All Systems Go as St. John's Throttles South Carolina

              

            Sure it's  seven games into the season and St. John's is working in 5 freshman. Not only that there are no upperclassmen in the current rotation. Each of those facts made the Red Storm's 89-65 win over South Carolina even more impressive than the one-sided score indicates. For a team that's played just 7 games together the roles the talented individuals on the team must play are coming into focus and all of them made key contributions in a big game before a crowd of just under 5,-000 at Carnesecca Arena.

            Unlike many teams, even teams with more experience together, St. John's already knows who their go to scorer is. D'angelo Harrison continued to play that role perfectly with an efficient 26 point effort on 8-13 shooting. While his effort showed off what his coach Steve Lavin called "an impressive (scoring) tool box"Harrison was quick to give credit to his teammates. "I made a couple of shots but I had so many easy layups It was me cutting and they found me and I made the layup," he said. "Anybody could have had 26 today."

            Harrison's modesty aside several of his teammates did lots of good things.    Phil Greene was efficient as well, scoring 13 points on 5-8 shooting while adding  4 assists. Amir Garrett was terrific off the bench with 15 points and 11 boards.  He has quietly established himself as the player for this team who's seemingly in the middle of every good run; getting key rebounds, making a key pass or getting a deflection on defense whatever's needed Garrett comes up with it. Players like him are euphemistically called "garbage guys" but they are essential to a winning effort. And when you add to those three elements the effective rim protection of Chris Obekpa, the improved shooting of JaKar Sampson and the high flying energy of Felix Balamou and the team has what Lavin called "some nice pieces" which are slowly being shaped into a team.. And while Lavin had good things to say about all who contributed he singled out Balamou as a guy who's shown the coaching staff more than they expected as he demonstrated both the athleticism people were aware he had and the ability to run the break and make decisions which they did not expect to be a part of his game so quickly. "That's what he does in practice every day." Lavin said.  "And that's how he's gone from being a redshirt (candidate) to 4 minutes to 12 to 22 and now a starter."  All of this is coming together even as St. John's must work in at least one more talented player (Jamal Branch) and perhaps two if the NCAA rules on his eligibility soon. So far the process has gone well thanks to both the coaching staff and a good group of young players.  It will be fascinating to see how a team that is young talented and unselfish can integrate two more guys one or two more new players. If they do so their chances for success in the Big East are that much better.

            With 13:34 left in the game junior guard Brenton Williams was fouled on a drive to the basket, fell awkwardly and sustained a neck injury. He was taken off the court on a backboard and his neck was immobilized by a brace. South Carolina's training staff told coach Frank Martin that Williams had never lost consciousness. And it was announced after the game that he had movement in both his upper and lower extremities and that he'd be allowed to return home with his team today.
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Winning Elements Travel Well For the Nets

                                    

            There are two oft repeated notions that pass for analysis these days in sports.  One says "defense travels well" and means that teams that defend well improve their chances of winning on the road significantly.  The other, most often applied to basketball says "the bench plays much better at home than on the road".

            Last night's 95-83 win by the Nets over the Celtics last night will almost certainly be best remembered for the brawl at the end of the second quarter that followed a hard Kris Humphries foul on Kevin Garnett.  Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo raced in and came to his teammate's defense hitting Humphries and pushing him into the stands under the basket.  Rondo and Humphries were ejected from the game as was Nets;' forward Gerald Wallace who got a second technical foul in the brawl after complaining to an official  moments earlier about a shot in the mouth that was not whistled.

            The fight was a sure sign of a couple of things. For openers it demonstrated that the Celtics, whom as Ian Eagle pointed out during the telecast, had no problem bullying the Nets when they struggled, did not respond well to being pushed back.  It's likely that Celtics coach Doc Rivers had that in mind when he called his team soft after the game.

            It's also an indication that after two years of having a transient roster, the Nets are a team that's together and playing for each other. That not only showed itself during the fight but during the game.

            The Nets followed their great home win against the Knicks with an even more impressive win at TD Garden. They led from wire to wire thanks to a team defensive effort that held the C's to 42% shooting and 1-7 shooting from three point distance.  They also out rebounded their hosts 50-40 and more than doubled their output on the offensive glass 17-8.

            While the wisdom that defense travels held true for the Nets, what the bench did in a huge game on the road flew in the face of convention. Andray Blatche stepped in for a foul plagued Brook Lopez and had 17 points as well as 13 boards while Reggie Evans, whose 33 minutes were at least partly the result of Humphries' ejection did his usual yeoman's work on the boards collecting 10 caroms.

            While the defense and the bench provided the main spark for a great effort, Joe Johnson's game which included 18 points and 6 assists was also essential in part because he became "Iso-Joe" when they needed him to be that guy.  In the 4th quarter when the Nets were trying to massage the shot clock on offense they were able to go to him at the end of it and he made great decisions that resulted in scores, assists or trips to the line. Deron Williams who had a modest statistical game was vital finding his back court partner in the right position and in getting everyone in position so the floor was spaced properly.

            Monday's win against the Knicks was surely a great one but last night's win may be a more certain sign that the Nets, in their new home Brooklyn, have indeed joined the battle for an Eastern Conference title. There's more work to do but the team has shown great talent and great chemistry.  Add a little fight to it and we may have something special.

Round One Goes to Brooklyn 96-89

                        

I must say I felt some consternation this afternoon when I heard one radio talker describe last night's game and the rivalry that may be developing between the Knicks and the Nets as ".....not like baseball (between the Yanks, Dodgers and Giants) in the 50's as if that immediately made it something less in comparison to those bygone days. People can minimize the impact all they want but this rivalry, with its roots in a very different Brooklyn, a very different Manhattan and a very different metro area will have a great place all its own in New York sports and especially when both teams are good as they are now, it will be a special place.

            How people feel about basketball in the city and the boroughs reflects how people identify themselves.  People identify themselves as "from Brooklyn, even though strictly speaking they're also New Yorkers. And for years, when the Knicks were the only pro game in town Brooklyn fans embraced them but the real basketball core of Brooklyn identified with guys from the borough they called home; with Connie Hawkins and Billy Cunningham years ago and with Chris Mullin more recently.

            Last night was the first time that  generations of Brooklyn fans who know the Dodgers and Jackie Robinson only as history to embrace a team of their own and because of basketball's place in Brooklyn it's only fitting that the major sports team that follows the Dodgers should be a basketball team. And while the Knicks' fans cheers definitely added to the energy in the new Barclay's Center, there was a solid contingent of Nets fans too. Some of them may be just sick of the Knicks ineptitude. After all, they haven't won a title since '73 and a fresh start may be what some fans are looking for. Other fans, who think they know a thing or two about hoops may like the Nets team better with its terrific center/point guar combination of Deron Williams and Brook Lopez and its second star in Joe Johnson.  One thing is for certain Brooklyn fans have quickly warmed up to both Reggie Evans and Gerald Wallace, two of the games best blue collar guys and agitators. It's no accident that a loud cheer went up as the Nets expanded their advantage in overtime and a frustrated Carmelo Anthony gave Wallace (who'd helped shut him down for much of crunch time after a 35 point performance in the game) was a great moment for the Nets and one that may indicate why the Nets may be ready to provide a difficult challenge for the Knicks at this point. Even though some of the Knicks' struggles can be chalked up to Jason Kidd's absence, there's little question that the Nets are more ready for playoff, and therefore championship basketball. Yes Joe Johnson needs to play better and yes they probably need to get Marsh on Brooks ready to be part of a playoff rotation but yesterday their grind it out style, the work of their blue collar guys, the lack of quit in Lopez who had a 22 point 11 rebound performance in a game where he would've quit last year when faced with Tyson Chandler's superb effort, are all indications that this rivalry and Brooklyn's new team have nothing but excitement ahead.

Opening Night in Brooklyn Finally Arrives

                                    

            But for hurricane Sandy this would have been the opener; certainly off Broadway but in a place no less important to the history of our nation, our city and the game of basketball..

            Both the Knicks and the Nets have played 12 games and while they do count in the standings they can easily be seen as dress rehearsals for a game between one team whose place in the city's sports fabric is established and one who had a smaller place in it on Long Island and in New Jersey but came to Brooklyn in  search of something bigger and better.  There's little question that the Barclay Center has helped the Nets gain some ground at the box office and the chants of Brook-lyn first heard in Atlantic City during a Nets pre-season game prove that while Brooklyn may have many Knick loyalists Kings County likes a team of its own.

       . Through 12 games, the Knicks have been a game better in the standings (9-3 vs. 8-4) but the Nets have played well and may be playing better at the moment. They are, after all coming off two wins against tough Western Conference foes while the Knicks, prior to yesterday's home win against Detroit suffered three losses in four games. And in those losses they have had deficiencies in athleticism (against Houston) and the ability to play a physical style (against Memphis) exposed. They have also reminded Knicks' fans in those games that there's a fine line between playing with an edge and losing your cool. That said there's a lot to like about these Knicks. Carmelo Anthony, media contrived Brooklyn citizenship aside has been spectacular and while he's been their best player Jason Kidd has been their most valuable one giving them two essential elements of winning basketball, defensive toughness and offensive unselfishness. .

            Like the Knicks, the Nets have demonstrated a winning combination of stars who have responded to the challenge of expectations and veteran tough guys who have reminded them of the "little things" that are essential to winning. Brook Lopez, who was nearly traded in the Dwightmare negotiations is playing better than he has at any time in his career, and after a poor game against Minnesota, a team with a similar sized center Nikola Pekovic he has bounced back with fine games against the athletic front lines of the Lakers (Howard and Gasol) and the Clippers (D'andre Jordan and Blake Griffin). It's worth noting that the Knicks' Tyson Chandler while not as athletic as those guys presents a similar challenge  and has had success controlling Lopez in the past. The Nets have moved Lopez around in the offense and that has clearly helped him. They need a big game from him against Chandler to  earn a win.

            The Nets other two stars Deron Williams and Joe Johnson have played well but inconsistently so far this season. Johnson's best games as a Net have been the last two so he may be just beginning to get comfortable. And while Williams has struggled shooting the ball he took over yesterday's game against Portland by being a playmaker. The Nets are clearly better when he's passing more and shooting less.

            Both teams are very deep as the Knicks minutemen can bring scoring in the form of JR Smith, a three point specialist in Steve Novak, heady playmaking in Pablo Prigioni and tough veteran size inside with Kurt Thomas and Rasheed Wallace.

            The Nets can nearly match that with scoring guard Marshon Brooks center Andray Blatche and the NBA's best back-up point guard C.J. Watson. The key to the Nets' bench however is Reggie Evans who has carved out a similar niche on the Nets to the one Paul Silas had on the Celtics teams that were the Knicks fiercest rivals in the 1970's. Since that reference is a bit old school I'll try and explain it briefly. Silas is one of the long line of great Celtic "sixth men" for the league's most successful franchise and the team that pioneered that role. Unlike many who came before and after him Silas provided that spark off the bench not by scoring but with rebounding and defense and he, just as Evans was in the wins against Portland and the Clippers, often found himself in the game during winning time in the game's closing moments. Even though he may not start a game for the Nets he is certainly a vital part of a winning effort.

            With or without the ancillary hype about things that have nothing to do with basketball (Jay-Z Dolan, Prokarov, celebrity row and provocative billboards) it figures to be a great opening night.  With a respectful nod to the team on the other side of the bridge that was the first sports team I followed growing up, Go Brooklyn.

           

Happy Thanksgiving To All, Manhattan Scores Wins Both on and off the Court Plus Other Notes and Observations

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            Let me begin this installment of my notes and observations by wishing everyone a belated Happy Thanksgiving and expressing the hope that it will be  the start of joyous holiday season for everyone.  College hoops are well underway and the early season games which, sometimes unfairly can have an effect on tournament seeding have been very competitive and fun. Glad to see the college basketball portion of the schedule at the Barclay's Center do so well since many of the hard core gym rats like yours truly who follow the college game as well as the pro game are influenced to do so by our Brooklyn roots.

Manhattan College wins on and off the Court  Manhattan College picked up their first won on Nov. 21 when they scored a 67-56 win over Hofstra in Riverdale. Not Coincidentally the game marked George Beamon's return to action and the former Roslyn High star kicked off what many believe can be a conference player of the year season for him in a big way scoring 29 points after missing the Jaspers first two games with a foot injury.  A pair of other New York high School stars also netted double figures as junior guard Mike Alvarado (All Hallows) scored 12 points while blue collar junior forward Rhamel Brown (Transit Tech) added 15 points on perfect 7-7 shooting from the floor, added 8 rebounds and did a great job patrolling the lane with two steals and 4 blocks.

            The Jaspers have also scored two important recruiting wins in recent weeks landing juco star Chris Thomas, a 6'5" scorer originally from Colorado playing at Chipola (Fla.) JC and Tyler Wilson, the speedy and tough minded guard who has manned the point for Cardinal Hayes High in the Bronx. The recruiting success underscores the good work done by head coach Steve Masiello and his staff which includes long time Rice mentor Rasheen Davis who has returned to the area after successful stints at Louisville, Pitt, and Xavier. Few New York based coaches can identify talent and have a better feel for players from our area than Mr. Davis, Manhattan is very lucky to have brought him home as they try to build their program for long term success in the MAAC.

Hofstra Struggles Early but has a Freshman Building Block. Coach Mo Cassera's Hofstra squad has gotten off to a 3-4 start including that loss to Manhattan as they integrate transfers Taran Buie  (Bishop Maginn in Albany via Penn State) and Shaquille Stokes (Lincoln in Brooklyn via Hawaii) into the lineup. But the future looks bright with those two players plus a guy who may be the most impactful freshman playing at a mid-major school in the metro area.  Jimmy Hall, the 6'7" Brooklyn native who starred for coach Bob Hurley at St. Anthony (NJ) High has been the Pride's best player, working his way into the starting lineup while averaging close to a double-double (12-7 ppg 9,4 rpg)

Ex Pine Bush Star Does "Early Work" for Wichita State We are happy to report that Cleanthony Early the 6'8" forward from Pine Bush High in Orange County (NY) has gotten off to a fast start at Wichita State.  He was long a favorite of ours when we saw him star on the summer circut for the B.C, Eagles where he quickly gained a reputation as one of the highest flyers and best dunkers in our region.  After a year at Notre Dame Prep (MA) and two more at Sullivan (NY) JC Early has averaged nearly 14 points and 7 boards per game for the Shockers and busted out with a 25 point 9 rebound effort against Big 10 rival Iowa as the Shockers beat the Hawkeyes in the finals of the Cancun Classic in Mexico on Wednesday

NY & NJ Stars Shine in Nutmeg State Rival Game.  Only in the zany world that is college basketball will you see a terrific in-state rivalry game happen and only be able to happen, off the U.S. mainland. That happened when  Connecticut powerhouse UConn met Quinnipiac in the Virgin Islands on Nov. 15th with the Huskies pulling out a 89-83 double overtime win.  A trio of local stars  Dave Johnson of St. Mark's (NJ) HS, Jamie Jackson St. Anthony's (NJ) HS and Evan Conti of Holy Cross (Queens) all played vital roles as the Bobcats from the Northeast Conference pushed their Big East rivals to the limit. For the Huskies another local star, Christ the King's Omar Calhoun had 15 points including two key plays down the stretch for a basket and free throws to help UConn hold off a great upset bid.

Sampson's Strong Second Half Lifts St. John's Past Holy Cross

            For the first 25 or so minutes of St. John's 65-53 win over Holy Cross home cooking did not taste so good for the Red Storm. While the Crusaders had nothing resembling the size and athleticism of the Baylor team that had beaten St. John's last Sunday they played St. John's even thanks mainly to execution and effort.

            The Crusaders' patient approach on offense seemingly frustrated St. John's as they hurt themselves the way young teams often do quick shots and lack of ball and player movement. A point guard with a familiar name to St. John's fans, Justin Burrell, helped his team successfully navigate St. John's changing defenses while center Dave Dudzinski never got above the rim but put St. John's big men on his back posting up for baskets.  He and Burrell each had a team high 12 points for Holy Cross.

            Since he struggled in the Red Storm's season opening win against Detroit Mercy. JaKarr Sampson has been the team's best frontcourt  player scoring 14 and 18 points  in losses to Baylor and Murray State. The improvement in his comfort level continued last night even in the first half as his team struggled. It was his jumper just before the halftime buzzer that tied the game at 30 at the intermission. The game went back and forth in the opening minutes of the second stanza until HarD'angelo Harrison gave St. John's a 38-37 with a three pointer from the right side.  Sampson then added 6 of his 20 points to spark a 9-2 run that helped the Red Storm put some distance between themselves and the visitors. Harrison added 17 points for the Johnnies while Phil Greene added 15 for St. John's. Head coach Steve Lavin praised the team's defensive effort in the final 20 minutes as an essential ingredient to the win.

            "We were tied together defensively with good communication that allowed us to pressure Holy Cross more effectively that allowed us to pressure Holy Cross more effectively and take away their air space," Lavin said.  That effort not only helped St. John's limit Holy Cross to 23 second half points but helped them slice what had been a substantial first half rebound margin in favor of Holy Cross. For the game Holy Cross outrebounded the Red Storm 35-31

            Once again both Chris Obekpa and Felix Balamou provided a spark off the bench with energy and toughness.  While the numbers, save for Obekpa's 6 blocks were modest they both appear to be rising steadily on the depth chart as St. John's gets ready for a Florida Gulf Coast team on Saturday that has already beaten ACC rival Miami and lost a tough well contested game at Duke. They'll need to be tied together defensively against a team that can shoot the three ball and moves the ball very well.

Another "What Now?" Moment For Big East Basketball Powers

              I suppose I should preface this by reminding people that Rutgers didn't add much to the Big East's basketball profile.  Even after Greg Schiano did perhaps the most thorough building (not re-building because they were never good in recent and long memory) in the country for their football program and even as C.Vivan Stringer re-vitalized the women's hoops program, men's basketball through a succession  of coaches could never crack the upper echelon of the basketball conference.

              Almost in spite of this their departure to the Big-10 is another in a long list of times where the basketball only powers that founded and drove the league's early success must look at the college sports world through a prism where football drives the bus. In the late 70's when Dave Gavitt conceived and put together the league, and in doing so beat Joe Paterno, who was the primary mover and shaker in eastern football as Gavitt had been in basketball, to the punch in forming a powerful league in his sport. He had an advantage because most schools in the late 70's the football programs that joined the Big East basketball league were at least content as independents even as they joined a conference for their basketball and non-revenue producing sports. Boston College and Syracuse joined the league at its inception and Pittsburgh joined a year later knowing that they would for the foreseeable future remain football independents and the result was the best basketball league in the country not named the NBA. It became a basketball league that helped its member schools expand their reach will beyond their geographical boarders not only with respect to basketball recruiting but with respect to admissions.  St. John's for example has been transformed from a "commuter school" into one that now houses a significant portion of its students.  Make no mistake the Big East's reach into homes via television has a great deal to do with that.

              The future that was foreseeable for administrators in the 80's and even the 90's is now the distant past.  Football's reach, while always bigger than basketball's has now seemingly overwhelmed it. It's football that has provided the springboard for both the SEC  the Big 10 and the Pac-12 to form their own television networks and not rely on outside networks like ESPN, and Fox  to produce games for television.

              The biggest slice of the basketball money pie remains the NCAA tournament which the NCAA itself and not the conferences control. And the Big East, the only one of the FBS conferences that includes non-football playing schools has been left behind both by conferences that have always had football not basketball as their flagship sport and by conferences like the ACC which was also founded as a hoops conference even though all the schools played major college football  The league has scrambled rudderlessly to maintain a football presence with a westward and southern expansion that includes mediocre football programs like UCF and South Florida a rebuilding program in both football and basketball (SMU) and a westward expansion with Boise State and San Diego State.  The net result seems to be that the schism between football and basketball schools will continue as evidenced by recent reports that both SDSU and Boise have made noises about returning to the Mountain West Conference.   The fact that Rutgers left after many had thought the winds of conference re-alignment had settled could mean that other schools, like established members Cincinnati and Louisville or new member Temple even could be looking for fiscally greener pastures for their football teams, or at least hold the threat of leaving over the basketball stalwarts. It's worth noting here that in the recent past the Big East provided fertile ground for schools like Miami  Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh to build basketball programs after football powers had long been established.  In the case of those two schools loyalty proved to be a nice but antiquated notion as they bolted along with founding member Boston College for the ACC thanks to the exponential growth and lore of football money

              With all this in mind the question must be asked: Is it really a good idea for the traditional Big East non-football schools to remain part of a league with football school? What may have been worth maintaining with geographical rivals like Syracuse may be less worth while playing SMU and South Florida. And if that's the case what should those schools do next.

              It has been suggested that those schools aggressively pursue new members and form what is essentially an expanded version of the old league which got into TV markets and produced such good basketball that the nation had to take notice.

              While there's no question that there are enough schools that compete in the basketball arms race of facilities and coaching to form such a league one wonders whether the schools in the Big East are in position to do so. While they seemingly sit idly by while the football mess sorts itself out, the stronger basketball first leagues have moved to expand their footprints. The Atlantic 10 with the additions of Butler and VCU is now arguably the strongest non FBS basketball league in the country and they  have gotten there by expanding their footprint southward with VCU and westward with Butler. If the Big East's catholic non-basketball membership thinks they can count on A-10 brethren like St. Joe's and Xavier to join a new league they may be in for a surprise.  Those schools will not be influenced by faith based connections but by the very secular promise of more money from improved television possibilities and (to a lesser extent) from improved attendance by geography based rivalries (St. Joe's-Nova or Marquette-Xavier to name just two)  There's a very real possibility that the time to form such a league is past and that the A-10's moves have closed the door on that possibility and if that is indeed what's happened the traditional Big East schools may find it impossible to keep the place they've earned through history as major players in college basketball. Last night's win by Georgetown against UCLA in Brooklyn was another in an endless list of examples where a proverbial "small Catholic School" has taken the fight to the one of college sports' big boys and won on the court. The battle those schools face now is one that will be waged across negotiating tables. They will need to strengthen old ties even as they forge new ones to stay financially competitive at the highest levels of basketball. I hope it's a fight those schools are willing and able to wage.

Harrison and Obekpa Come off the Bench to Key St. John's Win

     Sophomore guard D'Angelo Harrison and freshman forward Chris Obekpa started yesterday's game against Detroit Mercy on the bench thanks to decidedly different circumstances. They would both play vital parts in what would become a 77-74 win for St. John's.  For Harrison, concerns about his approach to practice and the game were put aside as he scored a game high 22 points and in the second 20 minutes lifted St. John's offense with just the right mix of aggressiveness to take the game over, and poise to make the right play even when someone else scored.

              The reason for Obekpa's early seat  on the bench was more typical. After all, the talented 6'9" freshman faced stiff competition for a starting position from classmates Jakar Sampson whose offensive repitoire is considered further along than Obekpa's and from Christian Jones, a less heralded prospect who has emerged quickly and shown a potentially lethal combination of strength and skill.

              Before a small but enthusiastic mid-day crowd that welcomed back St. John's greatest player Chris Mullin, as well as its former coach and fellow Marine Park resident Fran Fraschilla, the Titans were the first of the two teams to find its footing offensively. Behind veteran guards Ray McCallum and Jason Calliste they used a late rally to take a 37-29 lead at the intermission as tjey picked apart St. JJohn's man to man defense with penetration and ball movement. For St. John's even as Phil Greene kept the Red Storm within shouting distance with terrific shooting on the way to a career high 20 points, the lack of ball movement and balance appeared to be sure signs of trouble.

              In the second half it was Jones who provided the first  offensive push,  He found a cutting D'angelo Harrison with a perfect post pass for a basket, scored in close and made one of two free throws. Then it was Amir Garrett's turn to key an offensive spark. Coach Steve Lavin singled out Garret's "balanced floor game" and on offense that manifested itself in scoring not only with an improved jumper but by cutting and screening and effectively playing off guards Harrison and Greene.

              While McCollum and Calliste continued to hold St. John's at bay Obekpa helped keep them within striking distance with record setting basket protection (8 blocks) and terrific rebounding (12 boards)

              Harrison would provide the final push not only with his scoring but with his playmaking in addition to clutch shots he set up Garret for the two free throws that tied the game at 60 hit the jumper that gave St. John's its first lead of the second half 62-60 and after Detroit tied it again. he scored 5 consecutive points and assisted on a basket by Sir Dominic Pointer in a sequence that would give St. John's the lead for good.  In the final push Obekpa used his shooting touch to put a final exlamation point on his great effort, hitting a 15 foot jumper with 1:21 left to make the score 69-64 and hold the Titans at bay.

              St. John's will now play the College of Charleston on Thursday at 5pm. in the opening round of the Charleston Classic.

New York Connections Continue to Help Norfolk State Plus Other Notes and Observations

Perhaps no single player in last year's NCAA tournament had a more sudden and surprising impact than Kyle O'Quinn the former Campus Magnet star who led Norfolk State to a first round upset of Missouri.  With O'Quinn moved on to the Orlando Magic they figured to take a step back but instead kicked their season off with a win at Rhode Island, spoiling Danny Hurley's debut as Rams' coach  A pair of New York area players figured prominently in the win: Brandon Goode a junior center from James Monroe High in the Bronx picked up the slack in the paint left by O'Quinn's absence in the paint with 13 points and 13 rebounds.  On the perimeter former Xaverian standout Jamel Fuentes had a terrific all around game with 11 points 7 boards 5 assists and 2 steals. The Spartans, handled the Rams 67-55. In other news:

St. Peter's Upsets Rutgers  Former Archbishop Molloy HS and Upsala College standout John Dunne has quietly done (pun intended) a great coaching job in Jersey City, keeping them competitive in the MAAC and winning it two years ago. Like many successful mid major coaches he has done it with a veritable hodge podge of transfers and "diamonds in the rough. In Friday's win two local transfers, Blaise Ffrench of Holy Cross High in Queens contributed just 4 points but added 9 assists with just 3 turnovers to help set a slow and steady tempo that Rutgers never got comfortable with in the 56-52 loss to the Peacocks. That said don't think for a minute that St. Peter's stalwart defensive effort had was completely due to the slow pace. Few teams are better prepared defensively than Dunne's teams and on Friday they held Rutgers to just 36% shooting overall and 15% from 3 point distance. Offensively the Peacocks had 14 assists on their 22 field goals and just 9 turnovers.  All of that good work allowed them to overcome a 40-19 reboundhg def8c8t f9r a great win.

Padgett Plays Well in First "home" Game Former Lincoln High star James Padgett became the first Brooklyn native to play a college game in Brooklyn's new Barclay's Center.  The Maryland senior played well scoring 10 points and grabbing 5 boards in the Terps 72-69 loss to Kentucky.

Wright Stars in George Mason Upset of Virginia It was great to see that former Mt. Vernon star Sherod Wright finished with a team high 15 points as the Patriots beat the Cavs 63-59 . Wright  lost his sophomore season to a knee injury to years ago has battled back diligently and now as a redshirt junior appears poised for good things  Also in that game former Christ the King standout Corey Edwards, who had an injury plagued freshman season contributed 4 points and 2 assists in just 8 minutes.

Nets Complete Weekend Sweep  The Nets' weekend sweep of Orlando included a dominant win on Friday and a closer win at Barclay's center on Sunday. It was important for the Nets to get back on track following a bad loss to Minnesota and an expected loss at Miami but it remains worth remembering that especially without Jameer Nelson the Magic may be the league's worst offensive team. It's clear the Nets still have a ways to go before becoming a really good club.  While Padgett became the first local college guy to play at Barclay's Center former Forrest Hills High and St. John's standout Moe Harkless became the first local pro to do so. He struggled in limited minutes as he continues to work his way back following a sports hernia injury that caued him to miss much of the summer and pre-season.

D'antoni Takes Over as Coach of Lakers: Much of the chatter surrounding former Knicks' coach Mike D'antoni's appointment to that position with the Lakers has focused on the fact that he will be reunited with point guard Steve Nash, with whom he enjoyed his greatest coaching success with the Suns. That's both the easiest and most optimistic talking point for the Lakers. There are still some pressing questions even though the Lakers will almost certainly be more comfortable in the more quickly paced offense that D'antoni will install once he arrives.  Can the Lakers, led by Kobe Bryant be accountable defensively even as their new coach will not hold them to a very high standard?? The pick and roll/pick and pop style of offense will certainly help Nash, Bryant and Gasol but will it help the most important part of their future Dwight Howard??  Although his running is well suited for what they do his skill level may not be. And they may not be able to space the floor properly for the new offense with both Howard and Gasol on the floor together. Time will tell if this works but the feeling here is there's a greater chance fir failure than success

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Nets Hit Early Speed Bump in Loss to T-Wolves

                        

              Just when we thought the Nets transition to Brooklyn was going to be seamless save for the unveiling of a silly mascot that inspired an even sillier play on words (Brooklynknight) the County of Kings' first NBA team has met with some adversity and must try and shake it off tonight against the defending champion Heat in Miami.

              Letting a 22 point lead slip away was bad enough.  Giving up the games' final 11 points was worse.  Truth be told though the most troubling part of the T-Wolves 107-96 win is that almost despite an 80+ million dollar spending spree the weaknesses that showed themselves in the loss were familiar ones that Nets' fans saw all too frequently last season when Brooklyn was still New Jersey.             

              Once again, this year as last. the Nets were outrebounded 44-30. The Wolves took 14 more shots and had 9 more field goal makes. Brook Lopez got out quicked and out toughed by Wolves center Nikola Petrovic, who would have done even greater damage than his 21 [points and 9 boards were it not for early fouls.

              As poor as the numbers looked for Beooklyn the optics looked worse. Both Lopez and Kris Humphries were exposed as slow and Lopez showed again that he struggles when an opposing center can look him in the eye and move him off his spot. After 2-1/2 quarters of really good offense they went to nothing but isolations at the first sign of trouble and it backfired on them to the tune of a 32-10 fourth quarter.

              It's fair to say that the return of Gerald Wallace will fix some of what ails the Nets. He was their best player in the 4th quarter of their win over Toronto. Thanks in part to playing as a quick "4" rather than a power "3" But this injury may linger so the Nets will need to find a way to be quicker and more active especially on the boards. Lebron and the champs may be hard to get well against but in an Eastern Conference that figures to be tight, they'd better get well soon.

A Hidden Gem Shines For St. John's in Lavin's Return

              Perhaps the single biggest change that the internet age has wrought on college basketball is that it's now possible for gym rats everywhere to, in effect, cover every nook and cranny of recruiting from the comfort of his own home. Gone are the days for instance when North Carolina could recruit Michael Jordan without much competition until their own staff placed him at Five Star camp just to make sure he could play against the best in the country. These days thanks to the internet everyone knows everyone there are no secrets anymore.

              Last spring St. John's signing of Texas native Christian Jones was largely overlooked until the announcement. And then the chatter that followed on message boards and blogs wondered who he was "How come this guy isn't on any lists?" was a question that was posted over and over on St. John's blogs, rival team blogs and recruiting blogs all over the web.

              To be sure the lead story of the Red Storm's 73-55 exhibition win over Sanoma State Saturday was the return to the sidelines of Coach Lavin, who missed all but two games last season while he recovered from prostate cancer. it's also fair to say that two of Jones' freshman teammates nosier introductions to the fans at Carnesecca Arena than Jones did. Jakar Sampson, the fine forward from Akron who comes to Queens  already sporting a national reputation scored 14 points, tied Jones for team high rebounding honors with 7 and had 6 steals. Chris Obekpa, the shot blocking specialist who is known more locally than nationally because of his time at Our Savior New American School on Long Island, also made a loud first impression with 7 blocks officially and enough altered shots that St. John's should consider adding that category to the statistical totals it hands out after each game.

              Even as Obekpa Sampson and the rest of his teammates were exciting the crowd with explosive plays there was Jones whose presence may have been quieter but was still hard to miss. He hit the boards for 7 rebounds against a team that was shorter but stronger, he scored 8 points of his own and added 3 assists and 2 blocks. In 29 minutes he showed as much versatility as anyone on the floor for St. John's and the kind of rugged body and physical approach that will likely serve him well as he gets ready for college hoops.

              Coach Lavin was also impressed at how the game, "never really got too fast for him." And when asked to summarize how he found such an unheralded but talented recruit he told a story that was more likely to have been heard in the days before the internet.  It included "a guy from Detroit" who had seen the Texas native on the summer circuit and whet Lavin described as "six degrees of St. John's" that made the youngster curious about  the program. Those connections included a year with guard Phil Greene as his teammate at Florida's IMG Academy, an acquaintance with fellow Texas native D;angelo Harrison and the chance to meet former St. John's star Mo Harkless while he prepared for the draft at IMG. Jones game may be quiet and polished but his confidence and poise are outstanding. And the fact that he's taken Harkless' number 4 likely speaks to that confidence in addition to being a tribute to the  Orlando Magic rookie  For Lavin there's a moral to the story, as he put it "this is why I always tell my assistants to pick up the phone you never know what you might find." Indeed while an exhibition game is only a small and flawed sample, Jones showed enough poise strength and hoops IQ that there's a chance he may be a hidden gem. And just think, he was just a little luck and a phone call away.

News and Notes from Saturday: Four Johnnies, freshman Felix Balamou senior God'sgift Achiuwa along with junior college transfers Orlando Sanchez and  Marco Bourgault were held out of the game. Bourgault and Sanchez are reportedly awaiting decisions from the NCAA regarding separate eligibility issues while Achiuwa and Balamou are considering red-shirting this season. Lavin said they expected final determination on Sanchez and Bourgault to be made soon and that their status would be one of several considerations in the decision to redshirt Balamou and Achiuwa. Sophomores Phil Greene and Amir Garrett tied for game high scoring honors with 17 apiece