GETTING INSIDE

This is the year which coach Mike Miller’s built to since he took the Panthers’ program over five years ago.

Eastern Illinois returns four starters, including one of the nation’s best pure shooters, and some key reserves who know their roles within Miller’s system. And while the Panthers didn’t recruit a lot of players, they did appear to get quality as they landed one of the best players out of the Chicago area.

The key guy is 6-foot-3 senior Romain Martin, who doesn’t need a clean look to make a shot. Martin became the team’s go-to man last year, averaging 15.4 points per game and moving up to fifth on the school’s all-time list in made 3-pointers with 190.

Guard T.J. Marion added 9 points per game and led the team in assists with 105, while PG Tyler Laser contributed 11.4 points per game and converted 45 straight free throws at one point—just one shy of the all-time OVC record.

Up front, 6-8, 250-pound C Ousmane Cisse proved to be a good rebounder and accurate shooter from point-blank range. He’ll get help this year from 6-8 Shaun Pratl, who one magazine has projected as the OVC’s Freshman of the Year.

If EIU plays up to its potential and gets a break or two along the way, it could put on dancing shoes in March.

NOTES, QUOTES

• G Romain Martin was named one of the college game’s 50 best shooters by FoxSports.com. Martin is fifth on the Panthers’ career made 3-pointers list with 190 and has led the team in scoring for three straight years.

• G Tyler Laser was fifth in the OVC last year in 3-point shooting percentage at 40.7 percent. Laser credits his older brother, Luke, who plays at Division II Saginaw Valley State (Mich.), for pushing him to improve as a player.

• For EIU to make the step from contender to champion, it has to win more consistently away from Lantz Arena. The Panthers were just 3-13 in road games last year, losing five of them by 3-to-6 points.

Last Year:   12-18 overall, 8-10 in the Ohio Valley.

Head Coach:   Mike Miller (career 122-160); 5th year at Eastern Illinois (35-81).

Quote To Note:   “For this group to take another step forward, we need more production from our entire roster.”—Coach Mike Miller on the key to Eastern Illinois becoming a winning team.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

Scouting The Newcomers:   While 89 percent of their scoring and 86 percent of their rebounding returns, the Panthers are still anticipating help from 6-8 freshman F Shaun Pratl, who averaged 20 points per game and 9.5 rebounds last year at Oak Lawn Richards High School and was named the Chicago Sun-Times Male Athlete of the Year. G Curry McKinney was an all-conference selection in junior college last year.

Key Early-season Games:   Eastern Illinois’ schedule isn’t terribly demanding, although it includes a trip to Rick Majerus’ Saint Louis on Dec. 29 and a home-and-home series with long-time Atlantic Sun Conference power Belmont. There’s also an OVC road trip in early December, taking the Panthers to Tennessee State and Austin Peay.

Program Direction:   EIU appears to have turned the corner and is headed up. How far up depends on what its four returning starters can do in a conference which truly appears to be anyone’s game. Getting a highly-touted recruit like Pratl will give Miller and the Panthers something to build around for the next four years.

Probable Starting Lineup:   PG Tyler Laser, SG Romain Martin, SF T.J. Marion, PF Edin Suljic, C Ousmane Cisse.

Roster Report:  

• G Curry McKinney transferred from Los Angeles Trade Tech CC and will have two years of eligibility remaining. The 6-4 McKinney averaged 11.9 points per game last year as his team was good for 85.9 points per game.

• F James Hollowell is back after a stress fracture ended his freshman season following just four games. Hollowell, who was granted a medical redshirt and still has four years of eligibility left, played in high school with Los Angeles Clippers G Eric Gordon and Lipscomb C Adnan Hodzic.

• G Jay Smith has the bloodlines for basketball, as his father, James, played at Wisconsin. Jay played in 29 games last year as a reserve but struggled with his shot, canning just 14-of-70 from the 3-point line.