A-10 PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Dionte Christmas - Temple
Sophomore, Guard, 6-5, Philadelphia, PA/Philadelphia Luthern Christian Academy
Christmas averaged 26.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in a pair of games…had 22 points and a career-best eight rebounds on Jan. 17 in Temple’s 85-79 win over Saint Louis…scored a career-high 31 points on Jan. 20 in the Owls’ 85-77 loss to Rhode Island…shot 9-of-16 from three-point range and 15-of-31 overall from the field…knocked down 14-of-16 free throws…leads the A-10 in scoring (20.1 ppg.) and 20-point games (12)…named the A-10 Player of the Week for the second time this season.
Marcus Stout - Fordham
Junior, Guard, 6-4, Southfield, MI/Renaissance HS
Stout hit 20-of-34 field goal attempts, including 12-of-20 from beyond the arc, in leading Fordham to three Atlantic 10 victories…averaged 18.7 points and 3.3 assists…added eight rebounds and five steals…scored a season-high 26 points and made all six of his three-point attempts in the Rams’ 71-59 win at Duquesne on Jan. 14…his driving layup with 4.2 seconds remaining in overtime lifted Fordham past Saint Joseph’s on Jan. 17, 56-55…had 17 points in the Rams’ 77-68 win over Saint Louis on Jan. 20…his 165 three-point field goals place him fifth on the school’s all-time list.
A-10 ROOKIE OF THE WEEK Rodney Green - La Salle
Freshman, Guard, 6-5, Philadelphia, PA/Prep Charter HS
Green earns his third A-10 Rookie of the Week award after averaging 20 points, five rebounds and 3.5 steals on .542 shooting (13-of-24) in two contests…scored 18 points, grabbed eight rebounds and added five steals in La Salle’s 78-59 win over NJIT on Jan. 16…had 22 points in the Explorers’ 93-92 loss to Pennsylvania on Jan. 18…ranks third in the Conference in field goal shooting (.550).
Thanks! (And I will even retract my statement that I made yesterday in the “In the Observer (1/20/07)” thread after reading these substantive pieces!)
Thanks! (And I will even retract my statement that I made yesterday in the “In the Observer (1/20/07)” thread after reading these substantive pieces!)[/QUOTE]
Here’s what happens with this: Coaches do a teleconference on Mondays, so everything they say is new, and Jim writes for Tuesday’s paper. There is no access to coaches Tuesday-Friday except at games Jim covers. He saves some items for Saturday’s paper, but other A-10 media outlets use some of those items because they’re specific to their schools. Run, you read all those outlets because you’re a superfan, but most of my readers don’t. The info is still new to them, even if it’s not to you.
[QUOTE=Mike_Persinger;212588]Here’s what happens with this: Coaches do a teleconference on Mondays, so everything they say is new, and Jim writes for Tuesday’s paper. There is no access to coaches Tuesday-Friday except at games Jim covers. He saves some items for Saturday’s paper, but other A-10 media outlets use some of those items because they’re specific to their schools. Run, you read all those outlets because you’re a superfan, but most of my readers don’t. The info is still new to them, even if it’s not to you.[/QUOTE]
Mike,
You are correct that I do read the other media outlets and that realization hit me last night. I think my main issue with his items this past Saturday is they were mostly opinion pieces, which I do believe have their place in a newspaper. Anyway, you’ve got a loyal reader here who’s been checking out the Big O for a good 30+ years (as with the Niners!). Sometimes us old farts are just hard to please! :biggrin:
You are correct that I do read the other media outlets and that realization hit me last night. I think my main issue with his items this past Saturday is they were mostly opinion pieces, which I do believe have their place in a newspaper. Anyway, you’ve got a loyal reader here who’s been checking out the Big O for a good 30+ years (as with the Niners!). Sometimes us old farts are just hard to please! :biggrin:[/QUOTE]
Observations are, in essence, opinion, which is a new move for newspapers. With the internet, people often know what happened in a game, so our role is shifting into explaining why it happened and setting the agenda for discussions, which are the lifeblood of being a sports fan. I’d expect more opinion, not less, from us in the future, across the board.
[QUOTE=Mike_Persinger;212588]Here’s what happens with this: Coaches do a teleconference on Mondays, so everything they say is new, and Jim writes for Tuesday’s paper. There is no access to coaches Tuesday-Friday except at games Jim covers. He saves some items for Saturday’s paper, but other A-10 media outlets use some of those items because they’re specific to their schools. Run, you read all those outlets because you’re a superfan, but most of my readers don’t. The info is still new to them, even if it’s not to you.[/QUOTE]
I agree with that. Glad Utter participates on the calls and stuff runs the next day. Would like to see A-10 scoring summaries, A-10 stats, and POW announcements. I know you’ll say they can be found online but the casual fan isn’t going to look it up. Conf leaders is good stuff for all local conferences.
[QUOTE=Mike_Persinger;212616]Observations are, in essence, opinion, which is a new move for newspapers. With the internet, people often know what happened in a game, so our role is shifting into explaining why it happened and setting the agenda for discussions, which are the lifeblood of being a sports fan. I’d expect more opinion, not less, from us in the future, across the board.[/QUOTE]
How about some fan observations as well? Jim could interview a few of us after games.
Latest from USA Today, with a snippet of the Charlotte capsule…
[b]CHARLOTTE
GETTING INSIDE[/b]
As its disappointing record indicates, Charlotte (8-9 overall, 2-3 Atlantic 10) has been consistently inconsistent all season long — the lone exception being 6-foot-5 senior D’Angelo Alexander.
That is, until the 49ers’ 76-68 loss to George Washington on Jan. 20. Alexander, a legit NBA prospect, entered the contest vs. GW as the Atlantic 10’s second leading scorer at 19.3 ppg. Against the Colonials, Alexander was held without a field goal for the opening 21 minutes and finished with a season-low six points as Charlotte had its modest two-game league win streak snapped.
While the six-point outing was a rare hiccup for Alexander, the eight-point loss at George Washington continued Charlotte’s season-long struggles on the road. With the loss, Charlotte slipped to 1-6 in true road games this season.
They’ll need to fix what ails them away from home later this week when they travel to Saint Louis on Jan. 25. The coming week will be an interesting one for the 49ers, who will also host UMass on Jan. 28. Both the Billikens — with 6-8 center Ian Vouyoukas — and UMass — with the two-headed inside monster of Rashaun Freeman and Stephane Lamse — will test a Charlotte frontcourt that is clearly the team’s weak point.
Speaking of PGs, Xavier coach Sean Miller benched Drew Lavender for the Bona game and started sophomore Johnny Wolf instead. The latter responded with a 6 assist, 0 TO game, while the former came off the bench and went 5 for 5 on 3-pointers. BTW, this is what Miller had to say about the line-up change:
"Lavender didn't start because he hasn't played good enough defense," Miller said. "I've been on him and on him. Players love to be introduced at the beginning of the game, and sometimes when that's taken from them, that message is heard louder and clearer."
Would like to see A-10 scoring summaries, A-10 stats, and POW announcements. I know you’ll say they can be found online but the casual fan isn’t going to look it up. Conf leaders is good stuff for all local conferences.