Davis optimistic about incoming six-member recruiting class as large senior class graduates


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Senior guard Chris Fowler talks with Head Coach Keno Davis during a timeout in CMU's 79-67 win over BGSU at the Stroh Center Jan. 9, 2016.

As the senior class of the 2015-16 Central Michigan men's basketball team prepares to graduate, Head Coach Keno Davis hopes the incoming recruiting class can provide an easy replacement.

An influx of recruits will be taking the court at McGuirk Arena next season. Incoming freshmen guards Matty Smith, Ellis Jefferson and Kevin McKay, forward David DiLeo and center Innocent Nwoko will suit up for the Chippewas in the 2016-17 season.

In addition, Davis signed forward Cecil Williams on Tuesday, a 6-foot-6, 210-pound forward. He is a transfer from Moblerly Area Community College in Missouri, the same school which produced guard Rayshawn Simmons.

The senior class of guards Chris Fowler, Austin Stewart and Simmons and forward John Simons leave the program after winning the Mid-American Conference West Division two times and maintaining grade point averages above 3.0.

Davis believes this incoming class can do the same.

“I think that’s always the goal to continue to try and recruit better players but understand the work ethic and character of the players that we brought in before, I don’t know if that can be improved upon," Davis said. "I wouldn’t have traded any of those guys that we graduated, including (senior forward Blake Hibbitts), for anyone.”

Davis said he and his assistant coaches have focused on this recruiting class since their arrival to Mount Pleasant in 2012. He said they understood CMU would lose four players and added six to take their place. Hibbitts is returning for his final season after sitting out last season with a torn ACL.

"We don’t need all (five incoming freshmen) to come in and have big roles, but we are going to need production from some of them," Davis said. "I would say if we were going to have five or six guys, you’re going to need three players at least to come in and have big production for your team."

McKay is the all-time leading scorer at Warren De La Salle High School. Johnson is a native of San Antonio and Smith was a point guard at South Elgin High School in Illinois.

Jefferson and Ellis are both 6-feet tall, while McKay is 6-foot-4. Davis said McKay can take the ball to the basket and defend.

DiLeo was named the Iowa City Press-Citizen Player of the Year in 2015 after averaging 15.3 points per game during his junior season at West High School. Davis said the 6-foot-7 DiLeo is a shooter similar to Simons and Hibbitts.

Nwoko was named a Detroit News Class B All-State honorable mention after starring at New Haven High School. Davis said the Nigerian-born, 6-foot-11 center Nwoko has a bright future in front of him if he can develop quickly. 

Davis added he has the luxury of having incoming junior forwards Luke Meyer and DaRohn Scott to mentor Nwoko.

"You need him to develop and try to be a future impact player for you," Davis said. "If he exceeds that and does it quicker — even better.”

Williams averaged 7.8 points at 5.6 rebounds for the Greyhounds in 2015-16. He spent one season at IMG Academy in Florida. His addition comes after 7-feet center Milos Cabarkapa announced his transfer from the program in March.

Davis said he would not be surprised if all five freshmen were ready to compete for spots on the court this season. He said this recruiting class is the best class "on paper," but added players will have to work to reach that potential.

The graduating class — led by Fowler — worked hard on the court, in the classroom and in the community, Davis said. He said the group was not the most glorified coming out of high school, but eventually came a game away from reaching the NCAA Tournament in 2015. Fowler is the school's all-time assist leader and Simons is the all-time 3-point shooter.

“As this group comes in, can they be better than (the graduating class)? In time, they can," Davis said. "I wouldn’t expect a group of freshmen to come in and be better than a group of seniors to leave, ever. That doesn’t happen.”

Davis said he is high on the recruiting class coming in and added it fits the way CMU tries to play.

"We worked hard to bring this class in but if they can have anywhere near the type of work ethic that this first group had coming in, then they are going to have quite a bit of success here," Davis said.

The graduating class will be talked about among CMU fans for a long time, Davis said. He hopes this incoming freshman class can be talked about four years from now.

“That’s the reason we brought them in," Davis said. "That’s why we think they can be successful.”

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Evan Sasiela is the University Editor at Central Michigan Life and a senior at Central Michigan ...

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