Central Michigan University Athletics
2004-05 Men's Basketball Outlook
10/13/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Oct. 13, 2004
For the second straight season, the Central Michigan University Chippewas are faced with the tasks of replacing a majority of the team's overall scoring and rebounding, along with a dominating big man in the middle.
Head coach Jay Smith's 2004-05 squad returns just six letterwinners, including two starters, from a team that finished 6-24 overall last year and 2-16 in the Mid-American Conference.
"We've got a group of battlers who aren't going to make excuses," Smith said. "I like the attitude and work ethic of this team. It has really bought into the program and I feel good about this group of guys."
CMU's two returning starters are senior utility man Tony Bowne (6-3) and junior sharpshooter Kevin Nelson (6-3). Bowne has 48 career starts and he's the last remaining starter from CMU's 2003 championship squad. Nelson is the Chippewas' top returning scorer after averaging 12.3 points per game a year ago.
Gone from last season's unit are seven letterwinners, including senior starters Gerrit Brigitha, T.J. Meerman, and Adam Dentlinger. Brigitha, a 6-8 center, led CMU in scoring and rebounding while earning honorable mention All-MAC honors. CMU's total losses accounted for 59 percent of the scoring and 65 percent of the rebounding production last season.
Besides Bowne and Nelson, CMU returns four lettermen in 6-6 Sefton Barrett, 6-5 Robert Sevalia, 6-8 Steve Harris, and 6-8 Tom Pantlind.
Barrett returns as the team's top rebounder after averaging 3.0 boards per game last season as a true freshman. Sevalia and Harris are both JUCO transfer seniors who played limited roles last year and Pantlind is a fifth-year senior who's minutes have been sparse. All four are expected to make big contributions with the influx of new players.
Seven newcomers dot the Chippewa roster but three of the rookies have been around the program for a year with 6-7 Justin Blevins and 6-8 Jeff Bohnhoff redshirting and 6-6 sophomore Eddie Spencer sitting out for academic reasons. The true freshmen are 7-1 Drew Walker, 5-10 Giordan Watson, 5-11 Reynold Walters, and 6-10 John Tiemeyer.
Walker will be thrown into the fire in the post while Watson and Walters are battling for the starting point guard position. Tiemeyer could be redshirted but will contribute if needed.
One of CMU's strengths will be on the wings where a group of athletic players could be exciting to watch on the offensive end.
"We've got a chance to be real good on the perimeter," Smith said. "Our wings have the ability to finish and I like our ability to put the ball on the floor.
"There are two guys at every position and competition can make everyone better."
With little experience returning down low, three-point shooting could be key to the Chippewas' success.
"Shooting is mostly mental and the three-point shot can really open things up," Smith said. "We don't know if we can score in the post and the three-pointer is a question mark until it is proven in game situations."
Kevin Nelson ranked third in the MAC with 2.50 three-pointers made per game last season.  | |
Another concern of Smith's on the offensive end is taking care of the ball.
"We are youthful and our mistake response will be critical," Smith said. "If we do make a mistake on offense, we need to get down on the other end and get the ball back. During our championship season in 2003, we were one of the most turnover prone teams in the conference but when we coughed it up, we battled on the defensive end to get it back. Sometimes it's just a matter of making good decisions and not putting style ahead of substance."
Defensively, the Chippewas are looking to continue their aggressive style.
"We're looking to control the ball on defense," Smith said. "We've got to put some pressure on the opponent by being in the passing lanes.
"We want to create offense with our defensive pressure by fighting through screens and being physical. Our defensive success will depend on our ability to get the ball off the glass. We've got big, athletic guys down low but we need to finish on defense with a rebound. We've also got to keep the ball in front of us because the less scrambling we have to do, the better chance we have to rebound the ball."
After facing one of its most challenging schedules in the program's history last year, the Chippewas have a slate that matches this season's team.
"Playing three Big Ten teams, Notre Dame and Dayton all took a toll on us last year," Smith said. "Our schedule fits this team. We like that fact that most of our nonconference games are at home and we've got tough tests at Evansville, Minnesota, and Vanderbilt."
CMU's season kicks off on November 19 at Evansville in a rematch of last year's Chippewa Bracket Buster victory. Matchups against NCAA Tournament teams Valparaiso (November 23) and East Tennessee State (December 7) highlight the home season, along with another Bracket Buster game in Rose Arena on February 19.
A new twist for the Chippewas this season is a conference game at Kent State on December 1. It marks the first time CMU has played a MAC game before the first of the year under Smith.
After that, the Chippewas are at Minnesota (December 11) and at Vanderbilt (December 20) to take on the Big Ten and Southeastern Conferences.
Following the 18-game MAC schedule, the conference tournament begins on Monday, March 7, at campus sites. The quarterfinals through finals will once again be held at Gund Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, March 10-12.
POSITION BREAKDOWN
Point Guard
There's a adage that the MAC is a guard's league. Well, CMU is one of the few teams in the conference looking to break in a new guy to run the point this season. Freshmen Giordan Watson (5-10, 165) and Reynold Walters (5-11, 170) will split time this year with Watson maybe having a slight edge early based on a year of maturity after playing at Bridgton Academy prep school in Maine last season. Both will give CMU a defensive hound on the perimeter. Walters played more of a wing in high school but he's a student of the game who has been picking things up quickly.
Sophomore Sefton Barrett came on strong at the end of last season and he could be an exciting player to watch this season. | |
The two is the deepest and most experienced position for CMU and that will give the Chippewas some flexibility. Four different players could see time here, including junior Kevin Nelson (6-3, 180), seniors Tony Bowne (6-3, 200) and Rob Sevalia (6-5, 200), and sophomore newcomer Eddie Spencer (6-6, 185). Nelson started 25 games a year ago and he's CMU's top returning scorer after averaging 12.3 points per game. He drained 75 three-pointers on the year while ranking in the top eight in the MAC in both three-pointers made and three-point percentage. Bowne is the ultimate utility player and his experience could make it necessary to keep him on the floor at some position. He can play one through four and where ever he is, he doesn't turn the ball over much. Sevalia will give CMU a defensive presence at the two and, if he can knock down three-pointers, he will be valuable on both ends of the court. Sevalia averaged 3.1 points per game and shot .435 from three-point range in his first season with the Chippewas last year. Spencer, an academic non-qualifier in 2003-04, gives CMU more flexibility as he could play two through four.
Small Forward
The Chippewas feature a pair of dynamic athletes here in sophomores Sefton Barrett (6-6, 200) and Eddie Spencer. Utility man Tony Bowne could also figure in here, as he does at just about every position. Barrett is a high flyer who can take it to the hole and finish with power, and he's worked on adding a perimeter game as well. Barrett came on strong at the end of last season and he could be one of the league's most improved players this year. He's CMU's top returning rebounder after pulling down 3.0 boards per game as a rookie. Spencer is another slasher who will have to adjust to sitting out last season. He does have the range to step behind the arc.
Power Forward
CMU is very inexperienced here with fifth-year senior Tom Pantlind (6-8, 215) and redshirt freshmen Justin Blevins (6-7, 240) and Jeff Bohnhoff (6-8, 225) all fighting for the starting job and playing time. Pantlind has been used sparingly the past three seasons but he's produced when he's seen minutes. He has the ability to knock down threes, so if he can do that and rebound, he'll be on the floor often. Both Blevins and Bohnhoff used last year's redshirt to bulk up and it has paid off. Blevins has a big frame to set screens and box out. He's also one of the best jumpers on the team and he'll be needed to clean the glass. Bohnoff, a walk-on, is more of a face the basket player who can hit from the outside and he'll provide quality minutes.
Center
The Chippewas once again have a hole in the post with the departure of Gerrit Brigitha, the team's leading scorer and rebounder last year and an honorable mention All-MAC selection. Senior Steve Harris (6-8, 250) and freshmen newcomers Drew Walker (7-1, 265) and John Tiemeyer (6-10, 205) will play this position by committee. Harris averaged under five minutes per game last season as a JUCO transfer. He's gotten into better shape and has improved footwork. Walker will be used as a presence in the middle and he should be able to affect shots defensively. He'll likely take some hits as a true freshman but the key will be how he responds to the challenge. Tiemeyer is a player the coaching staff would love to redshirt. He's already added weight to his frame and he's one of the hardest workers on the team.