Bryant Coach Learns About Team, Keeps Perspective

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Early in the season, coaches often learn a lot about their team.  It seems Tim O’Shea certainly learned plenty about his team at Bryant, while maintaining a consistent perspective.

The second year at the helm for a head coach is often more difficult than the first one for a few reasons.  Player turnover often accompanies a head coaching change, but those who have just one year of eligibility left often stay at the school to finish out.  That means the team in the second year is often very young and inexperienced, whereas there might be a veteran team the first year.

That’s not quite what Bryant has, as there wasn’t an exodus of underclassmen when Max Good left to become an assistant at Loyola Marymount (later ascending to the top job there).  Instead, O’Shea took over as the program went to Division I, and the challenge he faces is a little different.  It came to mind on Saturday night as they trailed Mercer by 24 at the break.

“In the locker room at halftime, my biggest thing is, we’ve got to find an identity as a team,” O’Shea said.  “The group I inherited last year was pretty much intact from a year ago, so they had defined roles, they all knew each other.  They weren’t as talented as you might like, but the team had an identity right from the very beginning.  It was easier to coach, guys knew their roles.  They could play together and play off each other.”

This year’s team has all but three of last year’s players, plus several newcomers that are all talented enough to get good minutes.  UMass transfer Papa Lo looked like more of a presence as the weekend went along, grabbing eight rebounds on Saturday and blocking five shots on Sunday.  Raphael Jordan is the future at the point guard spot, and on Saturday he showed some of his potential in going for 12 points and five assists a night after he went 0-6 from the field with just one assist against Providence.  Claybrin McMath has a good motor and gives them good size, while Vladysia Kondratyev will also get plenty of minutes.  The Bulldogs are redshirting Erick Smith, a guard who played high school ball with Jordan, and Alex Herzing, a seven-footer.

Add in junior Barry Latham, whose minutes were limited as he was hampered with a knee problem last year, and the Bulldogs have a whole new look this time around.  Latham is healthy now and seems to be finding himself; it wouldn’t be a surprise if he was in the starting lineup before long.  That means the Bulldogs have four and essentially five new players they are trying to integrate into the lineup.

The challenge of finding an identity along with the schedule they play is the big reason O’Shea was beyond guarded about getting wins.  It’s also why, from the second half of Saturday’s game on through Sunday, he felt good about what he saw and clearly sounded more optimistic.

“They’re struggling with roles right now,” O’Shea said after Saturday night.  “It’s not a personality thing, it’s just learning on the court how to play together and play with each other.  I did think, in the second half, I liked what I saw.”

The young players also come from programs where they did a lot of winning.  That means losing is foreign to them, and especially a loss like the one they experienced on Friday night.  But the better play in the back half of the weekend is a big reason for optimism, because confidence can be a bit fleeting with young players.

O’Shea said he noticed that when he had just one freshman on the floor, the ball seemed to move much better on offense than when he had more than one in the game.  That will factor into his management of the lineup going forward, although it won’t always be that way.  Eventually they will be able to play with each other better, and having more than one on the floor will be sensible.  He also said that leading scorer Cecil Gresham, who got going in the second half on Saturday night and had a game-high 26 points on Sunday, has to look to score more.

“He’s got to do that for us, that’s kind of his role for us this year,” O’Shea said, adding that he has to do that in the first half of games after a lot of his scoring came after intermission this weekend.

At this juncture, O’Shea is still taking the long view with this team and program.  It’s clear that the right man is running the show, because he understands it won’t happen right away and that the time to really judge where things are going is at least a year away.  That means he can do it the right way, and he’s consistent in talking about this.

“We’re going to get there, but it’s not going to be easy,” said O’Shea.  “We’re going to make progress, and we’re going to get better, and we’re going to get where we want to be over time.”

Opening Night Notes

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Opening night in college basketball took me south for the World Vision Invitational.  More will come from this over the next couple of days, but some quick hitters on the first night are in order as there were 126 games played on Friday involving Division I teams.

• Bucknell has some freshmen that will certainly help them this season. They started Joe Willman up front, and he played well early before struggling later, but it was Bryson Johnson who will get the most notice as he led the team with 18 points on 6-10 shooting from long range. Johnson did play like a freshman at times, as he had some defensive lapses and head coach Dave Paulsen noted as much during the post-game interview. Mike Muscala showed some promise, although he was in foul trouble later in the game.

• Senior guard James Florence is the big known factor for Mercer, and his 33 points on 12-20 shooting weren’t a surprise. The big question is how good the complementary pieces will be, and on Friday they were good in addition to backcourt mate Jeff Smith, who had a couple of clutch baskets en route to 16 points on 5-7 shooting. Up front, Daniel Emerson had a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds, and Brian Mills had 11 and seven before fouling out not long after he made a couple of clutch plays. Head coach Bob Hoffman thinks Emerson can put up those numbers on a nightly basis, and noted the staff has done a lot of work with Mills to get him stronger.

• How thoroughly did Providence beat Bryant? Well not only did the Bulldogs commit 21 turnovers while making just 20 shots, but when they broke the press and got into the halfcourt set, they weren’t really able to run their patient offense and at times settled for early shots. Barry Latham was the only Bulldog to score in double figures with 12 points.

• The Friars’ press was “at another level” from the exhibition games, according to head coach Keno Davis. “I thought, to be able to make that kind of improvement in a week is a really good sign,” Davis added.

• Arkansas wing Rotnei Clarke could always shoot, and if you ever told me he had a stretch where he made 13 of 17 from long range over a few games, I wouldn’t be surprised. But to do that in one game, en route to scoring 51 points? No, not that. You would think after a couple that someone would try to stay right with him all night, and even though he wouldn’t be shut out, he might finish the night with perhaps six or seven – not 13. The Razorbacks certainly needed it with just six scholarship players suiting up.

• A tough loss for St. Peter’s, as Seton Hall edged them 53-51 on a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Eugene Harvey. Next up for the Peacocks is a 6 a.m. tip against Monmouth on Tuesday morning as part of ESPN’s 24-hour marathon. (Note: I will be following that marathon right here on Hoopville on Tuesday prior to heading to Chestnut Hill for Boston College’s 7 p.m. matchup with St. Francis (NY).)

• John who? Freshman Eric Bledsoe had a nice debut for Kentucky in their victory over Morehead State, scoring 24 points.

• Rider coach Tommy Dempsey talked up his team at MAAC Media Day, and the Broncs didn’t waste any time making him look good as they knocked off Mississippi State.

• Pittsburgh trailed Wofford by seven at halftime, but the Panthers pulled out a 63-60 win.

• Saint Joseph‘s opened the new Michael J. Hagan Arena with a 77-67 win over Drexel in overtime. Darren Govens had seven of his 23 points in overtime as part of a 13-0 run.

• Wright State gave a valiant effort, but Washington made the key stops down the stretch to hold off the Raiders in Seattle in the Athletes in Action Basketball Classic.

• Give William & Mary credit, the Tribe was able to hang with Connecticut for much of the game before succumbing by a 75-66 margin.

• One of the best games of the night happened after a lot of people went to bed, as Pacific edged Pepperdine 67-64 in double overtime. Pacific led by 10 with five minutes to go in regulation.

New England Phenom Top 150 Recap

WESTON, Mass. – The latest edition of the adidas Phenom Camp to hit New England took place at Rivers on November 7 and 8.  Held at the Rivers School, the event had a good turnout and was split into two groups of high school players.  In the first half of each day, freshmen and sophomores competed, before the juniors and seniors competed together in the second half.  A few kids from the junior high ranks competed with the freshmen and sophomores as well.

In each session, the young players spent a good deal of time on various drills once some stretching and conditioning was done.  The idea was to teach them ways to use their talent and athleticism, because simply having both isn’t enough.  Once game action got going later, a good number of the players put it to work.  In addition, they also got to hear some words of wisdom from long-time Boston English High School coach Barry Robinson.

While much of the talent was from New England and concentrated in metropolitan Boston, it also drew some players from New York and New Jersey.  In fact, one of the junior high players who opened a few eyes, Rajien Griffin (5’10″ G, Hollis (NY) JHS 192) came from outside of New England.

Here is a look at some other players who caught our attention.

Daniel Brooks (6’3″ Sr. SG, Dorchester (MA) Catholic Memorial HS) Athletic guard had a nice showing this weekend.  His jump shot looks to be improving, and there hasn’t been a question about being able to score with his athleticism.  A prep year next year is a possibility, and he’s at least a scholarship-level prospect.

Matt Droney (So. SG, West Roxbury (MA) Catholic Memorial HS) A solid complementary player, he showed a great ability to take what the defense gave him, driving a few times in between setting up teammates or making jumpers.  The lefty has been on a good run of improvement lately.

Tevin Falzon (6’6″ Jr. SF-PF, Newton (MA) North HS) He showed here what we’ve come to expect from our viewing of him in recent months.  That means while he needs some physical improvement as he’s not athletic and his body is still immature, he’s processing the game better and showing a constantly improving basketball I.Q.  He might not be done growing physically, and with the improvement he has shown of late he’s looking more and more like he can be a Division I player down the road.

Brian Grossman (6’1″ Sr. SG, Duxbury (MA) High) The consummate glue guy, he contributes to any team he is a part of by doing a couple of simple things that he did here.  He defends, no matter who he is asked to guard, and he makes the open jump shot when it’s in the flow of the offense.  That should get him a scholarship at the next level.

Carlin Haymon (5’8″ Fr. PG, Boston (MA) Rivers School) Well-built point guard reportedly put on a show early Sunday.  When he got out in the open court, he was tough to stop, as he was deadly in transition and that included beating others to the basket.

Emmanuel Hutcherson (6’4″ Sr. SF-PF, Milton (MA) High) At times, he dominated on Sunday, running the floor and owning the boards like he often does since he’s very active.  He showed improved ball skills and even a better mid-range jumper, and if he can ever get rid of the habit he has of putting the ball on the floor after an offensive rebound near the basket, he’ll be well on his way.  A post-graduate year is a possibility, but right now he wants to win another state title.

Kuran Iverson (6’7″ Fr. SF-PF, Hartford (CT) Northwest Catholic HS) He’s a classic example of a young forward who has no idea how good he can be.  Long, athletic and with tantalizing talent, he can play inside and out as he has some ball skills and range on his jumper.  However, only flashes of potential get seen as he doesn’t know the game yet and has no concept of shot selection as he all too often settles for those shots.  On the plus side, he’s increasingly shown good rebounding ability of late.

Trey Jones (5’8″ Jr. PG, Mattapan (MA) Reading Memorial HS) There’s no question he has the physical gifts for the point guard spot, as he’s very quick and can get up off the ground.  In transition, he can go right by you if you blink.  Where the challenge comes in is with the point guard mentality since he’s always had to score, and this weekend he made some good strides to that end.  He made several nice lead passes in transition and at times was a little too unselfish, and he also went in and got some rebounds.  He has a low release on his jumper, and that combined with his size won’t help against bigger guards.

Kaleb Joseph (6’1″ Fr. PG, Nashua (NH) South HS) He did here what he’s done several other times in events like this, which is play solid pass-first basketball from the point guard spot.  Long and with good potential defensively, he passed well and also got some of his own offense on occasion, including a quick drive by a defender that he ended with a layup.

Kyle Lawrence (5’10″ Sr. PG, West Roxbury (MA) Catholic Memorial HS) Although he’s capable and not lacking in athletic gifts, he had periods where he was very selfish, and his team’s offense suffered because of it.  While he can score, including using his mature body as he gets near the basket, he’s not that good an offensive player that he can get away with being selfish.

Zach Lewis (6’2″ So. SG, Hartford (CT) Northwest Catholic HS) He continued to impress with his play here, showing a good touch shooting the ball as well as being a pesky defender.  While he has flown under the radar a bit, he’s a talent worth watching as he’s still immature physically.

Ethan Mackey (Fr. PF, Voorheesville (NY) High) He stood out with some good post fundamentals, which should help carry him a long way.  His body isn’t there yet and there’s a lot of development ahead, but he has a good base on which to build.

Tevin Montgomery (6’5″ Fr. PF, Attleboro (MA) Boston Trinity Academy) He’s gradually getting into better shape, but don’t let his body fool you – watch him in conditioning drills and you’ll see he sometimes finishes among the first few players.  A coachable kid, he clearly gained a lot and was better on Sunday than Saturday with his effectiveness inside.

Kevin O’Connor (So. PF, Claremont (NH) Stevens HS) A hard-working, fundamentally sound big man, he already has a mature body, although not all of his weight is good weight.  Not blessed with athletic gifts, he uses his body well and went to work inside here.  He’s clearly far from a finished product and isn’t going to produce just yet in ways that jump out at you, but there’s a lot to like right now.

John Powell (6’5″ So. SF-PF, Ashland (MA) High) Lefty post player had a good showing, not starring but playing well all told.  He showed his post moves to score and got some rebounds, and one thing that seems clear is that while he’s a good player, he’s not going to dominate.

Dan Powers (So. PG-SG, West Roxbury (MA) Catholic Memorial HS) A solid role-playing guard, effort is never a concern and he played very well within the team concept.  He’ll need to keep that up and keep improving for his school team this season as they move on without two key players from last year.

Kyle Reardon (6’5″ So. SF, Salem (MA) Rivers School) Playing mostly away from the basket, he didn’t shoot the ball as well as he has in other settings but made his fair share from long range.  He’ll also play bigger as he’s not afraid to rebound or work near the basket as he won’t settle for jumpers on offense.  He’s had a good fall to this point and is gathering momentum heading into the school season.

Colin Richey (6’0″ Fr. PG, Whitinsville (MA) Christian School) Not blessed with an abundance of physical gifts, his main strength is a solid I.Q. for the game.  He capably ran the team as a pass-first point guard, and as his body matures he should only get better.

Jules Tavares (6’2″ Jr. SG, Wareham (MA) High) One of the best athletes in the camp, he was arguably the best player here in terms of performance.  Given what he’s shown, a good deal was expected of him, and he lived up to it, performing well in drills and being the best guard on the floor just about all the time he was out there.

Atlantic 10 Conference 2009-10 Season Preview

The off-season was anything but dull for the Atlantic 10.  Many things happened that got the conference in the news, and this season could have quite a different look on the hardwood.

Let’s start off the court.  There was perhaps no move more head-scratching than the conference’s decision to move its offices to Newport News, Virginia from Philadelphia.  Three members schools are in the City of Brotherly Love and six more are in the northeast corridor, while the closest member school to Newport News is an hour west and only one other school is within a three-hour drive of it.  The conference’s membership is already quite spread out, although not quite like Conference USA or the Sun Belt, but this was still an odd move at first glance.

Another development was not a positive one.  At Fordham, freshman guard Jio Fontan wanted to transfer, but the school would not release him.  There was speculation that he would head to Rutgers, not far-fetched considering Fred Hill’s ties to Fontan’s alma mater, St. Anthony’s, and the fact that former Friar Mike Rosario was a freshman with the Scarlet Knights last year.  In the end, Fontan, who played well over the summer with the Puerto Rican 19-under national team, will be back at the school for his sophomore season, but it might not be the best situation.

Moving on the court, we start with the one coaching change of the off-season.  Considering Sean Miller was ticketed for high-major jobs by many just about any time a vacancy came up, no one was too shocked when he left to take the job at Arizona.  The Musketeers stayed in house and promoted Chris Mack to the top job, and while he inherits a team not lacking talent, the Musketeers will battle youth this time around.  While the Musketeers have won with balance, among other things, the past few years, each of those teams also had a couple of players that leaped out as All-Atlantic 10 picks.  This year’s team doesn’t possess such a player at first glance, but if past performance is any indicator, someone will emerge as such.

Xavier won’t be alone in having a team with talent that’s unproven.  Last year, most of the conference’s top players were seniors, and entering this season there doesn’t appear to be many players whose past accomplishments make them easy picks for the preseason all-conference team.  Gone from last year are the top three scorers, top two rebounders (Ahmad Nivins was in both groups) and two of the top three assist men.  All five first-team selections last year were seniors, and four more from the second and third-teams were seniors as well.

There is still good talent in the conference, it’s just that a good deal of it will be relatively unproven entering the season.  In fact, the incoming group of freshmen looks to be excellent all across the board, along with some transfers that should have an impact right away.  The conference rookie of the year race should be an interesting one, as there are several players who should be in the mix for it, and a few teams that bring in the youth this season could be factors in the conference race come February, even if it’s only in a spoiler role.

Preseason Awards

Player of the Year: Chris Wright, Dayton

Top Newcomer: Jordan Crawford, Xavier

Top Freshman: Terrell Vinson, UMass

Defensive Player of the Year: Garrett Williamson, Saint Joseph’s

Coach on the Hot Seat: Dereck Whittenburg, Fordham

Best NBA Prospect: Chris Wright, Dayton

All-Atlantic 10 Team

David Gonzalvez, Sr. G, Richmond

Rodney Green, Sr. G, La Salle

Ricky Harris, Sr. G, Massachusetts

Damian Saunders, Jr. F, Duquesne

Chris Wright, Jr. F, Dayton

Team Capsules

Dayton Flyers (27-8, 11-5 Atlantic 10)

Projected Starters:

Sr. G London Warren (4.1 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 4.4 apg, 1.6 spg)

Sr. G Marcus Johnson (11.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.5 apg)

Sr. C Kurt Huelsman (3.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg)

Jr. F Chris Wright (13.3 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.3 bpg)

So. F Chris Johnson (6.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg)

Schedule Highlights: An early season trip south for the Puerto Rico Tip-Off highlights the non-conference slate.  After hosting Creighton, the Flyers open in Puerto Rico with Georgia Tech.  Later, they head to Miami (Ohio), George Mason and New Mexico, while a four-game homestand includes visits from CAA favorite Old Dominion and America East favorite Boston University.  In Atlantic 10 play, the Flyers take on Duquesne, Saint Louis and Xavier twice.

Outlook: Brian Gregory has steadily improved this program to the point where the Flyers enter this season as the favorites.  They have a solid veteran nucleus with senior leaders and younger players whose improvement should keep the program at a high level.  Wright is the team’s star and one of the best players in the conference, while Warren solidly runs the show and defends and Marcus Johnson scores on the wing.  Huelsman has started every game since arriving on campus and is the consummate program guy who doesn’t put up big numbers but helps a team win.  There is good depth at every position, a big plus with this team’s focus on defense.  The Flyers won often because of defense, holding teams below 40 percent from the field on the season and allowing 61.4 points per game last season.  A repeat of that might mean the Flyers advance even further in the NCAA Tournament this season.

Xavier Musketeers (27-8, 12-4 Atlantic 10)

Projected Starters:

So. G Jordan Crawford (transfer from Indiana)

Jr. G Dante’ Jackson (6.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.3 spg)

So. G Terrell Holloway (5.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 2.2 apg)

Sr. C Jason Love (6.7 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.2 bpg)

Jr. F Jamel McLean (4.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg)

Schedule Highlights: As is usually the case, the Musketeers have a very demanding non-conference slate.  They start with three home games, including MAC contender Bowling Green and Northeast contender Sacred Heart, then go to the loaded Old Spice Classic in Orlando, where they open with Marquette and play either Creighton or Michigan in the second game.  Later, challenging home dates with Kent State, Cincinnati, Miami (Ohio) and LSU are mixed with trips to Kansas State, Butler and Wake Forest.  In February, they head south to take on Florida.  In Atlantic 10 play, they get Charlotte, Dayton and Fordham twice, and luck out with Richmond at home only.  A key stretch starts in late January, when they have three straight at home and two more on the road before they go to Gainesville.

Outlook: Sean Miller is no longer patrolling the sideline, but Chris Mack was there for a lot of the recent success.  The team he inherits has talent, but so much of the winning the past two seasons came from the veterans on each team that have since departed.  McLean should step into the starting lineup after being a solid reserve last season, and they’ll need him and steady big man Love to improve their production.  Sophomore Kenny Frease should see more minutes and produce more as well after showing just some of his potential last year.  The riches are mainly on the perimeter, where Crawford should instantly be this team’s top scorer, and along with Jackson will form a good duo.  Zone-buster Brad Redford, who shot 46.5 percent from long range as a freshman last year, and versatile redshirt freshman Brian Walsh will also figure into the mix.  The big key is Holloway, who had some growing pains at the point last season but was better at the end of the season than the beginning.  He will be pushed by Mark Lyons, a very athletic guard who sat out last season as a partial qualifier.  One thing that shouldn’t change is the defense, where the Musketeers allowed opponents to shoot a conference-worst 38.7 percent from the field last season, and they had the best rebounding margin in the conference as well.

Richmond Spiders (20-16, 9-7 Atlantic 10)

Projected Starters:

Jr. G Kevin Anderson (16.6 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.3 apg)

Sr. G David Gonzalvez (16.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.1 spg)

Jr. C Dan Geriot (redshirt)

Jr. F-C Justin Harper (9.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg)

Jr. F Kevin Smith (4.7 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.5 apg)

Schedule Highlights: The Spiders’ non-conference schedule is fit for a contender as there are plenty of challenges.  Early on, they compete in the South Padre Island Invitational, where they get two home games and then play Mississippi State and either Missouri or Old Dominion.  They are already slated to play Old Dominion at home right after that, so they could get two straight against the CAA favorites.  After that, they take on cross-town rival VCU in the Farm Bureau Insurance Black & Gold Classic, then play at South Carolina, Florida in the Orange Bowl Classic, and after two home games close out the slate at Wake Forest and at Bucknell.  In Atlantic 10 play, they take on Charlotte, George Washington and Saint Louis twice, while getting Dayton only at home and Xavier only on the road.

Outlook: For a couple of years now, the Spiders have been quietly improving with their current nucleus, and they seemed poised to break through last season before Geriot went down with a knee injury that forced him to redshirt.  He returns this season, and now the Spiders figure to be an NCAA Tournament team with seven upperclassmen leading the way.  Anderson is quietly one of the best floor leaders in the conference, while Gonzalvez might be the best player no one knows about.  Harper and Smith are solid and unspectacular in the frontcourt, while senior Ryan Butler defends and could grab a spot in the starting lineup at least on occasion.  Despite their ball control offense, the Spiders allowed over 67 points per game last season, something they should improve upon with Geriot returning and another year of experience.  Geriot’s return also figures to help on the glass, where only Fordham was out-rebounded by a wider margin last season.

La Salle Explorers (18-13, 9-7 Atlantic 10)

Projected Starters:

Sr. G Rodney Green (17.8 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.4 apg, 1.9 spg)

Sr. G Ruben Guillandeaux (10.1 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 3.1 apg)

Sr. G-F Kimmani Barrett (11.8 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.5 apg)

Sr. F Yves Mekongo Mbala (10.4 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.7 apg)

Fr. C Aaric Murray

Schedule Highlights: The Explorers certainly aren’t going light on the non-conference schedule with this senior-laden team.  Besides the Big Five, where they get Villanova on the road, they play in the Charleston Classic against South Carolina and either USF or Davidson, head to Kansas and take on Oklahoma State in the All-College Basketball Classic in Oklahoma City.  Home games include visits from an improved Bucknell team as well as Ivy League favorite Cornell.  In Atlantic 10 play, they take on George Washington, UMass and Temple twice, get Xavier only at home and Dayton and Richmond only on the road.

Outlook: John Giannini has been building the Explorers back up for a season like this, where they have a veteran team that has played together and now won together.  Four seniors and four juniors, six of whom have played a lot of minutes since arriving on campus, are a big reason the expectations are high.  They would be higher if big man Vernon Goodridge was granted another season of eligibility, but he was denied.  That simply opens up the door for Murray, a talented big man who isn’t getting much pub among freshmen nationally but should contribute right away, especially since they won’t need much from a production standpoint from him.  Barrett, Mbala and junior twins Jerrell and Terrell Williams lead a solid frontcourt that out-rebounded opponents by five per game last season.  Murray’s classmate Devon White could also help right away, so losing Goodridge isn’t a glancing blow.  Green makes this team go and has since arriving on campus, and Guillandeaux is a solid blender on the wing who shot just under 35 percent from behind the arc last season but is capable of shooting better.  Barrett will see plenty of time in the backcourt since the Explorers aren’t as deep there.  As a veteran team, the Explorers need to improve their assist/turnover ratio after having 41 more turnovers than assists last season, giving it away more times than all but three teams.  There aren’t many statistical areas for improvement as this is a solid team, but if Giannini’s first recruiting class is going to go out winners, this team will need to take better care of the ball.

Duquesne Dukes (21-13, 9-7 Atlantic 10)

Projected Starters:

So. G Eric Evans (9.8 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 2.2 apg)

Sr. G Jason Duty (7.4 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 1.3 apg)

Jr. G-F Bill Clark (12.9 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.7 apg)

So. G-F Melquan Bolding (9.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.1 apg)

Jr. F Damian Saunders (13.1 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 2.3 apg, 2.4 bpg, 2.1 spg)

Schedule Highlights: The Dukes have a few road trips on tap in non-conference play, starting with one to Iowa to play the Hawkeyes in the CBE Classic.  They then play three more games in Cullowhee, N.C., head across town to play Pittsburgh at Mellon Arena, go to West Virginia and IUPUI.  Atlantic 10 play opens up with two tough contests – Richmond at home and at Dayton.  The Dukes get Dayton, St. Bonaventure and Saint Louis twice.

Outlook: The Dukes had a breakthrough season last year, topping 20 wins for the first time since 1971 and posting a winning record in Atlantic 10 play.  They will miss Aaron Jackson greatly, as he was certainly the heart and soul of this team and have a team with Duty, a walk-on until this season, as their only senior.  If Eric Evans can make the jump at the point guard spot, they will miss Jackson less.  He’s well-suited to the high-octane offense Ron Everhart wants to run, as are wings Clark and Bolding, the latter of whom could have a big year.  Sophomore B.J. Monteiro is talented but could get lost in the shuffle with the plethora of wings  Saunders is the do-everything player on the inside, and he’ll have to be once again unless a newcomer produces right away or someone else emerges among David Theis, Oliver Lewinson or Rodrigo Peggau.  Peggau had to redshirt last year due to an injury.  As is often the case with a fast-paced team, two keys will be defense – opponents shot over 46 percent from the field last season although the Dukes also forced nearly 16 turnovers per game – and rebounding, where the Dukes were out-rebounded by over two per game.

Temple Owls (22-12, 11-5 Atlantic 10)

Projected Starters:

Sr. G Ryan Brooks (10.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.7 apg)

So. G Juan Fernandez (5.5 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 2.7 apg)

So. C Michael Eric (2.7 ppg, 2.1 rpg)

Jr. F Lavoy Allen (10.9 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.5 bpg)

Jr. F Craig Williams (5.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg)

Schedule Highlights: As is usually the case, the Owls’ non-conference slate is full of tough contests.  Their Big Five slate has enough challenges, although they get Villanova at home, but they also head to Georgetown and Seton Hall while welcoming MAAC favorite Siena, Penn State and Kansas to the Liacouras Center.  They will also compete in the Philly Hoop Group Classic, finishing with games against Virginia Tech and St. John’s in the Palestra.  In Atlantic 10 play, they take on La Salle, Rhode Island and Saint Joseph’s twice, and catch a break by getting Dayton and Xavier only in Philadelphia.

Outlook: The Owls still have some talent returning, but losing Dionte Christmas will be a big blow as he was a major reason they made the NCAA Tournament the past two seasons.  Brooks should become the go-to guy on the perimeter after shooting 41 percent from long range last season, while Fernandez should take over the point guard spot.  After that, it’s up to players like senior Luis Guzman, who has slowly developed in his three years in Philadelphia, as well as seldom-used Ramone Moore and freshman Khalif Wyatt.  The picture is better in the frontcourt, where Allen will anchor the post and Eric could have a breakout year now that playing time will be available.  Williams made a nice improvement last year and should grab the other starting spot, and freshman Rahlir Jefferson could figure into the mix as well.  If the Owls are going to get back to the NCAA Tournament, repeating their defensive performance will be a key, as opponents shot 40.5 percent from the field last season and the Owls out-rebounded opponents by more than three per game.

Rhode Island Rams (23-11, 11-5 Atlantic 10)

Projected Starters:

Sr. G Keith Cothran (13.2 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.7 spg)

Jr. G Marquis Jones (6.1 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 4.0 apg, 1.5 spg)

Jr. C Will Martell (5.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg)

Sr. F Delroy James (9.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.2 apg)

Sr. F Lamonte Ulmer (7.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg)

Schedule Highlights: The Rams’ non-conference slate features an even number of home and away games, along with a neutral site contest against Oklahoma State at Mohegan Sun Arena on January 2.  They open at Brown and later travel to Davidson, VCU, Boston College, Drexel and Akron.  Home games include Patriot League favorite Holy Cross, arch-rival Providence and CAA contender Northeastern.  In Atlantic 10 play, they take on Fordham, UMass and Temple twice.  They didn’t luck out with Dayton and Xavier, getting both only on the road, while getting Richmond only at home.

Outlook: The Rams return a veteran team with a lot of talent and good depth.  Jones has a full year of running the team under his belt and is becoming more than just a defensive specialist, while Cothran had a good year but has been much the same player.  Jones is more than capably backed up by sophomore Stevie Mejia, who got better as the season went along and boasted a solid assist/turnover ratio.  Sophomore Jamal Wilson is talented and plays bigger, and should see more action this season.  Ulmer and James look ready to start and will aid in the high-octane offense, with Orion Outerbridge being the “potential” guy in the unit and Ben Eaves being a role player off the bench who should be pushed by freshman Ryan Brooks.  Martell came along nicely last season to start at the end of the year.  The X-factor will be leadership, because the Rams have players who can replace the production of Jimmy Baron and Kaheim Seawright, but will miss their leadership immensely.

Charlotte 49ers (11-20, 5-11 Atlantic 10)

Projected Starters:

Sr. G DiJuan Harris (9.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 7.2 apg, 1.5 spg)

Sr. G Ian Andersen (9.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg)

Jr. F An’Juan Wilderness (7.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.4 apg)

Jr. F Shamari Spears (transfer from Boston College)

Sr. C Phil Jones (7.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.4 bpg)

Schedule Highlights: After opening with UNC Asheville at home, the 49ers play four games in the NIT Season Tip-Off starting with Elon in the Durham regional at Duke.  They also have tough road games at Louisville, Old Dominion and Tennessee, while they welcome Georgia Tech to Halton Arena.  They don’t get much of a break in Atlantic 10 play, as they get George Washington, Richmond and Xavier twice and get Dayton only on the road.  In late February, a three-game homestand gives them a chance for some late momentum.

Outlook: The 49ers slumped unexpectedly last season, largely due to injuries.  It’s for that reason that they might be a sleeper team this season if they can stay healthy.  Harris is solid and unheralded at the point, and if Andersen capably takes the off-guard spot the starting lineup will be good.  Andersen figures to be pushed by classmate Rashad Coleman and possibly Charles Dewhurst, the latter of whom was limited to 12 games last season due to injury.  Wilderness will be better if he’s healthy, while Spears should give them an instant boost and Jones looks ready to have a good year in the middle.  Don’t be surprised if freshman Chris Braswell, who made a nice improvement during his prep year at Hargrave Military Academy, plays major minutes and even starts at some point in the season.  There were many areas where the 49ers struggled last season, but one of them wasn’t in taking care of the ball as they had more assists than turnovers and posted the second-best turnover margin in the conference.  That’s a good place to start when there’s a need to improve at the defensive end and shoot better than 41 percent from the field.

Massachusetts Minutemen (12-18, 7-9 Atlantic 10)

Projected Starters:

Sr. G Ricky Harris (18.2 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.3 spg)

Jr. G Anthony Gurley (11.2 ppg, 3.1 rpg)

So. G David Gibbs (3.5 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 1.3 apg)

Fr. F Terrell Vinson

So. F Sean Carter (transfer from Oregon State)

Schedule Highlights: The Minutemen have five home games in non-conference play, two coming in the early rounds of the Legends Classic including Ivy League favorite Cornell.  In the Legends Classic final rounds, they take on Rutgers, then either Florida or Michigan State.  They also play Holy Cross in Worcester (DCU Center) and Memphis at the Boston Garden and have true road games at Seton Hall, Boston College and Davidson.  In Atlantic 10 play, they take on La Salle, Rhode Island and Saint Joseph’s twice, get Xavier only at home and Dayton and Richmond only on the road.  A challenging stretch comes right away, as they play La Salle, Richmond and Temple in three straight on the road.

Outlook: Although they are picked in the second division, the Minutemen have enough talent to potentially finish several places higher.  The big question comes at the point guard spot, as Chris Lowe’s departure leaves behind a gaping hole without a clear person for the position.  Gibbs looks like the incumbent, especially since Doug Wiggins was dismissed from the team before ever playing a game, and if he can settle the point this team should put up good numbers.  Harris is one of the best scorers in the conference and Gurley should be better now that he has a year under his belt in Amherst.  There is good depth overall with junior combo guard Gary Correia and freshmen Freddy Riley and Javorn Farrell in the mix.  The frontcourt has talent but isn’t very experienced, especially after Tyrell Lynch was dismissed from the team, so there could be some growing pains.  Vinson could be the best freshman in the conference, while Sean Carter is the other likely starter but will be pushed by Memphis transfer Hashim Bailey and freshmen Sampson Carter (no relation) and Raphael Putney.  Only four teams gave the ball away more than the Minutemen last season, a stat not to be ignored when there is a question at the point entering the season.  If that can be settled, there’s enough talent here, especially on the perimeter, to surprise some people if the young players grow quickly.

Saint Joseph‘s Hawks (17-15, 9-7 Atlantic 10)

Projected Starters:

Sr. G Darrin Govens (12.5 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.6 spg)

Sr. G Garrett Williamson (6.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 4.5 apg, 1.2 bpg, 1.5 spg)

So. G Chris Prescott (2.8 ppg)

Jr. F Idris Hilliard (9.2 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.1 apg)

Jr. C Todd O’Brien (transfer from Bucknell)

Schedule Highlights: The Hawks have a tough non-conference schedule, as usual.  They open Hagan Arena with CAA contender Drexel and Patriot League favorite Holy Cross, then head to the Paradise Jam for four games that start with Boston College.  Other road games include Ivy League favorite Cornell, Minnesota and MAAC favorite Siena.  Villanova also comes to the Hagan Center among their Big Five opponents.  In Atlantic 10 play, they take on UMass, St. Bonaventure and Temple twice, and get Dayton and Richmond only at home while playing Xavier on the road.  After they open February with three straight at home, four of the next five are on the road.

Outlook: The past four seasons, the Hawks have gone 9-7 in Atlantic 10 play.  If they can do that this time around, Phil Martelli will have done some of his best coaching.  While they return some capable players, there’s an open question about whether or not any of them can be a go-to guy as they open the new Michael J. Hagan Arena on campus.  Ahmad Nivins and Tasheed Carr meant a lot to last season’s team as their top two scorers and the nerve center of the offense as a whole, and their production won’t be easily replaced.  Govens is the most likely player to replace some of it, as he’s always had good potential but hasn’t had the consistency.  Williamson is a fine defensive player but will need to give them more offensively, although Prescott appears to be the most likely player to emerge offensively in the backcourt.  Freshman Justin Crosgile could get good minutes at the point and allow the others to concentrate more on scoring, although he was a good scorer in high school, and classmate Carl Jones has potential as well.  If O’Brien is able to step in right away in the middle, the frontcourt will be in better shape, although he’s certainly not Nivins.  Hilliard made a good jump as a sophomore and now must lead the frontcourt, which as a whole isn’t very experienced as sophomore forward Bryant Irwin is the only other holdover with appreciable experience.

St. Bonaventure Bonnies (15-15, 6-10 Atlantic 10)

Projected Starters:

Sr. G Jonathan Hall (12.9 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.1 spg)

Sr. G Chris Matthews (12.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 3.0 apg)

Jr. G Malcolm Eleby (7.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.4 spg)

So. F Andrew Nicholson (12.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 2.7 bpg)

Fr. F-C Jake Houseknecht (redshirt)

Schedule Highlights: Five home games are on tap in non-conference play, and all of the games at the Reilly Center are winnable.  They also play St. John’s in Rochester, three games in the BTI Classic at Illinois State, and have true road games at Mississippi State, Syracuse, Niagara and Marshall.  In Atlantic 10 play, they take on Duquesne, Fordham and Saint Joseph’s twice.

Outlook: Mark Schmidt has wasted little time making the Bonnies relevant again, and they may not be far away from a first division finish.  A manageable non-conference schedule means a winning season is possible, certainly a big step after where the program was when he took over.  Hall, Matthews and Eleby comprise a solid, underrated perimeter unit, and anytime a team has good players there an overachieving season is possible.  The only other holdover guard, sophomore Michael Davenport, should get better with a full season under his belt, and several newcomers will see time as well.  Nicholson had a fine freshman season and will be counted on for more this time around, especially with Maurice Thomas gone.  Houseknecht and Marquise Simmons, two redshirt freshmen, figure to be the main candidates to play alongside Nicholson, as Da’Quan Cook has the physical gifts but has never had the game for playing inside.  Taking the next step really starts with taking better care of the ball, as the Bonnies turned the ball over 17 times a game last season, by far tops in the conference.  If they stop giving away possessions, some of those losses turn into wins as they played respectable defense last season.

Saint Louis Billikens (18-14, 8-8 Atlantic 10)

Projected Starters:

So. G Kwamain Mitchell (11.0 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 3.7 apg, 1.2 spg)

Fr. G Femi John (redshirt)

So. F-C Willie Reed (7.7 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.3 bpg)

So. F Brian Conklin (6.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg)

Fr. F Cody Ellis

Schedule Highlights: A very manageable non-conference schedule has the Billikens playing just four games away from home.  They play two games in Chicago in the Chicago Invitational Challenge, with Iowa State first and then either Northwestern or Notre Dame, and later travel to Georgia and Bowling Green.  Nebraska and Southern Illinois are the most noteworthy home games, the latter being the first of a six-game homestand to close out 2009.  They get no breaks in Atlantic 10 play as they get Dayton, Duquesne and Richmond twice, and late in the season have a stretch with five of six on the road.

Outlook: The Billikens will be hard-pressed to repeat last season’s winning record and .500 mark in Atlantic 10 play with the young group they have this season.  Gone are Tommie Liddell and Kevin Lisch, four-year stalwarts of the program.  The roster has 11 freshmen and sophomores and just one junior, reserve guard Paul Eckerle.  Mitchell, Reed and Conklin aren’t bad to start with, as Mitchell had a fine freshman season and Reed and Conklin look like frontcourt anchors, especially after Brett Thompson left following a non-descript freshman season.  John can score on the wing and could make an impact right away alongside Mitchell, and he’ll have help from fellow newcomers Christian Salecich, Justin Jordan and Jeff Reid.  While Ellis seems the most likely newcomer to help Reed and Conklin up front, Cory Remekun and Jon Smith will also be in the mix.  A major rebuilding year appears to be ahead, but if the young players come along the Billikens could be in position to play spoiler down the stretch.

George Washington (10-18, 4-12 Atlantic 10)

Projected Starters:

Jr. G Travis King (6.2 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.4 apg)

So. G Tony Taylor (6.6 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 2.8 apg)

So. G-F Aaron Ware (4.3 ppg, 2.0 rpg)

Jr. C Joseph Katuka (4.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg)

Sr. F Damian Hollis (13.4 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.7 apg)

Schedule Highlights: The non-conference schedule is manageable, including four straight at home after the Colonials travel to play America East favorite Boston University.  The homestand is headlined by Oregon State and George Mason, and after a game in the BB&T Classic they host a rebuilding Providence team.  They then go on the road for four straight, with the toughest one being another stretch in Massachusetts as they play at Holy Cross and Harvard two days apart.  It’s a good thing they have winnable games in non-conference play, because the Colonials get Charlotte, La Salle and Richmond twice in Atlantic 10 play.  They get a three-game homestand near the end of the season.

Outlook: The Colonials have fallen fast since winning the Atlantic 10 title in 2007, and this year doesn’t look much better despite the return of three starters.  Only four upperclassmen dot the roster this time around, and gone are three of their top four scorers from last season.  King is the veteran on the perimeter after returning from an injury that cost him the entire 2007-08 season, while Taylor had a nice freshman season and could reach double digits in scoring this season.  Ware could move into a starting spot on the wing, but he’ll be pushed by a trio of freshmen.  Hollis is the steady leader in the frontcourt as the team’s best player, while Katuka figures to move into the starting lineup after improving last season.  Sophomore Jabari Edwards has long been a “potential” player and has yet to show he is anything more than that, and should be pushed by a trio of freshmen led by Daymon Warren.  King and Taylor are the only holdovers who had more assists than turnovers last season, a key reason that only St. Bonaventure gave the ball away more last season.  The Bonnies were also the only team with a worse turnover margin than the Colonials last season, so improvement will start with taking better care of the ball.

Fordham Rams (3-25, 1-15 Atlantic 10)

Projected Starters:

So. G Jio Fontan (15.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 4.7 apg, 1.2 spg)

Sr. G Brenton Butler (9.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg in seven games)

Fr. G Lance Brown

Fr. F Chris Gaston

Jr. F-C Jacob Green (6.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.8 bpg)

Schedule Highlights: The non-conference schedule has just four home games, with the toughest one being MAC contender Bowling Green, while Stony Brook won’t be an easy win.  They play Villanova at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, N.J. and have true road games at St. John’s and CAA contender James Madison.  In Atlantic 10 play, they get Rhode Island, St. Bonaventure and Xavier twice, Richmond only on the road and Dayton at Madison Square Garden instead of on campus.

Outlook: It’s hard to believe that just two years ago, the Rams looked to be a team on the verge.  After last season’s disaster and the much-publicized desire of Fontan to transfer, things don’t look good.  Fontan returns and is saying all the right things, and he’s a good kid, but it’s hard to imagine it’s a good situation after what transpired.  He’s a capable floor leader who was more of a scorer than a floor leader last season, but he’ll have better talent around him this season.  Butler is back after missing most of last season, but freshmen Brown and Gaston could put up big numbers right away, especially Brown as he’s very athletic and can flat-out score.  Gaston has the potential to fill a stat sheet, which will ease the load on Green, also a returning starter.  Among the holdovers, only senior guard Herb Tanner and sophomore guard Alberto Estwick figure to get significant minutes, and both will see their time impacted by the play of newcomers.  Without much size among the holdovers, the Rams will need other newcomers like Brian Freeman and Khiry Gordon to help right away as well.

Conference Outlook

A great battle shapes up at the top of the conference, and after the top four teams it could get very interesting this season.  Duquesne, Temple and Rhode Island all lost key players from last season’s team not only from a production standpoint, and while each returns plenty of talent the big question is going to be leadership for each.  Charlotte and UMass each have the potential to finish a few spots higher than they are picked.  There are also some good freshmen entering the conference, and it wouldn’t be surprising if at least one has a major impact this season.

This season is also a key season for coaches at two of the contenders.  Richmond had some serious growing pains early and there were some whispers about Chris Mooney, but the Spiders seem poised to contend and possibly reach the NCAA Tournament.  John Giannini inherited a difficult situation at La Salle, but likewise has a veteran squad that has a chance to reach the NCAA Tournament.

It wasn’t a dull off-season for the Atlantic 10, and from the looks of things, it won’t be a dull season, either.

Boston College Has Almost Everyone Back, Plus Questions

One of the more interesting teams to project this season is Boston College.  That’s the case for several reasons that conflict with one another, but at the end there’s a simple question that sums up why it’s probably best to be on the positive side.

For starters, they lost their best player in Tyrese Rice, a dynamic scorer and their point guard.  But Rice didn’t have a great senior year and wasn’t tailor-made for the flex offense.  The Eagles return everyone else, and in theory many players getting better can overcome the loss of one player in many circumstances.

But at the end of the day, do you want to bet against Al Skinner?  A reply in the affirmative might not be a good idea.  Skinner is a master at winning with teams that don’t pass the proverbial look test and has led the school to its best stretch in its history.  Last season was a perfect example as the Eagles reached the NCAA Tournament for the seventh time in Skinner’s 12 seasons at the helm in Chestnut Hill.

The biggest names among the holdovers are juniors, and that class is the core of the team.  Rakim Sanders has the physical gifts and has had moments of brilliance in his first two seasons, and now consistency will be the next thing he needs.  He came through a couple of times in the clutch last season.  Joe Trapani had a fine season as he was eligible after sitting out the previous season as a transfer from Vermont.  He was a perfect fit in the offense and battled every second on the floor.  Corey Raji isn’t flashy, super athletic or someone who will strike fear into opposing defenders, but he quietly puts up decent numbers as a complementary player.

With Rice gone, the point guard spot will first belong to another junior, co-captain Biko Paris.  During the latter part of last season, Paris made a nice step forward in running the team and looks well-prepared to assume the role of primary ball-handler.  He will have help at the position from sophomore Reggie Jackson, who had some great moments last season and now will look to become more consistent.  Jackson is the team’s best athlete and probably has the most upside of any player on the roster.

“He’s a wonderful player,” Paris said of Jackson.  “He’s going to make shots, incredible shots that no one thinks he’s going to get off.”

The frontcourt is the place where concerns have been the past couple of years.  Trapani will settle into one spot, and junior Josh Southern is the likely other starter.  Southern came up big in the Eagles’ first round ACC Tournament win over Virginia, and when he plays well the Eagles are tough to beat.  The issue is getting that from him more often.  Classmate Cortney Dunn improved nicely last season, primarily at the defensive end, and the talk around the team is that sophomore Evan Ravenel might be the most improved player on the team, which will only help.

Tyler Roche is the only senior on the team and likely a glue guy off the bench.  That’s what he has been for his entire career, and that doesn’t figure to change now.  But he’ll have some good help there with an improved Dallas Elmore, who never really got untracked last season after getting hurt early in practice and falling behind.  He looks ready to be a good role player off the bench.

“A lot of teams in the ACC haven’t seen him yet,” said Paris.  “Last year, he got injured in the beginning of the season and fell behind, so he never really got his chance to compete.  This year, he’s healthy and practicing real hard.  He goes up against Rakim every day in practice, so he only can get better.”

Skinner talked a lot about flexibility with the team he had last season, and with much the same team back, he’s of a similar mind.

“We may even have a little more flexibility because guys are a little more experienced,” said Skinner.  “They feel a lot more comfortable on the floor, so we should be able to do some different things.  We should be able to attack teams from different areas on the floor.”

The Eagles have been known for light non-conference schedules in some years, but that’s not the case this time around despite starting with a couple of games they shouldn’t have much trouble winning.  They head to the Virgin Islands for the Paradise Jam, which includes Purdue (a possible opponent in the second game), Tennessee and Missouri Valley contender Northern Iowa.  Later, they head to Michigan in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and have home games with the likes of Rhode Island, UMass and South Carolina.

Whereas last season’s team had a question about experience in addition to the talent surrounding Rice, this season’s team isn’t lacking experience.  With that, and with much the same group back, the tougher non-conference schedule is one they welcome.

“Some roles have changed, so we’re still adapting, but if you look at our early non-league schedule, you see that we’re going out and playing some pretty good people,” Skinner said.  “I think we can go out and feel comfortable that we can compete against those teams.  I think that’s an advantage that we have, you’re going against some excellent clubs early on in the season and I think we’ll have a chance to compete against those teams.  If we didn’t have this type of experience, I would be a little more afraid of what lies in front of us.”

The Eagles were picked ninth in the ACC’s preseason media poll.  It’s a logical pick considering where they finished last season and who they lost and added.  But as has been shown before, betting against Al Skinner might not be a good idea.

Beantown Slam Playoffs Beckon

Another regular season of the Beantown Slam fall league has come to a close, and one fact that was true at the start remains true for another year: no team has ever gone undefeated.

Boston Trinity Academy entered the last regular season game at 8-0.  They had done what any team hoping to go undefeated in any league must do, not only winning big but also stealing a couple of games by one possession and in the final seconds or minute.  A week after knocking off defending state champ Milton, they ran into a school that should be in the mix for the state title this year, Madison Park, and the Cardinals took this one home convincingly.

Head coach Rick Linet said his team needed a wakeup call, and this game provided just that.  His hope is that the team gets the message in time for the playoffs, where nothing will come easy.  Although they finished with the best overall record at 8-1, New Mission was right behind them in the East Division at 7-2 and Andover went 6-3.  In the West Division, Madison Park and East Boston both went 6-3 and are dangerous teams.

The girls division was more even in the final standings, as no team ran away with the top record.  Lynn English and Arlington Catholic posted the best records in going 6-3.  As such, the playoffs won’t be very predictable based on the regular season record.

The playoffs take place over the next two weeks, November 14 and 21.  All teams make it, so even the last-place teams can come out on top when it’s all said and done.

Some quick hitters on developments with players and teams in the league:

• A couple of weeks earlier, Madison Park took on Catholic Memorial in a game that might be a foreshadowing of things to come. Catholic Memorial was without seniors Daniel Brooks and Kyle Lawrence, both of whom had other basketball commitments, so at first glance they appeared to be at a severe disadvantage. But they played the Cardinals tough and made it a ballgame, and early on the Cardinals didn’t play like the veteran team they are. In the final minutes, they did, and that made all the difference. If they are to win the state title as some feel they can, their seniors need to play like seniors.

• One team that will surely have something to say about the Cardinals’ attempt to win the state title is the defending champ, Milton. Senior Emmanuel Hutcherson has played like a man on a mission, dominating often as he has owned the boards and run the floor to get baskets. Timmance McKinney is expected to join the varsity team as a freshman and could do for them exactly what Rene Castro did last year, and as a complement to Hutcherson he will be that much more dangerous.

• Greg Kelley came back recently for Newton North, just in time for the playoffs. Reportedly, he played well, and that along with the continued improvement of Tevin Falzon means the Tigers won’t be an easy out in the playoffs. Falzon has shown a nice basketball I.Q. and is processing the game much better. At this point, the most glaring weakness is a lack of athleticism, and some of that comes from still growing into his body.

• New Mission has to be considered a contender, and that also goes for the Boston City League once the season comes. They scored a convincing win over Madison Park late in the regular season, at one point taking over the game with a run of 20 unanswered points. They have won largely on solid guard play, good defense and the versatility and underrated I.Q. of junior Samir McDaniels.

• One team that has shown its youth is Charlestown. The Townies are clearly a team of the future and not the present, as they have lost some close ones with a young bunch led by sophomore Akosa Maduegbunam and freshman Ramon Gibbons. With their youth, they could surprise someone in the playoffs, and come the high school season might win and lose some games they shouldn’t.

Journey of Discovery Lies Ahead For Young Providence

There’s unquestionably a new feel to Providence this season, and it’s understandable once you take a look at the roster.  The Friars have seven newcomers, along with two players who redshirted last year.  It’s a marked contrast to last season’s senior-laden team, but it will also be one more suited to play the way second-year head coach Keno Davis wants to play.

The roster is loaded with guards and wings, including the three core holdover players.  Seniors Sharaud Curry and Brian McKenzie and junior Marshon Brooks all figure to start or play significant minutes.  Curry is a steady point guard who looked more like himself once Big East play rolled around last season, while Brooks had some big games in a relatively inconsistent sophomore year that saw him go for 30 points in an early game and top 20 two more times, but score in single digits in each of the team’s final eight games.  Brooks scored 54 points in the Friars’ two exhibition games and lacks only consistency to be an all-Big East player.

“When he’s on like that and being able to score, I want to put him in a position he’s the most comfortable with,” Davis said of Brooks.

Although a lot of attention will be on the young players and their impact on this team, McKenzie just might be the team’s X-factor.  There’s no doubting his talent, as he averaged just under 11 points per game and shot over 40 percent from long range as a sophomore, but he slumped badly last season after Davis consistently said he was their best practice player early on.  He scored in double digits just three times all season and generally couldn’t buy a bucket.  The optimist will point out that one of those three games was their final game, a loss to Miami in the NIT where he scored 13 points and went 4-7 from long range.

“We had so many seniors and so many veterans on the team that kind of took his minutes away, so he wasn’t able to fight through some of his struggles out there,” Davis said of McKenzie.  “I’m to blame for that, but I’ve got to make sure that what I’m doing is trying to win games.  I felt that fighting through a struggling period right there wasn’t the best opportunity for us to win games.  I think he knew, with those seniors gone, there’s pressure that’s not on him now, because he knows he’s going to play.”

Freshman Bilal Dixon and sophomore Jamine Peterson both redshirted last season, and both should impact this team instantly since the frontcourt lacks experience.  Peterson already has a year of college experience, and he fits this team well as an active forward who can be a terror on the offensive glass.  Dixon clearly used his redshirt year well, as he has a good body and runs the floor well.  He should start right away and provide a boost on the glass, which is something he has done before.

“He brings energy,” Brooks said of Dixon.  “He’s sort of like a John Kale, he’s going to be really good on the boards this year.”

The best of the true freshmen looks to be Vincent Council, at one time a travel teammate of Dixon.  He’s capable of playing both guard spots, and Davis has said they will play two point guards often with Council being one of them most times.  At times he will team with Curry and at others with Johnnie Lacy, a quick guard who might be more of a scorer than a floor leader and can put points on the board quickly.

“We’ve been playing two point guards out there,” Davis said.  “I think Vincent Council and Johnnie (Lacy) give us another dimension that they haven’t seen here for a while – two guys that are lightning fast and they just get it and go.  Now we’ve got to learn as our wings to run the court – we never really ran last year.”

Duke Mondy and junior college transfer Kyle Wright, who will also see time at small forward, are in the mix as well.  Wright has some athleticism and also some Division I experience, as he started his career at Stony Brook before transferring to junior college.

In the frontcourt, James Still is the “potential” player among the freshmen.  If they had more proven depth, he might be an ideal redshirt candidate, but for now he will be like a typical freshman in that he will make some plays that show he’s not there yet and some that clearly show his potential.  Classmate Kadeem Batts has a good body but doesn’t have a clear role at the moment, while junior college transfer Russ Permenter could get some minutes and help on the glass.

With all the young players, Davis needs his veterans to be leaders.  He said he hears Curry and McKenzie the most in the locker room as far as vocal leaders go.  This season is sure to be a journey of discovery for the team as players begin to either pan out or they don’t, save for any injuries that might occur.

“Every day in practice there’s been a guy that stands out and has me saying, ‘Well, I didn’t see that the last couple of days,’ and they’re the new guys,” said Davis.  “The veterans have been pretty consistent from a day-to-day basis.  Everybody else, not so much.”

The non-conference schedule is still a challenge.  The Friars open with three games in three days in the World Vision Invitational, and none of the opponents – Bryant, Bucknell and Mercer – will be pushovers.  They later go to Alabama, CAA contender Northeastern, arch-rival Rhode Island and rebuilding George Washington, with home dates against Boston College and America East contender Vermont.

The Friars have some potential, but with all the youth a forecast for their season might be summed up in a simple way.  They have the talent to win a few games they probably shouldn’t and the inexperience to lose a few games they probably shouldn’t as well.

Holy Cross Hopes For Similar Results With New Leader

When you spend a number of years working for someone, your own style at some point becomes heavily influenced by that person.  Sean Kearney spent the past 14 years working for Mike Brey, so it won’t surprise anyone that Kearney’s team at Holy Cross will be playing a little like Brey’s teams have.  The hope for Crusader fans is that the same winning Brey has done also follows.

Under Ralph Willard, who left to become good friend Rick Pitino’s top aide at Louisville, the Crusaders generally played a slow, methodical game offensively.  Kearney will get this team to pick up that pace, and while there are sure to be some growing pains, he inherits a team that looks to have the personnel to make that transition effectively in time.  In their exhibition win over Assumption College, the Crusaders scored 79 points – a total they topped just twice last season and just one more time in 2007-08 – but also had 23 turnovers.

“We certainly turned it over way too much for my liking, and assist-to-turnover-wise – 16 to 23 – I think at worst you want to be one-to-one in your ratio and hopefully better than that,” said the first-year head coach.  “I think that will improve for us.”

The position where turnovers are most a concern – point guard – is also the one position where the Crusaders have a question mark entering the season.  There are no concerns at the off-guard spot, where reigning Patriot League Rookie of the Year R.J. Evans is the starter and likely to be the team’s top scorer.  Add in classmate Devin Brown, who had some good moments along with growing pains last year as he had to play the point at times, and St. John’s transfer Mike Cavataio, and you have three solid players there already.  It can be easy to forget Adam May, one of two seniors on the team, but he’ll be in the mix as well and can occasionally play power forward.

But at the point, the incumbent is junior Andrew Beinert, and he’s had a tough time his first two seasons.  Although he started all but two games last season, he had 68 assists and 89 turnovers, a worse margin than as a freshman when those numbers were 41 and 51, respectively.  He shot over 45 percent from long range last season, but with Pat Doherty gone, they need him to orchestrate the offense first.  Brown can play the position, but it’s not his natural spot and a large part of the growing pains he had last season came from having to play there while Doherty was out.  They also won’t want to lose his scoring punch, which he showed once again in the exhibition game.  Beinert had seven assists with five turnovers in the exhibition game, and all in all Kearney is encouraged by what he sees from his point guard.

“I think early on in practice, the turnovers were a little bit higher for him, like they were and are for everybody,” Kearney said.  “But he’s really done a better job of cutting down the turnovers.  As I told them, we’re going to turn it over some, because we’re playing faster and there are more possessions.

The frontcourt has a fine anchor in the team’s other senior, Eric Meister, and a returning all-Patriot League member in junior Andrew Keister.  Meister had 11 points and 18 rebounds in the exhibition game and was constantly around the ball.  Always a solid, unspectacular player, he’s now needed for a lot from a production standpoint and appears ready to deliver.

“He might be the fifth-flashiest guy on the floor in terms of our starters, but he’s been terrific,” Kearney said of his big man.  “I tell these guys every day that we meet as a group, you guys better take care of Meister now, because he’s taking care of every one of you guys here in the room.  You’re lucky to play with him.”

Keister has battled injuries during his career, but was finally healthy last season and showed what he’s capable of in earning first team All-Patriot League honors.  The honors came mainly due to his play in league games, where his numbers (12.5 points, 8.8 rebounds per game, 67.3 percent from the field) were much better than his overall numbers (8.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 58.8 percent).  He also posted seven double-doubles, all but one of which came against league foes.

May will get minutes up front behind Meister and Keister, and freshman Phil Beans could be the next player in the rotation as the promising big man was productive off the bench in the exhibition game.  The Crusaders’ veteran depth affords them the chance to bring Beans along at any pace they are comfortable at.

The Crusaders have plenty of challenges in their schedule.  Non-conference road games include trips to Rhode Island, UNLV, Fairfield, Stony Brook and North Carolina State, along with a neutral site contest against Central Connecticut State at Mohegan Sun Arena.  Matchups with George Washington and Ivy League contender Harvard highlights the home slate, and they play UMass at the DCU Center.  While the league slate includes alternate three-game stretches at home and away, they get the home games first, which could give them a chance to start strong.

The Crusaders were picked as favorites in the Patriot League preseason poll of head coaches and sports information directors.  With Keister and Evans being preseason All-Patriot League picks, that doesn’t come as a surprise, especially when looking at the overall depth.  With that, Kearney’s first season may include something he had a lot of alongside Mike Brey the past 14 years: wins.

Bryant Has a Different Feeling a Year Later

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – A year can make a lot of difference, although not all by itself.  One team that has used that time to make good improvements appears to be the Bryant Bulldogs, especially if their exhibition game on Friday night is any indication.

One can only take so much out of such a game, as minutes and substitution patterns are designed to get a good look at a number of players and lineups.  But the Bulldogs shot over 69 percent from the field in their 88-55 blowout win and appeared to click on all cylinders.  If you want to get into a psychological aspect, the Bulldogs lost their second exhibition game last year, so getting a win only helps.

Most important of all is how they looked, and that was decidedly good.  There’s no question the players and coaches feel it, as there’s a different energy and optimism this time around.  A lot has to do with the team’s newcomers, but the holdovers looked good as well and that’s also aided by the newcomers.

“We knew the freshmen we brought in could play,” said senior guard Chris Birrell, a starter on last season’s team.  “We make them better, they make us better.  We’re just trying to get better every day.”

One freshman, Claybrin McMath, looks like he’ll be an instant impact player.  He’s active, athletic and will make plays often, and at 6’8″ he’s one of the players who adds a good deal of size to this team.  Another, Vlad Kondraytyev, should be a fixture in the lineup whether he starts or not and he also checks in at 6’8″.  Add in point guard Raphael Jordan, a point guard who led the Bulldogs with 18 points on 7-8 shooting on Friday, and UMass transfer Papa Lo, who made all three of his shots and should be a shot-blocking presence inside, and it’s clear the newcomers will give this team a different look.

“I am excited about this team,” said senior guard Cecil Gresham, the team’s leading scorer last season.

“You don’t want to be too optimistic, but in terms of being competitive, it’s a huge leap forward for us with our size and our athleticism,” said head coach Tim O’Shea.

Jordan will play behind Birrell and give the Bulldogs a classic contrast at the position.  There’s the senior leader who knows the offense and initiates it in Birrell, and there’s the young and exciting player with a higher ceiling but less experience in Jordan.  Both have Gresham to get the ball to on the wing, as the senior had a good year in the team’s inaugural Division I season and should be better with a better support cast around him.  He should get better looks and opportunities to create with more size on the team now, as will players like Sam LeClerc (who will likely see time at the point as well) and Adam Parzych who also play off the ball.

“It opens it up a lot more,” Birrell said of the added size.  “(Opponents) have to respect us down low, and they can’t really press up on us as much because we do have a post presence.”

Besides McMath, Kondraytyev and Lo, the Bulldogs also have a holdover on the inside in Nick Pontes.  The senior has come back in much better shape, a clear beneficiary of the team changing up its off-season workouts.  He made a couple of plays at the defensive end that he simply would not have made last year, and now that he doesn’t have to play center should be better off at both ends.

The Bulldogs have a more manageable schedule this time around.  While there are still tough road games against teams from power conferences, gone are the guarantee games they have to hope on one plane after another for.  The longest trips for non-conference games are to Indiana and St. John’s, and they will leave New England just once in November.  With a better roster in terms of talent, athleticism and size, they aren’t saying they’re going to win but know they’ll have a much better chance this time around.

“We’re going to be very competitive,” said O’Shea.  “A year ago, we were in survival mode.  But now, we can play some of these bigger schools, and with our size, it’s going to be a different game.”

After playing 14 games against Northeast Conference foes a year ago, the Bulldogs will play a full slate of 18 games that will count in the standings.  They won’t be eligible for the conference tournament until the transition to Division I is complete, but they will affect the standings and are eligible for individual awards.  A year ago, they went 6-8 against Northeast Conference foes and know they can do better with the current roster.

“We expect to be at the top of the conference,” said Birrell.  “We were 6-8 last year, and with the additions we made this year there’s no reason we shouldn’t be at the top of the conference.”

Coming a year after the team lost an exhibition and was being physically overwhelmed quite often, that right there shows what a difference a year has made for Bryant.

Young Players Show Talent in Rising Freshman Games

NEW YORK – On Sunday, the Jim Couch Foundation presented the second annual Rising Freshman Games, held at Baruch College in Manhattan.  It was a series of three games that featured talented freshmen from Boston to New Jersey, with two teams from New York although several players took the court for both teams.

Here is a look at some players from each game.

Upstate 65, New York 54

Featuring many players in the Albany City Rocks program, the Upstate team took home a 65-54 win over one of the New York teams to open the day.  Although New York made some runs in the second half, you never had the feeling they were about to break through and seriously threaten Upstate.

Upstate was led by the solid backcourt of tough point guard Darrien White (PG, Albany (NY) Academy) and game MVP Maurice West (SG, Albany (NY) Bishop Maginn HS).  Although New York City has been known for its point guards, White was the best one on the court this day, as he’s quick, stronger than he looks and fearless, as he constantly drove to the basket and made things happen by creating contact and finishing.  He also rebounded and simply made his team go while scoring 12 points.  West, who had 14 points, has the makings of a good scorer, as he scored in transition and from long range and has a little physical maturity for his age.

Another wing who showed some promise is Julian Moore.  He has some size and scored 13 in the game, but he’ll need to work on his shot release as his shooting foot leads a lot when he goes up, making his release look awkward.

Trahmier Burrell (SG-SF, Albany (NY) High) is a baby physically with some athleticism, similar to promising forward Casey Hall (PF, Latham (NY) Shaker HS), who scored 10 points and ran the floor well.  West’s school teammate, Damere Hannah (Albany (NY) Bishop Maginn HS), went for 10 points and showed a good touch on a couple of runners.

The best prospects on the New York team were a pair from St. Raymond’s.  Kendall Kinlock (PF-C, Bronx (NY) St. Raymond’s) played in both New York games and showed a lot of potential, as he’s long, has a good lower body and got a few stickbacks.  If he develops inside, including getting rid of the habit of putting the ball on the floor inside, he’ll move toward a high ceiling.  Shane Rector (PG-SG, Bronx (NY) St. Raymond’s) was a warrior on the court, as he was active and around the ball often, and in perhaps the best play of the game made a nice long bounce lead pass for a basket.  He scored 19 points and later played in the last game of the day just like Kinlock.

Jaquan Lynch (SG-SF, Brooklyn (NY) Jefferson HS) looks like he develop into a solid wing, as he went for 13 points by playing bigger and finishing with contact.

New Jersey 76, Connecticut 65

In a game that wasn’t as close as the final score indicated, the New Jersey team knocked off a team from Connecticut in the middle game of the day by a score of 76-65.

Manny Suarez (PF-C, Cliffside Park (NJ) High) was the inside catalyst, scoring 12 points and being a constant presence at both ends.  The lefty has some length, which he used on defense inside, was around the ball and rebounded well.  He got good help from co-MVP Jared Sina (Gladstone (NJ) Gill St. Bernard School), who’s not the most physically gifted athlete but was very heady and got teammates involved while scoring 17 points of his own.  Another floor leader who impressed was Chris Myers (PG, Hackensack (NJ) High), a very thin but quick point guard who drove all day to make things happen.

Jordan Forehand (SG, Jersey City (NJ) St. Anthony’s) had a game-high 25 points and looked every bit the scorer that number would suggest, as he went to the basket all day and finished when fouled.  School teammate Jamar McGloster (PF, Jersey City (NJ) St. Anthony’s) is well-built and looks like he can be a solid inside player before his high school career is over.  He was helped inside by Jordan Arthur (PF, Plainfield (NJ) St. Peter’s Prep), who has a good body and showed a good deal of polish on his post moves for his age.

Keione Osborne (SG-SF, Englewood (NJ) Dwight Morrow HS) was one of the good complements on the team, as the thin wing showed a good touch from mid-range.  Another one, Kyle Menard (New City (NY) Clarkstown North HS), had a big stretch in the third quarter and impressed by taking a charge and driving and dishing.

Jahvaney Beckford (SG-SF, Manchester (CT) Cheney Tech) was the best player on the Connecticut side, battling all day and taking contact when he got near the basket.  They also had Daquan Clark (SF, New Britain (CT) High), who is Earl Clark’s cousin and had his moments, and Trevor Thigpen (SF, New Haven (CT) Hillhouse HS), who struggled to finish but looks to have promise while playing for a powerhouse school.  Cane Broome (PG, East Hartford (CT) High) also showed some potential, as the lefty is just a baby physically and went for 15 points.

Boston 74, New York 73

Boston had a double-digit lead after a dominating second quarter, but couldn’t hold it as a poor third quarter and a carryover into the fourth allowed New York to get back into the game and eventually take the lead late in the game.  But a few clutch plays down the stretch allowed Boston to escape with a 74-73 win.

Without question, the players who had the most buzz were Kuran Iverson (SF-PF, Hartford (CT) Northwest Catholic HS) and Ramon Gibbons (SG, Roxbury (MA) Charlestown HS).  But the player who was Mr. Clutch for Boston was Zach Lewis (PG-SG, Hartford (CT) Northwest Catholic HS), who had 15 points with three three-pointers, including the game-winner in the final seconds.  Before that, the slight point guard made several key steals and baskets to help them maintain the lead.

Iverson certainly grabbed attention with his tantalizing potential, but also showed that his skills and I.Q. have not caught up to his body just yet as all too often he tried to do too much and came up empty.  He’s a classic example of a young player who doesn’t yet realize how good he can be.  When he figures it out, he’ll head toward a very high ceiling as he’s athletic, can block shots and run the floor, and he rebounded well on this day to go with his 19 points.

Gibbons likewise tried to do too much at times and forced his share of plays that weren’t there, but in scoring 22 points he showed that he can flat-out score and is built like a football player.  He rebounded and is simply too strong for many other guards his age, and he uses that strength well when driving to the basket.

Boston’s point guards did not play well on this day, as Khalil Dukes (PG, Hartford (CT) Capital Prep) showed poor shot selection and Kaleb Joseph (Fr. PG, Nashua (NH) High) just never got untracked but has some physical gifts to work with.  Diamonte Zayba (SG-SF, Sheffield (MA) Berkshire HS) acquitted himself well with 11 points, finishing well when he got to the basket including in transition.

The aforementioned Shane Rector and Kendall Kinlock also made appearances in this game for New York, with Rector scoring 15 points in a solid outing and Kinlock continuing to run the floor and show a penchant for rebounding his own misses.

Davonne Ragin (SF, Bronx (NY) Wings Academy) has a wide body but was very effective for stretches of the game.  He has some baby fat he’ll need to shed but moves reasonably well, although that is more of an issue on the wing than it would be if he were taller and played inside.  In scoring 11 points, he showed a touch shooting the ball but also missed his fair share of shots.  Also joining Ragin on the perimeter was Steven Bush (SG, Roselle (NJ) Catholic HS), who scored 14 points helped by several three-pointers off the catch.  As the game went along, Jason Boswell (SG-SF, Elizabeth (NJ) St. Patrick’s) looked like he could be one of the next stars to come out of St. Patrick’s, as he’s athletic and solid fundamentally.  He went for 14 points and his body isn’t there yet, although he’s not a baby physically.

CAA Coaches Optimistic About NCAA Chances

When practice is just starting and no games have been played yet, everyone is optimistic about the season.  But that’s not the only reason optimism was running high in the nation’s capital at CAA Media Day.

The 2005-06 season was a breakthrough one for the CAA even before George Mason made its magical run to the Final Four.  For the first time since 1986, the conference had multiple teams playing in the NCAA Tournament.  They also had one team that could legitimately claim to have been snubbed, and two more who could have claimed as much with the NIT.

A year later, the conference once again saw two teams in the NCAA Tournament, but no magical run came.  VCU knocked off Duke, which caught plenty of attention, but the Rams couldn’t repeat the magic against Pittsburgh in the second round despite a valiant effort.

The past two seasons have seen the conference send one team to the NCAA Tournament.  While the CAA continues to be well-represented in other tournaments, with Old Dominion winning the inaugural CollegeInsider.com Tournament and James Madison reaching the semifinals of it, the ultimate metric used to evaluate conferences, right or wrong, is the number of teams in the NCAA Tournament.  As such, it’s no secret the conference would love for its 25^th anniversary season to be one where multiple teams reach the NCAA Tournament.

Over those last two seasons, there has been a good deal of personnel turnover, and youth has been seen.  But this season, a lot of the best players return from last season and several teams return most of their starters.  Included in that category are many of the top teams from last season, and that’s one reason the dean of CAA coaches has high hopes for this season.

“When you look at a season before it ever begins, you’ve got to look at the previous season and what teams did,” said George Mason head coach Jim Larranaga, whose team returns just two starters from last season.  He ran off the number of wins in 2008-09 and returning starters of teams like Old Dominion, VCU, Northeastern, James Madison and Hofstra, and thinks it adds up to something.  “If they perform like they’re hoping to perform, we could have a Missouri Valley-type season like the Valley had in 2005-06,” Larranaga added.

He was referring to a season where the Missouri Valley sent four teams to the NCAA Tournament, two of which reached the Sweet 16.  One of them, Wichita State, fell victim to the Patriots during their run to the Final Four.

The potential could be seen for a couple of years leading up to this one in the young talent, as well as transfers.  In 2007-08, seven of the 16 all-conference players were underclassmen.  Last season, nine of 16 were underclassmen who now return this season.  In addition, ties in voting for the all-rookie team last season meant that six players made the team instead of five and is indicative that there was some depth among the youngest players in the conference last year.

When the best players finish, it’s never a given that holdovers, be they complementary players or newcomers, are ready to keep things at quite the same level.  It’s also well-documented how important experience is for mid-majors, especially as a counter to a talent gap against opponents with more talent but less experience.  In light of that, a year or two on the down side isn’t necessarily surprising, nor is a good upswing after that.

“I always say in this league, you have your cycles,” said Drexel head coach Bruiser Flint, who looked to a year later to when his team had a legitimate claim to being snubbed from the NCAA Tournament.  “The year we were really good, the teams all grew together.  I think you’re in that type of cycle again, where you lost all those guys, and those guys get replaced, but they may not be ready to replace them at that point in time.  I think we’re in one of those cycles where the teams grow together, with four and five starters coming back from almost every team.”

Old Dominion, picked as the favorite in the conference by coaches, sports information directors and media, has been a consistent contender in recent years.  Head coach Blaine Taylor has recruited well, certainly, but also gradually developed players so they can be leaders as upperclassmen and used the redshirt option with players better than most coaches.  He sees the potential for the conference this season and has a clear idea of how he will know if that is being reached.

“I think anytime the league has a lot of veterans back and teams return a lot of starters, it’s a chance for that league to maybe have one of those years,” said Taylor, whose team returns all five starters and many reserves who have started games in their careers.  “Here’s where I’ll be looking: when we get to right before Christmas, I hope I look around and we have lots of schools with really good records.  That means we’re helping each other in January and February.”

Part of why Taylor will look at that goes beyond the obvious point of non-conference performance.  When the CAA saw two teams in the NCAA Tournament, the teams had their share of good non-conference wins along the way.  Those big wins have largely been lacking the past two seasons, a major reason it has been a one-bid conference.  But this time around, as Hofstra head coach Tom Pecora notes, “everyone is challenging themselves with non-conference scheduling,” which means that opportunities will be plentiful.

A look at schedules certainly backs up Pecora, whose team opens at Kansas and could face Connecticut in the NIT Season Tip-Off, and could face Ivy League favorite Cornell in the Aeropostale Holiday Festival.  The three teams picked atop the conference all have plenty of challenges.  Old Dominion goes to Richmond, Dayton and Georgetown and opens the South Padre Island Invitational with Missouri.  Northeastern has no easy games in a non-conference schedule that opens at Siena and has trips to America East favorite Boston University and out west for two tournaments, the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic and Cable Car Classic.  VCU hosts Oklahoma (bringing former head coach Jeff Capel back to Richmond), Nevada and Richmond.  In addition:

• Delaware plays at Siena and Villanova and takes on Virginia Tech in Philadelphia.
• Drexel goes to Villanova and Kentucky.
• George Mason is in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off Classic, opening against Villanova, and later hosts Dayton and Creighton while traveling to Big South favorite Radford.
• Georgia State travels to Florida State.
• James Madison opens at Ohio State in the 2K Sports Classic and later hosts Radford.
• Towson goes to Dayton.
• UNC Wilmington takes on Penn State in the Charleston Classic and later hosts Wake Forest and travels to Richmond.
• William & Mary has perhaps its toughest non-conference schedule ever, as the Tribe travels to Connecticut, Wake Forest, Radford and Maryland and hosts Richmond.

The long and short is, opportunities for quality wins will be there for the conference, whose teams will all play a BracketBusters game as well.

Optimism tends to fade a little in some places once the games start.  But with the challenges in schedules and the talent returning this season, the optimism will likely last well past the beginning of the season in the CAA.

NABC Will Sponsor Division III All-Star Game

The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) announced that it will sponsor a senior all-star game in Division III much like the ones that already exist in Division I and II.  The game will be played this season at the Division III men’s basketball championships on March 19 and 20, 2010 at the Salem Civic Center in Salem, Va.

The game will be played on Saturday, March 20 at 10 a.m. and will replace the consolation game.  Two ten-man teams will comprise the rosters for the game, with two players coming from each of the eight regions in Division III and two each from the two semifinal teams that do not make the championship game.  Coaches will be selected from among past and present recipients of the NABC Division III Outstanding Service awards.

The committee for selecting the participants will include a representative from each of the eight regions of Division III.  University of Chicago head coach Mike McGrath will chair the selection committee.

October 7 Quick Hitters

Some quick hitters as we reach the middle of the first full week of October:

• The schedule for the 2009 National Prep Showcase was released in the wee hours of Wednesday morning. As usual, it will be held the weekend before Thanksgiving – November 20-22 this time around – and this year it moves to Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, Connecticut. The event features 20 games in three days, and the complete schedule can be found at the Web site of the New England Recruiting Report, run by event director Adam Finkelstein.

• Speaking of schedules, gone are the days when I could have my season coverage calendar filled out by mid-September. We are in the first full week of October, and a few schools are still missing a number of game times (due to television coverage being finalized) and a usual culprit – the America East Conference – not having released its schedule yet even without game times. As of Wednesday morning, a majority of conference schools have schedules on their official Web sites listing only a non-conference schedule.

• One school made a good move with its coach recently, as Ed DeChellis got a three-year contract extension at Penn State, which will keep him at his alma mater through the 2013-14 season. DeChellis has a tough job at a school that might epitomize the term “football school”, and rebuilding the program wasn’t going to happen overnight. But they broke through to win the NIT last season, and have the personnel to go further this season and also have a commitment from Taran Buie, Talor Battle’s half-brother, in the class of 2010.

• The news of Emmanuel Negedu’s career being over was a downer. Few players I’ve seen over the years play as hard and intense as the Tennessee sophomore, and he’s overcome a great deal just to be in this position. In evaluating players, we often talk about whether or not a player has a good motor, and Negedu had one of the best.

• Last Thursday, Zach Auguste worked out for a few coaches at the Marlborough (MA) High School gym. Auguste has been on quite a growth spurt and now stands about 6’9″ while still being a baby physically. His offensive skills are still growing, as the range on his shot now extend to the three-point line. There’s still plenty of room for improvement at both ends of the floor, but his physical gifts alone are sure to get him more looks as time goes on.

• St. Mark’s held its second open gym for college coaches on Sunday. The number of coaches present wasn’t as high as the first one, and for a while the team didn’t play as well as they’re capable of, but they were better in the latter part of the workout. All three finalists for Melsahn Basabe (6’8″ Sr. SF-PF) were on hand, and he continued to show that he’s come a long way in two years at the school. Kaleb Tarczewski (6’11″ So. C) showed about as good a progression as one can show in about two weeks, looking clearly better than he did at the first workout.

Fall League Draws High School Teams to Boston

BOSTON – The Boston neighborhood of Dorchester is noteworthy for a few reasons.  One is historical: it was home to the first recorded town hall meeting in American history, held in 1633.  It is also home to a team in the Boston Park League, the oldest amateur baseball league in the country.  Affectionately known to locals as “The Dot”, it is also home to the Beantown Slam Pre-Season Jamboree, a fall high school league that has lately become the talk of the town on the subject of basketball.

The site is the Dorchester House.  If you drive down Dorchester Ave (affectionately known as Dot Ave, as you might guess), you almost certainly won’t see it unless you’re almost at a stop, because it’s behind two other buildings and there isn’t much of a line of sight to it from the street.  Even when you finally walk up to it, the location and the unassuming appearance from outside still belie what you see after you walk behind the doors and off to the right once inside.

Inside is what an atmosphere is all about.  The court is small and unassuming, but pack fans into the seats right near where the ball is live – as happens for significant stretches every day of action – and you get an atmosphere like many high school games.  Naturally, you see family and friends of the players, and head coaches of teams – who cannot sit on the bench as per state association regulations – are also often among those present in the seats around the court.  And when a big play is made, there’s no secret of it because there’s a clear response from the crowd.

Many of the players come well before their teams play and/or stay later once they are done for simple reasons: they know each other and don’t mind knowing who they are competing against.  Other kids from city schools who live in the area come because they, too, know some of the players and love the game; a few have said they wish their team was in the league.  It all illustrates something that not even the NCAA can change: players love to compete, and as long as there’s a setting for them to do it, they will play.

It all got started four years ago by Steve Drayton, the league’s founder.  Previously, many schools from the city of Boston would leave to play suburban schools in the fall, and it wouldn’t be at just one location.  Drayton wanted something different for the kids in the city, and he certainly has that now with the help of his staff, which includes Derrick King as the operations director, Larry Merritt as program director and basketball operations director Claude Pritchard.  Now it all takes place at one site, with suburban teams coming into the city, and with good teams playing in it.

“We wanted something different that nobody has,” said Drayton.

The league features 20 boys and 12 girls teams; 30 more teams wanted to get into the league this year.  The number of girls teams is up by two from last year, while the boys division has had 20 teams all along.  Every Saturday, games begin at 8 a.m. and a new one starts on the hour until 11 p.m.  The last six games of the day involve boys teams.  The games are not tightly officiated, so players have to play through contact whether there is a foul called or not, and with the court being smaller than what most are used to, an athleticism advantage only means so much.  It’s all about who will make the better basketball plays.

The schools include a mix of Boston city and suburban public schools, and they aren’t also-rans.  City schools include Madison Park, widely expected to be the favorites this year, along with a New Mission team that should give them a run for their money and a young but talented Charlestown team.  Milton and Watertown, which won the state championships last year in Division II and III, respectively, and perennial power Newton North are also in the league.  Even teams from public schools well outside the city compete, with schools like Andover and Lawrence in the boys division and Andover and Hull in the girls division.  Boston College High School, Boston Trinity Academy, Catholic Memorial and Xaverian Brothers are the only private schools in the boys division.  Even there, the city theme remains: BC High is located in Dorchester, Catholic Memorial’s starting backcourt includes two players from Dorchester in seniors Daniel Brooks and Kyle Lawrence, and Boston Trinity has several city kids.

In fact, amidst the surge of prep schools in recent years, it can be easy to forget that a good number of kids excelling in prep schools are from the city of Boston.  Cushing Academy, Lawrence Academy, Marianapolis Prep and Tilton School all have players from Boston on their rosters, to name a few.  For good measure, Tilton won the national prep championship last year anchored by Connecticut freshman Jamal Coombs-McDaniel, who grew up in Dorchester, and with an assist from Gerard Coleman, a future Providence Friar who also grew up in the city.

Even with some talent leaving the city in recent years, the city championship still draws big crowds at the Shelburne Community Center and UMass-Boston.  Teams still take a lot of pride in being city champions even though they head into the championship game already knowing their opening state tournament game.  It’s still a big deal, and with that in mind it’s not a surprise to see it now in the fall when city teams match up.  There is still an extra rivalry edge each team has in wanting to win that game just a little more.

The league is working to market itself more.  It already has sponsorships from Coca-Cola, Reebok, Expressions, and Dorchester Youth Collaborative (DYC) and Dotwell under the direction of the Mayor’s Office.  Your Complete Player is present to film many of the games, footage of which can be accessed at its Web site or via a DVD.  The staff is already seeing more potential for the league just from its early efforts.

The staff is running a similar league starting in December at the middle school level.  After a little break in the action once the fall league is done, the Dorchester House will be home to the Beantown Slam Middle School Jamboree starting on December 5.  With the success they are seeing at the high school level, they are looking forward to what this will bring.

After eight weeks of regular season play, the Beantown Slam Pre-Season Jamboree holds playoffs over two Saturdays on November 14 and 21.  Every team makes it, so they all have a chance to win.  With the way regular season games have gone thus far, one can expect the playoffs to have a similar atmosphere and even one like the city championship always has – all in the small and unassuming building you can barely see from Dot Ave.

Player Notes

• Newton North figured to be a sizeable underdog against a talented New Mission team on Saturday, as the Tigers were without Yale commit Greg Kelley (ankle injury) and junior Tevin Falzon, who was away with family. They were already without Macam Macam Bak, who suffered a serious knee injury early in the season and will be out of action for about a year. But the Tigers made it a ballgame in losing 37-32, and that has head coach Paul Connolly optimistic, especially since his team also didn’t have the services of a couple of players currently playing football.

• Jeff Amazan has a new home after leaving Charlestown High School. Now at East Boston, the 6’3″ guard gives the team an immediate boost alongside the very athletic Dimitry Coronel, especially since he can shoot and has been demonstrating that thus far. His talent could be seen while playing with BABC in the spring, but now he looks more at home on the court. He has a ways to go defensively, but he’s a Division I prospect if he puts the work in.

• The aforementioned Catholic Memorial team lost two key guards from last year’s team, as Jeff Tagger (Taft) and Allen Harris (Suffield Academy) are now at prep schools in Connecticut. While they will need Brooks and Lawrence to play like seniors, one underclassman who should help them stay more than relevant is Matt Droney. The lefty wing has a good motor and a developing game offensively, and could be the X-factor in their season.

• Rodell Whittington has seemingly burst upon the scene for Boston Trinity Academy. The native of Nova Scotia had a big day last Saturday at the New England Elite 75 Frosh/Soph event, then on Saturday willed his team to a win with several key plays that included a game-winning stickback in the final seconds. He’s a well-built 6’3″ wing, with good athleticism and a nose for the ball that comes in part from playing inside for his prior school.

• Brookline has a sleeper prospect in the senior class in forward Jordan Rogers.  One of the better players in the league, he’s not entirely there yet physically but has a great motor and some skills to play both forward spots.  Simply put, he gets things done on the court as he’s around the ball often at both ends of the floor.  If he is to play at the Division I level, his height dictates that he plays the wing, and he’s athletic and skilled enough to get there although he needs to continue improving.

New England Elite 75 Frosh/Soph Player Notes

BOSTON – The second annual New England Elite 75 Frosh/Soph Edition gave us a look at much of the younger talent in the region.  An interesting note is that although guards often dominate an event like this, there were many wings and post players that caught our attention on the day.  The event was split up by class, with freshmen playing the first half of the day and sophomores coming in for the latter half of the day.

Without further adieu, here are notes on some of the players we saw.

Nathaniel Anderson (6’6″ Fr. SF-PF, Roxbury (MA) New Mission HS) A forward with good size, he at first looks like a post player but is athletic enough to play on the wing down the road.  He ran the floor and was active, getting after it at both ends and making himself a factor.  In a setting like this, that’s how the bigger players make an impact since guards tend to dominate the play.

Jahvaney Beckford (6’1″ So. SG, Manchester (CT) Cheney Tech) An athletic guard with a mature body for his age, he showed good potential as he was around the ball often.  While he looks like he’s more of a scorer, he also showed a little mid-range touch off the dribble.  A notable area for improvement is his dribble, especially since he looks like more of a scorer than a shooter.

Kamali Bey (6’3″ So. SG-SF, Springfield (MA) Sabis Charter School) The well-built wing showed once again what he’s shown before: he knows how to score and will put up points.  He looks more athletic and to be in better shape, although he could still improve in both areas, but he has a good frame and knows how to use his body.

Aaron Calixte (5’10″ Fr. PG, Stoughton (MA) High) A baby physically, he already has excellent physical gifts that should help him make an impact right away.  When he penetrates, he’s tough to deal with, as he can finish with both hands and passed well on the move.  Although he’s small, he didn’t look afraid to work inside as he also went in and got a stickback.

Kahlil Dukes (5’10″ Fr. PG, Hartford (CT) Capital Prep) A point guard with some quickness and the ability to score on drives, he showed promise save for a jumper that didn’t look good.  On the bright side there, he did come alive late from long range.

Stephen Edmonds (5’7″ So. PG, Hartford (CT) Capital Prep) A quick and aggressive guard, he competes every second of the game at both ends of the floor.  He was around the ball and fearlessly drove to the basket to try to make plays.  The big question is if he will grow more, as his size could be a hindrance down the road.

Adam Ek (5’9″ Fr. PG, Saco (ME) Thornton Academy) He flew a little under the radar for a lot of the day, but earned his way into the all-star game and showed he belonged there.  While he won’t bowl you over with physical gifts, he got to the basket and finished capably with both hands.

Matthew Ellis (5’10″ So. PG, Westford (MA) Academy) A plus athlete, he has some physical maturity but his body isn’t there yet.  He impressed with a nice spin move on a drive that led to a layup, and will be worth keeping an eye on.

Jake Fay (6’4″ Fr. SG, Lynn (MA) Brimmer & May School) A baby physically, he showed as he has before that he has a lot of upside and shot the ball well from long range, especially in the all-star game.

Dimitri Floras (6’0″ Fr. SG, Merrimack (NH) High) Early on, he wasn’t playing his best, but he got better as the day went along and got into the all-star game.  The thing he does best is shoot, but he looks more comfortable with the ball in his hands each time out and this day was no exception.

Ramon Gibbons (6’0″ Fr. SG, Charlestown (MA) High) His talent is undeniable, especially offensively, but there are some clear areas for development going forward – areas where he clearly is a freshman.  He scored often, including shooting the ball well out as far as the three-point line, and it looked almost effortless at times.  That’s also the problem, because he didn’t seem to play as hard as he could and seemed to be leaving something on the table.  He could have gone by a defender several times but didn’t, and there were a few times he didn’t get back on defense.  The talent is there, but will the desire for improvement and reaching his potential be there as well?

Egi Gjikondi (6’8″ Fr. PF, Malden (MA) Cushing Academy) It was a given that he can score, as he’s already established that he’ll put up points with a lot of close baskets.  But the big development here was that he showed signs of becoming a presence defensively and on the glass, which are the main areas for improvement.  He mad a few too many jump passes for our liking, but all in all his play on this day represented a step forward.

Braxton Gulley-Mabry (6’3″ Fr. PF, Arlington (MA) High) At first, his body will jump out at you as he has a big body for his size.  But once the game starts, his nose for the ball will be more noticeable, as he was constantly around the ball and made a number of plays.  He showed the ability to score on the post and get stickbacks, and he has some length.  Not all of his weight is good weight, but based on what he showed there’s plenty of potential if he improves his conditioning.

Dana Hines (6’7″ So. PF-C, Concord (MA) Concord-Carlisle HS) Well-built post player will grab attention with his body, although not all of his weight is good.  The lefty also doesn’t have much of a feel for the game and tended to force bad shots, but he ran the floor reasonably well for his size.

Tyrese Hoxter (6’3″ So. SG, Turner (ME) Leavitt Area HS) Lefty guard showed some nice ability to finish near the hoop, as he was able to score in transition and later showed that he can go to and finish with the right hand.  There was a lowlight, when he drove in on a fast break and made a foolish between-the-legs pass that missed a teammate badly instead of taking the easy layup he had.

Kuran Iverson (6’7″ Fr. SF-PF, Hartford (CT) Northwest Catholic HS) Arguably the best player in the gym, he has a world of potential.  He’s long and athletic, with long strides when running and even driving to the basket, and he scored both on drives and shooting from long range.  While he knocked down several three-pointers, he also tended to settle for jumpers and has a high dribble that he’ll need to improve.

Tim Jackson, Jr. (6’4″ So. SG-SF, Danbury (CT) High) Athletic wing is barely past being a baby physically, so there’s some good upside in that respect.  He has some length and finished well when he got to the basket, and the ball skills are good right now but will need some work.  Defensively, he reached in a lot instead of using his physical gifts and fundamentals.

Kaleb Joseph (6’1″ Fr. PG, Nashua (NH) South HS) Quick and shifty point guard continued to show a pass-first mentality and the ability to drive and dish to a teammate.  He has enough scoring ability to keep defenses honest right now and should get better since he’s not done growing yet.

Akosa Maduegbunam (6’3″ So. SG-SF, Charlestown (MA) High) Athletic wing is well-built and showed some good skills at the offensive end.  He knocked down jumpers without settling and also got a couple of field goals on drives, and defensively he boxed out well to rebound from the wing, which is always a plus.

Timmance McKinney (6’1″ Fr. SG, Milton (MA) High) A baby physically, he was one of the best guards among the freshmen here.  He’s skilled and athletic and was deadly when he drove to the basket as he scored on a big man and showed the ability to finish with his left (off) hand.

Georges Niang (6’7″ So. PF, Methuen (MA) Tilton School) A post player with a mature body, he didn’t put up big points but had some good moments.  He’ll be counted on for more with his school team this year, so plays like the pick and roll he finished nicely late in the day will be needed on a regular basis.

Elijah Okagbare (So. PF-C, Charlestown (MA) Boston Trinity Academy) His body and game both have a ways to go, but what he did here indicates that he has about as much upside as almost any player in the event.  He’s long and has a good motor, and will occasionally show something on offense like the baseline turnaround jumper in one game, but where he shined was running the floor and getting a number of stickbacks as a result.

Goodluck Okonboh (6’7″ Fr. PF, Boston (MA) Tilton School) The cousin of Connecticut freshman Alex Oriakhi, the comparisons will be inevitable over the next few years for more reasons than the family tie.  He’s long and has some good fundamentals, although he’s quite raw overall, and like Oriakhi there may even be a question as to whether he has a killer instinct.  While he played well more than just in spots, you get the feeling he could have dominated if he wanted to.

John Powell (6’5″ So. SF-PF, Ashland (MA) High) The lefty forward continues to look better every time out.  He earned his way to the all-star game by running the floor and being active.

Kamari Robinson (6’4″ Fr. SF, Springfield (MA) Central HS) Active wing had a nose for the ball and made himself a factor all day.  Athletic and with a good body, he has some length and can score, showing the ability to finish with his left hand along the way.

Wayne Selden (6’3″ Fr. PG-SG, Roxbury (MA) John D. O’Bryant HS) Built like a tank, there’s a lot of potential in this young man but also some questions.  He’s athletic and skilled enough to play any perimeter spot and his body can still get better physically.  He loved the no-look pass as he made a few of those and can handle the ball, but doesn’t always make the right decision and you get the feeling he’s leaving something on the table with how he plays.

Jacquille Taylor (6’8″ Fr. PF-C, Cambridge (MA) Rindge & Latin) Every time out, this long post player looks a little better, especially with his post offense although that figures to be a work in progress for a while.  He ran the floor better and showed a better jump hook along with a nice mid-range shot off the catch on one play, and he’s using his length better on defense.  Offensively, he could make a quick improvement by slowing down when he gets the ball, as he seems to try to make the move and put the shot up all in the same motion and thus looks awkward even though some shots go in.

Kevin Trotman (6’4″ So. SF, Watertown (CT) Taft School) A wing with a good body, he showed some good scoring ability with several options.  His ball skills could use improvement, but he was able to score close to the basket and on one play made a nice drive and reverse layup.

Johnnie Vassar (5’8″ Fr. PG, Marlborough (MA) Hillside School) A baby physically, this lefty guard clearly has some good upside.  He was effective when driving, finishing when he got to the basket and able to go to his right.

Rodell Whittington (6’3″ So. SG-SF, Hyde Park (MA) Boston Trinity Academy) If there was one highlight that stood out, it was probably his fast break dunk that got his entire team up out of their seats late in the day.  But that’s only the beginning; as was the case when we saw him with his team a week earlier, the athletic wing was active, ran the floor and showed a lot of potential if he continues to work on his skills.  He didn’t just score in transition, as he knocked down a three-pointer and scored posting up a defender.

Other players who caught our attention and we will want to see more of:

Riyadh Asad (Fr. PG, West Springfield (MA) High)

Aaron Bartley (Fr. G, Trumbull (CT) Christian Heritage)

Chris Braley (6’3″ So. SG, Newport (ME) Nokomis HS)

Cane Broome (5’8″ Fr. PG, East Hartford (CT) High)

Edson Dascy (6’1″ Fr. SG, Fall River (MA) Bishop Connolly HS)

Da’Quan Grant (6’0″ So. PG-SG, Oakdale (CT) St. Thomas More)

Zach Karalis (6’2″ So. SG, North Andover (MA) High)

Zachary Lewis (6’1″ So. SG, Hartford (CT) Northwest Catholic HS)

Tevin Montgomery (6’5″ Fr. SF-PF, Hyde Park (MA) Boston Trinity Academy)

Colin Richey (6’0″ Fr. PG, Whitinsville (MA) Christian School)

Cornelius Tyson (6’1″ Fr. PG, Springfield (MA) Central HS)

Brimmer & May Has a New Look

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – It’s a new year and a new look for the Brimmer & May School.  Last season’s team made it to the semifinals of NEPSAC Class B before bowing out, certainly not a bad run for a team in its first year there and that two years earlier was in Class D.  If this season’s team is to make a similar run, they will have to do it differently.

Gone from last season’s team is Kyle Casey, now a member of the Harvard Crimson.  While he will be missed because of his talent as well as charisma, the biggest reason they miss him might be the fact that they don’t have a player like him even at a lesser talent level.  Greg Kristof’s team is full of guards and wings, and that means more running is in store for this team.

No one will benefit more from that than a newcomer to the team, Chris Sherwood (6’4″ Jr. SF, Sharon (MA)).  A terrific athlete, Sherwood was one of the better players in the state during the spring and summer, and even an injury along the way couldn’t derail that.  He’s a consistent jump shot away from seeing his recruitment go even higher, and on Thursday there were signs of progress in that department as he shot well in drills and made a nice shot going to his left off the dribble.  His body is getting more mature and he’s not losing any athleticism adjusting to it.

It might seem like he’s been on the team forever, but Derek Retos (5’9″ Sr. SG, Attleboro (MA)) has only been there since the eighth grade.  Known for his jump shot all along, he hit several from deep on Thursday, a couple of times with a defender on him, continuing where he left off in the spring and summer as he was once again shooting lights out after a slump during some of the school season.  He also used a nice hesitation to get an opening into which he drove and scored, and made a nice pass on the go another time.

How’s this for a head-scratcher: the senior who is already well over 1,000 career points doesn’t have a single college scholarship offer to this point.  Yes, he’s an under-sized shooting guard. Yes, he’s not very athletic.  Yes, he’s not an all-world defender in part because of his size.  But surely someone even in Division II or III must have a place for a shot-maker like him, especially since you’re not going to find a better kid as well.  He has interest from schools in just about every conference that has a member school in New England, but the offers are elusive.

Eric Alleyne (6’0″ Sr. PG, Newton (MA)) was under the weather on Thursday, which helps explain why he had his moments but overall didn’t have his best day.  His best asset is that he loves contact and will constantly initiate it when he drives to the basket, as the lefty will draw his fair share of fouls and can finish with contact.  He had some good moments shooting the ball in drills, then was just okay once game action began, but once he’s healthy he will be better.  He could potentially play at the lowest level of Division I and should get plenty of Division II interest.

The X-factor for this team is likely Troy Robinson (6’5″ Sr. SF-PF, Boston (MA)), who returns for his second year.  Well-built with a mature body, Robinson is lacking consistency and not talent.  He has tools like being able to handle the ball, making shots and getting to the basket, the last of which he showed nicely on one play where he used a good ball fake to lead to a driving layup.  On the other hand, his dribble is shaky, he tends to settle for some shots, and can play careless basketball at times, illustrated once on Thursday where he made a careless pass that was stolen and led to a breakaway layup.  Perhaps the best summary is that he doesn’t have an identity as a player; there isn’t one thing he can hang his hat on as he does several things a little better than average but nothing much better than that.  That might change now that more will be needed from him this year.

Another newcomer who will get minutes right away is Jared Fay (6’3″ Jr. SG, Lynn (MA)).  Fay comes over from Lynn Classical High School and will repeat his junior year.  On Thursday showed his ability to catch and shoot, along with deceptive athleticism.  He figures to at first be a glue guy on this team.

His younger brother, Jake Fay (6’2″ Fr. SG, Lynn (MA)) has good upside and will work his way into the lineup this year, although bigger minutes will come later.  He has some length and can shoot just like his brother, and his baby face shows that he’s far from being done growing physically.

Another X-factor for this team could be Oliver Nazon (6’4″ Jr. SG-SF).  Long and a baby physically, he’s perhaps the best example of an upside player on this team.  He showed some ball skills on a few plays and finished a nice give and go one time, but it’s clear he’s not going to be one of the top two or three contributors.  With the relative lack of size, he may even play a little out of position.

This year’s team has a different look, but they can’t be counted in Class B, where there isn’t a clear favorite.  The three seniors are all playing with their college future on the line, which will be one more motivator, although that can also work the other way as players in those circumstances can become selfish.  The bet here is that it will be a positive motivator, especially since all three seniors have experienced winning in their career at the school and none of them are selfish by nature.  If the newcomers inject the talent they appear ready to, they might surprise a few people along the way.

Brewster Should Contend Once Again

WOLFEBORO, N.H. – As has been the case the last few years, Brewster Academy boasts a team that on paper should contend in Class A of NEPSAC.  Two years ago, they broke through and won the Class A title, and they once again have a team with plenty of talent and some depth, which an open gym on Monday confirmed.

The player who shined the most is Naadir Tharpe (6’0″ Jr. PG, Worcester (MA)), who will be the team’s floor leader.  Fresh off a good spring and an even better latter half of July once he got over a bum ankle, Tharpe has always been able to run a team and distribute.  But what will make him much tougher to guard is being able to score, and on Monday he shot the lights out – a fitting cliché since there was a power outage in the gym that wasn’t fixed until about halfway through the workout.  He hit shots off the dribble, and looked to shoot about as much as he looked to pass.  It looks like the time he spent in the gym after July was over is about to pay off, at least if he keeps hitting when the games begin.

The jewel of the team from a talent standpoint is Will Barton (6’6″ Sr. SG-SF, Baltimore (MD)), a confident and engaging young man whom coach Jason Smith says has been the “real deal” since arriving on campus.  The Memphis commit is long, very thin and athletic, and has terrific body control, which he showed on a few occasions.  He goes fearlessly to the hoop, using long strides that belie the quickness he has, and while he can shoot, he does have a slight fade on his jumper.

Tharpe’s travel teammate, Austin Carroll (6’3″ Sr. SG, Bedford (MA)), didn’t play his best ball on Monday but will certainly figure into the team’s plans.  He’s known for his jump shot, but he can simply play the game and will occasionally do something you don’t expect him to do based on his physical talents.  A good example was late in the workout, when he used a good pump fake to open a driving lane for a basket.

Ashton Khan (6’1″ Sr. PG, Scarborough (Ontario)) will likely be the main backup point guard.  One of four Canadian imports on the team, he has a mature body and shot the ball well in the flow of the offense from long range.  Late in the workout, he made a nice play dribbling into the paint and floating a left-handed shot from a few feet away that went in.  Also in the mix will be Adam Perry (6’1″ Sr. PG, Apex (NC)), whose highlight was a nice baseline runner over a big man, and Isiah Pringle (5’9″ Sr. PG, Laurelton (NY)), who has a nice resume off the court as he holds a few leadership positions on campus.

The frontcourt is where a lot of the riches are, starting with recent Iowa State commit Melvin Ejim (6’6″ Sr. SF, Brampton (Ontario)).  A very athletic wing with a good body, he made a number of good alley-oop finishes even when he wasn’t at the best spot to do so, and was constantly in attack mode.  Early on, he shot the ball well from long range, but went cold later on.  He’s in his second year at the school and seems poised to close out his high school career with a big season.

Syracuse commit C.J. Fair (6’8″ Sr. SF, Baltimore (MD)) didn’t play his best ball on Monday, but he’s a very capable player and did get going late in the workout.  The lefty has a slight frame but a fairly mature body, is athletic and can shoot from long range, which he did very well in the final pickup game of the day.

Kyle Tazoli (6’6″ Sr. SF, Winter Park (FL)) is another who got off to a fast start before fading later in the workout.  Smith says he has been better than expected, and he certainly has some potential as he has a good body and is a plus athlete with a nice feel for the game.  He also showed some defensive ability on the ball.

The sleeper contributor may be Jared Fahmy (6’7″ So. SF, Bedford (NH)), who had a nice day shooting the ball from long range.  His upper body isn’t there yet, but he has a good frame and shot well when he got a good look.  On a team loaded with good talent, he can find a spot contributing as a complementary player.

The team’s two main post players are both from north of the border, and both are good ones.  Maurice Walker (6’10″ Sr. PF-C, Toronto (Ontario)) has a big body but moves very well and had an excellent workout.  He can be a load to handle inside, as he has good post scoring ability and got his share of stickbacks and used his left (off) hand a few times on post moves.  He also showed a mid-range touch on a couple of jumpers, and if he improves his conditioning his ceiling only goes up.

Richard Peters (6’10″ So. PF-C, Pickering (Ontario)) is the big “potential” player on the team.  Already committed to Oklahoma, Peters played in the Jordan Brand Classic International Game in April and was one of the best players in it.  The lefty is a plus athlete with deceptive length and a body that’s not fully mature yet.  While he can take a defender off the dribble, it’s not his forte and he was much better scoring near the basket on Monday, as he couldn’t buy a basket when shooting from outside.  He will certainly contribute to this season’s team, but his best basketball will be played later on.

Brewster will be tested this year as usual, especially within Class A.  They play several teams only on the road and no one only at home as of now as the schedule is being finalized.  But this is a confident group with talent that includes an improving floor leader and lots of options at the wing positions to go with their post players.  As has been the case in recent years, this team should be right in the thick of the Class A race come the month of March.

St. Mark’s Once Again Draws a Crowd

SOUTHBOROUGH, Mass. – It’s beginning to feel like an annual event, but it’s what happens when there’s talent somewhere.  Every year, St. Mark’s draws a crowd of coaches to its workouts, which isn’t uncommon at schools like it except that the school typically doesn’t allow many such days to happen.  The past couple of years, the school has held just one open gym during the early fall live period and it drew a number of coaches.  This time around, it will hold two, one of which was on Sunday.  More than 20 college coaches were in attendance, including about a half dozen head coaches.

The big senior leader is Georgetown commit Nate Lubick (6’8″ Sr. PF, Southborough (MA)).  Over his high school career, he has gradually transformed his game into that of a very complete player, and now his main identity is as a warrior who does what it takes to win games.  He didn’t quite look like himself on Sunday, but he was tough inside and battled a teammate three inches taller on defense, finished with contact and did a fine job of letting the game come to him.

Joining Lubick among the seniors is Melsahn Basabe (6’8″ Sr. SF-PF, Glen Cove (NY)), whose recruitment picked up during the off-season.  When he first arrived at the school two years ago, he looked like an intriguing prospect who needed a good deal of work.  Well, he has put the work in, and his ball skills are now much better and he’s solid when he works inside.  Here, he handled the ball a good deal, drove a few times and knocked down a couple of jumpers.  A solid mid-major/mid-major plus prospect, he’s hoping to close out his career with a perfect run of three straight titles.

Alex Murphy (6’8″ So. SF, Wakefield (RI)) has only begun to show what he is capable of, especially since he’s still a baby physically.  At times in the spring and summer, he was terrific, and his recruitment quickly picked up.  On Sunday, his back was bothering him, but he showed signs of what he’s capable of with a couple of drives for scores and some ball-handling.  In particular, he showed that he can face up and did well to find a gap to drive through to get to the basket.

The newcomer to keep an eye on is Kaleb Tarczewski (6’11″ So. C, Claremont (NH)), who has the opposite problem that a lot of young big men have at this age.  Whereas many are finesse players but soft inside, Tarczewski is aggressive and not afraid to battle and deal with contact, but doesn’t yet have much of a feel for how to score.  That was evident by how a few times, Lubick cornered him on the post and he didn’t know what to do with the ball at first.  Once he gains more of a feel for the game, he’ll start touching his potential, and going up against a warrior in Lubick constantly will only help.

The point guard will be another newcomer, Jaymie Spears (5’8″ So. PG, Georgetown (MA)).  A good football player, Spears wasn’t himself on Sunday with a high ankle sprain but gutted it out.  He’s a baby physically with a slight frame, but he’s tough and has a great motor and passed better as the workout went along.

Two role players who will contribute are Eric Green (6’5″ So. SF, Oakland (CA)) and Eli Lubick (6’3″ So. SG-SF, Southborough (MA)).  Green looks unassuming as he’s a baby physically and might not have the most imposing game face, but he’s athletic and should help this team off the bench.  The younger Lubick is fairly mature physically but has improved over the spring and summer and should get more minutes this season.

St. Mark’s might have some growing pains on the perimeter at first with a younger point guard, but there’s enough talent to make up for that and Spears has played with Murphy and Tarczewski on a summer travel team.  In a couple of weeks, more college coaches will come to the school a little west of Boston, and this season a third straight title could be within reach.

Boston Trinity Looks to Keep Up Winning Ways

MANSFIELD, Mass. – Boston Trinity Academy has been on a roll the past two years.  In that time, Rick Linet’s team has posted a 55-6 record playing in Class D of NEPSAC.  This season’s team, which has four players from outside the United States to go with mostly Boston kids, will look to keep that going, and they have the personnel to do it.

Native Serbian Velkjo Lukic (6’6″ Sr. SF) looks to be this team’s vocal leader.  He has good intangibles and a good motor, and he’s not lacking in the skill department.  His body isn’t there yet and he has a slight frame, and his feel for the game can get better.  The biggest area for improvement is shooting, and it’s not his stroke as that looks fine, but so many shots he took at Saturday’s workout, as has been the case before, were ones he settled for, and his percentage suffers for it.  He has some upside, especially if he ever improves his shot selection.

The other senior on the team, Kadeem Wint (6’8″ Sr. C), has shown a nice improvement since the end of last season.  Blessed with a college-ready body, he lacked a motor and didn’t get much done on the court, but that is no longer the case.  At Saturday’s workout, he showed more life and battled more inside, and was much more of a factor than he had been.  His post moves could still use improvement and he’s not the quickest making a move, and he put the ball on the floor unnecessarily a couple of times, but those can come in time.

A newcomer in the frontcourt is Elijah Okagbare (6’7″ So. PF), who was at Charlestown High last season.  Long and blessed with a seven-foot wingspan, he’s very raw with a jump shot that starts with him bringing the ball almost behind his head.  While not the most fluid athlete yet, he is above average athletically and is far from mature physically.  He can score in close, although he doesn’t appear ready to be a double-digit scorer just yet.

Tevin Montgomery (6’5″ Fr. PF) is also on the roster, but did not work out on Saturday due to injury.

The wealth of guards starts with Lutheurson Bonheur (6’0″ Jr. PG), the clear floor leader.  His body isn’t there yet, but he’s tough and will take contact all game long.  Since the spring, he has made nice strides, and while his jumper is still an area for improvement, he did knock down a long two-point shot on Saturday.

The best prospect on the team might be Canadian import Rodell Wigginton (6’3″ So. SG-SF).  While in Nova Scotia, Wigginton often played inside, and it’s not hard to tell when you see how active on the glass he can be.  He’s athletic with a good body and competes all day, as he was constantly around the ball at both ends and might have been the leading rebounder on the day.  He also got a nice block on a fast break and got out in transition a few times.  While his jumper looked shaky, that got overshadowed by how much he made happen while on the court.

Another Canadian import, Kayon Mayers (6’1″ Jr. SG), has some physical gifts but his body isn’t there yet.  Like Wigginton, he played a little out of position before, and Linet is hoping to work him over to being more natural at the shooting guard spot.

Keylin Haye (6’0″ Jr. PG-SG) had some good moments on the day, and classmate Kadeem Thompson (6’0″ Jr. PG-SG) is the other Canadian import who will be in the mix.  They also have Ricky Smith (5’11″ So. PG) and a pair of freshmen, Bumi Muhammed (5’10″ Fr. PG) and Zach Petion (5’9″ Fr. PG), on the roster.

Boston Trinity has another strong team, and one that has experience playing with one another.  The holdovers have made strides and a couple of newcomers seem poised to make an impact right away.  Add in the wealth of guards, always important at this level, and they look ready to have another big year.

New Hampton Prep Has a Solid, Unspectacular Group

NEW HAMPTON, N.H. – The Lakes Region of central New Hampshire is one more part of New England with a few prep schools tucked away.  One of the easiest to reach among them is New Hampton Prep, located a short drive off Interstate 93.  Post-grads usually make up a significant portion of the roster, and this season is no different.

Although the Huskies don’t have a number of big bodies, their tallest players will all be key contributors.  Michigan commit Evan Smotrcyz (6’8″ Sr. SF, Reading (MA)) didn’t shoot the ball well at Friday’s workout, but we don’t need to be sold on his ability to do it after an excellent spring and summer.  He made a nice improvement last year after coming to the school and is primed to close out his career on a good note.

Dartaye Ruffin (6’8″ Sr. PF, Stoughton (MA)) remains committed to Drexel and looks more and more like a solid pickup for the Dragons.  His game has developed steadily over the last couple of years, as he’s now solid facing up and looks better all the time with his post moves.  He has a mature body and runs the floor well, finishing a fast break one time where he ran the floor.

Kyle Cain (6’7″ Sr. PF, Chicago (IL)) is a left-handed forward who had a good showing on Friday.  His best play came away from the basket at the offensive end, with plays like an up fake for a driving layup and finishing an alley-oop with contact, and he knocked down a long jumper.  He can run the floor and did so a couple of times.

An active wing who will contribute is Thomas Bropleh (6’5″ Sr. SF, Denver (CO)), one of two players on the team from Colorado.  Athletic and with a solid body, he showed some ball skills and has a better stroke than his misses would indicate, but his best asset is intangible.  There was no questioning his effort, as he was around the ball often at both ends of the floor.  He didn’t show a great feel for the game as a few shots were ill-advised, but that can improve.

Tim McKinney (6’4″ Sr. SG-SF, Duxbury (MA)) is back from a knee injury that made last season a lost one, and seems rejuvenated now that he can play again.  He sat out Friday’s workout as he was late because of a late class, but he spent a lot of the summer working out with former Boston College star Bill Curley and is eager to get back on the court in game action.

Also figuring into the equation on the wing are Navy commit Jacob Liebert (6’4″ Sr. SF, Monte Vista (CA)), Australian Jesse Hilleary (6’4″ Sr. SG) and Eric Dean (6’3″ Sr. SG, Gilford (NH)).

The backcourt has a couple of solid options to run the show, including Boston College commit Brady Heslip (6’2″ Sr. PG, Burlington (Ontario)).  He won’t wow you with physical gifts, but he has a good frame and good size for the position and shot the ball very well from long range before a minor injury led to him sitting for some final minutes.

Beau Gamble (6’0″ Sr. PG, Boulder (CO)) is the other player from Colorado on the team, and he impressed on Friday as he displayed a great motor.  He has some speed with the ball and always competes, and while he won’t rack up the points his three-point shot must be respected and he can get some transition baskets.

The player to watch in the backcourt is Jordan Laguerre (6’1″ Jr. SG, Manchester (NH)).  After a spring and summer that saw his recruitment jump, he impressed at this workout, indicating he intends to pick up right where he left off.  The strong lefty at times has not always taken shots in the flow of the offense, but he did exactly that on Friday and the results spoke for themselves as he scored on drives, from long range and even by posting up another guard.  He didn’t settle for any jumpers on the day.

Steve Topercer (6’0″ Jr. PG, Phoenix (AZ)), Brady O’Neil (6’2″ Sr. SG-SF, Laconia (NH)) and Carter Trent (5’10″ Sr. PG, Little Rock (AR)) will also be in the mix in the backcourt.

The Huskies have a solid, if unspectacular, group among their best players, and adding Laguerre will only help as he injects a big offensive talent into the backcourt.  The backcourt looks good and the frontcourt might be better than many would think at first glance.  There’s enough talent here for them to win their share of games, including some they probably shouldn’t.