Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Grinnell starts slowly, never can get it going in loss to Blueboys

First of all, each time I post something on a game featuring the NCAA Division III men's team from Illinois College, I can't help but think of this movie. And lest anyone think I'm picking on the Blueboys, they stuck it to my favorite team Tuesday night.

Nathan Kohler made 6-of-8 3-pointers and scored 28 points, Isaac Grapperhaus made all but two of his 12 shots and had 23 points and Illinois College held off Grinnell 123-114 at Darby Gym, a rare Midwest Conference home loss for the Pioneers.

And other rarities were present, too. The Blueboys finished 13-for-23 from beyond the arc, making only fewer 3 than Grinnell in 31 fewer attempts. Second-chance points, which includes offensive rebounding and other hustle plays, went Illinois College's way, too, 22-9, with the Pioneers getting back only 25 percent of their own misses.

When Grinnell did appear to right the ship, pulling within 92-89 with about 7 minutes remaining on a free throw from Jack Taylor, IC responded in a big way. Kohler swished a 3-pointer as he was fouled by Evan Johnson, and his free throw completed a four-point play for a seven-point lead.

Jesse Ney missed from deep on the ensuing possession, and after Patrick Maher grabbed the offensive rebound, the Pioneers turned it over to the BlueBoys (4-4, 3-2 MWC). Zeke Light was good on another shot from outside the line, and just that quickly, the margin was 10.

It reached 14 with about 3 minutes remaining before another Grinnell rally, with Luke Yeager's 3 and a layup from Taylor making it 120-114 with 48 seconds left on the block. But IC closed it out at the free throw line, handing the Pioneers a tough loss on their final game before Christmas break.

Taylor shook off a 5-for-19 night on 3-pointers to finish with 37 points in only 16 minutes of run, and Maher added 16 points, seven assists and four steals. Griffin Lentsch (14) and Yeager (12) also reached double figures.

Once the break is over, Grinnell (7-2, 4-1 MWC) hosts surprising Beloit (5-3, 4-1), with the game scheduled for 8 p.m. EST. I wish coaches David and Dave Arseneault and all my friends from Iowa a Happy Holidays, and I hope the New Year brings them more points, 3s and victories (not necessarily in that order).

Mills off-sets off night with late 3 to give Glenville State thrilling W

The motto of most scorers/shooters is simple: don't stop shooting. Players such as these always feel as if they are only one made basket from a hot streak.

I don't know her at all, yet I'm assuming we can include Ginny Mills in this group.

The guard for the NCAA Division II women's team at Glenville State missed nine of her first 10 shots from beyond the 3-point line Monday night. So with the score tied and the clock winding down, it was only natural she be the one with the ball, the game effectively in her hands. Swish!

Mills made her 3 with 8 seconds left after a pass from Jessica Parsons (no relation), giving the Pioneers a thrilling 87-84 victory at home over the University of Charleston in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Until what proved to be the game-winner, Mills was 6-for-20 from the field and 1-for-10 at the arc, an atypical effort for the junior from Steubenville, Ohio.

Her big shot helped thwart a nice rally by the Eagles (4-3, 1-2 WVIAC), who were down 10 at halftime and trailed by 14 midway through the second half after a jumper by Glenville State's Tiffani Huffman. Charleston slowly battled back and eventually tied it with 4:50 remaining on two free throws from Jessi Cowden.

The Pioneers (7-2, 4-1) quickly gained command again, with Ashleigh Fossett and Kenyona Simmons making 3-pointers for a six-point edge. Once again, the Cougars came back, and when Chrissy Keir made a jumper with 37 seconds remaining, the score was tied at 84.

That set up Mills' dramatics, helping Glenville State avoid its first losing streak of the season after a 101-93 loss at West Liberty two days previously.

Fossett was amazing, finishing 9-for-17 from the outside the arc and scoring 29 points. Mills finished with 16 and Simmons added 14. The Pioneers attempted 93 shots, 43 on 3s, and grabbed amazing 60 percent of their own misses off the board. That figure likely won them the game -- along with Mills and her clutch shot, that is.

Glenville State hosts Ohio Valley (0-7, 0-4) on Friday night, with tip scheduled for 5:30 p.m. I hope coach Bunky Harkleroad and his squad get after it again.

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Olivet Nazarene stays perfect at home, goes 2-0 in tournament

The NAIA Division II women's team at Olivet Nazarene completed a 2-0 run in its own Holiday Inn Express Classic, dispatching St. Catharine College 99-90 Saturday at McHie Arena. The victory ran the Tigers' home mark to 6-0 this season.

Ashley Wilson led the way (again) with 14 points for Olivet Nazarene (9-1), and Miranda Geever (13), Danielle Tolbert (12) and Courtney Allenbaugh (10) all reached double figures, as well. The Tigers finished with 90 shot attempts, including 57 from beyond the arc, and forced 29 turnovers.

Taylor Hames led the way with four of her team's 17 steals.

Olivet Nazarene returns to action in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference next Saturday, when it hosts Calumet College of St. Joseph (5-6, 3-4 CCAC). The Tigers are 6-1 in the conference. Best of luck to them and coach Lauren Stamatis!

Knox overcomes huge deficit to win for the second time in three games

Perhaps things are turning around for the women's team at NCAA Division III Knox College. After losing the first four games on the schedule, the Prairie Fire have won two of three, including a huge comeback Saturday against Beloit.

Alycia Webster and Jodi Marver had 16 points apiece to lead six players in double figures, and Knox rallied from 16 points down in the second half to beat the Buccaneers 100-90 in Midwest Conference play. Jessica Howard made four 3-pointers and scored 14 points and Kristin McDonald, Chantal Heckman and Becky Duffy all finished with 12 points for the Prairie Fire (2-5, 2-3 MWC).

When Beloit (1-6, 0-4) took a 69-53 lead with about 14 minutes remaining in the game, it appeared all was lost for Knox. But McDonald scored four consecutive points, and over the next several minutes, six other players had scored in what turned out to be a 22-6 run for the Prairie Fire to tie it at 75.

The lead switched back-and-forth over the next few possessions until Howard put Knox ahead for good with a 3 from the right wing to make it 81-79 with 4:28 left. The Prairie Fire closed it out from there, getting an important victory at home before going on the road for the next three conference games.

Duffy led the team with five assists and four steals, and Knox forced 29 turnovers. A good effort for coach Emily Cline and her team in their second season with The System.

The Prairie Fire have more than a week off before traveling to Monmouth next Sunday, with the opening tip scheduled for 4 p.m. EST.

Glenville State goes on the road, gets close loss at West Liberty

The NCAA Division II women's team at Glenville State traveled to West Liberty on Saturday and got its first loss in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, 101-93. Certainly no shame in that, as the Hilltoppers are one of the top programs in the conference.

And this one was tight throughout. The first 24 minutes featured 14 ties and 14 lead changes until West Liberty (6-2, 4-0) took the lead for good on a three-point play by Jasmin Kiley with about 16 minutes left in the game. The helped ignite a 19-4 run for the home team that pushed the lead to 76-63.

But the Pioneers (6-2, 3-1) rallied, and when Ginny Mills swished a corner 3 with 4:25 remaining, the lead was down to 87-85. Kiley made a 3-pointer on the other end and followed with a layup on the break, and Glenville State couldn't recover.

Kenyona Simmons led the Pioneers with 23 points, Mills added 21, Ashleigh Fossett had 17 and Madison Martin scored 10 in only 12 minutes of run. I hate to see any of my favorite teams lose, particularly one I've gotten to know as well as Glenville State, but coach Bunky Harkleroad's team certainly gave a great effort.

The Pioneers return home for a pair of games this week, beginning with a visit from Charleston (4-2, 1-1) on Monday. Tip is scheduled for 5:30 p.m., and I'm rooting for the home team.


Taylor pours in 36 as Grinnell gets big victory at St. Norbert

The rivalry between the NCAA Division III men's team at Grinnell and fellow Midwest Conference member St. Norbert always has been a good one. It was no different Saturday.

Jack Taylor went off for 36 points, including six 3-pointers, and the Pioneers thrived in a game a bit slower than their normal pace to beat the Green Knights 105-94 on the road. Patrick Maher added 16 points and five assists, and Griffin Lentsch finished with an efficient 15 points for Grinnell (7-1, 4-0 MWC), which won at St. Norbert for the first time since 2006.

St. Norbert (3-3, 2-2) employed a hybrid defense, with three players mostly playing zone and two going man to chase the shooters. It was effective early, help the Green Knights take an eight-point lead midway through the first half.

The Pioneers battled back and eventually pulled ahead, and when Taylor made a 3 just before the buzzer to end the opening 20 minutes, they led 47-40. St. Norbert tied it at 62 with 12:24 remaining in the game, but Lentsch responded with a pair of free throws to give Grinnell the lead for good. The Green Knights couldn't recover.

You can see by the Pioneers' Formula stats how slowly this game was played:

- Attempted 62 shots
- Attempted 33 3-pointers
- Rebounded 17 percent of their own misses
- Forced 22 turnovers
- Attempted three fewer shots than St. Norbert

Not a super enjoyable game to watch, if you're a fan of The System, such as me, but it always is good to see a victory for one of my favorite teams.

Grinnell has one game left before Christmas break, hosting Illinois College (3-4, 2-2) on Tuesday, with the tip scheduled for 8 p.m. EST.

Galesburg HS falls behind early, never recovers in loss to Maine South

Tough trip on Saturday for the girls' team at Galesburg (Ill.) HS, which visited one of the top 4A teams in the state, Maine South. With two NCAA Division I recruits in the lineup, the Hawks had won nine of their first 10 games coming into this one.

Make it 10 out of 11 now.

Maine South (10-1) took a 10-point lead after the first quarter and maintained that throughout most of the game, beating the Silver Streaks 55-45, the second consecutive loss for Galesburg. It's the first losing streak of the season for the team coached by Evan Massey.

The Streaks (7-3) did force 31 turnovers while only committing 17 themselves, according to The Register-Mail of Galesburg, which is an impressive ratio against such a good opponent. Sharron Diggins led the way with 17 points and Jessica Lieber added 15.

On Thursday, Galesburg returns to play in the Western Big 6 with a trip to United Township. The game is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. EST, and here's hoping the Streaks snap that losing skid at two games.

Saturday, December 8, 2012

Back after layoff, North Central College loses close one to Lake Forest

After more than a week off, the NCAA Division III women's team at North Central College got back on the court Friday night. Unfortunately, its three-game winning streak ended on the road.

Lake Forest had six players reach double figures and beat the Cardinals 88-83 in game tight almost from the start. The Foresters led almost the entire second half, yet struggled to put away the team coached by Michelle Roof and System guru Doug Porter.

Lauren Hernandez made 4 3-pointers and scored 14 points for North Central (4-3), and Larynn Shumaker (12 points) and Maryssa Cladis (10) also reached double figures. The Cardinals finished 25-of-88 from the field, 12-for-51 on 3s, and had 25 turnovers. They did a much better job on the offensive glass, corralling 42 percent of their own misses.

North Central returns home Wednesday to play Milwaukee School of Engineering, with the tip scheduled for 8:30 p.m. EST. Let's hope the Cardinals start another winning streak.

Olivet Nazarene puts together two huge halves to open tourney with a W

One characteristic so for for the NAIA women's team at Olivet Nazarene has been inconsistency. Not of effort, mind you, since I don't believe anyone ever could doubt that of a System team. No, the problems for the Tigers have been putting together two solid shooting halves in a single game.

It might have been simply early-season rustiness. Or it could be the players still are getting re-accustomed to the pace. Or it could be something else. Whatever the reason, I doubt anyone in the program was worried, particularly since the Tigers won seven of their first eight games.

They ran that streak to eight of the first nine with the type of shooting performance we've come to expect from them.

Ashley Wilson missed only one of her nine shots to finish with 19 points and former Galesburg HS star Tai Peachy had one of the best games of her career to help Olivet Nazarene beat Wilberforce University 124-77 Friday night in the Holiday Inn Express Tournament at McHie Arena.

Peachy, a sophomore point guard, was 3-for-3 from the field, including one 3-pointer, and 7-for-7 from the free throw line for 14 points. She also four assists and two steals of the Tigers' 28 steals. Danielle Tolbert also scored 14 points and had four steals, Liz Bart scored 13 points and Malory Adam had 12 for Olivet Nazarene (8-1). Jessica Gerig had four steals, as well.

The Tigers led by 20 at the break and really got going in the second half. They made 12 of their 19 3s after halftime and finished at 32 percent for the game from beyond the arc, all while attempted 103 total shots (59 from 3-point range). Wilberforce had 41 turnovers.

The Bulldogs actually led 30-29 with 5:22 left in the opening half, if you can believe that. Olivet Nazarene closed it out with a 26-5 run to move ahead 55-35, with 20 of those points in the final 4:30. It was a devastating stretch for Wilberforce, the oldest private historically black college or university in the country.

The Tigers finish up the tournament against St. Catharine College on Saturday, with the game scheduled to start at 4 p.m. EST. Let's keep it going!

Eisenhower HS uses late 3 to snap four-game losing streak

One of my favorite lines from a great movie, "Remember the Titans," came when Denzel Washington's character, coach Herman Boone, explained his seemingly simple option offense. "I run six plays, split veer. It's like novocaine. Just give it time, it always works."

I always think of this when one of my favorite teams hits a little rough patch in its schedule, and even though the quote above is about football, it holds doubly true for System teams. If they concentrate on making their Formula numbers, it more often than not leads to victory.

You don't have to tell Mike Curta, the boys' coach at Eisenhower HS in Blue Island, Ill. One of the biggest supporters of this style I know, he understands that The System doesn't necessarily help you win or lose. It's all in how you execute. He stayed positive through a four-game losing streak after opening the season with a victory, and his belief paid off Friday night.

Damien Terrell, younger brother of the Cardinals' leading scorer, Tyrone, made a 3-pointer with 35 seconds left to help Eisenhower beat Tinley Park 75-73. It was one of 21 3s for the Cardinals (2-4, 1-2 South Suburban Conference).

"He's all Damien," Curta told the Chicago Sun-Times. "He's his own man. I'm just happy for the kids to get over the hump. We've had games like this all season and had some close losses."

At one point in the third quarter, it appeared Eisenhower's losing streak was going to continue. Tinley Park (3-4, 1-2) led 55-41 with about 3 minutes left in the period before the Cardinals used a 26-9 run in about 6 minutes of game time, capped by a 3-pointer from Nick Curta, one of two coach's sons on the roster.

It was nip-and-tuck the rest of the way until Terrell's big shot.

"They were crowding the other side, so I popped out on the right side and Nick Curta got the ball to me," he told the newspaper. "It looked off a bit when I shot it, but I called glass in my head and made the best of it."

Tyrone Terrell had a game-high 21 points on seven 3s and B.J. Bronaugh added 15. Eisenhower is off until next Friday, when it travels to Lemont.

I'm very happy for Coach Curta and the whole team, and hopefully, this will be a catalyst to get the season back on track.

Friday, December 7, 2012

Rock Island holds on to hand Galesburg first conference loss

The final score points to an extremely up-tempo, exciting game for high school girls. It appears the reality was something a bit different.

The girls' team at Galesburg (Ill.) HS lost for only the second time in nine games when Rock Island left John Thiel Gymnasium with an 86-78 victory Thursday night in the Western Big 6. The Rocks run their own version of The System, so this one figured to be one of the higher-scoring games of the season.

And it was, even if it was for the wrong reasons. The teams combined for 78 turnovers and 60 fouls, according to various reports, and the game took nearly two hours; Silver Streaks coach Evan Massey estimated most games take about 45 minutes less.

Still, Rock Island won for the first time in 20 years at Galesburg.

Shavonee Brewer went 10-for-10 at the free throw line and scored 21 points for the Rocks (7-0, 3-0 WB6), who are ranked eighth in Class 4A in Illinois. The Streaks, a classification lower in 3A, are fifth.

Galesburg (7-2, 2-1) appeared in control in the third quarter, leading 52-41 with Brewer in foul trouble with four fouls. Rock Island responded with a 20-0 run to end the quarter, taking command and never giving up the lead. The Streaks got within two a couple of times down the stretch, but the Rocks held on.

Jessica Lieber, the 1,000-point scorer, led Galesburg with 16 points, and Sharron Diggins and Rainee Sibley added 10 each. The Streaks go on the road for the first time this season Saturday, traveling to Maine South, another highly ranked 4A team. I'm rooting for Galesburg, of course. Best of luck.

North Shore wins season-opening tournament thanks mostly to defense

OK, so this time, the girls' team from North Shore HS (Glen Head, N.Y) didn't force quite as many turnovers as it did in the season opener. Of course, the Vikings will have a difficult time matching the 64 they came up with against Sewanhaka. That doesn't mean their defense was any less effective in Game 2 of the Wantagh Sports Booster Club tournament.

Caroline Robertson finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds to gain MVP honors of the event, and Alexandra Cantwell had 17 points, nine rebounds and seven assists to help North Shore beat host Wantagh 71-55 Thursday night.

Tara Feehan added 10 points and made three 3-pointers, and Erin Sheerin filled up her stat sheet with seven points, seven rebounds and five steals.

"We had three girls with five or more steals in this game," Vikings coach Keith Freund told Newsday. "This team has a real passion for defense and really enjoys getting after teams. We pressed the whole game and were able to convert a lot of steals."

North Shore forced "only" 40 turnovers in this one, leading to 21 steals. Coach Freund spoke a little more about this effort on the Yahoo! message board devoted to The System:

"We are the preseason No. 1 in our class and Wantagh is the preseason No. 2. We graduated eight from last year and one girl moved to Arizona, so many were calling for us to lose big to Wantagh (especially with their 6-foot-4 girl in the pain), but we ended up winning 71-55. One part of The System that so many people overlook is we can lose nine players from a 20-2 team that was ranked No. 4 in NYS and we still return nine players this year (seven of whom played significant minutes). Graduation does not hurt as much for a System team as it does for traditional. 
Big difference from this year to last year's team. This year our offense is not as fluid (because it is still early and we graduated our gazzelle point guard who could take off from the FT against a 2-3 zone and still score), but this team really gets after it on defense. I know it might be heresy, but to me, The System (especially with HS girls) is all about the defense. We caused 64 turnovers on Tuesday and last night we turned them over 40 times with 21 steals. In addition, because our press is relentless this year, their big girl had to help on the press and only scored nine points as she was always 75 feet from the basket. 
Overall, a really solid first week with the girls playing inspired ball."

Great stuff there from Coach Freund, who allowed me to share his thoughts on The System in this post last season. I wish him and his team the best of luck this season.



Wednesday, December 5, 2012

North Shore HS opens with simply amazing effort, wins 66-51

Coach Keith Freund from the girls' team at North Shore HS in Glen Head, N.Y., was kind enough to post an update on the Vikings' season opener Tuesday night on the Yahoo! message board devoted to The System.

North Shore pulled away in the second half to beat Sewanhaka 66-51 in the Wantagh Booster Club tournament, but that doesn't begin to tell the story. In a 32-minute game, the Vikings forced 64 turnovers and finished with 47 steals! I don't know if one is more impressive than the other, or if they're both over the top. As Coach Freund pointed out in his post, his team struggled a bit offensively, which led to a closer-than-expected result.

Still, for the opener, it appears the press is in good form for North Shore. Caroline Robertson had 23 points and 11 rebounds and Alexandra Cantwell finished with 16 and 13 in the victory, and both had seven steals. Very impressive.

The Vikings took 107 shots, which was 51 more than Sewanhaka. Amazing. They take on host Wantagh HS on Thursday night, and I hope they keep it going.


Eisenhower HS hangs with conference rival before losing 77-70

The boys' team at Eisenhower HS in Blue Island, Ill., had another one go down to the wire Tuesday night. This time, the Cardinals fell to T.F. North 77-70.

Coach Mike Curta and his sons, Nick and Vinny, who are members of the team, are dealing with some off-the-court sadness. Coach Curta's brother-in-law passed away a day before the game, but he told the Chicago Sun-Times that he thought his team competed hard for 32 minutes.

"We had lulls in previous games, but we competed the whole night," he told the paper. "We have to clean a few things up like our shot selection, but things will work themselves out."

Tyrone Terrell led Eisenhower with 32 points and BJ Bronaugh added 10. The Cardinals (3-4) host Tinley Park on Friday, and I wish them the best of luck.

Knox hangs in early before Cornell pulls away for MWC victory

For a half, the NCAA Division III women's team from Knox College stayed with undefeated conference rival Cornell College. The deficit was only eight headed to the final 20 minutes.

The game unfortunately got away from the Prairie Fire at that point, with Cornell pulling away for a 80-60 victory Tuesday night. Jodi Marver paced Knox with 14 points after connecting on three 3-pointers. The Rams opened the second half with a 21-5 run to open up the margin, and it stayed at least 20 points the rest of the way.

Knox did a good job in several areas, such as forcing 28 turnovers and attempting 42 of its 75 shots from beyond the arc, all important stats for System teams. But the offensive rebounding numbers aren't quite there (32 percent for this game), which leads to less of a shot differential (plus-3 for this game).

Still, against a team without any losses, the Prairie Fire (1-5, 1-3 MWC) dug in and played well. They host Beloit College (1-5, 0-3) on Saturday, so here's hoping the home team gets it going again. Game time is scheduled for 2 p.m. EST. 

Fast-paced game goes to Olivet Nazarene, 94-81 over Illinois Wesleyan

With so many of our teams playing Tuesday, something had to get sacrificed, particularly when family duties beckoned as well. The unfortunate casualty was the NAIA Division II women's team from Olivet Nazarene, which hosted Illinois Wesleyan, the defending NCAA Division III national champ and currently ranked 10th in the country.

(The Tigers, by the way, were 12th in the most recent NAIA poll.)

This one must have been played at an incredible pace. Olivet Nazarene won 94-81, as I guess the headline gave away, and the teams combined for 197 shots from the field. Yes, that's correct, 197 shots. Oh, and the Titans set a school record with 83 rebounds. Are you kidding me? Man, The System always delivers some numbers.

Miranda Geever filled up the stat sheet for the Tigers, finishing with 10 points, five assists and 10 steals, and Taylor Haymes made five 3-pointers and led the way with 19 points. Ashley Wilson added 15 points and Danielle Tolbert had 12.

Olivet Nazarene was 36-for-99 from the field, 14-for-60 on 3s, and forced 36 turnovers. Illinois Wesleyan stayed within reach by dominating the offensive glass (and defensive, too, apparently), corralling 34 offensive rebounds. Three players ended the game with at least 10 rebounds for the Titans: Lexi Baltes (16), Michelle Bilek (15) and Kaitlyn Mullarkey (10).

The Tigers (7-1, 6-1 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference) stay out of conference this week by hosting their own tournament, the Holiday Inn Express Classic. First up for the home team is Wilberforce University on Friday night (8:30 p.m. EST), followed by St. Catharine College on Saturday (4 p.m. EST).



Glenville State makes 18 3-pointers and holds off Bowie State

At this point in my enjoyment (obsession?) with The System, I'm accustomed to my favorite teams shooting a low percentage from the field. It only is natural when the majority of shots are coming from beyond the 3-point line.

I don't think I ever, in the 10 years or so I've been at least haphazardly following this style of play, have seen a team do what the NCAA Division II women's team at Glenville State did Tuesday night. On the road at Bowie State, a solid program from the CIAA, the Pioneers finished 18-for-47 on 3s in an 81-78 victory.

I know what you're saying. "What's so unusual about that?" Well, from inside the arc, they were 5-for-30. Yep, that's right, 5-for-30. And these are solid players, with great touch from inside and out (obviously). It just seems bizarre.

Regardless, it goes down as a W for coach Bunky Harkleroad and his team. Ginny Mills made six 3-pointers and finished with 23 points, Kenyell Goodson had four 3s and 15 points, and Tiffani Huffman made all three of her shots from long range on her way to 11 points. Madison Martin also had 11 points and made two 3s.

The point total was a bit lower than we've come to expect from Glenville State, which had scoring drought of nearly 5 minutes in the first half and trailed 17-7 with 13 minutes left until halftime. But in that remaining time, the Pioneers poured it on by outscoring the Bulldogs 46-24, with Ashleigh Fossett's 3 right before the horn giving Glenville State a 53-41 lead.

The second half was back-and-forth until the final 3 minutes. With Bowie State up 76-73, Mills made a 3-pointer to tie it before Goodson's free throw gave the Pioneers the lead for good. Mills made two at the line with 17 seconds left to push the lead to three, and the Bulldogs had two potential game-tying shots miss in the final 4 seconds.

A good victory for Coach Harkleroad's bunch, which stays on the road Saturday in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Glenville State (6-1, 3-0 WVIAC) travels to West Liberty (5-2, 3-0) in an early matchup of unbeatens. Tip is scheduled for 2 p.m. EST.

Grinnell rallies from 15 points down in second half, beats Monmouth

For a bit more than one half, Monmouth's strategy to slow down Grinnell worked. The Scots held ball on offense and forced the defense to chase, even with the traps, and employed a zone on defense to make the Pioneers take extra time each possession.

When Jon Calhoun made a layup slightly more than 2 minutes into the second half, Monmouth led 64-49. Yet Grinnell didn't get frazzled and eventually became even more aggressive on defense, while the offense started clicking with the high post player looking to score instead of simply pass. The result was a resounding victory for the Pioneers.

Aaron Levin made seven 3-pointers and scored 23 points, Patrick Maher dished out 12 assists and Grinnell rallied for a 107-99 victory Tuesday night in a Midwest Conference road game. Griffin Lentsch added 14 points, Jack Taylor finished with 12 and Joe Rogers tallied 10.

The slower pace held the Pioneers to 78 total shots, with 53 of those coming from beyond the arc. Brian McManamy and Jesse Ney each made three 3s as Grinnell finished with 20.

Luke Yeager's 3-pointer with 11:10 left in the game tied it at 72, and after the Scots went back up by four, the Pioneers took the lead for good on what I would call good, old-fashioned System hoops.

First, Levin made a 3 off an assist from Taylor to cut the deficit to a single point, then Taylor quickly got a steal. Cody Olson missed a jumper but Tague Zachary grabbed the offensive board. He passed to Levin, who missed from beyond the arc before Marquez Valdez corralled the ball off the rim. Valdez, as he has been coached, threw the ball back to Levin, and the time, his 3 swished through the net for a 78-76 lead for Grinnell.

Mind you, the entire time frame, from Levin's initial 3 to his final one, took about 45 seconds. That's a lot of action in less than a minute, but then again, that's why we love this style of play. Right?

And speaking of assists, the Pioneers had 30 of them on 35 baskets. That's a pretty impressive ratio.

Grinnell (6-1, 3-0 MWC) stays on the road in conference play, traveling to preseason favorite St. Norbert (3-2, 2-1) on Saturday. Game time is 4 p.m. EST.

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Grinnell opens conference play with two fairly easy victories

Enough of the dumb stuff, as somebody once said. The schedule got real for Grinnell College this week with the opening of play in the Midwest Conference, where teams are very familiar with The System and how to (attempt to) dismantle it.

The Pioneers had no problems in the first two games.

On Wednesday, they traveled to nearby rival Knox College, home of the Prairie Fire, and came away with a 113-76 victory. Jack Taylor (yes, him) scored 18 points to lead five players in double figures, and Grinnell essentially reached all five Formula goals.

- Attempted 93 shots
- Attempted 62 3-pointers
- Rebounded 39 percent of its own misses
- Forced 33 turnovers
- Attempted 39 more shots than Knox

This one was played at a little slower pace, with the Prairie Fire employing a zone for the most part. Anyone who hasn't seen the Pioneers work against a zone is really missing something; using a unique set, they pretty much dissected the defense the entire game and found many open opportunities under the basket.

Griffin Lentsch finished with 14 points, Jack Adams had 13, Brian McManamy added 11 and Luke Yeager chipped in with 10 for Grinnell. Joe Rogers led the way with four steals and point guard Patrick Maher dropped nine dimes against only one turnover.

The Pioneers returned home Saturday to play Ripon College, normally a formidable opponent. The Red Hawks have a new coach in Ryan Kane, with longtime coach Bob Gillespie retiring after last season, and they appear to be in rebuilding mode.

Grinnell jumped on Ripon early and often, running to a 30-point lead at halftime and cruising to a 134-97 victory at Darby Gymnasium. Taylor had a great game, finishing with 39 points in only 14 minutes of run. He was 12-for-19 from the field, including 9-for-15 on 3-pointers, and made all but one of his seven free throws. Taylor also had a team-high five assists.

Linemate (System term) Aaron Levin enjoyed a good day, too, scoring 17 points and making four 3s. Lentsch had 15, Maher tallied 14 and Yeager added 11 for the Pioneers. All in all, a wonderful day for the home team.

Grinnell (5-1, 2-0 Midwest Conference) hits the road for both of its games this week, traveling to Monmouth (1-3, 1-1) on Tuesday and to St. Norbert (2-2, 1-1) on Saturday. I'll keep you posted.

GLENVILLE STATE NCAA DIVISION II WOMEN'S TEAM

We (or, at least, I) often talk about those games where our System teams just can't put the ball in the basket. Those rare occasions when no one, on any shift, can seem to get it going, which really puts pressure on the other areas of your team.

Well, Glenville State had such a game Saturday, at home, against West Virginia Wesleyan, the defending West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament champs. And man oh man, did the Pioneers find a way to get it done.

They dominated in the second half to win 92-68, but that tells only part of the tale. At halftime, Glenville State was 1-for-20 from beyond the arc and 16-for-50 overall, or 32 percent for those not mathematically inclined. Meanwhile, the Bobcats shot 48 percent.

The score? The Pioneers led 39-33, thanks to their press (16 turnovers for Wesleyan) and offensive rebounding (38 percent for the game). In that first 20 minutes, they had 19 more shots, which certainly helped.

The second half was a different story. The shots eventually started falling a little more regularly, and with the D and the offensive rebounding continuing, the Bobcats really were no match. Ashleigh Fossett led Glenville State with 17 points, Kenyona Simmons had 16 points, Tiffani Huffman scored a season-high 13 points and point guard Jelena Elez finished with 12 points and four steals.

Here are The Formula stats, just so you can see how dominant the Pioneers were:

- Attempted 103 shots
- Attempted 50 3-pointers
- Rebounded 38 percent of their own misses
- Forced 28 turnovers
- Attempted 43 more shots than Wesleyan

That last number really blows me away. A great job by coach Bunky Harkleroad and his team, and they continued their stellar play at the friendly confines of the Jesse R. Lilly Gym, where they've lost only three games in the past four seasons.

Glenville State (5-1, 3-0 WVIAC) steps out of conference play Tuesday with a visit to Bowie State, then travels to conference rival West Liberty (4-2, 2-0) on Saturday. I hope both trips are successful.

OLIVET NAZARENE NAIA DIVISION II WOMEN'S TEAM

The Tigers won both of their games this week, both at home at McHie Arena, to remain at the top of the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference standings.

Ranked 12th in the most recent NAIA poll, Olivet Nazarene overwhelmed Trinity Christian College 93-44 on Wednesday, and it could have been much worse. The score was 63-25 at the break before the Tigers slowed the pace.

Ashley Wilson had 23 points, Miranda Geever scored 12, Courtney Allenbaugh added 11 and Dakota Hack finished with 10. ONU took 91 shots, 54 from beyond the arc, and forced 43 turnovers in this one.

On Saturday, the challenge appeared to be much tougher, with a visit from the 16th-ranked Cardinal Stritch Wolves. But the Tigers dominated throughout and cruised to a 90-79 victory, thanks to 15 points each from Wilson and Liz Bart, who made five 3-pointers.

Geever and Danielle Tolbert scored 13 points apiece. ONU finished 97 shots from the field, including 65 3-pointers, forced 27 turnovers and rebounded 39 percent of its own misses. 

The Tigers (6-1 overall and in the CCAC) finally plays some non-conference games this week, including their own Holiday Inn Express Classic. First, they entertain Illinois Wesleyan on Tuesday before the tourney begins Friday. ONU plays Wilberforce University in the opener and finishes up against St. Catharine College on Saturday. Best of luck to coach Lauren Stamatis and her team.

KNOX COLLEGE NCAA DIVISION III WOMEN'S TEAM

The Prairie Fire, in their second season with The System for coach Emily Cline, picked up their first victory of the season Saturday by beating Lawrence 90-79 on the road. Very happy to see them get rewarded for their efforts so far.

Jodi Marver led the way with 21 points and Becky Duffy added 19, including a 15-for-18 performance at the free throw line. Jessica Howard scored 11 for Knox, which forced 43 turnovers in the game.

Earlier in the week, the Prairie Fire lost a tough one down the stretch to Grinnell, with the final score 78-75. Howard made five 3s in this one and finished with 17 points, a great effort, and Marver and Duffy each added 12 points. Grace Theisen scored 11.

Knox led at the half before the shots stopped falling, finishing 6-for-41 from the field after the break.

The Prairie Fire (1-4, 1-2 Midwest Conference) host two conference rivals this week, with Cornell College coming to Galesburg on Tuesday and Beloit making a visit Saturday. I'll be rooting for them.

NORTH CENTRAL COLLEGE NCAA DIVISION III WOMEN'S TEAM

The Cardinals went out on the road this week and came away with a pair of victories to run their winning streak to three games.

First, they beat previously unbeaten Central College 88-83 on Tuesday, with Jenny Swanson leading the way with 14 points. Michelle Todd, Maryssa Cladis and Larynn Shumaker all added 10 points for North Central, which forced 26 turnovers.

On Thursday, the Cardinals won 94-77 at Luther College, with Swanson pouring in 17 points. Bobbi Johns had 15 points and Lauren Hernandez added 14. North Central made 17 3-pointers in this one, including four each from Swanson and Hernandez, and forced 37 turnovers.

The Cardinals are off until a trip to Lake Forest College on Friday, and I hope all goes well for coach Michelle Roof and trusty assistant Doug Porter.

JACKSON (MICH.) COMMUNITY COLLEGE NJCAA DIVISION II WOMEN'S TEAM

Remember when the Jets were struggling? I hardly do, either. Coach Andy Hoaglin's bunch certainly appears to have it going, and even a busy stretch of four games in six days couldn't slow it down.

Jackson CC finished 4-0 for the week to improve its record to 6-3. No stats are available, but here is an update from associate head coach Eric Salsbury, via the Run-and-Gun message board on Yahoo!:

"Our ladies went 4-0 this week and improved to 6-3.  Started off with a 82-75 win at Calvin JV on Monday.  Didn't play especially well, but were able to pull it out late.  Beat Olivet College JV 107-71 on Wednesday and finally went off from deep with 21 treys.  On Thursday turned around and beat Adrian College JV 125-60 with another 21 threes.  Ended the week today with a 118-93 win at Rochester College JV - we really stunk from deep, only hitting 19:-)

Today's game was the most impressive. Rochester had 14 players and even in our fourth game of the week, we took their legs. We noticed a few really cool things that indicate our young team (16 freshmen out of 21 players) are starting to get it. Our players were really enthusiastic before the game and very vocal in support of each other throughout. Not sure I've ever seen a team so loud on the bench for an entire game. Our groups were communicating with each other on the bench ('I'm going to the fade this time, it's been open,' 'I want you to curl and I'll get you a great look,' etc.). Also, on the defensive end, we flew around the court. There were probably only a handful of defensive possessions where we didn't at least have a chance to create a turnover. No stats, but we estimate that we forced more than 50 turnovers.

Other cool things. The Rochester coach said that was a great time for her team and they were happy to score 93. A young man was talking to us after the game and said, 'Coaches, that was so much fun to watch. I really enjoyed it.'"


Great job by the Jets, who get the chance to avenge two losses from earlier in the season this week. They travel to Henry Ford CC on Wednesday before hosting Mott CC on Saturday. Here's hoping that winning streak reaches six games.

GALESBURG (ILL.) HS GIRLS' TEAM

The Silver Streaks completed a 2-0 week, including a hard-fought victory on Thursday against Western Big 6 rival Quincy. The final was 75-67 in overtime, but the numbers really told the story of how coach Evan Massey's team gutted this one out.

Galesburg finished 5-for-35 on 3-pointers and gave up a school-record 73 rebounds, yet still won. The Streaks did it by getting to the free throw line (they shot 40 free throws) and turning over Quincy (they forced 50 turnovers for the game).

Jessica Lieber led the way with 24 points and four steals, and Sharron Diggins had 11 points.

On Saturday, Galesburg beat Dunlap 80-66, with Diggins pouring in 29 points, grabbing 10 rebounds and getting seven steals. Casey Williams added 10 points. The Streaks shot 44 3-pointers (and made eight) and forced 37 turnovers (leading to 23 steals).

Galesburg (7-1, 2-0 WB6) hosts Rock Island on Thursday in a battle of the only two unbeaten teams in the conference, then travels to Maine South on Saturday. I hope they have a great week.

EISENHOWER (BLUE ISLAND, ILL.) HS BOYS' TEAM
The Cardinals, coached by Mike Curta, lost their only game of the week, falling on the road to T.F. South 104-94 on Friday. No stats were available, but here is a report from Coach Curta via the message board.

"We lost 104-94 on Friday night to fall to 1-3 and 0-1 in our league. Played a solid first half and up 51-47 at that point. Slipped in terms of execution and enthusiasm in the third, but managed to go up by 5. Bottom fell out over the course of two stretches in the fourth and outscored 31-16 that period. Losing the last three is getting tough because we play well enough during stretches to create pace and execute, but we really tighten up late in the game and find ways to lose instead of finishing teams off. Teams are going to follow the lead of the guy on the bench, so trying to find ways to get the kids mind off the score and focus on the process. We can feel the kids losing trust and confidence when our opponent makes any kind of a run or when the game is close late. We will turn it over late, lose defensive focus, and then stand around and 'hope' shots go in instead of 'go getting it' on the offensive glass. Not a great formula for winning games, but I believe we will be OK … just need that breakthrough moment to instill confidence in the kids." 

Eisenhower hosts T.F. North on Tuesday, and we'll be rooting for the home team.

Friday, November 30, 2012

A great trip to watch The System in person as Glenville State rolls

BLUEFIELD, W.Va. -- The best way to enjoy The System is live and in person. Thankfully, I had an another opportunity to do so, and even took a neophyte with me to share this glorious style of basketball.

Good friend Jason Lutz and I rode up to West Virginia on Thursday to catch the NCAA Division II women's team from Glenville State, a great program in its fourth season with The System. Seriously, how can you not enjoy a group of players who would do that for the team photo (hmm, just look at the top of blog)? Those of who familiar with this blog know the coach at Glenville State has perhaps the greatest name in all of collegiate athletics: Bunky Harkleroad.

Coach Harkleroad and the Pioneers traveled south from their campus to take on West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference foe Bluefield State. In the past few seasons, this trip has been relatively easy, since the Lady Blues had fallen on hard times. That no longer is the case, thanks to a wonderful rebuilding job by Bluefield State coach James Oliver.

Two years ago, when I most recently made my way to Bluefield to watch these two teams go at it, Coach Oliver had about eight players who quickly found themselves ran out of Ned Shott Gymnasium. The final that day was 118-63 in favor of Coach Harkleroad's team, a result that really wasn't that close. And the season before, the Pioneers set all-division NCAA records with 29 3-pointers on 62 attempts in a 133-72 victory.

But the roster now has depth and talent, and talented depth, even, which helped Bluefield State beat Pitt-Johnstown 81-79 on the road earlier this season in a WVIAC game. So this one figured to be a little closer than the previous games.

After 20 minutes of play, you would have had a hard time making that argument. Glenville State jumped all over the Lady Blues from the start and led 62-37 at the break, a dominating stretch of basketball that left most of the home fans grumbling. I should know, one of them sat not too far behind me and Jason and critiqued nearly every play of the first half.

It didn't get much better for Bluefield State immediately after halftime, and when Pioneers forward Kenyona Simmons made one of two at the line about 5 minutes into the second half, the margin was 29 points at 75-46. I already was calculating how many points Simmons and her teammates would put on the scoreboard, wondering if they would beat the 118 that I saw on my previous trip.

Just as quickly. the Lady Blues came to life.

Jenaya Abernathy started the rally with a pair of free throws before Charity Harris took over. The junior guard from Vineland, N.J., went on a personal 10-point spurt, making the overall run 12-0, and Bluefield State miraculously was within 17.

Now, that sounds like a huge lead, right? That's what I told myself, yet with the late-arriving crowd making enough noise to cover the running commentary from the dude a few rows behind us, it sort of felt as it was much, MUCH closer. The Lady Blues hastened this comeback by switching from their man-to-man defense to a spread out 2-3 zone.

The change stymied the Pioneers, who missed six consecutive shots in this span and turned it over four times. But a team as good as them wouldn't fold, and Tiffani Huffman responded with a clutch 3-pointer to boost the lead to 78-58.

It stabilized for a bit until Bluefield State got it going again, closing to 80-67 on a tip-in by Tiffany Moorer. Once again, Glenville State responded, with Ashleigh Fossett swishing a 3, and soon the margin was 21 again.

Anyone sensing a theme? I wondered if the Lady Blues had another run in them, even as I never doubted Coach Harkleroad's team would fight it off. Sure enough, here came Bluefield State, helped immensely by two questionable calls against Glenville State center LaToya Hambrick with about 5 and a half minutes remaining.

First, when she went straight up for an offensive rebound and grabbed the ball, with no contact between her and Moorer, one of the referees whistled her for over-the-back. And when Hambrick showed her surprise, directed only toward her teammates on the bench, the trailing referee hit her up with a technical.

Terrible, terrible call, something that happens occasionally on the road. Charlene Diggs made both shots at the line for the T, and Moorer converted her two for the foul. When Diggs added two more free throws about 60 seconds later, the Glenville State lead was down to 95-83, "only" 12 points.

This time it was Ginny Mills coming through with a big shot for the Pioneers, as her 3-pointer off an assist from Simmons got the spread by to 15 with about 4 minutes left, and this time, Bluefield State was done. Jessica Parsons (no relation) knocked down another 3 a minute later and Glenville State cruised from there.

The final was 111-93, a solid victory on the road against a vastly improved program. Huffman, Fossett, Mills and Parsons all made such important shots to secure this one, a testament to the chemistry Coach Harkleroad has this season.

Simmons led the way with 26 points and Mills had 23, with Fossett (13), Parsons (11) and Hambrick (10) also reaching double figures. Simmons added four steals, Hambrick had eight rebounds and the point guard tandem of Parsons and Jelena Elez combined for eight dimes.

After it was over and we were waiting to give Coach Harkleroad a shoutout before leaving, Hambrick made her way over to where Jason and I were standing. She introduced herself and thanked us for coming, and we had a nice conversation while watching the early stages of the men's game.

She eventually went to find a seat in the bleachers, and she quickly was replaced by Simmons. At this point, I was sensing a theme, so I asked her, "Did your coach tell you I was here?"

She smiled and nodded her head, and others followed them, including Huffman and Briauna Nix. Then Coach Harkleroad and his assistant, former Glenville State player Kim Stephens, spent a few minutes with us, then we were on the road home.

It was bittersweet, I'm not going to lie. I savored each second of the game, since I don't know when I'll see one of my favorite teams in person again. A huge thanks to everybody who made a point to say hello, and as always, a huge thanks to Coach Harkleroad for being a believer and an advocate for The System. It truly is the most exciting style of hoops I've ever seen, even if Jason said he wasn't totally sold yet.

That's OK. That just means I'll have to take him to see other teams which get it done this way. I've got no problem with that.

Monday, November 26, 2012

Life returns to normal (somewhat) in Grinnell in loss to William Penn

The hysteria and frenzy that came with Jack Taylor's simply incredible 138-point offensive explosion has lessened at Grinnell College, even if it hasn't completely gone away.

ESPN visited Iowa over the weekend to catch up with Jack and his parents, along with coach Dave Arseneault, and put together a really nice vignette that ran on SportsCenter late Sunday through early Monday. The TV crew was on hand for the Pioneers' first game following Taylor's record-setting performance, and it was treated to a great game -- even if the wrong team won.

Taylor was held to 21 points and William Penn's Brandon Beasley finished with 26 points and 17 rebonds as the Statesmen remained unbeaten this season with a 131-116 victory over Grinnell on Sunday. James Devlin added 17 points and Keith Steffeck had 16 points and 14 rebounds for William Penn (12-0), an NAIA member from just down Interstate 80 from Grinnell in Oskaloosa, Iowa.

Back in the normal rotation and shifts, Taylor was 6-for-21 from the field, including 3-for-13 on 3-pointers, in 17 minutes of run. Teammate Griffin Lentsch led the way with 28 points despite shooting 10-for-35, 6-for-23 from the arc.

Aaron Levin, who missed all of last season with an injury, got off pretty well and scored 18 points, including four 3s.

The Statesmen led by as many as 15 points in the second half, and the margin still was 13 with 5:30 remaining on a layup by Devlin. But consecutive 3-pointers from Lentsch in the span of 45 seconds cut it to seven, and Grinnell appeared poised for a patented System comeback.

It wasn't to be. Levin's 3 later made it a nine-point game with about 3 minutes remaining before William Penn regained control and closed it out.

Pretty odd boxscore. The Pioneers exceeded all five of their goals in this game, which means they should win about 90 percent of the time. Here are The Formula numbers from this one:

-  Attempted 113 shots (goal is 94)
- Attempted 65 3-pointers (goal is 47)
- Rebounded 35 percent of their own misses (goal is 33 percent)
- Forced 36 turnovers (goal is 32)
- Attempted 33 more shots than William Penn (shot differential goal is 25)

So all in all, a pretty good effort for the good guys. A huge crowd of 1,711 turned out at Darby Gym to watch, which is about 1,000 more than normal. Nice to see people appreciating the program.

Grinnell opens play in the Midwest Conference on Wednesday, traveling to Knox. Game time is scheduled for 8 p.m. EST, and you know I'll be watching.

NORTH CENTRAL COLLEGE NCAA DIVISION III WOMEN'S TEAM

The Cardinals got their first road victory Saturday at Benedictine, using 17 points from Jenny Swanson to win 96-91. Swanson was 5-for-9 on 3-pointers.

Maryssa Cladis added 14 points, Emily Murphy had 11 and Kimberly Wilson finished with 10 for North Central College (2-2), where former Olivet Nazarene coach Doug Porter is helping head coach Michelle Roof install The System.

Along the way, the Cardinals put up some great numbers:

- Attempted 93 shots
- Attempted 60 3-pointers
- Rebounded 42 percent of their own misses
- Forced 33 turnovers
- Attempted 16 more shots than Benedictine

This was the second nice effort of the week for NCC. On Wednesday, unbeaten Monmouth rallied in the second half for a 98-87 victory. The Cardinals still had five players reach double figures: Amanda Hoye (13), Cladis (11), Murphy (11), Swanson (10) and Callin Rezin (10).

Monmouth led 92-85 with 1:40 remaining following a free throw by Swanson before closing the game on a modest 6-2 spurt.

It definitely appears the players at NCC are beginning to understand this style of play, and I wish them the best of luck the rest of the way. That begins Tuesday at Central College, with tip scheduled for 8 p.m.
 
OLIVET NAZARENE NAIA DIVISION II WOMEN'S TEAM

The Tigers took their first loss of coach Lauren Stamatis' inaugural season, falling behind early and never really catchup up as Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference rival Roosevelt ran away from ONU 112-96 on Saturday. Ashley Wilson had 17 points for the Tigers (4-1 overall and CCAC) and Miranda Geever and Taylor Haymes each added 14.

They did manage to get within seven midway through the second half on a steal and subsequent 3-pointer by Jessica Gerig before Roosevelt (7-1, 5-1) pulled away again.

Olivet Nazarene returns home Wednesday to host Trinity Christian College, with game time at McHie Arena set for 5:30 p.m. EST. Go get 'em!

KNOX COLLEGE NCAA DIVISION III WOMEN'S TEAM

The Prairie Fire had a tough week at home, averaging only 55.5 points in two losses. The first came Wednesday, when Marissa Pezzopane had 18 points and 13 rebounds to lead Augustana past Knox 83-56.

Shots just weren't falling for coach Emily Cline's team. The Prairie Fire were 17-for-86 (20 percent) overall and 6-for-44 (14 percent) on 3-pointers. Jodi Marver led the way with 17 points and Becky Duffy added 11. Kristin McDonald finished with 10 points.

On Saturday, Knox opened play in the Midwest Conference with a 79-55 loss to Lake Forest. Alycia Webster was the only player in double figures with with 12 points.

The Prairie Fire host Grinnell on Wednesday, as I've already mentioned, so fans will be treated to a double dose of The System. As much as I love Grinnell, I've got to go with the Knox women's team in this one. I wish Coach Cline and her team the best of luck.

JACKSON (MICH.) CC NJCAA DIVISION II WOMEN'S TEAM

Coach Andy Hoaglin's squad is fighting some inconsistency early, and I have no doubt that the Jets eventually will put together a run. They lost 106-90 on Wednesday to drop to 2-3 on the season.

No stats available for this one. Jackson CC returns to action Monday at home against Calvin College, and I hope this begins its run.

GALESBURG (ILL.) HS GIRLS' TEAM

A huge shoutout to senior guard Jessica Lieber, who reached 1,000 career points in the Silver Streaks' 77-40 victory over Freeport on Saturday night in the Galesburg Thanksgiving Tournament. Lieber had five 3-pointers and scored 22 points, and Sharron Diggins added 19.

The Streaks (5-1) finished with 13 3s in the game.

Galesburg hosts Quincy on Thursday night to continue its season-opening, nine-game homestand. I'm rooting for the Streaks and coach Evan Massey.
 
EISENHOWER (BLUE ISLAND, ILL.) HS BOYS' TEAM

After opening with two victories, the Cardinals lost to Marist 84-82 on Wednesday night, and coach Mike Curta reported that his team fouled way too much. Marist finished 36-for-50 at the line, just an insane amount of free throws in a 32-minute game.

Tyrone Terrell led Eisenhower with 23 points, Desmond Rembert added 13 and B.J. Bronaugh finished with 10. The Cardinals were 31-for-90 from the field and 11-for-54 on 3s, yet still only lost by two. Wow, got to love The System.

On Friday, Eisenhower dropped another close one, losing to Shepard 92-90. No official stats for this one.

Assuming I read the schedule correctly, the Cardinals don't play again until Friday, traveling to T.F. South. If they can get those foul problems under control, I think Coach Curta and his team could do some damage this season.

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Catching up with the top scorer in basketball history, Jack Taylor

Setting records is nothing new for the folks at Grinnell College. No one knows this any better than Dave Arseneault.

A former point guard at the school, he set the all-division NCAA record with 34 assists in 2007 while playing for his father, longtime coach David Arseneault. We all know Coach A as the creator of The System, an innovative style of basketball that almost always leads to huge numbers for both teams, the type of eye-popping statistics that create fans and critics alike.

The past few days has seen plenty of both, thanks to Jack Taylor. By now, sports fans everywhere have heard of the sophomore guard for the Pioneers, the one who scored 138 points Tuesday night against Faith Baptist. That total seems just as unbelievable today as it did then.

"After the game, it didn't seem real," Taylor told me Friday night over the phone. He and Coach Dave gave me a call following practice.

It was real, all right. Thanks mostly to social media such as Twitter and Facebook, Taylor's exploits quickly spread around the country, with NBA stars LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant all talking about the effort. Taylor was up early the morning after for appearances on "The Today Show" and "Good Morning America," and capped the day with an interview on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," where the host asked Taylor if he planned to break Wilt Chamberlain's "other" record. You know, the one involving 20,000 women.

"It was hilarious, it was hard to answer the questions because I was laughing so much," Taylor said. And for the record, he said he was a long way from approaching the Big Dipper's success with the opposite sex.

The fun hasn't stopped yet. ESPN planned to have a crew at practice Saturday that will stay in town to catch part of Grinnell's game the next day against William Penn University. 

"It's been exhausting," Taylor said. "I don't really know how the NBA players do it every day. I've been doing interviews non-stop, I'm kind of happy they're winding down."

As I said, everything hasn't been rosy. The critics have been numerous, including some from the very outlet that plans to visit the Grinnell campus this weekend. Of course, the naysayers almost are as familiar to the basketball program as the offensive records it creates.

Coach Dave has seen this over the years, most of it directed at his father. He's in the unique position now of answering some of it as someone who helped Taylor set his record.

"There's a saying that any publicity is good publicity," Coach Dave said. "The fact that so many people are talking about our school, it's just really incredible. It is amazing what we were able to do in the span of a few hours that has brought such ridiculous attention."

And that includes those who dismiss it completely.

"Most of those people are pretty uninformed," Coach Dave said. "A lot of them think they know what we do, and they really don't have any clue."

Even as Taylor was setting the record, Coach Dave wasn't exactly sure how it would play out. He thought about taking him out at some point after the point total exceeded 100, and the game was played at such a pace that it was to keep track of exactly where Taylor was.

Finally, the exit strategy became clear. With 3:40 remaining in the game, Taylor swished a 3-pointer for to get to 121 points. He made another the next possession, and then another and another and another and another, all without play stopping.

It was six 3s in the span of of about 2 minutes. When he was fouled and made two free throws, that gave him 138 points, and it was time to come out.

"I think that was the highlight of the game," Taylor said. "I was able to thank my coaches and thank my teammates, and the fans gave me a standing ovation. It felt really nice."

The moment was so special that Coach Dave has watched it about 100 times on tape.

"With each successful 3, the crowd was going a little more bonkers," he said. "When he it that last one, guys on the team are running around the bench. There was a group of fans, I've watched this every time, literally rolling on the bleachers and tackling each other. I'm just happy I left him the game, everything played out perfectly."

Now, the question is what does Taylor -- and Grinnell -- do for an encore. After all, he is only three games into his career at the school after transferring from the University of Wisconsin-Lacrosse. 

"I don't know what's going to happen," Taylor said. "I'm sure the other teams are going to start throwing double teams at me after this. I think scoring is going to be a lot more difficult."

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Grinnell's Jack Taylor shatters scoring record, pundits criticize the effort

There really is no way to answer criticism, particularly on something as unconventional as The System. Or perhaps it is not even The System, just basketball (or sports in general), that opens itself up to contrarians. A few weeks ago, Alabama football coach Nick Saban questioned the no-huddle, fast-paced offense so many schools employ these days, including this little salvo: "Is this what we want football to be?"

I thought of this today while listening to my favorite afternoon sports talk show, "SVP and Russillo" on ESPN Radio. Scott Van Pelt was absent, so Ryen Russillo was flying solo, and I caught a segment when he was dicussing the effort Tuesday night from Grinnell's Jack Taylor. By now, any reader of this blog knows of the 138 points Taylor scored against Faith Baptist in a 179-104 victory for the Pioneers. The outburst broke every known collegiate scoring record, which we'll get to a bit later.

Let's get back to my boy Ryen Russillo. He told the audience he wasn't pleased with how Grinnell coach David Arseneault (and indirectly, his assistant, son Dave Arseneault) set up the game plan for this matchup. Russillo spoke of his distaste for the pace of play, the way the Pioneers gave up layups, even the way they sent mass substitutions into the game every 45 seconds or so.

Hmm, anyone notice what he (and I) did there? He basically is railing against The System, which is no big deal, in and of itself. Most of us are accustomed to that, and this style of play, while beautiful, breathtaking and exhilarating to me, just isn't for everybody. I face that every day with my friends and other hoops aficionados.

Russillo's mistake -- the same one made by many who expressed unhappiness with how it all played out -- is he failed to investigate Grinnell's background. All the things that annoyed him in this game have nothing to do with Jack Taylor or 138 points. The Pioneers play this way every game.

Case in point: he theorized that Coach A sent all these subs in to foul the players for Faith Baptist, so Grinnell could get the ball back. Well, you and I know that the subs come in that way each and every game, and one of the focuses of The System is to avoid fouls. That way, you create more possessions and take advantage when the opponent's players begin to get tired.

By the way, Faith Baptist finished 4-for-8 from the free throw line for the game, and Grinnell finished with 14 total fouls.

The layups are nothing new, either. Last season, when the Pioneers were 18-5, opponents shot a combined 58 percent from the field, so field goal percentage defense isn't something that is important to the success this style.

Now, I am in no way saying Taylor's magical game came without some orchestration. He was on the court for 36 minutes, or about 20 more than he ordinarily would play. Essentially, instead of subbing five-for-five, the Coaches Arseneault went four-for-four, leaving Taylor with each shift, or group, in System vernacular. And because he was the "preferred shooter" for each group -- another System term -- he got all the shots.

Several times over the years, Grinnell has set out to help one of its players be statistically significant in a single game. On Dec. 8, 2007, Dave Arseneault, then the starting point guard for his dad, set the NCAA all-division record with 34 assists against North Central University. He relied on the same methods as Taylor: namely he played at the front of the full-court pressure (leaving him on the offensive end of the court for much of the game), he stayed in with each group (he played 38 minutes) and he enjoyed assistance from his teammates (John Grotberg had 49 points).

That was one of the most impressive things about Taylor's game. Each player on Grinnell's roster dug in to help him, including Griffin Lentsch. Surely you remember him, right? He scored an NCAA Division III record 89 points in a game last season and eventually led the Pioneers in scoring for the year. He spent this whole game setting screens for Taylor and finished with seven points on three shots.

When it was over, and the news trickled out via Twitter and other avenues of social media, Taylor's teammates did something else: they searched out people who could help spread the word, including some of the very pundits who took to the airwaves in an attempt to discredit this record.

Again, nothing wrong with that. I'm sure it's simply white noise to the folks at Grinnell, particularly Coach A, since he's done this so much over the years. When I visited Grinnell and the cornfields of Iowa in 2009, I asked him about singling out one player in this manner, I found his answer -- as it pertained to his son's assist record and others -- to be fascinating.

"He took some heat on that, from some people. What those people fail to understand is that it set David off on a stretch of play where he played better than he can for about 10 straight games. People don't understand that, statistically, if you can get people to reach for the stars, and then achieve it, they can start being better than they are.

"Our level of play gets better when our best players are statistically significant. You can't explain that to people. Even though it was somewhat manufactured, the reality is that every time we've done that for somebody, it's been a long-term positive for the group."

David Arseneault

Here's hoping it works out that way for this year's team.

As for this game, not much I can add to what already has been written and spoken around the country. Taylor had 58 points at halftime and kept going after the break, breaking Lentsch's mark on a 3-pointer with 11:14 left in the game.

Taylor reached 100 points on a nifty backdoor cut with about 9 minutes remaining, then swished a 3 about 4 minutes later to break Bevo Francis' NCAA record of 113 points. He scored his final points on two free throws with 1:37 on the clock, then exited the game for good a few seconds later to a raucous reception at Darby Gym.

Grinnell plays again Sunday, hosting William Penn University at 5 p.m. EST. This one should be very interesting, as well, even if no one reaches triple digits by himself. The Statesman, an NAIA school, is 9-0 and averaging 99 points, so they likely will run with the Pioneers. Should be a good one.

Best of luck to Grinnell.

And, heck, while I'm at it, I guess I ought to update our other teams who have played this week.

GLENVILLE STATE NCAA DIVISION II WOMEN'S TEAM

After a 47-point loss on the road last Saturday at California (Pa.), this group of Pioneers returned home to open West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play against Wheeling Jesuit. Thanks partly to Ginny Mills, they averted a losing streak.

Mills made six 3-pointers and scored 22 points (in 17 minutes of run) to lead six players in double figures as Glenville State rolled past the Cardinals 113-86 Tuesday night. Kenyona Simmons added 17 points, Ashleigh Fossett had 14, Tiffani Huffman got 13, DeShawna Curry finished with 12 and Jessica Parsons (no relation) chipped in with 10.

A great effort for coach Bunky Harkleroad and his team; the Pioneers (3-1, 1-0 WVIAC) finished with 103 shots and forced 25 turnovers in the victory. Breanna Butler paced Wheeling Jesuit (1-2, 0-1) with 21 points.

Glenville State has a bit of a break before playing next, when it travels to play conference foe Bluefield State next Thursday. If all goes well, I plan to be in attendance, the first time in two years I've seen the Pioneers.

Hope to see them them then.

EISENHOWER (BLUE ISLAND, ILL.) HS BOYS' TEAM

Coach Mike Curta and the Cardinals are playing in the Richards HS Thanksgiving Tournament, and they opened with a pair of victories. On Monday, in their season opener, they beat Fenger HS 104-84, thanks in part to an 11-point shift from one of their preferred shooters.

So far, this player hasn't been identified by Coach Curta (I'm kidding, I'm sure he'd be glad to, I just know he's busy so I haven't asked). He made a 3-pointer before stealing the inbound pass and scoring again before making two more 3s on consecutive possessions. Pretty sweetk.

Eisenhower beat Peoria 66-47 on Tuesday and plays Marist tonight. Go Cardinals.

GALESBURG (ILL.) HS GIRLS' TEAM

Jessica Lieber had 10 of her 23 points in the fourth quarter to help the Silver Streaks pull away to beat Western Big 6 rival Moline 71-52 Tuesday night.

Coach Evan Massey's team made 13 3-pointers -- Lieber had five of them -- for the game. Sharron Diggins added 14 points for Galesburg, which continues play in its Thanksgiving Tournament on Saturday against Freeport. The start is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST, and I wish the Streaks all the best.

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Grinnell opens season with pair of victories

I made a decision, and I hope it was OK I didn't consult anyone who actually follows this blog. (Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?)

In an attempt to keep up with every team I enjoy following, and to relieve the pressure of staying on top of it daily, I plan to post a weekly update each Sunday. That way, with most everyone playing during the week or on Saturday, I can get us caught up on those squads employing the most wonderful style of basketball known the world over. High school play began this week, too, so that will give us more fun-filled action to follow.

Sound good? Great, glad you agree.

GRINNELL COLLEGE NCAA DIVISION III MEN'S TEAM

The original System team, coached now by a combination of the creator of this strategy, David Arseneault, and his son, Dave Arseneault (not an official Jr., by the way), returns most of its top players from a season ago. Optimism is very high out in the cornfields of Iowa, I can tell you that.

If the first weekend is an indication, it is well-warranted.

The Pioneers traveled to in-state rival Wartburg College for the  four-team Buzz Levick tournament, joined by Rockford College and Crown College. Given the success Grinnell has had and its unique style, finding non-conference games can be difficult, so a tournament just up the road is a great way to begin another year.

The Rockford Regents were the opponent in the opener, and Griffin Lentsch's 23 points led six players in double figures as the Pioneers pulled away for a 130-101 victory. Patrick Maher and transfer Jack Taylor each had 19 points, Luke Yeager added 18, Jesse Ney scored 12 and Aaron Levin finished with 10 for Grinnell, which led by 38 points with about 3 minutes left.

In the championship game, the Pioneers faced the Crown Storm, and even though the shots didn't fall, Grinnell still won going away. How off was the shooting? Well, midway through the first half, the Pioneers where 6-for-27, and only a seemingly continuous parade to the free throw line kept them within striking distance.

Those us accustomed to Coach A's teams always scoring at least 100 points in a game would be surprised to know that Grinnell had only 25 with slightly more than 7 minutes left in the first half. A great run to end the opening 20 minutes -- the Storm led 42-34 with 3:14 remaining -- got the Pioneers back on track.

They finished the half on an 18-3 spurt to pull ahead for good, and they held on to win 111-100. Taylor led the way with 28 points and Lentsch had 21 for Grinnell despite combining to make only 4-of-28 shots from behind the 3-point line. Taylor was 3-for-19, but connected on all 13 shots at the line and added four steals and four assists.

Of course, the defense was a constant. The Storm finished with 42 turnovers, including 24 steals by Grinnell.

Levin had 14 points and Maher had 12 for the Pioneers, who play their home opener Tuesday against Faith Baptist, then host William Penn next Sunday. Best of luck to Coach A and Coach a, if you get my drift.

OLIVET NAZARENE NAIA DIVISION II WOMEN'S TEAM

The Tigers, now coached by Lauren Stamatis, went 3-0 during the week to remain unbeaten in her first season as a head coach.

In the initial game of the week, ONU traveled to longtime Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference foe Saint Xavier on Tuesday. Imagine Duke and North Carolina renewing its bitter rivalry in the first full week of the schedule. Odd, right?

No matter, the Tigers pulled away from a tight game at the half to win 100-88, using Miranda Geever's 20 points to beat the Cougars for the third consecutive time. Taylor Haymes had 16 points and Ashley Wilson added 15 points and 10 rebounds for ONU.

The middle game was the home opener, also in the CCAC, with Holy Cross College rolling into McHie Arena. This one definitely was a tale of two halves: the Tigers dominated to take a 24-point advantage at the break, then simply stopped making shots. Or at least, stopped making them quite as often.

By the time it was over, ONU held on for a not-as-close-as-the-score-would-indicate 105-95 victory. Liz Bart led the way with 17 points and Wilson had 16.

How different was each side of halftime? The Tigers were 22-for-47 before the break, including 14-of-32 from the arc, and were dominating. Yet they were only 12-for-50 (24 percent) afterward and missed 23 of their 27 shots from beyond the 3-point line. For those not mathematically inclined, such as me, that is 15 percent. Or, 14.8 percent. I guess I'm mathematically inclined enough to round up.

Still, it is a W.

Finally, ONU closed out its perfect week with a 94-90 victory on the road against Indiana University Bend, another CCAC contest. Wilson led the way this time with 17 points and Geever added 16. The Tigers again struggled after halftime, making only 1-of-21 on 3-pointers and shooting 25 percent overall.

The defense was enough to keep them on top, since the Titans finished with 38 turnovers.

The pace slows down for Coach Stamatis this week, with a lone game coming Saturday at Roosevelt University. As always, I'll be rooting for them.

GLENVILLE STATE NCAA DIVISION II WOMEN'S TEAM

When a coach decides to run The System, he or she understands the extremes that come with it. Have a particularly uneven performance, and it is very common to get blown out. It happens to everyone, at any level, playing any style, it just appears much worse when you go at it this way.

Case in point: coach Bunky Harkleroad's team went on the road against California (Pa.) on Saturday and lost 102-55. Yes, at first glance, I thought that score was a misprint, as well, but that's what it was.

Not much to say about this one. The Pioneers (2-1) shot 20 percent from the field, shot 23 percent on 3s and turned it over 26 times. The Vulcans only had 16 turnovers.

Kenyona Simmons led Glenville State with nine points -- yep, no one in double figures -- and Ginny Mills and Ashleigh Fossett scored eight apiece.

Coach Harkleroad and his team get a chance to remove some of the sting from this one in a hurry, opening play in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference on Tuesday night by hosting Wheeling Jesuit. I'll be cheering for the Pioneers.

NORTH CENTRAL COLLEGE NCAA DIVISION III WOMEN'S TEAM

This is the program that has former Olivet Nazarene coach Doug Porter leading it into its first season of The System. With Coach Porter assisting head coach Michelle Roof, the Cardinals hosted a four-team tournament to open their schedule, the Chicago Marriott Naperville Tip-Off Tournament.

In the opener Friday night against Olivet (no, not Nazarene, just plain ol' Olivet), NCC led by one with about 6 minutes remaining in the first half before Olivet went on a 21-7 run to take a 13-point edge into the break.

That margin grew to 30 midway through the final 20 minutes before the Cardinals scrapped away to make the final score respectable at 96-84. Kimberly Wilson had 20 points (and made four 3-pointers), and Emily Murphy and Jenny Swanson each added 13 for NCC.

The Cardinals got their first victory of the season in the consolation game, using 10 points from Murphy to hold off Alma College 70-67. Not a clinic for The System, but a nice step forward for a team new to this style.

NCC returns to action Wednesday night, hosting Monmouth College, and I wish Coach Roof, Coach Porter and the entire team the best of luck.

Oh, and if you have extra time after reading this informative blog, take a gander at one hosted by Coach Porter, which chronicles the first season installing The System. It's great.

KNOX COLLEGE NCAA DIVISION III WOMEN'S TEAM

Another interesting fact about this particular style of play is that often, a player for the opposing team will put up some monster stats. Case in point Thursday in the opener for Knox College, a second-year System team coached by Emily Cline.

In a 112-83 loss to Eureka College, Kelsey Shoemake (no, it's not Shoemaker, I double-checked) finished with 39 points and 17 rebounds for the winning side. Not bad, right?

Alycia Webster led the Prairie Fire with 17 points, Becky Duffy added 13 and Jodi Marver finished with 11. Jessica Howard, a transfer from Monmouth College who played for coach Evan Massey's System team at Galesburg (Ill.) HS, scored nine points in her Knox debut.

This one was much closer than the score would indicate. With about 8 minutes left, Eureka led only 78-72 following two free throws from Duffy. Obviously, it got away from Knox a bit down the stretch.

I caught most of the first half of this game on the Internet and came away impressed with the effort of the Prairie Fire. Also, Coach Cline is very energetic on the sidelines and often encourages her players very passionately. I look forward to watching the progress of this team the rest of the season.

Knox continues a homestand to open the season, hosting Augustana on Wednesday before opening Midwest Conference play against Lake Forest on Sunday. Best of luck to the Prairie Fire.

JACKSON (MICH.) COMMUNITY COLLEGE NJCAA DIVISION II WOMEN'S TEAM

The Jets, coached by Andy Hoaglin, got back on the winning track Friday night by blowing out the JV team from Calvin College 107-78. I was unable to come up with any stats for this one; Jackson CC improves to 2-2 this season, following a 107-59 loss to the JV team from Davenport University last Monday.

The schedule has the Jets hosting Mott on Wednesday. I hope Coach Hoaglin and his team keep it going.

GALESBURG (ILL.) HS GIRLS' TEAM

The Silver Streaks, led by one of the top coaches in Illinois high school history in Evan Massey, opened their season in their Thanksgiving tourney, with four games in five days to get it started. That is taxing for any team, but I would imagine particularly so for a System team.

Galesburg opened with a 70-64 victory over Illini West on Tuesday, as Jessica Lieber scored 19 points, then came back two nights later to beat East Peoria 64-46, with Lieber finishing with 24 points and seven rebounds. On Friday, the Streaks got on top of Metamora 70-40 with Lieber (anyone else sensing a theme?) scoring 14 points.

Others getting into the act in this one included Sharron Diggins (13 points) and Dani Teel (10).

In the final game of the week, Galesburg had a tough against Springfield, one of the top Class 3A teams in the state over the past few seasons that has moved up to Class 4A.

Springfield jumped out to a 12-0 lead before the Streaks whittled the margin down to 11 (49-38) at the break. A 3 from Diggins to open the third quarter made it an eight-point game, but that was as close as Galesburg would come. A 15-1 run pushed the edge to 22, and the final was 86-62.

Diggins led the way with 12 points, while Lieber, Teel and Lexi Daniels each had nine. Lieber is inching toward 1,000 points in her career, an outstanding achievement; the 5-foot-3 senior has has 960 points now.

Speaking of milestones, Coach Massey now is 767-273 in his career, all at Galesburg. Most impressive.

The Streaks (3-1) open Western Big 6 play Tuesday by hosting Moline, which always makes for a great game. Is it redundant to mention who I hope wins? Go Streaks!

EISENHOWER (BLUE ISLAND, ILL.) HS BOYS' TEAM

No games yet for coach Mike Curta and the Cardinals, but he was kind enough to send a little update on how preparations are going for this season. They open their schedule with three games in three days in a Thanksgiving tournament at Richards HS, beginning Monday.

Here is a note from Coach Curta about the 2011-12 season:

"We finished the year at 10-19. Lost in the first round of the state tournament. We had a lot of off-court issues that negatively affected us on the court. We brought three players up from our frosh/sophomore team in February just to complete the season with 12 players able to play ... down from the 17 we started the season with. Looking forward to this year, however. Year 3 with The System and we are more comfortable as players and as coaches. We had a good summer and a good preseason, so I am optimistic. I think that because have more solid kids who understand and appreciate their roles, we have a much better chance at success."

Incidentally, I discovered last week that Nick Curta, coach Curta's son and a senior on the team this season, plans to play hoops at Grinnell in the future. How great is that? Good for the Curta family, and good for Grinnell.

I wish Nick and his teammates (and their coach) all the luck in the world this season, beginning this week.


Sunday, November 11, 2012

Glenville State opens with a pair of impressive victories

The NCAA Division II women's team at Glenville State hosted a tournament this weekend too begin its schedule, with the opener Friday night against Virginia Union and a Saturday matchup with No. 6 Edinboro. Tough tests.

In the first one, the Pioneers rallied from miserable shooting first half to win going away, 90-83. Ginny Mills made five 3-pointers on her way to 23 points and Kenyell Goodson connected on five 3s to finish with 20 points for Glenville State.

The comeback came mostly from making shots, which didn't really happen often for the Pioneers in the opening 20 minutes. At the break, they were 11-for-50 overall and 5-for-29 from beyond the arc, and the Panthers pulled out to a 41-35 advantage.

As I was following with live stats, the numbers really seemed to be working in Glenville State's favor with the pace. I figured once the fall started going through the hoop, the game eventually would turn in favor of coach Bunky Harkleroad's squad.

And that's just what happened.

Kenyona Simmons added 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Pioneers.

Game 2 figured to be a little more difficult. Edinboro finished 30-2 last season and reached the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive season, and the first D-II poll had the Fighting Scots ranked sixth.

It really appeared difficult when Glenville State missed its first 14 shots from the field. Yep, that's correct, all 14 failed to drop through the hoop. Overcoming that would be difficult in the best of circumstances, and even more so with playing such a good opponent.

No worries, however. A 16-3 run pushed the Pioneers to a 20-9 lead midway through the first half, and the margin grew from there. After those 14 shots failed to go in, Glenville State made 17 of its final 32 shots of the opening 20 minutes, and finished 10-for-20 on 3-pointers. The result was a 56-31 lead for the home team.

Pretty incredible recovery. The Scots never got within double digits, and the Pioneers cruised to a wonderful, signature victory by the score of 101-82.

Mills again led the way, pouring in 24 points and making six more 3s, giving her 11 in two games. She added 12 boards. Simmons also had 24 points and Goodson added 14 (and made four 3-pointers).

Glenville State has a week off before traveling to California (Pa). next Saturday, with the game starting at 2 p.m. I wish Coach Harkleroad and his team all the best.

OLIVET NAZARENE, NAIA DIVISION II WOMEN'S TEAM

Talk about your tough assignments. For the second game of the season, and the second game under first-year coach Lauren Stamatis, Olivet Nazarene had to travel to its top rival in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference: the Saint Xavier Cougars.

The Cougars were ranked sixth in the preseason NAIA poll (Olivet Nazarene was 13th) and primed to exact a little payback after the Tigers swept the season series a year ago.

No such luck. A 20-6 run to start the second half gave ONU a 73-57 lead, and the margin ballooned as high as 23 as the Tigers held on to win 100-88. Miranda Geever led the way (again) with 20 points while continuing the pile up the stats: nine rebounds, three assists and three steals, all in 21 minutes of run.

Taylor Haymes had 16 points and Ashley Wilson finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds. A great result for Coach Stamatis and the entire team.

ONU has its home opener Wednesday when CCAC opponent Holy Cross visits McHie Arena, with the start scheduled for 6:30 p.m. EST. Best of luck to the Tigers.

JACKSON (MICH.) COMMUNITY COLLEGE, NJCAA DIVISION II WOMEN'S TEAM

The Jets lost a tough one Saturday to Henry Ford Community 95-85 in the Michigan Community College Athletic Association. No other details were available.

Coach Andy Hoaglin and Jackson CC gets back at it Monday on the road at the Davenport University JV team. I am rooting for them.

Thursday, November 8, 2012

New era at Olivet Nazarene opens with a victory

As I mentioned, System veteran (and System book author) Doug Porter retired from his job as coach of the NAIA women's team at Olivet Nazarene following last season. He quickly came out of retirement to help friend (and fellow coach) Michelle Roof install the most wonderful style of basketball the world ever has seen at North Central College.

So how would Olivet Nazarene fare in its first game without the man who made the program a perennial national contender? Quite well, thank you.

Liz Bart made seven 3-pointers on her way to 23 points and Miranda Geever made a jumper in the final seconds to help the Tigers hold on for a 111-106 victory over Trinity International University on Wednesday night in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference opener for both teams.

ONU led 90-71 with 8:37 left after a three-point play (not a 3-pointer!) by Tammy Ellis before Trinity International rallied. The margin was down to three before Geever converted her shot with 12 seconds remaining, and after Trinity International again got within three, Geever converted a pair of free throws to close out the scoring.

I guess we should mention The Formula stats, which for you newbies might seem odd. This is the way System teams track success. Here are the Tigers' number:

- Attempted 99 shots
- Attempted 61 3-pointers
- Rebounded 41 percent of their own misses
- Forced 47 turnovers (yowza!)
- Attempted 21 more shots than Trinity International

Geever filled up the stat sheet with 21 points, six steals, four assists and four rebounds, all in 18 minutes of run. Malory Adam added 16 points and made four 3s and Ashley Wilson scored 13 for ONU.

Great start for new coach Lauren Stamatis, who served as an assistant for Coach Porter for five years before taking over the program. She doesn't have much time to savor the victory, however, with a trip to longtime rival St. Xavier on Saturday. Tip is 2 p.m. EST, and we'll be watching. Or, at least, I will. I don't know what you'll be doing.
 

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Jackson CC wins opener going away

Ahhh, yes, it's that time again. An actual report from an actual game!

The initial game from this season from a team I regularly follow (for now) comes from the women's squad at Jackson (Mich.) Community College, where the Jets traveled all the way to South Bend, Ind., to play the junior varsity team from Indiana Tech on Tuesday night.

Jackson CC, coached by Andy Hoaglin pulled away in the second half to win 98-71, a great start to the season. The score was tied at 40 at the break, so it's easy to see how well the Jets played in the final 20 minutes. Not bad for a team with 16 freshmen!

Unfortunately, no stats are available from this one, but Coach Hoaglin was kind enough to post an update on the Yahoo! message board for The System. Here is part of his message:

"I see the team learning each time they're on the floor and they're making progress in understanding the dynamics of System basketball.  It's a hard thing for freshman who come out of traditional programs, but they're exorcising some of those traditional demons and becoming more System-like.

We only had two players in double figures, but I believe 17 players scored in the contest.  We'll continue coaching transition after a missed or a live turnover, and get them to be more efficient.  We're still very much in the 'rushing' stage after a turnover.  This will come with more and more experience in 5-5 practice and game situations.

Our enthusiasm was good and our energy was consistent, especially for opening up on the road 2 hours away."
 Congrats to Jackson CC and Coach Hoaglin, and we'll stay on top of their schedule the rest of the way. The Jets host Henry Ford Community College on Saturday in the Michigan Community College Athletic Association. Best of luck to them.

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Why I Love The System

I figured the best way to ease back into this blog would be to reacquaint everyone with the basics of The System, the best, most entertaining style of basketball I've ever seen. I also thought I would share the story of how I come to discover the wonderful way to play a game I've always loved. Sounds fun, right?

First of all, I always have been an offense-kind of fan. That is to say I like to see high-scoring games in whatever sport I happen to be watching: football, baseball, hockey or, of course, hoops. So it should come as no surprise that I was drawn to the Paul Westhead-coached teams at Loyola Marymount teams from back in the day.

What really is surprising that I how I remember discovering this. You would think I would have caught on to what Coach Westhead was doing when he led his Lions against Dean Smith and the North Carolina Tar Heels in the second round of the 1988 NCAA tournament. LMU lost that matchup 123-97, a couple of days after edging Wyoming 119-105, and a new phenomenon was born. Maybe I did notice at the time, I just somehow banished it from my memory.

Yet my first memory of watching Coach Westhead's team came Dec. 17, 1988 -- a full nine months later -- when the Lions traveled to play coach Billy Tubbs and the Oklahoma Sooners. It would be the first of many national TV appearances for Bo Kimble, Hank Gathers, Jeff Fryer and the rest of the run-and-gun LMU fellas, a 136-103 loss. I was mesmerized. The full-court pressure, the up-tempo pace of the game, the high scoring, everything seemed perfectly perfect to me. I truly thought, "This is my basketball Nirvana."

And so I, much as most of the country did, followed the Lions through the next couple of seasons. There were many more tremendous outings on TV, including a rematch with Oklahoma about a year later on LMU's home court, Gersten Pavilion. The Sooners won again 136-121, and LSU edged the Lions a couple of months later in overtime 148-141, but the wins and losses didn't matter to me. I was forever hooked on this type of game.

I cried when Hank Gathers collapsed and died in the final of the West Coast Conference tournament, and I watched with goosebumps as his teammates played their way to the Elite Eight of the 1990 NCAA tournament before losing to eventual national champ UNLV.

The next year, with Kimble and Fryer now graduated and Coach Westhead in the NBA with the Denver Nuggets, I stuck with LMU and new coach Jay Hillock. That team didn't have the name players, and except for a 186-140 victory over U.S. International, didn't score quite as much as the previous teams, but still I watched.

Eventually, Coach Hillock was fired, and no one stepped into his place to keep the game going at a fast pace. Even Coach Westhead wore out his welcome with the Nuggets. I thought I never again would feel the tingle of excitement I felt while watching those Loyola Marymount teams.

Fast forward to Dec. 10, 2002, when I was a Sports Writer with The Associated Press in Atlanta. I was scrolling through "the wire," seeing all the stories that would be the next day's headlines, when a story out of Iowa caught my attention. Drake was playing a game the following day against NCAA Division III Grinnell College, a school that didn't mean anything to me at the time. The yarn by Des Moines, Iowa, writer Chuck Shoffner documented Grinnell's unique style of basketball, and it sounded just as I remembered LMU.

Drake won that game 162-110, with its Division I talent just a little too much for Grinnell. Yet with the wonder of the Internet, I had a new team to follow, and new amazing statistics to follow. Along the way I discovered the University of the Redlands, another D-III team from California which also used this style.

At the time, I was a little protective of Grinnell and was jealous when the 2004-05 Redlands squad set the all-division record by averaging 132.4 points. I later came to find out that all this was done using the exact method Grinnell used, so that made it a little easier to swallow.

Now, all these years later, there are a handful of college teams and even more high school ones employing the up-tempo style I came to know as The System, which essentially took what Coach Westhead was doing to different level. For those newbies out there, here is how it works:

- All-out, trapping defensive pressure all over the court, all the time.

- Five-for-five substitutions every 35-45 seconds to ease fatigue.

- Constant pursuit for offensive rebounds, the lifeblood of The System.

- Shoot half your shots from beyond the 3-point line.

- Never, ever stop!

Through e-mail, I introduced myself to Grinnell coach David Arseneault, now-retired Redlands coach Gary Smith and a host of other coaches I met through a Yahoo! message board devoted to those daring (crazy?) enough to go to The System. I traveled to Grinnell to watch two games in December 2009, and then followed that up with a trip to Bluefield, W.Va., about a year later to watch see the NCAA Division II women's team at Glenville State, where coach Bunky Harkleroad brought The System.

My enjoyment from this way of playing only has grown, and here are a few reasons The System is so perfect to me:

- Everyone gets a chance to play. Grinnell often plays up to 20 players a game, and the high schools regularly use 15 or more. As a somewhat-frustrated high school player who hardly got any run, I can appreciate this.

- The focus stays on you, not your opponent. If a System team played Princeton, you wouldn't see any back cuts, any back-door layups or any of the other stuff that draws some people to the offense made famous by former Princeton coach Pete Carril.

- The players have the luxury of making mistakes. Too often I see a player throw an errant pass and immediately get removed from the game. Or I see a coach who cautions his team to slow the pace and run a set play, one that the other team undoubtedly has prepared for, then work the shot clock (in college) down to the waning seconds before hoisting up a contest long-range jumper.

The best way I can describe The System to someone who never has seen it is to compare it to a team trailing by 10 points with 2 minutes remaining in a game. The losing team does everything it can to gain possession and doesn't necessarily worry if the other team gets a layup. It's all about creating possessions, which is what The System is built upon.

I don't update the blog as often as I should (not that anyone misses it, but I feel as if I'm letting down the coaches and players I care so much about), but my mind never strays too far from these teams and their outside-the-box strategy. I figured it was time for everyone to rediscover them with an update on the 2011-12 season, starting with the colleges I regularly follow. 

GRINNELL COLLEGE NCAA DIVISION III MEN'S TEAM

With Coach David Arseneault on sabbatical to work on his latest book about his creation, he turned over the team to his son and former point guard, Dave. It proved to be a wise decision.

The Pioneers opened with 11 consecutive victories, then after the first loss to eventual Midwest Conference tournament champ Carroll, won five more games to run their record to 16-1 (12-1 MWC). Three losses in the final five games dropped Grinnell to the No. 2 seed for the conference tournament, where a 13-for-62 performance from the 3-point line (21 percent) led to a loss to third-seeded St. Norbert.

The Pioneers finished 18-5, another stellar mark, and put up big numbers to lead all NCAA divisions in scoring (again) with 110.9 points per contest. Guard Griffin Lentsch was named to the all-MWC first-team and was chosen to play on a group of D-III all-stars who traveled to Europe to play five exhibition games over the summer.

Oh, I almost forgot. He also dropped 89 points on Principia in the first game of the season, a Division III record. 

OLIVET NAZARENE NAIA DIVISION I WOMEN'S TEAM

The Tigers, coached by Doug Porter, won 16 consecutive games at one point en route to a perfect 10-0 mark in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference before falling to Robert Morris in the semifinals of the conference tournament.

ONU then lost in the opening round of the NAIA national tournament to Shorter University 84-83, a heartbreaking end to what was an incredible season. The Tigers finished 27-5, their second consecutive season with 27 victories, and led all collegiate divisions by averaging 103.5 points. That's the good news.

The less-than-good news, at least for us ONU fans, is that Coach Porter retired following the season and turned over his program to assistant Lauren Stamatis. Don't fret, however, since he decided to help a friend install The System at North Central College, just up the road from Olivet Nazarene.

With Coach Stamatis sticking with The System, that gives us another team to track. Win-win, right?

GLENVILLE STATE NCAA DIVISION II WOMEN'S TEAM

Coach Harkleroad's season ended with disappointment, too, with a 97-76 loss to West Virginia Wesleyan in the final of the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament final. Still, it shouldn't have ended there.

The Pioneers, who were 23-7 and 18-4 in the WVIAC, somehow were snubbed on an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament despite sharing the regular season conference title. Glenville State led D-II with 94.3 points per game and led its conference with a point differential of 13.4.

JACKSON (MICH.) COMMUNITY COLLEGE NCJCAA DIVISION II WOMEN'S TEAM

The Jets, coached by Andy Hoaglin, finished 23-7 and 12-4 in the Michigan Community College Athletic Association, winning one game in the National Junior College Athletic Association district tournament before falling to eventual national runner-up Lake Michigan 101-82.

The Jets had won 98-94 at Lake Michigan earlier in the season. Jackson CC averaged more than 100 points again, leading all junior college divisions.

KNOX COLLEGE NCAA DIVISION III WOMEN'S TEAM

We finish up with our three first-year teams that I followed, including this one from Grinnell's conference. The Prairie Fire finished 4-19, including 4-14 in the MWC, for coach Emily Cline. Along the way, Knox averaged 83.5 points.

Three of the victories came in a four-game span; this included the Prairie Fire's highest-point total of the season when they beat Beloit 114-100, a new school record for Knox. 

OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE STATE NCAA DIVISION II WOMEN'S TEAM

A first-year System team, the Aggies finished 5-21 overall and 2-10 in the Heartland Conference under coach Brad Vanden Boogaard, who since has moved on to Clarendon Junior College in Texas.

OPSU trailed only Glenville State in scoring for the season, averaging 88.9 points.

SHORELINE (WASH.) COMMUNITY COLLEGE NCJCAA MEN'S TEAM Another first-year System team which featured a familiar name: Bo Kimble stepped in to assist coach Greg Turcott early in the season and helped the Dolphins finish 19-12, including 10-6 in the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges.

Shoreline averaged 101.6 points

So, let's total these records from the six main collegiate teams running The System: including those tough first seasons at Knox and OPSU, the overall record is 119-66, a .643 winning percentage. Not bad, right?

Check back in later in the week and I'll let everyone know how some of our favorite high school teams fared last season. Thanks.