Southern Miss basketball is at a crossroads.
The Golden Eagles went 16-16 last season. It was a step back from the 2022-23 Sun Belt championship team. There were stretches where they looked like contenders in the conference, but there was a revolving door of injuries that restrained any momentum.
Coach Jay Ladner also suffered a heart attack in February. Adding that to the player’s injuries was ultimately too much to overcome with Southern Miss finishing in sixth place in the Sun Belt and bowing out in an upset loss to Texas State in the conference tournament.
Southern Miss now has heavy roster turnover with five of its top six scorers — including star Austin Crowley — departed due to graduation. Most of the 2022-23 championship team is gone, though forward Denijay Harris has transferred back to Southern Miss after one season at Arkansas.
Does Southern Miss’ roster have the makings of a contender in the Sun Belt? Here’s what to make of some the roster changes that have been made.
Southern Miss basketball has a freshman class
For the first time in two years, Ladner has signed a freshman class. It consists of three players: Jett Montgomery, Christian Reid and Brewer Carruth.
They are all a bit of a mystery. None is rated by 247Sports, and Montgomery is the only one with a profile page. ESPN and Rivals, however, rate the 6-1 guard from Tennessee as a three-star.
Reid, a 6-5 guard from Florida, is a three-star at Rivals and isn’t rated by any other site. Carruth doesn’t have a single rating. He’s a 6-5 forward from Parklane Academy, was a Clarion-Ledger All-State selection and his older brother is an offensive lineman on the Southern Miss football team.
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Southern Miss basketball roster has a lot of guards
Guard should be a strength for Southern Miss.
Andre Curbelo is back after a tumultuous season with injuries and an eligibility issue that limited him to 12 games. When he was on the floor, he was one of Southern Miss’ best players.
Neftali Alvarez also returns after he sat out all of last season with a foot injury. Having him on the court with Curbelo should be quite dynamic. Surrounding them with scorers will be key.
Cobie Montgomery shot 34.1% from 3 last season but was 4-for-21 (1.9%) in the final six games. The Golden Eagles added Christian Watson (Miami) and John Wade III (Stanislaus State) from the transfer portal and Alfred Worrell (John A. Logan College) from junior college. Lukas Gudavicius (Salt Lake Community College) is still committed to Southern Miss but hasn’t officially joined the team.
Did Southern Miss basketball do enough to improve on the interior?
Victor Iwuakor is gone after an impressive season as a shot blocker and occasional 3-point shooter.
Harris is back and Southern Miss also acquired Little Rock transfer DeAntoni Gordon. Both are forwards at 6-foot-7 and 6-foot-8, respectively, and should be key players next season. They could be utilized at the 5 in a small-ball lineup, but they aren’t centers.
Instead, Southern Miss is banking on two 7-foot holdovers from last season: Tegra Izay and Lieb Yat.
Izay made 13 starts last season and played 490 minutes. He injured his wrist before last season and it affected his touch around the rim. A healthy offseason could prime him for a breakout.
Yat missed all of the 2023-24 season with a torn ACL. He transferred from Seminole State one year ago where he averaged 5.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game in 29 games and five starts.
Sam Sklar is the Southern Miss beat reporter for the Hattiesburg American. Email him at ssklar@hattiesb.gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.