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(04/30/13 10:16am)
An NBA basketball player has career averages of 3.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 0.9 assists, and 41% shooting in 12 seasons of professional basketball. He’s known for fouling, taking charges, and setting screens. And he’s often the most forgotten player on his respective team.
Yet all of the sudden, he’s become one of the most significant figures in sports history.
That player is Jason Collins, who has come out and admitted he’s gay, making himself the first active athlete in major professional sports to do so.
An athlete’s sexuality has become a hot topic in the world of sports, with current players, punter Chris Kluwe and linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo, openly supporting players coming out. Retired players, such as John Amaechi, have come out as gay after their careers ended. Even Orlando Cruz, a boxer in an individual sport, told the world of his homosexuality last year.
But no active athlete that could affect a locker room has been openly gay until Collins.
Collins has now become a pioneer for any athlete in professional sports who is gay and afraid to let people know. But he’s also a trailblazer who has shown people that there’s nothing wrong with being gay, saying he wants to be judged on his character.
And the support he has received from athletes and famous figures alike has been overwhelming.
“Jason’s announcement is an important moment for professional sports and in history of the LGBT community,” former president Bill Clinton said in a statement. “It is also the straightforward statement of a good man who wants no more than what so many of us seek: to be able to be who we are; to do our work; to build families and to contribute to our communities.”
“I am so proud of my bro @jasoncollins34 for being real,” former NBA guard Baron Davis tweeted.
Coming out as a professional athlete is difficult for many different reasons. Disrupting locker room chemistry could caution some. Players may be afraid of teammates and fellow players criticizing or judging the. Then, there’s the public reaction.
With all of the positive words that Collins has gotten, negative comments are just as loud. But Collins has found the strength to break down these barriers and face the repercussions, whatever they may be, in order to live and play with total freedom and show others they can do the same.
“It is hugely powerful when any individual in the sports world, wherever they come from in the world, feels able to come out,” said Ruth Hunt, deputy chief executive of the British gay rights organization Stonewall, to Associated Press. “The fact that this is a current player adds strength to his statement.”
For a player like Collins, he’s now in a tough situation. A free agent, Collins isn’t young at 34 and doesn’t have eye-popping stats, making him even less desirable to teams who are afraid him being openly gay will affect their locker room.
However, that’s just another reason for young players to follow him. Collins himself is all for being the leader for this movement.
“I’m a veteran and I’ve earned the right to be heard,” Collins told Sports Illustrated. “I’ll lead by example and show that gay players are no different from straight ones. I’m not the loudest but I’ll speak up when something isn’t right.”
Collins certainly did speak up. And that act of courage has made him more significant to the sports world and the gay community alike than he could have ever imagined.
(04/23/13 4:00pm)
The College’s tennis teams were nearly perfect this weekend. The men blew out SUNY Oneonta and Muhlenberg College, both by the score of 9-0, and the women had the same result against Muhlenberg, but lost to the University of Mary Washington, 3-6.
The men (14-0) have continued their roll and secured the most wins in a season for head coach Scott Dicheck and the most the College has had since the 1993-94 season.
Against SUNY Oneonta, aside from a tight second set for senior Marc Nichols, the Lions were dominant. Senior T.J. Riley, sophomore Jack August, junior Howard Telson and freshmen Billy Buchbinder and Pierce Cooper all won easily.
The doubles teams of Nichols/Telson and Riley/August both notched 8-2 victories, while senior Jordan Cruz and Buchbinder took down the opposition, 8-1.
It was a carbon copy the following day, as the Mules were grounded 9-0. Cooper was the most impressive, shutting out his opponent.
In addition, Nichols, Telson, Buchbinder, August and Riley were all on the winning side of matches.
Following suit of the day before, the same exact doubles teams won. Nichols/Telson and Riley/August nabbed 8-3 wins, while Cruz and Buchbinder were untouchable en route to an 8-0 victory.
“It felt great,” Nichols said of the wins. “After having an extended break from matches, everyone was eager to get on the court again. With everything that has happened, we have a lot to play for and we proved that with the wins this weekend.”
Suffering a tough loss to the University of Mary Washington, the women (13-2) struggled, something uncharacteristic of them. Senior Karisse Bendijo and freshman Jasmine Muniz-Cadorette both won in three sets, but they were the only singles victors on the Lions.
In doubles, the team of junior Tara Criscuolo and sophomore Alex Bologno won impressively, 8-1.
A team’s ability to bounce back is crucial, and that’s exactly what the Lions did against Muhlenberg the next day, winning 9-0. Bendijo and Muniz-Cadorette spearheaded the victory, winning their matches 6-4, 6-0 and 6-3, 6-2, respectively.
In addition, freshman Emma Allen, sophomores Alex Bologno and Sarah Lippincott, and junior Tara Criscuolo all had winning ways. The College completed the sweep in doubles, as the combinations of Bendijo/Bologno, Allen/Muniz-Cadorette and Lippincott/Criscuolo were all successful.
The men are in action for their final match at Stevens Institute of Technology on Wednesday, April 24, while the women are home to SUNY New Paltz. With it being the last week of the regular season, the team is ready for the postseason.
“Nationals is going to be very tough,” Nichols said. “I know we will make our run and you never know what can happen, but there are some great teams out there. We’re ranked No. 30 in the nation and we aren’t satisfied. We know we can go higher and we will see how high that is come May.”
(04/16/13 4:00pm)
In a week filled with rainouts and postponed matches, the men’s tennis team still managed to do what they always do — win. And this time, it was with ease.
It was business as usual for the Lions (12-0) on Wednesday, April 10, as they made short work out of Rutgers University-Camden, 9-0. And in this match, everyone won big.
Freshman Billy Buchbinder and senior Jordan Cruz won their matches with perfect 6-0, 6-0 marks. Freshman Pierce Cooper and junior Howard Telson both approached that result, each winning 6-0, 6-1. Seniors Marc Nichols and T.J. Riley were also victorious.
“The team was coming off of a weekend of two tough matches and they definitely got us playing well,” Telson said. “We knew that we needed to keep our intensity up for this match and the rest of the season as it winds down. After the match, we were happy with our performance and glad we didn’t have a letdown at all.”
The College ran the tables in the doubles portion of the contest, with the teams of Nichols and Telson, Riley and sophomore Jack August, and Cooper and Cruz winning all of their matches by perfect 8-0 scores.
“Jack has done an amazing job of coming back from a tough injury and really helping us this season,” Telson said. “After not being able to play for a few months, he really came back strong and has been impressing us all.”
During a rainy week, the men had a match against New York University on Friday, April 12 postponed. In addition, both the men and the women had a match at Skidmore College that was cancelled.
Both teams will resume play on Saturday, April 20, with the men taking on SUNY Oneonta at 2:30 p.m., while the women are back in action against the University of Mary Washington at 10 a.m.
With the season winding down and postseason play in the team’s sight, the College is focusing harder than ever on the stretch run. A perfect season is still alive for the men, but other huge goals are on their radar on the national scale and are certainly attainable.
“We’re just continuing to work hard in practice and trying to keep getting better,” Telson said. “We know that we’ll need to be at our best for nationals so the motivation is definitely there.”
(04/16/13 4:00pm)
No pitcher wants to give up a run in the first inning. It adds pressure and discomfort when facing future hitters. But when a pitcher can weather the storm and put together a gem, it makes it all better.
That’s exactly what freshman pitcher Evan Edelman did after allowing a first inning run, pitching a complete game and allowing only one run on five hits while striking out seven batters. This was all in the College’s 14-1 blowout over St. Joseph’s College-Long Island. Edelman received plenty of support from his teammates, both on the scoreboard in the form of 14 runs and in the dugout with the constant chants of two six (26, Edelman’s number) serenading the young pitcher, who was in a groove.
“I figured out what I should do to get the guys out,” Edelman said. “Today, I didn’t have great stuff, but I could locate, so it worked out.”
After the two squads exchanged one-two-three innings, the Lions (13-13, 5-4) got things going in the bottom of the third. Freshman outfielder Mark Mari got on with a walk and senior second baseman Scott Kelly smacked a double out to left field, scoring Mari and tying the game. Kelly then stole third, and when an attempt to get him out at third went wild, he trotted home to score the go-ahead run.
“It was the second time around we were seeing that (pitcher) and we weren’t getting good swings on the ball the first time around, so when we saw him again, we started getting good, hard swings,” Kelly said. “Me or anybody else, every other day seems to start the fire. It was me today, but tomorrow it will be somebody else.”
Using the concept of small ball, the College was able to manufacture some runs in the bottom half of the inning. Freshman catcher Garen Turner led off with a single to right field, and after a walk for freshman outfielder Patrick Roberts, Turner stole third. A base hit by sophomore third baseman Mike Murray drove Turner home, and an infield single by Mari loaded the bases. A walk by junior Joe Dispoto brought in another run and a sac fly by Limon put the score at 5-1.
“Coach preaches the little things all the time,” Kelly said. “One thing he stresses a lot is getting those little things started, because little things turn into big things, and big things turn into big runs and big innings. That’s what we needed to do and I’m glad we got that done today.”
Extra base hits for Roberts, Kelly, and Dispoto led to another four runs to make the score 9-1. This included Kelly’s 200th hit of his career..
“It just means I played too much,” Kelly joked. “As long as we keep getting W’s, that’s all that counts.”
Freshman outfielder Peter Kennedy also got his first career hit with an RBI double, while fellow freshman outfielder J. C. Rizzi knocked in the 14th and final run.
In a home and home against William Paterson University, with the second game being postponed due to rain, the Lions struggled to get anything going offensively, losing 4-2.
In the first game, played at the College, Pioneers’ pitcher Tim O’Shea held the Lions hitless for 6 1/3 innings. It was an odd occurrence, because despite having no hits, the College took a 2-0 lead in the first inning after Kelly and Limon got on base with walks, advanced on a wild throw and scored on an error.
A home run by William Paterson got the Pioneers on the board in the top of the second, and they took a 4-2 lead that would not be lost after scoring three runs in the top of the fifth.
The Lions were able to get on base patiently by getting 10 walks, but in addition to that, they only had one hit the entire game, with Dispoto getting it in the bottom of the eighth.
Rounding out the week with a doubleheader against Ramapo College, the Lions split the pair against the No. 14 Roadrunners, winning the first game 6-4 and dropping the second game 7-2.
Junior pitcher Brendan Kelly got the win for the Lions, going eight strong and giving up four earned runs while striking out six.
Once again, the concept of small ball was in effect, with sophomore infielder Jake DeWitt drove home Murphy with a squeeze bunt. Ramapo responded with a run of their own, but DeWitt was back at it in the fourth with a ground ball to second bringing in a score. Turner trotted home on a wild pitch to make it 3-1.
In the fifth inning, a single by Limon drove in a run, while more sloppy fielding by the Roadrunners got Murphy home again, giving the College the go-ahead fifth run.
A sac fly by Cocuzza in the sixth brought Mari home for the team’s sixth and final run. While Ramapo mustered two more runs, the College was able to hold on.
The second game had to have had the Lions feeling uncomfortable, as they were feeling the heat from both the weather and the Roadrunners. After giving up three runs, freshman pitcher Steve Volpe had to leave the game due to an injury. An infield single by Limon in the bottom half of the first got Kelly home, narrowing the deficit to 3-1.
Despite a spot performance by Edelman, Ramapo tacked on a total of seven runs, a number the Lions could not get close to.
With the bases loaded late in the game, it seemed as if the team was going to start a rally that could lead to an amazing comeback. However, Ramapo was able to escape the jam, giving up only a sac fly to Limon and keeping the score at 7-2.
Being a game over .500 in the conference, the team knows that this is where they have to make some noise. The stretch run of the season is crucial, and it will show a lot about the mental toughness of this young team.
“We’re a talented team with a lot of potential and are in a pretty good shape in the conference,” Murphy said. “We hold our destiny in our hands. It’s up to us to play at the level we can and the wins will roll.”
With a dozen games remaining in the regular season, including nine NJAC games, the Lions have their sights set on the postseason. They will resume action on Tuesday, April 16 against Penn State Abington, with the hope to use a non-conference win to build momentum that can carry over to conference games.
(04/16/13 4:00pm)
“Come on two six!” yelled one player from the dugout. “That a boy two six, here we go,” added another. Two six (26) is the number and nickname of freshman pitcher Evan Edelman. With a little help and support from his teammates, 27 was the bigger number of the day, as Edelman recorded a complete game 14-1 victory over St. Joseph’s-Long Island on Tuesday, April 9 by recording 27 outs.
When players are having fun and boosting each other’s confidence, it leads to better play and more wins. That’s a technique that the College’s baseball team practices quite a bit. Their dugout is seldom quiet, as they spend the majority of games hooting and hollering for whoever is on the mound or at the plate. In the case for this specific game, Edelman’s remarkable performance got the players roaring.
“I heard them supporting me and it means a lot,” Edelman said. “We get along really well. It’s always a lot of fun with these guys.”
For some players, the constant banter may be a distraction, especially for a pitcher who’s trying to focus on the mound. For Edelman, however, it helped him relax in a game where he gave up a run in the first inning, but dominated the next eight.
“It helps me out,” Edelman said. “Sometimes I hear them and it makes me chuckle on the mound.”
Edelman wasn’t the only one who had a nickname thrown out, as several other players were referred to as their nicknames by their teammates. Some were simple: Murph for senior outfielder Mike Murphy, Cuz (pronounced Cooz) for sophomore shortstop Anthony Cocuzza, and G for freshman catcher Garen Turner. On the contrary, some were more outlandish and goofy: Patty Cakes or Patty Daddy for freshman outfielder Patrick Roberts, Mur-dog for sophomore third baseman Mike Murray, and Skells for senior second baseman Scott Kelly.
“We just spend a lot of time with each other and pick up on different things each other does,” Murphy said. “Nicknames have a way of spreading and sticking.”
With the season entering a crucial stretch, the Lions need to come together more than ever. A blowout win over St. Joe’s was just what the doctor ordered, and in it the team exhibited more than just pitching and offense. The support they displayed for each other was something that winning teams emulate. If they keep up this attitude, they’ll keep up the wins.
“It shows how close we’ve come,” Murphy said. “We’ve been through all the early workouts, practices and all the ups and downs as the season has progressed. Everyone has become a family.”
(04/09/13 4:00pm)
Before I came to the College, I was a freshman at Seton Hall University. I thoroughly enjoyed going to the Pirates’ men’s basketball games and getting to see schools like Syracuse, Louisville and Georgetown, along with NBA caliber players and historic coaching figures. Seton Hall’s biggest rival was Rutgers, and the Scarlet Knights hired a new head coach that year. That man was Mike Rice, and as we all know now, Rice is out at Rutgers.
I’ll do a brief summary: Rice had just finished his third year at Rutgers. Just last week, video evidence came out from an ESPN Outside the Lines report that showed Rice physically abusing his players. He shoved them, grabbed them, dragged them, threw basketballs at them and even kicked one player. In addition, he berated them verbally with curses.
Being someone who has played basketball in high school, I wasn’t shocked by Rice’s language (although his choice of words were more foul than any other coach I’ve had). But seeing the physical actions he took on his players was extremely unacceptable. There is no place for that on the basketball court for college players, and it’s absolutely befuddling that Rice could have thought that strategy would have led to success for the team.
The first time I saw Rice coach in person, I hated him. He quickly became my most hated coach in college basketball, and I got to see whiners like Jim Boeheim, Jay Wright and Buzz Williams live in action. But Rice was different. The way he yelled, the way he acted and the evil facial expressions he gave off were horrible. He made it easy to be hated.
Now, after seeing what he’s done, I’m not really shocked at all. Seeing and knowing the kind of coach Rice has been for the past three years, it makes sense that he would be the kind of person to treat his players this way. And it’s downright disgraceful.
There were two things that were alarming to me about this situation. This first, of course, is the fact that Rutgers knew about Rice’s action in practice and did not take any action. At the first sight of something like this, a coach needs to be reprimanded. Any continued abuse, and he should be fired immediately. The administration at Rutgers really dropped the ball with this one.
The second thing is something much more upsetting, and is on a national level. The film of Rice’s actions was finally released, although Rutgers basically covered it up. Therefore, who’s to say that there aren’t other coaches who have done this? Rice isn’t the only coach who’s insane, and if it took this long to get out, how long until it’s revealed that more coaches have done this? This is something that should not be happening in college basketball, and the reality that it does happens is downright frightening.
All we can do now is wait and see if Rice is the first domino to fall and if other coaching coverups come to light. However, if I’m an athletic director of a college and I’m looking for a head coach, I’m going to look a lot harder now. With someone like Rice, this situation is really no surprise.
(04/09/13 4:00pm)
In a shocking development, the women’s tennis team suffered their first loss of the season, as their 12-game winning streak came to an end against Swarthmore College on Sunday, April 7.
The 5-4 loss saw the Lions (12-1) sweeping the doubles matches, but only sophomore Sarah Lippincott could win her singles match. For a team that doesn’t lose very often, this was a tough pill to swallow for the College.
“We did lose our first match on Sunday and it was very disappointing because we all know that we are a strong team and can compete with anyone we face,” sophomore Alex Bologno said. “These are the types of losses that will teach us what we need to work on and will in the end make us better players. This is exactly what we will be doing this coming week, helping us prepare for our big match on Sunday against Skidmore College.”
Entering the week, the women experienced a month layoff, but showed no signs of rust. In their 8-1 win over Washington College, most of the matches were not even close.
One that was close, however, was senior Karisse Bendijo’s match against Washington’s April Weaver. Bendijo won a tight first set 7-5, but dropped the second 3-6. In the deciding set, the senior took over and grabbed a 10-5 win.
“The person I played had a more aggressive game than I have,” Bendijo said. “I had to change my style of play and become more defensive. It was a little nerve-wracking, but I had my team and coaches behind me to support me.”
Following her lead, the rest of the College’s singles competitors refused to lose. Freshman Jasmine Muniz-Cadorette, freshman Emma Allen, Bologno, Lippincott and junior Tara Criscuolo were all successful in their matches.
In doubles, the women couldn’t complete the sweep, but were still impressive. The pair of Bendijo and senior Allison Tierney picked up an 8-4 win, while the duo of Bologno and Criscuolo sped their way to an 8-1 victory.
On Wednesday, April 3, the College participated in the New York University Doubles Tournament, in which the women played on the same courts used during the U. S. Open. It was a special experience for the Lions and was highlighted with four doubles teams collecting wins, along with Lippincott’s singles match win over NYU’s Ramya Pokala, 6-1, 2-6, 10-7. Despite the lack of team scoring, the women were still grateful to play on such a big stage.
“It was an amazing feeling,” Bendijo said. “To be able to step on a court where the pros have played was exhilarating. All I wanted to do was run around the court, lay on it, and enjoy the moment. We were there long enough to meet Fernando Verdasco.”
The team of Bendijo and Muniz-Cadorette shut out their opponents 6-0, while the teams of Bologno and Criscuolo, freshman Victoria Michels and sophomore Bianca Caracappa and freshman Kristina Koskinen and sophomore Megan Restua all came out on top by scores of 6-2, 6-3 and 6-3, respectively.
Next up was William Smith College on Saturday, April 6. This one was a struggle, as Bendijo was the only singles competitor to win her respective match. However, the Lions dominated the doubles territory, sweeping the opposition. The teams of Bendijo and Tierney, Muniz-Cadorette and Bologno, and Lippincott and Criscuolo all got crucial wins.
“Our doubles play has had a major impact on our winnings,” Bologno said. “Every tennis match starts with doubles and then proceeds to singles, so getting three points at the start is always on our mind.”
As for the men (11-0), they too refused to lose, starting the week off with an 8-1 drubbing of Washington College on Thursday, April 4.
Senior Marc Nichols got things started with a 6-3, 7-6, (7-3) win, while the rest of his teammates won. Senior T. J. Riley, sophomore Jack August, junior Howard Telson and freshman Pierce Cooper all dispatched the competition without much of a fight.
In doubles, there was a small challenge, but nothing the Lions couldn’t handle. Nichols and Telson breezed through their match 8-1, and August and senior Jordan Cruz took care of business 8-3. However, in the third match, Riley and Cooper were put to the test. Despite a close one, they pulled it out, 9-8 (7-1).
Onto the weekend, it was another day, another 8-1 victory, this time against Hobart College. Cruz, Riley, Cooper, Nichols and August all collected singles wins.
The Lions won all their doubles matches by scores of 8-4. The teams of Nichols/Telson, Buchbinder/Cruz and Riley/Cooper all won.
In possibly their biggest test of the season, the men faced off against the University of Rochester on Sunday, April 7 and barely won 5-4 with Cooper being the hero.
In the deciding match, the freshman managed to topple Joel Allen, 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, showing that the Lions can win in the clutch too.
August and Cruz were the other singles winners, while the doubles teams of Nichols/Telson and Riley/August secured vital wins against an opponent that was far from easy.
Both teams have high hopes for the rest of the season, with perfection still a possibility for the men. As for the women, the loss has shifted their sights to goals on a larger scale.
“I hope we can achieve a higher national ranking,” Bendijo said. “I also would like to go further in the NCAA tournament. I just want to leave everything on the court and have no regrets when I leave TCNJ.”
(04/09/13 4:00pm)
The Kentucky Wildcats have taught us a thing or two about freshmen. Last year, John Calipari’s team dominated the entire season and won the national championship with three freshmen starting and playing key roles. This season, Calipari’s new group of freshmen was not as successful, as four freshmen starters were ousted in the first round of the NIT. And while talent is important, confidence is the real key for youngsters. That’s what the College’s baseball team’s freshmen have instilled in their heads.
The Lions are 11-11, a number that’s very impressive considering there are 14 freshmen on the 31-man roster. Normally, a team with that kind of youth tends to struggle, but after starting the season 3-7, the College has bounced back and won eight of their past 12 games.
The freshmen have been especially effective throwing the ball, and it starts with pitcher Steven Volpe. Volpe has been the best hurler this season for the Lions, going 3-0 with 12 strikeouts and giving up a grand total of two earned runs in 30 innings pitched. Being the top dog has been something Volpe has embraced, as he embodies the team’s confidence.
“He stepped up and we needed someone to step up and (play) a key role in the rotation,” freshman pitcher Joseph DiLorenzo said. “No one’s a good match for him. He doesn’t even care that he’s a freshman, he just gets up there and he thinks he’s the best and has great confidence in himself.”
DiLorenzo himself has also put together a solid season so far. In 2 2/3 innings, he too has not allowed a run, becoming a trustworthy reliever who gets the job done. Like Volpe, his confidence doesn’t waiver when his name is called.
“I think that I’ve accepted that it’s my time and (the coaching staff) has confidence in me so I don’t feel any pressure,” DiLorenzo said. “I just go in there and do my job.”
Over spring break, the team took their annual trip to Florida, which gave the freshmen a chance to bond on and off the baseball diamond. With the amount of time spent with each other, the freshmen agree that the team got closer and learned from each other.
“Just being with everybody all the time, especially rooming with all of the guys, going out to eat with all of the guys, and spending 20 hours on the bus, you just feel like you’re connected better with everybody,” freshman outfielder Patrick Roberts said.
“It was just the fact that you were with your team,” freshman outfielder Mark Mari added. “We were in the same room as three or four other kids and each room (had) a couple freshmen and a couple upperclassmen. You would get things from the upperclassmen. You would learn from what they’ve done over the past trips so it was really a tradition from the upperclassmen.”
Over the course of the trip, the results showed that the team was improving. After dropping four of their first five and seven of their first nine on the trip, the Lions responded by winning their final two games in Florida, giving them something to build off of. That is a testament to the determination and will of the team.
The freshmen certainly played better as the trip went on, which is something that has to be credited to the older players. Some juniors and seniors might haze freshmen or treat them without respect, but not this team. The upperclassmen have been accepting of the rookies since day one, taking them under the wings and being their mentors.
“The adjustment process from the high school game to college, it’s a lot quicker and there’s a whole lot more going on,” Mari said. “They’ve really helped us out. I know (for) me personally, (senior) Mike Murphy and (junior) Joe Dispoto, as an outfielder they’ve really helped me a lot.”
The bond in the outfield is particularly strong. Aside from Murphy and Dispoto, two of the top hitters on the team, there are four freshmen in the outfield: Mari, Roberts, John Rizzi and Peter Kennedy. Despite the fact that the young guns outweigh the old timers, Murphy and Dispoto have been crucial in the development of the freshmen as they become more comfortable with the game.
“Murphy has set a great example for us especially in practice, helping us get used to all of the drills and what it’s going to be like playing college baseball,” Roberts said.
Like the spring break trip to Florida, the upperclassmen helping the freshmen has led to winning during the regular season. In their April 2 game against Widener, several freshmen played key roles in the team’s dominant 12-4 win. Freshman pitcher Evan Edelman went eight innings, giving up four runs on seven hits and got the W, Roberts clocked his first career home run, and Mari and freshman catcher Garen Turner both collected three hits, spearheading the College’s offense.
This success from the team’s youth is not something easily attainable, but the Lions have been doing something special. Seeing these freshmen grow up in games and at practice is a remarkable thing. Thank the coaches, thank the upperclassmen, and thank the freshmen themselves for all they’ve accomplished.
But don’t forget to thank their confidence. That’s the ace up the sleeve of these freshmen, who fully believe in themselves.
(04/09/13 4:39am)
In a season filled with crazy upsets, No. 1 teams going down and parity, the best team in the nation is left standing. The Louisville Cardinals have won the 2013 national championship in an amazing game. Their wild ride culminated with a hard-fought 82-76 victory over the Michigan Wolverines.
But how did this all happen? Let's take a look at how the game played out.
It was a tale of two halves. Michigan had all the momentum in the early going, thanks to seven quick points from Trey Burke and an offensive onslaught from unheralded guard Spike Albrecht, who poured in all 17 of his points in the first half. It was as if he couldn't miss as he drilled big three after big three. In addition, Mitch McGary was making plays, just as he has all tournament, although a bit differently. Known for his ability to finish down low, McGary played great defense and hit some key mid-range jumpers.
On the contrary, Louisville was very inefficient on offense. They weren't knocking down threes or penetrating the Michigan defense very well at all. Nearly every player on offense was quiet. It seemed like the game would be over early.
Then something special happened.
Luke Hancock, the eventual MVP of the Final Four, started knocking down three pointers left and right, ending the night with 22 points and a perfect five-for-five mark from behind the arc. His shooting cut the Wolverines' halftime lead to one and gave the Cardinals some much needed momentum.
The second half went back and forth, but this time, it was Louisville being the aggressor. With McGary on the bench due to foul trouble, the Cardinal defense turned it up a notch, forcing turnovers and scoring in transition. Likewise, their halfcourt offense saw a huge leap as well. Peyton Siva was getting to the basket at will. Chane Behanan was a spark on the offensive glass. Gorgui Dieng, the team's most important player, quietly showed just that, making pinpoint passes, knocking down jumpers and play superb defense. As a whole, Louisville was a different team.
But Michigan wasn't done yet, with Burke doing his absolute best to keep his team in the game. In addition, Tim Hardaway Jr. took advantage of Russ Smith defending him, scoring a few buckets on the smaller guard.
In the end, however, it was a Hancock three that was the eventual dagger. Michigan could not hold on and Louisville won its third national title in school history.
The moment was made even more magical after the game, with the injured Kevin Ware cutting down the net. It was a remarkable end to a remarkable season.
The cream eventually rose to the top. Despite all of the madness, the best team in the nation came out victorious. This is similar to last year's Kentucky Wildcats, with the consensus best team holding the trophy at the end.
And thus ends another wonderful college basketball season. It was as unpredictable as it's ever been. But in conclusion, the final result turned out to be predictable after all.
(04/02/13 4:00pm)
Over the course of the next week, you’re going to hear plenty of Shocker puns. With Wichita St. making the Final Four as a No. 9 seed from the Missouri Valley Conference, the fact that they’re two wins away from a national championship may be shocking to some. However, if you look deeper, it may not be as surprising as it seems.
Yes, it did seem like last year’s Shockers had a better Final Four shot (I picked them to go there). No. 5 Wichita St. from last season was led by its top-five scorers Joe Ragland, Garrett Stutz, Toure’ Murry, Ben Smith and David Kyles. None of those players are on this year’s squad. Shocking? Not quite.
Enter junior Cleanthony Early: a junior college transfer who has morphed into the Shockers’ best player. With averages of 13.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and a combined three blocks/steals/threes per game. That versatility from a 6’ 8” player is not seen too often.
Then there’s Carl Hall, who was on last year’s team. The senior big man is as tough as they come, averaging 12.5 points and 6.9 rebounds. However, what most people didn’t know until the tournament is that Hall is a victim of neurocardiogenic syncope, which is a heart condition that produces an irregular heartbeat and causes Hall to pass out playing basketball on occasion. Despite this huge obstacle, Hall has taken the necessary steps to keep himself healthy and has thrived through something that many could not.
The rest of the cast and crew of Wichita St. have similar “Land of the Misfit Toys” stories that have all meshed together to form an amazing Final Four run. Senior Malcolm Armstead, a transfer from Oregon, has come up big with clutch shots and stellar play in the postseason. Freshman Ron Baker has not looked like a freshman. He’s hit 20 of his 23 free throw attempts, including nine-for-nine against Ohio St. in the Elite Eight, showing poise on the big stage. Another freshman, Fred Van Vleet, was a revelation against the Buckeyes. After averaging 4.3 points this season, he dropped 12 on Ohio St., including the dagger bouncing shot that will haunt Thad Matta’s dreams. Finally, sophomore Tekele Cotton, who made 0.6 threes per game all season, poured in 10 during the Shockers’ final four run.
This is a team led by head coach Gregg Marshall and is built on stingy defense and physical play. And it also helps that Wichita St. averaged nearly 10 threes per game against Gonzaga, La Salle and Ohio State
So let’s face it, this team is built for an NCAA tournament run. And after beating the top-ranked team in the country, a furious Cinderella from the rising Atlantic-10 and the champion of the best conference in the nation, they’ve shown they can play with anyone. That’s why when they’re up against Louisville, this team won’t be shy. Marshall has preached this whole tournament that his team belongs, and they’ve proven that.
If the No. 9 Shockers wind up winning the whole thing, they’ll be the lowest seed in history to win the NCAA tournament. Would that be Shocking? Maybe.
Then again, especially in this wild season, it may not be shocking after all.
(04/02/13 4:00pm)
In the heat of battle, the College’s men’s tennis team was locked in a tight one with No. 28 Trinity College on Saturday, March 30. The match had come down to the final singles match, with senior T.J. Riley taking on Trinity’s Musyoka Mbithi. With the match on the line and Mbithi doing his best to make Riley uncomfortable, the senior came through with the win to lift his team to one of their biggest wins of the season.
“I wanted to do it for the team and get a big win to boost our case for a national ranking,” Riley said. “I also wanted to beat (Mbithi) really bad because he had been cheating me the whole match and I didn’t want him to weasel his way out of it.”
Along with Riley, sophomore Jack August and freshman Pierce Cooper picked up singles wins. August’s W showed true determination, as he got shut out in his first set 0-6, only to dominate the rest of the way, winning each of the final two sets by scores of 6-1.
“He is so good, you can never count him out,” senior Marc Nichols said. “You know he is going to compete at a high level no matter what, which is what we need from him and everyone else on the team.”
Doubles wins by the teams of Nichols and junior Howard Telson, along with freshman Billy Buchbinder and senior Jordan Cruz, by scores of 8-4 and 8-3, respectively, were enough to push the Lions (9-0) forward.
The Lions began the week by blanking Drew University 9-0 on Wednesday, March 27 in a dominant performance, with none of the singles matches going to a third set and none of the doubles matches lasting more than 11 games.
Nichols started the massacre with a 7-5, 6-2 win in first singles over Hunter Lathrop. Riley followed suit by defeating Djedjy Hill, 6-4, 6-2. August was even better, winning 6-1, 6-0, while Buchbinder won his match 6-2, 4-1 before his opponent retired.
The stories of the day, however, were Telson and Cooper. They were perfect in their singles matches, each knocking out the opposition by spotless 6-0, 6-0 marks.
“We stay mentally focused in those easy matches by working on certain things,” Riley said. “We will try new formations, new tactics, new shot selections and really try and work on things that we don’t typically do so that we can develop all aspects of our game.”
In doubles, the team of Nichols and Telson conquered the Rangers 8-1, Buchbinder and Cruz blew away their foes 8-2, and Cooper and Riley completed the sweep with an 8-3 victory.
The following day on Thursday, March 28, it was more of the same: the Lions could not be touched, as they beat Randolph-Macon College 8-0.
“The key is to make sure we don’t give them any opportunity to get in the match,” Nichols said. “After doubles, we just kept the foot on the gas pedal and didn’t give them anything.”
Riley and Cooper extended their winning streaks on the season to seven straight each, as they cruised to victory over their Randolph-Macon adversaries by scores of 6-1, 6-1, and 6-1, 6-0 respectively. Telson also got a win, 6-0, 6-1.
August, Buchbinder and Nichols completed the singles sweep once again by winning their individual matches. In doubles, the teams were switched around a bit, but still garnered three wins. Telson and Nichols once again won, while Buchbinder teamed up with Riley and Cooper paired with August. Both of those combinations were successful in their matches as well.
The Lions, who have their next game on Thursday, April 4 at 3:30 p.m. at Washington College, keep climbing higher and higher, and it doesn’t seem like they’ll come back to earth any time soon. This is something Riley attributes mainly to teamwork and optimism.
“We are 9-0 on the season and we’ve worked very hard to make each other better and the key is really positive thinking,” Riley said. “No matter what goes wrong or who is struggling, we all rally around that person and help him get through it and improve from there. The big thing is that we support each other.”
(03/26/13 5:00pm)
In this week’s matchup of Around the Dorm, the “Ref,” Brendan McGrath, challenges sports editor Chris Molicki, staff writer Kevin Lee and correspondent Greg Oriolo to answer questions about the Devils’ playoff chances, the World Baseball Classic and Rex Ryan’s future with the Jets.
1. The Devils started off this shortened NHL season hot, but after a bad month, they’re barely in the playoffs. Will they make the playoffs, how far will they go and why?
CM: I don’t think the Devils are in any trouble making the playoffs. I wouldn’t be shocked if they finished behind Pittsburgh, Boston or even Ottawa, but they’re currently right around the same spot as Carolina, Toronto and the Rangers, three teams I have a good amount of confidence in them against. The Devils encountered a bump in the road (as all hockey teams do) right when goalie Martin Brodeur went down for nearly a month with a back injury. Brodeur’s stellar play in net is the key for New Jersey, and his return will certainly give them a big boost. As long as the Devils don’t get an extremely tough draw, I see no reason why they can’t win at least one playoff series in the postseason, and the magical run from last year, while difficult to duplicate, may not be far-fetched, because this is a team that knows how to get it done when it counts.
KL: Even though they are in the hunt with plenty of hockey left to play, I just don’t think the Devils are a good enough hockey team to make the playoffs. The Devils have aging goaltenders in Martin Brodeur, 40, and Johan Hedberg, 39. The reliability of the aging Brodeur is already in question as he’s coming off injury. Other key injuries that have bit the Devils this season are Alexi Ponikarovsky and Andrei Loktionov, making it tough for the Devils to get in any kind of groove. I also think this team is much different than last year’s 2012 Stanley Cup Final team. The permanent absence of Zach Parise, after signing with the Minnesota Wild, is a big loss for the Devils. The hard-working and skilled player will be a difficult void to fill. It’s a much different team than last year’s Stanley Cup Finals squad.
GO: Of all four major professional sports leagues, the NHL is by far the hardest to predict. In a game where team chemistry means so much and streaks could happen and end so quickly, the Stanley Cup could go to anyone in the playoffs. Just ask the No. 8 seed Kings. In terms of the New Jersey Devils, I think they will make the playoffs and make a potential run to the Conference Finals. The reason for this is because I feel a short season benefits the Devils. First, that means Brodeur will have to play less time this season and will be fresher in the postseason. He is the key to the Devils’ success, which was proven during the team’s cold streak when he was injured. Next, the team has the playoff experience and chemistry to make a run in the postseason. With veteran experience mixed with young offensive talent, the Devils have the potential to repeat what they accomplished last year. Like I said before, the NHL is extremely difficult to predict, but there is no doubt the Devils have the potential to make some noise in May.
Greg earns 3 points for talking about the benefits of a short season to Brodeur. Chris scores 2 points for saying that the Devils may burn other teams. Kevin gets 1 point for looking at the differences between the Devils last season and this season.
2. The third World Baseball Classic just wrapped up, with the Dominican Republic going undefeated on their way to the title. Do you think this tournament has been a success, needs improvement or should just be done away with?
CM: It’s not something that should be done away with because it gives baseball players around the world the opportunity to join together and compete for their respected countries. I do think it needs improvement, and there’s a dilemma in that: the World Baseball Classic is played at the same time as the end of college basketball season, as well as the NBA and NHL seasons. There’s really no other time they could have it to avoid scheduling conflict, since the MLB season is played during every other month of the year that is playable for baseball. Therefore, I say if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. Why doesn’t the World Baseball Classic make its own March Madness? Change the format to a giant bracket like the NCAA tournament and expand to 64 teams. It’s fine if there are some countries that field weak teams, it just adds the possibility for Cinderellas, which is what everyone loves about March Madness.
KL: I personally love the WBC. It gives me an opportunity to take a look at some future international prospects and signings. I got to see the superstar potential that Yu Darvish and Yoenis Cespedes each possess beforehand. All in all, it’s a pretty nice showcase tournament for international players. From a fan’s perspective, it is also way more entertaining than seeing a split-squad spring training game. With that said, I think the timing of the WBC is extremely poor. We want to see the best players on the field, representing our countries. Most players opt not to participate because they choose to prepare for spring training with their respective teams. It makes little sense to have the WBC and spring training coincide with one another. I would also like to see less intervention from MLB teams on how WBC players should be used. This way we see the competitive spirit of the players through all nine innings. I get it, MLB teams are just trying to prevent their investments, but the chances of freak injuries even during spring training are always there regardless of the event. Take Mark Teixeira, for example, who injured his wrist simply hitting off a tee. While the WBC has many flaws, it is still a relatively new event that has improved each time and I look forward to seeing the WBC in 2017.
GO: I would not call the WBC a success, but I don’t think the actual tournament needs improvement. The reason for this is because it is formatted very well. The pool play followed by a double elimination playoff system makes sense in baseball, and usually results in one of the best overall teams winning. Now in terms of the actual play, the WBC needs to improve. This is a chance for players to represent their country and play for something more than money. Yes, there is a risk of injury, but there is nothing better than winning with your country’s name on your chest. Many talented MLB players choose not to play in the WBC and that is why it needs improvement. Look at the USA Basketball team. Yes, the Olympics are more prestigious than the WBC, but the risk of injury didn’t stop the elite NBA superstars from playing. If you look at professional soccer and hockey as well, every player wants to represent their national team. That is the reason why Olympic hockey and the World Cup are so exciting. Every superstar is out their giving it there all, and if that happened in the WBC, it would be an amazing tournament.
Kevin gets 3 points for showing the benefits and problems of the WBC. Chris nets 2 points because I would love to see Tim McCarver explain the importance of small ball in a first round match-up between Peru and Nepal. Greg gets 1 point for comparing it to other tournaments.
3.Were the Jets right to keep Rex Ryan on as head coach? What does the team have to do this upcoming year for him to be able to stay around beyond next season?
CM: While it certainly hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows for the Jets, I think it was right for the team to keep head coach Rex Ryan on board. Ryan did a remarkable job taking a team led by a rookie quarterback to back-to-back AFC championship games. I understand that the following season was average and this past year was a debacle, but those reasons aren’t good enough to fire Rex. Ryan’s team was plagued by inconsistent quarterback play and a poor assembly of players, two things that he is not entirely responsible for. The front office got rid of general manager Mike Tannenbaum and offensive coordinator Tony Sparano to try to fix those things. Ryan is a very good motivator, even though his mouth gets him in trouble sometimes, and he should be the head coach of the Jets and given the chance to turn this thing around. Ryan had one season under .500 for the Jets. How many sub-.500 seasons has Marvin Lewis had with the Bengals? However, if Ryan wants to keep his job, the Jets need to finish with around seven wins this season. That may not be a high benchmark, but it’s an extremely tall task considering that this team has been stripped of its talent. Three declining seasons in a row would probably be enough to get Ryan the boot in this coaching carousel NFL landscape.
KL: I think it’s fair that Rex Ryan got one more year. He’s coached the Jets to the AFC Championship games in 2009 and 2010, showing that he is capable of success. I thought last year wasn’t so much Ryan’s fault, but more so the players’ fault and due to players’ injuries. Ryan had no reliable quarterback last year, resulting in the Jets being one of the worst offensive teams. Ryan was criticized for not replacing Sanchez, but even if he had sooner, he didn’t have any other strong options as backups. It also didn’t help that Revis missed the majority of the season. I think it’s fair that Ryan gets one more crack at it. Ryan will have to exceed expectations and make the playoffs if he wants to stick around beyond next year. That won’t be an easy feet since the Jets still have many of the same problems that they had last season.
GO: As a Jets fan, I think Rex Ryan deserves one more season. The reason for this is because it is not entirely his fault the team did not succeed. The main weakness of the Jets is their offense, and without any type of talent on the offensive side of the ball, it is tough to win. Now everyone knows that Rex’s main responsibility is the defense, which in all seriousness did not play poorly last year. The reason they were ranked so low is because the offense could never move the ball, which resulted in the defense being on the field much longer in games, as well as in tough situations in terms of field position. The injury to Revis did not help either, and it limited the packages/blitzes the team could use. Now as head coach, Rex is responsible for the entire team and needs the offense to improve. With a new coordinator and hopefully new players coming in, there is a chance the team can succeed. With the quarterback situation, I do not think that it will happen and Rex will be out after next season.
Chris receives 3 points for his benchmark of seven wins, because I don’t see how the team can go past that. Greg gets 2 points for noting that the defense didn’t actually play poorly last season. Kevin grabs 1 for pointing out the futility of the QB situation.
Chris wins Around the Dorm, 7-6-5.
(03/26/13 4:00pm)
In what was the wildest first weekend in recent memory, the NCAA tournament became upset like ever before. No No. 16 seed has ever beaten a No. 1 seed in March Madness, but this year, all four No. 16 seeds pulled off upsets in a sight that is unlike anything we have ever seen.
It all came to a head Friday night, as the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers knocked off Kansas by a score of 64-57, which completed the quad of upsets. The game infuriated Kansas head coach Bill Smelf into a rage that we’ve never seen.
“My team is awful,” Smelf said. “First we lose to TCU and now this? You’ve got to be kidding me. Our guard play is pathetic. But hey, at least we’re not the only ones.”
Smelf’s final words were very true, due to the fact that the other three No. 1 seeds fell before him. A lot of people claim they weren’t shocked to see Gonzaga go down, saying they were the most overrated No. 1 seed playing in the WCC. They got blown out by Southern, 88-60. The Jaguars’ strategy saw them constantly pulling Kelly Olynyk’s hair.
“Whenever anyone asked me who we were playing, I would say Southern, and they would say Southern who?” Gonzaga head coach Mark Couple said. “No one actually knew they were a school. And then this shit happens.”
In what was the most shocking upset, North Carolina A&T, the school that was scheduled to play Louisville, got stuck in the Dayton airport. When 20-loss Liberty, the team that lost to them in the play-in game, heard this, they hopped on a bus and headed to Kentucky to play the Cardinals. They promptly knocked off Louisville on a buzzer-beater, 47-46.
“How is that even allowed!” said Louisville head coach Dick Pitino. “They were already eliminated from the tournament. And they lost 20 games. We’re the best team in the country. How the hell does this happen?”
The other No. 1 seed to fall was Indiana, and their loss was historic in its own right. They became the first NCAA team to ever get shut out in a game, losing 2-0 to James Madison. The result was even more stunning considering that the Hoosiers were the No. 1 offense in the country. JMU guard Andre Nation scored a layup of the opening tip, and not a single point was scored for the remaining 39 minutes.
“We shot zero percent from the field and zero percent from the free throw line,” Indiana head coach Tim Cream said. “There must have been a lid on the baskets or something. That’s absolutely ridiculous.”
Ridiculous is right. But Cream has to also remember that this is March Madness, where the impossible becomes the ordinary.
(03/19/13 4:00pm)
A trip to Florida for spring break is something college students generally do to relax and have fun. Not the Lions, who saw both the men’s and women’s tennis teams defeat all comers in the Sunshine State, continuing their usual dominance. The men scored wins over St. Lawrence University, Franklin & Marshall College and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute by scores of 8-1, 7-2 and 5-4 respectively. The women captured a pair of victories against St. Lawrence and Franklin & Marshall 6-3 and 9-0, respectively.
“I definitely expected the team to compete hard, but I think most of my teammates and I went in with a mindset of knowing we had three tough matches and we were going to have to earn these wins,” junior Howard Telson said. “We went into each match expecting ourselves to be pushed and that allowed us to be our best out there.”
In the match with Rensselaer, the men (5-0) had four of six singles competitors defeating the opposition. Senior T. J. Riley, Telson, freshman Pierce Cooper and senior Jordan Cruz all won their matches, with Telson’s being the most dramatic. With the College desperately needing a win to keep pace with the Engineers, he squeaked out a close victory by scores of 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-4.
“I knew that we were going into singles down 2-1 and we were going to have tough matches all around and needed every point we could get,” Telson said. “I had my teammates out there on the court and off cheering for me and pushing me to keep fighting the whole match. That really carried me through.”
Telson also won his doubles match with senior Marc Nichols, 8-5.
Next up against Franklin & Marshall, the Lions nearly completed a clean sweep, with five of the six singles competitors and two of the three doubles teams succeeding in their matches. Riley, Cooper and Telson won again in singles, with sophomore Jack August and freshman Billy Buchbinder getting their first W’s of the trip. Telson and Nichols were once again successful in doubles, as was the team of Buchinder and Cruz.
“The day before, we had a tight 5-4 win against RPI and we knew F&M was going to be tough,” Cooper said. “We got off to a great start in doubles winning two out of three. We knew the singles matches were going to be close and four of (them) went to three sets. We competed well and won five of the six singles to close out the match.”
Finally, in the most impressive win of the vacation, St. Lawrence fell to the College 8-1, with every Lion except Nichols, in first singles, getting the job done. Riley, Cooper and Telson completed the trifecta by each going 3-0 in their matches over the course of the trip. Cruz and August also each picked up another singles win, as none of the matches even went to a third set. The Nichols/Telson and Cruz/Buchbinder tandems notched doubles wins again, while Cooper and August won the third doubles match.
“Even though we were all feeling run down and sore after two days of competing and getting used to playing outside, that really got us playing well and on a roll,” Telson said.
On the women’s side, the College’s (10-0) play was just as eye-popping. In their first duel with Franklin & Marshall, the Lions shut out the opposition 9-0.
Seniors Karisse Bendijo and Allison Tierney set the tone by winning the first two singles matches by scores of 6-0, 6-3 and 6-1, 6-1, respectively. Freshman Jasmine Muniz-Cadorette won her contest by the same score as Tierney’s, while freshman Emma Allen and sophomores Alex Bologno and Sarah Lippincott all won in just two sets each.
In doubles play, the six girls put together three winning combinations, with Bendijo and Tierney, Muniz-Cadorette and Allen and Bologno and Lippincott winning with ease by scores of 8-3, 8-5 and 8-1, respectively.
The win against St. Lawrence was not as dominant, but a win is still a win. Bendijo, Allen and Bologno got singles wins again, and junior Tara Criscuolo got a victory as well. The Lions swept the doubles matches to secure the perfect break.
To get this kind of momentum over break is crucial to the team’s winning ways. They showed just how good of a team they are, both on and off the court.
“We all competed well and supported each other in close matches,” Cooper said. “Even when the guys weren’t playing their best, they were able to pull out critical wins when the team needed them.”
Both teams have a bit of time off now, with the men not playing again until Wednesday, March 27 against Drew University and the women having an absence until Tuesday, April 2 versus Washington College.
“We just want to keep improving,” Cooper said. “At the end of the year, our goal is to qualify for the NCAA tournament and do as well as possible there.”
(03/19/13 4:00pm)
For sports, it’s the greatest time of the year. March Madness is upon us, and it’s truly a time where all sports fans, no matter how big or small, can rejoice. The NCAA tournament gives us a chance to be part of something that’s bigger than us. That’s what makes picking brackets so exciting. If your Final Four teams go far, it’s one of the most exhilarating feelings in the world. Like me, I assume you will all be racking your brains when you decide which teams will win each matchup. Being a college basketball expert and bracketologist, I’m here to give you some tips for how to pick your bracket.
• Look at conference champs
Recently in sports, we’ve seen the hottest teams come out and win titles. In college basketball, it’s no different. It seems that every team that either makes it to the finals of their respective conference tournament or wins the whole thing has success in March. For example, the past three Big East champions have all made it to the Final Four. Louisville seems to follow the trend. Also, keep an eye out for Oregon, New Mexico and Ohio State. All three have won their conference tournaments and are on a true roll right now.
• Visit kenpom.com
One of the best statistical predicting sites on the internet, kenpom.com gives you the adjusted offensive and defensive ratings for every team, good ways to predict how teams will fare on both sides of the ball. If you love scoring, pick Michigan, Creighton or Iowa State. If defense is more of your thing, Louisville, Florida and Wisconsin are the top teams in the country. Whatever you need, kenpom.com has you covered.
• Coaching wins titles
Good coaches win a lot of games in March. They know how to prepare their teams and what to do to get the most out of each individual player. Tom Izzo of Michigan State is the perfect example. Izzo is the guy who always has the Spartans ready for the NCAA tournament and manages to squeeze as much out of his teams as he can. Other coaches who have had some great success are Rick Pitino of Louisville, Shaka Smart of VCU and Brad Stevens of Butler.
• Don’t be afraid to pick upsets
Every year, the NCAA tournament has some crazy surprises and this year could be the most wild one yet. If you go the safe route and pick all of the high-seeded teams, you’re going to get burned. Your best chance is to pick a few upsets and check out the matchups. Cinderellas are synonymous with March Madness. Some popular sleepers are South Dakota State, Davidson and Montana.
(03/05/13 5:00pm)
They say that three is the magic number.
Whoever “they” are would be correct if they were referring to the College’s success at the NCAA Division III East Regional hosted by Gettysburg College. Three Lions, senior John Darling and juniors Brian Broderick and Zach Zotollo, qualified for the NCAA Division III championships.
Broderick won the title for 184 pounds with a 7-4 win over Patrick Sheehan from New York University. He was dominant, being the top seed in his weight class, and picked up four big wins in the tournament to put his season record at 25-2. The first two wins for Broderick came by fall.
“My overall goal for this year is to place as high as possible at the national tournament, which would obviously be to take home the title,” Broderick said. “This regional tournament was just a stepping stone to get myself as well as my teammates where we want to be. I look at the regional tournament as a roadblock that we need to overcome to get us to our final destination.”
Darling was not as fortunate as Broderick, as he was unable to win his weight class (164), but still qualified for the NCAAs. He started off the day with a pin in his first match, then won two by major decisions before being beaten at the end by Joe Favia from Stevens Institute of Technology. Darling is ranked fourth nationally in his weight class, while Favia is third.
“I’m sure he was a little disappointed to not win in the finals, but I’m positive that he would much rather trade in a loss now for a win at the national tournament,” Broderick said. “Darling wrestled a tough opponent whom he had wrestled during our first match of the year. It was a close match then and it was a close match this weekend as well.”
By reaching 32 wins after the tournament, Darling is one away from tying a career high. He’ll get a chance to surpass that at the NCAAs.
Unfortunately for Zotollo (174 pounds), he had the same fate, succumbing to defeat in the finals by eighth-ranked Zach Thompson of Gettysburg. He wrestled in some tight matches, the first being a 17-14 win and then later on with a 3-1 win. The wins he picked up clinched his first ever 20-win season.
“Zotollo put forth an awesome performance this weekend winning several close-scoring matches,” Broderick said. “Zach has been hurt with several injuries this year (thumb, knee and hip) and he was still able to claim 20 victories. Reaching 20 wins in a season is an important milestone as a wrestler because it is certainly a confidence booster but most important, it is hard to be able to compete that many times during a year because there are so many injuries involved with wrestling. It’s difficult to wrestle as hard as you can every day for six months and not have some type of injury.”
The trio of Lions will take their talents to Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Friday, March 18. It seems like they’re just about ready for the big stage.
“At this point, all you need is the plane ticket to get yourself to the national tournament where wins and losses are more important.”
(02/26/13 5:00pm)
In the face of adversity, teams have two options. The first is to crack under pressure and fall apart, becoming a shell of their former selves. The second option is to come together and actually elevate their level of play. Rest assured, the first option is much easier than the second one.
The Georgetown Hoyas were faced with this issue. John Thompson III’s squad had to deal with the loss of Greg Whittington (academically ineligible), the team’s second best player. This came right after back-to-back losses to open the Hoyas’ Big East schedule at 0-2. Georgetown, not a preseason Big East favorite, very easily could have just rolled over and blamed a disappointing season on the loss of Whittington.
However, the Hoyas had another plan in mind. They turned their play up a notch, winning 11 of 12 Big East games and moving into sole possession of first place in the conference. And this all came when things looked bleaker than ever.
This amazing run was capped off this Saturday with a defining road win against Syracuse in the Carrier Dome. The game was sluggish throughout with neither team able to pull away, but the Hoyas used a late surge and a career performance by sophomore Otto Porter to bury the Orange.
Georgetown is certainly not high on talent. Porter is one of the best in the nation, but because they’re lacking in that area otherwise, many have been waiting for the team’s inevitable collapse.
It hasn’t come yet. And it may not come at all.
It’s a bit hard to explain a phenomenon like this. How does a team all of a sudden play its best ball missing one of its best players?
Analyzing Georgetown is a good way to try to make sense of everything. First, we’ll start with Porter. The dude is a straight stud. Porter is a lottery pick and potential POY candidate, but the way he has led this team shows he’s even more special than that. Porter has been completely dominant, carrying the team on his back for stretches and doing it all. Sometimes, when you have a player like Porter, you’re simply unstoppable. Syracuse found that out the hard way after Porter dropped 33 points on them, while collecting eight rebounds and five steals.
Here are Porter’s season averages: 15.9 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 2.0 steals, 0.9 blocks, 1.6 turnovers, 51 percent shooting from the field and 45 percent shooting from behind the arc. Those numbers alone tell you that he’s truly something else.
Another explanation for the Hoyas’ success can be attributed to their tough defense. Playing defense is not necessarily something you need talent for. If a team commits to playing hard on the defensive end, they can do so without superior basketball talent.
Georgetown comes in at No. 5 in the nation in Ken Pomeroy’s adjusted defense efficiency rankings, showing the tenacity they have on that end of the floor. They haven’t let a team score more than 66 points on them since the loss of Whittington, and have routinely held teams under the 60-point mark, most notably against Syracuse, muzzling the Jim Boeheim’s squad to a mere 46 points. The Hoyas’ desire to defend is a huge reason they keep winning.
Aside from having a star player and stifling defense, there’s one other area to give credit to for the Hoyas’ dominance. In the wake of Whittington, other players have been able to step up and take their game to another level.
Markel Starks has taken over Whittington’s role as Porter’s right-hand man, and has thrived in it. D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, a freshman off the bench, has been averaging double figures in the last dozen games, including a 33-point outburst against DePaul. Finally, Nate Lubick has given the team solid production on the offensive end and on the glass, something he hasn’t always done in his career at Georgetown.
All of these factors make the Hoyas so intriguing. Come tournament time, is it safe to pick them despite them possibly being outmatched by an opponent, or do you trust this team and the roll it’s on right now?
With the way they’ve been able to win under the circumstances they’ve been under, the Hoyas have gained my trust. Come March, they may gain more than just that.
(02/19/13 5:00pm)
There’s a famous saying that goes, “You don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone.” That’s something that can be applied to many things, LeBron James being one of them.
James has recently been on one of the most ridiculous stretches of his career. His averages over the past seven games go something like this: 32 points, 7.4 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 1.7 steals and 69 percent shooting.
Those are not typos. Those are real numbers that the undisputed best player in the world has been putting up night in and night out.
With a streak of games like that combined with Michael Jordan’s 50th birthday, the inevitable happened — the talking heads at ESPN decided to go back and compare James to Jordan. LeBron responded to this chatter with a short but powerful tweet.
“I’m not MJ, I’m LJ.”
That’s something everyone has to realize. LeBron is not Michael. LeBron will never be Michael. Whether he winds up passing him as the GOAT one day or never coming close, James is his own man and his own player. But he’s more than just that. He’s our player.
We are living in the era of LeBron. We have the privilege to watch all of his games and be constantly amazed. We get to see every highlight dunk, no-look pass, ferocious drive, silky-smooth shot and defensive stop that he has. We get to see every ballooned box score that comes with his nightly conquers. We get to see the way he effortlessly makes foes look silly with the perfect combination of strength, size, speed and skill.
We get to see it all, but one day, it will all be gone.
Sure, James may have bitten off a bit more than he can chew in his promise of, “Not two, not three, not four, etc.” but if there’s any man who can do it, it’s LeBron.
Wouldn’t that be something? To see James dominate the league like only one man has before? Imagine the Heat win six more titles and all of a sudden LeBron has seven rings, one more than Jordan, along with all of the stats and accolades he has collected throughout his career. That would be something special that all of us could tell our kids and our grandkids about later on in life. I saw LeBron James’s career. And boy was it something.
So let’s take a step back now and relax. Let’s not scrutinize every little move the man makes. Let’s not take arguably the best athlete of all time and put LeBron next to him. Let’s enjoy the ride. The remarkable things James does will seemingly never get old. Now that he has one ring and has matured as a person along with it, it’s a lot harder to hate him, and nearly impossible to disrespect him.
So why not root for LeBron James? Why not root for him to have one of the best basketball careers ever? Players like James only come around once in a generation. He’s the player of our generation. And before you know it, he’ll be gone.
(02/19/13 5:00pm)
It certainly hasn’t been the best season for the Lions, but the men’s basketball team has done something that few teams in their situation would — they kept fighting.
This was evident in the team’s 65-53 loss to New Jersey City University, in which the College seemed completely outmatched in the first half, but went into attack mode after the intermission and actually outscored the Gothic Knights in the second half, 35-32. They also dropped their final game of the season on the road to Montclair State University by a score of 99-83.
“We can match any team with energy on the defensive end, but we have to start that off in the beginning,” sophomore guard Emmanuel Matlock said. “We just have to have composure and just run our stuff like we know we can.”
The game against NJCU couldn’t have started out any worse for the Lions (5-20, 3-15), who fell victim to an early 8-0 run. It took nearly five minutes before a Matlock layup gave the College their first points of the game. Matlock finished with 10 points, three rebounds and three assists.
The Lions then went on a solid 11-4 run, which was capped off by a dazzling crosscourt pass from Matlock to junior forward Joe Kane to cut the deficit to 16-13. However, the Gothic Knights countered with an 18-5 run of their own in which their stifling defense didn’t allow any open looks and held the College to just two field goals in the rest of the half to take a 33-18 lead. The lead could have been even bigger if not for a few unlucky bounces for NJCU robbing them of points.
“I feel like that was our problem for the most part of the season,” Matlock said, discussing the sluggish first half. “But we battled back and came back with energy. We have to have more energy to start off.”
When the second half started, the Lions turned up their defensive pressure. During the first half, the defense had no life and the College had to rely on fouling to prevent the Gothic Knights from scoring. The second half showed a whole new swagger for the team.
“Coach just said, ‘Go out there and play tough, you have nothing to lose,’” Matlock said.
A baseline floater by sophomore guard Ryan Keegan got the team going on what became a 14-6 run to make the score 43-32. Freshman forward Miller and junior forward Alex Fox chipped in with layups, while sophomore guard Jayson Johnson got going late in the run with a baseline jumper of his own and two free throws.
“(In the) first half we took too many threes and too many jumpers,” Matlock said. “We’re an attacking team. When we’re attacking and getting to the free-throw line, we’re a much better team.”
However, the rest of the game went back and forth between the two teams, as the Lions couldn’t get any closer than an 11-point differential.
There were some encouraging moments, however. Matlock collected a steal and took it all the way for a layup. Miller fought tooth and nail for an offensive rebound and put the ball back in the basket for an AND1 with defenders draped all over him. Finally, a quick swing pass from junior forward Skylear Ettin to junior guard Matt Rista resulted in a corner three, the College’s first of the game. Rista had a solid effort with eight points and nine rebounds.
There was a feel-good moment at the end of the game that saw lone senior William Lester knock down a contested three-pointer in what was his final home game as a Lion.
“Billy’s been the heart and soul of the team this year,” Miller said. “He may not have been the guy who got significant minutes, but he’s our hardest worker and he’s going to be missed next year.”
It turns out that Lester had one last hurrah against Montclair State, scoring 14 points and drilling four three-pointers. His last trey came at the buzzer, ending his career as a Lion in the most fitting of ways.
Despite the loss, four additional Lions scored in double figures. Ettin led the team with 22, all of them coming in the second half, Johnson had 21, and Fox and Keegan had 10 apiece.
Runs of 11-2 and 11-0 put the team in a hole early, but two threes by Keegan and four points by Johnson made the score at the break 46-34.
Although the College was able to drain a season-high 11 three-pointers, it didn’t make a difference. They were held in check for the second half and were outrebounded in the game by a 42-36 margin.
While the loss may have marked the end of a disappointing season, the Lions now have the offseason to look forward to. There is definitely room for improvement, but now they have a chance to get better. That journey begins now.
“We’ll work really hard in the offseason and come back and win the NJAC,” Miller said.
(02/05/13 5:00pm)
The playoffs are still a possibility for the College’s men’s basketball team, but it’s looking incredibly bleak as they dropped another two games this past week, losing to Rutgers-Camden University by a score of 76-63, and also to Rutgers-Newark University, 72-58.
The Lions (5-17, 3-12) were scorched on the defensive end as the Raptors went off, shooting 54 percent from the field. Two big runs, 11-0 and 11-1, fueled Rutgers-Camden into a hot start in the first half, leading 39-21 at the intermission. The College played better in the second half, but the Raptors simply would not be denied. The closest the Lions got was a 13-point deficit.
Rebounding has been an issue this year for the team, but they did a much better job in this contest, only being outrebounded 37-36. Junior forward Alex Fox was the main man on the glass, notching 17 points and nine rebounds. Junior guard Matt Rista scored nine points and pulled in five boards, while sophomore guard Ryan Keegan chipped in with 11 points and hit both of his three-point attempts.
Again, the College did a good job of rebounding the ball in their tilt with Rutgers-Newark, being outrebounded only 36-28. However, the Scarlet Raiders secured five offensive rebounds early on that set the tone for the game and helped them gain a 21-12 lead. The Lions rode some hot shooting to cut the deficit to 28-22, but a three-pointer at the end of the half by Christian Garcia gave Rutgers-Newark a 31-22 halftime cushion.
The defense of the Scarlet Raiders was too much in the second half, evident by the College hitting only one three-point field goal, and the Lions could not catch up.
Sophomore guard Jayson Johnson had another big game, dropping 19 points. Fox chipped in with nine points, while Keegan and junior forward Skyelar Ettin each had eight.
“I told myself before the game that I wanted to make a statement in the game,
which led to my mindset of doing whatever I can to help the team win,” Johnson said. “I had some good looks and took advantage of them.”
What was encouraging to see was freshman forward Mitch Miller having a solid game with five points and seven rebounds, three of them on the offensive glass. With the season winding down, expect Miller to get more playing time and game experience.
Needing to win the final three games of the season as well as get some help, the Lions will continue to push toward that quest on Wednesday, Feb. 6 at 8 p.m. at Rowan University.
“Moving forward, we have to use our experience to become a better team in crunch time,” head coach Kelly Williams said. “(We can do this) by constantly reinforcing to our players how important each possession is and focusing on the little things like rebounding and not missing defensive assignments throughout out the game.”