Mike Lewis Coaching Legacy

[blakjak12]

Nice job with the signing. There are actually a couple of four-star recruits every year who go unoffered if you can find them.

[Deuce2223]

I like the house rules for recruiting. I always try and limit myself to 1 4* and 1 5* if I can land one until they graduate. When it comes to world guy's I typically only go after a 3* bigman in year 1 to get the attribute point, then after that I don't really ever even bother looking at who is available.

[grismosw]

2008-2009 OVC Season Preview

Preseason Player of the Year
1. Lester Hudson, TN-Martin
2. Bruce Price, Tennessee State
3. Mike Rose, Eastern Kentucky

Preseason Newcomer of the Year
1. Dave Armstrong, Eastern Illinois
2. Christopher Bright, Samford
3. Gus Hampton, Tennessee State

Preseason First Team All-Conference
PG - Mike Robinson, Eastern Illinois
SG - Lester Hudson, TN-Martin
SF - Mike Rose, Eastern Kentucky
PF - Drake Reed, Austin Peay
C - Daniel Northern, Tennessee Tech

Projected Finish
1. Tennessee State (76)
2. Murray State (75)
3. Tennessee-Martin (74)
4. Eastern Illinois (74)
5. Austin Peay (73)
6. Tennessee Tech (72)
7. Morehead State (72)
8. Eastern Kentucky (72)
9. SE Missouri State (71)
10. Jacksonville State (71)
11. Samford (69)

[grismosw]

Panthers can't overcome foul trouble

Jamaica, NY - The Red Storm were just too athletic for an under matched Eastern Illinois team, St. John's jumped out to an early 15-4 lead and never looked back. This one was never really in doubt, as the Panthers were unable to pull it any closer than 9 points throughout the game.

The much anticipated debut of Dave Armstrong was short lived as he managed to play just 19 minutes before fouling out. Armstrong struggled while in the game, shooting just 1 of 7.

Up next, the Panthers head to Lexington, KY to take on the Kentucky Wildcats. The Wildcats (1-0) are led by Patrick Patterson and Jodie Meeks.

NCAA Scoreboard - Eastern Illinois (0-1) at St. John's (1-1)

November 7, 2008 1st 2nd F Eastern Illinois 25 30 55 St. John's 36 33 69 Top Performers Eastern Illinois - Stats Mike Robinson (17 pts) Matt Dorlack (11 pts, 10 reb) St. John's - Stats Paris Horne (16 pts, 3/7 3P) Justin Burrell (10 pts, 6 reb)

Team Stats Comparison EIU STJ FG Made-Attempted 23/57 25/54 3-PT Made-Attempted 2/14 6/19 FT Made-Attempted 7/7 13/19 Rebounds 29 34 Assists 5 15 Steals 3 4 Blocks 1 2 Turnovers 4 5 Fastbreak Points - -

OperationSports.com

[grismosw]

Panthers stun sold out Rupp Arena

Lexington, KY - The Panthers head coach Mike Lewis had one key to the game, "control tempo - we must control tempo." His Panthers did just that, the slower gameplay frustrated Kentucky all night long and they were able to get open looks leading to shooting 54% from the field on the night.

The Wildcats looked like they were going to runaway with it early as they jumped out to a 14-4 lead but EIU slowly chipped away and built a 33-30 lead heading into halftime. In the 2nd half neither team led by more than 4, the game tied at 63 with 0:48 to play the Panthers decided to go for a 2-for-1 opportunity but Mike Robinson missed the open look. On the Wildcats possession the Panthers committed a foul giving Kentucky an opportunity to setup for the last shot. Jodie Meeks missed a contested jumper from the wing and Patrick Patterson grabbed the rebound and flushed it home, but after further review he did not get the basket in time.

In overtime EIU jumped out to an early 3 point lead and held on to seal the victory will some clutch free throw shooting. Lewis said after the game, "I'm so proud of these guys - they came in here in front of this sold out crowd and didn't get intimidated and stuck to our gameplan with near flawless execution."

Up next for is Oakland (1-1), they are led by Derick Nelson (19.5 ppg, 9.0 rpg) and Erik Kangas (17.5 ppg).

NCAA Scoreboard - Eastern Illinois (1-1) at Kentucky (1-1)

November 10, 2008 1st 2nd OT F Eastern Illinois 33 30 12 75 Kentucky 30 33 4 67 Top Performers Eastern Illinois - Stats Mike Robinson (17 pts, 6 ast) Romain Martin (22 pts) Kentucky - Stats Patrick Patterson (24 pts, 7 reb) Jodie Meeks (21 pts)

Team Stats Comparison EIU UK FG Made-Attempted 25/46 25/55 3-PT Made-Attempted 4/9 5/16 FT Made-Attempted 21/27 12/17 Rebounds 27 23 Assists 16 17 Steals 7 11 Blocks 3 4 Turnovers 11 7 Fastbreak Points - -

OperationSports.com

[grismosw]

Panthers Extend Offers to Three

The Panthers are slated to have 3 open scholarships for next season, they are said to be focusing their recruiting efforts on backcourt depth and finding a replacement for Mike Robinson.

Coach Lewis has extended offers to Gilbert Troutman, DeAnthony Parkinson, and Dontaye Markham.

Troutman is a 6'0" 165 lb point guard from Indianapolis, IN. He is rated a 3-star, ranked #384 nationally. The EIU coaching staff believes he has excellent ball handling skills and excellent quickness but he is a below average shooter. He currently also has an offer from Morehead State, he is believed to be favoring EIU. He is also receiving interest from Western Kentucky, Wright State, and Ball State.

Parkinson is a 6'7" 195 lb center from Bolingbrook, IL. He is rated a 3-star, ranked #404 nationally. The coaching staff believes he is a very good rebounder with good defensive skills, with very big upside. He currently has no other offers but is receiving interest from IUPUI, Illinois State, Western Illinois, Chicago State, and Loyola (IL).

Markham is a 6'2" 178 lb shooting guard from Chicago, IL. He is a JUCO So. The coaching staff believes he is a good shooter and a good defender. He currently has no other offers but is receiving interest from Toledo, Tennessee State, Northern Illinois, Northwestern and several others.

[blakjak12]

Wow great win at UK. It also looks like you have the chance to bring in some solid recruits for next year.

[hockeyplaya2724]

Nice win against Kentucky, to bad you couldn't play like that against St. John's.