Atlantic 10 Notebook: Is UMass back? How hot is Carl Jones? Chris Mooney is the king of the suburbs... and much more
By: Ian Nolan
Leading Off
Derek Kellogg has been here before. A fast start, 3-0, and expectations from a bevy of fans hoping that this is the year that UMass basketball turns a corner and returns to the top half of the Atlantic 10 table.
A year ago, UMass was a tidy 7-0 heading into its match-up with Boston College. A five point loss that night quickly turned into four losses in a row; momentum gone in 40 minutes. UMass was more bad than good the rest of the way, including just an 8-15 mark over its final 23 games, and ended the season with a 15-15 record. The high expectations and good vibes during the fast start were nowhere to be found come March.
So, where is this year’s team headed? We'll see. By next weekend, we should have a much better understanding of the 2011-2012 UMass Minutemen.
UMass faces off against Boston College tonight up in Chestnut Hill, a quality road test for a team that has yet to be challenged after three double digit victories against inferior opponents. While BC is not an elite program, they will throw ACC bodies at the Minutemen, and, being UMass’ first road game, Kellogg’s club will have come together and limit momentum in order to head back to Amherst with a win.
After tonight's affair, UMass faces No. 24 Florida State, a program on the rise, armed with quality athletes and high expectations. This game is a huge one. Looking for a signature win to hang its hat on in non-conference play, the FSU game provides that opporunity for UMass. So far, Chaz Williams has proven to be a tremendous addition at the point guard spot (17.7 points, 43% from three) and the Minutemen have rebounded well (43 boards per game). UMass has also dished out over 19 assists per game, good enough for 21st in the nation. Kellogg recruits Terrell Vinson (15.5 points), Sampson Carter (14.5 points) and Javorn Farrell (9.5 points) have started hot and powered an explosive UMass offense, which may finally have the parts in the engine to power the offense Kellogg has long wanted.
Everyone knew it was going to take time for Kellogg to incorporate his dribble-drive offense, but few figured it would take this long. The time to win for UMass is now, and a 2-0 week to close out November means a 5-0 start; momentum for a program in need of a breakout season. Williams could be the difference at the point, as a steady playcaller cannot be under-valued. The 5-foot-9 point nearly averaged 10 a game at Hofstra as a freshman, so his ability to score shouldn't be questioned. Time will tell whether or not his arrival will coincide will the first truly successful season in the Kellogg era.
Required Reading
To read up on why one writer thinks Mark Schmidt's quick hook is having a negative affect on his team's performance during late and close games, click here.
If you're a Charlotte fan, or just a general fan of great A10 basketball blogs, certainly check out the guys over at Green Tinted Glasses who do a great job covering the 49ers.
Good reading, insight and news on all things Philadelphia hoops, check out Aaron Bracy's Philahoops.com
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Power Rankings
(Power rankings are a list of the top five teams in the league not solely according to record, but rather a combination of record, talent, momentum and other intangibles)
1. Xavier (3-0) Mark Lyons and Tu Holloway are
averaging over 20 points each(expected) but the real story in
Cincy has been the play of freshman Dez Wells (14.0 points) who looks
the part of an Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year. Xavier now
embarks upon a difficult portion of their non-conference schedule:
Georgia, No. 18 Vanderbilt, Purdue, Butler and No. 20 Cincinnati.
Next Up: Nov. 25th vs. Georgia
2. Temple (3-1) The Owls took third place down in
the Puerto Rico Shootout this weekend by downing Wichita State
78-74 in overtime on Sunday. The only blemish during the trip was
the Owls' eight point loss to Purdue. Center Michael
Eric turned in a huge game Sunday, scoring 14 points
and pulling down 12 rebounds. Eric has gotten off to a fast start
this year, having already corraled 33 rebounds, all while shooting
54% from the floor. Juan Fernandez also looks good early, shooting
45% from the floor and 87% from the line (15 points, 4.3
assists). Next Up: Sunday @ Bowling Green.
3. Saint Louis
(3-0) Kwamain Mitchell and Brian Conklin led the
Billikens to a 13 point victory (they led by as many as 30)
over Washington at home on Sunday, scoring 18 and 25 points apiece.
Despite being outrebounded by 10, SLU rode a hot shooting afternoon
to down the Pac 12 club at home; Saint Louis was 9-21 from three
and shot 53% for the game. Next Up: Thursday vs. Boston
College.
4. St. Bonaventure (1-1) The Bonnies dropped
a road game at Cleveland State on Friday, 67-64, after leading by
as many as nine in the second half. Mark Schmidt's club coughed the
ball up 23 times (including seven from PG Eric Mosley), and could
not find success in breaking the CSU press or dealing with its
pressure defense. The blueprint to beat the Bonnies is out: high
pressure, some pressing and doubling players on their catch. We're
tempted to flip-flop SBU and SJU, but Cleveland State is a quality
mid-major, and a three-point loss on the road is not a bad loss.
Next Up: Tonight @ Siena.
5. Saint Joseph's (3-1) The Hawks had a winning weekend
down in South Carolina going 2-1 with victories over Georgia Tech
and Tulsa on Sunday; SJU lost to Seton Hall in between. Phil
Martelli's club was aided by 13 points off the bench via Ronald
Roberts Jr. and the 23 points from Langston Galloway (a perfect 5-5
from three). Saint Joseph's is a win over Iona (no small task as
the Gaels are loaded) away from leaping into the top three of
this list. Next Up: Wednesday @ Iona.
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First Out (3-0): UMass is a perfect 3-0
and, though largely untested to this point in time, has proven at
the very least to have, perhaps, a new sense of swagger. Boston
College and Florida State will be two big tests this week, and even
a 1-1 week might get a would-then-be 4-1 UMass team into the top
five come next Monday. Next Up: Monday @ Boston College.
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What I Should Have Known...
I should have known that La Salle would be able to score the ball
even without constant headache Aaric Murray in the fold. The
Explorers improved to 2-1 on Saturday by downing a decent James
Madison team 92-83 at home. La Salle was led by their up and coming
backcourt duo of Tyreek Duren (23 points) and Sam Mills (18 points)
who continue to shine early this season. Armed with those two, and
senior Earl Pettis (15 points on Saturday) La Salle looks to have
the foundation for a very solid scoring guard trio if nothing else.
Mind you, the Explorers had no issue scoring a year ago (second in
league in PPG) but finished dead last in points allowed (78.6). If
La Salle can even moderately improve on its defense, the
Explorers will prove me wrong at year's end again (I had them
finishing last).
What I knew....
I knew that Kevin Dillard would be able to step in right away and help get the Dayton Flyers offense on the right track. Dillard is second in the team in scoring (11.3 points) and leads the team in assists (6.0), but it's not those numbers that should surprise anyone. What jumps off the Dayton team page to me is that the Flyers have four players averaging double figures at the moment (Williams, Dillard, Johnson and Benson) with Matt Kavanaugh averaging 8.7 points. Dillard has helped to facilitate an equal opportunity Dayton offense that is scoring 76 points a night. UD gets a test on Thanksgiving vs. Wake Forest on a neutral floor down in Orlando in the Old Spice Classic. No one in dinner table conversations will be longing for Juwan Staten this year.
Stat of the Week
An easy call this week as Duquesne point guard T.J. McConnell notched a triple-double in Duquesne's 97-81 win over the District of Columbia (Div II) on Friday. The sophomore scored 15 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and handed out 11 assists in the winning effort for the now 2-1 Dukes who were playing on a neutral floor in Valparaiso, Indiana. Understanding that UDC is a division II team, the accomplishment from McConnell still stands as an impressive one for a point guard. McConnell's triple-double is only the second in school history, and McConnell's 11 helpers were one shy of the school record. To add to his line, the sophomore threw in five steals to further stuff the stat sheet.
Heat Check: Who's Hot and Who's Not
Hot: Carl "Tay" Jones of Saint Joseph's simply went off down in Charleston, SC for the Hawks who faced off against two BCS schools to open their weekend. Jones dropped 21 points during a 13 point win over lowly Georgia Tech, and bested that effort by scoring a league high (tied with Jamal Wilson of URI) 38 points during a seven-point loss to Seton Hall on Friday. Jones shot 7-11 from three and 18-19 from the charity stripe in those two games. He entered Sunday averaging a league leading 25 points per game.
Not: St. Bonaventure's ability to deal with pressure defense and a full court press. The Bonnies blew a nine point second half lead against Cleveland State on Friday largely because they could not take care of the basketball. Cleveland State returns two all league defensive players and tormented the inexperienced Bona point guards. Eric Mosley turned it over seven times, and the Bonnies turned it over 23 times as a team in the three point defeat. In a game that would have been a quality early season "resume" booster, the Bonnies shot themselves in the foot on the road.
Nolan's Take
Chris Mooney signed a 10 year contract extension last March
following Richmond's march to the Sweet Sixteen. Many thought
Mooney was a great fit for jobs in bigger and better conferences,
and many thought Mooney would love to head south perhaps to NC
State or George Tech. Both schools would have loved to hire Mooney;
a stand-up guy, fantastic coach and tremendous figure-head for
any college program. Richmond was losing point guard Kevin Anderson
and forward Justin Harper (NBA pick) not to mention Kevin Smith
and Dan Geriot, a tough-nosed forward who embodied the
Richmond program and became a leader for Mooney following injuries
and rehab.
It would have been easy for Mooney to leave for a bigger program; more money, better facilities and a bigger spotlight. Most expected him to, aside from those who know the coach best.
Upward mobility exists not only in our economy but in college basketball too. Mooney weighed the options with his Princeton degree and ultimately decided to remain at Richmond; proving that you don't always have to 'move up' to a higher BCS class in order to be content and successful.
Mooney's squad is a rebuilding one no doubt. Off to a 3-1 start, Richmond is plugging in pieces to their system and building budding stars and quality A10 players out of guys who haven't been known commodities before. Kendall Anthony, a freshman, is averaging over 18 points a game, doing his best to fill in for the other KA, who was the face of the program during his tenure in Richmond. Guys like Francis Cedric-Martel (7.7 ppg) and Cedrick Lindsay (12.7 ppg) have stepped up, as expected, and will help begin a new era in Richmond basketball. Mooney will find ways to incorporate Josh Duinker, Darien Brothers and Darrius Garrett and utilize their skill sets to the max; one of his many talents.
Richmond may not finish in the top four of the league this year (or maybe they will, who knows) but I can guarantee that they will be back at the top sooner than later, thanks to Mooney. Phil Martelli has created a similar legacy at Saint Joseph's, staying when leaving would have been easy, and 10 years from now there is every chance that Mooney will be viewed with the same respect and godfather status as the bald eagle.
Who knows what the next decade will hold for Mooney and Richmond -- in the ever changing landscape of college sports it is impossible to predict. He could change his mind and bolt for another program after a few more seasons; maybe the city of Richmond will become too small for him, though I doubt it. For now, Mooney is the king of the upper-middle class, and living in the suburbs seems just fine for him.
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