A day after their four point loss to CCRI, the Mercer Vikings (0-1) were back home Sunday for the second afternoon of the Mercer/Burlington Classic against the Suffolk N.Y. Clippers.
Flat on defense and repeatedly missing open three point shots from the same space on the far right side of the Suffolk zone, the Vikings found themselves in an early 15-4 hole.
"I don't mind them taking the right threes but I think the threes tend to go in after some more ball movement," said Mercer County C.C. head coach Howie Levy. "They were open but the weren't necessarily the greatest shots - that's part of the learning process to know you're always going to get that shot, let's see if we can do a bit better."
Suffolk-Seldon NY vs. MCCC - 2:00 pm ET - Mercer/Burlington Classic
Mercer (0-1) dropped a tough 71-67 decision to CCRI in their season opener. Forward Gary Carthan had 13 in defeat. Rodney Walters and Jermaine Emmanuel each added 11.
While the season openers for Division I members of the "Carril Cradle" won't come until a week from tonight, former Princeton center Howie Levy's Mercer County Community College Vikings kick off 2010-11 with a pair of games at their home gym on Saturday and Sunday afternoon as part of the Mercer/Burlington Classic.
If you're eager for a basketball fix before Princeton hosts Rutgers, this pair of 2:00 pm ET tipoffs for the defending Region XIX champions versus CCRI and Suffolk-Seldon NY should tide local basketball fans over nicely.
I caught up with Levy briefly on the phone this evening to find out how preparations are going and to preview his team's opening weekend.
I haven't had a chance to come see you guys practice during the preseason. How has the team been looking?
Of the three years, this group is probably the most talented top-to-bottom. We may not have anybody as good as our guy Uros [Kovacevic] last year, but I think as a group we're more talented and probably less stubborn for the most part. They've picked up things pretty quickly and we looked pretty good in our scrimmages.
Despite knowing the dangers of being optimistic about your team's prospects I'm somewhat optimistic.
There's a lot of turnover in Junior College basketball. Who are some players on the Vikings people should keep their eyes out for this season?
We've got a kid named Amir Bell who is 6'5" and transferred from Delaware State. There are two freshmen from Philly - Rodney Walters and Dave Melton. Rodney looks amazingly like Michael Jordan. They're really good.
A couple guys from last year - this kid Gary Carthan who was a backup center is going to play a lot of minutes. Anthony Obery, who was the third guard last year is going to play a lot and we have a kid Jon Jernigan who played two years ago and took time off and is back in school again.
There are probably 10 guys I could put in a game. I don't know if I will, but there are probably 10 guys I would be comfortable playing.
Is prepping for this year noticeably different than year one or year two?
I think we're further advanced - maybe not knowing more but I think they're more willing to play together and pass the ball, so it has been somewhat easier to teach stuff. I think last year we had some guys that were very good at a couple of things so you almost had to change the way you played to play into different guys' strengths and weaknesses.
I think this team, we can sort of play what I would consider "normally," where the ball goes where it goes and the shot is going to be taken by the guy that is open and not necessarily trying to orchestrate things quite as much.
Do you sense your guys are eager to start playing against faces they don't recognize?
We've had three scrimmages which were pretty good but I think they're excited. They seem to have some good feelings for each other. They're actually a pretty pleasant group to be around for the most part. When you have a team that's willing to pass the ball and willing to play defense, they're likely the kind of guys you want to be around.
Finally, tell me about this weekend's games.
We've opened up with this little "mixer," they call it. Us and Burlington play two teams. We don't play each other because we play twice during the regular season. We open with CCRI, Community College of Rhode Island, who is always a really tough team. We split with them last year. They're always picked as one of the top teams in Division II.
I don't know much about Suffolk-Seldon NY. They're going to play at noon tomorrow so I'll know more about them before they play on Sunday!
Princeton will honor Marvin Bressler with a "MARV" patch on their uniforms this season.
There's an excerpt of a lovely note written posthumously to Professor Bressler in the latest Princeton Alumni Weekly.
Future Tiger Clay Wilson has been named Oklahoma class 3A Preseason MVP.
The 2010-11 season opens on November 12th against Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights struggled in a foul-plaqued 80-68 exhibition victory over McGill College.
Despite returning zero starters from last season, Howie Levy's Mercer County Community College team is ranked 17th in NJCAA DII Preseason Poll.
Senior big man Tyler Adams, who had previously verbally committed to Duke changed his mind and pledged his services to Georgetown.
New Egypt center Desmond Huebert, who is deciding between Maryland, Wake Forest, Villanova, Georgia Tech and the Tigers will "probably" visit the Princeton campus this weekend.
Hours of painful data entry behind me, I've completed the 2010-11 electronic calendars for each of the "Carril Cradle" teams. You can download any or all of the following to sync with your computer/PDA.
Each basketball schedule will be updated whenever a tip time changes or new TV information is revealed. These links will work best with iCal but are importable into Google Calendar.
If you notice any errors with games/dates/times/locations, please let me know.
Friday, March 19th
(12) Cornell vs. (5) Temple - 12:30 pm ET - CBS NCAA Tournament
A trio of belated stories on the Duquesne/Princeton game - SportsProf was one of the 665 at Jadwin Gym. The Princeton Packet chimes in and the Duquesne Duke provides additional perspective.
Bob Nuse of the Princeton Packet writes about the success this season of the Carril coaching tree.
TigerBlog reminds you that not all Thursdays are created equal.
Mercer (20-14) was knocked out of the NJCAA Division II Tournament by Pima C.C., 79-58. The Vikings allowed a 17-2 to start the second half, which put the game away.
Saint Mary's out-executed Richmond (26-9) in the second half of a 80-71 Gaels victory.
The biggest upset of day one of the NCAA Tournament was Ohio's easy 97-83 dismissal of Georgetown (23-11). Andy Glockner of Sports Illustrated takes a deeper look at why the Bobcats had little trouble with the Hoyas.
Duquesne's second-leading scorer and second-leading rebounder, Bill Clark, has been suspended from the team and will not accompany the Dukes to Princeton.
Mercer (20-13) lost to Kishwaukee, 82-73. The Vikings next play on Thursday in the consolation bracket of the NJCAA Men's DII Basketball Championship. Paco Boussougou scored 21 for Mercer, who were unable to stop the Kougars in the second half. Kishwaukee was an unfathomable 18-22 from the field after intermission.
Tuesday, March 16th
MCCC vs. (6) Kishwaukee - 7:30 pm ET NJCAA Division II Tournament
Wednesday, March 17th
Duquesne vs. Princeton - 7:00 pm ET - HDNet CBI Tournament
(7) Northwestern vs. (2) Rhode Island - 7:00 pm ET - ESPNU NIT
Boston vs. Oregon State - 10:00 pm ET - HDNet CBI Tournament
Harvard vs. Appalachian State - TBA pm ET collegeinsider.com Tournament
Thursday, March 18th
(10) Saint Mary’s vs. (7) Richmond - 2:50 pm ET - CBS NCAA Tournament
(14) Ohio vs. (3) Georgetown - 7:25 pm ET - CBS NCAA Tournament
Friday, March 19th
(12) Cornell vs. (5) Temple - 12:30 pm ET - CBS NCAA Tournament
The postseason starts tonight, with Mercer kicking off round robin play in the NJCAA Division II Tournament against Kishwaukee. You should be able to watch the game here.
Tickets for Wednesday's Princeton/Duquesne game are now available.
Our Facebook invite for the game has over 130 positive RSVPs. Let people know you're going to Jadwin!
Tuesday, March 16th
MCCC vs. (6) Kishwaukee - 7:30 pm ET NJCAA Division II Tournament
Wednesday, March 17th
Duquesne vs. Princeton - 7:00 pm ET - HDNet CBI Tournament
(7) Northwestern vs. (2) Rhode Island - 7:00 pm ET - ESPNU NIT
Boston vs. Oregon State - 10:00 pm ET - HDNet CBI Tournament
Harvard vs. Appalachian State - TBA pm ET collegeinsider.com Tournament
Thursday, March 18th
(10) Saint Mary’s vs. (7) Richmond - 2:50 pm ET - CBS NCAA Tournament
(14) Ohio vs. (3) Georgetown - 7:25 pm ET - CBS NCAA Tournament
Friday, March 19th
(12) Cornell vs. (5) Temple - 12:30 pm ET - CBS NCAA Tournament
As you know by now, the Tigers are in the CBI. Read official press releases about Wednesday's home game on the Princeton and Duquesne web sites.
Richmond (26-8) missed a chance to tie with seven seconds left and Temple won their third straight Atlantic 10 Tournament championship, 56-52. The Spiders drew a seven seed and will play St. Mary's in the first round of the NCAA tournament in Providence, RI.
One day earlier and a few miles down the road, Northwestern visits the Rhode Island Rams in the first round of the NIT.
Defending champion Oregon State will get a chance to defend their CBI crown. The Beavers host Boston University on Wednesday night.
Steve Donahue and Cornell were paired against mentor Fran Dunphy's team and Temple in the NCAA Tournament.
Harvard grabbed a CIT bid and will play at Appalachian State.
Today's Trenton Times has a Mark Eckel column on Howie Levy and the Mercer men's basketball team.
A bit more detail about Catholic Memorial's WIAA Division 2 sectional final victory. In the game, Princeton recruit T.J. Bray had 16 points, 15 rebounds, plus five assists and two steals.
Chris Young pitched three solid innings versus the Indians.
Sunday, March 14th
(3) Richmond vs. (1) Temple - 1:00 pm ET - CBS Atlantic 10 Tournament
A week after falling in double overtime to Xavier, Richmond (26-7) returned the favor, getting past the Musketeers 89-85 in OT. The backcourt of Kevin Anderson and David Gonzalvez combined for 53 points. The Spiders will play in the A-10 Conference championship game this afternoon.
Georgetown (23-10) fell in the final seconds of the Big East Tournament championship to Da'Sean Butler and West Virginia.
Princeton recruit T.J. Bray had 16 points as Catholic Memorial beat Whitefish Bay in the Division 2 sectional finals to advance to Wisconsin's state tournament.
Former Arkansas standout Corliss Williamson has been hired as the new head coach of Central Arkansas. Williamson says one of his mentors is Pete Carril.
Here's an article on Uros Kovacevic and the Mercer men's basketball team. The Vikings are aiming for a JUCO title at the National Junior College Athletic Association Division II Championships starting Tuesday in Danville, IL.
Two Padres videos, one a season forecast for Will Venable and the other highlights of three shutout spring training innings by Chris Young.
princetonbasketball.com was founded on April 28th, 1998 in an attempt to provide fans of the Princeton Tigers and Ivy League basketball with the best on-line source for up-to-date news and information. We have since expanded to launch a companion site, Georgetown Basketball News.
As these sites have continued to grow we have increased our coverage to include additional teams with Princeton connections - the Richmond Spiders, Denver Pioneers, Oregon State Beavers, Fairfield Stags and Mercer County Community College Vikings - plus former Tigers playing professional baseball and basketball all over the world. This site is not directly affiliated with the Friends of Princeton Basketball, Princeton University or the Princeton athletic department.
Sun. 11/10 vs. Florida A&M
Sat. 11/16 at Butler
Wed. 11/20 vs. Lafayette
Sat. 11/23 at Rice
Tue. 11/26 vs. George Mason
Sat. 11/30 at Bucknell
Sat. 12/7 vs. FDU
Wed. 12/11 at Rutgers
Sat. 12/14 at Penn State
Fri. 12/20 vs. Portland*
Sat. 12/21 vs. Pacific*
Tue. 12/31 vs. Kent State
Sat. 1/4 at Liberty
Sat. 1/11 at Penn
Sun. 1/26 vs. Kean
Fri. 1/31 at Harvard
Sat. 2/1 at Dartmouth
Fri. 2/7 vs. Columbia
Sat. 2/8 vs. Cornell
Fri. 2/14 at Brown
Sat. 2/15 at Yale
Fri. 2/21 vs. Dartmouth
Sat. 2/22 vs. Harvard
Fri. 2/28 vs. Yale
Sat. 3/1 vs. Brown
Fri. 3/7 at Cornell
Sat. 3/8 at Columbia
Tue. 3/11 vs. Penn
2,503 - B. Bradley, 1962-65
1,625 - I. Hummer, 2009-13
1,550 - D. Davis, 2008-12
1,546 - K. Mueller, 1987-91
1,451 - P. Campbell, 1959-62
1,441 - C. Robinson, 1979-83
1,428 - B. Earl, 1995-99
1,365 - B. Scrabis, 1985-89
1,321 - G. Petrie, 1967-70
1,292 - H. Haabestad, 1952-55
1,277 - G. Lewullis, 1995-99
1,239 - B. Taylor, 1970-72
1,207 - S. Goodrich 1994-98
1,133 - F. Sowinski, 1975-78
1,130 - R. Hielscher, 1991-95
1,122 - C. Thomforde, 1966-69
1,099 - T. Manakas, 1970-73
1,090 - J. Wallace, 2001-05
1,088 - C. Belz, 1956-59
1,079 - B. Hauptfuhrer, 1973-76
1,076 - B. Roma, 1976-79
1,071 - C. Mooney, 1990-94
1,064 - A. Hyland, Jr., 1960-63
1,062 - L. Brangan, 1957-60
1,057 - A. Hill, 1973-76
1,054 - D. Mavraides, 2007-11
1,044 - S. Johnson, 1993-1997
1,031 - J. Hummer, 1967-70
1,010 - W. Venable, 2001-05
