Morehead State – Successful and Hungry

Record Setting Season Breeds Desire

(St. Louis, MO) – Morehead State’s basketball team set program records, won personal accolades and went to the NCAA Tournament. They are successful and hungry for more. Coach Preston Spradlin’s team finished 23-8 with an Ohio Valley Conference Tournament title in its hands. The NCAA Tournament loss to West Virginia stirred the Eagles to want more.

MSU set a program record for OVC wins (17) and participated in March Madness for the first time in ten years. It was the Eagles’ eighth invitation to the Big Dance and the first since 2011. The reigning OVC ‘Coach of the Year‘ has the possibility of having practically every player returning next season.

But they are not satisfied.

Successful and Hungry

While success can make you comfortable and a defeat in the tournament could make you depressed, Spradlin says the successful season and sudden ending has only made them hungrier to succeed. Most of his team could be returning next season.

“That’s certainly on everybody’s mind and that we do have a lot of really good pieces and guys coming back,” said Spradlin. “So I think any time that you’ve got this type of experience, winning a championship, going into the NCAA Tournament, not performing quite like you wanted to, it should leave a bad taste in your mouth.”

After some time off, Spradlin expects his players to be motivated to having a great offseason.

“Certainly having a lot of guys back, a lot of experience, a lot of depth is a big encouragement for what we’re doing moving forward,” he said. “And when you add the confidence that you draw from being an NCAA Tournament, then that’s certainly something to be excited about.”

Freshman sensation Johni Broome set the school’s rookie record for rebounds (271) and shots blocked (56) and earned the OVC’s ‘Freshman of the Year’ award. He accumulated 13 double-doubles (ninth best nationally) and was a member of the All-OVC team.

His potential is just starting to be realized. The 6’10, 235 pound center has outstanding abilities. He has soft hands, a nice shooting touch, is a relentless rebounder and typically blocks shots without fouling.

When Broome earned the OVC Tournament MVP award, he became just the third freshman to win that trophy. Murray State’s Isaiah Canaan (2009) was the most recent.

Spradlin Proud of His Players

Morehead finished the regular season winning 19 of their final 20 games. They played their full schedule of 31 games and played tough and had fun. Spradlin believes in building toughness into his team, but believes the basketball program also has to be fun. (Watch our recent conversation).

After the West Virginia loss, Spradlin expressed his pride and appreciation for his players.

“We have a great group of young men,” he said. “I think that’s evident through the fact that doing what we have done this year throughout COVID, that has a lot to do with the young men that we have and the character that they carry themselves with and the backgrounds that they come from. I hope the nation takes away that we have got a tough, gritty group, and our program is built on toughness and togetherness.”

Possible Returners

Senior James Baker could choose to return due to the NCAA’s decision to grant players an extra year of eligibility. If Baker returns, MSU could have every starter and virtually its entire roster back next season.

While Broome is the headliner as the leading scorer and rebounder (13.8 ppg & 9 rpg), juniors DeVon Cooper (12.5 ppg) and Skyelar Potter (12 ppg) were double digit scorers. Junior-to-be Ta’lon Cooper was the team’s fourth leading scorer and led the Eagles in assists (3.5 per game). Sixth man K.J. Hunt played the fifth most minutes and was second to Cooper in that assist category (3.1).

Morehead State won ten more games than the previous season. Spradlin believes they and every team that played during this COVID effected season will be stronger and more prepared for next year.

“I think that ultimately it’s a year that everybody that played college basketball this year’s going to walk away stronger from it because you had to learn to deal with a lot of life lessons that threw you off of what you’re normally used to.”

The future is bright for the Morehead State program. Spradlin’s experience at Kentucky has taught him that your team can be successful and hungry.

Do Good

 

Editor: Cover photo courtesy of 2021 NCAA Photos