UMBC Retrievers – The Young Veteran

The Life of a Freelance Basketball Scout – Game 4

American vs UMBC

Sam Iorio game winner against UMBC

The Life of a Freelance Basketball Scout – Game 4

November 24 – American @ UMBC

The next day after my trip to College park to see Marshall vs Maryland, I made the short trip to see American University vs UMBC. UMBC was coming off a successful trip to the Bahamas, where they went 2-1. They had wins over High Point and Air Force. There loss was against South Dakota. UMBC was 4-2 on the season. American was 2-1 on the season, with wins over George Mason and New Hampshire. Their only loss was to Northwestern.

This game was a back and forth affair. UMBC led most of the way but faltered to execute on defense down the stretch. Sa’eed Nelson, the quick and craft point guard for American consistently shredded the defense. He got to the rim at will and also found his teammates regularly. He found teammate Sam Iorio for the eventual game winning 3, with under 2 seconds left.

Nelson is a problem at the college level. If he can hit the three consistently, he will have a shot in the NBA G-League and for sure a legit chance to be a solid pro overseas. The junior point guard had 18 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. Iorio does a little bit of everything for the Eagles. He is the leading rebounder on the team and provides a 3 point threat, as well as playing solid defense. He had 11 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. Stacy Beckton Jr. had a solid game also. He chipped in 14 points and 4 three-pointers.

For UMBC it was a disappointing finish. They had the game in hand, but let American score 46 points in the second half. Max Curran had a nice game. The slender built junior, had 20 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks and a highlight dunk over Marvin Bragg. Sometimes the skinny tall guys can extend and yam over the broader shoulder fellas.

This dunk is a different one. This is actually the game tying one late in the second half.

Senior Joe Sherburne did his normal thing contributing a steady presence on offense and defense. He could still be more aggressive at times though. He had 11 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals. Arkel Lamar also was not as aggressive as he may need to be. Junior point guard K.J. Jackson filled the stat sheet with 6 points, 5 rebounds, 9 assists and 6 steals. Problem is he shot only 1-10 from the field. Brandon Horvath the other slender man on the team(see what I did there?), who also yams on people from time to time, had 14 points and 8 rebounds.

Overall the issue was UMBC could not stop the penetration from Nelson. He carved them up and American passed the ball very well in the second half. They could be more of a factor in the Patriot league than people originally thought.

Food for thought – UMBC had breakfast food in the media room. I chose to pass. I ate a muffin and had some water….. Very basic I know…… But I did get carryout Indian food for dinner from Tandoori Kabob in Pasadena. Spicy ginger chicken with garlic naan. Well worth the price.

The Life of a Freelance Basketball Scout

Game 2 of the Season

November 12 – Manhattan @ UMBC

Once again it was raining on my trip to a game. Annapolis and now in Catonsville or Baltimore County. UMBC is only 20 minutes from my house so it’s not bad, even while driving an old ’94 Ford F-150.

UMBC has really stepped its game up this past year and no I’m not talking about being the only #16 seed to ever defeat a #1 in NCAA tournament history. I am talking about their facility, the UMBC Event Center. It opened last year when they were crushed by Vermont late in the season. They of course got their revenge with a Jairus Lyles buzzer beater in Vermont to send the Retrievers to the NCAA tourney. More specifically though I am referring to the pregame spread. It was a taco/fajita/salad bar. It was solid, catered food. Now this doesn’t seem like much to some people in the media, but as far as I know there other gym did not have a spread….. Now I could be wrong, but my only experience out of the three years I have attended games there was meandering my way to a small crowded media room the size of the break room at a small paper company (yes, picture the break room from Scranton’s finest Dunder Mifflin). When I arrived there was an empty container of cookies. All of UMBC’s media staff had already consumed them, and yes famous UMBC Twitter guy was one of them…….

So needless to say they have come a long way! The media staff does a great job there for sure. In the old gym as well as the new. Shoutout to Mr. Steve Levy.

As for the game it was a one sided affair. UMBC handled Manhattan for majority of the game, with a final of 75-52. UMBC was shooting lights out from three. They were 13-29. Its very difficult to beat any team that makes 13 three’s. Coach Steve Masiello and the Jaspers didn’t have a chance to match the firepower of Coach Ryan Odom and the Retrievers. These are two really solid head coaches too. I wonder how long Odom will stick around. His coaching style and teams style of play will be very intriguing for many high major universities.

For UMBC the star player of the game was, K.J. Jackson. Jackson, a JUCO transfer from Texas, struggled to run the offense early and played tentative. The 6’2 180 lb. point guard started playing with more decisiveness and conviction and quickly turned the game around. He finished with 20 points, 7 assists and 7 rebounds. Jackson is a tough player to stop when driving from the perimeter and he see’s the floor pretty well. He made 4-7 from three and was not taking shots out of the offense. Jackson is going to be one of the guards to watch in the America East Conference.

The other two veterans for UMBC that played well as expected were Arkel Lamar and Joe Sherburne. Lamar, a 6’5 235lb. junior guard/forward, may be the most important player on the squad. Lamar is a knockdown three-point shooter and has the ability to pull up or drive to the rack. Lamar has expanded his overall game. He see’s the floor better than years past and he also seems to be taking more of a leadership role on the floor. Lamar finished with 15 points. Joe Sherburne, a 6’6 220lb. senior shooting guard, provided his steady play. He played well in the high post and at the foul line. Sherburne’s calming presence is what holds this team together. The sharpshooter finished with 13 points, 4 assists and 5 rebounds.

For Manhattan it was not pretty on offense. They lacked continuity and a purpose most of the time. Freshman Elijah Buchanan lead the way with 10 points. Senior guard Thomas Capuano chipped in 9 points and senior guard/forward Samson Usilo had 7 points and 7 rebounds. This team is going to struggle to score. They seemed to be lacking a playmaking point guard and they are a very young team. Masiello will have some work to do.

Fan of the game goes to the random UMBC fan that was yelling at all of Manhattan’s players by name and telling them they suck and they all need shape-ups. Very entertaining sir.

UMBC had a decent crowd there. I guess the interest garnered from the NCAA tourney upset over #1 seeded Virginia is starting to generate some more profit.

UMBC Opens Conference Play In Impressive Fashion

Baltimore, Md – First year coach Ryan Odom has UMBC off to a great start this season. They won their conference home opener 85-71, against a solid Binghamton squad that will be a tough competitor in the America East. Coach Odom came to UMBC after one successful season at Division II Lenoir-Rhyne. Odom has a long history as an assistant coach at the Division I level, as well as being the interim head coach at Charlotte in 2015. UMBC’s offense and overall team cohesion is miles better than it was last season. UMBC should contend for one of the top spots in the America East this season.

After hearing that they would be missing starting guard J.C. Show for the rest of the season the Bearcats knew someone would have to step up. The Bearcats had a couple of decent contributors, and even first team all conference pick junior forward Willie Rodriguez (6’6 220), who is still working his way back into game shape after missing time with an injury. Binghamton just didn’t have enough fire power and lacked the ability to run with the home Retrievers. Rodriguez labored down the court at times, but provided solid veteran leadership and a post presence. His crafty low post game was on display as he finished with ten points and six rebounds.

Two other solid contributors for Binghamton were guards Fard Muhammad (6’0 180) and Timmy Rose (6’1 175). Muhammad was not shy and looked to pick up the much needed scoring presence Show left behind. Muhammad finished with 16 points, four three pointers, three rebounds and two assists in 35 minutes. Rose, who stepped into the starting point guard role, set the offense well and made sure his team was going through their sets, even if they weren’t executing. He did a solid job providing leadership that a point guard should. Rose finished with 12 points, four assists, two rebounds and only one turnover in 36 minutes.

For UMBC pace was key. They are a run a gun type team when they have the advantage in the open court. They only finished with eight fast break points but that was not indicative of their frenetic pace. Led by junior shooting guard Jairus Lyles (6’2 175), who leads the team with an average of 22ppg., the Retrievers used a balanced inside out attack to keep Binghamton off balance. Lyles would help spread the floor and open up lanes for him to use his solid one on one scoring ability. He has a quick crossover that frees him from his defender and allows him to get to the rim, where he is a good below the rim finisher. Lyles is also electric in the open floor finishing breakaways by blowing past defenders and finishing layups at the rim. Lyles finished with 17 points, five rebounds and three assists.

The other big contributor on the night was senior stretch four man Will Darley (6’8 210). Darley is a prototypical stretch four player. He also has an ability to score close to the basket, but prefers to face up in post situations. Darley proved to be a mismatch all night for the Bearcats. He pulled the big guys away from the paint and really opened up the lane for his teammates. Since the defense was concerned with protecting Darley against the three, it allowed him to pump fake and go by defenders on several occasions. Darley made two three’s on the night but had chance to shoot more of them if he wanted too. Darley finished with 17 points, three rebounds and two assists.

Two other solid scoring options on the night for the Retrievers were sophomore wing Joe Sherburne (6’6 215) and sophomore forward Nolan Gerrity (6’10 235). Sherburne finished with 14 points, six rebounds and four assists. Gerrity finished with 13 points and four rebounds.

UMBC is continuing to prove why they will be a force to be reckoned with in the America East. Once Rodney Elliott is full strength, he will add another dimension for them on offense.

Binghamton will really be hurt by the loss of J.C. Show. Once Rodriguez is at full strength it will help with the scoring load, but they will need some of their young guards to continue to produce to make up for it.

Up next for Binghamton is a home game vs UMass Lowell on Sunday

Up next for UMBC is a home game vs Maine on Sunday