Hoops three-peat brewing at KSU

It's become a yearly tradition around the Mid-American Conference that dates back to the late 1990s.The door to the league championship goes through Kent State.The Golden Flashes have a new head coach in Ron Senderoff, but nothing else has changed from the team that has won back-to-back MAC regular season titles.Kent State was 7-1 for the second straight season and for only the second time in school history. That also happened in the 1998-99 and 1999-2000 seasons, which is when the Golden Flashes' run at the top of the conference began.A 58-56 victory at Western Carolina on Dec. 10 was won in typical Kent State fashion. The Golden Flashes trailed by four with 2:36 to play, but Michael Porrini scored five points down the stretch and Kent State made several key defensive stops.Senderoff is in his first season running the show, but he knows all about Kent State's winning ways. He was the associate head coach the last three seasons and was an assistant for four seasons previously."A lot of teams probably would not have found a way to come back and win the game on the road," Senderoff said. "Our kids showed incredible toughness, resiliency and togetherness."Under former coach Geno Ford, the Golden Flashes became the first team in 21 years to win the MAC's regular-season title in back-to-back seasons. Ford left to take the head coaching job at Bradley, but the cupboard is hardly bare for a team that advanced to the quarterfinals of the National Invitational Tournament.Kent State returns nine letter-winners who accounted for nearly 85 percent of the scoring and 80 percent of the rebounding from last season. Porrini (the MAC's Defensive Player of the Year), Justin Greene (the league's Player of the Year) and Carlton Guyton (the conference's Sixth Man of the Year) will lead the way.While Kent State returns plenty of good players, the Golden Flashes have played above their talent level for the last 13 seasons. That looks to be the case once again."I don't think at any time did our kids question that they were going to win the game," Senderoff said following the Western Carolina game. "When you play that way sometimes you find a way to win games that in a lot of ways you probably don't deserve to win. We found a way with our kids showing a lot of heart which I really think is going to help us down the road." NOTES, QUOTES--Depth has always been a Kent State trademark. That's the case again this season. Through eight games, four players averaged in double figures and a fifth scored 9.9 points per game. Seven players averaged at least 15 minutes a game.--Taking care of the basketball has been a problem for the Golden Flashes. Kent State committed 23 turnovers against James Madison and 21 against Western Carolina."We won two straight games now on the road with 40-plus combined turnovers," coach Rob Senderoff told the Kent-Ravenna Record Courier. "Check the record book. That doesn't happen very often, but it's happening because our kids play so hard and they have such great belief and trust in each other that they are able to overcome mistakes."--While Kent State has committed too many turnovers, the defense has also created opportunities. The Golden Flashes forced 20 or more turnovers five times through eight games.PLAYER TO WATCH: F Chris Evans -- The 6-foot-7 transfer from Wabash Community College (Ill.) has made an immediate impact. Through eight games, he averaged 10.4 points, shot 52 percent from the field and had 4.1 rebounds per game. Evans led the team in scoring three times and in rebounding twice.KEY CONFERENCE GAME: Jan. 21 at Akron -- The Golden Flashes and Zips are expected to fight for the East Division title. The winner will have the early upper hand in that battle. The teams will meet again in the regular-season finale during which the East championship and seeding in the conference tournament could be at stake. It would be no surprise if there's a rematch in the MAC Tournament. Kent fell to Akron in overtime in the title game last season.QUOTE TO NOTE: "Mike is a winner. There is nobody I would want more on the line at the end than Mike. He just has ice water in his veins." -- Kent State coach Rob Senderoff, in the Kent-Ravenna Record Courier, on point guard Michael Porrini. STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL2010-11 CONFERENCE RECORD: 12-4, first place in East DivisionLINEUP BREAKDOWN: Coach Rob Senderoff spent most of the non-conference portion of the schedule searching for the most effective starting lineup. Eight players started in the first eight games. Two constants have been F Justin Greene (11.3 points, 6.9 rebounds through eight games) and PG Michael Porrini (9.9 points, 4.0 assists, 4.1 rebounds per game). Randal Holt (10.9 points per game), Chris Evans (10.4 points per game) and Carlton Guyton (10.0 points per game) also averaged in double figures.ROSTER REPORT--F Justin Greene led Kent State in rebounding five times through eight games. He also became the fourth player in school history to record 100 career blocked shots.--G Randal Holt hit his 100th career 3-pointer against James Madison on Dec. 6. He became the 13th player in school history to make 100 3-pointers.--F Patrick Jackson, a transfer from Rutgers, has struggled after sitting out last season. He appeared in each of the first eight games, but averaged only three points and shot 37 percent from the field.