Stamford High School boys basketball coach Jim Moriarty spent 15 minutes in the locker room last night chastising his players following their puzzling performance in a 76-70 overtime loss to Staples.
Four days after a head-scratching 21-point defeat to Greenwich, the Black Knights blew a 10-point fourth-quarter lead against Staples. A team that prides itself on defense, Stamford gave up 18 points in overtime to fall to 9-4 overall and 7-4 in league play.
With the regular season now two-thirds over, you can make one of two arguments about the Black Knights: they are doing less with more, or just are not as good as we all thought.
The biggest winner in all of this is former Stamford guard Chris Evans, who is now taking a post-grad year at The Taft School before heading next season to play at Sacred Heart on a scholarship. Given the splendid versatility and leadership he provided, it is now even more evident that in leading the Black Knights to the FCIAC title and the semifinals of the state tournament a year ago, Evans was arguably the most valuable high school player in Connecticut.
Stamford came into this season with what was supposed to be one of the best trios in the area: returning starters Mark Ellis, Jethro Anilus and Marc Guirand.
The Black Knights’ biggest question mark was supposed to be at point guard.
The backcourt play has indeed been a weakness. Stamford has consistently been careless with the ball, a flaw that cost it what could have been a big road win last month at Harding and last night’s game against Staples. The Black Knights lost the ball three times in the final minute against the Presidents and 11 times in the final quarter and overtime against the Wreckers.
Last night’s mistakes were most puzzling because the Wreckers spent most of their time sitting back in a 1-3-1 zone. That should have allowed Stamford the chance to be more patient running a half-court offense and to take advantage of its strong perimeter play. While Anilus made six 3-pointers and scored 26 points, too often Stamford threw ill-advised passes right into the middle of the Staples defense.
The lack of reliable backcourt play has had a domino effect, neutralizing the effectiveness of Ellis, Guirand and Anilus. Ellis, who came on strong in the second half of last season, does not get the ball in the middle like he used to. And Anilus has been forced into being a playmaker at times, which is not his strength.
While the guard play has been no secret, Moriarty raised another important point to his players after yesterday’s game. While Evans made all around him better, he, along with Michael Tiscia, was a vocal and headstrong leader. Ellis, Guirand and Anilus are much more laid-back and less demonstrative. Moriarty challenged all three to step up on and off the court the rest of the season.
While a frustrated Moriarty said last night that his team is at a crossroads, the situation is far from hopeless. The Black Knights are still positioned to get a high seed in the FCIAC Tournament. There is still a lot of talent on the roster. And, perhaps most importantly, no one can remember the FCIAC being as weak as it has been this season. Bridgeport Central easily has the most talent in the league, and then there is a dropoff, with a pool of teams capable of knocking each other off on any given night.
Stamford’s personnel is not going to change, but smart decision-making will help to minimize the turnovers. And some displays of passion from the seniors will likely prove infectious.
In a down year, Stamford has the capability to be a top three or four team. The question is which road Moriarty’s players choose to take over the final seven regular season games….and beyond.
How important is leadership at the quarterback position ? (i.e. point guard position) The MOST important position on a basketball team is Point Guard. It is where it all starts. It is time for Stamford High’s Point Guard to step up and lead regardless of ability and past performance.
Comment by Full Disclosure — February 4th, 2010 @ 11:15 am
Mr. Ruden,
I have to disagree with several of your comments/articles this year in regards to boy’s basketball. The first comment, “Central easily has the most talent in the league”. “Easily”, I think not. Not to take anything from Central, because Central is strong, however, St, Joe’s has more talent and I think you will see that later this month and into early March.
Secondly, it’s obvious that you are pro-Stamford, (Trinity & Stamford HS) but I’m sorry to inform you that they are down this year. You mentioned, “In a down year, Stamford has the capability to be a top three or four team”. That is baffling to me, whereas they are in 6th place now and still have 3 or 4 losses in them. If your Crusaders beat your Black Knights, that may eliminate Stamford from the top 8. Check it all out when you have moment.
Lastly, your mid-season report, I would agree that the level of talent or play is down a little, but for you to slander young student athletes was a little harsh. You said the only thing worse than the boy’s basketball this season is the girl’s basketball, or something along those lines. Mr. Ruden, you are not making many friends in the Bridgeport area, not sure how you are perceived in the Stamford area, but I strongly suggest you change your tone when covering our youth.
Let’s remember what’s important here, our kids. I have to advocate for these youth student athletes, to become successful young adults and have a positive experience playing high school athletics. The comments you made were very inaccurate and your opinion of the level of play is more suited for the college scene or professional level, which you are not a part of, so please, keep your PERSONAL judgments to yourself next time
Comment by ncb — February 4th, 2010 @ 11:54 am
NCB,
First you get the award for the most ironic post ever: “keep my personal judgments to myself!” Kind of defeats a large reason for the blog, wouldn’t you say!
As for a Stamford bias, if you have read any of my stories through the year, I have stated several times that the balance of power has shifted to the three Bridgeport schools and St. Joseph. I think Central is far and away the team to beat. So does most everyone. St. Joseph is playing well right now. We will see.
There is no secret the Stamford schools are down this year, but I also think Stamford High has enough talent, if it could cut down on the turnovers, to be one of the top four seeds.
Finally, I don’t think I was harsh in my assessment of the talent in the league this year. EVERYONE thinks it is down. I just happened to put it in print. One of the coaches I respect the most from your area told me he has never seen the league worse. I think it would be harsh if I singled out teams or players but I never did that. It was a general comment.
Basically you don’t agree with me. That’s fine. I appreciate you taking the time to write. Do so again. And here we don’t mind you expressing your own personal judgments!
Comment by Dave Ruden — February 4th, 2010 @ 2:39 pm
Dave, you do an OUTSTANDING job covering youth and Scholastic sports in our area. You are a true “Advocate” of all the kids: young men and young women alike. Thanks for your great work and enjoy your blog.
Full
Comment by Full Disclosure — February 5th, 2010 @ 1:07 pm
Thanks Full. I appreciate it.
Comment by Dave Ruden — February 5th, 2010 @ 1:27 pm