Central Michigan University Athletics
Chippewas Complete One Of Their Best Seasons Ever
4/15/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
April 15, 2003
Complete Release With Final MAC Standings, CMU Statistics, and Updated Chippewa Record Book in PDF Format
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MOUNT PLEASANT -- The 2002-03 Central Michigan University men's basketball team posted more wins than any other team in school history at 25.
The Chippewas won their first-round NCAA tournament game over No. 15-ranked Creighton, 79-73, in Salt Lake City, Utah, before being eliminated by No. 7-ranked Duke, 86-60.
CMU finished the season 25-7 overall and 14-4 in the Mid-American Conference. The Chippewas won both the MAC regular season and tournament titles, along with hauling in several major awards.
Junior Chris Kaman was named MAC "Player of the Year" and "Defensive Player of the Year," while Whitney Robinson was tabbed "Sixth Man of the Year." Head coach Jay Smith took home MAC "Coach of the Year" honors for the second time in the past three seasons.
MAC CHAMPS: Central Michigan University won the MAC regular season title for the sixth time in 2003. The Chippewas had a two-game lead over East Division champion Kent State in the regular season standings. CMU also won titles in 1975, '77, '79, '87, and 2001. Since joining the league in 1973, only Miami (11) has won more MAC championships than CMU.
MAC TOURNAMENT CHAMPS: The Chippewas swept through the MAC tournament field to take the postseason championship for just the second time in school history. CMU also won the tournament title in 1987. The top-seeded Chippewas defeated No. 9 seeded Bowling Green, 87-70, No. 4 Northern Illinois, 94-72, and No. 2 Kent State, 77-67. Chris Kaman was named the MAC tournament MVP and J.R. Wallace was named to the all-tournament team.
MOST WINS IN CHIPPEWA HISTORY: The Chippewas won a school-record 25 games in 2003, surpassing the old mark of 23 set by a pair of Ted Kjolhede's squads in 1966 and '67. It was just the seventh 20-win season in school history and CMU became just the seventh Mid-American Conference team since the league began in 1947 to post 25 or more wins in a season.
MORE RECORDS FALL: In addition to setting a record for wins in a season, the 2002-03 squad also set the following school records -- points in a season (2,553), three-pointers made (224), free throws made (601), free throws attempted (789), and tied for three-pointers attempted (575).
MUCH IMPROVED: The Chippewas had a 14-game improvement from the previous season to tie for the 13th-best turnaround in NCAA history. CMU was 25-7 this season after finishing 9-19 the previous year. Turnaround is measured by adding the difference in wins to the difference in losses and dividing by two. CMU had a 14 1/2 game turnaround in 2001.
DANCING IN ROUND TWO: CMU won an NCAA tournament first round game for just the second time in school history with the win over Creighton. The 1975 team defeated Georgetown, 77-75, before falling to Kentucky, 90-73. That was the last year regional third-place games were held and CMU defeated Oregon State, 88-87. The Maroon and Gold lost first round games in 1977 (UNC-Charlotte 91, Central Michigan 86) and 1987 (UCLA 92, Central Michigan 73).
RANKED FOE FALLS: The Chippewas' 79-73 win over No. 15-ranked Creighton in the NCAA tournament was CMU's first victory over a ranked foe since winning at No. 8-ranked Western Kentucky, 73-65, on December 11, 1986.
EFFICIENT OFFENSE: CMU's .504 field goal percent this season ranked fourth nationally while leading the MAC. The Chippewas were 19-2 this season when shooting 50 percent or better from the floor.
HOT SHOTS: Not only were the Chippewas one of the top shooting teams from the floor, they also ranked 10th nationally in free throw percentage (.762) and 16th in three-point percentage (.390).
DISHING IT OUT: Ball movement was key for the Chippewas this season as they led the league in assists with 15.75 per game. CMU was 21-1 when dishing out 15 or more assists in a game.
LIGHTING UP THE SCORE-BOARD: CMU led the MAC in scoring and ranked 12th nationally with 79.8 points per game. The Chippewas were 23-3 when scoring 70 or more and a perfect 17-0 when scoring their average of 79 or more.
NATIONAL DOUBLE-DOUBLE LEADER: Chris Kaman led the nation in double-doubles this season with 25. That mark set a CMU single season record.
Double-Doubles, Division I Players Only
1. Chris Kaman, C Michigan -- 25
2. Brandon Hunter, Ohio -- 23
t3. David West, Xavier -- 22
t3. Emeka Okafor, Connecticut -- 22
t3. Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse -- 22
STAT SHEET STUFFER: In addition to his double-doubles total, Chris Kaman ranked in the top 15 nationally in four other categories. He was fourth in rebounding (12.0), sixth in field goal percentage (.622), 10th in blocks (3.2), and 13th in scoring (22.4).
HONORABLE MENTION ALL-AMERICAN: Chris Kaman earned honorable mention All-America honors from the Associated Press. He joins David Webber as the only Chippewas to ever earn All-America honors for Division I.
MAC DADDIES: The Chippewas led the Mid-American Conference in field goal percentage and ranked fourth nationally with a .504 mark. CMU also led the MAC in scoring (79.8), scoring margin (+6.5), blocked shots (3.75), and assists (15.75).
FINAL RECORD STACKS UP: CMU's 25-7 record gave the Chippewas a .781 winning percentage. That mark tied for 20th nationally this season with Louisville and Illinois who both had identical records.
LEADING THE WAY: Junior Chris Kaman led the MAC in two statistical categories this season -- field goal percentage (.622) and blocks (3.16). He also finished second in both scoring (22.4) and rebounding (12.0), and was 15th in free throw percentage (.749).
PUTTING UP BIG NUMBERS: Chris Kaman finished the year as only one of five players nationally to average 20 or more points and 10 or more rebounds per game.
Brandon Hunter, Ohio -- 21.5 ppg, 12.6 rpg
Chris Kaman, Central Michigan -- 22.4 ppg, 12.0 rpg
David West, Xavier -- 20.1 ppg, 11.8 rpg
Mike Sweetney, Georgetown -- 22.8 ppg, 10.4 rpg
Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse -- 22.2 ppg, 10.0 rpg
MANCIEL WRAPS UP CAREER: Mike Manciel put together a second team All-MAC season in 2003. The senior ranked 10th in the MAC in scoring (16.6), sixth in field goal percentage (.531), 12th in steals (1.47), and 13th in free throw percentage (.766).
WALLACE STEPS UP BIG: Honorable mention All-MAC pick J.R. Wallace ranked among the MAC leaders in several categories. He finished ninth in steals (1.59), 10th in field goal percentage (.495), tied for 10th in assist/turnover ratio (1.18), tied for 11th in assists (3.28), and 12th in three-pointers made (1.84).
HANDING IT OUT: Tony Bowne tied for 11th in the MAC in assists (3.28) while T.J. Meerman ranked 15th (2.88). Bowne also ranked second in assist/turnover ratio (1.91).
MEERMAN STEPS UP IN MAC TOURNEY: Junior starting point guard T.J. Meerman came up big when the Chippewas needed him most this season. In the MAC tournament, Meerman averaged 11.3 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game. He posted a career-high 12 points in the semifinals and then upped it to 16 in the finals versus Kent State. The junior started all but one game this season.
BOWNE FILLED MANY ROLES: Guard/forward Tony Bowne started the final 22 games of the season and played big for the Chippewas down the stretch. He filled a number of different roles as seen by his career highs of 18 points (vs. BGSU), nine rebounds (MAC tournament final vs. Kent State), and 10 assists (vs. Buffalo). The sophomore finished the year averaging 4.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. He was third on the team in caroms per game and tied for the team assist lead with 3.3 per contest.
TWO STRAIGHT VS. THE BIG TEN: The Chippewas defeated their second straight Big Ten foe with an 85-78 victory over Michigan in Ann Arbor on Dec. 3, 2002. Chris Kaman tallied 30 points and 21 rebounds and Mike Manciel added 28 points and nine rebounds. CMU defeated Purdue (67-66) on a last-second layup during the 2000-01 season.
WALLACE BANKS IT IN: One of the most dramatic games of the season was CMU's 87-84 home victory over Ohio. Senior J.R. Wallace banked in a halfcourt shot at the buzzer to give CMU the win.
DEFENDING HOME TURF: Central Michigan University was 12-1 at home in Rose Arena this season with the lone loss being a one-point setback to Akron, 70-69, on February 25. The Chippewas had the MAC's best homecourt record.
KAMAN POURS IN 43: Chris Kaman tallied a monster game in CMU's 94-92 home win over Ball State on Feb. 19. The seven-footer poured in 43 points while grabbing 12 rebounds and blocking seven shots. He was 15-for-19 from the floor and 13-for-16 from the line. The 43 points ranked 11th on CMU's single game scoring chart.
MANCIEL FINISHES SIXTH: Mike Manciel wrapped up a standout career as CMU's sixth-leading scorer all-time. Manciel tallied 1,399 points in his career. He is only one of 13 CMU players to ever record 1,000 career points and 400 career rebounds.
WALLACE STEPS UP: J.R. Wallace averaged a career-high 14.3 points per game. He ranked third on the team in scoring and tied for the assist lead with 3.3 per game. Wallace's .869 free throw percentage ranked fifth on CMU's season chart while his 51 steals and 59 three-pointers made each ranked sixth.
REWRITING THE BOOKS: Chris Kaman set two school records this season. His 98 blocked shots is a new high while his 373 rebounds were the most ever recorded in a season. Kaman also ranked second in two categories -- points in a season (694) and season field goal percentage (.622). The junior ended the year ranked seventh in career rebounding (707) and 11th in scoring (1,250).
WHIT ROB MAKES HIS MARK: Whitney Robinson's two-year free throw percentage of .819 ranks him fourth on the Chippewas' career free throw percentage list.
ONE OF THE TOURNEY'S TOPS: Mike Manciel's 29 points in the NCAA tournament first-round win over Crieghton tied for sixth on the 2003 tournament's single game leaders list.
FINAL POLL: CMU received one vote in the final USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll.
ALOHA!: The Chippewas begin the 2003-04 season by playing in the EA SPORTS Maui Invitational Nov. 24-26. Teams competing in the tournament include Chaminade, Dayton, Hawaii, Ohio State, San Diego State, Santa Clara, and Villanova. CMU will play three games with at least one and possibly all three appearing on national television.
