Games missed 2014-15 season
Jeremiah Davis: 10 games due to right foot injury
Jeremie Tyler: 8 games due to academic ineligibility
Zavier Turner: 3 games due to off the court issues
Francis Kiapway: 2 games due to foot injury
Matt Kamieniecki: 1 game due to back spasms
Ball State men’s basketball head coach James Whitford has seen his team drop four straight games following last week’s home losses to Ohio and Kent State.
During that stretch, the Cardinals fell from first into a fourth-place tie in the Mid-American Conference West Division.
Whitford said while the game plan isn’t being consistently executed on the court, it’s what his team hasn’t done off the court that’s translated to recent performances.
“We didn’t have a good process this week, [and] that’s what bothered me,” Whitford said. “Not the fact that we lost to Kent, not the fact we lost to Ohio … we didn’t have a good week in our own way of going about business in the things that really matter at the end of the day.”
One issue impeding Ball State’s ability to grow as a unit has been the lack of consistent rotations. Four Cardinals who have started at least three games this year have missed time for various reasons, and redshirt sophomore Mading Thok transferred out of the program at the end of last semester.
Against Ohio, Ball State was without starting point guard Zavier Turner. Turner dressed, but did not play due to a coach’s decision. Whitford clarified the decision to sit Turner in the 82-73 loss to the Bobcats was in the best interest of the program.
Turner returned against Kent State, appearing off the bench and totaling five points, an assist and two turnovers. The 24 minutes of game time, however, were 10 less than his season average.
With Turner’s minutes down over the last two games, Whitford has leaned on two players who have missed time this season due to injury.
“Right now we’re playing [redshirt junior Jeremiah Davis] and [freshman Francis Kiapway] at [point and shooting guard], and those guys are not ready,” Whitford said. “Those guys just need time and reps.”
While Ball State welcomed Turner back to the lineup against Kent State, starting center Matt Kamieniecki, the Cardinals' tallest player and leading rebounder, missed the game due to back spasms.
Kamieniecki’s absence forced the Cardinals into unfamiliar rotations, allowing Kent State’s Jimmy Hall to dominate inside. Hall finished with 32 points on 14 of 17 from the field.
“Statistically speaking, where [Kamieniecki] really helps our team is defensively and rebounding,” Whitford said. “He’s great at both of them, and that would have been his job [against Kent State].”
Due to the nature of back spasms, Whitford isn’t sure how many games Kamieniecki will miss, but said he didn’t think the fifth-year senior would miss significant time.
With Kamieniecki’s short-term availability uncertain, however, it becomes even more vital Turner stays on the court and directs an efficient offense.
“Getting [Turner’s] confidence back up and letting him know that we’re behind him is what we got to do now,” sophomore Franko House said. “We got to get back together as a team.”
Being a team without a lot of depth leaves Ball State’s present margin for error slim. But even when the roster is deeper, Whitford knows it’s what happens off the court that ultimately makes the difference.
“We got to have a great locker room, a great culture and a great work ethic,” Whitford said. “I set the standard, so I have to set the standard in a place that is going to dictate long-term success for [Ball State].”
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