The end has apparently come. It’s been said that any idiot can start their own blog, but it looks like it takes slightly more than that to actually maintain one. This blog has obviously not stood the test of time, although, for a stretch of time there, it was receiving upwards of 300 hits daily, peeked at a one day total of over 1,500 (thanks deadspin)and now stands just shy of 30,000 – far more than I ever thought imaginable. But now, College Hoops Heaven resides on the side of a milk carton.
So what will happen to your favorite non-updated blog? As a reminder of past greatness, CHH will remain here until I or some fellow from blogger erases it. Someone, somewhere, has yet to stumble upon the beauty that once grew here. I will leave it here for them.
Maybe, one day, I’ll declare CHH open for business (for a fourth time!) and, after the spontaneous parade breaks out down Broad Street, I’ll actually keep it up to date. It could happen next week, on a lazy Sunday this summer, or never. I hope the suspense does not actually kill anyone.
In the meantime, my articles can be read daily at http://www.thebulletin.us/ and I can always be reached at bfquinn06@gmail.com
It was fun while it lasted folks. So, for now, thanks for reading.
Cheers -- bq
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
I Know This Hurts, But...
Monday, March 31, 2008
Hey! Hey! Opening Day!
With just one week left in the college basketball season, C.H.H., is getting ready to adjust to life without hoops. Luckily, the Fightin’ Phils kicked off the 2008 season today at Citizens Bank Park. Because the Phillies blew the game in the ninth inning, the only highlight of the game was the ceremonial first pitch being thrown about by our very own Mayor Michael Nutter. For some reason, the mayor’s advisors allowed him to rock a pair of ultra snug jeans with a tucked-in Phillies jersey. Apparently, Nutter scooped up a pair of Levi’s when The Fonz had his yard sale.
What the Phillies should have done is asked the mayor to rock the house to some funky jams of the 1980’s. Nothing says Opening Day like Sugar Hill Gang.
Go Phils!
The Final Chapter Of Davidson's Storybook
AS APPEARING IN The Bulletin
Detroit — Every so often, the lasting image of an NCAA tournament comes well before the Final Four even tips off.
Despite yesterday's heart-wrenching loss to top-seeded Kansas in the Elite Eight, no one is going to take March's spotlight from Davidson College — the tiny liberal arts school with an endearing disposition and one bona fide superstar. The story of the charming Cinderella from Carolina will forever be told when people talk about this year's tournament.
Long forgotten will be which of those four No. 1 seeds brings scissors to the nets in San Antonio. Ask how many people remember Florida winning the 2006 national title. Then ask them about George Mason.
Davidson's tale was a joyous combination of "It's A Wonderful Life" and"Hoosiers" wrapped into one picture-perfect package.
There was the new-born celebrity in Stephen Curry, the son of former NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry, who threw the Wildcats on his back with four jaw-dropping performances in the NCAA tournament. With a babyface and a flair for the dramatic, the sophomore took America by storm.
Then there was the coach, Bob McKillop, a Bronx native who thought that Davidson would be a springboard to bigger and better things when he arrived in 1989. Nineteen years later, the 57-year-old is oh so glad he never left.
Finally, there was the school itself. Located 30 miles outside of Charlotte, Davidson is a highly selective private school of 1,700 students. The college rests its dazzling academic reputation on a strict honor code and allows its students to take unproctored exams whenever and wherever they choose. While most schools in the Field of 65 count their number of Sweet 16 appearances, Davidson boasts its 23 Rhodes Scholars.
Which made all of this that much more special. The Wildcats were no fluke. They were legitimate Final Four contenders who never blinked when standing toe-to-toe with the big boys.
Ultimately, big, bad Kansas stood in their way like a blue and red brick wall.
"I told the team (Thursday) night that I have never felt confidence in a group like the confidence I feel in them," McKillop said following an upset of third-seeded Wisconsin on Friday night. "And if you have witnessed from day one the many opportunities they've had to surrender to a variety of temptations, be it expectations, be it the great schedule we had early (losses to Duke, North Carolina and UCLA), be it falling on our faces early on (losses to Western Michigan and Charlotte), be it an undefeated season (in the Southern Conference),be it having to earn a bid to the NCAA tournament. ...They have faced every imaginable obstacle."
As the seconds ticked off the clock in the waning moments of Friday's victory over the Badgers, everyone wearing red sported expressions of disbelief — the Davidson fans, the Wisconsin players and fans —everyone except the Davidson players themselves.
The Wildcats celebrated, but at no point did it seem as if they thought they had pulled off another monster upset. This is the same team that had just registered its third straight win over a ranked opponent after entering the tournament without a win over a Top 25 team in the last 30 years.
All along, they knew how good they were.
Instead of jumping on top of one another, the Wildcats turned to salute their faithful fans that traveled long and far to be with them. Earlier in the week, the school's Board of Trustees made an extraordinary offer to provide free bus fares, game tickets and hotel rooms to all students willing to sit through the 11-hour ride to Detroit.
Those fans are set to saddle up and make the long drive home Monday morning.
"The sense of intimacy that exists on our campus is unparalleled in NCAA Division I basketball," McKillop said prior to the Wisconsin game. "You hear all about the free laundry (yes, free laundry is offered to all Davidson students). But when the Board of Trustees votes in a meeting on Tuesday to go into their personal pockets and put out the money so that every student can go to this game...that reaches a level that's unprecedented. I'm stunned by it, thrilled by it."
So many students jumped at the opportunity that the school couldn't secure enough buses to transport about two-thirds of the student body 650 miles. Ultimately, seven buses brought 350 students to the 72,000-seat Ford Field.
Though their noise vanished in the mammoth stadium's air, the Davidson fans sang, danced and cheered their way through a pair of games in the Motor City. One would imagine that the same thing occurred in front of televisions from coast to coast.
"We are thankful for every fan out there not wearing Davidson across their chest and cheering when we make a bucket or a steal," said junior forward Max Paulhus Gosselin. "We can only say thank you....They just want to feel like they want to be part of the story and it's amazing."
While everyone in the country now has a soft spot for Davidson, it is Curry (ABOVE) who truly reached iconic status. He blitzed seventh-seeded Gonzaga with 40 points in a first-round win and then dropped 30 on second-seeded Georgetown two days later. Friday saw him pour in 33 on the Badgers. But yesterday, his 25 just weren't enough.
There are few things that tell you that you've truly "made it." But when LeBron James sits two rows behind your bench yelling, "Pour it on'em, Steph, pour it on 'em. They can't stop you," as he did on Friday night — you know you're there.
As is his nature, Curry chalked up the attention to the name on the front of his jersey, not the back.
"It just goes to show what we're doing at Davidson," he said afterwards. "It's just really cool to have a guy like LeBron James, one of the best players in the NBA right now, coming out and supporting Davidson."
In addition to Curry, the Wildcats had unsung contributors like senior point guard Jason Richards, whose last second-shot to beat Kansas hit only the backboard. Richards was the conductor of a Davidson offense that was a beautiful orchestra of screens and picks that had the sole intention of freeing up Curry on ever possession.
Back in 1968 and 1969, it was legendary coach Lefty Driesell who placed Davidson on a national stage with a pair of appearances in the regional finals. This time it was Curry, McKillop and the rest of the Wildcats who penned one of the most breathtaking stories in college hoops history.
It's just too bad that Kansas closed the book on it.
No one wanted this story end.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Kansas Way Too Much For Nova
AS APPEARING IN The Bulletin
"What was Stokes thinking on that?"
Ford Field Quite A Sight For Nova Nation
AS APPEARING IN The Bulletin
Detroit - Walking down the lengthy ramp that leads out of the bowels of Ford Field, the enormity of the stadium slowly expands out before you.
By the time you hit the end of the ramp, it feels like you're standing at the base of a volcano lined with seats and luxury boxes. Everything around you rises up, higher and higher, to a partially windowed ceiling that allows natural light to beam through like a curtain being pulled aside at sun up.
The only thing hanging from the rafters is an American flag that seems to be the size of a napkin. Smack in the middle of it all is an out-of-place 94x50 ft. basketball court that sits about four feet elevated above the floor.
Feels strange, doesn't it?
It is on this hardwood that 12th-seeded Villanova will look to pull what would be a stunning upset of top-seeded Kansas in the NCAA tournament's Sweet 16. Imagine playing a game of one-on-one in an airport hangar that seats 72,818 - that's pretty much what the Wildcats and Jayhawks are walking into on Friday night.
"We got sent an e-mail (that showed an) overview of the court," said Villanova's Scottie Reynolds. "You could see all the stands and you see this little wooden thing, it was like a thumbnail small. We were looking for the court. Then we saw it in the middle. It was amazing to see from a picture aspect."
This year, two NCAA tournament regions are experimenting with new-look configurations that are intended to make the games more TV-friendly and improve the sightlines and overall experience for those in attendance. In Detroit and Houston (Reliant Stadium), basketball courts will be set up in the middle of football fields surrounded by newly-created risers that were designed to provide unobstructed-view seating.
Though the intentions are good-natured - more fans are able to attend and the TV production should improve - the feel inside the arena can only be described as cavernous. For those sitting high up in the nosebleeds of Ford Field, it will look like gnats playing on a postage stamp.
Then there is the floor itself. Standing three or four feet higher than the covered football field below it, the court is surrounded by team benches on one side and three rows of media seating on the other side. On the ends of the floor, bleachers rise up from underneath the baskets. Think about the raised courts at Vanderbilt or Purdue, then imagine it inside a 70,000-seat football stadium.
"I asked Malcolm Grant, the smallest person on the team, (if) he would be able to see if he sat down there," Villanova's Dante Cunningham said with a laugh. "It was actually kind of funny, because the only thing you could see was his head above the court when he's standing (courtside)."
One of the odder sights on Friday night will be the coaches standing alone on the court, with the benches behind them lined with players who are eye-level with the knee caps of those playing in the game. At timeouts, no one is sure exactly what will happen.
"I'm delighted that CBS has two and half minute timeouts because it is going to take me that long to get down from the court, down the steps and kneel in front of our bench," said Davidson coach Bob McKillop, whose 10th-seeded Wildcats will take on third-seeded Wisconsin before Villanova and Kansas hit the floor. "I'll probably be up on the main court during the game."
One issue continually raised during Thursday's press conferences in Detroit was the idea that the players' depth perception will be thrown off because of the general vastness of Ford Field. It has long been thought that outside shooting in domes is especially difficult because a natural backdrop for the baskets does not exist. Nearly to a man, all the players and coaches dismissed the thought, saying it is a non-factor.
"When you get out there and start playing, getting the feel of it, it just felt like a regular gym," said Reynolds, following the team's day-before shootaround. "We try not to worry about the things on the outside, (we) just worry about the 94x50 feet and the 10-foot hoops."
In Thursday's walk-through, Wright and the Wildcats ran the most unlikely of drills. On the eve of their biggest game of the season, Villanova practiced, of all things, the timeout huddle.
"We had to go through how we're going to handle timeouts," Wright explained, looking slightly befuddled. "The players are going to have to crawl up (onto the floor). They give you (portable) benches (to put on the court)."
Kansas should be slightly harder to game plan for.
More >Travel Blog: The Quinn-tessential Journey
AS APPEARING IN The Bulletin
Looking out the window of a United Airlines Boeing 757, it's hard to figure out how this all happened. As the plane dips to the right, the coast of Delaware Bay is revealed, with the Atlantic Ocean dropping off over the horizon.
Just 100 more miles to Philadelphia.
Not even a half-hour left in one of the most improbable journeys I could ever fathom. From Philadelphia to Denver, to Birmingham, to Tampa, back to Philadelphia - in six days. This might be commonplace for a presidential candidate or a lost UPS package, but not me.
In mid-February, I wrote in The Bulletin:
"If no Philly school hears its name called on Selection Sunday, does March Madness still make a sound in this city? We might soon find out. Unless Saint Joseph's or Villanova can make a serious push toward an at-large bid over the next month, the NCAA tournament could be without a Philadelphia representative for the first time since 1977."
And here I am, descending on the final 100 miles of a boundless 4,168-mile expedition that has taken me to three cities in three time zones to cover three Philadelphia teams playing NCAA tournament games over the course of four days. It has yet to register.
It isn't the easiest thing to realize that you're living out a dream while in the midst of actually doing so. Having to literally tell yourself, "There is a chance that no one has ever done this before," an odd combination of humbleness and disbelief is evoked.
In the end, it's simply another story to be told.
Even now, I can see myself as a weathered old man saying, "Oh, I remember when I covered three Big 5 tournament teams in three cities in one week." Down the line, it could stand as my, "I walked uphill, both ways, in the snow."
For now, it's simply a helluva tale...
Tuesday, 5 p.m. EST: Depart Philadelphia
Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. MT: Arrive in Denver
When the bracket was released on Selection Sunday, 12th-seeded Temple vs. fifth-seeded Michigan State was the game I circled. "This is the best chance for a Philly school to pick up a win and advance," I thought to myself. "That's the game I'll cover."
Gazing over the Denver skyline from my 14th floor hotel room, I can see the Rocky Mountains between the eye-level skyscrapers. I am under the impression that this will be my view until check out on Sunday.
Well, as everyone knows, the Owls ran into rock-solid Michigan State and were dealt a 72-61 loss in the first round of the Big Dance at the Pepsi Center. The game ends an amazing turnaround that saw Fran Dunphy turn a 12-18 team into a 21-13 team with an Atlantic 10 tournament title to its name.
Now a problem has arisen. The Owls are done, but Saint Joseph's and Villanova have yet to play. The ruling comes down to decide who is more likely to win - the Hawks or the Wildcats - and travel to their first-round destination.
In retrospect, I now understand why my father has always been critical of my decision-making skills...
Friday, 9:40 a.m. MT: Depart Denver
Friday, 2:00 p.m. CT: Arrive in Birmingham, Ala.
After hopping off a shoebox-sized plane that would make Indiana Jones raise an eye, I settle into Birmingham and learn that southern hospitality is not a myth. The town is easily the most welcoming I have ever been to.
Little do I know, my visit will last less than 16 hours.
While things start well for the 11th-seeded Hawks, they are soon overpowered by sixth-seeded Oklahoma and fall, 72-64, in their first-round tilt. Phil Martelli's team ends the season with a 21-13 record. I begin to believe that I am a jinx and am partially responsible for Philadelphia's two NCAA tournament losses.
With the conclusion of the Saint Joseph's game, Villanova-Clemson tips off in Tampa, Fla. After the press conferences wrap up at Birmingham's BJCC Arena, I check the television and find the Wildcats trailing Clemson, 36-18.
"Well, it looks like 0-3 for the Big 5," I think. "Time to go home."
Arriving back at my hotel, I realize Villanova has stormed back to pull ahead of the Tigers. By the time the Wildcats pull off a 75-69 stunner, I am scrambling to find a plane ticket to Tampa and double-checking my credentials with the NCAA.
Getting back to my hotel room at 1 a.m., I realize that I need to set a wake-up call for 4 a.m.
Saturday, 5:50 a.m. CT: Depart Birmingham, Ala.
Saturday, 8 a.m. EST: Stopover in Atlanta
Saturday, 9:57 a.m. EST: Arrive in Tampa, Fla.
Upon arrival in Tampa, I find the town buzzing. Friday turned the place into Upset City as St. Pete Times Forum became the first site in NCAA history to have four 12 or lower seeds win. First, No. 12 seed Western Kentucky knocked off fifth-seeded Drake in overtime with a desperation 26-footer at the horn. Then, 13th-seeded San Diego shocked No. 4 seed Connecticut behind a jumper with 1.2 seconds left in overtime. In the day's third game, No. 13 Siena upstaged fourth-seeded Vanderbilt. And the night commenced with 12th-seeded Villanova's comeback against fifth-seeded Clemson.
Tampa has everything. The upsets have resulted in wide-eyed fans, still in shock that their schools are in the national spotlight usually reserved for Duke, UCLA and the rest of the BCS blowhards. Only the contingent from Villanova is accustomed to such attention.
There are the Siena fans, who watched their beloved Saints fall to a 6-24 afterthought just two years ago. Wearing green and white from head-to-toe, they're cheering for everyone back in Albany, N.Y. who can't make the trip south.
Then there are those students from San Diego. A group of diehard fans wearing floral shorts, blue blazers and fresh coats of body paint, screaming, "San-Dee-Aygo!" Clap...clap... clap, clap, clap.
Lastly, there is the swarm of fans from Western Kentucky, a bunch of red towel-waving, hell-raising, Hilltopper followers who are outdone only by their mascot, Big Red - a morbidly obese Sesame Street-esque character wearing Nikes.
It's clear upon entering the Forum that Tampa is the host of everything that's great about college basketball. And within a few hours, it is also the site of Villanova's wire-to-wire victory over Siena. The Wildcats have eared a spot in the Sweet 16 for the third time in four years.
All is well and, at long last, I've seen an NCAA tournament win. It only took 3,000-plus miles of travel.
I was starting to think my Irish luck had soured.
Ultimately, it's only appropriate that Western Kentucky and Villanova, a pair of No. 12 seeds, emerged from the wild weekend in Tampa still alive.
For me, the time finally came to head home again.
Monday, Noon EST: Depart Tampa
Monday, 3:05 EST: Return to Philadelphia
Walking through Philadelphia International Airport, it seems like weeks since I was last here. Turns out, I left only six days ago. Despite the excessive sleep deprivation and achy joints from cramped airline seats, I feel as good as ever.
As a longtime friend pulls his sedan up to the curb of my terminal, the locks pop on the doors. I open the back passenger-side door and toss my bags in.
"I can't believe you just made that trip," he says.
The feeling is mutual.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
WKU's Big Red is the Gregory Hines of mascots
READ THIS BEFORE WATCHING THE ABOVE VIDEO
I have never been shy about my fondness for mascots and why would I be? After all, a good mascot can make a bad game tolerable. People who don’t think along these lines are miserable losers with no sense of humor. With that being said, I may have crossed the line today. Here’s the situation…
I believe that when sitting on press row, one should exhibit some sense of professionalism because if you are sitting there, you are working, and that is how you must approach it.
Well, during today’s matchup between San Diego and Western Kentucky in the second round of the NCAA tournament, I got the opportunity to check out WKU’s Big Red in person. This mascot rightfully sits at No. 5 in College Hoop Heaven’s ranking of the 15 Best Mascots In America (posted in September), so I was looking forward to getting a first hand glimpse of him. Simply put, Big Red did not disappoint.
At halftime, the San Diego dance team took the court for their routine. They danced to about five songs in four minutes with the last one being Souldja Boy’s “Crank That”. That’s when it happened. I looked down to the other baseline and saw Big Red one-upping the Toreros Dance Team by doing the Soulja Boy dance to perfection. I mean it was dead on. And, well, I lost my shit. There I was, hysterically laughing on press row. I literally had tears in my eyes. It was the funniest damn thing I have seen in a long time.
I have watched three Philadelphia schools play three NCAA tournament games in three time zones over the course of four days and Big Red’s dance was by far the highlight of the trip.
Now, I ask you to watch the above video and tell me you wouldn’t have had the same reaction.
Thought so.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
If The Slipper Fits...
AS APPEARING IN The Bulletin
Tampa, Fla. – Way back in August, Jay Wright had no idea what to expect.
His Villanova Wildcats were young kittens. Gone were all remnants of those great teams comprised of guys like Randy Foye, Allan Ray, Curtis Sumpter and Mike Nardi.
The only players with discernable experience remaining in the stable were sophomores Scottie Reynolds and Reggie Redding and juniors Dante Cunningham and Shane Clark.
For the first time since 1994, the Wildcats’ roster was without a scholarship senior.
“We feel this year like we’re starting over," Wright said then, just days before taking his group to Canada for several exhibition games.
But on Sunday – more than six months after taking his green Wildcats up north – Wright stood outside the Villanova locker room at St. Pete Times Forum in utter disbelief.
With an 84-72 victory over Siena in the books and an improbable ticket punched for the NCAA tournament’s Sweet 16, Wright was asked to put things in perspective.
His Wildcats have come full circle.
“In all honesty,” he said, wide-eyed. “I am so surprised to be standing here.”
Even more surprising was just how easily his 12th-seeded Wildcats handled the 13th-seeded Saints, who were looking for their second upset in three days after Friday’s first-round defeat against No. 4 Vanderbilt.
But behind 25 points from Reynolds and 20 from freshman Corey Stokes, the Wildcats advanced with relative ease.
Now, Villanova, believed by many to have received the last at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, will meet top-seeded Kansas (33-3) in the semifinals of the Midwest Regional on Friday at Ford Field in Detroit.
“Right now, the last two or three weeks, we’ve been playing our best basketball and we’ve stuck together,” Reynolds said. “We have the mindset that if we’re going to go down, it’s going to be a dogfight.”
After jumping out to a 19-5 lead, Villanova (22-12) never let Siena come up for air. So many times, it seemed like the Saints were finally ready to go on a furious run to put pressure on the Wildcats. But those 3-pointers that fell in their stunning win over Vanderbilt were nowhere to be found on Sunday. Siena never got to within striking distance.
“We had to come out and keep the pressure on them,” Cunningham said. “You’ve got to bury them. You can’t give them a chance to even get back in the game and get their momentum going.”
The closest Siena (23-11) came to really cutting into Villanova’s lead was 67-58 with 6:28 remaining in the game. But back-to-back turnovers led to layups by Reynolds and Cunningham.
And with that, Villanova’s lead swelled back to double figures and the Wildcats became the most improbable team to advance to the Sweet 16.
“Once you get that lead, it’s so hard to keep playing every possession and not take a break,” said Wright, who is going to his third Sweet 16 in four years. “It’s the hardest thing to do in sports, I think. It’s harder than coming back.”
The Wildcats built their first-half advantage with Reynolds starring and Stokes playing a supporting role. Reynolds hit three 3-pointers and assisted on two 3-point strikes by Stokes to spark the Wildcats to a 42-32 halftime advantage.
All told, the duo combined for 31 of Villanova’s 42 first-half points. Meanwhile, Siena could only muster eight first-half field goals and shot 27 percent from the field against the Wildcats’ swarming defense.
On the downside, backup center Casiem Drummond injured his left ankle midway through the half and hobbled to the bench in pain. The sophomore didn’t return to the floor from the halftime locker room.
Siena was paced by 18 points by sophomore Alex Franklin and 17 from junior Kenny Hasbrouck. Plymouth-Whitemarsh grad Ronald Moore scored just three points on 1-of-7 shooting.
If it weren’t for Siena’s woes from the free-throw line, it would not have been such a waltz for the Wildcats. The Saints missed 13 free throws and shot just 66 percent from the stripe.
“This game for us was a struggle from the start,” said Siena coach Fran McCaffery, a University of Pennsylvania graduate. “But I thought we really battled.”
In addition to his 25 points, Reynolds also registered eight rebounds and five assists. The sophomore drilled 3-pointers to open both halves and made it clear that it was going to be his day. In the end, the game ranks up there as one of the top performances in his two-year career with the Wildcats.
“He is playing like a big-time point guard right now,” Wright said.
The Wildcats entered the day still hurting from Friday night’s brutal win over fifth-seeded Clemson.
In that one, Villanova stormed back from a 36-18 first-half deficit to win 75-69, but paid the price as the highly physical Tigers took their toll on the Wildcats.
Worried about the one-day turnaround between games, Wright did not hold a full practice Saturday. He brought his players to the Forum for media availability and then brought them onto the court for just 14 minutes - seven minutes of stretching and seven minutes shooting free throws. That’s it.
When Wright woke up on Sunday morning, the worry of sending out a team that did not have a full shoot-around the day before crept into his head.
But as Reynolds buried a deep trey to open the game, Wright breathed a huge sigh of relief.
“We were so beat up after the Clemson game,” Wright said. “I didn’t want to come out and not be able to make shots because we hadn’t practiced. It’s stupid when you think about it, but we were worried. That’s what you do.”
Now the worry shifts to preparing for Kansas, one of the country’s finest teams.
Looking back, those young Wildcats of August are now a thing of the past. Bruised, battered and still alive, Villanova is one of only 16 teams left.
Who would’ve thunk it?
Not Jay Wright.
“I never anticipated being here,” he said. “I’m really in shock, to be honest with you. I’m enjoying it and I’m so happy for them.”
The Build Up: Villanova-Siena
AS APPEARING IN The Bulletin
Saturday, March 22, 2008
NCAA Travel Blog Update: Live From Tampa
Friday
6:00 a.m. MT – Wake up at Marriot Hotel in Denver, Col.
9:40 a.m. MT – Board a plane the size of a shoebox (see right) and fly to Birmingham, Ala. to catch up Saint Joseph’s and cover its NCAA tournament first round game vs. Oklahoma.2:00 p.m. CT – Arrive in Birmingham, check into Sheraton. Then take a walk to check out the town.
4:45 p.m. CT – Arrive at BJCC Arena. Not terribly impressed by the facility. Has many “shithole-esque” qualities to it.
6:10 p.m. CT – Tip off: Hawks vs. Sooners.
8:20 p.m. CT – Oklahoma wins 72-64. Story below.
10:30 p.m. CT – File story to The Bulletin.
10:35 p.m. CT – Arrive at hotel bar to catch the end of Villanova-Clemson.
10:55 p.m. CT – 12th-seeded Villanova completes amazing comeback and knocks of 5th-seeded Clemson.
10:57 p.m. CT – Realization sets in that I need to get to Tampa Bay to cover Villanova-Siena on Sunday afternoon.
11:15 p.m. CT – Flight booked for Tampa that leaves in about six hours.
Saturday
12:00 a.m. CT – Late dinner. Subway hoagies are terrible. Jared is still a loser, just a thin one, instead of a fatass.
1:30 a.m. CT – Lay down for power nap. Bag packed, ready to go.
4:00 a.m. CT – Wake up call rattles my head.
4:40 a.m. CT – Cab ride to airport. No one else is in the city of Birmingham is awake except for me and my cab driver.
4:55 a.m. CT – Back at Birmingham Airport for the second time in 14 hours.
5:50 a.m. CT – Take off for Atlanta to catch a connecting flight to Tampa.
8:00 a.m. EST – Hello Atlanta. Make call to book room at Tampa’s Marriot Waterside.
8:30 a.m. EST – Good bye Atlanta. I’m lucky enough to have a woman sit next to me who takes up her seat and about half of mine. I look like I’m the guy crammed against the car door in a backseat filled with five people. Except it’s not five people. It’s two. And I consider killing myself for an hour.
9:57 a.m. EST – Touch down at Tampa Bay Airport. Secretly curse the white version of Star Jones.
11:00 a.m. EST – Check in at Marriot Waterside.
11:07 a.m. EST – By far the best room of the trip. Deck overlooking the bay – outstanding.
12:00 p.m. EST – Eats.
12:10 p.m. EST – Find out Patrick Mayhew is also in Tampa. Ridiculousness will ensue this evening. Two words – Ybor City
1:00 p.m. EST – Sitting here on the deck writing this. No time for sleep. Have to be at the St. Pete Times Forum by 2:30 for Villanova’s press conference, then write two stories.
---
So let’s recap – That’s 31 hours. 3 cities. 3 time zones. 3 hotels. 2 hours of sleep. Sooner or later, I am going to crash like a car driven by Eddie Sutton (poor taste? I disagree). I wouldn’t last five minutes running for president. It’s one thing to simply stay awake and be active, it’s another thing entirely to look good and be articulate. I am neither at the moment.
By the time Villanova-Siena rolls around tomorrow, I will have seen three different Philadelphia schools play NCAA tournament games in three different time zones over the course of four days. This has to be some sort of triumph. My award is a pounding headache and a rewarding sense of accomplishment.
For some reason, on all of my flights, I have been a cavity search-short of being interrogated like a member of Hamas. What the hell is going on here? The only explanation I can come up with is that all of my flights have been one-way tickets. If anyone can figure this out, please comment below (that’s certainly an invitation for some interesting commentary).
Wulp, that’s it for now. I am 0-2 so far in the tournament. Sorry Owls. Sorry Hawks. To ‘Nova, I’ll try to wash the bad luck off me. No guarantees though.
Now it’s time for some press conferences. Then, Boston Rick and I have some business to attend to.
Cheers - bq
St. Joe's Sees Season End In Birmingham
AS APPEARING IN The Bulletin
Phil Martelli had hoped it would end on an upswing. Instead, Oklahoma and unlikely hero David Godbold ended the Hawks’ season with a 72-64 win in the first round of the NCAA tournament’s East Regional.
In a season where Saint Joseph’s seemed to be in and out of the tournament picture with every passing week, last night served as a microcosm of the last four months.
Twelve minutes of solid play.
Eight minutes of sloppy, unfocused basketball.
Average play for five minutes.
Inspired for 12.
Out of gas for the final three.
The result was a first-round exit at BJCC Arena and tear-filled eyes as a furious comeback effort came up short.
“Unfortunately, for all the excitement that goes into being in the tournament, this is the reality,” Martelli said. “Thirty-two teams go home and we’re one of them.”
Unexpectedly, it was Godbold, a senior role player averaging 6.9 points per game, who ultimately did in the Hawks. The 6-foot-5 shooting guard scored the sixth-seeded Sooners’ first 11 points of the second half and pushed a 34-22 first-half advantage to a daunting 19-point lead.
Starting at the 12:41 mark of the second half, 11th-seeded Saint Joseph’s stormed back with a 28-13 run sparked by the shooting of sophomore Darrin Govens. By the time Garrett Williamson flipped in a little putback, the Oklahoma lead was cut to 65-61. With a healthy contingent of fans who made the trek from Philadelphia in a frenzy, Oklahoma star freshman Blake Griffin converted back-to-back layups to help the Sooners (23-11) slam the door on the Hawks’ hopes.
Saint Joseph’s (21-13) scored just four more points, all coming from the foul line.
The loss ended the Hawk Hill careers of Rob Ferguson, Pat Calathes, and seldom-used reserve Arvydas Lidzius.
Ferguson saved one his best performances as a Hawk for his curtain call. The power forward scored a team-high 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting. Whenever Saint Joseph’s was in desperate need of a bucket, it was Ferguson who delivered.
“We never once felt that we were out of it,” Ferguson said. “We just kept fighting and fighting, because that’s what we do.”
Entering the night as the Hawks’ leading scorer, Calathes struggled against a physical Oklahoma defense and was held to six points on 2-of-11 shooting.
Ahmad Nivins (14 points) and Govens (12 points) also reached double figures for Saint Joseph’s.
“I think we kind of dug a hole for ourselves offensively,” Nivins said. “Plays that we normally can execute, we didn’t execute. I think that was a huge momentum swing.”
Longar Longar had 14 points for the Sooners, who shot 57 percent from the field. Griffin finished with 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting. Austin Johnson added 10 points and five assists for Oklahoma.
Things went as planned for the Saint Joseph’s through the early goings. If only for a fleeting moment.
With Ferguson splashing in jump shots from the perimeter, the Hawks jumped out to a 19-16 lead. The offense was sharp and the defense was tight.
For exactly 12 minutes.
The remainder of the half saw the advantage and the momentum shift drastically to the Sooners.
The Hawks would convert just one field goal – a Ferguson jumper from the wing – the rest of the half. Meanwhile, Oklahoma’s offense picked up steam and closed the half on an 18-3 run. Most of the baskets were scored with relative ease, as 10 of the Sooners’ 13 first-half field goals came in the lane and 14 points came as a result of Hawks turnovers.
“We had unforced turnovers, dropped passes and threw the ball away,” Ferguson said. “That, for the most part, was on us.”
A fall-away jumper by Griffin with six seconds left sent Oklahoma into the locker room with 34-22 lead. Calathes was held scoreless through the half, while Ferguson scored 13 of the team’s 22 points.
“It got away from us in the last 8:07 of the first half,” said Martelli, who is now 6-5 in NCAA tournament games. “We had 13 possessions, six turnovers, (went) 1-for-5 from the field and 1-for-4 from the foul line and then (we were) working (our) way back uphill.”
While the Hawks weren’t exactly irreconcilable after the game, the heartbreak was everywhere.
With the players showered and in street clothes, the locker room was still dead silent 20 minutes after the game - and their season - came to an end.
“Plain and simple, that team – my team – had a great year,” said Martelli, whose Hawks knocked off nationally-ranked Xavier twice this month, including an upset on their way to the Atlantic 10 tournament title game. “We got 1-of-6 non-BCS (at-large) bids. … That was a great year. To be one of 65 teams selected for the tournament, really is a terrific year.”
Friday, March 21, 2008
Travel Blog: Following The Owls To Denver
For those of you who don’t know, I am currently in beautiful Denver, CO covering Temple’s improbable trip to the NCAA tournament. While the Owls fell to a very quality Michigan State team today, the experience of covering my first NCAA tournament as a “professional” (used very loosely) has been wonderful.
Through it all, I’ve had my notepad in my back pocket and have been keeping a running tab of my travels and experiences to post here and have finally found some time to do so.
So here it is, from the start. I’ll continue this Travel Blog* tomorrow as things get really crazy when I head to Birmingham, AL. to catch up with those Saint Joseph’s Hawks.
(* I fully expect to catch hell for using this expression. I think it’s so bad that it’s good. Bring it.)
So for anyone who cares, here is a look at the beginning of one great trip….
Tuesday
2:48 p.m. EST – Philadelphia International Airport: The man standing in front of me in line just turned around and said, “This is like waiting in line for bowling shoes on a Sunday morning,” and looks at me like I’m supposed to know what the hell that means. He has a Jay Buhner-esque goatee and is wildly overweight. I can’t figure out this guy goes to the world’s most crowded bowling alley on Sunday mornings or if he’s just insane. I’m intrigued, nevertheless.
4:52 EST – Philadelphia International Airport: I’ve been involved with the ever-famous airport good-bye, but never again. Standing just 10-feet away from me, some dude and his girlfriend are having an emotional breakdown. The girl has literally drenched the front of this guy’s shirt with her tears and snot. This is pathetic.
It’s like a god damn eclipse, I just can’t look away.
If he is sitting next to me on the plane, I’m going to lean over mid-flight and say, “She’s probably cheating on you already.”
5:20 EST – Cramped Plane: So I was under the impression that plane’s have outlets near each seat. Am I moron? Is this not the case? Either way, I was planning on getting about 5 hours worth of work done on this flight and that ain’t going to happen. Instead, Esquire will be read cover to cover.
7:49 MT – Denver International Airport: What in the hell? Apparently, whoever designed D.I.A. thought it would be a good idea to have the baggage claim in a separate building that travelers need to take a train to. Why would anyone ever consider this to be a good layout.
9:15 MT – Center City Denver Marriot: The room is pretty sweet and the bar is still open. Nice.
Wednesday
7:30 a.m. MT – Center City Denver Marriot: Wake up, open blinds and wow. Room is on the 14th floor and in between all the eye-level skyscrapers I can see the snow-capped Rocky Mountains. Pretty damn awesome.
9:38 MT – Pepsi Center: The Pepsi Center is enormous. There are a lot of doors. I’ve tried to go in every one except the correct one.
9:45 MT – Pepsi Center: Inside and all good.
10:00 a.m. to 6:30 pm – Pepsi Center: Lots of interviews, lots of writing, five stories filed to The Bulletin. Highly successful day. I deserve beer.
7:23 MT – The Denver Chophouse & Brewery: Dinner with fellow Philly-based reports. I usually don’t like Belgian White beers, but I found a good one in Wild Rascal. Ribs get a B-.
8:40 MT – Someone not named Brendan Quinn picks up a monster tab. This is a good thing.
9:07 MT – (Bar name unknown) Change of scenery. Find a place that serves up a nice stout.
11:13 MT – The Bar at Center City Denver Marriot: Night cap turns into interesting conversation about John Chaney’s final years on the job at Temple.
Sometime after 1:00 MT – Bed. Looking forward to an Owls’ victory tomorrow.
Thursday
7:00 MT – Center City Denver Marriot: Rise and shine. Let the madness begin.
7:23 MT – Center City Denver Marriot: Highlights of Iverson’s return to Philly are outstanding. I still love the guy.
8:30 MT – Media Shuttle: Rolling into Pepsi Center. This is it. I am officially pumped.
9:12 MT – Pepsi Center: Walk out of the tunnel and onto press row. I look at the huge blue NCAA logo at center court and get goose bumps.
9:31 MT – Pepsi Center: I hear a voice that I recognize, turnaround, and there’s Gus Johnson. I want him to follow me around for one day and call the play-by-play of everything I do. He is the man. (Turns out, he should have been in Washington D.C. to call the Duke-Belmont game).
10:12 MT – Pepsi Center: Temple warming up and looking confident. Michigan State is big. Really big. Raymar Morgan especially. The guy looks much bigger in person and has shoulders like bowling balls.
10:30 – Pepsi Center: “The ball is tipped, there you are, you’re runnin’ for ya life”….. Temple vs. Michigan State.
12:48 – Pepsi Center: Back in media work room. Michigan State was flat-out better and Temple was off. Now life gets interesting. I need to write two stories, then get to Birmingham by 6:00 ET tomorrow to cover Saint Joseph’s-Oklahoma.
1:40 – Pepsi Center: Very impressed by Temple’s composure in the post game. Owls deal with the loss with class and Fran Dunphy looks as proud as ever.
3:53 – Pepsi Center: Game story filed. Read abridged version here.
4:12 – Pepsi Center: Decision comes from the boss to reserve a seat on a six-passenger plane that is departing from Denver at 10:00 am MT on Friday and arriving in Birmingham around 3:30 EST. The flight time is great, I dunno how I feel about the plane. We shall se.
5:35 MT – Pepsi Center: Story filed on the bright future of Temple basketball with Fran Dunphy at the helm. I’m outta here.
5:50 MT – Pepsi Center parking lot: Reservations made for Birmingham Sheraton. We’re all set.
6:00 MT – Braun’s Restaurant: Grab a pint and sandwich while watching numerous games at once. Life is good.
6:22 MT – Braun’s Restaurant: Bosses ask for story on Notre Dame-George Mason as a follow-up to this story. Heading back to Pepsi Center.
6:45 MT – Pepsi Center: Receive a call saying that errors have occurred with flight arraignment from Travelocity.com
9:11 MT – Two things. 1.) Everyone who works for Travelocity should be clubbed over the head with a tack hammer. I THINK my flight is still on. I have a feeling I will learn otherwise tomorrow morning. 2.) George Mason lost the magic. This team is toast.
10:35 MT – Pepsi Center: Notre Dame story is finally done. Brain beginning to not work properly. Hopping on the shuttle to head back to the Marriot.
10:52 MT – Center City Denver Marriot: Heading down to hotel bar for late bite to eat and a cocktail.
11:35 MT – Center City Denver Marriot: Back upstairs, ready to snooze, but need to pack for early trip out to Alabama (hopefully) and iron cloths.
12:42 MT – Center City Denver Marriot: Sitting down and typing this, posting it to C.H.H., wondering if anyone will actually read it, then hitting the lights.
1:22 a.m. MT – Shut eye. ‘Bama bound.
Tomorrow, I am hoping to do live posts through the day. Say a prayer that this puddle jumper I’m going to be rising is up to code.
Cheers - bq
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Temple's (Little) Man In The Middle
AS APPEARING IN The Bulletin
Denver - As yet another Temple practice comes to a close, the team meets as one. Shoulder to shoulder, brow to brow, packed in like a crowded elevator. All reach toward the rafters and look toward the floor. Layers of sweaty palms come together above their heads.
Most players can still be pointed out. Dionte Christmas, the team's leading scorer, is clearly visible. Mark Tyndale, the squad's unquestioned senior leader, is surrounded by teammates, but discernable nevertheless. Looming large over the cluster is 6-foot-9 Lavoy Allen and 7-footer Sergio Olmos.
As the huddle breaks with "A-10 Champs!" resonating through the airy Pepsi Center, all go their separate ways.
Unveiled is 5-foot-8 Chris Clark. He was there all along, arm raised, at the heart of the huddle.
One of the most unassuming and unimposing players in the NCAA tournament, Clark isn't one to stand out. Neither with his game, nor on the stat sheet. The senior can easily be overlooked, like a pine tree among the Rocky Mountains.
But looks can be deceiving.
If not for Clark, the Owls would never have flown to the Mile High City. And they certainly would not have made the school's first appearance in the NCAA tournament since 2001.
Today, as the 12th-seeded Owls (21-12) step toe-to-toe with fifth-seeded Michigan State (25-8), it is Clark, the smallest man on the team, who is the biggest reason Temple is still playing.
"Without Chris, I don't think we'd be sitting here," Christmas said Wednesday. "He's been the backbone of this team. ... He's been the leader, on and off the court. Anytime somebody messes up, he's getting on them - from me, to Mark, to the freshmen."
With a high basketball IQ and a knack for motivating teammates, Clark's leadership has always been an asset to Temple head coach Fran Dunphy.
But things have changed.
It started in late January, when the St. Joseph's Prep grad strung together three straight double-figure scoring performances against Fordham, George Washington and Richmond.
As the 3-pointers started to fall, Clark's confidence began to climb.
Then came a Feb. 23 matchup with Charlotte at the Liacouras Center. It was Clark's Senior Day. Finally, an opportunity to take the floor as a starter after four long years on the Temple bench. But the Owls entered the game with serious momentum, much of which was a product of Clark's contributions off the bench. With the game having major implications on the Atlantic 10 standings, Clark approached Dunphy prior to tip-off.
"We're not doing that Senior Day stuff," he said. "We're playing well the way things are, so we're gonna keep that going."
Dunphy obliged and sat Clark for the opening tip.
"That told me all I need to know about Chris Clark," Dunphy would later say. "We won, and that was all that mattered to him."
Two weeks later, on La Salle's Senior Day, Clark made his first eight shots of the game on his way to a career-high 22 points to secure the Owls a share of the Big 5 title.
"I don't try to do too much," Clark said yesterday. "I take the open shots when it's there. If I see my teammates struggling, I try to be aggressive at times."
Through the Owls' run to an Atlantic 10 title, there was Clark, hitting timely shots and pushing his teammates. Playing more minutes than any other Temple sub, he averaged 11.7 points per game for the tournament.
This is the same player that drew the dreaded "Did Not Play - Coach's Decision" in 25 games through his first two seasons on North Broad. And the same guy whose career high was eight points entering this season.
"I think Chris is the captain of this team," Tyndale said. "I've got the label of the leader, but Chris is really the leader. What he's doing right now doesn't surprise me."
Throughout the postseason, Dunphy has attributed the Owls' evolution - from a 6-8 team in January to the Atlantic 10 champions in March - to Clark's selflessness and guidance.
Just like that huddle, he'd always been there. But no one really knew it.
"I'm not sure where we would be without him," Dunphy said. "If you said there's a single catalyst that has brought Temple along late in the season, I would probably have to say (Chris) would be one and maybe Mark Tyndale's improved play."
On the cover of Temple's media guide, Tyndale and Christmas are pictured wearing boxing gloves with "Temple's One-Two Punch" written underneath. Forty-two pages into the guide, on Chris Clark's biography page, he says his favorite book is Quiet Strength by Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy.
The inside flap of the book reads:
"Tony Dungy is a real-life hero, one who teaches us about the importance of quiet strength, fierce determination, and a humble heart."
Sounds familiar.
With Tournament Approaching, Local Coaches Shift Focus
AS APPEARING IN The Bulletin
Philadelphia - All over the country Monday, coaches rolled out of bed and jumped into high gear.
With every NCAA tournament-bound team in America learning its fate on Sunday night, Monday morning was valuable time. Travel arrangements needed finalizing and game plans needed forming.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
The Champ Is Here
It was pretty much everything it was billed to be.
As 10,116 Philadelphia turned Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall into Palestra-East, Temple secured itself a spot in the Field of 65 with a thrilling 69-64 victory over Saint Joseph’s in tonight’s Atlantic 10 championship game.
The Owls earned their first NCAA tournament berth since 2001 by knocking off their bitter rivals behind a 22-point performance by junior Dionte Christmas. The win set off a raucous celebration in Atlantic City as a throng of Temple students stormed the court to celebrate the Owls’ amazing turnaround.
Let’s not forget, this team sat at 6-8 at one point this season and is now 21-12 and will likely receive a 10 or 11 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The remarkable accomplishment is truly a testament to the coaching and character of Fran Dunphy, the senior leadership of guards Mark Tyndale and Chris Clark, and the firepower and gustiness of Christmas.
Both Tyndale and Christmas were named to the tournament’s All-Championship Team, along with the Hawks’ Pat Calathes and Ahmad Nivins, and Charlotte’s Leemire Goldwire.
After starting the game 1-for-11 from the field, the Owls hit their stride and ended the game 9-of-18 from long range, while shooting 44 percent from the field.
Temple ran away from the Hawks at the start of the second half with a 16-2 run that turned a 32-25 halftime deficit into a 41-34 lead.
After splitting the season series with Saint Joseph’s in a pair of wild games decided in the final seconds, Temple got the last laugh.
Nivins had 18 points and Calathes added 14 for the Hawks (21-12), which is in solid shape to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, according to Joe Lunardi.
"Our body of work is on (the Selection Committee's) desk right now," said Phil Martelli, who’s Hawks haven’t danced since 2004. "I pray that it is good enough."
Tomorrow, I will post much, much more on the Owls, the Hawks, the A-10 title and those Villanova Wildcats. At the moment, a few brief hours of sleep are called for. I’ll close with an update of each school’s plans for Selection Sunday...
Temple: The Owls will watch the NCAA Selection Show at The Draught Horse, a bar located on Cecil B. Moore between Broad and 15th Street.
Saint Joseph’s: Nothing is set in stone as of 2:00 a.m., but I heard from some reliable folks that the Hawks are likely to tune into CBS from The Teletorium, a large, theater-style room located within SJU’s Mandeville Hall. The event will probably be closed to the general public.
Villanova: The Wildcats will find out their fate privately inside the brand new 18.5 million Davis Center – the school’s swank basketball center and fitness facility. Jay Wright and a few players will then address the media in The Pavilion.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
The C.H.H. First Annual A-10 Awards
With the Atlantic 10 tournament set to conclude tonight, I’m ready to give out a few awards. The last few days have been pretty wild and some people/things need to be acknowledged…
Best Look: Bobby Lutz, Charlotte
Donning a sharp green blazer on Thursday night, Charlotte coach Bobby Lutz looked like he just arrived in A.C. from Augusta following a win at The Master’s.
Best Mascot: Norm The Niner, Charlotte
I can’t do Norm any justice in describing him, but I’ll give it a shot. With a giant beard, deep eyes and a sexy swagger, the 49er is the full package. At one point Thursday night, he was propped up against a barricade running game on a bombshell of a cheerleader and looked like he was in the zone. The dude brought his A-game to A.C.
When he’s not breaking hearts, remaking kick ass music videos or combing his beard, Norm can be found throwing down filthy jams for free bar drinks at your local watering hole.
Worst Mascot: The Richmond Spider
This thing looked more like a fly than a spider and only had two arms. It was beyond weak. The Spider does get some kudos for rockin’ a fine pair of red Chuck Taylor’s.
Best Bar: Mickey’s Raw Bar, Brigantine, N.J.
There are two primary ways to order a beer at Mickey’s – a tower of draft beer or a bucket of ponies (small 7 oz bottles) – throw in some oysters and clams and you’ve got yourself a good time.
Best Breakfast: The Pirate’s Den, Brigantine, N.J.
It feels like you’re eating in your grandmother’s living room, but the food is great. The Pirate’s Den shovels out brick-sized pieces of scrapple and some damn good coffee. Only downside is when the guy you’re eating breakfast with orders strawberries and whip cream with their French toast. Talk about awkward…
Best Performance Outside Of A Strip Club: Temple Students
Driving past The Playground, a go-go bar on Atlantic Ave., a friend of mine and I gave a shout out to a group of Temple students catching a smoke in front of the establishment. One of the fine young men raised his glass a shouted “(Rhymes with cities) and winners, that’s what Temple does!” Absolutely Priceless.
Best Single Fan: Dude From Xavier
During Thursday afternoon’s matchup between Xavier and Dayton, I looked up into the stands and said the reporter next to me, “Check out the kid with the enormous afro wig in the Xavier student section.”
Fast forward about 10 hours, I’m sitting in Game On, a sports bar in the Pier Shops at Caesars, and lo and behold the afroed-kid goes walking past. I can’t help myself and say to him, “There is no way that thing is real.”
I’d imagine you can figure out the rest…
Best Fan Group: Xavier’s Construction Helmet Guys
I didn’t get a chance meet these four handsome devils, but they looked like my type of people. Sporting matching shirts, beer guts and white construction helmets, these fellas from Xavier are basically college hoops’ version of SNL’s Da Bears fans. One of my few regrets from the past couple of days was not heading over to meet them and find out who started the tradition and why.
Best Fan Support: Tie – Dayton & Saint Joseph’s
Not surprisingly, Dayton had a hefty contingent of fans make the trek to Atlantic City. The numbers brought out by the Flyers’ faithful never ceases to amaze me. While Saint Joseph’s didn’t have a huge showing for its first two wins, the Hawks had a monster student turnout for their upset win over Xavier. The home crowd had much to do with the Saint Joseph’s surprising victory.
Most Resiliant: Tie – Leemire Goldwire & Keith Kosich
One, you probably know. The other, you’ve never heard of.
Goldwire hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 62 seconds to play and clinched the game with another in the closing seconds in Charlotte’s stunning comeback win over UMass in the quarterfinals on Thursday night.
The sixth-seeded 49ers rallied from deficits of 18 points early in the second half and nine points in the final five minutes as Goldwire scored a game-high 24 points. The senior’s performance was the stuff of legends.
Kosich, on the other hand, was my host for four days in Atlantic City and putting up with me for that long is certainly worthy of a mention. In addition, Keith’s main goal for the week was to sweep up an absurd amount of pine cones and pine needles that blanketed the left side of his family’s house in Brigantine. It sounded easy enough at the time, but 12 leaf bags later, Kosich was exhausted.
“I turned a two-hour project into a three-day festival,” he said.
The Stage Is Set
“What more could you ask for? We are going to play for the championship against our biggest rival. This is what it is about.”
-Temple's Fran Dunphy
All week in Atlantic City, media and fans alike talked about it.
“So what kind of crowd do you think a St. Joe’s-Temple championship game would draw?” people asked.
Well, now we’re going to find out.
With so much on the line – an Atlantic 10 title and an automatic berth into the NCAA tournament – the Hawks and the Owls are set to meet for a third time this season. For Saint Joseph’s, the rubber match represents an opportunity to win the school’s first conference crown since 1997. Even more so, the game represents a stunning conclusion to what has been an amazing two week run.
This time last week, the Hawks bubble was burst. Now, a tournament bid looks likely.
"I'm telling you if we had lost any one of these last three games we were going home for good," said Phil Martelli, who led Saint Joseph’s (21-11) to 61-53 upset of No. 10 Xavier in the A-10 semifinals. "If that put a little knot in their stomachs, good, because I've had a knot in my stomach trying to figure out what the right message was to deliver was, and it worked with this group.
The fifth-seeded Hawks are looking to lock up their first NCAA tournament berth since 2003-04
"All year long we've been breaking our huddle with 'One, Two, Three, Championship! Now we're 40 minutes away."
With Temple’s 60-45 victory over a surging Charlotte team in the semifinals, the Owls (20-12) might be on the verge of their first NCAA bid since 2001.
The teams split their two meetings this season, with each winning by a point. Temple took the most recent game 57-56 on March 2.
"A couple of kids on St. Joe's team stopped and said something to me over the last couple of days, something like: 'Let's play for the final,'" Dunphy said. "I think that's the respect both programs have for one another. This is phenomenal for Philadelphia and great for Atlantic City."
After all the talk of this year’s NCAA tournament being the first since 1977 to be without a Philadelphia representative, the city is guaranteed at least one spot in the Dance. According to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi, both Saint Joseph’s and Temple are IN, as of noon Saturday, regardless of who wins the A-10’s automatic bid. Villanova might be on the outside of the bubble, but will definitely be in the conversation on Selection Sunday.
For now, I’m not worrying about Bracketology. Tonight’s rumble in A.C. has the potential to be something very special. It should be a near-capacity crowd of 10,000 Philadelphians packing into Boardwalk Hall and the air will be thick with the venom of a true rivalry.
It’s Saint Joseph’s-Temple with a pair of dancing shoes hanging in the balance, let’s enjoy it.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Philly Set To Invade A.C.
Do you hear the cheering coming from Atlantic City?
No, it’s not the fans sitting in Boardwalk Hall for the Atlantic 10 tournament.
It’s not the gamblers hitting it big on the slots or gaming tables.
The happiest folks in all of A.C. right now are the A-10 tournament organizers and the league personnel. With Saint Joseph’s (story here) and Temple (story here) both notching huge wins yesterday, each of tonight’s semifinals will feature Philadelphia schools. What everyone is dying to find out is how many fans will make the trek from Philly to A.C. to root their teams into the title game.
Saint Joseph’s coach Phil Martelli is expecting a mad house…
“I've been saying all along that Atlantic City is the right place to have the Atlantic 10 tournament and (Friday) you're going to see it,” said Martelli, following the Hawks’ quarterfinals win over Fordham yesterday. “The (Atlantic City) Expressway is going to be packed coming down and I'll be shocked if this place isn't sold out.”
While I don’t think there is a shot in hell of Boardwalk Hall being filled to capacity, I’m expecting about 7-8,000 people to pour into the 10,000-seat arena.
Now, if fifth-seeded Saint Joseph’s knocks off top-seeded Xavier and second-seeded Temple beats sixth-seeded Charlotte in tonight’s semifinals, the A-10 should start counting its blessings. A Hawks vs. Owls Atlantic 10 title game would be an enormous draw on Saturday.
If I had a say, I’d move it to the Palestra.
Tomorrow, I’ll be giving out various A-10 tourney awards for a variety of reasons. Be sure to check back, it’ll be worth it.
Go Hawks! Go Owls!
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Tourny TIme - Day 2
With a larger crowd on hand and more of a buzz in the air, the Atlantic 10 tournament's quarterfinals have kicked off this afternoon...
While yesterday's crowds weren't exactly raucous, there was plenty of good hoops, nevertheless.
Most importantly, the two Philly teams looking to advance into the quarters did so successfully. Saint Joseph's advanced with a resounding win over Fordham (story here) and La Salle moved forward with a thrilling last minute victory against Duquesne (story here).
Xavier just moved into the semifinals behind a 74-65 win over rival Dayton. The Musketeers put five players in double-figures and were led by senior forward Josh Duncan's 16 points. Top-seeded Xavier will play the winner of No. 4 Richmond and No. 5 Saint Joseph's tomorrow at 6:30. The Hawks and Spiders are set to tip-off in about 10 minutes.
Tonight's Temple-La Salle games has the makings of a potential classic as the Explorers will look to avenge a 19-point blowout at the hands of the Owls this past Saturday. With a 6:30 tip-off, I'm hoping a large contingent of fans make the drive down the A.C. Expressway for the game.
As a side note, it looks as though Villanova's fate is now in the hands of the selection committee. Here's hoping that a first-round victory over Syracuse is enough to put the Cats in the field of 65. Only time will tell...
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Tourny Time
So I'm sitting here courtside at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City and, even though the building is far from electric, March Madness is in the air and one can't help but get excited. Here in A.C., Dayton is leading Saint Louis 38-20 with just over 12 minutes to go in the second half. More importantly, Villanova has just tied Syracuse, 39-39, with about 15 minutes left up at Madison Square Garden.
With the balance seen throughout the A-10, I'm expecting a pretty thrilling four days of hoops(along with some extra curricular activity). Hopefully the crowds get a little bigger over the course of the tournament, there aren't many more people here now than in the picture above. I'll keep everyone up to date as much as possible with some "live blogging."
This morning, my A-10 and Big East tournament previews appeared in The Bulletin. To check them out, follow these links...
The Hawks, Owls And Explorers Have No Room For Error.
It's Been A Long Road For Wright's Young Cats.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Eternal Sunshine of the Starting Five
The Lacuna Inc. staff has made giant strides in brain research. They have discovered a simple and effective way to remove problem memories. No longer do you have to live with life debilitating memories. Live again, take the steps now!—Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Championship Week offers teams (and fans) a unique opportunity. Every March, teams get four days to erase a season’s worth of disappointments and failed expectations and replace those memories with court stormings and banners. Just ask Oakland University’s fans--who had never been to the tournament before 2005. They could remember their team being 9-19 entering the Mid-Continent tournament. Or they can remember the 3 straight wins and shot at the buzzer to win the Mid-Continent Tournament. A timely 3 from Pierre Dukes served as the perfect potion to forget the months of struggling that came before.
On the eve of the biggest week of the season for most conferences, these 4 players can play the part of Pierre Dukes and start replacing memories of tough losses with the joys of a championship banner:
Brian Roberts, Dayton (20-9): The Flyers were cruising early in the season. Behind Roberts, Dayton was 14-1 and ranked in the top 25. Roberts was charging towards All-American status. Louisville and Pitt felt his wrath to the tune of 28 and 31 points. Then it all came apart. Injuries and inconsistent play crippled Dayton’s at large chances, as they limped into the A-10 tournament 8-8. Roberts has been a killer all season though, averaging 19 a game. With a 1st round win, Dayton gets a crack at arch rival Xavier, where Roberts will look to make Stanley Burrell eat his words. With a strong RPI and solid OOC wins, a few wins in Atlantic City can push the Flyers into the tournament. To get those W’s they’re going to need a big week from Mr. Roberts.
Tyrese Rice, Boston College (13-16): Ask UNC what this kid can do. He torched the Heels for 46 in a loss earlier this month. Dangerous from anywhere on the court, Rice has been held below 10 points once this year. He has gone for over 30 twice and finished as the ACC’s second leading scorer. If the Eagles want to keep dancing, they need Rice to duplicate his performance against UNC again...and again...and again...
Marcus Thornton, LSU (13-17): Remember 2006, when LSU came out of nowhere to go to the Final Four? Since then, the Tigers have fallen off the map—hitting rock bottom early this year when they fired Coach John Brady. The fans on the Bayou will try to forget this 2008…unless Thornton can get hot. The JUCO transfer is averaging close to 20 points a game, while knocking nearly three 3s a game. Thornton exploded on Auburn earlier this year hitting for 38 (8 threes) in a win. If he gets hot in the first round against South Carolina, he gets a shot against top dog Tennessee in round 2. Behind Thornton, the Bayou Bengals hope to make some noise in the SEC.
Ryan Anderson, Cal (15-14): Over the weekend Cal showed it could play with the big boys, ending up a few questionable calls away from an upset win over UCLA. The main reason they were in that game—Anderson. The soph hasn’t been held out of double figures all season, lead the Pac-10 in scoring and finished third in rebounding. He can score inside and he can score outside. He can go around you or shoot over you. And when teamed with DeVon Hardin inside, he gives opponents match up nightmares. With a win over Washington (not an easy task) in round 1, Anderson will get a chance to start what he finished with UCLA waiting on the horizon. With Oski looking on, let’s see if Anderson can make things happen in LA.
As we get March started we can only hope these four players—and other across the country—make their teams and fans forget earlier missteps, and celebrate getting asked to the big dance.
Bubbles Are Bursting
In this city alone, you could make the case that three teams are on the tournament bubble - Saint Joseph’s, Temple and Villanova. If any of these three make serious noise in their conference tournaments, they would be in the conversation come Selection Sunday.
Outside of Philly, there are dozens of schools that can make the same claim.
Just tonight though, two lines on the bracket were filled by teams no one could have foreseen donning dance shoes. With San Diego’s upset of Gonzaga in the WCC final and Middle Tennessee State’s victory over South Alabama in the Sun Belt, the bubble just got a lot smaller.
Let’s meet these two troublemakers…
Middle Tennessee State: 16-14 (14-7), RPI: 101, SOS 81
With seven, count ‘em, SEVEN losses coming in Sun Belt conference play, the mighty Blue Raiders wouldn’t have made the NIT. The question now is will South Alabama still get in? With a decent RPI of 38, a record of 24-6, a win over Mississippi State and a double-overtime loss to Vanderbilt, the Jaguars certainly make a case, but can the committee really justify giving the Sun Belt (conference RPI: 15) two bids?
San Diego: 20-13, 14-3, RPI: 90, SOS 98
Just as I question whether the Sun Belt deserves two bids with a conf. RPI of 15, I’ll introduce you to the team that most likely gave the WCC (conference RPI: 14) three bids. The Toreros (pictured above) really threw a wrench in everyone’s plan, but it’s tough to say they didn’t deserve it by beating St. Mary’s and Gonzaga on back-to-back nights. Early in the season, they did pick up a win against Kentucky, but also lost to Cal. State Bakersfield and Marshall.
Oddly enough, San Diego was throttled by South Alabama, 77-55, in non-conference play.
If Cleveland State beats Butler in tonight’s Horizon League title game, Jim Boeheim, Gary Williams, Billy Donovan and many, many more might start heading to nearby bridges.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Let's Play In & Out
If things ended today and I had a seat on the selection committee, this is how things would shake out for these bubble teams....
Illinois State: 23-9 (15-6), RPI: 35, SOS: 69
OUT – Eighteen of the Redbirds 23 wins have come against teams outside the RPI Top 100 and none have come against teams inside the Top 50. You’ve got to prove you can beat the best to be included among them. A proven commodity like Davidson might get away with it, Illinois State shouldn't.
Saint Mary’s: 24-6 (12-3), RPI: 39, SOS: 137
IN – The Gaels have lost three of their last five and their RPI isn’t eye catching, but they are the opposite of Illinois State, having beaten the likes of Drake, Oregon and Gonzaga. All six of Saint Mary’s losses have come against RPI Top 100 teams.
Maryland: 18-13, (8-8), RPI: 69, SOS: 17
OUT – The hard schedule isn’t enough. The Terps dropped too many clunkers (American, Ohio, Missouri) and the ACC is strong enough top-to-bottom to warrant a .500 record getting a bid.
Kentucky: 18-11, (12-4), RPI: 49, SOS: 12
IN – It’s hard to erase the Wildcats’ early season woes, but their only losses since Jan. 19 have come at Vanderbilt and at Tennessee. A 12-4 record in the SEC means you’re absolutely one of the 65 best teams in America. Props to the Cats for the not folding after losing Patrick Patterson to injury.
Dayton: 20-9 (8-8), RPI: 36, SOS: 41
OUT – The Flyers better plan on upsetting Xavier in the A-10 quarterfinals if they plan on getting a legitimate look on Selection Sunday. A win over the Musketeers could convince the committee that the Dayton team that started the season 14-1 with wins over Pitt and at Louisville has returned to form. Otherwise, eight A-10 losses places the Flyers in the NIT.
Virginia Commonwealth: 24-7 (16-4), RPI: 52, SOS: 151
IN – The CAA is solid enough that the regular season champion deserves a bid. Non-con wins against Houston, Maryland and Akron negate a bad loss against Hampton. Plus, who doesn’t want to see Eric Maynor in the tournament one more time?
Florida: 21-10 (8-8), RPI: 65, SOS: 85
OUT – Those two wins over Vanderbilt and Kentucky sure are pretty, but the Gators have dropped seven of their last 10 and only three of their 21 wins have come against RPI Top 100 teams. They just don’t have enough quality wins, unlike…
Arkansas: 20-10 (9-7), RPI: 43, SOS: 40
IN – While the Razorbacks would be smart to pick up a win or two in the SEC tournament, going 5-4 against the RPI Top 50 with a win over Vanderbilt is enough to pay for their dancing shoes.
You're The Big Winner
The Atlantic 10 and Big East revealed their post season awards today.
Yves Mekongo Mbala (LU)
Along with Georgetown’s Roy Hibbert, Reynolds was only one of two unanimous selections for the Big East preseason All-Big East First Team. After averaging 10 ppg and converting an average of just three field goals per contest over the Wildcats’ final seven games, the sophomore guard landed on the conference’s Second Team.
Reynolds finished the regular season averaging 15.4 ppg and 3.2 assists.
In Nivins’ case, it’s hard to put up gaudy offensive numbers without shooting the ball. A preseason candidate for A-10 Player of the Year, the junior center attempted less than eight field goals in 11 games, six of which were Saint Joseph’s losses. A First Team selection last season, Nivins landed on the A-10’s Third Team, averaging 14.5 ppg and 5.7 rpg.
With both teams limping into their conference tournaments, it might be Reynolds and Nivins that determine if either school makes any noise before the season comes to an end. More >
Temple Time
AS APPEARING IN The Bulletin
On the court, the 2001 Temple Owls and the 2008 Temple Owls only have one thing in common - the name on the front of their jerseys. But while the teams are vastly different, their scripts might follow the same storyline.
While Christmas is not David Hawkins and Tyndale is not Lynn Greer, this year's version of the Owls also enters the conference tournament as the league's hottest team. The Owls finished the regular season having four straight and seven of their last nine. A slip-up against Fordham more than two weeks ago was the their last loss.Thursday, March 6, 2008
Saint Joseph's Bids Adieus To An Old Friend
Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse on the campus of Saint Joseph's University was never anything special, expect to those who called it home. The cramped building that was hot as hell in the dead of winter and downright smoldering in the dead of summer will make its curtain call tonight. Appropriately, it will do so as the Hawks host No. 8 Xavier with their season hanging in the balance. If Saint Joseph's loses tonight, an automatic bid will be their only possible ticket for The Dance. It's do or die for the Hawks.
To read my story on the Fieldhouse's Farewell appearing in The Bulletin this morning, visit here.
Fieldhouse Farewell
Here is the rundown for tonight's Fieldhouse Farewell on Hawk Hill...
6:45 - doors open
7:30-7:50 - Ceremony on the court - speakers are Dr. Jack Ramsay, SJU legend Mike Bantom and University president Fr. Timothy Lannon - - plus one other former player TBA
8:45 - Senior Night ceremony honoring Pat Calathes, Arvydas Lidziusand Rob Ferguson
9:00 - Saint Joseph's vs. No. 8 Xavier (televised on ESPN)
Halftime of game - "parade" of former players, coaches and mascots representing the 59 years of the Fieldhouse
CHH will offer much, much more on the Fieldhouse on Thursday morning.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Christmas Time For Temple Seniors
The Story
During the pregame ceremonies to honor three Temple seniors – co-captains Mark Tyndale and Chris Clark, and walk-on Orlando Miller – Dionte Christmas (right) was cheering as loud as anyone. The junior offered up bear hugs to his teammates for their final game on N. Broad.
Then, he went ahead and turned Senior Night at the Liacouras Center into A Christmas Story.
With a chance to secure a bye in the first round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament hanging in the balance, it was a scorching-hot second-half performance by the Owls’ shooting guard that propelled Temple to 90-85 victory over Duquesne tonight.
“It was just one of those night,” said Christmas with a shrug. “I was just hitting my shots and everybody did a great job of getting me the ball.”
After watching Temple build a 56-44 second-half lead, the Dukes high-octane offense began to score with relative ease and looked to play Senior Night Spoiler. But they couldn’t out-gun Christmas.
From the 14:13 mark of the second half, the Owls’ star scored 24 of the team’s final 37 points to single handedly keep Duquesne at bay. Christmas finished with a career-high 37 points on 12-of-23 shooting, while going 4-for-11 on 3-pointers and 9-for-9 from the free throw line.
“(When Christmas hits consecutive shots) I hope the other guys are looking at it and saying, ‘Alright, he’s feeling it, lets make sure he’s getting it in as good a spot as we can,” coach Fran Dunphy said.
Temple’s win, coupled with La Salle’s 100-63 lose to Massachusetts, guaranteed the Owls’ one of four byes in next week’s conference tournament.
“Coach Dunphy reminded us all preseason that (Temple was picked to finish ninth in the A-10), so now that we are sitting in second place, by ourselves, it feels pretty good,” said Tyndale, who was joined at mid-court by former coach John Chaney for Senior Night festivities.
After going without a field goal through the first five minutes of the second half, Duquesne stormed back into the game and tied the Owls, 62-62, with just over 10 minutes remaining. But Temple would never let the Dukes take a lead. Christmas kept the Owls’ heads above water, converting everything from slashing layups to step-in jump shot to fall-away 3-pointers.
Entering last night’s contest, all the ingredients were in place for a letdown game from Temple (17-12).
The Owls were coming off a down-to-the-wire, adrenaline-soaked victory over rival Saint Joseph’s on Sunday night. That win was highlighted by a raucous celebration at center court of the Palestra.
The key for Temple was to enjoy the win and move on – immediately.
Mission accomplished.
“I told my teammates before the game that if you lose this game, the win over St. Joe’s goes out the window,” said Tyndale, who finished with 15 points and seven rebounds.
At the 10:57 mark of the first half, Tyndale collided with Duquesne’s Gary Tucker at midcourt and crashed down to the floor. The senior's head bounced off the floor and it looked like a concussion was likely.
After shaking out the cobwebs and checking with team doctors, the man of the night returned minutes later to a rousing applause.
Through the first half, the Dukes (16-12, 6-9) didn’t have an answer for the Owls’ Sergio Olmos. The junior center scored 11 first-half points to help build a 45-38 halftime lead for Temple and finished with a career-high 16 points.
If it weren’t for the efforts of Duquesne’s Reggie Jackson (career-high 25 points), the Dukes would not have even been in the game. In addition, senior Kieron Achara gave the Owls fits all night hitting 5-of-6 3-pointers on his way to 24 points.
Temple will wrap up their regular season on Saturday at La Salle. A share of the Big 5 title with Villanova will be on the line.
From there, it’s off to Atlantic City to win three, not four, games.
“To clinch that bye means a lot,” Christmas said. “Especially coming from where we finished last year (11th place), it feels special.”
The Insight
* In a great gesture, John Chaney was in the house to take part in Tyndale and Clark’s send-off. Tyndale looked especially touched by the Hall of Fame coach’s presence and the Temple faithful offered a standing ovation.
* Tyndale is on course to become the first player in A-10 history to end a season ranked among the Top 10 in the league in scoring and rebounding and Top 5 in assists. The senior entered tonight ranking ninth in scoring (16.2 ppg), eighth in rebounding (6.8 rpg) and fifth in assists (4.0 apg).
* Sophomore guard Luis Guzman had a solid overall performance tonight. Against a rabid, full-court defense from the Dukes, the point guard did not commit a turnover in 34 minutes of action and went 4-for-4 from the line in the game’s waning moments. Guzman finished with eight points and a career-high seven rebounds.
* If I’m an A-10 coach, the last team I want to see over the course of the conference tournament is Temple. The Owls can play both an up-and-down, high-tempo game where they drop 90 points without too much difficulty and, one night later, win a low-scoring game in which possessions are at a premium.
* I’d imagine that other A-10 players and coaches will shutter when they look at the boxscore and see: Christmas – 37 points. When the junior gun-slinger is on, the Owls can bring down nearly anybody. Lest I remind you about Xavier.
* I was following the La Salle-UMass score while sitting courtside at the Liacouras Center and couldn’t believe what I was seeing. By the looks of the 100-63 score and the sounds of this story, the Minutemen blew the doors off the Explorers, leading John Giannini to say, “I just hope the A-10 doesn't send us here on Senior Night again next year. UMass was overwhelming; a team looking like it was ready to make a postseason run.”
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
CHH Top 20
1. Memphis (28-1)
13. Louisville (24-6)
An Odd Fit
One would have thought Kelvin Sampson was more likely to end up with ESPN than Bob Knight. Yet, The General has indeed landed in Bristol, Conn.
This is the same man who berated members of the media during press conferences throughout his career, consistently claimed that television analysts don't know what they're talking about and once curtly told ESPN's Jeremy Schaap during an interview, "You've got along way to go to be as good as your dad (Dick Schaap). You betterkeep that in mind."
Something is wrong here.
Whether it is Knight for joining the media that he loathed for so long or ESPN for bringing him aboard is in the eye of the beholder.
Big 5 Notebook
AS APPEARING IN The Bulletin
Sunday night's Big 5 thriller between Saint Joseph's and Temple had more color than the Philadelphia Flower Show. Let's take a look look why...
The Ending: After staring at a deficit the entire night, Temple took hold of a 56-55 lead on a clutch, driving layup by senior Mark Tyndale with 21 seconds left. Not surprisingly, Phil Martelli gave the ball to Pat Calathes with the game on the line. The senior broke the Owls'hearts on Jan. 26 with a last second 3-pointer.
Dribbling to the top of the key, Calathes got off a decent look at a game-winner, but his jumper caromed off the rim and into the hands of Saint Joseph's Tasheed Carr. The junior point guard shot a looping, baseline jumper that rimmed off.
In a flash, the Temple bench and student section exploded onto the court.
The Crowd: Though Saint Joseph's brought its smallest student contingent of the season to University City, due to spring break, the Palestra was overflowing with fans and buzzing with electricity.
The Temple students waved paper cutouts of Martelli's head and were in a frenzy during the game's waning moments.
Just how large was thecrowd? Well, let's just say the attendance was listed at 8,722 only to keep the fire marshal from getting suspicious. Considering Penn's parking garage and surrounding lots were completely full upwards of 10 minutes before tip-off — on a Sunday night — it was obvious that the fans came out in droves.
The Ramifications: Following last week's loss to Saint Louis, the Hawks' NCAA Tournament chances were already on life support. By the time they returned to Hawk Hill late Sunday, it was on the verge of flat lining. Since a midseason six-game winning streak was capitalized by a 22-point rout of Villanova, Saint Joseph's (17-10,8-6) has lost five of seven, dropped to 65th in the RPI and sits in a four-way tie for third place in the Atlantic 10 with games remaining against No. 8 Xavier and at Dayton.
Meanwhile, Temple (16-12, 9-5), which snapped a five-game losing streak against the Hawks, now stands alone in second place in the A-10 and is the league's hottest team behind only Xavier. The Owls are in perfect position to secure one of four first-round byes in the conference tournament, with two games remaining.
Other odds and ends...
The Big 5 Story: The winner of Temple-La Salle in Saturday's season finale at GolaArena will claim a share of the Big 5 championship at 3-1 along with Villanova. The first meeting between the Hawks and Owls did not countas their Big 5 game; as a result, Saint Joseph's finished at 2-2 in Big 5 play. Penn stumbled to an 0-4 record.
At Least The Sixers Reached The NBA Finals In '77: With every passing day, it looks more and more like the NCAA Tournament will be Philly-free for the first time since 1977.
Villanova's loss to Louisville on Sunday sealed its at-large fate. It will be Big East title or NIT for the Wildcats. If Temple and/or Saint Joseph's were to win out the rest of the way and lose in the A-10 title game, they would be in the conversation on Selection Sunday, but would unlikely be chosen. La Salle needs to hit it big in Atlantic City, while Drexel would need a miracle to win the CAA Tournament. Penn is already out of the picture as Cornell has clinched the Ivy League.
Go Sixers...
Now Or Never: Drexel (12-19, 5-13) drew rival Delaware in the first round of the CAA Tournament and has one last chance to salvage a wildly disappointing season.
Bruiser Flint was none too pleased with senior Frank Elegar during a loss to Hofstra in the Dragons' final regular-season game on Saturday. Since going 10-for-14 with 22 points and 11 rebounds in a victory over the Blue Hens on Feb. 16, the center is 8-of-22 from the field and averaging 7.0 ppg over Drexel's last four games.
Elegar played just 22 minutes against Hofstra, scoring three points.
Drexel and Delaware will square off at Richmond Coliseum on Friday at 6 p.m.
A Tough Call Getting Easier: It's looking like the Big 5 Player of the Year is going to come down to Calathes, Temple's Dionte Christmas and Villanova's Scottie Reynolds. But the Owls' junior shooting guard is pulling away due to his own solid play and the fall off of his two closest competitors.
Calathes is a combined 6-for-30 with 20 points in the Hawks' last two games, while Reynolds hasn't reached double figures in three of the Cats' last five after doing so in 10 straight games. The sophomore is averaging 10.2 ppg over the stretch.
Christmas, on the other hand, has not been held to single digits all season and is averaging 19.2 ppg over the Owls' last six contests.
Look West: While Philly ponders life without an NCAA representative, the hottest team in America may reside on the other side of the state. RobertMorris, coached by former Saint Joseph's assistant Mike Rice, has won 12 straight and 17 of its last 18. The Colonials (24-6, 15-2) won their first Northeast Conference regular-season title since 1992 last week and are the clear-cut favorites to win the league tournament in Fairfield, Conn.Fall From Grace: Remember all that talk about the Atlantic 10 possibly getting five dancing cards? At one point, Xavier, Dayton, Rhode Island and Massachusetts all boasted sub-30 RPIs, with Saint Joseph's sitting inthe top 50.
Now? Xavier has held strong and stands at sixth in theRPI, but Dayton is next at 35.
After all that talk, 2008 is looking like a two-bid season for the A-10, with three bids being the best-case scenario.
Future Owl On A Wild Ride
Last Friday night, I had the opportunity to catch up with recent Temple commitment Andrew Randall and his team at Communications Tech.
In the last eight days, Randall has led his team to a Public League title, verbally committed to a hometown college and picked up a win in the first round of the PIAA Class AAA state tournament. Tomorrow night, the senior will look to lead Comm. Tech (27-3) past Holy Ghost Prep (24-4) in a second-round tilt.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
60 Reasons We Love College Hoops
We'll start with the Official Tim O'Shags 44 Reasons To Love College Basketball (well 38 reasons and 6 reasons we should forgive our Fearless Blogger)
Remember my views are not supported by Brendan F. Quinn—only tolerated:
5 Incredibly Sappy Reasons to love college hoops
1.) Hope Springs Eternal: 341 Division I teams have visions of playing meaningful games in March. For most teams, this won’t be the case. But every October they think about the new transfer or the coach’s new system and how it’s going to carry them to the promised land of Mid-March. Every year I can convince myself of reasons my team will be playing on the 3rd weekend in March. Every year I’m wrong.
2.) The Ball is tipped…: For the lucky teams that did get to play meaningful games in March, One Shining Moment is what they dreamed about 6 months earlier. Every kid that ever suits up dream about being the next Keith Smart or Bryce Drew. One Shining Moment is a microcosm of why the NCAA is far superior to the NBA. 
3.) Bo Kimble’s Left Hand: One of the most passionate moments in basketball history. Has America ever wanted a foul shot to go in more?
4.) Unlikely Heroes: Harold Arceneaux, Eric Maynor, Wally Szczerbiak, Tarvis Williams, Gabe Lewullis. Not everyone remembers them. Read that list to someone from Weber State or Miami (Ohio) and they’ll spend hours talking about “The Show” vs. UNC or Wally’s lights out performance in the first round.
5.) Cinderella: It could be one game. It could be four (see Mason, George). Either way, it’s why we keep watching. This is why we hope every year to see someone like Coach K or Jim Boeheim—those of infinite resources and smugness—be forced to praise the tenacity of Virginia Commonwealth or the execution of Richmond in the closing minutes.
6.) Austin Daye: Silky smooth freshman from Gonzaga. People his size shouldn’t be able do the things he can do. The best thing about him is that he’ll be around terrorizing the WCC until he bulks up.
7.) Stephen Curry: His range is anywhere in the gym. And he has no problem proving it.
8.) Tyler Hansbrough: If he stays 4 years, he will end up as North Carolina’s all time leading scorer. Serge Zwicker went to UNC people…the Serge Zwicker.
9.) Pat Calathes: Has evolved from a freshman who was too big for his body to a senior who is the toughest match up in the A-10.
10.) Jason Thompson: A legit threat to drop 20-20 every time he steps on the floor. Just ask Sienna what he can do.
11.) AJ Graves: Biggest Cojones on the floor. Has a killer instinct rarely seen in college hoops. This is a guy you want taking a shot in the closing seconds during the tournament.
12.) TaJuan Porter: The smallest man on the court. Can fill it up like someone who should be at least like 5’8 or 5’9.
13.) Robbie Hummel: The “other freshman” in the Big 10. The recipient of the damning phone calls, Hummel has Purdue in position to make a surprising run in March.
14.) Michael Beasley: Most dominant Big 12 freshman to come along in a long time….errr…. a year (see Durant, Kevin). Set a freshman record for the most double-doubles.
16.) Tyler Smith: The ultimate glue guy for the top team in the land. Chris Lofton may get all the headlines, but if you forget about Smith he will kill you with hustle plays and shut down D.
17.) Jonathon Wallace: Came to Georgetown as a walk-on. Has started every game while one campus. A dead-eye shooter that conducts the Hoya offense like Mr. Holland.
18.) Luke Harangody: Looks like a back up center during warm ups. The soph from South Bend has had people sleeping on him all season as he pumps in 20 and 10 a game.
5 Announcers To Love
19.) Bill Raftery: and…
20.) Verne Lundquist: For this quote alone: Verne Lundquist: "I hope Dwyane Wade likes cajun cooking!" ... (dramatic 5 second pause) ... Bill Raftery: "JAMBALAYA!"
21.) Gus Johnson: THE…. MOST….. ENTHUSIASTIC….ANNOUNCER ….EVER
22.) Dick Vitale: A close second to Gus Johnson on the enthusiasm scale. Loves the ACC (and Duke/UNC especially) a bit too much, but I can’t picture anyone else I would want to hear calling it.
23.) Erin Andrews: Enough said.
4 Things That Will Inevitably Happen…And I Will Love
24.) Freshman Redshirt Reasons: Inevitably every year one freshman will have to redshirt the season because he catches Mono. And every man that has ever gone to a college just nods his head and smirks.
25.) Suspensions: “Violating team rules” = Being hammered at 2:30 in the morning stumbling around the campus looking for some pizza. We were all there…we just didn’t have the coach to suspend us from our intramural team.
26.) Idiot Fans: “Sweet, my team just beat an average rival for the first time in 3 seasons. We’re 10-12 now. So what, I’m drunk. Let’s storm the floor…”
27.) Idiot Coaches: Really Kelvin Samspon? The 7-11 in Bloomington doesn’t sell phone cards? The Indiana schadenfreude these days is priceless. Sampson, Isiah Thomas, Calbert Chaney…
5 Styles Of Play To Love
28.) Tennessee’s Press: While not as intense as Arkansas in the early 90s, the Vols press wreaks enough havoc to make them a legit contender.
29.) Georgetown’s Princeton Style: They miss Jeff Green roaming in the high post, but nothing is prettier than the screens and cuts when the Hoyas are running on all cylinders. I feel sorry for the coach in the second round that needs to prepare his team to defend it on short notice.
30.) The Memphis Defense: With so many ridiculous athletes, the Tigers are able to close out faster than any team in the land. Joey Dorsey roaming the lane doesn’t hurt.
31.) North Carolina’s Fast Break: It was pretty when Kirk Hinrich ran Roy William’s break at Kansas, it’s a blur when Ty Lawson runs it now. No wonder they can drop 100 in their sleep.
32.) Xavier’s Unselfishness: the X men are 1/10th of a Stanley Burrell point to having six players in double figures. They’re such a great team that the A-10 player the year probably will come from outside Cincinnati.
Six More Reasons…
33.) Mascots: College Hoops Heaven spent a lot of time talking about mascots last fall. Nothing quite gets the fans pumped like Otto the Orange (whom I think deserves to be on the best list) dancing to “Call on Me” during a time out. Unless the Oregon Duck has something to say about it… I wouldn’t mess with that dude.
35.) Awful Halftime Competitions: Make a foul shot from a chair…win the chair. Make a half court shot and win books. Who want’s to win some free Burritos? Dizzybat anyone?
36.) Dance Teams: By far the best part of some games.
37.) Coaches’ Apparel: Bruce Pearl’s Orange Blazer. Rick Pitino’s white suit. Roy Willliam’s Baby Blue Blazer. Gary Williams sweat stained suit (someone get that man some medicated antiperspirant please).38.) Brendan’s promise for more Blog posts: There is a lot more basketball to be played… and BFQ is a professional writer. I’ve put together roughly 2,000 words (mostly sub-par and unoriginal words not withstanding) on college hoops, and I’m totally unqualified. The least Brendan can do is give us a post once and a while. Well unless he gets cast as Carmen San Diego… or starts dating Erin Andrews. Then all he would need to do is post pictures. I’m sure that will satisfy this blog’s massive following.
6 Reasons Why We Should Forgive Brendan:
39.) Where in the World…: Word on the street is that he was in Hollywood trying out to be the new Carmen San Diego. I’m not sure how true it is, but he would look great in that red overcoat…
40.) Hot Scoops: No matter how lame his lack of posting has been—he is a rising star in the investigative reporting genre. Have you seen his work on Boathouse Row? We may have a new Carl Monday on our hands.
41.) Is that dirt?: His facial hair. If that’s the best he can do we really should feel sorry for him. Especially having to spend his life in the shadow of the facial hair of his father.
42.) Inspiration: He has a poster from the movie Ghost Dad hanging in his bedroom. He once said that if he ever one the Pulitzer, he would thank Bill Cosby for inspiring to be a better writer…and father.
43.) Spicing up our Lives: His writing isn’t as bland as most College Hoops journalists. Some would say he sprinkles a little paprika on it…
44.) Last Call: The more he posts, the more we get to comment. We should all be thankful the blog is back—looking at you BR.
- Tim O'Shags
The fact that I actually posted that nonsense in its entirety is probably a terrible idea. I’ll go ahead and push this list to 60....
45.) The Palestra: I could wax poetically about Philly’s college hoops shrine for days. I love the history that drips from this town, from the Liberty Bell to Independence Hall to the Art Museum, but if we ever have a Great Chicago Fire-esque disaster, the Palestra is what I’m trying to save.
46.) That Moment: It seems like every big game has it. Playing in front of a raucous, rafter-shaking crowd, the home team drills a 3-pointer to cap off a game-changing run, followed immediately by a timeout by the visitor. At that moment, the noise alone sums up the passion of college basketball.
47.) Because I was sitting next to my father at the Spectrum when this happened.
48.) Mid-Majors: OK, so I can’t rightly define them either. But anytime one wins and a big boy falls, small schools everywhere share in the celebration.
49.) The Rule: Making prep stars play at least one year of college ball before making their millions – brilliant. Imagine this season without Kevin Love, Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley, O.J. Mayo, etc… (and Patrick Mills too).
50.) It’s not the NBA: In the college ranks, the majority of players seem to legitimately care that they’re playing for their particular school, which is probably a result of them essentially choosing where they play. In The League, no one is proud to say, “Yes, I represent the Hornets!” Also, in the NCAA, the players actually seem to enjoy themselves. Just ask Danny Green.
51.) Bracketology: It’s like looking at an eclipse. You know you shouldn’t look at it in June, or even in December, for that matter, but you just can’t help coming back. Actually, it’s a little like crack in that regard.
52.) When noon hits on the opening Thursday of the NCAA Tournament, chills rise as the CBS logo flashes across the screen and the Dance’s theme music is cued up. And you know, it’s on.
53.) Indiana’s Warm Up Pants54.) Rock Chalk Jayhawk: One of the coolest traditions ever, PERIOD.
55.) Dayton Arena: Even though it was a pain in the ass to drive from Philly to Dayton for the A-10 Tournament, UD Arena made it worth it. That damn D-A-Y-T-O-N chant was stuck in my head the entire drive home.
56.) George Mason; Circa 2006. Mother Goose couldn’t write a better storybook.
57.) Rushing The Court
59.) Gonzaga: With an enrollment of 4,278 and an operating budget of $128.21 million, Gonzaga has no right being a basketball powerhouse, yet every year the Zags are among the nation’s elite. The fact that Mark Few can out-recruit Pac 10 schools is utterly ridiculous.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Third Time’s A Charm? Let’s Hope So.
Sound the horns and raise the flags, College Hoops Heaven is back by popular demand (slight exaggeration).
I apologize for letting this thing wallow away while I tended to the job that pays the bills, but I’ve decided to give it another go. If doesn’t work out this time, I promise I’ll close the doors for good. Hopefully, C.H.H. will be your home through March and beyond.
Added to the roster is Tim O’Shags, a wise-ass, high-falootin’ insurance underwriter who almost has as good a way with words as he does with the ladies. Obviously, his insights (inside jokes, shots at yours truly, etc.) are not supported by me or this site, only tolerated.
New posts are on their way...
Thursday, December 6, 2007
I'll See your Jefferson And Raise You This....
I'm sure many of you saw Davon Jefferson's ridiculous rebound dunk during Tuesday night's game against Memphis. It was absolutely filthy, but this is a real dunk. I tried to find out exactly what this dude's name is, but came up short. It sounds like the announcer says "Kurt Manifield" and that is the last name that seems to appear on the back if his jersey, but I looked over the entire list of Kentucky letterwinners and didn't see anything close.
Regardless, it's worth watching.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Carolina Comes Calling
In years past, the Palestra was known as a building where heavily favored national programs came to die.
The “Ghosts of the Palestra” would get their hands on a visiting team and they would soon succumb to their Philadelphia opposition.
This evening, the ghosts will once again be stirred, but it might take a miracle for Glen Miller’s Penn Quakers to knock off top-ranked North Carolina (7:00 p.m., ESPN 2)
The last time a No. 1 team stepped foot on the fabled Palestra hardwood was in December of 1962, when top-ranked Bowling Green fell to Saint Joseph’s, 58-57, on a desperation 18-foot jump shot at the buzzer by future Hawk coach Jim Boyle.
Nearly 49 years later, All-American Tyler Hansbrough will lead the Tar Heels (7-0) into University City to take on a Penn (2-6) team that has already lost to the likes of Loyola (Md.), Howard and Lafayette.
The game will mark the much-anticipated return of former Episcopal Academy standout Wayne Ellington to Philadelphia. The 6-foot-4 sophomore shooting guard is averaging 18.0 points per game, second only to Hansbrough’s 20.3 ppg average.
Playing alongside current Duke sophomore Gerald Henderson at Episcopal, Ellington helped to lead Episcopal to a 27-4 record as a senior and 25-3 mark as a junior. Following his senior season, he was named to both the McDonald's and Parade All-America teams.
Penn, who has never hosted a No. 1 team, is coming off a humbling 87-61 loss to No. 25 Villanova on Saturday night at The Pavilion. The Quakers trailed 33-6 just 8:47 into the first half and were out of the game before it even began.
Tonight could potentially be worse.
North Carolina is coming off an 86-77 victory at Kentucky on Saturday and is beating opponents by an average of 18.7 ppg. They sit atop both national polls and have been selected by numerous publications as the favorites to win the National Championship.
Twenty years into his legendary coaching career, Roy Williams will be making his Palestra debut. The two-time Associated Press Coach of the Year entered the season with the fourth highest winning percentage in history, a National Championship ring and five Final Four appearances. Tonight, he will join a laundry list of Hall of Fame coaches who have patrolled the sidelines at South 32nd Street.
Meanwhile, Miller, who is in his second year at Penn, sports a roster in which two of his top four leading scorers are freshmen. Senior Brian Grandieri leads the Quakers with 13.9 ppg and is the only member of the team to have started all eight of Penn’s contests this season. Freshmen Tyler Bernardini, Jack Eggleston and Harrison Gaines have showed glimpses of things to come, but remain young and inexperienced.
Needless to say, the Quakers are heavy underdogs.
Regardless of the outcome, tonight will be a definitive “corner-packer,” as a sold out crowd will fill the Palestra well beyond the listed attendance of 8,722.
The old building will be at a fever pitch...hoping to awaken those sleeping ghosts.
Saturday, December 1, 2007
IT'S ALIVE....
Hey-O...Celebrity Guest Post
NOTE: This post is written by the honorable Tim O'Shags, who will be contributing whenever the spirit moves him ... his musings are not supported by C.H.H. ... only tolerated.
For those of you who don't know Tim, understand that his desire to join the blog is caused by his disdain of his mundane 9-to-5 job and his love of taking pot-shots at yours trully.
Welcome aboard Shags.
-bfq
*****
Since Brendan has been MIA from the Blogosphere for the past couple of weeks, I feel it is my duty to fill the void of sub-par college basketball writing on this blog. Rumor has it he is off telling the ladies on the Big 5 circuit to look for him next week on ESPN.* In the meantime, here are some musings on the early hoops season:
* Virginia has been impressive a season after losing J.R. Reynolds. There were a 
lot of questions coming into the season about the Cavs and their ability to compete in the ACC. Sean Singletary’s squad has answered most of the questions with wins over Arizona and Drexel. The only question that remains about the team is who is going to step up and replace Jason Cain’s mustache? I’m looking at you Sammy Zeglinski…
* It looks like Fran Dunphy and Temple (with the help of Chris Clark’s miracle at the buzzer) have turned a corner with wins in three of their last four. Dionte Christmas and Mark Tyndale have been good as advertised. With a Big 5 game coming up against Nova, they still look to be one piece short of being a real contender. That piece: Ron Rollerson…all of 300 lbs of him.
* B.F.Q. Look-alike Watch: Hawk Hill was buzzing with preseason talk about having a Player of the Year Candidate trolling the lane. All of the Hawk faithful could talk about was Ahmad Nivins and he meteoric rise into the ranks of the nation’s elite big men. After five games, that rise looks to have stalled. Nivins has struggled getting open looks and recognizing the double team. With 21 turnovers in five games, he has yet to find his offensive game. The talk of the Player of the Year coming from Hawk Hill however, may not be all for naught. Pat Calathes—who bears a striking resemblance to this Blog’s faithful author—is beginning to turn heads with his all around play (18 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists). Everyone knows that he has the talent, good to see that he finally has put it all together.
* Syracuse is going to be a tough match up for the majority of teams in
the Big East in 2008. They have an impressive mix of size and skill on the wings. When Jim Boeheim says his prayers before bed, he thanks the Big Guy for Johnny Flynn and Scoop Jardine. For every minute the freshmen pair keeps the ball out of Eric “8 Mile” Devendorf’s hands, the Orange’s chance of winning increases exponentially. Someday he’ll realize he’s not Gerry McNamara.
* Freshmen Word Association:
OJ Mayo (USC): The Prom Queen that peaks at 22
Davon Jefferson (USC): The Prom Queen’s underrated best friend who continually gets hotter with age.
Kevin Love (UCLA): Missing Piece
Kyle Singler (Duke): What Josh McRoberts was supposed to be.
Nick Calathes (Florida): Not Brendan Quinn
Austin Daye (Gonzaga): Tayshaun Prince
Johhny Flynn (Syracuse): Overrated (for now)
Donte Green (Syracuse): Underrated (for now)
Eric Gordon (Indiana): Will be the best Gordon in the NBA (Currently Jamon of the Washington Wizards --sorry Ben)
Patrick Mills (St. Mary’s): Dingoes
Michael Beasley (Kansas State): Derrick Coleman before the Sizzler Buffet
* Memphis’s full court press is bringing back some memories of another team that made history with it’s impressive D. No it’s not the Nolan Richardson 40 Minutes of Hell teams or the Pitino Kentucky teams of the late 90s. The 40 minute Stranglehold (Ted Nugent Shout Out) must have been picked up watching highlights of the 1996-97 District 8 champion IHM CYO Basketball Squad lead by Kevan The Octopus Iffrig and his 3.7 steals per game. Flops can still be heard talking about the glory days.
Well folks, I’m out like the St. Matthias Athletic Program. Let’s hope this makes you appreciate Brendan’s patchwork blog.
* Brendan doesn’t mention that he’ll be in the background on Press Row of the UNC-Penn game.
Friday, November 16, 2007
Elegar Voted Top Player In City (by you guys)
Drexel’s Frank Elegar squeaked out a win in CHH’s poll of the best players in Philadelphia, edging Villanova’s Scottie Reynolds by three votes. Through three games – all W’s for Bruiser Flint’s Dragons – Elegar is averaging 15.7 ppg and 10 rpg, but is just 19-for-28 (68%) from the free thrown line.
I was in the house at the Palestra for the Dragons’ opener against Penn (0-2) and thought the Quakers’ zone defense did an outstanding job of keeping the ball away from the 6-foot-9 center, holding him to seven shots from the field (14 points). From there, Elegar dropped 24 on Navy (to go along with a career-high 14 rebounds) and nine on Florida Gulf Coast.
Speaking of Drexel, the Dragons are looking like a very versatile club early in the season. The backcourt of junior Tramayne Hawthorne (19.7 ppg) and freshman Gerald Colds (13.3 ppg) has been white hot from the perimeter. Hawthore, who averaged 7.3 ppg last season, is 12-for-28 (43%) from beyond the arc, while Colds, the CAA Rookie of the Week, is a sizzling 12-for-20 (60%).
Next Tuesday’s match up at Virginia (8 p.m., CN8) will speak volumes about the quality of this team. Keep a close eye on how Hawthorne, who Flint thinks is one of the CAA’s best defensive guards, handles a one-on-one battle against All-American candidate Sean Singletary.
To catch a glimpse of Virginia (2-0) prior to their tilt with the Dragons, be sure to watch the Cavs’ Saturday night’s game at Arizona (10:30 FSN).
Here are the poll results…
Frank Elegar (Drexel) - 27 (38%)
Scottie Reynolds (Villanova) - 24 (33%)
Ahmad Nivins (Saint Joseph's) - 13 (18%)
Mark Tyndale (Temple) - 2 (2%)
Dionte Christmas (Temple) - 5 (7%)
Votes: 71
Week One Blog Poll
1 Memphis (6)
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
CHH's TEMPLE PREVIEW
The Roster
1 Chris Clark SR G 5-8 165
2 Ryan Brooks SO G 6-4 200
3 Martavis Kee FR G 6-2 180
10 Luis Guzman SO G 6-3 180
13 Mark Tyndale SR F 6-5 210
15 Semaj Inge JR G 6-4 180
21 Rafael DeLeon JR F 6-5 200
22 Dionte Christmas JR G/F 6-5 205
23 Ramone Moore FR G 6-4 180
24 Lavoy Allen FR F 6-9 225
30 Craig Williams FR F 6-9 240
41 Sergio Olmos JR F/C 7-0 220
43 Orlando Miller SR F 6-6 190
The Schedule
Nov. 9 at Tennessee L, 80-63
Nov. 15 vs. Providence (Puerto Rico Tip-Off Classic) 2:30 p.m.
Nov. 16 Arkansas/Charleston (Puerto Rico Tip-Off Classic) 5:30/8:00 p.m.
Nov. 18 Puerto Rico Tip-Off Classic TBA
Nov. 24 at Bowling Green 2:00 p.m.
Nov. 26 at Akron 7:00 p.m.
Nov. 29 vs. Ohio 7:00 p.m.
Dec. 6 vs. Towson 7:00 p.m.
Dec. 9 vs. Villanova 7:00 p.m.
Dec. 15 at Drexel 12:00 p.m.
Dec. 22 vs. Eastern Michigan 1:00 p.m.
Dec. 29 vs. Florida 6:30 p.m.
Jan. 9 vs. Duke 7:00 p.m.
Jan. 12 at Charlotte 7:00 p.m.
Jan. 16 vs. Xavier 7:00 p.m.
Jan. 20 at Saint Louis 2:00 p.m.
Jan. 23 vs. Penn 7:00 p.m.
Jan. 26 vs. Saint Joseph's 7:00 p.m.
Jan. 31 at Fordham 8:00 p.m.
Feb. 3 vs. George Washington 2:00 p.m.
Feb. 6 at Richmond 7:00 p.m.
Feb. 10 vs. Massachusetts 2:00 p.m.
Feb. 13 vs. Rhode Island 7:00 p.m.
Feb. 16 at Dayton 4:00 p.m.
Feb. 20 at St. Bonaventure 7:00 p.m.
Feb. 23 vs. Fordham 3:00 p.m.
Feb. 27 vs. Charlotte 7:00 p.m.
Mar. 2 at Saint Joseph's 7:00 p.m.
Mar. 5 vs. Duquesne 7:00 p.m.
Mar. 8 at La Salle 2:00 p.m.
Mar. 12 Atlantic 10 Tournament TBA
Prognosis & Prediction 
The media picked the Owls to finish 9th in the Atlantic 10 and rightfully so. Fran Dunphy's team did two things terribly last season - defense and rebounding - that right there is all you need to know when looking at their 12-18 record. In attending practices on N. Broad St. and watching the Owls intensity on the boards and on D, I really think they will show a degree of improvement at both aspects of the game. Meanwhile, Dunphy will get 40-45 point from Mary Tyndale and Dionte Christmas to carry the offensive load. Through non-conference play, look for freshman Mark Tyndale to begin his development into a top-level A10 player. The Owls will do slightly better than the media's prediciton and might sneak in the NIT.
Record: 17-15 (one win, one loss in A10) Postseason: None
Friday, November 9, 2007
CHH's ST. JOSEPH'S PREVIEW
The Roster
0 Tasheed Carr JR Guard 6-4 210
*2 D.J. Rivera SO Guard 6-2 182
5 C.J. Brown SO Guard 5-11 165
11 Charoy Bentley FR Guard 5-11 175
12 Pat Calathes SR Guard/Forward 6-10 210
13 Darrin Govens SO Guard 6-1 175
15 Garrett Williamson SO Guard 6-5 190
22 Edwin Lashley JR Guard 6-4 197
32 Idris Hilliard FR Forward 6-6 211
34 Ahmad Nivins JR Forward 6-9 235
40 Rockwell Moody SO Forward 6-9 228
41 Arvydas Lidzius SR Forward 6-9 205
52 Rob Ferguson SR Forward 6-8 230
*academically ineligible for first semester
The Schedule
11/12 vs. Fairleigh Dickinson/NIT Season Tip-Off 9:30 p.m.
11/13 Syracuse/Siena -NIT Season Tip-Off 7 or 9:30 PM
11/17 at Boston University 7:00 p.m.
11/21 NIT Season Tip-Off Semifinals 7 or 9 PM
11/23 NIT Season Tip-Off Consolation 4:30 p.m./7:00
11/27 vs. Ball State 7:00 p.m.
11/29 vs. Gonzaga 8:00 p.m.
12/01 vs. Penn State 4:00 p.m.
12/04 vs. Holy Cross 7:00 p.m.
12/09 at Creighton 3:00 p.m.
12/21 at Fairfield 7:30 p.m.
12/28 at Siena 7:00 p.m.
12/31 at Drexel 6:00 p.m.
01/09 at Massachusetts 7:30 p.m.
01/12 vs. Richmond 7:00 p.m.
01/16 at Charlotte 7:30 p.m.
01/19 at Penn 7:30 p.m.
01/23 vs. Massachusetts 6:00 p.m.
01/26 at Temple 6:00 p.m.
01/30 at George Washington 7:00 p.m.
02/02 vs. Fordham 4:00 p.m.
02/04 vs. Villanova 8:00 p.m.
02/06 at Duquesne 7:00 p.m.
02/10 at Xavier 12:00 p.m.
02/13 vs. St. Bonaventure 7:00 p.m.
02/18 vs. La Salle 8:00 p.m.
02/24 at Rhode Island 4:00 p.m.
02/28 vs. Saint Louis 7:00 p.m.
03/02 vs. Temple 7:00 p.m.
03/06 vs. Xavier 9:00 p.m.
03/08 at Dayton 2:00 p.m.
03/12-15 Atlantic 10 Tournament
Prognosis & Prediction 
The Hawks are the only team in the city that was unaffected by graduation last year. Phil Martelli lost Jawan Carter and Alvin Mofunanya to transfer, but return a strong and balanced lineup. Ahmad Nivins is a dominant center, but he has yet to become a big man that can take a game over at will. The 6-foot-9 center will need to become a greater presence (Read: Atlantic 10 POY) if Saint Joseph's wants to beat out Xavier and Rhode Island for an A10 title. More importantly, the Hawks' unproven backcourt needs to score when called upon and get the ball to Nivins, Pat Calathes and Rob Ferguson in position to score. After missing the postseason last year, Martelli's team is talented enough to play in March. If they develop the toughness that was glaringly missing a year ago, they will dance.
Prediction: 24-9 (A10 Finals loss) Postseason: NCAA First Round
For my full Saint Joseph's preview appearing in The Bulletin, go here.
CHH's LA SALLE PREVIEW
The Roster
5 Barrett, Kimmani 6-6/190 Forward SO
35 Cohen, Brad 6-3/200 Guard JR
3 Diaz, Sherman 6-5/190 Forward SR
10 Green, Rodney 6-5/190 Guard SO
2 Griffin, Kyle 6-3/185 Guard FR
34 Guillandeaux, Ruben 6-5/185 Guard SO
11 Harris, Darnell 6-1/165 Guard SR
31 Johnson, Paul 6-6/195 Forward JR
12 Mekongo Mbala, Yves 6-7/210 Forward SO
0 Partin, Darryl 6-4/180 Guard FR
20 Williams, Jerrell 6-8/210 Forward FR
21 Williams, Terrell 6-8/210 Forward FR
The Schedule
11/13 Maryland-Baltimore County 7:00 PM
11/17 at Mount St. Mary's 7:00 PM
11/20 at Howard 7:00 PM
11/24 St. Francis (PA) 2:00 PM
11/28 Central Connecticut State 7:00 PM
12/3 at Bucknell 7:00 PM
12/8 at Morgan State 4:00 PM
12/19 at PR Mayaguez 3:00 PM
12/20 Clemson 3:00 PM
12/21 Mississippi 5:30 PM
12/22 DePaul 3:00 PM
12/29 at No. 25 Villanova 7:00 PM
01/5 at Florida State 7:00 PM
01/9 Richmond 12:00 PM
01/12 at St. Bonaventure 7:00 PM
01/15 at Pennsylvania 7:00 PM
01/19 at Richmond 7:00 PM
01/23 Charlotte 7:00 PM
01/26 Saint Louis 2:00 PM
01/30 St. Bonaventure 7:00 PM
02/2 at Xavier 7:00 PM
02/6 at George Washington 7:30 PM
02/9 Duquesne 2:00 PM
02/13 N.J.I.T. 7:00 PM
02/18 at Saint Joseph's 8:00 PM
02/21 Dayton 7:00 PM
02/24 at Duquesne 2:00 PM
02/27 at Fordham 7:00 PM
03/1 Rhode Island 2:00 PM
03/5 at Massachusetts 7:30 PM
03/8 Temple 2:00 PM
Three years ago, John Giannini started at the bottom of the Atlantic 10 mountain with a 10-19 record (last place A10 West), climbed to 18-10 (3rd place overall), then fell back to the bottom last season (13th place).
With a team drenched in youth and inexperience, La Salle is looking to restart their ascent, but it will take at least one more year.
Prediction: 12-20 (12th A10, one and done in A-10 tourn.) Postseason: None
*Note: My La Salle preview article has yet to be posted on the The Bulletin's Web site. Once it is, it will be linked here.
More >
CHH's DREXEL PREVIEW
The Roster
0 Tramayne Hawthorne G 6-0 Jr.
1 Bobby Jordan G 6-0 Jr.
3 Scott Rodgers G 6-3 Jr.
11 Gerald Colds G 5-11 Fr.
12 Rob Hampton G 6-4 So.
13 Yannick Formbor F 6-8 Rf.
14 Bill Lally G 6-0 So.
15 Frank Elegar C 6-9 Sr.
23 Jamie Harris G 5-10 Fr.
24 Adrian Hynes-Guery G 6-4 Fr.
25 Randy Oveneke F 6-7 Sr.
33 Evan Neisler F 6-8 So.
34 Lance Feurtado G 6-5 So.
42 Kenny Tribbett F 6-9 So.
The Schedule
Nov. 9 at Penn 7:00 p.m.
Nov. 11 Navy (Philly Classic) 4:00 p.m.
Nov. 14 @ Florida Gulf Coast 7:00 p.m.
Nov. 20 @ Virginia (Philly Classic) 8:00 p.m.
Nov. 23 Robert Morris (Philly Classic/Palestra) 2:00 p.m.
Nov. 24 Philly Classic TBD TBA
Nov. 29 @ George Mason 7:00 p.m.
Dec. 1 Creighton 4:30 p.m.
Dec. 8 @ Toledo 7:00 p.m.
Dec. 15 Temple (Palestra) 12:00 p.m.
Dec. 22 Bucknell 6:00 p.m.
Dec. 27 Rider 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 31 Saint Joseph's (Palestra) 6:00 p.m.
Jan. 2 UNC Wilmington 7:00 p.m.
Jan. 5 Delaware 4:00 p.m.
Jan. 9 @ Northeastern 7:00 p.m.
Jan. 12 @ Towson 4:30 p.m.
Jan. 16 Georgia State 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 19 Hofstra 12:00 p.m.
Jan. 23 William & Mary 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 26 @ Virginia Commonwealth 6:00 p.m.
Jan. 30 @ Georgia State 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 2 Northeastern 5:00 p.m.
Feb. 7 George Mason 7:00 p.m.
Feb. 9 Towson 4:00 p.m.
Feb. 14 @ Old Dominion 7:00 p.m.
Feb. 16 @ Delaware 2:00 p.m.
Feb. 20 @ William & Mary 7:00 p.m.
Feb. 23 ESPN BracketBusters TBA
Feb. 27 James Madison 7:30 p.m.
March 1 @ Hofstra 12:00 p.m.
March 7-March 10 CAA Conference Tournament – Richmond, Va.
CHH's PENN PREVIEW
The Roster
2 Dan Monckton G 6-6 205 Freshman
3 Tyler Bernardini G 6-6 205 Freshman
4 Aron Cohen G 6-2 180 Junior
5 Darren Smith G 6-4 200 Sophomore
13 Andreas Schreiber F-C 6-9 235 Sophomore
14 Michael Kach G 6-4 195 Senior
15 Kevin Egee G 6-3 175 Junior
20 Tommy McMahon F 6-7 210 Sophomore
21 Brian Grandieri G 6-4 190 Senior
22 Harrison Gaines G 6-0 170 Freshman
23 Joe Gill G-F 6-6 195 Senior
24 Jack Eggleston F 6-8 215 Freshman
32 Remy Cofield G 6-4 205 Freshman
33 Cameron Lewis F 6-8 220 Junior
41 Justin Reilly F 6-8 225 Sophomore
42 Brennan Votel F 6-7 215 Junior
44 Conor Turley F 6-7 220 Freshman
The Schedule
Nov. 9 Drexel 7:00 P.M.
Nov. 11 at Loyola (MD) 12:00 P.M.
Nov. 17 Howard 5:00 P.M.
Nov. 20 Citadel 8:00 P.M.
Nov. 23 Virginia 9:00 P.M.
Nov. 28 at Lafayette 7:00 P.M.
Dec. 1 at Villanova 7:00 P.M.
Dec. 4 North Carolina 7:00 P.M.
Dec. 8 at Monmouth 7:00 P.M.
Dec. 20 Elon 7:00 P.M.
Dec. 29 at Florida Gulf Coast 7:00 P.M.
Jan. 2 at Miami (FL) 8:00 P.M.
Jan. 5 N.J.I.T. 7:00 P.M.
Jan. 15 La Salle 7:00 P.M.
Jan. 19 Saint Joseph's 7:30 P.M.
Jan. 23 at Temple 7:00 P.M.
Feb. 1 Harvard 7:00 P.M.
Feb. 2 Dartmouth 7:00 P.M.
Feb. 8 at Columbia 7:00 P.M.
Feb. 9 at Cornell 7:00 P.M.
Feb. 12 Princeton 7:00 P.M.
Feb. 15 Brown 7:00 P.M.
Feb. 16 Yale 7:00 P.M.
Feb. 22 at Dartmouth 7:00 P.M.
Feb. 23 at Harvard 7:00 P.M.
Feb. 29 at Yale 7:00 P.M.
March 1 at Brown 6:00 P.M.
March 7 Cornell 8:00 P.M.
March 8 Columbia 7:00 P.M.
March 11 at Princeton 7:00 P.M.
Prognosis & Prediction 
For the first time in recent history, Penn is not favored to win the Ivy League. The Quakers have lost Ibrahim Jabber and Mark Zoller and will search for an identity with an inexperienced roster. Coach Glen Miller's club will take on Virginia, North Carolina and Villanova in an 11-day stretch that will be crucial to the young group's confidence. If those three games result in monster blowouts, the team could go into a shell prior to league play. If Brian Grandieri & Co. can at least hang with their big name opponents, the Quakers could gel quickly and take a run at the program's fourth straight Ivy title, because even in a down year, Penn can still contend for the league championship.
Record: 18-12 (10-4, 3rd place) Postseason: NIT
To read my Penn preview appearing in The Bulletin, go here.
CHH's VILLANOVA PREVIEW
The Roster
22 Dwayne Anderson G/F JR 6-6 215
20 Shane Clark F JR 6-7 205
4 Jason Colenda G SO 6-0 205
33 Dante Cunningham F JR 6-8 230
5 Casiem Drummond C SO 6-10
10 Corey Fisher G FR 6-1 200
3 Malcolm Grant G FR 6-0 175
21 Andrew Ott F RS FR 6-10 230
0 Antonio Pena F RS FR 6-8 235
15 Reggie Redding G SO 6-5 205
1 Scottie Reynolds G SO 6-2 190
24 Corey Stokes G FR 6-5 220
42 Frank Tchuisi F JR 6-8 215
The Schedule
Nov. 9 Stony Brook 7:00 p.m.
Nov. 18 Bucknell 5:00 p.m.
Nov. 22 Central Florida (Old Spice Classic, Orlando, Fla.) 7:00 p.m.
Nov. 23 George Mason/Kansas St. (Old Spice Classic) 5:00/7:30 p.m.
Nov. 25 TBD (Old Spice Classic) TBD
Dec. 1 Penn 7:00 p.m.
Dec. 6 LSU (Wachovia Center) 9:30 p.m.
Dec. 9 at Temple 7:00 p.m.
Dec. 14 Hartford 7:00 p.m.
Dec. 22 Columbia 7:00 p.m.
Dec. 29 La Salle 7:00 p.m.
Jan. 3 at DePaul 9:00 p.m.
Jan. 6 Pittsburgh Noon
Jan. 12 at Cincinnati 7:00 p.m.
Jan. 16 DePaul 9:00 p.m.
Jan. 19 at Syracuse Noon
Jan. 23 at Rutgers 7:00 p.m.
Jan. 26 Notre Dame (Wachovia Center) Noon
Jan. 30 at Pittsburgh 7:00 p.m.
Feb. 2 Syracuse (Wachovia Center) Noon
Feb. 4 at Saint Joseph’s (Palestra) 8:00 p.m.
Feb. 9 Seton Hall 6:00 p.m.
Feb. 11 at Georgetown 7:00 p.m.
Feb. 16 at St. John’s 8:00 p.m.
Feb. 20 West Virginia 8:00 p.m.
Feb. 23 UConn (Wachovia Center) Noon
Feb. 25 Marquette (Wachovia Center) 7:00 p.m.
Mar. 2 at Louisville 4:00 p.m.
Mar. 5 South Florida 8:00 p.m.
Mar. 8 at Providence 7:30 p.m.
Mar. 12-15 Big East Tournament (Madison Square Garden)
The Prognosis & Prediction
Jay Wright has a nice roster that is young and talent-laden on the perimeter but short on depth and experience on the frontcourt. The Wildcats will benefit from a less than demanding OCS and rack up some wins. In the Big East, the youthful team will win some games they shouldn't and loss some games they shouldn't (read: knock of Marquette one day then loss to DePaul later in the week). Scottie Reynolds will compete for All-American honors while Corey Fisher and Corey Stokes will battle with Syracuse' Donte Greene and Johnny Flynn for BE Rookie of the Year honors. 'Nova fans should start praying now that Reynolds comes back for his junior year because next year's team could potentially be a Top 10 team in the country.
Record: 22-10 (1-1 in BE Tourn.)
Postseason: NCAA Second Round
For my full Villanova preview appearing in The Bulletin, go here. More >
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Preview Week
Why is the Kool Aid Man so excited, you ask? I'll tell you why. This week marks the beginning of the college basketball season and the only thing Kool Aid likes more than running through walls...is college hoops. I've been working on previews for all six city school's this week, thus the lack of posts.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Poll Results
The votes are in for who the preseason favorite is to win the Big 5 and the fan's choice is Villanova.
Villanova - 60%
Saint Joseph's - 30%
Penn - 3%
La Salle - 2%
Temple - 2%
(Total Votes - 109)
Monday, November 5, 2007
Okwandu Update
I spoke with Harcum head coach Drew Kelly the other day, following his squads scrimmage against Tyreke Evans and American Christian Academy. I was curious as to his thoughts on Evans, but also wanted to find out how the development of 7-foot-1 Nigerian-import Charles Okwandu is coming along.
One of the most intriguing prospects in Philadelphia, Okwandu was profiled here in September. According to Kelly, the 19-year-old is coming along nicely.
"In some areas, he's exceeded my expectations," Kelly said. "From where he was (when he arrived at Harcum in July), to where he is know, I'm impressed."
In the scrimmage against ACA, Okwandu scored eight points on 4-5 shooting and gathered 8 rebounds in 20 minutes. To put that in perspective, the future juco star has only just begun playing regulation games with three refs and a live clock.
"It's been an adjustment," Kelly continued. "He is just gifted. We're working on correcting the little stuff like silly fouls and positioning."
Kelly went on to say Okwandu is being recruited by Indiana, Villanova, Seton Hal, St. John's, UConn, West Virginia and La Salle. He has no visits scheduled.
Harcum, the defending Division 19 champion (30-3), tips-off their regular season on Saturday in Erie. The Bears' first home game is not until Dec. 4 against Burlington at Our Mother of Good Council on Lancaster Avenue in Ardmore.
Friday, November 2, 2007
A Day With John Chaney
I was 11-years-old when Temple's John Chaney went on his now legendary tirade at John Calipari's postgame press conference. At the time, I though he was the craziest, most frightening man alive. I still do, in some ways. But Tuesday afforded me the opportunity to actually meet and get to know the 75-year-old ex-coach.
I was told that Chaney would be waiting for me at Walnut Lane Golf Course in the Wissahickon Valley section of Philadelphia. Upon my arrival, Chaney was preparing to head onto the course and had apparently forgotten that I was coming for an interview...yada, yada, yada,...before I know it, I'm playing golf with Chaney and Midge, a half-deaf retiree who can't be a hair over 5'5.
Over the next few hours, I learned a lot about the Hall of Fame coach.
He still has zero filter.
He is still utterly hilarious.
He has only played golf for about one year and it shows.
He bounces from one topic to another with reckless abandon.
And he is, ultimately, a good guy.
Since his retirement in March 2006, basketball, for the most part, has taken a backseat to everything else in his life. Instead Chaney focuses his attention towards improving the lengthy list of problems facing inner-city Philadelphia.
Follow the link to read more about John Chaney's Life Off The Court.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
The Speculation Appears To Be Over
Just read tonight on Adam Zagoria's (Herald News, West Patterson N.J.) blog that the Morris Twins, Marcus and Markieff, have verbally committed to play for Bill Self at Kansas, ending the hopes that the Morris' might bring their services to Villanova. While I believe Marcus to have a much higher upside than Markeiff, the twins are still quite a coup for the Jayhawks.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Eddie Griffin Challenge
This past weekend marked the 5th Annual Eddie Griffin Challenge – a three-game event pitting the best players from Philadelphia against the best players in New Jersey. The three contests consisted of a Senior Game, a Junior Game and a Sophomore Game.
The EG Challenge brought two players back to the court who have been dealing with injuries lately, Overbrook High School’s Nurideen Lindsey (La Salle commit) and Roman Catholic’s Malik Wayns (Villanova commit). You can read the story of their return to action and see the afternoon’s final scores here.
Some thoughts on the plethora of Philadelphia talent…
> I was very interested in seeing Pennsbury junior Dalton Pepper. I had only heard things – all good – about the 6-foot-4 wing, but never saw him live.
I’m sold.
Pepper has a very nice, complete game and can do a multitude of things on the floor. He has a strong build and is surprisingly athletic. His forte is the perimeter jump shot, which he nailed when guarded and wide open, but he has a decent handle and got to the rack more than a handful of times. He could improve his ball handling slightly more, in order to create his own shot from the outside. Also, with good upper-body strength, Pepper was able to bang down low and corralled his fair share of rebounds.
All in all, I was quite impressed.
Pepper on the other hand, was not.
“I didn’t really play a particularly good game and we lost,” said Pepper, who did have a couple of late turnovers in the high-paced game. “I missed a pair of threes that could have put us ahead in the fourth, so I could have done better.
Pepper is interested in West Virginia, Villanova, Miami, Georgetown and Pitt. He hopes to make his decision following his upcoming junior season.
> The Morris Twins, Markieff and Marcus, were as to be expected…larger than life. The 6-foot-8 Prep Charter products now reside at New Jersey’s Apex Academy, but played on Team Philly. Markieff did it all – drilled shots from the perimeter, made a few absolutely gorgeous outlet passes and had two plays, a transition dunk that saw him go well above the rim and a no-look ally-opp to his brother, that made the crowd stir. Marcus was his normal self, with some monster two-hand jams and strong rebounding, but missed badly with most of his jump shots. I still think that each of the twins often try to do way too much with the ball and force things, instead of letting the game come to them. They have all the talent in the world though, and their college of choice will be either Villanova or Kansas.
Side Note: With the Morris Twins out of Penn Charter, 6-foot-1 guard Jesse Morgan will take the reigns this season. The junior looked solid on Saturday and might be the most ferocious on-the-ball defender in the city.
> I cannot figure out Communication Tech’s Andrew Randall. I watched him play numerous games at this summer’s RBK U and thought he was outstanding. The senior is a 6-foot-5 wing who can consistently hit the three with a smooth feathery stroke. From inside and out, he simply puts the ball in the hoop. It’s not pretty. It’s not spectacular. But he is a naturally gifted scorer.
Upon seeing his name on the EG Challenge roster, I was hoping to see the same from the undecided senior and, low and behold, he went out and took MVP honors in the senior game with 18 points and eight rebounds.
I tried to grab him after the game, but he took off immediately following the award ceremony. It seems Randall is not receiving nearly the attention he deserves on the recruiting trail, as none of the national sites (rivals, scout, blah blah) seem to pay attention to him. CAAInsider.com, a nice eastern-basketball Web site, only lists VCU,
La Salle, Saint Joseph’s, Temple, Duquesne and St. Bonaventure showing interest (as of Aug. 15).
I have a feeling that Randall will be a great late signing for someone, while Strawberry Mansion’s Dewayne Davis and Devon White, and Ali Odd of Simon Gratz, have the potential to do the same.
> If Neumann-Goretti’s Jamal Wilson puts on 10-to-15 pounds of muscle and becomes a consistent three-point threat, he will make Saint Joseph’s, Temple and La Salle regret letting him get out of Philly…when he tears them apart as a Rhode Island Ram.
> One of the few players who were actually faster than ‘Nova-bound Malik Wayns was Rakeem Brookins, who just so happens to be Wayns’ teammate at Roman Catholic. The tough as nails 5-foot-9 sophomore is flat-out lightning quick and is a nice three-point shooter. He’s got high-major talent written all over him, as do fellow sophomores CJ Aikens (La Salle High) and Daniel Stewart (Neumann-Goretti).
> I can’t talk about the sophomores without mentioning Neumann-Goretti’s Tony Chenault, probably the most high profile soph. on Team Philly. The 6-foot point guard was at Villanova on Friday night for Hoops Mania, the Wildcats’ version of Midnight Madness and walked away impressed.
“It was a good event and I liked how they did things there,” said Chenault, a gifted scorer with outstanding court vision and speed. “They had an atmosphere like the Duke’s, Kansas’ and North Carolina’s.”
Chenault listed his top schools as Villanova, Wake Forest, Saint Joseph’s, Florida and BLANK (OK, Chenault mentioned a fifth school, but I could not make out what it was on my digital recorder…this sucks…I know. I refuse to guess what he said, so, it is what it is. Let the speculation begin. In all seriousness, my apologies).
NOTE: If anyone would like to hear about an EG Challenge participant not mentioned here, leave a comment below and I will look them up in my notes.
Friday, October 26, 2007
The Coaches Have Spoken...
The ESPN/USA Today Coach's Poll was released today was released today and the Wildcats and Hawks received some love...
1. North Carolina (10) 739
2. UCLA (12) 734
3. Memphis (8) 731
4. Kansas (1) 669
5. Georgetown 625
6. Louisville 620
7. Tennessee 598
8. Michigan State 503
9. Indiana 479
10. Washington State 464
11. Duke 390
12. Marquette 381
13. Oregon 360
14. Gonzaga 252
14. Texas A&M 252
16. Texas 216
17. Arizona 205
18. USC 189
19. Arkansas 173
20. Pittsburgh 160
21. Stanford 158
22. Kentucky 155
23. Southern Illinois 137
24. North Carolina State 119
25. Villanova 111
Others Recieving Votes: Kansas State 94, Syracuse 69, Ohio State 65, Clemson 56, Connecticut 55, Butler 42, Davidson 39, Xavier 38, Alabama 31, Mississippi State 30, Florida 26, Wisconsin 21, Illinois 16, Washington 12, Brigham Young 12, Nevada 8, Bradley 7, Virginia 7, Virginia Commonwealth 5, Utah 4, Baylor 3, Old Dominion 3, Saint Joseph's 3, Fresno State 2, George Mason 2, Utah State 2, Notre Dame 1, California 1, Maryland 1.
Also released today was the Naismith Trophy Preseason Watch List and both Saint Joseph's Ahmad Nivins and Villanova's Scottie Reynolds were included. In addition, Episcopal Academy products Gerald Henderson (Duke) and Wayne Ellington (UNC) have been listed among the 33 players chosen.
Media Day Coverage: Big East & Atlantic 10
ounty Daily News
While the Big East and Atlantic 10 Media Days were about as different at Atlantic City and midtown Manhattan, each offered an excellent opportunity to catch up with a plethora of players and coaches.
as well)Some musings...visiting each conference's Media Day back-to-back showed the ever-widening gap between of the two leagues and how they are viewed. In the Theatre Lobby inside Madison Square Garden, the tables of Jim Calhoun, Jim Boeheim, John Thompson III, Jay Wright, Bob Huggins, et all, were surrounded by local and national media. ESPN was in the house and everyone from Sports Illustrated's Seth Davis to Fox Sports Jeff Goodman to CBS' Bill Raftery milled around. The following day, the Atlantic 10 invaded Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall and no one seemed to notice. The closest thing to national media in attendance was CSTV...who the A10 has a television contract with...meaning they had to be there. Instead of shouldering for position to find out how Fred Hill feels about his freshmen at Rutgers, member of the media could basically pull up a chair and sit down and chat with Sean Miller, the coach of the league's preseason favorite, Xavier.
Remember 1996, '97 and '98? Neither does anyone else. During that stretch, the A10 put 14 teams in the dance, while the Big East saw 13 teams reach the field of 64. That was then this is now...in the last three years, five A10 schools have made it in and the Big East has countered with...22.
I know it is far from breaking news that the Big East has lapped the A10 like Carl Lewis at the Special Olympics, but c'mon now. Not only has the A10 fallen off the map, but the Missouri Valley has quickly become a higher profile conference and, look out, the CAA is gaining a head of steam. The A10 is dangerously close to becoming insignificant and it's due to a lack of television exposure as a result of their diminishing tourny bids. Facts are facts. This season, two teams from the A10 should make the tournament and if that number doesn't move back to three or four teams per year soon, the ol' Mid-Major stamp will be firmly dropped on the conference's logo.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Chauncey Makes A Case For Himself
Once again, a mascot chosen as one of the 15 Worst Mascots in the country has beaten the hell out of an opposing mascot. This time, Coastal Carolina’s Chauncey spear-tackled James Madison's Duke Dog. The beat down was so severe that the police needed to get involved and the dude portraying Duke Dog got canned by JMU officials.
Nevertheless, I will not remove Chauncey from the Worst List, as I did with the Oregon Duck, because there was no dancing and no taunting.
A perfect form tackle just doesn't cut it.
Sorry Chauncey.
3rd Stop: 33rd & Chestnut
Leaning back in the chair of his spacious office at Drexel's Daskalakis Athletic Center, Bruiser Flint tried to watch a moment of the Georgia Tech-Miami football game. He had one eye on the television, until asked if the sting of being left out of last season's NCAA Tournament still lingers.
"He's gotten better every year he's been here," Flint said. "I don't think anything will be much different. But because of who we lost, people will be able to pay more attention to him, so that's the biggest thing he will have to deal with. He realizes what's in front of him this season."
"We're not the America East Drexel anymore, but guys don't realize that."
"I think the league itself will now get the benefit of the doubt," Flint said. "When it's time to get two or three teams in, the (selection committee) will say, 'OK this is a conference that can consistently compete at that level, they must be pretty good.'
"We've always had borderline second and third teams, (but) at some point you've got to break through the door."
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Holy Hell
Just want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who reads this blog. Yesterday, College Hoops Heaven received its 10,000th hit. Shockingly, this thing seems to be working.
To my friends who read this and post the most ridiculous crap they can think of, I thank you. Boston Rick, Cash, Shags, Kosich the Croation, etc...keep reading, keep posting and keep mocking, this site wouldn't be the same without you. By the way, to BR, my sources are reporting that you've officially converted to a Patriots fan, I hope you and Tom Brady live happily ever after.
More >
Saturday, October 20, 2007
2nd Stop: North Broad Street
It’s 9:30 am on a gorgeous Saturday morning. The traffic on the usually hectic five lane street that runs through the heart of Temple University is sparse. Standing at 1776 N. Broad Street is the The Liacouras Center, the home of Temple basketball. Further down road at 1800 N. Broad St., is McGonigle Hall, the former home of the Owls.
Split the difference.
I’ve been told to go to Pearson Hall, Room 100. The building stands between the Liacouras and McGonigle and is quite insipid. Approaching the building, I’m unsure what to expect, “There are two gyms on either side of me…why am I walking into this school building?”
Strolling through a security turnstile, I hear basketball bouncing.
Pearson 100 – Fran Dunphy’s classroom.
Today’s Lesson: Play defense, or hand in your jersey.
“We need to change the culture and take pride in our defense,” hollers Dunphy, with an unkempt mustache covering his entire upper-lip.
Following a season that saw Temple make the transition from John Chaney’s classic match-up zone defense to Dunphy’s man-to-man style that he perfected at Penn.
Perfection at Temple is still a ways away. 
In 2006, the Owls ranked 10th in the Atlantic 10 in defense, allowing 74.1 ppg, but finished second in steals. While they sported the league’s top two scorers in Dionte Christmas (20 ppg) and Mark Tyndale (19.4 ppg), Dunphy’s group simply couldn’t defend and allowed far too many easy baskets.
“I didn’t do a good job defensively (last year),” Dunphy said. “When I mentioned changing the culture, I’ve really got to do a better job of getting these guys to blame whole, rather than blaming the individual. I take that upon myself, I’ve got to do a better of getting the players to take more responsibility on themselves.”
While Christmas and Tyndale are the most dynamic scoring duo in both the city and the Atlantic 10, they can’t expect to out-gun every opponent. Tyndale was the Atlantic 10’s second-leading scorer, but was only an Honorable Mention for the All-Atlantic 10 team.
Why? The then-junior was one of the worst defenders in the entire conference.
“Last year, we had to catch up with his system,” Tyndale said. “I think have caught on to it and we will be a lot more comfortable this year and do well.”
Some observations:
*Dunphy is calling out his players to be prepared for their season opener against Tennessee. Multiple times, a player would hit a wide open jump shot and Dunphy will walk down the floor yelling, “You know Chris Lofton is gonna hit that shot all day long.”
* Freshman Lavoy Allen (Pennsbury) looked strong and moved well throughout the morning. He will be an integral part of the Owls rotation and could possible start. “We’re throwing him to the wolves,” Dunphy said. “I wish we had the luxury of bringing him along slowly but that's not happening, he'll be O.J.T. – On the job training.”
* Point guard Chris Clarke is as fast as ever. Expect the pint-sized junior to direct the Owls defense and consistently set-up Christmas and Tyndale for open jumpers coming off of back-screens.
* Dunphy is still none-too pleased with the NCAA clearinghouse’s handling of Michael Eric’s academic transcript. The freshman has been deemed academically ineligible due to some of the standardized tests he took in Nigeria.
“They’re supposed to judge these situations on a case-by-case basis,” Dunphy said. “That clearly didn’t happen.”
Friday, October 19, 2007
First Stop: 32nd Street
During my basketball odyssey last weekend, Penn was the only Philly school I was unable to visit in-person. Instead, I had to interview coach Glenn Miller over the phone.
Of the all the local schools, Penn will be the most effected by the departure of last season’s senior class. Yes, Villanova lost Curtis Sumpter, Mike Nardi and Will Sheridan, but they return enough and bring in enough where the Wildcats will survive. Penn, on the other hand, losses Ibby Jabber (2006 and 2007 Ivy League Player of the Year) and Mark Zoller – the two players who carried the Quakers to last season’s NCAA Tournament, while posting a 22-8 (13-1) record. With an OOCS that includes powers like North Carolina and Virginia, it could be a rough first few months for a Penn team that will be searching for an identity and a steady rotation.
Some odds and ends from my chat with second-year coach, Glenn Miller.
> The Quakers leading man in 2007-08 will be returning second-team All-Ivy selection Brian Grandieri, who started all but one game last season, averaging 11.7 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. Grandieri is not spectacular and is not a guy who can throw a team on his back and carry them through the year, he’s just not explosive enough.
“He’s a very solid player,” Miller said. “He is consistent, day-in-and-day-out. I don’t exactly expect him to up his ppg to 18 or anything, but he is very valuable.”
In addition to Grandieri, the Quakers will start 6-foot-4, sophomore guard Darren Smith, who came on late last season and earned a starting role and increased playing time.
“We have a lot of parity on this team,” Miller said. “We don’t have two or three guys that will stand out amongst the pack. We'll have a lot of guys who will contribute and will play a larger rotation.” 
> Expect Miller to play 9-to-11 players, with his six freshmen – 6-foot-6 guard/wing forward Tyler Bernardini (Carlsbad, Calif.), 6-foot-1 point guard Harrison Gaines (Victorville, Calif.), 6-foot-4 guard Remy Cofield (Newton, Mass.), 6-foot-8 forward Jack Eggleston (Noblesville, Ind.), 6-foot-6 forward Danny Monckton (Glenview, Ill.), and 6-foot-7 forward Conor Turley (La Canada, Calif.) – all playing some sort of role.
> Bernardini is the prize of Miller’s large recruiting class. The First-Team All-California (Division IV) selection could find a spot in the Quakers’ starting lineup and was being looked at by a handful of Pac-10 schools prior to signing with Penn.
“He’s very skilled with a high basketball IQ,” Miller said. “He’s a very good shooter and moves well without the ball as a big guard.”
After playing a year without a true point guard (Jabber was clearly more suited to play the two-spot), Penn will welcome Gaines with open arms. The ultra-quick, highly-athletic point guard will get significant minutes leading the Quakers’ attack.
“He will learn on the fly and contribute right away,” Miller said.
> With one-year at Penn under his belt, Miller sounds like he is more comfortable with the hold that he has on the program. After coming to Philadelphia from Brown, Miller replaced Fran Dunphy and his 10 Ivy League championships in 16 years; a daunting task to say the least.
"It’s a huge challenge,” Miller said. “I try to think about what I can control and about being prepared to do the best job that I can, every day. ... I just want to try to duplicate that success or build on it.”
> For more of my thoughts re. Penn’s schedule, go here.
When asked about the schedule, Miller said some of the games were set before he arrived at the school, but he believes a national schedule is expected of Penn.
“Many players come here because they know that we’ll play a strong, national schedule,” Miller said. “Playing those types of games is what Penn Basketball is about.”
Best Gym In The City Poll
If the Palestra were included in this poll, it would undoubtedly receive 100% percent of the votes. With it being excluded, Saint Joseph's Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse ran away with the poll, capturing 78% of the vote. But, lets not kid ourselves. This site was deluged with Hawks over the past week and half because of the posts on Saint Joseph's expansion of the Fieldhouse. I'll run this poll at some point during the year and see if their is a big difference.
Besides The Palestra, What Is The Best Gym/Arena In The City To Watch A Game?
Final Results
The Wachovia Center 2 (2%)
Tom Gola Arena (La Salle) 3 (3%)
Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse (St. Joseph's) 70 (78%)
Liacouras Center (Temple) 3 (3%)
The Pavillion (Villanova) 11 (12%)
