CCT's "Five for Friday"
By: Ian Nolan, Columnist
Welcome to the first installment of "Five for Friday", a new weekly
column here at College Chalktalk. Each week I'll
tackle five different topics within the Atlantic 10: A
game, a player, a team, a statistic, and a wild-card subject.
Players and the team of the week do not necessarily reflect the
most outstanding team and/or player, but represent only an
individual or squad I find worthy of some ink.
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Here we go... This is a great time for college basketball fans to reflect on the season thus far, look ahead to conference play (which is right around the corner) and ring in the New Year with some good hoops. This week I'll take a look at Chris Gaston of Fordham, Rhode Island's fast start (again), Duquesne's surprising defense, and two other story lines. Let's get to it, here are the "Five for Friday"...
1. The Player: Chris Gaston, Forward - Fordham
Photo Credit: Fordham University Sports Information
What a steal this kid has been for Coach Jared Grasso and company at Rose Hill Gym! Fordham recently loses St. Anthony's product Jio Fontan, but still in the cupboard is Gaston, another in a long line of products from the Jersey City, NJ school. The 6-foot-7 inch forward has been a monster down low, establishing himself as the obvious front-runner for Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year. Gaston is currently averaging 19.1 points, 12 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per contest. Not only has he been the best rookie in the conference this year, he has been arguably one of the best players. Period.
Consider this: Gaston leads the league in scoring, is second in rebounding and ranks fourth in blocks. A year ago Andrew Nicholson of St. Bonaventure captured Rookie of the Year by averaging 12.5 points, six rebounds and 2.7 blocks. Gaston is on a pace to shatter those numbers... and challenge Nicholson as the best young big man in the conference. I felt for the Fordham program and Coach Grasso when I learned about the loss of Fontan, but I am equally reassured to know that they have Gaston along with a solid freshman class to build around, with or without Jio Fontan.
Gaston has already posted six straight double-doubles this season, and this past Sunday against St. John's the freshman put up big-time numbers against the Big East school; 32 points and 15 rebounds. With the effort, Gaston became the first player in the league to score 30 points in a game this year. After the loss, Coach Grasso sung the praises of his young star by saying, "Chris showed today why he is one of the top freshmen in the country," said Grasso. "We ask him to do a lot for a freshman but he is a special player who can compete with anyone." No argument there. In fact, prior to his departure Jio Fontan wasn't even the best player on Fordham. That title belonged, and still belongs, to Chris Gaston.
2. The Game: St. Bonaventure (6-3) @ No. 5 Syracuse (10-0)
The Bonnies are fresh off back-to-back wins, albeit against a good, but still D-II team in Le Moyne, and a lower rung D-I team in Savannah State. Prior to posting those wins, the Bonnies were waxed down in Mississippi by the Miss. State Bulldogs, 105-53. Why is this the selection for game of the week given the fact that it has blowout written all over it? Simple. It's time to see how the Bonnies respond against one of the best teams in the country. Mark Schmidt and his club have had a week to prepare for the Orange, though they could probably use about a month and still not feel prepared for what they'll face at the Dome tomorrow night.
The keys: Andrew Nicholson and limiting turnovers. Nicholson saw just 24 minutes against Mississippi State and the Bonnies were destroyed on the boards because of it. If Nicholson can log 30 plus minutes, the Bonnies will at least have one stud on the floor to match the nine or so studs that the ‘Cuse will run out. Nicholson is far and away the biggest key to victory for the Bonnies regardless of the opponent. When he is on the floor SBU is a different team on both ends. Without him, the Bonnies become a team that settles for jumpers. And that's a problem when there's no stockpile of quality shooters; Nicholson allows them to work from the inside-out.
As far as holding onto the basketball is concerned, the Bonnies are coughing it up at a rate of 15 plus per game; too many. If Syracuse is able to run the floor off turnovers and use their athleticism... this game will be over by halftime, maybe sooner. The Bonnies need to pick-and-choose when to run, and run wisely, to have a fighter's chance; protect the glass, limit possessions, take quality shots, get back on transition defense ...and then pray to St. Bonaventure for some luck.
Prediction: SYRACUSE 86, St. Bonaventure 64
3. The Statistic: Duquesne, ranks first in the Conference
in Field Goal Percentage Defense (36.6%)
Of all the statistics that could jump off a computer screen, Duquesne's improved defense this season has to be number one on the list. A year ago, Duquesne ranked 13th in scoring defense allowing 74.7 points per game, and also 13th in field goal percentage defense checking in at 46.2%; This year, not only is Duquesne ranked first in field goal percentage defense, they also check in with the fourth best points per game defense in the league at 62.9 points per game; a 12 point per game improvement over last season.
So how has the club made strides on the defensive end? Duquesne ranks third in the league in steals (8.3), third in defensive rebounds (27.3) and fifth in blocks (4.6). The Dukes are averaging nearly 40 rebounds a game, a staggering number, and are led by Damian Saunders and his 12.7 boards per game. Their ability to pressure the ball on the perimeter and rebound have forced opponents into turnovers or see "one and done" possessions. If the Dukes continue to play defense of this quality and can pick up their scoring (11th in the league) when guard Melquan Bolding returns from injury, Everhart's boys will be poised to make another serious run in both the conference's regular season and postseason, armed with a weapon they did not have a year ago: a sound defense.
4. The Team: Rhode Island (8-1)
Entering the season many questioned the Rams' ability to have a successful season without sharp shooter Jimmy Baron Jr. Well, nine games into the year, here are those same "Baron-less Jr." Rams sitting at 8-1. Having already knocked off Boston College and Providence, the Rams have made it clear to all of New England and the Atlantic 10 that they are legitimate, even without their sniper from a year ago. So if Baron is gone, who has picked up the load for Rhody? Really, it has been an "all hands on deck" approach, as the Rams have received contributions from many including: Delroy James (12ppg.), Lamonte Ulmer (11ppg.), impressive freshman Akeem Richmond (8ppg.) and fast-developing sophomore Orion Outerbridge (7ppg.).
But if that is the crew of the ship, Keith Cothran is surely the captain, leading the Rams in scoring at 17.2 points per game and shooting 38% from three point range. Cothran has also proven clutch in late and close situations, knocking down 76% of his free throws and embracing the role of senior leader. A year ago the Rams raced out to an 11-4 start only to see their NCAA hopes dashed after a bubble-bursting loss to UMass. This season Jim Baron's club will try to keep the pace from start to finish.
5. Wild Card: Three Newcomers making their mark by leading the scoring race
After Dionte Christmas and Ahmad Nivins graduated last spring, Atlantic 10 fans knew that the league would see a few new names at the top of the scoring chart. However, not many could predict that through December 19th the top three scorers in the league would all be conference newcomers. But Chris Gaston of Fordham (freshman), Shamari Spears of Charlotte (Boston College transfer) and Jordan Crawford of Xavier (Indiana transfer) will gladly embrace their standing. Gaston currently leads the league in scoring (19.1), with Spears (18.5) and Crawford (18.2) hot on the trail.
While Gaston's contributions to Fordham have already been detailed, Spears and Crawford both have made tremendous early impacts for Charlotte and Xavier. At just 6-foot-6, Spears may carry the "undersized" label in some circles, but he has played like a First Team All League player so far... even more remarkable when considering he's still shaking off the transfer rust! Having scored at least 13 points in seven of eight games, Spears is a model of consistent production. Already armed with one of the deepest frontcourts in the league, Spears has helped the 49ers reel off a six game winning steak (Charlotte sits at 8-1 overall), taking some pressure off Coach Bobby Lutz who was hearing cat calls just this past summer.
Xavier has received balanced scoring, with six players averaging at least seven points per game; Crawford (18.2 points) has been leading that charge averaging seven more points than the next Musketeer (Terrell Holloway, 11 points). Crawford is shooting 44% from three (8th in the league) and has scored at least 14 points in eight games this year. The guard was a pre-season All Conference selection and has been as advertised through the non-conference schedule; let's see how he does when things heat up in league play.
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