Davis recalls memorable experiences in new book
The stage was set for Central Michigan men's basketball head coach Keno Davis in the 2015-2016 season.
With Davis' first recruiting class entering their senior season, CMU was named Mid-American Conference West Division Champions. The senior heavy roster was primed for a MAC tournament championship and a bid to the NCAA Tournament, but were upset by Bowling Green in the 2016 MAC Tournament, crushing their hopes for a long run in March.
To document the ups and downs of a historic basketball season, Davis teamed up with 1995 CMU graduate and Muskegon Chronicle lead news reporter Eric Gaertner to write "Busting Brackets and Breaking Ankles," which was published this year.
The book is based on the 2015-16 basketball season when the Chippewas finished with a 10-8 Mid-American Conference record and tied with Ball State to lead the MAC West Division.
Senior point guard Chris Fowler led the team during the 2015-16 season. Though he struggled with an undisclosed injury for seven games, Fowler was named to the 2016 All-MAC team and finished second in total assists with 5.9 per game.
Davis' team finished 2016-17 with a 16-16 overall record. CMU finished sixth in the MAC West.
"Busting Brackets and Breaking Ankles" starts by giving some background about Davis and the 2015-16 basketball team. Davis and Gaertner highlight stories from Davis' childhood that led him to coaching a Division I college basketball team.
The book gives an insider's perspective on Chris Fowler, Rayshawn Simmons, Braylon Rayson and John Simons — all key players in the 2015-16 MAC West Championship run.
Davis answers frequently asked questions throughout the book like what the different messages are to recruits and what traveling is like at the mid-major level.
Davis also the most memorable technical foul called on him.
Though publishing his experience something that Davis has always wanted to do, this is not the first time he has been involved with writing.
"I always thought that I would like to write a book about an inside look on the season of college basketball and also somewhat from a coach's perspective," he said. "Not only do you get some of the stories we go through each year but also some insight into what a coach is thinking about developing a program."
The intention of the book is to give readers a more "in-depth" look into a mid-major college basketball program since smaller programs do not get the same exposure as bigger programs, Davis said.
The idea for title of the book, "Busting Brackets and Breaking Ankles," came from the basketball enthusiasm in the month of March during the NCAA Tournament.
"The years where you have those mid-major (schools) that not only make it to the (NCAA) tournament but are able to have those first round upsets gives the popularity to our sport," Davis said. "When building a program, we are trying to be a bracket-busting kind of team.
"Breaking ankles refers to crossing the opponent over and getting them off balance but another meaning is the injuries and things that you go through in a season that can be the difference in making a run in March or being in one game and out (the next)."
Gaertner is no stranger to writing, having published a book called "Torn In Two" about the impact of a shipwreck. They met to discuss ideas and plot their visions for a book about college basketball.
"We started (writing) right before that (2015-16) season," Gaertner said. "The first time I went to be there with the team was during the preseason scrimmage. That really kicked off the process."
Gaertner interviewed players throughout the season to acquire knowledge on the topic. He traveled with the team to see what "life was like on the road" and held conversations with people closely related to the basketball program on the administration level.
"As basketball fans, we see mid-major schools knock off bigger (schools) all the time," Gaertner said. "You get to that point and you can't go back to the season to find out what the team had to go through to get to that point."
The book is intended for fans of college basketball and fans of CMU, Gaertner said.
The book's cover features reviews from Mark Snyder of the Detroit Free Press, Jeff Goodman of ESPN and Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports.
"Busting Brackets and Breaking Ankles" is now available on Amazon and at the CMU Bookstore for $18.
