RedHawks give full attention to Panthers

With players on Christmas break from classes, coach Coles had productive practices.

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By Jay Morrison, Staff Writer Updated 3:01 PM Saturday, December 19, 2009

OXFORD — It’s the most wonderful time of the year to be a college basketball coach.

With no classes and just a handful of students milling around on campus, Christmas break offers few distractions and allows coaches to hold practice whenever they want.

“This is a good time of year to get things done,” said Miami University coach Charlie Coles, whose RedHawks will play at Wisconsin-Milwaukee at 8 p.m. today, Dec. 19.

“If we can’t get practice done in a couple of hours, then we’ll get it done in three hours,” Coles said. “No one can use any excuse like they’ve got to go to class. We can be here as long as we want, and they know that.”

One of the focal points of practice this week has been defending one of the more unique players the RedHawks will face this season, 6-foot-7, 310-pound senior James Eayrs.

“He’s not just a big guy, he’s a pretty good player,” Coles said of Earys, who leads the Panthers in scoring (14.2 per game) and rebounding (6.7).

“He doesn’t just post up,” Coles continued. “He can shoot the 3, and he can actually drive the basketball. He’s a nice player and he’ll be tough to defend.”

Right behind Eayrs on the stat sheet is Panthers senior point guard Ricky Franklin at 14.1 points per game.

“He’s the key to that team,” Coles said. “He’s very good at coming off ball screens and hitting a jump shot or coming off a screen and going all the way to the basket. He shoots the 3 well, too, so he’s kind of a triple threat player on offense.”

Milwaukee is coming off an 84-73 victory against North Dakota State on Dec. 12, and earlier this season the Panthers put together a five-game winning streak that included a victory against Mid-American Conference opponent Bowling Green.

The biggest name Milwaukee has faced is Marquette, which resulted in a 71-51 loss Dec. 8.

“They’re going to be a good opponent for us,” Coles said. “They’ve got a nice team, so we’ve got to be ready to play.”

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2193 or jmorrison@coxohio.com.