Coach Davis calls men's basketball one of the 'deepest teams CMU has seen'
The maroon team huddles during a timeout at the Maroon and Gold Scrimmage on Oct. 19 at McGuirk Arena.
The Central Michigan basketball team lost its two top scorers after the 2016-17 season.
Head coach Keno Davis said new faces will now lead CMU into the 2017-18 season.
“It’s a pretty exciting time for us with the basketball program,” Davis said. “We’ve had the opportunity to win championships and we also got the media attention with Marcus Keene and Braylon Rayson scoring.
“I don’t know if there has been a group of players that I’ve been more excited to coach than this year’s team.”
Replacing 51 Points Per Game
The focal point of CMU’s high scoring offense will no longer be on the roster from the 2016-17 season.
Guards Keene — the nation’s leading scorer at 30 points per game — and Rayson have taken their skills to the professional ranks. Keene has landed in Italy, while Rayson is playing in Canada.
Davis believes this year's squad can score the ball just as well in the same system. He has replaced Keene and Rayson with a paid of transfer guards.
Juniors Shawn Roundtree (Mineral Area College) and Gavin Peppers (Cleveland State) both should have an immediate impact this season, Davis said. They will join sophomores Matty Smith and who Davis called “emerging star” Kevin McKay.
“(Roundtree and Peppers) are such good team players and they can put up big points if we needed them too,” Davis said. “We can put them in and ask anything of them and they will do it to try and win. They have game experience which should pay dividends.”
Keene and Rayson led their team to 88.3 points per game, good for third in the nation. However, the team allowed 87.7 points to opponents per game — a statistic landing 345th among 347 Division I teams in NCAA basketball.
To improve on defense, Davis said it starts with the attitude and the technique will follow.
“If you have a good attitude you can make up for making the wrong play or read,” Davis said. “We have guys who are able to make plays like that and be great players.”
Potential starting five
Returning seniors Josh Kozinski, Luke Meyer and Cecil Williams started all 32 games for the Chippewas a year ago, while sophomore David DiLeo averaged 24.6 minutes per contest last season.
Davis said most coaches probably have a starting five locked down midway through the summer, but he likes to keep an open mind in case someone plays their way into a spot.
“We’ve got six or seven guys who are competing for those starting spots. Luke Meyer, who has started every game since he’s been here, and Kevin McKay has improved — they are very much in the running.”
Davis said Roundtree’s dealing with a leg injury, while Kozinski has a wrist issue. Neither player should miss the season opener, Davis said.
“The injuries right now with Roundtree and Kozinski, although they should be back with us soon, are potential starters,” Davis said. “It’s tough to project our starting lineup with those guys out."
Front court addition
Davis listed redshirt freshman Innocent Nwoko as the backup to Luke Meyer at the center position, and added he will step into their rotation right away.
“(Nwoko) has shown incredible progression from where he was a year ago as just raw talent,” Davis said. “(The Maroon and Gold game) was good for him because you get a crowd and you might get going and now he has a taste of what it’s like.
“He can really finish at the rim and protect it for that matter, and that should help when giving Luke (Meyer) a blow to keep him fresh.”
Newcomers
Beachler, who is the all-time leading scorer at Lowell high school, was the first name Davis mentioned when asked about incoming freshmen who could play a role this season.
“He shoots the ball,” Davis said. “He’s a competitor and has shown us he is learning at a rapid rate. You don’t usually expect freshman to step right into the rotation, but (Beachler) is, and it’s a credit to him for coming in the summer and working while fighting for those minutes.”
The 6-foot-9, 187-pound forward from Texas, A.J. Bullard was freshman Davis mentioned, saying he was injured all summer but was here for summer courses.
“(Bullard) is behind because of his injury, but as he gets stronger and develops as the shooter he is, he will have a really bright future for us,” Davis said.
