One-Bid Wonders

Coolidge senior David Kadiri (Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post)

(Catonsville, MD) – While coaches around the country packed their suitcases for the Final Four coaches’ convention, the staff at UMBC continued to pound the pavement, landing their second commitment in as many days and the biggest recruit (on paper) to sigh with the school in a very long time: 6’8” Shot-eraser, backboard-shaker and human-highlight reel David Kadiri.

A human-pogo-stick from the basketball-Mecca of Washington D.C., Kadiri was fresh leading Coolidge High to a pair of championships in the D.C. Interscholastic Athletic Association and the inaugural D.C. State Athletic Association tournament, which pitted city public, private and charter schools.

A late bloomer who was just beginning to tap into his raw-talents as a senior, Kadiri had been offered – and heavily pursued – by Florida Gulf Coast University until the departure of head coach Andy Enfield to USC. Kadiri had also been offered by Duquesne of the Atlantic 10, America East-rival Stony Brook and North Carolina A&T, Gardner-Webb and Niagara. Several teams from higher-level schools reportedly made late-runs.

According to several college coaches and recruiters, Kadiri is known as a terrific athlete with a tremendous wingspan and a great motor, who is a monster on defense and dunks everything on offense. Kadiri already possesses outstanding timing and instincts blocking shots and pursuing rebounds and should make an impact from Day 1 on defense and on the glass. A raw-athlete on offense, Kadiri runs the floor extremely well for a big-man and is a monster finishing off alley-oops in transition, or skying over defenders for authoritative put-back dunks in traffic.

On his recruiting visit, during an open run with the Retrievers, Kadiri reportedly threw down nearly a dozen dunks over UMBC’s current roster.

Just weeks after having the interim tag removed following his first season at the helm, head coach Aki Thomas has now signed five incoming players, four of them – Kadiri, Bryan Harris, Will Darley and Charles Taylor Jr. – from the Baltimore/DC area.

On paper, Kadiri is easily the biggest recruiting coup during Thomas’ short tenure and the most hyped incoming freshman to land at UMBC in a very, very long time. (more…)

(Catonsville, MD) — The University of Maryland-Baltimore County has signed forward Devarick Houston, a 6’7” junior college transfer from Chattahoochee Tech, for the 2013-2014 season. A combo-forward with great length and athleticism, Houston averaged 12.8 points and 8.4 rebounds per game while shooting 50.4 percent from the floor over the past season.

A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Houston is regarded as a classic late-bloomer and has grown almost four inches since graduating high school while transitioning from the guard to forward positions, and is reportedly just beginning to scratch the surface of his potential. Houston will have two-years of eligibility at UMBC.

The scouting report on Houston (from several different recruiters and coaches) is that he has plus-athleticism and length and terrific energy and effort on the court. He will is reportedly already a DI impact-level defender and rebounder (“relentless” is a word used to describe him on the glass) who should make an immediate impact for the Retrievers in both areas of the game – if true, a huge get for a UMBC squad which struggled greatly defending and rebounding the ball.

Offensively, the word on Houston is that he is still very rough around the edges, but can shoot the ball from behind the arc and is a highlight-reel waiting to happen in transition. He has drawn comparisons on offense to Boston University Terrier Malik Thomas, but with more physical strength.

With Houston, along with incoming freshmen Will Darley and Charles Taylor Jr., and transfer Bryan Harris (who played four games at Wofford), UMBC head coach Aki Thomas has now signed four players to his first recruiting class. Darley is being billed as the replacement for graduating senior-shooter Brian Neller, while Taylor is another high-end athlete and Harris a scoring guard.

While UMBC lost more than could ever be summed up by mere statistics with the graduation of leading scorer and Second Team All-Conference guard Ryan Cook (the team’s hardest worker and heart and soul), with their incoming recruiting class and the return of 6’10” center Brett Roseboro from injury, UMBC should already be much longer and more athletic next season.

Thomas has also granted a scholarship to senior point guard Quinton Jones, who spent the previous two seasons as a walk-on point guard. Jones has established himself as a heady and steady player at the point guard position, solid on-ball defender, and top-end locker room presence.

With the four players signed as well as the addition of Jones as a scholarship player, Thomas still has two more scholarships to use.

(San Diego, CA) — Have you ever read Heaven is a Playground?

In 1974, a writer spent the entire summer observing the lives of a group of young street ball players in Brooklyn. Using basketball as a vehicle, the book presented the reader with hard hitting, and at times stomach churning, insight into the culture of poverty, race and the inner city. This is a book not about sport, but sociology.

Who am I and why are you reading this?

I’m a dude who travels a lot and plays far too much basketball.

My guess about you is that you’re catching a connecting flight somewhere in the America East Bermuda Triangle between Albany, Orono and Baltimore and have some time to kill. Or maybe you just really like mid-major basketball and Sam and Matt aren’t providing enough off-season content.

At any rate, back to me: how much basketball have I played? Enough to know that Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000 hours of practice theory is phooey!

But what basketball has not given me in terms of contracts and endorsement deals, it has given me in the form of insight, experience and understanding about the underlying culture of many of this country’s cities and small towns – and the people who toil on deadwood floorboards and cracked concrete courts.

Some people travel to sample food, or go to museums, and while that’s all well and good, it’s playing street ball that flips my flap jacks.

Periodically, during this off-season, I am going to relay some of the stories, anecdotes and encounters I have accumulated over the past couple years traveling and playing ball, as well as showcase different courts, players and events around the country as I experience them.

-Noah “Peanut Butter Pie” Perkins

Noah Perkins graduated magna cum laude from the University of Massachusetts at Boston in 2012. He’s a  philosopher, sociologist, explorer and world traveler who spends far too much of his time roaming cracked concrete courts and deadwood floorboards across the country. He also happens to be the younger brother of OBW creator Sam Perkins. Noah currently resides in San Diego, California, living the life of “The Dude” from The Big Lebowski, except instead of bowling, he plays far too much basketball.

Maine guard Justin Edwards flies above the fray and skies past Northeastern forward Reggie Spencer (44) for two of his career-high 30 points Wednesday night. Edwards powered the Black Bears to a 76-73 win.

(ORONO, Maine) – The America East’s top scorer, and arguably the league’s most dynamic, athletic and physically gifted player is taking his talents elsewhere: University of Maine sophomore scoring-machine Justin Edwards is leaving the Black Bears.

In a press release published earlier today, the University of Maine announced that Edwards would transfer from the school at the end of the semester, confirming rumors that had swirled for several days.

“Justin is a fine young man and we thank him for his hard work and accomplishments in our program. We wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors,” said Maine head coach Ted Woodward in a prepared statement.

A 6’2” guard with jaw-dropping athleticism, Edwards averaged 16.7 point per game to tie for the league-lead in scoring with Binghamton freshman Jordan Reed. Edwards averaged 5.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists and a 1.9 steals (which led the league) and 32.7 minutes per game while being named to the America East Second Team All-Conference as voted on by the coaches (he was selected to the OBW Third-Team).

As a freshman, Edwards averaged 13.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.4 steals per game, was named to the All-Rookie Team and finished as the runner-up to then Vermont guard Four McGlynn for league Rookie of the Year Honors.

Edwards played elbows above the rim and reigned as the league’s best dunker – regularly rattling the back-board in games with dunk contest-worthy slams, including multiple 180-degree reverse jams on of alley-oops. (more…)

(Philadelphia, PA) – At 2:28 pm Eastern Time, the clock hit 0:00 at the Wells Fargo Center and struck midnight on the Albany Great Danes’ Cinderella season.

Albany, a 15th seed in the NCAA Tournament and perhaps the biggest underdog to ever come out of the America East as the fourth seed in their own conference tournament, fell to second-seed Duke 73-61.

The Great Danes came up short in their upset bid, but walked off the hardwood and out of the bright lights of the game’s biggest stage with their heads held high: For 40 minutes, the bigger, stronger, faster Blue Devils hit Albany with everything it they had – usually in the form of a back-board shaking sledgehammer slam from Mason Plumlee, or a Seth Curry swish – and every time the Great Danes hit Duke right back.

Albany lost the game, but the Great Danes were magnificent in defeat, proving they belonged on the same court as one of the best teams in the country and arguably the most storied program in college basketball history.

“We challenged them. We made Duke work. We made Duke beat us,” said Albany head coach Will Brown.

From the opening tip until the final horn, the Great Danes played the Blue Devils as equals. And this wasn’t a Duke team looking past the Great Danes while playing at walk-through speed: this was a Duke squad still trying to swallow the bitter taste of last season’s upset by 15-seed Lehigh, squarely focused on Albany for revenge.

After spending a year stewing on the Lehigh debacle, Duke came out playing for blood. Albany played even harder.

“We didn’t quit, but we never did all season,” said redshirt freshman guard Peter Hooley. “We were right there with them. I think we are proud of ourselves. We never gave up.”

“We went down fighting against one of the best teams in the country,” said Albany senior shooting guard Jabob Iati.

Iati led the way for the Great Danes, scoring a team-high 15 points on 4-of-9 shooting including 3-of-4 from behind the arc. The smallest player on the floor, Iati was fearless driving the lane and drilling deep three’s with several long arms in his face. Iati, who would be generously listed at 5’9”, added six rebounds and six assists, leaving every last drop he had on the floor in the final game of his career. (more…)

Tommy Brenton’s no-look pass to Jameel Warney was the number two play on Sports Center’s Top 10.

(Amherst, MA) – It will be a long time before the pain of falling short of the NCAA Tournament fully goes away for Stony Brook (if ever). But Wednesday night went a long way towards softening the sting of heartbreak and restoring the shine to a historic season for the Seawolves.

Playing on the road against second-seed UMass in the opening round of the NIT Tournament, the Seawolves thoroughly out-hustled and out-played the Minutement to pull off a resounding 71-58 win.

“It was a great win for us,” Stony Brook coach Steve Pikeill said. “I’m real proud. This is a good basketball team.”

“We got beat by a team that was better than us this evening,” said UMass head coach Derek Kellogg.

Stony Brook guards Anthony Jackson and Dave Coley scored 20 points a piece to pace the Seawolves and lead all scorers, shooting a combined 16-of-25 from the floor. Sensational freshman center Jameel Warney added 16 points on 8-of-15 shooting – among them several rim-rattling dunks – and two blocks.

Playing in what could have been the final game of his career, senior point-forward Tommy Brenton added seven assists, six rebounds, six points and four steals, but his impact was far larger than his raw production. The player responsible for changing the trajectory of Stony Brook basketball did what he has always done in his career: Brenton threw jaw-dropping passes and elbows, took charges, mixed-it-up in the scrum, aggravated and instigated against the bigger Minutement and was the engine that powered the Seawolves to the win.

“I like hitting people and I like being hit. Physicality is part of my game,” said Brenton in perhaps the understatement of the century.

Stony Brook got back to their program staples: Dominating the low-blocks and defending every inch of the hardwood. The Seawolves shot 51.8 percent from the floor (29-of-56) and 41.7 percent from behind the arc while suffocating the Minutement into just 36.7 (22-of-60) and 23.1 percent (6-of-26), respectively.

Stony Brook forced 19 UMass turnovers, turning them into 23 points (compared to UMass’ 10 points off turnovers). The Seawolves also dictated the pace of the game, while flat-out playing harder than the Minutemen.

“They executed their game plan very well,” said Kellogg. “They seemed more energized and quicker to the ball. I was a little disappointed that we didn’t have a little more scrap and toughness and fight.” (more…)

UMBC head coach Aki Thomas served as a master motivator during his first season at the helm at UMBC, now he must become a miracle worker rebuilding the roster (Photo by Sam Perkins)

(Catonsville, MD) – When UMBC’s season came to an end in heartbreaking but heart-warming fashion in the America East Tournament, the real work began for head coach Aki Thomas and his staff: rebuilding his roster from the rubble of a devastated and dilapidated program.

Thomas’ burdensome load may have been lightened, slightly, by jettisoning weight in the form of early departures of four returning players; sophomores Will Wise, Nate Basalyga, Jarrel Lane and Jordan Wejnert have all left the team.

In his first season at the helm, after being named the interim head coach two days before the start of practice, Thomas injected life into a program that had barely been clinging to life support. Two days before the start of the conference tournament, Thomas was official named the head coach – dropping the interim tag – and rewarded with a contract extension.

Two days later, the same Retrievers squad that had spent the last three seasons giving up by the first media timeout, out-worked, out-hustled and out-fought third-seeded Hartford to pull off a 69-62 upset in the Quarterfinal. A day later, running on heart, the sixth-seeded Retrievers showed more grit and guts in their 85-72 semifinal loss to Vermont than they had during their previous three seasons combined.

The final horn of the semifinals marked the end of the careers of seniors Ryan Cook – the team’s heart and soul, leading scorer, best player and hardest worker all rolled into in one –Brian Neller – a long-range sniper who, along with Cook, comprised the teams lone true shooters – and forward Adrian Satchell – who enjoyed a renaissance in his one-season under Thomas.

Now Thomas and assistant coaches (and former UMBC players) Jay Greene and John Zito were faced with the daunting task of trying to overhaul an undermanned – and drastically under talented – roster. (more…)

A record five America East teams earned post season berths in 2013. After the first day, only two remained. Vermont, Boston University and Hartford came out strong out of the gates, with each holding second half leads Tuesday night, only fall during the final stretch.

Santa Clara 77, Vermont 67 (CBI)
Vermont couldn’t to stop Santa Clara’s high-octane offense or generate consistent scoring down the stretch, bringing down the curtain on the Catamounts’s season and the careers of seniors Ben Crenca and Trey Blue.

Santa Clara shot 51.1 percent from the floor (24-of-47) and 38.9 percent from behind the arc (7-of-18), while the Catamounts converted just 42.4 percent of their two’s (25-of-59) and 30.4 percent of their three’s (7-of-23). Guard Kevin Foster and center Marc Trasolini combined for 43 points for the Broncos. Foster poured in 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting, while Trasolini bulled his way to 20, going 7-of-12 from the floor while adding seven rebounds, two blocks, three steals and two assists.

The host Broncos also benefitted from some home cooking from the hometown refs, enjoying a massive free-throw discrepancy over the Catamounts. Santa Clara knocked down 22-of-28 shots from the charity stripe (78.6 percent), while the Catamounts attempted just 15 free throws all night, hitting 10 (66.7 percent).

Vermont was led by point junior guard Sandro Carissimo who scored 14 points on 5-of-13 shooting to go along with five rebounds and three assists. Junior forward Clancy Rugg scored 13 points and five rebounds; red-shirt junior forward Luke Apfeld added 11 points and six rebounds off the bench; and junior forward Brian Voelkel dished out eight assists to go along with five rebounds.

Playing in his final game, Blue, who emerged as the heart and soul of the Catamounts in his lone season with the program, did what he had done all year long: left it all on the floor. The graduate-transfer scored 12 points in 17 minutes of action. (more…)

After being relegated to the bench by injuries, Albany junior Luke Devlin took center stage in the Championship Game, scoring 12 points on a perfect 6-of-6 shooting to help lead Albany to the title and the NCAA Tournament (Photo by Sam Perkins).

(Burlington, VT) – Dripping sweat and draped in the Australian national flag, a shy smile spread across Luke Devlin’s face.

Devlin had just played a starring role in Albany’s 53-49 championship game shocker over Vermont, punching the Great Danes’ ticket to the NCAA Tournament by swishing all six of his shots from the floor. Against the Catamounts vaunted front-line, Devlin was unstoppable on offense, leading all post players in scoring with 12 points, while adding five rebounds, two steals and an assist.

Now he was at the center of the media swarm in the post game press conference.

“He was huge today,” said Albany head coach Will Brown after the win, “he’s not bothered by the moment.”

“I just got the opportunity to play a bit more tonight, knocked down some shots and it is what it is,” said Devlin, downplaying his dominant performance.

Two years ago, starring for the conference champion was exactly where the native of Sydney, Australia was supposed to be. Two weeks ago, it seemed all but impossible.

When he arrived on campus in the summer of 2010, Devlin was a star in the making – The Man from The Land Down Under. A 6’8” 230 pound forward with a silky-smooth jumper, nose for the basketball and a knack for pulling down tough rebounds in traffic, Devlin made an impact in the paint and on the perimeter and could take over a game on both ends of the floor. As a freshman, Devlin averaged 7.4 points, 6.9 rebounds and 30 minutes per game and was named to the All-Rookie Team.

Two years later, Devlin was a forgotten man: recruited over and buried under a mountain of injuries. (more…)

All four of the national post-season tournament fields have been announced, and a record five America East schools (Albany, Boston University, Hartford, Stony Brook, and Vermont) are set to represent the conference in post-season play.

All times listed are Eastern time zone, Daylight Savings Time.

NCAA Tournament, Round of 64

#2 Duke Blue Devils vs. #15 Albany Great Danes
Friday, March 22 @ 12:15 PM
TV: CBS

National Invitation Tournament (NIT), Round of 32

#7 Stony Brook Seawolves at #2 Massachusetts Minutemen
Wednesday, March 20 @ 7:15 PM
TV: ESPN3

College Basketball Invitational (CBI), Round of 16

Vermont Catamounts at Santa Clara Broncos
Tuesday, March 19 @ 10:00 PM
TV: None (PPV feed available from Santa Clara’s athletics website)

CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT), Round of 32

Rider Broncs at Hartford Hawks
Tuesday, March 19 @ 7:00 PM
TV: None (Free feed available from CollegeInsider.com here)

Boston University Terriers at Loyola (MD) Greyhounds
Tuesday, March 19 @ 7:30 PM
TV: None (Free feed available from CollegeInsider.com here)