Frontcourt
Jason Stewart will start at small forward when he returns from a hand injury. He’s a great three-point shooter. ‘‘We need him,’’ coach Charlie Coles said. ‘‘I think he’s going to have a great year.’’
The inside positions are wide open. Players who were formerly role players are going to be counted on to score this year. Rich Allendorf, the biggest man on the roster at 6-foot-10, will start at center. Allendorf can score against MAC players, but his defense may limit his minutes.
Mike Ensminger, the best inside defender, and Refiloe Lethunya probably will share the power forward spot. Ensminger, a 6-6 junior, has gotten a lot of minutes his first two years, but he hasn’t scored much (less than a point a game last year). But he showed a nice touch in the RedHawks’ first exhibition game.
Lethunya is athletic for a 6-8 player. ‘‘He has a lot of ability,’’ Coles said. ‘‘He has to channel it.’’
Backcourt
The strength of the team. Rob Mestas is a three-year starter at point guard. Mestas is one of the quickest players in the Mid-American Conference and one of the best defenders. Mestas turned over the ball only once every 18 minutes last year. He isn’t known as a great scorer, but he did average 6.9 points a game last year and has worked on his 3-point shot. He hit a career-high 34.1 percent last season.
Anthony Taylor started two years ago as a sophomore before moving to a reserve role last year. Taylor needs to average closer to the 12.4 points a game he did two years ago than the 3.9 points a game he did last year. A foot injury hampered Taylor last season, but he was impressive in preseason practice until a strained calf sidelined him.
Bench
Jason Grunkemeyer, the 3-point shooting specialist, will provide offensive punch off the bench, although he’ll start until Stewart is healthy. Grunkemeyer shot 51 percent from 3-point range last year.
‘‘He’s one of the best shooters in the country,’’ Coles said. ‘‘He’s got to get accustomed to playing 20 to 25 minutes a game, not 10 or 12.’’
MAC ’98-99
|
| East Division |
|
CONF. |
OVERALL |
| Miami |
15-3 |
20-6 |
| Kent |
13-5 |
20-6 |
| Akron |
12-6 |
18-6 |
| Bowling Green |
12-6 |
17-9 |
| Ohio |
12-6 |
17-9 |
| Marshall |
11-7 |
16-10 |
| Buffalo |
1-17 |
5-24 |
| West Division |
|
CONF. |
OVERALL |
| Toledo |
11-7 |
19-7 |
| Ball State |
10-8 |
16-10 |
| Cent. Michigan |
7-11 |
10-16 |
| West. Michigan |
6-12 |
11-15 |
| East. Michigan |
5-13 |
5-20 |
| Northern Illinois |
2-16 |
6-20 |
Grunkemeyer showed he could take the ball to the basket in MU’s exhibition games.
Brian Edwards, a 6-8 sophomore, will provide inside depth. Edwards has practiced with the team for two years — one as a partial qualifier and one as a redshirt. He’s athletic enough to get some inside points.
Ben Helmers, a sophomore from Hamilton Badin, will get some minutes as a backup guard, although Mestas and Taylor will play close to 40 minutes a game. He can hit the 3.
The three freshmen — Matt Jameson, Bryan Reed and Doug Williams — will get a chance to play. Jameson, a 6-1 guard, was brought in to back up Mestas, but he has been slowed by a sprained ankle.
Reed is 6-6 and athletic. ‘‘He should be playing a lot,’’ Coles said. ‘‘He’s got to learn to work harder.’’ Reed is a good offensive rebounder who can get garbage points in the paint.
Williams, a 6-4 forward, averaged 29 points at Piketon High School. ‘‘He reminds me of me when I came to Miami,’’ Coles said. ‘‘Shoots a lot and can’t guard anybody.’’
Coaching
Coles has had to improvise a lot in his first two years because of injuries. That experience will help him this year. He is a good motivator and a coach the players love.
His two top assistants, James Whitford and Jermaine Henderson, return. Whitford is in his fourth year, Henderson his second. Frankie Smith, a successful high school coach from West Virginia, takes over as the third assistant for Don Moormeier, who retired.
Intangibles
Eight players who were part of the Sweet 16 run return. ‘‘So they know what it takes to get there,’’ Coles said. Four of the eight — Mestas, Taylor, Stewart and Refiloe — are fifth-year seniors. So despite the loss of three seniors, this is a very mature team.
It’s also a smart team. Ensminger and Grunkemeyer are dean’s list students, and Stewart scored a 1410 on his SAT as a high school junior. The talent is down several notches, so Coles has been preaching defense and rebounding. If the team buys into that, it could be a good year.
Games to watch
• Dec. 8 vs. Xavier. This will be a good test to see where the RedHawks are early in the year.
• Jan. 2 vs. Kent. This is the MAC opener against a respectable team. Another chance for the RedHawks to see where they stand.
