Tag: Tom Moore

Former St. Francis (PA) Guard Umar Shannon Commits to Quinnipiac

After spending several weeks out on the open market, former St. Francis (PA) guard Umar Shannon has committed to play for Tom Moore at Quinnipiac, reports Bill Paxton of the Connecticut Post. The 5’11” combo guard had also seriously considered Fairfield and other MAAC/CAA teams. Continue reading “Former St. Francis (PA) Guard Umar Shannon Commits to Quinnipiac” →

Quinnipiac, Tom Moore Leaving NEC Tournament Disappointment Behind

Any time a college basketball program resides in a one-bid conference like the NEC, a significant part of the NCAA tournament battle is about getting your team in a position to win come early March. Really, it’s all most teams can ask for, especially given the crapshoot one-and-done format of the conference postseason tournaments.

If you’re grading a coach’s resume based on these criteria alone, then six-year Quinnipiac head coach Tom Moore passes with flying colors.

Since Moore was hired at Quinnipiac in 2007, only two other programs have accumulated more NEC victories within that time frame. Robert Morris (97 wins) and LIU Brooklyn (83 wins) have bettered Quinnipiac’s (75 wins) recent success in the NEC, but that has been it. Even more impressive, few teams have been as good in the month of February than Moore, with his Bobcats posting a fantastic 36-12 record.

As for the second part of the battle, well that’s a different story. Despite their regular season success, Quinnipiac hasn’t been able to get over the hump during the NEC Tournament.

It’s been an all too familiar trend for Moore. In the previous four seasons, the Bobcats have fallen to the eventual champ – twice to Robert Morris in the 2010 finals and 2011 semifinals and twice to LIU Brooklyn in the last two seasons. In each setback, the outcome could have changed had one or two possessions in the waning moments – a different bounce of the basketball, a referee’s no-call, anything – gone a different way.

For Moore, those excruciating, fingernail biting defeats serve as a constant reminder at how invested he and his staff has been in attempting to push Quinnipiac to the next level. The losses, to the surprise of no one, still sting to this day for the former Jim Calhoun assistant.

“From a coaching point of view, [those losses] will haunt me for the rest of my life, to be honest,“ said a candid Moore. ”In coaching – I don’t know if I’m wired differently – but the bad losses stay with me longer than the great wins.”

Reflecting back on those games evidentially poses a mental toll. Moore is able to recite and relive those final minutes of every loss like it happened yesterday. Moments like the Velton Jones’ runner in the lane that helped push Robert Morris to their second straight NCAA tournament berth come immediately to mind. A Robert Morris’ offensive rebound off a missed free throw, which helped seal a semifinal road victory a year later, also haunts Moore to this day.

When recalling those brutal, defensive minded half-court showdowns with Robert Morris, Moore dryly states, “Those games were like going to the dentist.”

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There are many more plays, sequences, and what-ifs that race through Moore’s head throughout the offseason.

In each of the past two postseason tournaments, Quinnipiac has squandered late second half leads to an offensively superior LIU Brooklyn club, even though the Bobcats had been dominating their NEC rivals for the first 30 to 35 minutes of the contest.

“The one thing I regret about those [LIU Brooklyn] games is I do think we, at times, played too quick offensively,” said Moore. “Over the course of the game, they can get you into that because they go from defense to offense really quick. You can score on them, so sometimes your kids get caught up a little bit into the crowd, into continuing to score with them. In those two games, we could have done a better job slowing down our own offense, which is very hard to do when you’re scoring yourself.”

In retrospect, the Quinnipiac coach shouldn’t hang his head too low. If anything, the Bobcats have been devoid of luck in these pivotal games. While Moore will be the first to tell you that his team’s execution was lacking during those critical possessions, every team needs some good fortune in those hard-fought, down to the wire battles.

With Quinnipiac heading to the MAAC next fall, there are no other opportunities to grab that elusive NCAA autobid in the NEC tournament. Regardless, Moore is proud of the progress his program has made under his watch. He inherited a mediocre team that experienced losing seasons for four straight years, and transformed them into an upper echelon club that had a legitimate chance every year to represent the NEC in the NCAA Tournament.

“As I look back on our six years in the NEC, I’m happy with the job that my kids and our staff have done,” said Moore. “I’m proud and happy that we put ourselves in position in the biggest games of the NEC tournaments to win, just disappointed we didn’t get over the hump.”

Quinnipiac fans may be rife with disappointment off another agonizing defeat, yet there’s plenty to look forward to. The formidable frontcourt tandem of Ike Azotam and Ousmane Drame, who together averaged 15 rebounds per game and anchored an interior defense that held NEC opponents to 46.6% shooting inside the arc, will be back next season. Over the last 12 games, Drame in particular has emerged as a dominant force down low, averaging nearly 14 points, 11 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game.

“He’s got a really, really bright future,” said Moore when asked about the 6’9″ center’s potential. “[Drame] evolved into a consistent practice player over the course of the season and as a result of that, you saw the increase in production. If he can stay out of foul trouble, he can put up really big numbers.”

Pair Drame and Azotam with a talented backcourt that’s getting more experience, and you have a team that should have an interesting first season in the MAAC. If young guards like Kendrick Ray, James Ford, Zaid Hearst and the surprising Evan Conti can continue to develop, the Bobcats will be a factor right away.

Before then, however, Moore must endure another long offseason to reminisce about what could have been. He’ll, of course, strive to push Quinnipiac to their first ever NCAA bid, but those close losses in the NEC Tournament will weigh on his mind for a while. Being a basketball coach can just be so cruel sometimes.

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

Awards/Thoughts from a Whirlwind Day of NEC Hoops

It’s midnight, but I’m wide awake after attending three NEC games in nine hours time. I drank 6 bottles of water, ate a banana and clif bar, drove nearly 100 miles for approximately two hours, and finally gorged myself at the diner all while taking in some excellent basketball in between. Rather than offering up a recap for all three outcomes, I decided to hand out some awards. The six teams I saw today – Quinnipiac, FDU, St. Francis Brooklyn, Central Connecticut, Sacred Heart, and Monmouth – are all eligible for these distinguished honors, as are the players. Let’s begin…

Best Player Performance
Shane Gibson – (I can already feel you rolling your eyes.) In my defense, Gibson netted a game high 33 points on 17 shots to go along with 15 made free throws. As I’ll explain later, the referees called the Monmouth/Sacred Heart game way too tight, but Sacred Heart made their freebies while Monmouth didn’t. Gibson was a major part of that, plus his 24 second half points guided the Pioneers to their first place tying victory Saturday night. In fact, Gibson scored 19 straight points for his team in the second half. 19 straight! Can you say “NEC Player of the Year?” Time to start the campaign! (Ok, I’m kidding. Sort of.)

Best Player Performance in a Losing Effort
Jalen Cannon – The 6’6″ immovable object in the paint had himself a dominant first half against the Blue Devils, as he scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds. It was so dominant, however, that every time Cannon touched the ball in the second stanza down low, Howie Dickenman would scream out “Help, help, help!” (No really, he did that every single time.) But his pupils listened and made life quite uncomfortable for Cannon, even though he ended up with an excellent final line of 18 points, 14 rebounds, and two steals. Cannon’s Terriers may have lost the game in heartbreaking fashion, but it certainly wasn’t Cannon’s fault.

Best Player Performance in a Supporting Role
The Central Connecticut Supporting Cast – Allow me to partially cop out here, as I nominate the CCSU threesome of Malcolm McMillan, Adonis Burbage, and Terrell Allen. They combined for 39 of the Blue Devils’ 72 points while draining six of nine from long range. McMillan was impressive both from the perimeter (2-3 from 3PT range) and attacking off the dribble, Burbage was his usual sharpshooting self, and Allen scored a career high 15 points off the bench. Kyle Vinales and Matthew Hunter may be a terrific twosome, but Dickenman has to be pleased with the effort from the rest of his supporting cast.

Best Player Performance in a Defensive Role
Jamee Jackson – I’ll begin with this Tom Moore quote about Jackson after their win over FDU: “I’m going to push him for [NEC] Defensive Player of the Year. I’ll really push for him to get that, and I know people judge [the award] by steals, blocks, and that type of stuff. I just know he can guard in the post. He can guard on the perimeter. He can help defend and he just plays at an elite level defensively … He’s come up with huge blocks in big situations for us, because he plays with so much energy.”

In the victory, Jackson recorded two steals and two blocks, but it was his effort on Kinu Rochford that was the most impressive. After Rochford got going early in the second half, Jackson did an excellent job pushing him off the low block and making life extremely difficult at all times. His block on Sidney Sanders final shot attempt of the game sealed the Bobcat’s two point victory. Say what you want about Jackson’s free throw shooting, but the athletic power forward is a beast on the defensive end.

Best Team Performance
Central Connecticut – Sacred Heart and Quinnipiac may have won their respective games, but CCSU was easily the most impressive of the victorious teams Saturday. With the ankle injury of Brandon Peel, Dickenman practically had six players at his disposal with five of them logging a cramp inducing 38 minutes or more. Those five were responsible for all 72 points, while their up-tempo attack kept St. Francis on their heels for a majority of the contest. Really, it’s remarkable how fast this team continues to play – eighth fastest in the country at 72.8 possessions per game – even though they are two injuries away from asking fans to suit up.

Best Postgame Quotes
King Rice – Who else did you expect?! King Rice and Andy Toole have to be the best NEC quote machines after a losing effort because neither of them hold back. Here’s what Rice had to say when I asked him about the increased role of his freshmen, in particular Christian White and Tyrone O’Garro.

“Contrary to what everybody thought when we signed those guys, and everybody all across the country was like ‘oh man [Monmouth] can’t get the right dudes’ and all this stuff, but you know what? Those kids (White, O’Garro, Jalen Palm) probably could have started from day one. I’m the type of coach that gives older guys more of a chance and now it’s time for [my freshman] to get some playing time. They’ve earned it, they are the best guys at those positions – that’s why they’re playing – and now we’re going to have those guys for three to four years.”

Also I’d like to throw in a brief exchange I had with Dave Bike last night.
Me: Have you ever seen this much parity in the NEC before?
Bike: You guys are the experts, but right now you wouldn’t have picked in the beginning, after 8 games, Robert Morris, Bryant and us tied for first place.
Me: I wouldn’t have put Bryant and Sacred Heart in there, that’s for sure.
Bike: Well, thank you. (laughter)

Oh, things are so much more jovial postgame when the Pioneers are winning! Anyway, moving along…

Most Disappointing Performance
Fairleigh Dickinson – Yeah, I couldn’t keep this entire post positive, because I did after all see some negative things in my six hours of hoops. For example, FDU absolutely gave a game away yesterday to Quinnipiac by consistently shooting themselves in the foot late. There were bonehead turnovers, missed free throws on the front end of one and one opportunities, and bricked open looks. The Knights easily threw away about seven or eight possession in the final five minutes, and when you lose that game by two points (and shoot a paltry 8-18 from the free throw line), it will surely drive the head coach nutty. Without a doubt, Greg Vetrone has to be sick with this loss, especially when you throw in the late lead they blew to LIU Brooklyn over a week ago. Those two games are the difference between 4-4 and 2-6.

Best Crowd
Sacred Heart’s Pitt Center – The “upset” of the day belongs to the Sacred Heart fans – 1,614 of them to be exact – who came out and filled up the makeshift gym to give the Pioneers a nice home court advantage. Thanks to the students, the Pitt Center was loud and very much into the game. It was a pleasant surprise and frankly cool to see.

Most Shameful Performance
The Officials for the Monmouth/Sacred Heart game – Talk about a tightly officiated game; the evening showdown at the Pitt Center was ground to a halt in the second half thanks to a comically refereed contest. Both teams were in the bonus by the under 12 minute timeout and ended up accumulating a mind-blowing 32 personal fouls, in the second half alone! Everything was being called: hand checks, minimal arm taps, hell some were led to believe breathing on a player was an offense. It was truly shameful how the officials took the game over.

I’ve run out of awards, thus I’d like to conclude with some important random thoughts:

  • The aforementioned Monmouth freshman Christian White has a beautiful outside shot. It’s one of the prettiest rainbow arcs you’ll see in the NEC, and so far the freshman is making the most of his playing time. For the season, the diminutive White has drained exactly 50% (16 of 32) of his three-point attempts. Given Monmouth’s past outside shooting woes, White’s production is sorely needed.
  • Quinnipiac’s backcourt continues to serve as a revolving door of guards, whether it’s Shaq Shannon, Zaid Hearst, Evan Conti, Kendrick Ray, or James Ford. As Tom Moore explained in his press conference, not even he knows which player(s) will perform on a given night. Yesterday, Conti gave Moore a strong first half of eight points and four assists. On Thursday night, Shannon scored 18 points exclusively on three-pointers to give the Bobcats a much needed spark over CCSU. Zaid Hearst has been in-and-out with his production. Moore is still searching for the right guy(s) to mix and match, although he certainly would prefer leaning on one or two players for the NEC stretch. Will someone eventually elevate their play? No one really knows the answer.
  • The curious case of Travis Nichols continues. On Saturday, Nichols had another double digit point effort as he scored 10 points, which sounds awesome when you realize St. Francis was 5-1 in those games. But yesterday, St. Francis lost in part because Nichols found himself in foul trouble for much of the second half. The versatile forward missed critical stretches late and it inevitability cost his team as CCSU pulled away in Nichols’ absence. I’m certainly not placing all of the blame on Nichols, but it’s hard to dispute the effect he has on the team when he’s logging quality minutes on the floor for Glenn Braica’s group.
  • I know I brought this up in last week’s edition of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, but it bears repeating. Phil Gaetano, through eight NEC games, now has dished out 75 assists versus only 21 turnovers. He holds a league best A/TO ratio of 3.6. Not bad for a player who only attempts four shots per game.

It was a great day of college hoops, one I’m extremely thankful to be a part of. Perhaps there will be more Connecticut tripleheaders in my future. I just have to run it by the wife next time…

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

What’s Wrong with the Quinnipiac Bobcats?

Tom Moore’s Bobcats were projected to be a year away from becoming possible favorites for a NEC title (projections were made before Quinnipiac’s announced defection to the MAAC next fall). The frontcourt is led by vociferous rebounders Ike Azotam, Jamee Jackson, and Ousmane Drame, but the backcourt – other than senior point guard Dave Johnson – is in partial rebuild mode. Despite the inexperience on the perimeter, this was a team projected by yours truly and John to finish in the upper third (aka top four) of the conference. Through 16 games however, the Bobcats have given pundits no indication that they could live up to those semi-lofty expectations. Their latest NEC home loss to Sacred Heart last Saturday bumped the Bobcats down to 1-3 in the NEC, and a stunning 5-11 overall.

The poor play has been surprising, so I decided to examine what has gone wrong in Hamden. As you’ll soon find out, it’s a myriad of issues that has plagued this team.

1) The Offense Lacks Playmakers
Anyone who’s read a prognostication of Quinnipiac this offseason has had the James Johnson graduation story rammed down their throats. It was the number one question this fall: how exactly would Tom Moore replace Johnson’s superb production on the court and his leadership off it? While an answer to the latter is difficult to ascertain without being in the locker room, statistics prove the backcourt production has taken a step back. While Zaid Hearst has seen a slight uptick in his production from his rookie campaign, he hasn’t been the player we envisioned he’d grow into. Garvey Young, who’s currently out nursing an ankle injury, is a solid, yet unspectacular veteran, who provides more value on the defensive side of the ball anyway. And the freshmen, in particular Kendrick Ray and his explosive first step, need time to fully adapt to the speed of D-I basketball. The same goes for three-point extraordinaire James Ford and the recently used Tariq Carey.

Add it all up and you have a backcourt that can be, dare I say, stagnant at times. The offensive attack lacks any kind of consistent playmaking ability – the type of playmaking skills that Johnson provided for Moore late in the game. Ray possesses the most upside of the aforementioned candidates, but as he showed in the loss to Sacred Heart (3 points, 1-9 from the floor), he’s still not ready to be counted on as a productive double-digit scorer. Someday the athletic Ray will get there, I’m confident of that, but it will take some time.

2) Missing Their Freebies
For the last two and a half seasons, the Bobcats have continually shot themselves in the foot by missing their free throws. Their early NEC season has been somewhat painful to watch, because Quinnipiac has shot a putrid 52.0% from the charity stripe. Yes, that’s 52.0% on 98 attempts. They missed 15 free throw attempts in their NEC opener in a TWO point loss to St. Francis Brooklyn. Versus Bryant, they bricked seven freebies, although the Bulldogs probably would have won the game regardless. The following Saturday, Quinnipiac only converted 14 of 27 free throw attempts in a SIX point loss to Sacred Heart. This is nothing new, and really, there isn’t much Moore can do to alleviate the pain. As long as Ike Azotam, Jamee Jackson, and Ousmane Drame continue to rack up minutes (as well they should), any coach would be foolish not to employ the “hack a Bobcat big man” strategy for easy layups and in games that go down to the wire. As this point, all Bobcat nation can do is close their eyes, cross their fingers, and hope for the best. Or at the very least, Moore could keep Jackson and his career 47.8% free throw percentage on the bench during late game situations.

3) What Happened to the Defense?
Moore’s teams have always prided themselves on playing good old hard-nosed half-court defense by contesting shots, clogging pass lanes, and dominating the defensive glass. While the rebounding has been exceptional as usual, Quinnipiac has had a hell of a time stopping the opposition from scoring. Through four conference games, Quinnipiac has allowed opponents to score 1.11 points per possession, which is the second worst (besides LIU Brooklyn of course) defense in the NEC. It’s been an early puzzling trend, especially when examining Quinnipiac’s previous body of work. In the four seasons prior, the Bobcats have held opponents to 0.94, 0.92, 0.95 and 0.95 points per possession, respectively. Also troubling is their lousy defense on the perimeter, which is allowing opponents to shoot 38.2% from behind the arc. This is essentially the same team from last season, sans Johnson who was a decent defender, so why they’ve allowed teams like Bryant and Sacred Heart to go on prolonged back-breaking second half runs is beyond me. I bet Moore is searching for an answer to that question as you read this.

Even though the last 750 words have been of the glass half-empty variety, there’s still hope for Quinnipiac. As I stated before, more conversions at the charity stripe could have changed the outcome for at least one, if not two, of the games. Also, it’s fair to expect Quinnipiac to progress back to the mean in regards to free throw shooting (they’re shooting 63.0% from the line for the season). A couple of more defensive stops on top of that and maybe, just maybe, this team can rattle off a few wins in a row.

It’s absolutely possible, but Quinnipiac needs to play better soon. In the wild wild NEC, where parity reins supreme, those “easy” victories are becoming few and far between. And if the Bobcats can’t execute better on both ends of the floor, it will be a final season to forget in the NEC for Tom Moore and company.

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

NEC Team Capsules: Quinnipiac Bobcats

Head Coach: Tom Moore, 6th year (93-65)
Last Seaon: 18-14 (10-8 NEC), lost semfinals of NEC Tournament to LIU, 78-75
NEC Preseason Coach’s Poll: 4th out of 12 teams
State of Program: Win-now mode
Key Players Lost: James Johnson (16.5 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.3 SPG), Nate Gause, Alex Jackson, Kevin Tarca, Terrance Bobb-Jones
Imcoming Players: Kendrick Ray (G), James Ford (G), Tariq Carey (G), Shaq Shannon (G)
Previous Posts: Quinnipiac Recruiting Recap, Quinnipiac Heavily Invests in Basketball, Notes/Quotes From Quinnipiac’s Practice

Projected Starting Lineup:
PG: Dave Johnson (8.7 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 3.7 APG, 1.0 SPG, 1.5 A/TO)
G: Zaid Hearst (7.3 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 1.3 APG, 37.0% 3PT)
G: Garvey Young (5.9 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 1.3 APG)
PF: Ike Azotam (15.7 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 1.0 BPG, 56.2% FG)
C: Ousmane Drame (6.5 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 0.9 BPG)

Key Reserves: Jamee Jackson (F), Kendrick Ray (G), James Ford (G), Shaq Shannon (G), Evan Conti (G), Tariq Carey (G), Justin Harris (PF)

Major Storylines:

  • Replacing The Man – It’s one of the biggest questions in the NEC this past offseason: How will the Bobcats replace the production and leadership of two time All-NEC team selection James Johnson? The short answer: Tom Moore will carve up Johnson’s minutes several different ways, with the bulk going to promising sophomore Zaid Hearst. Replacing the leadership void caused by Johnson’s graduation, however, will fall in the laps of several different Bobcats, whether it’s Ike Azotam, Jamee Jackson, Dave Johnson, or Garvey Young.
  • Shooting the Basketball In the Basket – One major criticism of Quinnipiac has been their inability to shoot the basketball with any type of consistency. Their free throw percentage has been in the bottom 10% of the nation the past two seasons (63.8% FT last year), while their long-range accuracy has suffered as well. Currently, Hearst is the only player on the roster with a three point percentage over 36.0%, although freshmen James Ford, Kendrick Ray, and Shaq Shannon certainly have the ability to improve the Bobcats’ range from downtown.
  • Improving Their Offensive Efficiency – When asked what Quinnipiac needs to improve to finally win a NEC title, Moore doesn’t hesitate in bringing up the offense. If Quinnipiac continues to defend (1st in the NEC last season in FG% defense) and rebound (1st in the NEC in rebounding margin), then Moore plans to push the tempo and figure out a way to improve his team’s efficiency in the half-court set. The key will be the guard play – if Hearst and a freshman or two can give the Bobcats a reliable scorer on the perimeter, then the half-court execution will be that much easier, especially with the way the Bobcats crash the glass.

Lineup Analysis: Another season, another close call. Moore has done an excellent job getting Quinnipiac into a position to win, but they simply haven’t executed when it has mattered most. Looking ahead, the Bobcats boast the second best frontcourt in the league with All-NEC preseason first team selection Ike Azotam, who led the NEC in rebounds per game. Sophomore Ousmane Drame, an All-NEC rookie team selection, posted terrific rebounding rates as a freshman, and will look to improve his offensive prowess. Jamee Jackson is a versatile, athletic “4” big man who Moore calls the best frontcourt defender in the league. That trio, along with steady senior Dave Johnson at the point, gives the Bobcats an excellent foundation to possibly crack the top three of the conference. Zaid Hearst is poised to play 30 productive minutes at the “2” or “3” for Quinnipiac, while there are a plethura of options to consider for the final starting spot. Fifth year senior Garvey Young is a defensive specialist. Kendrick Ray has excellent athleticism and play-making ability. Freshmen James Ford can light it up from behind the arch. And the group of Tariq Carey, Shaq Shannon, and Evan Conti make up a solid bench that allows Moore to comfortably play 8-10 per night. It’s one of the better rosters in the NEC, and they should find themselves once again in the upper third of the league.

Coach’s Quotes:

“I think we have to do a better job – we have to execute our offense better in the half-court to create better shots, and I put that on me, more than I put that on our team. And secondly, I think we have to run a little bit more then we have, get more in transition then we have. If we can guard in the half-court at the level we’ve guarded in the half-court the last few years … and rebound at the same level we’ve been rebounding and we improve our shot selection and shot creation and run a little bit more, that’s what I think we need to do.”
– Moore, when asked to identify what his team needs to do this season to finally get over the hump and win the NEC championship

Prediction:

Ryan – If there’s one team that could crack the top three of LIU, RMU, and Wagner, it’s Quinnipiac, who has the second best frontcourt in the league. Like John says, though, I think the Bobcats will be in better shape come 2013-14, when their young backcourt has another year to develop. For now, mark me down for a fourth place finish.

John – The front court is excellent, but even it didn’t shoot consistently last season. Can the offense improve enough to carry the Bobcats into the upper echelon? It’s probably still a year away.

Previous NEC Team Capsules:
October 24: St. Francis (PA) Red Flash
October 25: Fairleigh Dickinson Knights
October 26: Bryant Bulldogs
October 29: Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers
October 30: Central Connecticut Blue Devils
October 31: Monmouth Hawks
November 1: Sacred Heart Pioneers
November 2: St. Francis Terriers

Observations and quotes from Quinnipiac’s practice

Recently, I traveled to Hamden to watch the Quinnipiac Bobcats practice. It was my first time meeting Tom Moore, who in Connecticut and the NEC, has a bit of a target on his back from fans of other nearby schools. Maybe people are envious of his recent success, contract, or perhaps the beautiful TD Banknorth Arena has them jealous. No matter how much you dislike Moore and his program though, critics simply can’t ignore Quinnipiac’s recent success. In the past three seasons, Moore has a NEC regular season championship and an average of 21 wins per season.

Below you’ll find my random thoughts and several quotes from my hour plus conversation with Moore.

– Zaid Hearst was impressive in practice. His practice intensity and confidence shooting the mid-range jumper stood out the most to me. About a month ago, I identified Hearst as one of my breakout candidates, and really, this practice reiterated my belief in him. Moore has been impressed with Hearst’s work ethic, since his strong finish last season.

“To be honest with you, I wouldn’t have said [Hearst is ready] in January, but he got better as the year went on,” said Moore. “The thing I love about [Hearst] is he took that ending and from April to now, no one in our program has worked harder. He’s just one of those kids – like James Johnson was – you don’t have to force to the gym and you don’t have to beg him to the gym. He just works, so his body is great right now, his toughness is great right now, and his game is improving all of time.”

– While Hearst is the leading candidate to replace most of Johnson’s production on the court, Moore expects multiple guys on the team to replace Johnson’s leadership. Seniors Dave Johnson and Jamee Jackson, Ike Azotam, and Hearst were quickly identified as those guys. The thing that worries Moore the most, however, is who will step up late in the game and become that go-to-guy when the Bobcats need a bucket. It’s a big time concern for Moore.

“The ability at the end of games and at big times in the shot clock where [James Johnson] wanted the ball and guys were used to deferring a bit, and he was always willing to take those shots. So I don’t know [who will fill that role]. I hope that’s something that evolves, because we brought in some real talent on the perimeter, but it’s inexperienced talent.”

– Speaking of perimeter talent, Kendrick Ray’s athleticism and James Ford’s perimeter stroke grabbed my attention. The 6-foot-3 Ray is a terrific leaper, and he should make an impact on the floor as a combo guard. Moore would like to ease Ray’s role early on, mainly by playing him off-the-ball, rather than backing up starting PG Dave Johnson. James Ford has a real opportunity to fill a long range shooting niche as a freshman. Quinnipiac struggled last year shooting behind the arc, so Ford’s energy and shooting prowess could find him time right away. At practice, even Ford’s contested misses found the inside of the rim more often than not. This kid can flat out shoot.

“He is our most natural three-point shooter right now,” said Moore in regards to Ford. “I have to make sure he keeps thinking like a three-point shooter and we’ve been really impressed by him.”

– There’s always one player on the team that challenges a coaching staff, and that player for Quinnipiac is 6-foot-9 center Ousmane Drame. Drame is a physical speciman in the NEC, so now the struggle for Moore is to reve up his competitive fire. The beast in the paint lacks intensity at times, and at one point during practice, Drame was told by Moore to leave the scrimmage and sit on the sidelines (6-foot-3 guard Evan Conti came in for Drame and had to guard Azotam, which as you could imagine was wildly entertaining to watch). When talking about Drame, Moore proclaimed how much he loves to coach talented and intelligent players such as Drame. Yet Moore is still trying to tweak and push the right buttons when it comes to handling his big forward.

“[Drame] was a guy – watching him in July [during the recruiting period] – that I loved,” said Moore. “But because of his body language – it can be a little casual and he can stand a lot off the ball – he was one of those guys that the more I saw him, the more convinced I was of his talent, but the more concerned I was with [Drame’s competitive] fire. But I just felt that he was so talented, that when we got him in the program it could really work.”

Moore also reiterated that he expects Drame to have a “monster season.”

– Moore also expects big things out of the versatile Jamme Jackson, who sat out of practice with a minor groin injury. Last season, Jackson suffered a freak injury in the warmup line before Niagara when he awkwardly landed on a ball he had just dunked. Before then, Jackson had an impressive three game stretch where he averaged 16.3 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. If healthy, Moore plans to give his senior forward big time minutes in the frontcourt along with Drame and Azotam.

“Jamee’s been a monster so far,” said Moore. “In my opinion, he’s the most athletic and hardest playing inside player in this league. I feel like I’m sitting on a secret right now, because he was just getting to that point last season before he broke the bone in his foot on December. He can play low post guys, move them off the block, alter their shot, he can do anything you need out of a low post guy. He can also guard fours that pick and pop.”

– Jackson will be part of a deep frontcourt that also includes Justin Harris (who displayed a solid 15 foot jumper) and Marquis Barnett. In the backcourt, there appears to be a three-way competition for playing time between Evan Conti, freshman Tariq Carey, and Shaq Shannon. Expect Moore to ride the hot hand among those three in-season.

And there you have it. 1000 words and I’ve barely mentioned All-NEC preseason first team selection Ike Azotam. The junior will continue to command the ball in the post, and has developed a quick-release jump hook. A season of 17 ppg/10 rpb/1.2 bpg from Azotam is not out of the question.

Add it all up, and you have a legit contender in the NEC. Perhaps this season, Quinnipiac will find some of the luck needed to represent the NEC in the NCAA tournament.