Matt Whitfield

2010 BIG EAST TOURNAMENT COVERAGE: DAY THREE RECAP

by RAY FLORIANI and MATT WHITFIELD

NEW YORK CITY – The quaterfinals of the 2010 Big East Tournament served as reminder, as if we needed one, as how tough and unforgiving this conference is. Also, how interesting and exciting for those of us watching and/or analyzing.

The Scores:

Georgetown 91, Syracuse 84

Marquette 80, Villanova 76

Notre Dame 50, Pittsburgh 45

West Virginia 54, Cincinnati 51

Ray’s ten points of emphasis from Thursday…

1. Syracuse exited the tournament one and done. For Orange faithful, the weekend to quote Steeley Dan, “didn’t turn out as you planned”. Orange fans can also take solace from 2003. That year they won a quarterfinal game before being eliminated by UCONN in the semis. Less than a month later they cut the nets down in New Orleans. ESPN reported no team lost its first conference tournament game and won the national title. Interesting, but right now Syracuse is concerned with Arinze Onuaku who exited the Georgetown game with a knee strain that needed further evaluation.

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DOUBLE-BYE A CURSE IN BIG EAST TOURNAMENT

‘Nova and Pitt join Syracuse out the MSG door heading into final quarterfinal game

In the unique, 16-team tournament format in the Big East conference the top four regular season finishers breeze into the quarterfinals with a double-bye. The reward for finishing at the top of the grueling and competitive 18 game conference schedule would seem to be a significant one and an advantage in the conference tournament played annually at Madison Square Garden.

Not so fast.

This year in the 2010 Big East Tournament the double-bye has acted more of a curse as Syracuse. Villanova and Pittsburgh all recipients of a double-bye for their outstanding regular seasons, fell one-by-one over the course of the first three quarterfinal contests Thursday.

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GEORGETOWN PUTS SQUEEZE ON THE ORANGE

Hoyas avenge a pair of regular season losses and hand Syracuse second-striaght loss heading to NCAA’s

Chris Wright scored 27 points and No. 22 Georgetown turned the tables on No. 1 seed Syracuse in a 91-84 2010 Big East Tournament quarterfinal contest at Madison Square Garden.

“I thought Georgetown really played well tonight,” Syracuse coach Jom Boeheim said following the game. “The first game we controlled the game. The second game we controlled about 30 minutes. And then they started to get the ball into (Greg) Monroe and they did that tonight from the beginning we had difficultly with it. We just couldn’t get enough stops.”

A Kris Joseph (18 points) jumper put the Orange up 59-51 with 12:49 left in the game. The Hoyas answered with a 21-4 run where they made seven of eight field goal attempts and took a 72-63 with 5:43 left in the game on a Chris Wright basket on an assist by Greg Monroe.

“He’s the best inside passer in college basketball, easily,” Boeheim said of Monroe. “And he can score in there.”

Monroe finished the game with 17 points, 10 rebounds, a team-high 7 assists and 4 steals.

“We just wanted basically to get the ball into the middle,” Georgetown coach John Thompson III said of the Hoyas’ plan of attack against the Orange zone. “Get the ball either to Greg or off the penetration and then make decisions from there.”

The Orange had another run in them as Scoop Jardine (19 points) connected on a pair of free throws with 4:12 left to cut the lead to 74-72. However the Hoyas answered with a 10-4 run, fueled by a pair of Greg Monroe three-point plays and two Austin Freeman (16 points) lay-ups for an 84-76 lead with under two minutes left.

Jason Clark added 16 points for the Hoyas who improved to 22-9 on the season.

While Syracuse has their first losing streak of the season as this loss followed Saturday’s loss at Louisville, bigger concerns surround the health of fifth-year senior center Arinze Onuaku.

Onuaku landed awkwardly after trying to block a shot with 5:07 left in the game and grabbed his knee immediately. He was tended to by medical staff and coach Jim Boeheim before being helped off the floor. The senior did not return, and Boeheim said Onuaku had strained the right knee and an MRI will be performed when they return home.

“Well, he’s a key part of our team, I mean, he’s had a great year,” Boehiem said of Onuaku, “and he’s a tremendous player. We hope that he’ll be fine. We don’t know [extent of injury yet].”

Wright was 10 of 16 from the field and added 6 rebounds and 6 assists to go along with his game-high 27 points. The junior guard is a key to their success according to the opposing coach.

“I think Chris Wright had a big night,” Boeheim said. “He really had a great game. I thought when he plays like that, that’s when they beat people.”

Wes Johnson led Syracuse with 24 points and 7 rebounds. Jardine and Joseph combined for 37 off the bench and Andy Rautins added 14 points and 10 assists for the Orange. However, freshman Brandon Triche along with Rick Jackson and Onuaku before being injured struggled, combining for just nine points in the game. The Orange still remain in strong contention for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but with a two-game losing streak and the status of Onuaku up in the air going forward, much of the air has at least temporarily been taken out of their sails.

“I mean were not concerned about that, we just want to get there and play well,” Andy Rautins said of being a No. 1 seed. “And regardless of who we play…you’re gonna have to beat teams. Everybody’s gonna bring their A-game.”

Georgetown now meets the winnier of today’s second quarterfinal between Marquette and Villanova Friday night at 7 PM in the
Big East Basketball Tournament Semifinals (buy tickets HERE!).

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LANCE STEPHENSON AT HOME UNDER GARDEN LIGHTS

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While an extended stay in New York City and Madison Square Garden is something new to most of the Cincinnati Bearcats on Mick Cronin’s roster, there is one player that is an old pro at playing under the bright lights and scrutiny that the Garden brings.

The NBE Big East Freshman of the Year Lance Stephenson was a New York City basketball prodigy since he was in 6th grade and the legend of the player known as ‘Born Ready’ grew to a climax as Stephenson led Lincoln High School to four consecutive PSAL championships on the Garden floor. This week he returned home hoping to help the Bearcats turn around a season that has not lived up to the preseason expectations heaped upon them by adding Stephenson to an experienced returning cast.

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2010 BIG EAST TOURNAMENT COVERAGE: DAY TWO RECAP

by RAY FLORIANI and MATT WHITFIELD

NEW YORK CITY – Day two at the 2010 Big East Tournament is complete and one thing is definitely certain, we will have a new champion.

The scores:

Georgetown 69, South Florida 49

Marquette 57, St. John’s 55

Notre Dame 68, Seton Hall 56

Cincinnati 69, Louisville 66

Ray’s ten points of emphasis from Wednesday…

1. Georgetown did it the old fashioned way. They defended the heck out of South Florida. Dominique Jones of USF had 21 points to lead all scorers but the Bulls outstanding junior talent had no one to lend a helping hand. Credit the Hoya defense that forced South Florida into a 29% afternoon from the field.

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MIKE TAYLOR BASKING IN PSAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Boys & Girls junior guard shines on MSG floor with 25 points leading ‘Roos to first title since 1979

They have been close before, but this time the Boys & Girls High School Kangaroos finished the job with a 55-50 victory over Cardozo to give the Brooklyn high school their first PSAL championship since 1979. It was their third trip in the last four years to the AA finals and the win made Ruth Lovelace the first female coach to lead a PSAL team to the boy’s title.

Junior (2011) guard Mike Taylor led the ‘Roos with 25 points and was named the game’s Most Valuable Player. The 6-foot-3 shooting guard, who is being pursued by the majority of the Big East, understood the historical aspects of the win, relaying the weight of the accomplishments to NBE last night while returning to Madison Square Garden to take in the 2010 Big East Tournament as a fan.

“It was a good win on Saturday,” said Taylor. “We were down 10 at halftime, we just came out halftime and played hard. The last time we won was in 1979, so it was a 31 year drought. This was Coach Ruth Lovelace’s first championship.”

For more on Taylor’s thoughts on the PSAL championship and an update from him on his recruitment, you can sign up for NBE Premium access and SUBSCRIBE (HERE) read on below…

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BIG EAST TOURNAMENT COVERAGE: DAY ONE RECAP

by RAY FLORIANI and MATT WHITFIELD

NEW YORK CITY – The first round of the 2010 Big East Tournament is in the books. Four games, one upset with St. John’s over UCONN in a surprisingly lopsided contest . The scores:

South Florida 58, DePaul 49

St. John’s 73, Connecticut 51

Seton Hall 109, Providence 106

Cincinnati 69, Rutgers 68

—Be sure to visit NBE’s 2010 Big East Tournament home page (HERE!) for the full schedule and links to get tickets to each session—

Ray’s ten points of emphasis from this first day:

1. Loved the attitude of South Florida coach Stan Heath. His Bulls defeated DePaul and are 20-11. Rather than discuss the bubble Heath simply tells his players to keep playing. “We win we get to keep playing,” Heath said, “and that takes care of itself.” Bulls jumped out to a 30-15 halftime lead and outside of a late run fueled by DePaul’s Will Walker (20 points), did a good defensive job.

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NBE POST-SEASON ALL-BIG EAST TEAMS & AWARDS

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The regular season is complete and the Big East Tournament tips off Tuesday so be sure to visit our 2010 Big East Tournament & Tickets page for the full tournament schedule and the links needed for Big East basketball fans to purchase tickets to any or all of the 2010 Big East Tournament sessions.

Throughout the day the majority of NBE writers and contributors contemplated, debated and discussed our post-season awards for the Big East conference. Its been another great season with 16 teams battling it out for 18 games each through the 71 days of Big East action from December 26th through this past Saturday. After much deliberation…here are the NBE Big East 2009-2010 season awards:

NBE Big East Player of the Year: Scottie Reynolds, Villanova

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NIA PREP ON THE RISE ON THE PREP SCHOOL SCENE

Jamir Hanner headed to Seton Hall; Kelvin Amayo & Shaquille Thomas lead next group of NIA Prep prospects

By Matt Whitfield

The New York tri-state area is a hot bed for high school basketball. With perennial powers St. Anthony’s, St. Benedict’s, St. Patrick’s, Paterson Catholic, Rice, Lincoln and others, it is no surprise a plethora of talented high school players graduate to play in college and then sometimes at the highest level. Despite being such a breeding ground for talent the area also sees many talented players leave the area for stops at prep programs in New England such as Winchendon Prep, South Kent Prep, and others, to pepare them for college on and off the court. A rising program aims to begin to change the migration of talented NYC/NJ-area players to New England and keep them in the tri-state area as Alif Muhammad’s NIA School in Newark (NJ) has put itself on the prep basketball map this season. With the addition of former Bishop Loughlin head coach Rudy King to the coaching staff at NIA School, NIA Prep is posied for bigger things in the future.

NIA Prep’s basketball program is in it’s second season on the court and in it’s first year under Coach Rudy King. The team is 29-11 as of Monday and according to school President Alif Muhammad had it’s best stretch to date in late January/early February when they beat Mack Academy and then went up to Rhode Island for the National Prep Showcase and beat Westwind Prep and Brewster, all of who were ranked high amongst the ESPN top prep school schools. The school has taken on a national schedule this season, playing a mix of traditional New England prep powers as well as the top programs in New Jersey, including Paterson Catholic and St. Anthony’s. NIA Prep owns a two-game season sweep over a loaded Brewster Academy team, which recently captured the NEPSAC Class A championship.

The team right now has several Big East caliber players with the best of those right now being Jamir Hanner, according to Muhammad.

Read on for more on NIA Prep, including recruiting updates on 2011 prospects Shaquille Thomas and Kelvin Amayo who are both highly coveted by Big East programs. To see the latest you can sign up for NBE Premium access and SUBSCRIBE (HERE) to read on below…

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EDGAR SOSA IS A LOUISVILLE CARDINAL TO THE END

NYC native committed to UL before seing the campus, remained committed through up and down career

by MATT WHITFIELD

Edgar Sosa he has seen his share of ups and downs in his collegient career. As a freshman the highly touted Rice High School product out of New York City was second on the Louisville team in points (11.4/game), assists (2.6/game) and minutes played (25.2/game) behind Terrence Williams while leading the team in steals (44). His 31-point performances in a 2nd round NCAA Tournament near upset of three-seed Texas A&M to close his rookie season with the Cards had him moving quickly up NBE mock drafts on the internet predictions were made he would finish as one of the best ever at Louisville before his career was complete.

Those predictions did not come to to fruition immediately as Sosa’s production dipped significantly, along with his playing time, as a sophomore and stayed the same in his junior season. The 6-foot-1 guard routinely caught the ire of head coach Rick Pitino for his troubles on the defensive end of the court.

Prior to Sosa’s sophomore season his drop in playing time might have been foreshadowed by a remark by Pitino on his personal website, RickPitino.com. Pitino always has a motivating quip or two on his players, and as official practice began in mid-October the target was Sosa, who according to Pitino, “probably spent his summer hours guarding a chair.”

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SOSA’S LATE SCORE LIFTS LOUISVILLE TO BIG WIN

UL senior Edgar Sosa helps Cards steal one in Storrs to help NCAA Tournament chances

by MATT WHITFIELD

If you wanted to, you could make a scrap book with quotes from college coaches on how tough the Big East is. Sunday’s game between Connecticut and Louisville proved to be just another dog fight as the stakes were high with both teams fighting for their NCAA Tournament lives. The Huskies and Cardinals were both #1 seeds last year and now both entered Gampel Pavilion on Sunday just hoping their names would be called on Selection Sunday in two weeks.

Early in the game all signs pointed to a UConn win as Jim Calhoun’s club came out with a lot of energy and emotion trying to send off their three scholarship seniors, Jerome Dyson, Stanley Robinson and Gavin Edwards, as winners in their final regular season home game. The Huskies raced to an 11-2 lead out of the gates and pushed the lead to as much as twelve points, 28-16, on a three-pointer by point guard Kemba Walker with 8:29 left in the first half.

The Huskies began the game dominating the boards, outrebounding the Cards 18-7, including six on the offensive glass, in the opening eleven and a half minutes.

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ST. PATRICK’S ROUTS PLAINFIELD, 82-45

Kyrie Irving leads St. Pat’s to Union County Tournament title Saturday

by MATT WHITFIELD

It only happens a couple times each season, but when public high school powerhouses battle their parochial counterparts it’s usually a game to see.

Last season Planfield High School made waves by defeating Paterson Catholic, St. Peter’s Prep and St. Anthony’s. This year Plainfield’s opponents haven’t been as stiff and despite losing to St. Patrick’s last month, many thought Saturday’s game between the two for the Union County Tournament championship might be close. However, Duke-bound Kyrie Irving put any thoughts of that quickly out of the minds of spectators watching on Saturday at Kean University.

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UNFINISHED BUSINESS FOR UCONN’S DYSON

Connecticut senior guard has plenty left to play for in final season in Storrs

Since Jim Calhoun took over the Husky basketball program in May of 1986, the Hall of Fame coach has put Connecticut basketball on the national map. With a pair of national championships under his belt and a third trip to the Final Four last season, players that pass through his program are not judged by how many points they score or rebounds they grab, but by their legacy of success in the postseason.

By any standard of judgment, Jerome Dyson is a college basketball star. He has had a career at UConn that ranks among some of the very best to play under coach Calhoun. However, he understands he has some unfinished business to take care of as he tries to solidify his own UConn basketball legacy. That is why a strong finish to the 2009-2010 season and playing in the NCAA Tournament weighs heavily on Dyson’s mind.

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BIG MONDAY WIN FOR UCONN

Huskies put a stamp on their NCAA Tournament candidacy with upset of WVU

by MATT WHITFIELD

Nearly two weeks before the Big East tournament, the XL Center in downtown Hartford was the site of a Big East heavyweight clash between West Virginia and Connecticut Monday night. With major NCAA Tournament implications for both teams, both coaches were fired up throughout and the game came down to wire. In the end, the team that shot the ball more proficiently down the stretch and patrolled the boards better, all night long came away with a very important win.

The Huskies entered the game 16-11 overall, a bubble team with three wins over teams within the top 50 of the RPI ratings. On the other hand, West Virginia, 21-5 overall, was a team battling for possibly a number one seed as they went in with a RPI rating of five.

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2011 NYC G/F JERMAINE SANDERS LIKES THE BIG EAST

And the Big East is liking him back with several school offering a scholarship

While Rice (NYC) High School junior Jermaine Sanders does not seem to have a big reputation nationally, that is not the case in the northeast among high-major college coaches.

Sanders is a 6-foot-5 swing man/small forward that can simply score the ball in a lot of different ways. Against Westchester (CA) High School last month at the Primetime Shootout in Morgantown (WV), he was deadly from beyond the three-point line. He’s also a solidly built kid who should continue to get stronger and shows the ability to share the ball and defend within a team concept.

Last weekend at the Primetime Shootout in Trenton (NJ), NBE’s Matt Whitfield caught up with the rising star in the 2011 recruiting class to get his thoughts on his recruitment…

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BIG EAST OFFER EXCITES TAVON SLEDGE

This past weekend in the 2010 Primetime Shootout a Sunday afternoon contest between Christ the King of New York City and Half Hollow Hills West of Long Island drew a lot of interested observers. With recently named McDonald’s All-American and 2010 Tennessee commit Tobias Harris saddled with foul trouble, it was junior point guard Tavon Sledge stepping up his play to hold off a Christ the King rally to lead HHHW to a 73-69 win at the Sun National Bank Center in Trenton (NJ).

Sledge scored 23 points in the win and used his speed and quickness with the dribble to shoft through the defense for his points and drop dimes to open teammates. For his efforts, Sledge was named the co-Most Outstanding Player, along with Harris, for HHHW as he shot seven of 14 from the field, nine of 12 from the foul line and added four assists and four steals. Afterwards, Matt Whitfield caught up with Sledge to get a school list and NBE also got an update earlier this morning as his sparkling performance this past weekend has led to a Big East school making a scholarship offer to the 2011 guard prospect.

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PRIMETIME SHOOTOUT RECRUITING & PLAYER NOTES (PART II)

On Saturday afternoon at the 2010 Primetime Shootout Finlday Prep (NV) took on the Hotchkiss School (CT) at the Sun National Bank Center in Trenton (NJ). Playing without Texas-bound forward Tristan Thompson, Findlay was still too deep and too big for Hotchkiss as Cory Joseph and Nick Johnson tossed in 19 points each to lead Findlay to a 64-48 victory.

Matt Whitfield was in Trenton for all the action on Saturday and Sunday and following the game between Findlay and Hotchkiss he was able to touch base with some of the top players to get the latest recruiting information from Nick Johnson, Winston Shepard, Godwin Okonji, Cory Joseph and Dekeeba Battee Aston from Findlay with updates from Derrick Wilson and Clyde Smith of Hotchkiss…

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PRIMETIME SHOOTOUT PLAYER & RECRUITING NOTES (PART I)

Matt Whitfield spent Saturday and Sunday of this past weekend at the Sun National Bank Center in Trenton (NJ) for the 2010 Primetime Shootout. Once again the field was loaded with talented teams and some of the top high school prospects in America put their games on display.

In today’s update, NBE catches up with LaQuinton Ross and Dion Waiters of Life Center Academy as Ross updats his recruitment since his move from Mississippi to New Jersey and Waiters had his tremendous talents on display as a preview to what fans will see in the Big East. Also, Kamari Murphy and Shaquille Stokes of Lincoln HS update their recruitment and Davontay Grace discusses the status of his verbal commitment.

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BIG EAST SCHOOLS TRAILING IN RACE FOR KADEEM JACK

Plenty of Big East schools involved with Rice HS big man, but have ground to make up

Kadeem Jack is a hot name right now in recruiting circles. Having a big season at Rice High School in the powerful CHSAA of New York City, Jack is also causing a stir because he could be a class of 2010 recruit and be a coveted signature in the late signing period this April.

This weekend, Jack and his Rice teammates participated in one of the showcase games of the 2010 Primetime Shootout when they took on St. Patrick’s (NJ) at 7:30 PM on Saturday evening at the Sun National Bank Center in Trenton (NJ). Afterwards, Matt Whitfield caught up with Jack to get his thoughts on where his recruitment currently stands…

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THREE STANDOUT EARLY FOR DESMOND HUBERT

Class of 2011 NJ big man had Big East assistants on hand to see him at Primetime Shootout

New Egypt (NJ) High School center Desmond Hubert is a class of 2011 prospect in high-demand. The 6-foot-9 big man is a long and lean athletic specimen who showed his knack for blocking shots during the 2010 Primetime Shootout by returning six shots back to the sender in the first quarter alone against Montgomery (NJ) High School on his way to setting a new event record for blocked shots in a game Sunday night.

Hubert’s participating in the event drew a couple very interested Big East assistant coaches as schools like Kentucky, North Carolina and others are also making their interest known. Following New Egypt’s 51-45 win, NBE’s Matt Whitfield had the chance to catch up with Hubert to hear how his recruitment is going as he heads towards the spring of his junior year…

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