Colonial Notebook
by Adam Shandler
It’s A Jumble Out There
Those who follow the CAA probably thought that this season would be a carbon copy of last year. UNC-Wilmington would simply recline in the warehouse balcony, watching the other teams scratch it out in the cockfight that is known as the Colonial Athletic Association. UNCW is, both overall and conference-wise, the top team in the CAA, but only by one game. There are two teams locked into second place (Drexel and Old Dominion at 6-3), three in third (VCU, Delaware and George Mason at 5-4), and one in fourth (Hofstra, still trying to prove it’s a contender at 4-5).
The Goldsberries Taste Like Goldsberries!
With Apologies to Mr. Wonka, the Colonial Conference is asking fans, “Which newcomer in 2002-2003 is makng the biggest impact in the CAA?” The winner? UNC-Wilmington guard John Goldsberry, by an overwhelming 91 percent of the vote. Hard to argue. Through January 30th, he’s 9th in the conference in assists at 59 total and 3.47 a game, second in steals with 35 and 2.06 a game, and first in assist-to-turnover ratio with a 2.81 clip.
Mark Davis of George Mason will be happy to know that he came in second in fan voting. With 4 percent.
A Wild Wednesday
In a night that made the CAA look like a Salvador Dali painting, two teams notched unlikely victories and threw conference fans for a loop. On January 29th, Old Dominion shocked Drexel 72-69, to jump into a share of second place with their rival Dragons. The Monarchs John Walker drained the winning three with no time remaining and disappointed fans at Drexel’s Daskalakis Center — one of the toughest places to play and pronounce.
Hofstra is getting their Pride back. They also did the unthinkable, beating Delaware 64-62 in Hempstead. Kenny Adeleke posted a double-double of 19 and 16, and two-guard Rick Apodaca scored 20 points and doled out 6 assists. The Pride have now won two of their last three. Delaware, on the other hand, slipped into that three-way tie for third place.
Honors
Who da CAA Player of the Week? Brett’s the CAA Player of the Week. The senior two-guard from UNCW averaged 24 points, 4 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 4 steals in wins over Towson and Virginia Commonwealth.
Rookie of the Week props go to a freshman guard from Old Dominion by the name of Isaiah Hunter. (What’s the deal with all the good guards being named Isaiah? Can’t another Old Testatment figure get some love? Just once I’d like to see an Aaron, Jacob or Joseph bring up the ball. Anyway, I’m rambling…) Hunter, a bench player from Charlotte, averaged 12 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists and helped the Monarchs grab wins over George Mason and James Madison.
Game of the Week: The War on the Shore
A must-see for lovers of the CAA and mid-major hoops. Tons of talent will be on the floor when UNC-Wilmington squares off with Drexel this Saturday in Wilmington. When these two powerhouses met each other on January 11, UNCW pulled out an 88-86 overtime win. Brett Blizzard dropped in 33 points despite a terrible cold and Drexel’s Eric Schmeider hit for 21.
Saturday’s rematch will be broadcast at noon eastern by Comcast SportsNet-Mid-Atlantic, Comcast SportsNet-Philadelphia, FOX SportsNet-New York, FOX SportsNet South in North Carolina, Canadian Home Shopping Club and Al-Jazeera (tape delay).
