Murray State University Athletics
Cronin: 'We've got to go now' as Racers open OVC play Thursday
1/5/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
After completing a tough 10-game out-of-conference schedule, the Murray State Racers look to improve on their 5-5 record when they welcome the Morehead State Eagles to the Regional Special Events Center on Thursday, Jan. 8. Tipoff time is set for 7:15 p.m., or approximately 30 minutes after the women's game.
In the Racers' last game, a 100-80 loss at Alabama-Birmingham on Sunday, junior guard Darnell Hopkins led all scorers with 20 points, while sophomore forward Shawn Witherspoon and sophomore guard Trey Pearson added 14 and 10 points, respectively.
Hopkins' efforts, along with 16- and 21-point games in the Shamrock Office Solutions Classic in Moraga, Calif., earned him Ohio Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week honors. On the season, Hopkins is averaging 12.8 points per game on 47-percent shooting from the field, including 45 percent from three-point range. Pearson is the only other Racer to average double-digits in scoring, with 13.9 points per game.
After the UAB game, Racer head coach Mick Cronin commented on where his team is right now.
"It's an on-going process of our guys finding their roles," Cronin said. "Darnell Hopkins and Charles Johnson, right now, are bringing a competitive spirit to the floor. We're not taking care of the ball, and we're not shooting very good from the line or the field. We're not a very good team when we don't do well in those areas.
"We're slowly getting guys into what we want them to do and still learning what they can do. Ten games isn't much time to grow up, but we've got to go now. We've got to play everybody in order to play the game the way we want to play. The youthfulness of our team is a major concern of mine."
Morehead State (6-5) is coming off of a 76-65 loss to George Mason on Dec. 30. The Eagles placed four players in double-figures, led by junior guard Quinton Smith with 21 points. Sophomore guard Josh Reed had 16 points, while freshman center Jonathan True and senior forward Chad McKnight had 10 points each. On the season, Smith averages 10.7 points and Reed averages 10.1 points per game, but their true leader is McKnight, who is averaging 16.3 points per game on 59-percent shooting from the floor, while also averaging 7.7 rebounds per game.
"Morehead is a balanced team, but obviously Chad McKnight is a great player," Cronin said. "He's proved it by the numbers he's put up in their non-conference games. They like to pound the ball inside, and McKnight is a big, strong kid. I'm just as interested as anybody as to how we're going to stack up in the league.
"Our guys have a target on their backs because of last year's success and the pre-season poll. My concern going into the league is that our opponents are thinking we're the team to beat. For us to win this league, we have to get great play from Trey Pearson, Keith Jenifer, Darnell Hopkins and Shawn Witherspoon. They have to be solid for us to have a chance in the OVC."
The Racers lead the all-time series against Morehead State 97-50, and the Eagles are only 14-51 when playing in Murray. The game can be heard locally on WNBS (1340 AM, Murray) and through the Teamline link at www.GoRacers.com.
