Well, for as hard as I was on both teams during the game, if you're a member of Blue Devil nation you're happy to be 1-0 in the league today, and you're pointing out that the NEC has done reasonably well in OOC games so far. Next time I get a chance I'm going to take a look at the league as a whole, but for tonight, let's just worry about the team I cover and you follow.
Any game vs. Monmouth is going to be ugly, it's just the way they play. But give Central a ton of credit for fighting through it, particularly after blowing the lead. The Blue Devils didn't put their heads down, instead they charged back and found a way to win, which is especially impressive on a day when Ken Horton couldn't tip the ball in off the rim.
Let's go man-to-man.
Markeys Deans: Terriffic late. He hit the biggest shot of the game, went 4-for-5 at the line had three blocks and seven boards. He turned it over too much and probably tried to dribble too much at various points, but a very solid game overall.
Shemik Thompson: He's like Andy Pettitte, the numbers on the surface can look ugly at times, but all you can remember is the big situations in which he comes up huge. The eight turnovers today were ugly, but he played almost every minute, made some big free throws (and got to the line 8 times, too) and had a steal. He's not pretty for all 40 minutes, but in the last minute there are few players in the NEC you'd rather have with the ball.
Joe Efese: If he wasn't officially back before, he is now. No one in white was better at getting into the middle of the Monmouth zone early, and his game was well-rounded. He scored, rebounded, blocked shots and hit the game's biggest free throw. Very good performance, and did it all while battling a groin injury he first suffered against Army. He said he expected to be fine for Providence, however.
Ken Horton: Played every minute and found ways to contribute on a night where he couldn't finish tip ins, never mind make shots. That shows the type of leadership you need from your best player. He didn't force shots and he didn't get down. He found ways to chip in, especially with his defense and rebounding.
Robby Ptacek: We've said similar things about Ptacek in this space in the past, but it wasn't true today. He never got going in any phase of the game, and Howie Dickenman went in other directions when it appeared obvious that he just didn't have it.
Vince Rosario: Dickenman called him a hired gun after the game, and his role was never more pronounced than it was today. He came in, made a pair of huge shots, then sat down. Quality over quantity. His three in response to Jordan's with just under a minute left was the most underrated play of the game. It must be incredibly tough to come in and be asked to contribute so quickly.
De'Angelo Speech: We'll chalk this up to rust after missing the last three games due to a suspension. As always he did a little bit of everything, but more of those things than usual were negatives this time. Still, for a freshman in his first league game, it's hard to expect much more.
Devan Bailey: The minutes eater. Didn't make a shot, but did some nice things and never hurt Central in 23 minutes. Five rebounds, only one turnover, which he made up for with a steal. There was a time when he and Efese were trading good games and a starting spot. Now they're both playing well. Great sign.
Terrell Allen: Grabbed a couple of boards in six minutes. He probably didn't experience too many defensive struggles like this in high school or AAU ball, so it was good for him to get his feet wet.
And that's a wrap on the NEC opener. The Devils are 1-0 in the league. It doesn't matter how they got there. If I don't talk to you before, I'll check in from Providence.
No comments:
Post a Comment