MBB: Great Northeast Athletic Conference

[lildave678]

Albertus finally loses at home to Fitchburg State but rebounds nicely with a big win over a ranked Brooklyn squad. This young team will definitely have it's ups and downs but it's scary to think Walters is a sophomore and Lovell is a freshman. If they remain on the team, yikes. Lovell is averaging 22 and 15! Haven't been able to follow much lately - I'm sure that will change closer to tournament time 

[D3HoopJunkie]

HoopsFan......From what I heard they had some serious technical difficulties the other night that made it virtually impossible to get a good steady media stream. What I will say is that the new SID for Albertus seems to really be making some positive changes within the athletic department. They are updating a lot of equipment it seems and providing the fans with much more information on the athletics website. Obviously this doesn't show due to the difficulties the other night but good changes are happening!

LilDave, Shonteay Lovell is one of the most polished freshman I have ever seen at this level. He is an absolute beast on the boards. A rebounding machine who is also a tremendous finisher of everything around the rim. He has great footwork on the low post and is really good at positioning his body. Really nice kid too. I mean super nice, plays the game right and never complains. Believe it or not the Brooklyn team the other night were the ones talking some trash and all the Albertus players just blocked them out. This team is very young and they seem very enthusiastic and willing to learn. The guard play is very suspect right now but Ryan Pittman played his best game of the season the other night with the exception of a few really bad TO's at the end of the game. If he can just stay in control and manage the offense I feel like between Lovell, Walters and Dunbar on the outside this team may just be a little better than I expected. To be fair I don't think any of us new exactly how damn good this kid Lovell was going to be coming into the season! If he can continue to do what he is doing I have no doubt he will be a serious contender for the Northeast Rookie of they Year.

JQ Walters is an amazing talent. In my opinion he is one of the most athletic players that Oliver has ever had. You talk about a kid who is a legit 6'6 that can handle the ball like he can, rebound, score from a number of different angles and play as fearless as anyone. I worry about him disappearing some times (like the other night against Fram State) but when he is motivated he can take over a game. I would like his shooting to improve a bit and he isn't a great free throw shooter but he is a clutch free throw shooter so as of right now I can live with that.  What he does so well, probablly better than anyone I have seen is get into the lane off the dribble, elevate and finish with a little tear drop or strong take. When he gets going to the basket he is very tough to stop because of his size and his ability to leap up and finish above the defender. His body control is outstanding as well. Him and Lovell do a great job of avoiding charges which helps them stay in the game.

One last note......Marc Wilson. Probably the most important player on this team. Walter and Lovell will get theirs, Dunbar will take his 3's but every team needs that 4th scorer who you can turn to if someone is having an off night and on this team it is Marc Wilson. He is a senior who has been an absolute trooper in his 4 years at Albertus. Oliver has rode this kid since the day he got on campus probablly about as hard as he has any player and I think its paying off. He still makes the occasional head scratching turnover or play and Oliver will let him know about it for sure but he is a great athlete who can really help this team going forward. If he can average 10 to 14 points a game I think we will be very tough to beat. He just has to focus and stay mentally tough during the games.

I am looking forward to the rest of the season and I really cant wait to get back and see if Oliver brings someone in for the second half who can really help impact us........I have been hearing rumblings! With Oliver in charge anything can happen!! This guy can recruit with the best of them!   

[Saint-Paul]

agree with your comments about Lovell.  I thought he was the reason for the second half explosion against Emmanuel.  He combines a lot of athleticism with a soft touch.  There are a lot of athletic D3 players who take offensive rebounds and then miss their put backs.  Lovell finishes all his put backs.  I was impressed with his hands and touch around the rim. He was also able to split the Saints zone and make a nice one dribble move from the foul line to the rim. He is putting up big numbers for a freshman in his first year of college ball.  The physical nature of the college game does not appear to bother him at all. 

different subject.  watched the video stream of the Lasell OT win at RIC and was very impressed with the team chemistry of Lasell.  They appear to have a good mix of inside and outside play.  Marchant looks in good shape and able to play more minutes than last year, and was very effective against RIC.  The Lasell guards move the ball and knock down open threes.  After watching them play i may have under rated them in my preseason predictions.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

As we close in on the holiday break, many teams have made some significant moves in the early part of the season. Tonight on Hoopsville, Dave talks to teams who find themselves in good position before some time off, but can they keep up the momentum?

Watch Hoopsville LIVE at 7pm ET: www.d3hoops.com/hoopsville/archives/2015-16/dec13

Guests include (in order):
- Michelle Ferenz, Whitman women's coach
- Keith Mondillo, Gwynedd Mercy women's coach
- Jamie Benton, Johnson and Wales men's coach
- Page Moir, Roanoke men's coach

Don't forget you can always interact with us:
Website: www.d3hoopsville.com
Twitter: @d3hoopsville or #Hoopsville
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Hoopsville
Email: hoopsville@d3hoops.com
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/d3hoopsville
SoundCloud (podcast): www.soundcloud.com/hoopsville

AND our podcast as been approved for iTunes!!! Just search for it or follow it via this link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hoopsville/id1059517087

[D3HoopJunkie]

Oliver did it again!!!!! Waiting on details from a contact of mine close to the team. Rumor has it he landed a D1 combo guard. This will no doubt help this team as I really felt they needed to add another athlete and outside shooter who can also dribble penetrate and open the post up even more for both Lovell and Walters. This could be a season changing move for this team.

I will keep the board updated as I get more info. This guy doesn't give a ton of specifics. Just enough to keep me on the edge of my seat!!!

[Saint-Paul]

The Saints open the second semester by traveling to New York to play in the NYU tournament.  Their first round game is a match up with the Becker College Hawks.  The Saints and the Hawks have a combined total of 3 wins for the first semester.  Easy to see why NYU invited these teams to their New Years tournament.  Nothing too stressful after the holidays.  This should be a fairly even game.  The second round should be a nice holiday tune up for NYU before they move into their UAA schedule.

[Saint-Paul]

First round results from the Cupcake Invitational in New York show the 1 - 6 Emmanuel Saints lose a tight game to the 2 - 6 Becker Hawks, 73 - 68.  The game was close throughout even though the Saints Sharpshooters went 3 -23 from behind the 3 point arc.  With that kind of outside shooting one would have expected the Hawks to pull away, but no, the Hawks lack of offense kept the Saints in the game.  Why the Saints guards were allowed to jack up 23 shots from behind the arc when they don't have any shooters on the court is a question that will remain a mystery for the rest of the season.  Saints play the 12 th ranked NYU Violets on Sunday in the tournament conclusion.  NYU has two quality big men and three quick, athletic guards, who can shoot and drive.  Good Luck.

[Saint-Paul]

Final from the Cupcake Classic, NYU 79, Emmanuel 61.  This game was over by halftime with the Violets holding a 37 - 21 advantage and both teams substituting freely throughout the second half.   The NYU big man controlled the paint and finished with a 30 point game.  The Saints took so many threes from behind the arc that the NYU announcers on live stream were actually laughing about it. The one comment that stood out was " the Saints appear to be running a non traditional transition offense by shooting a three off the first pass over half court. "  I have been laughing at that for the past seven years.  The Saints can't wait to get back to the friendly confines of the GNAC conference where they can beat up on some of the bottom dwelling GNAC opponents.  Stepping outside the GNAC conference is always a bad idea for the Saints.

[GnacAlum55]

I was able to go to the Rivier vs. JWU game last night.  47-15 at the half (and it wasn't even that close).  I was however unbelieveably impressed with JWU.  They look like the favorite now to win the league especially with the Magnus loss last night.  Garrick and Greenaway may be the best two players in the league right now.  They are fun to watch because they play so hard and defend like crazy. 

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Oliver did it again!!!!! Waiting on details from a contact of mine close to the team. Rumor has it he landed a D1 combo guard. This will no doubt help this team as I really felt they needed to add another athlete and outside shooter who can also dribble penetrate and open the post up even more for both Lovell and Walters. This could be a season changing move for this team.

I will keep the board updated as I get more info. This guy doesn't give a ton of specifics. Just enough to keep me on the edge of my seat!!!

So, did this not materialize?

[Saint-Paul]

The Amcats looked good defending their home court on Thursday night defeating the Saints 92 - 87.  The Saints defense was nowhere to be found as the Amcats scored at will, with several different players being able to get to the rim any time they wanted.  The Saints appeared content to just launch 3's and hope to outshoot their opponents.  Not sure that is such a great strategy unless you have shooters on the floor.  Third game in a row the Saints big man did not start but played a lot of minutes coming off the bench.  Again, not such a great coaching strategy since the Saints big man was unstoppable the last time these two teams met in the conference playoffs.  The Amcats had a lot of trouble covering the Saints big man last year so I am sure they were glad to see him coming off the bench this year.  This was a very important game for the Saints so far in the conference standings and they came up short yet again.

[Saint-Paul]

So what happens when two of the GNAC " gimmies " play each other?  You get a buzzer beater from two dribbles over half court. Mt Ida beat the Saints 73 - 71 this afternoon in a battle of second tier conference teams. Mt Ida actually had a 15 point lead late in this game, coughed up the lead into a one point deficit, and then won the game on a long heave as time expired.  Only the finish was exciting in this game.  The other 39:59 was a conglomeration of missed shots, turnovers, and fouls. What's going to happen when these teams actually play a good college basketball team?

[Saint-Paul]

Get out the brooms!  Mt Ida completed a clean sweep of Emmanuel tonight with their second win over the Saints in the home / home back to back series.  Tonight's score was Mt Ida - 79, Emmanuel 66.  The Saints turned a 5 point halftime lead into a 13 point loss by giving up a 47 point second half to the visiting team.  This is not the first time the Saints have given up a big second half point total to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.  Whatever gets said in the Saints locker room at half time has such a demoralizing effect on the team that they play the second half of the game in a daze and just watch the other team score basket after basket.  Saints perimeter players jacked up 26 three point attempts again in this game making just 8.  Still not sure why they are relying so much on the three point shot when they don't have any shooters on the court.  That coaching philosophy has led the Saints to a 2 - 11 record so far this season. 

    Tonight's loss was another milestone for the Saints coach.  This was loss number 120 since November of 2009.  I wonder if the players gave the coach a signed ball with a big " 120 " printed on the side.  Nah, probably not.  The losses are piling up so fast they probably don't have time to keep track of them all. 

[lildave678]

Johnson & Wales is something scary...generally speaking lol. They'll have to win the GNAC I'd imagine (which they should) to get in but that was a dismantling last night. Shows you how much of a veteran squad JWU is and how young Albertus is as well.

[WPI89]

That was as shocking a score as I have ever seen in D3.  Is J & W that good?