2015–16 WKU Hilltoppers basketball team

2015–16 WKU Hilltoppers men's basketball

Conference	Conference USA
2015–16 record	18–16 (8–10 C-USA)
Head coach	Ray Harper (4th year)
Assistant coach	David Boyden
Assistant coach	Shawn Forrest
Assistant coach	Chris Shumate
Home arena	E. A. Diddle Arena

2015–16 Conference USA men's basketball standings
	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
UAB	16	–	2	.889	26	–	7	.788
Middle Tennessee †	13	–	5	.722	25	–	10	.714
Marshall	12	–	6	.667	17	–	16	.515
Louisiana Tech	12	–	6	.667	23	–	10	.697
Old Dominion	12	–	6	.667	25	–	13	.658
UTEP	10	–	8	.556	19	–	14	.576
Charlotte	9	–	9	.500	14	–	19	.424
WKU	8	–	10	.444	18	–	16	.529
North Texas	7	–	11	.389	12	–	20	.375
Rice	7	–	11	.389	12	–	20	.375
FIU	7	–	11	.389	13	–	19	.406
Florida Atlantic	5	–	13	.278	8	–	25	.242
Southern Miss*	5	–	13	.278	8	–	21	.276
UTSA	3	–	15	.167	5	–	27	.156
*Ineligible for postseason play due to self-imposed postseason ban.

† 2016 C-USA Tournament winner

The 2015–16 WKU basketball team represented Western Kentucky University during the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Hilltoppers were led by head coach Ray Harper in his fourth season. They played their home games at E. A. Diddle Arena and were second year members of Conference USA. They finished the season 18–16, 8–10 in C-USA play to finish in eighth place. They defeated North Texas and UAB to advance to the semifinals of the C-USA Tournament where they lost to Old Dominion. Despite having 18 wins and a better they .500 record, they did not participate in a postseason tournament.

On March 17, head coach Ray Harper resigned.^[1] He finished at WKU with a four and a half year record of 90–62.

Previous season

The Hilltoppers finished the season 20–12, 13–5 in C-USA play to finish in a tie for the second place. They advanced to the quarterfinals of the C-USA Tournament where they lost to UAB. Despite having 20 wins they didn't play in a postseason tournament.

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes
Ayinde Sprewell	0	G	6'3"	188	Junior	Orlando, FL	Graduate transferred to St. Thomas
Kevin Kaspar	1	G	6'0"	173	Senior	Istanbul, Turkey	Graduated
Derrick Clayton	2	G	6'6"	184	Freshman	Castro Valley, CA	Transferred to Palm Beach State College
Trency Jackson	3	G	6'2"	188	RS Senior	Jackson, MS	Graduated
Brandon Price	5	G	5'9"	151	Sophomore	Radcliff, KY	Transferred to Georgia Southwestern
Jordan Green	10	F	6'7"	193	Freshman	Lexington, KY	Transferred to Coppin State
Avery Patterson	15	G	6'0"	190	Freshman	Decatur, GA	Transferred to Columbia State Community College
Rob Marberry	33	F	6'8"	230	Freshman	Nashville, TN	Walk-on; transferred to Lipscomb
George Fant	44	F	6'6"	250	Senior	Bowling Green, KY	Graduated
T. J. Price	52	G	6'4"	223	Senior	Slidell, LA	Graduated

Incoming transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous School
Aaron Cosby	2	G	6'3"	205	RS Senior	Louisville, KY	Transferred from Illinois. Cosby will be eligible to play immediately since Cosby graduated from Illinois.
Phabian Glasco	13	F	6'7"	225	Junior	Tulsa, OK	Junior college transferred from Connors State College
Willie Carmichael III	24	F	6'8"	210	Sophomore	Apopka, FL	Transferred from Tennessee. Under NCAA transfer rules, Carmichael III will have to sit out for the 2015–16 season. Will have three years of remaining eligibility.
Frederick Edmond	25	G	6'4"	190	Junior	Lansing, MI	Junior college transferred from College of Southern Idaho
Anton Waters	42	F	6'6"	205	Junior	Baltimore, MD	Junior college transferred from Gulf Coast State College

Class of 2015 recruits

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Chris McNeal PG	Memphis, TN	South Side High School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	165 lb (75 kg)	Jul 7, 2014
Chris McNeal PG	Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR
Marlon Hunter Jr. SG	Memphis, TN	Houston High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Nov 6, 2014
Marlon Hunter Jr. SG	Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR
Kristaps Gluditis PG	Riga, Latvia	Get Better Academy	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Apr 28, 2015
Kristaps Gluditis PG	Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR
Nathan Smith C	London, England	Get Better Academy	7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)	220 lb (100 kg)
Nathan Smith C	Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2015 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 30, 2015.

Roster

2015–16 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers men's basketball team

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Name	Height	Weight	Year	Home town
1.5 !G	1	McNeal, ChrisChris McNeal	72 !6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	1.0 !Fr	Jackson, Tennessee
1.5 !G	2	Cosby, AaronAaron Cosby	75 !6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	4.5 !RS Sr	Louisville, Kentucky
1.5 !G	3	Hunter, MarlonMarlon Hunter	74 !6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	1.0 !Fr	Memphis, Tennessee
3.5 !F	13	Glasco, PhabianPhabian Glasco	79 !6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	230 lb (104 kg)	3.0 !Jr	Tulsa, Oklahoma
3.5 !F	14	Lawson, BenBen Lawson	85 !7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)	230 lb (104 kg)	3.0 !Jr	Hitchin, England
1.5 !G	15	Sanford, DylanDylan Sanford (W)	73 !6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	1.0 !Fr	Owensboro, Kentucky
5.0 !C	20	Rostov, AleksejAleksej Rostov	82 !6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	240 lb (109 kg)	4.0 !Sr	Riga, Latvia
3.5 !F	21	Snipes, NigelNigel Snipes	78 !6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	4.5 !RS Sr	Marietta, Georgia
5.0 !C	22	Smith, NathanNathan Smith	86 !7 ft 2 in (2.18 m)	240 lb (109 kg)	1.0 !Fr	London, England
3.5 !F	23	Johnson, JustinJustin Johnson	79 !6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	2.0 !So	Hazard, Kentucky
3.5 !F	24	Carmichael, WillieWillie Carmichael (I)	80 !6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	2.0 !So	Apopka, Florida
1.5 !G	25	Edmond, FredrickFredrick Edmond	76 !6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	3.0 !Jr	Lansing, Michigan
1.5 !G	32	Dalton, KeiferKeifer Dalton (W)	71 !5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)	165 lb (75 kg)	1.0 !Fr	Albany, Kentucky
3.5 !F	42	Waters, AntonAnton Waters	79 !6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	3.0 !Jr	Baltimore, Maryland
1.5 !G	51	Harrison-Docks, ChrisChris Harrison-Docks	72 !6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	3.5 !RS Jr	Okemos, Michigan

Head coach

Ray Harper (Kentucky Wesleyan)

Assistant coach(es)

Lawrence Brenneman (Geneva College)
David Boyden (Western Kentucky)
Shawn Forrest (Arkansas–Pine Bluff)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on

Injured
Current redshirt

Roster

Schedule

^[2]

Date Time, TV	Opponent	Result	Record	Site (Attendance) City, State
Exhibition
11/02/2015* 7:00 PM	Lindsey Wilson	W 84–71		E. A. Diddle Arena (2,881) Bowling Green, KY
11/06/2015* 7:00 PM	Kentucky Wesleyan	W 75–68		E. A. Diddle Arena (3,207) Bowling Green, KY
Non-conference regular season
11/14/2015* 7:00 PM	Campbellsville Gulf Coast Showcase Opening Round	W 97–77	1–0	E. A. Diddle Arena (3,424) Bowling Green, KY
11/18/2015* 6:00 PM, ASN	at Belmont	L 85–90	1–1	Curb Event Center (3,253) Nashville, TN
11/21/2015* 12:00 PM, FCS/WKYU	Stony Brook	W 67–66	2–1	E. A. Diddle Arena (3,684) Bowling Green, KY
11/23/2015* 5:00 PM	vs. Drake Gulf Coast Showcase quarterfinals	L 79–81 ^OT	2–2	Germain Arena (523) Estero, FL
11/24/2015* 1:30 PM	vs. Central Michigan Gulf Coast Showcase consolation round	W 88–60	3–2	Germain Arena (823) Estero, FL
11/25/2015* 2:30 PM	vs. Duquesne Gulf Coast Showcase 5th place game	L 73–81	3–3	Germain Arena (1,077) Estero, FL
12/01/2015* 7:00 PM, FCS/WKYU	Eastern Kentucky	W 86–84	4–3	E. A. Diddle Arena (4,026) Bowling Green, KY
12/05/2015* 7:30 PM, FS1	at No. 12 Xavier	L 64–95	4–4	Cintas Center (10,250) Cincinnati, OH
12/13/2015* 2:00 PM, ASN	Indiana State	W 75–62	5–4	E. A. Diddle Arena (2,810) Bowling Green, KY
12/16/2015* 8:00 PM, FCS/WKYU	Alabama A&M	W 79–70	6–4	E. A. Diddle Arena (3,109) Bowling Green, KY
12/19/2015* 11:00 AM, ESPNU	at No. 19 Louisville	L 56–78	6–5	KFC Yum! Center (21,606) Louisville, KY
12/22/2015* 8:00 PM, ASN	Detroit	W 79–74	7–5	E. A. Diddle Arena (3,031) Bowling Green, KY
12/28/2015* 7:00 PM	Brescia	W 93–66	8–5	E. A. Diddle Arena (3,388) Bowling Green, KY
Conference USA regular season
01/03/2016 12:00 PM, ASN	at Marshall	L 76–94	8–6 (0–1)	Cam Henderson Center (4,623) Huntington, WV
01/07/2016 7:00 PM, FCS/WKYU	FIU	L 72–75	8–7 (0–2)	E. A. Diddle Arena (3,394) Bowling Green, KY
01/09/2016 2:00 PM, FCS/WKYU	Florida Atlantic	W 86–82 ^OT	9–7 (1–2)	E. A. Diddle Arena (3,607) Bowling Green, KY
01/14/2016 7:00 PM, ASN	at Rice	L 73–83	9–8 (1–3)	Tudor Fieldhouse (1,664) Houston, TX
01/16/2016 7:00 PM	at North Texas	W 81–76	10–8 (2–3)	The Super Pit (1,903) Denton, TX
01/21/2016 6:00 PM, ASN	at Old Dominion	L 62–68	10–9 (2–4)	Ted Constant Convocation Center (6,535) Norfolk, VA
01/23/2016 6:00 PM, FCS/WKYU	at Charlotte	L 71–88	10–10 (2–5)	Dale F. Halton Arena (4,197) Charlotte, NC
01/28/2016 6:30 PM, FS1	UAB	W 69–62	11–10 (3–5)	E. A. Diddle Arena (3,892) Bowling Green, KY
01/30/2016 7:00 PM, FCS/WKYU	Middle Tennessee	L 64–66	11–11 (3–6)	E. A. Diddle Arena (5,259) Bowling Green, KY
02/04/2016 7:00 PM	at UTSA	W 83–71	12–11 (4–6)	Convocation Center (1,003) San Antonio, TX
02/06/2016 4:00 PM, FS1	at UTEP	L 89–93 ^OT	12–12 (4–7)	Don Haskins Center (12,000) El Paso, TX
02/13/2016 7:00 PM, FCS/WKYU	Marshall	L 93–96 ^OT	12–13 (4–8)	E. A. Diddle Arena (4,373) Bowling Green, KY
02/18/2016 7:00 PM, FCS/WKYU	Old Dominion	L 56–59	12–14 (4–9)	E. A. Diddle Arena (3,182) Bowling Green, KY
02/20/2016 2:00 PM, FCS/WKYU	Charlotte	W 59–54	13–14 (5–9)	E. A. Diddle Arena (3,570) Bowling Green, KY
02/25/2016 6:00 PM, ASN	at Middle Tennessee	W 78–72	14–14 (6–9)	Murphy Center (4,333) Murfreesboro, TN
02/27/2016 11:00 AM, FSN	at UAB	L 67–71	14–15 (6–10)	Bartow Arena (7,510) Birmingham, AL
03/03/2016 8:00 PM, ASN	Southern Miss	W 75–60	15–15 (7–10)	E. A. Diddle Arena (3,405) Bowling Green, KY
03/05/2016 7:00 PM, FCS/WKYU	Louisiana Tech	W 96–90 ^OT	16–15 (8–10)	E. A. Diddle Arena (4,591) Bowling Green, KY
Conference USA Tournament
03/09/2016 12:00 PM, ASN	vs. North Texas Second round	W 84–76	17–15	Legacy Arena (3,888) Birmingham, AL
03/10/2016 12:00 PM, ASN	vs. UAB Quarterfinals	W 88–77	18–15	Legacy Arena (9,797) Birmingham, AL
03/11/2016 3:00 PM, CBSSN	vs. Old Dominion Semifinals	L 77–89	18–16	Legacy Arena (6,176) Birmingham, AL
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time.

References

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball

Venues	Red Barn (1920–1931) Health & Physical Education Building (1931–1963) E. A. Diddle Arena (1963–present)

Culture & lore	Big Red

People	Head coaches

Seasons	1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17

NCAA Final Four appearance in italics

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2015–16 WKU Hilltoppers basketball team

Previous season

Departures

Incoming transfers

Class of 2015 recruits

Roster

Schedule

See also

References