Last season proved one thing to be very clear in Mid-American Conference basketball: Someone emerges from the pack to become a star as the season goes on.
In the 2002-2003 season, the surprise came at Central Michigan. The Chippewas were picked to finish last in the West and center Chris Kaman appeared to be more of a liability than a threat in the lane.
Fast forward to March when the Chips were cutting down the nets in Gund Arena after dominating the MAC all season long behind Kaman, a draft pick of the Los Angeles Clippers.
There are a few players in the league not attending MAC Media Day tomorrow who could go two ways: continue to be average players in the MAC or take their respective teams to the next level.
JaQuan Hart, guard, Eastern Michigan: Hart transferred to the Eagles from Ohio
State with plenty of hype. At 6 feet 6 inches, Hart towers over most opposing guards.
Hart's deficiencies from downtown (25.9 percent last season) seem to be at the root of his problems. Hart also did not take advantage of his size along the baseline as he only averaged 2.9 rebounds per game.
If Hart can find a way to harness his size and wingspan for good this season, the Eagles could be a surprise team in the MAC.
John Edwards, center, Kent State: Edwards has the potential to make a stiff-to-superstar transition much like fellow seven-footer Kaman last season.
Despite the fact that he led his team in fouls last year, he also led in blocked shots with 1.3 per game. Edwards must tweak his offensive footwork in the post to become a more effective scorer. If Edwards can keep himself on the floor, the Golden Flashes will not suffer any drop-off after losing forward Antonio Gates to the NFL last season.
Danny Horace, forward, Miami: Horace should remind people in Athens of another power forward from Cincinnati: Brandon Hunter.
The undersized 6-5 forward managed only 6.1 rebounds per game, despite springs like few others in the league. Part of the problem for Horace can be found behind the three-point line. Horace had a fascination with the three-point shot, much like Hunter two years ago.
After a dismal 19-of-70 season from the perimeter (27.1 percent), most coaches in the league began to back away from Horace when he went to hoist his long bombs. If new additions to the offense can allow him to focus on cleaning up the mistakes of others, Horace could lead the league in rebounding and take Miami to another MAC title.
-Chris Littmann is a junior journalism major who is counting the days until the first college basketball game is televised. Send him an e-mail at chris.littmann@ohiou.edu.
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Chris Littmann
