Just the Facts, Ma’am: The Red Storm started slowly, but found their footing late, in a 77-61 win over New Orleans. Marcus LoVett had 23 points to lead St. John’s, 16 as part of a second-half surge. Travin Thibodeaux had 18 points off the bench to lead the Privateers.
For hard bleachers, gift disparities, crowd detachment, height miscalculations, intriguing guards, and the female gaze, join your intrepid and exhausted blogger after the jump.
On to the second half of our basketball double-header. It’s 37 minutes before tip-off and they’re already having staff members start checking assigned seats. I mean, really. I’ll move if and when they tell me.
New Orleans has a dude who is really, really tall, and really, really skinny.
To the dude in the red Mohawk- eff outta here. We got to campus at the same time, and yet I don’t remember seeing you anywhere in Carnesecca during the women’s game. I abhor these Johnny-come-latelies.
Someone has a custom St. John’s jersey with the #15 and “World Peace” on the back. Well played, sir. I’m not sure what’s up with the throwback Warren Moon jersey, though.
I’m starting to think something really is wrong with the rim closer to the men’s home bench (I still think of it as the visiting bench). UNO has had all kinds of practice shots go wacky over there.
I love that Qadashah has, like, a receiving line up behind section 11. Either she has a positively enormous family that’s going to be a joy for four years, or she’s already super popular.
Ugh, I knew I should have brought the butt pads. I haven’t gotten up in over three hours, and my ass is informing me that it does not approve of this state of affairs.
Seriously, where were all you jackholes two hours ago? There was basketball to be played and Johnnies to cheer for then.
I don’t know how I feel about the white warm-up hoodies. They’re a little something, but I don’t know what that something is.
At halftime, St. John’s is up 37-28 on New Orleans. I get the feeling we might not be good at the basketball. Justin Simon has been flying high, but Marvin Clark II leads the way with 11 points. Very sloppy play by both teams. I’m really impressed with New Orleans’s rebounding.
The Queen Mother joined me for the second half of the women’s game and the first half of the men’s game; her contribution to the commentary is that the men don’t seem to have very good communication on the floor.
I swear, the dad for this birthday party has spent more time standing up and blocking my view. Either sit down or go get me a hot dog; you seemed to be offering them to everyone else in the section.
I’m not thrilled with this upper deck corner seat, but I find it somewhat reassuring that the woman I think is part of Tiana England’s family didn’t get a much better seat. At least they’re consistent in their dismissal of women’s ticketholders.
Dude behind me had no idea that Mullin had taken over as head coach of the men. I swear. I don’t even go here and sometimes I think I know more about this team than the people who claim to be fans.
It’s petty, but for the most part the arena seems just as quiet for a men’s game as it does for a women’s game, except for the presence of a student section. The people in the upper deck just don’t seem to care about the action on the floor; they just want to be able to say they were there, to show the flag. It’s quieted me as a result (which mom thinks makes it seem that much quieter, ha-ha-ha, it is to laugh).
The birthday party has candy-coated Oreos that look like basketballs, which I did not know existed and now need to be an integral part of my life. I just wish the dad would have spent more than five minutes in a row in his seat.
Well, I can’t say that St. John’s is good, per se, but they’re certainly entertaining. When the passing game is on and Shamorie Ponds is hitting, they’re fast-paced and flashy. If Shamorie’s not hitting and the passes aren’t sharp, then it all falls apart in a hurry. I’m concerned about the rebounding, and I feel like most of the guys are still trying to figure out where everyone likes their passes.
I was very impressed with the Privateers’ offensive rebounding. They never gave up on a ball near the rim. They weren’t necessarily going to get it into the basket, but they were going to give it the old college try, as it were. Their ball control was not good. I love their heart and their intensity, though.
It seemed like New Orleans relied more on their bench than their starters, especially in the second half. Jorge Rosa got big minutes and scored buckets in the fourth quarter. (Well. What would be the fourth quarter if MCBB followed everyone else’s system. You understand why I might still think of it that way.) Bryson Robinson attempted to take a lot of contact and attempted to draw charges. He was, for the most part, unsuccessful in that goal. Near the end of the game, New Orleans started throwing in some of their deep reserve guards, and at least Damion Rosser had his free throw attempts to get him in the box score.
Travin Thibodeaux, who got his name pronounced two or three different ways by the PA guy (seriously, pronunciation guides, how do they frakking work) was strong off the bench, to the point where he got the second half start over Tyren Harrison. He tried to put the team on his back, finishing at the rim and even going deep occasionally. Bol Riek is very tall, very fast, and not very strong- the prototypical extremely tall mid-major center who would be somewhere higher up the ladder if he had fewer flaws in his game. He didn’t seem comfortable at the basket at all. (Granted, given how enthusiastic St. John’s was with defense at the rim, I can’t say as I blame him. We weren’t great at it, but we were certainly enthusiastic about it.)
Be proud of me, loyal readers. I went the entire game without making any paradox puns about Michael Zeno. I’m learning how to pun responsibly. He got on the glass well; even when he wsn’t pulling down the rebound, he made it easier for his teammates to eventually corral the ball. I don’t really remember Makur Puou all that well, which is kind of scary given how much time he spent on the floor. I’m starting to understand why New Orleans seemed to have so much more confidence in their senior reserves than they did in their starters.Play the hot hand, and that’s how the Privateers rolled in the second half.
Troy Green ended up with a lot of fouls and a lot of disagreement with the officials regarding calls that may or may not have been made, the application of which as appropriate would surely have been to the Privateers’ advantage. Turen Harrison got benched in the second half, but did have a spectacular block on Shamorie. Ezekiel Charles didn’t really get going until the second half.
I’m sleep-deprived. These notes on UNO are bad, even for a team I know less than nothing about. And I’m embarrassed and sorry about that. They were a feisty team, and one that did a good job of taking advantage of the Red Storm’s mistakes in the first half, but one that didn’t have the talent or the depth to cope when Shamorie and Marcus were getting their shots to fall.
When I saw the starting lineup, I wondered why Kassoum Yakwe wasn’t starting. Then he came into the game and committed two quick fouls, and now I understand why Coach Mullin doesn’t start him. Ditto but more for Amar Alibegovic, who seemed unable to find a situation that he couldn’t somehow make worse. When he had open shots, he passed them up to teammates who were in worse positions. When he was on defense, he committed unnecessary fouls. He has the body of a brilliant inside player and I’ve seen his shot, but something just wasn’t clicking in this game.
Tariq Owens is ridiculously skinny. It’s surreal in a way, as if you could fold him up and collapse him into a framework for travel. He’s very active and energetic. His accuracy needs a bit of work, though, but I’m glad he was able to draw contact and get to the line. Bryan Trimble Jr. hit a three in the second half and came in fairly late in both halves, if my scorecard is to be believed.
Full disclosure: mom and I both spent a good portion of the pregame, once we were in our assigned seats, admiring Marvin Clark II’s arms. Dude is built. He had himself a great first half, very quietly. He took advantage of his opportunities and hit his shots. When you’ve got well-known star players, you need a guy like that, someone who can make the other team pay for hewing too closely to the original game plan. The guys behind me kept talking about how Bashir Ahmed was trying to do too much, and I can sort of see what they were getting at. He did have a distressing tendency to try and shoot on multiple defenders, with dubious results. His passing was also shaky. I think he thinks Shamorie’s taller than he actually is, which is not an unreasonable mistake to make, all things considered.
Justin Simon certainly likes to sky for those dunks. I think I now know who broke the rim, and I have to apologize to Tariq for accusing him without evidence. He was kept a bit more grounded in the second half, but that was okay, because that’s when the big guns started going off. Shamorie Ponds was able to get the speed game going in the second half, and the passes started getting a little fancier as he and Marcus got a little more confident. He had a fantastic steal where he just stepped into the lane and took the ball away like it was his destiny to have it. Marcus LoVett started raining threes in the second half, and it was a great and glorious thing to watch.
I get the feeling that this team is going to be a beautiful mess to watch; there will be days when they look like they have no idea what they’re doing, when the passes are constantly going into the bench or hitting the padding on the sidelines, when the shots don’t go down and the defense is lacking and the rebounding is non-existent. But there will be days that make those days worthwhile, when the offense is humming like a Ferrari, the threes are falling, and Justin Simon has cleared his flight plan with air traffic control over at JFK.
I could be wrong, but I wouldn’t think Marcus LoVett would have to go crashing into the sidelines to get close to the dance team.
At the start of the second half, Ezekiel Charles was having a bit of trouble getting his jersey back on, for whatever reason. I would have been perfectly okay with him spraypainting his number on his chest and going on with the game without his jersey. (I’m not quite old enough to make it creepy that I’m ogling a college junior, but in a couple of years it might be. But let me enjoy the eye candy while I can.)
Officials were letting a lot of contact go. I was worried someone might get trampled by the end of the game. I am not okay with people getting trampled.
Play of the game, in my opinion, was the snazzy pass by Shamorie that led to the three by Marcus that bounced off the rim and in. I might have had a different opinion if the shot didn’t go in.
Are fans in the upper deck always this quiet? There was almost no interaction with the game in my section. It’s like, why are you here if you aren’t even watching the game? Why aren’t you cheering?
I don’t think I have anything else to say about this game, or at least the atmosphere around Carnesecca, that wouldn’t be perceived as whining, so I think I’m going to stop here.
No, wait, one more thing. They advertised a season ticket holder gift during the game, one of those nifty seatback things that turns a bleacher seat into a cushioned and supported seat. I sit in the bleachers for most of my games, so that would be amazing. Except, as it turns out, that’s only the men’s season ticket holder gift. The women’s gift is a flag. In the retro font. Which the men use and the women mostly don’t. Oh, and it has the Garden on it. Where the men occasionally play. And the women don’t.
In other words, the gift for women’s fans is a giant symbol of men’s basketball. You can see why I might think this is inappropriate.
This is, of course, setting aside the fact that I have a flag already, and I think a flag signed by the whole team for something like three or four years running kicks the ass of any other team-related flag, even if it’s a weird shade of red and one of the grommets is about to tear out.
I think I might actually enjoy watching the kids who play for St. John’s if there weren’t so much goddamn baggage associated with the program, and if weren’t so often so problematic to see how the school treats the men’s program and the women’s program so differently.
Saturday, November 11, 2017
November 10th, 2017: New Orleans at St. John's
Sunday, November 27, 2016
November 26th, 2016: San Diego State at UT Arlington (Seton Hall Thanksgiving Classic)
Just the Facts, Ma'am: UT Arlington took the lead early and fended off San Diego State the rest of the way in their 64-58 win at Seton Hall's Thanksgiving Classic. Christina Devers and Rebekah VanDijk each had 14 points to pace UTA. Kymberly Ellison led SDSU with 13.
For team pride, Halloween color schemes, questionable sartorial choices, sceens, hand-checks, and launching threes, join your intrepid blogger after the jump.
Good morning from historic Walsh Gymnasium on the campus of Seton Hall University! We're in the house, along with a dozen of our closest friends (so far), for the first game of Seton Hall's holiday tournament, featuring San Diego State and UT Arlington.
Not that SHU can be a bit parochial at times, but the tickets only even mention Seton Hall's game at 2:30. This may be because last time they listed it differently and people ended up missing the Seton Hall part of the show. But I do love some free basketball and I've never seen the Aztecs before.
#34 for SDSU has her shorts rolled up so far that she looks like she's wearing a volleyball uniform. It's not a good look.
The Mavericks' orange is very orange. It's like they took the UT Austin orange and nuked it a couple of times.
We're on the same side as the reserved seating for UT Arlington, so it looks like that's who we'll be rooting for in this game (though SDSU would probably be more of an RPI boost for the Hall).
Guys, y'all should not be playing uncensored Eminem. If I can't use "motherf*cking" at a game, neither can you.
At halftime, it's 36-27 UTA, the current margin being provided by a last-second basket by Aysia Evans that was initially ruled no good, then correctly counted. UT Arlington has really been bringing the pressure defense; basically, the Aztecs have only been able to score either when they beat the pressure on the fast break or when they get fouled and go to the line.
Country anthem- perhaps too country. She seemed to be trying too hard.
Protip: if you're going to advertise the concession stand, you should make sure the concession stand is open.
Well, that game got a good bit more dramatic than it really needed to at the end, but it was tough and scrappy all the way through. Lots of hustle by both teams, but especially UTA. Bodies hit the floor all over the place, for both teams. Love it.
I found myself wondering for stretches whether Monique Terry was related to Stacie Terry- not just because of the surname, but they do look similar around the eyes. She had a really solid game off the bench, I thought, and has a lot of potential to get even better. She's already got a good knack for knowing where to be on rebounds. Arantxa Gomez Ferrer started off pretty strong, and her teammates were really hyped when she hit the free throws and made the big defensive stop. Naomi Ekwedike is still raw, especially offensively- a whole lot of woman, but no offensive skill whatsoever. I'm impressed with the sheer determination, or possibly just epic failing a spot check, that led to her playing without a sneaker for two minutes- something like four or five possessions went by before a stoppage.
I thought Geena Gomez did a pretty good job of running the offense- if she had a team with more defined offensive options, I think she would be better off, but with the personnel the Aztecs currently have, the point guard has to call her own number as much as she's dishing the ball, so yeah. Cheyenne Greenhouse has one of the most ridiculously California names I've ever heard, and a very basketball-suited build.
Literally five seconds into the game, Ariell Bostick announced her presence with a deflection into the SDSU bench. She brings speed and feistiness to the floor- she was very expressive and emotional. Near the end of the game, she was doing everything she could to drag the Aztecs back into the game by herself. Kymberly Ellison was the designated three-point shooter, though she was more active as such in the first three quarters- she got stepped on in the fourth quarter, and she seemed to lose some mobility after that. She tried to tough it out, but you could tell she was reduced to spot shooting. McKynzie Fort was the most assertive player on offense, who seemed to be calling for the ball more than the rest of her teammates. Her foul trouble really put a wrench in the Aztecs' offense- they very often looked like they didn't know who to go to.
For a starter, Lexi Thorderson didn't play a lot- SDSU was getting pretty good minutes from Terry and Gomez Ferrer. I suspect her skill set is more perimeter oriented and less post-oriented than was needed in this game. Baylee Vanderdoes, she of the questionable sartorial choices, threw her weight around down low, though her coach was riding her pretty hard about setting solid screens- we could hear her calling from the bench even from the other side of the arena. I like that attention to detail.
I don't know if I'd call SDSU's coach a good coach, per se, but she seems to have a good eye for what young players need to do to improve. I don't follow SDSU, or the Mountain West, closely enough to determine whether she and her staff can help them follow through with that.
Aysia Evans was solid in her minutes, showing athleticism and a nice shot. Greta Kairyte showed that she wasn't ready for prime time- very slow reaction time, no offensive polish. Allyson Te'o set hard screens, and got called for offensive fouls on them late (on a couple of those calls, I disagreed strenuously).
Ericka Mattingly brought a lot of hustle and scrappiness, especially in the second half- she came up with a couple of great hustle baskets and boards that kept the pressure on the Aztecs. Lauren Billie opened up the floor with her shooting- she seemed to be everywhere at once in the third quarter. Shelby Richards had a really nice offensive rebound that led to a bucket. I love offensive rebounds.
I get the feeling UTA's coach has had to give some variation of the "cute is for the team picture!" lecture a few times, especially to Christina Devers, who felt the need to pull up for early threes when the Mavericks were trying to run clock in the fourth quarter and thus opened the door for SDSU to attempt a comeback. I have no doubt that she's fun to watch when the game's decided, but I question her clock management skills. Miranda LeJune was a competent floor general, but not much more. I think her family was over in the next section; at least, the dashing gentleman with the camera was at his most snap-happy when she was bringing the ball up the floor. Breck Clark reminds me of someone, and I can't for the life of me put my finger on it. She tried really hard, but I'm not sure she had it today.
Cierra Johnson seemed to be everywhere defensively in the fourth quarter. She throws her whole body into defending the inbounds pass, much like one of my favorites at LIU, DeAngelique Waithe. I think she had two kicked balls on inbounds in a minute. Super athletic and super intense. Rebekah VanDijk was solid down low- she got herself in position for her teammates to find her, and she finished at the rim. She's not the most graceful center, and she's not the best rebounder, but that's not her role. When she was out of the game with four fouls in the third quarter, the Mavericks' offense had to shift to a more perimeter-oriented scheme. What helped was that they're ready for that, with Johnson and Devers.
Lots of ticky-tack foul calls in this one. Questionable screens, reaches and phantom reaches- not fun. The game got very choppy in spots.
I wasn't expecting quite so many fans from either Texas or California. I guess there were more tourists than I thought there would be.
In Pokémon Go news, the gyms at Seton Hall are appropriately blue. (And as of Sunday night, the Vaporeon I left over at the gym by the entrance is still there. Bless your pixelated heart, Madison.)
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
December 30th, 2015: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at New Mexico State (Fordham Holiday Classic)
Just the Facts, Ma'am: A first quarter of runs gave way to a second half surge from New Mexico State, as the Aggies won the consolation game of the Fordham Holiday Classic 70-51 over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Brooke Salas led all scorers with 18 points, adding five rebounds. Brittany Mbamalu was the only scorer in double figures for the Islanders, with 11.
For sneaking, pressing, rebounding, blue jackets, back pain, and sandwiches, join your intrepid blogger after the jump.
Hello, once again! Day 2 of playing hooky sends your intrepid blogger up to Fordham for the second day of their holiday tournament. The undercard features Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and New Mexico State; since I've been hearing a lot about the Aggies from a Board Junkie.
There is an absolutely fascinating conversation about literature and publishing going on around me. I knew I made the right choice not backtracking to the J to the F to the D. (If you're an editor with interestingly colored hair and a girl with a laptop was shamelessly eavesdropping on your conversation on the E train, please drop a comment. It's a million to one chance, but it just might work.)
I really like Corpus Christi's colors. Very vibrant.
Why is my signal cutting out? :(
The perils of the undercard game: there are literally fourteen people in the stands, including me. It's filled up a bit since then.
At halftime, New Mexico State is up 30-26. Aggies got out to a 16-6 lead, on the strength of some tenacious pressure in the backcourt, before coughing up a 14-0 run. It's been tight ever since. Both teams seem fond of the three. Islanders are rebounding way better. Neither team can really finish at the rim, which has been frustrating as a basketball fan. Tamera William and Brooke Salas each have 7 to lead NMSU, Salas's last basket coming on a third-chance putback right before the buzzer. Brittany Mbamalu has 9 on a trio of treys to lead TAMU-CC.
If you go to a Fordham game, the Subway across the street is staffed by lovely, understanding people, and they deserve patronage and tips.
That game lasted far longer than it should have. Too many people were committing unnecessary fouls well after the outcome was no longer in doubt. No reason to foul a three-point shooter- well, EVER, but certainly not when the deficit is about 15 points and the time remaining is under two minutes.
The Islanders used a lot of subs in short stints, and seemed to do a lot of direct subs, especially at point guard (as opposed to rotation). This would be a lot easier with stats, but they're using Fordham's live stats, and obviously those are being re-set for the Fordham game. And it always takes a while for box scores to go up, especially for neutral-site games. Good thing I always roll my own.
I get this strange feeling that Shelby Miskell might be TAMU-CC's Nikki Jo- the maverick colt who needs to be... persuaded to get along with the coach. She was committing a lot of stupid mistakes late in the game, and getting reprimanded for them. Sure has a pretty shot, though. Mykayla Flores reminds me of a dwarf, but not the show-on-TLC kind, the kind that opens up cans of whoop-ass with axes in sword-and-sorcery fantasy (only less bearded). This is a terrible description. She's short, she's solid, and she's tough. She was relentless on defense and had a high-arcing shot on offense. She took a lot of contact and dished out a lot of contact. Shola Adebayo was a scorer in the first half, putting up threes, but in the second half, she was doing more on defense, or at least trying to do more on defense. She really racked up the fouls early in the fourth quarter.
Camesha Davis was very active on the glass and defensively- she had a beautiful block on Moriah Mack. Maddisen Turner and her mini-pigtails stood tall down low. She had a play that was almost a wonderful defensive play, but she was just in the circle, and it went from drawing a charge to an and-1 for Brooke Salas. Uri Jolivette saw her time in the second half, and was somewhat intimidating with her facemask.
Gee Lawler played her minutes in short spurts, getting spelled pretty often (usually by Turner). For a big, she's awfully tentative- I feel like she could have gone up more often and with more force. Kre'Ana Henry lists as a center, and rebounds like a center, but most of her shots were well away from the basket.
Jennifer Ramirez ran point, and while she has the leadership you need from a point guard, she didn't show the composure and quick decision-making under pressure that separates the good from the rest of the pack. New Mexico State brought a lot of pressure, and she couldn't handle the traps and the press. Kassie Jones got aggressive defensively and always seemed to be in the middle of the play. Brittany Mbamalu set up outside a lot and picked up long-range rebounds. There was a sequence where she almost lost the ball, but kept her dribble even as she went to the floor.
I am crazy in love with NMSU's full-court press. I love that kind of pressure, and they execute it really well.
Abby Scott reminds me of someone, and I can't put my finger on whom. Whoever she reminds me of, she has a really light, pretty, three-point shot. She tries on defense, too, but not as effectively. Emily Hardin saw her first time in the second half, and lit up from beyond the arc. She gambled well defensively. Her teammates really seemed to be encouraging her. Zaire Williams played point for stretches of the second half. She didn't look as comfortable doing it as any of the other options.
Jasmine Cooper got time near the end of the game and got a nifty block- but also got a block call against her. Brandee Walton also saw her time near the end of the game. Tyler Ellis was strong, and had good chemistry with Tamera William. I feel like she could have done more with her build inside. Moriah Mack came up with big plays in the second half.
Sasha Weber's tough. She got herself in trouble in the third quarter with three fairly quick fouls, though. Some nice rebounding from her. Shanice Davis came up big in the third quarter, including a sweet finish on a steal from Tamera William. Brooke Salas looked awkward, but when NMSU needed a big basket, they got it from her. She hit the basket to end the first half that kept the momentum going for the Aggies, and she had some key plays down the stretch as well. I like her spirit.
Brianna Freeman made a lot of good defensive plays- she had two beautiful blocks, one on Lawler and one on Turner, and a couple of steals. I like her activity on the floor and in the paint. Tamera William was everywhere, seemingly at the same time. She covered a lot of ground in a hurry. Sometimes she was putting a little too much oomph into her shots and not taking the extra quarter second to get a better shot.
When the press worked, it worked. When it didn't work, they weren't able to react as well. They relied on that and on their offense.
This wasn't a very good game, but at least it was a more interesting one than the title fight that was to follow. Not to mention that the Islanders have really boss gear, including their letter jackets.
Saturday, November 28, 2015
November 28th, 2015: Sam Houston State at Florida State (LIU Turkey Classic)
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Florida State leaped out to a 14-0 lead and never looked back as the Seminoles dominated Sam Houston State 94-37. Brittany Brown's well-rounded effort led the way for Florida State, with 24 points, six rebounds, five assists, and foru steals. Leticia Romero notched a double-double with 10 points and 10 assists against zero turnovers. Angela Beadle was the only Bearkat in double figures, with 10 points.
For orange, handicrafts, cheesecake shots, intercepted passes, guards, hand stamps, and friends in all the right places, join your intrepid and pebbled blogger after the jump.
Good afternoon, boys and girls! It's another basketball day here in Brooklyn, as the Turkey Classic lumbers on. Florida State is in action again, this time playing Sam Houston State.
This format is terrible. I blame Texas Southern, the team that backed out of the tournament and turned it from a four-team, two-day, two-doubleheader affair into this three-team, three-day, two-arena, round-robin mess.
Mom is distracted by small, adorable Seminole fans.
SHSU's uniforms are really, really orange.
Unsurprisingly, there aren't a lot of people here, and they seem to be mostly family and friends.
At halftime, Florida State is up 51-18, and Brittany Brown is up 22-18. Florida State's been intercepting passes like nobody's business. Sam Houston State is not good. They're not accurate, they're not sharp, and they don't move without the ball.
The Bearkats used a lot of subs, often at the same time- there were more than a few three-at-a-time subs, at least one instance of four-at-a-time, and at least one where five players checked in at once. (Poor Shadijah Moore drew the short straw on that one, being the last player sitting on a bench otherwise emptied of players.) They stayed stationary often on offense, and instead of throwing the ball to where a player was going to be, they would throw it to where she was- at which point Florida State would intercept the pass and run the break. It wasn't pretty.
Ashleigh Cooper played a few sporatic minutes late in each half and provided no marked impact. Jasmine McCants, who is not a center anywhere outside the Southland, was solid, and I think she was able to play a little more outside than her team would ordinarily ask of her, since she was closer to the size of the Seminoles' perimeter players than she was their post players. Shadijah Moore brought physicality and occasionally questionable plays.
Morghen Day reminded us physically of Lindsay Whalen, but not in style of play- she was more of a shooter than a driver. Jasmin Anderson and her tall hair made a little noise late with a three-pointer. Kamry Orr fearlessly drove the lane, you should pardon the pun.
Angela Beadle was outmatched by the Seminoles' posts, but she showed flashes of skill down low. She has an unusually exaggerated followthrough on her shot. Saundra Guillory came up with some nice strong rebounds late in the game.
Because Sam Houston State went through a lot of players, it's hard to differentiate among their guards except as people who were throwing the ball to Florida State players. Shernice Robertson was the most aggressive, which led to the most mistakes, but at least also led to some points for the Bearkats.
I think my favorite thing about SHSU was the personalized clipboards the coaches were carrying around. I know that's damning with faint praise, but they were distinctly unimpressive and lacking in effort.
It took a long time to get Rachel Antoniadou into the game, which I thought was ridiculous, given how far ahead Florida State was for most of the game. She shows promise as a shooter, but she needs a lot of work. Emiah Bingley ran a fair amount of point, or at least dribbled the ball at the top of the key to run out the clock. Maria Conde really got a lot of run, both because Sue Semrau was experimenting with different frontcourts and because the margin started out ridiculous and stayed ridiculous. She's very raw, and she seems terrified of contact, but there's a lot of potential for her. I'm not sure Florida State is the right system for her, though.
Kai James was intimidating down low, but more for her size and physical presence than anything she was doing near the basket- she didn't seem to be calling for the ball very much, and did little with it when she got it. Ama Degbeon moves like a woman who's terrified that her knees will fail her- she shot her free throws very stiffly and didn't seem to move well on the floor.
Leticia Romero is slick. I had forgotten about that ankle injury she was recovering from, which might explain why she wasn't as sharp as I was expecting her to be. But she still dropped some beautiful lookaway passes to her teammates, and made good decisions with the ball. I understand the Ticha Penicheiro comparison I've seen once or twice. Brittany Brown decided she was going to have herself a day, whether it was from behind the arc, hitting lay-ups on the break, or finding her teammates on the break. The shots she missed were hittable shots, and I think that got into her head a little bit. I really enjoy watching her play.
Ivey Slaughter has some nice inside moves. She has to remember that there's no checking in basketball the way there is in hockey, though. You can't bump someone that hard on the baseline and expect to get the call. Shakayla Thomas provides interesting lineup flexibility and can score both inside and out, but was careless with the fouls she committed on the defensive end. Sometimes you have to remember how breakable mid-majors are. Adut Bulgak looks like a pro player playing amongst college kids. She moves with more confidence and grace among them, and scores well inside and out. I think she gets one three-point attempt per blowout, when Sue Semrau decides to let her go a little wild.
Refs called a tight game early, then swallowed their whistles, then seemed to realize that things were getting a little out of hand in the second half and adjusted accordingly it got physical.
LIU came for the first half of the game, coaches sitting center court, players sitting in the endcourt. They left before halftime, but came back in the second half. To be honest, I think LIU might run SHSU's plays better than the Bearkats do.
Of course we went to Junior's for dinner. Expensive, but worth it. The chocolate mousse cheesecake is to die for.
Sunday, December 1, 2013
November 30th, 2013: Georgia Tech at McNeese State (Turkey Classic)
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Georgia Tech withstood a dogged McNeese State team and claimed the Turkey Classic title with a 69-60 win. Ty Marshall led the Yellow Jackets with 20 points off the bench, with Kaela Davis and Sydney Wallace each adding 13. Jayln Johnson led four Cowgirls in double figures with 14 points and eight assists.
For clashing shades, bright shoes, flying guards, slipping the baseline, and big shots, join your intrepid and belated blogger after the jump.
As the ticket booth clerk was so eager to remind me, this is a double-header, which means the championship game is up next, featuring the Cowgirls of McNeese State and the Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech. I'm going to be up-front about this- until I realized that Ashlyn and Caitlyn Baggett had graduated, I was actually more intrigued by McNeese than Georgia Tech. These are the perils of playing a full Division I fantasy league.
I'm actually hoping for a decent turnout- the Georgia Tech men are also in town, and there's a large Georgia Tech alumni contingent in the city for at least that game, as we ran into them at the Buffalo Wild Wings across from the Barclays Center yesterday.
Georgia Tech is wearing very yellow sneakers. They're a bit more florescent than the usual Georgia Tech gold, though. Their gear is all numbered, which will make it easy to identify them in the pregame. McNeese is working on ballhandling drills in a circle. Those are some strange stretches that Georgia Tech is doing.
Timing, Georgia Tech, you no haz it. Arena security was escorting a blind guy along the baseline, right when the Yellow Jackets were coming out. There are better ways of establishing yourself as the bad guy than running over a blind guy. They successfully dodged collisions, much to everyone's relief.
We've been seeing more of the Bonita Spence memorial patches, which I noticed yesterday but forgot to mention. Full name on the left breast of the uniform- yes, this is one of those times when using the initials is a bad idea. (Referees don't need to be labeled BS.)
At halftime, Georgia Tech is up 40-31 on McNeese State. McNeese has shown a lot of fight, but Georgia Tech has been too big and too fast for them most of the time. Sydney Wallace has 11 to lead the Yellow Jackets. Cecelia Okoye has eight for the Cowgirls. So far, I'm most intrigued by Shayla Bivens. Well-proportioned, athletic size with touch doesn't come along every day.
I don't know why Ty Marshall wasn't starting, but I'm presuming it was some sort of disciplinary action, since she didn't seem to be injured. She seemed to come up with all the big shots for the Yellow Jackets. Dawnn Maye was that player who missed the memo on points of emphasis, kept trying to put her hands on the opponent, and got called for the foul for it. Every team has one. Nariah Taylor was a big presence in the middle, a nice security blanket for when the guards weren't sure what to do with the shot clock running down, and a physical presence on the boards. Donnaizha Fountain had family at the game, or at least people who she was hugging during the LIU-Southern Utah game, and she came up with a big rebound in the second half.
Roddreka Rogers got her points on the inside, but I was more impressed with her movement off the ball, setting picks and screens for her teammates. I don't know if she's the regular starter, or who was starting instead of Marshall, but she's the kind of player you like to have on your team even when she's not putting up numbers. I'd have liked to have seen Shayla Bivens get more touches to see whether all the things she showed were things that she could do consistently, or whether they were all flukes. I don't think the blocks were flukes, though. One of them was so spectacular that you could probably have heard it at the Barclays Center, five blocks down Flatbush Avenue. Sydney Wallace seemed to get into her own head a lot, taking stupid shots that MaChelle Joseph did not approve of. She was stronger defensively in the second half, with a sweet steal leading to a lay-up for her only second-half points. Aaliyah Whiteside was quiet- I think Marshall took the starter's minutes at her position. Kaela Davis has the moves, and the shot, and the build, but I don't know if she has the attitude to succeed. She didn't seem to take well to being pulled early in the second half, and it didn't look like she wanted to listen to her coaches. That all being said, she put the game away for the Yellow Jackets with back to back buckets late in the second half, an athletic two in the lane and a sweet three from the right side. If she can get her head together, she'll be a legitimate player- but I need to be sure that she can get her head together.
Victoria Rachal was a fearless gunner, going to the lane no matter how big her opponents were (I think hers was the shot that Bivens so thoroughly swatted). She was cold in the first half, but caught fire in the second. Amber Donnes made some good defensive plays. Arianna James rebounded well.
Jayln Johnson impressed me a lot. In a sense, she reminded me of Leilani Mitchell, only on college scale- very small, very fast, runs a good offense, hits the three, and gives it all she's got on defense, but is a defensive liability because of her size. Allison Baggett has a very sweet shot, but hasn't learned how to defend without getting in foul trouble, and doesn't seem to know how to defend with four fouls. She's only a sophomore, and I think she'll learn. Cecelia Okoye rebounded powerfully, and her go-to move on the left wing fooled Georgia Tech more than once (which made it pretty funny during the second double-header, when Texas Tech tried to run the same play and botched it). She's not the most reliable shooter, but rebounding like that, she doesn't necessarily have to be. Alaina Verdin did a lot of small things, but none of the big things.. NeTanya Jones cleaned up under the basket, slipping behind the Yellow Jacket defense early and often.
I was very impressed with the Cowgirls. They looked to have mastered the element of surprise, and they know how to adapt. The threes weren't falling early when they were taking a lot of them, so the plays started to go to Okoye and Jones on the inside. Brooks Donald-Williams struck the right notes on the sideline, and I do like a coach who keeps her arguing with refs to a minimum.
Officials missed a couple of bad trips, which is impressive given the bright yellow sneakers on Georgia Tech, but I don't think they affected the game.
That was a much better game than I was expecting it to be, and I think McNeese has served notice to the Southland that they would very much like to be taken seriously.
Friday, November 26, 2010
November 26th, 2010: Nicholls State at St. John's
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I'm not sure what to make of this team. It feels like something's going to explode and I don't know if it's in a good way or in a 'someone's going to storm out in a huff' way. We have talent, and we definitely have heart and passion, but I don't know whether we have anyone who can harness all of it and direct it towards the rest of the NCAA. We have players with talent and we have players who need to lead, but not only are they not the same players, the players who need to step up and be leaders are falling down on the job. If you have seniors, you can't lead from the bottom; things will fall apart and the center will not be able to hold. Otherwise I'd say that we should look to the sophomore class.
Well, that was a depressing start to the Game Notes of Doom on this post-Thanksgiving day of rest. Let's talk about happy-making things instead. Let's talk about the garage sale that St. John's had outside the gates, where they usually stash the scorecards and other useful things. They sold off a bunch of sneakers, jackets- and practice jerseys. Words cannot express just how my face lit up and how excited I was when I found Joy McCorvey's #25 in the pile. I was randomly smiling all day whenever I looked down at the folded jersey in my bag. My fiancé and partner in crime bought Recee Mitchell's #52, dubbing himself the "enforcer of loudness". Wonderful memories were free with purchase, and it was nice to see a lot of the old numbers again.
Since most of the band was still at home for the holidays, we got a recorded version of the anthem. Since most of the band was still at home for the holiday, we also got a mix of alumni and students. It wasn't pretty, though the trombonist and his band nerdlet were priceless. The problem is that our band has improved in the last few years, and the old players really aren't up to the challenge.
Nicholls State reminds me of what would happen if you introduced Erin Phillips and Debbie Black, then blended their DNA. None of them are over six-foot. All of them are pesky, annoying, frustrating, persistent, and frenetic. Their 5-11 forwards did a great job of getting their arms up to deflect shots, but we still could have done a better job of going in on them. Jasmine Hoskins was their sixth woman in both halves, snagging a nice block and a few points. They also brought in Kya DeGarmo, who was small and annoying.
LiAnn McCarthy brought fans, if the glittering jersey signs behind the road bench were any indication. I would have thought that was a lot cooler if she weren't prone to holding everyone and anyone who came anywhere near her. I don't mind players with a physical presence. I do mind players who darn near sexually harass my team. Alisha Allen hit shots at what would have been big moments in a game that was closer. Ricshanda Bickham did a nice job of driving the lane and getting to the line on us, but she also canned a couple of threes. Cassie Hearon always seemed to be around in the middle, even if she couldn't throw it in the ocean. (That problem was going around. You'll see what I mean later.) The player who really impressed me for the Colonels was little bitty KK Babin. Listed 5-4, but you wouldn't know it from her rebounding. There was one play where she rose up from among two or three St. John's players to get the offensive rebound and put it back up. Oh, and she was shooting threes like she was Laurie Koehn in the three-point challenge. After about the fourth one, anyone watching the game (possibly even on StormTracker) heard me screaming something along the lines of "ANYONE WANT TO GUARD THE MIDGET? IT'S ONLY HER FOURTH THREE-POINTER!" (All proper respect to people 5-4. My mother is 5-4. I'm about 5-7. If you're shorter than I am, and you're playing basketball, you qualify as a midget.) My hat is off to her.
Nadirah McKenith got herself into Kim Barnes Arico's doghouse pretty badly, so not only did she not start, she didn't get into the game until every other guard had seen time. She took it out on the Colonels with a little extra to spare. How's this for a line: nine minutes, six points, four rebounds (all offensive), one assist, and three steals? You know the play I just mentioned about Babin in the first half? Nadirah did pretty much the same thing in the second half, rising out of the deeps so suddenly and smoothly we weren't initially sure that it had been her shot. That whole mess nudged Amanda Burakoski up in the rotation, and despite her plethora of blonde moments, she was able to make some good plays on defense. Her shot was weirdly off, though- if anything, she needed to take a step back to try and get it down. Briana Brown saw extended time, and though she showed freshman hesitancy, I like her. She canned one three that was a step or two behind the men's line. Keylantra Langley really needs to not pass to the opposing team. That would be useful. Again, she needs to be more confident on the floor. Zakiyyah Shahid-Martin made a couple of brief cameos. Jennifer Blanding made one near the end of the game and was impressively not bad- a couple of good rebounds, a putback, nice presence on the floor. More of that, please, Big Love.
Eugeneia McPherson got the start for Nadirah, and she looked like she wanted to make the most of it. She went to the rack with some regularity, though she's slipping back into her old habit of trying to force the refs to make the call instead of trying to make the shot. I wasn't thrilled with her defensive placement, either. She gambled too much, and since her assignment was Babin, that didn't work out too well. Coco Hart looked like she was working off a tryptophan hangover, no matter how active she was on the offensive glass. Centhya, you are listed at 6-1. No one on Nicholls State is listed over 5-11. Go towards the &*^&(*^&%ing basket and put the ball in the basket. That goes for you, Da'Shena Stevens. Day really looked out of it. I'm worried about a habit she's started picking up in the last couple of games. She's started hooking the arm the way Plenette Pierson does, and with Day's fragility, I don't think that's a good habit to get into. That's the one thing that keeps Da'Shena from being a real star: she has no real durability. If she's not sick, she's got a lingering injury of some kind. Sky Lindsay looked sluggish (again, tryptophan, or so I hope), but she got her shots up and in, which was important. It sounds strange with a 25-point margin of victory, but without Shenneika Smith, we don't win this game. She put the team on her back on both ends of the floor, stroking that silky jumper from all over the place and going to the rack with grace. She also had one emphatic block that we heard up in the bleacher seats. We also saw her being more vocal on the floor (which sort of led to a sort of hilarious moment that at the same time was deeply disturbing). She looked like the elite player she was in high school.
Sort of hilarious yet disturbing moment: when Babin hit her fourth three, Kim yelled, "Shenneika! While you were coaching out there, she hit a three-pointer!" Sort of hilarious because of the sarcasm, sort of disturbing because Shenneika put the team on her back and Babin wasn't her assignment anyway, so why was Kim singling her out?
We were back in our seats by the band, where the Aricos sit. Young Mr. Arico brought a group of friends with him, and we were a very bad influence on them with our noisemaking. No profanity, nothing like that, but I don't know how thrilled their parental units will be the next time they're at a game. Young Mr. Arico definitely takes after his mother. He's a very observant watcher of the game, and a very passionate one. Someday, if he wants to be, he's going to be a great coach.
I'm thinking that at some point since last season, Dennis DeMayo lost it. Last season, he called a great, solid game. This year? He's been awful. I don't get it. There's a difference between letting them play and being physical, and "show us on the doll where the power forward touched you" physicality. There were also an unusual number of missed calls on the baseline. Um, Mr. DeMayo? If a player is almost sitting on Tamika Louis's lap, she might be out of bounds. Just saying.
We needed this to be a blowout, and it was, but not in the right way. This was supposed to be a game where Kim could experiment and get her bench some reps. Now, Nadirah's infraction, whatever it was, played into that and caused the slow start that led to us having to play more conservatively, but we still shouldn't have to come from behind against a team like Nicholls State.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
December 20th, 2009: UAB at UT-Arlington (Chartwells Holiday Classic)
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That was an ugly game. That was so obviously a consolation, "you were brought here to lose and you did an excellent job of it yesterday", "no one here actually cares about you guys except maybe the fifteen people you brought with you" game. But damn it all, it was part of what we paid for, and no snowstorm was going to keep us away.
The arena wasn't really into the second day of the tournament. The men's tournament started today over at the Garden, so the band, the mascot, and half the dance team were all over there. I wish they'd taken all the dancing girls and left us the band, though we made use of that section later.
Anthem performance was a pre-recorded orchestral version. I can't say I objected.
I can't say enough about the clutch nature of UAB's bench. No one ever had a lot of plays, but everyone had one or two clutch plays. Nakia McDaniel hit a couple of big threes to stretch the lead. Khalilah Watson was in for key moments down the stretch. Erica Simpson hit a couple of contested shots. Everyone chipped in somehow. I like that in a team.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, Amanda Peterson. There was a point in the first half where the score was UTA 19, Amanda Peterson 11. She ended with 17, 14 of them in the first half and the last three as the last shot for the Blazers. Jala Harris took a while to get started, but once she got started, she added back a dimension to UAB's offense that made them much more dangerous. Amber Jones got into some foul trouble and didn't get started. Miteka Truehart didn't play much in the first half, but made good defensive stands in the second half. Tamika Dukes went strong to the basket on both ends of the floor, and had a great finish on a pass from Jones.
I'll give Arlington credit for being balanced. Of course, that's not saying very much when they totaled 46 points. They really seemed to be throwing things at the wall to see what would work. Tamara Simmons worked, unlike yesterday, when she was so bad she didn't seem to be on the floor. Just so many turnovers, so many traveling calls and dumb plays. There were a lot of points in the game where we wondered if anyone actually wanted to win, that's how bad things were.
All-tournament teamer Meghan Nelson was the only bright spot for the Mavericks, and the only player to get into double figures for them. Shalyn Martin couldn't get much started- I think they were calling her for travels on the moves she was getting away with yesterday, because there was an inordinate amount of traveling being called. The quiet allowed us to hear Kiarra Shofner directing traffic, which is something I like to hear from a player. Kiara Parker got the start for this game and got into a lot of foul trouble. Same for Veronica Mergerson, who was pretty effective yesterday.
I really wasn't sure what those refs were doing, but I kinda liked that I recognized one of them from yesterday's game because she showed up in street clothes. Doing your homework- brilliant!
Poor UAB. I don't think anyone came up to support them. I guess the depression hit Alabama worse than Texas. We rooted for them, though, because fire-breathing dragons are very cool.
It was such an ugly game that we had more fun trying to figure out descriptions for how ugly it was than watching the game itself. But if we hadn't been there, we might not have been in the mood for the second game...
Saturday, December 19, 2009
December 19th, 2009: UT-Arlington at St. John's (Chartwell Holiday Classic)
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I have an inordinate fondness for cute little holiday tournaments, as at least one team is someone I'm interested in seeing and most teams are ones I've never seen before, especially in the New York area. My home team's tournament is certainly no exception.
Since the Columbia game pretty much established that Sky is not a morning person, someone obviously decided to make up the difference with espresso, Pixie Stix, or some other artificial and unhealthy stimulant. She was dancing and strutting like nobody's business during shootaround and warm-ups. Shame it didn't last... but we'll get to that.
The anthem singer was unimpressive, though I'm glad that she didn't perform "God Bless America" as well as the anthem, because I've always thought that was overkill and her voice was too dramatic anyway.
UT-Arlington traveled very well. Lots of folks. They weren't very loud, but there was a long stretch before the game where there were more of them than there were St. John's supporters, and they stayed longer than most of the Red Storm folks into the second game. Shame their colors are so... not necessarily ugly, but badly put together. The uniforms are pretty heinous, though.
The Mavericks went pretty deep into their bench, which I guess you can do when you're down 45-18 at the half. The unfortunately surnamed Donna Dike (say it aloud... does she have to throw herself out of games for slurs if she curses at herself?) was their first sub, but didn't contribute much beyond foul trouble. It really seemed like UT-Arlington was trying all sorts of combinations to see if someone could light a spark. We saw a lot of Kiara Parker and LaTosha Duffey, and at least Duffey provided a little offense.
I want to like Shalyn Martin, because at least she has the nerve to go for the shots that her team needs, but she plays obnoxiously up-close, in-your-face defense- right near the start of the game, she almost kicked Da'Shena in the gut because she raised both her hands and her foot on defense. Despite all that, she was one of the few Arlington players who was in for heavy minutes who didn't get into bad foul trouble- the fouls really mounted up in the second half for both teams. Meghan Nelson stepped up offensively in the second half, driving the lane for the Mavericks when the Red Storm defense softened a bit. They were really up a creek, though- Martin and Nelson were the only ones really scoring for them, and you're not going to get very far with only two scorers. They were committing a lot of errors, and getting rattled into a lot of unforced errors as well. They played like a team that knew they were there to play two games, take fourth place, and enjoy the sights and sounds of New York City.
I think Kelly's found her shot. I could be wrong, but five of six from beyond the arc tells me otherwise. A couple of them were pretty deep, too. Coco was on the boards, though she had one of her Moments of Epic Fail on the endline and wasn't doing much scoring. Good thing we didn't need it. Eugenia tested her range more than I would have liked, even if she did hit one. She hit the deck a lot too. I swear they were marking her. We had brief bursts of Buzz, who swatted a shot, and Jennifer, who was exceptionally passive, even for her. Girrrrrrrl. You're built like Kia Vaughn. Start playing like her already, would you?
I love to watch Shenneika move. She's so slick. And if sticking her finger in the electrical socket helps get her game going, then she can do it whenever she wants as far as I'm concerned. Great defensive work by Nadirah, who notched four blocks on the shorter, slimmer Maverick guards. While she was credited with a lot of turnovers, I still like the way she runs our offense. Sky. Please actually play defense. It's bad enough when your teammates have to remind you of where you're supposed to be, but when you're not actually doing anything while you're there, that's even worse. Time and time again she was out of position or slow on the move, and we probably would have won by 40 if she'd been on her defensive game. Da'Shena started the game hot, and used her body well against the smaller UT-Arlington players. Joy snaked her way into the paint for boards, and had one block that left Nelson sitting on the court from the momentum.
As much grief as I give Jennifer Blanding, I'll say this: when she's on the bench, she's one of the loudest and most involved players on the team. She and Joy both talk a lot.
I wasn't thrilled with the officiating, but I liked how one of the refs- Dillard, I think- managed the game: he was very organized and very clear with his calls, even if I didn't always agree with them. I think it's a very good idea for a referee to call a game clearly and authoritatively.
I think Coach Barnes Arico might be pregnant again. She's wearing loose-fitting tops, and the last time she did that, little Emma came along a few months later. I'm a little worried. Her focus has historically and rightfully been elsewhere when she's in the family way.
A satisfying win. We slacked off a little near the end, and I'm disappointed in Sky's defense, but overall a good thing.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
December 10th, 2006: Nicholls State at St. John's
The Game Notes of Doom approve of Joy McCorvey and Monique McLean, but Bonita Spence does not approve of the Game Notes.
That was the least pleasant victory I have ever had the dubious pleasure of attending in my life. Even though St. John's did eventually pull it out of their butts, it was in spite of the way they played, not because of it. Nicholls State was simply messier than we were and that was that.
Nicholls State brought a very short team- they have only one player on the roster who's listed at over six feet, and she didn’t play. Their post presence was 5-10 Dominique Washington. Knowing this lack of height, they focus heavily on defense and ball-hawking, a tactic that's especially effective against a team like St. John's, whose best ballhandler was stylishly dressed in black on the bench today and whose primary ballhandlers without Kia Wright are, um, given to silly fumbles (Monique, I'm looking at you) and needless showing off (a-HEM, Nikki Jo). They also try to work with speed, although that wasn't as effective today as it could have been- one of their players, a Bronx native- spent a couple of fast breaks trying to show off for family and friends in attendance (of which there were many, but that's a topic for a different paragraph). Not great court awareness, but they only run two seniors, so I wasn't surprised, and it's not like I can stake a claim to my team being so much more aware of what's going on. None of their players really stuck out to me, although I had marked Jamie Octave as a player to watch, not just because she came in as their leading scorer and rebounder, but also because she has a really cool nickname. She strikes me as top-tier Southland, but not much beyond that. The only other player I have any clear memory of is Katherine Plummer, and that was because she got me glared at by a ref. We'll get to that.
Now, knowing that Nicholls State is running a team out there that my D-III could reach over, one would think that there would be a lot of plays run for the post. As much as I complain about the two frosh we lost both being inside players, the fact still remains that we have four players at or above six-foot on what's left of our roster: Tiina, Angel, Allie, and Joy. If I were a coach, I would be drawing up plays for all four of them and making sure every play at least involved an interior pass, even if it ended with an outside shot. While Tiina and Joy worked it inside, Angel and Allie… not so much. Although Allie is listed as a guard-forward, and seems to have a preference for the perimeter, Coach talked about her in the yearbook as having post moves. I'm not holding my breath on those. Sloppy, sloppy game, though. 25 turnovers, 15 in the first half. Wasn't like the Colonels were all that great with the ballhandling either; 17 Tos, 9 in the first half. I said this was an ugly win.
Anyway. Charisse finally started getting her groove back; hopefully this means she'll be a little more confident and a little more willing to shoot when she gets the ball, instead of dribbling like a panicked high schooler, passing off like the ball was on fire or, as she did on one possession today, completely and utterly not noticing the shot clock. Angel, I think, is hurt; she didn't play very much today, and I had noticed her limping after the Syracuse game. This hasn't been an easy week- wouldn't be an easy week for a pro team, four games in eight days, and this is a college team with four freshmen, which means at most they've played twice a week for the last four years, right? They're not ready for this, and I've been harping on Angel's conditioning all season especially- girl is NOT ready to be a starting center in the Big East. Tiina started slow, with a lot of really close misses, but started hitting her stride later. She's a great Robin, but we still need a Batman. Monique had a very off day- her ballhandling was very casual and she didn't seem to be paying close attention. I know it's finals month and all, but if I could put my tests out of my mind for two hours, I'm sure she could too. She padded her stats with some late points. We saw far too much of Allie, since Angel was hurting. Someone needs to give her an infusion of basketball IQ, stat. Every time she makes a good play, she immediately makes a bad play to screw it up, and that's not including various and sundry other bad plays. She did get to the line for the first time this season, though, so that's a bright spot. Not Nikki Jo's day- too cute with the ball, too out of control on the offense. She needs to breathe and to listen. Coach was reaming her out again, and Nikki Jo is in no position to screw around. Okay, maybe she is, because what's Coach going to do, have Charisse handle the ball? But if she were a good teammate, she would shut up and listen so that her team would be better off.
And the hero of the day? Why, the one player I've hardly mentioned. Joy had the first St. John's basket of the game and those were her only points of the first half. She heated up big time in the second half, driving inside and cleaning up garbage against the shorter Colonels. She scored 17 in the second half and added six rebounds for a double-double. She was also part of the defensive effort on Octave, although I'll admit that's something I wouldn't necessarily be proud of, since she did score her average.
Refereeing was surprisingly awful for a crew that actually had a name I recognized. Most egregious call of the day? Well, 5-4 Katherine Plummer went rather blatantly over the back on 6-0 Joy McCorvey, not quite 'wanna wanna WANNA PIGGYBACK RIDE' but close. No call. Eventually, St. John's did get the out of bounds call, but I was quite irritated at what seemed to be favoritism- yes, short people can go over the back, too- and shrieked, "WHAT GAME ARE YOU WATCHING?" in the general direction of the court. Forgetting that most of the building was empty, and that the rest of the attendance was either friends and family of the three Tri-State Colonels or parents of the prostitot dance troupe that performed at halftime, my voice, um, carried. A lot. And I tend to sit six rows off the court. Unsurprisingly, the ref, who I believe was Bonita Spence, glared at me as she ran back up the court. Hey, lady, I wouldn't be bitching you out if you stopped checking your stopwatch on three-seconds and started calling the wrestling matches on the rebounds. At least this crew could tell the difference between Angel Tate and Monique McLean…
Vocal rendition of the anthem, by a guy who looked like Ryan Seacrest and sounded like he'd in fact been watching too much American Idol. Still, it was better than the band's version, because while they're amusing dancers, they're not, in fact, a very good band.
I have often in these spaces paralleled the Liberty and the Red Storm, simply because that's a thing I tend to do as a basketball fan. Watch long enough and everyone looks like someone else. Seriously, though, there are three very clear parallels, and two of them are actually reasons for the average Liberty Board Junkie to be hauling out to Queens on a regular basis to watch this team. Granted, the third parallel is that Angel Tate seems to want to grow up to be Iciss Tillis, and honey, no, you can't pull it off on so many levels. On the other hand, I've been calling Monique McLean "Baby Shameka" or "Little Sista Christon" since halfway through last season, and she does remind me of a raw Shameka. Some days she looks like the 2006 model, some days she looks like the 2004 model; some days she looks like the version who just scores and doesn't think about defense, some days she looks like the version that Crystal Robinson got her hands on and taught about that whole defense bit. She's only a sophomore, and if the pattern of this season continues, she'll be All-Big East. Meanwhile, Joy McCorvey hustles for rebounds, is our defensive ace off the bench, and can heat up on offense if her shots are utterly needed. She's clutch. Ashley Battle come to mind? I don't know if AB has had the chance to demonstrate leadership skills, since I wasn't paying attention to the 2005 Huskies, but Joy, as a freshman, is already the one speaking up in the huddles, not Monique or Tiina (well, Tiina a little bit). She relays the plays and the defensive alignments. She's a lot more mature than her year would indicate, and her freshman mistakes will be wiped out in time. Love that girl. Love her.
Come on, Liberty fans in the New York City area. $7 general admission tickets, lots of open seats, plenty of free t-shirts, Big East opponents to watch, a blonde Euro who actually shows up on a regular basis, and baby versions of Shameka Christon and Ashley Battle. Why am I not seeing far more of you people at games? It's not like you're not used to seeing our team lose, right?