An Elite Program Grows in Stony Brook (Recap of Cornell v. Stony Brook)

When we planned our holiday vacation trip up to New York to visit family and friends, we had split the trip into two days, as we always do when we drive from Columbia to New York and vice versa.  Since we could only leave late Saturday afternoon, we made our halfway point Richmond.   That meant that the rest of the trip on Sunday, if all went well, would be six hours.  We left Richmond at 8:00 A.M. because I had plans that involved seeing one of my favorite college basketball teams Sunday evening.   

But if anyone knows I-95, the New Jersey Turnpike or Belt Parkway well, what should be a six hour trip often turns out to be a longer excursion due to delays.  We briefly got caught up around Landover, Maryland due to rubbernecking from an accident going the opposite direction as well as a nasty rainstorm.  Then on the Jersey Turnpike, a much longer delay due to the same thing, rubbernecking from an accident in the opposite direction.   Then at the Belt Parkway, the longest delay due to nothing more than traffic.  Typical for the Belt.  In total, an hour and 15 minutes of delays.

When I got to my wife's parents in Levittown at about 4:15 yesterday, I was very frustrated, figuring that it would take me 45 minutes to get to Stony Brook and that I wouldn't make the 5:00 P.M. start of Cornell vs. Stony Brook.

Thankfully, there was one thing wrong in this scenario that actually worked in my favor.  The Cornell - Stony Brook game actually started at 6:00 P.M.   So once I happily realized that fact, I made the drive to Stony Brook in 45 minutes.  I was very grateful to see one of the best mid major college basketball programs in the country, a program I covered many times in the recent years before I moved to South Carolina.

Steve Pikiell was named head coach of Stony Brook in 2005.  In his first three seasons, the Seawolves combined record was 20-67.   Wisely, the Stony Brook administration stuck with Pikiell and they were rewarded with a 16-14 record in the 2008-09 season.  Then in 2009-10, the Seawolves went 22-10, won the America East Regular season championship and received their first ever NIT bid.   In 2010-11, though Stony Brook slipped to 15-17, they made the America East Tournament Championship and came within a whisker of knocking off Boston University.  In each of the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons, Stony Brook again won the regular season America East Championship and received a NIT bid.   In the two previous seasons, the Seawolves are a combined 47-18 as well as 28-4 in regular season America East play.

As I noted in a previous post, it was good to be back seeing New York basketball in a small gym/arena.  As I entered the Stony Brook Athletic Center, the basketball gods were kind to me.    Seeing I needed a ticket, a season ticket holder had an extra ticket and offered it to me for $10, $4 less than the normal cost.  I gladly obliged and then when I found my seat, it was basically center court in a gym that was nicely packed considering it was the weekend before Christmas.

Sunday, the Seawolves hosted the Big Red of Cornell.   Considering the season, Pritchard Gym seemed very festive as it was a sea of red.   Stony Brook was looking for its ninth win of the season.  Meanwhile, Cornell, which went to three straight NCAA Tournaments and a Sweet 16 in the 2009-10 season under former coach Steve Donahue, has fallen on hard times.  The Big Red have not had a winning season since that magical 2009-10 season and came into yesterday's game winless at 0-10 on the season.

The Seawolves jumped out quickly to an 8-0 lead. It was due in large part to the best big man in local tri state college basketball, Jameel Warney.   A fan sitting next to me said it best "Warney is all over the place".  Early on, he was, whether it was scoring underneath, grabbing a rebound or boxing out an opponent on a loose ball.    The Seawolves extended it to a 15-3 lead on a Carson Puriefoy steal and layup. 

But the Big Red would respond with a 15-3 run of their own to tie the game at eighteen on a Dominick Scelfo jumper.  Cornell did this by moving the ball around really well on offense.   At that point, the Big Red didn't seem like a winless team to me.  

Stony Brook would answer with a 20-6 spurt to end the half.  The Seawolves started the run by working the ball into Warney for an easy layup.  Then Dave Coley and Eric McAlister each had a three pointer.  Finally, Stony Brook was a perfect eight for eight from the free throw line during that seven minute stretch.   Still, Coach Pikiell was not pleased to give up an easy layup right at the end of the half.   The Seawolves went into halftime up 38-24.

At halftime, I met up with Carson Puriefoy's dad, Carson Puriefoy Sr, a star guard in his own right at Bucknell.  I've got to known him through my blog and he's just a terrific person.   Carson was kind enough to ask the new Interim Athletic Director of Stony Brook, Donna Woodruff to give us a tour of the new Stony Brook Arena, which is located right across from Pritchard Gym in the Athletic Center.    She was very gracious, giving us her time to get the door unlocked and gave us a tour of the new facility.  

The arena, which will open in Fall 2014, simply looks fantastic.   It has two large video screens and two large scoreboards, one of each on each end of the court.  There is a lot of individual seating, luxury box suites and what will be a huge concessions stand.   From where we were standing, there is a perfect sightline for a camera shot of the arena floor.  It's simply going to be a first class arena.

After the tour, I got back to my seat a few minutes into the second half.  As I sat down, I saw that the Seawolves had extended their lead to sixteen, 43-27 with sixteen minutes left in the game.  The lead would grown even further the next few minutes, as Puriefoy would bury a three to give Stony Brook a 48-27 lead.  

The Big Red would cut lead down to sixteen, 48-32 with fifteen minutes left.  But Puriefoy would find Warney with a really nice pass for a layup and one, his first of two three point plays in a 21-7 run over eight minutes that put the game away for the Seawolves.  A McAlister three pointer gave Stony Brook a 69-39 lead with a little under eight minutes left. 

During this run, the Seawolves showed good ball movement and balanced scoring on offense, while showing their trademark defense and rebounding.   Having watched enough college basketball over the years, I can honestly say that I have not seen a team with better help defense than Stony Brook under Pikiell.   The Seawolves just converge on the ball.  Also, they box out very well on rebounding.  The Seawolves outrebounded Cornell yesterday 47-32.

Unlike a FDU team that I saw on this same court over two years ago,  Cornell did not give up.  The Big Red went on a 15-4 run to cut the lead to nineteen, 73-54 with two plus minutes left in the game.  I assure you Big Red fans, Cornell will not go winless this season.

It was at this time that Pikiell emptied his bench.  Seldom used Kameron Mitchell ended the scoring with a pretty up and under bank shot to give Stony Brook a 76-54 win.  

The Seawolves got balanced scoring as four of their players scored in double figures.  Coley, who scored his 1000th career point during the game, led all scorers with fifteen points.  Warney added fourteen points and seven rebounds, Puriefoy added thirteen points off the bench and Ahmad Walker added twelve points.  Had it not been for missing both free throws at the line late in the game, McAlister would have had a double double as well.  He finished with nine points and eleven rebounds.  Devin Cherry and Daryl Smith led Cornell with eleven points each.

As I left Pritchard Gym, I came away impressed with Stony Brook.  But it was not just the basketball team, it was the entire athletics program.   Over the past few years under Jim Fiore and now Donna Woodruff, Stony Brook has had a football team become a power in the FCS, a baseball team that made the College World Series, a basketball team that has made the NIT in three of the last four seasons, a new weight room and soon a new basketball arena.   

When I told my friend and fellow Little League coach in Columbia Chris Moseley that I was going to see Stony Brook play Sunday, he asked me how the basketball team compared to the baseball team.   The Seawolves Athletic Program is that well known now.   If Pikiell can lead the Seawolves to their first ever NCAA berth, the program will get even more recognition. 

Seawolves Win On Super Saturday (Recap of Canisius vs. Stony Brook)

Being able to come to New York for Thanksgiving to see my wife and kids gave me the opportunity on Saturday to see one of my favorite teams, the Stony Brook Seawolves. The Seawolves were hosting the Canisus Golden Griffins as part of Stony Brook's Super Saturday.  The men's basketball game was moved up to a noon start time because the football team was hosting a game of their own, a FBS playoff game vs. Villanova.

If you follow Stony Brook Athletics, you could say it was not just a Super Saturday, but a Super Year for the Seawolves.  In the beginning of the year, the men's basketball team won the America East Regular Season Championship, then lost in the tournament final at home to Vermont.  It was their only loss of the season at home, but they did get a NIT bid, their second in the past three seasons.

Then the baseball team had one of the more amazing runs ever in the history of NCAA Division I college baseball postseason.  The Seawolves stunned LSU in Baton Rouge to qualify for the College World Series.  Now the football team was hosting another playoff game after making the Football Subdivision playoffs last season.

As noted, the men's team has been very successful the last three seasons.  Including the two NIT appearances in the 2009-10 and 2011-12 seasons, the Seawolves also made the America East championship game in the 2010-11 season as well.  Stony Brook would lose that game in the last seconds to Boston University.  Coach Steve Pikiell has built a strong program and he is looking to finally break the glass ceiling and make the NCAA Tournament this season with a veteran team.

Pikiell's 2012-13 Seawolves have several returning players including Dave Coley, Ron Bracey, Anthony Jackson, Marcus Rouse and Alex McAllister.  But the one returning player my color analyst,aka my seven year old son Matthew, was looking forward to see again was the preseason America East Player of the Year, senior forward Tommy Brenton, the hardest working man in college basketball.

Brenton is a man in constant motion. He averages five assists per game. If he is not setting up a player for a basket, he is setting a pick, or blocking out for a rebound, or hustling for a loose ball. Or in the case of the beginning of this game, Brenton was causing turnovers.  Brenton caused a turnover by pressuring a Golden Griffin player to step out of bounds on the opening tip.  He then stole the ball another two times early in the game.  Meanwhile, Jackson buried two three pointers and the Seawolves were up 11-2 not even four minutes into the game.

A season ago, this likely would have been another thrashing for Canisius.  Last season, the Golden Griffins team won all of five games.  But in the offseason, Tom Parrotta was fired and former Rhode Island coach, Jimmy Baron was brought in.  Baron brought his son Billy with him. The Barons already have given the Canisius faithful some hope.  The Golden Griffins came into the game undefeated at 3-0 with wins over Boston University, Saint Bonaventure and Buffalo.

Canisius showed why they are 3-0 by responding with a 12-3 run over the next four plus minutes. The Griffs, as they are known as, used their size advantage with Jordan Heath and Freddy Asprilla.  The Canisius big men helped cut the deficit to one, 15-14.

But a Stony Brook big man responded with a run of his own.  Freshman Jameel Warney would score the next nine Seawolves points. His three point play would make the score 24-14 with just less than nine minutes left.  Varney is quite impressive, with good post moves, a nice touch, relentless on the glass and plays as if he is a junior or senior.  Pikiell has a real find in the six foot eight inch forward from Plainfield, New Jersey.

A Rouse three extended the Stony Brook lead to 27-16.  But Canisius refused to go away.  Led by Harold Washington, Alshwan Hymes and Billy Baron, the Griffs and cut the lead down to six.  The Seawolves would lead 36-30 at the half.

Early on in the second half, my color analyst pointed out to me something that I believe would lead to some chippy play and frustrations later on in the half.  About three and a half minutes into the second half, Matthew pointed out to the scoreboard and said "They already have five fouls?!" Sure enough, the Griffs had been called for five fouls and the Seawolves only one.  A few Griffs' fans behind me had been chirping about the foul calls the entire game.

This might have led to some tempers flaring when Coley and Jordan Heath had an altercation near the Canisius basket after a foul by Carson Puriefoy.  Simultaneous technical fouls were called on Coley and Heath.  Also, Griffs' freshman Tyrel Edwards was ejected for leaving the bench.  Billy Baron made two free throws and Canisius was now down only two 43-41.

But Brenton and Warney made sure the Griffs would get no closer.  Led by the senior and the freshman, the Seawolves went on a 15-3 run over the next four minutes.  It would be capped by a floater from the freshman Puriefoy. I remember watching his dad, who was a three year starting guard at Bucknell and  I have got to know over Twitter (@CarsonPuriefoy).  His dad came over to meet me before the game.  As I noted on Twitter, it was my honor to meet him.

During this run, Coach Baron received a technical, likely frustrated by the foul call situation.  But his team did not lose its fighting spirit.  The Griffs would cut the lead down to six with a little over a minute left.  But Canisius would not get any closer as the Seawolves would hit their free throws, going 27 of 31 for the game.  Stony Brook would lead wire to wire and win 82-75.

Brenton, was the ultimate stat sheet stuffer on the day.  He just missed a double double with nine points, fourteen rebounds, six assists and three steals.  Jackson led Stony Brook with twenty one points. Warney added eighteen points while Coley contributed fourteen points.  The Seawolves also outrebounded the Griffs 40-26.

Billy Baron led all scorers with twenty two points, including ten of eleven from the free throw line. Jordan Heath had fifteen points and Washington added fourteen. The Griffs are now 3-1 on the season.

On Super Saturday, the men's basketball team held up their end of the bargain. Then the football team held up their end as well, defeating Villanova 20-10 in the first round of the Football Subdivision playoffs.  Miguel Maysonet, the nation's leading rusher in yards per game, had one hundred and sixty yards rushing.

For Stony Brook, it was truly a Super Saturday.