My Two Cents

After leaving the Wonderland of Ice Thursday night (I was there working on a future column on a Russian Pee Wee hockey team that’s here training) I got to listen to the final minutes of Fairfield’s big 73-69 road win over Loyola on WVOF-FM. Not only did the victory keep the Stags tied with Iona for second place in the MAAC — and that’s key because if Fairfield can finish second in the regular season standings (we’re going to go ahead and give Siena the title, OK?) and if the Saints go on and win the tournament title, the Stags would automatically get the NIT bid.
Against the Greyhounds, the Stags had the most unlikely of heroes (no, it wasn’t Jamal Turner) but close. Sean Crawford, who’s battling severe foot problems and will have surgery on both feet after the season, exploded in the final two minutes scoring Fairfield’s last eight points — including a four-point play — that broke a 63-63 tie. Bob Huessler was great on the radio, excited as all get out when Crawford made that 3-point shot (and free throw) and then on the next possession came down the lane and made some kind of incredible shot in traffic. Without question, the 10 points he scored just might have been the biggest 10 points of his career.
Why? Because Yorel Hawkins was suffering through a 1-for-9 shooting night (4 points) and down the stretch, Crawford was the man. Derek Needhamjus tgave him the ball and let him take over. And he did.
Colin Nickerson came through with a solid night off the bench (as did Mike Evanovich) as they both scored 9 points. Needham had 10 points, 6 assists and 4 turnovers. (He’s got 78 in 21 games, an average of 3.7) and that TO number has got to come down.
Anthony Johnson led the way with 23 points and eight rebounds. It was the sixth time this season that Peanut has broken the 20-point barrier.

Standing 15-6 with eight regular season games left, Fairfield has a good chance to win 20 games for the first time since 1995-96 and just the fifth time ever in school history.
1961-62 (20-5)
1977-78 (22-5)
1985-86 (24-7)
1995-96 (20-10)

The final eight games look like this:
Jan. 30 Rider
Feb. 5 St. Peter’s
Feb. 8 @ Siena
Feb. 12 @ Rider
Feb. 15 @ Manhattan
Feb. 20 @ ESPN Bracket Buster
Feb. 26 Iona
Feb. 28 Niagara

I don’t think the Stags have enough experience to beat Siena (not at the Times Union Center) but all these other games are winnable in my mind. If Fairfield goes 6-2 down the stretch, that would put them at 21-8 and likely give Ed Cooley the MAAC Coach of the Year Award.
I can also see Needham as MAAC Rookie of the Year and a second team All-MAAC pick with Peanut.
The stretch run starts tomorrow with Rider (12-11, 5-6 MAAC) at the Arena at 4.

This just in from the MAAC office:

ESPN has chosen the two MAAC men’s basketball matchups that will be televised on Friday, February 12.
Fairfield University (14-5, 7-2 MAAC) will take on host Rider University (10-10, 3-5 MAAC) at Alumni Gymnasium at 7:00 p.m. on ESPNU, the 24-hour college sports network.

The ESPN2 telecast will feature Siena College (16-4, 9-0 MAAC) at Niagara University (11-9, 4-4 MAAC). Game time is slated for 8:00 p.m. at the Gallagher Center.

After watching his team get pounded by Fairfield 70-50 Thursday night, Marist coach Chuck Martin had nothing but priase for the Stags in Friday’s editions of the Poughkeepise Journal.

“That’s a good Fairfield team, man. I mean, like, really good. That team’s got a chance to play in the NCAA tournament. I don’t know if they will. I don’t know if they would beat Siena at Siena in the tournament, but they’re good. If you took the ‘Fairfield’ off their jerseys, you could say that’s an Atlantic-10, Big East team — their size and their strength.”

Fairfield improved to 14-5 overall and 7-2 in the MAAC with a huge game coming up on Sunday at Iona. The Gaels are 13-6 overall, 5-3 in the MAAC. Game time is 3:30 p.m.

I wrote this after Monday’s win. No space in Tuesday’s paper for it. Post will run it Wednesday.

BRIDGEPORT – These days, Mike Evanovich looks at the calendar and sees that there aren’t a lot of days left in his basketball life. He is halfway through his senior season and every day that he crosses off means another day closer to the end. Closer to the end of a career that at best, could be described as inconsistent, or better yet, incomplete.

His resume was simple: good outside shooter. That was it. Everything else was well … inconsistent. Rebounding. Defense. Passing. There were occasional flashes but never anything substantial. But that was the old Mike Evanovich. The new one is a lot different.

He’s still a good outside shooter but it’s the other parts of his game are starting to come into focus. Evanovich is rebounding more, passing better and playing a more aggressive defense than he ever has. He knows this is his last go-round. It’s time to be a senior.

Evanovich gave Fairfield 11 big points Monday afternoon in a 76-74 nailbiter over Canisius at the Arena. There were also two steals, two rebounds and an assist in 24 minutes. And it was his big 3-pointer from the in front of the Stags bench that gave Fairfield it’s first lead of the game, 61-58 with 8:20 left.

“Game ball goes to Mike … in a lot of different ways, “Fairfield coach Ed Cooley said. “His senior leadership. We’ve been seeing it. We’ve been talking about it. I applaud his efforts because Mike’s got a lot of pride on defense and what he’s done in practice the last three or four weeks hasn’t gone unnoticed by any of the coaches. Just a proud moment for me for Michael to see that growth in him.”

His role has been spelled out by Cooley for a while now. Shoot when you’re open, rebound, pass and defend as best you can. But he admittedly didn’t work as hard as he should have in trying to be the best in that role. Until he looked at the calendar this fall and realized his playing days were numbered.

“Each game it gets a little closer to the end and I’m starting to realize it more and more,” Evanovich said. “I’m working harder in practice. This is the most I’ve done in my career. I’m glad it’s starting to show. I need to put it together if this is going to be the season I want it to be. It’s on me and I’m trying to take that load and do everything I can.”

He has put together three double-figure games in his last four and he’s really been feeling the shooter’s touch of late, making nine of his last 13 3-pointers. But that’s not where he shined on this day against Cabisius, it was doing all those other things.

“Mike played huge today,” said Yorel Hawkins, who chanted ‘MVP … MVP’ to Evanovich as they walked into the postgame press conference. “He was hitting big shots. I don’t even think it was his offensive that he got the MVP for because on defense he was telling us where to go, talking on D, rebounding the ball. He was doing everything tonight.”

He spent the summer working harder than he ever had. Evanovich dropped 10 pounds (getting down to 210) which has allowed him to run the floor better. Despite missing some time over the summer with an Achilles strain, he had pushed himself – for the first time in his career – to get better.

The results over the past few weeks speak for themselves.

“I forced myself to do it,” he said. “I’ve always known it but I never forced myself to do it. It’s my senior year and it’s all coming down to the end. The better shape I’m in, the better player I am.”

And that translates into a more increased role on the floor in games and in practice. Something that Cooley has waited a long time to see.

“I told him the other day just how proud I am seeing him work and he’s becoming the player we thought,” Evanovich said. “As much as I love Mike, he’s not out there for his unbelievable speed. I love him to death, but he’s not earning his scholarship by being the fastest guy on the floor. He’s earning it by doing exactly what he’s doing, giving us leadership and making shots.”

And understanding his role.

“Coach has always told me what my role is and I’m doing better at it right now than I’ve ever done so I just have to keep doing it. I’m glad it’s turned around and just trying to help us get some wins.”

With its 13th win Monday, Fairfeld is off to one of its best starts after 18 games in school history. Here’s a list of the best starts by the Stags, the year it happened and the final record.

16-2 1977-78 (22-5)
15-3 1960-61 (17-7)
15-3 1961-62 (20-5)
14-4 1965-66 (19-5)
14-4 1985-86 (24-7)
13-5 2009-10 (????)
13-5 1972-73 (18-9)

Here’s some good, some bad and some ugly, from Saturday’s 81-73 loss to Siena.

The Good
Ryan Olander had his first career double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Yorel Hawkins scored 20 points and had 6 rebounds and 2 blocks.
Mike Evanovich came off then bench and hit 3 three-pointers, finishing with 11 points in 19 minutes.
Derek Needham had 16 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds and 4 steals.
Anthony Johnson scored 12 points and had 6 rebounds and 2 blocks.
A decent crowd of 3,384 showed — despite the students still being on winter break (The MAAC ought to be given a swift kick in the keester for scheduling this game while the students are out of school).

The Bad
Needham, Johnson, Hawkins, Evanovich and Olander were the only Stags that scored.
Olander had 13 points and eight rebounds at the half. He managed just 1 point and 2 rebounds in the second half.
Needham had 8 turnovers.
Siena went 9 of 18 from behind the 3-point arc. Ouch.
Siena’s big 4 of Ryan Rossiter, Alex Franklin, Edwin Ubiles and Clarence Jackson combined to score 70 of the Siants 81 points.

The Ugly
Lyndon Jordan (24 minutes) and Colin Nickerson (16) did absolutely nothing. They went a combined 0-for-6 shooting, combined to grab 4 rebounds and combined to make 4 turnovers.
Jamal Turner (6 minutes) and Sean Crawford (3) also did nothing. Not that they had a chance to.
Shimeek Johnson barely played a minute. heck, if you’re not going to play him, might as well give Sean Grzeck a chance.

Siena coach Fran McCaffrey
(opening statement)
“It was a heck of a win for our team. We just beat a very, very good team. A phenomenally well-coached team. We clearly had to play better in the second half, even though we were up one at halftime. They shot 57 percent in the first half half and you’re walking off the floor at halftime thinking ‘I can’t believe we’re up one.’ Obviously Clarence Jackson was the reason for that. We were out of synch in the first half, we didn’t make the kinds of plays defensively you have to make to beat a team of this caliber in the first half but in the second half we were substantially better at both ends of the floor.

(impressions of Needham)
“They were the same as they were when I watched him on film a million times, he phenomenal. He’s got tremendous poise, he makes shots, he makes plays, he defends, he’s get terrific stamina. I can’t imagine there are as many freshmen in the country that are having the impact he’s having.”

(thoughts on the Stags?)
“Fairfield’s one of the best team we’ve played all year. They’re one of the best teams I’ve watched on film because they can beat you a number of different ways. They have size, they have speed, he’s got obviously a much deeper bench they he had last year. I’ve said since I came into the league, Ed ‘s as good a coach as I’ve coached against because he runs all kinds of things offensively, he mixes defenses, he keeps you on your toes and they force your team to make plays. Today, we made the plays.”

Ed Cooley
(opening statement)
“First things first, I’m (blanking) ticked off that we lost a home. That’s the first thing I’m (ticked) off about. We lost at home. I don’t care how you play or who you play, you do not lose at home. I don’t care if you’re playing the Globetrotters or the Boston Celtics, you have to win at home. That being said, the game was lost in turnovers. We missed shots and turned the ball over in critical, critical situations. Turnovers and I believe, second shots that led to points. That’s the game, there’s 35 points on turnovers and second shots. That’s it. There’s really nothing else to talk about. Losing at home, second shots and turnovers. Clean that up and you’ll have a great opportunity to win. The bottom line is we (blanking) lost at home. That’s the bottom line. I’m sorry about the language, it just kills me to lose at home.”

(Possible nerves because this was a ‘statement’ game)
“Hell, no … statement game? This wasn’t a statement game this was a league game. Statement games are when you play for all marbles. That’s a statement game to me. A statement game when you win when it matters most. We showed our inexperience with the turnovers and they showed their experience with their poise. Thirty five points on second chance points and turnovers. That’s the game. I’m more (ticked) off because we lost at home. That point will be driven home to our players until they’re blue in the face. Do not lose at home. That point is very, very critical to our program.

(45-44 at the half. That’s the pace you wanted?)
“Absolutely, that’s the style I wanted. You think I recruited these athletes to play in the halfcourt? We have to be able to guard some guys. We want to play at a good tempo. I thought the tempo was great. They normally make 4 3’s a game, they go 9 for 18. The kid (Jackson) got hot, he got open for a couple of shots. Guys that uncharteristically don’t make 3’s, the kid Wignot comes in the game and makes a 3, he plays eight minutes. They’re best players beat us. I thought we did a great job in transition defense and we did some good things in the game, did some very good things in the game, we just didn’t do the little things to help us get a W.

(thoughts on Needham’s play)
“I thought Derek played an OK game, he just didn’t keep it simple when we needed him to. That’s maturity. I want Derek Needham on my team more than any player this league has. Anyone. The last four years I’ve been here, he’s our guy and we’re going to believe in him and he’s going to do great. He just didn’t have a great decision making game. Other than that 6 of 11 (shooting) 2 of 2 from three, 2 of 3 (free throws), 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 16 points. The next thing you’re going to ask me is put a cape on him and ask him to carry Fairfield University on his back. The kid played a great game. He’s probably playing against one of the best point guards (Ronald Moore) in the country, who by the way, we did a great job on today. Unbelievable job. He’s not going to have a cape on every night.”

Due to space limitations (I guess I wrote too much) part of a quote by Mark Reed, Mark Reed, Fairfield’s vice president for administrative and student affairs, was removed from today’s Alumni Hall renovation story. While the university plans to upgrade the facility in the near future, they are doing so for women’s basketball and volleyball, not men’s basketball.

The men will continue to play nearly all their home games at the Arena at Harbor Yard.

“When the university last seriously looked at the renovation Alumni Hall, this facility (the Arena) was coming on line. At that time, the university was trying to think how we are going to renovate (Alumni Hall) to be our home for the foreseeable future and those plans were shelved primarily because of this facility,” Reed said. “Now, we’re able to look at it (renovation plans for Alumni Hall) with a lot more focus in terms of what we want to get out of it because we don’t have any plans not to play at the Arena. This is our primary home court and will remain our primary home court for the foreseeable future.”

Centering the court and creating a bowl configuration will cost some seats at Alumni Hall (probably making the seating around 2,200) which is perfect for women’s basketball and volleyball. That was the point Reed was trying to make when he commented on the renovation plans.

University of Houston quarterback Case Keenum, who threw for 5,671 yards and 44 touchdowns this season (and will be one of the favorites for the Heisman Trophy next season) visited the Cardinal Shehan Center Saturday morning, along with Mikado Hinson, a member of the Houston football staff and former NFL star Art Still.
Hinson, Still and Keenum all spoke to the kids at the Center and signed autographs.

Here are some pictures:

Art Still, left, and Case Keenum, wait their turn to speak.

University of Houston staffer Mikado Hinson speaks to the kids at the Shehan Center.

Members of the Shehan Center Biddy Basketball League pose with Walter Camp members, Mikado Hinson, Case Keenum, Art Still, Al Young, Mario Coppola and Michael Castaldi.