Exit Stage Left....MAC Transfers--updated

Well, it is off-season, and the epidemic of basketball transfers has been ongoing.  Based on this list, there are 10 total players who are leaving their MAC schools...what follows is a quick look at who they were and what if any impact their might be.

Here's the important thing, in my opinion, about transfers.  You look at a guy who is leaving--like Clifford, for example--and you think, there's a guy who they won't miss.  At the same time, it represents a failure of something--recruiting or coaching--when a player can't find his way into the lineup after two seasons.  There are certainly times when the best thing for everyone is to part ways.  So, with that in mind...

One last observation...there seem to be a lot of 6'7"-8 players on this list.  Not sure what that is about....except that they probably have more transfer options...

Mike Clifford, 6-7, F, Soph., Buffalo

Clifford was ineligible his first semester of his sophomore year and never averaged more than 3 minutes a game at Buffalo.  He was a reasonably highly touted recruit and looked like he might be a steal because his HS career was hampered by a broken leg.

Jay Copeland, 6-7, F, Fr., Ball State

Copeland was a very highly touted recruit heading to Muncie.  He played in 7 games as a freshman.  His stated purpose for transferring was to be closer to his home in Virginia.  (Interestingly, the Cardinals have had trouble keeping recruits from far away.)

Dakotah Euton, 6-8, F, Fr., Akron

Euton's departure was listed on the Akron media blog as good news for Coach Dambrot.  He was once committed to Kentucky, and on paper should have been a force in the MAC.  However, when Brett McKnight was back from suspension, he lost his playing time and apparently his motivation.  He played 6 minutes during the conference season.

Note:  Cvetinovic is returning for his senior year.

Maurice Hubbard, 6-6, F, Jr., Ball State

Hubbard is also transferring to be closer to home.  He played 17 minutes a game as a freshman, but then that fell to 10 minutes last year.  This move was announced mid-season last year.

Chris McHenry, 5-11, G, Jr., Miami (Ohio)

McHenry is a JUCO transfer who is looking to find a place where he can play his senior year.  He played 17 minutes a game last year with 5 points and 1.5 assists per game, but according to this from the Dayton Daily News, the RedHawks have an incoming Fr. PG (Brian Sullivan) who they are really high on and McHenry saw "the writing on the wall"--the wall written on by the evil genius.

DeAndre Nealy, 6-6, F, Jr., Kent State

This is kind of a surprise.  He came to Kent from Mott Community College as a highly regarded forward that they had big plans for. However, when you come from a JUCO and you don't play your junior year, you might think you should transfer down and at least get something out of your senior year.  He played only 6 minutes a game and Kent brings almost everyone back plus a Big East transfer.

Malcolm Griffin, 6-4, G Soph., Toledo

Hayden Humes, 6-8, F, Fr., Toledo

J.T Thomas, 6-1, G, Fr., Toledo

Zack Leahy, G, Fr, Toledo

Which brings us to the Rockets.  Their leading scorer, Malcolm Griffin, is among the players who are transferring.  Now, someone had to lead the team in scoring.  Having said that, my first reaction was that  they were better with him than without him, even if Kowalcyk is looking to move all those transfers right in when the season starts.  As it turns out, there might not have been much choice, as APR restrictions have cut UT down to 10 scholarships and forced Hayden Humes to transfer, which neither he nor the Rockets wanted him to do.  He contributed as a freshman.

With those two guys, UT has lost their top 2 players in terms of minutes from last year's team.  

JT Thomas is probably more emblematic of why they were 4-24.  He averaged 4 points in 25 minutes per game.  Leahy, in the same vein, was not on scholarship and was probably just auditioning for a role at DII or DIII.

Update:

Darius Leonard of Kent is also transferring.  He is 6'8" from Charlotte.  He played only 6 minutes a game as a freshman, and was at a position where Kent is pretty deep.  Senderhoff wanted him to redshirt, and Leonard decided that if he was going to sit out a here, it might as well be somewhere else.