An updated look at who’s coming and going in the Big Ten
With the spring signing period winding down and NBA Draft early entry deadline in the rearview mirror, it’s time for an updated look at who’s coming and going in the Big Ten for the 2014-2015 season.
(Editor’s note: If you missed it, here’s our early look at who’s coming and going in the Big Ten.)
Illinois (20-15, 8th place tie, NIT second round)
· Arriving: Aaron Cosby (Seton Hall), Ahmad Starks (Oregon State), LeRon Black (247Composite Top 100), Michael Finke
· Departing: Jon Ekey (graduation), Joseph Bertrand (graduation)
Notes: The Illini took a hit this week when John Groce announced a season-long suspension for Darius Paul, a transfer from Western Michigan who was expected to help in the frountcourt this winter.
Indiana (17-15, 8th place tie)
· Arriving: James Blackmon Jr. (247Composite Top 100), Jeremiah April, Max Hoetzel, Robert Johnson (247Composite Top 100), Tim Priller
· Departing: Austin Etherington (transfer), Evan Gordon (graduation), Jeff Howard (graduation), Jeremy Hollowell (transfer), Noah Vonleh (NBA), Will Sheehey (graduation)
Notes: Indiana added two players to its 2014 class since our first update in Richland Hills (Tex.) forward Tim Priller and Westwind Prep (Ariz.) center Jeremiah April.
Iowa (20-13, 6th place, NCAA First Four)
· Arriving: Brady Ellingson, Dominique Uhl, Trey Dickerson
· Departing: Darius Stokes (transfer), Devyn Marble (graduation), Kyle Meyer (transfer), Melsahn Basabe (graduation), Zach McCabe (graduation)
Notes: Aside from Peter Jok’s arrest for operating while intoxicated on a moped last month, things have remained relatively quiet in Iowa City.
Maryland (17-15, 7th place tie in ACC)
· Arriving: Dion Wiley (247Composite Top 100), Jared Nickens (247Composite Top 100), Melo Trimble (247Composite Top 100), Michael Cekovsky, Trayvon Reed (247Composite Top 100)
· Departing: Nick Faust (transfer), Roddy Peters (transfer), Seth Allen (transfer), Shaquille Cleare (transfer)
Notes: Things have become turbulent in College Park as Allen, who averaged averaged 9.8 points, 2.5 assists and 2.1 rebounds in two seasons, became the program’s fourth transfer this offseason.
Michigan State (29-9, 2nd place tie, NCAA Elite Eight)
· Arriving: LouRawls Nairn (247Composite Top 100), Javon Bess, Marvin Clark
· Departing: Adreian Payne (graduation), Gary Harris (NBA), Keith Appling (graduation)
Notes: After another offseason of rumored interest from the NBA, Tom Izzo announced in late April that he will remain in East Lansing.
Michigan (28-9, 1st place, NCAA Elite Eight)
· Arriving: Aubrey Dawkins, Austin Hatch, D.J. Wilson, Kameron Chatman (247Composite Top 100), Muhammad Ali Abdur-Rahkman, Ricky Doyle
· Departing: Glenn Robinson III (NBA), Jordan Morgan (graduation), Jon Horford (transfer), Mitch McGary (NBA), Nik Stauskas (NBA)
Notes: The Wolverines lost a third player to early entry to the NBA in late April as McGary announced his decision to depart Ann Arbor after failing a NCAA drug test. The Wolverines also added a pair of spring signees in Dawkins, the son of Stanford coach Johnny Dawkins, and Abdur-Rahkman. Caris LeVert, Michigan’s leading returning scorer, recently underwent surgery for a stress fracture in his foot.
Minnesota (25-13, 7th place, NIT Champion)
· Arriving: Bakary Konate, Carlos Morris, Gaston Diedhiou, Josh Martin, Nate Mason Jr., Zach Lofton (Illinois State)
· Departing: Austin Hollins (graduation), Malik Smith (graduation), Maverick Ahanmisi (graduation), Oto Osenieks (medical), Wally Ellenson (transfer)
Notes: The Gophers added a fifth recruit this spring in Konate, a 6-foot-11 center who played at Sunrise Christian in Kansas. Lofton, a transfer from Illinois State, will sit out next season and become eligible for the 2015-2016 campaign.
Nebraska (19-13, 4th place, NCAA round of 64)
· Arriving: Jacob Hammond, Moses Ayegba (Georgetown), Tarin Smith
· Departing: Deverell Biggs (transfer), Nathan Hawkins (transfer), Ray Gallegos (graduation), Sergej Vucetic (transfer)
Notes: Nebraska added frontcourt depth with the signing of Ayegba, a graduate transfer from Georgetown who will be eligible immediately.
Northwestern (14-19, 10th place tie)
· Arriving: Bryant McIntosh, Gavin Skelly, Jeremiah Kreisberg (Yale), Johnnie Vassar, Scott Lindsey, Victor Law (247Composite Top 100)
· Departing: Drew Crawford (graduation), Kale Abrahamson (transfer), Nikola Cerina (graduation)
Notes: Chris Collins added some frontcourt depth in Kreisberg, a 6-foot-10 graduate transfer from Yale with immediate eligibility.
Ohio State (25-10, 5th place, NCAA round of 64)
· Arriving: Anthony Lee (Temple), Dave Bell, D’Angelo Russell (247Composite Top 100), Jae’Sean Tate (247Composite Top 100), Keita Bates-Diop (247Composite Top 100), Trevor Thompson (Virginia Tech)
· Departing: Aaron Craft (graduation), Amedeo Della Valle (Europe), LaQuinton Ross (NBA), Lenzelle Smith Jr. (graduation)
Notes: Things have been quiet in Columbus over the past month with the Buckeyes, who may have the best incoming class in the conference.
Penn State (16-18, 10th place tie, CBI quarterfinals)
· Arriving: Devin Foster, Shep Garner, Isaiah Washington
· Departing: Graham Woodward (transfer), Tim Frazier (graduation)
Notes: The Nittany Lions added Foster, a second team JUCO All-American guard from Vincennes College, in mid-April.
Purdue (15-17, 12th place)
· Arriving: Dakota Mathias, Isaac Haas (247Composite Top 100), Jacquil Taylor, P.J. Thompson, Vince Edwards
· Departing: Errick Peck (graduation), Jay Simpson (medical), Ronnie Johnson (transfer), Sterling Carter (graduation), Terone Johnson (graduation), Travis Carroll (graduation)
Notes: The most important news of the spring for the Boilermakers came in late April when A.J. Hammons announced that he would return for his junior season.
Rutgers (12-21, 7th place in AAC)
· Arriving: Bishop Daniels (Miami), D.J. Foreman, Ibrihima Diallo, Mike Williams
· Departing: Craig Brown (transfer), D’Von Campbell (transfer), Jerome Seagears (transfer), J.J. Moore (graduation), Wally Judge (graduation)
Notes: The Scarlet Knights added a spring signee in Diallo, a 6-10 center originally from the Senegal.
Wisconsin (30-8, 2nd place tie, NCAA Final Four)
· Arriving: Ethan Happ, T.J. Schlundt (preferred walk-on)
· Departing: Ben Brust (graduation)
Notes: The Badgers got a boost of depth with the addition of Schlundt, a former AAU teammate of Bronson Koenig and Luke Fischer, who chose to walk-on in Madison over offers from St. Joseph’s, UW-Green Bay, UW-Milwaukee, Drake, Wofford and Northern Kentucky.
(Photo credit: UMHoops.com)
Filed to: 2014-2015 Big Ten preview