Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
Wayne State
Eagles Set to Open 2022-23 at Home Against Wayne State
11/5/2022 1:21:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Season Premiere will feature a double header with the EMU women
| GAME #1 - WAYNE STATE at EASTERN MICHIGAN | |
| Date | Monday, Nov. 7 | 7:30 p.m. |
| Venue | Ypsilanti, Mich. | George Gervin GameAbove Center |
| Preview Info | EMU Notes | WSU Notes | Media Guide |
| Live Stats | Fan Stats | Media Stats |
| Watch | ESPN3 |
| Listen | WEMU (89.1 WEMU-FM) | The Varsity Network App | Eastern Insider Podcast |
| Tickets | Purchase Season Tickets |
| @EMU_MBB | @EMUAthletics | |
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team will lift the lid on its 2022-23 season Monday, Nov. 7, with a visit from Wayne State University in an appoximate 7:30 p.m. tip inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center in Ypsilanti, Mich. Dubbed the Season Premiere, the special day opens with the EMU women playing host to Lindenwood University at 5 p.m. Prior to watching the Eagles take on the Warriors to open Eastern's 126th varsity campaign, fans can walk the green carpet and visit photo stations while also receiving several giveaways.
The season opener will be broadcast live on WEMU (89.1) radio and the Varsity Network app with Tom Helmer, the Voice of Eastern Michigan Athletics, on the call and Greg Steiner providing analysis. The game also will be aired live on ESPN3 with Ryan Wooley and Justin Rose calling the action.
OPENING TIPS:
» Eastern is set to open its 126th season of competition after splitting a pair of games with the University of Detroit Mercy March 4 (L, 0-2) and March 15 (W, 4-0) in 1898.
» Since becoming an NCAA Division I member (1974-75), Eastern is 29-19 in its season opener, 25-5 when the opener is played at home, and 39-9 in its first home game of the season.
» According to 247 Sports, the group of Tyson Acuff, Emoni Bates, Jalin Billingsley, and Legend Geeter rank as the fourth-best transfer class in the nation ahead of the 2022-23 season.
» Newcomer Bates is already highly regarded in the Mid-American Conference as the coaches voted him to the Preseason All-MAC Second Team.
» The coaches also voted on team finishes and projected the Eagles to finish seventh in the standings with one coach picking Eastern to win the MAC Tournament title.
» This year's roster is built around youth with the 16-member team featuring just one senior to go along with nine sophomores, three redshirt freshmen, and three true freshmen.
» Stan Heath is back for his second year with the Eagles and is one 49 head coaches in NCAA Division I currently guiding their alma maters.
THE SEASON PREMIERE: Monday's doubleheader with the EMU men's and women's team is being dubbed The Season Premiere and fans will not want to miss out on making their own entrance ahead of the games. When gates open at 4 p.m. ahead of the women's game with Lindenwood University, fans can walk the green carpet into the George Gervin GameAbove Center where a photographer will be waiting to take pictures. The same will take place ahead of the men's contest with Wayne State. Fans in attendance for the premiere will receive a free T-shirt, a popcorn box with a voucher for one free box of popcorn at the game, and several posters, including The Season Premiere poster and both teams' season schedule poster.
126 YEARS YOUNG: The 2022-23 season is the 126th varsity campaign for Eastern Michigan. The Eagles, who first played a pair of games against the University of Detroit Mercy March 4, 1898 (L, 0-2), and March 15, 1898 (W, 4-0), stand 1,334-1,359 all-time after 125 years of play and hold a mark of 671-755 as a member of NCAA Division I, a transition that saw Eastern join the highest classification in time for the 1974-75 season.
LIFTING THE LID: The Eagles are set to start their 49th season as a member of NCAA Division I after rising to the highest level in time for the 1974-75 season. During the previous 48 seasons, the Eagles hold a 29-19 record in their first game of the year and are 25-5 when the season opener comes on their home court. Additionally, the Eagles hold a 39-9 record in their home opener.
SCOUTING WAYNE STATE: The Warriors are set for their first season under the direction of Bryan Smothers, who returns to his alma mater for his first coaching job. Smothers, a WSU Hall of Famer, is looking to turn things around for a team that posted a 5-18 overall record in 2021-22 with a 4-16 mark in the GLIAC. Avery Lewis is the top returning scorer for the Warriors after averaging 12.3 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. Overall, seven newcomers will look to help Wayne State return to top of GLIAC in 2022-23.
IN THE SERIES WITH WSU: The series between the Eagles and Warriors is tied, 31-31, with Eastern having won 14 in a row to knot things up all-time. The last time the two sides met was Dec. 8, 2008, in Ypsilanti with the Eagles claiming a 67-47 victory over the Warriors. Overall, the victory moved Eastern to 18-14 at home in the series with 11 consecutive home wins in the series. A win over Wayne State Monday would not only be the 15th in a row in the series and the 12th in a row in Ypsilanti, it also will give Eastern the lead in the series for the first time since the 1937-38 season when WSU won both meetings to take tie things at 8-8.
HELLO OLD FRIEND: The first time the two teams met was Feb. 1, 1919, a 21-17 win for Wayne State (location is unknown at this time). At one time, the two teams shared the same conference as both were members of the Presidents' Athletic Conference from 1963-64 to 1965-66. During that time, the Eagles were 4-2 in the series, including a perfect 3-0 at home.
HAVE WE MET BEFORE?: This season's schedule will see Eastern play against three 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 the University of South Carolina will round out the newest editions to the all-time teams played ledger.
QUICK REVIEW: A thread of notes recapping the 2021-22 season:
» OVERALL: Eastern Michigan finished the 2021-22 season with a 10-21 overall record and a 5-15 mark in MAC play. Eastern finished fourth in the conference in defensive rebounds, averaging 26.3 a game, and fifth in blocks per contest with 3.19. Individually, Noah Farrakhan ended the season seventh in MAC scoring as he averaged 16.6 points per game. Farrakhan was also fourth in three-point shooting percentage, hitting 40.8 (42-103) percent of his shots from deep. Mo Njie closed out his freshman campaign seventh in blocked shots per contest (1.1) and eighth in total blocks (30).
» MICHIGAN MAC CHAMPIONS: With its win over Central Michigan, Feb. 15, Eastern Michigan officially claimed the Michigan MAC Trophy for the 2022 campaign. The trophy is awarded to the Michigan-based Mid-American Conference institution (EMU, CMU, WMU) that emerges with the best head-to-head record against the others. EMU was 3-1 this season in that race (2-0 vs. CMU, 1-1 vs. WMU). Originated in 2005, EMU has claimed ownership three times previously (2017, 2018, and 2020).
» TOP FRESHMAN SCORERS: Guard Noah Farrakhan ranked fifth nationally among Division I freshmen at 16.6 points per game. The MAC's top freshman scorer, Farrakhan was one of just two first-year players in the top-10 list shorter than 6-foot-7.
» SETTING FACILITY RECORDS: Eastern Michigan made 12-of-20 three pointers in the first half against Miami, Jan. 29, 2022. The 12 makes from downtown set a facility recording, beating the 10 treys made in the first stanza against Olivet Dec. 17, 2020.
» STARTING STRONG AT HOME: Stan Heath became the first EMU head coach to start a season 5-0 at home in their first season as head coach since former Eagles Head Coach Milton Barnes started 8-0 at home in his first season during the 1996-97 campaign.
» FOR-EV-ER: EMU played its longest game in program history during the 2021-22 season, besting Florida International, Dec. 11, 92-88. The contest lasted four overtimes and saw 11 lead changes. In the end, free throws by Bryce McBride and Nate Scott sealed the win for EMU.
» ALL-FRESHMAN MO: Freshman Mo Njie was named to the Mid-American Conference All-MAC Freshman Team by the league office, March 9. Njie is the first EMU player to receive the honor since James Thompson IV in 2016. Additionally, he is the fifth in program history to garner the award. The center started 25 of the 28 games he played this season, averaging 6.6 points per game, and 5.3 rebounds per contest. The Centerville, Ohio, native earned two double-doubles during the 2021-22 campaign, the first against FIU, Dec. 11 (10 points, 11 rebounds), and at Miami, March 4, (16 points, 10 rebounds).
QUICK REVIEW • EAGLES WIN EXHIBITION: Eastern Michigan knocked off the Grand Valley State Lakers 85-69, Thursday, Oct. 27, inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center in Ypsilanti, Mich. Emoni Bates collected 27 points and Noah Farrakhan added 22 on the night while Legend Geeter posted a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds.
» Geeter posted a double-double in his first collegiate action, as he scored 11 points and pulled down a team-high 13 rebounds. He also grabbed a team-high 11 defensive rebounds.
» In his first game at Eastern, Tyson Acuff came one point shy of his career-high with 15.
» The Eagles had two players score 20 or more points in Bates (27) and Farrakhan (22). Farrakhan had 10, 20+ point games in the 2021-22 season.
» In addition to Bates and Farrakhan, the Eagles had four players score in double digits, including Acuff's 15 and Geeter's 11.
» The Eagles were hot from the floor, shooting 32-of-60 on the day, including a blistering 62.1 percent clip in the second half.
» Eastern Michigan had seven players make their Green and White debut, including Geeter, Acuff, Bates, Jalin Billingsley, Orlando Lovejoy, Javantae Randle, and Derik Pranger.
» Newcomers accounted for over half of Eastern's point total, scoring 61 of the Eagles' 85 points.
PRESEASON PROGNOSTICATIONS: On Oct. 26, the MAC announced it annual coaches' poll with the Eagles earning 68 points to place seventh on the ladder with Kent State leading the way with 135 points and six first-place votes. The voting was close among the top three with the Toledo earning four first-place votes and 131 points total - just four behind KSU - while Akron received 127 points and two first-place votes for third. Ball State (94), Ohio (91), and Buffalo (82) rounded out the top six ahead of the Eagles. The remaining votes ranked Western Michigan (66) eighth, Bowling Green State (42) ninth, Central Michigan (38) 10th, Miami (36) 11th, and Northern Illinois (26) 12th.
BACK FOR MORE: Head Coach Stan Heath is set for his second season guiding his alma mater and will look to build off a season in which his Eagles posted a 10-21 overall record and went 5-15 in the MAC. A three-time coach of the year, including the 2021 NBA G League Coach of the Year, Heath is just the eighth EMU head coach since 1940 to win 10-or-more games in their first season on the bench. Since the beginning of World War II, only seven of the program's 15 bench bosses have hit double-digits in victories. Rob Murphy was the last coach to reach double figures in 2011-12 when his team notched 11, meanwhile, Milton Barnes set the standard with 22 wins in his first season in 1996-97. Health reached the feat with three contests left in the regular season. Overall, Heath holds a career record of 219-228 in the collegiate ranks that has spanned 14 seasons ahead of the 2022-23 campaign.
IN THE FAMILY: Heath is one of 49 NCAA Division I head coaches that are leading their alma maters in 2022-23, which is up from 44 in 2021-22. Overall, Jim Boeheim leads the select fraternity with 998 victories. The group has 10 newcomers in its ranks for the 2022-23 season, including Duke's Jon Scheyer, who replaces legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski.
ALMA MATER MEETINGS: This year, five games, with a chance for a sixth, will feature both head coaches having played for their alma maters, starting with the season opener as Heath and Eagles face Bryan Smothers and Wayne State. The other games include two games with Bowling Green and head coach Michael Huger, one with Juwan Howard and Michigan, and one with Jeff Boals and Ohio. The sixth possible game would come in the Cancun Challenge if Eastern were to face Jay Ladner and Southern Miss.
NEW TO THE CREW: The staff has three new additions for the 2022-23 season, including LaMonta Stone, Kyle Creasy, and Connor Mooney. Stone is no stranger to the program having served as an assistant coach for the Eagles from 2000-02. A longtime high school and college coach, Stone returns to campus to serve as the Director of Operations. Creasy and Mooney have joined the program as the team's athletic trainer and sports performance coach, respectively.
RETURNING THIS YEAR: Nine players return to the program this year, including one senior in graduate student Derek Ballard Jr., six sophomores, and two redshirt freshmen. Noah Farrakhan lead the way after averaging 16.6 points per game last year while averaging 23.5 minutes. Colin Golson Jr., who also averaged 23.5 minutes played, returns after averaging 7.8 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. Along with Ballard (18 games played, 11.6 minutes), three other returners saw action in 18 games or more, including Golson, Luka Savicevic (23 games, 14.1 minutes), Kevin-David Rice (20 games, 8.3 minutes) and Yusuf Jihad (19 games, 6.5 minutes). Javantae Randall and Prakash Ketterhagen both redshirted last year and four years of eligibility remaining while Andrew Wells also returns with three years to play after seeing action in six games last year.
AMONG THE BEST: Last year, Noah Farrakhan built his case as one of the bright young stars of the MAC. Farrakhan led EMU to an important, 74-72, victory over Northern Illinois as he scored 23 first-half points, the second-most by any EMU player in a period since 2016, en route to a 31-point effort. Not only were his 31 points a career-best, but they were also the most by any Eastern player since the 2018-19 campaign. Farrakhan added four assists to help the Eagles record a season-best 17 helpers in the contest. That effort helped him pass Raven Lee and MAC legend Earl Boykins for the second-most points by a freshman in EMU history. Farrakhan finished with 432 points trailing James Thompson IV (490) in this historical feat.
Averaging 16.6 points in his debut season with the Eagles, Farrakhan finished seventh overall in scoring in the conference and is the third-leading scorer returning this year. Farrakhan led Eastern Michigan from downtown last year, shooting 40.8 percent (42-of-103). The freshman became the first EMU player to finish a season shooting 40 percent-or-better from deep (minimum of 100 attempts) since the 2005-06 season when two Eagles did so. Carlos Medlock was 45-of-107 (.421), and Danny McElhinny went 72-of-171 (.421).
STUDYING ABROAD: Luka Savicevic averaged 10.4 points and a team-high 5.6 assists per contest as he helped his native North Macedonia to an eighth-place finish at the r2020 FIBA U20 European Championships, Division B tournament that was held in Tbilisi, Georgia, July 15-24. Savicevic was making his second U20 appearance for the Lions after helping the team to a 2-3 record at the 2021 European Challenger Tournament. Savicevic, who started all seven games in Georgia, was one of the top players on his squad as he led the team with 5.6 assists per game, which ranked third-best in the tournament, while his 39 helpers ranked as the second-most in the tournament, just two off the overall lead of 41. During his 27.9 minutes of play per game, Savicevic tallied 10.4 points per game, which was 45th overall in the event and 11th among guards. He also tallied 4.3 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 0.7 blocks, which was tied for the second-most rejections by a guard while his five total blocks tied for the most by a guard as well.
WELCOME TO YPSILANTI: Ahead of the season, the Eagles added seven newcomers to the roster that included three sophomores, two redshirt freshmen and two freshmen. One of the biggest names in basketball in this area, Emoni Bates returned home to Ypsilanti after playing one season at Memphis (9.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 23.4 minutes). The former No. 1 recruit in the nation and two-time national high school player of the year, Bates is one of four tranfers into the program that also includes Tyson Acuff from Duquesne, Jalin Billingsley from Georgetown, and Legend Geeter from Providence. In addition to the transfers, the team also added true freshmen Orlando Lovejoy from Detroit, Mich., Derik Pranger from Parker, Colo., and JZ Zaher from Fenton, Mich.
HIGH REGARD: The four transfers into the program earned national recognition this summer as 247 Sports named the Eastern quartet as the fourth-best transfer class of 2022-23. The Eagles are surpassed only by Texas Tech, Illinois, and Texas.
BATES HONORED: On Oct. 26, along with the coaches' poll, the MAC announced preseason awards with Emoni Bates earning a spot on the All-MAC Second Team. Bates, who joined the program this summer following his freshman season at Memphis, is the only preseason All-MAC selection that did not play in the conference last year. A 2021-22 Preseason American Athletic Conference Second Team selection with the Tigers, Bates was a consensus top five, five-star recruit that reclassified to the Class of 2021 and enrolled at Memphis, where he averaged 9.7 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. During his prep days, Bates was the 2019 MaxPreps Freshman of the Year and followed that with the 2020 Gatorade National Player of the Year award.
Since the conference went away from east and west voting ahead of the 2020-21 season, Bates is the first Eagle to earn preseason recognition. Prior to his accolade, both James Thompson IV and Elijah Minnie earned placement on the All-MAC West Team ahead of the 2018-19 season.
TOUGH ROAD: According the AP Top 25 and CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25, the Eagles will have several tough foes on their schedule this year, including at least four games in the first five of the season against teams in those rankings. After opening the season at home Monday against Wayne State, the Eagles will take on AP No. 22 Michigan at Little Caesars Arena, Nov. 11. From there, the Eagles hit the road for back-to-back games against teams receiving votes in the Mid-Major poll, including Bradley Nov. 15 and Oakland Nov. 19. The following game and the first in Cancun will see Eastern face Mid-Major No. 17 Purdue Fort Wayne before possibly meeting Winthrop the next day, Nov. 23, who is also receiving votes. In conference play, three MAC schools are currently in the Mid-Major Top 25, including No. 4 Toledo, No. 7 Kent State, and No. 18 Akron, while both Ohio and Ball State are receiving votes.
SNOW BIRDS: 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.
TUNE IN: Eastern has been selected for three nationally televised games this season with two being aired on ESPNU (vs. Michigan Nov. 11 and at Akron, Jan. 13) and one on CBS Sports Network (at Toledo Jan. 24). Later in MAC play, CBS Sports Network has four more games it can move from Saturday to Friday night (Feb. 3, Feb. 10, Feb. 17, and March 3) while ESPN has three (all but Feb. 17). The games it would affect for Eastern include Feb. 4 at Ball State, Feb. 11 hosting Toledo, Feb. 18 at Kent State, and March 3 at Northern Illinois.
Along with the regular season, national broadcasts are planned for the MAC Tournament semifinals and final with CBS Sports Network airing the semifinals March 10 and ESPN2 airing the final.
Continuing the partnership with ESPN, the Eagles will be on ESPN+ or ESPN3 for nearly every EMU men's and women's basketball home game. ESPN+ has thousands of exclusive live events, original studio shows, and acclaimed series that aren't on the ESPN networks. ESPN+ allows subscribers to purchase UFC PPV events and access an extensive archive of on-demand content (including the entire 30 For 30 library, select ESPN Films, game replays, and more). ESPN+ content is available to stream in HD through the ESPN App on your favorite connected devices (living room devices, phone, tablet, computer, smart TV) and on ESPN.com.
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WORKING OVERTIME: EMU played its longest game in program history during the 2021-22 season, besting Florida International, Dec. 11, 92-88. The contest lasted four overtimes and saw 11 lead changes. In the end, free throws by Bryce McBride and Nate Scott sealed the win for EMU. The game was the second overtime contest of the year for Eastern after it pulled out a 103-98 victory in double overtime against visiting Illinois State, Nov. 12, 2021. All told, the Eagles are now 41-44 all-time in overtime contests and 2-1 in games going to three or four extra sessions.
MILESTONE WATCH: Heading into the season, several wins can help the Eagle reach several milestone victories. Overall, 16 wins on the year would bring Eastern's all-time total to 1,350 while four wins would mark 675 all-time wins as an NCAA Division I member. On the home front, the Eagles are seven wins from 225 victories inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center.
UP NEXT: The Eagles will travel into the Motor City Friday, Nov. 11, for a showdown with No. 22/22 University of Michigan in a game that will be played at Little Caesars Arena, the home of the NBA's Detroit Pistons and the NHL's Detroit Red Wings. The two Washtenaw County foes will play before a national audience on ESPNU with the opening tip scheduled for 9 p.m.
