Among the many things that have actually gone right for the Eastern men’s basketball team this season is that the team’s ability to stay healthy has put them in a tie for fourth place in the Ohio Valley Conference.

While the team has four players in double figures this season in conference games, junior center Ousmane Cisse is finding the offensive end of the glass and the Panthers have flow on the offensive end – the team has healthy players this season.

And that’s something that was not a case last season.

Because of injuries, the Panthers missed many games last season.

Former Eastern forward Justin Brock injured his foot early in season and did not play that much.

He only played three games last season and transferred to Quincy University after a stress fracture in his left foot.

Brock was projected to be a solid post player at Eastern, and is averaging 12.4 points and 6.2 rebounds this season for the 11-7 Hawks.

Last season former guard Julio Anthony missed the last two games of the season and was the primary point guard for the Panthers.

He injured his shoulder against Evansville and sat out the entire second half.

Anthony spent those 20 minutes on the bench with his arm in a sling and missed the final two games.

Last season, former guard Bobby Catchings missed a game and a half with an ankle injury.

Tyler Laser missed the first two games last season because of a shoulder injury and also dealt with some torn ligaments in a hand.

One of the biggest injuries though was to No. 1 scorer Eastern forward junior guard Romain Martin.

Martin’s sophomore year was marred by plantar fasciitis.

He only played 17 games and scored in 15 of them.

That’s not the kind of production the Panthers expected from the 2007 OVC Freshman of the Year.

Martin being out really hurt the team last season, forcing every player into a different role last season.

Add to the fact that the team also lost former junior guard Mike Robinson (removed from team and transferred to Lewis), former sophomore forward Bobby Jolliff (left school) and former red-shirt freshman guard Brandon D’Amico (transferred to Cardinal Stritch) on Dec. 17 did not help to the Panthers’ roster problems last season.

Staying healthy is something every team needs to be good, but Southeast Missouri has run into injuries as well.

Southeast Missouri (3-18, 0-10 OVC) has only eight players available for use, and sometimes they only have seven players.

The Panthers are on the right end of the healthy scale this season.

It has helped them play consistent basketball and establish an offense with the same rotation of personnel on the court.

The Panthers (8-12, 5-4) have only one injured player this season.

And that’s Eastern freshman forward James Hollowell.

Eastern head coach Mike Miller said they plan on red-shirting Hollowell this season.

He was rated the No. 15 player in the state of Indiana as a senior.

Hollowell only played four games, but averaged 3.8 points and 3.8 rebounds in 11.8 minutes per game.

He also has two steals and two assists in only 47 minutes of action this season.

“We are doing all the things we need to do to give him a career here,” Miller said.

Hollowell does not wear a boot anymore, but Miller said Ho—llowell is not cleared yet.

Miller said the team would like for him, though, to have a full extra season if Hollowell gets the medical red-shirt season applied.

Even with only 10 remaining games this season with the Panthers worried about one injured player, –it’s a vast improvement from last season.

-Staff Reporter Dan Cusack contributed to this report.

Kevin Murphy can be reached at 581-7944 or at kjmurphy@eiu.edu.–