Ranking Utah State’s MBB 2020-21 newcomers
Last year the immediate ancestor of this article was published, ranking each of the seven incoming players for the Utah State men’s basketball 2019-20 campaign. With another season approaching and another recruiting class it’s only fitting that the exercise be repeated, especially since the number of newcomers has jumped from seven to nine.
As was done a year ago, this won’t technically be ranking just the recruiting class itself, as two players who were on the team last year will be included, one of which was featured on last year’s list. The reason being that both sat the entire season for differing reasons, so they’ll be new to the rotation. Also (and again, similar to last year), this isn’t meant to rank the potential of each newcomer, rather it’s based on how much of an impact they can make this year.
9. Mathew Wickizer
Forward | 6’ 9” | 210 lbs.
Prep Senior Season Stats (per game) — 8.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 45.5 FG%, 40.2 3PT%, 66.7 FT%
This isn’t a dig on Wickizer, someone just has to be last on this list. The former Kearns High School forward will walk on and will probably only see time if he shows the ability to play small forward at the NCAA level. If he’s a power forward like he was for most of his prep days, a red-colored shirt will be in his near future. The current depth chart is stacked to the brim with power forwards at the moment from Justin Bean to Alphonso Anderson and another man we’ll get to in a bit.
There’s definitely hope for Wickizer to develop a role on the floor and not as a glorified towel boy. He grew about two inches while on his LDS mission, taking him from 6-foot-7 to a very versatile 6-foot-9. Given that he’s a capable shooter, the young forward can easily mold himself into a stretch big at the least (maybe even a small-ball center) or a solid combo forward if everything goes well.
8. Karson Stastny
Guard | 6’ 4” | 175 lbs.
Prep Senior Season Stats — 21 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 64.2 FG%, 45.0 3PT%, 82.7 FT%
Stastny is one of six guards who will look to fill the gaping chasm in the backcourt rotation left by the departure of Sam Merrill, Diogo Brito and Abel Porter. For those looking eagerly for the next Porter — a walk-on who plays his way to a starting role — this Texas guard could be it, as his five assists per game in high school show he could develop into a fine passing point guard in the future and he’s got a capable catch-and-shoot game to compliment his playmaking abilities.
Being a walk-on, it seems unlikely Stastny will be one of the guards to win out for playing time. But if recent history of the Aggies under Smith has anything to say, it’s that anyone can make it into the rotation if they take advantage of opportunities, and Stastny has an opportunity even if it’s a longshot.
7. Zahar Vedishchev
Guard | 6’ 6” | 180 lbs.
2019 FIBA U19 World Cup Stats — 16.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 41.5 FG% / 40.4 3PT% / 83.3 FT%
While listed as a guard, Vedishchev’s role on Utah State may be more of a small forward. Essentially, he’s a younger Brock Miller — a volume wing shooter who lacks the traditional guard skills. The Russian wing has a Lovecraftian shooting motion, but it’s produced decent results. In six games at the U18 FIBA European Championship in 2019, Vedishchev made 40.4 percent of his 3-point attempts while taking 8.7 per game. That percentage on that volume is quite the outlier, but Vedishchev’s 35.3 percent (on 6.6 attempts per game) from his high school years is still an encouraging number.
The potential is there on offense and his 6-foot-6 frame could fare well on defense, but there may not be enough room for the freshman in the rotation in the small forward spot of the depth chart. Miller is likely to fill most of the small forward minutes as a starter and there are other more viable candidates for the remaining minutes. He may very well redshirt his first season in Logan.
6. Szymon Zapala
Center | 6’ 11” | 240 lbs.
2019 FIBA U18 European Championship Stats — 7.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, 0.9 blocks, 61.0 FG%, 0.0 3PT%, 55.6 FT%
Ranking Zapala this low feels awful given his potential, but when his immediate competitors in the depth chart are a senior in Kuba Karwowski and Trevin Dorius, a guy who played his way onto the floor as a freshman walk-on (not to mention the star center in the starting spot), you’ll see why it is this way. The thing that gives Zapala a chance is that last year neither of USU’s backup 7-footers were able to nail down the backup center spot. Both were given the golden chance to prove themselves with Neemias Queta missing the opening third of the season but Smith wound up favoring a Justin Bean/Alphonso Anderson small-ball frontcourt to either of his backup bigs.
Zapala will get his chance if he can avoid the pitfalls that caught Karwowski and Dorius and kept them off the court, the main ones being inconsistent rebounding, lackluster paint defense, and an almost negative offensive impact. Film from his 2019 FIBA games shows that while Zapala isn’t a great rim protector, he’s a smart, physical defender in the paint and a solid rebounder, especially on the offensive glass.
It would be great to see another freshman center walk in and dominate the way Queta did, and while Zapala shows great potential as a paint beast, he’s fighting a little too much to be a major impact. There are two returning backups at his position and he has to fight off Smith’s tendency to go small with Bean/Anderson. Unless he truly dominates, minutes will be few and far between.
5. Max Shulga
Guard | 6’ 3” | 197 lbs.
2019 FIBA U18 European Championship Stats — 13.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 2.0 steals, 61.9 FG%, 52.9 3PT%, 67.9 FT%
Shulga is a bit of an enigma given a lack of a suitable sample size of the Ukrainian’s pre-college statistics. But what is there is encouraging. At the 2019 U18 FIBA Euro Championships, Shulga showed out as a quality off-guard capable of shooting from deep, slashing to the hoop and occasionally handling the ball. His stats from FIBA shouldn’t be read into too much since it is a small sample size, but it’s hard to not be impressed by someone who shoots north of 60 percent for any stretch of games in fairly high volume.
While definitely a contender for a rotation spot, Shulga could wind up being placed at the end of the rotation and perhaps even get a redshirt. Should he play, expect a small role, largely off-ball, sharing the court with a more experienced guard to handle playmaking duties. A lot like Sean Bairstow last season.
4. Steven Ashworth
Guard | 6’ 1” | 170 lbs.
Prep Senior Season Stats — 16.4 points, 7.1 assists, 4.1 rebounds
Of all the incoming players, Ashworth looks the most impressive on film despite having the fewest physical gifts among said incoming guys. Though just over six feet tall and a bit lightweight, Ashworth exudes the GATA (Get After Their *Butts*) mentality Smith preaches over and over. On both ends of the court Ashworth plays smart and with a level of hustle that makes the audience feel tired just watching.
It’s not just about hustle for Ashworth, he also brings plenty of skill. He brings quality ball handling and great passing vision, which allowed him to average north of seven assists his senior season. There aren’t any solid shooting numbers available, but on film Ashworth looks solid in catch-and-shoot scenarios.
Of the incoming freshman, Ashworth is one of a couple who have a chance to play their way into a starting spot at some point in the season. His ability to play point guard is unique on a team filled with combo guards who can pass but it’s not among their primary strengths. It’s unlikely he’ll start, barring injury, but solid minutes should be coming Ashworth’s way as a key piece of the backcourt.
3. Liam McChesney
Forward | 6’ 10” | 185 lbs.
Prep Senior Season Stats* — 21.5 points, 11.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.0 steals, 2.0 blocks, 52.5 FG%, 25.0 3PT%, 83.3 FT%
Few on the current Aggies roster can match the potential versatility McChesney could bring to the table. He’s rumored to be an elite-level shooter (though all we have are rumors since there is almost nothing available from McChesney’s high school days) with the length of a Division I center and nearly the quickness and game of a small forward. This is a kid who could one day dominate at all three levels of the court.
If Craig Smith has one problem this year, it’s finding a way to get McChesney onto the floor. Ideally, McChesney could slide right in at power forward, but Bean and Anderson have those minutes almost entirely claimed. There is the possibility of playing him more at small forward, but it’s a little questionable if he can play there right now as his primary position. Still, it’s the most open position in the depth chart and letting a talent like McChesney sit on the bench another year isn’t something Smith or the Aggies want to do.
*Based off four games from 2018 provincial playoffs. Full season stats for McChesney are not available
2. Rollie Worster
Guard | 6’ 3” | 200 lbs.
Prep Senior Season Stats — 21.1 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 2.2 steals, 49.4 FG%, 33.0 3PT%, 75.4 FT%
Shooting and scoring are two things Utah State is going to need quite a bit of from its incoming players on the wing. Some 44 percent of USU’s points last season came via Merrill/Brito/Porter and outside of these three the Aggies made just 30.9 percent of their 3-point shots. Worster appears to be the best candidate among the first-years to fill both of these holes.
The 2018-19 Gatorade Player of the Year for Montana is a crafty scorer and adept shooter who essentially held a 20 PPG average for three straight seasons in high school (it was 19.8 his sophomore year). He also shot the ball effectively throughout his entire tenure, shooting 49.2 overall, 36.7 from three and 73.8 at the free throw line.
Worster doesn’t hold a significant advantage over the other freshman guards in terms of potential, but he is the most developed, both in his game and his body (weighing in at 200 pounds when most of the other freshman struggle to top 180 is no small thing). The combination of a fairly developed offensive game and frame could go a long way to being the top contributor among the freshman.
1. Marco Anthony
Guard/Forward | 6’ 5” | 225 lbs.
At Virginia, Anthony never got a chance to shine thanks to a dearth of NBA talent around him on the wing. With this move to Logan, the stage is set for Anthony to take over as the Aggies’ leading scorer. He’s a physically imposing specimen who can play 1-4 at any given moment. More importantly, Anthony is a natural scorer who did it all every level in high school with senior season scoring average of 25.5 points. He was also incredibly efficient shooting-wise in his prep years with a 66.61 true shooting percentage in three years.
At the very least, look for Anthony to be among the go-to options for Smith and at best, we could be talking about Anthony as a potential Mountain West Player of the Year candidate.