Posts Tagged ‘Nick Billings’

Yeah, Jameel Warney is THAT Good.

Monday, February 18th, 2013

By Matt Whitrock and Sam Perkins

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Sent Packing! Stony Brook freshman Jameel Warney rejects Vermont guard Josh Elbaum in the first half of the Seawolves 65-48 win on Friday (Photo by Sam Perkins).

(Stony Brook, NY) – Jameel Warney is a force in America East unlike anything we’ve seen in years.

After turning down scholarships from the likes of Iowa, Penn State and Charlotte, the 6’8” 250 pound bruiser from Plainfield, New Jersey had amassed a hype even larger than his massive frame.

“He’s the best big man that will ever play here, absolutely,” Stony Brook head coach Steve Pikiell said at the time.

Over the course of his first season of college ball, Warney has not only lived up to the lofty expectations, but exceeded them.

Through 25 games, Warney currently ranks fifth in the conference in rebounding at 7.6 boards per game, 10th in scoring at 12 points per game, while leading the league in field goal percentage (62.4 percent) and blocked shots (1.6 per game). In conference play, Warney has been even better, averaging 12.6 points per game (8th), 8.3 rebounds (4th) and 1.6 blocks (1st), while shooting an insane 65.9 percent from the floor.

“It’s unbelievable; he has the best hands I’ve ever seen,” raved fifth-year senior Tommy Brenton, the team’s captain and emotional leader. “He makes me look good, honestly, I’ll just throw it up there sometimes [and] he catches it.”

His raw numbers become all the more impressive when considering the defensive attention already being paid to the Seawolves workhorse.

“In high school he would have five guys on him,” said Steve Pikiell following the Seawolves dominating 65-48 win over conference rival Vermont. Warney shrugged off double and triple teams to post 12 points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting to go with 10 rebounds to help the Seawolves secure a resounding win and two game cushion in the conference standings.

Simply put, Warney is already the runaway Rookie of the Year. But he’s more – much more – and much better than his raw numbers. When looking at his advanced statistics, Warney is not only the most efficient offensive player in the conference, but the most impactful rookie to come through the America East in more than half a decade. (more…)

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Out of the Darkness: Former Maine Black Bear Mark Flavin walks in remembrance of his best friend.

Thursday, October 18th, 2012

There are some things that Mark Flavin will always remember. Like the cold winter’s eve on January 21st, 2004, in tiny Case Gymnasium, when he played the half of his life.

Taking the floor in front of a home-state crowd that included his former coach from his playing days at Weymouth High, the current Weymouth Wildcats basketball team, a host of friends and family, and most importantly, his life-long best friend Dave Donnellan – a constant presence in the stands throughout his career – Flavin went beast-mode.

Against a BU squad that would close out the regular season winning 22 of its last 23 games and rank in the top 30 in the AP Polls, and a roster of All-Conference caliber players – including five forwards who would earn All-Conference honors during their careers – it was Flavin, a red-shirt junior who spent most of his first three seasons in college watching from the sidelines, who was the best player on the court that day.

Surrounded, swarmed and hacked every time he touched the ball, he was unstoppable. By the time the half-time buzzer sounded, Flavin, a 6’11’” 250 pound center, had bulldozed and bludgeoned his way to 20 points on 7-10 shooting in the first half, while single-handedly landing virtually the entire Terriers front-court in foul trouble.

“[Boston University forward] Rashad Bell leaned over to me when I was shooting free-throws and said ‘you’re going for 50 tonight, aren’t you?’” said Flavin with a chuckle. “I thought I was.”

Almost nine years later, standing under a cold blue sky in Artesani Park, Brighton, looking out over the Charles River, he remembered the game vividly.

“At half-time I was exhausted – just dying in the locker room. I was pounding Gatorades.”

Then there are the things Flavin will never be able to forget. Like the phone call he received on December 16th, 2004 – almost a year after his heroics – telling him that Donnellan, who had stood by Flavin through thick and thin – picking him up when his life was at its darkest – had taken his own life.

“I’ll remember that moment for the rest of my life – the feeling; I couldn’t breath. ‘Devastated,’ ‘heart-broken,’ ‘lost’ – doesn’t begin to describe it,” he said, staring across the dark, choppy water, towards the far bank. (more…)

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OBW All [Almost] Decade Rim-Rockers

Wednesday, November 2nd, 2011

On November 11th the America East will once again tip-off its season. It will also serve as a milestone of sorts for me, as it will mark my 11th season of following and now covering the America East day in and day out. My first season, during the 2001-2002 campaign, coincided with the conference realigning into something close to what it is today (with the departure of the CAA-4 and the addition of the SUNY schools). I’ve been through a lot during my time in the America East. What began as a way to spend time with my dad and my brother during the end of my time in high school (and a way to cope with the sheer suckitude of UMass hoops), became a rock of sorts in my life. AE hoops has seen me through the loss of my best friend, my father, my own self-destruction in pro ball, and a host of other defining moments in my life. It’s been the one constant for me.
(more…)

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Invite Only: BU’s Holland, Maine’s Barnies score pre-draft workouts from NBA teams

Wednesday, June 1st, 2011

Boston University small forward/shooting guard John Holland and Maine

John Holland has several NBA invites on his slate

power forward Troy Barnies have scored workouts with NBA franchises leading up to the 2011 NBA draft. Holland, the 2011 America East Player of the Year and a three-time first team All-Conference selection, worked out with the New York Knicks on Tuesday and has future workouts scheduled with the Detroit Pistons and Denver Nuggets, while Barnies, who enjoyed a breakout season as a senior and was named to the All-Conference First Team (the first All-Conference selection of his career), has workouts scheduled with the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers.

Being invited to NBA workouts is a heck of an accomplishment for any player from a low mid-major like the America East and gives Holland and Barnies a chance to show what they can do in front of NBA coaching staff’s and front office personnel.

However, it is important to note that not all pre-draft invites are equal. There are typically two kinds of players invited to pre-draft workouts with NBA teams: true NBA prospects that NBA teams want to take a very long look at to assess, and players to push them through the workouts and bring out the best in them (in essence, practice players).

Among recent America East Alums who scored NBA workouts, Taylor Coppenrath, Jose Juan Barea, Kenny Adeleke, Jamar Wilson, Marqus Blakely, Nick Billings, Trevor Gaines, Rashad Bell, Errick Greene and Justin Rowe were all brought in for true NBA looks. The likes of Muhammad El-Amin, Mike Trimboli, Chris Holm and Kevin Gardner (to name a few) fell into the second category. (more…)

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Former Terrier Ryan Butt scouts Vermont’s Four McGlynn

Tuesday, May 17th, 2011

Ryan Butt knows the America East. A four year starter for Boston University, during his career Butt went toe-to-toe in the low-post with Taylor Coppenrath, Trevor Gaines, Ajmal Basit and Nick Billings, and suited up against Jose Juan Barea, T.J. Sorrentine and Jamar Wilson (to name a few). He also knows what it takes to succeed in the AE, having won three regular season titles while leading BU to a pair of NIT appearances and an NCAA berth.

He also knows incoming Vermont freshman Four McGlynn. A student of the game during his playing days, Butt returned to his Pennsylvania roots after graduation and is in his fourth year as the head basketball coach at Donegal High School. At Donegal, Butt coached against McGlynn’s Dallastown team and got to see the UVM recruit first-hand.

While the commitment of some UVM incoming freshmen may be up in the air following former head coach Mike Lonergan’s departure for George Washington, McGlynn recently reaffirmed his decision to attend UVM in the fall no matter who the next head coach is. Butt stopped by OBW recently and was nice enough to share his thoughts and scouting report on McGlynn, as well as an interesting America East comparison:

“Four McGlynn was a kid we played against this year. He is a 6’1″ combo guard who played mostly the point for his high school team but can play either guard spot. He has good range out to 25 feet but is more of a scorer than a pure shooter. Four has pretty good size for a point guard but probably needs to get stronger to be able to finish in the lane more consistently.

“Four’s on court demeanor reminds me of JJ Barea a little. He plays with a swagger and tends to get under his opponent’s skin at times. I think he still needs to work on his overall ball-handling skills if he is going to play the point full time. He does see the floor well and seems to rise to the occasion when his team needs points. I think he will be a contributor for UVM within his first couple of years if he is able to get stronger.”

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AE Alumni Around the World

Thursday, January 20th, 2011

Earlier this season we checked in on former America East players Rashad Bell and Muhammad El-Amin, who are both competing in the top league in Hungary. At the time, Bell was making a run at another league MVP, while El-Amin was trying to find his footing. Fast forward to today and Bell continues to look like an MVP, while El-Amin played the game of his life a week ago. Here’s a run-down of how both Bell and El-Amin have been doing on the pro-circuit, as well as some updates on several other former America East players competing in the pro-ranks.

Rashad Bell, BU ‘05:

"King Bell" continues to dominate Hungary

Bell continues to excel in the Hungarian A division. Bell has carried Kormend, which sits in fourth place at 12-3, all season long, and currently ranks second in the league in scoring at 21.2 points per game, seventh in rebounds at 9.4, tenth in blocks, while shooting 60 percent from the floor as well as averaging 2 steals per contest. He has been, quite simply, the best player in the top league in Hungary despite facing double and triple-teams every night. When you consider the combination of salary, performance on the court, strength of league and carrying a team to the top of the standings, Bell is having the best year of any AE Alumn playing pro ball not named “Barea.” Bell continues to write the book on climbing the international ladder, and should have some very high level offers on the table next season. (more…)

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The All-”Almost-Decade” Teams: Binghamton

Tuesday, December 28th, 2010

Over the past nine (going on ten) seasons, OBW writer Sam Perkins has seen an awful lot of America East hoops (by his estimate he’s closing in on 600 games during that span). Since the summer, he has been putting together his “All-Decade” (or more accurately All [Almost] Decade) Team. Leading up to the unveiling, Sam will be posting his “Fab Five” – the top five players from the 2001-2002 season to present – for each America East squad, along with his overview of what each program has accomplished during that time period.

My first year as an America East diehard was not only Binghamton’s first year in the conference, but as a Division-I institution, so you can say that I’ve watched the Bearcats since the beginning. Some journeys are rocky – the Bearcats’ has been strewn with boulders, but it’s been an eventful journey, and at times it’s been pretty damn exciting (and jaw-dropping) to watch Binghamton over the past decade.

During the Bearcats first two seasons in the league, they were ineligible for post season play per NCAA rules regarding teams transitioning to Division I. Ineligible didn’t put a damper on the entertainment. I still remember the first two times I saw the Bearcats, when they came to Boston to play Northeastern and then BU. Or, more accurately, I remember a 7-foot beanpole named Nick Billings. (more…)

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