CMU lands Youngstown State transfer Marcus Keene

When you're on top, college basketball transfer season usually pays off.

Central Michigan is discovering that as the Chippewas landed Youngstown State guard Marcus Keene, the Penguins' leading scorer at 15.6 points per game, he told the Free Press today.

"I decided to leave Youngstown because I didn't feel it was the right fit here," he said. "The atmosphere. I liked the coaching staff and the players but I wanted to go to a different spot, a winning organization."

As the defending Mid-American Conference regular-season champ, CMU has held that "winning" title for only a year. But it's paying off already.

Though CMU didn't recruit Keene out of San Antonio in high school, they have another Texas guard, Braylon Rayson from Dallas, which Keene said was a big comfort.

"They play a very up-tempo style of play – that's my style of play, especially for my size, I've got to get up the floor," said Keene, just 5-foot-11, 160 pounds. "When we played them this year and seen the way they played and went up there for a visit, they showed me how I could fit into their system."

Taking a guard who shot 42% from three-point range shouldn't have any problem fitting in, especially after they saw him drop 24 on them in CMU's 75-63 win over Youngstown last November.

Keene's numbers as a sophomore increased along with his minutes, which went from 16.3 as a freshman to 34.9 as a sophomore.

Though he'll have to sit out this year, with All-MAC guard Chris Fowler entering his final year of eligibility, it's a longer-term plan.

Even as a shooting guard last year, he averaged nearly three assists per game, so with the ball in his hands, he expects to have a larger role with the Chippewas having two years to play starting in 2016-17.

"In college, having to sit out is going to be a tough part, but it's going to make me work on some things, become a better teammate because I can't help them being on the court," Keene said. "I can also get better and work on my game, so when it is time."

CMU coaches can't discuss a new player until they are cleared by the compliance department. Keene is not yet in the university directory.

Contact Mark Snyder at msnyder@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter at @mark__snyder.