Preview: CMU men's basketball looks to rebound with new coach and new team
Central Michigan University Men's Basketball head coach Andy Bronkema holds up a 22 to his daughter in the Kulhavi Events Center on Tuesday, April 15, 2025. The number 22 symbolizes a Taylor Swift song and how he is the 22nd head coach. (CM Life | Jasmine Brookins)
After a 14-17 record last season and failing to qualify for the Mid-American Conference tournament, Central Michigan men's basketball opted to part ways with head coach Tony Barbee following the 2024-2025 season.
In the offseason, CMU hired former Ferris State head coach Andy Bronkema to take the reins as the Chippewas' 22nd head basketball coach.
The squad retained none of its players from last season, giving the team a new coach, new players and a fresh 0-0 record to work with.
"When you build the roster from scratch, 15 brand new guys, five assistant coaches and a new head coach, you really get an opportunity to choose pieces that fit together," Bronkema said. "I think we did that, so that is the most exciting thing. That is where we started, to try to build a puzzle with all the pieces."
Andy Bronkema
Bronkema comes from McBain, Michigan, where he was a three-sport athlete at McBain High School, eventually going on to play basketball for NAIA Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids.
As a 19-year veteran, he coached the last 12 seasons at Division Two powerhouse Ferris State, where he made the NCAA tournament nine times, including three sweet sixteen appearances, but most notably winning the 2018-2019 Division Two national championship.
Opting to stay in his home state of Michigan, coach Bronkema looks to continue these winning ways in Mount Pleasant, a town that is already familiar to him.
"My family went to school here, my high school friends went to school here, my high school coaches went to school here. This is the neighborhood school," Bronkema said. "It is a very comfortable place, I love being in Mount Pleasant."
Bronkema left Big Rapids with a 278-105 overall record as head coach.
Before becoming the man in charge of the Bulldogs, he served as an assistant coach for Ferris State until being named the interim head coach after the resignation of then head coach Bill Sall, who left to take over Northern Michigan.
However, Bronkema has not come to Mount Pleasant alone, bringing three players from last year's Bulldogs team to wear the Maroon and Gold for the 2025-2026 season.
Big Rapids to Mount Pleasant
Following Bronkema from Big Rapids are guard Jaxson Whitaker, guard Jorden Brooks and seven-foot center Nathan Claerbaut.
Last year Claerbaut was fourth on the Bulldogs in scoring, averaging 9.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists over 34 games.
"It is a blessing to be honest, just to have the opportunity in my last year, my senior year, to be able to transfer to the division one level and play with the coach that I have been familiar with for the last four years has been a blessing," Claerbaut said. "I am grateful for it."
Claerbaut was notably named to the All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Defensive team for his efforts last season.
"A personal goal for me would be to be top ten in the MAC in rebounding and shots blocked, but as far as team goals, it is just to win games," Clarebaut said.
Alongside Claerbaut is Whitaker, who finished fifth in scoring for Ferris State last year, averaging 7.6 points per game on 42.6% shooting from beyond the arc. Whitaker showed off his range in Central Michigan's preseason exhibition with Saginaw Valley State, going 4-4 from three and leading the team with 16 points, ultimately helping CMU win 77-56.
"The transition has been smooth, and meeting all these new guys, we have come together really well," Whitaker said. "It has just been a great experience overall so far."
Brooks did not see playing time as a freshman at Ferris State, but made an appearance in the exhibition, registering two points, a steal and a rebound.
New faces
In the offseason, Bronkema wasted no time filling the roster with talent from all levels of college basketball, notably landing former Michigan guard "Phat Phat" Brooks.
"I have known Bronks [Bronkema] for some years because my brother, he was at Ferris for three years, so just being around Bronks... just seeing how much of a person he was, it did not really feel like I was talking to a coach it felt like I was talking to a person, like someone I could actually trust," Brooks said. "I think me having that trust factor in him is really what drew me in."
Brooks only appeared in fourteen games for the Wolverines as a freshman, and did not play in the exhibition for the Chippewas.
The coaching staff at CMU found the bulk of its transfer talent from local Midwest universities, gaining guard Tamario Adley from Wayne State, guard Will Ashford from Purdue-Northwest, forward Keenan Garner from IU-Indianapolis and Nick Mullen from IU-South Bend.
Adley showed out in the preseason exhibition match, finishing with 12 points and four rebounds on 4-7 shooting from the field.
Coincidentally, Ashford played against CMU in the 2024-2025 season, finishing with 14 points for Purdue-Northwest despite the Chippewas dominating the game.
Bronkema was also able to build an incoming freshman class as well, signing Uchenna Amene, Jalen Kampen and Nsikan Usen, all of whom played high school basketball in Michigan.
"We have a lot of weapons that we can try to use, and we will fine-tune things as we go," Bronkema said. "So the identity is unformed, but we have potential for a lot of different identities, and that is exciting."
After a successful exhibition game ending in a CMU victory, Chippewa basketball will officially begin its regular season on Monday, Nov. 3, at 7 p.m. as it plays host to Appalachian State in the MAC-SBC challenge.
