LIU Blackbirds: The Madness Begins Against James Madison

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

2013 NCAA MEN'S BASKEBALL TOURNAMENT

 

WEDNESDAY

 

James Madison Dukes

vs.

LIU/BROOKLYN BLACKBIRDS

from

Dayton, Ohio

 

 

 

 

LIU/BROOKLYN BLACKBIRDS - Flatbush Faces James Madison Dukes In First Bout Of March Madness.


Somehow, the lords of basketball and TV money changers found yet another brilliant method to increase the size of their sanctimonious revenue pie.  Call Wednesday's contest what you will.  We're being sold on the notion this is a first round game.  In opposition to my biased home town fervor, I know better.  But I'll call this the opening game of this year's tournament just to play along.


Playing in the East Region, the Blackbirds must first play through James Madison before truly earning the distinction of being the sixteenth seed.  Should LIU win, they will have the pleasure of competing against number one seed Indiana on Friday.


In his first season as Blackbirds coach, Jack Perri helped his veteran team play through the loss of 2012 NEC Player of the Year, Julian Boyd.  The Blackbirds finished as the three seed in the Northeast Conference with a 20-13 overall record.  However, LIU defeated Mount St. Mary's to earn this year's NEC title, and a berth in this year's tournament.  This will be the fifth NCAA tournament appearance for the men's program, and their third in a row; coinciding with their three consecutive Northeast Conference titles.  In the university's last two bouts with March Madness under Coach Ferry, they fell to North Carolina and Michigan State.


The Blackbirds are a much more experienced club than the James Madison Dukes.  Their top two scorers this season were 2013 NEC Player of the Year, Jamal Olasewere, who averaged 18.9 points, and 8.5 rebounds per game.  Guard, C.J. Garner, this year's NEC Tourney MVP, was the Blackbirds second leading scorer, averaging 16.1 points per game.  Guard Jason Brickman was the nation's leader in assists.  He averaged 8.5 this season.  All three players participated in last season's Madness.  The Blackbirds have six players overall who've participated in a tournament game.  Meanwhile, the James Madison Dukes, who finished with a 20-14 record this season and placed fourth in the Colonial Athletic Association, are making their first tournament appearance since the 1994 season.


These two teams only met twice before, with James Madison winning both.  The last time came in 2000.  Entering Wednesday's game, James Madison is the favorite, considered the more talented on offense. They might face a more daunting time defeating LIU this time around.  This report says James Madison coach Matt Brady is suspending his top scorer and rebounder, Rayshawn Goins, as per James Madison policy, for the first half of Wednesday's game against the Blackbirds.  He was arrested for minor offenses stemming from a party.  LIU meanwhile, has averaged over ninety points per game over their last four contests, and have topped ninety points in five of their last six games.  Their season long 79.9 points per game average ranked fifth in all the nation.




Mike.BTB

LIU Blackbirds: Flatbush Hoops Win Third Straight NEC Title

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

Long Island University/Brooklyn Blackbirds

 

2012-2013

Northeast Conference

CHAMPIONS

 

FINAL

Mount St. Mary's  70

LIU/Brooklyn         91 

LIU/BROOKLYN BLACKBIRDS - The Old Gang Did It Again.  C.J. Garner Scores A Game High Thirty-One Points; Jamal Olasewere Leads All Players In Rebounding; Jason Brickman Leads Everyone In Assists.

Blackbirds Win Third Consecutive NEC Title

 

Heading Back To The NCAA Tournament

With 1:46 left in the second half, NEC Player of the Year, senior, Jamal Olasewere, punctuated Tuesday night's title game at the Wellness Center with a thunderous reverse dunk that put the Blackbirds ahead 86-67 over Mount St. Mary's.  The ignited crowd stayed on their feet from then on.  As time expired, the WRAC turned to revelry.  The Hoops of Flatbush became three time repeat champions of the Northeast Conference.

 

 

Head Coach Jack Perri wins the NEC title in his first season at the helm.  The way back to the title game was not a road easily travelled.  The Blackbirds had quite a bit of adversity to overcome.  However, LIU's overwhelming experience prevailed.  Minus injured senior Julian Boyd, LIU's starting line-up stepped onto their home court replete with four returning champion players from last season.  Some congratulations should perhaps be sent former coach Jim Ferry's way for the program he built, and left behind.  This third championship is a testament to superior effort he put into the university.

 

 

Against the Mountaineers, the Blackbirds were led by senior guard, C.J. Garner.  He led all scorers with thirty-one points with a stellar 13/17 shooting performance from the floor.  Jamal Olasewere was second high for the Blackbirds with fifteen points.  He led all players with ten rebounds; nine came on the defensive end.  And junior, Jason Brickman; the nations leading ball distributor; led all players with eight assists.  Also returning from last season, Kenny Onyechi added eleven points, and seven boards.  Back-up guard, Gerrell Martin contributed twelve points off the bench.

 

 

The Mountaineers actually had five players score in double digits.  Guard, Sam Prescott, led The Mount with twenty-one points.

 

 

Brooklyn shot 61.4% from the floor on 35/57 shooting.  Mount St. Mary's struggled to shoot 39.7% from the floor.  Perhaps born of desperation, the Mountaineers hoisted up thirty-one three-point attempts, only converting on nine for a 29% mark.  Brooklyn only put up nine shots from behind the arch, converting on five.  LIU nearly doubled Mount St. Mary's efforts at the foul line.  Brooklyn took twenty-one shots from the stripe, making sixteen for a 76% mark.  The Mountaineers, spending most of their time behind the three point line, didn't drive the lane much, and as a result, only took eleven shots from the free throw line.  Brooklyn also won the battle of the boards, out-rebounding Mount St. Mary's by a 36-27 margin.

 

 

Next - Selection Sunday; March 17th.

 

 

 

Mike.BTB

L.I.U. Blackbirds: Flatbush Goes For Third Straight NEC Title Tonight

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

TONIGHT

 

Northeast Conference Championship Game

 

MOUNT ST. MARY'S

Mountaineers

vs.

LONG ISLAND/BROOKLYN

BLACKBIRDS

From

The Wellness Center, Ashland Place

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN

LIU BLACKBIRDS - First Year Coach Jack Perri Has Flatbush In Position To Win Third Consecutive NEC Title.


* Jamal Olasewere - 2013 NEC Player of the Year
* Jason Brickman - Led nation in assists.


The back-to-back Northeast Conference Champions have returned to defend their title, although it didn't always seem they would.  Even before the regular season commenced, their year got off to a tumultuous start.  Several team members were involved in an on-campus altercation which required a response from law enforcement, and earned three Blackbirds starters, plus a fourth player, school issued suspensions.  Making matters on the court worse, last season's NEC Player of the Year, senior, Julian Boyd was lost to a season ending injury.


Under first year coach Jack Perri, the Blackbirds stumbled out of the starting bloc.  As part of the season opening Barclays Center Classic, LIU lost their first four games.  They followed with a five game win streak.  But ended their out-of-conference schedule with another three straight losses, most notably to #8 Kentucky.  They finished their out-of-conference schedule with a 5-7 record.


To begin Northeast Conference play, the Blackbirds continued to lose their first three games beginning with Sacred Heart, followed by Quinnipiac, then a third loss to Wagner.  Finally, on January 12th, the Blackbirds defeated Mount St. Mary's, whom they will face tonight in the Northeast Conference Championship game being played inside downtown Brooklyn's Ashland Place gym; or as it's properly named, the Wellness Center.  LIU went on to win another five in a row before falling to Robert Morris.  In the second meeting between LIU and Mount St. Mary's on February 21st, the Mountaineers defeated the Blackbirds by an 83-71 score.


LIU won their last two games of the season to finish with an overall 19-13 record; 12-6 in the conference.  They ended in a three-way tie for second place, along with Wagner and Bryant.  Mount St. Mary's finished in fifth place with an 18-13 record.  They were 11-7 in the conference.  Robert Morris won the regular season title with an overall 23-10 record, and a 14-4 NEC mark.


In the NEC quarterfinals, LIU defeated Quinnipiac 91-83, at the Wellness Center.  Brooklyn then took a trip into Staten Island to face #2 seed Wagner in the semifinal round, where they orchestrated a convincing 94-82 win, earning them a trip to the NEC championship game.  LIU/Brooklyn senior guard, C.J. Garner, scored twenty-three points in the victory.  The Mount defeated Bryant in the quarterfinals to advance into the semifinal round against #1 seed Robert Morris.  On Saturday in Pennsylvania, Mount St. Mary's pulled out a 69-60 upset of the Colonials, to earn a trip to Brooklyn.  It was The Mount's ninth win in a row.  This will be the Mountaineers first trip to the NEC Finals since the 2009 season.  LIU/Brooklyn is aiming for their third straight crown.




Mike.BTB

LIU Blackbirds: Defense Of NEC Title Starts Friday

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

LIU BLACKBIRDS:

Under New Coach Jack Perri,

Returning NEC Champions Are Ready To Do It Again.

 

 

The collegiate members of the Hoops of Flatbush tip-off their 2012-2013 regular season in a non conference match-up versus the Morehead State Eagles, which additionally kicks off the first ever Barclays Center Classic beginning late Friday afternoon.

The back-to-back Northeast Conference champions begin their first season under coach Jack Perri.  Returning from last year's squad are NEC Player of the year, and returning senior, forward Julian Boyd; senior forward Jamal Olasewere; senior forward Kenny Onyechi; senior guard Brandon Thompson; retuning senior guard C.J. Garner; and junior guard Jason Brickman.  Gone from last year's popular team are senior guard Michael Culpo and senior forward Arnold Mayorga.


Newcomers to the team include junior G/F Gilbert Parga and soph forward Khalil Murphy.  Among the freshman class are guard Kedar Edwards, guard D.J. Griggs, and forward E.J. Reed.


Once again, Julian Boyd, Jamal Olasewere, and Jason Brickman will serve as the team's core.  Julian Boyd averaged 17.4 points last season.  Olasewere averaged 16.9 points per game.  Jason Brickman finished fifth in the nation with 7.3 assists per game.


The Blackbirds finished 25-9 last season.  In their second straight NCAA tournament appearance they fell in the first round to Michigan State.  The loss did not detract however from their fine regular season, and NEC championship effort.  To include last season's championship game against Robert Morris, the Blackbirds have won twenty seven consecutive games inside the Wellness Center.  It is the second longest streak in the country behind Kentucky's mark.


Back in September, returning forward Troy Joseph, Boyd, Olasewere, and C.J. Garner were involved in an on-campus incident which resulted in their arrest.  They were then suspended indefinitely by Long Island University.  They have since been reinstated but will be docked the first two in-conference games of the season.  Otherwise, they will be required to perform community service and attend counseling.


In ten seasons at the helm, former Head Coach Jim Ferry took a moribund program and built it into a Northeastern Conference power.  He inherited a program that went 5-22 in the season prior to his arrival.  By his sixth season as coach, the 2007-2008 Blackbirds played to a 15-15 record.  Then after having successfully built a solid foundation, Coach Ferry constructed a team that won 52 games over the last two seasons, and earned back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances.  In this most recent 2011-2012 campaign, his Blackbirds were the second highest scoring team in the Nation.


Coach Ferry left Long Island University-Brooklyn after accepting the head coaching position at Duquesne.  The departing coach didn't just save an athletic program here, he put Downtown Brooklyn on the national map.  For that, we Brooklynites are thankful, and wish Jim Ferry all the best in his new endeavour to rebuild his next program.




Mike.BTB

LIU Blackbirds: Four Players Arrested For Costly Fouls

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

LIU-BROOKLYN BLACKBIRDS:  The Arrest Of Three Returning Seniors, Plus A Fourth Blackbird Player, Puts A Dark Cloud Over Program.  The University Acted Swiftly and Decisively.  Two Female Students Suffer Bruises.


With just seven weeks to go before tipping-off the 2012-2013 season with the Barclays Center Classic, four Blackbirds student/basketball players were recently arrested and charged with third degree assault.  Reports say on the night of Friday, September 14th, at or about 12:30am, an on-campus brawl involving Julian Boyd, Jamal Olasewere, C.J. Garner, and Troy Joseph took place.  Long Island University announced Boyd, Olasewere, and Garner, all returning seniors, in addition to Joseph, have been suspended indefinitely pending appeal.  It has also been reported two victims in last Friday's altercation were female students.  Another report states two male students were also involved, and in company of the female students.

What this does to the future of the program former head coach Jim Ferry left behind is still indeterminable.  The appeal process needs to take its course.  The players version is still yet to be known.  However, the police report revealed the female students suffered bruises.

Since 2002, former coach Jim Ferry worked very hard to help bring the men's basketball program back to relevancy.  Before leaving at the conclusion of last season to become head coach at Duquesne, he led the Blackbirds to back-to-back NEC titles.  Under Ferry, last season Julian Boyd won NEC Player of the Year.  Along with Jamal Olasewere and C.J. Garner, the three led all LIU-Brooklyn players in scoring last season.

All the momentum built entering their senior seasons is now in doubt.  The immediate future of LIU men's basketball is compromised in a most serious manner.  Newly promoted Head Coach Jack Perri's first season begins with a major problem.




RELATED ARTICLES REFERENCED IN WRITING POST:
NBCNewYork.com
ESPNNewYork.com
WallStreetJournal.com




Mike.BTB

LIU Blackbirds ~ Back to Back NEC Champions

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY-BROOKLYN BLACKBIRDS

2011-2012

Men's Basketball

Northeast Conference Champions

Back-to-Back:

2010-2011

2011-2012

March Madness, Here We Come!

For the second time in as many years, the LIU Blackbirds repeated as Northeast Conference  Champions and are headed to the NCAA Tournament.  In a rematch of last year's NEC title game, Brooklyn's own, Spike Lee, was on hand to help cheer-on his neighborhood collegians to a convincing 90-73 victory over #3 Robert Morris at the WRAC.  This was LIU's fourth overall Conference championship.

The Blackbirds have now won twenty-seven consecutive games at the Ashland Place gym.  It's the second such longest streak in the country behind Kentucky's mark.  But now, they will have to say good-bye to their home court advantage, for they are going to partake in some good 'ol March Madness.

Julian Boyd scored eighteen points and pulled down a game high ten rebounds.  Jason Brickman also scored eighteen points and issued a game high eleven assists.  But it was C.J. Garner who led all scorers Wednesday night with twenty-one points.

Make no mistake, Robert Morris' big bodies didn't make anything easy for the home team.  They scored sixteen points off turnovers; had more second chance points; and their bench outscored Brooklyn's by eighteen points.  After Jamal Olasewere led Brooklyn with eleven first half points, the Colonials had Brooklyn's junior forward in foul trouble and limited him to two points and eleven minutes in the second half.

If you watched on TV or were at the Wellness Center, then you know this game was a most physical contest.  Either team's interior was not an area for the weak.  Several times the game was paused to attend to players laying horizontally on the floor.  Almost every attempt to drive the basket was met with a body and resulted in impact.  And that all played right into LIU's hands.  Combined, seventy-four points were scored down low.  But that was LIU's battle to win.  Coach Ferry and Jason Brickman high screened and low screened the Colonials silly, in order to create just enough space for Flatbush to outscore Robert Morris 40-34 inside the paint.  Jamal Olasewere set one high pic in particular which the replay showed to be a clean pic, but wound up being a rough one on the fallen Colonial cager.

Once again, Flatbush absolutely dominated their opponent with, A) - their ability to get to the line, and, B) - by burying free throws.  The Blackbirds visited the line nearly twice as many times as the Colonials 40-21, and outscored them 31-14 once there.  In the second half, LIU went to the line ten more times than Robert Morris, and outscored them 23-12.  The Colonials disappointingly shot an overall 66% from the stripe versus Brooklyn's 77%; and more importantly for LIU, 82% in the second half.   C. J. Garner was brilliant with a perfect 10/10 shooting.  And Jason Brickman was equally accurate shooting 8/8 from the line.

But chalk one up for the home crowd and head cheerleader; Spike Lee.  Downtown Brooklyn was a lively place to be.  And perhaps that had as much to do with the lack of scoring touch on the Colonials' part, not only from the line, but from the field as well.  After surrendering a 19-17 lead at 7:49 of the first half, their scoring touch faded away and they'd never lead again.  For the game, Robert Morris shot a regrettable 27 of 73 from the field for a 37% night.  While Flatbush shot nearly 60% from the field, making 27 of 51 shots.

The Blackbirds won the first half by eight points and the second half by nine.  Once they re-established a double-digit 65-54 lead with 7:14 left in the game, the Colonials would never get within a single digit again.  Instead, Brooklyn pulled away down the stretch and closed out the game up by seventeen points to win their second consecutive NEC title.

FINAL

Robert Morris Colonials    73

LIU-Brooklyn Blackbirds   90

What next?  Selection Sunday!

Mike.BTB

LIU Blackbirds ~ One Game Lead With Two to Play

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

LIU BLACKBIRDS:  Flatbush Stays Undefeated at Home and Remain in First Place by a Game.  But the Wagner Bulldogs Refuse to Lose.

LIU-Brooklyn beat Quinnipiac Saturday afternoon 99-89, and will finish the 2011-2012 regular season undefeated inside the Wellness Center.  This was their twelfth win against no losses at the Ashland Place gym and extends their home winning streak to twenty-four games over the last two seasons; the fourth longest home streak in the nation. 

Flatbush improved their Conference leading record to 15-1, but Wagner; 14-2; remains hot on their heels after defeating Fairleigh Dickinson in their final home game of the season as well.  So the battle for the number one seed is on.  A one game lead with two games to play are all that separate LIU from Wagner and repeating as regular season champs.    But let us not speak too soon.  Both LIU and Wagner will have to dig deep into their inner-road warrior in order for either team to win the regular season title.

And let us make no mistake - there is zero margin for error, for everything changes with one game.  The Blackbirds have played to a not so stellar 7-7 road record.  Their last two games are against Fairleigh Dickinson and Monmouth.  Wagner most recently defeated Fairleigh Dickinson.  They will take on Bryant next and finish against Central Connecticut State.  Wagner (23-4) has a better overall record than LIU (21-7) and has been the far better road team sporting an 11-2 record.

Nobody ever said finishing was easy.

Julian Boyd and C.J. Garner both scored a game high twenty-five points against Quinnipiac.  Boyd also shared the game lead in rebounding with ten.  And Jason Brickman distributed a season and career high sixteen assists and added ten points.

Mike.BTB

LIU Blackbirds ~ Kings of the County!

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

LIU BLACKBIRDS:  The Battle of Brooklyn is Won.

The Hoops of Flatbush Defeat the Remsen Street Terriers.

FINAL

St. Francis Terriers  78

LIU-BK  Blackbirds  81

LIU's Jamal Olasewere Scores Thirty-Two Points and is Named MVP in the Annual Clash for Kings County.


They came; They saw; They competed.  As a fan, the collegiate Battle of Brooklyn was everything you wanted from of a game between two old Downtown rivals.  A truly great contest played out at the Wellness Center on Sunday afternoon where pure intensity ruled the day as both teams fought through numerous ties, and multiple lead changes.  The outcome was never certain even with 0:08 left left in the game.



But as Battles go, the winners get to write the history books.  That's where LIU comes in.  But for the St. Francis Terriers, they have absolutely nothing to hang their heads over.  The Blackbirds will no doubt see them again in the NEC tournament.  But for a night, the Terriers gave LIU everything they could handle.  St. Francis made a defiant Flatbush Avenue crossing and jumped out to a 43-41 halftime lead inside LIU's Ashland Place gym where the Blackbirds were 9-0 this season and 21-0 going back to last season.  Akeem Johnson led St. Francis scorers with seventeen first half points.  The Terriers rode Johnson's effort and got ten points from their bench heading into the break.



LIU's Jamal Olasewere and Julian Boyd had other plans however.  They both combined to shoot a perfect 14 for 14 from the field for thirty-five first half points.  Yet, their mark on this game was still to be made.  St. Francis held on to their lead until LIU's Brandon Thompson nailed a three-pointer at the 13:17 mark for the game's eighth tie, and making the score fifty-two all.  That's really when the Blackbirds finally turned things around.



Jamal Olasewere made two key defensive stops with a block and a steal, and continued his game-perfect 11-11 shooting from the field.  He helped the Blackbirds build up a nine point lead with nearly eight minutes left to play.  But even then, St. Francis still had another run in them.  They led this game with less than a minute left to play.  But Jamal Olasewere's final three points of the night tied this game at 72-72 before fouling out with 0:44 left.  His eleventh and final shot from the field was good.  And then hit his free throw before committing his last foul and taking a seat.



Akeem Johnson; who finished with twenty-three to lead St. Francis; put the Terriers up by one with a foul shot.  Then it was Julian Boyd's turn to put this game into his hands.  With 0:18 left, he lofted a turn-around jumper inside the lane that found a friendly rim and got a soft bounce for a 79-78 lead.  Then at the other end, Julian Boyd suffocated Akeem Johnson on defense and caused the game deciding turnover.



C.J. Garner; who was monster in the second half shooting 7 for 8 from the line, buried LIU's last two points of the game on free throws to secure the Blackbirds' 81-78 victory.



By game's end, Jamal Olasewere scored a game high thirty-two points, and as mentioned, was perfect (11-11) from the field.  He pulled down seven rebounds; six on the defensive end; and added nine more points from the line.  He was awarded the Lai-Lynch Trophy for being named MVP in this year's Battle of Brooklyn.


Julian Boyd wasn't just clutch in the last minute.  He had a stellar game of his own throughout the early evening dropping twenty points and pulling down a game high ten rebounds, with nine coming on the defensive end.  C.J. Garner was the third Blackbird to achieve double-digit scoring with fifteen.  And Jason Brickman distributed a game high twelve assists.


With their fifth win in a row, the Blackbirds are now 10-0 at home and 22-0 inside the Wellness Center dating back to last season.  They improved their overall record this season to 19-7, and remain atop the Northeast Conference with a 13-1 record.


The Terriers' loss locks St. Francis (NY) into a 10-4 tie for third place with Robert Morris.  Wagner sits on second place with a 12-2 record while also owning the best road record (11-2) in the Conference.


Next up, Sacred Heart will take a shot at LIU's record inside the Wellness Center when they visit this Thursday, February 16th.

Mike.BTB

LIU Blackbirds ~ Flatbush Hoops Take First Battle of Brooklyn

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

The Battle of Brooklyn

LIU-BROOKLYN BLACKBIRDS

vs.

SAINT FRANCIS TERRIERS

From.

Madison Square Garden

Wednesday Night Final:

LIU-Brookyn   86

St. Francis        77

GAME TWO:

February 12, 2012

From the Wellness Center

Ashland Place, Brooklyn

LIU BLACKBIRDS:  Hoops of Flatbush hold off The Court Street Cagers 86-77 in this year's first engagement of the Battle of Brooklyn.


The Battle of Brooklyn has begun.  Over 7,000 fans filed into Madison Square Garden which played host to the first of two showdowns between Downtown Brooklyn's college cagers in their annual clash to be named Kings of the County.


Blackbird forward, Julian Boyd's lay-up was the first basket of Rivalry Weekend this past Wednesday night against the St. Francis Terriers.  Over the first twenty minutes, LIU shot 51% from the floor and buried 4/9 from beyond the three-point line.  LIU built a lead that reached as many as thirteen points with just over 3:00 left in the first half.  But St. Francis withstood LIU's near-half long surge and answered with an 11-0 run before the break.  They helped themselves shooting 8/8 from the line; scored a net five points off turnovers; and scored twelve second chance points versus LIU's three points en-route to making the game 39-38 at halftime.


Jamal Olasewere and Julian Boyd went toe to toe with the Terriers' Akeem Johnson and Ben Mockford.  The Terriers' Akeem Johnson led first half scorers with thirteen points.  His team mate Ben Mockford added ten points.  Jamal Olasewere and Julian Boyd each scored ten.


By scoring the first points to start the second half, the Terriers briefly enjoyed their first and only lead of the game.  The Blackbirds continued to shoot above 50% from the floor and absolutely crushed St. Francis from the free throw line.  They additionally dominated St. Francis on the defensive glass with twenty rebounds.  Jamal Olasewere took matters into his own hands scoring fifteen points and pulling down eight of those rebounds for second half highs.


With a nine point differential, the game ended in an 86-77 final.  For the night, St. Francis' Akeem Johnson led all scorers with twenty four points.  Ben Mockford was the second Terrier to score at least twenty-points.  On the other side, Jamal Olasewere and Julian Boyd turned in a pair of double-doubles to lead the Blackbirds to their fourth straight win.  C.J. Garner contributed with nineteen points, and Jason Brickman had a game high eight assists to go along with thirteen points.


The Blackbirds raised their overall season mark to 18-7, but more importantly, clinched a berth in the NEC tournament as they improved their first place Conference record to 12-1  - while with this loss, St. Francis (NY) drops to 10-3, and into third place behind Wagner.  Both schools however have also  earned berths in the tournament.  Five more teams are yet to qualify for spots.


The Battle of Brooklyn will formally take it's rightful place Downtown this coming Sunday as the next clash of the Borough's colleges moves to the Ashland Place Gym for an afternoon game.




Mike.BTB

LIU Blackbirds ~ Defeat CCSU 95-80; Stay Undefeated at Home

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

LIU BLACKBIRDS:  Turn Back Central Connecticut State to Remain a Game in First Place.



The Hoops of Flatbush turned back Central Connecticut State to improve their Wellness Center record to 9-0 this season.  Their convincing 95-80 victory makes them 17-7 overall, and 11-1 in the Northeast Conference.  They needed this third consecutive win because Wagner and St. Francis (BK) kept pace with wins of their own, and remain tied for second place with 10-2 records.


CCSU had the game's two high scorers.  Forward Ken Horton led all players with twenty-nine points.  Robby Ptacek followed with twenty-four.  However, five LIU players achieved double digit scoring in leading the Blackbirds to a big first half, and then to a fifteen point margin of victory.  Jamal Olasewere led Flatbush scorers with seventeen points.  Julian Boyd and C.J. Garner chipped in with sixteen points each.  Jason Brickman came in at fourteen points and Michael Culpo added twelve.


Brooklyn made extensive use of their bench this game.  Three players clocked in over fifteen minutes and collectively scored nineteen points.  Kenny Onyechi stepped in and spearheaded a dominant Flatbush effort on the glass.  The Blackbirds out rebounded CCSU 44-26 and in particular cleaned up on the defensive end with twenty-eight boards.  Onyechi pulled down a game high thirteen rebounds in his twenty-three minutes.


Both teams shot equally well from the floor.  But once again, LIU hammered another opponent from the line.  Brooklyn nailed twenty-nine of thirty-one free throws.  CCSU scored seventeen points off twenty-six shots.  CCSU actually led for most of the first eleven minutes of the game.  But once Brooklyn overcame them at 25-23 in the first half, CCSU never held another lead again.  The Blackbirds were up by thirteen at the half, and led by as many as twenty-four points with about eight minutes left in the game.


The Blackbirds will now take their act to a much larger stage.  Brooklyn's two downtown teams; LIU and St. Francis (NY); will start a two game series this coming Wednesday in Madison Square Garden before bringing the series home to Ashland Place in the annual Battle of Brooklyn.






Mike.BTB

LIU Blackbirds ~ Hold Off Bryant; Big Test Saturday

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

LIU BLACKBIRDS:   Bulldogs Take a Bite Out of Blackbirds. But Flatbush Tames Bryant With a Better Second Half.

Bryant Bulldogs 2 of 18 shooting from beyond the arch could have been all the difference.

.....It's all in how you look at things.  But it just goes to show;  On any given day any team can be beat.


The Bryant Bulldogs came into the Wellness Center and damn-near turned it into their own personal fun house.  Bryant was 2-20 coming into last night's game and 1-9 in the Conference.  And for that, wound up putting silly looking and puzzled faces on a stunned crowd inside the Ashland Place Gym, as the Bulldogs played toe-to-toe with the first place and defending NEC Champs.


After four lead changes, and the Bulldogs building up to a nine point lead, LIU-Brooklyn came back to take a one point lead into half-time.  Brooklyn steadied themselves in the second half, although Bryant did tie the score on two occasions.  They pulled within 72-70 with 0:11 seconds left in the game.  But Brooklyn buried their free throws to seal the deal.  It turned out to be just enough to secure a 75-70 victory and for many, a huge relief.


The Blackbirds did more with less attempts, shooting 49% for the game and 55% in the second half from the floor.  However they squeezed this game out by being better than Bryant from behind the three, and by going to the line almost twice as many times as the Bulldogs; which incidentally has been a season long recipe.


Otherwise, Bryan outscored LIU from the field and out rebounded them for the game, particularly on their own offensive glass.  Bryant's Alex Francis was the game high scorer with twenty-five points and led all rebounders with eleven.


Jason Brickman was Brooklyn's big man on campus Thursday leading Flatbush scorers with fifteen points while playing in a team high thirty-six minutes.  The Blackbirds had five players in double digit scoring in all.  C.J. Garner and Julian Boyd added twelve points each.  Jamal Olasewere dropped eleven and Michael Culpo netted ten points to round out LIU's top five scorers.


The Ashland Place Gym Rats improved their overall record to 16-7, and 10-1 within the Conference.  With an 8-0 record, they still remain undefeated at home this season.  But for a night anyway, a crisis was narrowly averted.   Lesson learned and point noted.


Next on the docket for the Downtowners is Central Connecticut State (7-4) who are currently tied with Robert Morris for third place of the NEC.  They were 73-67 losers to St. Francis of Brooklyn Thursday which dropped their record to 2-8 on the road.  Saturday's game will tip-off at the Wellness Center at 4:30pm.

SATURDAY

Northeast Conference

Central Connecticut State (7-4)

vs.

LIU-BROOKLYN BLACKBIRDS (10-1)

from,

WELLNESS CENTER

Ashland Place, Brooklyn

St. Francis of Brooklyn and Wagner remain hot on the Blackbirds' tails with 9-2 records.  Following LIU's game Saturday against Central Connecticut,  LIU-Brooklyn and St. Francis will bring the Battle for Brooklyn to Madison Square Garden first, before returning to the Wellness Center for the second game of two straight between the downtown borough rivals.






Mike.BTB

LIU Blackbirds ~ Bounce Back Win Keeps Flatbush in 1st

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

LIU BLACKBIRDS:   Back on Track and Heading Home.



After suffering their first Conference defeat of the season to Robert Morris, the LIU-Brooklyn Blackbirds bounced back with an overwhelming 97-76 win Saturday against the St. Francis (PA) Red Flash.  They needed the win to stay a game ahead of a thinning second place pack as Wagner and St. Francis (NY) won their games and improved to 8-2 to keep pace.  Robert Morris couldn't maintain the momentum they gained after defeating Brooklyn and in losing their last game, forged a new tie for third place with Central Connecticut State with 7-3 records


The HOOPS of FLATBUSH improved their NEC record to 9-1, and 15-7 overall.  They still remain one game shy of the .500 mark on the road with a 6-7 record.  But they're coming back home to the Wellness Center now where they still remain undefeated (7-0) this season.  The first of two Downtown games will be Thursday against the last place Bryant Bulldogs.  Then on February 4th, they have a big match-up against Central Connecticut State.


Five Blackbirds ended Saturday's game in double-digit scoring and Michael Culpo almost made it six players with nine points of his own.  LIU nearly doubled St. Francis' effort on the glass, out-rebounding the Red Flash by a 45-24 margin.  Thirty-two of LIU's forty-five rebounds came on the defensive end.  However they turned the ball over nineteen times.  Ultimately, Jamal Olasewere's efforts; nearly 60% team shooting from the field; and a game high twelve assists from Jason Brickman contributed to lead the Flatbush Five over St. Francis.


Jamal Olasewere posted a game high double-double; leading all players with twenty-six points and ten rebounds.  Jason Brickman's twelve assists were also a game high and his personal career best.  Julian Boyd (17); C.J. Garner (10) were the other two starters in double points.  Off the bench, Brandon Thompson cleaned up with eleven points in twenty-three minutes.  He shot 4-4 from the line and pulled down four rebounds.  Kenny Onyechi made the most of his fourteen minutes, contributing twelve points and five rebounds.  All together they combined to get the Blackbirds over the ninety point mark for third time this season.


Eight games remain in the regular season.  And the big Battle for Brooklyn versus St. Francis (NY) still looms just over the horizon.






Mike.BTB

LIU Blackbirds ~ Flatbush Wins 7th Straight; Stay Undefeated in Conference

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

LIU BLACKBIRDS:  The Hoops of Flatbush Remain Unbeaten in Their Conference After Defeating the Monmouth Hawks. 

LIU-Brooklyn's Win Streak is up to Seven Games Now.

THURSDAY FINAL:

Fairleigh Dickinson   64

LIU Blackbirds         84

Part of becoming Conference Champs and then defending that title is winning the games you're supposed to win.  That might be a little rough with regards to Fairleigh Dickinson and Monmouth.   But lets be honest, they've had their troubles this season. 




And Trouble, is what the Blackbirds didn't have last Thursday night as they limited Fairleigh Dickinson to sixty-four points to win their sixth game in a row and remain unbeaten within the Conference.




Brooklyn's downtown college cagers took care of business in the Ashland Place Gym as all five starters finished with double digit scoring.  The night was a balanced effort on all counts.  C.J. Garner was high man with sixteen points.  And of the game's starters, Michael Culpo lagged behind his team mates with thirteen.




I'll tell you what else lagged behind; rebounding.  Fairleigh Dickinson won the battle of the glass 48-45; but to no avail.  They hindered their efforts with fouls and paid for it at the line.  LIU-Brooklyn  shot 27/36 from the line.  With the Blackbirds playing a cleaner game, Fairleigh Dickinson settled for 5/12 from the foul line.  Brooklyn also rained down 6/11 three pointers in the first half on their way to an eight point lead at the break.




With the win, LIU increased their NEC leading record to 5-0 with Monmouth on tap for today; Saturday.  And like Fairleigh Dickinson, the Hawks are struggling as well this season.  They entered Saturday's game with a 1-4 conference record.

SATURDAY FINAL:

Monmouth Hawks   86

LIU Blackbirds      106

Brooklyn showed no mercy and cracked the century mark in points for the second time in six games.  In securing a 106-86 win over the Hawks this afternoon, they are now the proud owners of a 6-0 Conference record.  With a 5-0 record, Central Connecticut State's game against third place Wagner is still yet to be played tonight in Staten Island.




In game two of a three game set at the Ashland Gym, the Blackbirds enjoyed their home-court advantage during a big 63-49 second half, and rode the strength of 64% shooting from the field versus just 49% for Monmouth in the game.  Julian Boyd was the game's high scorer with twenty-eight buckets.  Monmouth's Mike Myers-Keitt was the game's second high scorer with twenty-seven points.




Jamal Olasewere came in at nineteen points and led the team in rebounds with nine.  C.J. Garner added fourteen points and had a game high eight assists.  Jason Brickman added six more assists and along with Garner almost matched Monmouth who totaled just sixteen assists all game.  Michael Culpo and Kenny Onyechi had fourteen points each to place five Blackbirds in double-digit scoring.




LIU remains on par with their competition on the glass.  Unlike last game, they won this battle of the boards 35-31 this time.  But once again, the Blackbirds did their damage at the line, shooting 83% on 25/30 shooting, while Monmouth shot a sketchy 53% on 9/17 shooting from the line.  If they Hawks did anything well, the buried the Blackbirds in three-point land; shooting 45% from beyond the arch.  They nailed 9/20 shots while Brooklyn only managed 3/14 for a resounding 21% shooting percentage.




LIU's home-stand concludes with a visit from Mount St. Mary's next Thursday.  The Blackbirds defeated them 85-76 back on December 3rd when they last travelled to Maryland.






Hey..., if you want to be the top team, you gotta beat the top team.  Go Blackbirds.  Go Brooklyn.!







Mike.BTB

LIU Blackbirds ~ Defending NEC Champs Still on Top

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

LIU BLACKBIRDS:  The Hoops of Flatbush win their fourth straight over Sacred Heard and stay tied for NEC lead.  Next up; Quinnipiac.





And away we go!   The Boys from Flatbush hit the road travelling to Connecticut where they played and defeated Sacred Heart Thursday night 87-81 and secured their fourth consecutive victory.  The win also improved their in-Conference record to 3-0 which puts them in a three way tie for first place along with Robert Morris and Central Connecticut State.





Jamal Olasewere led all scorers with twenty-nine points.  Riding Olasewere's eleven points, the teams went into halftime with LIU clinging to a 41-39 lead.  Then Jamal scored eighteen in the second half to help separate LIU from Sacred Heart.





Olasewere was the only Blackbird to score double digit points during the first half.  But his team mates stepped-up to share the load on the back end.  Jason Brickman scored eleven of his sixteen points and C.J. Garner scored ten of his eighteen in the second half.  And once again, Julian Boyd and Jamal Olasewere dominated the glass.  Between them they pulled down twenty-four rebounds (twelve each), with nineteen of those coming on the defensive end.





Flashbush will conclude their visit to Connecticut this afternoon against Quinnipiac.  The Bobcats have a 1-2 Conference record, and are 8-6 overall.  The Long Island University Blackbirds enter Saturday's game with a 9-6 overall record.





Mike.BTB

LIU Blackbirds ~ Drop a Buck Versus Texas St, NJIT Next

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

LIU BLACKBIRDS:  It Was Raining Three's on Ashland Place.

GAME THIRTEEN

We left off with our Flatbush collegiate cagers taking on the Texas State Bobcats in the second of three consecutive games to be played at the Wellness Center.  They hosted Texas State back on December 20th and hit the century mark in points for the first time in thirteen games this season.  In defeating Texas State 100-84, the Blackbirds improved their season record to 7-6; and 3-0 at home.



LIU's Julian Boyd led all scorers with twenty-two points and twelve rebounds.  All twelve of Boyd's rebounds came off the defensive glass.  The Blackbirds and Texas ended the game tied in rebounds.  However the visitor's board work was more evenly played.  Eighteen came on their offensive glass and seventeen on their defensive end gave Texas thirty-five on the night.  LIU matched that, mostly on the defensive end.  They only pulled down seven offensive boards all night. 



That tells me the Blackbirds spent most of the night nailing their initial shot opportunities.  Actually, the truth is they burried three pointers all night long; eleven of them to be exact.



In thirty-two minutes, Jason Brickman had a very productive night at the point passing off on a game high eleven assists and limiting himself to three turnovers.  He added twelve points; shooting 3 out of 4 from the line and 3 for 5 from three-point land.



Michael Culpo was a beast from three point range, nailing five out of six shots for his fifteen point contribution of the night.  He was second high scorer for LIU.  C.J. Garner chipped in with thirteen points and Brandon Thompson added nine off the bench.



Jamal Olasewere's night was limited to eight points in nine minutes.



NEXT GAME:   LIU welcomes the NJIT Highlanders Friday night to the Ashland Place gym.  This game will conclude LIU's out-of-conference schedule for the season.  The Blackbirds are 5-6 outside of their conference.  In-Conference, they boast a 2-0 record.







Mike.BTB

LIU Blackbirds ~ There's No Place Like...Flatbush

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

LIU Blackbirds:  The Hoops of Flatbush Dial Up Some Home Cooking.


Last Wednesday night didn't go so well.  But it was the end of a long and winding road for the Blackbirds.  In the final game during a stretch in which they started the season playing their first ten of eleven games on the road, their last stop in Virginia to take on the Norfolk State Spartans resulted in a 73-62 defeat.


LIU was held to twenty four points in the first half while Norfolk State scored thirty-five.  It proved to be the difference as both teams scored thirty eight points each in the second half.  Julian Boyd led the Blackbirds in points with thirteen and in rebounds with nine.  But LIU never came up with an answer for Norfolk State's Kyle O'Quinn.  He was the game high scorer with twenty-two points, while shooting ten of twelve from the line.  He pulled down fourteen rebounds in all; seven on the defensive end, and another seven on the offensive glass. 


The loss dropped the Blackbirds' season record to 5-6; which all things considered, isn't too bad for the kind of road schedule they just endured.


Saturday night however, was a welcome home of sorts and a game with much better results for the locals.  The downtown Brooklyn cagers finally returned to their home court for the first time since December 1st, and for only the second time all season.  Back again in the friendly confines of the Wellness Center,  LIU held on to narrowly defeat the Peacocks of St. Peter's College 82-80, in a game Brooklyn led by more than twenty points in the second half, only to let the Peacocks battle back to within two points with just under a second left in the game.  St. Peter's wound up outscoring the Blackbirds in the second half by a 55-46 margin.  But Brooklyn maintained their final ball possession as time ran out on the Peacocks, who were done in more by the expiration of time that LIU's ability to stop them down the stretch.


A win is a win however, and this win improves LIU's record to six wins against six losses. 


Julian Boyd was big man on campus Saturday night.  He was the game-high scorer with twenty-nine points; shooting fourteen of seventeen from the line.  Julian also dominated this game on both the offensive and defensive glass.  He kept eight offensive possessions alive, and came down with another nine rebounds on the defensive end for a game high total seventeen rebounds.  C.J. Garner tallied six assists and added thirteen points.  But Garner struggled mightily from the field shooting only two of eight.  He shot nine of ten from the line however.  Michael Culpo was third in with eleven points; and hit a trio of three-pointers in eight attempts.


Next on the schedule, the Blackbirds will host two more games at the Ashland Place gym.  Texas State will pay a downtown visit to the Wellness Center on Tuesday, December 20th.  Then on December 30th, NJIT strolls in for the last out of conference game on the Blackbirds' schedule.






Mike.BTB

LIU Blackbirds ~ The Flatbush Five Win Third Straight

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

LIU BLACKBIRDS:  Getting Things Turned Around After 0-3 Start.  The Flatbush Hoops Take Their Three Game Win Streak and a 5-4 Record into Manhattan for an Inner-City Tip-Off Against Columbia.

 

Since their opening night win at the Wellness Center on December 1st against Wagner, the Blackbirds have since been on the road again and won't return to Brooklyn until December 17th.  By then they will have completed a stretch of ten road games in their first eleven scheduled games to start the season.

 

The collegiate Hoops of Flatbush made their first stop in Maryland last Saturday to take-on Mount St. Mary's in their second consecutive in-Conference game.  Julian Boyd was without a doubt the MPIC of this game; the Main Player in Charge..that is.  This was his game for everyone to hang around and watch as he dropped in a game high twenty-two points and pulled down a similarly game high thirteen rebounds; with eight on the defensive end.  LIU's Michael Culpo was the next high man in scoring for Long Island with eighteen buckets to his credit. Third in was Jamal Olasewere with seventeen points.  The Blackbirds finished off St. Mary's 85-76 for their second NEC win in as many in-conference games.

 

Then the off-Flatbush Hoopsters won their third consecutive ball game this past Monday night, narrowly defeating Lafayette 82-80 out in Easton, Pennsylvania.  Three LIU players scored over fifteen points with F-Julian Boyd leading the way with eighteen.  F-Jamal Olasewere and G-C.J. Garner dropped in seventeen and sixteen points respectively.  With eleven points, Arnold Mayorga was the fourth Blackbird to achieve double digit scoring in twenty-two minutes of floor time.

In addition to his 17 points, Jamal Olasewere dominated the boards pulling down a game high fourteen rebounds; twelve coming on the defensive end.  Jason Brickman also had a game high 9 assists to help LIU pull out the very close victory.

Next on their itinerary, the Blackbirds catch a small break with a short venture into Manhattan where they'll take on Columbia this coming Saturday.  They'll have another game in Virginia against Norfolk State after that.  When Brooklyn's collegians finally do return home on Dec.17th, they'll play three in a row at the Ashland Avenue Gym.  And then finally, their NEC schedule finally cranks-up in earnest.

So after losing their first three games of the season, the Blackbirds seemingly have things turned around and are in the midst's of a three game win streak.  They've improved their record to 5-4, but more importantly, they are 2-0 within the conference.

 

Mike.BTB

LIU Blackbirds ~ Opening Night in the Wellness Center

 

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS of FLATBUSH

LIU BLACKBIRDS:  The Off-Flatbush Hoopsters Open Up the Wellness Center Tonight Versus Wagner.

Wagner

vs.

LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY

BLACKBIRDS

From

THE WELLNESS CENTER

Ashland Place off Flatbush Avenue

BROOKLYN

Things didn't go so well for the Blackbirds last Monday night during in their game versus Iona.  They were defeated 100-84 which dropped the Flatbush Hoops to 2-4 this season.  Jamal Olasewere was LIU's top scorer with 20 points.  C.J. Garner dropped 18 points of his own.

Tonight is the Blackbirds first game in Brooklyn this season as well as being their first NEC in-conference match up.

The Seahawks from Wagner are 5-1 this season.

LIU will play another four more games on the road after tonight's contest with Wagner, making a total of ten out of their first eleven games this season to be played away from their downtown Brooklyn campus.

 

UPDATE

FINAL:

Wagner Seahawks  73

LIU Blackbirds       78

Wagner couldn't keep themselves out of foul trouble against the Blackbirds as it turned out to be the difference Thursday night as the Off-Flatbush Hoopsters went 21 for 31 (68%) from the line.  The Seahawks actually shot better from the line (70%) but only got to the line a third of the time they allowed Brooklyn..  LIU's Arnold Mayorga and Jamal Olasewere combined for 12 for 15 from the free throw line, perhaps giving LIU the winning margin in this game.  Otherwise in almost all aspects of the game, these two teams participated in a very evenly matched affair at the Wellness Center.

In their first home court game of the season, and their first NEC conference game, the Blackbirds' did not disappoint.  Junior-Jamal Olasewere led the way over Wagner with 18 points and 11 rebounds; 7 boards came on the defensive end.  C. J. Garner pitched in with 15 points and 4 boards.  Jason Brickman was LIU's top man with 35 minutes played.  He scored 11 points and had a team high 6 assists.  Julian Boyd's 11 points made four Blackbird players to score in double digits.

 

The Blackbirds improved their record to 3-4; 1-0 within their conference.

And now it's back to the road; to Maryland.  Next up for the Blackbirds is Mount St. Mary's this coming Saturday December 3rd.

 

Mike.BTB

LIU Blackbirds ~ Net First Pair of Wins

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

LIU BLACKBIRDS:  A Strong Weekend in Connecticut Earns the Flatbush Hoopsters Their First Two Wins of Season.

STRONG START BY JAMAL OLASEWERE POWERS BROOKLYN.

After dropping their first three games to start the season, which include a pair of opening losses to Old Dominion and Penn State in the 2011 HOF Tip-Off Tournament,  the Blackbirds finished the weekend in fine fashion with a pair of wins over Radford on Saturday, and a win over Vermont on Sunday; concluding the Tourney.



In securing their first win of the season Saturday over Radford, Michael Culpo shot 4 of 5 from three point land and led all scorers with 14-points on the night.  Brooklyn actually had five players to score in double digits.  The second team high scorer for LIU was hot Jamal Olasewere who dropped in 12-points and pulled down seven rebounds.  C.J. Garner and Kenny Onyecht added 11-points apiece, while Julian Boyd led the team with 10-rebounds.  All their efforts added up to an 81-59 win over Radford.



After averaging 69-points in their first three losses, the Blackbirds broke the 80-point mark for the second consecutive game, on consecutive nights.  In Sunday's match-up against Vermont, Jamal Olasewere continued his strong start with a game high 18-point night.  Only LIU's Julian Boyd matched that point total with 18-points of his own to go along with a game high 12 rebounds.  LIU's second win ended with an 80-75 final score.



With the Tip-Off Tournament out of the way, the Flatbush Hoops will next play at Iona on November 28th before they finally make their first appearance off-Flatbush at the Wellness Center in a conference game versus Wagner on December 1st.

This Just in...

The New York Knicks' and the New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets' players are still unemployed.

The Commissioner Said No Game For Them Tonight!

However, Construction on the NETS new arena in Brooklyn continues on schedule and is due to open for business with the start of the 2012-2013 NBA season.  If both parties want to destroy this season, let them.  But their dispute over how to split billions of dollars better get figured out before tip-off time in Brooklyn!

A Look Back at BARCLAYS CENTER Construction:

NOVEMBER 2011

Flatbush Avenue at Fifth Avenue

Atlantic Avenue View.

LAST YEAR - NOVEMBER 2010

View From Sixth Avenue, Looking at Flatbush Avenue.

November 2010

Get a deal done before this squabble over money interferes with next season and jeopardizes Opening Night in Brooklyn.  That's all I care about.  That leaves the parties plenty of time to hammer out a deal beneficial to both sides before I get twisted over the situation.  To Mr. Stern I would say - Maybe, just maybe, some of these second tier cities the NBA occupies do not deserve major league level franchises.  But in this day and age, contraction isn't an option.  To the players I would say..., very little.  No one comes to Madison Square Garden to watch Jim Dolan's puss.  But the stars of the League also need to understand how they do themselves and their team's a great injustice by demanding to take up huge portions of the salary caps by themselves.

Something has to give.

Mike.BTB