2022–23 Eastern Michigan Eagles men's basketball team

2022–23 Eastern Michigan Eagles men's basketball
2022–23 Eastern Michigan Eagles men's basketball
Conference	Mid-American Conference
Record	8–23 (5–13 MAC)
Head coach	Stan Heath (2nd season);
Assistant coaches	Shawn Trice (2nd season); Bob Simon (2nd season); Drew Denisco (2nd season);
Home arena	George Gervin GameAbove Center
	Seasons ← 2021–22 2023–24 →

The 2022–23 Eastern Michigan Eagles men's basketball team represented Eastern Michigan University during the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Eagles, led by second-year head coach Stan Heath, played their home games at the George Gervin GameAbove Center in Ypsilanti, Michigan as members of the Mid-American Conference.^[1] They finished 8–23 with a 5–13 MAC record.^[2] They finished tied for ninth in the MAC and failed to qualify for the MAC tournament.

2022–23 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Toledo	16	–	2	.889	27	–	8	.771
Kent State †	15	–	3	.833	28	–	7	.800
Akron	13	–	5	.722	22	–	11	.667
Ball State	11	–	7	.611	20	–	12	.625
Ohio	10	–	8	.556	19	–	14	.576
Buffalo	9	–	9	.500	15	–	17	.469
Northern Illinois	9	–	9	.500	13	–	19	.406
Miami (OH)	6	–	12	.333	12	–	20	.375
Bowling Green	5	–	13	.278	11	–	20	.355
Eastern Michigan	5	–	13	.278	8	–	23	.258
Central Michigan	5	–	13	.278	10	–	21	.323
Western Michigan	4	–	14	.222	8	–	23	.258

† 2023 MAC tournament winner

Previous season

The Eagles finished the 2021–22 season 10–21 and 5–15 in MAC play to finish in eleventh place.^[3] They failed to qualify for the MAC tournament.

Offseason

Departures

Departures
Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Reason
Bryce McBride	4	G	6'2"	175	Junior	Jackson, Tennessee	Transferred to Youngstown State
Mo Njie	13	C	6'10"	245	Freshman	Centerville, Ohio	Transferred to SMU
Malcolm Clements	14	G	6'3"	170	Freshman	Ypsilanti, Michigan	Transferred to Henry Ford College
Monty Scott	2	G	6'5"	200	Senior	Union, New Jersey	Exhausted Eligibility
Darion Spottsville	10	G	6'4"	205	Senior	Phoenix, Arizona	Signed for Grises de Humacao
Axel Okongo	15	F	7'0"	240	Senior	Saâcy-sur-Marne, France
Thomas Binelli	23	F	6'10"	240	Senior	Bologna, Italy	Exhausted Eligibility
Nate Scott	25	G/F	6'8"	210	Senior	Naperville, Illinois

^[4]^[5]^[6]

Incoming transfers

Incoming Transfers
Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous School
Tyson Acuff	2	G	6'4"	190	Junior	Detroit, Michigan	Duquesne
Jalin Billingsley	4	F	6'8"	225	Sophomore	Cleveland, Ohio	Georgetown
Emoni Bates	21	F	6'9"	190	Sophomore	Ypsilanti, Michigan	Memphis
Legend Geeter	23	F	6'8"	235	Sophomore	River Rouge, Michigan	Providence

^[4]^[5]

Recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight
Orlando Lovejoy G	Detroit, Michigan	Summit Academy North	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	185 lb (84 kg)
Orlando Lovejoy G	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR
JZ Zaher G	Fenton, Michigan	Powers Catholic	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	164 lb (74 kg)
JZ Zaher G	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2022 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Pre Season Awards

Emoni Bates (Pre-Season All-MAC 2nd Team)

Roster

2022–23 Eastern Michigan Eagles men's basketball team

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Name	Height	Weight	Year	Previous school	Hometown
G	0	Kevin-David Rice	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	So	Grand Blanc Delta College	Flint, MI
F	1	Colin Golson Jr.	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	230 lb (104 kg)	So	Ferndale Siena	Detroit, MI
G	2	Noah Farrakhan	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	162 lb (73 kg)	So	The Patrick School East Carolina	Hillside, NJ
G	3	Luka Savicevic	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	150 lb (68 kg)	So	Sports Academy Skopje	Skopje, North Macedonia
F	4	Jalin Billingsley	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	218 lb (99 kg)	So	Lutheran East Georgetown	Cleveland, OH
G	5	Tyson Acuff	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	196 lb (89 kg)	So	Cass Technical Duquesne	Detroit, MI
G	10	Orlando Lovejoy	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	184 lb (83 kg)	Fr	Summit Academy North	Detroit, MI
G	12	Andrew Wells	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	163 lb (74 kg)	So	International Sports Academy	East Lansing, MI
G	13	Prakash Ketterhagen	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	208 lb (94 kg)	RS Fr	New Rochelle Combine Academy	Kalamazoo, MI
F	15	Derik Pranger	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	186 lb (84 kg)	Fr	Colorado Prep	Parker, CO
F	21	Emoni Bates	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	So	Ypsi Prep Memphis	Ypsilanti, MI
F	22	Yusuf Jihad	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	So	North Farmington Oakland	Farmington Hills, MI
F	23	Legend Geeter	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	230 lb (104 kg)	RS Fr	River Rouge Providence	River Rouge, MI
G	30	JZ Zaher	5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)	164 lb (74 kg)	Fr	Flint Powers Catholic	Fenton, MI
F	33	Derek Ballard Jr.	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	232 lb (105 kg)	GS	Southfield-Lathrup	Southfield, MI
F	35	Javantae Randle	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	RS Fr	Frederick Douglass	Detroit, MI

Head coach

Stan Heath (Eastern Michigan)

Assistant coach(es)

Shawn Trice (Penn)
Bob Simon (Eastern Michigan)
Drew Denisco (Wittenberg)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on

Injured
Current redshirt

Roster

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Opponent^#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
October 27, 2022* 7:00 p.m.	Grand Valley State	W 85–69		27 – Bates	11 – Geeter	4 – Geeter	George Gervin GameAbove Center (2,487) Ypsilanti, MI
Non-conference regular season
November 7, 2022* 7:30 p.m., ESPN3	Wayne State	W 75–66	1–0	18 – Lovejoy	8 – Geeter	4 – Savicevic	George Gervin GameAbove Center (4,677) Ypsilanti, MI
November 11, 2022* 9:00 p.m., ESPNU	vs. No. 22 Michigan	L 83–88	1–1	30 – Bates	6 – Farrakhan	4 – Acuff	Little Caesars Arena (14,204) Detroit, MI
November 15, 2022* 8:00 p.m., ESPN+	at Bradley Cancún Challenge	L 61–89	1–2	20 – Bates	6 – Bates	3 – Tied	Carver Arena (4,110) Peoria, IL
November 19, 2022* 3:00 p.m., ESPN+	at Oakland Cancún Challenge	L 90–92 ^OT	1–3	19 – Bates	6 – Geeter	4 – Tied	Athletics Center O'rena (4,059) Rochester, MI
November 22, 2022* 12:30 p.m., FloSports	vs. Purdue Fort Wayne Cancún Challenge	L 67–74	1–4	16 – Bates	6 – Farrakhan	4 – Farrakhan	Hard Rock Hotel Riviera (250) Cancún, Mexico
November 23, 2022* 12:30 p.m., FloSports	vs. Winthrop Cancún Challenge	L 87–101	1–5	25 – Acuff	10 – Geeter	2 – Tied	Hard Rock Hotel Riviera (107) Cancún, Mexico
November 27, 2022* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+	UC San Diego	L 63–66	1–6	17 – Bates	13 – Bates	5 – Acuff	George Gervin GameAbove Center (2,340) Ypsilanti, MI
November 30, 2022* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	at Florida International	W 80–68	2–6	26 – Bates	8 – Tied	4 – Acuff	Ocean Bank Convocation Center (1,150) Miami, FL
December 4, 2022* 2:30 p.m., ESPN+	Florida Atlantic	L 73–101	2–7	29 – Bates	6 – Bates	2 – Farrakhan	George Gervin GameAbove Center (4,192) Ypsilanti, MI
December 7, 2022* 8:00 p.m., ESPN+	at Illinois State	L 81–87	2–8	14 – Acuff	5 – Golson	4 – Tied	Redbird Arena (3,331) Normal, IL
December 11, 2022* 1:00 p.m., ESPN+	at Niagara	L 60–67	2–9	21 – Farrakhan	5 – Jihad	4 – Farrakhan	Gallagher Center (897) Lewiston, NY
December 18, 2022* 3:00 p.m., ESPN+	Detroit Mercy	W 79–77	3–9	19 – Tied	7 – Geeter	6 – Acuff	George Gervin GameAbove Center (2,823) Ypsilanti, MI
December 30, 2022* 7.00 p.m., SEC Network	at South Carolina	L 64–74	3–10	36 – Bates	7 – Randle	2 – Bates	Colonial Life Arena (9,023) Columbia, SC
MAC regular season
January 3, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	Bowling Green	L 65–91	3–11 (0–1)	15 – Bates	7 – Jihad	1 – Tied	George Gervin GameAbove Center (2,305) Ypsilanti, MI
January 7, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN3	Central Michigan	W 62–56	4–11 (1–1)	26 – Bates	10 – Bates	2 – Acuff	George Gervin GameAbove Center (2,531) Ypsilanti, MI
January 10, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	at Western Michigan	L 79–85	4–12 (1–2)	23 – Bates	6 – Bates	3 – Tied	University Arena (3,017) Kalamazoo, MI
January 13, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPNU	at Akron	L 67–104	4–13 (1–3)	18 – Farrakhan	4 – Tied	2 – Tied	James A. Rhodes Arena (2,177) Akron, OH
January 17, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	Kent State	L 63–77	4–14 (1–4)	24 – Bates	6 – Bates	3 – Acuff	George Gervin GameAbove Center (2,212) Ypsilanti, MI
January 21, 2023 3:30 p.m., ESPN3	Northern Illinois	L 67–88	4–15 (1–5)	26 – Farrakhan	8 – Farrakhan	3 – Tied	George Gervin GameAbove Center (4,719) Ypsilanti, MI
January 24, 2023 7:00 p.m., CBSSN	at Toledo	L 79–84	4–16 (1–6)	43 – Bates	9 – Farrakhan	5 – Farrakhan	Savage Arena (5,162) Toledo, OH
January 28, 2023 3:45 p.m., ESPN3	at Miami (OH)	W 74–69	5–16 (2–6)	20 – Farrakhan	6 – Tied	4 – Bates	Millett Hall (3,096) Oxford, OH
January 31, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	Ohio	W 90–79	6–16 (3–6)	29 – Acuff	4 – Geeter	6 – Acuff	George Gervin GameAbove Center (2,472) Ypsilanti, MI
February 3, 2023 2:00 p.m., CBSSN	at Ball State Red Out	L 90-91	6–17 (3–7)	35 – Bates	6 – Tied	2 – Tied	Worthen Arena (6,068) Muncie, IN
February 7, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	at Buffalo Equality & Inclusion Night	L 97–102	6–18 (3–8)	35 – Acuff	5 – Tied	4 – Tied	Alumni Arena (4,507) Buffalo, NY
February 11, 2023 7:30 p.m., ESPN3	Toledo	L 63–70	6–19 (3–9)	36 – Acuff	10 – Bates	3 – Farrakhan	George Gervin GameAbove Center (5,390) Ypsilanti, MI
February 14, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	Akron	L 51–78	6–20 (3–10)	13 – Bates	5 – Farrakhan	3 – Tied	George Gervin GameAbove Center (2,122) Ypsilanti, MI
February 17, 2023 4:00 p.m., CBSSN	at Kent State Black History Celebration/ Greek Night	L 54–81	6–21 (3–11)	15 – Bates	11 – Bates	1 – Tied	MAC Center (2,095) Kent, OH
February 21, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	Western Michigan	W 66–59	7–21 (4–11)	17 – Bates	7 – Bates	2 – Farrakhan	George Gervin GameAbove Center (2,703) Ypsilanti, MI
February 25, 2023 3:30 p.m., ESPN3	Ball State Senior Day	W 75–68	8–21 (5–11)	24 – Bates	11 – Bates	3 – Tied	George Gervin GameAbove Center (5,287) Ypsilanti, MI
February 28, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	at Bowling Green Rocky Night	L 68–88	8–22 (5–12)	15 – Lovejoy	4 – Acuff	3 – Tied	Stroh Center (2,123) Bowling Green, OH
March 3, 2023 8:00 p.m., ESPN3	at Northern Illinois Senior Day	L 66–85	8–23 (5–13)	26 – Acuff	4 – Tied	3 – Tied	Convocation Center (729) DeKalb, IL
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time.

Source^[7]

Post Season Awards

Emoni Bates (3rd Team All-MAC)
Yusuf Jihad (Academic All-MAC)

References

^ "Welcome Home! Stan Heath Named EMU Men's Basketball Coach". EMUEagles.com. April 12, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
^ "MAC Basketball Standings - 2022-23". ESPN. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
^ "MAC Basketball Standings - 2021-22". ESPN. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
^ ^a ^b "2022-23 Men's Basketball Roster". EMUEagles.com. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
^ ^a ^b "2022 D1 Basketball Transfers". Verbal Commits. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
^ "2021-22 Men's Basketball Roster". EMUEagles.com. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
^ "2022-23 Men's Basketball Schedule". Eastern Michigan Athletics.

[1] "Welcome Home! Stan Heath Named EMU Men's Basketball Coach". EMUEagles.com. April 12, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2022.

[2] "MAC Basketball Standings - 2022-23". ESPN. Retrieved March 5, 2023.

[3] "MAC Basketball Standings - 2021-22". ESPN. Retrieved September 6, 2022.

[roster-4] "2022-23 Men's Basketball Roster". EMUEagles.com. Retrieved September 7, 2022.

[transfer-5] "2022 D1 Basketball Transfers". Verbal Commits. Retrieved September 7, 2022.

[6] "2021-22 Men's Basketball Roster". EMUEagles.com. Retrieved September 7, 2022.

[7] "2022-23 Men's Basketball Schedule". Eastern Michigan Athletics.

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