Kent State Golden Flashes
Overall Rank: #64
Conference Rank: #1 Mid-American
Kent State Team Page
2010-11: 25-12, 12-4
2010-11 postseason: NIT
Coach: Rob Senderoff (First year at Kent State, 0-0 overall)
Geno Ford’s short tenure at Kent State ended and the Rob Senderoff era has begun. The long-time Golden Flashes assistant should step right in and continue the winning ways at Kent State. This is a team that has won the MAC two years in a row, but missed out on the NCAA Tournament. The catalyst of the offense is Michael Porrini. The transfer had a superb first season for the Flashes, averaging 10.1 points and 4.3 assists. His senior season should be even better. Porrini has plenty of scoring options returning and he obviously can do plenty of scoring on his own when needed.
Who’s Out:
Rodriguez Sherman is one of those scorers who will not be back. During his senior season Sherman averaged 12.6 points per game and knocked down 37.1 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc. He has been a leader on the floor for this team and was the player in the backcourt who would take the big shots. However, there are other experienced options to fill that role. Forward Darius Leonard is the only other departure who played any significant minutes. And he averaged just 6.2 minutes per contest, so Coach Senderoff will have little trouble replacing him.
Who’s In:
The Golden Flashes have a couple experienced players coming in who will have little trouble replacing the production of Sherman. Chris Evans is a big small forward by Mid-American Conference standards who spent the last two seasons at Wabash Valley Community College. He is a big time scorer and can use his 6-7 frame to attack the glass as well. Two years ago Patrick Johnson started 15 games at Rutgers. The 6-6 wing never put up big numbers, but he is certainly capable of doing so. His size will cause problems against most opposing small forwards in what is usually a guard-orientated conference. Those two are talented enough to start and one of them may sooner or later. Either way, Kent State has a ton of depth on the wings and could even play small at times without much of a problem with Evans or Johnson manning the four spot. The two incoming freshmen are also wings. Shooting guard Kris Brewer and small forward Devareaux Manley will likely have to bide their time before seeing too much action.
Who to Watch:
Randal Holt and Carlton Guyton both have starting experience on the wings, but they will be tested by Evans and Johnson. Holt is pretty much a straight up shooter. Last season his shot was not falling consistently. If that is the case again this year, he may become the team’s shooter off of the bench. Carlton Guyton was more consistent from long range and proved to be a more dynamic scorer. He only started 13 games last season and was a great sparkplug off of the bench, but the senior is ready for a starting job. He is also a dynamic scorer who has the ability to turn into the go-to-scorer for Kent State. Eric Gaines averaged nearly 17 minutes per contest last season, but even with Sherman gone, his minutes will likely decrease with the influx of talent coming in on the wings.
Final Projection:
The star of this team is Justin Greene. The 6-8, 230 pound forward led the squad with 15.4 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks. He is a superb interior scorer who will use his size to create space for himself. Greene definitely has the size to move the five spot, but Justin Manns will once again start at that position. Manns is a big 6-11 center, but he rarely plays over 20 minutes per game. When those two are on the floor together, the opposition has to find a couple big bodies who can guard both of them and that is not always an easy thing to do in the MAC. With Manns on the floor, Greene becomes an even better scorer. On the other end of the floor, Greene and Manns are a formidable shot blocking duo. Scooter Johnson and Mark Henninger are the returning players who can man the four or five spot. Evans and Patrick Johnson are also options when Coach Senderoff wants a little more athleticism on the floor. Given all of those options, Kent State should again cruise through conference play. The question is whether or not this group has the leadership to get over the hump and win in Cleveland to go to the NCAA Tournament.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA
Projected Starting Five:
Michael Porrini, Senior, Guard, 10.1 points per game
Randal Holt, Junior, Guard, 9.9 points per game
Carlton Guyton, Senior, Guard, 12.4 points per game
Justin Greene, Senior, Forward, 15.4 points per game
Justin Manns, Senior, Center, 4.8 points per game
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