Recordpub.com - Flashes pass test with flying colors

Kent State’s athletic department is about to announce its best academic season ever.

An official announcement is expected sometime this week, but according to a KSU source, the rosters of every Golden Flashes’ program combined for a 3.0015 grade-point average during the fall semester.

That number reflects the grades of over 450 KSU student athletes, and it marks the first time the Golden Flashes have averaged a 3.0 in a semester since the athletic department started keeping track of overall GPAs during the 1983-84 school year.

Just as impressive, those 450-plus students own an average cumulative GPA of 2.98 for their college careers.

Academic improvements in the Golden Flashes men’s basketball program are a big reason for recent department GPA jumps. Geno Ford’s players posted their highest semester GPA in 15 years last with a 2.8 in the fall of 2008.

This past fall, the men’s basketball team’s GPA was a similarly impressive 2.7 — the program’s fourth-highest GPA in the last 15 years.

In all, seven men’s basketball players earned GPAs of 3.0 or higher, including a 4.0 by senior Mike McKee and a 3.47 by senior Chris Singletary.

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MORE BIG NUMBERS — Take a glance at Kent State’s men’s basketball statistics during the last seven games and it’s not hard to understand why the Golden Flashes are on a winning streak that has vaulted them into first place in the Mid-American Conference East Division.

The Flashes have jumped to second in the MAC in field-goal percentage for the year thanks to their scorching 51.3 percent during the last seven games. They are also shooting 40 percent from 3-point range during the streak.

KSU’s opponents, meanwhile, are shooting just 40 percent from the floor and 24.8 percent from the 3-point arc during the seven-game run.

The Flashes also hold a 36.6 to 29.4 rebounding advantage over their opponents in the last seven games. They are basically dominating every statistical category since their last loss, which came on Jan. 17 at home against Bowling Green.

Individually, Justin Greene is averaging 15 points, 6.9 rebounds and shooting 60 percent from the field during the streak, while Chris Singletary is averaging 13.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.1 assists.

While Greene and Singletary have posted consistent numbers for the bulk of the season, Rodriquez Sherman and Anthony Simpson have provided major jumps in production in the last few weeks.

After early-season struggling following his move to point guard, including a combined 2-for-18 from the field in one ugly two-game stretch, Sherman has rebounded to shoot a combined 55.8 percent in the wins over Buffalo, Akron, Western Michigan, Toledo, Northern Illinois, Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan. His assist numbers are up, too, to almost four per game.

In the same seven-game stretch, Simpson is averaging 9.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, while shooting a team-best 61.9 percent from the field, including 8-for-12 (66.7 percent) from 3-point range.

Simpson, who has worked his way into contention for the league’s sixth-man award, could be the biggest key to the Flashes’ success. When he scores in double figures, the Flashes are 9-0 this season.

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CONGRATULATIONS — To Usama Young, the former Kent State cornerback who earned his first Super Bowl ring Sunday night when his New Orleans Saints beat the Indianapolis Colts 31-17 in Miami.

A KSU alum was guaranteed a ring with former Flashes defensive lineman Danny Muir starting in the middle of the Colts’ defensive front.

With Young following former KSU linebacker James Harrison of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Flashes have been represented on two consecutive Super Bowl championship teams. And if you believe the gambling Web site Bodog.com, there is a good chance another Kent State grad will capture a ring next year when Super Bowl XLV is played at the new Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

The five early favorites to win the Super Bowl in 2011 all have KSU players on their rosters.

Muir’s Colts are a 13-to-2 favorite to win Super Bowl XLV. The San Diego Chargers and Antonio Gates are 8-to-1. The New England Patriots and Julian Edelman are 10-to-1, as are Young’s Saints. Harrison and the Steelers are 12-to-1.

Sadly, the Cleveland Browns with Joshua Cribbs and Abe Elam join the Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions, Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders, St. Louis Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the least likely teams to win the next Super Bowl, all at 100-to-1.

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LOOKING (WAY) AHEAD — Kent State has added a few more football games to its future schedules.

The 2010 to 2013 non-conference schedules have been locked in for a while. Now the 2014 slate is starting to take shape. KSU had already announced a Sept. 13, 2014, date at Ohio State that will bring an $850,000 payday.

The Flashes have now added a Sept. 6 home date with South Alabama and an Oct. 18 home date with Army to the 2014 schedule.

The game with South Alabama completes a three-game commitment with the soon-to-be FBS program that includes a home-season opener in 2011 and a road game in 2013.

Army is also scheduled to play Kent State three times within the next five years. The Flashes host Army on Nov. 13 in the upcoming season, then travel to West Point in 2012.

Kent State has also added two BCS opponents to its future schedules, with a trip to Illinois set for Sept. 12, 2015, followed by another two-for-one contract with Iowa State adding games in 2016, 2017 and 2019. The agreement with Iowa State will see the Flashes travel to Ames on Sept. 17, 2016, and Sept. 23, 2017, then host the Cyclones Sept. 21, 2019.

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KSU FOOTBALL SWITCHES TO NIKE — Kent State and Nike have agreed to a new three-year deal that will put the Golden Flashes into Nike shoes and uniforms beginning with the coming season.

The new home and away uniforms will be similar to the ones the Flashes have worn for the last two years — blue jerseys and gold pants at home and white jerseys with gold pants on the road.

KSU will not change the style of its helmets.

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Contact David Carducci at dcarducci@recordpub.com