A10 Basketball blog

From the opening game against Southeast Missouri State and throughout the season, it’s been a magical run for the Xavier Musketeers. Sean Miller led Xavier to a #3 seed and the Elite 8 this season before the #1 UCLA Bruins finally ended the Musketeers’ season last night 76-57 in the West Regional Final. Xavier was led by 6 players who averaged 9.7 points per game or more with Josh Duncan’s 12.4 ppg setting the standard for the Musketeers.

Xavier ends the season at 30-7 as Miller has guided Xavier to a 93-39 record in four seasons as head coach. As a result, Xavier clothing & apparel has become a popular-seller online and DFN Sports sites are happy to provide fans with Xavier merchandise & college sports apparel.

All season we have heard about how good the Xavier Musketeers are. Now we’re finally getting to see just how good Sean Miller’s team is on the largest of stages. #3 Xavier defeated #7 West Virginia last night in overtime 79-75 as the Musketeers showed the patience and resiliency needed to pull out the “W.” While Xavier apparel has been hot all season, it’s even hotter now as the Musketeers look to make their first-ever Final Four.

Next up for the Musketeers will be the #1 seed UCLA Bruins who come off a 88-78 win over #12 Western Kentucky. The two will face off on Saturday at 6:40 pm.

By LoudaGuru

Temple’s Allen is a keeper.

The Temple University freshman may just be the best player on the men’s basketball team. Since beginning organized basketball in the eighth grade in the Pennsbury School District in Bucks County, Pa., Allen has grown and developed into a 6′9″ power forward who has his best on court days ahead of him. Inserted into the starting lineup from the first game this season, Allen is the only member of Coach Fran Dunphy’s first full recruiting class to gain significant playing time. A tireless work ethic allows Allen to improve literally from one game to the next.

Allen hails from Pennsbury High School in Fairless, Hills, Pa. Blessed with size, he spent his freshman high school season confronted by critics who expected a finished product hitting the floor. Pennsbury Coach Frank Sciolla worked with the soft-spoken kid six days a week during the summer. Allen learned what he should do on the court to make his teammates better. A good passer, rebounder and defender, Allen developed his post-up game by his senior year. Playing the national AAU circuit on the Philly MJC team allowed Allen to face the top big men in the country.

Allen prides himself on his hard work ethic. Becoming more aggressive might allow comparisons to another young phenom, Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic. Only 18 years old, Allen has gotten over the nervousness of playing Top Ten teams like Tennessee, Florida and Duke. “Lavoy has exceeded our expectations,” said Coach Dunphy. A big statement for a player who is trying to measure up to expectations his freshman season in college. Playing before family and friends, Allen delivered a career high on February 3 with 19 points in a 93-80 victory over George Washington. You can be sure we’ll be seeing more of that as the season progresses.

The Atlantic 10 Conference has been getting a lot of attention during the 2007-2008 college basketball season with talk of 3, 4 or more NCAA Tournament bids being very realistic. With 8 of 14 A10 teams in the RPI Top 100 and 5 teams in the RPI Top 50, the A10 sems poised to continue to make headlines. Let’s take a closer look at the teams and their RPI rankings.

1. Xavier - 17-4, 5-1 - #11 RPI
2. Dayton - 14-4, 2-3 - #17 RPI
3. Rhode Island - 17-3, 3-2 - #25 RPI
4. UMass - 13-6, 2-3 - #26 RPI
5. St. Joseph’s - 12-5, 4-1 - 43 RPI
6. Temple - 9-9, 2-2 - 65 RPI
7. Duquesne - 13-5, 3-2 - 66 RPI
8. Charlotte - 13-6, 4-1 - 75 RPI
9. Saint Louis - 11-8, 2-3 - 134 RPI
10. Richmond - 10-8, 3-2 - 137 RPI
11. Fordham - 8-11, 2-3 - 153 RPI
12. LaSalle - 7-11, 2-3 - 213 RPI
13. George Washington - 5-10, 1-4 - 215 RPI
14. St. Bonaventure - 6-13, 0-5 - 244 RPI

Find a nice selection of A10 team gear including Xavier apparel & clothing, UMass hats, Rhode Island merchandise & more from DFN Sports partner sites.

By LoudaGuru

The University of Rhode Island men’s basketball team has regained some much deserved national recognition under head coach Jim Baron. The school has made a commitment to the program by signing Baron to a contract that extends through the 2012-13 season. When he came to the Kingston, Rhode Island campus in 2001, Baron inherited a team coming off a 12-48 stretch in the two seasons prior to his arrival.

NCAA violations were committed during the tenure of coach Jim Harrick and Jerry DiGregorio between 1997-2000. Lawsuits, payoffs to athletes, improper course work for players, along with unauthorized use of telephones and computers made the university lose one scholarship per year for three years.  The NCAA also reduced the number of days coaches could evaluate recruits off campus. Facing these challenges Coach Baron said, “We’ll work around the loss of scholarships, take it one step step at a time and go into a new season with a clean slate.”

Baron was familiar with the Atlantic 10 Conference, having previously coached at St. Bonaventure before assuming the reins at Rhode Island. The Rhody program has been helped by the opening of the Thomas M. Ryan Center in 2002 which cost $54 million and seats 7,657 rabid Rhode Island Ram fans. The atmosphere at home games makes the Ryan Center a daunting arena for visiting teams. The University has created a building fund for the Student-Athlete Development Center. Recognizing the future of Rhody athletes is based on the ability to compete with peer instutions. The center will house state-of-the art strength and conditioning rooms, a sports medicine facility, an academic center and offices for coaches.

Establishing a successful program required Coach Baron to focus on the academic profiles of his players. The stability needed at Rhode Island is covered in a policy booklet that outlines rules, goals, and expectations players must adhere to off the court. Appearance, conduct, conditioning and academics are woven into a daily discipline which impacts the student athlete. “We want our players to do it in the classroom, not just on the court.” The school now has a good team whose players graduate and stay out of the police blotter.

Jim Baron has always been in the underdog position. “I’ve always been so focused at taking one game at a time because I’ve never had a reason not to.” Returning from the loss in the A-10 Championship game last year the Ram upperclassmen are more focused and comitted to one another. Setting lofty goals, the team has met their own expectations.

Baron’s big turnaround in the program was sparked by a change in styles that he started last 2006-07 season. Rhode Island was involved in low scoring games known for physical toughness and a slow down approach to offense. Now they deploy a faster-paced running style. Normally a head coach running his third program does not switch gears in his 20th season. The team averages 83.6 points- 14th in the nation.

One current Ram who has witnessed the transformation at the program from the beginning is 6′2 Jimmy Baron, the coach’s son. An excellent three-point shooter, he was ranked 4th nationally at 47.8 percent. He has benefitted from the up-tempo offense, which features penetrating and dishing. Named A-10 Rookie of the Week in his freshman season, Jimmy has been in the lineup from day one. A veteran of AAU wars across the nation, the younger Baron has been a clutch sharpshooter, making the big shots all his life. Now on a national stage, the guard combines high basketball IQ with his perimeter game. Will Daniels said “His range is ridiculous. You should see him in practice.” Projected as a decent A-10 player, Jimmy Baron now finds himself at the forefront of the revived Rams. “We can’t get caught up in the buzz or else it is going to hurt us,” he said. “We just got to look at it one game at a time, one practice at a time.”  

By LoudaGuru

The Atlantic 10 Conference has three teams ranked in the weekly AP Poll for the first time since 2003. Featured on the opening day of league play is a contest with 17th ranked Dayton Flyers and the 22nd ranked Rhode Island Rams. Xavier, the only team to make the NCAA Tournament last year, entered the ranking this week at No. 25.

The Rams visit University of Dayton Arena riding a nine game winning streak. Coach Jim Baron has rebuilt the program in his seven-year tenure. Led by senior Will Daniels, Rhode Island has achieved its first national ranking since November 1998. Daniels was named to the Naismith Preseason Watch list based on his performance last season and expectations for the current 2007-2008 season. A 6′8 forward who rebounds, shoots the threeball, and plays hard defense, Daniels has drawn the attention of NBA scouts. Speaking as the leader of the team Daniels said, “Obviously, we’re going to let our game speak for itself - us versus them.”

Junior guard Jimmy Baron, yes the coach’s son, is a long-range bomber who was 6 of 8 from beyond the arc in the recent tuneup against Fairleigh Dickinson. Understanding the hype surrounding the matchup against Dayton Baron offered, “We’ve just got to look at it one game at a time, one practice at a time.”

Dayton has experienced some national attention since knocking off then No . 6 Pittsburgh on December 29. The game, televised by ESPN, was a rout,  80-55, and pushed the Flyers who have 11 straight into the Top 25. Coach Brian Gregory, who downplays the buildup about this game, says  “In terms of where we are at right now, we have a long way to go with a lot of things to do.” The Flyers could run the table at home and shake off the mid-major label.

Senior Brian Roberts, averaging 19.1 ppg, is the glue for the Flyers. The team is trying to extend their all-time series lead of 12-6. Noted ESPN College Basketball Analyst Andy Katz named Roberts  in his “Weekly Watch” column. Roberts has e been named National Player of the Week. In fact, he is the only individual to be named twice so far this season. 

Roberts, a native of Toledo, Ohio, is recognized as one of the top shooters in the country. He shoots 49.3 percent on threes - remarkable for any guard. Roberts has helped catapult Dayton to national prominence after the 25 point victory over Pittsburgh in a tough home environment at the UD Areana. Big-time non-conference opponents may fear coming to the UD Arena in the future.   However, the Flyers’ performance on ESPN allows the Dayton staff to recruit outside of the Midwest.

The Flyers get the job done by committee, utilizing the talents of Chris Wright, Marcus Johnson - considered the team’s defensive stopper, Charles Little, Jimmy Binnie  and Kurt Huelsman.  All of them are avergaing 20 plus minutes a game. Three other players average double-digit minutes. Dayton is able to play a high-scoring game - an 83-81 double overtime victory versus Akron- or a slower-paced game at Holy Cross with a 55-53 win. The Flyers will often employ three guards a the lineup with 6′4 senior Andres Sandoval in the game with Roberts and Johnson.  Tonight’s  game should go to the team which gets better performances from its supporting cast. 

By LoudaGuru

The state of Florida has produced two brothers who play Division I NCAA basketball and currently lead their respective teams in scoring averages. Nick Calathes is a freshman at the University of Florida, the two-time defending NCAA Champions. His older brother Pat is a senior at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. The Hawks are a veteran team playing in the Atlantic 10 conference and are led by the 6′10 Pat, who scores 17.1 ppg. The younger Nick is the top gun in a youth movement at Florida putting up 14.8 ppg.

The brothers hail from Lake Howell High School in Winter Park, Florida. Pat, a senior in 2003-04, joined twin brother John and freshman Nick in posting a 28-5 record at Lake Howell and second place in the state tournament. The younger Nick continued to improve, becoming a two-time Mr. Basketball in Florida and playing in the prestigious McDonald’s All-American Game.

Pat Calathes began high school as a 5′10 point guard who grew to 6′10 by his senior year. Able to combine his ball handling ability and height, he was offered over 30 scholarships during the recruiting process. Hawks Coach Phil Martelli visited the Calathes family in Florida and made a great impression. Prior to some early phone calls, all the Calathes had heard about St. Joe’s was Jameer Nelson,who now plays for the NBA Orlando Magic.

Once at St. Joe’s, Pat made the adjustment to living in the Northeast and was able to play in 28 games as a freshman. Noting many of his problems in his freshman season were mental, he made major improvements during the stretch drive of his sophomore year. He said he realized he that he played too fast which contributed to turnovers. His 31 percent shooting has climbed to 42 percent while leading the Hawks in rebounding at 7.5 ppg. Displaying deep range on his jumper and passing and dribbling skills allows Pat to be effective on the perimeter, where he will need to play if he continues basketball after his Atlantic 10 career.

Brother Nick chose Florida as a school to showcase his talents. Coach Billy Donovan has an intelligent player in Nick, who was high on all the recruiters’ lists. He was inserted into the starting lineup from day one and has progressed nicely, trying to learn the college game and change the shoot first mentality most high school stars carry. There are five freshman who earn significant playing time for the Gators, a team that had to replace their entire starting lineup. Nick is developing poise as he must contend with bigger, faster bodies in college. No different from most college freshmen, he is working hard on defense and trying to guard players one-on-one.

Coach Donovan had to bench Nick after the Florida State loss earlier this season because of his poor shot selection. Gifted with playmaking skills, Nick was able to score with the drive at impossible angles in high school. With other outstanding talent at Florida he does not have to carry the team. Playing under control, he flirted with a triple double against Florida A&M, tallying 20 points, 8 rebounds and 9 assists. As he recognizes that he must become quicker and stronger, Nick’s basketball IQ will help him emerge as a star over the course of his collegiate career.

By LoudaGuru

The St. Joseph’s Hawks bring in the New Year with a battle against the Drexel University Dragons. This game pits the Hawks, a member of the famed Philadelphia Big Five - Temple, Villanova, LaSalle, Penn -  against a city rival whose campus is located less than a mile from the legendary college basketball mecca the Palestra. Drexel, under Coach James “Bruiser” Flint, in recent seasons has beaten their city foes after being unable to schedule these teams for years.  The Dragons, playing out of the Colonial Athletic Conference, were denied an at-large-bid to the NCAA Tournament last season, despite a 23-9  record. So far this season the results have been up and down. Starting out with 5 wins, one loss, the Dragons then lost four straight games averaging 45 ppg.

Thursday night, Drexel beat Rider University 73-66 after coming back from a 10 point deficit. Sparks were provided by Tremayne Hawkins, averaging 11.3 ppg, who scored all of his 15 points in the second half comeback. Randy Oveneke added 10 points, Scott Rodgers 13 points, Gerald Colds 14 points and Frank Elegar,13.3 ppg, chipped in with 9 points.

St. Joseph’s, winners of two straight, is trying to establish their longest winning streak of the season. The Hawks are playing their fifth game on New Year’s Eve in the last seven years. Facing high caliber opponents Gonzaga, Ohio State, Seton Hall - their record has  not been very good in this holiday game. However, Coach Phil Martelli has made the game a tradition that is televised  on CN8, The Comcast Network. These games are often used as showcases when recruiting today’s high school phenoms. St Joe’s, in pursuit of under recognized players rarely recruited by  top 40 programs, must get some top notch talent to stay in the national spotlight after the Jameer Nelson era.

Led by a balanced attack, all of the Hawks’ starters averaged double digits. Senior Pat Calathes, 17.1 ppg, 7.4 rpg, has developed into a fixture in the lineup. Frontcourt mates senior Rob Ferguson and 6-9 junior Ahmad Nivins, an All Atlantic-10 selection, are keys to helping the team get a NCAA bid in March. A key transfer is Tasheed Carr who sat out last season after a year at Iowa State. Tough, able to score and run the offense, Carr has blended nicely with the team. He is from Philadelphia along with D.J. Rivera, who returns after missing the first semester to concentrate on academics. Once all the players understand Coach Martelli’s schemes, St. Joes could be a force in determining who wears the A-10 crown.

From LoudaGuru

Robert Morris University makes a short trip from Moon Township, Pa., just outside Pittsburgh into the heart of the Steel City to face the Dukes of Duquesne at 7 pm on Friday, December 28, 2007.  The Colonials, a member of the Northeast Conference, have a record of 8-4, and have played mid-majors Drexel, Navy and Seton Hall from the Big East.

RMU is coming off a 91-73 home victory over Canisius, a win which helped the Colonials avoid a three game home losing streak. In the Canisius game, RMU attempted a school record 34 three pointers while shooting 47.1 percent from beyond the arc.  The game coming up with Duquesne could be a high scoring affair.

Duquesne has gotten off to a 7-3 record, including a close game against neighboring school and Top 20 ranked Pittsburgh Panthers. Under Coach Ron Everheart, the Dukes look to continue a turnaround in their program.  Everheart took over  a team that had a 3-24 record in the 2005-2006 season.  He then had to deal with having five of his players injured in a shooting  less than a month before practice opened in 2006.  Three of those players are back in the lineup this season and making significant contributions. The plea bargaining proceedings have spilled into the early part of this season, however the team has made great strides to not allow the distractions to hamper their non-conference schedule.

The Dukes are  led by double-figure scorers Shawn James, 14.1 ppg, Kojo Mensah, 13.9 ppg, and Kieron Achara, 12.5 ppg. James and Mensah were two of the five victims in last year’s shooting and have recovered to lead this high scoring team which averages 88.1 ppg. James also leads the team in blocked shots and rebounds.

The Dukes lead the A10 with 42.3 rpg and play a fast-paced offensive game. This was style that Everheart put in place last season and has improved on it this season by stepping up the team’s assists. The team, built on a siginificant number of transfer student atheletes, has bought into the system of many players getting minutes and sharing the ball.

The Dukes have also improved their rebounding and defense, especially in the area of blocked shots and steals, where the team leads the A10 in both categories. Duquesne depends on its defense to fuel its high-scoring attack. As the league schedule begins, defense becomes a priority as opponents take away scoring options with scouting reports.

At half-time of this Friday’s game, the Duquesne University Department of Athletics is going to honor the 1976-1977 NCAA Tournament team. The Dukes will wear throwback jerseys throughout this season.