St. Joseph's Moving on From Head Coach Phil Martelli After 24 Seasons Jerry Trotta
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| [ PHOTO: THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER ] |
Showing posts with label Atlantic 10. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Atlantic 10. Show all posts
17 March, 2019
George Mason Legend Tony Skinn is Returning to the NCAA Tournament with Seton Hall
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| [ PHOTO: THE MONROE NEWS-STAR ] |
Peter Solari, Editor in Chief Follow @4PeteSakeNY
Tony Skinn, the starting point guard on the 2006 George Mason men's basketball team that captured the imagination of the nation with their improbable run to that year's Final Four, is returning to the big dance for the first time since, after the Seton Hall Pirates received an at-large bid to this year's NCAA Tournament
Skinn, who was born in Nigeria and grew up in Tacoma Park, MD, arrived on the Fairfax campus prior to the 2004 season with three years of eligibility and made every one of them count. After graduating Mason in 2006, Skinn played professionally for a few years in Europe, and was a member of the Orlando Magic's Summer League team in 2008.
In 2012, Skinn was a member of the Nigerian National Basketball team which advanced all the way to the Summer Olympics in London, England. At the Olympics, Skinn showed the world what he was made of when he famously broke NBA all star James Harden's ankles and sent him to the floor in a full split, with the same wicked crossover that dazzled Mason Nation for three seasons.
Prior to the 2015-16 season, Skinn joined his former Mason assistant coach Erik Konkol at Louisiana Tech, where Konkol is now the head man. Skinn helped the Bulldogs to back-to-back 23-win seasons and 63 wins overall in his three years in Ruston, LA.
Last April, Seton Hall head coach Kevin Willard introduced Skinn as his newest assistant coach, replacing Pirates legend Shaheen Holloway, who was named the head coach at St. Peter's University in Jersey City.
"Tony has had great success both as a student-athlete and as a coach and, with his work in recruiting and skill development, he will bring a hard-working mentality that meshes well with our team's identity," said Willard at the time of the hiring.
Skinn was also one of Patrick Ewing's finalists for an assistant job at Georgetown before he landed at Seton Hall.
With the Pirates officially on their way to this year's NCAA Tournament, now-Coach Skinn will see if he can bring a little bit of that Mason March magic to South Orange, NJ.
Seton Hall will be the #10 seed in the Midwest Region and will open tournament play this Thursday as the underdogs against a very tough Wofford squad, in Jacksonville, FL
The #7 seed Terriors are coming off a fantastic season in which they finished 29-4 and dominated the Southern Conference. Wofford was nationally ranked for the first time in program history this season, and in many ways resembles that Mason team from 2006. Luckily for Seton Hall, their assistant coach has experience in this area.
Best of luck to Coach Skinn and the Seton Hall Pirates this March!
Tony Skinn, the starting point guard on the 2006 George Mason men's basketball team that captured the imagination of the nation with their improbable run to that year's Final Four, is returning to the big dance for the first time since, after the Seton Hall Pirates received an at-large bid to this year's NCAA Tournament
Skinn, who was born in Nigeria and grew up in Tacoma Park, MD, arrived on the Fairfax campus prior to the 2004 season with three years of eligibility and made every one of them count. After graduating Mason in 2006, Skinn played professionally for a few years in Europe, and was a member of the Orlando Magic's Summer League team in 2008.
In 2012, Skinn was a member of the Nigerian National Basketball team which advanced all the way to the Summer Olympics in London, England. At the Olympics, Skinn showed the world what he was made of when he famously broke NBA all star James Harden's ankles and sent him to the floor in a full split, with the same wicked crossover that dazzled Mason Nation for three seasons.
Prior to the 2015-16 season, Skinn joined his former Mason assistant coach Erik Konkol at Louisiana Tech, where Konkol is now the head man. Skinn helped the Bulldogs to back-to-back 23-win seasons and 63 wins overall in his three years in Ruston, LA.
Last April, Seton Hall head coach Kevin Willard introduced Skinn as his newest assistant coach, replacing Pirates legend Shaheen Holloway, who was named the head coach at St. Peter's University in Jersey City.
"Tony has had great success both as a student-athlete and as a coach and, with his work in recruiting and skill development, he will bring a hard-working mentality that meshes well with our team's identity," said Willard at the time of the hiring.
Skinn was also one of Patrick Ewing's finalists for an assistant job at Georgetown before he landed at Seton Hall.
With the Pirates officially on their way to this year's NCAA Tournament, now-Coach Skinn will see if he can bring a little bit of that Mason March magic to South Orange, NJ.
Seton Hall will be the #10 seed in the Midwest Region and will open tournament play this Thursday as the underdogs against a very tough Wofford squad, in Jacksonville, FL
The #7 seed Terriors are coming off a fantastic season in which they finished 29-4 and dominated the Southern Conference. Wofford was nationally ranked for the first time in program history this season, and in many ways resembles that Mason team from 2006. Luckily for Seton Hall, their assistant coach has experience in this area.
Best of luck to Coach Skinn and the Seton Hall Pirates this March!
SLU Rallies to Win A-10 Title and Earn NCAA Tournament Berth
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| [ PHOTO: ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH ] |
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SLU rallies to win A-10 title and earn NCAA Tournament berth
BROOKLYN, N.Y. * St. Louis University used a late run to take its first lead of the game and then fended off St. Bonaventure in the closing minute to post a 55-53 win in the championship game of the Atlantic 10 tournament and earn an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.
16 March, 2019
Saint Louis Routs Davidson 67-44 to Reach A-10 Title Game
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| [ PHOTO: ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH ] |
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Saint Louis routs Davidson 67-44 to reach A-10 title game
NEW YORK - Tramaine Isabell Jr. had 19 points and eight assists to spark sixth-seeded Saint Louis to a 67-44 rout of second-seed Davidson in the Atlantic 10 tournament semifinals on Saturday. Javon Bess scored 24 points for the Billikens (22-12), who play fourth-seed St. Bonaventure in Sunday's championship game.
St. Bonaventure Routs Rhode Island, Storms into A-10 Championship Game
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| [ PHOTO: NEWSDAY ] |
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St. Bonaventure routs Rhode Island, storms into A-10 championship game
NEW YORK - St. Bonaventure will play for the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament championship, despite beginning the season with a 4-10 record, despite trailing by 15 points in its semifinal matchup with Rhode Island.
George Mason's Season Ends Against St. Bonaventure in Atlantic 10 Quarterfinals
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| [ PHOTO: RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH ] |
Peter Solari, Editor in Chief Follow @4PeteSakeNY
As the great Porky Pig used to say, "Th-Th-The, Th-Th-The, Th-Th... That's all, folks!"
The George Mason men's basketball season ended Friday afternoon with a 68-57 loss to 4th seeded St. Bonaventure Bonnies in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 Tournament at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.
Mason's season is now likely over, and it ended in the A-10 quarterfinals for the third consecutive season. The Patriots finished the year with an 18-15 overall record, and while there certainly are some positives to take away from it, the end-result is a bit of a letdown considering the lofty expectations the team had back in the Fall.
“We had some ups and downs,” junior Justin Kier said after the game, “but we had a lot of ups, and those are the things you remember.”
Friday's loss also marks the end of the legendary Mason career of Otis Livingston II. The four-year starter will go down in history as one the greats in the George Mason basketball.
Livingston finishes his college career fourth in school history in points scored with 1,865, second in assists with 493, third in 3-point field goals with 203, and first in both free throw percentage at .859, and starts with 132.
He will be missed, but always remembered in Mason Nation.
On the court, the Patriots were playing catch-up all day, but managed to keep the game interesting down to the final minutes Friday. Mason was visibly fatigued, especially down the stretch, after playing a nail-biter against George Washington on Thursday, but it's hard to pin the loss solely on that, because it didn't look all that different from Patriots' season as a whole.
Here's the recap from George Mason University Athletics:
The Patriots were again led by Kier, who had clearly run out of gas by the end of this one after playing 39 minutes the day before. The junior finished with 20 points and 7 rebounds on the day.
Freshman Jordan Miller continued to impress and wasn't visibly rattled by the big spot, as he dropped 13 points and pulled down a team-high 8 rebounds on the Bonnies.
In his final game as a Patriot, Livingston finished with 6 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists.
“We didn’t play well offensively, but we fought and competed and dealt with [foul trouble] and scratched and clawed and got back in the game,” GMU coach Dave Paulsen said. “That’s kind of the way the season has been: a lot of injuries, a lot of adversity, and every step of the way, this group of guys has been a lot of fun to coach.”
Mason started off slow defensively, but did turn it around and limited St. Bonaventure to 33% shooting in the second half. Mason also held a 43-34 advantage on the glass and outscored the Bonnies 26-16 in the paint. But none of that was enough to overcome their offensive woes.
The Patriots shot just 35% for the game and were an abysmal 8-for-28 from the beyond the arc. Mason also only converted on 7 of their 14 free throw attempts and had 9 shots blocked. Playing from behind, GMU spent much of the afternoon settling for deep shots, regardless of the fact that they were dominant in the paint.
St. Bonaventure, on the other hand, shot an impressive 42% from deep and torched the Patriots with 10 3-pointers.
The Bonnies were led by two impressive freshmen, Dominick Welch and Kyle Lofton, who both played the entire game and scored 20 points apiece. Welch and Lofton were responsible for all 10 of St. Bonaventure's 3-point field goals.
“Every time you turned around, [Welch] hit a backbreaking three,” said Paulsen. “Most of them were challenged pretty well.”
Senior LaDarien Griffin, who also did not sit, chipped in 10 points and grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds for the Bonnies.
The Patriots now look ahead to the 2020 campaign, minus the services of the aforementioned Livingston, and Jaier Grayer, whose absence this season, can not be understated. Though the senior appeared in only seven games this year due to a foot injury, he started at least 31 games for Mason the previous three seasons and finishes his Mason career as an 11 PPG scorer. While he now plans to leave the program as a graduate transfer, it's hard to imagine that the presence of a healthy Grayer, wouldn't have given the Patriots a boost this season.
Aside from Livingston and Grayer, who wasn't around most of this year anyway, Mason will be returning the bulk of their squad next season, led by Kier, the A-10's Most Improved Player in 2019.
“He has a chance to be one of the best players in the league,” Paulsen said of Kier. “We don’t want to burden him with undue expectations but also getting him to see what he is capable of when he is completely locked in like he has been the last three or four games.”
While there is much optimism surrounding the Patriots and the future of their program, it was the Bonnies of St. Bonaventure who stole the limelight on Friday, and showed us all that their future, and present, is just as promising.
#A10MBB #A10BKLYN #GetPatriotic #GeorgeMason #GMU #MasonNation
As the great Porky Pig used to say, "Th-Th-The, Th-Th-The, Th-Th... That's all, folks!"
The George Mason men's basketball season ended Friday afternoon with a 68-57 loss to 4th seeded St. Bonaventure Bonnies in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 Tournament at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.
George Mason is ousted by St. Bonaventure, but Patriots’ focus is forward: The Patriots were knocked out in the Atlantic 10 tournament quarterfinals for the third consecutive year, 68-57 to the Bonnies. https://t.co/GdE4YFmBfQ pic.twitter.com/BQHnDJFijv— StubOrder.com 🎟💺 (@StubOrder) March 16, 2019
Mason's season is now likely over, and it ended in the A-10 quarterfinals for the third consecutive season. The Patriots finished the year with an 18-15 overall record, and while there certainly are some positives to take away from it, the end-result is a bit of a letdown considering the lofty expectations the team had back in the Fall.
“We had some ups and downs,” junior Justin Kier said after the game, “but we had a lot of ups, and those are the things you remember.”
Friday's loss also marks the end of the legendary Mason career of Otis Livingston II. The four-year starter will go down in history as one the greats in the George Mason basketball.
Livingston finishes his college career fourth in school history in points scored with 1,865, second in assists with 493, third in 3-point field goals with 203, and first in both free throw percentage at .859, and starts with 132.
He will be missed, but always remembered in Mason Nation.
On the court, the Patriots were playing catch-up all day, but managed to keep the game interesting down to the final minutes Friday. Mason was visibly fatigued, especially down the stretch, after playing a nail-biter against George Washington on Thursday, but it's hard to pin the loss solely on that, because it didn't look all that different from Patriots' season as a whole.
Here's the recap from George Mason University Athletics:
Mason forced six straight missed attempts from the Bonnies to open the game as the Green & Gold jumped out to a 5-0 lead. The Patriots would make just one of their next nine shots, as SBU used a 15-3 spurt to move in front by 11 (20-9) at the 8:47 mark of the opening half. Bona went up 12 at 23-11, but on the strength of back-to-back triples from Kier, Mason pulled back to within four (23-19) with 5:33 to go in the stanza. A 7-0 spurt put Bona back up 11 (30-19). Mason cut it to six at 30-24, but the Patriots could not score over the final 2:34 as Bona went up 10 (34-24) at the break. The Bonnies extended the lead to 15 at 42-27, but the Patriots scored eight of the next 11 to move back within eight at 45-37. A triple from Livingston II pulled Mason back within seven (49-42) with 9:31 to go in the game, but the Bonnies answered with eight-straight to move ahead by 15 at 57-42. SBU led 60-49 with 5:05 remaining, but at that point, Mason used an 8-2 spurt to get back within seven (62-55) with 2:26 left. Mason had a chance to get it to five after a stop but could not convert, and SBU held on from there to wrap up the victory.
The Patriots were again led by Kier, who had clearly run out of gas by the end of this one after playing 39 minutes the day before. The junior finished with 20 points and 7 rebounds on the day.
Freshman Jordan Miller continued to impress and wasn't visibly rattled by the big spot, as he dropped 13 points and pulled down a team-high 8 rebounds on the Bonnies.
In his final game as a Patriot, Livingston finished with 6 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists.
“We didn’t play well offensively, but we fought and competed and dealt with [foul trouble] and scratched and clawed and got back in the game,” GMU coach Dave Paulsen said. “That’s kind of the way the season has been: a lot of injuries, a lot of adversity, and every step of the way, this group of guys has been a lot of fun to coach.”
Mason started off slow defensively, but did turn it around and limited St. Bonaventure to 33% shooting in the second half. Mason also held a 43-34 advantage on the glass and outscored the Bonnies 26-16 in the paint. But none of that was enough to overcome their offensive woes.
The Patriots shot just 35% for the game and were an abysmal 8-for-28 from the beyond the arc. Mason also only converted on 7 of their 14 free throw attempts and had 9 shots blocked. Playing from behind, GMU spent much of the afternoon settling for deep shots, regardless of the fact that they were dominant in the paint.
St. Bonaventure, on the other hand, shot an impressive 42% from deep and torched the Patriots with 10 3-pointers.
The Bonnies were led by two impressive freshmen, Dominick Welch and Kyle Lofton, who both played the entire game and scored 20 points apiece. Welch and Lofton were responsible for all 10 of St. Bonaventure's 3-point field goals.
“Every time you turned around, [Welch] hit a backbreaking three,” said Paulsen. “Most of them were challenged pretty well.”
Senior LaDarien Griffin, who also did not sit, chipped in 10 points and grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds for the Bonnies.
The Patriots now look ahead to the 2020 campaign, minus the services of the aforementioned Livingston, and Jaier Grayer, whose absence this season, can not be understated. Though the senior appeared in only seven games this year due to a foot injury, he started at least 31 games for Mason the previous three seasons and finishes his Mason career as an 11 PPG scorer. While he now plans to leave the program as a graduate transfer, it's hard to imagine that the presence of a healthy Grayer, wouldn't have given the Patriots a boost this season.
George Mason is going to miss Jaire Grayer a hell of a lot more than Otis Livingston on the court. You can bank on that. I always felt he would be the guy who needed to take charge of the team offensively after Marqueese Moore graduated. Kid is special for the A10.— phillyfansince88 (@phillyfansince8) March 15, 2019
Aside from Livingston and Grayer, who wasn't around most of this year anyway, Mason will be returning the bulk of their squad next season, led by Kier, the A-10's Most Improved Player in 2019.
“He has a chance to be one of the best players in the league,” Paulsen said of Kier. “We don’t want to burden him with undue expectations but also getting him to see what he is capable of when he is completely locked in like he has been the last three or four games.”
While there is much optimism surrounding the Patriots and the future of their program, it was the Bonnies of St. Bonaventure who stole the limelight on Friday, and showed us all that their future, and present, is just as promising.
#A10MBB #A10BKLYN #GetPatriotic #GeorgeMason #GMU #MasonNation
