Central Michigan University Athletics
Tuesday, November 5
Mount Pleasant, Mich.
7 p.m.
Central Michigan University
vs
Michigan-Dearborn
Senior Rob Montgomery is one of three returning starters for the Chippewas in 2019-20.
Photo by: Allissa Rusco
Chippewa Men Ready To Tip It Off
11/4/2019 3:31:00 PM | Men's Basketball
CMU welcomes UM-Dearborn for season-opening game
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Yes, there are plenty of similarities from last season to this season for the Central Michigan men's basketball team.
But there are enough new ingredients to significantly change the whole, and the Chippewas and their fans will get a good look as CMU opens the season on Tuesday (7 p.m.) with a nonleague game against UM-Dearborn at McGuirk Arena.
The program is firmly established under Keno Davis, who is entering his eighth year as CMU's head coach and coming off a year in which he led the Chippewas to 23-12 finish, tying for the second-highest win total in program history.
Tuesday's game is the first of four nonleaguers the Chippewas will play – Mississippi Valley State, Sam Houston State and Siena Heights are the other three opponents – before they go on the road to face Minnesota on Nov. 21.
The Chippewas will play 13 nonconference games, including at Texas and at Purdue, before opening Mid-American Conference play at home with back-to-back games against Miami (Ohio) and against Northern Illinois on Jan. 4 and Jan. 7, respectively.
The Mainstays
Davis welcomes back his starting frontcourt in Kevin McKay, David DiLeo and Rob Montgomery. All three are seniors ranging from 6-foot-5 to 6-8 and while each possesses a well-rounded game, each has a specific complementary strength.
DiLeo, who last week was selected to the West Division Preseason All-MAC Team, is established as one of the CMU's all-time best long-range shooters, no small feat in a program that has prided itself in, and excelled at, shooting the 3 ball during Davis' tenure. DiLeo, who is fourth on the Chippewas' career 3-point list, has started every game in each of the past two seasons.
McKay is an athletic 6-5 and 228 pounds who can get to the basket and rebound. He led the Chippewas with 7.5 boards per game and 31 blocks a year ago when he started all 35 games, posting eight double-doubles.
Montgomery made the most of his first season as a Chippewa in 2018-19 after transferring from Indian Hills (Iowa) CC. He averaged 10.8 points and 5.7 rebounds while starting 31 of CMU's 32 games.
Among the other key returnees are senior Dallas Morgan and junior Matt Beachler, both of whom figure to either start or play significant minutes. Morgan last season averaged 17.3 minutes per game, tops among Chippewa reserves.
"The ability for (Morgan) to score has always been there, but he's becoming a more complete player," Davis said.
New Faces
The Chippewas graduated an outstanding guard duo in Larry Austin Jr. and Shawn Roundtree Jr., who were the top two scorers last season as they shared point-guard responsibilities.
Junior Devontae Lane, a transfer from Indian Hills CC, will be the point guard.
Lane is a "really good leader," Davis said, "more of a pass-first point guard. I think that our chemistry has a chance to be really good early in the year when you have a guy like that leading the break and the offense."
Lane is among a slew of new faces who could see significant playing time.
Up Front
Romelo Burrell and Kevin Hamlet, both 6-7 juniors, should be in the rotation up front with the likes of Montgomery, McKay and DiLeo. Burrell averaged 11 minutes per game last season, while Hamlet redshirted after transferring from Mineral Area (Mo.) College.
Work in Progress
As in any season, things will evolve for the Chippewas as they progress. The team that takes the court on Tuesday against the Wolverines may change dramatically, or subtly, as the Chippewas get through the holidays, into league play and into March.
"Although we are very talented, you aren't going to see near a finished product early in the season," Davis said. "I think you're going to have to see individual growth and improvement, across the board and if you see that, if you see our guys to continue to get better, then as a whole we will be a really tough team to beat come the second half of the conference season and hopefully into March."
Scouting
The Wolverines, who are a member of NAIA, are 4-0 this season after going 11-20 a year ago. After winning the league in 2017-18, they finished 8-12 last season.
Senior guard Cody Kegley leads UM-Dearborn in scoring at 15.8 points per game.
But there are enough new ingredients to significantly change the whole, and the Chippewas and their fans will get a good look as CMU opens the season on Tuesday (7 p.m.) with a nonleague game against UM-Dearborn at McGuirk Arena.
The program is firmly established under Keno Davis, who is entering his eighth year as CMU's head coach and coming off a year in which he led the Chippewas to 23-12 finish, tying for the second-highest win total in program history.
Tuesday's game is the first of four nonleaguers the Chippewas will play – Mississippi Valley State, Sam Houston State and Siena Heights are the other three opponents – before they go on the road to face Minnesota on Nov. 21.
The Chippewas will play 13 nonconference games, including at Texas and at Purdue, before opening Mid-American Conference play at home with back-to-back games against Miami (Ohio) and against Northern Illinois on Jan. 4 and Jan. 7, respectively.
The Mainstays
Davis welcomes back his starting frontcourt in Kevin McKay, David DiLeo and Rob Montgomery. All three are seniors ranging from 6-foot-5 to 6-8 and while each possesses a well-rounded game, each has a specific complementary strength.
DiLeo, who last week was selected to the West Division Preseason All-MAC Team, is established as one of the CMU's all-time best long-range shooters, no small feat in a program that has prided itself in, and excelled at, shooting the 3 ball during Davis' tenure. DiLeo, who is fourth on the Chippewas' career 3-point list, has started every game in each of the past two seasons.
McKay is an athletic 6-5 and 228 pounds who can get to the basket and rebound. He led the Chippewas with 7.5 boards per game and 31 blocks a year ago when he started all 35 games, posting eight double-doubles.
Montgomery made the most of his first season as a Chippewa in 2018-19 after transferring from Indian Hills (Iowa) CC. He averaged 10.8 points and 5.7 rebounds while starting 31 of CMU's 32 games.
Among the other key returnees are senior Dallas Morgan and junior Matt Beachler, both of whom figure to either start or play significant minutes. Morgan last season averaged 17.3 minutes per game, tops among Chippewa reserves.
"The ability for (Morgan) to score has always been there, but he's becoming a more complete player," Davis said.
New Faces
The Chippewas graduated an outstanding guard duo in Larry Austin Jr. and Shawn Roundtree Jr., who were the top two scorers last season as they shared point-guard responsibilities.
Junior Devontae Lane, a transfer from Indian Hills CC, will be the point guard.
Lane is a "really good leader," Davis said, "more of a pass-first point guard. I think that our chemistry has a chance to be really good early in the year when you have a guy like that leading the break and the offense."
Lane is among a slew of new faces who could see significant playing time.
Up Front
Romelo Burrell and Kevin Hamlet, both 6-7 juniors, should be in the rotation up front with the likes of Montgomery, McKay and DiLeo. Burrell averaged 11 minutes per game last season, while Hamlet redshirted after transferring from Mineral Area (Mo.) College.
Work in Progress
As in any season, things will evolve for the Chippewas as they progress. The team that takes the court on Tuesday against the Wolverines may change dramatically, or subtly, as the Chippewas get through the holidays, into league play and into March.
"Although we are very talented, you aren't going to see near a finished product early in the season," Davis said. "I think you're going to have to see individual growth and improvement, across the board and if you see that, if you see our guys to continue to get better, then as a whole we will be a really tough team to beat come the second half of the conference season and hopefully into March."
Scouting
The Wolverines, who are a member of NAIA, are 4-0 this season after going 11-20 a year ago. After winning the league in 2017-18, they finished 8-12 last season.
Senior guard Cody Kegley leads UM-Dearborn in scoring at 15.8 points per game.
Players Mentioned
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