Good Start For CMU Men; Opener Tuesday At Missouri

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – First-year Central Michigan men's basketball coach Tony Barbee and his Chippewas made their 2021-22 debut on Friday, posting a 114-66 exhibition victory over Olivet at McGuirk Arena.

The Chippewas open the season at Missouri in a nonleague game on Tuesday, Nov. 9 (8 p.m.).

Barbee was named in April to head the program. On Friday, a dozen program newcomers among 14 played for the Chippewas. Nine played at least 10 minutes.

"It's been a whirlwind," Barbee said. "A lot of hard work by the team, by the staff. They both have worked diligently to put together this team that I think is going to represent Central Michigan University and Mount Pleasant in a first-class manner in how they compete on the floor and how they handle their business off the floor."

Jermaine Jackson Jr. scored 23 points to lead five Chippewas in double figures.

The matchup provided an opportunity for some of CMU's newcomers to shine, including junior guard Brian Taylor, a transfer from Illinois-Chicago.

"It felt great having played against someone other than my team," Taylor said. "Plus, we had the fans in there; there was a lot of energy and it felt good."

Barbee echoed those sentiments.

"I noticed they were getting tired of playing against each other, of elbowing each other, of diving into each other, sweating on each other, and they wanted an opportunity to compete against somebody else," he said. "I thought we got off to a little bit of a tentative start, but the nerves calmed down and we settled into how we want to play."

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Players Mentioned

Jermaine Jackson Jr.

Brian Taylor