The Northeast Conference named Charlie Buscaglia of Robert Morris as Women’s Coach of the Year. The Colonials finished 23-7 overall and 17-1 in the NEC. They survived a scare in the NEC quarterfinals, defeating Wagner in overtime. Sacred Heart was the semifinal opponent, but that game was not to be as COVID-19 ended the season.
With all due respect, my choice would have been Ang Szumilo of FDU. The first-year mentor guided the Knights to a 13-17 record with a 9-9 NEC mark. FDU finished with a third seed in the standings, hosting their first tournament home game since 1997. In addition, the finish was the highest since 1992-93.
FDU began the season with seven straight defeats. Injuries and some just bad bounces of the ball were contributing factors. Through it all Szumilo and her Knights stayed the course and kept working with an upbeat mindset. They finished the regular season with two straight wins, including a road win at Mt. St. Mary’s that clinched third place. In the NEC quarterfinals, they defeated Bryant at home. The return to the Mount set for three days later was cancelled.
Through it all Szumilo kept an even demeanor. Never one to call out a player individually, she might cite a poor close out or excessive turnovers as something “we have to do better.”
Szumilo’s group genuinely enjoyed playing for her and spoke about it. Individually they improved under her watch. As a team they were better each time out and by season’s end were completely different from the one taking the floor the first week of November.
In pre-season Robert Morris, the defending conference champion, was the unanimous number one pick to win the conference. Playing as a favorite as everyone’s target is no easy feat. Buscaglia and his charges handled the challenges throughout the campaign. That, in itself, is a commendable accomplishment.
FDU was a pre-season ninth pick. To start out as they did and ultimately finish where they did was an excellent achievement.
Again, with utmost respect for Buscaglia and Robert Morris, my choice for NEC Coach of the Year would have been Ang Szumilo.
Speaking of predictions…On the men’s side Merrimack was chosen 11th (that’s out of 11 teams) in the NEC men’s pre-season poll. They finished first in the league. As former FDU mentor Tom Green often said, “today’s predictions wind up in tomorrow’s bird cage.”
In an almost cruel joke, a few days after the season was shut down a book arrived from Amazon: How to Win Your NCAA Tournament Pool.
It is tough to watch the replays on television. I simply miss the live games. I did enjoy seeing the Syracuse-UConn 6 OT game in the 2009 Big East Tournament, having covered it live. Also the Providence-Villanova 2018 Big East Final with respective coaches and class acts Ed Cooley and Jay Wright on opposite sidelines.
Getting back on the topic of books: do yourself a favor and pay the twenty something dollars (it is readily available online) and purchase John Feinstein’s latest work, The Back Roads to March. Feinstein chronicled the 2018-19 season by traveling to the game’s highways and byways. In his entertaining and informative style he recounts the individual games by including backgrounds on the coaches and programs of the particular schools. A current theme per Feinstein is how you can find dedicated (sometimes better) coaches and players often playing ‘under the radar’. He even reserved a chapter to recount a visit with retired Mt. St. Mary’s coach Jim Phelan, whom he feels (and I second) should be enshrined in Springfield.
Another gem from the veteran writer, Back Roads to March is required reading if you love the college game, especially the mid-majors. And you will learn about Farmville, Virginia in the process.
Simulations are quite the rage these days. The NY Post had one using whatifsports.com as the method of playing the entire NCAA Tournament. In the Post’s Final Four the field was Seton Hall, Duke, Oregon and “gate crasher” East Tennessee State. The final saw the Pirates defeat Duke 97-84. Myles Powell and Quincy McKnight scored 17 points each to lead Kevin Willard’s group to the simulated promised land.
Rutgers was one of several programs having their season and dreams cut short in early March. The Scarlet Knights missed the first Big Dance in about three decades but did get some great news. Cliff Omoruyi, a four-star prospect, committed to Rutgers. The 6’11” big man out of Roselle Catholic (NJ) is a consensus top 50 recruit and a significant addition for Steve Pikiell and his staff. Onthebanks.com noted Omoruyi had official visits to Auburn, Arizona State and Rutgers. He made his decision while deciding not to visit UConn and Kentucky. The site also noted Pikiell offered Omoruyi his freshman year in high school and pursued him ever since. It all paid off in a big way.
Everyone stay well and stay safe!
