Colonial

Daily Dribble: Top 10 Players in the CAA

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 08:05:03 -0800

Overall, the CAA doesn't have as much talent as other Top 12 conferences, but it has arguably the best non-BCS player in VCU's Eric Maynor. Two players who didn't suit up last year, UNCW's TJ Carter (injury) and James Madison's Abdulai Jalloh (transfer) made the Top 10. Colonial Athletic Association 1. Eric Maynor, G, VCU 2. Antoine Agudio, G, Hofstra 3. Frank Elegar, C, Drexel 4. Will Thomas, F, George Mason 5. TJ Carter, G, UNC-Wilmington 6. Matt Janning, G, Northeastern 7. Herb Courtney, F, Delaware 8. Folarin Campbell, G/F, George Mason 9. Abdulai Jalloh, G, James Madison 10. Vladimir Kuljanin, F, UNC-Wilmington Next In Line Terrance Carter, F, James Madison Wil Fameni, F, VCU Todd Hendley, F, UNC-Wilmington Brandon Johnson, G, Old Dominion Leonard Mendez, G, Georgia State Check back tomorrow for my ranking of the CUSA.

Who Will Win the CAA?

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 07:42:02 -0700

Daily Dribble: Mid-Major Power Ranking

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 18:00:38 -0800

In yesterday's Dribble.. I ranked all 73 BCS teams.. from UCLA to Colorado. I got a nice response about that list.. so I decided to do a ranking of the top "mid-major" leagues, ie, the 2nd tier leagues. The 2nd tier compromises the 62 teams of the A10, CAA, CUSA, MVC, MWC, and WAC. This leaves out the Horizon and the WCC which are the next in line. The Horizon actually has a higher overall RPI than the CAA right now, but this is based almost solely on Butler's hot start. No other HL team is in the top 110, but the CAA has 4 teams in the top 90. 1. Air Force 6-1 19-2 2. Memphis 6-0 16-3 3. Nevada 6-1 18-2 4. Xavier 4-2 14-6 5. Southern Illinois 7-3 16-5 6. Drexel 7-2 15-4 7. New Mexico State 6-1 16-4 8. Northern Iowa 6-3 15-5 9. UNLV 4-2 17-4 10. Massachusetts 4-2 14-6 11. Virginia Commonwealth 9-0 17-3 12. Hofstra 8-1 15-5 13. Creighton 7-3 13-7 14. Missouri State 5-5 14-7 15. Utah State 4-2 15-5 16. Brigham Young 4-2 14-6 17. Rhode Island 6-1 13-8 18. Fresno State 3-4 14-6 19. George Washington 5-1 14-4 20. Bradley 6-4 15-7 21. Wichita State 4-6 13-8 22. Dayton 3-3 13-6 23. Colorado State 4-3 14-5 24. San Diego State 2-4 13-7 25. Saint Louis 3-4 13-7 26. St. Joseph's 4-3 11-8 27. Old Dominion 6-3 13-7 28. Evansville 5-5 12-9 29. Houston 3-2 8-9 30. Wyoming 3-3 12-8 31. Indiana State 4-5 11-8 32. George Mason 5-4 11-8 33. Boise State 4-3 10-8 34. UTEP 4-2 12-8 35. Fordham 4-2 11-7 36. Rice 4-1 10-8 37. UAB 2-3 10-9 38. Illinois State 3-7 11-10 39. UCF 3-2 14-5 40. Charlotte 2-4 8-10 41. Marshall 2-3 7-12 42. Utah 2-4 7-12 43. Southern Miss 3-2 13-5 44. Tulsa 2-3 12-6 45. Drake 2-8 11-10 46. Temple 1-4 7-11 47. New Mexico 1-5 12-9 48. Louisiana Tech 4-3 6-13 49. Towson 4-5 10-10 50. Hawaii 2-5 11-9 51. TCU 2-4 10-8 52. La Salle 2-4 9-11 53. Northeastern 4-5 6-14 54. William & Mary 3-6 10-9 55. Duquesne 2-4 6-11 56. Georgia State 3-6 7-12 57. Southern Methodist 1-4 12-7 58. Richmond 1-5 5-14 59. North Carolina-Wilmington 1-8 4-14 60. James Madison 3-6 6-13 61. Tulane 1-4 8-9 62. Idaho 1-6 3-16 63. St. Bonaventure 2-4 5-14 64. San Jose State 1-6 2-17 65. East Carolina 0-5 5-13 66. Delaware 1-8 3-17

Suspensions and a key injury on Wednesday

Raphielle Johnson — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 23:16:06 -0800

With a slate full of games from the Big Ten and Big East, you'd expect to only have to concentrate on scores Wednesday night. Well, that all went out the window when Boston College announced that center Sean Williams and forward Akida McLain were dismissed from the team for a violation of team rules. Further details should be released in the coming days, but going into Littlejohn Coliseum to face an angry group of Clemson Tigers shorthanded is not a good way to spend your Saturday. The dismissed pair have been in Coach Al Skinenr's doghouse in the past for behavioral reasons, having missed games the past two seasons as a result. Those transgressions were taken care of at the beginning of each season, however, and that's what makes this episode all the more surprising. Williams, who was leading the ACC in blocks, is clearly the bigger loss of the two. McLain, due to suspension and an ankle injury, played sparingly in his handful of games played. Jared Dudley is still dealing with a stress fracture in his left foot, so a heavier workload is not what he needs right now. Shomari Spears, who some compared to former Eagle Craig Smith, will need to show that those comparisons were justified if the Eagles are to go back to the NCAA Tournament. With the lack of depth inside, there is a silver lining for BC. With the ACC performing as well as it has to this point in the season, there will be plenty of chances for quality wins. But this will be an uphill battle for a team that wasn't deep to begin with. As for the injury, look to Seton Hall's 69-68 win over Providence. Less than two minutes into the game, senior center Grant Billmeier was lost for the game to a left knee injury suffered while trying to defend a Herbert Hill dunk. Although John Garcia played nine inspiring minutes and scored six points, it remains to be seen how effective he can be on his left knee that still isn't 100%. Thursday will be a tense day on the South Orange campus, with fans awaiting both the latest on Billmeier's injury and whether or not Garcia experienced any soreness in his left knee. Unfortunately for the Pirates, Georgetown comes calling on Friday night, and the Hoyas may be the biggest team that the Hall faces all season. Worst case scenario would leave the Pirates with Stan Gaines and pretty much no one else in the paint (it doesn't look like Mani Messy will be looked to for major minutes this season). The game of the night on Wednesday, besides the Pirates and the Friars? How about Cincinnati and Syracuse. The first half went as many would have expected, with the Orange dominating play, but the Bearcats stormed back and even had the lead in the final minute. Only to foul Eric Devendorf with 16 seconds remaining. His free throws game Syracuse the game 77-76, but Cincinnati's Marcus Sikes put on a show from behind the arc. Sikes hit eight three pointers, but couldn't prevent UC's fifth straight loss, their longest losing skid in nineteen years. In the Colonial, don't look now but George Mason has won four straight league games after starting 0-3. The Patriots beat William & Mary last night, exacting revenge for a loss to the Tribe two weeks ago. Funny how things can change in conference play; two weeks ago William & Mary was one of the surprises in the leage and we were all asking what was wrong with GMU. Now the Patriots have passed the Tribe in the standings and can make up more ground with their next two games at home against Northeastern and league-leading Virginia Commonwealth. As for the VCU Rams, first-year head coach Anthony Grant won't get many votes for national coach of the year, but he's taken a good team that went 19-10 last season and turned them into a 15-3 team that people have to respect as a viable threat to win the CAA. We've all talked about Mason, Hofstra and Drexel, but it's time to give the Rams their due. Lastly, here are a couple of games to pay soem attention to on Thursday: - Pennsylvania @ La Salle: Big 5 rivalry. - Fairleigh Dickinson @ Central Connecticut St.: A big game between two of the top teams in the NEC. - Hartford @ UMBC: Two teams once at the top of America East look to hold onto any hope of competing at the top of the league.

Daily Dribble: 1/09

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 08:59:46 -0800

Since I missed Monday's Dribble.. I decided I'll do something a little special and discuss all 29 games on the schedule. Okay, its not really special, and its not really any longer than usual.. but I felt like mixing things up. Here's Monday's recap.. in order of the games starting times and not importance: Surprising William & Mary won again, beating Georgia State 57-43. At 10-4, the Tribe have already hit the double-digit mark for the first time since the 02-03 season. Also in CAA play, Delaware's horrible season continued as the Hens fell to 2-13 and 0-2 in league play. Delaware lost to Towson (7-7), who bounced back from two tough overtime losses in conference games. Freshman Jeremy Goode had 19 points and 9 assists to lead Mt St Mary's to a 91-80 win over Sacred Heart. Both the 19 and the 9 were career highs for the point guard out of Charlotte, NC. After going 1-10 in non-conference play, the Mount is suddenly 3-1 in NEC games. Juco transfer Robert Hines scored 23, a season-best in leading SFNY over LIU. The Terriers have won a shocking 3 of 4 after starting the season 0-12. Western Carolina beat a struggling Chattanooga squad 79-70 in Southern Conference action. UTC is 0-5 in league play. Also in SoCo play, another Hines, Kyle continued his CHN Top 100 worthy season by scoring 24 points and pulling down 9 boards in leading UNCG to a win over Elon. Hines is averaging 21 and 10 on the season. Finally Coastal Carolina improved to 8-6, beating UNCA despite an off game from All-Name member Jack Leasure (just 5 points on 2-10 shooting), while Georgia Southern beat lowly Wofford. Drexel, who is slowly gaining respect amongst Top 25 voters, beat James Madison to improved to 4-0 in the CAA. Drexel, Hofstra, and VCU all remain perfect in the Colonial. Hofstra did so by beating Old Dominion 70-58 (and VCU beat Northeastern 64-44). The Pride have no interior game so Loren Stokes has become their rebounding force.. pulling down 12 in the win and averaging 10 rpg over their last 3 wins. It took 2 OTs for Hofstra to beat UNCW last week.. a team that is now 0-4 in CAA play after getting demolished by George Mason. The Seahawks had an amazingly low 2 field goals in the first half, scoring 10 points. Manhattan, who opened the season with a pathetic loss to 1st-time D1 squad NJIT, has bounced back to a 6-8 overall record and 3-1 in the MAAC. The 3-1 record is deceiving, because 2 of the 3 MAAC wins were over 3-13 Fairfield. SWAC favorite Jackson State lost their first league game, 73-62 to Southern. This is a bad loss for the Tigers, who were at home against a 3-13 team. The Tigers loss allowed Texas Southern and MVSU to move into a tie for first place at 3-0 in league play. MVSU beat Alabama St behind 20 points from Standford Speech.. perhaps the best name not included in our Top 30 Names in college basketball. Also in the SWAC, UAPB broke a 6-game losing streak by beating Alabama A&M 52-45. More importantly, it was their 1st win all year against a D1 team. Finally, Grambling State beat Alcorn State and I have nothing meaningful to say about that. Rashad West scored 33 in leading Hampton to a 76-74 win over MEAC contender Florida A&M. Delaware St passed FAMU in the conference standings by beating Morgan State 58-51. Meanwhile NC A&T beat Hampton, behind a solid 17 point-10 rebound effort from Jason Wills. Wills, a junior, has been one of the MEAC's most consistent performers. He's averaging 14 and 7 boards, and has scored in double-digits in 12 of 13 games. Also, Norfolk St beat Bethune-Cookman and South Carolina State overtook UMAS in another mostly useless MEAC games. In the Big South, Winthrop improved to 12-4, beating Charleston Southern, despite barely dropping out of the CHN Top 50. In the lone Ohio Valley game, Murray State improved to 7-9 by beating SEMO. The Racers are 5-3 in OVC play, and 1 more loss will put them behind last year's great 17-3 conference record. Villanova escaped with a 56-52 win at Georgetown.. one of the few games with name teams on Monday. Georgetown had won 7 straight and was regaining lost respect.. but the loss was a major setback. Roy Hibbert was held to a season low 2 points. For Nova, the win snaps a two-game losing streak heading into a big road contest at Syracuse. If the Big 12 is your thing, Texas Tech improved to 12-4 by beating Kansas State in Manhattan. For the Wildcats, its their 3rd loss in a row, but just their 1st all season at home. More importantly, Kansas State will be without Bill Walker for the rest of the season after it was determined he had a ruptured ACL. State played their best ball with Walker, beating USC and then New Mexico.. but his loss is a huge blow to their slim tournament chances. Out west, #15 Nevada dealt with a first-half ankle injury to Nick Fazekas by putting away Boise State 90-86. Marcelus Kemp led the way with 27 points as the Wolfpack ran off 9-straight points down the stretch to pull away. In the loss, Coby Karl added 22 points, 8 boards, and 5 assists. The 6-4 Karl is a potential NBA 2nd rounder. Finally, Gonzaga easily blew by Pepperdine 69-52. After falling to 9-6, WCC play has proven to be the perfect remedy for the Zags who are now 11-6. Sean Mallon continued the greatest two week period of his career with 17 and 10 boards, coming off a career-high 23 against LMU. - Dribble is as Dribble does - .. The remaining 9 games, including Nova-G'Town, will be up in a bit -

First Weekend of Conference Play Full of Surprises

Raphielle Johnson — Sun, 07 Jan 2007 21:32:14 -0800

The first college basketball weekend of 2007 has delivered some interesting results. First off, how many people expected Hartford and Maryland-Baltimore County to be on top of America East after the first weekend of play? The Hawks, led by first-year head coach Dan Leibovitz, won a 62-60 thriller at Maine on opening night, then followed that win with an 80-75 double-OT home win over Boston University. The Hawks only have two seniors on the roster, so it would be understandable if people looked to their future instead of the present. Of course the two seniors, forwards Bo Taylor and Alex Zimnickas, are important contributors, but the Hawks also have some solid youngsters playing a part in their success. Freshman guard Joe Zeglinski is the team's second leading scorer, and sophomores Jaret Von Rosenberg, Michael Turner and Fabrice Tafo combined for 26 points off the bench in their win at Maine. A young team has its bumps in the road, but the future could be now for the Hawks. As for the Retrievers of UMBC, at first glance winning their first two league games on the road would be a surprise. But when you factor in that they have played 11 of their first 15 games on the road this year, it's not such a shock. In their 72-53 win at struggling Stony Brook, the Retrievers outscored SBU 47-24 in the second half. Five players average at least 8.5 points per game, led by junior guard Brian Hodges' 15.4 per game. Just like Hartford, who can really predict whether or not the 6-9 Retrievers can keep this momentum rolling remains to be seen, especially for a team that essentially goes six deep (Chris Seaborn and Uwem Eshietedoho play less than 14 minutes per game each). I wish I would have suggested Uwem's name for our all-name team. St. Joseph's and Rhode Island lead the A-10 right now, but how about some love for the Duquesne Dukes, 73-63 winners at St. Louis on Saturday. We all know the story of the campus party shooting this past offseason and the depleted roster as a result. But give first-year head coach Ron Everhart and his staff credit, and the players as well, for competing and not feeling sorry for themselves. Will they compete for a league title? Doubtful, but things are looking up for this program and they will show up every night to play. Raise your hand if you thought that before the season started West Virginia and Providence would be two of the Big East's four undefeated teams (in league play) after the first full weekend of conference play? If your hand is raised you're either a fan of either team, or you're lying. Frank Young has played lights out in the Mountaineers' three Big East wins, games against UConn, Villanova and St. John's that haven't been close at all. Joe Alexander and Da'Sean Butler make for an imposing head of John Beilein's 1-3-1 zone due to their size and length, and Darris Nichols has been solid at the point. Do not sleep on this team come March. As for Providence, they hit a bump in the road against Florida State in their first game without suspended guard Sharaud Curry (92-62 is a significant bump), but they have recovered to take care of both Marquette and Seton Hall at home. Geoff McDermott is one of the more underrated forwards in the nation, for he can do it all. And big man Herbert Hill has improved substantially, an essential development for a team without the services of its best post player from last season (Randall Hanke). Next up for the Friars is a trip to inconsistent Louisville, and Curry reportedly (according to the Providence Journal-Bulletin) will be back for that one. Providence has a chance in their next four games (at UL, at Seton Hall, Rutgers, Villanova) to play themselves into good position for an NCAA Tournament bid, so long as Tim Welsh and his staff find a way to combine Curry's return with the improved play of his replacement, freshman Dwain Williams. In the CAA, did anyone expect to see George Mason tied for last at 0-3? The Patriots lost a lot from last season's Final Four team, so the early results should underscore just how important seniors are for programs in non-BCS leagues (Not that seniors aren't improtant to BCS leagues, but the nouveau riche programs seem to have an easier time recruiting). Of the four teams at the top of the CAA, whose schedule would I not want this week? Hofstra. The Pride get Old Dominion at home Monday night, then visit Drexel on Thursday. We'll see if Tom Pecora's bunch can do enough on the glass in those two showdowns, a signifcant change from their first three conference games against schools (Georgia State, UNC Wilmington and Delaware) with a combined league record of 1-8 to this point. Sacred Heart and FDU lead the NEC, but with only one winless team in league play (St. Francis NY), this should be a wild winter in that league. The top eight qualify for the conference tournament, and seeding determines home court for each round, so every game will be of the utmost importance. An interesting note on the NEC is that only Robert Morris (10-3) and Fairleigh Dickinson (7-6) have overall records above .500. Sacred Heart is currently 7-7, so the league winner could find themselves in the opening round game in Dayton (Ken Pomeroy ranks the NEC 30th out of 32 leagues in his conference RPI). Siena leads the MAAC at 4-0 in conference play, but unfortunately for Iona the watch continues. The Gaels, the nation's lone winless team at 0-13, visit preseason favorite Marist Tuesday night. I don't see them winning that one, but a home game with rival Manhattan may be enough to get this team going on Friday night. Not to mention the inconsistent play of the Jaspers this season, you never know what could happen. Just keep playing hard guys. Also, how many other teams in the nation are as thankful for their four-year transfers as Loyola (MD)? Gerald Brown (Providence)and Omari Isreal (Notre Dame) have been key contributors for Jimmy Patsos this season, and the Greyhounds could make some noise come MAAC Tournament time. I almost forgot to mention the fact that Providence honored Dave Gavitt on Saturday night, naming the Dunkin Donuts Center court "Dave Gavitt Court". For a man that played such an instrumental role in the success of the Providence program, as well as the members of the Big East, it is an honor well deserved. Thank you for your contributions to the game Mr. Gavitt. Lastly, a note on a team outside of the northeast. I'm glad that I once again drank the Oregon "Kool-Aid". They've burned me in the past, but I think things will be different this year. It remains to be seen how the return of Malik Hairston affects this squad when that time comes. Good night.

Colonial Athletic Association Preview

CHN — Sun, 29 Oct 2006 00:00:00 -0700

Conference Previews | Top 144 | 06-07 Preview Home

Colonial Athletic Preview

Conference Rank: 11th

Conference Page

All-Conference

Player of the Year - Gary Neal, Towson, G

Loren Stokes, Hofstra, G

Atoine Agudio, Hofstra, G

Will Thomas, George Mason, F

Arnaud Dahi, Old Dominion, F

Nat'l	Team (Click for Preview)	Conf	Tourney
29	Hofstra	1	NCAA
55	Drexel	2	NIT
67	Old Dominion	3	NIT
80	George Mason	4	NIT
115	UNC Wilmington	5
160	Towson	6
165	VCU	7
232	Northeastern	8
238	Delaware	9
261	James Madison	10
289	Georgia State	11
311	William & Mary	12

Head Coach Interviews:

Brusier Flint - Drexel

Tom Pecora - Hofstra

Dean Keener - James Madison

Benny Moss - UNCW

Preseason Polls:

Best Mid-Major Team?

Who Will Be the Best Mid-Major Team?

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 14:35:43 -0700