Tag: George Beamon

MAAC Discussion: League’s Top 10

A few weeks ago we looked at the Top 10 players in the NEC, now I want to do the same exercise with the MAAC. This league is a lot tougher because of all the turnover and transfers coming in. There is no dominant team, so six of the 10 teams probably think they have a legitimate shot at winning the title. There’s also the pesky problem of transfers that aren’t eligible immediately or might not be eligible at all this season. I’m leaving those players off my Top 10 for now, but I’d certainly be willing to consider them in the future.

Continue reading “MAAC Discussion: League’s Top 10” →

Top NYC Players: 10-6

This is part four of this week’s series about the Top 25 players in the New York metro area. Check out 21-25, 16-20, 11-15.

10. Greg Mangano, Yale — First, I’d like to note that separating the three Ivy League First Team players was one of the hardest things I had to do. All three were excellent this season and were part of the reason the league was so fun to watch. Mangano’s numbers – 18.2 points and 9.6 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game – are excellent, but I just wish there was a little more consistency in them. The 6’10” senior forward scored in single digits three times, including early in the season in a loss to Quinnipiac. Mangano obviously had a ton of great games, but nights like his 14-points, 5-board performance in an overtime loss at Cornell prevent him from being higher on this list. Overall though he had a great season. Mangano scored 26 points against then #10 Florida and also added 23 in a critical Ivy win over Penn. You don’t find a lot of players with his height and skills in the Ivy League and he certainly made the most of it during his final two seasons in New Haven.

9. George Beamon, Manhattan — You wonder how Manhattan would’ve scored any points this season if Beamon wasn’t on the team. He averaged 19 points per game and did it every way, shooting 43% from three, 80% from the line and 49% from the field overall. The 6’4″ junior swingman carried the Jaspers’ offense for long stretches of time and also thrived in the presses that Steve Masiello brought with him from Louisville. One of the most impressive parts of Beamon’s game was his consistency. He didn’t score in single digits once all season. His season lows came in two comfortable wins over Marist. Beamon saved his best for last, scoring a season-high 34 points in the Jaspers’ CIT win over Albany. After being named to the MAAC First Team in 2011-12, Beamon should contend for Player of the Year honors next season.

8. Brian Barbour, Columbia — At some point this season Barbour’s role with the Lions changed dramatically. It wasn’t quite when Noruwa Agho went down, but soon afterward Barbour became the man. It took him some time to accept that role, but once he did he showed skills rivaling the best guards in the Ivy League. Barbour averaged 15.5 points, 4.4 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game on the season while shooting 90% from the free throw line. Because he didn’t turn the ball over much, just 2.3 times per game, Barbour’s offensive rating is extremely high for shooting just 39% from the field. Barbour seemed to play his best at home in close losses during Ivy play. He scored 25 on back-to-back nights against Princeton and Penn and then scored 23 in the overtime loss to Harvard on the final Friday of the season. He drove Columbia’s offense and played 88% of the team’s minutes (51st in the nation). I’m sure Kyle Smith would tell you that’s too many, but it just goes to show how valuable Barbour was this season.

7. Ian Hummer, Princeton — In terms of efficiency Hummer’s junior season wasn’t quite as strong as his sophomore campaign, but that’s because he shot up to an insane 31.8% usage rate in 2011-12. So much of Princeton’s offense went through the 6’7″ forward that it was hard to miss him, though I bet some opponents wish they could’ve. Hummer averaged 16.1 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game during the season, while also contributing more than a block and a steal per game on the defensive end. He scored 25 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in Princeton’s triple overtime win over Florida State and added 20 and nine as the Tigers beat Harvard. He’ll be back next season and should continue to be a forced to be reckoned with in the paint in the Ivy League.

6. Moe Harkless, St. John’s — The small forward from Queens did absolutely everything he possibly could to try to live up to the promise he brought the Red Storm when agreeing to be a part of Steve Lavin’s super freshman class. While things weren’t always steady around him, Harkless turned in a season that was remarkable for a freshman in the Big East. Playing 36.1 minutes per game, he averaged 15.3 points and 8.6 boards. His outside shot and free throw stroke still need work but it is clear how special a player Harkless is. He was named an Honorable Mention on the All-Big East teams at the end of the season. Of course the game that everyone is going to remember, and has put the visions of what he can be in the head of every NBA scout, is Harkless’ 30-point, 13-board performance against Duke. The Red Storm ultimately lost that game, but it showed just what incredible talent Harkless has. The 6’8″ forward also scored 32 points and grabbed 13 boards against Providence and dropped 25 on Pittsburgh in what ultimately proved to be the final game of his collegiate career. All the best to him moving forward.

Check back tomorrow for the final five players, including two conferences’ Players of the Year and to find out who I rated No. 1 overall.

New York Mid-Major 2011-12 Teams

What a year it was for college hoops in New York City. Both Iona and LIU Brooklyn qualified for the NCAA tournament and Stony Brook also won the regular season title. A number of players were named to their All-Conference teams and garnered postseason awards. In fact, those awards are still coming in. Here I’d like to name my New York Mid-Major teams for the 2011-12 season.

Continue reading “New York Mid-Major 2011-12 Teams” →

Season At A Glance — Manhattan

This is the ninth (and final) of the capsules for each of the NYC teams when I’m sure their season has concluded.

Team: Manhattan

Record: 21-13 (12-6 in the MAAC)

Season High: Winning at Iona on Emmy Andujar’s last-second shot

Season Low: Losing in overtime to Siena in the quarterfinals of the MAAC Tournament

Really Good At: Defense – This team became a lock-down defensive team. With Rhamel Brown and Roberto Colonette patrolling the middle, the press forcing turnovers and making opponents think, and a general ability to lock down on shooters the Jaspers became a defensive force.

Struggled With: Turnovers – The Jaspers just turned the ball over way to much during their first season in Steve Masiello’s offensive approach. They finished with a turnover rate of 22.9%, eighth in the MAAC during conference play. If you eliminate those turnover possession Manhattan probably had the best offense in the league. It’s something to work on for next season.

Key Losses:

  • Roberto Colonette (6.3 PPG, 5.2 RPG)
  • Kidani Brutus (8.3 PPG, 2.4 APG)
  • Liam McCabe-Moran (5.3 PPG, 36.5% 3PT%)

Key Returnees:

  • George Beamon, Jr., G (All-MAAC First Team, 19.1 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.5 SPG)
  • Rhamel Brown, So., F (MAAC Defensive Player of the Year, 7.8 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 2.5 BPG)
  • Michael Alvarado, So., G (8.5 PPG, 3.2 APG, 1.4 SPG)
  • Emmy Andujar, Fr., G/F (8.4 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 3.2 APG)

Key Quotes:

“Great season. Biggest turnaround in college basketball. I couldn’t be more proud of these guys,” Steve Masiello

Outlook: Positive. The three seniors that are leaving the Manhattan program do represent some quality players, but the Jaspers seem to be well positioned for next season. Beamon will be a star in the MAAC during his senior season (possibly the best player in the conference) and Brown, Alvarado and Adujar are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of talent in Riverdale. There is a strong recruiting class coming in with players that seem to fit Steve Masiello’s system. That’s one of the keys too. The players now have had a season to learn the trapping defensive system Masiello brought with him from Louisville. They should be able to work on it this offseason. Now that they’ve tasted success players like Beamon are just going to be that much hungrier. It should make for a focused, talented Manhattan team come 2012-13, one that has the potential to win the MAAC.

The Full Series of Season At A Glance Posts:

Manhattan’s season ends at MAAC rival Fairfield

Manhattan got the opportunity to play postseason basketball this season in the CIT. The Jaspers though had to go on the road for at least the first two rounds. After winning in Albany they were given a third shot at conference foe Fairfield. The Stags must have known what was coming, because they defeated the Jaspers 69-57 on Sunday afternoon at Alumni Hall.

Continue reading “Manhattan’s season ends at MAAC rival Fairfield” →

Using Roland Ratings to Determine Team MVPs

I don’t believe in +/- too much at the collegiate level, but sometimes derivative statistics can provide some interesting jumping off points. One of those is +/- for lineups. Another is Roland Rating. Basically, Roland Rating is the difference between a team’s +/- when a player is on the court and off of it. It’s a way of judging how valuable player is if you’ve got a large enough sample size. Let’s see what it says about each of the NYC teams and who the most valuable players are.

Continue reading “Using Roland Ratings to Determine Team MVPs” →

Iona is growing up

Three and a half weeks ago Iona was the lead dog in the MAAC. The Gaels were undefeated and controlled their own destiny up by 17 against Manhattan at the Hynes Athletic Center. Then everything changed. Iona collapsed and the Jaspers pulled out a dramatic 75-72 victory. Tim Cluess’ squad got to show just how much it had learned from that moment on Saturday at Draddy Gymnasium.

Continue reading “Iona is growing up” →