Middle Tennessee State men’s basketball redshirt senior Cam Weston said it felt “amazing” to be back on the court Monday after sitting out almost all of the 2023-24 season with a knee injury.
Blue Raider coach Nick McDevitt has been even happier to have his veteran point guard back. The smile on his face when discussing Weston’s return showed that.
“He just makes everybody else’s job easier,” said McDevitt, whose squad opened the season with a 97-51 win over Oglethorpe University in front of a packed Murphy Center, most of those being area elementary students who participated in Education Day. “Good point guards do that. They set the tempo of the game, get the ball where it’s supposed to be, on time and on target.”
Weston, who suffered the injury during the Blue Raiders’ second game last season, had a big return to the lineup. He was 5-of-5 from the field, finished with 12 points and had seven assists to go with just two turnovers.
“I remember (walking out onto the court) telling (teammate Justin Bufford) it felt great to be out here again,” said Weston, a preseason All-Conference USA selection. “It was an overwhelming feeling. The crowd was into it as well. It got my blood flowing.”
MTSU men’s basketball backcourt strong with Weston
MTSU was tied as the preseason favorite to win CUSA last season. However, losing Weston changed the complexity of the season.
Already lacking in depth overall, particularly in the backcourt, the Blue Raiders struggled to a 14-19 record. Shooting guard Jestin Porter had to move to playing primarily point guard in Weston’s absence.
“It was hard for (Porter) last year, because we needed him to score,” McDevitt said. “Now you need (him) to score, but play point guard too. Finding that balance can be a little tricky. (Weston and Porter) played really well off of each other (Monday).”
Porter averaged 14 points a game to lead MTSU last season while also juggling the point guard position. Monday he lit up the nets for 20 points, including 5 of 8 from 3-point range.
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“I wish (Weston) would have been healthy last year, so you could have seen what we had,” Porter said. “It’s just a blessing to have him back. Us playing off each other creates more and a faster offense. Things are more simple for me. It’s a weight off my back from last year, having him back.”
Weston, who averaged 10.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and led the team with 91 assists during his junior season, said it was difficult having to watch from the bench last season, but he absorbed some knowledge along the way.
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“It was tough, especially when we were on a losing streak … I felt there was nothing I could do about it,” Weston said. “It hit me hard. But it taught me a lot of ins and outs of basketball. How to think. I play a little smarter than I did before (the injury).”
MTSU had five players in double figures Monday, including post newcomer Essam Mostafa (14 points, 10 rebounds). Fellow newcomer Kamari Lands and redshirt freshman Torey Alston each scored 11 points.
Cecil Joyce covers high school sports and MTSU athletics for The Daily News Journal. Contact him at cjoyce@dnj.com and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @Cecil_Joyce.
This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: MTSU basketball opens season with blowout win over Oglethorpe
