Ups & Downs + Rivalry Week

Tonight basketball aficionados all over the country will have their eyes glued to ESPN to watch two of the greatest rivalries in the college game today: Georgetown vs. Syracuse and Duke vs. UNC. It is officially Rivalry Week on the premier sports network and the saga continues this Friday on ESPN2 when Gonzaga plays DeMatha at the Kathy and Morgan Wootten Gymnasium / Convocation Center. I’m going to let that sink in for a minute.

In two days DeMatha will play a regular season home game on ESPN2.  Before we get ahead of ourselves let’s recap what has transpired in the WCAC so far because the drama has been thickening quickly, of late. For starters there is a good chance that when Gonzaga and DeMatha play this Friday that it will only be for second place in the WCAC. That would be due to the fact that Paul VI is currently undefeated in league play. Let’s get down to the get down…

January 21, 2012 Gonzaga edges out DeMatha 76-74 at Bender Arena on the campus of American University in their first meeting of the WCAC season. The good news is that the Stags came all the way back from an eighteen point deficit to tie the game. The bad news is that DeMatha missed out on their opportunity to stick it to Gonzaga and the cause was the familiar nemesis of free throws.  Kris Jenkins had one of the most outstanding games I have seen a Gonzaga kid play. It wasn’t a good day for the Stags to come out flat but again, at least the slide would be short lived.

The Stags cruised to their second win against Archbishop Carroll on January 24, winning the contest 78-66 in what would turn out to be the last home game for super sophomore Johnnie Shuler in a DeMatha uniform. The backup point guard that dazzled college scouts with expert ball control transferred to the DCIAA public school Theodore Roosevelt amid rumors and speculation. I, for one, hate to see him go out like that but I wish him well. Never let it be said that sophomore year at DeMatha is easy which I suspect is the reason for the blazer color change to red/maroon for the junior year: you have to earn it.

The first place Paul VI Panthers proved that their early national ranking and successes were justified when they defended their home court against DeMatha on January 27^th. DeMatha, again, didn’t make enough foul shots and let a spirited crowd rush the floor when Paul VI made a last second shot to win the game 64-62. The Panthers made things even more interesting in the WCAC when they also beat Gonzaga 66-53 in a command performance at home four days later to take firm control of first place.

Just to show you that this phenomenon of even the top echelon of teams losing in tough regular season WCAC match-ups isn’t isolated it is wise to note that Paul VI was the second team to beat Gonzaga this year. The Purple Eagles fell to rival St. John’s College Cadets 56-54 on January 29^th. DeMatha took care of business on January 31^st winning at St. Mary’s Ryken, 92-62 in the two teams’ second regular season meeting. I wasn’t at that game, but I was told that DeMatha looked sharp.

The Stags continued their winning ways against St. John’s College 76-54 on February 3^rd to close out the Cadets for the regular season. While the Cadets have shown marked improvement, I was more impressed with how DeMatha Head Coach Mike Jones was able to tweak his line-up to best St. John’s. With Johnnie Shuler gone it almost seemed like DeMatha was having back-up point guard auditions. Not to fear, Stag faithful, the cupboard is full and next year some will be surprised that newly promoted players from Junior Varsity can be great.

Last night Our Lady of Good Counsel lost to DeMatha for the second time 64-37 –this time at home in a game promoted by Coaches Against Cancer. DeMatha has one more home game tomorrow night against Bishop Ireton before the nationally televised game on Friday, and I hope that they can keep up the good work. I wrote a little while ago that I was drunk of the Stags but now it is finally time to get to the sobering work of winning a WCAC Basketball regular season by hitting free throws and defending our home floor. It isn’t rocket science.

Mike Jones already knows this stuff and we have guys that have been here before. James Robinson is just starting to get into his highest gear. The Cookie Monster has worked the kinks out of his mechanics. Jerami Grant is starting to play more responsibly –like an All Star should. Marcellous Bell is still killing teams, slowly, three points at a time. The kids are going to be alright.

I believe that we will win.

Drunk off the Stags

The DeMatha Stags basketball took their undefeated record and #3 national ranking into the Hoop Hall Classic in Springfield, Massachusetts this past weekend but they came up a little short.

The Stags won the first game against one of the best schools in Connecticut that was previously undefeated on Saturday. The weekend didn’t go sour until Monday when the Stags faced #23 Bishop Gorman of Las Vegas, Nevada –a team that they beat last year in the final of the Les Schwab Invitational in Portland, Oregon.

The bitterness that the consensus number one player in the country, Bishop Gorman’s Shabazz Muhammad, must have felt after the loss last year only contributed to his stellar rematch performance against the Stags on Monday. Shabazz Muhammad was all over the court and had the most points against a DeMatha basketball team since Corless Williamson in 1990, with 37 points. (Corliss Williamson scored 43 of his team’s 56 points in a loss to DeMatha and then the Stags went on to an undefeated season in 1990- 1991.)* The differences between the two DeMatha teams from different eras still remain subtle in my estimation.

In the 73-65 loss to Bishop Gorman at the Hoop Hall Classic it appeared as though foul shooting and individual defense are two areas in which they will have to improve on in order to be compared with the likes of the last undefeated team at DeMatha. The zone defense that DeMatha started out in proved to be too slow during the rotations to Shabazz Muhammad, and he had 19 points in the first half of play alone. By the time DeMatha switched to man-to-man midway through the second quarter the damage was done, and Bishop Gorman took an eight point lead into the locker room.

Shabazz Muhammad began to tire when the Stags went to a four guard set on offense and tried to deny him the ball by filling in the passing lanes on defense, but the high school All American still came up with big plays in the second half. Marcellous Bell and Jairus Lyles helped DeMatha trim a 13 point lead down to 2, but that would be the closest that they would ever get. The Cookie Monster and Jerami Grant were both in foul trouble, and neither was particularly effective on the offensive end. Kelvin Howard also got a start for the Stags but he didn’t wind up producing any points.

DeMatha didn’t appear to have the right personnel on the floor in order to win the game and the Stags held the ball deep into their possessions and tried to force the issue down low. Bishop Gorman used a platoon of players to frustrate the Stags with a stifling defense, and their speed translated well with a lot of fast break points on the offensive end. The combination of strategies and executions proved that Bishop Gorman was the better team and they handed DeMatha their first loss of the season.

The brightest spots of the game for the Stags came when there were four shooters on the floor capable of dribble-driving to the basket. Instead of exploiting DeMatha’s deep guard play the game plan predictably focused on a methodical inside game that ultimately slowed down the works on both ends. Mike Jones is a great coach, but I’m wondering out loud here if he had to do it all over again would he stick with the zone defense against Shabazz Muhammad for so long? Mike is a friend of mine and I know that he can take the criticism, besides who hasn’t gotten drunk off the Stags?

Anybody that thinks that Shabazz Muhammad is getting stopped with a zone defense on ESPNU is clearly inebriated and using questionable judgment. DeMatha can hardly afford a hangover tonight at home against Bishop McNamara or Saturday on the road against Gonzaga –two league games that will show if the Stags have any resiliency.

More on that later, though. For now, Go Stags! 

 

*Statistics may be erroneous, false, or completely fabricated.

Nicknames & Crazy Talk

The Cookie Monster

Why? I call BeeJay Anya that now because, quite frankly, he’ll take your cookies.  Plus The Cookie Monster is gangster. 

Seriously try to put something up around the rim and see (click his name or the picture) what I’m talking about here. Despite his recently publicized weight loss the svelte BeeJay Anya has a knack for cleaning the opposing players’ plates. The Cookie Monster blocks the shots of those players foolhardy enough to serve up the round sweetness. 

Those same opposing players’ fans are what gave me the idea to give BeeJay Anya a nickname like I did for Marcus “The Long Ranger” Coker. Fans from other schools would chant “Shrek” whenever BeeJay touched the ball and I felt that it was a little derogatory. Even though Shrek is basically benign, if he isn’t seen as benevolent, but Shrek is a pussy green.

Anyway, DeMatha won the game against the Philadelphia team Neumann-Goretti in the Cancer Research Classic 62-47 and BeeJay “The Cookie Monster” Anya had 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 9 blocks. I’m giving The Cookie Monster credit for even more rebounds because Jairus Lyles didn’t do his part in creating opportunities as he was 7-8 from the field while hitting 3-4 from behind the arc for 17 points, as well.

Jerami Grant chipped in 14 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 steals. I could go on but give me something to write about tomorrow. Let’s stick to the nickname story and the Cancer Research Classic results. Paul VI fell down to St. Raymond of the Bronx earlier today 68-61 without the help of their leading scorer because he was late attending class and was penalized a game. Gonzaga won their game against Whitney Young of Chicago after trailing in the first half and let’s just say it was interesting.

The WCAC has two teams vying for a national title now and television announcers are getting a little crazy. Now Dave Telep (ESPN) is on record as saying that a certain player at a certain school other than DeMatha resembles DeMatha great and Basketball Hall of Fame honoree, Adrian Dantley.

No.

Not even a little bit.

Stop playin’.

With Adrian Dantley on the floor DeMatha had a 57-2 record and won multiple titles.  The player in question has nothing to compare to that due to the fact that he is a junior and DeMatha has won the last three years…

Well, I think you know where I’m going with this. The bottom line is Dave Telep (Twitter) said some ol’ disrespectful crazy talk on ESPNU and I think that he owes Adrian Dantley and DeMatha an apology.  At least harass him about it.

The Attitude Adjustment: DeMatha 87 Good Counsel 51

“Do you need an attitude adjustment?” –my momma, usually before slapping someone, usually 6-8 year-old me, in the face

Listen if you need a real, in depth, account of what happened when Good Counsel played DeMatha in basketball at Kathy & Morgan Wootten Gymnasium then I suggest that you check out the Prince George’s County Gazette because I’m fit’na ride out.

The contest portion of the game ended with the conclusion of the first quarter. The Falcons basketball team was playing with a whole lot of attitude and swagger and managed to stay with the Stags step for step for the first 7 minutes and thirty-six seconds into the game. Good Counsel used outside shots to claim a 15-14 point lead and Head Coach Mike Jones called a time out.

During the very next possession the Stags held the ball for the final shot and swung the ball to a  perimeter player for a three-pointer with little time left. Good Counsel was not able to get a shot off before the clock ran out of the allotted 8 minutes ending the quarter along with any hopes that they were going to win this contest. Down 17-15 to start the second quarter, the Falcons wouldn’t score again until DeMatha had 31.

DeMatha needed a game in which they could empty the bench and so they got their opportunity on Thursday night by outscoring Good Counsel roughly 2:1.  It is easy to say that it was the press that did Good Counsel in, but I don’t think that it addresses the real situation in this case. DeMatha’s basketball team is really good this year even without a press. It remains to be seen whether or not they will go down as one of the best teams of all time, but they haven’t shown the same signs of vulnerability that they displayed last year.

One difference is in the change of attitude from slightly timid to contained aggression. The starting center for the majority of last year, Mikael Hopkins, had a preference for shooting outside and using his 6’ 8” height in that regard. BeeJay Anya chooses to employ that same strategy only as a last resort and the result is that we’ve seen more two-handed dunks and less feathery touches. Jerami Grant also gets much more consideration in the offense now, and that makes opponents pick their poison.

Today Mikael Hopkins is playing in a nearby program that suits his game, and Georgetown University is a better team as a result of him being on it. One would think that DeMatha would be worse off with him gone, but I am happy to report that so far it has been mutually beneficial for everyone. (Mikael, ever the proud DeMatha graduate, even stopped by the Good Counsel game to see his old teammates play.)  I might have to change my tune if DeMatha basketball can’t improve on their triple crown performance last year –but I think I’ll take my chances.

I know that it is tough to balance the WCAC regular season and a national schedule, but that is the only area in which DeMatha basketball can demonstrate progress from last year. Later on, in a few hours the Stags will play one of the best teams from Philadelphia in the Cancer Research Classic that is sure to be a great test of their development.

DeMatha is currently ranked #5 in the country.  Go Stags!

 

Championship System: The Main Ingredient

I feel like I have written enough about the team to explore some of the players now…

Quick, guess the leading scorer for DeMatha through the first ten games of the 2011-2012 season?

If your answer wasn’t Marcellous Bell then you were wrong. Seriously on a team that features a balanced scoring attack I think that it is really saying something because unlike last year he isn’t even starting every game. That’s right, Marcellous Bell’s playing time has diminished this year and his production has gone up.

I don’t know if it is because he switched his number from #11 to #1 or what, but the senior has been torching opponents with his deadly shooting this season. Marcellous is the prototypical DeMatha guard able to adapt his play even if that means accommodating younger guards trying to learn the system or sharing the system with peers. This DeMatha team boasts its five top players hovering around 10 points per game in one of the most balanced scoring attacks in ages.  In a complete program like DeMatha kids like Marcellous Bell are essential to the continued success.

Marcellous Bell has had a share in that success as a three year varsity player at DeMatha that has already committed to attend Binghamton University next year. (Yeah, that’s him in the middle between Jerami Grant who signed with Syracuse and James Robinson who is going to University of Pittsburgh.) Right now he is averaging just over 13 points per game and his senior leadership and confidence has a profound effect in the locker room.

For every James Brown, Adrian Dantley, Danny Ferry and their likes there are countless players that play their roles to perfection and achieve team accolades that does more to advance the DeMatha name. Looking at the history of the school there really aren’t that many tremendously talented players –the types that come along only once a generation, that have graced the DeMatha hallways. Kobe and LeBron didn’t go there, but rather DeMatha has relied on coachable players like Bell who overachieve.

In the Soulja Boy era, players willing to “buy in” to the system are hard to come by let alone kids that respond positively in that sort of competitive environment.  As DeMatha has demonstrated in the past, it isn’t the place for everybody and certainly not just kids looking for a quick pay day because they might excel on the hardwood or gridiron.  God and family are still the top priorities for DeMatha kids in a tradition that was passed from Morgan Wootten to other former system players turned current DeMatha Head Coaches Elijah Brooks and Mike Jones, football and basketball respectively.

DeMatha Catholic High School for Boys is a special place.  To the best of my knowledge there is only one high school in America that has produced 5 captains of the Harvard University basketball team.  (James Brown ’69, Bob Ferry ’81, Pat Smith ’82, Mike Gielen ’85, and Tim Hill ’95 –in case you were wondering.)  Smart, team basketball is a recipe for longevity when there have been many flashes in the pan and kids like Marcellous Bell are the main ingredient.

WCAC 2011-2012 Preview

Today is the official start of Winter which means that I can finally talk to you about basketball. I didn’t do a season preview this year although I probably should have because the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC), is the most competitive league in the entire country.

I can say that with ease because there are three teams that are ranked in the top 25, according to USA Today. #24 Paul VI (10-0) could drastically alter their ranking tonight if they can beat out-of-conference basketball factory, #1 Oak Hill. #23 Gonzaga (6-0) is right there in the hunt with returning starters and a chance to improve their standing when they go down to the nationally recognized Piggly Wiggly tournament in Charleston next week.

 

#10 DeMatha (4-0) has a chance to finish as the number one team in the country if they are able to run the gauntlet that is their tough schedule. The three time defending WCAC, and DC City Title champions, bring back four starters from last year and boast one of the most stacked line-ups that DeMatha has ever had. James Robinson, Jerami Grant, and BeeJay Anya are three of those DeMatha starters that have achieved national recognition for their prowess on the hard wood.

The Stags continue conference play tonight against St. Mary’s Ryken (3-5), in the first home league game of the season. They will certainly need to take care of business because WCAC basketball teams like Bishop O’Connell (7-1), Good Counsel (5-3), and St. Johns (5-4) are all hungry to make a name in a famous coalition. Bishop Ireton (5-2) and Archbishop Carroll (3-3) would also jump at the chance to knock off a favorite.

So there it is. That was the run down.