MU Men's NEC Outlook for Thursday Press
The basketball flitted around the court as if it were on a string.
John Bunch of Monmouth University delivered it from the foul line
along
the left to Whitney Coleman who zipped it underneath to Marques Alston for a
laup.
The play Sunday vs. Loyolya Marymount was typical of Monmouth's last two
impressive victories over the Lions and Lehigh.
All of which, with full-scale Northeast Conference play now at hand, begs the
questions:
A) Is Monmouth (5-8, 0-1 NEC) the team that for a while this season appeared incapable of
defending the Neptune Biddy League while its offense at times seemed to
careen mindlessly down
the floor?
B) Or is it the team that last weekend defended Lehigh and Loyola Marymount
into submission while displaying its most patient offensive tempo of the season
resulting in high percentage accuracy out of its motion offense?
C) Or were the two victories more the result of Lehigh and Loyolya Marymount
arriving at Boylan Gym with short-handed rosters?
I tend to lean towards B and C in that while both Lehigh and
Loyola Marymount were undermanned, Monmouth
overall appeared to finally find
a consistent groove at both ends of the floor.
It seemed to abide by its former mantra of "hard and smart,' the phrase
with which Monmouth broke its huddles when coach Dave Calloway played under
former boss Wayne Szoke.
But now the additional question of whether that consistency and script
will be maintained arises as the Hawks host NEC rivals
Wagner (4-8, 1-0) tonight and Mount St. Mary's (2-10, 1-0) Saturday to wrap up their six-
game home stand on which they are 2-2.
A quick review of Monmouth's season so far offers mixed reviews. While the
home floor defeats at the hands of less than Duke-like caliber Long
Island U. of the NEC and non-conference foe Hartford raised genuine reasons for
concern, Monmouth also hasn't exactly been facing Cup Cake City during the
non-conference portion of its schedule.
Setbacks to Old Dominion (8-4), No. 23 Clemson (14-0), Seton Hall (7-4),
Houston (5-5), and Texas A & M Corpus Christi (7-4) could
hardly
be charcterized as unexpected.
The Hawks countered with wins over teams that
would have to be considered at least of mid or upper echleon NEC quality
in Rider (8-5, and at the Broncs' Zoo no less), and Arkansas State (5-8), while
St. Peter's (3-9) would probably not be a push over.
Monmouth's 5-7 non-conference mark was its best since it went 6-5 in en route
to the 2004 NCAAs.
The high impact of freshman guard and
NEC Newcomer of
the Week Jhamar Youngblood, and the improving health of 7-2 center John
Bunch's cranky knees are among the most recent positive indicators.
So are Monmouth's 39 assists and its reduction in turnovers from an average of over 16 per game before the weekend to 11
in the pair of
victories.
Monmouth is seeking to increase the
longest current Division I college basketball streak of
winning seasons in the Metropolitan area to seven
which would be clinched with at least an 11-6 record over its remaining 17
NEC games.
The major goal, however, is becoming the first NEC team since Rider in the
mid 90's to earn back-to-back NCAA trips, a prize that can only be attained by
winning the NEC Tournament.
""I'm just going after a ring,'' said Alston. ""Whatever I can do to help,
whether it be passing, scoring, defense, and stops, I'll do that,'' he said.
Sounds like a team worthy game plan to me.
At the moment the NEC standings appear to be somewhere in the Twilight Zone
with perennial also ran Sacred Heart at 2-0 in league play while preseason favorites
Monmouth and Robert
Morris (0-2) languish near or at the bottom.
According to Calloway no NEC regular season champion has ever opened 0-2
in the league, and I would think 1-2 would be equally damning.
The NEC web site reveals that since 1997-98 the 2001-2002
Central Connecticut 25-6 juggerant is the only team in in that span to drop
its league opener and still make it to the NCAAs. No further historical records were available.
Monmouth, with a young but talented back court, its senior-
front line with Bunch a potential difference maker, and maybe
just enough depth, has the talent to become the second.
If it plays "hard and smart.'"
e-mail tonygsports@aol.com
John Bunch of Monmouth University delivered it from the foul line
along
the left to Whitney Coleman who zipped it underneath to Marques Alston for a
laup.
The play Sunday vs. Loyolya Marymount was typical of Monmouth's last two
impressive victories over the Lions and Lehigh.
All of which, with full-scale Northeast Conference play now at hand, begs the
questions:
A) Is Monmouth (5-8, 0-1 NEC) the team that for a while this season appeared incapable of
defending the Neptune Biddy League while its offense at times seemed to
careen mindlessly down
the floor?
B) Or is it the team that last weekend defended Lehigh and Loyola Marymount
into submission while displaying its most patient offensive tempo of the season
resulting in high percentage accuracy out of its motion offense?
C) Or were the two victories more the result of Lehigh and Loyolya Marymount
arriving at Boylan Gym with short-handed rosters?
I tend to lean towards B and C in that while both Lehigh and
Loyola Marymount were undermanned, Monmouth
overall appeared to finally find
a consistent groove at both ends of the floor.
It seemed to abide by its former mantra of "hard and smart,' the phrase
with which Monmouth broke its huddles when coach Dave Calloway played under
former boss Wayne Szoke.
But now the additional question of whether that consistency and script
will be maintained arises as the Hawks host NEC rivals
Wagner (4-8, 1-0) tonight and Mount St. Mary's (2-10, 1-0) Saturday to wrap up their six-
game home stand on which they are 2-2.
A quick review of Monmouth's season so far offers mixed reviews. While the
home floor defeats at the hands of less than Duke-like caliber Long
Island U. of the NEC and non-conference foe Hartford raised genuine reasons for
concern, Monmouth also hasn't exactly been facing Cup Cake City during the
non-conference portion of its schedule.
Setbacks to Old Dominion (8-4), No. 23 Clemson (14-0), Seton Hall (7-4),
Houston (5-5), and Texas A & M Corpus Christi (7-4) could
hardly
be charcterized as unexpected.
The Hawks countered with wins over teams that
would have to be considered at least of mid or upper echleon NEC quality
in Rider (8-5, and at the Broncs' Zoo no less), and Arkansas State (5-8), while
St. Peter's (3-9) would probably not be a push over.
Monmouth's 5-7 non-conference mark was its best since it went 6-5 in en route
to the 2004 NCAAs.
The high impact of freshman guard and
NEC Newcomer of
the Week Jhamar Youngblood, and the improving health of 7-2 center John
Bunch's cranky knees are among the most recent positive indicators.
So are Monmouth's 39 assists and its reduction in turnovers from an average of over 16 per game before the weekend to 11
in the pair of
victories.
Monmouth is seeking to increase the
longest current Division I college basketball streak of
winning seasons in the Metropolitan area to seven
which would be clinched with at least an 11-6 record over its remaining 17
NEC games.
The major goal, however, is becoming the first NEC team since Rider in the
mid 90's to earn back-to-back NCAA trips, a prize that can only be attained by
winning the NEC Tournament.
""I'm just going after a ring,'' said Alston. ""Whatever I can do to help,
whether it be passing, scoring, defense, and stops, I'll do that,'' he said.
Sounds like a team worthy game plan to me.
At the moment the NEC standings appear to be somewhere in the Twilight Zone
with perennial also ran Sacred Heart at 2-0 in league play while preseason favorites
Monmouth and Robert
Morris (0-2) languish near or at the bottom.
According to Calloway no NEC regular season champion has ever opened 0-2
in the league, and I would think 1-2 would be equally damning.
The NEC web site reveals that since 1997-98 the 2001-2002
Central Connecticut 25-6 juggerant is the only team in in that span to drop
its league opener and still make it to the NCAAs. No further historical records were available.
Monmouth, with a young but talented back court, its senior-
front line with Bunch a potential difference maker, and maybe
just enough depth, has the talent to become the second.
If it plays "hard and smart.'"
e-mail tonygsports@aol.com
posted by Tony Graham at 5:27 PM
4 Comments:
Any comments here..agree? disagree?
NEC champs, no doubt about it. If coaches would have put me in, no doubt about it. I could throw that pigskin a quarter mile!
Hmmm..nothing like "serious" comments. I think you have staggered into the wrong season. But please alert football staff to your prowess!!!
any new happenings with Mike Shipman's eligibility?
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