2017–18 Evansville Purple Aces men's basketball team

The 2017–18 Evansville Purple Aces men's basketball team represented the University of Evansville during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Purple Aces, led by 11th-year head coach Marty Simmons, played their home games at the Ford Center as members of the Missouri Valley Conference. They finished the season 17–15, 7–11 in MVC play to finish in a three-way tie for seventh place. As the No. 8 seed in the MVC Tournament, they lost to Northern Iowa in the first round.

2017–18 Evansville Purple Aces men's basketball
ConferenceMissouri Valley Conference
2017–18 record17–15 (7–11 MVC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Doug Novsek
  • Carson Harris
  • Kavon Lacey
Home arenaFord Center
2017–18 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L PCT  W L PCT
Loyola–Chicago153 .833  326  .842
Southern Illinois117 .611  2013  .606
Illinois State108 .556  1815  .545
Drake108 .556  1717  .500
Bradley99 .500  2013  .606
Indiana State810 .444  1318  .419
Missouri State711 .389  1815  .545
Evansville711 .389  1715  .531
Northern Iowa711 .389  1616  .500
Valparaiso612 .333  1517  .469
2018 MVC Tournament winner

On March 13, 2018, Evansville fired head coach Marty Simmons.[1] He finished at Evansville with an 11-year record of 184–175. On March 22, the school hired Boston Celtics assistant coach, former Kentucky player and Evansville native Walter McCarty as head coach.[2]

Previous season

The Purple Aces finished the 2016–17 season 16–17, 6–12 to finish in eighth place in MVC play. They defeated Indiana State[3] in the MVC Tournament before losing to Illinois State in the quarterfinals.[4]

Offseason

Departures

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownReason for departure
Christian Benzon2G6'4"195SeniorCopenhagen, DenmarkGraduated
Jaylon Brown3G6'0"185SeniorFishers, INGraduated
Jaiveon Eaves4G6'2"200FreshmanMadisonville, KYTransferred to John A. Logan College
Sergej Vucetic14C7'1"238RS SeniorVrbas, SerbiaGraduated
Willie Wiley23F6'7"215SeniorSpringfield, ILGraduated
David Howard44F6'8"225RS SeniorNashville, TNGraduated

Incoming transfers

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Marty Hill1G6'5"170JuniorChamplin, MNJunior college transferred from Northeast CC

2017 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Evan Kuhlman
PF
Liberty Township, OH Lakota High School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) N/A Sep 12, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Noah Frederking
SG
Okawville, IL Okawville High School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Oct 22, 2016 
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:

  • "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

    Preseason

    In the conference's preseason poll, the Aces were picked to finish in ninth place in the MVC.[5] Junior guard Ryan Taylor was named to the preseason All-MVC second team.[5]

    Roster

    2017–18 Evansville Purple Aces men's basketball team
    PlayersCoaches
    Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
    G 0 Ryan Taylor 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)195 lb (88 kg) RS JrSt. John's Northwestern Military Academy
    Ohio
    Gary, IN
    G 1 Marty Hill 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)180 lb (82 kg) JrChamplin Park
    Northeast CC
    Brooklyn Park, MN
    F 5 Solomon Hainna 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)195 lb (88 kg) RS SrPalisades Charter
    Midland College
    Inglewood, CA
    F 10 Evan Kuhlman 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)220 lb (100 kg) FrLakota East Liberty Township, OH
    G 12 Dru Smith 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)190 lb (86 kg) SoReitz Evansville, IN
    F 14 Dainius Chatkevicius 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)240 lb (109 kg) RS JrWest Oaks Academy
    Vincennes
    Klaipėda, Lithuania
    C 15 Dalen Traore 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)230 lb (104 kg) SrNorthwood Temple Academy
    Miami Dade College
    Ivory Coast
    G 25 Duane Gibson 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)195 lb (88 kg) RS SrVilla Angela-St. Joseph Cleveland, OH
    G 30 Noah Frederking 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)210 lb (95 kg) FrOkawville Okawville, IL
    G 33 K. J. Riley 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)190 lb (86 kg) SoStandard of Excellence
    Howard College
    Bronx, NY
    F 35 John Hall 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)215 lb (98 kg) RS FrStandard of Excellence Philadelphia, PA
    G/F 50 Blake Simmons 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)210 lb (95 kg) RS SrCastle Newburgh, IN
    Head coach
    Assistant coach(es)

    Legend
    • (C) Team captain
    • (S) Suspended
    • (I) Ineligible
    • (W) Walk-on

    Roster

    Schedule and results

    Date
    time, TV
    Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
    city, state
    Non-conference regular season
    Nov 10, 2017*
    7:00 pm, ESPN3
    Arkansas State W 77–63  1–0
    Ford Center (3,622)
    Evansville, IN
    Nov 13, 2017*
    11:00 am, ESPN3
    North Carolina Central W 68–55  2–0
    Ford Center (6,048)
    Evansville, IN
    Nov 16, 2017*
    7:00 pm, ESPN3
    Southeast Missouri State
    Cancún Challenge campus game
    W 66–50  3–0
    Ford Center (3,151)
    Evansville, IN
    Nov 18, 2017*
    3:00 pm, ESPN3
    Binghamton
    Cancún Challenge campus game
    W 66–61  4–0
    Ford Center (3,167)
    Evansville, IN
    Nov 21, 2017*
    7:30 pm, CBSSN
    vs. Fresno State
    Cancún Challenge semifinals
    W 59–57  5–0
    Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya (982)
    Cancún, Mexico
    Nov 22, 2017*
    7:30 pm, CBSSN
    vs. Louisiana Tech
    Cancún Challenge championship
    L 61–63  5–1
    Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya (982)
    Cancún, Mexico
    Nov 29, 2017*
    8:00 pm, ATTSNRM
    at New Mexico
    MW–MVC Challenge
    L 59–78  5–2
    Dreamstyle Arena (8,943)
    Albuquerque, NM
    Dec 2, 2017*
    1:00 pm, ESPN3
    Oakland City W 98–56  6–2
    Ford Center (3,213)
    Evansville, IN
    Dec 5, 2017*
    6:00 pm, ESPN3
    at Bowling Green W 91–76  7–2
    Stroh Center (1,489)
    Bowling Green, OH
    Dec 9, 2017*
    1:00 pm, ESPN3
    Canisius W 65–58  8–2
    Ford Center (3,363)
    Evansville, IN
    Dec 16, 2017*
    3:00 pm, ESPN3
    Austin Peay W 78–74 OT 9–2
    Ford Center (3,403)
    Evansville, IN
    Dec 17, 2017*
    3:00 pm, ESPN3
    Midway W 79–52  10–2
    Ford Center (3,010)
    Evansville, IN
    Dec 20, 2017*
    6:00 pm, ESPN2
    at No. 4 Duke L 40–104  10–3
    Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
    Durham, NC
    Missouri Valley regular season
    Dec 23, 2017
    1:00 pm, NBCSC
    Illinois State L 66–72  10–4
    (0–1)
    Ford Center (4,039)
    Evansville, IN
    Dec 30, 2017
    3:00 pm, FSMW/NBCSC
    at Loyola–Chicago L 59–66  10–5
    (0–2)
    Joseph J. Gentile Arena (1,914)
    Chicago, IL
    Jan 3, 2018
    7:00 pm, ESPN3
    at Southern Illinois L 63–65  10–6
    (0–3)
    SIU Arena (4,622)
    Carbondale, IL
    Jan 6, 2018
    3:00 pm, ESPN3
    Bradley W 68–44  11–6
    (1–3)
    Ford Center (4,171)
    Evansville, IN
    Jan 10, 2018
    7:00 pm, ESPN3
    Missouri State W 64–55  12–6
    (2–3)
    Ford Center (3,237)
    Evansville, IN
    Jan 13, 2018
    2:00 pm, ESPN3
    at Drake L 65–81  12–7
    (2–4)
    Knapp Center (3,313)
    Des Moines, IA
    Jan 17, 2018
    7:00 pm, ESPN3
    Indiana State L 66–71  12–8
    (2–5)
    Ford Center (3,601)
    Evansville, IN
    Jan 20, 2018
    7:00 pm, ESPN3
    at Bradley L 53–66  12–9
    (2–6)
    Carver Arena (6,205)
    Peoria, IL
    Jan 24, 2018
    7:00 pm, ESPN3
    at Valparaiso W 75–65  13–9
    (3–6)
    Athletics–Recreation Center (2,219)
    Valparaiso, IN
    Jan 27, 2018
    1:00 pm, ESPN3
    Drake W 77–73  14–9
    (4–6)
    Ford Center (4,295)
    Evansville, IN
    Jan 31, 2018
    7:00 pm, ESPN3
    at Northern Iowa W 57–49  15–9
    (5–6)
    Ford Center (3,352)
    Evansville, IN
    Feb 3, 2018
    3:00 pm, ESPN3
    at Illinois State L 71–75  16–9
    (5–7)
    Redbird Arena (6,923)
    Normal, IL
    Feb 7, 2018
    7:00 pm, ESPn3
    Valparaiso W 63–59  16–10
    (6–7)
    Ford Center (3,425)
    Evansville, IN
    Feb 10, 2018
    2:00 pm
    at Missouri State L 55–72  16–11
    (6–8)
    JQH Arena (3,358)
    Springfield, MO
    Feb 13, 2018
    7:00 pm, ESPN3
    at Northern Iowa L 41–47  16–12
    (6–9)
    McLeod Center (3,346)
    Cedar Falls, IA
    Feb 18, 2018
    3:00 pm, ESPN3
    Loyola–Chicago L 66–76  16–13
    (6–10)
    Ford Center (4,887)
    Evansville, IN
    Feb 21, 2018
    6:00 pm, ESPN3
    at Indiana State L 53–58  16–14
    (6–11)
    Hulman Center (4,295)
    Terre Haute, IN
    Feb 24, 2018
    1:00 pm, ESPN3
    Southern Illinois W 75–44  17–14
    (7–11)
    Ford Center (4,312)
    Evansville, IN
    Missouri Valley Tournament
    Mar 1, 2018
    6:00 pm, ESPN3
    (8) vs. (9) Northern Iowa
    First round
    L 50–60  17–15
    Scottrade Center (4,852)
    St. Louis, MO
    *Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
    All times are in Central Time.

    Source[6][7]

    References

    1. Goodman, Jeff; Borzello, Jeff (March 13, 2018). "Sources: Marty Simmons out after 11 seasons at Evansville". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
    2. "Evansville hires Celtics' McCarty as coach". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2018-03-22.
    3. Lyons, Joe. "Eighth-seeded Evansville cruises past Indiana State in MVC tourney". stltoday.com. Retrieved 2017-10-27.
    4. "Evansville vs. Illinois State - Game Recap - March 3, 2017 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-10-27.
    5. "Missouri State Picked to Win MVC Men's Basketball". Retrieved 2017-10-27.
    6. "Evansville Purple Aces Basketball 2017-18 Schedule - Purple Aces Home and Away - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-10-27.
    7. "University of Evansville - 2017-18 Men's Basketball Schedule". gopurpleaces.com. Retrieved 2017-10-27.
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