Cunningham Leads Frontcourt Uprising on Main Line

PHILADELPHIA – Being from the area, Reggie Redding knows what Villanova’s reputation has been over the years. He can also see that a current senior might change that, for this year at least.

“They say this is ‘Guard U’. I think it’s turning around this year to ‘Dante U’,” the junior wing said after the Wildcats won the Independence Bracket in the Philly Hoop Group Classic on Saturday night.

Redding was referring to Dante Cunningham, who has emerged as the Wildcats’ go-to guy inside and their leader. The 6’9″ senior has developed steadily and under the radar his entire career on the Main Line, to the point where he has come through when the Wildcats have needed him this season at both ends of the floor.

It’s not as if Cunningham has been little more than a bit player before breaking out this season. The younger brother of WNBA player Davalyn, he was a key player as a freshman in part because the Wildcats didn’t have much depth in the frontcourt due to injuries and often played four guards. He gave them defense and rebounding in their run to the Elite Eight, much like he would do as a sophomore, but they didn’t need much offense from him, although he averaged under nine points per game as a sophomore. Even last season, he was a steady but unspectacular player whose numbers (10.4 points and 6.5 rebounds in starting every game) belie his contribution to the team.

But after a 19-point, 12-rebound outing against Rhode Island on Saturday, he leads the team in scoring and rebounding with 17.5 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. He’s clearly not just a rebounder and defender anymore.

“Having an inside presence like that just opens everything up for you,” said head coach Jay Wright. “It’s something we haven’t had.”

Cunningham added three blocks on the night and remains a defensive presence. He also went 7-8 from the line and shoots just under 80 percent from the free throw line.

Over his first three years, Cunningham has been overshadowed at every step. There were the four guards and the players ahead of him in the rotation – Will Sheridan and Jason Fraser – his freshman year. Then Scottie Reynolds came in his sophomore year and has been The Man ever since. But all along, Cunningham has been a steadying force to complement others. With Reynolds off to a slow start shooting the ball this season, Cunningham’s play has been needed even more.

“Dante’s just got the confidence of a senior, he’s played everywhere and against everybody,” said Wright. “We need him to play like this – 19 and 12 is incredible, against that team.”

As much as his numbers are standing out, he’s done much more. Making the step from complementary player to go-to guy isn’t easy, but add on being the team leader and it’s clear he was going to be challenged this season. He has support in the frontcourt from players like redshirt sophomore Antonio Pena and seniors Shane Clark and Frank Tchuisi, and needs it.

“This is his protégé right here,” Wright said, pointing to Pena. “At halftime, (Cunningham) asked me how many rebounds does Antonio have, because he’s on him all the time about that. We need it from both of them. It can’t be him every night like this.”

Wright can see Pena becoming as good as Cunningham is now with more experience and confidence. Pena has benefited plenty from working with him, and he came in with a solid reputation after a prep career at powerful Lincoln High School in Brooklyn. He’s currently second on the team in rebounding behind Cunningham, so the similarities are there even though Cunningham has always been more athletic.

As has often been the case over the years, the Wildcats have plenty of talented guards. Reynolds, Corey Fisher, Corey Stokes and Redding lead the way there and each is very capable. But as is always the case, an inside game is needed, and right now the leader of the inside game is also the team leader. For this season, at least, the Wildcats might be led by a post player, one who has come along steadily and now sets the example as a leader himself.

Butler Keeps Winning in Old Rivalry

INDIANAPOLIS – It is Saturday afternoon in Indiana and 5,000 college basketball fans including Governor Mitch Daniels are engaging in the state pastime, which is basketball.

And there is no better place to watch college basketball than Butler’s historic Hinkle Fieldhouse. Today is another classic basketball experience with the sun shining in the windows high above the court and Evansville, a traditional regional rival, invading with a legion of purple-clad fans in attendance.

Today is the 114th time that Evansville and Butler have faced off. These two old foes have a long history having played against each other in the old Indiana Collegiate Conference 1950-77 and in the Midwestern Colligate Conference (now Horizon League) 1979-94.

This game ended for Evansville the same way every game against Butler since 2000 ended: in a loss as Butler wins again 75-59.

It took just 13 seconds into the game for Butler to draw blood as freshman Shelvin Mack hit a three-pointer on a feed from Gordon Haywood. A minute later Evansville’s Jason Holsinger hit a three-pointer to tie the game at three points each.

The game stayed close most of the first half with Evansville (3-1) getting their only lead of the game on a jump shot by Denver Holmes to make it 11-10 at the 14:30 mark.

As the time ticked down in the first half the Purple Aces pulled to within one point at 31-30 as Holmes made two foul shots after being fouled by Matt Howard. Butler’s Will Veasley made a lay up and then 49 seconds latter sunk two foul shots after being fouled by Kaylon Williams to give Butler a 35-30 halftime lead.

Evansville coach Marty Simmons felt fortunate to be only down by five at the half with his team shooting just 38.1 percent (8-21) from the field.

“We didn’t really have any good rhythm. We came out, give up the lob to Haywood,” explained Simmons.

Simmons was referring to the first play of the second half, when Matt Howard lofted a lob that Haywood jammed in for a thundering dunk to put Butler (5-0) up 37-30.

“They do what they do a lot better than we do what we do,” continued Simmons. “They play with a lot of confidence. They just kind of bring new players in and believe in their style of play. They have very smart, good, sound basketball players.”

Evansville did follow up the Haywood dunk with a layup by Pister van Tongeren to get the score back within five points at 37-32.

From that point on Mack went on the attack. During a little more than a four-minute stretch starting at the 17:42 mark Mack hit a two-pointer, a three-pointer and two free throws that put the Bulldogs up by 10 points at 49-39.

When the smoke cleared Mack put in 13 points in the second half for a game-high 18 points.

“We just kept running the plays and finally I got the shot. Coach just told us to go out and play,” said a very matter-of-fact Mack.

Butler coach Brad Stevens was impressed by Mack’s shooting from the field, as well as his whole team’s second half play.

“When you score 18 points on 11 shots and don’t shoot any free throws, that is pretty good,” said Stevens. “We played our best half of basketball and that contributed to the win. I thought we played at both ends of the floor.”

At the 2:48 mark Butler got the lead to 23 points at 72-49, which was their largest lead of the game, on a layup by Mack before the Purple Aces whittled the lead back down to the game-ending 75-59.

Stevens was most impressed with the adjustments his team was able to make during the game to keep Evansville off balance.

“Being able to adjust on the fly, they do some things defensively that make you attack and our guys did a pretty good job making the adjustments,” said Stevens.

Game notes

• Evansville leads the 88-year-old series against Butler 60-53, but the Bulldogs are 9-1 in the last 10 games. This series is Butler’s longest active series.
• All five Butler starters were making their first start versus Evansville.
• Butler is 48-4 in non-league games at Hinkle Fieldhouse since 1999-00.
• Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels is a long-time Butler fan. He loves to tell the story of attending Butler games as a kid, when you could get a season ticket for five dollars.
• Butler had the most wins of any Division I team in Indiana for the third straight year last year.
• Butler has won nine straight games against Indiana schools.
• Former Butler player Julian Betko was in attendance.
• Butler’s next game is Thursday December 4th at 8 p.m. and will be carried on ESPNU.
• Evansville’s next game is Tuesday December 2nd at home against SIU-Edwardsville at 7:05.

Horizon League Notebook – Early Showdown between Butler and Cleveland State

No, they’re not the best team in the country as their RPI of 1 earlier this week suggested. (RPI rankings really are silly, especially early in the year.) And no, they’re not the 27th-best team in America as their Sagarin ranking suggests. Yes, like teams in higher conferences they’ve played 4 of their 5 games at home, only venturing away from the friendly confines of Hinkle to visit Drake to open the season. And no, they haven’t faced the Dukes, North Carolinas and Connecticuts of the world, with Northwestern near the bottom of the Big Ten having been their most serious opponent – and at home. But to the surprise of some, with three freshmen in Brad Stevens’ starting lineup, the Butler Bulldogs have completed the first portion of their non-conference schedule undefeated, and will bring a 5-0 record into Wolstein Center Thursday night to face preseason Horizon favorite Cleveland State.

As this writer projected after attending an exhibition game four weeks ago, this is a different kind of Butler team, quite frankly a more interesting and more exciting Butler team. It is one that will be able to play the more physical and athletic style often required to beat teams from major conferences. At least for the moment – until Gordon Hayward really gets going – they’re not the three-point shooting team we’ve come to expect Butler to be: the team’s 32 percent three-point shooting puts Butler more than two percentage points out of the nation’s top hundred. What they’re doing it with is solid defense, defense already better than that which led the Horizon in fewest points allowed the last three seasons.

As has been suggested a time or two in this space, points allowed can be a deceptive stat, as teams like Princeton, Dartmouth, Wisconsin-Green Bay and Butler (like the Super Bowl winning Giants with O.J. Anderson) can use all of the shot clock each time down the floor, control the ball for 25 of 40 minutes, and limit opposition possessions and attempts to a precious few. And respectfully, it is that style more than great individual man-to-man pressure that has caused Butler to lead the league in scoring defense in recent years. No more.

In the five games Butler has played, they’ve yielded an average of just 50 points, and never given up 60. Their opponents are shooting a combined 37 percent from the field (and 32 percent from the arc), and while the NCAA won’t publish statistics on defensive field goal percentage until tomorrow, I suspect that 37 percent number will be in America’s top ten, maybe top five. Focusing as I often do on the point guard position, while Alabama native Ronald Nored has struggled offensively (particularly from the line, where he’s started his career 4-14), it was the freshman’s stout defense more than anything else that turned defeat into victory against Northwestern on Wednesday night.

In the Northwestern game, Nored was assigned the task of defending the opposition’s best player, backcourt star Craig Moore, fresh off of a 31-point performance and Big Ten Co-Player of the Week honors. Putting in yeoman’s work at the defensive end, Nored held Moore to just 11 points, on 4-11 shooting, 3-8 from the arc. And if the other team’s radio broadcasters were on the money (isn’t it wonderful to listen to faraway college basketball on one’s car radio after dark this time of year), it was Nored’s defensive work more than anything else that allowed Butler to come back from a deficit that reached 12-points in the first half and was 9 at intermission, to defeat the Wildcats 57-53.

Offensively and on the boards, it is no surprise that star sophomore Matt Howard is leading the way, holding the fort until the freshmen are truly ready. Howard is tied for fifth in the league scoring 13.3 per game, is second in shooting percentage at 57.5 percent, and tied for seventh with 6.3 rebounds. More importantly (though not surprisingly), 6-8 freshman guard Gordon Hayward is on Howard’s heels in every category and also shoots threes: through the first five games of his career Hayward is tied for tenth in the conference in scoring at 12 points per game, fourth in field goal percentage at 51.6 percent, fourth in steals at 2 per game (this is a surprise), fifth in treys made with 2 per game, and sixth in three-point percentage at 44.4 percent; he’s also grabbing 5 rebound per game. In the backcourt, with 18 points on 8-11 shooting in yesterday’s win over Evansville (including 2-2 from the arc), Lexington’s Shelvin Mack has raised his scoring average to 12 per game, and will be listed among the conference’s top twenty scorers when conference stats are recalibrated tomorrow. And in addition to Ronald Nored’s stellar individual defense, he’s dished out 2.8 assists per game, tied for ninth in the Horizon.

So while this edition of the Bulldogs doesn’t quite shoot like recent groups did (Hayward excluded, and maybe Mack), they may already be among the best defensive teams that has patrolled Hinkle, and are destined to become over the next two years the best Butler team ever. That said, they should be good enough to compete at Cleveland State Thursday night (in CSU’s second conference game in three days, but just Butler’s first), though perhaps not yet ready for their freshman to beat the Vikings’ seniors in their gym. Then the Bulldogs will proceed down the road and be more ready for a conference road win at Youngstown State on Saturday night. All being held together by Matt Howard, as those three freshman get better and better and better.

Horizon News and Notes

• Saturday was a big day for conference teams as in addition to Butler’s 75-59 win over Evansville, Loyola beat Holy Cross 58-53, Detroit beat St. Louis 62-57, Wisconsin Green-Bay beat Massachusetts 84-67 and Illinois-Chicago beat Central Michigan 77-67. Not surprisingly, Wisconsin-Milwaukee lost in Madison to the Badgers, 67-46; Youngstown State was edged at home by St. Francis of Pennsylvania, 66-65. Perhaps the biggest surprise is that after yesterday’s 84-65 loss to Sam Houston State, Wright State will begin conference play 0-4 on the season.
• With many conferences now adding one or two pre-Christmas conference games, this week provides Horizon fans with a great taste of what January and February will be like. The conference schedule begins Tuesday night with just a singleton, Valparaiso at Cleveland State. Then four conference games tip off on Thursday: Valpo at Youngstown State, Butler at CSU, Detroit at Milwaukee and Wright State at Green Bay. Four more conference tilts come on Saturday: Butler at YSU, Wright State at Milwaukee, Detroit at Green Bay and Loyola at Illinois-Chicago. Enjoy your early taste!
• Note that Thursday’s game between Butler and Cleveland State in Cleveland will start at 8 pm, rather than CSU’s usual 7 pm, and be telecast nationally on ESPNU.

NIT Season Tip-Off Notes

NEW YORK – The pre-Season NIT gave us four solid teams for the Thanksgiving week event at Madison Square Garden. Oklahoma captured the championship over Purdue in an overtime contest that had March-like intensity. Taking a look back, each team did several things well yet needs other areas to be addressed.

Semifinals
Purdue 71, Boston College 64
Oklahoma 77, UAB 67

Consolation
Boston College 83, UAB 77

Final
Oklahoma 87, Purdue 82 (OT)

Boston College

What they did well: Bounce back from a tough semifinal loss. They competed well in the semifinal loss to Purdue, but with a relatively young team the disappointment of losing and getting back on track is a challenge. And they responded with a nice win over UAB in the consolation. They rebound and hit the glass hard, something that had Purdue coach Matt Painter concerned. And in Tyrese Rice they have an outstanding player who can literally change the course of a game, as he did in the consolation against UAB.

What they need: Something they showed in that consolation win over UAB. Simply. patience. Especially in running their sets. They were guilty in the second half of the Purdue game of what did what coach Al Skinner calls “over-aggressiveness on offense.” Basically, Skinner was saying the Eagles didn’t run their offense through and went one on one too early in the set. They got the message and it showed against UAB. “We talked about calming ourselves and not being in a hurry,” Skinner said. “We slowed down, saw the floor better and cut down on turnovers.”

UAB

What they did well: Use athleticism to their advantage. UAB is a not a half court, grind-it-out team with a number of wide bodies. They thrive in transition. Good ball movement and penetration are their strengths and they showed both, especially in the first half of the semifinal matchup with Oklahoma. Lawrence Kinnard, a 6-8 forward, can play inside or out. Robert Vaden is a talented swingman and Paul Delaney III can score, run the team and defend. This is a group, big men included, which can all get out and run the floor.

What they need: Toughness. Even coach Mike Davis stressed this following the consolation loss to Boston College. Against Oklahoma it was a case of being worn down by the Sooner size and too much Blake Griffin. The Eagles of BC brought another challenge in the form of Tyrese Rice. “We knew (Rice) could go off,” Davis said, “and he did.” Scoreless in seven first half minutes and with two fouls, Rice exploded the second half with 24 points to lead the Eagles. Paul Delaney III, UAB’s best backcourt defender, missed the BC game with an injury. Regardless, Davis wouldn’t use or accept this as an excuse. Part of that toughness Davis alluded to is the ability to rise and respond to the challenge of a great player like Rice. “We’ll just go back and watch film,” Davis said, “and try to get better from all this.”

Purdue

What they did well: Defend and take care of the ball. Well, for the most part. The Boilermakers play a tough man-to-man defense with sound principles and good communication. In the latter part of the Oklahoma game there were breakdowns. The Boilermakers are not susceptible to the ill-fated turnovers. They have a versatile big man in Robbie Hummel who can play on the perimeter or inside. E’twaun Moore is a good perimeter shooter who can go on a game-changing streak. They looked very sound in their win over Boston College. In the final they were doing a lot of the same until the last eight minutes and overtime.

What they need: Consistent help from another big man. Robbie Hummel is a good player but the 6-8 forward could use a hand, especially in the paint. In the semifinal JaJuan Johnson did a nice job posting up inside and working near the basket, but in the final he was a virtual non-factor. On the other hand Nemanja Calasan had a big game for the Boilers in the final. Calasan, a senior forward, had 20 points and 8 rebounds to go along with the unenviable job of defending Blake Griffin down on the blocks. Purdue needs either Johnson or Carolan, preferably both, to step up on a consistent basis.

Oklahoma

What they did well: Maintain poise. In the first half against UAB, the Sooners trailed. They regrouped in the second half and gradually wore the Blazers down in the semifinal meeting. Purdue offered a more rigorous test. Oklahoma was down nine with less than eight minutes to go. Again, they didn’t panic, and possession by possession trimmed the lead to force overtime. In the extra session they sealed the verdict to earn the championship. “They were in a rhythm,” Oklahoma coach Jeff Capel said, referring to Purdue, “and our guys just kept responding and found a way to get going.” A big part of that poise factor was Blake Griffin. The outstanding Sooner sophomore had better games per Capel but did not force anything all afternoon.

What they need: Something they received the latter stages of the Purdue contest. Balance. With marquee player and inside threat extraordinaire Blake Griffin (18 points, 21 boards) doubled down on the blocks, the Sooners didn’t force the issue. Rather they utilized the guards, notably Willie Warren (22 points), to penetrate and take advantage of the extra attention afforded Blake Griffin. In addition, Blake’s older brother Taylor, “played like a senior,” in the words of Capel. The elder Griffin’s contributions as well as good guard play is something Capel’s team will require on a regular basis.

Tournament MVP: Blake Griffin, Oklahoma

All-Tournament:
Taylor Griffin,Oklahoma
Tyrese Rice, Boston College
Lawrence Kinnard, UAB
E’Twaun Moore, Purdue

Blowout Win Indicative of Niagara’s Potential

PHILADELPHIA – Niagara’s 103-63 drubbing of Hartford to win the Liberty Bracket of the Philly Hoop Group Classic is no accident.  Nor is their 5-1 start.

“I just think Niagara is an excellent team,” said Hartford head coach Dan Leibovitz.  “We’ve played ranked teams, teams from the Big Ten, Penn State and Rhode Island, and that was as good a team as we’ve played, point blank.”

The Purple Eagles are probably not 40 points better than Hartford, and scores like this are never really indicative of such a thing.  Typically, such a score indicates that one team was at its best and the opponent was at its worst in a given game.  But the Purple Eagles leave Philadelphia looking like a team that could challenge prohibitive preseason MAAC favorite Siena by the time conference play rolls around.

“We try to do some things that will get you ready for league play,” said head coach Joe Mihalich.  “We were at Villanova, we were at South Florida, another Big East team.  We also try to do some things like this, play in tournaments, so that at the beginning of March, when you’re in your conference tournament, you get used to that feeling where you’ve got to beat somebody, then play for a championship the next day.  We love tournaments.”

How they got to their second 5-1 start in Mihalich’s tenure is the story.

It’s not as if this team is loaded with holdover stars from last season.  In fact, they lost the nation’s second-leading scorer last season in Charron Fisher, who averaged 27.6 points per game, and easily forgotten is that they also lost their third-leading scorer in Stanley Hodge, who averaged 13.3 per game.  Even if Niagara’s plan would be to win more with defense and score less, some of that scoring has to come from somewhere because they wouldn’t win many games scoring about 35 points per game (the Purple Eagles averaged over 76 per game last season).

It would have been easy to think that Tyrone Lewis could do what Fisher did, as he averaged over 16 points per game last season.  But that was never the plan, and that’s a big reason the Purple Eagles are at this point.

“The first thing I did was in the summer time,” said Lewis, who led the Purple Eagles’ charge on Saturday.  “I sat my team down, and I let them know the first thing was that we just lost 25 points and 10 rebounds, the guy that every team had to change their defense just for him.  This year, who’s going to score the 25?”

Lewis said he wasn’t going to be that player, and it surely set a tone.

“I’m capable, but I’m not going to do it,” said the junior guard.  “This is a team thing, we need everybody.”

Nowhere was that, or the tone it set, more evident than on Saturday.  In their thorough domination of Hartford, Niagara had four players score in double figures, with Rob Garrison leading the way with 19, and every player who got in the game scored.  Eight of ten Purple Eagles scored at least six points.  But the most telling stats of all were 28 assists on 32 field goals, with just seven turnovers.  In the first half, Niagara had 16 assists on 17 field goals.

“It speaks to sharing the basketball, making the next pass, and the old John Wooden saying – it’s amazing how much can be accomplished if nobody cares who gets the credit,” said Mihalich.  “I think that’s the way our team is – I don’t think anybody cares.”

Lewis undoubtedly sets the tone.  He came into this season as the unquestioned team leader and hasn’t done anything to dispel that notion.  Not only does he lead the team in scoring, but he also leads in steals and is fourth in assists.  But more important than any number you can find is his leadership.  It’s clear this team has bought into the idea of defense as well as balance, and Lewis has something to do with that.

His opposing coach, who knew him when he was a high school player in Levittown, noticed his impact as well.

“I think sometimes, when there’s a void created by somebody leaving, it strengthens the person that’s still there,” said Leibovitz, a long-time Temple assistant before taking over at Hartford.  “Some guys can’t handle it, and some guys can’t wait for it, and that’s what I see with him.  Not that he’s a selfish kid, but he’s ready, he’s confident, he’s ready to say this is my team.”

The strengthening of Lewis has undoubtedly strengthened everyone else.  After Saturday’s win, the Purple Eagles are averaging about three more points a game than last season, and they’re allowing just over 65 points after allowing 73 per night last season.  Six players average at least seven points per game and four average at least three assists per game  After allowing opponents to shoot nearly 44 percent from the field last year, this year opponents are shooting 37.3 percent from the field.

The defensive statistics are what Mihalich was banking on this season, in addition to a more balanced offense.  He felt the team could be good if they defended, and thus far that’s been the case.

“If we can defend and rebound, I know we can have a chance to win games,” said Mihalich.

It’s early right now, and there’s only so much one can read into a game like Saturday’s.  But on full display in that game was Niagara’s potential.  They are very athletic all over and are not satisfied with this start, Lewis in particular, but looking beyond this game, it’s hard not to think the Purple Eagles can be contenders in the MAAC.  A tone has been set for the season, and their 5-1 start, like Saturday’s win, is no accident.

Intangibles Help NJIT Move Forward

PHILADELPHIA – At some point, a long losing streak that a team gets national recognition for has to wear on a team.  It’s not the kind of national recognition any team wants.  For NJIT, however, that doesn’t appear to be happening despite the Highlanders losing for the 38^th consecutive time on Saturday, this one a tough 55-47 loss at the hands of Monmouth in the Philly Hoop Group Classic.

“I just came in at the end of the game and said, this is it, this is different,” said first-year head coach Jim Engles.  “You all look sad now, right?  That’s the feeling you’re supposed to have when you play.  Yes, we lost, but that’s what a team is supposed to become.”

Losing isn’t fun for anyone, and a streak like this is exponentially more difficult.  It’s not fun writing about it, either, because there’s still a human interest element involved and it’s not a positive one.  Indeed, the NJIT game notes includes a couple of notes on the losing streak in a section entitled, “Answers to questions we wish people didn’t have to ask.”  And let’s not forget that these are college kids, not professionals – it’s not the Detroit Lions whose losses are the subject here.

This situation has additional variables, like the Highlanders being in just their third season of Division I competition and Engles being in his first season as head coach of the program, which means he has only been a part of just five of the losses.  Additionally, only one player remains in the program who was a part of the last win they had, junior center Dan Stonkus.  Six players are new this season along with Engles and his staff, with five of them being freshmen and American transfer Gary Garris being the other.

So it’s not hard to believe Engles, who has extensive experience in New York and New Jersey and most recently was an assistant at another excellent academic school in Columbia, when he says the streak isn’t affecting his team the way one might think from the outside.

“I’ll be honest with you – I swear it, and I mean this honestly – we have not spoken about it.  I don’t think they really know,” said Engles.  “Come back if we’ve lost 15 in a row, and then I think you’ll start to see a different locker room.”

Even if one believes in moral victories, they suffer from the law of diminishing returns: every new one is worth less than prior ones.  At some point, there’s no value to one at all.  It’s understandable, because athletes compete to win, not have a close loss and think, “well, we gave them a good battle and improved enough to win the next time out” afterwards.

Most teams at this time of the year want to win games, but need to look beyond the bottom line to see where they stand and what they need to do to improve.  NJIT is no different, and Engles likes what he sees as he tries building the program.

“Right now, there’s a positive way about them,” Engles said.  “They’ve learned how to become a team, they act like a team now.  At the end of that game, they kept huddling, they kept battling.  That’s what a program goes through.”

The Highlanders certainly gave Monmouth all they could handle on Saturday.  They never trailed by more than eight points and even led for some time in the first half.  For most of the game, when they trailed they were a possession away, and they were still down 49-47 with less than a minute to play before a dagger from long range and three clinching free throws made up the final eight-point margin.

Saturday marked the third straight game in which the Highlanders out-rebounded their opponent.  Rebounding is an effort statistic, and for a team that lacks size like the Highlanders (only two players are 6’8″ or taller and only two others are at least 6’6″), it’s an even bigger barometer of their competitiveness in a game.

“They are very well-coached, very well-disciplined on defense,” said Monmouth head coach Dave Calloway, who knew how well his team was tested on Saturday.

Engles has talked a lot about building the program, which is what he was tasked with upon his hiring.  He feels that the team’s intangibles are all in place right now, which can certainly go a long way towards improvement.  The intangibles go beyond not letting the long losing streak bother them, as that’s just the beginning.  It’s a reason why the coach can be counted among the optimists.

“Now,” said Engles, “we know that we’re doing the right things.  They play the right way.  Now it comes down to making plays.”

Simplicity is Key For Brown, New Starters

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – New Brown head coach Jesse Agel knows who’s not walking through the locker room door.

“Our problem was we kept looking for (Damon) Huffman and (Mark) McAndrew,” Agel quipped after Brown beat Army on Wednesday.

The team he inherits lost the two biggest pieces from last year in its starting guards, who combined for over 32 points per game last season. Anytime you lose two starting guards, it’s difficult, but it’s doubly so when those two guards were your best players and meant so much to the team, as was the case with Huffman and McAndrew.

But for Agel, who succeeds Craig Robinson and was a major part of Vermont’s recent success as Tom Brennan’s long-time top aide, there’s something just as important as the personnel.

“All we want to do is make simple basketball plays, and we get caught trying to make great plays,” said Agel. “Great plays take care of themselves, they just happen.”

As it is, the Bears do have a few good guards in place now. Senior Chris Skrelja and sophomores Peter Sullivan and Adrian Williams lead the way, with Sullivan and Williams moving into the starting lineup after being capable reserves last season. The latter two were easily the most seasoned reserves among the holdovers, with players like Garrett Leffelman and Steve Gruber being next in line.

Skrelja was a point forward-type on last season’s team and makes this team go, albeit with a different offense. On Wednesday against Army, he had 15 points and a career-high 11 assists, but more importantly, came through when it mattered. With the game tied at 63, the Bears ran off nine unanswered points to take the lead for good, and Skrelja had a layup and three assists to be directly accountable for every basket in the run.

“Chris has got a lot of pressure on him,” Agel remarked. “He’s got to handle the ball, we’re facing a lot of pressure and he’s the one guy that’s forced to have to dribble the ball all the time and make the right decisions. It’s a hard job, but it’s a job he relishes.”

For his part, Sullivan has made a big leap, and not just in the scoring column. With the shooting ability he displayed last year, no one would be surprised that he made the leap to averaging 16.2 points per game after scoring a career-high 26 on Wednesday. But he’s also leading the team in rebounding with 6.4 per game and is improving his shot efficiency of late. After shooting poorly in the first three games, he was 5-8 (including 4-6 from long range) against Northwestern, then 9-15 (including 5-9 from deep) against Army.

“I think he was feeling the pressure early on having to score for us and make big shots, and I think he’s really settled down and stepped up and made shots and rebounded,” said Agel.

Williams has quietly made the jump to a 13.2 points per game average. Add him together with veteran forwards Scott Friske and shot-blocking Matt Mullery, and the Bears don’t have a bad unit to start the game with.

Damon Huffman and Mark McAndrew aren’t walking through the locker room doors at Brown now. But the players they have, in particular the guards, are still pretty good and improving. That will be the case even more if they stick to making the simple plays the coach wants them to.

Some New Life to the Cross-Town Rivalry

BOSTON – Ever since Northeastern left the America East Conference for the Colonial Athletic Association in 2005, the cross-town rivalry between the Huskies and Boston University hasn’t been the same. The teams have only played once per season, save for the 2005-06 season when they did not play at all, and the games have been in November instead of January and February and with the occasional March game mixed in during the conference tournament.

In light of that, the life that the crowd showed in Tuesday night’s game between the arch-rivals was a pleasant sight. Two days before Thanksgiving, with a lot of students undoubtedly already home for the long weekend. The attendance was listed at 2,500, which is probably a little high but doesn’t understate the feel of the game, both from the crowd and the players.

For the first time in a few years, the game really felt like a rivalry game. With both teams thought to be contenders in their respective conferences, it was a good matchup in addition to the rivalry aspect. You could see players go back and forth as they guarded each other, with plenty of contact both ways; one time it was Matt Janning and Corey Lowe, who also at times tried matching each other with jump shots, another time it was Matt Wolff and Eugene Spates.

Indeed, in the first half Janning and Lowe at times looked like they had a game of “Can you top this?” going as each carried their team for stretches. Lowe had the edge in individual numbers with 23 at the half, but the Huskies had the edge that mattered at 40-39.

Although there is the requisite desire to beat the rival, there’s plenty of respect to go around between the programs. When he was the head coach at Northeastern, Ron Everhart noted that his staff paid attention to some of what BU did to be successful. The Terriers were quick to state their respect for the Huskies, picked by most to be a contender for the CAA title. They’re also aware that the Huskies entered this game having won four straight games in the rivalry after the Terriers had been in control for a while.

“The past couple of times we’ve played them, they out-worked us,” said Lowe, who finished with 27 points. “He showed us some stuff from past teams and how much it means to BU and Northeastern, the rivalry, so we just kind of wanted to put our piece in.”

The rivalry has always had interesting storylines. For a few years recently, an interesting note was that both head coaches, Everhart and BU’s Dennis Wolff, both lived in Walpole, about 20 miles south of Boston. This time around, one need only look at the two Terriers who especially torched the Huskies for the storyline.

Lowe and Jake O’Brien, who had 21 points on 7-9 shooting, including 5-7 from long range and a couple of daggers in the second half, were both recruited by Northeastern during their prep careers. In fact, after Lowe was released from his letter of intent at Providence, the Terriers and Huskies were among the schools he considered. Both players know about the rivalry from growing up in the area as well, and now they had a large hand in a big win for their team. That Northeastern recruited them may not have been an extra motivator at all, but it certainly is noteworthy.

Even though the rivalry takes on a different life now that the teams are not in the same conference, the meaning is still there. The players and coaches wanted this one, and when it was over, Janning said, “It’s a rival, so it’s going to sting until next year.” They might only meet once a year, but there’s still life to the rivalry and it showed on Tuesday night.

The Fire Isn’t There For UMass

AMHERST, Mass. – This surely wasn’t what any of the Minuteman faithful had in mind to open the season – certainly not for Derek Kellogg’s first home game as head coach.

No, what they had in mind was something like what the scoreboard looked like with 29 seconds left. At that point, UMass had a 74-69 lead on Jacksonville State, a young team picked last in the Ohio Valley Conference preseason poll of head coaches and sports information directors. But the last 30 seconds were something the new coach had seen before, and it wasn’t good.

“That was very reminiscent of something that happened to me not too long ago,” said Kellogg, referring to the ending of last season’s national championship game while he was an assistant at Memphis. “It was almost the perfect storm of everything that could go wrong in a short period of time did, from missed free throws to missed assignments to putting a three-point shooter at the line.”

But as much as that might get noticed and talked about by the casual observer, that’s not the most salient aspect of the game or the Minutemen thus far. Instead, it’s something the players wasted no time talking about and Kellogg added similar thoughts on: playing with a purpose.

“Dudes need to learn about themselves,” said senior Tony Gaffney. “Dudes need to go home and look in the mirror and decide if they want to play, if they’re going to play with heart and passion. From the jump, no one played with that urgency.”

Indeed, Gaffney was perhaps the one Minuteman who played with urgency throughout the game. He was probably the best player on the floor, and his 20 points, 13 rebounds and eight blocked shots only tell part of the story there. His motor is always running, and that’s been a big thing holding up the 1-3 Minutemen right now.

Chris Lowe was great in the second half, when he scored 15 of his 20 points, but he had no assists in the second half. That means teammates didn’t set themselves up for passes like they did in the first half, and while Lowe had some big baskets, he didn’t make all of the plays on the night. And he was quick to point a finger at himself.

“Right now, Tony’s the only one playing with leadership,” Lowe said after the game. “Myself, just because I had that many points, whatever, that don’t mean nothing. I’m not providing enough leadership, and if I don’t do that, the team’s not going to be successful, to tell you the truth, so everything’s really falling on me.”

While the floor leader is important and sets the tone, Lowe is hardly alone on the court. Much has been expected of Ricky Harris and Anthony Gurley, but neither gave them much on Monday night. They combined for 20 points while being capable of scoring about 35 a night, but more importantly, they seemed invisible on the court.

The Minutemen reject the notion that this is explained by the fact that they’re a young team. They aren’t off their rockers in thinking that; it’s not a team full of freshmen and sophomores. Their lack of experience is less of an issue than their lack of depth. But most of all, the lack of a consistent effort, especially at the defensive end, is a real issue.

“I thought our guys competed at times, especially in the run where we did some good things,” said Kellogg. “I just have to find a way to get them to play harder and continue to buy into what we’re trying to do on the defensive end of the floor.

“Until we improve defensively, we’re just going to be an okay basketball team.”

Kellogg had a recurring them in his post-game comments. Namely, the Minutemen have worked hard and shown some intensity, but not all the time. The consistency of effort and intensity hasn’t been there, and it’s showing as the team looks good in spurts.

“My whole speech before the game, after the game, during the game, is let’s play intense basketball for 40 minutes. Let’s go out there and compete on every play, every possession,” said Kellogg. “The only way you do that is if you do it every day in practice. We do that sometimes, but we don’t do it enough every day in practice, and I’m trying to stay on these guys and get them to compete and play harder.”

At 1-3, UMass is in a hole early. They had a chance at beating Southern Illinois, although that was far from a given since it was in Carbondale. They had Monday night’s game as well. There’s enough talent and even experience on the team, and Gaffney and Lowe are capable leaders. The latter knows, however, that he has to change for the benefit of the team, and that’s something he’s accustomed to as a point guard.

“I’m not a rah-rah guy who likes to yell and scream,” said Lowe. “I’ve just got to get out of my shell now. We’re in a hole, we’ve got to get out of this hole.”

The players certainly aren’t about to give up on their season, and the coaching staff certainly isn’t as well. They just realize they have to change course if the results are to change.

Seawolves Showing Some Scrap

STONY BROOK, N.Y. – The Stony Brook Seawolves have been the definition of futility during the past three seasons, and after a 1-3 start, many fans are ready to once again write off Stony Brook, as they are once again murmuring that head coach Steve Pikiell should be on the first bus out of town. But the Seawolves have actually been one of the pleasant surprises of the young season.

Sure, the Seawolves’ only win was over the University of Marlyand-Eastern Shore, a team at the bottom of the Division I ranks, and losses to Lafayette and Wagner are certainly uninspiring on paper, but those are three games that Stony Brook may well have not shown up for last year.

No one is predicting that Stony Brook will compete for a league title this season, but the Seawolves look very improved over last year’s squad. Last year the Seawolves played as five individuals; this year they actually look like a unit on the floor. Last year it seemed that Stony Brook played five athletes with no real position on the floor; this year the Seawolves have gone with a real lineup. Brian Dougher, Jonathan Moore, Chris Martin, and Marques Cox rotate through the guard position, Tommy Brenton and Muhammad El-Amin see time on the wing, and Brenton, Dallis Joyner, Danny Carter, Andrew Goba and Demetrius Young playing in the low post.

The Seawolves have been in every single game they have played, and could have won all three games that they have lost so far. Pikiell has developed a set 9-man rotation, and the Seawolves have begun to work the ball into the low post (a huge step in the right direction from last year).

On the court, the Seawolves look like a completely different team than last year’s squad. Last year Stony Brook ran an offense that resembled five chickens running around with their heads chopped off. Stony Brook lead the conference in three pointers attempted while finishing dead-last in three-point shooting, as the Seawolves played like five individuals auditioning for the And-1 Mix-Tape tour. This season, Stony Brook looks like a team on the floor, have taken more shots from around the hoop than behind the arc, while actually moving the ball around on offense.

Perhaps most indicative of the Seawolves’ new direction has been the lack of playing time for Young, a 6’6″ leaper, as well as super athlete Jermol Paul and pint-sized chucker Michael Tyree, as Pikiell is going for production and performance above raw athleticism this year.

Especially encouraging for Stony Brook was Tuesday night’s performance against American. Stony Brook fell 56-53, but they played as equals with the best team in the Patriot league all night, which is not bad for an America East cellar-dweller. The Seawolves not only played as a team, but they fought all the way to the end in a game that they would have simply rolled over in last year.

“I’m extremely proud of the energy and effort our players showed tonight,” said Pikiell. “We played some excellent basketball against a terrific American team and unfortunately they just made a few more plays than we did down the stretch.”

Stony Brook still isn’t distributing the ball particularly well, but that may well be due to having two first-year players handle the point guard responsibility. That’s a role that freshman Dougher and junior college transfer Moore may grow into as the season progresses.

Brenton, a true freshman, has not only been Stony Brook’s best player, but the best freshman in the conference through the first two weeks. Pikiell raved about Brenton’s desire and work ethic in the low post, calling him the best rebounder on the team before the start of the season, and he has more than lived up to the billing, pulling down a league-leading 11.3 rebounds per game through for games. A natural wing at 6’5″, Brenton has played far bigger than his size, controlling the glass through tenacity and guile rather than size. He’s also shown a nice touch around the hoop.

“Tommy is a coach’s dream, he’s relentless around the hoop, our toughest player, and incredibly smart, and he just gets the job done,” said Pikiell. “He’s going to be a very special player for us before all is said and done.”

Martin has also been one of the best bench players in the conference, averaging 8.8 points in only 13 minutes a game. And he has been coming on stronger as the young season progresses: after only playing four minutes in the season opener, Martin scored 11 points in 14 minutes of action versus Lafayette, 14 points in 16 minutes versus Wagner, and 10 points in 18 minutes versus American. At 6’1″, 230 pounds and less than 10 percent body fat, Martin is a unique player in the conference. Already with the ability to handle the ball and run the point, and a developing outside shot, he can also post up America East guards at will, and has all the makings of an All-Conference player by the time he becomes an upperclassman. Martin is proving to be a weapon off of the bench, and more importantly gives the Seawolves’ offense a new dimension, as he can put the ball on the floor and really get to the hoop.

And the Seawolves have the look of a team that will be playing it’s best basketball at the end of the season, as Joyner, a 6’8″, 250-pound bruiser, and Carter, a 6’9″ sharpshooter, have shown flashes as true freshmen, and will only get better as the year goes on. Ditto for Dougher, who has started all four of the Seawolves’ games at point guard as a true freshman. The learning curve is especially tough at the point guard position for first-year players, but Dougher has a bulldog mentality and some legitimate skill to go with it, and has the tools to be a fine floor general.

The biggest lift for Stony Brook, however, will be the return of Desmond “Big Des” Adedeji, a 6’10″, 315-pound nightmare in the middle and the Seawolves’ best player. Fans are quick to overlook the fact that Stony Brook has been in a position to win every game they have played this season despite playing without their centerpiece, as Pikiell’s offense had been designed to revolve around Adedeji, The impact that Adedeji could have – the ideal word here is “could” – can not be overstated, as there may not be a player in the conference that can stop him if he gets the ball on the low blocks. Adedeji has tremendous hands, a soft touch, is an exciting finisher around the hoop, and can run the floor like a deer, and could average 15 and 10 right away.

Adedeji has served four games of a six game suspension, and the lay-off combined with off-season surgery and the year he spent away from the court last season as a transfer (from Dayton) should temper immediate expectations for Adedeji, but the talent and potential are there, and the Seawolves are only going to get better with his return.

Stony Brook is still a long way from becoming the “Evil Empire” that some boastfully predicted a few years back. But there may finally be light at the end of the tunnel for the Seawolves, and they could certainly play the roll of spoiler at the end of the season.

Resilience at St. Bonaventure

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The winters in Olean can be long and tough. In years gone, residents and St. Bonaventure students would take solace in the play of the Bonnies on the hardwood, but the recent years have made the winters seem endless.

On Sunday, on a bright day in New Jersey, another ray of hope came through for Bonaventure faithful. St. Bonaventure upset Rutgers 64-63 in overtime at the Rutgers Athletic Center. The loss was the Scarlet Knights’ first of the season and gave the Bonnies the title in the Garden State Challenge.

Prior to the contest, Rutgers assistant Darren Savino remarked that keeping turnovers to a minimum was a Rutgers priority. Rutgers finished with 15 turnovers, but had 11 in the first half. That was crucial because those losses of the ball prevented Rutgers from going on any run. St. Bonaventure stayed even and trailed by one at the half.

“The longer we hung around the more our confidence grew,” noted Bonnie coach Mark Schmidt.

The game was close throughout. There were 22 ties, 16 lead changes and no one led by more than four. With under a minute to go, St. Bonaventure led by four. Anthony Farmer missed the second of two free throws. Rutgers rebounded and Mike Rosario tied it with a three pointer from the left side. Bonaventure’s Jonathan Hall had a last second shot blocked by J.R. Inman.

In overtime Rutgers scored the first four points and had momentum. Bonaventure maintained poise, answered and took the lead. With nine seconds to go Rutgers inbounded on their own end. A pass to Rosario on the wing found him defended. His pass back to the point was tipped by Ray Blackburn of Bonaventure as time expired.

“Our kids are resilient,” Schmidt said. “They are blue collar, play with a chip on their shoulder and were not on the top of the recruiting lists.”

Beside resilience, defense was a factor. Rutgers coach Fred Hill said that Rutgers did what was needed the final five minutes of the game and overtime. But the rest of the game was a different story.

“We didn’t do a good job in our ‘sudden’ set,” Hill said. In that particular set the Rutgers offense is in transition and enters an offense designed for a quick and good shot opportunity. “Credit their (St. Bonaventure) defense,” Hill said. “Their defense was solid.”

Rebounding was another big story here. Entering the game this was a concern for St. Bonaventure against a bigger Rutgers frontcourt. The Bonnies won the battle of the boards (51-40) and even had a 23-13 edge on the offensive glass. Rutgers coach Fred Hill noted on numerous occasions his team had their hands on the ball and lost it.

“Rebounds are crucial when the game is close and each possession is important,” Hill said. “We have to be stronger with the ball.”

Hill praised the work of J.R. Inman who began the year out with a suspension. Inman played 16 minutes and had five points but drew accolades from Hill for blocking a potential game-winning shot by the Bonnies’ Jonathan Hall in regulation.

Rosario and Greg Echenique led Rutgers with 14 points each. Echenique celebrated his birthday with a double-double as he added 14 boards. The Bonnies were paced by Hall’s 18-point, nine-rebound effort. Andrew Nicholson also had a huge game for the Bonnies, as the 6-9 freshman turned in a 15-point, 11-rebound, 5-block effort against a sizable frontcourt.

In the second game of the RAC doubleheader, Delaware stopped Marist in overtime. Jawan Carter led all scorers with 30 points for Delaware. The Blue Hens also received big performances from Alphonso Dawson (25 points) and Marc Egerson (23). Marist was paced by David Devezin’s 21 points but lost a war of attrition with three players fouling out.

The Challenge standings:
St. Bonaventure (3-1)
Rutgers (3-1)
Delaware (2-2)
Marist (2-2)
Robert Morris (1-3)

Jacksonville State Gets a Building Block Win

AMHERST, Mass. – You can’t read too much into one game, especially early in the season. But the final score on Monday night can’t be the only good thing Jacksonville State takes home.

The Gamecocks came to town on an evening that was big for the UMass faithful, although the crowd wasn’t very large. The paid attendance was over 4,800 (the Mullins Center seats nearly 9,500), but they were there for the home debut of new head coach Derek Kellogg, a hometown hero who was among the keys to UMass becoming a national power in the 1990s. The young Gamecocks at first glance would seem like an opponent the Minutemen could certainly beat to give Kellogg a win in his home debut.

But that’s not what happened. Despite trailing by five points with 29 seconds left, Jacksonville State walked out with a 75-74 win that had plenty of positives.

Jacksonville State was picked last in the Ohio Valley Conference preseason poll of the head coaches and sports information directors. At first glance, that seems like an understandable selection. The Gamecocks have just four upperclassmen among their top 11 players and a new head coach after a 7-22 showing last season. Four true freshmen are on the roster, and a fifth freshman, Geddes Robinson, was a non-qualifier last season.

Those freshmen are among the reasons for Gamecock fans to be hopeful. Only Stephen Hall, who has already been a steady contributor off the bench, was signed before James Green took over as head coach. Green then had to work with just one live weekend in April to evaluate players, but went out and recruited Brandon Crawford, who has been an instant impact player, then added John Barnes and junior college forward Jacques Leeds.

Crawford already has the look of a star player. He’s athletic and has a good body for his position, and in his first four games he has averaged 16 points and is 9-15 from behind the three-point line. On Monday, he came into the game with his team trailing 13-12 and wasted little time making his presence felt. He scored six straight points to cap a run of eight unanswered to give the Gamecocks the lead at 20-13.

“During practice, we felt he had a chance to be a really good player for us, but he’s actually scored the ball a lot better in the games than what he did in practice,” said Green. “He’s very athletic, he’s long, and he gives us a guy that really sometimes is a mismatch for other teams in the fact that he’s athletic enough to go down inside and do some things there, too.”

Green can see the effect Crawford has had on his teammates with his play. While he surely wasn’t the sole or even main reason for the poise they showed late in the game, he had a role in the end as well, as he converted a four-point play with 23 seconds left that pulled the Gamecocks within one, setting up the dramatics in the final seconds.

“I think when you see young guys play like that, it gives everybody confidence,” said Green.

While this was one game in a long season, you have to think this gives them a confidence boost. This is a road win for a young team early on that can only help them. It also came after events that might normally deflate a young team and perhaps even serve as knockout blows. After the Gamecocks blew a seven-point lead by allowing UMass to run off 13 unanswered points, the psychological impact of giving up the lead might be damaging enough all by itself, especially that late in the game.

Green talked about this game being something for his team to learn from, and he felt they gained something from their season opener at South Carolina. Those are signs that this team is buying into what the coaches are teaching, and that their talent won’t be all that they have going for them.

“As a coach, and being a part of about seven different programs, I can’t really remember having as many young players that have been as poised as we have in the two road games that we’ve had,” said Green, who had been the head coach at Mississippi Valley State before taking this job.

Some of the credit there has to go to the veterans, notably seniors Jonathan Toles (who scored the winning basket) and DeAndre Bray, one of the shortest players in college basketball at 5’6″. Toles led the team with 18 points and added five assists with just one turnover. In fact, the Gamecocks had 19 assists with just nine turnovers on the night.

It’s still early in the season, and Jacksonville State is sure to have some growing pains along the way. They could just as easily finish the season winning just three more games to go with the three wins they already have. But a win like the one they had on Monday night can go a long way towards helping a team grow better, especially if, as Green talked about, it is a game his team learns from.

Big Ten Notebook: The Big Ten is Down? Not So Fast . . .

Who says the Big Ten is down? Through the first few weeks, the conference has one loss as a whole, and that loss was to Duke.

I admit, the competition isn’t of the highest level, and most of the games have been on Big Ten courts, but there aren’t the Division II losses or stunner upsets that have shown up this time of the season in years past. Does this mean the Big Ten will be represented heavily in the polls or send seven teams to the dance? Obviously not. But it may mean that the conference as a whole is rebounding from a couple of saggy years. The conference basement definitely won’t be as ugly this year, and early wins by the middle-tier teams are optimistic.

Some early season observations:

• Apologies to Michigan State’s Kalin Lucas, but Penn State has the fastest backcourt in the conference. Sophomore Talor Battle looks like a potential all-league pick, averaging over 20 points per game. He’s shooting close to 60 percent from the field, has made 13 threes, and has committed just four turnovers. Stanley Pringle has similar numbers and may be faster end-to-end. They have been able to outrun their opponents thus far, and if that translates to the Big Ten season, the Nittany Lions could flirt with a winning conference season.
• Michigan beat UCLA not with a Beilein barrage, but with its pesky 1-3-1 zone defense. The Bruins were perplexed all night, and the Wolverines made enough plays on offense to win. Manny Harris is my favorite player in the league – in four contests, he’s gotten to the free throw line 39 times and made 34. His aggressiveness will give teammates wide open looks from deep, and Harris is averaging 4.5 assists as well. Beilein has been bringing DeShawn Sims, the Wolverines’ best interior player, off the bench. He can provide an instant spark with his intensity and inside-outside game. They are a team to watch.
• It hasn’t been the prettiest start in Bloomington, but Tom Crean has opened with a pair of wins at Indiana. They were clearly juiced for an opening night win over Northwestern State, but really struggled with IUPUI a few nights later. The inconsistency was to be expected, but if the Hoosiers don’t take better control of the ball (37 turnovers vs. 34 assists in the two games), the winning won’t last long. They face Notre Dame, Wake Forest and Gonzaga in their next four contests.
• Purdue has a stronger grip on the ball. They’ve dished out 73 dimes in their three wins as opposed to 39 turnovers. The box scores tell a story of complete balance: no one is playing more than 26 minutes per contest, but nine are getting in for 13 minutes or more. Six players are averaging 8 or more points per game. What does that equal? Three wins by an average winning margin of over 28 points.
• I have serious hot and cold concerns with Michigan State. They opened by crushing Idaho by 38, but were not impressive in a win against IPFW. The Spartans should dominate the acronym teams. They say a win is a win, but for a team projected to win the conference and challenge for a Final Four berth, a close win against IPFW almost seems like a loss.
• It’s hard to judge after one game, but freshmen sensations B.J. Mullens and William Buford didn’t start on opening night for Ohio State. Buford still managed 13 points and Mullens seven, so I’m not concerned. If Thad Matta has enough confidence in Dallas Lauderdale and Jon Diebler, who started in place of the freshmen, Ohio State might be better than we think.
• Mullens and Buford aren’t the only contributing freshmen. Iowa is being carried by them, and Anthony Tucker is leading the way. The outside specialist is 16-37 from long distance in four wins and averages a team-leading 16 points per game. Freshman backcourt mate Matt Gatens is averaging double figures as well and playing over 30 minutes a contest. Freshman big man Aaron Fuller is also starting and contributing for Todd Lickliter. Disclaimer: I do not expect these numbers to continue throughout the conference slate.
• Also unblemished to this point: Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Northwestern.

Early Honor Roll

Best Win:

• Michigan 55, UCLA 52. The Wolverines, as previously mentioned, held UCLA to 42 percent shooting and created 17 turnovers. That sounds more like a UCLA line than a Michigan one.
• First Runner-Up: Illinois 69, Vanderbilt 63. The conference’s best road win.
• Second Runner-Up: Northwestern 81, Central Arkansas 39. Why mention this sleeper? Did you think Northwestern could beat anyone by 42? Me neither, and Central Arkansas even has a win over UNC-Greensboro.

Biggest Scare:

• Wisconsin 60, Iona 58 (OT). Since there’s been only one loss, a close win is the scariest it gets. I imagine the Badgers will play better next time.
• First Runner-Up: Indiana 60, IUPUI 57. Acronym teams can hang with this year’s Hoosier squad, apparently.
• Second Runner-Up: Minnesota 72, Colorado State 71. Would the Gophers have won if CSU’s best player, Marcus Walker, wasn’t hit by a car the day before?

Player of the Week:

• Manny Harris, Michigan. 24 ppg, 6 rpg, 4.5 apg, 1.8 spg, 34-39 FTs
• First Runner-Up: Talor Battle, Penn State. 20.5 ppg, 4.3 apg, 2 spg, 13-24 3s
• Second Runner-Up: Raymar Morgan, Michigan State.

Line of the Week:

• Craig Moore, Northwestern, 11/22 @ Brown.
  • 11-15 FG, 9-13 on 3s, 31 points. Broke his own school record with those nine treys.
• First Runner-Up: Manny Harris, Michigan, 11/12 vs. Northeastern
  • 6-9 FG, 1-2 3s, 13-14 FTs, 26 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists. As efficient a game as one can play.
• Second Runner-Up: Colton Iverson, Minnestoa, 11/15 vs. Bowling Green.
  • 6 points, 8 rebounds, 9 blocks. His blocks were more than half of the Gophers’ school record 17.
• Third Runner-Up: Jermain Davis, Illinois, 11/17 vs. Texas-San Antonio.
  • 0-4 FG, 0-1 3s, 10-10 FT, 10 points. Encouraging that a guard gets to the line ten times and makes them all, even when the shots aren’t falling.

Final Score Not the Best From Thursday For Providence

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – It’s easy to see the 111-87 final score and think Providence had a good night against Sacred Heart. That’s certainly true, as the Friars shot nearly 54 percent from the field, including a 13-30 showing from behind the arc, and forced 22 turnovers. But as is usually the case at this time of the year, the end result doesn’t tell the whole story. There were potentially two bigger bright spots on this evening: Marshon Brooks and Sharaud Curry.

Brooks is a microcosm of this, as it’s easy to see his career-high 30 points – which was eight more than his point total in the first two games (22) and nearly half of his point total all of last season – as well as 5-8 showing from behind the line and think of the good night he had. He had 24 of those points in the first half, already setting a career high. It’s safe to say that he could be starting a major breakout season.

Last season, Brooks had a lot of the usual issues that the majority of freshmen have in college basketball. His minutes were inconsistent, which didn’t help his play, and on a veteran team he looked like a player of the future and not the present. He was well away from his Georgia home, which can be a bigger adjustment than some realize. But the biggest thing that is different for him this season – and there are several things, like the new coaching staff and that it’s a different season – is that he knows things now that he didn’t back then.

“Being a freshman, you didn’t know what to expect coming to the college game,” said the sophomore wing. “I started coming along towards the end of the season, when I started learning the college game a little more.”

That Brooks was viewed by most as a player of the future isn’t surprising. He came in as a long and athletic wing who badly needed to add strength, especially for the Big East. It’s also not as if the Friars beat out the entire ACC and SEC to snag the Georgia product, as he didn’t have a host of high-major offers at all. Brooks played in just 18 of the team’s 31 games and averaged less than ten minutes per game. He made five three-pointers all season in 19 attempts. On Thursday, he made five three-pointers in the game, and needed just eight attempts to do it.

“Over the summer, coach Keno (Davis) made us shoot a thousand shots a day,” said Brooks, who noted that even his diet has changed from last year. “The guards took a thousand shots a day, and our jump shots got better.”

With Davis wanting to push the pace, it’s clear Brooks was going to have plenty of opportunities to have a role on this team as more than a bit player. So far, that seems to be the case, and he’s not slowing up. It’s not lost on his teammates that his improvement isn’t just physical in nature; he’s clearly more comfortable now both on and off the court.

“He listens and asks for advice out there, and he wants to get better,” Curry, who also hails from Georgia, said of Brooks. “Gaining experience last year is helping him this year.”

For his part, Curry had 15 points and eight assists with just two turnovers. But once again, don’t look at the numbers. Look at how he played and how he looked. In his case, that’s probably more important, because prior to the season he lacked quickness and explosiveness. He hasn’t acquired it all back, but there was clearly a difference and it showed in the results.

“I just had to get back out there, and I’m starting to get more and more comfortable every time out there,” said the junior guard.

Last season, the difficulty of not having Curry or a true point guard in reserve was obvious. The Friars’ offense never had any consistency, and they often lived and died by three-point shots. Making matters worse is that all too often, they settled for a lot of those shots instead of taking them in the flow of an offense. The Friars tried the departed Dwain Williams, and although he gave a good effort, he’s simply not a point guard. Jeff Xavier and Weyinmi Efejuku had a few moments at the position, but the result was the same.

The hope for this season was that Curry would be healthy. While he isn’t quite there yet, and at times it hasn’t helped, the signs are better. This week is a test with three games in five days, but that Curry appears to be getting better is a good sign physically and in terms of managing his situation. He’s also getting his touch back overall.

“I think I’m starting to get it back. There was definitely a little rust,” said Curry. “Anytime you take a year off of anything, you’re not going to be the same that you were.”

The results have borne out his improvement and the effect on the team. With Curry improving, the Friars scored at least 100 points in two straight games for the first time since the 1990-91 season (when they did that twice). The offense looks better, players have more defined roles, and the Friars are scoring. While the offense is also different under Davis, who likes to push the pace, there’s a clear difference in this team at that end of the floor.

That, along with the development of Brooks, is potentially much bigger than just a 111-point outing like the one they had on Thursday night.

National Prep Showcase a Mix of Blowouts, Close Calls

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The 2008 National Prep Showcase is in the books.  It consisted of 21 games in three days, two-thirds of which were decided by more than 10 points.  Six of those contests were decided by 25 points or more.

But amidst the blowouts, we saw great games as well.  Three games were decided by one or two points, and the best game of the tournament had a deceptive six-point margin as it felt even closer.

With that, we take a look at the scores, then some notes from the event.

Friday Scoreboard

Woodstock (VA) Massanutten Military Academy 74, Oakdale (CT) St. Thomas More 64

Lenoir (NC) Patterson School 81, Fitchburg (MA) Notre Dame Prep 56

Chatham (VA) Hargrave Military Academy 76, North Bridgton (ME) Bridgton Academy 74

Winchendon (MA) School 64, Simi Valley (CA) Stoneridge Prep 34

Northfield (MA) Mount Hermon 91, Fork Union (VA) Military Academy 63

Henderson (NV) Findlay College Prep 81, Barrington (RI) St. Andrew’s 50

Saturday Scoreboard

Lee (ME) Academy 67, Oakdale (CT) St. Thomas More 61

Lenoir (NC) Patterson School 62, Pittsfield (ME) Maine Central Institute 50

Chatham (VA) Hargrave Military Academy 77, Winchendon (MA) School 60

Fitchburg (MA) Notre Dame Prep 78, Woodstock (VA) Massanutten Military Academy 57

Fork Union (VA) Military Academy 64, Wolfeboro (NH) Brewster Academy 45

South Kent (CT) School 62, Simi Valley (CA) Stoneridge Prep 37

North Bridgton (ME) Bridgton Academy 65, Champlain (Quebec) St. Lambert 46

Henderson (NV) Findlay College Prep 82, Southborough (MA) St. Mark’s 76

Blairstown (NJ) Blair Academy 86, New Hampton (NH) Prep 85

Sunday Scoreboard

Wolfeboro (NH) Brewster Academy 71, Simi Valley (CA) Stoneridge Prep 66

Lenoir (NC) Patterson School 53, South Kent (CT) School 36

Northfield (MA) Mount Hermon 78, Champlain (Quebec) St. Lambert 50

Lee (ME) Academy 72, New Hampton (NH) Prep 71

Tilton (NH) School 75, Pittsfield (ME) Maine Central Institute 62

Blairstown (NJ) Blair Academy 78, Barrington (RI) St. Andrew’s School 74

Fork Union Manhandles Brewster

If there was one result here that should grab someone’s attention, it was Fork Union Military Academy’s easy handling of Brewster Academy on Saturday.  Fork Union was in control throughout the game, although Brewster made a run in the second half to get within single digits.

Brewster was ranked No. 2 in the preseason National Prep Poll with another team loaded with talent.  (Full disclosure: I am one of the poll voters.)  On Saturday, the Bobcats shot just 16 percent from the field, a major reason they lost despite forcing 22 turnovers.

The list of players who struggled is large, and it was certainly a collective effort.  Of note, Kansas signee Thomas Robinson (6’8″ Sr. PF, Washington (DC)) tried to do too much and had just two points on 0-9 shooting, though he did haul down 12 rebounds.  Point guard Reggie Moore (6’1″ Sr. PG, Everett (WA)) was 3-15 from the field and had three turnovers to go with one assist.

But give Fork Union credit, because they simply out-played the Bobcats in this one.  Andre Ervin (6’3″ Sr. SG, Richmond (VA)) didn’t shoot exceedingly well, in part because of shot selection, but the lefty led the way with 16 points.  He’s athletic and should get better with added strength and better shot selection, and could be a nice snag for a mid-major.  They also got a nice effort in both of their games from Kevin Laue (6’10″ Sr. C, Pleasanton (CA)), who does not have his left forearm.  Laue is hoping to play Division I basketball, possibly in the Ivy League, and on Saturday he had 11 points.

Simply the Best Player Here

It’s not often one player stands out as the best player at an event like this, which is one reason the oft-asked, “Who’s the best player there?” rarely has an answer.  But this weekend definitely had that, and Findlay’s Avery Bradley (6’3″ Sr. SG, Tacoma (WA)) is the player.

Bradley isn’t likely to be a one-and-done player at Texas, as he doesn’t have a clear NBA position.  But there aren’t many players more fun to watch, and it was especially on display Saturday night as his team held off St. Mark’s in the best game of the weekend.  Bradley did everything in the game, scoring 28 points on 12-17 shooting and seemingly making every right decision at both ends of the floor.  He found an open man, took the right shot, handled the ball, scored in several ways (including nailing the only two three-pointers he attempted), and impressed just about everyone there.

For good measure, he even guarded big men inside like Erik Murphy (6’10″ Sr. PF-C, Wakefield (RI)), who he gives up seven inches to.  Murphy had a quiet 21 points, but wasn’t a huge factor in part because of foul trouble.

Bradley has a rather unassuming demeanor, so he could be described as a silent assassin of sorts.  But don’t let the look fool you: he’s very athletic, well-built and smooth, and has a tremendous feel for the game.

Lubick Battles in Losing Effort

On the other side of that game was Georgetown commit Nate Lubick (6’8″ Jr. SF-PF, Southborough (MA)).  Although he didn’t shine at the outset, Lubick played the best game I have seen him play in the losing effort, and it goes beyond the 27 points (12-19 shooting) and nine rebounds he had.

If you never saw Lubick play before this game, you would come away thinking he’s a warrior.  He scored a number of baskets on stickbacks, loose balls, and with strong finishes near the basket, often contested.  When he worked inside, he was at his best, as he struggled shooting (and took a couple of questionable shots) but never stopped battling.  There was no doubt he wanted to win that game.

This continues a trend for Lubick, who got a lot of buzz as a rising sophomore.  He improved in the last year largely by being more effective without the ball, and that continues.  While he hasn’t had much physical gain, he’s becoming a better basketball player all the time.

Hargrave Just Keeps Winning

With two more wins this weekend, Hargrave Military Academy ran its winning streak to 37 games.  They are now 8-0 this season after going 29-0 last season with a national championship included.  The streak almost came to a close at 35 on Friday, however.

Bridgton Academy had a 74-73 lead in the final seconds of what was a back-and-forth game, courtesy of a clutch three-pointer by Malik Stith (5’10″ Sr. PG, Long Island (NY)).  But Hargrave got the ball to UMass-bound Freddie Riley (6’5″ Sr. SG-SF, Ocala (FL)), who knocked in a fade-away three-pointer to give the Tigers the win.

Riley had a big second half in their win on Saturday, riding his play there to a 19-point effort although it took 21 shots to get there.  UMass head coach Derek Kellogg and two assistants were on hand for the effort and were no doubt happy with what they saw.

Also noteworthy was the play of Charlotte-bound forward Chris Braswell (6’8″ Sr. PF, Washington (DC)).  While he has often looked soft over the years, he looked anything but that as he did most of his work inside this weekend, a welcome change despite the good abilities he has shown facing the basket over the years.  He went for 21 points on 9-15 shooting and had six rebounds on Friday, then just missed a double-double on Saturday with 10 points and nine rebounds.

Patterson Has Plenty of Players

If you haven’t seen any of Patterson’s players before, it can be hard to get a read on them from here because Chris Chaney will play everyone.  It helps that his team is full of capable players, so they don’t really lose much when they go past 10 deep.  In fact, their depth was a big factor in knocking off South Kent on Sunday despite falling behind early and being clearly out-played in that time.  They took over the game and wore South Kent down.

Vincent Council (6’2″ Sr. PG, Brooklyn (NY)) had a quietly good spring and summer playing with the Juice All-Stars, and looks to be carrying that over into his post-graduate season.  He had 16 assists in the three games and also had 12 points on Sunday.

Fellow guard Hunter McClintock (6’2″ Sr. PG-SG, Durham (NC)) impressed with his constantly running motor.  He doesn’t look like a true point and appeared a little turnover-prone this weekend, but the lefty can play fast and has a good body, and he’s enough of a threat from long range that his shot must be respected.

Rice signee Arsaian Kazemi (6’8″ Sr. SF, Iran) was noteworthy given his home country, but his play was worth watching.  He has a live body and some skills that can be improved, and his body isn’t there yet as well.  Ben Braun appears to have found a nice prospect.

Rashanti Harris (6’8″ Sr. PF, Columbus (MS)) is a well-built post player with good mobility inside.  Most importantly, he battles and gets plenty of rebounds, and all of that will help him be a high impact player at Georgia State next year.

Steven Roundtree (6’7″ Sr. SF, Jacksonville (FL)) is a baby physically with plus athleticism.  He didn’t play a big role, but he’s clearly a prospect and could certainly help a college team down the road.

McCarthy Helps Key Northfield Wins

It’s been a long road back for Andrew McCarthy (6’7″ Sr. SF-PF, Sudbury (MA)).  He basically missed the last two high school seasons with a bad back, and didn’t play much travel team ball in 2007.  This spring, even as he at times impressed, it was clear he wasn’t the player that was getting a lot of college interest two years ago as an active forward with a lot of energy.

Now McCarthy, a Brown commit, is back on the court regularly at Northfield Mount Hermon and is showing signs of being the player he once was, and perhaps better later on.  Don’t look at the numbers for proof, although he did have 13 points and five rebounds on Friday and led the team with seven rebounds on Sunday.  Instead, watch him play and see how he’s seeking the ball out again when it goes up and making plays happen.

He had plenty of help in both games, as Northfield is well-balanced and plays well within the team concept.  Playing in his backyard, Louisville signee Mike Marra (6’4″ Sr. SG, Smithfield (RI)) had 25 points on 6-12 shooting from long range, but it was a quiet 25 as he didn’t look like the best player on the floor.  That nod would go to Hector Harold (6’7″ Jr. SF, Pasadena (CA)), who had 18 points and was 3-6 from long range and looks like a nice prospect once he gets stronger.  On Sunday, Laurent Rivard (6’4″ Jr. SG-SF, Saint-Bruno (Quebec)) was the star with 19 points on 7-13 shooting.

New Hampton Loses Two Tough Ones

No team had a tougher weekend than New Hampton Prep, which lost two games by one point each.  They led for much of Saturday night’s loss to Blair Academy, and the game was still tied before a questionable loose ball foul with less then one second left.  On Saturday, they were right there for the entire game against Lee Academy before a stickback in the final seconds sunk them.

Fordham-bound Chris Gaston (6’6″ Sr. SF-PF, Palisades Park (NJ)) had a big game on Sunday with 20 points and 20 rebounds, following up a sub-par effort the night before.  Gaston is a garbage man inside and is very active, and while he won’t blow you away with his skills, he’s a solid player.

Teammate Jordan Callahan (5’11″ Sr. PG, Roswell (GA)) might not pass the “look test” as a point guard, but he impressed in both games.  He went for 20 points on 8-13 shooting and handed out six assists with just one turnover on Saturday night, while matched up against a good junior in Blair’s Hakeem Harris (6’1″ Jr. PG-SG, Bergenfield (NJ)).  He’s deceptively quick and showed he can run a team and get his own offense, including a touch from long range.

The player who might not initially stand out, but had two good games, is Nevada-bound Mark McLaughlin (6’5″ Sr. SG-SF, Kenmore (WA)).  He had 21 points on Saturday, generally scoring off the dribble, in transition and being in the right place.  You might not notice him out there very easily, but when you look up at the end of the game you find that he probably scored 15 points and might have had a few rebounds or assists (he had three with just one turnover on Saturday).

Behind Johnson, Blair Pulls Out Two Close Ones

One of New Hampton’s two losses came at the hands of Blair Academy, which followed up by pulling out another close one the next night over a young St. Andrew’s squad.  In both games, Austin Johnson (6’8″ Sr. SF-PF, Elkins Park (PA)) carried them.

The Rutgers-bound forward did everything, scoring 24 points and hauling down eight rebounds on Saturday, and following that up with 30 points and 10 rebounds on Sunday.  For good measure, he added four assists on Saturday, showing great skill both on the post and facing the basket.  His body is better as he’s eliminated some of the baby fat, and it shows as he’s even more mobile than before and now able to score on opponents inside with quickness as well as strength.

Among his support cast, a notably impressive player is Nathan Healy (6’7″ Sr. SF, New Bern (NC)).  Also a stud left-handed pitcher who is getting recruited highly for baseball, Healy made a number of key plays in both games and shows solid fundamentals and a nice feel for the game.  He had 13 points in Saturday night’s win, and while he only had six points on Sunday, he also had six rebounds.  He showed a touch from mid-range and also used some good up-fakes to score inside a couple of times.

The aforementioned Hakeem Harris capably ran the team in both games, handing out seven assists with just two turnovers in the two games.  He also had 14 points on Sunday to aid in the victory.

The most intriguing prospect on the team is Lionel Gomis (6’8″ So. SF-PF, Senegal), who just began playing the game.  He’s long and has some athleticism, but most impressive is that despite being new to the game he showed a touch from mid-range, set screens and doesn’t look soft.  The stats won’t jump out at you, but he did have six rebounds on Sunday and will be worth keeping an eye on.

Lee Quietly Wins Two

They aren’t the most talented team that played this weekend, but Lee Academy came away with two wins over quality opponents.  They play well within the team concept and show good balance, and that was the winning formula.

Lee opened Saturday morning by knocking off St. Thomas More, with UMass commit Maxie Esho (6’7″ Jr. SF, Upper Marlboro (MD)) being the only player in double figures with 13 points.  Among those who helped were Timothy Johnson (6’4″ Sr. SG-SF, Markham (IL)), who had a nice weekend, and intriguing prospect Samer Jasser (6’9″ Sr. PF, Jatt (Israel)), who had six points and a team-high seven rebounds.

On Sunday, Lee held off New Hampton with Esho again leading them in scoring with 14 points.  Also helping out and showing progress were guards Winston Graham (6’2″ Jr. SG, Bronx (NY)) and Jonathan Marsh (5’10″ Sr. PG, Buffalo (NY)).  Graham can shoot, but scored a few on drives here, while Marsh is showing some improvement with the decisions he makes with the ball, which is the big key for him since he’s shown he can score.

Big man Steve Sun (7’2″ Jr. C, Dongguan (China)) surely caught the eye of many coaches and observers.  He didn’t fill the stat sheet, but looks to have some potential once he gets stronger.  He’s able to block shots solely on his wingspan, but also came up short on some close shots.

Tilton’s Big Three Shines As Expected

In Tilton’s win over Maine Central Institute, all eyes were on their big three of Connecticut-bound forwards Alex Oriakhi (6’9″ Sr. PF, Lowell (MA)) and Jamal Coombs (6’6″ Sr. SF, Dorchester (MA)) and fast-rising junior Gerard Coleman (6’3″ Jr. SG, West Roxbury (MA)).

Coleman was the best player on the floor, showing off his great quickness and ability to finish in scoring 21 points on 10-18 shooting.  He’s still very left-handed and doesn’t show much range on the jumper, but a large part of the latter is that he’s so good at getting to the basket that he doesn’t take a lot of jumpers in the first place.

Oriakhi had the quietest 20 points and 16 rebounds imaginable.  While he had some moments where he made strong plays, there were other times, as has been the case before, where an observer might think, “He’s going to UConn?”

Coombs led the way with 22 points and had nine rebounds, putting forth another solid, productive outing.  This was vintage Coombs, as he didn’t blow anyone away with athleticism or skills, but simply made plays throughout the game.  He goes out on the court and plays the game, and when you look up at the end, he’s filled out a stat sheet.

St. Andrew’s Looks Every Bit a Young Team

This year’s St. Andrew’s team has a decidedly young look to it.  Although they have five seniors, Mike Hart is trying to reload behind several underclassmen who are new to the team, and the youth showed in the Saints’ two losses this weekend.

In Friday’s loss to powerful Findlay, the most impressive player was junior Youri Dascy (6’7″ Jr. PF, Fall River (MA)), who was one of just two Saints in double figures with 10 points and seven rebounds.  The other one was another newcomer, shooter Michael Carter-Williams (6’3″ So. SG, Hamilton (MA)), who also had 10 points and followed it up with a team-high 15 points in their loss to Blair Academy on Sunday.  Although fellow sophomore Michael Laplante (6’5″ So. SG-SF, Woonsocket (RI)) had 12 points on Sunday, he didn’t look nearly as good as he did in the spring and summer.

Dascy has a big body but could stand to get in better shape, as he showed good fundamentals in scoring on the post.  With better mobility, he could become a nice post scorer against many other defenders.  Carter-Williams has a ways to go physically but showed off his stroke from long range and mid-range.  Laplante is very athletic, but you would never know it watching him this weekend as he often settled for jumpers and then got down too low with his dribble, basically throwing his athleticism out the window.

Among their seniors, Mike Accaoui (Sr. PG-SG, Lincoln (RI)) uncharacteristically struggled shooting the ball, but has improved off the dribble.  Nyheem Sanders (6’2″ Sr. PG-SG, Pawtucket (RI)) once again looked much more effective when he drove the ball instead of shooting it.

Other Notes

In Brewster’s bounce-back win on Sunday, the big star was Oklahoma-bound forward Andrew Fitzgerald (6’6″ Sr. PF, Baltimore (MD)).  The much-improved post player had 27 points and 14 rebounds and did a lot of his damage in the second half, with several clutch baskets.  His body can still get better with some work, so his best basketball is probably still ahead of him.

St. Mark’s was 1-18 on three-pointers in their loss to Findlay.  The one shot from behind the arc that went came from, of all players, Quinnipiac-bound Dave Johnson (5’9″ Sr. PG, Jackson (NJ)).  At times, Johnson was the best player on the floor as he had a double-double with 10 points and 12 assists, but at other times his lack of strength was glaringly obvious against a team full of players with mature bodies.

Just days after signing with nearby Providence, Johnnie Lacy (5’10″ Sr. PG, Milwaukee (WI)) didn’t play his best ball with some on hand surely there to check out their future point guard.  Lacy is very quick and can score and run a team, and while his body has a ways to go that will come in time.  He had just seven points and four assists with eight turnovers, and was out-played by Massanutten guard Rashadd Lucas (6’2″ Sr. PG-SG, Lees Summit (MO)), who had 15 points and five steals, one of them coming in the backcourt when he picked Lacy’s pocket and had an easy layup.  Rest easy, Friar fans: this was an aberration.

Like his older brother, Nick Checovich (6’3″ Sr. SG, Hampton (NH)) can certainly shoot it.  He was a sniper all weekend long, including a 4-4 showing from long range on Saturday night, and he also hit in the clutch.  Brother Todd played at Colgate earlier in the decade, and Nick could wind up there as well.

Winchendon isn’t quite as loaded talent-wise as in years past, but Mike Byrnes’ team played like one that won’t be an easy out.  The best player in their first game might have been Hofstra commit David Imes, Jr. (6’6″ Sr. PF, Brooklyn (NY)), who was active with nine points and six rebounds, while fellow Hofstra commit Yves Jules (6’1″ Sr. PG, Brooklyn (NY)) led them in the loss to Hargrave.  UMass-bound Sampson Carter (6’8″ Sr. SF, Memphis (TN)) and unsigned forward Eric Ferguson (6’8″ Sr. SF, Statesboro (GA)) are also nice athletes on the perimeter, with Carter being very thin.

Stoneridge Prep has a very promising big man in Youssoupha Mbao (7’2″ Sr. C, Dakar (Senegal)).  His body has a ways to go, and he’s mechanical with the ball, but he has very long arms and blocks shots well, rebounded better than a lot of big men with bodies like his, and uses fakes well in trying to score.  All of his shortcomings are things that can be either corrected or improved with more experience and coaching, and it’s no surprise that he’s getting interest from the highest levels.

Stoneridge also has a wing nice wing in Amath Mbaye (6’7″ Sr. SF, Paris (France)), and Hoop Scoop reported that he signed with Wyoming.  It’s a nice addition for the Cowboys, as Mbaye isn’t the most athletic player, but he’s active and showed a good touch from long range.

Notes From the 2K Sports Classic

NEW YORK – The 2K Sports Classic to benefit Coaches vs. Cancer gave us some interesting insight. The coaches will tell you, and rightfully so, the season is a marathon not a sprint. Regardless, you want to start with a good rhythm and stride to weather the rough spots as the ‘race’ progresses.

Semifinals
Duke 83, Southern Illinois 58
Michigan 55, UCLA 52

Consolation
UCLA 77, Southern Illinois 60

Championship
Duke 71, Michigan 56

Duke – Claimed the championship but faced a challenge each night. The Blue Devils actually found the semifinal to be rather difficult. Southern Illinois battled gamely, enjoyed some early leads and kept within striking distance until ten minutes remained. At that point Duke went on a run to distance themselves from the Salukis.

“With Duke you know they will play hard, defend and take things away from you,” said Southern Illinois mentor Chris Lowery.

Duke received contributions both nights from sophomore Nolan Smith at the guard spot. Kyle Singler earned MVP honors with his 15-point, 8-rebound effort in the finals. Another bright spot, who can make inside play easier for Singler, was Brian Zoubek. The 7-1 junior center mixed it up inside and provided a nice presence on the blocks. His rebounding takes pressure off Singler inside. Zoubek also played a dual role against the Michigan zone, as he established himself down low and at times came high to receive a pass and look for cutters underneath.

Southern Illinois – If the game was 30 minutes, Chris Lowery’s club would have been in great condition. On both nights the Salukis were competitive and battling hard. Then the roof simply caved in and the respective contests each turned into a rout.

“We were tied with 8:48 to play,” Lowery said after the loss to UCLA. “For the second straight night we went into a meltdown. We missed assignments and had turnovers. We have some work to do to get there (put 40 minutes together).”

All was not lost for the Salukis, who left MSG 0-2. They earned respect of both opponents despite final scores that would suggest otherwise, and they showed some nice talent. Freshman point guard Kevin Dillard impressed and earned all-tournament honors. Carlton Fay, a 6-8 sophomore, operated inside and on the perimeter. Nick Evans, a 6-11 freshman, had a strong outing against Duke. And the nice thing about Lowery’s young talent, it will continue to get better and not leave Carbondale early for the NBA.

Michigan – Is there any doubt John Beilein is one of the best coaches in America? All the Michigan mentor does is prepare his teams extremely well and win, no matter where he is and with the same system he’s used through the coaching ranks. In the semifinals they gave UCLA fits with their 1-3-1 zone. The Bruins were guilty of 17 turnovers in that contest. Duke had more success against the 1-3-1 in the final. Still, Michigan was there. The problem was perimeter shots that fell in the semifinal, especially in the second half, did not against Duke. The looks were there for the Wolverines but the shooting percentage (35% against Duke) wasn’t.

Manny Harris was effective at the guard spot. DeShawn Sims, a 6-8 junior, is effective outside, in the paint and in transition. The Wolverines need someone to step up consistently to help the aforementioned pair. Freshman Stu Douglas shot well against UCLA (10 pts) but not against Duke(1 of 5 for 3 points).

UCLA – Ben Howland says this is a young team that has a ways to go. We believe him. They led by six in a slower paced game at the half against Michigan. The Wolverines then came out strong the second half, gained the lead in the stretch and closed it out.

For the Bruins Darren Collison was consistent both nights in the backcourt. Up front Alfred Aboya was relatively quiet against Michigan but came up big with a 22-point outing in the consolation. His contributions will be needed on a regular basis. Nikola Dragovic, a 6-9 junior, showed he’s not afraid to shoot, and hit, a few from the perimeter.

“This was a good experience for us,” Howland said following the consolation. “You are on the center stage at Madison Square Garden and we came off a long road trip.”

Collison hinted that the ultimate trip would be another Final Four.

“It’s a learning process where we want (the Final Four),” he said. “This is something we can learn from and build on.”

Other Notes

Preparation:  Back-to-back days in a tournament leave little time for preparation. John Beilein went over things Duke did, but focused more on his own team’s defensive and offensive execution. Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski opted for a game day afternoon walk through.

“We prepare for all zones in pre-season,” Krzyzewski said. “The Michigan 1-3-1 is a little different so we came in (to MSG) and went over a few things for about an hour.”

It worked and their method of attack was evident from the first possession. The Blue Devils went inside to junior swingman Gerald Henderson (a threat in the paint or outside), and later attacked from the perimeter.

In the semis: Southern Illinois had 20 field goals to Duke’s 18 and lost by 25. A main reason was the charity stripe. Duke was 40-57 to the Salukis’ 12-19. Lowery took the high road in discussing the foul disparity, noting his team had themselves to blame.

“We didn’t help out and had poor defensive positioning especially the second half,” he said. “That is what got us into foul trouble.”

Beilein on the tournament: “We played four games and went 3-1 facing two top five teams. We are pleased. We (coaches) have young guys that learned a lot. We just have to put them in situations to get better.”

All-Tournament
Kyle Singler, Duke (MVP)
Kevin Dillard, Southern Illinois
Darren Collison, UCLA
Manny Harris, Michigan
Gerald Henderson, Duke

On The Baseline

• The only school to bring a spirit group was UCLA, which brought 4 dance team members. Coach Molly Vehling was especially proud her alma mater, the one that traveled the farthest, was represented.   “Our kids (dance team) had a great time and saw a lot of New York,” Vehling said.  Following the consolation they took in Broadway. Which show? That’s easy: the Rockettes.
• A crowd of 12,453 attended the final.

Bryant’s First Division I Opponent Has Been There

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – It’s ironic that Bryant would open its Division I tenure against Albany, which it did in Wednesday night’s 76-67 loss to the Great Danes. After all, it wasn’t all that long ago that Albany was a program new to Division I and having to adjust the way Bryant has to now. And in the immediate, that experience certainly helped Albany head coach Will Brown, because he had an idea what to expect.

“We knew this was going to be a big night for Bryant,” said Brown, who was an assistant when the program first made the leap. “We knew they were going to play with great energy, we were going to get a great effort.”

There were some difficult times early for the Great Danes, who struggled to even put seven players on the floor at times. An already thin roster was further depleted by injuries, leaving them with perhaps the thinnest margin of error imaginable. It was basically a trial-by-fire for Brown, who spent the first year with the “interim” tag before having it removed. Though he may have been coveted for some jobs the last couple of years with the success the program has now had, it didn’t happen right away.

“I was one of those naïve 28-year-olds who thought he had it all figured out and thought we were going to win that year,” Brown reflected on his debut season. “Boy, did I have something coming to me.”

That wasn’t all, as his first call to a prospective recruit was a wake-up call to another key part of what the job would entail.

“The first kid I called, he said, ‘Hey coach, is Albany a state school in Georgia?’” Brown recalls. “And I’m like, no, it’s Albany in New York. That’s when I started recruiting nationally.”

The newcomers acquitted themselves well. While the game wasn’t quite as close as the nine-point margin suggests, the Bulldogs never quit and rallied late to make it a respectable game. With 16:05 left, Albany was fully in control with a 21-point lead helped by a strong start to the second half as they made four of their first five shots and Bryant made just one of eight. The Great Danes scored 12 of their first 15 second-half points in the paint, where the Bulldogs are quite undersized with no player taller than 6’7″.

But guards Chris Birrell and Barry Latham led a rally that got the Bulldogs within twelve a couple of times, and later into single digits before the Great Danes closed it out. Birrell was 4-6 from long range for his 12 points and added seven assists, while Latham posted his second career double-double with 20 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.

Both coaches had positive things to say about the effort of the newcomers.

“I was impressed with everything that went on tonight from Bryant’s standpoint,” said Brown, whose team already had two road games with virtually no break in between before this one. “I thought their kids played hard, I thought they were well-coached and they competed to the buzzer.”

“You want to win every game you play, but there are times you have to be realistic and appreciate the improvement when you see it,” said Bryant head coach Tim O’Shea. “I’ve seen a lot of improvement in these guys and I like the way they competed, I really did.”

O’Shea, who is taking a measured approach to evaluating his team, certainly saw the irony in playing the Great Danes. While Brown thinks Bryant has an added advantage in having a veteran coach to start off, his opposite number didn’t have to look far for an example.

“It’s interesting that we played Albany tonight because they’re a team that went through this process ten years ago,” O’Shea reflected. “You see what can happen ten years later, they’ve got a strong program.”

The Bulldogs got a nice crowd of students, as the student section was packed and lively all night long. The attendance was 2,167 for the opener, and players and coaches alike noticed it. The Bulldogs are certainly happy with the turnout and hope it continues.

O’Shea also noticed how appreciative his players are of little things that come with the move up. They like playing at the Division I level, which every kid wants coming out of high school, but even O’Shea was reminded of some of what comes with it earlier in the day.

“For them, this move to Division I is a whole new feel,” said O’Shea. “I’ve never been to a place that didn’t have a pre-game meal, but this is the first time they ever had a pre-game meal, and they thought that was the greatest thing going. It’s nice to be around a group of kids that are so appreciative of everything. At the Division II level, these kids used to pay a portion to get their sneakers, their practice gear and all that – they paid for that. Now that we’re Division I, they didn’t pay for that. It’s so nice to be around kids that say ‘thank you’ and appreciate that.”

There are a lot of new things that will happen for Bryant this season. In time, that will wear off, but they now have the first game under their belt, and they had a good example to look at on the other side in that game.

Celebrated Newcomers Help Rutgers Women in Opener

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – It was quite an impressive debut. The Rutgers women cruised to an 86-59 win over Saint Joseph’s on Friday night at the Rutgers Athletic Center. Scarlet Knight mentor C.Vivian Stringer was quick to point out this was a team Rutgers struggled to defeat a year ago. Last November on Hawk Hill, Rutgers edged St. Joe’s 56-50 in a game the hosts led as the contest wore down to the final minutes. On this evening, Rutgers raced to a 44-24 halftime lead and never looked back.

The Scarlet Knights were led by Epiphany Prince with 26 points and seven steals. The junior guard has the ability to hit from the perimeter, but also showed she can get in the lane. Prince penetrated to get easy shots or adjust to defensive rotations and pass off (4 assists) to open teammates. Kia Vaughn, Rutgers’ senior post player, was constantly double-teamed but was effective enough to score 11 points and grab six boards.

The big story was the coming out of Rutgers’ celebrated recruiting class of All-Americans. Among them, April Sykes was out with an ankle injury. The others – Brooklyn Pope, Nikki Speed, Chelsea Lee and Jasmine Dixon – all logged appreciable minutes and contributed.

“Normally when a team brings freshmen off the bench there is a drop off in talent,” St. Joe’s coach Cindy Griffin said. “Not with this group. Rutgers has freshmen that come in and pick up where the (veterans) left off.”

On this evening Pope, a 6-1 forward, was particularly impressive. She scored 10 points, had four steals and gathered eight rebounds in 10 minutes of action.

Pope did have a sequence that reminded everyone, as talented as the frosh are, there is a learning curve. On one play Pope pressured the inbounder, stole the pass and scored. On the very next play she reached over the baseline, hit the ball the inbounder possessed and was hit with a technical. Chalk it up to “freshman orientation.” Despite the mistake, pope’s play was another example of the intensity the first-year players bring.

“We wanted to push the ball before,” Stringer said, “but now we can do it because we have 12 people available.”

Stringer also noted her current roster gives flexibility in playing man, zone and of course, full-court pressing. No matter the defense utilized, Rutgers dominated the paint. St. Joseph’s scored 19 field goals on the night (19 of 47 for 40%) and only three came in the paint.

Guard Jenna Loschavio led the Hawks with 15 points and post player Ashley Logue added 11. Even Logue, a good inside scorer, did most of her scoring on fifteen-foot jumpers. For the Hawks, the lane was more congested than some on the New Jersey Turnpike at rush hour.

Notes

• Stringer was naturally pleased with the Rutgers frosh, noting, “When the lights come on they play. They have that competitiveness. Some of them play better than they practice.”
• Sykes should be a factor on her return. The 6-0 swingman can bury the perimeter shot, which should open things inside for Vaughn and take defensive pressure off Prince.
• Vaughn on taking and burying a nineteen-foot jumper: “It was one of the few times I was wide open.”
• Rutgers’ inside dominance was reflected in Saint Joseph’s taking 49 percent of their shots from three point range. The Hawks attempted 47 shots on the night, 23 (8 of 23 for 35 percent) from beyond the arc.

Army Rides Defense, Small Lineup to Victory

WEST POINT, N.Y. – The defensive effort was there, which is no surprise in talking about a Jim Crews-coached Army team. The offense looked pretty good also. All things considered, it added up to a thorough 63-48 victory over Dartmouth on Saturday afternoon.

The opener for both teams at Christl Arena began as a relatively competitive affair. In the latter part of the first half, Army knocked down two three-pointers, then converted off a turnover to push the lead to double digits. After that brief run Army was never seriously challenged. The Black Knights enjoyed a comfortable double-figure lead the remainder of the afternoon.

“It was a good win and a lot of guys produced,” Crews said. “We are still searching for ways to put guys in the right combination, but that’s on me to figure out.”

Army was paced in scoring by Nathan Hedgecock with 15 points. A sophomore guard, Hedgecock has a smooth touch from the perimeter. He shot 6-of-11 from the floor and was 3-of-5 from three point land. Hedgecock knocked down a few in transition and looks more comfortable in that role rather than trying to create his own shot. Richard Cleveland, a 6-3 swingman, added 11 points.

“We lost a guy Jarell Brown (graduation) who could get us 15-20 points every night out,” Crews said. “While we don’t have anyone like Jarell, we have a few guys who on the given night can come up with that type of scoring.”

In their favor the Black Knights have a veteran cast with four players back who started at least 15 games last season. They also have that workman-like effort on the defensive end. Alex Barnett, Dartmouth’s 15 ppg scorer from a year ago, paced all scorers with 18 points. Barnett worked for his points and for the most part seemed frustrated as he shot 5 of 13 from the floor. On the afternoon, Dartmouth was 16 of 43 for 37 percent and committed 21 turnovers. Army did a good job in man to man coverage especially in weak-side defense.

“We were active on defense,” Crews said, adding, “we anticipated and took charges. These are things we should be doing because we do a lot of drilling on defense.” Not surprising for a coach who played under Bobby Knight at Indiana.

Army also showed flexibility by using point guard Marcus Nelson and Cleveland to bring the ball up the floor. Both finished with 3 assists, but having two capable floor leaders affords Crews the luxury of flexibility and the option of resting or putting one of them at the two-guard spot.

The one area that does need addressing is inside play. Chris Walker, a 6-9 junior, had two points and three rebounds in 15 minutes of action. Army struggled to finish inside and that is a concern to Crews. He adjusted and got a great deal of mileage out of a smaller lineup that got out and pushed the ball on occasion. Overall, it was an encouraging and fruitful start for an Army club that was 14-16 a year ago and made its second consecutive trip to the Patriot League semifinals.

NIT Season Tip-Off Notes From Boston College

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – We’ll have more a little later on Boston College, who advanced to New York with an 82-70 win over St. John’s in the nightcap on Tuesday in the NIT Season Tip-Off. They will take on Purdue in one semifinal, while UAB and Oklahoma won later in the evening and will meet in the other. But first, some notes on the other three teams that played at The Heights the past couple of nights.

Head Coach, or Head Manager?

With both his athletic director and MAAC commissioner Richard Ensor looking on, it seemed like Loyola (Md.) head coach Jimmy Patsos basically took himself out of the game against Cornell after he got hit with a technical foul near the halfway point of the first half. At halftime, he was never in his team’s huddle before they headed to the court, and he sat next at the end of the bench for most of the second half, rarely getting into the huddle in the timeouts. He sat closer to the managers than to his staff, and at one point he went into the stands during the game to talk to his athletic director.

After the game, Patsos, who has built the program from being a 1-27 laughingstock into a winner in the MAAC, said it wasn’t quite what it appeared.

“I was told that if I said one more word, that I was going to get thrown out of the arena,” said the fifth-year head coach, who added that he was not given a warning before the technical foul. “I do what I’m told. I said, okay, I won’t say one more word. I can’t afford to be thrown out and embarrass the school.

“I just thought, maybe I deserved a warning.”

The trip was a homecoming for Patsos, who grew up south of Boston in Scituate. He took his team to see Newbury Street, the Boston Public Library and the first subway system while they were in the area, which considering the crammed game schedule they have had to face is an accomplishment. The Greyhounds played two games in three days before this trip, which means by Tuesday they had played three games in as many days and four in five days due to circumstances that weren’t entirely in their control.

After winning 19 games last season, a school record in Division I, the Greyhounds have a tall task ahead in trying for a fourth consecutive winning season. They have three seniors but play a lot of freshmen and sophomores, and they looked the part of a young team in their two games at Conte Forum. They’re not lacking athleticism, but it’s clear their identity is far from being determined right now.

“We’re 1-3, but we’re young, we’re playing hard,” said Patsos. “I don’t have a go-to guy. It’s okay, I knew we were going to be young. We have some players coming in, we’re going to get older.”

The Geryhounds will travel to Charlotte next week for two more consolation games against James Madison and Davidson (which hosts).

It’s Not About Winning Now

Cornell has to go without two of their perimeter starters due to injury, so they certainly take a hit from a talent and experience standpoint. Reigning Ivy League Player of the Year Louis Dale is currently out with a mild hamstring injury, while senior Adam Gore is out at least for the non-conference schedule after tearing his ACL late in the summer.

Head coach Steve Donohue said Dale could have played, but they’re holding him out so he can get fully healthy. While they would like to win some games in non-league play, that isn’t what matters to the defending Ivy League champs. Donohue thinks Dale may be two weeks away from being in a place where it would be optimal to play.

“I think if this was an Ivy League weekend, he would have never sat out,” said Donohue. “With that being said, he may be two weeks away from risking it. There’s no reason to risk it right now, and we have so many games right now, we need 3-4 straight days in practice where he can go 20 minutes, the next day 30 minutes, the next day 40 minutes, and so on.”

The injuries leave junior sharpshooter Ryan Wittman as the only starter on the perimeter currently playing, and he almost carried the Big Red on Monday night before quietly leading them to their 82-72 win over Loyola (Md.) on Tuesday. Wittman scored 25 points, including 16 in the first half as he kept the Big Red in the game and got them the lead at times. He wasn’t quite as sharp in Tuesday, but still had 24 points.

“He does have to do a little more, and he’s taken harder shots this year,” Donohue said of Wittman. “He’s such a high percentage shooter, it’s almost to the point where I want him to take harder shots. He has to for us to be really good. He needs 15-20 looks a game, he needs to get to the foul line.”

The injuries give players like Jason Battle, Geoff Reeves and freshman Chris Wroblewski a chance to play more and have a bigger role right now, and there were some bright spots among them. Reeves has started all three games thus far and is averaging 35 minutes per game, and while he had six turnovers in the two games, he scored 20 points and looks to be developing into a better player. Wroblewski played well in the two games, handing out 10 assists with just four turnovers in 53 minutes.

That will help since the Big Red has a brutal stretch coming up. After next week’s two consolation games, they have road games at Indiana, Syracuse and Minnesota, a home date with Atlantic 10 contender La Salle, then head to Saint Joseph’s.

Big man Jeff Foote has put on some good weight since last season and had two night games in the stat sheet. He went for a combined 39 points and 15 rebounds, and he could have had more points if not for a few times he didn’t finish strong and missed shots he probably could have made. While the Big Red appear to have some good depth on the perimeter, that may not be the case up front as Brian Kreefer was the only reserve post player to see any action.

Cornell will play two more consolation games at St. John’s next week against Loyola (Ill.) and Eastern Michigan.

St. John’s Has Some Positives

As young as Loyola (Md.) is, St. John’s isn’t exactly a team full of seniors, either. The Red Storm start four sophomores alongside senior Anthony Mason, Jr., and eight sophomores and two freshmen are among the players who play appreciable or significant minutes.

Mason had a big game (24 points) in Monday’s win, especially in the early going, but other than a few plays on Tuesday night he was relatively ineffective with 12 points on 3-13 shooting (he did have six assists). Head coach Norm Roberts said he missed about a week of practice leading up to their season opener with a problem in his foot, and thought it might have bothered him Tuesday night with the team’s second game in less than 24 hours.

“I think his foot is bothering him, and I thought you could tell that by the way he was running, but he wanted to stay out there and tough it out,” said Roberts. “He’s going to be fine, but I think that limited him a little bit.”

The transition game led the Red Storm to Monday’s win, and they got it going for a time against Boston College on Tuesday night. With the athletes they have, it looks like that will be a real key for them this season, but another factor leading to it will also be one: rebounding. The Red Storm got a solid double-double from Justin Burrell (11 points, 11 rebounds) in Monday’s win, but he had just two boards in Tuesday’s loss and the frontcourt starters had just 12 total as the Eagles had a 42-28 edge on the glass.

“When you rebound it, you can get out and you can go, and we didn’t rebound it very well,” said Roberts. “And not only our big guys, our guards didn’t rebound it.”

Two more sophomores, D.J. Kennedy and Malik Boothe, were barometers of the team’s success. Both had an excellent game on Monday but struggled on Tuesday, with Boothe saddled with foul trouble that hurt him defending Tyrese Rice later in the game.

Overall, Roberts likes what he sees from his young guys. There’s clearly some potential in this group, with the toughness of Boothe and Burrell, the versatility of Kennedy and inside bodies like Sean Evans and Dele Coker.

“I think they’re progressing well. I think they’re all getting better,” said Roberts. “They’re really, really good kids and they want to do everything we ask them to do, and they want to get better. That’s a big, big key. As long as we keep doing this and gaining some confidence, we can get better and better as a team.”

St. John’s will host one of the consolation round pods next week and will take on Eastern Michigan and Loyola (Ill.).