# 2024–25 Eastern Michigan Eagles men's basketball team

The 2024–25 Eastern Michigan Eagles men's basketball team represented Eastern Michigan University during the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Eagles, led by fourth-year head coach Stan Heath, played their home games at the George Gervin GameAbove Center in Ypsilanti, Michigan as members of the Mid-American Conference (MAC).

## Previous season

The Eagles finished the 2023–24 season 13–18, 6–12 in MAC play, to finish in tenth place. They failed to qualify for the MAC tournament, as only the top eight teams qualify.

## Offseason
### Departures

Departures :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Kevin-David Rice | 0 | G | 6' 4" | Junior | Flint, MI | Graduated |
| Connor Serven | 2 | F | 6' 9" | RS Junior | Prairie City, IL | Transferred to Virginia Tech |
| John McGriff | 3 | G | 6' 0" | RS Junior | Glenn Dale, MD | Entered transfer portal |
| Legend Geeter | 4 | F | 6' 8" | RS Sophomore | River Rouge, MI | Transferred to Detroit Mercy |
| Tyson Acuff | 5 | G | 6' 4" | Junior | Detroit, MI | Transferred to Rutgers |
| Julius Ellerbe | 6 | G | 6' 7" | RS Junior | Fort Washington, MD | Transferred to Coppin State |
| Andrew Wells | 12 | G | 6' 3" | Junior | East Lansing, MI | Graduated |
| Derik Pranger | 15 | F | 6' 9" | RS Freshman | Parker, CO | Transferred to UCCS |
| Cyril Martynov | 21 | C | 6' 0" | Sophomore | Barrie, ON | Transferred to Eastern Kentucky |
| Javantae Randle | 35 | F | 6' 11" | RS Sophomore | Detroit, MI | Entered transfer portal |
| Orlando Lovejoy | 55 | G | 6' 2" | Sophomore | Detroit, MI | Transferred to Detroit Mercy |

### Incoming transfers

Incoming transfers :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
| Da'Sean Nelson | 2 | F | 6' 8" | 205 | Senior | Toledo, OH | DePaul |
| Jalen Terry | 3 | G | 6' 0" | 158 | Senior | Flint, MI | DePaul |
| Julian Lewis | 5 | G | 6' 6" | 200 | RS Junior | Ypsilanti, MI | Miami (OH) |
| Trey Pettigrew | 9 | G | 6' 4" | 195 | RS Sophomore | Chicago, IL | Nevada |
| Christian Henry | 30 | G | 6' 3" | — | Junior | Chicago, IL | Panola College |
| John Shanu II | 33 | C | 6' 11" | 245 | RS Junior | Houston, TX | UT Rio Grande Valley |
| Cooper Smith | 45 | G | 6' 1" | 180 | Senior | Mio, MI | Michigan |

### Recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight |
| Mario Brunetto F | La Spezia, Italy | Classical Gymnasium | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) | N/A |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: N/A ||||||
| Mbaye N'Diaye G | Thiès, Senegal | SEED Academy | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | N/A |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: N/A ||||||
| Dillon Tingler G | Hurricane, WV | Huntington Expression Prep | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | N/A |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: N/A ||||||
| Godslove Nwabude F | Anambra State, Nigeria | Mt. Zion Prep | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | N/A |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: N/A ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. ||||||

## Preseason

On October 22, 2024 the MAC released the preseason coaches poll. Eastern Michigan was picked to finish ninth in the MAC regular season.

### Preseason rankings

MAC preseason poll :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Ohio | 121 (11) |
| 2 | Akron | 106 (1) |
| 3 | Kent State | 99 |
| 4 | Toledo | 95 |
| 5 | Bowling Green | 73 |
| 6 | Miami (OH) | 72 |
| 7 | Ball State | 67 |
| 8 | Central Michigan | 55 |
| 9 | Eastern Michigan | 36 |
| 10 | Western Michigan | 33 |
| 11 | Northern Illinois | 24 |
| 12 | Buffalo | 11 |
MAC Tournament Champions: Ohio (8), Kent State (3), Toledo (1)
Source

### Preseason All-MAC

No Eagles were named to the first or second Preseason All-MAC teams.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 30, 2024* 6:30 p.m. | | Central State | W 85–63 | – | 21 – Henry | 4 – tied | 4 – Terry | George Gervin GameAbove Center (1,397) Ypsilanti, MI |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 4, 2024* 8:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Texas State MAC–SBC Challenge | L 44–64 | 0–1 | 17 – Henry | 7 – 2 tied | 5 – Terry | Strahan Arena (1,292) San Marcos, TX |
| November 8, 2024* 12:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Siena Heights | W 83–58 | 1–1 | 32 – Billingsley | 10 – Billingsley | 5 – Tingler | George Gervin GameAbove Center (1,450) Ypsilanti, MI |
| November 14, 2024* 6:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | at IU Indy | W 74–71 | 2–1 | 28 – Terry | 9 – Terry | 4 – Henry | The Jungle (752) Indianapolis, IN |
| November 16, 2024* 3:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Cleveland State | L 63–71 | 2–2 | 25 – Terry | 5 – Billingsley | 6 – Henry | Wolstein Center (1,386) Cleveland, OH |
| November 21, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Oakland | W 68–64 | 3–2 | 16 – Osojnik | 7 – Nelson | 5 – Terry | OU Credit Union O'rena (1,941) Auburn Hills, MI |
| November 25, 2024* 8:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Houston Christian Houston Christian MTE | W 74–73 | 4–2 | 19 – Nelson | 6 – Terry | 3 – 4 tied | Sharp Gymnasium (654) Houston, TX |
| November 26, 2024* 4:30 p.m. | | vs. Northern Arizona Houston Christian MTE | W 72–68 | 5–2 | 20 – Nelson | 9 – Billingsley | 5 – Terry | Sharp Gymnasium (344) Houston, TX |
| November 30, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Detroit Mercy | L 89–98 $^{OT}$ | 5–3 | 28 – Henry | 5 – 3 tied | 5 – Henry | George Gervin GameAbove Center (1,509) Ypsilanti, MI |
| December 3, 2024* 8:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Loyola Chicago | L 54–76 | 5–4 | 21 – Henry | 5 – Osojnik | 2 – 3 tied | Joseph J. Gentile Arena (1,881) Chicago, IL |
| December 15, 2024* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Purdue Fort Wayne | L 76–99 | 5–5 | 28 – Terry | 9 – Billingsley | 5 – Henry | George Gervin GameAbove Center (1,239) Ypsilanti, MI |
| December 21, 2024* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Wright State | W 86–82 | 6–5 | 27 – Nelson | 13 – Nelson | 4 – Terry | George Gervin GameAbove Center (500) Ypsilanti, MI |
| December 28, 2024* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Davidson | L 64–86 | 6–6 | 16 – Nelson | 4 – 2 tied | 6 – Terry | John M. Belk Arena (3,066) Davidson, NC |
| MAC regular season |||||||||
| January 4, 2025 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Northern Illinois | W 75–71 | 7–6 (1–0) | 32 – Nelson | 9 – Nelson | 9 – Henry | George Gervin GameAbove Center (1,535) Ypsilanti, MI |
| January 7, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Toledo | L 87–90 | 7–7 (1–1) | 25 – Henry | 7 – Tingler | 5 – Henry | Savage Arena (4,246) Toledo, OH |
| January 11, 2025 3:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | Akron | L 81–105 | 7–8 (1–2) | 20 – Henry | 4 – Terry | 4 – 2 tied | George Gervin GameAbove Center (2,540) Ypsilanti, MI |
| January 14, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Central Michigan | L 63–82 | 7–9 (1–3) | 15 – Nelson | 9 – Nwabude | 4 – Billingsley | McGuirk Arena (2,000) Mount Pleasant, MI |
| January 18, 2025 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Bowling Green | W 68–62 | 8–9 (2–3) | 17 – Henry | 11 – Osojnik | 5 – Terry | Stroh Center (1,981) Bowling Green, OH |
| January 21, 2025 6:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | Ohio | W 94–87 | 9–9 (3–3) | 21 – Nelson | 7 – Nelson | 7 – Terry | George Gervin GameAbove Center (1,439) Ypsilanti, MI |
| January 25, 2025 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Buffalo | W 90–77 | 10–9 (4–3) | 18 – Henry | 6 – Henry | 6 – Henry | George Gervin GameAbove Center (1,760) Ypsilanti, MI |
| January 28, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Miami (OH) | L 80–89 | 10–10 (4–4) | 25 – Henry | 8 – Nelson | 6 – Henry | Millett Hall (2,080) Oxford, OH |
| February 1, 2025 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Western Michigan | L 54–61 | 10–11 (4–5) | 20 – Nelson | 11 – Nelson | 5 – Henry | University Arena (1,577) Kalamazoo, MI |
| February 4, 2025 6:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | Kent State | L 49–70 | 10–12 (4–6) | 10 – 3 tied | 7 – Nelson | 4 – Nelson | George Gervin GameAbove Center (1,696) Ypsilanti, MI |
| February 8, 2025* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Old Dominion MAC–SBC Challenge | W 76–70 | 11–12 | 22 – Nelson | 5 – Tingler | 2 – 5 tied | George Gervin GameAbove Center (1,673) Ypsilanti, MI |
| February 11, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Ball State | L 84–86 $^{OT}$ | 11–13 (4–7) | 25 – Terry | 6 – Nelson | 8 – Nelson | Worthen Arena (3,118) Muncie, IN |
| February 15, 2025 3:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | Toledo | W 80–73 | 12–13 (5–7) | 38 – Terry | 8 – Terry | 2 – 3 tied | George Gervin GameAbove Center (2,813) Ypsilanti, MI |
| February 18, 2025 6:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | Miami (OH) | W 76–66 | 13–13 (6–7) | 25 – Nelson | 9 – Terry | 6 – Henry | George Gervin GameAbove Center (1,294) Ypsilanti, MI |
| February 22, 2025 4:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Northern Illinois | W 79–76 | 14–13 (7–7) | 28 – Terry | 8 – Billingsley | 6 – Henry | Convocation Center (2,983) DeKalb, IL |
| February 25, 2025 6:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | Bowling Green | L 60–65 | 14–14 (7–8) | 14 – Terry | 10 – Osojnik | 5 – Osojnik | George Gervin GameAbove Center (1,546) Ypsilanti, MI |
| February 28, 2025 6:00 p.m., CBSSN | | Central Michigan | W 84–73 | 15–14 (8–8) | 25 – 2 tied | 10 – Nelson | 5 – Nelson | George Gervin GameAbove Center (2,574) Ypsilanti, MI |
| March 4, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Ohio | W 83–79 | 16–14 (9–8) | 23 – Henry | 7 – Billingsley | 6 – Nelson | Convocation Center (4,450) Athens, OH |
| March 7, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Kent State | L 70–76 | 16–15 (9–9) | 18 – Henry | 8 – Billingsley | 6 – Henry | MAC Center (2,231) Kent, OH |
| MAC tournament |||||||||
| March 13, 2025 4:30 pm, ESPN+ | (7) | vs. (2) Miami (OH) Quarterfinals | L 75–81 | 16–16 | 24 – Henry | 7 – Nelson | 2 – Tied | Rocket Arena Cleveland, OH |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern. |||||||||
Sources: