DaytonDailyNews.com

OXFORD — Rest isn't really an option for the Miami University men's basketball team.

The RedHawks returned home from the West Coast on Monday after finishing third in the inaugural Anaheim Classic over the weekend, but it's essentially right back to work for MU.

Southwest Ohio rival Dayton is set to invade Millett Hall on Wednesday night, and Miami

(3-1) will hit the road again Saturday afternoon to face Louisville.

"If there's a negative, it's that you're going to turn around in 48 hours and play Dayton," said Jermaine Henderson, the RedHawks' associate head coach. "But we've got some good kids. They work hard. I don't know if we've had one to worry about in terms of getting his head in the clouds. We'll be back at it (this) morning."

MU made a strong showing in Anaheim, Calif., sandwiching victories over South Alabama (64-59) and Mississippi State (67-60) around a 57-53 loss to eventual champion Southern California.

"It was a good weekend," Henderson said. "Not only just being 2-1, but looking at the quality of the opponents and the way we played."

Not surprisingly, senior forward Tim Pollitz and junior guard Michael Bramos were Miami's leaders and all-tournament selections.

Pollitz had 51 points, 24 rebounds and 12 assists during his time at the Anaheim Convention Center. Bramos grabbed 17 boards and tallied 70 points, including 30 in Sunday's win over MSU. He was named Mid-American Conference East Division player of the week on Monday.

"It all starts with our guys at the top," Henderson said. "They're certainly not perfect, but they're workers. They both did a lot of scoring, but the more important thing that emerged was their leadership."

The biggest surprise of the weekend was junior forward Tyler Dierkers. The 6-foot-8 Moeller High School product was an all-around impact player with 14 points, 18 rebounds and 20 assists.

"If you go back to the MAC tournament last year, he did some of those things," Henderson said. "But we're all trying to work on our consistency. Dierkers is an unselfish guy to the max. When we recruited him, we expected big things from him."

Junior guard Kenny Hayes, a transfer from Cincinnati State, didn't have a big weekend statistically, but Henderson praised him for "starting to understand the culture of Miami basketball."

The RedHawks' five starters — Pollitz, Bramos, Dierkers, Hayes and Alex Moosmann — saw most of the action in California. Only three other players managed 20 total minutes of playing time: Eric Pollitz (49), Dwight McCombs (26) and Mason grad Carl Richburg (20).

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2194 or rcassano@coxohio.com.