Coppin State Basketball
Eagles Play Finale in Old Coppin Center
By Perry Green
AFRO Staff Writer
(November 19, 2009) - The Coppin State Eagles will play their very last basketball game in the Coppin Center on Nov. 19 against Washington Adventist, formerly known as Columbia Union.
Following the game, the team will close the doors of the facility that has been its home for 22 years.
The Eagles posted an impressive 164-52 win-loss record in the old Coppin Center and recorded five full seasons without losing a single home game.
Coppin State will play the remainder of the season in its new home, the Coppin Physical Education Complex, with the very first game scheduled for Dec. 5 against cross-town rival Morgan State.
The new Physical Education Complex will also accommodate all 13 of the school’s athletic teams, and will also house the physical education department.
The facility will include several classrooms and computer labs for educational purposes. It will also feature a capital planning office, a human resources department, a police station, a shipping and loading dock for equipment, 36 offices for the athletics faculty, three auxiliary gyms, a swimming pool, two racquet-ball courts, two weight-lifting rooms, and of course a basketball arena that seats 4,100 people.
But before the Eagles move out, they wish to leave their old home with a rebound victory after losing their season opener against the Colorado Buffaloes on Nov. 16. CSU allowed Colorado to shoot 50 percent from the field and 52.4 percent from three-point-land as the Buffaloes claimed an 82-58 victory.
The Eagles will try to deny the same success to Washington Adventist, but it may not as simple as said. Washington Adventist recently opened its season with a dominating 135-67 victory against Washington Bible College.
The Eagles will lean on its impact players, such as sophomore Lenny Young, who leads the team with 16.5 points per game, and junior college transfer Kareem Brown, who averages 12.3 points a game.