Sunday, January 20, 2013

January 20th, 2013: St. Peter's at Iona

Just the Facts, Ma'am: Twelve Gaels played and scored as Iona rolled over St. Peter's, 93-62. Damika Martinez led all scorers with 19 points, while Aleesha Powell filled the stat sheet with 15 points, six rebounds, and five assists. Kristal Edwards led the Peacocks with 15 points.

For conspiracy theories, late noises, shivering, discovering alternate routes, freshman mistakes, and complex rhythms, join your intrepid and phlegmatic blogger after the jump.



Good afternoon, everyone! We're coming to you on tape delay from the Hynes Athletic Center in beautiful New Rochelle, New York, where the Iona Gaels will be facing the Peahens of St. Peter's.

There's nothing quite like a cab ride with a conspiracy theorist who thinks corporate America is putting the flu enzyme into mixed bags of chips and makes up tales about winning shooting contests in the '70s. I wish I were making up this insanity. I'm impressed he didn't descend into birther nonsense.

My stat board is gone, and that makes me sad. One of the amenities I liked about Iona was being able to track some of the team stats. But the chairback seats and team-colored bleachers are still nice. Would have liked some sign of school spirit- band, cheerleaders, dancers, mascot, something- though. Ah, there go the cheerleaders now. I feel better. I mean, not that cheerleaders make me feel better, but it's the thought that counts.

Coach has gone out of his way to make us feel welcome, and I really appreciate that. (Joe? Your move.)

Being able to get an internet connection has its advantages. And its disadvantages. (My poor Johnnies.)

At halftime, it's 48-25 in favor of Iona, and it could easily be more. Iona's been kind of lazy in the last few minutes, going one and out on shots they don't necessarily need to be taking. More passing and less chucking would be recommended. St. Peter's could use a shooting coach to get them to stop taking shots with two hands in '50s style, but Kristal Edwards impresses me; her build reminds me a bit of Shenneika Smith. For the Gaels, Aleesha Powell is working on a double-double with 11 points and six boards. She's been everywhere. Personally, I'm glad Sabrina Jeridore learned from that tongue-lashing against Marist and went up strong on offensive rebounds. It pays!

Most "um, are you really sure this is a good plan?" moment: Emily Brown attempting to flip Jeridore over her back. Brown's a 5-9 guard; Jeridore's a 6-3 center with flashes of Noo Yawk attitude.

I'm not going to say anything rude about a ten-year-old girl singing the anthem- but if you're going to put her out in front of everyone, make sure she knows the words and can handle some of the ridiculous notes.

This was a little more like the Iona team I've been expecting to see all year, though there's still a bit of youth that needs to be filed off. Fortunately, they've got a bit of time- more now that Haley D'Angelo's petition for an extra year of eligibility has in fact been approved, and she's gone from senior to redshirt junior. (It's like magic!)

Stephanie DeWolff wasn't coaching this game- for whatever reason, Tiffany Jones was called upon to run the show in her purple blouse and sparkly purple heels. (I didn't see that they were in fact sparkly and purple until after the game. They looked good on her.) Honestly? I feel like this was probably better for St. Peter's than having DeWolff coaching. It seemed like they weren't making too many mistakes strategically, just the ones that end up being made by players who haven't gotten coaching in some of the fundamentals. There were way too many two-handed heaves even on lay-ups that did NOT look good. (Later reports- DeWolff is apparently on maternity leave. Can we place odds on whether the reason for her departure is "to spend more time with her family" instead of "her contract is up and holy cow are we bad"?) 

Teresa Corchado got pulled right after setting up a little trip, and I think her coach talked to her about that before sending her back into the game. Sherika Salmon was the next-to-last player off the bench, and her one shot came out of the right corner. Lovisa Hagberg at least tried to get in on the boards, even if she didn't manage to pull any down. The three she hit was actually deflected and still went in; we saw her shaking her hand out afterwards, as if she'd gotten hit. There's something I like about Neechelle Ingram, even though she didn't make a statistical impact. I just got the sense that she either can be a good player and just hasn't gotten it together yet, or that she just had a bad game. Donyelle Stuettey is a tank in the middle. The 55 on her jersey wasn't the only reason we were reminded of Vanessa Hayden. She liked to force people to back down with her size, and since pretty much everyone was smaller than she was, that worked out for her. But once she got close to the basket, she was just throwing the ball at the rim without much aim or intent. She didn't seem to know what to do if another defender came in, or if her defender didn't want to move. Emily Brown, other than that moment of first-half bravado/stupidity, didn't make much of an impression.

I really do like Kristal Edwards. She still seems a bit skittish and less aggressive than I would like out of a player of her build, but she really got her offense going in the second half. Jesika Holmes was effective, but a lot of that seemed to come from a forearm shiver that would impress Marshawn Lynch. I think my favorite part- as someone who was cheering for Iona- was when she shoved the defender off with the right arm, took a couple of extra steps, and proceeded to blow the lay-up. Aziza May scored pretty much everything in threes, and most of those threes came from Pelham Bay or thereabouts. She did a nice job finding her teammates, as well. I don't know if I'd have called her hit on Kadesia Johnson a flagrant, but it was a pretty hard hit. She argued it hard, but I think she was smart enough to realize that she wasn't going to get that overturned, and if she kept going, a technical would have been her fifth foul. Kaydine Bent cleared the boards well and often seemed to be in the right place at the right time. And I like her name. I also liked what I saw out of Hala ElShaarawy (who the announcer kept calling Hala Mostafa, but something didn't seem right about that). She's raw, but she's got some potential, and she's only a freshman. She'll learn the touch around the basket.

Jordan Henry looked so lost when she was in the game. I wasn't surprised, since this was the first time I'd seen her play in three games, and I didn't even know she was active, so I imagine she doesn't see a lot of playing time. Fortunately, she's only a freshman, so Coach will have time to teach her to follow her shot, go hard to the basket, and make sure she and her teammates are on the same page when passing on the baseline. Cassidee Ranger also needs to follow her shot. Nobody's perfect, no matter how pretty your shot is. Everyone was thrilled for Jiya Dorcas-Eya when she got extended minutes and got herself to the line- the whole bench was cheering for her. She acquitted herself well, though I'd like to see a bit more sturdiness from her on defense. Shonice Hawkins played a little bit of D, and I think her basket was on a fast break, but I'm not sure. Diana Hubbard did that thing where she gets the ball in the corner and nails a three. She did it a few times. I could have sworn she got in on the rebounding too, but the box score tells me not. Kadesia Johnson had herself a nice little game, crashing the glass and converting on her shots. Aleesha Powell went off in the first half- there was a point where her 10 points were almost equal to St. Peter's (they had 12). She cooled off in the second half, but by then, they didn't need her anymore. But that first half was reminiscent of the good days from a different Powell.

Joy Adams joined the party in the second half, going hard to the basket and converting on most of her free throws. She still needs to work on that. I do like her toughness, and she's going to be a force to be reckoned with by her senior year in the MAAC. Sabrina Jeridore looked more aggressive in the early going, but she got bloodied up and had to sit for an extended period while the trainer went over her and her jersey with the peroxide. After that, she seemed to back off a little bit. I think that might have been when St. Peter's made one of their runs to get it under 20. Haley D'Angelo ran a solid offense, making sure everyone was going the right way and in the right place. She passed up two open shots that I thought she should have taken, which is something that bothers me about her, but that's the kind of player that she is. Aaliyah Robinson got the start, but she didn't play much. I'm starting to think Coach Bozzella does that in order to have some offensive punch off the bench; either the three games I've seen have been very uncharacteristic, or I've finally found a coach who agrees with the idea of striking fear into an opponent with a strategic reserve. Damika Martinez was great- aggressive going to the basket, careful with the ball when she had to run offense, accurate and smart. She had a couple of dumb plays, but other than that, she was fantastic.

One strange thing that bothered me a little about Iona: the fans, the cheerleaders, and the graphics really didn't get started until the Gaels were up 20. I'm sitting there thinking, guys, maybe they needed you before they started turning on the afterburners?. But that's just me. Props to the lady behind us who tried to get going, even with her scratchy throat.

Officiating was mostly unremarkable. I think I only shrieked once or twice. I think the refs controlled the pace of play well. The only issue came when St. Peter's committed their ninth foul on a loose ball play and the refs tried to set up an inbounds. Coach was not amused. Shot clock also started late once, but it didn't impact play.

CYO kids overran the court at halftime. It's okay, they were supposed to do that. They were also running around behind the benches for much of the game, until they left early in the second half. Not sure if they were supposed to do that, but the kid hiding behind me was sort of adorable.

I don't know how much of a test St. Peter's is, given that every Gael who played got at least 10 minutes, but at least they got some much needed reps for the bench.

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Wednesday, January 16, 2013

January 16th, 2013: Pittsburgh at St. John's

Just the Facts, Ma'am: 10 St. John's players got in the game, scored, and rebounded in the Red Storm's 61-32 win over Pittsburgh. Shenneika Smith's 14 points and nine rebounds led St. John's; Loliya Briggs had 10 points to lead the Panthers.

For the cruelty of rims, the revelations of the bench, missed jumpers, sparkly vests, and ramping up for the weekend, join your intrepid and somewhat purple blogger after the jump.


I do enjoy watching my team lay a good old-fashioned smackdown sometimes. There's something to be said for a competitive game, and something to be said for a tight game, but sometimes you just need to see the end of the bench get some minutes and cheer for them.

Nice job on the anthem tonight by the band, and the dance team was on point as well. Good luck at nationals, guys! (And let me know where I can get that vest in XXL. Shiiiiny!)

I think a couple of the guys from the men's team were sitting behind us. If they were, I hope they enjoyed our antics. We aim to please.

So, Pitt. I'd love to blame Pat Coyle for this, but that's just an old habit as a Liberty fan. I don't think she really has enough influence to explain just how bad this team was. There were hints of the things that drove us nuts in New York- shot selection, long-running offense that led nowhere- but I don't think it's all on her.

They dug pretty deep into their roster at the end, putting Brianna Brizzi and Bridget Higgins on the floor in the last minute. Marquel Davis really brought the intensity in the second half on defense; there were times when I thought she was the only player who was interested in trying to win for Pitt. The odd skin condition on Krista Pettepier's shoulder kept distracting me from her play, but that's because I'm insufferably nosy, and I've accepted that. She had an unfortunate tendency to pass and save the ball directly to Red Storm players. Okay, I don't think it's unfortunate, but I'm a bit biased in that matter. I remember when Ashlee Anderson was a factor for the Panthers, but she was mostly just in both teams' way. The box score says that Chyna Golden played, but I don't even remember seeing her number on the floor, which just shows how effective she was. There's a difference between not hearing a player's name and not seeing them, you know.

Asia Logan took a lot of good shots... and missed them. She had at least three open jumpers that she clanked, including one that she seemed to leave short like she thought Shenneika was going to swoop upon it like Batman. If a defense is going to leave a scorer like Logan open, she should at least educate them on why this is a bad idea by hitting the shot. I feel vaguely disappointed, because players from opposing teams that are leaving the conference totally have some kind of obligation to help out young players learning defense. Loliya Briggs, despite her amusingly distracting first name (it's the spelling, there are too many jokes available, I'm sorry) played... not necessarily badly. Unremarkably might be the best word. I was impressed with Brianna Kiesel's defensive effort. She snagged a nice steal in the first half. Cora McManus was a big tough presence rebounding in the paint, boxing out effectively even if she couldn't pull down the rebound herself. When she went to the line at the end of the first half, I was so hoping that she would either miss both free throws or hit both free throws just so ESPN's graphics would be messed up.

Ladies and gentlemen, this game was so out of hand that Jennifer Blanding got into the game in the unofficial third quarter. We all love Big Love in the stands at Carnesecca, but you know a game's a blowout when she's playing half of the second half. And she looked good! She totally should have been credited with at least one steal and another block, and I think the rim just didn't like her. What I liked seeing from her was the way she set screens and made sure her teammates used them- that's the kind of thing you see out of a senior, and I'm wondering if Coach might use her in spot situations like that now. Ashley Perez still needs to catch up to the speed of the college game, but she's a raw freshman, I think we can give her time. She's become a little more confident in her shot, which is good, and I like her hustle. Cedrica Gibson got some first half minutes at the point, as well as garbage time in the second half. She definitely needs time to develop as a point guard who can create an offense; she mostly killed clock and dribbled in this one, though I don't know how much of that was coach's orders to not humiliate the opposition. Sandra Udobi showed muscle in the lane, if not great shooting. Amber Thompson seems to have developed an aversion to catching things. She blew passes (one of those turnovers was an iffy pass from Shenneika, but still) and had trouble coming down clean with rebounds. You're six-two and awesome, Amber, grab the ball!

Mary Nwachukwu seemed to have taken inspiration from the men's big win over Notre Dame- her hands were quick and high, and she was smothering shots beautifully. I also saw her setting screens and picks, which was a refreshing flashback. Did a little too much standing around on the boards for my liking, but I can deal with that. Shenneika Smith continued to do that thing where she swoops in and makes shots not go into the basket for the other team- even if she doesn't block them, she's like an urban legend and they get scared. Keylantra Langley got the start for Briana Brown (who was not present, suffering the aftereffects of getting her face stepped on versus Seton Hall- get well soon, Bri) and showed flashes of her old offense, but I'm not thrilled with her defense when the ball's being brought up the floor. She hasn't been quick to react to the pass. And if you get the role of defending the point guard as she brings the ball up the floor, you should probably be ready for the pass. Nadirah McKenith ran a solid game- not remarkable, but not needing to be. Aliyyah Handford continues to impress me all over the floor, doing all the things and doing them with the poise of a junior, maybe even a senior. Seriously, this kid is special.

Officiating was interesting, though there was one funny moment when Jennifer Blanding accidentally (one hopes) swatted a shot hard into one of the refs. And Norma Jones did show off a little bit of her dance stylings when she couldn't quite get clear of the end of the dance team's routine. There were a couple of calls that we'll charitably chalk up to game management and move on. (There were also some hilariously bad flops. David Stern does not approve. Neither does Mery Andrade; show some technique, ladies!)

Overall, there's not much else I can say about this game. We played well enough to win even when our deep bench was going against Pitt's starters; that's good seasoning and a nice win to build on before our next... oh, we're at Notre Dame on Saturday. :-/

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Sunday, January 13, 2013

January 13th, 2013: Iona at Marist

Just the Facts, Ma'am: 25 turnovers doomed the Iona Gaels at the McCann Center, as Marist pulled away early to claim a 69-55 victory. Emma O'Connor led the Red Foxes with 16 points, while Casey Dulin added nine of her 13 in the second half. Damika Martinez of Iona led all scorers with 17 points, but she and Joy Adams, with 14, were the only Gaels in double figures.

For impressive paneling, a flurry of staff, lots of turnovers, howling hyenas, second-hand embarrassment, bad Gaelic, and smart coaching, join your intrepid and squeaky blogger after the jump.

Good afternoon, everyone! We're coming to you on tape delay from the genuinely gorgeous McCann Center on the grounds of Marist College. Seriously, this is pretty much the epitome of what a college arena should look like and feel like. The seats are comfortable, the wood paneling is cozy, all the amenities are available, people are already trickling in at a steady rate even more than an hour before the game- you know it's going to be a good crowd, and believe me, it's also a loud crowd. About the only thing I might have done differently is pick a different color for the seats. I'd be at a lot more Marist games if train fare weren't $31.50 round-trip. But it makes for a nice expedition.

Whoever picked out the music is a Lady Gaga fan. We could definitely have done worse. I'm serious, the only thing I don't love about the McCann Center is that it's so far away from me.

At half, it's 30-18 in Marist's favor, and it could be a lot worse for the Gaels. They've been called for something like four or five offensive fouls, and I can only really argue the last one. Marist has done a fantastic job of staying just outside the circle and drawing charges. Iona's gotten very timid, taking a lot of outside shots and not going strong when they do drive. There's way too much dribbling going on. Haley D'Angelo has been stripped twice, badly- but the offense has looked even worse when she's out of the game. Move without the ball! It's not that hard, is it?

They just did a presentation for the alumnae, so I had to pause and applaud for Élise Caron and Corielle Yarde. They brought in a few of the ladies from the '80s as well, which is awesome.

I'm also enjoying the wrinkle in the game of musical chairs- when the music stops, the players have to run and hit a lay-up before they can sit down. Keeps them from fighting over the chairs. Though with that much extra work, you'd think they'd give them more than just a t-shirt.

The Iona fans behind us are loud, which I appreciate as someone who 's cheering for Iona, but if we meet again at Carnesecca Arena, there are probably going to be words, and most of them are probably going to start with F.

I kind of wish the Marist fans would get more into it, though. I feel like we shouldn't be the loudest people in the arena. It didn't help that there was a very loud Iona contingent directly behind us; if you listened to their point of view, you'd swear that Marist traveled every time they touched the ball and Iona should have gotten free throws on every shot. I was starting to get embarrassed that people would think I was affiliated with them. Swearing in front of a two-year-old is uncouth, and suggesting that the Marist booster club paid off the refs is a recipe for trouble. The Marist event staffers assigned to our section looked so stressed out that I wanted to give them cookies.

Shonice Hawkins brought a nice little spark off the bench in the second half, nabbing a steal and getting to the line. She got called for a couple of ticky-tack fouls, which is probably going to be the recurring theme of these notes. I do not know why Jiya Dorcas-Eya was in the game at the juncture she first came in during- okay, objectively I do, because Sabrina Jeridore needed to be yelled at, and there were too many tall Red Foxes on the floor for Iona to consider going small. But she was pretty clearly in over her head. Either Cassidee Ranger needs to be more aggressive in calling for her shot or her teammates have to have more confidence giving her the ball. I can think of at least two plays where she was so wide open in the corner that calling her the Lone Ranger wouldn't have been that bad a pun. At this point in her young collegiate career, that's her specialty; why on earth wouldn't you play to it, especially when your game plan seems to be relying heavily on jumpers? I'll be more impressed with her if her rebounding continues, and if she can perform that little poke-check consistently on the defensive end. I think Diana Hubbard only came in near the end of the game, and she took a three that almost should have gone in. I think. I'm working off memory without much of a box score to back me up. Aleesha Powell played well in heavy rotation off the bench, though she got nailed by the ticky-tack foul monster as well. She's fast- she's got to stay closer on defense, though.

I think Joy Adams got frustrated with the officiating, and the Marist defense, and not being able to get the shots she wanted, and I think it got to her. She really didn't step up in this game until it was essentially done, when the only thing she could do was keep the margin from exploding any further after Damika Martinez picked up her fourth foul and had to play more tentatively. Then suddenly her shots were going down and she was getting to the line, and she was able to get on the boards. I don't know what was up with Haley D'Angelo's head today, but she didn't play well at all. She spent way too much time dribbling, and doing so unsteadily. She kept losing her dribble to Marist defenders because she was too slow. Damika Martinez got nailed with some tough second half calls, including a technical for a shoving match with Kristina Danella. I think her teammates were expecting her to carry too much of the load, even when she was being doubled or tripled, and she was trying too hard to make something happen by herself. (Which was a general problem for Iona. Way too much standing around and trying to figure out what they should do.) Sabrina Jeridore needed to be more aggressive- the play where Dorcas-Eya came in was after Jeridore kicked out what should have been an easy putback. We're talking “not even thinking of shooting” when even the most timid post would have put that ball back towards the basket and at least attempted to draw a foul. She got yelled at very thoroughly on the bench for that one, and she was a little tougher the rest of the game. She's always been tough on defense when I've seen her, but she was just a little more determined on the boards. Aaliyah Robinson didn't stand out, except I think she was one of the Gaels with a nice little lay-up that got taken off the board because of a block/charge call.

Natalie Gomez mostly got her minutes when the lead seemed insurmountable- when Marist was up big in the first half and at the end of the game. Casey Dulin came off the bench in the first half, but started in the second, and in the second she was more of a sparkplug than she was in the first, penetrating into the lane and getting shots that made the crowd cheer. I think one was an and-1, but I'd have to cross-reference with a play-by-play, and on the Hudson River line, Internet's a bit of an issue. But she made things happen for them whenever Iona seemed to be getting close. Madeline Blais played a fair bit in the first half, hit a couple of free throws, and was generally tall and rather inconvenient to the Iona players. Kristina Danella did a good job of drawing fouls and getting to the line. Something around her face and her shoulders and her three-point shot reminds me a little of Cathrine Kraayeveld, albeit with much darker hair and less inclination to jack up threes at the drop of a hat.

Kristine Best was another player who managed to make things happen, whether it was with her shot or with her passing. She seemed to be everywhere at once. Very fast, very smart, ran a good game. I was expecting to be more impressed with Sydney Coffey, since she's a freshman who managed to crack Brian Giorgis's starting lineup, but she really didn't seem to be much of a factor, at least on offense. I did manage to chart three first-half rebounds, a block, and a nice defensive play before I realized I was not made to chart rebounds and still watch the game, so maybe he brought her in for her defense. Leanne Ockenden had a couple of twos go in and out on her, clearly demonstrating that she needs to stick to the thing that she's so good at- the three-point shot that's gotten her into the Marist record books and climbing the list. Emma O'Connor was a match-up nightmare for Iona- tall with the mindset of a shooter. She exploited the mismatch well. Elizabeth Beynnon (the artist formerly known as Kelsey; to confuse everyone even more, the PA guy calls her El) got going in the second half, hitting the boards and slipping behind the Iona defense for lay-ups.

Two things impressed me about Marist as a team: their quick hands on defense, low and fast moving, and their positioning on drives to the lane. We screamed and wailed about the constant stream of charges being laid against the Gaels, but for the most part, Marist cleverly positioned themselves just outside the tiny collegiate charge circle and got set. I wasn't completely certain on a couple; of course, the folks behind us were dead certain that they were all lies and part of a greater conspiracy to hand Marist the game without them having to work for it. But I have the utmost respect for Giorgis as a coach, and it fascinates me when you can actually see the little things being done. It's rare in this game, unfortunately.

T-shirt throwing tour guides! With the band and the cheerleaders still on winter break, Marist was a bit short of people to throw t-shirts to the audience. So while they were advertising Walkway over the Hudson, they had the trail “ambassadors” throwing the shirts. They did not seem terribly enthusiastic about it, but they went through the motions well enough. The guys from the pizza joint who threw shirts in the second half were a bit more experienced.

The officiating got both coaches steamed, and I think Bozella had the greater case, but not by as much as the partisans behind us believed. I feel bad for Cassidee Ranger, who got bodied back into her own bench with no call while touch fouls were being assessed against Iona on the other end. Some of the bad calls started to go against Marist in the second half, but that wasn't so much making the officiating more accurate as it was making it more balanced in its apparent disconnection from the basketball game being played at the time. What bothered me most was that there was a sudden spate of fouls called against Marist in the last two minutes of the game that had not been violations called earlier in the game, which made the aggregate totals look much more balanced than they were through most of the game. Believe me, I'm not going to say the Gaels were angels; I've seen their physicality too many times to believe that, though they were uncharacteristically timid today. The block/charge calls seemed fair to me. And I do think Iona has earned a reputation that's not going to get them any favors from the officials. But I did not think this crew called the game very well at all.

They kept the alumnae theme running through the second half, inviting them up for the timeout entertainment. It was adorable, in a strange way. Loyalty is a beautiful thing.

The rematch is going to be interesting. I'm sorry I'll have to miss it. But I still think Marist is going to have more of a fight in the MAAC than they have had in the past.

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Saturday, January 12, 2013

January 12th, 2013: Georgetown at St. John's

Just the Facts, Ma'am: Georgetown won 76-61. And it was kind of shitty.


Time for the annual doubleheader at the Garden! The new Garden looks very shiny. I'm still hoping to find traces of the Liberty in it- not a lot of luck yet.

At least this time we're not completely surrounded by Georgetown fans, which might be because we got the tickets through Dig for a Cure, the Red Storm volleyball team's BHA event. The husband's currently chatting up a St. John's men's fan and using his knowledge of the men's team to win him over. We haven't had a chance to bring up the women's team yet, though. :/

We're so far away from our homies in the band. This makes me sad. They sound much tinnier in the Garden, though that might be because the Garden is mostly empty so far. Our seats had vendors in them before we arrived. But there are tickets sold everywhere but the new blue seats (which are more of a powder blue than the old blue-green).

No scorecards make me sad. I think it's Bri's turn. We'll see come the Pitt game.

At halftime, it's 36-19 in favor of Georgetown, and for a while it was a lot worse. St. John's actually found some offense for a stretch between the under-eight and the under-four, and made some great defensive plays. But the offense has, for the most part, been a hot mess. These guys don't seem to actually know each other. It took to the under-twelve media timeout before I saw screens being set with any regularity. So far, Chris Obekpa's blocks and D'Angelo Harrison's quick hands have been the only highlights for this hot mess for St. John's. They don't know how to stay out of each other's way on defense and don't communicate on offense. Joe, I swear I'll lay off your coaching for at least one game after seeing this debacle.

The bright white sneakers with the black suits: is this a thing I should not be mocking because I don't know the backstory of it? Because from where I was sitting, it looked like a really unfortunate fashion choice. At least wear black sneakers! Black goes with everything!

The team I really came here to see is on the other side of the arena. Hi, guys! At this rate, we'll have people staying so they can see a St. John's team win.

At least we started off with the dulcet tones of the Metropolitones. And the Garden, unlike the Prudential Center, is a Coke arena. I've missed having my caffeine at a game.

Well, that was a hot mess if ever I saw one. St. John's put together a flurry in the second half, including their first threes of the game, to make it look respectable and interesting, but when you can't hit threes until the last four minutes of the game and you go 6-16 from the line, you're going to get your butt handed to you repeatedly and painfully. If you want me to become a men's fan, this is not how you go about it.

But the intro video is way better than the one they did this year for the women. I'll give the guys that. It's tied to New York and works better with the song they chose than the women's video does with the theme and video they chose.

D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera is a lot of name (more than I realized when the game was on; I thought his name was just Dante) and he played a lot of minutes. He always seemed to be in the middle of something or another with the St. John's players, whether it was a confrontation or a defensive play. Moses Ayegba also seemed to be in the middle of a lot of things, though that's just a function of the center position. Aaron Bowen always seemed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. That's the only reason I can think of for how he got so many fouls in such a short time. I don't remember much else about the Georgetown bench.

There's something I like about Nate Lubick in a basketball sense, though I can't completely put my finger on it. I mean, I'm always going to like a guy who dives full length for a ball after hitting a basket, because that's the kind of fan I am, so maybe that's it. I just always remember seeing him in the right place at the right time; he does stick out with that thick build and bright blonde hair, so that might also be it. (Actually, he looks like a guy I knew in high school, but his name's not Thomas and he didn't go to NYU, so I know that's not him.) Mikael Hopkins got into it with Jakarr Sampson in the second half, which was the fifth foul for both of them, and thus may not have been the best decision either of them ever made in their lives. Markel Starks threw me off because I'm used to Markel being a woman's name, but I like his shot. Otto Porter worked the paint well for a guard, forcing a lot of fouls from an unprepared St. John's defense. Jabril Trawick didn't play much; I think JTIII liked what he saw out of Smith-Rivera and rode the hot hand.

I have no real vested interest in the St. John's men, but I do want to be at a game where Marco Bourgault scores, if only to do a call and response with his name. Jamal Branch came off the bench with the most deceptive 16 points you will ever see. I think all those points came in the second half, and most of them came in true garbage time, when Georgetown was up more than twenty and no longer really cared about defending a shot that St. John's had shown no previous propensity for hitting in this game. My lingering impression of him is his long dribbling, including one series where he dribbled in and around the lane like the Georgetown defenders were cones and he was just lazily running a drill. Felix Balamou committed stupid fouls that made me sad. Sir'Dominic Pointer played well off the bench, turning in one of the more well-rounded performances I saw, though he didn't always exercise the best judgment; don't swipe at the ball if you already have four fouls and the officials seem determined to make the game last as long as possible.

Amir Garrett did not play the brightest game I've ever seen him play. Stupid shots, stupid fouls, just generally not in the right place at the right time, which is a phrase I feel like I've been using too much in these notes, but fuck it, these aren't getting posted anywhere but my personal archive. I did like the centerfield play he almost made on one rebound. Nice ups. Phil Greene IV did not play well, though I commend him for staying for the women's game. Pointer played most of his minutes in the second half, and deserved it, believe me. D'Angelo Harrison played well in short sharp bursts of intensity, but couldn't get his shot going, like most of the Johnnies. In the first half, he, Pointer, and Chris Obekpa looked like the only guys who wanted to compete. Obekpa blocked everything that came near him and worked incredibly hard on the boards. Couldn't get anything to drop, but I will forever have a soft spot for defensive-minded posts who can't score to save their lives. At least he was making things happen that kept the crowd somewhat into the game. Somewhat. Jakarr Sampson put up the numbers and made the offensive plays that kept the score from being a complete embarrassment, but somehow he didn't keep my attention the way Harrison and Obekpa did. I don't know what it is either.

It got a little rough and it got a little chippy, and I think the double foul near the end of the game that knocked Sampson and Hopkins out kept things from getting any uglier than they could have.

It was such a blowout that even the Georgetown fans really didn't get into it until the end. We only heard “Hoya Saxa” once or twice, and once was at the end. Of course, this might have been because this time we weren't in the opposing student section, we were in a section with Red Storm season ticket people, where the women's team apparently sometimes sits at men's games. I swear, that's probably not why we sat there. (But if it is, it's because St. John's hooked us up well.)

My general impressions: disappointment. Georgetown didn't even play all that well, and they still won going away. St. John's looked like they were still in November and hadn't had an opportunity to get to know each other yet. I'm not sure what Steve Lavin is doing with this team, but it's not coaching. They were making fundamental mistakes that any coach worth his salt would have knocked out of them by now.

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January 12th, 2013: Seton Hall at St. John's

Just the Facts, Ma'am: St. John's took control with a 19-5 run spanning 10:36 of the first half to beat Seton Hall 72-46.. Shenneika Smith led all scorers with 18 points for St. John's. Ka-Deidre Simmons led Seton Hall with 14 points, the only Pirate in double figures.

For rebounding, unexpected blocks, squee, and dancing, join your intrepid and achy blogger after the jump.

There are actually Seton Hall fans here, and I'll credit them for that. What? It takes nerve to be a women's fan at Seton Hall. Or a strong stomach.

Way too many people have left. I mean, really. They're offering you a free game and a chance to win an iPad, and you're still leaving? Even the student section left. The band's getting their food, though. Long day for them.

I like the graphics they've got for the Garden games. Why can't they use them at Carnesecca, though?

There appears to be some confusion as to which team has which bench. It doesn't help that the Garden configuration is different from the Carnesecca configuration. When in doubt, I'm going to assume that someone at Garden ticketing messed up, because they never seem to get things right when it comes to college.

Jennifer Blanding inactive for this game. That pink looks good on her!

Names on Seton Hall's black jerseys. This will be helpful, since they didn't do scorecards. I think this is a third jersey for Seton Hall. I like their blue better.

At half, St. John's is up 40-22 on the Hall, which is very satisfying. Aliyyah Handford is looking good, and we've seen extended minutes out of Sandra Udobi, which makes me happy. I'm a little worried about Nadirah's back- she had the pad on- but she's running a nice steady offense.

I assume the guys across from us are family from Our Lady of Victory, because they're acting during the halftime game like the husband and I do during the regular game.

Props to the Georgetown fans who stayed for this game- we're pretty sure they actually follow the Georgetown women as well. Always good to get some idea of your competition, huh? No, seriously, fans of Georgetown women's basketball are to be protected and cherished, for they are indeed a rare breed.

Seton Hall takes a lot of outside shots for a team coached by a former center. They got a little more focused on the inside game when the second half came around, but they started the game feeding Brittany Morris for jumper after jumper. It seemed kind of stupid, but since the Hall kept the game close in the first quarter or so before the defense really clamped down like the fist of God, maybe it wasn't a bad plan. (I didn't do the math until I got home, but for ten minutes of the first half, St. John's was on a 19-5 run. Basically, six minutes of shutout ball, then a shot and an and-1, then another four shutout minutes.)

I remember when Terry Green used to be a factor for Seton Hall. She did okay playing on the ball, but I barely remember anything else she might have done. Tabatha Richardson-Smith came in near the end of both halves and didn't make much of an impact- one badly missed three, some good rebounding for her size. Chizoba Ekedigwe still needs to be a better shooter to be a key piece for a Big East team (or whatever the Catholic Seven end up calling their basketball league), but there's something about her that holds my attention despite the lack of any concrete statistics to point to. Maybe she just has excellent carriage. Janee Johnson played a lot, but I don't remember any standout plays from her. Breanna Jones didn't exactly make herself popular when she ended up stepping on Briana Brown's face.

I don't know why so much of the offense was going through Brittany Morris, though part of that might be re-accustoming her to playing the off guard; I seem to remember her having to play point while Ka-Deidre Simmons was injured. In any case, I suspect she's better suited to playing point, but so is Simmons. I like the quickness of Simmons's hands and how she gets low on defense, and I think she's going to develop into a very dangerous guard very quickly, depending on how much eligibility she has left. She's got a little bit of a chip on her shoulder, but that's the only thing about her that really bothers me. Alexandra Maseko has foregone the elbow armor that evoked mental images of Barry Bonds, but she's still a little freer with the elbows than I like. I don't know if she wasn't looking for her shot, or if Donovan didn't want to go to her, or if our defense was really holding her down, but we shut her down. Brittany Webb is a load in the middle. Very tough for us to deal with. Alexis Brown did most of her work in the lane, cutting through the paint to create opportunities.

I thought Cedrica Gibson was going to explode with squee when she checked into the game for her very first official action. She's so adorable! She looked a little lost, but it's her first game, I'm okay with that. She'll pick things up. Ashley Perez also got some time at the end of the game, and at least her defense was on point. Sandra Udobi got a little first half run in addition to garbage time, and I liked what I saw out of her. I always seem to. Joe, Y U NO play Sandie more? Amber Thompson has to hit those chippies before I tear my hair out, because I love Amber's hustle and her rebounding and her blocks to itty-bitty pieces, but she's got to hit those easy shots in the lane (especially when Nadirah McKenith feeds her beautiful passes). Keylantra Langley's offense came out of hibernation, and suddenly she was hitting everything she looked at. She definitely looks bigger and stronger than she did earlier in the year. I think she's getting ready to play the three next year with Shenneika gone and a huge logjam in the backcourt. I do think it was a bit selfish of her to go for her own shot when the freshmen were on the floor and hadn't scored.

I hope Briana Brown's okay. She took a hard hit to the head and face and had to be helped off the floor to the locker room. She was showing her usual hustle on the boards and determination to defend whoever she was assigned to, even if that someone was Maseko, who outmasses her by a bit. Her shot was a little off, especially beyond the arc. Mary Nwachukwu fought through foul trouble, which severely limited her minutes, but she didn't look completely lost. Nadirah McKenith got a little shaken up when she hit the stands going for a loose ball, but that was late in the game (which gave Ced her chance to get in; she was the sub). She filled the stat sheet all over the place, though I still can't believe she snagged four blocks. Shenneika Smith's shots were either beautiful or bad- no in-between. It was almost literally half nothing but net, half what were you thinking. Aliyyah Handford stole the show in the first half. Everything was going in for her- we were surprised when she missed a wide open lay-up that the Seton Hall defense had parted like the Red Sea for on.

The team just clamped down hard on defense and didn't let up until it was late in the game and the lead was steady around 20. They hit big shots at the right time. They worked the boards- their second possession of the second half included five rebounds and took just over a minute off the clock. There were a couple of cringe-inducing moments, but otherwise St. John's played really, really well.

One awkward moment during the t-shirt toss- they started using last year's video. I realized it when I looked up and went, “Zakiyyah, WTF?” We tried to figure out if they would accidentally show Da'Shena. They did. A couple of people probably wondered who that was in the #3 jersey.

There was a surprisingly large cadre of Seton Hall fans in the house. I didn't think that many people followed the Pirates. More power to them! Fans for ALL the teams!

Those kids from Our Lady of Victory turned out to be really great to watch the game with. They had fun making noise and learned quickly how to respect the game. When Briana got hurt, one of them called out, “Is she okay?” About two beats later, one of his friends answered back, “Does she look like she's okay?” Since she was lying on the floor with her hands over her face, looking like she was seeing fourteen of everything, it seemed self-explanatory.

We were sitting next to the kid who won the free iPad. I swear, they keep saying they're looking for the loudest fans in the arena, and yet they never find the people who relay the cheers from the cheer squad to the dance team.

Speaking of the dance team- my goodness, their routines today were awesome! Amazing gymnastic work and great synchronization. They look sharp for nationals, and I don't even know when nationals are.

I feel like I should be writing more about this game, but I've run out of words. I'm happy with how we played, and I'm looking forward to the Pitt game.

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Wednesday, January 2, 2013

January 2nd, 2013: Delaware at St. John's

Just the Facts, Ma'am: Elena Delle Donne's 29 points, capped by a scoop shot with less than a second left, led Delaware to a 60-59 overtime win at St. John's. Delle Donne also had 16 rebounds in the game. Aliyyah Handford led St. John's with 16 points, one of four Red Storm players in double figures.

For incoherent shrieking, the prayers of a desperate atheist, WNBA head coaches, not being impressed, and shaking my head, join your intrepid and dilatory blogger after the jump.



I love this team, but much like the New York Liberty, they're going to kill me one of these days. I'm just not sure if it's going to be a heart condition or a head injury. I know it. My family has a history of heart trouble, St. John's! My mother has a stent! Don't kill me!

Too many Delaware fans for my liking. Or at least people in Delaware colors. While a fair number of them were there for sophomore center Stephanie Leon (who's from Northport) I recognized a couple of UConn fans of my acquaintance. Something tells me they don't stalk Samarie Walker when Kentucky comes to town. If there are fans who've found Delaware because of Elena Delle Donne and decide to stick with the team through thick and thin, great. Welcome to the party, and if you want tips on how to be crazy, ask! But I doubt most of those people will be cheering for Delaware when Delle Donne graduates, and that bothers me. It more than bothers me, but I don't want to turn this into a rant about starwatchers and fair-weather fans.

The Mighty Sound of the Red Storm was back in action- perhaps a bit too enthusiastic after some timeouts, but I love these guys. (Well, except maybe for one musical choice. Y U NO PLAY "The Pretender"? Perfect game for it.)

Props to the dance team, too. I give them a lot of grief because shapely young women shaking their bodies in tight sparkly outfits don't do much for me, but their routines tonight were much more impressive and acrobatic than usual. Very impressive.

I honestly don't even remember Stephanie Leon and Kelsey Buchanan being in the game. Our PA guy was a bit spotty on announcing subs, and they may have entered the game when I was in a haze of "out-scream the bleeping Delaware fans who are making more noise than everyone else". (Seriously, I am so disappointed in the St. John's people who showed up tonight. Make some noise! Show some pride! Seriously, guys, New York has a reputation for being loud, can we please live up to it? But here I am ranting again. Do you guys read these for the rants?)

Anyway. Little memory of Stephanie Leon and Kelsey Buchanan. Trumae Lucas found a way to be in the right place at the right time on defense. She's tough. I have to respect that. Jaquetta May, on the other hand, always seemed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. She fouled out in the overtime, and that's after having a foul passed from her. She played starter's minutes. But Delaware didn't really rely on their bench except for May, and I don't know if she's regularly a starter or if she got pressed into being a key player because of Akeema Richards.

I don't know what happened to Akeema Richards, either, but she was announced as a starter, she played five minutes, and then she was never seen again. She's the transfer from West Virginia, right? Not sure what happened there. I love Danielle Parker's socks. The first basket of the overtime was hers. She got in position well on the boards. Lauren Carra did not endear herself to the crowd, such as it was, when she got Briana Brown in the head with a forearm without a call. Or when her hands got a bit too close to Nadirah McKenith's chest. She hit the three I was fearing she would hit in the first half, but she didn't get a lot of good looks from beyond the arc. I was expecting more from her, so I was disappointed. I also thought Kayla Miller would be more of a factor. On general principles, I expected more from Delaware's supporting cast- but then, I thought we were going to go with the "let Delle Donne get hers, bear down on everyone else" strategy. Heck, I think Delle Donne wanted them to step up more. She gave up the ball a lot more than I was expecting.

So, the paragraph you're all waiting for: Elena Delle Donne, who had a couple of scouts in the house for her tonight. I spotted Pokey Chatman, someone else saw Mike Thibault (aww, Coach T, you couldn't say hi?), though I think Mike might have been looking for lower picks, if you know what I mean. Delle Donne's free throw stroke is a thing of beauty. I gave up trying to disconcert her. But if I were Pokey Chatman, I'd be worried about Delle Donne's endurance. She started throwing up some really bad, really stupid shots in the lane, like she didn't have her legs under her, and I'm surprised that she didn't go to the three earlier in the game. She can be a good defensive player when she puts her mind to it and uses her size appropriately, but she didn't always. Her footwork needs a lot of work. I mean, a lot of work. I mean, decent refs would probably have called three or four travels on her work. Don't get me wrong, she's a very good player on a bad night and a great player when she's on. But she's not perfect, and she does need work, and I will not hail her as the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Sandra Udobi got a few minutes of work and could have used a few more. Yes, she missed her shots badly, but she brought a physical presence and a little bit of height that we sorely needed. She could have been a lot worse for a freshman. I'd like to see a lot more of her. Keylantra Langley came in for her defensive presence, and hit a big shot in the second half (of course, when the biggest lead in the fourth quarter is four, all shots are big). The pass that she threw right to Delle Donne, on the other hand, was not the brightest thing I've ever seen her do.

I never thought we'd miss Mary Nwachukwu. I get it. I was wrong. Please get healthy, Mary!

The less I say about Amber Thompson's deplorable shooting and general inability to hold on to the ball, the better for all parties concerned. I love Amber to pieces, but she does have a tendency to make me want to throw things sometimes. And I'm not sure how she managed to snag 11 rebounds. But seriously, the less said the better. Briana Brown's metaphorical cojones grow brasser and tougher with every game. You're five-eight and not exactly stocky, and you're successfully defending Delle Donne, you might be a boss. She wasn't always on Delle Donne, though. Pretty much everyone took a shot at one point or another. Shenneika Smith got the bulk of that duty, and she did all right. I'm surprised her hands weren't up more than they were, given that much of her size advantage lies in those go-go-Gadget arms. She looked awful in the first half, but someone gave her a swift kick up the tush in the second half, and she looked a lot more energized. Maybe it was the three she hit to end the first half. Metaphorically speaking. I'm not sure you could get a three-pointer... yeah, okay, it's 12:30 in the morning, clearly my metaphors are getting away from me. Aliyyah Handford's stretch of free throw bricks drove me up the wall, but I can't complain about anything else she did. She was solid in the lane, hitting the boards, finding her teammates... she definitely didn't look like a freshman. Nadirah McKenith was Nadirah. I think she let the game get to her a little bit and tried to rush things, but I'll always stick with Nadirah as my PG in the clutch.

The defense on both sides was good; honestly, I think St. John's played the better defense, except in a couple of crucial situations. There were three or four times when Delaware would get multiple offensive rebounds, or St. John's would start to pull down a rebound and then Delaware would get on it. St. John's got low on the ball a lot, which was both good (steals) and bad (fewer deflections).

Officiating, as always, drove me nuts, but that's part of the game and you have to learn to deal with it. You have to know that a game will not be decided on a block/charge call- especially against a favorite. That's the one thing that surprised me about Nadirah- you're a senior coming up on your last semester, you should have a sense of how exactly the refs work. I guess she had faith in them to make the call. I wouldn't.

I gotta give credit to the kids from St. Nicholas. They really got into the game and even shamed the Delaware fans into ceasing to disconcert the St. John's shooters. (That's my berserk button as a fan. I learned how to disconcert shooters from fans who do it on the road, but that's one line I try not to cross. There's a difference between being a visitor and cheering for your team, and being a visitor and cheering against the home team. Do I break your dishes when I go to your house? Not unless you're hosting a Greek wedding.)

A few former Johnnies in the house: Da'Shena Stevens sat behind the bench, along with Tesia Harris (who might have been a wee bit conflicted, since she transferred from Delaware). I think Mercedes Dukes, who was on the 2006 tournament team, was sitting behind us, but I'm not sure. If she was: hi, Dukes! Nana's taking good care of your number, don't worry!

My enjoyment of the game was rather diminished by the alter kocker behind me who decided to start cheering for Delaware more loudly once my husband and I got more into the game. I don't appreciate being condescended to, and yes, I know my stuff when it comes to the women's game, so don't try to tell me Delle Donne stories. I know 'em all and I don't care.

I love the heart, I love the hustle, I love the defense, I love the passion, I love the never-say-die attitude. But I don't know if it can survive being crushed like this again and again. I don't know if I can.

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