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MEAC Basketball: Early observations and takeaways of 2020-21 season

By Herbert Seward III

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 20: The MEAC logo on the floor before a college basketball game between the Yale Bulldogs and the Howard Bison at Burr Gymnasium on January 20, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 20: The MEAC logo on the floor before a college basketball game between the Yale Bulldogs and the Howard Bison at Burr Gymnasium on January 20, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /
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MEAC Basketball
MEAC Basketall (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

MEAC Basketball is finally underway and the first few weeks of the season were an eye-opener for those that follow the league.

There’s been a lot of buzz around the acquisitions and visibility of MEAC basketball in the off-season. Well, one of the most anticipated seasons in the leagues’ history is off to a roaring start.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the performance highs and lows for the conference with the first couple of weeks of the season in the books. The first thing that comes to mind about this first portion of the season was the debut of THIS guy in a Howard Bison uniform:

Of course, the outcomes of the Bison’s run through the early season left a bit to be desired; Coach Kenny Blakeney has as many as 9 players that are new to Division I college basketball on his roster and it showed in some uneven performances, going through Paradise Jam winless.

Maker showed flashes of the potential that has him pegged as a potential NBA lottery pick down the line but also exhibited a good deal of room for growth into the speed of the college game. We also found out that Maker’s had been fighting a substantial groin injury during early play, prompting Howard’s staff to shut him down for the foreseeable short-term future.

Not having access to 2019 MEAC freshman of the year Wayne Bristol Jr. (injury), or highly touted Purdue transfer Nojel Eastern (Waiver Delay) have made these early season growing pains a bit more pronounced. Nonetheless, there’s still a good bit of optimism that the Bison will gel and become a force during the heat of conference play.

There have been some truly eye-opening early returns from a bevy of other potential heirs to the MEAC regular-season throne. One of the more notable of those contenders resides on Virginia’s peninsula in Norfolk, Va.