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By Pete Conrad Brian Plasters, Staff Writer Updated 1:33 PM Wednesday, June 24, 2009

ROSS TWP. — The same injury that caused nothing but gloom for Charlie Coles last winter is giving Miami University’s basketball coach extra reason for hope for the 2009-10 season.

“I’m not glad he got hurt, but I’m glad we’ve got him coming back,” Coles said of point guard Kenny Hayes, who received a medical redshirt after suffering a wrist injury last December.

Now Hayes gets another crack at his senior season.

“If he can stay away from injuries, he’ll be one of the best players in the conference,” Coles said Tuesday, June 23, after completing a session of the Charlie Coles Basketball Camp at Ross High School.

“Kenny’s a point guard, and point guards do more to influence the game than anybody,” Coles said. “There are going to be like 10 guys who get drafted (into the NBA) in the first round who are point guards.”

Hayes, who averaged 13.9 points in eight games last season, is one of six returning players who Coles said will make up the core of the team. The others are senior center Adam Fletcher, junior wings Antonio Ballard, Nick Winbush and Rodney Haddix, and sophomore forward Julian Mavunga.

“When you’ve got those six guys, physically, they give us a little more talent than we’ve had in the past, more athleticism,” Coles said. “And I like that.”

Miami’s starting lineup is likely to come from that group. Another player who is likely to see plenty of action is sophomore point guard Kramer Soderberg.

“We lost some guys,” Coles said, referring to Michael Bramos, Tyler Dierkers, Eric Pollitz and Carl Richburg, “but I like our team for next year; I really do. I have a good feeling about this team. They’re going to be OK, and I don’t mean two years from now. This year. I have that feeling.”

Miami also will have four freshmen in center Drew McGhee, forward Drew Kelly and guards Allen Roberts and Orlando Williams.

“All four of the freshmen will get some playing time,” Coles said, “but I don’t see any of them, right now, moving into the starting lineup yet.”

Coles said Miami, which played without doubt the toughest schedule in school history last season, will face another challenging schedule that includes games against Kentucky, Xavier, Cincinnati, Dayton, Wright State, Temple, Colorado and Evansville.

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2197

or pconrad@coxohio.com.

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