Posts Tagged ‘Jabrille Williams’

Turning on the Jets

Sunday, January 13th, 2013
Binghamton guard Mike Horn (left) and forward Jordan Reed (right) chase after Boston University guard D.J. Irving Saturday afternoon. Irving scored 16 points and BU blew out Binghamton 83-59 (photo by Sam Perkins)

Binghamton guard Mike Horn (left) and forward Jordan Reed (right) chase after Boston University guard D.J. Irving Saturday afternoon. Irving scored 16 points and BU blew out Binghamton 83-59 (photo by Sam Perkins)

(Boston, MA) – The reports of the Boston University Terriers’ demise are greatly exaggerated.

Through their first two games of the America East conference schedule, the Terriers were listless and lifeless: Holding eight-point second half leads on the road against Maine and at home against Hartford, the Terriers went softly into that good night and flat-lined down the stretch in back-to-back losses. Fast forward two games and the Terriers are alive and kicking.

They’re running, too.

After gassing America East heavyweight Vermont down the stretch in a gut-check win on Tuesday, Boston University turned on the jets and left visiting Binghamton in the rear-view mirror on Saturday in an 83-59 win.

“I was proud of the way they responded,” said Terriers head coach Joe Jones. “In the Vermont game: that was unbelievable effort. And to come back and get the job done [today]: that was big.”

The Terriers played a near perfect game, attacking the hoop off the dribble, making the extra pass to the open man, burying open three’s, pounding the ball into the post and finishing with authority above the rim. And as the game wore on, they only played harder, crisper and with more resolve.

The Terriers shot 54.5 percent from the floor (30-of-55) and 44.4 percent from downtown (12-of-27) while tying a while tying a season-high with 12 made three’s. BU dished out 19 assists, held the Bearcats to just 30.9 percent shooting from the floor (21-of-68) and won the rebounding battle 41-35.

“If we get stops and rebound and run; I don’t think there are many teams in the league that can stop us,” said Terriers’ junior guard D.J. Irving.

Irving paced four Terriers who scored in double figures with 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting to go along with a game-high seven assists. Freshman deadeye guard John Papale scored 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting and just missed his first career double-double with a game and career-high nine rebounds. (more…)

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Season Preview Part 5: X-Men. Examining the X-Factors of the America East

Thursday, November 8th, 2012

When looking ahead and projecting the upcoming season, we always look at the prospective stars of each team. It’s only natural – they are the go-to-guys, the players who take center stage when the lights are the brightest, the ones who can put the team on their backs and carry them when the chips are down.

Yet in the good-enough-on-guts America East, examples of a lone star player single-handedly carrying a team to a championship without big contributions from role players and supporting cast are almost non-existent.

Guys like Jose Juan Barea and Kenny Adeleke, tremendous individual talents who went it alone without cohesive team chemistry and a good supporting cast, never won a thing.

For all of their heroics, Taylor Coppenrath and T.J. Sorrentine had the likes of super role players Grant Anderson, David Hehn and the immortal Germain Mopa-Njila doing the little things. Jamar Wilson had Levi Levine, Lucious Jordan, and Brent Wilson to do the dirty work. Chaz Carr and Billy Collins had Stijn Dhondt setting bone crushing screens and Ryan Butt battling it out in the paint. Marqus Blakely could pass out of the double team to a perfectly positioned Evan Fjeld for easy buckets, or rely on Joey Accaoui to bury the three.

The America East has always been a league where hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard. With fewer true stars and less high-level talent returning to the league than any other time prior in conference history, now more than ever, the conference title may be decided by the supporting cast.

Here is a look at our X-Men: the “X-Factors” – unknown or unproven players flying under the radar who could play a big role in the success or failure of each of the nine America East squads. (more…)

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2012 America East Tournament in Microcosm — Moment 3, 3/3/12: Walking-Tall

Saturday, March 10th, 2012

Photo Courtesy of America East Athletic Communications

(West Hartford, CT) — Third-year Binghamton head coach Mark Macon’s press conferences are already the stuff of legend: The outspoken coach has been known to offer thoughts, insights, jokes, commentary, and stream-of-conscious detours about any and all topics related to the game played, the sport of basketball, and life in general.

Needless to say, when Macon talks, you fasten your seat-belt and enjoy the ride.

Following the two-win Bearcats all-heart, near-herculean effort in a narrow loss to top-seeded Stony Brook in the quarterfinals of the America East Tournament, Macon was effusive in his praise of his team’s effort and guts. He also spent time praising the tremendous talents of freshman forward Ben Dickinson – a potential star in the making — who followed up a 21 point performance in Binghamton’s win over UMBC on the opening night of the America East tournament with 20 points in the near-upset.

But it was the smallest – and perhaps the least known — player on the Bearcats roster who drew the biggest praise, and most airtime, from Macon: walk-on Mike Horn. Macon spent more time talking about the scrappy and diminutive guard than any other topic in the entire press conference.

After praising the Bearcats’ collective group of walk-ons — Javon Ralling, Jabrille Williams, Jimmy Gray (who earned a partial scholarship this year) and Horn — for their impressive contributions during the season.

“They just give you everyting, said Macon. “They fight for this family, and I can’t be more proud of those guys They do yeoman’s work.

Macon singled out Horn specifically for his contributions.

“Let me tell you a story about Mike,” said Macon. “He is THE hardest worker on that floor every night and every practice – he gives you everything he’s got.”

That Mike Horn ever set foot on the floor at the division I level is perhaps equal parts fate and luck; cosmic karma and random chance; persistence and perseverance; and one kid’s immense love for the game of basketball. (more…)

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Beauty is in the eye of the beholder: Ugly play-in game was all that is good about the America East

Friday, March 2nd, 2012

On Thursday night, two teams boasting a combined record of five wins and 53 loses met in an empty, echo-filled arena in West Hartford. In the shadows on the outskirts of the State capital, the two lowest ranked teams in one of the lowest ranked conferences in the country faced off in front of the deserted chair backs and barren bleachers in the play-in game of the America East tournament.

The game featured air-balls and missed free-throws, blown dunks, blown leads and flagrant fouls.

The match-up between eight-seeded UMBC and ninth-seeded Binghamton was some of the ugliest basketball imaginable.

It was beautiful.

UMBC forward Jake Wasco battles Ben Dickinson and Jabrille Williams for a rebound (courtesy of America East Athletic Communications)

Thursday night’s game was all that remains good in the America East Conference – one of the last bastions of true amateurism in the increasingly dark and seedy world of college basketball. Two teams with seemingly nothing left to play for, refusing to let their seasons end. Powered by guts and heart, the Retrievers and Bearcats left everything they had on the floor, for just one more day toiling in basketball obscurity.

When the dust cleared, the Bearcats, who had crawled through a 1-28 record in the regular season, celebrated their 73 to 67 overtime win as if they had just won the league title.

Jake Wasco, a senior forward for UMBC who lost 94 games in his career, and tasted victory just 13 times during his final three-seasons, left the floor with tears in his eyes. He didn’t want it to end.

None of them did.

“It’s about winning one game and buying another,” remarked Binghamton head coach Mark Macon after the game. “To come in there where they could have put their heads down and walked away… it’s about the team and not myself.” (more…)

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Two days later: “Good Lord! That’s Ben Dickinson’s music!”

Monday, November 14th, 2011

One game is a small sample size. An otherwise mediocre player can blow up in a single game, but sustaining a high level of performance over an extended period of time is more indicative of actual quality. For that reason, we generally refrain from making extreme proclamations based on 40 minutes of basketball.

That being said, there are exceptions to every rule. Here is one such exception: Ben Dickinson is The Truth. (Yes, that’s already Paul Pierce’s nickname, but nothing about periodically collapsing on the court like you got shot, only to return to the game five minutes later, qualifies a player to be nicknamed “The Truth,” so we’re stripping Pierce of his nickname.)

Let’s start with the numbers. If you haven’t already heard, Ben Dickinson broke Binghamton’s freshman scoring record in his first game by scoring 27 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field and 11-of-14 shooting from the charity stripe; the freshman record was previously held by Dylan Talley. Eighteen of those 27 points came after halftime as the Bearcats tried to dig out of a hole that grew to 18 points shortly after the break.

Dickinson also added seven rebounds (including six offensive rebounds, which led all players), two assists, and three steals. He did all this while staying out of foul trouble – his third foul came with just 35 seconds remaining – which allowed him to play effective defense and stay on the court for 38 minutes.

The above stat line would be extremely impressive for any player, let alone a freshman in his first Division-I action. It also sells Dickinson short. (more…)

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