America East basketball News & Notes: UNH Adds Nine

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A program may be needed for those who plan to attend UNH Wildcat basketball this season. That’s because a roster overhaul took place after the 2021-22 season ended. Head coach Bill Herron lost several team members to graduation and the transfer portal. He has spent the better part of the spring and early summer putting together what will amount to a brand new team for the upcoming hoop season. Nine new additions will be on campus, five are recruits, three are transfers, and one is a grad student. How the coach can put this all together for the year ahead will go a long way in deciding what kind of season it will be.

The grad transfer is Matt Herasme, who for the past four years has played ball at Marist College. The 6-4 180 lb. guard played in 106 games for the Red Foxes, 71 of them starts. He averaged 5.5 points a game, 4.3 rebounds, and shot 48.2 % from the field. Matt was also a three-time MAAC All-Academic selection while at Marist. What the coach likes about Herasme is his “toughness, competitiveness, a great team player, and very good defensive player.”

The three transfers are Jaxson Baker, a forward from Central Arkansas, Trey Woodyard from Valparaiso, also a big man, and guard Kyree Brown from Seattle University. Baker is 6-8 200 lb. and played in 85 career games with 42 starts over three seasons at Central Arkansas. He averaged 5.8 points per game, 2.6 rebounds, he had 104 assists, and 109 three-point baskets. The coach likes that Baker can stretch the floor by making threes. Woodyard is 6-6, 190 lb., and played in 27 games for the Beacons a year ago averaging 1.2 points, 1.2 boards, shooting 48.1%, and 33% from deep. He had nine games in which he played double-digit minutes. The coach likes Trey’s versatility on the floor. Brown is a 6-0 170 lbs guard who helped Seattle post a 22-9 record with a 14-4 mark in the WAC. He appeared in 28 games with one start and averaged 4.4 points, 2,4 assists, and 1.8 rebounds. Brown shot 79.6 % from the free throw line, with 71 assists to 36 turnovers. The coach likes his point guard skills.

The five recruits are Clarence Daniels a 6-6 forward from Lake Region State College in Devils Lake N.D. He averaged a double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds. Daniels was a five-time Player of the Week who ranked fifth nationally among all JUCO players in rebounding and seventh in scoring. He finished the year as the NJCAA All-American honorable mention. Nazim Derry is a 6-2, 190 lb. shooting guard from Goldey-Beacom College. He led his team in scoring with 20 points a game, shooting 42% from three’s (100-for-238) in 28 games. He was named to the Central Collegiate Conference first team. He set a single-season record with 100 threes and ranked second in school history with 194 field goals. He scored 30 or more points nine times and was named to the weekly honor roll seven times. Christian Moore is a 6-1, 175 lb. guard who spent a post-graduate year at Hargrave Military Academy. Moore averaged 15 points a game, shooting 49.5% from three-point range. His team went 32-6 and finished fourth in the nation. Promise Opurum is a 6-7 215 lb. forward who spent last year at Woodstock Academy in CT. He averaged 11 points, nine boards, and two blocked shots a game. He was named All-Power 5 AAA Honorable Mention for his efforts. He posted double-doubles in 10 of 11 games played. Rex Sunderland is a 6-3 165 lb. guard from Davis High School in Kaysville, Utah. He is a three-year starter who led his team in points with 15 a game, steals with 3.9., and assists with four. His 92 steals in 24 games led all Utah high schools. He was named Deseret News 6A All-State First team in both 2021 and 2022.

A brand new team will hit the floor for the Wildcats this winter. How quickly they can come together will be key to having a successful campaign.