MOREHEAD, Ky. — A large contingent of reporters attended Morehead State Basketball Media Day on Thursday afternoon at the Academic-Athletic Center. The event featured a catered lunch from ARAMARK before seven individuals were cycled through the Len Miller Room for press-conference style interviews.
Head Women’s Coach Greg Todd opened the press conference. He was followed by Director of Athletics Brian Hutchinson. Men’s senior guard Angelo Warner and senior center Billy Reader were next, with women’s senior guards Almesha Jones and Maiki Viela following suit. Men’s Head Coach Sean Woods concluded the event.
Hutchinson provided insight on the recent renovations in the AAC and overall thoughts on both basketball programs bringing positive attention to the institution.
The men return seven players, including four starters, from a team that finished 20-14 overall and advanced to the postseason College Basketball Invitational. Warner (17.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 3.0 apg), a preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference selection, is the top returning scorer. Reader (6.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg) is back as the second-leading rebounder.
“We are still trying to get everyone healthy,” Woods said. “Once we do that, I feel like we can be a very good team. Our guard play is the strongest part of our team right now. I also think we can be a much better rebounding group this year. We may not have the nation’s second-leading rebounder this season, but our guards are so athletic they can help us on the boards and ignite our fast style of play.”
The women return six players, including three seniors, to Todd’s first year with the Eagles. Jones (14.7 ppg, 6.0 apg, 4.4 rpg), who was named Preseason All-OVC, led the conference in assists and ranks 11th in program history with 343 helpers. Viela, a former Parade Magazine High School All-American, has one year of eligibility remaining after transferring from Gonzaga.
“I think we are a team that can improve as the season moves along,” Todd said. “The OVC may have been a little on the down side last year, but everyone has improved, so we’ll have to battle every night. I really like the high character of our team, and if we are blessed to stay healthy, I feel we’ll be a much stronger team towards the end of the season.”
All men’s and women’s games will be carried live on the Eagle Sports Radio Network, with WIVY-96.3 FM once again serving as the flagship station. Games can also be heard free of charge on MSUEagles.com. All home contests and every OVC road tilt will be streamed live on OVCDigitalNetwork.com. Fans and media can also get season-long updates via Twitter.com/MSUAthletics or Facebook.com/MSUEagles.
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Athletic Director Brian Hutchinson
