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Kent State men's basketball: 5 things to know before the Golden Flashes open the season
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- Kent State men's basketball: 5 things to know before the Golden Flashes open the season
KENT — Coming off a 17-17 season, the Kent State men's basketball team made it all the way to the Mid-American Conference Championship game last spring with hopes of punching its ticket to the NCAA Tournament.
But the Golden Flashes' season ended in a heartbreaking 62-61 loss to arch rival Akron , which moved on to Big Dance.
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KSU will look to write a different ending to its story this season, which tips off at 8 p.m. Monday at Louisiana.
Here are five things to know before the season starts for coach Rob Senderoff and the Golden Flashes, who were voted the MAC's No. 3 team in the preseason coaches poll.
Kent State guard Jalen Sullinger's redshirt status not final
Jalen Sullinger, the Flashes' leading scorer last year, had quite a peculiar offseason. The senior guard entered the transfer portal after the MAC Championship loss to the Zips, committed to playing at Furman University and then flipped back to rejoin Kent State before the start of the season.
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Senderoff's plan was to redshirt Sullinger, meaning he could not play in any regular-season games. But the choice is not yet final.
"That decision will probably be made here in the first few weeks of the year," Senderoff said. "There have been some changes to the roster since he came back. There are some different circumstances when he came back in August, but I am not exactly sure where that stands today."
If Senderoff's plan to redshirt Sullinger falls through, Kent State can expect a member of last season's All-MAC third team to lead the offense. Sullinger averaged 15.4 points, 2.4 assists and 2.6 rebounds on 42.4% shooting last season.
Kent State center Cli'Ron Hornbeak looks to block a first-half shot by Toledo guard Sonny Wilson in a Mid-American Conference Tournament quarterfinal March 14 in Cleveland. The Flashes are looking for Hornbeak to provide size and physicality this season.
Kent State will look to "size and physicality" to win games
In last season's final one-point loss to Akron, Kent State was outrebounded (37-36), outblocked (4-3) and outshot (39.6%-37.9%).
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The Flashes will look to improve on last season's numbers in rebounding (34.6 per game), turnovers forced (13.3), blocks (2.6) and points allowed (71.3).
Kent State has high hopes for its big men, with senior center Cli'Ron Hornbeak being both the tallest and heaviest player on the team at 6-foot, 9-inches and 238 pounds. He will carry much of the size and physicality brunt this season for the Flashes.
"Physicality is a key ingredient to being a good defensive team — size and physicality," Senderoff said. "When you look at our personnel, we have more size and physicality. We have emphasized becoming a better defensive team. We're also trying to work on becoming a quicker, faster, higher-tempo team than we've been for the last few years."
Miami guard Morgan Safford (22) shoots against Cincinnati on Dec. 14, 2022, in Cincinnati. Safford could play as key role for Kent State this season.
Graduate student guard Morgan Safford to see more minutes
Morgan Safford was redshirted last season due to transfer rules, but the guard will look to play an impactful role this season for the Flashes.
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Safford comes to Kent State after stints at Wofford and Miami. In his lone season (2022-23) with the RedHawks, he averaged 15.4 points, 2.4 assists and 5.9 rebounds in 34 minutes while shooting 47.3% from the field.
"Morgan Safford has been somewhat off the radar for a year," Senderoff said. "He was here last year, and he has had a really good preseason."
Safford is fighting for a spot in the backcourt left open with the departure of guards Giovanni Santiago and Reggie Bass, who combined for 17.3 points per game, after last season.
Kent State will be without guard Brendan Moss to start season
Senderoff noted redshirt sophomore Brendan Moss "is still not ready to play" after undergoing surgery. Moss, like Sullinger and Safford, is in contention for minutes at guard going into the season.
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Last season, Moss appeared in 14 games and started in three, averaging 4.5 points, 0.8 assists and 1.4 rebounds in 10.4 minutes.
Kent State forward VonCameron Davis celebrates after a second-half shot against Bowling Green in the Mid-American Conference Tournament semifinals, Friday, March 15, 2024, in Cleveland.
Kent State leader VonCameron Davis feels "very confident about this year"
Redshirt senior VonCameron Davis entered the transfer portal during the offseason, but he was "back a week later."
Davis is a preseason All-MAC first-team player who averaged 13.8 points, 1.4 assists and 5.1 rebounds on 48.5% shooting from the floor in 33 games last season.
Davis said he feels confident in the team's ability to repeat its success and take it even further this season.
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"We're a much older group this year, and we have a lot of returns coming into practice," he said. "Practice is very competitive every day with us having that older pedigree on our team."
John Hilber is an Akron Beacon Journal correspondent. You can contact him at jhilber@kent.edu .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Here are 5 things to know before KSU men's basketball season opener
