MBB: New Jersey Athletic Conference

[Pat Coleman]

Talk about stacking a tournament to give yourselves a quick start.  That is what a lot of teams do though.

I believe those are referred to as Cupcake Classics. (Copyright Ray Martel.)

[Knightstalker]

NJCU kicks off the NJAC season tonight at MSU, unfortunately I will not be able to make this game, I will make the game against John Jay next Monday night though.

[Coach C]

The alternate name for the Cupcake Classic is "Wilkes University vs. 3 Bible Schools Classic"

C

[Knightstalker]

I believe I have the lineup here for the ultimate "Cupcake Classic" listed in seeding order.
IWU
RU-Camden
Centenary
Medaille

I wasn't sure who to put three and four both were winless last year I believe so I went with alphabetical order.

[Mr. Ypsi]

I believe I have the lineup here for the ultimate "Cupcake Classic" listed in seeding order.
IWU
RU-Camden
Centenary
Medaille

I wasn't sure who to put three and four both were winless last year I believe so I went with alphabetical order.

Stalker, LOL!

But don't go shamin' my Titans - they annually put together one of the toughest schedules in d3.  They would NEVER put together a tourney like that!

[Truck]

Wow...

Ramapo lost its' NJAC Opener:

Rutgers-Newark 88   
Ramapo 80



Ramapo got off to a great start, scoring 10 straight points. In the early going, Ramapo was up 12-2.

17:41 First Half - At that point, the momentum shifted towards R-N and they never looked back. R-N played at their own pace for the entire game.

Ramapo simply lost in their own gym. They had too many turnovers and mistakes. At one point, they had possession three times in a row, and never took a shot. All three possessions resulted in three straight turnovers.

The season is still young and hopefully, if the team starts listening to Chuck, they will get back on track.

[Coach C]

Truck -

Are you saying that there are issues with the team not following coaching?

C

[Knightstalker]

Coach C, I don't know about Ramapo last night but it is fairly common for some NJAC teams, NJCU included and Ramapo sometimes to not listen to the coach at the beginning of the season.  This is usually the newer players the ones that have been around long enough know better.  Coach Brown at NJCU handles it very easily, you don't listen, you sit until you learn to listen.  I think Coach McBreen does it the same way, I have seen good players sitting on his bench stewing because they want playing time, but need to learn a lesson.

NJCU lost its NJAC opener last night to MSU 89-82.  Gonzales had a monster night 40 points and 18 of 18 at the line tying the school record set against JCSC in 1962 and topping his personal best of 17.  (information above curtesy of the press release on D3Hoops).  It is tough to overcome a performance like that.  Gonzales is good and keeps getting better, talk about a key transfer.  He is good and has stuck around, Teddy Basketball got a good one with this kid.

[Truck]

Truck -

Are you saying that there are issues with the team not following coaching?

C

The team was just making too many mistakes.

1) You cannot take the ball down the court on offense three times in a row and not take a shot because of careless turnovers.

2) In a 3 on 1 situation, you have to pass the ball to the open man and get a clean layup, instead of going up by yourself and getting fouled. Take the easy baskets. 

3) Free throws were a big part last night with Ramapo hitting 44% in the second half from the line. 

4) There was a lack of defense throughout the game. R-N shot 58% from the field. That cannot happen if you expect to win.

In the last minute of the game, Ramapo finally decided to pressure the inbounds pass. It took R-N three tries to get the ball in play. That is defense. That is the way they should have played the entire game.

This is a good group of guys. They have a great starting lineup of Wilson, Lowber, Malko (very impressed with him last night) on the front line, Quameir Harding who is a great defender and Antoine Pryor, who brings the ball up are in the backcourt.

Ahmad Mosby, John Wojic and freshman Tim Wesley are key players off the bench.

With Chuck's leadership, I know they will have a great season. But they did not play Ramapo style basketball last night.

[Rhodes Scholar]

I saw my first game of the season last night: NJCU @ MSU. Great performance by Gonzalez, who thoroughly dominated inside. Although he slowed down somewhat in the second half, the Gothic Knights were pretty much helpless defensively against him. Jamal Ford, MSU's shooting guard, had a nice game and hit a couple of shots down the stretch. Jonathan Arthur, who can play the 3 or 4, is a very good athlete who can run the floor and rebound. He is a freshman but he is starting and contributing immediately. Elliot Solop, a freshman who can also play either forward spot, is physical and has good instincts. Although Ford is solid, I think that MSU's major problem may be in the backcourt. They lack a solid point guard and their reserves are small and inexperienced.

NJCU has one of the best players in the conference in Mark Washington, but he's going to need help if they're going to win. Charles Coles can hit 3's and Rob Freeney can take the ball to the basket and create. Devin Davis is a good shot blocker and intimidator inside, but his lack of bulk can be a problem at times. It looks like James Kaiser is their best low-post player. The Knights' major weaknesses appear to be a lack of size and a paucity of interior scorers.

[Coach C]

Truck -

Good points indeed.  The most telling is the 585 shooting.  I have never seen a team win with defense that shoddy.  Free throws, well they call it a charity stripe for a reason.. you have to take advantage.  The other stuff happens sometimes, especially early in the season.  it usually  means that the guys are not onfident in each other yet.  Only winning helps tht heppen on a team where it is an issue.

C

[Truck]

I know that playing more with each other will help the guys gain confidence in their teammates. A team has to win when all players are on the same page. You cannot win with a group of individuals playing for themselves.

All in all, it was only one game for Ramapo that they should have won but didn't. They still have a long season to go and Chuck will get them playing the right way by next game.   

[Rhodes Scholar]

I saw NJCU beat Rutgers-Newark, 68-59, last night. NJCU led by 17 with seven minutes remaining in the second half, but Newark fought back and managed to get the lead down to three with a couple of minutes to go.

Rutgers-Newark is a good team that has already beaten Ramapo this year. They have one of the conference's best players in junior forward Jermont Horton. Center Chinedu Ibeh is a pretty good rebounder and can get you a couple of points as well. Guard Chadd Barnes, who may be the best freshman in the conference, is super quick and can shoot, but he's a bit undisciplined and forces the issue at times.

The Raiders have a lot of newcomers and young players, but Coach Loughran uses his bench and has the team playing aggressively and with increasing confidence. If this team gets solid floor leadership and cuts down on mental mistakes, they should be tough.

With the win NJCU demonstrates that they're still a respectable team and one that is  capable of beating anyone in the conference. It was a solid, all-around team effort. The Knights were led by James Kaiser, who was aggressive from the start and a bit too physical inside for Newark's big men.

[njlincolnlion]

I see Amin Wright, Ramapo's former star is playing for the Newark Express of the ABA and the coach is Darryl Dawkins aka "Chocolate Thunder".  I think Shaheen Holloway, and John Morton from Seton Hall are also on the Express.

[Knightstalker]

Just got back from Glassboro, saw the NJCU men and women sweep an NJAC double header from the Profs.