STOVER: Pressure mounting, time ticking away for CMU's Ernie Zeigler to win
It never was going to happen. Not this year, anyway.
Ernie Zeigler never was going to be fired. His status as head coach of Central Michigan’s men’s basketball team is firm. His support remains strong, speaking internally, of course.
His job is not in jeopardy. But should it be?
From the outside, a different picture is painted. A picture of a subpar 10-21 season, and that’s in Year 5 of his regime.
A picture of zero relevance in the Mid-American Conference tournament in five years. A picture of departure after departure — whether it be a bad fit, a character issue or a personal situation.
Remember Marcus Van? How about Jeremy Allen, Chase Simon, Jacolby Hardiman, William Eddie III, Lawrence Bridges or Nate Minnoy? Don’t forget this year’s departure, Amir Rashid.
And hey, keep in mind that forward Marko Spica could have came back this year, but decided to graduate and forego his final year of eligibility.
“If Jacolby Hardiman doesn’t make a bad decision and we don’t discipline him, I truly believe we would have won more than 15 games,” Zeigler said this week.
Anyone else that could help, coach?
“The two I look at as should still be here were Jeremy Allen and Chase Simon,” Zeigler said. “Because if those two kids were still here this past season, we had two more scorers and, all of a sudden, we’d have balance on offense.”
But that’s the problem. They aren’t here any more, at least not on the basketball court.
And it’s Zeigler’s job to keep them here. It’s Zeigler’s job to recruit better players both physically and mentally — ones that will last in Mount Pleasant. It’s Zeigler’s job to maintain a level of control, and minimal player turnover.
To his credit, he knows his on-the-job pros and cons better than anyone. He candidly called this season a disappointment. He took blame for a lack of leadership. He took blame for every corner that wasn’t spot clean.
Disappointment?
“That falls, first and foremost, on my shoulders,” he said.
But the question shouldn’t be what Ernie Zeigler has done since taking over — not when it’s clear he’s coming back.
The question should be “Can Ernie Zeigler get the job done?”
Ernie’s neighbor thinks so. That’s Athletics Director Dave Heeke. And his support was clear after handing his coach a four-year contract extension before the season started.
Heeke pointed this week to the way the job was when Zeigler first took it.
Rose Arena was an embarrassment. There were no pieces to the proverbial puzzle. The cupboards were bare.
Now, he sees progress. He sees recruits choosing Central Michigan over other MAC schools.
CMU had the best recruiting class in the conference even without Trey Zeigler’s commitment, according to many publications. And this year’s class shows promise as well.
But here’s the kicker: It’s Zeigler’s job to ensure their development.
Soon-to-be sophomores Trey Zeigler and Derek Jackson make a potential dynamic guard duo.
Youngsters Nate VanArendonk, Colin Voss and Jevon Harden show potential in the front court.
There’s also junior college transfers like forward Andre Coimbra. But just when you see potential, reality sinks in.
This is Year 5, and CMU has hid behind two MAC West Division titles that mean little in comparison to winning in the MAC East. The Chippewas’ combined conference record in their back-to-back division-winning seasons was 16-16.
Division title or not, 16-16 is not good enough. Especially when you aren’t advancing in the conference tournament.
Losing player after player, year after year, that’s unacceptable as well.
This much is clear: CMU has a nice new facility and some pieces to the puzzle, including Zeigler’s highly-coveted son, Trey. But this puzzle has a deadline. The exact deadline may not be known, but the pressure is growing.
It’s Zeigler’s job to complete the puzzle, and real progress needs to be shown on and off the court.
It’s Heeke’s job to hold Zeigler accountable, even if it makes for an uncomfortable neighbor-to-neighbor dynamic.
