Notes on the MAAC Quarterfinals
by Ray Floriani
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – Opening round action in the MAAC tournament held true to form. For St. Peter’s, the No. 9 seed, their season ended at the hands of No. 8 Canisius. Iona’s season ended at the hands of Rider, a team it defeated for its first victory this long campaign.
The Peacocks of St. Peter’s finished up 5-25. Head coach John Dunne, completing his first year at the helm, spoke outside his locker room following the 62-48 loss. Dunne explained how the 3-2 matchup of Canisius forced his offense to dribble a bit more for open looks and how the Griffs’ Pawel Malesa came off the bench to hit a few big shots and turn the tide. Dunne also spoke about the season in retrospect.
“It was a great experience,” Dunne said. “The guys in that locker room never quit. They worked hard in practice each day and I enjoyed coaching them.”
Dunne was left with basically a seven-player rotation. During the season there were suspensions and dismissals. The former Louis Orr assistant at Seton Hall made sure he was putting his stamp on the program. Dunne probably sacrificed three or four wins with disciplinary actions, but it was all about short term pain for long term gain, and about building a program. The future is promising with virtually everyone back.
“The guys we have coming back are looking to improve,” Dunne said. “They want to get started in the spring and do what it takes to get better.”
The long season ended. Still, John Dunne did not sound like a “glad that’s over” type. He honestly can’t wait to get back on the recruiting trail and working with the existing players. “We have youth and experience,” he said. “We will improve.”
The game with St. Peter’s was a dangerous one for Tom Parrotta’s club. They swept St. Peter’s, but were coming into the game on an eight-game slide. A win in the opener would put them in a meeting with top seed Marist, whom they spilt with during the season.
“We had to focus on St. Peter’s and take care of business,” Parrotta said. “We couldn’t look ahead to Marist.”
The eight-game slide did not hurt Canisius’ mindset according to Parrotta. “During a losing streak, you have an emotional situation and people can start going in different directions,” he said. “Our guys have stayed together and worked hard. During those eight games we ran into some good teams playing well, so that contributed to it. We approached this tournament as a beginning of a new season.”
Game of the day: Siena’s last-second win over Fairfield in the women’s quarterfinals. It came off a broken play with the Saints down two. Siena tried to go inside but the pass was denied. The ball squirted loose, and point guard Melissa Manzer gathered it and fired. “I shot it almost from my knees,” she said later, and buried a trey with 2 seconds remaining. Fairfield could not get a shot off on the inbound, giving Siena a 56-55 win. It was a classic four-five matchup with the lower seed winning. Talk about “survive and advance”.
I absolutely love the location. Arena at Harbor Yards is just off Route 95. The arena is next to the ballpark that houses Bridgeport’s Atlantic League franchise and is just 75 minutes from the residence of yours truly. The facility is relatively new and with great viewing for fans as well. Another plus is the sound system that occasionally plays some Doors music during timeouts. The only complaint about the venue on press row was that the media hotel did not have a liquor license.
A nice gesture was the Siena men’s team and coaches coming out in full force to support the women in their quarterfinal game. Gina Castelli, the Siena women’s coach, is highly thought of by Saints’ men’s mentor Fran McCaffery. “We try to support her program as much as possible.” The Siena women also acknowledged the men’s team support in post-game interviews.
One has to me impressed with the Marist women’s team. The defending MAAC titlist and “flagship” program of the conference in recent seasons, Brian Giorgis’ top-seeded club dispatched No. 8 Manhattan 55-42 in the quarterfinal. “Our system is built on guards who take care of the ball, though I wasn’t one today, post players that can shoot and defense,” junior guard Nikki Flores said. Flores scored seven points, but committed an uncharacteristic five turnovers. Her hustle was infectious, as she was diving for loose balls with Marist up 15 and five minutes left. “That’s the only way I know how to play,” said Flores, who idolizes Michael Jordan and Sue Bird. Nice decisions on her part.
On the Baseline
- There are conferences that regulate the number of cheerleaders at their tournament. The MAAC favors participation for all. During one women’s quarterfinal, Marist had 23 cheerleaders.
- The Siena-Fairfield game saw the hosts with 21 cheerleaders, 12 dance team members, 1 band and 1 mascot, while Siena had just 1 mascot.
- Finally, during my St. Bonaventure days I never praised our despised “Little Three” rivals, but times change and a mention of distinction goes out to the Canisius cheerleaders. They bussed from Buffalo at one on Friday morning. En route, they changed into uniforms at a McDonalds. After an eight-hour trip they got off the bus, warmed up and cheered the women at 11:30 A.M. After a short rest, they were on the floor at 6:30 for warm-ups for the men’s game an hour later. “I’m so glad we won,” coach Jessica Przybyl said after the men’s game, “not just for the team but now these kids (cheerleaders) can finally check into their hotel rooms and sleep in a bit.”
