St. John's Red Storm 66, Howard Bison 36
Zykia Brown is Howard's offense, Sky Lindsay kicks ass, and Victoria Hodges gets on the board.
While this certainly isn't going to prove anything to anyone, this is the kind of game a team needs in order to start revving up for the big games. The starters, for the most part, were sharp, and the reserves got some much-needed time to shake the rust off. But I can't help but wonder when Howard's going to win a game.
Attendance tonight was dreadful, but I expected no less with a bad team in town, few local connections, and the first day of prolonged snow this season. Not that a lot of people show for St. John's games anyway...
Worst.Anthem.Ever. I'm going to pretend that the real anthem singer didn't show up and they had to use one of the team managers because they didn't have anyone else and half the band was missing, because there's no way on God's green earth you can hear that guy and honestly decide that he should be given a microphone.
I have the dim recollection that Howard is a very good academic school. I certainly hope it is; that way the Bison have something to comfort themselves with. Zykia Brown played really well for the Bison, and I'm pretty sure Coach Barnes Arico isn't happy about her scoring 20 on us… but since Howard only put up 36 total, that might be forgiven. There's one thing Howard did much better than we did- they set some very nice screens, especially Amanda Edwards and Tamaya Daniels, to get their shooters open- they can't be faulted if their shooters miss in every way known to man. Okay, so sometimes those screens moved a little, and sometimes there were elbows. Still, at least they were setting them. And I liked that their coaching staff and bench stayed involved to the end of the game. It sets a good example. Nice ball-hawking when the clock ran down, too. That looked like a drill that they run often.
I feel like I've said this a few times this season, but hey, here we go again. This might have been Sky's best game of the season. Her shots were falling, and she looked much more confident on the court. Even the plays that didn't go well for her (one bad pass off a nice rebound comes to mind) were done with the right idea in mind. Da'Shena was fierce, although I'd like to see a few more conversions on those shots in the paint, and especially from the line. (Also, everyone, please stop hitting the freshman, please, I mean it.) It's occurred to us that with her hair in the color and style it is, and the shape of her face, she looks like Recee's Mini-Me. Monique, despite being de-ribboned so that her hair kind of exploded, was neat and efficient, with her shots falling softly and sweetly. Kelly looked awfully tentative on her shot, almost as if she was scared to shoot unless she had the perfect angle, the perfect opportunity, and all the time in the world. She got a little better in the second half. Joy, of course, is the queen of the little things, and took home rebounding honors tonight. The midget impressed off the bench. Some stupid freshman plays, but one sweet little shot and a lot, a lot of hustle on the defensive end. That's one thing I can stand about her- she's a ball-hawk, and she'll make your life hell if you're the opposing ballhandler. I love Sheree's hustle, but she's got to learn some discipline, and I have the sinking feeling that she tries to do too much because she thinks that's the only way she's going to get playing time with Da'Shena's ascension. Coco needs to remove her head from her ass. Too many dumb plays, too many balls through her hands, too many spaceouts. Kristin came in once, spaced out during a rebound, and was yanked for a long time. When she came back in, she ended up getting clocked in the head, and the trainer was still checking her out at final buzzer. She did rather look like she was seeing two of everything. Good vibes and best wishes to you, Kristin. Be safe and healthy.
Favorite play of the game: Kelly and Britney doubling down on the ballhandler- I think that play led to a turnover. Second-favorite play of the game: Joy, sitting on nine points, only needing one more shot to be the fifth Stormie in double figures, instead passes off to Kelly for an easy three; we figured that Joy was being all captainy and trying to bolster Kelly's confidence.
Best image of the game: Joy sprawled out on the baseline after an attempted save.
Most heart-warming play of the game: Victoria Hodges, at the shot clock buzzer, sinking a jumper to notch her first two NCAA points. The bench went wild for her. Congrats, V!
Guess who's back, back again? After an entire half-season of not having seen hide nor hair of Bonita Spence, she was one of the refs for this game. And she brought an evil twin, to boot. All apologies to Norma Jones, but she does look like Spence's evil twin. As to be expected from a Spence crew, there were a lot of travels called, and only a few inexplicable calls. The only moment that comes to mind is the call that Da'Shena didn't get. We could hear her going "What?" from our seats.
Despite the questionable play of our bench, I'd still rather have seen them get more run. That's the only way they're going to get used to the floor and each other, and it's not really necessary to keep pouring it on, considering we had enough offense in the first half to win the game without scoring a point in the second. But it's from Bison to Buffalo on Saturday. Let's see if we can keep building.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
December 16th, 2008: Howard at St. John's
Monday, December 15, 2008
December 14th, 2008: Penn State at UConn (Maggie Dixon Classic)
Connecticut Huskies 77, Penn State Lady Lions 63
Penn State is tenacious, but Tina Charles is powerful and Maya Moore is amazing.
Round 2 begin!
The ceremony between games was touching, but I didn't cry this year. I did cry last year, though. Thought it was interesting that Coach Stringer was connecting with one of the folks in the ceremony- but then, she's got an emotional stake in heart health (as does Coach Auriemma, if I recall correctly).
I think Coquese needs another year under her belt and a good crop of freshmen before she can start making some real noise in the Big Numerically Challenged. O'Rourke's got the talent, but I don't know if she's got the sense. I think Coach Washington kept her in too long in the first half- she was starting to turn interesting colors that should not be seen on a human being. She started off hot and kept her teammates involved. Tyra Grant just went off all over the place- midrange, three-point land, drives in the lane- I like her a lot. Mashea Williams also impressed me. She seemed to be good at being at the right place at the right time. I'm going to work under the assumption that Janessa Wolff is normally a starter, because she played a lot of minutes and played decently on the offensive end and very well on the defensive. No one else really stood out- but again, I think Coach Washington needs another year to really put her mark on this team.
JesusfuckingChrist, Tina Charles. We'll get to Maya Moore in a moment, but JesusfuckingChrist, Tina Charles. She looked like a woman among girls in that game. Big, strong, accurate, and dominant in the paint at both ends. Three of her blocks were spectacular enough for me to note down as amazing. As a St. John's fan, I'm not looking forward to seeing her beat our valiant but small and slight frontcourt to hell and back again. Maya Moore- wow. I don't think I've ever seen such a highly touted player be so dominant on the defensive side of the floor. Not that she didn't get involved in the offense, but usually the players that get the kind of worship she has get that attention by being incredible scorers or passers. At halftime, I turned to the UConn fan sitting next to me and said, "She's going to have to share the awesome. I'm running out of room to note down the amazing plays for her." I stopped after the third steal and the second block. And what I really liked was that her defensive plays helped set her team up on offense- a steal led to a bucket by Montgomery, a block led to a layup by Charles. That's the kind of player I'd want on my team the most- exceptionally well-rounded and makes a mark on the game even if she doesn't hit for a high percentage. It also seems to me that she makes Montgomery a better player, though I can't put my finger on why. Montgomery just seems to move better and be more on the ball when Moore's in. Doty was unremarkable, but she's only a freshman, I'll allow her that. ;) (By the way, Penn State? Leaving a bun-wearing Husky #5 open is made of fail. You're just asking for someone to go Maria Conlon on your asses.) Greene didn't play all that much- is her knee still bothering her? Hayes has brass ones, and I guess this proves that no number is sacred at UConn- she seems to be a different kind of player, bigger and more defensive, than her #3-wearing predecessor, since the big plays I have down for her are a block and a fierce rebound, but that still takes a bit of moxie. I really don't like McLaren- points for not being afraid to use her body, the way it seems a lot of posts are in the women's game, but I really don't like her 'tude.
Some inexplicable calls in the game, but fewer than in the previous. Then again, if Denise Brooks and Dee Kantner couldn't call a good game, I don't know who in the women's officiating pool could. And fewer bad calls than the UConn fans thought- seriously, yes, the hack by Greene was obvious, and even if it wasn't, you're up eleven with less than two to play, would you please stop booing the call?
Penn State kept it a lot more interesting than I think a lot of people expected, especially early in the game and for a couple of stretches in the second half. But at least in the second half, I also got the impression that UConn had let up a little bit and Penn State took that opportunity to pounce. These Huskies are good, no doubt about that. And while the triumphant cry of "St. Louis!" a few rows in front of us might be premature, and I have no doubt that they’ll be there, and I wouldn't be surprised if they won the whole enchilada, I don’t think they'll go undefeated. They'll trip up somewhere.
We were sitting right by one of the radio booths. I'm not used to doing the whole "isn't that... *whips head around* holy shit, that IS!" routine in the 200s, but we had the opportunity to do so because Kara Wolters was handling radio duties for UConn. I also spotted a tall blonde in the audience somewhere in the purple seats, but I didn't recognize her. She looked like Schuey, but, um, how to put this politely? She looked like Schuey if Schuey had gotten a nose job.
In conclusion, the event was a success. More, plz.
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.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
December 13th, 2008: New Hampshire at Long Island
Long Island University Blackbirds 76, New Hampshire Wildcats 72
Stealth doubleheader is stealthy! The Game Notes of Doom re-enter the strange world of men's basketball and find themselves a robin in the midst of a flock of Blackbirds.
I had no idea when I planned this trip that this was a doubleheader with the LIU men. The more I thought about it, the more it seemed that I could stay for the second game I paid for and still get home in time for dinner. So I shifted seats to my preferred view, bought a thing of nachos and a hot dog, and prepared for another couple of hours of LIU basketball.
Oh! I probably should have mentioned them in the women's notes, given that they were there for both games, but it turns out that LIU does have a dance team, and a pep squad in the stands. The noise was unexpected, and a refreshing change from the depressing deadness that had filled the place for the holiday tournament.
The women wear their colors at home, but the men don't. And apparently the women don't always wear their colors at home either. I'm now officially and completely confused.
So, the New Hampshire men play nothing like the New Hampshire women (who also visited LIU; I swear I thought they'd left the second Turkey Classic game on the ticket by accident when I bought my general admission). Live by the three, die by the three, be resurrected and stalk the earth by the three, geez. I liked their big center, DiLiegro. Nice presence in the middle. Tyrone Conley had a wicked block- I keep thinking I've heard that last name before, and I don't know why. Solid play and nice range from Radar Onguetou. But, um, can I assume that Alvin Abreu was coming off the bench for disciplinary purposes? Because he kicked ass, and he kicked a lot of it in the second half- his shooting was one of the big reasons why New Hampshire made the game so dramatic at the end. Someone really needs to lace their Gatorade with Valium, though. I was betting random spectators the cost of a soda that he'd either have a heart attack or get a technical by the end of the game, given how far out he was wandering onto the court. Amazingly, he avoided both.
Daaaaaaamn, David Hicks. Just. Daaaamn. One-man highlight reel, this guy. Great ups, fancy moves, and one spectacularly flashy steal. Culpo got the start, which I don't think he did when they went to St. John's- he played well early, but was benched until late in the game for Jaytornah Wisseh and inexplicable reasons. Adomaitis was unimpressive, but he did what a center needs to do for a team with a lot of small, quick guards- he made space. I'm sure he did it more than once, but I have noted down an especially nice screen that left Kyle Johnson open for three. Speaking of Mr. Johnson, I'm pretty sure there actually isn't enough that can be said for him. He stepped up his game big time in the second half. Julian Boyd also had some great plays, though his were on the defensive end- he took a couple of key charges and had a blocked shot that kept the game manageable for the Blackbirds. As for the rest of the bench- you recall the "inexplicable reasons" crack about Culpo being benched? Wisseh had a really, really bad game. Flashy but stupid. As one of the folks behind me said, he was putting his head down too much, which meant that he wasn't watching the clock, his teammates, or the defenders around him. One of the worst mistakes a guard can make.
Pretty savvy observation for someone in the stands to make, right? Well. And we're into awkward moment number two. In my defense, I didn't actually plan to sit right in front of most of LIU's women's basketball team. They showed up after I did. Seriously, there are few things more awkward than sitting right next to a team while wearing the gear of the team that just shot 51% on them. Unless it's hearing one of them make devastating and accurate mockery of your complaints to the refs. I tried to keep a low profile, I really did, but it's hard to keep a low profile when you can't shut up, and oh yeah, you're wearing bright red. Did get to wish them good luck this year (and I did mean it; there are far too many Connecticut teams in that conference, and New York needs to take them down a peg, not to mention that I enjoyed watching them play and I'd like to see them do well). And the t-shirt drama will keep me giggling for weeks on end.
Gotta give a shoutout to the young lady in the Liberty shooting shirt, especially since I'm pretty sure that that was Marika Sprow. See, this is why we need the WNBA, so even reserve guards for mid-major schools have a dream to look up to.
I'm still not a fan of men's basketball. It's just kinda there for me. It's faster, higher, bigger, stronger than the women's game, that's true. And the boxscores will tell you that the passing is sharper. But so much of that faster, higher, bigger, stronger seemed like sound and fury, signifying nothing. I'll stick to my game.
December 13th, 2008: St. John's at LIU
St. John's Red Storm 65, Long Island University Blackbirds 46
Kelly McManmon fires away, Monique McLean is clutch, and the Game Notes approve.
I'm pleased. I'm very pleased. And if you follow my game notes regularly, you'll know that I'm not easily pleased with my team. I thought LIU was going to be a tough matchup for them because of Ashley Palmer's versatility, but we matched up well with her. I'll take giving up 14 to Chelsi Johnson if it means only allowing six to Palmer.
The first time there, I sat across from the benches, at about center court, my usual perch. Figured being supportive of the team meant sitting behind the bench on the road. While I liked the peek into game-day strategy and coaching, and the interactions within the team, I think I prefer having a little more ability to see what's going on on the floor.
Dear anthem singer, please note that it's "the" bombs bursting in air, not "those" bombs bursting in air. Once is forgivable. Twice is not.
Joy and Da'Shena did yeoman's work on Ashley Palmer. The freshman had seven double-doubles in nine games going into this matchup, but she was held to six points and seven boards. I'm really starting to think that with LIU, players have a certain number of shots they're going to take, whether they're hot or not, and high scorer (and victory or defeat) is based on who gets the rolls and who doesn't. This time, it was Palmer not getting the shots to fall and Chelsi Johnson who did. She's got a nice touch inside- and she's tough, too. I keep thinking that she's somehow the lovechild of Barbara Farris and Lisa Leslie, because she looks a lot like Farris, but those elbows are a hazard to one's health. She picked up two of her three fouls on the offensive end, and at least one of them was an elbow to Da'Shena's throat. Way with the not cool. Much like in the game against Kentucky, Connie James couldn't get her shots to fall, though she did have one especially nice bucket on a putback, and a nifty pass to Johnson. Li'Esha Garcia played a lot more than she did the last time I saw this team- I suppose it was because Jade Brown really couldn't get it together. Both of them start, but Marika Sprow played more minutes off the bench than either of them. It was Sprow who hit the three that Sky was trying to answer at the end of the first half. Pretty sure hers was near the end of the shot clock for LIU, too. Justine Stevenson again had foul trouble, though she didn't get screwed quite as badly as she did against Kentucky. Got my first look at their Euro, Tessy Hetting. She seemed a bit tentative. Overall, I just got the sense that they were in over their heads a little- they didn't really play badly, they knew what they were doing, they just couldn't keep up the pace. I also suspect that not being able to get much out of Palmer threw the gameplan somewhat off kilter.
Odd note about LIU- they were wearing their colors at home. It took me a few minutes to figure out what was so odd about shootaround until I realized that the Red Storm were not, in fact, red. Either their home whites have gone missing or the women take the Blackbird thing more literally than the men. (Which just comes out sounding wrong, but there's no real way around it.)
I've always said that Kelly makes her best plays on the sideline and baseline, and she definitely showed that today on both ends of the floor. And, oh yes, let's not forget the 5-7 three-point shooting. Once again, a couple of those shots were from beyond the men's arc. I really like how she's developing this season. She looks like she's putting a lot of effort into improving her all-around game. Monique also played well, if a bit sloppily. But her timing was impeccable. Whenever it looked like LIU was ready to go on a big run and make us sweat like they made Kentucky sweat, she'd hit a shot and we'd get back on kilter. Some good defensive plays, too, but we'll get to that. Solid game for Sky- not a great shooting percentage, but a positive A/TO and no egregious mistakes (though I personally felt that she was calling her own number a little too often early in the game; she settled down in the second half; is it coincidence that her mom showed up at halftime?). It helped that she got to switch back to the two more often than I've seen in the past, with the unworthy midget picking up a big chunk of time at the point. Da'Shena played well- dear universe, why do you keep trying to break the freshman? Poor kid just takes a licking and keeps on ticking. I'll give Joy a pass, because Palmer was her assignment, and bottling her up is more important than offense. Coco played well in spurts off the bench- there was one point where she really wasn't playing well at all and then she suddenly started pounding the boards like there was no tomorrow. The midget played an awful lot- was not impressed with her, though she was part of the second nicest play of the game for the Red Storm. A few minutes out of Recee, a few minutes out of Sheree, and at long last I got to see Victoria play in a game that actually counts in the standings! She even notched a steal (along with a couple of stupid fouls, but hey, gotta shake the rust off somehow).
Second-favorite play of the game- Monique with the steal, ball goes out to Britney, Britney finds Joy for the deuce. Favorite play of the game- Monique and Joy double-down on a Blackbird and Sky comes up with the loose ball. Sucks for Sky that she wasn't credited with it in the official score, though. But she did a lot of stuff she wasn't credited for- she had a defensive play in the first half that I thought was a block, that steal, and then the three at the end of the half that was a hair too late. I think she'll really be a lot more comfortable once she's allowed to go back to the two guard next year.
What should have been the best play of the game for either team: the touch pass from (I think) Johnson to Sprow for the lay-up that spun out. I was rooting for that to go in and that's not even my team.
Referees were occasionally inexplicable but otherwise unremarkable. They eventually learned from their mistakes, but they never did get the hang of counting.
Awkwaaaaaaaard moment the first: having several Lindsays clustered around me while I'm desperately trying to remember the first half so I can give them details of what Sky did while they weren't there. (By the way, Lindsay family, I think I owe y'all an apology. I was under the impression that the crazy screaming guy in the Yankee cap was related to you guys, but since he stayed for the men's game, I'm not so sure. If he's not, I humbly apologize for lumping him in with y'all, because y'all don't deserve that. If he is… um, have you considered introducing him to Kia's Aunt Olivia? I think they'd get along like a house on fire.)
I like the way this team's shaping up, I really do. We stayed within ten of Baylor, we played well against Vermont and Long Island- two solid mid-majors- I think we're really getting it together.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
December 6th, 2008: Marshall at Seton Hall
Seton Hall Pirates 73, Marshall Thundering Herd 52
Marshall is outclassed, Seton Hall forces trips to the line, and Patti Fernandes rocks the Game Notes' world.
That was very much a classic example of what should happen, all other things being equal, when a C-USA team visits a BEast team. Maybe the mid-major makes it interesting for a while, then the major conference team turns up the jets and blows the doors off the mid-major, beating them with depth and/or better players.
I'll be honest here. Marshall's not a very good team. I think they're in over their heads in C-USA. There are flashes of moments from some players, but there are a lot of fundamental flaws on that team- the discipline is questionable, most of the shooting forms are abominable, the passing isn't all that great. Maybe that can be excused by a good team having a bad day. There's just something that doesn't sit right with me about them. I do like the Brit they have, Chantelle Handy. If she can get her shots to go down and learn to be a little more aggressive on the boards, she'll have a better shot at making a name for herself. Alyssa Hammond has similar potential and similar problems (though she really doesn't have a national team to shoot for the way Handy does). And other than the tactless tackle at the end of the game, I liked Rashedah Henriques- she seemed to have her head in the game in a way that most of her teammates didn't. Casey Baker had a nice pass to Hammond and a nifty steal in the first half. Tynikki Crook fouled out really quickly, which is probably why we saw so much of Hammond. Barnette shot a lot and lost her temper near the end of the game. Whoever arranged for 5'0" Tania Walters and 6'7" Kamille Lisonbee to take their practice shots next to each other has a strange sense of humor. I found it amusing that the team got more pumped from the Seton Hall band than Seton Hall did. Amping the crowd up: ur doin it wrong.
Nicole Emery, good Lord. She threw down three blocks and almost had a fourth, some of them quite authoritative, one that ended with her recovering the ball and taking it coast to coast for the layup. Suh-weet. And the rest of her offensive game wasn't bad either. Noteisha Womack had her double-double, but scout's honor, three of those twelve rebounds were off her own misses on one possession. She looks like a baller, and I know she is a baller, but this wasn't the best game I've seen from her. I was, however, extremely impressed with the freshman Kandice Green. Off the bench, she really gave the Hall a spark. Yeah, she made a couple of freshman mistakes, but freshmen do that kind of thing, and I think she has the potential to be their next star player once Womack graduates. What I liked about both Emery and Green today was that they got to the line. Especially when going into BEast play, they're going to need those calls and those free throws to have a fighting chance against the rest of the middle of the pack. Kashmere Joseph appears to have improved from the last time I saw her, but that's not saying very much. She's lost the chip on her shoulder, but she also looks like she put on weight. Unfortunately, they really don't have much size behind her, because Whitney Wood looks like a project at best. Shantel Brown still runs that offense quietly and somewhat efficiently, though Baker made her life hell. Jadis Rhodin, whose perimeter shooting has always given me nightmares, put the dagger in, and Green's first make was off a dandy pass from her. Great hands by Womack and Brown on the defensive end, too.
We originally thought the crew chief was DeMayo, which only would have been funny because that would have been the third game I saw him at this season, and I'd start to wonder. I did recognize one of the linesmen from the Stony Brook game, Patti Fernandes, which was a good thing- the Stony Brook game was exceptionally well called. This one wasn't quite as well-officiated- a few blatant infractions and fouls went uncalled, and they seemed to bring the hammer down on Marshall once the Herd got into the penalty, but again, they caught a lot of the stuff that doesn't usually get caught, and the communication was excellent. They weren't afraid to confer with each other to make sure the call was right. Perhaps Fernandes will get her own crew in the near future?
I can see why Seton Hall plays well at home. The way things are set up, at least for the first half, the opposition is driving into the teeth of a ruckus from the cheerleaders, the mascot, the Seton Hall bench, and- when allowed- the band. It's a tight, close, space. Of course, this doesn't really explain why Marshall ended the first half with a lead, or why they so completely imploded in the second. But I can imagine what Walsh Gym must be like when it's full- wow. Not quite a cauldron of noise, if only because it's too small to be a proper cauldron, but that place must rock when it's full. And they've been redoing it a bit, as much as they can, given that it's an ancient facility nestled in a new building. There's much shiny to be had. If you're in the area, I'd really recommend checking out a game sometime- I'd recommend either Colorado on December 9th, Notre Dame on January 3rd, or Marquette on January 10th- all of those promise to be very interesting matchups.
Yes, I’m still a St. John's fan. That doesn't mean I can't shill for other teams. I'm a fan of the game first.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
December 3rd, 2008: Monmouth at St. John's
St. John's Red Storm 52, Monmouth Hawks 48
Somehow, St. John's pulls another one out. Somehow.
I'm serious. We have to be the worst undefeated team in the country. Either it's an unbelievably good year for the NEC or it's an unbelievably bad year for the power conferences, because there's no way in God's creation that Monmouth should have a lead with less than two minutes remaining. This team showed almost no chemistry and no inclination that there was actually anything being planned, whereas Monmouth built their strategy on teamwork.
And we're back to the band's rendition of the anthem. While the xylophone is nice, I could really do without the persistent percussion, and I think the horns need tuning.
What a bunch of clutch shooters the Hawks have. I'm serious. They hit three or four shots as the shot clock was expiring, and I think that really threw us off our stride. LaKia Barber has nice range for her build. Alexis Canady, pound for pound, might be one of the best rebounders out there- little bitty guard had six boards, one of them a very critical offensive rebound late in the game. I think Montas had Monique on her- the six turnovers by Montas would match Monique's five steals nicely. Bender came up really big for them, more than validating Gaitley's decision to put her back in with four fouls- see, Da'Shena, this is how you play with four fouls. Off their bench, I liked Laura Forbes, who had a good touch around the basket and made a wicked defensive play. What it was, I can't remember, only that there was one. Marisa Jimenez had a really nice steal. Oh- Canady also had a block. Yes, 5'5" Canady had a block.
Stop breaking the freshman, damnit! Da'Shena went down in the last game with a mild sprain- this game she went down twice after getting hit in the head. She played well, though she made some stupid freshman mistakes- hit a layup on a brilliant pass from Sky. Sky had a decent if not great game, although one where she didn't shoot all that well. She needs to do something about that hitch in her shot, or else she'll never be a consistent shooter. Monique disappeared on the offensive end, but no turnovers on the night is an impressive stat. Kelly rebounded well- it was nice to see her going to the boards, and she forced a couple of travels with very adroit defensive plays. Sheree played a lot as Coach went to a backcourt trap late in the first half- and it was a thing of beauty; they managed to keep Monmouth in the backcourt for twenty seconds near the end of the first half (remember, no ten-second rule in women's college ball) and force the steal. Sheree and Kelly especially worked well together on the trap. Best offensive plays of the night: Coco misses a free throw, Monique crashes the offensive boards, sets up Joy for the layup through Kelly. (Monique would later snare another errant free throw, but with less of an awesome result.) Second place goes to Kristin's wicked crossover that gave her a wide open lane to the basket and allowed her to hit her shot. But we just fell apart in the second half, and it took big plays in the last minute to keep it together, and that's where I have to give Monique credit. She stepped up right when we needed her.
I've never seen so many ticky-tack travels called in a game. Or ticky-tack fouls, for that matter. It was herky-jerky, stop and go like rush hour traffic. No one really got into a flow at all, and I think that hurt us more than it did Monmouth.
They did a student promotion. The students showed up... to claim their free tchochke, ogle the cheer team, and not know the rules, and 90% of them left at halftime. I should stop complaining about the lack of student involvement at St. John's. I think I like it better when they're not there.
One of our cheerleaders looks disturbingly like Brooke Wyckoff. Given the high school AU that Rebkell's came up with, I'm weirded out by this.
Gotta give a shoutout to the kids from St. Catherine of Siena. They and their families annoyed the daylights out of me while in the stands, but I've never seen a kids' team that was so focused on following shots and putting them back. Good hustle, ladies. Good hustle.
We are so gonna get brutalized on Saturday.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
November 22nd, 2008: St. John's at Manhattan
St. John's Red Storm 63, Manhattan Jaspers 54
The Game Notes go on a road trip with their team, and Da'Shena Stevens puts on a show.
We should not be allowing MAAC teams to stay this close to us. It's not a good sign, especially if said MAAC team is not Iona or Marist, or even Fairfield.
In retrospect, I should have scouted the topography of the area before taking my mom and her titanium joints along for the ride; Manhattan's arena is located at the top of a hill, and the only ways up are a long series of stairs or a long spiral around the hill. It's a bit of a hike. The campus reminds me a lot of Princeton, in terms of the building style and layout, but it's a bit more forbidding- more fences. The gym itself is an unimpressive building, originally intended for indoor track but able to be partitioned so that it can host basketball or volleyball. Unlike most schools I've been to, they also have a banner celebrating their Olympians. That's cool.
I'm starting to notice a pattern with MAAC schools- they get bruising posts and small guards. It seems like a bit of a mismatch, but it makes sense. For the Jaspers, the bruising came from Kelly Regan and Lindsey Loutsenhizer. I like the freshman Loutsenhizer- good nose for the ball. Alicia Marculitis was listed as a center, but a lot of her points came from midrange jumpers- her stroke is quite sweet. So is Annie McIntyre's- she was bombing threes, and a couple of them were very deep. Alyssa Herrington had a great pass to Marculitis, or so say my notes. Michelle Pacheco was a fierce, penetrating guard who did a great job getting inside on us. Manhattan played us really tenaciously, with brutal defense. Hill's doing quite a job in Riverdale- but should I really be surprised?
We see you, Da'Shena Stevens! The freshman would not be denied- she finished with twenty points and someteen rebounds, along with a stupendous block. She was also involved in my favorite play of the game, one which was so awesome I remember it over a week later. Britney had forced Nicole Harrison to back it out with about seven seconds left on the shot clock and pass it out. Da'Shena hassled the recipient on the perimeter for another few seconds to bring it down to three or so and force her to pass it on. The pass wasn't great, and Coco leapt on it like her life depended on it. In the ensuing scrap, the shot clock expired. I'm such a sucker for defense, and for team play, so something that combines both? Damn. Monique was red hot in the first half, but disappeared for most of the second half. Coco had foul trouble, really couldn't get going. We got nothing out of the bench, really. Only six players even scored.
I think we were sitting near Da'Shena's family. If they were, then I salute them for their enthusiasm.
There's something about Manhattan's cheerleaders that reminded me of Fordham, but I can't put my finger on it. It may have been the signs.
And that's really about it. No one played really well, except for Da'Shena, and she was enough to put us over the top.
November 30th, 2008: Vermont at St. John's
St. John's Red Storm 70, Vermont Catamounts 52
Monique McLean kicks ass, Sky Lindsay kicks ass, and Courtnay Pilypaitis is a late starter.
Now this is the Red Storm I've been looking forward to seeing all season. I don't know if we can keep this up- I honestly do doubt it- but it was nice to see.
Major props to the folks who drove from Vermont. Yes, it may have been southern Vermont, but that's still quite the schlep. I love when fans travel for their team.
Also, shoutout to the student section! The rowdies from the Army game were back and having fun with the Catamounts. Nothing indecent, but lots of noise. That's what I like to hear.
We're still using the instrumental recording of the national anthem. Again, I approve. Our band isn't set up to handle the Star-Spangled Banner. They're better than they used to be, but they still can't handle something that complicated.
Vermont is unexpectedly tall for a mid-major. They brought a lot of height against us. Courtnay Pilypaitis really didn't get going until late in the first half, when she got to the line for two free throws and then got free for a jumper to end the half. And then the second half started and it ws like everyone on St. John's forgot she was there. She started getting into the lane, and good Lord, the one trey she hit was from somewhere in southern Brooklyn. She was a big part of their comeback. I was also impressed with May Kotsopoulos, who also turned it on in the second half. Alissa Sheftic got into foul trouble early and really wasn't a factor. Amy Rosenkrantz had one helluva block on Kelly from beyond the arc. Kelli Poles- damn, that's a tank in the middle. Looking at the box, I see that they outrebounded us, which surprises me, because I thought we were actually doing pretty well on the boards. Shows how much I know.
Very good game for Sky. She was shooting well, she was passing well, and her head was mostly in the game. That's been a problem sometimes, and I'm glad she shook it off for this game. When she's playing well, I love to watch her on the floor- there's just something compelling about the way she moves, something slinky and graceful. Monique, of course, went off, and we genuinely thought she had a double-double while we were at the arena. She's getting fiercer and feistier. I like that. I like it a lot. She's working hard on all aspects of her game, which is what I think separates great players from good players. Kelly didn't score, and only got two touches, but she was working hard on the defensive end, and ended up with two blocks. This is not normal, but I like it. Da'Shena went down holding her leg in the second half, and her first-half minutes were limited because of foul trouble, but she still managed to lead the team in rebounding. That's awesome. Not to mention that she had her long shots falling; if she can do that on a regular basis, and combine that with badassery down in the post, she can be something truly special. Joy was solid, and kicked ass on the defensive end- she leaves it all out there every single game, and that's what I love about her. Coco played pretty solidly in the paint- I'm starting to wonder if she just plays better when she comes off the bench. Good minutes out of Kristin, and even out of Britney- she hit a nice little driving lay-up that reminded my mom a lot of Kia.
Refs were unimpressive but unremarkable.
The bad news was that we let Vermont make a run in the second half. The good news is that we weathered it and brought the lead back up to near where it was at halftime. I'm not happy with how we ended it- they were very aggressive when the game was well out of reach for the Catamounts, and Coco's last three was especially unnecessary. But other than that, I'm very happy with them, and I hope they bring this for the rest of the season.
November 29th, 2008: Kentucky at LIU (Turkey Classic at LIU)
Kentucky Wildcats 46, Long Island Blackbirds 43
Kentucky does not impress and Ashley Palmer kicks ass in the best and most exciting 46-43 game you'll ever see.
Wow. Just. Wow. If that last three had gone down, I'm pretty sure every dead Beatle would be spinning in his grave as I belted out "You were only waiting for this moment to arise". We were supposed to leave this game early, but how do you leave a tie game- or one where the underdog home team is leading the big bad SEC team?
I couldn't help but wonder, as the Kentucky coaching staff took the floor,, just how often that building had ever had an actual WNBA player in it- yes, Wendy Palmer's retired, but she's a former WNBA All-Star. Is Matt Insell any relation to the coach at Middle Tennessee? Just curious.
I'm not sure if I know what Mitchell's doing with this roster. I'm really not sure if split-shifting Bett and Sanders as posts of the bench is the right idea. I do understand why Bett's not starting, though- she's one of the most passive 6'5" players I've ever seen, and she'll be eaten alive in the SEC. Sanders at least had some aggressiveness, and more range- she stepped out and canned a three. Amber Smith struck me as a very savvy guard- she made a couple of smart plays, including one near the end, when she was able to call a timeout to retain possession. But they didn't lose much with Amani Franklin, either. Brittany Edelen was a non-factor, as far as I recall. Eleia Roddy was clutch for them. She's got some nice moves in the paint. Morrow's an absolutely frightening ball hawk. I know I'd be nervous if I had the ball and she was in my face, waving those hands and yelling at the top of her lungs. Ormerod shot like a shooter, but didn't hit like a shooter. I'd have to look at a box score and her career numbers, but I'd guess that this was an exceptionally bad game for her. I'd also need a box score to know what I liked about Lydia Watkins and Victoria Dunlap (well, other than a wicked block by Dunlap) (okay, now that I have a box score, it might have been the seven boards by Watkins and the five steals by Dunlap).
Ashley Palmer. Good Lord, Ashley Palmer. If the last three, which went every which way but down, had gone in, I'd have asked her to hitch a ride with me to Connecticut and marry me right then and there. I like her. I like her a lot. She's got a nose for the ball, the common sense to not try and force a shot up through a triple-team, nice range, and a pretty shot- high-arcing, starts behind her head, reminds me a little of Kristin Moore at St. John's. And did I mention she's only a (redshirt) freshman? Chelsi Johnson looks a little like Barbara Farris, in terms of appearance- she had a nice layup off an amazing pass from Jade Brown, but she and Connie James both had trouble finishing. I like their instincts, but you've gotta finish those shots. If they'd done that, it'd have been a runaway for the Blackbirds. Li'Esha Garcia started for LIU, but I got the sense that it was only because she was a senior. Jade Brown is a hell of a rebounder for 5'7"- now, if she could only hit those threes she kept taking. They played a really short rotation- seven players, and Justine Stevenson's foul trouble kept her to seven minutes. No one went the full 40, but the four key starters went 38, 37, 37, and 36 minutes.
Again with the deep questioning of the officiating, because there were a couple of dicey calls against LIU- yes, there were a couple that had the Wildcats up in arms, but I think the ones against LIU and the ones that weren't called against Kentucky (Jade Brown took hits on three different possessions before the foul was finally called) affected the flow of the game more.
I don't want to take too much away from Kentucky, because they did step up in that last minute and get the steals to take the game. But even the worst team in the SEC shouldn't allow even the best team in the NEC to be that close that late in the game, and I doubt that either Kentucky is the worst team in the SEC or that LIU is the best team in the NEC. And LIU had more than their share of chances to take that game away. If they learn to capitalize, they could be very, very dangerous.
Of course, it'd be nice if their crowd had reacted as such. I've never been in such a dead crowd without there being some other excuse (like the Army-St. John's game). When the random strangers are more vocally involved in the game than the fans are, you might have a problem. That arena, and that team, deserved better.
November 29th, 2008: New Hampshire at Yale (Turkey Classic at LIU)
Yale Bulldogs 76, New Hampshire Wildcats 55
Yale and New Hampshire get along like 'cats and 'dogs, Yoyo Greenfield is not who you expect her to be, and Kristin Cole is an exceptionally good juggler.
Can you think of anything better to do on the Saturday after Thanksgiving than go to a basketball tournament at a school you know nothing about with four teams you have no emotional investment in? Yeah, I couldn't either, so off we went to the Courtyard LaGuardia Turkey Classic.
LIU has a nice little facility- very clean and crisp and modern, but you might want to eat before the game, or bring something with you, because I didn't see any concessions set up in the lobby. But we didn't venture out between games, so they might have set something up afer the games started. Not completely certain. Also, bring cushions- the entire lower bowl is bleacher seats, and they charge double for the chairbacked upper deck.
We joked that Yale-New Hampshire had to be moved to New York because if they played it in New Hampshire, someone might get killed. Very scrappy, very chippy game. Not that I mind that sort of thing, but the referees in it were pretty bad- there's a difference between taking charge of a game and controlling it, and a difference between calling a fair game and calling an even game, and these referees seemed to not know either.
It didn't help New Hampshire that they seemed to have been bitten pretty hard by the injury bug- they only dressed eight, and from the talk by New Hampshire families before the game, it sounds like one of the injuries was pretty recent. And there was a lot of foul trouble in the first half for their starters, so I give their coach major props for adroit player management- despite having three starters hit two fouls early in the first half, she didn't have anyone foul out until the waning seconds, when Candace Williams committed a dumb reach-in. They've got good height for an America East school. In terms of build and elbow pointiness, Racheal Fowler reminded me a little of Lisa Leslie- she's not someone I'd want to get into a rebounding battle with at all. She had a great save on the baseline that resulted in a basket by Kate Early. Candace Williams has some moves- a good scorer, but she got foul-happy in the second half, and that got her in trouble when the Wildcats could have used her. Amy Simpson's got a nice shot too. I think I've heard of her before, for some reason. The freshman LaRosa shows promise.
When I looked at the Yale roster, I admit that I wasn't expecting Yoyo Greenfield from Los Angeles to be a white girl with dirty blonde hair and a pixie face. So I stereotype sometimes, 'scuse me. She had a nice game, canning threes and running the offense, though there were a couple of possessions where she was getting her Becky Hammon on, and not in the good way (though also not in the "let me change my citizenship way", either, more like the "let me run into traffic with no help and throw up a shot that has no chance of going in" way). There was something I liked about Ashley Carter, but I can't put my finger on it. For what I'm assuming is a coach's daughter, Mady Gobrecht has one of the least fundamental layups I've ever seen a post shoot. I think she blew two or three chippies. Jamie Van Horne's got a nice three-point shot. Haywood Wright reminded me disconcertingly of Sue Wicks- similar facial structure, same eyebrows, same manner of running, and same need for kneepads. That was one of the things I liked about Yale- there were a lot of skinned knees, which to me means everyone's going after every loose ball.
I don't want to say it was a chippy game and there were a lot of free throws shot, but Yale's Melissa Coborne got to double figures without hitting a field goal. (She hit two shots late, but both after her tenth free throw went in.) There were a lot of jump balls, a lot of players on the floor, and a lot of hustling. A New Hampshire player had her head sat on; Wright had to leave momentarily to have her clawed wrist wrapped.
Yale opened the second half on a 13-0 run, and that really sealed the deal for them; they were up 9 at half and won by 21, so the run basically provided the rest of the cushion and allowed them to let New Hampshire play them even for the rest of the half. Greenfield hit a couple of shots to spur that run.
It's an odd thing to notice, I'm sure, but I like how both teams run their drills. Yale was shooting free throws (hey, Kim, are you listening?) and on-ball defense, and New Hampshire's drills were pretty crisp. Very neat and efficient. Something tells me Yale's going to take the Ivy by storm, given their upset of NC State, their close play against Kentucky in the first round of this little tourney (as reported by the friendly New Hampshire families), and their blowout against New Hampshire.
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.
November 28th, 2008: Stony Brook at St. John's
http://redstormsports.cstv.com/sports/w-baskbl/stats/2008-2009/stj05.html
St. John's fumbles their way to another win, the post rotation is wacky, but the kids seem to be all right.
I don't know how much longer we can keep this up. We're not playing well at all. We can't hit a shot to save our lives. We don't have a point guard. We're really not very good. And on top of that, our coach keeps making odd personnel decisions with the flawed talent that we do have. This team is going to make me kick something one of these days, I just know it. And yet I still love them.
The last couple of games, the anthem has been an old recording. I approve. Our band has improved since last year, but the Star-Spangled Banner is still beyond their capabilities, and St. John's usually can't get vocalists who get the lyrics right. Stick with the classics, that's what I say.
There must be something about the Seawolves that makes me not blog –I visited their arena last year for a game against Albany, during which there was a throwdown, and I never added it to the blog. Kairsten Nunn was much as I had remembered- very emotional, and often making bad moves because of it, but ridiculously fun to watch anyway. Misha Horsey (hard 's' in that last name) played well- she mostly ran the offense last year, but got to call her number more often in this game. Kirsten Jeter started off well, but racked up the fouls in the second half and really fell out of the game. Sarah Kazadi was a rough piece of work inside. I liked the little freshman guard Tamiel Murray- she looked a little like Leilani Mitchell, but with a few pounds more bulk. I can see why she's starting as a freshman. I also liked Crystal Rushin off the bench- nice strong moves, good defense. They were extremely tenacious on defense- we had height advantages on almost all of them for almost the entire game, except for when Britney Murphy or Kristin Moore came in, but we couldn't take advantage, because their little guards were being quite pesky.
Did I mention we need a point guard? Currently Sky's starting in that slot, but she started this game so abominably that Kristin was off the bench three minutes into the game. Her shot is off and her passing is half-assed- which, given that she ran her passing drills at half-speed, doesn't really surprise me. Kristin was solid but unremarkable. Britney had her flashes, and generally didn't suck, but looked to be in a little over her head. We can't make Monique do everything around here, guys. Speaking of Little Sista, she played well- hit some nice shots, and was on the boards like a demon. That's what I like to see from her. Kelly got her threes, but her ballhandling is still awfully sloppy. On the one hand, I like that she's trying to expand her repertoire and be more than just a three-point sniper, and I find that refreshing, because it seems like she and Monique are the only players on the squad who have changed since they started playing here. On the other hand… damn it, Kelly, you couldn't have figured that out while you were sitting out two years ago and practiced those penetration moves in the gym with a random friend, instead of doing it in your senior year on the court against real opponents who like to steal the ball from you? Coco was… not good today. I'm starting to think she doesn't play well when she starts. Joy at least was crashing the boards and trying to take advantage of the fact that we couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. I'm really not exaggerating here. Our first possession, we had five shots, and came away empty. Aricia seems to have found her cojones in the paint. Da'Shena had a really nice block, and worked hard in the paint. I like that kid a lot- now, if she could just find her shooting touch more often, we'd have a genuine winner.
I could be wrong, because I've never coached. But I'm pretty sure that dicking around with your co-captain's minutes is really not a good way to build up team morale. Remember the beginning of the first paragraph, when Kristin came in for Sky? Coco had just committed a foul, which stopped the clock. Da'Shena also came into the game… for Joy. Who had already snared two offensive rebounds, versus Coco's foul and turnover. Coco stayed in the game. Coco committed her second foul. Unsurprisingly, Joy came back in, but still only ended up playing nineteen mintues. She missed a couple of matchup opportunities for Aricia, as well. And Sheree, much as I like her on the court, is contributing nothing in her minutes- why not get Victoria out there and see what she can do? At least she's bigger and stronger than Sheree is, and she wouldn't do any more damage.
Hi, Dennis! Mr. DeMayo returned for his second game at Carnesecca this season, as he officiated the exhibition game against the X All-Stars. Things went much more pleasantly for him today, as no one questioned his calls to the point of slinging a couple of different f-bombs at him. I was very impressed with this crew- DeMayo, Lonergan, and Fernandes caught a lot of infractions that other crews miss, and their communication was excellent. They were clearly in control of the game without overwhelming it. This is what officiating should look like. (Hey, I whine about officials in every other set of game notes. I figure if they do something right, I should give them a shoutout.)
Stony Brook brought a nice contingent of family and friends. Noisy bunch without crossing the line, for the most part, though I could have done without the cuckoo calls when Coco was at the line.
If you happen to be one of the 273 other people who went to that game, I'm the young lady who came home with $40 in ESPNZone game cards. Of course, what I'm going to do with them when I don't particularly like ESPNZone, I don't know, but they were still better than two burritos.
All in all… well, I'm a born pessimist when it comes to my team having good times. We'll see.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
November 14th, 2008: Long Island at St. John's
St. John's Red Storm 73, Long Island Blackbirds 63
The Game Notes aren't all that fond of men's basketball, but find themselves drawn to small, spunky guards.
Because it was a doubleheader, I stayed. Figured, what the hell. First time for everything.
Very, very different atmosphere. For one thing, there actually was one. People started showing up at halftime of the women's game and kept on coming in. There was an actual student section. There's never been a student section at the women's games. I kept wanting to shake these people and ask them where the fuck they'd been, but I eventually decided that I'd rather not share my gameday experience with people who think it's appropriate to chant "Herpes" to disconcert opposing free throw shooters. Unfortunately, the tactic worked, so they kept going back to it. I admit that I was tempted to ask the young ladies behind me how they knew the VD status of an LIU player, but I felt that might be a little embarrassingly personal to inquire about.
Kyle Johnson was very impressive for LIU. If he were slightly larger- he's six-four and two hundred- he'd probably be higher up the food chain than the NEC. He put that team on his shoulders and carried them to an impressively close game. Pretty short rotation for the Blackbirds, which surprised me; I always thought the way to deal with bigger size was to wear them down with speed and a lot of subs. Then again, I'm not a coach, so what do I know? They also got solid play from Jaytorna Wisseh, another small guard, and some nice three-point shooting from Michael Culpo (you guessed it, another small guard- if there's one thing I've learned from women's basketball, it's that you don't leave the little white guard open beyond the three point arc. Considering St. John's Malik Boothe, maybe that should be expanded to the little guard, period). The Euro center, Aurimas Adomaitis, was a lot meaner than I expected from a Euro, but he's Lithuanian, and I've read that they're extremely serious about basketball, so maybe that makes a difference.
For St. John's, why have I not heard about D.J. Kennedy before? I was very impressed with him. Nice shooting. Malik Boothe's got a pretty shot, too. Both of them did a nice job of running the offense; not sure which one of them is the point guard, but maybe that's the point, no pun intended. Sean Evans is a load in the middle, daaaaaaaaaaaamn. You'd need a bulldozer to move him. I mean that as a compliment. I like big solid post players. Burrell was in the same mode. They just overwhelmed the Blackbirds. Young Mr. Mason strikes me as less physical than his father was, but he had one awesome "not in my house, bitch" block that got the crowd roaring. I like his style. The bench wasn't terribly impressive, and Paris Horne looks like he's been watching too many Becky Hammon highlight videos. I was darkly amused when he fouled out.
To be honest, I was tempted to root for LIU, being as they were underdogs and a lot of the men's St. John's fans were assholes, but then it turned out I was sitting with Victoria's family, and it would have been really tacky to root against St. John's with a Red Storm player sitting right there. Especially when said player is a post player. We do not fuck with post players.
Gary Payton was at the game, sitting behind the Red Storm bench. I'm assuming that was his stretch limo parked outside the arena after the game was finally over.
So yeah. Not doing that again. And I'm not sure exactly what makes that team worth $33 and the women's team worth $7.
Friday, November 14, 2008
November 14th, 2008: Northeastern at St. John's
St. John's Red Storm 70, Northeastern Huskies 52
Joy McCorvey and Coco Hart kick ass, Jasmine Crew has some moves, and the Game Notes of Doom do not appreciate men's prices.
Home openers make me happy. Most of the time. I wasn't as thrilled about this one as I should have been. I didn't like having to pay extra because it was a doubleheader with the men (fortunately, a kind soul in the ticket office sold me a student ticket, so I only paid twice as much as I normally do instead of eight times as much). I'd like to know when we're putting something up about last season's WNIT run. Little things like that.
Dear Mr. Manager person, please don't fuck up the lyrics to the National Anthem. I'm not sure if I should be grateful someone corrected you by the time you tortured it for the men's game, or angry that you didn't go to the trouble to get it right for the team you actually work for.
Northeastern came in not having a lot of size, and I think they realized they really weren't going to get too far if they tried to push it inside, so they played dogged defense and tried to feed off the energy from the obscenely large percentage of the crowd that was theirs. (Having three New Yorkers, four Jersey girls, and two Nutmeggers allows for a helluva lot of family. Compare to St. John's.) Jasmine Crew has a nice set of moves- if she'd been able to finish them, she might be further up the food chain than the America East. Kim Carr played well, and I think her fourth foul was critical for the Huskies. Tenacious play from their small guards, especially Iervolino and Conroy. Kendra Walton came on later in the game- nine of her thirteen were in the second half. They were just overmatched on both ends of the floor.
It's rare for St. John's to have a size advantage on an opponent, and they took full advantage of it inside. Joy McCorvey and Coco Hart both went to town on the smaller Huskies. The boxscore might show Northeastern with more points in the paint, but I suspect the number would go up if you included free throws resulting from plays in the paint (and up even further if Joy and Da'Shena could hit their free throws). Monique took the shots she needed to take, and both she and Da'Shena did a great job of getting to the line. Sky is still shaky at the point, but she almost has to play the position both because she's the best of the available options and because she can't be a shooter if she doesn't start working on her shot- she still has no spin, which means she gets no help from the rim, which means that 3-9 is actually a pretty good shooting night for her. Kelly was relatively quiet, but she did what we needed her to do- hit threes, hit her free throws, and not fuck up too horribly at the other end of the floor. Didn't see any of her trademark sideline/endline plays, though, but the season is still young. Aricia was less than unimpressive- she was flat-out awful. She appears to have misplaced her cojones. Now, again, the season is still young, and I'm sure she'll pull it together, but we need her to step up big in the wake of Tiina Sten's graduation. Even with Da'Shena playing over her head, our post depth is not so great that we can afford to have Aricia fall off the face of the earth. Sheree and Victoria both played briefly. Sheree was unimpressive, and Victoria only got thirty seconds- but hey, she got on the court in a game that counts for the standings for the first time in three seasons, so, y'know, baby steps and alla that.
Elón continues to style. If we have to have a player in street clothes, at least we can have one who knows how to dress. I love my team, but some of them come from the DeTrina White "I Only Need Two Nice Shirts" school of fashion.
Refereeing was unmemorable. Always a plus.
The giveaway keychain schedules are AWESOME. SO MUCH AWESOME. I now have the home schedule on my keys!
In conclusion: yay Joy!
Thursday, November 6, 2008
November 6th, 2008: X All-Stars at St. John's
St. John's lacks a point guard, the X All-Stars lack a name, and Carnesecca Arena is shiny.
Oh, God, we need a point guard.
Oh. You wanted more coherent game notes? What do you think this is, the New York Times?
Starting at the beginning, the renovated Carnesecca Arena is very shiny. I like the new walkway, but if they don't figure out a way to set up a ticket office inside the arena, they're going to have problems on game day, since the outside ticket office closes before tip-off. And the vast emptiness needs to be filled with… something. I don't know what. One side of the arena now has seatbacks in the lower bowl, but the side I prefer to sit on, facing the benches, is still bleachers all the way up except for one row of seats between the bowls. They've elevated the endcourt seats and added a few angled sections.
Things that are made of win: not charging for an exhibition game, getting to the line, the new graphics, the sound system, Victoria Hodges getting on the goddamn court for the first time ever, Da'Shena Stevens.
Things that are made of fail: mismatching your graphics so that one side has last year's and one side has this years, mismatching your graphics so that Britney Murphy's mug is on the board when Da'Shena is shooting, the X All-Stars roster not having two of its key players listed, Britney Murphy.
Things that are made of bling: the young woman in black shirt and slacks, with her gold necklaces and cute little clutch, presumably Elón Sidney, whose name I will not dare to pronounce until I have a guide.
The anthem singer didn't suck, and the band wasn't horrible. Disconcerting, that.
The X All-Stars roster was listed above as being made of fail. Half the players on it weren't there, which is good, given that they were seriously listing two players from Broward Community College. Yes, seriously. Yes, I know, I shouldn't discriminate against junior colleges because Ashley Shields will punch me in the face with the fist wearing her championship ring, but seriously. They touted the return of a former St. John's player, Shemika Stevens, who I think I barely remember. She started, but she didn't play much. Two of the players they got big scoring numbers out of aren't even listed on the paper roster. Renee Taylor, a small guard who wore #1, sounds familiar- why do I keep thinking she came out of Miami? #11 was announced as Latisha (sp?) Joy, but shows up on the Gametracker as Donnett Reed. I DON'T KNOW WHY. She came on strong in the second half, scoring 19 of her 24 points, including a very nifty scoop shot. They started Niki Avery from Eastern Kentucky, a quick little guard who shot mostly threes and annoyed the fuck out of our backcourt; Adia Revell, a forward out of Maryland-Eastern Shore who looked like Allison Feaster and thought she could shoot like Allison Feaster; Sophia A. Rogers, a post out of Central State University (I am not making this up, I don't care how generic it sounds) who banged our posts around a bit; Stevens; and Cherise George, a guard from Lynn University. Their more memorable players were the benchies- Joy, Taylor, a burly post named Jonee Billy, hard-fouling guard Candice Lindsay (who I'm thinking might be kin to Sky, on account of a Googlewhack turning her up at Fairfield with CtK as her alma mater and Brooklyn as her hometown), forward Almalika Lemon, and loudmouthed guard Natassia Boucicault, who committed her fifth foul on a dumb reach-in and proceeded to ask Dennis DeMayo "why'd you call that, f---ing f----t?" DeMayo was not amused.
Recee Mitchell has decided to go by what I presume is her full name, Aricia. It'll be hard to get used to, but if that's her preference, I sure as HELL am not going to argue with her. In any case, Aricia did not play terribly well and pissed off Coach a lot, though she was rocking her Le'Coe hair. Starters were Sky Lindsay, Monique McLean, Kelly McManmon, Joy McCorvey, and Coco Hart. Sky was very shaky at the point, but she was better than the freshman who shall not be named or numbered, because what the fuck, #12 still belongs to Kia Wright. Monique is, as ever, superb at getting to the line, but her handle remains shaky- a critical flaw in her game. Love her work on the boards, though. Kelly was on fire in the first half, though X found her better in the second. She had one wicked awesome o-board that made me happy. Coco and Joy are both adventures in going to the foul line, but Coco forced a lot more contact than Joy did. Really not Joy's day- she didn't wake up until the second half, at which point she was benched, I don't know why. She, Coco, Da'Shena, Monique, and even Kelly were crashing the boards and boxing out hard. Da'Shena. Da'Shena is love right now. She's fierce, she's unafraid of contact, she forces fouls, and she had two beautiful blocks. Brief Kristin Moore sightings. They were made of fail. Victoria Hodges finally got onto the court after two consecutive lost seasons! Amazing! Incredible! Awesome! She even got a rebound to show for it. If she shakes the rust off, she'll be very, very useful, given that she's our tallest player (at 6-2, sigh). And that about does it. Sheree wasn't active- I think she was on the bench, but I don't recognize my team in street clothes, especially when it's been eight months since I've seen them last.
Who did Dennis DeMayo piss off to get this game? Couple of bad calls from his crew, nothing too egregious. I felt we got the benefit of some borderline calls.
Charisse Curtis, our former walk-on, was in the stands tonight. Nice to see her again. She's a nice young lady, even if she doesn't understand doubling down on the hot shooter. And if Candice Lindsay is kin to Sky Lindsay, that would explain why I couldn't tell if Mama Sky was there- naturally, she'd be hidden behind the video camera.
Things are still a little shaky. People don't know where they're supposed to be yet. Joy and Monique have their work cut out for them as the captains of this team. But that's what exhibitions are for, isn't it? Shake off the rust, figure out who's doing what and who needs to be doing what? That kind of thing? I'm hoping that this was just a test run for the freshman who must not be named or numbered, and that her ass will be planted firmly on the bench when the games start mattering, because Sky was shaky and Kristin's cameos were made of fail BUT THEY WERE STILL BETTER. Also, hope things are well with Sheree and Elón.
Monday, November 3, 2008
August 16th, 2003: Connecticut at New York
Here's another one from the Wayback files. I find the damnedest things on this computer sometimes, I swear.
Tamika Whitmore makes strange fashion decisions, Richie Adubato does not make substitution decisions, and all in all, it's not a very good game.
8/16/2003
Gretchen, whatever you’ve been saying to the pigeons, I think it’s working. There are at least two of them wandering around the Garden as I type. Has Wilbur been spreading the word to his feathered friends? And the pigeons weren’t even the weirdest thing coming in. Miko showed up in pajama pants. Pale blue pajama pants with red devils with pitchforks. Tamika is very strange. K.B., Erin, Bethany, and a coupla the other girls wandered in (and out again in K.B. and Tamika’s case). Tari, of course, showed up at 2:30 pretending to be on the phone. Honestly, someone needs to reset her internal clock. We need to raise funds for that.
The Sun is a very light-hearted team, I find. Debbie Black was chatting with C-Rob before the first shootaround- they played in Colorado with Tari, ya know. And yes, Brooke Wyckoff knows about Wyckoff Avenue. Katie Douglas is playing on a bad foot- we need to take advantage of this. Manners do get you something, even if it’s just teasing.
Dude. How the hell do you leave Nykesha Sales open? And how the hell does a good point guard like Pee-Wee not find the open woman? And how does Pee-Wee get a rebound over and awawy from Tamika? Free throws are our friend right now, but we can’t keep letting the Sun get the good stuff on the glass. There are way too many Johnsons on that court- Adrienne and Shannon for the Sun, VJ for the Liberty. Rebounds are killing us. So is Jessie Hicks. Nykesha Sales, however, is really something else. She’s finally doing what everyone’s been wanting her to do since she started in the WNBA- hustling, scrapping, playing with heart. She has so much talent, and it’s starting to blossom.
Speaking of blossoms, Linda just checked in and immediate hit a jumper from the elbow on a pretty play and got to the line. She, K.B., and Elena have all contributed. Fro’ dumped Debbie Black on her arse. Honestly, if someone told me in 1999 or 2000 that we could trade Rebecca Lobo and get the better of the deal, I would have laughed in their face. But Fro’s really developing into a real player, a capable reserve with a nice touch and good heart.
Speaking of Fro, why is the IDIOT taking her out?! She’s got more stuff goin’ than some of her teammates. And the stupid mutt is keeping everyone in a lather. Menawhile, Connecticut is bombing from long range and banging in the paint and has an eleven-point lead. Richie’s blowing his top, just called a timeout.
Spoon and Debbie Black have baskets in the same game. This has got to be a record. And this continues to be a game of bad choices and bad judgement on all accounts. The refs have swallowed their whistles. The coaches have made bizarre substitutions. The players have made bad passes and sagged off on defense at too many bad times. People have been discussing players, and the consensus is that these players want that coach gone. The players aren’t the only ones. I used to have respect for him, but I’ve lost it. He and Spoon need to take the same flight out of town.
Dogs at halftime. And that’s where this game has gone- to the dogs. We can’t rebound, we can’t shoot, we can’t defend, and oh, we can’t get decent chemistry going either. Welcome to basketball hell. (Am I the only one who has noticed the weird connections between these two teams? There’s the time when they had the three Johnsons out there, then two different combinations of former Utah players {three out of Wendy Palmer, Jessie Hicks, Debbie Black, and Elena Baranova}. And then they had the three former Colorado players out there {Crystal Robinson, Tari Phillips, and Debbie Black}. Everyone knows everyone in this game, I swear.)
We keep scratching and clawing, and they just hit a basket and make it hopeless again. VJ is doing all she can, but she’s only human. (I think.) It’s nice to see Tamika showing some signs of being a power forward, but we need more points out of Tari and more of everything that is offensive out of Crystal. And dear God, we need Nykesha Sales to get out of this game.
There are miracles in this world. The ball went off Debbie Black, but the ref initially awarded it to Connecticut. Tari blew a fuse and VJ ran up and pointed insistently at Black. And the ref corrected the call! Of course human error popped up again, but this time from the scorer’s table; Elena’s three was initially credited to the Sun, and though they gave the Liberty the points, they also gave Connecticut the points. Guys, we’re already having enough trouble making up this deficit, the last thing we need is Connecticut getting a further advantage.
Their bench is what killed us. Wendy Palmer was stroking it, and Jessie Hicks was strong in the middle. They both ended up in double figures. Our bench might have been effective IF RICHIE HAD PLAYED THEM!!!!!!! K.B. needed to be playing a lot more than she did; what she showed near the end of the game was incredible aggression and brilliant playmaking. She was one of the few bright spots. Unforunately, she wasn’t a klieg light, just a flashlight. Coach Jackass ran VJ ragged, and Crystal to a lesser extent. Did he forget that we needed to play two more games in two days? Bethany never got out of her warm-ups, and the only reason Lindsey was out of hers was because she took them off; she never got in the game. We could have used warm bodies in the garbage time, just to get our aching starters and major rotation players time to ice up. At least Tari fouled out to rest. And now they have to go to the land of Drew Carey, rock ‘n’ roll, and boiled water. Does Richie want to get fired so he can go run with the boys again?
We didn’t deserve to win this game. Going a step further, I’m not sure if we deserve to be in the playoffs. I love this team to pieces as a team, and for the most part as people, but there comes a time when you have to wonder. Games like this make me think that this team has lost a good part of the heart that used to make them stand out from the crowd. I see lackadaisical play, as if certain players just don’t care. At other times, I see players who mentally show up one game and then space out another night. There are times when I miss Sue and Kym more than anything. Where is the hustle? Where is the heart? Where is the emotion? “Pure heart, pure passion, pure basketball” my ass. Show me that, and I’ll believe. Until then, I’ll believe only in the lottery.
Oh, and as if things weren’t bad enough, Becky’s briefly glimpsed good fashion sense disappeared again: the evil plaid shirt, white shorts, and slipper-like shoes. After Thursday, you’d think practical shoes would have come back into vogue. Danni, we need to team up with our moms and drag that girl shopping.
July 24th, 2004: Detroit at New York
These game notes were thought lost, but have since been unearthed, so hop on into the Wayback Machine…
The Liberty make their Radio City debut, Swin Cash exits upstage right, and Shameka Christon and Elena Baranova try out for the Rockettes.
Okay. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It's still much of the disconcerting to watch a basketball game at Radio Freakin' City, but not quite as 'ohmydeityofchoice, was this ever a bad idea' as I thought. I still don't dig not being able to move around as easily (though there are some pretty awesome people in my section, and a friend in first mezz may occasionally have seats open). Nor do I dig the extremely exorbitant prices for food and drink- $4 for a bottle of water that runs me a buck on the street?! Also- balloon animals and jugglers aren't exactly making me think of this place as the perfect basketball home for my team, ya know.
But the seats are nice and cozy, the view isn't as horrible as I thought it would be, and it's nice not to have to get up every single time some stupid kid feels the need to get up and do whatever. And Lord knows the place gets loud, even without the prompter, and it seems like the girls are enjoying it- Crystal was getting a kick out of the setup before the game, and Elena and Shameka got quite the kick out of it afterwards, but more on that in its proper place. The intros were a riot, with the dancing and the train and Bethany pulling out a ballet move and VJ getting her quiet groove on.
The Liberty seemed more than a little hyped up about this- Crystal's pass somewhere to the vicinity of Becky's guardian angel comes immediately to mind. La'Keshia also seemed a little tight, and I have no clue why she was in so many minutes when DeTrina would probably have been as effective and would have gotten the crowd into it like no bench player really has since Olga. Elena seemed sluggish at the start, but then three-three-three and she was on fiyah. All we need from her are a few more of those hook shots that make my heart skip a beat and a few less inexplicable passes, and we'll be really good to go. Crystal provided the offense when we needed it in the first half, and she was on Deanna Nolan like someone'd Velcrod her shorts to the woman (*watches Tari and Shameka put away the Krazy Glue* well, that might explain it...:)). Becky provided the showtime that was so aproppriate to the big stage (though BrokenMarionetteMiming!Becky is not my favorite Becky, and I've no particular fondness for any sort of Becky anyway). VJ showed up at most of the right times- she got hit an awful lot, though; there was one play when she went flying across a large part of the floor and the ref asked if she was all right, then proceeded to let the game go on as if nothing had happened. She was one of the few players who consistently drove and forced everything to go inside. Bethany was quiet, but I expect that- as long as she doesn't make too many egregious mistakes like fouling Nolan on a three-pointer, I shan't complain. Erin had one fnatastic pass to DeTrina, who in return had one really nice shot and an and-1. I lurve D-Train, but not enough to buy the cheesy t-shirt.
Ruth Riley handles mighty well for a big woman- not just a tall, but a big- and she's got a nice outside stroke. She's not up to three-point land yet, but by the time hse's 30, she might well be. Hell, by the time she's 27. Cheryl Ford was essentially a non-factor tonight, and that may have been the difference in the game. Swin Cash is one of the best finishers on the break, and now holder of the prestigious 'first dope to fall off the stage at Radio City' award. She was also a very dirty player, shoving VJ sans mercy. Deanna Nolan still has a sweet stroke, and leaving her open isn't the world's greatest idea- neither is fouling her. *clears throat and stares at Crystal and Bethany* Elaine Powell is still bothered by her bad heel- she had to come out early and briefly in the second half and I think that was the reason. The Joneses were also basically big bits of useless, though Merlakia helped puncture some of the 'woo-hoo, Shameka HIT one of those facocta threes!' euphoria we were feeling. Barbara Farris is one tough customer- she and La'Keshia were going at it hot and heavy every time they were both in, and they were often in at overlapping times; there was one point when Patty sent La'Keshia in and SFO countered with Farris immediately. The parental unit over yonder *points to the living room armchair* theorized that was La'Keshia's purpose in the game- be a big ol' foul magnet, and not in the bad way. Oh, and Coach Laimbeer? Please. For the love of whatever you happen to believe in, SHADDAP for a change! If you really want to be a villain, go coach the Sparks.
The refereeing can be summed up in two words: JUNE COURTEAU.
Nice loud crowd. Totally digging that. I assume that the madwomen of Court 15 were in the seats stage right- those are the ones closer to the Liberty bench, for those who don't keep track of stage directions; to someone from the audience, that would be to the left. Spotted many people that I knew, which made me feel warm and fuzzy inside. I like the loudness of the place. I also like the D-Train t-shirts, or at least the fact of their existence; but they'll have to make a Nova one for me to buy something.
And of course, the indelible image of the night, other than Swin Cash running off the stage without bothering with an exit... Rockette!Elena and Rockette!Shameka. For those of you who couldn't be at the game, here's the deal- at the end of the game, we were all standing and cheering, and the team came downstage to wave at us and make us feel all special. As everyone filed off, Shameka put her arm over Elena's shoulder, and they started kicking it up like they would be the next women to don sequins and lose their dignity. I not only fell over laughing, I lost a friendly bet with my friend/neighbor that it would be either Crystal or Tari who pulled this trick first.
All in all, not abad place to visit, but I don't want my team living there.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
November 1st, 2008: Golden State at New Jersey
Golden State Warriors 105, New Jersey Nets 97
Poor Nets. But there are beacons of hope and awesomeness out there.
There's always something good to be said for home openers. The crowd is enthusiastic, especially when the team's already won on the road. There's anticipation I the air- is something special going to happen this year? Do we have the magic? Who the hell are some of these guys? That kind of thing.
A lot of people, but a lot of empty seats in the lower bowl. Bad combination, in my eyes. A gold star to the two Warriors who made a point of signing for all the kids waiting before the game. I have no idea who they were, but they signed while a couple of their teammates ran past or only signed for one or two people. It's nice to see NBA guys do that; it defeats the stereotype, and I like to see stereotypes be defeated.
Wasn't a great anthem. She had the potential to sing it well, but then she started throwing some ridiculous styling into it, and things went downhill from there. I'm thinking about starting the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to National Anthems. I think its time has come.
The most impressive play of the night, in my eyes, was when Corey Maggette, who was about to go flying into the stands, instead hurdled the two rows of courtside seats to land safely in the aisle behind them. Who knew cross-training would have such uses? He had a quietly solid game. Their center, Andris Biedrins (whose name the PA guy constantly pronounced as if he were drunk, and I know Latvian has some strange pronunciations, but I'm pretty sure that wasn't it), played surprisingly well in the paint for a Euro, but I've never seen someone cherry-pick so badly as he did- there were two or three plays that I can remember where he never even bothered to cross halfcourt, including plays where he would have been really needed since his team missed the initial shot. Stephen Jackson is an asshole. A good shooter, but an asshole. Al Harrington was a better shooter and less of an asshole. Didn't see much of Nelson. Wasn't terribly impressed with the Warriors' bench, but I do like Azubuike- I remember him from college.
I like Josh Boone. He didn't play in the preseason game, and it's been a while since I saw him play in college, but seeing him now, I like what he brings to the table. Something good always seemed to happen when he was around the ball, whether it was a follow, a rebound, or some other kind of key play. Does anyone know what happened to Yi? He didn't play the second half, and the Nets really could have used him- or, y'know, anything when they started to fold in the third quarter. Carter got his shots, and had a couple of great plays- I think what actually amazes me most about him is his range from long distance, not the acrobatics he's better known for. During shootaround, he was launching from near halfcourt and hitting half the time. What can I say? Chicks dig the long ball. Harris, in my eyes, played too far away from his strengths, trying to be a scoring point instead of a distributing point- too much Becky Hammon, not enough Ticha Penicheiro. Bobby Simmons was unremarkable, which is all I expect of him. Brook Lopez got screwed by the refs- well, okay, the Nets got screwed, especially in the third quarter, because I refuse to believe that Golden State's defense is so vanilla that a 39-21 foul differential that leads to a 52-28 FTA discrepancy is legit- but his fifth foul was not a foul. I like Ryan Anderson on offense, not so much on defense. I think I will eventually prefer Douglas-Roberts over Dooling at the point, but for now, Dooling is the marginally more effective player.
Battle of the Bands winner performed at halftime. Nice instrumentals, not impressed with the lead singer.
Small featurette on Lopez and Anderson trick-or-treating. Better sound quality might have made it funnier, but it was pretty amusing as is.
Before I end these notes, there is a moment of awesome I need to share. As we left, it occurred to me that Sean Williams hadn't been inactive, but also hadn't played, and I commented on it to the boy. An older gentleman walking near us mentioned that there was a preseason game that Williams was supposed to start, but that Williams went to Coach Frank and said that Lopez needed the time more. Yes, the guy gave up a start for the benefit of his teammate and his team. That's unusual in any sport, but it's even more effective in a league that's so often considered to be a haven for the most selfish assholes out there. I knew there was something I liked about him!
Thursday, October 23, 2008
October 22nd, 2008: Philadelphia at New Jersey (preseason)
Philadelphia 76ers 118, New Jersey Nets 100
The Game Notes of Doom head to the Meadowlands. Hey, any port in an offseason.
This wasn't my first NBA game. I thought I'd get that on the record. I've been to two Knicks games. They weren't very impressive, and I found myself longing for the Liberty. My first Net game was much the same. Granted, it's preseason, and I should give them another chance. I'm sure there'll be more energy in the building for the home opener.
The road to the Izod Center is one of the more depressing I've ever traveled to get to a basketball game. I'm used to arenas being within walking distance of your choice of public transit, or maybe a short shuttle ride away. But the shuttle from Secaucus Junction winds through corporate parks and the lonely desolation of the Swamp, with only a few signposts of commercialism to show that there is indeed human habitation in this neck of the woods, into a dreary spiral of highways through construction and parking lots that eventually comes to a stop at the arena. Not my idea of fun.
I was at the game through one of those six-degrees-of-separation stories that never take place in real life- my boyfriend's co-worker's daughter was scheduled to play the halftime game, and her proud father had extra tickets he was more than willing to share with a couple of basketball fans. So we were pretty high up, and the steep pitch of the arena seating didn't help matters much at all. Those stairs were pretty intense, and I hope never to have to climb that many stairs on a regular basis.
The Nets give out rosters. MSG, I'm looking at you. All kinds of useful information there. I found a surprising number of familiar names on both rostesr. Apparently I've taken in more NBA information than I realized. Of course, this didn't stop me from having to ask what happened to Richard Jefferson. Not my league, what can I say?
Awful anthem. If this guy was a finalist on anything, I don't think I wanted to see the competition.
I don't think I've ever seen a team take as many threes as the Sixers did. And I'm a Liberty fan. They were taking them from all over the place- and hitting them, to boot. There was a point where the Sixers were hitting 70% of their threes. We didn't see a lot of what I imagine their usual suspects would be- no Dalembert, not a lot of Iguodala, not too much of Green, not too much Brand, no Andre Miller. Lou Williams had some very impressive shooting, as did Kareem Rush. I like him, but I think I like him from college, so that's not exactly helpful. Despite the great shooting, the Sixers weren't really all that great- it looked like a lot of guys were trying to do too much to make the team. Which, I suppose, says something about the Nets that a mediocre team beat them and their starters like a red-headed stepchild.
Because the Nets were playing with all their stars, albeit with them playing reduced minutes. Does Vince Carter always take that many threes? I always thought he was much more of an inside guy. He had one beautiful pass inside to… I want to say Harris? Reminded me of Janel's nifty little passes. And I always did like Devin Harris, and I gotta say, he ran the offense well. Tried to do a little too much sometimes- a lot of the guards on both teams did, to the point where I wanted to pick them up and shake them and remind them that cute is for the team picture. I like the chemistry with him and Sean Williams. Someone needs to get Brook Lopez to a free throw shooting coach, because otherwise Jennifer Azzi will hunt him down and kick his ass. He's still a little rough around the edges. Maybe he should have continued taking advantage of that Stanford education. I really like Ryan Anderson, too. He complements the team well. (And I'd love to see a road trip Jeopardy! competition. Stanford, Cal, and BC grads would make for an excellent game.) Yi doesn't look like he knows his teammates yet- he only started turning it on late in the game, when it was very obviously a lost cause. Once they develop some chemistry, they might look better. Brian Hamilton and Eddie Gill were trying to do way too much- Hamilton I can understand, since he's a rookie looking to break in, but Gill's a veteran. He should know better. Do your job and don't screw up. Stupid fouls are fail.
Right now, the Nets really look like the NBA's spare parts depot. Harsh, I know, especially during preseason, but until they learn to follow their shots, they'll be going nowhere.