Wednesday, November 14, 2001
Mid-American conference preview
By Ian Duthie
Enquirer contributor
Teams listed in predicted order of finish, according to the preseason poll.
nbsp; East Division
nbsp; Kent State
nbsp; Coach: Stan Heath (First season; first overall)
nbsp; Key player: Senior Trevor Huffman is one of the league's top players. Huffman was named to the 2001 All-MAC first team and was named to the preseason team this season. He was the only MAC player to rank in the top 10 in scoring (16.8) and assists (4.5).
nbsp; Outlook: The Golden Flashes are preseason favorites to win the East and the conference tournament, and rightfully so. Kent returns the core of its team that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Flashes win with their defense.
nbsp; Marshall
nbsp; Coach: Greg White (86-54, sixth season; 205-208, 15th overall)
nbsp; Key Player: Marshall may have the league's best player in in Tamar Slay. He thought about leaving for the NBA, but returned for his senior year. Listed at 6 feet 9, Slay does a majority of the team's ballhandling. One of 50 players named to the preseason Wooden All-America team, Slay has 1,225 career points and athleticism that few teams in the league can match.
nbsp; Outlook: With Slay and J.R. VanHoose, points are never a problem. White will need his role players to step up when his two stars are double-teamed. Marshall and Kent look to be the East's best teams.
nbsp; Ohio
nbsp; Coach: Tim O'Shea (First season; first overall)
nbsp; Key player: Brandon Hunter (Withrow High School) is a load at 6-7 and 260 pounds. His wide body is a magnet for fouls; he set a MAC Tournament record by going to the line 32 times.
nbsp; Outlook: Ohio is another talented team in the East that should make the division as competitive as it has ever been. The Bobcats may be a year away from challenging for an East crown, but their dominance inside makes them a difficult matchup for many teams.
nbsp; Bowling Green
nbsp; Coach: Dan Dakich (65-48, fifth season; same overall)
nbsp; Key player: Keith McLeod is a proven scorer, averaging at least 20 points 13 times last season and averaging 18.1 ppg.
nbsp; Outlook: Dakich has done a wonderful job of turning around the Bowling Green program since he took over in 1997, and he returns eight of the top nine scorers from last season. He has the highest conference winning percentage (.597) among MAC coaches, and his team has averaged 18 wins during that time. The Falcons have the experience to challenge for the East title.
nbsp; Akron
nbsp; Coach: Dan Hipsher (75-87, seventh season; 201-132, 12th overall)
nbsp; Key player: Rashon Brown. The team's leading returning scorer (12.5 ppg) runs the point for the Zips. The 6-foot-1 senior started all 22 games in which he played, leading the team in assists per game (4.2).
nbsp; Outlook: Akron led the nation in 3-point shooting last season (43.3 percent), but injuries and inexperience led to a 12-16 overall record and a sixth-place finish in the East at 9-9. Coach Hipsher is an intense leader who expects more from his team.
nbsp; Buffalo
nbsp; Coach: Reggie Witherspoon (7-44, third season; same
nbsp; overall)
nbsp; Key player: Robert Brown proved a formidable scorer in the league, averaging a team-best 15.3 ppg. Louis Campbell is the only other real scoring threat returning for Buffalo (13.6 ppg).
nbsp; Outlook: The Bulls have finished last in the conference every season since joining the MAC in 1998. To their credit, they kept most games close, losing 12 games by 10 or fewer points. Buffalo's biggest advantage may be its proximity in upstate New York, which has teams dreading the long bus rides there.
nbsp; West Division
nbsp; Central Michigan
nbsp; Coach: Jay Smith (41-68, fifth season; 64-74, sixth overall)
nbsp; Key player: Central Michigan welcomes back the conference's player of the year in David Webber. An honorable mention All-American last season, Webber is an outside threat. He once scored 51 points in a game against Ball State. And, yes, he is the brother of that other Webber, Chris, in the NBA.
nbsp; Outlook: Central Michigan went from last place in the MAC (2-16) in 1999-2000 to winning the West last season (14-4). Webber has established himself as the conference's best player, and his team is the preseason favorite to win the West. Webber and his mates will be hungry after losing in the second round of the MAC tournament to Miami and killing any chances of going to the NCAA Tournament.
nbsp; Ball State
nbsp; Coach: Tim Buckley (18-12, second season; 68-64, fifth overall)
nbsp; Key player: Theron Smith burst onto the scene last season with a 40-point game against Texas. His potential seems endless with his size (6-8, 225) and scoring touch (double digits in all but three games last season).
nbsp; Outlook: Ball State should contend for the West title with its talented nucleus. Miami coach Charlie Coles describes Smith as one of the most talented players he has seen. Smith was named to the preseason first team.
nbsp; Toledo
nbsp; Coach: Stan Joplin (87-59, sixth season; same overall)
nbsp; Key player: As a freshman, Terry Reynolds established himself as a complete player, earning freshman of the year honors. He ranked third in the league in assists (4.7) and steals (1.15).
nbsp; Outlook: Joplin gets the most out of his team, and it showed last season when he led the Rockets to their first 20-win season in 20 years. His job will difficult with the loss of leading scorer Greg Stempin.
nbsp; Western Michigan
nbsp; Coach: Robert McCullum (7-21, second season; same overall)
nbsp; Key player: Senior Steve Reynolds is Western's best returning scorer (14.8 ppg).
nbsp; Outlook: McCullum has a tough job trying to rebuild the program, and the Broncos look to be better with a recruiting class that was ranked as the conference's best by The Sporting News. For now, they look to be in the middle of the pack in the West.
nbsp; Northern Illinois
nbsp; Coach: Rob Judson (first year, first overall)
nbsp; Key players: Senior Leon Rodgers returns from an honorable-mention All-MAC season in which he averaged 16.6 points. He shot 40 percent from behind the 3-point arc. Matt Nelson has the classic MAC big body (6 feet 10, 245) that is perfect for the rugged conference play.
nbsp; Outlook: Rob Judson came from the University of Illinois, where he was an assistant and helped the Illini become one of the country's top teams. His ability to recruit should help Northern Illinois in the future.
nbsp; Eastern Michigan
nbsp; Coach: Jim Boone (3-25, second season; 276-162, 15th overall)
nbsp; Key players: Guard Melvin Hicks led EMU with 13.1 ppg lasdt season.
nbsp; Outlook: Eastern struggled last season to find an identity. It suffered through losing streaks of 11 and eight games. With the MAC looking as talented and deep as it has been in a long time, the rebuilding Eagles will struggle. They should find a way to win more than one conference game with an increase in depth and experience.
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Mid-American conference preview