We've been reading ...
Your hoopscribe came across a well-done, thought-provoking piece about the nation's best mid-major level coaches recently. Anyway, it did provoke my thoughts.
Well-done, thought-provoking ... and, lacking in, it says here, expertise related to the MAAC.
The story, done by Jason King for Yahoo Sports, highlighted, in no particular order, Blaine Taylor, Old Dominiion; Shaka Smart, VCU; Steve Alford, New Mexico; Tommy Amaker, Harvard; Randy Bennett, St. Mary's; Mike Davis, UAB; Fran Dunphy, Temple; Steve Fisher, San Diego State; Tim Floyd, Texas El Paso; Ben Jacobson, Northern Iowa; Chris Mack, Xavier; Chris Mooney, Richmond; Stew Merrill, Utah State; John Pastner, Memphis; Dave Rose, BYU; and, Sydney Johnson, Fairfield (formerly Princeton).
The article mentioned nine others as also meriting a mention.
Yours truly has two proverbial bones of contention ...
1) Since when have the upper-echelon teams from Conference USA and the Atlantic 10, among others, ever been considered "mid-majors?"
The resources at schools like Memphis, BYU, Xavier, Richmond and more than a few others on the list, dwarf the true mid-majors that inhabit the MAAC.
2) There are 25 coaches, total, mentioned within the article and not a single one has ever coached a game in the MAAC.
OK, Fairfield's Johnson is now a MAAC coach, but his work to gain mention came at Princeton, his last stop.
The guess here is that the article's writer isn't very familiar with the MAAC. Before he moved to Yahoo Sports he worked for the Kansas City Star. He is a graduate of Baylor University. Both locales are far removed from the MAAC's northeast base.
If any opinion maker wants to opine about the top mid-major coaches, they had better look strongly at our conference of preference, because there are plenty of outstanding candidates within it.
Where to begin?
How about Joe Mihalich, who inherited a mostly downtrodden Niagara program located in a region that only true snow-lovers can enjoy for a good portion of the year. And, all Mihalich has done is to put up 11 winning seasons in his 13 at Monteagle Ridge. Great coaches usually move on, and Mihalich is the conference's dean of men's coaches. But, he got hired relatively late in his career, after a lengthy run as an assistant at La Salle, and Mihalich watched his children grow up over his time in Niagara. He has had opportunities to move on, but didn't want to displace his family. And, a note here: Mihalich nearly came into the MAAC many years before he landed at Niagara, finishing as the runner-up candidate in a Siena coaching search in 1994, losing out to Bob Beyer.
Or, how about Jimmy Patsos, who inherited a Loyola program that ranked as the worst nationally, in terms of consecutive losses in a season, the year before his arrrival. Patsos, a former Maryland assistant, hasn't yet won a MAAC title, but he has lifted his program to the upper half of the conference standings regularly and has made Loyola a place for local products to consider as a college destination, a situation that didn't exist before his arrival.
Then, there's Tommy Dempsey at Rider. In recent years his teams have won non-league games over nationally ranked Mississippi State (two years ago) and higher-caliber opponents USC. TCU and Loyola Marymount last season. And, a year after losing his best player (Ryan Thompson) and returning a group comprised almost entirely of role players, the Broncs were even better than the previous season, finishing 13-5 in conference play this past year, good for a tie for second place.
More? How about Tim Cluess at Iona? Previously a Division II coach Cluess made his mark in his first season at Iona, leading the Gaels to 25 wins, a four-win improvement over the previous year (a season good enough for previous coach Kevin Willard to move on to Seton Hall), and taking the program to the finals of the Collegeinsiders.com post-season tournament. He did that in his first Division I season.
And, then, there's John Dunne at Saint Peter's, a program whose facilities and financial support for its athletic program doesn't rank anywhere near the top of the conference. Dunne came in after previous coach Bob Leckie abandoned ship when the program's all-time best player, Keydren Clark, graduated. The early results were predictable, just 11 total wins in his first two seasons. And, early last season, his best player (Wesley Jenkins) suffered a knee injury and never approached full physical capabilities. But Dunne's team won 11 conference games for the second straight season (a Saint Peter's first since 1987-88 and 1988-89) and captured the MAAC's post-season tournament for the conference's automatic berth to the NCAA's.
And, even though Mitch Buonaguro "only" won 13 games in his first season as Siena's head coach, he did so despite more personnel injuries than any other conference program. Included was a severe ankle injury to his lone outside threat, Clarence Jackson, that had Jackson limp through games he was able to play. And, Buonaguro long ago stamped himself as knowing a little about the sport. It was his game plan, when he was an assistant coach at Villanova, that resulted in that program's historical upset victory over Georgetown in the 1985 NCAA tournament's national championship game.
And, we haven't even considered the other conference coaches, Tom Parrotta at Canisius, Chuck Martin at Marist and Steve Masiello at Manhattan.
Masiello is just beginning his first year as a Division I coach. Parrotta has been at Canisius for five years and since a 6-25 finish in 2007-09 his record has gotten progressively better each season. It was 15-15 this past year, not exactly overwhelming success. But, it was the first time the program didn't finish with a below-.500 mark since the 2000-01 season. Martin has been a seemingly annual victim of player defections, some not his fault. But, he appears to have good young talent in place right now. The jury is still out on whether he'll succeed at Marist, but his track record, particularly as an assistant coach at Memphis where he was a proponent of the effective dribble-drive offense, earns high marks.
That's nine overlooked MAAC coaches. Fairfield's Johnson is No. 10, and he's on the list. And, deservedly so for his work returning Princeton to the upper echelon of the Ivy League.
The bottom line is that it says here the MAAC has never been so strong, top to bottom, in terms of strong coaching.
And, those who don't see it just aren't looking hard enough.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Italy Trip Builds Familiarity for Fairfield
When considering a new job, college coaches look at a variety of factors.
New Fairfield coach Sydney Johnson says he looked primarily at three things when he was considering a departure from his former position as head coach at Princeton to taking over the Stags.
"Believe it or not the first two things I looked at were whether the school was academically strong, and whether the support from administration and the athletic department were there," said Johnson.
Fairfield certainly has solid academics, and the athletic commitment, at least related to men's basketball, has grown significantly in recent years not only with the school's full-time move to the Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, Ct., for games but in terms of financial support that includes his salary that has been reported to be in the range of $400,000 annually. That figure likely makes him the conference's highest paid coach.
It was only after his positive perception of those criteria were satisfied did he start looking at his third consideration, the talent in place within the Fairfield program.
When he began watching films of last year's games he had to like what he saw there, too.
The Stags not only return four players who each started at least 18 games a year ago, including the team's top two returning scorers and top two rebounders, but a fifth player with 11 starts in 2010-11.
Add to that two highly talented transfers who become eligible for the coming season, and Johnson inherited a wealth of strong personnel as he tries to duplicate a regular-season championship (15-3 in conference play) from a year ago and a school-record 25-victory total.
But there's one thing Fairfield hasn't done yet in its recent era of resurgence that includes a MAAC-best 48-19 overall record over the past two seasons: earn a berth in the NCAA tournament.
"We hope our team can be better than it has been," said Johnson, certainly aware that qualifying for an NCAA berth is about the only thing the Stags haven't accomplished over the past two seasons.
"I really do believe that we'll challenge to win the conference," he said. "I'd be very disappointed if we're not in the mix for an opporunity to win the championship. But, to say that we're favorites ... we've got a challenging non-league schedule to prepare us for conference play and the MAAC is a very challenging league.
"The one thing that impressed me going from the Big East (as a Georgetown assistant) to Princeton was the quality of coaches in the Ivy League," he said. "And, after watching film of last year's games of teams in the MAAC, I've got the same respect for coaches in this league. There's a lot of talent in this league, and it's well-coached. We know trying to win a championship is going to be a struggle."
A struggle that might have been made even more so with a new coach (former coach Ed Cooley move on to take over at Providence) and two new potential starters (incoming transfers wing Rakim Sanders and point guard Desmond Wade).
But Johnson and his team got a break, an early opportunity to get acquainted and develop team bonding and chemistry, in the form of an already scheduled 10-day trip to play games in Italy last month. The summer trip also allowed Johnson to bring his team together for 10 practice days in preparation for playing overseas, an opportunity not allowed teams that don't make international trips.
"That gave us a big advantage," said Johnson. "My challenge as a first-year coach is to have our guys as prepared as possible for when the season starts.
"Because of the practices and games that we've already had ... now when the guys came in (for the just-begun fall semester), they spend spend time catching up and not just finding out about each other. We've already had 10 days of practices and 10 days in Italy playing games. We're extremely fortunate for that.
"Now we don't have to get to know each other. Now, when practice starts we can concentrate on competition rather than concentrating on new technology. We've put in some things already. They already know how i like to do things and I know how they like to do things. We've become familiar with each other."
In other words, Fairfield got an early opportunity to develop team chemistry that it otherwise would just be starting to do right now. It was an opportunity for Johnson to at least introduce his practice routines and general style of play this summer rather than doing it when pre-season practices begin in October.
"On top of the practices we've had four good games in Italy," added Johnson. "It has helped us determine roles and to start to come together. It was a help, but we've still got challenges."
Not the least of those is figuring how Wade and Sanders, transfers from Houston and Boston College, respectively, fit into the playing group and, potentially, the starting lineup.
Wade, who has two seasons of eligibility, comes in after being one of just three players in Houston history with at least 100 assists in back-to-back seasons. The 5-foot-8 point guard could allow junior Derek Needham, the team's top scorer while also running the point the past two years, to move over to the off-guard and concentrate even more on producing points, which is what he does best.
"All I can say is that if Derek stays healthy, considering all the things he's done in the last two years, he's going to be on the floor a lot," said Johnson. "Whether he plays point, or 2-guard, I don't care ... he's just going to be in there. He's a natural-born leader and a skilled player who helps us be a better team. He'll probably start the season doing a little bit of both."
Johnson, though, knew all about Needham long before he ever saw the 5-11 guard on the court. Needham's reputation, and ability that could be clearly seen in game tapes, certainly gave Johnson a hint of what to expect from him.
But Johnson said his biggest surprise came after getting a first-hand look at Sanders, who already has 1,048 career points from his three seasons at Boston College.
"We knew he was an accomplished player who performed well against Atlantic Coast Conference opponents," said Johnson. "So, no one was surprised by his talent and ability. But we were impressed with how smart he is as a player. He plays the game the right way, he does the right things on the court. He makes good decisions. It's easy to be impressed by his size and strength, but it was something to see how versatile he is as a player."
Considering all that Fairfield currently has in place, it shouldn't be much of a surprise to see the Stags repeat as the conference's regular-season titlist.
That might not have always been the perception. Iona, which went through its own coaching change and the adjustment to a new key player (Mike Glover) last season, now has that full sense of familiarity and, for sure, will challenge the Stags for regular-season superiority.
But the international trip that gave Johnson and his players, both new and old, a chance to blend and bond, should pay dividends for the Stags this season. It could be enough for Fairfield to reach the one goal it hasn't gotten yet in its recent positive run: a trip to the NCAA's.
New Fairfield coach Sydney Johnson says he looked primarily at three things when he was considering a departure from his former position as head coach at Princeton to taking over the Stags.
"Believe it or not the first two things I looked at were whether the school was academically strong, and whether the support from administration and the athletic department were there," said Johnson.
Fairfield certainly has solid academics, and the athletic commitment, at least related to men's basketball, has grown significantly in recent years not only with the school's full-time move to the Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, Ct., for games but in terms of financial support that includes his salary that has been reported to be in the range of $400,000 annually. That figure likely makes him the conference's highest paid coach.
It was only after his positive perception of those criteria were satisfied did he start looking at his third consideration, the talent in place within the Fairfield program.
When he began watching films of last year's games he had to like what he saw there, too.
The Stags not only return four players who each started at least 18 games a year ago, including the team's top two returning scorers and top two rebounders, but a fifth player with 11 starts in 2010-11.
Add to that two highly talented transfers who become eligible for the coming season, and Johnson inherited a wealth of strong personnel as he tries to duplicate a regular-season championship (15-3 in conference play) from a year ago and a school-record 25-victory total.
But there's one thing Fairfield hasn't done yet in its recent era of resurgence that includes a MAAC-best 48-19 overall record over the past two seasons: earn a berth in the NCAA tournament.
"We hope our team can be better than it has been," said Johnson, certainly aware that qualifying for an NCAA berth is about the only thing the Stags haven't accomplished over the past two seasons.
"I really do believe that we'll challenge to win the conference," he said. "I'd be very disappointed if we're not in the mix for an opporunity to win the championship. But, to say that we're favorites ... we've got a challenging non-league schedule to prepare us for conference play and the MAAC is a very challenging league.
"The one thing that impressed me going from the Big East (as a Georgetown assistant) to Princeton was the quality of coaches in the Ivy League," he said. "And, after watching film of last year's games of teams in the MAAC, I've got the same respect for coaches in this league. There's a lot of talent in this league, and it's well-coached. We know trying to win a championship is going to be a struggle."
A struggle that might have been made even more so with a new coach (former coach Ed Cooley move on to take over at Providence) and two new potential starters (incoming transfers wing Rakim Sanders and point guard Desmond Wade).
But Johnson and his team got a break, an early opportunity to get acquainted and develop team bonding and chemistry, in the form of an already scheduled 10-day trip to play games in Italy last month. The summer trip also allowed Johnson to bring his team together for 10 practice days in preparation for playing overseas, an opportunity not allowed teams that don't make international trips.
"That gave us a big advantage," said Johnson. "My challenge as a first-year coach is to have our guys as prepared as possible for when the season starts.
"Because of the practices and games that we've already had ... now when the guys came in (for the just-begun fall semester), they spend spend time catching up and not just finding out about each other. We've already had 10 days of practices and 10 days in Italy playing games. We're extremely fortunate for that.
"Now we don't have to get to know each other. Now, when practice starts we can concentrate on competition rather than concentrating on new technology. We've put in some things already. They already know how i like to do things and I know how they like to do things. We've become familiar with each other."
In other words, Fairfield got an early opportunity to develop team chemistry that it otherwise would just be starting to do right now. It was an opportunity for Johnson to at least introduce his practice routines and general style of play this summer rather than doing it when pre-season practices begin in October.
"On top of the practices we've had four good games in Italy," added Johnson. "It has helped us determine roles and to start to come together. It was a help, but we've still got challenges."
Not the least of those is figuring how Wade and Sanders, transfers from Houston and Boston College, respectively, fit into the playing group and, potentially, the starting lineup.
Wade, who has two seasons of eligibility, comes in after being one of just three players in Houston history with at least 100 assists in back-to-back seasons. The 5-foot-8 point guard could allow junior Derek Needham, the team's top scorer while also running the point the past two years, to move over to the off-guard and concentrate even more on producing points, which is what he does best.
"All I can say is that if Derek stays healthy, considering all the things he's done in the last two years, he's going to be on the floor a lot," said Johnson. "Whether he plays point, or 2-guard, I don't care ... he's just going to be in there. He's a natural-born leader and a skilled player who helps us be a better team. He'll probably start the season doing a little bit of both."
Johnson, though, knew all about Needham long before he ever saw the 5-11 guard on the court. Needham's reputation, and ability that could be clearly seen in game tapes, certainly gave Johnson a hint of what to expect from him.
But Johnson said his biggest surprise came after getting a first-hand look at Sanders, who already has 1,048 career points from his three seasons at Boston College.
"We knew he was an accomplished player who performed well against Atlantic Coast Conference opponents," said Johnson. "So, no one was surprised by his talent and ability. But we were impressed with how smart he is as a player. He plays the game the right way, he does the right things on the court. He makes good decisions. It's easy to be impressed by his size and strength, but it was something to see how versatile he is as a player."
Considering all that Fairfield currently has in place, it shouldn't be much of a surprise to see the Stags repeat as the conference's regular-season titlist.
That might not have always been the perception. Iona, which went through its own coaching change and the adjustment to a new key player (Mike Glover) last season, now has that full sense of familiarity and, for sure, will challenge the Stags for regular-season superiority.
But the international trip that gave Johnson and his players, both new and old, a chance to blend and bond, should pay dividends for the Stags this season. It could be enough for Fairfield to reach the one goal it hasn't gotten yet in its recent positive run: a trip to the NCAA's.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Manhatten Men Add Strong Guard Group
Here's another in the series looking at players joining conference teams for the coming season.
Up now ...
MANHATTAN MEN
- Donovan Kates, 6-5 guard, Christian County H.S., Hopkinsville, Ky.
Kates averaged 20 points and 7 rebounds per game this past season, while making 77 3-pointers.
Donovan is a versatile player with a great skill set and he can play a multitude of positions for us," said Manhattan coach Steve Masiello. "With his work ethic and pedigree the sky is the limit for Donovan."
- Decarlos Anderson, 6-2 point guard, I.C. Norcum H.S., Suffolk, Va.
He averaged 15.8 points per game this past season.
"Decarlos is a winner who has experienced success throughout his high school career," said Masiello. "He can play multiple positions in the backcourt and we will look for him to be an integral part of our basketball team."
- Emmanuel Andujar, 6-5 wing, Rice H.S., NYC.
He averaged 12.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists this past season.
"He continues a great tradition of Rice High School players who come to Manhattan," said Masiello. "Anytime you get a player from Rice, you are getting a high quality person and student-athlete who will be successful on and off the court. Emmy fits the mold of a player who can be used in multiple positions and one who has a high skill set."
- Ryan McCoy, 6-6 wing, Montgomery (N.J.) H.S.
No senior season statistics available. He averaged 10 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists per game as a junior.
McCoy was signed by former Manhattan coach Barry Rohrssen during the early period.
ANALYSIS: New head coach Steve Masiello was hired relatively late, yet still brought in what appears to be three solid recruits in Anderson, a point guard, and two wing players in Andujar and Kates. McCoy, another versatile win, signed in the early period. Rohrssen actually had four early period signees, but three of those opted not to honor those commitments after Rohrssen was fired. It meant the Jaspers lost out on 6-10 center Edson Avila (headed to Seward JC in Kansas), point guard Davontay Gray (headed to prep school) and wing player Zach Lamb.
Up now ...
MANHATTAN MEN
- Donovan Kates, 6-5 guard, Christian County H.S., Hopkinsville, Ky.
Kates averaged 20 points and 7 rebounds per game this past season, while making 77 3-pointers.
Donovan is a versatile player with a great skill set and he can play a multitude of positions for us," said Manhattan coach Steve Masiello. "With his work ethic and pedigree the sky is the limit for Donovan."
- Decarlos Anderson, 6-2 point guard, I.C. Norcum H.S., Suffolk, Va.
He averaged 15.8 points per game this past season.
"Decarlos is a winner who has experienced success throughout his high school career," said Masiello. "He can play multiple positions in the backcourt and we will look for him to be an integral part of our basketball team."
- Emmanuel Andujar, 6-5 wing, Rice H.S., NYC.
He averaged 12.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists this past season.
"He continues a great tradition of Rice High School players who come to Manhattan," said Masiello. "Anytime you get a player from Rice, you are getting a high quality person and student-athlete who will be successful on and off the court. Emmy fits the mold of a player who can be used in multiple positions and one who has a high skill set."
- Ryan McCoy, 6-6 wing, Montgomery (N.J.) H.S.
No senior season statistics available. He averaged 10 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists per game as a junior.
McCoy was signed by former Manhattan coach Barry Rohrssen during the early period.
ANALYSIS: New head coach Steve Masiello was hired relatively late, yet still brought in what appears to be three solid recruits in Anderson, a point guard, and two wing players in Andujar and Kates. McCoy, another versatile win, signed in the early period. Rohrssen actually had four early period signees, but three of those opted not to honor those commitments after Rohrssen was fired. It meant the Jaspers lost out on 6-10 center Edson Avila (headed to Seward JC in Kansas), point guard Davontay Gray (headed to prep school) and wing player Zach Lamb.
Phoenix Named Centenary Women's Coach
Add another former conference player to the list of college head coaches.
Last week former Manhattan standout Justin Phoenix was named head coach at Centenary College's women's basketball team.
No, that's not the school that produced former NBA star Robert Parish. Instead, it's a Division III program located in Hackettstown, N.J., that participates in the Colonial States Athletic Conference.
Still, it's a terrific opportunity for Phoenix to continue to pursue his career as a college coach.
Phoenix, who played at Manhattan from 1992 through 1996 and, then, played 10 professional seasons for various European teams, previously served as an assistant for the Kean University's women's teams or the past three seasons.
The Kean teams, during Phoenix's tenure, compiled a 75-15 record. Phoenix wasn't the only Manhattan connection there. Former Jaspers' women's head coach Michelle Sharp has been Kean's head coach for the past 12 seasons.
Phoenix also coached a year with the men's team at Burlington County College prior to moving on to Kean.
“I am truly honored to be selected as the new women's basketball coach," said Phoenix, when his hiring was announced. “I am greatly appreciative to director of athletics Billie Blackwell and the entire search committee members for allowing me the opportunity to lead this program. It has been a long time dream to have my own program and from the moment I stepped on campus it felt like I belonged.”
Last week former Manhattan standout Justin Phoenix was named head coach at Centenary College's women's basketball team.
No, that's not the school that produced former NBA star Robert Parish. Instead, it's a Division III program located in Hackettstown, N.J., that participates in the Colonial States Athletic Conference.
Still, it's a terrific opportunity for Phoenix to continue to pursue his career as a college coach.
Phoenix, who played at Manhattan from 1992 through 1996 and, then, played 10 professional seasons for various European teams, previously served as an assistant for the Kean University's women's teams or the past three seasons.
The Kean teams, during Phoenix's tenure, compiled a 75-15 record. Phoenix wasn't the only Manhattan connection there. Former Jaspers' women's head coach Michelle Sharp has been Kean's head coach for the past 12 seasons.
Phoenix also coached a year with the men's team at Burlington County College prior to moving on to Kean.
“I am truly honored to be selected as the new women's basketball coach," said Phoenix, when his hiring was announced. “I am greatly appreciative to director of athletics Billie Blackwell and the entire search committee members for allowing me the opportunity to lead this program. It has been a long time dream to have my own program and from the moment I stepped on campus it felt like I belonged.”
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Rider Women Recruits Provide Optimism
Here's another in the series looking at players joining conference programs this season.
Up now ...
RIDER WOMEN
- Emily Fazzini, 5-10 guard, Archbishop Carroll H.S., Philadelphia.
N0 senior season stats are available.
"Emily is a tough hard working Catholic League Philly kid," Rider coach Kim Milligan said. "She has a great desire and passion for the game. Emily will be able to contribute right away to our program because she can play defense, shoot the ball and attack the basket."
- Marritta Gillcrease, 6-3 center, Perry Traditional Academy, Pittsburgh.
As a junior she averaged 14 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks per game. No senior season stats are available.
"Marritta will add size and depth to our post game," Milligan said. "She is very agile, can rebound and score in the paint. Marritta will be able to play either post position for us and will cause matchup problems when she is able to play with Sarah (Homan) and Caitlin (Bopp)."
- Manon Pellet, 5-6 point guard, Montpellier Academy, Marseille, France.
No statistics available, but she was selected among the 16 best players in France, of her age, and was invited to the second FIBA international camp in July 2008 in Slovenia, where she was MVP, and consequently, invited to attend the Euroleague Women's Final Four 2009 as an official guest of FIBA Europe.
"Manon is an exciting talented player who can change games," Milligan said. "She is a scoring point guard who can also defend and run a team. We are very excited she has chosen to bring her talents to the United States and Rider University."
- Kornelija Valiuskyte, 5-8 point guard, The Rock School of Gainesville, Fla.
She averaged 9.2 points, 3.6 assists and 2.9 steals per game as a senior. She is a native of Lithuania.
"Kornelija is a solid steady point guard who can run a team," Milligan said. "She has a very high basketball IQ and a maturity about her game. She can score from the perimeter and can set up her teammates and put them in successful situations."
Sironda Chambers, 5-7 guard, Harcum Junior College.
She averaged 20.4 points, 9.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 3.2 steals per game this past season at Harcum. She enters Rider as a junior with two seasons of eligibility.
"Sironda is a scoring guard who knows no other way but 100 percent," said Milligan. "She has played in the junior college ranks for two years and competed for a national title. She is a threat on both ends of the floor and can make things happen with her speed, quickness, and scoring ability. She will be a veteran presence to our guard group next season."
ANALYSIS: This looks like the group that has the best chance, joining an already developing cast of young players, of turning around Rider's struggling program. Chambers, an effective scorer, is likely to get significant minutes at shooting guard right away with Fazzini also capable of playing the position. The Broncs' greatest need a year ago was quality point guard play, and the team brings in two promising young players at the position in Pellet and Kaliuskyte. And, Gillcrease joins a front court that was already among the tallest in the conference.
Up now ...
RIDER WOMEN
- Emily Fazzini, 5-10 guard, Archbishop Carroll H.S., Philadelphia.
N0 senior season stats are available.
"Emily is a tough hard working Catholic League Philly kid," Rider coach Kim Milligan said. "She has a great desire and passion for the game. Emily will be able to contribute right away to our program because she can play defense, shoot the ball and attack the basket."
- Marritta Gillcrease, 6-3 center, Perry Traditional Academy, Pittsburgh.
As a junior she averaged 14 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks per game. No senior season stats are available.
"Marritta will add size and depth to our post game," Milligan said. "She is very agile, can rebound and score in the paint. Marritta will be able to play either post position for us and will cause matchup problems when she is able to play with Sarah (Homan) and Caitlin (Bopp)."
- Manon Pellet, 5-6 point guard, Montpellier Academy, Marseille, France.
No statistics available, but she was selected among the 16 best players in France, of her age, and was invited to the second FIBA international camp in July 2008 in Slovenia, where she was MVP, and consequently, invited to attend the Euroleague Women's Final Four 2009 as an official guest of FIBA Europe.
"Manon is an exciting talented player who can change games," Milligan said. "She is a scoring point guard who can also defend and run a team. We are very excited she has chosen to bring her talents to the United States and Rider University."
- Kornelija Valiuskyte, 5-8 point guard, The Rock School of Gainesville, Fla.
She averaged 9.2 points, 3.6 assists and 2.9 steals per game as a senior. She is a native of Lithuania.
"Kornelija is a solid steady point guard who can run a team," Milligan said. "She has a very high basketball IQ and a maturity about her game. She can score from the perimeter and can set up her teammates and put them in successful situations."
Sironda Chambers, 5-7 guard, Harcum Junior College.
She averaged 20.4 points, 9.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 3.2 steals per game this past season at Harcum. She enters Rider as a junior with two seasons of eligibility.
"Sironda is a scoring guard who knows no other way but 100 percent," said Milligan. "She has played in the junior college ranks for two years and competed for a national title. She is a threat on both ends of the floor and can make things happen with her speed, quickness, and scoring ability. She will be a veteran presence to our guard group next season."
ANALYSIS: This looks like the group that has the best chance, joining an already developing cast of young players, of turning around Rider's struggling program. Chambers, an effective scorer, is likely to get significant minutes at shooting guard right away with Fazzini also capable of playing the position. The Broncs' greatest need a year ago was quality point guard play, and the team brings in two promising young players at the position in Pellet and Kaliuskyte. And, Gillcrease joins a front court that was already among the tallest in the conference.
Rider Men add Solid Present, Future Parts
Here's another in the series looking at players joining conference programs for the coming season.
Up now ...
RIDER MEN
- Junior Fortunat, 6-8 forward, Roman Catholic H.S., Philadelphia.
Fortunat, a native of Quebec, averaged 11.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game for high powered Roman Catholic this past season.
- Mark Medley, 6-3 guard, Tatnall H.S., Wilmington, Del.
He averagted 20.9 points and 8.3 rebounds per game this past season.
- Eddie Mitchell, 6-0 guard, LaSalle H.S., Philadelphia
He averaged 16.2 points per game this past season.
- Charles Oliver, 6-2 guard, Scotch Plains (N.J.) H.S.
He averagted 21.8 points an 5.3 rebounds per game this past season.
- Jeff Jones, 6-4 guard, transfer from U of Virginia.
Jones was a part-time starter at UVA over three seasons there, scoring 555 total points. He was at Rider last season and, as per transfer rules, was able to practice. He is eligible this season with just one year of eligibility remaining.
ANALYSIS: A good incoming class. Jones should be an impact player, a big-time scorer, for Rider helping keep the team strong this coming season. Fortunat could eventually be a potent inside force while the three freshmen guards (Medley, Mitchell and Oliver) all could contend or playing time early and, together, make up the future of the Broncs' backcourt.
"This is a recruiting class that will not only make an immediate impact but also continue to lay the foundation for long term success here at Rider," said Rider coach TommyDempsey.
Up now ...
RIDER MEN
- Junior Fortunat, 6-8 forward, Roman Catholic H.S., Philadelphia.
Fortunat, a native of Quebec, averaged 11.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game for high powered Roman Catholic this past season.
- Mark Medley, 6-3 guard, Tatnall H.S., Wilmington, Del.
He averagted 20.9 points and 8.3 rebounds per game this past season.
- Eddie Mitchell, 6-0 guard, LaSalle H.S., Philadelphia
He averaged 16.2 points per game this past season.
- Charles Oliver, 6-2 guard, Scotch Plains (N.J.) H.S.
He averagted 21.8 points an 5.3 rebounds per game this past season.
- Jeff Jones, 6-4 guard, transfer from U of Virginia.
Jones was a part-time starter at UVA over three seasons there, scoring 555 total points. He was at Rider last season and, as per transfer rules, was able to practice. He is eligible this season with just one year of eligibility remaining.
ANALYSIS: A good incoming class. Jones should be an impact player, a big-time scorer, for Rider helping keep the team strong this coming season. Fortunat could eventually be a potent inside force while the three freshmen guards (Medley, Mitchell and Oliver) all could contend or playing time early and, together, make up the future of the Broncs' backcourt.
"This is a recruiting class that will not only make an immediate impact but also continue to lay the foundation for long term success here at Rider," said Rider coach TommyDempsey.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Loss of Doran, former Jaspars' Star, Felt
J. Willard Doran graduated from Manhattan College long before the MAAC existed, but his contributions to not only basketball but sports in general was felt or many years after his own college playing days.
Doran, a 1954 graduate of Manhattan and a standout basketball player there ... he was the captain of the 1953-54 team ... died earlier this week. He was a native and lifelong resident of Troy, N.Y.
He was a three-sport star (basketball, football, baseball) at the high school level at Troy's LaSalle Institute, played at Manhattan (his 12.7 rebound-per-game average in the 1952-53 season remains seventh-best in Jaspars' history) and, after graduation, was part of the first-ever U.S. Army basketball team stationed in Fort Dix, N.J.
Doran's connection to sports, though, continued after his own playing career.
He moved to officiating in the 1960s, an avocation he pursued for more than three decades. The tall, distinguished-looking Doran was a commanding figure as an official for both football and basketball. Your hoopscribe probably attended several dozen games that Doran officiated, and was always impressed by how he positively interracted with coaches and players.
Doran was widely recognized, along with the late Dom Denio, as one of the best official ever to work games in upstate New York. He and Denio were the only officials in the inaugural group selected to the Capital District's Football Hall of Fame in 2010.
Here's a a tribute to Doran that appeared in The Troy Record, with more details about his exemplary life and longtime dedication to sports: http://www.troyrecord.com/articles/2011/08/31/sports/doc4e5f05a7794ad516448818.txt?viewmode=fullstory
Doran, a 1954 graduate of Manhattan and a standout basketball player there ... he was the captain of the 1953-54 team ... died earlier this week. He was a native and lifelong resident of Troy, N.Y.
He was a three-sport star (basketball, football, baseball) at the high school level at Troy's LaSalle Institute, played at Manhattan (his 12.7 rebound-per-game average in the 1952-53 season remains seventh-best in Jaspars' history) and, after graduation, was part of the first-ever U.S. Army basketball team stationed in Fort Dix, N.J.
Doran's connection to sports, though, continued after his own playing career.
He moved to officiating in the 1960s, an avocation he pursued for more than three decades. The tall, distinguished-looking Doran was a commanding figure as an official for both football and basketball. Your hoopscribe probably attended several dozen games that Doran officiated, and was always impressed by how he positively interracted with coaches and players.
Doran was widely recognized, along with the late Dom Denio, as one of the best official ever to work games in upstate New York. He and Denio were the only officials in the inaugural group selected to the Capital District's Football Hall of Fame in 2010.
Here's a a tribute to Doran that appeared in The Troy Record, with more details about his exemplary life and longtime dedication to sports: http://www.troyrecord.com/articles/2011/08/31/sports/doc4e5f05a7794ad516448818.txt?viewmode=fullstory
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)