Quick hitters as we get rolling for another week:
Last Monday, I had the chance to see a couple of prep teams that have been a little unpredictable. Worcester Academy, which has been a streaky team, held off young St. Andrew’s 67-65 after having what looked like a safe lead for most of the game. Earlier in the year, the Hilltoppers won six straight, then lost three straight. The Saints, meanwhile, have been feast or famine due to their youth.
A week later, I saw the Saints again as they lost at home to Brimmer & May. Michael Carter-Williams had a solid game with 23 points without hitting a single three-pointer. He forced the action less and hit a variety of mid-range jump shots and scored on drives as well. For Brimmer & May, the big bright spot is that junior guard Derek Retos looks to be shooting better, as he made five three-pointers in a 17-point effort.
The most elusive thing for Albany has been a consistent sense of urgency, according to head coach Will Brown. The Great Danes have shown it at times, and when they have, they have been good. But Thursday night’s 77-67 loss at Boston University was a microcosm of the season, as the Great Danes played poorly in the first half and didn’t play intelligent basketball, but rallied to get within three at one point in the second half.
“We’re good enough that we can win an America East Conference Tournament,” said Brown. “I said we might be a year away from being able to win an America East regular season because we haven’t consistently played with a sense of urgency. We’re good enough, but we’ve got to maintain our focus and play with a sense of urgency, because BU’s not going to beat themselves.”
Although he would certainly like to have more wins than the seven his team currently has, UNC-Wilmington head coach Benny Moss has enjoyed coaching the team he has. The Seahawks have had a number of injuries thrown at them, decimating the frontcourt since they have been concentrated there. That has also hurt their overall depth, which is never a good thing when trying to play as fast as Moss wants to play. But this team has continued to play, and there was some reward last week when they knocked off second-place VCU 81-72.
“This has been a fun group to coach because of how far they came,” said Moss. “If you could have seen us in the first part of January, you would know how far we’ve come. They’re starting to understand what it takes to compete in this league.”
All of a sudden, Bryant has gone on a roll. The Bulldogs just finished a four-game road trip with three straight wins, the first in the program’s Division I history, capped by a 72-68 win at Quinnipiac on Saturday. Now they return home for four straight before closing the season at Sacred Heart, and they have won five of seven.
