YPSILANTI, Mich. —- The promise of the first day of fall, the color of the leaves changing from an emerald green to the bright shade of yellow or a dark shade of red and falling off of the trees that line the riverbank, the night air full of the scent of wood burning in a fireplace and the hope of the new basketball season knocking on the front door of the Convocation Center.
Uncle Mel while walking into the arena to escape another promise of a fall day in Michigan the rain falling gently from the gray and overcast clouds that surrounded the campus of Eastern Michigan University and Uncle Mel notices the elevator and the crowd of people trying to get up to the upper level.
Riding the elevator and the doors opening the crowd of people escaping the confinement of the car and looking down the hallway that stretches in front of Uncle Mel when he suddenly stops in front of a group of offices.
Inside the basketball office located on the office level inside the Convocation Center, there is a mercury vapor light burning from the ceiling fixture and from the office of the new basketball coach Rob Murphy casting a faded purple-whitish shadow through the doorway.
Eagles’ coach Murphy is standing behind his desk looking down at the upcoming basketball schedules and then looking at his roster of players, he rubs his chin as he stood there deep in thought anticipating the new basketball season.
He raps his knuckles on the surface of the desk and steps away from the desk and walks down the hallway looking around the office for the department’s secretary after he finds her she grabs her notepad and then she follows Murphy back into his office.
It is official - Murphy is sending out the invitation across the campus for those basketball players that would like to participate in the open tryout October 11, 2011 beginning at 6 p.m. at the Convocation Center.
Murphy and his coaching assistants are hoping to find a talent that will be a diamond in the rough and that can add something positive to this season’s basketball team.
There are a couple of exhibition games scheduled for the Convocation Center, the Eagles will play October 30, 2011 against Earlham College from Richmond, Indiana the tip off is scheduled for 2 p.m.
The next exhibition game will be played November 7, 2011 against Marygrove College starting at 7 p.m.
The Eagles will start the regular season with a home game November 11, 2011 at 7 p.m. against Horizon Conference foe Illinois-Chicago.
Murphy is excited about the 2011-12 basketball schedules and he feels that the non-conference games will prepare the Eagles for the competitive Mid-American Conference season.
The game that is bringing a lot of excitement to the community of Ypsilanti and across the campus of Eastern Michigan University will be played on a Sunday November 27, 2011 when the Eagles will play Michigan State University at the Convocation Center starting at 2 p.m.
Murphy and his assistant coaches have the date of October 15 circled on the desk calendar that sits on top of the desk and they are anticipating the electricity of the event of the fall and is known as Midnight Madness and feel the emotion that will shower down onto the hardwood court just like a rainy Michigan fall night.
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Written by Mel Suiter
Graduated from Eastern Michigan University in 2002 and have been working as a beat writer for The Ypsilanti Courier covering Eastern Michigan University football and men's basketball during my school career and after graduation.
I like the Mid-American Conference and the rest of the mid-major conferences.
