Haynes one shining light in Bucs’ tough season

In his first season of extended college action, Jalen Haynes proved he can be a player to build a program around. The 6-foot-8, 255-pound center, was unstoppable in the Bucs’ 69-57 Loss to Western Carolina in the quarterfinals that ended their season at 12-20.

Haynes finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds while also leading the team with four assists. He did it with the full attention of Western Carolina’s defense, which fouled him 13 times while he played 38 minutes. He made 7 of 10 shots from the field and 9 of 13 from the foul line.

On a team that struggled with consistency, ETSU coach Desmond Oliver found a way to maximize Haynes’ strengths. The Bucs’ big man made 58% of his shots from the field during the season, third in the SoCon, while averaging 14.6 points per game.

It was a transformational season from a player who came in from Virginia Tech after appearing in just nine games as a freshman with the Hokies.

“I learned a lot,” Haynes said. “Really being able to showcase what I can do with this being my first actual year playing, it was great. I learned what it is to be an actual college basketball player, take some losses down the road but also take some wins. It was a great experience. We’ll be coming back.”

Just hearing him say those words “We’ll be coming back” has to be comforting to ETSU fans. In this day and age of the transfer portal, any mid-major star with two years of eligibility remaining has to be asked the question.

“I’ll say for me personally, I will be coming back,” Haynes said. “And for the guys that are coming back and the recruits that are coming, I know it’s going be a great season.”

Haynes has some help returning in the Bucs’ frontcourt. Underclassmen Jaden Seymour and Josh Taylor have both proven to be capable running mates at the forward position.

“The majority of us are coming back so we just have to stay healthy and to learn, just try to find ways to win a championship,” said guard Jordan King, who averaged 15.6 points per game.

ETSU needs a lot of help in the backcourt, where King, the team’s leading scorer, handled most of the heavy work. An almost impossible workload — he never got a rest in the Bucs’ final three games — caused King to struggle with his shot from time to time.

Getting some big-time guards — someone like the Iowa State transfer Tre Jackson, who helped turn Western Carolina into a championship contender — would go a long way in turning around a program that has some assets but needs plenty of help.

“We’re going to get better,” Oliver said. “We’re going to add some pieces and the guys returning are going to get better.”