|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tuesday, November 10, 2009 9:18 AM CST
Olivet new tune-up for EIU men
BY BRIAN NIELSEN, Sports Editor
bnielsen@jg-tc.com
CHARLESTON -- Needing a last-minute exhibition substitute opponent, Eastern Illinois’ men’s basketball team was at the mercy of others’ schedules and willingness to play.
Coach Mike Miller doesn’t consider NAIA Olivet Nazarene just some last resort for a fill-in contest set for 7:30 p.m. today at Lantz Arena.
“You can play somebody who you just play or you can be tested in some areas,” Miller said. “Obviously, we chose the second option there because they are going to test us.”
Before Saturday’s 6 p.m. opener at Toledo, Eastern has this exhibition game.
The originally scheduled exhibition game for the past Saturday against St. Xavier was canceled in observance of last week’s death of women’s basketball assistant coach Jackie Moore.
Tickets purchased for Saturday’s game are to be accepted for this contest.
While St. Xavier could not reschedule, Eastern was able to pick up Olivet Nazarene, which opened its season with Friday’s 100-40 rout over Cincinnati Christian College.
Olivet agreed to face the Panthers on its way home to Kankakee after Monday night’s game at Union University in Tennessee.
This Olivet program, where Mount Zion native Ralph Hodge has been the head coach since 1979, had been to three straight NAIA tournaments before missing out last season with a 16-15.
The Tigers lost only one senior from that team and regain 2008 All-Chicago Collegiate Athletic Conference guard Josh Bronke, a Normal Community High School product who averaged 10.8 points and 4.0 assists two seasons ago but missed last year with an injury.
The 6-foot Bronke scored 18 points, including three 3-pointers in four attempts, in the opener against Cincinnati Christian while 5-foot-9 sophomore Antonio Marshall made four of four 3-pointers for 12 points and 6-8, 270-pound senior Tyler Baldwin added 12 points.
Four years ago Eastern defeated Olivet 69-62 in an exhibition game.
“We played them my first year here,” Miller said. “I thought they had a good team. This may be one of the best teams they’ve had.
“They are very good shooters. They run a very good system. They are disciplined. Obviously, they are good at it. You can tell watching them they are well schooled. They put in your mind Eastern Kentucky because they have some 6-6, 6-7 guys who can shoot it.”
Ohio Valley Conference games against Eastern Kentucky are to come for EIU in January and February.
For now this serves as a preseason tune-up for a mostly veteran Panthers team while also providing a Lantz Arena debut for highly regarded freshman forward Sean Pratl and junior guards wing player Curry McKinney and the return to action for forward James Hollowell who took a medical redshirt four games into his freshman year.
“We have Sean Pratl and Curry McKinney who need some game experience,” Miller said. “We have James Hollowell just getting back. We need to get ready to play some games that count.”
Contact Brian Nielsen at bnielsen@jg-tc. com or 238-6856.
Add your comments
Not already registered?
Then click Here.
Comment policy:
JG-TC.com encourages readers to engage in civil conversation with their neighbors. Comments that are submitted are not posted to the site immediately. They go into a queue to be moderated and may take several hours to be reviewed. Comments posted on Saturday may not be reviewed until Sunday afternoon.
In order to keep the page a set width, long lines (mostly long links) will be chopped. Try putting spaces in your links or consider using tinyurl.com to make a smaller link that you can include.
We will never edit or alter your comments, but we do reserve the right to remove comments that violate our code of conduct.
No comment may contain:
* Potentially libelous statements; such as accusing somebody of a crime, defamation of character, or statements that can harm somebody's reputation.
* Obscene, explicit, or racist language.
* Personal attacks, insults, threats, harassment or inciting violence.
* Commercial product promotions.
If you have any questions, please contact our moderator.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
