Central Michigan University Athletics
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/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's Basketball
Photo by: Lauren Verellen '26 - @laurenverellen_photography
Anthony Pritchard Earns Preseason First Team All-MAC Honors
10/22/2024 9:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Chippewas picked to finish eighth in the annual MAC preseason coaches’ poll; Pritchard earns third preseason all-conference honor.
CLEVELAND, Ohio—Senior guard Anthony Pritchard was named a First Team All-Mid-American Conference pick in the annual preseason coaches poll, released this morning by the conference. It is the third preseason honor for Pritchard, who was also named Blue Ribbon's preseason Player of the Year and to the magazine's First Team All-MAC team.
Central Michigan was picked to finish eighth among 12 teams in the league. The Chippewas garnered 55 points. Ironically, CMU was picked to finish 12th out of 12 teams last year, but ended up finishing fourth and earning the No. 4 seed upon entering the MAC Championship. Ohio was picked to win the regular season and tournament title with 11 first place votes and 121 points.
CMU has 10 new players along with five returning players including Pritchard, Cayden Vasko, Shaedon Simpson, Hunter Harding, and Drew Barbee.
Central Michigan is coming of a 2023-24 season that saw it finish 12-6 in MAC play, its best league record since the 2014-15 season. The Chippewas also went 18-14 overall, its best season since 2018-19. Barbee became the fifth CMU mentor and first in a decade to earn the MAC Coach of the Year Award. He was also named the National Association of Basketball Coaches District Coach of the Year and was a finalist for the Ben Jobe National Coach of the Year.
Last year, Pritchard was named the MAC Co-Defensive Player of the Year, First Team All-MAC and to the MAC All-Defensive Team, along with NABC All-District 14 Second Team honors. He became the second player in CMU basketball history to earn the MAC Defensive Player of the Year award joining Chris Kaman in 2003 and became the first player since 2017 to earn First Team All-MAC accolades.
Pritchard led the Chippewas in scoring (12.8 ppg., 372 points), assists (4.7 apg., 136), steals (48), field goals made (144) and ranked second in minutes played (957), field goal percentage (45.1), ranked second in rebounding (149). He also averaged 5.1 rebounds per game, hit 15-57 3-pointers and shot 74.2 percent (69-93) on free throws. He earned MAC Player of the Week honors on Jan. 29, 2024 after averaging 20.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.0 assists, and 2.0 steals per game while shooting 15-26 from the floor and 11-14 from the free throw line at Western Michigan and vs. Miami (OH). He concluded the season with 20 double figure scoring games, four 20-point games, and 16 games with five or more assists, led CMU in scoring 12 times, rebounding six times, and assists 21 times.
In three years, 77 games and 68 starts combining his career at Central Michigan and Tulsa, has scored 677 points, dished out 303 assists and grabbed 281 rebounds. He has averaged 8.8 points per game in his career.
Men's Basketball season tickets went on sale on August 21. For more information, click here. Single-game tickets went on sale last week. Click here for more information.
2024-25 MAC MEN'S BASKETBALL PRESEASON COACHES' POLL
First place votes in parenthesis
1. Ohio (11) – 121
2. Akron (1) – 106
3. Kent State – 99
4. Toledo – 95
5. Bowling Green – 73
6. Miami – 72
7. Ball State – 67
8. Central Michigan – 55
9. Eastern Michigan – 36
10. Western Michigan – 33
11. Northern Illinois – 24
12. Buffalo – 11
Tournament Champion: Ohio (8), Kent State (3), Toledo (1)
2024-25 MAC MEN'S BASKETBALL PRESEASON ALL-MAC TEAMS
First Team
Payton Sparks, Senior, Center, Ball State
Anthony Pritchard, Senior, Guard, Central Michigan
VonCameron Davis, R-Senior, Forward, Kent State
AJ Clayton, Senior, Forward, Ohio
Javan Simmons, Sophomore, Forward, Toledo
Second Team
Isaiah Gray, Senior, Guard, Akron
Jalen Sullinger, Senior, Guard, Kent State
Shereef Mitchell, Graduate Student, Guard, Ohio
AJ Brown, R-Sophomore, Guard, Ohio
Isaiah Adams, Fifth Year, Guard, Toledo
BLUE RIBBON FORECAST
1. Ohio
2. Akron
3. Toledo
4. Kent State
5. Bowling Green
6. Ball State
7. Central Michigan
8. Miami, Ohio
9. Northern Illinois
10. Western Michigan
11. Eastern Michigan
12. Buffalo
MAC PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Anthony Pritchard, G, Central Michigan
MAC NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Payton Sparks, C, Ball State
ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
F-VonCameron Davis, Sr., Kent State
F-AJ Clayton, Sr., Ohio
C-Payton Sparks, Sr., Ball State
C-Javan Simmons, So., Toledo
G-Anthony Pritchard, Sr., Central Michigan
Central Michigan was picked to finish eighth among 12 teams in the league. The Chippewas garnered 55 points. Ironically, CMU was picked to finish 12th out of 12 teams last year, but ended up finishing fourth and earning the No. 4 seed upon entering the MAC Championship. Ohio was picked to win the regular season and tournament title with 11 first place votes and 121 points.
CMU has 10 new players along with five returning players including Pritchard, Cayden Vasko, Shaedon Simpson, Hunter Harding, and Drew Barbee.
Central Michigan is coming of a 2023-24 season that saw it finish 12-6 in MAC play, its best league record since the 2014-15 season. The Chippewas also went 18-14 overall, its best season since 2018-19. Barbee became the fifth CMU mentor and first in a decade to earn the MAC Coach of the Year Award. He was also named the National Association of Basketball Coaches District Coach of the Year and was a finalist for the Ben Jobe National Coach of the Year.
Last year, Pritchard was named the MAC Co-Defensive Player of the Year, First Team All-MAC and to the MAC All-Defensive Team, along with NABC All-District 14 Second Team honors. He became the second player in CMU basketball history to earn the MAC Defensive Player of the Year award joining Chris Kaman in 2003 and became the first player since 2017 to earn First Team All-MAC accolades.
Pritchard led the Chippewas in scoring (12.8 ppg., 372 points), assists (4.7 apg., 136), steals (48), field goals made (144) and ranked second in minutes played (957), field goal percentage (45.1), ranked second in rebounding (149). He also averaged 5.1 rebounds per game, hit 15-57 3-pointers and shot 74.2 percent (69-93) on free throws. He earned MAC Player of the Week honors on Jan. 29, 2024 after averaging 20.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.0 assists, and 2.0 steals per game while shooting 15-26 from the floor and 11-14 from the free throw line at Western Michigan and vs. Miami (OH). He concluded the season with 20 double figure scoring games, four 20-point games, and 16 games with five or more assists, led CMU in scoring 12 times, rebounding six times, and assists 21 times.
In three years, 77 games and 68 starts combining his career at Central Michigan and Tulsa, has scored 677 points, dished out 303 assists and grabbed 281 rebounds. He has averaged 8.8 points per game in his career.
Men's Basketball season tickets went on sale on August 21. For more information, click here. Single-game tickets went on sale last week. Click here for more information.
2024-25 MAC MEN'S BASKETBALL PRESEASON COACHES' POLL
First place votes in parenthesis
1. Ohio (11) – 121
2. Akron (1) – 106
3. Kent State – 99
4. Toledo – 95
5. Bowling Green – 73
6. Miami – 72
7. Ball State – 67
8. Central Michigan – 55
9. Eastern Michigan – 36
10. Western Michigan – 33
11. Northern Illinois – 24
12. Buffalo – 11
Tournament Champion: Ohio (8), Kent State (3), Toledo (1)
2024-25 MAC MEN'S BASKETBALL PRESEASON ALL-MAC TEAMS
First Team
Payton Sparks, Senior, Center, Ball State
Anthony Pritchard, Senior, Guard, Central Michigan
VonCameron Davis, R-Senior, Forward, Kent State
AJ Clayton, Senior, Forward, Ohio
Javan Simmons, Sophomore, Forward, Toledo
Second Team
Isaiah Gray, Senior, Guard, Akron
Jalen Sullinger, Senior, Guard, Kent State
Shereef Mitchell, Graduate Student, Guard, Ohio
AJ Brown, R-Sophomore, Guard, Ohio
Isaiah Adams, Fifth Year, Guard, Toledo
BLUE RIBBON FORECAST
1. Ohio
2. Akron
3. Toledo
4. Kent State
5. Bowling Green
6. Ball State
7. Central Michigan
8. Miami, Ohio
9. Northern Illinois
10. Western Michigan
11. Eastern Michigan
12. Buffalo
MAC PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Anthony Pritchard, G, Central Michigan
MAC NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Payton Sparks, C, Ball State
ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
F-VonCameron Davis, Sr., Kent State
F-AJ Clayton, Sr., Ohio
C-Payton Sparks, Sr., Ball State
C-Javan Simmons, So., Toledo
G-Anthony Pritchard, Sr., Central Michigan
—CMU—
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