2018–19 Eastern Michigan Eagles men's basketball team

2018–19 Eastern Michigan Eagles men's basketball
ConferenceMid-American Conference
DivisionWest Division
Record15–17 (9–9 MAC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Kevin Mondro
  • Matt Cline
  • Jimmy Wooten
Home arenaConvocation Center
Seasons
2018–19 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
East
No. 15 Buffalo † 16 – 2   .889 32 – 4   .889
Bowling Green 12 – 6   .667 22 – 12   .647
Kent State 11 – 7   .611 22 – 11   .667
Akron 8 – 10   .444 17 – 16   .515
Miami (OH) 7 – 11   .389 15 – 17   .469
Ohio 6 – 12   .333 14 – 17   .452
West
Toledo 13 – 5   .722 25 – 8   .758
Central Michigan 10 – 8   .556 23 – 12   .657
Eastern Michigan 9 – 9   .500 15 – 17   .469
Northern Illinois 8 – 10   .444 17 – 17   .500
Ball State 6 – 12   .333 16 – 17   .485
Western Michigan 2 – 16   .111 8 – 24   .250
† 2019 MAC tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2018–19 Eastern Michigan Eagles men's basketball team represented Eastern Michigan University during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Eagles, led by eighth-year head coach Rob Murphy, played their home games at the Convocation Center in Ypsilanti, Michigan as members of the West Division of the Mid-American Conference. They finished the season 15–17, 9–9 in MAC play to finish in third place in the West Division. They lost in the first round of the MAC tournament to Ball State.

Previous season

They finished the season 22–13, 11–7 in MAC play to finish in second place in the West Division. They defeated Akron in the quarterfinals of the MAC tournament before losing in the semifinals to Toledo. They were invited to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament where they defeated Niagara in the first round before losing in the second round to Sam Houston State.

Offseason

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Tim Bond 1 G 6'7" 160 RS Senior Baltimore, MD Graduated
Terry Harris 4 G/F 6'6" 215 Junior Dix Hills, NY Transferred
Jalen Brown 12 G 5'9" 160 Sophomore Harper Woods, MI
Jordan Nobles 15 F 6'9" 195 Junior Canton, MI Transferred to Oakland

Incoming transfers

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Daivon Stephens 1 F 6'6" 206 Freshman Pittsburgh, PA Penn Hills Senior
Boubacar Toure 12 C 6'11" 241 RS Junior Sakar, Senegal Phase One Academy/Grand Canyon
Damari Parris 23 G 6'1" 157 Junior Bowie, MD Evelyn Mack Academy/Trinity Valley CC
Andre Rafus Jr. 25 G/F 6'9" 178 Freshman Baltimore, MD Reach Partnership at Lake Clifton

Roster

2018–19 Eastern Michigan Eagles men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Jorden Peterson 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 75 lb (34 kg) RS Fr CMA Detroit, MI
F 1 Daivon Stephens 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 206 lb (93 kg) Fr Penn Hills Senior Pittsburgh, PA
F/C 2 James Thompson IV 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 241 lb (109 kg) Sr Parkview Baptist Baton Rouge, LA
G 3 Paul Jackson 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 178 lb (81 kg) RS Sr Martin Luther King Jr./Eastern Kentucky Stone Mountain, GA
F 5 Elijah Minnie 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 212 lb (96 kg) RS Sr Lincoln Park/Robert Morris Pittsburgh, PA
G 10 Malik Ellison 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) 170 lb (77 kg) So Beecher Flint, MI
C 12 Boubacar Toure 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 241 lb (109 kg) RS Jr Phase One Academy/Grand Canyon Dakar, Senegal
F 20 Bud Jones 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 265 lb (120 kg) So TL Hanna Anderson, SC
G 21 Kevin McAdoo 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 167 lb (76 kg) So West Bloomfield Pontiac, MI
G 22 Tariq Silver 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 202 lb (92 kg) RS Fr Northwest Clarksville, TN
G 23 Damari Parris 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 157 lb (71 kg) Jr Evelyn Mack Academy/ Trinity VAlley CC Bowie, MD
G/F 25 Andre Rafus Jr. 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 178 lb (81 kg) Fr Reach Partnership at Lake Clifton Baltimore, MD
F 30 Jalen King 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) So Kings Academy Pasco, WA
F 31 Ty Groce 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 207 lb (94 kg) RS So Lincoln Ypsilanti, MI
F 32 Isaiah Green 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 204 lb (93 kg) Sr Southfield/Lansing CC Southfield, MI
F 33 Derek Ballard Jr. 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 229 lb (104 kg) RS Fr Southfield-Lathrup Southfield, MI
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: Oct. 5, 2018[1]

Preseason

The Eagles were predicted to finish first in the MAC West by several college basketball preseason magazines. Those included Lindy's Sports College BasketballLindy's Sports,[2] Athlon Sports College Basketball[3] and Street & Smith's Basketball Yearbook.[4]

Preseason Awards

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award Preseason Watch List[5]

  • James Thompson IV

Julius Erving Award Watch List[6]

  • Elijah Minnie

Street & Smith's Basketball

[4] All Conference

  • James Thompson IV

All Newcomer

  • Andre Rafus Jr.

All Defense

  • James Thompson IV

All Sharpshooter

  • Elijah Minnie

Athlon Sports

[3] All MAC First Team

  • James Thompson IV

Lindy's Sports

[2] All Conference First Team

  • James Thompson IV

All Conference Second Team

  • Elijah Minnie

Player of the Year

  • James Thompson IV

Best Rebounder

  • James Thompson IV

Best Defender

  • James Thompson IV

Most Versatile

  • Elijah Minnie

Best NBA Prospect

  • James Thompson IV

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 6, 2018*
6:00 pm, ESPN+ 		Rochester W 77–67  1–0
  27 – Jackson   14 – Toure   7 – Jackson  Convocation Center (1,193[7])
Ypsilanti, MI
November 9, 2018*
11:00 am, ESPN+ 		Drexel
Hub City Classic 		W 66–62  2–0
  20 – Jackson   11 – Thompson IV   6 – Jackson  Convocation Center (3,895)
Ypsilanti, MI
November 11, 2018*
2:00 pm, ESPN+ 		Goshen
Hub City Classic 		W 97–74  3–0
  17 – Minnie   9 – Thompson IV   5 – Jackson  Convocation Center (1,056)
Ypsilanti, MI
November 14, 2018*
7:00 pm, RSN \ ESPN+ 		at No. 1 Duke L 46–84  3–1
  9 – McAdoo   7 – Thompson IV   3 – Ellison  Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
November 17, 2018*
2:30 pm, ESPN+ 		Boston University
Hub City Classic 		W 80–62  4–1
  28 – Minnie   14 – Thompson IV   4 – Jackson  Convocation Center (2,059)
Ypsilanti, MI
November 19, 2018*
7:00 pm, BTN 		at Rutgers
Hub City Classic 		L 36–63  4–2
  7 – Toure   8 – Thompson IV   3 – Jackson  Louis Brown Athletic Center (4,473)
Piscataway, NJ
November 24, 2018*
2:00 pm, ESPN+ 		Detroit L 74–78  4–3
  24 – Thompson IV   15 – Toure   4 –  3 Tied   Convocation Center (1,226)
Ypsilanti, MI
November 26, 2018*
8:30 pm, FSSW 		at TCU L 69–87  4–4
  20 – Toure   12 – Toure   7 – Parris  Schollmaier Arena (6,219)
Fort Worth, TX
December 1, 2018*
3:00 pm 		at Northeastern L 67–81  4–5
  24 – Minnie   9 – Thompson IV   8 – Parris  Matthews Arena (1,147)
Boston, MA
December 8, 2018*
12:00 pm, ESPN+ 		Central State W 105–53  5–5
  16 –  Tied    9 – Groce   7 – Parris  Convocation Center (1,153)
Ypsilanti, MI
December 19, 2018*
7:00 pm, ESPN+ 		UC Irvine L 48–52  5–6
  15 – Minnie   7 – Tied   2 – Jackson  Convocation Center (1,187)
Ypsilanti, MI
December 22, 2018*
2:00 pm, ESPN+ 		Siena Heights W 90–72  6–6
  18 – McAdoo   16 – Thompson IV   4 – Groce  Convocation Center (1,259)
Ypsilanti, MI
December 29, 2018*
2:00 pm, JTV/ESPN+ 		at No. 5 Kansas L 63–87  6–7
  15 – Thompson IV   14 – Thompson IV   3 – Ellison  Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
Lawrence, KS
MAC regular season
January 4, 2019
9:00 pm, CBSSN 		No. 20 Buffalo L 58–74  6–8
(0–1) 		 21 – Minnie   12 – Thompson IV   4 – Jackson  Convocation Center (2,378)
Ypsilanti, MI
January 8, 2019
8:00 pm, ESPN+ 		at Ball State W 84–82 2OT 7–8
(1–1) 		 25 – Minnie   19 – Thompson IV   5 – Jackson  Worthen Arena (4,248)
Muncie, IN
January 12, 2019
12:00 pm, ESPN+ 		Kent State W 95–61  8–8
(2–1) 		 22 – Minnie   8 – Tied   7 – Jackson  Convocation Center (1,827)
Ypsilanti, MI
January 15, 2019
7:00 pm, ESPN+ 		at Akron L 49–51  8–9
(2–2) 		 15 – Tied   11 – Thompson IV   5 – Jackson  James A. Rhodes Arena (2,334)
Akron, OH
January 18, 2019
7:00 pm, ESPNU 		at No. 16 Buffalo L 65–77  8–10
(2–3) 		 12 – Jackson   12 – Thompson IV   6 – Jackson  Alumni Arena (6,193)
Amherst, NY
January 22, 2019
7:00 pm, ESPN+ 		Bowling Green L 67–80  8–11
(2–4) 		 16 – Thompson IV   12 – Thompson IV   3 – McAdoo  Convocation Center (1,509)
Ypsilanti, MI
January 26, 2019
2:00 pm, ESPN+ 		at Western Michigan
Michigan MAC Trophy 		W 93–67  9–11
(3–4) 		 29 – Minnie   14 – Thompson IV   10 – Jackson  University Arena (2,514)
Kalamazoo, MI
January 29, 2019
7:00 pm, ESPN+ 		at Central Michigan
Michigan MAC Trophy 		L 82–86  9–12
(3–5) 		 21 – Jackson   10 – Toure   4 – Jackson  McGuirk Arena (1,719)
Mount Pleasant, MI
February 2, 2019
12:00 pm, ESPN+ 		Miami (OH) L 48–59  9–13
(3–6) 		 16 – Jackson   14 – Toure   5 – Jackson  Convocation Center (1,658)
Ypsilanti, MI
February 9, 2019
2:00 pm, ESPN+ 		Northern Illinois W 57–49  10–13
(4–6) 		 23 – Jackson   10 – Toure   6 – Jackson  Convocation Center (1,634)
Ypsilanti, MI
February 12, 2019
7:00 pm, ESPN+ 		at Ohio W 66–57  11–13
(5–6) 		 19 – Minnie   15 – Thompson IV   7 – Jackson  Convocation Center (5,522)
Athens, OH
February 16, 2019
7:00 pm, ESPN+ 		at Kent State L 58–71  11–14
(5–7) 		 13 – McAdoo   9 – Thompson IV   3 – Jackson  Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center (3,491)
Kent, OH
February 19, 2019
7:00 pm, ESPN+ 		Toledo W 76–69  12–14
(6–7) 		 23 – Minnie   9 – Minnie   5 – Jackson  Convocation Center (1,849)
Ypsilanti, MI
February 23, 2019
2:00 pm, ESPN3 		Western Michigan
Michigan MAC Trophy 		W 77–76 OT 13–14
(7–7) 		 18 – Jackson   11 – Thompson IV   7 – Jackson  Convocation Center (2,068)
Ypsilanti, MI
February 26, 2019
7:00 pm, ESPN+ 		Central Michigan
Michigan MAC Trophy 		L 66–67  13–15
(7–8) 		 19 – Jackson   12 – Thompson IV   5 – Jackson  Convocation Center (1,455)
Ypsilanti, MI
March 2, 2019
7:00 pm, ESPN+ 		at Northern Illinois W 75–69  14–15
(8–8) 		 19 – Jackson   17 – Thompson IV   6 – Jackson  Convocation Center (1,439)
DeKalb, IL
March 5, 2019
7:00 pm, ESPN+ 		Ball State W 68–61  15–15
(9–8) 		 20 – Thompson IV   23 – Thompson IV   4 – Jackson  Convocation Center (1,780)
Ypsilanti, MI
March 8, 2019
7:00 pm, ESPN+ 		at Toledo L 58–64  15–16
(9–9) 		 17 – Jackson   11 – Thompson IV   3 – Jackson  Savage Arena (6,061)
Toledo,OH
MAC tournament
March 11, 2019
7:00 pm, ESPN+ 		(6) (11) Ball State
First round 		L 43–61  15–17
  12 – Jackson   9 – Thompson IV   4 – Jackson  Convocation Center (1,265)
Ypsilanti, MI
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time Source[8].

Game notes

Drexel

  • Education Day

References

  1. ^ "2018-19 Men's Basketball Roster". Retrieved October 9, 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Lindy's Sports College Basketball". 2018–19: 190. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. ^ a b "Athlon Sports College Basketball". 2018–19: 146. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  4. ^ a b "Street & Smith's Basketball Yearbook". 2018–19: 221. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  5. ^ "James Thompson IV Named to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award Preseason Watch List". Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  6. ^ "Elijah Minnie Named to Julius Erving Award Watch List". Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  7. ^ "Men's Basketball vs Rochester on 11/6/2018 - Box Score".
  8. ^ "2021-22 Men's Basketball Schedule".