Kent State visits Eastern Michigan, old friend Stan Heath on Tuesday
The Kent State men’s basketball team will attempt to ride the wave of momentum generated by last Friday night’s double-digit victory over rival Akron into Tuesday night’s Mid-American Conference contest at Eastern Michigan.
The Golden Flashes (8-8, 3-3 MAC) bounced back from a disappointing home loss to Northern Illinois last Tuesday with a 67-55 triumph over the Zips, who had won seven of their previous eight games. Kent State dominated the stretch run, outscoring Akron 23-13 in the final 10 minutes. Junior guard Sincere Carry scored 19 of his career-high 32 points in the final 9:14.
“Going on the road makes it different. We have to bring our own energy,” said KSU coach Rob Senderoff. “We're playing against a team that’s playing pretty well. We’re going to have to play well on the road, compete together and do all the little things that it takes to win a road game.”
The Eagles are coached by a familiar fact to veteran Flashes fans in Stan Heath, who led Kent State’s 2001-02 squad to a school-record 30 wins and to the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight. Heath left the Flashes after one season to take over the Arkansas program, which he guided to the NCAA tourney twice in five years. Heath then moved on to South Florida for seven seasons, making an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2012.
Heath spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Boston College under Jim Christian, who was his lead assistant at Kent State in 2001-02, before shifting to the pro ranks. He served as head coach of the NBA G League’s Lakeland Magic from 2017-21 before taking over the Eastern Michigan program last April. Heath played guard for the Eagles from 1984-87.
“We’ve never worked together, but there’s a long-time connection between the two of us,” said Senderoff, when asked about his relationship with Heath. “He hired Jim at Kent State, and Jim and I are very close.”
Eastern Michigan finished 6-12 overall and 3-11 in conference play last year, but has been much more competitive in year one under Heath. The Eagles are 7-8 overall and 2-2 in the MAC thanks in major part to instant-impact transfer guards Noah Farrakhan (East Carolina, 17.4 points per game) and Monty Scott (Portland State, 13.9 ppg).
“They’ve got two elite scorers, and we’ve struggled a little bit with guards like those guys,” said Senderoff. “They use a lot of the concepts that a G League or an NBA team would use, a lot of spacing and ball screens. They play fast.”
The Flashes are as healthy as they’ve been since the beginning of the season. Sophomore guard Giovanni Santiago returned to action against the Zips after missing the previous two games due to a lower leg injury, while grad transfer guard Andrew Garcia has been able to play through a nagging knee problem the past six games. COVID-19 issues that sidelined several players from mid-December into the first weeks of the new year have also ended.
“We have not had a full roster often this season. But we’re not the only ones. A lot of teams are juggling stuff through COVID,” said Senderoff. “But it is nice to have everyone available for practice. We had a couple guys [redshirt freshman forward VonCameron Davis and freshman forward Akeem Odusipe] who hadn’t played a ton contribute in the game against Akron, so they’re feeling good. Hopefully, we can carry that over into this week as we play back-to-back games on the road.”
The Flashes will visit Buffalo Friday night.
What: Men’s Basketball
Who: Kent State (8-8, 3-3) vs. Eastern Michigan (7-8, 2-2)
When/Where: Tuesday, 7 p.m./Gervin GameAbove Center in Ypsilanti, Mich.
TV/Radio: ESPN3, ESPN+/GoFlashes app, Varsity Network
2020-21 records: Kent State 15-8, 12-6. Eastern Michigan 6-12, 3-11
Eagles leaders: Noah Farrakhan, 6-2, Fr., G (17.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists). Monty Scott, 6-5, Sr., G (13.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists). Bryce McBride, 6-2, Jr., G (12.1 points, 2.9 rebounds).
Flashes leaders: Sincere Carry, 6-1, Jr., G (17.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.9 assists). Malique Jacobs, 6-3, Jr., G (11.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists). Giovanni Santiago, 6-1, So., G (8.3 points, 2.2 assists, 2.9 rebounds). Justyn Hamilton, 6-11, Sr., F (9.2 points, 6.4 rebounds).
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Kent State will visit Eastern Michigan on Tuesday
