Just the Facts, Ma’am: In a tightly contested game, it was East Carolina that came out on top, 66-63. Dominique Claytor and Thais Oliveira each had 14 points to lead the Pirates. Kamila Hoskova had 18 points in the loss.
For driving, tripping, so many games, local flavor, and things I’ve forgotten, join your intrepid blogger after the jump.
Sleep is of the weak. Basketball is of the strong.
Turnarounds don’t get much tighter than this; finished the notes on Seton Hall from yesterday and I’m already on my way out there again for the concluding games of the Seton Hall Thanksgiving Classic.
What is it about religion that makes people overshare in ways that would otherwise be considered socially unacceptable? There’s a woman singing hymns on this train and she’s been singing the same song for something like three stops. At least she’s singing along to her headphones instead of talking to people who seriously don’t exist, but if I wanted to listen to music on the train, I would have brought my headphones and my iPod.
It’s half an hour before the consolation game, which will feature Rider and East Carolina, and there are eight people in the stands. And I’m pretty sure two of them are school employees of some school or another. I don’t think anyone knows who’s got which bench, though we got to see East Carolina warming up, so we know they’re using the visiting bench, while Rider is using the home bench. Sometimes I wonder how those things are decided. Sometimes I’m too tired to care.
Someone here has a taste for country music, and I’m not sure if it’s one of the facilities guys or someone on East Carolina. I’m not saying I mind, I’m just surprised by the selection.
East Carolina’s warm-up shirts are even worse up close. Like, what are you supposed to do with that diagonal zipper? And why is the purple not quite right?
At halftime it’s 30-26 ECU. East Carolina has controlled most of the way, but Rider’s hanging tough. Foul differential is not helping the other Pirates.
There are a few of our Pirates in the stands. I am digging Shadeen Samuels’s jacket. She carries herself like she knows she’s got swag.
It’s nice to get external validation of my sense that the officiating is getting worse, not better.
Guys. Y’all really have to review whether a ball went out of bounds before the end of the half when the result is 0.2 going back on the clock? You can barely even do anything with that much time. It took longer to review it than it did to play it out (though not by much, since the initial inbounds pass actually hit the rim).
Well, that was an adventure. It was a close game, and it was certainly closely contested all the way through. I admire the guts of both teams, but there were a lot of times it bore more resemblance to amateur wrestling than basketball out there, and I have a problem with the officials letting that happen. We’re lucky none of the injuries in this game were serious.
Once again, Desiree Corbin: if you’re going to foul the shooter, make sure she doesn’t hit the shot. Cheap stupid fouls after the shot has been released don’t help anyone. She had to play some extra minutes with the injury to Dominique Claytor, and I don’t think that was the plan ECU’s coach wanted to go with. Tania Pierre-Emile got a couple of minutes and a nice backdoor lay-up with them. I’d have to check the box Score, but I think Destiny Campbell’s minutes tracked pretty closely with Desiree Corbin’s, though they were more effective (at least I will take a basket over a dumb foul). Mickayla Sanders was less physical than she was yesterday; she seemed to be backing off more plays and letting her teammates handle the rebounding. (And no, it wasn’t boxing out. I like boxing out.)
Raven Johnson was first off the bench in this one, sometimes very early. She had to sub that early in one half because of injury, but I’m not sure which one it was. Justice Gee did not have a good day- too many bad fouls, nto enough ball security. I can understand why she was benched from yesterday. Lashonda Monk is kind of tiny- for some reason, it didn’t seem so obvious yesterday. She was tenacious on defense, which sometimes worked out for her and usually ended in her getting called for a foul. There were a lot of fouls. SO many fouls. All the fouls on everyone.
I’m surprised Necole Hope’s mother (or other female relative who was on the floor yesterday when she was injured) didn’t get herself thrown out yelling at the refs. I know, I am the world’s biggest hypocrite in this regard, but I don’t stand up and yell at specific officials. The foul trouble really cut into her minutes, as did her inability to hit a basket. Yesterday’s game earned Ariyana Williams the start, and she definitely had the green light to shoot. She got off to a very strong start, with eight points in the first quarter, but outside shooters can be streaky, and there were times when her shots didn’t fall. There’s definitely something I like about Alex Frazier- she came up with big plays when her team needed them in the second half, whether it was the basket or the pass. She’s a strong leader for them.
Dominique Claytor bounced back from her injury in a hurry. She went down hard and spent a good chunk of time away from the bench (unfortunately, in double-headers like this, locker room facilities are not always fully available, so you get teams having to do medical stuff in the lobby). She really stepped her game up in this one, hitting the glass hard and intercepting passes. Her fourth quarter was huge in the win, and is probably what got her on the all-tournament team. Thais Oliveira had a good defensive game, blocking shots and getting perimeter steals. I didn’t think she had a jumper, but surprise, there it was from just past the three-point line. She occasionally needs to be yelled at to move into position, but that happens to a lot of players.
The Pirates really cranked up the defense when they needed to. They like to press, and they like to scramble, so they were able to force steals. Their style did come with disadvantages, like being over the foul limit in every quarter.
Rider tightened up their rotation somewhat in this one. I don’t think they subbed beyond Jaiden Morris in the second half at all. So let’s see if we can squeeze everyone into one paragraph. Taylour Jones showed some nice ballhandling moves on the crossover. Tracey Goodman had a nice steal and a block on Oliveira in the first quarter, though I can understand Rider going smaller in order to counter East Carolina’s all-guard sets. Daija Moses sneaked into the game sometime in the first half (the PA guy wasn’t as on the ball with sub announcements as he was yesterday, and I am also immensely more tired than I was four games ago) and did some work on the block. Bright-haired Jaiden Morris was an offensive spark off the bench for the Broncs, but more of her shots were contested than they were yesterday, and she couldn’t adjust her game plan. I think she’s got a lot of potential, though she’s got to learn shot selection.
Once Stella Johnson managed to keep out of foul trouble, she was pretty dang good. She threw up pretty shots in the lane and was able to draw contact. She had a nice steal and fast-break lay-up in the third quarter. I can see her value to Rider now that she’s not sitting on the bench with early fouls. Kamila Hoskova was able to consistently draw fouls and get to the line- her ability to penetrate and hit both shots and free throws fueled the Rider run in the third quarter that gave them the lead at the quarter break. She hit the floor a lot on those drives and going after loose balls on defense. Lexi Posset spent enough time falling dramatically on minimal contact that I think she actually got a formal warning from the official. She got enough of those calls that the East Carolina fans were up in arms.
Lea Favre did a good job of making the baseline cut and score. Rider was able to use her size more effectively than they did yesterday, using her (or at least the threat of her) to make space in the lane. Aubre Johnson started racking up the fouls early on, and ended up fouling out of the game, so Rider wasn’t really able to use her effectively.
Enough with the tripping, guys. Both teams were physical, but Rider was more dangerous. I’m not looking forward to them playing Iona.
And the officials let a lot of it happen. Again. We are so lucky that no one was seriously injured. I don’t know how long we’re going to be this lucky.
Surprisingly fun game. I thought Rider might pull it out at one point, but East Carolina did just enough to win.
Monday, November 27, 2017
November 26th, 2017: East Carolina at Rider (Seton Hall Thanksgiving Classic)
Saturday, November 25, 2017
November 25th, 2017: Jacksonville State at East Carolina (Seton Hall Thanksgiving Classic)
Just the Facts, Ma’am: In a fast-paced, defensive-minded game, Jacksonville State came away with a balanced 82-73 win over East Carolina. Taylor Hawks and Ki-Ki Patterson each had 13 points to pace the Gamecocks. Ariyana Williams notched 15 off the bench to lead the Pirates.
For names being the same, purple, passionate family, stomping the bleachers, doppelgangers, consistent inconsistency, and surprises, join your intrepid blogger after the jump.
Every Thanksgiving tournament with a hosting team must, perforce, have a truly neutral game. People are starting to stream out as Jacksonville State takes the court to stretch. Theoretically East Carolina should be here as well, but I don’t see them. I see their support staff and commentator types, but no basketball players.
I do like East Carolina’s purple. It is to my everlasting sorrow that I follow so very many teams and none of them wear my favorite color.
No, Quanny, you can’t play two. Jacksonville State has too many players on their roster to add you on anyway.
Remind me to bring the seat cushions for next game. My ass hurts so much. These bleachers are the world’s hardest wood.
East Carolina has arrived. I’m not entirely certain what they’re wearing, but it looks like a hoodie and a t-shirt had a baby and then neither of them actually wanted to claim it. I think one of the purple Pirates actually cut the hood off hers.
Oh, cool. Seton Hall has the name and number t-shirts/warm-up shirts, for even easier identification of your favorite Pirate.
Rider’s staying to scout. Looks like Seton Hall is relying on the coaches for that. They bailed at halftime.
Speaking of halftime, Jacksonville State is up 44-35 in what’s been an entertaining game. A lot of shots are falling short, but the defensive intensity is fun on both sides. The Gamecocks are getting key baskets from Ki-Ki Patterson, who leads the way with nine, and Brianna Perry. East Carolina hasn’t had anyone particularly stand out, but they seem to really need to go to the strong side to hit their lay-ups.
A small group of ECU fans has discovered the remarkable resonance of the bleachers at Walsh and is happily stomping on them at every appropriate occasion.
There’s a white tape X on one of the chairs on the Pirates’ bench and a smaller one on another. I’m not sure what the deal with that is. (Yes, at least in this game, ECU is using Seton Hall’s bench, making it doubly the Pirates’ bench.)
Well, I’m not going to say this was the greatest game ever played, but it was certainly fun to watch. Both teams got up and down the floor in a hurry, and both teams played high-pressure defense. Jacksonville State came up with the big plays more consistently, and that gave them the win.
(That being said, JSU’s coach needs to switch to decaf. I speak as an expert witness.)
Leah Strain has one of the stranger shots I’ve seen, and she shoots her free throw the exact same way she shoots her jump shot. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a free throw taken as a jumper before. She’s feisty on defense, though, and wouldn’t let up on the ballhandler. Taylor Hawks kind of sneaked up on the game, coming up big in the fourth quarter. Morgan Towells was one of two players on the court today who wore #1 and had a small-to-medium-sized Afro with a blonde tint; just to make life that much more confusing for your intrepid blogger, she was matched up with her counterpart, Alex Frazier, on both ends of the floor. She took a lot of hard hits- the Gamecocks were, as a team, extremely willing to take charges (they were somewhat less thrilled about getting called for blocks).
Chloe Long, in terms of build, reminds me a little of DeWanna Bonner, in the sense that it’s hard to believe a human can be that skinny and still be a top-tier athlete. She’s not Bonner, not by a long shot, but her length at guard gives the Gamecocks options- given how ECU was playing, she saw a lot of minutes at forward. Rayven Pearson is a whole lot of woman. She’s a very solid option down low on both ends of the floor, and East Carolina didn’t really have anyone who could match up with her; their post players were more the long, lanky type that could keep up with the fast-break offense, and the one bulky player in their frontcourt was a good bit shorter. Her ability to get to the basket and to clear the offensive glass is going to be a problem for anyone who doesn’t have a bruiser to counter her.
Gretchen Morrison’s foul trouble on defense kept her out of the game for long stretches, but JSU’s coach was able to insert her at opportune times when the Gamecocks had the ball, and she answered with timely corner threes. She and Strain sort of platooned. Ki-Ki Patterson got off to a strong start to get the Gamecocks rolling, and had a knack for quieting East Carolina. She was far better penetrating the paint than she was from beyond the arc. Brianna Perry had a nice little game- quick hands on defense and big shots on offense. I feel like I’m repeating myself a lot, but Jacksonville State was very balanced, and everyone really stepped up who played substantial minutes.
I’m not entirely sure how or why the player named on Jacksonville State’s roster as Tyler Phelion spent the day being called Coco, but, hey, I spent four years watching Centhya Hart for St. John’s, so I really can’t argue with a college kid choosing to go by the nickname Coco. She started off on fire, hitting their first two baskets, and did a good job of getting to the line. There’s something about her that suggested that if her team needed someone to step up and have a big game, she could be that someone. Tasha Magruder made defensive plays in the second half, deflecting passes and grabbing rebounds.
The Ohio Valley might be very interesting this year, if a team that hasn’t traditionally been one of the ones we hear about all the time is building something like this. I like their balance, I like their heart, and I like that they have a post player like Pearson that they can go to in order to disrupt the opponent. I’m trying to imagine an eeny-weeny guard like the ones UT-Martin used to have running headlong into Rayven Pearson. It doesn’t end well for the imaginary guard.
Necole Hope was the one who had the enthusiastic fans in the bleachers behind the Pirates’ bench (at least, I assume that was why one of them was allowed down on the court after she took a hard hit and hit her head- don’t worry, she shook it off, went back into the game, and made some big defensive plays). She’s got to be more careful with her fouls, but I like her defense. Ariyana Williams hit a couple of threes in the fourth to keep the game close, and was the recipient of many fouls (and thus many free throws). Lashonda Monk was busy on defense, which got her into foul trouble.
Tania Pierre-Emile saw a little time in the first half and more in the second, and set the nice screen that opened up Williams for her first three. I’m not sure if they normally use her more, or if there are reasons she wasn’t playing as much, but I think she could be good for them, to facilitate their shooters. Mickayla Sanders was really the only one out there with bulk, but given ECU’s style, that wasn’t terribly helpful. Destiny Campbell and Desiree Corbin each saw a few spot minutes that were mostly unremarkable, except when Corbin committed an incredibly stupid foul after a shot by Phelion. She got pulled shortly after that for a Teaching Moment.
Thais Oliveira would be so much better if she could do anything with her left hand. In the first half, she kept going to the right side, even if it meant crossing the basket through the defense. In the second half, she at least realized she had to try to shoot from the left side, whereupon we discovered why she doesn’t do that. It was bad. I sort of think I like her midrange pull-up, but I don’t know how I feel about centers having midrange pull-ups. She helps them keep the game moving, which helps. Dominique Claytor brings size as a guard, though ECU claims to run a four-guard set. She’s the closest thing they have to another forward, I guess. She had a nifty steal in the third quarter, and brought toughness to the floor.
Justice Gee has a pretty bad-ass name. She fueled the speed of the Pirates’ attack- they pressed, and they ran, and they kept the game very high-octane. It did not help the tattered remnants of my exhausted sanity that she matched up with her fellow #0, Taylor Hawks, whenever Hawks was on the floor. Too many players. Not enough nameplates. Please, coaches, put names on your jerseys. Alex Frazier played at full speed ahead at all times. It bit her in the ass a couple of times when she got called for really blatant charges- in case you were ever wondering why they call it a player control foul in college, you can pull up footage of her third and fourth fouls. I’m pretty sure at least one of them would qualify. Raven Johnson had a nice fast break play in the second quarter, with the steal and the lay-up, but otherwise I remember nothing about her.
East Carolina is certainly scrappy, and that’s the kind of team that at least manages to inexplicably cover against UConn, even if they can’t quite beat them. That’s the standard you’re going to be held to in the AAC if you haven’t proven you can do anything else, sorry to say.
Dear officials: can we please call fewer hand-checks and more hands to the face? Before someone gets seriously hurt? At least in this one they did eventually start calling much of the contact after two straight possessions where an East Carolina player smacked the back of her head on the floor. (Oliveira hit her head right before Hope hit hers.)
It was sort of fun to get distracted by spotting Seton Hall players in street clothes as they wandered in and out of the scene. The coaches tended to stay put more.
I’m intrigued by both of these teams, and I’m looking forward to their contrast of styles with their appropriate opponents. Rider’s physicality will probably not be welcomed, appreciated, or tolerated by East Carolina.
Sunday, November 19, 2017
November 19th, 2017: Temple at Iona
Just the Facts, Ma’am: In a defensive struggle, it was the Temple Owls who came out on top, 59-54, to spoil Iona’s home opener. Tanaya Atkinson had 18 points and 12 rebounds to lead Temple. Treyanna Clay’s 16 points led Iona.
For fundamentals, mechanical issues, short benches, long minutes, discount tickets, and defensive struggles, join your intrepid blogger after the jump.
Tomorrow I get to pass out. I tell myself this so I can survive the rest of the day. Being sick during basketball season is the opposite of fun. Today is opening day at Iona, as the Gaels host the Temple Owls.
Facilities folks are off to a slow start; concession stand is late opening, they’re short on scanners, and tickets didn’t start printing until after the doors opened. On the other hand, marketing is being proactive in making sure everyone has their posters and schedule magnets, and there’s even a souvenir stand set up in the lobby. Buy the shirt! Buy the shirt! (I might actually buy a scarf, if thie prices are reasonable.)
Someone is on crutches for Temple. I can’t see who, though. I’m guessing Alliyah Butts?
One of the Gaels knelt for the anthem. I think it was Ashley Martin, but I’m not sure. New favorite person on the team.
Well, the game hasn’t been a thing of beauty and a joy forever, but we’re up at the half on Temple, 22-19. The first quarter was 8-2, I think I reserve the right to make as many snarky remarks about the scoring as I want. Alexis Lewis has all the rebounds.
I forgot how rowdy the Iona crowd could get, even when there aren’t a lot of people and even without Damika’s family around.
Dance team has new uniforms. I approve.
Well, that game was a thing that happened. I don’t think either team should be particularly satisfied with it. Iona choked, but Temple had to come back from down 11 to a MAAC team that isn’t exactly great shakes. There was a lot of good defense played. There were a lot of good shots missed. It was not pretty, but there were a couple of moments when you could see how pretty it could be.
I thought Lena Niang brought an interesting dimension to Temple on both sides of the floor, but she made a critical mistake on defense that I think led to a three-point play, or some other golden opportunity for Iona. Coach Cardoza pulled her out, gave her a Teaching Moment, and that was the last we saw of her. Shannen Atkinson gave them good height and length, and teamed well with Tanaya Atkinson on defense. (I don’t know if they’re related. I should look that up.) Deja Reynolds had good reason to play angry after the elbow to her throat wasn’t called, and after that play she made her feelings about the officiating clear at every reasonable opportunity.
And then we come to the two shooters, the ones whose scoring and stroke in the second half was a good portion of how Temple made it all the way back. Emani Mayo’s three-point shot was smooth as silk, and she did a good job of getting open. Desiree Oliver was more about the midrange game, but I was more surprised (pleasantly in the basketball fan sense, unpleasantly in that she is doing it to my team) by her shot- for a player as stocky as she is, she moves very well and surprisingly quickly- she had a really nice steal and lay-up. That’s a nice pair of freshmen to build on.
I don’t know what the deal was with Mykia Jones starting and then promptly going to the bench. She wasn’t particularly anything, but it’s usually pretty hard to be particularly anything in two minutes. Tanaya Atkinson had herself a day- she came up with a lot of big baskets and big offensive rebounds in the fourth quarter. She was quick and opportunistic on defense. I was very impressed with her. Khadijah Berger’s one basket came in the fourth quarter, as part of the run that put Iona away. She brought defense. (Candor compels me to admit I’m intensely curious about the combination of a traditionally Muslim first and middle name with a last name that’s more often found in German Jews. Names are fascinating.)
Getting Mia Davis in foul trouble early was a big advantage for Iona. When she was in the game, she was able to score at the basket and protect the rim. Having her off the floor forced Temple to go smaller, which sort of worked out for them in the long run, but in the short run it allowed Iona’s forwards to make plays at the rim. (It would have helped if we could hit them. But we’ll get to that.) Breanna Perry had some looks, but kept throwing them up wildly. She had a couple of exchanges with teammates wherein one of them would miss the shot and another would miss the putback from the other side of the basket. Occasionally they would repeat this process.
I think this is going to be a rebuilding year for Temple, but I can see the foundation that Cardoza is building. If she can keep them all- and these days, that’s a tall task for any coach- this is going to be a very solid AAC team in the next couple of years.
Ashley Martin’s brief cameo was for the sole and express purpose of making sure neither Alexis Lewis nor Treyanna Clay picked up an extra foul. It was bad enough when Trey was going after the intentional foul when she had three, we didn’t need her doing something stupid like fouling out. Jayden Eggleston was mostly in as a stopgap- she stepped in when Trey was injured, and when we needed a spare set of fouls at the end of the game. Tilasha Okey-Williams had a stretch in the second half when we tried to go a little bit bigger and counter Temple that way in the paint. I think she needed to be a little more assertive on the floor. Rebekah Justice is a big girl. The pass to get her the assist was a nice enough pass, but it was a good look for her as well, so I’m not sure how I feel about the play. Amelia Motz was our primary option off the bench, and while I like her hustle and her scrappiness, she can be a liability on offense. I like her, but she’s got to work on her shot, either the mechanics of it or her willingness to put it up.
So, the freshmen. We have two of them starting, at least for the moment. Adrienne DiGioia has her jitters (the husband called them “the freshman OMGs” and I think I like that turn of phrase) but she shows promise as a steadying guard. I don’t think she’s ready to start, but our options are limited. (Gosh. It’s like you had a competent guard with a nice three-point shot who would have been a senior leader on the floor, Billie. Oh, yes, we’re going to fight about Phee all season.) Toyosi Abiola has a lot of raw talent and seems to be ahead of the curve in terms of conditioning for a freshman. She’s got to work on her ballhandling and the mechanics of her shot, but I love what she might turn out to be. (When she’s a senior, do we have to spell out the defense chant with a C?)
Alexis Lewis, I am shaking my head at you right now. You can’t see it, because you’re in New Rochelle and I’m not, but I’m shaking my head so hard. She had so many missed shots right at the rim in the first half that were wild off the rim, or the glass, or all-in-all not completely thought all the way through. I love the high arc of her three-pointer, and her never-say-die attitude towards rebounding, but she has to be more offensively consistent if she wants to succeed beyond this level. (I mean, okay, if she had better mechanics, she probably wouldn’t be in the MAAC.) Tori Lesko took more charges than I could count- three or four at least, not including the ones that were called blocks, or not called at all. I’d like her to be more willing and more able to shoot, but I think that can be learned; everything she’s shown indicates that she works hard, and if she puts her mind to it she should be able to do something about her offense. Her rebounding and defense are already there, and so is her vocal leadership on the floor. Ditto on that last for Treyanna Clay, who made sure that Adrienne was in position on defense more than once. She was the focal point of Temple’s defensive plan, and she too often chose to try to pass out of the trap, with dubious results. When she went up, she got buckets. I’d like to see her do that more.
Coach Chambers (it’s going to take a while to get used to calling her that) took every opportunity to pull her team aside to talk to them, whether it was during the first of two free throws, a stoppage to get some kind of biohazard off the floor, or a clock review. I love that communication.
(I also love the two bench players getting the defense chant started with the quickness. Still haven’t proven themselves worthy of 14 and 24, but they seem to have their heads on right, anyway.)
We got the benefit of the doubt on pretty much all the calls in the first half, even if the people around us immediately assumed any call on the Gaels was a terrible call and a sin. Things evened out a bit more in the second half. I still can’t believe Amelia didn’t get hit with a foul for that elbow, though.
Props to the video guy for putting together an intro video with footage from the two away games that opened the season. (Though one wonders if they had to pull one together in a hurry... yes, I’m petty, yes, I’m salty.)
It’s early in the season for both teams. I’m not sure what they’ve learned. I’m pretty sure Iona needs to bring in an assistant who specializes in fundamentals, though. I’m looking forward to the next game.
Sunday, November 29, 2015
November 29th, 2015: South Florida at St. John's
Just the Facts, Ma'am: South Florida scored the first basket, but St. John's had the last laugh, leading for 37 minutes in their 74-70 win over the 18th-ranked Bulls. Danaejah Grant led the Red Storm with 27 points, while Aliyyah Handford scored 11 of her 23 in the fourth quarter. USF's Courtney Williams led all scorers with 28, 25 of those in the second half.
For clutch seniors, athletic drives, sick passes, cheddar and sour cream Ruffles, rounding up the usual suspects, the ghost of Bonita Spence, weak free throws, Jersey drivers, and making big plays, join your intrepid and decorative blogger after the jump.
And now for something completely different, we're coming to you live in Smell-O-Vision from Carnesecca Arena on the campus of St. John's University, as the Red Storm host nationally ranked and erstwhile conference foe South Florida.
I don't know if I like the striping on USF's shorts, but I do like the numbers on their warm-up shirts.
Hot take: I looked at Maria Jespersen and almost blurted out, "Oh my God, they cloned Inga Orekhova."
Do your thing, Ninja Turtle girl at center court. Do your thing.
Shoutout to the trumpet tooting along with "Uptown Funk".
At halftime, St. John's is up 4, 31-27. The ghost of Bonita Spence has haunted this game, with five travels called in the first five minutes and other procedural calls scattered throughout. There may have been a shriek of "DAMN YOU BONITA" at one point in the first quarter. Lots of fouls, too. I don't agree with all of them, but there have been as many missed calls on St. John's as there have been bad calls, so I'll take the balance.
Shenneika Smith, she whose name is cursed in Storrs, is in the house, sitting in the VIP seats. She signed our flag. :D (And today is team autograph day, so we can add Akina and Jordan, too! Get ALL the Johnnies!)
This was old-school Big East basketball- punch and counter-punch, never able to escape the breath on the back of the neck but never quite being caught either, the stars shining and the support players coming up with big plays. Damn you, football greed and conference realignment!
Kitija Laksa hit a couple of threes early, which gave me the impression that she was a very dangerous shooter, but her looks were more contested later in the game. She's got good height for a shooter, and is more willing to rebound than the average outside player. Maria Jespersen mostly set screens and camped in the paint, so she's not a clone of Inga Orekhova. Shalethia Stringfield was fearless on both ends of the floor, which would eventually lead to her downfall and disqualification on personal fouls. I don't think Nancy Warioba actually saw playing time, but was instead just part of a complex substitution shuffle.
With big hair and seemingly endless enthusiasm, Laura Ferreira reminded me of Amanda Zahui B, but not in play style. She used her size on defense and hit a couple of buckets down low late. Alisia Jenkins looked ready to find her groove offensively in the third quarter, but couldn't hit the broad side of a a barn, and she had some very close looks at the basket. She's a damn good rebounder, using her height well to go after balls that other people can't reach. Katelyn Weber reminded us of what would happen if you put Katie Smith on a torture rack and stretched her head to toe. She was a bit gawky and awkward, which allowed St. John's to use less mobile defenders on her, but she did a little work down low.
Laia Flores might have gotten the start, but she barely played. She seemed to be more of a distributor and facilitator than active playmaker, and I think Fernandez was looking for someone to strike a spark, since Jenkins wasn't hitting. Courtney Williams got game. She reminds me a lot of Shenneika Smith, in terms of her body type and play style. She's a little more of a jump shooter than Shenneika was, but she's equally dangerous slithering into the lane or taking threes. She knows how to block shots, too- she went full Mutombo on one by Crystal Simmons. She was clutch for the Bulls, and had their run started a minute earlier, they might have been able to come all the way back behind her.
USF took a long time making subs- there were a couple of times when it was almost time to inbound the ball and a sub came jogging to the table. I was surprised how long it took them to adjust to the Red Storm's penetration.
Crystal Simmons came in for length on defense. She made a fantastic defensive play on Jenkins (granted, USF had a player there for the offensive rebound, but it was a break that Crystal made harder than it would have been). Akina Wellere came in to provide a little shooting. I think she's got a lot of potential to fit in this system- she just needs a little more polishing. Jade Walker played the bulk of the minutes at forward- she started the second half in place of Imani Littleton. Today she was feeling her outside shot more than her interior play, with mixed results. I like that she can change things up on the outside, but we need an interior presence, and the Marist game showed she can score inside.
Imani Littleton really looks like she hasn't found her place on the floor yet. I don't know whether it's just a lack of confidence or a lack of knowing what her role is, but I'm worried about her. She doesn't seem to be taking it well. Sandra Udobi still has trouble moving around, but she made some big plays down low, pulling down boards and getting to the basket.
Aaliyah Lewis got busted for a lot of procedural turnovers today- mostly travels, though one was a bad pass. She started off shooting well, but cooled off late in the game until it was time to hit free throws. Danaejah Grant was solid, putting up jumpers and driving the lane with equal facility. When she's on, she's on, and it's beautiful and terrifying to behold. Aliyyah Handford was driving the lane early and often, but driving more for the contact than the shot for three quarters. But when it came down to the crunch, she took over and made those shots count. She had three straight drives in the fourth quarter to counter the big plays Courtney Williams was making for USF.
For all the points Nae scored, her biggest play of the game was a rebound. Liyyah had finally missed on one of her twisting drives to the basket- but on a day when USF was dominating the boards, Danaejah came up with the offensive rebound. For all the points Liyyah scored, her biggest play of the game was a pass. You can see it yourself here, and you really want to: https://twitter.com/StJohnsWBB/status/671122558536826880
Lots of missed calls, lots of bad calls. I really expected better from this crew. The fact that many of the missed calls went in the Red Storm's favor is irrelevant to the discussion.
I approve of dancers with blue hair.
The turnout was disappointing, but given that a lot of places were still giving start time as 3:30, and given that the ticket office opened at least five minutes late, and given that facility staff was still sweeping up in the arena when the game was about to tip, I think the memo did not get out. Shame. We had a ranked team in the building, something that probably won't happen again until either DePaul or Seton Hall.
Big East basketball, man. It's a beautiful thing.
Sunday, January 4, 2015
January 4th, 2015: UConn at St. John's (Maggie Dixon Classic)
Just the Facts, Ma'am: UConn led all the way in their 70-54 win over St. John's at the Maggie Dixon Classic. Morgan Tuck had 23 points to lead all scorers, 17 of those coming in the second half. Breanna Stewart added 18 points and 11 rebounds, and Moriah Jefferson had 16 points and six assists. Aliyyah Handford led St. John's with 20 points.
For distance, defense, bad shots, lots of rebounds, pride, crunching numbers, and misplacing people, join your intrepid and drained blogger after the jump.
And here's the big match, UConn and St. John's.
We're currently in the intermission, where Maggie Dixon (may she rest in peace, at least until she sees a bad call from the heavens and lets the refs know) is being honored. Five thousand seems like a chintzy donation, though. Five thousand from each school seems more reasonable.
There are a lot of empty seats around us, but that's because of the genius idea to have the reception about Immaculata and Queens start at halftime of the first game and run into the first quarter of the second game.
My team! Why are you so far away, my team! *reaches out from the nineteenth row*
There are people behind me with a selfie stick. I am ashamed of humanity. Oh, God, I think they're recording a Vine.
Some genius did not tell the band where they were supposed to be, and some other genius sold those seats to fans, so now our band is out of position and I think they're a bit irked. Especially since the regular band section is utterly empty. Someone dropped the ball badly.
Look, guys. I get that I've technically been abandoned on the UConn side of halfcourt. But if you're wearing UConn gear, and you come over here to talk about the Liberty, I don't want to talk to you. I'm a St. John's fan, and I'm here to support St. John's, not to talk about the lack of news for the Liberty.
Why did Kym Hampton have to sing "God Bless America"? Did ESPN tell MSG they needed to fill a few extra minutes before tip?
At halftime, UConn is up 38-31 on St. John's, and I am not disappointed. We're taking some really bad shots and showing questionable shot awareness, but we're coming up with good defensive plays in the paint. Danaejah Grant has taken over scoring duties for St. John's with 13, after Aliyyah Handford started off hot. Moriah Jefferson is on fire with 14 points, both from long range and from navigating the paint like a boss.
The people behind us have turned out to be funny and knowledgeable, so I'll take it.
Lady in the pink UConn shirt, stop turning around and judging me. It's not my fault the Liberty season subscriber section is on the UConn side of halfcourt.
Here's the thing when you're playing UConn and you're not, like Stanford or South Carolina or a super double-plus elite team: you're not measuring yourself as much against the scoreboard as you are the schedule. Losing by 16 is always disappointing. But that's less than DePaul. Less than UCLA. Less than Duke. Less than Notre Dame. Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis looked bad. Aliyyah Handford looked good. The defense was sharp. UConn barely made 70. You take these moral victories.
UConn got very little from their bench, which surprised me. Saniya Chong's shot looked bad, and I'm pretty sure bad things happen to you at UConn if you go 0-2 from the line. Kiah Stokes was solid defensively and cleared the glass (she boxes out really well), but a non-factor on offense. Gabby Williams played briefly in the second half, but she did nothing memorable. Geno cleared the bench in the last minute or two, bringing on Courtney Ekmark, Briana Pulido, and Tierney Lawlor. (I will take this too as a moral victory.)
Kia Nurse looks pretty composed for a freshman. I think she might have gotten a little rattled in the second half, with sloppy passing and fewer good shots. Moriah Jefferson was on fire in the first half, as referenced above- she was driving the lane with the speed and deftness of a test course driver navigating obstacles, and when she wasn't going to the basket, she was hitting threes. Our perimeter defense tightened up a little bit, and she became more of a distributor. Morgan Tuck picked up the slack. When my team, or a team that I like, is not playing UConn, I love to watch Morgan Tuck work. She goes over that other shoulder beautifully. She doesn't take a lot of threes, but she has a knack for hitting them when she does. She uses her body really well. I seriously love to watch her play. Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis may have played her way out of the #1. She's a shooter, and when she's on, she's so good that you can overlook her flaws. But when she's off, you suddenly remember that she's a tweener on size, and doesn't defend well, and doesn't really rebound for her size unless her shot is going. You can't take a player like that as the top player in the draft. Breanna Stewart proceeded to remind everyone that she is tall, and not just a shooter, and not just a scorer. She worked well on the inside on both ends of the floor, defending the basket like Dikembe Mutombo in that Geico commercial. (Seriously. I think she had three blocks in the first two minutes of the second half. Penetrate, block. Penetrate, block. Penetrate, block. What's a learning curve?) The people behind us were praying pretty loudly that she goes to the Liberty in 2016, and I think I'd be okay with that. Well, except for either epic failing the 2015 season or for whatever trade we would have to conclude to get her.
One of the things that actually makes watching UConn games enjoyable is watching Geno make adjustments when things aren't working, because it's usually pretty obvious when he makes a change. But if anything, his team got sloppier and less attentive as the game went on. Maybe that was just fatigue, or disinterest, but usually they get that knocked out of them.
We actually got to see a little of Tamesha Alexander running the point, and I think she's the kind of PG who could grow on me. She's not much of a shooter, but she's good at causing havoc on defense, and she's a good distributor. Imani Littleton spelled Jade Walker whenever Jade, er, needed a teaching moment- she's got to hit her shots, but I think (and hope, and pray) that that will come with time. Crystal Simmons saw time in the first half to spell the dynamic duo, but she's got to hit her free throws, and she can't be afraid to shoot. All the athleticism in the world isn't worth a bucket of warm spit if you can't score. Joe threw up the white flag with about a minute and a half to go, putting in Kyra Dunn, Selina Archer, and Kimberly Spruill. I think the bench would have exploded, in a good way, if Kimberly had taken the three instead of passing off to Crystal.
Jade. Oh, Jade Walker. Bless your heart, because someone has to right now. Not that I don't love when she hits the little midrange jumper, but she was really off her game today. She got pulled a lot for short periods of time during which she got lectured. She was out of position a lot and let herself get pushed around down low. Amber Thompson started slow, but hit the boards harder in the second half. Tuck and Stokes did a good job of sealing her off. Aaliyah Lewis got her feet under her as the game went on, and I hope she was watching a lot of Moriah Jefferson's moves- that's the kind of player she needs to emulate if she wants to be successful. She was jacking a lot of threes, but given our lack of three-shooting, that's something we're going to see a lot of. Aliyyah Handford was hot early and hot late, making plays and getting some pretty boss rebounds. Took a lot of shots, but that's what she has to do for us. Danaejah Grant got good looks at the basket, and I think I might have liked seeing her do more from the perimeter and less in the paint, but I think she's hurting. Her stamina seems to have decreased, and she's backing off a lot of plays on defense. That worries me. But her shoulder worries me more.
Officiating was a non-factor, albeit one of dubious competence. But it was consistent. That's about all I've come to expect.
UConn's band is good. They only brought dance, not cheer, so we didn't get to see a lot of their best tricks; conversely, we only brought cheer, not dance, so we didn't get to show off some of our fancy moves.
I didn't expect to win. But I think we put together a respectable showing against one of the best teams in the country. I think we rattled them a little bit. I walked out of there with my head held high, and the St. John's on my chest clear and bright. I love my team.
Sunday, December 21, 2014
December 21st, 2014: Auburn at SMU (Chartwells Holiday Classic)
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Auburn withstood a second-half surge from SMU to come away with a 56-43 win. Khady Dieng led the Tigers with 14 points, while Kiani Parker added 11. Alicia Froling had 14 points to lead SMU; Destynee Hives-McCray notched a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
For chariot races, deathly quiet, skipping the cadence, displeasure, a taste of one's own medicine, jostling, and rebounds, join your intrepid and uninspired blogger after the jump.
Hello again, faithful readers! We come to you in stereophonic sound from beautiful Carnesecca Arena, where Auburn and SMU face off in the consolation game of the Chartwells Holiday Classic.
The teams have switched colors from yesterday. Auburn is in their home whites, trimmed in navy and orange, with orange shoes that are unfortunately more of a Volunteer hue. SMU has kept their two-tone blue Nikes and gone to their road blues, with a red stripe down the side and along the cuffs of the shorts. And I will stop channeling John Sterling now.
I like the Auburn-colored tiger-striped scarf the woman across from me is wearing.
At halftime, the halftime clock has not started and it's 35-18 Auburn. SMU has not looked good, and Auburn has gone pretty deep into their bench. Both teams have a lot of energy and are very vocal.
Kiani Parker took out the SMU radio guy. That's how badly SMU is getting beat- even the radio guy is getting his butt kicked.
We're still working out some kinks in the sound system. /crackle crackle squawk
Because Kiani Parker is apparently the source of all face-palm moments today: she blew a defensive assignment, and from somewhere on the Auburn bench there was a call of "Kiani, NO!"
Auburn's defense has forced SMU into two timeouts on the sideline. (Up to four at the end of the game. Rhonda Rompola has no faith in her team.)
No, seriously, it is stunning how little faith SMU's coach appears to have in her players. After they laid that egg in the first half, the Mustangs came out with five reserves to start the second half. Gabrielle Wilkins really rubbed me the wrong way- her on-court attitude was really obnoxious. Cocky on offense, disinterested on defense- this is a combination that is not going to make you any friends. Taylor Brame had a nifty basket on the inside in the first half, but she was most memorable for whirling the red rally towel whenever any of her teammates scored. She wasn't ready for it in the second half, when the starters were back in and Alicia Froling scored SMU's first second-half basket- she had to run to the scorer's table, get a towel, run back to her seat, and whip it around before sitting back down. Stephanie Collins never looked comfortable on the floor- she missed some easy shots down low and let herself get moved around despite her superior size. The freshmen guards, Mikayla Reese and Aurmani DeGar, were unremarkable. Raven Short saw extended time in the second half and seemed to be steadier than her teammates.
I really don't like Alicia Froling. She has some nice moves on the inside, but I'm not a fan of instigators, and she baited Tra'Cee Tanner right out of the game. She bothered me yesterday, and now I know why. Morgan Bolton didn't get a lot of time, or if she did, she didn't do much with it. Keely Froling stepped up after her sister fouled out, but was a late re-entrant into the game in the second half. Destynee Hives-McCray was a little more effective in this game than she was yesterday, getting inside and getting good looks, but she's got to hit those shots on the inside if SMU is going to rely on her. Kiara Perry came up with a couple of big shots, but was kind of all over the place on defense.
I don't know what happened in the SMU locker room at halftime. I don't know if I want to know. But there was some bad body language on that bench in the early going. And I don't think Rompola trusts her freshmen, and I don't know if the upperclassmen trust the underclassmen, or what the story is.
Small thing about SMU that bothered me: their small guards rarely crashed the glass, to the point where I was wondering if they were being told to hang back for the long rebound. Someone needs to tell them that those aren't guaranteed.
Auburn went deep into their bench in the first half and still played the high rotation in the second half. Starters were in where it counted, but the bench did a good job of holding down the fort. Cabriana Capers played briefly in the first half, and I don't know if she was ready- by the end of her run, she was pulling at her jersey. Big body, but not quite sure what to do with it. Asia Robeson had a couple of freshman fumbles out there, but looked good in the post. I love her potential. Hasina Muhammad has an awkward-looking shot, but was very disruptive on defense and rebounded well. I suspect her biggest concern is that she's too much of a tweener, size-wise. Jessica Jones played extensive minutes, including some alongside her twin, and while she was prone to freshman fouls, she was pretty solid. Neydja Petithomme ran the offense decently for long stretches, though I questioned some of her shot selection. Katie Frerking came up with a couple of good hustle plays in the second half, and I was amazed that her heave to beat the shot clock actually caught rim- it was better than her next shot!
Kiani Parker, as mentioned above, was the source of a lot of face-palms for her team. Top prize in that regard was getting into the game and immediately committing a foul on defense. She's a bit of a wild thang out there, not so much as a shooter but in general impetuosity. Khady Dieng played intense defense, sometimes too intense. She committed a lot of dumb reach-in fouls. That's something she's going to have to work on. I like her game, though. Brandy Montgomery was kind of up and down all through the game, making good plays and making bad plays. She got a lot of encouragement from her teammates. Jazmine Jones was unremarkable, though she kept getting hit in the head with the ball, once by her own sister during a scrum. Tra'Cee Tanner was solid on the inside, though she missed some makeable shots, and ultimately let herself get het up by Alicia Froling for the flagrant 1 that DQ'd her from the game.
Auburn's defense was solid, but they don't like being at the other end of the backcourt trap and the press.
So here's how it looked like it went down between Tanner and Froling: they were going at it in the post, and I remember thinking that the jersey pull by Froling would have been a ticky-tack fifth foul, but a foul nonetheless. Going back up the court to SMU's end, they were jostling each other- the usual kind of post tactics: shoulder blocks, hip checks, coming up against each other like the chariots in Ben-Hur as they came back to Auburn's side of the floor. I didn't see what Froling did, but she knocked Tanner enough off balance that Tanner flipped her lid and delivered a two-hand shove to Froling's back for the flagrant 1 and the fifth foul. Froling eventually fouled out as well, so I was somewhat relieved, but I felt like Froling should have been called for instigation, or whatever the basketball equivalent to that hockey term is.
Auburn has a lot of complementary pieces, but I'm still not sure that they have a go-to player to complement.
Saturday, December 20, 2014
December 20th, 2014: Indiana State at SMU (Chartwells Holiday Classic)
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Indiana State built a big first half lead and held off a second-half charge from SMU to win 64-55. Chelsea Small led all scorers with 20 points, adding a team-high seven rebounds. Gabrielle Wilkins led SMU with 13 points off the bench, with Morgan Bolton and Alicia Froling each chipping in 10.
For stark contrasts, blue shoes, rebuses, families, rebounding, social obligations, runaway headbands, aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand twins, join your intrepid and referential blogger after the jump.
Two! Two games today! Pretty much everyone has left, though, since most folks in New York really don't have any strong connection to SMU and Indiana State. Some Johnnies are roaming the crowd. I think Jade Walker has family here.
Our Buffalo Bulls are still here, grooving out to the sound of the music.
Jade Walker with a small child breaks the cuteness scale in ways I previously thought only Ashley Battle could manage. (No, fingers, Ashley Walker breaks a different cuteness scale, just ask Natasha Lacy.)
Perhaps appropriately enough, Jasmine Grier is rocking the flattop. I also approve of Racheal Mahan's team-blue ponytail.
We have a few fans here for each team, and I salute them. One of the Indiana State shirts is about as Exactly What It Says On The Tin as possible: an image of the state of Indiana and the word State. Kind of like a rebus.
Though they arrived late, I think we were sitting behind Morgan Bolton of SMU's parents. They cheered for everyone, but the guy's camera was tracking her pretty closely when she was on the floor.
At halftime, Indiana State is up 37-17, and to be honest, it should probably be more. SMU does not look good. Indiana State is rebounding very well, and I'd like to see them go inside more. Chelsea Small looks really good. (Buffalo, like many people in the crowd, left at the half.)
Indiana State rolled pretty deep, a thought that terrifies me for tomorrow. Cierra Ceazer seemed like the odd woman out, in the sense that while she was excellent offensively, she didn't seem as inclined to crash the boards as her teammates were, and there was a lot of board crashing going on. Jasmine Grier of the awesome flattop had a very complex shot, which didn't go in as often as she would have liked, but she was tough on the boards and had a huge block in the first half. Alexis Newbolt brought a little bit of offense as part of the first line of subs in both halves. We saw a little bit of Lashonda Littleton on the boards. You'd think I'd remember a player who had four turnovers, but I don't remember much about Kelsey Dirks. She might have been the one with the happy feet, though. Rhagen Smith popped some pretty jumpers.
Natasha Zurek and her face mask showed toughness and poise running the offense. Rachael Mahan and her rocket-contrail hair worked the boards hard and got buckets on the inside. Stephanie Wittman left no impression. Travecia Franklin got herself in foul trouble late in the game, and I feel like I should remember more of what she did. I was very impressed with Chelsea Small, who showed stroke both inside and outside, as well as rebounding moxie.
Indiana State crashed the boards hard and consistently. Pretty much everyone was either rebounding or boxing out. I love it. I would love it more if we didn't have to face them tomorrow.
SMU also went deep into their bench, running some interesting three-guard sets once Destynee Hives-McCray got into foul trouble. Gabrielle Wilkins played big minutes and caught a brief case of what Mike Lupica memorably referred to in his novels as Wanna Be The Man disease- late in the game, she kept taking the shots, even when she didn't have the best shot. Maybe this is normal for her and for her team, but it wasn't working. Stephanie Collins had a rough first half, but seemed to find her feet in the second half, using her height to disrupt Indiana State's plans on the inside. Taylor Brame was a big body in the middle, but possibly not one at 100%- she spent one timeout being intensely stretched. Variations on the three-guard set included Mikayla Reese in the first half and Aurmani DeGar in the second half, with mixed results- Reese was ineffective, while DeGar followed a sweet basket with a dumb foul.
I didn't just like Morgan Bolton because I was pretty sure we were sitting behind her parents. She stepped up big in the second half, even if she did get stuck holding the bag for the intentional fouls at the end of the game. She had a nice pass to Wilkins for a three. Destynee Hives-McCray makes too many fundamental mistakes for a redshirt junior, but she's a strong presence on the inside- when she's in the game. Foul trouble forced her out, and I was impressed at how SMU adjusted without her. Kiara Perry had distractingly bad handles for a guard- a guard consistently losing her dribble is a pet peeve of mine, and one of the few I tend to notice with guards. I do not like Keely Froling and her elbows. I like Alicia Froling's shooting, but I don't like her elbows either.
There are a lot of freshmen on SMU. There is a bit of a learning curve. The first half demonstrated what happens when a team full of freshmen runs headlong into a team full of seniors. The second half demonstrated what happens when a good coach takes those freshmen in hand.
Officials were solid but had some bonehead mistakes. When the SMU parents in front of you are side-eying the jump ball call in SMU's favor, and when they say it should have been a lane violation on Froling, you might have missed the call. They were also odd with the travels, calling shuffles and spin moves, but not football-style drives. (I am also curious if Cynthia Brooks is related to Denise Brooks- they look a lot alike.)
I am intrigued by both of these teams, and glad that they came out to New York.
Thursday, December 11, 2014
December 11th, 2014: UCF at St. John's
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Aliyyah Handford scored nine of her 15 points in the game's first five minutes, and Danaejah Grant had 14 of her 20 in the second half to bookend a 62-48 win over UCF. Aaliyah Lewis (12) and Jade Walker (11) also finished in doubles for the Red Storm. Aliyah Gregory led UCF with 19 points, 17 in the second half; Zykira Lewis added 15, 13 in the first half.
For bookends, bad halfcourt shots, tiny guards, Brooklyn rage, exuberance, so many ways of spelling Aaliyah, fellow travelers, and freshman mistakes, join your intrepid and cold-nosed blogger after the jump.
Good evening! Well, if you have been subjected to the tender mercies of the MTA, you might not think it's such a good evening, but there's basketball to watch and good company to be had, so there are worse ways to spend an evening than at Carnesecca Arena to watch St. John's take on UCF. (I will let you know if Tari Phillips miraculously materializes.)
There has so far been no Tari, but there have been a slew of transit delays; only the fact that there were scoreboard issues that led to the game's start being delayed allowed me to get in in time for tip. And I know it was bad, because Amber's mom was just as late as I was, and Amber's mom takes games seriously.
So far the moment of the game is Zykira Lewis Parkouring her way up the wall and grabbing the railing after overrunning a defensive play. Other than that, it has not been a particularly pretty game. Aliyyah Handford had the first nine points and two quick fouls for St. John's, and it's been a trial by fire for the freshmen ever since. Aaliyah Lewis has nine points as well, including the last three of the half on a trio of free throws. Zykira Lewis has 13 for UCF.
I love my team, but we're playing like idiots tonight, we really are. Fortunately, having Danaejah Grant and Aliyyah Handford makes up for a lot of stupid mistakes.
UCF made a lot of subs, though I wonder if it's all relative- compared to St. John's, I imagine most people make a lot of substitutions. They're tall, long, and fast, but they lack a bit of finesse.
Yanique Gordon rebounded hard, with elbows out. Bryeasha Blair was mostly in situational free throw situations. Stephanie Taylor brought height and length that she used defensively. Jordan Jackson almost seemed to sneak into games, given that I think I only heard her name announced once. Andrea Hines crashed the lane hard for a guard of her size.
Fifi Ndour has nice instincts on the boards and handles the ball very well for a player of her height. Her shot needs a little work... a lot of work... but she's a freshman, this is what you expect from freshmen. Zykira Lewis was fast. I like her game. Plus, there's that whole parkour thing. At least I think it was her. I was still settling onto my bleacher when it happened, and I got the vague impression of a guard with a blonde streak in dark hair. Aliyah Gregory took over the offense in the second half, with her jumper falling and the occasional drive down the lane. She's another long, lean, tall player that UCF can build on if she continues to develop. Brittni Montgomery was tall and noticeable, but not statistical. I suspect she was boxing out. We ended up calling Erica Juarbe "Brooklyn Rage" for most of the game after she got into a mild disagreement with Danaejah Grant on a contested ball. I think I would like her ferocity if I were a UCF fan.
We saw a lot of the freshmen guard-type people with the foul trouble Aliyyah Handford dealt with. The results were mixed, to say the least. I like Tonoia Wade's approach on defense when she's playing it- like many a freshman before her, she's not always sure where she's supposed to be. And the makeup bothers me a little bit (or if she's not wearing makeup, someone hit a genetic lottery of some kind). Crystal Simmons played at both guard positions, missing her shots badly and looking lost on defense. Tamesha Alexander ran point for a short while, and I think I would have liked to see her be more assertive on offense in that time. Kyra Dunn pulled down rebounds! (instead of tapping all of them out) She's got to finish on the inside when she gets golden looks, though.
In general, we need the bench to step up. I know they're all newcomers, and in time they might be a cohesive unit, but they have to learn first.
Oh, Jade Walker. I think Jade is adorable, inasmuch as a broad-shouldered six-foot-tall woman can be adorable, but she's remarkable at getting into foul trouble. She commits stupid fouls, I will give the officials out, but sometimes I think they see her on the play and instantly assume she committed a foul, even if it was a clean play, even if it was a foul by a teammate. She stepped up on offense in the second half with long jumpers and a pretty finger roll off a lookaway pass from Danaejah Grant. Aaliyah Lewis ran the offense in the first half like she had left her brain in Tampa, throwing dumb passes into the long-armed coverage of the Knights' defense or throwing passes to places her teammates were not. On the flip side, it looked like a lot of people were out of position on offense; Jade and Danaejah each had a play where Aaliyah threw a pass where they were supposed to be, and they weren't. But tiny Aaliyah came up with big threes and drew two shooting fouls on three-point shots, plus a filthy crossover to get herself a clear lane for a lay-up. This game showcased one of her liabilities as a PG, though. Amber Thompson was not quite as ferocious as we've been used to her being, but she was still tough on the inside and seemed to get stronger as the game went on. Aliyyah Handford started off hot for St. John's, got in foul trouble, and was off and on throughout the second half thanks to more fouls. In a way, that's good; Liyyah needs all the rest she can get, since she's not going to get much of it from Coach. Danaejah Grant rebounded like a beast in the first half, then brought the offense along the baseline for the second half. We needed her.
I'm going to take a moment and marvel at the sheer joy Aliyyah plays with. She's got a sile on the court, and she's just as happy when she gets the sweet pass to her teammate for a basket as she is when she coes up with the basket herself. I can't believe I never noticed before. I hope she keeps on keeping on like that. (And also, on the topic of Aliyyah doing awesome things, she hit her 1,000th point tonight.)
The officiating was much more inconsistent than I would have expected from this crew. I've seen all these refs before, and though I expect very little from Fatou Cissoko-Stephens, I expect better from Kathleen Lynch and Bryan Brunette. (Also, Cissoko-Stephens needs to sharpen her hand signals- she's not very clear when it's a shooting foul versus an offensive foul.)
Sigma Chi Beta got in late, but they got there. Love the support they're showing. 6th Man made some noise tonight too. When they're in, they're in.
Intense halftime game today.
As long as we have Aliyyah and Danaejah, we're going to pull out games against lesser opponents, or at least have them provide the base and have the other starters fill in around it. But we're going to need more than that come Big East season. January 2nd is no joke. (It's all kinds of awkward, but it's no joke.)
Sunday, December 22, 2013
December 22nd, 2013: California at Connecticut
Just the Facts, Ma'am:: Breanna Stewart outscored Cal by herself for long stretches, and UConn romped over the Golden Bears 80-47. Stewart finished with 29 points and 10 rebounds. Morgan Tuck had 12 off the bench; Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis added 10 points. Brittany Boyd and Hind Ben Abdelkader each had 9 to lead Cal, which shot 29.9% for the game.
For bricks, exploits, one-woman wrecking crews, high school alumnae, unwanted cheese, and a bit of pep in your step, join your intrepid and time-pressed blogger after the jump.
We're at halftime of Cal and UConn right now, and Breanna Stewart has a slender lead on the Golden Bears, 21-20. Unfortunately for Cal, there are 19 other Connecticut points to consider, and they're being doubled up 40-20.
I'n not a big UConn person, but their arrangement of "Light 'Em Up" is on point.
If Cal could shoot, this would be a serious game, but Cal couldn't shoot and I couldn't write too much at the half because the people next to me were kind of jerks and I ended up having to collect my pen and tickets from various parts of the Garden floor. You have no idea how much I dislike that Ohio State fan right now, you really don't. Even less than my usual disdain for Ohio State, I dislike that guy.
Lindsay Gottlieb went to the end of her bench earlier in the second half than UConn did, so we got a couple of minutes of Avigiel Cohen (nice little drive) and KC Waters (that's a big player there). Brittany Shine went in earlier and put together some decent minutes. Mikayla Lyles is a very substantial guard. Justine Hartman took up space in the middle and put in a pretty hook in the second half. She didn't seem to fit in with the rest of the very fast, very bouncy team. Kyra Dunn was pretty solid.
Reshanda Gray started the game off pretty hot, but like many of her teammates, she had severe issues with actually putting the ball in the basket. She gets good position, but she can't finish. This is not a recording yet. Courtney Range didn't seem to do anything, but there were rebounds. I've always had trouble with rebounds on teams that aren't mine. Hard to tell bodies apart when I'm not used to them. Brittany Boyd seemed to think that she could solve all her team's woes. Sometimes, you have to learn when not to shoot. She missed all kinds of shots: hard shots, easy shots, fast breaks, everything and anything. Her hands were exceptionally fast on defense, as she wrestled away plenty of loose balls from Connecticut players, but that didn't quite make up for the lousy, abhorrent shooting. Afure Jemerigbe always seemed to be in the middle of the play, but like her teammates, shooting was an issue. Hind Ben Abdelkader seemed to be the only Cal player with a fundamentally sound jump shot, even if it didn't go down very often. The folks around me were impressed with her, though that might just be because she didn't look as bad as the rest of the Bears did on offense. I still have to remember this is a very young team, but I can't help but feel that Gottlieb might need to bring in an assistant who specializes in fundamentals and mechanics. Cal's got the athleticism, the drive, and the instinct, but they don't have the skill- but skill can be learned.
We did not get to hear the alternative pronunciation of Briana that Briana Pulido uses (it does amuse me that Breanna, Briana, and Brianna are all pronounced ever so slightly differently). We did see Tierney Lawlor can a late three like it was nothing. She's got a real pretty shot. She could probably be in the rotation anywhere else in the state of Connecticut, but there are basketball players in the state of Connecticut who would rather be walk-ons at UConn. I sort of get it. I don't necessarily agree, and I think that mentality is bad for the game, but I understand it. Morgan Tuck seemed to be under orders to practice the midrange jumper- late in the game, she took three of them in a row, to go with the threes she hit earlier. She doesn't look like she should be taking threes, but they work. She's also physical underneath. I like her, and I know I'd like her more if she weren't a Husky, and I recognize that bias within myself. Kiah Stokes didn't get into the game until the second half, but she played well defensively once she was in the game. Saniya Chong looked a little tight- I think the Cal defense got into her head. Either that, or she felt the pressure of the contingent from Ossining staring down at her from the endcourt every time she came back to her side of the court. They cheered very loudly for her and even bought a Sweet Spot on Gardenvision to wish her luck. Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis technically didn't start, but given that Geno brought her in before the first basket was even scored, and given that she started the second half, I think that was just a technicality. I think everyone held her breath when she went down on the elbow again, but the brace held. For a change, she wasn't just a three-point shooter- she brought other offense as well.
Bria Hartley missed a lot of easy shots, but demonstrated a fair amount of speed. This was the kind of game where people who think she should get drafted high will point at her physical gifts and people who don't think she should be drafted high will point at the mistakes she made, and everyone will walk away with the same opinions that they had before. Stefanie Dolson was limited because of early foul trouble, and by the time the number of fouls wasn't an issue, she was no longer necessary. Moriah Jefferson (whose first name was repeatedly butchered by the PA announcer, either as Moira or Moria (like the mines where lots of dwarves died), for the entire first half) was very quick and took a lot of hits to land hard on the ground. She had a gorgeous find of Dolson down low on a drop pass that a lot of players might have taken up themselves. Brianna Banks did work on the boards, and I like seeing her do well; it wipes out the memory of her writhing on the floor at St. John's. And then there was Breanna Stewart, who pretty much did all the things with the kind of cavalier... grace isn't the right word, neither is attitude, but in a manner that made it look entirely too easy. She had a baby hook that I rather liked. She took threes. She blocked shots with authority. She rebounded. I don't know how to put into perspective how good she was without just saying "she did everything", but that's the quickest way to sum it up.
After some dicey non-calls in the beginning of the game- one of the Cal players kept receiving hands to the face- things settled down, officiating-wise. Not that that would have been a concern in a thirty-point blowout. We were somewhat disappointed that Geno left Dolson in so late, but I've seen a lot of UConn games; I know that sometimes they have to leave a starter in just to make sure the deep reserves don't run the score up.
I don't think I'm ever going to develop a true tolerance for UConn fans, especially not in arenas I consider to be mine, but at least they spend money. It is what it is. :/ I'm tired of seeing UConn blowouts, though. Step your game up, y'all. If a team like St. John's can go toe-to-toe with UConn for a couple of years, teams with way more talent can do it. Okay, so UConn was down a player each time, but they were close games! There's only so much of the glorified practice I can take.
Sunday, December 1, 2013
November 30th, 2013: Rutgers at Texas Tech (Barclays Invitational)
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Rutgers raced out to a big first half lead and held on against Texas Tech to win the consolation game fo the Barclays Women's Invitational, 61-52. Tyler Scaife had 18 points to lead the Scarlet Knights, with Kahleah Copper adding 14 and nine rebounds. Audrisa Harrison and Jasmine Caston each had 11 for Texas Tech.
For mottos, rebounding, sweet fast breaks, winces of pain, and the never ending Rutgers fight song, join your intrepid and impatient blogger after the jump.
Basketball never stops, and neither does your intrepid blogger. It's only six or seven blocks from LIU to the Barclays Center, so after sandwiches and cheesecake at Junior's, we walked from the Turkey Classic to the Barclays Invitational, pleasantly surprised to find out that our tickets were in fact ready during the Texas Tech-Rutgers game. We missed the very beginning, but at halftime it's 36-25 Rutgers. Tyler Scaife has 12; no Lady Raider has more than four.
Another game of bad shooting, in which the urge to shout "guns up, UR DOIN IT RONG" grew ever stronger with every blown offensive rebound. Rutgers does that to teams, but they really need to not do it to themselves. On the other hand, Rutgers fans should really be used to it by now. Coach Stringer's been there for how many years? Brought in how many defensive-minded athletes who can't or won't shoot to save their lives? Relied too much on a single player to do all the scoring while everyone else passed the ball around? I used to be a Rutgers fan. I know what I'm talking about.
Syessence Davis sparkled off the bench. Her hands were very active on defense, and she hit some big shots in the second half. She rebounded well as well. Precious Person has somehow, inexplicably, along with Essence Carson's number, inherited Essence's inability to recognize the longer three-point line, despite the fact that Essence only figured this out in her W days wearing a different number. I didn't say it was logical. Christa Evans gave some minutes when Rachel Hollivay got in foul trouble, and with an offensive foul proved why she hasn't been getting minutes. Ariel Butts was solid in the middle, setting picks and screens for her teammates to get around and pass the ball to each other through.
Kahleah Copper took the worst of a hard collision with Amber Battle and came up holding her back, walking as if she wasn't sure how the whole walking thing should be working. She got back into the game and proceeded to continue hitting shots, so it wasn't as bad as it looked. (Either that, or she's made of iron, not Copper.) Rachel Hollivay earned the eternal rage of the people behind us for repeatedly missing chippies- she didn't have a field goal in the second half until something like the last two minutes of the game. She made up for it with her resounding blocks down low. Betnijah Laney rebounded well, but couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. The red sleeves make her stick out (yes, I know they have to be the same color as the rest of the uniform, but they become more noticeable when they're red). Briyona Canty couldn't get her shot to fall, but made a couple of nice defensive plays. Tyler Scaife looked fantastic. I think she got the start, but I'm not completely certain. Her passes were slick and quick, and she drove the lane well. In the first half, she looked like the only Rutgers player who wanted to score, which makes sense, given that she's a freshman and therefore hasn't had the idea of offense being anathema drummed into her head yet.
Whittaker changed things up a little bit with the posts, going more with the Schneiders (even before the injury to Shauntal Nobles). Haley Schneider missed entirely too many shots that a woman of her height has no excuse for missing. Ivonne Cook Taylor got into the game and immediately launched a shot. I'm starting to think this is her game. Diamond Lockhart's speed seemed to get away from her- she was a little out of control. Jasmine Caston brought the offense in the second half, firing up threes to keep Texas Tech close.
Shauntal Nobles was rebounding well on the inside before a stray forearm caught her in the face and left her holding a towel over the vast majority of her face as she came off the court after being stuck in an awkward kneeling position for quite some time. It looked like she suffered a badly broken nose, but she was back on the bench (in a new jersey) by the end of the game, though she never went back in. She wasn't able to get her shot to go down, but she corralled a lot of offensive rebounds. Audrisa Harrison was a master of drawing contact and getting to the line. She didn't end up with a lot of shot attempts, but that was because she ended up at the line so often. Minta Spears went inside more than she did in the Michigan game, but that might have been because her threes weren't falling. She took a hard tumble into a couple of the flimsy chairs in the first row. They went down like dominoes. She was the one who insisted on fouling when Texas Tech was down double digits with thirty seconds to go, and those us in maize and blue were just waiting for the game to be over so we could get on with our late tip. Amber Battle's shot wasn't falling, though she was able to get decent shots off, but she rebounded well and got into defensive position. Marina Lizarazu was still taking too many risks, but had her game more under control than the other day.
Rutgers will always make a team play out of control, make them freak out, make them hesitate at the wrong times and hurry things up at the wrong times. Texas Tech fell right into that trap. Only the three-point shooting kept them in the game, and when those didn't fall, they were doomed.
I wasn't thrilled with the officials, but not to the extent that the Rutgers fans were. Of course, they're never happy with officials.
That was a good bounceback game for the Scarlet Knights. They needed a good game, and I think they also needed Scaife to assert herself more for the team's future. She's a talented, creative guard, and she needs to stay that way.
Friday, November 29, 2013
November 29th, 2013: LSU at Rutgers (Barclays Invitational)
Just the Facts, Ma'am: It wasn't pretty, but LSU came away with the 69-65 win over Rutgers at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Raigyne Moncrief led LSU with 27 points, including 15-20 from the line, seven rebounds, and seven steals. Rutgers was led by the 16 points of Kahleah Copper. The teams combined for 51 fouls and 51 turnovers.
For ugliness, purple hair, point guard leadership, emphatic fashion statements, and a pass whizzing by your head, join your intrepid and inexplicably hungry blogger after the jump. Why do I want jammy dodgers?
ALL THE BASKETBALL.
On to game 2, LSU and Rutgers. To be fair to the Rutgers fans, a fair amount of them got here for the first game. Lots more of them arrived in the middle. It's confusing to see lots of people in red for a team I no longer cheer for.
There were entrance videos for both teams, but no stats. I'll take that as a fair exchange, because I was starting to get a very strong feeling of having been an afterthought, and if you're going to schedule a tournament double-header, it's uncouth to make one game seem like the undercard.
Essence Carson is in the house, in an extremely dashing black longcoat.
Oh, hey, we have stats now. So Michigan and Texas Tech get entrance videos tomorrow, right?
This was not a pretty game, to put it mildly. Entirely too many turnovers, many of them unforced passes to the third row or fumbles (I'm pretty sure Kahleah Copper committed a buttfumble, but with her own butt, not her teammate's). A distinct lack of court awareness from both teams.
Jasmine Rhodes impressed me off the bench for LSU. For a guard of her size, she's not afraid to drive the lane and hit the boards. She had a good eye for going after her teammates' missed shots (and dear lord were there a lot of missed shots). Derreyal Youngblood was plenty happy to throw her weight around down low- she got lucky she didn't get called for an elbow on one play. She could stand to trim down a bit, but she's tough. Shanece McKinney came in to clean up lots of missed shots and get rebounds late in the game, as part of the offense/defense substitution. Anne Pedersen, I think, was supposed to be a shooter, but that didn't go well. She looked out of place on a lot of the plays.
Jeanne Kenney has no fear of anything. I think she hit the deck hard four times and got up ready for more. If the ball was loose, she tracked it down, even if it was in the third row. She's a steady hand, both with the ball and with her teammates. There was a point late in the game where Raigyne Moncrief had missed two crucial free throws and looked like the pressure of the Rutgers fans and the closeness of the game were getting to her. As soon as she was on her way back from missing the second free throw, Kenney came over and talked to her, as if to tell her to brush it off (at least I assume that was the meaning of the hand across the headband). Theresa Plaisance missed entirely too many easy shots for a player of her size. A 6-5 post player should not be throwing hooks over the basket. When she got her shot, it was beautiful, and she had spectacular speed on her first step spin move. But she needs to be consistent if she's going to be a serious prospect. (Really, though the daughter of a coach should know better than to bring the ball down when there are guards around.) Rina Hill got point guard duties a lot, and I don't know if she's ready yet. Maybe there was some miscommunication on the plays, but her passes were not going where they were supposed to be going.) Sheila Boykin either didn't play a lot or was really unmemorable when she did. I think Caldwell felt she needed to bring more size with McKinney and Youngblood against the big Rutgers posts. Raigyne Moncrief put on a show. She's still very raw and needs some mechanics on her jump shot (as in, any, at all, in some variety, because oh my God she looks like a spider when she leaps on the jumper) but she moves like someone took Allison Hightower and plugged Marie Ferdinand's speed into her. Her vertical is spectacular, her reflexes like lightning. She slices to the lane beautifully- if she can get a mechanically sound, or at least reliable, jumper, she'll be unstoppable. She'll need to bulk up a little if she wants to survive in the pro game, though. And yes, the fact that I'm saying this about a freshman this far ahead says a lot.
Tyler Scaife has the fancy moves- the wraparound pass to Briyona Canty for the lay-up was a thing of beauty- but I don't know if she has her coach's confidence yet.. I mean, she's only a freshman and it's only November, so maybe that'll come with a little more time, but it still seems odd that someone else is bringing the ball up if she's on the floor. Precious Person gave decent minutes in the first half, though she didn't play much in the second, part of a questionable series of coaching decisions by Coach Stringer. Christa Evans got first half minutes as well, picking up a basket and some picks. Ariel Butts is very, very loud. I think she's the only person in the arena who actually screams louder than my dashing reporter. She most definitely did not approve of her fouls. Alexis Burke missed two free throws, was pulled, and that was the last that was ever seen of her.
Betnijah Laney rebounds spectacularly well, which is probably why she's listed as a forward, but her shot is all kinds of funky. I like her hustle, but shes' got to work on her aim. Rachel Hollivay brought some resounding blocks, especially in the second half, but Coach Stringer seems to be riding herd on her by pulling back her minutes when she gets fouls- I think she sat the entire rest of the first half after picking up her second foul. Kahleah Copper has one reliable move in he paint, and she'll keep going to it as long as she can. It worked very well today- it seemed like she was always heading for the offensive glass. Briyona Canty seemed to be the focus of much of the offense- it looked like more plays were designed for her than for Copper, though Copper ended up with as many shots. Syessence Davis was very active on defense, even for a Scarlet Knight (and you know that's saying a lot with Rutgers's defense and ability to generate steals). Quick hands and fast feet- she made a lot of LSU turnovers happen.
Offensively, this game was a clunker, even in the second half when things loosened up a little and people actually started hitting lay-ups. It wasn't just good defense, except in the most abstract sense. There were a lot of bad passes and bad mechanics- I don't think more than half the players in that game had proper form on their jump shots. If you want to blame the bad offense on the good defense in the sense that both teams were in each other's heads and therefore they were rushing everything to get the ball up before someone else got their hands on it, that's a fair argument, but I think it's more likely that these are two defensive-minded teams that don't place a high priority on offensive flow. Not quite North Carolina, but right up there. Down there. Whatever.
Neither team was happy with the officials, and given the number of fouls called in this game, I can't say I'm surprised. It got very physical out there. I can't be sure any of those fouls were unearned, to be honest.
Rutgers fans were very loud. They didn't even wait for musical cues before starting the fight song. At least we waited.
Points to Nikki Caldwell for not going the obvious route in wearing team colors- her dress was tiger-striped. Also, points to Coach Stringer for her imposing longcoat- not quite as impressive as Essence's, but still extremely cool.
For the sake of everyone who has to watch basketball tomorrow, I hope both teams got the ugly out of their systems today.