Eastern Michigan Athletics
Men's Basketball Has High Hopes for 2009-10
10/27/2009 1:07:55 PM | Men's Basketball
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- Charles E. Ramsey is hoping that the 2009-10 season will finally see his team at full strength.
Now entering his fifth year as the head coach of the Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team, Ramsey has had to deal with setbacks the past three years, the last two before the season even started.
In 2006-07, the Eagles were cruising along midway through the season when starting point guard Carlos Medlock (6-0, 186, Sr.-Detroit, Mich.-Murray Wright) suffered a broken bone in his right foot and missed the final 12 games of the year.
In 2007-08, forward Brandon Bowdry (6-6, 235, Jr.-St. Louis, Mo.-Taylor Truman), was sidelined before the season even started when he was diagnosed with a broken bone in his right foot and was out for the year.
Move forward to 2008-09, and the bad breaks continued, this time with Medlock, a preseason first-team All-Mid-American Conference West Division selection, receiving the news that his broken right foot would require surgery for the second time in his career, forcing him to miss the entire season.
Despite all of those literal bad breaks, the Eagles perservered and managed to finish each year on a positive note, including finishing in a tie for second in the MAC West Division in 2008-09.
And now the Eagles will prepare for the 2009-10 season with both Medlock and Bowdry healthy to go along with seven other lettermen and a cast of five talented recruits, two from the junior-college ranks.
Bowdry was named second-team All-MAC in 2008-09 after averaging 14.8 points, seventh best in the league, and 7.2 rebounds, good for the sixth-best MAC effort. Front line teammate Justin Dobbins (6-8, 245, Sr.-Cleveland, Ohio-Glenville) joins Bowdry after finishing 23rd in the MAC in scoring (10.0) and 18th in rebounding at 5.0 per game.
Although missing the entire season with his re-broken foot, Medlock is expected to return to post 2008-09 form when he earned honorable mention All-MAC honors after averaging 14.8 points and 2.0 triples a game.
Medlock, Bowdry and Dobbins continue to move their way up the EMU men's basketball record boards. Medlock enters his medical redshirt senior year with 1,032 career points, good for the 23rd spot in school history while his 215 career rebounds is tied for 80th. Medlock is also a dangerous three-point threat with 138 career triples, good for eighth in the EMU record book. Dobbins is ranked 44th in school history with 776 points and 41st in rebounding at 399 while Bowdry is currently 49th in scoring at 725 points and tied for 39th in rebounding with 403 career caroms.
Other lettermen returning to the fold and being counted on to make improvement from last season are forwards Will Cooper (6-6, 180, Jr.-Detroit, Mich.-Pershing-Brigton Academy), Branden Harrison (6-7, 175, So.-Houston, Tex-Milby) and Kamil Janton (6-10, 230, So.-Tarnow, Poland-Chicago Bartlett) along with guards L.J. Frazier (5-10, 170, So.-Ypsilanti, Mich.-Ypsilanti) and Antonio Green (6-3, 195, So.-Inkster, Mich.-Robichaud).
Cooper was named the team's Earl Boykins Defensive Player of the Year recipient last season and finished ninth in the MAC in blocked shots with 0.78 per game. Cooper contributed offensively with a 2.9 scoring average and a 3.2 rebound mark.
Green came on strong late in his freshman season in 2008-09 and was named the team's Harold Simons Most Improved Player after scoring in double figures in five of his last six games. Green averaged 3.9 per game. At Central Michigan, Feb. 28, Green hit a trio of free throws in the final seconds to lead the Eagles to a one-point victory, 57-56, over the Chippewas.
Frazier was called on to run the point guard position as a redshirt freshman last year when Medlock was lost for the season and he started 22 of 32 games. He was 10th in the MAC in three-point field goal percentage at 36.5 (42-of-115) and led the team in assists with 2.0 a contest.
Harrison and Janton both saw limited action as true freshmen last year, but are being counted on for more playing time in 2009-10.
Ramsey is excited about the potential of his incoming recruiting class. Highlighting that group are junior college standouts Jay Higgins (6-6, 205, Jr.-Fayetteville, N.C.-Hillsborough C.C.) and Quintin Dailey (6-3, 175, Jr.-Las Vegas, Nev.-Sheridan C.C.).
Higgins averaged 17.0 points and 5.0 rebounds at Hillsborough while Dailey averaged 12.2 ppg. and 3.5 rpg. and will both help improve EMU's three-point shooting output.
The other three recruits, freshmen, Matt Balkema (6-10, 290, Fr.-Roseville, Mich.-Warren Cousino), J.R. Sims (6-3, 180, Fr.-Fort Wayne, Ind.-Snider) and Jamell Harris (6-8, 200, Fr.-Euclid, Ohio-Euclid) are all expected to contribute immediately. Balkema and Harris should both be in the mix on the front line in both scoring and rebounding. Balkema averaged 15 points and 9.6 rebounds and Harris checked in at 17 points and 7 rebounds as prep seniors. Sims will offer backcourt help after averaging 15 points and 4 rebounds in his senior year of high school.
The Eagles also added a preferred walk-on, local Saline H.S. guard product Jake Fosdick (6-2, 170, Fr.-Saline, Mich.-Saline).
After beginning the 2009-10 season at home with an exhibition match-up with Concordia, the Eagles head down the road to Rochester, Mich. for a non-conference tilt against the Golden Grizzlies from Oakland University for their official season opener.
The team will then make the trek to Springfield, Mo. for the Hispanic College Fund Classic, Nov. 20-22. The team will square off against the Citadel, Nov. 20, before taking on the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore and Missouri State University, Nov. 21 and 22.
EMU will play its first official regular season home game Nov. 28 when it hosts Davenport for an afternoon tilt at 2 p.m.
The Eagles open up MAC play on the road when they head to Kalamazoo to play Western Michigan University, Jan. 9.
EMU plays its final regular season home game March 8 when it hosts the Chippewas from Central Michigan University for a MAC West tilt.
The first round of the 2009 MAC Tournament will begin March 7 at campus locations throughout the league. The quarterfinals through the championship game will be held March 11-13 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.
