Morgan's Todd Bozeman does it his way

Turnaround of MSU Bears shows compromises aren't an option for the determined Coach Todd Bozeman. With 82 wins and three championships in four seasons, the Bears are dominating the MEAC and are ready to make some noise in the NCAA Tournament.

Even after the severe NCAA sanctions, the cold shoulder from needy colleges and the long fall from grace to Morgan State, Todd Bozeman was in no mood to make concessions. Especially not in the players he brought to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. If there was any doubt about his approach, it was dispelled in a phone conversation with a coaching rival shortly after Bozeman took over Morgan's struggling basketball program in the spring of 2006. The coaching rival had a friendly suggestion and the name of a marginal player Bozeman might want to check out. Bristling, Bozeman wanted no part of the suggestion or the player.

"He said, 'This is the kind of player you're going to be able to get in the MEAC,' " Bozeman remembered. "I said, 'I don't recruit like that. I'm going to recruit the players I want, [and] I want players who can play at a high level."

Four years, 82 wins and three regular-season titles later, Bozeman took the right track. When his top-seeded Bears (24-9) open defense of their MEAC championship in a quarterfinal at 7 tonight in Winston-Salem, N.C., the rest of the conference will be playing catch-up. After a get-acquainted season in 2006-07, Bozeman's Bears have dominated the MEAC, going 42-6 in conference play over three years. They advanced to the NCAA Division I tournament in 2009 for the first time in school history and will play in a postseason tourney this year for the third straight season regardless of what unfolds in Winston-Salem.

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Coach Bozeman's recruits at Morgan read like a Who's Who of MEAC basketball: Reggie Holmes (2010) and Jamar Smith (2008) are MEAC Players of the Year; Kevin Thompson (2010) and Boubacar Coly (2008) are Defensive Players of the Year; Dewayne Jackson is this year's MEAC Rookie of the Year. Photo: MSU #4 Boubacar Coly (6'-10") MEAC Defensive Player of Year - 2008

Baltimore's best-kept basketball secret


If you haven’t seen my feature on Morgan State senior guard Reggie Holmes, Baltimore’s best-kept basketball secret, check it out below. Holmes is a local product who starred at Southern High then St. Frances, then went on to become the all-time leading scorer at Morgan last week.

Before Holmes, Jamar Smith (2008) was MEAC Player of the Year.

Holmes has averaged 22.4 points per game in his senior season. Even though he’s among the Division I leaders in shot attempts, he’s an unselfish player who is greatly respected by his teammates and coach (I discuss this hardcourt dichotomy in the story). Holmes has shot 39.7 percent from the field this season, including 37.0 percent from beyond the arc. The slick shooter is a throwback, and a lot of fun to watch. If you didn’t get the chance to see him play, you missed out.

Laidback assassin: An inside look at Reggie Holmes, Morgan's sharpshooter

Reggie Holmes likes to say he cares only about winning, because if the W's pile up, the individual accolades will take care of themselves. What may seem like a canned quote belies the fact that he really means it. But the senior guard realized the magnitude of the moment as a silky-smooth two-pointer Thursday night solidified his place in Morgan State hoops history. The basket, which came late in the second half of the Bears' 74-54 victory over Coppin State, pushed the 22-year-old Cherry Hill native past the late Marvin Webster, a Baltimore legend, to become the school's all-time leading scorer.

"Breaking that record, it feels good," said Holmes, who finished with 36 points. "Where I'm from, being the all-time leading scorer at a Division I college, it means a lot." In four seasons on Cold Spring Lane, Holmes hasn't always been flashy, but there is plenty of substance to his game. He can dunk but settles for layups. He can dangle the ball on a string but keeps it simple instead of trying to break an opponent's ankles with a crossover dribble. And instead of being a ballhog, he uses his high hoops IQ to get his teammates involved.

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