guys.  All told, they lose 52 out of 78 ppg from the roster. Like NYU, they are currently without a head coach so rebuilding in this off-season will be pretty much impossible. 

Case Western was bad last year and loses a crazy 73 out of 80 points per game from the roster. Now that the COVID era is over and there are far fewer fifth-year grad transfers available to snag, they are really paying the price for that roster-building method (which worked incredibly well for a few seasons).   

Brandeis loses four of its top five scorers, including an all-American to D1, from a team that was mediocre.  I think they may have a decent record because on paper they have easily the fourth-best roster in the league, but still a significant step down from the top three. 

And Rochester has already been covered.   

If I was picking an over-under for "total league games that Wash U., Emory, and UChicago will lose to the rest of the league combined," I think I'd set it at 1.5!  It's a very weird year coming up for a league in transition with three (at worst) top 25 caliber teams beating up on a bunch of teams that will all likely be outside the top 150, except possibly Brandeis.     

[WUPHF]

I agree with the last few posts, though ironically, Rochester could be competing for fourth or fifth in the league next season if Malachi Moore returns, given the state of the league.

I was wrong last season and the season prior about the number of late arrivals to Division III from the transfer portal, but I still think the transfer culture and the fallout from the settlement roster limits, whatever the status, could mean more sophomore or junior transfers this season.

But the days of the graduate transfer all-star teams appear to be over.

[Greek Tragedy]

https://x.com/DarrenRubin4/status/1924859208681378251?t=qNnOb2VIWnXRSvFQxabbNw&s=19

Dennison's Darren Rubin headed to NYU. Starter and leading scorer last season.

[nescac1]

Just saw posted that Vassar's coach is going to be the choice for CMU.  A very good hire and if he could convince all-American Shea Fitzgerald to join him, it would certainly make things a lot more interesting for them the next two years ...

[WUPHF]

Just saw posted that Vassar's coach is going to be the choice for CMU.  A very good hire and if he could convince all-American Shea Fitzgerald to join him, it would certainly make things a lot more interesting for them the next two years ...

Not yet official, but probably true.