December 9th, 2017: James Madison at St. John's

Just the Facts, Ma’am: St. John’s broke open a close game in the third quarter to beat James Madison, 81-64. Akina Wellere led four Johnnies in double figures with 18 points. Kamiah Smalls of James Madison led all scorers with 19 points.

For snow, delays, the real MVP, apple cake, getting the gang back together, partying like it’s your nerdy birthday, ball movement, and three pointers, join your intrepid and chilled blogger after the jump.

I know these people, right? St. John’s has been too long away from home, but the girls are back in town for a match-up against James Madison.

JMU has a very nifty bus. Of course, I can question why they bussed up from Virginia, but hey, y’all do y’all.

Pro tip to public safety: the first snow day of the season is not the day to start setting up security late, dither over the proper placement of bins, and open the doors almost fifteen minutes late. Y’all have done this before, can y’all act like you’ve done this before?

Getting the gang back together: Sky Lindsay (who works for ESPN3 and the BEDN) is chatting away with Da’Shena Stevens and Shenneika Smith over by the St. John’s bench. Pass the ball, Sky.

I’m not sure how I feel about Andrayah Adams in an undershirt. It’s not the most flattering look for her.

I’mma need my band family to get here in a hurry. People are starting to take their seats.

Somebody’s horn just made the most godawful squealing noise, and I’m really glad it’s only warm-ups.

Shenneika, if you’re going to wear suspenders, admit you’re wearing suspenders and don’t leave the loops hanging by your sides like you’re expecting someone to hook something to them. I see you. I SEE EVERYTHING.

I’ve never actually been at a game where someone forgot the words to the anthem before. And it wasn’t like he was doing a great job of it before flubbing the line, either.

I don’t want to say that the cheer clinic kids behind me didn’t care about the game, but they bailed as soon as their performance was done. They didn’t even wait until halftime. Heck, they didn’t even care about the t-shirt toss. I mean, jeez, y’all.

Chuck a duck is back! New charity is Go for the Goal, which probably explains why every spirit group has a junior version and why anyone who could swap out their laces has the gold laces. (I presume the inability to swap shoelaces is why most Johnnies have them tied around their ankles.)

38-30 St. John’s at halftime. Uncharacteristic number of three-pointers. We’ll see if we can sustain it in the second half. JMU relies on good ball movement, and our defense has been able to negate that.

I’m not happy with the minutes the starters put in in the fourth quarter- and for that matter, that goes for both teams. Sixteen points with two minutes to go seems pretty safe, since I don’t think anyone is going to pull one hot minute again, and if they do you have time to sub out the bench players.

(There is a man practicing bagpipes on the platform at 75th Avenue. Why is there a man practicing bagpipes on the platform?)

Either Aneah Young’s shot was really off today, or it's just that bad and she’s convinced herself that it’s good. It wasn’t. I think it was the first shot she took where we left her wide open, she hesitated, then decided to shoot a three and proceeded to slide it down the far side of the backboard. Going from Kamiah Smalls to her was definitely an offensive downgrade, to the point where Coach O’Regan skipped her in the rotation for much of the second half. Tori Harris got the call in that spot in the third quarter (though Young would enter later). My first impression of her boiled down to “long, lanky, and eager”- she seemed to be desperately trying to prove herself on defense. She got her buckets in the fourth quarter, one on a straightaway three and one on an easy lay-up. Logan Reynolds did a lot of running around out there, and made a nice defensive stop to curtail a Red Storm fast break.

Kayla Cooper-Williams is very tall and very slim, looking a little bit fragile and a little bit foldable. She’s very raw, and I seem to remember an ACL in her past; if that’s accurate, that could explain the hint of timidness to her game. She pulls down boards well, and knows how to use her height in that regard- there were two or three that she just pulled out of the hands of shorter Red Storm posts like she was the claw in the toy machine. But wow, was her shot a mess of hot garbage. Someone has to work on that with her quickly. Devon Merritt backed up Kelly Koshuta, and brought a little more low-post physicality than Koshuta did, including a neat seal of Imani Littleton to leave Lexie Barrier open for a midrange shot.

I’m not used to Hailee Barron doing something that isn’t shooting a three. She was such a specialist early on her career, but she’s developed other facets of her game over the last four years, and as a basketball fan, that makes me happy (and makes me take note of Kenny Brooks and Sean O’Regan as coaches). She was scrappy on defense and had a good defensive board. I keep thinking Lexie Barrier should be a defensive stopper because of her name, but she was more offensive-minded in this one, slashing to the basket. If she’s going to take as many threes as she did in this one, though, she’s going to need to practice them a lot more. Kamiah Smalls was the star of the show, stopping and popping and often driving. Ballhandling was a little suspect, but our defense does that to people, so I’d want to see her against a less defensive-minded team than mine before judging her on that. She’s not the scoring superstars of old that JMU once had, but she’s a damn good offensive option.

Kelly Koshuta has a surprisingly nice outside shot for a player of her height and build, but I don’t know that I’d use it as often as she did in this game. Yes, it stretches the defense, but she might have been as or more effective down low, especially with the foul trouble our posts were in. (We’ll get to the foul trouble later.) Tasia Butler barely played, and I don’t know what the story was with that. I’ll have to ask a JMU fan about that.

I liked JMU’s ball movement- yes, we were able to frequently disrupt it, but that’s our specialty. When we weren’t able to disrupt it, it was crisp and effective.

I’m starting to understand why Joe has no confidence in Kayla Charles. I’d really like to see her develop, but she’s got to understand that there are going to be other people her height, and maybe even taller, on the floor. She doesn’t seem comfortable with that, and she doesn’t seem to know how to play them. This is a problem. This is especially going to be a problem if Imani and Maya are going to get in foul trouble every game. Alisha Kebbe brought defense, and briefly joined the three-point party, but was otherwise quiet. (Too quiet.) Andrayah Adams alternated picture-perfect three-pointers with wild drives that ended in wilder shots, the very definition of “no, no, yes!” I’d still like to see more improvement from her on defense, especially if Joe’s going to have to go to crazy four- and five-guard sets, but she’s getting there.

(seriously, Joe, we were up no less than fourteen the entire fourth quarter, you couldn’t have let Sox or Machi give Tiana or Kina a break?)

The more of Maya Singleton I see, the sadder I get... because I would have liked to see a whole lot more, but she’s a junior college transfer so we only get two years, and that makes me sad. I love me some Maya. She rebounds ferociously, she’s not the worst dribbler in the world, and she can score at the basket. Once she got going, she wasn’t going to stop going. Imani Littleton got into early foul trouble, and between that and the one missed chippie, I don’t think she ever really found her rhythm. I get the sense- and it could be completely off base- that Imani spends a lot of time in her own head, and for the next four months or so that’s not a good thing. For the rest of her life, it absolutely is, and I appreciate that sense of deeper self about her.

Rough game for Qadashah Hoppie, the first I’ve seen her have. It wasn’t so much that she was out of sync than it was she didn’t seem to fit in this lineup. She needs to step her defense up, and not just her on-ball defense, if she’s going to fit into our defensive schemes. Tiana England scaled back her “where offense goes to die a strangled death” tendencies- and when she’s zipping the ball around, shock of shocks, the offense actually works. She had a couple of nifty passes to Akina Wellere (and to hear her tell it, there should have been more!) including an early backwards bounce pass that set Kina up for three. It’s really good to see Akina in her offensive flow. When her three is falling, she has much more confidence in the rest of her arsenal, and that’s when the drives start falling, and everything in her game just kicks up another notch. She made some bad decisions that had me going, “Kina, why did you do that?”

I don’t think the three-point shooting is sustainable, but it’s fun to watch.

Officiating. Hoo boy. I’m tired of the multi-body scrums not being called, and the ticky-tack hand check fouls being called. I let them have it a few times, to the point where I think the one guy I liked the least (Farlow, I think?) heard me. (After a whistle finally went our way, I maaaaaay have said something along the lines of “Blessed glory hallelujah, you finally got one right!” And he may have said to one of his colleagues, “That’s what I wanted to hear.”) I think the things they’re being asked to emphasize are not the things that are inherent to the integrity of the game and the safety of the players.

Getting the band back together, the junior edition: after the game, spotted Sandra Udobi and Mallory Jones chatting with Ashley Perez, who’s working at James Madison.

Autograph day! Decided to go for the flag because that was the shorter run and I thought I had a D&D game to go to (turns out our sorceress canceled and I hiked my butt to Sheepshead Bay for no good reason). Complimented Tiana’s passing, and she said thank you, and that’s when she asked Akina why she drove on a particular play. I don’t know the context, but while I was still back in the line, I heard one of them ask, “Did you lose your words?” I heart my team so much.

The Fordham game is going to be more awkward than I thought, but I’m looking forward to it anyway.

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November 17th, 2017: William & Mary at St. John's

Just the Facts, Ma’am: Five players scored in double figures in the Red Storm’s 92-81 win over the Tribe of William & Mary. Qadashah Hoppie and Akina Wellere each had 21 to lead St. John’s. Abby Rendle led all scorers with 22 in the losing cause.

For volleyball, communication breakdowns, lots of false advertising, musical taste, pizza pizza, and a surprising amount of kvetching for a win, join your intrepid and sick blogger after the jump.

Good afternoon, loyal, or perhaps just masochistic, readers! Your intrepid blogger comes to you live and in stereophonic sound from Carnesecca Arena for an atypical double-header. Fortunately, I know diddly-squat about volleyball, so you’ll be saved from full-fledged GNoD about the match between St. John’s and Xavier, but that doesn’t mean you’re not going to start out with at least a few bits and pieces.

There’s no security or ticket-taking or anything for volleyball. If I’d known that, I would have smuggled in some sandwiches or something. Or, at the very least, not prepared to go through the metal detectors. We’re at less than eight minutes to go before the match starts, and I’m literally the only person on the bleacher side of the arena. I’m not quite in my usual spot, though, because the volleyball benches seem to be the same as the men’s benches, and I feel like it’s rude to sit across from the opposing bench.

I find the exchange of warm-up time to be fascinating. I guess setting up two nets and having each team playing essentially halfcourt would be impractical. Everyone seems to go for five to ten minutes, then rotate to let the other team have their turn, and then they chill on the bench while the opponent practices, and I wonder how much you can learn from that.

The shorts really are short. The Under Armour shorts seem to be tighter than the Nike shorts.

Huh. Volleyball has a different PA guy. I mean, unless the regular basketball guy is out and this guy’s the sub.

Oh, cool. Volleyball has an intro video too. I wasn’t sure if that was a thing in volleyball. During intros, the players throw what I’m guessing are stuffed or inflatable mini-volleyballs into the stands.

And they get “Thunderstruck” too! Well, that just makes sense.

Game’s about to start- see you in a couple of hours!

Heartbreaker of a match- Xavier took it in five sets. Now I get to watch Carnesecca being set up for a basketball game and deconstructed from a volleyball match, which is sort of interesting as long as they don’t kick me out.

Volleyball is a game of chaos and misdirection, and there are times when it can be glorious. I still don’t understand all the stats.

The players stretch after the game, which I thought was kind of interesting.

Not to say facilities are a bit limited, but I went to the bathroom between sets and almost got run over by Danisha Moss on my way out. (Shoutout to the dude who gave me the extra big cup for my ice cream.)

Okay, St. John’s, we need to have a discussion of what the word “doubleheader” means. And what start times are. And what 43 degrees and windy means. If you make the exceptionally stupid decision to have a free event to start a doubleheader, and the even stupider decision not to engage security or printed tickets for said event, you have to live with the consequences of that decision. You don’t get to advertise it as a double-header and then kick people out into the cold after the volleyball match. That is not cool. Whoever decided to run this as a doubleheader made a bad decision; whoever decided to clear the arena between events should be roasted over an open fire. Why should people who chose to take full advantage of their ticket be penalized?

Also, quelle surprise: the schedule magnets that are supposed to be today’s in-game giveaway weren’t ready when the gates opened half an hour before tip. Which is, y’know, half an hour late. But, hey, you can get a men’s basketball poster! Or a volleyball

And oh, hey, let’s not open the concession stand! Because the concession stand in the main lobby is open! On the other side of the guys with the ticket scanners, so if you’ve already scanned your ticket, well, we didn’t want to take any more of your money than necessary.

The free food from the volleyball game seems to have had maybe a 20% retention rate among the students, and even that I’m not sure about. So, well done: y’all took the students out of the stands for the fifth set, when volleyball could have used them, and still couldn’t keep them for basketball.

I swear, if it weren’t for the fact that I love these kids and my band family, I’d dump St. John’s like the bad habit that it is. But Sox would be disappointed and the kids are sweet. So I stick with this clown show.

Band has moved into the student section in the endcourt. I guess they figured they might as well use it if the students weren’t actually going to show their asses up.

I see you rocking that bowtie, Shenneika. Cute socks, too.

Yes, it is time for basketball, and as I type these words here come both St. John’s and William & Mary.

I said it’s time for basketball. Clearly St. John’s missed the memo. It’s 36-35 William & Mary at halftime. Our defense is there, and pressing, but we really don’t have an answer for the height of Abby Rendle and we can’t hit the broad side of a barn. I think someone put a lid on the basket, so maybe switching sides will help.

Ashley Taylor for the Tribe has really flashy kicks, green with metallic gold highlights. So does Nari Garner, and I could have sworn she had different shoes in the first half.

That was way closer than it should have been. We’ve got to do better on ball security. We got sloppy in the fourth quarter, and William & Mary brought the press. We should have been ready for them, and we weren’t. I think we took them too lightly.

Nari Garner got off a couple of good long range jumpers, and I’m pretty sure those flashy kicks of hers served as a distraction on one inbounds play. Chandler Smith played a super short time in the first half- big body, I’m surprised she doesn’t see more time backing up Rendle. Misha Jones was the unwitting, or at least unwilling, instigator of a sequence that helped St. John’s answer the Tribe’s run: she committed two fouls on and-1 plays, the second on the rebound from the missed free throw on the first. Libby Underwood was reasonably quick and had a nice-looking shot. Gabby Rogers had a big block in the second quarter, but I forgot to record who she did it on, mea culpa.

There’s something I like, or at least find compelling, about Bianca Boggs, and I can’t quite put my finger on it. She did have the big block on Andrayah Adams, but I think I noticed her most spearheading the pressure in the fourth quarter, forcing those turnovers right under the basket for easy, easy baskets. I found her lanky frame eye-catching, for whatever reason. Nyla Pollard should have been more careful with that forearm, even if I have to admit that was a pretty bad acting job from Maya Singleton. She seemed awfully fond of the floater in the lane, even when it was not the best shot for the occasion. Jenna Green did a nice job of penetrating the lane for midrange shots, especially in the fourth quarter.

Abby Rendle did a great job of making herself a target down low. She boxed out well, and was able to use her height to great advantage against the shorter St. John’s posts. She’s not the greatest rebounder, but she was able to help her teammates control the glass. I don’t know if anyone in the CAA has the height, or the defensive skill, to properly stop her. Victoria Reynolds grabbed the rebounds that were thence made available to her. Like many of her teammates, she had a big block, this one on Alisha Kebbe. She did a lot of work on offense in the fourth quarter, picking up the loose balls off the press.

I could do without some of the yelling and theatrics from the Tribe’s coach, but I’ve dealt with worse.

Kayla Charles played a couple of minutes in the first half, did nothing with them, and looked lost on defense. I can’t say I’m surprised Coach didn’t go to her in the second half, though I wonder what he would have done if Imani had fouled out after Maya fouled out. Alisha Kebbe was first off the bench in the first half and got the second half start. I don’t know if she didn’t start because of some kind of disciplinary thing, or if Joe wanted to reward the hot hand from last game, or if he’s trying things out. It doesn’t seem to be working as well as he would like, though she did pull off the alley-oop catch-and-shoot-and-score (not quite as spectacular as the Jewelly-oop, but still pretty awesome to watch). Qadashah Hoppie had herself a night, hitting threes at dramatic moments, finishing through contact, and just generally being awesome. I’m starting to believe the hype. I know there’s a wall, and she’s going to hit it one of these days, whether it’s because the grind gets to her or because teams cotton on to her existence, but I’m going to enjoy Q doing awesome things while I can. (Today’s edition of Qadashah admiration includes her footwork- she’s always up, almost never back on her heels.)

I still don’t think Akina Wellere is ready to be the focal point of the offense, or at least the opposing defensive scheme. She got caught under the basket one too many times and coughed up the ball. She showed signs of offensive life in the third quarter, when she was more assertive and went to the basket more. Andrayah Adams had the three-ball going when she was left open, and I do agree with Akina passing up the open two to give her the look from three, but her defense wasn’t up to par, so I understand why Joe benched her to start the second half. I don’t know if the stall-ball problem is with Joe or with Tiana England, but watching our point guard pound the ball into the ground for ten seconds (or literally holding it under her arm, on one possession) is not my idea of a good time. One or two more shots going down for William & Mary, or one less good defensive stand, and milking the clock goes sour in a hurry. I understand nursing a lead, especially with as short a roster as we have chosen to go with and as limited a rotation as Joe has chosen to use, but there is such a thing as taking it too far. I’d like to see Tiana be more confident in her shot, and I’d like to see her put it up somewhat earlier in the clock.

Speaking of a perceived lack of confidence, I’m starting to worry a bit about Imani Littleton. She was never the most potent of offensive weapons, but whatever ability to put the ball in the basket whenever she is close to said basket seems to have eroded during the rehab from her ACL. She’s just throwing it up there, with no rhyme or reason to it. When those first couple of shots don’t go down, it takes a lot for her to be willing to start shooting again, which results in her making passes. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t, and I think a good defense will ensure that they get picked off more often than they turn into assists. It’s always seemed like there was a lot going on inside her head, and it’s hard to really get in there, but I think the knee injury shook her more than she might want to admit. Maya Singleton appears to have been an attendee at the Seventh Avenue Block Party; she’s picked up a lot of Kiah Stokes’s shot-blocking style. This is a good thing. She was fantastic. I’m really bummed we only get her this final year; I would have loved to get to root for her four full years. I love her fierce rebounding and I love her shot-blocking.

I couldn’t yell as much as I wanted at this game. (Put it this way: I feel like such crap that I look so crappy that a guy with a baby carriage gave up his seat for me on the train.) And plastic bleachers aren’t as resonant as the wooden ones at Walsh. But we made do. I mean, don’t ask me to talk to anyone for the next couple of days, but like Gloria Gaynor, I will survive.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a player get called for being the person hit with a forearm to the, ah, chest. (I may have asked the refs how they managed to miss Andrayah being sexually harassed.) I like Norma Jones’s new hairdo, though.

Andrayah looked like she would rather eat her own liver than identify “Party in the USA” during the “Name That Tune” segment.

Note to self and/or whoever orders meals for the team: judging from the list of toppings she fired off, Sox almost certainly digs the meat lover’s pizza.

There’s a disconnect somewhere at St. John’s, whether it's between the athletics department and public safety, between athletics and facilities, or between athletics and the outside vendors. That bothers me. I retract some of the frothing rage from earlier in these notes, but I still think there are some institutional problems with the way St. John’s is running the program. That goes deeper than basketball, or style of play. That’s the kind of thing that makes me question why this school is the one I build my schedule around.

But, hey. Good win?

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November 3rd, 2017: Hofstra at Fordham

Just the Facts, Ma’am: Hofstra led by as much as 17 in their 55-46 win at Fordham. Aleana León had 20 points on 7-7 shooting to lead all scorers, adding a team-high seven rebounds. G’mrice Davis led Fordham with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Lauren Holden added 16 points, 14 in the second half.

For improvising, rebounding, raw freshmen, a lack of concessions, blonde hair, international players, and arguing with wi-fi, join your intrepid and hectic blogger after the jump.

If you don’t hear from me by the end of Sunday, that’s probably because I’ve passed out and I’m drooling adorably into the keyboard. I’m off to Fordham right now, for their fundraiser against Hofstra. I was going to stay for the second half of the double-header, but instead it’s D&D night down in Sheepshead Bay, and then it’s off to South Orange. And I did laundry this morning. I’m just that good.

It takes rather a while to get to the Bronx from southern Queens. That jackass with the “the train is going nonstop!” schtick was back again. Dude, I’m not saying you’re wrong about Trump and police brutality against people of color, but you’re not going to make friends scaring the hell out of people on their way home. We also had a candy vendor and a panhandler.

We are here. Concessions are not. Officially the exhibition is free, but there was a suggested donation of $10. Since that was what I was planning to donate anyway, I took that suggestion, but not until I could get a twenty broken by a friendly Hofstra fan.

Bre Cavanaugh seems to have taken inspiration from Layshia Clarendon. That is a lot of very blonde hair.

Samantha Clark looks strange in street clothes. I barely recognize her.

I think between these two rosters we have a dozen countries represented. International basketball, eff yeah!

At halftime, Hofstra is up 27-14. Aleana León has 14 to lead the Pride, perhaps unsurprisingly inspired on account of being Puerto Rican and this game being a fundraiser for hurricane relief/recovery in Puerto Rico. G’mrice Davis has seven points and eight rebounds for Fordham. The Rams seem to be working the freshmen into the game more than I was led to expect from pregame conversations. It has had mixed results, to say the least.

Rose Hill’s acoustics are good enough, and I’m close enough, and it’s quiet enough, that using the Seattle “BRICK!” on opposing free throw shooters is drawing the “what the hell is that noise?!” looks back from three of the Fordham bench players.

Dance team is at half speed, from the looks of it, but I might also be spoiled.

I’m really not comfortable with Fordham insisting I download and install something to access the wi-fi. I mean, it’s better than St. John’s, but that’s not saying much.

I could kill for a soda right now. Y’all really couldn’t open up concessions an hour early for this game? I want to give you money, Fordham. Why do you not want me to give you money? SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY.

The Rams came up with a spirited comeback in the second half behind their captains, but they missed too many shots in the clutch and couldn’t hold on to the ball if their lives depended on it. If you’re going to rely on G’mrice Davis to the extent it looks like Fordham is, everyone’s got to be ready to come help when the double and triple teams come down on her. I don’t know if the freshmen understand that, and if they do, whether they’re ready for it.

Hofstra seemed to have it a little more together, but I think that might be the experience talking; even sophomores have that year under their belts that freshmen don’t. Coach Kilburn-Stevesky wasn’t afraid to let the officials know what she thought about G’mrice Davis in the paint, and I’m not saying she’s wrong, but I’m also not saying that she wasn’t getting pushed around down there either.

Petra Krupenko was mostly in to be a warm body when Hofstra was juggling some foul trouble. Ditto for Mie Hoff, who was in and out in the space of a possession. For guard minutes, Hofstra mostly went to Sica Cuzic, who demonstrated a distressing knack for good timing- the two shots she hit were a three (that I thought she was over the line on) to end the first half and a driving lay-up to end the third quarter. She’s a little pell-mell, but she’ll do. Sandra Karsten provided a little back up in the post positions, usually for Ashunae Durant, but was unremarkable.

Ashunae Durant drew the unenviable task of primary defender on G’mrice Davis, and made G’mrice’s life pretty miserable in the post. There was holding, and there was grabbing. She had a lot of wild shots miss at the rim, but I don’t blame her for being tired. Marianne Kalin was solid for the Pride, with nifty turnaround moves over her shoulder that shook off the less experienced Fordham defenders, a knack for rebounds, some good (if borderline legal) screens, and big help defense on G’mrice.

Maybe this was just a good match-up for Aleana León. Maybe it’s just a coincidence. But she had herself a day- I didn’t realize until I looked at the stats that she literally didn’t miss a shot. She was on fire early, keeping pace with the entire dang Fordham team for most of the first half. She cooled off a little in the second half, but stepped it up on defense as if to compensate. She had a big block on G’mrice Davis that was awesome on one hand and a little embarrassing for G’mrice on the other. E’Lexus Davis had a couple of back-and-forth sequences with G’mrice as if they were trying to prove who the superior punctuated Davis was. (I mean, duh, it’s still G’mrice.) Olivia Askin seemed to be a three-point specialist, judging from the shot she hit and the shot that she was fouled on. She was quiet, but that might be by design. I think I’d need to see Hofstra again to determine that, and that’s not in the cards this year.

Ralene Kwiatkowski was inserted briefly in both halves, and her shot looks pretty, but it went all kinds of places, none of them the bottom of the basket. I love the defense Zara Jillings brought off the bench. She was all over loose balls and making really good plays on the ball. I like the quickness of her three-point release, but she needs to work on accuracy and range- it was pretty short. Kendell Heremaia brought a change inlineups when she came in, because she was usually subbing for the center Halei Gillis. I like her toughness, but she still has a lot of rough edges to work off.

Halei Gillis, on the other hand, might be made up of more rough edges than actual potential at this point. You’re not supposed to sawhorse your own teammates, Halei. She’s a big body, but she’s got to learn how to use her size. She’s physical, and not in good ways. I don’t know whether I want her to tone down the physicality or get more assertive on offense. Someone’s also got to work on her free throw motion and get that double-pump out of it. It’s heinous. She got benched to start the second half, and I can’t say I blame Coach Gaitley for making that swap. G’mrice Davis needs to stop leading with the forearm, because she’s going to get called for it and it’s going to keep her out of games at the wrong time. She als oneeds to improve her footwork. I was impressed with her ballhandling, though, and when she decides to take the ball to the hole, it’s going to take two or three defenders to stop her. Fordham’s going to be painful to watch this year, but she’s worth the price of admission. I was also impressed with Johanna Klug- she needs to work on her defense and her conditioning, but I like what she brings to the table on offense. Nice shot, good hustle.

On one hand, I don’t necessarily think Lauren Holden needs to be launching those three-pointers from Cape May. On the other hand, when they go down, they have a tendency to go down in bunches, as they did in the third quarter, and that gets both the team and the crowd going. I kinda get the feeling she and G’mrice aren’t on the same page when it comes to where G’mrice wants to get her passes- G’mrice had to reach awkwardly for a couple of them, but I’m not sure if it was Lauren’s pass or G’mrice’s positioning that was off. Bre Cavanaugh definitely looked like she was in her first game in over year. She was slow to her spots, she threw up a couple of airballs, and she committed intensely stupid fouls. I know she has to be smarter than that- Cal’s a good school, and Fordham’s no slouch academically either. But she looked bad out there. I really hope that was the worst game of her collegiate career and it’s only going to get better from here.

A fair amount of contact was allowed on both sides. Both coaches had their issues with the officials, and I’m not saying either of them was wrong. I suspect that if the game were called completely by the book, both G’mrice Davis and Ashunae Durant would have fouled out in the middle of the fourth quarter. I’m not entirely certain Johanna’s footwork is as bad as the officials made it out to be (most of her turnovers were on travels).

Does Fordham not actually have any cheers beyond the basic “DE-FENSE!” chant? Because the cheerleaders didn’t really seem to be into it, and I don’t know Fordham’s traditions well enough to start anything myself. If it’s another round of them saving themselves for the men’s game, I might be a tiny bit annoyed (which these days seems to be my baseline state).

I think it’s going to be a long year for both teams, but I can see potential for both of them next year. But maybe we’ll have a better idea of what’s going on later in the season.

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December 21st, 2016: James Madison at St. John's

Just the Facts, Ma'am: Down 10 at the half, St. John's stormed back in the fourth quarter to beat James Madison, 74-63. Jade Walker had a team-high 16 points, supported by the 14 points and 13 rebounds of Imani Littleton. Precious Hall had a game-high 22 points for JMU.

For ugly sweaters, foam fingers, point guard energy, defensive lapses, offensive sparks, battening down the hatches, and the hot hand with the Cali chill, join your intrepid and proud blogger after the jump.

Good morning, for lack of a better phrase. It's time for the annual exercise in masochism and team pride: Field Trip Day. Yes, surround the childfree people with thousands of screaming children. This is a good idea.

(Why don't I skip them? Because there is a game and my team is playing. Honestly, ask a stupid question.)

At halftime, James Madison is up 36-26. Precious Hall went off in the second quarter for all 14 of her points. We are not being coached well. The offensive game plan has been stagnant; the defensive game plan went from brilliant to WTF in the course of a single substitution. Joe does know that he can't jake it for the old alma mater, right?

Seriously, though. Precious Hall had 0 points in the first quarter, mostly being guarded by much larger players. She had 14 in the second, mostly being guarded by our more skillful defenders. Gee, what do you think was working?

I can't believe the grit of this team in the fourth quarter. It's night and day from how we started the year against Duquesne, and I'm up for a rematch.

Shout out to the JMU fans, even when their nearest local connection is a Connecticut yankee. (And also to the JMU bus. That is a nice bus.)

Coach O'Regan was working with a fairly short bench, and it got steadily shorter as the game wound down. Lexie Barrier has the perfect name for a defensive player, so I wasn't necessarily surprised when she missed her first two shots badly. She was pretty solid on the glass. Devon Merritt was the first sub for the Dukes in the first half and the last sub in the second half. She was unremarkable.

I will say, Hailee Barron looks to have diversified her skill set. The last time I watched JMU play, she was a straight-up three-point specialist with no thought to any other part of her game. Now she's a three-point specialist who gets up close and personal on defense and can force the occasional turnover. Aneah Young brought physical defense and an absolutely monstrous fourth-quarter block on Alisha Kebbe.

I really like the knack Kamiah Smalls has for being in the right place at the right time. I'll probably like it better if/when I go see them at Hofstra, when I get to cheer for them (and not just for our RPI/SOS, or because of Ashley Perez- I like the program and want to see them do well). She was the most effective offensive player at the beginning of the game, not Hall. I was expecting rather more out of the Syracuse transfer, Tasia Butler. It's not like she hit foul trouble until the fourth quarter. She's strong- physically so, I mean. Amber Porter grabbed some strong boards in the middle- she, like many JMU players, spent much of the second half in foul trouble.

I know who you're probably here to read about, if you're not here for St. John's, but you know me, I like to build to a point. So let's talk about the point guard Logan Reynolds a little bit (whose last name is not Richards, no matter what the PA guy thought that one time). Offensively, she looks like the new version of Barron, but with better passing skills. Her first reaction when she takes a shot is a three, though, and I don't know how confident she is- which means we really don't know how confident she'll be without the magnificent security blanket known as Precious Hall. And Hall is one heck of a first option to have. She's not afraid to shoot, nor should she be. She's got a nice-looking shot, too, though she was more successful on the drive than from the perimeter in this one. She's fast, and she's aggressive, and you basically have to beat her on sheer physical tools to beat her. You match her with skill, she beats you. You match her with speed, she beats you. In this case, size matters.

JMU swarms when they spot weakness. They're not afraid to get down low and grab loose balls, or the occasional ankle.

Oh, Maya. Bless her heart, but in the first quarter Maya Singleton came in and immediately turned the game into a dumpster fire. Her head was not in the game, which made me sad. She recovered somewhat in the second half, showing her fire and her strength, but this missing bunnies at the rim thing needs to stop. She and Crystal Simmons were the defensive half of the platoon subbing Joe spent much of the fourth quarter playing around with. But she was so bad early that Joe went to Sandra Udobi almost immediately in the first. Sandie was unremarkable. Foul trouble and decreased effectiveness forced Joe to give Jordan Agustus early run, and it was clear that she wasn't ready.

Crystal Simmons brought close on-ball defense, and I love to watch her with the quick hands, but she has got to do something about the long wind-up on her shot to be anything more than a defensive specialist. I don't know- maybe that's what she's focusing on, and her offense can go to hell for all she cares. Andrayah Adams came in to shoot, but was unsuccessful at that. She really looked lost.

What a day for Imani Littleton! This was the kind of game we were waiting for from her, and I'm so happy we got it. She was efficient inside, taking advantage of defensive lapses by JMU, and she was absolutely vicious on the boards. All the rebounds were hers, especially in the first half. I love to see her playing with urgency, especially when she combines it with that Cali chill expression. Jade Walker hit the lane like a freight train and scored well, but she always seemed upset at the calls she wasn't getting and the plays she wasn't making. I do love to see Jade work inside, though. Smite them!

Akina Wellere's developing a disturbing habit of getting into foul trouble late in games. I don't know if it's a conditioning thing and she can't keep up, or if she's never going to be as good defensively as she is offensively, or if she hasn't picked up the finer points of defense yet. She had a huge trey in the fourth quarter to really key the St. John's run. Alisha Kebbe had really rough puck luck with the rim- I'm thinking she might need to soften up her shot a little bit to stop getting some of the weird bounces. Her defense on Precious Hall was great, both straight up and help. Aaliyah Lewis won the hearts of some of the kids behind us (by the end of the game, there was a scattering of "Let's go, number 4!" cheers, and I don't think they were for Tasia Butler) with her speed, her daredevil drives into the lane in the fourth quarter, and her dribbling skills. Ankle-breaking has universal appeal. I don't know if she feeds off the team, or the team feeds off her, but she has that synergy with her team's energy that good point guards always have. I don’t know if she has the control of it that elite guards have, or if she's as susceptible to it dragging her down as she is to riding the wave up.

Usual complaints about the officiating: they call the ticky-tack stuff and ignore the three-player pile-up. There was one sequence near the end of the game where my heart was in my throat because Jade was down and still very vulnerable to being stepped on. No breaking our seniors, people!

Ugly sweaters plus cheerleaders equals awkward, terrible idea. Pretty much everyone affiliated with the team in any significant capacity had an ugly sweater, except for Tasha Pointer (because say what you will about Stringer, but when her players leave her system, they will have dignity whether they want it or not). Why are ugly holiday sweaters a thing? This is a cultural question, I genuinely don't get it.

Shoutout to the school group across the aisle from us, who had awesome signs and an adult willing to get them cheering in big moments.

Ms. Kelly, while I'm flattered you recognized us, trust me, we never saw you play unless it was in an alumnae game.

We needed a comeback win like that. It gives the youngsters some confidence.

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February 5th, 2016: James Madison at Hofstra

Just the Facts, Ma'am: Jazmon Gwathmey had 34 points and 13 rebounds to power James Madison over Hofstra, 71-54. Angela Mickens added 20 for the Dukes. Ashunae Durant led Hofstra with 20 points.

For buses, trains, automobiles, rebounds, transfers, losing track of time, precise dance moves, a lack of pins, and finishing through contact, join your intrepid and sleepy blogger after the jump.


The sun is out. The snow has stopped falling from the sky and is now falling from the trees and pretty much everything else it managed to stick to. This is fantastic building snow, so get out there and make snowmen or have snowball fights before it's all gone. Then again, by the time these notes go up, it'll probably all be gone anyway. Never mind. Carry on. As you were.

Taking the long way around, since the 45 bus I caught laid up short at the Metro-North station. Currently winding my way through the Pelhams, and they're beautiful.

45 to the 42 to the 2 to the Q44 to the N6 to the N72. To the izzo, I suppose. But I'm here. That's what's important. So are several members of JMU's Crown Club, though it looks like their tickets haven't been fully sorted out.

It's a PinkZone game for Hofstra, though because Kilburn-Stevesky is an NC State alumna, they tend to do a lot of PinkZone games. JMU brought their pink tees, which I thought was a nice touch.

The erstwhile Johnnie, Ashley Perez, traveled, but did not dress. She's wearing a very cute dress and tragically mismatched boots. Awww, Ash. :(

Hofstra gave me a scare by closing the campus early- nothing quite like passing a sign flashing "University Closed" at you on the last leg of a four-hour journey.

There's something slightly galling about Hofstra doing a PinkZone game on National Wear Red Day, but that might just be my inherent seething hatred of PinkZone talking.

I WANT JMU'S PURPLE NIKES SO MUCH I AM CAPS LOCKING OF GLEE.

The difference between the music Hofstra plays when the players are on the floor and what they play when they're not is... marked. A little disturbing, the more I think of it.

I assume they're staging the Girl Scouts, since it's half an hour before tip and there are still a fair number of empty sections.

At halftime, JMU is up one, basically because Angela Mickens and Jazmon Gwathmey are awesome and you are not. Ashunae Durant is leading the way for Hofstra, with a phenomenal ability to finish through contact.

I like the Hofstra experience. The band is good, and they get into the game. There isn't a large student section, but they make noise. The dance team is competent, if boring. It's not the worst arena food I've ever had, but also not the cheapest. The souvenir stand is well stocked. Everyone's really nice.

(I'm also a little in love with hanging banners for presidential debates, and the way they do retired numbers, and the fact that the basketball banners are strictly chronological, not separated by women and men.)

Talent will tell in the end, and JMU did more good things better, especially down the stretch. Also, Jazmon Gwathmey is really good at basketball, but you should know that already.

I'd heard a lot about Savannah Felgemacher from an acquaintance down in the Shenandoah Valley, so I was looking forward to seeing her, but she only played very briefly in the first half, and I never got an impression of her. Destiny Jones threw her weight around down low and on the ball, and got called for a fair number of fouls doing it. Hailee Barron loves her three-pointers, sometimes a little too much- she took that caused me to yell, "You don't have to take it from Charlottesville!" She's more of a scrapper on defense than I expected from everything I read about her. Logan Reynolds gave Angela Mickens some brief relief in both halves, but wasn't much of a factor.

Y'know, I could have sworn I just spent the morning watching a forward who couldn't hit a shot because she kept shooting them off the inside of the rim, but boy howdy can she rebound and hustle after loose balls. In the morning it was Joy Adams; in the evening it was Da'Lishia Griffin. Kayla Cooper-Williams found herself limited early and often by foul trouble, and she seemed to get in her teammates' way a lot when she was trying to rebound. Jazmon Gwathmey was awesome. When did she make three-point shooting such a crucial part of her game? Because she's strong slashing to the basket and making moves in the lane, but in the second half the threes started going down. She's so tough. She's so good. I'd love to see her in the summertime.

Angela Mickens owns the floor when the ball's in her hand. I love her footwork and her swiftness. She was hot early, and she called her own number often, but for good reason- she was getting the pull-up with impunity. Hofstra put stronger defenders on her in the second half, forcing her into more of a distributive role. Tasia Butler got the start, but was pulled early in both halves for Barron.

The passing got a little sloppy in the second half, but JMU generally did more things smarter and better than Hofstra did, and that was enough for them to pull away.

Sandra Dongmo gave some good minutes in the post off the bench. Jakelle King-Gilchrist saw a little bit of time in the first half and contributed a bucket, but not much else. Asia Jackson was tenacious on defense- she was making Angela Mickens's life miserable in the fourth quarter, sometimes to the point of excess (I'm pretty sure that the best way to stop a player from hitting a layup is not to wrap an arm around her waist).

It really feels like Darius Faulk played less time than she did, although that perception might have been skewed by her missing much of the first half with foul trouble. Kelly Loftus was quick to shoot, and not always accurate about it. Krystal Luciano is really fast and makes her decisions very quickly. She seemed fond of the overly deep three.

Anjie White would probably drive me insane if I were a Hofstra fan. There's so much there to like- positioning on rebounds, setting screens, boxing out, all the little things that make a player endearing- but those hands would probably cause me to bruise my forehead with the repeated slaps that would surely occur. She just could not seem to catch a pass cleanly. Ashunae Durant has a phenomenal ability to finish through contact- pretty much all the shots she hit were contested. I don't think it was until the fourth quarter that she hit a shot that didn't come with an accompanying free throw. I really like her- and she's only a sophomore, so there's every chance that she could get even better and well-rounded.

The officiating was mostly even-handed, though I think the game might have ended just in the nick of time- Hofstra was starting to object to this whole losing the game thing, and Jackson and Mickens were starting to get into it a little bit. I don't know if there's history between them or if someone was running her mouth or something, but it was definitely an interesting dynamic. People need to be more careful with their footwork, though. There were a lot of travels uncalled.

I think Hofstra's a year away. I think JMU's going to be okay (though in my biased opinion, they do miss Ashley Perez).

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December 15th, 2013: James Madison at St. John's

Just the Facts, Ma'am: James Madison withstood a strong second half showing by St. John's and came away with the 64-51 win. Kirby Burkholder led the Dukes with 18 points, while Toia Giggetts added 12 points and six rebounds, and Jazmon Gwathmey had 10 points and six blocks. Eugeneia McPherson led the Red Storm with 15 points off the bench.

For frustration, buses, slush, soreness, nonsensical awards, swats, and potential friction, join your intrepid and jumpy blogger after the jump.

We're at intermission now, with the second game, between James Madison and St. John's, ready to start in half an hour or so. James Madison is in their home whites, St. John's in road colors, which doesn't make any sense, since this is our arena. Someone needs to cue the James Madison fans which bench is which, though the migration does appear to have begun. I think the roads have cleared; the Conn-tingent is starting to drift in, and our New Jerseyans are arriving. (I'm not sure whether to call them the Brick City Brigade or to factor in Jade and Sandie and call them the Jersey Boys and Girls. By the time I figure it out, Jade will have graduated...)

I think we have alumnae, but I can't swear to it, and looking up the 2005-06 team in the middle of GNoD would just be weird.

The colors thing makes more sense now- they're debuting a blue and red third jersey, and Chartwells is usually when they make their fashion statements. I like that we have a third jersey, if only because the guys do too, but I don't like the jersey itself. We're the Red Storm, we should wear red. (James Madison also seems to be wearing an alternate white jersey. What is this, the NCAA catwalk?)

The band members that are holding down the fort here at Carnesecca are clustered around various video devices to catch the men's game at the Garden versus Syracuse. Actually, pretty much everyone related to St. John's is checking the score. Your intrepid blogger has the play-by-play open in another tab, along with her various idle games and game info.

At halftime... today is not a good day to be a Johnnie. The men screwed the pooch against Syracuse and the women don't seem to care about the game on the floor, down 29-13 to James Madison. I seriously do not know what is wrong with my team, but I do not approve. If they're broken, they need to be fixed; if they're distracted, they need to be refocused; if they're injured, then they need time to heal. There's no effort, especially on the offensive end, and it's disgusting. Aaliyah and Aliyyah are both out of sync. Gina McPherson is backing away from contact as if she's caught leprosy.

That awkward moment when you realize the person who you thought was the dude who looks like Shenneika Smith is, in fact, Shenneika Smith. I think I also spotted someone in a W team sweatshirt, or at least one that uses the W font, but I can't read it.

I don't think the SEC road trip was good for this team. I don't know what happened since the Harvard game, but it's like someone let all the air out of the balloon and they're all fighting over who was holding the pin. Okay, the metaphor is a bit strained, but the point remains that whatever comeback magic they were rocking against Harvard, and whatever can of butt-whoopin' they had against Iona, they lacked it this weekend against the representatives from the CAA.

Angela Mickens has impressive speed and a knack for misdirection. She left Aaliyah Lewis flat-footed once or twice, and Aaliyah's pretty quick. She made things run very smoothly for the Dukes. Lauren Okafor, presumably off her success yesterday, got a lot of minutes in this one- she got knocked around a little bit more by Jade and (a little bit Sandie), but still made things happen for James Madison underneath. Destiny Jones and Crystal Ross both played briefly, mostly to deal with foul issues. Neither made much of an impact, though Ross had more of one than Jones.

Jazmon Gwathmey has really long arms and bit hands. She swats shots well, especially on breaks where the player with the ball is utterly certain that she's got the lay-up. It gets her in foul trouble, but it also stops the opponent's offense cold. Nikki Newman spent much of the second half in foul trouble, but still rebounded well. Precious Hall had a nice and-1 in the first half, but was quiet for most of the game, with Mickens getting the bulk of the minutes. Kirby Buckholder came up with big shots in the second half and helped clinch the game with free throws. Toia Giggetts had less dancing, but more defense and midrange jumpers- she was very efficient and well placed.

The Dukes did a nice job converting on the break and finding the open player under the basket on cuts. They didn't necessarily react well to surprises, but they reacted better to broken plays than they did yesterday.

Jade Walker used her size well on the inside, but she has to play defense without holding. She's a freshman, so I'll let that slide a little bit- but she needs to be learning how to move without holding, and the coaching staff needs to make that a point of emphasis with her. She's not that quick, but she needs to be faster. Sandra Udobi was in very briefl in the first half, but the knee must have started acting up again, because she didn't go back in the game after that, even when both Amber and Jade were in foul trouble. Eugeneia McPherson gave us all a scare when she crumpled to the floor with her left knee bent, but it looked like it was just tightness or a cramp or something, because she came back intot he game. She backed away from contact long before that, though. That irked me- there's no point in having her in as a defensive player if she's going to run-run-run and then run away like a coward. All of that being said, her sharpshooting in the second half, especially beyond the arc, fueled the comeback.

Aaliyah Lewis really needs to stop shooting. I don't know whether she's desperately trying to play for her job with Gina back in the rotation and our transfer from Clemson becoming eligible at the semester break, but she's pressing badly, and it's backfiring in spectacular fashion. She's a good passer and a speedy player. I don't know why she's trying and trying to score, and doing so with bad shots against far bigger opponents. Sometimes the most important part of being a point guard is knowing when not to score. Aliyyah Handford seems to have lost her confidence driving to the lane. She got a lot of it back in the second half, but there was too much of her running along the same path on the free throw line with her hands up, not caring about the presence of the defense. I don't think she was expecting all the attention, which is very strange, given how well she was playing; you'd think she'd think other teams would figure it out eventually. Amber Thompson was awful in the first half, but I think someone got up in her face in the locker room at half time, because she came out blazing, gong strong to the basket and getting rebounds. Keylantra Langley had a decent third quarter, but her common sense utterly deserted her in the endgame, with dumb fouls that utterly ruined any momentum that the team had. Briana Brown seemed to be the only player with any urgency in the latter stages of the game- I think she was the only one who attempted a three when we were down nine with something like three minutes to go. She was in way over her head with the height of James Madison- her defensive match-up was usually Jazmon Gwathmey, who is a long-limbed true 4, whereas Briana is a very determined two.

No urgency. No clock management. Very limited awareness of proper shot selection. Really, really bad player management by Joe (why would you go four guard set against a team that big?) It was like they came back part of the way, lost a little bit of momentum, then decided to pack it in and go home. Counter-intuitive when you're home. Shame, because the band and fans really got into it with the comeback.

No one was happy with the refs. Blocks and charges were especially contentious today, and I'm not sure how getting a forearm to the chest earned Keylantra a foul. But whatever.

Apparently people in Virginia don't have a sense of humor. Fine. Just for that, I hope Drexel wins the CAA after all.

I'm tired, and I'm disappointed, and I don't know what to do, and I don't know what to expect. Are we ready? Was the beginning of the season the illusion? Or is this the illusion, and this too shall pass?

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December 15th, 2013: Drexel at Prairie View (Chartwells Holiday Classic)

Just the Facts, Ma'am: Prairie View threatened but never followed through, and Drexel came away with a 53-45 win at the St. John's Chartwells Holiday Classic. Rachel Pearson led the Dragons with 14 points and nine rebounds. Jeanette Jackson of Prairie View led all scorers with 23 points, 18 in the second half.

For imbalance, emptiness, metaphysics, avians, cookies, and one lucky duck, join your intrepid and sick blogger after the jump.

Good morning, or afternoon, or evening, or timeless abyss in the depths of the howling void, wherever you may be reading Swish Appeal! It's day two of the Chartwells Holiday classic, this time featuring Drexel versus Prairie View. Looks like Prairie View gets to be the home team today, as Drexel is rocking their navy blue again (seriously, you are Dragons, with all the draconic colors available to you, why are you boring navy blue?). Unsurprisingly, a lot of people are not here, as St. John's fans only tend to show up for their own games. Guys, it's free. Enjoy the freeness of its freeness!

Prairie View's been putting up a good fight in this one. They're down 13 at the half, which is better than yesterday against James Madison. Their offense is still questionable, running down the clock constantly, but their defense has improved. Drexel is doing a nice job closing on Jeanette Jackson, similar to the way they swarmed Aliyyah Handford yesterday. This time, Prairie View has been able to get a little offense from Gabrielle Scott to make up for it. Fouls are still a little bit of a problem for Drexel, but there isn't quite as much rending of garments and tearing of hair as there was yesterday at the officials.

Prairie View started the game in their road purple, with Drexel wearing their road blues. Apparently the officials did not approve, because the Panthers just ran out here in their home whites. They seem a little cranky about it. I wonder if the female ref had to watch them to make sure they did it or something.

Good fight by Prairie View. Their pressure in the latter parts of the game discombobulated Drexel, and while it wasn't enough to pull out the win, they made it very, very respectable.

As a woman of Greek heritage (it's my mom's side) I get thrown off when someone decides to name their daughter Pandora. Yes, it means "all gifts", but it also means "stupid woman who opened the box of sins and unleashed all evil upon the world, what were you even thinking?" So it was a little hard for me to focus on Pandora Wilson doing things on the court. She seemed to rely more on her width than any skill in getting position. Carrie Alexander brought decent energy off the bench, but had a couple of dumb plays. Jackie Schluth did well in the middle on both ends of the floor, but kept committing fouls while lying down. On one hand, that's hard luck; on the other hand, roll out of the way! Don't foul out tripping someone because you can't dodge. Tory Thierolf was again primarily a defensive player- I get the feeling offense is not her strong point.

Alexis Smith had remarkable speed, and unusually for a freshman, seems to have picked up the knack for running backwards. On the other hand, she played more defense with her hands than with her feet. (Then again, freshman. We have a freshman with the same problem. She can learn.) Meghan Creighton again brought the unnecessary fouls. It's not necessary to trip an opponent and then try to claim that you were fouled. That, and it's tacky. Rachel Pearson made sure that as close as Prairie View got, Drexel would always stay ahead, coming up with big shots late. Fiona Flanagan got into early foul trouble, and Coach Dillon was very conservative about fouls for most of the game- once Flanagan picked up the second in the first half, she was gone for most of the game. I think they were expecting to use her as more of a rebounder. Sarah Curran did just enough of the scoring in the first half to make sure that Drexel had a lead.

The defensive pressure was heavily team-based- I think everyone contributed, whether it was the forwards clogging the middle or Smith making flashy steals like she thought she was playing for the Eagles or something.

Alexus Parker made it very clear why she thought she was on the floor- she wears 3 and she shoots threes. She spent most of the game dancing around the arc with her hands out, looking for the shot. I don't think she knew what to do when she didn't have a shot opportunity. Shaneece Stephens at least knew when she made bad mistakes, and also had a gorgeous steal in the second half where she rose up and intercepted a pass. Tonisha Lacey was the only post off the bench who got minutes, which surprises me- Shamiya Brooks wasn't great yesterday, but neither was Lacey, and it's becoming clear that Asha Hampton-Finch needs a break more often than her coach will give it to her. It's not a good sign when you can see a player laboring on the floor.

Jeanette Jackson found her rhythm, and a little space, in the second half, and once that happened, she came alive, sniping threes and driving fearlessly to the lane. Several of her free throws did come after the game aws once more out of reach, but she got them back into it pretty much by sheer force of will. Gabrielle Scott drove us nuts in the first half with four or five shots that had a foot on the line. Then she took the step back and promptly buried the shot. The lesson, alas, didn't stick. She seemed really out of rhythm and out of place. Larissa Scott got her rebounding on, especially on the offensive end. LaReahn Washington is still hard to get a handle on. I'm not sure if she's a playmaker, or if she just gets the ball up, or if she's a streaky scorer that I just haven't seen on a good streak. But she didn't bring anything that I could determine. Asha Hampton-Finch boxes out well, but her rebounding and especially her ability to get a hand on the ball leave much to be desired.

Prairie View just generally seemed hesitant on offense. They relied heavily on Jackson, and too many possessions involved them passing the ball around and around and around until someone either chucked up a desperation shot or there was a shot clock violation. No clock management skills whatsoever. Also, way, way too many high passes. Panthers don't fly, unless zoology has tragically lied to me. Lots of yelling from the sideline, but I don't know how much listening was getting done. And even with a solid player like Jackson, I can't see a scenario where having half your points come from one player is a good thing for this team. They showed a lot more heart and fight than they did yesterday, but I don't think they're built for success.

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December 14th, 2013: Prairie View at James Madison (Chartwells Holiday Classic)

Just the Facts, Ma'am: James Madison surged out to a big lead early and never let Prairie View back in in their 79-50 win. Lauren Okafor and Kirby Buckholder each had 16 to lead the Dukes, with Okafor adding 10 rebounds. Jeanette Jackson of Prairie View led all scorers with 20 points, but no other Panther had more than nine points.

For brevity, dancing, abandonment, mommy issues, the awkward cell phone wave, and lots of purple sneakers, join your intrepid and water-logged blogger after the jump.

On to game two, the battle of teams what wear purple- the Dukes of James Madison and the Panthers of Prairie View. James Madison has led the entire way, and comfortably so for most of the game. Lauren Okafor leads the Dukes with nine off the bench, but it's been a very balanced scoring effort. Unsurprisingly, most folks have left, though a few have stayed. The Johnnies were around for a while, but most of them have left as well. Scouting, you're doing it wrong. James Madison has had good ball movement, though they don't react well to broken plays, and the folks behind us are bemoaning the slowness of Kenny Brooks's offense.

This was not so much a game as it was a blowout. Prairie View was never in it, and the biggest takeaway I got fro it for the Panthers is that they really miss Toyelle Wilson. I was not impressed with Dawn Brown's player management. It's one thing to have no faith in your bench, it's another to end up with a player with three fouls barely into the second quarter because you decide you're going to leave her in after she picks up her second foul four minutes into the game. I consider it a minor miracle that Asha Hampton-Finch didn't foul out, and am unsurprised that two other Panthers did. I also have to question the wisdom of rolling the ball with six minutes left in a thirty-point game. Some of us wanted to go home at that point, you know. No matter how much fun it was to watch Briana Brown in the end court bleachers doing her "I R SRS KEPTIN, THIS R SRS SKOWT" face.

Precious Roberts got a little bit of time in the second half and committed quick fouls. Taylor Overshown was the random bench guard of choice in the first half. Shamiya Brooks threw her weight around underneath with mixed results- couldn't get her shots to fall and fouled out fairly quickly, but seemed okay on the boards. Tonisha Lacey didn't seem to have her coach's confidence. I don't know why. Shaneece Stephens rocked the pompadour a la Janelle Monaé, and seemed to be good at making bad decisions.

Part of Prairie View's problem may be that they're not sure who's running the offense. Is it LaReahn Washington, or is it Jeanette Jackson? The offense seemed to move better when the ball was in Jackson's hands, but I'm not sure whether that was as the playmaker or as the scorer. Her fluffy ponytail made her stand out, as did her ability to get her to the line. Larissa Scott mixed it up on the boards, and set surprisingly strong screens for a woman of her slim build. Asha Hampton-Finch looked like she was trying to rock the Brittney Griner look with the leggings and 'do, but she didn't seem confident in her ability to play defense once she had fouls- and to be honest, she should have fouled out at hands to the face- there were a couple of plays where fouls were passed from her, one of which ended up helping foul out Washington. I feel lke I should remember more of what Washington did, but I can't, other than a general sense of not-good things for Prairie View. Yes, this is the kind of insightful analysis you slog through long paragraphs of Game Notes of Doom for. "Not-good things".

James Madison really got to empty their bench in the latter portion of the game. Amani Tatum was fast, but seemed a little lost. Da'Lishia Griffin went hard after rebounds. Crystal Ross got into the middle of a lot of plays- she's not afraid to get up in anyone's business. Destiny Jones is another big girl. You might detect a trend here. I disapprove very strongly of her shorts, though. In home whites, rolling shorts up like that makes them look like Depends, which is such a not-good look. Lauren Okafor went to work down low, using her build to muscle up on the slimmer posts of Prairie View and making solid defensive plays. Angela Mickens provided god offense off the bench, especially in the second half- she had a really pretty and-1 in the lane late in the game.

Nikki Newman's got a pretty stroke- it didn't go down a lot today, but I get the feeling it usually does. Precious Hall got herself into foul trouble and eventually out of the game, and seemed very frustrated about it. Jazmon Gwathmey has distractingly intense eyebrows. She spent a lot of time directing traffic late in the game- I think she was the last of the starters to come out. Kirby Buckholder was a big favorite among the James Madison fans behind us, for her shooting and her defense. Toia Giggetts was aggressive on the inside, sometimes to her detriment- she took an arm to the facemask, which is never fun.

Crowning moment of funny, first half: Lauren Okafor not quite being read for the pass and having it bounce spectacularly off her... chest… as if airbags had been successfully deployed.

Crowning moment of funny, second half: Toia Giggetts may have been the only person in the room who liked the DJ, because she was getting her groove on during one of the timeouts. There was serious hip-swaying going on. One of the assistants put a hand on her back as if to restrain her, and for a moment she stopped... but then the swaying began again, and by the time she went back to her chair on the bench, there was full-on shimmying occurring. Don't ever let them stop your groove.

It's a bad sign when there are game management calls being made in the first half.

James Madison looks ready to take the Colonial back. Then again, they weren't exactly playing tough competition out there.

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December 14th, 2013: Drexel at St. John's

Just the Facts, Ma'am: Poor shooting doomed St. John's in their first game of the Chartwells Holiday Classic, as the Red Storm fell to Drexel 62-55. Rachel Pearson led the Dragons with 15 points, 12 in the second half, and 10 rebounds; Sarah Curran added 14 points, 11 of those in the second half. Keylantra Langley led St. John's with 15 points.

For ennui, exhaustion, drifting snow, hoarseness, small dancing children, and t-shirts that don't fit, join your intrepid and chapped blogger after the jump.

Good morning, everyone! We're coming to you from the snow- well, it's not snowing in the arena, but it's snowing in Queens, which will probably depress attendance for the Chartwells Holiday Classic. Shame; Drexel and James Madison are both good, solid teams.

The good news is that Eugeneia McPherson is back in uniform for the first time in, like, ever. However, the walk-ons have both been deactivated and we seem to have misplaced Ashley Perez. I mean, Ashley hasn't had a great season so far, but it always makes me sad when a player leaves, and she's a nice kid.

The band is here, and in Christmas costumes. We have an elf. Be afraid of us, Drexel.

Former Johnnie Sky Lindsay is in the house- I originally thought she was doing some scouting for Hofstra, given that they have two conference foes in this tournament, but it looks like she's working for ESPN now. Doesn't surprise me. She's very telegenic.

Again with the guest DJ. The same lousy guest DJ we had last time. No. Stop. We have a band. We have a good band that has fun. Stop playing music instead of letting the band do their thing.

I don't think Kevin was happy with the trumpets during the anthem. I know I wasn't.

At half time, St. John's is up 31-23, but less due to their own efforts on offense than their defense and a late surge. The rim has been unkind to both teams, and we've been much hampered by a lot of fouls on both teams- I think there were twenty-five fouls called in the first half. Briana Brown leads all scorers with 10 points, including a three just as the shot clock expired that should have broken Drexel's back.

Young lady in the Penn State soccer shirt, you appear to be slightly lost,but as Penn State soccer is a very solid program that had nothing to do with Rene Portland's nonsense, I'll let it slide.

Okay, this is not promising, the trainer is running a rolling pin over the back of Aliyyah Handford's leg. This is really not reassuring, guys.

It's probably a good thing that I have to keep these notes G-rated for the sake of Swish Appeal's readership, because otherwise there would be a lot of swearing. I don't know what the deal with St. John's was today- maybe the dorms had a holiday party that ran late, maybe whatever happened to Ashley was emotionally traumatizing to the whole dang team, maybe the invasion of the body snatchers has begun- but they looked lethargic out there. It's like they had no idea what to do when their security blanket turned out to be more of a security lace doily. Everyone who wasn't a senior seemed to panic and not know what to do on offense.

Aleixs Smith was a quick offensive spark for the Dragons in the first half, hitting back to back shots. We staye a little closer on her in the second half, and I think that frustrated her a little bit, as she ended up with more fouls. Jackie Schluth was physical on defense; she reminded me weirdly of a former Johnnie (just in the build and the hair, she doesn't play like Buzz at all). Tory Thierolf seemed to be the defensive sub, judging from when she was in and out of the game in the waning minutes. She committed a couple of dumb fouls- in a game where everyone involved has been screaming at the refs, you can tell a call is bad when the coach starts screaming at the player for a change. Carrie Alexander didn't quite understand how screens work- they're not like screen doors, you can't just shove them out of the way and have the way open for you.

I'm really having trouble picking out anyone from Drexel to focus on. I blame the relatively drab colors. Really, you go with a name like Dragons, and the colors you go with are blue and yellow? At least UAB went with green. (I think I was also busy wanting to say highly inappropriate things in a tone of utter despair about St. John's. The perils of writing about the team that you love- when they get you down, they get you way down.)

Meghan Creighton had a knack for getting herself to the line and getting contact from St. John's players- I'm not going to say drawing contact, because she initiated as much as she took. Fiona Flanagan seemed more comfortable from the outside than on the inside. Rachel Pearson had a lot of trouble getting her bunnies to fall in the frist half, but heated up in the second half. So did Sarah Curran- she came up big later in the game. Abby Redick threw her weight around a little on the wing, but I'm not sure if she has a position.

Drexel held their composure well, and their shooting impreoved markedly in the second half, but I can't point to anything they did particularly well to get the win. I guess they did a decent job of clogging the paint, where St. John's likes to cut, but I'm not sure whether the epic fail that occurred under the Red Storm basket was more on Drexel's defense or the Red Storm's offensive offense.

Really happy to see Eugeneia McPherson back in uniform and on the floor. She seemed a little rusty- her back started seizing up in the second half, and they had to give her a few hard pounds to get her back on the floor. She brought hustle and defense, though her shot still leaves a fair amount to be desired. I don't know if she has confidence yet in her knee, because it looked like there wasn't as much lift on her shot as it should have been. I do like the unhurried way in which she moves- not slow, but completely in control. I don't like the hitting the floor quite so much, if only because I worry about her. Mallory Jones was willing to shoot- sometimes a little too willing. If you're the de facto center in a lineup because the other four players are all guards, you can't decide you're going to jack a three. There will be no one there to rebound it, and the other team will have the ball at a very critical point of the game. That makes us all sad. Jade Walker hustled well for rebounds, but couldn't hang on to them. Hands like stone. She's got to keep her hands up more on defense, and she has to know that if she calls that loudly for the ball, everyone on the floor will know that she considers herself open, including her defender. Aaaaand that's it for the bench play, since Sandra Udobi didn't play- I don't think she was ready, judging from her street clothes after the game. (That, and if she had been healthy, Joe would have had to put her in the game, the way Jade and Amber were playing.)

Aaliyah Lewis, what are you even doing? Tiny Aaliyah was really off her game today. Her clock management was lousy, and she launched pure panic shots in the second half. I don't think I could count the airballs- it seemed like she was just throwing the ball in the general vicinity of the basket without being concerned with the trajectory. Those are the shots we used to harp on Gina for, but they were just really, really bad. Aliyyah Handford was way off her game, too. I think her leg was bothering her- see above regarding the rolling pin being applied to her calf- but once her first few shots missed, her head fell completely out of the game. Nothing was coming easily, and for the most part she didn't seem inclined to make an effort to go for it. Too many times during the second half, she shuffled around the free throw line with her hands out, expecting to receive the ball despite the defenders who swarmed around her. Keylantra Langley came up with big shots and solid defense, in the starting spot that I suspect she's always considered rightfully hers. Amber Thompson was disgustingly passive today. She got an early foul, and I wonder if it got into her head, because she provided nothing. She's got to hit her bunnies. She's got to rebound. I'd be satisfied with at least one resounding block, the kind she can usually provide. Briana Brown was solid, and the way she's matured as a leader in her senior year is beautiful to watch. Today, however, I think she needed to be more of a fiery leader. Someone needed to yell at the team other than Joe.

Generally, the entire team looked like they were playing in quicksand. There was no sense of urgency, no movement on offense, minimal effort on defense. They didn't seem to take any pride in being up 13, they didn't seem to care about being down eight. I don't know what was wrong with them, but they need to fix it. Now. Or swearing will occur.

There was no rhythm and no flow to the game, and some of that came from the plethora of fouls that were called in the first half, compared to the amount that were called in the second half. I'm not saying the refs screwed us- if anything, Drexel got the worst of the calls. (Jade, stop holding. Seriously.) But it's hard to get a sense of where you're going if it's stop and go like rush hour on the LIE.

Is it really fair to two small children to spread presents over eighty feet of basketball court and then expect them to scoop everything up in thirty seconds? That's just mean, Santa.

I really thought we had it after Briana beat the shot clock, but we had no pep in the second half. There was nothing. A great howling void of rampant indifference. An emptiness that yearned to be filled and instead grew emptier. Or it's ark and I'm feeling existential. In either case, they can't lie down in the second half against James Madison. We're better than the CAA- let's prove it.

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November 15th, 2013: Fordham at Hofstra

Just the Facts, Ma'am: Hofstra induced 21 turnovers and clamped down on exterior defense to come away with a 77-64 win at home over Fordham. Anma Onyeuku led the Pride with 23 points, while Andreana Thomas added 21, 19 of those in the second half. Erin Rooney led the Rams with 23 points.

For juggling, slaps on the wrist, mockery, and distraction, join your intrepid and sleepy blogger after the jump.
I needed a day off. Of course, I spend it heading out to a basketball game. At least I got the sleep I'm going to need for this weekend. I'm currently on a crowded N6 bus headed to Hempstead, there to make a transfer to the bus that will take me to Hofstra University for their game against Fordham, on what your intrepid blogger and your dashing reporter have dubbed "transfers will be persecuted" day, though that's overstating the case a little bit. We're only going to root hard against them...

What can I say? Loyalty matters to us, and when you turn your back on that, we remember. It's not the act of leaving that's disloyal, it's the baggage that comes attached to it.

Not sure if playing "Only the Good Die Young" tonight is a veiled shot at the Jesuit institution that is Fordham, or just a nod to Billy Joel's Long Island roots, but whatever the reason, I'm enjoying it. I love me some Billy Joel.

Not to say that I got here early or anything, but I think I just beat the cheerleaders in.

I forgot just how much I liked Hofstra's arena. I think I say that every time I come here, but it's a beautiful midsize arena, the seats are gently cushioned, it's bright, and it's well-kept.

There are a lot of Fordham people here tonight, to the point where I'm not 100% sure which bench is which. There are people in maroon behind both benches. I really hope Hofstra was ble to get some Girl Scout troops or something up in here, because otherwise it's going to be kind of depressingly pro-Fordham up in here, and I refuse to lead the cheers for a team I barely tolerate against a team I flat out am not talking to this year. Seriously, Hofstra is like seventh on my list.

Oh Hofstra those stripes on the sleeves no. You gave up the striped logo, like, ten years ago, why are you resurrecting it now? Though it works on the soccer shirts the student section is wearing.

I also forgot that Hofstra has an active and involved student section, even if it's small. Oh, Hofstra, why do you have to be three buses away from me? I would adopt you and hug you and squeeze you in a second if it didn't take two hours to get here.

Anthem singer, I can't even with you. That was all kinds of a hot mess.

34-26 Hofstra at half, but Fordham had a quick 5-0 spurt in the last minute that worries me. Hofstra has good hands on defense, not so much on offense. A lot of fumbles, a lot of hesitant gathers, rebounds that should be caught instead of being fumbled. But they're kicking the daylights out of Fordham's ball movement, and they've been face-guarding Corning and Missry, Fordham's two dead-eye shooters. Hofstra's gone very deep into their bench in the first half- I think only one player hasn't played. Anma Onyeuku leads the Pride with 13; Erin Rooney leads the way for the Rams with 9.

It was nice for Hofstra to get that win, but I wonder if it might help paper over some of the underlying issues with this team.

Of course the first thing Mary Nwachukwu did was hit a lay-up in the paint, which she was only avoiding for something like three years at St. John's, but then she proceeded to not rebound, not hang on to the ball, and generally be the player I remember swearing at at St. John's. In the second half, Danielle Burns got the bulk of the bench minutes in the post, and she was serviceable. She needs to show a little more judgment with her shot, but she plays well inside for a player who's listed as a guard/forward. Khadijah Gibson came in right at the end of the game, as if Gaitley were admitting that the game was over. Danielle Padovano gave decent minutes, though unmemorable ones.

Hannah Missry missed the memo about points of emphasis. Granted, she's a freshman, and they make stupid mistakes, that's part of being a freshman. But she genuinely did not seem to get what she was doing wrong, even when the contact was obvious. I think she was frustrated at her inability to get her shot off against Hofstra's vicious defense. Samantha Clark is a load in the middle, and I really think they should be running more through her, both because she can finish in the middle and because that will then open up space for Missry and Corning to get loose for threes. Abigail Corning rebounded well enough, but she couldn't get her shot off. Emily Tapio didn't play a lot- bad fouls, bad passing, generally nto having her head together. Erin Rooney drove through the Hofstra defense like they were stationary cones, and used her body well to get contact. I'd like to see a little less diving from her, though. It got annoying after a while.

Dianna Thomas-Palmer (who goes by Dee on the roster, but the announcer uses Dianna) seems to have been inspired by Shante Evans in all the wrong ways. She's a big girl, and not necessarily in the best ways. She rebounded better in the second half, though. Kelly Loftus seemed to be the only player on the floor at the end of the game who had any sense of what to do with the clock. Krystal Luciano might be the only person for Hofstra who is tinier than Andreana Thomas. She gave them decent minutes at point near the end of the game. Anma Onyeuku started the second half, but not the first, and I think she's expanded her game since the last time I saw her. She seemed equally comfortable inside or outside, playing in transition or playing in the halfcourt game. I was very impressed with her. Asia Jackson showed good touch in the second half, but questionable judgment. Elo Edefenoka showed a lot of potential down low- still needs to work on her hands and her shooting, but she's going to be good for them.

Andreana Thomas is the engine that makes this team go. When she's not in, they look very lost. When she's in, she's like a lightning bolt, both in terms of energizing her team and in terms of her first step speed. Sydni Epps got the first half start, and I sort of understood why she didn't get the second half start after the two quick fouls she picked up in the second half- questionable judgment, not the most useful shot in the world. I can't even think of anything that Alexis Carter did. Annie Payton was called upon for outside shooting and senior leadership. I'm not sure she was the right person to go to on the senior leadership. Ruth Sherrill showed a little bit of potential, but overall looked like a freshman. She'll be serviceable for them, one of these days.

That is, if Hofstra can figure out how to get out of their own way. They have talent, but they have no sense and no discipline. Their passing is bad. And after that hot mess last weekend, I know from bad passing. They all seem afraid to shoot. They have no clock awareness, either of the shot clock or of the game situation. Kilburn-Stevesky was all but begging them to slow the game down in the last three minutes, and no one of them seemed to be listening. She had to put in the backup point guard just to get them to slow down. You do not need to chuck corner threes when you're up fifteen with three minutes to go, or throw up off-balance shots on offensive rebounds with twenty seconds on the shot clock.

I've also come to the conclusion that Kilburn-Stevesky coaches the way I would coach, and that's not necessarily a good thing. She's constantly yelling, and usually in frustration. I don't know if she knows her team. "Annie, get your team together!" she yelled at Annie Payton, but from what I saw, that didn't look like Annie Payton's team, it looked like Andreana Thomas's team. Leadership doesn't necessarily come from seniors, it comes from leaders.

I think the men's team was in the house. Tall guys sprawled over a section of seats in athletic gear tends to mean that. In which case, Pride dude playing imaginary drums to "Beat It", go on with your bad self.

Hofstra's cheerleaders are not the traditional pretty skinny girls, but their routines rely much more heavily on lifts, so I'm not surprised. Lots of good stuff in there.

I really hate the new points of emphasis. The games grind and there's no flow. And if you're going to call every little brush of contact, can you at least call it when a player takes four steps on her way to a lay-up, or call Erin Rooney for undercutting a player? I really need someone at some point to adjust to this, or I'm going to want to be blind.

The N6 is really an experiment in social engineering, isn't it? Don't lie to me, Veolia.

I ultimately think that Fordham will come out of this game with more useful information, unless Hofstra manages to learn from their mistakes in this one... but I don't know if this team and this coach can learn from a win.

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March 30th, 2013: Delaware at Kentucky

Just the Facts, Ma'am: 33 points from Elena Delle Donne and a fierce second-half comeback weren't enough for Delaware to come from behind, as Kentucky claimed the victory 69-62. Jennifer O'Neill led the Wildcats with 19 points, and A'dia Mathies added 16.

For honor, stuffed birds, inconvenient tubas, drives, and shades of blue, join your intrepid and mildly embarrassed blogger after the jump.


Your intrepid blogger was bound and determined to go to Bridgeport, whether or not her team made the trip, so here we are three rows back in the endcourt behind where the bands will be, watching as the arena starts to fill up in shades of blue. Unsurprisingly, the dominant groups are UConn and Delaware. Delaware brought at least three buses, and it pleases me that they're genuine Delaware...ites. Ians. Ers. Whatever one calls a person from Delaware. I'm pretty sure a couple of folks from the men's basketball team are here, and I saw someone in a jersey that wasn't 11.

There appears to be some sort of strategic alliance between some of the Delaware fans and the Maryland fans. I find that fascinating. I guess regional loyalty beats out the mutual tie of Delle Donne.

If someone behind me doesn't stop spreading pistachio shells around the section like an ill-mannered health-conscious baseball player, I'm going to have to go Noo Yawk on them. Really, people.

My husband and I are the only people wearing St. John's gear, and yes, we've gotten some peculiar looks, but I don't actually care. I'm going to represent my team even if they're not here.

Delaware band is in front of us. Love the guy with the YouDee on his trumpet. Will have to acquire a foam YouDee at some point to add to the souvenir collection. They did a good anthem with a very colonial feel to it (which makes sense, since they have the Revolutionary-era name history).

It's 41-27 Kentucky at halftime, and so far only Elena Delle Donne and Danielle Parker have looked capable of playing at Kentucky's level. I'm impressed at Delle Donne's speed and ability to absorb contact, something which she seems to have improved upon. Parker is rebounding like crazy. These may be the worst officials I have ever seen- at the beginning, everything was a jump ball, then everything was against Kentucky, then everything was against Delaware- and by everything I mean leg whips and forearms to the face. We're lucky no one got seriously hurt.

Kelsey Buchanan really mixed it up on the inside with the Kentucky posts, and then acted surprised when she got called for a foul. Aww, that's cute. Jaquetta May came off the bench first in the first half, and from what I can glean from the box score and my obstructed view from around the stanchion, she worked loose a lot of offensive boards (I think two or three of the were on a play near the end of the game, when Delaware had four chances at the basket and couldn’t come away with a basket). Trumae Lucas was an offensive catalyst in the second half, and had some great defensive plays too. Stephanie Leon's minutes were near the end of the first half- I think she was just there to fill time.

I loved watching Danielle Parker rebound. Loved it. She was tough. Couldn't shoot (though the rim in front of the Kentucky/Maryland bench wasn't kind to anyone), but I loved her rebounding. Lauren Carra got in foul trouble early, and though her three at the end of the first half was cold-blooded and key to keeping the Blue Hens in it, she didn't wake up until the second half. I think I remember Kayla Miller bringing up the ball every so often, but also that she didn't seem to be bringing it up as often as one would expect from a point guard- the responsibility for that seemed to fall to everyone else on the floor (Parker, Delle Donne, Carra, etc.). I think Delaware would have needed her to be more of a factor to survive. Same for Akeema Richards. I think she was in for her defense, but I'm not sure.

Elena Delle Donne took over the game for Delaware, for both good and ill. She was spectacular, and she's been working on the parts of her game that were weaknesses when she was younger. She'll always be a step slow on defense, but she's been improving on the offensive end, and when she decides she's going to get aggressive, no power on this earth is going to get in her way. She deserved every moment of the standing ovation she received, and I wish her all the best. She seems like a really sweet kid.

Azia Bishop gave some good minutes in the lane. Brittany Henderson got on the boards, and even if she didn't pull the rebounds down, she made room for her teammates to get them. Bria Goss was solid, especially on defense. For me, the real defensive star was Jelleah Sidney, who drew the unenviable task of having to guard Elena Delle Donne when Plan A didn't work. She was also a constant presence on the boards, especially on the offensive end. I remember seeing her under the basket a lot. They also got good if unremarkable minutes from Janee Thompson.

A'dia Mathies seems to have decided that she needs to take over for her team. This is both good and bad- good because they need her not to have a game like she had against Navy, bad because her judgment is not necessarily the greatest. Jennifer O'Neill missed her first three shots badly, I started swearing, and then she started hitting everything in sight, so I shut up. She was a little careless with the ball, but she was the offensive catalyst they needed her to be. It was great to see Kastine Evans starting to look more like herself. Her three at the end of the first half was cold-blooded, and she hit a second big one in the second half as well. Love it when a player's moments are choice. DeNesha Stallworth spent most of the game on the bench because of early foul trouble. When she was in the game, she mostly stuck to turnaround moves with limited success. But the foul trouble really got to her. Samarie Walker was fierce on the boards. She really went after it, though she came up oddly short on some of her shots.

The referees were... oh, let's just call them interesting and decide that they hope to stay home for Monday's game. The Delaware fans were complaining that they were biased towards Kentucky, the Kentucky bench was screaming at the differential, and I was screaming that maybe they should figure out how to call something other than a jump ball.

Really liked YouDee's performance. So far, he's the best mascot I've seen in the
tournament and the redheaded guy who plays him is, like, way hot omg. Also seriously impressed by the biceps on the male cheerleaders for Delaware. Those three guys could probably in combination bench-press the team bus.

Lots of Delaware fans there, and I think most of them were actual-facts Delaware fans, not UConn fans flying false colors because OMG ELENAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. And they got loud. And I hope to God they stay loud without Delle Donne.

I think every man in the SEC is required to slick back his hair with industrial-grade gel unless physically impossible. Search your feelings, you know it to be true.

Very surprised that Kentucky's defense wasn't more frenetic. They seem to have been sitting back more. They're going to need to ratchet it up against UConn.

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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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