MBB: Great Northeast Athletic Conference

[lildave678]

For your viewing pleasure, here's Mr. Tavon Sledge

http://instagram.com/p/vRr7GpAwP_/#

[Saint-Paul]

      Just finished reading the preseason media interview with the Emmanuel coach and was surprised to learn that the five year rebuilding program has been declared officially over.  No mention of the 37 players who quit the team in the last five years, the focus of the article was on the two transfers, 6'7" and 6'8" post players who will make the Saints immediately competitive for the GNAC championship. That is a bold statement since there is no basis to tell if these guys are able to play together or with the other returning players.  After all, the Emmanuel coach does not have a great track record in building team chemistry. A more reasonable prediction would have been for no more 60 point losses at home in front of all the students and alumni who support the team.  The upcoming tip off tournament with some mid level D-3 programs ( Regis and Wentworth )  will tell a lot about how this season will go.  The third through eighth GNAC conference spots appear to be wide open this year and the timing would be right to end the rebuilding process with 12 win season.  Let's hope these post players know what a skip pass to the open wing means. We will find out soon.

[D3HoopJunkie]

D3hoops.com just released their preseason All-Americans and Albertus Magnus senior Big Vic....Victor Ljuljduraj has been named to the Third Team. A nice preseason accomplishment for Vic. Just to be nominated is truly quite an achievement when you think of how many players there are in the entire country at the D3 level. He is a fantastic ball player and appears to be a great kid as well judging by the way he carries himself on the court. Very level headed player who never seems to get too heated but still plays the game with great passion. A well deserved honor. He will be a double double machine this year with his rebounding ability and his two outstanding guards in Davis and Sledge getting him the ball on the post where he can go to work and put up points!

[lildave678]

D3, I know it was a scrimmage (lot of experimenting I'd imagine) but did your buddy say who started for the Falcons? Did Sledge simply fill in for Darius, with it being Davis-Jennings-Sledge-Larsen-Vic or did another JuCo/Transfer/Surprising Freshman crack the starting lineup?

[D3HoopJunkie]

Lildave, he did not say exactly. Unfortunately he doesnt know the Falcons like all of us do but he did say that the players that started the game for both teams were clearly legitmate starting 5 lineups. If I had to guess I would think your assumption of Eian, Jennings, Sledge, Larson and Vic seems pretty accurate on what our starting 5 will be this season.     

[lildave678]

SHOCKER SPECIAL: Albertus picked number 1 in the GNAC Preseason poll. 6th straight time...

ACTUAL SHOCKER SPECIAL: Who didn't vote for AMC? Obviously Mitch can't vote for the Falcons so that's one vote, but a second vote went elsewhere as JWU and St. Joes each got one. Maybe it's because we still don't have a roster posted

[D3HoopJunkie]

Very shocked! I guess I can take a couple jabs at what coach might have picked against the Falcons but in the end does it really matter? I mean maybe this coach whoever it may be was trying to make a statement? Let the league know that their not backing down to the Falcons? I have no idea but I know the players read the preseason polls including our posts here and I must say......that coach may have just added fuel to the fire for the Falcons. In sports I usually refer to it as the Steinbrenner effect......no one likes you when your on top that's the plain and simple truth but ask Coach Oliver and the players if they care what the other teams think because I can assure you they don't.

[D3HoopJunkie]

On a lighter note.....here is a nice little video that was on WTNH Sportzedge about Big Vic being named not only a preseason All American but an exotic fruit as well.......Just watch the video and you'll catch my drift!!

http://sportzedge.com/2014/11/12/albertus-magnus-students-try-to-pronounce-the-name-of-their-all-american-center-victor-ljuljdjuraj/

[D3HoopJunkie]

Game Day!!!!! Gotta love it!! Good luck to the Falcons and all GNAC team in their seasons!!!

Thankfully the Albertus games are being broadcasted this weekend so Falcon supporters make sure you all check this team out at 5:30. As mentioned it is game day and Albertus is yet to post a roster. I suppose there's always time for Coach Oliver to land one last recruit LOL so they might as well keep it open and wait till 5:29 tonight.

Dunk Haven!!

[falcons2010]

Roster goes up at 5:29:59.

Dunk Haven!

[falcons2010]

Great video Junkie. Sad part is there was only one freshmen in that clip. All those students were athletes, there is only 550 students and not one got it right?!?!?!?!

Can't wait to see the rotations this weekend. It's a long season so we have to remember that there will be adjustments.

Go Falcons

[D3HoopJunkie]

Well the Falcons picked up the W yesterday and managed to score 110 points but by no means was it a pretty win. Way to many turnovers, very lazy defensively and they were atrocious from the free throw line. And again after all this they still scored 110 points and won by 28. Goes to show you how good this team really is. The matchup today against Richard Stockton will be a good one. Even tho Stockton narrowly got past a far less superior Wilkes-Barre team this is the matchup that everyone envisioned for the championship game when this tournament field was announced. This will be a good contest for both teams and should open the eyes of outside viewers for both programs.

Gametime is scheduled for 6PM.......Go Falcons!!! Dunk Haven!!!

P.S. Where are all the GNAC posters from last season??? Lets go guys!!

[falcons2010]

This is pjunito, had to change screen names because i no longer have an American OnLine account.

Very quickly, does anyone know why shaq mitchell didn't play for Albertus?

[Saint-Paul]

     Well let's recap the Saints Tip Off tournament.  The week started
with the coach making a bold announcement in the preseason media
interview that the five year rebuilding program has been declared
officially over. The two transfers, 6'7" and 6'8" post players are
suppose to make the Saints immediately competitive for the GNAC
championship. That statement may have been a tad premature !

   In the opening game of the home tip off tournament the Saints got blown out
by Regis, a team that only won 11 games last year.  Emmanuel was down by
25 points most of the second half. The Saints trademark full court man
press held Regis to 51% shooting from the field and provided Regis with
excellent shot selection. Meanwhile, the Saints were launching 18 three
point shots, making just 4,  while committing 19 turnovers.   Has the
rebuilding program really ended ? Those stats sound exactly the same as
last years team, only with different names and jerseys numbers.

    In the consolation game the Saints eeked out a 47 - 40 third place
win over a terrible Wentworth team.  The score was 19 to 15 at half time
with both teams having more turnovers than field goals. Once again the
Saints totaled 20 turnovers and shot 3 for 12 from the 3 point arc.
Hardly a statement game that will scare the GNAC foes.

    In two games the 6'8" transfer totaled 14 points and the 6'7"
transfer totaled 18 points.  The Saints fans should be a little hesitant
to run out and purchase NCAA tickets on the basis of this tip off
tournament.

    Now for the good news.  Only one player quit the Emmanuel team
this week.  The published roster went from 16 down to 15 players this
week. By last years standards that was a success.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

I went to the game tonight at Richard Stockton.  Here's my recap reposted from the Top 25 Board:

I went to Stockton tonight.  Google gave me the wrong exit number twice, but I got there in plenty of time.  I did not meet TGHIJGSTO!, but if this game is indicative of how things go there, I can understand why he is as he is.

I'll start with overall impressions, then address each team:

I've never been part of such a clusterf*** of a game.  I know it is early in the season, but it was a parade of "what will happen next."  The refs blew a few calls early (it is the beginning of their season, too) and the players and coaches got on them hard.  I would have called a T on both teams within the first 90 seconds.  I've never seen refs put up with that kind of abuse.  In the first half, it was totally unjustified - but the emotional energy of the outrage had opposite effects on the teams.  Eian Davis from AMC just lost his mind early on and was never a factor.  Whereas Stockton used the energy to lock down and focus.  They got out to a huge lead.

In the second half, the refs seemed to give into pressure and just started failing left and right.  I have absolutely no ties to either team, but it was just such a clueless half of officiating.  They had to stop the game twice to clean blood off the floor, but the refs refused to call anything but touch fouls.  A handcheck up top or a hand brushing an arm on a block attempt drew quick whistles - nailing some guy with an elbow got a play on.

At one point, one of the Stockton guards drove the lane and gave such a blatant push-off that even the home crowd was all murmuring "charge."  The side ref, with a perfect view called offensive foul, the guy behind the basket, blocked by the defender, called block.  The guy with the view deferred.  It was a huge momentum swing and foul #3 on Big Vic from AMC, early in the second half.

Things got worse from there.  Not just the refs, but the players were so out of control and wild.  At one point I said out loud, "it's as if no one on that floor has ever seen a basketball game before," and got a lot of nods all around.

I expected Albertus to be the in-form squad, with them returning so much of their core - while Stockton would have to be working through chemistry issues, bringing back only four players from last year.  It was exactly the opposite.  Stockton restocked very well.  I think they're deeper and more well rounded than the Sweet 16 team from last season.  They've got a ways to go, as every team does this time of year, but they'll be formidable for anyone.  Josh Blamon showed his class early, keeping his team locked-in and together.  He didn't appear much in the stat sheet, but made a steal and three-point play with about 90 seconds to go that sealed the game.  It was a huge spot and a great play.

As for Albertus, I have no idea where to start.  They were clearly the best team on the floor and will be among the best in the country - but they were undisciplined and arrogant.  There's not even a fine line between arrogance and confidence and Albertus leapt across it.  They seemed to expect to win, to get every call.  I came in excited to see Davis play, but he was such a headcase.  Held scoreless early, he spent five minutes of the sideline after getting poked in the eye.  When he did play early in the second half, he was too emotional to stay on the floor and got himself benched.

Big Vic is among the most athletic big men I've ever seen in d3.  He's a jumper, great with body-control and smart.  Unfortunately he isn't very assertive and his teammates just forgot he existed.  Every time they went to him, they either got a basket or a kick-out.  They just so rarely looked inside it didn't even matter when he fouled out.  To think they're wasting such an advantage is mind-blowing.

The big revelation for me is Tavon Sledge.  He scored something like 32 against Lyndon last night, so I knew he was good, but he's very good.  Only 5'9", he had a couple of huge dunks - they even tried to run an alley-oop to him in traffic, which would have worked if it hadn't been telegraphed so thoroughly every person in the gym knew it was coming.  Sledge is fast, has a killer handle, and incredible court vision.  He's an All-American type point guard for sure.  I haven't seen anyone so naturally understand everything happening on the court all at once since Cory Lemons.  Sledge isn't as good as Lemons and he's much shorter, but when he's got the ball you just know everything is moving slower for him than for everyone else.

The rest of the team worked hard and they had a pretty good stretch in the second half, but most of the game consisted of stupid turnovers, poor decision-making, and lazy defense.  They have the depth and athleticism to run, which is what they tried to do, but I wouldn't trust anyone but Vic and Sledge to make good decisions.  If I were coaching that team, with the skills they bring and the shooters they have, I'd be running a half court set every time.  Get the ball in to Vic, let him work or dish.

The biggest tragedy of the whole thing is that AMC doesn't have a single other team on the schedule who will challenge them to work on what they'll need to contend for a national title.  They certainly have the talent to do it, but they're going to get away with sloppy play and turnovers all year, winning on talent alone.  I don't see any way they improve enough to get farther than they did last year without a serious, award-worthy coaching job.  Sad.

In the end, both teams are likely Top-15 caliber (Albertus could be Top 5, but we'll never see them against an opponent good enough to be able to tell for sure).  I'll know better when I see the Hoopsville Tourney next Saturday and get a broader sense of how teams are playing.