Friday, January 07, 2011

Wrapping up the St. Francis PA win

Nice to get back in the win column. I thought really fine performances from Josh Castellanos and Danny Thompson down the stretch made the difference. Both ended up in double figures.

I think Thompson is more of the type of post player that Robert Burke will want to employ. Somebody who can do things away from the basket but also be a presence in the lane. And his 12 rebounds were a huge key. The Mount allowed only 7 offensive rebounds. (18% of missed shots) and that was crucial.

I think the Mount surprised the Flash a bit offensively at the beginning of the game. Certainly St Francis didn't have anyone who could stay between Lamar Trice and the basket. At least not at the beginning. That allowed the Mount to open up a big lead and they'd need just about all of it. Trice finished with 18. But the fact that ball was in the hands of Norfleet and Trice operated on the wing seemed to really be a spark.

Norfleet played 35 minutes only took 2 shots, but helped his team considerably and I would say was a key factor in the win. Hopefully, he can continue to take good shots and see that total increase and become more of an offensive factor.

The offense really struggled from about the 5-minute mark of the first half through the end. But Castellanos and Thompson made some big buckets down the stretch. Castellanos' three really seemed to be a momentum changer. He was 2-for-2 from long range after really struggling with his shot in the early season. Hopefully, this is the sign of more to come.

The Mount shot only six threes, made four of them. I like to see that.

There was a lot more intensity and motivation than we've seen lately. I think the coaching staff also did a nice job of managing the team frustration level and trying to keep them focused on the task at hand.

I think this team is still trying to establish an identity. And I hope they gained some confidence and can continue to let that carry on into the league play. I think they can be a middle of the pack - NEC team and maybe surprise some folks if they keep getting better offensively and do a better job rebounding defensively. But it's not going to be easy.

Everybody is chasing Wagner. The Seahawks beat Bobby Mo in overtime and are 3-0 in the league. Robert Morris makes its annual visit to the Mount on Saturday at 1, in what should be an exciting contest.


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9 comments:

  1. Agreed. I have some additional observations:

    The first is the disappearance of Shawn. When he returns the team will be far stronger. It is also remarkable how he can't avoid those dumb moving screen fouls.

    Next is the joy we will all have when Jean returns. As soon as his game gets on track, it will be harder to shut down Trice (as SFPA managed to do in the second half).

    Finally, it is time now to wonder if Kris will just be redshirted, given his sprained ankle has eventuated in no participation for 16 games.

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  2. Anonymous5:57 PM

    Burke good person and coach. Big change for Mount.
    Will take time. Next year new players make very big improvement.

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  3. Tomorrow not much expected, but a good showing would be a real plus.

    Picking up on Harry's notes, I imagine Shawn and Jean dominating, Julian, Lamar and Josh contributing and Danny continuing his play. This could be a great day.

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  4. Anonymous6:03 PM

    Chance of good effort for 20 minutes 46%
    Chance of good effort for 40 minutes 41%
    Good effort = win

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  5. Good God Raff , what were you watching last night? They did nearly everything they could to give the game to SFPA. Remember all those fouls by Mount in the last minute or so, and turnovers? Who made them? Mr. Hyper Trice, huh? Yeah, Trice is leading in scorer, but he is also a huge part of why the Mount has faltered. Basically, Burke has to decide if his scoring is really worth it. On the flip side, I have absolutely admired Danny! I love his effort and enthusiasm after all he has been through.
    Really disappointed in Barber and Atupem as well. They are lucky it was SFPA and at home last night. They'd never win if it was RMU- last night anyway. Oh well, in one way I am scared to watch tomorrow's game because I don't want to see my most hated team RMU do anything good, much less beat Mount by 30 or so. Remember, I have gone to a few RMU games not including the Mount the past few years, so I have a good insight into them.
    This year I seen them play at home against Duquesne and they looked tough, although still playing as dirtily as ever to win. also seen them at Morgan and they looked rather weak even though they only lost by a point. So finally RMU is back and much anticipated by me. If you look over you are bound to see me hollering because I do not see how I could go without doing it after losing my voice the previous games I seen them. It is highly doubtful a win will be had, but, all I can say is 'Let's Get It!' . If we lost every other game we play, if we could just beat RMU, even better, twice, I would be satisfied, lol. I absolutely abhor RMU! Let's prepare for battle and take them down!!!!

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  6. Tomorrow, let's all chant, in the whole arena, 'We want Jean!' And 'over-rated!' at Kayyyy-Ron.

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  7. One more thing, I surely hope they decide to interview someone else than Lamar Trice next time. Did you see how he sits there like he doesn't care, even picking his nose when asked a question? Ok now, lets go whip Velton 'El Toro' Jones, 'Slick' Rick Johnson and Karon 'The Drunk' Abraham tomorrow!! i will have to holler at Karon and ask him 'what kind of beer do you drink'. If he doesn't say Bud Light, then, shame on him.

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  8. Anonymous9:25 AM

    Beer of Karon is "a few shots of vodka"

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  9. Hey 'k'- With the way K-Ron bobs his head, how could it be just alcohol?? I sense another 'Joey Butler' in him. No, I actually really loved Butler, but, I know they just wanted Jeremy to be the man so bad. Butler is awesome!!!! He would have evolved into being a better player than Goode. I used to keep in touch with him when he was at St Vincent College in Latrobe, however, I abolished my Facebook account. I hate Facebook and cell phones. Mr Mitchell should have been held just as accountable as Butler, when he was arrested.

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