2010–11 Kent State Golden Flashes men's basketball team

The 2010–11 Kent State Golden Flashes men's basketball team represented Kent State University in the college basketball season of 2010–11. The team was coached by Geno Ford and played their home games at the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center as members of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) East Division. On March 4, 2011, the team clinched their second-consecutive outright MAC regular season championship by defeating the Akron Zips 79–68 in Kent. It was the first back-to-back regular season titles in the MAC since Miami accomplished the feat in 1991 and 1992 and first back-to-back outright titles since Ball State in 1989 and 1990.

2010–11 Kent State Golden Flashes men's basketball
MAC East Division Champions MAC Regular Season Champions
NIT, Quarterfinals
Conference	Mid-American Conference
Division	East Division
2010–11 record	25–11 (12–4 MAC)
Head coach	Geno Ford
Home arena	Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center

2010–11 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
East
Kent State	12	–	4		.750			25	–	12		.676
Miami	11	–	5		.688			16	–	17		.485
Ohio	9	–	7		.563			19	–	16		.543
Akron †	9	–	7		.563			23	–	13		.639
Bowling Green	8	–	8		.500			14	–	19		.424
Buffalo	8	–	8		.500			20	–	14		.588
West
Western Michigan	11	–	5		.688			21	–	13		.618
Ball State	10	–	6		.625			19	–	13		.594
Central Michigan	7	–	9		.438			10	–	21		.323
Northern Illinois	5	–	11		.313			9	–	21		.300
Eastern Michigan	5	–	11		.313			9	–	22		.290
Toledo	1	–	15		.063			4	–	28		.125
† Conference tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll

Before the season

Roster changes

Recruiting

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Kenny Knight PF	Cincinnati	Aiken High School	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Jan 18, 2009
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 86
Eric Gaines SG	Englewood, Illinois	Hillcrest High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Aug 3, 2009
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 85
Mark Henniger PF	Massillon, Ohio	Jackson High School	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	May 13, 2009
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 85
Darius Leonard PF	Raleigh, North Carolina	Kestrel Heights School	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	215 lb (98 kg)
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 85
Carlton Guyton SG	Chicago	Mineral Area College	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	175 lb (79 kg)
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 84
DeAndre Nealy PF	Detroit	Mott Community College	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	230 lb (100 kg)	Nov 11, 2009
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 40
Michael Porrini SG	Massillon, Ohio	Gulf Coast Community College	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Feb 2, 2010
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 40
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: "Kent State Commit List for 2010". Rivals.com. Retrieved March 6, 2011. "Scout.com: Men's Basketball Recruiting". Scout.com. Retrieved March 6, 2011. "Kent State Basketball Recruiting 2010". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 6, 2011. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved March 6, 2011. "2010 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved March 6, 2011.

Roster

2010–11 Kent State Golden Flashes men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown G 1 Eric Gaines 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Chicago G 2 Michael Porrini 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jr Massillon, Ohio G 3 Randall Holt 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) So Cleveland G 11 Carlton Guyton 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 174 lb (79 kg) Jr Chicago F 13 Mark Henniger 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Fr Massillon, Ohio F 15 DeAndre Nealy 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Jr Detroit F 22 Darius Leonard 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Fr Raleigh, North Carolina F 23 Patrick Jackson 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Fr Brooklyn, New York G 25 Jordan Wilds 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So Hermitage, Pennsylvania F 30 Brian Frank 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 215 lb (98 kg) So Gainesville, Florida G 32 Rodriguez Sherman 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sr Indianapolis C 33 Justin Manns 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Jr Winston-Salem, North Carolina F 34 Justin Greene 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Jr Brooklyn, New York	Head coach Geno Ford Assistant coach(es) Rob Senderoff Bobby Steinburg Jordan Mincy Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster Last update: March 6, 2011

Coaching staff

Name	Position	College	Graduating year
Geno Ford	Head Coach	Ohio University	1997
Rob Senderoff	Associate Head Coach	University of Albany	1995
Bobby Steinburg	Assistant Coach	Middle Tennessee State University	1997
Jordan Mincy	Assistant Coach	Kent State University	2009
Jaden Uken	Director of Operations	University of Nebraska–Lincoln	2003

Schedule

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
November 5* 7:00 PM		Rochester (Michigan) Exhibition	W 81–44 Stats		Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center (1,150) Kent, Ohio
Regular Season
November 12* 5:00 PM		vs. Iona World Vision Classic	W 73–72 Stats	1–0	Wolstein Center (1,450) Cleveland, Ohio
November 13* 3:30 PM		vs. Bryant World Vision Classic	W 90–49 Stats	2–0	Wolstein Center (NA) Cleveland, Ohio
November 14* 6:00 PM		at Cleveland State World Vision Classic	W 69–66 Stats	2–1	Wolstein Center (2,805) Cleveland, Ohio
November 16* 8:00 AM, ESPN		Robert Morris ESPN Tip-Off Marathon	W 62–59 Stats	3–1	Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center (1,496) Kent, Ohio
November 19* 7:00 PM		Furman	W 78–74 Stats ^OT	4–1	Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center (3,423) Kent, Ohio
November 23* 5:00 PM		vs. Urbana World Vision Classic	W 94–71 Stats	5–1	Wolstein Center (188) Cleveland, Ohio
December 4* 2:00 PM		Lehigh	W 80–75 Stats	6–1	Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center (3,421) Kent, Ohio
December 2* 7:00 PM		Louisiana at Monroe	W 69–53 Stats	7–1	Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center (3,351) Kent, Ohio
December 5* 7:00 PM		at Alabama–Birmingham	W 75–59 Stats	7–2	Bartow Arena (3,151) Birmingham, Alabama
December 9* 7:00 PM, ESPN2		at No. 24 Florida	W 87–58 Stats	7–3	O'Connell Center (7,522) Gainesville, Florida
December 12* 6:30 PM, ESPNU		at South Florida	W 56–51 Stats	8–3	Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center (3,183) Kent, Ohio
December 21* 7:00 PM		Youngstown State	W 71–58 Stats	9–3	Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center (3,450) Kent, Ohio
December 28* 7:00 PM		at Morehead State	W 76–59 Stats	9–4	Ellis Johnson Arena (2,328) Morehead, Kentucky
December 31* 2:00 PM		James Madison	W 60–51 Stats	9–5	Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center (2,862) Kent, Ohio
January 8 7:00 PM, STO		at Akron	W 65–62 Stats	9–6 (0–1)	James A. Rhodes Arena (5,019) Akron, Ohio
January 11 7:00 PM		Bowling Green	W 80–63 Stats	10–6 (1–1)	Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center (2,543) Kent, Ohio
January 15 7:00 PM		at Ohio	W 69–66 Stats	11–6 (2–1)	Convocation Center (8,022) Athens, Ohio
January 19 7:30 PM, STO		at Buffalo	W 79–54 Stats	11–7 (2–2)	Alumni Arena (2,112) Buffalo, New York
January 23 2:00 PM, STO		Miami	W 78–57 Stats	12–7 (3–2)	Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center (4,135) Kent, Ohio
January 27 7:05 PM		at Ball State	W 66–53 Stats	13–7 (4–2)	John E. Worthen Arena (3,310) Muncie, Indiana
January 30 2:05 PM, STO		Toledo	W 72–55 Stats	14–7 (5–2)	Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center (2,842) Kent, Ohio
February 5 7:30 PM, ESPNU		Central Michigan	W 66–53 Stats	15–7 (6–2)	Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center (3,921) Kent, Ohio
February 9 7:00 PM		Eastern Michigan	W 80–70 Stats	16–7 (7–2)	Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center (2,756) Kent, Ohio
February 12 3:00 PM		at Northern Illinois	W 84–77 Stats	17–7 (8–2)	Convocation Center (2,169) DeKalb, Illinois
February 16 7:00 PM		at Miami	W 86–80 Stats ^OT	17–8 (8–3)	Millett Hall (2,173) Oxford, Ohio
February 18 9:00 PM, ESPNU		at Drexel ESPN BracketBusters	W 73–66 Stats	17–9	Daskalakis Athletic Center (2,534) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
February 21 7:00 PM		at Western Michigan	W 74–72 Stats	18–9 (9–3)	University Arena (2,363) Kalamazoo, Michigan
February 24 7:00 PM, STO		Buffalo	W 72–69 Stats	19–9 (10–3)	Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center (3,127) Kent, Ohio
February 26 7:00 PM		Ohio	W 88–87 Stats ^OT	19–10 (10–4)	Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center (5,125) Kent, Ohio
March 1 7:00 PM, STO		at Bowling Green	W 63–57 Stats	20–10 (11–4)	Anderson Arena (1,751) Bowling Green, Ohio
March 4 7:00 PM, ESPN2		Akron	W 79–68 Stats	21–10 (12–4)	Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center (6,327) Kent, Ohio
Mid-American Conference Tournament
March 10 7:00 PM, STO		vs. Buffalo Quarterfinals	W 73–62 Stats	22–10	Quicken Loans Arena (NA) Cleveland, Ohio
March 11 9:30 PM, STO		vs. Ball State Semifinals	W 79–68 Stats	23–10	Quicken Loans Arena (6,174) Cleveland, Ohio
March 12 6:00 PM, ESPN2		vs. Akron Championship Game	W 66–65 Stats ^OT	23–11	Quicken Loans Arena (8,926) Cleveland, Ohio
2011 NIT
March 15* 11:00 PM, ESPN2		at Saint Mary's First Round	W 71–70 Stats	24–11	McKeon Pavilion (2,443) Moraga, California
March 20* 12:30 PM, ESPNU		at Fairfield Second Round	W 72–68 Stats	25–11	Webster Bank Arena (3,954) Bridgeport, Connecticut
March 22* 9:00 PM, ESPN		at Colorado Quarterfinals	W 81–74 Stats	25–12	Coors Events Center (9,065) Boulder, Colorado
*Non-Conference Game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. All times are in Eastern Time Zone.

After the season

Comments

Following their overtime loss to Akron in the MAC Tournament Championship game, the team was seeded 7th in the 2011 National Invitation Tournament, which they automatically qualified for by winning the MAC regular season championship. They played in Moraga, California at 2nd-seeded St. Mary's, and defeated the Gaels 71–70. Kent State next traveled across the country to face 6th-seeded Fairfield, and defeated the Stags in Bridgeport, Connecticut 72–68. The win advanced Kent State to the NIT quarterfinals for the first time since 2000. In the quarterfinals, they played top-seeded Colorado, and lost to the Buffaloes 81–74 in Boulder, Colorado to finish the season with an overall record of 25–12.

On March 27, Bradley University announced they had hired Geno Ford to become their next head coach.[1]

Awards

On March 7, 2011, head coach Geno Ford was named the Coach of the Year in the Mid-American Conference while Junior forward Justin Greene was named the conference Player of the Year. It was Ford's second consecutive Coach of the Year award and marks the eighth time a KSU coach has won the award (Jim McDonald, 1990; Gary Waters, 1999 and 2000; Stan Heath, 2002; and Jim Christian, 2006 and 2008).[2] Ford also became the fourth coach in MAC history to win back-to-back Coach of the Year awards and won the award by one vote over Miami's Charlie Coles. Greene was the first KSU player since Al Fisher in 2008 to be named Player of the Year and the third Kent State player overall to win the award, joining DeAndre Haynes in 2006. Greene won the award by three votes over Julian Muvunga of Miami and D. J. Cooper of Ohio.[3]

On March 8, Kent State players Michael Porrini and Carlton Guyton were honored by the Mid-American Conference as Porrini was named MAC Defensive Player of the Year and Guyton was named MAC Sixth Man of the Year. Porrini was the fourth Kent State player to earn the award and marked the fifth Defensive Player of the Year award for Kent State (Demertic Shaw; 2001 and 2002; John Edwards, 2004; and Haminn Quaintance, 2008). Guyton was the third KSU player to win the Sixth Man award, after Anthony Simpson in 2010 and Kevin Warzynski in 2006.[4]

Notes

1. Alexander, Elton (March 27, 2011). "Kent State basketball coach Geno Ford leaving for Bradley". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved March 27, 2011.
2. "MAC Announces Player of the Year, Coach of the Year". MAC-Sports.com. Mid-American Conference. March 8, 2010. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved March 7, 2011.
3. "MAC Announces Men's Basketball Player of the Year, Coach of the Year". MAC-Sports.com. Mid-American Conference. March 7, 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-07-14. Retrieved March 7, 2011.
4. "Buffalo's McCrea Honored Along With KSU's Porrini, Guyton". MAC-Sports.com. Mid-American Conference. March 8, 2011. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved March 8, 2011.