Four years ago today, I got one of the best birthday presents of my life. Behind "The Wolf", as Jerry Beach affectionately calls him, Charles Jenkins hit not one but TWO buzzer beaters to defeat William and Mary in overtime. It was during that magical 2010-11 Hofstra season which provided Hofstra fans with so many memories, especially of the best player ever to don a Pride/Flying Dutchmen uniform.
That Hofstra team really never gets its true due. They won fourteen regular season games in the CAA that season, tied for most ever for the Hofstra program in Colonial Athletic Conference play. The Pride finished third in conference in regular season, a conference where three other teams; VCU, George Mason and Old Dominion made the NCAA Tournament. We all know what VCU did, but Mason won a second round game against Villanova and Old Dominion had Butler on the ropes before losing on a buzzer beater.
The Pride accomplished that 14-4 conference record and 21 win season arguably with lesser talent than the season before, as CAA All Rookie team members Chaz Williams and Halil Kanacevic tranferred after the 2009-10 season. It was due in large part to Jenkins, a better team effort and better coaching by first year coach Mo Cassara. I will say to my last dying day that what Cassara did that season was one of the best coaching jobs I had ever seen.
But what happened that day February 15, 2011 didn't end with that season. On that night four years ago, I got the gift that keeps on giving. That was the first Hofstra basketball game I brought my then five year old son Matthew to that night. For the longest time, my older son Matthew didn't want to go with me to Hofstra games. I finally convinced him to go as a favor to his dad for his birthday that night.
Matthew got hooked on basketball that night. He thought basketball was the most exciting sport next to his beloved baseball
Matthew would start going with me to basketball games. A lot of basketball games. In fact, the next season that I covered fifty nine Division I games for my site and the Mid Majority, Matthew went to thirty three of them with me. He was my ever present sidekick along with his little brother at Iona Women's basketball games. The kid rooted for Hofstra, Iona (loves Scott Machado) and VCU.
But it was not just watching basketball, Matthew played basketball. He would go home and dribble a ball until he went to bed. He would play in the back yard. He loved going on the Hofstra court after the game.
When we moved to South Carolina, Matthew became very involved in his first love, baseball. He has played baseball ten months of the season for the past two years. It's left him little other time for other hobbies and passions like basketball.
Matthew has become a very, very good baseball player, who has made his Little League All Star team twice. He also won a Minors Championship for his team I co-head coached last Spring by scoring the winning run in the bottom of the sixth inning of a truly fantastic championship game that we won 4-3. He started that bottom of the sixth inning with a hard double down the third base line. As a dad, there is no prouder moment than having your son cross the plate to win a championship and then having him jump into your arms.
But that night of February 15, 2011 is equally a proud moment. And four years later, Matthew finally got to play basketball in a league. He plays for the Upward Bound basketball program at Shandon Baptist Church here in Columbia, South Carolina. Matthew actually plays with one of his travel ball teammates, Wil on his basketball team. They were also teammates on the District 3 Champion Coach Pitch All Star team last Spring.
In his first season of playing basketball, Matthew was not as experienced as some of his teammates. But he caught up very quickly due to his athleticism, which he certainly didn't get from his Dad. Matt is one of the better defenders on his team, likes to set picks and he loves to pass. So much so, his coach has Matthew bring the ball up the court now.
So I have a nine year old point guard. How cool is that?
But until yesterday, Matthew had not scored in a game all season. Matthew had numerous opportunities, but his shots wouldn't go in. A few unkind rims and a few rushed opportunities.
But yesterday was different. Almost four years ago to the day where he got introduced to his love of basketball. Matthew stole a pass and went coast to coast. He laid the ball up and kissed it off the glass for his first basket. Someone jumped up from his seat, pumped his fist and yelled "YEAH!" for everyone to hear. You can guess who...
Matthew wasn't done however. He would hit three more baskets, one on a pretty feed from his teammate Mark that found Matthew all alone in the paint for the easy deuce off the glass. Matt finished his day with another coast to coast layup. He had eight points, a few assists and one very proud mom and dad. The video is Matthew getting a pass from a teammate and hitting a jumper for two of his eight points. His team won going away and his friend Will added twelve points. A good day for the Columbia Thunder baseball teammates.
Matthew works at basketball every day. We bought him a basketball hoop for Christmas and it stands off to the side in the driveway. When Matthew was younger, we would play H-O-R-S-E with a smaller hoop in the backyard of our house in North Bellmore. Because I wanted him to learn the right way and earn his victories, or because I guess I am too competitive, I would beat Matthew in that game just about all the time.
Not anymore. Matthew beats me regularly. After the game yesterday, we drove home. As his younger brother Jonny and his mom went inside, Matthew grabbed a basketball and hit a layup on his home court hoop. H-O-R-S-E game on.
Matthew and I traded baskets for the next twenty minutes. I was having a good shooting day. But with three exceptions, Matt equaled me whenever I hit a shot. And three times, Matt nailed shots then I missed. We were tied at H-O-R. But after playing thirty six minutes of basketball (Upward Bound Basketball plays eighteen minute halves, only stopping for fouls and substitution breaks after six minutes) and then another twenty minutes with this game of H-O-R-S-E, Matthew was spent. Plus we had baseball practice at 1:00 PM. So we went inside and called it even.
Four years ago today I got a birthday gift that has kept on giving, my older son's love of basketball. It's a gift that I hope keeps on giving for a long, long time.
Charles Jenkins, Mo Cassara - Thanks.
PS - It was a birthday Tweet from Jaden Daly which included a reference to the Feb 15, 2011 game that inspired me to write this post. Thanks so much, Jaden, for the inspiration. Yesterday made it come full circle for me.
Sometimes, you need to get out of the house and just take a drive. Such was the case Saturday night. After staying indoors much of the day, I got stir crazy and went out for a bit. I was supposed to have plans with a friend as well, but they fell through. The bright side was that it forced me out of the house for a little while. I got coffee to keep me going so I could write most of this article, money for Sunday's activities and gas for the car. There's a bright side to everything, even failed plans.
What transpired Saturday night was that it also got me thinking on my year in review. I had seen about sixty Division I and Division III men's and women's games in the calendar year of 2012. I got to see several good NCAA Tournament men's teams in VCU, Iona and LIU. I got to see the #1 women's team in the country, Stanford, play recently against a very gutty #19 South Carolina. I saw many talented players, two of which ended up in the NBA; Kent Bazemore and Scott Machado. Finally, I saw many exciting games and ten of them have made my Top Ten Games of 2012, one of which was a late year addition. I also note some unique things I remember about each game.
Number 10 - St. Peter's vs. Iona - The Gaels' Leave an Indelible Mark - I know what you're saying, what is a thirty seven point win doing in my Top Ten? Well, it's for the very simple fact that Iona went on a 31-0 run in the second half to turn a close seven point game into a blowout. It was one of the most awesome displays by one team I had ever seen in a game. Perhaps the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee was impressed too, as the Gaels eventually got an at large bid to the Big Dance.
What I always will love and now will miss about Iona games since I am now in South Carolina for the most part, is the Iona pep band. They are an old school band. They are the only pep band I know that plays Steely Dan's "Peg", a bouncy version of the theme song from "I Dream of Jeannie" and several Earth Wind and Fire songs, which are excellent songs for pep bands.
Number 9 - Iona vs. Manhattan - The Gaels Gain Revenge on the Jaspers - It was the final game of a Hofstra themed tripleheader, culminating at a raucous Draddy Gymnasium. The Gaels were trying to extract revenge for the Jaspers' amazing come from behind rally at the Hynes Center earlier in the season. Iona would pull away for a convincing 81-71 win that wasn't even that close as the final score indicated. But the atmosphere and a close first twenty minutes made the evening fun.
That night leaves several indelible memories. First, you always have to be at Draddy early for a game, otherwise you will end parking in another state. Thus was the case that night. Second, the truly bizarre configuration of Draddy resulted in the only game I had ever had a partial, obstructed view of a basketball game. Third, my little trouper of a color analyst, my now seven year old son Matthew making it through three games on the day. He was still very much into watching basketball at Draddy that night and was bothered that he didn't have a full view of the game. That folks is a basketball fan.
Here's the kicker. It was the second game of a twin bill with the men's game vs. Appalachian State as the first game. There was a late arriving crowd for the women's game. How cool is that? Dawn Staley has slowly but surely built a strong program in Columbia. And once Frank Martin builds his program at South Carolina, the fans will be there for the men's game too.
Number 7 - Maine vs. Stony Brook - Seawolves win the Regular Season America East Championship - Perhaps the Black Bears-Seawolves game didn't have as large of a crowd of either number 9 or number 8 on my list, but it was still a sold out Pritchard Gym on Senior Day and the game had more meaning than those two games because a conference championship was on the line. Plus it had a national TV audience thanks to CBS Sports Network. Seeing the Seawolves win in front of their home crowd and hoist the regular season championship trophy in front of their fans made it extra special.
One of the things I most remember about this game is that legendary broadcaster Don Criqui broadcasted this game. If you know your basketball from the seventies and eighties, Criqui broadcasted many college basketball games for NBC on Saturdays. Heck, I remember fondly Syracuse's Roosevelt Bowie, Louis Orr and Don Criqui. CBS gave the Stony Brook game a very cool retro feel with Criqui there.
Number 6 - Loyola Md vs. Fairfield - In the MAAC, It's Never Over Til It's Over Part Deux - This game is memorable for me for several reasons- One, I got to go to Frank Pepe's before the game. Two, you had the Evil Black Curtain. Three, you had a great rally by the Greyhounds late to knock off the Stags on their home court twenty four hours after Manhattan rallied to take down Iona in New Rochelle. And finally,you had one Jimmy Patsos, quite possibly the craziest cat to coach Division I men's college basketball. It made for a truly entertaining night in a contest that was televised to a national audience, even if only 2,000 people showed up for the game live.
I will always remember the end of the game. After Loyola wins, Patsos is so fired up, he's yelling at the Loyola fans. He yanks his tie off and tries to throw into the Greyhounds fan section behind the Loyola bench. The problem is the tie doesn't go very far. Doesn't stop Patsos. He goes behind the bench, picks up the tie, puts it around a Loyola fan and then gives him a hug. It was a huge win for Loyola, which eventually made the NCAA Tournament by winning the MAAC Tournament.
Number 5 - LIU Brooklyn vs. Wagner - This Isn't Your Father's NEC - A nationally televised NEC game. First place in the Northeast Conference on the line. The defending NEC champs, LIU vs. Team Hurley. A sold out Spiro Center. Yes, sign me up for that please. Dandy of a game too as the Blackbirds held off the Seahawks to win. I truly believe it was the springboard for the eventual second straight NCAA Tournament appearance for LIU Brookyn.
There were several things that stood out at Spiro. First they have a basketball club called the College Hardwood. How awesome is that! Second, the Wagner student section did a terrific job that night. Third, the PA system didn't do such a good job. It was waaaaaay too loud and the game so needed a pep band there. Pep band music > Canned music every time. More schools should take after LaSalle. The pep band plays the entire night. No canned music (at least that's what it was at Gola Arena back in December 2005 when I was there for a Hofstra-LaSalle game).
Number 4 - UMass vs. Drexel NIT Quarterfinals - Minutemen Rally to Take Down the Dragons at the DAC - There is nothing like a sold out DAC for a basketball game. Drexel looked like they were going to again show the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee that they truly messed up by not taking the Dragons, as they went out to a seventeen point second half lead. But the Minutemen rallied to give the Dragons their first home loss of the season. It was one hell of a game.
It was memorable for several reasons. First, obviously a huge UMass comeback down seventeen in the second half that stunned the home Drexel crowd. Second, it was the night I found out that I didn't get a job in Colorado, which actually worked out better for me. Third, how often do you get a parking spot literally right in front of the arena? Yup that was the night.
Number 3 - Manhattan vs. Iona - It's Never Over Till It's Over in the MAAC - One of the wildest games of the regular season. The Gaels leading at home in the Hynes Center by seventeen points with seven minutes left. Manhattan rallies late and hits a three pointer at the buzzer to win. It was surreal.
This Jaspers-Gaels classic was unfortunately a foreshadow of a problem that Iona would have throughout the season, blowing huge leads. The Gaels would do this again at Siena later in the regular season. Finally, Iona blew a huge lead in their first round play in game against BYU. The sense of "I have seen this before" dread watching the Cougars rally in the second half against the Gaels started from this game against the Jaspers.
What I will always, always remember is Panthers' Head Coach Ron Hunter's emotional post game press conference. It was truly honest, raw and heartbreaking. It's a shame that Ron Hunter was only in the CAA a couple of years (Georgia State leaves for the Sun Belt after this season). I got to meet with him after the press conference and he is genuine, funny and was really kind to Jerry Beach and me. He even joked with us about the IUPUI - Hofstra CBI game seen by only 952 people. Class act.
Number 1 - George Mason vs. VCU - The Patriots Stage a Near Impossible Comeback But Fall Short - In the second game of the CAA Semifinals, VCU rolls out to a 22-0 lead, then actually extends it to 32-4. The sold out "neutral" Richmond Coliseum crowd was DEAFENING. It looks like George Mason is going to be blown out of the building.
But the Patriots didn't fold up their tent. They actually whittle that twenty eight point lead down to six with three minutes left before eventually losing by ten 74-64. Yes, there were closer games than this in the countdown. But considering the raucous "neutral" crowd (yes there were a good number of Mason fans, but it was mostly a pro VCU crowd) and the huge deficit, what George Mason did was nothing less than heroic
What I will always remember is the perspective you get sitting on the court. I had been going to the CAA Tournament for years starting in the 2002-03 season. Until this past March, I always sat in the stands. This time, I was on press row. You truly don't have an appreciation of how loud a sold out crowd in Richmond Coliseum is until you are on the court. It was truly an incredible atmosphere. It was also the last time I would see in person VCU in the CAA.
2012 was a great season college hoops wise. May 2013 be just as good for all college hoops fans everywhere. Happy New Year!
It took me some time to write this article. In fact, I wrote most of this the day after Kentucky defeated Kansas for the national championship. However, I didn't finish it until today. I decided I needed some down time, needing to decompress from a very busy and fun 2011-12 college basketball season. Time away allows you to reflect on something special. But I didn't realize it was going to be basically three months before I posted this article.
Back in the summer of last year, I made a commitment to write for the Mid Majority's 800 Games Project, as well as write for my site. This past season, I took it upon myself to go to as many mid major Division I games as I possibly could and of course, write about them. The season was at times exciting, exhausting, frustrating and even disappointing. But it was never, ever dull.
It started fittingly at Carnesecca Arena, where the trio of my friends Mal, Tieff and I went to see William and Mary take on St John's. In a microcosm of their season, the Tribe led for a good part of the game only to see the Red Storm come back for the win. Wins were few and far between for the Tribe this past season.
Then it was onto the Mack Center in Hempstead, where I saw Hofstra use a strong second half surge to defeat LIU. I wrote two separate recaps for that game, one for my site and one for Mid Majority, the only time I did that this season. Little did I know, it was only one of ten times that the Pride would win a game on the season.
As my marines, aka the few, the proud, the loyal readers of my site know, my home base is Hofstra. However, one of the things that was so great about this past season was that I got to see a lot of other mid major teams in the New York City area. I was at several Fordham games and I made road trips to Manhattan's Draddy Gym and the Spiro Athletic Center for the nationally televised LIU-Wagner game.
New York City metro area basketball has undergone a resurgence the past couple of seasons. LIU, Wagner and Manhattan all stepped up this season. St John's and Hofstra were very good in the 2010-11 season and should be again in 2012-13. Stony Brook was on the precipice of making the NCAA Tournament each of the last three seassons and made the NCAA Tournament twice. And, of course, there was Iona this season.
I saw a lot of Stony Brook this season. In fact, the Seawolves were undefeated at home when I attended their games. Alas, I was not there for their America East Championship game loss to Vermont due to a work commitment. Stony Brook was very enjoyable to watch due to their defensive style of play and hustle.
The Seawolves also have one of the best mascots in the country in Wolfie Seawolf and they have done their best to make their games very family oriented. The Cotton Eyed Joe Kids' dance in the second half is a really nice touch. I know my son Matthew had a lot of fun going to the Stony Brook games in 2011-12.
I went to eleven Iona games this past season. One thing is for certain, the Gaels were exciting to watch. Of those eleven times I saw Iona play, five of those times they scored over ninety points. They are certainly disciples of the Paul Westhead system and it was great to see the Gaels make the NCAA Tournament.
One of the unique things about this season was making sure to find time for good food on road trips. Since Hofstra did not play Delaware on a Saturday this season, I made sure to make a special road trip to Newark for the Blue Hens Barbecue concession stand. Before the Loyola Md - Fairfield game, we made sure to allow time for a trip to Frank Pepe's pizza in Fairfield. My older son, Matthew, aka "my color analyst", will tell you the best soft pretzels are at Iona.
But three things will stand out this season in particular. Two things, will fondly stand out to me forever. The third reminds me why I started this blog.
As my readers know, for as long as I have written this blog, I have always sat in the stands. It's the perspective of a fan (hopefully a knowledgeable one), sitting with his son, his friends, sometimes even his entire family watching a game on Valentine's Day. There are a lot of advantages to that. You can get the fans' perspective on the game, full of fun comments. I went to the Fordham-Xavier game at Rose Hill Gym and I ended up sitting in the Xavier section. One fan called out Musketeer Center Kenny Frease for his lack of a vertical leap on one play, noting "How can you miss that?! You're seven-foot-twelve!"
For eight years, I had watched the CAA Tournament from the stands in the Richmond Coliseum. But this March, I was able to fulfill a lifelong dream for my ninth CAA Tournament. The good folks at CAA Sports, Rob Washburn in particular, have followed my site for years and also follow me on Twitter. I guess they figure I am semi coherent when it comes to covering CAA Basketball. In late January, I decided to take the plunge and sent an email requesting media credentials to cover the CAA Tournament. Within a few hours, Rob had granted my request.
It was so much fun reading up on the media guides before the games. It was also a lot of fun meeting new friends such as Rob Canady, Tom Block and Rob Russell to name a few. It was good to see Brian Mull again, one of the best beat writers around. Also, I got to see my good friend, Joe Suhoski, aka @VABeachrep, who was there covering the tournament for CAAZone. Finally, I got to meet in person Mr. CAAHoops himself, Mike Litos. You couldn't meet a nicer, more knowledgable guy.
The post game press conferences were for the most part wonderful. Ron Hunter is one of the most honest, intense individuals you will ever meet. But he couldn't have been more congenial with Dutch and me after his postgame press conference after his team's heartbreaking loss to George Mason. Blaine Taylor was his usual blunt, funny self. Shaka Smart had a hilarious comment about Drexel's Darryl McCoy during his press conference.
The two most difficult press conferences were Hofstra's after their resounding loss to Georgia State and Ron Hunter's after Georgia State's heartbreaking loss to George Mason in the Quarterfinals. During the Hofstra press conference, I asked my only question of any of the three days' worth of press conferences I attended. I asked Mike Moore and Nathaniel Lester of what they will fondly look back on their careers at Hofstra. Both gave very thoughtful answers under a difficult circumstance. Hunter's passionate talk at the beginning of his press conference showed how much he loved his team.
Also, you really don't get an appreciation of how loud a sold out Richmond Coliseum is until you sit on press row. The evening quarterfinals session and the semifinals of the CAA Tournament were downright raucous, especially when VCU played. It certainly was not a neutral site with VCU literally right down the road, but it was also certainly a great atmosphere. With VCU now gone for the A-10, the CAA Tournament will be a completely different experience and likely in a different arena next season.
And there was a lot of excitement in the 2012 CAA Tournament. There was Byron Allen's game winning shot in George Mason's quarterfinal win over Georgia State (which I recorded above). ODU, behind Kent Bazemore living up to his giant cardboard cutout, shot the lights out in their quarterfinal win over Delaware. And there was the amazing George Mason-VCU semifinal. The Rams went out to an unreal 32-4 lead only to see George Mason valiantly rally in the second half before ultimately losing.
But once again, I couldn't stay for the CAA Tournament championship game. This time I was at 30,000 feet watching the championship game on a wireless feed. More on that later in this article.
I didn't just see men's Division I games this season. I was able to catch two of Division III St Joseph's, a team that finished with just four losses on the season and only two in conference. They got their second ever NCAA Divison III Tournament berth with a well deserved at large bid.
There were a lot of women's Division I basketball games this season. By my count, it was about fifteen games that I saw; four Hofstra games and eleven Iona games. I even got to see the great Elene Della Donne of Delaware play against the Pride in what was an entertaining game. Overall, I saw about seventy six Division I and Division III games.
I got to see several good NCAA Tournament teams this season; Xavier, VCU, Iona and LIU. It should have been five teams, but the NCAA Selection Committee and their infinite wisdom didn't think a twenty seven win Drexel team, a team that won nineteen games in a row, deserved an at large bid. Having seen them in person four times, I couldn't have disagreed more.
Good teams also have good players. To think that I got to see Iona's Scott Machado and Michael Glover on a regular basis was truly a treat. I found a new appreciation for Drexel's Samme Givens and I was wowed by the athleticism of VCU's Juvonte Reddic, whose explosive drive to the basket against Delaware at the Bob I will remember forever. But my favorite player, and my son Matthew's favorite player next to Mike Moore, was Stony Brook's Tommy Brenton. I just love his hard work and his fundamentally sound game.
There were several last second game winning shots that I witnessed this season. Several, unfortunately, were against Hofstra. But the two most memorable were Emmy Andjuar's three point buzzer beater to cap a Manhattan 27-7 comeback to defeat Iona and Allen's last second shot against Georgia State.
In fact, here is a list of my top ten favorite games that I covered in person from this season from top to bottom;
But as I said, there are three things I will remember most about this season. First, there was a reason I was 30,000 feet in the air the night of the CAA Championship game. I was on my way out west for a finalist interview at a school that is a part of a major university. Especially after how I felt from the interview, there was a good chance that my life was about to radically change.
Exactly two weeks later after that interview, I was sitting in the stands, along with my son Matthew and my best friend Tieff, about to watch UMass take on Drexel in the NIT Quarterfinals. I just happened to check my email during a break in the game. I found out, despite apparently giving a really good interview, I did not get the job I so dearly wanted.
I showed the email to my friend Tieff and he could see the disappointment in my face. He did his best to cheer me up. But in a little while, I was OK. My long time friend/mistress, college basketball, was there to console me. I got wrapped up in the great atmosphere of the DAC and what turned out to be a very exciting game.
UMass would rally to win that game. Though it was disappointing to have seen Drexel lose for their first time on their home court this season, the fact that I was able to see a great live college basketball game eased the pain I had felt. Once again, when I needed it, college basketball was there for me.
The other thing I remember the most this season is the countless number of games I went to with "my color analyst", aka my soon to be seven year old son Matthew. His love of college basketball started on my birthday last year, the memorable Charles Jenkins buzzerfest vs. William and Mary. Matthew was so eager to start this season, he started asking me about Hofstra basketball in July.
He picked up right where he left off from last season. Matthew went to all the Hofstra home games and a significant number of Iona games. He even went on road trips to Fairfield to witness the crazy, but fun Jimmy Patsos of Loyola Md face the evil, black curtain that adorns Webster Bank Arena. He was there for the first road trip to Drexel, where he got to see the Bucks County Bungee Jumpers at halftime of the Hofstra-Drexel game. And he was there to watch one of his favorite players, Givens, play his heart out in the loss to UMass.
I can't tell you how wonderful it was having "my color analyst" there with me for so many games. By my count, Matthew went to thirty three games this season with me. His view of a basketball game was the subject of one of my articles. Matthew's powers of observation in basketball are truly amazing and he remembers everything. His love of basketball perhaps even surpasses mine and I loved the energy he brought with him to every game.
And that leads to the third and most important reason, the reason why I started writing this blog in December 2005. It was about writing on one of my favorite subjects, a game that I have loved since my early teens, college basketball. Thanks to college basketball, I got to spend countless hours of quality time with my older son.
My focus this past season was truly a mid major focus. Based on the Mid Majority's criteria, I saw live fifty eight straight mid major games (though don't get me started about the Atlantic-10, which is to me a wannabee conference). In the end though, the last live game was a Power Six conference NIT semifinal. It was an ironic, yet cruel twist of fate for my end of the basketball season. And in a fitting bit of irony, I left that game at haltime, the only game this season I didn't see to its conclusion.
But yet, in the end, it was a triumph. Including me, there were one hundred and twenty two writers who wrote for the Mid Majority site. Though it got a little close at the end, we surpassed eight hundred games with recaps (several writers wrote recaps for the same games). There were so many good articles by so many writers and it was great to have been a part of that project.
I will say this though - Spending my non work free time covering fifty eight Division I men's games, two Divison III games and fifteen women's games was exhausting. After I got back from my interview trip, I simply crashed that weekend. As much as I love college basketball, it requires a lot of time to write for two sites (and yes, there is added time editing/writing for another site, even if it's the same recap). I spent a lot of late nights and very early mornings writing over sixty plus game recaps for both sites (including the Division III games and some women's games). And I have a full time job, folks. I'm not complaining, just telling you the facts.
After my final interview at that major university's school, I really thought I had got the job. The next day, as I took the shuttle to the airport for my flight home, I listened to my music on my IPhone, reflecting on this season. I had mapped out the number of Division I colleges within what might have been my new location. There were only three schools and only one was a mid major. Part of me wondered how much college basketball I could watch and whether I would be okay scaling down my writing.
You see, it's kind of funny, but until this past season I didn't realize how many local teams were within a four hour drive here in Long Island. There are teams whose home games I wanted to see, like LIU and Marist, to name two, that I didn't have a chance to do because of scheduling. Heck, I was able to see three college games in one day; Fordham vs. Xavier, Georgia State vs. Hofstra and Manhattan vs. Iona, all with a Hofstra theme. New York is still the mecca of college basketball, no matter what the standings are.
And perhaps, it was the college basketball gods that decided I should stay in New York and not have that job so far west, where football is definitely the king sport at that university. Perhaps the basketball gods want me to be at the Palestra (hopefully it's the Palestra) next March to see Drexel finally get their well deserved NCAA berth that was denied to them this season. Perhaps, fate wants me to bring my son Matthew to see Hofstra play in the CAA Tournament.
When it all comes down to it, it was my mistress, college basketball, who refused to let me leave her. I think she is saying "Right now, where you are is your home. It's the home of me, college basketball, the one besides your family, that you love so much. I need you here to write about me."
Yes, that sounds a little crazy, but you see, I have never played with a full deck.
So once again, for the eighth season, I will be writing for this site. I will say this though; The College Hardwood will have a different feel this next season. I can't get into all the details now, but let's just say there will be more coverage. When the details are more concrete, I will let you know.
However, this past season was special. I saw more live games than I ever did. My appreciation of New York City metro basketball has never been greater. Thanks to that, I have made new friends like John Templon of Big Apple Buckets and Jaden Daly of Daly Dose of Hoops. And I have the best basketball buddy a father could ever want.
So thank you Jen Ahearn, Kyle Whelliston and all the folks who inspired me to cover fifty eight mid major games (I didn't get the Drexel-UMass game in on their site, but it's on mine). I wouldn't have done it without your inspiration. It was really cool to be a part of a successful, fun project.
Special thanks to Tony Bozzella, Nick Guerriero, Mo Cassara, John Mateyko, Jim Fiore and Rob Washburn (and all the folks at CAA Sports) for all their kindness and generosity this past season.
Most importantly, for all of you who follow my site, my most heart felt thanks. Thank you for making this past season the best ever as far as page views for this site. I truly hope you enjoyed the articles from the 2011-12 season.
What the 2012-13 season brings, who knows. It's another challenge, another year of fun. Won't you join me in November for all of that? I know "my color analyst" will.
I had the privilege of covering many Iona men's basketball games this season. If you want to know all about the Gaels, here are my twelve game stories on them. Learn all about Scott Machado, Mike Glover, Momo Jones and Sean Armand below.
I decided to use my links off the Mid Majority site, which are the same articles that are on this site. So sit back, read about Sean Armand's record setting performance at MSG vs. Siena, or "Late Night with Scott Machado" or Iona's 31-0 run vs. St Peter's. Hope you enjoy and good luck to the Gaels tonight!
After we watched Stony Brook win the America East Regular Season Championship, my older son Matthew and I exited Pritchard Gym while the players were still hoisting the America East Regular Season Championship trophy. We made our way to the car and headed out for the long trip to New Rochelle for the last regular season games for the women's and men's teams. The trip took a little more than a hour, thanks to lighter than usual Sunday traffic and a little bit of a lead foot by yours truly.
Matthew was wise enough to have slept the entire trip. I had to wake him as I parked our car in the Iona garage. After Matthew stretched, we walked to the Hynes Center. Iona was hosting St Peter's in a Senior Day doubleheader. The women's game was first and the men's game would follow a hour later.
When we walked into the gym, the women's game was already in the second half with the Gaels up eight, 39-31 with about sixteen minutes left. But as basketball is a game of runs, the Peahens went on a 11-4 spurt in the next four minutes. Iona was only up one, 43-42 with about twelve minutes left and Iona Women's Head Coach Tony Bozzella was not too pleased.
But what was going to be a microcosm of the men's game, the Gaels outscored the Peahens 31-7 the rest of the way, which included a game ending 16-0 run. St Peter's missed their last eight shots and committed two turnovers in that span. Meanwhile, Iona hit eighteen of their twenty free throw attempts in the second half. The Gaels' Women's team won the first half of the doubleheader 74-49.
Matthew and I joined Coach Bozzella, his family, my friend Mal and his friend Emilie for the Senior Day Dinner at a reception room in the Hynes Center. It was a nice event where Coach Bozzella briefly spoke about how his group of seniors were such helpful mentors to the freshmen and sophomores on the team, He spoke how this team was a family and he thanked all the parents and people who have supported the team during the season. It was a nice reception.
We left the reception and headed back into the Hynes Center Gym several minutes after what was supposed to be the start of the game. Much to my surprise, the Senior Day awards ceremony for the six seniors on the Iona Men's Basketball Team was still taking place. When we got to our seats, all the way up in the top rows of the general admission side of the gym, Scott Machado was being introduced last to the packed crowd.
After Machado was given a standing ovation by nearly the entire crowd, the six Iona players; Machado, Michael Glover, Randy Dezouvre, Kyle Smyth, Jermel Jenkins and Trinity Fields all raised their framed jerseys while photographers snapped picture after picture. Then the Iona Bagpipe Band came out, which was a nice treat for this Irishman. Finally, to top it off, Scott Machado's brother sang a wonderful rendition of the national anthem.
The Gaels spotted the Peahens a 4-0 lead. A Glover dunk and a Momo Jones three put Iona up to stay 5-4. But St Peter's kept it close throughout the first half. The score was only 17-14 when Jenkins hit three consecutive three pointers in a row to give the Gaels a 26-17 lead. But the Peahens refused to go away in the first half and actually cut the deficit to five, 40-35 at halftime.
As I noted earlier, Matthew and I were in the upper rows of the general admission seating opposite the Iona bench. One of the perks though of sitting in that section was being directly behind my favorite pep band in New York college hoops, the Iona Pep Band. The pep band was killing it at halftime playing "Sussudio", "Brickhouse", some Led Zeppelin, then "Frankenstein" and more Led Zeppelin. Later on, they made my day by playing the theme song to the old TV show "The Wild, Wild West".
The first four plus minutes of the second half saw very little change. Iona had pulled out to an eleven point lead. But St Peter's was able to cut the lead back to seven, 50-43 with a little less than sixteen minutes left. At the under sixteen media timeout, the pep band played the James Bond theme song. Perhaps the pep band knew that the Gaels were about to use their "License to Kill" on the Peahens.
It started innocently enough with two Sean Armand free throws. Then it was a three point play by Machado, followed by layups by Dezouvre and Glover. Jones followed up with a three point play, then an Armand went back to back with a three pointer followed by an old fashioned three point play. Before you knew it, Iona was up 68-43.
But the Gaels weren't done yet. Another three point play by Jones was sandwiched between two Glover layups. Jenkins once again found his three point shooting touch and buried another two shots from beyond the arc. It was a 31-0 run before Lamin Fulton ended it with a three pointer. The Gaels were up 81-46 with still eight and a half minutes to go in the game.
It turns out that many fans, knowing that the game was over, actually left at this time. Matthew and I were able to move down several rows and get a better view of the last few minutes of the game. All that was left was for Iona Coach Tim Cluess to take his seniors out one by one. Then I just needed the pep band to play "Peg" to make my night complete. Sure enough, late in the second half, the band cued up my favorite Steely Dan song.
Iona took its foot off the throttle down the stretch, despite pleas from Matthew for the Gaels to score one hundred points. Iona just missed, winning handily 98-61. In a rarely seen nice touch, Cluess let Smyth, a key player and a starter for most of the season, stay on the court and dribble out the last few seconds of the game.
The beat down of St Peter's was perhaps a little payback for the Peahens knocking the Gaels off in the MAAC Championship game last season. But that was a much better St Peter's team than the 5-25 team I saw Sunday evening. In the college basketball world, things can turn around quickly in a year.
Jenkins, in his last regular season home game scored a career high twenty one points on seven three pointers. Jones led Iona with twenty four points, while Glover and Armand each had fourteen. Machado nearly had another double double with nine points and twelve assists. Darius Conley led three St Peter's players in double figures with twelve points.
As Matthew and I made our way out of the Hynes Center for perhaps the last time this season, I wondered two things. One, I thought about whether Iona could not only win the MAAC Championship but also make a run to the Sweet Sixteen this season. Second, I wondered if the Iona Pep Band hires themselves out to play at parties.
Last night was the second day of my four day weekend of hoops. Thursday night, I was at St Joseph's in Patchogue where unfortunately the number one seeded Eagles were shot down by the Purchase Panthers. Then yesterday, my older son Matthew and I made the familiar trip up to New Rochelle to Iona College.
Before we could get to the campus of Iona, we had to travel in rainy, slick conditions as the remnants of the Saskatchewan Screamer came down on the New York City metro area. Adding to the fun was a knucklehead on the Whitestone Bridge who kept alternating between the left and center lanes at seemingly his whim. Either he was very drunk or very clueless. I was one of several people that went all the way over to the right lane to avoid him.
Of course Matthew, the intrepid little six year old that he is, wisely took the opportunity to sleep the entire way from North Bellmore to New Rochelle. Thus he snoozed while his daddy was yelling at the idiot that was trying to turn the Whitestone into a NASCAR wreck. Matthew didn't wake up until we were in the Iona parking garage. Had I known that the Iona Will Call was not open yet, I would have let him sleep another fifteen minutes. But he was as excited as me to see this game last night.
You couldn't ask for a bigger atmosphere on the last weekend of the regular season. This was the battle for first place in the MAAC between Fairfield, the defending regular season champion, vs. Iona, the preseason favorite to win the MAAC. The Hynes Center was sold out and as Nick Guerriero, the Assistant Sports Director and Women's Basketball Play By Play Announcer at Iona (and a good guy too), stated to me that they were turning people away from the ticket booth. To top it all off, the game was being televised nationally on ESPNU.
The Hynes Center was packed to the rim. As I surveyed the gym shortly before the team introductions, it was a college basketball fan's dream. Over two thousand people tightly fit into a small gym. A mostly partisan crowd buzzing with the anticipation of another MAAC regular season championship, which would lead to another banner being hung in a venue that has seen its share of basketball history. To say the Hynes Center was electric would be the understatement of the year.
And the cherry on top is getting to hear the wonderful Iona Pep Band. What makes this brass band so good is they don't play a lot of the usual tripe you hear other bands play. You won't hear the Iona Pep Band play the "Final Countdown" or "Crazy Train". Yes, they play recent songs from artists like Lady Gaga. But they also play a lot of songs that fit a brass band perfectly; a lot of Earth Wind and Fire, Steely Dan, Santana and they even sneak in some Led Zeppelin (like they did last night). And if you are old school like me, they often play TV and movie theme songs. Their rendition of "I Dream of Jeannie" is a wonderful, bouncy tune.
I didn't remember the name of the first song they played. But I immediately knew the second song they played, "Fantasy" by Earth, Wind and Fire. Shortly thereafter, they surprisingly played "Don't Stop Believing". Normally they leave that for the end of the game when the score is close. But I guess they wanted to get the crowd going on what was going to be a momentous occasion.
One of the things I have often noticed about the Hynes Center is that as much as I love the Iona folks, the PA volume is much too loud. It's like that at a lot of college gyms and arenas, but outside of the obnoxiously loud Spiro Athletic Center PA system, the Hynes Center PA system seems to stick out. So it was ironic during the introductions that one of the speakers kept going out. It was the brass band gods trying to tell the Iona folks that they have a perfectly good pep band and they should just turn off the system and let the pep band play.
Since the wonderful people at the World Wide Leader of Sports schedule games on top of each other at ESPNU, often the preceding game runs over. Especially when it's the physical, foul prone Horizon League games. Thus the game start was delayed while waiting for the end of the Butler - Valparaiso game. However, the silver lining was that the fans were treated to a lot of good Iona Pep Band selections during the wait.
First, the band fired up a Stevie Wonder tune. Then they went into Frankenstein. It's one of my favorite renditions of that song. For such a small band; they have maybe at most eight to ten members, the sound they put out is just so good.
I share a love of the Iona Pep Band with friend Jaden Daly, the play by play announcer for St. Francis and the author of Daly Dose of Hoops. who is also a fellow member of John Templon's NYC Power Poll. Jaden was covering the game last night for his site and as we were tweeting the song selections, Jaden came up with a bet. The bet was when the Iona Pep Band would play my favorite song and one of Jaden's favorites, Steely Dan's "Peg". I said it would be at the under twelve minute media timeout. Jaden took the over. The bet was a St John's ticket for me (Jaden is a St John's alum) if I won and if I lost, a first level ticket for Hofstra.
While waiting for the start of the game, several of us were keeping track of the Loyola - Rider game that was on ESPN2. Novar Gadson hit a three point play late in the game and the Broncs knocked off the Greyhounds. That meant if the Gaels defeated the Stags here, Iona would clinch the MAAC regular season championship.
Though it meant the end of a great Iona Pep Band song set, the Butler -Valpo game finally ended and we had the tipoff of our game. Feeding off the crowd's energy, first place Iona came out and scored the first four points. But second place Fairfield, who had come into the game winners of nine of their last eleven games, responded with a 9-0 run. Derek Needham nailed two three pointers and the Stags were up early 9-4. Needham would leave the game shortly thereafter with an injury and would not return.
After a Michael Glover three point play made the score 9-7 Fairfield, a short time later we had the under sixteen minute media timeout. This led to the Iona Pep Band playing Rick James "Brickhouse". The band was on a roll and a Stags player was about to go on a roll as well.
Senior forward Rakim Sanders is Fairfield's leading scorer. He averages 16.5 points and 8.2 points per game while shooting 50 percent from the field. After the under sixteen media timeout, Sanders took over. He would score five of the Stags next eight points and added an assist. Fairfield had an 18-11 lead going into the under twelve minute media timeout. Sanders had a double double in the first half alone with twelve points and eleven rebounds.
As soon as the teams left the court, I heard the first few sweet chords from the pep band and I knew the song . Yes, the Iona Pep Band came through and played Steely Dan's "Peg". I had won the bet with Jaden but I told him I was going to take him to a Hofstra game anyway. Just hearing my favorite Iona Pep Band song was victory enough for me.
Coming off the timeout, the Stags extended the lead to 21-13. But the Gaels sped up the pace of the game to their liking and scored the next six points. That got the home Iona crowd going. Fairfield coach Sydney Johnson was forced to call timeout. This led to the pep band playing the James Bond Theme Song.
The Gaels actually tied the game at twenty five on a free throw by Glover. But Sanders buried a three pointer which put the Stags back out in front. Iona would actually take the lead, 29-28 on a Glover layup, his ninth and tenth points of the first half. This lead to the Pep Band playing Jaden's favorite song, "September" by Earth, Wind and Fire.
Fairfield would respond as they outscored Iona 10-4 for the rest of the half. It might have been more, but a good move by Iona Head Coach Tim Cluess kept the deficit at five. During Scott Machado's free throw attempts with five seconds left in the half, Cluess gathered the rest of the players by the Iona bench. I had a good view of Cluess making a hacking motion with his hand. He was telling his players to foul a Stags' player immediately since the Gaels had only five team fouls.
After Machado missed his second free throw and Fairfield grabbed the rebound, Kyle Smyth grabbed at Sanders to foul him. But instead Smyth knocked the ball off Sanders and out of bounds. Iona had a last second chance to hit a shot before the half, but Smyth's long three point attempt was short. Fairfield entered the half up 38-33.
At halftime, Iona honored Stanley Hill, a 1959 alumnus who was a starting guard on the Iona basketball team. In his sophomore season, Hill was supposed to play in a tournament in Owensboro, Kentucky vs. the University of Mississippi. The Ole Miss coach, Bonnie Graham, informed the tournament committee that he would not have his team play the Gaels if Hill, an African American, was in the lineup. Graham had the support of the University of Mississippi administration. Iona coach Jim McDermott refused to bench his guard and Ole Miss forfeited the game. In a touching moment, the Ole Miss players sought out Hill at the hotel that night and apologized to him for what happened. The ceremony for Hill at halftime, which included several other Iona basketball alumni, was equally as touching.
Towards the end of halftime, I went over to talk with Guy Falotico, otherwise known as IonaGuyF on Twitter. While Guy and I were talking about the first half, the Pep Band was playing "Smells Like Team Spirit". Another good song, another good rendition.
The second half saw Fairfield jump out to a 42-34 lead. But Iona would go on a 10-0 run over the next three minutes. Reserve Rashad James provided a lot of energy off the bench for the Gaels. His steal and layup gave Iona a 44-42 lead with about fifteen minutes left. The Hynes Center was now rocking.
The Pep Band was rocking too. They fired up their third Earth, Wind and Fire song with "After the Love Has Gone" and followed with another Stevie Wonder tune. Jaden was right, all that was missing was their version of Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" to complete what would have been a great trifecta. Later they played "I Heard It Through the Grapevine". That made up for missing out on Zeppelin.
Fairfield wasn't going anywhere and why would they with such great music. The Stags hung in with the Gaels and took a 58-56 lead with eight minutes left. Sean Crawford gave them the lead as he calmly sunk three free throws after being fouled by Taaj Ridley.
Enter one Sean Armand. Earlier in the season, I was at Madison Square Garden when the sophomore guard set an Iona and MAAC record for most three pointers in a game with ten in a 95-59 drubbing of Siena. Armand would channel his Siena performance by burying two straight three pointers to give Iona a 62-56 lead and the Iona fans a reason to cheer raucously. Meanwhile, the Pep Band played the NBA on NBC theme song and later the Fox Sports theme song during a stop in the action.
Fairfield again wouldn't quit and scored the next seven points. A Desmond Wade three pointer put Fairfield back up one, 63-62 with about six minutes left. Also during this run, Iona's star guard, Scott Machado picked up his fourth foul and and headed to the bench. There was definitely a level of concern running through the Hynes Center crowd.
But Armand was far from finished. He would score the next nine points for Iona. His layup put thee Gaels up 71-65 with 2:44 left. Glover would follow later with a layup to put the Gaels up 73-66 with about fifty seconds. Desmond Wade hit a three pointer to cut the score down to four, 73-69. But the Stags would not get any closer as Iona would win the game and the MAAC Regular Season Championship 77-70.
Armand scored all seventeen of his points in the second half. As impressive as his performance was against Siena, his performance against Fairfield was more impressive. With Machado on the bench, Armand took over and won the game for his team. His three point jumper is a thing of beauty.
Sanders did his best for Fairfield with twenty two points and twelve rebounds. Ryan Olander also had a nice game with fifteen points The two combined to shoot seventeen of twenty nine from the field. But the rest of the team was only ten of twenty nine from the field. The loss of Needham during the game certainly hurt the Stags.
As for Iona, along with Armand's seventeen points, Glover had thirteen points and Machado had ten points and seven assists. The key was that the Gaels had more balance than the Stags. Eight players had six or more points for Iona while only four Fairfield players including Needham had six or more points.
As Matthew, Tieff, who had joined us shortly before game time, and I quickly left the Hynes Center, we thought we might see a court rush. We were concerned since we were in the front row and having a small child with us, that could be a precarious situation. But it thankfully never materialized. It was as if the Iona fans expected to win this game and be in this position, since they were the preseason favorite.
The Gaels and their fans expect their court rush to be after they win the MAAC Tournament Championship in Springfield. It's good to have standards. I know the Iona Pep Band meets mine.
But that night of February 15, 2011 is equally a proud moment. And four years later, Matthew finally got to play basketball in a league. He plays for the Upward Bound basketball program at Shandon Baptist Church here in Columbia, South Carolina. Matthew actually plays with one of his travel ball teammates, Wil on his basketball team. They were also teammates on the District 3 Champion Coach Pitch All Star team last Spring. 
