UMKC junior guard Akeem Hemingway sets up the offense against Harris Stowe State University.

UMKC freshman guard Spencer Johnson and Harris Stowe junior center Uros Vukovich go airborne to make a play.

UMKC freshman Nathan Balch starts the ball up the court as UMKC senior forward Brent Stephens (left) and junior guard Dane Brumagin (right) fan out to set up the break.

Kangaroos shooting neutralizes Hornets' sting

By: Dan Stroud

Posted: 10/29/07

An international flavor overflowed onto the court Saturday night inside Swinney Recreation Center. After a pregame ceremony recognizing the numerous countries represented in the UMKC student body, a basketball game broke out with UMKC pasting the Harris Stowe State University Hornets 94-51 in exhibition play.

Though the date to begin college basketball exhibitions was set for Oct. 31 by the NCAA, UMKC Athletics Director Tim Hall requested and was granted a waiver to play the game four days early. Approval by the governing body allowed the exhibition to be played to coincide with UMKC's first homecoming celebration, held earlier in the day on the grounds outside Swinney.

The UMKC men's basketball players took the floor adorned in white with energetic blue and gold stripes flowing down the sides of their jerseys. It appeared to add a spark to their appearance, though play was a bit rusty at the start.

Trailing the Hornets 7-4 just three minutes into the night's action, newcomers and freshmen, guard Reggie Hamilton and forward Spencer Johnson entered stage right. The Matt Brown (UMKC head basketball coach) era was officially underway.

"I can't say I didn't have a few freshman jitters, but they didn't last long," Hamilton said. "Basketball is what I do and from the beginning, seeing the crowd here to support us, I felt right at home."

Less than one minute later, after jump shots by senior forward Brent Stephens and Hamilton, the Kangaroos took their first lead of the game, 8-7.

"Reggie Hamilton is a guy who can make shots," Brown said. "I know what most of these guys can do. I wanted to see the young guys play tonight. I wanted to see who our seven, eight and nine guys [game rotation] are going to be."

Along with Hamilton and Johnson, two other freshmen fared well during the game. Guard Nathan Balch, who sank five three-point shots on the night and forward James Humphrey with his strong play on the boards, gave the 733 Kangaroo faithfuls in the stands a peek at what the future might hold.

At the 7:28 mark of the first half, UMKC carried a 27-16 lead to the bench and the waiting Brown, who stood ready to offer one of his many lessons to his new squad during the evening. The players seemed to soak up every word their head coach said.

"The first time I met coach [Brown] he was teaching … every possession, every play," Stephens said. "I think we all appreciate the style of coaching we're getting."

Junior guard Akeem Hemingway electrified the crowd with a 360-degree layup to give the Roos a 34-16 lead. From that point on, the Hornets would not seriously challenge UMKC again.

As play became choppy, halftime likely could not have come sooner for either team with UMKC leading the Hornets 41-24 at the intermission.

Early in the second half, Stephens showed his aggressive side with a slam dunk that was closely followed by a Hemingway trey that pushed the Roos' lead to 48-29. All this was part of a 24-4 UMKC run that gave the Roos a commanding 67-33 lead with 11:25 remaining in the contest.

As the evening rolled on, by now three familiar players seemed to control the boards and the basket. Stephens scored 16 points in 18 minutes of action. Hamilton had 16 points of his own on 6-9 shooting from the field. Hemingway, whose three-point shot fell more times than it didn't as he hit from the three-point line at an 80 percent clip, while putting 20 points on the board. These three anchored the Kangaroo effort. But talking to Hemingway after the game, one wouldn't have realized he had shined brightest.

"We came to work on defense and fundamentals tonight," Hemingway said. "At times we did good … at times we didn't."

With 3:43 remaining to be played and UMKC in control 85-42, the only thing that seemed left unanswered was whether UMKC would reach the century mark on the night.

But play slowed and missed opportunities from the field ended scoring just short.

Brown was pleased with the performance by his squad but remained realistic about early expectations and what he and the Roos hoped to cull from the exhibition.

"We came in wanting to see what the kids could do," Brown said. "Right now I want to sit down and watch the film and prepare for the next game."

That game comes in the form of a closed scrimmage on Oct. 31 against Central Missouri State University inside Swinney. Eleven days later, the Kangaroo men open the regular season at Allen Field House in Lawrence, Kan., facing a nationally-ranked Kansas Jayhawks squad.

dstroud@unews.com