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The Red Wig
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GETTING INSIDE
Two-thirds of the players on Coppin State's roster entering last season are no longer with the program. That's especially noteworthy considering the Eagles were the only team in the MEAC with no seniors.
Coach Fang Mitchell cleaned house after Coppin went 8-22, the second-highest loss total during Mitchell's 24-year tenure with the Eagles. Along the way, Coppin lost 13 games in a row.
It was rough, but not as bad as it sounds. Eight of the 13 games in that losing streak were decided by single-digit margins, and Coppin also led all MEAC teams in free-throw shooting and 3-point defense, letting foes shoot only 28.8 percent from beyond the arc.
The Eagles will be a different team this season. The significant roster turnover creates multiple opportunities for playing time. Two new faces will rise to starting roles to join the three incumbents -- guards Vincent Goldsberry and Michael Hayden and forward Branden Doughty.
Look for Mitchell to lean on a trio of junior-college transfers -- forwards Akeem Ellis and Antonio Williams and guard Tony Gallo -- right out of the gate.
Ellis and Williams should immediately have the opportunity to help the Eagles improve their woeful rebounding performance of the past two seasons.
NOTES, QUOTES
--Coach Fang Mitchell is well-known for lining up a brutal non-conference schedule for Coppin State. This season's docket might be the toughest yet. One four-game stretch in December is especially formidable. The Eagles travel to face Connecticut, Wisconsin, Kentucky and Texas on their home floors in consecutive games.
--After finishing in the basement of the MEAC last season, Coppin and Florida A&M ended up tied for 10th place at the bottom of the preseason conference poll, voted on by the league's coaches and sports information directors.
--Look for Coppin State to start pushing the tempo more this season. The Eagles used an up-tempo, fast-breaking style to win or share six regular-season MEAC championships during the 1990s.
LAST YEAR: 8-22, 3-13 in the MEAC
HEAD COACH: Fang Mitchell, 25th year as head coach (379-343 at Coppin State; 379-343 career)
QUOTE TO NOTE: "We did lose quite a few student-athletes last year for various reasons. I'm old school. Academics have always been the No. 1 priority with me dealing with young people. And respect is another thing that has always been a priority to me. We know we had to address some academic issues. There was a lack of support from the director of athletics. We had kids that were one (season at Coppin) and done. They didn't get it done the first time. But we're moving on from that. Hopefully we don't have as much turnover this year." - Coach Fang Mitchell to the Baltimore Sun
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
PROBABLE STARTING LINEUP: PG Vincent Goldsberry, SG Michael Harper, F Akeem Ellis, PF Brandon Doughty, C Ceslovas Kucinskas
LINEUP BREAKDOWN: Goldsberry and Kucinskas are the only seniors on the Coppin roster. Goldsberry ranked second in the MEAC in free-throw shooting last season at 84.3 percent. Harper is potentially one of the best 3-point artists in the league. Ellis earned junior-college All-American honors in his second and final year at Herkimer (N.Y.) Community College. Doughty shot better than 50 percent from the field last season as a freshman.
SCOUTING THE NEWCOMERS: Ellis played all five positions on the floor at Herkimer but projects as a combo forward for the Eagles. F Antonio Williams averaged a double-double last season at Monroe College in New York. PG Tony Gallo is a prolific scorer who tallied more than 1,000 points in two years at Cabrillo (Calif.) Junior College. Keep an eye on F Logan Wiens, who went to junior college after four seasons playing minor-league baseball and hit 97 3-pointers combined in two years.
ROSTER REPORT:
--Coppin States lengthy list of departed personnel included G Kareem Brown, the leading scorer on last year's team with a 10-point average.
--The other players who are no longer with the team are G Quinston Reggins, C Sam Coleman, G Lenny Young, G George Jackson and F Eddie Hayden.
--PF Branden Doughty made the MEAC all-rookie team after logging the seventh-best field-goal percentage among all conference players in league games.
--SG Michael Harper missed the first 10 games of the 2009-10 season with a wrist injury, but recovered to contribute 9.9 points per game and erupted for 30 against North Carolina A&T in what proved to be Coppin's final win of the campaign.
GETTING INSIDE
Two-thirds of the players on Coppin State's roster entering last season are no longer with the program. That's especially noteworthy considering the Eagles were the only team in the MEAC with no seniors.
Coach Fang Mitchell cleaned house after Coppin went 8-22, the second-highest loss total during Mitchell's 24-year tenure with the Eagles. Along the way, Coppin lost 13 games in a row.
It was rough, but not as bad as it sounds. Eight of the 13 games in that losing streak were decided by single-digit margins, and Coppin also led all MEAC teams in free-throw shooting and 3-point defense, letting foes shoot only 28.8 percent from beyond the arc.
The Eagles will be a different team this season. The significant roster turnover creates multiple opportunities for playing time. Two new faces will rise to starting roles to join the three incumbents -- guards Vincent Goldsberry and Michael Hayden and forward Branden Doughty.
Look for Mitchell to lean on a trio of junior-college transfers -- forwards Akeem Ellis and Antonio Williams and guard Tony Gallo -- right out of the gate.
Ellis and Williams should immediately have the opportunity to help the Eagles improve their woeful rebounding performance of the past two seasons.
NOTES, QUOTES
--Coach Fang Mitchell is well-known for lining up a brutal non-conference schedule for Coppin State. This season's docket might be the toughest yet. One four-game stretch in December is especially formidable. The Eagles travel to face Connecticut, Wisconsin, Kentucky and Texas on their home floors in consecutive games.
--After finishing in the basement of the MEAC last season, Coppin and Florida A&M ended up tied for 10th place at the bottom of the preseason conference poll, voted on by the league's coaches and sports information directors.
--Look for Coppin State to start pushing the tempo more this season. The Eagles used an up-tempo, fast-breaking style to win or share six regular-season MEAC championships during the 1990s.
LAST YEAR: 8-22, 3-13 in the MEAC
HEAD COACH: Fang Mitchell, 25th year as head coach (379-343 at Coppin State; 379-343 career)
QUOTE TO NOTE: "We did lose quite a few student-athletes last year for various reasons. I'm old school. Academics have always been the No. 1 priority with me dealing with young people. And respect is another thing that has always been a priority to me. We know we had to address some academic issues. There was a lack of support from the director of athletics. We had kids that were one (season at Coppin) and done. They didn't get it done the first time. But we're moving on from that. Hopefully we don't have as much turnover this year." - Coach Fang Mitchell to the Baltimore Sun
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
PROBABLE STARTING LINEUP: PG Vincent Goldsberry, SG Michael Harper, F Akeem Ellis, PF Brandon Doughty, C Ceslovas Kucinskas
LINEUP BREAKDOWN: Goldsberry and Kucinskas are the only seniors on the Coppin roster. Goldsberry ranked second in the MEAC in free-throw shooting last season at 84.3 percent. Harper is potentially one of the best 3-point artists in the league. Ellis earned junior-college All-American honors in his second and final year at Herkimer (N.Y.) Community College. Doughty shot better than 50 percent from the field last season as a freshman.
SCOUTING THE NEWCOMERS: Ellis played all five positions on the floor at Herkimer but projects as a combo forward for the Eagles. F Antonio Williams averaged a double-double last season at Monroe College in New York. PG Tony Gallo is a prolific scorer who tallied more than 1,000 points in two years at Cabrillo (Calif.) Junior College. Keep an eye on F Logan Wiens, who went to junior college after four seasons playing minor-league baseball and hit 97 3-pointers combined in two years.
ROSTER REPORT:
--Coppin States lengthy list of departed personnel included G Kareem Brown, the leading scorer on last year's team with a 10-point average.
--The other players who are no longer with the team are G Quinston Reggins, C Sam Coleman, G Lenny Young, G George Jackson and F Eddie Hayden.
--PF Branden Doughty made the MEAC all-rookie team after logging the seventh-best field-goal percentage among all conference players in league games.
--SG Michael Harper missed the first 10 games of the 2009-10 season with a wrist injury, but recovered to contribute 9.9 points per game and erupted for 30 against North Carolina A&T in what proved to be Coppin's final win of the campaign.
