By Keisha Martinez
MIAMI GAME NOTES
https://miamiredhawks.com/documents/2024/11/8/2024-25_MIAMI_MBK_Wright_State.pdf
WRIGHT STATE GAME NOTES
https://miamiredhawks.com/documents/2024/11/8/2024-25_MIAMI_MBK_Wright_State.pdf
THIS WEEKEND: The Miami men’s basketball team opens home play against Wright State on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 1 p.m. The RedHawks are looking for their first 2-0 start since the 2021-22 season.
ABOUT WRIGHT STATE: Wright State went 18-14 and 13-7 in conference play last year. Head coach Clint Sargent begins his first season with the Raiders. Heading into the 2024-25 season, Wright State was selected to finish fifth overall in the Horizon League Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll. Brandon Noel was named the preseason Player of the Year and also earned a spot on the first team. Alex Huibregtse earned second team honors.
So far this season, Wright State dropped to Kentucky 103-62 in its season opener and most recently defeated Ohio Christian 89-60.
THE SERIES WITH THE RAIDERS: Monday will mark the 40th time that the RedHawks and Raiders have faced off. Miami leads the all-time matchup 21-18. The last time the Red and White defeated Wright State was on Dec. 5, 2018 (65-62).
UP NEXT: The RedHawks return to action against Maryland Eastern Shore Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. in Millett Hall.
LAST TIME OUT: The Miami University men’s basketball team secured its first win of the year in convincing fashion 77-63 at Appalachian State Monday evening to open the 2024-25 season. Newcomers Peter Suder (17) and Kam Craft (16) led all RedHawks in scoring to propel the team offensively. Sophomore guard Cooper set a career high with four steals. With this victory, Miami ended the Mountaineers’ 15-game home win streak (last loss at home came on Feb. 18, 2023).
2024-25 ROSTER: The RedHawks boast two freshmen, one redshirt freshman, eight sophomores, one redshirt sophomore, three juniors, and one graduate student. Four of these players are finding a new home in Oxford after transferring to Miami University this season. Miami has seven new players on the 2024-25 roster.
RETURNING CAST: The RedHawks’ top five returning scorers were all true freshmen last year. This list includes Eian Elmer (7.0), Evan Ipsaro (6.5), Mekhi Cooper (6.3), Reece Potter (6.0) and Jackson Kotecki (3.2). To learn more about the returning sophomores, click here!
MIAMI’S NEWEST SHOT-MAKER PERFECTING HIS CRAFT: 1,222 days after Kam Craft committed to play college basketball for head coach Travis Steele, he finally did.
That three-plus-year journey didn’t play out exactly like either Craft or Steele would have predicted back in July 2021. Steele, then the head coach at Xavier University, is now in his third season leading the Miami University program. And even though Craft still ended up joining Xavier after Steele’s departure, he suffered a knee injury during the Musketeers’ 2022-23 season and played only four more games over the next year and a half before entering the transfer portal.
However, the two men reunited this spring when Steele earned a recruiting commitment from Craft for the second time. So when the Miami RedHawks’ 2024-25 opener tipped off at Appalachian State Monday night, Craft was wearing the Red and White, with Steele on the sideline shouting encouragement. To learn more about his story, click here!
NEW FACES: Craft is not the only impactful addition to this year’s roster. Other notable newcomers include:
DAN LUERS: Initially attended Defiance College (NCAA Division III), where he played in seven games during the 2020-21 COVID-19 shortened season, averaging 16.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists Last season at EIU, he appeared in all 32 games, averaging 6.8 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists.
PETER SUDER: As a freshman for Bellarmine, Suder was named to the ASUN All-Freshman Team in 2023. Last season, he played 31 games and put up 10.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.2 steals as a sophomore.
ANTWONE WOOLFOLK: He averaged 3.3 points and 3.1 rebounds during his 27 games played his sophomore year at Rutgers University. He was a three-star recruit in basketball, while also receiving offers in football from Boston College, Cincinnati, Akron and Marshall.
FORT MYERS TIP-OFF: Matchups and game times have been announced for every game of the Fort Myers Tip-Off Beach and Palms Divisions, which will be held Nov. 25-27 at Suncoast Credit Union Arena on the campus of Florida SouthWestern State College in Fort Myers, Fla.
In the Palms Division, Miami University will take on Siena at 11 a.m. on Nov. 25, followed by Jacksonville facing Mercer at 1:30 p.m. The teams will return to the court on Nov. 26 with the third-place game taking place at 11 a.m. and the championship game being held at 1:30 p.m. All Palms Division games will be streamed on FSWBucs.com.
MAC PRESEASON POLL: On Tuesday, Oct. 22, the Mid-American Conference released its annual men’s basketball preseason coaches poll. The Miami University men’s basketball team was selected to finish sixth in the preseason poll. Ohio was crowned first in the preseason rankings with 121 points and were followed by Akron (106), Kent State (99), Toledo (95), Bowling Green (73), Miami (72), Ball State (67), Central Michigan (55), Eastern Michigan (36), Western Michigan (33), Northern Illinois (24) and Buffalo (11).
2024-25 MAC Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches’ Poll
(First Place Votes)
1. Ohio (11) – 121
2. Akron (1) – 106
3. Kent State – 99
4. Toledo – 95
5. Bowling Green – 73
6. Miami – 72
7. Ball State – 67
8. Central Michigan – 55
9. Eastern Michigan – 36
10. Western Michigan – 33
11. Northern Illinois – 24
12. Buffalo – 11
Tournament Champion: Ohio (8), Kent State (3), Toledo (1)
2024-25 MAC Men’s Basketball Preseason All-MAC Teams
First Team
Payton Sparks, Senior, Center, Ball State
Anthony Pritchard, Senior, Guard, Central Michigan
VonCameron Davis, R-Senior, Forward, Kent State
AJ Clayton, Senior, Forward, Ohio
Javan Simmons, Sophomore, Forward, Toledo
Second Team
Isaiah Gray, Senior, Guard, Akron
Jalen Sullinger, Senior, Guard, Kent State
Shereef Mitchell, Graduate Student, Guard, Ohio
AJ Brown, R-Sophomore, Guard, Ohio
Isaiah Adams, Fifth Year, Guard, Toledo
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