Darrell Walker’s University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s men’s basketball team was on the cusp of accomplishing something special in the head coach’s second season.
The Trojans had already completed a 21-10 regular season with a 15-5 record in the Sun Belt Conference, giving them the No. 1 seed to the Sun Belt Tournament in New Orleans and a short path to earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
UALR needed two victories to earn the program’s sixth NCAA bid since joining Division I more than 40 years ago, but those games were never played when the sports world came to a halt because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The UALR bus was passing through Pine Bluff when Walker received the news.
“We have unfinished business,” Walker said. “The first thing I said when we got off the bus coming back from Pine Bluff. ‘Look man, we’ve got unfinished business.’ That’s been our motto all year.”
As gratifying as last season was for Walker, who flipped a 10-21 first season to 21-10, there is nothing like seeing your school’s name on the NCAA Tournament bracket.
“It’s all about going to the NCAA,” Walker said. “I liked the variable last year. All we had to do was go down there and win two games. We’ve just got to redo it.”
Walker’s team has the ingredients to repeat last season’s success.
UALR returns 4 of 5 starters and nearly 55 points per game from a team that averaged 73.2.
Walker is also expecting help from medical redshirt Kris Bankston, a 6-8, 220-pound junior who averaged 9.7 points and 4.8 rebounds in three games before suffering a back injury that sidelined him for the rest of the season.
“Kris is going to be a big factor,” Walker said. “Right now he’s working his way back, getting his rhythm back, getting in shape. …
“He gives us a low-post presence. He’s gotten stronger. He’s probably one of our most athletic bigs. He can do some things down there.”
The Trojans are set to begin the season Wednesday with five games in nine days in Louisville, Ky., where a mini NBA-style bubble will allow teams to walk from their hotel to the arena without going outside.
“It’s time to play, to see where your team is,” Walker said. “ I’m sure every coach in America wants to play to see where their team is.”
Walker’s Trojans will be led by 5-7 junior guard Markquis Nowell (17.2 ppg, 5.9 apg), along with Sun Belt Preseason Player of the Year Ruot Monyyong (11.0 ppg, 9.8 rpb, 2.0 bpg) and Ben Coupet Jr.
(11.2 ppg, 4.7 rpb).
Coupet and Monyyong are seniors and Nowell is a junior, but the Trojans’ experience does not end there.
Nikola Maric, who averaged 10.7 points and 4.5 rebounds in 2018-2019, sat out the first semester last year and averaged 21.2 minutes over the final 15 games of the season, averaging 8.4 points and 4.8 rebounds.
Marko Lukic, one of six Trojans who are from Serbia or Bosnia-Herzegovina, averaged 7.2 points after gaining eligibility for the final 15 games.
Those six will be joined by 6-9 freshman Yacine Toumi, from Meudon, France, giving the Trojans an international flavor that Walker likes.
“They all speak English, and I make them all speak English,” Walker said. “They’re good kids. They’re happy to be here in the United States. And they’re good basketball players. I think that’s overlooked, that they’re good basketball players.
“They’re good people, we’re happy to have them, and they were a big part of our success last year.”
Walker said Toumi and Marko Andric, a 6-2 freshman guard, could provide immediate contributions to the Trojans.
“They may get some minutes out there,” Walker said.
Sophomore Marko Lukic only averaged 5.5 points while starting 29 games, but Walker said he can help the spread the floor with his ability to shoot from behind the three-point line, a skill that was diminished last season because he had to play with a mask on for half the season while recovering a broken nose.
Walker said he will take four returning starters and seven with extensive experience any time.
“It’s a great place to start,” Walker said. “The way we’ve tried to build this program is by adding good players to the program each year. … And keep building the program.”
Walker said the Trojans, picked to finish first in the Sun Belt preseason poll, will not be sneaking up anybody this season.
“People are going to be hunting you,” Walker said. “They know what you’ve accomplished and they’re going to be coming after you. We’ve got to get ourselves prepared. Not being complacent.”
The return of Bankston and Alsean Evans from injury, as well as reserve Isaiah Palermo who played in 23 games, gives Walker plenty of tools when trying to replace the only significant departures from last season — Kamani Johnson and Jaizec Lottie — who transferred to other schools.
“There’s always going to be turnover in college basketball,” Walker said, citing a statistic that every Division I team is experiencing an average of 2.8 transfers per season. “Those guys have moved on, and we’re moving on with the next man up.”
UALR men at a glance
LAST SEASON 21-10, 15-5 Sun Belt Conference
COACH Darrell Walker (31-31 entering third season at UALR, 76-49 in five seasons overall)
KEY RETURNERS G Markquis Nowell
(17.2 ppg, 4.9 apg), F Ruot Monyyong
(11.9 ppg, 9.8 rpb,, 2.0 bpg), F Ben Coupet Jr. (11.2 ppg, 4.7 rpg), G Jo-van Stulic (5.5 ppg, 33.3% three-point shooting), Kris Bankston (9.7 ppg, 3.3 rpb in 3 games), Nikola Maric (8.4 ppg, 4.8 rpg in 15 games), Marko Lukic (7.3 ppg, 1.5 rpb)
KEY NEWCOMERS G Marko Andric, F Yacine Toumi
KEY LOSSES F Kamani Johnson (11.0 ppg, 6.7 rpg), G Jaizec Lottie (6.4 ppg, 3.0 apg)