2005-06 Men's Basketball Preview: Time is Right for Eagles
November 11, 2005

Ashland University basketball coach Roger Lyons has always been a coffee drinker. However, he’s not real keen on the instant java.

That same mindset doesn’t apply for the 2005-06 Ashland University Eagles. Lyons believes he’s been brewing a winner for the last several seasons and he doesn’t want to wait any longer.

“Every year, over the summer, we sit down and identify a theme,” said the AU head coach. “This year it was easy to see it was, “The Time is Now.” In Greg Emmons, Justin Brown, Vahn Knight and Matt Engler we have guys who have plenty of minutes under their belt. It’s time to do it now. We’ve made that very plain. We’ll worry about next year when it gets here.”

Does that put pressure on a team that went 13-14 last season, 6-11 in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference? If it does, Lyons believes his team will have to learn how to handle it, just like it would a full-court press.

“Some pressure to produce is good,” explained Lyons. “I don’t think we’re in a situation in college athletics where you say, ‘What happens, happens.’ We’re trying to do it on a daily basis. It’s about every day, every game, every scrimmage.”

That process began at the end of last season when Ashland won four of its final six games. While it’s a bit much to ask that momentum to carry over to this season, Lyons reports that preseason practices were crisp and that this looked to be a team with a veteran attitude.

A preview of the 2005-06 Eagles, position by position, follows.

Point Guard – The Eagles play on only one Sunday (preseason game at Ohio State) in 2005-06. That’s fitting. You can’t be a Sunday driver and be at the wheel of this offense. The Eagles like to run and prefer point guards who are more familiar with the gas pedal than the brake.

It appears as if sophomore Brett Bartlett has the inside track on the starting job. The 6-0 Bartlett is a transfer from Kent State. He’s adapted to the AU system without a problem.

“We feel we’re deep at this position,” Lyons said. “Brett is a transfer from Kent State and a coach’s son. He’s real coachable, real adaptable with the other guys. He can shoot the three.”

Javan Roberson, a 6-0 senior, saw extended playing time at point guard last season. That was his first prolonged action at the position and he’s sure to get more minutes this season. Roberson started 12 games and averaged 3.4 ppg.

“Javan can come off the bench and up the tempo,” said Lyons, who prefers to use at least two point guards extensively in an up-and-down game.

Tony Madalone, a 5-10 junior and Jeremy Duerr, a 5-11 freshman, are two more candidates for playing time. This is Madalone’s third year in the program and the well-conditioned junior is itching to get more minutes. Duerr got the attention of the coaching staff with his pure athletic ability. Now he has to learn how to use it effectively.

Off Guard – A welcome mat has been dropped down here and rightly so. Now, if two newcomers pan out, the Eagles won’t spend much time trying to come up off the mat in 2005-06.

The projected starter is 6-1 junior Rob McRae. He spent last year at Mott Community College, one of the top junior college programs in the nation. He began his collegiate career at Saginaw Valley State where he was a backup to current AU assistant coach Tim Fralick.

“He’s been the surprise of our camp,” praised Lyons. “He’s really locked that spot down. He’s a smaller two guard, but he’s very strong. He’s the fastest guy on the team basket to basket. He’s come through with flying colors.”

McRae averaged 10.8 ppg., for a Mott team that finished 30-3 a year ago.

Cedrick Bird, a 6-1 junior who comes to Ashland from Henry Ford Community College, will also log time here. Bird averaged 15.0 ppg., 4.0 apg., and 4.0 rpg., in 2004-05.

“He just has to get more comfortable with the tempo we play,” said Lyons.

Originally, the Eagles had planned to have 6-2 junior guard Chris Newell in the mix at shooting guard. Over his first two seasons, Newell has shown signs of being an effective scorer. Right now, he’s just trying to reach full health. Off-season leg surgery hasn’t allowed him to compete with McRae and Bird.

Small Forward – There are some athletes who aren’t meant to be restricted by a position title. That may be the case with the versatile Knight.

Lyons believes that Knight, a 6-4, 180-pound junior, could be on the verge of stardom. He’s Ashland’s top returning scorer (10.8 ppg.). A year ago, he was second on the team in scoring, assists (57) and free throw percentage (74.7 percent) and fourth in rebounding (3.2 rpg.) and three-point field goals (26). An up-tempo game suits him fine.

“This might be the strongest position on the team,” offered Lyons. “Vahn Knight is one of the best players in our league. It’s his breakout year, his year to shine. There’s not one thing he can’t do. We’re expecting him to do everything. His time is now.”

Richard Rucker, a 6-2 junior who’s joining the Eagles from Kirkwood Community College (IA), figures prominently in AU’s plans. Lyons believes that Rucker can be a shut-down defender. He was a point guard last season for 28-8 Kirkwood, yet the coaching staff believes he can flourish at small forward.

“He’s an outstanding on-the-ball defender,” raved Lyons. “He has the ability to be a point forward. We’re looking for some good things from him.”

Sophomore Gabe Brooks rounds out the depth chart. A year ago he played in 24 games and contributed 4.1 ppg.

“He’s outstanding with the ball, he just needs to continue to work in other areas,” Lyons said.

Power Forward – Like a golfer who owns both a long and short game, 6-7, 230-pound junior Greg Emmons offers an impressive blend of touch, power and poise. He can do damage on the interior and he can riddle teams with his outside shot, he was third on the team in three-point field goals (28) last season. Emmons was 12th in the GLIAC in rebounding (5.6 rpg.) and 14th in free throw percentage (.757).

“He has a lot of game minutes and experience is valuable in so many ways,” pointed out Lyons. “He knows how to play in this league and we’re counting on him to be a factor. He can shoot the ball at 6-7. We’ve insisted that he shoot.”

The AU head coach hopes that newcomer Kenny Gupton can be a factor, too. The 6-5 junior, like his cousin, Bird, played at Henry Ford Community College a year ago and averaged 17.0 ppg.

“He needs to learn how to play at our tempo, he’s learning how to play fast,” Lyons said. “He’s small for this position, but extremely quick. We’ve been preaching to him to use that quickness.”

Quickness is also associated with 6-4 freshman Tyler Rosenberger. Can he quickly adapt to the college game and provide help this season? Lyons says there’s a lot to like about the rookie.

“He started out at the three spot and we realized he’s better at the four,” said Lyons. “He’s a smart, very tough, hardnosed kid. He’s a very tough kid.”

Center – His game is basketball, not pool, but when it comes to playing all the angles, it’s hard to do better than 6-9 senior Justin Brown. The AU post player led the GLIAC in rebounding last season (9.3 rpg.), and was second in field goal percentage (.658). He averaged 10.6 ppg., was second team all-conference and a member of GLIAC All-Defensive Team.

“When you can lead this league in rebounding, you’re doing something,” marveled Lyons. “We want him to rebound and be an offensive threat in the low post. He can catch the ball on the move, defend on the block, make free throws. When you have a guy you can count on for seven to 12 boards, that’s a big advantage.”

Last season was Brown’s breakout year and even though his numbers were excellent, Lyons believes Brown can deliver more.

“We’d like to see a career year this year,” said Lyons of the player who will serve as the team’s captain in 2005-06. “He’s in great shape and takes great care of himself. The offense will run through his hands.”

Brown’s backup, 6-9, 240-pound junior Matt Engler, will also have a hand in any success the Eagles experience.

“He’s one of the keys to our year,” emphasized Lyons. “At some point, JB and Greg will get in foul trouble. We need a big guy who can come off the bench and produce. He needs to get in there and be effective. He has to rebound and play low-post defense. We’re counting on him, no question. Why wouldn’t we? He’s a junior, it’s his time.”

A year ago, Engler appeared in 17 games and averaged 3.4 ppg., and 1.2 rpg.

The Eagles could get added depth here if Casey Brown, a 6-4 freshman and the brother of Justin Brown, can get himself in basketball shape after the 2005 football season is complete. Brown plays tight end for the Eagles during the fall. He’s been away from basketball for a year and there’s no timetable for how long it will take him to get ready.

“He’s worked out with our guys,” said Lyons. “I don’t know what he can bring to the table.”

Midway through fall camp, Lyons wasn’t sure if he had a full plate. He had an inkling this team was deeper than last year’s unit. In his best years with the Eagles, Lyons didn’t hesitate to use eight to 10 players.

“I think we’re comfortably nine deep and I want us to be 10 deep, two at each position” said the coach who’s in his 13th season at Ashland. “If we have that, I’ll feel pretty good. You have to be convinced as a coach that a guy can produce in a ballgame. I think we’ll have 10 guys who can do that.”

Should that happen, the Eagles could force teams inside and outside of the GLIAC to, “Wake Up and Smell the Coffee.”