LIU/Brooklyn Blackbirds: Straight Out of Flatbush

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

Go West, Young Men!

SUNDAY

LIU/Brooklyn Blackbirds

vs.

University of San Francisco Dons

LIU/Brooklyn Blackbirds: Flatbush Takes Their Game to San Francisco, California, Where a Clash of Undefeated Teams Awaits.

The hiring of Derek Kellogg continues paying handsome dividends.  In his first season as head coach at Brooklyn, he leads LIU to a 10-8 conference record, and 18-17 record overall.  However, the Blackbirds save their best for last, unending tourney favorites to capture last year's NEC championship, and thus a return to trip to March Madness.  This season to date, the Blackbirds are off to a 3-0 start after winning their first two games at home, and their most recent first game on the road.

Next stop, California.

As part of the Basketball Hall of Fame Belfast Classic, Flatbush opens with a match against the U of San Francisco Dons on Sunday.  Following games against Wisconsin and NJIT, the Blackbirds will fly out to Belfast, Ireland.

Sunday's match-up features a clash of undefeated teams.  Both the Blackbirds and Dons enter Sunday with identical 3-0 records.  Through three games, the Dons are averaging 85.6 ppg, while allowing a stingy 48.6 ppg, for an impressive plus-37 point differential.  Although the Blackbirds are averaging 93.6 ppg on offense, they've been much more generous on defense allowing 81.3 ppg, for a plus-12 point differential.

Defending NEC Champs Open Season With Victory

Art of the Two-Point Victory

Julian Batts Leads LIU Over Brown; Blackbirds Win Second Straight

Brown       81

Brooklyn  83

FINAL

Last Friday, the Blackbirds lead Brown 43-40 at halftime, but find themselves trailing by eleven in the second session with under six minutes left to play.  Ignited by a Julian Batts' three-pointer at the 5:24 mark, Brooklyn embarks on a 16-4 run.  Batts punctuates LIU's comeback with a short range jumper in the paint (and one), giving the Blackbirds an 81-79 lead with 1:08 to go.  The Bears tie with 0:46 left.  LIU then misses a three-point attempt on the ensuing possession, but secure the rebound and earn a whistle.  Jashaun Agosto converts both free throw attempts giving the Blackbirds an 83-81 margin of victory.  Lulian Batts leads all players with 26-points.

Raiquan Clark Leads Brooklyn to Third Straight Victory

Brooklyn  89

Fairfield   87

FINAL

Flatbush travels to Connecticut this past Tuesday where they take on Fairfield University in their first road game of the season.  The Blackbirds jump out to a 47-43 halftime lead over the Stags, then expand their margin in the second half by as many as thirteen points.  With just over five minutes remaining, LIU still leads by nine.  But the Stags nail a three at the 2:35 mark, then convert (and one) off an LIU turnover to take a one point lead.  Raiquan Clark's three-pointer gives LIU an 87-85 lead with 0:37 remaining, but Fairfield ties at the 0:24 mark.  On the ensuing possession, LIU drains the clock before Raiquan Clark connects on the final two of his twenty second-half points.  Clark finishes with a game high 33-points.  In the meantime, Ty Flowers keeps LIU moving forward with 21 first-half points.

LIU Blackbirds: Defending NEC Champs Open Season With Victory

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

OPENING NIGHT

FINAL

New Rochelle    76

LIU Brooklyn  109

LIU/Brooklyn Blackbirds: Defending NEC Champs Cruise to Season Opening Victory Over College of New Rochelle.

Behind Raiquan Clark's game-high 22-points, the defending NEC champion Blackbirds open the 2018-2019 regular season with a resounding 109-76 victory over the CNR Blue Angels Tuesday evening at the Steinberg Wellness Center.

LIU senior Raiquan Clark finishes with nine boards and five assists while clocking a team high 31-minutes.  However, big man in Flatbush winds up being forward Ty Flowers (a redshirt sophomore coming to LIU from UMass) who leads the floor with six assists, and posts a double-double with ten boards and 21-points.  Raul Frias adds nine boards and 19-points off the bench, as the Blackbirds feature five players in double-digit scoring.

The Blackbirds take a 59-40 lead into halftime en route to a 33-point margin of victory.  They shoot 51.9% from the field, and 32.4% from three-point range.  New Rochelle struggles shooting 31% from the field.  LIU also outscores CNR 48-26 in the battle of the benches, and outworks them 58-45 on the boards.

Derek Kellogg enters his second season as head coach at LIU.  His first season went very well, leading the Blackbirds to an 18-17 overall record, and a 10-8 conference finish.  In the conference tourney, they dispatch St. Francis College of Brooklyn and Fairleigh Dickinson University, then overcome favored Wagner to capture last season's NEC title.

The Blackbirds pick up where they left off last season.  Tuesday night's victory is their fourth straight at the Wellness Center.  LIU posted a 12-4 home record last season, winning their final two regular season home games, then their first round conference match-up against FDU at Brooklyn. 

LIU/Brooklyn was just 5-11 last season playing away from home, and 8-9 in non-conference games.

Next on the docket, the Blackbirds host Brown University on Friday.  These teams last met last year on Nov. 25, at Providence, where Brown prevails by a 94-86 margin of victory over LIU.

LIU/Brooklyn Blackbirds: Thanks Guys

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

LIU BROOKLYN BLACKBIRDS

NORTHEAST CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS

2018

1984  1997  2011  2012  2013

Congratulations LIU Blackbirds on another fine season, and for winning a sixth Northeast Conference championship, and to you Derek Kellogg, for guiding them to a title in your first season as head coach.

Thank you all for the gift of bragging rights by defeating outer-Borough rival Wagner in the conference finals, and one last thanks for representing the County of Kings yet again during this year's NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.

BROOKLYN PRIDE

GO BLACKBIRDS

BROOKLYN NETS ~ LIU BLACKBIRDS

THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

LIU/Brooklyn Blackbirds Win Northeast Conference Title

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

LET THE MADNESS BEGIN!

2017 - 2018

Northeast Conference Champions

LIU BROOKLYN BLACKBIRDS

1984      1997      2011      2012      2013

LIU/Brooklyn Blackbirds: Derek Kellogg leads Flatbush to its sixth ever NEC title in his first season as head coach.

Wagner and LIU had previously split their regular season series with each team successfully protecting home court.  LIU outlasted Wagner back in January at the WRAC, then bowed to the Seahawks at Staten Island.

To date, that remains LIU's last loss.

Since falling to Wagner on Feb. 17, the Blackbirds proceeded to win four in a row in the games leading up to last Tuesday's Northeast Conference final.  However, all four victories occurred home at the WRAC.  Brooklyn had only gone 5-11 on the road this season, and were headed back to Staten Island for one last game (which TeamRankings.com only gave them a roughly 22 percent chance of winning).

FINAL

Blackbirds  71

Seahawks    61

It took 2:48 minutes, but top-seeded Wagner finally opened the scoring with a three-pointer.  They still maintained a 9-7 lead by the 13:19 mark.  But after a Joel Hernandez jumper put LIU ahead 9-8 just over a minute later, the Seahawks would never again lead in this game. 

Raiquan Clark closed out the first half with a three-pointer giving LIU a 34-18 lead and a sixteen point advantage.

Wagner shot a mere (7/33) 21.2 percent from the field, and were just (2/14) 14.3 percent from three-point range in the first half.  Despite seven less field goal attempts and getting out-rebounded, the Blackbirds were (13/26) fifty-percent from the field, and (4/11) 36.4 percent from beyond the arch.

In the second half, the best the Seahawks would do is get within seven points of LIU, but no more.  A pair of Wagner free three throws at 4:37 made the score 57-50 in LIU's favor, whom then went on an 8-2 run to go up by thirteen with 2:20 remaining on the clock.  Wagner again made it a seven point deficit with 1:04 to go.  But Brooklyn would effectively close things out at the free throw line en route to a ten point margin of victory.

Just as in the first half, Wagner put up more shots than did LIU but continued failing at finding their range.  The Seahawks were only a slightly improved (14/37) 37.8 percent from the field, but just (4/19) 21.1 percent on three-point attempts in the second half. 

Brooklyn, meanwhile, improved to (12/21) 57.1 percent from the field in the second half.  They only put up a trio of three-point attempts, but more importantly converted on (12/17) 70.6 percent from the charity line.

Overall, Wagner out-rebounded LIU, scored more second-chance points, created more steals, scored more points off turnovers, committed less turnovers, distributed more assists, and even outscored LIU 43-37 in the second half.  They simply picked a bad time to lose their touch.  They shot just (21/70) thirty percent from the field, and connected on just (6/33) 18.2 percent from three-point range. 

Although LIU took 23 less overall shots, the Blackbirds were 53.2 percent from the floor, and 35.7 percent from beyond the arch.  Brooklyn also managed 24 attempts from the free throw line, seven more than Wagner whom finished with 17 attempts.

Joel Hernandez was named NEC tournament MVP after leading all players with 32 points, and securing seven rebounds.  He played a particularly major role from the free throw line, converting on eleven of his game high fourteen attempts.  Raiquan Clark was second with seven attempts from the stripe.  He added twenty points and eight rebounds (seven defensive).

From fourth seed to champion, the LIU/Brooklyn Blackbirds defeat the NEC's regular season champ and number one seed Wagner College from Staten Island.  The Battle of the Boroughs is done. Brooklyn wins their sixth Northeast Conference title, and their first since 2013 when they capped off a three year run as NEC champs.

• Quarterfinals: LIU 73; Saint Francis Brooklyn 50
• Semifinals: LIU 78; Fairleigh Dickinson University 77
• Conference Finals: LIU 71; Wagner College 61

This will be head coach Derek Kellogg's second ever trip to the NCAA tournament.  However, he wins his first ever conference title in only his first season with the Blackbirds.  Prior to Brooklyn, he previously coached the UMass Minutemen for nine seasons whom qualified for the 2013-2014 NCAA tourney as a buy-in.

The Blackbirds are now 18-16 on the season, and winners of five in a row.

LIU/Brooklyn Blackbirds Advance to Northeast Conference Finals

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

FINAL

Knights       77

Blackbirds   78

LIU/Brooklyn Blackbirds: Flatbush fends off FDU Knights; Set stage for Battle of the Boroughs versus Staten Island's Wagner Seahawks to decide Northeast Conference champion.

Winning the opening tip and scoring the first basket, Fairleigh Dickinson set Saturday's NEC semifinal game at the WRAC in motion.

After misfiring on their first possession, LIU's Joel Hernandez put Flatbush on the board when he connected from beyond the arch for three.  The Blackbirds continued setting the initial pace, jumping out to an early 16-6 lead.

Roughly five minutes into the fray, however, the Knights began settling down.  And by the midway point of the half, FDU was in the midst of a 14-0 run that would change the complexion of the game.  Led by forward Kaleb Bishop's ten points and eleven rebounds, FDU built a fourteen point lead with 1:04 remaining in the half.

The Knights stayed on target through the first twenty minutes, shooting 48.6 percent from the field, and fifty percent (4/8) from beyond the arch.  The Blackbirds, on the other hand, were just 34.4 percent from the field, and just twenty percent (3/15) from three-point range.

Raiquan Clark, Joel Hernandez, and Julian Batts, were the only Blackbirds to register first-half points.  Clark kept LIU moving along with sixteen points, but not before having to iron out a rough start in which he committed five of LIU's six turnovers.

With the Blackbirds trailing 23-18, a Julian Batts steal led to a fast-break the other way.  However, Batts failed to pick up Clark trailing the play.  Batts elected to keep it and wound up earning a trip to the stripe, but not before Clark voiced his displeasure with Julian over the play.

Later in the half, I also witnessed Raiquan in the paint jawing with Knights forward Mike Holloway Jr. after a physical sequence in LIU's end.  It was then the game paused for a TV timeout, and I estimate the ref spent ten seconds having a one-sided conversation with Clark whom stood positioned at the free throw line.

With time winding down in the first half, Joel Hernandez converted a pair of free throws with 0:31 left to at least bring the Blackbirds within nine points by the intermission.

In one respect - just one - the second half played out no differently.  The Blackbirds never did come up with an answer for Kaleb Bishop, whom finished up with a game-high 22 rebounds and a complimentary nineteen points.  LIU, meanwhile, had 33 rebounds all game.

Otherwise, the second half was an entirely different story.

The Blackbirds found their range over the final twenty minutes, shooting 51.4 percent from the field and fifty percent (6/12) from beyond the arch.  Whereas the Knights effectively performed an about face.  An intensified defensive effort on behalf of LIU is partly to blame for Fairleigh Dickinson dipping to 37.5 from the field, and for being limited to six three-point attempts in the second half.

It should be noted, though, Coach Kellogg utilized a four man bench and asked them to contribute 37 minutes.  Whereas Fairleigh Dickinson head coach Greg Herenda effectively implemented a one-man bench, freshman Elyjah Williams whom logged thirteen minutes.  Four of FDU's five starters played at least 39 minutes; freshman forward Noah Morgan played forty minutes.

Flatbush began chipping away at FDU's lead, and by the 13:01 mark, Raiquan Clark was assisting on Julian Batts' three-pointer, thus reducing LIU's deficit to just one.  Joel Hernandez then picked the Knights pockets clean on their ensuing possession, and punctuated his thievery with an emphatic dunk at the other end.  That gave the Blackbirds their first lead of the second half which they extended to seven points through the 5:30 mark.

FDU then made their final push, going on an 11-0 run.  Kaleb Bishop converted a pair of free throws to put FDU up by four with 1:58 remaining in regulation.

Before long, however, Julian Batts' three-pointer tied the game, 76-76, with 1:13 left to play.

Zach Coleman's fifth personal foul of the game put FDU's Mike Holloway Jr. at the line with just 0:49 left on the clock.  Flatbush caught a break when Holloway missed on his first attempt.  He connected on his second attempt putting FDU up by one.

Joel Hernandez launched a wayward three on LIU's ensuing possession.  Kaleb Bishop secured the rebound and the Knights called for time.  After the thirty second break, Raiquan Clark fouled Bishop with 0:09 seconds left in regulation.  But in the end, the only one seemingly able to thwart Kaleb Bishop proved to be Bishop himself.  The game's star to this point ponderously missed both free throw attempts to FDU's dismay - LIU's Julius Van Sauers secured the rebound off the second attempt.

Then, with just 0:03 seconds left, an overzealous Mike Holloway Jr. fouled Jashaun Agosto whom converted both free throw attempts giving the Blackbirds a 78-77 lead, and their ultimate margin of victory.

There's something to be said for having your legs under you.  It has always been my understanding when you have no legs, your shot is the first to suffer.  And if you consider what I'm suggesting with regard to Coach Herenda's lack of substitutions, this could have potentially factored in the Knights second half demise.  They were just 16/24 from the line in the second half, and just 2/6 over the final 1:50 of the game.  Kaleb also missed a layup with 0:50 left.  And Noah Morgan missed from three-point range as time expired (as previously noted, Morgan was the only one to play forty minutes).

Raiquan Clark wound up leading all players with 28 points, to go along with seven boards and four assists.  Joel Hernandez was the game's second leading scorer with 25 points.  Julian Batts was only 3/8 from three-point territory, but his three conversions couldn't have been more timely.  Jashaun Agaosto led the team with six assists.

The quest to win this season's Northeast championship now becomes a Battle of the Boroughs.  Brooklyn's LIU Blackbirds will face Staten Island's number one seed Wagner Seahawks in the conference final, on Tuesday, March 6, at the Spiro Sports Center.

The teams split their regular season match-up, with both protecting home court.

• 1/13 @ Brooklyn - LIU 69; Wagner 76
• 2/17 @ Staten Island - Wagner 78; LIU 74

Fourth seeded Flatbush is vying for their sixth NEC championship.  A charter member of the conference, they are the only men's program to ever win three consecutive NEC crowns (2011-2013).

The top seeded Seahawks are winners of their third ever regular season title.  They captured their one and only NEC title back in 2003 over Saint Francis of Brooklyn.  Wagner led the conference with a 14-4 record, and a 28-3 record overall.

BROOKLYN vs. STATEN ISLAND

NORTHEAST CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

TUESDAY

LIU BLACKBIRDS

vs.

WAGNER SEAHAWKS

FROM

Richmond County

LIU/Brooklyn Blackbirds: First Half in the Big Easy Proves Difficult

From the desk  of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

FINAL

LIU        96

Tulane  102

LIU/Brooklyn Blackbirds: Derek Kellogg's first half as head coach ends in defeat.  Otherwise, the game went well?

Despite tipping off the regular season in the Big Easy, the way Derek Kellogg's first game transpired as head coach of the LIU Blackbirds resembled nothing of the kind.

By no means were the Blackbirds rattled in New Orleans.  Far from it.  I'm not one for handing out participation trophies, but the second half of this game was a tremendous positive upon which to build upon.  

I'll simply be categorizing Friday night's season opening 102-96 loss against the Tulane Green Wave as a lesson learned twenty minutes too late.  But a lesson learned nonetheless.

After LIU jumped out to an early 13-4 lead, Tulane outpaced the Blackbirds through the remaining opening session by a 48-25 margin.  That could be attributable to the Green Wave's first half advantage (25-14) on the boards over Brooklyn.  Tulane shot fifty percent (19/38) from the floor in the first session, but inflicted their real damage on forty-one percent (7/17) from beyond the three-point line.  Meanwhile, Brooklyn lagged behind, converting at forty-seven percent (16/34), but just thirty percent (3/10) from beyond the three-point line.  In truth, though, Tulane's second chance opportunities on the offensive boards were ultimately LIU's undoing.  

Tulane's commanding 52-38 lead at the half wound up being a 14-point deficit Derek Kellogg's unit would not overcome.

The Blackbirds, however, demonstrated throughout the second session that halftime adjustment were clearly made.  LIU stiffened up on the boards which helped them get off ten more FG attempts in the second half than did Tulane.  They elevated to fifty-two percent (22/42) from the floor, and were thirty-seven percent (6/16) from beyond the three.  Tulane shot a slightly better fifty-three percent from the floor (17/32), but, as noted, on ten less attempts than LIU.  Defensively, Brooklyn minimized Tulane to just 2/7 from beyond the three, and essentially outplayed the Tulane Green Wave throughout the second half by a 58-50 margin.

The Blackbirds trailed Tulane by 17 points midway through the second half, yet clawed all the way back to within two points of the Green Wave with 00:23 second left.  Unfortunately, 96-98 would be as close as they would get.  

LIU missed a pair of three-point attempts in the closing seconds, while Tulane converted a pair of free throws to go back up by four, then another pair to seal the six-point margin of victory with just 00:08 seconds left.

Ultimately, Brooklyn's play in the paint left something to be desired.  They were outscored 46-52 in the paint, but an overall 32-46 disparity in rebounds ultimately translated into a 17-2 disparity in second chance points.

The second half proved it didn't have to be that way.

LIU/Brooklyn Blackbirds: Derek Kellogg Era Begins Now

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

FRIDAY

LIU Blackbirds

vs.

Tulane Green Wave

FROM

The Big Easy

LIU/Brooklyn Blackbirds: Meet the New Boss ...

After spending nearly a decade in the Atlantic 10 Conference piloting the University of Massachusetts, Derek Kellogg will begin his first season in the Northeast Conference as head coach of the Blackbirds when LIU/Brooklyn tips off in New Orleans against the Tulane Green Wave Friday evening.

LIU notified former head coach Jack Perri back in March his contract which was due to expire in August would not be renewed.

Perri served the program for five seasons after taking over for long-time coach Jim Ferry, whom accepted the position of head coach with Duquesne University in 2012 after leading LIU to back-to-back NEC titles.  Then assistant coach Jack Perri was promoted, and guided the Blackbirds to a record third straight NEC title in 2012-2013, earning the program yet another trip to the NCAA tournament.

Not unexpectedly, the program suffered a precipitous falloff in each of their next two seasons.  Coming off a 20-14 season, the Blackbirds stumbled to 9-20 overall, and just 4-12 in the conference. They were only marginally better in 2014-2015, posting a 12-18 record, with an 8-10 conference record.

The Blackbirds continued making incremental progress through 2015-2016, climbing back over .500 with a 16-15 overall record, and a par 9-9 record against the conference.

LIU had seemingly come full circle last season under Jack Perri with a 20-12 overall record, and a 13-5 conference record.  However, they would unfortunately suffer a gut wrenching first round elimination in the NEC tournament, losing by a point (68-69) to seventh-seeded Robert Morris University.

It was a rather unceremonious end to Perri's tenure considering how he reset the program.  He leaves with a 77-79 record as head coach.  To keep that in context, Jim Ferry was 150-149 during his ten seasons coaching the Blackbirds.

Derek Kellogg is now charged with elevating the LIU Blackbirds to higher ground, and there's evidence which suggests he can.

Coming off a 27-11 record in 2007-2008 under outgoing coach Travis Ford (who accepted the head coaching position Oklahoma State), the Minutemen's winning percentage dwindled to .406 during Kellogg's first two seasons as coach.  The program climbed back over .500 in 2010-2011 with a 16-15 overall record.

By 2011-2012, however, the Minutemen were enjoying their best season under Derek Kellogg, finishing with a 25-12 record.  They topped 20 victories again in 2012-2013, and in 2013-2014, the Minutemen went 24-9, qualifying them for their first NCAA tournament appearance in 16 years.

They've been down trending since then, averaging just 15 victories over their last three seasons precipitating the University of Massachusetts to move in a different direction.

Within a month of his dismissal, LIU was announcing Derek Kellogg as the Blackbirds new head coach.

LIU's conference schedule begins Dec. 29 against Fairleigh Dickinson University.

They will play two mid-December games at Barclays Center against Fairfield University, and Saint Peter's University, and get their first crack at the defending NEC champions on Dec. 31, when they host Mount St. Mary's at the Steinberg Wellness Center.

LIU/Brooklyn Blackbirds Schedule