BG's Black going back home

Cameron Black, a Kent, Ohio, native is averaging 6.7 points and 6.0 rebounds for Bowling Green and has been the only Falcon to start all 15 games this season.

BOWLING GREEN -- Cameron Black is heading home on Tuesday night.

But the visit will be short, and that's good news for coach Louis Orr and the Bowling Green State University men's basketball team.

"I'm glad he's not play eight league games at home," Orr said. "I'm glad he's only going there once a year -- with us. We're thankful and happy to have him as a Falcon."

Black is a 6-10 freshman who hails from Kent, Ohio. Black and his BG teammates will be in Kent Tuesday night to take on the Golden Flashes in a contest that tips off at 7 p.m.

"It's going to be exciting," Black said. "I grew up in Kent, and my hometown friends and family are going to see me play. It's going to be a fun experience."

How did Black escape the Flashes' grasp? Black said his arrival in northwest Ohio had more to do with his desire to attend BG.

"I wanted to get my recruitment done early, and Bowling Green offered me a scholarship," said Black, who verbally committed to the Falcons in August before his senior year. "I liked that two members of the coaching staff had played the game at its highest level, and I thought I could learn a lot from them.

"And I liked the school and the campus, and the [Stroh Center] being built brought a lot of excitement too."

Black then had a fine senior season, averaging 16.4 points, 13.2 rebounds and 6.0 blocks to lead the Kent Roosevelt High School basketball team -- which is coached by his father, who also is named Cameron -- to the Division I district finals for the second straight season.

"It was fun -- at times," the younger Black said of playing for his father. "I knew Dad would be harder on me than he was on other players because he expected more.

"But it was fun celebrating big games and big wins with my dad."

Orr thought that playing for his father aided in his freshman center's development.

"He's a high-character person from a tremendous family," Orr said. "Any time that you have coach who's as knowledgeable as coach Black, [playing for him] is definitely a blessing and a benefit."

Black has had an immediate impact on this year's Falcons, averaging 6.7 points and 6.0 rebounds as the only player to start all 15 of BG's game.

"I think it's a privilege [to start] because we have a lot of talented guys," Black said. "Getting to start is an honor; [it says] coach [Orr] trusts me and trusts my ability."

Black and his Falcon teammates will face a tough road challenge from the Golden Flashes, who were among the preseason favorites to win the Mid-American Conference's East Division.

Kent State has lost three in a row, including their league opener at Akron last weekend, but still is 9-6 on the season.

"This is a team that has a number of new faces," Orr said of the Flashes. "But they're still Kent State. This is a team that has tradition that you have to deal with.

"You know their expectations are going to be high."

Their leader is Justin Greene, a junior forward who averages 16.2 points and 7.7 rebounds per game.

"He may be the most productive post player in our league," Orr said of Greene. "He's a guy we have to pay a lot of attention to."

But the Falcons enter Tuesday night's contest on a roll, having won four in a row and five of their last six following a 1-8 start.

"I think early in the season we were just trying to find ourselves," Black said. "We were trying to find where we can score, how to stop people on the defensive end.

"Now we're clicking on all cylinders: we're scoring better, we're playing better defense, and we're coming together as a team."

Contact John Wagner at: jwagner@theblade.com or 419-724-6481.