James Madison Dukes 72, St.Francis College Terriers 53
The Game Notes are really and truly unimpressed with St. Francis in all aspects.
I've seen bad basketball games, and I've seen bad basketball players, and I've seen bad basketball teams, but I swear on my life and honor, the Terriers of St. Francis College manage to combine aspects of all of those into a cacophonous whole. Division I basketball: UR DOIN IT WRONG.
I'm pretty sure I've actually heard this guy do the anthem before, at one of the LIU doubleheaders. It's still "the" bombs, not "those" bombs.
If Dawn Evans is 5'7", I'm a power forward. She's 5'5" at most and slightly built. A nice little guard with nice little moves, but unless she bulks up somewhat in the next couple of years, she'll just be another collegiate scorer who can't take her game to the next level. Of course, it may have been that the Dukes didn't need her to step up, and maybe there's another gear to her game that I haven't gotten the opportunity to see, but she seems to be a volume scorer, not an efficient one. James Madison has a lot of good size, and unlike a lot of the teams I've seen this year, they actually know how to use it; most of their bigs were heavily involved in both offense and defense. They got great play off their bench, especially from Lauren Jimenez and Brittany Crowell. I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out that Jimenez was usually the starter and got benched for this game for some infraction of team rules or something- she's got good size, and I like posts who aren't afraid to get physical. The unfortunate thing that caught my eye about Kisha Stokes was her gods-awful jump shot, but looking at the box score suggests other reasons why she might be in the starting lineup, and given that Evans does average something like 24 ppg, I can see Brooks having the flexibility to put someone in the starting lineup who does the less tangible things. I really liked how JMU's coach used his bench- everyone got into the game, and almost everyone actually got into the game before it was actually garbage time. That might have been what allowed them to rebound as well as they did, too, because they completely owned the boards; forget second chances, they were getting fourth and fifth chances, and if they'd converted a couple of more of those, they would have won by 40.
I don't even know where to begin with St. Francis, I honestly don't. For a school that employs two All-Star posts, they have truly craptastic rebounding and boxing out. You can almost tell looking at Kendra Williams that she understands the moves with her head, but that she's thinking too much. She moves ponderously and telegraphs every move on offense to the point, not to mention that she does't shoot when she has a good opening. I do like her defensive instincts, though. Kara Ayers seems to be a good slashing guard, though she has too much of a tendency to throw up a shot and trust that the referee will actually call the foul- that might be a tenable strategy in men's basketball, but in women's, I'm not so sure. And then there are the shots that neither have a chance of going in nor had any illegal contact- she just got a little wild and a little crazy. Not my type of player, but I really don't want to think about what St. Francis would look like without her. They didn't get much from the rest of their starters, either. Or from much of anybody. There's something I like about Vianca Tejada, but I can't put my finger on it, and it certainly doesn't show up in the boxscore. She just always seemed to be involved in the play. Coach Milano did discover that lightning doesn't strike twice; Shannon Gantt was big against Albany, but she was a hot mess against James Madison- undisciplined and much lacking in clues.
Play of the game: early in the second half, James Madison misses a shot. Sarah Williams neatly tips the rebound to Jalissa Taylor, who puts it in for two. In the official play by play, Williams never touched the ball, but rest assured, she tapped it over like she was born to the touch pass.
Unremarkable referees. Some bad calls, some missed calls, one clock malfunction, but both teams did keep them busy. And if they'd called more than they had, I might actually have left early, and I don't do that. At all.
I do like watching Sue coach, though. (Kym's still on the roster in the program, but I saw neither hide nor hair of her at the actual game, unless she's shrunk about a foot and a half and really butched out.) She does her fair share of the yelling, and she seems to be the good cop to Milano's bad cop, the one who's friendlier with the players, even if she does impart the same lessons. Of course, Sue being Sue meant that while everyone else engaged in the traditional method of clapping to keep rhythm during intros (clap-clap clap, clap-clap clap), her "clap" might be putting her hand out like she was going to either high five someone or start a round of "Miss Mary Mack". Or it might be a foot clap. All of this with a very serious look on her face. Fortunately, unlike the ass-kicking we attended last year, no chairs were harmed in the making of this defeat.
The official attendance was 104. Of that, I think about 70 to 80 were friends and family of Stokes and Jimenez for the Dukes, or JMU fans in general- I was sitting behind someone I can only assume was part of Jimenez's posse, given his encouragement of her. Terrier guard Kristen Miah brought family (her mom had a homemade "Kristen's Mom" jersey with Miah's number on the back). A couple of people were there because they knew someone on the coaching staff. There were a few actual St. Francis fans. And then there was me, just a basketball junkie with a clipboard, delivering acid comments about both teams to anyone who would listen.
How do I know there were people who were just there because they knew someone on the coaching staff? No, I wasn't playing the social butterfly, but for the life of me, I can't think of any other reason Becky Hammon and a couple of friends would show up at St. Francis, can you? Yeah, I wasn't exactly expecting her either, but there I was, watching the warm-ups and despairing at the form of the Terriers' jumpshots, and this blonde with a bottle of water and a hint of brown roots came by, and I whipped my head around so hard I think I still have whiplash. "Wait a minute, that looks like… but what the hell… yeah, I guess it makes sense, but seriously, why would she… no, that's definitely her, I'd recognize those eyebrows anywhere." She was surprisingly undisturbed throughout the game, so either she's done this before or no one knew who the heck she was.
This one I'm not so certain about, but there was someone over on that side of the court who looked a lot like Epiphanny Prince, and RU didn't have a game today, and Stokes for James Madison is a Bergtraum alumna. Definitely makes it possible, but I didn't get a good look and I wasn't about to shove my way through to see.
The fact that I just spent two paragraphs describing stargazing in the crowd might suggest to you that the quality of the game was nothing to write home about.
I don't want to say that space and facilities are limited at St. Francis, but the Dukes spent the first half of halftime stretching out and drinking their water/Gatorade/whatthefrigever in the endcourt, just out of bounds, before wandering off to I know not where for their talk. Honestly, I go to a St. Francis game, and it's like stepping into a time machine, and not in a good way; I half expect that the next time I go, it'll be six-on-six and no one's allowed to cross halfcourt.
Monday, December 29, 2008
December 28th, 2008: James Madison at St. Francis (NY)
Sunday, December 21, 2008
December 21st, 2008: Boston College at St. John's (Chartwells Holiday Classic)
St. John's Red Storm 72, Boston College Eagles 63
Joy McCorvey and Da'Shena Stevens earn their scholarships against Stefanie Murphy and Carolyn Swords, while Monique McLean continues to be awesome.
Big win. Big, big win. We needed this to show that we weren't just spanking mid-majors. We needed to beat one of the few major-conference foes we had on the schedule, and we did so. I mean, I don't know if Boston College is actually any good, or if they're cruising for a fall from grace after Inglese's departure, but it's a win that feels good.
Look, guys. If it's a doubleheader without separate admission, you don't need to have a second anthem. Even if you feel you need to, you can use the same recording you did before. Even if you want to change it up, you can pick someone who actually knows how to sing and doesn't fuck up the words. That guy from the staff might be a nice guy, but that was the worst anthem I've ever heard. And the scary part is that he's done the anthem before, and he was even worse than he was the first time he tortured that song.
Crawley really screwed around with her subs today. A couple of players who got big minutes in the first game got few minutes in the second, a couple of players who didn't play the first game played a lot in the second game. She really seems like she doesn't know what she has on her roster, or she's really wedded to playing matchups, and in the eleventh game of the season, she should be somewhat aware of the players she has. That being said, I can't figure out why she benched Veronica Wilson for the first game. She's got good range and good instincts. We did a great job of keeping a lid on Ayla Brown and, to a lesser extent, Mickel Picco. Keeping Brown off the boards and Picco under 20 made the difference. Even though Swords and Murphy were able to take advantage of their size for stretches, it wasn't enough. Swords really looks like she's regressing- far too passive for a woman her size, far too willing to let smaller posts run all over her. And she shouldn't be even up with a 5'9" guard in the rebounding department in the same number of minutes- not when the number of boards is 4. Murphy played okay- nothing to write home about, except for her outside shooting- nice range for a woman her size. Picco's still damn good, and this game could have been a lot more interesting if BC had found her a couple of more times when she managed to shake her defender and get wide open in the corner. Seriously, she was so open that at one point I found myself shrieking "SHIT!" because I thought we were well and truly screwed.
Monique, you're amazing. Just. Again, she was getting to the line, and not just in garbage time situations, and that really says a lot about her game. She's turning it up right when we're going into the BEast season, and yea, verily, fearsome is the BEast. Joy does exactly what we need her to do- she gets the boards, she plays defense, and she hits the shots we need her to hit. She and Da'Shena did a brilliant job on the much taller and much broader Swords- Joy gives up six inches, Da'Shena five, and college teams don't give weights, so I don't want to think about how much girth Swords could throw at them Joy looked like she was being bent backwards, but she was consistently getting position on Swords. And Da'Shena smashed two awesome blocks, one on Swords, one on Murphy that we're expecting to see on the highlight reel. Day impresses me more and more every time I see her; if she can become a consistent shooter, she'll tear the league apart by the time she's a senior. Sky played a good defensive game- so did Monique. Kelly was feeling her stroke, but she had a dreadful habit of losing Picco on defense, and no one should be out of it enough to commit a five-seconds-one-position violation. I love her work on the press, though. Ditto for Britney. She's starting to remind me a little of Tully Bevilaqua, in terms of playing style- very defensive-minded guard, a real ballhawk, not much of a scorer, but a good distributor. She's growing on me. She's just wearing the wrong number. Coco was hit and miss- sometimes very good and very fiery, sometimes very stupid.
Between the loud screaming guy for St. John's and the BC family we were sitting near (I think they may have been Veronica Wilson's, but don't hold me to it), it could be established that no one was happy with the refs. Surprising, given that Brooks-Clauser and DeMayo both worked this game, but they all got caught up in the stupid little infractions and had a tendency to ignore the big fouls that were going on. Britney got more armbars to… um, a place one would not want them, and Da'Shena keeps getting hit. And I don't like what Crawley's doing with BC- they threw an awful lot of forearms to the throat, though in the case of their posts, that might be a result of height.
The crowds for both games blew, and one of the things I don't like about doubleheaders is that the fans of the two teams in the first game leave after the game, and the fans for the second game don't show up until the second game. For Buffalo and Houston, I felt like I was the only St. John's fan in the building.
All-tournament team: Ephesia Holmes of Buffalo (good choice), Courtney Taylor of Houston (good choice), Mickel Picco of BC (really fucking good choice), Carolyn Swords of BC (um, wtf?), Joy McCorvey of St. John's (good choice, but I'm biased), and Kelly McManmon of St. John's (um, less wtf than Swords, but I wouldn't have picked her). MVP was Monique McLean (really fucking good choice, what with the 49 points, 10 boards, seven assists, and four steals she put up in the two games {on approximately 50% shooting, against only two fouls and three turnovers}). Shiny objects!
December 21st, 2008: Houston at Buffalo (Chartwells Holiday Classic)
Houston Cougars 80, Buffalo Bulls 62
Houston holds a lead this time, and long skinny posts are all the rage.
Okay, we've now established that Houston likes to build big leads and Buffalo isn't all that good. Sorry, Coach Hill-McDonald. You were really nice to the strange Liberty fan, and those bony posts of yours are fun to watch on the boards, but your team's got a long way to go.
Courtney Taylor is something else, I'm starting to think. Around the face a little, she looks like Thompson, and she's got game with some range. A nice array of moves, and killer on the boards, too. I'm still liking Brittney Scott, too. If nothing else, it always amazes me when a sophomore jumps the queue to become a team captain. We got to see a little more of their bench today, as Houston let up on the Bulls. I like Jasmine Johnson a lot. But just in general, they've got a good passing game- I'd say most of their turnovers were on technical violations, not on bad plays. With only the one senior, I think the next couple of years will be good for the Cougars- which is good, women's hoops fans in Houston could use a boost.
Despite allowing 80 points, Buffalo did have some great defensive plays. Brown, Matthys, and Kendricks all had nice blocks, and Hedderson and Kendricks were all over the boards. Holmes dueled well with Houston's Landry- I do love to watch the small guards go at each other. Am I wrong for that? Hitting their free thows might have made a difference, and I'll give Hill-McDonald a lot of credit for adjusting her lineup as quickly as she did- she almost completely shuffled her starting lineup from the St. John's game, taking the players who played well in that game and giving them the start this time 'round.
Play of the game for Houston: Roxana Button's steal and fast-break layup. It was a thing of beauty.
Play of the game for Buffalo: Brittany Hedderson's rebound and save on the baseline.
Extremely inconsistent refereeing. And the crew chief was behind some of the worst calls.
Apparently, I spent more time pondering the folks in the stands than I did the game. Recee was hanging out with one of the Houston families, and the crew for the next game was watching from a corner. I was very tempted to ask them about some of the questionable calls, but I thought that might be either tacky or creepy. Still, there's nothing quite as heart-warming as Denise Brooks-Clauser watching the halftime biddy game and cheering on the little kids, at one point yelling "Shoot it!" to one of them.
It's going to be a long season for the Bulls in the MAC, but I think it'll be a good season for the Cougars in C-USA.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
December 20th, 2008: Houston at Boston College (Chartwells Holiday Classic)
Boston College Eagles 62, Houston Cougars 56
Just when Houston thinks they have it in the bag, enter Mickel Picco, and let the butt-whooping begin.
I'll tell you, I think we were the only St. John's fans not directly related to players who actually stayed for the second game. Not that there weren't fans- Boston College and Houston both traveled pretty well, considering the weather in New England and the distance from Texas. (Kelly's mom cheerfully reported eight inches in Massachusetts and more expected tomorrow. Bless her heart for coming out here as religiously as she does- and the rest of the family, too.)
The Houston folks were really nice to us. My mom's got bigger cojones than I do, and it was driving us absolutely nuts where we thought we'd seen one of their assistants before. I'm now relieved that I didn't completely hallucinate recognizing Amanda Barksdale's name (from "Nice Girls Finish First"). We thank them for their patience with the strange St. John's fans next to them.
Brittney Scott reminded us both a lot of Vickie Johnson, in terms of style, look, and ability to keep her team together. Courtney Taylor brought the offense. And the rebounding. And some very powerful blocks. I rather liked Jasmine Johnson, too. We were sort of rooting for Roxana Button, because we were sitting by her family, and she did have a nice steal to set up a bucket by Johnson. For a freshman, she's not bad. Not bad at all. Landry seemed to be pushing too hard sometimes. They have some really big girls on that team- Ashlee Joseph and Cobilyn Hill both made me go o.O "wow, everything is bigger in Texas!" I like Hill, despite her penchant for fouling- she's got a good head for the game.
Coach Crawley was rocking a very nice suit, which says a lot for a woman as tall as she is. I was disappointed in Carolyn Swords- she played really well against us last year, but she seems to have become a lot more passive, consistently getting beaten to balls that she should have without contest. Murphy wasn't so hot on the offensive end, but late in the game, she did a great job of forcing the Cougars to change their shots. Lauren Whitehurst might actually have been the best defensive post to play for BC today, or at least the most interesting. Ayla Brown, for much of the game, seemed to be the only Eagle who was into the game. Brittanny Johnson looks so disconcertingly like St. John's Coco Hart that there was a point late in the game where I- sleep-deprived and exhausted from four hours of basketball- genuinely wondered what the fuck Coco was doing checking in for Boston College. Jasmine Gill did her damnedest to keep Boston College in the game in the first half, but she just wasn't enough, and they were getting doubled up at halftime, 28-14.
And then the second half started and Mickel Picco took over. I've been to WNBA games, I've been to college games all over the place, I've seen some of the best players in the world. And in all the games I've been to, I've never seen a player completely dominate a stretch of the game and singlehandedly wrench the tide in her team's direction the way that redheaded firecracker did in the first 10:08 of the second half. She had two points at halftime. She finished with 29. Looking back at the play-by-play, 22 of her points were in those ten minutes; her two steals in that time also resulted in three points for the Eagles.
I still think Crawley climbed the ladder too fast. In that first half, she looked completely lost, and there were a couple of situations where no one was sure who was supposed to be coming into the game. Maybe it was just a one time thing, but I'd worry about that, and about Swords's game, if this goes on tomorrow.
Dennis, you disappoint me. Your crew did a crap job today, especially in the first half, which could best be described as slop-and-go. After two great games, this is below your standards.
Play of the game: Mickel Picco from the far corner. Kinda happened a lot.
So I'm really looking forward to the shootout tomorrow between Little Sista and Picco.
December 20th, 2008: Buffalo at St. John's (Chartwells Holiday Classic)
St. John's Red Storm 81, Buffalo Bulls 57
Monique McLean brings enough awesome for everyone as St. John's rolls up their sleeves and shows 'em how it's done.
Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful, except for that bit where we let them back in for a little while. That's how you beat up on a mid-major. Um, sorry about that, Buffalo.
We got to the game late, so we didn't hear the anthem. Or originally find the scoresheets. The staff at St. John's is really epic fail at knowing terminology. We ended up begging a sheet off a very nice guy from the Houston contingent… only to find them on the table after the second game. Good job, guys.
OH HAI DERE ROCKER. What's with the SUNY schools picking up original WNBA coaches? Linda Hill-McDonald, much to my surprise, coaches Buffalo. We were really loving the reserve guard Ephesia Holmes- a small, very stocky guard we dubbed The Little Engine That Did because she was like a miniature freight train. Rachelle Matthys opened the scoring for the Bulls, and that was her last contribution of any use for the game. Bridgette Kendricks was amazing on the boards- she has a wingspan that, much like DeLisha Milton-Jones's, allows her to alter a lot more shots than she has any right to, snare rebounds that she really shouldn't, and get all over the passing lanes. Fortman also brought down a tough board that was worth noting. Semalulu had a big block. Their bench really outplayed their starters today.
Daaaamn, Little Sista, what have you done? This was the kind of game we need to send out to WNBA scouts to get Monique some love. When she's getting to the line in addition to hitting her -teens from the field, she's a beast, and today she went 10-11 from the line. She was all over the place on defense, too, and her rebounding was strong. And also? 4/0 A/TO. Seriously, I could probably end it there, but I won't, because I was feeling the love for Sky, who had a nice, solid game. And for Da'Shena, who got hit again because the universe likes to break our freshman, but who really rocked on the boards. And for Kelly, who had so much confidence in her game inside the arc that it was heartwarming- and who put up a killer block. And for Joy, who goes to the floor for every loose ball and keeps stupid teammates out of trouble. And for Britney, who quietly and efficiently made things happen off the bench (5/0 A/TO, a steal, and a pair of free throws- good midget, you can have a name now). Recee crashed the boards hard in her two minutes, and I like Victoria more and more every time I see her play. Coco, however, needs to get her head out her ass in a hurry, though she did play a part in one of the best plays of the game.
Speaking of, best play of the game: Coco's screen setting up Kelly's jumper.
Recurring theme of the game: Joy on the floor, scrambling for a loose ball.
Denise Brooks couldn't do a thing to save this crew. The pace was awful. Some of the calls in our favor were pretty bad. Some of the non-calls were pretty bad. Da'Shena was as confused as I was on one play that was initially called on Buffalo's Christensen, then reversed and put on the poor freshman.
But yeah. I'm happy. Now, let's see what we can do against Boston College and that firecracker they've got...
Friday, December 19, 2008
December 19th, 2008: Lafayette at Rutgers
Rutgers Scarlet Knights 61, Lafayette Leopards 29
The Game Notes are wroth with the Rutgers athletic department, yet still feel love for the freshmen.
I really want to compliment my team. I really do. And I shouldn't be upset at a 61-29 victory, because it really does say a lot about the team, and a lot of it is good. But at the same time I get the weird and conflicting feelings that we should have won by more because Lafayette couldn't get out of their own way, and that we should have won by less because the bench should have had more time to work out the kinks. I don't know. I'm just confused.
I'm really not thrilled with Rutgers University right now. Ticket hikes are one thing, but I shouldn't have to bootleg a scoresheet at a BEast school. LIU, Columbia, St. Francis- there I can get scoresheets, but not at the premier WCBB school in the New York metro area? Are you kiddin' me? Also, please feel free to get your PA system fixed so that we can actually make out the names of the opposing players. The RAC is a wonderful arena, but it deserves more than cut corners inside.
But I did miss the band. They rock.
So, Lafayette. I don't know if it was the stifling defense- they certainly had trouble getting the ball over to each other- or their own ineptitude (since they graduated their biggest offensive threat from last season), but they were really lost out there on offense. I thought their opening drill for warm-ups, a hand-off drill, was a really good idea, but it didn't seem to do them a lot of good in actual game action. RU must have been marking the hell out of Wright, because she was a big scorer for the Leopards last year, but only got four points, all in the first half. She also set up the unfortunately named Elizabeth Virgin for a first-half bucket. Garner and Spicer had nice steals- I remembered Spicer from my trip to Kirby Gym as a ball-hawk, and there she was. Virgin and Wright also had nice plays on the defensive end. Plus, hey, any time you can see Lauren Jackson play… all right, all right, this Lauren Jackson was a brunette guard from Texas who showed a lot of hustle and not much else, but you take your amusement where you can.
Stat that stands out in the game: RU missed 32 shots, 38 if you count missed free throws. They picked up 23 offensive rebounds. So yeah, pretty impressive percentage there. Nice shooting by Piph, but I can't help but wonder if it was really necessary to not only keep her in the game for 37 total minutes (when no other starter topped 30, and the only one who came close was Kia Vaughn, who had to come back into the game late because Junaid was a wreck), but keep her shooting down to the last minute of a game that had long since become a blowout. At least feed one of the freshmen or something. She was also really aggressive on defense, more than she usually is, and I think she should have been called for a couple of more holds than she was. I did like her plays on the sideline, though I suspect Melissa Downey will disagree with me on that. Vaughn was solid inside, with pleasingly few of the glaring mental errors I've come to expect of her. (She does, however, have to learn to go before she leaves- there's nothing quite as disconcerting as seeing your starting center run pell-mell for the locker room.) Heather Zurich started getting into a groove, then started getting into foul trouble, and that was, as they say, that. She and Ray both took their turns on LaKeisha Wright, and both had success on her. Ray didn't really need to get into the offense. McCurdy, I honestly don’t remember, and that's frightening, given that she's one of my favorite Scarlet Knights. I'm really liking Rushdan's hustle and work on the boards. Like, a lot. Sykes has good instincts, but she needs to learn when not to pull the trigger. C'mon, April. You're a big, badass young woman. Take it inside. You don't need to be popping MCBB threes from the top of the arc. I'm liking Nikki Speed. It was nice to see Lee and Pope, and I liked Lee's screen to set up the two by Rushdan.
Best play of the game: Rushdan's interception at midfield returned for a touchdown steal at halfcourt that resulted in a Prince three.
Most awesome play in the history of ever: the absolutely bone-crushing screen thrown by the girl in the #10 jersey during the halftime ballkid two-on-two game. I swear to God, if I were Kim Barnes Arico, I might have tried to offer her a scholarship right then and there. The Red Storm don't set screens that solid. Hell, some Liberty players don't set screens that solid. We're talking damn near Screen of Death here.
You know how I mentioned that I hadn't seen Bonita Spence in a while, before the game at St. John's on Tuesday? Yeah, guess who showed up again. Does she hibernate until December or something? Because if she does, she's doing it wrong. So wrong. This was great hibernation weather. Some truly horrible calls- travels that were caused by fouls, fouls that were called as travels, some textbook holding not whistled… Bonita, really, I expect better of your crews.
The weather was absolutely disgusting, but a surprising number of people made it out. Probably not that many fewer than would actually consider Rutgers-Lafayette to be a match worth checking out. I do wish the guy in the scarlet sweater who was obnoxiously rooting for the Leopards the whole game and then "Rah rah Rutgers rah!"ing after the game hadn't been able to make it. Does that make me a bad person?
So yeah, we won, and we won big, but really, relying on one player to score the bulk of your points is so mid-major. She's got to learn to trust her young players, and at least in this game, she did give Sykes and Speed chances. Baby steps. Baby steps.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
December 16th, 2008: Howard at St. John's
St. John's Red Storm 66, Howard Bison 36
Zykia Brown is Howard's offense, Sky Lindsay kicks ass, and Victoria Hodges gets on the board.
While this certainly isn't going to prove anything to anyone, this is the kind of game a team needs in order to start revving up for the big games. The starters, for the most part, were sharp, and the reserves got some much-needed time to shake the rust off. But I can't help but wonder when Howard's going to win a game.
Attendance tonight was dreadful, but I expected no less with a bad team in town, few local connections, and the first day of prolonged snow this season. Not that a lot of people show for St. John's games anyway...
Worst.Anthem.Ever. I'm going to pretend that the real anthem singer didn't show up and they had to use one of the team managers because they didn't have anyone else and half the band was missing, because there's no way on God's green earth you can hear that guy and honestly decide that he should be given a microphone.
I have the dim recollection that Howard is a very good academic school. I certainly hope it is; that way the Bison have something to comfort themselves with. Zykia Brown played really well for the Bison, and I'm pretty sure Coach Barnes Arico isn't happy about her scoring 20 on us… but since Howard only put up 36 total, that might be forgiven. There's one thing Howard did much better than we did- they set some very nice screens, especially Amanda Edwards and Tamaya Daniels, to get their shooters open- they can't be faulted if their shooters miss in every way known to man. Okay, so sometimes those screens moved a little, and sometimes there were elbows. Still, at least they were setting them. And I liked that their coaching staff and bench stayed involved to the end of the game. It sets a good example. Nice ball-hawking when the clock ran down, too. That looked like a drill that they run often.
I feel like I've said this a few times this season, but hey, here we go again. This might have been Sky's best game of the season. Her shots were falling, and she looked much more confident on the court. Even the plays that didn't go well for her (one bad pass off a nice rebound comes to mind) were done with the right idea in mind. Da'Shena was fierce, although I'd like to see a few more conversions on those shots in the paint, and especially from the line. (Also, everyone, please stop hitting the freshman, please, I mean it.) It's occurred to us that with her hair in the color and style it is, and the shape of her face, she looks like Recee's Mini-Me. Monique, despite being de-ribboned so that her hair kind of exploded, was neat and efficient, with her shots falling softly and sweetly. Kelly looked awfully tentative on her shot, almost as if she was scared to shoot unless she had the perfect angle, the perfect opportunity, and all the time in the world. She got a little better in the second half. Joy, of course, is the queen of the little things, and took home rebounding honors tonight. The midget impressed off the bench. Some stupid freshman plays, but one sweet little shot and a lot, a lot of hustle on the defensive end. That's one thing I can stand about her- she's a ball-hawk, and she'll make your life hell if you're the opposing ballhandler. I love Sheree's hustle, but she's got to learn some discipline, and I have the sinking feeling that she tries to do too much because she thinks that's the only way she's going to get playing time with Da'Shena's ascension. Coco needs to remove her head from her ass. Too many dumb plays, too many balls through her hands, too many spaceouts. Kristin came in once, spaced out during a rebound, and was yanked for a long time. When she came back in, she ended up getting clocked in the head, and the trainer was still checking her out at final buzzer. She did rather look like she was seeing two of everything. Good vibes and best wishes to you, Kristin. Be safe and healthy.
Favorite play of the game: Kelly and Britney doubling down on the ballhandler- I think that play led to a turnover. Second-favorite play of the game: Joy, sitting on nine points, only needing one more shot to be the fifth Stormie in double figures, instead passes off to Kelly for an easy three; we figured that Joy was being all captainy and trying to bolster Kelly's confidence.
Best image of the game: Joy sprawled out on the baseline after an attempted save.
Most heart-warming play of the game: Victoria Hodges, at the shot clock buzzer, sinking a jumper to notch her first two NCAA points. The bench went wild for her. Congrats, V!
Guess who's back, back again? After an entire half-season of not having seen hide nor hair of Bonita Spence, she was one of the refs for this game. And she brought an evil twin, to boot. All apologies to Norma Jones, but she does look like Spence's evil twin. As to be expected from a Spence crew, there were a lot of travels called, and only a few inexplicable calls. The only moment that comes to mind is the call that Da'Shena didn't get. We could hear her going "What?" from our seats.
Despite the questionable play of our bench, I'd still rather have seen them get more run. That's the only way they're going to get used to the floor and each other, and it's not really necessary to keep pouring it on, considering we had enough offense in the first half to win the game without scoring a point in the second. But it's from Bison to Buffalo on Saturday. Let's see if we can keep building.
Monday, December 15, 2008
December 14th, 2008: Penn State at UConn (Maggie Dixon Classic)
Connecticut Huskies 77, Penn State Lady Lions 63
Penn State is tenacious, but Tina Charles is powerful and Maya Moore is amazing.
Round 2 begin!
The ceremony between games was touching, but I didn't cry this year. I did cry last year, though. Thought it was interesting that Coach Stringer was connecting with one of the folks in the ceremony- but then, she's got an emotional stake in heart health (as does Coach Auriemma, if I recall correctly).
I think Coquese needs another year under her belt and a good crop of freshmen before she can start making some real noise in the Big Numerically Challenged. O'Rourke's got the talent, but I don't know if she's got the sense. I think Coach Washington kept her in too long in the first half- she was starting to turn interesting colors that should not be seen on a human being. She started off hot and kept her teammates involved. Tyra Grant just went off all over the place- midrange, three-point land, drives in the lane- I like her a lot. Mashea Williams also impressed me. She seemed to be good at being at the right place at the right time. I'm going to work under the assumption that Janessa Wolff is normally a starter, because she played a lot of minutes and played decently on the offensive end and very well on the defensive. No one else really stood out- but again, I think Coach Washington needs another year to really put her mark on this team.
JesusfuckingChrist, Tina Charles. We'll get to Maya Moore in a moment, but JesusfuckingChrist, Tina Charles. She looked like a woman among girls in that game. Big, strong, accurate, and dominant in the paint at both ends. Three of her blocks were spectacular enough for me to note down as amazing. As a St. John's fan, I'm not looking forward to seeing her beat our valiant but small and slight frontcourt to hell and back again. Maya Moore- wow. I don't think I've ever seen such a highly touted player be so dominant on the defensive side of the floor. Not that she didn't get involved in the offense, but usually the players that get the kind of worship she has get that attention by being incredible scorers or passers. At halftime, I turned to the UConn fan sitting next to me and said, "She's going to have to share the awesome. I'm running out of room to note down the amazing plays for her." I stopped after the third steal and the second block. And what I really liked was that her defensive plays helped set her team up on offense- a steal led to a bucket by Montgomery, a block led to a layup by Charles. That's the kind of player I'd want on my team the most- exceptionally well-rounded and makes a mark on the game even if she doesn't hit for a high percentage. It also seems to me that she makes Montgomery a better player, though I can't put my finger on why. Montgomery just seems to move better and be more on the ball when Moore's in. Doty was unremarkable, but she's only a freshman, I'll allow her that. ;) (By the way, Penn State? Leaving a bun-wearing Husky #5 open is made of fail. You're just asking for someone to go Maria Conlon on your asses.) Greene didn't play all that much- is her knee still bothering her? Hayes has brass ones, and I guess this proves that no number is sacred at UConn- she seems to be a different kind of player, bigger and more defensive, than her #3-wearing predecessor, since the big plays I have down for her are a block and a fierce rebound, but that still takes a bit of moxie. I really don't like McLaren- points for not being afraid to use her body, the way it seems a lot of posts are in the women's game, but I really don't like her 'tude.
Some inexplicable calls in the game, but fewer than in the previous. Then again, if Denise Brooks and Dee Kantner couldn't call a good game, I don't know who in the women's officiating pool could. And fewer bad calls than the UConn fans thought- seriously, yes, the hack by Greene was obvious, and even if it wasn't, you're up eleven with less than two to play, would you please stop booing the call?
Penn State kept it a lot more interesting than I think a lot of people expected, especially early in the game and for a couple of stretches in the second half. But at least in the second half, I also got the impression that UConn had let up a little bit and Penn State took that opportunity to pounce. These Huskies are good, no doubt about that. And while the triumphant cry of "St. Louis!" a few rows in front of us might be premature, and I have no doubt that they’ll be there, and I wouldn't be surprised if they won the whole enchilada, I don’t think they'll go undefeated. They'll trip up somewhere.
We were sitting right by one of the radio booths. I'm not used to doing the whole "isn't that... *whips head around* holy shit, that IS!" routine in the 200s, but we had the opportunity to do so because Kara Wolters was handling radio duties for UConn. I also spotted a tall blonde in the audience somewhere in the purple seats, but I didn't recognize her. She looked like Schuey, but, um, how to put this politely? She looked like Schuey if Schuey had gotten a nose job.
In conclusion, the event was a success. More, plz.
December 14th, 2008: Rutgers at Army (Maggie Dixon Classic)
Rutgers Scarlet Knights 59, Army Black Knights 38
C. Vivian Stringer is inexplicable, Kia Vaughn is inconsistent, and Alex McGuire is accurate.
I despair of understanding Rutgers, I really do. And I despair of ever understanding Coach Stringer. I'm starting to believe that there's something genuinely wrong with that team- and with a fan base that's part New York attitude and part Philadelphia hellraiser, that's the last place you want to have something wrong with your team.
Nice crowd for the doubleheader, and many props to the folks from Connecticut and Penn State who made it out for the noon tip. I've been to Gampel; I've been to the Bryce Jordan Center. It's a hell of a haul between either of those and New York, so they must have either stayed over or gotten up at the crack of dawn to make it for the first game. Compared to the Rutgers fans, the bulk of whom left after the first game, or stayed to the end of the first half of PSU-UConn, y'all made a much better show.
Beautiful anthem, and having the cadets present the flag was the right touch. I especially liked that the cadets started the flag waving at the song cue.
Army really looked like they were in over their heads. A lot of sloppy passing/passes that were never in a million years going to get over or around the defenders, some very hurried shots. RU did a nice job of containing Megan Evans, who I recall going off like a firecracker against St. John's. But then, St. John's doesn't have anyone quite like Kia Vaughn, which might make a difference when attempting to put the clamps on a six-two fforwrd. McGuire had a nice shooting day, at least in the first half. Erin Anthony really got into the game in the second half, but by that point, most if not all hope was gone. Not a lot of spiffy plays by Army- the only ones I have down were by Courtney Wright, a nice block in the second half, and a steal to set up one of McGuire's threes. And again, I stress that Magarity really needs to calm down. Then again, if he was prescribed Valium, I'm pretty sure Stringer stole it.
Okay, seriously, what the fuck? So much what the fuck. Why did it take so long for Stringer to sub when her starters were obviously fatigued and making stupid mistakes because of it? We were screaming for her to pull Vaughn a good five to eight minutes before she even thought of subbing, and when it was Zurich she pulled, I was extremely o.O. It took her until the end of the first half to pull Vaughn, and not until the second for her to actually put in the player who normally replaces Vaughn in the lineup, Rashidat Junaid. And she always seemed to be blaming the freshmen for something, even if it wasn't the freshmen who were playing badly. Vaughn did seem to have it together early in each half, but she gradually faded in the first half. There was one play where she was walking back on offense. Not running, not jogging. Walking. Dudenotcool. Piph made me happy, though. Brittany Ray's timing tends to be impeccable. McCurdy was one of many Scarlet Knights with a nice block. Freshman sightings- I like April Sykes a lot in game action; she seems to be the most into Stringer's defensive system, and she showed impressive range during shootaround. Pope seems to have the right ideas, just a little too much enthusiasm about trying them out in game action. Speed seemed a little too interested in getting on the board and not enough interested in getting her teammates involved, though I think that may have been a function of the limited playing time.
In the first half, it looked like the refs wanted to help Army keep the game respectable, and the weirdest calls were on Rutgers. In the second half, it looked like the refs wanted Rutgers to blow it open, and the weirdest calls were on Army. (And on Brooklyn Pope- clearly one of the refs likes freshmen as much as Coach Stringer does.)
It's just as well we were playing Army. We wouldn't have won this game if it were against a better opponent. We didn't play the way we're capable of, and I'm pretty sure our coach is insane.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
December 13th, 2008: New Hampshire at Long Island
Long Island University Blackbirds 76, New Hampshire Wildcats 72
Stealth doubleheader is stealthy! The Game Notes of Doom re-enter the strange world of men's basketball and find themselves a robin in the midst of a flock of Blackbirds.
I had no idea when I planned this trip that this was a doubleheader with the LIU men. The more I thought about it, the more it seemed that I could stay for the second game I paid for and still get home in time for dinner. So I shifted seats to my preferred view, bought a thing of nachos and a hot dog, and prepared for another couple of hours of LIU basketball.
Oh! I probably should have mentioned them in the women's notes, given that they were there for both games, but it turns out that LIU does have a dance team, and a pep squad in the stands. The noise was unexpected, and a refreshing change from the depressing deadness that had filled the place for the holiday tournament.
The women wear their colors at home, but the men don't. And apparently the women don't always wear their colors at home either. I'm now officially and completely confused.
So, the New Hampshire men play nothing like the New Hampshire women (who also visited LIU; I swear I thought they'd left the second Turkey Classic game on the ticket by accident when I bought my general admission). Live by the three, die by the three, be resurrected and stalk the earth by the three, geez. I liked their big center, DiLiegro. Nice presence in the middle. Tyrone Conley had a wicked block- I keep thinking I've heard that last name before, and I don't know why. Solid play and nice range from Radar Onguetou. But, um, can I assume that Alvin Abreu was coming off the bench for disciplinary purposes? Because he kicked ass, and he kicked a lot of it in the second half- his shooting was one of the big reasons why New Hampshire made the game so dramatic at the end. Someone really needs to lace their Gatorade with Valium, though. I was betting random spectators the cost of a soda that he'd either have a heart attack or get a technical by the end of the game, given how far out he was wandering onto the court. Amazingly, he avoided both.
Daaaaaaamn, David Hicks. Just. Daaaamn. One-man highlight reel, this guy. Great ups, fancy moves, and one spectacularly flashy steal. Culpo got the start, which I don't think he did when they went to St. John's- he played well early, but was benched until late in the game for Jaytornah Wisseh and inexplicable reasons. Adomaitis was unimpressive, but he did what a center needs to do for a team with a lot of small, quick guards- he made space. I'm sure he did it more than once, but I have noted down an especially nice screen that left Kyle Johnson open for three. Speaking of Mr. Johnson, I'm pretty sure there actually isn't enough that can be said for him. He stepped up his game big time in the second half. Julian Boyd also had some great plays, though his were on the defensive end- he took a couple of key charges and had a blocked shot that kept the game manageable for the Blackbirds. As for the rest of the bench- you recall the "inexplicable reasons" crack about Culpo being benched? Wisseh had a really, really bad game. Flashy but stupid. As one of the folks behind me said, he was putting his head down too much, which meant that he wasn't watching the clock, his teammates, or the defenders around him. One of the worst mistakes a guard can make.
Pretty savvy observation for someone in the stands to make, right? Well. And we're into awkward moment number two. In my defense, I didn't actually plan to sit right in front of most of LIU's women's basketball team. They showed up after I did. Seriously, there are few things more awkward than sitting right next to a team while wearing the gear of the team that just shot 51% on them. Unless it's hearing one of them make devastating and accurate mockery of your complaints to the refs. I tried to keep a low profile, I really did, but it's hard to keep a low profile when you can't shut up, and oh yeah, you're wearing bright red. Did get to wish them good luck this year (and I did mean it; there are far too many Connecticut teams in that conference, and New York needs to take them down a peg, not to mention that I enjoyed watching them play and I'd like to see them do well). And the t-shirt drama will keep me giggling for weeks on end.
Gotta give a shoutout to the young lady in the Liberty shooting shirt, especially since I'm pretty sure that that was Marika Sprow. See, this is why we need the WNBA, so even reserve guards for mid-major schools have a dream to look up to.
I'm still not a fan of men's basketball. It's just kinda there for me. It's faster, higher, bigger, stronger than the women's game, that's true. And the boxscores will tell you that the passing is sharper. But so much of that faster, higher, bigger, stronger seemed like sound and fury, signifying nothing. I'll stick to my game.
December 13th, 2008: St. John's at LIU
St. John's Red Storm 65, Long Island University Blackbirds 46
Kelly McManmon fires away, Monique McLean is clutch, and the Game Notes approve.
I'm pleased. I'm very pleased. And if you follow my game notes regularly, you'll know that I'm not easily pleased with my team. I thought LIU was going to be a tough matchup for them because of Ashley Palmer's versatility, but we matched up well with her. I'll take giving up 14 to Chelsi Johnson if it means only allowing six to Palmer.
The first time there, I sat across from the benches, at about center court, my usual perch. Figured being supportive of the team meant sitting behind the bench on the road. While I liked the peek into game-day strategy and coaching, and the interactions within the team, I think I prefer having a little more ability to see what's going on on the floor.
Dear anthem singer, please note that it's "the" bombs bursting in air, not "those" bombs bursting in air. Once is forgivable. Twice is not.
Joy and Da'Shena did yeoman's work on Ashley Palmer. The freshman had seven double-doubles in nine games going into this matchup, but she was held to six points and seven boards. I'm really starting to think that with LIU, players have a certain number of shots they're going to take, whether they're hot or not, and high scorer (and victory or defeat) is based on who gets the rolls and who doesn't. This time, it was Palmer not getting the shots to fall and Chelsi Johnson who did. She's got a nice touch inside- and she's tough, too. I keep thinking that she's somehow the lovechild of Barbara Farris and Lisa Leslie, because she looks a lot like Farris, but those elbows are a hazard to one's health. She picked up two of her three fouls on the offensive end, and at least one of them was an elbow to Da'Shena's throat. Way with the not cool. Much like in the game against Kentucky, Connie James couldn't get her shots to fall, though she did have one especially nice bucket on a putback, and a nifty pass to Johnson. Li'Esha Garcia played a lot more than she did the last time I saw this team- I suppose it was because Jade Brown really couldn't get it together. Both of them start, but Marika Sprow played more minutes off the bench than either of them. It was Sprow who hit the three that Sky was trying to answer at the end of the first half. Pretty sure hers was near the end of the shot clock for LIU, too. Justine Stevenson again had foul trouble, though she didn't get screwed quite as badly as she did against Kentucky. Got my first look at their Euro, Tessy Hetting. She seemed a bit tentative. Overall, I just got the sense that they were in over their heads a little- they didn't really play badly, they knew what they were doing, they just couldn't keep up the pace. I also suspect that not being able to get much out of Palmer threw the gameplan somewhat off kilter.
Odd note about LIU- they were wearing their colors at home. It took me a few minutes to figure out what was so odd about shootaround until I realized that the Red Storm were not, in fact, red. Either their home whites have gone missing or the women take the Blackbird thing more literally than the men. (Which just comes out sounding wrong, but there's no real way around it.)
I've always said that Kelly makes her best plays on the sideline and baseline, and she definitely showed that today on both ends of the floor. And, oh yes, let's not forget the 5-7 three-point shooting. Once again, a couple of those shots were from beyond the men's arc. I really like how she's developing this season. She looks like she's putting a lot of effort into improving her all-around game. Monique also played well, if a bit sloppily. But her timing was impeccable. Whenever it looked like LIU was ready to go on a big run and make us sweat like they made Kentucky sweat, she'd hit a shot and we'd get back on kilter. Some good defensive plays, too, but we'll get to that. Solid game for Sky- not a great shooting percentage, but a positive A/TO and no egregious mistakes (though I personally felt that she was calling her own number a little too often early in the game; she settled down in the second half; is it coincidence that her mom showed up at halftime?). It helped that she got to switch back to the two more often than I've seen in the past, with the unworthy midget picking up a big chunk of time at the point. Da'Shena played well- dear universe, why do you keep trying to break the freshman? Poor kid just takes a licking and keeps on ticking. I'll give Joy a pass, because Palmer was her assignment, and bottling her up is more important than offense. Coco played well in spurts off the bench- there was one point where she really wasn't playing well at all and then she suddenly started pounding the boards like there was no tomorrow. The midget played an awful lot- was not impressed with her, though she was part of the second nicest play of the game for the Red Storm. A few minutes out of Recee, a few minutes out of Sheree, and at long last I got to see Victoria play in a game that actually counts in the standings! She even notched a steal (along with a couple of stupid fouls, but hey, gotta shake the rust off somehow).
Second-favorite play of the game- Monique with the steal, ball goes out to Britney, Britney finds Joy for the deuce. Favorite play of the game- Monique and Joy double-down on a Blackbird and Sky comes up with the loose ball. Sucks for Sky that she wasn't credited with it in the official score, though. But she did a lot of stuff she wasn't credited for- she had a defensive play in the first half that I thought was a block, that steal, and then the three at the end of the half that was a hair too late. I think she'll really be a lot more comfortable once she's allowed to go back to the two guard next year.
What should have been the best play of the game for either team: the touch pass from (I think) Johnson to Sprow for the lay-up that spun out. I was rooting for that to go in and that's not even my team.
Referees were occasionally inexplicable but otherwise unremarkable. They eventually learned from their mistakes, but they never did get the hang of counting.
Awkwaaaaaaaard moment the first: having several Lindsays clustered around me while I'm desperately trying to remember the first half so I can give them details of what Sky did while they weren't there. (By the way, Lindsay family, I think I owe y'all an apology. I was under the impression that the crazy screaming guy in the Yankee cap was related to you guys, but since he stayed for the men's game, I'm not so sure. If he's not, I humbly apologize for lumping him in with y'all, because y'all don't deserve that. If he is… um, have you considered introducing him to Kia's Aunt Olivia? I think they'd get along like a house on fire.)
I like the way this team's shaping up, I really do. We stayed within ten of Baylor, we played well against Vermont and Long Island- two solid mid-majors- I think we're really getting it together.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
December 6th, 2008: Marshall at Seton Hall
Seton Hall Pirates 73, Marshall Thundering Herd 52
Marshall is outclassed, Seton Hall forces trips to the line, and Patti Fernandes rocks the Game Notes' world.
That was very much a classic example of what should happen, all other things being equal, when a C-USA team visits a BEast team. Maybe the mid-major makes it interesting for a while, then the major conference team turns up the jets and blows the doors off the mid-major, beating them with depth and/or better players.
I'll be honest here. Marshall's not a very good team. I think they're in over their heads in C-USA. There are flashes of moments from some players, but there are a lot of fundamental flaws on that team- the discipline is questionable, most of the shooting forms are abominable, the passing isn't all that great. Maybe that can be excused by a good team having a bad day. There's just something that doesn't sit right with me about them. I do like the Brit they have, Chantelle Handy. If she can get her shots to go down and learn to be a little more aggressive on the boards, she'll have a better shot at making a name for herself. Alyssa Hammond has similar potential and similar problems (though she really doesn't have a national team to shoot for the way Handy does). And other than the tactless tackle at the end of the game, I liked Rashedah Henriques- she seemed to have her head in the game in a way that most of her teammates didn't. Casey Baker had a nice pass to Hammond and a nifty steal in the first half. Tynikki Crook fouled out really quickly, which is probably why we saw so much of Hammond. Barnette shot a lot and lost her temper near the end of the game. Whoever arranged for 5'0" Tania Walters and 6'7" Kamille Lisonbee to take their practice shots next to each other has a strange sense of humor. I found it amusing that the team got more pumped from the Seton Hall band than Seton Hall did. Amping the crowd up: ur doin it wrong.
Nicole Emery, good Lord. She threw down three blocks and almost had a fourth, some of them quite authoritative, one that ended with her recovering the ball and taking it coast to coast for the layup. Suh-weet. And the rest of her offensive game wasn't bad either. Noteisha Womack had her double-double, but scout's honor, three of those twelve rebounds were off her own misses on one possession. She looks like a baller, and I know she is a baller, but this wasn't the best game I've seen from her. I was, however, extremely impressed with the freshman Kandice Green. Off the bench, she really gave the Hall a spark. Yeah, she made a couple of freshman mistakes, but freshmen do that kind of thing, and I think she has the potential to be their next star player once Womack graduates. What I liked about both Emery and Green today was that they got to the line. Especially when going into BEast play, they're going to need those calls and those free throws to have a fighting chance against the rest of the middle of the pack. Kashmere Joseph appears to have improved from the last time I saw her, but that's not saying very much. She's lost the chip on her shoulder, but she also looks like she put on weight. Unfortunately, they really don't have much size behind her, because Whitney Wood looks like a project at best. Shantel Brown still runs that offense quietly and somewhat efficiently, though Baker made her life hell. Jadis Rhodin, whose perimeter shooting has always given me nightmares, put the dagger in, and Green's first make was off a dandy pass from her. Great hands by Womack and Brown on the defensive end, too.
We originally thought the crew chief was DeMayo, which only would have been funny because that would have been the third game I saw him at this season, and I'd start to wonder. I did recognize one of the linesmen from the Stony Brook game, Patti Fernandes, which was a good thing- the Stony Brook game was exceptionally well called. This one wasn't quite as well-officiated- a few blatant infractions and fouls went uncalled, and they seemed to bring the hammer down on Marshall once the Herd got into the penalty, but again, they caught a lot of the stuff that doesn't usually get caught, and the communication was excellent. They weren't afraid to confer with each other to make sure the call was right. Perhaps Fernandes will get her own crew in the near future?
I can see why Seton Hall plays well at home. The way things are set up, at least for the first half, the opposition is driving into the teeth of a ruckus from the cheerleaders, the mascot, the Seton Hall bench, and- when allowed- the band. It's a tight, close, space. Of course, this doesn't really explain why Marshall ended the first half with a lead, or why they so completely imploded in the second. But I can imagine what Walsh Gym must be like when it's full- wow. Not quite a cauldron of noise, if only because it's too small to be a proper cauldron, but that place must rock when it's full. And they've been redoing it a bit, as much as they can, given that it's an ancient facility nestled in a new building. There's much shiny to be had. If you're in the area, I'd really recommend checking out a game sometime- I'd recommend either Colorado on December 9th, Notre Dame on January 3rd, or Marquette on January 10th- all of those promise to be very interesting matchups.
Yes, I’m still a St. John's fan. That doesn't mean I can't shill for other teams. I'm a fan of the game first.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
December 3rd, 2008: Monmouth at St. John's
St. John's Red Storm 52, Monmouth Hawks 48
Somehow, St. John's pulls another one out. Somehow.
I'm serious. We have to be the worst undefeated team in the country. Either it's an unbelievably good year for the NEC or it's an unbelievably bad year for the power conferences, because there's no way in God's creation that Monmouth should have a lead with less than two minutes remaining. This team showed almost no chemistry and no inclination that there was actually anything being planned, whereas Monmouth built their strategy on teamwork.
And we're back to the band's rendition of the anthem. While the xylophone is nice, I could really do without the persistent percussion, and I think the horns need tuning.
What a bunch of clutch shooters the Hawks have. I'm serious. They hit three or four shots as the shot clock was expiring, and I think that really threw us off our stride. LaKia Barber has nice range for her build. Alexis Canady, pound for pound, might be one of the best rebounders out there- little bitty guard had six boards, one of them a very critical offensive rebound late in the game. I think Montas had Monique on her- the six turnovers by Montas would match Monique's five steals nicely. Bender came up really big for them, more than validating Gaitley's decision to put her back in with four fouls- see, Da'Shena, this is how you play with four fouls. Off their bench, I liked Laura Forbes, who had a good touch around the basket and made a wicked defensive play. What it was, I can't remember, only that there was one. Marisa Jimenez had a really nice steal. Oh- Canady also had a block. Yes, 5'5" Canady had a block.
Stop breaking the freshman, damnit! Da'Shena went down in the last game with a mild sprain- this game she went down twice after getting hit in the head. She played well, though she made some stupid freshman mistakes- hit a layup on a brilliant pass from Sky. Sky had a decent if not great game, although one where she didn't shoot all that well. She needs to do something about that hitch in her shot, or else she'll never be a consistent shooter. Monique disappeared on the offensive end, but no turnovers on the night is an impressive stat. Kelly rebounded well- it was nice to see her going to the boards, and she forced a couple of travels with very adroit defensive plays. Sheree played a lot as Coach went to a backcourt trap late in the first half- and it was a thing of beauty; they managed to keep Monmouth in the backcourt for twenty seconds near the end of the first half (remember, no ten-second rule in women's college ball) and force the steal. Sheree and Kelly especially worked well together on the trap. Best offensive plays of the night: Coco misses a free throw, Monique crashes the offensive boards, sets up Joy for the layup through Kelly. (Monique would later snare another errant free throw, but with less of an awesome result.) Second place goes to Kristin's wicked crossover that gave her a wide open lane to the basket and allowed her to hit her shot. But we just fell apart in the second half, and it took big plays in the last minute to keep it together, and that's where I have to give Monique credit. She stepped up right when we needed her.
I've never seen so many ticky-tack travels called in a game. Or ticky-tack fouls, for that matter. It was herky-jerky, stop and go like rush hour traffic. No one really got into a flow at all, and I think that hurt us more than it did Monmouth.
They did a student promotion. The students showed up... to claim their free tchochke, ogle the cheer team, and not know the rules, and 90% of them left at halftime. I should stop complaining about the lack of student involvement at St. John's. I think I like it better when they're not there.
One of our cheerleaders looks disturbingly like Brooke Wyckoff. Given the high school AU that Rebkell's came up with, I'm weirded out by this.
Gotta give a shoutout to the kids from St. Catherine of Siena. They and their families annoyed the daylights out of me while in the stands, but I've never seen a kids' team that was so focused on following shots and putting them back. Good hustle, ladies. Good hustle.
We are so gonna get brutalized on Saturday.