End of Week 1 Thoughts on Local Teams

 Thoughts from Sunday’s Columbia @ Sacred Heart

Sacred Heart - 88; Columbia - 85

After a flu kept me home for the Penn @ Iona opener, I was excited to hit the quick 20 minute drive to Fairfield to catch a Sunday matinee matchup between Columbia @ Sacred Heart.

What caused me to circle the game this summer was a chance to see Columbia’s touted freshman class up close early in the season. After checking the box scores of the Lions’ previous two games, I was excited to know that top ‘22 prospect Avery Brown and Algerian import Zine Eddine Bedri have started every game this season while three-star recruit Blair Thompson and combo guard Kenny Noland have been regular rotation pieces. 

On Sunday, Avery Brown shined: the 6’4 185 guard out of Beacon Falls, CT has the body and poise of an upperclassman scoring 19 points with six assists and two steals, looking the part of a future All-Ivy selection one day. In 27 minutes of play, Blair Thompson scored five points and grabbed seven rebounds, showcasing his smooth stroke despite going just 2-for-7 from the field. While his offensive potential is obvious, Thompson will look to continue to develop his defensive game. 

The headliner for the Lions was sophomore point guard Geronimo Rubio de la Rosa, exploding for 28 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists and providing scoring jolts in both halves. The Brown/Rubio de la Rosa backcourt is worth the price of admission and holds the key to Jim Engles’ rebuild.

Entering Sunday’s game, the Pioneers’ guard depth was tested after Siena transfer Aiden Carpenter sustained an injury midway through the team’s opening night match against Hartford. Today, the backcourt continued to decimate with point forward Brendan McGuire leaving with an injury late in the first half, forcing backup guards Joey Reilly and Mike Sixsmith to play nearly every minute in the game.

The upperclassmen duo did not disappoint: with 23 points, Mike Sixsmith achieved a career high while Joey Reilly scored 17 while adding six assists. What impressed me the most about Sixsmith’s performance is that the perimeter maestro (71% of his previous field goal attempts were from three) performed at all three levels: Sixsmith was perfect in seven two-point attempts and added two three-pointers and three free-throws. 

The Lions were not the only team showcasing their talented underclassmen: Pioneers sophomore forward Reymond Espinal-Guzman had his second consecutive game playing more than 20 minutes. At 6’8 190, Espinal-Guzman showed a willingness to battle for space inside and potential as a perimeter piece thanks to his strong passing skills and good vision.

Both teams were defensive sieves, but have a variety of offensive weapons to excite their respective fanbases. 

Friday’s headlining thoughts:

Temple: I caught the last ten minutes of the Villanova @ Temple game and it felt so good seeing the Liacouras Center rockin’ like it was 1999. His first three years weren’t pretty, but I’m glad Temple allowed head coach Aaron McKie the time and space to develop the program his way. The AAC is a bit of a snoozefest conference, but college basketball as a whole is in a better place when Temple is good. I’m rooting for them this year.

Villanova: The message forums and Twitterverse say Villanova basketball is over. I’m not one for hyperbole, and the Wildcats are without two of their three best players (Justin Moore and Cam Whitemore), ostensibly playing with just 42% of their returning scoring from last year. Just because I don’t expect Villanova to be the Big East champs this year doesn’t mean the program is in danger: the breaking out of Jordan Longino gives the Wildcats hopes for the future. 

Hofstra: Impressive start to their season beating two of the better local teams in Princeton and Iona. Both wins showed what makes the Pride so dangerous: they have a shot of winning any game if two of their three stars: Aaron Estrada, Darlinstone Dubar and Friday night’s coming out party for former Sacred Heart stud Tyler Thomas (26 points, 6-10 from three). No Warren Williams and no Bryce Washington = no problem: sophomore guard Jaquan Carlos (the program’s highest ranked prospect in the modern 247sports era) had the best game of his career (12 points, 7 assists, 40 minutes played). The CAA is deep this year and Hofstra should be atop the league standings all season.

Iona: Total dominance against Penn (a 28 point victory on Monday) and a loss to Hofstra on Friday showed the palpable home court advantage the Gaels possess when playing at a full capacity Hynes Center: remember this when the Gaels play Saint Louis in December. To be honest, I didn’t expect both Cruz Davis or Anton Brookshire to both play ten or less minutes per game. Surprise contributor this year is sophomore JUCO transfer Michael Jefferson: the 6’7 210 forward was a three-star recruit out of HS and looks to be the first combo forward off the bench, at least until exciting freshman Sadiku Ayo returns from injury.

Fairfield: After a 12 point loss to New Hampshire, it’s time to end the two-big experiment with 6’9 240 Makai Wiliis and 6’9 220 Supreme Cook starting the last two regular season games and the charity exhibition against Rutgers. Willis has exciting long-term potential, but I’d expect coach Jay Young to soon start w/ Caleb Fields, Brycen Goodine, Jake Wojcik in the backcourt with 6’7 200 senior Allan Jeanne-Rose at the 4 and Supreme Cook at the 5. This leaves Makai Willis and senior Chris Maidoh to battle it out in a healthy competition for backup 5 minutes. Speaking of Brycen Goodine, he and four-star freshman James Johns Jr. are a nice injection of athleticism and length to the lineup: the Stags’ optimal lineups should have at least one of those two on the court at all times. 

Bryant: After beating D3 Thomas College by 108 points, Bryant continued their scoring dominance against an actual D1 team scoring 89 against Dartmouth Friday night. Surprisingly, the leading scorer wasn’t Charles Pride (just 6 points) but La Salle transfer Sherif Gross-Bullock (27 points and a whopping 18 free throw attempts). At 6’5 215, the senior wing will be a mismatch nightmare in the America East, along with 6’6 220 Memphis transfer Earl Timberlake (19 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals). What’s crazy is the Bulldogs aren’t at full strength: St. Francis Brooklyn transfer Chauncey Hawkins has yet to play and the 5’8 Jelly Walker facsimile averaged 16 points last season. Vermont fans are starting to sweat. 

Vermont: Speaking of Vermont, the Catamounts faced a tough Saint Mary’s squad on Thursday. Typically known for their dominant defense, the Gaels finished the game with five in double-digits. Picked to win the America East despite starting a bit of a rebuilding season, head coach John Becker has shrewdly mixed in true freshmen TJ Hurley (a sharpshooting 6’5 guard from Ontario) and Perry Smith Jr. (a 6’9 forward who ranks as the program’s highest ranked recruit of all time). There might be some bumps in the road this season as the team lacks impact offensive weapons, but the Catamounts are still an exciting team to follow, especially with their non-conference schedule interwoven with high impact games against Saint Mary’s, USC, Iona, Yale, Colgate, Toledo and Miami FL.