What last night’s 84-62 victory over Saint Louis taught me about Iona:
In a packed Hynes Center, the Iona Gaels not only beat a good Saint Louis team: they controlled the momentum and did not allow the Billikens to come close to threatening the Gaels’ lead for the entirety of the second half.
In the preseason, it appeared that the strength of Iona’s backcourt was their depth, but as the season has progressed, Dannis Jenkins (18.6p, 4.9r, 1.7s) and William Clayton Jr. (16.0p, 3.3a, 1.9s) have made it clear that the backcourt’’s ceiling is one of the best in the nation.
Last night, both guards showed an equal ability to stabilize the possessions as point guards and hit big shots as shooting guards. In objectivity, both guards are true combo-guards.
Injuries are never good, but the absence of stretch forward Quinn Slazinski has allowed 7’0 senior Osborn Shema and Michael Jefferson to step up and become major contributors.
After two seasons as a rotational big oozing with potential, Shema has become one of the most unique specimens in college basketball. With elite length, quick feet for his size and the tenacity to endear himself to Rick Pitino and his staff, Shema has been a major asset on defense, menacing inbounders, spearheading the full court press and outhustling the opponents, making him a fan favorite in New Rochelle, while his ability to shoot from the perimeter has opened up more playing time along fellow big Nelly Junior Joseph.
Watching Michael Jefferson in person has allowed me to appreciate his value to the Gaels. At 6’7 210, Jefferson has the size to play the 4 but has a versatile offensive game akin to UConn's Alex Karaban in his ability to shoot, pass and limit mistakes while also providing enough strength and effort to contribute defensively.
My first viewing of Silas Sunday left me intrigued. After an extensive physical transformation over the summer, Sunday has a poised offensive game with surprising bounce in his step.
Once Slazinski is healthy, Pitino’s depth is even stronger than at the start of the season with 11 players vying for time and more importantly, a dangerous top-seven with a ceiling that can win games in the tournament.
Thoughts about Thursday’s Northeast Mid-Major Slate
7 PM - ESPN+: #121 UMass Lowell (9-1) @ #131 UMass (7-1)
In the summer, UMass Lowell was totally off my radar, but they are now the favorites to win the America East. At 9-1, the Riverhawks are a deep, veteran team with eleven players averaging over ten minutes per game.
Led by former Pittsburgh and St. Bonaventure big Abdoul Karim Coulibaly (14.5p, 9.6r) and fifth-year senior Everette Hammond (12.9p, 42.4 3p%), the Riverhawks have overall length and athleticism to rank within the top-100 in defensive efficiency. About 80% of their rotations feature three 6’7+ forwards, giving coach Pat Duquette multiple switchable options.
Prone to giving up too many turnovers (22.9% turnover rate is 22nd highest in the nation) the Riverhawks will have to limit mistakes against the Minutemen’s defense that is capable of generating turnovers (99th best defensive turnover rate at 20.7%).
Playing their second game in a row without starting senior point guard Noah Fernandes (ankle), expect freshman Keon Thompson (13 points, 4 assists in 31 minutes) to take his place while fellow freshman Tafara Gapare will look to sustain his NBA scout salivating performance against Albany (15 points, 2 blocks in 20 minutes). The post matchup between Coulibaly and UMass grad transfer Issac Kante should be fun too.
7 PM - ESPN+: #106 Marshall (7-1) @ #116 Duquesne (7-1)
Whether it’s Taevion Kinsey and Andrew Taylor of Marshall or Dae Dae Grant and Tevin Brewer of Duquesne, Thursday’s matchup will be flush with quality guard play.
As mentioned two weeks ago, Marshall’s addition of VMI sharpshooting transfer Kamdyn Curfman has been a perfect backcourt mate for Andrew Taylor (20.2 p, 4.4a) and especially for Taevion Kinsey by providing much needed spacing to let Kinsey do what he does best: use his NBA-level athleticism to attack the rim (22.0p, 6.0a and ~90% of his FGAs from inside the arc).
Following a dreadful 6-24 season, Keith Dambrot and the Duquesne Dukes have nearly wiped the slate clean, returning only 16.8% of their minutes from last season. Hitting home runs on the portal to spearhead their rebuild on the fly, the Dukes’ starting backcourt features a trio of transfers with Miami (OH) senior transfer Dae Dae Grant amongst the leaders of scoring in the A-10, averaging 19.0 points per game.
Early season injury issues have been managed by the Dukes’ deep roster with twelve players currently averaging 11 or more minutes per game.
On offense, both teams have similar profiles in their ability shoot the ball well, limit turnovers and rebound efficiently but their differences on perimeter defense could determine tomorrow’s victor: Duquesne has struggled defending the three (39.5% opponent 3p%) while perimeter defense has been a strength for Marshall (28.4% opponent 3p%).
With both programs in the midst of two of the lightest non-conference schedules in the nation, Thursday’s matchup will be a needed strong matchup.
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