Booher: How Barbee can re-energize men's team


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Fixing Central Michigan men’s basketball will not be a one day job for new head coach Tony Barbee. 

It appears he knows this, as he alluded to in his first press conference. In past years, the Chippewas have struggled to compete in the Mid-American Conference, resulting in a dismal 3-13 finish in conference play in the 2020-21 season. 

Those struggles led to the program ousting Keno Davis after nine seasons. The Chippewas looked down and out at times, despite having plenty of solid roster pieces to work with. 

Now it’s up to Barbee to connect those pieces, build a winning program and bring championships back to Mount Pleasant. This will, in turn, bring fans back to the program and into McGuirk Arena. 

Here are three things Barbee can do to re-energize the men’s basketball program: 

Re-invent the identity

In the Davis era, the Chippewas had many transcendent talents. The program had three separate players break the MAC’s record for 3-point makes and hosted several big-time guards. The backcourt duo of Marcus Keene and Braylon Rayson combined for nearly 50 points per game in 2016-17, yet the team finished 16-16. 

The program was known for lighting up the scoreboard, commonly known as 3MU. However, those teams struggled to defend and shot just 32 percent from beyond the arc in each of the past two seasons, a mark that hadn’t been seen since CMU’s first season under Davis in 2012-13. 

Barbee’s first challenge is finding a balance. With it’s returning roster, the Chippewas have the talent to defend and play around the rim. The outside shooting isn’t what it has been, but there is room to improve. With a plethora of big men, CMU should take on the identity of a physical squad. 

It’s also important to develop a solid point guard. Barbee has a starting point in Devontae Lane that can lead an offense, but his offensive productivity leaves more to be desired. Backups PJ Mitchell and Ra’Shad Weekly-McDaniels showed promise, but the latter is currently in the transfer portal. 

Developing a young point guard and a strong, two-way inside game will make the Chippewas competitive fairly soon. 

Broaden recruiting horizons

Another staple of Davis’ teams was filling recruiting classes with players from the junior college ranks. Lane is the latest of a slew of point guards to follow the pipeline from JUCO to CMU. 

While Davis has had his share of hits and misses of transfer players, the latest batch of JUCO transfers have shown flashes of being some of the best -- in part because they are a diverse group. The Chippewas have two slashers in Ralph Bissainthe and Caleb Huffman who can step outside for 3-pointers or attack the basket. Meikkel Murray was a huge hit offensively, but recently entered the transfer portal, and Last Chance U star Malik Muhammad showed potential of becoming a solid big man for CMU. 

But there’s plenty of talent at the high school level. Aundre Polk, one of two freshmen brought in last season, was the first member of the program to make the MAC’s All-Freshman team since Josh Kozinski in 2015 despite playing only 10 games. There were also a plethora of hits in the four-year recruiting during the Davis era, with Rayson, Kozinski, guard Kevin McKay and forward David DiLeo all as evidence. Role players, such as forward John Simons, also came up through the ranks as four year players. 

Bringing in young freshmen provides a coach with four, and sometimes five, years of coaching and developing. Recruiting a young point guard could do wonders for developing the program. 

Connect with fan base, community

One of the lesser aspects of the program under Davis was the connection to the community.  Under Barbee, CMU should take on an identity of a team connected with no only the biggest of fans, but the student body and fan base as a whole. 

Barbee made it clear in his opening press conference that collaboration will be a big part of his program, and connecting with those in Mount Pleasant will be pivotal to building the program. 

“Just immersing yourself in the community I think goes a long way,” Barbee said. “My family and I are excited to be a part of this Mount Pleasant community. The energy and the enthusiasm that I’ve already felt in a very short time being here. Everybody (is) longing for that success.”

If he makes good on that promise, the Chippewas could be competing for championships very soon. 

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