Maroon defeats Gold in men's basketball scrimmage
Junior guard Travon Broadway Jr. hold the ball against senior guard Dallas Morgan in Central Michigan's Maroon and Gold Scrimmage on Oct. 22 in McGuirk Arena.
Redshirt freshman guard PJ Mitchell watched the ball go through the net on a 3-point shot, and it signified the return of college basketball to Mount Pleasant.
The Central Michigan men's basketball team held its annual Maroon and Gold Scrimmage with the Maroon Team defeating the Gold Team, 85-68, Tuesday in McGuirk Arena.
After the departures of guards Larry Austin Jr. and Shawn Roundtree Jr., coach Keno Davis and company had some big voids to fill.
Davis said that it is no easy task.
"You don't just replace those guys," Davis said. "They're both amazing guards, and how do you replace guys like that? You don't just go out and find guys that are just like them, I think we're replacing them with four or five guys."
Mitchell has a chance to be one of those replacement pieces.
He redshirted last season and did not play for the Chippewas as a freshman. In his first action in a Chippewa uniform, starting for the Gold Team and later switching to the Maroon, Mitchell scored 13 points.
Another newcomer to Davis' squad is junior guard Devontae Lane out of Indian Hills Community College, the same junior college as senior forward Rob Montgomery.
Lane showed his talent early on in the game, as he was able to get through the defense with ease. He scored a game-high 15 points.
"He's a guy that everyone wants to play with because he sees the court so well," Davis said of Lane. "You're going to see him have some unbelievable assist nights. He's also a guy that can get to the basket, a guy that can shoot and a guy that can defend. He fills a lot of different roles for us."
Montgomery played a major spot down low for CMU last season until he suffered an injury late in the season. He suited up for the Maroon Team, a group that was comprised of the starters for the 2019-20 season.
Davis said that the players that started for the Maroon Team – Lane, Montgomery, junior guard Travon Broadway Jr., senior guard Kevin McKay and senior forward David DiLeo – are slated as the starters.
"That group would be the group that starts if we played the season tomorrow," Davis said. "But we don't start for two weeks and a lot changes in two weeks. So what I've always tried to do is keep an open mind and continue to get great competition in practice."
Passing was another critical piece of Tuesday's scrimmage.
Last season, CMU turned the ball over an average of 12.1 times per game, and that was a point of emphasis for the team this year.
Davis said that he was proud of how the program has grown since he took over in 2012. He also was recently given a lengthy contract extension by Central Michigan.
"We've come a long way," Davis said. "To have 100 wins and win 20 games year in and year out, that's something to be proud of, but it's not the endgame for us. It's about reaching that step and saying, 'What can we become?'"
Montgomery, in his second season since transferring from Indian Hills Community College, said that he is excited for the new season after his year was cut short last season.
The senior said that the injury taught him a lot and helped him prepare for his final year in a Chippewa uniform.
"It can go just like that – in a blink of an eye," Montgomery said. "I'm just doing my everyday routine, and I get an injury. It just made me value the game just that much more.
"Fortunately, it was a small injury rather than a big one, so it just taught me to value the game just that much more."
CMU opens the season at 7 p.m. Nov. 5 against Michigan-Dearborn in McGuirk Arena. The Chippewas play four home games to open the nonconference slate.
