Montgomery (7-9), Union Catholic (8-9) and Plainfield (8-7) sit on the bubble as we close in on the state tournament cutoff. Teams must be .500 or better by the end of Saturday's games to qualify.
Here are my feelings on each team:
Montgomery: The Cougars entered the week 5-9, but consecutive wins against Ewing and Franklin have put them in a good position. Beating Franklin for the second time this season Tuesday night leads me to believe this team is on a mission. Last season, Montgomery qualified as the 12th seed in North Jersey, Section 2, Group III and won two games. The coach has changed, but the team's fight has not. Still, the road is not entirely open. Montgomery must still avenge an earlier loss to Bridgewater-Raritan -- which is playing its best basketball of the season right now -- on Thursday night and then defeat up-tempo Gill St. Bernard's in the second round of the Somerset County Tournament on Saturday afternoon. I'll be in attendance Saturday, so I hope to see that extra ingredient for my story. If Montgomery gets past BR on Thursday, I say the Cougars beat Gill and qualify. If they lose and are eliminated from states, I say Gill adds to their misery.
Union Catholic: 30-for-30. That's coach Kathy Matthews' streak when it comes to qualifying for state tournaments. But what might be one of the most impressive stats owned by any high school coach in state history, could come to a sad end Thursday. Union Catholic must beat Westfield, ranked No. 9 in the Courier News Top 10, to qualify. The Vikings were in a similar position last year, and beat Hillside in a must-win to extend the streak. Matthews has said she is very fond of this particular team because they are showing her how to have fun again. Now the question is: Can they win one for this legend? I say, UC gets it done.
Plainfield: As far as I can tell, Plainfield is still scheduled to play East Side on Thursday and South Brunswick on Saturday. If this remains true, enough cannot be said about coach Elizabeth Clark's fearlessness. Plainfield could cancel its South Brunswick game Saturday and clinch its berth regardless of Thursday's outcome. It may sound bush league, but you would be surprised how often this happens. Teams have cancelled a whole week's worth of games in the past.
Because of this gutsy move, my heart says to say Plainfield makes it. My mind, however, says Thursday is do-or-die time because the Cardinals are not beating South Brunswick.
UPDATE: I talked with Clark on Wednesday night. They are indeed playing South Brunswick whether they win or lose Thursday.
Clark's thoughts on canceling:
1. "It's unethical. There's already a contract between Plainfield and South Brunswick."
2. "Our girls need to earn their way into the states. They have to earn it. I don't anything handed to them."
3. "I will never do it as long as I'm a high school coach."
The point should be moot soon, however, because Plainfield should cruise past East Side, which it defeated 59-19 on Dec. 19.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Looks like I was right...
When I said that Ridge and Bridgewater-Raritan should have been seeded better than 12th and 13th, respectively, in the Somerset County Tournament.
I made a case for those two schools to get the eighth and ninth seeds in a recent blog entry, and then said both got the short end of the stick in my post-meeting notebook analysis.
Several coaches privately said they hoped this would be the year that the debate over whether to give better seeds to big public schools with bad records and tough schedules or smaller public/private schools with good records and weak schedules would be settled.
After Ridge's 63-34 victory against Bound Brook and Bridgewater-Raritan's 62-34 victory against Pingry, it seems pretty clear those two teams should not have been playing first-round games.
Hopefully, we all remember this come next year.
I made a case for those two schools to get the eighth and ninth seeds in a recent blog entry, and then said both got the short end of the stick in my post-meeting notebook analysis.
Several coaches privately said they hoped this would be the year that the debate over whether to give better seeds to big public schools with bad records and tough schedules or smaller public/private schools with good records and weak schedules would be settled.
After Ridge's 63-34 victory against Bound Brook and Bridgewater-Raritan's 62-34 victory against Pingry, it seems pretty clear those two teams should not have been playing first-round games.
Hopefully, we all remember this come next year.
Friday, January 26, 2007
Is 1,500 the new 1,000?
Erin Miller (Westfield) and Megan Kopecki (Watchung Hills) scored the 1,000th point of their respective careers this week, raising the total number of local girls to reach this milestone this season to six.
Caity Laub (Somerville), Melissa Soucek (Timothy Christian), Lauren Staats (Dunellen), Kelsey Kutch (Hillsborough) all eclipsed the mark during the season's first three weeks.
Asia Jenkins (Piscataway) and Catherine Carr (Bernards) scored their 1,000th point as juniors last season.
All of which begs the question: With the frequency that players are reaching 1,000, does it still carry the same meaning it used to?
That is not devalue the accomplishments of all 1,000-point scorers, but it seems as if the gold standard should be raised. Perhaps as high as 1,500.
My memory may be tainted, but I remember playing high school basketball -- not too long ago, actually -- and thinking 1,000 points was rare. I know I would have been happy to score 1/3 of that total. But now it seems like a regular headline in newspapers.
Are we experiencing a golden age of players on both the boys and girls side? Or has the significance of 1,000 truly declined?
Please post your thoughts....
Caity Laub (Somerville), Melissa Soucek (Timothy Christian), Lauren Staats (Dunellen), Kelsey Kutch (Hillsborough) all eclipsed the mark during the season's first three weeks.
Asia Jenkins (Piscataway) and Catherine Carr (Bernards) scored their 1,000th point as juniors last season.
All of which begs the question: With the frequency that players are reaching 1,000, does it still carry the same meaning it used to?
That is not devalue the accomplishments of all 1,000-point scorers, but it seems as if the gold standard should be raised. Perhaps as high as 1,500.
My memory may be tainted, but I remember playing high school basketball -- not too long ago, actually -- and thinking 1,000 points was rare. I know I would have been happy to score 1/3 of that total. But now it seems like a regular headline in newspapers.
Are we experiencing a golden age of players on both the boys and girls side? Or has the significance of 1,000 truly declined?
Please post your thoughts....
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
My final verdict on SCT seeds
After much brain-racking during the past several days, here is my final ballot for tonight’s Somerset County Tournament seeding meeting. There are several notable changes from the original ballot I cast with Friday’s notebook. Notice the ascent of big schools with bad records (Ridge and Bridgewater-Raritan) and the reshuffling of Franklin, Rutgers Prep and Immaculata among the No. 3, 4 and 5 spots. Each school's overall record is followed by its record against other Somerset County opponents.
1. Hillsborough (12-2, 6-0)
Two-time defending champion swept its way through the first round of Skyland Conference Delaware East Division play, including a one-point win against Watchung Hills. That victory plus Hillsborough’s legacy – eight finals appearances in the past nine seasons – makes this seed a no-brainer.
2. Watchung Hills (8-3, 4-2)
Last year’s top seed reached the semifinals before star player Megan Kopecki’s knee injury derailed hope of the school’s first-ever SCT title. With almost all key players from that team back this season, the Warriors have a second chance at history. This is the second straight easy selection. The next 14 are a guessing game.
3. Rutgers Prep (10-6, 0-0)
How does a team with no in-county exposure land the third seed? Having on your resume three straight trips to the finals and one of the most knowledgeable and experienced local coaches is a good start. Still, the Argonauts may be the tournament’s biggest wild card because of their talent and the match-up problems caused by their height.
4. Franklin (9-4, 4-3)
The resume was missing a quality win until this past week’s defeats of Immaculata and Watchung Hills, which helped negate an earlier hiccup against Montgomery. Bottom line, as usual, with regard to the Warriors: There is enough talent to win the whole tournament, but stringing together strong performances remains a challenge.
5. Immaculata (7-7, 5-3)
This is a good spot for the Spartans, whose record is misleading because of an overwhelming early-season schedule. In an unpredictable county, this is one team who seems to be beating the teams it is supposed to and losing to teams who are favored. Immaculata would benefit most from playing a second-round game Feb. 3 – the date by which teams need to have .500 records to qualify for the state tournament.
6. Somerville (11-2, 6-1)
All six county victories are against teams seeded ninth or lower, and the black mark is a 16-point home loss Saturday to Immaculata. Somerville reached the semifinals as the sixth seed last season and could do so again if its youthful core can group block out distractions. Senior star Caity Laub is going to be hungry to prove herself after a disappointing showing on Saturday’s grand stage.
7. Montgomery (5-8, 2-5)
A 1-5 start raised some concerns, but three straight wins righted the ship until a surprising loss to Bridgewater-Raritan. The Cougars played Immaculata tight on opening night, cruised past Ridge and upended Franklin, but have struggled against the Skyland Conference’s elite teams such as Hillsborough, Watchung Hills, North Hunterdon and Voorhees.
8. Bridgewater-Raritan (2-12, 1-5)
After losing their nucleus before the season started, the inexperienced and undersized Panthers simply have been overmatched by a daunting schedule. The play has been better of late with two wins in the past three games. One of those wins is against Montgomery, but it is not enough to put a 2-12 team ahead of a 5-8 team.
9. Ridge (4-11, 0-4)
Ridge was given the 14th seed last season and proved that – despite a poor record – big schools deserve higher seeds when it knocked off Mount St. Mary. For that reason, the Red Devils slip into the Top 10 this time around. Ridge looks offensively-challenged at times, but recorded its biggest win in two years Tuesday night against North Hunterdon.
10. North Plainfield (8-3, 3-1)
Maybe the most improved team in the county this season first started making noise with a rare 16-over-9 upset of Bernards in last year’s tournament. The move to the Skyland Conference Raritan Division and the return of Kiah Clark after a one-year absence from the team have done wonders for North Plainfield, which beat Bernards again and hung with Somerville.
11. Bernards (10-5, 2-2)
Senior Catherine Carr might be the best all-around player in the county and junior guard Lindsay Darvin has improved plenty, but there is still not enough balance here. Bernards was a buzzer-beating 3-pointer away from taking Somerville to overtime and only lost to North Plainfield by three.
12. Gill St. Bernard’s (11-1, 1-0)
The only concrete fact known about Gill St. Bernard’s is that it is better than last season’s team which lost to Manville in the opening round. The Knights avenged that loss Manville by 30 on Dec. 21. Other than that, this team is largely a high-scoring, blowout-heavy mystery beating up on an inferior schedule.
13. Pingry (7-5, 0-0)
At least when Bernards and Pingry were in the same conference there was a reference point. Pingry’s two losses against Morris Catholic – arguably the state’s best team – are a wash.
14. Mount St. Mary (4-9, 1-3)
The Mount Lions lost a close game to Bernards on opening night and never really recovered. Five of their nine losses are by 10 points or less.
15. Manville (5-9, 1-4)
The Mustangs are 5-4 in their past nine games, and earned a tournament win last season. Still, it has been a tough year for Manville, which has been undone by poor shooting and too many turnovers.
16. Bound Brook (6-10, 1-4)
The only thing separating Manville and Bound Brook right now is I was more impressed by Manville. Just one man’s view on one game. Means virtually nothing.
Check Friday’s podcast for my thoughts on the outcome as well as analysis of the opening round matchups.
1. Hillsborough (12-2, 6-0)
Two-time defending champion swept its way through the first round of Skyland Conference Delaware East Division play, including a one-point win against Watchung Hills. That victory plus Hillsborough’s legacy – eight finals appearances in the past nine seasons – makes this seed a no-brainer.
2. Watchung Hills (8-3, 4-2)
Last year’s top seed reached the semifinals before star player Megan Kopecki’s knee injury derailed hope of the school’s first-ever SCT title. With almost all key players from that team back this season, the Warriors have a second chance at history. This is the second straight easy selection. The next 14 are a guessing game.
3. Rutgers Prep (10-6, 0-0)
How does a team with no in-county exposure land the third seed? Having on your resume three straight trips to the finals and one of the most knowledgeable and experienced local coaches is a good start. Still, the Argonauts may be the tournament’s biggest wild card because of their talent and the match-up problems caused by their height.
4. Franklin (9-4, 4-3)
The resume was missing a quality win until this past week’s defeats of Immaculata and Watchung Hills, which helped negate an earlier hiccup against Montgomery. Bottom line, as usual, with regard to the Warriors: There is enough talent to win the whole tournament, but stringing together strong performances remains a challenge.
5. Immaculata (7-7, 5-3)
This is a good spot for the Spartans, whose record is misleading because of an overwhelming early-season schedule. In an unpredictable county, this is one team who seems to be beating the teams it is supposed to and losing to teams who are favored. Immaculata would benefit most from playing a second-round game Feb. 3 – the date by which teams need to have .500 records to qualify for the state tournament.
6. Somerville (11-2, 6-1)
All six county victories are against teams seeded ninth or lower, and the black mark is a 16-point home loss Saturday to Immaculata. Somerville reached the semifinals as the sixth seed last season and could do so again if its youthful core can group block out distractions. Senior star Caity Laub is going to be hungry to prove herself after a disappointing showing on Saturday’s grand stage.
7. Montgomery (5-8, 2-5)
A 1-5 start raised some concerns, but three straight wins righted the ship until a surprising loss to Bridgewater-Raritan. The Cougars played Immaculata tight on opening night, cruised past Ridge and upended Franklin, but have struggled against the Skyland Conference’s elite teams such as Hillsborough, Watchung Hills, North Hunterdon and Voorhees.
8. Bridgewater-Raritan (2-12, 1-5)
After losing their nucleus before the season started, the inexperienced and undersized Panthers simply have been overmatched by a daunting schedule. The play has been better of late with two wins in the past three games. One of those wins is against Montgomery, but it is not enough to put a 2-12 team ahead of a 5-8 team.
9. Ridge (4-11, 0-4)
Ridge was given the 14th seed last season and proved that – despite a poor record – big schools deserve higher seeds when it knocked off Mount St. Mary. For that reason, the Red Devils slip into the Top 10 this time around. Ridge looks offensively-challenged at times, but recorded its biggest win in two years Tuesday night against North Hunterdon.
10. North Plainfield (8-3, 3-1)
Maybe the most improved team in the county this season first started making noise with a rare 16-over-9 upset of Bernards in last year’s tournament. The move to the Skyland Conference Raritan Division and the return of Kiah Clark after a one-year absence from the team have done wonders for North Plainfield, which beat Bernards again and hung with Somerville.
11. Bernards (10-5, 2-2)
Senior Catherine Carr might be the best all-around player in the county and junior guard Lindsay Darvin has improved plenty, but there is still not enough balance here. Bernards was a buzzer-beating 3-pointer away from taking Somerville to overtime and only lost to North Plainfield by three.
12. Gill St. Bernard’s (11-1, 1-0)
The only concrete fact known about Gill St. Bernard’s is that it is better than last season’s team which lost to Manville in the opening round. The Knights avenged that loss Manville by 30 on Dec. 21. Other than that, this team is largely a high-scoring, blowout-heavy mystery beating up on an inferior schedule.
13. Pingry (7-5, 0-0)
At least when Bernards and Pingry were in the same conference there was a reference point. Pingry’s two losses against Morris Catholic – arguably the state’s best team – are a wash.
14. Mount St. Mary (4-9, 1-3)
The Mount Lions lost a close game to Bernards on opening night and never really recovered. Five of their nine losses are by 10 points or less.
15. Manville (5-9, 1-4)
The Mustangs are 5-4 in their past nine games, and earned a tournament win last season. Still, it has been a tough year for Manville, which has been undone by poor shooting and too many turnovers.
16. Bound Brook (6-10, 1-4)
The only thing separating Manville and Bound Brook right now is I was more impressed by Manville. Just one man’s view on one game. Means virtually nothing.
Check Friday’s podcast for my thoughts on the outcome as well as analysis of the opening round matchups.
Monday, January 22, 2007
What I'm thinking
After a wild weekend filled with rivalry games, upsets and some blowouts, here are my thoughts:
1. The Skyland Delaware East is very, very good. We all know about Hillsborough and Watchung Hills, but after seeing 5-7 Immaculata handle 10-1 Somerville, I started rethinking my Somerset County Tournament seedings. Bridgewater-Raritan's convincing defeat of Plainfield, which gave Westfield a handful Thursday afternoon, is also good for the league. Maybe these six teams all deserve a top-8 seed.
2. Voorhees is very, very good. It probably took me too long to realize this, but the only team without a Skyland team without a loss to another Skyland team is simply rolling. They swept rivals Hunterdon Central and North Hunterdon, and then allowed four points -- FOUR!! -- in the second half against a much-improved Delaware Valley team Saturday.
3. Rutgers Prep is the wild card. After reaching the SCT finals the past two seasons, Rutgers Prep holds some clout. Seeding the Argonauts is always a project. For years, coach Mary Klinger had to fight disbelievers for a high seed. Now, people take her at her word. I have not seen Rutgers Prep play, but they did beat North Hunterdon, which beat Hillsborough. That said, a 7-5 record does not jump out and say, "I'm a top-four seed." What Klinger decides to say at the meeting will go a long way toward determining where everyone else falls.
1. The Skyland Delaware East is very, very good. We all know about Hillsborough and Watchung Hills, but after seeing 5-7 Immaculata handle 10-1 Somerville, I started rethinking my Somerset County Tournament seedings. Bridgewater-Raritan's convincing defeat of Plainfield, which gave Westfield a handful Thursday afternoon, is also good for the league. Maybe these six teams all deserve a top-8 seed.
2. Voorhees is very, very good. It probably took me too long to realize this, but the only team without a Skyland team without a loss to another Skyland team is simply rolling. They swept rivals Hunterdon Central and North Hunterdon, and then allowed four points -- FOUR!! -- in the second half against a much-improved Delaware Valley team Saturday.
3. Rutgers Prep is the wild card. After reaching the SCT finals the past two seasons, Rutgers Prep holds some clout. Seeding the Argonauts is always a project. For years, coach Mary Klinger had to fight disbelievers for a high seed. Now, people take her at her word. I have not seen Rutgers Prep play, but they did beat North Hunterdon, which beat Hillsborough. That said, a 7-5 record does not jump out and say, "I'm a top-four seed." What Klinger decides to say at the meeting will go a long way toward determining where everyone else falls.
Friday, January 19, 2007
Podcast
In response to the four confused posters and the person who left an anonymous angry voicemail on my cell phone, I don't know where the podcast is. All I can tell you is Jerry and I recorded it at 2:30 Thursday afternoon (some 27 hours ago) and were under the impression it would be posted later that night or Friday morning. I apologize for the delay, but there probably were some technical difficulties. I promise I will post the link ASAP.
Here is the link. Again, sorry for the delay.
http://www.c-n.com/specialsections/podcasts/frezza/carino0118.htm
Here is the link. Again, sorry for the delay.
http://www.c-n.com/specialsections/podcasts/frezza/carino0118.htm
Three points
1. In case you missed it, click here for the second girls basketball notebook of the season. I got some positive feedback about last week's -- how a team's start to the season can be determined by offseason work. Let's hear thoughts on what I see as a wide-open Skyland Conference.
2. Flying under the radar a bit is New Providence, which is off to a 9-0 start thanks to a huge 3-pointer in the final 15 seconds Thursday night. I haven't been out to see New Providence yet -- a bad job by me -- but hang in Pioneers, I'll be on campus soon. See if you can keep that perfect record in tact until next Friday, and congratulations on being the last remaining local unbeaten team.
3. If you listened to the podcast, I made a mistake when talking about the Immaculata-Somerville girls game. The game is going to be played at 3 p.m. Saturday at Somerville. Not 7 p.m. as I thought.
2. Flying under the radar a bit is New Providence, which is off to a 9-0 start thanks to a huge 3-pointer in the final 15 seconds Thursday night. I haven't been out to see New Providence yet -- a bad job by me -- but hang in Pioneers, I'll be on campus soon. See if you can keep that perfect record in tact until next Friday, and congratulations on being the last remaining local unbeaten team.
3. If you listened to the podcast, I made a mistake when talking about the Immaculata-Somerville girls game. The game is going to be played at 3 p.m. Saturday at Somerville. Not 7 p.m. as I thought.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
If you like this blog...
You'll love the podcast.
Or, so we're hoping.
Every Thursday afternooon, boys basketball beat writer Jerry Carino and I will be hosting an Internet talkshow where we discuss the week that was and the week to come on both basketball circuits.
The first show will be posted on the Courier News Web site either later tonight or Friday morning, so download it to hear our thoughts.
Jerry and the legendary Harry Frezza Jr. hosted podcasts during football season and they were wildly successful.
Check it out. I'll post the link when it's up.
Or, so we're hoping.
Every Thursday afternooon, boys basketball beat writer Jerry Carino and I will be hosting an Internet talkshow where we discuss the week that was and the week to come on both basketball circuits.
The first show will be posted on the Courier News Web site either later tonight or Friday morning, so download it to hear our thoughts.
Jerry and the legendary Harry Frezza Jr. hosted podcasts during football season and they were wildly successful.
Check it out. I'll post the link when it's up.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Baseball's been very, very good to me
According to this story, the Texas Rangers and popular slugger Sammy Sosa have entered negotiations that would give Sosa the chance to make the Rangers major-league club during spring training.
There was a rumor circulating the Atlantic League last season that Sosa and the league had brief discussions about a possible partnership, but nothing ever came close to materializing and the league brought in Juan Gonzalez instead.
Sosa, who has 588 home runs in a 17-year career, sat out last season after rejecting a similar contract offer from the Washington Nationals. He last played for the 2005 Baltimore Orioles, but was a major disappointment.
There was a rumor circulating the Atlantic League last season that Sosa and the league had brief discussions about a possible partnership, but nothing ever came close to materializing and the league brought in Juan Gonzalez instead.
Sosa, who has 588 home runs in a 17-year career, sat out last season after rejecting a similar contract offer from the Washington Nationals. He last played for the 2005 Baltimore Orioles, but was a major disappointment.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Christman the right man for Albany
And now...for the very first time...never before seen on this blog...a Somerset Patriots entry:
Tim Christman, who helped pitch the Somerset Patriots to the 2005 Atlantic League championship, has been named the pitching coach for the University of Albany baseball team.
The left-hander was 2-4 with a 3.72 earned-run average in nine games after joining the Patriots in August 2005, but pitched his best game in Game 3 of the Atlantic League South Division Championship Series when he allowed one run on five hits and two walks while striking out five in a six-inning no-decision against the Atlantic City Surf.
Originally an 11th-round draft choice by the Colorado Rockies out of Sienna, Christman did not pitch last season because of recurring shoulder problems.
He has one game of major-league experience with the 2001 Rockies.
I picked up the Patriots beat in September 2005, so I do not know much about Tim other than that I've heard he was a nice guy. Either way, the Patriots have landed another former player in the coaching ranks. Paul Esposito is coaching at St. Joseph's (Metuchen) High School, Scott Aldred is the pitching coach for the Double-A Trenton Thunder and Mike Glavine is the assistant coach at Northeastern University.
Tim Christman, who helped pitch the Somerset Patriots to the 2005 Atlantic League championship, has been named the pitching coach for the University of Albany baseball team.
The left-hander was 2-4 with a 3.72 earned-run average in nine games after joining the Patriots in August 2005, but pitched his best game in Game 3 of the Atlantic League South Division Championship Series when he allowed one run on five hits and two walks while striking out five in a six-inning no-decision against the Atlantic City Surf.
Originally an 11th-round draft choice by the Colorado Rockies out of Sienna, Christman did not pitch last season because of recurring shoulder problems.
He has one game of major-league experience with the 2001 Rockies.
I picked up the Patriots beat in September 2005, so I do not know much about Tim other than that I've heard he was a nice guy. Either way, the Patriots have landed another former player in the coaching ranks. Paul Esposito is coaching at St. Joseph's (Metuchen) High School, Scott Aldred is the pitching coach for the Double-A Trenton Thunder and Mike Glavine is the assistant coach at Northeastern University.
WWYD
The Somerset County coaches are going to be faced with a tough decision next Wednesday night at the county tournament seeding meeting.
The problem? Group III Ridge is 2-9 and Group IV Bridgewater-Raritan is 0-10, making seeding those two schools a near impossible task.
It's hard to justify putting a two-win team and a winless team in the Top 8 ahead of smaller public schools with solid records such North Plainfield (6-2) and Bernards (8-3).
That said, a struggling Ridge team was given the 13th seed last season and handled Mount St. Mary rather easily in the first round. So, is it fair to ask the Mount Lions -- or Pingry, Bound Brook or Manville -- to face Ridge or BR in the first round just because they have poor records?
What would you do?
The problem? Group III Ridge is 2-9 and Group IV Bridgewater-Raritan is 0-10, making seeding those two schools a near impossible task.
It's hard to justify putting a two-win team and a winless team in the Top 8 ahead of smaller public schools with solid records such North Plainfield (6-2) and Bernards (8-3).
That said, a struggling Ridge team was given the 13th seed last season and handled Mount St. Mary rather easily in the first round. So, is it fair to ask the Mount Lions -- or Pingry, Bound Brook or Manville -- to face Ridge or BR in the first round just because they have poor records?
What would you do?
Saturday, January 13, 2007
One gutsy Raider
Read my colleague Jerry Carino's column on former Courier News Player of the Year and Scotch Plains-Fanwood standout Hillary Klimowicz in Saturday's paper.
Klimowicz was the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year last season at St. Joseph's in Philadelphia, but she gave up a promising Division I career to pursue other academic and social interests and transferred to The College of New Jersey.
http://www.c-n.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070113/SPORTS02/701130359
Klimowicz stopped by a few practices at her alma mater during winter break, but her old teammates could sure use a pep talk right now. Scotch Plains-Fanwood is in danger of slipping under .500 in January for the first time in a long, long, long time.
Klimowicz was the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year last season at St. Joseph's in Philadelphia, but she gave up a promising Division I career to pursue other academic and social interests and transferred to The College of New Jersey.
http://www.c-n.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070113/SPORTS02/701130359
Klimowicz stopped by a few practices at her alma mater during winter break, but her old teammates could sure use a pep talk right now. Scotch Plains-Fanwood is in danger of slipping under .500 in January for the first time in a long, long, long time.
Anonymous
Keep the comments coming, but I encourage those of you who post anonymously to sign a name to the comment afterward. I understand if you don't want to go through the whole sign up process for a quick comment, but how about at the end of your comment saying "Ken from Hillsborough" or "Piscataway fan" or "girls hoops guru." At least then I know if all the anonymous comments are from different people or the same person. It also makes it easier for me to respond when I know who to address. Thanks.
Friday, January 12, 2007
Problems in Piscataway?
Maybe Piscataway is not as much of a lock to remain our No. 1 team as I originally thought.
The Chiefs blew a 12-point third-quarter lead and lost their first GMC game of the season to Perth Amboy on Thursday night. Piscataway has lost two of its past three games, and suddenly looks far more susceptible to upsets than expected.
For more on Thursday's game, click on this link:
http://www.thnt.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070112/SPORTS03/701120320/1047
Here are additional thoughts from coach Pat Mayo:
"My girls, instead of being patient, our passes were not accurate and we had very poor shot selection. Instead of going in for layups, we settled for outside shots."
"I know I have high expectations and sometimes my expectations exceed our ability. Even though we're very talented individually, I have to do a better job of pulling them together as a team."
"That's what I'm hopeful for -- that this is (merely) a learning experience."
"Our weaknesses were exposed tonight. We have position for boxing out, but we didn't make contact to favor that position. And my team likes an uptempo game, but we only played eight kids. It's difficult to keep that uptempo 24-7."
AND MY FAVORITE QUOTE:
"I either have to get them not to fall asleep when we're not playing uptempo or get them in good enough shape to play uptempo all the time."
The Chiefs' next test comes 12:45 p.m. Sunday at Kean University in the Player's Choice Showcase, which pits top teams from New York against top teams from New Jersey. It's a great chance to see college-level talent, including Piscataway's Asia Jenkins (University of Cincinnati), Tiffany Patrick and Brittany Myatt.
The Chiefs blew a 12-point third-quarter lead and lost their first GMC game of the season to Perth Amboy on Thursday night. Piscataway has lost two of its past three games, and suddenly looks far more susceptible to upsets than expected.
For more on Thursday's game, click on this link:
http://www.thnt.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070112/SPORTS03/701120320/1047
Here are additional thoughts from coach Pat Mayo:
"My girls, instead of being patient, our passes were not accurate and we had very poor shot selection. Instead of going in for layups, we settled for outside shots."
"I know I have high expectations and sometimes my expectations exceed our ability. Even though we're very talented individually, I have to do a better job of pulling them together as a team."
"That's what I'm hopeful for -- that this is (merely) a learning experience."
"Our weaknesses were exposed tonight. We have position for boxing out, but we didn't make contact to favor that position. And my team likes an uptempo game, but we only played eight kids. It's difficult to keep that uptempo 24-7."
AND MY FAVORITE QUOTE:
"I either have to get them not to fall asleep when we're not playing uptempo or get them in good enough shape to play uptempo all the time."
The Chiefs' next test comes 12:45 p.m. Sunday at Kean University in the Player's Choice Showcase, which pits top teams from New York against top teams from New Jersey. It's a great chance to see college-level talent, including Piscataway's Asia Jenkins (University of Cincinnati), Tiffany Patrick and Brittany Myatt.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Welcome
At long last, I'm now offically a blogger. You can become one, too, by posting regularly in my comments section.
Agree with me. Disagree with me. That's what makes this stuff fun.
I'll be making regular posts about the high school girls basketball scene -- which so far this season has me befuddled.
First girls basketball notebook runs in Friday's paper. Check it out to find out what teams have improved the most since last season and to see Top 10 rankings that are very different than the preseason version.
Don't forget, I'm also the Somerset Patriots beat writer. So there will be plenty of stuff on here for all you minor-league baseball gurus. Even during the off-season.
Agree with me. Disagree with me. That's what makes this stuff fun.
I'll be making regular posts about the high school girls basketball scene -- which so far this season has me befuddled.
First girls basketball notebook runs in Friday's paper. Check it out to find out what teams have improved the most since last season and to see Top 10 rankings that are very different than the preseason version.
Don't forget, I'm also the Somerset Patriots beat writer. So there will be plenty of stuff on here for all you minor-league baseball gurus. Even during the off-season.
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