Northeast Conference Notebook
by Zach Smart
Blackbirds A Pleasant Surprise, Pioneers Freefalling
In a conference that’s about as predictable as a Mike Tyson interview, the clear favorite has abruptly sunk to the bottom-echelon while the team that the skeptics figured would be flattened due to the loss of their go-to, do-it-all combo guard has emerged on top.
Sacred Heart, the pre-season favorite, fell to 0-6 after suffering losses to Yale, Fairfield, Army, Hartford, Albany, and St. John’s, the latter three being blowouts. The Pioneers suffered a strong off-season blow when they lost veteran forward Joey Henley, who averaged 17 points and seven boards in the post-season last year, to a season-ending injury. But their shooters have been below freezing, hitting just eight of their first 43 three-point attempts, and they are averaging 10 assists to 19 turnovers. The Heart is shooting a meager 36 percent from the floor, 66 percent from the line and has failed to find a leader or go-to-guy.
After getting blitzed 82-50 by the Big East’s Notre Dame, Long Island (3-1) finds itself riding a three-game winning streak with victories over Army, Columbia, and Canisius. A year after failing to qualify for the post-season and losing their franchise player in James Williams (a three-time All-NEC selection who averaged 16.2 points last season and the school’s fourth all-time leading scorer with 1,710 points), the Blackbirds have turned heads early. Freshman guard Kyle Johnson and senior forward Kellen Allen have formed a sublime inside-outside tandem, averaging 14 points apiece. Eugene Kotorobai, an experienced senior, also deserves some of the credit. Kotorobai is averaging 12 points and six boards while playing around 31 minutes per game.
Robert Morris (3-2) has also come out of the gates strong, registering non-conference wins over Iona, Navy, and Howard, and nearly upsetting the Big East’s Seton Hall in an overtime thriller. Wagner is also 3-2 and has defeated Patriot League teams.
Porter Named Player of the Week: Wagner guard Mark Porter registered his second career Player of the Week award on Nov. 26, as was announced by the league office. The senior earned the accolades after scoring 22 points and kicking in 10 assists for his third career double-double as Wagner scored a 88-81 victory over William & Mary last week. In two home wins last week, Wagner averaged 17 points, nine dimes, 4.5 boards, and 2.5 steals while shooting 50 percent from the floor.
Cats Struggle Early, Fall to UNH
Despite a pair of dragon-slayer, 25-point performances from DeMario Anderson and freshman Evann Baker – the latter of who hit on all nine of his field goal attempts – the Quinnipiac Bobcats couldn’t muster a victory, as New Hampshire edged out the Bobcats for a 78-70 home victory on Sunday.
With the much-anticipated and well-hyped arrival of Tom Moore, Quinnipiac has jumped out of the gates of the 2007-2008 campaign in typical fashion.
They more accurately resemble the Quinnipiac team of last year, which slipped into an 0-9 free-fall while then-coach Joe DeSantis was constantly the target of boos in their home arena. That Bobcat team would resuscitate itself after following this ultra-weak start, tearing through the meat of the Northeast Conference schedule before garnering a berth in the NEC semifinals.
The Bobcats, a team still searching for an identity, are 1-3 and in desperate need to sew some serious holes before they meet the UConn buzz-saw on Dec.16. Their first taste of conference play comes next week, as they’re slated for a date with St. Francis (N.Y.) on Dec. 6.
Nightmarish foul shooting and problems patrolling the paint have been significant factors in the Bobcats’ turtle-slow start. The Bobcats are a paltry 53-for-88 from the charity stripe this season. In their lone victory – a wild, 85-79 double overtime outlasting of Hartford – the ‘Cats went a God-awful 11-for-26, going 3-for-14 down the final stretch.
While the Hartford game on its own ravaged the Bobcats majorly in this category, freshman bigs Ed Zajac and Justin Rutty were a combined 1-for-8 in the loss at New Hampshire. Freshmen will be freshmen, but this shorthanded team – senior center Karl Anderson is still nursing an injury, James Feldeine has been nicked a bit lately, and JUCO transfer Jeremy Baker is still waiting for clearance from the NCAA – needs them to be more like juniors or seniors at this juncture.
Though Quinnipiac has out-rebounded opponents by a 109-99 margin in their three losses, Moore called his team’s toughness into question following a 64-59 loss to Maine at the TD Banknorth Sports Center in Hamden, Conn.
Behind Anderson, the Bobcats reeled off a 14-0 spurt towards the end of the second half. But it was too little, much too late. The Black Bears had disposed of the Bobcats throughout the second half, leading 55-36 after a 15-4 run with nine minutes remaining.
Moore’s frustration compounded as matador perimeter defense gave Maine lefty Mark Socoby a career-night. Socoby, a 6-foot-6 homegrown product who flew under the radar in high school, looked more like a blue-chip prospect against the Bobcats. He scored 29 points and nailed 5-of-10 from beyond the arc.
When the smoke clears, Moore will realize that conference action is essentially going to be the biggest determinant of post-season fate. The University bigwigs shelled out bloated numbers on both the arena and Moore, who they’re counting on to lead Quinnipiac on a rapid ascension to the NEC’s top stratum.
Anderson, despite being saddled with foul trouble during the club’s first two games, has been every ounce of the explosive scorer Quinnipiac will groom him as. Anderson is averaging 21.5 points to lead Quinnipiac, which will need to avoid putting too much weight on the swingman’s broad shoulders.
In order for them to make some waves this season, a more well-oiled offensive machine needs to surface.
Amidst the sloth start, however, some bright spots have been evident.
Blink-quick point guard Casey Cosgrove emerged as a dual-threat the first two games, handing out eight assists against Hartford and scoring a team-high 16 at Binghamton. The sophomore has been quiet on both fronts lately, however, and the Bobcats will need the manager of their running game to bounce back.
Louis Brookins, a junior transfer via Maryland-Eastern Shore, has provided the Bobcats with a scoring option down low. Brookins scored 14 and 15 against Binghamton and Maine, respectively, and has displayed a feathery mid-range game.
Evann Baker’s 25 points on Sunday are the most by a Quinnipiac freshman in recent memory. The off guard from Washington, D.C. bounced back in a major way with this scoring outburst, as Moore and company had issued a search warrant out for his game. Baker totaled seven points on 2-for-11 shooting in back-to-back losses to Binghamton and Maine.
