Eastern Michigan Athletics
Last Dance for Eastern Michigan: How Did They Arrive?
3/24/2021 10:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Men's Basketball Sweet 16 Series told by T.C. Cameron
The anatomy of a championship team is always unique. The circumstances that brought the 1990-91 EMU basketball team coaches together to achieve record-breaking success is a remarkable story, too.
Ben Braun, Head Coach
Wisconsin (1975)
The winningest coach in EMU history ended up in Ypsilanti for over a decade thanks to two unsung heroes: Chris Malloy and Tom Negoshian.
During the summer of 1985, EMU coach Jim Boyce was looking to fill the open seat on his bench. Negoshian, the longtime coach at North Farmington High School, who was then an assistant at St. Mary's College in Detroit, told Boyce it should go to someone who was single and therefore had the time to dedicate to such a position.
Meanwhile, Malloy, who was a Siena Heights graduate already sitting on Boyce's bench, sold Braun on EMU, while selling Boyce on Braun.
Negoshian, who holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from EMU, also told Braun he had to leave Siena for EMU because he'd never receive a Division I head coaching offer if he wasn't already on a Division I bench, and he had to accept the offer for all the Division III and NAIA coaches who wouldn't receive an offer.
Braun accepted. When Boyce resigned Jan. 15, 1986, Braun, just 32, was named head coach, first as an interim, then permanently that summer.
Gary Waters, Asst. Head Coach
Ferris State (1975)
A well-respected recruiter for 15 years at Ferris State, Waters was about to accept the head coaching position at Kentucky State when he connected with Braun in Seattle at the 1989 Final Four. After that meeting, Waters pivoted, and spent seven of the next eight seasons as Braun's top assistant at EMU.
"Gary could have stayed at Ferris would likely become their head coach, but he had all the attributes to be a great Division I coach," Braun said.
During Waters' tenure at EMU, his son, Sean, played at Central Michigan (1987-1992), and his daughter, Seena, played for EMU (1991-95).
Brian Miller, Asst. Coach
Bowling Green State (1986)
Miller handed Braun a loss in his first game as Eastern's head coach, knocking down the game-winning free throws in the final seconds of Bowling Green's 73-72 win.
"I hired Miller to make sure he didn't keep beating us from BG's bench, too," Braun said. "I also hired him on the condition he played tennis, ran, and worked out with me every day."
Miller was responsible for making a daily touch — that's coach speak for a call or letter back then, email or text these days — to players EMU was recruiting, as well keeping in touch with their high school coach. He also scouted every opponent a week in advance of the game.
"I still work out every day because of Coach Braun," Miller said.
Craig Rasmuson, Graduate Asst. Coach
Ashland University (1990)
As an undergrad, Rasmuson went to Ashland on a soccer scholarship, and later walked on to the basketball team. He later served as a student assistant under former EMU assistant Keith Dambrot, then Ashland's head coach.
Braun hired Rasmuson on Dambrot's recommendation.
Charles Ramsey, Volunteer Asst. Coach
Eastern Michigan (1991)
A born and raised in Ypsilanti, Ramsey was a volunteer who like Rasmuson, was entering college coaching at the ground floor, willing to climb the ladder to get in the game from the bench.
Ramsey starred at Ypsilanti High School as a player, and was a Braves' assistant from 1982-87.
THE STARTERS
No. 15: Lorenzo Neely, 6-foot, 165
Neely played at now-closed Detroit Northern, leading Northern to a 55-53 overtime win in the 1987 MHSAA Class B Quarterfinal at Bowen Field Field as a senior.
"In the last few seconds of that game, Lorenzo had to step to the line and knock down two free throws," Braun said. "He made both and Northern won the game. That confirmed our belief that Lo was a clutch player."
Neely arrived at Eastern as a First Team All Class B selection by the Detroit News, and a Third Team All Class B nominee from the Free Press.
No. 31: Carl Thomas, 6-foot-3, 175
No. 23: Charles Thomas, 6-foot-4, 180
The Thomas twins graduated from Lansing Everett, and inexplicably, EMU was the only school to recruit them as a duo.
Carl Thomas played basketball, football and baseball, was the Capitol Conference Player of the Year as a senior, while earning a Fourth Team All Class A nod from The Detroit News, and a Fifth Team All Class nominee at the Free Press. He also helped the baseball team reach the state semifinals in Class A.
Charles Thomas was an honorable mention All Class A selection in the Detroit News.
The Thomas parents, who wanted to see their sons play their college games, were a driving force in the pair selecting Eastern.
No. 32: Kory Hallas, 6-foot-8, 220
Former EMU assistant coach Keith Dambrot discovered Hallas at a tournament in Windsor by accident. Hallas, from Almonte, Ontario, about 40 miles west of Ottawa, wasn't being recruited by any other school.
"We could see he had length, and some raw skill, but what we liked most was that he was Canadian, so he could go to high school as a 19-year-old and get another year of refinement," Miller said.
No. 54: Marcus Kennedy, 6-foot-7, 235
A former high school swimmer, Kennedy possessed strength unlike any other player when he transferred to EMU in 1989-1990 after three years at Ferris State. Forced to sit out a year as a transfer, Kennedy hit the weights hard, and went from 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds to 6-foot-7 and 235.
"What made Marcus unique is players usually transfer down, not up, to get playing time, especially as seniors," Braun said. "Marcus was almost like the graduate transfer that's so common today, where he's able to transfer elsewhere and play at a higher level immediately."
Kennedy attended Troy Zion Christian (Class D) before transferring to Troy High School (Class A) for his senior year. He was not selected for any All Class A teams by Detroit's daily newspapers.
THE BENCH
No. 41: Roger Lewis, 6-foot-5, 200
No. 51: Mike Boykin, 6-foot-8, 240
Situated between Evansville and Terre Haute on the Wabash River in Indiana is Vincennes University Junior College. It's a junior college basketball powerhouse, and EMU's basketball staff were regular visitors in 1989 and 1990 in pursuit of bench help.
Lewis, from Boston, came from Vincennes in 1989, was the first man off the bench. Boykin, from Georgia, arrived from Vincennes in 1990 and subbed for Kennedy in almost every game.
"We hosted Sonny Vaccaro's ABCD summer camp in 1993, we had over 300 D-I coaches … and Vincennes coach Dan Sparks," Braun said. "Every one in the building knew who he was, too. Vincennes was and remains a unique program in college basketball."
No. 52: Pete Pangas, 6-foot-8, 220
Another Dambrot recruit, Pangas was a "tweener" out of high school, a player who wasn't a true 3, wasn't big enough to be a 5, but a good student and a prototypical MAC player. He served as a spot starter but was most often a substitute, especially when starters found themselves in foul trouble.
No. 35: Joe Frasor, 5-foot-11, 165
A junior college player from Illinois, Fraser came to EMU as an insurance policy in case Neely was hurt, or Felder didn't accept EMU's scholarship offer. Frasor could move the ball up the floor, deliver it to those who could score, and understood his role as a bench player.
No. 10: Kahlil Felder, 5-foot-10, 170
Felder came to Eastern thanks to a push from Detroit Pershing coach Johnny Goston, one of a handful of championship-winning coaches from Pershing.
Felder was a Second Team All Class A selection by the Detroit News, and a Third Team All Class A at the Free Press.
No. 13: Lawrence Hill, 6-foot-1, 175
Hill came to EMU in 1989 out of the Chicago area. He was raw physically, with room to grow from a skill standpoint, but possessed the ability to play guard or small forward.
"Ben and Gary were responsible for getting Lawrence," Miller said. "In recruiting him, we really hoped that would open the door to a future pipeline in Chicagoland, too."
No. 44: Von Nickleberry, 6-foot-2, 180
Another player described as a "tweener" in high school, Nickleberry won the dunk contest as a high school senior from Saginaw Arthur Hill at EMU's summer basketball camp. He was a combo guard/small forward who could jump out of the gym.
He was a Fifth Team All Class A selection by the Detroit News and Free Press.
No. 45: Fenorris Pearson, 6-foot-7, 225
The first four-year varsity player at Kalamazoo Central, Pearson was a McDonald's All-American honorable mention, and was recruited by Braun and Charlie Coles at Central Michigan.
"We lost him the first time, and we won the second round when he transferred from Central Michigan," Braun said. "What I remember about Fenorris was he wasn't afraid to bang, and gave us solid minutes off the bench."
Pearson was part of the Free Press' 1988 All Class A Third Team.
No. 34: Chris Pipkin, 6-foot-5, 200
A highy-touted high school player out of the Pittsburgh area, Pipkin could run and jump, and coaches recruiting him most often likened him to Illinois legend Kenny Battle. His most obvious talent was his ability to score with and drive to the basket with his left hand.
No. 42: Jeff Wendt, 6-ffot-6, 200
Wendt landed on Eastern's roster as a grinder, someone coaches believed could clog the lane defensively and pull down rebounds at either end of the floor.
Wendt came to EMU from Okemos as a Third Team All Class A selection by the Detroit News, and Fifth Team by the Free Press.
No. 55: Tony King, 6-foot-7, 225
King was Canadian, a big shouldered, tall player that often was offered by a major college program just on size alone.
— T.C. Cameron is the author of Miracle Maples (2019) and Navy Football: Return to Glory (2017). A 1995 graduate of EMU, he's lived in Annapolis, MD since 2009. Follow him on Twitter: @ByTCCameron.
