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How much do I love my team? How much? Entirely too much more than is healthy. Are all college teams so adorable that you want to pinch their cheeks and give them all brownies? Or is this just a symptom of advancing age?
Some fairly impressive hairdos today, both for good and for ill. Sky had an enormous bun that made me think of Erika Arririan from Texas (no fauxhawk attached, though; trying to imagine Sky doing that to her hair might make my head explode). Jennifer's 'do really took the cake, though- heavily frosted gold on top, regular below. It was interesting, to say the least.
We sat over by the band today in order to help with the noisemaking, and my ear's still a little numb, though that might also have something to do with the extreme cold that's fallen over New York. My throat hurts a little, but I think I'm developing calluses for yelling.
There was a youth clinic before the game, sponsored by the Liberty; Lisa White and Catherine Proto represented for the pros, though they disappeared sometime in the second half (presumably with the signed Leilani Mitchell ball, since it didn't look like anyone came to claim it). I didn't get to show off my Liberty dog tag to them. There were a few people in Liberty t-shirts from various years, though they were all Fan Appreciation Day giveaways from the last three seasons. Yes, I know entirely too much about Liberty gear.
I wasn't impressed with the anthem. It wasn't awful, but the harmonies could have used a little more rehearsal. The chorus got stronger as the song went on, so I have to give them credit for that.
I was surprised that Lola Wells came off the bench; I remembered hearing her name before. I like her hustle. She went hard after loose balls and forced one especially tough tie-up through excellent positioning and sheer tenacity. Jessica Clark scares me a little. She's got crazy eyes. The first time she was in the game on offense, she was very insistent about getting the ball, and I was afraid of what might happen if she got it. Her intensity discomfited me. I'm not sure if she was posturing because she was in front of friends and family in her hometown, though. Chandler McCabe has got to learn to play her position. It might amuse her to think that she has an outside jump shot, but if she does, she didn't bring it with her from Providence. Brittany Dorsey had one fierce rebound in a sea of white jerseys that I recall. Hurd mostly got garbage minutes.
I've actually heard of Chelsea Marandola, so I was keeping an eye on her. She got to the line pretty well, but otherwise she didn't do much. I think we were marking her and trying to keep her from getting the ball; I know there were a couple of possessions where Joy, who's one of our best defensive players, was on her. The player who really impressed me for the Friars was Mi-Khida Hankins, who showed a lot of grit and ability to get inside. Symone Roberts shows promise, but she's only a freshman; I don't think she's as good yet as she thinks she is, if that makes any sense. Trinity Hull's jump shot is pretty funky-looking. I'm really not sure who was running Providence's offense, though given that they shot 26% from the field and only scored 46 points, the argument could be made that no one was running their offense. Emily Cournoyer played sort of decent post defense- at least she was in the post, unlike some of her teammates- but was under the impression that she was supposed to be on the perimeter on offense.
Jennifer Blanding sighting! She's definitely a little rusty. Maybe more than a little. I wish she'd stop being so tentative. Buzz has more nerve than she does, which is perhaps not as useful in a wiry guard like Buzz. It was really nice to see Buzz get extended time, if only because she turns the most interesting colors (not quite the range of Cathrine Kraayeveld or Richie Adubato, but interesting shades) when she's been out too long. She hit the first shot she took and got a couple of rebounds- she's a pretty good rebounder for a guard. Eugeneia started out hot, but her free throw shooting degenerated as the game went on, and she seemed to lose a little steam. Kelly, while she made a couple of dumb plays, especially on defense, was at least less chary about shooting than she has been. Put 'em up, Kelly! Go for 200! It's within your reach! Coco was unmemorable, other than the immortal instruction, "COCO, TURN AROUND!" The stuff she gets done, she gets done quietly.
Nadirah was off her game on offense- she wasn't seeing the open woman as often as she usually does and she was making some questionable decisions with the ball. But when you can say your PG is having a so-so game and she still puts up six assists, you might have a good one. Sky had a pretty solid game, though I swear one of these days one of her dance routines is going to kill me. I'll spit-take and choke on a soda, or a piece of granola bar will stick in my throat, or I'll fall off the bleachers laughing and crack my head open, and then who'll write Game Notes of Doom? Shenneika is back in the starting lineup, and I breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't pour it on like she did at Syracuse, but she didn't really need to. Her defense still needs a little work, since she sometimes doesn't seem sure of where she's supposed to be in anything other than a straight man-to-man, but she's only a freshman, and defense always comes more slowly than offense. Poor Da'Shena's sick again- she seems to have spent a large chunk of this season under the weather- and despite hacking up phlegm at one point (at least I hope that was phlegm that was going into that garbage can...) she still managed nine points and eight boards. Take care of yourself, Da'Shena. Lots of rest and lots of fluids. We need you for the Georgetown game. Fortunately, Joy seems to have escaped captivity from the Pod People and is back to herself. She's fighting for rebounds again, and those soft shots in the lane are falling once more.
Dennis DeMayo, I'm disappointed. You're usually a much better referee than this. You're usually more familiar with the rules of the women's game and you don't mix them up with the fine nuances of the rules of the men's game. But the way block/charge was called in this game was very reminiscent of a crew that thought there was a charge circle in the women's game. None of them seemed able to count, either, as a couple of very blatant travels went unremarked. But credit where credit is due: there was a very difficult to see over-and-back call, and one of the referees (Brunette, I think) was right on top of it. I just wish they'd been on some of the very obvious holding.
Today was the long-awaited autograph session day. I like sessions like this because you get to see a little more of who these young women are in your team's uniform. Okay, I also like them because it helps us in our quest to decorate EVERYTHING we own in women's basketball posters. Because my uncle neglected to check the schedule before buying Broadway tickets for my mother, I had a shirt to get signed for her as well. The freshmen came out first, though I don't know if that's from inexperience or hazing ("here, you get first crack at facing screaming small children!"). Shenneika had a lot of pent-up energy, and spent some of her time roaming up and down the line to sign for people. I guess she wanted to keep things moving quickly, because half the team was standing because either they didn't have room for more chairs or they didn't think they needed more chairs, or maybe that's a class thing too. I don't know. I also don't know if it was too weird that I mentioned to Elón that I actually got see her play this season (she's had a grand total of three mintues due to injury). Jennifer's the most extroverted of the young'uns, or at least the loudest, but we already knew she was the loudest. Kelly remembered me from the Stony Brook game, and I finally got a chance to dare her to go for 200 career threes. Da'Shena was bundled up in a jacket and scarf, and sounded half-dead when she did manage to get out a few words. Tamiflu, orange juice, chicken soup, and lots of bed rest, seriously. No breaking the sophomore. And I got to babble at Joy a little, which was all right. I'm going to miss her SO MUCH.
Play of the game for the Red Storm: Eugeneia missed a contested lay-up. Nadirah came flying in and up for the putback. Given that Nadirah lists at 5-7, that's pretty impressive.
What I liked about this game was that we kept the pressure on. We led by 12 at the half; we won by 24. We didn't really slack off until the last couple of minutes, when Jennifer came into the game. What I'm hoping that the last few minutes of the game proved was that Buzz is worth working into the rotation as more than the next-to-last player off the bench, as someone who only sees garbage time. So far, she's shown me that she can contribute in a real way in the Big East.
If anyone happens to be going down to Washington DC on Tuesday, would you mind making room for a passenger? I'd be willing to pay at least part of the gas cost. This game against Georgetown is going to be so important- it might be for the last double-bye in the Big East tournament, or for a berth in the NCAA tournament. Come on, Johnnies! The easy part's almost over. Georgetown, Louisville, UConn, Notre Dame, Rutgers- they all lie ahead, and it's time to prove that our time is indeed now.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
January 30th, 2010: Providence at St. John's
Sunday, January 24, 2010
January 23rd, 2010: Delaware at Hofstra
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Delaware, and Delle Donne, were definitely worth the price of admission. But more importantly, so was Hofstra. They've got some promising youngsters.
Getting lost on the Hofstra campus is not recommended. It stretches across both sides of Hempstead Turnpike, which is a difficult road to cross, to put it mildly. Nothing says adrenaline rush like some guy turning across two lanes and honking at you as you run across the street while you have the light. That wasn't even the worst traffic disaster at that corner, but we'll get to that in its proper place.
Hofstra has the only mid-major arena I've ever seen with luxury boxes. They haven't used them in either of the games I've been at, but that doesn't mean that at some point they won't come into use. I also like how Hofstra uses the complementary colors for their banners- they're not separated by gender, but by NCAA tournament versus conference tournament. But then, the Pride are very big on, well, pride, across both men's and women's sports. The structure of the arena is a bit confusing, though; it's not easy to get to a seat on the far side of the arena, the souvenir stands are on one level while the concession stands are on another, and all gods help you if you want to buy a program.
I assume that Lauren Curra normally starts, because she was subbed into the game fairly quickly- within the first minute or two, I'd say- of both halves. She's got a bit of an attitude that I'm not terribly impressed with. Good knack of getting to the line, though, which is something I have to reluctantly admire. Jasmine Gibson is a big woman. No, really big. She's a tank. Jaquetta May got the balance of the reserve guard minutes for the Fightin' Blue Hens.
I admit to a fondness for Kayla Miller, but that's mostly because of her screaming out the title line of Bon Jovi's "Have a Nice Day" while practicing her threes. I know she and Delle Donne were teammates in high school, so it makes sense that they know each other better than they know their teammates, and that they communicate really well, but I still think it's good that they DO, if that makes any sense. She got to the line a lot, which makes sense, since there were some intentional fouls near the end of the game and her season percentage was pretty bad. Jocelyn Bailey was the player who Curra replaced in the lineup, and I recall her getting into a couple of tangles with Hofstra players. Danielle Parker had a pretty quiet game. So did Eva Riddick. Delaware's starters have pretty good hands- they tip a lot of balls to each other, especially when they have a nice big target to find.
Oh, yeah, her. That tall girl with the really obvious brown roots. I guess she's all right. Okay, I'm going to be serious now. Delle Donne obviously has long range, looking comfortable beyond even the men's three-point line. She's got some beautiful moves, including a stepthrough that made my heart skip a beat from its grace. What's less obvious from the stats is that she's in the middle of a lot of defensive plays, and always has her hands up to make a play or receive a tipped ball on a steal. (She's credited with five in the boxscore, but I think she forced two or three herself and was just the recipient of a couple of tips on the others.) What I really like about her is that, for a freshman (even one with a year of volleyball under her belt), is that she's very communicative and very involved in huddles. She'll be the one to call the team over during a prolonged stoppage of play. Very few underclassmen do that, and I wasn't expecting it from her. She's a great player, but I'd love to see her work more on her post moves to become a more complete player- sort of a Lauren Jackson type. She needs a little meat on her legs if she's going to stand up to the kind of minutes she has to play. And she looks so very lost in a zone defense. With a little development, I think she'll be awesome; right now, she's great but flawed.
First off the bench for the Pride was Marie Malone, a lithe post who transferred from West Virginia. I like her- she's very smooth. I'd like to see her work the boards more; I suspect that's why she's a lioness and not a Mountaineer, because if you're not interested in hitting someone, Mike Carey has no use for you. Nicole Capurso found her offense in the second half and seemed to be single-handedly trying to keep Hofstra in the game, because the shots she hit were all big ones that could have turned the momentum in Hofstra's favor. (Of course, then there were the shots she missed...) Seemed like Candace Bond and Asia Jenkins were mostly in to chew up minutes and pick up fouls, especially late in the game. Bond was also an offense/defense sub with Candice Bellocchio. (As an aside, what is it with a) people in Piscataway naming their daughters some variant of Asia, and b) said daughters choosing to go to Big East schools other than Rutgers? Jenkins transferred from Cincinnati.) Isoken Uzamere came in as the fourth post because of foul trouble, but I wasn't impressed.
I still love Jess Fuller. I'm inordinately fond of posts who get inside and block shots, and she did that to perfection. I especially liked the block that she tipped up and caught to get the change of possession. She really got her offense going in the second half. Shante Evans reminds me of what Le'Coe Willingham was with the Sun, or DeTrina White with the Liberty, or maybe a not criminally inclined Latasha Byears: she's broad, but short, but gets things done on the inside with ups, smarts, and toughness. Candice Bellocchio has a lot of guts. If she's 5'6", then I'm jumping center for the Liberty next summer. That didn't keep her from being everywhere at once, up to and including in Delle Donne's face. Her tendency to attempt passes over the top against taller defenders was a bit mind-boggling, but it's hard to argue with ten assists. Sam Brigham had a couple of great moments, but they were usually followed up by moments of head-scratching stupidity. The most notable pair of these came at the end of the first half. She hit a three to bring Hofstra within seven... then fouled Bailey on a lay-up to allow a three-point play and complete giving back the points she had just scored. I'm also not enthusiastic about a player who's smart enough to track the progress of a shot, see that it's going to go off the rim, and not crash the boards. Aamira Terry seems to have lost some of the role I remember having last season- I dimly recall her having a lot of play-calling duties, and in this game she wasn't much of a factor.
Hofstra looked very lost whenever they faced a zone. Since they play it themselves, that surprised me.
The refereeing was quite inconsistent, but I'd like to call out Mark Behrens in particular for two egregiously messed up plays. In the first, Elena Delle Donne was shooting the second of two free throws. Before she released the second, Jocelyn Bailey committed a fairly blatant lane violation, while a Hofstra player committed a somewhat less obvious one. The whistle was duly blown, and the referees had a long talk. They granted Delle Donne a free throw that she never shot and gave Hofstra the ball as if she had hit it. Then there was a play later in the game where Delaware hit a shot and the ball somehow ended up on the floor. The referee started counting the five seconds to inbound before a Hofstra player ever touched the ball. Here I may be wrong, and I'll cop to it if I am, but I was under the impression that the five seconds only started when a player touched the ball to start the inbounding process. In any case, I wasn't thrilled with his professionalism during the game.
Lots of Girl Scouts at Mack. A special shoutout must go to the troop whose leader had the girls learning how to keep score, to the young ladies in the front row of our section who brought the "GO HOFSTRA" letter signs, and the young lady with the Jets-themed eyeblack in the next section over. Eyeblack is fierce.
As luck would have it, this was an autograph session game for the Pride, so we attached ourselves to the tail of the line and got our poster signed by most of the team. (Two players, Lindsay Watson and Joelle Connolly, weren't with the team.) I'm hoping to run into Nicole Capurso at a Liberty game this summer, since she mentioned being a fan of Janel's. I love those sorts of connections between levels of the game. It emphasizes the importance of building from the grass roots.
As for the second Hempstead Turnpike event that left my heart in my throat: we were waiting in the shelter for the bus to take us to the next bus to take us to the last bus, and we saw the Delaware charter bus heading the other way on the turnpike. It was easy to tell that it was Delaware's bus, given that it was from Delaware Express and had many people in blue and yellow in it. As it came up to the light, it swung around in a huge, sweeping U-turn to get onto the westbound side. While the bus made it just fine, the mental image of it flipping over or being T-boned by the careless, onrushing traffic flashed before my eyes. If this had been a movie, that would be how the saga of Delle Donne would end, wouldn't it?
Sometimes I forget how much I like the CAA, and that it's sort of in my backyard. It's such a tight conference that it seems like very few people know about. More people should.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
January 12th, 2010: Seton Hall at St. John's
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Can we please relegate Seton Hall to America East already? (Sorry, America East.) It's bad enough that their play embarrasses the conference, but they drag other teams down to their level, which just messes up the entire conference. Unacceptable.
I suppose the tone was set for the debacle of a mess that was this game when the pregame routine was thrown off. Mine was messed up, too, but I don't think leaving five minutes late because I couldn't find my clipboard affected our offense. On the other hand, the moment of silence for the former BEast ref threw everything out of joint. It was pretty awkward when Seton Hall went off the court right before the anthem, too. They were the lucky ones- I've had the misfortune of hearing this anthem singer before, and she was even worse tonight than she was the last time. I don't know how she got a recording contract. I really don't.
Congratulations to Kelly McManmon, who broke the St. John's record for career three-pointers, and did it in less than three years! (Now go for 200, Kelly! You can do it! 23 threes in at least 13 games is not unreasonable!)
Seton Hall. Do I have to describe them? Honestly, if I weren't posting to Swish Appeal, I'd have skipped writing up this game. But I'm responsible, and a masochist, which is why I have the repeat of the game on while I'm writing these notes.
They got good minutes out of Shanai Heber, which doesn't surprise me, because she's one of the few bright spots left on that roster. I mostly remember Kashmere Joseph for fouls, including one that came dangerously close to an elbow. Curry mostly seemed to be there to chew up minutes. Morris got a little time early in the game, but most of her time came when the game was out of reach. I was surprised Whitney Wood didn't get in; I know she's eligible, because she played against Georgia Tech, and she brings an element that we really can't answer.
Kandice Green's hair exploded. But that's okay. If it makes her happy and she plays better, that's her business, and I'm not one to judge. She had a decent game. Good post work by Nicole Emery, even if she couldn't hit water falling out of a boat, though we had a lot to do with that, doubling and tripling her. Ebonie Williams started to heat up in the second half- she's got an awfully pretty stroke. She's becoming the star of this Seton Hall team, which is the most backhanded of compliments I can think of. I think Ashley Booker wanted to make things happen, but she just couldn't do it. Terry Green shows flashes of potential, but she's especially prone to freshman mistakes. For the love of all that is sweet and holy, don't foul in the last minute when you're down 20, mmm'kay?
It's more obvious with this replay I'm watching, but damn, Coco, do something about those yellow teeth. Laying off the flops and holding on to the ball would be conducive to winning more basketball games, though. Nadirah, who twisted her ankle in practice, (thanks, Deb!) really kept things flowing. She's got such great court vision. I love her. I like Shenneika, too- not a great shooting game, but the length of her arms and the quickness of her hands on defense (when she was in position) made up for it. We got enough separation near the end that Coach felt comfortable putting in Buzz and Jennifer. Not-the-Kia! put in a lay-up, and I thought the place would explode. She's adorable. Like a big teddy bear. Buzz should have had a lay-up, but at least she had a steal.
I love Eugeneia. She's so strong, and she's got such amazing ups, and she never gives up on a play. She spent a disproportionate amount of time fighting posts for rebounds- in fact, on the replay I'm watching, she just went one-on-four on the offensive boards and made Seton Hall work to the third bounce to get the board. Sky only scored six, but they all seemed to come at the right times (like the last bucket of the half; I swear this replay is stalking me), and she had a couple of great defensive plays, including one very awesome block. Kelly, while at least she wasn't afraid to shoot, and managed to get one shot to hit every part of the rim then go in, still needs to stop shying away from contact. She's always the one furthest away from her assignment on defense, which isn't good when this team prides itself on its defense. The other team doesn't have cooties. (Also, once again thanks to Debbie, you should not be a starter/rotational player and take seventeen games to attempt your first free throws.) The pod person that has replaced the real Joy McCorvey dyed her hair blonde, which has done very little to get even her vague semblance of offense going again. At least she's rebounding and making some defensive plays. Da'Shena must like big games, because she stepped up in this one (except for the free throw shooting, but at this point there are people in unlit caves in Thailand who know Da'Shena can't hit a free throw for love nor money)- she was crashing the boards hard and hitting that midrange jumper.
The refereeing wasn't too bad, but I'll rarely complain about Dennis DeMayo. I was impressed with their patience with Coach, though, because she was quite irked with a lot of people; I was fairly certain that if looks could kill, while Nadirah was at the free throw line we would have needed a new point guard.
We really need to do more work getting people into the seats for televised games. The student sections were deserted, and there were a lot of empty seats even center court. They should probably close off the bleachers for games like this.
I'm surprised we go to the zone so often. It's not very effective, compared to our man-to-man. We have too many people interested in cheating over.
Does anyone in the BEast take more punishment than Da'Shena Stevens? The only one I can think of is Eugeneia.
I wish Seton Hall hadn't played so badly, because I wanted us to play better, especially since this game was on television, and I was telling everyone to watch it. The BEast is better than this. We're better than this. We're going to have to be better than this if we want to go anywhere.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
January 5th, 2010: Marquette at St. John's
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WE NEEDED THAT. Okay, maybe I'm overstating things a little, but you can't talk enough about the importance of early-season momentum, especially in a dog-eat-dog conference like the BEast.
Gotta give props to the Marquette fans. While we may not have agreed with their opinions on several of the calls, they were loud and proud, and very supportive of their team. Hey, as long as all y'all who have the questionable taste not to root for St. John's sit in the section by your team and you don't make a fuss right next to me, do your thing and do it right.
The band is slipping in quality, especially in the horn section. Percussion is still good, though. But maybe the rest of the band is just still on break.
I like that Marquette goes deep and gets everyone into the game- keeps people fresh and keeps the reserves on their toes just in case someone fouls out- which, if this game was any indication, is a frequent concern. I was very surprised that Jocelyn Mellen didn't play more, but I assume she's still working her way back from last season's injury. I'm getting lax on noting down good plays, but I was impressed with Janelle Harris's defense. (Does every Janel(l)(e) get called Nellie, though? Is this some secret tradition I don't know about?) Marquette brings a lot of broad-framed players to the table, and they took advantage of that a lot- but it also got them in trouble with the fouls.
Angel Robinson is for real, and then some. She's got some moves- she had one beautiful shot where she faked Nadirah left and went right for the easy two. She really imposes her will on her team. Sarina Simmons is a very physical forward- she had four fouls and was lucky not to foul out. Nice block, though. Jessica Pachko impressed me early on, but she started to get a little chippy later in the game, and then the refs started catching her at it, and she ended up fouling out. She's only a sophomore, though. She'll learn how to use her body without committing fouls. That's a matter of time and experience. Tatyiana McMorris seems to be a slashing sort of guard, with some fancy moves that didn't always go down. Lauren Thomas-Johnson stepped up in the second half to try and bring Marquette back, but with the foul trouble for so many starters, she couldn't get much help.
Buzz, we still love you, but please don't have blonde moments at the end of the half. She committed a foul against Robinson right at the first half buzzer that got the Golden Eagles within six (because, well, Angel Robinson missing free throws doesn't happen too often). Coco got a lot of minutes because we needed someone more physical than either Joy or Day in the post, but her mental lapses were more evident than usual. There were a lot of plays were she was slow to react and therefore couldn't make the play, whether it was a rebound, the recovery of a loose ball, or a bad pass by Marquette. Eugeneia... I can't say enough about her toughness. She took a couple of hard hits in this game and got right back up again, and there were a couple of possessions where either the assignments were blown or they were trying to create mismatches, but she was trying to defend big Jessica Pachko, and the fact that she denied Pachko position is a demonstration of how awesome she is. Shenneika started this game on the bench, but played more than half the game.. Once again, her offense was solid, and if we ever get to the point where the offense is running through her as the first option, she's going to be very dangerous. She needs to work on some of the basics before she starts getting really fancy; faking out opponents on a jump pass is good, faking out the recipient is not. Perhaps cueing up game tape of a young Taurasi would be a good idea. Defensively, she also wasn't as strong as I would have liked- when she was in position, she was very good at keeping the offensive player from getting things done, but she blew a few assignments and gave up position too easily.
Kelly, take the contact already, would you? I know you're nearing the end of your NCAA career, which will probably be the end of your career, which probably means that you want to avoid causing yourself any permanent damage, but you can't be shying away like that. Shoot the ball. Take the hit. She hit a couple of big threes tonight, but she can't pass up open shots, not if she's going to start. Nadirah has to be more willing to shoot when she has an open shot as well. She's a great distributor, and I guess word about the shortlisting for the Lieberman got to her, because she was fighting for rebounds like nobody's business, but even Ticha Penicheiro found a jump shot eventually, even if it took her ten years. Becoming an offensive threat, even if it's just long enough to put a couple of points on the board, frees up teammates who sorely need freeing up, which in turn allows the offense to flow more freely. Sky didn't hit a lot of shots, but both her field goals came at critical points in the game. Sometimes you just have to know when to pick your spots. I have no excuses for my favorite player, other than the real Joy McCorvey must have been abducted by aliens and replaced by someone who isn't quite sure about these crazy concepts of defense and holding on to the ball. If I weren't trying to keep my language clean, well, there's a Lin Dunn impersonation I could insert right about here.
I would also happily insert it about the officials. I am, unfortunately accustomed to inconsistent calling and the apparent inability of referees to count up to two, though their laxity on the traveling rule gave Eugeneia a few extra shots and a few less turnovers. The Marquette fans across the way were irked at quite a few calls as well, though I would advance the argument that if you want your team to stop being called for fouls, perhaps they should stop committing them. What set Angela Lewis apart from the bad referees I've seen was her attitude. I've never seen a referee so disrespectful of the players on the floor. There was a play where, while the ball was dead, Lauren Thomas-Johnson was trying to get her uniform back in order- you know, tuck her jersey in, adjust her shorts, that kind of thing. Before she could finish, Lewis shoved the ball at her midsection. Later in the game, she was on the sideline by the St. John's bench, close enough to the bench that Joy had to dart in front of her to get to the scorer's table. Lewis gave her a rather hearty push along. Now, I don't know whether Ms. Lewis just has an unusually high sense of self-importance for an official or if she's new to high-level D-I (this being judged by the way she cringed away from potential contact after a huddle broke), but that's unacceptable behavior from a referee. You don't intrude on the game like that, and you don't disrespect the players- you certainly don't disrespect the seniors, including one of the team captains.
Let me take a moment to express my appreciation of the Storm red boots that Sky Lindsay's mother was rocking. It takes a lot of personality to carry those off, but no one has ever questioned whether the Lindsay women have personality.
We needed this. We needed for Da'Shena to have a breakout game. We needed a BEast win against another team in the middle of the pack to assert our place in the pecking order.
Marquette, despite the margin, should hold their heads high. They fought hard, and that's the best you can ask for. A little more work on body control, and Simmons and Pachko will both be major threats in the future, and I can't say enough about Angel Robinson.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
January 2nd, 2010: West Virginia at St. John's
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You know a game's gotten physical when, at halftime, you take a few moments to tweet to the opposing team that you would appreciate it if they stopped elbowing one of your players in the face. I wish I were making it up.
At least we got a good crowd in for the televised game, and at least people got into it at the end. But close games are frustrating enough because of all the things you think you could have done right- it's worse when you can see them as plain as the nose on your face and dissect them as neatly as some poor fetal pig in high school bio.
I thought I saw former Red Storm guard Kristin Moore in the crowd, but I might just be going crazy. That's never an option that should be discounted with the Game Notes of Doom.
This game meant a lot to both teams. I don't want to be melodramatic and say that it would define the entire rest of the season, given that it was only the conference opener, but with the middle of the conference so tightly bunched together, and with the odd way the Red Storm's conference schedule happens to be set up, we needed this. We needed it badly, to establish who we were in the pack and to set ourselves up well on what I've been referring to as the "on-ramp". What we did instead was reveal our weaknesses in critical areas, in a game that has easy access to tape for our opponents.
Dear Coach Carey: please shut up. No, really, please. If you would like your team to stop being called for fouls, please teach them how not to commit fouls. He relied very heavily on his starters and on Vanessa House as sixth woman- and even she sort of started, coming out to start the second half in place of Liz Repella. Natalie Burton was the only other reserve to play a role even worth mentioning, as she played spot minutes behind Ali and Bussie thanks to their foul trouble. She was good at getting into the position they needed her in, sneaking up behind the defense for an open lay-up.
I would like to like Asya Bussie. She's only a freshman, but she plays with the poise of an upperclasswoman, and she's not afraid to bang (which has been a problem in the women's game), but right now, the freshman needs to learn when to rein in the physicality. She got Coco Hart at least once in the face and once in the throat. Great job getting her opponents in the air and taking advantage of her height, though. I like that in a young player. Liz Repella almost didn't seem to expect the sort of lanes that were opening up for her on offense- there were two straight plays where she had the ball and drove so deep that she couldn't get up a good shot. She did better when she was hitting the little midrange and long-range jumpers. Sarah Miles showed a lot of hustle and set up her teammates well. Madina Ali spent most of the game in foul trouble, though she had a nice block (which I think was on a three-point shot, which is the kind of block I find most aesthetically pleasing because of the arc of the shot).
Play of the game, from a coaching standpoint: two Mountaineers were being hassled to Morgantown and back by a vicious, relentless St. John's press. West Virginia manages to get a long pass into the frontcourt, where Natalie Burton sets a perfect pick for Vanessa House to slide behind and nail the corner jumper. The press couldn't have been that much better- but West Virginia ran a little clinic on how to beat the press there.
Shenneika didn't get the start today, and did her best to show why she should have been in the starting five- well, at least on offense, and with some flash on defense. She's still not recovering as quickly as she should when it comes time to hunker down and grind out 30 seconds. Run backwards, kids. Important life skill to learn. Loved Eugeneia in this one, though- she really showed her strength and tenacity. She took a few hard hits from West Virginia. So did Coco, who got elbowed twice in the face. At least they called the second one a foul. She wasn't quite the same afterwards, because even though she's especially prone to making incredibly dumb plays, she made a couple of plays that were so dumb I was worried her brain wasn't working properly. We're talking about passing the ball directly to players in opposing colors.
Paging Da'Shena Stevens. Would Da'Shena Stevens please report to the St. John's women's basketball team sometime before Tuesday night? She couldn't hit the broad side of a barn today, and even the extra free throw shooting she did before the game only got her 3-7. That, coupled with her foul trouble, made her a non-factor. I'd like to credit the WVU defense for that, but she was taking a lot of stupid shots. She wasn't the only one, though. Sky, while she was hot on offense early, started taking a lot of ill-considered scoop shots later in the game, as if she was trying to get the foul instead of the shot. Coco, Eugeneia, and Nadirah all shared the same problem. I can halfway understand why, because West Virginia was in bad, bad foul trouble, but go for the shot first and try to get the foul that way. Kelly McManmon got the start for Shenneika, and I wish I could say that that was the worst game I'd ever seen her play, but I've seen games where she missed more shots and looked worse. I'll just have to say that she was very out of it, didn't look ready to play defense, and was more of a liability than an asset. I'm very surprised Joy didn't play near the end of the game. With the stupid mistakes a lot of our players were making, having the senior captain in at the end would have made sense. At least we were hitting the boards.
Play of the game: after the first time Coco was elbowed in the face and found herself lying on the ground in pain, play wasn't even stopped, much less for a foul. The Red Storm were playing 4-on-5 defensively, and still got the stop and the rebound so they could stop the clock and get Coco out of the game.
I don't know that I like Mike Carey- he strikes me as Dan Hughes's evil twin, emphasis on the evil, thanks to the line-crossing physicality of his players- but he knows his stuff. Early on, the Mountaineers were taking, and hitting, threes; when St. John's tried to close out on the perimeter, that opened up mid-range shots and driving lanes, which West Virginia took advantage of. That was a sharp contrast to Kim Barnes Arico's uncharacteristic coaching lapses. There was the odd minute distribution between Kelly and Shenneika, which culminated with Shenneika going on a seven-point run with a blocked shot, all of which got us within one... and Coach responding by subbing Kelly in when West Virginia called timeout. Because nothing says "My team needs to win its conference opener" like pulling the hot hand. I also wasn't thrilled with her handling of our posts in foul trouble, and with not having Joy in for the endgame. Fundamental mistakes and stupid play can also be laid at the feet of the coach: if your team's not shooting well from the line, and they're not disciplined enough to take good shots, it's your responsibility to run free throw shooting drills and use your timeouts to stabilize your team.
I wasn't thrilled with the officiating, either. Bonita Spence, I know you can count to two, given your propensity for calling travels, so being able to count up to three when players plant themselves in the lane shouldn't be that much of a stretch. And your colleague Mr. Morris was certainly capable of counting to five, given the five-second call against us on an inbounds (which was deserved, I'm not complaining about that). So I think a few three-second calls would have been order. And I don't mean to harp, but we had a player get ELBOWED IN THE FACE and y'all didn't even stop play while she lay on the ground, much less get around to calling a foul until the second time she got elbowed in the face. I know Coco is a bit of a flopper, and probably does have a reputation for diving, but come on. I think the referees lost control of the game, and I'm just glad that things didn't get bad enough that there were any conflicts.
I'm disappointed and frustrated, because if all these things are obvious to a twenty-something with no coaching experience, someone who's been just watching basketball for... well, okay, thirteen years... then shouldn't they be obvious to someone who's paid to coach? If I've been seeing the same things game after game and season after season, shouldn't someone who sees the team twice as often as I do also see them?