Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Hall Falls Hard to Notre Dame


After the Georgetown game, I was disappointed. After tonight’s game against Our Lady of Notre Dame, I was disgusted.

In a match-up against the #22 team in the country, Seton Hall was completely outplayed. With no answer for the Notre Dame big man inside, and with Harvey lackadaisically guarding outside shooters, the Hall gave up an atrocious 95 points. It was a truly dismal defensive effort, exacerbated by an injury to one of the Hall’s best defensive players, Paul Gause. After sitting out a number of games earlier this season with a hand injury, Gause may very likely miss some more time – he drove hard to lane midway through the first half and landed awkwardly on his left knee. He would not return.

The Rock was sold out tonight, and the crowd wanted to rally behind Seton Hall. There was simply very little to cheer about. Hazell was the lone bright spot for the squad, picking up 5 steals in Gause’s absence and getting to the line consistently.

There were a number of aspects that made this game highly unusual. For starters, St. Augustine got the start!! After editing our friend details on Facebook only a few hours before, Okosun would be going head-to-head with Brother Luke. And for the most part, Okosun played well. He needs to do a better job catching the ball, but he brings athleticism and energy.

Secondly, Walters appeared in the game! Granted, he really only played during garbage time, as well as a few minutes in the first half, but he was actually fairly effective. He ended with 5 points, and it was nice to see the bench cheering him on.

Finally, Eugene. Oh, Eugene. “Nunu,” as we like to call him, is truly one of the smoothest point guards in the Big East. Not as quick as most point guards, Nunu has a nasty crossover and dribble step which allows him to glide to the tin with ease. Unfortunately, Harvey has a habit of not always finishing. St. Benedict’s coach Bobby Hurley has an expression: backboard, or dunk. The point is this: if you’re not going to dunk it, you’re best advised to use the glass. As a St. Benedict’s alumnus, it’s simply unconscionable that Harvey misses as many lay-ups as he does. Harvey, if you’re listening, please, I implore you: teach Okosun how to catch the ball, and maybe he’ll teach you how to bank-jam.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

sucks that they lost. i thought they were a shu-in.

Moose said...

UConnia