Freshmen men's basketball duo share goals as first-year Chippewas


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Freshman guard Matt Beachler and freshman forward A.J. Bullard pose for a portrait on Oct. 19 at McGuirk Arena.

Freshmen guard Matt Beachler and forward A.J. Bullard were separated by 1,250 miles, but came together to join the Central Michigan men’s basketball team. 

The 6-foot-4 guard made a 70-mile trek from Lowell High School in Michigan to Central Michigan University, while Bullard, a 6-foot-9 forward, traveled 1,300 miles from The Woodlands High School in Texas. 

In spite of their distance, position, and height, Beachler and Bullard are in a position to help the Chippewas in their first year. 

Beachler set seven records at Lowell, where he was a four-year varsity player. He broke school records with 1,572 career points, 44 points in a single game, nine three-pointers in a single game, 195 career three-pointers made, 42 steals in a single season, and 142 career steals.

“(Central Michigan) gets up, runs and guns, and shoots a lot of threes,” Beachler said, regarding his attraction to CMU. “It’s an exciting place to play.”

With offers to play for Central Michigan, Cornell, DePaul, Detroit Mercy, Kent State, Lehigh, Northern Illinois, Oakland, Toledo, and VCU, Beachler picked the Chippewas. 

“CMU was the first school to offer me, so that built a trust with the coaches,” Beachler said. “I wanted to stay closer to my family, so they could come watch and support me.”

Central Michigan head coach Keno Davis has taken notice that the guard is a dominant offensive and defensive player.

“Beachler shoots the ball,” Davis said. “We knew that coming in, but he’s been able to show us he’s a competitor, he’s able to be in the right position, and he’s learning at a rapid rate.”

As a matter of fact, Beachler has started to gain traction and move up the depth chart. He will see minutes off the bench for the Chippewas this season. 

“You just don’t know as a freshman if they are going to be able to be in your rotation, but he is,” Davis said. “He was able to come in during the summer, work, fight for those minutes, and be in the rotation.”

Bullard, on the other hand, was set back by a bone contusion in his shoulder this summer, which sidelined him for a month and a half and forced him to miss the second half of the team’s summer workouts.  

Even though he is currently behind, Davis expects a lot out of Bullard down the road. 

“(Bullard) was pretty much hurt all summer though he was here for summer classes,” Davis said. “He’s a guy who can shoot from great range. At his height, he’s able to stretch the floor at the forward position. As he gets stronger and develops, I think he has a bright future for us.” 

The forward was also a four-year varsity player in high school. His father, Matt Bullard, played 11 years in the National Basketball Association. Matt won two championships with the Houston Rockets in his career. Like his father, A.J. has always had the ability to spread the floor. 

“Luke (Meyer) was my host whenever I came when CMU was recruiting me,” A.J. said. “I really connected with him. He’s like a big brother to me. Luke is my go to guy.”

A.J. is aiming to help his team win in any way possible, but above all, with his jump shot.

“When CMU recruited me, they recruited me as a shooter, so that’s my job,” A.J. said. “Anytime I go in, I’ll try to knock down threes. I want to fulfill any role they have for me this season and see what I can do to help us win.” 

Beachler and A.J. might not play the same role this season and have a few general differences, but they share the same goal to help the program succeed.

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