Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

It continues to be hot  in local college basketball. Just think of what it will be when more local HS Stars decide to stay home or at least attend a BE school that plays within hours or where they reside. I often think about this and I know it is a dream at this point because the grass always looks greener on the other side until you actually walk on it and find out the color is nothing but paint used to fool you!

Sometimes what you need and desire is right in front of you. Media....Check! Coverage....Check! Exposure....Check!  Involved Fans....Check (once it all comes together)! Academics....Check! Chance to be part of something special....Check! And do not forget all the great things associated with playing in a area such as the NY Metropolitan Area.

If those southern schools can keep the exceptional southern players home, local schools can do the same in time. Very few great players from NC, Virginia, and even Maryland attend non ACC schools unless it is Georgetown or they get some extra perks (wink-wink). Now Maryland, especially Baltimore, is crucial because the loyalty to the ACC is not the same as it is in Washington DC and Virginia. Now before people come at me I will admit there are exceptions to what I write. Just not a lot!

Interesting history I heard years ago. The NBA Draft at one time was a territorial draft meaning local NBA teams had the first dips on players attending college near where they played NBA games. Because of this many NBA teams supported colleges in recruiting certain players to have them in their territory when it was draft time! So you had teams such as CCNY, St. Johns, LIU, Seton Hall, etc. doing well with a little support from the local NBA franchise.

Seton Hall is still the best of the locals with Iona rated 2 on my list. I do wonder who would win between the two based on the big 3 Iona has who all really are BE talents and could start at many BE schools. I also wonder if Iona could beat Rutgers at this time? Or St. Johns?  This brings me to another point. Why is there no Big 5 type of set-up locally with the 3 BE teams along with Fordham, Iona, and Maybe FDU......just kidding and seeing if you were paying attention,  maybe Manhattan playing each other during the season with an area championship at stake?  I think it would be great basketball and help each school recruit the area better.

Loved the Rutgers win over Notre Dame because Notre Dame is a national program and a national name. Huge win! Yes, it is getting hot around the areas basketball teams.

Even FDU won a game the other day against the Liberty Travel Agency All-Stars! Oops I meant to say Liberty University or was it Longwood University? Let me go and check. Be right back. I am back and boy did I have it wrong. FDU actually lost to Longwood by 4 at home in front of friends and family.  I could have sworn I saw a score posted that had them winning the game in OT. Maybe I was dreaming!!!!! I wonder what league Longwood is a part of? Do you think a home game against Longwood was done as a scheduled definite win?

Seton Hall plays Villanova tonight and you can bet that Jay Wright will have his team ready to steal one. It will be tough but winnable game for Seton Hall based on momentum and great play from more than one player. If the game is on campus it will be that much tougher  because it will mean 6500 right on top of you. At an area arena it will be a bit more space, at least it will seem that way. No predictions from me but I do feel Seton Hall is the better team.

Watched some HS basketball on the tube yesterday and was impressed with St. Anthony's (what else is new), Finley Prep (When you have a budget larger than FDU in HS why not be a power),  and Simeon, though they got spanked by the team from the dessert. I also watched a bit of Christ The King against Mater Dei, the California team that everyone raves over each year. No contest while I watched but I sure thought the California team was better than people gave them credit for after losing to Gil St. Bernard of New Jersey, the 3rd rated HS team in the state as rated by many but not me.

New Jersey HS basketball is better than New York City HS basketball talent wise. Much of this has to do with the many NYC players attending NJ schools based on better transportation connections and the need for more strusture. Their words and not mine! I still feel Gil St. Bernard is not as good as Plainfield, Teaneck, St. Benedict's, or St. Anthony's.  In fact I feel Hudson Catholic would beat them if they played this week. But I can be wrong! I look forward to the Plainfield vs Gil St. Bernard game coming up soon in the watered down Prime Time Shootout.

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