Huskies Make an Early Impression on the CAA
BOSTON – Northeastern hasn’t wasted any time making their presence known in the Colonial Athletic Association.
The Huskies are 6-1 overall and 2-0 in CAA play after Wednesday’s thrashing of Towson at Matthews Arena. It was as good a game as they have played in quite some time, a complete game from start to finish and one where numerous players contributed. They scored the game’s first 13 points, and Towson would get no closer than six after they scored the next seven points.
If it wasn’t Jose Juan Barea (27 points, 11 assists) slashing to the basket or Bobby Kelly (18 points on 7-10 raining down jumpers, including 4-5 from three-point range) knocking down jumpers, it was Shawn James getting one of his eight blocked shots. Bennet Davis also made plays, while Janon Cole (14 points) continues to give them solid minutes off the bench at forward. They ran pretty much at will, producing 18 fast break points. It all clearly made an impression on Towson head coach Pat Kennedy.
“We watched a lot of game tape on them, and they’re a very, very balanced, yet talented team,” he said after the game. “I think the thing that’s amazing is that the coaching staff has done a great job of having the kids buy into one dominant point guard taking the ball and controlling the game.
“This is going to be a very strong opponent, in a conference that’s shaping up to be a very strong conference.”
The Huskies had a less-than-stellar showing in their two exhibition games, a loss to Division III national power Bentley and a non-descript win over Puerto Rico-Mayaguez. There was clearly some concern around that time, but based on their start to the season, it appears the players got what they were supposed to from those games.
“I think that was a great wakeup call for us,” head coach Ron Everhart said. “Anytime you have seniors on your basketball team like we do, I think what happens is that guys don’t like that too well, especially guys that are competitors.”
The Huskies certainly have a talent and experience edge over the Tigers, but they clearly respected the opponent. They kept playing even when they opened up a big lead, and though the Tigers made some small runs, they could never get back into the game. Everhart also felt that they adjusted well to the defensive schemes Towson used, which included a box-and-one. That, along with a good assist/turnover ratio, is certainly a sign of maturity for a team that can run with anyone but will also exhibit questionable shot selection when forced to slow the game down. Turnovers will still be a concern, though: the Huskies had 17 on Wednesday night with 16 assists.
“I thought we beat a good basketball team tonight,” said Everhart, who thought the Tigers made some tough shots in the second half while the Huskies played defense to his satisfaction.
Northeastern has four starters back, so the starting lineup certainly didn’t figure to be an issue. James continues to dominate inside, becoming the school’s all-time leader in career blocked shots in just 29 games. Kelly has really emerged at the offensive end after solidly playing a role his first two years, while both Aaron and Bennet Davis have contributed at both ends. Everhart is happy that there are signs the team is developing depth, starting with Cole’s play and continuing to that of classmate Jeff Farmer and freshman guard Chris Cyprian.
The leading scorer in the CAA, Barea remains at the fore of it all. He carried them to a victory earlier in the season and played a solid game Wednesday night. He couldn’t be stopped at the offensive end on his drives, as he just kept finding ways to get through the defense to the basket. Count the opposing coach among those who were impressed.
“Barea is a scoring Chris Corchiani,” Kennedy said, referring to the former North Carolina State star he recruited who went on to play in the NBA for a few years. “He is the best I’ve seen probably in the last seven or eight years – he’s the best I’ve coached against, including DePaul and Montana, in terms of with the ball in his hands.”
The Huskies have started off well, but their biggest challenges lie ahead. They are off for final exams until December 20, when they head south to play Providence. The CAA promises to be competitive, with defending champion Old Dominion still a clear favorite and several teams, notably George Mason, UNC-Wilmington, Hofstra, Virginia Commonwealth and Drexel, also sure to be in the mix and with good starts to their seasons.
