Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Coppin State men’s basketball to begin 2014-15 season at Oregon



BALTIMORE – The Michael Grant era will begin at the University of Oregon on Friday, November 14 when he leads the Coppin State men’s basketball program into Matthew Knight Arena for its 2014-15 season opening contest.

The game time has not been announced yet.

This will be the Eagles’ second trip in as many years to the state of Oregon. Coppin State defeated Oregon State, 78-73, last year. The opener against Oregon will also be the second straight season, the Eagles will start against a Pac-12 opponent.

The Eagles will be different when they hit the floor to begin the season. Coppin State hired Grant from Division II Stillman College. Coppin State, which won 12 games last season and advanced to the MEAC semifinals has 11 players returning.

Senior guard Taariq Cephas, senior forward Dallas Gary, senior guard Daquan Brickhouse, senior forward Arnold Fripp, senior forward Brandon St. Louis, and junior guard Sterling Smith are among the top returning players for the Eagles this season. Cephas, who averaged 9.4 points per game, finished third in the MEAC in assists per game (4.1). Smith is the Eagles leading returning scorer (10.9 ppg.). He also led the Eagles with 60 3-pointers.

Meanwhile, Oregon enjoyed a strong 2013-14 season, posting an overall record of 24-10 which included a 10-8 mark in league play. The Ducks advanced to the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive year, which was the fourth time in Oregon men’s basketball history that occurred. The Ducks defeated BYU in the second round before falling to Wisconsin in the third round.

Oregon will be led by senior Joseph Young, who averaged 18 points per game last season. The Ducks led the Pac-12 in scoring with 81.9 points per game in 2013-14. Oregon was ninth in the conference in scoring defense. Other key returnees for the Ducks include seniors Elgin Cook and Jalil Abdul-Bassit.

Overall, Coppin State’s 13-game non-conference schedule features opponents from the Pac 12, Big 10, American, ACC, CAA, MAC, and OVC.

The remainder of the schedule along with a huge road date against one of men’s basketball’s elite programs will be released at a later date.

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