The unofficial online home for fans of the Kent State University Golden Flashes. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

(07-05-2023 04:27 PM)cleveland Wrote:  

(07-05-2023 01:21 PM)burden Wrote:  

(07-05-2023 06:19 AM)Old Man Flash Wrote:  

(07-03-2023 06:00 PM)cleveland Wrote:  

(07-02-2023 05:19 PM)Muskrat Wrote:  In all my years of watching Kent Basketball there were three true freshmen that I knew would be good after seeing them play just a couple of minutes: Huffman, Eric Thomas, and Cutley. That's all it took me to tell they were real basketball players. Obviously, there were scores I knew would be good after only a game or two. But those three had innate basketball instincts that manifested immediately.

I agree, all three had really strong and high BB IQ, particularly on the offensive end.

But I would add a fourth, not so much for offense but for defense. While DShaw and Huffman were really great on-ball defenders, I think the most innate defender Kent has had over the years was Andrew Mitchell.

Watching many of the game films from that era - and I have several of them - Mitchell just could not be taken off the court, no matter how much he struggled offensively.

He hit the wall, offensively, at the end of every season he was at Kent, including as a senior, but his defensive rotations and instincts were impeccable. If you have a chance to watch Kent's E8 run, and listen to the announcers, they constantly bring up Mitchell's defense.

Again, not the ballhawk that Shaw/Huffman were, but 'right-place, right-time' to make a play, and that was evident from the start. If he were as physicall big as Huffman, Shaw, Porrini, Carry he would have been a monster.

As a post-script (and I can't find the tape) but who remembers his defensive plays down the stretch at BG as a senior to turn that game around. Believe that's the only time I remember Mitchell going in for a dunk -- off a midcourt steal.

Vastly under-rated as a defender IMO.

I was at that game at BG and remember very well the play you refer to. BG’s PG had what appeared to be a breakaway layup but Andrew tracked him down and blocked it from behind. Incredible play and maybe the difference maker in that game.

That BG point guard McLeod was a very nice player who never stopped moving without the ball but he had trouble wearing our defense down because we could rotate three players on him unlike any other team in the MAC.

Just a nit-pick .... McLeod was not the PG on that team, although he was much like Huffman with the ability to play both guard spots. The starting PG on that team was named Pardon.

BTW ... that chase-down block at BG by Mitchell was huge and probably defining, but as I said it was just one of several defensive plays he made down the stretch of that game to turn a what looked like a BG nail-biting win into another Kent victory.

Correct…McLeod was BG’s shooting guard. Their PG was a blonde haired kid. Pretty good but not great as I recall.