Winning ugly the only way Wagner is winning these days

It sure wasn’t pretty. When you score 0.71 points per possession, shoot 36% from the floor, and have an assist to turnover ratio of 0.3, you won’t win a majority of your games. But Wagner, despite trailing for most of their home opener versus the Princeton Tigers, used their pressure defense and timely offense to stage a much-needed comeback victory. The Seahawks edged the Tigers for a gritty 48-42 overtime win to earn its second victory of the season. Here are my observations from the sloppy contest:

Defending with Tenacity – First let’s talk about the good. Wagner’s defense forced 17 Tiger turnovers and held Ian Hummer – Princeton’s most efficient big man – to 11 points on 20 shots. As a whole, Wagner did an excellent job containing Princeton’s skilled frontcourt, as the Tigers shot 25% (11 of 44) from inside the arc. Mario Moody gave Bashir Mason instant defense off the bench, swatting away three shots in 13 minutes. So far, the Seahawks defense is performing at a higher rate compared to last season, with an adjusted defense rating in Ken Pomeroy’s top 50.
Offensive Woes – The offense, however, continues to lack any kind of cohesive flow. The team clearly misses Latif Rivers, who has now missed the past three games with a knee injury. Without Rivers and his ability to create off the dribble, spot up from long-range, or facilitate for other teammates, Wagner doesn’t have enough playmakers that can create their own shot. Jonathan Williams is certainly doing his part by averaging nearly 18 points and eight rebounds, but contributions are desperately needed elsewhere. I’m looking at you, Kenneth Ortiz and Marcus Burton.
Long Range Shooter Please Apply – Part of the Wagner’s problem offensively stems from their inability to stretch the defense with their long-range shooting. Currently, Wagner is hitting less than 28% of their three-point attempts, which simply won’t cut it. The problem is exacerbated without Rivers, as only Eric Fanning and Burton have shown the capability to make shots from behind the arc. Right now Wagner really misses Tyler Murray and Chris Martin.
Whose the Impact Freshman? – Speaking of Fanning, it was he and not the highly touted Dwaun Anderson, who received the crunch time minutes late in tonight’s game. Mason’s trust in Fanning paid off with the freshman sinking a critical three-ball late in regulation. Anderson has struggled mightily out of the gate, scoring 17 points on 30 shots to go along with 14 turnovers. We were wrong in assuming any freshman, even one as gifted as Anderson, could come in and contribute right away at a high level. Clearly, Anderson’s adjustment to collegiate basketball will take a little time, so Mason’s challenge is to find production elsewhere while his prized rookie figures it out.

Tonight was a fantastic win for Wagner, because let’s face it, when you fail to score 50 points in a game that went to overtime, nine times out of ten you will lose. Especially to an Ivy League contender in Princeton. The Seahawks’ defense isn’t the problem, but Mason has a difficult challenge ahead of figuring out his team’s offensive issues. It’ll be interesting to see how the youngest head coach in college basketball adjusts.

Ryan Peters covers Northeast Conference men’s basketball for Big Apple Buckets and Pioneer Pride. You can follow Ryan on Twitter @pioneer_pride

Good read: Bashir Mason on getting the Wagner job

There’s lots of good analysis and writing about the New York City teams going on all over the web and ESPN jumped into the fray yesterday with a blog post by Myron Medcalf about Bashir Mason. It’s getting passed around because of this great quote:

“When I hung up the phone … the only way I can explain it is that I gave one of those yells players give when they make a game-winning shot,” Mason told ESPN.com. “I’m in the apartment alone. I actually think I started beating on my chest as well. A ridiculous feeling, an unbelieving feeling.”

The whole thing is worth a read as people get to know the new Wagner head coach.

Wagner reloads with three talented newcomers

Wagner Seahawks — 25-6 (15-3 NEC) lost to Robert Morris in NEC semifinals

Players Lost:
Tyler Murray (30.7 MPG, 12.0 PPG, 2.1 APG, 79.5% FT%, 49.0% 3PT%)
Chris Martin (20.9 MPG, 7.1 PPG, 82.3% FT%, 31.0% 3PT%)
Ryan Schrotenboer (12 GP, 2.6 MPG, 0.3 PPG, 0.4 RPG)

Incoming Players:
Jay Harris, 6’2″ PG — Aurora, IL
Dwaun Anderson, 6’3″ G — Suttons Bay, MI
Eric Fanning, 6’4″ G/F — Trenton, NJ

Wagner had it’s most successful season ever last season and first 20-win season since 2007-08, but it ended in disappointing fashion when the Seahawks failed to get invited to the NIT. Head coach Dan Hurley is off to Rhode Island, but Bashir Mason takes over and brings back almost the entire core of last season’s team.

“That was something that was appealing about this job,” Mason said. “I had the luxury of knowing that we return 10 out of our 13 scholarship players. And even after the first year we’ll only lose two players. That gives me good confidence in knowing that I don’t have to go out and rush and find impact players. We need to find the right players. Guys that will fit well with our system.”

While transfer Jay Harris isn’t going to make an impact for another season, the former Valparaiso point guard has found a home with the Seahawks. He needs to work on his strength, but during summer workouts Mason has been impressed by Harris’ shooting ability. In 2013-14 Harris should slide right into what will be a very crowded guard rotation.

Wagner though needs shooters now to help replace the dynamic shooting of the departed Tyler Murray, who shot an insane 49.0% from beyond the arc last season. Two newcomers, Dwaun Anderson and Eric Fanning, will get the chance to fill that void. Anderson has been practicing with the team since January, so he knows the lay of the land.

“He’s used to our style of play. He’s used to the tempo,” Mason said about the former Michigan Mr. Basketball. “He knows the drills and he knows the physicality of the college game. It’ll be smooth for him to go from being a practice player to playing in the games.”

The one true newcomer on the roster is Fanning, who is a “gifted scorer” according to Mason. Fanning scored 1,000 points at two schools, including 1,163 points in just two seasons at Perkiomen in Pennsylvania. He was also named the MVP of the 2012 Mary Kline Classic.

The additions are going to have to fight for playing time. They’ll be competing not only with each other, but all the talented returnees. That’s why even though the Seahawks have one scholarship remaining it’s unlikely the spot will be filled.

It’s going to get even harder to crack the rotation if players continue to improve over the summer. Mason is taking advantage of the NCAA’s new rules allowing teams to work together during the summer and has players practicing on Monday and Tuesday. One of the players that has impressed since returning to campus is point guard Marcus Burton.

“He came back with about eight pounds of muscle added to his body,” Mason said. “I think he’s looking to have a breakout sophomore season.”

If Burton does improve on his solid freshman season, during which he averaged 3.5 points, 1.3 rebounds and 0.6 steals per game in just 12.6 minutes, it should make Wagner even more difficult to play against.

All of it adds up to once making Wagner one of the top contenders in a loaded NEC and a force in the conference for seasons to come.

Jay Harris a great fit for Wagner

Bashir Mason has made his first big talent acquisition splash with the news that Valparaiso transfer Jay Harris has chosen to come to Wagner. Harris is a 6’1″ point guard that is looking for a bigger role than the one he played for the Horizon League regular season champion Crusaders last season. When he becomes eligible in the fall of 2013, he’ll certainly get the chance.

Continue reading “Jay Harris a great fit for Wagner” →

New Wagner head coach Bashir Mason in his own words

He’s only been on the job for 10 days, but Bashir Mason is already hard at work making sure that he has everything ready to build upon the success that Wagner experienced under Dan Hurley the past two seasons. While busy keeping the Wagner name on the minds of potential recruits thanks to the open contact period that started on Wednesday, he took some time to speak with me over the phone about how things are going thus far.

“The thought process completely changes,” Mason said about moving from assistant to head coach. “It goes from bringing things to the table to now I have to make ideas and be the deciding factors in terms of what we do every day. … It’s a lot on your plate.”

Some things though aren’t going to change. It’s no surprise that Mason, who was a four-time member of the CAA’s All-Defensive Team while playing under Bruiser Flint at Drexel, is going to continue playing the tough, defensive style that Seahawks’ fans have seen recently. A style of play that led to Wagner having the best defense in the Northeast Conference last season.

“I’m going to run a very similar system,” Mason said. “I love a lot of the things we did offensively [last season], but more importantly than that the way we defended was the key.”

That commitment to defense extends throughout the entire staff, which Mason recently finalized. Marquis Webb was named to the 2006 Defensive All-America Team while playing at Rutgers and Mike Babul was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Defensive Team multiple times during his playing career at UMass.

Also important for Mason when building his staff was the camaraderie amongst the group. It’s not a coincidence that Webb, who Mason has known since seventh grade, and Babul, who played for Flint at UMass, are now working with him. Mason’s third hire, Scott Smith, will help keep the continuity between last season’s staff.

“I’m extremely excited about the group that I put together,” Mason said. “I think one of the reasons why we’ve had success here is because of the coaching staff and the tight knit group that we had here. I tried to mimic that with my staff.”

Of course, that’s not what everyone wants to talk about. Instead, it’s the age. Will a 28-year-old, just five years removed from his playing days at Drexel, be able to run a Division I basketball program? Mason thinks that his experience as point guard will help. He’s also had the opportunity to learn under Flint as a player and Hurley as an assistant the past two seasons.

“It’s sort of a double-edged sword,” Mason said about his age. “If I do well it’s going to be my youth, my energy and that I’m smart for my age. If I don’t do well people will say it’s my inexperience.”

Across the NEC there’s a pretty good example about how youth can be an asset. Robert Morris’ Andy Toole took over the Colonials two years ago after Mike Rice left for Rutgers and has led RMU to back-to-back NEC Championship Games and a 43-24 record overall. All of that happened after taking over the reigns of the program at the young age of 29.

“A guy like Andy Toole, he gives me confidence,” Mason said. “You think about a guy like him, he got the job when he was really young and he’s having a lot of success. That’s an example if you work hard you can do really well.”

Mason’s going to have to use his youth to out-work fellow coaches. He’s learned from some of the best, but the real lessons are just beginning.

Dribble Handoffs – April 5

A bunch of links that I wanted to share with you as the season wraps up. Jerry Carino released his All-Metropolitan ballot and his Haggerty Award nominees. I like some of the Ivy League players a bit better, but overall we agree throughout much of it. Also, Princeton Basketball tipped me off to this hilarious piece about what movie bad guy roles the coaches of the NCAA tournament would be cast in. LIU Brooklyn’s Jim Ferry is apparently in line to play a cop on the take (and got ranked #22).

In some other coaching moves, Bashir Mason has filled out his coaching staff at Wagner adding Mike Babul, Marquis Webb and Scott Smith according to the Staten Island Advance. Smith is the lone returnee and Babul and Webb both have high-major experience either as a player or coach, so that’s a good sign. Cormac Gordon digs into their connections with Mason in his article.

What would be an end of year post without some stats? Keepin’ Track of the MAAC looks at the national leaders from the MAAC. Here are a few more tempo-free nuggets for Iona and Manhattan courtesy of KenPom.com. Manhattan’s Rhamel Brown finished second in the nation in block percentage behind only Kansas’ Jeff Withey. Roberto Colonette finished fourth in the nation in offensive rebound percentage at 18.3%. As a team the Jaspers had the 19th best block percentage in the nation and ranked 22nd in assist per field goal made. Iona’s Scott Machado finished fourth in the nation in assist rate. Thanks entirely to his great two-point shooting Mike Glover finished 11th in the nation in effective field goal percentage and 24th in the nation in true shooting percentage. Sean Armand also finished 13th in the nation in offensive rating at 126.8.

Getting to know Bashir Mason

Five years ago Bashir Mason was playing with Drexel in the NIT. Now the 28-year-old is going to become the youngest current head coach in Division I, as he’ll take over for Dan Hurley on Grymes Hill. The new Wagner head coach has spent time playing and coaching under players like Bruiser Flint and Hurley and was recommended by his former coach and boss to succeed him with the Seahawks.

Continue reading “Getting to know Bashir Mason” →