2017-2018 Marauder Basketball: Five Things to Know
As the Central State University men's basketball team prepares to open the regular season on Nov. 10 at home against Christian Brothers University, here are five story lines to pay attention to:
THE RETURN OF RICHARDS
Transferring to CSU for his junior season, Richards, Jr. immediately showed his ability as a scorer last season. In his CSU debut, he came off the bench to score 16 points in 17 minutes. As the season went on, Richards, Jr. earned more and more minutes leading up to a 31-point breakout performance in a 118-80 win over Kentucky State in January. The 6-5 junior from Fort Wayne, Ind. went on to record five games of 30 or more points, including a career-high 42 points in a win over Wilberforce University. Richards, Jr. finished the season ranked No. 7 in the SIAC in scoring with 17.0 points per game. At the conclusion of the season, Richards, Jr. was named to the BoxToRow All-American Team, SIAC All-Conference Team, All-SIAC Tournament Team. Earlier this week, Richards, Jr. was one of the top vote recipients while being selected to the SIAC All-Preseason Team.
SENIOR LEADERSHIP
Coach Price will have the luxury of leaning on six seniors to help provide leadership on and off the court this season. The senior class includes Sterling Gilmore,
Dwight Richards, Jr.,
Jeremy Brown,
Frank Barber III, Davone Daniels and
Chris Cook. This year's roster has the largest senior class since Price's arrival to CSU in 2014.
INJURIES HEALED UP
While injuries plagued CSU's roster throughout the 2016-2017 season, the team enters this season with a strong bill of health. CSU head coach
Joseph Price is anticipating point guard
Tom Johnson, shooting guard
Akil Cornish and forward
Jeremy Brown to all contribute to the success of this year's team. Known as a top three point shooter, Cornish missed all of last season while recovering from a shoulder injury. Johnson suffered a broken foot in the second game of the season and missed the rest of the year. Brown missed the SIAC Tournament due to a knee injury. All three players have shown confidence in practice and are projected to receive significant playing time this season.
NEW ADDITIONS
Coach Price has had high praise for transfers Chris Scott and Davone Daniels. A 6'8 forward from Cleveland, Ohio, Scott spent the previous two seasons playing for Lakeland Community College. Playing for the Lakers, Scott averaged 13.7 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting over 50% from the field. Scott also proved to be a threat from the perimeter, knocking down 39% of his shots from beyond the arc. Daniels comes to CSU for his final year of eligibility after spending the previous three years at St. Joseph's College in Indiana. Daniels has averaged 9.6 points and 2.3 rebounds per game while shooting 37% from the three-point line.
CLIMBING UP THE STANDINGS
Picked by the SIAC coaches and sports information directors to finish sixth in the SIAC West Division, the Marauders are motivated to prove themselves as contenders for a SIAC title this season. CSU is also looking to take the next step in postseason play after back-to-back losses in the opening round of the SIAC Tournament. The Marauders will have a chance to make a early season statement when they face Christian Brothers to open the season. CBU was picked to finish first in the Gulf South Conference
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE UPCOMING SEASON
Live coverage will be provided for all Central State home athletic events. Fans will be able to watch, listen and receive live score updates by visiting the following links on gameday:
Watch (Marauders Sports Streaming Channel) -
http://maraudersports.com/watch/
Listen (Gem City Sports Network) -
http://www.gemcitysports.com/radio-1/
Listen (Arena Sports Network) -
http://arenasportsnet.com/live/
Live Stats -
http://www.sidearmstats.com/centralstate/mbball/
Fans can purchase tickets online at -
http://centralstate.universitytickets.com/user_pages/event_listings.asp. All home games played between Dec. 20th and Jan. 2 will be free entry.
For the full 2017-2018 Marauder basketball schedule, please visit -
http://www.maraudersports.com/schedule.aspx?path=mbball
