Miami Ohio University Athletics
RedHawks Face Branch West Basketball Academy in Exhibition Game
11/6/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 6, 2001
WHAT IS BRANCH WEST BASKETBALL ACADEMY?
Branch West Basketball Academy, headed by Bob Gottlieb, is a year-round training center in Orange County, Calif., for Southern California basketball players. The BWBA Exhibition Team is a compilation of nine former Division I and II collegiate players with various backgrounds. Some have played overseas.
Last weekend, BWBA fell to Loyola (Chicago), 83-71, and Mississippi State, 110-89. Prior to facing the RedHawks, BWBA plays at Northern Arizona and Wisconsin-Green Bay. On its remaining exhibition schedule is Lamar, Rice and Arkansas State. In its first two games, Edmund Saunders, a 6-foot-8 forward, and Matt Watt, a 6-foot-3 guard, did the bulk of the scoring, with Saunders tallying 45 points over the two contests and Watt notching 43.
Gottlieb has been coaching for 37 years at various levels, including stints at Jacksonville and Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
RADIO (MIAMI SPORTS NETWORK)
All Miami games can be heard on the Miami Sports Network, anchored by flagship station WMOH-AM 1450 in Hamilton. On Thursday, 'Hawk Talk, Miami's weekly call-in show, will air live from Millett Hall, coinciding with the RedHawks' exhibition game against the Branch West Basketball Academy. Steve Baker (play-by-play), Joe Barry (color) and Tim Bray (sideline) call the action for the RedHawks. Miami's basketball games can also be heard through www.MURedHawks.com (via internet) and TEAMLINE (via telephone, 1-800-846-4700, access code 5768). Each broadcast begins one-half hour prior to tipoff. The primary MSN affiliates include WMOH-AM (1450), WCKY-AM (1360), WFMG-FM (101.3) and WDAO-AM (1210, day games only).
MIAMI COACH CHARLIE COLES
Head coach Charlie Coles enters his sixth season as Miami's head mentor and his 12th overall as a collegiate head coach.He owns a 186-144 (.564) overall record and a 94-60 (.610) mark at Miami. Coles, the MAC's sixth-winningest coach, directed his first Miami squad to a 21-9 record, a MAC regular-season co-championship, the MAC Tournament title and the NCAA Tournament. He became just the second coach in school history to lead his team to the MAC title, 20 or more wins and the NCAA Tournament in his first season.
Coles won his 100th all-time MAC game with the Jan. 20, 2001, win over Buffalo. Coles, who celebrates his 60th birthday on Feb. 6, is now 107-81 all-time versus MAC teams.
Following a 17-12 season in 1997-98, Coles guided the RedHawks to one of their best seasons in school history: a 24-8 record, their 20th MAC regular-season crown and a Sweet Sixteen appearance in the NCAA Tourney. In the last two years, despite being a respective No. 8 and No. 9 seed, Coles has directed the RedHawks to five straight MAC Tournament title game appearances. He is the only coach in MAC history to lead five consecutive teams to the championship round.
Before being named Miami's head coach, he served as an assistant to Herb Sendek for two seasons. From 1985-91, Coles was the head coach at Central Michigan, where he compiled a 92-84 record.
Coles is in third place on Miami's all-time win list with his 94 victories. Dick Shrider (1957-66) is second at 126-96.
COLES CLOSING IN ON MILESTONE WINS
Head coach Charlie Coles is nearing two milestones. With a 94-60 record at Miami, the sixth-year mentor is quickly approaching his 100th Miami triumph. He also is just 14 wins shy of reaching 200 career wins.
VANDERSLUIS OUT FOUR TO SIX WEEKS
Sustaining a Jones Fracture (fracture of the fifth metatarsal) in his left foot, Miami University men's basketball freshman center Nate VanderSluis (Oak Harbor, Ohio/Oak Harbor) will be out 4-6 weeks. VanderSluis underwent surgery last Thursday (Nov. 1) to place a screw in the bone to help heal the fracture. He suffered the injury during an intrasquad scrimmage on Saturday, Oct. 27.
REDHAWKS TRULY ARE THE "EARLY BIRDS"
As the saying goes, "The early bird catches the worm," and the Miami RedHawks have been catching the worm each weekday. For the second consecutive year, due to the academic schedules of several of the players, the 'Hawks have taken to the court in the wee hours of the morning during the fall semester. Typically, Monday, Wednesday and Friday practices commence at 5:45 a.m., 45 minutes earlier than last year's practice time. Tuesday and Thursday sessions start a bit later ... 6:30 a.m.
AND THE SURVEY SAYS ...
Miami was tabbed fifth in the East Division by the members of the MAC News Media Association in the Mid-American Conference Preseason Men's Basketball Poll.
The RedHawks, who have advanced to the MAC title game a league record five consecutive years, earned two votes to win the tournament. Kent State, also predicted to win the East Division, was forecast to win the 2002 First Energy MAC Tournament with 19 votes.
In the East Division, Kent State, Marshall, Ohio and Bowling Green were selected to finish in the top four spots, respectively. Akron and Buffalo round out the final two slots in the preseason poll.
Central Michigan was the No. 1 pick in the West Division, followed by Ball State, Toledo, Western Michigan, Northern Illinois and Eastern Michigan. The Chippewas also earned 10 votes to capture the tournament crown, while the Cardinals earned eight votes.
THE TOUGH GET TOUGHER
Once again, Miami head coach Charlie Coles has put together a most challenging non-conference slate. The eight-game, non-league schedule boasts four NCAA Tournament teams and two NIT participants. Miami also will participate in the Hawai'i Rainbow Classic, which features an additional five teams that advanced to the 2001 NCAA Tournament. "The best way for your team to improve is to play teams that do good things," says Coles. "This is probably the most difficult schedule in my six years, and I think it will really help prepare us for the rest of our season."
AMONG THE BEST
In a list compiled by cnnsi.com, Miami freshmen Danny Horace (Cincinnati, Ohio/Western Hills) and Nate VanderSluis were ranked among the top 300 high school seniors-the only players from any MAC school to make the list.
TOP GUNS
Miami returns three of its top four scorers from last season, all three of them starters: Alex Shorts, Doug Davis and Juby Johnson (Warrensville Heights, Ohio/Warrensville Hights). Shorts, a second-team all-MAC pick and selection to the 2001 MAC all-Tournament Team, led the team in scoring averaging 15.7 points per game in 2000-01.
REDHAWK RETURNERS
The RedHawks return over 66 percent of thier scoring and 60 percent of their rebounding output from a last season in 10 returning letterwinners.
REDHAWK RETERNERS PART II
Miami also returns two players selected to all-MAC teams. Alex Shorts was a second-team all-MAC pick and member of the MAC all-Tournament Team, and Juby Johnson was named to the MAC all-Freshmen Team.
MAC TOURNAMENT MANIA
Advancing to the MAC title game for the fifth consecutive season, Miami owns the longest string of MAC Tournament championship game appearances. Miami won the MAC Tournament in 1997. The Red and White also have posted 11 straight seasons at or above .500.
HOME SWEET HOME
In its 34th season at Millett Hall, Miami owns a 308-99 record on its home floor for a .757 winning percentage. The RedHawks had strung together 20 successive victories over non-conference opponents before falling to Dayton on Dec. 6, 2000. Over its last 92 contests, Miami is 78-14 (.848) at Millett Hall.
CHET THE JET READY FOR TAKEOFF
The long awaited debut of former Mr. Ohio Basketball is nearing. Sophomore guard Chester Mason (Cleveland, Ohio/South), who was a partial qualifier last season, meaning he could practice with the team but not play, suits up in a RedHawk uniform for the first time this week. "Chester not being able to play last season really hurt us because it took away our quickest player and one of our two best athletes," says head coach Charlie Coles. "We certainly are glad to have him this season."
BIG SHOES TO FILL
Wearing a size-19 shoe, 6-foot-11 freshman center Nate VanderSluis has the largest foot of any Miami player on record (all sports).
SMALL FORWARD POSITION NOT SHORT ON TALENT OR DEPTH
Miami's small forward position is one which boasts a considerable amount of talent and depth. Juby Johnson, Eugene Seals (Saginaw, Mich./Saginaw), Larry Drake (Groveport, Ohio/Groveport-Madison), Doug Williams (Piketon, Ohio/Piketon) and Tim Shenke (Cincinnati, Ohio/Elder) give Miami a wealth of weapons at this position. Johnson, the incumbent starter, is the only returning player to have participated in all 33 games last season. Seals saw significant time during his freshman season and led the team in blocked shots. Drake, a junior, is noted as one of the RedHawks' stronger shooters, and drained key field goals in 2000-01, including sparking Miami to an upset over No. 15 Temple.
