Re: Your Opinions on the new site

Those of you who would like to comment on the new site - pro or con - may do so here, especially as it relates to this blog. I can see the number of blog hits on the new site regarding MU athletics is not what it was here on blogger.

THIS SITE IS NOW CLOSED and will no longer publish comments Please Register at the NEW WEB SITE at app.com

...With the new Press web site formally opening Tuesday I have begun blogging at the new web site..this includes more info on Sunday's MU football story that ran in the Press, a new poll, and a report Monday on the MU men's hoop practice and women's hoops injury updates...

Sooo..please try the new web site ASAP...

I will monitor this site the next few days ONLY for those having any problems with the new site...feel free to make comments on the new site about it, and or e-mail me with any reaction or anything else MU/local college/ or web site related.... (tonygsports@aol.com)

There's a little more involved with registering on the new site which includes registering your e-mail with the Press...so those of you who have been mainly trashing folks on this blog.....you may want to go somewhere else...

Please read blog decorum. As`always...discussion is welcomed and being critical is fine as long as there is subtance to your remarks...thank you. Please TRY the NEW SITE ASAP!

Again..any problems, comments, get back to me. Thanks..

MU women win first

More at the MU web site....


Veronica Randolph poured in 18 points to lead the Hawks (1-4) past Fordham 65-59.

The Rams (0-6) led by nine points in the second half before Monmouth rallied.

Anyone tried the new APP web site yet?

Just curious. Remember..it goes into full service 2 p.m. Tuesday....

Thanks...

MU women's hoops: Hawks bow to Butler (more at the MU web site)

BUTLER TOPS MONMOUTH, 63-52 AT UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI THANKSGIVING TOURNAMENT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The Monmouth University women’s basketball team fell to Butler 63-52 in the opening game of the 2007 University of Miami Thanksgiving Tournament at the Bank United Center. The loss drops the Hawks record to 0-4 on the season, while Butler improves to 3-1.

Monmouth was led by Veronica Randolph (Deerfield Beach, Fla./Deerfield Beach) who scored a season-high 17 points off the bench, including drilling three three-point field goals. Jennifer Bender (Staten Island, N.Y./Staten Island Tech) added her first double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

From me: good sign to see Randolph back in action. MU badly needs to top Fordham (0-4) who I am going to assume they play in the consolation round Saturday.

New Press web site launches 2 p.m. Tuesday/REGISTER in ADVANCE

You may sample it and or access it now through the current main Press web site. One drawback to early registration is that if you book mark something it may be lost with the change ..but I would go ahead now anyway and just hold off book markings until after 2 p.m. Tuesday ..

Please be advised this is a web site where - in order to comment on our blogs - you must sign in as a member with your e-mail and your zip code, and this information will be registered with the Press.

To reach our MU /college sports-blog please click on the sports icon, then colleges, and then click on the blog...


If you post a comment on the new blog and it does not show up in a reasonable amount of time it may mean there is a problem with the site...sooo either advise me via the old blog while it is still operational, or e-mail me... tonygsports@aol.com

Also, while you may use screen names, anons will no longer be accepted.


As before I will review all blog comments before they are posted. In addition, even if I approve a comment others may object to it by clicking on the yellow "report abuse flag." It will automatically then also be reviewed by a member of our editorial web team for possible deletion.

So if you adhere to the blog decorum and all should be well.


Please let me know what you think of the web site and you may either e-mail our editors or make your remarks to me via blogs on either site or via e-mail - tonygsports@aol.com


I will attempt to keep up with both blog sites for now - but once the new web site is fully operational at 2 p.m. Tuesday - comments to the former blogger site will not be monitored.

MU baseball - local commitments

Monmouth University has received commitments from shortstop/pitcher Jamie Rosenkranz of Ocean Township and third baseman Owen Stewart of St. Rose. Rosenkranz batted .395 with four home runs and 24 RBI and stole 29 bases while going 6-3 on the mound with three saves and 1.96 ERA as a junior. Stewart batted .441 with 18 RBI.

Hawks do it again in the Jam (Much longer story here than will appear in Tuesday Press!!) MU finishes ahead of Notre Dame in the tournament.

CHARLOTTE AMALIE, U.S. Virgin Islands (AP) -Matt Causey scored 11 points, including a 3-pointer with 2 seconds remaining, and Georgia Tech beat Notre Dame 70-69 on Monday night.

This means UND went 1-2 in the Jam and finishes behind Monmouth. Amazing!






Also...kudos to the four people out of 52 on the Poll who picked MU to go 2-1 in the tournament...


By TONY GRAHAM
STAFF WRITER

Monmouth University guard Whitney Coleman made just two baskets in Monday's Paradise Jam
fourth-place game in the Virgin Islands.
But they were big ones. The 6-2 junior tied the score with a layup with 18 seconds left in
regulation, then swished a 3-point basket with 10 seconds left in overtime to send the Hawks
to their second consecutive upset victory in the event, 58-56 over the University of
Charlotte.
Coleman was just one-for-nine from the floor in the game and 0-for-5 from beyond the arc
before connecting from the top of the circle.

""I always have to stay confident,'' said Coleman. ""The coaches always say, "Keep shooting,
that was a good shot.' ''


Coleman said Monmouth used a five-guard alignment on both baskets. ""They put Alex (guard
Alex Nunner at center (on the game-tying layup,'' said Coleman. ""He set a perfect screen, I
was wide open and Jhamar (Youngblood) made a good pass.''

Coleman said Nunner made another good screen freeing him for the game-winner. ""I thought
it was going in and it went in,'' said Coleman. "'It was amazing.''


Coleman also sank a game winning jump shot in the final seconds last season to defeat
Rider.

""I was more excited about this one than the Rider game,'' said Coleman. ""The group of
guys we have, everybody works so hard. I had a feeling we were going to pull it out.'

The triumph marked just the second in 13 tries for Monmouth against a member of the
Atlantic-10 Conference and followed Saturday night's 59-50 upset of Wichita State of the
Missouri Valley Conference.

Such outcomes seemed remote after Monmouth lost to Notre Dame by 43 points in the
opening round Friday night.
""We're young and all we want to do is prove people wrong,'' said Coleman who along with
Nunner are the only two juniors on an otherwise all freshmen-sophomore team.
""If people didn't believe in us we believe in ourselves and that's all it takes,'' Coleman
said.


Monday Monmouth (2-3) rallied from a nine-point second-half deficit and in overtime took a
a 55-52 lead over the 49ers (3-2) on a 3 by Nunner.

It fell behind 56-55 after senior guard Lee Goldwire, the top free throw shooter in the
A-10 last season (90.5 percent), sank the first of two attempts with 32 seconds showing.

Monmouth coach Dave Calloway further explained Monmouth's five-guard offense when Coleman sank his layup as well
as the game-winning 3.

""We were looking for that layup which we got and then in overtime we did the same thing,''
Calloway said.


""They kind of jammed Whitney for the layup and Alex set the screen and he (Coleman)
popped for a 3. It was a good read and a great shot.''


Following Coleman's go-ahead basket Goldwire, whose 3-point basket in the waning seconds
Saturday gave Charlotte a win over Illinois-Chicago, launched a 3 just before time ran out.


""It was on line but it was really short,'' said Calloway. ""It was a long rebound and
the shot clock ran down as Alex ran down the rebound.


""Alex had two huge 3's in the game,'' said Calloway. ""And R.J. (Rutledge) had a huge one
earlier when we were struggling and hadn't made shots.

""When that happens you need someone to step up and make the first one.'

The 3 by Rutledge cut into a 44-35 deficit with 6:35 remaining in regulation and then
Nunner connected from deep to bring Monmouth within 46-41 with 5:43 showing.

Nunner also converted a conventional 3-point play that give Monmouth a 48-47 lead with
2:51 left.


Charlotte reclaimed the lead, 50-48, on a layup by An Juan Wilderness at the 1:25 mark.

Rookie center Nick DelTufo led Monmouth with 13 points and grabbed three
rebounds. Nunner had 12 points, Youngblood 10 and Coleman nine.

Goldwire topped Charlotte with 18 points.

The 49ers dominated in the paint, outrebounding the Hawks 40-32 and beating them 17-4 on
second-chance opportunities as 6-7 junior Lamont Mack added seven points and 11 rebounds.
But Charlotte was 12-for-21 from the free throw line, compared to 9-for-9 for Monmouth. The
Hawks were 21-for-29 from the stripe vs. Wichita State.

Monmouth's only other victory over an Atlantic-10 member was over St. Joseph's in the
consolation round of the 1994 Cowboy Shootout in Casper, Wyoming.


Referee Tom Lopes, a long-time NCAA official who has worked the Final Four and started his
officiating career in the Shore Conference, refereed the final game of his career in the
contest.

A former schools' superintendent in Keansburg, Lopes started his collegiate career in the
Northeast Conference and has worked the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Big 12.


Monmouth improved to 4-2 on its two trips to the Paradise Jam. In 2003 the Hawks defeated
Appalachian State and Hampton.[PARA]


Calloway said Monmouth sophomore forward Rickie Crews, who did not play in the last two games, remains suspended indefinitely for a ""poor attitude'' as well as disrespect of a fellow
member of the program.

MU football poll

Hawks facing Charlotte/Preview story in Monday Press/Make pre game and for now post game comments here

By TONY GRAHAM
STAFF WRITER



With its first victory of the season in the books, the resilient Monmouth University
men's basketball team (1-3) will take a shot at No.‚2 today.

""It's nice that we have a win under our belts,'' coach Dave Calloway said. ""Now
hopefully we'll bounce back and continue to play well.''


Monmouth, which defeated Wichita State Saturday night, 59-50, will face Charlotte
(3-1) 3 p.m. today in the fifth-place game of the 2007 Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands.


""This was a good win for these guys,'' Calloway said. ""You've got to get wins.''
Monmouth will try to nab another one against Charlotte, which dropped its first-round
game in the Paradise Jam to Georgia Tech, 82-78.


On Saturday, Charlotte edged Illinois-Chicago, 64-63, on a 3-point basket by senior
guard Leemire Goldwater with 12 seconds left.

The Atlantic-10 team has also defeated High Point, 61-55, and Appalachian State,
84-78.


""They're probably very similar to Wichita State, big, athletic and strong,''
Calloway said


With te victory, Monmouth recovered from its 76-33 thrashing by Notre Dame in the
opening round of the Jam.


Jhamar Youngblood and Whitney Coleman each scored 17 points to lead Monmouth.

You Rngblood, who was in early foul trouble and not feeling well, scored 14 of his total in the second half.
Alex Nunner added nine points for the Hawks, including two 3-pointers.

Redshirt freshman center Dutch Gaitley added five points, including a key tip-in with
4:49 left, and grabbed a career-high eight rebounds.


Calloway said Monmouth didn't play ""that poorly'' in the first half against Notre
Dame when it trailed, 36-25. But the Hawks scored just eight points in the second half.

Calloway said sophomore forward Rickie Crews has been suspended indefinitely and did
not play in the Wichita State game ""because of poor attitude and disrespect of a fellow
member of our program.''

Crews has spent most of his Monmouth career battling either suspensions or injuries
and has appeared in only six games.

MU women's hoops/Hawks fall to "Nova

VILLANOVA 53, MONMOUTH 39

Villanova (2-1) 53: Kurz 1-7 0-0 2, Witman 6-15, 2-2 12, Karcic 4-12 2-2 13, Getty 4-6 0-0 7, Grant 2-3 1-2 7, Weiss 0-0 0-0 0, O'Connor 1-5 1-2 3, Dougherty 1-2 0-0 2, Swiezynski 0-0 0-0 0, Elliott 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 19-50 6-8 53.

Monmouth (0-3) 39: McElroy 4-11 0-0 9, Ferdinand 2-5 0-0 6, Bender 4-7 0-0 11, Montas 1-10 3-3 5, Ware 2-10 1-2 5, Kudirka 0-1 0-0 0, Schanuel 0-0 0-0 0, Martin 0-1 0-0 0, Barber 2-5 1-1 5. Totals: 15-50 8-10 39.

Halftime: Villanova 29-16. 3-point goals: Villanova 9-30 (Kurz 0-1, Witman 3-10, Karcic 3-10, Getty 1-3, Grant 2-3, O'Connor 0-3). Monmouth 1-6 (McElroy 1-2, Montas 0-1, Ware 0-3). Rebounds: Villanova 34 (Kurz 8). Monmouth 34 (Bender 7). Assists: Villanova 16 (Grant 5). Monmouth 10 (Ferdinand 3). Attendance: 473.

By TONY GRAHAM

STAFF WRITER

WEST LONG BRANCH - Michele Baxter, Monmouth University women's basketball coach, had some company on her bench in street clothes Sunday that she would have very much preferred to see wearing blue and white uniforms.

Seated next to her, due to injuries and illness, were three seniors and four starters from last season who have amassed 2,166 career points.

The group that took the floor in a 53-39 non-conference loss to Villanova at Boylan Gym totaled about half that production.

""We as seniors are sitting there right now and it's kind of mind-boggling for us,'' said senior guard Veronica Randolph who missed the game with a concussion.

""We're trying to get it together,'' said Randolph who has started 50 games in her career, 28 last season. ""It's hard when you're injury plagued and you've got so many people with so much experience sitting down.

""It kind of hurts the team in a lot of ways, scoring, rebounding, hustling. It's hard for us to try and put everything together right now.''

At least, according to Baxter, Randolph is due to return to practice today and be ready for this weekend's trip by Monmouth (0-3) to the University of Miami Thanksgiving Tournament in Coral Gables, Fla.

But Baxter said junior guard Marisa Jimenez (gall bladder surgery) probably won't see action until a Nov. 28 game vs. St. John's and senior point guard and returning leader scorer Brianne Edwards (knee) may not return until after Christmas.

The season and career could be over for senior center Lindsey Zegowitz who suffered a torn ACL Nov. 12 at Lafayette.

Sunday Monmouth was hurt by nine threes by the Wildcats (2-1), three each from senior Stacie Witman (17 points) and junior Lisa Karcic (13 points).

"'We batted all the way through to the end,'' said Monmouth guard Nyaimah Ware, suddenly the team's only experienced senior regular.

Ware said Monmouth can't use the injuries as an excuse for its slow start. ""We've got to work without them (the missing players),'' said Ware. "'You lose people all the time. You've got to work around it.''

After shooting just 23 percent (6-for-26) in the first half when it fell behind by as many as 15 points Monmouth made a run in the second half.

Twice it got within six points, the last time on a jump shot by junior forward Jennifer Bender (11 points, seven rebounds) that drew it within 45-39 with 6:24 showing.

Monmouth failed to score another point after that.

""We just weren't knocking down shots,'' said Ware who had five points, four rebounds, and two steals.

""We had wide open shots. We missed layups, we missed twos, we missed threes.''

With Randolph and her team leading 111 career treys not playing sophomore Brooke McElroy sank Monmouth's only 3 of the night.

"'Defensively we played pretty solid,'' said Baxter. ""They hit some threes which was pretty much their game.

""But they didn't have a whole lot of points. That's all you can sort of hope for.

""We had those 2,000 points sitting on the bench,'' Baxter said. ""We only needed about 14 of them tonight.''