tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79521623077687568092023-11-15T11:32:57.729-05:00Pioneer PrideA College Basketball Blog from a Sacred Heart University alum's statistical, comical, and sometimes tortured perspective.Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15758571797890454317noreply@blogger.comBlogger68125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7952162307768756809.post-63599116451465999842013-02-22T19:19:00.001-05:002013-02-24T12:05:58.045-05:003 Reasons Why You Should Attend Sacred Heart's Last Home Game<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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This Friday, Sacred Heart received a headline from ESPN.com
of all places, but it had nothing to do with the men’s basketball team that
currently sits in seventh place in the Northeast Conference. Instead, it was
focused on Don Cook’s replacement, who will undoubtedly become the most famous
athletic director in the nation, not just in the cozy Northeast.</div>
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In case you have been living under a rock or simply can’t handle
the internet after watching SHU suffer another painstaking loss to Quinnipiac
last night, Bobby Valentine – yes that Bobby Valentine – will take over for Don
Cook on July 1st as the next athletic director for Sacred Heart.
July is more than five months away, so excuse me now as I defer my opinions of
Bobby V for another time. And now with that out of the way, please allow me to
implore you all as to why all Pioneer fans should attend tomorrow basketball
doubleheader at the Pitt Center.<br />
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<b>1) Come Support the Newtown Community</b></div>
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All you have to do is show up and buy a ticket to the
enticing doubleheader between the Sacred Heart and Quinnipiac women and the
Sacred Heart and CCSU men at 3:30 pm. A portion of the proceeds will generously
go to The Newtown Scholarship Association’s Sandy Hook Elementary School
Memorial Scholarship Fund. There will be several events on site for kids,
including an autograph session with both the men’s and women’s teams. Even if
you don’t care much for the product on the Pitt Center floor (trust me, I’m not
a fan sometimes), Saturday is a wonderful opportunity to donate and support the
children of Newtown, CT who’ve dealt with an unfathomable and absolute
nightmare in their quaint town. <br />
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Besides, I can’t think of a better way to spend my Saturday this way: Have a
greasy belt-busting lunch at the Merritt Canteen, get ushered around aimlessly
by SHU’s Public Safety before parking, stop in Sacred Heart’s six million dollar
chapel for a quick prayer, get Femi Akinpetide and Nick Greenbacker’s
autograph, have my face painted, and then watch Sacred Heart battle a couple of
in-state rivals inside the conference. Sounds like great fun to me! (No
seriously, it does…expect for maybe the face painting part.)</div>
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<b>2) Saying Goodbye to a
Sacred Heart Legend<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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They grow up so fast, as it only seems like yesterday that a
skinny Shane Gibson was coming off the Pioneer's bench to bomb threes in
2009. Today’s Shane Gibson is a little more (OK, a LOT more) jacked and has
deservedly earned the title as Sacred Heart’s greatest Division I player of all time.
I mean just look at his career numbers:</div>
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1,981 career points scored (first at SHU and fifth overall in NEC)</div>
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272 made three-pointers (first at SHU and eighth overall in NEC)<br />
41.5% career three-point shooting percentage<br />
85.1% career free throw shooting percentage<br />
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And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. It’s just a wonderful display of
scoring and efficiency and this Saturday is your last chance to catch
Gibson in his home whites. The fifth year senior is likely to crack the 2000
point mark versus CCSU (19 points away), so you’ll also be treated to an opportunity to witness Gibson crack another historic NEC milestone. Seriously, if you consider yourself one of the true 517
Pioneer fans out there, you’d be a damn fool if you missed out on a chance to experience
the sudden rush of calm when Gibson hoists up his patented line drive three-pointer.
There are hardly any better drugs than that, although I bet you could find some
good stuff if you meander down Park Avenue for a few miles. (And remember kids,
don’t forget to say “brown bag” at the shady liquor store counter should you
desire some fiery spirits and lukewarm Natty Lite after 9 PM.)<br />
<br />
In addition, this may be the last time you’ll see Dave Bike patrolling the
sidelines, barking at referees with the same ferocity as my wife directs toward
the TV when she realizes Revenge or The Bachelor is a rerun. This is pure
speculation – and no, I didn’t get this from the same source who told me the
Bobby Valentine interview was a farce, damn you coveted Pioneer Pride source –
but you just never know when the big guy will decide to hang up the <a href="http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/ept_sports_ncaab_experts__22/ept_sports_ncaab_experts-906089418-1291941398.jpg%3FymWowNEDuY0ubYca&imgrefurl=http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger/post/Sacred-Heart-pulls-off-this-season-s-most-unlike?urn%3Dncaab-294011&h=601&w=800&sz=170&tbnid=TmG3sybV_CoiLM:&tbnh=100&tbnw=133&zoom=1&usg=__RddoMxayNUj2N-EYskSJ_2DTsqQ=&docid=eVRVy1Bard3QGM&sa=X&ei=qwgoUab5B6Lh0gGt2IDYCw&ved=0CEIQ9QEwBA&dur=935" target="_blank">outdated, bland grey sports coat</a> for good. Given that Don Cook is leaving, it’s
completely plausible that Bike would do the same when the Pioneers’ season
concludes.<br />
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<b>3) Because You Care About NEC Playoff
Basketball, Stupid!<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Saturday’s basketball doubleheader begins with the second
place lady Pioneers hosting the big bad Quinnipiac Bobcats, who can clinch a #1
seed with a win. You may not enjoy women’s basketball as much, but do your
school proud by showing up to support Ed Swanson’s club. I don’t care what the
sport is, anytime Quinnipiac has a chance to secure a #1 seed in its sports
playoffs on Sacred Heart’s soil, the fans/students need to prevent that from
happening at all costs. (For those interested, here Craig D’Amico’s <a href="http://necwbbroadtrip.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">excellent game preview</a> of Quinnipiac versus Sacred Heart.)<br />
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For the second half of the doubleheader, the seventh place Pioneers will meet
the ninth place Blue Devils for a desperate game of the round ball. This isn’t
far off from a play-in game for the NEC postseason tournament (only the top
eight teams qualify), therefore with both team’s back to the wall, it’s safe to
expect some inspired, high energy play. Both clubs are struggling badly and are
a combined 1-7 in their last eight (thank you Fairleigh
Dickinson!). Soooo, you’re saying someone has a chance to win?!?! Why, yes they
do!<br />
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Moreover, this game promises to employ a quick up-tempo style with both teams gladly pushing the pace. Trust me, this matchup won't imitate your typical Big Ten
battle where the first team to 55 wins the game. I’d expect to see some
fireworks in this one between Gibson and the CCSU’s stars, Kyle Vinales and Matthew
Hunter.<br />
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I hope to see everyone there. I’ll be at center court, a few rows back opposite the benches
intently watching the SHU Dance Te….I mean basketball team. If you see me
shedding a tear after Gibson calmly sinks his fourth three-pointer of the game,
do me a solid and had me a tissue. And also do the same if Howie Dickenman’s
ridiculously shorthanded Blue Devils find a way to pull out a tight one late.</div>
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Until next time...</div>
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<i>Ryan Peters covers
Sacred Heart men’s basketball for Pioneer Pride and <a href="http://nycbuckets.com/" target="_blank">Big Apple Buckets</a>. You can
follow Ryan on Twitter <a href="http://mobile.twitter.com/pioneer_pride" target="_blank">@pioneer_pride</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15758571797890454317noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7952162307768756809.post-70131726498713480082013-02-21T07:10:00.003-05:002013-02-21T07:10:48.183-05:00Rough Times Possibly Ahead for Sacred HeartIt's been a while since I've updated my Sacred Heart blog, because frankly I've been disappointed in their recent results. Phil Gaetano misses a game with the flu, and next thing you know the 2-21 St. Francis Red Flash come into the Pitt Center and defeat the Pioneers, 64-60. So much for cupcakes...<br />
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But now with the NEC is in its home stretch, I at least wanted to give Pioneer fans an update on SHU's current status within the standings. Here's how it looks, both for the standings and head-to-head tiebreakers:<br />
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4) Wagner, 9-5 (lost tiebreaker, 0-1)<br />
5) Quinnipiac, 8-5 (leads tiebreaker, 1-0)<br />
6) Sacred Heart, 7-6<br />
7) Mount St. Mary's, 7-7 (lost tiebreaker, 0-1)<br />
8) Central Connecticut, 6-7 (leads tiebreaker, 1-0)<br />
9) St. Francis Brooklyn, 6-8 (leads tiebreaker, 1-0)<br />
10) Monmouth, 5-9 (leads tiebreaker, 1-0)<br />
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As you all know, the top eight make the NEC postseason and SHU holds a precarious 1.5 game lead on the ninth place St. Francis Terriers. (Don't worry about Monmouth - they need to win out with games at Robert Morris and Wagner.) Yet, SHU controls their own destiny. A critical in-state set with Quinnipiac and CCSU awaits and with those head-to-head tiebreakers currently in Big Red's favor, it would certainly behoove SHU to take care of business this week. If they do, then they'll be in fantastic shape to make the postseason, and who knows, maybe have an outside shot at a home playoff game in the first round of the NEC tournament (top four seeds earn that).<br />
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Unfortunately, the remaining schedule is unkind. So unkind that our advanced statistician friend Ken Pomeroy has projected the Pioneers as significant underdogs (see the percent chance he gives SHU to win each game) in their last three contests, all away from the "friendly confines" of the Pitt Center.<br />
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KenPom Predictions:<br />
2/21: Home vs. Quinnipiac, 74-73 (53%)<br />
2/23: Home vs. Central Connecticut, 82-80 (55%)<br />
2/25: Away at Bryant, 83-72 (20%)<br />
2/28: Away at LIU Brooklyn, 85-75 (21%)<br />
3/2: Away at St. Francis Brooklyn, 78-69 (23%)<br />
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Yikes. This won't be easy, but if SHU can someone win at least two more games, that should get him in. The first step is tonight against Quinnipiac in what could be the last conference battle between the two programs. Is it too much to ask for the fans to show up and support their Pioneers? Please?<br />
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Until next time...<br />
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<i>Ryan Peters covers Sacred Heart Pioneers men's basketball for <a href="http://nycbuckets.com/" target="_blank">Big Apple Buckets</a> and Pioneer Pride. You can follow Ryan on Twitter <a href="http://mobile.twitter.com/pioneer_pride" target="_blank">@pioneer_pride</a>.</i><br />
<br />Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15758571797890454317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7952162307768756809.post-24416105606392298682013-02-05T22:09:00.000-05:002013-02-06T09:52:49.857-05:00Pioneer Pride's All-Favorite Sacred Heart Team<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">As I sat in insufferable traffic heading to work last week, I thought of a good post. (Well, at least I think I did.) How about I publish my all-favorite Sacred Heart men’s basketball team? I’ll select eight or nine of my favorite Pioneers during the program’s 14-year D-I era. Keep in mind this lineup shouldn’t be confused with SHU’s all-time team. Sure, some of these players would easily find their way on that prestigious list, but others would most likely fall short. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let’s begin with my starting five…<br />
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PG: Phil Gaetano, 2010 - present, sophomore</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As Bill Paxton eloquently stated in his <a href="http://www.fairfieldcitizenonline.com/sports/article/Gaetano-s-IQ-for-game-paying-off-for-SHU-4246390.php" target="_blank">latest profile piece</a>, the diminutive Gaetano is a throwback player – a selfless floor general who possesses excellent floor vision, an above average handle, and the late game poise needed to calmly and efficiently run an offense. I’m a sucker for those types of point guards, but they’ve been few and far between during Dave Bike’s D-I tenure. After Tavio Hobson, there hasn’t been a true assist man on this roster until Gaetano arrived for the 2011-12 season. Now in his second year, Gaetano runs the show and almost always gets three to five assists every game that no one else this side of Jason Brickman could possibly get. Sacred Heart is in really good hands for the next two and a half seasons with Gaetano controlling and dishing out the rock.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>SG: Shane Gibson, 2008 - present, senior</b><br />
It’s not his career scoring average of 14.4 ppg - or the 17.7 ppg averaged his past three seasons - that makes Gibson one of my favorites, but rather the efficiency at which he scores the ball. Despite receiving scores of defensive attention anytime Sacred Heart steps on the court, Gibson has always found a way to get his points and keep his Pioneers relatively competitive. His smooth jumper is fun to watch, but sometimes I really enjoy watching the opponent’s reaction after he makes one of his patented “he had no business shooting that” jumpers. The greatest Pioneer ever doesn’t need much space to get off his shot, yet this year the guard seems to be driving to the hole more as defenders crowd him on the perimeter. Gibson only has eight guaranteed games left in his collegiate career, so I encourage you all to witness the 6’2” sharpshooter before it's too late. He will definitely be missed.<br />
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G: Drew Shubik, 2003 - 2007</b><br />
You heard me wax poetic before about Shubik, so it should come as no surprise to anyone that he made the cut on my all-favorite team. Watching the 6'4" guard/wing made Pioneer fans appreciate his game so much more. In his breakout junior season, Shubik finished nationally ranked in effective field goal percentage, steal rate, and assist rate, while also grabbing nearly four rebounds per game. Shubik's versatility from that magical '06-07 season was amazing, but perhaps it was his transformation into a point guard the next season that was his most impressive feat. As a NEC guard, Shubik could simply do it all, even if he didn't appear to be the most physically gifted athlete on the court.<br />
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PF: Joey Henley, 2003 - 2009</b><br />
Henley was your classic easy to root for, high character athlete that Bike covets. The bouncy, yet undersized Henley was often the best athlete on the floor and hardly let his bigger defenders get in the way of a career that included two All-NEC selections. To this day, he’s my favorite Pioneer not only from his on-the-court production, but also because of his teammate and leadership qualities that every star player should aspire to have. It also didn’t hurt that the Washington state native averaged 13.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game as a junior and senior. It’s such a shame Sacred Heart missed out on an NCAA tournament berth in the mid 2000s by a sliver, because Henley certainly deserved better. These days when Sacred Heart recruits and signs a big man, the dream scenario for that prospect is to turn into the next Joey Henley.<br />
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C: Tim Welch, 1999 - 2002</b><br />
Finally, it’s a blast from the past! Welch is the only member of my all-favorite team who played while I attended Sacred Heart. It’s really too bad there isn’t another guy from that era here, but that’s what happens when Sacred Heart averaged only five victories per season in my last two years at the school. Nevertheless, the 6’10” Welch posted very respectable numbers of 9.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game, even though he wasn’t the most physically imposing big man patrolling the paint. Other than Kibwe Trim, you can certainly make the argument that Welch was the most consistent presence in the paint for Sacred Heart in its 14 seasons as a D-I program.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And now onto my sensational bench…<br />
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G/F: Jerrid Frye, 2003 - 2007</b><br />
It was a treat to hear Frye on the Sacred Heart halftime show a few weeks ago, as it brought back fond memories of the short-lived glory days of Pioneer basketball. Frye possessed a silky smooth mid-range game, which these days is simply a lost art. The lengthy Frye was very good at creating off the dribble, attacking the rim, and reeking havoc on the defensive end, which are the main reasons why I enjoyed watching him immensely. Without him, Henley, and Shubik, there’s no NEC finals appearance at Central Connecticut in 2007.<br />
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G: Chris Evans, 2010 - present, junior redshirt</b><br />
There’s a reason why I gave Evans the nickname of “The Future” during his freshman season. The do-it-all player from nearby Stamford filled up the stat sheet and wasn’t one of those one-trick pony guards who just camps out at the three-point line waiting for someone else to create his shot. After his standout All-NEC Rookie team freshman campaign though, Evans played his second season with a bad wheel, which unfortunately hasn’t improved since undergoing offseason meniscus surgery. I maintain Evans’ omission from the Pioneers' current roster is their biggest loss and I doubt I’m alone in that sentiment. Hopefully with fingers crossed, the playmaker can get healthy once again. At this point, I may spray deer antler extract into his mouth next time I see him at a game.<br />
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G: Chauncey Hardy, 2006 - 2010</b><br />There was just something about the barely 6’0” guard that was so endearing to watch. He didn’t seem to have a weakness or a wonderful strength – Hardy was the type of player who could do everything at an above average level. He could pull up and shoot the three (career 41.0% 3PT), create off the dribble, fasciliate when needed on offense (career 3.0 apg), and play steady defense. After being selected to the All-NEC Rookie Team in his freshman campaign, Hardy oddly never matured into an all-conference selection, but nonetheless averaged at least 10.1 points, 2.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.3 steals in his final three seasons. It was one of those quietly productive NEC careers. May Chauncey rest in peace.<br />
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G: Corey Hassan, 2008 - 2011</b><br />The New Hampshire kid with the moniker "Hassan the assassin" cements my bench as the lethal three point specialist. Truth be told, Hassan did so much more than that for Bike, earning him an eventual NEC scoring title and an All-NEC Second Team selection. His quirky shooting stroke may not have produced the prettiest mechanics, but Pioneer fans always felt good when Hassan’s rainbow arc shot was heading toward the basket.<br />
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Sure, it’s a small team overall, but Dave Bike loves guards so I felt this was only fitting. Do you have a favorite Pioneer I left out?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Until next time...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Ryan Peters covers Sacred Heart men's basketball for Pioneer Pride and <a href="http://nycbuckets.com/" target="_blank">Big Apple Buckets</a>. You can follow Ryan on Twitter <a href="http://mobile.twitter.com/pioneer_pride" target="_blank">@pioneer_pride</a></i></span></div>
Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15758571797890454317noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7952162307768756809.post-61068818526982470302013-02-03T09:29:00.001-05:002013-02-03T12:57:37.143-05:00Sacred Heart Drops Second Straight to Mount St. Mary's, Now 6-4 in NEC<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You know the old basketball coach saying: "When you allow your opponents to shoot 63% from the floor, commit nine turnovers, lose the battle on the boards by eight, and permit the opposing team's top scorer to net 23 points in the first half, then you probably gosh darnit dug yourself an insurmountable hole to climb out of."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">OK, no one probably ever said that, but that quote was running through my mind as I witnessed the best half of Jamion Christian's tenure as the Mount St. Mary's coach, and perhaps the worst half of Sacred Heart's conference season. It just was one of those halves. Mount St. Mary's Rashad Whack was unconscious in the first stanza, draining all five of his three-point attempts en route to 23 first half points. If you just include Whack, SHU possessed a tidy 27-23 lead at the half!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unfortunately for the Pioneers, eight other Mountaineers scored the basketball in the first half, which ballooned the Mount's advantage to 23 points. That, my friends, is a really difficult hole to climb out off.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"They took it to us and didn't miss. We didn't guard them and they had - I would venture to say it - one of their better halves," said a disappointed Dave Bike after the game. "I told the guys, for us to be any good, we have to be on all cylinders or close to it."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For Mount St. Mary's coach Jamion Christian, the first half was the type of basketball the 30 year old coach had dreamed of since taking the job this past offseason. Drain threes, force turnovers, and have their opponent back on their heels with a frenetic tempo. It was Mount Mayhem personified.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Every now and again, you get a chance to see a glimpse of how good we can be offensively, because we have a lot of different guys that can play a lot of positions and score the ball," said Christian. "I thought the key of the game today in the first half is we played very unselfishly. Really shared the ball well and that's what I'm most proud of my team in sharing the ball. That's big." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sacred Heart, as awful as that perimeter defense was in the first half, came out with their usual fight in the second half. After blowing several opportunities to cut the Mount's deficit to single digits, SHU finally broke through after two made free throws by Shane Gibson. The problem was there was less than two minutes left in the game, and by then KenPom's probability odds of coming back had essentially evaporated away.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's been a storyline all too familiar for SHU; in fact, today was the ninth time in 21 games where Sacred Heart fell behind by at least double digits, only to furiously come back and cut the deficit to less than ten, and at least give themselves a chance at pulling out the upset. Remarkably, the cardiac Pioneers have won four of those games in which they dug themselves a brutal hole (Yale, Stony Brook, St. Francis Brooklyn, Monmouth), but that certainly isn't the way a supposed NEC contender should play throughout the season.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"I think we have the spunk," said SHU head coach Dave Bike. "We just have to play better."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Offensively, the Pioneers played pretty well, especially in the second half. Louis Montes has his seventh double digit effort of the NEC season with a team high 21 points. Freshman forward De'Aires Tate once again played 20+ minutes and made the most of it, having the best game of his young career with 14 points, eight rebounds, and two blocks (all are career highs). Steve Glowiak had another solid effort with 11 points (3 of 6 from behind the arc) and currently leads the team with 31 steals this season. The guard from hard hitting New Britain has helped the Pioneers off the ball in his sophomore campaign, which was something I complained about last season as he was morphing into an insufferable ball-chucker.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And finally, Shane Gibson may have had an off night shooting the basketball (6-15 from the floor), but one of the best players of the NEC had 18 points, a season high six assists, six rebounds, and three steals. Still, if the opposing team is able to lock down Gibson from behind the arc (only 1 of 5), it makes things much more difficult for Dave Bike's squad.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Rashad [Whack] did a great job (guarding Gibson)," said Christian. "Any time you're playing against a great player, you know he's going to hit some tough shots, you know he's going to make some. We really put the emphasis on whoever was guarding Gibson tonight. Whack did an unbelievable job just taking away shots and making him shoot twos."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Whack did have himself an unbelievable game, scoring a career high 35 points on 16 shots, grabbing four rebounds, dishing out three assists, and </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">fighting hard through the off-the-ball screens to remain in Gibson's face all night. It was pretty darn close to the NEC single game performance of the season, in my opinion.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">Mount St. Mary's freshman point guard Shivaugn Wiggins had 13 points and six assists in a season high 32 minutes. It's unknown whether his excellent play of late has begun to phase out junior guard Josh Castenallos, who only played five minutes Saturday night. Castellanos has been dealing with injuries throughout the season. The win moves Mount St. Mary's into ninth place in the conference with a record of 4-6.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Despite the two game losing streak, SHU find themselves in decent position, now tied for third place with a record of 6-4 in the NEC. They have a very good top four of Gibson, Montes, Glowiak, and Phil Gaetano, but with all of the injuries and youth in the front court, the depth remains the biggest issue for this team. It was evident in the past two games. Without ball handlers and perimeter defenders Chris Evans and Evan Kelley, this team will struggle against pressure defenses like Wagner and Mount St. Mary's, hence the 43 turnovers committed in the past two games.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whether or not the team can overcome their shortened bench remains the biggest question, but at the very least, the cardiac kids in the red and white have made this conference season interesting to watch. And after witnessing the past few mediocre seasons, it's fun to see SHU have a chance to make some noise.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ryan Peters covers Sacred Heart men's basketball for Pioneer Pride and <a href="http://nycbuckets.com/" target="_blank">Big Apple Buckets</a>. You can follow Ryan on Twitter <a href="http://mobile.twitter.com/pioneer_pride" target="_blank">@pioneer_pride</a></span></i></div>
Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15758571797890454317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7952162307768756809.post-76913133104724932282013-01-31T08:09:00.001-05:002013-01-31T09:27:11.085-05:00Louis Montes Emerging as a Reliable Second Option for Sacred Heart<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px;">After looking a bit tired and lethargic during their home game versus Monmouth, Sacred Heart began to make their comeback, thanks to Shane Gibson. The All-NEC performer scored 19 straight points – eleven of them from the charity stripe - in the second half to quickly erase a double digit Monmouth lead.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Soon thereafter, Monmouth head coach King Rice did everything he could to possibly end Gibson’s remarkable run. With his team leading 68-67 and about four minutes left on the clock, the Hawks wisely doubled Gibson near the top of the key. Gibson skipped a pass left to Phil Gaetano, who then quickly pushed the ball to a wide open Louis Montes sitting behind the three-point line. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Said Rice after the game, “I kind of wanted Montes to take that shot.”<br />
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Montes, despite shooting an uncharacteristic 15.4% from three-point land (on only 26 attempts) for the season, did take the shot. And he swished it, much to the delight of the 1,614 fans present at the Pitt Center.<br />
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Then after getting a defensive stop, there was Gaetano again feeding an open Montes left of the rim. As the junior was hacked on his way up for the lay-up, he slightly adjusted midair and finished the play. He made the ensuing free throw to give the Pioneers a 73-68 advantage. It was a lead they would not relinquish.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“I like when [Montes] makes the threes the old fashion way,” said Sacred Heart head coach Dave Bike after the game. “I think that’s so important.”<br />
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Montes finished with 25 points – nine of them in the final 4:04 – to help lead Sacred Heart to an improbable 6-2 start in the conference, giving them a share of the first place lead along with Robert Morris and Bryant. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Given the team’s 2-9 record after 11 non-conference games, the notion of Sacred Heart challenging for a NEC crown would have been construed as far-fetched. In the offseason, however, the Pioneers were a somewhat trendy pick to crack the NEC top five, especially when factoring in the return of Montes, power forward Justin Swidowski, and guards Evan Kelley and Chris Evans. A more consistent effort out of those four behind Gibson could elevate Sacred Heart from a middle of the pack NEC team to a legitimate league contender.<br />
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The problem is, as you all know by now, Montes is the only player of the aforementioned group who has avoided the trainer’s table this season. Kelley and Evans are out for the season with knee injuries, while Swidowski has missed the past four games with a dislocated shoulder.<br />
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“I knew Chris [Evans] maybe was still going to be out and we share the ‘3’ spot, so I was working out just to make sure if he doesn’t come back, then I was going to be ready,” said Montes. “Then when Evan [Kelley] went out, it made me work even harder.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Montes spent the majority of his offseason working out at least two times per day with Gaetano, in order to hone his ball-handling and perimeter skills. As a 6’4” forward who can play the “3” or “4” on an injury depleted roster, Montes’ versatility is even more valuable these days.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"I'll do whichever one I can," said Montes when asked if he prefers the perimeter or post. "They'll put a big man on me at the '4,' and that's when I know I can take him out. Or if they put a small guy on me, that's when I know I can post them up. Obviously, I'm pretty versatile with that."</span></div>
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The extra work done this offseason has paid off. To date, Montes finds himself in the top 15 of the NEC in points (14.0) and rebounds (6.6) per game and has demonstrated more consistency on a game-to-game basis. Montes has broken the ten points, five rebounds threshold 11 times this season. Last year he only achieved the goal in nine games.<br />
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“I just didn’t want to have a bad year like last year,” said Montes. “I mean I had spurts of good games, but obviously I wasn’t in as good of shape as I am now.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Dave Bike agrees. “[Louis] came in better physical condition and his motor’s better. He realized there's a direct correlation in the condition he’s in and his performance.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In a way, the Pioneers will only go as far as Gibson and Montes (who are roommates by the way) will take them. Without significant production from either of them on a game by game basis, the Pioneers will likely struggle to add to their already surprising NEC win total. </span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ryan Peters covers Sacred Heart men's basketball for Pioneer Pride and <a href="http://nycbuckets.com/" target="_blank">Big Apple Buckets</a>. You can follow Ryan on Twitter <a href="http://mobile.twitter.com/pioneer_pride" target="_blank">@pioneer_pride</a></span></i></div>
Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15758571797890454317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7952162307768756809.post-81670477441112081072013-01-29T19:22:00.001-05:002013-01-29T19:22:24.360-05:00Bobby Valentine a Candidate For Sacred Heart AD?I officially heard it all regarding Sacred Heart athletics. Today, Bill Paxton of the Connecticut Post <a href="http://www.ctpost.com/sports/article/Source-Bobby-V-interviewed-for-SHU-AD-4232480.php" target="_blank">reported that former New York Mets and Boston Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine is a candidate</a> to replace the retiring and beloved Don Cook as Sacred Heart athletic director. <br />
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There is no word if Art Howe or Dallas Green has any interest in the job.<br />
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In all seriousness, my initial emotion upon hearing the news was: “Wow, maybe I could meet him. Awesome!” (I’m a simple guy with a simple mind after all.) After further thought and filtering out my emotion as a lifelong and long suffering Mets and Bobby V fan, I began to wonder why exactly the best manager in recent Mets history would be qualified as an athletic director. I know he invented the sandwich wrap, but what exactly does he know about college athletics, budgets, and finding the right wrestling, fencing, or basketball coach?<br />
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I went back to relive the Bobby V history and thanks to <a href="http://defiantlydutch.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Defiantly Dutch’s</a> tweets, I fondly recall the Bobby V that tirelessly fundraised and volunteered to help those in need after 9/11. The hard work and exhaustive commitment he displayed as the manager of the Mets at the time to those families in need made me proud to be a Mets fan. Really, it’s so easy to forget those days after the recent one year debacle Bobby V went through up in Boston. If only he didn’t decide to <a href="http://www.weei.com/sports/boston/baseball/red-sox/rob-bradford/2012/10/04/three-key-moments-bobby-valentine-hit-acceler" target="_blank">pick on poor Mike Aviles</a> after three days of training camp…<br />
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So, could Bobby V as an athletic director raise money for the university? Sure, why not. Could he given his determined work ethic and hands-on approach quickly adapt to the rigors of managing a Division I college athletic department? It seems likely. When you think about it, the Sacred Heart hierarchy certainly knows what they’re doing, thus I’m more likely to trust their original intuition that Bobby V is a worthy candidate for the job. Who am I to say he’d be an awful hire?<br />
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Before we get ahead of ourselves, however, please note that there are many more candidates for the athletic director position. Valentine is clearly the most notable of the group highlighted by Paxton, but that doesn’t make him the favorite to land the gig. Sacred Heart President John Petillo and his ties to Seton Hall University shouldn’t be ignored, as there appears to be plenty of candidates working in South Orange, NJ.<br />
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I’d like to see what you, the Sacred Heart and NEC fans think. Do you feel Bobby V would be a good hire? Please let me know in the poll above and if you’d like to elaborate further, feel free to do so in the comments section.<br />
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Until next time…<br />
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<i>Ryan Peters covers Sacred Heart men’s basketball for Pioneer Pride and <a href="http://nycbuckets.com/" target="_blank">Big Apple Buckets</a>. You can follow Ryan on Twitter<a href="http://mobile.twitter.com/pioneer_pride" target="_blank"> @pioneer_pride</a></i>Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15758571797890454317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7952162307768756809.post-68701730021670655752013-01-29T08:44:00.002-05:002013-01-29T08:44:26.789-05:00Four Thoughts on Why Sacred Heart is in First PlaceI'm a guy of science that typically values statistics over emotion or gut feelings. I feel the need to mention this because of what I'm about to say. I don't believe in jinxes and karma on the basketball court. So here goes nothing...<br />
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I feel this year's Sacred Heart Pioneers could be a team of destiny. I feel utterly ridiculous saying that, but there's just something special about this team that defies logic sometimes. How else do you explain missing three of your seven best players to injury yet still finding a way to have a share of the first place lead in the NEC? Advanced statistics be damned, this team may have what it takes to go to the NCAA tournament come March.<br />
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It's been a while since I've updated this site (sorry I'm a busy man), but I wanted to list the four biggest reasons why the Pioneers are in the improbable position they currently find themselves in. Here we go...<br />
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<b>1) Shane Gibson, stupid!</b><br />
It was a rough non-conference season for Gibson, as last year's NEC Player of the Year runner-up (I'm simply making this up, but I do believe he was second to Julian Boyd last year) struggled in multiple games this season. Once conference play began however, Gibson has been absolutely brilliant. The senior leads the NEC in scoring (25.4 ppg), free throw percentage (91.1% in 56 attempts), and is second in three-pointers made per game (3.25/game). In SHU's impressive home stand, Gibson averaged an efficient 29.5 ppg in two tremendous victories over previously unbeaten Bryant and feisty Monmouth. Against Monmouth, Gibson at one point scored 19 straight points for SHU! The two game effort was good enough to earn Gibson <a href="http://www.northeastconference.org/news/2013/1/28/MBB_0128134355.aspx" target="_blank">NEC Player of the Week honors</a>. The senior is rolling again.<br />
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<b>2) Phil Gaetano is Turning Into One of the Best Pure Point Guards in the NEC, Check That, in the Country!</b><br />
I've been <a href="http://nycbuckets.com/2013/01/awardsthoughts-from-a-whirlwind-day-of-nec-hoops/" target="_blank">touting the wonders of sophomore Phil Gaetano</a> over at Big Apple Buckets, who in reality was supposed to share the point guard duties with junior Evan Kelley this season. But then Kelley's kneecap blew out, therefore Gaetano is averaging a team high 35 minutes per game. The 5'10" floor general has certainly taken advantage, as he now has 75 assists against 21 turnovers in eight NEC games. That's an amazing assist to turnover ratio of 3.57, easily tops in the conference. In addition, his 7.8 assists/game is good enough for fifth in the entire nation. I could continue to praise Gaetano, but allow me to quote Monmouth head coach King Rice after Saturday night's game. Here's what the former point guard had to say about Gaetano:<br />
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"The key to their [team] is Shane, obviously, but Gaetano gets 8 assists in the half. That's the biggest thing when you have someone as steady as Gaetano and he's getting guys baskets that no one else is getting guys baskets like that in our league. You watch him in warmups, he's talking to the guys on the team telling them what we're going to do today. Then he goes and sits with Shane. You're the point guard and you're sitting with the main guy and I know he's saying 'you know man, I'm coming to you, I'm coming to you.' Gaetano runs the show."<br />
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<b>3) Secondary Players Are Stepping Up</b><br />
This goes without saying, especially when SHU has Justin Swidowski, Chris Evans, and Evan Kelley in street clothes every game. Steve Glowiak, who was expected to play the role of sharpshooting guard off the bench, has stepped in and given SHU double digits points in five out of eight conference games. He's shooting a solid 39.4% from behind the arc, after stinking up the joint last season with a 24.0% mark.<br />
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Louis Montes, who will have a post purely dedicated to him shortly, has been excellent as well, averaging 15.5 ppg (7th in the NEC) and 6.5 rpg (13th in the NEC). I hate to go all advanced statistics on you, but it's a good thing that Montes is nationally ranked in offensive rebounding percentage and fouls drawn per 40 minutes. The undersized forward is a load down low, and opposing defenders are clearly having a difficult time defending the versatile, yet physically imposing Montes.<br />
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Finally in the frontcourt, newcomers Mostafa Abdel-Latif, De'Aires Tate, and Tevin Falzon have all given Dave Bike significant contributions when needed. On Saturday with an ineffective Abdel-Latif and Nick Greenbacker on the bench, Falzon came in and scored 7 points while grabbing 9 rebounds. |<br />
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(<i>Note:</i> At one point, Falzon did miss an easy layup, which prompted an angry old man next to me to scream that Bike should put "that bum" on the bench. Comically, Falzon's family was sitting right in front of the old geezer, although none of them turned around to glare at him.)<br />
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<b>4) Playing a Little Defense</b><br />
I'm kind when I say that Dave Bike teams are typically terrible defensive teams. He likes offense, he likes guards that score, and he likes high shooting percentages. Well, SHU is scoring, there's no denying that with an offense that rates in the upper third of the NEC, but it could be the decent defensive effort that's pulling some of these games out. The Pioneers are second in the conference in effective field goal percentage defense and near the middle of league in points allow per possession (1.02 PPP). It doesn't sound all that awesome, but when compared to previous seasons, this is a stark improvement.<br />
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SHU may be 6-2 in the league, but there's still plenty of season ahead to them. They have to travel to all three NYC schools, Bryant, and Mount St. Mary's before the season concludes, so it won't be easy to close out on a high note. At the very least, the Pioneers have put themselves in an excellent position nearly halfway through the season. They've taken care of business at home (4-0), while staying competitive in every single game so far this season. The upcoming road trip at Wagner and Mount St. Mary's will provide another test for Dave Bike's group.<br />
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By the way, if you'd like to hear me talk about SHU and the NEC on the Sacred Heart halftime show from Saturday night's game, go <a href="http://necfrontrow.com/fulleventvideo.php?SHU-498" target="_blank">here</a>. The interview begins at the 55:10 mark.<br />
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Until next time...<br />
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<i>Ryan Peters covers Sacred Heart men's basketball for Pioneer Pride and <a href="http://nycbuckets.com/" target="_blank">Big Apple Buckets</a>. You can follow Ryan on Twitter <a href="http://mobile.twitter.com/pioneer_pride" target="_blank">@pioneer_pride</a></i>Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15758571797890454317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7952162307768756809.post-82110714032095444442013-01-22T20:33:00.000-05:002013-01-22T20:34:24.498-05:00Justin Swidowski Doubtful to Play This Week for Sacred Heart<span style="font-size: 12px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sacred Heart was without the services of senior Justin Swidowski for their long Pennsylvania road trip last week, and it appears he’ll be out for at least a little longer. According to SHU assistant coach Anthony Latina, Swidowski is unlikely to suit up for their two home games this week against Bryant and Monmouth.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“He's doubtful for Thursday and this weekend," said Latina on Tuesday morning.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Swidowski dislocated his right shoulder in practice approximately a week ago. The MRI came up negative, yet the Pioneers are exercising extreme caution before declaring Swidowski fit to play. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The latest injury adds to the unfortunate rash of shoulder problems encountered by Swidowski in his collegiate career. The 6’9” power forward had surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder this offseason. He barely made it back in time to begin the season and has seen a significant drop in his production as a result. Despite the bouts of inconsistency though, Latina felt Swidowski was beginning to find his rhythm on the court.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“It's disappointing, because [Swidowski] was really starting to turn the corner and play well,” said Latina. "He's a kid in this league that can really score, inside and out."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In addition, Chris Evans will redshirt this season, thanks to a nagging knee injury that hasn’t improved since he underwent meniscus surgery last offseason. Evans had been sporadically practicing in an attempt to return this season, but his long shot comeback attempt appears to be over.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Evans, along with redshirt guard Evan Kelley who had knee surgery in December, will have two years of eligibility left beginning next season. The injuries, although untimely, give Sacred Heart an impressive foursome of junior guards next season in Evans, Kelley, Steve Glowiak, and point guard Phil Gaetano.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Without the versatile Swidowski in the lineup, the Pioneers will rely on senior Nick Greenbacker, and newcomers De’Aires Tate, Mostafa Abdel-Latif, and Tevin Falzon in the frontcourt. Femi Akinpetide, who wasn’t with the team for the past seven games because of personal reasons, is back on campus and will be in uniform Thursday night. It’s unknown whether he’ll receive any playing time, however, after a long layoff.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One player who is expected to see a significant amount of playing time this coming week is Tate. The 6’6” freshman had 24 points, nine rebounds, four steals, and two blocks in his last two games combined. Tate's play has possibly elevated him as the first big man off the bench.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“De'Aires' play is very encouraging," said Latina. "We always knew he was extremely athletic and he could make plays that other guys in the league can't make. It was just a matter of being completely comfortable out there with what we're doing. Once he gets comfortable, and he's trending that way, he has a chance to be very good ... because of his length and athleticism.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thanks to the numerous injuries this roster has suffered, Sacred Heart will need players like Tate and Falzon to step up if they want to legitimately compete for a NEC title. Sacred Heart's showdown with the first place Bryant Bulldogs on Thursday will immediately test the Pioneer's depth. It remains to be seen how they'll respond.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ryan Peters covers Sacred Heart men's basketball for Pioneer Pride and <a href="http://nybuckets.com/" target="_blank">Big Apple Buckets</a>. You can follow Ryan on Twitter <a href="http://mobile.twitter.com/pioneer_pride" target="_blank">@pioneer_pride</a></span></i></div>
Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15758571797890454317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7952162307768756809.post-23625190071770527212013-01-06T09:50:00.002-05:002013-01-06T11:45:57.034-05:00Sacred Heart Finishes Off St. Francis to Win First Two NEC GamesI don't ever remember saying this about any of my favorite sports teams, but four wins and nine losses has never looked so damn good. Especially when you throw in that perfect 2-0 NEC record!<br />
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It seems ridiculous to celebrate after a team has won merely 31% of their games, but after one of the worst non-conference seasons I have ever witnessed as a Sacred Heart alum, I needed this. Any of the 500 fans who showed up at the Pitt Center yesterday needed this. The Pioneers have righted the ship by sweeping their two game home-stand against the Brooklyn schools to open the conference season. So everything is OK now, right?<br />
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Well, not exactly.<br />
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Sure, I'm a glass half-empty guy when talking about my Pioneers, yet these are two games that SHU desperately needed to win, which they did by the slimmest of margins. The two victories gave SHU a share of first place along with Wagner and Bryant (who could have guessed that?), but I'm far from celebrating this momentous occasion.<br />
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(Seriously Ryan, stop being a freaking baby. Just be happy they have a share of the first place lead. It could be worse. You could be a fan of Robert Morris, who's coach just called his team a bunch of wimpy, noncompetitive boys after two home losses to Bryant and CCSU.)<br />
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OK. OK. I'll humor you this time. After all, I should oblige. Especially after Mount St. Mary's head coach Jamion Christian congratulated me on SHU's win after HIS OWN press conference last night (he was in a good mood after their solid win over Monmouth).<br />
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Just let it be known that the Pioneers were fortunate to be only down five at halftime of their home showdown with St. Francis Brooklyn. The Terrier big men missed a number of easy putbacks and shots inside the paint (which included a comical two minute sequence from St. Francis center Matt Milk, poor guy), and luckily SHU took advantage by closing the first stanza on an 8-0 run. It should have been a much bigger deficit.<br />
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In second half, however, the Pioneers played like the title contending team I had originally envisioned. For the first time all season, Justin Swidowski played an absolutely dominating five minutes of basketball, registering 12 points on only five shots. He did his damage from both inside and out, and was the spark that kept in the Pioneers in the game throughout the second half. After his three-point play (the good old fashion way) capped off a 12-1 run to tie the game at 47, it was an entirely whole new game.<br />
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Despite the second half surge though, SHU still couldn't get over the hump. Anytime the Pioneers had an opportunity to seize control of the game, there was St. Francis power forward - and future All-NEC first teamer - Jalen Cannon doing damage in the paint. The shorthanded Pioneers frontcourt, sans Femi Akinpetide (personal issue) and Tevin Falzon (academic issue), were no match for the bulky sophomore, as he once again impressed with an array of smooth post moves and an uncanny ability to grab rebounds on both sides of the floor. Cannon finished with 20 points and 16 rebounds.<br />
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(Quick side note: The SHU radio announcer said this about Cannon during the game, "Jalen Cannon is becoming one of the better players in the NEC." That certainly is the understatement of the year!)<br />
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Luckily for the Pioneers, a player who has already earned All-NEC first team honors in Shane Gibson played like a star yesterday. It was vintage Gibson (28 points on 17 shots), as he scored the final four points of the contest to will his team to victory. Rather than hoisting up a contested 25 footer in SHU's final possession, Gibson wisely drove past his man and was fouled by Akeem Johnson as he attempted the game winning layup. Gibson then calmly swished both free throws with five seconds left to give the Pioneers their first lead since they were up 3-0.<br />
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SHU, of course, held on and will now embark on an arduous four game road trip. The first week keeps the Pioneers in Connecticut for critical in-state battles with CCSU and Quinnipiac. The second leg finds Dave Bike and company in Western PA to face St. Francis (PA) and an angry and winless (in the NEC anyway) Robert Morris club.<br />
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Anything less than a split of those four games will be disappointing, but given the wild wild NEC (sorry I had to steal that phrase from Colonial Corner writer Andrew Chiappazzi), you never know what is going to happen. Yet with the wide openness of the conference, SHU has a chance. If Shane Gibson can consistently return into that dynamic player from a season ago, if Justin Swidowski is finally back full healthy from his shoulder surgery, and if role players like point guard Phil Gaetano continue to produce (19 assists versus five turnovers, four of six from three-point range in both conference games so far), then who the hell knows what this team can do.<br />
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I'm not celebrating the 4-9 Pioneers yet, but I'd be lying to you if I said there wasn't a fist pump ... or twenty in the Peters' household last night.<br />
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Until next time...<br />
<br />
<i>Ryan Peters covers Sacred Heart men's basketball for Pioneer Pride and <a href="http://nycbuckets.com/" target="_blank">Big Apple Buckets</a>. You can follow Ryan on Twitter <a href="http://mobile.twitter.com/pioneer_pride" target="_blank">@pioneer_pride</a></i><br />
<br />Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15758571797890454317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7952162307768756809.post-13536247442966002122013-01-03T07:42:00.000-05:002013-01-06T11:52:01.294-05:00NEC Play Offers Sacred Heart a Fresh Start<br />
January 3, 2013 offers a clean slate for the 12 Northeast Conference (NEC) teams, because at the low mid-major level winning the NEC title is practically the only avenue these teams have toward qualifying for the NCAA tournament. For the 2-9 Sacred Heart Pioneers, the fresh start offers a much needed reprieve from the evident struggles of the non-conference season. Sacred Heart assistant coach Anthony Latina clearly agrees.<br />
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"Obviously, our record is not where we want it to be," said Latina. "But I think [the players] understand it's about league play. I think for the most part, the guys have worked very hard and are positive and are trying to turn this thing around."<br />
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Latina then added, "The last time we played this poorly [in non-conference] was Drew Shubik's senior year (2007-08 season). We had an identical non-conference record, and we ended up going 13-5 [in the NEC]. We were one game out of first and ended up getting to the NEC title game. The point is after we were 2-9 [in the 2007-08 season], we were a possession away from going to the NCAA tournament and three years ago we were 7-4 [in non-conference] and didn't make the [NEC] playoffs. We've been on both ends of it. Obviously, you don't want to finish 2-9, but doing well or not well in non-conference really has had no bearing on predicting how we'd do in conference play."<br />
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The first conference game of the season offers SHU an opportunity with a shorthanded LIU Brooklyn club traveling to Fairfield. The Blackbirds will be without the services of starters Julian Boyd (injury/suspension), Jamal Olasewere (suspension), and C.J. Garner (suspension). It will make things very difficult for the defending NEC champions out of the gate, but SHU needs to take full advantage.<br />
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"You never want to say it's a must win with 18 games left to go, but I would say it's an important game," said Latina. "I would say it's an important game, especially because we haven't played well. So from a confidence standpoint, from a momentum standpoint I would say it's very important to get out of the gate and play well."<br />
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Latina did warn that an element of surprise could play a role in the outcome of tonight's game however. "Obviously if you ask LIU, they would rather have Olasewere and Garner playing, but from a preparation standpoint you are going to be seeing some guys who haven't been playing as much. You don't really know what they can do and can't do."<br />
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SHU will also be a little shorthanded in the frontcourt. Senior power forward Femi Akinpetide is unlikely to play as he's dealing with a personal issue. Tevin Falzon, although he's fully eligible and will dress with the team tonight, hasn't played recently because the team has disciplined him due to recent academic issues. Whether or not he sees some time in tonight's game will be a game-time decision.<br />
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Despite the injuries to Evan Kelley and Chris Evans and the thinned out frontcourt depth, the Pioneers are desperate to prove to their fans and the league that they are a better team then their 2-9 record indicates.<br />
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"I think you'll see a team that will play much better; I'm confident in that," said Latina the night before their first conference game. "And before the La Salle and GW games which were debacles, I thought we were certainly heading in the right direction. We lost to a very good Stony Brook team who I thought we outplayed for most of the game."<br />
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Added Latina, "I do think we have enough - even with the injuries [to Evans and Kelley] - to be a factor. We have enough weapons to be a factor. Now are we the most talented team? No, losing those two guys you can't expect to be."<br />
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It will certainly be interesting to see how the Pioneers respond. These days, the goals have been shortened to a day-by-day basis, because as Latina explains, you're only as good as your next practice or next game.<br />
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"I think the way you have to approach it, when your team has won a league championship like a LIU or Robert Morris, I think winning a league championship should be discussed. I think when you are a team like us, you have to think more on a short-term basis. We have to play better tomorrow. We have to focus on being better tomorrow."<br />
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Today will be an excellent test for the struggling Pioneers. Can they take advantage of a shorthanded LIU club, or will this brutal season continue to spiral out of the control?<br />
<br />
<i>Ryan Peters covers Sacred Heart men's basketball for Pioneer Pride and <a href="http://nycbuckets.com/" target="_blank">Big Apple Buckets</a>. You can follow Ryan on Twitter <a href="http://mobile.twitter.com/pioneer_pride" target="_blank">@pioneer_pride</a></i>Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15758571797890454317noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7952162307768756809.post-45647861237369911872013-01-02T08:00:00.000-05:002013-01-02T08:06:35.801-05:00Sacred Heart's Ugly Mid-Season Report<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">This must be
rock bottom, because I have a hard time envisioning the Sacred Heart Pioneers
falling any lower.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">After blowout
losses (and I can’t highlight the word blowout enough) to Atlantic 10 clubs La
Salle and George Washington over the holiday break, SHU is officially reeling. The
losses were the sixth and seventh straight setbacks for the Pioneers, as their
record has fallen to an unsightly, unfathomable 2-9 on the season. In fact, it's the worst
start for SHU since the '04-05 season, when they lost 13 of their first 14
games. Somebody, please hold me.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Even though I'm
in a fragile mental state and can't be trusted to provide an objective opinion
regarding my beloved alma mater, I nevertheless felt this was a great
opportunity to briefly evaluate the hapless Pioneers. So with NEC conference play on
the horizon, I will provide an expectedly dire mid-season report, complete with
grades!</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">This should be
fun, just make sure you hide your children before continuing on. I may vent
just a bit.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">OFFENSE: C-</span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The offense
hasn’t been as reliable as it was last year, which is mildly perplexing since
only Stan Dulaire was lost from last year’s roster. Through 11 games, SHU
offensive numbers are a little worse than average, which given the defense's performance, isn't good enough to win games. The injuries to Evan Kelley and Chris Evans have made life that much more difficult for Shane Gibson, who after a monster junior season, has been disappointingly average. Gibson is certainly attempting to shoulder the load offensively, as he's attempted nearly 36% of the Pioneers' total shots. Only one player on the Pioneer roster has a Ken Pomeroy positive offensive rating in Steve Glowiak, although that mark is regressing back to the average now that teams are beginning to realize the sharpshooter is a bit like a one-trick pony. Justin Swidowski hasn't looked dominant since returning from offseason shoulder surgery, and while Louis Montes has improved significantly, he hasn't been terribly efficient shooting the basketball (especially on the perimeter, where he's only sank one of 18 three-pointer attempts). </span><br />
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Overall, you have an offense that is plagued with occasional shooting slumps. It surely makes life difficult with the Pioneers atrocious defense. More on that below...</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">DEFENSE: D-</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">A Dave Bike
coached team will never be mistaken for Rick Pitino's suffocating Louisville
defenses, that's for damn sure, but the defensive effort this season has been
utterly atrocious. It was only fitting that the Pioneers gave up 66 (yes, 66)
points in the first half of their loss to La Salle. SHU isn’t defending on the
perimeter (opponents are shooting nearly 37% from behind the arc), forcing
turnovers (bottom 15% nationally in defensive turnover rate), or protecting the
defensive glass (bottom 12% nationally in defensive rebounding rate). Add it
all up and you have a team giving up 109.2 points per 100 possessions. To put
that number in perspective, only 25 teams in the country (there are 347
Division I teams) have given up more points per 100 possessions. Oy vey...</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">COACHING: D+</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Everything is linked together and when a veteran team has only two victories after nearly two months of basketball, the coaching staff will almost never receive a positive grade. After all, this isn't a monster rebuilding project like Binghamton or Towson. This is a Pioneer team who's two best players are seniors. As a result, Dave Bike and his staff gets a thumbs down from this fan. They had some furious second half comebacks, which evidently illustrates that this team hasn't quit on their old coach. But when the Pioneers are consistently digging themselves out of early holes that are difficult to climb out of, some of blame must be directed at the coaching staff. There's no other way to explain it. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">OVERALL
PERFORMANCE: D-</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Obviously, a record of two
wins and nine defeats was not what I pictured for this veteran club. Sure, the
Pioneers have suffered from a slew of injuries, both in the nagging and
season-ending department, but I still can't use that as a full blown excuse nor should the coaches. They've lost several games in the final minutes (Holy Cross,
Lafayette, Stony Brook) and have inexplicably dug themselves an early hole in
most of their winnable games. How exactly do you fall behind 20-4 against
Lafayette? Or find yourself down double digits in the first half to both Yale and Holy Cross?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I just spent
about 30 minutes uncovering this overwhelmingly sobering gem of a stat. So far in all 11 games, the Pioneers
have only held a lead 6.3% of the time. That’s right, in 445 possible game minutes,
SHU has been ahead on the scoreboard for a paltry 28 minutes and 9 seconds.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">This stat says it all. It says the Pioneers haven't been unlucky when evaluating their record, in fact they may be fortunate to have two wins! If it wasn't for those two miraculous comebacks versus Yale and Stony Brook (of which Ken Pomeroy claimed there were less than a 3% chance of happening), Sacred Heart would be in the same winless boat as the lowly St. Francis Red Flash. The stat says the Pioneers have been dominated on most nights. And it says the Pioneers are simply unable to put together a series of defensive stops long enough to allow their average offense to pull ahead. It's been a perfect storm of ineptness to put it kindly. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Luckily, the NEC season begins with a two game homestand, starting this Thursday night when the Pioneers host a depleted LIU Brooklyn team. Sacred Heart MUST win this game, because if they can't defeat a team minus Julian Boyd, Jamal Olasewere, and C.J. Garner, then this could very well be a seven or eight win team that misses the NEC postseason for the third time in four seasons. Win on Thursday night and then show me something Saturday against an improving St Francis Terriers club.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Because these days, I need something - anything really - to tell me this Pioneer team is ready to play with the big boys. So far, they've been a sad, pathetic team that hardly warrants any kind of mention on this blog.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Until next time...</span><br />
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<i>Ryan Peters covers Sacred Heart men's basketball for Pioneer Pride and<a href="http://nycbuckets.com/" target="_blank"> Big Apple Buckets</a>. You can follow Ryan on Twitter<a href="http://mobile.twitter.com/pioneer_pride" target="_blank"> @pioneer_pride</a></i></div>
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Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15758571797890454317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7952162307768756809.post-70428046040601841242012-12-14T19:02:00.001-05:002012-12-14T20:18:00.448-05:00Quinnipiac and Monmouth leave NEC for MAAC, What it Means for Sacred HeartThis Friday, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Council of Presidents met and unanimously voted to <a href="http://nycbuckets.com/2012/12/maac-to-add-monmouth-quinnipiac/" target="_blank">add Quinnipiac and Monmouth to the MAAC</a>. Wagner, who was also rumored to be an expansion candidate for the MAAC, will reportedly remain in the NEC.<br />
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(I will now call Wagner the UConn of the NEC, because they were probably giddy to leave, much like UConn was for the ACC weeks ago, only to be rejected in the end. “No really, we here at Wagner love being in the NEC! No really, we do! You guys are like the BEST CONFERENCE EVER!!”)<br />
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Quinnipiac and Monmouth’s transition to the MAAC will be effective on July 1, 2013, meaning this current basketball season will be last season in the NEC for both programs. Looking ahead, the NEC will have ten basketball teams for the 2013-14 season. If there’s a silver lining to this news, it’s that the ten team conference should eliminate the unbalanced schedule now in place. Under the new format, each team would have nine opponents and play each school twice in a home-and-home series every conference year.<br />
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So what does this mean for Sacred Heart? For one, Sacred Heart will no longer play Quinnipiac twice a year. With the Connecticut Six basketball event planned for the next few seasons, however, it’s reasonable to assume the Pioneers and Bobcats will continue their in-state rivalry by facing off once during the non-conference portion of their schedules. Hopefully that dream comes to fruition, but of course, nothing is set in stone. After all, Sacred Heart and Fairfield inexplicably couldn't work out a deal that would feature an annual matchup between two universities that reside in the same city.<br />
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As a Pioneer fan and alum, I’m a little saddened by Quinnipiac’s departure, even though the writing was on the wall. In recent years, <a href="http://nycbuckets.com/2012/07/quinnipiac-continues-to-heavily-invest-in-its-basketball-program/" target="_blank">Quinnipiac has been pouring a ton of capital into their basketball program</a>, greatly outspending their NEC rivals almost two to one. Upward conference mobility had to be the goal of the gold and blue, so they evidently got their wish. Monmouth’s departure, on the other hand, is more of a surprise, especially since they were one of the original members – along with Robert Morris, Fairleigh Dickenson, St. Francis Brooklyn, St. Francis University, LIU Brooklyn, and Wagner – of the NEC. It’s expected Monmouth will remain in the NEC for a couple of sports, most notably football, that the MAAC doesn’t sponsor.<br />
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(Could you imagine that awkward conversation between Monmouth and the NEC: “Thanks for the last 32 years, but we have some more cold hard cash to make in the MAAC. See ya!! Oh but … umm ... is it OK if we still play football and field hockey in your conference? Pretty please?”)<br />
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Most importantly, how can I and my fellow Pioneer brethren now focus our Big Red Pioneer Pride hatred toward? Central Connecticut? Robert Morris? In reality, nothing will come close to the back and forth rivalry that Quinnipiac (Sacred Heart is 12-13 vs Quinnipiac since 2001) provides at the basketball level.<br />
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Oh well. The games will continue to be played and they’ll continue to be watched (well at least by me and some other diehards). Selfishly, the conference will become a little easier next season with the aforementioned departures, but with Shane Gibson soon gone, the Pioneers realistically won’t be any closer to a NEC championship.<br />
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But the NEC will be alive and well, and that’s the most important news I will take away from all of this. I’ve really enjoyed working with some of the people over at the NEC, especially Associate Commissioner Ron Ratner, so I’m happy that the conference will continue to chug forward.<br />
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Hopefully, the NEC can send over a repo men to confiscate the digital scorer’s tables and Front Row equipment provided by the NEC at Quinnipiac and Monmouth. Those schools won't need the conference's state-of-the-art equipment, since they'll be rolling in the dough after they decided to leave the NEC for supposedly greener pastures.<br />
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<i>Ryan Peters covers Sacred Heart men's basketball for Pioneer Pride and<a href="http://nycbuckets.com/" target="_blank"> Big Apple Buckets</a>. You can follow Ryan on Twitter <a href="http://mobile.twitter.com/pioneer_pride" target="_blank">@pioneer_pride</a></i>Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15758571797890454317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7952162307768756809.post-15429389015012986922012-12-09T21:17:00.001-05:002012-12-09T21:17:35.518-05:00Sacred Heart Falls to Lafayette in the Final SecondsIf it ain't one thing, well it's another.<br />
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The Sacred Heart Pioneers <a href="http://www.sacredheartpioneers.com/sports/m-baskbl/2012-13/releases/20121209qxwv7h" target="_blank">lost on Sunday afternoon in excruciating fashion</a>, when Lafayette freshman guard Bryce Scott drained an OPEN three-pointer with two ticks remaining on the clock. It was the Pioneers' fourth straight defeat and leaves them with a 0-3 record against Patriot League opponents this season.<br />
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The defense was, as usual, lacking in the first half as Lafayette raced out to a 20-4 advantage. Only eight minutes had elapsed and already Dave Bike had burned through two timeouts and enough violent head-bobs to make a figure skater dizzy. As I was listening to this wretched mess on my car ride home from Costco, I shuttered to think that I'd be writing yet another depressing blog post. Luckily, I had just purchased a pair of sleek Calvin Klein jeans for $19.99, so I was in a decent mode. But I digress.<br />
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After falling behind by 16 points, Bike emptied out his bench probably sick to his stomach. The underachieving Pioneers were now seven for eight in finding themselves down double digits at some point in the first half. Let that resonate with you for a second. They had found a way to be trailing by ten or more points in the first half of 87.5% of their games.<br />
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This time around, however, Bike's message got through to the players. Steve Glowiak and Nick Greenbacker combined for 20 first half points, Mostafa Abdel-Latif grabbed four boards in three productive minutes, and the high motored De'Aires Tate provided some much needed energy of the bench. As hideous as the opening minutes had been, SHU was actually heading into the locker room down three points, despite receiving absolutely zero contributions from Shane Gibson and Louis Montes. All things considered, it was a moral victory worth celebrating. And these days, I guess that's something us Pioneer fans will have to settle on.<br />
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The second half was an exciting back and forth affair, but when a Phil Gaetano three-pointer gave the Pioneers' their first lead in nearly five halves (more than two games) of basketball, it felt like Bike's bunch would persevere with a badly needed road victory. Gibson was back to his usual self in the second half, as he impressively poured in 25 points on 13 shots. Gaetano had another double digit assist effort. The only problem was I forgot about the dreadful Pioneers' defense.<br />
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If you <a href="http://bigredpioneerpride.blogspot.com/2012/12/a-few-thoughts-on-sacred-hearts-early.html" target="_blank">read my previous post</a>, you already knew that the Pioneers' defense was never to be trusted. And of course with today's game in the balance, Lafayette scored 17 points in their final 12 possessions, good for a dismal 1.42 points per possession (the average is roughly 1.00 points per possession). Perhaps if SHU hadn't missed eight of their ten free throw attempts, they wouldn't have been in this predicament. Either way, a stunned group of Pioneer players had to endure a long bus ride home to Fairfield after falling to Lafayette 72-70.<br />
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In the grand scheme of things, the loss means very little. SHU wasn't getting an at-large bid into the NCAA tournament anyway (wouldn't that have been hilarious), but a record of 3-5 sure as hell would have looked a lot better than a record of 2-6. In fact, SHU is off to their worst start since ... well two years ago when the Pioneers only won one of their first eight contests. After that 1-7 start, SHU righted the ship by embarking on a three game winning streak. A possible winning streak, this time around, is unlikely to come with Stony Brook and road games against A10 foes La Salle and George Washington to finish out the non-conference slate.<br />
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Instead, keeping the remaining players healthy will be paramount. There's now 24 days before SHU opens their NEC conference season at home against the shorthanded LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds. Hopefully, the remaining ten players on scholarship can begin playing together as a cohesive unit, while putting together a consistent effort for 40 minutes. It may not sound like much, but the Pioneers are running out of non-conference games to figure their issues out.<br />
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Until next time...<br />
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<i>Ryan Peters covers Sacred Heart men's basketball for Pioneer Pride and <a href="http://nycbuckets.com/" target="_blank">Big Apple Buckets</a>. You can follow Ryan on Twitter<a href="http://mobile.twitter.com/pioneer_pride" target="_blank"> @pioneer_pride</a></i>Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15758571797890454317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7952162307768756809.post-41362840740921156512012-12-08T10:14:00.002-05:002012-12-08T10:19:40.580-05:00A Few Thoughts on Sacred Heart's Early Season SlideFirst of all, I’d like to apologize. I haven’t been the greatest at updating the blog with recent game recaps. The truth is, I have a lot on my plate. A marriage. A full time job which requires me to commute nearly two hours a day. Another blog to write for. An insatiable need to watch as many episodes of The League as I possibly can (I didn’t start watching until season 3 launched). A 15 year old frisky feline that demands my attention when I’m home. But really, all of this is no excuse, as it shouldn’t take much to update my Pioneer Pride site with timely game recaps smeared with self loathing and bitter disgust. After all, transcribing my anguished fan-hood should come naturally!<br />
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It’s just difficult to write about your alma mater, the team you passionately root for, when they’ve sorely underachieved in the early going. It’s difficult when another blogger, or someone on Twitter, dismisses your Pioneers by calling them soft or bad, yet you can’t respond because you have no legitimate comeback. Some of issues are the team’s fault, and some of blame falls on the unfortunate circumstance of poor health. Losing Evan Kelley and Chris Evans to season-ending injuries is a substantial blow, especially when they’re basically the third and fifth best players on the Pioneers’ roster. Take the third and fifth best players off any NEC roster and see how they’ll do. Would LIU be as dominant without Jason Brickman and Brandon Thompson? How would our hated in-state rivals from Quinnipiac perform without say Jamee Jackson and Zaid Hearst? Do you think Central Connecticut would survive if they lost their point guard Malcolm McMillan along with long-range bomber Adonis Burbage?<br />
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The answer, of course, is those teams would struggle to maintain their current level. But rather than sulk and whine about what could have been, I’ll be a man and suck it up. Even though SHU has dropped five of their first seven contests and has yet to play a complete game from start to finish, I still remain a (fairly) confident fan.<br />
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The NEC is an one bid league, and for most teams in this low mid-major conference, November and December games really don’t mean all that much, other than making sure your team begins to cohesively gel as one before conference play kicks off. If Dave Bike can somehow piece it together this month, then I believe this team can have success. But they must do the following in order to have any kind of a chance in hell to finish in the top six of the NEC.<br />
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<b>1) Paging Shane Gibson as a Junior -</b> We’ve seen a different Shane Gibson this season, and I frankly don’t like. I can’t really pinpoint why he has struggled in the early going. Maybe he has more of a target on his back. Maybe school is adding unwanted stress to the fifth year senior. Maybe he's having girl trouble. Whatever the reason, I want the old Shane Gibson back. Sure, we’ve seen pockets of his greatness (the Yale, Stony Brook comebacks, his latest effort versus Holy Cross certainly comes to mind), but SHU desperately needs the 2011-12 version to grace the Pitt Center floor. Dave Bike needs the super-efficient, hit 43% of his threes, grab a steal and a half a game version of Gibson back. Hopefully, the nagging injuries won’t be an issue moving forward and Gibson can recreate the magic that made him such a special player last season. With the semester soon ending and a lighter schedule the remainder of December, I’m still making the bet that the Shane Gibson of old will terrorize NEC opponents come January.<br />
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<b>2) For the Love of God, Play Some Freaking Defense - </b>Defense has never been the strength of a Dave Bike led team, but even this seven game stretch has seen some rather atrocious defending. In the young season, the Pioneers are giving up 1.14 points per possession, good for second worst in the NEC. SHU isn’t turning the opponent over at all (only 16.1% of their opponent's possessions result in a turnover, good for bottom 20 in the nation), they aren't defending in the paint (49.8% field goal percentage defensed), nor are they defending the perimeter (37.4% three-point percentage defensed). For SHU to experience even a modicum of success, they have to win a couple of games on defense, which at this point seems to be a long shot. They can't keep going into halftime trailing - in the first seven games, SHU has been forced to begin the second half down every single game!<br />
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<b>3) The Young Bucks Need to Step Up.</b> Shane Gibson said it best when I asked him after the Lehigh game about the Pioneers’ rash of injuries. His response: “I feel like we're a young team, but we're not. Evan Kelley's hurt now so at the guards it's me, Phil (Gaetano) - Phil's a sophomore - Steve Glowiak's second year, so now we're young again.” Not only does sophomore Glowiak have to step up – and he has so far shooting a sensational 52.0% from behind the arc – but the freshmen frontcourt duo of Tevin Falzon and De’Aires Tate need to play well also. SHU has a somewhat deep frontcourt, but with the backcourt now seriously compromised, expect Louis Montes to play predominately at the small forward position. Much of time last season, Montes was part of Bike’s “small-ball” lineup instilled as the slashing power forward who could also stretch the defense with his perimeter skills. Now, with Gaetano, Gibson, and Glowiak (the 3G’s) as natural guards, Montes must play more as a “3” on the floor. This means Tate and Falzon need to fill the power forward role Montes will be vacating. Last Wednesday versus Holy Cross, Tate had his breakout game, scoring ten points with six rebounds in only 15 minutes of action. Earlier in the season, Falzon enjoyed some success as well, so hopefully as the season progresses, both of these freshmen can get further acclimated to the rigors of DI basketball and produce at a more productive and consistent level.<br />
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Sure, there are others things needed to spark an improbable Pioneers run (I’m looking at you, Justin Swidowski), but I wanted to hammer down those three main points. If SHU can improve in those facets mentioned above, I may not have to scale back my original conference projection of ten wins and eight losses for the red and white.<br />
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Although at this juncture in the season, I'm pretty damn close to doing so. Hopefully they can begin to turn things around at Lafayette this Sunday at 2 PM. Listen in, why don't you?<br />
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Until next time...<br />
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<i>Ryan Peters covers Sacred Heart men's basketball for Pioneer Pride and <a href="http://nycbuckets.com/" target="_blank">Big Apple Buckets</a>. You can follow Ryan on Twitter <a href="http://bigredpioneerpride.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">@pioneer_pride</a></i>Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15758571797890454317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7952162307768756809.post-4519630613012495632012-12-05T08:31:00.003-05:002012-12-05T08:35:31.198-05:00Chris Evans and Evan Kelley Likely Done for the Season<br />
Other than the two miraculous, wildly improbable comebacks, the Sacred Heart basketball season couldn’t have started off any worse. Really, had Yale or Stony Brook made another play or two down the stretch of their respective games, the Pioneers could find themselves winless through six games. That’s right, 0-6, as in their worst start since the 2002-03 season, when they finished their fourth year as a Division I program with a robust 8-21 record. Oh how I don’t miss those days...<br />
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But they’re not and at two wins and four losses, SHU shouldn’t be in full blown panic mode yet. Of course, if the health of the team continues to deteriorate, then all bets are off. We are beginning to inch closer to that realm.<br />
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For starters, junior guard Evan Kelley will not return this season. Kelley, who spent the majority of the preseason rehabbing his dislocated kneecap, had a major setback in practice after the Stony Brook game two weeks ago. Because of the setback, Kelley will most likely undergo surgery before Christmas to repair the knee. The surgery would, of course, sideline Kelley for the remainder of the season.<br />
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"No. I would say 99% no," said assistant coach Anthony Latina when asked if Kelley could return this season. "Playing him again puts (Kelley) at greater risk to tearing an ACL on top of his dislocated kneecap."<br />
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Chris Evans, arguably the team's second or third best player behind Gibson, also is highly unlikely to return to the team this season. Evans underwent meniscus surgery in the offseason, yet the knee hasn't responded well when subjected to practice on back-to-back days. Evans has recently begun practicing, but it may simply be too late to get the team leader back into the lineup come January.<br />
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"He's trying to get back," said Latina. "But the problem with Chris (Evans), by the time he's really healthy and in shape, we're going to be two to three weeks into the (NEC season). And then, do you bring a guy back for 12 games? It's a tough call."<br />
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The silver lining in all this is the Pioneers will get to redshirt both players and gain an extra year of eligibility on the duo. Of course, they were supposed to add value and depth to a roster ready to win now, especially with Shane Gibson and Justin Swidowski as seniors.<br />
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But the team, Latina says must move forward. "It's very tough, but (the team) is staying focused, they're trying to work and we can't worry about the guys that aren't playing. We have to make sure the guys that are playing are improving and that we're improving as a team."<br />
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Shane Gibson injured his ankle in the Lehigh game, but should be ready to play tonight in the Pioneers' second home game versus Holy Cross. Gibson is at little risk to worsen the injury, therefore it's more of a question of how effective he'll be moving forward. Steve Glowiak, on the other hand, is questionable for the Holy Cross game with an ankle sprain.<br />
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Add it all up, and you have a backcourt that's been decimated by injuries in the early going. It's not the start this Pioneer fan envisioned, but they must move forward with the current roster. Whether that gets them into the upper echelon of the NEC, is completely unknown at the moment.<br />
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<i>Ryan Peters covers Sacred Heart men's basketball for Pioneer Pride and <a href="http://nycbuckets.com/" target="_blank">Big Apple Buckets</a>. You can follow Ryan on Twitter <a href="http://bigredpioneerpride.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">@pioneer_pride</a></i>Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15758571797890454317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7952162307768756809.post-24827967741960066722012-11-28T21:37:00.000-05:002012-11-28T21:52:19.591-05:00A Pioneer Pride Halftime Interview on the Sacred Heart Radio BroadcastApproximately ten days ago, I was lucky enough to be asked by Sacred Heart SID Bill Peterson to be the halftime guest on the Pioneer radio broadcast. It was when the Pioneers played at Stony Brook, and yes, I was crazy enough to drive to Long Island in order to catch the game live. Big Red Pioneer Pride, baby!<br />
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Anyway, I wanted to share the audio link from my halftime interview. In it, I talk about the blog, Shane Gibson (who was benched in the first half of that game) and SHU basketball as a whole. It was a lot of fun and hopefully I'll have another opportunity or two to be on the halftime broadcast down the road.<br />
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Here are the instructions for accessing the link:<br />
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1) Click <a href="http://www.sacredheartpioneers.com/sports/m-baskbl/2012-13/releases/20121118kk5ahy" target="_blank">here for the link</a>.<br />
2) Click on the Audio tab, which is located directly above the headline of the game recap.<br />
3) Once you are in, skip ahead to the 51:45 minute mark. My interview begins shortly thereafter.<br />
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Until next time...<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px; white-space: nowrap;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"></span><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px; white-space: nowrap;"><i>Ryan Peters covers Sacred Heart men's basketball for Pioneer Pride and <a href="http://nycbuckets.com/" target="_blank">Big Apple Buckets</a>.</i></span></span><em><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">You can follow Ryan on Twitter <a href="http://mobile.twitter.com/pioneer_pride" target="_blank">@pioneer_pride</a></span></em>Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15758571797890454317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7952162307768756809.post-47632775014705065882012-11-27T20:11:00.001-05:002012-11-28T09:32:50.620-05:00Don Cook to Retire as Sacred Heart's Long Time Athletic DirectorIt's not often when I blog about something that isn't tied directly to Pioneer basketball, yet today's news regarding Sacred Heart certainly warrants some kind of mention here.<br />
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Today, Bill Paxton of the Connecticut Post broke the news on Twitter that Don Cook, the long time SHU athletic director, <a href="http://www.ctpost.com/sports/article/SHU-athletic-director-Cook-to-retire-4071240.php" target="_blank">will retire on July 1, 2013</a> after serving in that role for 20 years. Cook was instrumental in advancing the scope of SHU athletics, mainly by leading the Pioneers' transition into Division I sports in 1999. Before that, he helped expand SHU's athletic program from 12 to 31 varsity sports and also initiated the construction of the William H. Pitt Center, which in the present day still holds up 15 years later as a very good athletic facility. Also under his guidance, SHU <a href="http://www.sacredheartpioneers.com/general/2011-12/neccommish1112" target="_blank">captured five consecutive NEC Commissioner Cups</a>, a fantastic accomplishment that illustrates SHU's excellence in athletics.<br />
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In addition to all of his accolades, Cook was widely respected throughout the SHU community. Ron Ratner, the Associate Commissioner of the NEC, said it best when he wrote the following today on Twitter, "They don't come any better than SHU AD Don Cook. A gentle, humble man and tireless worker. I'm privileged to have worked with him for so many years."<br />
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I didn't personally know Cook, but as a student-athlete, he was always a prominent and active figure within SHU athletics. To me, he never displayed favoritism toward the "marquee" sports and always showed a genuine willingness to be involved with every sports program under his watch. He consistently made appearances over the years to several fundraising banquets for our tennis team, even though our sport wasn't a revenue generator for the athletics department.<br />
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Tying this big news to the basketball program, Cook was always a staunch supporter of Dave Bike. Even in the rough seasons after the Division I transition, Cook never wavered in his support of Bike. The two men have always been tied to the hip, so at the very least, Cook's retirement does raise some serious questions regarding the direction of the men's basketball program. In particular, I found the final sentence of the <a href="http://www.sacredheartpioneers.com/general/2012-13/cookretire" target="_blank">SHU's announcement post</a> very interesting. It read: "There will be a national search conducted for his replacement."<br />
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Cook's retirement aside, Bike may decide to call it quits after this season anyway. He told me in our <a href="http://bigredpioneerpride.blogspot.com/2012/03/sacred-heart-end-of-season-interview.html" target="_blank">end-of-season interview</a> last March that he was taking his job on a year to year basis. With Cook's departure, however, the end may be near for the 35-year head coach, especially if the new athletic director is indeed hired on the outside.<br />
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This really isn't breaking news nor would it be surprising if Bike hangs up the clipboard in March. But the more interesting angle is what the future events mean to SHU assistant coach Anthony Latina. It's widely assumed that Latina is the probable heir apparent once Bike steps down, but if a new athletic director with no previous ties to the program is hired, then Latina's future with the Pioneers certainly becomes more murky. Personally, I'd love to see the energetic and hard working Latina given a chance to guide this program, but that decision may be in an outsider's hands next year.<br />
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In the short term, Cook's retirement means nothing regarding the current basketball season, but it surely requires monitoring in the near future. It could mean we're watching the swan song of Dave Bike's lengthy career. It will make next offseason fascinating to watch.<br />
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<i>Ryan Peters covers Sacred Heart men's basketball for Pioneer Pride and <a href="http://nycbuckets.com/" target="_blank">Big Apple Buckets</a>. You can follow Ryan on Twitter <a href="http://mobile.twitter.com/" target="_blank">@pioneer_pride</a></i>Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15758571797890454317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7952162307768756809.post-76136590344751409002012-11-26T08:33:00.001-05:002012-11-26T10:15:21.275-05:00C.J. McCollum and Lehigh Smoke Sacred Heart, Running Diary StyleFor SHU's home season opener, I figured it was a great time to document the event with a running diary, Bill Simmons style. I originally wanted to break out the diary for the SHU/Stony Brook game, but then all hell (aka Shane Gibson's late game heroics) <a href="http://bigredpioneerpride.blogspot.com/2012/11/shane-gibson-leads-sacred-heart-to.html" target="_blank">broke loose</a>. So instead, I'll dedicate the running diary to future NBA lottery pick C.J. McCollum and his Lehigh Mountain Hawks. Lehigh comes into the Pitt Center as the defending Patriot League champions, fresh off a stunning upset over the Duke Blue Devils in last season's NCAA tournament. I'm not expecting much from my Pioneers today, but at the very least, I'm hoping Shane Gibson will put on a show in front of his home crowd. Here. We. Go!<br />
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<b>Pre-Game: </b>Here on press row, there are three seats reserved for NBA scouts. They're obviously here for McCollum, whose a future NBA lottery pick. Maybe they're also here to catch a glimpse of Gibson as well?<br />
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15 minutes before tip-off, I'm almost able to count the number of fans in the stands. I'm guessing there are 300 fans here at the moment. Yikes. Hopefully, there's crazy traffic heading into Fairfield right now! Public Safety probably needs more manpower to control the sudden rush of traffic.<br />
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<b>19:46: </b>And we are under way with Lehigh winning the opening tip. On the first play of the game, McCollum backs Gibson down in the post for a quick bucket. That took all of 14 seconds.<br />
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<b>19:04:</b> And McCollum hits a long three in Lehigh's second possession. Containing him might be a problem. 5-2 out of the gate for Lehigh.<br />
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<b>17:09:</b> Holden Greiner (no really that's a real name) hits a three pointer to give Lehigh a 10-2 lead.<br />
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<b>16:41:</b> Femi Akinpetide with the strong move and the foul! Femi has all five points in the early going for SHU. Don't get me wrong - I love Femi and the energy he provides SHU on the boards, but SHU will not have long term success if Femi is the go-to-guy on the offensive end.<br />
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<b>15:09:</b> Phil Gaetano hits a three to pull the Pioneers to within four, 12-8. I don't like the flow of this game early on. I have a feeling SHU will need to hit a lot of threes just to keep up with this Mountain Hawks offense.<br />
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<b>13:51:</b> McCollum drains another long three. And on SHU's ensuing offensive possession, McCollum forces Gibson into a quick turnover. Gibson is now 0-2 from the floor with two turnovers. Seems like he's trying to do too much.<br />
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<b>11:18:</b> Pioneers having a hell of a time trying to keep up with Lehigh. The Pioneers are running back very disorganized on defense, leaving open looks in transition for the Mountain Hawks.<br />
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<b>9:57:</b> And just as I finish writing that, Lehigh drains another transition three pointer in front of SHU's bench. Dave Bike with the timeout. It's already 28-16 Lehigh.<br />
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<b>9:15:</b> Gibson hits his second three-pointer of the game, but then McCollum immediately answers with a three of his own. Is he even breaking a sweat? Right now, he is by far and away the best player on the floor, and it pains me to say that with Gibson out there. But that's what I am ... brutally honest.<br />
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<b>7:57:</b> I think I saw a couple of the NBA scouts drooling at their station. McCollum now has 16 points.<br />
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<b>6:07:</b> Lehigh hitting an incredible clip of their long range buckets. I mean incredible! Now 8 for 12 by my count. It's a little of hot shooting but also a lot from the Pioneers' porous defense. It's been atrocious early on.<br />
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<b>4:51: </b>Breaking News!! SHU prevents Lehigh from scoring in their last 3 possessions. Prior to those 3 possessions, the Pioneers probably have given up close to 1.75 points per possession. I'd look this up to confirm, but I have the motivation of SHU's defense right now.<br />
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<b>3:13:</b> Knutson and McCollum are killing SHU right now. They've scored 27 of the Mountain Hawks 47 points. Knutson, a preseason All-Patriot League selection, has carved up the Pioneer frontcourt in this half. Nick Greenbacker nor Justin Swidowski can keep up with the savvy 6'9" big man.<br />
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<b>0:34:</b> De'Aires Tate with a defensive rebound and then a bucket on the other end. This game appears to be a blowout, so at the very least, I'll get to see SHU's future on the court. It'll give the fans (albeit very few of them) something to actually cheer for.<br />
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<b>0:00:</b> Lehigh hits a breakaway layup at the buzzer to give team a 16 point advantage at the half. A fitting end to the worst half of the season. And that's saying quite a lot. <br />
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<b>Halftime: </b>The stats are frankly ugly from SHU's perspective: 57.6% from the floor and 53.3% from three for Lehigh. I'll stop before I start crying in public though...<br />
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<b>2nd Half, 19:00:</b> Swidowski commits an offensive foul and then gives a look of bewilderment to the referee. It seems like Swidowski has had that face for the majority of the young season, as have I! I've seen lots of inconsistency out of the big man. On a related note, my depression is starting to sink in.<br />
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<b>16:36:</b> The Pioneer defense has been so bad today. And no adjustment out of the coaching staff at the half. No matchup zone, no box and one, nothing. Just more terrible man-to-man. This is just awful to watch. Oh yeah, Lehigh leads 59-37.<br />
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<b>15:45:</b> Wouldn't you know it, Dave Bike has a pulse. He implements a 2-3 zone out of the timeout, but then McCollum hits another open three. You're halfway there Mr. Bike, now how about a matchup zone? Please?<br />
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<b>15:00:</b> Gibson picks up a quiet technical foul. It's his second one in as many games. This is really depressing. He just seems to have a different attitude this season. Maybe his girlfriend dumped him? I'm legitimately bummed out. SHU beat reporter Bill Paxton is trying to lift my spirits here on press row. We're talking about the 2007 SHU team. Oh Drew Shubik, how I miss you...<br />
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<b>12:44: </b>At least I've been treated to my first live look of CJ McCollum. He just crossed over Gibson and hit a three. Coming back down the floor, McCollum flashes a smile toward the NBA scouts. Now, there's no way I'm missing an opportunity to see Lehigh when they visit Navy and American. He's some talent.<br />
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<b>11:56: </b>Gibson drains a three to cap off a12-4 run for SHU. To cut the Mountain Hawks lead to 23 points. We're back baby! Timeout Lehigh.<br />
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<b>10:02:</b> I'm struggling to pull out highlights now, so maybe this is a good time to recommend a movie to you. I begrudgely had to see Life of Pi on Friday, after Lincoln was sold out. Turns out my wife was right, Life of Pi was a very good movie. And there may or may not have been moisture near my eyes at the end. Thankfully the theater was dark and I had 3D glasses on. (Hopefully most of you already left the running diary, because the game has been over since halftime)<br />
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<b>8:34:</b> Montes with a strong move using the left hand to draw the foul. The reason I mention this? Well 1) this game sucks and 2) Montes has had an off game, for perhaps the first time all season. He hits both free throws, but who really cares at the moment.<br />
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<b>6:12:</b> Nice to see after a Swidowski three (he's alive after all), Dave Bike decides to ditch the full court press. In fairness, you'll never mistaken SHU's press for the Mount Mayhem or Monmouth's full court pressure. I'm not sure if I've seen a turnover yet this season from the Pioneers' lazy press.<br />
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<b>5:26:</b> I just caught myself muttering "only the NEC conference play matters." Ahh yes, we're five games into the season and I'm already looking ahead to January. Pioneer basketball everybody!<br />
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<b>4:59:</b> Pioneers commit their 20th turnover. Even Coach Latina looks dejected and he usually has the energy of someone who just drank four cups of coffee.<br />
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<b>2:53:</b> Justin Swidowski fouls out after a decent performance offensively. The final numbers from the senior: 10 points, 10 rebounds. Honestly, I never would have guessed he had a double double, mainly because him and the rest of the frontcourt could not contain Knutson and company. But at least Swidoswki is perhaps close to being fully healthy.<br />
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<b>1:23:</b> Louis Cramer with the tip in. The walk-on! Lead back to under 20 points! WHY AM I SHOUTING!<br />
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<b>0:00:</b> The game has mercifully ended with the final score: Lehigh 91, Sacred Heart 77. It's only a 14 point loss, but make no mistake, this game was NEVER in question in the second half. It's the Pioneers third such game this season, with their blowout losses to Rutgers and Hartford serving as the other lopsided defeats.<br />
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<b>Postgame:</b> I overheard assistant coach Johnny Kidd's post game interview on the SHU radio broadcast. His quote: "I thought we would come out and make a statement." Umm, well that didn't happen, now did it?<br />
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A couple of hours after the game, I received a call from an unknown number on my cell phone. It was Sacred Heart asking for a donation. The quick conversation went something like this:<br />
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SHU: So Mr. Peters, have you been back to Sacred Heart since you graduated?<br />
Me (clearly caught off guard): Umm, yeah. I was there today.<br />
SHU: Oh really?! That's great! Did you enjoy your time on campus today?<br />
Me: (What I said) Suuuuure ... I guess.<br />
(What I should have said) Are you f***ing kidding me? Did I enjoy watching SHU get absolutely destroyed by Lehigh?!?! Did I enjoy watching this defense?! And their stagnant offense?! What kind of question is that? HOW DARE YOU ASK ME FOR ANOTHER DONATION! (emphatically hang up)<br />
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On second though, maybe it was good I was polite and reserved. Maybe I don't need therapy after all.<br />
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Until next time ...<br />
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<i>Ryan Peters covers Sacred Heart men's basketball for Pioneer Pride and <a href="http://nycbuckets.com/" target="_blank">Big Apple Buckets</a>. You can follow Ryan on Twitter <a href="http://mobile.twitter.com/pioneer_pride" target="_blank">@pioneer_pride</a></i>Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15758571797890454317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7952162307768756809.post-31688479970667400682012-11-19T20:10:00.001-05:002012-11-19T23:29:34.501-05:00Shane Gibson Leads Sacred Heart to Another Comeback Victory Over Stony BrookI had it all planned out. I was going to present a running diary (Bill Simmons style) of Sacred Heart's latest loss to Stony Brook. There would have been tons of self-depreciating jokes, lots of whining about Pioneer basketball, and just some solid game observations. Basically a win win for everyone involved.<br />
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Well, that plan was scrapped when the Shane Gibson show took hold late in the game.<br />
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There I sat on press row, using every ounce of my being from not cheering in wild excitement as Shane Gibson drove to the lane, drew contact, and hit the go-ahead layup. I'm fairly certain I had a smile and a look of complete bewilderment at the same time, but to be honest those final minutes were a complete blur. Turns out the Pioneers' hero doesn't remember those critical moments either.<br />
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"I really don't even remember that much of those last minutes," said a smiling Gibson after the game. "I was just playing to get the job done."<br />
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The day started off poorly for SHU's star player. Gibson wasn't in the starting lineup since he was late for the team bus, so he calmly sat on the bench during the first seven minutes of the game. After falling behind 10-5, Gibson entered the game and promptly turned it over on his first possession. One minute later, there was Gibson back on the bench again. Now, Dave Bike was OFFICIALLY sending a message to the NEC's leading scorer from a season ago.<br />
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All told, Gibson played only one minute in the first half, but the Pioneers did their best to keep it close. They battled back from a quick 9-0 deficit to tie the game at 23 all, before succumbing to a 6-0 Stony Brook run to close out the half. Steve Glowiak hit a couple of big three-pointers. Evan Kelley was looking much better in his second game back from injury. And Louis Montes and Femi Akinpetide were corralling a majority of the loose balls off the glass, especially on the offensive end.<br />
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Dare I say the Pioneer's effort in the first half yesterday was ... well the opposite of listless!<br />
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The second half provided much of the same result for the first 15 minutes. Stony Brook took a 12 point lead on an Eric McAllister putback with only five minutes remaining. It appeared the Pioneers would fall short, despite a terrific effort.<br />
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But then it was time for the Shane Gibson show. The 6'2" senior scored SHU's final 11 points of the game - including two loooong three-pointers - on 4 shots to spur an improbable 18-4 Pioneer run. The Stony Brook crowd went from saying "Woah" on Gibson's first three to "Oh no" on Gibson's second three to "Oh God no!" on Gibson's penetrating runner toward the lane to complete silence on Gibson's game winning bucket and the foul. Un-freaking-believable.<br />
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It was a remarkable ending to what essentially was the worst three game stretch of Gibson's career. Prior to those final three minutes, Gibson had only scored 20 points on 7 of 35 shooting to go along with ten turnovers. Yikes.<br />
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I give all the credit in the world to Dave Bike. The 35-year head coach got the message across to Gibson loud and clear: I will not put you ahead of the team, and if you break the rules and not give a complete effort on the floor, I will bench you no matter how valuable you may be to the team.<br />
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When asked about Gibson's situation, Bike conveyed his pleasure with his star guard's final effort. "What he did when he had that last chance to get back in there, and then he played well and played hard, I mean that's what we're looking for him to do."<br />
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Added Bike, "I think he's in charge of his playing time. I'm just going to interpret the actions."<br />
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Gibson admitted he has felt some pressure recently, which has contributed toward his struggles. "A little bit of off-the-court, on-the-court," said Gibson. "I mean there's more pressure from the other team giving me more respect, I guess, so it's hard to score for myself and my shots just haven't fallen. I feel like I've been rushing everything."<br />
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Gibson then admitted that the school workload has probably added to his on-the-court issues as well. "To be honest, school has been stressing me out a little bit. Once I get past this semester, I think that'll be a weight lifted off my shoulders and I'll be able to concentrate more on basketball."<br />
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Obviously, I'd be completely out of line if I didn't praise the rest of the team for their performance yesterday. Without them, the game never would have stayed within the jaws of victory. Femi Akinpetide continued his surprising run with eight rebounds (four on the offensive end). Louis Montes had another big game, registering a season high 20 points to go along with nine rebounds. Phil Gaetano had one of those quietly productive efforts - much like LIU point guard and All-NEC second teamer Jason Brickman - by dishing out ten assists, grabbing five rebounds, and hitting two critical free throws right before Gibson began his 11 point miracle run.<br />
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This was the Pioneer team we’ve been waiting for since the start of the season. Hopefully, one of these games they can put together all of the pieces for 40 minutes. To be 2-2 at this juncture of the season, after only leading for approximately 8% of the total game minutes is quite fortunate.<br />
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Coming up next is the Pioneer's first home game on Sunday afternoon. They take on Lehigh, the defending Patriot League champions, who you might remember as the #15 seed that shocked the country by upsetting Duke in the NCAA tournament. In the game, Lehigh's star guard, C.J. McCollum, scored 30 points and has since been in the national spotlight. He's a probable first round selection in the NBA draft next June, so Gibson is eager to square off against the All-American guard.<br />
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"I've been thinking about it, obviously," said Gibson. "I know he's a very good player and I'll see what I can do against (college basketball's) best."<br />
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Hopefully Sunday night was the spark Gibson needed to lead his Pioneers down the road.<br />
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<i>Ryan Peters covers Sacred Heart men's basketball for Pioneer Pride and <a href="http://nycbuckets.com/" target="_blank">Big Apple Buckets</a>. You can follow Ryan on Twitter <a href="http://mobile.twitter.com/pioneer_pride" target="_blank">@pioneer_pride</a> </i>Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15758571797890454317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7952162307768756809.post-21242273478761067002012-11-17T10:07:00.000-05:002012-11-17T10:07:14.223-05:00Sacred Heart Blown Out by Hartford, in my First Live Look<br />
Shane Gibson's number 25 jersey wasn't the only thing the Sacred Heart Pioneers left in Fairfield before boarding the bus to Hartford (he had to wear #1 for his jersey tonight). They also forgot their game.<br />
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In what transpired as a putrid performance at the Chase Family Arena, the listless Pioneers lost to Hartford, 62-47, and it wasn't even that close. The Pioneers shot 33% from the floor, which included ten out of 11 missed attempts from behind the arc. They committed as many turnovers (16) as made baskets (16). Their bench was outscored by Hartford's bench, 29-7.<br />
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The Hawks used an 18-2 run in the middle of the first half to pull away, and in reality, it could have been much worse. Hartford missed several make-able buckets around the rim. It pains me to say that the Pioneers were "fortunate" to be only down 16 points at the half.<br />
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It was games like tonight that made me wonder why I bothered making the trip up to Connecticut. There I was, a 33-year married man as the only "media" member sitting on press row, watching a team that really hasn't put together a stretch of good basketball for more than ten minutes at one time. Without the furious and improbable comeback versus Yale, the Pioneers would be sitting there winless at 0-3 with two very difficult games in Stony Brook and Lehigh coming up.<br />
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When asked about his team's performance this season, head coach Dave Bike seemed equally perplexed. "We had three opportunities to play basketball and we haven't played well. And that's just the concern. I think we have a chance to play OK, I do."<br />
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Added Bike, "I thought we got beat twice (tonight). I think (Hartford) outplayed us at times, they shot better than us, but they also game beat us. I'm not convinced it was Hartford's defense that caused us to have listless turnovers, as the reporter says."<br />
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That "reporter" Bike was referring to was, of course, me. Yes, I used the word listless to describe the Pioneers' effort in the first half and I'm not sure Bike was too thrilled with my adjective. But from my perspective, how could I not use the word listless? Other than the frontcourt play of Femi Akinpetide and Louis Montes (who by the way looks jacked this season), there wasn't one other player tonight that was encouraging to watch. Shane Gibson went 3 of 14 from the floor. Justin Swidoswki and Nick Greenbacker combined for one point, six rebounds, and six personal fouls in 28 minutes. Steve Glowiak bricked two more three-point attempts and committed two turnovers. The Pioneer with the most energy all game? That was SHU assistant coach Anthony Latina.<br />
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Shane Gibson has now had two awful games in a row, which hasn't happened since he was a sophomore. Corban Wroe, the defensive specialist for John Gallagher's Hartford squad, did a fantastic job keeping Gibson in front of him all night forcing a bevy of outside jumpers. Unfortunately for the Pioneers, most of his shots didn't go in.<br />
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Looking ahead, it doesn't get any easier for Gibson and his team. They travel to Long Island to take on Stony Brook, whose defense has already shutdown two MAAC schools in Rider and Marist. I'll be in attendance at that game, but I'm scared at what I'll possibly witness.<br />
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I'll also be on the Pioneers' radio halftime show for the game, so I encourage you to tune in, especially if Stony Brook is up big at the half. I'm one more 16 point halftime Pioneer deficit away from completely losing it on the air!<br />
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And who knows, maybe Coach Bike will banish me from asking him questions after the game about how listless his team was.<br />
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Until next time...<br />
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<i>Ryan Peters covers Sacred Heart Pioneers basketball for Pioneer Pride and <a href="http://nycbuckets.com/" target="_blank">Big Apple Buckets</a>. You can follow Ryan on Twitter <a href="https://mobile.twitter.com/pioneer_pride" target="_blank">@pioneer_pride</a></i>Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15758571797890454317noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7952162307768756809.post-18954512419320594672012-11-13T07:48:00.000-05:002012-11-14T10:09:05.814-05:00Sacred Heart Freshman Profile - Tevin Falzon's Uneven Path Leads Him to the PioneersThis past weekend, Sacred Heart freshman Tevin Falzon stepped on the court for the first time as a collegiate athlete, when his Pioneers battled in-state rival Yale in their season opener. In what turned out to be a scintillating comeback victory for the Pioneers, Falzon chipped in with five points, five rebounds, and a blocked shot in 20 minutes. Two nights later, Falzon was Sacred Heart's lone bright spot, as he scored ten points in a blowout loss to Rutgers University. It has been a nice start to what many are hoping will be a very productive career.
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Speak with the freshman and you’ll come away impressed. You’ll sense someone with a maturity beyond his young age, who speaks with humility and respect. Falzon seems genuinely grateful for having the opportunity to play at Sacred Heart.
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Combining Falzon’s maturity and undeniable talent, it probably came as no surprise that the baby faced 6’7” forward is playing at the Division I level. The path to Sacred Heart, however, was far from smooth journey for him.
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Ever since he suited up for Newton North High, the buzz appeared to always surround Falzon. Here was a 6’3” freshman with size 16 shoes who was uniquely versatile, had a soft touch around the basket, and skills on the perimeter that seemed to come naturally on a basketball court.
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Yet despite the talent, there were always bumps in the road that impeded his progress. After beginning his freshman season on the varsity team (a nice accomplishment for a high school rookie), Falzon was bumped down to junior varsity. Heading into his sophomore year, he suffered a concussion playing football in the fall, which forced him to miss the first couple of weeks of the basketball season. He would wisely never play football again.
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Then, Falzon was primed for a breakout campaign his junior season. All the hype and excitement, however, failed to live up to his expectations. He didn't start much of the time, and consequently, struggled to make a consistent impact. In spite of the inconsistency, college coaches took notice and raved about the teenager's skill-set and potential. But with the attention came unwanted criticism. Comments containing the phrases "inconsistent motor" and "suspect conditioning" were published in Falzon’s scouting reports. When asked about it, Falzon doesn’t shy away from the negative publicity he received as a high school teenager.<br />
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"They were definitely fair criticisms," said Falzon. "That was kind of my problem throughout my high school career, that I was inconsistent. Sometimes I'd look like a superstar, sometimes I'd be nonexistent. That was something I tried to work on and got better at throughout my high school career."
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Part of the problem, as it turns out, was also between the ears. Reflecting back, Falzon fully acknowledges that his mental focus lacked a bit when the going got tough at the high school level.
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"I wasn't in the best shape which held me back a little bit,” admitted Falzon. “And then, mentally I wasn't always the toughest kid. Little things bothered me sometimes and that kind of affected the way I played.”
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Even after undergoing three mildly disappointing seasons at Newton North, Falzon still received plenty of interest from college programs in the New England area. Quinnipiac, Hartford, New Hampshire, and Central Connecticut were just some of the schools that kept an eye on the versatile forward. The Division I dream appeared live and well, and slowly but surely Falzon started to take control of his destiny. His conditioning and focus began to improve. Soon after, scouts became cognizant of Falzon’s newfound athleticism and explosion. Things were surely heading in the right direction. It was going to be a monster senior season, or so he thought.
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But then, the biggest road block to his basketball career got in the way. During an AAU game in the summer before his senior season, he awkwardly landed on his wrist after being fouled on a layup. Originally diagnosed as a sprain, Falzon had a feeling his injury was far more serious.
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“It was kind of ridiculous because I went to the emergency room that night, and they told me it was a sprain," explained Falzon. After two weeks with virtually no improvement, he went to see a hand specialist who told him he would need surgery. "I couldn't believe it."
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All told, Falzon missed about three months of his senior season because of a dislocated wrist. It was obviously heart wrenching, and especially frustrating when Falzon was reduced to a spectator when Newton North hosted St. Anthony High, which at the time was the number one ranked high school basketball program in the country.
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Falzon eventually came back in time to help North Newton reach the playoffs, and as an added bonus, got to play alongside his equally talented younger brother Aaron. But the Division I schools that had showed interest before the injury were now long gone. He had to start from scratch.
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To Falzon’s credit, he continued to work hard on his game and his body. He enrolled at Winchendon School to play a prep season and refine his game, and earn that Division I scholarship he so greatly wanted.<br />
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Before anyone had a chance to see him at prep school though, Falzon caught the attention of Sacred Heart assistant coach Johnny Kidd at an AAU tournament in Springfield, MA. The veteran coach was impressed right from the start.
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"I thought [Falzon] had tremendous upside - he was obviously plenty skilled,” said Kidd. “I think the problem people had with him was they thought he wasn't in game shape. I just saw through that and believed [we could get him in shape]. I just saw he had a feel for the game, he had a good left and right hand, he drives, he can score from either inside or outside. He just has a lot of tools."
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Kidd’s glowing praise eventually made its way back to head coach Dave Bike, and shortly after Sacred Heart became the first Division I school to offer Falzon a scholarship. Rather than waiting it out, Falzon honored Coach Kidd’s trust and belief with a verbal commitment before he began his prep season at Winchendon. Falzon was very appreciative of the confidence the Sacred Heart coaching staff had in him.
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"I know they really wanted me and believed in me,” said Falzon. “I'm a loyal person and when they believed in me, I'd rather go there, then somewhere else."
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With the season now underway, Falzon continues to progress nicely in the eyes of the coaching staff. Sacred Heart’s power forward of the future has continued to put in the hard work necessary to become an impact freshman in the Northeast Conference.
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Kidd gives Falzon a lot of credit. “He was up here for six weeks in the summer and it was obvious that his body was not in great condition, so I talked to him about nutrition and his conditioning, what he had to do between the end of the summer and the fall to get himself into good shape.”
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Thus far the hard work has paid off. Falzon has improved his nutrition and is working hard in the weight room, so much so that he’s down to a playing weight of 215 pounds, which is about 15 pounds lighter from the summer. "I give the kid a lot of credit. It was so obvious when he came back,” said Kidd.
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With his conditioning improving, the multi-skilled Falzon has his sights set on making the All-NEC rookie team at season's end. It won't be easy given the crop of talented freshmen coming into the conference, but there's no denying Falzon's potential and talent. As a stretch forward with legitimate three-point range, his skills fit in well with Sacred Heart’s perimeter oriented offense.
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For Falzon, it's been an somewhat arduous path to the next level, but the freshman endured and he's thankful for the opportunity to play at Sacred Heart.
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"It all worked out well in the end. I guess everything happens for a reason."
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<i>Ryan Peters covers Sacred Heart men's basketball for Pioneer Pride and <a href="http://nycbuckets.com/" target="_blank">Big Apple Buckets</a>. You can follow Ryan on Twitter <a href="https://mobile.twitter.com/pioneer_pride" target="_blank">@pioneer_pride</a></i>Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15758571797890454317noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7952162307768756809.post-82489231828727786762012-11-11T10:12:00.001-05:002012-11-11T17:25:26.991-05:00Sacred Heart Shocks Yale and I'm Nowhere Near the EventSometimes I feel like the worst fan in the world.<br />
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I vividly remember sitting in an airport this summer, awaiting our flight back to Baltimore, when I suddenly realized that a family Bar Mitzvah had been scheduled on the same day as this year's Connecticut 6 basketball event. Don't get me wrong, I was curious/excited to attend my first ever Bar Mitzvah, but at the expense of seeing the season openers of Quinnipiac, CCSU, and my Sacred Heart Pioneers? Damn...<br />
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Oh well, I thought. I probably won't miss much anyway. Quinnipiac should beat a young Hartford squad fairly easily. Fairfield - who had never lost in the CT6 event - should have no trouble with a young CCSU team that lost nearly 55% of their scoring from a season ago. And of course, Sacred Heart will have their way with a Yale team that was picked 6th in the Ivy League Preseason Coach's Poll.<br />
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I probably wouldn't miss much. Shalom!<br />
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So you could imagine my horror as I quickly checked my cell phone for the Yale/SHU score after the family event. I pulled up Twitter, quickly updated the timeline, and found this tweet at the top.<br />
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<a href="https://twitter.com/wspaxton/status/267411304724193282" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/wspaxton/status/267411304724193282</a><br />
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Oh no. I didn't investigate why my Pioneers were down 16 at the half, and I quickly put away my phone. About 20 minutes later, I checked one more time while my wife and I were walking to dinner in Philly with our friends. Yale had extended their lead to 24 points with about 15 minutes left. What a disaster.<br />
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Honestly, I figured that was it. Usually, I'm a half-glass full guy, but when my wife stated it would take a miracle for the Pioneers come back from that deficit, I pretty much agreed with her. Which is also weird because I sometimes enjoy pushing her buttons by foolishly disagreeing with her.<br />
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Fast forward to 30 minutes later. I'm in a restaurant bathroom and my friend and fellow SHU alum Newsie sends me a text, simply asking me what the hell is wrong with SHU. Truthfully, I don't even remember my response, because I had a blurred moment sparked with anger, disappointment, and sadness. I'm pretty sure it wasn't a pro-Dave Bike message though. Or something that surely summarized my disappointment.<br />
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But really, it's time for me to wrap up this trivial story. Long story short, I quickly check my phone after dinner only to discover ... that the ... Pioneers ... actually <a href="http://www.sacredheartpioneers.com/sports/m-baskbl/2012-13/releases/20121110fympam" target="_blank">WON?!?!</a> I figured something was up, since there were several text and Twitter messages awaiting me on my phone. Absolutely amazing.<br />
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Turns out the Pioneers - after trailing 24 points early in the second half - mounted separate 11-0 and 14-0 runs to get the game close enough for Shane Gibson to perform his magic. Gibson had 29 points (on 11-21 shooting), and sunk a clutch basket late in regulation to force the game into overtime. You still think Gibson <a href="http://www.midmajormadness.com/opening-tip-2012/2012/11/9/3622354/top-50-players-mid-major-2012" target="_blank">isn't a top 50 player in the mid-major ranks now</a>, Mid-Major Madness?! HUH?? I CAN'T HEAR YOU?!<br />
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Louis Montes had a double/double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, but more importantly corralled a number of critical offensive misses in overtime. Justin Swidowski, who appeared healthy just from the box score, scored 17 points on only five shots in 23 minutes. Nice! The frontcourt of the future also chipped in, led by Tevin Falzon adding five points, five rebounds, and one blocked shot in 20 minutes of action. Steve Glowiak, who's role is that much more important with Chris Evans and Evan Kelley out of the lineup, grabbed four rebounds, stole the ball twice, and hit two critical free-throws late in overtime to help seal the improbable victory.<br />
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It really was a miraculous win and nice to see the Pioneers win a tight game, after struggling so mightily in that category last season! As I was catching up on Twitter, it was pretty awesome to see some of the SHU player tweets like these after the game.<br />
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<a href="https://mobile.twitter.com/TNICE34/status/267448270861762560?p=v" target="_blank">https://mobile.twitter.com/TNICE34/status/267448270861762560?p=v</a><br />
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<a href="https://mobile.twitter.com/Mostafaa24/status/267453928583606272#tweet_267453928583606272" target="_blank">https://mobile.twitter.com/Mostafaa24/status/267453928583606272#tweet_267453928583606272</a><br />
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It's certainly moments like this that capture why I love the purity and competitive spirit of mid-major college basketball.<br />
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Looking ahead, the Pioneers head to New Jersey to take on Rutgers University this coming Monday night. A victory there would be one hell of an upset, not just because SHU is 0-16 career versus the Big East, but also because Mike Rice's Scarlet Knights will be angry too. This past Friday, <a href="http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2012/11/st_peters_looks_back_on_stunni.html" target="_blank">St. Peter's shocked Rutgers</a> by beating them 56-52 on their home floor. Perhaps it would be imperative for the SHU coaching staff to aim for next Friday as a possible return date for Kelley and Evans, although I'm currently in the dark regarding their injury status.<br />
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After the Rutgers game, I'll be attending the next three Pioneer games live - at Hartford (Friday, 11/16 at 7 pm), at Stony Brook (Sunday, 11/18 at 2 pm), and home versus Lehigh (Sunday, 11/25 at 2 pm). After a performance like last night, I absolutely can't wait to get my first look at the 2012-13 Pioneers.<br />
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The season is underway and I'm already giddy, even though I haven't seen or heard one minute of the SHU/Yale game yet.<br />
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Hopefully next season, it's CT6 or bust. Until next time...<br />
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<i>Ryan Peters covers Sacred Heart men's basketball and the Northeast Conference for Pioneer Pride and <a href="http://nycbuckets.com/" target="_blank">Big Apple Buckets</a>. You can follow Ryan on Twitter <a href="https://mobile.twitter.com/pioneer_pride" target="_blank">@pioneer_pride</a></i>Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15758571797890454317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7952162307768756809.post-81374513550742205512012-11-07T08:26:00.000-05:002012-11-07T10:25:16.578-05:00The 2012-13 Sacred Heart Men's Basketball Preview!!It seems so long ago thinking back to the “glory years” of the Sacred Heart (SHU) Pioneers. It was only six years prior when players like Drew Shubik, Joey Henley, and Jarrid Frye were selflessly guiding the Pioneers into the upper echelon of the Northeast Conference (NEC). After watching awful Division I basketball for several seasons, Pioneer fans were suddenly spoiled with winning conference records, NEC playoff wins, and just a solid, fun display of good offensively efficient basketball.<br />
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That period, as it turned out, lasted for a grand three seasons. And it yielded two heartbreaking losses in the NEC title game, with the first defeat to Central Connecticut serving as one of the worst losses for me as a sports fan. It was the stomach punch game of all stomach punch games, when the Pioneers blew a 10-point lead with three minutes remaining and fell to the Javier Mojica led Blue Devils<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>(1)</strong></span>. In their second attempt to go dancing in the NCAA tournament, the Pioneers put forth a putrid home performance versus the Mount that allegedly led to an apologetic, rambling late night e-mail addressed to the entire campus by Mr. Dave Bike himself. In season three of the short-lived turnaround, the Joey Henley led Pioneers fell short in the semifinals to Milan Brown’s Mountaineers once again.<br />
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And that was it. Three years of above average basketball and nothing to show for it.
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But rather than conger up awful feelings among the Pioneer faithful (oh wait, too late!), I’m laying out this cruel history to make a point. At least I think that’s what I’m doing.<br />
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The 2012-13 season in Fairfield (ok ok, the campus is really situated in Bridgeport) is supposed to be about hope. Can the Pioneers finally make a legitimate run at the NEC championship after toiling in mediocrity for the past three seasons? Can they once and for all capitalize on a signature Shane Gibson season by cutting down the nets in early March? Or will this be another merciless twist of agonizing losses that could slide the Pioneers back into perpetual mediocrity?
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Lots of questions to answer, so let’s start with the season preview, shall we?<br />
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If you read my <a href="http://bigredpioneerpride.blogspot.com/2011/11/2011-2012-sacred-heart-university-mens.html" target="_blank">team preview last year</a> (shameless plug alert), you knew I was bullish on SHU taking that next step from a lower tier team to a team with an outside chance at league contention. Bike’s Pioneers did in fact improve, but they only made it halfway based on my expectations. SHU finished 8-10 in the conference - their third consecutive losing season in the NEC – en route to a disappointing first round loss in the NEC tournament at the hands of eventual champion LIU Brooklyn.<br />
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The season left such a bitter taste in the Pioneer fan’s mouth, thanks to a record of 4-8 in NEC games decided in the final two minutes. The late game futility was not only responsible for a significant drop in the NEC standings, but it was simply brutal to watch. Justin Swidowski missed two free throws with SHU down one point with 13 seconds remaining against Central Connecticut. Velton Jones drained a buzzer-beating three-pointer to give Robert Morris a stunning comeback victory in SHU’s second to last home game of the season. SHU was leading Monmouth by eight points with three minutes left, only to inexplicably lose by seven. Watching this team when it mattered most felt like sitting through a Philosophy 101 class … at 8 AM … while hungover.<br />
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Despite the lack of execution during crunch time, it’s fair to deduce that bad luck was partially involved. Perhaps the Pioneers will not only be better late in the game, but also they’ll be more fortunate. After all, if just two of those games were converted into wins, then SHU’s 10-8 NEC mark – and number five seed in the conference tournament – would be viewed as a success. But enough with cherry picking data and theorizing about the “what-ifs.”<br />
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First let’s focus on the good. Shane Gibson is returning! The greatest player in SHU history (I’m sorry if I keep repeating that in other posts, but it’s 100% true) is coming off a junior season where he averaged an absurd 22.0 points per game, while posting fantastic shooting percentages of 51% FG/ 43% 3PT/ 86% FT<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>(2)</strong></span>. Quite simply, Gibson’s efficiency was off the charts, even though the Pioneers were devoid of a consistent scoring threat alongside Gibson, which consequently led to a stifling amount of defensive focus thrown at the 6’2” guard. This offseason, Gibson has built up his lower half so he can defend better late in the game and will focus on being more aggressive driving toward the rim. Really, to expect anything less from the borderline NBA prospect than an efficient 21 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1.5 steals per game would probably be as foolish as expecting SHU’s tuition rate to trend downward next semester.<br />
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As awesome as Gibson is though, we all know you can’t win a college basketball conference championship with just one superstar. In past ten seasons, only one team has represented the NEC in the NCAA tournament with the conference's scoring champion on their team. Within the same period, Sacred Heart has had three NEC scoring champions (Kibwe Trim 2005-06, Corey Hassan 2009-10, Gibson 2011-12). The combined conference record of those three Pioneer teams? 23-31<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>(3)</strong></span><span style="font-size: small;">.</span><br />
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Therefore, it’s paramount for any team to have a strong supporting cast, in order to compete in an ultra-competitive conference such as the emerging NEC. Are there players who can step up to become the reliable second, third, and even fourth option behind Gibson? <br />
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It all begins with 6’9” senior power forward Justin Swidowski. Despite putting up good numbers (11.1 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 1.3 BPG) in his first season at the Division I level, Swidowski was plagued with inconsistency. The versatile Swidowski had difficultly staying on the court, fouling out in six games and finding himself in foul trouble for many more. It’s his health, however, that is of more concern at the moment. After missing four games this past season, Swidowski had shoulder surgery in the offseason. Currently, he hasn’t been cleared to fully practice, although he's probable to begin the season in uniform.<br />
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If Swidowski misses time in the foreseeable future, the pressure lands partially on freshman Tevin Falzon’s shoulders. The 6’7” Falzon is a bit of a Swidowski clone - he has excellent range, is comfortable on the perimeter, and possesses several on-the-ball skills that should help him become an all-conference type of player down the road. To ask a freshman to fill in seamlessly for a veteran, however, may be asking a bit much<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>(4)</strong></span><span style="font-size: small;">. </span><br />
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Beside Falzon, the other freshman of note is 6'6" forward De'Aires Tate. Arguably the most athletic player on the team, Tate is the rare player who revels in doing the dirty work around the basket. In high school, Tate was a superb rebounder, shot-blocker, and running of the floor, therefore it’s safe to expect the same role for him moving forward. He's the kind of player Bike has been missing on his team for years. If utilized properly, Tate could have an immediate impact, much like Falzon. <br />
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Another important contributor bitten by the injury bug is junior guard Chris Evans. An All-NEC rookie team selection in 2010-11, Evans showed marginal improvement in an injury plagued sophomore season, yet still finished in the team’s top three in points, assists, and steals per game. He’s a stat-filler, for the lack of a better term, whose presence on the floor absolutely helps the Pioneers on both ends. Recently though, Evans has been shutout of practice, thanks to swelling in his surgically repaired knee. The timetable for his return, like Swidowski, is currently unknown and possibly even more dire<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>(5)</strong></span><span style="font-size: small;">.</span><br />
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If Evans misses a significant amount of time – and reports suggest that could be the case – then the onus falls on redshirt-sophomore Steve Glowiak. The 6’3 guard came to SHU from hard-hitting New Britain, Connecticut with the ability to drain the long-range jumper, but his first season in Fairfield disappointed in that regard. After a couple of solid performances early last season, including a 16 point effort versus Hampton in late November, Glowiak morphed into a ball-chucking guard who would heave the basketball toward the rim seemingly at first touch. By the middle of the conference season, Bike had no choice but to delegate garbage time minutes to Glowiak, not just because of the guard’s putrid 24.2% three-point percentage<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>(6)</strong></span>, but also because he was providing little else on the court.<br />
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In essence, that was a long-winded explanation just to say the following about Glowiak’s future prospects: He really needs to improve his shot selection and help the Pioneers in other ways off-the-ball. Can he do that? I have no freaking idea and neither do the coaches at this moment…<br />
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With Swidowski and Evans’ health issues hardly settled, the player most likely to become Gibson’s Robin is junior Louis Montes. Once the young man with the <a href="http://www.sacredheartpioneers.com/sports/m-baskbl/2011-12/bios/montes%20louis%20d6rh" target="_blank">best neck beard on campus</a><span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>(7)</strong></span>, Montes came to SHU this fall in … (wait for it) … the best shape of his life<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>(8)</strong></span>! Yep, I just unloaded an tired sports cliché, but with Swidowski and Evans already less than 100% healthy, this is what we’re going with. Louis Montes is in the best shape of his life, so much so that Dave Bike proudly told me how much Montes has been sweating on the court these days. <a href="http://bigredpioneerpride.blogspot.com/2012/10/injuries-attempting-to-derail-sacred.html" target="_blank">I’m not kidding</a>.</span><br />
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In all seriousness, the 6’4” Montes is coming off a season where he finished in the top 15 of the NEC in rebound rate and showed flashes of becoming an excellent forward in this league. Once again, consistency has been the issue. This season, if Swidowski can ever get healthy and Falzon and Tate can play meaningful minutes at power forward, then Montes can slot back to his more natural position at small forward. He's been reportedly working hard on his ball-handling skills and outside shooting, thus to forecast a breakout season for Montes is far from a stretch.<br />
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At the point guard position, the minutes will go to junior Evan Kelley and Pioneer Pride favorite Phil Gaetano. The latter is the most natural floor general of the two, although Kelley is a better playmaker with the athleticism to slash to the hole and pop from the outside. Gaetano, however, is far more heady and composed, and was quite impressive running the point last season as a college basketball novice. If Gaetano can successfully look for his shot more and improve his turnover rate, then I'm expecting big things out of the diminutive point guard in his sophomore season.<br />
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In the frontcourt is team captain and noted Republican Nick Greenbacker<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>(9)</strong></span>, who surely <a href="http://www.ctpost.com/sports/article/William-S-Paxton-Greenbacker-more-than-a-4003823.php" target="_blank">provides value in the locker room</a>, but on the court shouldn't play more than 15-20 minutes per game. Like Swidowski, Greenbacker has added range to his game, so at the very least, the senior could pull post defenders out of the paint if he sinks more than 35% of his three-point attempts.<br />
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Rounding out the bench are big men Femi Akinpetide and Mostafa Abdel-Latif, who by design should play no more than 10-12 minutes per game. Each player, though limited, has his strengths – Akinpetide can provide energy on the offensive glass and Abdel-Latif gives SHU one of their few … check that … their ONLY back-to-the basket post presence. Abdel-Latif, a transfer from Egypt with an awesome afro, may be a liability on the defensive end despite his burly 6’8 body.<br />
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Add it all up, and you have a SHU roster that can excel on the perimeter, but will probably struggle to defend and rebound the basketball. The Pioneers once again will rely heavily on their shooting – especially outside the paint – to win games. Hmm, doesn't that sound familiar?<br />
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Unfortunately, it may not be enough to crack the upper quarter of the NEC, which is depressing as hell with Gibson and Swidowski no longer eligible to play collegiate basketball after this season. Right now, I’m forecasting a 15-14 regular season mark, right in line with popular advance statistician Ken Pomeroy. A 15-win season would mark their first winning season in four years, which as I said earlier in this preview, seems so long ago. The Pioneers should win ten conference games, good enough to tie for fifth place in the NEC standings.<br />
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I’m hoping for more, but I’m an unapologetic realist who fully understands the limitations of his favorite team. To ask the Pioneers to lock down a LIU Brooklyn on offense, to match up with Wagner’s athleticism, or to grind out victories versus Robert Morris is a ton to ask, yet stranger things have certainly happened.<br />
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This is why they play the games. I know I’ll be watching this winter and you should too. At the very least, you’ll get witness the great Shane Gibson in his last season before he begins what should be a successful professional career. But maybe, just maybe, Pioneer fans can be treated to some meaningful basketball in early March. <br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>Footnotes:</strong></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>(1) </strong>The fact that Mojica led the improbable comeback made for a great story, because Mojica's mother was close to committing suicide before being saved by her son 12 years prior. This story was rightfully pumped up by ESPN 2 during the televised broadcast, and surely helped the Worldwide Leader with a prominent storyline as CCSU was making their comeback. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>(2) </strong>I did not need to look up Gibson’s shooting percentages, since I already knew them by heart. I wish I was joking. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>(3) </strong>Again, I did not need to look that record up. I may have a problem…</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>(4) </strong>Personally, I like Falzon and his long-term potential A LOT, but it's never easy for any freshman big man to produce right away. Not every rookie will produce out of the gate like Jalen Cannon or Julian Boyd.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>(5) </strong>Gulp.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>(6) </strong>Glowiak has the dubious distinction of having the worst single season three-point percentage (with more than 60 attempts, aka ~2 attempts per game) in Sacred Heart history since Tre Samuels made only 23.3% of his long-range bombs in the 2001-02 season.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>(7) </strong>Because of the beard, I almost gave Montes the nickname, Baby Lebron. Almost…</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>(8) </strong>I always think back when baseball player Jeff Franceour, then of the Atlanta Braves, bragged to the media how he added lots of muscle in the offseason and was in the best shape of his life. I took the bait in my fantasy draft and six months later, Franceour had hit a pedestrian 0.239 with 11 HRs and 71 RBIs in 155 games. So much for being in the best shape of his life! And for those of you keeping score, that is two Franceour references in as many SHU blog previews.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>(9) </strong>Greenbacker's tweets per minute during the Presidential debates was, and I'm totally estimating, about 23.4 tweets/minute. Quite entertaining.</span><br />
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<em>Ryan Peters covers Sacred Heart men's basketball and the Northeast Conference at Pioneer Pride and <a href="http://nycbuckets.com/" target="_blank">Big Apple Buckets</a>. You can follow him on Twitter <a href="http://mobile.twitter.com/pioneer_pride?" target="_blank">@pioneer_pride</a></em>Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15758571797890454317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7952162307768756809.post-84414343662338597052012-10-23T19:29:00.001-04:002012-10-23T19:34:05.828-04:00Injuries Attempting to Derail Sacred Heart's Season Before It Even BeginsWe're less than three weeks away from the first jump ball against Yale, yet injuries are already attempting to erode Sacred Heart's depth. Two players coming off surgery in the offseason, Chris Evans (meniscus) and Justin Swidowski (shoulder), haven't been cleared to fully practice as of today. As far as their prognosis is concerned, Dave Bike was unfortunately vague when asked about the status of his injured players at the Northeast Conference (NEC) Media Day in Brooklyn, NY.<br />
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"He hasn't been scrimmaging, so he hasn't had a full practice yet with full contact," said Bike when asked about Swidowski's health. "I guess there is a [timetable for his return], but I'll leave it up to the players and to the training staff. I don't really get involved with that."<br />
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In regards to Evans, Bike added, "He was rehabbing [his knee], and then he did participate for a practice or two, and then it swelled up. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">Hopefully, [Swidowski and Evans] will be back by [November 10 vs. Yale], but who knows."</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">Even if both players make an appearance early in the season, one has to wonder if they'll be anywhere close to 100%. Their complete health is highly unlikely, which unfortunately forces other players to step up in their place if necessary. Right now, Bike is expecting big things from junior Louis Montes, who's coming off a season where he averaged 7.8 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.</span><br />
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"He's a key. Not only is he in great shape, he stopped in practice a couple times to change his shirt to get a second set of practice gear," said Bike. "He's pushing himself so much, he's sweating. So he's playing harder and playing better."<br />
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Even with a sudden emergence from Montes, others would need to step up. Whether it's Phil Gaetano, Evan Kelley - who is currently saddled with a bruised kneecap - or freshmen De'Aires Tate and Tevin Falzon, the prospects for Sacred Heart's season go decidedly down if Swidowski and Evans can't compete at the highest level.<br />
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Of course, that remains to be seen, but it certainly isn't encouraging that Bike doesn't know if either guy will be ready on November 10th. If Sacred Heart fans are enthusiasic about a Pioneer run towards their first ever NEC title, they better hope to see a signficant contribution from Evans and Swidowski.<br />
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If not, it could be another tough year at the Pitt Center.<br />
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<i>Ryan Peters covers Northeast Conference and Sacred Heart men's basketball on <a href="http://nycbuckets.com/" target="_blank">Big Apple Buckets</a> and Pioneer Pride. You can follow Ryan on Twitter <a href="https://mobile.twitter.com/pioneer_pride" target="_blank">@pioneer_pride</a></i>Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15758571797890454317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7952162307768756809.post-83226899464794480002012-10-02T19:29:00.005-04:002012-10-03T07:35:13.953-04:00Shane Gibson Finally Getting National RecognitionIt's been another quiet offseason for the Sacred Heart men's basketball program in the mainstream media. Other than the occasional piece on Dave Bike's lengthy coaching career and this <a href="http://www.collegeinsider.com/angela/020212.html" target="_blank">Shane Gibson post</a> by Angela Lento of Collegeinsider.com, I can't recall any media outlets outside of Connecticut running a profile piece on a SHU player.<br />
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Today, however, Jeff Eisenberg of the Yahoo Sports college basketball blog <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaab-the-dagger/" target="_blank">The Dagger</a> wrote a <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaab-the-dagger/nec-preview-oft-overlooked-shane-gibson-hopes-hidden-135514034--ncaab.html;_ylt=Aqo61zWjX0Jajv6k94n5SeY7Ysp_;_ylu=X3oDMTFkYnNvcGJsBG1pdANCbG9ncyBJbmRleARwb3MDMTMEc2VjA01lZGlhQmxvZ0luZGV4VGVtcA--;_ylg=X3oDMTFpMm9iMzh1BGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdANibG9nBHB0A3NlY3Rpb25z;_ylv=3" target="_blank">fantastic article about Shane Gibson</a>. It's the first time someone from a major media outlet is profiling one of the most overlooked, yet immensely talented guards in the country. Jeff's piece is an absolute must read for any SHU fan.<br />
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Frankly, it was refreshing to read about Gibson's competitive drive and how the lack of national attention he receives has continued to motivate him on a daily basis. It's no wonder the SHU coaches have marveled to me about how hard Gibson works on his game and how much time he spends in the weight room pushing to get better. During my end-of-the-season interview with Coach Bike last March, Bike clearly implied that he wished other SHU players would work as hard as Gibson did on and off the court.<br />
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Even with Gibson blossoming into a NEC Player of the Year candidate early last season, I would have considered it a wild long-shot if Gibson found his way into the NBA. Now, nothing would surprise me. Gibson's NBA jersey could become the first piece of NBA merchandise I purchase in many years, since I forked over $40 for a green Dominique Wilkins Boston Celtics jersey!<br />
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Before Gibson begins his endeavor into profession basketball though, it's my hope that his hard work will be rewarded with SHU making a run at the NEC title. Yes, it's a minute possibility at this point, especially with LIU, Robert Morris, and Wagner returning most of their starters, but this is why they play the games.<br />
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And I can't think of a better way for Gibson to end his collegiate career, by cutting down the nets after leading the Pioneers to their first ever NCAA tournament. It would be a storybook ending for the greatest basketball player ever to put on the red and white of Sacred Heart University.<br />
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<i>Ryan Peters covers Northeast Conference and Sacred Heart men's college basketball on Pioneer Pride and <a href="http://nycbuckets.com/" target="_blank">Big Apple Buckets</a>. You can follow Ryan on Twitter <a href="https://mobile.twitter.com/pioneer_pride" target="_blank">@pioneer_pride</a></i>Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15758571797890454317noreply@blogger.com0