Happy Thanksgiving Plus News and Notes

Local Stars Shine as Vermont Nearly Upsets Duke Before losing 91-90  Had they completed what was a brilliantly executed and selfless effort against the Blue Devils the Catamounts would have been the first non-conference team since St.John's in 2000 to win a game at Cameron Indoor Stadium. People will remember the core of that St. John's team consisted of local stars such as Anthony Glover (Rice HS) Erick Barkley (Christ the King) and Reggie Jessie (Loughlin) along with Georgia native and New York Panthers standout Lavar Postell. The 2013-14 Catamounts feature a pair of local stars  both well prepared at Iona Prep by their outstanding coach Vic Quirolo.  Forward Brian Voelkel  and guard Sandro Carissimo each helped their team skillfully move the ball and score against Duke's defense. Volekel scored just six points but helped initiate offense with his familiar high post passing game. Carissimo finished with 16 points while both players had 9 assists while committing just one turnover between them.  The Catamounts will need to win the America East tournament for an NCAA invite but if they get their they will be a scary team for a top seed to play in the opening round of the NCAA.

St. John's Pulls Away From Longwood 65-47 St. John's continued what has been a bad trend for them starting slowly before pulling away. Longwood scored the game's first 7 points and trailed by just 27-23 at halftime. St. John's rallied behind D'angelo Harrison's 18 points in a game that coach Steve Lavin politely described as "disjointed" for both offenses. Longwood got nice contributions from a pair of local stars as Lucas Woodhouse (Harboorfields HS) who finished with 10 points and 3 assists. Jeylani Dublin, a Brooklyn native who played at Millbrook (NY) Prep finished with a team high 16 points. St. John's next plays Penn State on Friday at the Barclay Center classic in Brooklyn as the step up in competition begins. St.John's has tied its school record of 13 blocks in each of its last three games and they will need that to translate against a better level of athlete and team they'll see now and in conference play. I am one who thinks that the blocks are. to some extent eye wash for bad defense and these next few games will tell us if that's true.

Meanwhile in Riverdale...  Two local teams with rosters full of local players  waged a great "Battle of the Bronx" as Fordham won at Manhattan 79-75. The Rams' win was especially impressive against the MAAC Conference favorite Jaspers because they did it without junior Bryan Smith (Midwood HS) who sat out his second straight game with an ankle injury. In Tom Pecora's 4-guard offense Smith had evolved into the guy who hid many of the lineups warts with his ability to garner tough rebounds and defend. While big men Ryan Rhoomes (Cardozo HS) and Trey Leonard were stalwarts under the basket last night they will need Bryan's energy and toughness to continue to make progress because he compliments the explosive ability of basketball's answer to the Dallas Cowboys "triplets" of Jon Severe, Brandon Fraser and Mandell Thomas. Freshman Severe (CTK) scored a game high 30 points while Fraser  (Loughlin) added 21. For Manhattan senior George Beamon (Roslyn HS LI ) finished with 21 points and 11 boards.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone To all fellow self-appointed basketball experts, gym rats an anyone who just loves New York Hoops, Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Enjoy the food and the chance to visit with family both immediate and extended. You will be hearing from me soon and till then please take care and God Bless all of you.

With Jordan Out Three of a Kind Just Enough for St. John's

              Almost despite all the analysis, statistical and otherwise , that seems to go into every game these days, sometimes games boil down to the notion most often found in baseball about being due.

              That may have happened to St. John's as they got just enough from three point land to stave off an upset bid by a young Monmouth squad 64-54. They did it despite missing highly touted freshman Rysheed Jordan, who served what was termed a "disciplinary suspension"

              To be sure one of the elements that made the Bucknell game a difficult and ultimately well earned win was missing; experience. Monmouth's roster, by contrast features 7 freshman and nearly exclusively young players. several of whom have local ties and several of them had good moments as they went toe-to toe with the area's most storied basketball program.  Upstate NY's Justin Robinson led Monmouth with 15 points and a nice floor game while former local standouts Tyrone O'Garro (St. Peter's Prep NJ) and Josh James (Stepinac) each continued to attack the basket even as St. John's set a school record by blocking 15 shots.

              "Hats off to Monmouth for competing and giving themselves a chance to win at the defensive end of the floor", St. John's coach Steve Lavin said. Monmouth's effort defensively was complimented by their coach King Rice's ability to change defenses and keep St. John's off stride just enough to help his team hang around and force the Red Storm to turn to an area where they've struggled all season; three point shooting.

              The Johnnies entered the game shooting just 15% from three point distance. Last night the percentage was more than double that at 38% but th4y came at key times, especially from D'angelo Harrison. His two triples in the last  4:07 provided St. John's with its first working margin of the game and a third trifecta with 1:04 left which capped off a great night for Phil Greene effectively iced the game for St. John's. "We don't win the game without those 3's." Lavin said.

              Greene finished with 22 points and 8 rebounds, while Harrison and Jakar Sampson added 15 and 14 for St. John's which plays Longwood College at 7 pm on Tuesday.

St. John's Finds its Zone and Greene Finds the Range for a 67-63 Win Over Bucknell

              For a team like St. John's scheduling a team like Bucnell brings with it a stark set of pros and cons. On the one hand coach Steve Lavin would like to challenge his team against Dave Paulsen's Bison who are not only experienced but tournament tested as he three time Patriot League champions. The pitfall is s possible loss to a team from a one bid league that hoops insiders may know is very good but  the general public may not see that way.

              For much of the first half it looked as though St. John's was headed for that proverbial "bad loss" as Bucknell used its wide open but patient style to spread St. John's out and create driving lanes to the basket. Senior  guard Cameron Ayers started quickly on his way to a career high points 26 points while junior guard Steven Kaspar ran the show nearly flawlessly.  St. John's got enough done offensively, thanks in part to some good early work by freshman Rysheed Jordan so, that they trailed by  just 35-32 at the intermission.

              Bucknell quickly bumped that margin back to 9 points with a 6-0 burst out of the locker room and maintained a working  margin until the Red Storm employed the zone that they've used often and effectively through Lavin's first three seasons. It helped them all but shut down Bucknell's dribble penetration and, kept their big men in the paint where as coach Lavin said they were "like hockey goalies" protecting the rim. The Red Storm combined for 13 blocks while Chris Obekpa , the nation's leading shot blocker last year had 7.

              Once they found their zone on defense St. John's would then find the mark on offense.  Entering the game they had made just 2-23 triples. And while Jordan would make one early it was Phil Greene IV who would ultimately find the range and lift St. John's offensively. Greene who finished with a team high 16 points, hit consecutive 3 pointers on great feeds from Orlando Sanchez and D'angelo Harrison to give the Johnnies a 46-45 lead with just over 12 minutes left. Following a tip in by former Gil St. Bernard standout Dom Hoffman that gave Bucknell a brief lead Harrison hit a clutch trey to halt any momentum swing. St. John's took the lead for good at52-51 when Sanchez fed Obekpa for a dunk  with just under 9 minutes left.  The spurt that secured the win included another triple from Harrison and a dunk by Sir Dominic Pointer who contributed his usual energy and a team high 6 assists.

              St. John's faces newly minted MAAC foe Monmouth on Saturday at 9 pm and should do so filled with confidence thanks to a win against a veteran team that is tournament tested and tournament tough.

              

Hoops Roundup: Nets Woes, And some college hoops news and notes

Nets Lose to Blazers 108-98 and drop to 3-7: Sure they played without the two guys who are supposed to be the core of their team, Brook Lopez and Deron Williams.  And sure they are an aging team that is still rounding into collective shape but the signs are still troublesome. Once you sift through all the injuries matchups and other game specific  situations, the Trail Blazers were simply another team like Cleveland and Sacramento who may not be better than the Nets on paper but were able to beat them with speed and quickness.  All game long the Nets' defense could not defend  the penetration of rookie of the year Damian  Lillard who simply got anywhere he wanted to go any time he wanted and set up smooth shooting forward LeMarcus Aldridge and three point marksman Wes Matthews for 27 and 24 points respectively. The Nets should be at least concerned that the early losses are indicative of a larger problem than just injuries and key players missing large chunks of training camp.  Time and again fans heard that the team was built to be deep and protect against the age of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. So far at least, Net fans are finding out what Yankees' fans learned watching last year's team. When you replace old guys with other old guys you ask for trouble. Whether it's Kevin Youkilis being brought in to protect  A-Rod or Andrei Kirilenko being brought in to protect Pierce and Joe Johnson age makes all predictions tenuous. As a Nets fan I hope for the injuries to heal and for the Nets to find their footing but even though it's just 10 games in I wonder and worry if that's possible.

St. Francis of Brooklyn Takes two in Florida and Nearly Upsets Syracuse: One team in Brooklyn that's been a nice surprise is coach Glen Braica's St. Francis Terriers. They opened the season springing upset wins over ACC foe Miami and Conference USA rival Florida Atlantic, coached by former St. John's mentor Mike  Jarvis.  Following a tough loss at Dayton they nearly pulled off the season's biggest upset, leading for much of the game at the Carrier Dome before losing 56-50. Delaware native Jalen Cannon has led the way for the Terriers but a pair of ex-New York schoolboy stars have pitched in well. Anthony White, the sturdy 6'4" guard from William Floyd HS on Long Island has provided both a steady hand and good shooting while tough forward Wayne Martin, who starred at South Shore HS, has provided an inside presence the team has sorely needed. Against the 'cuse Martin repeatedly exploited the middle of their vaunted zone defense and provided the kind of scoring and playmaking option that an NEC team typically will just not have against a team from the ACC. If the Terriers can continue to improve while  LIU Brooklyn maintains its place at the top of the league, the Battle of Brooklyn could well be for much more than bragging rights. The two teams could be playing for a spot in the NCAA tournament.

Fordham Starts Quickly as Well: Fordham has sandwiched wins over St. Francis (Pa) and Lehigh around a loss to Syracuse to begin the season and a pair of star New York guards have led the way. Senior Brandon  Fraser (Bishop Loughlin) and highly touted freshman Jon Severe (Christ the King) have provided much of the scoring punch along with sophomore, and Rochester NY  native Mandel Thomas. Former Cardozo star Ryan Rhoomes, appears to have settled into a nice role patrolling the paint for the Rams. The two wins combined with the signature of superb forward and Dobbs Ferry native Eric Paschal could signal that Tom Pecora's program has turned a proverbial corner. And just as he did at Hofstra, he has laid a foundation of tough New York kids. Progress is coming slowly but it's coming for sure.

Creighton Looks Like the Best of the New Big East Time will tell whether the Blue Jays quick start will hold up in the new league where very good teams will play each other home and home during the regular season.  That said they have all the ingredients to win this or any other league. National Player of the Year candidate Doug McDermott is the unquestioned go-to-guy but he's surrounded by a group of tested and tough minded teammates that include perhaps the nation's best "glue guy" in forward Grant Gibbs and former St. Ray's star Devin Brooks. The 6'2" guard, who came to Creighton via Iowa Western Junior College has fit in well with a team that has played many games together while adding a dose of speed and quickness off the bench that they don't get from anyone else. He scored 16 points in the Jays impressive 83-78 win at St. Joseph's. Another local star freshman Deandre Bembry (The Patrick School) scored 20 for St. Joe's.

Harrison and Sampson Lead St. John's 73-57

              Ultimately St. John's bounced back nicely from their season opening loss to Wisconsin. The 73-57 margin by which they beat Wagner out of the Northeast Conference is deceiving. The game saw the Red Storm sprint to an early lead thanks to their transition game as a team and the individual play of the guys who figure to be their top two scorers all season long; D'angelo Harrison and Jakar Sampson. They combined with some good early moments from Orlando Sanchez and a strong effort off the bench from Jamal Branch to give St. John's  to a seemingly comfortable 36-22 halftime advantage.  Head Coach Steve Lavin noted that his  team  did a better job defensively than they had in Friday's loss even as he acknowledged that said progress was incremental.

"....we were better on the defensive end of the floor tonight", Lavin said. The most telling statistical sign of that improved defense may have been in their limiting of the Seahawks to just 9 free throws, thus playing that good "D" without fouling. Even as Wagner rallied to cut the deficit to as few as six points behind their two small but sturdy senior guards Latief Rivers and Kenneth Ortiz the Red Storm was able to find answers. And even though their three point shooting abandoned them (0-10) they found efficient offense in the paint and especially at the free throw line where the Red Storm shot a combined 29-36 including 11-11 from Harrison.

              Harrison led the winners with 25 points while Sampson added 13. Rivers led Wagner with 18 points while Valparaiso transfer Jay Harris added 14.

     St. John's, which evened its record to 1-1 continues its home non conference schedule Tuesday November 19th against defending Patriot League champions Bucknell

              

A Slow Start And Three Point Shooting Doom St.John's in Opener 86-75

o            In fairness to a St. John's team that will spend much of the early season sorting out roles and other issues around that elusive basketball ingredient called chemistry, Wisconsin. a team that's always hard to play is especially tough to face in your season opener. Playing in Sioux Falls South Dakota St. John's took a while to find its stride and the Badgers seemingly took advantage of every defensive error .While their pace may have been quicker than what fans are accustomed to from Bo Ryan's teams, the ball reversal spacing and shot making were as per usual for the Badgers, very good.

              St. john's would trail by as many as 18 points as they searched for rhythm, and cut the deficit to 35-23 at halftime. From there they made several attempts to climb out of the hole they dug and several players had good moments.  D'angelo Harrison and Jakar Sampson each found their scoring touch. Harrison finished with a game high 27 points while Sampson added 21.  Together with Orlando Sanchez, who looked comfortable offensively but had his minutes limited by foul problems, and Rysheed Jordan who did his best work in the second half, St. John's cut the deficit to as little as 4 with 7 minutes and change to go. Sanchez had one play in particular where he grabbed a rebound, pushed the ball up himself and fed Sampson for a dunk. Jordan, who settled in nicely during the second 20 minutes, provided consecutive old school three point plays; one where he scored himself and another where he fed Sampson on a cut to the middle of the lane for a short jumper.

              Each time St. John's tried to rally Wisconsin had an answer.  And primarily it was from beyond the arc, where they outscored the Red Storm 33-6.  After St. John's cut the deficit to 4 Badger forwards Sam  Dekker and Josh Gasser responded with consecutive triples to help keep a determined St. John's team at arm's length. Gasser finished with 19 points while Gasser added 26 to lead 5 Badgers in double figures.

              St. John's will look to bounce back when they  come home Friday Nov 15th to face Wagner.          

Local NBA Recap Nets Cruise; Chandler Hurt as local Stars Hang Tough Loss on Knicks

   

On the heels of difficult losses Sunday the Knicks and Nets looked to regain their footing on Tuesday.Playing at Barclay's the Nets succeeded famously as they rode Brook Lopez' 27 point effort to a 104-88 win over Utah. Meanwhile at the self proclaimed Mecca of basketball, you know the one that hasn't seen an NBA title in 40 years, the Knicks not only lost to the Bobcats 102-97, and gave Charlotte their first road win in 17 starts, but they had their effort to bounce back from Sunday thwarted by two local stars, Kemba Walker of Rice High in Manhattan and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist of St. Patrick's High in Elizabeth New Jersey.

      . While scoring 25 points and tallying 6 assists and 5 boards, Walker was first able to help the Bobcats sprint out of the starting gate to a 64-54 halftime lead.  And then, after leaving the game in the third period following a collision where he hurt his shoulder, he provided a key basket to help stave off the Knicks; a tough fade away jumper over the outstretched Kenyon Martin. The play where Walker collided with Tyson Chandler brought potential devastating news for the Knicks this morning. Chandler suffered a non-displaced fracture of his right fibula and could be out from 4-6 weeks. Prior to his exit Chandler was playing well while anchoring an otherwise porous Knicks' defense. Time and again Walker and the Hornets beat the Knicks off the dribble and when they weren't scoring or assisting that's when Charlotte's frontcourt, and Kidd-Gilchrist in particular, went to work.

              Putting together a stat line reminiscent of his NCAA title run at Kentucky Gilchrist finished with 16 points on 5-7 shooting from the floor, 8 boards a steal and three blocks. And while those stats indicate lots of good work on Michael's part they tell only a small part of his contribution to the win. His most important work was done guarding Carmelo Anthony, who scored 28 points but thanks to Gilchrist's diligent work needed 32 shots to get them. He made just 10 of those field goal tries. And at the game's end which is known in the NBA as "winning time" Gilchrest effectively took away Carmelo as the Knicks go to option while his team still had theirs. While Mike put the clamps on number 7 the Knicks had no answer for number 15 who kept the Knicks at bay with drives and clutch scoring as they rallied.

              Those of us who were lucky enough to see Mike and Kemba play as school boys know that even at a young age they were all about winning. For the Bobcats that means that they can be trusted to compete hard as they add pieces in the hope of building a winner. In this win, they exposed Knicks' flaws on defense with their quickness and perhaps the lack of a second option beyond Anthony.  But last night the biggest difference between the two teams was competitiveness. Charlotte simply wanted everything; loose balls, rebounds and ultimately the game a little bit more. And they no doubt drew that extra edge from their two local stars Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Kemba Walker.

Nets-Heat Postscript and a Brief Look Ahead

              If their season opening loss was to Cleveland  an example of what could go wrong for the Nets, Friday's win over the defending champs was an example of how it could be special. Paul Pierce for all the consternation about his age, looked like a go-to guy not only on offense with 19 points but on defense guarding LeBron in the game's key moments. The bench built by Billy King was a huge factor as well. Much was made in the post game discussion that six Nets had played nearly 20 minutes but the most important bench time may have been the 11 and change played by Andrei Kirilenko, who gave the Nets a greater opportunity to switch on LeBron and Wade playing power forward and gave the Nets offense a boost with his passing and movement without the ball. The defensive versatility provided by Kirilenkko and Allen Anderson, whose plus minus number (-14) might not look good but who made many heady plays and several key baskets, is what gives the Nets the ability to adjust when teams try and counter their size with a smaller and quicker lineup. More good news from the bench came in the person of Andray Blarche who overcame a difficult first five quarters of the season  to give the Nets the kind of production and mobility at center they will need from him throughout the season. Tonight against Orlando thy face a team that's very much like the Cleveland club that beat them to open the season. While they don't have a guy that can match Kyrie Irving's penetration and passing the Magic have a roster full of terrific young athletes and a heavy New York area presence that includes starting forward Moe Harkless (Forrest Hills HS and St. John's) along with reserves Kyle O'Quiinn (Campus Magnet) Tobias Harris (Half Hollow Hills West) and Doron Lamb (Bishop Loughlin). The Nets will find, as they did against the Cabs, a road test against a team that is improving steadily.