Season Preview: 2021-22 Men’s Basketball

MILLIGAN UNIVERSITY, Tenn. (October 22, 2021) – The Milligan University men's basketball team is gearing up for the 2021-22 season in search of the program's fifth-straight winning season and top-five finish in the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) standings.

Visual Preview | Preseason Interview: Bill Robinson

2020-21 Season Review: The Milligan men's basketball team played a 19-game regular season schedule with 18 of 19 contests being AAC matchups due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Buffs earned the fifth seed in the AAC Tournament after posting a 10-8 AAC record. Milligan defeated twelfth-seeded St. Andrews in the AAC Tournament first round 83-81 and fell in the AAC quarterfinals to fourth-seeded Tennessee Wesleyan 88-81.

"Last season was an incredibly challenging year," said 13th-year head coach Bill Robinson. "Having graduated seven seniors, including all five starters, we knew it was going to be a tough task. But then add in COVID, it just made it all the more difficult. But the guys competed well! We were picked 10th in the Pre-Season poll and I was very proud of our 5th place regular season finish. Hopefully gives us some momentum moving forward."

Milligan's regular season was highlighted by a 102-100 double overtime win over Point, who finished the year with the top overall conference record and win percentage. The Buffs also scored an 80-73 win at Reinhardt, who tied for second in the AAC standings in 2020-21.

Graduate transfer David Tripp was the conference's fourth-leading scorer at 20.7 points per game and was named to the All-AAC First Team.

The Buffs bid farewell to two of their three leading scorers with the graduation of Tripp and sharpshooter Tyler Faulkenberry.

Team Captains: Trevor Hensley and Josh Thomas

Key Returners: Milligan men's basketball returns three full-time starters, an additional part-time starter and seven totals players who averaged double-digit minutes last season.

"We graduated two of our top three scorers but everyone else that scored last year returns," said Robinson. "We should have more depth than last year, especially at the guard positions. We have four returning players that averaged over 25 minutes per game so experience will be a strength."

Senior forward Josh Thomas is the Buffs' leading returning scorer and rebounder. A transfer from UVA-Wise, Thomas finished second on the roster in points per game (11.5) and first in rebounding (7.3) last year. He posted nine double-digit scoring outings with a season-high 23 points against Reinhardt. Thomas Ranked eighth in the conference in rebounding and 10th in field goal percentage at 53.5%.

"Josh is finally healthy and has had a great pre-season," said Robinson. "He bring toughness and rebounding to our squad. He is also our best true post player. Saying that, he can also step out and shoot the 3. Looking forward to Josh having a great senior season."

Sophomore guard Finn McClure was named to the AAC All-Freshman team last winter. The New Zealander led the Buffs and ranked seventh in the AAC in assists per game (4.5) and assist to turnover ratio (1.8). He also led Milligan in minutes per game (30.4) and steals (1.9). He averaged 7.2 points and 4.4 rebounds per game in his debut season.

"Finn is a high energy, stereotypical point guard that makes everyone better," said Robinson. "He had a solid freshman year and we are excited to see him grow and mature on and off the court."

Senior guard Trevor Hensley made 19 starts and averaged 10 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game in 2020-21. He posted nine double-digit scoring outings, including a season-high 19 points at Bluefield. Hensley averaged 1.1 three-point field goals per game at 25.0% from deep.

"Like Thomas, Hensley is finally healthy from knee injuries that have hampered him the last two seasons," said Robinson. "He has had a great fall and will provide scoring and solid defense for the Buffs this year."

Junior guard Jackson Gabriel led the Buffs in three-point shooting percentage at 36.1% with 2.1 makes per game last winter. He averaged 25.3 minutes and 8.2 points per game for the Buffs. Gabriel knocked down multiple three-pointers in 12 games last year and drilled five threes in a 21-point outing at St. Andrews.

"Jackson is one of the best shooters that I have coached in 30 years," said Robinson. "He is playing with much more confidence this year and we are expecting a breakout season. Jackson is also an underrated defender and is able to thrive within any offensive or defensive scheme. Expect his minutes and production to go way up this season."

Junior guard Levontae Knox was an AAC All-Defensive Team honoree last year. He averaged 6.7 points on 64.8% shooting and finished the year with four-straight double-digit scoring outings. He closed last season with 17-straight games shooting 50% or better from the field.

"Levontae will provide a spark off the bench for the Buffs this season," said Robinson. "He is our best guard defender and attacks the rim extremely well. He plays extremely hard and his presence on the court just makes us a better basketball team."

Junior forward Matt McNulty returns after a productive season off the bench for the Buffs. He averaged 5.6 points and 3.5 rebounds in his sophomore season. He put up a season-high 24 points in Milligan's win at Reinhardt last winter.

"Matt averaged over 5 points a game last season and we look forward to see his continued development," said Robinson. "Matt has great touch around the basket and will fight for playing time at the forward positions this year."

Junior guard Adam Graham appeared in 14 games and averaged 3.3 points and 1.8 rebounds last year.

Senior guard Alex Inman started four games and sophomore guard Alex Chambers appeared in 11 games last year. Sophomore forward Julian Wilson played in six games last winter.

Newcomers: Milligan welcomes Italian junior forward Sami Sanad to the squad by way of Howard College (Texas). The Buffs add another New Zealand native to the roster with the addition of freshman forward Piripi Korent.

"I am really excited about our incoming recruiting class," said Robinson. "Sami is a big wing that can play inside and out. He has a great motor and will bring a new level of intensity to our team. Pip was only in the US two weeks before needing an emergency appendectomy but he is finally feeling better and playing well. He will provide depth at both the power forward and center positions. He has a strong inside game and is able to guard multiple positions."

Freshmen center Flynn Carlson joins the mix from Indiana.

"Flynn is a center than can run the floor and attacks the offensive glass really well," said Robinson. "His minutes will increase as he gets stronger and learns the system. Carlson led the state of Indiana in blocks as a senior last year and had over 400 assists in high school so he is very well rounded."

Looking at the Schedule: The Milligan men's basketball team is set to play a 32-game schedule with home-and-home series with the 12 other AAC men's basketball teams.

After only playing one non-conference game last year, the Buffs' schedule features eight non-conference games, including road contests at NCAA Division I opponents Marshall (Nov. 15), Mercer (Nov. 27), Austin Peay (Dec. 5) and UNC Asheville (Dec. 21).

The Buffs have two home dates in November and two in December before playing seven-of-nine January games at the Steve Lacy Fieldhouse.

The AAC Tournament is scheduled for Feb. 24-26 at the MeadowView Conference Resort and Convention Center in Kingsport. The top eight teams in the AAC standings qualify for the AAC Tournament. The AAC has two automatic bids to the NAIA National Championship Tournament that are awarded to the regular season and tournament champions.

"I am really excited about the schedule we've put together for this season," said Robinson. "We open up the season again at NAIA power University of the Cumberlands. Tough non-conference road game at Alabama-Huntsville and exhibition games against four NCAA Division I opponents should prepare us for a really competitive AAC season. The league is going to be really good again this year and we hope to compete for a trip to the NAIA National Tournament."

Last Word: "Expecting great things from this team," said Robinson. "We lose two of our top three scorers but everyone else is back. And in our system, guys play better as they become more familiar with what we do. So I really believe we have the pieces to be a very good basketball team."