2011-2012 Western Illinois Leathernecks Basketball Preview

Western Illinois Leathernecks - Summit League

2010-11: 7-23, 2-16

2010-11 postseason: none

Coach: Jim Molinari (29-60 at Western Illinois, 252-246 overall)

Coach Jim Molinari has improved Western Illinois during his two years leading the Leathernecks basketball program, but there is still a long, long way to go before this team is in the hunt for a Summit League title. Injuries derailed last season pretty early and all was lost as the team won just two conference games and one of those was against a Centenary squad that is no longer a Division I program. The only other victories against DI schools besides the upset win over North Dakota State were road wins over Savannah State and Prairie View A&M. That is nothing to write home about. The good news is that the Leathernecks luck cannot be as bad this year on the injury front. However, that may not be enough to get them out of the Summit League basement.

Who’s Out:

Getting some players back is nice, but losing Matt Lander and Kaimarr Price, the team’s top two scorers and a decent inside-outside duo, could negate the positive effect of healthy players. Lander was often the only player on the team who could score and averaged 17.0 points per game. Price was a force in the paint and averaged 10.8 points and a team high 6.7 rebounds. Wing Jelani Johnson rarely put up great numbers, but he did do a little bit of everything and always played stellar defense. Brandon Smith, Emeka Okafor Jr., Mael Amenyedzi, Abdou Niang and Aresnio Mims were down the bench a ways, but all of them started at least four games last season and are now gone.

Who’s In:

With some experienced newcomers, Coach Molinari hopes that his team can continue to improve. Don McAvoy and Terrell Parks, a couple junior college transfers should make a major impact right away. McAvoy is a tad undersized at 6-6, but he can bang around under the basket and will play tough on both ends of the floor. Parks is more of lanky center. He is a good athlete who can get up and finish or grab some rebounds. He was a double-double machine at Iowa Central Community College en route to JUCO Division II All-America accolades. Of the four freshmen, including guard Remy Roberts-Burnett, wing Jeremy McDonald and forward Obi Emegano, point guard Jalen Packer is the player who is expected to make the biggest impact. The 6-2 Princeton, Indiana native is a fine ball handler who can do some scoring as well. However, he is also a fine defender and that is why Coach Molinari will get him some playing time.

Final Projection:

Small forward Jack Houpt stepped into a bigger role than expected last season. He started 29 games and was asked to help fill the scoring void left behind by all of the injuries. Most of his offense comes from the perimeter, but this is a team that needs a shooter and Houpt can fill that role. But mostly this team needs to stay healthy and continue to play great defense. Coach Molinari wins with great defense and this team can shut down some pretty good offenses. They just need to be able to score to actually win some games.

Projected Postseason Tournament: none

Projected Starting Five:

• Ceola Clark, Senior, Guard, 10.7 points per game

• Tommie Tyler, Senior, Guard, 7.0 points per game

• Jack Houpt, Junior, Forward, 7.5 points per game

• Terrell Parks, Junior, Forward, DNP last season

• David Gebru, Sophomore, Center, 6.3 points per game

By Joel Welser courtesy of www.CollegeSportsMadness.com
CollegeSports-fans.com Senior Basketball Writer

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