Welcome to my team preview series for 2024-25. Each day between now and the start of the college basketball season, I will preview one team or conference, both on Instagram (@collegehoopsoutlet) and through an article here. The preview will go in-depth on the roster build of the team, my expectations for their upcoming season, and the state of the program under their current head coach.
McNeese State (Projected: 1st in Southland)
Will Wade completely flipped the McNeese State basketball program around in just one year after becoming head coach last offseason. Before Wade, the Cowboys had been a bottom-100 team for the last 11 seasons, and in his first season in charge he led them to a 30-4 record and an NCAA Tournament berth. It’s only a matter of time before Wade moves back up to the power conference level, but for 2024-25, he’s on the Cowboys’ sidelines and has a pretty darn good team playing for him.
Six players return from last season’s NCAA Tournament team, including three double-digit scorers. The big return was senior forward Christian Shumate (12 ppg, 10 rpg), the best player not named Shahada Wells on the team last season. Shumate defends at a high level, as do most players playing under Will Wade, and also has elite athleticism and bounce. Some of the best dunks of the college basketball season came from Christian Shumate breakaways.
Two important returners come from the backcourt as well, senior Javohn Garcia (11 ppg, 3 rpg) and junior DJ Richards (11 ppg, 2 rpg). Both Garcia and Richards will give experience to the backcourt and continuity from last season’s team. Garcia is the likely choice, but at least one of these two needs to mold into a true point guard, and do their best to fill the hole left by the graduation of Shahada Wells. Other returners for the Cowboys include senior guard Mike Saunders Jr (6 ppg, 2 apg), who is another guard with a chance to fill the open point guard role, senior guard Omar Cooper (4 ppg, 3 apg), and sophomore guard T’Johnn Brown (2 ppg).
Eight players departed the program after last year’s NCAA Tournament run, including Southland Player of the Year Shahada Wells (18 ppg, 5 rpg, 5 apg). Wells was the heart and soul of this team, and while the team’s talent level in 2024-25 may exceed that of the 2023-24 team, the Cowboys may be in for a slow start to the season without their talisman point guard running the floor anymore. Wells was the star, but the depth was also hurt by the number of departures this summer, with senior forward Antavion Collum (9 ppg, 5 rpg), junior forward Nasir Mann (8 ppg, 6 rpg), senior forward CJ Felder (6 ppg, 4 rpg), sophomore forward Dionjahe Thomas (5 ppg, 4 rpg), senior forward Cameron Jones (3 ppg, 2 rpg), senior forward Roberts Berze (3 ppg), and freshman guard Wesley Fields (3 ppg) all leaving the program this offseason.
Will Wade knew where to look to find replacements for the eight departures, picking up six transfers from a vast range of playing levels. Three power conference transfers and three mid-major transfers, all six of whom should play a role in the Cowboys’ rotation in 2024-25. Sincere Parker (16 ppg, 4 rpg at Saint Louis) was the big get for me, a three-level scorer in the backcourt that could average north of 20 in the SLC. He can create open looks for himself, as he is one of the elite scorers in the country as a ball screen handler (95th percentile) and scoring off the dribble (91st percentile). He did all this last season as a part of a 13-20 team, and now he joins a team that should dominate the SLC. Quadir Copeland (10 ppg, 5 rpg at Syracuse) is another one of my favorite adds for Wade’s squad, a do-it-all forward with two years of high-major experience at Syracuse. Copeland will be an impactful player inside and slotting him next to Shumate should result in the best frontcourt the Southland has ever seen.
The four other transfers Wade brought in are Brandon Murray (4 ppg, 3 rpg at Ole Miss), Bryant Selebangue (5 ppg, 4 rpg at Arizona State), Joe Charles (11 ppg, 10 rpg at Louisiana), and Jerome Brewer Jr (14 ppg, 5 rpg at Texas A&M-Commerce). Murray and Selebangue will both bring high-major experience, and I think Murray could start in the backcourt for the Cowboys. Charles will be another cog in the frontcourt rotation, likely seeing plenty of minutes throughout conference play. Brewer Jr can space the floor at 6-9, and if Wade is looking for a bigger lineup, I could see him starting in place of Brandon Murray.
This McNeese squad should have no problem running through the Southland once again, and I’d be surprised if Will Wade is still the coach here in 12 months’ time. The goal now should be to win an NCAA Tournament game, something I think this team is more than capable of (as long as they don’t run into Gonzaga again).
I’ve talked a bit about the loss of Shahada Wells earlier in this article, and I think it’s something that can’t be understated. Wells did it all for the Cowboys, a leader on both ends of the floor, both on and off the court. It will be vital for someone to step into his role, although I’m not sure one guy will be able to do it himself. The two X-factors for me on this McNeese squad are Javohn Garcia and Sincere Parker. These two will likely have the reigns to the backcourt and will need to use their experience to lead the Cowboys. Garcia will likely default to more of the playmaker in the backcourt and Parker the scorer, but each can do a bit of both when necessary.
Regardless of who takes control of the backcourt, this McNeese squad by talent alone will cruise through conference play. The Cowboys will play a couple of games in the non-conference slate against Will Wade’s old friends, with games against Alabama and Mississippi State already scheduled. The real test for the Cowboys will come in those handful of non-conference games and in the NCAA Tournament next March. For obvious reasons, I’ve picked McNeese State to finish 1st in the Southland this season.