Men’s basketball to be broadcast on national TV for first time since 1992

On Saturday, the rest of the nation will have the chance to get in on a little secret that has mostly been confined to quiet, ol’ Charleston all winter long. That secret is the success and talent of Eastern’s men’s basketball team.

Saturday morning’s game at Murray State will be televised nationwide on ESPN2, beginning at 11 a.m. central standard time. The game will mark only the third time in the Eastern history the Panthers have been featured on a nationwide television broadcast. The other two occassions both came in 1992, the last and only time Eastern qualified for the NCAA tournament.

The first broadcast was the Panthers’ big win in the Mid-Continent Conference Championship to get to the big dance and the second was Eastern’s first round loss to Big 10 powerhouse Indiana in the first round of the tournament.

Saturday’s telecast couldn’t have been better timed for the Panthers, who coincidentally are coming off a last-second win over Austin Peay in front of 5,000-plus fans – the largest crowd to see a game at Lantz Gymnasium since that magical ‘92 season.

While that game’s excitement and large attendance figures seemingly revived campus and created a new found enthusiasm throughout the community, Saturday’s telecast not only will help continue increase that zeal, but will awaken alums and fans nationwide who have remained dormant and oblivious to the Eastern athletic scene.

Get-togethers have already been planned and scheduled nationwide to take in the Panthers’ big conference showdown with Murray. A large alumni gathering has been scheduled for the Cubbie Bear in Wrigleyville on the North Side of Chicago, and I’ve also heard talk of gatherings out west, in Florida, not to mention various locations state wide.

Students, faculty and residents have made plans all over Charleston to watch the game, including a basketball breakfast beginning at 10 a.m. at Stix Restaurant and Bar. That event will feature food, drinks and at least 10 television screens airing the game.

The excitement has spread from Lantz Gym, to the campus, throughout the community and finally with this perfectly-placed telecast, the excitement of Panther basketball will span nationwide. Basketball fans across the country will soon be let in on that little Charleston secret, and they’ll likely be impressed.

The Panthers currently are tied for first in the Ohio Valley Conference with a league mark of 8-2 and also boast the best overall record in the OVC at 15-6. Eastern has two of the nation’s top 10 scorers in sophomore forward Henry Domercant (2nd in the nation at 24.5 points per game) and senior guard Kyle Hill (8th in nation at 22.2 ppg). Let’s not forget that the Panthers lead the nation in free throw shooting at 78 percent from the line and rank right up there in three-point field goal percentage, hitting 40 percent of their three-point shots.

Eastern also leads the conference in nearly every major offensive category, including a scoring average of 82.8 ppg, while Domercant and Hill are ranked 1-2 in the league in scoring. While fans will likely be impressed with those credentials, they’ll be more impressed with what they see on the court.

Head coach Rick Samuels has one of the best-coached team’s in the nation, extracting the maximum amount of potential from the physical talent he has. Eastern plays solid, clean basketball with a minimal amount of mistakes.

But fans across the nation will be most captivated by the pure excitement of the Panthers, particularly their “Big Three” in Domercant, Hill and point guard Matt Britton. Their offensive flash and explosiveness combined with a talented Murray team will result in a close, competitive and exciting game. There’s no doubt the Panthers will be pumped for this one and that will result in a game that will leave Eastern students glued to the tube despite their early morning hangovers, alums yelling at T.V.’s at bars and restaurants nationwide and the average basketball fan placing the remote down on the table and watching college basketball at its best.