WILBERFORCE — The Central State University men’s basketball team will open its regular season Friday, Nov. 10 at home against Christian Brothers University.
Coach Joseph Price will have the luxury of leaning on six seniors to help provide leadership on and off the court this season. The senior class includes Sterling Gilmore, Dwight Richards Jr., Jeremy Brown, Frank Barber III, Davone Daniels, and Chris Cook. This year’s roster has the largest senior class since Price’s arrival to CSU in 2014.
While injuries plagued CSU’s roster throughout the 2016-2017 season, the team enters this season healthy. Price is anticipating point guard Tom Johnson, shooting guard Akil Cornish and forward Brown to all contribute to the success of this year’s team.
Known as a top three point shooter, Cornish missed all of last season while recovering from a shoulder injury. Johnson suffered a broken foot in the second game of the season and missed the rest of the year. Brown missed the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament due to a knee injury. All three players have shown confidence in practice and are projected to receive significant playing time this season.
Price has had high praise for transfers Chris Scott and Davone Daniels. A 6-foot-8 forward from Cleveland, Scott spent the previous two seasons playing for Lakeland Community College. Playing for the Lakers, Scott averaged 13.7 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting over 50 percent from the field. Scott also proved to be a threat from the perimeter, knocking down 39 percent of his three-point shots. Daniels comes to CSU for his final year of eligibility after spending the previous three years at St. Joseph’s College in Indiana. Daniels has averaged 9.6 points and 2.3 rebounds per game while shooting 37 percent from the three-point line.
Picked by the SIAC coaches and sports information directors to finish sixth in the SIAC West Division, the Marauders said they are motivated to prove themselves as contenders for a SIAC title this season. CSU is also looking to take the next step in postseason play after back-to-back seasons of being defeated in the opening round of the SIAC Tournament.
For information on Marauder Madness, visit www.maraudersports.com/news/2017/10/22/mens-basketball-2017-2018-central-state-basketball-teams-to-be-introduced-at-fridays-marauder-madness.aspx.
