MAAC Tournament Notebook

ALBANY, N.Y. – Friday gave an opportunity to see six games at the Times Union Center in Albany. The MAAC Tournament was on the bill and in the conference both the women’s and men’s championships are contested at the same site. The women’s quarterfinals were first and following a ninety-minute break the men’s two first round games followed. It ran from 9:30 a.m. through the stroke of midnight. If you are a fanatic you just can’t beat it.

The Women’s Quarterfinal scores:

Iona 59 Siena 43
Fairfield 70 Loyola 56
Marist 57 Canisius 38
Niagara 66 Manhattan 54

The Men’s First Round:

Manhattan 94 Loyola 79
Canisius 72 Marist 54

Notes

• Good officiating friend Joe Barrise was on the first game. Joe & crew enjoyed a nice tempo with the first foul not occurring until 8:05 had elapsed.
• I thought Iona coach Tony Bozzelli had a solid defensive game plan keeping Siena’s inside threat Serena Moore away from the basket or closely attended as much as possible. the saints’ main inside threat. Mission accomplished. Moore scored 14 points but was 3 of 11 from the field. For the Gaels, their outstanding forward Thazina Cook committed 5 of Iona’s 20 turnovers. All was forgiven as Cook in general had an outstanding game leading all with 19 points and 11 rebounds in 35 minutes.
• I never tire watching and admiring the play of Rachelle Fitz of Marist. The MAAC Player of the Year never forces a thing, is the consummate unselfish and fundamentally sound performer. Fitz , a 6-0 senior forward, had a solid 12-point, 8-board effort for the Red Foxes.
• I also never tire of watching the teamwork and defensive expertise of Marist. They are a group who simply does not care who gets the points or headlines. They simply want to win. Defensively they are outstanding, forcing you into poor shots and getting in the passing lanes for deflections that are turned into turnovers. Marist is a joy to watch… unless you are on the opposite sideline. Stephanie Geehan of Fairfield, the MAAC Defensive Player of the Year, came up with sixteen rebounds (14 defensive) four blocks and four steals against Loyola. A 6-2 senior center, Geehan showed her prowess is not limited to the defensive end as she led the way with 22 points.
• It was a brief appearance but what a four minutes for Maggie Blair of Manhattan. The 5-10 freshman guard played the last four minutes and scored 10 points, second on the team to Michelle Pacheco’s 11. Blair was 3 of 4 from the field (2 of 2 from three) and hit both of her free throws. She entered the game without a point all season, having played in just five games. Something tells me coach John Olenowski will take a long look at Blair’s prospects next season.
• Niagara’s Kendra Faustin was selected Coach of the Year and it was an excellent choice. She came on board two years ago and has transformed Niagara from dormancy to respectability with a nice future for this program. The Purple Eagles were 9-9 in the conference and had a win over Marist this season. They knocked off fourth seed Manhattan 66-54 thanks to solid defense and a well-distributed attack with four players in double figures.
• Some observers were speculating if this is the year Marist women surrender their MAAC championship supremacy. Not likely, per Canisius coach Terry Zeh. “People are saying Marist might get beat (in the MAAC tournament) but they did go 15-3 (conference) and lost to nationally ranked Oklahoma in overtime,” Zeh noted after his team‘s quarterfinal setback to the Red Foxes. “They are a team whose big stars make plays and unheralded players step up”
• The Manhattan-Loyola game to tip off the men’s tournament was a high-energy, fast-paced, intense battle. Manhattan, which lost twice to the Greyhounds this season, prevailed 94-79. The Jaspers had a 19-point lead before Loyola came storming back in the second half. Loyola got it to a two possession game but never any closer.
• The game was a tale of two halves for the leading scorers. Rico Pickett, a junior guard from Manhattan with range and a quick trigger finger, had 23 points at the half and wound up with 33.  Shane Walker had two at intermission, but the 6-10 sophomore forward led Loyola’s charge the second half in scoring 24 of his team-high 26 points.
• Even with Pickett going for 33 points, Manhattan had good balance with four players in double figures. George Beamon, a 6-4 freshman, came off the bench for the Jaspers to contribute a crucial 13 points, 11 in the second half.
• Manhattan coach Barry Rohrssen said his team came to Albany “planning to play our best basketball. The MAAC tournament is a new season for us.” Rohrssen naturally was pleased, except for the defense, which allowed the Greyhounds to shoot 50 percent from the floor.
• Marist finished their long season at 1-29 with a first-round loss to Canisius. The lone win, ironically, came against Manhattan. The same problems the Red Foxes had all year showed up again. They hung around early and were only down 34-26 at the half, a margin was thanks to a Canisius trey at the buzzer. The second half mistakes of youth and an ineffective inside game spelled doom for coach Chucky Martin’s squad once again.
• The difference between veterans and youth: Marist committed 16 turnovers to Canisius’ 11. Frank Turner, the Griffs’ outstanding senior guard, had one turnover in 37 minutes.
• I spoke with Siena assistant Mitch Buonoguro, who was advance scouting. Buonoguro spoke about life as a 17-1 conference team favored to win here in Albany. “It’s not that easy,” he said. “Everyone is aiming for you and comes at you with your best shot.” Especially in the “survive and advance” setting of post season tournament play.

St. Peter’s Defeats Marist in MAAC Action

JERSEY CITY, N.J. – A strong defensive effort was the headline as St. Peter’s defeated Marist 61-49 at the Yanitelli Center. The win improves the Peacocks to 7-7 (2-2 MAAC) while Marist falls to 10-12 (1-2 MAAC).

The key, as noted, was defense.  Marist is basically a perimeter team. “With their dribble drive, they try to get mismatches with ball screens, cuts and handoffs,” St. Peter’s coach John Dunne said. “They do not have a true post game, so we didn’t want them to spread us out.  We were willing to give up a few threes.”

Marist shot 5 of 14 beyond the arc. Overall the Red Foxes were 15 of 42. Marist trailed 27-21 at the break, but in the first ten minutes of the second had managed only two field goals as St. Peter’s enjoyed a comfortable double-digit lead.

Execution and balance were also keys for Dunne’s club, seeing how they ran their offense and their inside/outside approach. Ryan Bacon (12 points, eight rebounds) established himself inside, while Nick Leon (a game-high 16 points) was effective on the perimeter and did a good job running the team from the lead guard spot. “Ryan had a good game against Marist last year, so he came in with confidence,” Dunne said. “If he didn’t miss a few easy ones early he could have had a monster game.”
All things considered, it was a solid win over a team that has lost several heart-breakers and was coming off a victory over Manhattan on Saturday. “They (Marist) are going to beat some people,” Dunne said. “I was pleased with our defensive intensity the first 32 minutes. The last eight, we let up a bit.” In those final eight, Marist never got the deficit under double figures.

Notes

• The Red Foxes were paced by Sam Prescott, a freshman guard who came off the bench to score 14 points. Devin Price, another freshman guard, added 12 points.
• Marist has no seniors in the starting lineup and went with a starting five of three freshmen and two juniors.
• Among those in attendance was Nick Mariniello, coach at Hudson Catholic, a school two blocks from St.Peter’s. Wesley Jenkins of St. Peter’s and RJ Hall of Marist both played for a few of Mariniello’s state champions at Bloomfield (NJ) Tech High School.
• Marist entered the game shooting 61 percent from the line. So much for tendencies, as they hit a perfect 14 of 14 for the night.

Aeropostale Holiday Festival Wrap-Up

NEW YORK CITY – A day after handily defeating Marist in the semifinal, St.John’s met their match. Virginia Tech defeated the Red Storm 81-67 before slightly over 2000 at Madison Square Garden . The win gave Virginia Tech a second straight Aeropostale Holiday Festival title. Tech defeated St.John’s is last year’s championship.

St.John’s, playing minus the injured Justin Burrell and Anthony Mason (out for the season) fell behind 9-3 and by the first few minutes, appeared headed for a long afternoon. The Storm responded and got right back into it largely on the strength of their three point shooting. Paris Horne led the way with 11 for the Storm and shot 3 of 6 beyond the arc.

The second half saw Tech build on its 39-35 halftime lead.. Sean Evans of St.John’s was limited to three minutes the first half due to foul trouble. The 6-8 sophomore had a strong second half , finishing with 13 points 8 rebounds. The Storm however shot an icy 0 of 8 beyond the arc the second half. Credit that to the Tech zone that trapped the wings and extended deeper the final twenty minutes. “We mainly went 1-3-1 to keep our guys out of foul trouble,” Tech coach Seth Greenburg said. “In my eighteen years of coaching I don’t remember ever playing as much zone.”

Offensively the Hokies also exhibited good crisp ball movement, finding the likes of A.D. Vassallo who scored a game high 24 points. Malcom Delaney added 22 points, handed out 8 assists and earned the Lou Carnesecca Most Valuable Player award. “In the second half, Greenburg said, “we made better decisions on offense. We screened and read the defense.”

“We competed,” St.John’s coach Norm Roberts said. “But we hit a five or six minute stretch where we didn’t execute and gave up too many offensive rebounds. Against an ACC team a stretch like that can change the game. But give them credit. They (Tech) wore us down.”

St.John’s earned the championship by defeating 65-44 Marist in the semifinals. The Red Storm was dominant inside with Evans scoring nineteen points while D.J. Kennedy added 14 boards. Virginia Tech, behind Delaney’s 25 points, was too much for Columbia as they earned a 64-52 decision in the other semi.

In the consolation, Marist and Columbia battled in a closely contested matchup.. Marist enjoyed a two point lead at the half and opened it to a ten point cushion midway through the second half. The Lions responded largely on the play of K.J. Matsui. The senior guard came off the bench to drain three big treys and take a charge on the other end. “He (Matsui) made a big play that lifted us with taking that charge,” Columbia coach Joe Jones said. “But let’s say he is a senior and that is not a play he made in the past,” Jones added with a humorous touch. Down the stretch, Columbia made the plays and free throws to secure the 63-58 victory. Matsui finished with 11 points while Norwua Agho led the Lions with 13 points. Ryan Schneider paced Marist with a game high 16 points.

• St.John’s is a better club than last season. The injury hex hasn’t been kind to Norm Roberts and co. Anthony Mason JR. is gone for the year. Justin Burrell missed the festival with an injury and point guard Malik Boothe played with a finger injury. Through the misfortune, Roberts makes no excuse. “Injuries are part of the game,” he said. “Someone is out another player takes his place and gets an opportunity to show what he can do.”
• Festival is usually following Christmas but went to a pre-December 25 format for the first time. Double headers were on Saturday and Sunday before Christmas. Finals attendance was barely over 2,000. Some blame the pre-Christmas date and/or less than ideal weather for the sparse showing. Fact of the matter is until St.John’s gets more competitive the crowds will be hard to come by. Plain and simple.
• Jones noted that Marist outplayed Columbia the first half yet his team stayed together and hung in. “This is a close team,” Jones said. “They cheer for one another and have great relationships. Down the stretch, especially the last eight minutes we got the rebounds and picked up the loose balls.”
• For Marist the effort is there but all too often the Red Foxes run out of gas especially in the final half.. “We ran into a wall around the nine minute (remaining) mark and couldn’t score,” Marist coach Chucky Martin said. “We have three guys going over 35 minutes and fatigue is a factor.” One of the trio is freshman guard R.J. Hall who recently won the starting job. Hall, who prepped at Bloomfield Tech in New Jersey, turned in a fine 13 point 6 assist outing in 37 minutes. “R.J. was unbelievable,” Martin said. “He played almost the entire game and played really well.”
• Following the semifinal victory over Columbia, Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenburg had an approximately one hour meeting at the hotel with his team. “We talked about effort,” Greenburg said. “I was embarrassed because I didn’t feel we competed with a good enough effort (against Columbia) today (in the St.John’s game) we definitely did.”
• Greenburg operates in ACC country today but New York is always special. He grew up on Long Island and played for Fairleigh Dickinson under the late al LoBalbo. “My dad played for Clair Bee,” Greenburg said. “I remember in the Sixties sitting upstairs in the old Garden and watching the Joe Lapchick coached St.John’s teams play. When you come to play here you should play in a way you are respecting the game.”

Members of the All Tournament team were :
KJ Matsui, Columbia
Ryan Schneider, Marist
DJ Kennedy , St.John’s
Sean Evans, St.John’s
A.D. Vassallo, Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech is 8-4. St.John’s falls to 9-2 , the other loss to another ACC team, Boston College in the Pre-Season NIT. ACC ‘tour’ for the Storm continues as they host Miami on Saturday at noon at the Garden.

On the Baseline: All except Va. Tech brought cheerleaders. Marist band is outstanding, one of the best around. The Garden is not only special to mid-major players, Marist brought, count them, 23 cheerleaders and Columbia brought a full dance and cheer squad.