One-Bid Wonders

Boston University point guard Maurice Watson Jr., pushed the ball in transition against New Hampshire Sunday afternoon. Watson posted his first career double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, adding six assists and three steals in the Terriers 68-56 win (Photo by Sam Perkins).

(Boston, MA) – Following Boston University’s 68-56 win over visiting New Hampshire, BU freshman point guard Maurice Watson Jr. – listed at 5’10” on the Terriers’ official roster – was asked just how tall he would like to credit himself with being.

“Five-ten,” said Watson with a mischievous smile, “Five-ten and a half in my sneakers.”

Dwarfed by a surrounding scrum of 5’9” writers, it was immediately apparent that the Lansdowne, Pennsylvania native was taking some serious liberties in assessing his stature.

But Watson and equally diminutive back-court mate D.J. Irving played like seven-footers on Sunday, as the dynamic-duo dominated the game and destroyed the visiting Wildcats on the glass, 43-28. The pint-sized playmakers powered the Terriers, combining for 23 points, 19 rebounds, 12 assists and five steals.

“Those two kids can play – they can play basketball, doesn’t matter if they’re five-whatever or six-four, those two kids can play,” said New Hampshire head coach Bill Herrion of the tiny tandem.

A week after notching a career-high 13 assists, Watson posted his first career double-double, pulling down a game and career-high 10 rebounds to go with 13 points. The America East leader in assists at 5.2 per game, Watson dropped six dimes and swiped three steals.

Officially listed at 6’ but checking in much closer to 5’9”, Irving added nine rebounds and ten points, to go with six steals and two steals. After spending his first two years on Comm. Ave., as the Terriers starting point guard, the junior from Chester, Pennsylvania, moved off the ball this year to make room for Watson, but still ranks fifth in the America East in assists.

“Either one of those guys can initiate offense,” said Boston University head coach Joe Jones.

Junior forward Dom Morris continued his stellar junior season, scoring 13 points, shooting 5-of-9 from the floor and a perfect 3-of-3 from the line, to go with eight rebounds and three steals. Red-shirt sophomore forward Malik Thomas added 10 points and freshman sharp-shooter John Papale added nine points, with the duo combining to connect on four of the Terriers seven made three’s.

The Terriers shot 45.5 percent from the floor (25-of-55), 43.8 percent from behind the arc (7-of-16) and 78.6 percent from the line (11-of-16). BU jumped all over New Hampshire in the opening stanza, leading 34-17 at the half and pushed their lead to 20 early in the second, before coasting to the win.

“I thought we played a great half of basketball – I was very pleased with our effort for the first 20 minutes,” said Jones. “In the second half, just like you knew they would, they played with great heart in the second half. For the majority of the second half I thought they outplayed us.”

The Wildcats continued their season-long trend of being unable to put the ball in the bucket, shooting a dismal 37.5 percent from the floor (21-of-56), while bombing their way to a horrifying 4-of-22 (18.2 percent) from downtown.

“In the first half we were just three happy again,” said Herrion with a snap of his fingers, “when we do that, we’re not good.” (more…)

Sponsored by Alex Lauritson-Lada and Liberty Concepts.

Founded in 2000, Liberty Concepts is a full service digital communications agency that specializes in helping create brands and develop online communities around them. A full service shop, Liberty Concepts has helped clients from discovery through execution.

UMBC forward Adrian Satchell (30) and guard Ryan Cook (12) battle with Boston University forward Dom Morris (15), Travis Robinson (24) and Nate Dieudonne (right foreground) as Terrier guard Zach Chionuma looks on (3) (Photo by Sam Perkins).

(Boston, MA) – Forwards Dom Morris and Chase Plummer did their best Doc Holliday and Johnny Ringo impressions on a wind-swept winter afternoon in Boston. Case Gymnasium stood in for the O.K. Corral and the Wild West deserts of Tombstone, Arizona, as and the Boston University Terriers and University of Maryland-Baltimore County Retrievers engaged in an all-out shootout on Saturday.

Morris led six Terriers in double-figures, scoring a career-high 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting while pulling down a team-high eight rebounds to lead the Terriers to an 81-75 win.

“I think we were doing a really good job offensively – for the most part – getting what we wanted but we just weren’t able to get stops in the second half,” said UMBC interim head coach Aki Thomas.

“We’re trying to get our guys to understand the importance of playing their best night in and night out and tonight we just didn’t have it,” said Terriers second year head coach Joe Jones. “The silver lining is that we won the game and we made the plays that it took down the stretch to win the game.”

Boston University head coach Joe Jones was unhappy with the Terriers’ lack of intensity and energy in Monday’s 81-75 win (Photo by Sam Perkins)

Boston University freshman point guard Maurice Watson Jr. scored 10 points while dishing out six assists to just one turnover, forward Malik Thomas scored 10 points and pulled down eight rebounds and freshman forward Nate Dieudonne scored 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting in just 14 minutes off the bench. Guard D.J. Irving added 13 points and freshman gunner John Papale chipped in 11.

Plummer was brilliant for the Retrievers, shrugging off swarming double-teams to pour in 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting, burying three triples and ripping down a game-high 11 rebounds.

“He’s quick: Once he gets the ball he’s turning. I know what he’s doing but by the time you react to it the ball is already in the air,” said Morris, a rival and nemesis of Plummer’s since their high school and AAU days.

Guard Ryan Cook added 15 points, six rebounds and three assists to just one turnover, hitting 6-of-9 shots and swishing all three of his three-point attempts. Senior guard Brian Neller scored 12 points, burying four bombs from long range and forward Adrian Satchell added 11 points and six rebounds.

Boston University shot a red-hot 51.7 percent from the floor (31-of-60), while UMBC shot an even hotter 52.5 percent from the floor (31-of-59) and a scorching 54.5 percent from behind the arc (12-of-22). The Retrievers dished out 17 assists to the Terriers 15. But the Terriers outscored the Retrievers 46-26 in the paint, committed just five turnovers on the day while forcing 12 Retrievers fumbles, and hit 15-of-20 free throws while UMBC attempted just two all game.

“There’s no need to talk about the free-throws because we didn’t guard anybody,” said Jones.

Fresh of an 85-80 overtime road win at Albany on Wednesday which saw Irving score six points in the final nine seconds of regulation, the Terriers appeared to be suffering from a hangover after Wednesday’s emotional high. After Cook opened the game with a lay-up, Thomas threw the ensuing unpressured inbounds away, leading to a Satchell lay-up. After Morris missed a bunny for the Terriers, Plummer drilled a three and UMBC led 7-0.

“The first possession, we go to take the ball out after they score – when that happens you’re just not ready to go,” said Jones. “Whether the Albany game – the overtime win, the emotional win – had anything to do with it, who knows, but the bottom line: We did not come out with the energy that it takes to be a great team. And that’s what we’re striving for.”

The Retrievers were selfless with the ball and stifling defending the perimeter, pushing their lead to 25-15 on a pull-up three by Cook with 7:09 left in the first.

UMBC freshman point guard Aaron Morgan pushes the ball in transition Saturday (Photo by Sam Perkins).

But the Terriers woke up, rattling off 10 straight points over the next four minutes to tie the game, with Morris and Papale providing four points apiece during that stretch.

The Retrievers responded with brilliant ball movement, as Plummer threaded the needle with a left handed hook pass from the paint past three defenders to Neller, who banged a three. Point guard Quinton Jones found Neller again with a nifty no-look pass out of a loose ball scramble for another deep three with 56 seconds remaining and the Retreivers went into the half leading 32-31. (more…)

Sponsored by Alex Lauritson-Lada and Liberty Concepts. Founded in 2000, Liberty Concepts is a full service digital communications agency that specializes in helping create brands and develop online communities around them. A full service shop, Liberty Concepts has helped clients from discovery through execution.

Boston University point guard Maurice Watson Jr., corrals a second-half pass with UMBC point guard Quinton Jones in hot pursuit (Photo by Sam Perkins).

(Boston, MA) – Offense was at a premium and defense hard to find on Saturday as the Boston University Terriers out-dueled the University of Maryland-Baltimore County Retrievers 81-75 in an all-out shootout between two run-and-gun offenses.

“We came out with no energy right from the start,” said BU head coach Joe Jones. “The silver lining is that we won the game and we made the plays that it took down the stretch to win the game.”

“Bottom line, we give up 50 points in the second half and that’s pretty much the tale of the game,” said UMBC interim head coach Aki Thomas.

Dom Morris led six Terriers in double figures, scoring a career-high 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting while pulling down a team-high eight rebounds. Point guard Maurice Watson Jr. scored 10 points and dished out six assists to just one turnover, forward Malik Thomas scored 10 points to go with eight rebounds, freshman forward Nate Dieudonne scored 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting, guard D.J. Irving added 13 points and guard John Papale chipped in 11.

Chase Plummer scored 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting, pulling down a game-high 11 rebounds and was generally the best player on the floor. Guard Ryan Cook scored 15 points, shooting 6-of-9 from the floor and 3-of-3 from behind the arc, and added six rebounds and three assists to just one turnover. Senior guard Brian Neller scored 12 points, on 4-of-9 shooting from downtown and forward Adrian Satchell added 11 points and six rebounds.

The game was played at a run-and-gun break-neck pace, with both team’s shooting better than 50 percent from the floor and posting a positive assist to turnover ratio. The game featured 10 ties and seven lead changes. (more…)

Freshman shooting guard John Papale (2) knocks down a three-pointer while being fouled as teammates (from left to right) Zach Chionuma, Justin Alston, Dom Morris and Malik Thomas cheer from the bench. The Terriers fell, 72-59, to George Washington on Saturday (Photo by Sam Perkins).

The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong in the broken places.
-Ernest Hemingway

The journey down the road of life which spans from adolescence to adulthood is far from a straight-shot along a well marked thruway. It is a long and winding path along an unlit and unpaved off-road, strewn with pot-holes, boulders, roadblocks, and treacherous turns along the way. Those who travel along it are left battered and bruised.

Most are better for it.

The successes we enjoy later in life are often born in the struggles and hard-knock lessons of our youth.

For the Boston University Terriers, a talented but teething basketball team in its infancy, the first three games of the season have been a series of growing pains.

“Anybody can see that we have talent, so it’s just a matter of time before it starts clicking, and you want it to happen now. But sometimes you just can’t rush the process,” said Terriers head coach Joe Jones after Saturday’s 72-59 loss to the visiting George Washington Colonials. The loss dropped the Terriers to 0-3 to start the season.

“It’s hard losing, I’m not going to lie to you,” said Jones after the game.

On Saturday, the Terriers fought hard, and showed several positives signs — namely the ease at which guards D.J. Irving and Maurice Watson got to the hoop off the bounce, John Papale’s ability to drill contested 3’s from anywhere inside the Greater Boston Area, and the team’s collective fight when the chips were down.

But inconsistent energy, lack of focus, and inexperience once again proved to be the team’s undoing. (more…)

Demetrius Pollard (Center) was the hero for the Huskies, hitting a game winning three-pointer with 0.7 seconds remaining to lead Northeastern to a 65-64 win over rival Boston University (photo by Sam Perkins)

(Boston, MA) — The fifth three-pointer of Demetrius Pollard’s career would prove to be the biggest shot of his life. Pollard, a sophomore guard, drilled a top of the key 3 with 0.7 seconds remaining to give the Huskies a dramatic a 65-64 win over cross-town rival Boston University. It was his only field goal of the night.

The “Battle of Boston” as it has been branded, has become a season-opening tradition between the two schools, whose rivalry dates all the way back to the old ECAC North Days, and seems to annually produce high-stakes drama. The last four meetings between the two programs have come down to the final possession in regulation, with two needing an overtime period to determine the winner.

“A few more games like this and people are going to be talking about these games for years to come,” said Northeastern head coach Bill Coen.

Senior guard Joel Smith scored a game high 20 points to go with five rebounds and five assists before fouling out with nine seconds left; forward Reggie Spencer scored 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting, to go along with seven rebounds and two blocks; and forward Quincy Ford added 11 points and nine rebounds for the Huskies.

Junior point guard D.J. Irving paced the Terriers with 18 points on 8-of-19 shooting, red-shirt sophomore forward Malik Thomas added 13 points and seven rebounds. Freshman forward Nathan Dieudonne pulled down a team-high nine rebounds to go with seven points, and freshman point guard Maurice Watson dished out a team-high four assists. (more…)

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…)

(Boston, MA) — UMBC guard Jerrell Lane drove down the court, pulled up from behind the arc, and fired up an uncontested 3. As the final buzzer sounded, Lane’s wounded duck struck nothing but the bottom of the backboard.

It was the Retrievers season in a nutshell.

Boston University romped to an 83-48 win Tuesday night over visiting UMBC in a laugher between two teams headed in polar-opposite directions.

The host Terriers hit on all-cylinders, posting season highs in points (83), rebounds (45), blocks (nine), and point-differential (35), while emptying the bench with roughly five minutes remaining in game time. The win moves Boston University to 7-1 in America East play, the program’s best start to the conference slate since the 2003-2004 season.

“I was very pleased with our overall effort, and we got significant contributions from a number of guys,” said Terriers head coach Joe Jones, who saw 11 different Terriers score.

For the Retrievers, who fall to 2-6 in conference play and 3-17 on the season, the wheels appear to have fallen off. UMBC has now lost two straight games by 35 or more points and has fallen in six of their last seven.

“[BU] certainly came out and pushed us around, and I don’t think we responded very well – it’s a little disappointing and a little discouraging,” said UMBC head coach Randy Monroe. “It’s college basketball; you have to compete… we didn’t do it.” (more…)