Hornets getting job done on boards
ESU has plus-11 rebounding margin after first 2 games
By Jesse Newell
Friday, November 23, 2007
One of Emporia State coach David Moe’s biggest concerns has so far been one of his team’s greatest strengths.
The Hornets — despite not having a player taller than 6-foot-6 on their roster — have a plus-11 rebounding margin through two games.
The team’s best effort came in its last outing against Friends, when the undersized Hornets out-rebounded the Falcons, 41-26.
“I saw what I wanted to see rebounding-wise,” Moe said. “We needed to box out and gain some confidence rebounding the basketball.”
ESU hopes to keep that trend going Saturday, as it takes on Midwestern State at White Auditorium.
Though only 1-2, the Mustangs should pose one of the Hornets’ toughest challenges of the early season.
MSU went 24-7 last year and was one of eight teams to make it to the NCAA South Central Regional along with ESU.
The Mustangs were picked to finish third in the Lone Star Conference’s South Division.
ESU also will go into the matchup with some confidence on offense.
The Hornets have averaged 90 points per game, making 67 of their 130 shots (51.5 percent). ESU also has been deadly from the outside, making 41.9 percent of its 3-pointers.
Still, players and coaches alike believe the offense hasn’t been as good as it could be.
“We can always run it better,” ESU forward Jordan Fithian said. “I don’t know if we’re moving as well as we could.”
Though Moe likes to see his biggest playmakers — DeAndre Townsend, Marvin Lee and Wes Book — trying to make things happen, he said there was a fine line that they had to find.
Sometimes the correct decision is to pass to a teammate instead of trying to make a play that isn’t there.
“At some point,” Moe said, “we’ve got to learn to quit forcing plays.”
Book has led ESU, averaging 22 points and nine rebounds per outing.
Interestingly, MSU has been paced by Nolan Richardson IV, who is the son of former Arkansas coach Nolan Richardson.
Richardson IV, a 6-foot-1 junior guard, is averaging 17 points per game.
This will be only the second meeting ever between the two in-region opponents. The Hornets won the other meeting in 1984, taking an 85-83 victory in overtime.