Men’s basketball experiences unique team bonding on trip back from Akron
Central Michigan Mens basketball team huddles during the game against Eastern Michigan on Feb. 17 at McGuirk Arena.
Central Michigan men’s basketball was stuck in the snow on a trip between Dundee, Ohio and Mount Pleasant.
CMU is about 354 miles away from Dundee.
Following a 69-63 loss to Akron on Feb. 10, the Chippewas made a pit stop at Wendy’s but were not able to leave, as the team bus was engulfed in snow.
“On the way back from Akron, we were at a fast food parking lot with a quarter-inch of snow,” Davis said. “The bus wouldn’t get going and our crew filed out and had a little team building exercise.”
Davis said CMU’s Assistant Director of Strength and Conditioning Taylor Larson was proud of the team following the return to campus.
As for Davis, he did not help push the bus. Instead, he stood out in the blistering cold to motivate his players to push.
“I was out there giving moral support,” Davis said. “I was making sure nobody got hurt. There was a lot of vocals because everyone wanted to get home. Everyone was motivated to get that bus moving.”
Redshirt sophomore guard Corey Redman gives credit to Director of Basketball Operations DJ Mocini, who called upon the graduate assistants for help. But, the graduate assistants were not enough.
“It was a long bus ride and we had to stop for food,” Redman said. “The wheels were just spinning. D.J. (Mocini) got a couple of the graduate assistants out, but then we all got out and pushed the bus.”
Following Mocini’s failed attempt to get the bus moving, sophomore guard Matty Smith was the first person to call upon the basketball team.
“We had to ride together to push the bus,” said junior guard Shawn Roundtree Jr. “It was a great team bonding experience and we got back on the road.
For Roundtree, getting back on the road was a blessing because he had no clue where he was at or how much longer the trip was going to be.
“Every little interaction helps the team,” Redman said. “Especially since everyone was involved.”
