| |
LOCATION: Charleston, IL
CONFERENCE: Ohio Valley (OVC)
LAST SEASON: 13-16 (.448)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 8-10 (t-7th)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 3/2
NICKNAME: Panthers
COLORS: Blue & Gray
HOMECOURT: Lantz Gym (5,600)
COACH: Rick Samuels (Chadron State '70)
record at school 275-270 (19 years)
career record 275-270 (19 years)
|
ASSISTANTS: David Cason (Illinois State '96)
Steve Weemer (Eastern Illinois '94)
Mike Church (Northeast Missouri '73)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 16-13-12-16-13
RPI (last 5 years) 198-212-251-151-218
1998-99 FINISH: Lost in conference first round.
ESPN.com Clubhouse
|
Eastern Illinois coach Rick Samuels is a veteran of the basketball wars, and he believes he has figured out what kind of players can win in the Ohio Valley Conference. Athletic, mobile post players can do the job in the OVC, even if they aren't 6-10 or 6-11. A, big, slow 7-footer, on the other hand, well. . . . "(Post players) who are a little slow of foot aren't effective in this league," Samuels said. With that in mind, Samuels has fielded a team of players who can maintain the quick pace of their OVC counterparts. Only two starters from 1998-99 return, along with leading rebounder Merve Joseph, who earned a starting job at the end of the season. But the Panthers have plenty of experience coming back, and Samuels said their talents fit the OVC's style of play. "We're still relatively new to the OVC," Samuels said. "This will be our fourth season (after leaving the Mid-Continent Conference). We're familiar with the OVC now. We've retooled our players for the OVC. We'd like to start pecking our way up the standings."
|
Blue Ribbon Analysis |
|
BACKCOURT B- BENCH/DEPTH C
FRONTCOURT C- INTANGIBLES C+
After finishing in the OVC's logjam that was third through eighth place last season, Eastern Illinois hopes to do some climbing in the standings this season. Once again, though, the league is balanced. Getting out of the pack and into the upper division will be a battle. "We finished (tied for seventh), but with one more win we would have been third," Samuels said. With that one victory, the Panthers would have tied for third with a 9-9 record, but would have had a better overall record than any other third-place team. While the Panthers bring back their top two scorers in Hill and Polite, they lost their playmaker, Owens. Finding a point guard will be one of the keys to success this season, along with finding someone to help Joseph in the frontcourt. Eastern Illinois has plenty of experience, but also a few questions. Like Samuels said, his team may peck away at the standings, but making a big jump in OVC is hard to do. It probably won't happen this season. |
Although not a starter last season, Joseph, a 6-4 junior, will be a key for the Panthers this season. He's not as big as some power forwards, but Samuels doesn't doubt he can hold his ground in the high post. Last season, Joseph (6.1 ppg, 5.7 rpg) earned a starting job for the last eight games. A native of St. John's, Antigua, Joseph sat out the 1997-98 season after transferring from John Wood (Ill.) Community College. With a year of OVC experience behind him, Joseph should be much-improved this season. "He's undersized for a (power forward), but he's very powerful with big, strong hands," Samuels said. "Anything that comes his way, he's going to get. I expect him to be very instrumental for us. I expect him to lead us in rebounding and be a dominant player." Samuels said the most difficult player to replace will be point guard Jack Owens. Owens (11.7 ppg, 3.6 rpg) was the team's third-leading scorer and led the OVC in assists with 158 (5.45 per game), which was 15 more than the next-closest assist man, Tennessee-Martin's Andrae Betts. "Not only do we need to replace his stats, but his leadership and toughness," Samuels said. "Someone will have to pick that up and there are some candidates there." Those candidates are 6-3 senior guard Michael Forrest and 6-2 junior guard Matt Britton, who was redshirted last season after transferring from NCAA Division II University of Indianapolis. Forrest, meanwhile, played in all 29 games and earned seven starts. Forrest (5.1 ppg, 2.2 rpg) was third on the team in assists with 47. "I'm excited about both kids (Forrest and Britton)," Samuels said. "They can both play. Forrest can play the one to three (point guard, shooting guard or small forward). Britton is a tough kid and the kind of leader you like at point guard." Kyle Hill, a 6-2 junior guard, is one of the two returning starters. Hill (16.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 78 assists) led the team in scoring last season and was sixth in the OVC. He was 10th in the league in three-point percentage (.373), 10th in three-pointers made per game (2.17, 62 total) and was fifth in steals per game (1.79, 52 total). He earned All-OVC honorable mention honors, along with Owens. "He's athletic and can score in a variety of ways," Samuels said of Hill. "His perimeter shooting has really improved and he can shoot deep now. He's also a guy who can get to the basket. Last year he showed that he is capable of taking the physical play." Marc Polite, a 6-5 senior forward, will be one of the team's leaders. Polite (14.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg) was second on the team in scoring, but was tops in some of the intangibles. Look for Polite at the small-foward spot in the starting lineup. "He's a great spot-up shooter," Samuels said. "He's excellent in our motion offense and he's a tireless worker. He has the biggest heart on our team. It's not just his statititics, but he's a leader, a motivator, a no-quit guy." Eastern Illinois could use several players at center with 6-8 sophomores Luke Sharp and Todd Bergmann and 6-7 senior John Smith vying for the starting job. Smith could also play power forward. Sharp (3.1 ppg, 2.4 rpg) played in 26 games last season, averaging 13.7 minutes. Over the summer, Sharp had surgery to repair a shoulder injury, but should be full speed by season's start. Bergmann (0.8 ppg, 0.9 rpg) played a lot less, getting in 13 games and averaging 4.4 minutes. "Luke Sharp had some ups and downs a freshman," Samuels said. "He's gotten stronger over the summer." Samuels said Bergmann should be ready for the OVC wars this winter after adding some bulk and strength in the offseason. "He's very athletic and a very good jumper," Samuels said. "I think he's ready for us to put him on the floor. He's over 200 pounds for the first time." Smith (7.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg) sat out the first half of the season, but finished strong. His experience could land him a starting job in the frontcourt. "John Smith has played a lot of basketball over the last four years," Samuels said. "If he plays like you expect a senior to play, he will raise his level of intensity and also provide leadership because of his substantial experience." Jan Thompson, a 6-11 freshman center, will also battle for minutes after last year's redshirt season. "He's probably still one year away," Samuels said. Also redshirted last season was 6-4 freshman guard Henry Domercant, a native of Lisle, Ill, who was chosen to the Chicago Sun-Times' All-Area team as a high school senior. "I think he'll mature as the season progresses," Samuels said of Domercant. "I hope at crunch time in the conference he's a player who can contribute. He's a scorer." Two freshmen join the Panthers this season. As usual, Samuels won't push them into action if they're not ready. Rod Henry, a 6-3 guard from Zion-Benton HS in Zion, Ill., will probably be redshirted. Craig Lewis, a 6-1 guard from Keokuk (Iowa) High School, has a better chance of playing this season. "I think we got an outstanding freshman recruit (in Lewis)," Samuels said. "Notre Dame and Vanderbilt took looks at him before they had coaching changes." "We've got 11 kids back," Samuels added. "Our recruiting shouldn't startle anybody. We hope the kids we have coming back are improved." Eastern Illinois could have a little different style of play this year, even though the players are mostly the same. "We'll probably be a little more aggressive than in the past," Samuels said. "We've been basically a half-court team primarily because of the players we had when we came into the league. We will probably get a little more aggressive defensively. We want to stay strong in the half-court game, but we'll have a little more depth and quickness."
 | The 19th edition of Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook is on sale now. To order, call 800-828-HOOP (4667), or visit their web site at
http://www.collegebaskets.com
|
| |
Conferences
America East
ACC
Atlantic 10
Big East
Big Sky
Big South
Big Ten
Big 12
Big West
Colonial
Conference USA
Independents
Ivy League
MAAC
Mid-American
Mid-Continent
Mid-Eastern Athletic
MCC
Missouri Valley
Mountain West
Northeast
Ohio Valley
Pac-10
Patriot
SEC
Southern
Southland
Sun Belt
SWAC
TAAC
WAC
West Coast
|
