Incoming!! MAC Transfers who sat out last year

Last week we looked the players who transferred out of the MAC for other, hopefully greener pastures.  Hey, but for some people, the MAC represents greener pastures.  Below are the D1 players coming into the MAC...these are guys who will be eligible to play at some time this year.

In general, people like to talk down transfers, but I was impressed at the potential represented in these players.  None of them were proven great players at their previous schools, or they probably would have stayed where they were.  But, a number of them were huge HS players who would have been considered strong MAC recruits right from the beginning.

Note, too, that three of the traditionally strongest MAC programs (Kent, Akron, Miami) are the ones getting transfer help this season.


Akron


Chauncey Gillam

Gillam is 6'5" who is transferring from University of Maryland-Baltimore County.  He played two years there and did have some success, though that is a much smaller conference--America East.  He averaged 13.3 points and 3.7 rebounds as a sophomore. As a freshman, he averaged 10.9 points and 4.4 rebounds and was named the league's rookie of the week four times.

Brian Walsh

Walsh is a potential difference maker for the Zips.  He's a 6'4" guard who was highly recruited out of HS, and then went to Xavier.  He did not make a mark there, played behind Jordan Crawford, and then felt that Chris Mack had his own guys.  On paper, he certainly would appear to have a shot at big MAC success.

Ball State

Tyler Koch

He is a 6'5" SF Indiana boy who was recruited to Wichita State where he played one year, battled some injuries and did not make a big impact.  He was a lead player on a very successful HS team and would appear to be the type of guy who could make a nice impact in the MAC.  Ball State does have a pretty strong front court.

Kent

Patrick Jackson

Is 6'6" and from Brooklyn.  He was pretty highly touted in HS, and went to Rutgers, where he played in all his games and started about half, though he did not rack up big numbers.  He was their leading player in their tour of Spain and the Canary Islands (no, really).  He is expected to split time with Justin Manns at PF.

UT

Rian Pearson
Matt Smith

These two young men are grouped together because they are both players who followed Kowalcyk from UWGB to Toledo.  As such, you have to assume they know what they are getting.  Pearson is a 6'3" G and Smith a 6'7" forward.  Pearson played 16 minutes as a FR and Smith played more sparingly.  That was a pretty good team, and I think it is clear they are both upgrades for the Rockets.  As for whether they are competitive players, that remains to be seen.

Dominique Buckley

Buckley is from Romulus originally and is transferring to UT two years at Iowa State.  He did not make a huge mark with the Cyclones, but given his all-state HS career in Michigan, I'd wager any team in the MAC would have been happy to have him.

Curtis Dennis (mid-season eligibility)

Dennis will be eligible after transferring from New Mexico.  He is 6'5" and started the season with the Lobos with some decent games before deciding to move to Toledo.  He is from the Bronx, where he had some very strong numbers (18/8), a performance he replicated in prep school, where he played for two seasons, which is a little odd.

Miami

Bill Edwards

6'6", he went to Penn State, where he played and occasionally started as a Freshman.  That sorts out to about 16 minutes a game.  He was a huge player in Middletown, Ohio, earning all-state and regional-level POY honors.  Again, coming out of HS, any MAC school would have been happy to get a guy like this.