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LOCATION: Kent, OH
CONFERENCE: Mid-American (East)
LAST SEASON: 23-7 (.767)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 13-5 (2nd)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 2/3
NICKNAME: Golden Flashes
COLORS: Navy Blue & Gold
HOMECOURT: M.A.C. Center (6,327)
COACH: Gary Waters (Ferris State '75)
record at school 45-42 (3 years)
career record 45-42 (3 years)
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ASSISTANTS: Kevin Heck (Wayne State '92)
Garland Mance (St. Bonaventure '94)
Larry DeSimpelare (Spring Arbor '91)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 8-14-9-13-23
RPI (last 5 years) 211-175-206-204-31
1998-99 FINISH: Lost in NCAA first round.
ESPN.com Clubhouse
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Kent coach Gary Waters was all smiles last fall when his team was picked to finish sixth of seven teams in the Mid-American Conference East Division. "Many people did not believe in us," Waters said. "That made me feel good. I knew we weren't a sixth-place team." Kent earned a lot of respect while posting a school-record 23 victories, winning its first MAC Tournament championship and making its NCAA Tournament debut. The Golden Flashes waited 47 years for their first NCAA trip, and now they want to go again soon. Waters is driven to achieve long-term success. "We have to prove what we did last year wasn't a fluke," said Waters, the MAC Coach of the Year. "Our players are still hungry and want to show there will be consistency in the program." For the second conssecutive year, Kent rewarded Waters with a contract extension. His new pact extends to 2004, and includes raises for the staff.
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Blue Ribbon Analysis |
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BACKCOURT B BENCH/DEPTH B
FRONTCOURT B+ INTANGIBLES B+
Along with earning respect, the Kent players developed some pride in their MAC championship season. One of the keys this year is how well the Golden Flashes handle success. Kent coach Gary Waters doesn't think that's a problem. "The players understand there will be new challenges and expectations and that other teams will look at us differently now," Waters said. Waters said when John Whorton and Kyrem Massey come to play, "We can play with anybody." If those two get the kind of support they had last year, look out. This is one of the MAC's deepest teams with eight returning players who averaged at least 10 minutes a game. And those players didn't just collect minutes, they contributed. Kent's bench outscored Ohio's reserves, 50-0, in a late-season game. Having the luxury of depth allows Kent to play the full-court defense Waters loves. Expect more of the same. "This year's team has balance and depth," Waters said. "We go two-to-three (players) deep at each position and have the numbers to throw at people as we continue to put an emphasis on defensive pressure." Kent is the team to beat in the MAC East Division and favored to repeat as the conference tournament winner. |
"He has brought us a level of quality and a standard of excellence we value very much," school president Laing Kennedy said. A repeat will be difficult in the ever-improving MAC, but Kent has enough talent to do it. Almost everyone is back, including the top five scorers who averaged between 8.1 and 12.8 points in a balanced attack. Gone from last season are senior backcourt starters Ed Norvell (6.8 ppg, 3.0 rpg) and John Callaway (4.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg), who will be missed more for their defensive intensity and leadership than their offensive statistics. Norvell was a four-year starter who left with school career records for starts (109) and assists (594). He was an honorable mention All-MAC selection and was chosen to the All-Defensive Team picked by College Hoops Insider. The leader of this year's team is center John Whorton, a 6-8, 250-pound senior. Whorton led the team in scoring (12.8 ppg), rebounding (6.2 rpg), field-goal percentage (.574) and blocked shots (30) while earning second team all-league honors. Whorton was selected as CBS Player of the Game after his 13-point, nine-rebound performance in Temple's 61-54 win over Kent in the NCAA East Region. He returns from off-season shoulder surgery for his third year as the starting center. Kent's triumph in the MAC Tournament was really two upsets in one. The second-seeded Golden Flashes not only upended No. 1 seed Miami (Ohio), 49-43, in the championship game at Toledo's SeaGate Centre, but Whorton was chosen tournament MVP. He took that honor away from Miami's more heralded All-American forward, Wally Szczerbiak. Waters said Whorton came to the program as a 290-pound doughboy who bench pressed 180 pounds and crawled through his first conditioning run, a one-mile time trial, in 7:50. "That's very slow," Waters said. One year later, Whorton's weight was down to 250. He benched 330. And he completed the mile in six minutes. "That's how you become MVP of the Mid-American Conference Tournament," Waters said. "He made the commitment." Helping out Whorton in the low post are 6-6 , 230-pound senior Geoffrey Vaughn (4.7 ppg, 2.1 rpg) and 6-6, 245-pound junior Rashaun Warren (4.1 ppg, 3.2 rpg). Whorton is the go-to player, but Kent has other options. Forward Kyrem Massey, a 6-5 junior, made honorable-mention All-MAC and was Kent's second-leading scorer and rebounder (11.0 ppg, 5.6 rpg). The athletic Massey did a number on Szczerbiak in the MAC championship game, holding him to a season-low 17 points on 4-for-17 shooting. "All I tried to do was make him work hard," Massey said. "Great shooters, if your legs are tired, you can't jump up and hit your shot. I tried to tire him down." Massey filled a role as an undersized power forward, but the return of 6-9, 230-pound Mike Perry frees him up. Perry missed all of last season with a broken bone in his foot. As a freshman in 1997-98, he started all 30 games (5.9 ppg, 3.5 rpg). He has bulked up more than 25 pounds since entering college. Other veteran forwards are 6-4 junior Eric Thomas (3.4 ppg, 2.6 rpg) a nd 6-6 senior Al Moore (1.2 ppg, 1.6 ppg). Waters anticipates much improvement from Thomas, who spent last season regaining his touch after sitting out as a freshman. Moore has been a steady player for three seasons. The third returning starter is 5-11 junior point guard Andrew Mitchell (8.7 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 2.5 assists). Mitchell and Norvell were the only players who started all 30 games. A year ago, Trevor Huffman (8.9 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 2.3 assists) was an unknown quantity who signed with the Golden Flashes late in the summer. Huffman emerged quickly as a potent scorer with an accurate shot. He made 30-of-74 three-point shots (.405 percent) and 82-of-104 free throws (.788 percent). Huffman made the MAC All-Freshman Team. "He's the most relaxed player I've ever been around," Waters said. "Down the stretch, I'll keep him in the game because he won't lose the ball and he'll make free throws." Nate Meers (8.1 ppg, 1.7 rpg) provides Kent with one of the league's top long-range threats. Meers, a 6-3 senior, led the MAC in three-point percentage, hitting 63-of-148 (.426) and was second in three-pointers made (2.25 per game). Ohio coach Larry Hunter said he was starting a "Nate Meers Fan Club" after the Kent player fired in seven three-point shots against the Bobcats. Meers also tossed in seven three-pointers in a game against Dayton. Senior Ryan Lehrke (1.1 ppg, 0.5 rpg) is a 6-5 walk-on. Tulane transfer Demetric Shaw, a 6-3 sophomore guard, sat out last season. Shaw played sparingly for the Green Wave in 1997-98 (1.8 ppg, 1.7 rpg), totaling only 10 appearances and 87 minutes of action. As a prep senior (Dunbar HS/Fort Worth, Texas) he averaged 19.2 points. Transfer guard Blake Johnson (Jamestown CC/Jamestown, N.Y.) suffered a broken foot at the end of the 1997-98 season and did not play last year. In his last season of action, the 6-0 junior averaged 30.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists and was a Division II juco All-American. Johnson made 41 percent of his three-point shots and 76 percent of his free throws.
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