One-Bid Wonders

The most famous shipwreck in history occurred a little more than 101 years ago, but former Maine assistant coach Nate Philippe may be able to tell you about surviving the Titanic.

After two years on what has been a sinking ship at Maine, Philippe has followed departed players Justin Edwards, Alasdair Fraser and Jon Mesghna out of the University and into the life boats, taking a job on the staff of newly hired head coach Mike Brennan at American University.

During his brief time at Maine, Philippe established himself as a steady sideline presence, a builder of big men and an impact recruiter (much like another Maine assistant coach). After all-conference players Fraser and Edwards abandoned ship in the wake of yet another Black Bears late-season torpedoing, Philippe shouldered much of the burden of rebuilding.

Philippe played a key role in landing the likes of recently signed recruits Erik Nissen, a 6’9 long, skilled and athletic left-handed face-4 who rebounds and defends; Mario Pirovic, a 6’7” face-4 that can play some 3, shoot and rebound and was a member of the Canadian Junior National Team; Troy Reid-Knight, a 6’1”, very physical point guard with lock-down defender potential and a 6’7” wingspan; and Christian Ejiga, a physical, rough-around-the-edges 6’9” 230 pound post player with a high upside. He was also popular among his players and peers.

And now Philippe is gone, adding on to the already massive void in Orono. (more…)

(Orono, Maine) – For three years, University of Maine center Alasdair Fraser has left the earth quaking, backboards shaking and a trail of battered opponents, bruised egos, bent rims and busted basket supports in his wake.

On Tuesday, Fraser once again shook the earth at the University of Maine, but in a very different fashion.

In a story first broken by One-Bid Wonders, the junior center and OBW All-Conference First Team selection officially requesting his release from the university, bringing to an end his Black Bear career before his senior year. Fraser will either sign an overseas contract and begin his professional career, or transfer to another Division I institution to use up his final year of eligibility.

And with that, the dark days in Orono have turned pitch-black; the hurricane already raging has now grown into the storm of the century.

Listed at 6’7” 230 (and weighing in closer to 260) pounds of muscle, Fraser has stood tall for the Black Bears as a Scottish Wall on defense and immovable object on offense. As a junior Fraser averaged 13.4 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game, ranking eighth, fourth and second in the conference, respectively. Fraser also finished fifth in scoring in America East Conference games at 14.3 points per contest.

Sheer numbers do not do Fraser justice or accurately encompass his impact: Arguably the league’s most dynamic center, Fraser displayed a brilliant and diverse arsenal of low-post moves as well as a silky-smooth jumper out to the NBA 3-point line. He also ranked as one of the most efficient players in the league using NBA-style advanced metrics, despite drawing nightly double – and often triple – teams every trip down the court while playing in a chaotic and dysfunction system in which he was criminally underused and overlooked.

He was also the rarest of rare-breeds: a Black Bear player who continued to grow, develop and improve every year in Orono. Fraser made the leap from a bruising bulldozer and America East strongman as a freshman, to a cerebral big-man with a refined low post game and automatic mid-range jumper as a sophomore, before making another stride as a junior, adding a 3-point shot and deft passing touch.

Fraser showcased the depth of his talent and abilities in a January 22nd upset over Vermont, just missing a triple-double; pouring in 20 points on 9-of-15 shooting, ripping down 10 rebounds and dishing out eight assists while swatting a pair of shots.

Maine was already dealing with the crippling blow of losing its top scorer, most athletic player, and best raw talent in high-flying wing Justin Edwards, who announced his decision to transfer out of the university a month ago. Edwards led league in scoring at 16.7 points per game despite only scratching the surface of his raw abilities.

While Edwards’ departure sent the Black Bears to the mat for an eight-count, it is Fraser’s that might KO the program for the upcoming season – and beyond. (more…)

(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…)

Sponsored by Marcie Mitler

(Boston, MA) – If the definition of insanity is repeating the same mistake over and over again and expecting different results, then the Boston University Terriers and the University of Maine Black Bears played one bat-something-crazy game Tuesday night.

Facing off for the 100th and final time as conference foes, both teams continued their season long trends of shooting themselves in the foot while doing their best to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

The Terriers pounded Maine’s porous perimeter defense, burying 11-of-22 3-pointers and rode a scorching hot first half to a 79-72 win, but not before nearly blowing a 22 point second half lead while displaying an inexcusable lack of effort.

“We played a great first half,” said BU head coach Joe Jones. “The first seven, eight minutes of the second half I was pleased with and then we lost our concentration: I thought we could have extended our lead – it was really poor on our part in terms of decision making on offense down the stretch.”

The league’s worst 3-point field goal percentage defense, the Black Bears once again employed their never-fails-to-fail 2-3 zone defense of doom in an attempt to combat a barrage from downtown – a defense as useful defending the 3 as a screen door is on a submarine.

“We missed a couple shots, they got a couple turnovers, they got in transition and they hit 3’s – it wasn’t 2’s,” said Maine head coach Ted Woodward.

Not to be out-done, after dropping four conference games – along with a near epic meltdown against an overmatched UMBC squad – by simply not playing hard until the final buzzer, the Terriers once again failed to show even the slightest sense of urgency while mailing it in down the stretch.

“When we don’t play with energy, we’re not very good,” said Jones. “If we’re not going to come out and go after people, we’re going to struggle.”

The Terriers shot 58.1 percent from the floor (18-of-31) and 57.1 percent from behind the arc (8-of-14) in the opening stanza, and 49.1 percent from the floor (28-of-57) and 50 percent from three (11-of-22) for the game. BU dished out 18 assists, forced 18 turnovers and won the rebounding battle against the bigger and stronger Black Bears 34-33.

But the Terriers committed 16 turnovers of their own – many of them by simply being lazy and careless with the ball – resulting in 24 Black Bears points, allowing Maine to make a game of it. The Black Bears also scored 38 points in the paint to the Terriers 20, but shot just 26.7 percent from 3 (4-of-15).

“There were some really positive things: we shot 58 percent in the first half, we were 11-for-22 [from three], we had 18 assists – which is huge,” said Jones. “But if we want to be a championship caliber team… We have to concentrate at a higher rate a lot more consistently.”

Junior forward Dom Morris scored a career-high 20 points shooting a stellar 9-of-13 from the floor, to go with seven rebounds, two steals and a block to pace the Terriers.Freshman point guard Maurice Watson Jr., scored 14 points, dished out eight assists and swiped three steals. Freshman gunner John Papale scored 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting and junior wing Travis Robinson added nine; The duo combined to shoot 7-of-13 from behind the arc. Junior guard D.J. Irving struggled through a tough night on offense, shooting just 1-of-5 from the floor and committing six turnovers, but the diminutive 5’10” guard found a way to contribute, pulling down a game-high 10 rebounds. (more…)

(West Hartford, CT) — There’s a world of difference between high volume and high percentage shooting, and it’s the difference between current University of Hartford Men’s basketball team and its previous incarnates.

The Hawks have always played hard – furious, frenetic energy is a staple of teams playing under fiery third-year head coach John Gallagher and a prerequisite for players he recruits. Now, the Hawks are playing smart; forgoing the bombs away offense relying on forced three’s in favor of running their offense through their front court, hitting the glass and taking what defenses gave them.

On Wednesday, playing a matinee which tipped off at noon before a raucous crowd of nearly 3,000 – almost all students from local grade and high schools – in a battle between unbeatens in America East play, the Hawks played a near-perfect game and knocked off visiting Maine 68-61.

“I thought our guys really, really came out ready to go,” said Gallagher after the game. “We have the talent, now we’re starting to really learn how to play together.”

Sophomore forward Mark Nwakamma led Hartford with a game-high 23 points on 10-of-17 shooting, dished out a career-high eight assists to just three turnovers and pulled down a team-high seven rebounds – all on the defensive end. Freshman point guard Evan Cooper scored 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting to go with three steals and two assists and sophomore guard Yolonzo Moore II scored 16 points while drilling 4-of-8 three’s, while dishing out five assists and swiping three steals.

Hartford shot 52.2 percent from the floor (24-of-46), 47.6 percent from behind the arc (10-of-21), and dished out 18 assists to 13 turnovers. (more…)

(Boston, MA) – With a massive neck, colossal chest, hulking shoulders, and monstrously powerful jaws, the North American Black Bear is an imposing and intimidating animal. Reaching heights of seven-feet tall when standing on two legs, weights in excess of 500 pounds, and capable of running at speeds up to 30 miles per hour, the Black Bear is an impressive and imposing physical specimen.

Yet, despite its ferocious appearance and prodigious power, the Black Bear’s personality is far more timid than tenacious; A full-grown Black Bear is far more likely to turn tail and flee from an encounter with not only humans, but also with smaller mammals, than it is to stand its ground and fight.

The monstrous appearance but meek persona of the Black Bear has made the animal a fitting mascot for the University of Maine men’s basketball team over the past three seasons:Maine has had the size, athleticism, and physicality to take the America East by storm. But after hot starts in each of the past three seasons, and in spite of their fearsome abilities, the Black Bears have folded down the stretch, turning tail instead of fighting through adversity.

After opening the year with four straight losses, it appeared the Black Bears were set to skip over the promising starts of seasons past, and begin their annual hibernation four months ahead of schedule.

But over the last two games, the Black Bears stirred: After showing fight in a 72-66 win over Siena on Sunday, Maine made it two straight wins over quality opponents on Wednesday, by hanging on against a heavily favored Northeastern team playing on its home court.

Sophomore forward Justin Edwards was a monster, center Alasdair Fraser was a beast on the blocks, sophomore fill-in point guard Xavier Pollard was ferocious on defense, and the Black Bears hung on for a 76-73 win over Northeastern at historic Matthews Arena. Maine saw three starters foul-out and an 11 point lead shrink to one in the games final minutes, and survived Northeastern forward Quincy Ford’s potential game tying three, which went in and out before the buzzer sounded.

“Obviously, it was a tremendous effort by our guys,” said Maine head coach Ted Woodward, “For us to be in such foul trouble, it was very much gut-check time. It was very much a team win.”

Edwards exploded for a career-high 30 points, shooting an unconscious 11-of-12 from the floor, and added five rebounds, three steals, two assists and a block. Fraser bulled his way to 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting before fouling out, and Pollard dished out seven assists, scored eight points and was a tornado on defense, plundering the Huskies back court for four steals. (more…)

“Why can’t we get players like that?”

In my neck of the woods, it’s a well-trod saying embedded in the lexicon of Boston Red Sox fans, used to bemoan players the ball club cast-off, only to see them emerge as stars with another organization. Adding insult to injury, these players often posses critical traits, qualities, and abilities, whose glaring absence from the current roster play a direct role in the ineptitude of the home town team.

From Jeff Bagwell, to Brady Anderson, Matt Stairs, Curt Schilling (before he was re-acquired a decade later), and host of others in between, the phrase has been used in biting, sarcastic tones, by bitter ‘Sox fans to condemn the club’s front office, and the downward trajectory of the Olde Towne Team.

Or, in my case as a born-and-bread Bostonian who is also a lifelong, die-hard, Red Sox-Hater, it’s a phrase used to needle one’s friends mercilessly to the point of going postal.

After a new era of front office incompetence, the phrase has been dusted off this season in reference to Josh Reddick, Marco Scutaro and David Murphy – just to name a few.

I couldn’t help but think of the phrase when, flipping through the statistics for the Patriot League, I saw the name Murphy Burnatowski atop the conference scoring leaders, averaging 23.5 points per game for Colgate after lighting up high-majors Illinois and Marquette.

Burnatowski, of course, was a highly-touted freshman who earned league All-Rookie honors for the Maine Black Bears during the 2009-2010 season. A 6’7” 230 pound wing who could shoot it from behind the arc, throw people around in the post, defend the one through five positions, and finish with a big dunk in traffic. (more…)

(Providence, RI)–Good teams find a way to win even when they don’t play well.

On Friday afternoon, the Maine Black Bears didn’t bring their “A” game – or even their “B” game for that matter.

Team leading scorer Gerald McLemore was held to less than half his season average. Starting point guard Andrew Rogers – the America East leader in assists and assist-to-turnover ratio, and the Black Bears offensive catalyst – spent the majority of the game on the bench. For the entire first half, the Black Bears were lethargic, a step slow and out of position.

But Maine still registered a commanding 71-58 win over the host Brown Bears in a game that was not as close as the final score.

Freshman wing Justin Edwards scored 17 points, pulled down eight rebounds, and dished out five assists. Sophomore center Alasdair Fraser scored 17 points, to go with eight rebounds and a block, and the Black Bears had four players score in double-figures and eight players play double-digit minutes in the win. (more…)

(Kingston, RI)-Fighting tired legs and an injury-depleted bench, the Maine Black Bears showed grit, guts and heart, winning a grueling and physical road contest in overtime Sunday afternoon, 76-74, against a URI squad desperate to rescue a 2011-2012 campaign that has gone pear-shaped from the very beginning.

The Black Bears also showed talent that hasn’t been seen in Orono for the better part of the decade – talent which could soon make Black Bears fans forget about the disastrous end to last season.

“That was an awfully hard fought win,” said Maine head coach Ted Woodward following the game. “I thought we made some shots when we needed to, made some stops when we needed to.”

Maine got big games from their three-headed monster of Alasdair Fraser, Gerald McLemore and Justin Edwards, and contributions from almost every healthy player in uniform to register a team win. (more…)

The hits keep coming for the University of Maine men’s basketball program, as talented sophomore forward Murphy Burnatowski has been granted his release and left the Black Bears program.

After a season which began with tremendous promise, including wins

on the road against Penn State and Umass and an 8-1 start to the America East slate, the Black Bears fell into a tailspin of epic proportions, losing eight out of their final nine games while being racked with rumors of internal conflicts.

Even on a roster that included 2011 First-Team All-Conference selection Troy Barnies and 2010 First-Team All-Conference Gerald McLemore, the 6’7, 230-pound Burnatowski was viewed by many as the team’s most talented player, or at least the Black Bear with the most potential for growth. Strong and agile, the Canadian swingman combined tenacious on-ball defense with a soft jump shot, and already possessed many of the elements required of any star in the making (Strength and athleticism key among them).

An All-Rookie selection during the 2009-2010 season, Burnatowski averaged 6.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.1 steals in just over 21 minutes per game as a freshman while distinguishing himself as one of the league’s premier defenders. During his second campaign in Orono, Burnatowski showed flashes of brilliance, including 17 points on the road at ACC power Maryland and 20 in the Black Bears’ upset of Penn State. However, his season was marred by inconsistency and an apparent lack of effort. As the season wore on, his minutes became increasingly sporadic.

In slightly fewer minutes per game, Burnatowski did nearly duplicate the offensive figures from his freshman season, and actually improved upon his scoring numbers (6.9 points per game up from 6.4) despite decreased minutes. However, for a player who made a name for himself as a defensive stalwart, his performance and effort on the defensive end became increasingly shaky. (more…)