ISU men set to battle Ball State after 9-day layoff

By Andy Amey

TERRE HAUTE — Ask different people and you get slightly different answers about what the Indiana State men’s basketball team has been doing in its nine-day layoff since its last game.

“We’ve been in study hall quite a bit,” said coach Kevin McKenna, whose players had to miss some class time during a seven-game, 16-day stretch that ended Nov. 29 with a 77-72 win at Arkansas State. “We gave [the players] some time off [from practice].”

“A whole lot of running,” was sophomore Carl Richard’s answer when asked what the team had been doing in the same time frame.

“We tightened up on everything [in practice] to cut down our turnovers and keep our defense intact.”

The layoff is officially over. The 5-2 Sycamores return to the court at 8 p.m. today against Ball State in the second game of an in-state doubleheader in Hulman Center looking to pick up where they left off — or improve on what they’ve been doing.

“We’re well rested and anxious to play,” McKenna said this week. “This is a good, in-state game — two similar leagues [Missouri Valley and Mid-American conferences], two similar teams, and we look at a lot of the same kids [when recruiting].”

It was suggested to Richard that perhaps the layoff came at a bad time for him. After being bothered by a shoulder injury and missing two of the seven games, he came back at Arkansas State with his best performance of the season — 17 points and six rebounds — but didn’t get to ride that momentum. He disagreed.

“I was a little winded my first game back,” he admitted, “and the rest [since that game] really helped [the shoulder].”

ISU will need Richard’s ability around the basket in tonight’s game, McKenna predicted.

“Ball State is a really good offensive rebounding team,” the coach said. “They’ll try to pound the ball inside, and then they have a couple guys who can make shots on the perimeter.

“We’ve got to rebound with them and limit their second-chance opportunities.”

The successful start has made the season a lot more fun, Richard said this week, so the Sycamores want to keep taking care of business.

“The locker room is a lot more cheerful after the games, and the bus rides [home after a win] don’t seem as long,” he said. “We’ve got to keep working hard and get more Ws.”

“We’ve defended and rebounded better as the season has worn on,” McKenna said. “Offensively, we’re still not hitting our stride yet. We need to make the extra pass, make the simple plays and take care of the ball.”

“We just need to gel together, get the big men playing right and cut down our turnovers,” Richard said. “The sky’s the limit … if those things happen, we can do anything.”



Ball State at ISU

Tipoff — Approximately 8:15 p.m. in Hulman Center.

Broadcasts — Radio: WSDM-FM 92.7, WISU-FM 89.7.

Last time out — Indiana State defeated Arkansas State 77-72 on the road on Nov. 29. Ball State lost 59-38 to Butler at home on Dec. 2.

Series — Indiana State leads 68-55 and has a 47-16 advantage in Terre Haute.

The players

Ball State Cardinals (2-3) — F Terrence Watson (6-5 Sr., 6.4 ppg, 7.6 rpg), F Malik Perry (6-4 Jr., 8.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg), C Jarrod Jones (6-9 So., 13.6 ppg, 6.2 rpg), G Jauwan Scaife (6-2 Fr., 10.6 ppg), G Randy Davis (5-11 So., 5 ppg, 3.4 apg) should start, with Brawley Chisholm (6-2 Sr., 6.8 ppg), Pierre Sneed (6-4 So., 4 ppg) and Mo Hubbard (6-6 So.) also contributing. Freshman Zach Harrison, a Terre Haute North graduate, has seen action in one game so far.

Coach — Billy Taylor.

Indiana State Sycamores (5-2) — G Jake Kelly (6-5 Jr., 10.7 ppg, 3.1 rpg), G Harry Marshall (6-0 Sr., 10.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg), G Rashad Reed (6-1 Sr., 8.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg), F Carl Richard (6-4 So., 5.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg) and C Brant Leitnaker (6-10 Sr., 4.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg) are potential starters, with Dwayne Lathan (6-3 So., 13.7 ppg, 5.5 rpg), Aaron Carter (6-4 Jr., 5.2 ppg), Jordan Printy (6-4 So., 4.4 ppg), Josh Crawford (6-11 Jr., 4.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg), Koang Doluony (6-7 Fr., 3.6 ppg) and Isiah Martin (6-8 Jr., 2.4 ppg) also likely to play.

Coach — Kevin McKenna.

Injuries — None reported.

Keys to the game

• As in virtually every Sycamore game, rebounding is important. The Cardinals are no taller than the Sycamores but are wider, and offensive rebounding is a big part of their game.

• How will the nine-day layoff affect the Sycamores? A rivalry game like this one wouldn’t be a good time for them to come out flat.

• Will the offense improve? Coach Kevin McKenna says his team still hasn’t hit its offensive stride, but maybe the start of a homestand will ignite something.

Tidbit — Although the two teams didn’t meet last season, Ball State has played Indiana State more than any other opponent.

Next game — Indiana State is back home again for a 2 p.m. Sunday game against Oral Roberts.

— Andy Amey

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