Eastern Michigan Athletics
EMU to Play in John Thompson Challenge
11/9/2006 5:19:31 PM | Men's Basketball
Eagles to play three games at U-M's Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor
Complete Game Notes (PDF).
Live Stats: vs. Davidson (Nov. 10) .
Live Stats: vs. CCSU (Nov. 11) .
Live Stats: vs. Michigan (Nov. 12) .
Second-year head coach Charles E. Ramsey’s Eagles will open that three-day event with a 6 p.m. tilt Friday, Nov. 10, against Davidson followed by a 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11, battle with Central Connecticut State and a Sunday, Nov. 12, finale against Michigan at 6 p.m.
The Eagles, 7-21 last year, will have their hands full in the opener of the John Thompson Challenge as Davidson is coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance last year. The Wildcats posted a 20-11 record in 2005-06 while finishing second in the Southern Conference with a 10-5 record. Davidson went on to win the Southern Conference Tournament, qualifying for a berth in the NCAA Tournament where it lost a 70-62 decision to Ohio State in the opening round.
Eagles Open Season with Wayne State Exhibition
The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team opened and closed its 2006-07 preseason schedule with a 74-67 win over a visiting Wayne State team Friday, Nov. 3,in the Convocation Center.
Freshman Devon Dumes (Indianapolis, Ind.-Decatur Central) led EMU with 17 points while Carlos Medlock (Detroit, Mich.-Murray Wright) added 13 points and six assists.
The Eagles will now jump right into the regular season with three games this weekend, Nov. 10-12, at the John Thompson Challenge in Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor.
FOR THE 110th TIME: The 2006-07 season is the 110th year of men’s intercollegiate basketball at Eastern Michigan University. EMU played its inaugural season in 1897-98 and split games with Detroit, losing a 2-0 decision before coming back for a 4-0 victory. The 2006-07 season will also be the 33rd for the Eagles as a member of the Mid-American Conference. The first year of MAC play for EMU was 1974-75 when the then-Hurons went 12-14 overall and 4-9 in league play. EMU has won three Mid-American Conference titles: 1987-88, 1990-91, and 1995-96, and the Green and White captured MAC Tournament crowns in all three of those years in addition to winning the tournament title in 1997-98.
THE COACHING STAFF: The Eagles return all but one coach from last year’s staff. Former EMU assistant Charles E. Ramsey (EMU, ‘92) returns for his second season as the head coach while assistants Derrick McDowell (Stetson, '83) and Carl Thomas (EMU, '92) are the assistant coaches. Rich Marion (Michigan, '96) returns for his second year as the director of basketball operations. The newcomer to the staff is assistant coach Chip Wilde (Western Illinois, '91) who was an administrative assistant at EMU in 1994 and most recently the coordinator of basketball operations at Rutgers University. Dave Good (Central Michigan, 2004) is in his second year as a graduate assistant manager.
EXHIBITION WIN: The Eagles opened and closed the exhibition season with a 74-67 win over a visiting Wayne State team (Nov. 3) in the Convocation Center.
LOOKING AT THE SERIES STANDINGS: EMU will be facing two of its three John Thompson Challenge opponents for the first time on the basketball court. Davidson and Central Connecticut have never played EMU. Michigan holds a 24-2 advantage in the series. The last time the Eagles won at Crisler Arena was Dec. 17, 1997, when the Eagles recorded a 89-83 overtime victory. The last time EMU played in Crisler Arena was Dec. 23, 2002, and Michigan notched an 85-57 win.
EMU-DAVIDSON PROBABLES: The probable starting lineups for the EMU-Davidson game are listed below.
EMU
F 0 Nenad Banjanin (6-7, 215, Jr.)
F 33 Brandon Bowdry (6-6, 215, Fr.)
C 34 Kyle Dodd (6-11, 210, Fr.)
G 3 Carlos Medlock (6-0, 170, So.)
G 23 Jesse Bunkley (6-5, 195, Jr.
Davidson
F 5 Boris Meno (6-8, 220, Jr.)
F 14 Max Paulhus Gosselin (6-6,195,So.)
F 15 Thomas Sander (6-8, 220, Jr.)
G 2 Jason Richards (6-2, 190, Jr.)
G 30 Stephen Curry (6-1, 180, Fr.)
SITTING OUT: The 16-man EMU roster will be three players short for the John Thompson Challenge this weekend. Freshman center Justin Dobbins (Cleveland, Ohio-Glenville) is out indefinitely with a foot stress fracture. Junior Travis Lewis (Kalamazoo, Mich.-Loy Norrix) is a starting wide receiver on the football team and will not join the hoops squad until the football season ends. Junior James Matthews (Detroit, Mich.-Denby) will not play until the second semester.
FAMILIAR FACES: There will be several friendly faces on both benches when the Eagles square off with Michigan Sunday, Nov. 12. EMU’s second-year head coach Charles E. Ramsey was an assistant coach at Michigan from 2001-05. EMU direcctor of basketball operations Rich Marion was on the U-M sports information staff from 1997-2005. Current Michigan assistant coaches, Andrew Moore and Dave Pilipovich were both on the EMU basketball staff, with Moore serving from 2000-02 and Pilipovich from 2000-05.
EMU BASKETBALL RADIO SHOWS: The Eastern Michigan University men’s and women’s basketball coaches will be intereviewed Sunday mornings from 9-10 a.m. during the season on the Green Eggs and Coffee Show on WTKA-AM (1050) in Ann Arbor. WEMU broadcaster Brian Nemerovski will be the host of the hour-long show.
EMU BENCH MARKS: Eastern Michigan University has a big presence on the sidelines in the NCAA Division I ranks. EMU graduates currently leading Division I teams include the Eagle’s current Head Coach Charles E. Ramsey, Perry Watson (Detroit), and Jesse Evans (San Francisco). Former EMU head or assistant coaches running Division I programs are Ben Braun (California), Keith Dambrot (Akron), Gary Waters (Rutgers), Stan Heath (Arkansas), and Todd Lickliter (Butler).
HALL OF FAME FEB. 10: The 31st Annual EMU Athletic Hall of Fame, sponsored by the E-Club Alumni Chapter, will be held Saturday, Feb. 10, 2007, in the atrium of the Convocation Center. The Class of 2006 includes: Greg Howe (baseball), Carole Huston (athletic administration), Dazel Jules (men’s track), Peter Linn (men’s-women’s swimming head coach), Bob Lints (football), Nikki Stubbs (volleyball), and Gary Tyson (men’s basketball).
YOUNG LOOK: When the 2006-07 Eagles begin the regular season they will do it with eight players on the roster that have never appeared in an NCAA Division 1 game. Eastern has eight lettermen returning this year.
CHECKING THE BIRTHDAYS: The youngest player on the 2006-07 EMU roster is Brandon Bowdry, who is 18 (4-25-88), and the oldest player is James Matthews, who is 22 (1-5-84).
Name Birthdate
Jarred Axon 11-19-85
Nenad Banjanin 5-23-85
Brandon Bowdry 4-25-88
Jesse Bunkley 11-20-86
Craig Cashen 12-10-84
William Cooper 11-15-87
Justin Dobbins 11-3-87
Devon Dumes 9-20-87
Kyle Dodd 6-5-86
B.J. Ford 5-12-87
Nick Freer 11-8-85
Zane Gay 2-14-87
Chris Knaub 4-26-85
Travis Lewis 5-14-84
James Matthews 1-5-84
Carlos Medlock 4-22-87
