King arrived at Northeastern in 2022 without much fanfare compared to some of his classmates, but he quietly may have taken the biggest leap of any Husky last season. After struggling as a freshman, King increased his stats and efficiency across the board as a sophomore and showed flashes of quality point guard play.

Potentially even more intriguing than King’s improvement from 2022 to 2023 is the fact that he continued improving all year long. After permanently moving to the starting lineup with 17 games to go, King averaged 9 ppg, 4 rpg, and 3.5 apg on 41% from three (2 attempts/game), plus 1.5 steals per game on the defensive end. Over his final nine games, his line was even better, shooting 44% from beyond the arc (2.6 attempts/game).

King’s top performance came in the CAA Tournament, where he posted a 12 point, 11 assist double-double. He’ll face competition from new Husky LA Pratt for the true PG role, and ultimately they might be 1A and 1B ball handlers like King and now-graduated guard Luka Sakota were at times last season, but King made his case to get the first crack at floor general late last season.

Pratt was recruited by the Huskies back in 2022 when Bill Coen was looking to fill his final roster spot. He ended up going to Elon, while Rashad King got the last NU scholarship. Now, the Huskies will benefit from both of their services in 2024, as Pratt is transferring to Huntington Avenue following 2 years with the Pheonix.

Pratt only played 22 minutes per game last season, but made the most of his time on the court, placing second on Elon’s roster in assists per game at 2.1 and scoring efficiently, with a 36% shooting percentage from outside the arc and 57% from inside it.

LA figures to share PG duties with Rashad King, as both are similarly large combo guards who have yet to post dominant assist numbers, but who have solid tape handling the ball and improved dramatically as sophomores last season. Hopefully, both take another leap forward to give the Huskies a dynamic duo at the 1.

Troutman brought the sort of athletic ability that is exceptionally rare in mid-major basketball with him to Huntington Avenue when he arrived in 2022. We’ve heard whispers about the sort of absurd numbers he puts up on the force plate in practice, but a few of his leaping highlights is all you need to get the picture. After occasional flashes of brilliance in his 2022 freshman season where he averaged six points per game, Troutman was forced into the Huskies lead scoring guard role in 2023 due to roster turnover.

Despite this tough task for a sophomore, Troutman refined his game and improved his numbers across the board, upping his shooting percentages from inside and outside the arc and averaging 10 points per game. And all that was while often being asked to guard the opposing team’s top scoring guard and being the only Husky to start every game of the year. He also improved his game as the season went on, shooting 40% from downtown on 3 attempts per game during conference play, compared to 28% on 2 attempts per game before that.

Troutman could be primed for another big step up in 2024, especially with an improving team around him that will open up some easier looks for him. Previous Huskies SG Jahmyl Telfort made the leap from good to All-CAA level in his junior season, and hopefully Masai can do the same (Update: Troutman has now been named preseason Second Team All-CAA. Looks like the rest of the league’s coaches are expecting big things from him as well).

Since headlining the Huskies foundational 2022 freshman class, Turner has made one thing quite clear: he can shoot the rock. Despite a prolonged cold stretch in the middle of the year, Turner still managed to shoot 38.5% from beyond the arc on nearly six attempts per game. He also continued to establish himself as a fan-favorite, bringing energy and his trademark fist pumps with him whenever he knocks down a tough triple.

Improving the rest of his game a tick, especially on the defensive end, is crucial for Turner, as he bounced between the starting lineup and the bench a bit last season despite the Huskies desperate need for shooting. With his 6’8″ frame and agility, hopefully a bit of offseason work will go a long way to unlocking Turner’s full potential as a two-way threat.

Perhaps the biggest key to Turner’s success this year rides on the rest of team, however. Last year, there were many games where the Huskies’ opponent feared Turner and only Turner when it came to outside shooting. That kind of defensive attention on the perimeter makes it difficult for him shine. If the rest of the team can scare defenses a bit more from range, there’s no reason why Turner can’t combine his otherworldly efficiency from 2022 (48% shooting from deep) with his shot volume from 2023.

Metcalf arrived at Northeastern as a completely raw talent, possessing a big wingspan and great shot blocking instincts, but struggling in limited minutes over his first two seasons behind Chris Doherty and Alex Nwagha in the Huskies center rotation.

But Metcalf showed why he was recruited to Beantown in the final game of the year last season. He scored 14 points on a perfect 6-6 shooting line, grabbed 9 boards, blocked a shot, and altered numerous others in just 19 minutes, all while going up against a Power 5 talent in Stony Brook’s Keegan Fitzmorris. Metcalf also revealed a weakness he must improve this offseason if he is to start: free throw shooting. He shot 2-6 at the line, contributing to a 40% mark from the stripe on the season. Hopefully, a few weeks in the gym will make this a non-issue by November.

The Huskies offense focused on Chris Doherty in the paint each of the last two years, but with a huge class of improving guards, the Huskies figure to switch it up and focus on them as leading scorers this year. Metcalf’s solid quickness and deriving his value from major defensive strengths could be perfect for that sort of offense if he can win the starting job this year.

Make no mistake: Harold Woods is a starter-quality player. But the Huskies have 5 starter-quality guards, so somebody has to be the 6th man. In a dream world where Northeastern suffers no injuries and he can come off the bench for the full season, Woods would be a frontrunner for CAA 6th Man of the Year. He will bring defensive tenacity, solid rebounding, and efficient paint scoring off the bench for the Huskies.

Woods scored over 10 points per game last year for the Huskies with a sparking 54% shooting clip from the floor. Much of this rate was propped up by easy looks, such as second chance shots, which Woods has a knack for. This isn’t a bad thing by any means, but if Woods was able to add a solid three point shot to his arsenal (he shot only 31% from deep last year on one attempt per game), he would elevate his game as a 2-way stud to a whole new level.

Woods is the odd man out of the starting lineup due to his lack of shooting compared to Troutman and Turner and lack of facilitating ability compared to Pratt and King. But he is a huge part of the Huskies armada of great guards and will certainly start many games for the Huntington Hounds.

Nwagha returns for year five with the Huskies, making him the elder statesman of the team. His calling card is the defensive end of the floor, where he’s a rock solid interior defender, though not a massive shot blocking threat. He’s also a solid rebounder on both the offensive and defensive glass. Nwagha’s lengthy tenure with the team, plus proven ability to contribute on defense and the boards give him the fast track to the top bench center job, or possibly even the starter.

However, he’ll have stiff competition due to his lacking impact on the offensive end. The Huskies figure to not get much scoring from their big man no matter who earns the most minutes, but Nwagha has had trouble with turnovers and free throw shooting (51% for his career from the stripe) that hamper his already limited offensive impact. He did show noticeable improvement on his limited touches last year, so hopefully another step up is in the cards for Nwagha in his final season on Huntington Avenue.

Frankel was better in his freshman season than the numbers say, but he was still mostly overmatched by the college game in year one. Fortunately, as Bill Coen often says, a player’s greatest improvement usually comes in the offseason after his freshman year. Hopefully, Frankel can make a leap like the Husky guards one year older than him did last year.

Frankel worked his way into some important late-season minutes due to injuries, holding his own on defense, flashes of quality playmaking, but to continue to get point guard minutes in a crowded lineup, he needs to show some scoring ability. He didn’t get to the rim at all last season, nor did he shoot well in limited chances. William Kermoury and Ryan Williams will pressure him for minutes if he can’t step up in year 2.

Thomson arrives at Huntington Avenue this fall by way of a graduate transfer from Colgate. His stats in four years at the Patriot League’s best basketball school are nothing to write home about, but that doesn’t mean Thomson is a slouch. Last season, he was buried on the Raiders depth chart behind Keegan Records, the Patriot League’s best center, and a quality veteran in 6’11” Jeff Woodward.

Similar to Collin Metcalf, Thomson’s best game of the year came in his season finale, as he scored 11 points on 5-6 shooting in just 15 minutes against Baylor in the NCAA Tournament. Perhaps a more important similarity is that, like Metcalf, Thomson is also a tall center that won’t dominate the ball on offense. He could do well as a Huskies center off the bench in their new guard-focused scoring attack.

Fritz represents a more off-the-wall option for a Huskies center off the bench, or even in the starting five depending on how things shake out. He started 23 games last season for an injury-depleted Canisius squad last season, averaging 5.5 points and 4 rebounds per game on 57% shooting from the floor. The Huskies had to face his brother, Jacco, last season in Hofstra’s starting five, and Youri is a similar player, standing just one inch and 5 pounds smaller at 6’9″, 210 lbs.

Youri has good touch in the restricted area, plus the ability to slash into the paint and score in that way as well. But he’s a bit light for a center and less experienced than Nwagha and Thomson, so the edge for now likely goes to them when it comes to securing major center minutes. As for playing power forward, Fritz’s complete lack of three point shooting (he has never made a three in his colligate career) makes that difficult. But if Fritz can adapt to the CAA like his brother did last year, his ceiling may be higher than other Huskies center options.

After committing to Northeastern last summer following a stint playing professional basketball in his native Sweden, Kermoury built a bit of hype for himself as a potential impact freshman with impressive statistical performances in Europe’s Scania Cup. He got the nod over fellow freshman guard JB Frankel for the few rookie minutes available early in the season, even starting one game in December, but looked quite overmatched when he saw the floor.

Unfortunately, Kermoury’s quality outside shooting and playmaking didn’t translate in year one, as he shot only 28% from the floor and 23% from three. As a result, Coach Coen opted for Frankel instead of Kermoury as the reserve point guard by the last month of the season. It’s by no means impossible for Kermoury to improve his game this summer and have a much larger role as a sophomore. The transition from Sweden to Boston and the NCAA is not an easy one, and some more time to work and adapt could help Kermoury recapture some of what made him an intriguing prospect. The Huskies roster is packed with guards and Kermoury will need to step up if he is to stand out among the crowd this year.

Williams is one of only two freshmen committed to Northeastern this year and was the only one to commit early in the recruitment cycle, as Bill Coen left room on his 2024 roster to play the transfer portal game in the offseason rather than the fill it with high school players before the offseason began. Coen saw potential in the dynamic Williams though and threaded the needle to secure a commit from him way back in November. Despite reportedly cutting his recruitment list to a final 3 of Fairfield, Iona, and Columbia, Williams ended up signing a letter of intent for Northeastern on National Signing Day.

A combo guard from Malvern Prep in Pennsylvania, Williams averaged 23 points per game in 2023-24 (through the first 16 games of the year) while priding himself on his advances on the defensive end of the floor during his senior season. He demonstrates an ability to shoot off the dribble, score in transition, and swish threes in his tape. With so many veteran guards on this year’s Huskies, Williams will find it tough to find much playing time. But he represents another multi-talented Coen guard recruit, so you never know what might happen once he arrives on campus.

Soroa (not to be confused with 2023-24 Husky and fellow big PG Luka Sakota) followed a winding path up to his late commitment to Northeastern this summer. He hails from Valencia, Spain and played 10 games for Paterna in Spain’s EBA league last winder, averaging 10 points, 4 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 2.5 steals per game on 35% from three during that span. He has also played in the United States, attending 212 Sports Academy in Florida for the last few years and averaging a strong 15 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists per game in his senior season while playing point guard.

He has a tantalizing highlight reel, demonstrating the ability to shoot, slash, pass, block shots, swipe steals. He doesn’t have explosive speed, but still moves pretty well for a 6’6″, long-armed 18 year old. It will probably take Soroa some time to figure it out at the CBB Division 1 level, considering his limited experience in high-level hoops in the USA, but once it clicks, there haven’t been many Huskies recruits with a higher ceiling than Soroa.

Francios is in his fourth year at Northeastern, but his first as a varsity player. He has worked his way up from team manager, to superstar for Northeastern’s nationally ranked men’s club basketball team, to varsity player in his senior year. Last year for the club team, he averaged over 18 points, 3 assists, and nearly 3 rebounds per game, leading the team to a 13-1 conference record, #1 national ranking for a time, and an appearance in the NCBBA Final Four.

Francios stands only 6’1″ feet tall, but with strength that allows him to get to the basket and finish through contact. Like the Huskies other guard newcomers, he’ll have plenty of competition for minutes from NU’s slew of other guards. But his years of experience running the point for the club team shouldn’t go unnoticed. Francios, the only senior or older player on the roster who isn’t a center, could shine in the role of an occasional change of pace player to settle the team after a stretch of turnovers.

Coach Coen has patrolled the sideline for Northeastern since 2006, making him one of the top 15 longest-tenured active coaches in D1 men’s college hoops. In that time, he made Northeastern into the CAA’s most consistent school, with the most wins of any team in the conference between 2011 and 2021, four regular-season conference titles, and two conference tournament wins (earning bids to March Madness for the Huskies). He was named CAA Coach of the Year in 2018 and became known throughout country for his ability to find and recruit hidden talent from all sorts of places, despite NU’s lack of resources to provide him with.

Coen tends to keep things “in the family” when it comes to his coaching staff, hiring a slew of players who previously played for him as his assistant coaches. Currently, his top three assistants are Matt Janning (three-time All-CAA player for NU and new at coach this season), Joel Smith (one-time All-CAA player for NU), and Brian McDonald (teammate of both Janning and Smith), with the rest of the coaching staff filled out by Tom Murphy (Coen’s coach when he was a player at D3 Hamilton College!) and Patrick Isberg (a grad assistant and student manager for Coen the last six years).

This will be a big year for Coen, as the Huskies have slipped quite a bit since 2021 and he’ll need to show he’s still got what it takes to create and lead a great team in the modern, post-transfer portal and NIL college basketball landscape. NU should be in position to return to the top half of the CAA, as their foundational 2022 freshman class are now experienced juniors. Hopefully Coen’s team is ready to make the leap to contention in the CAA.