WGL Sports Performer of the Day (2/3/17)

Central Michigan Chippewas Guard Marcus Keene (35 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 steals)

Central Michigan basketball doesn’t typically get a whole lot of time in the spotlight, and for good reason. Entering play last night, they were 14-8 on the season and under .500 in the MAC. Nothing spectacular. But for all their shortcomings as a team, they do field the nation’s leading scorer, Marcus Keene. The Chippewas overcame a 13-point halftime deficit to beat Western Michigan 86-82, thanks to some hero ball from Keene. With the score tied 81-81 in the waning seconds, he stepped up and drained a deep, contested three-pointer to cap a 21-5 run over the final seven minutes and lead his team to the win. That was part of a 35 point, 6 assist, 5 rebound, and 3 steal performance for the junior out of San Antonio.

While he probably won’t lead his team to the big dance this season, Keene still has a chance to make history. First off, he needs just 65 more points to pass Hall of Famer Dan Majerle for the Central Michigan single season scoring record. He has eight games plus the conference tournament to reach that number, though he shouldn’t need anywhere near that long to accomplish the feat. The more significant number is 30. Keene has now scored 30 or more points 13 times this season, and he is averaging 30.2 points per game. He is attempting to become the first player to average 30+ in a season since Charles Jones did so for LIU Brooklyn 20 years ago. At just 5’9”, Keene’s pro future is questionable at best, but people said the same thing about Isaiah Thomas, the Celtics 5’9” point guard who is now a two-time All-Star and one of the top scorers in the NBA. Bottom line: Keene is already defying the odds by putting up these ridiculous numbers at the college level, so the sky could be the limit for him.