Official league stuff
(Originally posted Monday, 6:49 p.m.)
A new twist this week to our regular report on highlights from the latest Monday release from the home office in the little town of Bethlehem.
Were we found the urge to add comments to the league report too strong to resist, we have done so. You'll find our commentary in italics.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: ANDRE INGRAM, American -- So., G
For the first time this season, the Patriot League’s Preseason Player of the Year is the Player of the Week. Ingram led all scorers in both games he played last weekend, tallying 23 in an 86-58 win over Army and 22 in a 76-67 overtime loss to first-place Holy Cross at Bender Arena. For the week, Ingram shot 56.3 percent from the field, 54.5 percent from 3-point range and 60.0 percent from the free throw line. He pulled down 12 rebounds, dished out four assists and also had one block and two steals. Ingram’s Eagles are currently in a threeway tie for second place in the League standings going into Friday’s nationally-televised contest at Bucknell. On the season, the sophomore guard from Richmond, Va., leads the PL in scoring at 15.9 ppg, and is second in League games at 15.1 ppg.
Sorry, but this is ridiculous. Nothing against Ingram, but how can you miss a game-winning free throw and be Player of the Week? This is what happens when awards are handed out based solely on offensive stats. They don't take into account defense, or the opposition or how and when the numbers are piled up. Against Holy Cross, Ingram was missing for long stretches in the second half and vanished in the overtime, when the only thing he added to his box score line were two missed shots. To be Player of the Week, you ought to do more than put up gaudy numbers. Like help your team win, for instance. Our pick: How about Lehigh's Joe Knight, who had 12 points and six assists in a win over Colgate and 24 points, including the game-winning three-pointer against Bucknell. Honorable mention to Holy Cross' John Hurley, who had 13 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocked shots against Navy and 15 points, 6 rebounds and a block against American, both games his team won.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK: GREG SPRINK, Navy -- Fr., G
Sprink is the League’s Rookie of the Week for the second time this season, and his selection continues a 2004-05 trend in Patriot League Rookies of the Week: all 12 thus far have been guards. Sprink earns this week’s honor after notching back-to-back 14-point efforts in a two-point loss to Holy Cross and a 15-point victory over Army in the annual "Star Game" between the two service academies. Both contests took place at Alumni Hall. Sprink, a Cardiff, Calif., native, also averaged 8.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 0.5 steals for the week, while shooting 41.7 percent from the field and 57.1 percent from 3-point range. He turned in his second career double-double against Army, and is averaging 7.9 ppg on the season. He is already 25th on the Mids’ all-time freshman scoring list.
We saw this driveway shooting act at Navy Friday night. He did nothing when the game was on the line. Sunday was against Army. As with Ingram above, we discount those numbers heavily. Our pick: This one is easy. Tim Clifford's 13-13 double-double with 5 blocks at American is the reason HC is alone in first place right now. We could care less he only played seven scoreless minutes Friday at Navy.
1,000 ... ERR, SORTA:Lehigh's Joe Knight went over 1,000 career points versus Bucknell, becoming the 25th player in Lehigh history to do so. Except he isn't really, since this is Knight’s first year at Lehigh after transferring from High Point. Is he a 1,000 point scorer? Yes. Is he Lehigh's 25th? Not in our book, unless he scores 1,000 in a Mountain Hawk uniform. As of now, he has scored 252 as a Hawk.
ON THE LINE: Bucknell’s Kevin Bettencourt, at 92.0 percent, is the nation’s third-best free throw shooter as of last Tuesday’s NCAA report.
NONE THAT COUNT: Head coach Jeff Jones now has 72 wins at AU, tying him with Gary Williams for fifth all-time.
YEAH, BUT . . .:Ingram needs two more 3-pointers to surpass Glenn Stokes for sixth all-time at AU. He currently has 125 through just 52 collegiate games. He only needed three to pass Stokes heading into the Holy Cross game.
THAT AND FIFTY CENTS WILL GET A CUP OF COFFEE: Colgate currently leads the Patriot League in 3-point field goals made per game at 6.9. And they are ahead of in fifth place in the standings, six games under .500 overall (D3 wins do not count)
AP POLL UPDATE: Holy Cross receives a single point again this week in the AP poll. As usual, thanks John.
A new twist this week to our regular report on highlights from the latest Monday release from the home office in the little town of Bethlehem.
Were we found the urge to add comments to the league report too strong to resist, we have done so. You'll find our commentary in italics.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: ANDRE INGRAM, American -- So., G
For the first time this season, the Patriot League’s Preseason Player of the Year is the Player of the Week. Ingram led all scorers in both games he played last weekend, tallying 23 in an 86-58 win over Army and 22 in a 76-67 overtime loss to first-place Holy Cross at Bender Arena. For the week, Ingram shot 56.3 percent from the field, 54.5 percent from 3-point range and 60.0 percent from the free throw line. He pulled down 12 rebounds, dished out four assists and also had one block and two steals. Ingram’s Eagles are currently in a threeway tie for second place in the League standings going into Friday’s nationally-televised contest at Bucknell. On the season, the sophomore guard from Richmond, Va., leads the PL in scoring at 15.9 ppg, and is second in League games at 15.1 ppg.
Sorry, but this is ridiculous. Nothing against Ingram, but how can you miss a game-winning free throw and be Player of the Week? This is what happens when awards are handed out based solely on offensive stats. They don't take into account defense, or the opposition or how and when the numbers are piled up. Against Holy Cross, Ingram was missing for long stretches in the second half and vanished in the overtime, when the only thing he added to his box score line were two missed shots. To be Player of the Week, you ought to do more than put up gaudy numbers. Like help your team win, for instance. Our pick: How about Lehigh's Joe Knight, who had 12 points and six assists in a win over Colgate and 24 points, including the game-winning three-pointer against Bucknell. Honorable mention to Holy Cross' John Hurley, who had 13 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocked shots against Navy and 15 points, 6 rebounds and a block against American, both games his team won.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK: GREG SPRINK, Navy -- Fr., G
Sprink is the League’s Rookie of the Week for the second time this season, and his selection continues a 2004-05 trend in Patriot League Rookies of the Week: all 12 thus far have been guards. Sprink earns this week’s honor after notching back-to-back 14-point efforts in a two-point loss to Holy Cross and a 15-point victory over Army in the annual "Star Game" between the two service academies. Both contests took place at Alumni Hall. Sprink, a Cardiff, Calif., native, also averaged 8.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 0.5 steals for the week, while shooting 41.7 percent from the field and 57.1 percent from 3-point range. He turned in his second career double-double against Army, and is averaging 7.9 ppg on the season. He is already 25th on the Mids’ all-time freshman scoring list.
We saw this driveway shooting act at Navy Friday night. He did nothing when the game was on the line. Sunday was against Army. As with Ingram above, we discount those numbers heavily. Our pick: This one is easy. Tim Clifford's 13-13 double-double with 5 blocks at American is the reason HC is alone in first place right now. We could care less he only played seven scoreless minutes Friday at Navy.
1,000 ... ERR, SORTA:Lehigh's Joe Knight went over 1,000 career points versus Bucknell, becoming the 25th player in Lehigh history to do so. Except he isn't really, since this is Knight’s first year at Lehigh after transferring from High Point. Is he a 1,000 point scorer? Yes. Is he Lehigh's 25th? Not in our book, unless he scores 1,000 in a Mountain Hawk uniform. As of now, he has scored 252 as a Hawk.
ON THE LINE: Bucknell’s Kevin Bettencourt, at 92.0 percent, is the nation’s third-best free throw shooter as of last Tuesday’s NCAA report.
NONE THAT COUNT: Head coach Jeff Jones now has 72 wins at AU, tying him with Gary Williams for fifth all-time.
YEAH, BUT . . .:Ingram needs two more 3-pointers to surpass Glenn Stokes for sixth all-time at AU. He currently has 125 through just 52 collegiate games. He only needed three to pass Stokes heading into the Holy Cross game.
THAT AND FIFTY CENTS WILL GET A CUP OF COFFEE: Colgate currently leads the Patriot League in 3-point field goals made per game at 6.9. And they are ahead of in fifth place in the standings, six games under .500 overall (D3 wins do not count)
AP POLL UPDATE: Holy Cross receives a single point again this week in the AP poll. As usual, thanks John.
