NIT Season Tip-Off Notes
by Ray Floriani
NEW YORK – The NIT Season Tip-Off served as a reminder not to write off Texas A&M. Acie Law is gone, and Billy Gillespie is roaming the sidelines in the Bluegrass State. Regardless, there is talent, coaching and a defense certain to give opponents fits. As was the case here.
Semifinals
Texas A&M 77, Washington 63
The Game began with Washington taking an early double-digit lead. Washington pushed the pace early before A & M made the adjustment of sending two players rather than one back on shots for defensive balance. Jon Brockman (21) points battled inside for the Huskies. Unfortunately no one could step up and help Brockman in the paint. Joseph Jones led A & M with a 17 point 6 rebound effort while Donald Sloan added 18 points.
Ohio State 79, Syracuse 65
It was close in the early going before Ohio State established their superiority inside. On this night Ohio State was simply a better team. A lot of that had to do with seven-foot freshman Kosta Koufos, who was just too much for Syracuse to handle inside. Koufos scored 24 points, grabbed 9 rebounds and was also was able to move outside (2-3 beyond the arc) and knock down a few jumpers.
Consolation
Syracuse 91, Washington 85
The Orange showed a lot of character for a young team by bouncing back in less than 48 hours with the win. Washington looked to push the pace and Syracuse was willing to oblige. Syracuse handled the full court pressure very well and took advantage of transition opportunities. The Huskies, meanwhile, struggled on offense as chief threat Jon Brockman was saddled with foul trouble. Brockman was limited to 20 minutes (10 points) and wasn’t the factor he was in the semifinal. Syracuse freshman Donte’ Greene led all scorers with 25 points.
Texas A&M 70, Ohio State 47
This one was going to be a close one – at least on paper. On the floor, forget it. OSU was close at the half, but even there you felt A&M had the upper hand. In the second half the Buckeyes couldn’t hit a thing. They had looks that didn’t fall. On the other hand the Aggies executed and the OSU deficit swelled. Coach Thad Matta noted that the shots were there and didn’t fall. Still, he was quick to compliment A&M’s defense with having a lot to do with his club’s abysmal offensive (14 of 57, 25% shooting) effort.
All-Tournament Team
- Donte’ Greene – Good long 6’11” frosh earned all-tournament honors and scored 21 and 25 (both team highs) respectively. He likes to shoot the perimeter shot but despite a slim build is effective inside.
- Kosta Koufos – He had a rough going in the final, but the entire Ohio State team struggled in that one. The great semifinal performance alone merited selection.
- Jamar Butler – Had 14 against Syracuse and led the Buckeyes with 17 in the final. The senior guard was OSU’s lone offensive threat against the Aggies.
- DeAndre Jordan – My media pick for MVP. The seven-foot freshman is a little on the thin side but battles well, especially on the boards. He was very steady both nights and had an 11-point, 8-board final. Now if he could consistently hit free throws, the scoring numbers would leap considerably.
- MVP – Joseph Jones, A&M’s 6’9″ senior forward, was tough inside both nights. A scorer and rebounded, Jones played no small part in helping shut down Ohio State’s Koufos in the championship.
Of added note
- Johnny Flynn – Struggled at times against OSU but bounced back in excellent fashion against Washington. Flynn had an excellent 16-point (10 of 13 form the line), 2-assist, 2-turnover outing in the consolation.
- Jon Brockman – The foul riddled consolation kept the 6’7″ senior from earning honors. He did a great job battling two big men in the semifinal. In fact, no individual player gave Texas A&M as much trouble here in new York as he did.
- Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim was pleased after the consolation to exit the Garden with a win and 3-1 overall showing in the tournament. “If there are much tougher games in the Big East we may not win much,” Boeheim said. “This was a tough tournament and our first two rounds we faced two tough teams Siena and St. Joe’s. We opened the tournament with Siena and I’m telling you they are tough.”
Boeheim was especially happy to get four players (Greene, Flynn, Paul Harris and Eric Devendorf) in double figures. “We will need balance like that,” he said, “to be successful.” - Scouts Honor: Think the trip to the Pre-Season NIT is all fun? Oh, you are in New York during Thanksgiving Week, but for the teams there’s hardly a moment to even see the famous parade. And that holds especially true for coaches.
During the semifinals I had the opportunity to sit courtside next to assistant coaches involved in advance scouting. Each school had already broken down every one of the three or four games played by opposition in this “final four”. Tournaments, under NCAA rules, are the only times coaches can perform live scouting. “There is nothing like scouting a team live,” says Ohio State assistant John Groce. In between discussing the game Groce is calling out keys like “high screen”, “double low” and the like – all tendencies in the Washington offense that Archie Miller, another Buckeye assistant, is jotting down notes on.
Following their game the Ohio State staff will have little time to reflect or wind down. It’s back to the hotel and review game tape while going over the scouting report with coach Matta.
All four schools have similar agendas. Texas A&M assistant Pooh Williamson said Thanksgiving Day would call for a practice and a detailed scouting report with the team. Any parade time? “Not at all,” he says with a laugh. “It’s preparation and business but we will have (Thanksgiving) dinner together as a team.” Then maybe one more look at tapes. - The final loomed as a barnburner but turned out to be an Ohio State nightmare. The talk leaving MSG on Wednesday was that Ohio State was a top 20 team. They may in time be one but were humbled in the finals by a Texas A&M team that just defended them to death. Defense is a paramount in the Aggie program. “This is a team built for defense,” A&M coach Mark Turgeon said. “It’s fast, athletic and defense was programmed by coach Gillespie before I got here. As a team the guys think defense first. But they like offense too.”
- Senior guard Dominique Kirk believes the Aggies are now in the nation’s consciousness. “We came here to stay focused not worry about national attention,” Kirk said after the final. “We just felt if we played hard eventually we would get noticed.”
Kirk, who enjoyed playing at the Garden, was asked his choice of the Big Twelve’s toughest venue. “Kansas,” he said. “Allen Fieldhouse is a one of a kind place like the Garden plus you deal with not only the crowd but the (Kansas) talent.”
On The Baseline
- Texas A&M brought a dance team. During halftime of the championship I asked one member what the cheer during the last time out was. “You mean beat the hell out of Ohio State,” she said. Not that one. “Oh, Army.”
The Army cheer is in reference to the school’s military division. Courtney Martin, the team’s coach, noted the team appeared on the Today Show earlier that morning. - Ohio State cheerleaders, still smiling after the football win over Michigan, hit the sights in New York. They included Macy’s, Rockerfeller Center, Ground Zero, Central Park, Times Square and shopping. “I got about 8 handbags in SOHO,” exclaimed sophomore Aliison Humbert. Coach bags? “Yes, mostly,” she said. “One is for me the rest are gifts.” Let’s see if shopping in Pasedena can top that.
