MBB: USA South Conference

[narch]

j - thanks for recognizing the "now" in my earlier post...i guess since we haven't tipped off the 05-06 season yet, i consider the fact that mc is the reigning conference champions to be the here-and-now  - at the very least, it's much more recent than the success that cnu enjoyed in ratcliffe - maybe i should have said "the monarchs have ruled the roost the last 3 seasons"

if memory serves me correct, mc was picked #5, #4 and #1 in the last 3 pre-season polls...this team understands how to play with the bulls-eye and this fan understands that pre-season polls don't mean jack - forgive me for being excited about the possibility of continued success in the conference with this team - i think they COULD be better than they were last year, but everyone thinks that before the season tips off, don't they?

[eddie]

got my tickets baby.  i just saw dp last friday hes doing good theese days.  my best highlights always came from b.jones dunking on the other teams center.  actually he dunked on the whole team.  i cant remember anyone latly with ups like he had.  im sure narch will find somebody

[captj]

Sorry, this reminiscing thing has me worked up.  How about that 1999-2000 (25-3) team we had –

All-World Antoine Sinclair (Jr.) led the team in scoring and rebounding (19.7/11.5)
Brandon Jones (Sr.) on one wing (17.6/5.6), and like eddie mentioned; he could jump through the rafters
Tiran Matthews (Sr.) on the other wing shooting 40% on threes (9.3 ppg)
Kenny Stokes (Sr.) was like a man among boys down in the paint; huge heart, great defender
Albert Haskins (So.) finally beat out Aaron Morris (a Florida State transfer) a third of the way through the season to win the point guard job

Terry Gray (Fr.) never started but still averaged 20 min/gm
Tyrell Veney (Fr.) would bruise and abuse opposing basketball and football players for a very long time
Rod Carey (Fr.) would become our best player years later
Jeremy Boykins (Fr.) was the brother of a CNU legend
Donte Henderson (Jr.) played in every game and shot 50% from the field (8.8 ppg)
Jimmy Moorman (Sr.) – Didn't he start at point guard a year earlier?
Louis Park (Fr.) transferred to VWC and became a starter there

What a team!!!  And look at how this team was DEVELOPED; lots of guys that played many, many years in the silver and blue.  We'll be back!!!!!

[cnufan]

Kenny Stokes was a man cause he was 28 when he started here!!

[narch]

What a team!!!  And look at how this team was DEVELOPED; lots of guys that played many, many years in the silver and blue.  We'll be back!!!!!

out of curiosity...how many of those guys were transfers? i know gray was a mid-season juco transfer...wasn't jones an odu transfer (i could be confusing him with someone else)? any others aside from morris?

[cnufan]

Lets see. B.Jones came from ODU, Stokes was a transfer, Terry was a Norfolk kid but came back from a juco, and thats it. They were the only transfers on that team.


By the way, its almost game time!!

[eddie]

see u at da game goose
go capts

[cnufan]

Barn burner here in Freeman. 71-70 with 4 seconds left and Davon Barton at the line. SOVA is up.

[cnufan]

Damn if we havent played an OT game in almost two years and we start this year off with one. 75-71 CNU with 4 left.

[cnufan]

Playing without Jeremy Romeo and Korey Lewis, the Captains come from behind and defeat Southern Virginia 84-76.  Details to come.

[eddie]

great game by #11  he played real good for a freshmen.  the only problem i had with the game was the two guys that started down low were horrible but #33 and #43 played great they need to be the first big men in the game when lewis gets back.  i didnt see mcsheperd play at all.  he had a few write ups in the daily press so i figured we would see him out there

[cnufan]

Eddie-
    Dont blast the Blasingame kid. Ya he looked tentative out there, but give him a couple games and he's gonna be beast. He did have three blocks and six boards. He's just a freshman, he is going to develop into a great player.

     Barton was good, but eratic at teams. 0-of-7 from behind the arc. He too is a freshman and will only get better. But 21, 9 assists and 8 boards in his first game was solid and Edward Riley is going to be a beast. 19 and 13, reminds me of Sam Porter but not as thick.

[Hampton U SID]

goose
what happened?  SVU that good this year?

[ballgame]

Goose, God bless your perspective.  It was a little disappointing and you can see it's a work in progress, but it will keep getting better as things settle.  Did you watch SVA warm-up before the game...they were all shooting from behind the arc.  They finished 7-25, but they definitely got some good looks.  Looked like they were a little leg weary late.  Plus they could not handle pressure at all--thank goodness!  Have to give all the credit in the world to Barton he really stepped up, as did Coleman and Riley.  It'll be nice to see Romeo and Lewis back in uniform Tuesday.    It's a long and winding road....we'll see where it leads.....

[captj]

Some good observations by all on the CNU OT win.  Here are some more –

SoVA was definitely tired at the end of the game, but so were our guys.  We basically had the same unit in for the duration of the comeback and you could see their exhaustion when CJ called timeout near the end.  HUGE heart in that comeback win.  You can't teach guts, and these guys had it.  Selden really impressed me, as did Matt Coleman.  Coleman played with intensity the entire game, and although he's still a project his strength and determination will help us out a lot.

However, for the first 30-35 minutes of the game I wasn't too impressed with our guy's determination.  Sure they responded down the stretch, but there were times when we just seemed to be on automatic pilot.  Defensively, we allowed way too many uncontested shots and layups.  On the other hand, SoVA was prepared after playing 5 games already, and played with intensity EVERY SINGLE SECOND of the regulation period.  That's why they forced so many turnovers and created so many open shots for themselves.  But when we stormed back and pushed it into OT it seemed like they were just too stunned and tired to stay with us.  We need to learn to play with that CONSISTENT intensity.

Edward Riley will be very, very good for the Captains.  He's not going to be intimidated by anyone.  Double-double (19/13) in his first game on 9 of 12 shooting.  Great start, and welcome to Newport News, Mr. Riley.

I'd have liked to see more from Blasingame.  I talked to CNU85 at the game and he made the comment that maybe the speed of college ball surprised him.  I think that's likely.  Game will be better though.  I liked his stroke on the free throws he made.  Nothing but net.

Davon Barton threw a coming out party for himself.  My concerns about the point guard position have officially been expunged.  He didn't shoot very efficiently but still put up 21 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists, 4 turnovers, 5 steals.  He might have been the exception to my comment that we didn't play with intensity during the first 35 minutes.  When others around him weren't getting it done he stepped up big time.

Because of the suspension of our two top players, I suspect/hope that these two will be fired up on Tuesday.  We're going to need that and more (like 40 minutes of the intensity we saw in the last ten against SoVA).  I hope that the students will still be on campus and will fill the stands.