EKU looking to rebound to top of OVC

Scouting Report
Coach: Jeff Neubauer (67-57 in four seasons at EKU)
Last season: 18-13 overall, 10-8 OVC (fifth)
What to watch: The Colonels are once again undersized but loaded with shooters. "We always play a three- or four-guard lineup," Neubauer said. "The question this year is how much will we play the five-guard lineup? That's going to happen this year. We really are going to spread the court like we always do." Four returning players made at least 34 three-pointers last season: Josh Taylor, Justin Stommes, Joshua Jones and Papa Oppong. Of the returnees, 6-7 senior Taylor is the leading scorer (10.9 per game). Pre-season All-OVC pick Stommes, a 6-7 junior wingman, added 10.1, followed by Oppong (9.2) and Jones (7.6). Rebounds might be hard to come by. Oppong, a 6-4 senior guard, averaged 5.3 a game last season. Size isn't always critical, though. Neubauer cited last year's 85-77 loss to taller, highly touted Cincinnati. "Those have actually been some of the games where we've been at our best. ... It did not help us in the rebounding battle, but it did create mismatches," he said. "It allowed some of our perimeter players to be really effective."
Question marks: Can the Colonels adjust to life without Mike Rose, who hit a team-best 99 three-pointers last season? Will 6-7 sophomore Jorge Camacho re-enroll and become eligible for the second semester?
What's at stake: After 26 years without an NCAA berth, the Colonels are aiming for their third in six years. They'll need to win the OVC Tournament.
Roster
No. Name Pos Ht. Yr. Hometown
1 Willie Cruz G 6-4 Fr. Rochester, N.Y.
3 Robin MestdaghG 6-5 Sr. Ieper, Belgium
4 Antonio Gilkey G 6-0 Sr. Louisville
5 Joshua Jones G-F 6-4 So. Indianapolis
10 Mike Lewis G 5-7 So. Upper Marlboro, Md.
11 Papa OppongG 6-4 Sr. Toronto
21 Cordaro Ellis F 6-9 So. Lynchburg, Va.
22 Josh Daniel G 6-5 Jr. Charleston, W.Va.
23 Dayvon Ellis G 6-0 Sr. Elgin, Ill.
24 Josh Taylor F 6-7 Sr. Pittsburgh
31 Justin Stommes G-F 6-7 Jr. Cold Spring, Minn.
32 Spencer Perrin F 6-5 Jr. Danville
Schedule
Nov. 14—W.Va. Wesleyan, 8; 19—a-at Pittsburgh, 7; 23—a-Fairleigh Dickinson, 6; 24—a-UC-Irvine, 6; 25—a-Texas-San Antonio, 6; 28—Fla. International, 7
Dec. 3—at Murray St., 8:30; 5—at Tenn.-Martin, 7; 9—Ohio Valley, 7; 12—at Maryland, 4:30; 19—at Ohio, 2:30; 29—b-Morgan St., 6; 30—b-TBA
Jan. 2—Tennessee St., 7; 4—Austin Peay, 7:30; 7—at Jacksonville St., 8:45; 9—at Tennessee Tech, 8:30; 14—E. Illinois, 7:30; 16—SE Missouri, 7; 19—Chicago St., 7; 23—Morehead St., 7; 28—at Austin Peay, 8:30; 30—at Tennessee St., 8:30
Feb. 4—Tennessee Tech, 7:30; 6—Jacksonville St., 7; 11—at SE Missouri, 8:45; 13—at E. Illinois, 7; 17—at Morehead St., 7; 20—c-TBA; 25—Tenn. Martin, 7:30; 27—Murray St., 7
March 2—OVC Tournament, first round
a-O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic.; b-Dr. Pepper Classic at Chattanooga; c-ESPNU BracketBuster
Mark Maloney

Saturday
W.Va. Wesleyan at EKU
When: 8 p.m.
Where: McBrayer Arena
Radio: WCYO 100.7-FM

Eastern Kentucky
Scouting Report
Coach: Jeff Neubauer (67-57 in four seasons at EKU)
Last season: 18-13 overall, 10-8 OVC (fifth)
What to watch: The Colonels are once again undersized but loaded with shooters. "We always play a three- or four-guard lineup," Neubauer said. "The question this year is how much will we play the five-guard lineup? That's going to happen this year. We really are going to spread the court like we always do." Four returning players made at least 34 three-pointers last season: Josh Taylor, Justin Stommes, Joshua Jones and Papa Oppong. Of the returnees, 6-7 senior Taylor, is the leading scorer (10.9 per game). Pre-season All-OVC pick Stommes, a 6-7 junior wingman, added 10.1, followed by Oppong (9.2) and Jones (7.6). Rebounds may be hard to come by. Oppong, a 6-4 senior guard, averaged 5.3 a game last season. Size isn't always critical, though. Neubauer cited last year's 85-77 loss to taller, highly touted Cincinnati. "Those have actually been some of the games where we've been at our best. ... It did not help us in the rebounding battle, but it did create mismatches," he said. "It allowed some of our perimeter players to be really effective."
Question marks: Can the Colonels adjust to life without Mike Rose, who hit a team-best 99 three-pointers last season? Will 6-7 sophomore Jorge Camacho re-enroll and become eligible for the second semester?
What's at stake: After 26 years without an NCAA berth, the Colonels are aiming for their third in six years. They'll need to win the OVC Tournament.
Roster
No. Name Pos Ht. Yr. Hometown
1 Willie Cruz G 6-4 Fr. Rochester, N.Y.
3 Robin MestdaghG 6-5 Sr. Ieper, Belgium
4 Antonio Gilkey G 6-0 Sr. Louisville
5 Joshua Jones G-F 6-4 So. Indianapolis
10 Mike Lewis G 5-7 So.Upper Marlboro, Md.
11 Papa OppongG 6-4 Sr. Toronto
21 Cordaro Ellis F 6-9 So. Lynchburg, Va.
22 Josh Daniel G 6-5 Jr.Charleston, W.Va.
23 Dayvon Ellis G 6-0 Sr. Elgin, Ill.
24 Josh Taylor F 6-7 Sr. Pittsburgh
31Justin StommesG-F 6-7 Jr.Cold Spring, Minn.
32 Spencer Perrin F 6-5 Jr. Danville
Schedule
Nov. 14—W.Va. Wesleyan, 8; 19—a-at Pittsburgh, 7; 23—a-Fairleigh Dickinson, 6; 24—a-UC-Irvine, 6; 25—a-Texas-San Antonio, 6; 28—Fla. International, 7
Dec. 3—at Murray St., 8:30; 5—at Tenn.-Martin, 7; 9—Ohio Valley, 7; 12—at Maryland, 4:30; 19—at Ohio, 2:30; 29—b-Morgan St., 6; 30—b-TBA
Jan. 2—Tennessee St., 7; 4—Austin Peay, 7:30; 7—at Jacksonville St., 8:45; 9—at Tennessee Tech, 8:30; 14—E. Illinois, 7:30; 16—SE Missouri, 7; 19—Chicago St., 7; 23—Morehead St., 7; 28—at Austin Peay, 8:30; 30—at Tennessee St., 8:30
Feb. 4—Tennessee Tech, 7:30; 6—Jacksonville St., 7; 11—at SE Missouri, 8:45; 13—at E. Illinois, 7; 17—at Morehead St., 7; 20—c-TBA; 25—Tenn. Martin, 7:30; 27—Murray St., 7
March 2—d-TBA
a-O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic.; b-Dr. Pepper Classic at Chattanooga; c-ESPNU BracketBuster; d-OVC Tournament, first round
Mark Maloney

The Ohio Valley Conference coaches' pre-season poll tabbed Eastern Kentucky for fifth place.

No big deal, the Colonels say.

"I think we're being overlooked but coaches polls and media polls, they don't really mean nothing," said Papa Oppong, a 6-foot-4 senior guard. "They're just people's opinions."

Besides, Coach Jeff Neubauer points out, EKU was picked sixth in 2004-05 and eighth in 2006-07. The Colonels won the OVC Tournament both seasons, advancing to the NCAA Tournament.

"So I really put very little into those projections," Neubauer said. "We are very much aware of the teams that are picked above us. ... You start with a thesis as far as who should win the league and who should be the best team, and then you play the games."

EKU returns three starters: Justin Stommes, Josh Taylor and Joshua Jones.

Oppong and Dayvon Ellis were part-time starters last season, while Mike Lewis and Robin Mestdagh each played in more than 20 games.

Josh Daniel returns after a redshirt season, joined by freshman Willie Cruz and junior-college transfer Spencer Perrin.

Neubauer's challenge is to find the best combinations. In EKU's first scrimmage, he tried 21 lineups.

"It's my last year, so I really want to win the OVC championship and get a chance to play in the NCAA Tournament," Oppong said. "We know we have a really good team and a lot of the right pieces to become a championship team."

With no starter taller than 6-foot-7 and nobody listed as a center, the Colonels will be undersized against almost every team.

Rebounding "is probably the key to our season," Neubauer said. "We've got to play great possessions of defense. We've got to sit down in a stance and make people take tough shots, and we've done that (in the past). Now, can we finish those possessions and grab one rebound? That will be the key to our season."

Perrin, a 6-5, 185-pounder from Danville, is being counted on in the post. Not only because of his rebounding ability, but also because he has become a good passer.

The Colonels were the only team in the country to average more than 10 three-pointers a game and shoot better than 40 percent last season. Sharp cuts and accurate passes were the rule as EKU knocked down a conference-record 320 three-pointers.

"I think (three-pointers) will be very important," Stommes said, "but I also think that this year we're going to be looking to run in transition more, too. Hopefully that will lead to open baskets and layups. But the three-point shot is the mainstay of our offense, so that'll always be important."

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