Alright hear me out, this is simply a hunch. This is not a prophecy, nor is it 100 percent certain to come true, but this is a bold and well-calculated prediction. Which team will take 2018-19 by storm? Men’s Basketball.
It is nowhere close to basketball season and all the focus right now is supposed to be aimed towards fall sports. Yet, it is the beginning of the year in which it is the perfect time for predictions for how this next athletic year at CMU will pan out.
Everybody knows teams like football and soccer will perform well like they always do. Volleyball is on the incline and cross country is running their own course. However, under everyone’s nose is a team lurking that is planning the season no one expected. CMU men’s basketball is in a new chapter and it is possible the new chapter will consist of a winning season.
The Mavericks ended last season on a six-game losing streak and had a losing record for a second consecutive year. They have not won more than 11 games since 2015 and have gone 19-37 in the last two seasons.
Now those aren’t as bad numbers as some basketball programs have accumulated, but when is losing a good thing?
In this last spring, former Head coach Andy Shantz agreed with the university to resign and a new head coach in the form of Mike DeGeorge was hired in May.
DeGeorge comes from a winning program, Rhodes College, in Memphis. Rhodes, in 2016-17, won both the Southern Athletic Association regular season and tournament championship. DeGeorge was also selected the SAA Coach of the Year the same season.
A new head coach adds a sense of excitement to a program. Something that has been missing from CMU basketball since 2015.
Yes, a new head coach doesn’t solve all of the issues. There have to be other factors to make CMU successful–and there is!
The team only lost one senior after last year. CJ Davis, who was considered one of the top scorers for the Mavericks, was the only player from CMU to graduate in the spring. This means other key components are still in place that acts as a strong foundation to build on.
At the top of the list is last year’s leading scorer Connor Nichols. Nichols will be entering his final year at CMU but is projected to have another outstanding season like he did the year before. The Scottsdale native averaged a team-high 19.5 ppg and possessed a field goal percentage of .544.
Nichols will definitely be the face of the program but will have a great supporting cast under him.
Center, Damon Dubots, averaged 11.4 points and 3.8 rebounds per game last year will play the prominent “big man” role and fellow senior Brandon Hoffer will take over as the primary point guard. Hoffer along with Dubots were often secondary scorers for the Mavericks in the past, but now have to step up in those primary spots they are more than capable of obtaining.
The positives may not outweigh the negatives from last season, but there is a foundation to build on and a new coach with a winning tradition definitely adds a new flavor and flare to the struggling program. I know this is a shot in the dark, but only time will tell.
