The CMU men's basketball team opens its regular season Saturday night at 7 p.m. against Ferris State. Join me for a live chat during tonight's game.

I got a chance to watch about 90 minutes of CMU men's basketball practice today and wanted to share a few notes on the team.

- The freshmen guards looked to be fitting right in. Austin McBroom and Jordan Myrick both look comfortable at the point and I suspect each will get their chance to earn the starting spot. Both seem to be about passing the ball and running the offense, which should allow Trey Zeigler to be more of a scorer away from the ball. Austin Keel hit some nice outside shots and will be CMU's threat on the 3-point line. I don't know that he will be able to create a lot of shots on his own, but he probably won't get a lot of defensive attention early on either.

- CMU will really be tested in the post. Andre Coimbra will likely have to play the 5 in most situations, but he had a real history of foul trouble last year. If he gets into foul trouble, I am not sure who fills in at center. Zach Saylor might be the answer there, but he has missed the last two seasons with injury issues and is still pretty raw.

- At the 4, I think Colin Voss will be given the chance to start, but juco forward Olivier Mbaigoto looks to be a good option too. Mbaigoto has a really nice wingspan and will be a shot blocker for the team. Neither player really has the bulk to play the 5, but they will need to be rebounders for this team. Sophomore Jevon Harden and redshirt freshmen Auston Barnes are there too, but Harden has some knee issues that have plagued him and Barnes still seems small in height and weight at 6-6, 196 pounds.

- Trey looks to have filled out a little more and I think he will be the leader of this team, both in scoring, and in leadership. I think he knows that pressure that is on this team to win this year.

Media Day is Tuesday and I hope to get to another practice this week to get a better feel for the squad as they prepare for their exhibition opener on Nov. 2.

CMU redshirt freshman forward Nate VanArendonk has decided to leave the men's basketball program and transfer to Hope, according to head coach Ernie Zeigler.

Zeigler cited wanting to be closer to family as to reasons for the 6-foot-10's VanArendonk's departure.

I was able to get a look at Ernie Zeigler’s new contract with CMU and here are some of the notables when it comes to incentives:

-For winning the MAC West Division regular season title, Zeigler will get $5,000
-If he is named MAC Coach of the Year, he gets $7,500
-If CMU win the Mid-American Conference Tournament or wins the MAC regular season title, he gets $10,000. If they win both, he gets $15,000
-For appearing in the NCAA Tournament, Zeigler gets $10,000. Other Tournament achievements include making the second round ($15,000), Sweet 16 ($20,000), Elite Eight ($25,000), Final Four ($30,000), Championship game ($40,000), National Champions ($75,000). It is my understanding that he will just get one payment for a tournament run, not each individual total added together.
-If CMU finishes with a top 100 RPI or is in the NIT Tournament, Zeigler will get $7,500. If they do both, he still gets just the $7,500. For each NIT win he gets $3,000 and winning the tournament would give Zeigler an additional $10,000.
-Zeigler will get $5,000 if the average home attendance is 2,000 or more.
-For each home game that exceeds attendance of 2,800, Zeigler will get a $1,000 payment per-game.
-If CMU has an Annual Progress Rate (APR) over 925, Zeigler will get a payment of $5,000.
-If CMU finishes in the regular season in the AP or Coaches Top 25 Poll, Zeigler will receive $7,500. If CMU is in both, he still gets just the $7,500.
-Zeigler will receiver 20 percent of net profit from the CMU summer camps each year.
-In the media and public appearances, Zeigler gets $25,000 this next year, but the amount increases in each year of the contract. In the 2011-12 season, it will be $30,264. In the 2012-13 season, it will be $35,690, and in the 2013-14 season, it will be $41,272.
-CMU currently plays two guarantee games each year. Those are games that bring in revenue of at least $60,000 from the opponents (i.e. a Purdue or Michigan State). Should Zeigler negotiate a third guarantee game, $10,000 of that will go to men’s basketball recruiting budget and the remainder will be used specifically toward men’s basketball with the spending approved by Zeigler and CMU A.D. Dave Heeke.
-Should Zeigler be terminated this year, he will be paid $525,000. That drops to just over $368,000 the following season and down to over $193,000 the season after.
-Zeigler has a buyout of $500,000 if he is to leave before the start of the 2012 season. It drops to $250,000 if he leaves during the 2012 season or before the start of the 2013 season. It would then drop to $125,000 for the third year in the contract and would be just $75,000 if he leaves in the final year of his contract.

Those are the details of the contract. Certainly Zeigler can make a lot if the Chippewas have a big season and with Trey committing to the, it opens the door for a lot of possibilities.

I've had some people comment to me about the the timeliness of the Trey Zeigler announcement and the release of Ernie's new contract with Central Michigan. Just to clear things up, CMU was going to extend Zeigler's contract no matter what Trey decided.

CMU had been in negotiations with Ernie for weeks before the deal was finalized on Tuesday. There was actually a deal on the table for Ernie weeks ago, but like all negotiations, some changes were made to satisfy both parties.

If anything, Zeigler's contract extension is what made Trey coming to CMU possible. Certainly had Ernie not gotten an extension, Trey wouldn't have felt comfortable coming to CMU. Trey wanted to know that his father would be at CMU throughout his college playing days in order for him to become a Chippewa.

Dave Heeke has shown in the past that he has extended the contracts of the coaches that put together a winning formula. The two divisional titles and the continual incline of the team's season win total was enough for him to offer an extension to Zeigler and no recruit was going to change that.

While the expected four-year deal between Central Michigan and men's basketball coached has reached a verbal agreement, no deal has been officially signed as Ernie has been in Louisville this week for an All-Star weekend for Trey, who was taking part in an exhibition contest with other top high school basketball stars around the nation. Zeigler is returning to Mt. Pleasant today and the deal should be made official early this week.

As for Trey and the big question of where he is going, he is expected to make his decision this week and the plans are for him to hold a press conference at Mt. Pleasant High School to make his announcement. Some speculation surfaced earlier this week that UCLA is out of the running, but I haven't had that confirmed by anyone in the know. It does seem that CMU could be picking up steam with the extension to his father, but only time will tell. Certainly if Trey decided to come and be a Chippewa, it would be the biggest recruit to sign with CMU since Dan Majerle.

Central Michigan men's basketball coach Ernie Zeigler and Athletics Director Dave Heeke have reached a verbal agreement on a new 4-year contract sources close to the situation tell me.

The new deal will pay Zeigler just under $200,000 guaranteed this season and will begin immediately. The deal includes a $20,000 annual payment for media obligations and have a base salary over $175,000 in the first year of the deal with an undisclosed percentage raise after each season.

The new contract is also very incentive based which could pay Zeigler a lot more money if he finds himself winning Mid-American Conference titles and making NCAA Tournament appearances. Other incentives include attendance rates and graduation rates.

While the deal has yet to be signed, it is expected to be made official over the next few days.

I have had some people mention to me today that Mick McCabe of the Detroit Free Press mentioned on Lansing radio today that Dave Heeke's contract offer to Ernie Zeigler is only if Trey Zeigler agrees to come to CMU. I can state that that is completely untrue.

Here is what is going on:
-There is a 4-year offer on the table to Ernie right now. The sides are still discussing details of the offer. Right now, the new contract would feature a pay increase in base salary and in media compensation. The guaranteed money is believed to be in the range of $200K per-year.
-I am uncertain of what details the sides are still trying to iron out.
-No matter where Trey signs to play college basketball, this is the offer that will remain for Ernie. CMU has not and will not change the contract based on where Trey goes to school. They are basing the offer on Ernie's coaching performance thus far.

Just wanted to clear that up. Dave Heeke would be crazy to hold a coach hostage as McCabe accused him of. Heeke has a track record of offering extensions and salary increases to coaches that win titles and I am sure he will continue to do the same with Ernie if he continues to win MAC West and overall championships.

There has been some interesting news out of UCLA over the past 24 hours where top assistant men's basketball coach Donny Daniels, who had been with the Bruins for seven years, decided to take a position with the Gonzaga men's basketball program. The move was confirmed by UCLA coach Ben Howland today.
When asked when he would hire a replacement, Howland remarked that he would not make a hire until after the April signing period, but there is some speculation that Central Michigan men's basketball coach Ernie Zeigler is on their radar to return to the staff.
Zeigler's son, Trey, has UCLA as one of five remaining schools on his list of possible colleges he will attend to play basketball, and certainly if Howland was able to get Ernie to leave CMU for UCLA, that would probably bring Trey as well.
UCLA would be able to pay its top assistant close to equal if not more than what the Chippewas can pay their head coach.
CMU and Zeigler are in talks about a new four-year contract that would give Zeigler an increase in pay of $15,000 more in base salary per-year, but no deal has been officially signed.

Central Michigan University and men's basketball coach Ernie Zeigler are in discussion on a new 4-year contract that would begin in the 2010-11 season, sources close to the situation tell me.
The deal would wipe out the year left on his current contract and begin immediately for next season. There are hopes that the deal will be finalized and signed early next week.
The deal is believed to have about a $15,000 increase in guaranteed money per-year and would give Zeigler the four year stability that he is looking for with the program.
The four years could also be a number that would allow CMU to show Ernie's son, Trey, that his father would be in place as the head coach of the Chippewas throughout his college playing days.
I will post more updates as I hear them.

The hot topic around Central Michigan athletics these days is Ernie Zeigler’s future as Chippewa men’s basketball coach.
The fourth-year coach has one year left on his current contract, making this a make-or-break offseason for him.
Let’s face facts, no coach is going to be able to lead his program without at least one year on his contract after the current season he is in.
A coach can’t be expected to recruit kids without having the ability to assure them he will be around next season. That is what led to the split between CMU and Jay Smith, which brought Zeigler in in the first place.
Zeigler will be looking to get at least a two or three year extension and probably a slight increase in pay.
Some feel he should get it, some feel otherwise.
Here is my breakdown of the situation.
First, Zeigler has a 54-69 record through four seasons as a coach and is 31-33 in Mid-American Conference play. The 54 wins is the most by a CMU coach in his first four seasons since Charlie Coles won 64 from the 1985-85 season to the 1988-89 season.
Zeigler has led CMU to back-to-back MAC West Division titles for the first time in Chippewa school history. Many will argue the talent pool in the MAC West is weak, but the accomplishment is still a first in school history.
Zeigler is 9-9 against rivals Western and Eastern Michigan. Jay Smith by comparison was 13-22 against the Eagles and Broncos while Coles was 12-13 against the two in his six years as head coach.
Those are just some numbers to consider. Here are some strengths I believe he has as a coach:
-I think Zeigler has the right message and philosophy. I think his mindset is the one a coach needs in the MAC. In a conference that is not going to get the most talent, you have to be able to out-work your opponent. While his team has not always been successful, they have been largely competitive because they try to do the small things correctly.
-Zeigler has tried to put his team in the best position to win based on the talent he has. Last season, Zeigler had to play a slow down style in order to limit opposing possessions. Some people may not have liked it, but with the lack of depth, it was the right move to make and it allowed CMU to win a share of the MAC West title.
-Zeigler has adapted his recruiting philosophy as a coach and matured as a coach. Early on Zeigler came in and tried to land the top athletes and prime players, but those players didn’t fit his system and it led to a lot of disappointment and frustration, as well as player departures. More recently, Zeigler has targeted hard nosed kids that will do what he wants. He has tapped into a lot of junior college talent that can contribute right away in order to fill the gaps of prior recruits that didn’t turn out.
Now, here are some of the areas of concern I know fans have and would like to see him improve on:
-The big problem this season has been CMU blowing leads in games. There have been four notable second-half collapses late this season. While the collapses are not good, they are more indicative of CMU being a jump shooting team and the shots not falling. That combined with inexperience at being a winning program led to the Chippewas pressing when a team made a comeback effort against them. The one area this could have improved from Zeigler’s part was in time out management. Too often this season, CMU was without a time out in the closing minutes of a close game. That can’t happen.
-I think a lot of the community doesn’t feel a bond with Zeigler and that is perhaps why many aren’t behind him getting an extension. While Zeigler may not be at a lot of community functions or be out in public a lot, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t feel like a part of Mt. Pleasant. I think toward the end of the year, Zeigler started to do more to reach out to the community and is making positive steps in that direction. The attendance numbers went up toward the end of the season and with the new Events Center opening next season, I think CMU wants to know that the fan support will be there for Zeigler.
-The frequency of player turnover on the roster has been alarming as well. Just last season five members of the team left, all of which were Zeigler recruits. That kind of loss in the roster is why some are not hopeful for the future. Outside of Jordan Bitzer and Robbie Harman, there hasn’t been much consistency with the Chippewa roster so fans have a hard time identifying with the team. Zeigler needs to make sure he is bringing in the right guys and bringing in players that will stay for the remainder of their eligibility. This year’s class seems to be sticking around, aside from Tyler Brown, who left because of the severity of his injury.
-Player development has also been a big question mark. We haven’t seen Zeigler consistently develop the players he brought in. Marcus Van made a huge jump in his senior year, which gives me the feeling that Zeigler can develop his talent. Jordan Bitzer and Robbie Harman clearly made strides, but they were brought in by another coaching staff. The lack of development in Marko Spica has been a big concern as he was highly touted coming in and CMU will need him to be a big factor next season. But, Jalin Thomas, Amir Rashid, and Antonio Weary all look to be improving as they head toward their senior seasons next winter.
-The final issue is fans concerns over next season. With Harman and Bitzer gone, you have to wonder how the Chippewas are going to be able to score consistently. While we don’t know the talent level of the incoming recruits, can you really expect a true freshman to step in right away. I know many believe that Trey Zeigler is the answer, but you can’t expect him to sign with CMU. If he does, that is obviously a great bonus, but a player of his caliber is more likely to play on a bigger stage. You also can’t discredit Ernie’s ability to recruit if Trey doesn’t come here. Trey needs to give himself the best option to reach the NBA and if he feels CMU is not that option, he has the right to go elsewhere.
When you really break it down, I think CMU would be making a mistake by not giving Zeigler an extension. You can say he hasn’t had a winning season and comparing to Jay Smith is giving him a crutch, but you have to compare to where the program was to where it is. You can’t expect a team to go from nothing to Kent State level in just four seasons, it doesn’t work that way.
Just look at Toledo. They let Stan Joplin go after 12 years despite two conference titles to his credit. Joplin always made the Rockets contenders and they had a mediocre year or two down the stretch that still landed them in the middle of the MAC.
So, they brought in Gene Cross, who won 11 games in two seasons with the Rockets, and stepped down last week after an off-court scandal emerged. Now, the Rockets have to hire a new coach to rebuild from the very level CMU was at when Zeigler took over.
Could Zeigler have done better, probably. He is human, he has made some mistakes. But, he has made a slow upward trend with the program and is now in the process where his entire roster is made up of guys he brought in.
You don’t have to like everything about him, but your other option is to hire a new coach, who would need at least another four years to develop his system and bring in his players with no guarantee that he could even match what Zeigler has accomplished.
Bottom line, Zeigler has made Central Michigan men’s basketball a hot topic into March the past few seasons, which is something this program hasn’t had since 2003. That in itself deserves to be recognized and that alone tells me he deserves to keep working on making things better in Mt. Pleasant.

(Drew Ellis is a sports writer for the Morning Sun and can be contacted via email at dellis@michigannewspapers.com or by phone at 989-779-6060)

Dave Goricki, a good writer for The Detroit News that has covered MAC and college sports for years had an interesting thought on his blog Wednesday. You can read it here:
http://community.detnews.com/apps/blogs/collegesportsblog/index.php?blogid=89

The part I found interesting was this:
Speaking of interesting, a blog in Chicagonow.com last month had Detroit head coach Ray McCallum as a possible candidate for the head job at DePaul which will be filled after the season.
DePaul competes in the Big East and is need of talent to play with the big boys, Syracuse, Villanova, Georgetown, West Virginia, Pittsburgh and Connecticut, not to mention Notre Dame.
Wouldn't it be interesting if DePaul goes after McCallum and McCallum looks to CMU head coach Ernie Zeigler as his associate head coach?
Sure, it's a stretch to think that could happen, but then again ... DePaul certainly would be a major player with McCallum and Zeigler bringing their sons, Ray McCallum Jr. and Trey Zeigler with them.
But, for now Zeigler has the stretch run to focus on. You can bet he will be doing everything possible to enter the MAC tournament with some momentum. The Chips haven't had a winning season since they won the MAC title in 2003 and advanced to the second-round of the NCAA tournament.

Now, I get asked a lot about Trey, but truth is, I don't have a clue where he is going. But, Goricki has an interesting take and I don't think he would throw that out there without having some reason to believe it or have some support behind it.
The big factor right now is with Ernie's contract. He has one year remaining following this season and certainly no coach wants to be a lame-duck coach without another year on their contract. It is was came down to CMU departing with Jay Smith and if Zeigler isn't extended, he can't go out and recruit players to CMU not knowing if he will even be there to coach them. CMU has to decide if they feel Zeigler is taking the program in the right direction, especially with the new Events Center opening next year. This final week of the regular season may very well determine Zeigler's future here. Certainly after the season is completed, Zeigler is going to want to know where he stands with CMU in terms of an extension.

The Central Michigan University men’s basketball team announced Tuesday that senior forward Jacolby Hardiman has been released from the program due to a violation of team rules.

Hardiman joined the Chippewas last season after transferring from The University of Arkansas-Fort Smith.

Last season, Hardiman started in 28 games for CMU, averaging 9.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per-game.

Hardiman finished with the second-best shooting percentage (.483) and tied for the second-most steals on the team (45).

Hardiman is the fifth Chippewa to leave the CMU program this offseason as Lawrence Bridges, William Eddie III, Adrian Hunter, and Jeremy Allen also parted ways with the Chippewas, but all four of their departures were on good terms and part of a mutual agreement.

I will have another spring practice update tomorrow, but as for now, I wanted to post a CMU men’s basketball season wrap up story that will be exclusive to the Sun Sports Blog. I recently talked with basketball coach Ernie Zeigler to get his thoughts on the 2008-09 season and the future of the program (Thanks to Ryan Evon for the photo of Marcus Van):

At first glance, on paper, the 2008-09 men’s basketball season may not look like a successful one for the Central Michigan men’s program.
A 12-19 record was the worst in the three season’s that coach Ernie Zeigler has been at CMU, while a 7-9 mark in the Mid-American Conference was one game behind the year before.
Yet, when everything came to a close, it was clear that the 2008-09 season was one of the most successful in recent years at CMU, and certainly the best in Zeigler’s coaching career.
While the win totals were not where Zeigler aspires to be, his Chippewas overcame numerous injuries and suspensions. CMU was left for dead by many in the MAC race, yet won a share of the MAC West Division title with a memorable 71-68 win over Western Michigan in Kalamazoo to close the regular season.
“We knew from the start as a coaching staff that this was going to be a year of transition for us as we looked to take the next step as a program,” Zeigler said. “Starting last spring we dealt with a lot of adversity and we knew this season would be challenging. But, even through all of the suspensions and adversity, we still took a step forward and we put ourselves in a position to be MAC West champions. It was a very satisfying season in terms of going through all we did and still accomplishing what we did. They key for us is to now continue to build on that right now. We can’t wait and enjoy our accomplishments too much, we need to start now in building for next season.”
The championship season was a validating feeling for CMU, and the Chippewas were led all season by senior Marcus Van, who was validating his spot on the team all season long after opening the year with a suspension.
“I think this season you really have to look at the progress and the growth of Marcus Van,” Zeigler said of his senior center, who averaged 13 points and eight rebounds per game. “Any coach that is worth his salt wants guys to get better as they move through the program, and when you look at Marcus, he started as an athletic rebounder and a shot blocker, and when he left, he was one of the top scoring post players in the entire conference. He really evolved as a player and that is a testament to his work ethic and how much he valued being a part of this basketball team.”
As CMU finished the season playing its best basketball, winning its last three games before getting edged by Ball State in overtime in the quarterfinals of the MAC Tournament, many fans had wondered how good CMU would have been this year with forwards Chris Kellermann and Marko Spica, who were lost for the season with injuries.
“It is an interesting question to ponder, but you would also have to wonder if Marcus would have emerged like he did if Marko was around,” Zeigler said. “The biggest asset we would have had was depth. Whenever you have depth, that immediately makes you a dangerous team. Instead of being a team that was seven-deep, we would have become a team that was nine or 10-deep, and that would have really been a strength to have. If you look at the Final Four teams, all of them have tremendous depth and are not identified by just one player.”
With or without Kellermann or Spica, CMU had very historic wins this season and very disappointing losses.
“The win that stands out most to me would have to be the win at Western Michigan because it was a signature win for our program,” Zeigler said. “We were down 14 points at a hostile environment and we battled back and that win made us MAC West champions.
In terms of the losses, I would say the two losses to Eastern Michigan stand out because I felt like in both games we played well enough to win, but we just weren’t able to close the game out. You could say the same about the loss at Buffalo too, where we were in great position to get a huge road win, only to come up short.”
With the 2008-09 season now in the books, Zeigler and his staff are clearly focused on next season and the new challenges that lie ahead.
The biggest step for next season is in establishing leaders, which Zeigler expects his senior tandem of Robbie Harman and Jordan Bitzer to take over.
“First and foremost, we need Robbie Harman and Jordan Bitzer to really emerge as the leaders of this team,” Zeigler said. “Bitzer will be our leading returning scorer and rebounder and I feel he really emerged at the end of this season as one of the top players in the MAC. Robbie Harman has always been a guy you can count on to do whatever he can for this team and we need him to really continue to push his teammates and continue to not be afraid of taking the big shots for us.”
Along with Harman and Bitzer, Zeigler is excited to see how his younger players will progress for next season.
“We need our guys to have a passion to get better and we need guys like Jacolby Hardiman, Antonio Weary, and Jeremy Allen to keep having a bounce in their step to build off of the momentum we had at the end of this season,” Zeigler said. “I am also anxious to see how Marko and Chris bounce back from their injuries and their rehab. It will have been a long time for both since they have played in a college game and sometimes it can take time for guys to get comfortable again.”
The Chippewas will go through their strength and conditioning program through the summer until individual workouts begin next fall in preparation for the 2009-10 season.

Wednesday's loss to Ball State was a big one. It was a two-game swing. A win and CMU is in a three-way tie for first in the MAC West, but instead the Chips lost and are two games back of Ball State and one game behind Western.

In order to have any shot, (understanding that even the best shot is still slim at this point) CMU has to win its final three games. Eastern and Toledo at home are certainly winnable. The Chips lost to both on the road but both were prior to CMU's style change that has made it much more competitive. CMU has been strong on the road, winning its last three and five of its last six in Rose Arena. The final game is at Western, which will be tough to win, as CMU hasn't won in Kalamazoo since the 2002-03 season. But, a win there would allow CMU to get even with the Broncos, assuming Western wins its next two games.

The tricky part becomes Ball State, which has to then lose two games. One of the three remaining games is at Western on Mar. 4 and the Broncos will have to win that game to have a shot at the West title, so I expect the Broncos to give their best there. The other two games are Saturday at Northern Illinois, which could be tough as the Huskies took it to WMU on Wednesday at home, and the final game is at home with Eastern, which should be a win for the Cardinals. So essentially, you have to hope that Western and Ball State lose their road games and CMU runs the table. Not the likeliest of scenarios for various reasons, but winning the West is still possible and I know Ernie Zeigler has his team still believing. After all, an 8-8 record in the MAC would still be quite an accomplishment this season. I would have picked CMU to go about 4-12 in the MAC prior to the start of conference play.

It may seem unlikely, but with Ball State losing to Toledo, Central Michigan in reality controls its own destiny to winning the MAC West Division.

The Chippewas will host Eastern Michigan and Toledo, and both are games that CMU should win. After watching their win over NIU, I expect that same effort at home. The key is the two road games at Ball State and Western Michigan.

Wednesday's game is key as I feel CMU has a better chance to win in Muncie than in Kalamazoo. CMU hasn't competed at Western as of late, so it is hard to expect a win on the road there. But, going 3-1 in their final stretch will put them at 8-8 in MAC play, which certainly could win the West. Wednesday's game is the first big step, and I feel the Chippewas are playing with a lot more confidence to pull this off.

It is hard to believe at 8-16 that Ernie Zeigler may be having his best season as a coach, but I feel this is the case. Had he and his staff not made the adjustment mid-season, Zeigler could be on the hot seat if CMU would have continued to struggle. Instead what we have seen is a team that has competed to the end in every game aside from Akron (which was an impossible scenario to play 36 hours after beating Ohio). Zeigler has made the most out of bad situation and deserves to be applauded for this season.

A lot of people have mentioned "Too bad we don't have Chris and Marko" which I can understand, but had those two not gotten hurt, we may not have seen Marcus emerge this season and we wouldn't have seen the development of guys like Jacolby Hardiman and Jordan Bitzer. Hindsight is always 20/20, but this season to me will really pay off next year when you have a wealth of experience to work with.

CMU still has a lot of work ahead, but if I were on the team, I would feel good about my chances to win the West.

Today I released a lengthy article on Trey and Ernie Zeigler:

http://www.themorningsun.com/articles/2009/02/16/sports/srv0000004701475.txt

The article talks a lot about Trey growing up and living in a basketball world. Certainly Trey is a very talented kid and in the few conversations I have had with him, he does indeed have a good head on his shoulders and is very down to earth. He hasn't gone big-time yet when it comes to his people skills, which is good to see.

A lot of people have asked me about Trey coming to CMU and I have heard some say "it's a done deal" while others say "there is not chance at all." My gut tells me he won't, just because his talent level warrants a greater program, no disrespect to CMU or Ernie.

As a father, I would certainly love to coach my son at the college level, but I would also want him to be in the best situation possible for his future and Trey has the potential to play in the NBA. While CMU has landed NBA stars before and the MAC has its fair share, I would certainly feel better about Trey's chances at a UCLA or Michigan State, where he would play against the best in the country on a frequent basis, and have the chance to be seen on national television with almost every game.

Ernie also has to consider his situation. He is only locked in for a few years and he wouldn't want his son to come to a school that he can't be certain he will be at. I think CMU would have no problem keeping Ernie around as we have seen good things from the program even though the records have not been on the winning side. But, Ernie also has to think about his future. If Trey were to come to CMU and the Chippewas win a championship and make the NCAA Tournament, Ernie would certainly have better coaching offers come his way. Could he really leave CMU if Trey still had eligibility left here? Could he ask his son to transfer and miss out on a season in the middle of his prime? In the MAC, a coach has to strike while the iron is hot because one year you look like a genius, and the next year you look like a fool.

I am not sure how the Trey recruiting process will shake out, but it would be interesting to see him in the maroon and gold.

(Thanks to Lisa Yanick-Jonaitis for her picture of Trey from last Friday's game.)