Promising Signs for Bulls, Griffs
After watching three of the region’s Big 4 college basketball teams this weekend, there’s plenty of new information to digest. Gone are the familiar days of Frank Turner and Rodney Pierce driving through traffic and finishing at the rim; the reigns of Belardo and McCrea are underway. I’m certainly not an expert on St. Bonaventure and Niagara, so I won’t try to impress you/make things up about them. Here’s a bit-by-bit breakdown of the weekend:
Electric Newcomers: Canisius – Gaby Belardo, UB – Javon McCrea.
Belardo, the Puerto Rican redshirt sophomore transfer from South Florida, is the Griffs’ new vocal and emotional leader. An unknown commodity entering the game – which Bonaventure’s Coach Schmidt alluded to – Belardo showed flair and aggression – and a tendency to lose control at times. Even so, Gaby shot 5-9 from the floor, finished with 19 points, and, despite five turnovers, lead Canisius to a 10 point victory. He’ll have his share of ugly 6-7 turnover games, but his defensive tenacity and strength is a welcome addition.
With “work ethic” and “questionable motor” concerns looming around him, McCrea checked in with 14 minutes left in the first half and dominated immediately. He’s a man-child – his shoulders, arms, and legs should not belong to an 18-year-old. He openly admitted in the press conference that he “coasted at times” in high school, but his 6-6, 14 point, 10 rebound, 4 block, 3 steal performance was as impressive of a freshman debut as I’ve seen. From stripping guards in the backcourt, to abusing Mark Veazey in the post, to showing a soft touch around the hoop, McCrea demonstrated qualities of a future star. He hasn’t developed many post moves yet (from what I could tell in his 13 minutes), but his footwork looks natural. If he sticks around and commits to improving, he’ll be a monster in 2 years.
Good Stories – Alshwan Hymes, Canisius and Byron Mulkey, UB
Hymes shot 29% from the floor last year. That’s 29%. In his first game of 2010-11, he was a different player – Coach Parrotta pointed to fitness (Hymes lost 15 pounds this offseason), but Hymes looked much more confident shooting the ball from outside (5-6 total, 3-4 beyond the arc). Although the Griffs aren’t particularly deep (Parrotta comfortably plays 8, it seems), Logins and Hymes inject instant offense off the bench (23 points), taking pressure off Coles/Belardo in shouldering the scoring load.
Byron Mulkey had his knee scoped for “loose bodies” on October 29th – which, frankly, sounds a little gross. That surgery had to be a little disheartening for a guy who red-shirted last year just so he could have the reins in 2010. To say he was “amped” early is an understatement – Reggie Witherspoon credited Mulkey for “slowing down mentally,” however, and Mulkey didn’t turn the ball over again after losing possession 4 times in the first 4.5 minutes. Like Belardo at Canisius, Mulkey is very active defensively – sneaking into passing lanes, harassing guards up the floor, and constantly searching for doubling opportunities. Mulkey aggressiveness complements the frontcourt’s size and length very well.
Reasons for Concern – Depth, Canisius and Titus Robinson, UB.
The Griffins, simply put, cannot afford to be in foul trouble. Parrotta explored his bench a little more today in the 86-67 loss to ‘Cuse, but 7’3 Dhal, Khan, Kindler, and Gricius combined for 18 minutes – garbage time. Until Coach Parrotta trusts these youngsters with important minutes, Vazquez-Simmons and Elton Frazier will be under too much pressure to be both aggressive and foul-free – a remarkably tough task in the post. Developing Dhal, a junior transfer, should be high on the priority list of Canisius’ staff.
Titus teased us last year, showing glimpses of unreal athleticism and unrefined ability. He…looked identical to his freshman version in the opener; there was a reason that Robinson was the only non-freshman on the floor in garbage time until he left with an elbow injury. Still too weak to be comfortable in the block, Robinson is still useless on the perimeter. His length is an advantage defensively, but silly fouls remain an issue (with Watt, too). Javon McCrea, through one game, was a far superior player at both ends.
Both teams are home next Saturday – Canisius plays Eastern Michigan at 2 PM, while the Bulls face Towson at 7 PM.
