Coppin State releases 2015-16 men’s basketball schedule

BALTIMORE – A homecoming date against Morgan State, a visit from Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Tournament champion Hampton and contests against eight postseason participants from last season highlight the 2015-16 Coppin State University men’s basketball schedule released Tuesday afternoon. LINK TO COMPLETE SCHEDULE: http://www.coppinstatesports.com/schedule.aspx?path=mbball

Under second-year head coach Michael Grant, the Eagles’ season-opener will be on the road against Eastern Kentucky on Friday, Nov. 13. Coppin State’s home opener will be against Goldey-Beacom in a midweek matinee starting at noon on Wednesday, Nov. 18. The Eagles conclude the regular season with a road contest against Delaware State on Thursday, Mar. 3.

Coppin State’s final home game will be a showdown against crosstown rival Morgan State on Saturday, Feb. 27 in which the Eagles will celebrate Homecoming.

“We're excited about our schedule,” Grant said. “It's competitive and I like the fact that we'll see different programs as well as varying styles of play. We are thrilled for the opportunity to play great programs. Our tough schedule will help us prepare to compete at a high level once we begin conference play.”

The MEAC Tournament will be held at the Norfolk Scope Arena from Monday, March 7-12. Overall, Coppin State will play games in 12 different states and the District of Columbia.

Coppin State will play non-conference contests against schools from 10 different leagues. Five of Coppin State’s 12 non-conference games are against schools it competed against last season: Eastern Kentucky, Goldey Beacom, Towson (Saturday, Nov. 28), Akron (Wednesday, Dec. 2) and Eastern Michigan (Monday, Dec. 21).

In addition to hosting Hampton in its MEAC opener on Saturday, Dec. 5, Coppin State will visit NCAA Tournament participants Iowa (Sunday, Nov. 15) and Iowa State (Wednesday, Dec. 30).

Coppin State’s longest road trip is five games from Dec. 28 through Jan. 18. It is part of a stretch in which the Eagles will play nine of 10 games on the road. During that stretch, the Eagles will literally travel coast to coast to Kansas State (Wednesday, Dec. 9), Fordham (Sunday, Dec. 13), San Francisco (Friday, Dec. 18) and California (Saturday, Dec. 19). There are also scheduled trips to Creighton (Monday, Dec. 28) and Iowa State (Wednesday, Dec. 30) after Christmas.

The Eagles’ longest homestand is three games when they host North Carolina A&T (Saturday, Jan. 23), North Carolina Central (Monday, Jan. 25) and Maryland Eastern Shore (Saturday, Jan. 30).

The Eagles will play home-and-home games against MEAC opponents Norfolk State, Morgan State, Delaware State and Howard for the second consecutive season. The Eagles will earn plenty of travel miles by playing road conference games against Bethune-Cookman (Saturday, Jan. 16), Florida A&M (Monday, Jan. 18), South Carolina State (Saturday, Feb. 6) and Savannah State (Monday, Feb. 8).

Coppin State returns four players, including junior guard Christian Kessee, who will be the Eagles’ leading returning scorer (9.8 points per game).

Coppin State senior Taariq Cephas named to preseason All-MEAC basketball first team

Cephas named to preseason MEAC first team and Coppin State picked to finish sixth

BALTIMORE – Coppin State senior guard Taariq Cephas (Bear, Del./Pencader Charter) was named to the preseason Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) men’s basketball first team Thursday afternoon.

As a team, the Eagles were picked to finish sixth in the preseason poll voted on by the conference’s head men’s basketball coaches and sports information directors. Coppin State did receive one first place vote.

The Coppin State men’s basketball program enters a new era when the 2014-15 season commences in November against the University of Oregon under first-year coach Michael Grant, who comes to the Eagles from Division II Stillman College. Coppin State, which won 12 games last season and advanced to the MEAC semifinals, has 11 players returning.

A criminal justice major and sports management minor, Cephas is one of five seniors returning for the Eagles. He has enjoyed a decorated career and now is among the MEAC’s elite. Joining Cephas on the Preseason All-MEAC First Team are Deron Powers (Hampton), James Daniel (Howard), Jordan Parks (N.C. Central), and Kendall Gray (Delaware State). Daniel was the preseason conference Player of the Year selection.

“I was really excited and surprised,” Cephas said when he learned the news. “It’s an honor to be selected to the preseason first team. Now, I am going to try my hardest to live up to it by working hard, helping my team and being a leader.” 

This is the second preseason honor for Cephas, a 5 foot, 11 inch guard. He was named to the College Sports Madness preseason MEAC second team.

Cephas played in 32 games and made 27 starts. He led Coppin State in assists with 131 and was third in the MEAC in assists per game (4.1). Cephas also finished fifth in the MEAC in assist to turnover ratio (1.5). In addition to the assists, Cephas averaged 9.4 points per game and grabbed 3.0 rebounds per game. He led the team in scoring five times. Cephas was one of Coppin State’s top foul shooters last season as he shot 79.4 percent (85-for-107).

Among some of Cephas’ highlights last season was notching his first career double-double against Delaware State (12 points, career-high 10 assists). He scored in double figures 15 times and scored 20 or more points twice. Cephas’ shining moment occurred under the bright lights of the MEAC postseason tournament. He scored a season-high 24 points off the bench to spark an 83-77 victory over Hampton in the MEAC quarterfinals. In that game, Cephas was 5-of-8 from the field and 4-of-4 from 3-point distance.

North Carolina Central received 15 first-place votes and totaled 317 points to take hold of the conference’s top spot. The Eagles finished 15-1 in conference play and 28-6 overall last year. Hampton was predicted to finish second with 304 total points. The Pirates was last year’s regular season runners-up and finished with a conference mark of 13-3 and an overall record of 18-13. 

Morgan State was selected to finish third, while Norfolk State received the fourth place spot.  Delaware State was selected to finish fifth. Coppin State was predicted to finish ahead of Savannah State (seventh), Howard (eighth), North Carolina A&T (ninth), Bethune-Cookman (10th), South Carolina State (11th), Maryland Eastern Shore (12th), and Florida A&M (13th) round out the 2014-15 preseason poll.

“The preseason polls are nice and they get everybody looking forward to the season,” Cephas said. “We are motivated to accomplish our goals and they don’t include finishing where we were picked. We are excited to begin our season.”

Coppin State men’s basketball to make at least three national television appearances during 2014-15 season

BALTIMORE – Witnessing the exciting debut of Michael Grant’s revved-up style of play will require fans to stay up later than David Letterman and Conan O’Brien while consuming lots of coffee.

Coppin State’s season-opener on Friday, November 14 at the University of Oregon will tip shortly after midnight and be shown live on the Pac-12 Network.

With Grant, Coppin State’s first-year men’s basketball coach, the Eagles will make at least three national television appearances this season. Some of Coppin State’s non-conference opponents, including Oregon, have announced game times and television plans for its 2014-15 season matchups against the Eagles.

Coppin State’s second game of the season against Illinois on Sunday, November 16 will be on the B1G Network at 6:00 p.m. CSU fans can watch the Eagles battle the Fighting Illini and then flip over to catch Carrie Underwood’s hot “Sunday Night Football” intro.

It will be the first of two Coppin State games to be televised live by the B1G Network. The Eagles’ Monday, December 22 matchup against Michigan will be beamed to a national audience in prime time as the contest begins at 8:00 p.m.

Another regional television game that has been announced is against reigning NCAA champion Connecticut on Sunday, Dec. 14. That game will be played at the XL Center in downtown Hartford at 4:00 p.m. and be televised live by SNY (SportsNet New York).

Other television appearances will be announced as they become available.

Grant and the Eagles start the season with a four-game road trip in which they will play once in each time zone of the contiguous United States. As far as the 2014-15 schedule, game times have been set for all but the Evansville (Sunday, Dec. 28) and Akron (Sat., Jan. 3) contests.

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.

CSU Head Basketball coach Michael Grant selected as the MEAC representative for the NABC Division I Congress

BALTIMORE – First-year Coppin State head men’s basketball coach Michael Grant has been named as a member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division I Congress representing the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). 

As a congressman, Grant will serve as a liaison between the coaches in the MEAC and the NABC.  Among some of his roles, Grant will participate in monthly conference calls and attend the annual meeting during the convention. In addition, congress representative coaches serve to both relay information from the NABC Board of Directors to fellow conference coaches as well as help survey the membership and garner support for the organization.

“It’s an honor to serve on this committee,” Grant said. “It gives me a chance to express our concerns throughout the country. I look forward to representing our conference on this committee.”

The NABC Congress was formed in 1992 to allow the NABC to work more effectively with the NCAA and its committees. The NABC Congress consists of one NABC coach serving as a conference representative for each of the divisions of NCAA Basketball.

Grant became Coppin State’s sixth head men’s basketball coach since 1964 on May 7. He will coach his first game at the helm of the Eagles at the University of Oregon on Friday, November 14. The Eagles’ first home game will be on Monday, December 1 against Division II Goldey-Beacom College.

A 15-year veteran, who has won 56 percent of his games, Grant comes to Coppin State from Division II Stillman College, where he was the head coach for the last six years. Grant was also the head coach from 2003-05 at Southern University (La.) where he replaced the legendary Ben Jobe.

At the conclusion of the 2013-14 campaign, Grant amassed a six-year school record of 100-73. In 2012-13, the Tigers finished the season with an 18-10 overall mark and a 12-5 SIAC record. Center Torrean Walker ranked first in the SIAC and seventh in Division II in blocked shots per game while guard Jeffrey Wherry finished first in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio. The Tigers led the SIAC in assists, blocked shots, scoring offense and three-pointers made per game.

During the 2010-11 season, he guided Stillman to a 24-8 overall mark, a 19-5 conference record, second place in the SIAC and to the regional final of the Division II South Regional. The Tigers finished the season eighth in the NCAA with three-pointers made (9.4 per game) and blocked shots (4.2 per outing).

Credited by former players as a “disciplinarian,” Grant’s coaching genius was first established at NAIA-turned-Division II member Central State (Ohio) University. In seven seasons, Grant led the Marauders to three 20-win campaigns and only one losing season—his first in 1996-97. During the 1999-00 season, Grant led Central State to the program’s first victory in the NAIA National Tournament since 1979. By the end of his seven-year tenure at the school, Grant had become only the fourth Central State coach to have won more than 100 games in his career with the school.

Grant began his coaching career at his alma mater, Malone College in Ohio, where he first studied under Hal Smith as a student assistant. Grant then served on Smith’s staff in 1985 as a full-time assistant before heading to the University of Michigan as a graduate assistant where he helped coach and develop his younger brother Gary Grant, who eventually became the Big Ten Player of the Year in 1988. Gary Grant was the 14th overall player chosen in the 1988 NBA draft.

Grant also coached at Kentucky State University, Alleghany College, Cleveland State University, and the University of Toledo.

Grant and his wife, Charmane, reside in Hanover, Md. They have three children: Chris (32), Raynesha (24) and Lauren (22).

ABOUT THE NABC: The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), located in Kansas City, Missouri was founded in 1927 by Forrest "Phog" Allen, the legendary University of Kansas basketball coach. Formation of the NABC began as an emergency measure for the presentation of a united opinion the Joint Basketball Rules Committee, then the central governing authority of the game, announced without notice that it had adopted a change in the rules which virtually eliminated the dribble.

Allen, a student of basketball founder James Naismith, organized coaches to take a stand in a nationwide protest which successfully postponed the adoption of the rule change for one year. It is worthy to note that the dribble still is part of the game of basketball. This marked the beginning of this collective group of coaches to serve as Guardians of the Game.

Since its inception, the NABC has contributed numerous ideas and programs to help preserve and enhance the positive aspects of college basketball. These initiatives include establishing the original Basketball Hall of Fame (Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame), creating the format for today's NCAA Basketball Tournament, supporting Coaches vs. Cancer, and building the College Basketball Experience, which houses the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, as part of the Sprint Center Arena located in downtown Kansas City, Missouri.

Coppin State men’s basketball releases 2014-15 schedule

BALTIMORE – The Coppin State 2014-15 men’s basketball schedule released Tuesday afternoon resembles Beyonce and Jay-Z’s “On The Run” tour itinerary as the Eagles will play games in 11 states highlighted by visits to reigning NCAA champion Connecticut and 2013 NCAA runner-up Michigan.

Overall, the Eagles will play 11 of their 29 games at home in the Physical Education Complex under first-year head coach Michael Grant. Coppin State’s home opener will be on Monday, Dec. 1 against Division II Goldey-Beacom College. The Eagles will also host Hofstra (Wed. Dec. 10) and Eastern Kentucky (Tue., Dec. 30) during the month of December.

Coppin State starts the season with a four-game 10-day road trip from Nov. 14-23 in which it play a game in every time zone in the contiguous United States: Oregon (Fri., Nov. 14), Illinois (Sat., Nov. 16), Notre Dame (Wed., Nov. 19) and Denver (Sun., Nov. 23).

“This is a tremendous schedule full of high-caliber opponents,” said Grant. “We are looking forward to the challenges this season presents. Each game provides our team with different challenges before heading into MEAC play. We are thrilled for the opportunity to play great programs. Finalizing our schedule makes it more exciting for all of us and the fans.” 

The Eagles will play Connecticut on Sun., Dec. 14 and Michigan on Mon., Dec. 22 in consecutive December games as part of four-game road trip that also includes stops at Eastern Michigan (Tue., Dec. 23) and Evansville (Sun., Dec. 28). The location of the Connecticut game will be determined later. It will either played on the Huskies’ campus in Storrs or at the XL Center in downtown Hartford.

Grant has University of Michigan ties as he served as a graduate assistant where he helped coach and develop his younger brother Gary Grant, who eventually became the Big Ten Player of the Year in 1988. Gary Grant was the 14th overall player chosen in the 1988 NBA draft. The Wolverines beat the Eagles last season. 

In addition, the Eagles will play their final non-conference contest and first game of 2015 against Akron on Sat. Jan. 3. Grant was born in Cleveland and attended high school in Canton.

Coppin State will play 16 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) contests beginning with a visit to Hampton on Saturday, Dec. 6. The Eagles eliminated Hampton from the MEAC tournament in the quarterfinals last season. Coppin State’s first home conference contest will be on Saturday, Jan. 17 against Bethune-Cookman, a squad the Eagles defeated in the first round of the MEAC tournament last season.

The Eagles will play every MEAC school at least once and have home-and-home matchups against Northern Division rivals Howard, Morgan State, Norfolk State and Delaware State. Coppin State will host four of the six Southern Division teams (Savannah State, South Carolina State, Florida A&M and Bethune-Cookman).

The Eagles will play six of their final eight games at home highlighted by a season-high four game homestand featuring Morgan State (Monday, Feb. 2), South Carolina State (Saturday, Feb. 7), Savannah State (Monday, Feb. 9) and Howard (Saturday, Feb. 14). Coppin concludes the regular season on Thursday, March 5 at home against Delaware State.

The year wraps a trip to Norfolk for the annual MEAC Tournament from March 9-14.

Coppin State, which won 12 games last year and advanced to the MEAC semifinals, returns 11 players.

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.

Other scheduling nuggets:

• Back to Oregon ... The Eagles play a Pac-12 school in the state of Oregon for the second straight year. The Eagles defeated Oregon State, 78-73, last season. This is also the second straight season, Coppin State will begin the season against a Pac-12 opponent. Coppin State began the 2013-14 season against California.

• Conference Casting Call ... Coppin State will play against schools from 10 different conferences this season (Pac-12, Big 10, ACC, American Athletic, MAC, America East, CAA, Summit, Central Atlantic Collegiate and Missouri Valley).

• Bye-ing Time ... The Eagles MEAC byes occur on Monday, Jan. 12 and Monday, Feb. 23.

• Home Cooking ... Coppin State will play five of its seven February games at home in the Physical Education Complex. February also features the Eagles’ longest home stand of the season of four games (Morgan State, South Carolina State, Savannah State and Howard from Feb. 2-14). The Eagles will leave the state once in February when it travels to Delaware State on Feb. 16.

• Time Travelers ... Coppin State starts the season with a four-game road trip from Nov. 14-23 in which it play a game in every time zone in the contiguous United States: Oregon (Fri., Nov. 14), Illinois (Sat., Nov. 16), Notre Dame (Wed., Nov. 19) and Denver (Sun., Nov. 23).

• Welcome Back ... The Eagles will welcome Florida A&M to Baltimore for the first time since Feb. 8, 2010.

• Familiar Foes ... The Eagles will play non-conference contests against Towson, Michigan and Akron for the second straight season. This will be the fifth consecutive season Coppin State and Towson will meet each other. The teams have split the four previous matchups.

Coppin State

Men’s Basketball 2014-15 Schedule

Day            Date                  Opponent                                                           Site                                                                                Time

Fri.              Nov. 14             at Oregon                                                            Eugene, Or.                                                                TBA

Sun.           Nov. 16             at Illinois                                                              Champagne, Ill.                                                         TBA

Wed.         Nov. 19             at Notre Dame                                                  South Bend, Ind.                                                      TBA

Sun.           Nov. 23             at Denver                                                            Denver, Co.                                                                3 p.m.

Mon.         Dec. 1                GOLDEY-BEACOM                                           Baltimore, Md. (Physical Ed. Complex)         7:30 p.m.

Wed.         Dec. 3                at Towson                                                           Towson, Md.                                                             TBA

Sat.            Dec. 6                at Hampton*                                                     Hampton, Va.                                                            TBA

Mon.         Dec. 8                at Norfolk State*                                             Norfolk, Va.                                                                TBA

Wed.         Dec. 10             HOFSTRA                                                             Baltimore, Md. (Physical Ed. Complex)         7:30 p.m.

Sun.           Dec. 14             at Connecticut                                                   Storrs, Ct.                                                                    7:00 p.m.

Mon.         Dec. 22             at Michigan                                                         Ann Arbor, Mi.                                                          TBA

Tue.           Dec. 23             at  Eastern Michigan                                       Ypsilanti, Mi.                                                              6:00 p.m.

Sun.           Dec. 28             at Evansville                                                       Evansville, Ind.                                                          TBA

Tue.           Dec. 30             EASTERN KENTUCKY                                       Baltimore, Md. (Physical Ed. Complex)         TBA

Sat.            Jan. 3                 at Akron                                                               Akron, Oh.                                                                  TBA

Sat.            Jan. 10              at Howard*                                                        Washington, D.C.                                                     TBA

Sat.            Jan. 17              BETHUNE-COOKMAN*                                 Baltimore, Md. (Physical Ed. Complex)         4 p.m.

Mon.         Jan. 19              FLORIDA A&M*                                                Baltimore, Md. (Physical Ed. Complex)         7:30 p.m.

Sat.            Jan. 24              at North Carolina A&T*                                 Greensboro, N.C.                                                    TBA

Mon.         Jan. 26              at North Carolina Central*                           Durham, N.C.                                                             TBA

Sat.            Jan. 31              at Maryland Eastern Shore*                        Princess Anne, Md.                                                 TBA

Mon.         Feb. 2                MORGAN STATE*                                            Baltimore, Md. (Physical Ed. Complex)         7:30 p.m.

Sat.            Feb. 7                SOUTH CAROLINA STATE*                           Baltimore, Md. (Physical Ed. Complex)         4 p.m.

Mon.         Feb. 9                SAVANNAH STATE*                                        Baltimore, Md. (Physical Ed. Complex)         7:30 p.m.

Sat.            Feb. 14             HOWARD* (HOMECOMING)                     Baltimore, Md. (Physical Ed. Complex)         4 p.m.

Mon.         Feb. 16             at Delaware State*                                         Dover, Del.                                                                 TBA

Sat.            Feb. 21             NORFOLK STATE*                                            Baltimore, Md. (Physical Ed. Complex)         4 p.m.

Sat.            Feb. 28             at Morgan State*                                             Baltimore, Md.                                                          TBA

Thur.         Mar. 5               DELAWARE STATE*                                         Baltimore, Md. (Physical Ed. Complex)         7:30 p.m.    

Mon.-Sat.Mar. 9-14       at MEAC Tournament                                     Norfolk, Va. (Scope Arena)                           TBA

All times are EST and are subject to change; home games are in bold; *MEAC contest