Indians will try to rein in Victor, talented Racers

By Marty Mishow

Southeast Missourian

According to first-year Murray State coach Mick Cronin, Cuthbert Victor is simply too nice.

You'd have a hard time getting the rest of the Ohio Valley Conference to buy into that theory because the Racers' 6-foot-5 senior forward has been unkind to the league's teams for much of the past four seasons.

Today, Victor brings his high-flying act to the Show Me Center as the surging Racers (18-4, 8-1) take on Southeast Missouri State University (10-10, 3-6) in a 2 p.m. tipoff that will be televised live by Fox Sports South and replayed at 2 a.m. by Fox Sports Midwest.

Said Cronin, Rick Pitino's top assistant at Louisville the previous two seasons, "Cuthbert is a tough guy to coach in that he's such a nice guy. You have to find ways to push him. I've been trying to push him to be even better than he's been in his career. I've been trying to get him to dominate practice every day, to try and get that to carry over into games.

"His demeanor, he's so nice...he's such a team guy, he doesn't want to command the ball so much."

But, added Cronin, "He's obviously been amazing."

Amazing indeed. Victor, a native of the Virgin Islands who has started since his freshman season, is averaging a rare double-double with 15.3 points and 10.9 rebounds per game, the latter figure leading the OVC and ranking fourth nationally. He is shooting a sizzling 63.7 percent from the field, which is fifth in the nation. He has 11 double-doubles this season and 27 in his career.

"I think he has a bigger impact on the game than any player in our conference," Southeast coach Gary Garner said. "He's just an awesome, awesome rebounder, and an unbelievable athlete. He's averaging almost five offensive rebounds per game, which is really amazing.

"Probably right now if you polled the coaches he would be the MVP of our league."

The 215-pound Victor, who averaged 15.3 points and eight rebounds last season, is one of the most athletic and acrobatic players in the OVC, which often leads to highlight-reel dunks, strong finishes in traffic and second-chance points.

"He gets better every year," junior guard Derek Winans said. "He's a really good athlete, really tough to guard."

Garner said junior forward Dainmon Gonner will probably begin the game guarding Victor, but several other Indians could also figure into the mix.

"I really don't know how we'll guard him. I might have the flu and skip the game," Garner said, laughing.

If Victor was the only player Garner had to worry about, it might not be so bad. But the Racers, in second place in the OVC behind 10-0 Austin Peay, are loaded with talent.

The Racers, who press on defense and run on offense at every opportunity, lead the OVC and are 13th nationally in scoring with an average of 82 points per game. They are seventh nationally in field-goal shooting at 50.4 percent.

Five Racers are averaging double figures in points. Behind Victor are 6-7 junior forward Kelvin Brown (13.8), 6-6 senior guard Chris Shumate (11.7), 6-1 junior guard Adam Chiles (10.6) and 6-5 senior forward Antione Whelchel (10.0). Shumate is shooting 46 percent from 3-point range.

Victor, Shumate and Whelchel all started last year while Brown and Chiles are junior-college transfers, Chiles having played his freshman season at Kentucky. Brown, after missing two straight games because of a team suspension, played only one minute Thursday at Eastern Illinois before suffering a leg injury. He is probable for today.

Thursday's 85-67 rout of Eastern Illinois demonstrated the Racers' depth of talent. Victor scored just seven points and Brown did not score, yet Murray State led 37-8 in the first half and 83-47 with five minutes remaining. Shumate scored all 20 of his points in the first half, senior guard Kevin Paschal and freshman forward Shawn Witherspoon both had 14 points, and 7-foot senior center Andi Hornig added 13 points. The latter three players had been averaging a combined 14 points per game.

"There's no question they have a great team. In today's Division I basketball, you don't go 18-4 without having a great team," Garner said. "Austin Peay might be the best team in the league with all their experience, but if you polled the coaches, they'll say Murray State has the most talented team, I don't think there's any question."

But the Indians, who broke a four-game losing streak Thursday by beating visiting Tennessee-Martin 89-78, say they won't be intimidated. They upset the Racers at the Show Me Center last season and don't see why it can't happen again today.

"Murray is tough, but we'll be ready for them," Gonner said.