LIU

State of '08: New York

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 08:11:24 -0700

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Duke or Carolina? BC or UMASS? Gonzaga or Washington.. or Washington State? What is the best program in each state? While there's not much competition in Hawaii.. there are great debates to be had in loaded regions like California, North Carolina, and Texas. The State of '08 is a ranking of every program in every state.. based mostly on recent success (the last five years) mixed in with subjective factors such as conference prestige, historical success, and overall program direction.

For more info, check out the State of '08 introduction.

NEW YORK

SYRACUSE - Led by one of the all-time great coaches, Syracuse has been a perennial power under Jim Boeheim. The Orange have missed the last two NCAA Tournaments, but should be back in 2009.

SIENA - Its been a good decade for Siena, with 3 NCAA Tournaments and 2 NIT trips. Last year, the Saints knocked off Vanderbilt in the opening round, and some pundits even think Fran McCaffery's crew has a chance to finish in the Top 25..

NIAGARA - With the exception of a poor 2006 campaign, Niagara has been very solid in the last decade. They've finished over .500 overall and in MAAC play in 9 of 10 seasons, and advanced to the Tournament in 2005 & 2007.

HOFSTRA - After the amazing job Jay Wright did at Hofstra around the turn of the century, Tom Pecora's tenure has been a bit more pedestrian (but still good for NY standards). The Pride did ride the shooting stroke of Loren Stokes to the 2007 NIT (their 3rd in a row), but were disappointing last year despite the return of Antoine Agudio.

MANHATTAN - Bobby Gonzalez led Manhattan to four postseason trips between 2002 and 2006. Barry Rohrssen hasn't been able to maintain that high standard, though this year's team has potential.

6. ST. JOHN'S - Once one of the game's top programs, St. John's still isn't close to getting out of the mess created by Mike Jarvis. The Storm haven't finished in the RPI Top 100 since 2003, and that futility should continue in 2009.

7. MARIST - Although the Red Foxes haven't had much success in the MAAC tournament the past three seasons, the team has been consistently dangerous and was invited to the 2007 NIT.

8. ALBANY - Unlike Binghamton and Stony Brook, who joined D1 and the AE around the same time, Albany has had some success in recent years. Will Brown, the Great Danes coach for pretty much their entire D1 existence, deserves credit for the job he's done. Brown led the team to the 2006 & 2007 NCAA Tournaments.

9. CORNELL - The Big Red have come a long way under Steve Donahue. When he took over in 2001, the program was one of the worst in the Ivy League. But their RPI has improved every season since 01 (from 311th to 65th in 08), and their Ivy League record has improved each season as well (though you can't top last year's perfect 14-0 run). Most expect Cornell to repeat as Ivy champs in 2009.

10. FORDHAM - Although Dereck Whittenburg has done a nice job getting Fordham back on track since taking over in 2003, there's still been no postseason trips and last year's team failed to meet lofty expectations.

11. WAGNER - With 23 wins last year, the Seahawks set a new record, although they missed out on the postseason. The program had accomplished little in the previous four seasons, unable to follow up on a good 02-03 run that culminated in a Tourney bid.

12. IONA - The Gaels have been all over the place in recent seasons. Great in 2006, with 23 wins and an NCAA bid. Horrendous in 2007 with just a 2-28 record. And then very mediocre last year.

13. BUFFALO - Long one of the country's worst programs, Buffalo is back to their losing ways after a rare winning spike from 2004 to 2006. In 2005, the Bulls were a few points from making their first NCAA Tournament in program history.

14. COLGATE - The Raiders are coming off their best season since 2002, an 18-win campaign that included two wins in the Patriot League tournament. 1996 was the last time they reached the conference finals.

15. BINGHAMTON - Less than a decade into their D1 existence, Bingamton is still looking for a breakthrough on the hardwood. 2nd year coach Kevin Broadus will be relying on a lot of transfers to push the Bearcats up the America East standings.

16. CANISIUS - 2001 was the last time Canisius was any good. 2009 should be another losing season, though fans are at least hopeful some of last year's young talent improves.

17. LIU - There hasn't been much to cheer about in the last decade as last year's 15 wins were the best in a decade. Since taking over in 2002, Jim Ferry's teams have won just one NEC Tournament game.

18. ST. FRANCIS - 2004 was the last time the Terriers were decent, and 2001 was the last time they were good. Last year was one of the worst in the program's history, with an RPI of 313 and a 4-14 NEC record.

19. ST. BONAVENTURE - Early in the decade, the Bonnies had a good run, until a string of poor choices, rules violations, and bad luck destroyed the program. Some progress has been made since the low of 2005 (2 wins), but Mark Schmidt and crew still have a long way to go.

20. COLUMBIA - I'm sure Columbia's good teams at some point in the past, but they were just before my time. Back to back 7-7 Ivy League seasons have been the peak of Joe Jones' five year tenure.

21. STONY BROOK - The Seawolves haven't won 10 games since 2005, and have never finished above 200th in the RPI. Most publications project a finish near the bottom of the AE in 2009.

22. ARMY - From 2003 to 2006, Army was not only the worst team in New York, but arguably the worst team in the country. They won just 11 D1 games in those four seasons, but have since returned to a more mediocre standard. Another sub-.500 season is a lock in 08-09.

Last: New Jersey - Next: North Carolina

State of '08: The Introduction (& State list/links)

NYC Metro Review Part 2: Teams 6-11

Raphielle Johnson — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 08:00:18 -0700

After the top five in the final rankings, there were a few schools that hovered around the .500 mark for most of the season, only to come out on the short end so to speak. But that doesn’t mean that this season was a complete failure for teams such as LIU, Fairfield and Yale. The Blackbirds finished dead even at 15-15, their first non-losing record 1997-98. Jim Ferry’s team, led by guard Jaytornah Wisseh and forward Eugene Kotorobai, will have to replace Kotorobai and Kellen Allen as they look to improve upon this season’s seventh-place finish in the Northeast Conference.

As for the Stags of Fairfield (14-16), head coach Ed Cooley will see key contributors such as Second-Team All-MAAC performer Jonathan Han and backcourt partner Herbie Allen back next season. Yale (13-15), who was expected by some to be more of a player in the Ivy League race (it ended up being everyone try to chase Cornell), has to replace a mainstay at guard in Eric Flato, along with swingman Caleb Holmes and big man Matt Kyle. But some key contributors will be back next season, led by forward Ross Morin.

Also in the group is a pair of Big East schools in St. John’s and Rutgers, and Fordham. Both Big East members were extremely young this season, but a year of seasoning along with some key recruits (especially Mike Rosario at Rutgers) should allow both to be in the top five next year. Fordham, on the other hand, can fall back one no such excuse as their season would have to be regarded as a disappointment. And that word may be kind. But before the ranking of those six teams, here are the members of the Second-Team All-Metro squad.

Second-Team All-Metro

G Manny Ubilla (Fairleigh Dickinson) - 20.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 4.9 apg, 42.9% 3PT

A member of the NEC’s Second Team All-Conference squad, Ubilla was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise disappointing year for Tom Green’s Knights. The senior from Freehold, N.J. failed to reach double figures just twice this season, and he also ranked second in the conference in three-point percentage. His best scoring effort this season was the thirty-nine he dropped on Rhode Island back on January 2^nd.

G Mark Porter (Wagner) - 16.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 5.5 apg, 1.9 spg

One of the keys to the success enjoyed by the Seahawks was the play of the senior guard from Atlantic City, also named First Team All Conference in the NEC. His 5.5 assists per game ranked behind only Robert Morris’ Tony Lee in the NEC, and he led a team with five players averaging double figures in points per game. The senior will definitely be missed on the Staten Island campus next season. Porter, who averaged thirty-seven minutes per game this season, had three games in which he reached double digits and assists and two double-doubles.

F John Baumann (Columbia) – 16.1 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 51.4% FG

The main cog in the Lions’ attack, Baumann was named to the Ivy League’s First Team All-Conference squad due to his efforts. Baumann, who leaves Columbia as the number six scorer in the history of the program, ranked second in the Ivy League in all three categories listed above and first in scoring in Ivy League games. For the second straight season Columbia finished at .500 in conference play, something that wouldn’t have been possible if not for the hard work of Baumann.

F Todd Sowell (St. Peter’s) – 12.7 ppg, 10.4 rpg, 2.2 bpg

To describe the senior forward from Brooklyn as a warrior would be appropriate, given the fact that he gave his all each and every night out on the floor for the Peacocks. Named to the MAAC’s Second Team All-Conference squad for his effort, Sowell averaged the second double-double of his career (he also did this as a sophomore). They may not have won many games, but the Peacocks may have done even worse than their six wins if not for Todd Sowell. He’ll definitely be missed in Jersey City.

F Durell Vinson (Wagner) – 13.6 ppg, 11.5 rpg, 55.8% FG

Vinson, like Mark Porter (they’ve been teammates in both high school and college), was named to the Northeast Conference’s First Team All-Conference squad and was the difference-maker this season for Mike Deane’s Seahawks. Last season Wagner sputtered without the services of their most dependable big, but this year they finished in second place in the NEC. How dominant was Vinson on the glass this season? His average was tops in the NEC by four rebounds per game.

Final Rankings 6-11

6. Fairfield (14-16)

The Stags, after getting off to a slow start for the second consecutive season, were able to fight their way back into the thick of the MAAC regular season race by season’s end. Alas, they fell short of the top spot and ended up finishing in fifth place, losing to Loyola (MD) in a close MAAC quarterfinal. While they do lose seniors such as Marty O’Sullivan and Mamadou Diakhate, the bulk of this team will be back in forwards Greg Nero and Anthony Johnson, and guard Jonathan Han and Herbie Allen. They’ve got a shot to make some noise in the MAAC next season.

7. Fordham (11-17)

Heading into the season, you would have thought that the Rams would have a better shot at finishing 17-11 instead of 11-17. But even with five senior starters returning, they found a way to plummet from the preseason prognostication of fifth in the Atlantic 10 to twelfth, barely qualifying for the conference tournament. Bryant Dunston once again did the job inside, and as a team Dereck Whittenburg’s squad did improve offensively. But they weren’t consistent enough on defense, or when it came to taking care of the basketball. It’ll be interesting to see what this team can do next year with a recruiting class led by guard Jio Fontan arriving on campus.

8. St. John’s (11-19)

The Red Storm certainly went through their share of growing pains, hitting rock bottom in the blowout loss to Georgetown in the Garden, a place in which the two charter members of the Big East have staged many memorable battles. The 74-42 was one for the books as well, and not for good reasons either. The only key contributor who won’t be back is senior guard Eugene Lawrence, which should mean that Norm Roberts’ team is ready to make a move up the Big East standings. Forwards Anthony Mason Jr. and Justin Burrell will be the headliners in 2008-09.

9. Long Island (15-15)

The Blackbirds head into the off-season with optimistic thoughts following their best season in ten years, along with the fact that a few of the key contributors are slated to return. Guard Jaytornah Wisseh was one of the NEC’s best by season’s end, and he’ll be back along with two members of the league’s All-Rookie Team in guards David Hicks and Kyle Johnson. Pairing those two with Wisseh will make the Blackbirds quite dangerous in 2008-09.

10. Yale (13-15)

The Bulldogs finished .500 in conference play, the eighth straight season in which they’ve completed Ivy League play with at least seven league wins. And in another dose of good fortune, they’ll return a pair of Second Team All-Conference Team members in forwards Travis Pinick and Ross Morin. Both led the conference in a statistical category (in Ivy League games), with Pinick averaging 8.9 rebounds per game and Morin shooting 64.2% from the field. But unfortunately for head coach James Jones, he’ll have to replace a quartet of seniors led by team captain Eric Flato.

11. Rutgers (11-20)

It was a tough way for the young Scarlet Knights to learn what playing in the Big East is all about, but they should all be back next season and they head into 2008-09 on a positive note. JR Inman hit a shot at the buzzer to defeat bitter rival Seton Hall in the season finale, and with McDonald’s All-American Mike Rosario on his way Fred Hill should have a pretty good team in 2008-09. Freshmen Corey Chandler and Mike Coburn were two of the team’s top four scorers, and Hamady N’Diaye got even more experience inside. Not sure just how far they can move up the Big East standings next season, but look out for these guys.

NYC Metro Year End Review: Part One

All-Metro Team & Ranking 1-5

NYC Metro Year End Review: Part Two

Ranking 6-11

Next: NYC Metro Year End Review: Part Three

Ranking 12-1

NYC Metro Year End Review: Part Four

All-Rookie & Ranking 18-23

Some weekly honors in the Northeast

Raphielle Johnson — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 20:59:03 -0800

Team of the Week: Rhode Island Results: Providence (W: 77-60), @ Syracuse (W: 91-89) These two key wins put the Rams at 10-1 on the season, and truth be told they should have been ranked in both polls this week. But for the critics who pointed to their schedule as a reason to overlook their start, here are two impressive "resume" wins. Jim Baron, who has to rank up there with some of the more underrated coaches in the country (in terms of the mainstream), took a chance last season by letting these Rams run. The end result there was a trip to the Atlantic 10 final, and more success has come this season. Guard Jimmy Baron and forward Will Daniels lead a solid group of offensive options, one that would make Frank Keaney and his "two points a minute" teams quite proud. Overlooked in the polls, but people had better keep tabs on the Runnin' Rams. Player of the Week: G/F Charron Fisher (Niagara) Stats: 36 pts, 8 rebounds against Rider (W: 89-77); 31 pts, 12 rebounds at Towson (L: 75-72) To be frank, Fisher, a senior from Pennsauken, NJ was a man among boys this past week. In their MAAC opener, Rider had no answer for his versatility. The same goes for Towson, but they were able to get the hard-fought win. Think being 230 pounds relegates Fisher to being an undersized banger inside? Well, he went 8-12 from behind the arc against Rider. Teams within the MAAC have known for a couple of seasons that they've got their hands full with Fisher. Let's see if St. John's is up to the challenge on Saturday. Surprising Score of the Week: Iona 92, Loyola (MD) 68 Iona, in their first season under Kevin Willard, was expected to be an improved team. Well, when you only win two games the previous season, there really isn't anywhere to go but up. But to drop this kind of beating on a team picked by many to contend for the MAAC title is an eye-opener. Four Gaels reached double figures, led by Dexter Gray's 18 off the bench, and Iona shot 59% from the field while limiting the Greyhounds to 32.7%. Besides Gerald Brown, who put up 31, not much went right for Loyola in a game that got out of hand in the first half (halftime score: 49-24). Loyola went the first 4:49 without a field goal, and then topped that with a 5:46 drought to start the second half. One question to think about: what if Loyola doesn't go 27-33 from the charity stripe? Ouch. This win along with their close loss at Siena two days later (81-76) shows that Coach Willard has this program headed in the right direction, despite their 2-7 record. Some other notes on teams in the Northeast: - St. Francis (NY) has been relying too much on the three point shot. Heading into their game at Columbia tonight, the Terriers were 64-for-202 from distance, good for 31.7%. All of last season, SFC attempted 440. With a player the caliber of forward Robert Hines, there should not be this many attempts from beyond the arc. But Hines isn't absolved of any guilt in this either. In 06-07, Hines attempted 106 three-pointers. Through ten games, he's already attempted 52...and made 15. Until the Terriers as a whole commit to attacking the basket, they will have a hard time ending their four-game losing skid. - LIU has replaced the scoring of James Williams by committee. Quite a few people, yours truly included, didn't expect much from the Blackbirds with the graduation of James Williams. But after a win tonight at New Hampshire, LIU is 6-3. Four Blackbirds are averaging at least 10.6 points per game, led by senior forward Kellen Allen at 12.1. Last season, Allen averaged a meager 4.4 points per game. While it's too early to expect LIU to contend for the NEC crown, the wide-open nature of the league combined with their early start means that we shouldn't rule this team out just yet. - Also, keep an eye on Maryland- Baltimore County. The Retrievers have gotten off to a good start this season, possessing a record of 7-2 heading into their game at Central Connecticut State tomorrow night. UMBC holds wins over the likes of Richmond, George Washington and Morgan State, and while that may not be an impressive list, keep in mind that they won twelve games all of last season. Four Retrievers average at least fourteen points per game, led by guard Brian Hodges (18.8 ppg). Also, it doesn’t hurt to shoot 44.4% as a team from behind the arc. It’ll be interesting to see if they average of 79.7 points per game holds up in America East play as well.

NYC Metro Preview: #18 LIU

Shawn Siegel — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 10:58:34 -0800

18. Long Island (2006-07 Record: 10-19, 6-12 NEC)

Head coach: Jim Ferry

Returning Starters: 3- G Jaytornah Wisseh (sophomore): 6’1”, 180; F Eugene Kotorobai (senior): 6’5”, 210; F/C Aurimas Adomaitis (sophomore): 6’8”, 235.

Roster

LIU Stats & Info

The Blackbirds were 7-9 on January 13^th after winning at home against St. Francis (PA), but little did they know that they wouldn’t win another game until nearly a month later when they won at St. Francis (NY). A seven-game losing skid put a serious damper on their season, and even though they still had a chance to qualify for the NEC Tournament in the season’s last week, the Blackbirds couldn’t get the one win that they needed to do so. Now comes the arduous task of replacing one of the most prolific scorers in the recent history of the NEC, James Williams (1,710 career points- 17^th in NEC history). Also gone is Aubin Scott, who was the team’s second leading scorer and leading rebounder. While these are two big losses, there is still some talent on the Brooklyn campus.

Sophomore guard Jaytornah Wisseh stands to gain the most from the graduations of Williams and Scott when it comes to offensive production. A member of the NEC All-Rookie Team in 06-07, Wisseh averaged 8.7 points and a team-high 3.0 assists per game last season. He should have the ball in his hands even more this year. Also looking to snatch up some more minutes in the backcourt are junior Tyrone Mattison and newcomers David Hicks (freshman) and Nehemiah Weicks (sophomore). Mattison started 21 games in 06-07, averaging 6.3 points and two steals per contest. And don’t be surprised if junior college transfer Ronald Manigault, cousin of “The Goat”, sees some time in the backcourt as well given his ability to play up to four positions (excluding center).

The frontcourt will be led by Kotorobai, Adomaitis and senior Paska Morkeliunas. Kotorobai was second on the team in rebounding last season (6.5 per game), but he also shot 40% from behind the arc. Adomaitis started 21 games in his freshman campaign, going for six points and 3.2 boards per game. And despite playing only sixteen minutes per game last season, Morkeliunas was second on the team behind James Williams in free throws attempted. How much more time he sees in 07-08 will depend on how much he can improve his field goal percentage, which was below par last season (34%), and his ability to stay out of foul trouble (second on the team in personal fouls last year). The frontcourt should be bolstered by senior Kellen Allen, although he missed eighteen games in 06-07, and freshman Ike Udanoh, a tough guy in the paint from Detroit.

Outside of the NEC schedule, the Blackbirds will have some good matchups to look forward to this year, beginning with a trip to South Bend to take on Notre Dame November 12^th. Other non-conference games include Columbia (November 20^th), St. John’s (November 28^th), St. Peter’s (December 20^th), and the UCF Holiday Festival (December 30^th-31^st).

2007-08 Prospects

Even with the services of Williams and Scott in 06-07, Jim Ferry’s Blackbirds failed to qualify for the NEC Tournament. The task will be tougher this season, with LIU’s success depending on whether or not they can develop some backcourt depth behind Wisseh and Mattison. The newcomers will need to produce in a hurry, as it’s not easy to replace the 25.9 points per game lost with the graduation of Williams and Scott, especially for a team that averaged 69.2 points per game last season. Reaching the conference tournament will once again be a dogfight, but there’s no reason to believe that the Blackbirds won’t be in the running come the end of February for that eighth and final spot.

Final Metro Ranking Part II: Bottom Half

Raphielle Johnson — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 07:21:41 -0700

Another season of college basketball in the New York City area is complete, and it’s another year of teams from leagues other than the Big East carrying the flag. Marist, who won the MAAC regular season crown outright for the first time in school history, got over the disappointment of not winning their conference tournament by winning at Oklahoma State in the MasterCard NIT. Hofstra, predicted by many as a team with a chance to be “this year’s George Mason”, wasn’t able to make the NCAA Tournament but they did notch their second straight postseason bid. After that, the area schools had to put the balls away until next season.

As of right now, Iona is the only school looking for a new head coach, and this due primarily to the fact that a few programs have recently made new hires. Look for the next head man in New Rochelle to have some significant connections to the area in order to help out with recruiting, something that a school can fall behind on the longer they go without a head coach. 2006-07 was a down year for many of the schools, but due to the amount of young talent slated to return, 2007-08 should be a much better year for New York City college basketball.

2006-07 Final Rankings (Part II)

10. Columbia (11): Coming into the season, I thought that the Lions had a good chance to challenge for the Ivy League title. And they did get off to a good start, winning their conference opener against Princeton. But they lost their next three league contests, and while they were competitive all season they didn’t have a significant impact on the title race until they knocked off Yale February 24^th. The good news in this 16-12 season: not one senior was on this roster in 2006-07, meaning that the Lions have a very good chance to compete at the top of the standings in 2007-08.

Leading scorer John Baumann, a first team all conference selection, is one of ten Lions that played at least 12.8 minutes per game this year. Experience will be plentiful, so don’t be surprised if Joe Jones’ squad wins the Ivy’s automatic bid next year. Stock heading into 2007-08: up.

11. Wagner (10): Once again I drank the Wagner “Kool Aid” heading into 2006-07, and I once again consider myself to be let down by the results. Despite returning numerous key contributors from 2005-06, the Seahawks went 11-19 this season, 8-10 in the competitive Northeast Conference. Only Matt Vitale will be lost due to graduation, so maybe this group was a little too young to compete for the NEC title. Youth will not be an excuse next year with the number of key components returning next season, including leading scorers Mark Porter and James Ulrich.

The Seahawks lost six of their last eight games, including blowouts at the hands of Central Connecticut and Sacred Heart to end their season. A lack of scoring from the bench is what did this team in, so hopefully the year in experience will bring about some welcome contributions from the reserves. Stock heading into 2007-08: up (hopefully).

12. St. Francis (NY) (13): The Terriers were able to double their win total from 2005-06 (nine, up from four in 2005-06), but to measure their progress solely in wins and losses would be unfair. Head coach Brian Nash got his players to commit to the defensive end while improving their offensive output. You’d never think that this team would score 102 points in a game, something they accomplished in their win over Robert Morris February 17^th. The three-game win streak to end the regular season meant their first NEC Tournament appearance in four years, where the fell to eventual champion CCSU in the quarterfinals.

Forward Robert Hines came onto the scene and was one of the better players in the NEC, garnering second team All-NEC honors. The Terriers will have to find a way to replace swingman Allan Sheppard, but this is a young team that has a lot of talent returning in 2007-08. Look for the Terriers to have more of a say in who wins the Northeast Conference next year. Stock heading into 2007-08: up.

13. Army (15): After a horrid stretch in the later stages of the season that saw the Black Knights lose seven straight and eight of their last nine, Army won their Patriot League quarterfinal over Lehigh. They eventually fell to Bucknell in the semifinals, but at least they didn’t see the Bison or Holt Cross in the first round. Despite playing a number of players each game, the fortunes of the Black Knights depended on the backcourt of Jarell Brown and Matt Bell. This wasn’t a particularly strong offensive team, but they certainly didn’t lack in the effort department.

In order for this team to compete next season, they need to find a replacement for Bell on the offensive end. Or at least hope that Jarell Brown becomes one of the nation’s best scorers. No offense, but I don’t see that happening next year. This will be a more balanced team out of necessity, and with heavy personnel losses at Bucknell, American and Lehigh, the opportunity to move up in the Patriot League pecking order is there. Stock heading into 2007-08: steady.

14. Long Island (12): At 3-2 in NEC play heading into their game with Central Connecticut State on January 15^th, the Blackbirds seemed to be in good shape when it came to qualifying for the NEC Tournament. Well, they then lost their next seven league games to put themselves in a hole they couldn’t find their way out of. LIU went 3-10 in to end the season, missing out on the eight-team conference tournament. Five contributing seniors, led by leading scorer James Williams, leave Brooklyn due to graduation, and you have to wonder where the points will come from next season.

Look for incoming freshman Jaytornah Wisseh (Brooklyn, NY) to have a chance to put up some points. Wisseh, despite being 5’11”, is a point guard with a nose for the basket, something that the Blackbirds will need desperately in 2007-08. Stock heading into 2007-08: down.

15. Stony Brook (14): Like St. Francis, the Seawolves improved their win total from 2005-06 by five games, winning nine this season. But unlike the Terriers, this improvement didn’t mean a rise in the conference standings, once again bringing up the rear in America East. Four key seniors, led by leading scorer Ricky Lewis, move on with the end of this season, so it remains to be seen which youngsters step into larger roles in 2007-08. The good news is that head coach Steve Pikiell played a lot of his younger players this season, giving them valuable experience. How they do next year will depend on who steps into new roles and produces, but this program is headed in the right direction, slowly but surely. The departures due to graduation may slow the progress down some, however. Stock headed into 2007-08: down.

16. NJIT (16): In their first season of Division I college basketball, the Highlanders won five games. Of course, it’s tough to find a) games you can win and b) games period when you’re an independent. Among the departures due to graduation are the team’s leading scorer, guard Clayton Barker, along with forward Marc Milbourne Shaw. Head coach Jim Casciano will have a tough time recruiting to a small school that can’t dangle the carrot of a possible NCAA Tournament bid due to their lack of a conference affiliation. The Highlanders will be a program to watch in the near future due to the recent nature of college athletics (conference shuffling), so to get into a league at some point would definitely be a positive for the school. Stock heading into 2007-08: down.

17. St. Peter’s (17): In year one after Keydren, the Peacocks found out just how tough the adjustment would be without their four-year star. Add to this a new coaching staff and you have all the makings of a really tough season in Jersey City. On the positive side of things, only forward/ center Kinzey Reeves leaves the program, and he wasn’t counted on for much of a tangible contribution other than leadership. Forward Todd Sowell and guards Raul Orta and Kevin Spann will look to help lead John Dunne’s squad up the MAAC standings, and incoming freshmen Jordan Costner (West Orange, NJ) and Wesley Jenkins (Bloomfield, NJ) will have an opportunity to contribute as well. Yes they only won five games this season, but I look for the Peacocks to be much improved in 2007-08. Stock heading into 2007-08: up.

18. Iona (18): One year after the Gaels represented the MAAC in the NCAA Tournament, the sky practically fell on the program, going winless until their win over Rider February 3^rd. The end result of the 2-28 season was the decision by the program and head coach Jeff Ruland to go their separate ways, buying out the final two years of his contract. You can blame injuries and a lack of experience for the majority of healthy contributors for this season. Do not expect the Gaels to play this poorly in 2007-08 regardless of who the next head coach is. I look for someone with strong ties to the New York metropolitan area to get the job.

Redshirts Gary Springer (injury) and Younes Idrissi (Georgia) should be available next year; while we should probably wait and see about Dexter Gray (academics limited the St. John’s transfer to four games). How much the Gaels improve will undoubtedly depend on who gets the head coaching job and what they can do during the summer in terms of recruiting. Stock heading into 2007-08: undecided.

Metro Ranking Part One: Top Half

NEC Player & Rookie of the Week

Press Release — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0800

Choice Hotels/NEC Player of the Week

Andre Harris, Fairleigh Dickinson
Sr., F, 6-8, 233 lbs., Detroit, MI/Robichaud

Harris, who scored his 1,000th career point on Thursday, picks up the first Choice Hotels/NEC Player of the Week award of his career for his work in leading the Knights to a pair of road victories last week. He averaged 25.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and shot 62.1 percent from the floor and 80.0 percent from the charity stripe. The 6’8” forward also hit 2-2 shots from beyond the arc. In a 91-88 win over Sacred Heart on Tuesday, he was one of five FDU players in double figures with 16 points and seven rebounds as the Knights handed the Pioneers their first home setback of the season. Harris then put on a dominating performance two nights later, scoring 28 of his career and NEC single-game season-high 34 points in the second half to lift FDU to an 84-79 victory over Robert Morris. He scored the first 11 points after intermission and 19 of the first 21 as the Knights won for the third time in their last four road tilts. Harris, who needed 33 points entering the game to reach 1,000, hit 12-18 from the field and snared 10 boards in his eighth double-double effort of the season. The Detroit, MI product has a commanding lead in the race for the NEC scoring crown at 19.0 ppg, and also ranks second on the circuit with 7.7 rpg. Harris is the lone player in the league to score in double-digits in each game this season.

Choice Hotels/NEC Rookie of the Week

Jaytornah Wisseh, Long Island
Fr., G, 6-1, 180 lbs., Brooklyn, NY/Banneker Academy

Wisseh’s first Choice Hotels/NEC Rookie of the Week honor of the season comes after two terrific performances off the bench for the Blackbirds last week. For the week, he averaged 20.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.0 steals while shooting 57.9 percent from the field and 84.2 percent from the line. Wisseh began his week on Tuesday with 11 points, a career-high seven rebounds, seven assists and two steals in an 80-77 setback to Wagner. On Friday, the Brooklyn, NY native exploded for a career-best 29 points and added six boards, two assists and two steals as the Blackbirds dropped an 80-72 decision at Sacred Heart. He drilled 7-11 shots from the floor - including 2-3 from long range - and hit 13-16 from the line. The 29-point outing marked the most points by an NEC freshman since St. Francis (NY)’s John Quintana hit for 31 on February 22, 2003. Wisseh has now boosted his season scoring average to 8.3 ppg and leads the Blackbirds with 2.7 apg and 1.2 spg.

St John's 64 - LIU 49

Press Release — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 20:35:50 -0800

The St. John’s men’s basketball cranked up the defensive intensity and got back to doing what it does best on Tuesday, smothering LIU into shooting 29.5 percent from the field and posting a 64-46 victory before 3,840 at Carnesecca Arena.

The Red Storm (3-3) forced 20 LIU turnovers, held the Blackbirds (2-3) to 19 first-half points and limited them to a 17.4 percent mark from 3-point range for the game. As a team, St. John’s finished second in the BIG EAST last season in scoring defense (60.4 points per game allowed), field goal percentage defense (.394) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (.322), but has struggled on the defensive end in recent losses.

“I thought we came out and played with a lot of energy and our defense was much better,” said St. John’s head coach Norm Roberts. “We did a decent job getting to loose balls and rebounding. I told the guys before the game that there are certain things you can't control, but we can control our energy level and our focus. When we come out and do that, we can be successful.”

Anthony Mason Jr. scored in double-figures for a career-high fourth-straight game, leading the Red Storm with 15 points to go along with five boards and three steals. Twelve of Mason Jr.’s points came in the paint, including two more alley-oop slams that ignited the crowd.

Rookie Qa’rraan Calhoun put in a career night, contributing all 10 of his points in the first half to lead a 25-9 bench scoring advantage in the opening period. Calhoun also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. Sophomore Ricky Torres logged another high-impact performance, with 10 points and a pair of long-range buckets in 16 minutes. Junior Avery Patterson was the fourth St. John’s player in double-figures also with 10, while guards James Williams and Aubin Scott scored 12 points each to lead LIU.

St. John’s raced out to an 8-1 lead from the opening tip and never looked back, with early 3-point baskets by Patterson and Calhoun and a putback by Mason Jr. When LIU drew within six points at the 8:40 mark in the first period, the Red Storm responded with a 10-0 run to make it 24-8 with 5:18 to play. Torres had five points and St. John’s forced three Blackbird turnovers during the three minute, 22-second burst.

The Red Storm led 33-19 at the half, marking the largest halftime lead (14 points) of the year and holding LIU to the lowest first-half output of any opponent this season. St. John’s forced 12 Blackbird turnovers in the opening stanza, and held LIU to 26.9 percent shooting from the field and a 22.2 mark from long range.

The Red Storm continues a stretch of non-conference home games on Friday, Dec. 1, when St. John’s play host to the UMBC Retrievers. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m

- SJU Communications -

NEC Coaches Poll & All-Conference

Press Release — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 11:09:48 -0800

Somerset, NJ -- Led by three returning starters, including a preseason all-NEC pick, defending tournament champion Monmouth has been tabbed as the 2006-07 NEC men’s basketball preseason favorite, according to a vote of the league’s head coaches. The preseason rankings, along with the league’s preseason all-conference team, were announced during a media teleconference with coaches this afternoon as a prelude to the NEC’s 26th season.

Looking to become the first league team since Rider in 1993 and 1994 to repeat as NEC champion, Monmouth earned six first place votes from league head coaches, who were not allowed to vote for their own team. The Hawks narrowly edged out Robert Morris, which received the remaining five first place votes. With all five starters back, Long Island was chosen third, followed by Central Connecticut State and Quinnipiac tied for fourth. Wagner was picked sixth, while defending NEC regular season champion Fairleigh Dickinson landed in seventh. Rounding out the poll were St. Francis (NY) in eighth, followed in order by Sacred Heart, Mount St. Mary’s and Saint Francis (PA).

This year marks the eighth time that Monmouth has been selected the NEC’s preseason favorite by league head coaches, the most in conference history by a wide margin. Of the seven previous occasions in which Monmouth was picked first, the only one that resulted in an NEC title came in 1996 when the Hawks defeated preseason co-favorite Rider, 60-59.

Northeast Conference 2006-07 Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll

1. Monmouth (6)
2. Robert Morris (5)
3. Long Island
4. Central Connecticut St.
5. Quinnipiac
6. Wagner
7. Fairleigh Dickinson
8. St. Francis (NY)
9. Sacred Heart
10. Mount St. Mary’s
11. Saint Francis (PA)

2006-07 Northeast Conference Preseason All-Conference Team

Name School Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown
Marques Alston Monmouth F 6-4 230 Sr Neptune, NJ
Jarrid Frye Sacred Heart G 6-4 190 Sr Maspeth, NY
A.J. Jackson Robert Morris F 6-6 230 Sr Monessen, PA
Obie Nwadike CCSU F 6-4 224 Sr Jersey City
James Williams Long Island G 5-10 185 Sr DeSoto, TX

2006-07 NYC Metro Preview: LIU

Raphielle Johnson — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 10:31:41 -0700

Raphielle Johnson Previews the 14-team NYC Metro Region.

8. Long Island Blackbirds

2005-06 Record: 12-16 (9-9 NEC)

Last season’s final ranking (NY Metro area poll): 10^th

Head Coach: Jim Ferry (4^th year @ LIU (43-69), 8^th overall)

Leading Returnees: Points (James Williams-16.6 ppg); Rebounds (Aubin Scott-6.8 rpg); Assists (Williams-3.3 apg)

Returning Starters: 5 (G James Williams (Sr. 5’10, 185), G Tyrone Mattison (So. 6’0, 195), G/F Aubin Scott (Sr. 6’2, 190), F Esa Maki-Tulokas (Sr. 6’7, 215), F/C Kellen Allen (Jr. 6’7, 225)

Key Loss: G Randy Jones

Team Preview

2006-07 should be the year in which the Long Island Blackbirds make a run for the Northeast Conference title. All five starters from last season return, including leading scorer and assist man James Williams. LIU, even though they list Aubin Scott as a guard/forward, essentially goes with a three-guard lineup. Joining Scott and Williams and Scott as capable ball handlers are fellow starter Tyrone Mattison and reserve Evan Meekins. Donovin McLendon and incoming freshman Jaytorn Wisseh will throw their hats into the ring for minutes on the perimeter as well. What will help out Coach Ferry is that no player averaged fewer than nine minutes per game. Experience should not be an issue with this group.

Esa Maki-Tulokas and Kellen Allen return to their familiar spots on the frontline, but they will have some help. Eugene Kotorobai can play on the perimeter as a swingman (he was the team’s leading shooter from beyond the arc at 43.1%), but he was also the Blackbirds’ second-leading rebounder last season. Senior Paulius Morkeliunas, who saw an increase in playing time as injuries limited Maki-Tulokas’ playing time, should also contribute this year. Aurimas Adornaitis, who hails from the same city (Kaunas, Lithuania) and high school (Roanoke Academy) as Morkeliunas, will add some more size to the frontline with is 6’8”, 215 pound frame.

With the amount of experience and talent returning, LIU should challenge for a spot at or near the top of the NEC. And they should be helped by their offseason trip to Italy, giving the team valuable time practicing and playing against solid competition. But remember, the same thing was said about Wagner heading into 2005-06, and all they did was miss the conference tournament altogether. In order to make good on their promise, the Blackbirds need to improve their field goal percentage defense (46.3%) and rebounding margin (-3.3) numbers.

Schedule at a Glance

The Blackbirds open the season at home, hosting Binghamton November 11^th. They then hit the road for two, visiting Minnesota and Columbia. In an interesting scheduling quirk, the Blackbirds have a home-and-home with Binghamton this year, visiting the Bearcats December 15^th. While the non-conference schedule has its challenges, with trips to St. John’s and Penn State, LIU should get out of that part of their schedule safely above .500.

Conference play opens with a trip to Monmouth on December 7^th. The size of the league dictates that teams play eighteen conference games, meaning that the opener for most teams takes place in the middle of their non-conference schedule. LIU heads into NEC play for good with a three-game homestand to open the new year, which includes a visit by league favorite Robert Morris. Other key games include a two-game road swing to Central Connecticut State and Wagner in the middle of January, and home games against Monmouth and Wagner to open the month of February. The last two games of the season, at St. Francis (PA) and at Robert Morris, will go a long way in deciding seeds for the NEC Tournament. And don’t forget that tournament games take place on the home court of the higher seed.

Interesting Note: LIU will not have a road swing longer than three games, and that trip takes place in December. Games at Penn State and Binghamton are two days apart (December 13^th & 15^th), followed by a two week break for exams before a trip to St. Peter’s New Year’s Eve.

2005-06 Team Averages

· Points per game: 68.9 - Points per game allowed: 71.5 - Scoring Margin: - 2.6

· Rebounds per game: 33.7 - Opp. Rebounds per game: 37.0 - Rebounding Margin: - 3.3

· Assists per game: 12.9 - Turnovers per game: 14.7 - Assist-to-Turnover Ratio: 0.7:1

· Field Goal Percentage: 41.2% - FG Percentage Defense: 46.3%

· 3-Point Percentage: 36.7% - 3-Point Percentage Def.: 35.3%

· Free Throw Percentage: 68.1%

2005-06 Streaks

· Longest winning streak: 2-4 times (@ New Hampshire, Hartford) December 3^rd-10^th, (Sacred Heart, Wagner) January 26^th-28^th, (Robert Morris, St. Francis-PA) February 16^th-18^th, (@ Wagner, St. Francis-NY) February 24^th-27^th.

· Longest losing streak: 4 (Rider, Longwood, Mount St. Mary’s, Central Connecticut State) December 29^th-January 7^th.

· LIU nearly alternated wins and losses last season, a sign that this team had serious issues with consistency.

Complete NYC Metro Preview