Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Men’s basketball position breakdown: Big men
10/25/2017 3:50:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Raiders looking for posts to step up, fill voids
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – With the loss of its two best post players from a season ago, Middle Tennessee enters this season on the lookout for new big men to step up.
Graduates Reggie Upshaw and JaCorey Williams took a lot with them both on and off the court.
The senior leaders combined to score 31.7 points per game last season, and they were the team's top two rebounders, pulling down a combined 14 per contest. Williams was also named MT's sixth conference player of the year, and Upshaw concluded his career with an All-Conference USA Second Team nod.
To replace the loss of Upshaw and Williams, head coach Kermit Davis is looking at a mix of returning and new talent to step up.
Returning redshirt senior Brandon Walters, junior Karl Gamble and redshirt freshman Davion Thomas will mix with transfers Nick King (R-Sr.) and James Hawthorne (Jr.) and freshman TJ Massenburg to make up the big man group.
Walters and Gamble will likely see big minutes jumps from last season, while King will attempt to provide a similar level of impact that Williams had in 2017-18 in just a single year of playing.
"We've got to have guys like Brandon Walters and Karl Gamble take big steps forward," Davis said. "Nick is a one-year guy and is our first graduate transfer. He's a real talent. He's kind of a hybrid four that can shoot and play-make. He's got to get tougher on the defensive end, but he's a natural rebounder and can make shots."
King is entering this season trying to prove he's still got what it takes to be highly effective at the Division I level.
The Memphis native spent two seasons at his hometown school before transferring to Alabama before 2015-16. After sitting out due to transfer rules, King finally got back on the court last season but played in only seven games before ending his year due to a lung infection that caused him to lose significant weight.
He's back at his normal weight now, and Davis is excited about what King can bring from the stretch-four position, a spot that new players have historically stepped in and excelled in under Davis.
"You've got to be able to execute and be tough and physical," Davis said, "but if you have the skillset with the development that those guys get with our staff day in and day out, it really works out great."
Walters proved to be an effective post player in limited minutes last season, averaging 4.9 points and 3.3 rebounds in just 11 minutes per game. But, he was also the team's biggest fouler, racking up 84 personals in just 374 total minutes played. That means he averaged 8.9 fouls per 40 minutes.
Gamble, on the other hand, never quite took the jump expected as a sophomore in 2016-17. He played just 5.2 minutes per game, one more than his average as a freshman.
Both Walters and Gamble will likely see a dramatic increase in usage this season at the center spot, and their improvements down low will be a key for the Blue Raiders.
"Really, all-in-all, we've been working on being more productive," Gamble said. "Brandon and I … we're just focusing on stepping up and playing a bigger role. Obviously, we lost a lot with JaCorey and Reggie, but I feel like Brandon and I are going to grow up a lot this year."
Davis has been high on Massenburg, a hefty 6-foot-8 center from Snellville, Georgia, through practice so far. Massenburg and Thomas may not quite be quite ready to step in and contribute in a big way, though, at least early on in the season.
Hawthorne, at a mobile 6-foot-7, will see action all over the floor for the Blue Raiders, providing versatility both at the stretch-four and as a big guard.
Here's a breakdown of the MT big men:
Returners
1 Brandon Walters [6-10, 250, R-Sr.]
2016-17: Averaged 4.9 points and 3.3 rebounds in just 11 minutes per game … team-high 60.3 percent FG percentage and 75.8 FT percentage … in two NCAA Tournament games averaged 10.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in 15.5 minutes … career-high 11 points against Milligan, Marshall and Butler
25 Karl Gamble [6-9, 224, Jr.]
2016-17: Played in 30 contests and earned one start against Tennessee State … averaged 1.6 points and 1.2 rebounds per game … 10 points against Milligan and nine points and a career-high six rebounds at Florida Atlantic … member of the Conference USA Commissioner's Honor Roll
35 Davion Thomas [6-9, 215, R-Fr.]
2016-17: Took a redshirt season
Northside High School: Averaged 17 points, 8.8 rebounds and 4.4 blocks per game his senior season and led the team in points and blocks … also played one season of AAU ball for Team E.A.T.
Newcomers
4 James Hawthorne [6-7, 205, Jr.]
Southwest Mississippi Community College: Team-high 5.8 rebounds per game as a sophomore to go with 7.8 points, 1.7 blocks and 1.6 assists per outing … shot 53 percent from the field and 68 percent from the free-throw line
5 Nick King [6-7, 225, R-Sr.]
University of Alabama: Played in the first seven games making two starts ... missed the final 27 games due to a lung infection ... season-high nine points against Saint Louis ... seven points and five rebounds vs. Valparaiso … sat out the 2015-16 season due to NCAA transfer rules after joining the Crimson Tide from Memphis
15 TJ Massenburg [6-8, 220, Fr.]
Shiloh High School: Averaged 17 points, 11 rebounds and six blocks per game as a senior … named to the All-Gwinnett County First Team following his senior campaign … averaged 10 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks per outing as a junior
Graduates Reggie Upshaw and JaCorey Williams took a lot with them both on and off the court.
The senior leaders combined to score 31.7 points per game last season, and they were the team's top two rebounders, pulling down a combined 14 per contest. Williams was also named MT's sixth conference player of the year, and Upshaw concluded his career with an All-Conference USA Second Team nod.
To replace the loss of Upshaw and Williams, head coach Kermit Davis is looking at a mix of returning and new talent to step up.
Returning redshirt senior Brandon Walters, junior Karl Gamble and redshirt freshman Davion Thomas will mix with transfers Nick King (R-Sr.) and James Hawthorne (Jr.) and freshman TJ Massenburg to make up the big man group.
Walters and Gamble will likely see big minutes jumps from last season, while King will attempt to provide a similar level of impact that Williams had in 2017-18 in just a single year of playing.
"We've got to have guys like Brandon Walters and Karl Gamble take big steps forward," Davis said. "Nick is a one-year guy and is our first graduate transfer. He's a real talent. He's kind of a hybrid four that can shoot and play-make. He's got to get tougher on the defensive end, but he's a natural rebounder and can make shots."
King is entering this season trying to prove he's still got what it takes to be highly effective at the Division I level.
The Memphis native spent two seasons at his hometown school before transferring to Alabama before 2015-16. After sitting out due to transfer rules, King finally got back on the court last season but played in only seven games before ending his year due to a lung infection that caused him to lose significant weight.
He's back at his normal weight now, and Davis is excited about what King can bring from the stretch-four position, a spot that new players have historically stepped in and excelled in under Davis.
"You've got to be able to execute and be tough and physical," Davis said, "but if you have the skillset with the development that those guys get with our staff day in and day out, it really works out great."
Walters proved to be an effective post player in limited minutes last season, averaging 4.9 points and 3.3 rebounds in just 11 minutes per game. But, he was also the team's biggest fouler, racking up 84 personals in just 374 total minutes played. That means he averaged 8.9 fouls per 40 minutes.
Gamble, on the other hand, never quite took the jump expected as a sophomore in 2016-17. He played just 5.2 minutes per game, one more than his average as a freshman.
Both Walters and Gamble will likely see a dramatic increase in usage this season at the center spot, and their improvements down low will be a key for the Blue Raiders.
"Really, all-in-all, we've been working on being more productive," Gamble said. "Brandon and I … we're just focusing on stepping up and playing a bigger role. Obviously, we lost a lot with JaCorey and Reggie, but I feel like Brandon and I are going to grow up a lot this year."
Davis has been high on Massenburg, a hefty 6-foot-8 center from Snellville, Georgia, through practice so far. Massenburg and Thomas may not quite be quite ready to step in and contribute in a big way, though, at least early on in the season.
Hawthorne, at a mobile 6-foot-7, will see action all over the floor for the Blue Raiders, providing versatility both at the stretch-four and as a big guard.
Here's a breakdown of the MT big men:
Returners
1 Brandon Walters [6-10, 250, R-Sr.]
2016-17: Averaged 4.9 points and 3.3 rebounds in just 11 minutes per game … team-high 60.3 percent FG percentage and 75.8 FT percentage … in two NCAA Tournament games averaged 10.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in 15.5 minutes … career-high 11 points against Milligan, Marshall and Butler
25 Karl Gamble [6-9, 224, Jr.]
2016-17: Played in 30 contests and earned one start against Tennessee State … averaged 1.6 points and 1.2 rebounds per game … 10 points against Milligan and nine points and a career-high six rebounds at Florida Atlantic … member of the Conference USA Commissioner's Honor Roll
35 Davion Thomas [6-9, 215, R-Fr.]
2016-17: Took a redshirt season
Northside High School: Averaged 17 points, 8.8 rebounds and 4.4 blocks per game his senior season and led the team in points and blocks … also played one season of AAU ball for Team E.A.T.
Newcomers
4 James Hawthorne [6-7, 205, Jr.]
Southwest Mississippi Community College: Team-high 5.8 rebounds per game as a sophomore to go with 7.8 points, 1.7 blocks and 1.6 assists per outing … shot 53 percent from the field and 68 percent from the free-throw line
5 Nick King [6-7, 225, R-Sr.]
University of Alabama: Played in the first seven games making two starts ... missed the final 27 games due to a lung infection ... season-high nine points against Saint Louis ... seven points and five rebounds vs. Valparaiso … sat out the 2015-16 season due to NCAA transfer rules after joining the Crimson Tide from Memphis
15 TJ Massenburg [6-8, 220, Fr.]
Shiloh High School: Averaged 17 points, 11 rebounds and six blocks per game as a senior … named to the All-Gwinnett County First Team following his senior campaign … averaged 10 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks per outing as a junior
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