Women’s Notebook – Emptying out the stocking
By Stephen Zerdelian
Themid-season/holiday break could not have come at a better time (ok, maybe a week earlier to spare the region a batch of cancellations and postponements), so it gives me a chance to flesh out a few things I’ve been meaning to get to.
First, the obvious. COVID-19 is here to stay and dramatically affecting the regional schedule. The start of the season went relatively smoothly but in recent weeks the spike of cases has begun to cause games to be scrapped or pushed to a later date. It seems that league and institutional personnel have taken the intelligent route and made their decisions based on data and safety, which is the major component in attempting to keep people out of harm’s way. But what happens once the break ends on December 29 with a single game slated between the University of the Sciences and Bentley?
I am not a psychic, nor do I have a background in epidemiology. What I do know is that with the season already underway, pulling the plug entirely would be a cruel and savage blow for all the players, coaches and support personnel who have been forced to rearrange their lives to continue playing/coaching/helping the game they love. But there needs to be a clear and coherent plan for how to deal with inevitable situations, and although the region hasn’t hit a breaking point yet, if conference and institutional policies and procedures are not aligned, it may. After all, public safety is, by a wide margin, the most important factor to consider.
So, how does the region continue forward once the schedule is set to resume? I have a few humble suggestions, some of which may seem to much (or too little) based on your own personal view. My goal here is to find the best way to move ahead as things stand right now, knowing full well that nothing stays the same.
- Cancel all non-conference game which have already been postponed. The focus must be on conference contests and calendar space should be kept clear (as much as possible) for future postponements. If a non-league game scheduled for the future can be safely played, fine, but otherwise focus on conference play.
- Close gyms to all but necessary personnel. At least one school had to take this route due to their institutional policy for a game prior to the break. More may follow. Various local authorities may make this a mandatory policy but why not be proactive and institute a blanket policy?
- If gyms do remain open, enforce masking regulations among everyone but players. Too many times this season I have been to a game and not only is enforcement weak/non-existent, but some institutional personnel are also mask-less. How can spectators be expected to comply when those who represent the institution do not? As for players, if they wish to mask, that’s fine, but if so, ditch the chin strap look. It’s either on or off.
- Most regional conferences have some policies in place, but it behooves them to have and implement a comprehensive plan for all institutions to follow. Areas like mandating that a minimum number of players be available to travel/play in a contest and health and wellness checks before they leave/arrive are among the many ways to quell the threat while trying to get games played. It must be noted that many already take these measures. Be prepared to for late changes in the league schedule. Flexibility is critical if most league games are going to be played. Schools and their league(s) must work together to craft definitive policies and consistently stick to them.
I fully understand that the complexities of an ongoing pandemic and the logistics of planning/playing games (and all that entails) is incredibly difficult, even in the best of circumstances. You may disagree with some of my points above, and you are welcome to do so. I support everyone’s right to their own opinion. Let me be crystal clear here – this column is my opinion, and mine alone. I don’t speak for anyone else and promise not to delve back into this topic again in this manner unless unavoidable. But it’s clear that we all want a safe path to play the season to a reasonable completion. Let’s hope we find it.
End of quarter/game options
I watch a lot of NBA games – in fact, I am a co-season ticket holder with the Boston Celtics, and have been since 2007. Frankly, it’s been a frustrating time lately with the Green but I’m sticking it out in hopes things get better.
In relation to Division II basketball, there are two strategies which strike me as easy adaptations from the NBA. Since women’s basketball has adopted the four-quarter model (2015-’16 season) I am always wondering why there isn’t an emphasis – or even an attempt – to use the two-for-one shot ploy at the end of a quarter. Another thing I rarely see (unless by accident) is that nobody uses fouls in the last minute of a quarter when they are under the limit (the fifth in each period results to two free throws). Maybe I am stretching the concept but why don’t teams use these potential advantages at all? Especially when you have four chances to do so?
A game I attended earlier this season is a prime example. It was a highly competitive and exciting game with Team A scoring with just under a minute (57 seconds) of the third period left to go ahead by five points. Team B took their next shot with 32 ticks left, a made three-pointer, to pull within two points. It was a little late to go for the two-for-one but at least they scored.
However, Team B had only committed two fouls in the quarter and had two left to give before Team A would shoot the bonus. They didn’t foul and Team A hit a triple of their own with five seconds left to restore the margin to five points.
Why wouldn’t Team B foul once or twice and disrupt Team A’s rhythm in a close game? Every little thing helps in these situations, but Team B played it out and paid the price. There is no guarantee that Team A wouldn’t have scored anyway but when a unit’s flow is disrupted, it is undoubtedly more difficult to find it in the closing seconds.
Why did this matter so much? Extra possessions matter. Getting stops matters. Team B rallied and took a two-point lead with 1:07 left in the fourth period but Team A made a foul shot (:55) and a basket (:28) to go ahead by a point. Think Team A might want that last possession of the third period back? I realize it’s not strictly a causality that the game would have been in the same place in the final minute had the third period played out differently. But points are points, whenever they are scored (or denied).
Coaches have a lot to do, so I can’t expect these areas to be primary in their practice and game plans, especially this season. The two-for-one requires players who can adapt to changing conditions and get decent shots, so it may not be an every-quarter thing. Coaches have taken advantage of another four-quarter-inspired rule change, a timeout in the final minute moving the ball to halfcourt, so why not consider at least fouling to the limit when you can? If a team can disrupt an opponent’s possession and make them create a shot with 10 seconds left as opposed to 25 (without having to inbound and start the sequence all over), might that not force a worse shot?
I could be asking too much here. If so, feel free to let me know. From my perspective, it’s pure math. More shots and more possessions can help win a game. Forcing the opponent to inbound an extra time or two at the end of a period might get you a stop.
My Christmas wish might be to see one of these things occur intentionally just once this season.
News ‘N Notes
Southern New Hampshire’s recent trip to Florida ended up as a split, losing at Saint Leo, 83-79, and beating Lake Superior State, 78-63. The win over LSSU was the Penmen’s first win against a non-East Region Division II team since the 2015-’16 season, when they beat NAIA Fisher, 87-48, and their first against a Division II out-of-region club since the 2014-’15 campaign, when they went 1-1 on another Florida trip, ironically beating Saint Leo (80-60) before losing to Eckerd (67-49). SNHU’s victory over Lake Superior State had a lot to do with the Lakers being held to just 1-21 three-point shooting… In the its-a-small-world department, Saint Leo’s head coach is former NYIT head honcho Anthony Crocitto, who was on the bench for seven seasons with the Bears, won 20+ games thrice and reached a regional final… Le Moyne sustained a heavy defeat at WBCA’s 8th ranked team, Ashland, recently but guard Lytoya Baker collected a program record-tying 13 assists in the game. Baker had all but one of LC’s assists in the contest… Jefferson recorded what could be a critical non-league win by knocking off Southern Connecticut State in New Haven, 62-54. Morgan Robinson (18 points, 7 boards) and Cassie Murphy (12 points, 8 caroms) led the way for the Rams, who grabbed control of the contest with a 7-0 fourth period run (56-49, 1:55) and tallied their last nine points at the foul line. Alexa Kellner (19 points in 27 minutes) led the effort for the Owls in a game where the Rams dominated the glass (50-37) and the teams combined to shoot a dreary 4-38 from three-point land… The search for the most stringent challenger to Daemen in the ECC might center on Mercy, off to their first 3-0 start in league play since the 1992-’93 season. The Mavericks beat Roberts Wesleyan for the first time ever (0-16 to this point) and followed that up with a 67-62 victory against Bridgeport. In the latter game, UB won the three-point battle, 9-0, but Mercy ruled the glass (53-40) and the paint (48-29). Asha Talib (18 points, 11 rebounds) scored four straight points in the final minute to snap a 60-all tie, propelling Mercy to the win and a share of the early ECC lead… Life in the three-point era – Daemen went 14-38 from beyond the arc and 11-24 inside it during a 76-59 win over the College of Staten Island. Katie Titus (26 points, 16 rebounds) made three of those triples as her fine season continues… Life in the COVID era – Saint Rose and St. Michael’s were both denied two games at the AIC tournament, which was cancelled, but with both teams cleared to play, they pulled together a non-league game against each other on very short notice. The Golden Knights ended up with a 52-51 decision thanks to a Nina Fedullo (10 points, 9 boards) bucket with 3.6 seconds on the clock.
Thanks for reading and happy holidays to all!