With six players leaving the UMKC program, first-year head coach Kareem Richardson has some work to do on the recruiting trail as he prepares for his head coaching debut.
Richardson has landed two commitments in the 2013 class, as Kansas City natives Martez Harrison (Brewster Academy) and Franklin Williams Jr. (Indian Hills CC) have agreed to join the program.
The Kangaroos may have landed a third player on Sunday, as it was reported by Evan Daniels of Scout.com that former Bradley forward Shayok Shayok has decided to transfer to UMKC.
Shayok Shayok is transferring to UMKC, per a source.
— Evan Daniels (@EvanDaniels) May 5, 2013
After playing nearly 19 minutes per game as a freshman Shayok saw his playing time drop significantly as a sophomore, as he averaged just 7.7 minutes as a sophomore.
Shayok, a 6-8 power forward from Ottawa, Ontario, averaged just 1.7 points and 1.5 rebounds per game last season.
While statistically Shayok’s arrival won’t cause major waves among UMKC fans the fact of the matter is that the Kangaroos simply need to add players as they move from the Summit League to the reconfigured WAC.
UMKC won just eight games last season under Matt Brown (5-11 Summit League), and with three of their top five scorers gone (including sophomore guard Estan Tyler, who is transferring) the 2013-14 campaign could be a tough one for the Kangaroos.
Raphielle also writes for the NBE Basketball Report and can be followed on Twitter at @raphiellej.