First 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!
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?
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.
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.
1) Paging Shane Gibson as a Junior - 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.
2) For the Love of God, Play Some Freaking Defense - 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!
3) The Young Bucks Need to Step Up. 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.
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.
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?
Until next time...
Ryan Peters covers Sacred Heart men's basketball for Pioneer Pride and Big Apple Buckets. You can follow Ryan on Twitter @pioneer_pride
Showing posts with label Tevin Falzon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tevin Falzon. Show all posts
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Sacred Heart Freshman Profile - Tevin Falzon's Uneven Path Leads Him to the Pioneers
This 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
"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."
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.
"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.”
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.
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.
“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."
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.
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.
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.
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.
"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."
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.
"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."
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.
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.”
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.
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.
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.
"It all worked out well in the end. I guess everything happens for a reason."
Ryan Peters covers Sacred Heart men's basketball for Pioneer Pride and Big Apple Buckets. You can follow Ryan on Twitter @pioneer_pride
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
"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."
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.
"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.”
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.
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.
“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."
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.
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.
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.
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.
"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."
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.
"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."
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.
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.”
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.
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.
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.
"It all worked out well in the end. I guess everything happens for a reason."
Ryan Peters covers Sacred Heart men's basketball for Pioneer Pride and Big Apple Buckets. You can follow Ryan on Twitter @pioneer_pride
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Sacred Heart Shocks Yale and I'm Nowhere Near the Event
Sometimes I feel like the worst fan in the world.
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...
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.
I probably wouldn't miss much. Shalom!
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.
https://twitter.com/wspaxton/status/267411304724193282
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.
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.
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.
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 WON?!?! I figured something was up, since there were several text and Twitter messages awaiting me on my phone. Absolutely amazing.
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 isn't a top 50 player in the mid-major ranks now, Mid-Major Madness?! HUH?? I CAN'T HEAR YOU?!
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.
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.
https://mobile.twitter.com/TNICE34/status/267448270861762560?p=v
https://mobile.twitter.com/Mostafaa24/status/267453928583606272#tweet_267453928583606272
It's certainly moments like this that capture why I love the purity and competitive spirit of mid-major college basketball.
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, St. Peter's shocked Rutgers 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.
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.
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.
Hopefully next season, it's CT6 or bust. Until next time...
Ryan Peters covers Sacred Heart men's basketball and the Northeast Conference for Pioneer Pride and Big Apple Buckets. You can follow Ryan on Twitter @pioneer_pride
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...
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.
I probably wouldn't miss much. Shalom!
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.
https://twitter.com/wspaxton/status/267411304724193282
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.
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.
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.
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 WON?!?! I figured something was up, since there were several text and Twitter messages awaiting me on my phone. Absolutely amazing.
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 isn't a top 50 player in the mid-major ranks now, Mid-Major Madness?! HUH?? I CAN'T HEAR YOU?!
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.
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.
https://mobile.twitter.com/TNICE34/status/267448270861762560?p=v
https://mobile.twitter.com/Mostafaa24/status/267453928583606272#tweet_267453928583606272
It's certainly moments like this that capture why I love the purity and competitive spirit of mid-major college basketball.
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, St. Peter's shocked Rutgers 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.
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.
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.
Hopefully next season, it's CT6 or bust. Until next time...
Ryan Peters covers Sacred Heart men's basketball and the Northeast Conference for Pioneer Pride and Big Apple Buckets. You can follow Ryan on Twitter @pioneer_pride
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
The 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.
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(1). 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.
And that was it. Three years of above average basketball and nothing to show for it.
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.
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?
Lots of questions to answer, so let’s start with the season preview, shall we?
If you read my team preview last year (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.
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.
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.”
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(2). 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.
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(3).
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?
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.
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(4).
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.
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(5).
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(6), but also because he was providing little else on the court.
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…
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 best neck beard on campus(7), Montes came to SHU this fall in … (wait for it) … the best shape of his life(8)! 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. I’m not kidding.
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.
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.
In the frontcourt is team captain and noted Republican Nick Greenbacker(9), who surely provides value in the locker room, 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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
Footnotes:
(1) 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.
(2) I did not need to look up Gibson’s shooting percentages, since I already knew them by heart. I wish I was joking.
(3) Again, I did not need to look that record up. I may have a problem…
(4) 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.
(5) Gulp.
(6) 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.
(7) Because of the beard, I almost gave Montes the nickname, Baby Lebron. Almost…
(8) 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.
(9) Greenbacker's tweets per minute during the Presidential debates was, and I'm totally estimating, about 23.4 tweets/minute. Quite entertaining.
Ryan Peters covers Sacred Heart men's basketball and the Northeast Conference at Pioneer Pride and Big Apple Buckets. You can follow him on Twitter @pioneer_pride
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(1). 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.
And that was it. Three years of above average basketball and nothing to show for it.
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.
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?
Lots of questions to answer, so let’s start with the season preview, shall we?
If you read my team preview last year (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.
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.
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.”
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(2). 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.
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(3).
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?
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.
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(4).
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.
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(5).
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(6), but also because he was providing little else on the court.
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…
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 best neck beard on campus(7), Montes came to SHU this fall in … (wait for it) … the best shape of his life(8)! 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. I’m not kidding.
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.
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.
In the frontcourt is team captain and noted Republican Nick Greenbacker(9), who surely provides value in the locker room, 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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
Footnotes:
(1) 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.
(2) I did not need to look up Gibson’s shooting percentages, since I already knew them by heart. I wish I was joking.
(3) Again, I did not need to look that record up. I may have a problem…
(4) 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.
(5) Gulp.
(6) 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.
(7) Because of the beard, I almost gave Montes the nickname, Baby Lebron. Almost…
(8) 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.
(9) Greenbacker's tweets per minute during the Presidential debates was, and I'm totally estimating, about 23.4 tweets/minute. Quite entertaining.
Ryan Peters covers Sacred Heart men's basketball and the Northeast Conference at Pioneer Pride and Big Apple Buckets. You can follow him on Twitter @pioneer_pride
Monday, May 21, 2012
A Recruiting Recap - Meet the 2012-13 Sacred Heart Pioneer Newcomers
Sacred Heart Pioneers,
14-18 (8-10 NEC), Lost 1st Round of NEC Tournament
Key Players Lost: Stan
Dulaire, 21 mpg, 4.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.0 apg
Incoming Recruits:
Tevin Falzon, Newton North High/Winchendon School (MA)
Cole Walton, Bellevue High
(WA)
De’Aires Tate, Martin Luther King High (GA)
With good reason, Dave Bike and the Sacred Heart (SHU) coaching
staff made it a priority to recruit frontcourt depth for the 2012-13
season. The Pioneers struggled to score
inside and defend the paint, especially when junior Justin Swidowski missed time
due to injury or foul trouble, thereby forcing co-captain Nick Greenbacker and the
now graduated Stan Dulaire to play extended minutes. As a result, Bike felt the need
to use all three of SHU’s available scholarships on skilled big men that should
bolster their front line and bench in the short-term and improve the long-term outlook
of their inside play.
Leading the group is early commitment Tevin Falzon, who at
6-foot-7 has an opportunity to make an impact right away in the Northeast
Conference. Heading into his senior
season at Newton North High, Falzon reportedly drew the interest of a few
Division I schools, which included Robert Morris and Quinnipiac. Unfortunately for Falzon, a broken wrist in
the preseason plummeted his stock, so much so that Falzon didn’t have a single
Division I offer to mull after the season.
Despite this, SHU assistant coach Johnny Kidd saw enough in Falzon’s
comeback from the wrist injury to offer him an early scholarship this past summer. The gamble paid off. Since signing his National Letter of Intent with
SHU, Falzon had an excellent post-graduate season at Winchendon School, impressing
many with his improved conditioning and explosiveness. Now with a season of post-graduate under his
belt, Falzon has made it clear he’s ready to compete at the college level.
Falzon profiles as a versatile big man who’s comfortable
both on the perimeter and in the paint, which fits well into SHU’s perimeter
oriented offense. His ability to stretch
the defense – by using his range to pull post defenders out of the paint –
gives him an opportunity to play right away, specifically as Swidowski’s
back-up. In this role, he should provide
scoring off the bench and could be part of a very respectable four man rotation
in the frontcourt including Swidowki, Greenbacker, and junior transfer power
forward Mostafa Abdel Latif. At the very
least, Falzon’s insertion into this rotation should push Louis Montes back to
his more natural position, small forward.
Size can be difficult to acquire in the NEC, yet SHU was
able to sign 6-foot-11 center Cole Walton from Bellevue High in Washington State. Walton has solid athleticism, good hands, and
decent range as a big, but as is the case for most lanky high school seniors,
Walton will need to bulk up considerably and improve his offensive arsenal to
compete in the low block with the likes of NEC up-and-coming big men Jalen
Cannon and Ousmane Drame.
Because of this, Walton probably translates as the biggest project of
the recruiting trio, albeit a project with very good upside. If the SHU coaching staff can transform a
skinny and less athletic 7-foot-0 Liam Potter into a near double-double machine
his senior season, then perhaps Walton can realize his potential much earlier
into his Sacred Heart tenure. Given the
glut of big men on Bike’s roster, it certainly makes sense to redshirt Walton
this upcoming season and have him ready for the 2013-14 campaign, when
Swidowski, Greenbacker, and seldom used Femi Akinpetide are off the roster. After all, Walton hasn’t even turned 18 yet
and an extra year to allow the freshman to physically mature surely couldn’t
hurt.
The final piece of the recruiting puzzle was completed last
Tuesday, with SHU acquiring the services of 6-foot-6 power forward De’Aires
Tate. Tate had verbally committed to SWAC doormat Grambling back in the February, yet he most likely reneged
on his commitment when head coach Bobby Washington was dismissed after a 4-24
season. Grambling's loss is Sacred
Heart’s gain. The Pioneer coaching staff
describes Tate as an athletic, yet undersized, high-energy rebounder (or as Jay
Bilas would say, “this kid has a nice motor”) who could contribute on the glass
and the defensive end of the floor right away.
Other than this grainy Youtube video however, there is hardly any
information out there on Tate, so for now, we’ll have to take the coaching
staff’s word that this was a recruiting coop.
Only time will determine if Tate’s ceiling is closer to Stan Dulaire, or
in a dream scenario for the red and white, Joey Henley.
All in all, the Pioneers addressed their urgent need for big
men of the future. They signed three players
who each possess unique talents and should compliment each other well in the years
to come. With four players scheduled to
graduate after next season, including the greatest Pioneer of them all Shane
Gibson, SHU will have four more scholarships to offer with the focus shifting
to finding a top of the line wing playmaker.
For now though, this incoming class will add some much needed depth to
SHU’s front line, and with any luck, could help catapult the Pioneers into the
upper echelon of the NEC for the 2012-13 season.
Ryan Peters covers Sacred Heart Basketball and the Northeast Conference on Pioneer Pride and Big Apple Buckets. You can follow Ryan on Twitter here.
Ryan Peters covers Sacred Heart Basketball and the Northeast Conference on Pioneer Pride and Big Apple Buckets. You can follow Ryan on Twitter here.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Sacred Heart End of Season Interview with Head Coach Dave Bike
Nearly two weeks ago, long time Sacred Heart head coach Dave Bike granted me an interview to discuss the Pioneer’s past season. I was very appreciative for the opportunity, considering I basically arrived at Coach Bike’s office unannounced. Despite never having met me, he was very friendly and engaging, answering all my questions. Below is my interview transcript with the Sacred Heart coach:
Pioneer Pride: To start, Sacred Heart was picked 8th in the NEC preseason poll, you finished right around there, but you certainly had your ups and downs during the season. The ups were you swept the America East teams in non-conference, you beat Quinnipiac twice, and you had a riveting buzzer beater against Central. The downs were you lost a lot of close games, especially in conference. What were your general thoughts on how the season went for your club?
Coach Bike: Well, I was actually disappointed in the close ones. You don’t count the close ones we won; you’re only disappointed in the close ones we lost. I’m having trouble trying to figure it out, finding another year where we lost so many games that we were right there, where we had a legitimate chance to win… We finished where we were picked, and I think we had a legitimate chance to move up and we didn’t.
Pioneer Pride: Why did your team struggle in the close games?
Coach Bike: When we lost the Yale game…we allowed their player to take the ball strong to the basket and we didn’t stop him. The second to last game against Robert Morris, again we didn’t stop Velton Jones on the last play. So, it was a combination of different things. We showed some improvement in some categories, our defense at times played decently, but when we needed to win a game with a defensive stop, we didn’t.
Pioneer Pride: Do you think defense was the biggest problem in late game situations then?
Coach Bike: There were times we missed a couple of shots to win a game and sometimes we didn’t get the key rebound or make the stops defensively. And I think one thing is when the other team tests us; we have to learn to test them by going to the basket. I think that’s what hurt us. I don’t think we’re worse than other teams on defense, but I think our problem is we don’t test them as much as they test us.
Pioneer Pride: So your team wasn’t as aggressive as they could have been?
Coach Bike: We have to get the foul line more, and we have to be convinced of that. We have to learn to take it to the other teams as much as they take it to us.
Pioneer Pride: Building off that, how can your team progress next season to reach the NEC Elite -- the upper quadrant of the league -- where SHU is challenging teams like Wagner, Robert Morris, and LIU?
Coach Bike: We have to get stronger physically, and if we get stronger physically then we’ll get stronger mentally, and then we’ll get tougher too, I think. Now Gibson has worked on his body, is a strong guard and he showed more endurance this year. But I think the other guys have to get stronger and play stronger.
Pioneer Pride : Your team didn’t have that reliable second or third guy behind Shane Gibson. Sacred Heart didn’t get consistent play from Louis Montes, Evan Kelley, Justin Swidowski, and Chris Evans. Were you disappointed with their inconsistent play throughout the season?
Coach Bike: We had an exercise before the year started where each player had to write down their expectations. Gibson came the closest to his expectations -- he was right on the mark -- but some guys didn’t meet their own expectations and that’s disappointing. The difference between being a very good player and a so-so player is consistency, there’s no doubt about it. So we’ll do the same exercise again, and I’ll be interested if people lower their expectations, which is OK because you don’t want to have an expectation you can’t meet. That’s unfair for a coach to expect guys to do something that they’ll have trouble (accomplishing). You want to be in the ballpark, but then we have to figure out how to get there.
Pioneer Pride: Did injuries play a role toward the inconsistency?
Coach Bike: Yeah, for some teams a guy gets hurt and the team picks it up for a game or two. How guys come back from an injury makes a difference. Evans never really came back and played as tough as he could of from his injury. Every team has them and you have to play over them or play with them. I’m not sure if we handled injuries as well as other teams would have handled the same injuries.
Pioneer Pride: Let’s talk about some positives for the season. Shane Gibson had an incredible year as he led the NEC in points per game by scoring at a very efficient rate. Even though Julian Boyd was obviously deserving of winning NEC Player of the Year, I was surprised the voting was unanimous, because I felt Gibson warranted at least some consideration for the award. Did Gibson have the best season you’ve ever coached for a Division 1 player?
Coach Bike: Well, scoring wise it is, so yeah it is the best season as far as points and percentage. Can he get better? Well, I think he shortchanged himself. It was remarkable that he shot 51% from the floor when he could have gotten fouled more. I think he can improve in that area. I think he can improve on his assist/turnover ratio. But in terms of pure scoring, he was very good. You were talking about how surprised you were that Boyd was unanimous (winning NEC Player of the Year), but if we were in first place and LIU was in 8th place, well guess what, then Shane would have been unanimous (in winning NEC Player of the Year)... Now Shane had a remarkable year as you said, but it's not over and let’s see what he does next year.
Pioneer Pride: Another positive was the play of freshman Phil Gaetano. I was particularly impressed with Gaetano’s poise as a freshman, since he made some key plays in the clutch on occasion. Comment on Gaetano’s progress and where you see him next season.
Coach Bike: The coaches had high expectations for Phil, and he met most of those expectations. A lot of kid’s goals are to play Division 1, but Phil’s goal is to be good in Division 1. And I think he has a chance. Now his size hurts him, so he has to compensate for that a little by getting stronger. He has a good head for the game, he’s firm with the ball, and we expect him to be a good player.
Pioneer Pride: Stan Dulaire is the only major contributor you’re losing next season, so I’d like your thoughts on the Sacred Heart career of Stan, who by all accounts was a great teammate and a hard worker.
Coach Bike: Stan is a super kid. I think he started to make moves that he could have made a few years ago. He started to take the ball stronger to the basket. We talked to him about red-shirting when he was freshman, and he didn’t want any part of it. The way we tried to do things around here, it would have really benefited him. He was a real good teammate, and a real respectful person, and he was an easy guy to root for. He improved in all aspects of the game, but it’s too bad his college career has to end now.
Pioneer Pride: You have two incoming players, 6-foot-7 recruit Tevin Falzon, who supposedly possesses a nice inside-out game for a big man, and 6-foot-8 transfer Mostafa Abdel Latif. How much contribution do you think you’ll get from both players in the front-court next season?
Coach Bike: The thing that was disappointing this year is (we didn’t have anyone to pass the ball inside to). I really believe that’s an important factor, but we didn’t say that this year. It’s not that I don’t believe we should get the ball inside more, but if I said “pass it inside”, my question this year was to whom? Who really wanted it inside? So one area that’s available -- to get back to my philosophy -- is if somebody shows they (can play the post). Somebody has to step up in that area. Could it be the returning guys? Yeah. Could it be the new guys? Yeah. I would say they have a better chance at participating (in playing the post) if they’re the guy we say, “get the ball inside to.” I think Swidowski would have a good chance to be the post guy – I think he has real good moves – but he doesn’t want to use them around the basket the way he should…
Coach Bike: The thing that was disappointing this year is (we didn’t have anyone to pass the ball inside to). I really believe that’s an important factor, but we didn’t say that this year. It’s not that I don’t believe we should get the ball inside more, but if I said “pass it inside”, my question this year was to whom? Who really wanted it inside? So one area that’s available -- to get back to my philosophy -- is if somebody shows they (can play the post). Somebody has to step up in that area. Could it be the returning guys? Yeah. Could it be the new guys? Yeah. I would say they have a better chance at participating (in playing the post) if they’re the guy we say, “get the ball inside to.” I think Swidowski would have a good chance to be the post guy – I think he has real good moves – but he doesn’t want to use them around the basket the way he should…
Pioneer Pride: Coach, you’ve been coaching for a long time. You’re coming up on your 35th year, which is remarkable. You’re the face of Sacred Heart basketball. How much longer do you want to do this, and are you going on a year-to-year basis now?
Coach Bike: Yeah, year to year. At this age, I’m not planning for the next 35 years (laughs). So we’re taking it a year at a time, a day at a time, and we’ll play it by ear.
A special thanks again to Coach Bike for the interview and hopefully I'll have the opportunity to talk with him at the Northeast Conference media day in the preseason and during next season.
You can follow Pioneer Pride for Sacred Heart and Northeast Conference men's basketball updates on Twitter at @pioneer_pride
A special thanks again to Coach Bike for the interview and hopefully I'll have the opportunity to talk with him at the Northeast Conference media day in the preseason and during next season.
You can follow Pioneer Pride for Sacred Heart and Northeast Conference men's basketball updates on Twitter at @pioneer_pride
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