Northeast Notebook

Northeast Conference Notebook

by Zach Smart

Ah, to be an NEC team during this juncture of the season. This is when the league begins to turn up the volts, when the top-of-the-line team floats down to the middle of the pack before the blink of an eye. The NEC world is where out-of-conference action rarely affects your team confidence. Even freefalling into an 0-5 non-conference hole and suffering a brutal, 37-point whopping to the cross-town rival won’t derail post-season aspirations. The morale of the program is fully counting on you during these evenly-matched, unpredictable battles.

Teams that live in the NEC know that there is no established food chain here. There is no top-flight team in the up-for-grabs, free-for-all conference. Last year, Central Connecticut ripped through the conference as the clear-cut favorite, their season culminating with a loss to Ohio State in the opening round of the NCAA tournament.

Not this year.

Robert Morris did what few teams at this tier of basketball can do back on Jan. 7, stamping a 57-51 victory over Boston College in a game that surely dropped jaws of hoop junkies throughout the nation. But just when the Colonials thought they had put themselves on the map, they were shellacked, 82-69, by Sacred Heart.

On top of the world one moment, funneled down to fifth place the next. That’s life when you’re battling for mid-season supremacy in a wide-open conference that will instantly vault one team to titanic exposure and NCAA college basketball lure when all is said and done.

“Right now, I think it’s really too early to determine which teams are going to come out on top,” said Mount St. Mary’s coach Milan Brown last week.

As of right now, Wagner (12-5, 5-1 NEC) and eccentric head coach Mike Deane appear to be the team to beat. They are currently tied for first place with Quinnipiac (9-8, 5-1), who have ripped off four wins in their last five games. Sudden success is something you’d expect from a team whose head coach is earning a king’s ransom to revitalize the program and establish a basketball culture.

As for Deane, who can be seen sporting sunglasses on the sideline, a new aspect of his quirky coaching tools has emerged: A seatbelt.

The Seahawk coach with a penchant for jumping out on the court and becoming easily animated has implemented a seatbelt that straps him to his chair throughout the game. Hopefully Wagner’s group of assistants won’t have to tighten the screws too often.

Deane has subscribed to this new method of restraining himself after the officials have made it clear they will be less tolerant this season.

“After a turnover, I’d expect him to be up yelling at me,” says Wagner guard Joey Mundweiler, who must have felt like a punch-drunk fighter when he first saw that his coach was seated.

But Deane doesn’t have much to yell about at Mundweiler these days. The off guard is averaging 11.1 points and shooting 52 percent from the floor. Mundweiler is just a key cog in the Seahawks’ well-balanced offense that has allowed them to surface as the top team.

No player averages more than 14 points a game, with Mark Porter leading the way with 14.4. The 6-2 point guard has also orchestrated this well-oiled machine effectively, handing out a team-high 5.6 assists.

Notes

• Showing Some Heart: After a dreadful 0-6 start, the skeptics began to surface, as Sacred Heart – who the coaches pegged as the conference favorite – appeared to be suffering from identity theft. The team that advanced all the way to the conference finals last season has re-emerged, behind the play of Brice Brooks, Chauncey Hardy, and Drew Shubik.
• DA’s World: After scoring 16 points the first few games of the season, DeMario Anderson has been on a tear for the Quinnipiac Bobcats. The 6-foot-4 swingman is one of nation’s elite scorers, averaging 20.8 per game. This past week, Anderson was named Choice Hotels NEC player of the week after averaging 23 points, eight boards, and three steals while shooting an efficient 53 percent from the floor. The Bobcat boat will only go as far as Anderson, who played for Central Connecticut his first two seasons, steers them.
• Dolla, Dolla U-Billa: With graduation claiming top scorers Andre Harris (18.8 PPG, 7.5 RPG) and Michael Peeples (11.9 PPG, 5.6 RPG), FDU knew that they would need someone to jump in and fill the void.
  Enter Manny Ubilla. Ubilla is averaging 21.4 points and 6.3 assists in what is easily his best season as a collegian. The senior, who hung 39 on nationally-ranked Rhode Island in a 94-63 loss, has upped his scoring average by nearly 10 points from last season. He has emerged into one of the conference’s premier point guards and is playing like a sure-fire first team all-conference selection.

Power Rankings

• 1. Wagner: Free throw shooting has hurt them, but if the ‘Hawks balanced offense continues to work the way they have, Deane will need to buckle up his seatbelt because it’s going to be a ride.
• 2. Quinnipiac: Bobcats are sizzling as of late, will need to continue to shoot the ball and not rely too heavily on Anderson should the NCAA tournament come calling.
• 3. Robert Morris: The trio of A.J. Jackson, Tony Lee, and Jeremy Chappell could drive this team deep into the post-season for first-year head coach Mike Rice.

A.J. Price The Key To UConn

UConn Is Good If Price Is Right

by Zach Smart

STORRS, Conn. – University of Connecticut men’s basketball coach Jim Calhoun was quick to point out a palpable trend that has emerged in this young season.

When the Price is right, it all starts to come together for UConn.

Junior point guard A.J. Price, after a second-rate sophomore campaign, has come into his element this season, shouldering a leadership role while abruptly establishing himself as a dual-threat offensively.

Calhoun said there’s a direct correlation between UConn victories/marquee matchups and Price’s exceptional showings.

“Look it up in the notes,” said Calhoun, the loquacious, longtime Husky coach.

In every significant win this season, and in every game against top-notch competition, the 6-foot-2 guard from Long Island has stamped his imprint. Whether it was against Buffalo, early 2007 men’s basketball media darling Gardner-Webb (in the first of the two games), as well as Memphis, Gonzaga, and most recently during a clubbing of in-state foe Quinnipiac, Price has been the answer for UConn (7-2).

“That’s everything I could have dreamed of,” said Price, after being informed of the copious praise Calhoun threw at him while pegging his point guard as the driver’s key of the Huskies high-horsepower, well-oiled offensive machine. “It’s an honor.”

During last week’s drubbing of Quinnipiac, Price’s vocal leadership was particularly evident, due to the blizzard-like conditions. With just 3,500 loyal fans taking up some of the 16,294 seats at the Hartford Civic Center, Calhoun could hear the solid communication amongst his players on the hardwood. The communication seemed to resonate in their performance, as the Huskies rolled to an 82-49 wash-out in what was easily their best performance of the season.

But Price’s voice was the loudest and most effective in quarterbacking the Huskies’ up-tempo style.

“You could hear A.J. really running the team,” explained Calhoun. “In huddle sessions, he did a nice job.”

Price, one of UConn’s oldest players and one of three juniors on a team that’s devoid of seniors and greener than a dope field, said the leadership role comes with the territory this season. He realized this at the start of the year, when Calhoun selected him as one of the team’s two captains.

“He (Calhoun) has been trying to get me to do that (step into a leadership role) for a long time,” said Price. “Now, things are coming along. Sunday was the first day where we were clicking on all cylinders. I think (Sunday) was the beginning of something real special with this team.”

That, of course, is something easier said after blasting an opponent out of the water. When the Huskies are done eating up the cupcakes of their non-conference slate in Big Foot-size bites, their first Big East litmus test arrives on January 3. The Huskies will go head-to-head with Bobby Gonzalez and Seton Hall, and two days later the Huskies are headed to Indiana for a date with Notre Dame, which looked razor-sharp defeating Kansas State at the Jimmy V Classic earlier this month.

After free-falling to the near bottom of the Big East food chain last year, the Huskies will hope to make their mark following a brutal down year. UConn was one of the more callow teams in the country last season, boasting nine freshman and three sophomores. The Huskies roster possessed just one senior in Marty Gagne last season, but the walk-on was more recognized for his physical intensity in practice and proclivity for writing and producing rap songs. Needless to say, Gagne rarely touched the court and the young guns were lost in the transition and struggling mightily while searching for an identity.

With the same A.J. Price that Calhoun remembers recruiting at Amityville High in 2004 – where he emerged into one of most highly sought after guards in the nation – running the show, the Huskies will look to spring back into respectability. Calhoun sprinkled Price with unmatched praise, calling him not only a top New York guard but one of the best guards ever to sign with the program.

For Price, the road to success was about as smooth as a trip up I-95 in snow-blanketed roads. Price would be sidelined his first two years due to health and legal issues before streamlining his career in 2006.

In 2004, Price suffered a life-threatening condition. Instead of dishing out pin-point passes to then-Husky teammates Charlie Villanueva, Rudy Gay, and Josh Boone (all of whom now play in the NBA), Price was in a hospital bed having a thin cocktail of medications dished to him. What Price had was a brain hemorrhage, caused by an Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM), a birth defect in his brain.

For ten grueling days, the Amityville community and Husky fans were caught in a complete standstill. Price was in critical condition. Two weeks later, Price’s loved ones and supporters breathed a sigh of relief as he was released from the hospital. Price told reporters he was “happy to be alive” and was told by his doctor that he couldn’t do any strenuous activity. In other words, kiss basketball goodbye.

Radiation treatment was the next step on the road to recovery for Price, who was forced to spend hours walking on a treadmill just to get his leg mobility back.

In the fall of 2005, before a season that Price still wasn’t cleared to play in, the then-19-year-old was suspended and arrested for his role in the theft of laptops which he and then-teammate Marcus Williams attempted to sell. Two of the stolen computers were found hidden in Price’s dorm room and he was slapped with three counts of felony larceny and lying to the police, a misdemeanor. He was sanctioned by the University, suspended for the 2005-2006 academic year.

Instead of spending his first two years at UConn operating the high-octane offense, Price spent his first two years fading into obscurity and tarnishing the lasting legacy he left on the New York high school and AAU circuit, significantly.

The pundits and skeptics surfaced, collectively, all saying that A.J. Price was done. He was done not only at UConn but done for good. No legit program would take a gamble on him. He would probably walk into a YMCA gym somewhere, a parole beeper strapped around his ankle, forever squandering talent.

Most kids would have packed their bags and went home. But most kids aren’t A.J. Price.

Most kids can’t say they recovered from a life-threatening illness that derailed them to the point where walking became a challenge. Most kids can’t say they put together a storied stay like the one Price did at Amityville High, blitzing teams to the tune of 29 points per game his senior year, collecting two state championships and three Long Island championships in three years.

Price jumped into the fold last year, but was clearly slowed down by the two-year layoff. The Huskies floundered, and Price was rustier than a bad hardware store, averaging a meager 9.4 points in 23 starts.

He jumped into the 2007-2008 campaign a different player. Playing with a dish-before-swish mentality, Price handed out nine dimes in the first win of the season, a squeaker over a gritty Morgan State team in the opening round of the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic, benefitting Coaches vs. Cancer. Price dialed in from a different area code in the regional round against Buffalo, hitting two long-range treys that jump-started a 17-0 spurt. Price would finish with a game-high 24 points as the Huskies routed Buffalo, 82-57. Price was named MVP of the Storrs regional.

Later, in hotly-contested games against No. 2 Memphis and No. 20 Gonzaga, Price averaged 22.5 points and 3.5 assists.

The big challenge lies ahead, as Calhoun and company will need Price to play with the same swagger against conference foes like Georgetown, Marquette, and Pittsburgh.

“He expects greatness from me,” Price said of Calhoun. “If Coach Calhoun, a Hall of Fame coach expects it from me, it makes me work that much harder to prove him right.”

Price subscribes to these coaching maxims because he trusts Calhoun, who gave his high-profile recruit a second chance.

Calhoun compared Price, who has said time and time again he’s grown from his mistakes, to some of the finest point guards ever to play at UConn. That’s fitting, because when the exhaust clears, the engine that’s the UConn basketball dynasty will only go as far as Price takes them.

Moore To Face Mentor

Moore Returns To UConn, Mentor Jimmy

by Zach Smart

Tom Moore was angry. He was angry at his team for a sub-par practice. He was angry that the practice squads didn’t bear any resemblance to what he was expecting to see on the floor this season. He was angry at a certain freshman for making some off-the-court freshman mistakes that would prolong practice and culminate the three-hour workout with “suicide” sprints. He was angry at the fact that his team had no choice but to practice in the bandbox Burt Kahn basketball court, because of floor problems at the TD Banknorth Sports Complex.

In the midst of a yelling session, the Burt Kahn door busted open, as a fiery Moore apparently had an uninvited guest.

Poor timing.

“Get out!” Moore barked at a reporter who had no business being in the gym during practice time. The reporter’s saunter abruptly changed into a hurried walk out the door, and Moore cleared his throat before dismissing his team.

In just his first week as the Quinnipiac coach who has enhanced the program’s profile, the Jim Calhoun inside Moore leaped out and made its presence felt.

After serving under the no-nonsense Calhoun for 13 years at the University of Connecticut, the last two as UConn’s associate head coach, Moore will be reunited with his mentor and former team on Sunday afternoon.

At the Hartford Civic Center, Moore’s old stomping grounds, the state’s longest existing blood-feud will be renewed.

The annual meeting between hasn’t played out like a rivalry the past eight years. UConn has pummeled the Bobcats in every meeting except last year’s, when a freshman-laden Huskies team gutted out an ugly 53-46 win. It was the first game of a frustrating 2006-2007 campaign for UConn.

“This is certainly unique,” said Moore during a recent teleconference, where he was peppered with questions.

“I have very strong feelings for the University of Connecticut and for Coach Calhoun in particular, and just what he did for my career and the opportunity he afforded me throughout my time there. I’m also trying to balance what are the best interests with my number one priority right now, which is our program here at Quinnipiac.”

Moore paid homage. He said Calhoun essentially molded his coaching career by blessing him with the opportunity to coach such a top-tier program, front-loaded with top-flight talents. UConn, which won the NCAA championship in 1999 and 2004, has established itself as the NBA factory these past few years (no college team currently has more alumni in the NBA).

Despite the emotional sub-plot, however, Moore insists he will not prepare for UConn’s run-and-gun, go-go brand of basketball much differently. Moore did reveal, however, that he will employ a different defensive style and sit in a zone.

“We’ll try to prepare the same way we did in terms of pre-game stuff,” said Moore. “And when we go out to do our stretching and net routine and all that stuff, we’ll keep it as much like that.”

In order to pull off a titanic, historic upset, however, the 4-4 Bobcats will have to jack up their energy level. To the nay-sayers, just playing neck-and-neck with the up-tempo Huskies-whose superior athleticism few teams can simulate-seems like a daunting task.

Moore explained that he’ll eschew the linkage of emotional ties and Xs and Os to game play. But he admits that the Big East opponent Quinnipiac will meet about 35 minutes from I-95 Sunday is going to be colossally different than anyone they’ve seen in eight games this season.

“The size and the athleticism will be on another total scale from what we’ve faced,” said Moore. “So we’re going to try to do a couple things differently, and I’ll be so wrapped up into survival mode during the game, where we’ll constantly be thinking about how do we handle a dunk in traffic by them, how do we handle a reach blocked shot?”

The season couldn’t have started more differently for the two teams and their coaches. UConn brought back nearly its entire roster while adding freshman guard Donnell Beverly from California. Quinnipiac, whom Moore left the Huskies bloodline for following the firing of Joe DeSantis in March, had its roster thoroughly cleansed from last season and was beset by injuries.

Moore, like Calhoun, appears to have a short chain this season, yanking players for a single gaffe. Like Calhoun, Moore is a household name. And also like his predecessor, Moore has scorched the recruiting trail, bringing in arguably the best recruiting class in Quinnipiac’s history this season.

Though he appears to be coaching at a lower stratum this year, and in an entirely different situation, there’s still a bit of Calhoun visible in Tom Moore.

Headlines

You can already picture them in Monday’s sports pages. “Super DeMario,” or, “The Price Is Right.” Both leaders for their respective teams, UConn’s A.J. Price and Quinnipiac’s DeMario Anderson have been told by their coaches that the team will only go as far as they can take them.

After a sophomore campaign where he failed to stamp his imprint, Price has lived up to the name he etched for himself at Amityville High in Long Island. The 6-foot-2 point guard has spearheaded the Huskies’ high-horsepower offense to the tune of 12.9 points and 5.6 assists per game. On his way to UConn, the praise lavished on Price was unmatched. But Price was sidelined his first few seasons due to health and legal issues. This year, he has emerged into the leader of a young torrent of talent. Price has been particularly strong in marquee games this season, averaging 22.5 points and 3.5 assists in the losses to Gonzaga and Memphis.

Anderson, he of mid-range jumpers and hang-time, has been the leader of a Bobcat team that starts two freshmen and a sophomore. Anderson, who played under another former Calhoun assistant in Howie Dickenman at Central Connecticut, is an explosive scorer averaging just a thread under 20 points per game. The University is hoping for Moore to take the Bobcats on a rapid ascension through the Northeast Conference, behind senior stalwart Anderson.

Anderson knows plenty about rapid ascensions. The 6-foot-4 wing didn’t play organized basketball until his junior year at Oxon Hill High School (Chicago Bull Mike Sweetney’s alma mater) in Oxon Hill, Md., and was elevated from obscurity his senior year. After two seasons at Central and a year at Global Institute, Anderson transferred to Quinnipiac and skyrocketed to small-school stardom last season.

Northeast Notebook

Northeast Conference Notebook

by Zach Smart

Mt. St. Mary’s Sitting At The Top of the Mountain

A message to anyone intrigued by a Northeast Conference that just might flee from obscurity this season: the college basketball conference that’s about as topsy-turvy as this year’s college football season is back in the fold.

The NEC, commonly tattooed by the outside world as the laughingstock of low-stratum Division I basketball, is beginning to register its presence outside of the northeast landscape. Though usually playing second, third, and fourth fiddle to other conferences along the eastern seaboard, the NEC is looking to make some noise and garner some recognition, an aspect it has lacked so sorely these past few years, this season.

Mount St. Mary’s elevated to credibility after defeating Loyola (MD) and Navy, and coach Milan Brown doesn’t want to see the win streak halt at four games. The Mount jumped out to a 2-0 start in conference play, thumping Long Island by a 73-55 margin before edging out defending champion Central Connecticut 60-59 on December 8.

While they have improved by leaps and bounds even after an uplifting 2006-07 campaign, there’s been a particular recipe for success this year: the play of half-pint sophomore guard Jeremy Goode. Goode, all of 5-foot-9, shot 6-of-10 from the floor and finished with 19 points against Central Connecticut en route to being named Choice Hotels Player of the Week. Goode averaged 15.3 points, 4.7 boards, 3.7 dimes, and 3.0 steals during the week of Dec. 10.

After averaging 10.1 points in 31 games last year, Goode has enhanced his role with the Mount, improving in nearly every major statistical category. He’s played an all-around, fundamentally sound brand of basketball. In the Army win, Goode collected 14 points and four steals, hit 9-of-10 from the line and connected on the game-clincher with 17 ticks remaining. Against Long Island, Goode had 13 points, five assists, three steals, and never balked in the land of giants, snaring six rebounds while running the show. The Charlotte, N.C. native is among the conference leaders in dimes, handing out 5.7 helpers per game. The Mount heads back to the out-of-conference slate with litmus test games against Maine and Winthrop lying ahead.

Over in Fairfield, Conn., the no-nonsense Dave Bike must have done something that lit a fire under his revived Sacred Heart Pioneers. After a listless 0-6 start, the Pioneers have ripped off three straight wins. They battered Monmouth by a cushy 27-point margin before shocking Central with a 68-52 shellacking. After a slow start, Drew Shubik has discovered his niche as a key cog in the Pioneers’ offense. The senior is averaging 11.1 points and 3.8 assists. In the two NEC victories, Shubik recorded a combined 33 points and 13 rebounds.

Wagner, after a frustrating 2006-07 season, has rapidly made its presence felt with a 6-3 start that included a win over Patriot League stalwart Bucknell. Mark Porter and Durrel Vinson have emerged as dual threats – Porter being a presence in the passing lanes with Vinson manning the boards (10.9 rpg). Three-point marksman Joey Mundweiler (11.4 PPG, 22 3FG) has also done his job efficiently.

Geffen Leads Well-Balanced Bobcats

Entering their first Northeast Conference game of the season, the Quinnipiac men’s basketball team knew that a well-oiled offensive machine would be an aspect paramount to success. After dropping an ugly loss to Brown on Monday, the Bobcats found themselves in a must-win situation Dec. 6 at the TD Banknorth Sports Center.

So, how would the Bobcats react?

They decided to pull some of the immense weight off senior swingman DeMario Anderson’s shoulders.

Quinnipiac played a cohesive and mindful brand of basketball, en route to recording a 90-79 victory over St. Francis N.Y. before a virtually non-existent crowd in the glitzy 3,500-seat arena. The win gives the Bobcats a 1-0 start on the conference slate, lifting them to 3-4 on the season. The Terriers, who are yet to register a road win, drop to 3-5.

Anderson scored 25 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the Bobcats, but it was the play of combo guard Bryan Geffen (16 points), an instant sparkplug off the bench and a presence in the perimeter game, that provided most of the firepower. The Queens product shot 6-for-8 from the floor, going 3-for-4 from three-point territory.

“Of our three wins, Bryan Geffen has had two very big games for us,” said Quinnipiac coach Tom Moore, referring to the Bobcats’ 85-79 double-overtime win over Hartford, when Geffen went off for 19 points and handed out six assists.

“He is capable of that every night. I know that there’s more to him – that’s why I push him the way I do – to try and get it out of him. He proved what he’s capable of and it’s exciting to see what he can do.”

Power forward Louis Brookins, a transfer by way of Maryland-Eastern Shore, was also exceptional. Brookins scored 17 points and connected on all six of his field goal attempts, floating freely around the cup and finishing, as the Bobcats didn’t hesitate to make the extra pass down low.

The game came with a bit of a billing, as anticipation for an intriguing matchup between DeMario Anderson and Robert Hines loomed. Anderson and Hines, both prolific scorers with a penchant for scoring in traffic and clusters, are surefire first team All-NEC selections. But Hines (18.4 ppg) came out colder than Colorado, misfiring on his first seven attempts. Anderson started off just 2-for-10 before unleashing a pair of acrobatic layups that pumped life into the Bobcats as the first half came winding down.

The Bobcats came out of the gates looking like a new team. They jumped out to an 8-0 lead that caused an irate Brian Nash to signal a timeout.

The Bobcats’ bulge ballooned to 21-11, but St. Francis responded, reeling off an absurd 18-0 run that left the few fans in attendance shaking their heads. This would put the Terriers ahead, 29-21, with just a thread under five minutes remaining in the first half.

In the second half, the Terriers surged ahead, 49-46, before the Bobcats ripped off a 7-0 run. This gave them a 53-49 cushion that they wouldn’t relinquish. Geffen keyed the run with a trey, before pick-pocketing Bass Yessoufou and converting a layup. The lead would swell to as many as 10 after a long-range three by point guard Casey Cosgrove.

Cosgrove drew Moore’s ire early with a pair of back-to-back turnovers, then was relegated to the bench and replaced with seldom-used sophomore Steve Robinson. Cosgrove would return in the second half, nailing a pair of titanic three-pointers.

Jamaal Womack, a quick-strike shooter who was planted behind the arc throughout the night, led St. Francis with 18 points. Hines chipped in with 14 in an irregular performance from the forward.

Anderson copped his second double-double of the season and the Bobcats shot a blistering 55 percent from the field.

Moore will likely get to sleep much easier tonight, as the Bobcats bounced back from a 20-turnover disaster against Brown.

For Geffen, who scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half, such a significant role was inconceivable prior to the season. With the return of an established point guard in Cosgrove, and the arrival of a highly-touted junior college transfer in Jeremy Baker coming in, Geffen was unsure of where he would fall into the picture. He figured he’d have to mudwrestle for some tick this season.

But Baker will sit out this season, as the NCAA has not cleared him to play. Geffen, a transfer via Boston University who sat out last year due to transfer rules, is making some waves in his first season with the Bobcats.

And they just might ripple throughout the Northeast Conference.

Quinnipiac 58, Army 54: Geffen was once again the difference-maker in this one, popping off the bench to score a team-high 16 points on 4-of-6 shooting beyond the arc. Geffen’s three-point fireballs infused stimulation with Army trying to neutralize DeMario Anderson. Anderson scored 12 points and handed out four assists in 28 minutes. Karl Anderson, a 6-foot-9 behemoth beset by injuries the past two seasons, scored eight points and pulled down a game-high nine rebounds off the pine. Standout guard Jarell Brown gave the Bobcats all they could handle with 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting to lead Army. The Bobcats improve to 4-4 with the victory.

Northeast Notebook

Northeast Conference Notebook

by Zach Smart

Blackbirds A Pleasant Surprise, Pioneers Freefalling

In a conference that’s about as predictable as a Mike Tyson interview, the clear favorite has abruptly sunk to the bottom-echelon while the team that the skeptics figured would be flattened due to the loss of their go-to, do-it-all combo guard has emerged on top.

Sacred Heart, the pre-season favorite, fell to 0-6 after suffering losses to Yale, Fairfield, Army, Hartford, Albany, and St. John’s, the latter three being blowouts. The Pioneers suffered a strong off-season blow when they lost veteran forward Joey Henley, who averaged 17 points and seven boards in the post-season last year, to a season-ending injury. But their shooters have been below freezing, hitting just eight of their first 43 three-point attempts, and they are averaging 10 assists to 19 turnovers. The Heart is shooting a meager 36 percent from the floor, 66 percent from the line and has failed to find a leader or go-to-guy.

After getting blitzed 82-50 by the Big East’s Notre Dame, Long Island (3-1) finds itself riding a three-game winning streak with victories over Army, Columbia, and Canisius. A year after failing to qualify for the post-season and losing their franchise player in James Williams (a three-time All-NEC selection who averaged 16.2 points last season and the school’s fourth all-time leading scorer with 1,710 points), the Blackbirds have turned heads early. Freshman guard Kyle Johnson and senior forward Kellen Allen have formed a sublime inside-outside tandem, averaging 14 points apiece. Eugene Kotorobai, an experienced senior, also deserves some of the credit. Kotorobai is averaging 12 points and six boards while playing around 31 minutes per game.

Robert Morris (3-2) has also come out of the gates strong, registering non-conference wins over Iona, Navy, and Howard, and nearly upsetting the Big East’s Seton Hall in an overtime thriller. Wagner is also 3-2 and has defeated Patriot League teams.

Porter Named Player of the Week: Wagner guard Mark Porter registered his second career Player of the Week award on Nov. 26, as was announced by the league office. The senior earned the accolades after scoring 22 points and kicking in 10 assists for his third career double-double as Wagner scored a 88-81 victory over William & Mary last week. In two home wins last week, Wagner averaged 17 points, nine dimes, 4.5 boards, and 2.5 steals while shooting 50 percent from the floor.

Cats Struggle Early, Fall to UNH

Despite a pair of dragon-slayer, 25-point performances from DeMario Anderson and freshman Evann Baker – the latter of who hit on all nine of his field goal attempts – the Quinnipiac Bobcats couldn’t muster a victory, as New Hampshire edged out the Bobcats for a 78-70 home victory on Sunday.

With the much-anticipated and well-hyped arrival of Tom Moore, Quinnipiac has jumped out of the gates of the 2007-2008 campaign in typical fashion.

They more accurately resemble the Quinnipiac team of last year, which slipped into an 0-9 free-fall while then-coach Joe DeSantis was constantly the target of boos in their home arena. That Bobcat team would resuscitate itself after following this ultra-weak start, tearing through the meat of the Northeast Conference schedule before garnering a berth in the NEC semifinals.

The Bobcats, a team still searching for an identity, are 1-3 and in desperate need to sew some serious holes before they meet the UConn buzz-saw on Dec.16. Their first taste of conference play comes next week, as they’re slated for a date with St. Francis (N.Y.) on Dec. 6.

Nightmarish foul shooting and problems patrolling the paint have been significant factors in the Bobcats’ turtle-slow start. The Bobcats are a paltry 53-for-88 from the charity stripe this season. In their lone victory – a wild, 85-79 double overtime outlasting of Hartford – the ‘Cats went a God-awful 11-for-26, going 3-for-14 down the final stretch.

While the Hartford game on its own ravaged the Bobcats majorly in this category, freshman bigs Ed Zajac and Justin Rutty were a combined 1-for-8 in the loss at New Hampshire. Freshmen will be freshmen, but this shorthanded team – senior center Karl Anderson is still nursing an injury, James Feldeine has been nicked a bit lately, and JUCO transfer Jeremy Baker is still waiting for clearance from the NCAA – needs them to be more like juniors or seniors at this juncture.

Though Quinnipiac has out-rebounded opponents by a 109-99 margin in their three losses, Moore called his team’s toughness into question following a 64-59 loss to Maine at the TD Banknorth Sports Center in Hamden, Conn.

Behind Anderson, the Bobcats reeled off a 14-0 spurt towards the end of the second half. But it was too little, much too late. The Black Bears had disposed of the Bobcats throughout the second half, leading 55-36 after a 15-4 run with nine minutes remaining.

Moore’s frustration compounded as matador perimeter defense gave Maine lefty Mark Socoby a career-night. Socoby, a 6-foot-6 homegrown product who flew under the radar in high school, looked more like a blue-chip prospect against the Bobcats. He scored 29 points and nailed 5-of-10 from beyond the arc.

When the smoke clears, Moore will realize that conference action is essentially going to be the biggest determinant of post-season fate. The University bigwigs shelled out bloated numbers on both the arena and Moore, who they’re counting on to lead Quinnipiac on a rapid ascension to the NEC’s top stratum.

Anderson, despite being saddled with foul trouble during the club’s first two games, has been every ounce of the explosive scorer Quinnipiac will groom him as. Anderson is averaging 21.5 points to lead Quinnipiac, which will need to avoid putting too much weight on the swingman’s broad shoulders.

In order for them to make some waves this season, a more well-oiled offensive machine needs to surface.

Amidst the sloth start, however, some bright spots have been evident.

Blink-quick point guard Casey Cosgrove emerged as a dual-threat the first two games, handing out eight assists against Hartford and scoring a team-high 16 at Binghamton. The sophomore has been quiet on both fronts lately, however, and the Bobcats will need the manager of their running game to bounce back.

Louis Brookins, a junior transfer via Maryland-Eastern Shore, has provided the Bobcats with a scoring option down low. Brookins scored 14 and 15 against Binghamton and Maine, respectively, and has displayed a feathery mid-range game.

Evann Baker’s 25 points on Sunday are the most by a Quinnipiac freshman in recent memory. The off guard from Washington, D.C. bounced back in a major way with this scoring outburst, as Moore and company had issued a search warrant out for his game. Baker totaled seven points on 2-for-11 shooting in back-to-back losses to Binghamton and Maine.

Northeast Notebook

Northeast Conference Notebook

by Zach Smart

Working Overtime, Bobcats Get First W

It was around the mid-way mark of the second half when it hit Quinnipiac: capturing the first victory of the 2007-2008 campaign would entail a little less of DeMario Anderson, and a little more of their backcourt and bench players.

Anderson, a prolific scorer who’s already pegged as a Northeast Conference Player of the Year candidate, was mired in foul trouble. After establishing himself as the go-to-guy throughout the first half, the senior swingman fouled out with a little less than eight minutes remaining in regulation.

Starting four-man Louis Brookings and freshman center Justin Rutty were also swamped in foul trouble, before eventually fouling out.

But the Bobcats didn’t flinch. A pair of unlikely sources stepped up and filled Anderson’s Shaq-size sneakers.

Quinnipiac is front-loaded with outside shooters, an aspect so paramount to success in NEC basketball for a reason.

Three-point sniper Bryan Geffen and sophomore James Feldeine came off the bench to net 19 points apiece, connecting on several momentum-changing shots, and the Bobcats overcame dreadful free throw shooting to gut out a wild 85-79 double-overtime victory against the University of Hartford Sunday night.

Geffen, a 5-foot-10 combo guard, came out of the gates flat, misfiring on his first three shots from downtown. The junior would go lights out in the second half, playing with a savvy that helped catapult the Bobcats to their first victory of the Tom Moore era.

During one crucial juncture, Geffen pulled an ill-advised shot from behind the arc, as the Quinnipiac bench held its breath. But Geffen’s trey splashed through the bottom of the nylon, and the Boston University transfer pointed in the direction of his coach as a bi-partisan crowd of 2,218 at the TD Banknorth Sports Complex suddenly erupted.

Feldeine, an off guard who played sparingly last season, was equally impressive. The Bronx, N.Y. product garnered his first collegiate double-double, snaring 10 boards to go with his 19 points. With Quinnipiac trailing by three in the waning seconds of regulation, Feldeine nailed a huge trey from the right corner to lift the game into overtime.

Feldeine and Geffen were a combined 14-for-27 from the floor. Geffen connected on 5-of-10 from three-point territory.

The opportunities were there for the Hawks, who came out firing, but in the end Hartford couldn’t capitalize. They turned the ball over with four ticks remaining in regulation, and Warren McLendon’s 12-footer clanked off the rim to conclude the first overtime.

Sighs of relief from the Quinnipiac bench ricocheted throughout the arena. Despite several off-season boosts, few teams endured a tougher pre-season than the Bobcats. The ‘Cats played without their two senior captains, DeMario and Karl Anderson, both of whom were healing nagging injuries, and were forced to practice with a squad that didn’t bear any resemblance to what Moore expects to see on the floor this season.

Chemistry was also a concern. A callow crew took the court for the first time, with three freshmen logging significant minutes throughout.

Sporting new jerseys, the Bobcats already had a new look to the 2007-2008 campaign. That new look carried over to the hardwood, where they out-rebounded Hartford by an overwhelming 51-38 margin in two slopfest halves.

Former Bobcat coach Joe DeSantis’ penchant for undersized guards and problems with recruiting big men was a primary reason that rebounding and interior defense served as the Bobcats’ Achilles heel the past few seasons. (Although Victor Akinyanju, a generously-listed 6-foot-5 center, emerged as one of the conference’s premier rebounders last year.)

Enter Moore, who served under Jim Calhoun at UConn and is widely regarded as one of the nation’s top recruiters (see Allen, Ray or Hamilton, Richard for more details). Moore swooped in and fished out freshman bigs Ed Zajac and Rutty. The pair combined for 24 rebounds in their debut.

Hartford countered this with junior strongman McLendendon, who bulldozed his way to a game-high 24 points and 11 rebounds.

And so the Bobcats start the season off with a victory for the first time in recent memory, as a new journey kicks off. Last year, the Bobcats flirted with an upset over then-nationally ranked UConn, but Craig Austrie’s timely three pierced the upset-bid.

Not this time.

The Bobcats showed poise and kept their composure in the two grueling overtime sessions, although they struggled mightily from the line.

The Bobcats were an abysmal 11-for-26, going 3-for-14 over the final stretch. The Hawks weren’t much better in that angle, hitting a meager 18-for-34 and coughing up crucial ones.

Beyond Feldeine and Geffen, highly-touted freshman Evann Baker scored 16 points. DeMario Anderson chipped in with 16 on 7-of-14 shooting.

Joe Zeglinski paced Hartford with 20 points, and three-point marksman Rich Baker chipped in with 17.

Notes

Home Boys: Zajac, the only Bobcat to play on the Connecticut scholastic circuit (Cheshire Academy), scored six points and grabbed 12 boards while tusseling down low. The Hawks’ Brian Glowiak, a 6-foot-3 guard from New Britain, scored five points in 22 minutes but was wrapped up in foul trouble. Clint Kuban, the Hawks’ walk-on from Bethel, Conn., did not play.

Half-Baked: There were plenty of Bakers on Sunday, with Hartford’s Rich Baker along with Quinnipiac’s Baker brothers, Evann and Jeremy, the latter a JUCO transfer who is still waiting to be cleared by the NCAA. But the one that came with the most fanfare wasn’t on the floor. Former NBA All-Star Vin Baker, who had a storied stay at the University of Hartford, was spotted sitting behind the Hawks’ bench. At the end of the game, he retreated to the locker room with the defeated Hawks. Baker, one of the finest players to come out of Connecticut, is still a good friend of Scottie Burrell, the former UConn star and NBA player who’s now an assistant coach at Quinnipiac.

One Baker Named Choice Hotels/NEC Rookie of the Week: Quinnipiac freshman Evann Baker copped his first Rookie of the Week award for the week of Nov. 12. Baker, an instant lynchpin in the starting lineup, scored 16 points, hauled in five boards, and dished out four assists as Quinnipiac picked up the win against Hartford.

Army 64, Sacred Heart 49: At Fairfield, Army senior Jarell Brown scored a game-high 26 points and grabbed six rebounds as the Pioneers fell to 0-2 on the young season. Junior forward Kenny Brewer scored 13 off the bench to pace Army, whose lead ballooned to 25 at one point. Ryan Litke scored 10 points to lead the Pioneers.

Penn State 74, St. Francis (PA) 64: At Penn State, West Haven, Conn. product Geary Claxton led all scorers with 23 points for the Nittany Lions. St. Francis’ Grant Surprenant, a sophomore forward, came off the bench to score 20 points, going 6-for-9 from beyond the arc. Guards Devin Sweetney and Cale Nelson chipped in with 12 apiece for St. Francis, which fell to 0-2 with the loss.

Notre Dame 82, Long Island 50: At Notre Dame, senior forward Rob Kurz had a double-double with 19 points and 10 caroms. Luke Harangody added 15 points on 7-of-12 shooting. Kellen Allen came off the bench to score 16 points in 24 minutes for the Blackbirds.

UConn Gets Big Night from Price, Robinson

Price, Robinson Power UConn

by Zach Smart

STORRS, Conn. – If you thought Wednesday’s lackluster 69-65 victory over Morgan State was ugly, then consider much of the first half of Thursday’s UConn/Buffalo game a horror flick. The Huskies came out Kansas-flat, misconnecting on set shots, blowing shots underneath the cup, and playing matador defense that allowed Buffalo to play neck-and-neck with them for the game’s first 15 minutes.

Stiff as ever, the Huskies looked like they could use some vodka in their Gatorade. They needed anything that would loosen them up and allow them to play the physically intimidating brand of basketball that makes them such a unique threat in the Big East.

Enter the Stanley Robinson block party.

Robinson, a freakishly athletic but inconsistent 6-foot-9 swingman, ignited the Huskies defensively, changing shots during a vicious 17-0 run spurred by A.J. Price’s shot clock-muting three-pointer.

Robinson was a major presence during a second half that UConn’s suffocating defense played a significant role in. Robinson finished with 10 points, 13 caroms, and six swats en route to recovering from an abysmal zero-point, five-turnover mess the previous night.

“Whatever minutes he played were probably three more minutes than he deserved,” Jim Calhoun said after watching Robinson disappear in 13 minutes against Morgan State.

Following Robinson’s redemption night at Gampel Pavilion, Calhoun went from embarassed to awestruck.

“I’ve seen Stanley now for two years, that was certainly the best I’ve ever seen him play,” the longtime Husky coach explained. “He played where only rarefied athletes can play tonight. He made a catch that, I don’t know, maybe Rudy (Gay) or Scottie Burrell, can make. He really, really made a big difference.”

Price operated the offense with a savvy and maturity that was sorely lacking last year. He would finish with finish with a game-high 24 points, as the Huskies rolled to an 82-57 drubbing in the regional round of the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic, benefitting Coaches vs. Cancer.

Price was named MVP of the Storrs Regional, as the Huskies advance to play Gardner-Webb, which pulled off a shocking victory over Kentucky in the Lexington Regional Finals at Rupp Arena Wednesday night. The two teams will meet at Madison Square Garden.

In the season-opener, Price, the floor general from New York, handed out nine assists. “Tonight he (Price) showed he can score, and we’ve seen both aspects from him in two games, so I think he’s playing with a lot of confidence,” said Calhoun.

Price and UConn emphasized the running game, which certainly worked to their advantage. It had Buffalo sucking in wind eight minutes into the second half, when UConn began to turn it on.

Combo guard Jerome Dyson scored on back-to-back fast breaks and almost completed a personal 6-2 surge with an off-balance shot, but Robinson was there for the putback as UConn’s bulge ballooned to 19 points.

Price then pick-pocketed Bulls guard Sean Smiley at half-court, jetting back to the hoop for an easy lay-in that made it 64-43. A wash-out then ensued.

Was the 17-0 surge the biggest momentum-changer?

“I think it was our defensive intensity (during the run),” said Price. “We were everywhere. We really wanted to dig in, and only give them what we wanted. They didn’t get any easy shots in the second half.”

They certainly didn’t. Robinson, who had back-to-back eye-popping blocks (around three minutes before the half), Jeff Adrien, and 7-foot-3 behemoth center Hasheem Thabeet all changed shots during the run, as UConn racked up 15 blocked shots on the evening.

“After a tough game last night we really wanted it,” said Price, noting that UConn allowed Morgan State to shoot 11-of-22 from beyond the arc.

Sophomore guard Doug Wiggins, upgraded from his spot in the Calhoun doghouse, came off the bench and scored five points in 57 seconds during the run.

The Huskies, despite blowing some early opportunities to rip off a run, shot 46 percent from the floor. Free throws, however, were a different story. The Huskies shot just 25-37 (67 percent) from the charity stripe.

But it did little to help their Mid-American Conference foe, which couldn’t permeate any cracks in the defense.

Robinson’s six blocks established a new career-high.

“The sky is the limit for Stanley,” opined Price. “After being ripped by coach, knowing he didn’t play well, to come back and respond the way he did tonight really showed some character.”

Northeast Preview

Northeast Conference 2007-08 Preview

by Zach Smart

Pre-Season All-Conference
G-Tristan Blackwood, Central Connecticut
G-Chris Vann, Mount St. Mary’s
G/F-DeMario Anderson, Quinnipiac
F-Jeremy Chappelle, Robert Morris
F-Robert Hines, St. Francis N.Y.

Central Connecticut (22-12, 16-2 Northeast)
Two-thirds of the NEC’s best three-headed monster are gone from last season. Player of the Year Javier Mojica (17PPG, 7RPG) has taken his game to the Puerto Rico pro league, where he’s already etched a name for himself. Strongman Obie Nwadike, a generously listed 6-4 forward/center who owned the boards the past three years, also departed from last season’s team, which earned a berth in the NCAA tournament following a NEC title. The driver’s keys are funneled down to point guard Tristan Blackwood (17 PPG, 4 APG) a sure-shot All-Conference first team selection and Player of the Year candidate. Blackwood operated a high-octane offense and hit timely three-pointers to lead the Blue Devils last season. He will need help from his teammates, who lack experience after head coach Howie Dickenman (a former assistant under Jim Calhoun at UConn) went around six deep every game last season. Guard Joe Seymore (7.5 PPG) had his coming-out party during the Devils’ 78-57 loss to Ohio State in the first round of the NCAA tournament, burying four treys. The 6-foot-2 guard needs to step up and cushion the loss of Mojica as Central, which won 17 of its last 19 games of the 2006-2007 campaign, looks to defend its title.

Sacred Heart (18-14, 12-6 Northeast)
The toughest off-season blow for longtime head coach Dave Bike and the Pioneers was the loss of guard Jarrid Frye. Graduation claimed Frye, who averaged 13.3 points and five boards his senior season. Frye was a leader both off and on for the Pioneers last season, scoring in critical junctures while guiding the Pioneers to their first NEC title game appearance since being lifted to the Division I ranks in 1998. The Heart’s key returnee is football player Joey Henley, a forward who averaged 17 points and 7 boards in the post-season. The red-shirt senior brings a great deal of experience, as he led the Pioneers in scoring during the 2004-2005 season before suffering a leg injury that forced him to miss the entire 2005-2006 campaign. This year, all eyes will be on All-NEC rookie selection Chauncey Hardy (10.6 PPG, 2.8 APG). Hardy will orchestrate an offense that’s potent from beyond the arc. Sharpshooter Drew Shubik is a key returnee, and the Pioneers should get a boost there from Boston University transfer Corey Hassan. Expect top-profile recruit Jerrel Thompson, a point guard from Plainville, N.J., to make an immediate impact.

Quinnipiac (14-15, 11-7 Northeast)
After unveiling a dazzling, 3,500-seat arena that was a $52 million investment mid-way through last season, the Bobcats hired former UConn associate head coach Tom Moore while finding room on the coaching staff for Scott Burrell, the former UConn standout whose NBA career was underscored by a championship with the 1998 Chicago Bulls. This only leads to one thing: a revitalized recruiting class. Perhaps the biggest off-season move for the Bobcats was signing of the Baker boys, brothers and Washington, D.C. products Jeremy and Evann. Jeremy Baker, a 6-2 lock-down defender, was a JUCO All-American honorable mention at Garden City Community College (Kan.) last season. Freshman off-guard Evann Baker arrives after a post-graduate season at Maine Central Institute, where he averaged 22 points and six assists per game. The Bobcats will feature super-athletic wing DeMario Anderson – who averaged 22.3 points per game the final six games of the regular season. Anderson, the leading scorer for Central Connecticut three seasons ago, averaged 18 points in conference play. The Bobcats need more production out of 6-9 Center Karl Anderson, who had promising freshman and sophomore seasons before falling out of favor last year. Look for electric point guard Casey Cosgrove, who had the best assist-to-turnover ration in the conference last season, and sharpshooter James Feldeine to step into bigger roles.

Fairleigh Dickinson (14-16, 9-9 Northeast)
The youth movement begins for head coach Tom Green and the New Jersey-based FDU, which needs to recover from the losses of Andre Harris (18.8 PPG, 7.5 RPG) and Michael Peeples (11.9 PPG, 5.6 RPG). The Knights return a callow nucleus of seven, led by guard Cameron Tylor. Tylor (14.4 PPG, 4.4 RPG) ignited to the offense last season, handing out 153 assists (5.1 per game, third in the conference). The Knights will also be led by an essential returnee in Manny Ubilla (11.9 PPG, 4.3 RPG), who’s dangerous from the perimeter.
The Knights, who’ve had the upper hand on much of the NEC these past two seasons, suffered a first round flameout with a 78-77 loss to Quinnipiac in last year. “It was a hard-fought game,” said Knights coach Tom Green of the thriller. “It’s a shame that someone had to lose. I can’t ask the team to play any harder and I can’t ask any more of them. We knew it was going to be a dogfight and it really was.”
There will only be more dogfights to come this season, as the NEC is once again one of the most evenly-matched conferences in college hoops.

Robert Morris (17-11, 9-9 Northeast)
The Colonials lose a top-flight inside/outside tandem in Derek Coleman and A.J. Jackson, both of whom were claimed by 2007 graduation. A larger loss is that of coach Mark Schmidt, who left to take over at St. Bonaventure. Point guard Coleman, a three-point threat who conducted the offense with quickness and pinpoint passing, averaged 13 points while dishing out a team-high 152 assists. Jackson established himself as perhaps the conference’s most skilled big man in his two years as a Colonial. The 6-foot-6, 230-pound Jackson, a transfer via East Tennessee State, led the team in points (16.9) and boards (7.8), during his two-year stint. With the return of combo guard Tony Lee and 6-7 wing Jeremy Chappelle, however, the Colonials could emerge into one of the more formidable teams in the conference. That will give new head coach Mike Rice, most recently an assistant at nearby Pittsburgh, something good to work with initially. The team will look to Lee (16 ppg, 4.4 APG), a recent addition to the Colonials 1,000-point club. The experienced guard must shoulder the burden of leader.

Mount St. Mary’s (11-20, 9-9 Northeast)
Strapped with a funky, sling-shot jumper, Chris Vann will be called upon to lead the Mount after averaging 14 points last season. Though streaky, Vann showed flashes of excellence, like hanging 28 against Quinnipiac and scoring 20+ points five times throughout the year, including 22 in the Mount’s season-ending loss to Central Connecticut in the playoffs. The sharpest off-season blow is the loss off Mychal Kearse, a hard-nosed defender who garnered co-NEC Defensive Player of the Year praise despite playing on a surgically repaired knee that gave him problems throughout the season. Kearse (11.5 PPG, 5.9 RPG) concludes his career with the Mount at 11th all-time at the school in steals (152), 16th in rebounds (725) and 33rd in scoring (1,060 points). The Mount will expect production from point guard Jeremy Goode (10.1 PPG, 5 APG), who was flushed into a starting job after Joey Butler was dismissed from the team following an arrest last season. He ran the show as a nerveless freshman last season, so one can expect much of the same.

Wagner (11-19, 8-10 Northeast)
Too many teams wrote off the Seahawks last season. Though their season concluded with a 100-68 pummeling that Sacred Heart delivered in the first round of the playoffs, the Seahawks’ well-balanced offense is capable of turning several heads this season. The top returnee is veteran Mark Porter (13.8 PPG), a fixture in the starting lineup the past few seasons. Porter brings experience and much-needed leadership to the Seahawks. He will have some help from Durrel Vinson, the former leading scorer who returns after a one-year hiatus. Vinson did not play last year due to off-court troubles and will have to fend off some rust if he’s to pick up where he left off. He certainly has more help in the front court this time around. Wagner is front-loaded with bigs this season, as Mike Deane inked a couple of behemoths this off-season including 6-11 Brian Szezepanski and the 6-7 Clayton Spiller. The Seahawks also return the top four scorers from last year’s team.

Monmouth (12-18, 7-11 Northeast)
It was a disappointing down year for the Hawks in 2006-2007, as they failed to live up to expectations following a NCAA tournament berth in 2006. The Hawks lose two of their top players in John Bunch – a 7-foot-3, 320-pound mammoth of a man who registered 95 blocks but was never able to make his presence felt as a scorer in the conference – and Dejan Delic, who led the Hawks with 14.6 points per game. Another colossal loss is that of Marques Alston (the only player in school history with 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 200 assists and 100 steals). This trio accounted for a combined 39.2 points and 12.6 rebounds a game. All eyes are on Jhamar Youngblood, the 2007 NEC rookie of the year, who is flushed into a significant role. The 6-1 guard from New Jersey perennial powerhouse St. Patrick’s mastered the transition to Division I basketball, averaging 12.3 points and dishing out 61 helpers. Another bright spot for the guard-heavy Hawks is the return of Mike Shipman, who averaged a team-high four dimes per game last season. Shipman will need to improve his 1.4 assist-to-turnover ratio.

St. Francis (N.Y.) (9-22, 7-11 Northeast)
It seems like a school in the heart of Brooklyn wouldn’t ever encounter recruiting struggles. But with a sweat-box, rinky-dink gymnasium and little recruiting tools, this has been the case for St. Francis. With the emergence of second team All-NEC selection Robert Hines, however, second-year coach Brian Nash has high aspirations for the 2007-08 campaign. Hines, a 6-5 wing from New Jersey, averaged nearly 24 points during the seven-game tilt that concluded the regular season. The Terriers’ go-to-guy, Hines averaged 17 on the season, but was slowed down in a 79-61 loss to Central Connecticut in the NEC quarterfinals (12 points on 5-of-19 shooting). The Terriers return a solid core of youngsters who all saw time last season. The toughest off-season pill to swallow, however, is the loss of Allan Sheppard. Sheppard (10.8 PPG, 5.1 RPG), a creative scorer and fundamentally sound in all aspects of his game, will be missed. The show is Jamaal Womack’s (10.6 PPG, 44 STL) once again, and he’ll have some help from 6-9 forward/center Bassith Yessoufou.

Long Island (10-19, 6-12 Northeast)
It’s a new era on the hardwood for well-respected coach Jim Ferry. Enter: The James Williams-less Long Island Blackbirds. Williams, a three-time all-NEC selection, has been a one-man-band these past two seasons. He averaged 16.2 points this season and moved up to fourth on the school’s all-time list with 1,710 points. Williams, who played much of the season hurt, finished as LIU’s all-time three-point leader with 277 career treys. He went off for 24 or more points six times last season, including a 33-point eruption during an 82-79 victory over St. Francis (N.Y.) Two incoming players, however, are expected to pad the loss of Williams. There is mounting anticipation for the arrival of Vernon Teel, a prolific scorer who was academically ineligible last season. There’s also hyperbolic lure surrounding David Hicks, a standout off-guard and prep school product who can score in clusters. Another key signing was Ron Manigault, who played under legendary coach Lou Panzanaro at Peekskill High in New York. A key returnee is Eugene Kotorobai, who led the Blackbirds in scoring with a meager 9.2 points last year. Jaytornah Wisseh (9.0 ppg) came on late last season and showed promise.

St. Francis (Pa.) (8-21, 5-13 Northeast)
Aside from a late-season victory at then-No. 2 Quinnipiac, along with a three-game winning streak to close out the season, the 2006-2007 campaign was one the Red Flash would like to bounce from their memory banks. Despite a front-loaded competitive out-of-conference schedule that featured Georgia Tech and Akron, the red flash quickly fell into the basement. A dreadful 0-15 free-fall was a tough ditch to crawl out of. This season, however, St. Francis could bounce back into respectability. Devin Sweetney (13 PPG, 7.7 RPG) returns to lead a well-balanced scoring attack. The sophomore swingman copped countless NEC rookie of the week awards last year and is ready to become the headship. Guard Cale Nelson, who came on late in the season (highlighted by a 19-point performance against LIU), returns to lead a robust backcourt. Marquis Ford (9.3 PPG, 4.1 APG), the 2006 NEC rookie of the year, has all the tools to emerge into one of the conference’s premier guards. Throw in Chris Berry, and St. Francis enters the 2007-08 campaign dripping with young talent.

Columbia Senior John Baumann

Baumann Gears Up For Senior Year On The Hardwood

by Zach Smart

John Baumann arrived at the New York City campus of Columbia University with his name circled in hyperbolic lure. Anytime a player who averaged 30 points in high school inks with an Ivy League program, hype, hearsay, and high expectations tend to brew around campus faster than a beerfest on spring weekend.

But in Baumann’s three seasons with the Lions, the Staples High (Westport, Conn.) product has certainly burgeoned into the highly-touted recruit that Columbia was sold on back in 2004, when they invested four years in him.

Baumann, a returning captain and the Lion’s leading scorer with 13 points per game last season, returns for his senior season this winter. He’ll help mold what’s anticipated to be a formidable front court with 7-foot center Zack Crimmins and 6-foot-9 behemoth Ben Nwachukwu, the latter a Nigeria native who emerged as Columbia’s third-leading scorer last season.

Last season, Baumann averaged 13 points and 6.5 boards, developing into one of Ivy’s more versatile forwards. He led the conference in two-point and three-point field goal percentage, and head coach Joe Jones will count on him to lead a team that finished 16-12 last season, going 7-7 in Ivy league play.

Jones hopes a ressurected recruiting class that features the aforementioned Crimmins and Asenso Ampim, a 6-foot-6 power forward who starred at the prestigious Groton School (Ampim averaged 22 points and 13 rebounds per game after bouncing back from an injury), will help propel the Lions to the top.

Penn (22-9, 13-1 Ivy League) has ruled the Ivy League with an iron fist these past few years, but Yale and Cornell are both front-loaded with talent and looking to make a run at the league title this season.

Baumann hopes to form a razor-sharp inside-outside tandem with Ridgefield native Brett Loscalzo, a pass-first point guard who handed out a team-high 67 assists last season. Loscalzo, who’s limited offensively, must step up and look to score more. Jones has already pegged Loscalzo as a co-captain for the 2007-08 campaign.

All eyes, however, will be on Baumann, who has evolved into the face of the program. The Lions should be a top-five pick in the pre-season poll, as they bring back all five starters from last season.

Baumann is a two-sport athlete at Columbia, as he’s also a top hurler on the Lions’ baseball squad. The 6-foot-8 forward garnered second team All-Ivy on the hill for the Lions this past spring.

During his senior year at Staples, Baumann ripped opponents to the tune of 30 points, 11 boards, and two blocks per contest. A first-team All-State and All-FCIAC selection, Baumann was named the New Haven Register and Hartford Courant Player of the Year for 2004.

His high school statistics, records, and resume sit alongside card-shop names like Scott Burrell, Vin Baker, and Ryan Gomes, signifying his place as one of the Constitution State’s best players at the high school tier. Few players from Connecticut, with the exception of the aforementioned trio and a few others, have matched up to their price tag after being sucked into hype machines in high school.

Baumann hopes to make his presence felt and represent his state while leading what could be a sleeper team this year. Baumann emerged as leader time and time again on the hardwood his senior year at Staples, where he’s one of the finest athletes in recent memory. It’s his turn to leave the same mark at Columbia this season.

The latest chapter is now entering its final pages. Columbia kick-starts the ’07-08 campaign in the Dick’s Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off at Columbus, Ohio, Nov. 12-13. The Lions are slated for a first-round matchup against Delaware State. A win could send them to a second-round game with 2007 national runner-up Ohio State.

White Plains Summer League 2007

Stahn And Company Return To Ferris Ave. For Hoops Tourney

by Zach Smart

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. – Their schedule is barely halfway through, but Sean Stahn already has a pretty thorough method of attack for his White Plains summer basketball league team. Stahn acknowledges that there’s a mindset his team must approach in order to compete for a championship this year. A berth in the championship game eluded their grasp last season, and the league’s “Red” team feels it’s a matter of unfinished business this summer.

“We before me.” It’s a selfless brand of basketball that the Ardsley product and Ithaca graduate has subscribed to the past two summers in the ultra-competitive outdoor league. Last summer, Stahn recruited and pieced together a 12-man, ego-free team that went deep into the playoffs before being bounced in a one-point heartbreaker. This season the squad returns a firm foundation while adding a pair of fresh faces.

The Westchester County-based league, which eliminates the squads who finished in the bottom half of the standings from last season, is once again home to one of the toughest summer programs outside of the city this summer.

“It’s going to be a little more wide-open this season,” opined Stahn, who added that defending champion White Plains has lost a bit of its luster from last summer. This is particularly due to the loss of Torey Thomas. Thomas, a high-octane combo guard who wrapped up a storied stay at Holy Cross this winter and recently took part in a tryout with the Knicks, is currently pursuing overseas opportunities. Summer after summer, the White Plains “Orange” team is front-loaded with lightning-quick guards, glossy-smooth swingmen and super-sized bigs who set up shop in the paint.

It’s not the same this season.

The Orange, however, will still be spearheaded by Devon Austin, a wiry 6-foot-6 guard/swingman who averaged 12.4 points for Manhattan this past season. The White Plains-bred Austin is a streak-shooter, but he can score in clusters when he’s got the hot hand. A 38-point eruption against Rider this season is indicative of this.

In the 12-team organization, coaches (as well as non-player coaches) are a minority and all teams, just like the concrete-hard criminals in Quentin Tarantino’s 1992 classic Reservoir Dogs, are known via color alias. Busloads of Division-I talents use it as means to stay in shape and hopefully a springboard to success come winter time.

“The league is pretty competitive every year because the teams (that finish near the bottom) don’t get invited back,” explained Stahn, a 6-foot-5 small forward who surpassed the 1,000-point milestone as the go-to-guy at Ardsley High. “It’s a wide-open race.”

Stahn’s club once again features an inside/outside tandem with 6-foot-6 sharpshooter Ryan Schneider (Marist) and interior banger Jason Boone. Boone, a 6-foot-6 mountain of a man who played at N.Y.U., is the former DIIIHoops.com East Region Player of the Year. Both Schneider and Boone play alongside Stahn on the Empire States circuit. The team copped some hardware in 2006 and is hoping to repeat the glory this July.

Team “Red” is off to a 3-2 start, with their most recent game a five-point victory over the league’s Croton-based team. Boone was an inexorable force on “D” that Croton simply couldn’t get around. He altered many shots near the cup and finished with a game-high nine blocks, a few of which were eye-popping. The Red suffered their last loss on a game-winner at the buzzer.

Stahn says the problem that’s surfaced is scheduling conflicts, as it’s been difficult for everyone to make the game. With a bevy of collegiate players on the team, Stahn feels his team’s capable of ripping off a win streak and catapulting to the top once their all playing together.

“In a league like this, you need to have at least ten guys every game,” said Stahn.

He’s right. Through time it’s been evident that long bench always pays dividends in these outdoor full court runs, especially in sweltering summer heat.

Stahn said the one aspect his team needs to improve on is their turnover-to-assist ratio.

“We’ve been trying to make too many ESPN top-ten play passes,” he admitted, adding that the outdoor street ball element gets some players carried away. “When we’re all together, however, I think we can be a very dangerous team.”

Playing mindful and harmoniously, surrendering the “me” for “we,” and not buying into a big ego will likely prove this.

Northeast Proving Ground Recap

First Proving Ground Proves Successful

by Zach Smart

MANSFIELD, Mass. – New England Grassroots basketball and Reebok played host to the first-ever Northeast Proving Ground invitational camp this weekend in Mansfield, Mass. The combine featured some of the young talent from not just the northeast but also Chicago, Canada, and even one player who flew down from Italy. Of the top 80 players invited, only one failed to show up.

The camp operated with drill sessions and stations in the morning and intense 5-on-5 scrimmages throughout the afternoon. The Proving Ground testing waters featured pools of raw talent on each of the four courts of the Mansfield Sportsplex, where college coaches arrived in droves to see some of the incoming high school seniors, juniors, and sophomores.

The camp directors and counselors made sure, however, that no player tried to get too flashy and caught up in their own game. The presence of college scouts has the power to do that to a young gun, but it would not occur on this weekend. Throughout the camp, there was strong emphasis on team defense, surrendering “me” for “we”, and sharing the basketball.

The event was run by Justin Kittredge, the director of New England Grassroots Basketball Reebok. Kittredge described the two-day camp as an event that can either make or break one’s aspirations to pursue a basketball career at the next level.

“The name speaks for itself,” said the enthusiastic Kittredge. “It’s a small atmosphere, and the coaches really get a chance to see a player who may be getting overlooked. They can also get a chance to see if a player is being too hyped up and isn’t as good as advertised.”

While Day 1 scrimmages were played before mostly scouts on the Division-II tier, such as Salem State, Mount St. Micheal’s, and Wheaton, to name few, the mid-level Division-I coaches were on hand for Day 2 of the camp.

Amongst the coaches spotted was Siena assistant Andrew Francis, who spent two years on Jay Wright’s staff at Villanova before accepting a vacant position this past season. Chris Markwood, who works under Ted Woodward at Maine, and a pair of UMass coaches were also on hand. The event hopes to morph into an annual funnel for college coaches.

While many of the kids are still very raw, there were several players that stood out. Here’s a look at some of the young guns who could morph into high-profile recruits or even stallions throughout the next season(s):

Denzel Brito, So., Taunton, Mass. Lawrence Academy HS: A sharp-shooter who can dish and play defense, there is tremendous upside to this athletic young fella’s game. A 6-foot, 175-pound off guard who can play at the wing, Brito has the potential to emerge as a prolific scorer. Adding some serenity and patience to his game will pay dividends, as the youngster often tried to do too much and struggled with control. He needs to give up his dribble and make that extra pass, which will come with age. But he plays with a savvy, can score in clusters (he hit three shots in about a minute during one transition), and attack the cup. He seemed to draw the attention of Francis and other coaches. Keep an eye on him next season.

Alibaba Odd, Sr., Philadelphia, Pa., Simon Gratz HS: Odd, the product of a basketball breeding house (see Wallace, Rasheed and other Gratz alumni) and a hoop-junkie father, carved up defenses with quick and relentless slashes to the cup throughout the weekend. About 6-foot-3 (6-foot-5 with the afro he sports), he’s got solid upper-body strength which he uses to his advantage. He’s developing a good mid-range game but is still quite raw at just 16. A high-riser, Odd’s also a very good student, and he’s already receiving some Ivy League attention. Odd was flushed into a supporting role this past season and should emerge into the go-to-guy next season. Odd plays with the Philly-based Hunting Park on the AAU circuit.

Miguel Bocachica, Sr., Philadelphia, Pa., Imhotep HS: Great spot-up shooter who can really heat it up from beyond the arc. Gets a little trigger-happy at times, but has a solid all-around game and is a unique threat at 6-foot-6. Must pack some pounds on his 180-pound frame, and he likes to spot-up but can create his own shot off the dribble. Plays alongside Odd on Hunting Park.

John Hegarty, grad. Student, Winchendon School: A 6-foot-11, 300-plus-lb. UHAUL truck of man, the Rhode Island-commit looked solid in the paint. He bears a hoop resemblance to former UMass center John “Big Deli” Salovski. Will need to shed about 25-30 pounds, but his big body is much-needed in the Atlantic-10.

Anthony Ireland, Jr., CT, Crosby HS: A 5-foot-8 point guard, Ireland has the tools to emerge into a catalyst for one of the most potent offenses in Connecticut next season. Ireland can stroke it from behind the arc and scores inside the basket with an arsenal of floaters and teardrops.

Kinard Dozier, Sr., Dedham, Mass., Winchendon School: The 6-foot-1 guard is a lock-down defender who is fundamentally sound in all aspects of his game. Dozier spent his weekend in Mansfield slipping through the teeth of defenses with quick slashing ability while showing a mid-range game that he’s slowly developing. Will likely return to Winchendon unless Division-I interest rises.

Romeric Lasme, Sr., Conway, Mass., Winchendon School: A freakishly athletic forward, the 6-foot-6 Lasme threw down many rim-rattling dunks. He looked good in transition all weekend and could become the centerfold of a Winchendon team that’s leaking with talent. UMass will supposedly make the biggest push for him and the coaches definitely seemed sold this weekend.

Uche Egesionu, Sr., Boston, Mass., Trinity Catholic HS (Newton, Mass.): At 6-foot-6, Egesionu is big and strong and executed a solid arsenal of post moves during the scrimmages and looked fundamentally strong in many of the drills. Should play a big role as a fixture in the starting lineup for Trinity Catholic his senior year.

Kirk Crecco, Sr., Gilford, N.H, Gilford HS: An outstanding three-point shooter with good form, Crecco could crack the top-10 in New Hampshire this season. The slender 6-foot-2 senior showed a quick release that could be useful at the low-Division I level.

Mount Vernon’s Kevin Jones

Jones is Mount Vernon’s Latest Product

by Zach Smart

MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. – At first glance, the gym seems a bit mediocre. A standard-size basketball court, intriguing team logo at the center, two benches and sets of stands sitting across from each other, glass backboards and round, cylinder rims. Nothing too wild, really.

Then you look up and see the plethora of New York State championship banners, the numerous player/coach accolades, as well as the buffet-line of legendary names that surely echo in the head of any hoop junkie.

Mount Vernon High School is a Division I factory located just north of the Bronx. The city borders small Westchester towns such as Eastchester and Tuckahoe, though it contains a rich high school basketball program which measures up to that of New York City’s Lincoln, Rice, and Christ The King. Among the card-shop names that Mount Vernon High has produced are Chicago Bulls standout guard Ben Gordon, Gus Williams, and Scooter and Rodney McCray.

The past few seasons, the program has launched several players to top-flight Division I programs – Jonathon Mitchell (Florida), Chris Lowe (UMass), and Keith Benjamin (Pittsburgh) – to name a few. This past season, the Knights were led by Michael Coburn, a strong 5-foot-11 playmaker who will operate the offense for Rutgers next season. Coburn led Section I/N.Y.S. basketball in total points this past season, scoring 665 to the tune of 22.9 per game. He also handed out 154 assists as the spearhead of one of the state’s most potent offenses.

“Mount Vernon has such a storied basketball history,” said one Mount Vernon resident during a basketball clinic in nearby White Plains, N.Y., where the Knights’ longtime rivals’ lay. “And every player wants to be the next great one, the next Ben (Gordon), the next player to open eyes. It really is a hotbed.”

The next great one appears to be on his way. While many laud those that the program has groomed in the past, the focus is now on incoming senior Kevin Jones.

Money-earnin’ Mount Vernon is buzzing about Jones after the 6-foot-7 combo forward’s sublime junior season. Jones helped lead the Knights to the State Federation Championship, their third in four years, averaging 21 points per game behind Coburn. He hung 31 on Alquippa during the season and 29 on Section 2′s Bishop Maginn in the state championship game. In the beginning of June, Jones went off for 43 points and 19 boards in an IS8 spring league game, catapulting Mount Vernon to an 82-80 outlasting of the Juice All-Stars in South Jamaica, N.Y.

The book on Jones is an easy read. Great hands, polished footwork, feathery jumper, quick around the cup with a soft touch, can emerge as an inside/outside threat, and loves to pull up from mid-range and the elbow areas.

It’s been quite a spring for Jones, whose game has drawn high interest from Louisville, Syracuse, Indiana, Rutgers, UMass, and Kentucky, amongst many others.

“Everybody except UConn has offered,” said Jones during a recent interview with Scout.com.

Jones recently took part in the NBA Players Association top 100 camp in Charlottesville, Va., where he was paired up with the nation’s elite.

Jones, often lauded by Knights head coach Bob Cimmino and others for having a inexorable work ethic, has been hitting the weights and playing with the Westchester Hawks on the AAU circuit. The strong work ethic is fitting, as Jones will need to put some pounds on his spindly 195-pound frame before inking with a big-time college program.

“Hopefully by the end of the summer I’ll have a top five,” said Jones, who plays alongside Peekskill standout Mookie Jones – also a highly sought after recruit from Section I/N.Y.S. – on the Hawks. “Hopefully I can make a decision by the end of the next school year.”

During the Pittsburgh Jamfest back in April, Big East programs such as Syracuse, Rutgers, and St. John’s flocked to see both Kevin and Mookie Jones.

Kevin didn’t shoot the ball tremendously well at Pittsburgh, but he displayed the inside-outside game that makes him such a unique threat. Jones poured in 22 points in the Hawks’ loss to Philadelphia-based Positive Image in the playoffs.

While Jones is not yet sure what factors are going to play into his decision, one thing is for sure: All eyes will be on him next season, as a basketball community and culture expect him to keep the Knights’ prestigious name intact.

Spectators have seen names like McCray, Williams, and Gordon do it. Now it’s Jones’ turn.

Cruz Transfers To Quinnipiac

Cruz Headed To Quinnipiac

by Zach Smart

After weighing his transfer options, Jonathan Cruz has officially found a new hardwood home. Cruz, who had been considering New Hampshire and Boston University, signed with Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Conn., this week.

The 6-foot-7 Cruz averaged a meager 1.5 points and 1.0 rebounds in 21 games for Rhode Island as a freshman this season. Cruz, once a heavily pursued prospect who gave an early commitment to the Rams, was sold on a new coaching staff, a new crop of recruits, and the opportunity to play in the TD Banknorth Sports Center, a sizzling $52 million arena that opened in January and seats over 3,500.

A versatile combo forward who starred at Central Catholic High (Lawrence, Mass.), Cruz will sit out the 2007-2008 campaign due to NCAA transfer rules.

“He could be an all-league player (here),” said Quinnipiac coach Tom Moore during a recent interview with Foxsports.com. “He’s got terrific size and is a smaller version of Caron Butler. We’re going to try and feature him in similar ways.”

Moore, who served as UConn’s associated head coach the past two seasons, has been pinpointed as a springboard for Quinnipiac’s ascension into respectability.

Quinnipiac canned Joe DeSantis in March, shortly after the Bobcats were bounced from the Northeast Conference semifinals with an 88-69 loss at Sacred Heart. They concluded the 2006-2007 campaign with a 14-15 record, going 11-7 in conference play.

Since Moore’s arrival, recruiting tools have emerged and players have been inked. Moore recently signed forward Louis Brookings, a transfer via Maryland-Eastern Shore and guard Jeremy Baker, a junior college transfer. Moore has received a verbal commitment from Baker’s younger brother, Evann, a top-flight high school player in Maryland this season.

Moore also added Scott Burrell – the first American to be selected in the first round of the NBA and MLB drafts – to his coaching staff. Burrell, a Hamden product who won a ring with Michael Jordan and the 1998 Chicago Bulls, helped Cruz finalize his decision.

After a yo-yo freshman season, Cruz filled out a transfer waiver in May. Cruz played sparingly this season despite starting seven games.

Following an injury to forward Darrel Harris, Cruz was flushed into the starting lineup. He fell out of favor shortly afterward, however, and logged just seven minutes per game. Cruz was benched in three of the Rams’ final four games.

In making the shift to Quinnipiac, Cruz will be reunited with a familiar face in point guard Casey Cosgrove. Cosgrove said he grew up with Cruz and the two have been playing together since the sixth grade.

“He’s real smooth,” said Cosgrove, who was selected alongside Cruz for the 2005-2006 Boston Globe Dream Team. “He knows the game. He can do a little bit of everything. What he does best though, probably, is pass from the post. He played the point in high school and he can really pass and shoot. His post game is real solid, too. He should fit in right away here.”

Scott Burrell Joins Quinnipiac Staff

Burrell Hired As Assistant Coach

by Zach Smart

The latest addition to the Quinnipiac men’s basketball coaching staff comes with much excitement – and a bit of fanfare as well.

Scott Burrell, a former NBA player and the first American athlete to be selected in the first round of both the NBA and MLB drafts, was hired as an assistant to head coach Tom Moore. Burrell arrived on campus in a Lexus this week and got acclimated to a new situation. Players who are enrolled in Summer Session I are currently holding everyday conditioning workouts and scrimmages at the TD Banknorth Sports Center with Moore and the rest of the coaching staff.

“I’m really excited to have Scott join us as we start to build a program,” explained Moore, who was hired in April after serving 13 years under Jim Calhoun at UConn, the last two as the Huskies’ associate head coach.

“He has tremendous experience as both a college player at UConn and in the NBA, where he was a world champion with the Chicago Bulls. He also has a great reputation in Hamden as a high school star.”

The Hamden-bred Burrell spent eight seasons in the NBA. His career featured stints with the Charlotte Hornets, Golden State Warriors, New Jersey Nets, and Chicago Bulls – where he won an NBA championship alongside Michael Jordan in 1998. Burrell enjoyed his best season during his second year with the Hornets in 1994-95, when he averaged 11.5 points as a fixture in the starting lineup. That season, Burrell emerged as a candidate for the NBA’s most improved player.

Burrell had a storied career at Hamden High, where he starred as a three-sport athlete in football, basketball, and baseball. Burrell was drafted by the Seattle Mariners during his senior year of high school, but opted to attend UConn to play basketball.

During his stay at Storrs, the 6-foot-7 Burrell emerged as the first NCAA player to score 1,500 points, register 750 rebounds, 300 steals and 275 assists. The Charlotte Hornets selected Burrell with the 20th pick of the 1993 NBA draft.

He’s the epitome of a hometown hero. After spending the last few years of his career overseas, the 36-year-old Burrell is home in Hamden, where much of his family still resides, and here to stay.

“I love teaching and I love teaching basketball,” said Burrell, who will likely spend much of his first year trying to sell top-flight recruits on Quinnipiac.

“I’m going to be able to help players both on and off the court. I can’t wait to get started.”

Burrell receives his first collegiate coaching gig after working as an assistant with the Colorado 14ers of NBA’s Developmental League last winter.

Northeast Conference Recap

Northeast Conference 2006-07 Season Recap

by Zach Smart

NEC Postseason Awards

Player of the Year: Javier Mojica, Sr. Central Connecticut

Simply put, Mojica was the best player on the best team in the Northeast Conference this season. After playing a supporting role the past two seasons, Mojica came into his element, averaging 17 points and seven boards while playing lock-down defense on the other end of the floor. Mojica had a couple of games where he hung 30 or more, but it was his presence as a leader and his ability to hold top scorers in check that made him such a special player. His full-package game and aura propelled the Blue Devils into the NCAA Tournament for the first time in quite a while.

Coach of the Year: Dave Bike, Sacred Heart

Holding a resume longer than the O.J. trial, Bike has made basketball a 24-hour, 365-days a year commitment, while establishing a family-like atmosphere at the Heart. This season, Bike finished just one scoreboard reading short of his first-ever berth into the NCAA Tournament. The Connecticut-bred game general has, for nine summers now as a Division I member, sold some of Connecticut’s elite players on a small school with a burgeoning basketball culture.

Defensive Player of the Year: Mychal Kearse, Sr., Mount St. Mary’s

Kearse, an abnormal size guard in the northeast conference, sported the yellow hat, boots, and lunch pail every time he stepped on the floor this season. The workhorse, who’s covered in tattoos of Jesus and biblical quotes, has become the bulwark in the backcourt for the Mount these past two seasons, hounding down opponents and pestering offenses. The 6-4 physical specimen from Charlotte averaged 12 points and led the team in steals and rebounding.

Rookie of the Year: Jhamar Youngblood, Monmouth

The fresh-faced Youngblood, a speedy, Jersey-bred guard who gives everything he’s got in however many minutes, looks like the future for a program hoping to get back on its feet next season. Youngblood averaged 12.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.7 steals while shooting 52 percent from the floor this season.

All-NEC First Team

Tristan Blackwood, Central Connecticut, Jr.
Javier Mojica, Central Connecticut, Sr.
Jarrid Frye, Sacred Heart, Sr.
A.J. Jackson, Robert Morris, Sr.
Obie Nwadike, Central Connecticut, Sr.

Central Connecticut (22-12, 16-2)
It was a (Blue) Devil of a time for CCSU, which took the NEC world by storm this year. The Blue Devils, led by the three-headed monster of Javier Mojica, Tristan Blackwood and Obie Nwadike, ruled the conference with an iron fist. Led by Mojica’s 25 points and 10 rebounds, Central Connecticut captured the NEC championship, gutting out a 74-70 thriller over in-state foe Sacred Heart. This earned them a berth in the NCAA tournament, where they were bounced in the first round by Greg Oden (heard of him before?) and Ohio State.

An out-of-conference schedule featuring dates with some of college basketball’s top-tier teams – Michigan, UMass, and Davidson to list a few – paid dividends. Central ate up the conference schedule in shark-size bites, winning 16 of 18. Mojica and Blackwood emerged as one of the top backcourt tandems in the northeast region, while senior strongman Nwadike re-gained his title as rebounding leader. Nwadike, an undersized forward at 6-foot-4 (6-3 if you ask coach Howie Dickenman), was a beast down low to the tune of 14 points and 10 boards per game. Nwadike, who has led the conference in rebounding since his sophomore year, was a double-double waiting to happen. His toughness will be sorely missed by the program, which will undergo a rebuilding year next season.

Dickenman likes to go about seven-deep, but that will likely change for the 2007-2008 campaign. No player will be missed more than Mojica, who jumped from role player to superstar in one season. The 6-3 off-guard is currently playing professionally in Puerto Rico.

Dickenman will hand the keys to Blackwood next season. After orchestrating a potent offense to the tune of 17 points and four dimes per game, Blackwood appears ready to assume the leadership role. He showed flashes of brilliance throughout the season, dropping 40 in an 88-86 win over Robert Morris and earning player of the week accolades in late-January. For that week, he averaged 27.5 points, 4.0 assists, 3.0 rebounds while shooting 14-29 (.483) from three-point territory.

Sacred Heart (18-14, 12-6)
In his 28th season as head coach, Dave Bike has now made his presence felt around the world of Northeast Conference hoops. Bike, who won a national championship with the Pioneers on the Division-II level, guided the Pioneers to one of their finest seasons since being elevated to the Division-I ranks in 1998-1999. After shellacking Wagner and Quinnipiac in the NEC quarter and semi-finals, the Pioneers advanced to the title game for the first time in recent memory. Before the season, the Pioneers made it a goal to get to the conference’s biggest stage.

Jarrid Frye concluded a robust four-year stay at Sacred Heart, averaging 13.3 points and five boards per game his senior season. Frye shouldered the burden of leader for the Pioneers, as the 6-3, 190-pound guard came alive in several critical games down the stretch. The Heart received a big boost with the re-emergence of Joey Henley, who was sidelined for the entire 2005-2006 campaign after suffering an injury during football season. Henley averaged 17 points and 7.3 caroms during the post-season and played a physical, intimidating brand of basketball that Bike loves to implement. The Pioneers also have a pair of three-point assassins in Drew Shubik and Luke Granato. Sharpshooter Ryan Litke had a promising rookie season, highlighted by a 16-point performance against Quinnipiac in the semifinals. Litke, a Windsor product, is another weapon in the Pioneers’ perimeter arsenal.

The Pioneers return a rock-solid nucleus of players next season, as they lose just two players, just one of whom played a significant role.

Quinnipiac (14-15, 11-7)
Prior to the 2006-2007 campaign, Joe DeSantis knew he didn’t have a great job security plan. It was rumored that he’d be out the door following a paltry 2005-2006 season, but athletic director Jack McDonald agreed to give him one more year under one condition: That he deliver Quinnipiac, which now has lofty expectations for new head coach Tom Moore, its first-ever championship.

His players’ reaction? Though few of them saw eye-to-eye with DeSantis, the Bobcats decided to give Joe D. a memorable sendoff. The Bobcats, after moving into a sparkling new 3,500-seat arena in January, advanced all the way to the Northeast Conference semifinals, where they were KO’d by Sacred Heart, 83-69 at the Pitt Center.

The Bobcats clawed back after an abysmal start that landed them in the NEC dungeon after a 0-9 free-fall. They were plunged back into the playoff scene, however, after they ripped off a six-game winning streak behind the play of high-octane guard Adam Gonzalez and super-athletic wing DeMario Anderson. Anderson, an all-Northeast conference second team selection, came into his element after a rugged start. A transfer via Central Connecticut (Quinnipiac’s blood-rivals), Anderson averaged 15.7 points, including 20.3 over the nine-game tilt that wrapped the season up. His emergence as the Bobcats’ go-to-guy was underscored by a 31-point explosion against Sacred Heart. Undersized Center Victor Akinyanju, who garnered a Player of the Week award, emerged into the Bobcats’ top big, despite suffering nagging injuries and playing sparingly during the first half of the season. Akinyanju joined the prestigious 20-and-20 club after a titanic 21-point, 21-board showing in a 70-62 triumph over Mount St. Mary’s.

DeSantis was ash-canned despite one of the best seasons of his miserable 108-145 career on the Division-I level. Since the arrival of Moore, who served under Jim Calhoun as the associate head coach at UConn, hype and hearsay has brewed around campus faster than a beer fest on spring weekend. Many adjustments will be made, and some players might be coerced into signing transfer waivers. Once again, there’s a buffet-line of guards. Though guard play is a crucial element of the NEC brand of basketball, Moore might have to insert splinters in the behinds of some of last year’s starters. Moore has already signed transfer Jeremy Baker, a 6-2, 205-pound point guard by way of Garden City Community College (Kan.), to a letter of intent. Among the questions: how will he use Casey Cosgrove and Job Casimir, the duo of speedy guards who operated the offense in the 2007 and 2006 seasons, respectively? Where will point guard Bryan Geffen, a transfer from Boston University, fall into the rotation?

Fairleigh Dickinson (14-16, 9-9)
Oh, how the mighty have fallen. After ruling the NEC with an iron fist the past two regular seasons, the Knights had a down year, underscored by a first-round playoff exit. The Knights dropped a 78-77 heartbreaker to Quinnipiac on March 1, and the loss was certainly a tough pill to swallow. With 5.9 seconds remaining, the Knights watched a last-second shot, as well as their lofty expectations, fall short. The Knights never stopped battling, but they ran into a buzz-saw in Quinnipiac off guard Van Crafton. Crafton dropped a game-high 23 points, burying 4 of 7 from beyond the arc and thwarting any mounting momentum the Knights had.

“It was a hard-fought game,” said Knights coach Tom Green. “It’s a shame that someone had to lose. I can’t ask the team to play any harder and I can’t ask any more of them. We knew it was going to be a dogfight and it really was. There was too much Van Crafton for us.”

Next year there will be too much youth for them. The Knights return a callow nucleus of six, led by Manny Ubilla, a solid perimeter player who buried 63 treys this year. Graduation claimed three of the program’s top players in Michael Peeples, Cameron Tyler, and Andre Harris. This trio combined to average 45 points per game, producing 61 percent of the team’s 73 points per game. No player will be more sorely missed than Harris, who averaged 18.8 points in his senior season and captured multiple player of the week awards.

Robert Morris (17-11, 9-9)
The Colonials lose a top-flight inside/outside tandem in Derek Coleman and A.J. Jackson, both of whom were claimed by the recent graduation, but a larger loss is that of coach Mark Schmidt, who left to take over at St. Bonaventure. Point guard Coleman, a three-point threat who conducted the offense with quickness and pinpoint passing, averaged 13 points while dishing out a team-high 152 assists. Jackson established himself as perhaps the conference’s most skilled big man in his two years as a Colonial. The 6-foot-6, 230-pound Jackson, a transfer via East Tennessee State, led the team in points (16.9) and boards (7.8), during his two-year stint. With the return of combo guard Tony Lee and 6-7 wing Jeremy Chappelle, however, the Colonials should have one of the more formidable teams in the conference on paper. That will give new head coach Mike Rice, most recently an assistant at nearby Pittsburgh, something good to work with initially.

Mount St. Mary’s (11-20, 9-9)
With Maryland evolving into one of the nation’s premier basketball breeding grounds, coach Milan Brown should have no problem selling high-profile recruits on the burgeoning NEC program. And why wouldn’t he? The Mount earned a berth in the semi-finals, but the No. 5-seed’s upset bid of Central Connecticut was thwarted by a late spurt.

This season, the Mount got a taste of some of the nation’s stiffest competition with a non-conference schedule featuring games at North Carolina State, West Virginia, and Winthrop. With the recent signing of Marlin Cribbs, who starred for DeMatha Catholic, the Mount wraps up a solid class of 2011 recruiting class. The key returnee for the 2007-2008 campaign will be shooter Chris Vann, who averaged 14 points to lead the team this past season. Vann, who scored 28 against Quinnipiac and had five games of 20+ points, can be lethal when he catches fire. He’s also a bit trigger-happy at times, and the Mount will need to develop that complementary scorer to balance them and not force him to shoulder the scoring load. The Mount will miss the services of lockdown defender Mychal Kearse, the 2006-2007 co-defensive player of the year.

Wagner (11-19, 8-10)
The Seahawks recovered from a nightmarish 2005-2006 campaign that saw them jump out to their best start in 26 years before free-falling to the gutter, encountering a number of problems on the way. This season, the Seahawks used a well-balanced offense to emerge as one of the NEC’s sleeper teams. Unfortunately for the Seahawks, the road to the semi-finals was rutted, as they pitted No. 2-ranked Sacred Heart in the first round of the playoffs. The Seahawks were thoroughly mauled, 100-68, before a jam-packed crowd at the Pitt Center.

The key returnee for the 2007-2008 campaign is leading scorer Mark Porter, a 6-1 St. Augustine Prep product who’s made an instant splash since stepping foot on campus. With James Ulrich, Joey Mudweiler, and Jamal Smith also returning, the ‘Hawks have the potential to put together one of the finest seasons in recent memory.

Monmouth (12-18, 7-11)
The ecstasy part came at the conclusion of the 2006 season, when a last second, length-of-the-floor lay-in vaulted the Hawks to the NCAA tournament, where they eventually fell to Villanova. This was the agony part. The Hawks never resembled the team that took the NEC by storm last year, despite an early-season outlasting of Arkansas State. In the evenly-matched NEC, the Hawks had trouble closing out games.

The Hawks lose two of their top players in John Bunch – a 7-foot-3, 320-pound mammoth of a man who was never able to make his presence felt in the conference – and Dejan Delic, who led the Hawks with 14.6 points per game. Expect sophomore-to-be Jhamar Youngblood, the 2007 NEC rookie of the year, to take on a big role next season. The 6-1 guard from perennial New Jersey powerhouse St. Patrick’s mastered the transition to Division I basketball, averaging 12.3 points and dishing out 61 helpers. Another bright spot for the guard-heavy Hawks is the return of Mike Shipman, who averaged a team-high four dimes per game last season. Next season, Shipman needs to improve his 1.4 assist-to-turnover ratio.

St. Francis N.Y. (9-22, 7-11)
The situation seems grim. A small school, with a rinky-dink, band-box gym (one that most high school students would laugh at), in the heart of the big city that can’t even get its highly-touted prospects to stay local. This year, however, a scrappy St. Francis N.Y. team showed that when at their best, they can play with anyone in the conference, registering victories over Robert Morris and FDU. Outside the NEC, St. Francis was boosted by victories over Manhattan and Columbia.

A deep bench and a balanced offense worked in the Terriers’ favor this season, but the team still lacks a legit big man. Undersized and vulnerable in the paint, the St. Francis was often out-boarded and exploited in mismatches down low. The Terriers bring back a go-to-guy in Robert Hines, a 6-5 wing who averaged 17 points and six boards in his first year of collegiate hoops. Fifth-year senior Allan Sheppard, the team’s second-leading scorer, will bring his experience and prolific scoring ability back to Brooklyn for another season.

Long Island (10-19, 6-12)
Inconsistency proved to be the Achilles heal for a Blackbird team that rode an emotional rollercoaster of a season. After suffering a 90-74 shellacking in the regular season finale, the Blackbirds failed to qualify for the post-season for the first time in recent memory. Next season, the Blackbirds officially begin the post-James Williams era. Williams, a three-time all-NEC selection, has been a one-man-band these past two seasons. He averaged 16.2 points this season and moved up to fourth on the school’s all-time list with 1,710 points. Williams, who played much of the season hurt, finished as LIU’s all-time three-point leader with 277 career treys. He went off for 24 or more points six times this season, including a 33-point eruption during an 82-79 victory over St. Francis N.Y.

Like the Blackbirds, however, Williams was too often spate by inconsistent play. When he drew double teams and defenses locked up on him, the Blackbirds often couldn’t get “Ws.” While the loss of Williams is colossal, Aubin Scott’s departure is also a tough setback. The 6-2 guard/wing averaged 10 points and seven boards this season, complementing Williams wherever coach Jim Ferry needed him. Scott was a versatile threat who could knock down a long-range jumper or knife through the teeth of the defense. Losing Scott the past five games with a shoulder injury certainly put their playoff hopes in jeopardy. Losing three of their last four didn’t help much either.

Eugene Kotorobai is flushed into a big role next year, as he will return after averaging 9.2 points and 6.4 boards as a role player last season. The biggest off-season boost the Blackbirds received was the signing of David Hicks (South Kent (Conn.) Prep/Mendota Heights, Minn.), a 6-1 guard who can shoot and get to the cup. Hicks is expected to help ease the loss of Williams next season.

St. Francis Pa. (8-21, 5-13)
Aside from a late-season victory at then-No. 2 Quinnipiac, along with a three-game winning streak to close out the season, it was a pretty measly 2006-2007 campaign for the Red Flash as they mustered just five conference victories. Despite a well-balanced scoring attack led by freshman Devin Sweeney’s 13 points per game, the Red Flash had no bench and could never recover from a dreadful 0-15 free-fall. The out-of-conference schedule pitted the basement-dwellers against teams like Akron, Liberty, and Georgia Tech, all of which defeated them handily.

A strong off-season blow is the loss of J.R. Enright, who averaged 12 points and established himself as an inside presence these past two seasons. Enright, a 6-foot-10 behemoth who averaged 12 and 10 his junior season, sat out the last five games of the season after losing his girlfriend in a tragic car accident. One look at the roster, however, indicates that a bright future may be paved for the Red Flash, which has a solid nucleus of young talent returning with guards Chris Berry, Cale Nelson, and jet-quick Marquis Ford, the 2006 NEC rookie of the year, along with Sweetney.

NEC Quarterfinals

Northeast Conference Tournament Quarterfinal Recap

by Zach Smart

Forget what happened during the regular season. Everything. It’s meaningless at this point. It’s been echoed time and time again, and that “anyone can beat anyone” talk is only going to persist as playoff arrives.

The quarterfinals kicked off tonight and were strong indicators of this. It’s why St. Francis (N.Y.), which sits just a few places out of the conference basement, was neck-and-neck with sizzling Central Connecticut State (16-2 in conference action) at halftime. Central eventually dumped Marcus Williams and the Terriers in the second half, as the lead swelled to 18 on a Javier Mojica jumper with 5:05 left to play. Mojica, who was selected as the conference player of the year yesterday, finished with just eight points on 3-of-11 shooting, but he grabbed 12 boards and handed out a game-high six assists as Central prevailed. Senior strongman Obie Nwadike had 23 points and 11 rebounds, while Tristan Blackwood, who’s emerged as a major scoring threat his final season, scored a game-high 25 points to lead the Blue Devils.

The Devils got off to an irregular start, trailing by 10 after Allan Shepperd got free for a layup. They responded with a powerful 16-0 run to take a six-point cushion at the halfway mark. The two teams engaged in a game of momentum tennis which carried over to the second half. Beyond Williams for St. Francis, Jamaal Womack had 13, hitting big shots along the way. One of them tied the game at 36 and another allowed the Terriers to close within four later in the second.

No. 3 Quinnipiac 78, No. 6 FDU 77
The Bobcats avenged last year’s one-point quarterfinal loss to Farleigh Dickinson with a win at the newly-built TD Banknorth Sports Center. The Bobcats came roaring back from a 15-point deficit behind the sharp shooting of senior guard Van Crafton. The Indiana native scored a game-high 23 points, 4-for-7 from beyond the arc, and hit crucial threes in clusters.

Crafton was able to pad the loss of senior guard Adam Gonzalez, one of the Bobcats’ top players, who was hospitalized with an alleged infection. Quinnipiac overcame a sublime 17-3 surge by the Knights in the first half, along with 21 points from All-NEC forward Andre Harris.

The Bobcats were plagued by foul trouble throughout. Junior guard DeMario Anderson (17 points in 24 minutes) picked up three early fouls and three starters played with four fouls in the game’s final minutes.

Crafton hit two clutch free throws to give the Bobcats the lead with 5.9 ticks remaining.

“All that was going through my head (at the line) was ‘I’m a senior, I’m not going out like this,” Crafton explained.

Harris got the shot he was looking for in the lane before the buzzer sounded, but it hit the front end of the rim as the Bobcats advanced past the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 2003.

Chris Wehye added 15 points for the Bobcats. Freshman guard Casey Cosgrove nailed a momentum-changing three with 58 seconds left to give the Bobcats a 76-73 advantage. Cosgrove finished with eight points and six assists.

“Obviously, Adam is one of the best players,” said Crafton. “But we weren’t going to let that affect us. I called him up before the game and told him we’d win tonight.”

The Bobcats move on to play Sacred Heart at a cut-throat atmosphere 15 minutes down the Merritt Parkway in Fairfield on Sunday.

No. 2 Sacred Heart 100, No. 7 Wagner 68
Wagner simply had no chance in this one. Before a raucous crowd of 1,301 at the Pitt Center, Sacred Heart thoroughly walloped a short-handed and dreadful shooting Seahawk team.

Joey Henley registered his first double-double of the season with 20 points and 11 boards in 22 minutes. Henley, who also plays wide receiver for the Pioneers’ football team, bounced back from a football injury that sidelined him last year and has added another weapon to a perilous lineup that features All-NEC first team selection Jarrid Frye, who had 16 points and five rebounds in 23 minutes. His most impressive statistic, however, was his game-high six steals. Frye shackled up opponents, helping force the Seahawks into a 22-for-69 (31.9 percent) shooting night.

Wagner, who concluded the year with an 11-19 record, went 8-11 in conference action. Though they were quickly bounced from the tournament, the Seahawks qualified for the post-season tournament after a one-year hiatus.

Sacred Heart led 44-25 at the half and never relinquished the intensity. A Henley dunk opened up the second half and kick-started a 14-5 run as the lead continued to balloon. The Pioneers (17-13) shot an eye-opening 58.8 percent from the floor and every player scored. Their defensive prowess, however, led to the most lopsided victory since being elevated to the Division I ranks.

“We came out and wanted to pick up our defense,” said veteran coach Dave Bike. “Our defense has to be important. We say defense wins championships and I thought we had a good first half defensively – we didn’t let up and rebounded pretty well.”

The Pioneers reached the 100-point milestone for the first time this season while ending the Seahawks’ season.

“We ran into a buzz saw that we couldn’t stop,” said Wagner coach Mike Dean. “We were outplayed, out-manned, and out-hustled. We got beat, got beat pretty soundly.”

No. 4 Mt. Saint Mary’s 78, No. 5 Robert Morris 61
Mychal Kearse is known throughout the conference for his defense. The 2006 Defensive Player of the Year shared the award with Central Connecticut guard Tristan Blackwood this year.

On this atypical night, however, it was Kearse’s offensive production which lifted the Mount to victory. Kearse scored a team-high 19 points and grabbed eight caroms as the Mount did the unexpected and defeated No. 4 Robert Morris, which was out of sync offensively. The Colonials shot 21-for-59 (35.6 percent) from the field en route to one of their most lopsided conference losses of the season.

Few expected the Colonials to have such a short playoff curfew, as they defeated the Mount handily, 71-58, prior to tonight’s flameout.

They were led by go-to-guy A.J. Jackson’s 20 points. Beyond Jackson, however, the Colonials struggled. Jeremy Chappell shot just 3-for-13 from the floor, 1-of-7 from three. Senior guards Tony Lee and Derek Coleman, a tandem that always leaves opposing coaches trepid, combined to score 21 points on 7-for-18 shooting. They were just 2-of-9 from downtown.

A 7-0 run brought the Colonials within nine with 5:57 remaining, but Kearse thwarted the spurt with a free throw. A bucket by Jeremy Goode jacked the lead up to 14 with 3:01 remaining. At that point, it was insurmountable.

Goode finished with 13 points and five dimes to help lift the Mount. Chris Vann and Gus Durr each chipped in with 12.

The Mount will count on a big performance from Kearse, the Jesus freak senior from Charlotte, in the semi-finals on Sunday. They’ll certainly need it.

Mount St. Mary’s squares up with top-ranked Central Connecticut in a game that will be televised on MSG network.

Adam Gonzalez’s Journey

Success Nothing New For QU’s Gonzalez

by Zach Smart

Adam Gonzalez arrived at Quinnipiac University sporting a pair of braids down to his neck and a perma-smile that’s evolved into his trademark both on and off the basketball court.

Anytime a former National Junior College Player of the Year inks with a Northeast Conference program, high expectations, hype, and hearsay tends to brew around campus faster than a keg party.

Not at Quinnipiac. Hockey has always been given the torch to carry for the University and intramural basketball seems to generate more interest than the Bobcats do.

In Gonzalez’s year and a half with Quinnipiac, however, doubters have morphed into believers. Gonzalez and the Bobcats (11-12, 9-5 NEC) have vaulted into second place in the NEC, and their transition to the TD Banknorth Sports Center has come with much excitement and fanfare.

Gonzalez, a highly sought after product on the recruiting market after his sophomore year at Cecil Community College – a breeding house for mid-major to major Division I ballers – has turned many heads this season.

The Bronx, N.Y. native is averaging 14.6 points per game and leading the team with 83 assists. The well-traveled senior has developed into a playmaker with a proclivity for schooling opponents in one-on-one situations.

“You really won’t find anyone in the Northeast Conference that’s better off the dribble and in one-on-one situations than Gonzalez,” said Bill Schweitzer, the voice of Quinnipiac basketball, during a loss to New Hampshire earlier in the season.

He’s a superstar camouflaged as a role player. The 6-foot-3 combo guard sets up his teammates before taking it upon himself to take over.

Last year, Gonzalez would facilitate the offensive attack right off defensive rebounds.

He’s done much of the same this year. With speedy guards Casey Cosgrove and Job Casimir operating the offense, however, Gonzalez has become more of a scoring threat.

“Gonzalez is a hell of a player for them (Quinnipiac),” said Central Connecticut guard Javier Mojica, a NEC player of the year candidate. “He’s a go-to-guy and you can’t let him get hot.”

He’s a New York kid with a New York savvy. Most of his success, however, has come outside the Big Apple. Gonzalez left home at just 15, on a quest to pursue better opportunities for his hoop career.

As a freshman at St. Raymond’s High, a perennial powerhouse in the Bronx, Gonzalez found himself buried behind a lineup that featured a couple of then-major Division I prospects in Allan Ray (Villanova, Boston Celtics), Julius Hodge (North Carolina State, Milwaukee Bucks), and Gavin Grant (North Carolina State). He wanted a new situation where he could grow as both a player and leader.

“I had to get out of New York,” Gonzalez said with a brief laugh. “I wasn’t doing too well over there.”

Gonzalez found a golden opportunity when he learned of a prestigious high school program in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania, a close drive from where his aunt was living. Gonzalez transferred schools, got acclimated to a different environment, and was flushed into a prominent role. During his three-year stay at Pocono Mountain High, Gonzalez established himself as the school’s most prolific scorer, finishing with 1,771 points.

At the end of Gonzalez’s junior year at Pocono, however, tragedy emerged. His aunt passed on and he was ready to return to New York, settle back in and help his family during the grieving process.

Coaches and teammates convinced him to stay.

“I wanted to leave (Pocono) at that point,” Gonzalez said. “I ended up staying with a couple of teammates in a house that (final) year,” explained Gonzalez.

Playing with a heavy heart, Gonzalez led the state in scoring with 29 points per game.

Though actively pursued by Cecil Community coach Bill Lewit, Gonzalez opted to attend Lackawanna Junior College in Scranton, Pa., for its proximity.

“It was really only 45 minutes from my high school and I was familiar with the area,” he said.

In his lone year at Lackawanna, Gonzalez made his presence felt. He averaged 25 points, leading a sleeper team to the NJCAA Division-II championship. “We were pretty much a Cinderella team that year,” he recalls. “We were expected to lose in the first round but we made it all the way to the championship in Illinois.”

A buzzer-beater did Gonzalez and Lackawanna in, as they surrendered the title to Mott Community College (Va.).

At the season’s conclusion, Gonzalez (who averaged 25 points per game as a freshman) was selected as a first team All-American and National JUCO Player of the Year.

Gonzalez transferred to Cecil Community two years later, another NJCAA school located in Maryland. There, he was re-united with Lewit and teamed up with current teammates Chris Wehye and Victor Akinyanju during his stay at Cecil.

“We were number one in the country for 12 weeks in a row (at Cecil). I think we lost only three games that whole year,” said Gonzalez.

Gonzalez averaged 14 points and seven assists while at Cecil.

On Jan. 6, with Quinnipiac dropping into a 0-9 freefall, Gonzalez addressed his teammates before a critical conference game at St. Francis (Pa.). He talked about the importance of playing to win and guaranteed victory.

Shouldering the burden of savior, Gonzalez went off for a game-high 26 points, collecting seven boards and dishing out three dimes while leading the Bobcats to a much-needed 89-82 victory.

“I kind of woke up that morning feeling real good,” said Gonzalez.

The weeks following this, Gonzalez had a lot to feel good about. The Bobcats reeled off six straight victories, their longest winning streak since being elevated to the Division I ranks in the 1998-1999 season.

In the arena-opening win against Long Island, Gonzalez scored 21 points and handed out a game-high seven assists en route to a 73-70 overtime win. The highlight came in the game’s waning seconds, when Gonzalez calmly found center Victor Akinyanju, who got free for the game-winning layup.

It’s selfless play like this that Gonzalez said he thrives on, as he’s a firm believer in surrendering “me” for “we” on the basketball court. This is a disciplined brand of basketball that builds winners.

Gonzalez buys into it because he respects the game. After all, it took him from a bad situation in the Bronx to the scenic campus of Quinnipiac, where his glowing smile is now recognized by many.

In May, Gonzalez will graduate with a degree in sociology. He said he never could have expected this while attending public schools in the Bronx, where educational inequality is a serious problem. He’s established himself as a winner in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and now Connecticut, where he’s helped resurrect an ailing program.

Gonzalez makes his presence felt as another season on the hardwood hits its final stretch.

Northeast Notebook

Northeast Conference Notebook

by Zach Smart

A Devil Of A Time

This year’s Central Connecticut team possesses a three-headed monster that all of two conference teams have been able to maintain.

This is, however, the Northeast Conference we’re talking about now. The top dog can never be inked in as the champion, regardless of how many top-tier teams it has dumped off by 30 or more points this year.

“In this conference we know anyone can beat anyone on any given night,” explained Quinnipiac senior guard Adam Gonzalez. Gonzalez and the Bobcats were twice trounced by Central in lopsided losses, all while they stood right behind them in second.

But make no mistake about it, this year’s Central team is something else. The proof is in the record. The Blue Devils (18-11, 15-2) have eaten up the conference schedule in shark-sized bites.

The trio of Javier Mojica, Tristan Blackwood, and Obie Nwadike is simply too much to counter for most teams. Mojica, originally a walk-on, has developed into one of the conference’s most prolific scorers, leading the Blue Devils with 17 points per game. He averages seven boards while shooting .426 from beyond the arc. Blackwood, who went off for 40 points (13-23 from the floor including 10-17 from behind the arc) against Robert Morris on Feb. 22 to avenge a loss, has come into his element. He’s flourished in a role that allows him to create offense, averaging a team-high four assists per game, highlighted by nine in a win against Mount St. Mary’s at the beginning of the month.

Nwadike is the senior strongman who has led the conference in rebounding since his sophomore year. The forward from Jersey City is a double-double waiting to happen with 14.3 points and 10.7 boards per game.

The team is only about seven deep. The finely-tuned starting five of Mojica, Blackwood, Nwadike, big man Jemino Sobers, and Joe Seymore, a freshman guard from Delaware, average 32.8 minutes per game. At week’s end, the Blue Devils have the upper hand on the entire conference.

At the beginning of the season, there questions surfaced about how well the Devils would recover from the loss of last year’s MVP, Justin Chiera. Chiera, the best three-point shooter in program history averaged 14 in 2005-2006 while facilitating the offensive attack.

No worries. Blackwood has certainly filled the leadership void left by Chiera, and Mojica has certainly carried the load on offense at times. He scored a career-high 32 against Quinnipiac, weeks after putting 31 on New Hampshire.

Blue Devils coach Howie Dickenman beefed up the Devils’ out-of-conference schedule with a season-opener at Michigan and meetings with Delaware, UMass, and Vermont. It’s seemed to rub off on the team.

Super DeMario

Quinnipiac’s dreadful losing streak, during which the Bobcats failed to mesh together, delayed it a bit, but forward DeMario Anderson (a transfer via Central Connecticut) held his coming-out-party against Vermont, going off for 20 points and scoring timely buckets in clusters. Since then, he’s emerged as one of the conference’s marquee players. Anderson poured in 31 in a win against in-state rival Sacred Heart on Feb. 8. It was one point off his collegiate career high. Surprisingly enough, Anderson’s career-high 32 points came against Quinnipiac during his final regular season game in a Blue Devil uniform in 2004-2005.

Quinnipiac, without standout big man Victor Akinyanju (favoring his right foot), suffered an embarrassing 73-72 loss to basement-dweller St. Francis (Pa.) on a night which featured all sorts of lineup changes. Guard Adam Gonzalez (14.7 points, 3.7 assists per game) sat in Joe DeSantis’ doghouse for much of the game, playing just eight minutes – all in the first half. The loss puts Quinnipiac in a log-jam with Sacred Heart for second place. A tough conference match with the Pioneers at the Pitt Center awaits them.

UConn Over Syracuse

UConn Defeats Orange In Milestone Victory

by Zach Smart

STORRS, Conn. – This was the kind of marquee victory Jim Calhoun was thirsting for since the callow Huskies were plunged into Big East play. UConn needed this victory in so many different ways. The Huskies had been crumbling ever since a shattering 77-73 home loss against Indiana on Jan. 20. They underwent a state-discouraging free-fall, nearly smacking the bottom of the Big East cellar before holding on in a desperation overtime win against Rutgers, which was without leading scorer J.R. Inman.

A win against conference rival Syracuse, in a nationally televised game, would be their first step towards vaulting back into respectability. The Orange, which was blessed with an early national ranking before its stock took a sudden tumble, seemed like a barometer test to the Huskies. Their zone, which had been called into question lately, seemed capable of being permeated with Connecticut’s hand of versatile guards and wings.

The game, of course, was multi-faceted, as it was not only a renewed rivalry but an opportunity for Jim Calhoun to tap into an elite society known as the 500-win club.

Before UConn alums like Donyell Marshall and a jam-packed house at the Gampel Pavilion, the Huskies delivered Calhoun the much-needed victory.

“I told the kids after the Rutgers game that we were on a roll – one in a row,” said Calhoun before a mob of reporters, most of whom haven’t made him look like a 500-win caliber coach this season.

“I just them now, we’re on another roll – two in a row.”

The Huskies showed poise, albeit struggling offensively, en route to a 67-60 victory that should move them closer towards a spot in the Big East tournament in New York City.

The Huskies were led by an unlikely source in sophomore guard Craig Austrie. Austrie, who had fallen out of favor after operating an offense laced with NBA-bound players last season, pioneered UConn to what was easily their most significant victory of the season. He collected a team-high 14 points, seven boards, and dished out five assists. The performance provided redemption for the former Stamford (CT) Trinity Catholic star, who had questioned his coach’s confidence in him after playing second fiddle to a number of freshmen this season.

“I feel like I have more confidence than ever since I’ve been here,” Austrie said. “I never looked at it like it wasn’t working out here. Eventually, with the work I put in and the performance, things would work out and things would be put into place eventually. I think they have.”

He’s right. Austrie has established himself as a crucial element of the offense after catching a DNP-coach’s decision in the Indiana loss.

After that game, Calhoun explained that the bench burial wouldn’t be permanent. With guards A.J. Price and Doug Wiggins (who received a rare start that game) playing a majority of the minutes, Calhoun explained that he just couldn’t get Austrie in.

“It’s nothing (personal against Craig),” Calhoun said that day. “Just given the situation today we didn’t use him. He didn’t make any mistakes in practice. I don’t think Craig has ever made a mistake in his life. Maybe when he was at Catholic he forgot to return a book to the library.”

Austrie was pretty error-free in his start last night, committing zero turnovers while orchestrating the offense in 30 minutes.

The same cannot be said about his teammates. The Huskies’ free throw shooting woes continued, as they shot a dreadful 19-37 (54.1 percent) from the charity stripe. They weren’t much better from the floor, shooting 36 percent. But they won the battle on the boards, 43-27 behind Jeff Adrien’s 12 caroms.

Sophomore A.J. Price was relegated to a backup spot, but turned in a solid performance. Price, who’s playing despite injuries, scored 12 points on 5-of-13 shooting but hit some crucial buckets in 20 minutes of playing time. His minutes could dwindle now that Austrie has found himself.

“I turned to Craig and asked him, ‘Do you think I’m starting to believe in you a little bit?’” Calhoun asked. “He’s really playing confident.”

The Orange (16-8, 5-5 Big East) underwent a drought during the closing minutes, as they mustered just three points in the game’s final 6:41. Terrence Roberts and Darryl Watkins fouled out late in the second half, leaving it to Demetrius Nichols to shoulder the load.

Nichols, who had a game-high 20 points, caught fire in the second half. Nichols scored seven points in a period of 2:20, tying the game at 46 on a layup with 10:52 remaining.

Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, who’s mild-mannered though he’s shown he can blow up when the gun goes off, wasn’t a happy camper.

“We didn’t shoot the ball well, we didn’t execute well, and we’re not going to win any game when the fouls are 25 to 14, and we’re playing zone and they’re playing man to man,” Boeheim said.

Northeast Notebook

Northeast Conference Notebook

by Zach Smart

Joe DeSantis never lost hope. Not amid the small crowds, the detractors, the off-court distractions, the grueling seven-game losing streak. Not even amid pink slip rumors which zipped through Hamden like the Connecticut Transit. Indeed, the man who was here when Quinnipiac was a Division-II program (and he only had one assistant whom he split the aerobics room as an office with) kept his serenity.

“We’re going to be good this year,” DeSantis assured a horde of Connecticut reporters following Quinnipiac’s season-opening upset-bid at then-No.18 UConn. The upset bid fell short, as the Bobcats were outlasted, 53-46, on Craig Austrie’s game-sealing three from the left corner.

“I got two little lightning-quick point guards,” DeSantis said, referencing 5-foot-8 freshman Casey Cosgrove and 5-foot-9 sophomore Job Casimir, both high-octane speedsters. Since Quinnipiac is one of the smaller teams in the conference and has been plagued by lack of size, rebounding, and interior defense the past few years, a statement of this ilk would only allow the skeptics to surface.

They did just that, as the Bobcats underwent a 0-9 freefall after winning two of their first three games. The abysmal losing streak featured two conference losses and an 80-74 horror show at Brown in which they surrendered 60 free throw attempts (Brown connected on a school record 47 of them en route to the victory).

The confidence pendulum took a sudden swing on Jan. 6, however, as the Bobcats defeated St. Francis Pa. 89-82 to stop the pores of gushing blood. The win jump-started a six-game winning streak, the longest in recent memory, as the Bobcats suddenly vaulted to the upper-echelon of the Northeast’s totem pole.

The Bobcats needed this in the worst way. Last Saturday, their hearts pumped shark’s blood as they awaited the grand opening of the TD Banknorth Sports Center, a dazzling 3,500-seat arena sitting on top of a hill that offers breathtaking views of New Haven and Long Island Sound. TD Banknorth, the new home to both hockey and hoops for the University, was a $52 million dollar investment. It’s a sparkling venue containing all the amenities.

Peaking at the right time, the Bobcats treated fans to a great game on Jan. 27, as they held on in a 73-71 thriller against James Williams and Long Island.

It should come as no surprise that the Bobcats’ success has run parallel with the emergence of junior guard DeMario Anderson, a transfer via conference rival Central Connecticut State. After struggling to find his niche in a sluggish December, Anderson has evolved into one of the conference’s premier players.

Anderson helped Quinnipiac give a solid account of itself on Saturday, pouring in 18 points while grabbing four boards. His most crucial points came on a put-back dunk nearing the end of the regulation.

A 20-point performance in a loss to Vermont was Anderson’s breakout game, as he shot 7-of-9 from the floor, catching fire late.

DeSantis knew coming into the year that the 6-4 high-raiser would be a great asset to the team. He knows from experience. Anderson scored a career-high 32 points while leading Central past Quinnipiac in his final regular season game with the Blue Devils in 2004-2005.

Adam Gonzalez, a senior combo guard, and Victor Akinyanju, an undersized forward/center deserve a lot of the credit as well.

Gonzalez, the former National Junior College Player of the Year, scored a game-high 21 points and dished out seven assists in the win over LIU. The Bronx, N.Y. product scored the first points in the new arena on an NBA three-pointer.

Akinyanju, a generously-listed 6-4 post man, scored the game-winner on a layup off a Gonzalez feed with 27 ticks to go in overtime. Akinyanju, who executed manipulative post moves and got free for easy buckets throughout the six-game winning streak. The Maryland native garnered NEC Player of the Week honors in mid-January after a 16-point, 17-board outburst in an 80-72 victory over Wagner.

Blue Devils Heating Up

Quinnipiac’s six-game winning streak was viciously snapped just two days after hitting their benchmark against LIU. The state and conference rivalry was renewed as Quinnipiac faced the real litmus test in their glitzy new arena in taking on Central Connecticut.

That test quickly morphed into an impossible final that would demand a curve for the Bobcats. The Blue Devils coasted to a convincing 65-54 victory before 2, 707, making it five straight against their in-state rivals.

Central Connecticut thoroughly thrashed the Bobcats up until the final three minutes, when Quinnipiac made it interesting with a couple of crucial threes. It was the only significant points they could muster from downtown on the night, as they shot an atrocious 4-for-25 from beyond the arc.

Obie Nwadike, a 6-foot-4 interior banger with a lion’s heart, did it all for CCSU. The NEC’s leading rebounder had a game-high 16 caroms, seven coming off the offensive glass, while bulldozing his way to 16 points. He hounded down opponents on defense, hustled after loose balls, and even played through a shaking moment in what was easily the best performance of his collegiate career.

“We get spoiled by (Nwadike) because we expect that from him,” CCSU coach Howie Dickenman said. “He’s 6-2 and a half, we list him at 6-4, but he has a heart as big as he could possibly have. He gives us everything he has every time.”

Central senior Javier Mojica, who has shouldered a leadership role this year, had 14 points and 12 rebounds. Mojica hit from outside and took opponents of the dribble, but his offense wasn’t the difference in this game. It was his suffocating defense that forced Gonzalez into an off-night.

Mojica held Gonzalez to just eight points on 3-of-11 shooting.

“(Gonzalez) is a hell of a player and he’s a go-to guy for them,” Mojica said. “My assignment was to play Gonzalez and hold him below his average. I was able to do that with my teammates – it was all-around great defense. I tried to keep him from getting hot because when he does a great player.”

The game didn’t exploit Quinnipiac’s weaknesses on this night as much as it displayed CCSU’s prestige. The Blue Devils made it evident that they belong in first place.

“Central is the best team in the league right now,” DeSantis said afterwards.

The game, of course, was multi-faceted, as Anderson went at it with some of his former teammates. With four and a half minutes gone by in the first half, Anderson sauntered over to the scorer’s table and entered the game. Despite missing his first four shots, Anderson would score 16 points, 14 in the second half.

“Personally, I think he had a little bit of a vendetta,” said Nwadike of his friend. “He wanted Quinnipiac beat Central Connecticut. Me and Javy (Mojica) and our team wasn’t going to let that happen.”

There is something special about this Central team. There’s no clear standout, just a scrappy core of solid upperclassmen and freshman Joe Seymore. They’re not the deepest team – usually they’ll go six or seven deep. At this point, they don’t need to be.

Blackwood Named Player of the Week

Central Connecticut junior guard Tristan Blackwood was the latest player to earn the Choice Hotels/NEC Player of the Week award. Blackwood averaged 27.5 points, 4.0 assists, 3.0 rebounds while shooting 14-29 (.483) from three-point land during the week of 1/29.

Pioneers Defeat Long Island:

At Fairfield, Conn., Drew Shubik scored 19 points to lead Sacred Heart to an 80-72 victory over Long Island. Luke Granato added 14 points for the Pioneers. Shubik also had seven rebounds.

Power Rankings:
1. Central Connecticut (13-10, 10-1): Little Depth But Few Flaws
2. Sacred Heart (11-10, 7-3): Must avenge loss against Central
3. Mount St. Mary’s (8-14, 7-4), Quinnipiac (9-11, 7-4): Feb. 3 meeting should be a thriller