Big East Conference Notebook
Whistle Blower
Big East officials will play a major role in this year’s test run with the latest state-of-the-art precision clock management system. In every game featuring a Big East Conference team, all three officials will flaunt a beeper-sized device strapped to their waist. A tiny yellow button will allow each official to initiate the start of the game and shot clocks. A wire from the device that runs underneath the officials uniform to the whistle will stop the clock immediately when the whistle is blown. The SEC has used this system for five years. This is the first year it will be used in Big East games.
One official says it’s only for end-of-game situations. Recent events may have contributed to the embrace. The Providence Friars lost in devastating fashion last season to Texas on P.J. Tucker’s controversial buzzer-beating layup.
Carnesecca Court
“And now… please join me in welcoming… my friend… Lou Carnesecca”. Bob Shepherd has mastered the art of the English language and it was only appropriate the former St. John’s PA announcer and legendary Yankees announcer introduce Looie. 500 invitations were issued and nearly 100 credentials were handed out to the animals of the New York media. This was a special night.
Lou Carnesecca, head coach of the Red Storm for nearly a quarter of a century and famous for his trademark sweaters on game day, had Alumni Hall’s court named in honor of him Tuesday night where the Red Storm hosted St. Francis. Carnesecca, who attends nearly every home game, was in for a great surprise.
“Looie, I met with the general counsel this afternoon and they spoke glowingly of you,” Father Donald Harrington, President of the university said during halftime ceremonies. “Unanimously we have decided that from this day forth not only will we have Carnesecca Court, but Alumni Hall will be known as Carnesecca Arena.” The place went nuts, all 5,000-plus on hand to honor Looie and he was shocked. It was a special night.
Red Storm Discipline
Less than one week after honoring Lou Carnesecca for his gamesmanship and loyalty to the Catholic school, St. John’s University announced a list of self-disciplinary actions the school would enforce on itself over the coming years. In addition to the team misconduct, rape allegations, failed drug tests and expulsions from the tumultuous season that was 2003-04, the school will self-impose a loss of exactly one scholarship for the 05-06 and 06-07 seasons because of payments made to a player, Abe Keita. St. John’s will also not be allowed to compete in post-season competition this year. St. John’s officials say that compared to NCAA-sanctioned violations on other institutions for similar misconduct, their self-imposed punishments are fair and in line. The self-imposed postseason ban means only 11 teams will now compete in the Big East tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 9-12.
Player of the Week
Hakim Warrick, Syracuse Orange
Warrick started his impressive week with 18 points and 11 rebounds in a 91-67 win against St. Bonaventure Wednesday night. He converted on 7-of-9 from the floor with two of those points coming on a scintillating up-and-under move at the midway point of the first half. A pair of dunks would later bring the fans in the Carrier Dome to their feet. On Saturday he finished with 23 points, three steals and nine rebounds, all game highs beating Colgate 68-55. The game was tied with ten minutes left but a marginal cushion was eventually provided by Warrick’s aggressive performance.
Rookie of the Week
Antonio Kellogg, Connecticut Huskies
Coming off the bench, Kellogg has already proven his worth with a vicious defensive performance facing Indiana All-American candidate Bracey Wright. Leading by as many as 13 in the second half, Indiana was frazzled when Wright had no option but to pass. Kellogg (Oakland, CA) then sparked a 17-1 with a three-pointer midway through the second half, which ignited the crowd and eventually gave UConn the win.
In the Huskies’ first game back from a Thanksgiving trip to London, Kellogg hit two three-pointers as UConn jumped out to a 26-11 lead against Florida International. He made ESPN’s Top Ten with a laser sharp pass on a fast break from half court to a cutting Denham Brown at the foul line. So that must be good for something… right?
Syracuse Orange (7-0 overall)
Upcoming games: Tuesday vs. Oklahoma St. (Jimmy V. Classic, ESPN, 9pm)
With big wins over Memphis and Mississippi State already behind them and a forthcoming battle with the Cowboys of Oklahoma State lurking, Hakim Warrick and Gerry McNamara knew the seven days in between were pivotal for preparation to be a consistent team. To their surprise and relief, guard Billy Edelin was told by coach Jim Boeheim to be ready for action in last Saturday night’s 91-67 drubbing of St. Bonaventure. Edelin, a 6-foot-4 junior out of Oak Hill Academy, is serving his latest suspension due to poor academia. As if the Orange weren’t already deep enough, this will seriously allow hot shooter McNamara to open up his game offensively and not worry about creating for his teammates. In his season debut, Edelin shot 2-of-3 in 15 minutes to finish with four points, three assists and two rebounds.
No. 3/5 ranked Syracuse is off to a hot start, and as expected, Warrick is right their leading the charge. Warrick was named MVP after winning the Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament and has team bests of 19.9 points per game and 9.3 rebounds per game, in an average of 37 minutes. Craig Forth wants to scare opponents with his new tattoos — or so it appears. In any case, he is a tougher kid this year and is showing it with an aggressive approach on the boards. He’s averaging 5.9 rpg with eight blocked shots so far. Boeheim has a cavalry filled with situational weapons. Seven players are averaging over 16 minute per game and Edelin could be climbing that ladder soon enough.
Pittsburgh Panthers (5-0)
Upcoming games: Tuesday vs. Memphis (Jimmy V. Classic, ESPN, 7pm), Saturday @ Penn State
Jamie Dixon is a defensive coach in his heart so when his No.13/14 Panthers hold their first five opponents to under 60 points, he’s going to be very happy. Claiming four consecutive Big East championship game appearances, Pitt seems to be at it again. The Panthers are holding their opponents to a field goal percentage of 35 percent and an impressive 28 percent from three land. On the other end of the floor Pittsburgh could perhaps be as deep as any Big East team this season.
As does most every prominent Division One team headed into December, the Panthers have had a padded schedule with (cupcake) teams so far. Saturday night, they played host to Duquesne at the Peterson Events Center. Antonio Graves received his second consecutive start and Pittsburgh held the Dukes to just 26 second half points in an 87-57 rout. Chevon Troutman scored 15 points and had 11 rebounds to notch his third double-double. Troutman had 22 and 13 versus St. Francis (PA) on Wednesday. Pitt won big, 64-41, as the starting two-guard Yuri Demetris displayed an outside shot in which he worked on over the summer. Carl Krauser finished with 10 points and five assists.
The 6-foot-7, 240-pound senior Troutman has been very good in the early going averaging a team best 16.4 ppg to go along with 9.2 rpg. He and Taft will be a menace inside for teams with big post-up games such as West Virginia and UConn. As for the backcourt, Dixon has done some shaking up to get a feel for his highly regarded freshman class. Freshman guard Ron Ramon is playing a cyclical role with a taller and more experienced Antonio Graves at point guard. This is a good problem to have if you are Pitt.
West Virginia Mountaineers (4-0)
Upcoming games: Tuesday vs. St. Bonaventure, Saturday vs. Coppin St.
Sad news struck the basketball team and the athletic department as a whole last week. During a practice at LSU, sophomore Nick Patella suffered his latest concussion ending his basketball career.
“This is a huge disappointment for everyone,” head coach John Beilein said after Patella was evaluated by the medical staff. “But Nick’s health is the most important thing right now.” Patella has now suffered a series of injuries and concussions that has led to his career ending early. The sophomore will stay on the bench with the team for the remainder of the season.
For the first times since the 2001-02 season, West Virginia is off and running to a 4-0 start. Coming off impressive wins over St. Peters, LSU and Duquesne, the Mountaineers headed into last week with some confidence behind them. They had a week for practice up until Saturday’s game versus Radford, which turned out to be a walkover. Senior forward Ty Sally scored 13 points, his sixth consecutive game, dating back to last season, in double figures, in a 78-44 drubbing. Freshman guard Darris Nichols played an impressive 23 minutes finishing with 10 points, 3 steals and 3 assists. Nichols will be a nice utility player for JD Collins during the season whenever he needs a rest. Patrick Beilein, coach Beilein’s 21 year-old son, is clearly emerging as one of the teams best perimeter shooters. He scored 10 points against Radford and had a season high 18 points versus LSU. After scoring a career high 24 points and grabbing nine rebounds in the season opener, the nation’s third leading shot blocker last season D’or Fischer (10.3ppg, 6 rpg, 2bpg) may be on pace for a repeat performance in 04-05.
Boston College Eagles (4-0)
Upcoming games: Sunday @ UCLA (John R. Wooden Classic), Thursday vs. Holy Cross, Saturday vs. Boston University
In the wake of the Patriots and the Red Sox, bean town was due for some bad news. Gordon Watt and Sean Williams, both freshmen, received a one-game suspension after violating team rules. In addition, BC’s starting two-guard Louis Hinnant suffered a severely sprained left ankle in practice and will sit in Sunday’s game versus UCLA in the Wooden Classic. Besides those two anecdotal news items, the Eagles are off and running. The Eagles have recent wins over Clemson and Long Island University. Last Tuesday, BC defeated LIU 87-46 and veteran Jermaine Watson scored 15 points and pulled down eight rebounds. The Eagles defense is holding opponents to just under 60 ppg and has a rather large rebounding edge in part because of the aggressive play from preseason All-Big East nominee Craig Smith and frontcourt mate Jared Dudley. Smith is ninth in the conference in scoring with 17 ppg and 14th in rebounding (6 rpg).
Watson, coming off the bench, is one of five players averaging double digits for the Eagles so far. Dudley has been the benefactor early on with an impressive 23-point performance in a season opening 72-58 victory over Maine. Dudley is one of three California natives from the Eagles, who will be traveling to Anaheim, California for the Wooden Classic.
Connecticut Huskies (3-0)
Upcoming games: Monday vs. Northeastern, Thursday @ UMass (ESPN2, 9pm)
Charlie Villanueva has been greatly complimented by just about everyone except himself. He wasn’t even supposed to go to college. When he passed up on the NBA, he was supposed to be good enough to be able to leave after just one year. Villanueva, former MVP of everything, hasn’t yet shown up in Storrs and people are starting to take notice.
“I definitely have to win his confidence back,” the 6’11” Brooklyn native said referring to coach Jim Calhoun after playing just 11 minutes in Saturday’s 73-67 win over Indiana. “Coach felt like I wasn’t supposed to be out there. But I’m happy (we won).” Villanueva was yanked from the starting lineup in the second half. He is averaging less than 17 minutes and seven points per game. Luckily for the rest of Husky mania, they have four additional monsters they can throw around down low.
Josh Boone currently is the only player on this team that will not become situational. He is guaranteed 30 minutes per outing and is averaging 14.7 ppg and 10 rpg. We’re able to take notice of some major changes here early this season with the Huskies. Marcus Williams and Antonio Kellogg will be just fine. According to coach Calhoun, the Thanksgiving trip to London was productive for Williams, more so than the others. Hoosiers star guard and Wooden Award candidate Bracey Wright was exposed in the second half by Kellogg and his tenacious defense. Kellogg is stealing some of the shine from the other freshman, Rudy Gay, who is living up to the expectations as much as anyone. Gay has a 41″ vertical leap. Catch him on the highlight reels soon coming to a TV near you.
Of course Rashad Anderson will keep shooting the ball but Denham Brown is a great story. Brown showed flashes of his old self in a 99-48 blowout over Florida International on Tuesday before suffering an ankle injury. Calhoun said Eddie Nelson, Marcus White and Hilton Armstrong all do “these things in games where it’s impossible to take them out” furthering the notion that shuffling 10 capable players is confusing at times.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (3-1)
Upcoming games: Wednesday @ Indiana (ESPN, 7pm), Saturday vs. DePaul (ESPN2, 5pm)
Those lovely people in South Bend must think football has just become totally saturated with hoopla and politics. The constant melee and (mis) direction that is the football squad has led me to believe those devoted to Fightin’ Irish football will now watch the basketball. Maybe?
After a fresh 3-0 start, the Irish embarked on a trio of tough non-conference games beginning with Michigan. A total collapse was in the works and those quaint folk in South Bend weren’t all that got to watch. On national television in what would have been a nice road victory, Notre Dame crumbled in Ann Arbor losing a heartbreaker to Michigan 61-60 on careless mistakes. With just under two minutes to play and the Irish leading by two, junior guard Chris Quinn had the ball knocked away creating a fast break opportunity for the Wolverines. Dennis Latimore, the highly anticipated transfer from Arizona sped up to catch Daniel Horton. Horton sailed in for the bucket drawing the foul on Latimore and converting a conventional three-point play to take the lead for good. Senior Chris Thomas then came down and forced a shot and the game was all but over.
The Irish will have to rebound immediately with Indiana and DePaul coming up this week. A bright spot in Saturday’s loss was Latimore. The 6’9″ senior forward dropped in 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting and drew fouls to get to the charity stripe. Thomas appears to be healthy and is dishing out 8 assists per game to go along with his 11 ppg.
Georgetown Hoyas (2-1)
Upcoming games: Thursday vs. Illinois at 7:30pm, Saturday vs. San Jose St. at 7:30pm
We now know that the towel over the shoulder thing is not genetic, but John Thompson III did not have a good home opener in his debut as head coach. The Hoyas shot just 35.8 percent and Brandon Bowman, the team’s leading scorer, was held to just 12 points in route to a 75-57 loss versus Temple. The forward Bowman and the guard Ashanti Cook are the offensive weapons on this team but beyond that things get shaky. Walk-on Jonathan Wallace and freshman Jeff Green have started all three games so far. Green, a 6’8″ forward has been impressive with averages of nine points and 7.7 rebounds per outing.
After a 76-51 victory over Davidson Wednesday, Georgetown can assemble the pieces now with their feet on the ground. The 6’1″ guard Wallace scored a game-high 20 points connecting on four three-pointers and was one of four Hoyas in double digits.
The Hoyas face a tough December schedule with juniors Deron Williams and Dee Brown of Illinois coming to town, then a solid freshman class in Penn State and then onto Hawaii (mind you in the middle of December, not bad) for the Rainbow Classic Invitational.
Providence Friars (5-3)
Upcoming games: Saturday vs. Wichita St.
Ryan Gomes may be the only player in the state of Rhode Island who can endure 40 minutes on game day. The Friars starting forward has already done it four times in seven games this year and will be asked to carry the load a lot this season. Gomes has moved into the nation’s top 10 in scoring but is getting little support from his teammates. The lack of contribution resulted in a 60-54 loss to Winthrop College. Gomes was the only player in double figures with 19 points and the team as a whole shot just 19 percent from the field in the second half. Tim Welsh, Steve DeMeo and the rest of the coaching staff should put this game out of their memory. The Friars turned the ball over on 17 separate occasions, they accumulated a lackluster 54 points, they were outrebounded and they received just nine points from their bench players.
Coach Welsh is deciding to use a bigger lineup, going with 6’10” freshman center Randall Hanke instead of Gerald Brown. Brown has been productive as the sixth man and his absence in the starting lineup allows Dwight Brewington to open up his game offensively. Rob McKiver, the freshman the Friars were happy with in the preseason, hit a standstill and is averaging an ineffective 7 mpg. In hindsight, Welsh has no depth whatsoever and Providence, if the early-going is any indication, will struggle this season.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights (2-2)
Upcoming games: Wednesday @ Princeton (CSTV, 7:30pm), Saturday vs. URI
Quincy Douby was on his way to play for Hofstra University, set in stone or so we thought. A commitment had already been made to Hofstra but soon he’d have problems qualifying because of academics. During his senior season at Grady High School, a Brooklyn breeding ground for basketball talent, Rutgers showed interest and Douby reneged on his original commitment to go and join the Big East. Two years later and a lot less doubt, Douby is for real. The 6’3″ sophomore along with senior guard Ricky Shields combined for 40 and 35 points, respectively, in each of the first two games of the season.
Douby is averaging 20.0 ppg while Shields’ 15.8 ppg is second best, but Wisconsin, visiting the RAC with a chip on their shoulders, capped a tough week for the Scarlet Knights. Rutgers scored just 23 points in the first half and the Badgers had a career high 26 points from Mike Wilkinson in a 70-62 road win. Sophomore guard Marquis Webb scored eight points while grabbing eight rebounds and is emerging as a nice compliment to the starting lineup. The freshman forward from Chicago, 6’7″ Ollie Bailey scored a career high 20 points.
Earlier in the week Penn State handed Rutgers an 83-80 loss, the first of the season for the Scarlet Knights coming because of a great performance by three Lions’ freshmen, including Geary Claxton. Shields led the Scarlet Knights with 21 points but was suspect from the floor connecting on 7-of-17 and just 4-of-10 from downtown.
Villanova Wildcats (1-1)
Upcoming games: Tuesday vs. Monmouth, Saturday @ LaSalle
Having undergone last minute knee surgery before the start of the season, Jason Fraser was a question mark. Officials from Villanova said he’d be ready to play for the opener. Two games into the season the 6’10” forward in a much heralded junior class is averaging 21.5 mpg. He had five blocks in 31 minutes against Temple Saturday night but his numbers are down which may leave one to ponder how much endurance Fraser will be able to withstand before the knee acts up again.
Good news is, the rest of the junior class is doing just fine. The 6’2″ junior guard Allan Ray is leading the team in scoring (17.0 ppg) while USA Olympic candidate Curtis Sumpter provided a 15-point effort in a 53-52 loss against Temple in the Big Five Classic at the Palestra. Sumpter is averaging 14.5 ppg and 9.5 rpg but he has little support in the interior. Jay Wright has chosen to go with an eight-man rotation and has adopted a three-guard starting lineup. Ray’s back court mate Randy Foye is a scorer and can create and it seems like he will be in and out of the lineup rotating turns with 7-footer Chris Charles.
Seton Hall Pirates (2-2)
Upcoming games: Wednesday vs. St. Francis (NY), Saturday vs. St. Peter’s
Justin Cerasoli is one of the best freshmen in this year’s Big East class. A 6’5″ combo guard from Chicago, Cerasoli is averaging 15 mpg coming off the bench and scores 8.5 ppg. Coach Louis Orr knows he does not have many other options besides Cerasoli and this could pose a problem offensively. Through four games, just three starters are averaging double figures and none are exceeding 14 ppg.
On Saturday the Pirates entertained Big East native Rick Barnes, now the head coach at Texas, in East Rutherford. Cerasoli and Donald Copeland can get credit for being the best three-point shooting team in the Big East (47.8 percent) but Saturday afternoon they were running for cover. Converting on just 3-of-23 from downtown Seton Hall fell to No. 19 Texas 70-62 for the second straight loss at home. Senior forward Andre Sweet had a career high 26 points, but was one of only two players to score in double figures. Earlier in the week, with the help of Kelly Whitney’s 15 points and 13 rebounds, the Pirates defeated in-state rival Monmouth 70-50.
St. John’s Red Storm (2-3)
Upcoming games: Wednesday vs. Virginia Tech, Saturday @ Hofstra
Having come from Kansas, first-year coach Norm Roberts is pretty well versed from studying under some of basketball’s best minds. So if he feels suited to use the zone defense this season, by all means let him have his way.
“I’m a man-to-man coach,” Roberts said after shuffling between the two in a disheartening 53-52 loss to St. Francis (NY) at Carnesecca Arena. 6’9″, 242-pound Lamont Hamilton is a stationary-type player and cannot move with whomever he is guarding. Freshman Eugene Lawrence, Sebastian Telfair’s backcourt mate at Lincoln, and Ryan Williams are the only players receiving considerable time off the bench. This results in a weary basketball team.
On Saturday the Johnnies traveled to play Illinois State and used the zone again. Didn’t work. A late second half surge led by freshman guard Eugene Lawrence was not enough as the Red Storm fell 77-69, having now lost three of four. Lawrence scored six of his 14 points on a pair of threes to pull within four at 73-69. Daryll Hill led the way with 22 points and leads the team in scoring (17.0 ppg). Ryan Williams started in place of Rodney Epperson, who did not play because of an illness, according to reports.
Earlier in the week, St. John’s hosted in-state rival Stony Brook. Hill had a sub-par performance shooting 5-of-17 but Epperson was able to pick up where he left off with a game-high 18 points in a 66-57 victory over the Seawolves.
