Central Michigan Team Report

GETTING INSIDE

   If all one does is examine Central Michigan’s roster, then the Chippewas look like a team loaded with veterans who are poised to take last year’s MAC West co-championship to the next level.

But upon closer examination of Central Michigan’s four seniors and five juniors, it becomes clear the Chippewas have plenty of team-building to accomplish during their preseason practices.

Of CMU’s five juniors, three are junior-college transfers (Amir Rashad, Jalin Thomas and William McClure) who enter the season without a minute of Division I experience. Then there’s center Marko Spica, a part-time starter as a freshman and sophomore who missed all of last year after tearing his ACL. Only guard Antonio Weary (3.9 ppg) actually played for the Chippewas.

Then there are the seniors. Point guard Robbie Harman (11.4 ppg, 3.0 apg) and shooting guard Jordan Bitzer (12.1 ppg, 4.9 rpg) are back in their customary backcourt spots, but power forward Chris Kellermann (14.4 ppg, 5.6 rpg) missed the final 24 games after breaking his left foot. So that makes him a question mark until he proves again to be an exclamation point.

On the positive side, if Kellermann and Spica merely return to their previous levels and a few of the jucos find a solid niche for themselves, then Central Michigan should become the team to beat in the MAC West. Both the Blue Ribbon Yearbook and Lindy’s magazine tabbed the Chippewas to take the West.

“The West will be vastly improved,” said fourth-year coach Ernie Zeigler. “Hopefully we’ll be able to keep improving, too.”

  

NOTES, QUOTES

  —Senior forward Chris Kellermann seemed well on his way to all-MAC honors before breaking his left foot 7 games into last season. Kellermann opened the season with 28 points and 13 rebounds at Princeton. His day included five 3-pointers, which isn’t exactly a fluke for the 6-foot-8, 245-pounder as Kellermann has made 125 of 355 3-point attempts in his career. As a point of reference, senior point guard Robbie Harman (who led the MAC with 72 3-pointers last season) is 128-for-349 lifetime on 3s.

• Junior center Marko Spica missed all of last year due to a torn ACL in his knee. The Serbia native’s absence hurt because he averaged 6.8 points and 3.1 rebounds during his first two seasons in just 16.4 minutes per night. He was due to play more last year, but now he’ll get that opportunity after being cleared to play in late August.

• If Central Michigan intends to compete for more than the MAC West title, then it will need to improve defensively. The Chippewas finished last in the MAC in field-goal percentage defense (.449) and next-to-last in 3-point percentage defense (.358). They also must replace graduated big man Marcus Van, who led the conference in rebounding (8.3 rpg) and ranked third in field-goal shooting (51.9 percent).

   LAST YEAR: 12-19 overall, 7-9 in the MAC West; lost in quarterfinals of the MAC Tournament.

   HEAD COACH: Ernie Zeigler (career 39-54); 4th year at Central Michigan (39-54).

   QUOTE TO NOTE: “We have to become a better defensive team, especially with our field-goal defense. We want to hold teams to 40 percent.”—Central Michigan coach Ernie Zeigler to Blue Ribbon Yearbook.

 

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

   SCOUTING THE NEWCOMERS: Central Michigan brought in three junior-college prospects and a pair of freshman recruits this season. Six-foot-4 junior swingman Jalin Thomas, who averaged 12.7 points at Pensacola JC, could be the biggest contributor early due to his shooting eye. A pair of point guards from the Houston area—junior Amir Rashad (Trinity Valley CC) and freshman Finis Craddock (Garland HS)—need to help immediately in the backcourt because the Chippewas prefer to run three-guard sets. Freshman Tyler Brown is a skilled power forward who might redshirt due to CMU’s plethora of upperclassmen in the frontcourt.

   KEY EARLY-SEASON GAMES: The Chippewas face a national Top 10 team and several intriguing mid-majors during their pre-conference slate. CMU visits Purdue on Nov. 28 as part of a rough road slate that includes trips to Wright State (Nov. 24), Illinois State (Dec. 5) and South Florida (Dec. 13). The Chippewas also open with a rough test against Ivy League power Princeton on Nov. 14 at Rose Arena.

   PROGRAM DIRECTION: The Chippewas haven’t had a winning season since 2002-03, when Chris Kaman led CMU to the NCAA Tournament. This team might not be good enough to get to the NCAAs, but this veteran group (four seniors, five juniors) ought to get CMU to the right side of .500 and be a contender when the MAC Tournament arrives.

   PROBABLE STARTING LINEUP: PG Robbie Harman, SG Jordan Bitzer, SG Antonio Weary, PF Chris Kellermann, C Marko Spica.

   ROSTER REPORT:

   —F Zach Saylor (0.7 ppg, 0.8 rpg) took a redshirt year after hurting his right shoulder early last season. Now the redshirt freshman likely will miss at least the first half of this season after reinjuring the same shoulder during summer ball.

• F Jacolby Hardiman averaged 9.7 points and 4.9 rebounds last year, but he won’t return for his senior year after being booted from the team following a purse-stealing incident at a local establishment.

• G Jeremy Allen made 17 starts and averaged 8.5 points per game last year, but he transferred to Florida International during the offseason. Perhaps not coincidentally, Central Michigan assistant William Eddie Jr. moved to FIU during the offseason as well.

• Underclassmen Adrian Hunter (3.2 ppg), Lawrence Bridges (1.1 ppg) and William Eddie III (0.8 ppg) all left the school during the offseason.

• Central Michigan added freshman walk-ons Joe Estrada (Grand Ledge, Mich.) and Sean Day (Bishop Luers HS in Fort Wayne, Ind.) after school began.