Dual comeback wins mark second trip west
By Jason Maholy
Southern Illinois didn’t play consistently great basketball during a two-game weekend sojourn to Las Vegas, but may have played its best ball of the season when it mattered most as the Salukis stole two victories by coming from behind in the final minutes of both contests.
The Salukis defeated San Diego in dramatic fashion Saturday night, when they scored the game’s final 13 points in a 70-68 win; then followed that with a 67-66 victory Sunday over San Francisco, made possible by sophomore guard Kevin Dillard’s driving layup with 12 seconds left. The heart-stopping triumphs sent the Dawgs back to Carbondale at 7-2 and winners of four straight as they prepare to start the Missouri Conference Valley schedule Dec. 29 against Indiana State at SIU Arena.
Southern came into the Holiday Hoops Classic with more questions than answers regarding how much they’ve improved since last season. The Salukis’ five wins prior to the Vegas trip had all been by at least 10 points against markedly inferior competition, and they were never seriously challenged in any of those games. In the team’s two losses to UNLV and Saint Louis, they showed immaturity and an inability to mount much of a comeback once they fell behind – problems that plagued them during last season’s 13-18 effort. It was uncertain heading into the weekend whether these guys would be able to execute down the stretch and pull out tight games.
The Dawgs answered that question in both games. Why they were in that position against the Toreros and Dons -- teams that came into the weekend a combined 8-13 and lost to South Florida by 20 and 10 points, respectively, during the two-game stint -- is a legitimate question; but a win is a win, so give these Salukis credit for hanging tough, fighting back and making plays at both ends of the floor in crunch time. They showed, despite their flaws, that they’re progressing in their mental preparedness and resiliency, while at the same time learning how to make key defensive stops and turning those stops into points at the other end. SIU was down as many as 15 points to San Diego and trailed 42-29 at halftime, but limited the Toreros to 4-for-24 from the field in the second stanza and held them without a field goal for the final 7:27.
It is also evident players are settling into roles, and that guys such as Dillard, Justin Bocot and Carlton Fay aren’t afraid to – and can hit -- clutch shots. Dillard scored 17 points on 5-of-8 shooting, dished out seven assists and pulled down six rebounds against San Diego, while Bocot poured in a game-high 22 points while hitting two crucial 3-pointers, making a key steal and draining two free throws during the 13-point, game-ending flurry. Fay’s two free throws with 2.5 seconds left turned out to be the winning points.
Sophomore center Nick Evans, meanwhile, was able to put possibly his worst performance of the season (four points, 1-for-5 from the field, one rebound, five turnovers and four personal fouls) behind him to block a shot and grab a critical rebound down the stretch.
It was Dillard and Fay playing heroes again against San Francisco in a game in which the Salukis trailed by as many as 11 points in the first half. A trey by Dillard and two more by Fay brought the Dawgs to within four at the break, and both players made key plays in the game’s waning minutes to help Southern come out on top. Dillard finished with 18 points (8-of-12 from the field, 2-of-3 from 3-point range) and nine assists and made the game-winning shot on a play designed for him, while Fay scored 15 points and hit three of his six tries from behind the arc.
Senior guard Tony Freeman contributed 14 points and forced Dons’ guard Kwame Vaughn to take a difficult shot on the game’s final play, sealing the victory. Evans scored just six points but had three blocks and two steals, and is beginning to establish himself as an interior defensive presence.
SIU won’t play next until the Sycamores come calling next Tuesday, and the long layoff will be welcome with junior guard Jack Crowder already out (shoulder) and junior guard John Freeman and freshman center Eugene Teague seeing limited action because of injuries. Freeman, one of the team’s best defenders who had played himself into the starting lineup during just his first year with the program, played just 20 minutes in Vegas due to a nagging hamstring injury. Having a healthy Freeman and Teague will be essential during the conference season, which is looking more foreboding by the day as teams like Wichita State (10-1) and Missouri State (10-0) have gotten off to fast starts to join preseason favorite Northern Iowa (8-1) and a formidable Illinois State (8-2) squad as contenders in the Valley.
The Salukis have not been as impressive as any of those teams and are for now bunched in with Indiana State, Bradley and Creighton in the middle of the Valley pack. The Dawgs have made progress, but are still learning how to win and how to bring 40 minutes of intensity each and every game. The comeback wins in Vegas are encouraging, but the fact they were on the verge of losing both of those contests to teams that likely won’t be playing any sort of significant postseason ball is evidence this squad has a ways to go before it can be considered a legitimate threat to the conference crown. This team is still too inconsistent all around, but particularly on defense, which they must shore up if they are to have any chance against the top Valley teams. San Diego shot 66.7 percent in the first half and even after making just four shots in the second half finished at 48.9 percent, while San Francisco shot 49.7 percent from the field. Neither of those teams possesses the talent or offensive firepower of Northern Iowa, Illinois State, Creighton or Wichita State.
SIU will also need more consistent offensive contributions from Bocot (7.6 ppg) and Anthony Booker (7.1 ppg) because defenses are going to key on stopping Dillard and Fay, who have emerged as this team’s go-to scorers. Bocot has proven capable of scoring 20 points on any given night, but is too often too inconsistent to be a major factor. Booker has been playing better of late but has yet to establish himself as the inside scoring threat he must be in order to provide his teammates open lanes and good looks at the hoop. He has been the slowest of the Salukis’ youngsters to develop and every so often appears on the cusp of greatness, only to take a step back and keep questions alive about his durability and desire. The emergence of Dillard and Fay, the steadiness provided by Tony Freeman, and the development of Evans and Bocot will keep the Salukis competitive in a rugged Valley, but whether Booker can take his game to the next level may be the difference between this team being a contender or also-ran.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Friday, December 18, 2009
Salukis look to double down on wins in Vegas
SIU faces San Diego and San Francisco in Sin City weekend
By Jason Maholy
Seven games into the Southern Illinois Salukis’ 2009-10 season, just how good – or not good – this team is remains unknown.
SIU (5-2) is in Las Vegas this weekend, the team’s second trip to Sin City this season, for games against San Diego (5-6) and San Francisco (3-7) of the West Coast Conference. Both teams are under .500, like all four Division I teams the Dawgs have beaten with relative ease, yet should provide more of a challenge than the likes of Tennesee-Martin or Southeast Missouri State – both of which may be among this season’s worst 20 of the NCAA’s 300 DI programs .
The lack of quality opponents is the reason these Salukis are difficult to assess. We know they can dominate lesser competition: In their four wins against DI teams – which have a combined record of 7-25 – SIU is scoring 83.2 points per game while holding opponents to 63.7. Sophomore forward Anthony Booker and sophomore center Nick Evans have looked like studs against these smaller, less athletic and generally overmatched teams; however, have looked very ordinary in the Salukis two losses to UNLV (8-1) and Saint Louis (6-3).
Then again, the team as a whole has looked rather ordinary against the better competition. In contrast to their nearly wire-to-wire dominance of weaker teams, the Salukis struggled to play a solid 40 minutes in both of their road losses to the Runnin’ Rebels and Billikins. SIU led both games at halftime and played encouragingly well for stretches, including beginning the UNLV game with an 18-6 run that undoubtedly had Saluki fans salivating and having visions of the days of Jamaal Tatum and Tony Young, but this relatively young squad that started three sophomores in each of those contests fell apart both times in the second halves. The Dawgs were woeful offensively in both games, averaging just 65 points and shooting 34.7 percent from the field and a miserable 18.4 percent (9-49) from 3-point range.
It is understandable why SIU head coach Chris Lowery put together a rather cupcake-ish non-conference schedule. Last season’s squad finished 13-18 while turning in the program’s first losing season since 1998-99 and ending a string of seven consecutive postseason appearances. Lowery wasn’t about to overschedule again and risk damaging his players’ psyches.
The Dawgs may not have been challenged much in their victories this season, although Illinois-Chicago did play them close for 30 minutes, but the contests have provided a valuable means for this team to confront and overcome its own challenges. The overmatched competition should help build Southern’s confidence and give the players time to improve, gel as a unit and settle into their roles before the start of the Missouri Valley slate. That’s what this team is preparing for, and where they will have to excel if they are to win an outright conference crown, or better yet take the title at Arch Madness and earn a bid to the Big Dance for the first time in three seasons.
This team has shown flashes that it may, come spring, contend with the likes of Northern Iowa, Illinois State and Creighton for that automatic NCAA berth. Sophomore guard Kevin Dillard is averaging 15.4 points per game, good for fifth in the conference, and 5.3 assists to lead all MVC players. His shooting hasn’t been as good as expected, but he has excelled at running the offense and improved at all other aspects of his game, and has already recorded two points-assists double-doubles. Coming into this season that feat had been accomplished just six times in the program’s history.
Tony Freeman, the team’s lone senior, also appears to be settling into his role as a go-to scorer and leader on and off the floor. After an inauspicious start to the season and suffering an injury that sidelined him for the Saint Louis game, Freeman has come on strong, hitting 10-of-17 shots from 3-point range and scoring 38 points in the past two games combined. He is averaging 13.4 points on the season, good for second on the team. His steadiness at both ends of the floor will be essential for this team to pull out tight games during the conference slate.
The team’s front-court play is also a reason for optimism. Junior forward Carlton Fay is averaging 11.9 points and 4.6 boards per game, and though inconsistent at times has shown he can be a game-changing shooter who can carry a team. He started the season coming off the bench but has started the past two games, giving the Salukis four starters averaging double figures in points. Evans has provided a big boost as well. The 6-11 redshirt sophomore who plays with a frenetic energy is averaging 10.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game while shooting nearly 65 percent from the field. In his past two games he is averaging 14.5 points and if he can continue to improve as a low-post threat will help open up the perimeter for guys like Dillard, Freeman and Fay. He has also matured as a defender and has for the most part avoided the foul trouble that plagued him during his freshman campaign.
The wild card of this group is Booker, who was unimpressive the first five games but has looked like a different player since being replaced by Fay in the starting lineup. He scored just seven points combined against UNLV, Saint Louis and UIC, in part because of a hip injury that limited his minutes and effectiveness, but he followed those games with a 10-point, 11-rebound, four-block performance against SEMO and 12 points and seven boards versus Alabama State. His development as the team's top front court reserve will be a key to this team succeeding in the grueling 18-game MVC schedule, but he has yet to prove he can be an impact player against quality opponents.
By Jason Maholy
Seven games into the Southern Illinois Salukis’ 2009-10 season, just how good – or not good – this team is remains unknown.
SIU (5-2) is in Las Vegas this weekend, the team’s second trip to Sin City this season, for games against San Diego (5-6) and San Francisco (3-7) of the West Coast Conference. Both teams are under .500, like all four Division I teams the Dawgs have beaten with relative ease, yet should provide more of a challenge than the likes of Tennesee-Martin or Southeast Missouri State – both of which may be among this season’s worst 20 of the NCAA’s 300 DI programs .
The lack of quality opponents is the reason these Salukis are difficult to assess. We know they can dominate lesser competition: In their four wins against DI teams – which have a combined record of 7-25 – SIU is scoring 83.2 points per game while holding opponents to 63.7. Sophomore forward Anthony Booker and sophomore center Nick Evans have looked like studs against these smaller, less athletic and generally overmatched teams; however, have looked very ordinary in the Salukis two losses to UNLV (8-1) and Saint Louis (6-3).
Then again, the team as a whole has looked rather ordinary against the better competition. In contrast to their nearly wire-to-wire dominance of weaker teams, the Salukis struggled to play a solid 40 minutes in both of their road losses to the Runnin’ Rebels and Billikins. SIU led both games at halftime and played encouragingly well for stretches, including beginning the UNLV game with an 18-6 run that undoubtedly had Saluki fans salivating and having visions of the days of Jamaal Tatum and Tony Young, but this relatively young squad that started three sophomores in each of those contests fell apart both times in the second halves. The Dawgs were woeful offensively in both games, averaging just 65 points and shooting 34.7 percent from the field and a miserable 18.4 percent (9-49) from 3-point range.
It is understandable why SIU head coach Chris Lowery put together a rather cupcake-ish non-conference schedule. Last season’s squad finished 13-18 while turning in the program’s first losing season since 1998-99 and ending a string of seven consecutive postseason appearances. Lowery wasn’t about to overschedule again and risk damaging his players’ psyches.
The Dawgs may not have been challenged much in their victories this season, although Illinois-Chicago did play them close for 30 minutes, but the contests have provided a valuable means for this team to confront and overcome its own challenges. The overmatched competition should help build Southern’s confidence and give the players time to improve, gel as a unit and settle into their roles before the start of the Missouri Valley slate. That’s what this team is preparing for, and where they will have to excel if they are to win an outright conference crown, or better yet take the title at Arch Madness and earn a bid to the Big Dance for the first time in three seasons.
This team has shown flashes that it may, come spring, contend with the likes of Northern Iowa, Illinois State and Creighton for that automatic NCAA berth. Sophomore guard Kevin Dillard is averaging 15.4 points per game, good for fifth in the conference, and 5.3 assists to lead all MVC players. His shooting hasn’t been as good as expected, but he has excelled at running the offense and improved at all other aspects of his game, and has already recorded two points-assists double-doubles. Coming into this season that feat had been accomplished just six times in the program’s history.
Tony Freeman, the team’s lone senior, also appears to be settling into his role as a go-to scorer and leader on and off the floor. After an inauspicious start to the season and suffering an injury that sidelined him for the Saint Louis game, Freeman has come on strong, hitting 10-of-17 shots from 3-point range and scoring 38 points in the past two games combined. He is averaging 13.4 points on the season, good for second on the team. His steadiness at both ends of the floor will be essential for this team to pull out tight games during the conference slate.
The team’s front-court play is also a reason for optimism. Junior forward Carlton Fay is averaging 11.9 points and 4.6 boards per game, and though inconsistent at times has shown he can be a game-changing shooter who can carry a team. He started the season coming off the bench but has started the past two games, giving the Salukis four starters averaging double figures in points. Evans has provided a big boost as well. The 6-11 redshirt sophomore who plays with a frenetic energy is averaging 10.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game while shooting nearly 65 percent from the field. In his past two games he is averaging 14.5 points and if he can continue to improve as a low-post threat will help open up the perimeter for guys like Dillard, Freeman and Fay. He has also matured as a defender and has for the most part avoided the foul trouble that plagued him during his freshman campaign.
The wild card of this group is Booker, who was unimpressive the first five games but has looked like a different player since being replaced by Fay in the starting lineup. He scored just seven points combined against UNLV, Saint Louis and UIC, in part because of a hip injury that limited his minutes and effectiveness, but he followed those games with a 10-point, 11-rebound, four-block performance against SEMO and 12 points and seven boards versus Alabama State. His development as the team's top front court reserve will be a key to this team succeeding in the grueling 18-game MVC schedule, but he has yet to prove he can be an impact player against quality opponents.
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