Ellington back in starting lineup vs. Drake
MBB: The senior forward has come off the bench the last three games
Murray State Head Coach Steve Prohm has announced senior forward Nick Ellington will replace KyeRon Lindsay in the starting lineup Sunday vs. Drake. Ellington started the first 11 games of the season before Lindsay took his place in the last three contents. Today, the Racers will go back to starting five seniors against the Bulldogs.
No matter who has started, both of Murray State’s big men have struggled in recent games. Against Illinois State, the two combined for two points and two rebounds, as Prohm ended up playing a small lineup for the majority of the game. In the last five games, the duo has combined to average 4.5 points and 3.0 rebounds. Prohm knows he needs more production out of that 5-spot, and he’s hoping this will help.
“You’ve got to love them, you’ve got to hold them accountable and you’ve got to coach them hard,” Prohm said when asked what we can do to get them back on track. “We need (Nick) to be good for us to have a really good basketball team. We’ve got to have a post presence. I told him yesterday how much he meant to this team, and how much we need him. He’s practiced well the last two days. He’s played with more force. We’ve got to establish a post presence if we’re going to be good in this league. I’m excited to see how those guys play. We’ve struggled in that area, and haven’t played well in Valley play. (Ellington and Lindsay are combining for) three points and two rebounds on average. That’s not going to get it done.”
For the season, Ellington is averaging 7.9 points and 3.9 rebounds per game, while Lindsay is scoring 7.8 points and grabbing 5.0 boards a night. Both have showed flashes of brilliance at times this year. Lindsay scored a career-high 27 points at Middle Tennessee, while Ellington averaged nearly 17 points a game in a six-game stretch from the Maryland-Eastern Shore game through the loss at Western Kentucky.