1.) How messed up was this half for Hofstra? The five players on the court at the end of the half were Shemiye McLendon, Dwan McMillan, Yves Jules, David Imes and Stephen Nwaukoni. That’s three newcomers to the program and two players who barely got off the bench last year. Charles Jenkins (two points on 0-6 shooting, unofficially, and two fouls) and Greg Washington (no points, two fouls) have been invisible. Whatever is ailing Jenkins, he has to shake it at the half because the Dutchmen have no shot if he can’t emerge from his funk.
2.) That said, David Imes was an absolute beast this half, and the best player on the court—either team—by a wide margin. He had 11 rebounds, four more than his career high entering the game. He also has four points and a resounding block. Bill Thieben’s single game record of 43 boards is probably safe, but we are witnessing the coming out party for Imes.
3.) We’re also seeing an emergence of sorts by Stephen Nwaukoni, who is displaying the work ethic and determined nature that has Mo Cassara raving about him. Nwaukoni, who is aggressive under the basket and repeatedly putting the ball back, has six points and has hit his last three free throws after badly missing his first three free throw attempts.
4.) Foul trouble is going to be an issue for the Dutchmen in the second half. Mike Moore, who hit two early 3s to keep the Dutchmen in the game, has three fouls and Yves Jules also has two fouls.
5.) First to 60 wins. The Hofstra single-game record for points in a game—118 vs. Wagner in 1972-73—is quite safe. The Dutchmen’s zone defense has rendered taken away the inside game from Wagner, but the Seahawks are draining all their open looks from outside (4-of-6 from three-point land). The Dutchmen have to figure out a way to minimize the damage from beyond the arc in order to win.
Email Jerry at defiantlydutch@yahoo.com or follow Defiantly Dutch at http://twitter.com/defiantlydutch.
No comments:
Post a Comment