Men's basketball takes part in first-ever Junkanoo Jam
After heading to frigid temperatures for a Great Alaska Shootout Championship in the 2017-18 season, the Central Michigan men’s basketball team is going to the opposite climate in 2018-19.
The Chippewas (2-0) are one of four teams in the first-ever Junkanoo Jam at Resorts World Bamini in the Bahamas.
“Coaches don’t usually get too excited for these because it’s not like we are going out to the pool,” said CMU head coach Keno Davis. “We bring our families along which is always nice but it’s a work trip. We want the players to enjoy the experience, but we also want to improve as a program.”
The tournament takes place with three games in four days. The Chippewas open with CSU Bakersfield (1-1) on Nov. 15 at 6 p.m. and then play either San Jose State (1-1) or Weber State (1-1) on Nov. 16 or 17 depending on the results from game one. The Championship game is played at 8:30 p.m. on Nov. 18.
Last season CMU beat CSUB 75-72 in the championship game of the Great Alaska Shootout. Senior guard Shawn Roundtree scored 15 points and was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.
“(CSUB) gave us everything they had,” Roundtree said. “We have to show up ready to play again because they will want this win as much as we do again.”
CSUB is coming off a 12-18 overall finish and a 5-9 record in the Western Athletic Conference. Chicago State is a member of the WAC and the Chippewas defeated them 101-60 on Nov. 9 at McGuirk Arena.
This year the Roadrunners started the regular season with No. 20 TCU and lost 66-61. They then poured on points against Antelope Valley winning 111-75 to even up their record.
Sophomore guard Jarkel Joiner is leading the team and is seventh in the WAC with 14.5 points per game. Senior guard Rickey Holden is right behind him with 14 points per game and sophomore forward Justin Edler-Davis averages 13.5 points per game.
“We’re going to have our hands full,” Davis said. “They played a top twenty-five team in TCU very well on the road. They are very athletic and have plenty of talent, it’s a tough matchup for a first round game.”
Other opponents
San Jose State - As a member of the Mountain West Conference, SJSU is coming off one of its worst seasons in program history. The Spartans went 4-26 overall and 1-16 in league play for a last place finish in the MWC.
To open the 2018-19 season, SJSU defeated Life Pacific 89-72 on opening night but then fell to Southern Utah by a count of 66-59.
Freshman forward Seneca Knight leads the offense with 17 points while adding five rebounds per game. Junior guard Brae Ivey is right behind him 13.5 points with four rebounds per game. Both players are shooting an even 40 percent from the field.
Weber State - The Wildcats are led by the Big Sky Conference’s and program’s all-time wins leader Randy Rahe who is in his 13th season as the head coach.
WSU started the campaign off with a 83-66 loss against San Diego but responded with a blowout 123-53 victory over Bethesda.
The current scoring clip of 94.5 points per game has the Wildcats ranked No. 2 in the MWC for scoring offense.
Junior guard Cody John is fourth in the MWC in scoring with 19.5 points per game. Freshman guard Israel Barnes is next on the scoring list for the Wildcats at 13.5 points per game.
