Five for Friday
By: Ian Nolan, Columnist
Welcome to "Five for Friday". 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.
This week, I'll take a look at Rhode Island center Will Martell, the post-season "resume" of the Richmond Spiders, Dayton vs. Xavier (Round 2), and more... while Chris DiSano discusses the challenges on the road for young teams in this week's Wild Card.
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1. The Player: Will Martell, Junior - Center Rhode
Island
When seven foot center Will Martell arrived on Rhode Island's campus in the fall of 2007, it was easy to see that the Jersey Shore native didn't exactly "fit in" with the rest of Coach Jim Baron's club or general recruiting philosophy. Martell was lanky, weak, and compared to the rest of the Rams, unathletic and slow footed. Baron, a New York City guy, has become accustomed the past few years to recruiting quick guards and athletic forwards who run the floor well and push the basketball at breakneck speeds, slashing to the rim for dunks and lay-ups. Will Martell was the exception and not the rule, but as URI has learned, sometimes it pays to take a chance on a player who was ticketed to play at Division III Muhlenberg College at the end of his senior season.
Fast forward to 2010. While Martell is certainly not the most athletic player on the floor for Rhody, he has come a long way from the player he was two and a half years ago. The big man is starting and averaging 22 minutes per game and with that, 6.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks for a URI team that sits at 18-3. Many have contributed for these Rams, and Martell is among that bunch counted on night-in and night-out. How far has he come? As a freshman, Martell averaged less than two minutes per game.
Sure, Martell is not spared from poor showings here and there (two points at Dayton, one point at Xavier, two points against Boston College), but he has also helped lift the Rams to wins on a few occasions this year, something that didn't seem possible two years ago. Martell's presence defensively and his ability to rebound the basketball are major assets to a Rhode Island team that needs him only to convert clean looks efficiently, not average double-figures. On a team that scores as well as any team in the league and suits up players like Delroy James and Keith Cothran, the Rams are hardly hurting for scoring options.
Just this past week against a veteran La Salle squad, Martell scored a team high 16 points and grabbed a team high eight rebounds in a 90-83 victory. Earlier in the season against Virginia Commonwealth, Martell scored a season high 18 points in a two point defeat - one of only three blemishes for the RPI's 11th ranked program closing in on its first NCAA berth since 1999.
As Baron said earlier in the season, "Sometimes you have to take a chance on a kid." In this case, it appears Baron's eye for talent and work ethic has come up roses in the form of Will Martell.
2. The Game: Xavier (16-6, 8-1) at Dayton (15-6, 4-3), Saturday, 12:00pm (UD Arena)
The Atlantic 10's best rivalry game returns for an encore this weekend, as Xavier and Dayton meet up at UD Arena. Last time out, Xavier continued its winning ways against the Flyers at Cintas as the Muskies escaped with a 78-74 victory on January 16th. Before delving into what this weekend's contest has to offer, let's quickly glance at what happened in the first meeting.
For Dayton fans, the loss represented yet another to X in Cincinnati, as UD hasn't won at Xavier since January 10th, 1981...before my own birth...yikes... In the game, four Xavier starters scored in double-figures, and oddly enough, Chris Mack's club was led in scoring by Dante Jackson who poured in 19 points. Xavier, the best three point shooting team in the league, proved its worth in that department as the perimeter brigade canned 10 trifectas. Xavier also turned back 10 shots on the afternoon, and was a fantastic 24-30 from the free throw line.
Dayton on the other hand shot just 6-20 from three and was a very poor 16-25 from the free line, an area that has plagued the Flyers in recent times. The good news for Dayton supporters is that UD simply dominated Xavier on the glass. Brian Gregory's team hauled in 48 rebounds, compared to just 29 for the Musketeers. With that number in mind, it might appear stunning that UD was defeated. But when an opponent scores 30 points from behind the ark and 24 more from the free throw line, its a roll of the dice. In this case, Dayton's great day on the glass wasn't enough to overcome Xavier's offensive fire-power in the half-court as well as in transition.
Tomorrow Xavier places its league best 8-1 record on the line against a Dayton club that has split four games since the two clubs met that day in January. Dayton's hopes of earning an at-large bid have been dissipating... and a win here would inject life back into the cause. With Xavier, Rhode Island, Charlotte, Temple and Richmond beginning to separate themselves from the pack, Dayton wants to be sure it doesn't become part of "the pack". Make no mistake about it, this game means a heck of a lot more to the Flyers than it does the Musketeers.
So what to expect? How about another classic that comes down to the final possession. Brian Gregory knows that his team needs to win this game to turn some heads and get his team believing in themselves again. Let's not forget that this is the same Dayton team which many predicted would finally unseat Xavier atop the league this year. UD has the talent and veteran players, now they need to start producing down the stretch.
Five for Friday Prediction: Xavier has won two of the last three games between these clubs and is 21-31 all-time at UD Arena...They win again this weekend. Xavier 72, Dayton 69
3. The Statistic: Xavier's 23 assist effort during their 87-79 victory over UMass Wednesday
In midst of blowing a 17 point lead and rallying to win against a poor UMass team on Wednesday night, Xavier put on a great display of unselfish basketball, dishing out 23 helpers during their 87 point effort at the Mullins Center.
Connecting on a total of 32 field goals during the game, Xavier was able to assist on an incredible 71.8% of their made baskets. (This narrowly edged out Rhode Island's 24 assists on 34 makes: 70.5%, against La Salle on Tuesday). Let's see how other teams in the league faired in that same category on Wednesday night as this stat got me wondering what a "normal" figure would look like.
|
Team |
Assist Total/ Field Goals Made |
Percentage |
|
UMass |
11/30 |
36% |
|
Duquesne |
11/23 |
47% |
|
Temple |
14/28 |
50% |
|
Richmond |
14/27 |
51% |
|
Saint Joseph's |
10/19 |
52% |
|
George Washington |
10/25 |
40% |
|
Charlotte |
17/25 |
68% |
|
St. Bonaventure |
14/23 |
60% |
|
Saint Louis |
15/27 |
55% |
The average assist figure for the league on Wednesday night was 53%, a number that the "X Men" easily eclipsed during their eighth conference win. It is interesting to note how different each game is when analyzing box scores. For instance, Saint Joseph's got off just 48 shots in their game against Richmond, while UMass was able to jack up 70 against Xavier. Conventional wisdom would suggest that when a team has the advantage of an extra 16 shots against an opponent, it would have an inside track to a win; not always the case. Clearly, any coach would rather his team take 54 shots and shoot 59%, then take 70 and shoot only 42%. Regardless, its always fun to break it down by the numbers.
4. The Team: Richmond Spiders (17-6, 6-2)
The Richmond Spiders entered the season with some of the loftiest expectations placed upon them in years. Armed with the best point guard in the league in Kevin Anderson, a terrific wing in David Gonzalvez and their best forward Dan Geriot returning from a knee injury, it appeared these Spiders were primed to take their place as a top three club in the league this year, and heck, maybe even win the whole thing. And while Richmond, at 6-2 in the league, has not had a poor season by any stretch of the imagination, the Spiders are not clicking on all cylinders. That said, Chris Mooney's club is still positioned to make the NCAA Tournament. Here's a look at the Spiders' "resume" as we approach the middle of February.
Key Wins: Mississippi State, Missouri, Old Dominion and Florida
Bad Losses: at Saint Louis
Quality Losses: at Wake Forest (overtime)
Key Remaining Contests: vs. Temple tomorrow, at Rhode Island, at Xavier, vs. Dayton and at Charlotte.
The skinny: Richmond sports the 37th best RPI in the country as well as the 81st most difficult strength of schedule. While the RPI rank is solid, Richmond's SOS is a bit weak when compared to other A-10 hopefuls such as Xavier (14), Rhode Island (50), Temple (42), and even Dayton (46). Their overtime loss at Wake Forest would have been a major plus on their "resume", but the loss that's a stinger is their five point defeat at Saint Louis.
Mooney's club has the chance to bolster its body of work in the final weeks of the season against the top of the heap in the A-10. If the Spiders can win two or three of these five games (Temple on Saturday, at URI, at Xavier, Dayton, at Charlotte) they will be in excellent shape heading into Atlantic City given their solid non-conference performance.
When all is said and done, it will be interesting to see how Richmond is treated by the selection committee this year. For the first time in quite some time, the committee may be wrestling with fitting up to five Atlantic 10 teams in the field of 65. Temple, Xavier, Rhode Island and Charlotte could all be locks if they hold serve. Then, it could very well come down to Richmond's "resume" against a team like Cincinnati (14-7, 5-4) or South Florida (15-7, 5-5). This year given how many other A-10 clubs are having noteworthy seasons, the door could potentially shut on a team like the Spiders because of the depth of the league. While that depth is great, when push comes to shove the concern is that the selection committee will be more willing to take a seventh team out of, say, the Big East as opposed to a fifth team out of the Atlantic 10.
Projection: Richmond has a chance to sneak in ahead of Charlotte, but their remaining schedule is more difficult with tough games waiting against all the league heavy-weights. The Spiders may ultimately be hurt by the committee's reluctance to go five deep in the A-10, and Charlotte owns the head-to-head edge right now. The March 6, 2010 rematch with the 'Niners at Halton Arena could be huge for both squads. But as of today, the Spiders are out in my book.
5. Wild Card: Closing out games. No small task for the inexperienced.
On Wednesday night, Karl Hobbs' GW Colonials relinquished a five-point lead late en route to losing at Charlotte. For many, a source of frustration. But for Hobbs - contemplative in the press conference - it was another small lesson learned by his youthful team. Hobbs made no bones about educating those in attendance about the task of winning one on the road for a green bunch. He led off the presser with statements that we all should "appreciate" the effort that his young guys are giving on a consistent basis and appreciate how difficult it is to grab road victories in the A-10, especially this season.
He's right.
This GW team is battling and enjoying some success with only one true, productive veteran in Damian Hollis (14.9ppg, 4.9rpg). Otherwise, its role players and fresh faces like Dwayne Smith, Aaron Ware, Brian Byrnes, Tim Johnson and David Pellom. Oh, and sophomore Tony Taylor (9.6ppg, 3.6apg) and freshman Lasan Kromah (10.9ppg, 2.9rpg) two players with a chance to be special before the sun sets on their careers in Foggy Bottom.
As Hobbs noted, this team has been far more competitive in road games than the class which included Omar Williams, Mike Hall and Pops Mensah-Bonsu. GW has been right in games against Rhode Island and Charlotte, two teams with a combined 35-8 record... and also lost a squeaker at La Salle. As Bobby Lutz said, "watch out for GW in the weeks to come, as they've gotten some tough road games behind them."
So stay patient, because winning on the road isn't easy. It isn't when playing in the sixth ranked conference in the RPI. It isn't when playing in hostile gyms against veteran-laden teams. And it isn't when you're starting a bunch of youngsters still cutting their teeth at this level.
But this young Colonial team is close to stealing one - like the one it almost swiped at Halton Arena. And when that happens, it'll be a sign of growth. And it ought to be appreciated.
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