AE Hoops – The Young Veteran

Game 11 of 37 – UNCG pulls away late defeating UMBC 62-51

#RetrieverNation #AEHoops
#letsgog #uncghoops #SoConHoops

Originally my game eleven was supposed to be Towson @ Coppin State. But, my wife went out of town for a girls weekend in the Poconos. So, I had a weekend with my three kids. Needless to say a lot of pizza, ice cream and popcorn were eaten. We also watched… Jingle All the Way and both Home Alone 1 & 2. It was a good weekend.

Back to this game. I had a feeling it would be a close game throughout. It really was up until it was 54-51 UNCG with 3:01 left in the game. UMBC never scored again from there.

UNCG dominated the boards 37-28 and played better team ball in the closing minutes. I was most interested in seeing De’Monte Buckingham. However, his impact was limited until late in the second half, when he hit a couple high arcing three’s and made several key passes to open cutters to the basket. Buckingham is a solidly built 2 guard that possesses good vision and can contribute on both ends. He finished with eleven points, six rebounds and two assists. He is shooting the three ball very well this year at over 42%.

The rest of the scoring and impact for the Spartans was spread out. Everyone chipped in here and there. They had seven players with six or more points. Kobe Langley had a nice game as well. He was steady at the point. Not forcing the issue and making sure the offense was being run. He showed nice poise after going scoreless in his previous two games. He finished with ten points, four rebounds and three assists.

UMBC struggled shooting in every facet. They shot just 40% from the field, 28% from 3 and an abysmal 53% from the foul line. Those stats right there are why they lost. Normally they shoot the ball much better and score a lot more points. This was just one of those games. The Spartans aggressive pressure defense on the perimeter really bothered the Retrievers shooters and they closed out well also.

Keondre Kennedy led the Retrievers with 14 points, but he was just 1-5 from three. Jacob Boonyasith was in foul trouble the whole game and was just 1-5 from three. He did chip in six rebounds and four assists though. L.J. Owens ended up fouling out with nine points. I thought he could’ve been more aggressive to score.

Two guys that just struggled in general were, Yaw Obeng-Mensah and Darnell Rogers. Yaw just seemed out of control to me. Forcing shots. Fumbling passes and ending up on the floor a lot. I was surprised Dimitrije Spasojevic didn’t get more playing time. He looked like he would’ve made a more consistent impact. Rogers had a really bad final ten minutes or so of the game. He had multiple turnovers in the final minutes. He was pressing and trying to do too much for his squad. He over penetrated throughout the game. He really should incorporate a floater to his game. Rogers finished with six points and five turnovers.

Not a great streak for UMBC as they have now dropped four straight. UNCG on the other hand just stopped a two game skid.

Up next for me is game 12 – Radford @ UMBC

Game 7 of 37 American @ UMBC

UMBC shoots the lights out with 16 three’s and shooting 65% overall to blow out American 98-67

#AUMBB #RetrieverNation #AEHoops

I had some decent expectations with this game. I was interested in seeing UMBC for the first time this season, with their roster that is loaded with seven seniors. American is intriguing as well. My main focus was going to be on Stacy Beckton Jr. He is a fifth year guy with plenty of tools and has potential to carve out a solid career overseas. Well tonight wasn’t his night, or any of the American Eagles for that matter. UMBC shot 65% from the field including 16-23 from three. So yeah, UMBC won 98-67.

For American, Johnny O’Neil and forward Matt Rogers played well. O’Neil had 15 points, five rebounds and made 3 three pointers. Rogers showed a solid motor and an ability to be effective in the dribble hand off situations. He finished with 14 points, five rebounds, on 7-11 from the field. Another player of note was Jaxon Knotek, a senior wing who played three years at North Dakota State. Knotek has a nice shooting stroke and is built solidly. I think he will be a better pro than college player if he choses to pursue that.

Beckton made zero impact on the game. He was 1-7 from the field and finished with just four points.

UMBC shot the ball quite possibly the best I have ever seen a team shoot in person. Keondre Kennedy was the main source of offense throughout the game. He was hitting from three going 4-5, as well as showing the ability to score in transition as well. At 6’6 180, Kennedy has the physical tools and abilities to effect the game positively on offense and defense. He did just that in this game. I am still not sold on his three point shot. He tends to short arm it some and lacks a consistent follow through. Keondre had a game high 21 points and three rebounds.

Darnell Rogers is a lot of fun to watch. One of the refs before the game I guess saw him for the first time and said to the other ref he was shocked how small Rogers is in person. Well at 5’2 150 Rogers plays more like a 6’2 190 pound guard. He uses angles well and his quickness to cut off defenders. He is a lot stronger than he looks as well. Rogers was causing issues for American all night. He gets in the lane at will and has the ability to find others for open perimeter shots. He had ten points and seven assists.

UMBC has a ton of depth at guard. L.J. Owens, ex American guard Jacob Boonyasith and Ray Salnave. Owens is a smooth and slithery mid range shooter. He still has to develop from three and tends to lack arc at times, but he is solid overall. Boonyasith definitely came out with more energy this game. He was playing his old squad and played with an edge and intensity. He has deep three point range and is a physical defender as well. Salnave was very efficient off the bench. He plays with intensity and provides another veteran piece that is needed for teams looking to win their conference title.

Szymon Wojcik, a 6’9 220 big, stepped up big for the Retrievers. He had seven points, five rebounds and two tone setting blocks in the paint.

I went to this game Wednesday November 24th. I am posting this today November 29th, because I have been busy with Thanksgiving and all that good stuff. Since then UMBC defeated Pittsburgh 87-77. Yes, Pitt is not good. But, UMBC seems to be pretty solid because beating a power conference team on the road is a big deal for any lower conference team.

Up next for me is Virginia Tech @ Maryland on Wednesday.

Game 3 of 37 Vermont @ Maryland

Game 3 of 37

Maryland has a huge second half to beat Vermont 68-57

Everyone knows how consistent Vermont is as a program. Constantly in the top three at least in the America East. John Becker has nine straight 20 win seasons. They are the epitome of a dangerous “mid major” program. No surprise they gave Maryland everything they could handle on Saturday. Maryland eventually pulled away to win 68-57. After a big second half.

Vermont plays eight seniors. Yes, you read that correctly. Eight. Their top guy is guard Ben Shungu. Shungu is a strong guard at 6’2 200. Being the reigning Defensive Player of the Year in the America East, maybe one wouldn’t expect so much on offense. However (Stephen A. Smith voice), he is a very well rounded player. He hit several tough jumpers with hands in his face. He was hitting from mid range and from three. He had 20 points at half and single handedly was the reason Vermont had a four point lead. Shungu struggled to make more of an impact in the second half as Maryland upped their defensive intensity. The senior finished with 27 points, four rebounds, two assists, three steals and went 4-6 from three. He definitely caught my attention and I will be keeping close tabs on him.

The other senior that caught my eye and showed offensive versatility was Isaiah Powell. Powell has the ability to put the ball on the floor and get into the lane. He plays under control and has solid footwork. Powell keeps the defense honest with the ability to knock down the three ball as well. Athletically he is average, but plays with a savvy that makes up for it. High IQ player with good vision on offense. Solid overall defender as well. Powell was really the only other scoring option Vermont had going other than Shungu. He finished with 14 points, eleven rebounds and three assists.

Vermont’s other star player is Ryan Davis. Davis struggled making any impact on offense. He had many open mid range opportunities, but instead of a jumper or going up strong he would do a weird floater from the baseline. He seemed bothered by Maryland length and athleticism. He didn’t have his best game thats for sure scoring just 8 points on 3-12 shooting. Davis also didn’t have much of a impact on the glass with just three rebounds. He will bounce back for sure, but I was expecting more. Especially being the Player of the Year in the America East last season.

For the Terps today was about Fatts Russell and Eric Ayala. Russell took over down the stretch. He hit a lot of contested looks. Some probably ill-advised, but today they went in so who knows. Russell is still at his best playing in transition and attacking the rim. He showed why he was a coveted transfer today though. He can score in bunches and plays very tough defense. I would like to see him create more for others, but maybe that will come in time. Russell finished with 22 points, five rebounds and two assists.

Ayala seemed to finally get his shooting stroke back in the second half. He was in a battle all game with the final Duncan brother (at least I think!) Robin. They were going at it all day. Playing physical, getting in each others faces. Neither backed down. It was fun to watch actually. Of course the Maryland fans enjoyed chanting “F*** you Duncan!”, literally every time he touched the ball. Ayala is the leader and emotional leader of the Terps. He needs to keep his confidence high because others lean on him for that. Ayala finished with 22 points.

One other thing of note is Qudus Wahab really struggled with the double team today. He needs to be more decisive and make a move or pass out. He lost the ball or made off target passes too often. Vermont did a solid job of blitzing him right away or delaying it. Wahab was held to six points, eight rebounds, two blocks in 22 minutes.

Expect Vermont to win the America East or make the championship in the conference. Anything less than that I would be very surprised.

Up next for me Hampton @ Towson on Tuesday.