Random College Basketball Notes
As we approach the final game of the small college basketball season, here are a number of random notes/thoughts.
* Tomorrow is the final game of the small college season. It will be Fairmont State vs. NW MO State. It should be a dandy. Two very good teams. They are a combined 68-3 on the season. Game time is 3:00 (EST) on CBS.
* Northwest Missouri State’s junior point guard Justin Pitts was named NABC NCAA Division II National Player of the Year. He’s fantastic. If you want an example of how to play point guard, watch Justin Pitts. Coaches and students of the game of basketball will love watching him play.
* Fairmont State’s athleticism and defensive pressure really made a difference in their national semi-final win over Bellarmine. Bellarmine is really good. Well-coached. Disciplined. They move very well without the ball and pass extremely well. With this said, Fairmont State’s defensive pressue forced Bellarmine into turnover after turnover. Fairmont State built a 20-point halftime lead, and Bellarmine made several nice runs in the second half. Each time that the Knights made a run, the Falcons seemed to come up with a play of their own. A bunch of players stepped up for Fairmont State. Thomas Wimbush is a mismatch nightmare. He’s 6′7″, left-handed and very athletic. He can handle the ball, get to the basket and shoot the three. Jason Jolly, a 5′7″ sophomore, has played really well in the two games of the Elite Eight. He’s really quick and can hit the three.....and has hit a bunch of them. D’Ondre Stockman, a 6′1″ junior, came off the bench yesterday and had a career-high 23 points (on 8-10 fg & 5-6 on threes). He added 4 assists, 3 rebounds and 2 steals. He was terrific! Steve Lappas, who was doing the game for CBS Sports, called him the “Microwave”. Of course, Matt Bingaya was the Mountain East Player of the Year, and leads the Falcons in scoring and rebounding for the season. After getting into foul trouble during their first game of the Elite Eight, Bingaya had 14 points, 4 assists, 4 steals and 3 rebounds in just 25 minutes in yesterday’s big win. He’s 6′4″ and tough, strong and athletic. A note about Fairmont State as a whole: The are very quick and athletic. This is obvious when you watch them play. With this said, there are a lot of quick and athletic teams in NCAA Division II.....but not many of them are 34-2 and playing for a National Championship tomorrow. So, what’s different about Fairmont State? I think that they USE their quickness and athletic ability very well. They use it to put tremendous defensive pressure on their opponents. They play very hard. On the whole, they shoot the ball pretty well. They crash the boards. Credit goes to the players, and much of the credit goes to Coach Jerrod Calhoun. Lots of teams are quick and athletic. Fairmont State is REALLY quick and REALLY athletic and they USE it very well.
* A few notes on Bellarmine: I really enjoy watching them play. They move so well without the ball. Cut. Screen. Pass. On the whole, they are one of the best cutting, screening and passing teams that I’ve seen in Division II. Really a joy to watch. Sophomore Adam Eberhard is a coach’s dream. He’s 6′8″ and just simply knows how to play the game. He is an excellent passer and he moves so well without the ball. He’s easily one of the best all-around players in NCAA Division II. He lead Bellarmine, who finished with a 32-4 record, in scoring, rebounding and assists. In the first Elite Eight game, he went for 26 points (on 10-12 fg), 6 assists and 6 rebounds - 0 turnovers. Against Fairmont State, he struggled a bit in the first half, yet finished with 15 points, 13 rebounds and 9 assists. Basketball purists would love to watch Eberhard. Also, I have a great appreciation for Rusty Troutman. He was an All American as a junior, last season. He has spent much of this season injured, but often played through the pain. He’s just really tough! Love his passion for the game. Love how hard he plays. Really good player that has played through pain and been really effective for a really good team.
* In the regional championship games, two seniors on different teams reached 2,000 career points on the exact same night: Lincoln Memorial’s Luquon Choice and Colorado Mines’ Gokul Nateson. Both teams won and reached the Elite Eight. Congratulations to Gokul and Luquon.
* Randall University won the NCCAA Division II National Championship for the second year in a row. Junior Trey Sneed has now been named the NCCAA Division II National Player of the Year for the second year in a row. Two National Championships and two National Players of the Year.....and he just finished his junior season!
* Congratulations to Warner’s Warren Hall and Life’s Dalarian Williams for being named NAIA Division II and Division I National Players of the Year. Huge honor!
