Kellermann, Spica return for men's basketball this season
Senior forward Chris Kellermann was on his way to his personal-best season last year — before it all went wrong.
Kellermann broke his foot, ending his season just seven games in, after averaging a career-best 14.4 points per game and 5.6 rebounds per game.
“It was very frustrating,” Kellermann said. “I thought I was going to be back before the season ended but, clearly, it was a lot worse than I thought.”
But Kellermann, who graduated in May and is now working on a master’s degree in sports administration, was not the only big man missing last season.
Junior center Marko Spica missed all of last season with an ankle injury.
With Spica and Kellermann out, it presented the team with depth problems in the post. Senior center Marcus Van who, for a time, was let go from the program, and senior center Brandon Ford were the only experienced players left to play in the paint. Van played nearly 30 minutes per game, finishing the season averaging 13 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.
But this year, despite Van graduating, CMU looks to have a solid presence at the forward position.
Kellermann, Spica and Ford all return. And the team brought in freshman forwards Sean Day and Tyler Brown, as well as transfer junior William McClure.
Coach Ernie Zeigler said getting Spica and Kellermann’s experience back on the court is crucial. “It is absolutely huge because they’re experienced guys,” he said. “They’ve been through the process.”
Spica said getting his and Kellermann’s versatility back in being able to play down low and from the perimeter will add a dimension the team did not have last year.
“We can play inside and out,” he said. “I think that’s our biggest strength ... We both can play low, both can get out and knock down those open shots.”
Zeigler said although Kellermann has been known to play well on the perimeter, they worked on improving his inside game with the time he had off.
“We’ve really worked at him being able to score around the basket as well, so he’s not so dependent upon his jump shot to score,” he said. “But his versatility at the power forward position is a matchup problem for a lot of teams.”
A learning experience
While sitting on the sidelines was low point for Spica, he said he took in a lot from watching a season from the bench.
“I learned a lot, it’s a totally different angle,” he said. “It’s totally different between those four lines and sitting right there (on the bench).”
Spica also said he learned a lot more about what the coaches were asking from him before, seeing it from their angle.
Zeigler said he expects him to be more to the point this season with his plays instead of worrying about making a more intricate one.
