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The McNeese State Cowboys have become one of the early on-paper favorites for the upcoming 2024-2025 basketball season. It's mainly due to the quality of their newly retooled roster.
Bannered by five transfer portal additions and two returners, coach Will Wade has a lot to be excited about for the coming hoops year, especially in the Southland Conference. On that note, here are the five best transfer portal additions the Cowboys managed:
#1 Brandon Murray (Ole Miss transfer)
At first look, Brandon Murray's stats this year for Ole Miss aren't going to wow anyone. He only averaged 4.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists on under 40% FG shooting for the Rebels last season. But that`s only because he didn't have as many touches for Ole Miss.
Look back at his first two years of college with LSU and Georgetown, and his production and talent will be far more obvious. A consistent starter and double-figure scorer for the Tigers and the Hoyas, Murray has the talent and athleticism to be a bonafide shot creator when he has his rhythm going.
His best statistical season was in 2022-23 with Georgetown, averaging 13.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.4 steals.
His most glaring drawback could be just his scoring efficiency, but a team on the up-and-up like McNeese State basketball could be his best chance at a breakout season.
#2 Sincere Parker (St. Louis transfer)
Sincere Parker somehow still led the St. Louis Billikens in scoring despite only appearing in 16 games, alongside fellow topscorer Gibson Jimerson who appeared in roughly double that. Also, he averaged 15.9 points and 4.3 rebounds in just over 20 minutes a game, far less time than Jimerson as well.
That says so much about the kind of impact he could give Will Wade and McNeese State basketball with so little of an investment. As an incoming double-figure scorer with the consistency and efficiency to match, Sincere Parker could be one of the lead guys that could help the Cowboys break through another potential NCAA Tournament berth in 2024-2025.
#3 Joe Charles (Louisiana transfer)
If Parker and Murray are going to be McNeese State's main backcourt guys, Joe Charles could be the guy holding the fort down low.
A six-foot-seven, 195 lb-junior out of Carencro, LA, Charles could be a little undersized at the four. but he has got absolutely no fear banging bodies in the paint and going for second-chance points.
Moreover, Charles can also step out and hit spotup shots from the deep. So with someone like Murray running the offense, he could get passes dumped to him if he finds good position outside, as well as in the paint.
He's far more of a catch-and-shoot guy in terms of outside scoring, so he will have to find his place in Wade's system so they can make use of his skillset effectively.
Here's one big thing, though: a trio of Charles, Murray and Parker is a veritable combination for McNeese State basketball on offense. All it takes is the right system to make them fit each other's strengths and weaknesses.
#4 Christian Shumate
An All-Southland First Team honoree, Shumate is one of the two best returning players for the Cowboys.
He'ss a freakishly athletic, six-foot-six forward who can create his own shot when he needs to. Shumate can score in three levels with respectable regularity, but with McNeese State basketball's incoming new guys, perhaps he doesn`t need to.
Perhaps the best role for Shumate in the team this upcoming season is like what Aaron Gordon does for the Denver Nuggets. Just like the high-jumping Nuggets forward, Shumate could be the ever-present lob threat off of Murray's passing.
Apart from his iso scoring, he could help protect the rim (1.4 blocks/game) as well as be the uber-athletic finisher to get easy buckets off backdoor cuts or pick-and-roll actions, among other sets.
#5 DJ Richards
DJ Richards shot an elite 41.5% clip from the 3-point land last season for the Cowboys, so that's something the team could lean on for the upcoming year.
At six-foot-four, 185-lbs, he does a massive chunk of his offensive damage from the deep. Not a lot of perimeter folks could be fast enough to throw him off balance because of his size, making him an invaulable part of McNeese State basketball's offense for the upcoming season.
Richards, though, is far from just a shooter, as he's a versatile scoring wing who can also create his own shot. So from an offensive perspective, Will Wade's Cowboys will not want too much from scoring all year, provided they all get their rhythm going early and maintain it.
