MIDWAY, Ky. -- With the end of October nearing and the month of November right around the corner, that could only mean it's time for college basketball to begin. The Midway men's basketball has been itching to get their season underway and on Tuesday, they get to do just that.
The Eagles departed for South Bend, Ind. on Monday night to get ready for Tuesday night's season opener against Indiana University South Bend. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET with live stats and live video being provided by IU South Bend.
Tuesday not only marks the beginning of the 2019-20 campaign for Joe Krupinski's team, but it also marks the start of year No. 4 for the men's basketball program at Midway. The Eagles have improved each season since their inception on their way to a program best 12 wins in 2018-19.
"I thought our first week of practice was really excellent," said Krupinski. "We've been very focused, more so than in previous years, which I think is the by-product of having a veteran team that we have this year."
One of the luxuries that Krupinski has this year that he hasn't had in his previous years at Midway is having the veteran laden squad that he has this year. Midway returns a number of familiar faces from last year's squad including their top two scorers.
Junior, Kwon Evans (Louisville, Ky.), is back for his junior campaign after earning All-Conference honors as a sophomore, while Kaleb Britt (Bowling Green, Ky.) is back for his senior campaign.
Evans was also named to the 2019-20 Preseason All-Conference Team after averaging 16.8 points and 8.0 rebounds per game last year in his 28 appearances in 2018-19. The now junior also shot 52.8 percent from the floor as a sophomore.
Britt, meanwhile, is back after making 22 starts last season. As a junior, Britt averaged 11.9 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, while shooting over 80 percent from the charity stripe.
Senior, Jason Gammage (Riverside, Calif.) and junior, Izaya Simms (East Moline, Ill.) are both back for their second year in the program after playing valuable minutes last season. Gammage averaged 6.8 points per game as a junior, while Simms chipped in 6.7 PPG as a sophomore.
Krupinski also has the luxury of returning four players who redshirted last season. Juniors, Krizell Mitchell (Detroit, Mich.), DJ Lujan (Phoenix, Ariz.), Ridge Hall (New Pekin, Ind.) and Will Hudson (Calhoun Ky.) are all back and are in at least their second season with the program.
Senior, Braden Hatton (Monroe, Ohio) and junior, Luke Thorburg (St. Louis, Mo.) saw spot minutes last season and are expected to step up this year.
"We're really excited with what we have coming back from last year," said Krupinski. "It's always comfortable as a coach having some familiarity with those guys who know what to expect night in and night out."
Krupinski has also added a couple of key players who are expected to step in and play right away. Rico Tate (Memphis, Tenn.) is in as a junior college transfer from Riverside Community College, while Donnie Miller (Newport, Ky.) will be making his collegiate debut as a freshman from Newport High School.
One thing that will be key for Krupinski's veteran group is staying focused for a full 40 minutes and not having lapses down the stretch of games as they did last year.
"I feel like we had too many possessions last year that we gave away and that really cost us," noted Krupinski. "I expect us to take better care of the ball and get better shots throughout the year."
Following the trip to IU South Bend and another road trip to Shawnee State (Ohio) this weekend, the Eagles will play their home opener on Wednesday, November 6, when they host Simmons College of Kentucky at 7:30 p.m. ET inside Marshall Gymnasium.
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