For Saturday Press/MU Men's hoops story

By TONY GRAHAM
STAFF WRITER

Chris Kenny of the Monmouth University
men's basketball team returns to the scene of
the "crime" Saturday.

The "crime," as far as Central Connecticut
State players and fans are concerned, was
committed by Kenny in last season's Northeast
Conference Tournament semifinals.

That's when the then senior guard targeted
the Blue Devils with three 3-point baskets
and 19 points, gleefully pumping his hands in
six-shooter fashion after each trey.

Then, in quest of his 1,000th career
point, Kenny launched an off target 3-point
try in the final seconds of the 62-48
Monmouth victory that also did not endear
himself to home team rooters.

""I won't be in disguise (Saturday),''
said Kenny, now a Monmouth assistant coach
who will be on the bench when the Hawks
(7-10, 2-3) visit CCSU (8-10, 5-1), which
begins action tied for the NEC lead with
Sacred Heart.

""They wrote an article (in the
newspapers) up there where they called me
"Deputy Kenny,' '' he said. ""I'm definitely
no deputy. "Sheriff Kenny" will be in town,
but not in disguise.''

Monmouth will be try to handcuff CCSU for
an eighth consecutive game having not lost to
CCSU since absorbing a 73-54 defeat in New
Britain, Conn. on Feb. 5, 2004.

Monmouth has ended CCSU's season each of
the last three years, in the 2004 NEC
Tournament championship game, the 2005
quarterfinals on a last second basket by
Marques Alston, and last year's contest.

""We ended up pulling it out on them the
last couple of years,'' said Alston, a senior
forward from Neptune. ""But they're very
tough,'' he said. ""They probably play the
toughest in the league, them and Robert
Morris.''

Alston figures CCSU is stewing over the
recent domination by the Hawks.

"'I'm pretty sure they're not too happy
about that,'' said Alston. ""Now they're up
there in the league (standings) and we're
near the bottom. So we've got to figure out
how to crawl out.""

Senior guard Javier Mojica (16.2 ppg.) of
CCSU is the No. 2 scorer in the NEC while 6-4
CCSU senior forward Obie Nwadike (12.5 ppg.,
9.9 rpg.) leads in rebounding.

CCSU, which tops the NEC in defense (64.9
ppg.), has held seven straight opponents
under 64 points, the longest streak in its
Division I history dating back to the 1980's,

""We've just got to come and be
tough,''said Alston. ""Even if things aren't
going our way we can be tough and good things
can happen.''
Kenny said emotions were running high at
the end of the game last season. ''I was very
close to 1,000 points and I don't think they
knew that at the time,'' said Kenny. ""I was
just trying to get 1,000 because I had many a
goose egg in my career. Nothing is
guaranteed.

""They thought I was trying to rub it in.
If I could go back and do it again I
definitely wouldn't have taken the shot.''

Alston did not fully practice Friday after
tweaking the left ankle he sprained last week
at Sacred Heart.

""Its just sore right now,'' said Alston
who said he expects to play Saturday when
Monmouth again will suit up just eight
scholarship players. ""In this situation I
have no choice but to try to play,'' he said.

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