Wendell Carter Jr. Wins McDonald’s Player of the Year Award
Wendell Carter Jr., the 6-10 power forward from
Wendell Carter Jr., the 6-10 power forward from
Hudson Catholic coach Nick Mariniello has never beaten St. Anthony’s and legendary coach Bob Hurley.
The two Catholic schools are Jersey City rivals and will meet Wednesday night in the highly anticipated North Non-Public B final at 8 p.m. at the Rutgers Athletic Center. The Friars are the No. 1 seed in the bracket and the defending New Jersey Tournament of Champions, while the Hawks are the No. 2 seed.
Because of the school’s dire financial situation, the next game St. Anthony’s loses could be the final game ever played by the school’s basketball team. The potential final season is being documented by SHOWTIME Sports.
“You know what, I don’t want them to close,” Mariniello said Tuesday by phone. “We don’t want to see any Catholic schools close, and especially them because it’s a storied institution with a storied coach and we want to be able to compete against that.
By DENNIS CHAMBERS
RAHWAY, N.J. — The Patrick School continued its road towards the ultimate goal Monday night with a 66-56 victory over the Ranney School in the South Non-Public B semifinals at Rahway High School.
The ultimate goal would be a victory in the New Jersey Tournament of Champions later this month.
Ranked No. 1 in the state all season, the Celtics go in to each playoff matchup with the bigger picture in the back of their minds .
“No question this team’s goals are to win a state championship and a ToC,” co-head coach Mike Rice said about his team’s ambitions. “When you’re at the top of the food chain for as many weeks as we’ve been your goal is to win. So, we’ll win. No doubt our goals are state championship and ToC.”
The Celtics will now face rival Roselle Catholic for a fourth time this season in the South Non-Public B final on Wednesday night at Jackson Liberty (7 p.m.). The Lions beat Gill St. Bernard’s, 54-51, on Monday despite being without junior big man Naz Reid, whose status for Wednesday’s game is uncertain. The Patrick School is 3-0 against Roselle Catholic this season, including a win in the Union County semifinals.
Reigning ToC champion St. Anthony’s will face Hudson Catholic in the North Non-Public B final on Wednesday at 8 p.m. at Rutgers. The winners of those two games will then play for the Non-Public B state title on Saturday in Toms River.
Iona is headed back to the NCAA Tournament after a dramatic overtime win in the MAAC championship game.
No. 3 Iona edged No. 4 Siena, 87-86, in extra time in Monday night’s championship game at the Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y.
Coach Tim Cluess and the Gaels (21-12, 12-8) are headed to their fourth NCAA Tournament in six years. They won the MAAC Tournament in 2013 and ’16, beating Monmouth last year. The Gaels improved to 9-0 against Siena in the MAAC Tournament. Iona is headed to the Big Dance for the 11th time.
The Gaels had lost twice during the regular season to No. 1 seed Monmouth, but avoided the Hawks when Siena stunned them on Sunday in the semifinals.
Entering the day, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi had Iona as the 15 seed in the South playing No. 2 Kentucky.
“We’re going to try to go far this time,” Jordan Washington, who hit two foul shots with 1.6 seconds left to make it 87-83 and finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds despite foul trouble, told reporters. “That’s basically it.”
IONA HEADED BACK TO THE DANCE!
Gaels edge Siena, 87-86 in OT, to win @MAACSports and advance to #MarchMadness for second straight year. pic.twitter.com/vsolegf1Pu
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 7, 2017
The Big Ten Conference unveiled the men’s basketball All-Conference teams and individual award winners on Monday night.
Purdue’s Caleb Swanigan earned Big Ten Player of the Year honors from the conference’s coaches and a media panel, and was a unanimous selection by the coaches. Minnesota’s Richard Pitino claimed Coach of the Year laurels from both the media and his peers. Michigan State’s Miles Bridges picked up Freshman of the Year accolades in both ballots. Minnesota’s Reggie Lynch was named the Defensive Player of the Year and Iowa’s Nicholas Baer was voted the Sixth Man of the Year by the coaches.
Swanigan earns the Big Ten Player of the Year award after pacing the conference with 18.9 points and 12.6 rebounds per game in conference games. He became the first player to lead the Big Ten in scoring and rebounds in conference games since Ohio State’s Evan Turner in 2009-10. Swanigan becomes the fourth player in Purdue history to earn Big Ten Player of the Year honors and the first since JaJaun Johnson in 2010-11.
Pitino led the Gophers to a double-bye in the Big Ten Tournament with an 11-7 conference record, and a total of 23 wins, which ties the school record. Minnesota, which won eight of its last nine Big Ten games, is the NCAA’s most improved team from the 2015-16 campaign. Pitino becomes the second Minnesota mentor to earn Big Ten Coach of the Year honors and the first since Jim Dutcher in 1981-82.
In conference games only, Bridges ranked fifth in the Big Ten in scoring (16.6 ppg), sixth in rebounding (8.1 rpg) and fifth in blocks (1.7 bpg). He has posted seven double-doubles entering the Big Ten Tournament. Bridges, who was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week five times, becomes the Spartans’ second Freshman of the Year selection and first since Gary Harris in 2012-13.
Congrats to the 2016-17 #B1GMBBall first-team All-Big Ten honorees as selected by conference coaches. pic.twitter.com/d61he9zSdj
— Big Ten Men’s Hoops (@B1GMBBall) March 6, 2017
Shakur Juiston, a 6-foot-7, 220-pound forward from Hutchinson (KS) Community College, picked up an offer from Kansas on Sunday and is expected to visit the Big 12 regular-season champion and top-ranked team in the nation, as first reported by ZAGSBLOG.
Kansas assistant Norm Roberts watched Juiston on Sunday when he had 10 points and 14 rebounds in a 78-54 win over Independence Community College.
“I appreciate it a lot, opportunities like that come very seldom,” Juiston said Monday by phone of the Kansas offer.
“Honestly, I feel honored by any offer. It’s not just because of the ranking [Kansas is No. 1] or that they came. I just see it as opportunities, not because they’re a top person.”
