Written by Mike Perry

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The Kent State Men's Basketball program has seen its stature elevated over the last decade or so. Ever since the Antonio Gates, Trevor Huffman days – when the Golden Flashes were finding success in the NCAA Tournament and its coach was using the blessing of incredible timing to parlay his one season at the helm of the Flashes into a big-time job at Arkansas – Kent State has been viewed as one of the premiere "mid-major" programs in the country.

The Golden Flashes usually end up with a premium ESPN BracketBuster game on national television (see the series with St. Mary's) and will pop up on ESPN2 a few times every year. As long as Kent is in the MAC it will never become a major college basketball program, but being mentioned among the cream of the mid-major crop is not too shabby.

A season removed from an appearance in the MAC Championship Game and a fairly deep run in the NIT, Kent State is reaping its just rewards. On Nov. 15 the Golden Flashes will open the 2011-12 season on national television when they travel to Morgantown to face West Virginia in the College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon. The game will tip off at 10 a.m., lifting the lid on what is quickly becoming the most heavily-anticipated season in school history.

The Golden Flashes return 10 letterwinners from last season, including MAC Player of the Year Justin Greene, Defensive Player of the Year Michael Porrini and Sixth Man of the Year Carlton Guyton. Rob Senderoff will be in his first year at the helm of the Flashes, replacing Geno Ford, who defected to Bradley under questionable circumstances.

Senderoff is a long-time assistant at Kent, having also coached at Indiana.