2016–17 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball team

The 2016–17 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers men's basketball team represented Western Kentucky University during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Hilltoppers were led by head coach Rick Stansbury in his first season. They played their home games at E. A. Diddle Arena in Bowling Green, Kentucky and were third-year members of Conference USA. They finished the season 15–17, 9–9 in C-USA play to finish in a tie for seventh place. They lost to UTSA in the first round of the C-USA Tournament.[1]

2016–17 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball
Conference	Conference USA
2016–17 record	15–17 (9–9 C-USA)
Head coach	Rick Stansbury (1st season)
Assistant coaches	Chris Cheeks Shammond Williams Quannas White
Home arena	E. A. Diddle Arena

2016–17 Conference USA men's basketball standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
Middle Tennessee †	17	–	1		.944			31	–	5		.861
Louisiana Tech	14	–	4		.778			23	–	10		.697
Old Dominion	12	–	6		.667			19	–	12		.613
UTEP	12	–	6		.667			15	–	17		.469
Rice	11	–	7		.611			23	–	12		.657
Marshall	10	–	8		.556			20	–	15		.571
UAB	9	–	9		.500			17	–	16		.515
Western Kentucky	9	–	9		.500			15	–	17		.469
UTSA	8	–	10		.444			14	–	19		.424
Charlotte	7	–	11		.389			13	–	17		.433
Florida Atlantic	6	–	12		.333			10	–	20		.333
Southern Miss	6	–	12		.333			9	–	22		.290
FIU	3	–	15		.167			7	–	24		.226
North Texas	2	–	16		.111			8	–	22		.267
† 2017 C-USA Tournament winner

Previous season

The Hilltoppers finished the 2015–16 season 18–16, 8–10 in C-USA play to finish in eighth place. They defeated North Texas and UAB to advance to the semifinals of the C-USA Tournament where they lost to Old Dominion. Despite having 18 wins and a better they .500 record, they did not participate in a postseason tournament.

On March 17, 2016, head coach Ray Harper resigned after three players were suspended by a university disciplinary committee.[2][3][4] He finished at WKU with a record of 90–62. On March 28, the school hired Rick Stansbury as head coach.[5]

Offseason

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes
Chris McNeal	1	G	6'0"	195	Freshman	Jackson, Tennessee	Transferred to Indian Hills CC
Aaron Cosby	2	G	6'3"	200	RS Senior	Louisville, Kentucky	Graduated
Marlon Hunter, Jr.	3	G	6'2"	195	Freshman	Memphis, Tennessee	Transferred to Odessa College
Phabian Glasco	13	F	6'7"	230	Junior	Tulsa, Oklahoma	Left the team due to personal reasons
Dylan Sanford	15	G	6'1"	180	Freshman	Owensboro, Kentucky	Left the team due to personal reasons
Aleksej Rostov	20	C	6'10"	240	Senior	Riga, Latvia	Graduated
Nigel Snipes	21	F	6'6"	220	RS Senior	Marietta, Georgia	Graduated
Nathan Smith	22	C	7'2"	240	Freshman	London, England	Left the team due to personal reasons
Frederick Edmond	25	G	6'4"	205	Junior	Lansing, Michigan	Transferred
Keifer Dalton	32	G	5'11"	165	Freshman	Albany, Kentucky	Walk-on; left the team due to personal reasons
Chris Harrison-Docks	51	G	6'0"	175	RS Junior	Okemos, Michigan	Graduate transferred to DePaul

Incoming transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous School
Junior Lomomba	5	G	6'5"	205	RS Junior	Montreal, QE	Transferred from Providence. Lomomba will be eligible to play immediately since Lomomba graduated from Providence.
Que Johnson	32	F	6'5"	208	RS Senior	Pontiac, Michigan	Transferred from Washington State. Johnson will be eligible to play immediately since Johnson graduated from Washington State.
Cleveland Thomas	12	G	6'3"	195	RS Senior	Baton Rouge, Louisiana	Transferred from Hartford. Thomas will be eligible to play immediately since Thomas graduated from Hartford.
Lamonte Bearden		G	6'3"	160	Junior	Milawaukee, Wisconsin	Transferred from Buffalo. Under NCAA transfer rules, Bearden will have to sit out for the 2016–17 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.
Moustapha Diagne		C	6'9"	245	Sophomore	Dakar, Senegal	Junior college transferred from Northwest Florida State College. He will have to sit out the 2016-17 season and will have three years of eligibility left.

Class of 2016 recruits

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
T.J. Howard PG	Lithonia, Georgia	DME Academy	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Oct 17, 2015
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: NR
Damari Parris PG	Charlotte, North Carolina	Evelyn Mack Academy	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	May 6, 2016
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: NR
Robinson Idehen C	Modesto, California	Modesto Christian School	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Jun 13, 2016
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2016 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 5, 2016.

Class of 2017 recruits

US college sports recruiting information for 2017 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Mitchell Robinson C	New Orleans, Louisiana	Chalmette High School	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	Jun 29, 2016
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 95
Josh Anderson F	Baton Rouge, Louisiana	Madison Prep Academy	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Sep 20, 2016
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 84
Chris Duarte G	Troy, New York	Redemption Christian Academy	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	May 16, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals: N/A   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 75
Taveion Hollingsworth G	Lexington, Kentucky	Paul Laurence Dunbar School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Nov 9, 2016
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: NR
Jake Ohmer G	Covington, Kentucky	Scott High School	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	150 lb (68 kg)	Mar 20, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals: N/A   247Sports:    ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: NR
Marek Nelson F	Plano, Texas	Sunrise Christian Academy (KS)	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	May 14, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved May 16, 2017.

Preseason

The Hilltoppers were picked to finish in third place in the preseason Conference USA poll.[6] Justin Johnson was selected to the preseason All-Conference USA team.[6]

Roster

2016–17 WKU Hilltoppers men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown F 00 Jabari McGhee 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 205 lb (93 kg) RS So Tennessee Albany, Georgia G 1 Tobias Howard 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr DME Academy Lithonia, Georgia G 3 Damari Parris 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Fr Evelyn Mack Academy Bowie, Maryland G 5 Junior Lomomba 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) RS Sr Providence Montreal, Quebec G 12 Pancake Thomas 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) RS Sr Hartford Baton Rouge, Louisiana F 14 Benjamin Lawson 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Sr Oaklands College Hitchin, England F 12 Moustapha Diagne  6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 245 lb (111 kg) So Northwest Florida State College Dakar, Senegal G 15 Tyler Miller 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr 22ft Academy Louisville, Kentucky G 21 Marko Stajkovski 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr E-Gimnazija Novi Sad Novi Sad, Serbia F 23 Justin Johnson 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Jr Perry County Central High School Hazard, Kentucky F 24 Willie Carmichael 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) RS So Tennessee Apopka, Florida G 32 Que Johnson 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) RS Sr Washington State Pontiac, Michigan F 42 Anton Waters 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Sr Gulf Coast State College Baltimore, Maryland G 43 Marty Leahy 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr Ipswich Grammar School Brisbane, Australia G Lamonte Bearden (I)  6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Jr Buffalo Milwaukee, Wisconsin	Head coach Rick Stansbury (Campbellsville) Assistant coach(es) Chris Cheeks (Virginia Commonwealth) Shammond Williams (North Carolina) Quannas White (Oklahoma) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
11/01/2016* 7:00 pm, WKUSports.tv		Campbellsville	W 87–79		E. A. Diddle Arena (3,887) Bowling Green, KY
11/05/2016* 8:00 pm, WKUSports.tv		Kentucky Wesleyan	W 103–97 ^2OT		E. A. Diddle Arena (4,264) Bowling Green, KY
Non-conference regular season
11/12/2016* 7:00 pm, WKUSports.tv		Alabama State Global Sports Classic	W 79–66	1–0	E. A. Diddle Arena (4,149) Bowling Green, KY
11/16/2016* 8:00 pm, FCS/WKYU/WBNA		Jacksonville State Global Sports Classic	W 74–67	2–0	E. A. Diddle Arena (4,226) Bowling Green, KY
11/19/2016* 7:00 pm, OVCDN		Belmont	L 69–90	2–1	Curb Event Center (3,319) Nashville, TN
11/22/2016* 7:00 pm, FCS/WKYU/WBNA		North Carolina A&T	W 77–56	3–1	E. A. Diddle Arena (3,751) Bowling Green, KY
11/25/2016* 7:00 pm, CI		vs. Washington Global Sports Classic semifinals	L 47–86	3–2	Thomas & Mack Center (9,815) Paradise, NV
11/26/2016* 7:00 pm, CI		at UNLV Global Sports Classic 3rd place game	L 61–71	3–3	Thomas & Mack Center (8,810) Paradise, NV
11/30/2016* 7:00 pm, FCS/WKYU/WBNA		at Eastern Kentucky	L 59–78	3–4	McBrayer Arena (5,400) Richmond, KY
12/03/2016* 2:00 pm, SECN+		at Missouri	L 56–59	3–5	Mizzou Arena (4,547) Columbia, MO
12/11/2016* 3:30 pm, ESPN3		at Indiana State	W 77–59	4–5	Hulman Center (3,345) Terre Haute, IN
12/14/2016* 9:00 pm		at No. 20 Saint Mary's	L 51–73	4–6	McKeon Pavilion (2,581) Moraga, CA
12/17/2016* 1:00 pm, ESPN3		at Detroit	L 79–85	4–7	Calihan Hall (1,027) Detroit, MI
12/21/2016* 8:00 pm, FCS/WKYU/WBNA		Ohio	W 67–66	5–7	E. A. Diddle Arena (2,746) Bowling Green, KY
12/28/2016* 7:00 pm, FCS/WKYU/WBNA		Austin Peay	W 97–92	6–7	E. A. Diddle Arena (3,913) Bowling Green, KY
Conference USA regular season
12/31/2016 12:00 pm, FCS/WKYU/WBNA		at Florida Atlantic	W 69–54	7–7 (1–0)	FAU Arena (877) Boca Raton, FL
01/02/2017 6:00 pm, FCS/WKYU/WBNA		at FIU	W 69–66	8–7 (2–0)	FIU Arena (644) Miaim, FL
01/05/2017 7:00 pm, FCS/WKYU/WBNA		Charlotte	W 82–80	9–7 (3–0)	E. A. Diddle Arena (2,568) Bowling Green, KY
01/07/2017 5:00 pm, ASN		Old Dominion	L 67–79	9–8 (3–1)	E. A. Diddle Arena (4,122) Bowling Green, KY
01/12/2017 7:00 pm, CI		at UAB	L 54–72	9–9 (3–2)	Bartow Arena (3,745) Birmingham, AL
01/14/2017 7:00 pm, ASN		at Middle Tennessee	L 76–91	9–10 (3–3)	Murphy Center (6,806) Murfreesboro, TN
01/21/2017 5:00 pm, ASN		at Marshall	L 80–94	9–11 (3–4)	Cam Henderson Center (6,813) Huntington, WV
01/26/2017 7:00 pm, beIN		UTEP	W 65–62	10–11 (4–4)	E. A. Diddle Arena (3,859) Bowling Green, KY
01/28/2017 3:00 pm, FCS/WKYU/WBNA		UTSA	W 81–66	11–11 (5–4)	E. A. Diddle Arena (4,298) Bowling Green, KY
02/02/2017 7:00 pm, beIN		at Louisiana Tech	L 67–76	11–12 (5–5)	Thomas Assembly Center (3,802) Ruston, LA
02/04/2017 4:00 pm, FCS/WKYU/WBNA		at Southern Miss	W 64–47	12–12 (6–5)	Reed Green Coliseum (2,946) Hattiesburg, MS
02/11/2017 5:00 pm, FCS/WKYU/WBNA		Marshall	L 79–84	12–13 (6–6)	E. A. Diddle Arena (4,742) Bowling Green, KY
02/16/2017 8:00 pm, CBSSN		Middle Tennessee	L 52–78	12–14 (6–7)	E. A. Diddle Arena (4,385) Bowling Green, KY
02/19/2017 1:00 pm, CBSSN		UAB	W 76–64	13–14 (7–7)	E. A. Diddle Arena (3,553) Bowling Green, KY
02/23/2016 6:00 pm, CI		at Charlotte	L 77–83	13–15 (7–8)	Dale F. Halton Arena (3,655) Charlotte, NC
02/25/2016 6:00 pm, ESPN3		at Old Dominion	L 53–67	13–16 (7–9)	Ted Constant Convocation Center (7,355) Norfolk, VA
03/02/2017 7:00 pm, FCS/WKYU/WBNA		North Texas	W 74–63	14–16 (8–9)	E. A. Diddle Arena (3,676) Bowling Green, KY
03/04/2017 7:00 pm		Rice	W 79–72	15–16 (9–9)	E. A. Diddle Arena (4,823) Bowling Green, KY
Conference USA Tournament
03/08/2017 11:30 am, CI	(8)	vs. (9) UTSA First round	L 52–56	15–17	Legacy Arena (3,207) Birmingham, AL
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time Source[7][8].

Awards and honors

Following the regular season, Justin Johnson was named to the All-Conference USA Second Team based on a poll of league coaches.[9]

See also

2016–17 WKU Lady Toppers basketball team

References

1. C-USA 2019-20 MEN'S BASKETBALL STATS, retrieved 29 April 2020
2. http://www.wbko.com/content/news/Ray-Harper-has-resigned-as-WKU-basketball-coach.html
3. "WKU's Harper resigns as three players suspended". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved 2017-01-25.
4. [email protected], ZACH GREENWELL. "Ransdell: Outcome of WKU players' hearing was 'primary reason' for Harper's resignation". Bowling Green Daily News. Retrieved 2017-01-25.
5. "It's official: WKU hires Stansbury as coach". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved 2017-01-25.
6. "MBK: UAB Voted C-USA Preseason Favorite". Conference USA. Retrieved 2017-01-25.
7. "Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers Official Athletic Site – Men's Basketball". wkusports.com.
8. http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/team/schedule/_/id/98
9. "C‐USA MEN'S BASKETBALL ALL‐CONFERENCE TEAMS ANNOUNCED" (PDF).