COLUMN: Fowler more valuable than what stat line indicates
Most people consider the most valuable player to lead the team in many, if not all, statistical categories, but that is not always the case.
Being a teammate makes Chris Fowler even more valuable.
The Central Michigan men's basketball senior guard continued to impress on Tuesday night as he scored 20 points, grabbed four rebounds and added four assists in a 92-81 win over Akron at McGuirk Arena.
Fowler, who has been heralded as the most valuable player of this team, did not lead his team in scoring. In fact, he has not led the team in scoring all season.
Junior guard Braylon Rayson led CMU with 24 points against the Zips, and has averaged 17.4 points per game for the Chippewas. Fowler comes in second with 15.4 points per game.
Fowler has played in only nine of CMU's 16 games after missing the first seven games of the season due to an undisclosed injury.
According to Fowler, he is good-to-go in terms of strength, but it has taken him some time to return to the rhythm of the game.
Although the curtain is starting to close on Fowler's collegiate career, the theatre major from Southfield is still playing as his old self. He continues to get to the rim with ease.
“We’ve got a lot of good shooters, but we’re going to take what the defense gives us," Fowler said.
While Fowler is the star of the show that is CMU men's basketball, he has a cast of teammates to support him. Fowler is second on the team in assists with 48 — but remember, he missed seven games.
Four players scored 14 points or more against Akron on Tuesday night and seven players scored a bucket, proving Fowler's claims that the team is unselfish.
Fowler is held to high standards as he was placed on the Mid-American Conference West Division Preseason All-MAC team, along with fellow senior and forward John Simons.
Nobody holds Fowler to a higher standard than his head coach, Keno Davis.
“We’ve set such a high bar for Chris Fowler, it’s unfair on nights where he has 18 points or six assists or something like that and we’re talking about him having a down game," Davis said. "He’s so important to our team whether he shows up in the stat line at the top or not."
Fowler aids this team in more ways than what his numbers speak for. Rayson said Fowler helped him learn to drive to the basket and get to the free-throw line — which Rayson did 10 times Tuesday, making all 10 attempts.
“I’ve got to get my shoulder low, get some contact and get to the free-throw line," Rayson said. "(It’s) easy points.
Fowler averaged 16.2 points per game and dished out 194 assists in the 2014-15 season. Putting everything together should be vital for Fowler as his collegiate career ends this season.
Davis said Fowler is the key to his team's victories.
"When we win games, usually the first guy you talk about regardless of what his numbers are is Chris Fowler — and rightfully so," Davis said. "Our guys have blossomed as players around him because of what he’s been able to accomplish. It’s nice for him to be able to come off of his injury and missing time and be able to lead his team again to victory.”
Fowler was the MAC Player of the Year runner-up last season, falling to Buffalo's Justin Moss. Moss has since been dismissed from the Bulls, clearing the way for Fowler to possibly claim the MAC's top individual trophy.
But Fowler is not an individual player. He is a team player. He is a most valuable player.
“We’re not trying to send a message," Fowler said when asked if beating the MAC East favorite Zips was a message to the rest of the conference. "We’re just going to play the game that’s in front of us. We just want to play hard and play for one another. I think we send a message to each other about what we’re capable of.”
