Rees Johnson has been the basketball father figure at Northeastern Illinois for the past five seasons. In that time he has seen the Golden Eagles grow from NAIA and Division II status through infancy in NCAA Division I.
Last season, the 52-year-old head man saw his team stand up for the first time. In its third Division I season, Northeastern rose to an 11-16 mark and earned attention-getting wins against Wisconsin-Milwaukee-which recorded one of the country’s best records last season-Illinois-Chicago and Indiana State.
This year, Johnson thinks his team “will walk a bit. Maybe even try to run.”
With a solid core of returnees and some talented newcomers, Northeastern Illinois figures to continue its development toward a solid Division I program.
The fate of Northeastern this year could largely fall on the shoulders of senior guard Reggie Smith. Last season’s top scorer (17.9 points) figures to get his points, but Johnson also hopes he gets a winning point across to his teammates.
“Reggie’s got to be our hero. He’s got to lead us in scoring. We’ve got some people that can help him inside and outside. But he’s the man-not just for scoring, I think Reggie’s got to show leadership,” said Johnson of the South Shore High School product. “His scoring will be important, but I think his leadership overall will be the real key. Other players expect certain things from a senior, and doing things right is one of them.”
One of the Northeastern’s strengths last season was on the boards, where the Golden Eagles averaged almost 2.5 more caroms than their opponents. That trend should continue with the return of last year’s leading rebounders.
The top trio of 6-foot-8-inch, 250-pound Ulyses Moran, 6-8, 225, Shannon Greene and 6-7, 200, Monte O’Quinn will play a pivotal role in any Northeastern success. Johnson plans to rotate his big three at center and power forward in his three-guard offense.
A good group of freshman and transfers should offset Northeastern’s personnel losses.
As a senior, Zach Phillips became a starter at season’s end and sparked the Golden Eagles with a 24.2 average over the last six games. Kevin Flegner, the team’s 3-point, shooting-percentage leader last season, transferred out of the program as did Shawn Harlan, who started in all but one of the 45 games he played for Northeastern. Point guard Victor Snipes was lost to the team last year due to legal problems and will not return.
Junior guard Mark Brown, a 6-3 junior college transfer from Glendale Arizona Community College, may fill the departed Phillips’ shoes. The Phoenix native brings a reputation as a scorer with him to Chicago. Freshmen guard Mark Heidersbach and forward Maurice Madison have made an impression in early practices. Frosh Marcus West is expected to push incumbent sophomore Brian Bestor for time at point guard.
The biggest change at Northeastern this season is the school’s affiliation with the East Coast Conference. A chance to participate in a conference season and tournament is something new for the Golden Eagles. It gives them a focal point that can only help as they trudge through the killer first part of a schedule that includes games at Oklahoma, De Paul, Arizona State and Minnesota.The team spirit should not suffer with the promise of a clean slate of seven conference games that begin in mid-January. Northeastern will play a full 10-game conference schedule next season.
