You win as many games in a row as the Marist women's team has won and someone is bound to notice.
National notice came this week when the Red Foxes cracked the Associated Press Top 25 poll for the first time this season. The poll, released today (Monday), has Marist ranked No,. 25 nationally.
It marks the eighth time the team has been ranked in the poll in program history.
Marist is riding an active 17-game winning streak, the second longest nationally (trailing only No. 1-ranked Baylor's 18-game streak), but barely got no. 17. The Red Foxes needed to rally from a second-half deficit to get past Fairfield, 54-52, on Sunday. That victory leaves Marist with a 12-0 MAAC record and a 21-2 overall mark.
On Sunday junior guard Corielle Yarde (Reading, Pa.) hit the game-winning layup with 27.7 seconds remaining as Marist erased an eight-point halftime deficit to defeat the Fairfield Stags 54-52 on Sunday at the Webster Bank Arena at Harbor Yard. Yarde led the way for Marist with 18 points and senior guard Erica Allenspach (Miamisburg, Ohio) added 13 on 6-for-12 shooting.
The Red Foxes have climbed as high as No. 20 in the AP Poll in past year. Marist was ranked 20th on Jan. 19, 2009 after it broke into the poll two weeks prior on Jan. 5.
The #25 Marist women’s basketball team will next be in action on Friday, Feb. 11 for a MAAC contest at Iona. Tip-off at the Hynes Athletic Center is slated for 4:30 p.m. The game will be televised nationally on ESPNU.
Here's a list, provided by Marist's assistant sports information director Andy Alongi, of previous times Marist has broken into the AP Top 25 poll:
- Jan. 19, 2009 - #20
- Jan. 12, 2009 - #21
- Jan. 5, 2009 - #25
- Final 2007-08 - #22
- March 11, 2008 - #22
- March 4, 2008 - #24
- Feb. 26, 2008 - #25
Monday, February 7, 2011
Manhattan Men Get Four in Early Period
Here's another in the series looking at next year's incoming freshmen, players who committed during the fall's early signing period.
Up now, Manhattan men.
- Edson Avila, a 6-10 forward from from Thomas Jefferson High School in Brooklyn.
Avila averaged 5.0 points and 5.0 rebounds as a junior last season.
- Davontay Grace, a 6-2 guard from Thomas Jefferson High School in Brooklyn.
Grace averaged 11.5 points, 7.0 assists and 2.0 rebounds as a junior last season. Avila and Grace are high school teammates. Grace originally gave a verbal commitment to attend St. John's, but changed his mind after the Johnnies fired Norm Roberts after the 2009-10 season.
- Zach Lamb, a 6-4 guard from Miami Dade Junior College.
Lamb averaged 13.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists as a freshman at Miami Dade last season. He is the brother of Jeremy Lamb who attends UConn. He is averaging 13.4 points per game through 24 games this season.
- Ryan McCoy, a 6-7 forward from Montgomery H.S. (Skillman, N.J.).
McCoy averaged 10.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists as a junior last season.
Up now, Manhattan men.
- Edson Avila, a 6-10 forward from from Thomas Jefferson High School in Brooklyn.
Avila averaged 5.0 points and 5.0 rebounds as a junior last season.
- Davontay Grace, a 6-2 guard from Thomas Jefferson High School in Brooklyn.
Grace averaged 11.5 points, 7.0 assists and 2.0 rebounds as a junior last season. Avila and Grace are high school teammates. Grace originally gave a verbal commitment to attend St. John's, but changed his mind after the Johnnies fired Norm Roberts after the 2009-10 season.
- Zach Lamb, a 6-4 guard from Miami Dade Junior College.
Lamb averaged 13.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists as a freshman at Miami Dade last season. He is the brother of Jeremy Lamb who attends UConn. He is averaging 13.4 points per game through 24 games this season.
- Ryan McCoy, a 6-7 forward from Montgomery H.S. (Skillman, N.J.).
McCoy averaged 10.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists as a junior last season.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Jackson "Delivers" In Return For Siena
UPS has the advertising tagline "What Can Brown Do For You?"
The Siena men's team, though, could paraphrase the motto, asking itself "What Can Jackson Do For You?"
The Jackson in question is senior guard Clarence Jackson, a first-team all-MAAC preseason selection who has missed nine games this season, parts of two others and has been limited to a sub-double figure number of practices this season due to badly sprained ankles.
But, after his most-recent three-game absence, Jackson returned to the Siena lineup for Friday's game against Manhattan.
What can Jackson do for you? Only this: With Manhattan having pulled ahead, 39-37, midway through the second half against the Saints Jackson drained a long-range three-pointer to restore his team's lead.
And, later in the half, when Manhattan was still within four points with under two minutes remaining. Saints' center Ryan Rossiter was triple-teammed in the post but was able to find Jackson lurking on the deep perimeter, and Jackson delivered again with a trey that pushed the Saints' lead to 56-49 and the Jaspers never seriously threatened again.
In all, Jackson only made 3-of-9 shots in the contest, all 3-pointers, as a little rust from all the inactivity remains still visible. But, he was 3-of-7 from beyond the bonus stripe, and all three were figurative daggers (the first came in the first half, extending a six-point Siena lead to nine) to the Jaspers.
"That's what he does for you," said Siena coach Mitch Buonaguro. "Those three shots he makes are all backbreakers. That's why it's important to have him out there."
It's important because without Jackson Siena lacks a consistent perimeter threat that can draw attention away from its 6-foot-9 post standout Ryan Rossiter. Without that threat Rossiter faces double- and triple-team attention every game. But, if opponents use perimeter players to drop down and help out on Rossiter when Jackson is on the court, then Jackson can foil the strategy by making open long-range shots, much like he did Friday.
Without Jackson Siena looks like a second-tier team in the MAAC hierarchy this season. With him? On any given night the Saints are capable of beating any MAAC opponent.
In other words, Jackson delivers.
"We need him," admitted Buonaguro, about Jackson. "We're a different team when he's out there and when he's healthy."
None of that was lost on Manhattan coach Barry Rohrssen, who delivered the best post-game line of the night about the Siena long-range bomber.
"I like coming up here and seeing you," Rohrssen said when speaking to this blogger. "But, I don't like seeing Clarence Jackson."
The Siena men's team, though, could paraphrase the motto, asking itself "What Can Jackson Do For You?"
The Jackson in question is senior guard Clarence Jackson, a first-team all-MAAC preseason selection who has missed nine games this season, parts of two others and has been limited to a sub-double figure number of practices this season due to badly sprained ankles.
But, after his most-recent three-game absence, Jackson returned to the Siena lineup for Friday's game against Manhattan.
What can Jackson do for you? Only this: With Manhattan having pulled ahead, 39-37, midway through the second half against the Saints Jackson drained a long-range three-pointer to restore his team's lead.
And, later in the half, when Manhattan was still within four points with under two minutes remaining. Saints' center Ryan Rossiter was triple-teammed in the post but was able to find Jackson lurking on the deep perimeter, and Jackson delivered again with a trey that pushed the Saints' lead to 56-49 and the Jaspers never seriously threatened again.
In all, Jackson only made 3-of-9 shots in the contest, all 3-pointers, as a little rust from all the inactivity remains still visible. But, he was 3-of-7 from beyond the bonus stripe, and all three were figurative daggers (the first came in the first half, extending a six-point Siena lead to nine) to the Jaspers.
"That's what he does for you," said Siena coach Mitch Buonaguro. "Those three shots he makes are all backbreakers. That's why it's important to have him out there."
It's important because without Jackson Siena lacks a consistent perimeter threat that can draw attention away from its 6-foot-9 post standout Ryan Rossiter. Without that threat Rossiter faces double- and triple-team attention every game. But, if opponents use perimeter players to drop down and help out on Rossiter when Jackson is on the court, then Jackson can foil the strategy by making open long-range shots, much like he did Friday.
Without Jackson Siena looks like a second-tier team in the MAAC hierarchy this season. With him? On any given night the Saints are capable of beating any MAAC opponent.
In other words, Jackson delivers.
"We need him," admitted Buonaguro, about Jackson. "We're a different team when he's out there and when he's healthy."
None of that was lost on Manhattan coach Barry Rohrssen, who delivered the best post-game line of the night about the Siena long-range bomber.
"I like coming up here and seeing you," Rohrssen said when speaking to this blogger. "But, I don't like seeing Clarence Jackson."
Jaspers' Youth Ensures Bright Future
On Jan. 30th Manhattan got a highlight reel moment, a much-needed late-season boost of good feelings, when freshman guard Mike Alvarado banked in a 65-foot desparation heave at the final buzzer to win a game, 60-59, at Marist.
Five days later, with the glow of national media subsided after Alvarado's "Manhattan Miracle," the Jaspars dropped a 64-57 decision against Siena at the Times Union Center in Albany and the initial response to that could easily be this: Back to the dismal days for Manhattan.
After all the Jaspers fell to 2-10 in MAAC play and 4-19 overall.
But if one looks close enough at what Manhattan has in place right now the view uncovers justifiable optimism for future highlights far beyond a single "fortunate" long-distance heave.
Better days are ahead for the Manhattan team, maybe good enough ones to eventually get it back to some pretty good times of the not-so-distant past for the basketball team from Riverdale, N.Y.
It wasn't that long ago when Manhattan was as dominant in MAAC play as Siena was over the past three seasons, or Fairfield appears to be right now.
From 2000-01 through 2005-06, a six-year span, Manhattan won (three times) or finished second (twice) in the conference standings five times. The Jaspers had a 76-32 conference record over that span including four 20-plus victory seasons overall.
A look at what Manhattan has in place right now, or at least a little imagination about what its current cast might eventually become, results in the conclusion that similar days aren't far off.
You can blame the team's current record as much on youth and inexperience as anything. The talent is there. It just needs to ripen, to develop, to mature.
Starters on Friday night against Siena included two freshmen (point guard Alvarado, and 6-foot-6 forward Rhamel Brown) and a sophomore (6-4 swingman George Beamon).
The other two starters were junior college transfer Kidani Brutus at guard and 6-8 grad student forward Demetrius Jemison, who joined the program for the second semester after three seasons at Alabama.
In short ... four new players to the Manhattan program, and one (Beamon) who saw limited action a year ago.
The growing pains are evident, but starting to pay off. Three games ago the Jaspers took first-place Fairfield to the wire before losing, 61-59 in Bridgeport, Conn. Then came the victory at Marist, courtesy of Alvarado's 65-footer. And, Friday, the Jaspers threw a scare into Siena, holding a mid-second half lead and, then, hanging around (within four with 1:06 remaining) before the Saints closed out a 64-57 victory.
"It definitely is a challenge to coach such a young team," admitted Manhattan's fifth-year coach Barry Rohrssen. "Any coach would find it a challenge to work with such a `new' team. It would be for any coach to rely on so many young players.
"And, we've got freshmen in the two key positions, point guard and center. I'm not a chess master, but in that game the two key pieces are the king and the queen. That's where you have to be strong. In college basketball the two key pieces are point guard and center, and we've got a lack of experience there right now."
But, not a lack of talent. Alvarado, based on Friday's look, is one of the more-talented point guards the league has seen recently. He averages 10.5 points and 3.3 assists per game.
Brown, an athletic post player, averages 7.4 points and 8.2 rebounds and will only improve on the block as he adds muscle to his still-slender 215-pound frame. He already has 51 blocks this season, the fifth-best single-season total by a Jasper in the program's history, and could approach the best single-season mark of 74 (set by Arturo Dubois, 2005-06).
And, then, there's Beamon, a major point-producer who averages 15.2 points per game and who had 17 against Siena, who looks like a future conference scoring leader.
Those three -- Alvarado, Brown and Beamon -- will be together for two more seasons after this one giving Manhattan an exciting, talented nucleus that should deliver it considerably north, in future years, of where it currently resides in the conference standings.
Rohrssen, formerly an assistant at Pitt, has a reputation for being an outstanding recruiter. In past years, he has taken a few quick fixes that haven't delivered much in terms of victories (including one-and-done divisive piece Rico Pickett, a transfer from Alabama, who left with a year's eligibility remaining to pursue professional opportunities). But, Rohrssen has delivered the program's foundation for the future with the likes of Alvarado, Brown and Beamon.
There is another freshman in place, 6-7 long-range shooter Torgrim Sommerfeldt of Norway, who originally committed to attend Wake Forest. Sommerfeldt, though, has not played this year due to injury but looks like he could be another nice piece to Manhattan's future.
And, Rohrssen has already received four commitments from players who will join the program next season and the guess here is that there will be more strong contributions coming from that group.
But the need for them to contribute as much as the current freshmen are contributing, out of necessity, won't be as crucial next season.
"It's probably not fair that our young guys have had to play so much," added Rohrssen. "But, that's the situation that we're in. So, they're getting a baptism under fire. What you hope is that down the road the experience our young guys get now starts paying dividends."
Some of those dividends could even start paying off by the end of the year. But, if not, then those dividends aren't far off as the future for Manhattan basketball looks very bright.
Five days later, with the glow of national media subsided after Alvarado's "Manhattan Miracle," the Jaspars dropped a 64-57 decision against Siena at the Times Union Center in Albany and the initial response to that could easily be this: Back to the dismal days for Manhattan.
After all the Jaspers fell to 2-10 in MAAC play and 4-19 overall.
But if one looks close enough at what Manhattan has in place right now the view uncovers justifiable optimism for future highlights far beyond a single "fortunate" long-distance heave.
Better days are ahead for the Manhattan team, maybe good enough ones to eventually get it back to some pretty good times of the not-so-distant past for the basketball team from Riverdale, N.Y.
It wasn't that long ago when Manhattan was as dominant in MAAC play as Siena was over the past three seasons, or Fairfield appears to be right now.
From 2000-01 through 2005-06, a six-year span, Manhattan won (three times) or finished second (twice) in the conference standings five times. The Jaspers had a 76-32 conference record over that span including four 20-plus victory seasons overall.
A look at what Manhattan has in place right now, or at least a little imagination about what its current cast might eventually become, results in the conclusion that similar days aren't far off.
You can blame the team's current record as much on youth and inexperience as anything. The talent is there. It just needs to ripen, to develop, to mature.
Starters on Friday night against Siena included two freshmen (point guard Alvarado, and 6-foot-6 forward Rhamel Brown) and a sophomore (6-4 swingman George Beamon).
The other two starters were junior college transfer Kidani Brutus at guard and 6-8 grad student forward Demetrius Jemison, who joined the program for the second semester after three seasons at Alabama.
In short ... four new players to the Manhattan program, and one (Beamon) who saw limited action a year ago.
The growing pains are evident, but starting to pay off. Three games ago the Jaspers took first-place Fairfield to the wire before losing, 61-59 in Bridgeport, Conn. Then came the victory at Marist, courtesy of Alvarado's 65-footer. And, Friday, the Jaspers threw a scare into Siena, holding a mid-second half lead and, then, hanging around (within four with 1:06 remaining) before the Saints closed out a 64-57 victory.
"It definitely is a challenge to coach such a young team," admitted Manhattan's fifth-year coach Barry Rohrssen. "Any coach would find it a challenge to work with such a `new' team. It would be for any coach to rely on so many young players.
"And, we've got freshmen in the two key positions, point guard and center. I'm not a chess master, but in that game the two key pieces are the king and the queen. That's where you have to be strong. In college basketball the two key pieces are point guard and center, and we've got a lack of experience there right now."
But, not a lack of talent. Alvarado, based on Friday's look, is one of the more-talented point guards the league has seen recently. He averages 10.5 points and 3.3 assists per game.
Brown, an athletic post player, averages 7.4 points and 8.2 rebounds and will only improve on the block as he adds muscle to his still-slender 215-pound frame. He already has 51 blocks this season, the fifth-best single-season total by a Jasper in the program's history, and could approach the best single-season mark of 74 (set by Arturo Dubois, 2005-06).
And, then, there's Beamon, a major point-producer who averages 15.2 points per game and who had 17 against Siena, who looks like a future conference scoring leader.
Those three -- Alvarado, Brown and Beamon -- will be together for two more seasons after this one giving Manhattan an exciting, talented nucleus that should deliver it considerably north, in future years, of where it currently resides in the conference standings.
Rohrssen, formerly an assistant at Pitt, has a reputation for being an outstanding recruiter. In past years, he has taken a few quick fixes that haven't delivered much in terms of victories (including one-and-done divisive piece Rico Pickett, a transfer from Alabama, who left with a year's eligibility remaining to pursue professional opportunities). But, Rohrssen has delivered the program's foundation for the future with the likes of Alvarado, Brown and Beamon.
There is another freshman in place, 6-7 long-range shooter Torgrim Sommerfeldt of Norway, who originally committed to attend Wake Forest. Sommerfeldt, though, has not played this year due to injury but looks like he could be another nice piece to Manhattan's future.
And, Rohrssen has already received four commitments from players who will join the program next season and the guess here is that there will be more strong contributions coming from that group.
But the need for them to contribute as much as the current freshmen are contributing, out of necessity, won't be as crucial next season.
"It's probably not fair that our young guys have had to play so much," added Rohrssen. "But, that's the situation that we're in. So, they're getting a baptism under fire. What you hope is that down the road the experience our young guys get now starts paying dividends."
Some of those dividends could even start paying off by the end of the year. But, if not, then those dividends aren't far off as the future for Manhattan basketball looks very bright.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Marist Women Dominant Once Again
Your blogger took the relatively short drive down the New York State Thruway to Poughkeepsie on Monday night to witness the women's game between Siena and Marist.
And, let me say right up front: I am a believer ... again.
A believer in Marist, and that the Red Foxes' total domination of other MAAC teams is secure for another year, and probably for the year after this one, too.
While most observers contend the conference, on the women's side, is going through a slight dip in overall team capabilities ... that's not the case for Marist at all.
The observation I made while watching Monday's game is that the MAAC, this season, is like the Fairy Tale "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs."
Well, this year is Marist and the Nine Dwarfs.
More than one conference coach has opined that Marist is more difficult to prepare for this year than, even, last season when it had three-time conference Player of the Year Rachele Fitz as its go-to player.
This year, Marist has multiple go-to players, as evidenced by its performance against Siena, a 60-30 victory by the Red Foxes.
Marist only had one player in double figures, sophomore forward Kate Oliver, who scored 10 points. In all, 12 different players scored. On the season, five different players have led the team in scoring for at least one game.
On Monday Marist got 31 of its 60 points from reserves including 17 from freshmen.
Against Siena, the only player who had somewhat of an "off night" from the field was preseason Player of the Year selection senior guard Erica Allenspach, who scored just five points on 2-of-7 shooting from the floor.
But, that was no factor whatsoever as the winners pulled away from a 30-21 advantage early in the second half with a 30-9 domination of play over the final 17 minutes.
Marist won Monday's game as much with its defense as with its offense. It held Siena to 3-of-27 shooting (11.1 percent) over the final 17 minutes of the contest.
Marist has already played eight of the nine other teams, including two meetings with Loyola which, right now, looks like the second-best team in the conference.
In those two games Marist won by 16 and 10 points, after holding a 20-point halftime lead in the game that ultimately was decided by 10 points.
The only remaining "challenge" for Marist might be coming this Sunday, a "Super" game on Super Bowl Sunday, if you will, when Marist is at Fairfield.
Fairfield is one of the conference's better teams thus far with a 7-3 conference record, good for third place. The Stags have a four-game winning streak, are 14-6 overall and 9-2 on their home court.
And, Fairfield seems to have an idea of how to beat Marist as the only team to do so in each of the past two seasons.
But, it will certainly be a tall task.
Marist domination? Let us count the ways ...
- Its current 15-game active winning streak is second-longest nationally, behind only the 16-game streak by Baylor, the No. 1 team nationally.
- Its turnover average of 11 per game is the best of the 340 women's teams nationally, nearly 2.3 turnovers fewer than the next best average.
- Marist has eight players with more assists than turnovers so far this season. Siena, by comparison, has one.
- Marist entered Monday's game at seventh-best nationally in points allowed per game, and moved up two spots to fifth after holding the Saints to 30 points. The Red Foxes now give up 50.7 points per game.
(NOTE: The best defensive team nationally is Fairfield, which allows 48.1 points per game.. Manhattan is No. 4 nationally at 49.8, while Marist is No. 5).
- Marist has won all 10 of its conference games by double figures and has outscored MAAC opponents, through its first 10 games, by an average of 26.2 points per game.
Is that dominating enough?
All of this is nothing new for Marist, which has had a double-figure winning streak every year since the 2004-04 season, with a high-water mark of 22 straight during the 2007-08 season.
And, its 18-0 MAAC record in 2007-08 is the only perfect conference season since the MAAC expanded to 10 teams and an 18-game schedule for the 1997-98 season.
Marist has either won outright or shared first place in the MAAC for the past seven seasons and is well on its way to No. 8 in a row. No other conference team, men's or women's, has had a string half that good.
The closest was by the Siena women's teams of 1997-98 through 2002-3 as the Saints won the regular-season title in the last three years of that run, and five of those six overall.
Since the start of the 2003-04 season Marist's MAAC record is 120-16, a winning percentage of .882.
Since the start of the 2004-05 season its conference record is 107-11, a winning percentage of .907. Including MAAC tournament play, its record since the start of the 2004-05 season is 124-12, a winning percentage of .912.
Marist has a 20-1 record in MAAC tournament games, when games are traditionally more difficult, beginning in the 2003-04 season.
And, the beat goes on.
The only players of significance Marist loses after this season are starters Allenspach, point guard Elise Caron, who was a career-long reserve prior to this season; and reserve center Maria Laterza.
The team should be strong again next season. So, like death and taxes, Marist's domination should remain a constant of life for the foreseeable future.
And, let me say right up front: I am a believer ... again.
A believer in Marist, and that the Red Foxes' total domination of other MAAC teams is secure for another year, and probably for the year after this one, too.
While most observers contend the conference, on the women's side, is going through a slight dip in overall team capabilities ... that's not the case for Marist at all.
The observation I made while watching Monday's game is that the MAAC, this season, is like the Fairy Tale "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs."
Well, this year is Marist and the Nine Dwarfs.
More than one conference coach has opined that Marist is more difficult to prepare for this year than, even, last season when it had three-time conference Player of the Year Rachele Fitz as its go-to player.
This year, Marist has multiple go-to players, as evidenced by its performance against Siena, a 60-30 victory by the Red Foxes.
Marist only had one player in double figures, sophomore forward Kate Oliver, who scored 10 points. In all, 12 different players scored. On the season, five different players have led the team in scoring for at least one game.
On Monday Marist got 31 of its 60 points from reserves including 17 from freshmen.
Against Siena, the only player who had somewhat of an "off night" from the field was preseason Player of the Year selection senior guard Erica Allenspach, who scored just five points on 2-of-7 shooting from the floor.
But, that was no factor whatsoever as the winners pulled away from a 30-21 advantage early in the second half with a 30-9 domination of play over the final 17 minutes.
Marist won Monday's game as much with its defense as with its offense. It held Siena to 3-of-27 shooting (11.1 percent) over the final 17 minutes of the contest.
Marist has already played eight of the nine other teams, including two meetings with Loyola which, right now, looks like the second-best team in the conference.
In those two games Marist won by 16 and 10 points, after holding a 20-point halftime lead in the game that ultimately was decided by 10 points.
The only remaining "challenge" for Marist might be coming this Sunday, a "Super" game on Super Bowl Sunday, if you will, when Marist is at Fairfield.
Fairfield is one of the conference's better teams thus far with a 7-3 conference record, good for third place. The Stags have a four-game winning streak, are 14-6 overall and 9-2 on their home court.
And, Fairfield seems to have an idea of how to beat Marist as the only team to do so in each of the past two seasons.
But, it will certainly be a tall task.
Marist domination? Let us count the ways ...
- Its current 15-game active winning streak is second-longest nationally, behind only the 16-game streak by Baylor, the No. 1 team nationally.
- Its turnover average of 11 per game is the best of the 340 women's teams nationally, nearly 2.3 turnovers fewer than the next best average.
- Marist has eight players with more assists than turnovers so far this season. Siena, by comparison, has one.
- Marist entered Monday's game at seventh-best nationally in points allowed per game, and moved up two spots to fifth after holding the Saints to 30 points. The Red Foxes now give up 50.7 points per game.
(NOTE: The best defensive team nationally is Fairfield, which allows 48.1 points per game.. Manhattan is No. 4 nationally at 49.8, while Marist is No. 5).
- Marist has won all 10 of its conference games by double figures and has outscored MAAC opponents, through its first 10 games, by an average of 26.2 points per game.
Is that dominating enough?
All of this is nothing new for Marist, which has had a double-figure winning streak every year since the 2004-04 season, with a high-water mark of 22 straight during the 2007-08 season.
And, its 18-0 MAAC record in 2007-08 is the only perfect conference season since the MAAC expanded to 10 teams and an 18-game schedule for the 1997-98 season.
Marist has either won outright or shared first place in the MAAC for the past seven seasons and is well on its way to No. 8 in a row. No other conference team, men's or women's, has had a string half that good.
The closest was by the Siena women's teams of 1997-98 through 2002-3 as the Saints won the regular-season title in the last three years of that run, and five of those six overall.
Since the start of the 2003-04 season Marist's MAAC record is 120-16, a winning percentage of .882.
Since the start of the 2004-05 season its conference record is 107-11, a winning percentage of .907. Including MAAC tournament play, its record since the start of the 2004-05 season is 124-12, a winning percentage of .912.
Marist has a 20-1 record in MAAC tournament games, when games are traditionally more difficult, beginning in the 2003-04 season.
And, the beat goes on.
The only players of significance Marist loses after this season are starters Allenspach, point guard Elise Caron, who was a career-long reserve prior to this season; and reserve center Maria Laterza.
The team should be strong again next season. So, like death and taxes, Marist's domination should remain a constant of life for the foreseeable future.
A Look at BracketBusters Opponents
The BracketBusters pairings for MAAC teams were released Monday night, with games to be played either Friday, Feb. 18; Friday, Feb. 19; or Saturday, Feb. 20.
TV parings were also announced. Fairfield will host Austin Peay in a game televised on ESPNU. And, Iona will play at Liberty in another game to be televised by ESPNU.
Here's a look at the matchups involving MAAC teams:
- Canisius (10-10 overall) will be at Boston University (10-13) of the America East Conference.
BU's best player is 6-5 senior forward John Holland, who averages 18.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. Last year he became the first Terrier to lead the America East in scoring, averaging 19.2 points per game.
- Fairfield (17-4) will host Austin Peay (14-9) of the Ohio Valley Conference
The Governors' best player is 6-4 junior guard TyShawn Edmondson, who averages 18.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.
- Iona (13-9) will play at Liberty (16-7) of the Big South Conference.
The Flames' top players are 6-2 sophomore guard Evan Gordon (14.4 points per game, 4.4 rebounds) and 6-4 sophomore guard John Brown (11.5 points, 10.6 rebounds).
- Loyola (11-10) gets a proximitous contest at Towson (4-17) of the Colonial Athletic Association.
Towson's best players are 6-7 sophomore forward Isaiah Pilmore (14.0 points, 6.6 rebounds) and 6-9 junior forward Broxton Dupree (13.5, 7.9).
- Manhattan (4-18) will play at Stony Brook (8-12) of the America East Conference.
The Sea Wolves' best player is 6-1 junior guard Bryan Dougher (13.4 points, 2.8 rebounds)
- Marist (4-19) hosts New Hampshire (9-12) of the America East Conference.
The Wildcats' top player is 6-2 senior guard Tyrone Conley (14.7 points, 3.6 rebounds).
- Niagara (4-19) hosts Central Michigan (5-15) of the Mid-American Conference.
The Chippewas' top players are 6-5 freshman guard Trey Ziegler (17.0 points, 5.4 rebounds) and 6-4 senior guard Jalin Thomas (15.2, 5.8).
- Rider (15-8) will host Delaware (11-10) of the CAA.
The Blue Hens' best player is 5-11 senior guard Jawan Carter (15.3 points, 4.0 rebounds).
- Saint Peter's (13-9) will play at Loyola-Chicago (13-9) of the Horizon conference.
The Ramblers' top player is 6-4 senior guard Geoff McCammon (14.0 points, 3.0 rebounds).
- Siena (9-12) will host Maine (14-7) of the America East Conference.
The Black Bears' best player is 6-7 senior forward Troy Barnies (14.0 points, 7.6 rebounds).
As part of the agreement to participate in BracketBusters, home teams will play a "return" game at the home facility of their opponent in November or December of the 2012-13 season.
The BracketBusters concept, named because of the success of participating teams from these conferences in NCAA Tournament play through the years, provides programs with an opportunity to play top non-conference opponents roughly three weeks before Selection Sunday.
TV parings were also announced. Fairfield will host Austin Peay in a game televised on ESPNU. And, Iona will play at Liberty in another game to be televised by ESPNU.
Here's a look at the matchups involving MAAC teams:
- Canisius (10-10 overall) will be at Boston University (10-13) of the America East Conference.
BU's best player is 6-5 senior forward John Holland, who averages 18.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. Last year he became the first Terrier to lead the America East in scoring, averaging 19.2 points per game.
- Fairfield (17-4) will host Austin Peay (14-9) of the Ohio Valley Conference
The Governors' best player is 6-4 junior guard TyShawn Edmondson, who averages 18.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.
- Iona (13-9) will play at Liberty (16-7) of the Big South Conference.
The Flames' top players are 6-2 sophomore guard Evan Gordon (14.4 points per game, 4.4 rebounds) and 6-4 sophomore guard John Brown (11.5 points, 10.6 rebounds).
- Loyola (11-10) gets a proximitous contest at Towson (4-17) of the Colonial Athletic Association.
Towson's best players are 6-7 sophomore forward Isaiah Pilmore (14.0 points, 6.6 rebounds) and 6-9 junior forward Broxton Dupree (13.5, 7.9).
- Manhattan (4-18) will play at Stony Brook (8-12) of the America East Conference.
The Sea Wolves' best player is 6-1 junior guard Bryan Dougher (13.4 points, 2.8 rebounds)
- Marist (4-19) hosts New Hampshire (9-12) of the America East Conference.
The Wildcats' top player is 6-2 senior guard Tyrone Conley (14.7 points, 3.6 rebounds).
- Niagara (4-19) hosts Central Michigan (5-15) of the Mid-American Conference.
The Chippewas' top players are 6-5 freshman guard Trey Ziegler (17.0 points, 5.4 rebounds) and 6-4 senior guard Jalin Thomas (15.2, 5.8).
- Rider (15-8) will host Delaware (11-10) of the CAA.
The Blue Hens' best player is 5-11 senior guard Jawan Carter (15.3 points, 4.0 rebounds).
- Saint Peter's (13-9) will play at Loyola-Chicago (13-9) of the Horizon conference.
The Ramblers' top player is 6-4 senior guard Geoff McCammon (14.0 points, 3.0 rebounds).
- Siena (9-12) will host Maine (14-7) of the America East Conference.
The Black Bears' best player is 6-7 senior forward Troy Barnies (14.0 points, 7.6 rebounds).
As part of the agreement to participate in BracketBusters, home teams will play a "return" game at the home facility of their opponent in November or December of the 2012-13 season.
The BracketBusters concept, named because of the success of participating teams from these conferences in NCAA Tournament play through the years, provides programs with an opportunity to play top non-conference opponents roughly three weeks before Selection Sunday.
Big Shots Close Out Two Men's Games
Just when it seemed that things couldn't get wackier in the MAAC of late ...
Two men's games ended in improbable fashion on Sunday.
Let's start with the proverbial highlight reel play.
Marist is ahead, 59-57, in the final minute of its own home game against Manhattan.
The Red Foxes have two one-and-one foul-shooting situations in the last 35 seconds, and miss both.
After the second miss Manhattan forward Demetrius Jemison grabbed the rebound and called a time out with 2.0 seconds remaining.
After a Manhattan timeout, George Beamon inbounded the ball on the Marist baseline. His precise pass caught Alvarado on the run as he dribbled up the court and launched the miraculous 3-pointer.
Alvarado's shot came from far beyond halfcourt and has been estimated at 65 or 70 feet out. The two dribbles enabled Alvarado to pick up the necessary momentum to launch the long-range bomb from the left side, and it banked in to beat the buzzer and give the Jaspers an improbable victory.
"With two seconds on the clock I knew I had at least one dribble, maybe two dribbles if I could sneak it in. After that I just let it go and hoped it went in," said Alvarado.
It went in. Until then Alvarado had shot 1-for-8 from the field. On the season the freshman guard has only hit 11-of-48 shots (22.9%) from beyond the 3-point stripe.
Here's a link to Alvarado's shot: http://espn.go.com/video/clip?DB_OEM_ID=12500&id=6074275
Very nice call by play-by-play man Doug Sherman on the replay: "The Jaspers lose a hearbreaker on Friday at Fairfield (a 61-59 loss), but they give the heartbreak to the Red Foxes on Sunday afternoon."
And, as if that wasn't enough of unlikely late-game heroics from this past Sunday ...
Siena trailed Niagara 56-54 with under two minutes remaining when an inside-out pass from forward O.D. Anosike found freshman guard Rakeem Brookins in the corner beyond the 3-point stripe.
Brookins calmly connected on the shot, giving the Saints a 57-56 lead with 1:40 left and Niagara never tied or led again.
Brookins had been 0-for-10 from the field in the first half and, prior to his big three-pointer, had made just 1-of-15 shots from the floor, that one a driving layup five minutes into the second half.
"I've said it right along, that Rakeem is a very unique player," said Siena coach Mitch Buonaguro. "That he would take that shot, after being 1-for-15 to that point, shows the kind of confidence he has."
Two men's games ended in improbable fashion on Sunday.
Let's start with the proverbial highlight reel play.
Marist is ahead, 59-57, in the final minute of its own home game against Manhattan.
The Red Foxes have two one-and-one foul-shooting situations in the last 35 seconds, and miss both.
After the second miss Manhattan forward Demetrius Jemison grabbed the rebound and called a time out with 2.0 seconds remaining.
After a Manhattan timeout, George Beamon inbounded the ball on the Marist baseline. His precise pass caught Alvarado on the run as he dribbled up the court and launched the miraculous 3-pointer.
Alvarado's shot came from far beyond halfcourt and has been estimated at 65 or 70 feet out. The two dribbles enabled Alvarado to pick up the necessary momentum to launch the long-range bomb from the left side, and it banked in to beat the buzzer and give the Jaspers an improbable victory.
"With two seconds on the clock I knew I had at least one dribble, maybe two dribbles if I could sneak it in. After that I just let it go and hoped it went in," said Alvarado.
It went in. Until then Alvarado had shot 1-for-8 from the field. On the season the freshman guard has only hit 11-of-48 shots (22.9%) from beyond the 3-point stripe.
Here's a link to Alvarado's shot: http://espn.go.com/video/clip?DB_OEM_ID=12500&id=6074275
Very nice call by play-by-play man Doug Sherman on the replay: "The Jaspers lose a hearbreaker on Friday at Fairfield (a 61-59 loss), but they give the heartbreak to the Red Foxes on Sunday afternoon."
And, as if that wasn't enough of unlikely late-game heroics from this past Sunday ...
Siena trailed Niagara 56-54 with under two minutes remaining when an inside-out pass from forward O.D. Anosike found freshman guard Rakeem Brookins in the corner beyond the 3-point stripe.
Brookins calmly connected on the shot, giving the Saints a 57-56 lead with 1:40 left and Niagara never tied or led again.
Brookins had been 0-for-10 from the field in the first half and, prior to his big three-pointer, had made just 1-of-15 shots from the floor, that one a driving layup five minutes into the second half.
"I've said it right along, that Rakeem is a very unique player," said Siena coach Mitch Buonaguro. "That he would take that shot, after being 1-for-15 to that point, shows the kind of confidence he has."
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