CMU men’s basketball struggled with leadership all year

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AMHERST, N.Y. ­— For the first time all season, Ernie Zeigler began to see a glimmer of leadership Tuesday against Buffalo.

A day earlier, during the Mid-American Conference coaches teleconference, Zeigler said his team entered the conference tournament lacking anybody willing to step up and take on the role.

His son, freshman guard Trey Zeigler, scored 10 points and had five rebounds in CMU’s 64-50 loss to Buffalo in the opening round of the MAC tournament. After the loss, Ernie Zeigler, for the first time all year, said Trey showed the capabilities necessary to lead the team.

“In Trey’s instance, which is a positive for us, and that’s something he’s going to have to mature over the summer and in the next year, he really tried to lead,” Ernie Zeigler said. “That’s something we have not had, and that’s a leader. When you’re a 10-21 team, it’s a direct result of not having that type of leadership, especially during tough times when you’re on the road and at home trying to finish games.”

Trey Zeigler finished the 2010-11 season averaging 16.3 points per game, leading CMU in scoring.

“We weren’t expecting, or trying, for him to be a leader,” Ernie Zeigler said. “This year, we didn’t have that leadership start from day one from the seniors.”

All season long, CMU struggled to find consistent leadership among its senior class. Beginning the season with four seniors, forward Jalin Thomas showed glimpses of leadership offensively, beginning with a game-winning 3-pointer against Cal-State Fullerton. But while his play on the court helped set an example for some of the younger players, there were games where he was held in check offensively.

“He evolved into a new role,” Zeigler said. “Last year, he was a support player. He evolved into a go-to player this year. Still, there has to be leadership on a daily basis, (especially) when you have freshman that you’re depending upon to play big minutes.”

Team chemistry became challenged midway through the season when guard Amir Rashid (junior college transfer, in his second season at CMU) left the team, leaving three seniors on the roster.

But the other two seniors remaining struggled to contribute much to the offense. Forward Will McClure averaged 3.5 points and six rebounds per game, despite an 8-point, 12-rebound performance in Tuesday’s loss at Buffalo, while guard Antonio Weary averaged 2.9 points per game.

“If you look at Buffalo, McCrea didn’t score — he didn’t have to,” Ernie Zeigler said. “He had senior leadership — guys here or there. When you don’t have to rely upon freshman to make plays under pressure, it makes it easier.”

“Hopefully Trey and Derek, with the minutes and numbers they put up, it’s only going to make us that much better in the future with two really talented guys.”