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Friday, February 09, 2007

Interesting article in the Pittsburgh paper Thursday/courtesy NEC web site

Check out Bobby Jones' comment on MU...


Coaches' preseason poll miscalculated NEC's lot
Thursday, February 08, 2007By Paul Meyer, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (prior to Thursday games)

Those Northeast Conference basketball coaches are a hoot, a laugh riot, a joke per minute.
They picked Monmouth to win the league championship this season; the Hawks currently are in eighth place.
Those coaches picked Robert Morris to finish second; the Colonials are in seventh.
They picked Long Island to finish third; the Blackbirds are ninth.
They picked Fairleigh Dickinson to place seventh and Sacred Heart to wind up ninth; they are tied for third.
Those coaches picked Quinnipiac and Central Connecticut State to tie for fourth; those teams stand second and first in the NEC.
"We must be the dumbest predictors in the world," Saint Francis, Pa., coach Bobby Jones said. "We should not buy lottery tickets, that's for sure."
Jones, however, has the dubious distinction of being the one coach whose team almost surely will wind up in its predicted spot. The Red Flash was picked to finish last, and that's where an 1-11 NEC record has Saint Francis.
That gives Jones a unique view of what has happened in the NEC and how it might play out.
Jones first cited Central Connecticut State coach Howie Dickenman's efforts with a team that, for various reasons, dresses only eight players.
"He has eight guys in uniform, and they're sitting there at the top of the league with one loss," said Jones, whose team lost to Central Connecticut State, 80-61, Jan. 4. "I think he does a fantastic job. He's always going to have two or three guys who are tough on both ends of the court -- guys who are men."
Central Connecticut State guards Javier Mojica (16.8 points per game in NEC play) and Tristan Blackwood (15.1) lead the Blue Devils in scoring, but Jones said the toughest Devil is forward Obie Nwadike, a senior who is generously listed at 6 feet 4.
"I think we embellish that a little bit," Dickenman said.
"Central's guards are good," Jones said, "but I said to Howie, 'If we had Obie, I think we could walk through the league.' I think he's that valuable -- to any team. When a kid can get 17 rebounds [in a game], that makes up for a lot of missed 3-pointers.
"Obie Nwadike's the difference. I mean, here's a kid who [will make] all-conference just because of his rebounding. That tells you what kind of respect he has around the league."
Nwadike scored only nine points but had 17 rebounds in the game at Saint Francis. Last season, he averaged 11.7 points and 10.2 rebounds a game. This season, those figures are 13.4 and 10.4.
"All he [does is] rebound his brains out and score," Dickenman said.
The Blue Devils, 11-1 in the NEC, have won nine games in a row since a 64-48 loss Jan. 6 at Robert Morris.
Central Connecticut State has some tough games to play, including one against Quinnipiac (8-4) at home Saturday and another Monday at Sacred Heart (7-4).
"I think Sacred Heart is probably the best team in the league from top to bottom in terms of personnel," Jones said. "They have guys who can shoot the basketball, they have good inside play, they have [forward Joey] Henley who is a tough football-type guy and they have steady guard play."
Then there's Robert Morris (6-6).
"I think no question Robert Morris -- one through five -- is as good as anybody -- especially when Derek Coleman's playing well and A.J. Jackson's playing well," Jones said. "But to win this league, it may take more than five good players. You have to win back-to-back-to-back nights in the postseason. That's difficult to do when you're really counting on three of those five playing extremely well."
There's also Monmouth (5-6), which won the conference tournament championship last season.


"Monmouth, who knows?" Jones said.



Entering the game tonight at Wagner (6-5 and on a three-game winning streak), the Hawks are 5-1 at home and 0-5 on the road in NEC play, including a last-second loss Monday at Fairleigh Dickinson (7-4) in which they squandered an 18-point lead.
"It's wide open," Jones said, "but I wouldn't bet against Central."

20 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

10:17 PM, February 09, 2007  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Is this guy on a diet of steady retard snadwiches? Give him Obie and he'd walk through the league? How about...go out and recruit some players? How many winning seasons does this jester have?

10:18 PM, February 09, 2007  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

At least he'll be able to write these comments himself in the Altoona Express or whatever backwater paper that town has, because there is no chance he will be coaching at St. Francis next year, nor at any other D-1 school again. Heck of a job Coach Jones. It's comments like those that make us happy we've got Coach Calloway at MU. Enjoy your early retirement.

P.S Buy a clue!

10:33 PM, February 09, 2007  
Blogger Tony Graham said...

I actually had to delete a comment on or two on Jones..some folks are a little too crass - in my opinion...

The NEC is BAD....competitive, yes; entertaining, yes - but BAD (compared to some other NEC years).

11:36 PM, February 09, 2007  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey Bob and Tony what D-1 schools did you guys play at? Oh right, thats what I thought.

1:11 AM, February 10, 2007  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Bob, I am so sick of all of your comments. You are so knowledgeable congrats!

1:11 AM, February 10, 2007  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Tony the NEC may be "bad", but you and the others bashing it never played basketball, so maybe that comment is a bit crass, no?

1:13 AM, February 10, 2007  
Blogger Tony Graham said...

And what you meant by this..was?

10:16 AM, February 10, 2007  
Blogger Tony Graham said...

Maybe "bad" was too harsh. How about..a very, very mediocre level of D1 basketball..?.

I know what of I speak..I have seen the NEC when it was VERY good....

Trust me..this MU team or this year's CCSU team maybe had a shot at fifth place in 1996.

...The MU team of 2004 with Boxler and Blake would have had this league for dessert...

Just my opinion though...

10:25 AM, February 10, 2007  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Tony go tell Bunch and Ship and Marques that the NEC stinks and see how they respond to you. Thats all I am saying.

3:51 PM, February 10, 2007  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Boxler was no better than Corey Hallet, Tony. That team was not his, he was a bit player. That was a team of 11 good players, and one star with Hamilton.

3:53 PM, February 10, 2007  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Bob, I'm not running my mouth commenting how poor the NEC is and by default MU. So I guess you have the brass to walk up to Marques Alston or John Bunch and say that correct? Oh right thats what I thought.

4:03 PM, February 10, 2007  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Playing D-1 ball is not a prerequisite, but when you make blatently absurd comments I question your judgement, sure.

4:05 PM, February 10, 2007  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

4:14 PM, February 10, 2007  
Blogger Tony Graham said...

I would tell them - maybe a little more tactfully - if they asked me...hey, they know how MU and the NEC fare in non-league games ..what's the NEC collegerpi.com right now??

It's 28 out of 32....you're right..it's a powerhouse....

5:03 PM, February 10, 2007  
Blogger Tony Graham said...

Re Boxler....I am not going to demean Corey, but you're waaaaayyyyy off....

5:12 PM, February 10, 2007  
Blogger Tony Graham said...

Re Boxler....I am not going to demean Corey, but you're waaaaayyyyy off....

5:12 PM, February 10, 2007  
Blogger Tony Graham said...

Overlooked this earlier comment by mistake.....interesting stuff...

bob curran has left a new comment on your post "MU vs. Wagner men's hoops post game comments":

Tony,
Here are our free throw stats in 12 NEC games:
(home) (away) (tot)(tot)
1)Deki---11-19- 9-13- 20-32-63%
2)Alston-6-11---6-11..12-22--55%
3)Whit---13-17--3-4-- 16-21--77%
4)Young--16-22--10-18-26-40-65%
5)Corey--3-6- 4-7-- 7-13-54%
6)Ship---6-13- 8-11- 14-24--58%
7)Bunch--11-20- 11-19--22-39-57%
8)Nunner-3-3-------------100%

Team:
Home-70-111-62%
Road-51-83---61.5
Overall-61.8%
Man,this is not very pretty!



Posted by bob curran to Tony Graham at 1:57 PM, February 09, 2007

6:57 PM, February 10, 2007  
Blogger Tony Graham said...

Ok - in my opinion..2004 MU vs. current Hawks..

First per Bob

Tony,
I'm not so sure the "04"team was that much better,just deeper.Kaplan and Russ were great role players,our current team has none.

2004 2006-7
Krayl Deki push
Blake Alston slight edge Blake
Boxler Bunch Bunch
Tyler Youngblood push
Byfield Coleman push
Bench: Bench:
Anderson Corey
Kaplan Ship
Nunner
Kenny
Alston
Deki

Me
Krayl vs. Deki - Deki (more prolific scorer)
Blake vs. Alston - Blake and it's not close - in my opinion...

Boxer vs. Bunch - close but I lean towards Bunch as we speak via his recent play..

Whit vs. Byfield - Byfield.

PG Tyler vs. Jhamar - Tyler a better PG..Jhamar the better player.. a push..

'O4 bench was deeper...

7:05 PM, February 10, 2007  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

There is no question the NEC is having a down year, as of now I believe Central Connecticut is the only team in the top 200 and that is pathetic. Past years, with very good NEC teams like LIU and FDU in the late '90's, CCSU in '02 and Wagner in '03, those teams were cracking the top 100.

4:37 PM, February 18, 2007  

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