Monmouth basketball offseason tracker: Ex-Toms River North star hits transfer portal

The soul searching at the end of a long college basketball season is beginning to hit home around the country, as players explore their options and school’s look to reload on the fly.

The wheel has started turning for the Monmouth men’s basketball team, coming off an 18-15 season in which the Hawks were the eighth seed at the CAA Tournament.

Here’s a look at what’s happening with the Hawks this offseason:

WHO’S LEAVING?

Xander Rice, guard

A first-team All-CAA performer as a graduate transfer in his one season playing for his father, Monmouth head coach King Rice, it will be difficult to replace his scoring, defense and leadership. He averaged 20.4 points and 3.6 assists, and won several games for Monmouth in the final minutes.

What it means: If it’s just Rice leaving, sharpshooter Abdi Bashir Jr. simply slips into the starting lineup and you move forward. But with Rice, Jakari Spence and Jayden Doyle leaving, you need some serious reinforcements in the backcourt.

Jakari Spence, guard

A graduate transfer with a year of eligibility remaining, Spence, who started all 33 games last season and started the second half of the 2022-23 season, when the Hawks were much better, was a walk-on for three seasons, with King Rice indicating Spence would get a scholarship next season. But the former Toms River North star entered the transfer portal this week, leaving and hole to fill in the backcourt.

What it means: Monmouth needs a true point guard now. Spence did enter he transfer portal a year ago and ultimately opted to return, so that could be a possibility. A year ago the Hawks lost starting guard Tahron Allen, who had two years of eligibility remaining and went to the NCAA Tournament this season with Wagner.

Jayden Doyle, guard

A 6-4 guard from Knoxville, Tennessee, with two years of eligibility remaining, Doyle never found his niche with the program. He played in 48 games over two seasons – he redshirted as a freshman – making one start, with his minutes falling below six minutes-per-game last season.

What it means: Doyle did provide some depth off the bench, and was a good defender, although he never established himself as a scorer.

WHO'S COMING?

That’s the tricky part this early in the process, as players and coaches try to get a handle on what the best fit is for themselves, or their program.

Monmouth has been reported as one of numerous teams to contact several players so far, including Rutgers transfer forward Antwone Woolfolk and Cian Medley, the Saint Louis guard now in the portal, as well as Division 2 standout James Patterson, providing a little insight into the program's offseason plan.

Monmouth is reportedly part of a large contingent to reach out to Medley, an interesting prospect, having starred at Camden, where he was a teammate of Monmouth forward Cornelius Robinson Jr. He started on the 2022 state championship team. The 5-11 point guard made 19 starts in 33 games last season for Saint Louis, averaging 4.3 points and 3.9 assists in 22 minutes per-game.

Stony Brook and Delaware are other CAA programs who have reportedly reached out to Medley, along with Temple.

The website The Portal Report indicated Woolfolk, a 6-9 forward from Cleveland, with two years of eligibility remaining, started six games last season, averaging 3.3 points and 3.1 rebounds, averaging 13 minutes for the Scarlet Knights. He’s part of an exodus from Piscataway with one of the highest rated freshmen classes in the country about to arrive. His presence in West Long Branch could be a nice boost to the frontcourt. The competition to land Woolfolk reportedly includes CAA foe UNC Wilmington, as well as Atlantic-10 champ Duquesne.

Patterson is a 6-7 forward who averaged 23.9 points and 8.5 rebounds for St. Thomas Aquinas last season. One need only look at what happened at FDU in 2022-23 to understand Patterson’s potential, with former St. Thomas Aquinas head coach Tobin Anderson and several of his players leading the Knights to the NCAA Tournament, winning two games and stunning top-seeded Purdue.

JUCO guard Jimmie Williams said on social media this week that he has received an offer from Monmouth. A 6-5 guard who played at Wallace State (Ala..) Community College, Williams has received offers from a number of schools, including Iona. He averaged 22.5 points last season, shooting 53.6 percent from the floor.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Monmouth NJ basketball: Ex-Toms River North star hits transfer portal