Tulsa Basketball: Looking Ahead
In a short amount of time, the Tulsa men’s basketball roster underwent a major overhaul this spring. While this is becoming more common each year with increased transfer activity across the country, it becomes more difficult to pinpoint expectations for the following season.
Tulsa ended up with three players transferring out of the program after the season: shooting guard Reggie Jones (Ball State), point guard Isaiah Hill (Fresno State) and forward Jeriah Horne (Colorado). TU also loses starters Martins Igbanu and Lawson Korita to graduation.
Despite all that turnover, the Hurricane could hypothetically field a starting lineup next season with returning players Brandon Rachal, Elijah Joiner, Darien Jackson, Manny Ugboh and Josh Earley. Those five players already give TU an excellent base for next season.
What could put Tulsa over the top is the addition of transfers Keyshawn Embery-Simpson and Curtis Haywood. Both sat out the season due to the NCAA refusing to grant waivers of eligibility of the type that other schools across the nation typically receive. One can only imagine how good Tulsa could have been this past season if those two players had been eligible.
Embery-Simpson is a sophomore Arkansas transfer from Midwest City who averaged 4.1 points as a freshman for the Hogs. The explosive, quick combo guard can light it up from the outside, and likely will take most of the minutes Hill would have gotten, plus some of Korita's minutes as well.
Arguably one of the top five players in Oklahoma high school basketball for the past decade, the 6-3 Embery-Simpson is the type of player that can take the Golden Hurricane to the next level.
Haywood is another player who could solve a lot of problems next season. The 6-5 wing started 26 games for Georgia Tech in his first two years and averaged 5.5 points in 22.6 minutes per game. Haywood is a good shooter, and has a strong defensive reputation with 34 steals as a sophomore.
After starring for Mustang (OK), Haywood spent a year at Brewster Academy in New Hampshire, leading his team to a state title. Embery-Simpson spent his senior year at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
Another option is Ryan Gendron from Bishop Kelley, who sat out this year after attending OSU. The former walk-on was awarded a scholarship for the spring semester, and has good genes, as his father is former TU player Jonnie Gendron.
The other major component will be the 2020 recruiting class, which includes three incoming freshmen along with both junior college and Division-1 transfers.
TU signed heavily recruited 3-star guard Keshawn Williams from Chicago Heights (IL) Bloom in the early November period, and the Hurricane later added Williams’ teammate Christian Shumate in April. The pair led Bloom to a 28-6 record this season, including 15-1 in conference.
Williams also held offers from West Virginia, Colorado, Kansas State, UAB, Southern Illinois, St. Louis, Colorado State, Missouri State, DePaul and several others after a solid junior season, when he averaged 16 points, five assists, five rebounds and 1.2 steals per game.
“Keshawn is a talent. He is one of the top players in the country and will be a dynamic player in our program during his collegiate career," said Tulsa head coach Frank Haith. "One thing I love about Keshawn is that he is all about winning. When he is needed to score, he can get to the rim, he can score on the perimeter or create scoring opportunities for his teammates.
“When his team needs a big play defensively, he wants to shoulder that responsibility too. He is going to fit well with how we are building this program for the future.”
Shumate, an ultra-athletic 6-foot-6 forward, averaged 15.4 points, 10.0 rebounds and 6.7 blocks per game as a senior while shooting 68-percent from the field. He was named the Defensive Player of the Year by South Suburban Hoops after recording 220 blocks and 304 rebounds this season.
“Christian adds elite athleticism and explosiveness to this class,” said Haith. “He is coming off a terrific high school career and finished on a great team at Bloom, where he played alongside Keshawn.”
The third incoming freshman will be Peyton Urbancic, a 6-foot-6 wing from Naples (FL) First Baptist Academy who bring a versatile skill set. He averaged 17.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.2 steals as a senior, converting 37 percent of his shots from 3-point range and 77 percent from the free throw line.
“Peyton can really shoot the basketball. He has all the tools to be a great shooter at this level and plays the game with a lot of passion, which we love,” said Haith. “Peyton has great size and fits exactly what we were looking for as we evaluated our needs in the program. Peyton lives in the gym. The game of basketball is very important to him, and I am excited to watch him grow in our program.”
While the three high-schoolers likely won’t be counted on to contribute right away next season, Tulsa’s other 2020 signees will be crucial pieces.
6-foot-6 wing Austin Richie, a transfer from Triton College, should ease the loss of Jeriah Horne. Richie is a sharpshooter that chose TU on April 10 over offers from Cal State Fullerton, Loyola Marymount, IPFW and others.
"Austin is coming off an All-America season at Triton College where he was one of the best shooters in all of junior college basketball,” said Haith. “He adds maturity and has experience at the Division I level having started his career at Northern Illinois.
“This year at Triton really helped in his development. Not only was he able to develop his perimeter game, but his overall game took a big step forward which made him one of the more coveted transfer targets in the country.”
Richie led NJCAA Region 4 in three-pointers made with 120 and was eighth overall in three-point percentage at 44.9 percent. He started 32 of 33 games, averaging 16.4 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, and shot 85.2 percent from the free throw line as a Third-Team All-American.
Another piece to the puzzle for TU next season is Illinois State transfer Rey Idowu. The 6-foot-9 forward averaged 4.4 points and 3.2 rebounds in 15.7 minutes per contest as a sophomore this season.
“I feel really good about the relationship I’m building with Coach Haith and love his plans for my development to help the program stay successful in the future,” he told Inside Tulsa Sports. “The school is in a great city and has a great business program. I want to be a part of something special and maintain the winning culture Coach Haith has built there.”
Under current NCAA rules, Division-1 transfers must sit out a year, but Idowu plans to apply for a waiver. That will be a real key, as Tulsa has little depth or experience returning in the post.
“I am really excited to get Rey into our program and love what he adds to our team and the energy and enthusiasm he plays with on the court,” said Haith. “He comes in with an understanding of what it's like competing in Division I basketball. He played a lot of meaningful minutes at Illinois State.”
TU is also adding walk-on Ari Seals, the son of Hurricane assistant coach Shea Seals, who is one of the top players in Tulsa history. A 6-foot-4 shooting guard, the younger Seals was a second-team All-District selection as a senior at Frisco (TX).
One thing is certain. The 2020-21 Golden Hurricane will have as much, if not more, athletic ability and skill than any TU team in recent memory. Tulsa still has one scholarship available and could add another prospect if the right player is available. Otherwise, it will be held over to the 2021 class.