Lots of New Faces at Middle Tennessee
With a 10-6 record, Middle Tennessee State finished off the 2010-2011 campaign in second place in the Sun Belt East Division. However, their 16-16 overall record placed them on the outside of any postseason. With superstar and team leader James Washington III gone, logic would say that the Blue Raiders are in for a rebuilding year. However, with eight fresh faces on the team, Coach Kermit Davis and the fans are expecting big things this time around.
Five of those eight newcomers have played college ball before. LaRon Dendy is a transfer from Iowa State who also spent two years in the junior college ranks. The 6-9 senior was a key contributor off of the bench for the Cyclones last season and his experience, and bulk, will fill a huge need for the Blue Raiders. Torin Walker is another transfer from a major program. He barely played at Oklahoma State, but at 6-11 and 248 pounds, the sophomore will turn into a bruiser for Coach Davis sooner or later. At the least, he will give the team that likes to play a lot of players another option in the frontcourt.
Those two are good and their experience in the Big 12 is certainly a big plus, but the best newcomers may be in the backcourt. Bruce Massey, Raymond Cintron and Marcos Knight are all highly regarded junior college transfers. Even on a team that returns plenty of talent on the wings, they will fit right in and play significant minutes.
The key will be finding a new point guard out of the junior college transfers. Massey and Cintron fit that bill. Knight is more of a pure scorer and shooter and he will make his impact off the ball. Massey is a pure point guard. He can control tempo and will always play tough defense. Not that he is a poor scorer, but Massey’s shooting is not as strong as Cintron’s. Massey has spent much of his summer hanging out in Murfreesboro and getting to work with his new teammates. That extra time could make a huge difference.
But whoever starts, all the newcomers with previous college experience are expected to play significant minutes. Those five can fill in for the five players lost that averaged at least ten minutes per game last season. And outside of the leadership provided by Washington III, it is hard to argue that the new group of five is not better than the departed group.
Read the in-depth men’s basketball preview for this team
