Central Michigan University Athletics
Game Notes: Chippewas Clash with Titans On ESPNU
12/17/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Saturday, December 18 — McGurik Arena, Mount Pleasant, Mich., 7 p.m. EST
BROADCASTS
WEB • Free Live Stats | Game Notes in .pdf format | Men's Basketball Insider
RADIO • WCFX 95.3 FM (Mount Pleasant) — Play-by-Play: Don Chiodo
TV • ESPNU Play-by-Play: Jim Babar Color Commentator: Mark Adams
Storylines
...the Chippewas look to avenge a 76-58 loss in Detroit last season. This is the fourth consecutive year the teams have met, with the Maroon and Gold going 1-2 under head coach Ernie Zeigler.
...two of the most highly touted freshmen in the nation will square off in Central Michigan's Trey Zeigler and Detroit's Ray McCallum. Zeigler and McCallum, who elected to stay in the state of Michigan and play for their fathers were rated the No. 8 and No. 6 guards in the nation coming out of high school by Scout.com.
...Saturday's game is a part of a doubleheader in McGuirk Arena, as the women play their first game at home this season at 2 p.m. vs. Ole Miss.
| PROBABLE STARTERS | ||||||||||
| Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr. | GP-GS | PPG | RPG | Other | Notes | ||
| (1) G | 2 | Amir Rashid | 5-9 | 185 | Sr. | 9-8 | 6.6 | 2.8 | 3.0 APG | Recorded a season-high 6 assists and career-high five steals vs. Wright St. |
| (2) G | 0 | Trey Zeigler | 6-5 | 195 | Fr. | 9-8 | 14.8 | 5.3 | 1.5 APG | Former teammate of Detroit's Ray McCallum on AAU squad Team Detroit |
| (3) F | 24 | Antonio Weary | 6-3 | 215 | Sr. | 9-7 | 2.4 | 2.8 | .321 FG% | Recorded season-high seven rebounds at DePaul |
| (4) F | 31 | Jalin Thomas | 6-4 | 200 | Sr. | 9-9 | 17.0 | 4.4 | 19 3FG | Scored 14 straight points versus Wright State |
| (5) C | 34 | William McClure | 6-7 | 240 | Sr. | 9-9 | 3.8 | 7.6 | .395 FG% | Has recorded three double-figure rebounding efforts this season |
GAME PREVIEW
All-Time Series
The Chippewas trail the Titans, 20-11, in the series. The teams are meeting for the fourth consecutive season under head coach Ernie Zeigler. The Maroon and Gold are 1-2 over the teams’ last three meetings under the tutelage of Zeiger.
The Coaches
Ernie Zeigler is now in his fifth season at the helm of Central Michigan. Zeigler has comprised a record of 56-76 during his four-plus seasons and led the Chippewas to back-to-back MAC West Division titles. Detroit’s Ray McCallum Sr., is in his third season at the helm of the Titans. McCallum led the Titans to their best turnaround in program history last season, going 20-14 and earning a berth in the Horizon League semifinals. The 20 wins was a 13-win improvement from the previous season, the fourth best turnaround in the nation in 2009-10.
Trey vs. Ray
For the first time in their careers, two of the most highly touted freshmen in the nation are squaring off on opposite sides of the hardwood in CMU’s Trey Zeigler and UD’s Ray McCallum. The two best friends played for the AAU squad Team Detroit throughout their prep careers and were rated as the No. 8 and No. 6 guards in the nation respectively by scout.com.
The Return of Jay Smith
Detroit assistant coach Jay Smith returns to the school in he was the head coach from 1997-2005. Smith recorded the fourth most wins in program history (95-160) and led the Chippewas to two MAC regular season championships (‘01, ‘03), a MAC tournament championship (‘03) and a NCAA tournament first-round win over No. 15 Creighton (‘03). Smith also earned coach of the year honors in 2001 and 2003.
A Familiar Face
Detroit’s Chase Simon returns to Central Michigan for the first time since transferring following his freshman season. A preseason Horizon League Player of the Year candidate, Simon is averaging 14.1 points per game and 2.2 assists per game. As a freshman for the Chippewas, Simon averaged 4.1 points and 1.5 rebounds per game, posting highs of 15 points and seven rebounds vs. Central Missouri.
Good to be Home
After playing seven of their first eight games on the road and traveling 13,199 miles over the first month of the season, the Chippewas return home for four games over the Holiday break. It will be the team’s longest homestand of the season and includes matchups with Wright State (12/14), Detroit (12/18), South Dakota State (12/20) and Cornerstone University (12/22).
