CMU men’s basketball team’s bench is showing worth

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Scan CMU men’s basketball team’s bench during the first few minutes of Thursday’s game against Buffalo at Rose Arena.

What’s the difference between this season and the past seasons under coach Ernie Zeigler?

You might recognize someone who could later affect the outcome.

No, the team is not the deepest team in the conference. Nor are the players who come off the bench the most dynamic.

But hey, who needs flashiness?

Not Zeigler and company — that’s the last thing on their minds. The guys they bring into the game to supplement starting guards and leading scorers Robbie Harman and Jordan Bitzer simply are needed to keep up the defensive intensity.

“I think our depth has definitely been a plus for us,” Zeigler said. “When you’re able to bring experienced guys like Marko (Spica) and Chris (Kellermann) off the bench, it gives you instant offense and guys who understand how to get themselves right in the tempo of the game.”

Harman and Bitzer average about 34.5 minutes per game in conference play for the first-place Chippewas (10-9, 5-2 Mid-American Conference). When they need to come out because of foul trouble, fatigue or injury, junior college transfer Amir Rashid steps in, either at point guard or alongside Harman as shooting guard.

Rashid has struggled to score — averaging 2.6 points per game. But his defensive tenacity was on display late in the game against Northern Illinois, when he picked up a crucial steal on one of the Huskies’ final possessions.

“He hasn’t even begun to scratch the surface of what kind of a player he can be,” Zeigler said. “He’s a really good scorer and his numbers have not shown that up to this point percentage-wise, but I think he changes the pace of the game for us because he brings a quickness with his ability to pressure the ball and get into transition and make plays.”

Looking ahead

Rashid will be counted on to lead the point guards next season, along with incoming freshman Derek Jackson (Cleveland), when Bitzer and Harman leave the backcourt.

“I know my jumpshot hasn’t been falling,” Rashid said. “But when it does start falling, that’s just going to be a plus that I can contribute to the team.”

Zeigler has tightened his bench in recent games, usually only using Rashid, veteran forwards Kellermann and Spica and freshman guard Finis Craddock if the starters need a rest.

Still, CMU averages more than seven more bench points (18) per game than last season (10.9), when Kellermann and Spica missed the entire season.

“Since I’ve got here, this is probably the deepest team we’ve had,” said Kellermann, who averages 8.1 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. “We’ve got at least two, sometimes three guys at each position that can play well and do different things well for us, whether it be on offense or defense.”

Last season, teams keyed in only on Bitzer, Harman and forward Marcus Van. There were no other scoring options — and it showed. In CMU’s 56-55 loss at Buffalo last season, only the trio and guard Jeremy Allen, who transferred, scored. The majority of last season’s bench players, four of whom transferred, were either too inexperienced or not talented enough to contribute on the Division-I level.

Not so this season. Kellermann and Spica, who averages 8.3 points and 3.8 rebounds per game, have started in the past, and shore up the frontcourt if new starters Jalin Thomas and Will McClure struggle.

And though it might not be Kellermann’s first choice to check in after the opening tip, he said it best.

“Sometimes, when there’s guys out there clicking, you’ve got to stay with them,” he said.