Projo Sports Blog

Kevin McNamara: Hello everyone. Late night at The Dunk last night but we're up and ready to answer some of your hoop questions.

We'll take thoughts on PC, URI, Brown, Bryant, recruiting, high school hoops. Whatever. Fire away.

CTPCFAN: Every year, it seems like forever, we hear that defense is a priority with the PC team, yet every year the defense is horrendous. Now, we have a new coach, and it's the same old story. What, in your opinion, ails this team? Is it simply a matter of turning the page on this senior class and hoping that Keno's recruits get it when it comes to defense? Are the current players unable to play defense? Unwilling? Just suffering from 3 years of inadequate coaching? Whatever it is, the inability to defend is maddening.

Kevin McNamara: A lot of questions on PC's defense. Here are some thoughts. This group of players has been a predominantly zone team for all four years. That is because of the lack of a low post, man-to-man defender of any renown. It is a major, major flaw in this group's makeup. It is why Randall Hanke, for example, played 13 minutes and took one shot last night against Nova. And he's the best FG shooter in the Big East.

The zone Keno Davis runs is a bit different than Tim Welsh's set. Welsh emphasized ball pressure on the perimeter. Davis does not as much. That has seemed to lead to more open threes for foes. What Davis is trying to do is slightly different and emphasizing more of a match-up look but it obviously isn't working. At all.

PC's defensive shooting numbers aren't all that bad, as Davis cited last night, but the proof is in the scoreboard. 90-plus four games in a row gives you a first-class ticket to the NIT. Or worse.

Friarblog.com: Hey Kevin...Obviously the team needs to play better defense overall, but who do you think is one player that can really step it up defensively for the Friars to improve on that end of the court.

Kevin McNamara: I do not think better defense is about one player. It is always a team thing and the breakdowns of the perimeter players directly effects the ability of the frontcourt guys to guard the rim and/or rebound. The friars have too many outside guards who do not stop penetration and too many bigs who can't prevent drives to the rim.

Friarblog.com: Any update on Marshon Brooks' ankle? If he can't go for the next several games, how screwed are the Friars?

Kevin McNamara: Marshon Brooks has an ankle injury. Unclear what his status is but the fact he only played two minutes in the second half is not good. He may be the team's best on-ball defender (along with Jeff Xavier). May know more on that later today.

cc: What is the status of PC recruiting a big man for next year?

Kevin McNamara: We'll get to recruiting later in the hour.

friars: Kevin- Has Keno explained yet why our defense this year has taken a huge step back? It seems like we give up over 90 points every night. One more question, last night sitting at the Dunk my friends and I were screaming for Keno to use a timeout during some of Nova's runs and he never did, you agree with this type of bench strategy?

Kevin McNamara: I agree that Keno's lack of calling timeouts during opponents' big runs is a bit odd. I looked up at one point in the first half and Nova was rolling and PC had 5 timeouts left. That said, it was good to have them in the pocket late in the game. It's a balancing act that all coaches deal with.

RhodeWarrior: Is Thor's promise that winning is important really only a statement with no teeth? What is your opinion. Did he speak before he should have?

Kevin McNamara: Wow. Rhode you are fired up with a load of questions. I'll try to get as many as I can. First, Thorr Bjorn certainly believes that winning is VERY important for men's basketball. It's the only sports down there that has the chance to make good money, bring attention to the school, help the Ryan Center, rally support around the state, ect. I also think it's more than possible and is happening right now. Some URI fans may not see it - and I guess you may be in this group - but the Rams have 15 wins, are heading to the post-season again and have a good talent base going forward. I am clearly missing something in all these critiques of the program. Or maybe I am just a little more realistic than some fans.

RhodeWarrior: Putting aside that Jim Baron is a nice guy are you honestly impressed with him as a basketball coach? Please don't assess his soft skills ie) Integrity, Graduation Rate, Good Guy Factor - just purely as a basketball coach? I know these other areas matter a great deal and I already know he is a great guy on these other fronts. How do you rate him as a pure basketball coach?

Kevin McNamara: That leads us, as usual, to the coach. Jim Baron's strengths are many and have been discussed for years in our paper and on our always interesting ProJo URI fan forum. I think his greatest strength is the consistency in the players working very, very hard. I've been to a Baron practice. They go at it. Hard. That carries over to the games.

The one thing that has hurt the Rams in the last year is the lack of a mature, true point guard. Parfait Bittee had a fine senior year but he was always a scorer in my eyes. Marquis Jones and Stevie Mejia are young players learning on the job. You need a good PG late in games to get you the shots that can win tight contests. That has cost the Rams dearly and put an awful lot on the jump-shooting shoulders of Jimmy Baron.

RhodeWarrior: Do you know why our coaching staff did not redshirt Orion Outerbridge this year? Seems like they wasted a year of valuable eligibility based on how little Orion has played this year. Similar feeling for Jamal Wilson who also seems to have some talent?

Kevin McNamara: I would have definitely redshirted Outerbridge considering how much he has played. Same with Will Martell last year. My guess is the health status of Jason Francis made Baron think twice about such a move. I love the Boston kid's potential.

RhodeWarrior: Do you think Jimmy Baron Jr. will get a shot to play in the NBA? I think no, but others say yes. What say you?

Kevin McNamara: I think yes. He owns a unique skill and can be an NBA 3-point specialist. My guess is he'll be in someone's camp and be given the chance to show that.

PaulieP: Any thoughts on the officiating last night? I thought they did a horrible job. I was waiting for Xavier's brother to run out on the floor.

Kevin McNamara: That's it for Rhode for a bit...I was waiting for this one. I spoke with someone who left early last night and listened to the exciting comeback on radio. They reported that John Rooke and Joe Hassett were apoplectic about the officials. I think they were shaky, at best. Tim Higgins is still regarded as one of ther best around and you never, ever want him at home. He likes to make calls that favor the road team. Ed Hightower almost always works the Final Four and has done numerous national Title games. Last night he stunk. Too many touch fouls (both teams). The third guy, Paul Janssen, was bad. Never seen him before. The Big East is trying to break in younger officials as older guys (Higgins, Jim Burr, ect) near the end. It clearly is quite a challenge. The refs did not help the Friars late in the game...as for running on the floor, I was sure a few fans were actually ON the floor protesting some calls.

rory: is antoine allen stil in pc's plans?

Kevin McNamara: I think the Friars have moved on from Allen once they took a verbal commit from Vincent Council.

There was another PC recruit question about a big man. The staff is actively chasing big men. They clearly need someone who can rebound and defend the rim and JUCO guys are being checked out. Right now the current frontcourt is all leaving. The crop for next year includes Bilal Dixon, Greedy Peterson, Alex Kellogg and recruits James Still and Kadeem Batts...Sorry to say so PC fans, but that young group is going to need some serious time to get ready for this league.

Friarblog.com: I saw Council was at the game with some of his teammates?

Kevin McNamara: I spoke with Council. He left North Carolina at 7 a.m. yesterday and the team bus arrived in PVD at around 1. What fun. Patterson School plays tonigth at URI and each of the next three days as well.

RhodeWarrior: How much is URI recruiting hurt in head to head recruiting battles against PC now that Pat Skerry is on PC's staff v. URI's? Major or minor issue?

Kevin McNamara: I do not see PC and URI chasing the same kids much right now. Pat Skerry's ground work that he did with younger New England kids while at URI has clearly been transferred to PC's efforts. That's just the way the recruiting game works.

RhodeWarrior: Kevin, I am fired up-- I am not the only Rams fan that is-- visit your own chat board or walk the hallways of the Ryan Center and listen to the conversations. Sorry to be so blunt but this is not the tide of the few at this stage. Why is the ProJo not in tune with the talk amoungst the Rams most loyal fans? It is a question for me as well as to how we can be on such different pages. This is not a RhodeWarrior - ProJo issue. It is a majority of a fan base viewing things differently than the ProJo issue. Put a poll out on your website about how people would rank the performance of Jim Baron as a pure basketball coach and I think you will see that indeed we do have a disconnect beyond me alone being fired up. (No Need To Reply To This Post-- Just A Personal Note For Perspective As I Too Am Puzzled).

Kevin McNamara: Rhode, great question. I think what you and the Ryan Center hallway guys think is expected from this group of Rams and what I expect are somewhat different. URI was picked 9th by the A-10 coaches in the October. Ninth. They should fare better than that. I think they will be an NIT team, at worst. I think they can go to Atl. City with a chance to win the A-10 tourney. My guess is you may think they should be an NCAA team, no question. I do not think they have that type of talent....Now do I see why you can get frustrated with URI's close losses. Absolutely. Are there reasons for those defeats that rest purely on the shoulders of the coach? Sure. But the Rams are in good position to make a run at the NIT-NCAAs for the third season in a row. That's pretty good. Only Xavier in the Atlantic 10 has done better.

bonaparte: How is the Big East tournament structured in terms of seeding and byes? How many teams will be playing on Tuesday?

Kevin McNamara: Good question. We have not written enough about this. The first day of the Big East tourney will feature the bottom 8 teams in four games. Obviously getting into the top 8 is vital if you have any hopes of advancing very far. On Day 2 (Wednesday) the top 4 teams get another bye as the first day's winners play teams 5-6-7-8. Thursday the four elite teams join the fray. The best day to go is clearly Thursday. Surviving until then is not easy.

keno's boy: I thought redshirting Peterrsomn was a huge mistake. I cringe sitting in the dunk watching teams kill us on the glass. You think Keno made a mistake with this move?

Kevin McNamara: I would have redshirted either Greedy or Bilal Dixon. Not both. Take your pick.

bonaparte: What must the Friars do in your opinion to get into the NCAA's? Is beating the teams they will be favored against (USF, Rutgers, Rutgers and ND) and finishing with 10 wins in conference enough? 11 wins? What?

Kevin McNamara: Winning 10 games with wins over SFlorida, NDame and two vs. Rutgers is NOT enough to be an NCAA team. You need `quality' wins and wins against teams in the tourney. Right now PC has one: Syracuse. Last nigth's defeat was a devastating one for the team's NCAA hopes. They need to worry about the next game (West Virginia) and take some wins back on the road. Do not sew up South Florida as a guarantee, by the way. They play well at home.

keno's boy: Kevin how many teams you see going to the big dance from the big east?

Kevin McNamara: Right now I see 6 locks in Marquette, UConn, Louisville, Pitt, Villanova and Syracuse. I think West Virginia and Georgetown can get in. Providence and Notre Dame have to pull off some serious upsets the rest of the way.

Big East Beast: Very IMPRESSED with Villanova. Do you think they are going to be a NCAA Tourney sleeper?

Kevin McNamara: I agree with you. Villanova was a very, very bad matchup for Providence. They reminded me of Marquette in their speed and quickness but they hit the glass harder than the Eagles. No one is sleeping on Villanova. They can be a four seed, or better. Ask Pittsburgh.

Friarblog.com: How do you think PC matches up with WVU right now? We seem to always have trouble with them, especially on their court

Kevin McNamara: West Virginia guards the heck out of you. The only teams that have slowed PC so far are UConn (plenty of reasons why) and (strangely) DePaul. I think West Virginia will as well. So it is key for the Friars to show that they can limit someone, anyone to say 75 points. Obviously a huge game. WVU has lost three of four.

Big East Beast: If Providence wins 10 Big East conference games (which is very possible), how could they possibly be left out of the dance?

Kevin McNamara: It is who you beat, not how many. The Big East has an unbalanced schedule and the NCAA people see through that. The good news for PC is they have a chance to win more than 10 games and make a major impact to the selection committee. Beat WVU, Pitt, Louisville or Villanova and people will take serious notice.

MikeNYC: Do you think any big east team deserves a bid if they finish sub .500 in conference?

Kevin McNamara: I do. If a team finished 8-10 and owns three or four wins over big-time teams, they can clearly beat anyone in the country on a given night.

RhodeWarrior: Kev, thanks for the insight. you make some valid points and you have hit on Rams fans frustrations. We do think we have the talent to be an NCAA team both last and this year and in both cases have blown opportuntiies because of the bench coaching. Not to open a new can of worms but you put Jim Harrick on the bench with last years team and this years team specifically and I would wager you that both are NCAA teams. I am not plugging for Harrick as god knows that guy has a large bag of problems that follow him (and URI was not immune) but I would argue that with the right coaching these two ram teams would have been dancing. Please understand I do not expect the RAMS to dance that often either. it just kills me when I see teams that have the potential to dance not being able to achieve that potential due to the bench. To your point these opportunities dont come along often and it kills me to watch these past two seasons squandered. Thanks for your point of view however as that is indeed the crux of the disconnect between Ram fans and the ProJo staff.

Kevin McNamara: Thanks for your good questions. And keep the board humming. I wish PC fans would come to us and do the same. We offer a free space to do so.

Big East Beast: Do you think it is appropriate to heckle Eric Devendorf for hitting girls?

Kevin McNamara: I do not. Hope you do not either. Heckle him next year if he's in the NBA.

THEFanatic06: You mentioned Greedy and Dixon, any word on their progression?

Kevin McNamara: I think they are progressing well. Dixon, specifically, often gives the current big men fits in practice. It also appears that he's expanded his offensive game to jump shooting from 15-plus feet. Peterson's game is what it is. Hits the glass, jumps to the moon. I'd love to see him sculpt his body more and develop a 12-foot jumper. That's what this time is made for.

RhodeWarrior: Do you think Jim Baron will be able to recruit with the loss of Pat Skerry- rumor is that Pat did most of our recruiting. Do you see trouble for Rhody looking forward?

Kevin McNamara: This is a key spring for the Rams to add another player or two. The addition of asst. coach Momir Gajic needs to pay off. It might take another recruiting cycle to do so but we'll see if the Rams can't land a player or two from overseas who can help.

Big East Beast: I have a tough time believing that a 10 win Big East team will not make the tournament. They have a top 50 win in Cuse. There have been PLENTY of teams to make it with only 1 Quality Win. How man Quality Wins did Durant's 4 seed Texas team have? One? Two? How about that Michigan State team that was 1-9 versus the top 50, had 18 total wins, and was a 7 seed in 2004?

Kevin McNamara: I will check those teams out. My guess is your numbers are slightly off.

MikeNYC: Who will we end up saying is better Sharaud Curry or Vernon Council?? And just to throw it out there.. Curry is team mvp far and away.

Kevin McNamara: If Vincent Council (or Johnnie Lacy) ends up being close to as good as Sharaud Curry, Keno Davis will be a very happy guy...I agree with you. Curry is the team MVP so far.

Big East Beast: Last year, Mississippie State has 0 top 25 wins, and only 2 top 25 wins. They wore white in the first round of the tournament. Why don't you think a 10 conference win PC team with a win over Syracuse will make the dance?

Kevin McNamara: It is early to be picking the field. All I know is if PC's only top 50 win is Syracuse, it is in big, big trouble. Getting a few more over the next 4 weeks is mandatory.

Friarblog.com: Did you get a chance to talk to Ryan Gomes while he was recently in town? It's so good to see him do well in the NBA

Kevin McNamara: I did not. He did not come to PVD. He stayed up in Boston over the weekend. Did speak with his mom last night and things are going great. I applaud Ryan for his foundation's work and the donation of two defibrillators to the John Hope Settlement House. He is a classy kid.

Big East Beast: My numbers about 2007 Texas are correct. My numbers about 2004 Michigan State are correct. My numbers about 2008 Mississippi State and 2006 Arizona and Texas AM are also correct.

Kevin McNamara: Then I guess the Friars are in....We'll see...Check out Syracuse of two years ago. They had several good Big East wins, finished strong and did not get in.

keno's boy: Which big east coaches you see getting the axe this year?

Kevin McNamara: If I was Jerry Wainwright or Norm Roberts, I would be concerned. I do think that both save their jobs, however. The fact that they are really good guys helps them both.

RhodeWarrior: OK fun question--- who you picking next year in the annual PC-URI game? Lets get your early prediction for next December :-)

Kevin McNamara: Gotta like Rhody. PC loses bulk of their team and the game is at the Ryan Center. That's PC's House of Horrors...Fun answer.

Big East Beast: Is Fred Hill the worst coach in Big East history? If not, then who?

Kevin McNamara: The Beast is a real nice guy. I'm passing on this one because the list of candidates is quite lengthy.

FK99: Do you think there are any local high school kids that PC would look at?

Kevin McNamara: I don't believe there is anyone outside of St. Mark's Alex Murphy who PC is actively chasing.

MikeNYC: LAST QUESTION - Have we been down this road before or do we think this Friar group can finally get there act together for a bid? Don't be political!!!!

Kevin McNamara: Politics isn't my game...Then again, there is always time for a second career...Governor McNamara. Has a ring to it..I think they've put themselves in a position where winning at West Virginia or Louisville or beating Pitt at home has become mandatory. Tough spot to be in.

That's all folks. We'll try to do this again before the conference tournaments. Lots of good questions today.

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