COLUMN: Difficult to complain about men’s basketball hot start


Gas was $1.25 a gallon, Jimmy Carter occupied the oval office and most of you who are reading this were probably not born.

This was the last time a Central Michigan University men’s basketball team went 5-0 to start a season.

It might not seem like a big deal or matter in the big scheme of things, especially when CMU plays their first Mid-American Conference game later this year. But for the moment, the Chippewas quick start looks fantastic.

The way the men have been doing it, though, is what’s most impressive.

Getting involved

Going into Saturday’s game, Blake Hibbitts, Chris Fowler, John Simons and Braylon Rayson all had taken turns leading CMU in scoring.

That is how you win games in the world of college basketball. This is not the National Basketball Association where one or two superstars can lead a team to the promise land.

Teamwork and cooperation are keys to long-term success at this level.

Fowler, the team’s leader and captain, has had less pressure on him this year with such a great supporting cast sharing the court for 40 minutes a night.

Less pressure on Fowler means more room for others to shine.

A new presence in the paint

Height is arguably one of the most notable criteria when evaluating a college basketball team.

It is also an aspect of CMU’s game that has been absent since Head Coach Keno Davis has taken over.

With DaRohn Scott, Luke Meyer and Serbian-import Milos Cabarkapa, there is plenty of height to go around.

Cabarkapa stands at seven feet tall, Meyer at six feet, 11 inches, and Scott at six feet, eight inches. This trio has already paid dividends through the first five games of the season and has proven to be a force when the ball is passed into the paint.

Such an inside presence means that CMU is getting those tough rebounds and scoring those points in the paint.

A game can be won or lost in the rebounding department, and I expect more wins than losses from them when considering this.

The bottom line

5-0 might not seem like a whole lot at face value. But for now and for the first time in a long while, it feels good to be a supporter of this program.

 

 

 

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