Men’s Basketball: What will the program that lands Cheddi Mosely be getting?
By: Matthew Doherty
Last week, former Boston University guard Cheddi Mosely announced he was transferring from the program for his final season of eligibility.
Power Five schools such as NC State, Wake Forest, and Ohio State showed immediate interest in the combo guard.
Reports said Mosely received the most interest from Wake Forest, St. Bonaventure, and Troy. He told WTBU Sports that he would be visiting Wake Forest and St. Bonaventure at the end of the month.
However, Mosely has played just two games since December of 2016 because of an internal team matter and injury.
So what exactly will the program that receives the grad transfer be getting as a player?
We’re here to break down Mosely’s game.
Proven Scorer:
The best attribute to Mosely’s game is that he knows how to put the ball in the hoop. It’s the most basic part of the sport but the 6’3 Mosely can get buckets with the best of them. As a freshman in 2014-2015, Mosely averaged 8.6 points per game in 24 minutes and shot an impressive 39.8% from three en route to All-Patriot League Rookie honors.
The following season Mosely’s minutes increased and so did his point total. The guard averaged 13.3 points per game in 30 minutes of play. Although his three-point percentage went down (33%), Mosely was still a microwave scorer. In fact, he was the third option on that team and still put up solid outputs. Mosely reached double figures 21 times and that was as an underclassmen.
Obviously Mosely has missed a lot of time the last two seasons, but in 11 games as a junior he averaged 9.2 points per game, scored 12 points vs. NC State, and reached double-digits five times. This year, Mosely began the season with 12 points against Northeastern before inuring his knee.
During his four years at BU, scoring was never an issue for Mosely. He knows how to put the ball in the hoop, no matter the role, which will make him an immediate impact player at his new destination.
Big Game Contributor:
One of Mosely’s best moments as a Terrier came in the 2015 season opener when he drained a three-pointer with under a minute to go and sealed a BU win over Northeastern. It was a contested jumper and Mosely was also fouled on the shot and completed the four-point play.
Here is the shot below and more highlights from Mosely’s time at BU:
Mosely came off the bench a lot during his time on Commonwealth Ave but always played crunch time minutes because of his ability to hit big time shots.
He also contributed when the Terriers played their annual games against Power Five competition.
As mentioned above, Mosely scored 12 points vs. NC State as well as 9 points vs. Syracuse. He also recorded a double-digit scoring game vs. Kentucky. It’s a good sign for a player trying to transfer to have proven results that he can contribute against the best of the best.
Bench Depth:
The major reason why schools like Ohio State, NC State, and Wake Forest are after Mosely is simple. Who wouldn’t love to have a proven, veteran scorer come off the bench and provide solid minutes? If he winds up at a Power Five school, Mosely will be a relaiable option off the bench on both ends of the court.
Former Patriot Leaguers Monty Boykins (Lafayette) and Brandon Alston (Lehigh) did a graduate year this season at Pittsburgh and Georgia Tech, respectively. Both players are eerily similar to Mosely in terms of style of play and Patriot League production.
And both players found themselves as solid bench contributors in their lone season in the ACC. They are a prototype for Mosely and interested programs to follow.
Summary:
Teams are always in the need for leadership and scoring and that’s why Mosely is highly coveted. The grad transfer rule gives players like Mosely their lone opportunity to prove they can play at the highest level of Division 1 basketball.
It sounds like Wake Forest and St. Bonaventure are the two favorites to land Mosely. Whichever program lands him will be receiving a more than ready-contributor. He’ll be a plus wherever he lands, and a loss for BU.