Previewing the CIAA Tournament
Feb 23, 2010
CIAA Tournament Preview
2010 should be another exciting and financially successful year for the CIAA Tournament. Since the economic downturn began, the CIAA Tournament has not lost a single sponsor, and as a matter of fact has gained sponsors. This will be the fifth year the tournament will be played in Charlotte, downtown at the Time Warner Cable Arena. Last year's economic impact on Charlotte was $38.2 million. The CIAA Tournament is the third largest attended tournament in the country only behind the ACC and the Big East.
Now let's get to the nitty gritty. Who will win this year's CIAA Tournament?
There is no clear cut answer to that question. No.1 seed Saint Augustine's along with No. 2 Bowie State and No. 3 Virginia Union have all split this season. Saint Augustine's would have to be the favorite going in having won 13 of its last 14 games. But Bowie State has the CIAA's Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year in Duke Crews and Travis Hyman, respectively. And if the Shaw Bears are hitting on all cylinders they have a chance as well.
If the men's side is up in the air, it's even harder to call the ladies. Former Shaw assistant now Virginia State head coach James Hill and his Lady Trojans are the #1 seed heading in. Bowie State is the #2 seed and is pretty tough. Despite being a #7 seed the Shaw Lady Bears have split with both teams. The Saint Augustine's Lady Falcons are the #3 seed and have split with Virginia State, while falling twice to Bowie State.
The tournament begins Tuesday, February 23, ending with the men's and women's championship games on Saturday, February 27. All Shaw games can be heard on WSHA-FM 88.9 in the Triangle and at www.wshafm.org. All CIAA games will be broadcast via radio on Classics Sports Radio Network and can be heard at www.classicsportsradio.com.
The men's quarter finals and semi-finals will be shown on TV One (Time Warner Channel 101, Direct TV channel 328), while the men's championship game will be shown Saturday at 6 p.m. on ESPNU. The women's championship game will be played at 9 p.m. and will be shown nationally on CIAA-TV (check your local listings).
Men
#11 Saint Paul's (6-19, 3-17)
Despite being the lowest seed, the Tigers are one of those teams that you have to come to play against if you want to get the victory. Saint Paul's had wins against Chowan and Bowie State. Ibn-Saeed Rasoull (12.3 ppg), Kendrick Williams (12.0 ppg), and George Lesuer (10.9 ppg) are the leading scorer for the Tigers, who could prove to be dangerous if connecting on a good percentage of three-pointers.
#10 Fayetteville State (8-18, 5-15)
The transition for first-year head coach Alphonza Kee has not gone the way he anticipated. But what the Broncos have that could make them dangerous in the tournament is a premier player and key seniors. G Michael Carpenter is an All-CIAA performer and led the CIAA in scoring (20.1). Forwards Larry Ross and Davon Hood were part of the team that made the run to the finals two years ago and have CIAA Tournament experience. The Broncos have by far taken the most three of any team (533) and make six per game.
#9 Virginia State (7-19, 5-15)
The Trojans have quite a bit of talent but it hasn't seemed to come together under first-year head coach George White. Senior G Trey Mines has been the team's most consistent player averaging 15.2 points per game and knocking down 36 percent of his three-pointers. Senior forwards Brandon Macklin (10.1 ppg) and Jacobe Simpson are extremely talented around the basket, but have lacked consistency.
#8 Livingstone (11-15, 8-12)
The Blue Bears continue to improve under sixth-year head coach James Stinson. The prospects for the Blue Bears excelling in this year's tournament are slim. But G Jared Stockton was an All-CIAA performer and led the team in scoring (13.6 ppg) and rebounding (7.2 rpg). F Greg Henry (12.5 ppg), swingman Megail Cannon (11.9 ppg) and G Aaron Caruthers (11.8) also score in double figures for the Blue Bears.
#7 Elizabeth City State (14-13, 8-12)
This is not the ECSU team that has been one of the best in the CIAA the last three seasons. Gone is four-year starter and two-time CIAA Player of the Year Anthony Hilliard who at 6'3" averaged 20-10 in four years. Coach Shawn Walker's squad still managed to defeat two-time defending champion Johnson C. Smith twice and spilt with Virginia Union. Much like Chowan, the Vikings don't turn the ball over a whole lot. 6'4" G Angelo Sharpless was the CIAA's Rookie of the Year and led the team in scoring (13.4) and was 2nd in rebounding (6.5), drawing the comparisons to Hilliard. While the Vikings are last in the league in scoring (66.4), they are tops in scoring defense (63.2). Walker is one of the best young coaches in the country and is great at making in-game adjustments, which will be key since this team in not as talented as his teams in years past.
# 6 Shaw (14-13, 11-9)
The Bears are one of those teams that if everything is clicking, they could win it all. They have two of the league's premier players in F Rodney Callwood, who may be the CIAA's best offensive low post player with outstanding moves to elude the double team and get shots. He averages 17.1 points per game and shoots 53 percent from the field and was named All-CIAA. Then there is G Raheem Smith who is fully back from an ankle injury which kept him out two weeks from mid to late January. He is a smart player who can run the point, is a good scorer and can knock down the three. He is averaging 14.2 points per game. The rest of the team plays some kind of role, whether it is Michael Smith coming off the bench handling the point and getting to the free throw line, the defense of F Dwight Bell, the outside shooting of 6'7" Darryl Johnson, or the defense and emotional presence of team-captain Adrian Bascom. The Bears have defeated every team at least once with the exception of cross-town rival Saint Augustine's and Bowie State. Head coach Cleo Hill must instill in his team that the tournament is not the place to have slow first halves and try to come back, as the Bears have done quite a bit this season.
#5 Johnson C. Smith (18-9, 12-8)
The two-time defending tournament champions started the season out slow but have won four of their last five including defeating dangerous Chowan twice. Last year's player of the year F Jerry Hollis is having another workman-like year leading the team in scoring (16.3 ppg) and rebounding (8.0). ECU transfer James Dillard maybe the league's best jump shooting post player and was again named All-CIAA after averaging 13.7 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. As a team the Golden Bulls can really shoot it from three-point range making 38 percent of their three's. G Ronald Thornhill averages 40 percent from long distance.
#4 Chowan (17-9, 13-7)
The new kids on the block made an immediate impact on the CIAA and come into the tournament as the #4 seed. Forward Lando Morrison is an All-CIAA performer and the team's best player. He shoots 57 percent from the field and averages 13.7 points and a team high 8.1 rebounds per game. The Hawks aren't very big or athletic, with the exception of G Jaleel Nelson who is very explosive and leads the team in scoring at 18 points per game. But they turn the ball over less than any other team in the league which makes Coach Jim Tribbett's squad extremely dangerous.
#3 Virginia Union (19-8, 14-6)
The perennial power got off to a very slow start this year and while they battled back to win 15 of their last 18 games, they lost to Elizabeth City State by one, defeated Lincoln in OT the first time and won by three the next time, and with a chance to wrap up the Eastern Division, got blown out by Bowie State on national television on the last game of the season. G Braxton Byerson is the youngest of three Byersons to play at Virginia Union and leads the team in scoring (13.6 ppg). Brandon Byerson missed eight games due to injury but is still averaging 13.3 ppg and shooting 37 percent from behind the arc. Branden McDonald may be the best point guard in the league and has dished out 121 assists to 59 turnovers. 6'11" F Justin Ramsey averages about 15 minutes per game, but creates tremendous match-up problems for opposing teams with his size and athleticism and shoots 63 percent from the field.
#2 Bowie State (16-9, 14-6)
In his first season as head coach of the Bulldogs Coach Darrell Brooks has turned the program around. Tennessee transfer Duke Crews, who was solid last year, has elevated his game and was named the conference's player of the year after averaging 16.3 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. Travis Hyman is a Kevin Durant-style player who at 6'11" can handle the ball well and can shoot the jumper. He is also an excellent defensive player averaging 4.2 blocks per game to go along with his 10.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. The Bulldogs have one of the most imposing front courts when you had 6'6" Armond Hill to the mix. G Eric Vann averages 10.2 points per game and shoots 41 percent from three-point range.
#1 Saint Augustine's (23-4, 17-3)
The Falcons are soaring right now and have to be the favorite to win it all. They are ranked No.24 in the NABC/Division II coaches poll, sit at No.4 in the Atlantic Region (the top 8 teams qualify for the NCAA Tournament) and have won 13 of their last 14. They have been the league's most consistent team throughout the season. Over the years, talent had never been a problem for St. Aug's. In just his second season as head coach, Lonnie Blow has talent and has instilled discipline and his own style. F Hayward Fain has been one of the CIAA's best all-around the last three years and has really bought into Blow's system. G Chris Jordan was finally named All-CIAA and led the team in scoring (16.2) and the CIAA in three-point shooting (.409). G Steven Brignol has been key as well averaging 12.0 points per game and is lethal from beyond the arc as well. What makes this team special is its depth and its role players. PG Brandon Hickson distributes the basketball well and has an almost 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. George DeGroat, Shaun Washum, Kalvin Patterson, Jeremy Banks, and Nick Chamblee provide key play off the bench.
Local Women
#7 Shaw (15-11, 10-10)
Shaw is the most dangerous of the lower seeded teams. The Lady Bears had been beset by injuries and fatigue for most of the season. But they are coming into the tournament with the most rest they have gotten in two weeks. They are relatively healthy now that their leading rebounder and best defensive player Ja'Nel Baxter has been back for two weeks. Baxter and PG Tanisha McGaughey were freshmen when Shaw last won the title in 2007. McGaughey is one of the league's premiere players averaging 16.9 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. She had struggled a bit from the field the last couple of weeks, but had a 26-point, 9-rebound, 5-assist night in the Shaw's regular season-ending victory over Chowan on Saturday. Guards Janelle Harrison and Niesha Searles both average 10 points per game and are not only good shooters but bring versatility from a ball handling perspective. F Victoria Tanner has really come along the last month and has been a serious low post threat averaging 7 points and 6.8 rebounds. Head coach Jacques Curtis must find a way to get the Lady Bears to play well early and sustain that play, instead of making serious runs from being down double digits in the second half and running out of gas at the end. Should the Lady Bears defeat Chowan for the third time this year on Tuesday, Shaw will play Thursday morning at 8:00 against Bowie State, which may actually play to their advantage with a whole days rest. The Lady Bears spilt with Bowie State during the season.
#3 Saint Augustine's (18-9, 14-6)
The Lady Falcons may be the most talented team in the CIAA from top to bottom. Sophomore C Keyona Bryant is a dominate player in the post with an array of moves in the post, while being able to knock down the 10-foot jumper. At 6'0", and with superior moves, opposing defense usual double team her. She leads the team in scoring (17.0) and rebounding (7.2). That makes room for All-CIAA performer Allison Sikes, one of the best all-around players. She is a slasher who can shoot and defends well and is amongst the league leaders in steals (63), while averaging 12.3 points and 6.9 rebounds. At 5'10" her size creates problems for opposing defenders. G LaKeisha White is 5'9" and plays the 2 position. She averages 11.4 points per game. Crystal McCaffity and Elizer Iceson are tremendous defenders. St. Aug's comes into the tournament having won six-straight. Where the Lady Falcons get in trouble is turning the ball over as they average 25 turnovers per game. PG Jolisa Williams must protect the basketball and if the Lady Falcons can cut down on the turnovers, they very well could cut down the nets.
