Game 1 showcases depth, pace for MTSU Men's Basketball

11/5/2024 9:35:00 AM | Men's Basketball

The Blue Raiders took care of business against an overmatched opponent and showed a glimpse of what this team needs to do to be successful this season in the process.

By: Sam Doughton

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — In front of 7,501 fans, most of them enthusiastic children from Rutherford County Schools, it wasn't hard to see the vision of what head coach Nick McDevitt wants his 2024-25 team to be.

Midway through the second half against Division III Oglethorpe, who MTSU routed 97-51 in the Murphy Center to open the season, two of MTSU's 24 fast break points came in a sequence that McDevitt hopes to recreate. Center Essam Mostafa got a block in the paint, which was scooped up by Jlynn Counter, who quickly sprinted down the court. Torey Alston, along with Mostafa and Jacob Johnson, beat Counter down the court, setting up a lob that the 6-foot-8 redshirt freshman flushed home for the alley-oop dunk.

"That's where this team is going to play at its best is out in transition," McDevitt said. "We've got two really good ball handlers. We've got more than that, but obviously with the way Cam (Weston) and Jlynn Counter handle the ball and can get out and run, it's important that the other guys do as well."

It can be hard to parse who the Blue Raiders will be this season against a team like the Stormy Petrels, who went 11-15 while playing in the Southern Athletic Association last season and featured a roster with 24 players, but with only four listed at 6-foot-6 or taller. They're a team that MTSU should beat by 40+ points, with five players scoring in double figures and two (Mostafa and Alston) recording double-doubles.

But that also means games like Monday's, besides being an opportunity to give back to the community through the program's education game, are a chance for MTSU to show what their version of success looks like. And a program that pushes the ball in transition, forces turnovers and uses its depth to allow their players to maximize their minutes on the court certainly makes for a team that's fun to watch and dangerous to play.

A season ago, injuries to Camryn Weston and Josh Ogundele forced MTSU into an eight-man, sometimes even a seven-man rotation, resulting in a team that ranked 297th adjusted Tempo on KenPom. The pace MTSU played with on Monday, taking 70 shots from the field, would've ranked just outside the Top 50 at the end of the season on KenPom's adjusted tempo rankings.

"Because of a smaller rotation, our pace of play couldn't be that high, McDevitt said. "Now, we've got enough depth where our pace of play needs to be high."

Nine players played at least 12 minutes on Monday. No player played for more than 27 minutes individually on Monday. The latter fact might be expected given the margin of victory, but it was clear post-game that McDevitt would like to keep his guys fresh throughout the season, allowing their motor to constantly be high.

Both MTSU's double-doubles were completed in under 20 minutes on the court. Mostafa, who finished his 18:55 of play with 14 points and 10 rebounds, including a 6-for-8 day from the field, expressed confidence in his own ability to go all-out when he's on the court thanks to the talent behind him from Chris Loofe and Christian Fussell.

"You might as well give it all, because you know that the person coming in is going to do same thing," Mostafa said.

With a big advantage in size, it's not surprising the Blue Raiders cleaned up on the glass, outrebounding the Stormy Petrels 50-30 and scoring 12 second chance points to Oglethorpe's two on Monday morning. But the performance of redshirt freshman Torey Alston, who finished with 11 points and a team-high 13 rebounds in his first career game, gave fans a glimpse at what the versatile forward brings on the court after sitting out his first year in Murfreesboro. McDevitt said Alston has put on over 25 pounds in the weight room, helping him make better use of his athleticism and long frame.

"An area where Torey has had a real advantage is watching how hard it is to play and how well you have to prepare to win watching Justin Bufford and Jacob Johnson," McDevitt said. "What you see on game day, that's not them saving it for games. If you come and watch us practice in the mornings, that's what those two guys look like."

One other important box checked for MTSU on Monday? The return of Camryn Weston, who looked smooth after his recovery from an ACL tear nearly a year ago. The versatile point guard made all five of his shots from the field, scoring 12 points while dishing out seven assists and recording three steals.

"It's just a blessing to have him back," said Jestin Porter, who led MTSU with 20 points on the afternoon, including a 5-for-8 day beyond the arc. "Us playing off each other just creates faster offense, it creates a faster flow, like coach was saying...it's like a weight off my back from last year."