With half of the America East conference schedule finished – eight teams played their eighth league game last night – now is the perfect time to break out some tempo-free numbers. Continue reading “Tempo-Free America East: Vermont Leads the Way”
After taking a road trip to Connecticut and a long first week of basketball, here are some extra thoughts on the two conferences I cover for Big Apple Buckets, the MAAC and the America East. In addition, Ryan Peters shared his thoughts on UMBC, who stunned Mount St. Mary’s on Sunday afternoon with a come from behind victory. Continue reading “Weekend MAAC and America East Observations”
After a challenging start to the season that included West Virginia, Villanova and BYU, all teams in Ken Pomeroy’s top 80, it was business as usual for Mount St. Mary’s, at least in the early going. Despite only having nine scholarship players on the roster for the remainder of the season, Mount Mayhem was in full effect.
Their up-tempo and frenetic pressing scheme was a shock to UMBC’s system, as the Mount raced out to a 19-6 lead after eight minutes and maintained that lead into halftime. With half of the game in the books, the Mount had forced 11 UMBC turnovers and scored 15 points off those Retriever miscues, while draining 62% of their shots. The team showed little effect after having to play BYU in Utah less than 48 hours prior.
The momentum carried into the second half, and after a three-pointer by Rashad Whack extended the lead to 23 points with 14 minutes left, it appeared all but over. This was, after all, a UMBC team that has struggled to shoot the basketball and had just suffered a heartbreaking overtime loss at American. One of the youngest teams in the nation would surely concede victory to their veteran opponents, right?
Not exactly. Foul trouble and tired legs began to infect the Mount’s resolve. An inexperienced, yet feisty UMBC group, led by promising freshman point guard Rodney Elliott, slowly began to carve the lead down. The resurgence was partially due to a flurry of second chance opportunities on the offensive glass. For the game, UMBC won the rebounding margin by an astounding 20 rebounds. A 20 to 2 edge on the offensive glass led to 19 second chance points for UMBC (versus only 1 point for Mount St. Mary’s), and kept UMBC alive.
“That was a key to us in the game and we did a much better job attacking the glass in the second half,” said UMBC head coach Aki Thomas, now in his second season. “I think with the athletes we have and the rebounding nature of (players like Houston, Plummer, Taylor, etc.), that’s something we can hang our hats on every night and get us some second chance points and make teams foul us.”
With the Mount’s big men, particularly Kristijan Krajina and Taylor Danaher, in serious foul trouble late, UMBC held a distinctive size and athleticism advantage in the frontcourt. The Mount didn’t have an answer for UMBC forward Devarick Houston, who tallied 11 points and a career high 14 rebounds. He, along with freshman Charles Taylor, Jr. (17 points, 7 rebounds), terrorized the Mount late with their jaw dropping athleticism and never-say-die attitude down low.
In addition, Thomas and his staff adjusted to the Mount’s attacking style by putting more ball handlers on the floor. Throughout most of the second half, Elliott, Joey Getz, and Aaron Morgan made up a three guard rotation capable of breaking the press.
Thanks to the rebounding edge and the aforementioned adjustment, UMBC outscored the Mount 37-14 in the final 14 minutes to improbably send the game into overtime. The comeback didn’t seem possible, but an acrobatic layup by Getz in the final 10 seconds of regulation sent the UMBC crowd – mostly quiet during much of the game – into an absolute frenzy. Elliott’s seven points after the last media timeout certainly was critical.
In the extra frame, a short-handed and tired Mount bunch couldn’t keep up with the now rejuvenated players of UMBC. It was one of the more impressive, catch-your-breath type of comebacks, but Thomas remains focused on getting his team to play a complete game.
“The bottom line is we have to figure out how to put together two halves,” said Thomas. “And I think we have a really good team brewing.”
Julian Norfleet led the Mount with 28 points and six assists. Rashad Whack broke out of his shooting slump to score 20 on only 11 shots. Their efforts weren’t enough to carry the Mount, however, yet head coach Jamion Christian isn’t using the short turnaround time as an excuse for his team’s poor play late.
“I don’t think fatigue was an issue at all. We’re very well conditioned.”
Added Christian, “For 32 minutes we were probably the best team in the league. That’s where we are, and that’s where you have to base yourself at. And so you say, ‘hey we have to find a way to get eight more minutes.’ For 32 minutes I don’t think anyone thought about the travel (from BYU on Friday night). We’re a mentally tough team, a physically tough team, and we’re going to find a way at the end.”
Still, it has to be somewhat concerning for the defiant Christian that the Mount’s roster depth is dangerously thin at the moment. There have been some positive moments from freshmen Bryon Ashe, Khalid Nwandu, and Will Miller, but asking them to produce on a consistent basis isn’t terribly ideal.
Will the depleted depth force Christian to alter his pressing, up-tempo style down the road?
“We’re going to continue to play that way and then we can always back off and play a little zone,” answered Christian. “Our nature of our team is to attack and stay aggressive, and we’re going to continue to do that.”
You can follow Ryan on Twitter @pioneer_pride
Coaching near the bottom of the Division I is tough and the rankings for America East prove exactly that fact. There are probably three or four jobs in the conference where a head coach can make a name and move up towards a brighter future. Continue reading “Ranking Coaching Positions in America East”
As winners of four of their last seven games heading into last night’s conference matchup, the UMBC Retrievers had a chance to make a little history. With a victory over Albany, UMBC would have won five of their first ten America East games for the first time since the 2007-08 season, a season in which the Retrievers last qualified for the NCAA tournament.
Instead, Albany stormed into Catonsville, MD and blew out UMBC, holding Aki Thomas’ group to 0.81 points per possession and 35.6% shooting. It was the worst home loss for UMBC in more than a year, when the Catamounts of Vermont came in and dominated the hapless Retrievers last January.
“They kept us from running our sets effectively, they kept us from moving the ball,” said Thomas. “We really try to spread teams out and move the ball and they did a good job of keeping the ball on one side of the floor.”
Albany raced out to a 17-4 lead because of their defense and the play of senior Mike Black. In his first eight minutes played, the shifty and agile Black had nine points, four rebounds, and one assist and was evidently out of the slump that had infected his game in Albany’s recent three game losing streak to Boston University, Vermont, and Stony Brook. During a stretch of four games, Black had only made nine of 57 field goal attempts, but was off to a four for five start versus the Retrievers in the early going.
But then with 11:22 left in the first half, Black came down awkwardly on his ankle after a contested layup. After laying on the ground in serious pain for about two minutes, Black was helped off the floor without bearing any weight on his right leg. He was later diagnosed with a sprained ankle, although the severity of it after the game is unknown.
“With Black only playing nine minutes and [Jacob] Iati having no baskets at the half, for us to be up 17 says a lot about the rest of our guys and the toughness that we played with tonight,” said Albany head coach Will Brown.
The team with the third best defensive efficiency rating – 92.9 points allowed per 100 possessions – in the America East held UMBC to six field goals in the first half, while forcing 11 turnovers and 22 missed field goal attempts. If it wasn’t for Brian Neller’s two three-pointers late in the first half, Albany would have enjoyed at least a 20 point advantage at the half, despite scoring 36 points.
If Albany didn’t have firm control of the game by then, however, they certainly grabbed it after embarking on a 17-4 run to begin the second half. Even though the unanimous preseason All-America East selection in Black was laying on a trainer’s table courtside with his ankle elevated, his diminutive replacement D.J. Evans filled in admirably. The former second team JUCO All-American had 12 points, four assists, and one turnover in 24 productive minutes off the bench.
“The only thing with D.J. [Evans] if you look at him is he’s not the biggest cat in the world – neither is Jacob – but he’s tough,” said Brown. “I thought he did a nice job running the show. He was a calming influence out there and he was a pest defensively, so I thought he did a good job.”
In all, 11 Great Danes scored the basketball for Brown’s squad. Freshman Peter Hooley registered ten points, eight rebounds, and six assists, while sophomore Sam Rowley filled up the stat sheet with six points, six rebounds, three assists, three blocks, and five steals. Through 11 America East games in fact, the 6’5″ Rowley is now averaging 10.1 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.
“He’s a tough kid,” said Brown when asked about the importance of Rowley moving forward. “We have to get him to develop a bit of a mean streak. He’s the nicest guy in the world – straight A student, a great guy – but I mean on the court he’s strong as an ox, but he’s too nice.”
Brown then joked around saying, “I have to work on my Australian slang and try to get better at some of those phrases. But Sam’s great. Sam and Peter [Hooley] have been terrific.”
For UMBC, it was the fourth straight game without the services of 6’10” center Brett Roseboro, who’s out indefinitely. As a result, UMBC was forced to play small the majority of the game, and Albany took full advantage outscoring their counterparts in the paint, 38-28, while also outrebounding them by four. Chase Plummer lead the Retrievers with 15 points on 11 shots, while making his presence felt defensively with three blocks and three steals. Guard Ryan Cook struggled with eight points on three of 12 shooting.
Albany moves to 7-4 in the America East conference, two games behind first place Stony Brook. They fly to Maine for a Saturday showdown with the 3-7 Black Bears. UMBC, now 4-6 in the conference, hosts the second place Vermont Catamounts on the same day.
With most teams having played at least one quarter of their schedule (crazy, huh?), I felt this was a perfect time to give you ten players that have really surprised and/or impressed me this season. In the first part, John and I list our top five surprises of the NEC thus far, who we feel truly have the potential to end up on an all-conference team in March. For part two, I decided to give you the five best non-conference players I’ve seen live so far in the 13 games I’ve attended. Enjoy!
Rashad Whack, Mount St. Mary’s – Everybody knew about Whack’s ability to knock down the long-range jumper, but not everyone could have envisioned Whack being the key ingredient in Jamion Christian’s MAYHEM attack. Through seven games, the George Mason transfer not only leads the team in three-pointers made and points per game, but he also is tops in rebounds and steals (6.4% steal rate, best in the NEC) as well. His off-the-ball skills and play have been pleasant surprises and for that credit must be given to the coach Christian replaced, Robert Burke. Christian inherited quite a player in Whack, who absolutely has the potential to crack a NEC all-conference team.
Stephon Mosley, St. Francis (PA) – Go ahead, it’s OK. You can admit this is the first time you’ve ever heard of Stephon Mosley. Admittedly, I knew little about the freshman, as he was a late signee for Rob Krimmel’s team. But shockingly in the early going, Mosley is leading all NEC freshmen in efficiency rating, rebounds and minutes per game. The 6’6″ power forward, along with notable recruit Ronnie Drinnon, have spearheaded the youth movement in Loretto, as Krimmel has clearly moved forward with his young players, rather than utilizing veterans like Anthony Ervin, Tony Peters, and Storm Stanley. If Mosley continues his 10 points and 4.5 rebounds per game production, he’ll easily crack the NEC All-Rookie Team at season’s end.
Matthew Hunter, Central Connecticut – The immediate impact this accomplished junior college transfer could provide was well-known, thanks to Howie Dickenman’s constant praise in the preseason. We knew Hunter would be a stat-filler, but we didn’t realize that he’d be in the top four of the conference in points, rebounds, and steals per game. Hunter showcased his skills in Indiana recently, when he famously dropped 40 points in a losing effort at Assembly Hall. It was a performance that surely opened coach’s eyes, and shows that merely shutting down Kyle Vinales will not restrict the Blue Devils efficient offense. There’s officially a bona fide one-two punch in New Britain, so sit back and enjoy the ride for the next two seasons. Vinales and Hunter will put up some mind-blowing numbers together.
Kevin Douglas, St. Francis Brooklyn – Last season Douglas was on the bench behind Stefan Perunicic for SFC. Now that he’s in the rotation on a consistent basis, Douglas is tearing it up. He’s already attempted more threes this season than he did during his entire freshman campaign and he’s making a ridiculous 41% of them. That’s not sustainable, but the sophomore’s low turnover rate and ability to attack the rim look like they weren’t flukes last season. The two biggest criticisms of Douglas thus far this season is that he could be shooting even more and that his defense is a work in progress. Still, he’s provided an excellent scoring threat on the wing for the Terriers.
Dyami Starks, Bryant – In the preseason, Bryant head coach Tim O’Shea was so high on Starks, he called him one of the best shooters he has ever coached. So far, Starks hasn’t disappointed, hitting 27 three-pointers (37% three-point percentage) and dropping double-digit points in seven of nine games. Starks ability to make the long-range jumper has added a much-needed dimension to the Bulldogs’ offense, so much so that Bryant can no longer be considered a pushover. We’re incredibly bullish on Starks to continue his impressive production, mainly because O’Shea has been blown away with Columbia transfer’s work ethic. Enjoy Bulldog fans, since you have the next three years to witness the soon to be best shooter in Bryant’s young history.
And now for some players that really impressed me in the live games I’ve seen so far this season…
C.J. McCollum, Lehigh – Well, duh?! It’s not terribly imaginative for me to put a potential likely All-American here, but his insertion onto my list is due to the “wow” factor. When I saw Lehigh smoke Sacred Heart on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, it wasn’t that McCollum scored 26 super efficient points. It was the way he scored, which was seemed so easy, so effortless. He scored in the post, in the lane, behind the arc, and yet he hardly broke a sweat doing it. He was by far and away the best player on that court and this is coming from an unapologetic supporter of Shane Gibson. As Patriot League expert Kevin Doyle said at the game, a player of McCollum’s caliber belongs in the Big East, not in the outdated Pitt Center whipping up on the hapless Pioneers. As far as mid-major players are concerned, he is the most transcendent talent I have ever witnessed.
Tilman Dunbar, Navy – You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out why Navy has already doubled their win total from a season ago. It’s the lightning quick, surprisingly mature freshman Tilman Dunbar who has helped lead the Midshipmen out of a couple of abysmal seasons into a team that could legitimately finish the upper half of the Patriot League. Dunbar possesses a terrific handle, an explosive first step, and adept court vision, yet it’s his poise that may be his most impressive talent. The diminutive point guard carries himself like an upperclassman. Dunbar’s undeniable talent will be fun to watch for Midshipmen fans the next four seasons, but in the meantime, he’ll continue to only improve under the tutelage of head coach Ed DeChellis. You can basically hand him the Patriot League Rookie of the Year trophy right now.
Ryan Cook, UMBC – I didn’t see UMBC play last season (which probably was a good thing), but a number of articles raved about the play of forward Chase Plummer. So you could imagine my surprise when I saw it was guard Ryan Cook, and not Plummer, that made the Retrievers tick. Not to pick on Plummer, but Cook – a former walk-on – has easily been the most efficient player for Aki Thomas’ UMBC club in the early going. The athletic Cook is a do all guard who can score a variety of ways. In addition to leading the America East in scoring, the 6’2 senior is eighth in the conference in rebounds per game. Forecasting ahead, expect Cook to continue to have an expanded role in the Retrievers’ offense. It’s probably the most optimal way UMBC can claw back to respectability in the America East this season.
Stephen Lumpkins, American – You won’t find American upperclassman Steve Lumpkins on any stat sheets last season, because he was playing minor league baseball. After the failed stint, Lumpkins came back to utilize his final season of eligibility, and it’s a good thing for the Eagles he did. Without his fantastic interior production, American would really struggle this season. It’s been a disappointing start to the season already in Washington D.C., yet Lumpkins at least gives the Eagles a little hope heading into conference play. His efficient, fluid play around the rim demands double teams and should leave American’s bevy of long-range shooters open on the outside. So far, Lumpkins is holding up his end of the bargain, as he’s averaging 15.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game. That’s not too shabby for someone who completely missed the previous season.
Billy Baron, Canisius – When Canisius hired the former long time URI coach Jim Baron this offseason, they were essentially adding a top-notch transfer as well, in the form of Baron’s son, Billy. As a result, the Golden Griffens have exceeded expectations in the early going and have finally caught MAAC fans attention with their quick 2-0 start in the conference. Baron – the young one – is a huge reason for Canisius’ success, having posted averages of 17.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. He’s fresh off a MAAC Player of the Week award, after torching conference foe Marist with a fantastic effort. Throw in backcourt mate Harold Washington, and you have a dynamic scoring duo that can seemingly make the right decision time and time again for a contending club in Canisius.
Ryan Peters covers Northeast Conference men’s basketball for Big Apple Buckets and Pioneer Pride. You can follow Ryan on Twitter @pioneer_pride
Prior to last night’s game, nearly four full seasons had passed since UMBC won their last November home game against a Division I opponent. Since defeating Toledo on November 29, 2008, UMBC has played nine such games, all resulting in losses. So, after a hard-fought battle with Central Connecticut over a week ago that unfortunately ended in heartbreak, the UMBC Retrievers were poised to break the streak against Canisius. Right? Continue reading “Canisius dominates UMBC with their size, guard play”
Coming off one of their best non-conference wins in recent memory at La Salle, it may have been acceptable if the Central Connecticut (CCSU) Blue Devils packed it in after a hard-fought effort. Down five with under two minutes remaining in overtime, it just didn’t seem to be the Blue Devils night. They were shooting 21.7% from behind the arc. They were outrebounded by a significant margin. Their star player was having an off night with 22 points on 24 shots, while shooting a pedestrian 22.2% from three. Joe Efase, who sadly had to bury his sister recently, had a chance to win it in regulation, but he missed an open layup at the horn.
It wasn’t meant to be for the Blue Devils tonight in Catonsville, right?
Not according to Kyle Vinales. The sophomore guard quieted the surprisingly raucous UMBC crowd by scoring CCSU’s final seven points in overtime, including two free-throws with five seconds remaining that put the Blue Devils ahead for good, 83-82. Quite simply, the kid has ice water in his veins.
“Kyle Vinales is a horse,” said the raspy voiced Howie Dickenman after the comeback victory. “He made big plays and big shots. I’m just proud of how the team hung in there. We could have faded and gone away, but we didn’t. We have some tough kids on this team.”
After Chase Plummer hit two free-throws to give the UMBC Retrievers a 81-76 lead in the extra frame, Vinales drilled a long three right in front of the Blue Devils’ bench (he was a step away from sitting in Dickenman’s lap) with 1:24 left to keep his team in the game. After an Aaron Morgan turnover, Vinales again answered with a top of the key jumper that hit nothing but net. Then with the shot clock off and his team down a point, Vinales drew a controversal foul about 45 feet away from the basket. Plummer came up to double Vinales and had pinned the guard near the half-court line when he was charged with a blocking foul. The UMBC crowd (and radio announcer who slammed his fist into the press row table) was irate with the call.
It was a tough way to decide a game that saw 12 ties and 13 lead changes, but in reality, Plummer should have never put himself in that position to begin with.
Overall, it was a solid game plan for CCSU. As they had done against La Salle two days earlier, the defensive focus was to make life very difficult for UMBC’s big men and they surely did that. Preseason All-America East first team selection Plummer and 6’10” St. Bonnie transfer Brett Roseboro were consistently double-teamed in the post all night. The vociferous coverage led to the duo having a combined scoring line of 14 points, 13 rebounds, and seven turnovers on 4-21 shooting.
The UMBC guards kept the Retrievers in the game, as they shot 50.0% from behind the arc in regulation. Early on, they were excellent at using the Blue Devils’ aggressive defensive nature against them, by creating open looks with a bevy of pump fakes and penetration into the lane. In particular, the poise and composure of freshman Aaron Morgan was very impressive, and his two free-throws late had forced the game into overtime to begin with. Senior guard Ryan Cook also played a fantastic game with 20 points and 10 rebounds, and was repsonsible for locking down Vinales for most of the night.
But CCSU overcame UMBC’s hot shooting and inspired guard play to force 19 Retriever turnovers. The Blue Devils received signficant contributions from transfer Matthew Hunter (22 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals) and Malcolm McMillan (10 points, 4 assists, 2 steals, 0 turnovers), who was playing near his hometown of Baltimore. Overall, five Blue Devils scored in double figures.
Five Blue Devils also played over 36 minutes in the game, with four of them playing 40+ minutes in a fast paced environment. Their thin bench is certainly a concern moving forward, especially with freshman Khlaen Cumberlander now out for the season with a knee injury. When asked about his limited rotation, Dickennman was hopeful someone will eventually step up to give his starting lineup a blow every once in a while. Tonight, however, Dickenman felt he wasn’t afforded that luxury.
“We’d like to get more (players) in the rotation if they can perform,” said Dickenman. “We didn’t get much out of either (Terrell Allen or Brandon Peel tonight).”
The win gives these exciting Blue Devils a three game winning streak going into their in-state showdown with the Hartford Hawks on Saturday. CCSU now sits at 3-2, yet they could realistically have won all five of their contests thus far. They lost those two games by a combined total of four points. Looks like these Blue Devils are for real after all.
Ryan Peters covers Northeast Conference men’s basketball for Big Apple Buckets and Pioneer Pride. You can follow Ryan on Twitter @pioneer_pride
Only two weeks ago, long time assistant coach Aki Thomas was preparing for the start of official practice for his UMBC Retrievers. UMBC was coming off a woeful season, which saw the Retrievers win four games – three in the America East – en route to one of the worst campaigns in school history. To say that Thomas was looking forward to the start of the 2012-13 season would be an understatement.
Continue reading “A bittersweet moment for UMBC’s Aki Thomas”
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