Thursday, January 31, 2013

St. John's Survives in OT Against DePaul 79-74


            Following last night's 79-74 win against DePaul in Queens late last night St. John's forward Jakarr Sampson, who combined with Sir^Dominic Pointer to score all 10 of the team's points in overtime, took a brief at what lay ahead for his team. He pointed to big games against Louisville and Syracuse as reasons why he came to St. John's, and was reminded gently but firmly that he had omitted the one coming first, Saturday against Georgetown.
            St. John's young players can be forgiven for looking ahead though, not just because they picked up their sixth league win and not just because they'd won their fifth straight.  Perhaps most significantly, even though they were playing at Carnesseca Arena, they won a game that had the "survive and advance" feeling of a march tournament game either at the Garden for the Big East or on the road for an NCAA tournament game.
            First and foremost St. John's survived a terrific effort by DePaul. Coach Steve Lavin said the Blue Deamons played "...as hard as any team we've faced this year including Georgetown which had us down by 26 at the Garden at one point". The Blue Deamons outrebounded St. John's 52-39 and were so aggressive in the game's opening moments that Lavin was compelled to call an early time out. The 1-5  Deamons came in with a chip on their shoulder following a loss to the Johnnies in Chicago 12 days ago and got strong individual performances from guard Brandon Young and swingman Jamie Crockett.
            The first half was tight until a late rally that included baskets by Harrison, Jamal Branch and Amir Garrett gave St. John's a  38-31 halftime lead. A Sampson dunk as the second half began extended that margin to 9 and appeared to give St. John's a comfortable margin.

            DePaul slowly but steadily chipped away at that margin over the next few minutes. Young who finished with a game high 21 points and Crockett  who finished with 15 provided much of the offense but DePaul also got key plays from Donovan Kirk inside and Charles McKinney driving to the basket. Young's triple tied the game for the 7th time at 65 with 4:30 left. Moments later, St. John's faced more trouble when Harrison fouled out with 3:45 left. The two free throws that followed gave DePaul a two point advantage.

            Pointer quickly erased that advantage with an offensive rebound and dunk  and after Crockett gave DePaul the lead again, Jamal Branch  made two free throws that tied the game at 69. St. John's nearly had a chance to win the game when Sampson was fouled apparently as the buzzer sounded. Lavin warned his team to be ready for overtime as the officials reviewed the video. His warnings proved prophetic but St. John's, save for Sampson did not seem ready for the extra 5 minutes.
            DePaul executed a perfect tip play to start the overtime and sent McKinney streaking to the basket for an apparent layup. But Sampson refused to give up on the play coming back "like Gotham City" as his coach said, to block the shot. When the ball deflected off McKinney and St. John's had possession, Branch missed two free throws and the game remained tied but on their next possession Pointer had another offensive board for a dunk to give St. John's a lead. Free throws by Cleveland Melvin tied it and a jumper by Young gave DePaul the lead again.  Baskets by Pointer and Sampson sandwiched around a Young free throw gave St. John's a 75-74 lead. Late free throws from Sampson who finished with 13 points combined with defensive stops to ice the game for the Johnnies.  Harrison had a team high 17 points and St. John's offset the rebounding margin by committing just 5 turnovers while DePaul had 18.
            In a league where things can change rapidly, St. John's appears to be on good footing as they get ready for the season's most difficult stretch. While, as Lavin suggests. "It's hard to take universal truths..." from good wins, it's also hard not to look ahead and wonder if a young St. John's team took its first steps toward March.

Monday, January 28, 2013

Clutch Down the Stretch Harrison Leads St. John's Past Seton Hall 71-67


            It's likely that fans of St. John's and Seton Hall, who've followed their teams all year knew going in that this would be a basketball example of the old boxing adage "styles make fights"  Not only was this a game between a Seton Hall team that was physical and tough inside against a St. John's team that was faster and more athletic, but the action got a bit chippy at times as the two teams seemed to fight as much for local bragging rights as for position in the Big East standings
            After all, the visitors from South Orange were playing the Red Storm at the Garden for the first time since 2006. And they did their best two establish bruising center Eugene Teague early.  The Vineland NJ native who transferred home from Southern Illinois helped the Pirates to an early five point advantage. But St. John's had an answer as they took advantage of a quickness mismatch with Jakarr Sampson in the key against Teague.  Sampson, who had a rocky beginning to both the season and Big East play has now become one of the young Johnnies steadiest performers and his first half play on the way to 19 points for the game helped St John's steady themselves and take a  38-33 advantage
            D'Angelo Harrison fed Sampson for a dunk to begin the second half and that began a 13-2 run that gave St. John's it's largest margin of 51-35 with just under 16 minutes  left. Harrison and Phil Greene who finished with 10 points provided the scoring punch and each assisted on jumpers by Sir^Dominic Pointer during the stretch, but as with a number of games this season the young Johnnies did not handle prosperity very well.
            With the help of some quick shots from St. John's the Pirates chipped away at the margin.  Teague posting and Fuqan Edwin slashing to the basket were the main parts of Seton Hall's offense and their work helped set up key treys from  Haralds Karlis and Aaron Crosby during the rally. Teague who would tie Harrison for game high scoring honors with 24 points made two free throws to cut the margin to just 60-59 with 4:22 left. Coach Steve Lavin called time out and reminded his team, that he said suddenly looked discouraged that "fellas we're still winning...." and that's when Harrison went to work and made sure St. John's would get their 4th straight win. He would score 10 of the Red Storm's final 12 points getting to the line and hitting on tough contested jumpers. The one other Johnnie to make a mark in the scoring column in those closing moments was Chris Obekpa, who used his perfect timing to tip in a crucial basket with 35 seconds left.
            "That's our captain stepping up," Pointer said of Harrison's performance. But that offensive effort doesn't result in a win without the team's ability to get defensive stops down the stretch.  With the win St. John's broke both a three game in season win streak for the Pirates and a three game streak against St. John's  for the Pirates. Both teams went to 13-7 overall while St. John's improved to 5-3 in league play. Seton Hall dropped to 2-5 in the Big East.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Farewell to an Amazing Basketball Friend




 Although Jerry Ingenito did most of his best work out of the spotlight, at St. Theresa's CYO program in Queens, as freshman coach at Christ the King, and as a men's assistant and women's head coach at Division II Queens College, it's worth remembering his one noteworthy television appearance. In 1990 CK's varsity went to Chicago to play the top ranked Martin Luther King Panthers out of that city's tough public league. They featured two 7-footers in Rashard Griffin and Thomas Hamilton plus McDonald's All-American Jamie Brandon. CK featured their superb backcourt of Derrick Phelps and Khalid Reeves and after a slow start Derrick with his defense and Khalid with his scoring took control of the game and lead the Royals on a furious rally. At the end of a time out Inge exhorted his guys. "They're choking!" he shouted repeatedly exhorting his guys to carry the rally to the finish and get a win.  Even though Christ the King fell short that day, viewers on what was then Sportschannel got a glimpse of his passion and enthusiasm for the game and for the kids he coached and loved.
          That glimpse of Jerry,who died last Monday at the age of 52, may have been a true indication of Inge's passion but to understand why he was such an important part of and beloved guy in New York City basketball for the past 30 years one needs to know first of all that he had enough of a sense of humor to laugh at the good natured ribbing from friends that inevitably followed that episode.  One also needed to see him at work with his teams.
          The record will say that Jerry's teams won 4 freshman titles at CK. What it won't say is that he did two things as well or better than any coach I've seen at any level.  He coached "motion" or continuity offense, helping kids develop the skills of passing and moving without the ball that not only helped them get ready for varsity play, but made them ready to learn new and different concepts that they'd see in college.  At a time when kids were just beginning to be identified as stars at too early an age Jerry insisted on unselfishness and at a time when many coaches were reluctant to stand their ground with star players Jerry always did. And any kid who realized that Jerry did that for their benefit was a better player and person for having had him as their coach. Many people, players and coaches alike, contributed to what was a great era of CK basketball there's little doubt who laid the foundation for that success; it was Jerry at freshman level.
          Jerry also had a great ability to teach guys who had grown tall early the basics of foot work. Recent articles about Jerry have mentioned Lamar Odom as one of the players he influenced but in my time knowing him Kevin Simmons was the guy who proved the best example of Jerry's work with "bigs" Kevin arrived at CK a 6'6" freshman with very little coaching and Jerry offered to do individual work with him after school and before practice. Jerry taught the basics of pivoting, balance and shooting and by the time the season began Kevin was ready to play and succeed against the best of a tough freshman league, and of course he went on to a college career at UC Irvine and UNLV.
          It was typical of Jerry that there was more to his coaching with Kevin than skill work. One day Kevin missed their work out, having to go home on a Friday. Jerry did not mind that he missed the work out but let Kevin know that he should've told him he had to miss that day. Kevin apologized and the lesson was learned; be on time, and if you have to miss the work explain why, not basketball skills but life skills.
          Even when diabetes took away the physical ability to coach teams, Jerry still found a way to help kids through basketball learning about basketball plyometrics and organizing workouts for both big men and perimeter guys. In recent days several current and former college players such as John Sikric of Queens, Blaise Ffrench of St. Peter's and Evan Conti of Quinnipiac have all spoken about how Jerry helped them with those sessions he often held at Cathedral High School in Queens.
          Jerry enjoyed the trappings of a great basketball life. He sat courtside often at St. John's and recently at Brooklyn Nets games. Those things, and his trips to Hawaii were things he enjoyed but they were indeed trappings of a life well live and one that touched many lives in a way that made them better people as well as better players.  So long Jerry, we'll remember you and miss you and love you always.



Monday, January 21, 2013

Three Point Barrage Lifts Stepinac to key Road Win


Junior guard Naim Thomas scored a game high 21 points and led a balanced effort that saw Stepinac connect on 14 three point tries and beat Xaverian 62-51 in Brooklyn yesterday.
            Seniors  Josh James and James Decker were the Crusaders' second high scorers with 9 points apiece and that's a tribute to the ball movement and open looks they got against a Xaverian defense that could not guard penetration and was constantly helping off shooters. James, who will play at Monmouth University next season was terrific making sure the right players got looks. James, Thomas Decker and guard Walter King shot and passed Stepinac to a 40-29 halftime advantage. Xaverian was able to rally with its offense in the second half and cut the lead to 5 with a little over two minutes left. But they could never get the key defensive stop they needed to sustain the rally.  And Stepinac did a terrific job keeping their poise and making the extra pass for an open look and a basket. They got a well earned road win as they come down the home stretch and head to the post season.

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Strong Second Half Helps Loughlin Bounce Back 70-58


              
          Loughlin's two stars, juniors Khadeem Carrington and Mike Williams scored 18 and 16 points respectively as Loughlin posted a strong 70-59 road win over Xaverian Friday.

          The Clippers started quickly behind sophomore Sayon Charles, who showed off his versatile scoring ability with outside shooting,, drives and putbacks.  His good work combined with outside shooting from Joe Della Russo and solid point guard play from Lamel Fason helped Xaverian to a 28-26 halftime advantage. While they did an excellent job getting out to Williams and taking away his trademark corner jumper in the first half, Carrington bounced back from a poor game Sunday at Molloy and used his slashing game to keep the Lions well within striking distance.
          To begin the second half Loughlin went to a small lineup to help spread the floor and the strategy worked in the best way possible for the Lions. It kept the Clippers' defense from shading toward Williams and the smooth shooting guard responded immediately to the extra room, hitting four triples in the third quarter.  He combined with Carrington and a couple of key baskets from Javion DeLaCruz to put Loughlin in control 48-39 after three quarters. The small lineup helped the Lions defensively as well as they guarded the Clippers much more effectively on the perimeter and posted a comfortable win. 

          For the Clippers Sayon Charles finished with 15 points while Faison added 11

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

St. John's "Man's Up and Trips No.20 Notre Dame 67-63


          A very young St. John's team made an adjustment that many veteran college teams would've had trouble with, and it got them a huge win not only for their resume, but for their confidence as well.

          Following a trouncing at the hands of Georgetown on Saturday and a narrow loss to Rutgers a week ago, Steve Lavin and the Red Storm returned to Madison Square Garden having put aside the zone defense they had played all season in favor of man-to man. That decision was made, according to Lavin, because the Johnnies were facing the Big East's top three point shooting team. And while there were some ugly early moments where they gave up layups because they could not help off Notre Dame's shooters, the strategy took away the Irish's best weapon, limiting them to just 9 tries from beyond the arc and one made field goal.
          St. John's got going offensively behind forward Jakarr Sampson who scored 14 of his 17 points in the opening 20m minutes. The Johnnies led by just one at the intermission and after a quick second half start by Notre Dame, they rallied behind D'Angelo Harrison Amir Garrett and Jamal Branch to take the game's first significant lead. Branch, who struggled to contain Irish floor general Eric Atkins' dribble penetration, had his second straight strong floor game offensively contributing 8 points one assist and just one turnover in 31 minutes of action. His pass to D'angelo Harrison gave him a great look at a three pointer that he made to give the Johnnies their biggest lead at 55-43 with 10:50 left in the game.
          Despite having their best weapon taken away Notre Dame had a run left in them. With St. John's working hard to take the three point shot away point guard Atkins led his team on an 18-4 run to take the lead at 61-59 with just under 4-1/2 minutes left. Branch and Notre Dame's  Jarien Greene traded baskets to make it 63-61 when Sampson passed to Harrison for a triple that gave St. John's the lead for good at 64-63 with 2-1/2 minutes left.  Harrison finished with just 8 points had what his coach called "the most mature game of his career" because not only did he not force action in the face of a low point total had 3 assists (all for dunks he pointed out) and after he gave his team the lead had a key block to prevent what would have been a go-ahead basket for the Irish, one of three for him for the game.  Following a Sampson free throw, the team's best shot blocker Chris Obekpa had one of his own to prevent a game tying basket and then Branch put the game away with two free throws to put the game on ice. Adkins scored a game high 21 points for Notre Dame in the loss while Phil Greene added 13 points and Amir Garrett 11 in the win for St. John's.
          The Red Storm will look to even their Big East record at 3-3 Saturday against DePaul.
         


Monday, January 14, 2013

Kozul and Cethoute Lift Molloy Over Loughlin


     The first quarter of Sunday's 95-78 win by Archbishop Molloy over Bishop Loughlin was a terrific individual battle between the Stanners' senior forward Marco Kozul and Loughlin's junior guard Mike Williams.
          Both players propelled their teams to quick offensives starts with the strengths of their respective games.  For Kozul, a long and tough 6'5" forward that meant taking his game inside and showing extended shooting range from the corners. For Williams that meant showing off his trademark deep corner three pointer,  and playing with his typical  energy and toughness.
          Kozul would narrowly win the individual first quarter battle and the Stanners had a 20=15 lead after one quarter. That's when Kozul and the Stanners got some help off the bench and effectively put the game out of the Lions' reach.
          Junior forward Jason Cethoute has been a steady contributor off the bench for Molloy all season.  And particularly over the last three games, wins over Holy Cross, Xaverian and Loughlin, fans watching closely could see his confidence and contribution to the team grow. In Sunday's game he put together a spectacular second quarter which helped Molloy expand their modest first quarter lead into a 48-29 halftime advantage.  From there, despite a terrific 30 point performance from Mike Williams and a strong second half from Khadeem Carrington Molloy held on for a convincing third straight win thanks to continued good work from their two forwards and strong floor games from guards C.J. Davis and Isaiah Tucker. Cethoute tied Williams for game high scoring honors with 30 points while Kouzl added 28 to go with 14 rebounds.  In addition to Williams' 30 points Carrington added 14 all in the second half for the Lions.
           

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Kozul Lifts Molloy Past Xaverian


         
         Marco Kozul poured in 32 points for the Stanners. His effort combined with several key plays down the stretch helped Molloy to a convincing 68-49 win over the Clippers yesterday.

         Following their terrific road win at Holy Cross on Friday the Stanners jumped out to an early lead behind Kozul who dominated the backboards against the young Clippers who were again hampered by early foul trouble for talented sophomore center Latek Lainey. Kozul's tough work under the basket was perfectly augmented by the passing and shooting of C.J. Davis and a terrific spark off the bench from senior reserve guard Isaiah Tucker whose shot making and playmaking were essential to the Stanners quick start.
         The Stanners extended a double digit halftime lead to as many as 17 points early in the third quarter.  Xaverian finally found their 3 point shooting stroke and with the help of key baskets by senior Joe Della Russo and soph Sayon Charles cut the lead to 7 in the final period. But after the Clippers secured a rebound and had a chance to slice the Stanners lead further, Davis made a huge steal and threw a perfect pass ahead for a basket.  From there the Stanners closed the deal, without the dramatic overtime they needed Friday against Holy Cross.
`                 Christ the King and Cardinal Hayes have been established as league favorites since the preseason. But in this league there is always a team or two laying in the weeds waiting to spring an upset. Molloy, with Kozul's toughness and motor combined with improving perimeter play may be one of those teams coming down the stretch and in the playoffs.



Monday, January 7, 2013

Severe and the Royals Come Home and Serve Notice vs, Xaveruan


     Thanks in large part to strong tournament showings in South Carolina and Massachusetts, Jon Severe, whose talent and toughness have long been appreciated in these parts is finally getting some long overdue national attention.  And as his star rises, the Royals are also ascending as a team.

          Yesterday, in the traditional Sunday afternoon tilt at Xaverian and with a visitor from Alabama in the house to see Severe, the Royals showed the home folks here in New York what the folks in South Carolina and Massachusetts got a glimpse of and throttled the Clippers 62-50.
          The Clippers got out of the gate quickly using their penetration and kick game to take an early 14-5 advantage.  And it wasn't Severe but smooth shooting reserve Isaiah Cothbert who got the Royals' offense  started with his three point shooting, and what Cothbert started Severe emphatically finished. His 17 first half points triggered a 32-8 Royals burst and sent them to the locker room at the intermission with a 15 point halftime advantage. While torching the nets for those first half points and 28 for the game Severe demonstrated all the things that make him a big time scorer and prospect; the explosion to the basket on a breakaway dunk, the easy lift on the jumper that helped him bury four first half triples and a tough contested one that helped end a Xaverian rally in the second half, and the efficiency that comes not only because of his great skill but because of his shot selection.
          While the Royals' inside trio of Maynard Grant, Adonis DelaRosa and Jordan Fuchs were fairly quiet offensively, they contributed to a great team effort on defense, taking away driving lanes and allowing their guards to stay on Xaverian's normally reliable shooters. The team effort led to a great win for the Royals, and served notice that their championship aspirations are well within reach.

Saturday, January 5, 2013

Molloy Needs OT to Hold Off Holy Cross 81-79




            It took a while for last night's Holy Cross-Molloy game to develop into a typical CHSAA "AA" league slugfest. But once it did the result was a tremendous effort from both sides and a precious road win for the Stanners.
            Chazz  Watler scored the last of his 29 points on a running one hander as time expired to give Molloy the win.  To their credit Holy Cross' defense did a good job riding Watler away from the basket.  To Watler's credit, despite the pressure,  he was able to ride up, square his shoulders and make a tough shot for the decisive basket.
            The play helped Molloy avoid what would have been a difficult loss because they had played so well on the road. An early third quarter basket by junior guard C.J. Davis gave Molloy a 16 point margin, as the playe of Watler, Davis and forward Marco Kozul seemingly put the Stanners in control.  Davis, with a coach from Davidson reportedly in to see him, played very well scoring 20 points and playing his usual solid floor game. Watler attacked the basket with his deceptive athleticism, while Kozul helped Molloy control the defensive glass while showing an improved outside shot. He added 21 points for the Stanners.
            Holy Cross would make a great run after Davis' basket. Senior wing man Akil Spurill and soph pointman Jermaine Bishop provided the outside spark to the offense while senor forwards Brian Wilson and Terrell Williams made plays around the basket to keep the rally going. Williams, who is one of the CHSAA's best glue guys had a team high 21 for the Knights while Jermaine Bishop added 16.  They lead by as many as 6 points during the final quarter before Molloy brought it back to force the overtime.  The extra stanze was nearly a reversal of the 4th quarter with Molloy grabbing the early lead before clutch baskets helped Cross and sloppy defense in the form of bad fouls set the stage for Watler's game winning play. With 2013 here and league play beginning in earnest, the CHSAA looks as rugged and copetitive as ever. It will be a great ride to March.
            

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Wishing Everyone a Happy New Year as an Season of Transition Unfolds Plus News and Notes


            First and foremost I want to wish whomever happens by my blog good but belated wishes for the Holiday Season and a Happy New Year.  The 2012 portion of the basketball season has been filled with off the court news thanks primarily to football driven conference re-alignment. As we enter 2013 that will continue to sort itself out on a local and national level. It effects local Big East schools such as Seton Hall and St. John's plus schools that have either already been or will be effected by the re-alignment of mid and low major conferences that will inevitably follow the shifting of the big boys.  If, for instance the "Catholic 7" are successful in luring Atlantic 10 powers such as Xavier and Dayton to a new league, that has consequences for A-10 member Fordham MACC and other conferences. Quinnipiac and Monmouth have already moved for example to the MAAC which effects locals Iona and Marist.  All this combined with the maneuverings of our pro teams and the high school season which is now in full swing as we get to January make for a basketball season that will be fun to watch and fun to cover.  I hope you will enjoy it with me as much as I know I will. Without further ado here is the first News and Notes edition of 2013.
Locals Open Big East Play Tonight In this evening's action Rutgers plays Syracuse , Seton Hall plays at DePaul and  St. John's plays at Villanova.  i can't help but think wistfully as the last year of what was a great league and a great happening for eastern hoops winds down.  Although I agree that the "Catholic 7" did the right thing by separating themselves from the remaining football schools, I'd feel a bit better if I heard something beyond rumor and gossip with respect to teams that might be joining the new league. As I have explained in greater detail in previous postings I am hoping for a basketball league that is a bit bigger than the current 7 teams but can go back to an old school approach where they play each other home and home during the regular season and still have enough games to schedule traditional rivals and tournament resume builders.
Knicks and Nets Stumble as New Year Begins The Nets suffered a crushing loss to San Antonio on New Year's Eve while the Knicks lost a close one to Portland at the Garden on New Year's Day. I must say for the Nets I can't help but wonder about the interest in Phil Jackson.  The team is talented but needs more, and one of the things it needs is young legs.  Hiring Jackson would almost certainly mean that player development will be of minimal importance to the Nets in the coming season and what could happen to the Nets is that even as they're capped out financially they could begin throwing good money after bad to get established players whose best days are behind them.  Please be careful, be smart and make sure you build a deep and balanced team Billy King. all of Brooklyn and indeed the Nation of Brooklyn which is spread throughout the country and the world wants to see you succeed. The Knicks and their fans must also be careful not to read too much into a loss to Portland in a game that marked the return of Damon Stoudamire to the lineup. Portland is the kind of team that can give them trouble because of their length, speedy point guard play and depth.  Damian Lillard is a clear front runner for Rookie of the Year honors and so this loss was more about getting beaten by a good club than it was about  any chemistry problems Stoudamire's presence in the lineup might cause.  Time will tell if the possible chemistry problems widely discussed in the media will become reality but more time is needed to know for sure
   
Local Hoops Lost And Found  From time to time when kids whom we've lost track of turn up on tv, on the internet or in box scores we will highlight them.  That happened twice recently; first when Joab Jerome, a former Xaverian player  who finished his career at Wheeler High in Georgia turned up in a Winthrop College box score with 16 points in an upset win over SEC rival Auburn. Jerome has steadily developed at Winthrop and now in this his junior year has become a starter and a steady performer for the   It happened again as I was watching old friend Max Good's Loyola Marymount play against an Ole Miss team that denatured  Derrlck Millinghaus formerly of Schenectady High. Following a year of prep basketball Millinghause is averaging just a shade under 7ppg for the Rebels.

Maine Central Institute Ends Post Grad Basketball I realize I am late reporting this story because it was announced last may but it is worth mentioning that the program my aforementioned friend Max Good built into a post graduate power at Maine Central Institute has ceased operation.  This is sad news for players who may have needed help with test scores or core requirements, and college coaches who wanted recruits to have a year of seasoning oerhaps playing their projected college position at the prep level.  MCI was a school that did things the right way and always maintained a great academic support staff to help the kids even as they changed coaches. Through the years many local kids including Erick Barkley (Christ the King/St, John's) Atim Browne (Cardinal Hayes/Lamar University) Lewellen Cole (Manhattan native and Providence College) Jamie Peterson (LaSalle High and Pittsburgh) and many many others played for the Huskies and most importantly got the help they needed in meeting the academic requirements for an athletic scholarship.  From top to bottom the school did a wonderful job helping many many kids.  The Huskies were an important part of the hoops scene for many years and will be sorely missed.