Ontario Sandwich Trophy week: Q & A with Bull Run
Alrighty, folks, with the end of the first round-robin of divisional play, it’s time to turn our attention east, and what better way to get started than with a rivalry game! In fact, it’s a pair of rivalry games, because after EMU’s men’s basketball team plays in Buffalo Amherst (where the UB main campus is located) tonight, the women will play there tomorrow night. As always, we took advantage of the opportunity to interrogate Tim Riordan of Bull Run.
1. Compare where the Bulls are as a team to where you thought they’d be at this point. What’s gone right so far, and what’s disappointed you?
In terms of their record UB is about where I thought they would be, they lost the games I thought they might lose and won at home when it mattered. Whats been difficult to watch are the close losses to Temple (OT Giveaway Loss), Saint Bonaventure (Choke down the stretch loss), and Miami (Epic Fail Loss).
The Bulls have been awful on the road. It seems Reggie-ball has a lot of trouble establishing its rhythm outside of Alumni Arena.
First Place…How Did We Get Here? (Part I)
When the decision to hire Rob Murphy was announced, I have to admit I was a little surprised but overall pleased. I just assumed that Todd Lickliter, the ex-coach at Iowa and Butler as well as a short stint as an assistant here at EMU, was a shoo-in. While Lickliter is a competent coach and may have done a fine job, I felt we needed someone with Murphy’s Detroit connections to succeed. Add to that his time and experience at Syracuse, the fact that he was bringing the 2-3 zone with him, and the early, promising news that a couple of transfers from major programs were headed here seemed to vindicate my optimism.
But nothing provides more vindication than winning.
We are just about two-thirds of the way into the season, and Murphy’s 2-3 zone, as well as the obvious enthusiasm of his players for it, is not only keeping us afloat but at his moment it is keeping us in first place. We ran through the first MAC West round-robin with a 4-1 record. I see no reason why we can’t continue to surprise.
You see, this year’s band of Eagles have completely bought in to what Murphy has taught them, and not only do you see the effort, but you can also see the defensive confidence in these players.
In two posts I am going to give an analysis of the team to date, starting today with the big men.
Jamell Harris continues to be a monster defensive presence inside. But his most impressive moment of the Toledo game was when late in the 2nd half, with the Eagles desperately needing a bucket, Harris coolly knocked down a turnaround jumper. His emphatic dunk (off a beautiful dish from Darrell Lampley) provided the exclamation point. Harris’s overall play could move him into consideration for All-MAC recognition at the end of the season, if the voters can get past an obsession with statistics. A lot of what Harris does fails to show up in a box score.
Rob Murphy has said that sophomore transfer Da’Shonte Riley is practically a freshman due to his year of sitting out and limited playing time at Syracuse. The evidence on the court backs up what Murphy says, but Riley can be a factor this year and will no doubt be a menace to the MAC for years to come. Riley is almost as disruptive defensively as Harris. A little more experience and these two will strike serious fear into opposing players. Already I can see our opponents altering their shots in the paint due to the length of Riley and Harris. What Riley needs to learn is to effectively dish the ball to the open shooter when double-teamed. Once he gets that down and stops trying to fight through the double-teams, his turnovers will drop.
During last Wednesday night’s game, I noticed Matt Balkema on the end of the bench. I couldn’t help but think the guy had to be down. Early in the season he was starting games, getting big time minutes and lots of scoring opportunities. Against Western, Kamil Janton had surpassed him as the first option off the bench. Balkema got minimal playing time.
Did he sulk? No. Balkema was the first guy to congratulate teammates on a big play during a time out. He was involved and enthusiastic. I remember thinking to myself that above all else, Balkema is a character guy.
Saturday proved that Matt Balkema will have more to say on the floor as the year goes on. His 7 points and 8 rebounds off the bench were huge. He will be needed to contribute more in the future. As for now, I can’t help but root for him. His attitude is a credit to him and Rob Murphy for keeping him engaged.
Finally, Kamil Janton rounds out the big men. Three years of warming the bench have left Janton hungry, and his effort has been total. When I think of guys buying in, Janton is one of the players who come to mind. Having a 6-10 senior come off the bench and contribute can only help us as we try to defensively intimidate our way to a MAC title.
Harris, Riley, Balkema, and Janton are a significant reason why Eastern has been able to have success in the MAC this year. Considering that Riley is so raw and unpolished, Harris continues to get better with every game, and the attitude and enthusiasm off the bench from Janton and Balkema, not only there is a lot for EMU fans to cheer about now, but the future looks very bright.
Later in the week—guard play.
MAC Hoops Roundtable for mid-January
At the beginning of the year, we welcomed the new MAC Hoops Roundtable. Now, a third of the way into conference play, with intra-divisional games about to start, it’s my pleasure to host the roundtable. That means I got to ask the questions, and I get to decide whose answers were best!
Our participants are Falcon Blog, Hustle Belt (with no fewer than four people answering!), and Bull Run.
1. Getting a second NCAA bid: did Ohio screw the MAC’s only chance, or is there still hope?
Phil Friend (Hustle Belt):
I may be in the minority on this but I think the MAC is/was going to be a one-bid league regardless. Ohio was a nine-seed in 2010 when the Bobcats won this thing and then beat Georgetown. Moral: Anyone can win the MAC tourney (unless it’s Ball State).
EMU 41, Toledo 38: Rob Murphy post-game press conference
This is something of an experimental post. I attempted to record today’s post-game press conference, and am posting the resultant recording, unedited, here.
EMU 41, Toledo 38: an ugly win is still a win
And with that, EMU sits alone atop the MAC…for a few hours at least!
29 combined turnovers and both teams shooting less than 33% is most definitely an ugly game. But honestly, I think that’s the way this EMU team likes it, and they’re doing well with it, winning their last three games by an average-per-40-minutes score of 49-46. EMU held the Rockets scoreless for the first five minutes and ran out to a 10-4 lead nine minutes in, before five EMU turnovers let Toledo back into the game with a 10-0 run. In fact, Toledo did all of their first-half scoring during the middle 8 minutes (from 14:37 to 6:38), and a three-pointer by Derek Thompson with 3:42 left was the last score of the half, for a 15-14 halftime. In case you’re wondering, the lowest combined halftime score since the shot clock began in 1986 occurred on January 20, 2010, when North Carolina Central led Savannah State at halftime, 13-5; in that first half the teams combined for 23 turnovers and shot a combined 13%. (Here’s the halftime box score to prove it!) By comparison, the teams today played well, combining for “only” 19 first-half turnovers and shooting a combined 23%.
EMU 62, Western Michigan 59 in photos (get pumped for Toledo!)
Here, just in time to help you get pumped up for this afternoon’s 2 PM game against Toledo, are Kenneth Bailey’s photos from Wednesday night’s overtime win against Western Michigan.
Education First
It has been said that learning through experience is the best way to acquire the knowledge one needs to succeed in the future. EMU Head Coach Rob Murphy had his educational experience last night. In what ranks as one of the more dramatic games this writer has seen in his almost twenty years of watching EMU hoops, the upstart Eagles managed to break the Broncos just in the nick of time to pull out an improbable and important early season MAC victory over rival Western Michigan. But not without a true learning moment for Rob Murphy…
After the Eagles had being held at arms length by Western Michigan for most of the game, EMU Senior guard Antonio Green did what so many of us have been waiting for his entire EMU career: He nailed a clutch shot to seemingly give the Eagles a win. With 4.7 seconds left, a three point lead, and Western having to travel the length of the court, the stage was set for Basketball Strategy 101 to kick in and seal the game.
EMU women’s basketball 84, Western Michigan 59 recap
If you were to just look at the final score, you’d have no idea of how this game really went. EMU trailed by as many as six points in the first half, and took a one-point halftime lead with a layup by Olivia Fouty two seconds before the break. In the second half the Eagles never trailed, but didn’t really put the Broncos away until a 22-4 run that started with 10 minutes left.
Overall, it was a good and well-balanced effort from the Eagles. Tavelyn James had a disappointing 21-point performance (she hit just 7 of 21, missing a whole bunch of layups) but Paige Redditt and Olivia Fouty were right there with 19 and 18 points, respectively, and 11 rebounds each. Natachia Watkins nearly also had a double-double, with 11 points and 9 rebounds. Fouty continues to be the surprise of the year, and while there wasn’t much depth in scoring today (just 7 bench points), the bench players didn’t get many minutes and weren’t really needed. I will say that I was impressed with Sara Stone’s play in the last couple minutes, and I think she’ll be a player to watch next year.
Central Michigan 60, EMU 56 in photos
The EMU men’s basketball team snatched defeat from the jaws of victory last night. After leading for all but 36 seconds of the first half, the first 10 minutes of the second half were back-and-forth. Central Michigan took the lead for good with 10:27 left, but despite stretching it to a 9-point lead. In the last 90 seconds, in the course of trying to complete the comeback, Darrell Lampley and Austin Harper both fouled out. Walk-on Antoine Chandler came into the game and did what was asked of him, hitting a shot to close the gap to just two points and then committing a quick foul, but Austin McBroom made both free throws — in fact, the Chippewas made most of their free throws down the stretch — for a final four-point loss for the Eagles.
