2019–20 Evansville Purple Aces men's basketball team

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2019–20 Evansville Purple Aces men's basketball
ConferenceMissouri Valley Conference
Record9–23 (0–18 MVC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Bennie Seltzer
  • Logan Baumann
  • Terrence Commodore
Home arenaFord Center
Seasons
2019–20 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Northern Iowa 14 – 4   .778 25 – 6   .806
Loyola Chicago 13 – 5   .722 21 – 11   .656
Indiana State 11 – 7   .611 18 – 12   .600
Bradley † 11 – 7   .611 23 – 11   .676
Southern Illinois 10 – 8   .556 16 – 16   .500
Missouri State 9 – 9   .500 16 – 17   .485
Valparaiso 9 – 9   .500 19 – 16   .543
Drake 8 – 10   .444 20 – 14   .588
Illinois State 5 – 13   .278 10 – 21   .323
Evansville 0 – 18   .000 9 – 23   .281
† 2020 MVC tournament winner

The 2019–20 Evansville Purple Aces men's basketball team represented the University of Evansville during the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Purple Aces played their home games at the Ford Center as members of the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC). They finished the season 9–23, 0–18 in MVC play to finish in last place. They lost in the first round of the MVC tournament to Valparaiso.

They were coached by Walter McCarty until he was placed on administrative leave on December 27 for alleged Title IX violations[1] and ultimately fired on January 21.[2] Assistant coach Bennie Seltzer acted as interim coach until Todd Lickliter was hired as the new head coach.[3]

Previous season[edit]

The Purple Aces finished the 2018–19 season 11–21, 5–13 in MVC play to finish in last place. As the No. 10 seed in the MVC tournament, they lost to Illinois State in the first round.

Offseason[edit]

Departures[edit]

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Marty Hill 1 G 6'5" 180 Senior Brooklyn Park, MN Graduated
Jared Chestnut 12 G 6'2" 180 Senior Evansville, IN Graduated
Dainius Chatkevičius 14 C 6'9" 240 RS Senior Klaipėda, Lithuania Graduated
Shea Feehan 25 G 6'0" 155 RS Senior Peoria, IL Graduated

Incoming transfers[edit]

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Peace Ilegomah 42 F 6'9" 240 Junior Benin City, Nigeria Transferred from Pittsburgh. Under NCAA transfer rules, Ilegomah will have to sit out until December. Will have one and a half years of remaining eligibility.[4]

2019 recruiting class[edit]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Marcus Henderson
PG 		Charlotte, NC United Faith Christian Academy 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) N/A Oct 10, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: 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:

  • "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Preseason[edit]

Evansville was picked to finish eighth in the MVC in the preseason despite returning leading scorer K.K. Riley and incorporating three transfers who sat out the previous season.[5][6]

Season notes[edit]

Win over No. 1 Kentucky[edit]

On November 12, Evansville scored its first win over a No. 1-ranked team in program history when it upset Kentucky 67–64.[7] Junior guard Sam Cunliffe hit a pair of free throws with 6.8 seconds to go to help secure the victory for the Purple Aces and finished with 17 points.[8]

Coaching changes[edit]

The season saw Evansville go through several coaching changes. First, second-year head coach Walter McCarty was placed on administrative leave by the school on December 27, 2019 pending a Title IX investigation against him.[9] Assistant coach Bennie Seltzer served as interim head coach of the Purple Aces during McCarty's initial absence.[10] On January 21, 2020, Evansville fired McCarty following additional allegations of misconduct, and named former Butler and Iowa head coach Todd Lickliter (who had served as assistant coach under McCarty a season prior, before resigning due to health problems) as the new head coach.[11]

Roster[edit]

2019–20 Evansville Purple Aces men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Gage Bobe 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr South Knox Vincennes, IN
G 1 Marcus Henderson 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr United Faith Christian Academy Charlotte, NC
G 2 Artur Labinowicz 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) RS Jr Combine Academy
Coastal Carolina 		Charlotte, NC
G 3 Jawaun Newton 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 170 lb (77 kg) So Burges El Paso, TX
G 4 Devan Straub (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) RS Jr Mater Dei
IU Kokomo 		Evansville, IN
G 5 Shamar Givance 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 155 lb (70 kg) So First Love Christian Toronto, ON
F 10 Evan Kuhlman 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Jr Lakota East Liberty Township, OH
G 11 Thomasi Gilgeous-Alexander 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr The Potter's House Christian Hamilton, ON
F 13 DeAndre Williams 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 190 lb (86 kg) RS Fr Klein Forest Houston, TX
G 20 Sam Cunliffe 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) RS Jr Rainier Beach
Kansas 		Seattle, WA
G 30 Noah Frederking 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr Okawville Okawville, IL
G 33 K. J. Riley 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Sr Standard of Excellence
Howard College 		Bronx, NY
F 35 John Hall 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) RS Jr Standard of Excellence Philadelphia, PA
F 42 Peace Ilegomah 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Jr Montverde Academy
Pittsburgh 		Benin City, Nigeria
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results[edit]

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
Oct 28, 2019*
6:00 pm 		Southern Indiana W 71–68 
Ford Center (6,263)
Evansville, IN
Non-conference regular season
Nov 9, 2019*
6:00 pm, ESPN3 		at Ball State W 79–75  1–0
 Ford Center (5,372)
Evansville, IN
Nov 12, 2019*
6:00 pm, SECN 		at No. 1 Kentucky W 67–64  2–0
 Rupp Arena (19,101)
Lexington, KY
Nov 14, 2019*
6:00 pm, ESPN3 		IU–Kokomo W 89–71  3–0
 Ford Center (5,267)
Evansville, IN
Nov 18, 2019*
6:00 pm, ESPN+ 		SMU L 57–59  3–1
 Ford Center (5,639)
Evansville, IN
Nov 22, 2019*
7:00 pm 		East Carolina
Islands of the Bahamas Showcase first round 		L 68–85  3–2
 Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium (300)
Freeport, GB
Nov 23, 2019*
2:00 pm 		George Washington
Islands of the Bahamas Showcase consolation 2nd round 		L 70–78  3–3
 Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium (300)
Freeport, GB
Nov 24, 2019*
11:00 		Morgan State
Islands of the Bahamas Showcase 7th place game 		W 115–112 3OT 4–3
 Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium (300)
Freeport, GB
Nov 30, 2019*
6:00 pm, ESPN+ 		at IUPUI W 70–64  5–3
 Indiana Farmers Coliseum (1,659)
Indianapolis, IN
Dec 4, 2019*
6:00 pm, ESPN3 		Western Illinois W 90–86  6–3
 Ford Center (4,509)
Evansville, IN
Dec 7, 2019*
1:00 pm, ESPN3 		Miami (OH) W 101–87  7–3
 Ford Center (5,264)
Evansville, IN
Dec 14, 2019*
6:00 pm, ESPN+ 		at Green Bay W 72–62  8–3
 Resch Center (1,924)
Green Bay, WI
Dec 16, 2019*
7:30 pm, ESPN+ 		at Jacksonville State L 59–85  8–4
 Pete Mathews Coliseum (2,155)
Jacksonville, AL
Dec 21, 2019*
6:00 pm, ESPN3 		Murray State W 78–76 OT 9–4
 Ford Center (7,316)
Evansville, IN
Missouri Valley Conference regular season
Dec 31, 2019
4:00 pm, ESPN+ 		at Missouri State L 52–65  9–5
(0–1) 		JQH Arena (4,206)
Springfield, MO
Jan 4, 2020
6:00 pm, ESPN+ 		Valparaiso L 79–81 OT 9–6
(0–2) 		Ford Center (5,615)
Evansville, IN
Jan 8, 2020
6:00 pm, ESPN+ 		Bradley L 52–72  9–7
(0–3) 		Ford Center (4,489)
Evansville, IN
Jan 11, 2020
3:00 pm, ESPN+ 		at Loyola–Chicago L 44–78  9–8
(0–4) 		Joseph J. Gentile Arena (3,033)
Chicago, IL
Jan 15, 2020
6:00 pm, ESPN+ 		at Indiana State L 42–65  9–9
(0–5) 		Hulman Center (2,035)
Terre Haute, IN
Jan 18, 2020
1:00 pm, ESPN+ 		Missouri State L 58–68  9–10
(0–6) 		Ford Center (4,591)
Evansville, IN
Jan 22, 2020
6:00 pm, ESPN+ 		Drake L 50–73  9–11
(0–7) 		Ford Center (4,913)
Evansville, IN
Jan 26, 2020
4:00 pm, ESPN3 		at Valparaiso L 65–67  9–12
(0–8) 		Athletics–Recreation Center (3,044)
Valparaiso, IN
Jan 29, 2020
7:00 pm, ESPN+ 		at Illinois State L 66–77  9–13
(0–9) 		Redbird Arena (4,022)
Normal, IL
Feb 1, 2020
1:00 pm, ESPN3 		Northern Iowa L 68–80  9–14
(0–10) 		Ford Center (4,669)
Evansville, IN
Feb 5, 2020
6:00 pm, ESPN+ 		Southern Illinois L 60–64 OT 9–15
(0–11) 		Ford Center (4,691)
Evansville, IN
Feb 9, 2020
1:00 pm, CBSSN 		at Bradley L 58–69  9–16
(0–12) 		Carver Arena (5,719)
Peoria, IL
Feb 12, 2020
6:00 pm, ESPN+ 		Loyola–Chicago L 66–73  9–17
(0–13) 		Ford Center (4,272)
Evansville, IN
Feb 16, 2020
3:00 pm, ESPN3 		at Drake L 80–85  9–18
(0–14) 		Knapp Center (4,067)
Des Moines, IA
Feb 20, 2020
7:00 pm, ESPN+ 		at Southern Illinois L 53–70  9–19
(0–15) 		SIU Arena (5,466)
Carbondale, IL
Feb 23, 2020
1:00 pm, ESPN3 		Indiana State L 62–64  9–20
(0–16) 		Ford Center (5,447)
Evansville, IN
Feb 26, 2020
7:00 pm, ESPN+ 		at Northern Iowa L 64–84  9–21
(0–17) 		McLeod Center (4,934)
Cedar Falls, IA
Feb 29, 2020
1:00 pm, ESPN3 		Illinois State L 60–71  9–22
(0–18) 		Ford Center (4,983)
Evansville, IN
MVC tournament
March 5, 2020
8:30 pm, ESPN+ 		(10) vs. (7) Valparaiso
First round 		L 55–58  9–23
 Enterprise Center (5,212)
St. Louis, MO
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time.

References[edit]

  1. ^ West, Jenna. "Evansville Places Walter McCarty on Leave". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  2. ^ Lindskog, Chad. "University of Evansville fires Walter McCarty as head men's basketball coach". Evansville Courier & Press. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  3. ^ "Former Iowa head coach Todd Lickliter hired at Evansville". HawkeyeInsider.com. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  4. ^ Hickey, Pat (January 11, 2019). "Evansville basketball lands Peace Ilegomah, a Pittsburgh transfer with 7-foot-4 wingspan". Evansville Courier & Press. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  5. ^ Lindskog, Chad (October 31, 2019). "Evansville basketball hopes 'next year' is now in Walter McCarty's second season". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  6. ^ "2019-20 MVC Men's Basketball Preseason Poll". mvc-sports.com. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  7. ^ Hale, Jon. "Kentucky basketball upset by Evansville in first game as nation's No. 1 team". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  8. ^ Medcalf, Myron (November 12, 2019). "No. 1 Kentucky stunned at home by unranked Evansville". ESPN. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  9. ^ Wheeler, Wyatt D. "Evansville coach Walter McCarty placed on administrative leave before it plays MSU on Tuesday". Springfield News-Leader. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  10. ^ Borzello, Jeff (December 27, 2019). "Evansville's Walter McCarty on administrative leave amid Title IX probe". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
  11. ^ "Evansville fires coach Walter McCarty, names Todd Lickliter replacement". ESPN.com. January 21, 2020. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
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