Friday, February 03, 2012

Thoughts from last night


  • When the Mount trailed at halftime, I thought I was never going to see them win again. I had decided not to post until they broke the personal 9 game losing streak I was on, and began to think I may never post again.
  • Great shooting effort from Kelvin Parker. I do think he's going to get better as time goes on and he's certainly playing at a pretty high level for a freshman anyhow. 
  • I really liked the energy that Jacolby Wells brought in the second half. Thought he made a couple plays that don't show up on the stat sheet that were vital.
  • Nice performance from Josh Castellanos. Seemed to play with a lot more confidence than the last time I saw him. Looks like he might becoming the leader.
  • No energy the first half was really disappointing. But the second half play made up for it.
  • Team has progressively been getting better. Hasn't gotten the results to show for it, maybe that is about to change. But the next three will be tough.



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27 comments:

  1. I guess I'll post here since we apparently only get new threads nowadays after Mount victories.

    I thought the Mount played well on Saturday. Kelvin Parker continues to impress. He deserves NEC Rookie of the Week consideration. His dunk towards the end of the game was Sportscenter Top 10 material. How no Division 1 basketball programs offered him a scholarship is beyond me. But everyone else's loss is our gain I suppose. I certainly hope we found a way to take care of him or plan to in the future with a scholarship. He has certainly earned it.

    Maybe they'll give him Krajina's scholarship. That would kill two birds with one stone. I fully support the coaching staff. I have from Day 1 and have never wavered on that. I think they are doing a good job and I think there are some real good things to come given that all the significant contributors to the team this year are either freshmen or sophomores and we have two highly regarded transfers and a highly regarded recruiting class coming in next year. But why Kristian Krajina is still starting and playing significant minutes down the stretch is beyond me. I counted at least 6 or 7 offensive possessions that he single-handedly ruined via moving screens, offensive charges, missed layups, or simply being in the wrong place. This included 4 straight possessions in the second half when Robert Morris went on their run.

    What's wrong with Jacoby Wells? Why barely any minutes for him? He always seems to look good in the 5 minutes per game that he gets. Not to mention, he's looks pretty diesel this year. Be nice to see him get a few more minutes in the future.

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  2. Congratulations to Kelvin Parker on being Northeast Conference Rookie of the Week. Much deserved.

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  3. Yes, Parker is the man. Absolutely the strongest, best hands, good rebounder, good defender, few fouls, not many turnovers and the best shooter on the team. Weaknesses? Handling the ball, going to his left and sometimes traveling on the first step.

    I agree the coaches have given this bunch some good teaching, but we need some players with skill.

    Right now, Prescott, Patterson, Whack, Danaher, Graves and Crockett would make the Mount much stronger next season. Let's hope they all qualify.

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  4. Anonymous10:57 PM

    Well, Wagner favored by 14 and won by 15. BUT - first time in 30 years I left the game with 10 minutes to go. Terrible. Nothing else to say. Castellanos 0 points, 4 or 5 turnovers. No one could make a layup. Tons of passes forced and no one knows how to catch. Lots of open 3's missed. The worst game I have ever seen.

    No help from the poorest officiating crew of the decade.

    Also, Hurley is a piece of crap. I hope they keep winning so he will be somewhere else soon.

    No blame for the coaches, they have nothing to work with.

    I also think I saw a certain doc and his son looking dismayed.

    Wait till next year!

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  5. Mount students should be absolutely ashamed of themselves. That was an embarassingly poor turnout for them.

    I would hope that Burke's on the hot seat already next year. Unless this alleged talent from the transfers/freshman/redshirts is as good as its being hyped, then our program is in absolute shambles right now.

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  6. "No blame for the coaches, they have nothing to work with."

    That's a joke. The vast majority of their job is to obtain and retain the pieces to work with.

    Milan didn't leave Burke an empty cupboard here by any stretch of the imagination. And the sophomores he brought in are underwhelming at best, and outside of Parker I'm not all that impressed with the freshmen either.

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  7. Anonymous8:37 PM

    Dan - you speak like a woman who never said anything nice to her man. Or a man that thinks it's OK to beat his woman. Sorry man, but fans like you no one needs.

    Factually, you are off base. The sophs "Burke brought in" were good considering Milan left with no time for recruitment.

    Milan's two recruits, namely Pierre and Lamar, were supposed to be starting. Perhaps if Milan had recruited players with more character (i.e. knew enough not to "break team rules" - BTW do YOU know why they are not playing, these two that should have been starters this year?)

    So, you tell me - you lose two starters, have a third suspended (by the administration, not the team) and leave your team without a point guard, then what do you do?

    Remember it was Burke who made Trice a player last year. Under Milan he was a wild man and never scored.

    Danaher was held out this year. Probably a good decision because a kid with his length may turn out to be an asset. Owens added late when Pierre was leaving. Remember we only had Shawn graduate.

    More info. - Milan's recruits not the brightest bulbs in the solar farm. Burke busting his chops to help them.

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  8. Kelly, I like Burke and I hope he does well. At the same time, I think Milan did a good job with recruiting and making sure that his players performed well enough to remain eligible.

    I think it is pretty unfair for you to take a shot at the intellectual ability of Milan's recruits. While, yes, some were borderline in qualifying, he did a terrific job in making sure that they achieved while at the Mount... and isn't that what it is really about at this level... they aren't going to be in the NBA but I think it is great that a student who might not otherwise made it to college is able to graduate and create a foundation for future success. Look at Jean Cajou. He didn't qualify but enrolled as a student anyway and moved on to do well and graduate. There is really something to be said for advancing a student athlete both in the classroom and on the court and Milan did a good job of that. I also agree that Burke is trying hard to make that happen as well... it just seems that they have very different styles which are appreciated differently by the players.
    I agree that Burke was in a tough spot with his first year recruits. With that being said, there are no excuses for this current class. The reason Owens had to be picked late was that another recruit didn't qualify... so it seems that Burke and Milan were targeting similar kids. Unfortunately, this class is weak in comparison with the elite conference teams' freshman classes. Burke has to get better in this regard.
    Regarding Pierre and Lamar. They were wrong in what they did (as was Kristian) and maybe the same thing would have happened if Milan was still here but it happened under Burke's watch and he bears some responsibility for making sure that his players are acting appropriately.
    Let's hope that next years' recruits do well. Graves is currently having a huge season with both scoring and rebounding. Patterson, unfortunately, is having a brutal season averaging 7 points per game. There isn't much info in Crockett other than he missed much of the early part of the season.
    Here's hoping that the program can turn the corner next year.

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  9. Anonymous2:32 PM

    kelly too emotional
    john calm

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  10. John - Patterson is playing with one of the best teams in the country and will likely be the second best player on MSM next year, someone else whose last name begins with P will be a candidate for NEC player of the year, and the third P will I hope continue to contribute.

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  11. Anonymous2:45 PM

    John, when someone says something that is true, it is not "taking a shot". Facts are facts; some of the players need help to stay on task. (Many of the non players also need help).

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  12. Hey Harry. I'm on board with that. I want nothing more than for this to get turned around.

    Kelly, I'm not trying to be confrontational at all. I just sometimes think that when we post we forget that the players aren't pros and in reality, they are just kids. I don't know if any of the players read this but I would think that might be hurtful. It's one thing to critique their play but I'm not into questioning their intelligence. And you are right, it's not just the players that can use help. If you look at the overall graduation rate, it probably isn't much higher than the team's graduation rate.

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  13. Harry, unfortunately Trenton Catholic Academy isn't one of the best programs in the country. They are top 10 in NJ (currently 7th) but they are actually ranked as the 323rd best program in the country. Not that this takes away from Patterson's ability but it does lend some insight into the type of year he is having as a shooting guard only scoring 7 points per game.

    Crockett, on the other hand, is playing for a team ranked in the top 20 nationally.

    Regardless, let's hope they are all good recruits.

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  14. Love it when so many fans post here. Go Mount!

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  15. @kelly

    I'm glad we will have fans like you that will always find excuses no matter what. I also love how you turn legitimate criticisms into domestic violence comparisons. Again, a joke.

    "Factually, you are off base. The sophs "Burke brought in" were good considering Milan left with no time for recruitment."

    He had 3 players who had signed Letters of Intent with Milan that he could have retained, and went 0 for 3 in retaining those players. That led to Castellanos and Norfleet, both of whom have been underwhelming at best. And even if they were necessary recruits that were a result of being a tough situation, he also had this year's recruiting class to find guys that were better, and failed to do so.

    I'm not saying Fire Burke right now or anything like that (I think every coach should get at least 3 years), but I think we all have a right to be extremely concerned with the state of the program right now, especially when the only recruit of his first two classes that was an immediate hit was a walk-on.

    Danaher COULD turn out to be good, but who knows? Just as likely that he rides the pine for the next four years or fewer.

    I REALLY hope the guy succeeds because, as an alum, all I really want is the program to do well. But considering the wins, losses, and performances of his recruits thus far, I think I'm perfectly within reason to raise questions and conerns. Again, to absolve a coach of responsibility for having "nothing to work with" in year 2 is what I have problem with. At what point does he become responsible for what he has to work with?

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  16. Good points Dan.

    Either fortunately or unfortunately (yet to be seen), Burke, in all likelyhood, is here for a full 5 years (barring his resignation).

    The Athletic Department doesn't have the funds to pay two coaches at onece(fired coach and new coach). The Mount struggles to pay at a level that would be the average of the NEC, let alone pay two coaches at once. There is always the possibility that a group of alumns could put together the funds to buy him out of the contract but there is no precedent for that having ever happened at the Mount.

    So, whether we like it or not, we are probably going to see 5 full years of this staff.

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  17. Dan, while I rarely agree with that cranky lady kelly, I must tell you that she is correct with the recruits during Burke's first year. Justin Burrell did not go to college then because he was committed to Milan and waited a year, then going to HC. (He is a mediocre player at best).

    Jeff James never qualified for college.

    Dante Morales went to UNCW and scored 7 ppg this year after a scintillating 5ppg last year, hardly a world beater.

    So, of the three, Coach Burke had a chance to get only one of them (Morales) and Norfleet for sure has outperformed Morales.

    Josh as a point guard has some weaknesses. I agree the team would do well to get a good point.

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  18. Anonymous4:05 PM

    Here's something to think about, all you Milan lovers who are anxious to throw stones at Burke:

    In addition to leaving the cupboard bare, how many of you are aware that Krajina was given the scholarship that Olasawere (LIU star) wanted?

    Perhaps we can blame Burke for that?

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  19. @John

    Totally understand the budgetary concerns with the Athletic Department. And hey, I think we all really hope Burke rights the ship and we go dancing within the next couple of years. I have nothing against the guy personally, it's just the results on and off the court in the nearly 2 years he's been here should be raising concerns with you if you aren't a complete Powell/Burke apologist.

    My biggest bone of contention is that none of this is Burke's responsibility, which is just ridiculous.

    @jab

    I understand that he inherited a less than ideal situation with the 2010 recruits, that's why I qualified that statement with the 2011 class.

    @kelly

    That's not what I heard went down with Olasewere, but to each his own.

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  20. OK, here's a suggestion for all you "fans". These comments, most or all of them, are pointing out perceived or real problems in the program.

    Do any of you EVER stop and think:

    1. What can I do to help?
    2. How can I get involved?
    3. It's a small school with limited sources and funds. What do I do for a living? How can I use my time or talents to contribute?
    4. Who can I contact at the school to discuss things like this?

    Do you see where this is going? You may think I am speaking about recruiting or other direct involvement, but I am NOT.

    I will await any responses.

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  21. Not sure why this has to take on a negative tone? I choose to believe that everyone here is a Mount fan and wants for them to succeed but, at the same time, everyone is entitled to their own perspective and opinion.

    I'm also not sure why anyone would question others' commitment to the Mount - whatever form it might take. Admittedly, we are all pretty anonymous here and we have no idea of how others support the Mount. In a sense of camaraderie, why don't we all assume that each of us support the Mount as much as we individually can.

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  22. @Harry

    Yes to all and yes I absolutely do contribute to the school and program.

    I don't understand what's wrong with asking questions and offering opinions when you're 6-19 and 4-10 in the conference and need a miracle to even make the conference tournament. That type of record, regardless of any surrounding circumstances, should be unacceptable to every single Mount "fan."

    @John

    Agreed entirely.

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  23. Safe to say that this Mount hoops season is lost. As much as I think everyone dislikes Lamar Trice as a person, he was the NEC Most Improved player last season, & losing him definitely cost the team a few wins. And because of that, plus the lack of talent & depth, there should be no post-season for this year's squad.

    All this talk of Milan vs. Burke is fine & dandy, but the players are the ones who shoot, pass, & dribble the ball. Yes, it is a coach's responsibility to motivate & get the most out of his/her players, but it's clear the talent is lacking.

    Emmitsburg is obviously a tough sell. It seems like we hit the lottery once every 6-7 years & cash in our NEC Tourney ticket. We all knew our window was closing when Goode, Beidler, Will, Shawn, & Cajou graduated and/or left the school. They were special players who took the program to 2 straight NEC Finals.

    Hopefully, next season, players like Raven, Norfleet, & Josh improve to help us make the post season next year. Then, if Burke & his staff can get a couple of recruits to hit...maybe we can make a comeback? This will be a very important offseason!

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  24. Kevin, you got it straight. Burke hamstrung with the loss of Trice the dumb pot head and Pierre. The team would have been much nearer .500 and no one would be criticizing.

    Off season? Well, the single most important happening is going on right now with the attempts the coach is making to get all the good players through to qualifying.

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  25. If any of you have looked at the schedule, Monmouth is going to lose their last 4 games and Sacred Heart is going to lose 3 of their last 4 games.

    Soooo as long as we can take care of the cream puffs on our schedule, the postseason is still very much in reach. The televised Mount/Central Connecticut State game next Thursday stands to be the difference-maker given its the toughest game left on the schedule.

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  26. Anonymous5:23 PM

    we all have a limited time on earth

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