BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Ladies first. The first championship game of the tournament was Saturday evening following the men’s semifinals at the Barclays Center. Saint Joseph’s edged Fordham 47-46 in a thriller. About 4,400 attended, the largest for an A-10 women’s title game, but the enthusiasm and excitement generated by the respective followers made the crowd seem three times as large.
Sophomore guard Natasha Cloud paced Saint Joseph’s with 15 points, 6 rebounds earning the tournament MOP. Marah Strickland, Fordham’s graduate student forward, in her last year of eligibility, led all scorers with 16 points adding 7 rebounds.
Once again, like the Charlotte-Richmond men’s game but not to the same extreme, the officiating took to the fore front. In possession of the ball and going for the potential game-winning shot, Fordham was whistled for an off-the-ball foul. Fordham coach Stephanie Gaitley took the high road saying, “Coming down to that let the kids decide. There were times during the game contact was there but no call.”
Gaitley was thrilled over the Barclays showcasing the women. “This is a beautiful facility and having our women’s championship here made a great statement for Atlantic 10 women’s basketball,” she said. “The conference has been an outstanding host with a first class event.”
Present in spirit and memory. It is safe to say the Saint Louis University championship in the Atlantic 10 Tournament carried the influence of the late Rick Majerus. “Rick has a big impact,” Saint Louis coach Jim Crews said following the semifinal win over Butler. “Rick is someone we all miss. I miss from a comrade in coaching but from a friend I’ve known for a long time. We have eight guys that are juniors and seniors that have invested a lot into this program.”
Crews realizes these are Majerus’ kids in the sense he recruited them. There is such a trust at times Crews would ask the team what they might want to run or defend something. “Winning games is great,” Crews continued. “Winning championships is awesome, but the guys in the locker room know who the good teammates are and we have a room full of good teammates.”
Largely due to Majerus and crews who continued the success in exemplary fashion.
VCU’s Shaka Smart feels the day will be soon when a number 16 upsets a top seed in NCAA play. “The gap is closed,” he said. “A lot of lower seeds are talented and dangerous.” On his own behalf, Smart does not put much credence into seeds. “We will never be a number one,” he said after the semifinal win over UMass, “nor will we be a sixteen seed. I put more emphasis into matchups. You can get a high seed but if you do not match up well with your opponent you can have an early exit. Matchups, to me, are more important than seeds.”
Given their style, VCU will pose their own matchup problem for the opposition.
The VCU havoc reminds one of the John Wooden full-court press utilized during those glory days at UCLA. You can play with the Rams for a good while, seem to be in a comfort zone then in the space of four or five possessions you don’t get a shot, you have lost the ball and they are on a 10-0 game altering run.
For the second straight year UMass upset Temple in the quarterfinals. The Minutemen met their match in VCU but did earn an NIT bid. Derek Kellogg’s club hosts Stony Brook in the first round but were road warriors a year ago, getting to MSG by winning away from home.
Saint Louis defeated Butler all three times this season for the first time since 1989. Back then he school were members of the Midwest Cities Conference.
More Smart: The VCU mentor was asked why he has so many players in the 6-5 or 6-6 range. “That is our style,” he said. “We recruit those players who get out and run the floor well. We would love to have a 6-10 player who can post up, run the floor and hit the three-pointer, but North Carolina or Kentucky usually gets them.” He then added partially in humor, “if anyone of you guys know of such a player available just give me a call.”
Always run into someone unexpected at these events: Over at Barclays was Scott Layden, an assistant GM at San Antonio. On a personal note, I showed him a picture of the 1970-71 St. Bonaventure freshman team (they had them back then) where yours truly was a student/manager. Layden studied the black and white photo saying, “This is tremendous. I have to tell my dad (Frank) about this.” Frank Layden went on to coach and work in front offices in the NBA. Still, per Scott, the Little three of Niagara, Canisius and St. Bonaventure was always special to Frank.
Even though it was an intense rivalry, “My dad always had a special feeling and admiration for St. Bonaventure,” per Scott. “Both my dad and I think the world of Jimmy Baron (Canisius coach) and what he has done as a head coach.”
Layden went on to say his dad first brought him to a game when he was in grade school. “My dad was coaching Niagara and Syracuse was visiting the 3,000 seat Gallagher Center on the Niagara campus,” Scott recalled. “Shows you how long ago that was as Syracuse would not play on the Niagara campus today. Anyway, Niagara won and Calvin Murphy had 68 points. And remember that was before a three-point line existed.”
Fast forward to this season, Scott and a Spurs scout go to Syracuse to scout Syracuse-Notre Dame. After it was a stop in a Syracuse eatery. On the wall was a poster size picture of former 6-11 Syracuse standout Roosevelt Bouie dunking. Scott got closer and realized, he was the player down below so to speak, in the photo. Scott played for St. Francis (PA) and remembered the game well.
Some memories may not be as good. Looking back, they are still special.
