Emporia State men’s basketball team was picked to finish eighth in the MIAA preseason coaches poll on Tuesday, but that’s the least of coach David Moe’s worries right now.
Moe is trying to acclimate nine new players into his system, including one foul-prone big man.
“The guys coming in are bringing in some talent and a great attitude and the ability to learn and listen but the biggest thing that we’ve got to do to achieve any goals that we have set for ourselves is learn how to make each other better,” Moe said. “A lot of times you bring in a bunch of new guys, well, they know how to make plays on their own, which is not good enough for this league and we’re not talented enough to do that. So we’ve got to learn to make each other better and that’s where we’re running into some struggles.”
Last season the Hornets finished 14-16 and 7-11 in the MIAA and then surprised the league by making it to the championship game of the MIAA tournament, knocking off No. 1 seed Southwest Baptist.
The majority of the scoring from that team is gone with sophomore Matt Boswell, who played in 19 games last season, returning as the leading scorer at 3.7 points per game. Dustin Andrews played the most minutes, averaging 2.5 points in 15.4 minutes per game.
Junior guards Lamar Wilbern and Jeremiah Box are expected to pick up much of the scoring load. Wilbern averaged 23.2 points per game last season at Hamilton College, and Box averaged 18.5 point last year for Sauk Valley Community College.
“Jeremiah Box, Jamar Wilburn, all the guys coming back have shown tremendous strides,” Moe said. “I think Box and Wilbern will probably lead us in scoring through most the year and different guys are going to step up and we should have a chance to be pretty competitive when it’s all said and done.”
One player who could be a difference maker for the Hornets is senior Shang Ping, a transfer from the University of Nebraska. Ping, a 6-10 center, averaged three points and 1.4 rebounds last season for the Cornhuskers and provides the Hornets with a big inside presence they are not used to having — that is, if he’s able to stay on the floor.
“Big guy can’t play but five minutes a game right now,” Moe said. “He doesn’t seem to be much of a factor until he learns to play without fouling. We’re not going to change how we play. It’s very nice having a presence as big as Shang is. He’s certainly capable of being one of the better players in this league.”
Moe has spent the preseason trying to find a rotation and a starting lineup that plays as a team instead of everyone doing their own thing, which will not work in the MIAA, Moe said. The Hornets preseason ranking of eighth is appropriate with no one really having any idea how good this team is going to be. So their postseason ranking is anybody’s guess.
“Every year in this league for us we have a good enough team to be at the top of the league and we’ve got a bad enough team to be at the bottom of the league,” Moe said. “We’re certainly going to have to grow. We could peak tomorrow and be good. As soon as the light clicks on and we start finding the best five and get away from the five best, I think we’re going to start being pretty good.”
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