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August 30th,
2006
By Joel
Welser
Broadcast Basketball
Miami Ohio
Redhawks
Overall Rank:
#73
Conference
Rank: #2 MAC
2005-06:
18-11, 14-4, 2nd East (t)
2005-06
postseason: NIT
 It seems like
every year Miami of Ohio loses a great player or two and
everybody gets worried. Then Coach Charlie Coles pulls his
troops together and pushes for a 20 win season. Unfortunately,
that hasn’t resulted in success in the MAC Tournament since the
Hawks haven’t been dancing since 1999. There might not be
enough depth for Miami to end the NCAA drought this year, but
the NIT is easily within reach.
Who’s Out:
This
time around the big loss is William Hatcher. The 6-2 guard led
the team with 14.3 points and 4.3 assists during his senior
campaign. After being hindered early in the year by injuries,
fellow guard Josh Hausfeld had a productive final season in
Oxford and earned 16 starts. Nate VanderSluis wasn’t a dominant
big man, but averaged 4.5 points and 3.9 rebounds in 28 starts.
Seldom used guards Chad Troyer and Lawrence Ross have opted to
transfer.
Who’s In:
Carl
Richburg has some expectations placed on him. The 5-9 point
guard redshirted last season after playing one year at Southern
Indiana. He’s quick, a good distributor and a fine scorer, but
when the pressure is on it remains to be seen how well Richburg
will react. Redshirt freshman Adam Fletcher will provide some
depth at the center spot. Three incoming freshmen will battle
for minutes on the perimeter. Alex Moosman scored 23.4 points
per game as a senior in high school, but it is his point guard
skills that will allow him to see plenty of minutes this year.
At 6-4 and 210 pounds, Antonio Ballard has the versatility to
play at the shooting guard spot or either forward position and
is expected to contribute right away. It may take a little
while for Steve Pogue to find his spot on the team. Pogue has
plenty of potential and, at 6-5, adds another big guard to
dominate the perimeter in the near future.
Who to Watch:
It’s
usually the guards that dominate the MAC, but the RedHawks have
a trio of forwards that will be the team leaders. Tim Pollitz,
a 6-6 junior, averaged 12.7 points and 5.7 boards last year and
could end up to be the next big star in Oxford. Nathan Peavy
tacked on 11.2 points and a team high 6.9 rebounds during the
2005-2006 campaign and will be the senior leader of the
frontcourt. Michael Bramos saw most of his action off of the
bench as a freshman, but showed plenty of promise and potential
and will be ready to battle for a consistent starting role this
year. Add an experienced senior center into the mix like Monty
St. Clair, and Miami has the deepest frontcourt in the
conference.
Final
Projection:
It is hoped that
Doug Penno can continue the string of successful guards at
Millett Hall. Penno, who started 15 games last season, has a
decent outside shot and has developed into a solid team leader.
The 6-5 shooting guard will be given the opportunity to put up
huge numbers during his senior campaign. The questions lie in
the backcourt and the overall depth doesn’t have much
experience. However, once the MAC season gets underway, the
newcomers should have enough experience to get Miami towards the
top of the conference. Having that success last into March is
yet to be seen.
Projected
Post-season Tournament:
NIT
Projected
Starting Five:
Carl Richburg,
Sophomore, Guard, DNP last season
Doug Penno,
Senior, Guard, 5.1 points per game
Michael Bramos,
Sophomore, Forward, 5.3 points per game
Tim Pollitz,
Junior, Forward, 12.7 points per game
Nathan Peavy,
Senior, Forward, 11.2 points per game
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