Saint John's Gets By Fitchburg with Ease

Shrewsbury, MA—Saint John’s rolled through the quarterfinals of the Central Mass State Tournament by defeating Fitchburg 81-50 with relative ease. Once Richard Rodgers (12 points) slammed home an emphatic dunk off a nice feed from David White (13 points), it was apparent the Red Raiders were in for a long night. Longtime head coach Bob Foley lauded the play of White and sheer athleticism of Rodgers.

“David really makes us go out there. He has a real knack of finding the rebound and starting the break. As for Richard, he is easily one of the most athletic guys I have ever had the privilege of coaching. He poses endless matchup problems for our opposition; he can do some special things with the basketball.”

Foley could not be more accurate with his assessment of Rodgers. Every time he has the ball in his hands there is a buzz throughout the crowd as they wonder what the next highlight he will showcase.

The Most Exciting Player in College Basketball

He may not be the biggest man on the court, but his quickness, tenacity, and competitiveness make up for his small stature (he stands at only 5'9). His most important asset is, without question, his swagger. He often is considered by commentators to be the "little guy" out there, but plays like this one against Kentucky cause heads to turn and leave opposing players in disbelief. He has a knack for hitting from virtually anywhere on the floor with his limitless range, but can go off the dribble and get to the hole with relative ease. The fact that he does all of this at such a stature makes Devan Downey the most exciting player in college basketball.

One may question why I have written extensively about college basketball, and basketball in general, thus far on my blog. After all, I consider this to be a blog about all sports, but to any serious sports fan, the months of February and March are maybe the two slowest months during the year for sports--with the exception of college hoops. The Super Bowl is over, spring training has not begun yet, and the NBA and NHL are, well, the NBA and NHL. College basketball, however, is in full form with conference tournaments just around the corner, and March Madness to follow.

UCONN Basketball . . . Tournament Bound?

A team that is 15-11, 5-8 in the Big East and 12th out of 16 teams in the conference cannot possibly make the NCAA tournament, right? Or can they? The team I am referencing is the University of Connecticut Huskies, who have gone a less than stellar 4-8 over their last 12 games.

I will be the first to admit that the UCONN hoop program is one of my least favorite in the country. I have little respect for head coach Jim Calhoun who, like many other big time basketball coaches, is deceitful and deceptive with regard to recruiting and scheduling. Remember the recruiting scandal of Nate Miles, or maybe you remember the time when Calhoun essentially kicked Holy Cross out of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic because he did not feel comfortable with his young Husky team matching up with the tenacious defense and meticulous offense of a Ralph Willard coached Crusader squad. You may ask, why am I predicting a UCONN team coached by Jim Calhoun to go to the Dance? Well, because I truly believe they will make it to March Madness. Hear me out.

Friday Night Hoops in Worcester, Mass

In conjunction with running this blog, I have been writing for New England Hoop News (nehoopnews.com) for over a year now. It is a New England high school basketball website that is affiliated with the Basketball Hall of Fame. Last night, I covered two of the best basketball teams in central Massachusetts: Saint John's Shrewsbury vs. Worcester North. Below is my recap from the game. I will occasionally link to articles and player profiles that I have written for New England Hoop News. In the meantime, if you'd like to explore the site, click on the New England Hoop News banner on the right side of the page.

St. John's Runs Away with Rematch

This was a different Pioneer basketball team that took the court last night in front of a packed house inside the friendly confines of Saint John’s home gym in Shrewsbury than the team that lost 68-61 at Worcester North just several weeks ago. Led by the strong play of senior David White (21 points) and junior Richard Rodgers (20 points), Saint John’s jumped out to a 17-13 lead after the first quarter and proceeded to extend the advantage to 13 points (37-24) at the half. Longtime head coach Bob Foley lauded the play of White, who plays much bigger than his 6’0 would indicate.

How Good is Cornell Basketball?

An Ivy League school located in upstate New York specializing in Hotel Administration and Engineering. Occasionally, has a decent ice hockey team. The infamous "Suicide Bridge" runs the entire length of the hilly campus. Obviously, I must be describing Cornell University. These descriptions, which are all certainly true mind you, may not be the most accurate portrayal of the prestigious Ivy League school this year.

A more accurate description of Cornell may read: Ranked #22 in the nation in the latest ESPN/USA Today Poll, #48 in the latest RPI, seeded #8 in the West Region according to Joe Lunardi, and owning wins against Alabama, UMass, Davidson, Saint Joseph's, and Saint John's, along with a 5 point loss to the #1 team in the nation in Kansas.

Yes, this really is Cornell I am talking about. Long are the days when Pennsylvania and Princeton ran the show in the Ivy League. There is a new face in the last non-scholarship league in America (don't worry, the financial aid many of these student-athletes receive may as well make them on scholarship).

Welcome to "KD Bringing the Heat" and Super Bowl Reactions

The conundrum I found myself in this past week was what should be the topic of my first blog post. Obviously, I wanted to pick a major topic or issue within sports, whether at the professional or amateur level, but there are truly an endless amount of issues that would be worthy of my first post. Whether it was the Cornell Big Red Basketball hoopsters cracking the Top 25 for the first time in 59 years, Danica Patrick making her NASCAR debut at Daytona this weekend, MLB's trade rumors and offseason movement, or the ongoing Tiger Woods saga, there are an innumerable amount of stories that can be discussed. One, however, clearly supersedes the rest.

It should come as little surprise that the Super Bowl, America's highest rated sporting event annually, is the topic for my first blog post. To the casual sports fan, or even to the fan who could not tell the difference between a football and hockey puck, the Super Bowl is a nationwide event that brings family and friends together on the first Sunday in February every year. Sure, the Stanley Cup or NBA Championship are the pinnacle of the NHL's and NBA's respective seasons, but does the country really look forward to these series as much as the Super Bowl? The commercials, alone, are reason enough to tune into the Super Bowl.