SETTING THE STAGE
• Morgan State men's basketball travels across town on Thursday night to take on crosstown rival Coppin State. The Bears are looking to sweep the series against the Eagles. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. at PEC Arena and fans unable to attend in person can catch all the action live on ESPN+.

• Morgan held on for a 87-81 win against Delaware State on Monday night at Hill Field House. Kameron Hobbs led the Bears with a career-high 20 points and Will Thomas added 16 points and seven rebounds.

• Coppin State's Derrius Ward and Jonathan Dunn scored 9 points apiece howver the Eagles fell to Maryland Eastern Shore 72-59 in Baltimore. 

• Graduate student Wynston Tabbs and redshirt senior forward Will Thomas were named to the preseason All-MEAC first team. In addition, redshirt senior Kameron Hobbs has been named to the preseason All-MEAC Third Team. Tabbs started in 19 of 24 games and earned All-MEAC Second Team honors. He averaged 14.8 points and finished the regular season ranked No. 6 in the MEAC in scoring, including a career-high 38 points versus UMBC on Dec. 26. Thomas started in 24 of 30 games and finished the 2023-24 season as an All-MEAC Second Team selection. He averaged 14.0 points a game with a nearly absurd shooting efficiency as he's converted 47 percent from the field (ranked No. 2). Hobbs had an impressive season, starting in 27 of the 31 games he played and showcasing his skills on the court for an average of 31.0 minutes per game. His scoring ability was evident as he averaged 10.1 points per game, while his 35 percent from beyond the arc (47-133). 

• MSU returns veteran guards Rob Lawson (8.9 ppg), and Amahrie Simpkins (8.7 ppg)  from the starting lineup and added several newcomers including guard Pierce Shirk from Georgia Southern, guard forward Jayden Socka from Prince George's C.C., forward Marland Harris from West Los Angeles College, and forward Logan Schayes from Beacon College via the transfer portal. 

SCOUTING THE EAGLES
• Larry Stewart, was named the new Head Men's Basketball Coach on May 2, 2023. Stewart returned to his alma mater after spending 14 years as an assistant coach at three of the other Historically Black Colleges and Universities in Maryland. Stewart served as an assistant at Bowie State for six seasons (2009-15) with the last three as associate head coach, Morgan State (2015-19, 2022-23) and Maryland Eastern Shore (2019-21) with one season as associate head coach.

• Coppin State was picked to finish last in the league. CSU finished seventh in the conference last season with a 2-27 record and went 1-13 in conference play.

• Redshirt senior 6-6 guard Derrius Ward (Philadelphia, Pa.), junior 6-3 guard Toby Nnadozie (Baltimore, Md.) and 6-7 sophomore forward Jonathan Dunn (Florissan, Mo.) currently lead the Eagles in scoring. Ward, a transfer from Florida Memorial, is averaging 13.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and is shooting 39 percent from the field.  Nnadozie, a transfer from Maryland Eastern Shore, is averaging 12.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, and is shooting 40% from the field and 34% from the three. Dunn, a transfer from Austin Peay, is averaging 10.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and is shooting 48 percent from the field. Redshirt senior 6-7 guard Julius Ellerbe III (Ashburn, Va.) is averaging 9.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and is shooting 37% from the field.

•  March 3, 2025 - Coppin State fell to Maryland Eastern Shore, 72-59, on Monday night at PEC Arena. The Eagles now stand at 5-23 on the season and 3-10 in the MEAC while the Hawks are now 6-23 overall and 2-11 in league play. Every Coppin player that entered the game scored at least five points, led by Jonathan Dunn and Derrius Ward with nine points apiece.

CSU by the Numbers
• 61.5: CSU currently ranks last in the MEAC in scoring.
• 12.7: The Eagles have been led by Toby Nnadozie who ranks No. 14 in the MEAC in scoring.
• 2.5:  Julius Ellerbe III leads CSU in assists (ranks No. 14 in the MEAC).
• 76.8: On average CSU is giving up just under 80 points per contest to opponents (ranks No. 5).
• .287: The Eagles rank last in the MEAC in 3-point field goal percentage.
• .393: CSU ranks last in the MEAC in field goal percentage.
• .679: CSU ranks No. 6 in the MEAC in free throw shooting.
• 8.0: CSU ranks No. 4 in the MEAC in steals.

THE SERIES VS. THE EAGLES
• Coppin State leads the series 63-42. 

•  Morgan State's last win against Morgan was on January 25, 2025 --  Will Thomas scored a game-high 21 points to lead Morgan State to a 80-64 win against crosstown rival Coppin State on Saturday afternoon before a packed crowd at Hill Field House. Thomas shot 8-for-15 from the field, including 4-for-4 from the charity stripe and had five rebounds in 32 minutes. Kameron Hobbs scored 20 points (7-17 FG) with three boards and three assists in 33 minutes. Amahrie Simpkins added 15 points in the first half, while Daniel Akitoby notched 10 rebounds with six points and two blocked shots.

• Coppin State's last win against Morgan was on March 2, 2023 -- Morgan State ell to the crosstown rival Coppin State Eagles, 77-65, at Hill Field House. Nendah Tarke led four Eagles in double-figures with a team-high 18 points (8-12) with five rebounds and three assists. Mike Hood finished with 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field. Sam Sessoms, the MEAC's leading scorer (21 ppg), added 13 points and a game-high eight rebounds and eight assists for the Eagles. Burke scored 12 of his team-high 20 points (9-9 FT) in the second half and played 26 minutes. Junior guard Kameron Hobbs finished with 12 points (4-6 FG) with four rebounds and a steal.  

LAST TIME OUT 
BALTIMORE, Md. - Morgan State secured a hard-fought 87-81 victory over the Delaware State Hornets on Monday night, fueled by Kameron Hobbs' team-high 20 points as the Bears held off a late Hornets' rally on 'Senior Night' at Hill Field House. 

• Kameron Hobbs shot 5-for-10 from the field and grabbed a game-high four rebounds, with three assists and three steals in 37 minutes.

• Will Thomas added 16 points (7-11 FG) and seven rebounds. Daniel Akitoby recorded his eighth double-double of the season by scoring 12 points with 10 rebounds. Rob Lawson also scored 12 points, and Kiran Oliver chipped in 11 points and seven rebounds.

• Morgan shot 50% (29-58) from the field compared to DSU's 39% (28-72). The Bears also knocked down 47% (7-15) of their three-pointers, while the Hornets shot 33% (7-21).

THE SCHEDULE
• Morgan State opens the season at home Nov. 4 against Division II Frostburg State, with Division I newcomer Mercyhurst visiting Hill Field House two days later. The Bears will play seven of their first 11 games at home, including a Nov. 24 date with local rival Towson.

• December brings trips to three power conference opponents: Xavier (Dec. 10), Iowa State (Dec. 22) and Minnesota (Dec. 29). The Bears open MEAC play Jan. 4 at home against South Carolina State and will play their last home game March 3 against Delaware State.

OFFENSIVE BEHAVIOR
Offensively, the Bears are setting the pace in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) with an average of 80.6 points per game, ranked No. 1 in the conference in scoring.

• Morgan exploded for a season-high 124 points versus Cheney University of Pennsylvania (Dec. 4), had 123 points vs. Central Penn (Dec. 1) and 102 vs. NCCU (Jan.7).

• The Bears currently rank No. 2 in the MEAC shooting 48 percent from the field and No. 6 shooting 34.2 percent from beyond the arc.

• Kameron Hobbs (15.9 ppg; No. 7 in MEAC) is leading the team.

• Morgan finished the 2023-24 regular season ranked No. 4 in scoring in the MEAC by averaging 72.7 points thru 31 games.

• The Bears averaged 74.9 points (No. 4 in MEAC) thru 31 games during the 2022-23 season.

SO 'KAMTASTIC'! 
• Kameron Hobbs has been on a scoring tear lately. The Stockbridge, Georgia product had scored at least 20 points in 8-consecutive games before his outing against Maryland Eastern Shore (Feb. 1) in which he scored 10 points.  

• His 20-point run was the longest streak of at least that long since Tiwian Kendley accomplished the feat during the 2017-18 season...Kendley had 9-consecutive games with 20 or more points. 

• He had 21 points against Campbell, uncorked 23 points at #3 Iowa State, posted a career-high 25 points against Minnesota, had a game-high 22 points against South Carolina State, exploded for 40 points in a 2OT victory against N.C. Central, had a game-high 24 points at Howard, followed by 23 points versus Norfolk St. and 20 at Coppin State.

• Additionally, he has scored in double-figures 23 times, including his last 18 games... and he's scored 20 or more points in 13 games.

CATCH US IF YOU CAN
• One of the best transition teams in the nation is Morgan State. 

• The Bears rank T-No. 8 in the NCAA based on their efficiency in scoring off fast breaks.

• Averaging an impressive 15.5 points per game from fastbreaks, they capitalize on opponents' mistakes and turn defensive plays into offensive opportunities. 

STAY ON TARGET
• Morgan is shooting .481 (867-1803) from the floor and shot 50 percent-or-better 12 times (10-2 record), including a season-high .667 (36-54) on Dec. 15 versus Campbell. 

• Last season, the Bears shot .451 (840-1862) and shot 50 percent-or-better 6 times (5-1 record), including a season-high .635 (54-85) on Dec. 9, 2024 vs. Virginia Lynchburg.

HOBBS ENTERS 1,000 POINT CLUB 
• Redshirt senior guard Kameron Hobbs scored 15 points at Maryland Eastern Shore to enter the 1,000 point club. 

• He currently has 1,034 career points at Morgan State and sits at No. 27 on the school's all-time scoring list.

FOLLOW MORGAN STATE ATHLETICS IN CYBERSPACE 
There are many ways to keep up with MSU athletics online and on the go:
• Visit www.morganstatebears.com, the official web site of Bears athletics, for news, schedules, stats, bios and more. 
• Follow us on social media:
Facebook: /MorganStateBears
Twitter: @MorganStBears
Instagram: /MorganStateBears
 

ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution offering nearly 140 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland's Preeminent Public Urban Research University, and the only university to have its entire campus designated as a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.