BALTIMORE – The 2015-16 season tips off for the Coppin State men's basketball team in Richmond, Ky. Friday Nov. 13 at 7:00 p.m. with a meeting against Eastern Kentucky at Alumni Coliseum.
The Eagles have been licking their chops for a grudge match with Eastern Kentucky. The Colonels defeated the Eagles on a heartbreaking last second shot, 66-63, at the Physical Education Complex last year.
"They came in last year and got a win on the last shot," Coppin State second year head coach
Michael Grant said. "So it's a bit of a revenge game for us. Although our team is filled with newcomers there are still four players who played in last year's game."
Sharpshooting junior guard
Christian Kessee scored 13 points on 4-of-5 shooting from 3-point range in last season's game. Senior forward
Lawrence Fejokwu, junior center
Jerimyjah Batts, and sophomore forward
Blake Simpson also clocked minutes against the Colonels.
Eastern Kentucky, a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC), finished last season with a 21-12 record and a trip to the OVC semifinals. They were picked to finish third in the OVC East Division preseason poll.
Colonels senior wing Ja'Mill Powell scored seven points in last season's game against the Eagles, while junior guard Issac McGlone added five points and four rebounds.
"We owe them one from last year," Kessee said. "We're ready to go in there and lock in defensively, continue to run our offense and come out with a win on their home court. It would be a great win for us and a confidence boost heading into out game with Iowa."
After Friday's game the Eagles will turn around and head to Iowa City for a Sunday afternoon meeting with the Iowa Hawkeyes from the Big-10 Conference at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The game will be televised live on the Big-10 Network.
The Hawkeyes finished last season with 22-12 record and a trip to the third round of the NCAA Tournament. Iowa is returning five of its top seven scorers from last year's team, including four starters. Iowa is receiving votes in the
USA Today Coaches' preseason top 25 poll.
Grant could not hide his excitement to see how his team will stack up against great non-conference competition to begin the season.
"Our guys are ready to start playing against some new blood," Grant said. "We're enthusiastic about our early season road trip. It's competitive and I like the fact that we'll see different programs as well as varying styles of play. We are thrilled for the opportunity to play great programs. Our tough schedule will help us prepare to compete at a high level once we begin conference play."?
