Tag: Deyshonee Much

Iona 69, Saint Peter’s 66 (OT): Is Tempo A Bit Overrated?

It wasn’t the swashbuckling Iona team that we’ve been used to seeing over the last few years Sunday afternoon against Saint Peter’s. How much of that was due to the Peacocks’ style of play? Do we overrate such discussions?

The game eventually went to overtime, but through regulation was at 57 possessions, which would have been one of the slowest games in Division I this season, and by far the slowest the Gaels have ever played under Tim Cluess. As it was, the 64-possession overtime contest had the least possessions for a MAAC regular season game since … playing Saint Peter’s at the Hynes Center last year.

Even John Dunne, one of the least angry Division I coaches you’ll ever meet, is tired of talking about how his team is 345th (of 351) in adjusted tempo, and would rather speak about how his Peacocks are 8-4 in the MAAC, and – even with a loss Sunday – completed seven games in 15 days in decent shape, tied for second with Iona in the conference standings.

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Iona 98, Canisius 75: Enter Schadrac Casimir, Not A Moment Too Soon

Schadrac Casimir made his first start in more than 13 months Sunday with Jon Severe still ailing from a couple of different minor injuries. But he lasted only 2:47 as with Canisius out to a 10-2 start, Iona coach Tim Cluess called time out and immediately went to Severe.

“The group that started had a couple of little breakdowns right at the get-go, and he was one of the guys,” Cluess said. “He really responded well, he didn’t sulk about it, and came back ready to play.”

It wasn’t a huge surprise, although Casimir was the 2014-15 MAAC Rookie of the Year, after missing almost all of last year and having to undergo three surgeries (because of two hip labrums), the stats indicate he hasn’t been the same since. In five MAAC games before Sunday’s, Casimir had a total of 21 points, with no more than 7 in any of them. Even worse, Iona – which has never has anywhere close to a losing conference record under Cluess (seventh season) – came in at 2-3, two games behind their red-hot opponent.

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Fairfield 93, Iona 87: Stags Win Is Probably Not A Fluke

“They are what we thought they were,” is the famous line that stuck with Dennis Green, who sadly was among the seemingly hundreds of famous people who died in 2016.

But what we think can be fluid, can’t it? Iona entered the season ahead of Fairfield in the MAAC preseason poll, albeit only by a couple of spots (3rd and 5th, respectively). But the Gaels’ reputation as defending champions and perennial MAAC power makes the eyebrows raise when a score like: Fairfield 93, Iona 87 comes across your computer (or phone).

However, especially without Deyshonee Much (more on that below), it might just be that Fairfield, now full of experienced players that tasted a little bit of success, might be a better team right now. Although Iona (9-6, 2-2) made a late run to grab the lead and nearly stole the game late, the Stags led for nearly 37 minutes.

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Iona 94. NJIT 80: Keeping Jordan Washington On The Floor

Picture if you will, a basketball world where you can commit as many fouls as you would like, without fear of disqualification. Basketball is virtually the only sport where that’s the case, after all. Sure, other sports have penalties and violent conduct is sure to see you removed from participation in just about any athletic endeavor.

But a specified number of common fouls having a direct link to a player’s removal for the rest of the contest? Only our beloved hoops.

Now picture Iona senior Jordan Washington in that blissful no-foul out utopia. Washington has been borderline unstoppable for the last two seasons, a matchup quandary (especially for mid-major opponents) at 6’8”, especially when surrounded with the shooters that the Gaels seem to breed. He led the nation in usage last season (involved in 38.5% of Iona possessions), and is fifth this season. Washington also checks in second nationally in points per minute (behind the nation’s leading scorer, Central Michigan’s Marcus Keene at 30.8 ppg) and he is also sixth in number of minutes played … on his own team (20.7 minutes per game)?
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