Three non-Division-I to Missouri Valley transfers to watch
The Northpoint Trojans guard Christian Gilliland (2) brings the ball up the court during a game against the Trezevant Bears in a game at Northpoint Christian School on Dec. 2, 2022 in Southaven, MS. Trevezant Bears vs Northpoint Trojans 2022 Two years ago, Ben McCollum took a handful of Division-II players with him to Drake from Northwest Missouri State.
It was thought to be somewhat of a rebuilding year for the Bulldogs who had lost head coach Darian DeVries to West Virginia, but we know that wasn’t close to reality. Bennett Stirtz, Tavion Banks, Mitch Mascari, Daniel Abreu and Isaiah Jackson all played key parts in winning 31 games in their lone season in Des Moines. The Drake guys are a prime example, but they are not the only example.
Every year the Missouri Valley sees players come in from non-Division-I programs and excel in the league. There is talent everywhere and with the portal well underway, there’s plenty more from the non-Division-I ranks headed in for next year. Noah Cleveland – Illinois State Noah Cleveland might be new to the Missouri Valley, but he is not new to Normal, Illinois.
Cleveland played high school basketball at Normal Community HS and then played his at Illinois Wesleyan. At Wesleyan he was a Division-III All-American and the DIII National Rookie of the Year (via D3hoops. com ).
As it goes with any player transferring up to any level, there’s always one important question: Will he translate? Cleveland’s athleticism and skill at 6-foot-8 give him as good a chance as any to succeed at Illinois State. At Wesleyan, if Cleveland was near the rim, good things happened.