After catching a second-half post feed just outside the paint, junior college transfer Majok Majok drop-stepped middle and flushed the type of thunderous two-handed dunk he gained a reputation for at Midland College.
The slam was impressive, but it was nearly out done by Chris Bond’s poster-jam attempt over a Grambling State defender 30 seconds later.
While teammates argue over who can jump the highest, Ball State’s 78-51 season-opening win on Sunday showed this team has some physical gifts.
“I believe it is the most athletic team since I’ve been here,” redshirt senior Zach Fields said. “For this being the first game, our chemistry is very good for how many new guys we have. We’re understanding each other’s roles. As the season goes on, that’s just going to complement everything. The athleticism is going to take us a long ways.”
Fields wasn’t just talking about the jumping ability of junior forwards Majok and Bond.
Ball State’s combination of junior Matt Kamieniecki and freshmen Marcus Posley and Bo Calhoun off the bench provided a versatile mix that gave Grambling State fits all game.
“I think we’ve got a very deep basketball team that is very flexible — our ability to start fast and then continue that momentum with the guys off the bench,” coach Billy Taylor said. “There was a lot of energy around the basket.”
The Cardinals’ energy came in spurts during the first half of Sunday’s game, but junior Jesse Berry’s four 3-pointers put Ball State up nine at halftime.
Taylor said he made adjustments at the break, putting Bond on the ball and letting senior Jauwan Scaife chase the Tigers’ Terry Rose, who finished with a game-high 22 points, around the perimeter.
Bond’s pressure on point guard Derron Hobbs made Grambling State start its offense near half court. He clogged up driving and passing lanes, leading to steals for himself and others.
By the 14:27 mark of the second half, Ball State’s margin had stretched to 21 points and never got closer than 19 the rest of the game.
“That was the whole reason we got going,” Fields said. “By him stepping up and making that commitment, it got everybody else behind him. It helped build that energy for the second half. Right when we came out, he was in their guard, and that set the tone.”
The defensive effort of Bond set the tone for the transition game and the rest of the offense, as well. Berry kept his hot, first-half shooting touch and finished with a team-high 17 points on 4-of-6 shooting and 5-of-5 from the foul line.
While Berry was the leading scorer, three of his four 3-pointers came off passes from Posley. The freshman guard had 12 points, six assists and zero turnovers in his debut.
“Marcus [Posley] is a guy who’s footing is kind of weird,” Berry said. “He dribbles and gets you off guard and beats his defender. It was forcing my man to commit to him, and he was making good finds.”
Most of those finds came in the newly developed dribble-drive offense that is heavy on screen-and-rolls. Posley has said it fits his game perfectly, and evidenced by the Ball State’s 17 assists, the whole team seemed comfortable as well.
“[We had] a lot of passing and cutting to get guys open,” Berry said. “We were just sharing the ball. Coach Taylor has been preaching it in practice about turnovers and making the right reads. Tonight I thought we executed it really good.”
