MBB: Little East

[ECSUalum]

RIC Eastern tied at 33 halftime.  Horrible close out for the Warriors who were up 5 with 20 seconds remaining and allowed a layup and a 3 pointer following a turnover.   Western, Dartmouth and Keene are your other leaders still about 9 mins left in Westerns game.

The Warriors come back strong in the second half, played some better D, and improved their shooting %, with Salzillo, Preston and Garrow stepping it up with point production.  Fr. Huge Lindo and Jr. Brandon Yarborough were huge on the boards with 13 an 11 respectively, the Warriors winning the rebounding contest 46-29. 
Eastern had 16 TO's on which RIC got 20 points which was not good, so they still need to work on protecting the ball with pressure.

Final scoring for ECSU looked like this:
18   Trachone Preston 
15   Brian Salzillo 
12   Hugh Lindo 
10   Mike Garrow 
  9   Kevin Leumene (a 6'-3" Soph guard who is beginning to really make an impact and  show his talent!!!)
for RIC:
14   Victor Smith 
11   Nyheem Sanders 
9   Austin Cilley 
7   Chris Burton

Eastern Connecticut               Rhode Island College 
27-59 (45.8%) Field goals         24-58 (41.4%)
8-24 (33.3%) 3-Point FGs            2-13 (15.4%)
11-17 (64.7%) Free throws          8-14 (57.1%)

[AllStar]

ECSU 73-58
KSC 78-66
UMD 78-75
WCSU 83-75

[amh63]

ECSU....nice win...go Warriors!  Do not know whether to thank your team for "softening" up RIC for Amherst ...or not for Stirring up RIC for their game in LeFrak next week.
Should be an interesting game.  RIC always plays hard/ tough against the LJs.  Hard team to read this year...seems to have more of an offense this year...but not as good on the defensive side...no t. carter.

[ECSUalum]

ECSU....nice win...go Warriors!  Do not know whether to thank your team for "softening" up RIC for Amherst ...or not for Stirring up RIC for their game in LeFrak next week.
Should be an interesting game.  RIC always plays hard/ tough against the LJs.  Hard team to read this year...seems to have more of an offense this year...but not as good on the defensive side...no t. carter.

Still relatively good D at least vs ECSU, however, although they are scoring more points, their shooting % is not good, seems like they have no real leader this year.  They dodged a bullet against WCSU a couple of days ago!!
Based on interview on LEC TV, Coach Walsh not happy AT ALL with this afternoon performance, HE WAS PISSED!!!

BTW the guy who does RIC's games is really excellent.  Don't know if he is a student or not but a real professional, fair and balanced job!! (the feed from RIC today had a bunch of interruptions with a big one with 3 min left in the game . 

As well, the guys at UMass Dartmouth also do a great job and they are set up with instant replay which is cool.  Just wish LEC TV would move to HD and IMHO we would have the best overall broadcasts, (top to bottom) in the Northeast.

The Lord Jeffs continue to roll,  I looked at UW Stevens Point roster today... they are big and have a couple of really good shooting guards, (Tyler Tillema and Trevor Haas).  I think the LJs will end up facing them this year, maybe for another Walnut and Bronze!!!!

Keep up the great work  Go Lord Jeffs!!!!

[7express]

I don't want to be Dartmouth coming up this week.  Bob Walsh has gotta be going crazy, first the 29 turnovers and the second half implosion at Western Wednesday, and then today at home in the biggest game of the year you get clubbed.  As if that wasn't humiliating enough, Bob Walsh had the players do suicides in front of their family and friends after the game.  You don't want to be the next team that plays RIC, and unfortunately, that team happens to be Dartmouth.

[ECSUalum]

I don't want to be Dartmouth coming up this week.  Bob Walsh has gotta be going crazy, first the 29 turnovers and the second half implosion at Western Wednesday, and then today at home in the biggest game of the year you get clubbed.  As if that wasn't humiliating enough, Bob Walsh had the players do suicides in front of their family and friends after the game.  You don't want to be the next team that plays RIC, and unfortunately, that team happens to be Dartmouth.

Suicides!!!! WOW!!  Would not want to be an Anchorman today

[7express]

Yah.  They were running a lot too.  I saw a good 5 minutes of them doin it, and it didn't look like they were anywhere near being done when I finally left.  First time I have EVER seen suicides right after a game.  As you said Alum, definitely don't want to be an anchorman today.

[pjunito]

Coach Walsh ripping a page out of Herb Brooks playbook....Again! Again! Again!

[7express]

Saturday results:

Western beats USM 83-75.  Jacob Littlefield had 16 points off the bench for the Huskies.  All5 of Western's starters scored in double figures lead by Tony Seldon's 16 and Joe Groski had 11 points & 12 rebounds.  Considering they were up 20 at halftime and only won by 8 I'm not very impressed.  That was an opponent we had to put away early.
Eastern takes control of the conference with a win @ RIC 73-58.  Victor Smith had 14 for RIC and Nyheem Sanders had 11 off the bench; Trachone Preston lead all scorers with 18 points while Hugh Lindo had 12 points & 13 rebounds which included a posterising dunk.  I can't believe Lindo is only a freshmen, he's going to be absolutely phenominal by the time his career is over @ Eastern, while Brian Salzillo had 15 points on 5 3 pointers, and all 5 3 pointers were meaningful.  After a back and forth opening first couple minutes, Salzillo hit a 3 from the top of the key to give Eastern the lead at 11-8 where they stood until the final 20 seconds of the first half where RIC scored the halves final 5 points.  On Easter's first possession of the second half, he gave Eastern the lead for good at 36-33, and after RIC cut the lead to 1 at 43-42, Salzillo hit a 3 and got fouled.  He missed the free throw, but on the next possession, made up for it by hitting another 3 to put Eastern up 5 after a Victor Smith basket cut the Warriors lead to 2.  Salzillo's finally tally of the day came about halfway through the second where he nailed a 3 from the top of the key to put Eastern back up 5 after 2 Chris Burton free throws made the score 49-47.  That final Salzillo 3 started a game-clinching 24-11 run to end the game for the Warriors.  That now gives the Warriors, with the tiebreakers in hand (since they'll win tiebreakers over anyone in the conference based on sweeping RIC unless they get swept by Western) a 3 game lead over the Anchorman and at least a 4+ game lead over everyone else with just 7 games remaining.  Eastern will have to go into a complete tailspin in February to get caught, and what I saw from this team today, I just don't see that happening.  I think they really could finish unbeaten in the conference.  Granted, this years RIC team isn't good, but if you go into the Murray Center, and completely clobber them like Eastern did (everytime I thought RIC was going to back in the game, Eastern countered.  Every.Single.Time!), you can beat everyone else in the conference.  No disrespect to Mr & Mrs. Garrow, Mr & Mrs. Salzillo, ECSUalum, Warriorcat, any other Eastern fans I'm kinda hoping Eastern loses a couple just to make this somewhat interesting these final few weeks, and gives us something to talk about.  They win @ Western, they'll win the conference by 3+ games and the race for all intents & purposes will be over before February because that's really there last toughest game remaining this year.  Done with RIC, and already played Dartmouth & Plymouth on the road.
Dartmouth over Plymouth 78-75.  Shomari Morgan had 18 to lead the Panthers and Petey Skevas chipped in 15.  All5 Corsair starters registered double digits in scoring lead by Ryan Walsh with 14.  Plymouth was actually leading with just over a minute to play, and Alex Burt turned the ball over with 2 seconds left to seal the win for the Corsairs.
Keene beat Boston 78-68.  Carl Joseph had 16 in a rare appearance coming off the bench for the Beacons, while Omar Benabica had a team high 18.  Tom Doyle lead Keene with 18, Nick Gagliolo had 14  off the bench and Nate Howard had 11 points & 10 rebounds.

44-34 LEC; 73-31 me.

Standings:
1) Eastern 7-0 (13-4)
2) RIC 5-2 (11-6)
2) Dartmouth 12-5 (5-2)
4) Western 4-3 (11-5)
5) Plymouth 3-4 (9-8)
5) Keene 3-4 (6-10)
7) USM 1-6 (5-12)
8) Boston 0-7 (5-12).  Dartmouth lost once to Plymouth, so RIC would get the higher seed if the tournament started today.  Likewise, with Plymouth's win vs. Dartmouth, they get the higher seed vs. Keene.  This is the way I'll sort the tiebreakers, even though the d-3 hoops page lists it by more wins.  If I can figure out who would win the tiebreaker in a timely manner I'll put the team who would win on top.  if I can't, then I'll just go by # of wins.

Schedule:
Tuesday, January 28:
Eastern @ Western 7:30 PM
Dartmouth @ RIC 7:30 PM
Keene @ Plymouth 7:30 PM
Boston @ USM 7:30.  Dartmouth/RIC looks like the best game with Eastern/Western a close second.

Wednesday, January 29:
Amherst @ Rhode Island College 7:00 PM.

Saturday, February 1:
RIC @ Boston 3 PM
Western @ Dartmouth 3 PM
Plymouth @ Eastern 3 PM
USM @ Keene.  Dartmouth/Western looks to be the best game that day

[ECSUalum]

7,

Great recap of the ECSU@ RIC game!
I think Coach Geitner mentioned in an interview on the Eastern Athletics web site a couple of weeks ago that the Warriors had some mental toughness issues in those games in Florida.  He preaches that transitioning from a good team to an excellent team is all about getting better each game and in practice and learning from mistakes made in the past and making fewer and fewer as a team progresses into the end of the season.  I think his team is showing this is true.  Eastern has a lot of talent and some relatively young, but mental toughness is something that separates a good player from a great player, and Eastern is starting to show this toughness and I think correct old mistakes.

BTW if Eastern does lose a few conference games going forward, ( ie to make the conference more interesting), my whole above premise goes up in smoke.

Huge Lindo is definitely going to be an outstanding player, especially if he puts on some weight/height and does some strength training over the next 3 yrs. (I saw him close up at the Amherst game and he really is not that big, but boy can he jump!! and seems to know where to be on the floor from a rebounding standpoint!!!).

In the next couple of years, if Coach Geitner can mold a Warrior team that can score like Robitaille did on the inside, (hopefully molding a 6-11 David Canny), and have the 2/3 pt shooting prowess of the current team, then and only then can the team graduate to play with the higher echelon top 10 ranked D3 teams of the likes of Amherst, Cabrini, Williams, UW-SP etc etc.
My wife and I will be at the O'Neill Center's Feldman Arena on Tues.  I will be wearing a Eastern Baseball cap most likely sitting behind the ECSU bench.  Hoping to say hello if you are there Tue

Still remember that great ECSU/WCSU game @ the O'Neill Center (2 years ago?) when the Colonials won with a buzzer beating lay-up off a DQBrooks assist

[7express]

I'll probably be there.  If so, I usually sit opposite the benches with a Nationals baseball cap, so stop on by.  I was debating between this & Dartmouth/RIC, but since my parents are gonna be out of town, I'll probably save Dartmouth/RIC for later this year when someone can be home for the dog, lol.

As for Tuesday results:
Eastern 73 @ Western 68.
It's supposed to be a white out there or something, at least that's what I've heard, so it sounds like it's gonna be crazy.  As I said the other day, the conference is all but over with an Eastern win, so if they want to make the race exciting, and give us something to talk about, they'll drop this game, and at least give the other 7 teams a slither of hope, but they are just a well oiled machine right now cruising along, I don't think 1,000+ (if Western even gets that much) at Feldman arena will slow them down.  If you beat RIC at the Murray Center as bad as they did, you're a damn good team, and Western has lost at home to RIC & Dartmouth and on the road to Keene, all 3 teams Eastern beat relatively easily (the Dartmouth score was only like 8 or 9, but they were up double figures the majority of that second half).
Dartmouth 66 @ RIC 76.
RIC isn't very good, and Dartmouth may very well be the second best team in the conference, especially with those freshmen guards (Tucker Bouchard & Ryan Walsh) putting up an insane amount of points, but with how bad RIC was embarrassed on Saturday, they'll take it out on Dartmouth.  If RIC plays as poorly here as they did vs. Eastern & Western, Bob Walsh's head might explode.
Keene 64 @ Plymouth 71.
Keene has beaten them 7 straight times overall, and 4 straight times in Plymouth, but that should change this year.
Boston 63 @ USM 79.
If USM can't beat Boston at home, who are they going to be able to beat again this year??

[7express]

7express's annual LEC midseason report card.  Since Saturday concluded conference game #7, that means we are officially halfway through season.  Man, where does the time go??  Seems like just 2 days ago was the first practice, and just yesterday was the first game, and now we only have 7/8/9 games left in the regular season.  With that out of the way, let's go through the first half of the season, some storylines to watch, and games to watch the rest of the year:

Standings: Note, these standings will look if the tournament started today, so even though Dartmouth is listed first on the conference page, RIC would actually be the 2 seed in the conference tournament & Dartmouth would be 3rd.
1) Eastern 7-0 (13-4)
2) RIC 5-2 (11-6)
2) Dartmouth 5-2 (12-5)
4) Western 4-3 (11-5)
5) Plymouth 3-4 (9-8)
5) Keene 3-4 (6-10)
7) USM 1-6 (5-12)
8) Boston 0-7 (5-12). 
As noted above RIC would be the 2 seed & Dartmouth would be the 3 seed due to Dartmouth being 1-1 vs. Plymouth while RIC is currently 1-0.  Likewise, Plymouth would be the 5th seed & Keene would be the 6th seed because Plymouth is 1-1 vs. Dartmouth while Keene is 0-1.
Games to watch the rest of the season:
Eastern @ Western Tuesday, January 28
Dartmouth @ RIC, Tuesday, January 28
Western @ Dartmouth, Saturday, February 1
Western @ RIC, Tuesday, February 11
Dartmouth @ Eastern, Saturday, February 15
RIC @ Dartmouth, Tuesday, February 18
Western @ Eastern, Tuesday, February 18

All Conference selections:
Player of the year: Brian Salzillo- Eastern

First team:
Salzillo
Mike Garrow- Eastern
Tucker Bouchard- Dartmouth
Carl Joseph- Boston
Tom Doyle- Keene
Conor Sullivan- USM

Rookie of the year:
Tucker Bouchard- Dartmouth.

All rookie team:
Bouchard
Austin Cilley- RIC
Hugh Lindo- Eastern
Ryan Walsh- Dartmouth
Curtis Arsenault- Plymouth
Jerry Washington- Western.  If he counts as a rookie.  He's a sophomore, but hasn't played at all.  Does he count as a rookie??  if he doesn't count, I'll go with Logan Kesty of Plymouth to round out the list.

Biggest disappointment:
USM.  I figured last year they took advantage of a down year for the conference as a whole, and probably weren't gonna be very good, but 1-6 through the first 7 is shocking!  I figured they'd be around 4-3/3-4 at this time.
Biggest surprise:
Dartmouth.  It helps bringing in some talented freshmen guards that can really shoot the ball, but last year they finished last, and this year may very well be the second best team in the conference behind Eastern.
Team with the most to gain contenders division (team in 4th or better):
Western.  Still have 2 games left vs. Eastern, have finished all of the "long" road trips, and after this Saturday only have 2 more road games left the rest of the season.  Are currently in 4th, but of their final 7, 4 are at home and 4 of the 7 are against teams currently in front of them.
Team with the most to gain non-contenders division (team in 5th or worse):
Southern Maine.  They finished with Western, and still have 2 games to play vs. 8th place Boston.  They also get RIC & Eastern at home back-to-back weekends to end the season.  I don't think it's going to happen, but they could potentially finish in 5th.
Team with the most to lose contenders division:
RIC.  They finished with Eastern which is good, and have Western at home, but still have to play Dartmouth twice, and have that dreaded Maine trip to USM coming up in February.  Each year they also seem to lay a stinker at least once on the road and that hasn't happened yet, but they do have potential speed bumps at USM and at Boston to fulfill that road stinker
Team with the most to lose non-contenders division:
The loser of USM-Boston.  Combined they are 1-13 in conference, have lost a combined 15 straight games, have lost 17 of their last 18 combined games.  Who whoever loses this game, who are they going to beat in conference??

[lildave678]

Hey 7/ECSU, can either of you give me some info on David Canny, the freshman big man from Eastern? I'm an NVL guy (he went to Torrington) and I was just wondering how he was doing. He never really dominated (the way he SHOULD) in a high school league where he was the biggest guy by half a foot in every game, but seemed like he had some decent skills. From what I gathered early on, he was playing a bit but now he barely gets in? Does the kid from Naugatuck - Brandon Kuc...don't know the rest haha - get more/any time?

[amh63]

7....wow, need to correct one of your post.  RIC 's game on Wednesday...a day following the Tuesday's meeting with Dartmouth....is in LeFrak.  Amherst went to RIC last year for their win.

[7express]

Hey 7/ECSU, can either of you give me some info on David Canny, the freshman big man from Eastern? I'm an NVL guy (he went to Torrington) and I was just wondering how he was doing. He never really dominated (the way he SHOULD) in a high school league where he was the biggest guy by half a foot in every game, but seemed like he had some decent skills. From what I gathered early on, he was playing a bit but now he barely gets in? Does the kid from Naugatuck - Brandon Kuc...don't know the rest haha - get more/any time?

Canny didn't get into the game on Saturday as far as I'm aware.  Maybe he got injured??  Kucisnsky(sp??) started, and played about 20-25 minutes.  A couple good plays, but nothing spectacular that stood out however.  Alum would probably know more on those 2 players.