Holidays at St. Peter’s
by Ray Floriani
JERSEY CITY, N.J. – There was excitement among St. Peter’s tonight. It wasn’t simply a festive holiday mood on this evening three days before Christmas: a good turnout was on hand to see the annual FDU – St. Peter’s contest. The two always seem to meet right around the holidays. The conferences are different – FDU of the Northeast and St. Peter’s the MAAC. Still, there are bragging rights as the two schools are roughly fifteen miles apart. Hosting FDU meant excitement. What lay ahead added a spice of anticipation.
As noted Christmas was three days away. But for St. Peter’s, another big date or dates followed the 25th. On those evenings, the ‘Jesuit college of New Jersey’ would cross the Hudson River, with full knowledge of no transit strike in New York, and play in the Holiday Festival at Madison Square Garden.
The St. Peter’s players and fans look toward the festival with great expectancy. The fans do as well. Especially the ‘more seasoned’ who remember the smoky nights in the Armory, just three blocks East of Yanitelli. In those days, St. Peter’s, under the late Don Kennedy, would regularly frequent MSG. And who among that loyal fan base could forget the ’68 NIT in front of a crowd of 19,500? The first order of Business on this evening though was FDU, and the homestanding Peacocks delighted the Yanitelli Center faithful with an 82-77 victory.
Keydren Clark led the way for St. Peter’s with a game-high 27 points. Even FDU coach Tom Green had to note that his defense didn’t do a poor job on St. Peter’s outstanding scorer. “We knew Kiki (Clark) could get his points,” Green said. “We were just hoping he wouldn’t go for 40 like he did to us last year. (Todd) Sowell was the one who killed us.”
A 6-7 sophomore forward, Sowell scored 25 points and hauled down 18 rebounds, eight on the offensive boards. Sowell’s scoring presence took pressure off Clark. In return Clark gave the ball up (9 assists) if the defense cheated and Sowell was the prime beneficiary.
As tough as things were for FDU, they were right there in crunch time. “I can still see the scoreboard saying 1:11 to go we’re down three,” Green recalled, “and we throw the ball away.”
Chad Timberlake led FDU with 20 points and remarked later, “I’m getting tired of these close ones.” FDU’s last 6 games have been decided by eight or less points, with the Knights slitting the half dozen.
FDU fell to 5-5 while St. Peter’s after an 0-4 start has now won 5 straight and is 5-4.
For St. Peter’s coach Bob Leckie, next week marks a return to Madison Square Garden. “I played and coached in the Garden,” he said. “I played in the ‘old Garden’ (in the 1967 NIT) as well as the new (or current) one.”
To get an idea how exited the St. Peter’s team is over playing on the same floor the New York Knicks call home, Leckie spoke about the game day schedule. “We have the Garden from 11:00 until noon on Tuesday (the day of the festival semis). I asked the team if they would want a short practice and shootaround during that time. The response was an overwhelming yes. They can’t wait until they get on that floor.”
Clark played once at MSG during his career. It was during his high school days at Rice High School. To return the ‘The world’s most famous arena’ in a St. Peter’s uniform has added significance.
“For any New York City player it is a dream to play in the Garden,” Clark said.
The St. Peter’s senior guard is also dealing with the arduous task of handling ticket requests. “I’ll have about 40 family and friends there,” he says with a smile.
St. Peter’s faces UMass in the festival tip off on Tuesday, while Columbia faces St. John’s in the nightcap. The consolation and finals are on Wednesday. Two guaranteed games, non-conference competition and an honor to represent the MAAC. For St. Peter’s, it promises to be both a great experience and opportunity.
