ETSU to host Central Arkansas on Retro Day

East Tennessee State plans to roll out the red carpet for one former coach Saturday. The Bucs hope another coach's trip back home isn't quite as enjoyable. Alan LeForce, the coach who led ETSU to its 1992 NCAA tournament win over Arizona, will be honored before game against Central Arkansas at Freedom Hall Civic Center. Central Arkansas is coached by John Shulman. The Johnson City native coached University High from 1985-89, and was an ETSU assistant coach from 1990-96. His wife, Amy, is a former Unicoi County High School and ETSU star player. Shulman brings in a Bears team which has gotten off to a 3-4 start, but, the record includes losses to North Carolina and Arkansas. The Bears have blown out their last two opponents in Eastern Washington and Eastern Illinois by an average of 24 points. A look back at history, the Bears' most famous alum is six-time NBA champion Scotty Pippen, whose No. 33 jersey is retired by the school. Camren Hunter, a 6-foot-3 guard, leads this season's team. Hunter spent his first two seasons at Central Arkansas before transferring to Wisconsin. Back home for his senior year, he is averaging a team-best 15.7 points per game. Ty Robinson, a tough-minded 6-4 freshman guard, is second on the team at 12.7 points per game. Another guard with size is 6-6 junior Javion Guy-King, who is coming off the bench to average 8.7 points. It is a young team as other starters include Cole McCormick, a 6-6 sophomore guard/forward combo who played high school ball in Chattanooga. There are freshmen Malchiah Marable, a 6-9, 245-pound post, and Luke Moore, a 6-2 guard who leads the team in assists. ETSU LOOKING FOR FIVE STRAIGHT The Bucs (5-1) have won four straight games, the latest a 97-55 rout of Louisiana-Monroe. ETSU has made major strides since the start of the season, thanks to offseason pickups through the transfer portal. Brian Taylor II, the dynamic senior 6-4 guard from SIUE, is leading the team with 14.7 points per game. He's hitting 40.9 percent from 3-point range. Cam Morris III, a 6-8 graduate student from UMass Lowell, has been just as good on the inside. He's right behind Taylor at 14.5 points per game and also the blocks leaders. Transfers are the next four leading scorers, starting with Jordan McCullum at 10.7 points and a team-best 5.7 rebounds per game. Blake Barkley, another 6-8 post like Morris and McCullum, is averaging 9.5 points per game. Jaylen Smith, a 5-11 guard, is next at 8.7 points per game. He's the team's steals leader and second on the team in assists. Brayden Crump has given a good effort off the bench, while returning players Gabe Sisk, Maki Johnson and Allen Strothers have come on strong of late. Strothers, a 6-1 guard, leads the team in assists. The game is part of Retro Day where fans are encouraged to wear their best ETSU-themed retro attire.