Just the Facts, Ma'am: The Washington Mystics got 16 points each from Nicky Anosike and Crystal Langhorne, but the Connecticut Sun countered with 57.1% shooting and five players in double figures to win their home opener 89-73. Tina Charles's 18 points led all scorers, while Danielle McCray made a splash with 5-5 shooting in her first game.
For random pompoms, a lack of post defense, halfcourt shots, tearjerkers, and Supercow, join your intrepid and multi-tasking blogger after the jump.
Season! YES! Fair warning: such exclamations of excitement may be the most coherent part of the Game Notes of Doom. It's been a long time, and it feels so good to be back in the saddle. Been fiending for this since February, because while the tournament's pretty damn awesome, there's nothing like being at a real game.
How do you start a 15th anniversary season? You start it with a random encounter on a Q25 bus with a woman who looks at you in your Rebecca Lobo jersey and exclaims that she used to go to games, who offers memorabilia and gives red pom-poms. You start it with the warm and fuzzy feeling of not being alone in the world, with a connection to the beloved past and the thrill of looking to the future. (Then you get on a Chinatown bus and pray hard that the driver doesn't slam on the brakes again.)
It's so hard to describe how good it felt to be back in the flow of things, it really is. The thrill of anticipation while waiting for the gates to open, the familiar faces on the lines and along the rails, the smell of popcorn, the squeak of sneakers, the hustle and bustle of the crowd... it's good to be home, even when it's not technically home.
Nearly lost it during the tribute video to Margo Dydek when they showed her with one of her kids. Tiny child! The Sun did a nice job gathering testimonials from a lot of her former teammates- I was actually more impressed that they tracked down Jamie Carey than I was Nykesha Sales or Katie Douglas.
Nice anthem by a middle school chorus. The Mohegan color guard either missed their cue very badly, or the Mohegans have different traditions about the presentation of colors. They sort of wandered in a third of the way through the anthem, and none of them seemed sure which flag should be on top and which flags should be dipped at what levels.
Karima Christmas always throws me off. It's the name. I used to work with a Karima, and I always picture her when I hear the name, so I'm all “ohhh, that's her!” She got into it a couple of times on loose balls. I don't think the Sun players were happy with her physicality. Ta'Shia Phillips saw some time in brief spurts, and she made the most of it. I'm mildly annoyed at her for taking my pen and ticket and *then* deciding she was too late to sign. I sort of wish she'd kept the pen, though; it's a prank pen, designed for that purpose. (Blow me, off, will you? Guess what, your teammates will think you're a nudist!) Victoria Dunlap showed a little range and a lot of hustle. Jasmine Thomas is really fast- we're talking afterburners and puffs of dust fast- but really needs to work on her control. She committed a lot of stupid fouls and threw some lousy passes. Oh, Lord, Washington needs a point guard.
Wow, their entire bench is rookies right now. That says a lot about this team.
Alana Beard and Monique Currie had a nice little contrast thing going, with Currie in a white suit and Beard in gray and black. I guess they're too used to this street clothes thing already.
I'll say one thing about Matee Ajavon: I'm pretty sure that the Mystics will never commit a shot clock violation when she's on the floor. She loves to shoot. She also loves to try and pick players' pockets, and not always succeed. She was really mixing it up on loose balls. Marissa Coleman didn't show up until about the third quarter. She was there, but she didn't seem to be there. Kelly Miller put up seven quiet points and three spectacular ones on a halfcourt heave, and was not completely awful. Crystal Langhorne put on a show in the first quarter with spin moves and a quicker first step than I remembered. Nicky Anosike just put on a show. The Mystics' post players outclassed Connecticut's pretty much every step of the way.
It looked like Lacey was trying to set up two separate units. I'm not sure if that's going to work or not. But as long as their post players keep doing what they're doing, they'll be good.
Danielle McCray, hello and welcome to the WNBA! So nice to meet you and that three-point shot of yours. Whether that was a one-day anomaly or not, she made Mike Thibault look like a genius for waiting for her. I was surprised that Tan White didn't start, and it felt a little sinister until I saw how badly off her shot was. She hit the deck for a lot of loose balls, both getting them back from the Mystics and losing them for the Sun. Kelsey Griffin had a nice little game off the bench. DeMya Walker's dramatics continue to be hilarious, but she was arguably the best defender of the Sun posts. At least she, er, had a bit of leverage at the, um, bottom to establish position. Seriously, her butt is a lethal weapon in this league. I think some of her flopping hurt her team, because there were a couple of calls that they should have gotten but didn't.
I have no idea why Kalana Greene started this game. I really don't. She contributed nothing on offense, and even her defense was lacking. I like her, but if she keeps starting, I'm going to wonder if it's strictly on the basis of her alma mater. Kara Lawson's shot was off, but she stayed on the Mystics defensively, and I think the Sun work better when she's running the show. Renee Montgomery had one really nice three-pointer that she shot from somewhere in the vicnity of Storrs, but she does know she can move closer to the line, right? Tina Charles looked good on offense, and had one stuff of Anosike that got the crowd roaring, but she had a lot of defensive lapses that left, for example, Lawson on Anosike, which can be safely filed under “things that are just not going to end well”. Asjha Jones was much the same way- some beautiful moves on offense, but some defensive lapses that made her look a bit like Sidney Spencer.
Connecticut needs to either work on their defense or work on their defensive rotations. They were getting slaughtered inside by the Mystics' posts, and Washington doesn't have the best posts in the conference. Thibault had better learn something from this and put in the adjustments fast, before they play Atlanta or half the West.
So, part of me wonders if Jessica Moore didn't play because of her knee or because they don't know what number to give her. (Something tells me #31 is not an option...) I'm also amused by Connecticut now having two Alaskans. I don't know why this is amusing, but it is.
I think the refs are still getting used to the charge circle- they were a little unsure on a couple of calls in that area. And they took a looooong time on reviewing a couple of baskets. Really, guys, if it's a sixteen-point game and under thirty seconds, do you have to agonize over where the ball should be inbounded? Some of us have slot machines to lose money at, you know!
The pregame dance team/color guard was supposed to be empowering for special needs students, but came off as disgustingly exploitative. I'm sorry, but when it's clear at least one of the people has no idea what's going on, you're being unnecessarily cruel.
Important lesson learned: hang out after game first, then go gamble. We're working on another shirt this year- in honor of the fifteenth anniversary season, we brought out the 1997 shirt from my collection- it doesn't fit right anymore and has a chocolate stain on it, so we're going to make something useful out of it. (I'm hoping people sign over the chocolate stain so it's not so obvious.) We thought the team was going to shower first, then go back, but they did it the other way around, so we only saw the injured players and the coaching staff.
Just as a heads-up, if you're in Connecticut and want something to do next weekend: the Sun are collecting cards and notes for Margo Dydek's family at the Tulsa game on Sunday.
It's good to have the season back. Now I'm actually looking forward to the Liberty's home opener next week and seeing all the Usual Suspects again. I love this game. I love this league. I love my fellow fans. (Some more than others. :))
Sunday, June 5, 2011
June 4th, 2011: Washington at Connecticut
Saturday, February 26, 2011
February 26th, 2011: Pittsburgh at St. John's
Just the Facts, Ma'am: On Senior Day at Carnesecca Arena, it was a junior who led the way, as Da'Shena Stevens's 15 points and eight rebounds helped the Red Storm beat Pittsburgh, 72-63. Coco Hart added 13 points, and Shenneika Smith had all 12 of hers in the second half for St. John's. The Panthers' Ashlee Anderson led all scorers with 20 points, and Taneisha Harrison had a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
For flowers, the eternal choice between light and dark, defense, and about a page of unadulterated squee so sweet it will rot your teeth, join your intrepid and verklempt blogger after the jump.
Magic numbers. That's what today was about. Today was about the numbers. 4 years, 2 seniors. 1 and 30, Sky Lindsay and Coco Hart. 20 and 9, overall wins and conference wins, the magic numbers to get this team into the NCAA tournament. It was about heart and soul and tears and the thrill of a bonus game on top of a game, but at its very core, it was about numbers.
For better or for worse, the way St. John's recruits and keeps players, we really haven't had seniors who don't play very often and are only remembered on Senior Day. Our two seniors are both starters, and Sky's started every game she's played in. One's been a constant; the other worked her way up from the bench and tried to step into some very big shoes.
Whatever complaints I have had about Sky's game- and they have been legion over the years- I will never deny that she has one of the greatest personalities I've ever encountered in the game. Charming and fun-loving, she's been a great ambassador for the team. She's embraced her role as a leader of this team and mentored the younger players. I'm going to miss the way her jump shot floats in the air before splashing down in a high arc, and I'm going to miss the way she's always dancing to whatever music happens to be playing, and I'm going to miss her mother's indomitable will and boots. (I still remember the WNIT year when Mama Lindsay was bound and determined to charter a bus to North Carolina.)
And whatever complaints I have made about Coco over the years- and believe me, they have been many- I will never deny her effort, her willingness to sacrifice her body against much larger opponents, her hustle, and her fight. She comes to play, and while much has been asked of her, she has given just as much in return.
The Senior Day presentation was beautiful- each player got flowers and a framed action photo, and then there was music video. We will not speak of the music video. I love my team, and I love Nadirah McKenith as a point guard, and I think Jennifer Blanding seems like a great person to hang out with, but for the love of God, they should not have made that tribute rap-whatever-it-was travesty of a video. No. No. A million times no. My heart appreciates the sentiment, but my ears still hurt from the badness. The anthem wasn't much better, either. Again, no. Just no. I think my theory about my team being very close to a girl group went out the window when Monique McLean graduated and Sheree Ledbetter transferred.
Leeza Burdgess is a very promising big. She still needs to have some of the rough edges knocked off her, as she's not as good at keeping out of foul trouble as she'll need to be, but she's got size and knows how to use it, which is what I always lok for in a big post. She needs to get on the right side of the line between aggressive and assertive if she's going to do well at Pittsburgh, but I think she has the capability of doing so. The other reserves for the Panthers were more or less irrelevant. I'll admit that I wasn't paying as close attention to Pittsburgh as I should have been, because it was enior day and I was still focusing on my team. So my apologies to Asia Logan, Marquel Davis, Kyra Dunn, and Yasmin Fuller. If you did anything exciting, I won't be able to describe it to your fans.
Agnus Berenato is taller than I thought. Also, Patty Coyle's jacket fits. Also, we nearly died laughing when Pittsburgh almost iced one of their own foul shooters, given that that was the last straw for the Liberty regarding Coyle. Ah, memories.
I knew Ashlee Anderson had to be something special for one simple reason: everyone on Pitt is either a senior or a freshman. Therefore, if a freshman is starting on a senior-laden team, she must be something special. I wasn't proven wrong, although I think our defense was more focused on Harrison and Sims, so Anderson as the lucky beneficiary. She's got a pretty stroke from the corner. Gets happy feet sometimes, though. She's only a freshman, so that kind of thing can be forgiven. Shayla Scott threw around more weight than she actually has. I think she got a little too physical at times. I don't think she needed to be climbing into players' shorts. Well, not literally, but close enough. Jania Sims was less of a factor than I anticipated- we did our best to cover both her and Taneisha Harrison. Harrison was able to get loose for a few shots, much to my annoyance. Chelsea Cole was never able to establish herself down low.
Pittsburgh played a very swarming defense, and if our passing hadn't been exceptionally crisp today, they might have caused us more trouble, but we were more or less ready for it. Their offensive rebounding was spectacular. There were a couple of points in the game where I looked over and said, “I'm tired of chanting DE-FENSE! No, I don't mean change it up, I mean I'm sick of Pitt having the ball.”
I have to give props to Jennifer Blanding today. I'm not quite sure why Kim Barnes Arico has her on a figurative choke chain, but this needs to stop. She gave good minutes, got inside, used her body well against the bigs from Pitt, scored a little, and got a bunch of blocks. At the first mistake, Coach pulled her, and that's not going to fly next year unless Mary Nwachukwu is ready and more than legit. Eugeneia McPherson appears to have left her offense in South Florida; hopefully, it just missed the connecting flight and will have hitchhiked its way to Morgantown so they can meet up on Monday. She also seemed a step slower than usual on defense. Amanda Burakoski looked like she'd lost a lot of the nerve she'd shown in the last few games, and I think that's a bad sign- unless, of course, she only has nerve when she knows Sky isn't going to play, which means things should be all right next year. (No offense, Sky.) She had one nifty save along the sideline that reminded me of Kelly McManmon from last year's team, who always made her best plays on the sideline. Buzz's threes were fairly well timed, though. Keylantra Langley got more minutes than she'd been getting in the last few games, and, um, at least she and Jennifer teamed up on a nice steal? Box credits her with four assists, and you could have knocked me over with a feather when I read that. I don't think she's the right point guard for our system- she's more of a power player, and unless she's really going to develop her slashing game, that doesn't match our speed.
Sky Lindsay chose a pretty good game to show her stuff. She was all over the place on defense, chasing every loose ball like her life depended on it, and while not all her shots went in, more of them went in than usual. Nadirah McKenith ran a very solid game, and her sharp, stylish passes set the tone for the Red Storm offense. When Pitt started fouling her in the last minutes, she was able to build up her point total, and I sort of wish she'd hit the double-double, because points-assists double-doubles are made of win and awesome. Shenneika Smith did nothing in the first half- at least, nothing worth mentioning unless I'm Coach and I'm lecturing her about defensive lapses, questionable shot selection, lack of court awareness (don't pass the ball into the backcourt if you're in the frontcourt!), and overall epic fail. In the second half, the shots started to go in, and she got a little highlight reel action going. Da'Shena Stevens worked her butt off in the paint, and was absolutely screwed by the refs on block/charge calls. She's become a steadier contributor over the last couple of months- I mean, it's not like she hasn't contributed in most games, but her median is approaching her mean, and that's the kind of player we need with such streaky complementary players. Coco Hart took a little bit to get started, and it was clear that her head wasn't completely in the game, but she worked, and oh, did she work. At least one of her baskets was a putback.
Best play of the game for St. John's: Da'Shena in trouble, rifles a low pass to Nadirah, who rockets it over to Sky, who hits the long jumper. Nadirah's rifle pass to Shenneika for a soaring lay-up was pretty nifty too.
The referees were a bit inconsistent on their block/charge calls, and they let play get a little more physical than I would have liked, but overall it wasn't too much of a hot mess. One of the refs made a couple of really lousy calls in St. John's favor, especially the “simultaneous possession” where Da'Shena had her hands on the ball for about a nanosecond.
We bent but didn't break. I think that was the biggest thing about this game. We let them come close and we let them tie, but we didn't let them take over.
So you'd think that would be the end of it, right? We're two and a half pages into the Game Notes of Doom, all the bases have been covered, the pithy analysis has been provided, it's time to go home and rub your eyes after an assault by lots of text, right? Not quite. Because it's Senior Day, and we're probably in the NCAA Tournament, so we're not in the WNIT, but we're probably not getting a nearby site due to other teams being in the way, and while my team is going to Hartford, I'm going to Bridgeport. If this is the last time I'm going to see my team- the last time I'm going to be in my home arena this season- maybe the last time I'll see Sky and Coco- you had damn well better believe I ain't leaving until they kick me out. And as it happened, the men were on ESPN, playing at Villanova in a game that was a nail-biter at the time, so a bunch of us stayed to watch it on the screen in the lobby.
Oh, and there was a post-game autograph session scheduled. They had to delay that a bit because the players kept wandering away from the table to watch the game. Some of us made ourselves useful by announcing score, time left, and who was at the line to inquiring people around the back and sides. Some of us also went in on “DE-FENSE!” and “LET'S GO JOHNNIES!” chants. Yes, I know it's ridiculous to do that for a game that's on television, and trying to disconcert a televised shooter is generally not all that effective, but it was a warm and wonderful bonding feeling. (And yes, people behind me, I'm aware of the fact that they can't hear me counting down the shot clock- but the people behind us can, and that lets them know what's going on with the possession.) When St. John's won, there was general rejoicing, and Nadirah ran out from behind the table and started high-fiving people. It was awesome.
And we got to wish them luck (well, not everyone, because Nadirah and Eugenia did a runner, which is a shame, because I really wanted to say thanks this year to them). And we got to give Sky and Coco a proper goodbye, which resulted in one of Coco's relatives insisting we take a picture with her, I am not making this up.
Good luck, and good-bye, and thank you- that's just the short form, Red Storm. Good luck in Morgantown, in Hartford, and in wherever the committee places you- our hearts are with you, even if our finances keep us from following you. Good-bye, even if the road hasn't yet come to its end for you, because we love you and miss you already. Thank you- thank you for Manhattan, Columbia, Nicholls State, both Seton Hall games, Southern Miss, Santa Barbara, Liberty, Rutgers, Georgetown, and Pittsburgh.
Thank you for the four-on-five minutes of the Southern Miss game, for Buzz teasing us at Seton Hall, for Nadirah's lay-up against Rutgers, for Eugeneia's amazing game against Maryland, for all the times Da'Shena got up again, for Shenneika's acrobatic drives through the lane, for Coco's boxing out, for Sky's hands on every loose ball, for Jennifer's strength on the block, for Zakiyyah's laughter every time she sees us during the entrance video, for Keylantra going to the floor, for Briana's hustle for every loose ball, for the Barnes and Arico families' tolerance of the crazy people in the jerseys.
Thank you, Sky, for snarking your mother at the Columbia game, and your family seeking stats at the LIU game, and your mother's boots, and the incredible family resemblance between you and your mom (and your sister), and knocking Syracuse out of the Big East Tournament yea all these years ago, and every dance move you've ever busted in shootaround, and for the pink streamer at Key Food which is right next to me on the bookshelf.
Thank you, Coco, for liking my hair, and for stepping up into big shoes, and for calling New York home for four years, and for every rebound you've brought down, and every putback you've fought to put into the basket, and for every time you've laid out to draw the foul.
And as the lights go out on the home slate for 2010-2011 at Carnesecca Arena, it all circles back to these small things: good luck, and good-bye, and thank you.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
February 19th, 2011: Syracuse at St. John's
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Syracuse scored 38 of their 78 points in the paint, including a 36-point effort from Kayla Alexander, and stormed back from a 14-point deficit to beat St. John's, 78-65. Alexander was one of four Orange players in double figures, with Syracuse getting strong games from Iesia Hemingway and Shakeya Leary. Da'Shena Stevens led the Red Storm with 18 points, while Eugeneia McPherson added 16 off the bench, 15 in the first half.
For lots of post play, a call to arms, frustration, mysterious collapses, and some serious coaching questions, join your intrepid and pessimistic blogger after the jump.
I've given up trying to figure out St. John's. I'm sorry, guys, I just can't do it anymore. A week ago- less than a week ago, six days ago- it looked like they'd finally found their cojones again after beating Georgetown in overtime, gutting it out against a team that might have been better than they were. Today they rolled over and died against a team that isn't nearly as good as they are. And I don't know whether that has more to do with a galling lack of senior leadership, some questionable coaching decisions, some team-wide malaise, or them getting too big for their britches, because those are all possible reasons why they fell apart in the fourth quarter.
They were honoring the Army and the ROTC today, so there was a little halftime ceremony, and the ROTC presented colors. Anthem was performed by the St. John's mixed chorus, and they were all right- not great, but not awful. Someone left their blackberry near the mic, and at one point everyone heard the chirp of an incoming message. I had to fight off an attack of the giggles.
I don't know what happened, but Kim Barnes Arico was hot under the collar even before the game. She had a very long and animated conversation with one of the Syracuse assistants. I don't know what it was about, but I thought it was interesting that she and Hillsman didn't chat before the game- most head coaches seem to do that kind of thing.
Carmen Tyson-Thomas wears a number with a lot of expectations at Syracuse, and she's not doing too bad a job with it. Phylesha Bullard was the sixth woman in the first half, but the real sixth woman was the very broadly built Shakeya Leary, who's built like a 95% scale version of Keke Carrier. She was the two in the one-two punch in the post, when Syracuse was going at it in the paint. We weren't able to match her bulk, and though she took advantage of it, she didn't take as much advantage of it as I thought she would have. On the other hand, she did a nice job setting up Kayla Alexander by being that two, so there's that. Three other Syracuse players got into the game, but it's very hard to write a meaningful analysis of players who play a total of four minutes, so if you're looking for that, I do apologize.
Tasha Harris is a big girl. She looks like she wanted to play football at some point in her life and got sidetracked by basketball. Apparently the scouting report said that she was a deadly outside shooter, because our defenders (ahem, Shenneika) kept going out to cover her and leaving Erica Morrow wide open. Iasia Hemingway got loose in the second half- that's when she scored all her points. She's another big- I thought she was a forward when she originally transferred, so I wasn't looking for someone her height when trying to figure out who was who; the only reason I was able to figure out who she was before Syracuse took off their shooting shirts was that she said hello to a few folks who I know are from Newark (I think they're Nadirah's friends and/or family). Erica Morrow got in on a few nice plays, but overall I wasn't impressed with her. I did, however, enjoy watching Elashier Hall (who appears to have gotten tired of people mispronouncing her name, because the way she was announced, it sounded like her name was given to the PA guy as Lacy). I find the jackknife fold of her shot peculiarly endearing, and I like her ability to fake out an defense on the fast break with her hesitation move. I think she needs to get the hesitation out of her offense when she's not faking out opponents, but she's only a sophomore. She has time to work on that. She hit one three from far out it came from freakin' Suffolk County. Kayla Alexander- who we called Six-Four during the entire game because that was the relevance of her existence- killed us. Killed us dead. Splattered us, smashed us, and ruined us. We had no answer for her height, and for some reason, Kim Barnes Arico decided not to play the one answer we did have. Syracuse understood that she had a height and length advantage over everyone on the floor for St. John's, and she took advantage of it.
Jennifer Blanding should have gotten more than six minutes. She was the only answer we had for Alexander- the one play where they were up against each other (okay, maybe not the only one, but the most memorable one), Alexander wasn't able to shoot over her. (Of course, Syracuse ended up scoring off the play because we couldn't get the rebound because of Leary's bulk, and she had the putback. But Jennifer's defense on the original shot was on point.) She had a pretty little skyhook as well. These notes are supposed to be my immediate post-game reactions, with a minimum of research, but Barnes Arico's quotes about Jennifer made my blood boil. Amanda Burakoski can apparently only score in threes- she hit a long-range shot and an old-fashioned three-point play (though can we really call it old-fashioned when the three-point shot has existed for more than thirty years?) She had some deplorable defensive lapses, though, including one near the end of the game where she all but joined in allowing Harris to part the Red Sea. DO NOT WANT, okay? Some of that might have to do with exhaustion, because she was starting to register on the Adubato Meter for being ungodly shades of red. Eugeneia McPherson found her offense in Florida (which is a sensible place to be in February), but had apparently traded her free throw shooting for three-point shooting,. She also had only the one free throw in the second half, and that bothers me. She got more desperate and less accurate, which was a team-wide problem. I love her work on the backcourt trap, but she wasn't as ready as usual when Syracuse was able to break the trap.
Shenneika Smith was not herself today. Or maybe she was and that's what we should be afraid of. She took a lot of off-balance shots that were not well thought out, and her defensive lapses were deplorable. She cheated off her assignment way too much, and part of me wonders if she got distracted by Harris possibly talking trash. High school ball in NYC is sort of like that, from what I've heard. (I don't know from personal experience, because for one, I don't play, and for another, my high school alma mater was not exactly a sports powerhouse.) Nadirah McKenith ran a solid game- lost her head a little at the end and dove for the lane, either to draw fouls or just to get herself into double figures. Her teammates weren't ready for some of her passes, and maybe that says something about her reading of the floor, and maybe that says something about how ready they were for the game, and maybe that says something about how ready Syracuse was for us. I don't know. Sky Lindsay barely played because Gina and Buzz have been hot, but she was brought in late in the game. Of course, when she came back in, she notched a steal and a fast break layup, and Kim promptly sat her back down again. That made no sense, especially when Day was hurting and Buzz's defense was falling apart. Da'Shena Stevens had one heck of a first half, and played well in the second, but after one particularly hard hit, it looked like all the fight went out of her. With about five minutes left, it looked like she had cracked under the pressure. I don't know if she was hurt or if she was panicking, but all of her shots at that point were quick and bad- the free throws, the twos, and the straight on three. She just could not contain the bigs from Syracuse. I know it seems like I'm harping on the inside play, but that was really the difference. They killed us inside, and our undersized posts could not compete. However, that is no excuse for the awful play of Coco Hart. It's one thing to be unable to defend physically larger players. It's another thing to be so off your game that your coach would rather attempt to counter size with small forwards while you sit on the bench for ten and fifteen minutes at a stretch.
Kim's head was not in the game today, plain and simple. I don't know if she was worrying about her kid, who was watching the (very thrilling) game over at the Garden, or if she was trying to figure out if Hillsman TP'd her house, or what, but she was off her game from the start, and it became clear that she wasn't deviating from her plan, no matter what. There were times when Buzz and Gina needed rest and Sky should have come in. There were times, especially in the second half, when Da'Shena and Coco needed to sit down and Jennifer needed to come in, especially when Syracuse kept pounding it inside and Day and Coco weren't able to defend their inside players. Her handling of Jennifer was egregiously awful. I don't know if we would have won on that substitution, but I think it would have helped if Kim had been paying attention to what was working and what wasn't. I think it would have helped if Kim had accepted when players were injured and worked around that- I don't think she wanted to take Day out even when there was blood. Blood is bad, Kim.
The officiating was just barely acceptable. There were a few plays that I thought should have been called against Syracuse, and one awful call against Da'Shena that should have been on Hall (the football tackle came from the player whose school has football, Bonita). Norma Jones was on point, though. She made her calls quickly and accurately, and called for help just as quickly when she didn't have the call. I have to wonder how Hillsman didn't get T'd up for coming all the way out to the center court logo to argue an out of bounds, though. I thought keeping coaches in the box was a point of emphasis this year, and... that's pretty far out of the box.
I'm disappointed in my team and a bit broken up. There's no sign of leadership, either from the bench or from the players, and that doesn't bode well for the rest of this season. I'm starting to wonder if Kim hung all her hopes on the sophomore class- on Shenneika, Nadirah, Eugeneia, Amanda, and Jennifer, and mostly on the first three, from the way she talks about Jennifer. None of the freshmen played today, after all. I wonder if she's written off the seniors already, if she's pinning everything on the class of 2013, and maybe on Da'Shena. I don't know if she still has this team. I don't know if this team still has this team.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
February 13th, 2011: Georgetown at St. John's
Just the Facts, Ma'am: It took overtime, five threes from Amanda Burakoski, a double-double from Da'Shena Stevens, and a near triple-double from Nadirah McKenith, but St. John's fought off #17 Georgetown, 75-71. The Hoyas' Sugar Rodgers led all scorers with 23 points, and Tia Magee had 14 of her 16 in in the second half, but they were the only double-figure scorers for Georgetown. Burakoski's 15 points led the Red Storm, with McKenith adding 13 to go with nine assists and eight rebounds, and Stevens chipping in 12 points and 10 boards.
For lockdown defense, amazing a capella singing, threats of physical harm, stunning defensive plays, memorabilia, and the urge to rush the floor, join your intrepid and congested blogger after the jump.
Oh my God, what a game! This was the game we were expecting last year at McDonough. This was the game we've been waiting for this team to play on national television. This was the moment that this team needed to prove that they could step up and play with, if not the big dogs, the medium dogs. I know it's pink, and that was sort of frustrating, because our red does not go well with pink, but that was the only frustrating bit of the whole thing. We got a lot of people at the game, and a lot of people who got into the game when they were needed. This was what February Frenzy is supposed to be about, when you make your mark and make your stand and show what you've got on national television.
Dear lost marketing child, women's games at Carnesecca Arena are general admission. Don't check our tickets. We've been sitting next to the band all season, and if you watch the replay on ESPN360, you will hear us cheering.
Shoutout to the Metropolitones, who sang an awesome anthem and a spine-chilling rendition of Alicia Keys's “Empire State of Mind”. I have always said that the one thing I liked about Blaze was her fetish for Sweet Adelines and a capella groups.
I don't want to say that we're fixtures in our section, but I think one of Coach Barnes Arico's daughters tried to enlist us as baby-sitters for her when the rest of the family was late to the game. Just for the record, this is one of those things that would probably not end well and would result in us being banned from St. John's games and facilities for the rest of our lives, and that would be heart-breaking.
It takes two teams to make a great game, and I have to give Georgetown some props. They could have easily folded when we went on a 7-0 run after they tied it at 50. But they surged back, and when we surged back, they surged back, and it wasn't until Nadirah McKenith was hitting free throws on a bad ankle that we were able to put them away. They did a great job of finding the open player time and time again. I sort of feel bad for Tia McBride, though; yes, if my parents had named me Tommacina, I would probably go by Tia as well, and I'm sorry that St. John's left her full name on the roster. She had a very solid game as the sixth woman, including a great defensive play to disrupt a fast break. Sydney Wilson has impressive size, but she's not sure how to use it. She missed a lot of bunnies that she should have hit. I wasn't thrilled about her checking Da'Shena Stevens into the boards like she was trying out for the Caps or something. Morgan Williams gave minutes off the bench at the point, and while I don't have detailed +/-, I don't know that the team was better for her being in the game. I think the loud contingent behind the Georgetown bench was there for Alexa Roche, the New Yorker on the team, who brought size (but really, she's a guard? NO WAI!). I thought it was interesting that Williams-Flornoy went to her deep bench early in the game, but it paid off for them later in the game.
Sugar Rodgers does amazing things with the basketball, and she's got good hands, but sometimes I think she's trying too hard to make every shot look like it should be on the highlight reel. I wonder if she's trying to be Angel McCoughtry, to put Georgetown on the map and keep them there the way Angel did for Louisville, to make sure that everyone's watching so they can see what her team can do. Because that's the thing: Sugar Rodgers is one hell of a player, but she's got some great teammates around her. Monica McNutt didn’t have a great game, as compared to last year when she kicked our butts. But Tia Magee was hitting big shots every time we turned around- for a six-two forward, she's got some range. Adria Crawford played a good game, including one steal where she picked off the pass like she was trying out for cornerback for the Redskins. (Do it, Adria! They need all the help they can get!) Rubylee Wright ran a great game at point, and how appropriate is it that a tiny guard is from a town caled Latta? I'm not making this up. She drove the lane and put up shots that were Mark Jackson-esque. And then there was the block on Sky Lindsay, and that wasn't one of those blocks a five-three player gets on a five-eleven player where the taller player has it down at her ankles. Those were some serious ups on Wright.
Georgetown doesn't let you think. They don't give you time. If you take a moment to think, they'll strip you or force a violation from you. You have to think fast to beat the Hoyas. They're loud, too.
Nadirah must still be recovering from something, because Keylantra Langley was a straight swap for her a few times. I don't recall Key doing anything statistically relevant except for one of the dumbest turnovers I've ever seen. Jennifer Blanding came to play today. It's not going to look like it from the stat sheet, because she only had four points and two rebounds, but believe me when I say that she had a nice presence in the paint and didn't make any horrible mistakes that had us burying our faces in our hands. That was the game we needed from Biglove. That was also the game we needed from Amanda Burakoski, who went on a hot streak in the first half from beyond the arc to build our lead- oh, and hit the three to force overtime. She had some deplorable defensive lapses, especially on one basket by Monica McNutt where she wasn't even facing her player. That was probably why Eugeneia McPherson came in as the defensive switch late in the game- though Gina's offense was not as solid as I've gotten used to, she hit her free throws (with a little help from St. John on some of those back-rim shots) and had a nice little run with a basket and a steal as part of the 7-0 run.
Coco Hart works hard against a lot of players who are bigger than she is, and I'll always respect her for that. But she had some really boneheaded plays today. One turnover was so egregious I ended up yelling that it was the third dumbest thing I'd ever seen her do. Sky Lindsay didn't do a lot, but she didn't make any major mistakes, and her shots were well-timed. We needed Buzz's offense and Gina's defense more than we needed her steady hand, so she didn't play a lot. Da'Shena Stevens put in some serious work on the boards, and took a lot of physical abuse for. She seemed to be in the right place at the right time on a lot of plays. Her offensive rebound off her missed free throw was huge late in the game. We don't win this game without Nadirah McKenith running the offense, crashing the boards, blocking shots, and hitting her free throws in the OT- on a bad ankle (from where we were, we thought it was a quad, but when we asked her, “How's your leg?” she specified her ankle, so I'm going to trust the judgment of the injured person over mine). She stepped up when we needed her, flirting with a triple-double. But we also don't win this game without Shenneika Smith. Neika didn't have a great offensive game, though she started the game hot, but her defense on Sugar Rodgers was critical to the win. I know, Rodgers had 23 points- but most of those came when Shenneika was out of the game, on fast breaks, or when there was a screen for her. When Shenneika was on her, she was locked down. Period. Gina couldn't stop her, Nana couldn't stop her, and Coco couldn't stop her, but Neika could, and that was all the difference. I'd much rather see Shenneika sacrifice her offense to help keep an opposing star in check.
The officiating was all right, for the most part. Some of the calls were a little sketchy, and Kathleen Lynch seemed to think Nana had kicked her puppy or something. But you live and learn.
I'm glad Rebecca Lobo enjoyed her visit. I was quite squeeful that she was at our place. What can I say? My summer jersey is #50 in Lib black. And we had a brief conversation with the father of our grad assistant... it is very disconcerting to see Mike Thibault not dressed to coach, you know? Especially when you're a fan of his and kind of wished he'd have hauled down I-95 when Donovan went to Seton Hall?
We did not wear pink. One of these days, when I've remembered to get out the flame retardant, I have a screed against pinkwashing saved on my flash drive, but today it boiled down to “it's a rivalry game against a ranked team, I am NOT messing with my superstitions, okay?” The only sop we made to the Cause was that we brought, and my darlin' fiance wore pregame, an Edna Campbell jersey. I was sort of hoping someone would ask why his Storm jersey was the wrong color.
They did an autograph session after the game, and though we've been there and done that, we wanted to congratulate the team for the big win. This is when Nadirah obligingly told us what she injured. We ran into Buzz's mom and told her that whatever she said to Buzz, she needs to say it more often. Apparently it was, “I'm gonna kill you if you don't shoot the ball.” Which... would not shock me horribly. Buzz's mom is intense. The scorecard is going up in the office. And hey, I think we've stopped scaring Da'Shena! (Day comes off as... really, really, really shy around people she doesn't know. I mean, she's usually been sick when forced to interact with strangers, so maybe that's it, but I always feel bad that she's monosyllabic around us. We're not trying to be scary!)
I think I'll leave this here in the warm glow of the biggest win of the season. Go Storm!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
February 1st, 2011: Rutgers at St. John's
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Nadirak McKenith's drive and hoop in the lane with nine seconds left turned out to be the game-winner for St. John's, allowing the Red Storm to hang on to a 51-48 win over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Rutgers had a chance to tie the game on their last possession, but a lane violation by April Sykes nullified Erica Wheeler's tying free throw. Monique Oliver of Rutgers led all players with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Amanda Burakoski led St. John's off the bench with a career high 16 points.
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Well, this is a pretty bad sign. Tip is imminent and ain't nobody here, and there's no scorecards. I have a really bad feeling about this, especially as I see a chorus line up for the anthem.
No scorecards. I am not a happy blogger. Well, I wouldn't be a happy blogger if it weren't for this lovely 25-15 lead we've got at the half. Amanda Burakoski is going nuts out there- she's got three threes and a wicked block that helped force a shot clock violation. The Rutgers defense is giving us trouble, especially in the neutral zone (if you don't mind me borrowing a hockey term), but our man-to-man is making their lives hell. I've seen more people step on the endline this game than ever before in my life. Rutgers is committing a lot of offensive fouls. Stupid, preventable things. If Stringer adapts her strategy at the half and goes to the big girls Lee and Oliver more, we might have trouble, since we don't have a lot of solutions for them.
If there is any pause in these game notes, it's because I died of the cute when Debbie Antonelli brought Trevor Arico down to the “booth” and stuck a headset on him. That kid's got a knack for charming people. (And a shooting knack. An older gentleman who I presume is a proud relative was passing around an article about the national shooting competition he's in.) Oh, this is just too cute. I am so jealous of him right now, you have no idea.
I missed it because I was working on the first-half recap, but apparently one of the kids in the biddy game hit a three from beyond the men's line. Given how awful the bits of the game I saw were, I'm duly impressed.
Oh my gods, that was exhausting and exhilarating and cathartic and necessary and heartbreaking and heart-stopping and I'm sure the Rutgers fans are furious but I don't care because we needed that and we finally stepped up and took what we needed after almost giving it away and the state of my writing postgame as compared to halftime might be a hint as to the nature of the second half of the game.
Choral anthem. Weak start, strong middle, completely ruined in the end. Surprisingly, it was an allegory for the road team, not the home team.
It would appear that Daisha Simmons is the bench for Rutgers until they get Nikki Speed back. Or something. She played minutes at a lot of different positions. She got in on a lot of loose balls. Got slightly screwed by the refs, too; I really thought her fourth was Wheeler's third.
Monique Oliver started to annoy me in the second half, but in that “we are being overpowered by an opponent I respect” sense, not that “get this woman out of my arena because she's being unsportsmanlike” sense. She's a big girl who isn't afraid of it, and I respect that. She could have been more careful with her footwork, but that's a small nitpick for a player who already had a big game. I was less impressed with Chelsey Lee, who was willing to throw her body around, but wasn't as effective in actually doing anything with it. She looks like she's put on some weight since the last time I saw Rutgers, and it's not doing her any favors. Erica Wheeler went off in the second half. We sort of kept losing her while we were trying to put a lid on the bigs in the middle. I like that she's not afraid to go after loose balls and get down on the floor. Effort will always earn kudos from me. Khadijah Rushdan used her size advantage on some of our guards to really work the boards. I thought we did a great job of stopping up her offense. April Sykes... she's going to be the goat of this game, and I can't say she didn't completely earn it with her questionable shot selection and lousy footwork. She stepped out of bounds quite a few times, and of course there was the last play. I'll be honest, I didn't see the last play because I was too busy putting up a couple of prayers, so I have no opinion on whether the lane violation was a legitimate call or not. But I was not very impressed with her today. She didn't look all there.
They killed us on defense, plain and simple. I'll give them all the credit in the world for that. Their hands were everywhere, and all of them were willing to hit the floor for the ball.
Jennifer Blanding came in and committed a three-second violation. That was really her only contribution to the game. Eugeneia McPherson brought a good bit of her defense, though her offense was still missing in action. The story of the game, though, was Amanda Burakoski. Buzz went off. She was hitting her threes, she was going to the hole, she was hitting the boards (I have no idea how she didn't get credited with any rebounds), she was making defensive plays. That block in the first half was awesome. She looks like she's getting her confidence back, and if that's the case, the Big East better watch out.
Shenneika Smith's shot is still AWOL- she kept leaving what would normally be easy shots short, and I don't know whether it has to do with injuries or not wanting to go up against the bigs for Rutgers. Her ballhandling was not great, either; she kept trying to get fancy, which is a really bad idea against a team like Rutgers. She was cold-blooded at the line, though, and with the way we shoot free throws, and as close as this game was, we needed that. Nadirah McKenith had the same problem with fancy ballhandling, but she stayed tough on defense, and she did what I've been praying for her to do since we played Florida State: when it came down to the last, game-winning shot, she took it instead of passing off. It might be a small thing, but to me, it suggests a huge leap forward in her development as a leader and a point guard. Sky Lindsay was a non-factor, but she didn't have to be a factor, because we had Buzz off the bench. Coco Hart took a beating in the paint, and she wasn't able to get a lot of shots off, but she made up for it with hard boxing out despite giving up a lot of size to the Rutgers posts. Da'Shena Stevens had a little more luck going inside, and she put in some work on the boards. Her and-1 play was huge, even if she missed the free throw (it turned into a four-point play of sorts- she got a lay-up off the offensive rebound).
I don't know if it was just that everyone was particularly clumsy that day or what, but there were a lot of feet on the sidelines. I don't know what's up with that. I would have appreciated a foul called when Gina got checked into the Rutgers bench, but I can't complain too much about the officiating- after all, a judgment call gave us a chance to ice the game. It got very physical in the later stages of the game as things got a little more desperate.
Special attention must be given to the Rutgers fans who made it out to the game. On the one hand, I appreciate their passion and support for their team. On the other hand, I think it's a bit tacky to sing your fight song and disconcert the shooter on the road, in someone else's arena. Support your team on the road, sure. I've done that in four different states. But be positive. Don't go into someone else's house and treat it like your own. You'll just anger the home fans.
If you were watching the game on television and you heard what sounded like a yippy little dog barking, that was probably me. I swear on my honor as a former Girl Scout, I had no idea I was so high-pitched. I used to be an alto...
After the game, we concluded that St. John himself gave us a little help. Only reason I can think of for all those little mistakes that gave us the game. I'm glad to see the effort back again, and we better bring it with us to Marquette. We need this stretch.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
January 22nd, 2011: Marist at Manhattan
Just the Facts, Ma'am: The Marist Red Foxes allowed the Manhattan Jaspers first blood, then turned on the afterburners to win 75-52. Brandy Gang led Marist with 19 points in her 23 minutes, while Corielle Yarde added 17 and Erica Allenspach added 14. Abby Wentworth of Manhattan led all scorers with 20 points.
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We haven't done it as much this season as we normally do, but we do like to travel around the city and see what games there are to see. We had a choice between Wagner hosting Sacred Heart and Manhattan hosting Marist. Well, we've never been to Wagner, and it's been a long time since I've climbed the hills of the Bronx to go visit Draddy Gymnasium, so either way it was going to be an adventure. But the lure of seeing Marist in action again won out, so off we went on the A to the 1 to the end of the line.
Either the last time I went I got bad directions, or they added an elevator since I was there last, but the trip was much less arduous than when I went with my mother a couple of years ago. Up a few flights of stairs and around an elevator, and you're at a building that looks like something out of a suburban high school. It doesn't even look like the high school gym, but the front entrance to the school.
Special thanks must go to the lovely young lady who sold us our tickets and hooked us up with a scorecard and the media game notes. She was charming and helpful and friendly. Plus, the scorecard is really nifty- it's also a mini-team poster with the roster and the season preview printed on the back with the scorecard bit. We may put it on the wall somewhere.
Marist traveled very well. Of course, it helped that Casey Dulin's family made the trip from Connecticut, and the O'Connor shirt on one fan hinted at someone else's family as well. For the most part, they were pretty awesome, except for the one guy over by Manhattan's bench who thought it would be cute to get DE-FENSE chants going when Marist was up 25. I quietly listened to the two guys behind us who talked about the freshmen so I would actually know something about this team beyond Allenspach and Yarde.
There's a lot about the Manhattan experience I like. The announcer sounds like the prototypical small-college announcer, the tickets are affordable, the people are nice, the jerseys have names on them... but they should really turn the heat on. We were freezing, even in multiple layers. Fortunately, one of Manhattan's concessions is really good hot cocoa. Mmmm, hot cocoa. That sounds like a really good idea right now, actually.
We got to see a lot of the back end of Marist's bench in this one; Giorgis made an effort to work his reserves into the game early in the second half instead of just waiting for garbage time and unloading all of them at once. Casey Dulin got a lot of support from her family; a few of them were wearing shirts with her name on the back, which was a good hint as to their loyalties. Emily Stallings had all the chances in the world to get on the scoreboard, but she missed a lot of easy shots. It was kind of depressing. Maria Laterza had the same problem, though she made more of an impact on the defensive end. Kristine Best saw a lot of time as the reserve point guard, and I'm not sure if she's going to fit into the system as nicely as their current guards do- she has some of Caron's mindset, but too much offensive instinct to be the kind of distributor that Marist's system really needs. They got some very good minutes out of Kelsey Beynnon as offense off the bench. Emma O'Connor put in some work on the boards. She was popular with the people behind us.
Brandy Gang came out like... okay, I'm sorry, I'm tired and it's been a long day, my ability to resist bad puns is nonexistent... she came out like gangbusters. She was on fire. She had the inside game going, and then when she got bored with that, she started hitting threes. There was a point where she was almost outscoring Manhattan singlehandedly. She cooled off in the second half, but she also sat for most of it, because the Red Foxes really didn't need her. Élise Caron reminds me a lot of Debbie Black in her defensive tenacity. She gets up in your business like very few players I've ever seen. Her ball-handling and passing are a little sloppy, though, which makes the Black comparison a little less apt. Corielle Yarde took some time to get warmed up, but she turned it up in the second half, including with a nice shot off a deflection by Laterza. Kate Oliver appears to be a nice kid, and a tall kid, but she couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. There were one or two shots that I was fairly certain that I could have hit. She needs to get more assertive; at least she's only a sophomore and has time to do that. Erica Allenspach's rebounding, for a guard, is phenomenal. She was all over the place. I think half her points were on putbacks or on second chances that her offensive rebounding created. I love players like that. Fierce.
Marist's offense is fun to watch. There's a lot of misdirection and a lot of ball movement. Giorgis is also an interesting coach to watch. One of the best moments of the game was his frustrated command, “Stop going baseline!” delivered in the voice of someone who had been chaperoning the fourth-grade field trip just a little bit too long and had shepherded one too many youngsters away from the edge.
Monica Roeder impressed me off the bench. For a big girl- not in height, but in girth- she's got some nice touch. She's only a freshman, so she'll have time to work on being more assertive inside and showing better shot selection. Toni-Ann Lawrence really needs to work on her pass-catching. Her hands were like stone. It was sort of sad. Schyanne Halfkenny has an awesome name, but she really didn't contribute much. Manhattan didn't go very deep into their bench, to put it mildly.
Alyssa Herrington didn't play a lot for a starter- I think she was almost a straight swap with Toni-Ann Lawrence. It didn't really matter, as neither of them was very effective. It was hard to say anything like that during the game, because I think we were sitting near her family, if the reaction of the people behind us to the left when she hit her only shot was any indication. I really like Nadia Peters's tenacity and toughness on the boards, but either they need to get her the ball more, or they need to show why they don't give her the ball more, because it didnt' make sense that they weren't going to her when she showed that she could get position and defend her space. But then, I'm not a coach, so perhaps there's some reason she doesn't get the ball. I don't know. Maggie Blair started the game, but didn't play a lot; maybe Roeder was in trouble, or maybe Olenowski just doesn't believe in starting freshmen, but it seemed like Roeder was playing the minutes that Blair would get if Blair were an ordinary starter. Lindsey Loutsenhizer had a solid game. Nothing terribly remarkable for good or for ill. Abby Wentworth stole the show in the second half, going inside and out with a combination of a pretty jump shot and some slick moves in the lane. She also got herself to the line a fair amount of times. I'm still not thrilled with some of her tendencies on the defense (no, Abigail, it's not likely that Élise Caron will give you a piggyback ride, she's much smaller than you are and she's on the opposing team, so please stop attempting to keep her warm by doing your best imitation of Superman's cape), but at least she didn't act like she thought anyone on Marist had set her puppy on fire.
The referees were very inclined to let a lot of things go. There werne't a lot of calls on just about anything, and the play didn't edge over into overly physical, though there were a couple of fouls that could have been called (Emily Stallings, I am looking at you).l I can't say I'm happy with officials letting players get away with shoddy footwork, (Élise Caron, I am looking at you; when all is said and done, you could have walked halfway to the Canadian border with all those extra steps) but as long as it's called evenly on both sides, that counts as a fairly called game, and that's part of the point of officiating, right?
Really, though, the most amusing bits of the Game Notes- you know, the random things I toss in to keep you all smiling- happened on our way back. Ah, adventures on MTA, New York City Transit, Going Your Way (only during rush hours, service changes may apply at all times, with red lights and random delays thrown in without warning). The station nearest Manhattan College is an elevated station, and inevitably, outdoor stations have some encounters with wildlife. We got on the train, and there was a pigeon standing near the middle door of the car. We shooed it out the door. It promptly looped back through the next door and got back on the train. We shooed it out again, and this time it took the hint. There was just something indescribably New York about its demeanor. Then, of course, on the train in Queens, we encountered a random Manhattan alumna who was in the condition of most recent college graduates on a Saturday night in New York City. Lucky for her that she found us- she was on the wrong train! So that worked out.
See, this is why I love traveling to games. The adventure doesn't stop until you're safely ensconced at home, fingers flying over the keyboard, two different kinds of music conflicting in your ears as you worry about your seating arrangements and the fact that the computer is making you uncomfortably warm.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
January 15th, 2011: St. John's at Seton Hall
Just the Facts, Ma'am: St. John's snapped a four-game losing streak with a win over Seton Hall, 58-48. Shenneika Smith's 16 points led all scorers, while Eugeneia McPherson added 14 off the bench for the Red Storm. Kandice Green led the Pirates with 15 points and nine rebounds.
For ridiculous train fares, the innocence of college sophomores, amazing plays, and blatant lies, join your intrepid and rather punchy blogger after the jump.If that wasn't what the doctor ordered, I don't know what could be. We already knew we could beat Seton Hall, or at least that we already had. We were going to be on the road, yes, but close enough to home that people would come out to make the trip, especially since Nadirah hails from Newark. We had time to think about how gods-awful that last game was, and I still maintain that I was right in lambasting them for the Connecticut game.
New Jersey Transit's fares are ridiculous. It cost us $27 combined round-trip to go to South Orange. I don't think we're going to be making this trip that often, or more than once a year. Between the fare and the long walk to the gym, especially since it requires a large loop because the gates closest to Walsh Gym are closed on weekends, it's going to take a lot of improvement from the Hall for me to go out there again.
Please do not ask eleven-year-old boys to sing the National Anthem. It does not end well. Sorry, guys.
It was great to see Amanda Burakoski willing to shoot again. Buzz, don't let the misses get you down- take your shots when you've got them. Her hustle this game was incredible- her hands were active and she kept her eye on the ball. She had some very blonde moments on defense, though. Keylantra Langley came in in short spurts to give Nadirah McKenith some rest, and because she was basically being used as a placeholder, she didn't have much of an impact on the game- she did score a basket for the first time in I can't remember how long, which allowed me to realize that the lady next to us was part of Key's family, not Briana Brown's like I had thought. Jennifer Blanding was rally out of it today. She must have left her skills at home. The and-1 was pretty, but that was about it. Eugeneia McPherson was our microwave off the bench- instant offense, just add butt-kicking. She brought the halfcourt trap nicely too.
I think Coco Hart's shoulder brace is trying to eat her. It's getting bigger every game. I don't know what they're going to do, because if this keeps up, she's going to need football pads, and we don't have a football team. She wasn't able to rebound the way she usually does, but she did a nice job of compensating for that by tipping the ball to her teammates a lot. She's leaving a lot of shots short, too. This is not a good thing. I do have to wonder where Sky Lindsay's game has gone this season, though she got us started nicely in the second half. Nadirah McKenith ran a solid game, and it looks like she's trying to get the team back to the running game, which I like. We work much better when we're moving. Da'Shena Stevens had an excellent first half for the Red Storm, and she takes way the heck too much punishment for my liking. Please do not elbow my players in the ta-tas, okay? It's nice to see Shenneika Smith's offense again. We missed it. It's pretty. I'd like to see less highlight reel and more simplicity, but I like points, just on general principles.
Jazzmine Johnson impressed me. She's got an incredible first step and a pretty shot. She made our lives miserable on the defensive end. Tajay Ashmeade appears to have fallen in the rotation, and if her games have been like today, I can't say I'm surprised. I guess Anne Donovan was using the LSU game to shake out what she had and doesn't have. And she doesn't have a lot. Whitney Wood continues to boggle my mind- I honestly have no idea how she ever ended up on a Big East team. She hit a corner three and that was all she did that I can recall being good and useful for the Hall. Brief cameos as well by Nicosia Henry and Terry Green, which surprised me- I recall Terry Green being a much more important part of that team.
We had no answer for Kandice Green in the paint. She knifed in all around us. She really showed out in the second half. We did a nice job of slowing down Ka-Deirdre Simmons, keeping her from initiating any offense until the last basket of the game (thanks for that defensive breakdown, Key, I'm sure Nana will never let you hear the end of it). Seriously, though. If Ka-Deirdre Simmons is five-eight, I'm Janel McCarville. If nothing else, after the game, someone snapped a picture of her with Nadirah, who's listed at five-seven, and she was visibly shorter. Kashmere Joseph is back in uniform (she was injured against LSU, which was the last time I saw the Pirates play) and gosh, I can't believe how little I missed her. She should have fouled out in the first half with some of those overly physical plays. She also needs to pull her shorts down. That all said, I thought she and her coach did a good job of using her outside skill set to keep her out of foul trouble once she got the fourth foul (of course, it would have helped if we'd driven in on her like we should have). Brittany Morris has a very odd looking jumpshot, but it seems to work for her. Jasmine Crew was off and on all through the game, showing flashes of potential.
Play of the game would have been Nadirah's emphatic stuff of Morris, except for the end of the first half. Went something like this: Seton Hall misses a shot. Coco pulls down the rebound, throws an outlet pass to Buzz. It's too far ahead, and we're holding our breath, thinking it's just another stupid turnover. Buzz somehow manages to save the ball on the end line to Nadirah, who sets up Shenneika for a lay-up as the buzzer expires. It was pretty awesome, except for the part where we thought Buzz had blown the play.
Play of the game for Seton Hall was Jazzmine Johnson's offensive rebound on the play where they were playing four on five due to contact lens issues that the referee didn't immediately pick up on.
Dear referees. Dear, dear referees. If a player checks someone into the boards, that is acceptable in hockey. It is not acceptable in basketball, especially when there are no boards. Gina almost left the gym the hard way. The proper call in that situation is certainly not to give the ball to the team committing the foul. Fortunately, at least the out of bounds was called correctly, even if somehow no one noticed that our player was checked pretty hard. There were a couple such plays, but the referees didn't do a bad job. The gentleman- Titus, I assume, since he didn't look like a Rachelle or an Angela- was a pretty quick counter, and I liked the way he differentiated between the different flavors of travel.
As I mentioned last time out, Seton Hall selects three players to sign autographs after every game, and we still had a poster to work on from the LSU game. Of course, one of today's three was a duplicate from the last time we went, which was mildly annoying, but that would still give us two new players, which would give us an acceptable amount of autographing before we stuck the poster on the wall with all our other nifty stuff. So we hung out in the lobby outside the gym itself, waiting for the Pirate players to come out and greet the few who would be waiting for them. They changed up the location slightly, which meant that we were waiting in the midst of the St. John's family and friends... and players, as they drifted out of the locker room with giant bags. Sky met up with her mom and family, Da'Shena met up with her folks, Buzz ran into the loving embrace of her mom and family, etc. Some folks met up with old friends- hence the picture of the picture of the two Newark girls. I have no idea where Gina knows Terry Green from, but they were chattering for a while. Green was also kind enough to sign our poster, especially since Jasmine Crew, one of the players who was supposed to sign after the game, either couldn't be bothered to come out or didn't realize that there was signing going on, given that we were the only ones waiting. Since Crew's the one who decided to play hockey with Gina, we're really not thrilled with her in our house.
Buzz... definitely takes after her mother. Not in looks, but in... a questionable and difficult to discern level of tact. We were telling a few people that we can't make it to the next game since it's at noon on a Tuesday, and we both work. “Well, why can't you take a day off?” “We have to save our vacation days for our honeymoon.” “Why don't you take your honeymoon at one of our games?” Simultaneous blushing and burying of faces in hands occurred. (Because, Amanda, we timed our wedding to fall between seasons, we have already followed your team to two road games and Madison Square Garden, our honeymoon will be the only-non-basketball related part of our lives and I don't think there's room for that under the bleachers at Carnesecca Arena anyway.)
So it was nice to see a win, and I'm much happier when we win, even though I still think we could have performed better, but under the circumstances, I have no reason to complain other than the fact that I'm very tired and I'm typing this paragraph with my eyes shut because I'm tired and they hurt from staring at the screen too long. You can tell by the degrading organization of my words and writing that it's time for me to finish this up and get to bed.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
January 12th, 2011: Connecticut at St. John's
Just the Facts, Ma'am:: Behind yet another superlative performance from Maya Moore, the Connecticut Huskies defeated the St. John's Red Storm 84-52. Moore had 21 points, eight assists, six rebounds, and three steals. Tiffany Hayes added 21 points and eight rebounds for Connecticut. Da'Shena Stevens led the Red Storm with 12 points and five rebounds.
For dismay, distress, despair, and a severe lack of basketball on the part of St. John's, join your intrepid and depressed blogger after the jump.The good news is that more people in red are staying than we thought. The good news as a St. John's fan is that not a lot of UConn fans appear to have made the trip down, possibly having something to do with the giant blizzard that enveloped New England, possibly related to Syracuse fans buying up all the tickets. I'm not sure how thrilled I am about some of these people staying, given some of the remarks the college boys behind us were passing. Have I mentioned lately that alcohol and college athletics are a really bad combination?
We moved over a section, and we might be moving up a couple of rows as well, so we can actually see things other than the bench. Sometimes there's such a thing as having too good a seat, you know?
Shoutout to the hard-working photographers, especially SportsPage Magazine's representative.
The things I would like to ask St. John's are not things I can say in a public forum. Our offense is stagnant on its good plays and spastic on its bad ones. Our defense is out to lunch (how do you leave Maya Moore open, ever?!). Our coaching is sketchy. Our effort is lackluster. How many of these players actually want to be playing Big East basketball right now? Have they forgotten that things don't come easy? I think they have. I think they played too many cupcakes and got fat, just like Syracuse does, just like North Carolina does. I'm sick to my soul, knowing what this team can be and has been, and comparing it to what it is now.
I don't get it. I just don't get it. I don't know what's wrong with my team. And the sad part is that they're not going to learn anything from this because everyone expects UConn to lay the hammer down, and it doesn't occur to them that there are things to be taken away from a game like this, that there's no way on God's green earth the margin should have ballooned out the way it did. That's not taking anything away from UConn. They're an excellent, deep team that's developing its young post players at a dizzying rate. And, of course, they have Maya Moore. That's a pretty good piece to have.
Samarie Walker put in some work in the post off the bench. She doesn't have the bulk, but she's got the moves. She looks to be more of a slashing forward than a back to the basket sort of post. We got to see some Heather Buck, and apparently a round with a team that's lost its way is the cure for a lack of confidence. Bria Hartley is already showing the ruthlessness of a true Husky- not just the talent, but the killer instinct that separates UConn from a lot of teams. She's sure got a pretty stroke. Why or how we missed the scouting report on her, given that we also have a kid from North Babylon, I will never know.
There were three main differences between this year's debacle and last year's more closely contested game. One, this year our offense went on vacation. Two, this year our defense broke down. Three, this year Tiffany Hayes showed out. When we played them two seasons back at Carnesecca Arena, Hayes was a non-factor (this is the same game that won Da'Shena Stevens BEast FOY). She was showing more aggressiveness towards the basket than I remembered seeing from her, but that didn't mean she abandoned the three-point stroke. You'd think she'd have cooled off after the fifth one, but this is UConn. Lorin Dixon is really, really fast. For this team, she works as a point guard, because she doesn't need to be the spearhead or the playmaker. She just has to keep them from going completely off the rails. Stefanie Dolson... okay, I'll admit that when I first saw UConn on TV this year, I said, “Oh my God, it's Kara Wolters.” She was a step or two slow that I think we could have taken advantage of, but she clogs things up in the middle and is a good enough finisher to force teams to match up against her, which means they have to change their game plan, which will result in someone being left open. If you're having a good day, it'll be Dixon. If you're having a bad day, it'll be Hayes or Faris. If you're having an Arthur Pearlstein kind of day and moaning, “I knew I should have stayed home today,” you'll leave Maya Moore open, which is possibly the single stupidest thing you can do in basketball. Then again, if you guard her, she'll hit the shot anyway. I saw her glide in and hit shots against doubles, with hands in her face, into the arm of a defender- she had one possession with a gorgeous tip-in, another where she slid around with a silky move and went to the hole. So maybe that is a good plan. Leave her open and she'll get hers, and maybe you have a shot of stopping someone who's not a demigod. Seriously, she's like Connecticut's answer to Tamika Catchings, like Geno got annoyed he couldn't have Catch, so he had someone whip up a carbon copy for him. Kelly Faris also showed out in this game, though it seemed like she was taking advantage of being considered a weak link by our quote-unquote perimeter defense.
You know how bad we were? Briana Brown actually got into the game. And she wasn't completely awful. She looked a little lost, but that's to be expected when you don't play. Her first shot, she canned a sweet corner three. I'd love to hear from Coach Barnes Arico what the story is there. Zakkiyah Shahid-Martin also got into the game, though she didn't get as much of an opportunity. Keylantra Langley continues to look like a lost freshman, without the other two freshmen's excuse of not getting playing time. And if I ever catch someone's head hanging during play, I'm going to rush the court and shake some sense into them. I'm sorry, but no matter how thoroughly you are being embarrassed, hold your head high and don't act like you're ashamed to wear your jersey. Amanda Burakoski's confidence is shot (and this is coming from a very reliable witness). Why she's not shooting, I will never know. As her three to beat the shot clock buzzer proved, good things happen when she shoots. She's a scrapper, and she's a shooter, and she has to be both and more to be a player for us. She can't let herself turn into Kelly McManmon, only shooting when the defender is in the next ZIP code. Jennifer Blanding was not well-used in this game- she had very few opportunities to counter Dolson, and she was given few chances to attack the basket. Now, granted, this might be because Jennifer has a terrible habit of missing shots that I could probably make. But she's actually playing with heart and soul out there, and the way this team's gone down the tubes, that kind of effort needs to be rewarded. I will never fault Eugeneia McPherson's effort, though, because she might hurt me if I did. I will fault her three-point shooting, her tendency to believe that officials will reward you for going to the basket no matter how ill-advised the shot is, and her sudden inability to hit a damn free throw. But I will never fault her defense, her leadership ability, or her hustle.
Seriously, though, has anyone seen Shenneika Smith's head? Wherever it is, it's not on her shoulders and it's not in the game. She's passing up shots she should be taking for NBA-style glorified lay-ups that she shouldn't be taking, because the one that goes in looks beautiful on the highlight reel, but the ten that don't are disastrous for her team. Her defense is lacking, too. This all infuriates me because I believe Shenneika has the skills and the skill set for the WNBA, and if she's not careful she's going to blow it. I've already watched one potential prospect shoot herself in the foot this way (Monique McLean, two years ago, who reminded me so much of Shameka Christon it wasn't funny) and I can't deal with it again. I'm also going to need for Nadirah McKenith to stop worrying about whether she's broken her opponent's ankles with a crossover and start worrying about where her teammates are and where her assignment is on the defensive end of the floor. Don't get me wrong, she has a beautiful crossover that drew gasps from the crowd a few times, but she was so much more than that last year. Someone, and God help me, it might have to be me, needs to get her some footage of Jennifer Azzi or Ticha Penicheiro. I'm about done trying to figure out what Sky Lindsay's deal is. Whether she's been out-talented by the younger players, whether she's just counting the days until she graduates, whether there's something else going on in her life, I don't know, because I'm not Sky Lindsay. (I'd have bigger boots and be a better dancer if I were.) I have no idea what happened to Coco Hart, either, other than getting out-sized. While she progressed early in the season, she's back to being the epic fail we all know and... know. She was badly out of position on a lot of plays. It was very frustrating.
I wasn't thrilled with the officiating. Maya Moore, you are not allowed to hit Da'Shena Stevens in the windpipe. But I can't really blame that.
I just don't know what's going on with this team. I'm trying to figure it out, and I'm trying to ignore it, and I'm trying not to scream at the top of my lungs.
January 12th, 2011: Syracuse at St. John's
Boys? In my blog? It's more likely than you think. It's also more Orange than you think, what the hell?
Hello, Rumble in the Garden readers! I don't think we've been introduced, unless you were over in the comment thread from the explanatory post. My name's Rebecca-call-me-Becky-and-you-die, but around these parts, I'm known as Queenie. You can call me either- heck, you can call me anything so long as you don't call me late for dinner. I've answered to a wide range of nicknames, mistaken names, profanities, and the ubiquitous “Hey you!”
If I go to a basketball game, I write Game Notes of Doom. I've done this for the NBA, the WNBA, men's college basketball, women's college basketball, and a couple of international friendlies. I can usually be found over at Swish Appeal, but in honor of the doubleheader, I'm making a guest appearance here.
Be warned that I'll be approaching this game more or less like a novice. What I know about the St. John's men's team this year can be summed up as follows: they have a lot of seniors, they have a new coach, the women's team gets along with them really well, and Shiz Evans does a pretty good Ric Flair impression. There will probably be more questions in here than usual.
Today's notes will be coming from the vantage point of the endcourt seats in section 20, fairly low down. I expect to be able to see a lot of post play and three-pointers.
I was wrong about the seats. They're what we refer to as the sucker seats- deceptively low-priced low-level seats that face onto the seats. We've sat over here once before, in a memorable Maggie Dixon Classic game where Kia Vaughn puked her guts out in front of us. Fun, laughs, good times. Because the Powers-That-Be-Flaming-Idiots decided to reverse the benches for the two games, we have the distinct displeasure of being squeezed in among Syracuse fans and drunken idiots. Bonus points for those who combine both. I'm really hoping the switch is real, or I'm going to have some very pointed words for our connection in the marketing department who got us these tickets after two months of waiting. I'm also hoping a goodly number of the fans from Syracuse leave so I can see the goddamn game, because I've had to rely on the big screen far more than I like.
Things I have noticed: no one can shoot tonight, though Syracuse found their stroke in the second quarter. St. John's does not appear to actually know where their players are supposed to be. Kris Joseph's getting hot for Syracuse, which is not a good sign for the Red Storm. Burrell's got nine in the first half for St. John's, but it's on volume as far as I can tell. Megan, come and save me from this hell! (And in an exceptional moment of good timing, guess who's two sections over chatting up some more important people?)
So, remind me why the Garden is a recruiting draw for St. John's? “Come to New York! Play in front of thousands of opposing fans!” I'd say Syracuse fans outnumbered St. John's fans at least two to one. There were multiple audible chants of “Let's Go Orange!” How exactly does this work as a benefit?
C. J. Fair is the first player I can honestly say strikes me more as a point guard than he does as a forward- not even a point forward, but a straight-up point guard who's playing the forward position for reasons understood to no mortal man other than Jim Boeheim. I like his court vision- he made a couple of very pretty passes. Baye Moussa Keita was the first guy off the bench for the Orange, but I don't recall him making any plays worth remembering. James Southerland shows promise, but I might be biased because he's a Queens boy and we Queens kids have to stick together. Dion Waiters brought some canned heat off the bench.
Boy howdy can Kris Joseph shoot. He had some incredible shots in the lane, and a couple of nasty blocks on defense as well. Scoop Jardine also showed off his array of moves. And here's one of the differences between the men's and women's games- 6-2 and 190 in the women's game translates to a fairly hefty post with occasional delusions of three-shooting. I love to watch him work, though. Brandon Triche kept bringing the big shots whenever St. John's had some notion of making a run. I was also impressed with the work of Rick Jackson in the middle, setting screens and making room for his teammates to work. I like seeing a post player set things up for his teammates, doing all the little things so they can do the big things. He's the kind of guy who will have a solid game that no one will look at because someone else is always having a phenomenal game. Fab Melo has either the most ironic or most appropriate name for a Syracuse player ever. I'm honestly not sure which. I think I recall him doing some good things on the boards- I know that whatever he did, he did it in the middle.
Boeheim's zone is not nearly as much fun to watch from the endcourt corner. Since that's the only thing I like about Syracuse, this is sort of a depressing realization.
By the end of the game, Steve Lavin was throwing things at the wall to see what would stick. We saw a few rotations and bench players in the second half who didn't even think about taking off their warmups in the first. Justin Burrell had himself a very nice first half, albeit on volume. He put in a lot of work on the boards, but the man seriously has to improve his dribbling and general ballhandling skills. He lost a few boards out of bounds because he couldn't keep his hands on the ball. Paris Horne brought the blend of stylish moves and boneheaded plays that I remember bemoaning the last time I took in a men's game at Carnesecca Arena. Malik Stith didn't have a bad run near the end of the game, but it was the end of the game, and it's not always easy to tell whether a player can work under pressure when he's not under pressure.
I'm not impressed with Dwayne Polee yet. I see flashes of potential, but he's got to bulk up if he doesn't want to get broken. Dwight Hardy scored a lot, which was helpful, but he had some incredibly dumb shots and a lot of shots that he should have hit that he left short. I would have liked to see Dele Coker produce a little more than some free throws. It's a bad sign when a post player doesn't have any fouls- that sounds counter-intuitive, but if he's not banging down in the post and not using his body, then he's not helping his team. Malik Boothe did not appear to have actually shown up, other than for fouls. This is not something you want out of a guy who starts. At least Justin Brownlee had a decent game.
The Syracuse fan behind us made a couple of really good points. Why run with a team that can run? Why play a zone and leave a team open for threes that specializes in the zone on the other end of the floor and has a reputation for hitting threes against the zone? (Of course, my view of that is based on the McNamara teams, so if I'm out of date, please let me know gently.) I do wonder if Lavin's inexperience with the Big East came into play, and will continue coming into play- you don't necessarily know what these guys are going to throw at you if you haven't been going at them for years on end.
The officiating was odd. They were really letting them play, especially St. John's, as I thought the play was equally physical on both ends of the floor and Syracuse had more fouls for the bulk of the game. At the same time, there were some pretty rough plays that weren't called. Maybe that's the difference between the men's game and the women's game. I don't know. I'm not enough of a connoisseur of the men's game to judge it, and I doubt I'll ever be.
So that was disheartening. I don't like having my arena invaded by opposing fans, and the Garden is always my arena (the other team of my heart is the New York Liberty, and except when they're getting their house renovated, they play at MSG too).
Sunday, January 9, 2011
January 8th, 2011: DePaul at St. John's
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Domination on the boards and a 24-point performance from Anna Martin powered the DePaul Blue Demons to a 69-54 win over the Red Storm of St. John's. Keisha Hampton, Felicia Chester, and Taylor Pikes each had 11 rebounds for DePaul. St. John's placed no one in double figures; Amanda Burakoski, Nadirah McKenith, and Shenneika Smith each had nine points for the Red Storm, with point guard McKenith leading the team with eight rebounds.
For celebrity recognition, raging at the heavens, a lack of hustle, and the cacophonous sound of free throws bouncing off the rim, join your intrepid and still seething blogger after the jump.
I'm sick to my stomach right now at my team. I love my program, don't get me wrong. But that means that I get exceedingly angry when I watch my team go out there and proceed to play like they don't give a damn about the game or their team. (I'm also sick to my stomach because of the shooting in Arizona, and I'm trying not to let that color my perception of things that have nothing to do with politics.)
The day started off so well, too, and both for reasons that had nothing to do with basketball and everything to do with basketball. It's one thing to be recognized by fellow message board posters and people who've met once or twice by your handle. It's another thing to be recognized by your handle by a professional in the field. Hi, Brooke! I love your work! And I'm not just saying that because you're a fan of the blog!
And it all went to hell in a handbasket in a hurry. The St. John's marketing department changed their story on the tickets we were supposed to be getting for the UConn game again, to the point where maybe we'll have them on Monday, which is not reassuring when the game is on Wednesday and they've been telling us we'll have the tickets in a few days for the last couple of months. While I appreciate being able to get to this major game (though not as much as I would have thought, now that I've seen how this team approaches big games), their handling leaves much to be desired. This is not the greatest move in the world.
Lousy anthem. This singer was billed as the first performer for a new label, and I hope that she's the last one, if she's any indication of their talent scouting. Her performance was awful, and she messed up the words. Messing up the words is unacceptable.
Doug Bruno is the only person I've ever seen who appears to be aging in reverse. Good for him. He's a good guy, and he's good for the game. I just wish he'd stop trying to officiate and coach at the same time. There's only so much you can do at once, you know.
I didn't even notice that China Threatt, who really has one of my favorite names in basketball, played in this game. Shows how much attention our announcer was paying ot the subs. I was also surprised that Deirdre Naughton wasn't really a factor. I was under the impression that she had been a major piece for them before she got injured last year, and Bruno really didn't bring in a lot of players this year. They got some good minutes from Deanna Ortiz, who brought a nice blend of size and touch off the bench. Maureen Mulchrone I mostly remember for her fouls, and I could have sworn she had two, although the box score says one. But what do I know? I'm just the screaming woman in the Joy McCorvey jersey. Taylor Pikes had some nice shots, but also some pretty dumb plays. Par for the course for a reserve, I suppose.
So apparently the scouting report that everyone read was the same one that St. John's read, because we did our best to contain Keisha Hampton and Sam Quigley. Great. We did a nice job on that, at least until the second half when Quigley started hitting some absolutely impossible shot. Her little finger roll comes to mind, but so does the cold-blooded three she hit near the end of the shot clock. Of course, this left Anna Martin open for shot after shot after shot. You get the idea. It was extremely frustrating to watch her take open threes or score on the fast break as St. John's defenders ran away from her as if they should have been holding matador capes. It's one thing when you're not expecting someone to go off, and if this had all been in the first half and we clamped down on her in the second, that would have been all right. That would have shown DePaul's depth and St. John's ability to regroup. But she was going at it deep into the second half, and defender after defender couldn't be bothered to stay on her. I am not amused. I am not even close to being amused. Felicia Chester and Katherine Harry brought good size and toughness down low for the Blue Demons, though I thought Chester really needed to tone down the screens slightly. She got called for one illegal screen, and should have been flagged for at least one more.
What impressed me most about DePaul was their ability to rebound. They chased balls and took advantage of every tap the way we usually do, except they did it with taller players. All other things being equal, the taller team will win in that situation. They kicked our butts on the boards. I have to appreciate that.
Of course, I also have to appreciate the fact that, for whatever reason I cannot possibly think of for a college student on a Saturday afternoon after a Friday night in New York City, Da'Shena Stevens got herself a nice little suspension for the first quarter of the game. I know that college games don't have quarters, but she didn't go in until after ten minutes had passed in the first half, so I'm calling it a quarter. She looked very disoriented and really like she didn't have her head in the game. It's a very bad sign when I'm hoping that the reason why was because she was still suffering from the concussion she suffered against Southern Miss. We got very good minutes out of Jennifer Blanding, who used her size well against the DePaul posts and converted on her opportunities for a change. Keylantra Langley showed me nothing; I almost wish she hadn't taken the one shot she missed so that she would have shown up in the boxscore as an eight billion, because that would have reflected her value in this game. On the other hand, at least in the first half and on the defensive end of the floor, Amanda Burakoski was putting in some work. Her hands were extremely active. She kept a lot of balls alive and had one sequence where she followed a sweet three with a steal. But in the second half she was suddenly very reticent to shoot. We were screaming for her to shoot the ball time and time again, but she wasn't willing and her teammates stopped finding her. I don't get it.
I also don't get why Briana Brown's not playing. I don't understand why Zakkiyah Shahid-Martin's not playing, though I've heard enough things that I don't wonder as much as I do about Bri. In the games I've seen, Bri has shown me more than Key.
The only reason I'm not attempting to eviscerate my starting lineup is because this part of the blog was written several hours later, after the Jet game, and my spirits have been lifted. I'm still absolutely livid at how lackadaisical Shenneika Smith was on defense, and how off her shots were on offense. She sat out the third quarter of the game, not coming back in until the ten minute mark of the second half, and unlike Da'Shena, I can't think of any medical excuse she might have had to be held out, other than the same thing that might have happened to Da'Shena, and to many college students on the Saturday after a Friday night in New York City. I wasn't thrilled with Sky Lindsay's effort, either, and her shot selection was not what I would have liked out of a senior leader. On the other hand, that's more than I can say for Coco Hart, whose presence on the court was unnoticeable for long stretches punctuated by moments of complete stupidity. Nadirah McKenith, while she was working hard on the boards, wasn't able to run much else efficiently. Her defense was not what I have come to expect from her, either. While Eugeneia McPherson didn't have a great game, I can't fault her effort. I can never fault her effort.
Prettiest play of the game for St. John's was Nadirah's stutter-step/crossover/move that faked DePaul out of their collective sneakers and possibly socks. Again, that was in the first half and it all went downhill from there.
I'm not thrilled with Kim's coaching in this game, either. I can only assume she had to balance her starters' stupidity with the needs of her game plan, since she couldn't just sit them both. I might have switched Da'Shena and Shenneika, since it looked bad for Kim to have Day not starting after the big ceremony for her thousandth point. But she still does an excellent job of looking like she doesn't know her personnel and wants to keep running the same game plan that was in her head at the beginning of the game and not adjusting to things that happened in reality.
We had a very good crew today- Denise Brooks, Bob Trammell, and Kathy Lonergan- so I have fewer complaints about the officiating than I normally do. I forgot how personable Brooks was. That's one of the things I like about her, though; she knows how to be friendly to the folks she's officiating for without giving up her objectivity.
It looked like a much nicer crowd than it was; the official attendance said 844, but it looked like more. Of course, my perception of the sound is always biased because I sit next to the loudest guy in the arena, and I'm usually one of the loudest people there myself. Except, of course, when my team's failure is so epic and dismal that I just can't do it anymore and I sit and watch the game quietly, with occasional pointed comments. I hate getting to that point, you know.
So I'm looking forward to the UConn game less than I was before, because not only are we on a losing streak, UConn is going to be looking for someone they can take out their frustrations with Notre Dame on. And oh, look, an undersized opponent who can't take advantage of them in the post, who's playing on a floor that's nominally their home court but that UConn has experience with and will be more like a neutral site game, and isn't playing at their very best. We're gonna get cheesed.