MAAC Transfer Scouting, Part 6: Niagara

There are 33 incoming transfers between the eleven MAAC teams as of right now, with more on the horizon. There are a lot of new faces in the MAAC, and that’s hard for fans. However, with the help of some analytics, film breakdowns, and clippings, we’re here to help you get to know every single entering transfer for the league, team-by-team.

Niagara is one of eight MAAC teams with a full 13 scholarship players as of right now, bringing in a whopping six transfers. They got 3 JUCO transfers, Braxton Bayless, Keith Kiner, and Lance Erving, a D2 transfer in Aaron Gray, and 2 Division I Transfers in Brown’s David Mitchell, and Southeast Louisiana’s Joe Kasperzyk. Let’s get to meet the new Purple Eagles

Braxton Bayless

We already covered Indian Hills once in this series, scouting Adetokunbo Bakare, a role player headed to Rider, but Braxton Bayless was one of the driving forces behind this team last year. Getting 2nd team All-Region, Bayless “brings a winning mentality” to the team, according to Assistant Coach Kevin Devitt.

Bayless is a pure point guard, he was consistently running the offense for Indian Hills, and while he was usually a means to get the ball to his teammates in position to score, he was also capable of getting buckets himself.

He isn’t a guy that you want shooting threes a lot. While his stroke isn’t horrible, he shot just 29% in JUCO over the last two years.

The Ankeny, Iowa native, and high school state champion, is a solid defender, although I do think that he can struggle a little off the ball and on screens. I don’t think this matters all that much, because, on the ball, he averaged over 2 steals per 40 minutes last year, which should bode well for him.

Devitt says that Bayless is “quick” and “can finish in the paint”, and this first clip shows just that. You can see him get the positioning he wants, go to the pump fake, and make the layup.

Most of Indian Hills’ offense was set up from the high post and the top of the key with Bayless passing to a big man who was positioned in that spot, and they’d run an offense out of that. Most of the reads weren’t overly complicated, but sometimes, Bayless would skip that first entry pass, and find a pass to a man in the low post.

This play here is one that every guard dreams of, they get the iso 1v1 with a bigger and less mobile player, and they get to show off their bag. Bayless goes with the nasty spin move into a pump fake and gets the finish.

Bayless is strong in transition and this is a great lob and a great read as well.

I think that Bayless can be a really solid addition to the Purple Eagles.

Keith Kiner

Three Rivers transfer Keith Kiner is “a talented 4 man with upside,” according to Devitt. If there’s a man who’s going to catch Bayless’ lobs in transition, it’ll be the 6 foot 6 Kiner, who is “a very good athlete who can play above the rim.”

Kiner had a breakout season for Three Rivers this year, averaging 15.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, and 1.3 steals per game. The Chester, Illinois native was named First Team All-Region for his performances in 21–22. He projects as a starter for this Niagara team.

Kiner played the 5 a decent amount for Three Rivers, and here, he draws the backside help defender after setting the screen. If the guard isn’t dead set on a fadeaway jumper, this is a pass to the opposite wing and open three for his team. Because the fadeaway is taken, Kiner fights for the rebound, stays with the loose ball, and is able to win possession for a dunk.

Keith Kiner has a 6'8 wingspan, but it looks even longer than that if you just watch him play. He’s a very raw player, but his arms are long and he plays above his height with his skillset. He’s also put on weight this offseason, Three Rivers had him listed at 195, and now he’s up to 205.

This isn’t exactly his game, as he only shot 27.4% from deep this year on 2.2 attempts per game, but his range is really solid if he can improve consistency. You probably won’t see him shoot off the dribble, but he is capable off the catch.

Offensively, his shot selection on the ball isn’t excellent, and neither is his handle, however that’s not going to be his job for Niagara. They’re going to ask him to cut off the ball to the basket and make plays at the rim, which he’s fully capable of doing.

Defensively, Kiner does have lapses, and his positioning isn’t always great, however, he has experience defending bigger players, and doing it well. He fights for rebounds, and uses his length to be a very good rim protector at that size.

Kiner won’t average massive point totals for Niagara, most likely, but he’s a versatile player that can be a help on both ends.

Lance Erving

Lance Erving is a 6–3, 190 pound shooting guard that comes to Niagara from Chipola College in Florida. Erving played under the tutelage of Donnie Tyndall, who was the head coach at Morehead State, Southern Miss, and Tennessee, a loud resume for a JUCO coach. Erving comes to Niagara with experience playing for a coach who knows what it takes to win at a high level, and that’s a big part of what he brings.

Erving is a “high IQ player who has won a ton,” exemplified by 2 state titles in high school and 2 NJCAA Final Fours in his JUCO tenure. He averaged 7 points per game last year along with 2 rebounds and 2 assists, but his “terrific” defense is the draw.

Chipola played a style of defense that both forced long possessions and ended in steals. For Coach Tyndall, this works at the JUCO level better than the D1 level, as teams aren’t as smart with their possessions at the lower level. Erving is smart and able to play a good role in that system.

Here is an example where Erving sniffs out the long pass, makes an athletic play to steal it, reaching out with one hand, and finishing on the other end.

My favorite thing about Erving’s game is the way he moves defensively. In Chipola’s zone, Erving was the one moving with the most urgency and purpose. His closeouts are effective and sharp, his movements are quick and direct, and his reads are aggressive.

From an offensive perspective, Erving can play the 1 or the 2, and he’s a really solid three-point shooter even if something feels off about his stroke. He sunk nearly 50 threes for Chipola last year, did so while flashing deep range like this, and shooting at a near 35% clip.

Overall, I think Erving will make an impact defensively as a role player for Niagara.

Aaron Gray

Aaron Gray made 3rd-Team All-NE10 as a Freshman last year for Southern New Hampshire University. (yes the one you see on TV ads, they do have a basketball team) Niagara dipped into the Division II transfer market for a “major addition” bringing “size and shooting ability” to the team.

The problem with NE10 games is that the streaming service that they use is not one that is on board with the project. You can’t use the arrow keys to go back and forth a few seconds, you can’t pause with the space bar, and you can’t view on another player, so I won’t be able to show you the film for this breakdown.

Gray led the Penmen with 15.6 points per game and 6.3 rebounds per game this past year. The 6–7, 215 pound, Providence native is also a strong three point shooter, sinking 36.4% of his attempts last season on over 5 attempts per game. The only freshman in Division I last year to average more points, rebounds, and a higher 3P% (on minimum 100 attempts) was Jabari Smith. Granted, Gray did it at a much lower level, but it’s still a unique skillset to bring.

Aaron Gray is a “true combo forward” Devitt said, adding that he can “play the 3 as well as the 4.” It’s clear to see that Gray plays with scoring confidence offensively, possessing a strong mid-range game. He loves finding smaller players and sealing them off on the strong side to try to get a look to the basket or a jumper.

Defensively, I don’t think he’s as impactful as a rim protector as Kiner is, despite him being taller. Gray profiles better at the point of attack, where he actually averaged 1.5 steals per game for SNHU last year.

The draw on Gray is obviously his scoring ability, as he had outbursts of over 20 points regularly as a freshman, and in due time, he could turn into an excellent player for Niagara.

David Mitchell

David Mitchell is a 6–6 graduate transfer from Brown University who brings “leadership, experience, defense, and rebounding” to the Purple Eagles.

Despite his size, he averaged 3.8 rebounds per game in less than 20 minutes for the Bears last season. He isn’t a super effective scorer, putting up just 3.8 per game, with most games being in the 0 or 2 point range, but that’s not his job.

Mitchell ranked in the 79th percentile of steals per Shot Quality, as well as the 94th percentile in efficiency creating a shot, albeit in a small sample. He’s got really good size for a guard/forward, and it shows on both sides of the ball.

He doesn’t touch the ball and isolate a ton offensively, as usually when he gets the ball, it’s a means to swing the ball again. His impact on that end comes with the fact that he’s a solid offensive rebounder (65th percentile) and he’s capable of finishing at the rim. His rim finishing was 61st percentile efficiency and 64th percentile frequency, which is really solid for a guy who is on the court for his defense at 6 foot 6.

Speaking of his defense, his frame impacts his ability and influence on that end. He’s able to force the issue and make the offense react before they would usually want to. It’s that ability that makes good team defense, and Mitchell is excellent at it.

Here’s an example of the hot potato that Brown would play with the basketball, but here’s Mitchell in the high post instead of the perimeter. When the court opens up like this, Mitchell is absolutely capable of making these lob passes and other reads out of the high post.

While it’s not his game, Mitchell is capable of draining open threes with his left-handed stroke.

Here’s an example of a highlight play on the defensive end, making a recovery and a block with his length and frame.

Mitchell will provide a defensive spark as a role player for Niagara.

Joe Kasperzyk

Joe Kasperzyk is the proven Division I scorer that Niagara needs. The burden of replacing Marcus Hammond is not all being placed on one player, but Coach Devitt said that adding Kasperzyk should “help alleviate the loss” of the man who averaged 18 PPG.

Kasperzyk comes to Niagara from Southeast Louisiana, also having spent a year at Bryant. In his 3 Division I seasons, he’s averaged 10.7, 9.9, and 10.8 points per game, with 2 rebounds and 2 assists as well. He started just 8 games last year, but played 20.4 minutes per game, and was one of the best pickpockets in the country. Kasperzyk finished in the 96th percentile of steals, the 85th percentile of passing, and the 62nd percentile of gravity, which is a great combination.

While he shot a solid 35% from 3 last year, his best value is his unbelievable creativity at the rim in the finishing department.

This is one of the best examples, he rescues a broken play by picking up a loose ball, then turns it into an incredibly impressive finish around a big man. Finding the finesse level that Kasperzyk has at the rim is pretty common amongst the elite smaller guards in college basketball, but at 6–3 it’s a little more rare.

Kasperzyk’s threat of scoring in any way at the rim opens up opportunities on the drive as well. Here, he gets to the basket, but makes a nice pass as the defense collapses, giving an easy layup to his teammate.

Here’s a closer look at a similar play, this time on the fastbreak rather than the half court. He’s able to get the defender to bite and use his awareness to make the pass to the trailer for the easy dunk.

Also, that entire play started with his active hands forcing a steal on that end, something we already established is a strength of his.

Another thing that I like about Kasperzyk’s game is his ability to get to the foul line. He’s so dangerous as a finisher that he draws a bunch of fouls, finishing top 20 in free throw attempts in the league all three of his seasons.

Kasperzyk is also a solid 3 point shooter, increasing his 3P% immensely each year, and he was a reliable option there for the Lions last year.

I expect Kasperzyk to start, and average double-digit points for Niagara.