Eastern Michigan Athletics
Men's Basketball Treks to Chicago State to Open the New Year
12/30/2008 12:01:33 PM | Men's Basketball
Eagles and Cougars meet for 16th time
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FIRST GAME OF NEW YEAR: After closing out the 2008 portion of the schedule with a 63-52 setback at Illinois, Dec. 28, the Eagles open 2009 at Chicago State, Jan. 3, at 2 p.m. in the Cougars’ new 7,000-seat Emil and Patricia Jones Convocation Center in Chicago, Ill. Eastern is slated to complete the non-conference schedule with a Wednesday, Jan. 7, home game against Temple University. EMU is scheduled to begin the 2009 Mid-American Conference schedule at home Saturday, Jan. 10, against Ball State.
GEORGE GERVIN DAY: The EMU-St. Bonaventure non-conference game Saturday, Dec. 20, was "George Gervin Day" in the Convocation Center. The day began with an EMU women’s game against the University of Detroit Mercy at 2 p.m. that saw the Eagles fall, 76-75, in double overtime. The men’s contest followed at 4:30 p.m. and the visitors recorded a 86-78 win over EMU. Gervin received an honorary baccalaureate degree from Eastern Michigan University in a special presentation at halftime of that men’s game. For Gervin, it was the third honor Eastern Michigan has bestowed on the men’s basketball All-American. His jersey was retired in 1986 and he was elected to the EMU Athletic Hall of Fame in1993. He led EMU to the Final Four of the NCAA College Division National Championship in 1971-72 and earned All-American honors that year as a sophomore. He finished his college career with 1,044 points and 562 rebounds. After leaving EMU in 1972, Gervin began his professional basketball career that year with the Virginia Squires of the American Basketball Association. He went on to play for the San Antonio Spurs and the Chicago Bulls in the NBA. He was a nine-time NBA All-Star (1977-85) and was the NBA All-Star Game MVP in 1980. Gervin was named one of the Top 50 Greatest Players in the history of the NBA and was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1996.
FOR THE 112th TIME: The 2008-09 season is the 112th of intercollegiate basketball for the Eastern Michigan University Eagles. Eastern played its first season in 1897-98 and split games with Detroit, losing a 2-0 decision before coming back for a 4-0 victory. The 2008-09 season will also be the 35th for the Eagles in 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.
EMU AND CHICAGO STATE: EMU will enter Saturday’s, Jan. 3, 2009, game at Chicago State University with a 2-10 record. The Eagles lost a close, 62-53 decision at Illinois, Dec. 28, in their last outing. Chicago State is currently 7-6 on the season The Cougars opened the University of Central Florida Classic with a 98-89 win over Campbell College, Dec. 29. CSU is slated to play UCF in the championship game, Dec. 30.
THE SERIES: Chicago State has an 8-7 lead in the series with EMU. CSU handed EMU a 72-68 setback last year, Jan. 2, 2008, in Ypsilanti. Chicago State has won the last four in a row over the Eagles with the last EMU win a 96-75 decision, Dec. 22, 1993, in Chicago.
RETURNING HOME, AGAIN: Two EMU players with Illinois high school connections will be making their second straight trip to the land of Lincoln when the Eagles play at Chicago State, Jan. 3. Freshmen Daniel Barnes (Chicago, Ill.-Oak Park) and Kamil Janton (Tarnow, Poland-Bartlett (Ill.) H.S.) both made the trip with the Eagles to play at the University of Illinois, Dec. 28, and will make the trip this weekend to CSU.
HOLDING THE BOARD EDGE: The Eagles have won the battle of the boards in eight of 12 games this season.
WINNING THE BATTLE, LOSING THE WAR: In EMU’s 62-53 loss at Illinois, Dec. 28, the Eagles topped the Illini in field-goal percentage, 45.8-44.0, and rebounding, 30-28, but Illinois took advantage of three-point shooting, making 5-of-13 (38.5 percent) to 2-of-12 (16.7 percent) and free throw shooting, making 13-of-15 (86.7 percent) to EMU’s 7-of-13 (53.8 percent) to win the game.
REACHING 600: Junior center Justin Dobbins (Cleveland, Ohio-Glenville) has become the 72nd player in EMU history to reach the 600-point plateau with 600 on the nose heading into the Chicago State game, Jan. 3, 2009. Dobbins has played in 68 games, starting 55 times, and has 600 points and 297 rebounds.
TWO FOR TOP 70: The EMU twosome of Justin Dobbins (Cleveland, Ohio-Glenville) and Brandon Bowdry (St. Louis, Mo.-Taylor (Mich.) Truman) have been a major force in the Eagles’ offense this year and both have moved into the top 70 in rebounding in EMU history. Dobbins has hauled down 297 boards during his 68-game EMU career to rank 60th while Bowdry has grabbed 252 boards in just 44 games to rank 69th. Dobbins has played in the past three seasons for the Eagles while Bowdry made the All-Mid-American Conference Freshman Team as a freshman in 2006-07 before missing the entire 2007-08 season with a broken foot.
