Episode 20

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[00:00:45] Welcome into the Blue Raider Podcast.

[00:00:53] I'm your host Jake Bolden.

[00:00:55] And today is Tuesday, April 23rd.

[00:00:58] And today's edition of the Blue Raider Podcast, you got me solo once again this week.

[00:01:03] So happy to break down some offseason news in regards to football to expand upon last

[00:01:08] week's conversation with Austin Lewis, as well as get into some conversation about

[00:01:12] the newest signees for basketball on the men's side.

[00:01:15] I know last week me and Austin were able to touch on the ladies and I've alluded

[00:01:19] to it all offseason now since the season ended there in early March that there will

[00:01:24] be some more additions hopefully soon.

[00:01:26] I don't know when I don't know who but I know that they lady Raiders are still

[00:01:30] active on that trail.

[00:01:31] So when that time comes, we'll obviously touch base with those new signees.

[00:01:36] But to extend our conversation from last week after the spring game,

[00:01:42] as we coach Mason spoke on in his post game press conference,

[00:01:45] there's gonna be a lot of names that get shaken up this time of year as the

[00:01:49] portal opens up once more for two more weeks and it'll close on May 1st.

[00:01:54] As of today, which is a Monday night recording before the release,

[00:01:58] the Raiders have 12 names that have entered the portal since last weekend,

[00:02:01] which is quite a few.

[00:02:02] But I think the biggest thing is to not be alarmed as Mason would probably tell

[00:02:07] you the same.

[00:02:07] The biggest names in there right now is offensive lineman Wilson Kelly and

[00:02:11] then cornerback Deontay Stanley.

[00:02:12] I think when we look back at the spring game,

[00:02:15] Kelly may be the biggest surprise.

[00:02:17] He was a big producer last year on the offensive line played majority of

[00:02:20] the season there.

[00:02:22] Deontay Stanley did start most of the season at cornerback.

[00:02:26] However, it does appear that his starting position is gone.

[00:02:30] So not too much of a surprise there.

[00:02:32] And like I said, Mason in his post game always said that you're gonna

[00:02:34] have your ones.

[00:02:35] It's those twos and threes and those depth pieces that may be looking for

[00:02:38] opportunities somewhere else.

[00:02:40] And he fully anticipates those transfers taking place.

[00:02:43] And outside of that too, you've got guys like DJ Riles and

[00:02:47] Kyle Lowe who were both quarterbacks.

[00:02:50] They were younger on the depth chart for sure.

[00:02:52] But when you're looking for that playing time or those opportunities to start,

[00:02:55] you always look into better your situation and move on to those schools.

[00:02:59] And so we've seen MTSU's interest shift as far as a transfer portal goes

[00:03:03] at trying to pick up more backup quarterback help outside.

[00:03:07] We've got Vadiato as the one and Richeson is the clear cut number two.

[00:03:11] So what do you do there with the three?

[00:03:14] Well, you know you have Gagliano who's only a freshman.

[00:03:16] So you may most programs will typically hold a fourth one.

[00:03:19] You like to have a quarterback at each class.

[00:03:21] I'm not saying that's how it has to be done, but that seems to be where the

[00:03:24] Raiders are headed in regards to offers and transfer portal.

[00:03:27] Another look into bolster up the defensive line as well.

[00:03:29] So you won't see any sort of commitments right out the gates from this

[00:03:34] transfer portal opening, but you do expect to see some here as the school

[00:03:39] year wraps up here in early May.

[00:03:41] You see those commitments because those guys are gonna roll in here for

[00:03:43] their summer programs.

[00:03:46] Get in with a strength conditioning program and do all that good stuff.

[00:03:49] But I think the key thing for us Raider fans is that coach Mason feels good

[00:03:53] about a starting 11 on both sides.

[00:03:55] He didn't really allude to any sort of positions that he thinks needs to be

[00:03:58] added as far as starters go.

[00:04:00] So he seems good with the lineup and I'd have to say from the starting 11,

[00:04:05] although the teams were split up, I felt pretty good about them too.

[00:04:07] So those are the four names that kind of stand out to me as far as who

[00:04:11] has entered the portal, but I wouldn't be too alarmed because obviously Mason

[00:04:14] doesn't seem to be too alarmed about either.

[00:04:16] It's kind of an expectation.

[00:04:18] But in regards to returning this last week, we've got the news that Richard

[00:04:21] Kenley would be returning, which is huge news for the front seven linebacker

[00:04:27] last year, highly produced.

[00:04:28] He entered the transfer portal after stock still was gone and then he had

[00:04:32] committed to Memphis part took and Memphis is spring program spring game

[00:04:37] and then has reentered the portal and without really much time to think

[00:04:40] about it, he returned back to MTSU.

[00:04:42] So it's excellent news, especially for continuity sake because the

[00:04:47] front seven is an area that I think me and Austin know needs help and I think

[00:04:52] Mason would probably agree with that too, but having a guy that it's

[00:04:55] experienced like Kenley can get back in there.

[00:04:58] Although he's going to have a new defensive coordinator, I still think

[00:05:00] he's going to plug and play.

[00:05:01] He'll be he'll have his starting position once he comes back and I

[00:05:04] think it's always an important thing when you're talking about what goes on

[00:05:08] in a roster depth chart makeup in division one football today, not just

[00:05:11] here at MTSU is that there's only so many starting positions available

[00:05:15] in the country in division one and a lot of these guys, when you have

[00:05:18] your starting position, it's hard to go somewhere else and then earn

[00:05:22] said position.

[00:05:22] So I know a lot of people love to talk about how crazy the

[00:05:26] transfer portal can be, but understandably so if you're a

[00:05:31] middling player who can't quite get the playing time that they

[00:05:33] think that they deserve, it's hard to sit around and wait as a fan

[00:05:37] for that progression to see in that player because he's ready to

[00:05:40] start playing now and the only way to really get your best

[00:05:43] progression is in quality playing time.

[00:05:45] So it's hard to keep a quality backup in today's game and it's always

[00:05:51] hard to promise playing time in the future because next year you're

[00:05:55] rolling to the same boat with transfer.

[00:05:57] So I still think collectively right now MTSU's ones are in a

[00:06:02] great place, but we will see what Mason and company are able

[00:06:05] to do as they as they scout out the transfer portal for their

[00:06:09] backups.

[00:06:10] So that'll switch our attention over to basketball's offseason.

[00:06:13] I know that a lot has happened there in regards to players

[00:06:16] entering the transfer portal for the Blue Raiders, most notably

[00:06:19] you've got your leading scorer Justin Porter who's entered

[00:06:21] the portal as well as your big man down low Jared Coleman

[00:06:24] Jones also entering the portal.

[00:06:26] Something interesting about Coleman Jones is the amount of

[00:06:29] power five offers he's had on the table since he's entered

[00:06:32] the portal.

[00:06:32] I think it was a late addition to the portal that not many

[00:06:35] of us saw coming, but it seems like he's got quite the

[00:06:39] offers on his plate.

[00:06:40] So hopefully he does better for himself there and gets to a

[00:06:43] place where he can get seen and be happy.

[00:06:45] I don't know that he was ever unhappy here, but there's

[00:06:48] always bigger and better things for those guys to do.

[00:06:51] And so obviously I wish Jared Coleman Jones the best

[00:06:53] and if he ever decides to make the return, I know that

[00:06:56] as we sit today at the end of April that we could

[00:06:58] certainly use him back because we haven't quite found

[00:07:01] the five yet.

[00:07:02] I know that we have Chris Loof on roster.

[00:07:04] He definitely has the length.

[00:07:06] You know you're hoping to see that progression in the

[00:07:07] weight room this summer and you get him to that point

[00:07:10] where he can be a solid five without fouling because

[00:07:13] that always seems to get him in his biggest trouble.

[00:07:15] Obviously you want him to get more comfortable scoring

[00:07:17] the basketball and we kind of saw glimpses of that

[00:07:20] there in the conference USA tournament, both of those

[00:07:22] games.

[00:07:23] So there's a lot of development to happen there,

[00:07:25] but we're still kind of missing that five and with

[00:07:27] Jared entering the portal is only going to make that

[00:07:30] tougher.

[00:07:30] So I do expect if Jared doesn't make a return that

[00:07:33] we do look forward to making a pickup at the

[00:07:36] transfer portal at the five position true center, I

[00:07:39] should say.

[00:07:39] So as far as what the Raiders have picked up so far,

[00:07:42] they've picked up a trio of players.

[00:07:44] They have Jared Hall from Tulsa, Alec Oglesby from

[00:07:47] Stetson and Jalen Counter from IUPUI.

[00:07:52] And we'll do a quick breakdown here of all these

[00:07:55] guys.

[00:07:55] I think the first one that came through was Jared

[00:07:58] Hall who's a forward six foot eight freshman from

[00:08:01] Lebanon High School here in Tennessee.

[00:08:03] I know a name that a lot of if anyone that follows

[00:08:05] high school basketball closely in the mid state has

[00:08:08] seen that name before as he was a Mr.

[00:08:09] Basketball winner in 2023 for four, the highest

[00:08:12] division that is in Tennessee.

[00:08:16] A nominee for McDonald's All-American number one

[00:08:18] ranked player in Tennessee as well as the 65th in

[00:08:20] the country by preps hoop.

[00:08:22] So he was an ESPN four star.

[00:08:25] He's quite he has all the intangibles.

[00:08:27] I mean, he's a guy that has great length in high

[00:08:30] school.

[00:08:31] He could score the ball.

[00:08:32] I know that he was very capable of dropping 30 and

[00:08:36] I believe he averaged 27 his senior year of high

[00:08:38] school, 10 rebounds, three assists.

[00:08:40] I mean, he's a he was an absolute ball player in

[00:08:43] high school and he had all the accolades to go

[00:08:45] along with it.

[00:08:46] So he goes to Tulsa doesn't quite experience the

[00:08:49] playing time that I think he probably thought he

[00:08:51] deserved.

[00:08:52] And it is a head scratcher when you look at

[00:08:55] the Tulsa makeup.

[00:08:56] They're a pretty average team on paper.

[00:08:57] I think they were close to 500.

[00:09:00] Jared didn't get many minutes there, but again,

[00:09:03] him being his six foot eight frame is definitely

[00:09:06] some size that you're looking forward to seeing

[00:09:08] here at MTSU.

[00:09:10] As I've already alluded to his high school stats,

[00:09:12] he's capable of scoring.

[00:09:13] I understand that Division one is not for a

[00:09:15] Tennessee high school basketball, but the guy

[00:09:17] has the ability to score at all three levels.

[00:09:20] If you look at some of his tape, he shoots it

[00:09:22] from all three levels with comfort for the most

[00:09:24] part and almost all of his contest this last

[00:09:26] year.

[00:09:27] He at least attempted a three.

[00:09:28] I think it's 20, 20 attempts on nearly 30 games.

[00:09:31] So he's comfortable out there.

[00:09:33] Obviously, if he has an uptick in minutes,

[00:09:35] those attempts would go up, but he's only a 30%

[00:09:39] shooter from the field, which is always worrisome.

[00:09:42] But again, his volume, his numbers aren't

[00:09:44] really there for that to be an effective

[00:09:47] number for me.

[00:09:48] Only 49 actual shot attempts on 30%.

[00:09:51] So it's hard to say how much of that it's

[00:09:56] hard to transfer those numbers right now with

[00:09:58] so little playing time.

[00:09:59] But you know, this guy has the talent, he has

[00:10:02] a skill, he has the length to be competitive in

[00:10:04] Division one.

[00:10:05] It's just a matter of I think him being in

[00:10:06] the right system that he could excel and be

[00:10:09] a great pick up for the for the Raiders.

[00:10:11] And so as it sits right now, he is 6'8".

[00:10:14] I don't look at him as a center, although

[00:10:16] he has good length.

[00:10:17] I still consider him more before, so he

[00:10:20] could potentially slide into that four spot.

[00:10:22] I don't know that McDevitt sees him as a

[00:10:24] starter right now.

[00:10:25] But there's not a lot of depth at the four

[00:10:27] spot, especially with JCJ in the portal.

[00:10:30] So he could potentially be a starter as we

[00:10:32] see it right now.

[00:10:33] But I just don't have a lot of game film

[00:10:35] to myself to necessarily feel comfortable

[00:10:38] with saying that he would be a starter.

[00:10:40] But there's a lot to be said, a lot of

[00:10:42] development to be seen, as well as what

[00:10:44] McDevitt will, you know, compare him to

[00:10:48] talent wise and within his own bench to

[00:10:50] kind of see where he falls.

[00:10:51] But right now he's up on the depth chart,

[00:10:53] just given the length and the lack of

[00:10:56] depth the Raiders currently have and the

[00:10:58] front court.

[00:11:00] But a guy that I do believe would start

[00:11:01] right out the gate for us is the

[00:11:03] Stetson pickup.

[00:11:04] He's a senior guard, Alec Oglesby.

[00:11:08] He's from Gainesville, Florida, 6'5".

[00:11:10] This will be his fourth stop in

[00:11:12] college.

[00:11:12] He started his career at Cleveland

[00:11:14] State before transferring to Wilmington,

[00:11:16] where he got hurt.

[00:11:17] And now he's been at two seasons at

[00:11:19] Stetson as a part of the Hatters

[00:11:21] program that was at March Madness

[00:11:23] this last year.

[00:11:23] And he was a key pivotal part of their

[00:11:27] success this last year.

[00:11:28] He's a guy that averaged double digits

[00:11:30] at the 10.7 points per game.

[00:11:34] He's a great, pretty good rebounder

[00:11:35] from the guard position, nearly

[00:11:36] average five rebounds a game.

[00:11:38] And his assist to turnover ratio is

[00:11:41] positive.

[00:11:41] So it's stuff like that that is you

[00:11:44] love to see those numbers even for a

[00:11:46] guard.

[00:11:46] Again, he's on a true point guard.

[00:11:47] So but having a positive turnover,

[00:11:50] assist to turnover ratio at a guard

[00:11:52] position is always promising.

[00:11:53] So you know he has a knack for the

[00:11:55] game.

[00:11:55] He has good high IQ shooting

[00:11:57] percentage is one of those things

[00:11:59] that really pops out to you.

[00:12:00] He's a 42% shooter from the field,

[00:12:01] but he's a 40% shooter from three.

[00:12:03] That's on 186 attempts.

[00:12:05] And when you look at film from

[00:12:06] this last year, that's an area

[00:12:07] that he's very comfortable with.

[00:12:09] He's able to he does a lot of his

[00:12:11] shooting off the off the pass.

[00:12:13] He's not a dribble driver for

[00:12:15] the most part.

[00:12:16] He can shoot the three in

[00:12:17] transition.

[00:12:18] I just I like his game a lot.

[00:12:21] He's not one that's going to get

[00:12:23] to the foul line.

[00:12:23] He doesn't have a lot of free

[00:12:24] throw attempts because as I say,

[00:12:25] he's one that kind of hunts

[00:12:27] hunts the three point line.

[00:12:28] He does a great job about scoring

[00:12:31] without the basketball.

[00:12:32] As they say, he's always he's

[00:12:33] always finding that open space.

[00:12:35] The teammates always there to kind

[00:12:36] of hit him and again at a 40%

[00:12:38] clip.

[00:12:38] He's a guy that opposing

[00:12:39] defenses can't afford to lose.

[00:12:41] So I think he's an instant

[00:12:43] starter for this team.

[00:12:44] He could be a huge factor in

[00:12:46] regards to seeing a uptick in

[00:12:49] in point production.

[00:12:50] Now that you're going to have

[00:12:50] Cam Weston back if Oglesby takes

[00:12:52] over that two or three position.

[00:12:54] I do consider him more of a

[00:12:56] three just given the fact that

[00:12:57] he's not necessarily that

[00:13:00] comfortable with the ball in his

[00:13:01] hands, but he has a length.

[00:13:02] So I don't know if he puts him

[00:13:04] where McDevitt fits him into

[00:13:06] the program or in the scheme

[00:13:08] of things offensively.

[00:13:09] But I have to think that you

[00:13:11] find a way to get this guy

[00:13:12] in there, get this guy minutes.

[00:13:13] And I don't think he would come

[00:13:14] to MTSU given his last year

[00:13:16] college at the promise that he

[00:13:18] wouldn't be playing.

[00:13:18] So I assured that Raider fans

[00:13:20] should be looking forward to

[00:13:22] Oglesby coming to

[00:13:23] Murfreesboro.

[00:13:24] He was a key part in the March

[00:13:26] Madness run for the Hatters.

[00:13:27] And so you hope that he can be

[00:13:30] kind of a breath of fresh air

[00:13:31] for us in regards to some

[00:13:33] scoring talent now that

[00:13:34] Porter's gone and we're getting

[00:13:36] Weston back.

[00:13:38] And then the third pick up for

[00:13:39] the Raiders from Indiana

[00:13:41] University, Purdue University at

[00:13:43] Indianapolis, also known as

[00:13:45] IUPUI was Jalen Counter.

[00:13:48] He's a junior guard, six foot

[00:13:49] three from Oklahoma City,

[00:13:51] Oklahoma.

[00:13:52] He started his college career at

[00:13:54] Northern Oklahoma College,

[00:13:56] Enid, which is a junior

[00:13:57] college before he transferred

[00:13:59] in as a sophomore to IUPUI.

[00:14:02] This last year, he was a third

[00:14:04] team All Horizon League honoree.

[00:14:06] He started 29 of the 31 games.

[00:14:08] He was the Jaguars leading

[00:14:10] score with 14 points per game,

[00:14:11] had over 100 assists and ranked

[00:14:15] second on the team in minutes

[00:14:16] and steals.

[00:14:17] So he's a guy that again was

[00:14:19] kind of the leading producer

[00:14:21] for IUPUI.

[00:14:22] I know when a lot of Raider

[00:14:24] fans see him enter the chat

[00:14:27] in regards to being a transfer

[00:14:29] pick up for us, and you look

[00:14:30] at the record about IUPUI

[00:14:32] and his tenure there, less

[00:14:34] than stellar to say the least.

[00:14:36] IUPUI is not necessarily

[00:14:38] a basketball juggernaut,

[00:14:40] if you will, but he's been their

[00:14:42] leading producer and I've had

[00:14:44] the luxury of being able to look

[00:14:46] at some of the game film from him.

[00:14:48] And I think there's a lot of

[00:14:49] intangibles about him that do

[00:14:51] impress me that again,

[00:14:52] if you're just looking on paper

[00:14:54] may get overshadowed.

[00:14:55] And again, just looking at

[00:14:56] the team itself is a pretty

[00:14:58] sorry team, but he was kind

[00:15:00] of the bright spot for that

[00:15:01] team.

[00:15:01] He average in his career there

[00:15:03] over the two years, 14.4 points,

[00:15:06] but he shoots the ball at 46%

[00:15:08] from as a point guard.

[00:15:11] Those are excellent numbers.

[00:15:12] He's on a great three point

[00:15:13] shooter, 32%, but to be fair,

[00:15:15] he doesn't really, I mean,

[00:15:16] he shoots 77 last season,

[00:15:18] which is roughly three a game.

[00:15:20] But I guess in the grand scheme

[00:15:22] of things, he doesn't shoot

[00:15:23] the ball that much from three.

[00:15:25] He has high assist numbers,

[00:15:27] but again, if you look

[00:15:28] at his stat lines, he also

[00:15:29] has high turnover numbers.

[00:15:30] So there's reasons to be alarmed

[00:15:32] there.

[00:15:33] But when I watch film on him,

[00:15:34] he just he has great eyes.

[00:15:36] And I think part of it is

[00:15:37] he's so aggressive because

[00:15:39] of the team he plays for.

[00:15:40] And Raider fans can certainly

[00:15:42] understand that when your

[00:15:43] offense is bad, much like

[00:15:45] IUPUI's was, you gotta have

[00:15:49] to force the issue sometimes.

[00:15:50] And that was kind of the

[00:15:51] boat he's in when you're

[00:15:52] the leading scorer on a bad

[00:15:54] offensive team.

[00:15:55] You get put into situations

[00:15:56] where you have to create

[00:15:57] offense for other players.

[00:15:58] And sometimes you force bad

[00:15:59] passes.

[00:16:00] Sometimes you just you

[00:16:02] overthink the game itself.

[00:16:04] And he's still in,

[00:16:06] for the most part, he's young.

[00:16:07] He's a sophomore and junior.

[00:16:08] He has only three years of

[00:16:09] college experience and only two

[00:16:10] in Division one level.

[00:16:11] I just think there's a lot

[00:16:12] of promise with this guy.

[00:16:14] I don't think that

[00:16:15] counter is going to start.

[00:16:16] I think it's a given with

[00:16:18] Cameron coming back this year.

[00:16:20] Counter is assuredly a one.

[00:16:23] He's not going to play

[00:16:24] a shooting guard or anything

[00:16:25] like that.

[00:16:25] Despite him being a great

[00:16:27] scorer, he could.

[00:16:28] I'm not sure.

[00:16:29] You know, I'm not McDevitt.

[00:16:30] I haven't seen his

[00:16:30] scouting report on him,

[00:16:31] but I would assume that

[00:16:32] he's going to be the backup

[00:16:34] point guard to Weston this

[00:16:35] year.

[00:16:36] But with the scoring ability,

[00:16:38] he could, you know,

[00:16:39] we could see a mix where you have

[00:16:40] him and Weston on the court

[00:16:42] at the same time.

[00:16:43] But I think that's unlikely.

[00:16:44] But with him on the roster now,

[00:16:46] you feel good about having

[00:16:47] a true backup to Weston

[00:16:48] because that was what this team

[00:16:49] lacked last year when Weston got hurt.

[00:16:51] There's no other point guard

[00:16:52] on the roster.

[00:16:53] So now with counter in the mix,

[00:16:54] you do have a true point guard.

[00:16:56] You've got to feel good about that

[00:16:58] because of what happened last year.

[00:16:59] This guy's a scorer.

[00:17:01] He does have the ability

[00:17:02] to find the open shooter.

[00:17:04] Again, three assisted games

[00:17:05] is nothing to bat an eye at.

[00:17:07] The 3.3 turnovers a game,

[00:17:08] that is something to really

[00:17:09] pay attention to.

[00:17:10] But I do think if you fit him

[00:17:12] into a better offensive system

[00:17:14] that he could really excel,

[00:17:16] especially in his first year

[00:17:17] here in Murfreesboro as a backup.

[00:17:19] I think that there's a lot

[00:17:21] of room for growth here.

[00:17:22] And I think that Blue Raider fans

[00:17:24] should be excited about counter

[00:17:25] aside from his previous stop

[00:17:28] there in Indianapolis.

[00:17:31] So that's kind of our breakdown

[00:17:32] on the roster so far.

[00:17:34] There's still plenty

[00:17:35] of names.

[00:17:35] The Raiders still have

[00:17:36] plenty of scholarships to go.

[00:17:38] We haven't seen landing spots

[00:17:39] for those that have entered

[00:17:40] the portal like Ozel Jackson

[00:17:42] and Porter and Coleman Jones.

[00:17:45] So I think one thing

[00:17:46] that people always assume

[00:17:47] is that when those names

[00:17:48] enter the portal,

[00:17:49] that they're never coming back.

[00:17:50] And so one thing I would like

[00:17:51] to assure the fans

[00:17:52] that may think that there's a possible

[00:17:53] that they come back,

[00:17:54] they always can.

[00:17:55] And this was a topic of discussion

[00:17:57] that came up over at Go Middle

[00:17:58] was do these guys

[00:18:00] have the opportunity to come back?

[00:18:02] And for those that are out there,

[00:18:03] that may be able to correct me

[00:18:04] if I'm wrong, but I've always

[00:18:05] considered the transfer portal

[00:18:07] more of like a equivalent

[00:18:09] to the pro level of free agency.

[00:18:12] These players have the ability

[00:18:14] to come back, but it is

[00:18:16] on the same accord

[00:18:17] for the team to let them back.

[00:18:19] There's been speculation

[00:18:21] that that's what happened

[00:18:22] with players in the past

[00:18:23] is that they've entered the portal.

[00:18:24] They got some offers,

[00:18:25] but nothing that they really wanted,

[00:18:27] but they wanted to come back.

[00:18:28] And at that point,

[00:18:29] their scholarship spot

[00:18:30] has been given up

[00:18:31] or their teammates decide

[00:18:32] that it's probably not best

[00:18:34] that you come back because

[00:18:35] of you already leaving.

[00:18:36] So, you know,

[00:18:37] that's pure speculation on my part,

[00:18:39] but just understand

[00:18:40] that just because they've entered

[00:18:41] the portal doesn't mean

[00:18:42] that these players can come back.

[00:18:43] And the same can be said

[00:18:44] for the Lady Raiders.

[00:18:45] I know that a lot of people

[00:18:45] didn't like to see

[00:18:47] Grabovsky enter the portal,

[00:18:49] but there's always an opportunity

[00:18:51] that those players come back.

[00:18:52] And I'm sure if the

[00:18:54] chemistry is still there,

[00:18:56] the players would always

[00:18:57] love to have them back.

[00:18:58] So that's our breakdown right now

[00:19:00] of the men's basketball off season.

[00:19:02] Again, that's Jared Hall,

[00:19:03] Alec Oglesby, and Jalen Counter.

[00:19:05] I think they all provide

[00:19:06] something new to the team.

[00:19:08] I think they will all provide

[00:19:09] production their first year back.

[00:19:10] And I think that's important

[00:19:12] when you're hitting

[00:19:12] the transfer portal is that

[00:19:13] you're finding people

[00:19:14] that can make an impact now,

[00:19:16] maybe not necessarily

[00:19:17] on your starting five,

[00:19:18] but they can provide quality minutes.

[00:19:20] And I think all three of these guys,

[00:19:22] especially Oglesby,

[00:19:23] who more than likely

[00:19:24] does impact your starting five,

[00:19:26] but guys like Jared Hall

[00:19:27] and Jalen Counter

[00:19:28] are both guys that I would expect

[00:19:29] to see 15 plus minutes a night,

[00:19:31] if not 20 plus minutes a night.

[00:19:33] And one thing about Jared

[00:19:35] is the length that he provides

[00:19:37] and counter at only six foot three.

[00:19:39] But again, still a guy that

[00:19:41] I think he has enough D1 experience

[00:19:44] so we have enough tape on him

[00:19:44] to feel comfortable about

[00:19:45] what we're getting with him.

[00:19:47] So they could both of those guys

[00:19:49] could certainly have an impact

[00:19:50] off the bench for us this year.

[00:19:52] Finally, we'll move into

[00:19:53] the Raider wrap up episode

[00:19:54] where we just go over the last week

[00:19:56] in MTSU sports

[00:19:58] and we will start with the positive.

[00:20:00] And that is the MTSU's

[00:20:01] men's tennis program.

[00:20:03] They pick up their fifth straight

[00:20:05] Conference USA championship,

[00:20:07] which is absolutely outstanding.

[00:20:09] You don't need me to tell you that.

[00:20:10] I would have loved to have

[00:20:12] the tennis program on today

[00:20:14] to kind of talk over

[00:20:14] their five straight wins,

[00:20:17] conference wins

[00:20:18] before they get their selection show

[00:20:19] this weekend.

[00:20:20] But unfortunately,

[00:20:21] timing wasn't well,

[00:20:22] but we will have them on next week

[00:20:24] to talk about their championship

[00:20:25] and even better,

[00:20:26] we'll have a selection

[00:20:28] and we'll be able

[00:20:28] and I'll be able to break down

[00:20:29] the selection as well

[00:20:30] as their upcoming tournament.

[00:20:31] And it's just it's great

[00:20:32] to see your best program succeed.

[00:20:34] I know we talk about that

[00:20:35] with women's basketball,

[00:20:36] but if you don't know anything

[00:20:37] about the tennis program

[00:20:38] and this is your first time

[00:20:39] ever hearing about it,

[00:20:40] you should know that

[00:20:41] winning five straight

[00:20:42] conference championships

[00:20:43] is no easy feat.

[00:20:44] But this program has certainly

[00:20:46] made it look easy.

[00:20:47] And this weekend at our home

[00:20:50] brand new outdoor tennis complex,

[00:20:53] they took down another ranked opponent

[00:20:55] in Liberty,

[00:20:56] a 53rd ranked Liberty team

[00:20:58] who looks really good on paper.

[00:21:01] The Raiders take down

[00:21:02] the doubles point

[00:21:03] thanks to the 26 ranked

[00:21:05] doubles pairing of Ray Queen and Horak.

[00:21:08] Those guys have certainly turned it up

[00:21:09] and I know that going into the year

[00:21:11] talking to Borundame

[00:21:12] in the preseason breakdown

[00:21:14] that he thought maybe

[00:21:15] he'd break up the Kamarowski-Horak

[00:21:17] doubles grouping

[00:21:18] and he's got Ray Queen and Horak

[00:21:19] and they seem to be clicking

[00:21:20] and again,

[00:21:21] they're 26 in the country.

[00:21:22] So they're no slouch

[00:21:23] and I would imagine

[00:21:24] when it comes time

[00:21:25] to doubles NCAA tournament

[00:21:27] that those are

[00:21:28] that's a pair to keep an eye out for

[00:21:29] and Ray Queen is an exceptional

[00:21:31] singles player himself

[00:21:32] winning both of his this weekend

[00:21:34] in the championship match.

[00:21:36] He wins in two straight sets

[00:21:37] which is huge for us.

[00:21:38] Kamarowski is another one

[00:21:40] and he actually

[00:21:41] was a big one

[00:21:42] really close there near the end.

[00:21:44] Jakub Kroslak was absolutely dominating for us

[00:21:47] and Kroslak is the winning set.

[00:21:49] So if you look on Twitter

[00:21:51] and you see the winning

[00:21:53] the finish there

[00:21:54] with Kroslak laying on the court,

[00:21:55] he's the one that finishes it up

[00:21:56] and Kroslak is a guy

[00:21:57] that has really taken his game

[00:21:59] to the next level this year.

[00:22:00] I'm really impressed with his stuff

[00:22:02] and again, this group in total should

[00:22:04] they've got

[00:22:06] the world ahead of them

[00:22:07] and Borundame has alluded to it

[00:22:09] at our first episode this year

[00:22:10] when I was able to speak to him

[00:22:12] as well as his post game.

[00:22:16] This is an expectation for his team

[00:22:17] is to win a conference championship

[00:22:19] but I think from this point

[00:22:20] it's about getting to that

[00:22:22] second weekend in men's tennis

[00:22:25] getting to that sweet 16

[00:22:26] as we would make it equivalent to

[00:22:28] in basketball.

[00:22:29] He's made it to the round of 32 before

[00:22:31] as he did last year

[00:22:32] but it's that next step

[00:22:33] that these guys are looking to win

[00:22:35] and so I think he has a team for it.

[00:22:37] The doubles has really pulled through for him

[00:22:40] and if anyone that follows college tennis

[00:22:43] knows that doubles point

[00:22:44] is absolutely crucial

[00:22:45] because then you only have to win

[00:22:46] half your singles matches.

[00:22:48] So he feels good obviously

[00:22:49] about his top pairing there

[00:22:51] with Ray Queen and Horak.

[00:22:52] So if he gets the doubles point

[00:22:57] just like I said,

[00:22:58] get half of those singles victory

[00:23:00] and Ray Queen and Kamarowski

[00:23:01] give you that opportunity.

[00:23:02] Horak when he's on

[00:23:03] he's certainly a guy

[00:23:04] that could take this team

[00:23:05] to the next level

[00:23:06] and you only got to win

[00:23:08] you only got to get eight points

[00:23:09] to get to that second weekend.

[00:23:10] So this team is capable

[00:23:11] they have many big wins under their belt

[00:23:14] so we look forward

[00:23:15] to that selection committee

[00:23:17] the selection show

[00:23:18] this coming up weekend

[00:23:19] then of course as I've already said

[00:23:20] next week I'll be talking

[00:23:21] to coach Boren Dame

[00:23:22] to break down his fifth straight

[00:23:24] conference championship

[00:23:25] as well as looking ahead

[00:23:27] to his first round matchup.

[00:23:30] Now onto somewhat bad news

[00:23:32] we've got the baseball team

[00:23:34] they have a really rough week

[00:23:35] they only win one of their five contests

[00:23:38] it does start the week out well

[00:23:40] with a home win against Austin P

[00:23:41] and a 16 to 15 walk off winner

[00:23:44] it was Gabe Jennings

[00:23:45] with a walk off hit up the middle

[00:23:47] and then against Tennessee Tech

[00:23:50] they lose the Wednesday matchup

[00:23:52] by a score of two to five

[00:23:53] and then they face

[00:23:54] Conference USA newcomer

[00:23:56] Sam Houston State

[00:23:58] over the weekend in Huntsville Texas

[00:24:00] they lose the first night

[00:24:01] on a fairly close heartbreaker

[00:24:03] by a score of three to four

[00:24:04] their run ruled on Saturday one to 11

[00:24:07] and they drop the third game

[00:24:08] on Sunday by a score of two to three

[00:24:11] so unlike what we typically see

[00:24:13] from the Raiders

[00:24:13] in regards to the run production

[00:24:15] only scoring six games

[00:24:16] six runs in three games

[00:24:18] very unlike them

[00:24:19] and then we kind of have

[00:24:20] the typical bullpen blowup

[00:24:23] that we saw on Saturday

[00:24:24] where they give up 11 runs

[00:24:25] so tough week for the Raiders

[00:24:28] the reason I say it's bad news

[00:24:30] is that the Raiders are slowly

[00:24:32] slipping down the standings

[00:24:34] and for Conference USA

[00:24:36] eight of the nine teams

[00:24:36] will make the Conference USA tournament

[00:24:39] as it sits right now

[00:24:40] they're tied for seventh

[00:24:41] which technically means

[00:24:42] they're tied for eighth as well

[00:24:43] so they're only one game

[00:24:45] ahead of last place

[00:24:48] and the schedule does not

[00:24:49] get any easier for them

[00:24:50] they're going to play

[00:24:51] Western Kentucky this next weekend

[00:24:53] and then they will face

[00:24:55] Jacksonville State

[00:24:56] who is the one team

[00:24:57] that they are ahead of

[00:24:58] in Conference USA

[00:25:00] that will keep them above water

[00:25:02] in regards to making the tournament

[00:25:04] unfortunately for the Raiders

[00:25:05] that contest is in Jacksonville, Alabama

[00:25:07] so you're kind of

[00:25:09] you know you control your own destiny

[00:25:11] in regards to making

[00:25:12] the Conference USA tournament

[00:25:13] but this team is just

[00:25:15] they're just not getting it done right now

[00:25:17] they've lost

[00:25:18] they've lost

[00:25:20] four of their last

[00:25:21] sorry they've lost five

[00:25:22] of their last six Conference games

[00:25:26] and they haven't won a series all year

[00:25:28] so the future looks bleak

[00:25:31] to say the least

[00:25:32] and with Western coming into town

[00:25:34] this weekend

[00:25:34] maybe it being a rivalry

[00:25:36] in your home field

[00:25:37] you feel that

[00:25:38] there's an opportunity there

[00:25:39] that you can kind of again

[00:25:41] right the ship

[00:25:42] get at least

[00:25:42] get to the Conference USA tournament

[00:25:44] and when you get there

[00:25:46] anything could happen

[00:25:46] as we've seen last year

[00:25:48] but they're scheduled this week

[00:25:50] they will play tonight in Clarksville

[00:25:52] with a rematch there with Austin P

[00:25:54] who I fully anticipate

[00:25:55] will try to get revenge from

[00:25:56] the walk off this last week

[00:25:58] and then this weekend

[00:26:00] they are back home

[00:26:00] at Reesmith Junior Field

[00:26:01] facing Western Kentucky

[00:26:03] all the games are on ESPN Plus

[00:26:05] the Friday matchup on the 26th

[00:26:07] is at 6 p.m.

[00:26:08] Saturday the 27th at 3

[00:26:10] and then Sunday at 1 p.m.

[00:26:12] Softball again

[00:26:14] as a team that is further falling

[00:26:16] and from the graces

[00:26:18] Softball has now lost

[00:26:19] nine straight

[00:26:21] Conference USA contests

[00:26:23] including this weekend's sweep

[00:26:24] in Bowling Green Kentucky

[00:26:26] so that will more than likely

[00:26:28] do the Lady Raiders in

[00:26:29] from making their conference tournament

[00:26:31] because in Softball

[00:26:32] and Conference USA

[00:26:33] only the top six teams

[00:26:35] will make the tournament

[00:26:36] and with only three games

[00:26:37] left against New Mexico State

[00:26:39] they are all but done

[00:26:40] so this will be the last contest

[00:26:42] for the Lady Raiders

[00:26:43] so if you haven't had

[00:26:44] the opportunity to go see them

[00:26:46] this will be their last weekend

[00:26:48] in Murfreesboro

[00:26:49] their Friday first pitch

[00:26:51] will be at 6 p.m.

[00:26:52] then on Saturday it is at 4

[00:26:55] and then Sunday it is at 12 noon

[00:26:56] and again that is the final

[00:26:58] regular season finale

[00:27:00] Men's tennis

[00:27:01] they are currently finishing up

[00:27:03] their regular season

[00:27:04] or I guess I should

[00:27:05] this is the postseason

[00:27:06] but they're finishing up

[00:27:06] their last match

[00:27:07] before the NCAAs

[00:27:09] in hopes that they can make it

[00:27:10] as we sit right now

[00:27:11] on Monday night

[00:27:12] they are in second place

[00:27:13] in the Conference USA championships

[00:27:15] after just the first round

[00:27:16] they are seven strokes

[00:27:17] behind Louisiana Tech

[00:27:19] a big shout out there

[00:27:20] to Luke Perkins

[00:27:21] who is currently tied for third

[00:27:22] at three strokes under par

[00:27:24] and you got Michael Barnard

[00:27:25] who's at even

[00:27:26] that tied for eighth place right now

[00:27:28] so plenty of time

[00:27:29] only seven strokes back

[00:27:30] you're three strokes ahead

[00:27:32] of third place

[00:27:33] still a lot of shaking up

[00:27:34] that can happen

[00:27:35] with two more rounds to play

[00:27:37] so keep your eyes peeled there

[00:27:39] in Texarkana Arkansas

[00:27:41] as the Raiders try to repeat

[00:27:43] as Conference Champions

[00:27:45] Track and Field has been

[00:27:47] on a little bit of a hiatus

[00:27:49] they will return back to action

[00:27:50] this weekend

[00:27:51] as they wrap up

[00:27:51] their regular season

[00:27:52] before the Conference USA championships

[00:27:54] they will be

[00:27:55] at the Music City Challenge

[00:27:56] in Nashville, Tennessee

[00:27:58] so keep up for those updates

[00:28:00] over the weekend

[00:28:01] and that will pretty much do us

[00:28:03] for the Blue Raider podcast today

[00:28:06] I appreciate everyone tuning in

[00:28:07] and listening to our quick episode

[00:28:08] and taking the time

[00:28:09] to help me break down

[00:28:11] our newest additions

[00:28:12] on the basketball team

[00:28:13] I look forward to

[00:28:14] seeing those faces

[00:28:15] this upcoming season

[00:28:17] as well as hopefully

[00:28:18] touching base with them

[00:28:19] as we roll through

[00:28:20] our summer session here shortly

[00:28:23] some news

[00:28:24] in regards to the Blue Raider podcast

[00:28:26] we're going to eventually

[00:28:27] start opening up

[00:28:28] an apparel store

[00:28:28] for fundraising

[00:28:29] and I think the ultimate goal there

[00:28:31] is we're going to open up

[00:28:32] an NIL store

[00:28:33] with some sponsored athletes

[00:28:35] and so I would stick around

[00:28:36] for some news on all of that

[00:28:38] as we as I've started

[00:28:40] to reach out to sponsor athletes

[00:28:41] I've already started to reach out

[00:28:43] the ins and outs

[00:28:44] of doing manufacturing

[00:28:46] and all that good stuff

[00:28:47] so it's exciting time

[00:28:48] for the Blue Raider podcast

[00:28:50] in regards to marketing

[00:28:51] as well as supporting

[00:28:52] our local athletes

[00:28:53] and I think it's important

[00:28:53] that I know I speak

[00:28:55] about all the time

[00:28:56] when Massaro has been on here twice

[00:28:57] that's kind of a big

[00:28:58] point of emphasis for me

[00:28:59] is the NIL for these kids

[00:29:00] and I get really excited about that

[00:29:02] because it's one of those things

[00:29:03] that when I was a college athlete

[00:29:04] I always thought was very important

[00:29:06] was to find a way

[00:29:07] to support your kids

[00:29:08] at that time it obviously wasn't money

[00:29:09] but now we have the ability

[00:29:10] to do that

[00:29:11] so I'm all about

[00:29:11] supporting these kids

[00:29:13] they work really hard

[00:29:14] not only on the field

[00:29:15] but they work really hard

[00:29:15] in the classroom

[00:29:16] and so a lot of that

[00:29:17] needs to be recognized

[00:29:18] so but exciting news

[00:29:20] keep your eyes peeled for that

[00:29:23] as well as supporting that

[00:29:24] and the Blue Raider podcast as well

[00:29:26] so another way you can support us

[00:29:28] obviously is by

[00:29:29] listening to our episodes

[00:29:30] on all your favorite streaming services

[00:29:31] if you haven't already

[00:29:33] find us over at YouTube

[00:29:34] at Blue Raider podcast

[00:29:35] follow us on all of our socials

[00:29:37] at Blue Raider pod

[00:29:38] that's on Twitter x Instagram

[00:29:41] we're also over on TikTok

[00:29:42] we're on YouTube shorts

[00:29:44] if you haven't seen those as well

[00:29:46] my personal account on Twitter

[00:29:48] is at Jake Bolden MP

[00:29:52] I've got all my stuff over there

[00:29:53] outside of just MTSU athletics

[00:29:55] as well as local sports

[00:29:57] getting back into the high school

[00:29:58] things here pretty soon

[00:29:59] so a lot to be excited about

[00:30:02] again for the Blue Raider podcast

[00:30:04] keep your eyes peeled

[00:30:05] for all of that stuff

[00:30:06] thanks for tuning in

[00:30:08] don't miss next week's episode

[00:30:09] with coach with head men's

[00:30:10] tennis coach Jimmy Bourne Dame

[00:30:12] as we look forward to their

[00:30:13] NCAA tournament bid

[00:30:15] and until next time

[00:30:17] go blue