Evansville men's basketball intends to 'let our play do the talking' with a new-look team

Anthony Kristensen
Evansville Courier & Press

EVANSVILLE, Ind. — David Ragland was juiced. It was his first day of official practice as the University of Evansville men’s basketball head coach, after all.

He was his typical self, high-energy, watching his players go through plays and giving instructions. At one point while speaking with media, Ragland interrupted to give walk-on guard Grant Tichenor instructions on how to position himself.

That’s been the mood since he was announced as the new leader of the Purple Aces on May 24. Now, it’s officially time to look ahead to the Nov. 7 tip at Miami (Ohio).

“It’s exciting for everybody. It’s getting better,” Ragland said. “We’re going to have great energy from start to finish, and at the end of the day we’re gonna get better while we’re doing it.”

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From international playing time to who on this new-look roster will see the floor come opening night, here are four things to know as practices have officially begun.

UE Head Coach David Ragland speaks to the team during the Purple Aces first official practice of the new season at Fifth Third Bank Practice Facility in Evansville, Ind., Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 28, 2022.

What to expect from the rotation with so many new faces

Ragland has spoken about being happy with what he’s seen from his players throughout the summer and early days of official practice. One of the many topics he’s spoken on is the rotation.

While he said he hasn’t narrowed down a starting five, it can be presumed that UNLV transfer Marvin Coleman II, returner Blaise Beauchamp and Akron transfer Sekou Sada Kalle will play a majority of the minutes based on how they’ve looked in practice and Ragland’s previous statements about them. Coleman was named a team captain, as was returning forward Antoine Smith Jr. and guard Gage Bobe.

In terms of how the bench rotation will work, Ragland said he plans on using a deep bench early before shortening the rotation as the season progresses. While that's how most teams operate, it seems unlikely the Aces would run 10 deep.

“There’s an expectation we have for all of them and that’s to be their very best every day. Over nine weeks, guys start to show who they are and what they contribute to the team,” Ragland said. “I just want them to live in that. At some point — as we implement what we’re doing offensively, live in our habits defensively — there will start to be some separation on who deserves the playing time and who needs to watch and continue to go and learn.”

Yacine Toumi dunks the ball at the first UE Men's Basketball summer practice at Fifth Third Bank Practice Facility, in Evansville, Ind., Tuesday, June 21, 2022.

Yacine Toumi, Matus Malovec bring international experience

Ragland brought in two players with international experience over the summer. Indian Hills Community College transfer Yacine Toumi and freshman Matus Malovec have played for Tunisia and Slovakia’s youth teams, respectively.

Toumi, in particular, was one to watch over the summer. During the FIBA World Cup qualifiers, he represented Tunisia against Egypt, Senegal and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He finished with an average 7.6 points in those games, including a joint-team-high 14 against Senegal.

“He’s playing against grown men. He’s getting a ton of experience of just playing against guys that know the game, playing against guys that know how to take advantage of different situations,” Ragland said. “To have that experience, it’s something for him to learn, but also it makes him hungry to bring back the lessons he learned.”

Toumi added: “I feel like I showed people what I can do and it was an amazing experience. ... Tunisia is the country of my parents and it was a blessing to represent a whole country. I am really blessed to have the opportunity to represent my country.”

While Toumi has experience at the collegiate level, Malovec has needed to adjust to the different play style while adapting to a different culture. Malovec has been lauded for his shooting, averaging 11.8 points for Inter Bratislava in the Nike EYBL U20.

“It’s really going really well,” Malovec said. “I’m still adjusting to the tempo of the game, it’s really fast in comparison to European basketball.”

Evansville’s Blaise Beauchamp (13) drives against Northern Iowa's Bowen Born (13) as the University of Evansville Purple Aces take on the University of Northern Iowa Panthers at Ford Center in Evansville, Ind., Wednesday evening, Jan. 26, 2022.

There's a plan to collectively replace the lost production

The transfer portal was not kind to the Aces.

Before Ragland took the job, UE lost five of its top six scorers from last season. Noah Federking and Evan Kuhlman graduated while Jawuan Newton (Southern Illinois), Blake Sisley (Wright State) and Shamar Givance (UTEP) entered the transfer portal.

Beauchamp is the only returner among that top six, meaning he will likely take on a larger role offensively. He showed flashes last season making deep, last-second 3-pointers to show off his range as he finished with 11 double-digit performances. Alabama State transfer Kenny Strawbridge Jr. averaged 10.5 points a year ago, so he’ll also be looked to replace some of the lost production. Ragland will likely need Smith and Preston Phillips to score more than they're used to; same with Kalle.

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Ragland said the Aces won’t rely on one player to carry the load, but they will need production “by committee.”

“Defense wins. You’re always going to be able to travel with people, so that’s where we’re going to hang our hat,” he said. “Collectively we’ll find a way to score, but we want to share the ball, play with pace, get downhill.

“I think people will be surprised at what guys will be able to step up and replace the scoring that did leave, but again, we’ll do it collectively.”

Head Coach David Ragland calls everyone in for a talk at the first UE Men's Basketball summer practice at Fifth Third Bank Practice Facility in Evansville, Ind., Tuesday, June 21, 2022.

"We'll let our play do the talking"

UE has finished last in the MVC in three of the past four seasons, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise to see the Aces fixated at the bottom in most preseason projections, particularly when looking at the players who left. Lindy’s Magazine, The Almanac, Bart Torvic, Blue Ribbon and more have the Aces finishing 12th, with that likely to be the predicted position in the coaches and media poll that comes out Oct. 19.

“We’re just excited to wake people up,” Strawbridge said.

While the low projections may add outside motivation, Ragland believes the players and staff are self-motivated and bring that to the practice court.

"People write what they write and think what they think, we'll let our play do the talking," Ragland said. "When the time comes, we'll settle that. All we can do is control what we can control — our effort, our energy, our communication, our attitude. Then, from there, it'll take care of itself."