NEC preview part I: the bottom five

This is part one of a four-part NEC basketball preview, as written by Chris Capella and Lee Kunkel. Part one will preview the "bottom five" teams, according to the recently released coaches poll. Tomorrow will preview the "top five" of the coaches poll.

10. Central Connecticut State University (5-26, 3-15 NEC)

Coach: Howie Dickenman, 20th (278–286)

Postseason: None

KenPom: 340

Biggest loss: Matt Mobley (17 points-per-game, 1.8 assists per-game)

Key game: The Blue Devils have a pretty tough non-conference schedule that includes games at Boston College, Rutgers, and UCONN but as we’ve learned over the years, non-conference play is simply a tune up for the NEC. With that said, Dickenman’s bunch plays three of their first four conference games on the road including two at Bryant and Mount. That is not easy, and makes the home game sandwiched in against LIU Brooklyn on January 4th a near must win if CCSU wants to make the NEC tournament.

Names to know: Brandon Peel is one of my favorite players in the league. He is a tough kid that brings a variety of skillsets to the table. It’s a shame CCSU has had so much turnover on their roster because he can really play. There aren’t many more tenacious rebounders in the league. He averaged a near double-double last year with 9 PPG and 9 RPG. This season, he’ll be asked to do even more, especially early in the season as Dickenman gets the roster and rotations figured out. The 6-7 senior should have no problem carrying his share of the responsibilities, but where will the help come from?

The Skinny: This team was picked second in the NEC last season by the coaches as we began play a year ago. Then the wheels fell off. Losing Mobley kills (Transfer to St. Bonaventure). He gave them big minutes (37 per-game last year), provided a huge scoring punch, could shoot the three, and was the leader on the offensive end. This is a team that has been destroyed over the last few years by players leaving. Hell, you can make the argument that CCSU has lost the best guard in the NEC back-to-back years (Kyle Vinales left the program last season). The good news? There really isn’t anywhere to go but up. This team went 1-13 on the road and posted a 0-8 record in the NEC away from New Britain. Peel and Khalen Cumberlander are two solid pieces to build around. They will struggle to win games in the non-conference but it will be important to find out whom they can rely on come January.

9. Fairleigh Dickinson (8-21, 3-15)

Coach: Greg Herenda, third year (18-42)

Postseason: none

KenPom: 320

Biggest losses: Matt McDonald, Xavier Harris, Mustafaa Jones

Key game: Nov. 23 vs. Saint Peter’s. With a tough non-conference schedule, this could be FDU’s best chance at a Division I win before conference play.

Names to know: Sophomore guard Darian Anderson has a long frame and showed flashes of being a pretty good scorer in this league last year. He shot 40.4 percent from the floor, 33.7 percent from three and has the ability to pass and defend. He led the team is assists and steals, and was second in scoring at 11.4 points per game. He’s certainly not shy about shooting, leading FDU in usage and percent of shots for the Knights offense. Confidence is a good thing, Darian, so keep letting it fly.

Marques Townes really impressed me last season. He’s listed as a guard, but has a thick 6-foot-4 frame and was used as a small forward and power forward at times. He’s not going to kill you with the three ball but he does a good job working with his back to the basket and spacing the floor to find good shots. As a freshman, he shot almost 60 percent from the floor last season.

The Skinny: So here we are with Fairleigh Dickinson. Another year is approaching, and it’s another year where the talent is minimal and the expectations are even smaller. Quite frankly, I’m surprised the departures of Matt McDonald, Xavier Harris, Mustafaa Jones and even Malachi Nix didn’t make the Knights the last pick in the preseason poll. None of those guys were superstars, but they were at least serviceable players who could be nice role players on a better team. I especially think the loss of Harris, the team's best rebounder and toughest player, will sting early.

My feeling is there’s a great respect for head coach Greg Herenda, who is now set to enter his third season. Two years ago, Herenda got the most out of Sidney Sanders Jr. and was able to sneak into the NEC tournament as an eight seed. Last year, he showed an ability to develop Anderson, Townes and some other younger players (notably, Stephan Jiggetts), which could be promising.

Ryan Peters from NYC Buckets did a good job detailing the struggle FDU is going through. I’m hoping for the best for you, FDU, but, man, I don’t know. This could be a long season filled with brief moments of joy as Anderson looks to develop as one of the ten (?) best guards in the conference.

8. St. Francis PA (16-16, 9-9)

Coach: Rob Krimmel, fourth season (31-61)

Postseason: Lost in first round of the CIT Tournament to Bowling Green, 67-64

KenPom: 277

Biggest losses: Earl Brown, Ollie Jackson

Biggest game: Dec. 2 vs. Lehigh: How is this for an early season matchup? The Red Flash get a Patriot League favorite, at home. Good measuring stick game.

Names to know: Center Ronnie Drinnon not only poses a league-best man bun, but has some game to go with it. Drinnon was always a good rebounder but took it to another level last year, ranking 86 and 175 nationally in offensive and defensive rebounding percentage, respectively. He can finish around the rim with both hands and can occasionally step back and hit a three, which might actually take away from his game.

I wrote about point guard Malik Harmon a little bit a few weeks ago when I posed the question “who is the best point guard in the NEC?” The junior guard is a good shooter, hitting at a 47/32/64 percent clip last year. He doesn’t do anything great, but he’s a good point guard.

The Skinny: It’s time to preview the most unpredictable team in the conference! St. Francis PA finished as the NEC’s fifth best team last season, and that was with the second best player in the conference, the now-graduated Earl Brown. Now, they’ll have to move forward without Brown and guard Ollie Jackson, who was the team’s best perimeter shooter.

That doesn’t mean this team still doesn’t have the talent to be competitive, but it’s going to be tough sledding. It starts right away with one of the toughest non-conference slates in the conference. Seven of SFU’s 11 non-conference games are against teams ranked in KenPom’s top 150.

So how does SFU turn it around? It starts with improved perimeter shooting. This is a squad that has capable guard play that disappointed last year. Dom Major, Ben Millaud-Meniuer, Malik Harmon and even Ronnie Drinnon had pretty disappointing shooting seasons. At least one of those guys is going to have to step it up this year.

Now, this team is going to have to undergo a small makeover. They could always count on Earl Brown to get a bucket when it needed. Who becomes that go-to guy? How do they manufacture buckets in the paint? One of the more underrated players in the conference was guard Greg Brown, who can act as a ball handler and slasher off the ball. If Brown can keep his numbers steady and Harmon can improve his game as the ball handler, there might be a chance to make some noise in the NEC.

7. Sacred Heart (15-17, 9-9)

Coach: Anthony Latina, third year (21-43)

Postseason: None

KenPom: 221

Biggest losses: Evan Kelley, Phil Gaetano, Steve Glowiak

Biggest game: Sacred Heart announced themselves as one of the better teams in the NEC last season. Now, the expectations are only going to rise. What’s the best way to paint “CONTENDER” on your forehead? Start off conference play by beating Robert Morris, in Robert Morris, on Dec. 2nd.

Names to know: If it wasn’t for the outstanding play of RMU guard Marcquise Reed, Cane Broome would have won NEC rookie of the year. He was that good, leading the team in scoring (14.2 ppg), minutes, free throws made, free throw percentage (75.2 percent) and ranked second in six other categories.

De’Von Barnett is your classic back-to-the basket power forward. If the NEC has an equivalent to Zach Randolph, it would be Barnett, who punishes forwards everywhere with his bruising style of play. Last year, the sophomore shot 57.8 percent from the field. He’s probably the third best forward in the league.

Tevin Falzon is one of the more underrated players in the league. he’s the mold of RMU’s Aaron Tate or CCSU’s Brandon Peel, except better. He had the 12th best offensive rebounding percentage in the country last season and dominated the paint in conference play. Now a senior, Falzon is a sleeper for defensive player of the year.

The skinny: It might have been a little surprising to see Sacred Heart not crack the top five in the preseason poll. One of the biggest reasons was probably the loss of point guard Phil Gaetano, couldn’t have played a much better point guard. He was the type of guy who just didn’t make a mistake on the floor. Now, sophomore Cane Broome is going to have to transition from playing off the ball to being the primary ball handler. While the transition can be tough -- and at times awkward -- Broome finished top 15 in the NEC in assists. If there’s a young guard who is going to make the transition look easy, it’ll be Broome.

Building a team around Broome is a nice luxury to have, but this team will go as far as the frontcourt takes it. De’von Barnett and Tevin Falzon make up, in my eyes, the best frontcourt in the conference. You have the extremely efficient and talented Barnett paired with Tevin Falzon, who will be the league's best rebounder and shot blocker. Also, graduate forward Jordan Allen is an incredible luxury to bring off the bench. He shot 60 percent from the field last year.

Yes, Sacred Heart lost a few key players, but the talent more than makes up for it. This has the makeup of a team that could be playing a home game in the NEC tournament this year.

6. Wagner (10-20, 8-10 NEC)

Coach: Bashir Mason, fourth year (48–45)

Postseason: None

KenPom: 256

Biggest Loss: Marcus Burton (17.5 points-per-game)

Key Game: For a team that got into the NEC tournament last year, the goal will be to build on that and push for a top four finish. They were selected sixth in the coaches poll, and should be in the discussion for a spot when the calendar turns to February. The February 6th home game against preseason number one, Mount St. Mary’s, looms large. A win there could propel Mason’s team to a strong finish. A loss, and things could snowball downhill quickly. After that game Wagner plays four straight games away from home, their longest road trip of the season.

Names to know: There are a few guys who will have an opportunity in the Seahawks backcourt to make a statement and take rein of the team, and my money would be on sophomore JoJo Cooper doing just that. As a freshman, he played almost 29 minutes-per-contest gaining valuable experience alongside the now departed senior guard Burton. He averaged an impressive 4.0 assists-per-game and even chipped in 7 points-per-game. He’ll need to improve his shooting numbers, and he’ll certainly have more opportunity to do just that.

The Skinny: In college athletics, the word “rebuild” is one you do not want associated with your program for too long. Coaches would often prefer to “reload” their roster from year-to-year as waves of seniors and transfers move on with their careers. Wagner went through that transition period going 10-20 on the season and losing in the first round of the NEC tournament. The next question, how long will it take to get back to the top of the Northeast Conference?

While the team lost its starting point guard Marcus Burton (Robert Morris fans rejoice), there is a lot of depth on the roster. Coach Mason has done a great job getting a few key transfers over the past few seasons, starting with wingman Dwaun Anderson (Michigan State) and big man Mike Aaman (Rhode Island). While Anderson has not quite lived up to the hype when he arrived from East Lansing, he still is a very talented athletic guard that will be asked to carry a large load in the backcourt. He battled injuries last season that cost him a ton of time. Aaman will need to establish himself as one of the best centers in the league if the Seahwaks are going to out perform expectations. He can control the paint and the glass, and even posted a 20-20 game last year against FDU. This year, another transfer will look to make an impact. 6-8 forward Henry Brooks (Penn) should give Wagner one of the biggest frontcourts in the NEC.

Stepping in: can Billy Giles be the next RMU junior college star?

Robert Morris will make its long-awaited debut Tuesday night against Saint Vincent College at the Sewall Center.

Aaron Tate will have to wait a bit longer. 

Given Tate will be sidelined 2-to-3 weeks after undergoing surgery for a lower body injury, frountcourt minutes will be vacant as the Colonials see game action for the first time this year.

Stephan Bennett and Leo Gomis both unexpectedly left the team before the season.

Andre Frederick, Billy Giles and Joe Hugley are the next three up off the bench. The exhibition opener will give them each an early opportunity for expanded floor time. 

“They’ve all been able to get a lot of reps early in practice which has been great, and good, situational reps,” Head Coach Andy Toole said. “We’ve tried to put them into positions they’re going to face in live play. I think they’ve learned a lot from it.”

Giles may be the most intriguing option of the trio. He brings a physical presence down low that can score and rebound, a relieving change of pace from the fadeaway jumpers of Stephan Bennett. At 24 years old, he's the old man on the Robert Morris roster, and has both the physical skill set and mental maturity needed to play in Toole’s system.

"You definitely have to stay hungry [playing for Toole]," Giles said. "You have to go at it each and every day and take every opportunity you can get to get better. The work is hard, but you feel the difference when you start playing."

Toole called Tate the Colonials’ “stabilizing force” at NEC Social Media Day, and they’ll need someone to pick up the slack in his absence.

“It gets me reps with the starting lineup in practice,” Giles said. “I get to show what I can do with that lineup. If [Tate] needs a break, I can definitely step in. I’m trying to learn both the four and five spot. Any position I can learn that will get me on the floor.”

Giles averaged 23.6 points and 14.9 rebounds at Allegany College of Maryland last year and could be next in the line of JUCO transfers behind Tate and Rodney Pryor to sustain quality careers at Robert Morris.  From observing practice, he noticeably runs the floor better than Tate. If Giles can prove to remain consistent on the glass, he’d likely form a sound combination alongside a slashing-type forward in Elijah Minnie.

“The intensity is way higher than the junior college I was at before. Everything’s a competition,” Giles said. “The transition is going good. Personally, I think I’m doing well keeping up with the guys. Always running, for sure. 

“Rebounding the ball is what I need to excel at. Running down the floor, getting ahead of the pack. Getting quick transition buckets out in front.”

Pryor had a coming-out party in Robert Morris’ exhibition matchup against Mansfield a year ago, posting 20 points, eight rebounds and five steals in his first game out of junior college. On Tuesday night, Giles will have a chance to do the same.

“We’re trying to figure out who we can rely on to be in the right spot to execute offense, to execute defense, who’s going to try and take the details from the practice setting and into the game,” Toole said, “and not just resort to whatever they did in high school or previously.”

--Chris Mueller

--@cmuellerRMU

Official coaches poll, all-NEC team released

The NEC held it’s awesome #NECinNY media day yesterday. The conference brings in coaches, players, alumni, bloggers, media members, announcers, analysts and whatever else you can think of to host a really cool event.

Most notably, NEC media day means the official preseason coaches poll and all-NEC team’s are released. Like I said the other day, I could eat this stuff up for weeks. I also think it’s pretty cool to get the coaches perspective on how they see the league shaping up.

Just a reminder: Central Connecticut State was picked to finish second in last year’s preseason poll. Central Connecticut State finished with five wins on the season. Take it with a grain of salt.

Without further ado, your official 2015 preseason standings:

Mount St. Mary’s (6)
Robert Morris (3)
Bryant (1)
LIU Brooklyn
St. Francis Brooklyn
Wagner
Sacred Heart
St. Francis PA
Fairleigh Dickinson
Central Connecticut State

And your preseason all-NEC team:

G Byron Ashe - Mount St. Mary’s
G Cane Broome - Sacred Heart
G Rodney Pryor - Robert Morris
F Gregory Graves - Mount St. Mary’s
F Dan Garvin - Bryant

The defending champs second? Byron Ashe? Sacred Heart at seven? Our official NEC predictions piece isn’t scheduled until next Thursday, but feel free to chime in with thoughts…

--Chris Cappella

KenPom releases NEC preseason projections

KenPom released his full preseason ranking projections late last week. For your viewing pleasure, here is the NEC:

1. Mount St. Mary’s: 179

2. Robert Morris: 200

3. St. Francis Brooklyn: 217

4. Sacred Heart: 221

5. Bryant: 240

6. Wagner: 256

7. St. Francis PA: 277

8. LIU Brooklyn: 278

9. Fairleigh Dickinson: 320

10. Central Connecticut State: 340

Last year, Robert Morris finished at 176 overall. St. Francis Brooklyn, who won the NEC regular season championship, finished at 150.

I love preseason rankings. They fire me up beyond belief. It’s great to see the chatter leading up to the season, because it means the season is finally so close to being here. With that being said, even I know to take preseason rankings with a grain of salt.

A few things on the KenPom rankings:

I’m sure a lot of people would have presumed RMU was going to be number one in every preseason ranking. With, KenPom I can’t say I’m surprised. KenPom operates under a statistical basis. Robert Morris lost their second-most efficient scorer (Marcquise Reed) and another heavy operator of their offense (Lucky Jones). It’s hard to project a team like that.

Mount St. Mary’s, on the other hand, has plenty of their top performers coming back. Byron Ashe, Greg Graves, Junior Robinson, Khalid Nwandu, Taylor Danaher and Will Miller are all coming back. They should be a really good team this season.

Of course, the game is never played on paper. In my opinion, Robert Morris has the best player, point guard and coach in the conference. Also, I think Elijah Minnie will prove to be as good as any forward in the NEC. I’ll expand on this much more as we get closer to the season.

KenPom has RMU losing their season opener at UPenn and four of their first five of the year. He has them finishing 16-15 overall and 11-7 in conference. RMU hasn’t lost more than six conference games since 2007 when they finished 9-9.

I was surprised to see St. Francis Brooklyn so high with the losses of Brent Jones and Jalen Cannon. However, they deserve that respect with the type of season they put together last year.

Central Connecticut State brings up the rear at 340^th overall. There are 351 teams in college basketball. Is Howie Dickenman still there? It could be a long winter in New Britain.

--Chris Cappella

--@C_Cappella

What to expect from the Robert Morris defense

RMU’s defense was never really a problem last year.

I start with this because I specifically remember a lot of last year’s early season discussion circling around the defense. :RMU should go back to a man defense.” I must have had that tweeted at me 200 times a week through January. 

 So let’s just start with that understanding and go from there.

Last season, Robert Morris gave up 102.7 points per 100 possessions according to KenPom. The Division I average was 102.0, so Robert Morris was essentially, in 35 games, an average defensive team.

Of course, numbers will ever tell the whole story. In non-conference play, RMU played some incredible offensive teams. Lafayette, North Carolina, Georgetown and Toledo were ALL in the top-50 in offensive efficiency last season. Duquesne was 72, another top offensive team. Facing those types of offenses will fudge with your numbers.

Robert Morris had the third-most efficient offense in conference play last season, giving up 98.8 points per 100 possessions, according to KenPom. That’s pretty damn good.

The thing about RMU’s defense is you can’t just pinpoint it on one scheme or person. No, Robert Morris doesn’t have an Amdy Fall in the middle or an outstanding guard who will lock you up on the perimeter. Instead, they swarm to points with a ton of energy in their 2-3 zone. 

 Last year’s team had such an advantage with Lucky Jones. Like a solid cornerback in football, Jones could almost take away half the court. Teams would specifically run plays away from him. Having a player like that was/is a blessing and a curse; it’s nice to have that type of defensive presence, but you always want to see your best defensive player engaged and making plays.

 Jones (and for that matter David Appolon, a terrific defensive guard) are obviously no longer around, but that doesn’t mean RMU should be slackers on that end. 

 Good defense translates no matter the scheme. Playing with energy, discipline and communication is universal, but a good 2-3 defense has to fight through screens, communicate as offenses run through different zones and makes high post entry difficult. Length is a welcomed aspect of things too.

 Robert Morris won’t be short on length. The whole team, even point guard Kavon Stewart, is long as hell. Length can make up for a lot things, specifically if you have a wing on the bottom of the zone who might not be the quickest, they can still contest shots in the corner and baseline.

 Last year, Rodney Pryor, who stands around 6 foot 4, played primarily at the top of the zone. I’m interested to see if that’s the case this year, especially with such an influx of inexperienced players jumping into things. 

 It can’t be ignored that Marcquise Reed isn’t going to be around. Reed had the 27th best steal percentage in the country. With teams so actively trying to move the ball and get the zone defense out of position, there will be more opportunities to deflect passes and get steals. Reed did it better than almost anyone, and that’ll be hard to replicate. 

 Two newcomers that figure to play a large role this season are guards Matty McConnell and Isaiah Still. I would imagine, just based on size, McConnell will be at the top of the zone. Still has more of a Lucky Jones reputation as an incredibly athletic, long wing player. The news coming out the Stills camp is encouraging; in my opinion he can be an impact defensive player right away.

 Both will have to be committed on the defensive end. As the old adage goes, defense gets and keeps you on the floor. That couldn’t be more true at Robert Morris.

 Having a “big” man anchoring the zone is nice but not needed. The middle needs toughness, not size. It’s the reason Aaron Tate started at center, not Stephan Bennett. 

 With the status of both Bennett and Tate in doubt, the Andre Frederick era might start at least a year earlier than imagined. Frederick has flashed potential, twice recording four blocks in a single game, but was wildly inconsistent. For every great play he had, there were ten more where he was caught sleeping on the defensive end. 

 Frederick is a massive human, so the potential as a shot blocker and rebounder is there, but I have my concerns. I’m interested in the athletic frame freshman Billy Giles can bring. Joe Hugley should also see some minutes. 

 When it comes down it, this should be a solid defensive team. I’ve stated my feelings for Kavon Stewart and what a blur he can be offensively. That goes both ways. He can terrorize defensively. Between Stewart, Pryor and Minnie, those are three impact defensive players. 

Every team is going to have bad games. Hell, Youngstown State’s Bobby Hain looked like Patrick Ewing in a December game at Robert Morris. Communication will probably be an issue early, but it shouldn’t be enough to make the Colonials a well oiled machine when it matters most. 

 --Chris Cappella
--@C_Cappella

Aaron Tate might be done, but my players strike is just beginning

Robert Morris forward Aaron Tate tweeted he may not be playing this season.

Tate really puts the “power” in “power forward”. His stats aren't going to jump off the page (3.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 50% from the field, ) but he was the heart and sole of last year’s team. This is what Andy Toole had to say about Tate after his buzzer beater against CCSU last season:

"I was very happy that it was Aaron Tate who tipped it in. I would be happy if it was anybody but Aaron does the right thing everyday, every opportunity that he has, every decision that he makes is the right one and I said to the guys after the game maybe that's why the ball bounced three times and was able to fall in for us because he's got some good collateral with the basketball gods," he said.

From what I can gather, Tate has been having issues with his knees, shins and ankles, and surgery could be in his future. Andre Frederick, Billy Giles and Joe Hugley all figure to be in the mix to anchor the 2-3 defense.

I’m not even going to try and guess what comes next. Maybe he redshirts, maybe he quits, maybe all of this means nothing and he suits up game one.

Consider this the beginning of my “players speculation” strike. If a guy quits, transfers, voices his displeasure on social media or whatever else could possibly happen anymore, I just don’t care anymore. I will not be writing anymore “player x has left the team” articles.

This is Division I basketball. Generally speaking, I’m sorry if things get hard and you want to quit the team. Good! I don’t want to watch guys who don’t want to be there anyway. Leave the team, and don’t come back.

I’m done. I’m writing about basketball from here on out.

--Chris Cappella

--@C_Cappella

And the best point guard in the NEC is..

St. Francis Brooklyn’s Brent Jones was the best point guard in the NEC last year, but on the night of the NEC championship game, he took a bow to Kavon Stewart. The sophomore guard hounded him defensively while putting up 11 points and a cool six assists.

Consider that game a changing of the guard, because Kavon Stewart is entering 2015 as the best point guard in the NEC.

Defining what a “point guard” is can be challenging, and everyone has their own flavor. Some like the traditional pass-first, in-control guard while others like the aggression the “newer” generation of point guards bring. It’s probably a moot point, but I understand the differing opinions that will come with this article.

The NEC has been blessed with some incredible point guard play these past few seasons. From Brent Jones to Velton Jones to Jason Brickman, it’s been a consistent that comes will inconsistent mid-major play.

I’m not sure we’re going to see great point guard play, but the top tier is solid. The three best point guards look like they’ll be Stewart, Sacred Heart’s Cane Broome and St. Francis Pennsylvania’s Malik Harmon. Mount St. Mary’s Lamont Robinson could also be thrown into that mix. Robinson had the second best assist rate in conference play last season.

The nice thing about this group is the youth. Stewart and Harmon are entering their junior seasons while Broome and Robinson will be sophomores.

Right away, let me throw this out there. I tweeted this the other day to gauge the responses:

Broome and Harmon were the most common responses that didn’t come from the RMU faithful. I’m indifferent on Harmon. For someone who isn’t a great shooter (39.6 percent from the field, 32.8 percent from three) I don’t think he can dish it like some of the other guys can. He just blends in on the floor.

Robinson is the wild card. He averaged a very respectable (and surprising) 8.2 points in about 24 minutes per game last season. He probably isn’t getting enough respect in this conversation, but I’ll boil it down to two things:

1) I want to see him do it again and prove his freshman year wasn’t fluky and

2) I want to see if Mount St. Mary’s pace of play, which is traditionally very fast but wasn’t last season, will have any effect on him. He has me intrigued, though.

Broome brings the most amount of opinions for a variety of reasons. Are we sure he’s a good shooter, or a volume shooter in a high tempo offense? His overall efficiency numbers don’t break to top 500 in KenPom.

Kavon Stewart directs traffic in a game against Wagner.

Broome’s biggest challenge is going to be adjusting to a more on the ball role. Last year, the incredibly steady Phil Gaetano handled the point duties. With Gaetano gone to graduation, we need to see if Broome can step up and become that lead guy.

I have my reservations. Broome is a solid shooter (he shot 49 percent from the floor as a freshman guard) but had nearly as many assists as he did turnovers. Can he still put up solid shooting numbers and create for his teammates? I'm not sure. When it comes down to it, I just trust my eyes. I like Broome, I don’t love Broome. I’m probably in the minority.

The ultimate case for Kavon

My personal flavor for a PG is someone who can hunt and create his own shot but looks to create and set up others first. I want someone who will control the tempo. Last year, Stewart average 4.6 assists-per-game. His last eight games (including the postseason): 49 assists to 16 turnovers. Think something clicked for him?

The NEC semifinal game was the official coming out party. When the team didn’t seem to have it, he put up a monstrous 19 points, 8 assists, 7 steals performance. A few days later in the NEC championship game, he made Brent Jones invisible. He was in complete control of that game, getting to the line at will and locking up on defense.

The defense aspect is another hat to toss into the ring. When Stewart puts consistent effort into the defensive side of the basketball, he might be the best defender in the NEC. Let’s make this clear: I am not saying Stewart is going to win NEC defensive player of the year; he’s just too inconsistent on that end. There are days when he gambles too much or doesn’t bring enough energy. It can be a sloppy mess of discipline. 

I’m merely saying he’s capable of being a top-end defender, and even on his worst days is still probably the best overall  defender of this group. Stewart’s steal percentage was one of the best in the country last year.

Shooting is always going to be Stewart’s Achilles heel. He’s not great at it. To put it nicely, he’s a streaky three point shooter. When he drives, he’s all left hand. That has to change. The strides he made from his freshman to sophomore year were encouraging, though.

So much of Stewart’s game is confidence. When he’s confident in his abilities, he brings a tremendous amount of energy, a controlled recklessness and a relentless amount of attack. It’s poetry.

So that’s my case. Flawed? Yes. Stewart's not the mold of a Velton Jones or Anthony Myers-Pate. The good comes with the bad. He has a lower floor but a higher ceiling.

Enjoy the ride.

--Chris Cappella

--@C_Cappella