Who Will Win Northeast Conference Rookie of the Year?

The Northeast Conference Player of the Year race isn’t the only difficult decision for voters this season.  The Rookie of the Year race has turned into a two player battle.  At the midway point of the season, most pundits would have said that Kyle Vinales, the rookie guard for Central Connecticut, would be the hands down winner of the award.  That is no longer the case.  I explain my rationale below, and list the five rookies I feel deserve inclusion into the NEC All-Rookie Team.

Honorable Mention:

5) Kelvin Parker, F, Mount St. Mary’s

Parker has been a revelation in what was otherwise a lost season for the Mountaineers.  The undersized yet athletic forward has started 22 of 25 games for Mount St. Mary’s, while averaging 8.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.2 steals per game.  Not bad for a walk-on freshman.

4) Lucky Jones, F, Robert Morris University

The 6-foot-5 guard hasn’t shot the ball very well in his rookie campaign, but he’s steady improved his game during the season.  In particular, the guard has competed on the glass, grabbing 6.2 rebounds per game, good enough for 11th best in the NEC.  Under Andy Toole’s guidance, Jones will certainly become a key contributor for the Colonials and a tall nuisance for opposing guards for seasons to come.

3) Ousmane Drame, F/C, Quinnipiac University

Drame is just another one of those players Quinnipiac head coach Tom Moore covets – a raw physical specimen who rebounds and defends the paint with dedicated persistence.  Offensively, Drame has shown flashes of a post-up game -- with a lefty jump hook -- that will only improve as he matures.  With Drame and teammate Ike Azotam locked up for another two years after this season, the Bobcats front-court will serve as a brutal match-up for opposing forwards in the NEC.

And now onto the two most deserving candidates for NEC Rookie of the Year…

2) Jalen Cannon, F, St. Francis (NY)

The Case:  Since taking over as the starting forward for the Terriers, Cannon has emerged as the only worthy adversary to Kyle Vinales for Rookie of the Year.  The freshman has done the main thing head coach Glenn Braica has asked him to do from day one – rebound the basketball.  And he’s rebounding with ferocity, at a clip of 8.6 boards per game.  Cannon has been one of the stabilizing forces that has pushed St. Francis into the NEC elite this season.

The Argument:  Other than cleaning up the glass, Cannon hasn’t excelled in any other facet of the game (not that he’s been asked to).  His offensive game currently lacks polish; therefore he isn’t expected to score a great deal.  And for a big man patrolling the paint, he has a surprisingly low number of blocks per game (0.6 bpg).

The Verdict:  Cannon has certainly stabilized the paint for the Terriers by becoming one of the more dominant rebounders in the NEC.  I wouldn't be surprised to see Cannon win the Rookie of the Year award, however in my opinion, he falls just short.

1) Kyle Vinales, G, Central Connecticut

The Case:  Most freshman would be happy to average double digits in their first season, but then there’s Kyle Vinales, who’s averaging an unheard of 17.9 points per game.  Only NEC Player of the Year candidates Shane Gibson and Ken Horton have more points per game than Vinales.  In addition, Vinales has dished the rock (3.7 apg), made his free throws (82%), and played nice defense (1.2 spg) for Howie Dickerman’s club.

The Argument:  To get his points, Vinales sure had to hoist up a lot of shots.  Overall, he’s shooting a tad under 40% for the season.  As expected for a young player, turnovers have been a problem, even though he has a positive assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.2.  Considering the amount of assists he generates, the assist-to-turnover ratio should in fact be somewhat higher.

The Verdict:  Without the emergence of Vinales, CCSU would have difficultly just making the playoffs this season in the competitive NEC.  All he’s done is lock up 7 NEC Rookie of the Week awards, the second most in the conference's history.  So despite the turnovers and high volume of shots, I feel Vinales gets the nod over Jalen Cannon for NEC Rookie of the Year.

Do you agree or disagree with any of the selections in this post?  I can't wait until next Tuesday for the announcement! 

You can follow Pioneer Pride on Twitter at @pioneer_pride

A Night Out With the Hurleys - Wagner/Mount St. Mary's Game Recap

Mount St. Mary's University is located a healthy 70 miles away from my workplace, and another 50 miles in a different direction from my home. It certainly makes for a challenging commute on a snowy weekday game night, and one that I shouldn't normally attempt (if only my wife really knew where Emmitsburg, Maryland was).

However, with the Wagner Seahawks in town, I couldn't pass up this opportunity. The Hurley brothers, Dan and Bobby, were now coaching one of the more hyped mid-major programs in the country. They were so hyped that features about Dan Hurley now existed in the USA Today, New York Times, and Andy Katz's ESPN college basketball blog. The national attention was so hot that people had recently begun asking silly questions on Twitter like, "could Wagner receive an at-large bid if they don't win the NEC tournament?"

(The answer: absolutely not, but they look good qualifying for the NIT at their current pace)

I needed to witness the Hurley Hype in-person, mainly because I was interested in Wagner's suffocating pressure defense, the same defense that held Northeast Conference opponents to a league-best 0.86 points per possession and 26.7 percent from behind the arc.

I arrived at Knott Arena a few minutes late, but just in time to witness an early 12-2 run by Hurley's Seahawks. As I had expected, the Mount players had great difficultly running their offense in the half-court set, thanks in large part to Wagner's pesky guard play of Kenneth Oritz and Latif Rivers. On the offensive end, a couple of Tyler Murray three-pointers gave Wagner a nice cushion merely five minutes into the contest.

If you didn't know the score, however, you would have thought Wagner was losing, due to the sideline antics of one Dan Hurley. The screaming of instructions, the foot stomping, and the constant pleading with the referees made Hurley appear as an angry and cantankerous man (and certainly not a favorite among the Mount faithful I sat near). His antics, I must admit, were tired and even at times, comical. It got to a point in the first half where I seemed more interested in watching Dan Hurley's reactions than I was in watching the game. Perhaps I should have instead sat behind the Mount's bench, led by their subdued and tranquil coach Robert Burke?

Nevertheless, I settled down, and so did the Mount St. Mary players -- well, to a degree. A few buckets in the paint from sophomore center Kristijan Krajina reduced Wagner's lead to six points, but a late rally pushed their advantage to 11 points, 30-19, going into the half. All in all, it was a game plan that couldn't have been drawn up better by Wagner's coaching staff. Force 12 Mount turnovers, hold them to 1-for-6 shooting at the three-point line, commit only three personal fouls, and make some timely outside shots. Even Dan Hurley must have cracked a smile in the locker room looking at the first-half box score.

In the second half, to Burke's credit, the Mount came out more aggressive and fought hard. Freshman Kelvin Parker was particularly impressive on both ends of the floor, contributing four points, two rebounds, an assist and some inspired defense, all in a span of five minutes. In spite of Parker's performance, the Mount never got any closer than seven points in the second half.

Wagner was simply a well-coached machine, excelling in ball movement, controlling the game's tempo, and of course, forcing turnovers with their in-your-face defense. After a 16-3 run extended Wagner's lead to 18 points with six minutes remaining, the game was essentially over. And I was afforded more time to study the Hurley brothers on the sideline.

Sure, Dan Hurley may be a little too animated out there, but one thing was for certain. This was a Wagner team that was dialed in, who fully respected and bought into Hurley's coaching philosophy. It was evident how much the team trusted and was inspired by their coaches, and it was a cool thing to see from afar. No matter how annoying Dan Hurley's antics were.

When the final horn sounded, the Wagner Seahawks earned their 20th victory of the season, an achievement that not even Dan Hurley could have imagined 24 games into the 2011-12 season. The win guaranteed playoff basketball for Wagner, but their goal of making the Big Dance still remains. And they have a fighting chance to do just that.

I certainly wouldn't bet against the Hurley Hype.

 This article can also be viewed on the Mid-Majority Website, here.

A Melancholy Running Diary Recap of Sacred Heart's Loss to Mount St. Mary's

I returned to the Sacred Heart campus this past Saturday, in order to watch a mediocre match-up between the Sacred Heart Pioneers (10-12, 4-5 NEC) and the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers (4-16, 2-7 NEC).  To document my 20th blog post and this special occasion, I decided to write a running diary, Bill Simmons style.  Let's get right to it, shall we?

PRE-GAME

3:15 - I arrive on campus with my good buddy and fellow SHU alum, Bricker.  I love talking sports with him, but he can get a tad negative at times about Sacred Heart's play.  In fact, his bickering can get quite annoying, but I can't hold it against him - after all, Bricker is a lifelong Cleveland sports fan.

3:20 - We make our way into the Pitt Center.  And what's this, Justin Swidowski is warming up with the team!  You can understand my surprise since Swidowski's status from a shoulder injury was classified just days ago as "no timetable for his return."  That is the problem with following NEC basketball – really vague injury reports.

3:24 - There's longtime SHU head coach Dave Bike standing on the sideline, sporting the predictable black turtleneck with a gray jacket.  Seriously, would it kill the man to put on a shirt and tie for the game?

GAME-TIME - 1ST HALF

19:35 - After securing the opening tip, NEC Player of the Year candidate Shane Gibson hits the side of the rim on an uncontested three.  Hmm, that's not the start we were looking for.

18:37 - Mount St. Mary's leading scorer, Julian Norfleet, hits two outside shots within a minute to give the Mount an early 5-0 lead.  It's so nice to see SHU's pathetic perimeter defense live in person.

15:47 - We are four minutes into the game, so it’s safe to say that the “Heart Attack” student section is disappointingly empty.  I guess the students had much better things to do on a cold Saturday afternoon in January.

12:45 - OK, Gibson is just fine.  He has scored 10 of the Pioneer's first 12 points.  Mount St. Mary's 13, Shane Gibson 10.

9:45 - While both teams make my head hurt with their sloppy play, now is an excellent time to bring up my disappointment in Louis Montes.  As in, I wish he didn’t shave his neck beard so soon.  That thing was legendary!  We were witnessing perhaps the greatest neck beard of any 20 year old, and he shaves the damn thing before I get to see it live.  Oh well, at least transfer Mostafa Abdel Latif still has his afro.  Keep it up big man!

7:24 - Media timeout with the score, Mount St. Mary's 21, SHU 17.  Looking through the box score, I suddenly realize that Chris Evans, SHU's third leading scoring, is in street clothes on the bench.  What happened with him?

3:59 - Because of Chris Evan's absence, the fans get to see more of red-shirt freshman guard Steve Glowiak and his botched three-point attempts!  I hate to be hard on the kid, but he is shooting a miserable 20% from behind the arc this season.  Please.  Stop.  Shooting.

1:26 - After trailing for the first time in the game, the Mount's Raven Barber and Norfleet combine to score the next eight points, giving Mount St. Mary's a 34-29 lead.

1:05 - Stan Dulaire was ready to end the Mount’s run, but he fails to execute an easy layup.  I can’t get mad at him though, since he seems like a good teammate who studies hard in class.  How do I know this?  Because I follow Stan on Twitter, along with four other Pioneer players.  Is it creepy that I follow these players, ages 18-22, on Twitter?  Wait, don’t answer that…

0:00 - I decided it’s only partially creepy and since I’m doing it for the blog, I can continue following my favorite Pioneers!  I hope Chris Evans continues to tweet about the lousy cafeteria food and needing a little love in his life.

0:00 - Oh yeah, Mount St. Mary's ends the half on a 10-2 run to pull out to a 36-29 halftime lead.  SHU seems like they aren't playing with any urgency whatsoever.

SECOND HALF

Warmups – OK, I’m pretty sure our starting center Nick Greenbacker just tripped over the ball rack when he led the Pioneers out to the court for the second half.  I wish this was a joke.

(Special announcement: Former Editor-in-Chief of the Spectrum and SHU alum, Newsie is in the house!  Great, another pessimistic personality to watch the game with.)

20:00 – Before play resumes, let’s review the ugly stats of the first half; SHU was outrebounded 20-11, committed eight turnovers, attempted four free throws, and is now trailing by seven points to a 4-16 team at home.  I hope Bike had some motivating words for his players in the locker room.

17:47 - Apparently he didn’t, because the Mount just drained their fifth three-pointer of the game to extend their lead to the largest of the day, 47-36.  An apathetic Bike calls a timeout to stop the bleeding.  Bike has the look I have when I find out my wife made plans for us to go pumpkin picking on Football Sunday.

15:33 - Montes drills a three and then completes a layup off a nice Evan Kelley pass.  Pioneers back to within double digits.  Sadly, Montes still doesn’t have his neck beard.

13:21 – The Shane Gibson show has returned to the Pitt!  A 7-0 run, orchestrated all by Gibson, gets the Pioneers back to within two points, 49-47.  The Pitt Center has come alive!  Well, about as alive as it could, with a half filled Pitt Center awkwardly occupying half of a giant field-house.

9:46 - And Dave Bike has awoken from his slumber!  He shot up off the bench after a questionable offensive foul was called on Stan Dulaire.  Bricker notes that Bike now looks like a clucking chicken, with his head furiously bobbing up and down as he argues with the ref.  I have no comment – look I just report the events.  After all, I would like to interview the man in the offseason.

6:16 - Gibson is doing his best to keep SHU in the game.  With his 17-footer, Gibson moves the Pioneers back to within two points.  Gibson now has 30 of the Pioneer's 54 points.  The next closest Pioneer?  Louis Montes with eight points.  Great balanced scoring attack, guys.

3:53 – With SHU trailing by three and needing a pick-me-up, Stan Dulaire finishes off a layup and is fouled!  He completes the three-point play, which deadlocks SHU and Mount St. Mary's at 60-60.  This is turning into quite a game, although I’m starting to get really nervous.  Newsie, on the other hand, coolly tells me that he doesn’t really care.  That's not how I remember it after the 2008 NEC Finals loss to the Mount.

2:56 – Pioneer Pride NEC All-Rookie Team snub Kelvin Parker knocks down a contested three, and then feeds point-guard Josh Castellenos for an easy layup, all in a 25 second span.  The Mount now leads by five, with less than three minutes remaining.  I can’t believe this is happening.

2:07 – After a Gibson turnover, Parker drains yet another pressurized three to extend the lead to eight.  Ok, Kelvin I get it.  You feel slighted that I left you off my Midseason All-Rookie Team and now you’re sticking it to me.  I’m sorry, OK!  Please stop and I’ll promise to lobby @NECSports and @NECRalph on your behalf at the end of the season.

1:56 – It’s officially desperation time for the Pioneers, down eight.  Gibson drives into a crowded lane and is hacked by Norfleet.  Free throws coming up....but wait, Louis Montes and the Mount's Big Croatian Center get into a scrum.  There’s some pushing and shoving when SHU point guard Phil Gaetano is pushed!  Where’s the technical??  All of a sudden, it’s getting a little chippy out there.

1:56 – After a 30 second discussion, the refs decide to charge a double technical on Montes and the Croatian Center.  I’m not so sure about that.  SHU assistant coach Anthony Latina is livid, as he slams his fist into his chair in frustration.  It literally looks like his red face may explode at any moment.  In spite of Latina’s possible combustion, Gibson calmly sinks both free throws.  SHU now trails by six, 68-62.

1:35 – The Croatian Center is fouled on the other end, and does what any tall awkward white guy would do, make one of two free throws.  Then coming back down, Swidowski one ups him in whiteness by drilling an open three!  Bike immediately calls for a timeout with SHU now down four, 69-65.  Big time bucket by the Polish Post-up!

1:11 – The crowd has come to life late in the game, and it inspired SHU to force another Norfleet turnover.  It’s the Mount's 16th of the day.  You gotta love an offense ranked in the bottom 15% of the nation.  Pioneer ball!

0:50 – The Mount wisely doubles Gibson on the perimeter, which forces Gaetano to drive to the hole and draw a foul.  He swishes both free throws to get SHU to within two points.  I love the poise from this freshman – he carries himself like a grizzled veteran, which is like the exact opposite of Evan Kelley.

0:25 – After the Mount makes a free throw to extend their lead to three, Gaetano races down the court, hands off to Gibson, who dribbles around before nailing a three-pointer to tie the game!  Big Shot Shane Gibson, now with 35 points!  I don’t care if SHU finishes with a 7-11 NEC record, give this guy the NEC Player of the Year right now!

0:00 – Rather than calling timeout to set up a play, Norfleet races down the court, drives the lane, and misses a makeable layup.  Danny Thompson then grabs the offensive rebound (nice box-out Swidowski) but bricks the put-back as the buzzer sounds.  We are going to OVERTIME!!  Wow, the Pioneers dodged a bullet there.

OVERTIME #1

3:00 – This is the first time I ever live tweeted a game in person.  It’s exhausting.  Between watching the game, tweeting the latest news, and playing the optimistic fan to Bricker and Newsie's negativity and apathy, I’m tired!  I didn’t even have a chance to check out the SHU Dance Team’s performance.  It’s probably better that way.  Remember, I’m trying to be less creepy.

1:59 – Only eight total points have been scored in the overtime, as Swidowski ties the game at 74 all with a layup.  It was Gaetano’s 7th assist of the game.  Have I mentioned how much I like his poise?

 0:36 – We are back to a tie game, after Montes swishes two free throws.  He’s another Pioneer that I trust late in the game.  Nothing seems to bother the sophomore.  Timeout Mount St. Mary’s.  They’ll probably hold for the last shot.

0:00 – It's time for overtime #2!  Norfleet, after dribbling around the perimeter for 30 seconds, had no choice but to hoist up a contested three-pointer at the top of the key.  Luckily, he back-rimmed it.  I doubt that was the play called in the huddle.

OVERTIME #2

4:53 – Someone please help me, I can’t take this anymore.  Luckily, Shane Gibson isn’t phased by the moment.  He scores his 38th and 39th points seven seconds into overtime #2.  SHU 78, Mount St. Mary’s 76.

1:46 – After some excellent defensive sequences (or lousy offense, I’ll let you decide), Gibson manages to slide underneath the Mount’s zone defense.  Gaetano finds him with a long pass for the easy layup.  With the bucket, Gibson has officially broken SHU's Division one record for most points in a game with 41 points!  I'm not sure if Mehmet “the Turkish Nightmare” Sahan scored 41 points for his entire senior season.

1:25 – Castellanos attempts a 25 footer at the top of the key.  Terrible shot.  Fortunately for SHU, the rebound lands in Gibson’s hands.  SHU now has the ball up four, 80-76.  Things are looking good!

0:50 – OK, time for me to shut up.  Gibson, whose usage rate for the game has to be 99.4%, gets stripped by Castellanos, leading to a fast break dunk by Danny Thompson.  And to pour salt on the wound, Montes commits the silly foul and has now fouled out.  Ugh…

0:16 - After holding the ball for most of the shot clock, Gibson actually gets a good look.  The shot goes up and ..... rims out.  Rebound to the Mount.  They are down one, 80-79.

0:06 - With no hesitation, Castellanos beats Gaetano off the dribble and is fouled attempting a shot in the lane.  Two free throws coming up, and SHU's lead is a measly one point.  I'm about to throw up on my cell phone during this live tweet.   

0:06 - Castellanos, of course, hits both free throws, leading to a timeout.  Six seconds remain and the Pioneers must bring the ball the length of the floor, down one.

0:00 - Gaetano pushes the ball up the floor, passes to Gibson in the corner who quickly squares up to attempt a three.  His three however, is partially blocked by Thompson, but lands in the hands of Swidowski.  Swidowski has one last chance in traffic.....and it rims out.  There was a whole lot of contact there, but no call.  Bike is now verbally assaulting the officials as they run off the floor.  The game is over - Mount St. Marys 81, SHU 80.

POSTGAME

After squeezing in my last live tweets and leaving the Pitt Center with Bricker and Newsie, I had few words.  I sat in my parked car for ten minutes trying to figure out what went wrong.  A four point lead with the ball and less than one minute left and we lost the game?  This despite Shane Gibson scoring 41 points on 16 of 28 shooting?  This is a tough one to swallow.  I haven’t been this depressed since I witnessed Dick Clark slurring his way through ABC’s New Year’s Rocking Eve. 

Maybe it’s a good thing I live in Maryland and don’t have season tickets, both for my marriage and my sanity.  Until next time...