(05-26-2021 04:34 PM)Luckeyone Wrote:  There’s only one player that I wanted back from last season’s roster but he’s gone off to Butler. I hope Ty made a good decision but I’m not convinced just yet. He would have really benefited from coach Heath’s system:

Eastern Michigan transfer Ty Groce told @Stockrisers that he’s heard from Georgetown, Marquette, Clemson, Butler, UNLV, Wichita State, Duquesne, Northeastern, Hofstra, Santa Clara, Utah, others.

6’8 prospect averaged 15.2 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks per game

(05-29-2021 08:50 AM)EagleSam Wrote:  Hard to disagree. I’d prefer McBride off the ball, so either Luka starts at point for me, or Spottsville does if Luka isn’t quite ready. I also like a little bit of small ball since our guards are big and the forwards are athletic. My starting lineup would tentatively be:

Luka/Spottsville
McBride
Scott
Golson/Binelli
Okongo/Njie/Randle

Everything is a crapshoot at this point. I’m liking what we are assembling in the front court though. Lots of size and options, plus the depth allows the younger guys to develop. Great job by Coach Heath so far.

(05-29-2021 08:50 AM)EagleSam Wrote:  Hard to disagree. I’d prefer McBride off the ball, so either Luka starts at point for me, or Spottsville does if Luka isn’t quite ready. I also like a little bit of small ball since our guards are big and the forwards are athletic. My starting lineup would tentatively be:

Luka/Spottsville
McBride
Scott
Golson/Binelli
Okongo/Njie/Randle

Everything is a crapshoot at this point. I’m liking what we are assembling in the front court though. Lots of size and options, plus the depth allows the younger guys to develop. Great job by Coach Heath so far.

(05-29-2021 10:34 AM)Luckeyone Wrote:  

(05-29-2021 08:50 AM)EagleSam Wrote:  Hard to disagree. I’d prefer McBride off the ball, so either Luka starts at point for me, or Spottsville does if Luka isn’t quite ready. I also like a little bit of small ball since our guards are big and the forwards are athletic. My starting lineup would tentatively be:

Luka/Spottsville
McBride
Scott
Golson/Binelli
Okongo/Njie/Randle

Everything is a crapshoot at this point. I’m liking what we are assembling in the front court though. Lots of size and options, plus the depth allows the younger guys to develop. Great job by Coach Heath so far.

I’ve been watching some of the highlight videos and I’ll join in on the way too early prediction on a starting lineup. First off, we are loaded with depth and pieces that are interchangeable.

1st Team
PG Luka
SG Scott
SG McBride
SF Golson
C Njie

2nd Team
G Spottsville/Clements
SG/SF Binelli
SF/C Randle
C Okongo

Lukas highlights are impressive because he shoots jump shots over defenders and also does the step back to create space. At 6’3”-6’4” he has the size but I still need to see if he has the quicks and the strength for the MAC. I believe Stan sees Luka as the former great KSU guard - Huffman. He could be a candidate for MAC freshman of the year with his deep range.

Scott-All MAC potential and should average 17-20 in uptempo structured offense

McBride - can he be consistent? There may be some games he leads the team in scoring and other games he may need to be a delegate. Needs to improve his strength.

Golson-nice size and strength. Should average 10-14 ppg. Does he have midrange game? Will play center most likely on some occasions when we play small ball.

NJie - nice player but in his film I didn’t see him play with passion and nastiness. Kind of reminds me of Tim Duncan style. He could be the MAN in two seasons. His great size and strength should propel him to immediate starter. Even as a freshman, should average 6-10 ppg and 7 rebounds.

Randle- love his energy and athleticism. Definitely a sub who will garner a lot of minutes . Avg 4-6 ppg, 3-5 rebounds, lead team in shot blocks.

Spottsville- love his strength, size, motor and tenacity. He doesn’t give up!! Sam could be right that he starts because of his defensive skill set and experience. If Heath can improve his FT and outside shooting, he could be the most improved from last season. Will he play with confidence???

Binelli-beaming with potential!! He’s a bit unknown because of covid19 season, injury, Murphy system etc. However he’s an unbelievable pure shooter. If the game is close, I don’t see him on the bench. If Heath runs Binelli off screens, he’ll have games where he could go off for 20 points. Can he play D? He’s not big enough to play C but he should get lots of pt.

Okongo - big, and strong but not explosive. Quickness? Since he has limited eligibility I don’t see him starting but providing a rest for NJie.

Clements - I love his motor, quicks, size and strength!!! He can get to the rim but he needs to develop consistent jump shooting over defenders. His body is D1 ready....at some point he’ll be much better than Spottsville. He could be a heckuva player if he develops outside shooting.

Ok this was just for fun obviously based on highlights.

EMU is a sleeping giant in basketball as coach Heath proclaimed. One of our big advantages is being so close to AA and UofM. It is going to be interesting to see how these youngsters perform against scrimmages with UofM this summer which has a team that may win the NCAA championship next season. That’s a recruiting tool that helps us by telling our players you’ll be going up against a national contender during the summer.

I hope Juwan will give us a 1 for 2 but probably not. Maybe Izzo will because of relationship with Stan.

I do predict the convo is going to be rocking this season!!! Ohio should come in ranked, rival Toled should get preseason accolades, Buffalo, BSU, BG should be really tough.

Let’s fix the schedule and get the convo rocking!!!

(05-29-2021 12:39 PM)emu steve Wrote:  

(05-29-2021 10:34 AM)Luckeyone Wrote:  

(05-29-2021 08:50 AM)EagleSam Wrote:  Hard to disagree. I’d prefer McBride off the ball, so either Luka starts at point for me, or Spottsville does if Luka isn’t quite ready. I also like a little bit of small ball since our guards are big and the forwards are athletic. My starting lineup would tentatively be:

Luka/Spottsville
McBride
Scott
Golson/Binelli
Okongo/Njie/Randle

Everything is a crapshoot at this point. I’m liking what we are assembling in the front court though. Lots of size and options, plus the depth allows the younger guys to develop. Great job by Coach Heath so far.

I’ve been watching some of the highlight videos and I’ll join in on the way too early prediction on a starting lineup. First off, we are loaded with depth and pieces that are interchangeable.

1st Team
PG Luka
SG Scott
SG McBride
SF Golson
C Njie

2nd Team
G Spottsville/Clements
SG/SF Binelli
SF/C Randle
C Okongo

Lukas highlights are impressive because he shoots jump shots over defenders and also does the step back to create space. At 6’3”-6’4” he has the size but I still need to see if he has the quicks and the strength for the MAC. I believe Stan sees Luka as the former great KSU guard - Huffman. He could be a candidate for MAC freshman of the year with his deep range.

Scott-All MAC potential and should average 17-20 in uptempo structured offense

McBride - can he be consistent? There may be some games he leads the team in scoring and other games he may need to be a delegate. Needs to improve his strength.

Golson-nice size and strength. Should average 10-14 ppg. Does he have midrange game? Will play center most likely on some occasions when we play small ball.

NJie - nice player but in his film I didn’t see him play with passion and nastiness. Kind of reminds me of Tim Duncan style. He could be the MAN in two seasons. His great size and strength should propel him to immediate starter. Even as a freshman, should average 6-10 ppg and 7 rebounds.

Randle- love his energy and athleticism. Definitely a sub who will garner a lot of minutes . Avg 4-6 ppg, 3-5 rebounds, lead team in shot blocks.

Spottsville- love his strength, size, motor and tenacity. He doesn’t give up!! Sam could be right that he starts because of his defensive skill set and experience. If Heath can improve his FT and outside shooting, he could be the most improved from last season. Will he play with confidence???

Binelli-beaming with potential!! He’s a bit unknown because of covid19 season, injury, Murphy system etc. However he’s an unbelievable pure shooter. If the game is close, I don’t see him on the bench. If Heath runs Binelli off screens, he’ll have games where he could go off for 20 points. Can he play D? He’s not big enough to play C but he should get lots of pt.

Okongo - big, and strong but not explosive. Quickness? Since he has limited eligibility I don’t see him starting but providing a rest for NJie.

Clements - I love his motor, quicks, size and strength!!! He can get to the rim but he needs to develop consistent jump shooting over defenders. His body is D1 ready....at some point he’ll be much better than Spottsville. He could be a heckuva player if he develops outside shooting.

Ok this was just for fun obviously based on highlights.

EMU is a sleeping giant in basketball as coach Heath proclaimed. One of our big advantages is being so close to AA and UofM. It is going to be interesting to see how these youngsters perform against scrimmages with UofM this summer which has a team that may win the NCAA championship next season. That’s a recruiting tool that helps us by telling our players you’ll be going up against a national contender during the summer.

I hope Juwan will give us a 1 for 2 but probably not. Maybe Izzo will because of relationship with Stan.

I do predict the convo is going to be rocking this season!!! Ohio should come in ranked, rival Toled should get preseason accolades, Buffalo, BSU, BG should be really tough.

Let’s fix the schedule and get the convo rocking!!!

You got say 75 - 100K to donate so we can 'buy' a D-I game?

As we've said many said (re-phrased), "Money talks, and non-D-I games walk..."

We'll see if say Izzo will CHARITABLY do a 1 for 2 game with Stan. Normally schools don't like to give away say 250K or more by playing a game for friendship. 250K is an estimate of what MSU could net playing a no-name D-I opponent.

(05-29-2021 04:18 PM)Luckeyone Wrote:  

(05-29-2021 12:39 PM)emu steve Wrote:  

(05-29-2021 10:34 AM)Luckeyone Wrote:  

(05-29-2021 08:50 AM)EagleSam Wrote:  Hard to disagree. I’d prefer McBride off the ball, so either Luka starts at point for me, or Spottsville does if Luka isn’t quite ready. I also like a little bit of small ball since our guards are big and the forwards are athletic. My starting lineup would tentatively be:

Luka/Spottsville
McBride
Scott
Golson/Binelli
Okongo/Njie/Randle

Everything is a crapshoot at this point. I’m liking what we are assembling in the front court though. Lots of size and options, plus the depth allows the younger guys to develop. Great job by Coach Heath so far.

I’ve been watching some of the highlight videos and I’ll join in on the way too early prediction on a starting lineup. First off, we are loaded with depth and pieces that are interchangeable.

1st Team
PG Luka
SG Scott
SG McBride
SF Golson
C Njie

2nd Team
G Spottsville/Clements
SG/SF Binelli
SF/C Randle
C Okongo

Lukas highlights are impressive because he shoots jump shots over defenders and also does the step back to create space. At 6’3”-6’4” he has the size but I still need to see if he has the quicks and the strength for the MAC. I believe Stan sees Luka as the former great KSU guard - Huffman. He could be a candidate for MAC freshman of the year with his deep range.

Scott-All MAC potential and should average 17-20 in uptempo structured offense

McBride - can he be consistent? There may be some games he leads the team in scoring and other games he may need to be a delegate. Needs to improve his strength.

Golson-nice size and strength. Should average 10-14 ppg. Does he have midrange game? Will play center most likely on some occasions when we play small ball.

NJie - nice player but in his film I didn’t see him play with passion and nastiness. Kind of reminds me of Tim Duncan style. He could be the MAN in two seasons. His great size and strength should propel him to immediate starter. Even as a freshman, should average 6-10 ppg and 7 rebounds.

Randle- love his energy and athleticism. Definitely a sub who will garner a lot of minutes . Avg 4-6 ppg, 3-5 rebounds, lead team in shot blocks.

Spottsville- love his strength, size, motor and tenacity. He doesn’t give up!! Sam could be right that he starts because of his defensive skill set and experience. If Heath can improve his FT and outside shooting, he could be the most improved from last season. Will he play with confidence???

Binelli-beaming with potential!! He’s a bit unknown because of covid19 season, injury, Murphy system etc. However he’s an unbelievable pure shooter. If the game is close, I don’t see him on the bench. If Heath runs Binelli off screens, he’ll have games where he could go off for 20 points. Can he play D? He’s not big enough to play C but he should get lots of pt.

Okongo - big, and strong but not explosive. Quickness? Since he has limited eligibility I don’t see him starting but providing a rest for NJie.

Clements - I love his motor, quicks, size and strength!!! He can get to the rim but he needs to develop consistent jump shooting over defenders. His body is D1 ready....at some point he’ll be much better than Spottsville. He could be a heckuva player if he develops outside shooting.

Ok this was just for fun obviously based on highlights.

EMU is a sleeping giant in basketball as coach Heath proclaimed. One of our big advantages is being so close to AA and UofM. It is going to be interesting to see how these youngsters perform against scrimmages with UofM this summer which has a team that may win the NCAA championship next season. That’s a recruiting tool that helps us by telling our players you’ll be going up against a national contender during the summer.

I hope Juwan will give us a 1 for 2 but probably not. Maybe Izzo will because of relationship with Stan.

I do predict the convo is going to be rocking this season!!! Ohio should come in ranked, rival Toled should get preseason accolades, Buffalo, BSU, BG should be really tough.

Let’s fix the schedule and get the convo rocking!!!

You got say 75 - 100K to donate so we can 'buy' a D-I game?

As we've said many said (re-phrased), "Money talks, and non-D-I games walk..."

We'll see if say Izzo will CHARITABLY do a 1 for 2 game with Stan. Normally schools don't like to give away say 250K or more by playing a game for friendship. 250K is an estimate of what MSU could net playing a no-name D-I opponent.

Don’t need the 75-100k....you’ve been fed a line by Murphy who padded his schedule with D3 for wins. Play the B1G away for money and then schedule home and home with Oakland, IUPUI, Cleveland St, UofD, etc

This is not rocket science. Watch Heath fix the schedule

(05-30-2021 08:40 AM)emu79 Wrote:  I agree with Steve, even Murphy wasn't happy about the schedule and publicly said so which I believe may have started the rift between Heather and him.
Unless Heath is paying for better games out of his salary I don't see how Stan is going to "fix" the schedule. More attendance more interest equals better games and better things like half time entertainment. It would be wonderful is EMU fans could donate the $$$ like CMU fans did to buy out Keno but to use it to improve our program. Fixing the coaching is only one aspect of fixing the men's program. You can still have a decent schedule by using Oakland Detroit Valpo Indiana at Fort Wayne, some Chicago schools or Cleveland St where the travel costs aren't as high. EMU football ticket prices have stayed the same or declined slightly which is great. EMU sports competes in the entertainment space ie movies and other things. Frankly I prefer lower ticket prices and getting kids and families in the seats. We used to be able to go to EMU basketball games as a family of 4 for a single game for $20. My two kids loved it and one even talked about attending EMU for college especially when the room and board deal a few years ago. Let folks sample the product and trust me if the costs remain reasonable they will back for more. Yes winning helps I think my wife and I are now on season ticket season 6 for football. EMU football is exciting to watch in person and competitive. Heck back in 1978 I think Bowling Green was up by 40 points-at halftime. Stan is bringing some local players which is great and its is a start.

(05-30-2021 09:07 AM)emu steve Wrote:  

(05-30-2021 08:40 AM)emu79 Wrote:  I agree with Steve, even Murphy wasn't happy about the schedule and publicly said so which I believe may have started the rift between Heather and him.
Unless Heath is paying for better games out of his salary I don't see how Stan is going to "fix" the schedule. More attendance more interest equals better games and better things like half time entertainment. It would be wonderful is EMU fans could donate the $$$ like CMU fans did to buy out Keno but to use it to improve our program. Fixing the coaching is only one aspect of fixing the men's program. You can still have a decent schedule by using Oakland Detroit Valpo Indiana at Fort Wayne, some Chicago schools or Cleveland St where the travel costs aren't as high. EMU football ticket prices have stayed the same or declined slightly which is great. EMU sports competes in the entertainment space ie movies and other things. Frankly I prefer lower ticket prices and getting kids and families in the seats. We used to be able to go to EMU basketball games as a family of 4 for a single game for $20. My two kids loved it and one even talked about attending EMU for college especially when the room and board deal a few years ago. Let folks sample the product and trust me if the costs remain reasonable they will back for more. Yes winning helps I think my wife and I are now on season ticket season 6 for football. EMU football is exciting to watch in person and competitive. Heck back in 1978 I think Bowling Green was up by 40 points-at halftime. Stan is bringing some local players which is great and its is a start.

And I probably understated the financial poverty in EMU MBB than the example I used. I believe the disparity between TOL and EMU is much greater than my example.

I agree with '79 that Murphy was not happy with the financial resources he had to work and as '79 indicated spoke out and that caused problems within the EMU athletic department.

What fans have to realize is that capital expenditures (e.g., building the Convo, SAPC, etc.) are completely different than money to play coaches salaries, home game guarantees, etc. The new lights at Rynearson were univeristy maintenance funds, not athletic dept funds.

And if Luckey wants to be fair about it, what big name FBS team has played at The Factory during the last 10 years (same time period as Murphy's tenure)? One year we had what Howard and Alabama State. This year St. Francis and not Texas Tech but Texas State. And a home and home vs. UMass.

EDIT: readers will remember that we gave up a MSU game and postponed our SDSU game.

It is almost a syllogism that EMU MBB and EMU FB employ the same SCHEDULING strategy:

"Cheap" home games vs. FCS teams, home and home vs. weak FBS teams and one (or two) payday games.

Our cheap home game is St. Francis (Pa.), our home and home is UMass. and WI is our pay day. Texas State - not sure if this is home and home.

(05-30-2021 03:15 PM)emu79 Wrote:  

(05-30-2021 09:07 AM)emu steve Wrote:  

(05-30-2021 08:40 AM)emu79 Wrote:  I agree with Steve, even Murphy wasn't happy about the schedule and publicly said so which I believe may have started the rift between Heather and him.
Unless Heath is paying for better games out of his salary I don't see how Stan is going to "fix" the schedule. More attendance more interest equals better games and better things like half time entertainment. It would be wonderful is EMU fans could donate the $$$ like CMU fans did to buy out Keno but to use it to improve our program. Fixing the coaching is only one aspect of fixing the men's program. You can still have a decent schedule by using Oakland Detroit Valpo Indiana at Fort Wayne, some Chicago schools or Cleveland St where the travel costs aren't as high. EMU football ticket prices have stayed the same or declined slightly which is great. EMU sports competes in the entertainment space ie movies and other things. Frankly I prefer lower ticket prices and getting kids and families in the seats. We used to be able to go to EMU basketball games as a family of 4 for a single game for $20. My two kids loved it and one even talked about attending EMU for college especially when the room and board deal a few years ago. Let folks sample the product and trust me if the costs remain reasonable they will back for more. Yes winning helps I think my wife and I are now on season ticket season 6 for football. EMU football is exciting to watch in person and competitive. Heck back in 1978 I think Bowling Green was up by 40 points-at halftime. Stan is bringing some local players which is great and its is a start.

And I probably understated the financial poverty in EMU MBB than the example I used. I believe the disparity between TOL and EMU is much greater than my example.

I agree with '79 that Murphy was not happy with the financial resources he had to work and as '79 indicated spoke out and that caused problems within the EMU athletic department.

What fans have to realize is that capital expenditures (e.g., building the Convo, SAPC, etc.) are completely different than money to play coaches salaries, home game guarantees, etc. The new lights at Rynearson were univeristy maintenance funds, not athletic dept funds.

And if Luckey wants to be fair about it, what big name FBS team has played at The Factory during the last 10 years (same time period as Murphy's tenure)? One year we had what Howard and Alabama State. This year St. Francis and not Texas Tech but Texas State. And a home and home vs. UMass.

EDIT: readers will remember that we gave up a MSU game and postponed our SDSU game.

It is almost a syllogism that EMU MBB and EMU FB employ the same SCHEDULING strategy:

"Cheap" home games vs. FCS teams, home and home vs. weak FBS teams and one (or two) payday games.

Our cheap home game is St. Francis (Pa.), our home and home is UMass. and WI is our pay day. Texas State - not sure if this is home and home.

We lost two big payday games last football season which didn't help resource wise.

(05-29-2021 04:18 PM)Luckeyone Wrote:  

(05-29-2021 12:39 PM)emu steve Wrote:  

(05-29-2021 10:34 AM)Luckeyone Wrote:  

(05-29-2021 08:50 AM)EagleSam Wrote:  Hard to disagree. I’d prefer McBride off the ball, so either Luka starts at point for me, or Spottsville does if Luka isn’t quite ready. I also like a little bit of small ball since our guards are big and the forwards are athletic. My starting lineup would tentatively be:

Luka/Spottsville
McBride
Scott
Golson/Binelli
Okongo/Njie/Randle

Everything is a crapshoot at this point. I’m liking what we are assembling in the front court though. Lots of size and options, plus the depth allows the younger guys to develop. Great job by Coach Heath so far.

I’ve been watching some of the highlight videos and I’ll join in on the way too early prediction on a starting lineup. First off, we are loaded with depth and pieces that are interchangeable.

1st Team
PG Luka
SG Scott
SG McBride
SF Golson
C Njie

2nd Team
G Spottsville/Clements
SG/SF Binelli
SF/C Randle
C Okongo

Lukas highlights are impressive because he shoots jump shots over defenders and also does the step back to create space. At 6’3”-6’4” he has the size but I still need to see if he has the quicks and the strength for the MAC. I believe Stan sees Luka as the former great KSU guard - Huffman. He could be a candidate for MAC freshman of the year with his deep range.

Scott-All MAC potential and should average 17-20 in uptempo structured offense

McBride - can he be consistent? There may be some games he leads the team in scoring and other games he may need to be a delegate. Needs to improve his strength.

Golson-nice size and strength. Should average 10-14 ppg. Does he have midrange game? Will play center most likely on some occasions when we play small ball.

NJie - nice player but in his film I didn’t see him play with passion and nastiness. Kind of reminds me of Tim Duncan style. He could be the MAN in two seasons. His great size and strength should propel him to immediate starter. Even as a freshman, should average 6-10 ppg and 7 rebounds.

Randle- love his energy and athleticism. Definitely a sub who will garner a lot of minutes . Avg 4-6 ppg, 3-5 rebounds, lead team in shot blocks.

Spottsville- love his strength, size, motor and tenacity. He doesn’t give up!! Sam could be right that he starts because of his defensive skill set and experience. If Heath can improve his FT and outside shooting, he could be the most improved from last season. Will he play with confidence???

Binelli-beaming with potential!! He’s a bit unknown because of covid19 season, injury, Murphy system etc. However he’s an unbelievable pure shooter. If the game is close, I don’t see him on the bench. If Heath runs Binelli off screens, he’ll have games where he could go off for 20 points. Can he play D? He’s not big enough to play C but he should get lots of pt.

Okongo - big, and strong but not explosive. Quickness? Since he has limited eligibility I don’t see him starting but providing a rest for NJie.

Clements - I love his motor, quicks, size and strength!!! He can get to the rim but he needs to develop consistent jump shooting over defenders. His body is D1 ready....at some point he’ll be much better than Spottsville. He could be a heckuva player if he develops outside shooting.

Ok this was just for fun obviously based on highlights.

EMU is a sleeping giant in basketball as coach Heath proclaimed. One of our big advantages is being so close to AA and UofM. It is going to be interesting to see how these youngsters perform against scrimmages with UofM this summer which has a team that may win the NCAA championship next season. That’s a recruiting tool that helps us by telling our players you’ll be going up against a national contender during the summer.

I hope Juwan will give us a 1 for 2 but probably not. Maybe Izzo will because of relationship with Stan.

I do predict the convo is going to be rocking this season!!! Ohio should come in ranked, rival Toled should get preseason accolades, Buffalo, BSU, BG should be really tough.

Let’s fix the schedule and get the convo rocking!!!

You got say 75 - 100K to donate so we can 'buy' a D-I game?

As we've said many said (re-phrased), "Money talks, and non-D-I games walk..."

We'll see if say Izzo will CHARITABLY do a 1 for 2 game with Stan. Normally schools don't like to give away say 250K or more by playing a game for friendship. 250K is an estimate of what MSU could net playing a no-name D-I opponent.

Don’t need the 75-100k....you’ve been fed a line by Murphy who padded his schedule with D3 for wins. Play the B1G away for money and then schedule home and home with Oakland, IUPUI, Cleveland St, UofD, etc

This is not rocket science. Watch Heath fix the schedule

(05-30-2021 04:54 PM)Jerry Weaver Wrote:  

(05-29-2021 04:18 PM)Luckeyone Wrote:  

(05-29-2021 12:39 PM)emu steve Wrote:  

(05-29-2021 10:34 AM)Luckeyone Wrote:  

(05-29-2021 08:50 AM)EagleSam Wrote:  Hard to disagree. I’d prefer McBride off the ball, so either Luka starts at point for me, or Spottsville does if Luka isn’t quite ready. I also like a little bit of small ball since our guards are big and the forwards are athletic. My starting lineup would tentatively be:

Luka/Spottsville
McBride
Scott
Golson/Binelli
Okongo/Njie/Randle

Everything is a crapshoot at this point. I’m liking what we are assembling in the front court though. Lots of size and options, plus the depth allows the younger guys to develop. Great job by Coach Heath so far.

I’ve been watching some of the highlight videos and I’ll join in on the way too early prediction on a starting lineup. First off, we are loaded with depth and pieces that are interchangeable.

1st Team
PG Luka
SG Scott
SG McBride
SF Golson
C Njie

2nd Team
G Spottsville/Clements
SG/SF Binelli
SF/C Randle
C Okongo

Lukas highlights are impressive because he shoots jump shots over defenders and also does the step back to create space. At 6’3”-6’4” he has the size but I still need to see if he has the quicks and the strength for the MAC. I believe Stan sees Luka as the former great KSU guard - Huffman. He could be a candidate for MAC freshman of the year with his deep range.

Scott-All MAC potential and should average 17-20 in uptempo structured offense

McBride - can he be consistent? There may be some games he leads the team in scoring and other games he may need to be a delegate. Needs to improve his strength.

Golson-nice size and strength. Should average 10-14 ppg. Does he have midrange game? Will play center most likely on some occasions when we play small ball.

NJie - nice player but in his film I didn’t see him play with passion and nastiness. Kind of reminds me of Tim Duncan style. He could be the MAN in two seasons. His great size and strength should propel him to immediate starter. Even as a freshman, should average 6-10 ppg and 7 rebounds.

Randle- love his energy and athleticism. Definitely a sub who will garner a lot of minutes . Avg 4-6 ppg, 3-5 rebounds, lead team in shot blocks.

Spottsville- love his strength, size, motor and tenacity. He doesn’t give up!! Sam could be right that he starts because of his defensive skill set and experience. If Heath can improve his FT and outside shooting, he could be the most improved from last season. Will he play with confidence???

Binelli-beaming with potential!! He’s a bit unknown because of covid19 season, injury, Murphy system etc. However he’s an unbelievable pure shooter. If the game is close, I don’t see him on the bench. If Heath runs Binelli off screens, he’ll have games where he could go off for 20 points. Can he play D? He’s not big enough to play C but he should get lots of pt.

Okongo - big, and strong but not explosive. Quickness? Since he has limited eligibility I don’t see him starting but providing a rest for NJie.

Clements - I love his motor, quicks, size and strength!!! He can get to the rim but he needs to develop consistent jump shooting over defenders. His body is D1 ready....at some point he’ll be much better than Spottsville. He could be a heckuva player if he develops outside shooting.

Ok this was just for fun obviously based on highlights.

EMU is a sleeping giant in basketball as coach Heath proclaimed. One of our big advantages is being so close to AA and UofM. It is going to be interesting to see how these youngsters perform against scrimmages with UofM this summer which has a team that may win the NCAA championship next season. That’s a recruiting tool that helps us by telling our players you’ll be going up against a national contender during the summer.

I hope Juwan will give us a 1 for 2 but probably not. Maybe Izzo will because of relationship with Stan.

I do predict the convo is going to be rocking this season!!! Ohio should come in ranked, rival Toled should get preseason accolades, Buffalo, BSU, BG should be really tough.

Let’s fix the schedule and get the convo rocking!!!

You got say 75 - 100K to donate so we can 'buy' a D-I game?

As we've said many said (re-phrased), "Money talks, and non-D-I games walk..."

We'll see if say Izzo will CHARITABLY do a 1 for 2 game with Stan. Normally schools don't like to give away say 250K or more by playing a game for friendship. 250K is an estimate of what MSU could net playing a no-name D-I opponent.

Don’t need the 75-100k....you’ve been fed a line by Murphy who padded his schedule with D3 for wins. Play the B1G away for money and then schedule home and home with Oakland, IUPUI, Cleveland St, UofD, etc

This is not rocket science. Watch Heath fix the schedule

Once again I am on the Luckey bandwagon. For now I would play the big boys on the road and bank the money. I may be wrong but I don't think any MAC school schedules Power 6 opponents at home very often in recent years. While the MAC may consider itself superior to the Horizon League, it clearly is not and those opponents present legitimate competition and nearby fan bases who can easily travel. Let Stan revitalize the program first and establish EMU as a "fun to watch" basketball team, as much as I am proud of Murph's win in Ann Arbor, the score was 45-42 and fans other than us would have found it extremely boring. If U-M came to the Convo next year, they would have the home crowd advantage and probably drub us by 40 points or more, not a good thing.

'79 makes solid points about attendance, we just need to get more SE Michigan people to sample the product and present a compelling value proposition when they do. We now have a coach focused on filling seats, I want to let him build the program before we get overly aggressive in scheduling. Baby steps for now.

(05-30-2021 08:55 PM)Ken Barna Wrote:  Dear steve,
I have to take some exception to your comment about Toledo fans filling their arena compared to Eastern fans filling the Convocation Center. The difference is Toledo was winning games, Eastern not. As others have mentioned, playing exciting basketball at Toledo, Eastern not. That is why one arena is filled and the other empty. It always comes down to winning. Until Eastern wins games with some consistentcy, the Convocation Center will remain empty.

(05-30-2021 10:09 PM)emu steve Wrote:  

(05-30-2021 08:55 PM)Ken Barna Wrote:  Dear steve,
I have to take some exception to your comment about Toledo fans filling their arena compared to Eastern fans filling the Convocation Center. The difference is Toledo was winning games, Eastern not. As others have mentioned, playing exciting basketball at Toledo, Eastern not. That is why one arena is filled and the other empty. It always comes down to winning. Until Eastern wins games with some consistentcy, the Convocation Center will remain empty.

Maybe, but TOL has out drawn EMU in all sports over all time. TOL does an excellent job supporting their teams.