The 2011-12 season was a magical year for LIU Brooklyn, as Jim Ferry rode off into the sunset after securing his second straight NEC championship. The Blackbirds were ferocious on the offensive end of the floor, averaging 1.12 points per possession in league play while executing at a dizzying 75.9 possessions per game pace. Continue reading “LIU Brooklyn Badly Infected By the Injury Bug”
Being a head coach these days in the NEC means you have to be young, energetic, and of course, hungry to succeed. This goes without saying, yet the NEC has recently become a head coach breeding ground. Continue reading “Young Coaches Setting a Strong Example in the NEC”
To the casual fan observing from afar, nothing probably seemed amiss with LIU Brooklyn’s effort after nearly 28 minutes of play in Emmitsburg, MD. Despite getting limited contributions from Jamal Olasewere and Jason Brickman, the first place Blackbirds were leading the Mount, 53-50. E.J. Reed scored 20 first half points and had the team playing with a little cockiness and swagger you’d expect from the back-to-back defending champs.
The only problem was head coach Jack Perri wasn’t buying it one bit. To him, the three-point lead was a farce, a mere aberration based on what he had seen out of his team earlier in the week.
“For the first week in a while, our guys didn’t prepare the same way, they didn’t care the same way,” said a disappointed Perri after the game. “We did a good job of [preparing] since the Wagner game and we struggled with that this week. For whatever the reason, we were out of it. I tried to warn them. I tried to get them ready…I could see this coming.”
So when LIU lost their second half lead in the blink of an eye, it came as no surprise to the first year head coach. Three consecutive three-pointers by Kelvin Parker and Rashad Whack sparked a 9-0 run and gave the Mount a six point advantage midway through the second half. It was a lead they wouldn’t relinquish to the delight of the feverish crowd on hand.
One person’s delight though is another person’s dismay, and Perri was clearly disgusted at his team’s execution in two facets: The 20 turnovers Mount St. Mary’s forced throughout the game and their porous perimeter defense that allowed the Mount to sink 11 of 25 three-pointers, including six rainmakers from junior Rashad Whack.
Whack led the Mountaineers with 26 points – 16 of them in the pivotal second half – to go along with three assists and three steals. It was the eleventh time this season Whack led the Mount in scoring for the game, and the fourth time the junior had broken the 20 point barrier.
In all, five Mount players logged an efficiency rating north of ten for the game, but it was Jamion Christian mainly praising the inside presence of 6’8″ center Raven Barber as a key catalyst for the team’s second half run.
“Raven Barber was an unbelievable force,” said Christian. “We challenged him [to produce] in the under eight timeout to just do more. Fly around, play with some freedom and he did that. I definitely thought he was the difference in the game.”
After playing ten uneventful minutes in the first half, Barber stepped in and sparked the Mount with eight points and six rebounds in the second stanza. His toughness, along with freshman Shivaughn Wiggins, helped keep the Blackbirds at bay on offense, holding them to a respectable 0.95 points per possession. It was LIU’s second worst offensive output for the conference season.
LIU Brooklyn’s offensive struggles can certainly be pinned on the poor play of Jamal Olasewere and Jason Brickman. Olasewere played a NEC low 20 minutes, as he found himself in constant foul trouble throughout the second half. In fact, when the senior picked up his fourth personal foul (third offensive), the Mount then embarked on a 13-4 run to take a commanding nine-point lead deep into the second half. For Perri, Olasewere was the main culprit for LIU’s lackidasical attitude leading up to the game.
“I’m telling you, this one started well before the game even started,” reiterated Perri. “[Jamal] was one of the big reasons why, I don’t know what it was, but I could sense that he was out of it. I don’t know if he was trying to do too much, he was just out of it. I didn’t see the same Jamal as I know.”
Jason Brickman struggled as well, giving the ball up six times while only scoring 11 points on as many shots. Mount St. Mary’s freshman Shivaughn Wiggins was given the assignment of guarding the best point guard of the NEC, and his coach was incredibly proud of the freshman’s effort.
“I’ve said it time and time again, I don’t think there’s a better on-ball defender in the league,” gushed Christian. “[Shivaughn] did an unbelievable job on [Brickman] tonight. [Shivaughn’s] ability to guard the basketball has really changed the dynamic of our team.”
“Shivaughn just gives you some toughness. He’s not afraid to mix it up and go in there and get some of those crazy rebounds or take a charge. And for 35, 36 minutes, he’s going to guard the other team’s point guard and never need a break. He’s just given our team a different dynamic with the way he can score the ball in the lane.”
Christian gladly continued when asked if Wiggins deserves the NEC Rookie of the Year award at season’s end. “I think there’s no better player in the league as a rookie, because of what he’s done for our team defensively.”
E.J. Reed registered a career high 25 points on 12 shots and corralled a team high nine rebounds in the defeat. The versatile and athletic Reed served as the lone bright spot for the now second place Blackbirds. They’ll travel to Wagner for an enormous Sunday night showdown that should help decide who gets a home playoff game in the first round of the NEC tournament. How will Perri get his team ready for the challenge?
“Hopefully it’s a wakeup call and we’ll see tomorrow and Saturday and get ready for Wagner.”
Mount St. Mary’s will host St. Francis Brooklyn on Saturday, in a pivotal battle that will surely shape the bottom half of the NEC tournament draw. It will be the last home game of the season for Christian’s group, who now holds an excellent 9-2 record at the Mount.
On the surface it might’ve seemed like a daunting task. Wagner hadn’t beaten LIU in its last four tries. The Blackbirds hadn’t lost in 31 straight games at the Wellness Center. LIU was the defending NEC champion. Continue reading “Wagner Takes Home Convincing Win At LIU”
Last night was my first live look at the LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds and, well let’s just say it wasn’t an optimal showing for Jack Perri’s squad. The game started out promising enough with LIU racing out to a 19-11 lead within the first eight minutes. Continue reading “Five Thoughts on LIU After Their Blowout Loss to Seton Hall”
LIU Brooklyn looked lost and listless as it allowed 51 second half points against St. Peter’s in an 80-67 loss in Jersey City on Wednesday night.
It could’ve ended then. Julian Boyd, the reigning NEC Player of the Year, broke down during Sunday morning’s shoot around. The enormity of the fact that he had torn his ACL against Rice and his season was over hit him in an instant. Continue reading “LIU Blows Out Manhattan In First Game Without Boyd”
LIU won its 30th straight game at the WRAC in dramatic fashion, erasing a 16-point deficit with 12:01 remaining and capturing an 88-84 victory over depleted Hofstra on Saturday afternoon. Continue reading “LIU Erases Big Deficit For Home Win Over Hofstra”
A strong defensive effort helped LIU Brooklyn get revenge for an earlier non-conference loss to Lafayette 71-60 on Saturday at the WRAC.
Continue reading “LIU’s Defense Leads to Victory Over Lafayette”
LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds: 25-8 (16-2 NEC), Regular Season and Conference Champions
Players Lost:
Michael Culpo, G – 31.5 MPG, 9.4 PPG, 3.2 RPG
Arnold Mayorga, F – 9.8 MPG, 2.7 PPG, 1.8 RPG
Pete Aguilar (transfer) – 1.8 MPG, 0.8 PPG, 0.6 RPG
Robinson Odoch Opong (transfer) – 3.9 MPG, 1.2 PPG, 0.6 RPG
Incoming Players:
D.J. Griggs, 6’0″, G, Lake Jackson, TX
E.J. Reed, 6’5″, SF, Mesquite, TX
It’s rare that a team that has won back-to-back titles returns almost all of its key pieces, but that’s the situation that LIU Brooklyn will encounter as it goes for the NEC’s first ever threepeat in 2012-13. Gone are a few faces, most notably Michael Culpo, Arnold Mayorga and head coach Jim Ferry, but the beat of the Blackbirds marches on.
New head coach Jack Perri has been around the program for the past seven seasons. So there’s continuity there. As Culpo did last season, new players will step up to fill the void. Two players that will get an impact to make an impact are newcomers D.J. Griggs and E.J. Reed. Both were on LIU’s campus during the summer preparing for the upcoming season along with seasoned veterans like Julian Boyd and Jamal Olasewere.
“It was good to help get their feet wet,” Perri said about the summer sessions. “We usually don’t have our freshmen come in beforehand.”
Unfortunately, one freshman that didn’t come in was Taurean Waller-Prince. The 6’7″ forward originally committed to LIU, but will be attending Baylor this fall. That has left Perri with one additional scholarship, which he intends to fill before the season starts. LIU hopes to fill-in some more depth on the wing with their final slot.
“We need to fill the final scholarship before the season because of lies ahead next year,” Perri said. “We already have six scholarships for next year with all the graduations. We have some good guys that we’re involved with right now.”
In the meantime Griggs and Reed are getting to learn on the job and prepare for their roles in the LIU rotation. Griggs, a 6’0″ playmaker is more of a combo guard at this point in his career. He was a scorer in high school and averaged over 22 points per game during his final high school season. He’s also got the potential to be an excellent defensive player. That’s where he could find his niche during his first season behind C.J. Garner and Jason Brickman.
Reed on the other hand has a bigger body at 6’5″. He also has an excellent motor and was considered by higher level programs with offers from TCU and Wichita State before settling on LIU. Reed has been very impressive during summer workouts.
“He’s got a great motor,” Perri said about Reed. “He’s been tremendous during workouts and he’s really picked up on things. He’s a little unique for a freshman. I have to find a way to get him some time early on.”
Of course, in an ideal world Perri would avoid using any of his freshmen too much this season. Brandon Thompson is expected to slide into Culpo’s role as the third guard in the starting lineup and the hope is that 6’6″ redshirt sophomore Troy Joseph can make an impact after having last season ended by microfracture surgery. Perri also mentioned that both Garner and Thompson have been preparing hard for their roles this off season.
In fact, maybe the change to a new coach has helped refocus the Blackbirds as they prepare to go for an unprecedented third season of winning both the regular season and tournament titles.
“It was like clockwork with our individual workouts,” Perri said. “With a new voice they’ve gotten a little more amped up and have worked a little harder. After the first title they didn’t have the same urgency that I have this year. Maybe it’s because this is it.”
This is it for six seniors, but LIU is hoping these two Texans help form the basis for a successful future.
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