Western Michigan

MAC Basketball Preview: 08-09

CHN — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 05:17:57 -0500

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Conference Rank: 13th

10 year average: 13th

All-MAC Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	Al Fisher	Kent State	Sr
G	Michael Bramos	Miami	Sr
G/F	David Kool	Western Mich.	Jr
F	Anthony Newell	Ball State	Sr
F	Jerome Tillman	Ohio	Sr
CHN Award Winners		Returning Leaders
Mid-Major All-Americans Michael Bramos Al Fisher		Points: Anthony Newell (Ball) 16.9 Tyrone Kent (Toledo) 16.9 Rebounds: Anthony Newell 8.0 Assists: Michael Allen (Ohio) 4.0

MAC Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

41	Kent State	MAC	1	NCAA
73	Miami (OH)	MAC	2	NIT
97	Western Michigan	MAC	3
122	Central Michigan	MAC	4
129	Ohio	MAC	5
173	Akron	MAC	6
178	Toledo	MAC	7
196	Bowling Green	MAC	8
238	Eastern Michigan	MAC	9
256	Ball State	MAC	10
291	Buffalo	MAC	11
298	Northern Illinois	MAC	12

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

** returning conference champion

Poll: Who Do You Think Will Win the MAC?

Other MAC Content

Head Coach Q&A's

Charlie Coles: Miami

Conference Media Poll

Other

Rise & Fall: MAC

State of 08: Ohio

Daily Conference Poll: Who Will Win the MAC?

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 10:02:56 -0400

State of '08: Michigan

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 11:07:42 -0400

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Duke or Carolina? BC or UMASS? Gonzaga or Washington.. or Washington State? What is the best program in each state? While there's not much competition in Hawaii.. there are great debates to be had in loaded regions like California, North Carolina, and Texas. The State of '08 is a ranking of every program in every state.. based mostly on recent success (the last five years) mixed in with subjective factors such as conference prestige, historical success, and overall program direction.

For more info, check out the State of '08 introduction.

MICHIGAN

MICHIGAN STATE - Since Tom Izzo took over in 1995, Michigan State has never finished below .500 in Big East play, and has made the postseason for thirteen straight seasons. This year's squad has the look of Izzo's seventh team that advances to the Sweet Sixteen or beyond.

MICHIGAN - Its amazing how little success Michigan has had in the last decade under Brian Ellerbe and Tommy Amaker. One of the country's top programs from the 80's into the 90's hasn't been to the NCAA Tournament in 10 years, a streak which will certainly continue in 2009. John Beilein's rebuilding project will take some time.

WESTERN MICHIGAN - The best of Michigan's directional MAC programs, WMU has finished above .500 in conference play for the last seven seasons. This seven-year run includes four 20-win seasons, three postseason trips, and wins over quality programs such as Davidson & SIU last year, and Virginia Tech and San Diego State the previous season. We project the Broncos to make another run at the postseason in 08-09.

OAKLAND - Longtime coach Greg Kampe continues to do a great job at Oakland. He oversaw the move up from DII to D1 a decade ago, a transition that was surprisingly smooth. The Grizzlies made their first NCAA Tourney in 2005.. and were just a few baskets away from a return trip in 2007. OU will once again be a serious Summit League contender in 2009.

DETROIT - For much of the 90's, and up to as recently as 2005, Detroit was a consistent Horizon League power under long-time coach Perry Watson. But in part due to health problems, Watson has now been replaced by Ray McCallum, who hopes to return the Titans to that high level of play. It will take some time though as Detroit is coming off one of the worst season's in the programs history (just 6-23 against D1 opponents).

6. CENTRAL MICHIGAN - Outside of an amazing 2003 season, CMU hasn't had much to cheer about over the last twenty seasons. But third year coach Ernie Ziegler has brought an air of respectability to the program, as the past two seasons have seen improved play. 2009 could be the Chippewas best season since 2003's freak 2nd round NCAA Tourney run.

7. EASTERN MICHIGAN - The Eagles were one of the MAC's better teams in the 90's, but the last decade has been dismal. EMU hasn't finished above 200th in the RPI since 2000, and CHN projects another such season in 08-09.

Last: Maryland - Next: Mississippi

State of '08: The Introduction (& State list/links)

Charleston Classic Matchups Announced

Press Release — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 01:44:15 -0400

ESPN Regional Television announced today the schedule of matchups for the inaugural Charleston Classic, set for Nov. 14-16 at the new Carolina First Center in Charleston, S.C.

The event will include 12 games in three days, with six games being broadcast on CSS. The Southern Conference, based in Spartanburg, S.C., will serve as the event's sponsoring conference.

The 2008 Charleston Classic field includes eight teams: College of Charleston, Clemson, East Tennessee State, Hofstra, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, Temple, TCU and Western Michigan. Two of the teams, Clemson and Temple, played in the 2007-08 NCAA Tournament.

In the first round of action, beginning Thursday, Nov. 14, TCU will take on Western Michigan in the first game to be played at Carolina First Center. Also in the first round, ETSU will face Temple, SIU-Edwardsville will meet College of Charleston, and Hofstra and Clemson will square off.

"We're pleased to have a competitive field and exciting matchups in the inaugural Charleston Classic," said Pete Derzis, senior vice president and general manager, ESPN Regional Television. "We expect this new event to provide a terrific off-the-court experience for the student-athletes, coaches and staffs while giving fans a great opportunity to watch college basketball in the great destination of Charleston."

Each team will compete in one game per day, advancing through a bracket-tournament format. The two teams that remain undefeated throughout the tournament will face off in a championship match Sunday, Nov. 16, at 4 p.m. ET on CSS. Complete matchups are listed below.

"I am very excited about the Charleston Classic opening our new Carolina First Center," said Bobby Cremins, head coach of College of Charleston. "This will bring college basketball to our beautiful Low Country and downtown Charleston area. Clemson will be the headliner, but there are other exciting teams that should challenge them for the first Charleston Classic championship."

Tickets for the tournament will go on sale Sept. 15 at www.CharlestonClassic.com, or by telephone at the Carolina First Center box office at (843) 953-2632. Fans can purchase travel packages to the tournament by going to www.AnthonyTravel.com or by calling 1-800-736-6377.

2008-09 Western Michgan Basketball Preview

Joel Welser — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 04:29:49 -0400

Western Michigan Broncos

Overall Rank: #97

Conference Rank: #3 MAC

2007-08: 20-12, 12-4, 1^st West

2007-08 postseason: none

Western Michigan and Coach Steve Hawkins have a nice mixture of veterans and talented youngsters. Despite dominating the West division of the Mid-American Conference last year, the Broncos were considered inferior to the most of the teams in the East. WMU should win the west again, but they have some work to do to be considered among the top teams in the conference.

Who’s Out:

And most of that work needs to be done up front where the Broncos lost a ton of experience, including Joe Reitz. The 6-7 center tallied 15.0 points and 7.9 rebounds per contest during his senior campaign. His leadership and toughness will be missed just as much as his production. To prove how tough Reitz really is, he continued the tradition of MAC basketball players heading to the NFL and spent his summer at the Baltimore Ravens camp. Part-time starter Andrew Hershberger rarely put up big numbers, but he did the dirty work under the basket. Dan Hess only saw action in four games before heading out of the program last year. Derek Fracalossi did not really play under the basket, but he was a 6-5 wing who could handle a multitude of positions. Guard Silver Laku has also wrapped up his collegiate career after seeing limited action in 2007-2008.

Who’s In:

At the least the newcomers will have to provide a majority of the depth in the frontcourt. Flenard Whitfield, Muhammed Conteh, LaMarcus Lowe, Luke Adaline and Juston Hairston will provide Coach Hawkins plenty of options. The 6-7, 220 pound Whitfield is a solid athlete who can give the team a tenacious rebounder and a decent shot blocker. Conteh, also 6-7, has a huge wingspan and enough toughness to help replace Reitz under the basket. Lowe has more size, or at 6-11 and 215 pounds, more height, and should at least be able to help out on the glass right away. However, Lowe’s basketball experience is quite limited and he might need some time before he is ready to contribute. Normally Hairston would not be mentioned with the big guys, but the 6-5 forward can play power forward in the MAC if necessary. And it might be necessary. Hairston, who redshirted last year, has enough toughness to battle under the basket, but his future will be getting to the basket from the wing. Demetrius Ward, Mike Douglas and Troy Peter will join the backcourt. Ward is arguably the best player of this group. The 6-2 combo guard can put points up in a hurry and it will be difficult to keep him on the bench. Point guard Mike Douglas will learn the ropes off the bench this year, but he is expected to be starting in 2009-2010.

Who to Watch:

If it was not for all the experience already in the backcourt, Ward and Douglas could be starting. They could be starting later this season anyway, but for now they will push the returning players. David Kool’s starting job is safe. The 6-3 junior averaged 16.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists last year. Now as an upperclassman, this is Kool’s team. His gang on the perimeter consists of Andre Ricks, Shawntes Gary, Michael Redell and Derek Drews. Gary is expected to emerge as a prolific scorer after averaging 8.8 points per game last year. He is a superb rebounder from the wing. Redell will be the guy who gets the scorers the ball. The senior point guard is not much of a scorer, but he is a decent ballhandler and floor leader. If Douglas shows up on campus ready to play, Redell’s minutes are not safe. Ideally, Drews is a small forward. He is only 6-5 and lacks the interior play to be extremely effective at the four spot. What he does, and he does it very well, is shoot the three-pointer. Since he does have some size and is such a dangerous, albeit streaky, scoring threat, he will see plenty of time at the four spot.

Final Projection:

If Drews or any of the newcomers struggle at the power forward spot, it will be a difficult situation for the Broncos. Martelle McLemore has some experience, but not much. Neither does center Donald Lawson who must replace Reitz under the basket. Lawson is a good shotblocker, which immediately makes him a much, much different type of player than Reitz, but somebody still has to score around the basket or Western Michigan’s talented guards will not have any space to operate.

Projected Post-season Tournament: none

Projected Starting Five:

Michael Redell, Senior, Guard, 4.7 points per game

David Kool, Junior, Guard, 16.3 points per game

Shawntes Gary, Senior, Guard, 8.8 points per game

Derek Drews, Senior, Forward, 6.3 points per game

Donald Lawson, Junior, Center, 2.3 points per game

Complete Top 144 Ranking | 2008-09 Preview & Awards | Coach Interviews | Discuss the Preview

Live From the MAC Tournament: Quaterfinals

Bill Kintner — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 10:25:16 -0400

CLEVELAND – With four quarterfinals games today I am just going to get the highlights of the games and try to give fans a flavor for what is going.

Game One: WMU vs EMU

Led by David Kool’s 24 points No. 2 seed Western Michigan (20-11) beat No. 7 seed Eastern Michigan (14-17). In a game that Eastern Michigan never led, they did make it interesting when at the 10:34 mark they tied the game at 34-34 when Jarrad Axon made two foul shots, but that was a fleeting moment of joy as the Broncos closed it out to end Eastern Michigan’s season.
Fav quote:

“We weren’t talking well on defense and they are a great shooting team. With this being their first game of the tournament, we knew they were going to be pumped up and ready to go and we did not match their intensity and that hurt us in the long run.”
EMU guard Travis Lewis.

-This is WSM’s first trip to the semifinals since 2005.

-The crowd for this game was rather meager considering that Michigan leads the country in unemployment. With all that free time you would think more of them would be here watching two Michigan teams play.

-WMU leads the all-time series with EMU 49-44.

-Western Michigan plays Akron at 7 p.m. on Friday.

Game Two: Akron vs CMU

Akron the No. 3 seed stayed true to form and whipped up on the No. 6 seed Central Michigan 81-60. This game was close for the first 23 minutes before the Zips opened up a double digit lead at the 16:42 mark. Akron’s Jeremiah Wood led all scorers with 17 points. Akron (22-9) shot 56 percent (28-50) from the field and 58.8 percent (10-17) from beyond the 3-point line. Central Michigan (14-17) shot just 34.5 percent (20-58).

Fav quote:

“Today it was, ‘I just want to play basketball.’ Whatever I could do I wanted to do. We are in the part of the season where every game can be your last and I just wanted to leave everything out there.”

You thought the quote was going to be Akron coach Keith Dambrot and nine times out of 10 it usually is, just not today.

-Akron leads the all-time series with CMU 23-13.

-Akron plays Western Michigan at 7 p.m. on Friday.

Game Three: Kent State vs Toledo

No. 1 seed Kent State pounded No. 8 seed Toledo into submission 77-54. The first half was relatively close with Toledo (11-19) getting their biggest lead at three at 7-4 at the 16:42 mark. At halftime Kent State (26-6) led 39-29. In the second Kent just enlarged their lead as they were led by Mike Scott’s 23 points.

Fav Quote:

“On the court we do not think we should get any fouls. The officials made a few calls we did not necessarily agree with and the calls gave us a disadvantage and took away from us being aggressive.”
Toledo forward Jerrah Young.

-Kent State had a nice crowd at the game and they made a lot of noise.

-Toledo leads the all-time series with Kent 78-41.

-Kent State plays Miami at 9:30 p.m. on Friday night.

Game Four: Miami vs Ohio

A typical Miami/Ohio game that No. 5 seed Miami pulled out over No.4 seed Ohio 74-61. The game was a lot tighter than the score indicates. Miami (17-14) was led by Michael Bramos’ 23 points and after getting pounded on the boards by 19 in their last game, the RedHawks out-rebounded the Bobcats 42-31. With 2:10 left it was still a close game with Miami clinging to a four point lead at 63-59. Ohio would score just one more basketball in the game.

Fav quote:

“I think we won with our guards and we got solid contributions from everybody on the boards. Last night we got out-rebounded by 19 so to come back to night and go plus 11 was a big thing.”
Miami forward Tyler Dierkers

-Ohio leads the all-time series with Miami 93-88.

-Miami plays Kent State Friday at 9:30 p.m.

MAC Notes:

-Miami has a four man broadcast team which is by far the biggest in the MAC. Steve Baker delivers the pbp, Joe Berry adds the color, Tim Bray gives sideline updates and Tommy Leugers engineers the whole mess. Some MAC schools simply have one guy that does all four jobs.

-And yes, Tim Bray actually does something besides carry Steve Baker’s luggage. At 1:30 p.m. today he was in the media room hard at work doing research for tonight’s game Miami/Ohio University game. Tommy Leugers calls him “Tidbit Tim” for all the great research he does that provides his reports. I would put that broadcast team up against any from the BCS programs.

-They are playing the woman’s tourney here at the same time as the regular tourney so it makes for a lot of downtime especially on Friday and Saturday for the fans and writers.

-Akron coach Keith Dambrot is one of the best quotes in college coaching and I like using him when I can. After I finished interviewing him he looked at my rather large stature and told me to come up to Akron to take a look at his program and he would take me to one of the best restaurants ever. That may just cost him a boatload of money someday. He also is not very PC which makes for a better interview.

-Ohio University has the best looking dance in the MAC.

-Miami’s coach Charlie Coles is not with the team. He had a heart procedure performed in a local hospital and there is no word as to when he might return. Assistant coach Jermaine Henderson is coaching the team for the remainder of the season.

SIU Falls to Western Michigan

Press Release — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 03:00:00 -0500

KALAMAZOO, Mich. - Southern Illinois slipped even deeper into the scoring funk that has strangled the team's offense and led to five losses in the past six games. Western Michigan was the benefactor of SIU's offensive misery this time, winning, 57-41, Tuesday night and holding the Salukis to their lowest point total in 21 years.

The Salukis (4-5) got off to a nice start when Joshua Bone hit a 3-pointer just 11 seconds into the game. It was not a harbinger of things to come, as the Broncos (5-6) scored the next 15 points, while Southern did not score again until Bryan Mullins hit a lay up with 11:28 remaining in the half.

During that eight-minute span of futility, the Salukis missed five shots and committed six turnovers. Even worse, Mullins, the team's point guard and floor general, was saddled with two fouls.

"We need (Mullins) on the floor the whole game," Lowery said. "Our guards haven't developed enough where we feel comfortable with anybody else bringing it up the floor, except for him."

Indeed, Mullins sat for only two minutes before Lowery put him back in the lineup. The junior point guard was the lone bright spot for the Salukis, leading the team with nine points, five assists and five steals.

Mullins had little help from his teammates. SIU made just six shots in the first half and trailed, 27-16, at halftime.

Randal Falker, the Missouri Valley Conference preseason player of the year, had one point in the first half and missed all four shots from the field. In his defense, Falker was hampered by foul trouble himself, getting whistled twice for charging, which clearly impacted his aggressiveness on offense.

"We have to get the ball inside to Randal, and he has to score," Lowery said. "He knows he's our best player, and we expect him to get better and fight through adversity."

With Falker in foul trouble, Broncos' forward Joe Reitz dominated the Salukis in the paint. Rarely double-teamed, he finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds and made all eight of his free throw attempts.

"We did not take him seriously enough, and then we he started getting going, it was too late," Lowery said.

The second half saw modest improvement on offense for the Salukis, as Southern put 25 points on the board, but the sloppiness of the attack frustrated Lowery.

"We're throwing up shots on the block looking for fouls, instead of being tough in the trenches," he lamented.

No player shot the ball well. For example, SIU's best 3-pointer shooter, Matt Shaw, was 0-for-5 from behind the arc, and all five were clean looks.

"We need makers," Lowery said wryly. "It's not about shooters, we need guys to make shots."

Just as discouraging was the lack of what Lowery calls the "program things" that have come to characterize Saluki teams of the past -- diving for loose balls, coming up with key rebounds, making clutch shots. The Broncos seamed to be in the right place at the right time all night, as evidenced by their 17 offensive rebounds.

"We didn't block out and do the little things," Lowrey. "Everything that makes us successful, we struggled to do. Everybody knows what we've done in the past, but the past is behind us. Our kids don't dwell on what we've done in the past -- it's about right now."

Lowery used the word adversity over and over again both when talking to his team after the game and the media.

"Right now, adversity hurts this team, and our confidence goes south any time there's adversity," he said. "We have to fight through it and learn how to win through adversity."

By Tom Weber
www.SIUSalukis.com

2007-08 Western Michigan Basketball Preview

Joel Welser — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 11:04:18 -0400

Western Michigan Broncos

Overall Rank: #74

Conference Rank: #1 MAC

2006-07: 16-16, 9-7, 2^nd West

2006-07 postseason: none

The only place to start when talking about Western Michigan basketball is with Joe Reitz. The 6-7 center might not be the biggest or toughest player in the conference, but Reitz is a great post scorer and opens up the offense for the rest of the team. For his senior year, Reitz is expected to dominate the MAC and could end up being the Broncos all-time leading scorer before all is said and done. Finding that piece of the puzzle to compliment Reitz in the paint is where WMU has some concerns. Andrew Hershberger and Jon Workman are the two biggest options. Hershberger is not a big scorer, but will do the dirty work. Workman, a 6-9 sophomore, is more perimeter orientated, but is the future of the power forward position. Don Lawson saw limited action as a freshman, but has already proven to be a presence on the defensive end.

Who’s Out:

The Broncos lose nobody due to graduation, but forward Donald Cloutier has opted to transfer. The 6-7 forward will continue his career at the Division II level at the University of Indianapolis. Cloutier was a productive member of the team when he was able to find the floor, but with so much talent on the wings, he was rarely given the opportunity.

Who’s In:

Juston Hairston will provide some depth and athleticism to the small forward position. The 6-6 forward is a good shooter and a nice pickup for the Broncos, but barring unforeseen circumstances, Hairston will find it extremely difficult to receive quality minutes as a freshman. It has less to do with his talent then it does with the overall depth of the Bronco squad. Redshirt freshman walk-on guard Alex Wolf will also suit up on gameday at University Arena during the 2007-2008 campaign.

Who to Watch:

David Kool quickly emerged as the star of the perimeter group. Kool averaged 11.4 points per game en route to earning MAC Freshman Player of the Year accolades. With a year under his belt, Kool will do for the backcourt what Reitz does for the frontcourt. But it definitely is not all about Kool on the perimeter; he has a nice gang to work with. Point guard Michael Redell has a tendency to be a little too flashy and force the action a bit, but he is a good team leader and a solid scoring option. Shawntes Gary and Andre Ricks add some more quickness to the group. Gary has developed into a solid scorer and Ricks could do the same if he becomes more aggressive getting to the basket. Derek Drews, a 6-5 wing, earned a handful of starts as a freshman and proved to be the best shooter on the team. Drews shot over 46 percent from behind the arc and if he can keep that up, Drews will be tough to keep out of the starting lineup.

Final Projection:

The amount of depth is just ridiculous. For a couple years Derek Fracalossi has figured to see fewer and fewer minutes, but the 6-5 Davison, Michigan product keeps earning plenty of playing time due to his ballhandling skills and toughness. Once again it will be easy to write off the point forward, but he will find a way back into the rotation. Silver Laku has been hampered by injuries and inconsistency much of his career, but the 6-2 senior can be a nice option off the bench if he can find his stroke. Coach Steve Hawkins has plenty of options with so much experience returning. A small forward like Drews can step into the four spot during certain situations when WMU needs another shooter on the floor. Dividing the minutes will be a bigger challenge this year than it was last year with the development of last year’s freshmen, but having too much depth will not be a big enough problem to stop Western Michigan from competing for a MAC championship.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NCAA

Projected Starting Five:

Michael Redell, Junior, Guard, 8.7 points per game

Shawntes Gary, Junior, Guard, 10.2 points per game

David Kool, Sophomore, Guard, 11.4 points per game

Andrew Hershberger, Senior, Forward, 3.2 points per game

Joe Reitz, Senior, Center, 13.9 points per game

Complete Top 144 Ranking | 2007-08 Preview | Discuss the Preview

MAC Recap: 11-14

Ryan Molnar — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 15:47:36 -0500

Last night there were only two games in the MAC as Akron was pitted against Gardner-Webb in the consolation game of the College Basketball Experience Classic and Western Michigan was on the road against Indiana State. Akron beat Gardner-Webb to start the season 1-1 while Western Michigan lost a tough one to the Sycamores. On to the recaps. The story of the game in Akron’s big win over Gardner-Webb, 89-61, was the play of its two forwards, Romeo Travis and Jeremiah Woods. They combined for 15-of-23 shooting and 35 points as the Zips bounced back from a tough loss to Arkansas-Little Rock the night before. Wood also nabbed 12 boards on route to his seventh career double-double. The Zips also used defense to hold off the Bulldogs, as Gardner-Webb managed to shoot just 36 percent. Akron finished the night shooting 51% from the field. They will be back in action on Sunday for their home opener against Tiffin. The only other game involving a MAC team was a rematch of one of last year’s BracketBuster games. Western Michigan went on the road and lost 73-71 to Indiana State. This was an especially bad loss for the MAC in general because Indiana State is picked to finish near the end of the Missouri Valley Conference while the Broncos are expected to finish near the top of the MAC. Junior center Joe Reitz recorded his 10th career double-double finishing with 16 points and 12 boards. Western Michigan shot 46% from behind the arc but only shot 33% overall from the field with contributed to their loss. Tonight in the MAC the game of the night is undoubtedly Miami on the road against Kentucky. After losing to Wright State in their first game I’m not sure that Miami will be able to pull it together on the road and beat Kentucky. In the other game tonight St. Mary’s (MN) takes on Northern Illinois in DeKalb. NIU should be able to pick up their first win of the year.

Western Michigan Signs Newcomer

Ryan Molnar — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 16:05:41 -0500

The Western Michigan men’s basketball program has announced the signing Juston Hairston to a National Letter of Intent. Hairston was an Indiana Junior All-Star and member of the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association 16-player Underclassmen All-State Team after leading South with 17 points and five rebounds on its way to a 14-7 record and Summit Athletic Conference co-championship last season. Hairston averaged 15 points and four rebounds per game during a 13-9 sophomore season. He has been named to the all-conference team each of the last two seasons. The 6-foot-6, 200-pound forward from Ft. Wayne (Ind.) South High School will have four years of eligibility beginning with the 2007-08 season.