Baltimore BracketBusters and an Idea for a Baltimore College Hoops Triple-header

Morgan State @ Towson, Towson Center, Towson, MD – February 21
UMBC @ Rider, Alumni Gymnasium, Lawrenceville, NJ – February 21
Loyola College @ Drexel, Daskalakis Athletic Center, Philadelphia, PA – February 21

In case you missed it, earlier this week ESPNU announced the pairings for their seventh annual BracketBuster event. The two-day slate of games featuring 51 games including teams from 17 different conferences is truly a celebration of mid-major college hoops. The weekend of February 20th and 21st will be ruled by college basketball’s little guys and Baltimore will be right in the middle of the action.

It’s phenomenal that the folks at ESPN decided to match-up Todd Bozeman’s Bears and Pat Kennedy’s Tigers. These two North Baltimore foes will lock-up for the 23rd time with the series tied at 11 games apiece. Bragging rights are directly on the line

The reason why I think it’s so great is because it gives a team like Towson something else besides their conference tournament to look forward to. It’s an impromptu late-season big-time backyard rivalry game.

While I love spontaneity as much as the next guy, I suggest taking this game and really running with the idea of a late year Baltimore-Baltimore match-up, sans the surprise.

Wouldn’t it be great to break up late season monotony with a battle for Baltimore bragging rights?

Imagine a triple-header of games at the 1st Mariner Arena in early February. Take the five Division 1 schools around town, Coppin, Loyola, Morgan, Towson, and UMBC and that leaves you with one spot. While this event would need great organizing to succeed, what would make it great would the participation of the big boys… the University of Maryland Terrapins.

I know, I know, what’s in it for Gary? Why should he leave Comcast during his ACC conference schedule to play a “nothing good can come from this”-type game? Well, I’ll simply offer, it might be good for Coach Williams to show his face around the Harbor a little bit more often. Throughout his whole tumultuous January the center of discussion was recruiting, and more specifically, not recruiting the city well enough. This would be a great event for kids from all over the greater Baltimore area to enjoy. I don’t see how playing an in-state opponent in front of 11,000 people in his state’s largest city could possibly be a bad thing for a program attempting to re-grow some of those grassroots.

The benefit for the locals is obvious in exposure alone. Any local media outlet would be crazy not to ant to put their name on the event and its content in their programming. Not everyone can go to the University of Maryland and play so this would be a great chance for young players to see the unique styles of our area’s coaches and become familiar with their distinct personalities.

You could even involve the high school teams in an All-Baltimore Basketball weekend. The collegiate triple-header could be played on a Saturday or Sunday with varsity squads from all over Baltimore County going out of conference to play on the preceding Friday night.

I don’t know, just a thought…

Loyola Splits Weekend Road Trip; Weekend Comes to an End

They say in baseball, “Momentum is only as important as the next day’s starting pitcher.” In basketball, one could say something along the lines of, “Momentum is only as important as how well your team shoots the ball.” For the Loyola men’s hoops team, the momentum of a 6 game win streak and a masterful Friday night road win at Rider was not enough for the Greyhounds to overcome 28% shooting in a loss at Fairfield on Super Bowl Sunday.

In a great mid-major college basketball atmosphere at Alumni Gymnasium in Lawrenceville, New Jersey the Greyhounds gave a great effort in a 75-61 victory. The bright lights of a national television were not big enough for Jamal Barney as he stepped to center stage as he performed phenomenally scoring 28 points on 8-13 shooting from the floor. Playing well in his new role of 6th man Brett Harvey added 18 points in 29 minutes of action. The pair scored a combined 30 points in the second half and held off the Broncs to extend their winning streak and move to 6-5 in the MAAC, after starting 1-5. I’ll even go as far as to say that this game was as good as I’ve ever seen Loyola play. At Rider the fans are right on the floor and can really get on the players. Brian Rudolph and Harvey were able to take car of the ball when they needed to and Barney came up with big shot after big shot, big free throw after big free throw. You have to think he is on his way to a spot on the 1st team all-MAAC squad at year’s end.

Things couldn’t have been better going into the Arena at Harbor Yard for a Sunday matinee before football festivities. Fairfield was coming into the game without the services of their 2 best players and another starter due to suspension and injury.

Yet, as Loyola found out, all good things come to an end when your team cannot shoot well than 28%. The 68-54 loss drops the ‘Hounds to a record of 11-13 and an even 6-6 in conference. Interesting of not, Fairfield won the game with ease despite missing Jon Han, Anthony Johnson, and Warren Edney, and not hitting a long ball all afternoon, they shot 0-9 from beyond the arc. Loyola was just as bad, maybe worse, as they shot 5-30 from deep.

Though the loss to Fairfield is disappointing, a split on the road in weekend MAAC play is by no means the end of the world. In fact, I would think Coach Jimmy Patsos and his team would sign up for another split this coming weekend as they will take on Manhattan at Reitz Arena Saturday night before taking a trip to Albany to take on MAAC heavyweight Siena. The Saints are an impressive 12-0 in conference after handling St. Peter’s Monday night.

As of right now, Loyola is more than staying afloat. The Greyhounds stand at #5 in the conference standings with Saturday’s opponent Manhattan #6. In the MAAC you have to hold serve on your home court and take road wins whenever you can possibly grab one. Fairfield did a nice job of doing so with the win on Sunday, now it’s Loyola’s turn.

A Closer Look at the Greyhounds Weekend Road Trip

The Loyola Greyhounds (10-12, 5-5) are winners of 5 straight and head into MAAC play this weekend back at .500 in league competition for the first time this season. Tonight they will be in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, as they will take on Rider before heading a little further north to play Fairfield at the Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport on Sunday at 2pm.

Tonight’s game at Rider will tip at 9pm and will be aired on national TV on ESPNU. If you don’t receive that channel in your home, fear not Greyhounds fans… you can listen to my personal play-by-play broadcast on loyolagreyhounds.com.

This mid-season rally has thrown Loyola right in the middle of the mix for a top seed in the MAAC Tournament. Siena is 11-0 and is beginning to run away from the pack, but the Greyhounds (5-5), Rider (6-3), Niagara (6-3), Fairfield (5-5), and Manhattan (5-5) are all within one victory and will be battling each other from now until March for postseason positions.

So obviously Loyola’s pair of games this weekend is tremendously important. They have to be able to keep the ball rolling and the momentum moving in the right direction.

The key to their recent success has been because of the new rotation that the team seems to be settling into. The new looked has point guard Brian Rudolph and Barney in the backcourt with Brad Farrell, Isaac Reid, and Jawaan Wright up front. Brett Harvey, Marquis Sullivan, and Anthony Winbush fill out the 8-man rotation. This has been the combination for the last 4 games, all wins. Once players can recognize their roles they can begin to fill them with their unique and specific attributes.

In case you missed it… Coach Jimmy Patsos was a guest of WNST’s midday host Bob Haynie Wednesday afternoon. The interview can be heard in its entirety in the audio vault on WNST.net at any time.

Some of the major points of interest from the conversation…

- Coach P. made a very interesting comparison. He said that he thought Jamal Barney, Loyola’s leading scorer at nearly 19ppg, reminds him of an old ABA scorer. I have always said Barney is the quickest jumper I’ve ever seen, he’s second on the team in rebounding at almost 6 per game.
- Shane Walker is expected to help Loyola “take the next step” next season. The Coach said that the 6’10 transfer from Maryland has been practicing very well and has been using us game days, where he cannot participate due to NCAA Residency Rules, to bulk up. Patsos says Walker has added nearly 15lbs since coming to Loyola. It sounds like he is already very competent on the boards and on the defensive side of the ball, but that his offense still needs development. Coach P. also mentioned that he’s got some Jason Thompson ability in him, but added that he thinks Walker is a better athlete and faster up and down the floor
- Coach Patsos acknowledged that this season’s non-conference schedule may have been a little ambitious, but that next year the team will take a trip to Bloomington, IN to take on the Hoosiers. Baltimore rivals Coppin State and Morgan State will also be on the schedule. As for the ’10-’11 season, there is the good possibility of seeing Loyola head out west to visit UCLA and/or USC.
- And lastly, pretty funny to hear Coach Patsos discuss the expectations of ballplayers at schools with academic integrity, like Loyola and Maryland. He mentioned that student-athletes at these schools are held to a high level, and that at other schools in the MAAC are way more lenient towards misbehavior. He specifically mentioned how someone might have been kicked off the Greyhound roster, but at another school that player would receive a 1 game suspension and then score 35 the next night… ZING NIAGARA and Joe Mihalich. Former all-league Purple Eagle forward Charron Fisher was involved in a major on-campus fist fight/brawl and was allowed to return to the team after a slap on the wrist last season.

Streaking 'Hounds Enter Weekend MAAC Play

t’s quite the quandary finding oneself in the middle of a mid-major.

Just eleven days ago the Greyhounds were on a three game conference losing skid and had just lost to St. Peter’s, a team most would consider a bottom-tier MAAC squad. Needless to say, getting to mid-January with just 5 wins can make the Evergreen Campus’ winter air seem just a little colder.

But that was then. After a 3-0 week, Loyola now stands at a respectable 8-12, 3-5 in conference. Last Wednesday they defeated NJIT at home, and then over the weekend they picked up two MAAC wins, a 58-54 decision at Manhattan, and an 83-73 home victory over Marist.

So what lies ahead for Loyola is no different than what’s going on for teams in the ACC or Big East. Ladies and gentlemen, we are now officially in the dog days of the college hoops season. A good week and you could be thinking about making noise in your conference tournament… a bad one and you could be starring at a “play-in” game.

Tonight at 7 o’clock in Reitz Arena the ‘Hounds will try to exact some revenge on the Peacocks of St. Peter’s. A win would be more than huge for Loyola as up next they will hit the road for three straight with games at Marist, Rider, and Fairfield. As expected by many, Siena is out front alone right now in the MAAC standings with an 8-0 conference mark, but after the Saints there are seven teams within three games of one another…that’s only one good week, or one bad week.

Loyola's Kocic drafted by D.C. United

Former Loyola Men’s Soccer goalkeeper Milos Kocic has done fairly well for himself recently.

His team finished with a #15 national ranking after ending their regular season unbeaten… nice.

He was named a second team All-American by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America… awesome.

In Thursday’s MLS Superdraft he was chosen with the 21st selection overall by the D.C. United… phenomenal.

Aaand – he graduated a semester early from school with an international business degree… yes, even Mom is happy too!

The Serbian born Kocic plans to meet with officials from the club soon to see when training sessions begin. If he sticks with the team he will become the second former Greyhound in the MLS; Zach Thornton, also a goalie, currently plays for the Chicago Fire.

Kocic started every game in the net for Loyola during the ’07-’08 seasons and led the ‘Hounds to a 37-5-2 record. He earned a spot on the All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference squads after both seasons.

Barney's 40 lead Loyola past NJIT

No matter how you slice it – a win, is a win, is a win. When you’ve just lost a pair of tough back-to-back conference games over the weekend and you’ve only got 5 wins through mid-January, a team can’t be too picky.

Loyola (6-12, 1-5) defeated the New Jersey Institute of Technology 70-62 last night on the Evergreen Campus. The Greyhounds were able to hang on against the Highlanders as sophomore guard Jamal Barney registered 40 points. The setback extended NJIT’s losing streak to 50.

Loyola was up 17 at the half, but NJIT battled back at Reitz Arena and had the game tied at 56-56 with just over 4 minutes remaining. Loyola ended the game on a 14-6 run as 10 of those points came via the free throw line. In the game the Greyhounds shot 32-38 from the charity stripe overall, where 18 of Barney’s 40 were tallied.

No other Loyola player was in double figures as they had a miserable night shooting from the field, going 17-57 (29.8%). The Greyhounds had the advantage on the boards 34-31 led by Isaac Reid’s 11, which was delivered with 8 points off the bench, and Barney’s 8 caroms.

It was a less than perfect night shooting-wise, particularly for the regular starters in the Greyhound backcourt. Brett Harvey came off the bench and never really got in the flow. Even though NJIT was slumped back into a 2-3 zone all night, he didn’t look for his shot and was all-in-all 0-4 from deep. Starting point guard Brian Rudolph oddly fouled out with over 11 minutes left after shooting just 2-8 from beyond the arc.

That left the scoring load for Barney. The Southwestern High School product now has 40+ point outings in the last 2 Greyhound victories. He scored 41 ten nights ago in Buffalo during a win at Canisius. Barney’s pair of outbursts mark the first time a Loyola player has ever scored more than 40 points in a game more than once in a single season. Folks… think about that. In 99 years of recorded basketball at Loyola that has never happened. Barney has played in 18 games, 18 games in Green and Gray and boom. Impressive.

It is clear Coach Jimmy Patsos still wants to tinker with his lineup and rotation as his team plays into the heart of its MAAC schedule. Tonight the minutes pinch got Anthony Winbush, the freshman forward; he started the game and played in its first 2 minutes, but never returned. Marquis Sullivan, Loyola’s sometimes mercurial senior sharp shooter was not dressed… which a little bird told me, was because of, “a knee.” Their absences left room for J’hared Hall and Brad Farrell to see increased minutes.

This weekend Loyola will play at Manhattan Friday night and will host Marist in North Baltimore Sunday at noon. These games are huge for the ‘Hounds as they play two teams currently ahead of them in the MAAC standings who figure to be direct competition for future tournament seeds… it’s never too early.

Men's Soccer: Loyola v. UNC Greensboro, 2nd Round, College Cup

How’s this for last minute… At 5:00pm I am writing from Boulder Café on the campus of Loyola College as I countdown to the first game of what I hope is a deep run in the NCAA Tournament for the Greyhounds. I’ve called this game the biggest on the Evergreen Campus in some years – translation – since the fall of ’04, my first semester at Loyola. Needless to say I got some energy following through the veins, then again, I’ll need it with game time temps dipping in the lower 40’s.

Attendance figures should be interesting to see, but what’s more important is that the crowd feels large. The Greyhounds always protect their turf well and here’s a little tidbit for you - Loyola has not lost on Diane Geppi-Aikens Field since October 29, 2006. Impressive stuff.

Prediction: The Greyhounds march on. This season will not end this way. UNC Greensboro has been tremendously inconsistent all season long, and I don’t think they can keep playing above their heads the way they have of late. Conversely, Loyola will be on the tops of their game and surely be refocused after a suffering their first loss of the season last time out. The home field means a load in tournament match-ups so I’ll take Loyola 2-0. Darvill and Bannister… Kocic with the shutout.