Eastern Michigan Athletics
SEASON PREVIEW: Hoops Looking to Build on Young Foundation
11/4/2022 2:50:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Excitement continues to build around talented group under Head Coach Stan Heath
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – When looking at the roster ahead of the 2022-23 season for the Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team, two words come to mind for many: young and talented.
According to Head Coach Stan Heath, who is set for his second season in charge at his alma mater, another word used is exciting. Whether it is in the practice gym or in a game, Heath has seen what he describes as an exciting style of play that includes playing above the rim and hitting long-range shots.
Those exciting plays will come from a roster of 16 student-athletes that features just one senior among nine sophomores, three redshirt freshmen, and three true freshmen, making the youthful nature apparent. It also shows the foundation of what Heath is looking to build: a championship program.
To reach those goals, a solid core of returners, including the likes of sophomores Noah Farrakhan (Hillside, N.J.-The Patrick School-East Carolina) and Colin Golson Jr. (Detroit, Mich.-Ferndale-Siena College), will work to gel with the added talent of an outstanding transfer class of four players that 247 Sports tabbed as the fourth-best transfer class in the nation this year. That class features a quartet of players that were considered among the top players in their home states, including two-time national player of the year and Ypsilanti product sophomore Emoni Bates (Ypsilanti, Mich.-Ypsi Prep-Memphis), finalists for Michigan's Mr. Basketball award in redshirt freshman Legend Geeter (River Rouge, Mich.-River Rouge-Providence) and sophomore Tyson Acuff (Detroit, Mich.-Cass Technical-Duquesne), and sophomore Jalin Billingsley (Cleveland, Ohio-Lutheran East-Georgetown), a finalist for the Mr. Basketball award in Ohio.
Despite a highly-ranked transfer class and Bates being named to the 2022-23 Preseason All-MAC Second Team, the Eagles still need to take care of business on the floor and that starts Monday, Nov. 7, with a visit from Wayne State University in a 7:30 p.m. tip inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center.
While the team has many newcomers, the coaching staff is largely intact from the 2021-22 season as Heath is joined once again by assistant coaches Bob Simon, Shawn Trice, and Drew Denisco. One new addition to the staff is LaMonta Stone, a long time high school and collegiate coach, who returns to the program for the second time in his career, this time as the Director of Operations. Stone previously served as an assistant coach for the Eagles during the 2000-01 and 2001-02 seasons.
THE SCHEDULE
The 2022-23 schedule features 13 non-conference games and 18 Mid-American Conference games with a total of 13 to played at home inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center. Once the season gets underway, the Eagles will jump right into a string of tough games, including a trip to Little Caesars Arena in Detroit to take on No. 22 University of Michigan, Friday, Nov. 11.
From there, Eastern will face three teams in a row – and possibly a fourth – that are receiving attention in the 2022-23 preseason CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 rankings. The Eagles will travel to face a pair of teams that are receiving votes in the rankings in Bradley University, Nov. 15, and Oakland University, Nov. 19, before traveling to sunny Cancun, Mexico, for the Cancun Challenge, Nov. 22 and 23. There, the Eagles will face mid-major No. 17 Purdue University Fort Wayne with the second game coming against either Winthrop University – who is receiving votes – or the University of Southern Miss.
Following the opening stretch of games, the Eagles face stiff tests on the road at Florida International University, Nov. 29 – a team Eastern defeated in four overtimes last season – Illinois State University, Dec. 7, and Niagara University, Dec. 11, before playing host the University of Detroit Mercy, Dec. 18. The non-conference slate ends Dec. 30 in Columbia, S.C., with a game against the University of South Carolina out of the Southeastern Conference.
When the calendar changes to 2023, the competition also changes as the Eagles will jump into conference play with back-to-back home games. Ahead of the conference season, which runs Jan. 3 at home against Bowling Green State University and March 3 at Northern Illinois University, the Eagles will face an 18-game schedule that features five MAC teams ranked in the Mid-Major Top 25, including two games with No. 4 University of Toledo, two with No. 7 Kent State University, and two with No. 18 University of Akron. Additionally, the Eagles will face Ohio University and Ball State University two times each, both of whom are receiving votes in the Mid-Major rankings.
Ultimately, Eastern is looking to be on the court inside Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio, starting March 9 with the start of the MAC Tournament. From there, the goal rises to the national level with the NCAA Tournament and what Eastern hopes will be its first appearance in March Madness since 1998.
THE GUARDS
Ten players on the roster are listed as guards with Farrakhan leading the way as one of the top scorers in the MAC last year. The sophomore finished his first season in Ypsilanti in 2021-22 averaging 16.6 points per game, which not only ranked as the seventh-best output in the MAC, but stands as the third-best average among returning players in the league this year.
Also returning to the Eagles are graduate student Derek Ballard Jr. (Southfield, Mich.-Southfield-Lathrup) and sophomore Luka Savicevic (Skopje, North Macedonia-Sports Academy Skopje). Ballard averaged 11.6 minutes of play with 2.5 points and 2.8 rebounds while Savicevic, who averaged 3.2 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists, is coming off a summer in which he helped his native North Macedonia place seventh at the U20 Euro 'B' Championships where he was among the top assist leaders in the tournament.
Three newcomers highlight this group that is led by Bates, a 6-foot-10 guard that can handle the ball and shoot from all over the court. In his one season at Memphis last year, Bates averaged 9.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists to help the Tigers reach the NCAA Tournament. Another transfer in the group is Acuff, who spent the past two years at Duquesne, including last season when he averaged 5.7 points and 2.9 rebounds. Additionally, true freshman Orlando Lovejoy (Detroit, Mich.-Summit Academy North) will look to provide depth to the guards after averaging 27 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 7.0 assists in high school last year.
Four other players round out the guard position with three returns and one newcomer. Returning this year are sophomores Kevin-David Rice (Flint, Mich.-Grand Blanc-Delta College) and Andrew Wells (East Lansing, Mich.-East Lansing-International Sports Academy) with Prakash Ketterhagen (Kalamazoo, Mich.-New Rochelle (N.Y.)-Combine Academy) also returning after redshirting last year. True freshmen JZ Zaher (Fenton, Mich.-Flint Powers Catholic) also has joined the Eagles this year.
THE FORWARDS
Six players make up the forwards group with three newcomers and three returners. Golson leads the way for the returning players after he averaged 7.8 points and 4.1 rebounds per game last year while playing 23.5 minutes, the second-highest average among returning players. Also returning to the roster in 2022-23 are sophomore Yusuf Jihad (Farmington Hills, Mich.-North Farmington-Oakland) and redshirt freshman Javantae Randall (Detroit, Mich.-Frederick Douglass).
The newcomers include two transfers in Billingsley and Geeter and the addition of true freshman Derik Pranger (Parker, Colo.-Colorado Prep), a 6'9" shooting wing. Billingsley comes to Ypsilanti after playing one season at Georgetown University while Geeter comes to town after redshirting his only campaign at Providence College.
NOTING THE SEASON AHEAD
MAC COACHES' POLL
The MAC announced its 2022-23 Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll Oct. 26, with the Eagles, who placed 11th overall in 2021-22, predicted to place seventh this year. Coming off a 10-21 season with a 5-15 MAC record, the influx of transfers has swayed the coaches to not only see the Eagles improve in the standings and reach the MAC Tournament in Cleveland, Ohio, but also one voter selected the team to win the conference tournament and play in the NCAA Tournament.
BATES EARNS MAC HONOR
The conference also released its preseason individual awards voting with Bates being named to the preseason All-MAC second team. Bates, who was a preseason American Athletic Conference Second Team selection last year with Memphis, is the first Eastern player to earn a preseason accolade from the MAC since the 2018-19 season when both James Thompson IV and Elijah Minnie were named to the preseason All-MAC West Team.
TOP COMPETITION
The second game of the season will not only be against a local rival, it also will see the Eagles face a nationally-ranked for. When Eastern heads to Little Caesars Arena in Detroit Nov. 11, it will face a Michigan team that is currently ranked No. 22 in both the Associate Press and USA Today/Coaches Top 25 polls. The last time the Eagles defeated a team ranked in the AP Top 25 was Dec. 17, 1997, in an 89-83 overtime decision at then-No. 21 Michigan.
ADD THREE TO THE LIST
This season's schedule will see Eastern play against two teams it has never met in its previous 125 years of play on the hardwood. When the Eagles head to Cancun, Mexico, for the Cancun Challenge, the second game of the trip will see Eastern face either Southern Miss or Winthrop, both of which Eastern has never faced before. The second newcomer to the list will come at home when the Panthers of Florida Atlantic University come to town Dec. 4. Finally, the Dec. 30 non-conference finale with South Carolina will round out the newest editions to the all-time teams played ledger.
BACK AGAIN
Two non-conference foes appear on the schedule for the first time in several years, including Wayne State, who Eastern last played in 2008, and Detroit Mercy, who was last on the slate in 2019. While it has been some time since the Eagles have met either, the history of the series is much older, including UDM, who Eastern first played in 1898, and WSU, who the Eagles first met in 1919. When the Eagles and Titans first met, it was Eastern falling in the first game in Ypsilanti, 2-0, on March 4, 1898, before winning in Detroit, 4-0, March 15, 1898. In fact, when the two teams play Dec. 18, 2022, it will be nearly 125 years since the two first played (45,579 days since the first meeting, to be exact).
GRAB A PASSPORT
Eastern will be heading to Cancun, Mexico, Nov. 22-23, to take part in the Cancun Challenge at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya. The tournament marks the sixth time the Eagles have played in an event outside the United States and the first time since Eastern won the Rose Hall Division title at the 2019 Jersey Mike's Jamaica Classic. The Eagles have also played in the San Juan Shootout (1989, 1992) in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and twice in the Paradise Jam (2001, 2004) in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. Additionally, this year's tournament will mark the eighth time the program has competed in an event outside the continental United States after having previously played in the 1991 Great Alaska Shootout in Anchorage, Alaska, and the 1996 Hawai'i-Hilo Classic in Hilo, Hawai'i.
TICKETS
Season tickets are currently on sale for the 2022-23 men's and women's basketball campaigns with each purchase gaining entrance to both men's and women's games inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center. Reserved seating is limited and fans are encouraged to call the EMU Ticket Office at 734.487.3669 to reserve seats as soon as possible. Non-conference single-game tickets and group tickets for all games are currently on sale.
FOLLOW US
For the most up-to-date information on the Eagles, continue to visit EMUEagles.com. Fans can also follow the team on social media, including Twitter (@EMU_MBB) and Instagram (@EMUMBB).
According to Head Coach Stan Heath, who is set for his second season in charge at his alma mater, another word used is exciting. Whether it is in the practice gym or in a game, Heath has seen what he describes as an exciting style of play that includes playing above the rim and hitting long-range shots.
Those exciting plays will come from a roster of 16 student-athletes that features just one senior among nine sophomores, three redshirt freshmen, and three true freshmen, making the youthful nature apparent. It also shows the foundation of what Heath is looking to build: a championship program.
To reach those goals, a solid core of returners, including the likes of sophomores Noah Farrakhan (Hillside, N.J.-The Patrick School-East Carolina) and Colin Golson Jr. (Detroit, Mich.-Ferndale-Siena College), will work to gel with the added talent of an outstanding transfer class of four players that 247 Sports tabbed as the fourth-best transfer class in the nation this year. That class features a quartet of players that were considered among the top players in their home states, including two-time national player of the year and Ypsilanti product sophomore Emoni Bates (Ypsilanti, Mich.-Ypsi Prep-Memphis), finalists for Michigan's Mr. Basketball award in redshirt freshman Legend Geeter (River Rouge, Mich.-River Rouge-Providence) and sophomore Tyson Acuff (Detroit, Mich.-Cass Technical-Duquesne), and sophomore Jalin Billingsley (Cleveland, Ohio-Lutheran East-Georgetown), a finalist for the Mr. Basketball award in Ohio.
Despite a highly-ranked transfer class and Bates being named to the 2022-23 Preseason All-MAC Second Team, the Eagles still need to take care of business on the floor and that starts Monday, Nov. 7, with a visit from Wayne State University in a 7:30 p.m. tip inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center.
While the team has many newcomers, the coaching staff is largely intact from the 2021-22 season as Heath is joined once again by assistant coaches Bob Simon, Shawn Trice, and Drew Denisco. One new addition to the staff is LaMonta Stone, a long time high school and collegiate coach, who returns to the program for the second time in his career, this time as the Director of Operations. Stone previously served as an assistant coach for the Eagles during the 2000-01 and 2001-02 seasons.
THE SCHEDULE
The 2022-23 schedule features 13 non-conference games and 18 Mid-American Conference games with a total of 13 to played at home inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center. Once the season gets underway, the Eagles will jump right into a string of tough games, including a trip to Little Caesars Arena in Detroit to take on No. 22 University of Michigan, Friday, Nov. 11.
From there, Eastern will face three teams in a row – and possibly a fourth – that are receiving attention in the 2022-23 preseason CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 rankings. The Eagles will travel to face a pair of teams that are receiving votes in the rankings in Bradley University, Nov. 15, and Oakland University, Nov. 19, before traveling to sunny Cancun, Mexico, for the Cancun Challenge, Nov. 22 and 23. There, the Eagles will face mid-major No. 17 Purdue University Fort Wayne with the second game coming against either Winthrop University – who is receiving votes – or the University of Southern Miss.
Following the opening stretch of games, the Eagles face stiff tests on the road at Florida International University, Nov. 29 – a team Eastern defeated in four overtimes last season – Illinois State University, Dec. 7, and Niagara University, Dec. 11, before playing host the University of Detroit Mercy, Dec. 18. The non-conference slate ends Dec. 30 in Columbia, S.C., with a game against the University of South Carolina out of the Southeastern Conference.
When the calendar changes to 2023, the competition also changes as the Eagles will jump into conference play with back-to-back home games. Ahead of the conference season, which runs Jan. 3 at home against Bowling Green State University and March 3 at Northern Illinois University, the Eagles will face an 18-game schedule that features five MAC teams ranked in the Mid-Major Top 25, including two games with No. 4 University of Toledo, two with No. 7 Kent State University, and two with No. 18 University of Akron. Additionally, the Eagles will face Ohio University and Ball State University two times each, both of whom are receiving votes in the Mid-Major rankings.
Ultimately, Eastern is looking to be on the court inside Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio, starting March 9 with the start of the MAC Tournament. From there, the goal rises to the national level with the NCAA Tournament and what Eastern hopes will be its first appearance in March Madness since 1998.
THE GUARDS
Ten players on the roster are listed as guards with Farrakhan leading the way as one of the top scorers in the MAC last year. The sophomore finished his first season in Ypsilanti in 2021-22 averaging 16.6 points per game, which not only ranked as the seventh-best output in the MAC, but stands as the third-best average among returning players in the league this year.
Also returning to the Eagles are graduate student Derek Ballard Jr. (Southfield, Mich.-Southfield-Lathrup) and sophomore Luka Savicevic (Skopje, North Macedonia-Sports Academy Skopje). Ballard averaged 11.6 minutes of play with 2.5 points and 2.8 rebounds while Savicevic, who averaged 3.2 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists, is coming off a summer in which he helped his native North Macedonia place seventh at the U20 Euro 'B' Championships where he was among the top assist leaders in the tournament.
Three newcomers highlight this group that is led by Bates, a 6-foot-10 guard that can handle the ball and shoot from all over the court. In his one season at Memphis last year, Bates averaged 9.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists to help the Tigers reach the NCAA Tournament. Another transfer in the group is Acuff, who spent the past two years at Duquesne, including last season when he averaged 5.7 points and 2.9 rebounds. Additionally, true freshman Orlando Lovejoy (Detroit, Mich.-Summit Academy North) will look to provide depth to the guards after averaging 27 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 7.0 assists in high school last year.
Four other players round out the guard position with three returns and one newcomer. Returning this year are sophomores Kevin-David Rice (Flint, Mich.-Grand Blanc-Delta College) and Andrew Wells (East Lansing, Mich.-East Lansing-International Sports Academy) with Prakash Ketterhagen (Kalamazoo, Mich.-New Rochelle (N.Y.)-Combine Academy) also returning after redshirting last year. True freshmen JZ Zaher (Fenton, Mich.-Flint Powers Catholic) also has joined the Eagles this year.
THE FORWARDS
Six players make up the forwards group with three newcomers and three returners. Golson leads the way for the returning players after he averaged 7.8 points and 4.1 rebounds per game last year while playing 23.5 minutes, the second-highest average among returning players. Also returning to the roster in 2022-23 are sophomore Yusuf Jihad (Farmington Hills, Mich.-North Farmington-Oakland) and redshirt freshman Javantae Randall (Detroit, Mich.-Frederick Douglass).
The newcomers include two transfers in Billingsley and Geeter and the addition of true freshman Derik Pranger (Parker, Colo.-Colorado Prep), a 6'9" shooting wing. Billingsley comes to Ypsilanti after playing one season at Georgetown University while Geeter comes to town after redshirting his only campaign at Providence College.
NOTING THE SEASON AHEAD
MAC COACHES' POLL
The MAC announced its 2022-23 Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll Oct. 26, with the Eagles, who placed 11th overall in 2021-22, predicted to place seventh this year. Coming off a 10-21 season with a 5-15 MAC record, the influx of transfers has swayed the coaches to not only see the Eagles improve in the standings and reach the MAC Tournament in Cleveland, Ohio, but also one voter selected the team to win the conference tournament and play in the NCAA Tournament.
BATES EARNS MAC HONOR
The conference also released its preseason individual awards voting with Bates being named to the preseason All-MAC second team. Bates, who was a preseason American Athletic Conference Second Team selection last year with Memphis, is the first Eastern player to earn a preseason accolade from the MAC since the 2018-19 season when both James Thompson IV and Elijah Minnie were named to the preseason All-MAC West Team.
TOP COMPETITION
The second game of the season will not only be against a local rival, it also will see the Eagles face a nationally-ranked for. When Eastern heads to Little Caesars Arena in Detroit Nov. 11, it will face a Michigan team that is currently ranked No. 22 in both the Associate Press and USA Today/Coaches Top 25 polls. The last time the Eagles defeated a team ranked in the AP Top 25 was Dec. 17, 1997, in an 89-83 overtime decision at then-No. 21 Michigan.
ADD THREE TO THE LIST
This season's schedule will see Eastern play against two teams it has never met in its previous 125 years of play on the hardwood. When the Eagles head to Cancun, Mexico, for the Cancun Challenge, the second game of the trip will see Eastern face either Southern Miss or Winthrop, both of which Eastern has never faced before. The second newcomer to the list will come at home when the Panthers of Florida Atlantic University come to town Dec. 4. Finally, the Dec. 30 non-conference finale with South Carolina will round out the newest editions to the all-time teams played ledger.
BACK AGAIN
Two non-conference foes appear on the schedule for the first time in several years, including Wayne State, who Eastern last played in 2008, and Detroit Mercy, who was last on the slate in 2019. While it has been some time since the Eagles have met either, the history of the series is much older, including UDM, who Eastern first played in 1898, and WSU, who the Eagles first met in 1919. When the Eagles and Titans first met, it was Eastern falling in the first game in Ypsilanti, 2-0, on March 4, 1898, before winning in Detroit, 4-0, March 15, 1898. In fact, when the two teams play Dec. 18, 2022, it will be nearly 125 years since the two first played (45,579 days since the first meeting, to be exact).
GRAB A PASSPORT
Eastern will be heading to Cancun, Mexico, Nov. 22-23, to take part in the Cancun Challenge at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya. The tournament marks the sixth time the Eagles have played in an event outside the United States and the first time since Eastern won the Rose Hall Division title at the 2019 Jersey Mike's Jamaica Classic. The Eagles have also played in the San Juan Shootout (1989, 1992) in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and twice in the Paradise Jam (2001, 2004) in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. Additionally, this year's tournament will mark the eighth time the program has competed in an event outside the continental United States after having previously played in the 1991 Great Alaska Shootout in Anchorage, Alaska, and the 1996 Hawai'i-Hilo Classic in Hilo, Hawai'i.
TICKETS
Season tickets are currently on sale for the 2022-23 men's and women's basketball campaigns with each purchase gaining entrance to both men's and women's games inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center. Reserved seating is limited and fans are encouraged to call the EMU Ticket Office at 734.487.3669 to reserve seats as soon as possible. Non-conference single-game tickets and group tickets for all games are currently on sale.
FOLLOW US
For the most up-to-date information on the Eagles, continue to visit EMUEagles.com. Fans can also follow the team on social media, including Twitter (@EMU_MBB) and Instagram (@EMUMBB).
Ben Braun Video at MAC Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
Friday, May 30
Ben Braun at MAC Hall of Fame Induction
Friday, May 30
Charles E. Ramsey - MAC Hall of Fame Induction of Ben Braun
Friday, May 30
Jack Brusewitz - MAC Hall of Fame Induction of Ben Braun
Friday, May 30