Random notes on a basketball season
By Chris Granozio
As we reach the mandatory break in action, COVID has once again wreaked havoc with the regional schedule, with many games postponed, canceled, shifted and – in many cases – left in limbo. I’ll never bring political fodder into this column, but I will disclose something told to me by multiple coaches off the record… that they wish all testing of players would stop, that the students are healthy, and that the Omicron variant is essentially mild enough to avoid any shutdowns. I’m no expert and pose no such solutions here. Where we are after Christmas remains to be seen, as sports in general remains very much in flux. I will update my master schedule by tomorrow morning, with any changes reflected. That being said, please reach out to us here at D2easthoops.org with any schedule changes affecting your program. Thanks in advance, and Godspeed to all.
Congratulations are in order for Felician’s Ivan Lewis, who yesterday became the winningest coach in Felician history with 70 triumphs, one more than his predecessor, Dave DeFerrari. Lewis – who played his final two collegiate seasons for the Golden Falcons – remains one of the most affable, accessible and adaptable coaches in the region. His teams get better every year, and this 2021-22 edition is sneaky-solid, capable of competing with - and even beating - other good teams (as evidenced by a win at Pace and close loss to #14 Fairmont State). In watching Felician for the first time last night, I was especially impressed by the maturity and poise of diminutive but effective point guard Nas Amos (13 points, seven rebounds, nine assists, 0 turnovers), the toughness and scoring prowess of junior swingman Justin Davis (26 points, eight boards) and instictive court awareness of Irish rookie swing Sean McCarthy (17, 7 off the bench).
For the past 19 years, Felician Athletic Director and broadcasting colleague Ben “J.R.” Dinallo has worn the AD hat at that school, but I want to congratulate him on his new title of Senior Athletics Development Officer, which means he will be creating external partnerships to better the university on the whole, with an emphasis on athletic fundraising. No better man for the job, as J.R. is one of the most sincere, intelligent and competent dudes in the business, and I'm proud to call him a friend.
Kudos also to alum Andrew Toriello, who ascends to the role of AD, and who oversaw the recent improvements to Job Gym, particularly the new scoreboards/video boards, paint job, permanent sound system, brighter lights and more spacious lobby. Home runs, all!
The Felician-St. Michael’s game in North Jersey was how I ended my day yestrerday. It began in Florida, where I was wrapping up a Le Moyne trip. In the words of John Lennon in his song “Watching the Wheels”: people say I’m crazy doing what I’m doing. I’m just thankful to be able to continue this madness, at least for another season. By the way, that was the Purple Knights’ first-ever visit to Rutherford.
Yesterday was a big day for the CACC, with two wins vs. NE10 clubs – the other being Post’s stunning road win vs. St. Anselm, thanks largely to senior forward Devonte McCall, who not only scored the decisive basket with 20 seconds left but also rejected Chris Paul’s potential winning lay-up off the glass before time expired. David Jasson – who has been shooting very well of late – was high man for the dangerous Eagles with 21 points and eight rebounds, while Paul topped the Hawks’ scorecard with 21 and 13, respectively. Despite an early 25-11 St. A’s lead, this one was nip-and-tuck down the stretch, with four ties, seven lead changes and nothing more than a one-possession differential over the final 9:07. It marked Post’s second straight win over the Hawks and first-ever in Manchester. St. Anselm had taken the first 11 in the series prior to that.
The big success for the Eagles came just two days after their most deflating loss, falling at home to Bentley, 91-90, on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Mason Webb off a nearly full-court inbounds pass with two seconds on the clock. For the Falcons, that fabulous finish came one game after a one-point home loss to Franklin Pierce, giving them their first consecutive one-point finals since February, 2015.
Being in Florida during December was glorious on many levels, not the least of which was broadcasting Le Moyne’s come-from-behind overtime victory over host Florida Southern at the Mocs Christmas Classic in Lakeland. The Dolphins – who lost on an OT buzzer-beating 30-footer by the son of Le Moyne great Lenny Rauch on the same floor four years earlier – exacted a measure of revenge, using a 15-6 run to close out regulation, capped by a tying triple by Jeremiah Washington with 5.4 seconds to play They never trailed in the extra session, with sophomore forward Luke Sutherland (27 points on 12-of-17 shooting) and freshman guard Kevin Constant (22 points, four assists, three blocks, three steals) doing the heavy lifting for the Fins.
It was terrific visiting with old regional friend Mike Donnelly, who, of course, helmed two East Region programs at Post and Southern Connecticut before flying south with longtime assistant and fellow super dude Mike Makubika, who has been alongside Donnelly since 2009 at Post. Former Owls great Greg Langston, who played for both at Southern, is also a staff member at FSC. By the way, basketball in the 11-team Sunshine State Conference is more than formidable, with no fewer than THREE Top 20 clubs in Nova Southeastern (#5), Embry-Riddle (#11) and Barry (#19), as well as several other strong programs such as Florida Tech (9-3), Lynn (8-4) and Tampa (6-3). There are some familiar faces populating top-flight SSC rosters these days, including former Saint Rose forward Sekou Sylla at Nova (team-leading 22.9 ppg and 10.4 rpg, along with 61% shooting) and recent Molloy forward James Montgomery at Barry (7.2 ppg and 5.8 rpg, primarily as a reserve).
And if you’ve never been to the Florida Southern campus, try and make it a point to do so, if only for the architecture alone, as it was designed by the great Frank Lloyd Wright (there’s even an adjacent street in his name). The atmosphere inside the Jenkins Field House is also special, as the red-clad fanbase is knowledgeable and ravenous. There are even staffers who drive golf carts, offering to shuttle you between the arena and the parking lot. And have you ever walked through a campus that has music emanating from speakers wherever you walk? That took some getting used to, but it all made for a pleasantly memorable experience. Throughout the trip, I was continually shocked every time I opened a door – whether it was at the hotel, the gym or even a restaurant – only to be greeted by a heavenly blast of warm, humid, fragrant air. And being able to eat at America’s favorite breakfast spot – Waffle House – put me over the moon (along with my cholesterol numbers, no doubt!). The only downside to the trip was having the second game vs. St. Leo wiped out due to Covid protocols. An unwelcome return to reality.
Holy Family emerged from its offensive malaise in a huge way against Southern Connecticut on Sunday, using a massive 41-10 second-half blitz in transforming a 49-44 deficit into an 85-59 lead en route to a stunning 87-62 victory. It was the Owls’ most lopsided home loss since a 92-53 setback to then-#2 Bentley on November 20, 2007. For the Tigers, it was their largest margin of victory ever vs. a Northeat-10 team, let alone on the road.
Prior to that victory, Holy Family hosted D2 Independent and former PSAC power Cheyney at the Campus Center, and it was great to see former Maryland star and longtime District of Columbia Assistant Coach Terrell Stokes, who’s now the head coach of the Wolves. Though the oldest HBCU is committed to adding capital and re-establishing athletics programs in the coming years, Stokes has had his hands full since taking the reins in early October. He is a one-man staff and his roster consists exclusively of players he “recruited” from the campus cafeteria, some of whom had never played organized basketball before. At one point during the game, Stokes was frustrated with an official’s call, and after pleading his case for a moment, he turned away and muttered to me at the table: “I can’t get thrown out. I don’t have any assistants.” Let’s hope a once-proud school and program can get back on its feet and – dare I say it – maybe join our region?!?! Cheyney – the 1978 D2 National Champions under former head coach John Chaney – would be a perfect geographical fit for the CACC South, or perhaps a travel partner for UDC in the East Coast Conference.
The first-ever meeting between new ECC rivals D’Youville and Staten Island as D2 programs on Sunday was a one-sided affair, with the Dolphins topping the Saints in New York City by a 96-62 count. Senior playmaker Austin Mick had the hot hand with 7-of-10 accuracy from beyond the arc as part of a game-high, 23-point performance. It was the Ohio native’s second game of the season with seven triples – both wins.
Assumption’s Matt Kelly – an ATR favorite since his rookie campaign – nailed five of six from distance, setting the tone for Assumption in its comfortable road win over NE10 and Commonwealth rival Stonehill on Monday.
Daemen’s loss to Franklin Pierce at the KeyBank Center in downtown Buffalo makes its next two home games vs. regional contenders Stonehill and St. Anselm extremely important if an at-large NCAA berth is to be in play. The Wildcats – who have held their own against multiple national and regional powers – are starving for a win against a quality opponent for its resume, and after the next two, it's slim pickin's on the remaining schedule. The game was a reunion of sorts between Daemen postgrad guard Sean Fasoyiro and the Ravens, with whom he played his first three seasons. This marked the first-ever meeting between the onetime NAIA programs.
More on Thursday… until then, be safe and Happy Hooping to All!