Central Michigan University Athletics
Seniors Look to Solidify Post
11/19/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 19, 2003
It's been the question around Mount Pleasant since Chris Kaman declared for the NBA draft in the end of April.
How will the Chippewas replace the seven-foot lottery pick?
How about with a three-headed monster of seniors Gerrit Brigitha and Adam Dentlinger and junior college transfer Steve Harris.
"We've got three guys and 15 fouls and hopefully we can get a double-double between them," CMU coach Jay Smith said.
The Chippewas will never be able to replace Kaman, the 2003 MAC "Player of the Year" who led the nation in double-doubles with 25 and ranked among the national statistical leaders in four categories.
However, the Chippewas do have two very experienced players in Brigitha (6-8) and Dentlinger (6-7) who are prepared to play major roles for CMU this season.
"Both of them have won MAC championships and have played in the NCAA Tournament," Smith said. "The experience is there, they are just a little undersized. It's time for them to perform. They've been in the shadows and now they have chances to be prime time players.
"They also have the experience of playing against a seven-footer in Kaman every day in practice for the past three seasons."
Brigitha and Dentlinger have shown their abilities when called upon.
Brigitha has the most career starts of any of the Chippewas with 52. He was MAC All-Freshman team selection in 2001 and his top game came his freshman year when he tallied 20 points against Illinois State.
Dentlinger is a crafty post player with a .660 career field goal percentage. He's played primarily a backup role in the past with two career starts. In a key game last season at Northern Illinois, Dentlinger stepped in for an injured Chris Kaman and scored a career-high 14 points on 6-for-6 shooting from the floor.
Adding depth to the post will be Harris, a 6-8, 255-pounder who blocked 142 shots in two seasons at Macomb Community College. He's been slowed in the preseason with a nagging knee injury.
