2021–22 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball team

The 2021–22 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers men's basketball team represented Western Kentucky University during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Hilltoppers were led by sixth-year head coach Rick Stansbury and played their home games at E. A. Diddle Arena in Bowling Green, Kentucky as eighth-year members of Conference USA (C-USA).

2021–22 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball
Conference	Conference USA
Division	East Division
Record	19–13 (11–7 C-USA)
Head coach	Rick Stansbury (6th season)
Associate head coach	Phil Cunningham
Assistant coaches	Hennssy Auriantal Marcus Grant
Home arena	E. A. Diddle Arena
Seasons ← 2020–21 2022–23 →

2021–22 Conference USA men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
East
Middle Tennessee	13	–	5		.722			26	–	11		.703
Western Kentucky	11	–	7		.611			19	–	13		.594
Florida Atlantic	11	–	7		.611			19	–	15		.559
Charlotte	10	–	8		.556			17	–	14		.548
Old Dominion	8	–	10		.444			13	–	19		.406
FIU	5	–	13		.278			15	–	17		.469
Marshall	4	–	14		.222			12	–	21		.364
West
North Texas	16	–	2		.889			25	–	7		.781
UAB †	14	–	4		.778			27	–	8		.771
Louisiana Tech	12	–	6		.667			24	–	10		.706
UTEP	11	–	7		.611			20	–	14		.588
Rice	7	–	11		.389			16	–	17		.485
UTSA	3	–	15		.167			10	–	22		.313
Southern Miss	1	–	17		.056			7	–	26		.212
† 2022 C-USA Tournament winner

Previous season

The Hilltoppers finished the 2021–22 season 21–8, 11–3 in C-USA play, to win the West Division. They defeated UTSA and UAB in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively, in the C-USA tournament before losing to North Texas in the championship. They received a bid to the National Invitation Tournament, where they defeated Saint Mary's losing to C-USA member Louisiana Tech in the quarterfinals.

Offseason

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Reason for departure
Kylen Milton	1	G	6'4"	190	Freshman	Monticello, AR	Transferred to Arkansas–Pine Bluff
Kevin Osawe	2	F	6'6"	205	Junior	Toronto, ON	Graduate transferred to Little Rock
Jordan Rawls	3	G	6'1"	180	Sophomore	Chattanooga, TN	Transferred to Georgia State
Taveion Hollingsworth	11	G	6'2"	165	Senior	Lexington, KY	Graduated/went undrafted in 2021 NBA draft
Jackson Harlan	12	G	6'3"	190	Sophomore	Albany, KY	Walk-on; left the team for personal reasons
Patrick Murphy	15	G	6'5"	180	RS Senior	Franklin, TN	Walk-on; left the team for personal reasons
Zion Harmon	15	G	5'11"	170	Freshman	Benton, KY	Walk-on; left the team for personal reasons
Kenny Cooper	21	G	6'0"	190	RS Senior	Nashville, TN	Graduate transferred to Tennessee State
Carson Williams	22	F	6'5"	240	RS Senior	Owenton, KY	Graduated
Charles Bassey	23	C	6'11"	235	Junior	Lagos, Nigeria	Declared for 2021 NBA draft

Incoming transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous school
Darrius Miles	0	C	6'10"		Sophomore	Dallas, TX	Odessa College
Jaylen Butz	1	F	6'9"	224	GS Senior	Fort Wayne, IN	DePaul
Keith Williams	2	G	6'5"	215	GS Senior	Brooklyn, New York	Cincinnati
Jairus Hamilton	3	F	6'8"	235	Senior	Charlotte, NC	Maryland
Sherman Brashear	13	G	6'3"		Sophomore	Dallas, TX	Panola College
Jamarion Sharp	33	F/C	7'3"	238	Junior	Hopkinsville, KY	John A. Logan College

2021 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Zion Harmon #9 PG	Benton, KY	Marshall County High School	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Mar 24, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 85
Elijah Hughey SG	Lancaster, TX	Lancaster High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Sep 28, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   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: "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 3, 2021.

Roster

2021–22 WKU Hilltoppers men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown C 0 Darrius Miles 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 295 lb (134 kg) So Faith Family Academy Odessa College Oak Cliff, TX F 1 Jaylen Butz 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) RS Sr North Side HS DePaul Fort Wayne, IN F 3 Jairus Hamilton 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Sr Cannon School Maryland Charlotte, NC G 4 Josh Anderson 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) GS Madison Preparatory Academy Baton Rouge, LA G 5 Noah Stansbury (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) RS Fr Greenwood HS Bowling Green, KY G 10 Elijah Hughey 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Lancaster HS Dallas, TX G 12 Tyler Olden (W) 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr Hillcrest Prep Scottsdale, AZ G 13 Sherman Brashear 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 180 lb (82 kg) So Rockwall HS Panola College Dallas, TX G 14 Luke Frampton 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) RS Sr Poca HS Davidson Poca, WV G 20 Dayvion McKnight 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 195 lb (88 kg) So Collins HS Shelbyville, KY F 32 Bailey Conrad 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) So Christian Academy of Indiana Corydon, IN C 33 Jamarion Sharp 7 ft 5 in (2.26 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Jr Hopkinsville HS John A. Logan College Hopkinsville, KY F 50 Isaiah Cozart 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Jr Madison Central HS Richmond, KY G 55 Camron Justice 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) GS Knott County Central HS IUPUI Hindman, KY	Head coach Rick Stansbury (Campbellsville) Assistant coach(es) Phil Cunningham (Campbellsville) Hennssy Auriantal (Wisconsin) Marcus Grant (Mississippi State) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster Last update: 2024-05-08

Schedule

Date time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
November 1, 2021* 7:00 p.m.		Campbellsville	W 82–61		19 – Hamilton	14 – Hamilton	4 – tied	E. A. Diddle Arena (3,222) Bowling Green, KY
November 5, 2021* 7:00 p.m.		Cumberlands	W 88–59		22 – Hamilton	11 – Hamilton	11 – McKnight	E. A. Diddle Arena (3,425) Bowling Green, KY
Non-conference Regular season
November 9, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+/WKU PBS		Alabama State	W 79–74	1–0	21 – Hamilton	8 – Sharp	6 – McKnight	E. A. Diddle Arena (4,023) Bowling Green, KY
November 12, 2021* 5:30 p.m., ESPNU		vs. Minnesota Asheville Championship semifinals	L 69–73	1–1	34 – McKnight	9 – McKnight	4 – McKnight	Harrah's Cherokee Center  Asheville, NC
November 14, 2021* 4:00 p.m., ESPNU		vs. South Carolina Asheville Championship consolation	L 64–75	1–2	16 – Anderson	6 – tied	5 – McKnight	Harrah's Cherokee Center  Asheville, NC
November 19, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		at No. 11 Memphis	L 62–74	1–3	18 – Justice	8 – McKnight	4 – McKnight	FedExForum (13,375) Memphis, TN
November 24, 2021* 4:00 p.m., ESPN+		Alabama A&M	W 88-62	2–3	18 – Brashear	12 – Sharp	9 – Anderson	E. A. Diddle Arena (3,152) Bowling Green, KY
November 27, 2021* 12:00 p.m., ESPN+/WKU PBS		UT Martin	W 81-66	3–3	24 – Hamilton	11 – Hamilton	6 – McKnight	E. A. Diddle Arena (2,927) Bowling Green, KY
November 30, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN3/WKU PBS		Rhodes College	W 105–35	4–3	24 – Hamilton	8 – McKnight	10 – McKnight	E. A. Diddle Arena (2,737) Bowling Green, KY
December 4, 2021* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+/WKU PBS		Eastern Kentucky	W 85–80	5–3	22 – McKnight	14 – Sharp	6 – Justice	E. A. Diddle Arena (4,249) Bowling Green, KY
December 8, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		Buffalo	L 67–77	5–4	18 – McKnight	8 – Sharp	4 – McKnight	E. A. Diddle Arena (3,689) Bowling Green, KY
December 11, 2021* 7:30 p.m., ESPN+		vs. Ole Miss Holiday Hoopsgiving	W 71–48	6–4	16 – Sharp	12 – Hamilton	11 – McKnight	State Farm Arena (6,157) Atlanta, GA
December 14, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+/WKU PBS		Centre College	W 90–52	7–4	18 – Anderson	11 – Hamilton	10 – McKnight	E. A. Diddle Arena (3,240) Bowling Green, KY
December 18, 2021* 2:00 p.m., CBS		Louisville	W 82–72	8–4	25 – Justice	10 – Anderson	9 – McKnight	E. A. Diddle Arena (7,053) Bowling Green, KY
December 22, 2021* 5:00 p.m., ESPN		at No. 20 Kentucky	L 60–95	8–5	18 – Anderson	8 – McKnight	4 – McKnight	Rupp Arena (20,221) Lexington, KY
Conference USA regular season
January 1, 2022 1:00 p.m., CBSSN		at Louisiana Tech	L 73–74	8–6 (0–1)	22 – Justice	7 – tied	4 – McKnight	Thomas Assembly Center (2,348) Ruston, LA
January 8, 2022 2:00 p.m., ESPN+		FIU	W 84–71	9–6 (1–1)	16 – Anderson	8 – Sharp	8 – McKnight	E. A. Diddle Arena (4,411) Bowling Green, KY
January 13, 2022 8:00 p.m., CBSSN		Rice	W 80–66	10–6 (2–1)	22 – Hamilton	10 – Hamilton	12 – McKnight	E. A. Diddle Arena (2,933) Bowling Green, KY
January 15, 2022 3:00 p.m., Stadium/WKU PBS		North Texas	L 60–65	10–7 (2–2)	23 – McKnight	7 – tied	5 – McKnight	E. A. Diddle Arena (4,012) Bowling Green, KY
January 20, 2022 6:00 p.m., CBSSN		at Florida Atlantic	L 69–78	10–8 (2–3)	22 – McKnight	9 – McKnight	4 – McKnight	FAU Arena (1,305) Boca Raton, FL
January 22, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPN+		at FIU	L 83–86	10–9 (2–4)	23 – Anderson	6 – Sharp	6 – McKnight	Ocean Bank Convocation Center (2,712) Miami, FL
January 27, 2022 8:00 p.m., CBSSN		UAB	L 65–68	10–10 (2–5)	16 – Anderson	6 – Anderson	5 – Justice	E. A. Diddle Arena (4,136) Bowling Green, KY
January 29, 2022 2:00 p.m., ESPN+/WKU PBS		Middle Tennessee	L 85–93	10–11 (2–6)	24 – McKnight	7 – Hamilton	10 – McKnight	E. A. Diddle Arena (4,435) Bowling Green, KY
February 3, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPN+		at Charlotte	W 78–59	11–11 (3–6)	22 – Justice	8 – Anderson	5 – McKnight	Dale F. Halton Arena (3,024) Charlotte, NC
February 5, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPN+		at Old Dominion	W 77–60	12–11 (4–6)	18 – Justice	8 – Anderson	6 – McKnight	Chartway Arena (5,914) Norfolk, VA
February 10, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		Florida Atlantic	W 76–69	13–11 (5–6)	19 – Justice	9 – tied	4 – tied	E. A. Diddle Arena (3,547) Bowling Green, KY
February 12, 2022 3:00 p.m., CUSA.tv		at UTSA	W 71-65	14–11 (6–6)	18 – tied	12 – Sharp	6 – McKnight	Convocation Center (1,123) San Antonio, TX
February 14, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		at Southern Miss Rescheduled from December 30	W 87–77	15–11 (7–6)	26 – McKnight	9 – Sharp	5 – McKnight	Reed Green Coliseum (2,726) Hattiesburg, MS
February 17, 2022 7:00 p.m., CBSSN		Charlotte	W 77–67	16–11 (8–6)	22 – McKnight	7 – Hamilton	7 – Justice	E. A. Diddle Arena (3,421) Bowling Green, KY
February 19, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPN+		Old Dominion	W 73–64	17–11 (9–6)	23 – McKnight	10 – Sharp	3 – Justice	E. A. Diddle Arena (5,015) Bowling Green, KY
February 26, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPN+		at Middle Tennessee	L 52–69	17–12 (9–7)	13 – McKnight	11 – Sharp	5 – Justice	Murphy Center (6,192) Murfreesboro, TN
March 2, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPNU		at Marshall	W 86–72	18–12 (10–7)	27 – Justice	11 – Sharp	4 – Justice	Cam Henderson Center (4,963) Huntington, WV
March 5, 2022 2:00 p.m., ESPN+		Marshall	W 78–69	19–12 (11–7)	16 – tied	12 – Sharp	4 – tied	E. A. Diddle Arena (6,098) Bowling Green, KY
Conference USA tournament
March 10, 2022 8:00 p.m., Stadium	(E2)	vs. (W3) Louisiana Tech Quarterfinals	L 57–59	19–13	20 – McKnight	10 – Sharp	1 – tied	Ford Center at The Star  Frisco, TX
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central.

Source:^[1]

References

1. "2021-22 Men's Basketball Schedule". wkusports.com. Retrieved May 8, 2024.