January 30th, 2007: DePaul at St. John's

DePaul has interesting names and short guards, and Tiina Sten and Angel Tate play a complete game between them.


Best game of the season, flatout. Were there flaws? Of course. There always are. But this was the solidest game that St. John's put up all season. (Great way for them to welcome my mom back to Carnesecca.)

Horrible anthem. The woman had clearly watched the Aretha Franklin tribute special and taken away all the wrong lessons from Aretha's life. There were times when the tune wasn't even recognizable. I nearly wept.

Strangely enough, Doug Bruno has aged well. He looks better now than he does in his WBL pictures. I just thought I'd pass that along, since I was reading Mad Seasons on the way to the game. He's quite intense, isn't he? His team was making a lot of really stupid mistakes early in the game- a couple of passes went flying across the court with no rhyme or reason. He got them back under control, or perhaps they got themselves back under control. Part of me also wonders whether he was taking very detailed notes on Candice Dupree whilst advising the Sky, because Caprice Smith has that same silky smooth grace, except on a larger frame. She's got a hook shot that makes my heart leap, and she moves so well. I think Kia forcing her to foul out was what iced the game. The guards for DePaul, especially Mitidiero and… um, whichever Quigley is the short one… were pesky and tenacious. There were a couple of sequences where Mitidiero (who's 5-4) was on Tiina (who's 6-3) and Tiina was doing nothing with that. I swore. DePaul may also have two of the more unfortunate names in the game: China Threatt, which sounds like a foreign-policy platform no matter how you pronounce it, and Holly Medley, which sounds like a Christmas album. I feel bad for them.

What else about the Blue Demons? They press, they hawk, and they show a willingness to climb down one's shorts as needed.

All power to the mighty Kia. The power to surprise, indeed. She's indefatigable (she played 39 minutes), she's determined (she went to the line 11 times, one more than the entire DePaul squad put together), she's flashy (two no-look passes that, alas, didn't result in baskets, along with a twisting reverse "omg she did not just put that up and in" shot), she's steady (8/2 A/TO tonight), and she's canny (on a fast break, she paused long enough in her shot to force Caprice Smith to foul her, which was Smith's fifth foul). I think she's finally back. This time, Robin showed up; Monique had 20 points on slightly better shooting than her usual. We even had a Nightwing and a Batgirl. Angel started the game on fire, with 10 of her points in the first ten minutes, then cooled 'til the end. Meanwhile, Tiina spent the first half in a haze, as if she had suddenly recalled that she is both blonde and European, and therefore ought not to be defending, posting up, rebounding, chasing loose balls, or generally acting like she wants to be on an American court. After halftime, she scored the first five points of the second half and ended in double figures. Either she and Angel switched mojos or someone put a boot up her ass at the half, because she was playing a lot more intensely and seriously after the break. Joy ought to have been in double figures, but she missed four chippies, causing us to swear colorfully and loudly; she did that hustle thing she does, did it a little too well at one point, where she tipped the ball away from both Angel and Tiina. Nikki Jo was the only bench player who did anything tonight, with five points, a rebound, and the usual array of over-aggressive ball-hawking that left her assignment open and got her put on the bench for yet another lecture from Coach. 3 minutes for Patterson, 2 for Curtis, 1 for Mitchell; a whole bunch of billions. I wish Coach could rely on her bench.

If anyone else here has read The Same River Twice, hearken back to the description of Geno's handling of Abrosimova and Taurasi. Walters likens it to the breaking of a maverick colt. Nikki Jo doesn't have nearly the talent of Taurasi, or even Abrosimova, but the same principle is in play. Coach isn't looking for mindless obedience, but y'know, some obedience would be nice. I think Coach is tired of having to yank her over and over, especially with the slim pickings on our bench this year and the high minutes for Monique (who had to go wire to wire tonight) and Kia.

Bonita Spence was in the house… again. The refs didn't know the difference between a block and a charge, but considering the foul differential, I ought to keep my mouth shut. I will, however, mention in passing that the refs persisted in resetting the shot clock after a tie-up, even if possession was retained. I thought that was wrong.

A very satisfying game, in conclusion. It had everything I could ever want in a basketball game: quick defensive plays, gorgeous hook shots (courtesy of Caprice Smith), beautiful screens (Carney, Quigley, and Angel), long threes (Monique), balanced scoring, a positive A/TO for my team (18/8), solid shooting (except from the line), and a win over a conference opponent. Go-go Gadget winning streak!