Three-point specialists Kozinski, DiLeo use each other as motivation


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Central Michigan senior guard Josh Kozinski laughs with sophomore forward David DiLeo before practice on Feb. 8 at McGuirk Arena.

A few hours before practice, one can usually find senior guard Josh Kozinski and sophomore forward David DiLeo in the gym – both dripping in sweat. 

The duo, more often than not, show up to practice early to work on their 3-point jumpshot, a specialty both players bring to the floor for the Central Michigan men’s basketball team. 

“I think you see Josh and David in there working out a lot,” said CMU head coach Keno Davis. “We have a lot of guys that want to shoot the ball well, but want to be great shooters. 

“Josh Kozinski and David DiLeo have become great shooters because they are in the gym. They feed off each other because it’s always a contest to get better.”

Kozinski is in his fifth-year with the Chippewas and has managed to grow into a leadership role on the team in Mount Pleasant. 

“Josh has been a great mentor to me starting when I came in last year,” DiLeo said. “He’s been good about trying to keep my spirits up and believe in me to keep my confidence up. I don’t think there’s a better shooter to look up to than Josh.”

In CMU’s 81-67 victory over Northern Illinois on Jan. 30 at McGuirk Arena, Kozinski broke the program all-time 3-point record with 272 3-pointers. 

If anyone is to break his record, Kozinski wants it to be DiLeo. 

“David is one of my best friends, so to be able to have a great relationship with him and watch him try to attack my record will be fun to watch,” Kozinski said. “Hopefully he does break it, hopefully he doesn’t. I’ll have some time to grow the lead a little this season.” 

Currently, Kozinski has 282 made 3-pointers for the Chippewas. DiLeo has buried 128 career shots from downtown. 

With confidence in his shot, DiLeo said he wants to break the record. 

“I always joke around with him about breaking his record,” DiLeo said. “I have confidence in my shot. We use each other to challenge each other to be better shooters and better players.” 

In DiLeo’s most recent outing, a 69-63 loss to Akron on Feb. 10, he struggled from beyond the arc, going 0-for-7 from 3-point range. Kozinski is the first to provide encouragement.

“I always tell David to keep shooting because the next one is going in,” Kozinski said. “Confidence is key when it comes to shooting, so it’s always nice to have guys sticking behind you giving you confidence. It makes it a lot easier to shoot the next one.”

In Davis’ eyes, teams are working harder to take away the 3-point opportunities of Kozinski and DiLeo, which is not entirely a bad thing for the Chippewas. 

“When teams take away those threes, we have to continue attacking the basket,” Davis said. “A lot of that is because they try to take away Kozinski and DiLeo on the perimeter. We just have to keep scoring inside.” 

During DiLeo’s tough shooting stretch, Davis said he hopes the sophomore can learn to attack the basket, work in the post and become a better all-around player. 

Even if DiLeo and Kozinski are shooting well, check the gym an hour or so before practice because they will probably be there.

“We’ve definitely showed each other our favorite drills and try to get in there every day together, even if we are shooting well,” DiLeo said. 

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