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

LIU Blackbirds: Defending 3-Time NEC Champs Open Season Today At Barclays Center

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

SATURDAY

 

St. Peter's Peacocks

vs.

LIU BLACKBIRDS

From

BARCLAYS CENTER
Flatbush Avenue

Brooklyn

LIU/BROOKLYN BLACKBIRDS: With Departure Of Three Starters From Last Season, Much Falls On Jason Brickman To Lead Team As Lone Senior.  Julian Boyd Not Expected Back Until January.

WAGNER VOTED PRE-SEASON FAVORITE TO TOP NORTHEAST CONFERENCE;

LIU/BROOKLYN PREDICTED TO FINISH FOURTH.

 

 

Can Blackbirds Continue The Standard They've Set For Themselves Over Last Three Years?

Downtown Brooklyn's three-time defending NEC Champions begin their 2013-14 season Saturday afternoon at Barclays Center, but not without some adversity.  In the pre-season coach's poll, the proud LIU Blackbirds were only predicted to finish fourth in the NEC behind overwhelming favorite Wagner, then Robert Morris and Bryant.

Coach Jack Perri begins his second season as head coach.  His team outscored their opponents last season by a 2,677-2,589 margin, and their 81.4 points per game ranked 2nd in the country.

Long Island University has achieved at least 20 victories in each of the last three seasons, and have now appeared in six March Tourneys, with three coming in the last three seasons.  The Blackbirds struggled midway through last season with a six game losing streak, and dropped their final four contests to finish with a 20-14 record, but then stream rolled through last year's NEC tourney.  They were undone by James Madison in last March's NCAA Regionals.  In the season prior under former coach Jim Ferry, they posted a 25-9 record, but were soundly defeated by #1 seeded Michigan State in the 2011-12 NCAA Regionals.  In 2010-11, the Blackbirds went 27-6, and 16-2 against the conference, but were stopped cold by North Carolina in their first NCAA Tournament appearance since the 1997 season.

Jason Brickman is the lone returning undergraduate starter from last season, and will be LIU's lone senior player.  He led all NCAA Division-1 players with 290 assists last season, as well as an 8.5 assists per game average as a Junior.  Brickman is LIU's all-time assists leader with 719, and with another 86 assists, will break the all-time NEC record of 804 assists.  With another 281 assists, Jason Brickman can become only the 4th NCAA player to amass 1,000 assists in a career.

Julian Boyd returns as graduate student.  Last year, his season was derailed by a torn ACL.  In July, he tore the same ACL again.  The team hopes he can rejoin the team again by January.

The Blackbirds lost five seniors from last year's team.  Among the most notable departures are center Jamal Olasewere, guard C.J. Garner, Kenny Onyechi, and Brandon Thompson.  Last season, senior Jamal Olasewere was named NEC Player of the Year.

Forward E.J. Reed is now a sophomore.  He was a 50.6% shooter from the field last season.   Guard/forward Troy Joseph and guard Gerrell Martin are Juniors.  Forward Landon Atterberry comes to Brooklyn after two years in Cape Cod.  Coach Perri will also have four new recruits and five freshmen overall on his squad; F-Nura Zanna, G-Joel Hernandez, F/C-Glenn Feidanga, G-Iverson Fleming, and G-Kaleb Marquis.

Forward Darien Best, guard D.J. Griggs, F-Chris Carter and G/F Gilbert Parga round out the roster.

Gerrell Martin is from the Bronx, and Darien Best is from right here in Brooklyn, New York.

The LIU Blackbirds first in-Conference game is scheduled for January 9th against St. Francis of Brooklyn.  The Blackbirds posted a 12-6 conference record last season.





Mike.BTB

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

Hoops of Flatbush ~ LIU Blackbirds Lose Head Coach

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds:  Coach Jim Ferry Leaves Ashland Place Behind for Job at Duquesne.

In ten seasons at the helm, 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 will now leave Long Island University-Brooklyn, after having accepted the position at Duquesne earlier in the week.

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 Duquesne.

Assistant Coach Jack Perri will now take over LIU-Brooklyn's program.




* Photo - BTB

Mike.BTB