Quick Hitters – January 21, 2012

Quick hitters as we head into a busy Saturday:

• If there was any doubt as to the value of a point guard, look no further than Boston University and floor leader D.J. Irving. There are a few reasons the Terriers have now won five games in a row and is tied with Stony Brook (who they beat last Saturday) atop the America East Conference, but Irving’s return to health following a concussion last month is chief among them. That was readily apparent to one opposing coach, who thinks he’s the Terriers’ best player.

  “I think they’re at their best when the ball is in his hands and getting guys shots,” said Albany head coach Will Brown.

… Continue Reading

Young Navy team is still trying to break through

WORCESTER, Mass. – Wednesday night’s game at Holy Cross looked all too familiar for Navy. A team that has not fared well in close games and came in with eight straight losses had another close call, but another one in the right-hand column as Holy Cross won 73-69.

“That’s the way it’s been. That’s the way all our games have been,” said head coach Ed DeChellis. “We have a chance to win with three or four minutes to go in the game and we just haven’t been able to do it.”

… Continue Reading

Holy Cross may be turning a corner after pulling out a close one

WORCESTER, Mass. – Holy Cross may have conquered a demon in Saturday night’s 62-57 win over New Hampshire. The Crusaders appeared to have the game locked up in the final minute, leading by ten, but they allowed the Wildcats a couple of extra chances that suddenly made it a ballgame. A year ago, they might have ultimately blown this game, but the Crusaders pulled it out by doing just enough late.

The Crusaders led 60-50 with 38 seconds left after two free throws by Justin Burrell. The game was all but in hand at that point, especially since the Crusaders fought back rallies all night long. Then two missed free throws and two missed turnovers, one in their own end, helped New Hampshire suddenly get within 60-57. Burrell then sank two more free throws to finally seal the game and get the Crusaders over the hump.

… Continue Reading

Selfish NCAA Rule Betrays Mission to Student-Athletes

BASELINE TO BASELINE

Go coast to coast with a roundup of news from across the nation.

1. Starting next season, players will no longer be able to test the NBA Draft waters. According to the Associated Press, the NCAA approved a rules change that forces players to decide whether they wish to remain eligible for the NBA Draft by the first day of the spring signing period for recruits. This move helps college coaches replace departing players. But it kills players’ opportunity to gauge their draft stock as few NBA teams are prepared to provide full predictions by mid-April.
2. George Mason wasted no time in finding a new coach. According to the Associated Press, the Colonials picked former Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt, who was fired at Georgia Tech this past season after 11 years and a 190-162 record. In more than a decade with the Yellow Jackets, Hewitt established a reputation for recruiting top-notch talent, but he only made one deep run in the NCAA Tournament, losing to Connecticut in the 2004 championship game. He replaces Jim Larranaga, who left the school to coach Miami.
3. Nearby, in Washington, D.C., George Washington will be in search of a new coach after firing Karl Hobbs, according to the Associated Press. Hobbs led the Colonials for 10 years, including a great 2005-06 season in which George Washington finished 27-3 and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
4. And in Atlanta, Georgia Tech replaced Paul Hewitt with Brian Gregory, choosing Dayton’s coach over several other candidates, including a 15-year-old from Connecticut. Wha?! According to the Sporting News’ Mike DeCourcy, Ethan Peikes sent Georgia Tech Athletic Director Dan Radakovich a letter containing a cogent argument for why Peikes should become the Yellow Jackets’ next coach.
5. Colgate presumably didn’t get any applications from 15-year-olds, but the school did find its coach from a relatively young member of the coaching ranks. According to the Associated Press, Colgate hired 33-year-old Temple assistant Matt Langel to replace Emmett Davis, who was dismissed after 13 seasons and a 165-212 record.
6. Wisconsin extended the contract of coach Bo Ryan through 2015-16, ensuring stability for one of the best programs in the Big Ten, according to the Associated Press. Ryan has a 242-91 record in 10 seasons in Madison, and his teams regularly excel in the NCAA Tournament and enjoy one of the toughest home court advantages in basketball.
7. Likewise, in Athens, Ga., coach Mark Fox received an extension with Georgia. The Bulldogs will keep Fox through 2015-16 and increase his pay to $1.7 million per year, according to the Associated Press.
8. Amid coaching changes, some players decide it’s time for a fresh start, especially if a new coach has a significantly different system. That looks to be the case at North Carolina State, according to Eamonn Brennan of ESPN.com’s “College Basketball Nation” blog. Freshman point guard Ryan Harrow will leave the Wolfpack to look for a fresh start rather than play for new coach Mark Gottfried.
9. Give coach Bill Self credit. Even though Kansas is losing plenty of firepower this off-season, the Jayhawks will face a brutal schedule next season, with Kentucky and Ohio State definitely on the horizon, according to the Associated Press. Kansas also will be in the Maui Invitational with Duke, UCLA, Georgetown, Memphis, Tennessee and Michigan.
10. And Kansas might find some tougher competition out of Oklahoma in the Big 12 than originally expected. New Sooners coach Lon Kruger has added two Juco players recently to help hasten the rebuilding of the Oklahoma program, according to Sports Illustrated’s “Fan Nation” blog.
11. Louisville coach Rick Pitino has completed a major overhaul of his staff, according to the Associated Press. Pitino added Kevin Keatts as an assistant coach. Keatts arrives at Louisville after coaching Hargrave Military Academy for 10 seasons and winning two national prep championships. Keatts joins Wyking Jones and Pitino’s son Richard on the staff.
12. Quick hits from the NCAA’s attendance report, via ESPN.com’s Eamonn Brennan for the “College Basketball Nation” blog: total number of people attending games is up compared with 2009-10, average per Division I game is down a tad (because of more Division I schools), and average NCAA Tournament attendance is down slightly.

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE

The general consensus is that the NCAA is being selfish in its decision to change the rules on players testing the NBA Draft as early entrants. It’s hard to argue with that sentiment, though the NCAA has an opportunity to do right by student-athletes.

The NCAA is responsible for guiding student-athletes through the collegiate educational experience. That’s not my take; it’s theirs. From the NCAA’s website:

The NCAA’s core purpose is to govern competition in a fair, safe, equitable and sportsmanlike manner, and to integrate intercollegiate athletics into higher education so that the educational experience of the student-athlete is paramount.

By shifting the deadline for players to decide whether they will remain in the NBA Draft or return to school to mid-April, the NCAA is robbing student-athletes of a chance to maximize their educational experience. To borrow a Texas Hold ‘Em poker analogy, the NCAA will be forcing players to go all-in or fold before the flop while letting them see only one card.

In recent years, players have been able to figure out the strength of their draft hand — to see that other card — by receiving evaluations from NBA scouts during late April and May. A few years ago, players had until June to decide whether they’d remain in the draft or return to school. NCAA coaches hated that because they didn’t know what their roster would like and how they should adjust their recruiting strategy in the spring.

The first step in this anti-player direction was a change to the players’ decision deadline to early May. That prevents players from receiving much information, but they can at least make an educated decision about the likelihood that a team will pick them in the first round.

To clarify what’s at stake, the NBA only guarantees contracts to first-round picks. If you’re No. 31, you have to compete with every other unrestricted free agent, NBA Developmental League player and international walk-on who wants a shot at an NBA contract. Good luck. Oh, and you can’t go back to your college team. When early entrants remain in the draft, they’re no longer eligible. You don’t hear of too many players who pay to earn a degree without a scholarship from a school if they fall out of the first round and don’t receive a contract.

For NCAA early entrants, the NBA Draft can be a life-altering decision. Because the NCAA will restrict the relevant information that student-athletes can gather by the mid-April deadline, the NCAA has the responsibility to fulfill its core purpose: ensure that the educational experience is paramount. And that experience is paramount to the self-centered interests of coaches who fear they’ll lose their jobs without NBA-caliber players on their roster instead of leftover recruits.

For the NCAA to fulfill that purpose, it needs to create a method for student-athletes to receive NBA evaluations throughout the season. Perhaps the NCAA should form a consortium of current or former NBA scouts who provide monthly ratings or reviews, citing comments from NBA executives. If the NCAA wants to follow the money, it would need to wade into the world of sports agents, who are perhaps most motivated to gauge players’ value and translate that into NBA dollars. An objective sports agent might not exist, but that’s for the NCAA to figure out.

As the rules stand now, the NCAA is failing its student-athletes. A failed system is bound too fall apart as soon as a better alternative presents itself. And that could quickly emerge from the heavily financed underworld of unscrupulous sports agencies and self-employed talent consultants, who might take an even more aggressive stance and try to fill a need in this evaluation process — if the NCAA doesn’t step up to fully educate its players.

Bucknell Completes Gradual Path to Patriot League Title

LEWISBURG, Pa. – Stephen Tyree said he was numb. He remembered being on the opposite end a few years earlier, and now this was different.

“My freshman year, we lost to Holy Cross on the road in the championship, and I could never get that taste out of my mouth, until right now,” said the Bucknell senior guard. … Continue Reading

Holy Cross Needs to Turn Things Around Again

Early in Patriot League play, it looked like Holy Cross was turning a corner. That was bound to happen considering the talent on the team and the familiarity they have with the league. They started off 2-0, then were 3-1 with the only loss coming at Bucknell, which is not a bad loss by any stretch. But now the Crusaders will go into February with a three-game losing streak after a bad loss to Colgate at home and a tough overtime loss at defending champion Lehigh on Saturday.

Thursday night’s 79-72 loss is a stinger. Colgate had shot better than 45 percent from the field just once all season prior to Thursday night’s game. So a look at the final box score showing that the Red Raiders shot 55.4 percent from the field would be the first sign that this wasn’t a good night. … Continue Reading

It’s All About the Patriot League for Holy Cross

WASHINGTON – Holy Cross is putting all its hopes on the Patriot League. That might not seem surprising even if you knew nothing about their record, considering Patriot League teams rarely have a non-conference resume with the kind of wins that put them in the discussion for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. But that has taken on new meaning as league play approaches.

In the Crusaders’ 58-57 loss at George Washington, they were more short-handed than they have been at other times this season. R.J. Evans missed his fourth straight game with a sports hernia, and may be out a while longer since he can’t do anything physical, including conditioning. Phil Beans has been out for the same amount of time with a foot injury. Now, Andrew Keister has joined the walking wounded with an Achilles injury that they have to be careful with. … Continue Reading

Holy Cross Isn’t Getting Anything Easy

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – It hasn’t been the smoothest of starts for Holy Cross, where things were expected to be different this season. It’s still early, and there’s no reason to expect a repeat of last season’s 9-22 showing, but the Crusaders’ 0-4 start – the second season in a row where they have lost their first four (they lost their first six last year) – isn’t exactly what was envisioned, either.

For a little over a half, the Crusaders were right with Boston College. Even when BC went up 55-40 and seemed to be in control, Holy Cross scored seven straight to get within striking distance. But the Eagles followed up with a 14-2 run to put the game away. … Continue Reading

Crusaders Ready With Another New Head Coach

WORCESTER, Mass. – It’s not every day that Holy Cross goes through three head coaches in as many years. The school has as much tradition as any Division I school in New England, and coaching stability has been part of that. With it comes some challenges, although from a personnel standpoint the Crusaders have a lot to like.

Milan Brown came to the school this spring after starting his head coaching career at Mount St. Mary’s. He took over for legendary coach Jim Phelan and spent seven seasons there, leading them to two postseason appearances the past three seasons. His style fits the profile of successful Holy Cross teams as a defense-oriented coach, as his teams made their mark at that end of the floor. In contrast, last season’s head coach, Sean Kearney, tried to play much faster on offense than the team has often played, and the team struggled defensively. … Continue Reading

2010 Patriot League Post-Mortem

The Patriot League continued to have a little different look this year, notably in the standings. For a while, it was dominated by Holy Cross and Bucknell, but for the third year in a row a program other than those two won the title. Two years ago, they shockingly finished at the bottom of the league; last year, Holy Cross finished second while Bucknell tied for last; and this season, they switched places as Bucknell finished second and Holy Cross suffered through a disastrous 9-22 season.

Last year, Lehigh showed signs of contending when they made a great non-league run, but they didn’t get it done in league play. This year, the Mountain Hawks were the best team for much of the season, and they carried that into the league tournament with three wins for the title. A big reason for that was, oddly enough, a freshman. C.J. McCollum wasted no time becoming a star, as he won Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year honors, the first player in league history to do so. He was second in the league in scoring overall, but it was in league play where he shined the most as he led in scoring, was sixth in rebounding and field goal percentage, third in three-point percentage and seventh in assists and assist/turnover ratio.

McCollum is symbolic of something else that is different about the league, which is the young talent. Oftentimes, young players in a league like this take a back seat to the veterans, but the Patriot League had a lot of young talent this year. Five of the top ten scorers, four of the top nine rebounders and five of the top seven three-point marksmen were underclassmen. McCollum wasn’t the only freshman on his team to be a key player, as Gabe Knutson was also a starter and key player for the Mountain Hawks. Bucknell placed three players on the All-Rookie team, the first team in league history to do that, and all played significant roles for the Bison this season along with sophomore Bryan Cohen, an All-Rookie selection a year ago. Lafayette got to the final in no small part due to the work of sophomores Jim Mower and Ryan Willen. Holy Cross was at times carried by sophomores R.J. Evans and Devin Brown. Jordan Sugars was the main complement to senior Chris Harris at Navy. Stephen Lumpkins teamed with George Mason transfer Vlad Moldoveanu for a solid 1-2 punch inside for American.

While the league is looking different, the young talent is evidence that there is good basketball ahead for the league in the immediate future. The difference in the standings shows that teams have done their best to rise to the level that Holy Cross and Bucknell were at just a few years ago, and some have succeeded.

Final Standings

League Tournament

The story of the Patriot League Tournament was the dominance of eventual champion Lehigh, as the Mountain Hawks won all three games by at least 15 points. They took care of Army in the quarterfinals by pulling away late, while Lafayette and American won at home and Holy Cross was the lone road team to pull out a win as they knocked off Bucknell 67-64 in Lewisburg. The Mountain Hawks weren’t seriously challenged by American in a 79-57 semifinal win, while Lafayette won a back-and-forth battle with Holy Cross 66-63. That set up a championship game between two arch-rivals.

Lehigh led from start to finish, but was challenged in the second half by Lafayette. The Leopards made several runs at the lead, but could never tie the game. The final ten minutes were dominated by Lehigh senior Zahir Carrington, who took home the tournament MVP honors as he helped the Mountain Hawks pull away for a 74-59 win. Lehigh finished the game on a 12-1 run.

Postseason Awards

Player of the Year: C.J. McCollum, Lehigh

Rookie of the Year: C.J. McCollum, Lehigh

Defensive Player of the Year: Bryan Cohen, Bucknell

Coach of the Year: Fran O’Hanlon, Lafayette

All-Conference Team

Chris Harris, Sr. G, Navy

C.J. McCollum, Fr. G, Lehigh

Jared Mintz, Jr. F, Lafayette

Vlad Moldoveanu, Jr. F, American

Kyle Roemer, Sr. F, Colgate

Season Highlights

• Marquis Hall, who had a fine freshman season of his own three years ago, finished his career most importantly with a Patriot League title, but also with a great accomplishment. The two-time Patriot League Scholar Athlete of the Year graduates as the only player in league history to surpass 1,500 points and 500 assists.
• Army got a lot of buzz in non-league play, as new head coach Zach Spiker was getting results right away. The Black Knights haven’t lacked talent in recent years, so their record before league play wasn’t a big surprise. They rode winning streaks of five and four games to a 10-4 mark.
• Vlad Moldoveanu made an instant impact for American once he was eligible in December after transferring from George Mason. He was third in scoring and rebounding in league games, as he didn’t play in enough games to qualify for the overall lead in any categories.
• Lehigh was eighth in the nation in three-point field goal percentage at just under 40 percent from behind the arc.

What we expected, and it happened: Bucknell was more like the Bucknell of a few years ago. The Bison were hit hard by injuries in 2008-09 and also had a coaching change to adjust to. With a year under Dave Paulson and a good freshman class, the Bison had some growing pains in non-league play but finished second in the league behind Lehigh.

What we expected, and it didn’t happen: Holy Cross was the pick of many as the favorite before the season, but they didn’t come close to that, finishing 9-22 and seventh in the standings, a game out of last place. The Crusaders struggled at the defensive end for much of the season, and it showed in the win-loss column. Sean Kearney lasted just one season as the head coach, replaced by former Mount St. Mary’s head coach Milan Brown.

What we didn’t expect, and it happened: Lafayette was in contention for the top spot and made it to the championship game. The Leopards won eight games a year ago and didn’t look the part of a contender coming in, but they were right in the mix for the top spot and gave Lehigh a good game in the final of the tournament before a late run put the game away.

Team(s) on the rise: Bucknell. The Bison are back and the likely preseason favorite next year after a good showing in league play. Four of their top five were freshmen or sophomores this past season.

Team(s) on the decline: Colgate. A couple of years ago, the Raiders were in the title game. Now Kyle Roemer and Ben Jonson are gone from a team that finished sixth in the league.

2010-11 Patriot League Outlook

With the younger talent in the league, the future is bright. Just about every team projects to be better next season, so the league should improve on its non-league mark in addition to having a hotly contested race for the top starting in January. Six of the ten all-league players return, and all of the All-Rookie selections should contend for spots on that team before long.

Lehigh will have a chance to repeat, but the early favorite has to be Bucknell as the Bison bring back a lot of young talent that will only get better. Lafayette should be in the mix as they also bring back a lot, while American had growing pains with a less experienced roster this year. Holy Cross and Army each have the personnel to potentially make a jump into the top half as well.

If the league has the kind of year it could next year, ultimately it would be safe to say that the rest of the league succeeded in getting better to catch up to Holy Cross and Bucknell. They had little choice but to do so, and having done so the Crusaders and Bison are certainly not dominating the league any longer and not because they have fallen apart.

Seniors Lead Lehigh to Patriot League Title

BETHLEHEM, Penn. – The first thing one may be tempted to do with Lehigh is look at the best player, a freshman.  Without question, C.J. McCollum has already done quite a bit in winning the Patriot League Player of the Year, the first freshman to do so.  But he has some pretty good teammates at the opposite end of their college careers, and that was certainly clear in Lehigh’s 74-59 win over arch-rival Lafayette in the Patriot League championship game.

McCollum was the story early, as he was active and aggressive and set the tone.  Then he went quiet in the middle of the first half and a lot of the second half after a couple of strong early minutes.  In the meantime, the senior trio of Marquis Hall, Zahir Carrington and Dave Buchberger did plenty of work to lift the Mountain Hawks to the win for their second Patriot League title.

“I thought our senior leadership throughout the course of the season was tremendous,” said head coach Brett Reed, who also cited reserve Matt Shamis.  “The four of those individuals spent so much of their own personal energy to make this team what it was: a team that was pulled together, a team that could face adversity, and a team that would not crumble and would not back down.”

Down the stretch, no one wanted it more than tournament MVP Carrington, who posted his second double-double of the tournament with 18 points and 10 rebounds to go with four blocks.  All four blocks came in the second half, along with 12 points and seven rebounds.  It seemed like he made every big play, whether it was to keep Lehigh out in front or for a momentum swing back in their favor.

Carrington, who mentors middle to high school-aged boys in Allentown’s “Boys to Manhood” program, remembered how his first three years went and had an idea how that could change.

“We’ve been eliminated the first three years in this league, and had been a sub-par, mediocre kind of team,” said Carrington.  “The only way to make up for that was to go out like this.”

He gave the Mountain Hawks their biggest lead at the time when a dunk put them up 42-33 early in the second half.  But that was just the beginning.  When the Leopards pulled within two with less than ten minutes to play, he hit a jumper to put the Mountain Hawks back up by four.  It would be the last time the Leopards were within a possession, as Carrington blocked two shots on the next possession and another one a minute later.  During a decisive 8-0 run that put Lehigh up by 12 to put the game out of reach, Carrington had three rebounds, an assist and two dunks.

“Zahir really carried us in the second half, he willed us to victory late down the stretch,” said Hall.

Speaking of Hall, he is closing a college career that has had plenty of accomplishments, but no NCAA Tournament trip until now.  He was the league’s Rookie of the Year three seasons ago, is the first player in Patriot League history with over 1,500 points and 500 assists, and was the Patriot League Scholar Athlete of the Year in 2009.  Given the chance, he would have gladly traded it all in for a chance to play in the NCAA Tournament.  Now he will get to play later in March, and he had no small part in it as he was named to the all-tournament team.

“It’s indescribable, really,” said Hall.  “Just to be out there and share a moment with my teammates, my group of seniors, it was the cap that I thought it would be.”

Playing the second half with a heavily-bandaged left leg, Hall scored just three points but had seven assists and ran the offense like he has for four years.  His numbers don’t convey his value, as he transitioned from a scorer to a floor leader as more scoring talent developed around him.  In the Patriot League Tournament, he had 17 assists against six turnovers, continuing a season-long trend as he is 15^th in the nation in assist/turnover ratio.

There’s one senior starter who doesn’t get much acclaim, and in keeping with the theme, he came up big on Friday.  Dave Buchberger had 13 points, going 3-5 from long range, and handed out three assists.  More importantly, he hit a couple at key junctures of the game, and perhaps none bigger than the one he hit near the halfway point of the second half to put Lehigh up 54-50 after the Leopards had come within one.  That came after he put them up 51-42 a couple of minutes earlier, and later he leaked out for a breakaway dunk during the decisive 8-0 run.

This followed a semifinal outing where he shot 6-8 from the field, including 4-5 from long range, en route to a season-high 16 points to help the Mountain Hawks knock off American.  As that came after a game where he went scoreless, he clearly bounced back well.

McCollum wound up with a game-high 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds, averaging over 20 points per game for the tournament.  A case could be made for him as the tournament MVP.  But make no mistake about it, as often happens Lehigh won the game and the championship led by the seniors.  They came through during the tournament the way coaches and teammates would expect, and the desired result followed from it.

Army Gets Offensive in Win over Navy

WEST POINT, N.Y. – The trademark this season for Army has been its defense. On Saturday, the Cadets put together a good offensive showing and defeated rival Navy 69-50 at Christl Arena.  Navy scored the game’s first basket before Army went on a 15-0 spurt over the next seven minutes and was never threatened.

The key factors:

• As noted the Army offense stepped up. The Cadets shot 51 percent from the field and were led by senior swingman Cleveland Richard with a game-high 15 points. Of greater significance was the contribution of Chris Walker. The 6-9 senior came off the bench to score 14 points (7 of 9 from the floor) and give Army a strong low post presence. “(Navy’s) defense didn’t collapse on me,” Walker said. “I had opportunities and felt good out there.”
• The defense of Army saw the Midshipmen held to a 37 percent shooting performance, including 1 of 19 from beyond the arc. “A lot of teams you can make a pass or two and get a shot,” said Navy guard O. J. Avworo. “With Army you need to be patient and make three or four passes before you get a good shot.”
• The Army defense forced senior guard Chris Harris, Navy’s deadliest scorer, into a four-point afternoon. Harris was 2-17 from the floor and missed all seven attempts from three. “I don’t think they did anything strategically different on Harris,” Navy coach Billy Lange said of Army. “He had four or five looks that just didn’t go down. If he hits them I’m not saying we win but it could have changed the game’s complexion.”
• The victory put Army at 14-12 (4-8 in the Patriot League). Navy is now 13-14 (7-5).  “We don’t have a perfect record but do have a winning record,” Army coach Zach Spiker said. “We hope to be playing our best ball in march.”The schedule leaves Army with two home games to close out the Patriot League campaign. The league postseason tournament follows. In the Patriot , where parity is the key word, it would be wise not to count Army out in the conference tournament. The Cadets, for their part, certainly aren’t.
• The crowd of 5,163 set a Christl Arena record. “Hopefully the time will come when we can get a crowd like this on a Wednesday night,” Spiker said. “You play at a high level, then people will come out.”
• Lange on the Patriot: “I see the results and notice three games we won and could have lost and three we lost but could have won. There is tremendous parity in this league. At times it can be a humbling league. If you lose you can‘t dwell on it. Learn what you did wrong, correct your mistakes and move on to the next opponent.”
• The last game in the home and home of the annual series is designated the ‘Star Game’. This was Army’s first Star Game triumph since 2002.
• Harris had 30 against Army four weeks ago as Navy edged the Cadets in Annapolis.

Notes from the women’s game

• In the opener the Navy women pulled out a 54-48 decision over Army. Navy led 30-18 at the half before the Cadets began to find the range. The game was a one-possession affair in the stretch with Navy never losing its lead. “I think if we got the lead we could have found a way to pull it out,” said Army coach Dave Magarity.
• Junior forward Erin Anthony paced Army with a game-high 22 points. “We didn’t get the perimeter scoring we needed,” Magarity said. “That’s something we struggled with all year.”
• Army is 10-16 (4-8). Navy is now 15-12 (7-5 in the Patriot).
• Junior point guard Angela Myers came up big for Navy. She led the Midshipmen in scoring with 16 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and handed out 4 assists. Meyer also made a succession of big plays at crunch time to allow Navy to protect its lead. “She is an excellent player,” Magarity said of Myers. “She is a veteran and one of the best players in our league.”

Defense Lifts Holy Cross

WORCESTER, Mass. – Holy Cross knows that the way to win is by playing defense.  As such, the Crusaders know that the wins have been hard to come by this season because they have had some struggles at that end of the floor.  But they certainly showed up there on Sunday, as they started the crucial final week of the regular season with a 64-51 win over American.

In the first meeting between the teams, American’s post combination of Vlad Moldoveanu and Stephen Lumpkins combined for 37 points and 23 rebounds in a 71-64 win.  Head coach Sean Kearney challenged his team, especially his big men, for a better effort this time around.  He got it from everyone who got in the game, and the end result followed.

“(Moldoveanu and Lumpkins) had great numbers against us and I challenged our whole team, but I think our big guys really took that as a personal challenge,” Kearney said.

This time around, Holy Cross went with a zone defense that they executed well.  They shut down Moldoveanu, who was 2-9 from the field en route to just seven points and three rebounds, and Lumpkins had 16 and seven.  Lumpkins’ numbers aren’t bad, but compared to the first meeting, it’s a lot better for Holy Cross.

“The number one key defensively was having a great awareness for (Moldoveanu),” said junior forward Andrew Keister, who had 15 points and 18 rebounds to lead Holy Cross.  “Down there, we had the same key, and I think sometimes throughout the year we let (the opponent’s) best player beat us at times.”

Besides the numbers, Moldoveanu didn’t get a lot of touches because the Crusaders shut off passing lanes where he was.  Most of the shots he got weren’t really in the flow of the offense, a sign of how well the Crusaders played at that end of the floor.

With that effort, Holy Cross held an opponent below 40 percent from the field for the eighth time this season.  Six of their eight wins have come in such outings, driving home the reality that defense is the key for this team.  As they don’t force a lot of turnovers, the opponent’s field goal percentage is the bigger statistic.

“We know that the way we win is playing defense,” said junior point guard Andrew Beinert.  “That’s the only way we’re going to come out on top.”

The Crusaders have now begun the final week of regular season play, a stretch with three games in seven days.  They improved to 5-7 in the Patriot League with Sunday’s win.  They can still get to .500 in the league, but that would mean putting together a season-high three-game winning streak that would finish with a win at Lehigh, which looks like the league’s best team.  In light of that, it’s easy to see why they are perhaps cautiously optimistic about going on a run to end the regular season.

“After the Lafayette and Army wins, I thought we were going to go on a run,” said Keister.  “I think we all believed that.  Then we played a tough Bucknell team at Bucknell and had a tough loss at Navy.”

Not helping matters is that the Crusaders may need to make such a run without their best player, R.J. Evans.  The sophomore guard has been sidelined since their loss at Bucknell, when he suffered a hip injury that limited him to 19 minutes at Navy.  Kearney said they were hopeful that he could play on Sunday, but Evans sat out the game in street clothes.  That’s probably why he is uncertain about when he may be able to come back, saying only that Evans is “out indefinitely”.  They are already without Adam May, whose season is over due to a stress fracture in his right foot.

If the Crusaders make a run to reach .500 in the league, they will do so with their defense.  And if they get there, it’s fair to say they can be a dangerous team in the league tournament.

“I think if we’re playing well heading into the tournament, there probably isn’t a team that would be excited about having to play us,” Kearney said.

Lehigh Gets Better Through a Solid January

WORCESTER, Mass. – There’s still more than a month to go in the season, but Lehigh has already matched or eclipsed last season’s output in a couple of areas.  And while they’re at it, the Mountain Hawks are playing at a much higher level than they were at this time last year, suggesting there’s more where that came from.

The Mountain Hawks’ 78-60 win at Holy Cross accomplished several things.  It snapped a 13-game losing streak to the Crusaders at the Hart Center going back to 1998.  It gave them a 5-2 mark in the Patriot League, which matched their league win total of last season.  They also close the month with a 7-2 record, their most successful month since they went 8-1 four years earlier.  Most of all, they close the month on a high note and playing well.

In contrast, last season the Mountain Hawks started fast before fading.  They had the best non-league record in school history, but a 5-9 mark in league play wasn’t what anyone could have expected when league play began.  Head coach Brett Reed felt they peaked in non-league play and basically ran out of gas, and watching this season’s team can see a positive difference.

“I think it’s really important that we’re playing better basketball at this time of the year,” said Reed, now in his third year as head coach.  “This year, we were starting to play better basketball as we headed into January.  Now, hopefully in February that continues and we continue to have some momentum, which is important for our program, and it’s nice to get the balance that we have with senior leadership and the energy of young guys to boost us forward.”

As Reed mentioned, Lehigh has a good balance of personnel leading them to this point.  Marquis Hall has seemingly been there forever, as the four-year starting point guard has been among the league’s best players since he entered the league.  Along with classmates Zahir Carrington and Dave Buchberger, the three senior starters for the Mountain Hawks have played like senior leaders in league play, combining to average over 32 points and 14 rebounds per game after averaging 24.3 points and 12.1 rebounds in non-league play.

“We came here with the intentions of winning a Patriot League championship, and we know every game is important,” said Hall, who has continued to put his name all over the school’s and league’s record books.  “We come out here trying to give our best every night so we can get homecourt.”

Hall ran away with the league’s Rookie of the Year award three seasons ago and has continued his ascent since then.  Recently, he surpassed 1,300 career points and 500 career assists, making him the first player in Patriot League history to do that.  The current league leader in assists this season, he is fourth all-time in the Patriot League in that category, and while topping all-time leader Jave Meade will be almost impossible, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he comes in second.

Helping him in that quest, as well as the larger quest for a league title, are two players at the opposite stage of their careers.  The Mountain Hawks balance out the three senior starters with freshmen C.J. McCollum and Gabe Knutson, and both have wasted little time making an impact.  McCollum looks to be well on his way to doing what Hall did three years ago, while Knutson has been a solid inside player even before he busted out on Sunday with a career-high 31 points on 11-15 shooting from the field.

“They’ve helped a lot,” Hall said of the freshman duo.  “They take pressure off myself and (Zahir), because they can score on any given night.  It adds a whole new dynamic to our team because everybody needs to be accounted for offensively.”

McCollum is third in the league in scoring and has the kind of length and athleticism rarely seen in the Patriot League.  He’s not only scoring, but shooting over 41 percent from long range as well.  Reed saw his potential in recruiting him, but even he has been a little pleasantly surprised at how quickly he has adapted to the college game.  It didn’t take long for Hall to see his potential, either.

“As soon as he came in, he shot it right away offensively,” Hall said of McCollum.  “He gets his shot at will.  He’s long and athletic, and some people underestimate him, but he can get his shot off and it goes in.”

This year’s non-league slate had a marked contrast to last season.  The Mountain Hawks started with two straight losses and had to endure a three-game losing streak later on.  Only one of the losses came at home, a 71-52 setback to America East contender Stony Brook.  By late December, things seemed to be coming together, as a 66-55 win over Marist started a six-game winning streak.  Included were two wins on the road, and they have undoubtedly helped lead to the Mountain Hawks being .500 on the road in the first half of Patriot League play.

Around that time, the players were on campus during the break with a chance to focus on basketball.  Hall added that the team bonded a lot during that time, and once they got a couple of wins things took on a life of their own.  Clearly, this team benefited from having a stretch where they could just focus on basketball.

While a good month is now behind the Mountain Hawks, they are ready to keep this going.  The veterans learned from peaking too early last season, and with the senior starters it shows as they have picked up their play in the last month.  The young players have apparently already caught on and are only getting better.  The momentum Reed spoke of is evident as the Mountain Hawks head into February looking like their best is still yet to come.

Defense Starting to Come Around for Holy Cross

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Holy Cross forged its identity under Ralph Willard at the defensive end.  Thus far under new head coach Sean Kearney, success there has been slow to come, but lately that seems to be changing, and at a good time.

During Willard’s tenure, the Crusaders were consistently one of, if not the, best defensive teams in the Patriot League.  Their numbers on scoring defense ranked high nationally, but that number also reflects the pace of the game as much as a team’s defensive prowess.  Still, the Crusaders have held opponents to some good field goal percentage and turnover numbers, although not always as good as the 39 percent opponents shot against them in 2004-05.  Opponents also turned the ball over more than 17 times per game that season.  Even two seasons ago, when they were 15-14, opponents shot 41 percent from the field against them and turned the ball over nearly 14 times per game, so defense wasn’t why they were barely above .500.

The Crusaders are adjusting to a whole new offensive system, and because it’s faster, chances are the scoring defense numbers won’t match many of those of the Willard era.  And while the adjustment to a new offensive style has slowed the team at times, the bigger issue has been on defense, where the numbers haven’t been good.  Holy Cross entered Saturday’s game against Central Connecticut allowing opponents to shoot 45 percent from the field, forcing just over 11 turnovers per game.

In light of that, it’s no surprise where the focus has been of late for this team.

“Our main focus the last three weeks in practice has been on defense,” said sophomore guard R.J. Evans, who was playing close to his hometown of Salem.  “We’re going to score points.  We have a lot of talent on offense, but we have to lock in on defense and get stops.”

With the defensive struggles, wins have been hard to come by.  But the tide may be turning.  In their prior two games, both tough losses to George Washington and at Stony Brook, the Crusaders held the opposition below 40 percent shooting, which they had done just once all season beforehand.  Saturday, they kept it going in a big way, holding Central Connecticut to 29.3 percent from the field in their 70-53 win.

Kearney noted that the Crusaders largely played zone against Stony Brook before going almost entirely man-to-man against Central Connecticut.  So not only are the percentages a good sign, with Saturday’s a season low, but their adjustment to a different defense is as well.

For Saturday’s game, Kearney went with a smaller lineup since Central Connecticut wasn’t a big team.  He inserted Devin Brown into the lineup and moved Eric Meister to the bench to essentially play with four guards, and admitted the move was more offensive in nature since he felt the Blue Devils would pressure them.  While Brown had a solid all-around offensive game in scoring a game-high 19 points, Kearney also noted that, “as it turns out, I think it helped us on the defensive end, too.”

Brown has been an offensive sparkplug of late, giving them good scoring off the bench and especially with long range shooting.  He was 7-13 from the field on Saturday and 2-6 from long range, scoring well on some drives and getting a conventional three-point play as well.

The Crusaders aren’t likely to go back to this lineup against a bigger North Carolina State team in their final non-league game, but might find it useful later depending on the matchup.  Against another smaller team, this lineup might work, but it’s hardly set in stone just because it worked on Saturday.

Better defense is likely to bring a few more wins since the offense has generally held up well even with the adjustment.  Kearney admits he finds himself wishing they could have a game or two back, but all he can do is keep this team moving forward.

“These guys have worked hard and I think they’ve listened to myself and our staff, and they try to buy in and do what we do,” said the first-year head coach.  “I have no complaints for this group.”

The Crusaders aren’t going to put up the kind of scoring defense numbers they did in the Willard era playing at a faster pace.  But if this team plays the kind of defense they have in the last three games, they can match some of the better defensive numbers those teams put up in terms of opponents field goal percentages.  With that should come more wins, meaning they might put up some of the more important numbers of the Willard era.

Maggie Dixon Classic Notes

NEW YORK – Madison Square Garden has played host to many great events over the years. In the college basketball game it is home to the “final four” of the nation’s oldest post-season tournament, The NIT. Add the Pre-season NIT, Big East Tournament and Coaches vs. Cancer, to name a few and you can see why the Garden is termed the “Mecca” of basketball.

The Maggie Dixon Classic is a relative newcomer to the “world’s most famous arena” and is catching on as a premier event. The first classic was on the campus of West Point. It was held November of 2006, just months after the tragic passing of the former Army women’s coach. And it was a day of sadness and emotion to say the least.

The second one was held at the Garden last season and with another classic that brought in nearly 10,000 on Sunday, it appears to have found a home.

The Dixon Classic featured Army against Rutgers followed by Penn State and UConn. The thoughts of Maggie are still with us but the classic has now evolved into a celebration. The celebration of her life, love and passion of the game and the devotion to the women she coached at West Point.

The scores:
Rutgers 59, Army 38
UConn 77, Penn State 63

In the opener Army fell behind 14-2 early yet battled back. Army simply had a tough time handling Rutgers’ inside-outside combination. Senior center Kia Vaughn scored 12 points while grabbing seven boards, while Epiphanny Prince scored a game-high 25 points. The junior guard shot 3 of 4 beyond the arc.

“Prince was a big difference in the game,” noted Army coach Dave Magarity.

The Cadets trailed 33-21 at the half. They struggled to score in the second half, going the first six and a half minutes without a field goal. Still, they dug in and kept working each possession. Midway through the half they had an opportunity to get the deficit to single digits and missed an easy layup.

“That play was really huge,” Magarity said.

From that point on Rutgers maintained the double-digit lead and was in command. “We didn’t get out to a good start and I was disappointed with out defensive positioning,” Magarity said.

On the other hand, Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer was pleased, not just with the win but the face the Scarlet Knights had only 11 turnovers. “We are trying to do a couple things well and one is cut down on turnovers,” Stringer said.

The Scarlet Knights went into the contest averaging 17 turnovers per game. One reason is the point guard by committee, as Stringer puts it. The lead guard spot has been a problem thus far, as highly-touted freshman Nikki Speed is still adjusting and different combinations have been tried. Brittany Ray ran the point against Army and had a commendable 12-point, 8-rebound, 3-assist outing with no turnovers. “Point guard is such an important position,” Stringer said. “It’s more about a mind set than a skill set.”

Alex McGuire led the Cadets with 16 points. Despite the loss, army earned Rutgers respect for their hustle and resiliency. “Those (Army) girls were strong out there today,” Vaughn said of her opposition on the blocks.

In the second game, UConn received a strong challenge but had too much for Penn State. The Huskies triumphed 77-63 to run their record to 6-0. The teams were even a good part of the first half. In the latter stages UConn achieved some separation and went into the locker room with a 34-21 lead.

The second half saw Penn State continuously hang around. Each time UConn would get the lead to 13 or 15, Penn State responded. “They are aggressive,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said of Penn State. “They can beat you off the dribble and go right by you. They came out and pushed the pace, not a lot of teams are willing to run against us. We are fortunate we got a few late blocks that helped us put the game away.”

Tina Charles was a force Penn State couldn’t answer and dominated inside for UConn with 29 points and 18 rebounds. Each time the Lady Lions made a serious run, Charles or teammate Maya Moore (21 points) responded to stop the bleeding.

Tyra Grant, Penn State’s junior guard, was very effective off the dribble and led her club with 26 points. Penn State also made life tough for the Huskies on the defensive end. UConn came into the contest shooting 60 percent from the field. For the afternoon they shot 26 of 69 for a 38 percent mark.

“There are a lot of good teams out there,” Auriemma said. “Penn State came in 5-4 but they can play and showed it.”

Notes

• Auriemma discussed the shooting that saw UConn make 7 of 30 from three-point range and attempt 44 percent (they normally average 31 percent) of their shots beyond the arc. “As a team I don’t know if we remembered basketball is a game of makes and misses. As a coach it’s a dilemma.” As Auriemma noted, shooters missing have to keep shooting to find their groove. Still, there is a time to look inside.
• Charles, a 6-4 junior center, has motivation for this season. “During out team meeting after losing to Stanford (in the Final Four) last spring coach (Auriemma) said we are set at the guards and wings and not sure about the middle. That motivated me and inspired me to work hard all summer.” Charles entered the game a force in the paint, averaging 16.2 ppg and 7 rebounds per outing.
• CARE foundation, involved in heart disease prevention and awareness, ran an expo at the Garden the day of the classic. Free ECG screening and blood pressure tests were available.

Among those on hand for the Classic were Maggie’s mother Marge, sister Julie and brother Jamie who made the trip in following his Pitt team’s win a day earlier. It was a special moment to see Jamie, in the white Maggie Dixon Classic shirt, help out in a post-game clinic for young players, held right on the Garden floor.
New York Mayor Bloomberg proclaimed it “Maggie Dixon Day”. Halftimes were featured with presentations and video highlights of Maggie Dixon’s career and remarks from featured guests. Following the first game Rutgers and Army players were joined on the floor by UConn and Penn State for a special presentation.
The current senior members of Army and of course head coach Dave Magarity were on that 2006 Army team that captured the Patriot League title and went to the NCAA tournament. They all have great memories and their own recollections of Maggie Dixon.
Players Megan Evans, Courtney Wright and Alex McGuire spoke about the tournament being a testament to her legacy and a celebration of a special person who truly loved life. “The classic is a celebration of her life,” Wright said. “We are taking what we got from her and passing on her legacy.”
Magarity noted the mention of Maggie, “immediately brings a smile. I have nothing but great memories working with Maggie. Our seniors were freshmen during her year here and they and everyone are all better people for having known her. Mention Maggie’s name and you see them smile. Maggie was only in their lives six months and she had that effect she had on them.”
Yes, Maggie Dixon was present six months in their day-to-day lives, but her influence is for a lifetime.

News and Notes Approaching the Weekend

Some quick hitters as we reach the end of the week:

Army may not have the won-lost record to show it, but the Black Knights look like they can be a tough out in an improved Patriot League. The biggest reason is that they have a number of scoring threats to go along with being athletic. After Monday night’s win at Bryant, ten different players have scored in double figures at least once this season, with three players doing it for the first time that night.

The Black Knights are 2-7, and while they clearly have the offensive ability, the players still haven’t fully grasped how to play just yet.

“We’ve got guys that get a little eager at times,” said head coach Jim Crews. “We’re trying to get a good balance; if you’re open after one pass, shoot it, but you can’t do it six straight times. We’re trying to get a better balance of passing the ball around. Sometimes we tell them to pass it around, and they pass it around too much.”

While Brown has reloaded in the backcourt with the emergence of Adrian Williams and Peter Sullivan, it’s the development of junior big man Matt Mullery that has been the biggest key. Mullery at times looked lost on the court early in his career, then emerged as a shot-blocker last season. Now he’s a key player at the offensive end in much the same way Mark MacDonald was last year before injuries curtailed his season.

“We want to get the ball inside to him,” said head coach Jesse Agel after Mullery scored 22 points and grabbed eight rebounds Tuesday night. “I said it after our Northwestern game, if you have a post guy who can cause a double team, you’re in business. After we lost that game to a tremendous Northwestern team, as we’re finding out, he was that guy.”

It’s hard to really know what to make of Boston College’s 7-2 record since the Eagles haven’t exactly played the cream of the crop thus far. They entered the week with an RPI of 59 with a strength of schedule in the three-digit range, and their win over Bryant (No. 270) won’t help that. But they look like a team coming of age slowly but surely. Corey Raji continues to emerge as a consummate garbage man inside, Joe Trapani continues to fill the stat sheet (he had his second double-double of the season on Wednesday with 11 points and 10 rebounds), and some balance is developing as shown by five players scoring in double figures on Wednesday.

The next chance to get a better sense of this team will be a week from Saturday, when they host Providence after being off for final exams.

Iowa bounced back from a tough loss at Boston College last week with two straight wins. The Hawkeyes have just one senior, Cyrus Tate, playing significant minutes, and also look to have several capable of leading the team in scoring on a given night. A number of players on the team can shoot from long range, evidenced by their 42 percent clip from long range. Leading the way there are freshmen Anthony Tucker and Matt Gatens, who shoot just under 50 percent combined from behind the arc.

Eight players average at least 12 minutes per game and no one averages 30, showing how interchangeable the players are. They like the depth and feel like everyone is capable, and it’s a reflection of the coach.

“I don’t know that there’s that much difference between the guys who start the game and the guys who come off the bench,” said head coach Todd Lickliter.

The economy hit a colleague earlier in the week when, as part of a major layoff by Yahoo, Rivals.com recruiting guru Justin Young was let go. He’s one of the best in the business and among the many colleagues I enjoy catching up with while on the road covering recruiting events. I have no doubt that come next spring, I’ll see Justin while on the road as he does great work for someone else.

Army Rides Defense, Small Lineup to Victory

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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