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RICHMOND, Ky. – The Eastern Kentucky University men’s basketball team laced up the shoes and hit the hardwood for the first official team practice Friday night in McBrayer Arena. The Colonels return three starters from a team that went 18-13 overall and finished fifth in the OVC one year ago.
Two key leaders are back for the Colonels who hope to keep the team among the best in the OVC – senior
Josh Taylor and junior
Justin Stommes. Taylor and Stommes both averaged more than 10 points per game one year ago while combining to make 48 percent (226-of-471) of their field goal attempts.
Taylor has made 38 starts in his three years and has improved significantly every season. The 6-7 forward plays in the low post on defense, but can step out to hit the three-point shot on the offensive end of the court. As a junior, Taylor finished second on the team in scoring (10.9 ppg), three-pointers made (54) and blocks (11). He had a major impact in the 2009 OVC tournament quarterfinal game at Morehead State as he posted a career-high 26 points on 6-of-10 (60 percent) shooting from behind the arc.
“Josh is an important shooter and player in our system,” Neubauer said. “This fall, he has shown great senior leadership.”
Stommes has been a starter since his freshman season and is now a player who could be contending for postseason honors. The 6-7 guard literally poses a big problem for the opposition as he can be used to bring the ball up the court as a point guard or slide over to the wing and contribute as a scorer. Stommes made 41.9 percent of his three-point attempts last year, which ranked fourth in the league. Late in the season, the junior stepped up his scoring as he reached double figures five times in the final seven games, while shooting 49 percent overall from the floor.
“Justin has continually developed as a basketball player,” Neubauer said. “He makes good decisions with the ball and shoots the ball extremely well. We are expecting quite a bit from him this season.”
On Thursday, Oct. 29, the Eastern Kentucky University Athletics Department will host the seventh-annual Halloween Hoopfest in Alumni Coliseum. The Colonels’ first game is on Saturday, Nov. 14, at home against West Virginia Wesleyan. Tip time is slated for 8 p.m.
