Struggling CMU, behind highly-touted freshman Zeigler, still has high hopes

By Ryan Greene

Thursday, Dec. 30, 2010 | 2:15 a.m.

If there's such a thing as the best 3-9 team in the nation, Central Michigan coach Ernie Zeigler will tell you that he believes he coaches it.

Well, at least he says so with a bit of a laugh.

"We definitely had expectations of being a better team," the fifth-year coach said. "With that being said, this game is about wins and losses, and it's not horseshoes. We definitely have had some toughness issues and issues closing out games we were really competitive in."

The Chippewas were picked before the season as one of the top contenders in the Mid-American Conference, and still could live up to those expectations. Despite consistently sub-par non-conference seasons, the Chips have finished either first or second in the MAC West division in each of the last three years.

First, though, is a non-conference finale on Thursday night at the Thomas & Mack Center against UNLV (11-2), which Zeigler calls his team's toughest test to date on a slate that's also included Temple and LSU.

Both teams come into the tilt after more than a week off. While the Rebels certainly wanted to heal up and get a rest both mentally and physically during the time off, there's no question that the Chips needed it more.

Outside of a 75-49 loss at home to surging Detroit on Dec. 18, the team's losses have come by an average margin of 5.5 points. Zeigler's club has been the victim of beats at the buzzer and blown leads galore in the closing minutes of several games.

"We have seniors who are all in new roles, and we've struggled with some leadership issues and guys just being comfortable," Zeigler added. "Having to play UNLV definitely isn't going to cure any of those ills for us, but more than anything, I hope it helps us prepare for the start of conference play."

The fresh start this season for many at Central Michigan is what got the program so much buzz coming into it. Mainly, it was centered on freshman guard Trey Zeigler — the coach's son.

The 6-foot-5 combo guard was the 28th-ranked prospect in the class of 2010 by Rivals.com, and bucked scholarship offers from Michigan, Duke, Arizona, UCLA, Michigan State and several others to play for his old man.

It's been a mixed bag for him so far. He's averaging 15.2 points and 5.5 rebounds per game but shooting a sub-par 39.2 percent from the floor and committing three turnovers a night.

"You can always expect that as a freshman you'll have growing pains," the younger Zeigler said. "We've gone through a tough stretch as a team that wasn't expected. We lost some games that we should have won.

"I'm home. I'm with my family. We still have a chance to do something special."

Added Ernie: "You have to treat him like everyone else, and sometimes be even harder on him. It's a transition, but it's a transition that's starting to pave the way towards the better. No matter how highly touted you are, you have to get accustomed to the rigors of bringing it every day in practice and knowing how hard everyone's going to prepare for you."

The UNLV game has some added appeal for Trey, as he's familiar with several of the Rebels who hail from Southern California.

Central Michigan is the first head coaching post for Ernie Zeigler, who before heading to Mt. Pleasant was a long-time assistant to UCLA coach Ben Howland. He was on Howland's staff in Westwood from 2003-06.

During the family's time living on the West Coast, Trey Zeigler was close friends with UNLV sophomore guard Justin Hawkins.

"Me and Trey used to go up to the (UCLA) games, go watch practices, and we saw how his dad conducted himself with the players," Hawkins said. "He's a good player; he understands the game on both ends, can shoot it well, handle the ball well and he makes his teammates better."

Hawkins also believes that had the Zeigler family never moved from the hoops hotbed that is the Los Angeles area to somewhat of a rural outpost, Trey saying no to some of college basketball's biggest powers might have been even bigger news.

"I think he was a little bit underrated," he added. "Not everyone saw his full set of skills."

The Chippewas do have some talent elsewhere on the roster, and it all coming together could happen by osmosis if the star freshman grows more consistent as the season wears on.

Zeigler and senior wing Jalin Thomas are both averaging just over 15 points per game, but each is struggling to shoot consistently. As a team, CMU is shooting 38.6 from the floor while allowing opponents to perform at a 46.1 percent clip. The Chips also have recorded 103 assists compared to 165 turnovers, and the only player with more helpers than giveaways is freshman reserve guard Derek Jackson.

The team came to Las Vegas early, landing on Tuesday afternoon to try to prepare for the Rebels, who despite winning two straight heading into their break are also dealing with some struggles.

Though UNLV's offense has been inconsistent of late, the elder Zeigler knows that the Rebels are just as strong as they were during a hot start to the season on defense.

Facing that type of pressure on the road he hopes, like everything else the Chips have been through, will help in the near future.

"Their defense allows them to create easy offense, so for us, it'll be about handling that pressure," he said. "Can we keep turnovers under 15 or less? If we can do that, it'll give us a chance to be competitive."

Massamba to start for UNLV

Off of the break, UNLV coach Lon Kruger is making a change in his starting lineup.

Junior forward Brice Massamba will start in place of sophomore Quintrell Thomas, who has started the team's first 13 games of the season.

The move is being made in an effort to help Thomas avoid early foul trouble that has plagued him for much of the season and kept him from getting into a consistent groove.

Early fouls have limited Thomas to 14.5 minutes per game, though he's still been productive, averaging 5.9 points and four rebounds per game. Massamba, who started 16 games last season for the Rebels, leads UNLV's big men in minutes per game, averaging 16.9.