Just the Facts, Ma'am: St. John's started strong and kept the lead up in a 76-44 win against Lafayette to open the home schedule. Qadashah Hoppie led all scorers with 22 points. Alexis Santarelli led Lafayette with 14 points and five rebounds.
For trying to get back in the groove, physical posts, and the fly in the ointment, join your intrepid blogger after the jump.
Good evening! We come to you on an entirely too-cold night from the cozy confines of the redecorated Carnesecca Arena, as St. John's opens the season against Lafayette.
Men's soccer is in the Big East tournament against Providence (and has scored at least one goal) so attendance is scanty, to say the least. Most of the Usual Suspects, SJU Edition, are passionate enough about all Red Storm sports that they're at the soccer game and will be coming sometime after that finishes. So band appears to consist of one guy with a drumset, cheer appears to consist of four people, and dance has, like, two representatives. Well, guess we're going to have to work a little harder. Okay. Emergency reserve band has been revealed.
The new banners are very modern. The place still has that new vinyl smell. I don't know if I like them yet. Something rubs me the wrong way about having the Final Four banners and the NIT banners center-hung, but I realize I'm being irrational about this.
Magnetic schedules are pretty sharp. Already grabbed one for the door. The posters also look good, though that gets grabbed on autograph day and no sooner. I like that they're not the same design as the men, although a running motif with a coach that likes to slow down the offense is either misleading or indicates that Joe has maybe stopped playing scared.
At the end of the first, it's 22-14 St. John's. Qadashah Hoppie has gone nuts with 11 already. Defense looks good early. Yeah, the field goal percentage doesn't show it because when Lafayette has the ball long enough to get a shot, they can get a good shot. But we're doing work making sure they don't have the ball in the first place.
It's 39-25 Johnnies at the half. The freshmen need work, which makes sense this early in the season. Alexis Santarelli of Lafayette is probably not going to have a lot of friends in Queens by the end of the night.
So if a St. John's alumna who works for another Big East team shows up to a St. John's game, is she doing it in a personal or a professional capacity? Asking for a friend, or at least someone who says hi at games. (Meanwhile, I almost swallowed my Tootsie Roll whole {this is not a euphemism, it's medicinal} when I saw Curteeona Brelove approaching the bench with a warm-up shirt on, but it was one of last year's shirts and she kept going.
The rec life halftime game was plagued with turnovers, but hey, there were dunks, so there are people who almost certainly think it's inherently better than D-1 action.
I'm not sure what to make of Lafayette, except that they seem to know that they have tall, physical post players and want to use that to their advantage. Against a team that doesn't run a trap, or against teams that aren't as good defensively, they might be able to get their pick and roll action going on a more regular basis, and they might be able to use those screens to get their three-point shooters open more often. We are not that team.
Makaila Wilson was able to take advantage of her size in the post and put in some buckets- either she had a shorter defender on her or she had Kadaja Bailey, who couldn't make the turn with her in the paint. Jiselle Havas didn’t see a long stretch of time in one shot until the second half, at which point she and Tiana England seemed to be having some polite disagreements. Sydney Sabino saw time in the second and fourth quarters, though it was hard to tell sometimes (our PA guy needs to step up his game on substitution announcements). Tasha Vipond picked up mop-up minutes.
The stats aren’t great for her, and admittedly she got wrecked by the press, but I thought Sarah Agnello actually played pretty well. She looked the most in control of any of Lafayette's guards. The others were not particularly notable, especially at this late stage. (The catching up has been a nightmare.)
Alexis Santarelli definitely threw her weight around down low. She was able to get baskets close to the rim on offense and make space for her teammates with screens, some rather harder than others. Same deal with Natalie Kucowski, with somewhat less success. They brought a level of physicality to the floor that we couldn't match, even as we outplayed them on the rest of the floor.
So we got to see some of the deep bench in the fourth quarter, and the freshmen definitely need some work. Cecelia Holmberg doesn't have a sense where she needs to be on defense. Sophia Nolan made no impact. Emma Nolan got some good run, but she needs to be less scared to shoot. I don't know how many times we were yelling for her to shoot the ball. She forced three jump balls, and Lafayette had the arrow every time. Points for hustle, but a little help from the universe would be nice.
Unique Drake looks like she's fitting in pretty well. She wasn't spectacular, but I like her driving ability, and she didn't seem to be making too many mistakes. Honestly, sometimes that's what you want to see out of a freshman. I love the energy Leilani Correa brought on defense. She and Alissa Alston ran the backcourt trap and press to perfection. It gave me warm and fuzzy flashbacks of our old defenses. Shamachya Duncan hit a three and the squad rejoiced. Mascot is too strong and too dismissive a word for who she is to this team, but it's clear that she's their favorite.
There is a large part of me that loves Alissa Alston's policy of full body sacrifice, of going hard for loose balls and taking every possible charge. There is another large part of me that wants to scream, "Please stop breaking yourself, Alissa!" every time she measures her length on the hardwood. She's reckless and sometimes a little bit stupid, but I'm pretty sure I'll get used to it. So she'll be the Johnnies' entry in the "most likely to concuss your intrepid blogger via facepalm" contest. Tiana England had a nifty steal that she turned into a fast break lay-up, which makes me wonder why she doesn't do this more often. We keep blaming Joe for the team's tendency to slow things up, but there are times when I think it really is T's problem. Faster is better with this squad. Qadashah Hoppie bombed threes all night and kept the pressure on Lafayette. When she's on, she's so much fun to watch.
Alisha Kebbe continues to be rock solid and an all-around star. I love what she brings to the floor. Kadaja Bailey was the only real disappointment to me in this game. She was consistently a step slow on defense, she took bad shots, she couldn't get a hold of rebounds- basically, it seemed like wherever something went wrong, she was there. I know that sounds like a terrible thing to say, and I'm probably exaggerating. But she did not look good, and that worries me. She's a stud, or at least she has the potential to be one, if she uses it properly.
We've got to be better at dealing with physical contact. We have size, and we have players who are physical, but the Venn diagram of those two characteristics is a pair of non-congruent circles at the moment. Lafayette took advantage of that with their posts, and if a middling Patriot team can do that, then I don't know how we're going to deal with Mary Baskerville or Mary Gedaka.
That all being said, we have a lot of firepower if we just use it, and we have a level of depth we haven't had in years. I'm looking forward to seeing how this team develops.
Sunday, November 24, 2019
November 13th, 2019: Lafayette at St. John's
Monday, December 11, 2017
December 10th, 2017: Lehigh at LIU
Just the Facts, Ma’am: LIU outlasted Lehigh in a 72-69 win. Four Blackbirds scored in double figures, led by 17 points from Denisha Petty Evans, a 16-point, 10-rebound performance from DeAngelique Waithe, and an all-around line from Drew Winter (12 points, nine rebounds, six assists). Camryn Buhr for Lehigh took game-high honors with 18 points.
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Hello, Brooklyn! And other parts, of course, but this afternoon we’re coming to you from the Barclays Center, where LIU is playing their annual men’s/women’s doubleheader. The women are first up, playing Lehigh.
The security at Barclays is a little more elaborate than most arenas I’ve been to, but the people are really nice, as if to make up for it.
Fun fact: you can just barely reach the Barclays Center Pokégym from inside the arena. My new Machamp and I both appreciate that. (The Machamp may not have appreciated the windy weather that boosted my psychics, though.)
The anthem singer has a nice voice, but she took forever.
These officials seem to have forgotten, or perhaps never learned, about the existence of the charge circle. LIU’s had two baskets called back as charges for defenders who were thoroughly embraced by the arc. I am annoyed by this, especialy since we’re down five at the half, 40-35. Denisha Petty-Eavans has had herself a second quarter, with 11 points. Camryn Buhr has 14 to lead the many ponytails of Lehigh.
It got a little more exciting than I really felt it had to be, but we were able to pull it out. Lehigh made more mistakes than we did, at the exact wrong times.
Look, I’m going to be gauche here and say it: if your team is fairly monochrome, and no one has an unusual hairstyle or hair color, can y’all please put names on your jerseys? Please?
Lehigh seemed to be fairly reliant on the three, with going to the tall forwards as a second option. Camryn Buhr was a partial exception to the rule, but for everyone else, that was pretty much what the options were.
Mariah Sexe has a really unfortunate last name. She brought good height off the bench, getting offensive rebounds close to the basket. She was one of the players who was able to jostle rebounds loose from shorter Blackbirds. Cameryn Benz also brought height off the bench, finishing at the rim but wildly off on her three-pointers. (Lehigh found all kinds of new and interesting ways to miss three pointers- off the back iron straight, off the back iron at an angle, off the backboard, short, long, and the usual shots off the rim.)
The Mountain Hawks went fairly shallow on their guard rotation- to be honest, I didn’t even realize that Mary Clougherty was in the game, unless she came in at the end to help eat up fouls and pressure the LIU ballhandler. And I don’t think Bernadette Devaney reappeared after the first half. I could be wrong. She was certainly busy in her minutes.
Camryn Buhr was the star of the show for the Mountain Hawks. She scored on long-range shots and on drives to the rim, as well as backdoor cuts. She’s got good quickness, which served her well on defense, including a big block against Denisha Petty-Evans. She got intercepted and picked a few times, though, because when I fall in love with teams, I fall for defensive teams. Quinci Mann was bombing threes most of the night, with less than optimal results. She seemed to like the corners better than other spots, but didn’t seem to object to other spots. Hannah Hedstrom had a big fourth quarter- she was part of the pressure that caused LIU to cough up the ball late in the game and keep Lehigh in it until the final possession. Very active on defense.
I thought they ran the press and the trap very well, and went to it at the right time to take advantage of our dubious ballhandling. Good job by the Mountain Hawks to take advantage. Of course, I can be more gracious about it because we won the game.
Seneca Richards was called upon both for her three-point shooting and her height, since these refs had some kind of height jealousy issues about all of our forwards. She had a big block on Devaney and is not as tall as her teammates seem to think she is sometimes. Ella Vaatanen looked like she was out of position all night. She’s too much of a tweener for my tastes, though I may feel differently about that if she has a good game. We needed someone, anyone to bring height, and she did that a little. Destoni Willock committed a couple of stupid fouls and one that should have been called a block (but boy howdy will we get to that later). She’s got good size, but she still needs a lot of work, as most freshmen do. I was very impressed with Tia Montagne in this one. I really like her defense (though she’s got to be careful with the reach-in fouls) and her speed. Her shot needs work- it’s a little wild and very high, but that’s something that might be teachable. I think she’s got a lot of potential.
Where did this offense come from for DeAngelique Waithe, and how can we convince it to stick around? The shots she could never get to fall are falling, and I think she actually hit a jumper at one point. Her rebounding suffered early in the game, but she buckled down in the second half and started seizing the boards with her usual determination. Plus we got to see her doing her marvelous inbounds defense, which is worth the price of admission all by itself. If this is what the rest of her senior year is going to be like, I very much look forward to it. Stylz Sanders did not foul out of the game, though there was a play where she thought she was going to get called for her fifth for the audacity of being in the way of someone falling on her ass, and she let the entire arena know how she felt with a loud “Oh my God!” (Turned out to be Tia’s fourth, which wasn’t much better.) She’s always undersized for her position, and always somehow makes it work, finding the right spot and holding it against opposition. I think she ended up defending everyone on Lehigh at one point or another.
If Jeydah Johnson is going to drive the lane and take floaters, she’s going to have to shoot them with a little more discipline, or else you might as well just throw the other team the ball. I like that the three-point shot is part of, or perhaps is becoming part of, her arsenal. It really gives her a lot of options on offense. Drew Winter’s ballhandling needs to improve, especially if she’s going to be the one bringing the ball up the floor, but I like her shot and I love her ability to get low for rebounds. She chases them down and makes sure they’re hers. She’s just got to do a better job on the next phase. I’m not exactly sure where or how Denisha Petty-Evans fits in this offense, but she finds a way to do so. It looks like she’s improv’ing a lot of her offense, to the point where I’m not always sure what was drawn up and what she decided to do on her own. Sometimes that can be a good thing. Sometimes, I don’t know.
So now we’re going to talk about officiating. I’m used to bad refs by now. I’m used to missed calls, and bad calls, and calls that make you wonder if the ref is watching the game you are. I think this might be the first time I’ve ever seen an entire crew that was blatantly ignorant of a rule. Twice, LIU drove on defenders who were planted directly in the charge circle. Twice, it was called a charge instead of a block. There was no ambiguity of positioning, no chance that there could have been an understandable mistake. No, these three acted like the charge circle didn’t exist. And I have a problem with officials who either don’t know the rules of the game they’re supposed to be calling, or behave in such an incompetent manner that it looks like they don’t know the rules. This is, of course, on top of the usual diet of dubious hand-checks and “we didn’t actually feel like getting involved in the scrum” calls. I was fully expecting Coach’s heels to be red with the blood of her enemies by the end of the day, instead of their more mundane red.
I’m a little bummed- it looks like LIU either lost the spirit squad, or merged them with the dance team. I kind of liked that element, even if I never had enough rhythm to essay their chants.
It’s nice to really start seeing the potential of this team. Their flaws are still very evident, but their passion on defense is undeniable, and if they can get the offense to click... this could be a fun team in the NEC.
Sunday, December 4, 2016
December 3rd, 2016: Lafayette at St. John's
Just the Facts, Ma'am: The Red Storm clamped down on defense, holding Lafayette to 27.8% shooting from the field, to claim a 64-46 win. Jade Walker had 13 points to lead St. John's, adding six rebounds. Olivia Gumbs led Lafayette with 14 points.
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Game day at Carnesecca! It's St. John's and Lafayette in Queens on a pleasant autumn day.
At halftime, St. John's is up 28-15, with pretty balanced scoring all around. We're watching the dance campers doing their halftime routine, and it's actually not bad. Better than they usually manage.
Substitute announcer today, and he is not on his game. You should be giving more than name and number during intros, even for the opponent.
The group in front of us brought a bunch of kids to the dance camp. It's a mild inconvenience, but nto much more, and at least they haven't looked at us too funny for being loud. (And no one has asked me {yet} if my daughter is on the team. It happened again in the Miami game. Next time I'm telling them I'm Imani's long lost twin sister.)
The boss lady is behind us. If it weren't for doom, I'd be asking her some pointed questions right now. Kathy, you got saved.
I don't remember Lafayette's colors being this cherry before. I think that's why Coach Grentz has the leopard-print scarf- that maroon/cherry color would very much not suit her complexion, but leopard-print allows her to still sort of be in team colors.
Officiating has mostly been in our favor so far. I fear what will happen in the second half. (I mean, they broke the first rule! Jade pushed off on an early possession and they didn't call her for a foul!)
Joe, No-Shave November ended earlier this week. Scruffy is not your look.
We really got to see the freshmen shine in this one- for both teams, for both good and for ill.
Theresa Grentz either wasn't happy with a couple of her starters, or they weren't actually starters and someone else was in trouble. She swapped in Sarah Agnello and Olivia Gumbs to start the second half. Agnello really didn't have much of an impact. Olivia Gumbs was a solid offensive option, but as the game went on, she got more physical and more flat-out dirty. You don't usually see a ref call tripping, especially with the signal for it (often another signal takes precedence). She's got a nice shot and good strength- there are ways to use that in basketball that don't involve deliberately hurting your opponent. They were swapped in at the start of the second half for Harriet Ottewill-Soulsby and Alex Cantwell. Ottewill-Soulsby used her length to block shots, but her hand-eye coordination is not very good. Cantwell had a lot of family, friends, and/or other supporters in the building, some even with signs. They were not pleased with the cut in her playing time.
I don't know whether Grentz was in "throw everything at the wall and see what sticks" mode or if there was a rhyme or reason to her subs that I wasn't getting, or if she's a more situational subber than a rotation subber. So, for example, Nia Holland was the first bench player in the game for Lafayette in the first half, and then didn't appear again until the fourth quarter. (Unless she was there and I just didn't notice her- our PA guy was not on the ball with sub calls.) They've actually got some pretty decent size, or at least some decently physical size, in Ashley Lutz, Angela Ribarich, and Alexis Santarelli. Santarelli was especially impressive getting boards close to the basket. Their bigs, in general, did a nice job of setting screens for their guards, and we did a lousy job of calling them out.
Anna Ptasinski got shut down. It seems we learned from the Albany game to stay somewhat closer to the opponent's most notable player. She's got realy good instincts, and you can see that she knows how to play the game. Maia Hood is a little bit of a mismatch because of her size, but I think she saw more offensive opportunities for herself than might have been called for in the game plan. Sammy Stipa seemed to be running the offense, and was one of those invisible point guards ho doesn't really get herself noticed. There's a place for that role, but I don't know if it's here and now.
I think there's a disconnect between the players that Lafayette has, the coach that Lafayette has, what Coach Grentz expects from those players, and the current state of women's basketball on the college level. Old school can definitely be a thing, but I get the feeling the game has moved past Grentz.
We got to see all the reserves again! I like this pattern. I like it very much. Shamachya Duncan actually got some extended run in the fourth quarter after a cameo in the third. (And after all the time we spent wondering how to pronounce Shamachya, it turns out she goes by Machi.) It would be easy to dismiss her as Aaliyah 2.0- a slightly built guard from Staten Island with some moves- but she's a little more offensive-minded and not as inclined to set up the offense. She may need to move to point in future just because of her build, though. (On the other hand, I'm not entirely sure she's done with her growth spurt- her head seems a touch too big for the rest of her body.) Everyone was rooting so hard for her to get that first bucket, it was adorable. Kendyl Nunn went hard after loose balls and rebounds. Tamesha Alexander was last off the bench and coughed up the ball pretty much the first time she brought it up. Her handle isn't as good as she thinks it is. And like many Johnnies, she's got to put in more work at the free throw line.
One of these days, the universe is going to figure out that Crystal Simmons's shot may actually break the laws of physics as we know them, and that day may possibly bring about the end of the world as we know it. But until then, I'll continue to wonder how a follow-through that goes across the path of the ball somehow manages to direct it forward. I talk about how much I love her defense, but you're going to have to keep hearing it, because she does so much that doesn't show up in the box score. Andrayah Adams is coming along nicely. I still have some doubts about her, and I still question why she was so cavalierly handed #15, but she's doing all right. I thought it was interesting that she was directing the offense late in the game. Maya Singleton came up with big offensive boards and physical defense- the latter to a fault. No, Maya, you can't have a piggyback ride, and you can't just reach in for the ball. Sandra Udobi made herself available in the paint for offense, but wasn't moving as well on defense as I'd like (but I have to remember what to expect).
Jade Walker had the jumper working, but more importantly, she was going hard in the paint along the baseline. She and Gumbs were going at it in the second half, and by the end Jade looked ready to start a fight (or at least finish one). It's not a beast stat line, so you'll have to trust me when I say that this was one of Jade's best games so far this year. Imani Littleton was quietly efficient- she has a knack for getting to the right place at the right time. Fun to watch is the wrong phrase, but fun to pay attention to might be closer (if somewhat creepier).
Aaliyah Lewis is trying to do too much with the ball, trying too hard to succeed by needless misdirection. She kept the drama to a minimum this time. She drove hard in the lane, and those were fun to watch. I'm not saying there isn't a place for misdirection in her game, or that she doesn't use it effectively, but sometimes I get the feeling she crosses people over for the sake of crossing people over. Akina Wellere has been having the worst puck luck lately- lots of shots have been rimming out. I think she'll get through it, and she's picked up the nifty habit of making up for it at the defensive end. Somehow, the last couple of games she's been the one to make the big defensive stops near the end. Alisha Kebbe needs to put a little more oomph in her shot, and to work on her ball security. If the speed of the college game is catching up to her against Albany and Lafayette, it's really going to catch up to her against the Big East. Or, for that matter, against the defense of Rutgers.
Play got more physical as the game went on, and officiating got looser. There were a lot of players knocked down, mostly Johnnies. We were having some flashbacks to the infamous Southern Miss game (though unlike back in the day, we're carrying enough players that losing the entire starting five to injury and having one DQ'd wouldn't leave us with four on the court- that's actually really reassuring).
Jordan Agustus did not appear to be with the team. More on this as it develops.
There was a huge group seated in the upper deck. We don't know who they were, or what they were doing there, and they disappeared sometime in the second half. My theory is that they were a school of ninja, and they didn't actually leave- they just engaged their ninja stealth.
I'm not going to lie and say that this was a great game of basketball. But we needed a win, and we came away with a win; we needed to give minutes to our deep reserves, and they got minutes. The only thing I can complain about is being too tired to write it up properly. But it's already on to the next one. Basketball never stops, after all, no matter how much my back hurts.
Sunday, November 13, 2016
November 12th, 2016: Army at LIU
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Army blew the game open in the second quarter to win going away, 68-47, at LIU. Madison Hovren had 22 points, six rebounds, and five steals to lead the Black Knights. No one cracked double digits for the Blackbirds, who committed 32 turnovers; Aja Boyd's nine points and seven rebounds were team highs.
For bad passes, questionable life decisions, a new angle, a tiny cheerleader, food critiques, the chill of winter, and a color trend, join your intrepid and at-last caught-up blogger after the jump.
Another girl, another planet, another day in paradise, another team, another game.
It's a Saturday afternoon, shading towards evening. 24 hours ago, we were on a bus rumbling through Pelham Bay Park. Right now, we're at a Smashburger in Brooklyn, getting ready for the Blackbirds and the Black Knights. I'm not sure how I feel about this rather random evening start for LIU, but at least it's easy to get home from here.
I just saw a woman wearing all white in this burger joint that prides itself on how juicy its burgers are. Someone is having their lunch on expert difficulty level.
(BTW, in my never so humble opinion, the shakes are better than the burgers. I'm not a huge fan of the ultra-thin patty thing.)
We're going to try something different with LIU, baseline instead of sideline. Trying to find an angle where the stanchion doesn't obstruct my view has been the hardest part.
Looks like LIU has three injuries. Kind of glad mom didn't come, because one of the injured players is her tiny-guard favorite, Paris Jones.
LIU has their names on the back of their shirts, which is very helpful for getting an early jump on "who are you people?!"
I've never seen a team do two separate huddles before, but Army just did during their drills. I think the divide might have been wings and posts. Either that, or they drew straws because otherwise the one huddle would have been too unwieldy. (Army has a lot of players.)
Oh, Coach Oliver, please don't ever do the Nixon V for victory thing again.
The LIU band is so loud that even my husband thinks they're loud. And he's pretty loud. (And is in denial about his encroaching hearing loss, but that's neither here nor there.)
At halftime, Army is up 30-18, thanks to a strong second-quarter run fueled by LIU's inability to pass the damn ball to a player in a white jersey.
Wild Mass Guessing theories: DeAngelique Waithe took ballet as a kid and Lena' Hicks played volleyball in high school.
The men's team is sitting in front of our chosen perch. They seem pretty into the game, which is cool.
The band is playing "The Fox". Judging from the fact we're down 12 at the half, I think the answer to "what does the fox say?" is "a lot of swearing and commentary on passing". (The joke, in case you were wondering, is that Coach Oliver, back when she was Del Preore, played three years at Marist.)
Well, I guess that could have been worse. I guess. Maybe? There's something to be said for the moral victory of frazzling a team full of soldiers in training and breaking down their discipline. The perimeter defense and the on-ball defense are there. The intensity is there, for the most part. But the defense at the basket needs work, and so does pretty much everything on offense.
Army went deep into their bench near the end of the game, much to the delight of freshman Cori Schnell's family. They came in shirts with the family name on the back, and they cheered long and loud when she came into the game. She was very involved in her minutes, to the point where I wonder if she was trying too hard to make sure she put on a good show for them. Morgann Yancey, Shelby Haynes, Julia Gibbs, and Ellen Dougherty all entered when the game was pretty much decided, and I have no clear memories of any of them. But their teammates were very excited when they had scoring opportunities, especially when Haynes converted an elbow jumper.
Aliyah Murray did work in the lane, using speed and athleticism to get what she wanted. Margaret Anne Hubbell was physical, and a bit grabby. Libby Tacka got some time in both halves, with good foot speed. Army should not have given away that they had a backup Morris twin- it got a little confusing when Desiree Morris was subbing for Daizjah Morris. She's not quite as good a defender as her sister is, but she does all right.
I said it at halftime and I'll say it again: I'm pretty sure Lena' Hicks played volleyball, possibly even as her primary sport, in high school. There was one possession where a scrum for a loose ball occurred, and she slid on her knees and I swear she set the ball. Please note: the Game Notes of Doom do not advocate attempting to set a basketball. Madison Hovren had a lot of trouble with her free throws in the first half, which I and my fellow fans will happily take credit for, as she was much more consistent in the second half. She was a solid low-post presence for Army, hitting shots deep in the paint (including a couple of baby hooks, and I'm a sucker for a hook shot).
Daizjah Morris was really persistent on defense, creating a lot of loose balls and going after all of them. She seemed like a one-woman press at times. Jess Lewis was the deep threat, and occasionally the most animated of the Black Knights (there was a sequence where she indulged in righteous outrage when she thought she was called for a foul... only to discover that the ref had signaled #23, not #3, and the foul was on Daizjah Morris, and she stood down). Janae McNeal was really solid along the baseline and made some great defensive plays.
I was surprised how undisciplined Army was at times. They were able to minimize their mistakes later in the game, but there was a stretch where they just weren't getting the passes along the sideline to the places they wanted them. But when they were able to execute, they finished well, and they drove LIU nuts on defense.
Autumn Ashe is a pretty name. She was the last one in, and she did some good work on the boards. Seneca Richards seems to be the Blackbirds' designated three-point shooter- that ws the only offense she seemed inclined towards. Brianna Farris brought the defense, and seems to have really narrowed her offense down to the coner three. I thought she and Hovren were going to throw down by the end of the game- there was one sequence where Brianna was trying to stop her on the fast break and Hovren practically demonstrated some bad-ass hand-to-hand combat moves that left Brianna flat on the floor.
I think there might be potential in Gabrielle Caponegro, but she might not be fast enough to really capitalize it. She's only a freshman, so I shouldn’t be judging her so harshly for seeming lost on the floor. I think- I hope- she'll find her way sooner rather than later. I love watching DeAngelique Waithe on defense- spidery sounds like a terribly creepy word, but it's the first one that comes to mind when watching her work. I seem to have a thing for somewhat offensively limited power forwards who are tenacious on defense and hit the boards hard. (Hi, Joy.) I feel like I should be worried about Dionne Coe's lack of ball control, given that she's a graduate student and thus should be more experienced than anyone else on the roster. I like her jumper, but if she's going to run offense for any extended length of time, we're in trouble.
I was really disappointed in Stylz Sanders- usually she has one drive per game where she fully lives up to her name, but she was unusually tentative on offense in this one. I don't get it, and that's going to be a problem going forward if she keeps playing like that. Aja Boyd has potential, and she shut a lot of things down in the middle. I'd like to see her move a bit more, though. Drew Winter had some good moves in the lane.
I think Shanovia Dove still thinks she has to be the entire offense. That kind of take-charge attitude can be a good thing, but hitting shots wasn't necessarily our problem- hanging on to the ball to make sure we did shoot was. I don't know whether she should be the focal point of the offense, or if Coach Oliver wants her to be the focal point of the offense, or if she's just doing her own thing. Victoria Powell was uneven, but intriguing. needs
There are just so many things that need work. The passing to be crisper. The ballhandling has to be better. What bothered me most was actually at the end of the game, when the effort was visibly absent. You have to at least pretend to care, even when it's over. You can't visibly give up on the play.
Going from the Big East to the MAAC to the NEC in the span of forty-eight hours really emphasizes the issue with officiating in women's basketball. As bad as the refs are at the higher levels, they're even worse at the mid-major level. This is not a good thing.
Still can't keep up with the spirit squad, but I'm starting to get the hang of some of the simpler chants. Someday I'll have enough rhythm to ride this ride, but this is not that day.
Coach Oliver looked very glamorous in her gold dress and matching shoes.
This team is going to be an adventure, but at least they'll be a fun one.
Thursday, March 19, 2015
March 19th, 2015: Army at St. John's
Just the Facts, Ma'am: 20 points from Aaliyah Lewis and an 18-point, 13-rebound performance from Danaejah Grant spurred the Red Storm to a first round WNIT victory over Army, 64-56. Kelsey Minato and Olivia Schretzman each had 19 for the Black Knights.
For deferral, splitting up the band, defensive energy, bad body language, ticket gripes, and tedium, join your intrepid and apathetic blogger after the jump.
You thought you were done with me, didn't you? You thought the time of Game Notes had safely passed and you could breathe a sigh of relief, safe from giant blocks of text and irrelevant observations.
You forgot about the WNIT.
Your intrepid blogger is once more ensconced in her familiar perch in section 2 at Carnesecca Arena as the Red Storm host the Black Knights of Army.
Because it's the WNIT, and thus technically sort of neutral, Army brought their band, and they did a rendition of the national anthem that gave me goosebumps. I guess that's to be expected, but still, rock on, West Point Band.
(The Mighty Sound of the Red Storm is not so mighty, since most of it is off to Charlotte for the men's tournament. It's, uh, actually kind of pathetic look I'm sorry guys but you have like eight people today.)
There's nothing quite as disconcerting as seeing an Army officer in dress start yelling his head off at a game.
When St. John's was making their run to end the half, I thought for sure Dave Magarity was about to Reeve his jacket, but the Defcon level was lowered in time to keep the jacket on the chair.
I am not thrilled with the $2 jack-up of ticket prices for this one, especially since for me it's more like a $7 increase, since I normally buy season tickets. I blame the WNIT and its organizers.
The crowd is uninspiring, and heavily in Army's favor. They brought family and officers, and even the SJU ROTC seems to be leaning towards their future employers instead of their present location.
Our dance team has been dislodged from their usual baseline, since that would be where Army's cheer squad would be if they joined us today.
The defensive energy is high for both sides, but St. John's looks like a hot mess on offense.
This was not a fun game to be at. By the end of the second half, I had reached a state of ennui where I genuinely no longer cared whether St. John's advanced or not, and was starting to slide towards, no, lose, end it, I'm tired and I want this to be over. The body language was awful. Maybe they all felt the way I did, but they get hefty scholarships to play basketball- you have to at least pretend to care, or at the very least, your coach has to pretend that he cares whether you care or not.
Fun moment before the game, though. ESPN was red-hatting the tip to extremes, and at one point I may have burst out, "C'mon, ESPN, some of us have to go to work tomorrow!" Or words to that effect. Whereupon Joanne Aldrich turned around with an amused smile and a gaze to the heavens, as if to say, what can you do?
Army brought excellent defense, but was tentative and unfocused on offense. Most of them didn't seem willing to shoot, and insisted on passing to one of the two scoring options.
I loved the defensive intensity of Janae McNeal. She was always on the ball and always moving. She's got great potential, and she's only a freshman. Brigette Ocran was a big body in the backcourt, creating some mismatches with her strength. Dani Failor possesses an unfortunate last name, but solid rebounding ability. Ciara Jackson played briefly in the first half and was so unremarkable that the PA announcer initially announced her as Jordan Elliott. Destinee Morris threw me off because I mistook her for who I presume is her twin sister.
Daizjah Morris left no impression, though, again, that might be because I had trouble keeping her and her sister straight. Aimee Oertner pulled down the boards near the basket. Jean Parker spent a decent amount of time in foul trouble, which opened the door for McNeal to get minutes. Olivia Schretzman got good looks near the basket and in whatever one calls the area between the high post and the low post, and took care of her turf. Kelsey Minato has good speed, and she shoots quickly, but I don't know what to think of her release- it seems a bit crossed up. I think Army also relies on her too heavily- when the game was still close at the end and winnable with swift offense, they passed the ball around too much, looking desperately for their leader to save them.
Imani Littleton saw daylight in the second half, and of course it was after her first positive play- a defensive disruption that ultimately led to an Army turnover- that Joe pulled her. Kyra Dunn played briefly in the first half, but was so ineffective that Joe pulled her in a hurry and started yelling in her general direction, at which point she evinced no indication that she was absorbing his words. Crystal Simmons saw some time and played very stiff.
Jade Walker hit some shots, but did not have what I would call the world's greatest shot selection, and fell into the trap of staring at her shot instead of following it. The only thing I'll say about that is that she seemed to be doing a lot of switching on defense, so she might have been short on energy. Amber Thompson rebounded all the things, hit some nice shots, and even dropped a slick dime to Aaliyah Lewis on a backdoor cut. Aliyyah Handford was hassled by Army double- and triple-teams all night. There were flashes of her unbridled athleticism in the second half when she hit the fast break and when she rebounded. But I'm more worried about her increased penchant for dramatics. Flopping isn't going to succeed as a long-term bodily protection strategy- in the end, you get fewer calls than you would otherwise. (Exhibit A: Coco Hart, who was once knocked briefly unconscious at center court by a West Virginia player without even a stoppage of play.) Danaejah Grant continues to be an enigma wrapped in a mystery wrapped in a mini-hawk. She's a brilliant scorer, and without her work at the basket and beyond the arc, Army would be visiting Fordham on Sunday. On the other hand, her body language was that of a woman who cared only for her numbers and had completely lost interest in the game. She consistently gave up on plays, and no one did anything about it. Two examples, both from the second half. First: Nae gets stripped of the ball and doesn't even bother to chase, preferring to marinate in her own pity party in the backcourt. Second, she's the one in an Army 2-on-1, with McNeal and Minato running. She bumps Minato and then immediately starts arguing with the ref that Minato bumped her... meanwhile, McNeal goes for the lay-up. Thank goodness we had Aaliyah Lewis, because Tiny Aaliyah fears nothing. She went to the basket and made plays, and she sealed the deal at the line. She took what she was given, and she took full advantage.
Officiating was loose. I think it was clear that everyone involved just wanted to go home already.
Cheer and dance were also split, with half of each team at the game.
Attendance was sparse, to be generous. Listed at 211, and that might include the West Point Band. I am not looking forward to Sunday.
Monday, March 25, 2013
March 24th, 2013: Navy at Kentucky
Just the Facts, Ma'am: DeNesha Stallworth had 18 points and 11 rebounds to help Kentucky win their first round game over Navy, 61-41. Jennifer O'Neill added 12 points, 9 in the second half, and five steals. Jade Geif and Alix Membreno each had 9 points for Navy.
For dancing, gyrations, dress uniforms, souvenirs, sloppiness, and many cerulean hues, join your intrepid and apologetic blogger after the jump.
Good morning, everyone! We're coming to you on tape delay from Carnesecca Arena on the campus of St. John's University in Queens, New York, for first-round NCAA tournament action between the Patriot League champion Navy Midshipmen and SEC powerhouse Kentucky.
I'm in a chair-back seat. It's kind of disconcerting. I'm usually in the bleachers across from the home bench- I like being across from the bench so I can see a team's interaction. But here I am four rows from center court, facing everything except the logo. I'm so confused. All the advertising is covered up, since the NCAA has all the ad rights, so there are black squares where the bright ad lights used to be, and ribbons on the court where the sponsor logo once was.
Kentucky is very, very blue. It's intensely colored. Navy has a strong base here already, though we're not sure who the guy in the Army cap is cheering for. Kentucky has names on their jackets. I like them already. I have some idea of who they are!
Not buying the swag. $25 for a hat? $10 for a program? Forget it. If I'm buying anything it's going to be in Ne Orleans.
Navy appears to have brought foam goats. I'm going to go make a trade if I can. (I had to lie and say I wanted my husband's bracket to bust to get one.)
Kentucky band is coming in. Bands have been moved to what's normally the student section instead of the angled corner next to it where they usually are.
Mystics coaching staff is in attendance- Marianne Stanley and both Thibaults.
At halftime, Navy is up one on Kentucky, 26-25, but I don't think it's sustainable. Navy's been letting themselves get rattled by Kentucky's pressure, making bad passes and completely losing clock awareness in the last ten seconds- first not calling time to avert the five-second call, then not getting off a shot when they got the ball back after a really bad shot by Kastine Evans. Alix Membreno is playing really well for the Mids, with seven points and some great hustle. Jade Geif is rebounding all the things and bringing the body. For Kentucky, DeNesha Stallworth has started to get hot with her jumper, and they're killing the offensive boards.
There is a... gentleman... in a UConn shirt objecting to our discussion of our brackets. Sir, you are in a UConn shirt. You are lost. Be thou silent or GTFO.
Kentucky band did the anthem. They did a great job of it, but I do wonder why they didn't let the Naval band do it.)
Kentucky and Jennifer O'Neill opened up a can at the start of the second half, and it was pretty much downhill from there for Navy.
M.L. Morrison brought a little bit of offense off the bench in the first half, along with a body on the Kentucky posts, especially DeNesha Stallworth. Erin Meador committed some really stupid fouls, especially her third and fourth ones. The rest of the bench mostly played spot minutes, not really much of a factor in the game.
Audrey Bauer, I am not sure why you persisted in shooting threes from somewhere in the vicinity of Annapolis, but after the third or so miss, you should have realized that this was not a good plan and gone away from it. It's okay to take another step towards the line, not a step back. Chloe Stapleton picked up two quick fouls and then a third one near the end of the first half, so whatever it is she usually does for Navy, she didn't have much of a chance to do it. Jade Geif killed the boards in the first half, and I love how she was able to body up on the Kentucky posts, but she has got to hit her chippies. She had a lot of shots right at the rim that rolled off. She has to go up with more authority, though she did a better job of that in the second half. Alix Membreno played out of her mind in the first half- hitting shots, going for steals- but I think she ran out of gas. Kara Pollinger wasn't much of a factor. I remember her hitting a three, but that's about it.
Kentucky brought in a wave of reserves all at once very early in the first half, but went back to a more traditional substitution pattern for most of the game. Jelleah Sidney got away with quite a bit of shoving that I felt was quite uncouth; I don't care if your sister was a Johnny- she was epic fail, anyway- you don't get to do that at Carnesecca. Azia Bishop is one heck of a big body in the middle- surprised they didn't use her more. She got more time in the second half, because Stallworth was starting to wear down, and I think she helped wear at Navy's confidence by wearing them out in turn. Bernisha Pinkett gave them good defensive minutes off the bench. I remember seeing a lot of the back of her jersey on traps. Same for Bria Goss.
A'dia Mathies had one of the most awful games I've ever seen from her. She kept leaving her shots either short or off the side of the rim, she couldn't get on the boards- I think Navy's gameplan hinged on doubling and tripling her because they could, and in that regard, they were victorious. Granted, it was the only regard in which they were victorious, and there are no moral advances in the NCAA tournament. DeNesha Stallworth showed off a surprisingly pretty jumper from all over the floor, but she slowed up in the second half. I think stamina was getting to her. Samarie Walker attacked the rim in the second half with verve and vigor, cutting through the lane and the defense. Jennifer O'Neill was fairly quiet in the first half, and then the second half started and she was a firecracker- her points came in a fast spurt, along with a couple of nifty steals. She propelled Kentucky on to get their act together. Kastine Evans didn't play well- Mitchell was not happy with her.
Kentucky fans turned out in force; it truly was a sea of blue. I salute the cheerleader who carried blue and white streamers in his megaphone to hand out to fans- love the ingenuity. And I knew gymnastics was serious business in the SEC, but wow, the Kentucky male cheerleaders were spectacular with their flips and the fast spelling out of C-A-T-S.
I forget what the Navy band was playing- something aquatic-themed ("Sea Cruise", maybe?)- but the Kentucky band proceeded to do The Swim to it. I think the Johnnies in the corner were ROBL (rolling on the bleachers laughing).
I love that the first half was competitive; I wish the second half had been just as fierce by Navy.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
March 21st, 2009: Lehigh at Auburn (NCAA tournament)
Auburn Tigers 85, Lehigh Mountain Hawks 49
DeWanna Bonner impresses, the Auburn band rocks out, and at least Lehigh travels well.
What, you were expecting competitive balance in a 2-15 game? In the women's tournament? What do you think this is, 1998?
Auburn traveled surprisingly well for a team from Alabama- they had a lot of distance to cover. Lehigh traveled very well. They brought signs, and guys with body paint. It's tourney time, bay-bee!
Two very good bands with very different styles. Lehigh brought a traditional pep band and a lot of enthusiasm. Auburn went all brass, except for a drum kit. I liked them both, but I give Auburn the edge. They performed an excellent anthem.
Lehigh looked out of sync, out of sorts, and out of luck. Alex Ross couldn't get a lot of good shots, and the ones she did get mostly didn't go down. If they didn't have that, they didn't have much at all. Erica Prosser only really found her cojones in the second half, driving and either scoring or drawing fouls like Suzie McConnell-Serio had shoved game tape of Merlakia Jones down her throat. Haly Crites is nuts. I really thought she was gonna start a fight by the end of that game, as physically as she was playing. They really didn't get a lot from their starters, especially in the first half, when one of their reserves was tied for the team lead in scoring. I think they were genuinely stymied by Auburn's size and speed. Trying to think back on that game, I just get the mental image of a lot of brown blobs with ponytails. There were no spectacular plays by them. No phenomenal moves noted down. Just a lot of missed shots and turnovers.
DeWanna Bonner scares me a little. There's skinny, and then there's "did someone stretch her out on a rack before the game?", and Bonner is the latter. In terms of build and the way she moves, I found myself thinking of one of my Red Stormies, only Bonner is way taller. She's got some nice moves, a long lanky grace, and the ability to really screw with a team's game plan. Boddie's shooting is... yeah, I'm going to be diplomatic and go with "interesting" here. Good hands, though, especially on the defensive end today. Unfortunately, Lehigh's boxscore is fucked up, so I'm trying to match a bunch of random names to a bunch of random numbers and another bunch of names I don't know all that well. There's something I like about Chantel Hilliard, but I just can't put my finger on it. As you can tell, I say that a lot about players.
As you can also tell, it's been a very long night, and I'm tired, and I really don't remember much about this game, and honestly, I'm not sure I want to. I mean, there's only so much you can write about a 36-point ass-whipping, right?
Friday, December 19, 2008
December 19th, 2008: Lafayette at Rutgers
Rutgers Scarlet Knights 61, Lafayette Leopards 29
The Game Notes are wroth with the Rutgers athletic department, yet still feel love for the freshmen.
I really want to compliment my team. I really do. And I shouldn't be upset at a 61-29 victory, because it really does say a lot about the team, and a lot of it is good. But at the same time I get the weird and conflicting feelings that we should have won by more because Lafayette couldn't get out of their own way, and that we should have won by less because the bench should have had more time to work out the kinks. I don't know. I'm just confused.
I'm really not thrilled with Rutgers University right now. Ticket hikes are one thing, but I shouldn't have to bootleg a scoresheet at a BEast school. LIU, Columbia, St. Francis- there I can get scoresheets, but not at the premier WCBB school in the New York metro area? Are you kiddin' me? Also, please feel free to get your PA system fixed so that we can actually make out the names of the opposing players. The RAC is a wonderful arena, but it deserves more than cut corners inside.
But I did miss the band. They rock.
So, Lafayette. I don't know if it was the stifling defense- they certainly had trouble getting the ball over to each other- or their own ineptitude (since they graduated their biggest offensive threat from last season), but they were really lost out there on offense. I thought their opening drill for warm-ups, a hand-off drill, was a really good idea, but it didn't seem to do them a lot of good in actual game action. RU must have been marking the hell out of Wright, because she was a big scorer for the Leopards last year, but only got four points, all in the first half. She also set up the unfortunately named Elizabeth Virgin for a first-half bucket. Garner and Spicer had nice steals- I remembered Spicer from my trip to Kirby Gym as a ball-hawk, and there she was. Virgin and Wright also had nice plays on the defensive end. Plus, hey, any time you can see Lauren Jackson play… all right, all right, this Lauren Jackson was a brunette guard from Texas who showed a lot of hustle and not much else, but you take your amusement where you can.
Stat that stands out in the game: RU missed 32 shots, 38 if you count missed free throws. They picked up 23 offensive rebounds. So yeah, pretty impressive percentage there. Nice shooting by Piph, but I can't help but wonder if it was really necessary to not only keep her in the game for 37 total minutes (when no other starter topped 30, and the only one who came close was Kia Vaughn, who had to come back into the game late because Junaid was a wreck), but keep her shooting down to the last minute of a game that had long since become a blowout. At least feed one of the freshmen or something. She was also really aggressive on defense, more than she usually is, and I think she should have been called for a couple of more holds than she was. I did like her plays on the sideline, though I suspect Melissa Downey will disagree with me on that. Vaughn was solid inside, with pleasingly few of the glaring mental errors I've come to expect of her. (She does, however, have to learn to go before she leaves- there's nothing quite as disconcerting as seeing your starting center run pell-mell for the locker room.) Heather Zurich started getting into a groove, then started getting into foul trouble, and that was, as they say, that. She and Ray both took their turns on LaKeisha Wright, and both had success on her. Ray didn't really need to get into the offense. McCurdy, I honestly don’t remember, and that's frightening, given that she's one of my favorite Scarlet Knights. I'm really liking Rushdan's hustle and work on the boards. Like, a lot. Sykes has good instincts, but she needs to learn when not to pull the trigger. C'mon, April. You're a big, badass young woman. Take it inside. You don't need to be popping MCBB threes from the top of the arc. I'm liking Nikki Speed. It was nice to see Lee and Pope, and I liked Lee's screen to set up the two by Rushdan.
Best play of the game: Rushdan's interception at midfield returned for a touchdown steal at halfcourt that resulted in a Prince three.
Most awesome play in the history of ever: the absolutely bone-crushing screen thrown by the girl in the #10 jersey during the halftime ballkid two-on-two game. I swear to God, if I were Kim Barnes Arico, I might have tried to offer her a scholarship right then and there. The Red Storm don't set screens that solid. Hell, some Liberty players don't set screens that solid. We're talking damn near Screen of Death here.
You know how I mentioned that I hadn't seen Bonita Spence in a while, before the game at St. John's on Tuesday? Yeah, guess who showed up again. Does she hibernate until December or something? Because if she does, she's doing it wrong. So wrong. This was great hibernation weather. Some truly horrible calls- travels that were caused by fouls, fouls that were called as travels, some textbook holding not whistled… Bonita, really, I expect better of your crews.
The weather was absolutely disgusting, but a surprising number of people made it out. Probably not that many fewer than would actually consider Rutgers-Lafayette to be a match worth checking out. I do wish the guy in the scarlet sweater who was obnoxiously rooting for the Leopards the whole game and then "Rah rah Rutgers rah!"ing after the game hadn't been able to make it. Does that make me a bad person?
So yeah, we won, and we won big, but really, relying on one player to score the bulk of your points is so mid-major. She's got to learn to trust her young players, and at least in this game, she did give Sykes and Speed chances. Baby steps. Baby steps.
Monday, December 15, 2008
December 14th, 2008: Rutgers at Army (Maggie Dixon Classic)
Rutgers Scarlet Knights 59, Army Black Knights 38
C. Vivian Stringer is inexplicable, Kia Vaughn is inconsistent, and Alex McGuire is accurate.
I despair of understanding Rutgers, I really do. And I despair of ever understanding Coach Stringer. I'm starting to believe that there's something genuinely wrong with that team- and with a fan base that's part New York attitude and part Philadelphia hellraiser, that's the last place you want to have something wrong with your team.
Nice crowd for the doubleheader, and many props to the folks from Connecticut and Penn State who made it out for the noon tip. I've been to Gampel; I've been to the Bryce Jordan Center. It's a hell of a haul between either of those and New York, so they must have either stayed over or gotten up at the crack of dawn to make it for the first game. Compared to the Rutgers fans, the bulk of whom left after the first game, or stayed to the end of the first half of PSU-UConn, y'all made a much better show.
Beautiful anthem, and having the cadets present the flag was the right touch. I especially liked that the cadets started the flag waving at the song cue.
Army really looked like they were in over their heads. A lot of sloppy passing/passes that were never in a million years going to get over or around the defenders, some very hurried shots. RU did a nice job of containing Megan Evans, who I recall going off like a firecracker against St. John's. But then, St. John's doesn't have anyone quite like Kia Vaughn, which might make a difference when attempting to put the clamps on a six-two fforwrd. McGuire had a nice shooting day, at least in the first half. Erin Anthony really got into the game in the second half, but by that point, most if not all hope was gone. Not a lot of spiffy plays by Army- the only ones I have down were by Courtney Wright, a nice block in the second half, and a steal to set up one of McGuire's threes. And again, I stress that Magarity really needs to calm down. Then again, if he was prescribed Valium, I'm pretty sure Stringer stole it.
Okay, seriously, what the fuck? So much what the fuck. Why did it take so long for Stringer to sub when her starters were obviously fatigued and making stupid mistakes because of it? We were screaming for her to pull Vaughn a good five to eight minutes before she even thought of subbing, and when it was Zurich she pulled, I was extremely o.O. It took her until the end of the first half to pull Vaughn, and not until the second for her to actually put in the player who normally replaces Vaughn in the lineup, Rashidat Junaid. And she always seemed to be blaming the freshmen for something, even if it wasn't the freshmen who were playing badly. Vaughn did seem to have it together early in each half, but she gradually faded in the first half. There was one play where she was walking back on offense. Not running, not jogging. Walking. Dudenotcool. Piph made me happy, though. Brittany Ray's timing tends to be impeccable. McCurdy was one of many Scarlet Knights with a nice block. Freshman sightings- I like April Sykes a lot in game action; she seems to be the most into Stringer's defensive system, and she showed impressive range during shootaround. Pope seems to have the right ideas, just a little too much enthusiasm about trying them out in game action. Speed seemed a little too interested in getting on the board and not enough interested in getting her teammates involved, though I think that may have been a function of the limited playing time.
In the first half, it looked like the refs wanted to help Army keep the game respectable, and the weirdest calls were on Rutgers. In the second half, it looked like the refs wanted Rutgers to blow it open, and the weirdest calls were on Army. (And on Brooklyn Pope- clearly one of the refs likes freshmen as much as Coach Stringer does.)
It's just as well we were playing Army. We wouldn't have won this game if it were against a better opponent. We didn't play the way we're capable of, and I'm pretty sure our coach is insane.
Friday, November 28, 2008
November 25th, 2008: Army at St. John's
http://redstormsports.cstv.com/sports/w-baskbl/stats/2008-2009/stj04.html
don't ask. Don't even ask. And this is coming from a fan of the winning team...
I genuinely have no idea how we managed to win this game. I mean it. We shot horribly from the field and almost as badly from the line. We couldn't take care of the ball. We were outrebounded. We just managed to play a team that really couldn't hold on to the ball. It was, beyond a doubt, one of the most depressing games I've ever been to.
Part of that came from the setting. We only got a few days' notice that game time had been changed from 7PM to 3:30- it seemed that St. John's had won a host bid for consolation rounds of the men's NIT, and the fact that the arena was already booked didn't seem to matter to them. St. John's doesn't get much of a crowd anyway, but the official attendance was 122. We couldn't even get enough cheerleaders or dancers together for them to do any routines. We didn't have the band. It was like something out of a nightmare. It's probably for the best that there weren't a lot of people there, because it wasn't a very good game.
Dear Coach Magarity, please take better care of your health. You're going to hurt yourself if you keep yelling like that. I liked what I saw out of Megan Evans- I think I remember her from the Maggie Dixon game last year. And Erin Anthony probably would have gotten more involved if she hadn't had the foul trouble- most of Army's key players got into foul trouble, which is really what screwed them in the end. Laura Baranek hit a couple of unbelievable bank shots, though one of them was after the shot clock had expired and shouldn't have counted. I really liked Courtney Wright, but I can't put my finger on why, and writing these notes several days later certainly isn't helping that. She hustled. Naliki Hawkins was a sneaky little thing with really good hands.
I don't think we'd have been able to pull that game out if Kelly hadn't been shooting so well from beyond the arc. Some of those threes were from the men's range. Da'Shena really couldn't get going, although she has a nose for the ball on the offensive glass the same way Joy and Coco do, as if it wasn't already obvious what Coach likes in her post players. Sky's shooting woes continue, but she had a really nice rebound sometime in the first half. Monique couldn't hit the broad side of a barn- Army was marking her really well and daring everyone else to score. Forcing the ball inside, while it didn't always work out, got Joy, Da'Shena, and Coco to the line a lot once the bigs for Army were in foul trouble. Coach experimented some more with Sky at the two, bringing in both Kristin and Britney for looks. Kristin was unremarkable, Britney made freshman mistakes. Aricia started to wake up a little bit.
I think I managed to guilt people into using the student sections behind the baskets. At one point, to distract Megan Evans at the line, I yelled, "Just let yourself be disconcerted by the imaginary students!" A few minutes later, the cluster of guys who had been sitting in the section next to mine moved into the student section behind the Army basket and proceeded to help disconcert the Black Knights on offense, and they migrated at halftime so that they could do the same in the second half. They were hysterical, and they kept it clean and, for the most part, polite. It was awesome. It gave the game a little tiny bit of that collegiate atmosphere that I find myself missing at St. John's games.
I had the displeasure of sitting near one of the loudest and most obnoxious fans I've ever encountered, and that's pretty impressive. I don't mind noise. I don't mind yelling. I'd be a hypocrite if I did. But you really shouldn't be trying to get a player's attention for real. Unfortunately, I have the horrible feeling he was Sky Lindsay's dad. For future reference, Sky? Feel free to ignore orders barked from the stands. You're a BEastie now; your orders come from the bench. Most of us aren't really trying to talk to you, we're just venting frustration.
It'll be interesting to compare this game to the Maggie Dixon game in December, seeing how Army develops in the next couple of weeks and how they fare against a more talented but less experienced opponent than St. John's.
Monday, April 14, 2008
January 26th, 2008: Lehigh at Lafayette
Now this is what a rivalry game's about.
The Grand Tour continued on Saturday, as we ventured to our third state in this quest, crossing the Delaware for one of the oldest rivalries in college sports: Lehigh-Lafayette. For once, we had excellent directions, as Lafayette's website was very useful in providing address information and specifics about the arena's location on campus.
Kirby Sports Arena sits along College Hill, a simple building with a modern, elegant interior that celebrates both Lafayette's varsity sports and its intramurals; as Glenn pointed out, you might be at an academically inclined school if one of your intramurals is backgammon. Their gym, much like Princeton's, is set up for indoor track, but unlike at Jadwin, the extra space is muffled so that noise doesn't escape out of the playing area, instead rising to the rafters and coming back down, much like the RAC. They also take advantage of the extra space by having their concession stand between two sets of screens. Signs your game might be held in Pennsylvania: the concessions include funnel cake. In retrospect, we should have taken advantage of the Herr's chips.
The beauty of a rivalry that is pretty much among neighbors is that the traveling team can enjoy some of the advantages of home, and Lehigh played that to the hilt. Despite wearing their, frankly, unattractive and non-menacing road brown and white, they enjoyed the support of a vocal cheering section… and their cheerleaders… and their band, who did a wicked version of "Carry On Wayward Son". For a Patriot League team, they brought a lot of size and used it well. Haly Crites, Melissa Rich, and Courtney Dentler all did incredible work protecting the paint against Lafayette- at least in the first half, and through much of the second. Rich, along with guards Erica Prosser and Tricia Smith, showed a knack for getting to the line, though not always converting. I loved the defensive work of Sullivan on the perimeter, and the outside shooting of Alex Ross was unreal. She showed damn near NBA range, and she's only a sophomore. There's a reason Lehigh's making noise this season, and why they'll probably win the Patriot despite losing this very important conference game. They've got a lot of grit and a good mix of inside and outside games.
Side note of interest: there's kin of Wally Szczerbiak on the Lehigh roster, sophomore forward Wendy Szczerbiak. Either she was the tall, slim, brunette in street clothes with the injured knee… or she was the very large, very blonde forward in the appropriate jersey. I was pretty convinced that the jersey was accurate at the time, but the more I think about it, the more I think that there was absolutely no family resemblance between Wally and #10, whereas the young lady in street clothes bore a slight resemblance to him. 'cuz otherwise, someone got switched at birth, no lie.
On to the Leopards- who get credit for at least having a halfway unique name instead of being one of many Hawks or Bulldogs or Tigers. Some interesting names on that team; Elizabeth Virgin is definitely on the All-WTF Name Team, and the mythology geek in me wonders if she has a sister named Athena. They also have a Lauren Jackson, which is just disconcerting. I mean, I know they're both common names, but that doesn't keep it from being disconcerting. Lafayette's lineup was much more traditionally sized in terms of mid-majors, with twos playing the three, and threes playing the four and even the five. Lafayette's scorecard came with a handy stat breakdown, so I knew to watch senior Vanessa Van De Venter and freshman LaKeisha Wright (who, with one of the injury to one of Lafayette's other guards, had the dubious distinction of being "the black player") as the scoring stars, as both of them were putting up impressive shooting percentages, especially for perimeter players. I found myself liking Van De Venter's stroke, but not so much her hands- her fumbles almost cost Lafayette the game in the late stages, both in the giving and the receiving. Wright stepped her game up in the second half, showing a pretty impressive array of moves getting to the rack. But right around the third possession, the Leopard I found myself watching most intently was ballhawking guard Jessica Spicer, who played dogged defense and hit shots late in the game- a three to swing the momentum back in Lafayette's favor and a layup that helped put it out of reach. Clutch was also Emily Garner, who stepped up big off the bench and had the defining block that put the game in Lafayette's control- and since they weren't getting the production they ought to have been out of the scoreless Cristin Zavocki, they needed her to score.
The crowd was really into it, and I think the presence of the Lehigh fans really helped that- it wasn't a call and response, per se, but the presence of loud, vocal Lehigh fans helped spur the Lafayette fans on to back their team. In short, it was everything a rivalry game could hope for: tightly but fairly contested, loud and passionate fans for both sides, and a satisfying win for the home team.
The only thing better than a tightly, fiercely played rivalry game? A tightly, fiercely played rivalry game with a post-game autograph session. For the sake of completeness, I was disappointed that Van De Venter and Wright had to go handle media stuff in the midst of the session. A very charming bunch of young ladies who seemed genuinely pleased at the size of the crowd- and of course, the win over Lehigh. And I did promise I wouldn't tell, but somehow I doubt there are any Leopards reading these notes: senior forward Val Gomez, near the end of the autograph line, had clearly gotten bored at one point as traffic jammed up near the front, because she had doodled glasses and a Harry Potter scar on a couple of her teammates' images on a spare poster. "I guess I should turn that over," she said when I laughed.
This is what our Grand Tour is about- seeing games we would never have otherwise dreamed of seeing, being in the arena for rivalry games like this, having some of the best seats in the house for everything a rivalry game should be, surrounded by passionate fans and passionate players. This may well be the best game I've seen all season, and I'd like to thank the ladies of the Patriot League for providing it.
December 8th, 2007: Maggie Dixon Classic
Shavonte Zellous, Chante Black, and Rashidat Junaid impress; meanwhile, Kia Vaughn is… not well.
Nothing like a doubleheader where the gates open before noon to wake you up, huh?
First of all, I am not pleased with the turnout. Where the hell was everyone? I know the folks on this board did their part- I saw a few familiar faces in the crowd- but come ON. That was some pathetic attendance, and not attendance that would look good at all on the television. It's the kind of thing that makes people who happen to come by ask why it's on TV, or why it's in such a major arena. I mean, we did get some good noise out of the crowd, especially in the first game, where you had the Duke fans hollering, the Pitt fans hollering, and the Rutgers fans hollering for Pitt out of a combination of conference loyalty and the urge to see the team that just beat you lose in turn.
So, after all the talk this year of Marcedes Walker, as compared to the talk of her in previous years, I have to say I'm not as impressed as I used to be. She seems to have let the praise get to her head, because she's gotten very passive on the court- there were times when she was letting the tall but slender Chante Black push her around, and times when she simply wasn't chasing rebounds. At the same time, she's got brass ones enough that when her team needed her, she did step up, and enough that she has the WNBA logo tattooed on her right biceps- I couldn't see closely enough to tell whether she completely copied Cappie's tattoo or whether it's simply the logo. Shavonte Zellous also has the logo, on her ankle, but as of right now, she's got more of a claim to it than Walker does. That girl can ball, jeez. Now I completely comprende what the Maryland fans were talking about. She's a heartless shooter and a damn good hustler. I don't know if she really does have next-level game, or if she'll be exposed on bigger stages and/or without the muscle of Walker to back her up. Mallorie Winn… okay, I didn't get my program until halftime, so when I first saw #0 come off the bench and royally fuck up her first two passes, I turned to the boy and said, "Okay, she needs to not pass anymore." At which point she put up the most godawful three I'd seen all day to that point. So I figured that maybe shooting was a bad idea for her and she just needed to sit down. Then I got the program and realized that this was the once touted Mallorie Winn. Er, what the hell happened to her? No one else from Pittsburgh really stands out in my memory, although this probably has more to do with the fact that this was the first game of a doubleheader.
For Duke: Chante Black. I love her. Love at first sight. I like the way she plays the game, though she could stand to put on a little muscle. But I love the way she moves, the way she positions herself, and the fact that she seems to enjoy doing what she does. So many players have such severe game faces that the *game* portion of the whole thing gets forgotten. I was also very impressed with Abby Waner's hustle- she's got a nose for where the ball is going to be, and a boundless determination to make the ballhander's life a living hell. I don't know if she's a prospect, but she's definitely fun to watch. McCallie's big on posts (and on big posts), so I'm sure we're going to be seeing more and more post offense as she figures out what she has and what she wants. This might be a down year for them, but dollars to donuts their big push is next year. I mildly liked Karima Christmas, but I can't get past her name. (Not so much her last name, even- I work with a Karima who has a less than charming personality.) Again, I'm sure there were plays by Duke that intrigued me and made me go wow at the time, and were not Chante Black blocks, but time has eroded them from my memory. :(
Intermission consisted of some speechifying and some charitable donations, the second of which I approved of more than the first. All four teams were out there, some a bit more enthusiastically and respectfully than others. No brownie points to the two Blue Devils who chatted through the whole thing, and none to the RU players who were fidgeting. Not surprised that the Army players stood stoically through it, and would you really be surprised that Essence Carson was the picture of patience?
As an aside to whoever put together the remembrance videos: why did you think it was a good idea to show the one with Geno? Come on. The rivalry has gotten nasty enough that fans will do embarrassing things because of it. Yes, they booed the video. No, I'm not proud of them.
Beautiful anthem- they did it between games, perhaps so they could have the color guard?
Army was screwed when, three minutes in, Cara Enright went down hard enough that we heard her hit the deck, stayed down for a very long time, needed help to get up, put no weight on her leg, and went straight to the locker room. This is not a good combination of events, and bodes no good for a team when said events happen to their star senior guard. Alex McGuire had to take on the entire offensive load herself, and while she was willing and able, no one else could step up to help her. Hawkins and Anthony both did the bulk of their scoring late in the game, and Stone mostly disappeared after the first few minutes. Unsurprisingly, Army plays very tough, very physically, and very tenaciously. They welcome contact on both ends of the floor. They drive. They have surprising post presence for a team that can't really recruit above a certain height. They're fun to watch- I just don't know if they have the talent to compete, especially if Enright's out for any extended length of time.
I think Coach Stringer was pissed. Perhaps out of concern for nagging injuries, perhaps out of not wanting to run up the score, but IMO mostly because of the Duke game, she benched the entire regular starting lineup. There are small children who might not even have been aware that Katie Adams ever played who saw her start today. And Rashidat Junaid took full advantage to display her post moves and soft touch on the Garden floor. Granted, Rashidat started out with an advantage, in that a) she's already been playing better than Kia Vaughn, and b) er, we'll get to b later, suffice it to say that there may have been a reason Kia was playing like crap. Brittany Ray also decided to shoot the lights out, given the opportunity to start in place of Heather Zurich (who didn't play at all, perhaps because her face still isn't quite right after that hit early in the season, and if you don't have to…). I was glad to see Myia start, too, because I like watching her play- I don't think she's the kind of player who needs to start, but she's a most excellent sixth woman. Honestly, things unraveled temporarily in the first half when Stringer reluctantly began bringing the starters in. In the second, it was clear that the starters, or at least Prince and Ajavon, had gotten things together enough to look good. Essence was very quiet in her limited minutes. The defense was fantastic and the rebounding was splendid.
Terrapins, we need to have a talk about the use of germ warfare in out-of-conference play. I'm *sure* it's just a coincidence that after we play the Maryland Ptomaines, Kia comes up with two awful games and spends part of the second half barfing into an empty Gatorade cooler. Yes, the joys of sitting in the endcourt and having no one shielding the bench. Come on, guys, we share your team colors, can't you cut us a little slack? At least if you're going to use germ warfare, take advantage of it yourselves, don't hand it off to another team to take advantage of!
In the crowd: a batch of high schoolers and middle schoolers, Blaze and her posse, Dan Hughes, Marynell Meadors. The last two are as per Megan, the Liberty's devoted ticket rep, who joined us for a bit of the second game. During the first game, the Army squad obligingly posed for pictures in their general area. During the second, Pitt brought their own cookies and nifty warm-ups, while Duke socialized quite a bit in our section and the section behind what had been their bench.
I was at five games in eight days. Bonita Spence was at three of them. Bonita, we must stop meeting like this.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
November 19th, 2006: Army at St. John's
Army 57, St. John's 45
The fashion's really the prettiest thing about this game. That, and Cara Enright.
As my seatmate Lib Fan can attest, I spend a lot more time screaming inarticulately at college games than at Liberty games. There's a lot more stupidity going around.
It shouldn't have surprised me, but it did amuse me that Army uses a US government bus. It also shouldn't amuse me that it was neat as a pin except for one lonely water bottle in a window, and that there was a camo folder in the driver's seat.
Cara Enright's good. No, really. I was also impressed by Megan Evans. Anna Wilson's itty-bitty (if she's really 5'5", I'll eat my Liberty rain hat), but she's got some ups on her! Magarity really needs to relax sometimes. Granted, we were sitting in the fourth row, but we heard plenty from him. It was quite amusing, especially after a boneheaded foul by… oh, was it King? "WHY? WHY? WHY TRY TO BLOCK THAT SHOT?!"
The good news for the Red Storm was that due to roster mix-ups earlier in the season, I miscalculated how many players we have- we had a whole *seven* players today, and the young lady I had thought was our IU transfer was in fact freshman Charisse Curtis, who came off the bench for two three-pointers and some other miscellaneous stats. In appearance and build, she reminds me somewhat of a slightly taller Kristi Toliver. (The offense she brought today also made me wonder exactly why she didn't play against Iona, when we were desperate for anyone to sub in.)
It was dumb blonde day on the court for St. John's. Tiina Sten looked flat-out awful- I don't know how many times I muttered "fucking Euro" under my breath, or not so much under my breath. She wasn't defending well inside, she wasn't driving inside (hello, 6-3, plz to be using it), and she utterly spazzed out half the game. Your point guards should not BOTH finish with more rebounds than a starting forward, not if the name Loree Moore is not mentioned. Allie Patterson was so useless that although she started, she played the fewest minutes of any Red Storm player. Missed all her shots and should have been credited with more than one turnover. "ALLIE! ALLIE! SKIP PASS!" Poor Coach is going to go gray at this rate.
The rest of the frosh, on the other hand, acquitted themselves quite well. Nikki Jo has seven turnovers listed, but several of those are failed lobs to the Tall Blonde and Clueless contingent. Love her shooting. Love her hustle. Joy had a rough shooting day, but she tied Angel for the team lead in rebounds. She was aggressive on defense, and I'm surprised she was allowed to get away with the level of contact she was on Enright. She'll learn. She's a freshman. This is my soothing mantra. Charisse, as mentioned, shot well, although I was surprised her teammates didn't get her the ball more often- maybe they weren't sure she was there either? :) As for Kia, she didn't start, but she played the bulk of the minutes at one guard spot, and did her fill-the-stat-sheet thing.
Two plays back to back for the Storm: Nikki Jo with the ball, drives to the free throw line, shot fakes, dishes to Joy under the basket, Joy hits the open lay-up. Defensive stop, Kia drives up the right side of the court, stops over halfcourt, looks out at the crowd on the same side as the bench, and passes off to Tiina coming down on the right, Tiina hits the lay-up off the no-look. Occasionally I thought we had hope. Jen Hansen hit a heartbreaking three-point shot at the end of the first to put Army up ten, and Evans and the rest of their posts were abusing our inside defense and the backboard.
Fashion report: Monique won the day in a pink skirt, gold blouse, and silver slippers (but the Gatorade-branded towel *so* did not go with the outfit); Victoria wore a white sweater and black slacks; Recee was in black slacks, a bright blue blouse, and short heels; Kelly wore a sleeveless blue top and a nice pair of slacks.
Danielle Chambers, the tenacious rebounder who graduated last year, was at the game; she's playing professionally in Puerto Rico these days.
I keep two soothing mantras in mind when watching the Red Storm: "She's only a freshman, she'll learn better" and "If we get Monique or Recee back, things will get better".