Featured photo by Roger Steinmann/Conference USA
Story by Calvin White
MURFREESBORO, Tenn- After losing six scholarship players to graduation and the transfer portal, Middle Tennessee State University men’s basketball head coach Nick McDevitt has finalized the Blue Raiders’ 2023-2024 roster.
Six new faces will suit up for the Blue Raiders this season. Ty Mosley, Torey Alston, O’zhell Jackson, Chris Loofe, Josh Ogundele, and Jacob Johnson. Mosley, Jackson, Ogundele, and Johnson come via the transfer portal while Alston and Loofe are high school recruits.
The transfer portal now rules the world of recruiting in college basketball. After being just one of the few programs in the country to have zero players transfer in or transfer out last season, McDevitt has dipped into the portal to put the finishing touches on this season’s roster.
Each player has different skills that they bring to the hardwood. McDevitt added multiple players who solve a problem the Blue Raiders had last season, perimeter scoring.
Ty Mosley
Mosley is a 6-foot-5 guard who averaged 11.2 points per game last season at Mississippi Valley State in 28.5 minutes per game in 21 games played. Mosley can score at all three levels and can get his shot at any time. MTSU ranked 225 out of 352 in the country last season in 3-pointers made per game at 6.9. That is where Mosley can help the Blue Raiders. Mosley shot 49.2 percent from beyond the arc on three attempts per game while also shooting 79.5 percent from the free throw line. A volume shooter such as Mosley can stretch the floor, open up driving lanes, and give MTSU’s post players space to operate.
Torey Alston
One of Nick McDevitt’s two recruits from the high school ranks, Torey Alston averaged 16 points, seven rebounds, and three steals per game last season at Winston-Salem Christian School and led the Lions to a 39-5 record. At 6-foot-8, Alston uses his length and athleticism to finish at the rim and rebound. With his skill set, Alston can secure a rebound and push the ball in transition. His long wingspan allows Alston to defend and alter opposing shot attempts. Alston can step out and shoot it from beyond the arc as well as attack his defender off the dribble, which should stand out in McDevitt’s offense.
O’zhell Jackson
Jackson is a 6-foot-8 forward whose specialty is rebounding and finishing at the rim. At his size, Jackson possesses guard-like skills. His ability to handle the ball and finish at the rim greatly compliments the Blue Raiders’ shooters on the perimeter by creating open shots for them. Last season at Coahoma Community College, Jackson averaged 13.6 points per game, with 11.2 rebounds per game and 5.2 assists per game while starting all 26 games. Jackson’s weakness is his shooting; he shot 6-for-32 from beyond the arc all of last season and was a 59 percent free throw shooter.
Chris Loofe
Chris Loofe is the other high school recruit for the Blue Raiders and arguably the most intriguing. At 6-foot-11 and 220 pounds, Loofe has the skill set to play inside and outside at his size. Last season at Link Year Prep, Loofe averaged 13 points and seven rebounds per game while shooting 55 percent from the floor, 70 percent from the free throw line, and 32 percent from 3-point range. As a big man, Loofe shoots it at a high enough percentage for opposing teams to at least have to respect his abilities which will space the floor even more for other players to attack the rim off the dribble.
Josh Ogundele
Josh Ogundele gives the Blue Raiders a major boost in size and strength on the interior after spending the last three seasons at Iowa. Although he saw limited action in those three seasons, Ogundele proved to be capable of holding his own against big-time competition. On Dec. 3,2021, Ogundele recorded seven points, five rebounds, and three blocks against Purdue’s big man duo of Trevion Williams and Zach Edey. In a conference like Conference USA that has a lot of good big men, the 6-feet-11, 300-pounder gives MTSU an intimidating force to even the odds.
Jacob Johnson
Jacob Johnson comes to Murfreesboro as a transfer via Long Island University where he averaged 10.4 points per game to go along with 5.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. Johnson started all 29 games for LIU, averaging a team-high 32.9 minutes per game. The LIU transfer, like Ogundele, has proven himself against big-time competition. Last season, Johnson tallied 17 points and eight rebounds against Big East regular season and tournament champion Marquette, 17 points against St. Johns, and 19 points and five rebounds against eventual national champion UConn. Most of Johnson’s offense comes at the rim but he is also a good passer despite his low assist total. And at 6-feet-5, his length and athleticism allow him to effectively guard multiple positions.
Along with the returning players from last season, the Blue Raiders should be among the top of the preseason standings in the new-look Conference USA and be in a good position to return to the top of the conference where MTSU once was.
Calvin White is the sports editor for MTSU Sidelines. If you have information for a story, you can contact him at [email protected]. For more news, visit www.mtsusidelines.com. Also, follow us on Facebook and Instagram @mtsusidelines, or on Twitter @MTSUSidelines.
