The NCAA released its overall reports on four-year Academic Progress Rates for scholarship athletes on Wednesday. I was on furlough -- day off, no pay, no contact allowed with any parts of The Herald -- on Wednesday. So, I'm blogging from the balcony about this stuff today.
Overall, FIU showed well, especially the women's teams. The women's tennis team, recognized by the NCAA for its excellence (see a few posts ago), led the way with a 1,000 APR and the lowest women's team, cross country, rolled in with a 958. That beat the best men's team, baseball, which pitched a 952. All programs have their full complement of scholarships.
The only deficient FIU team was men's basketball: 909, well below the target 925.
It gets worse. That number, while lowest among FIU's athletic programs, isn't horrid when looked at the previous four-year totals, going backwards chronologically: 910, 886, 874, 854, 870. Still, the 909, being below 925, might earn FIU some finger-wagging and a slap from the NCAA.
But the single-year APR, according to college academics sources, was 833 in 2010-11. That followed a single-year APR for 2009-10 of 900, according to Isiah Thomas' 2011 yearly evaluation (there's always a year lag in APR reporting to account for summer classes, etc.). And that could earn a little more nasty attention from the four-letter organization in downtown Indianapolis, especially for a school that doesn't bring much history or cash.
833, eight wins in one year, 26 wins over three years...there you go.
FOOTBALL RECRUITING
Also, Wednesday, Collins Hill (Ga.) quarterback Brett Sheehan, who threw to FIU freshman wide receiver Nick England often enough for England to make honorable mention All-State, announced a verbal commitment to FIU for 2013.
After 40 rounds of fun -- sounds like one Andre the Giant night in a bar -- here's where the Major League Draft tangibly touched FIU.
Four recruiting signees were taken:
Alexis Rivera, 6-2, 220, outfielder/first baseman out of Montverde Academy up in Central Florida, taken No. 313 by Kansas City
Phildrick Llewellyn, catcher out of Lake Worth Trinity Christian, went to Arizona at No. 423.
Righthanded pitcher Reid Scoggins, out of Howard College, got taken at No. 577 by Anaheim
And as everybody was packing up, Milwaukee took American High catcher Chucky Vazquez with pick No. 1235. The draft lasted only three more picks.
As tor the players with FIU in 2012...
If right fielder Jabari Henry has a cup of coffee in the majors, he's with the right organization to do so. Seattle took him in the 18th round, No. 551 overall, making Henry the first player off the 2012 FIU roster to be drafted this year.
In the 21st round, at No. 663, Arizona took first baseman Rudy Flores. Flores played three games this season, going five for 13, before a suspension for a series then an injury limited his season to those three games.
At No. 808, San Francisco drafted lefthander Mason McVay, who went 2-3 this season, but held opposing batters to a .242 average. He had some control issues, his 10 wild pitches leading the team by four and five hit batsmen tying for the team lead.
Mike Martinez had to wait until No. 1,089, but FIU's all-time hits leader got taken by Houston at the top of the 36th round Wednesday.
WOMEN'S TRACK
Overcoming FIU's lack of facilities to sprint to the NCAA Championships, the women's 4x100 relay team of junior Melissa McElveen, junior Lakeisha Kelley, senior Carla Mills and junior T'Keyah Demoy finished eighth in Heat 1 of Wednesday's prelims. Their 49.09 time was well off their seeding time of 45.05.
Going into Day 3 of the most mind-numbing of all drafts, Major League Baseball -- it goes on for three days, more rounds than a "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" marathon sign-along and only the most psychotic of major league seamheads have seen more than a few draftees in action -- three players from FIU's 2012 signing class and nobody from FIU's 2012 team have been drafted.
Those who've gotten their "Come on, down!" call...
Alexis Rivera, 6-2, 220, outfielder/first baseman out of Montverde Academy up in Central Florida, taken No. 313 by Kansas City
Phildrick Llewellyn, catcher out of Lake Worth Trinity Christian, went to Arizona at No. 423.
Righthanded pitcher Reid Scoggins, out of Howard College, got taken at No. 577 by Anaheim
Grab a colada and fasten your seat belts, it's on to Day 3....
Garrett Wittels had a cup of coffee at Double A Springfield, going 0 for 1, after going 16 for 77 at Quad Cities. He's hitting .205 this season.
But the coffee must have been from Jimmy's kitchen in Toluca Lake. Wittels got called up to Triple A Memphis Monday, one step and 284 miles from St. Louis.
Now, back to Erik Spolestra telling us Chris Bosh might play or might not in Game 5...
Four quarters, four tires, four corners offense, Bobby Orr (the greatest No. 4), four-legged zoo,
four All-Sun Belt baseball players for FIU and a fourth All-Sun Belt honor for senior Mike Martinez.
Third baseman Martinez and junior outfielder Jabari Henry made First Team All-Conference, senior outfielder Pablo Bermudez and junior DH Adam Kirsch got named to the Second Team. Martinez, the Sun Belt's leading hitter, is the first FIU player with four All-Conference awards. This is Bermudez's second consecutive All-Sun Belt selection, the second for Henry and the first for Kirsch.
FIU starts the Sun Belt Conference tournament Thursday at noon against Troy.
FIU will be the No. 3 overall seed, the second highest seed in Pool B, for the Sun Belt Conference baseball tournament.
FIU faces No. 6 seed Troy Thursday noon, No. 7 Middle Tennessee State Friday noon and No. 2 Arkansas State 4 p.m. on Saturday. The best record in the pool plays the team with the best record in Pool A for the championship next Sunday.
FIU swept Troy in West Dade, scoring 20 runs in the three games; took two of three from Middle at home, although they got mercy ruled, 13-3 in the one loss; and took two of three, including a 16-5 mercy rule KO win, at Arkansas State last week.
FOOTBALL
Boca Raton Olympic Heights cornerback Degaulle Sama says he's received an offer from FIU.
HILTON
The Stadium Club was the site of a celebration and send off for T.Y. Hilton Saturday night. As Hilton highlights from Miami Springs High and FIU played on eight flat screen TVs around the room, various speakers, including FIU President Mark Rosenberg, spoke of Hilton as a person, player and what he's meant to FIU.
President Rosenberg said he showed a 1981 graduate film of the 2010 19-14 loss to Rutgers in which Hilton had 110 all-purpose yards and the alumnus said, "Mark, I have never seen anybody cheer for FIU before."
Hilton himself wasn't able to be present, having to remain in Indianapolis.
This was what greeted folks on the right as they entered.
Last week, FIU baseball coach Turtle Thomas likened his team to a football team that couldn't stop anybody when their offense is clicking, couldn't score when the defense is clicking or special teams failed badly enough to upend the whole mix. To use Thomas' metaphor, Thursday and Friday, FIU couldn't stop the early bombing, then coulnd't stop FAU in the two-minute drill.
And it could cost FIU the No. 3 seed in the Sun Belt Conference tournament.
Friday, reliever Michael Gomez took a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the ninth and left with a 4-3 loss that gave FAU the Sun Belt regular season title. The collapse wasted a fine start by Mike Ellis, which was an improvement on Thursday. Eddy Pidermann got pummeled for six runs in the first inning of a 12-2 blowout.
Statistical oddity: Oscar Aguirre came into this series with zero home runs on the season. He has two solo shots in the first two games.
The two losses leave FIU at 15-14 in Sun Belt play, the same as South Alabama, which took two of three from FIU up there this season. FIU ends the regular season this afternoon at FAU hours before South Alabama hosts Troy in its regular season closer.
OLD NEWS
So Old Dominion joins Conference USA, putting the league at 14 members. My first thought was "Oh, cool, Cindy Russo and Inge Nissen coaching against their alma mater twice a year now!" Russo and Nissen played for ODU back when it ruled the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women and the NCAA barely acknowleged women's sports. (young fans or participants in women's sports who want a historical perspective where we are now versus where we used to be should check out Sports Illustrated's recent issue on the 40th anniversary of Title IX and the story that discusses the AIAW).
It also means one more school FIU should own in football for a while. ODU just restarted its program in 2009 and will go FBS (Division I in any other sports' language) in 2015.
SOFTBALL
Senior outfielder Ashley McClain got named to the All-South Second Team by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. McClain, a First Team All-South honree in 2010 and 2011, is the first FIU player to be All-South three times.
FIU officially announced the signings of forward Jerome Frink, guard Malik Smith and center Ivan Jurkovic Wednesday.
Frink and Smith were covered in a previous post on this blog. Jurkovic is a 7-0, 265-pound hoops nomad from Croatia. He did a season at Three Rivers Community College in Poplar Bluff, Missouri ("SAL-LOOT!"), then one season at Lon Morris College in Jacksonville, Texas. During the latter season, he averaged 4.9 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.
BASEBALL
Outfielder Pablo Bermudez got named National Hitter of the Week by CollegeBaseballInsider.com after hitting .588 last week with two homers and 7 RBI.
With Mariah Dawson pitching, FIU dumped Troy 4-1 and will face the winner of No. 2 seed South Alabama vs. No. 7 Louisiana-Monroe Thursday.
So, let's just say they'll be facing South Alabama tomorrow.
SUBHEAD
In talking to Turtle Thomas for the story that ran in The Herald today on Mike Martinez, I asked him if the team missed Martinez in the season opening series against top 10 ranked Rice. Martinez, for a violation of team rules, didn't play in the series.
Thomas nodded that he thought Martinez would've made a difference in the extra innings loss, which FIU led 4-3 late in the game. Having Martinez's bat could've meant an extra run, thus giving FIU a big early season win.
Thomas figures the only way back to the NCAA Regionals is to win the Sun Belt tournament. He thinks only one Sun Belt team will make it and he's probably right -- FAU has the conference's best RPI at No. 78 in the nation. FIU is No. 118
Trevor Theroulde, an FIU assistant coach for four seasons, has been promoted to head volleyball coach, the school announced Friday. Theroulde was head coach of Trinidad and Tobago's national team from 1995-2002. He's also been an assistant at Central Florida and Marshall.
BASEBALL TIMES
Saturday's baseball home game will start at 1 p.m. Presumably, Arkansas-Little Rock also has been informed. As fan karaoke -- with prizes -- will be on the non-game entertainment bill, UALR might wish they'd showed up at the originally scheduled time.
T.Y. TALK
NFL Network's Mike Mayock, their scouting ace, spoke kindly of T.Y. Hilton when I brought up the wide receiver on a conference call Thursday:
"He's really an exciting player because he's one of those guys that's not just quick, but fast. He ran in the 4.30s on his pro day and very quick with the ball in hand and added value in the return game.
So, when you add all those things up, I think he's going to be a late two to a mid three. He's going to be a return specialist. He's dangerous with the ball in his hand. Some teams will look at him as a slot receiver because he's so darned quick but I don't think you can lump him in there and say he's just a slot and return specialist, because he also has long speed.
But give him a chance to earn a spot outside, because there's some value there, but ultimately, he's going to be, I think, one of the better inside receivers in the game along with a return specialist."
WOMEN'S TENNIS
Over in the Panthers-Devils NHL playoff series, a 3-0 lead has been taken in each game. In Tuesday's Game 3, the Panthers came back with four unanswered goals for a 4-3 win. Friday, FIU's tennis team, getting whipped 3-0 by Troy, stormed back for a 4-3 match win that gets them a 9 a.m. Saturday court time with Middle Tennessee State.
Stormed might be appropraite, as the rains came Friday after Troy took the 3-0 lead. After a rain delay long enough to play What's Goin' On a few times ended, FIU's Sarah McLean routed Lyubov Dorofeeya 6-2, 6-2. Giuletta Boha then beat Rosaura Ramirez-Vega 6-3, 7-6. Christine Serendi tied the match with a 6-4, 6-4 win against Samya El-Hsissen.
Karyn Guttormsen and Candela Munoz decided the whole affair with, fittingly, a three-setter. Munoz took the first set 6-1, but Guttormsen answered by taking the final two sets 6-3, 6-4.
Despite the tepid -- at best -- response I got from new FIU men's basketball coach Richard Pitino Monday when I asked him if he'd be bringing Louisville's director of basketball operations and former Miami Pace High coach Mark Lieberman down with him, got informed this morning that Lieberman's already in the fold and been spotted at potential recruit workouts wearing FIU attire.
With Lieberman back, you have to think FIU has a shot at being the landing spot for Cody Mann, who is transferring out of Colorado State. Mann played for Lieberman at Pace before transferring to play under Shaky Rodriguez at Dr. Krop High as a senior.
(My favorite moment of the 1990 FIU coaching search: a member of the search committee looks at the five finalists selected by the subcommittee, doesn't see Rodriguez and says, "I, for one, would like to speak for Marcos Rodriguez." A member of the subcommittee replies guilelessly, "We felt he didn't have enough experience recruiting." That marinated for a beat, then two. Then, the titters started. Then, some laughs.)
Mann got into only 17 games for guard-loaded 20-12 Colorado State, playing 85 total minutes. He was quoted in reports as not seeing the sneaker ceiling getting much higher above him next year while also having a tough time being away from home.
Also, 6-5 guard/forward Charles Hankerson, Jr., Coral Reef High graduate and son of the former Northwestern principal and Edison High basketball coach, is transferring from Alabama and has been contacted by the FIU staff. Rivals had Hankerson ranked in their Top 150 for 2010. Hankerson started five of 26 games as a freshman, but none of 18 as a sophomore. His minutes per game dropped from 11.2 to 10.5.
Hankerson's younger brother, 6-3 point guard Cedric Hankerson, also is being recruited by several schools now.
BASEBALL
Michael Gomez is now on the midseason watch list for the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year award, given to the best Division I relief pitcher.
In 20 appearances, Gomez has 10 saves and a 2.25 ERA with a .194 batting average allowed. He's allowed only two extra base hits in 28 innings.
A day of awards for FIU ended with fired men's basketball coach Isiah Thomas getting an honor from his former FIU players -- they walked out of the FIU Athletic Academic Awards Banquet in protest of Thomas' and the staff's dismissal Friday.
Feelings on this? Was it rude to their fellow athletes, many of whom showed up in packs to support men's basketball, at an event giving laurels to the top jocks of both genders? Or was it a reasonable way to make known they didn't like what went down Friday and, maybe, the way it went down? (already, the word going around coaching circles was the staff got bum-rushed out of their offices). Clearly, they value Thomas beyond his basketball knowledge -- you don't find many eight-win teams even getting out of a chair for fired coaches.
When I heard about this, I couldn't help but think of Otter declaring to the Faber Panhellenic Council, "You can do what you want to us. But we're not going to sit here and listen to you bad mouth, the United States of America! Gentlemen!"
The walkout does call into serious question how many players will transfer, how many 2013 verbal commits go back on the market and how many 2012 freshmen will want to get back on the market.
VONNEGUT'S HARDWARE
Earlier, Collegiate Baseball News announced that FIU junior Jabari Henry was the Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week, the second time in Henry's career for that recognition. Henry's four home runs in five games last week helped him pile up 13 RBI for the week.
The baseball team won the Community Service Award at Monday's banquet. The Swimming and Diving team got the Addidas Athletic Director's Award for classroom excellence; the Michael Felsberg Spirit Award; and the Champs/Life Stills/Challenge Cup Award. Senior midfielder Victoria Miliucci got the Academic Excellence Award. Sophomore guard Jerica Coley was selected Student-Athlete of the Year .
REUNITED AND IT FEELS LIKE HELLO, GOODBYE...
Georgia State, which once shared the Trans-America Atlhetic Conference (TAAC) with FIU will join the Sun Belt in 2013 as the league appears to be stocking up for the inevitable departure of some schools (most likely ones that start with "F" and have a major airport in the county). The Atlanta-based school started football recently.
In 20 innings over three appearances last week, FIU sophomore Mariah Dawson allowed two earned runs and struck out 24. That earned Dawson another Sun Belt Pitcher of the Week Award -- shared with Troy's Ashley Rainey -- two weeks after she won her first this season.
Dawson's struck out a Sun Belt-high 112 and is 11-6 with a 2.00 ERA for the season.
BASEBALL
Tuesday's home game against Bethune-Cookman has been moved to 4 p.m. Friday's game against Louisiana-Monroe is at 8 p.m. The May 1 home game against Bethune is at 4, as is the May 9 road game at Bethune.
Freshman catcher Aramis Garcia went two for four with a home run against FAU Friday night. Runs produced by the rest of the FIU lineup: 0.
In a 5-1 loss that opened the Sun Belt part of FIU's schedule The Panthers wasted a nine-strikeout pitching performance by Mason McVay. McVay gave up eight hits and three runs in seven innings. But FAU's Ryan Garton didn't allow a run, whiffed eight and kept FIU to only four hits in 7 innings. Garcia's home run was the only blemish on reliever R.J. Alvarez's line.
AQUAWOMAN
FIU Johanna Gustafsdottir swam the 100 backstroke in 55.0 Friday, not good enough to reach the finals. As with the 200 individual medley Thursday, this wasn't a surprise. Gustafsdottir's best event, the 200 back, is Saturday.
And in salute to the two No. 15 seed upsets, still arguably the greatest first weekend NCAA tournament upset.
Should FIU knock off Stetson Thursday in the first round of the Women's NIT, the second round game will be...well, either Saturday, Sunday or Monday, at South Florida, FIU, maybe FAU.
The NITs are the Second City of tournaments in that way -- very big on the improvisation.
FIU's got some experience with adjusting on the fly. Team X at the start of the season, unknown quantities even to themselves because of no many new players, they produced the school's best season in at least six years.
"I think this team is peaking at the right time," head coach Cindy Russo said. "They're starting to peak. I think some teams in our conference have already peaked. I enjoy watching them practice. They do some nice things out there. We went to the Sun Belt Conference (tournament) and played three good games. We didn't just get through. We played really nice basketball."
They lost to Middle Tennessee as Jerica Coley got held under double figures in scoring for the first time all season. Two key stats: Coley went 1 for 10 from three-point range and 0 free throws by FIU. That's right, Middle played 40 minutes of defense against a driving guard and somehow never sent FIU to the line. 0 free throws by FIU. Yeah.
In the last five of her school-record number of games with FIU, senior swingwoman Fanni Hutlassa's averaged 16.8 points per game, well over her season average of 13.1.
"This is the first time since I've been here that we've gone to the postseason or anything," Hutlassa said. "I don't want to be done yet."
Russo said, "She went to another level and that helped us a lot. She really wanted to make this tournament. She realized she had some unfinished business she had to take care of before she left here and certainly, she's doing that."
BASEBALL
Third baseman Mike Martinez, after 11 games, has a .487 batting average with a .615 slugging percentage and .577 on-base percentage. And he's playing very good defense at third base
To quickly summarize what could be either a fantastic or fantastically disappointing two days for FIU athletics….
In contrast to the one-and-done men’s hoop team, the FIU women ballers came from behind Sunday to take out Denver 67-59 -- 18 second-half points by sophomore guard Jerica Coley -- and now face No. 1 seed Middle Tennessee State in a Sun Belt Conference Tournament semifinal.
FIU lost to Middle by five at Murfreesboro and by 14 at The Branch. Up near Nashville, FIU held advantages in rebounds (42-31), shooting from the field (44.0 percent to 36.5 percent) and the line (eight of 11 greater than five of nine). But they went one of eight from three-point range to Middle’s seven of 28 and committed 24 turnovers to Middle’s 13.
Out near Sweetwater, a trio of threes propelled a 13-2 early second half run that erased FIU’s eight-point halftime lead. Also, FIU shot only nine free throws to Middle’s 25.
In the pool – or above the pool, then in the pool -- sophomore Sabrina Beaupre dives today in the NCAA Regional to qualify for next week’s NCAA Championships.
Tuesday, FIU baseball faces Boston College. Turtle Thomas deflected all questions about Wednesday’s exhibition against the Marlins by saying his focus is entirely on BC.
"Boston College will be a great RPI game," Thomas said. "That'll be the best RPI game except Florida State and Rice. That is a huge game."
Thomas said redshirt sophomore Eddy Pidermann would start against BC.
SOFTBALL
Ashley McClain’s two RBI Sunday pushed her career total to an FIU-record 138 as the 8-11 Panthers beat Oregon State 4-1.
Friday and Saturday, FIU hosts the FIU Invitational, double-headers against DePaul and Delaware.
SPRINGING
Because sponsors for the yearly PGA event on The Blue Monster change every few years, this is simply referred to by local golf scribes as Doral Week. That means, for the third consecutive year, I’ll be buried in bunkers and birdies and ball strikers until they hand out the big check on Sunday. Unless I see Kedrick Rhodes or Jake Medlock running up the 18th fairway, others will be handling spring football for us this week.
Some stuff from Friday night's 6-5 baseball win against Brown in the home opener...
The night before lefthanded sophomore pitcher Michael Ellis gets his start against Brown, he helped produced the game-winning run. Senior Mike Martinez, who went two for three (.533 this season) and walked twice, joked after the game about junior Adam Kirsch continually seeking counsel about his swing and said he told Kirsch he was fine. Kirsch admitted he was asking about quite a bit, but felt he'd missed on some good pitches earlier in the game. Kirsch said Ellis advised that he was getting his foot down late.
The next time up, Kirsch got a first pitch fastball and put it over the fence to break a 5-5 tie.
Freshman shortstop Julius Gaines has five errors in seven games so far, but head coach Turtle Thomas said, Julius is a freshman. He’s played every inning of all seven games. He’ll continue to play because he’s a good player. He’ll figure it out sooner or later.”
Thomas seemed to have more concern about redshirt junior starter Mason McVay, who didn't get the Ivy League visitors under control until the third inning or so.
“That’s what’s happening with him right now," Thomas said. "He goes out , struggles the first couple of innings, he settles in, he does fine as long as he stays in the game. The problem is, he’s got to figure it out earlier so he doesn’t throw 70 pitches the first two innings. Four innings, he had 95 pitches.”
That said, Thomas also complimented Brown on tenacity at the plate. One of the reasons McVay reached such a high pitch count in the first two innings was the Bears weren't leaving anything up to the umpire. If it was close, they were swinging and making contact and foul balls were fine with them.
Failed to get this up on the blog yesterday, which is rather incongruous with my continuous updating via blog during last week's Sun Belt Swimming & Diving Championships...
Freshman Johanna Gustafsdottir officially was invited to the NCAA championships in the three events she won at the Sun Belt championships. She'll be in the 200 individual medley Mar. 15, 100 backstroke Mar. 16 and the 200 back on Mar. 17.
Monday and Tuesday, sophomore diving ace Sabrina Beaupre will dive in the NCAA Regional with a chance to qualify for the NCAA Diving Final the following week. Beaupre won the 1-meter and 3-meter events at the Sun Belt Championships.
BASEBALL
The Marlins likely will throw Ricky Nolasco against FIU in next Wednesday night's split squad exhibition at Nothing to See Here, Investigators, Nothing to See Here Park.
As a team, FIU finished fourth at the Sun Belt Swimming & Divsing Championships. But four individuals were judged the conference's best.
After winning her third individual conference title Saturday, the 200 backstrokes, freshman Johanna Gustafsdottir received the Sun Belt Swimmer of the Year honor. The Diver of the Year had exactly one contender, FIU sophomore Sabrina Beaupre, winner at 1-meter and 3-meters. Their coaches, Randy Horner and Chris Mantilla, respectively won the Sun Belt Swimming Coach and Sun Belt Diving Coach of the Year awards.
Sonia Perez Arau finished third in the 200 back, also with an NCAA qualifying time. Neither Perez Arau nor Gustafsdottir are guaranteed a spot in the NCAAs, however.
BASKETBALLS
Before we get to seniors putting their things down on Senior Night, let's take a look at South Alabama women's coach Rick Pietri Saturday night against FIU. His explosions of reaction kept us entertained when the game degenerated into slop with players committing four fouls before getting called for one.
My two favorite moments escaped unshot (by me, at least). When the South Alabama defense didn't get out on FIU's Fanni Hutlassa and Hutlassa dropped in a three, Pietri jumped out of his squat and ran down the sideline, his feet kicking the air like some mad Eastern European kick dance. In the midst of this, he managed to whip his arm toward the scorer's table definitively enough that a player went to check into the game.
Another time, after FIU forced a shot clock violation, Pietri stomped a foot in triplicate, like he was in he road company of Bring in The Noise, Bring in The Funk.
At about the 1:35 mark...
Wait until 1:00 into this one, during the next-to-last FIU and South Alabama overtime possessions.
Fifth year senior Fanni Hutlassa had nine rebounds, went six of six from the line and was three of 12 from the field, but hit the key three pointer that gave FIU some margin for error at 56-53 in overtime.
That's when FIU started trying to hand the game back to South Alabama with a series of oops! and what? actions. Hutlassa fouled out seconds after her three, but FIU's Kamika Idom come down with the rebound of the second consecutive missed Jaguars free throw -- like old coaches say, there are two things that don't last long: dogs that chase cars and teams that don't hit their free throws. Idom's transfer of the ball to Jerica Coley went about as smoothly as Piscarcik-to-Csonka and South Alabama got to within one on a Mary Nixon bucket.
Instead of a forced shot by Coley, Frozone from the field Saturday, FIU got a look from Finda Mansare, whose five of 10 from the field at that time made her the Panthers' best shooter this night. Idom got the hustle rebound of that miss, then FIU inexplicably called timeout instead of just letting the clock run and forcing South Alabama to foul.
Pietri said at least six times in the USA huddle, "DON'T LET NO. 22 GET THE BALL!" and the Jaguars double-teamed Coley accordingly. But FIU ran a set where Idom wound up cutting toward Coley, bringing three Jaguars to an area with two FIU players and Carmen Miloglav inbounded into that mess. South Alabama came out with the ball, but Miloglav's defense on the final possesion altered Nixon's shot. Pietri's stomp in the video above is in reaction to USA having to foul Coley, 12 of 12 from the line Saturday.
Coley finished with seven turnovers Saturday and five of 18 from the field. Good as she is, her teammates not named Mansare and Hutlassa need to pop on more of the open looks they get, just so Coley's not required to forcing up junk as the shot clock winds down. On her part, as the best player and point guard, Coley should force a greater distribution of of the offensive load. She's the director on the floor.
I'm reminded of Connie Hawkins, one of those prodigious playground legends whose best never got broad exposure because he didn't hit the NBA until he was past his prime. In the original ABA, that brought us the slam dunk contest and the three-point shot, Hawkins played for the Pittsburgh Condors. A teammate noted that early in the game, Hawkins, by far the Condors best player, didn't take many shots. Instead, he made sure to get everyone the ball early with decent looks so the whole team felt involved and in the rhythm.
Just a thought as I wonder if Coley's wearing down from FIU's dependence on her.
In the men's game, Detroit men Jeremy Allen and DeJuan Wright kept smacked South Alabama back down right when the Jaguars looked as if they would prevent FIU's first season sweep of them. From 53-48 FIU, Wright and Allen combined for FIU's next 17 points. Two Allen threes sandwiched a Wright defensive rebound that put FIU up 64-50. Another Jaguars run got the FIU lead down to 72-69 and anybody who's seen this team at home settled in for the heartbreak. In fact, the only consistent fan cheering was from South 'Bama fans doing the "Dee-fense!" chant.
Wright got the layup, the foul and hit the free throw: 75-69, 2:06 left. Plenty of time, but you could feel the uprising die.
BASEBALL
Up in Leon County, senior Iosmel Leon homered for FIU. Alas, that was one of only six hits in a 3-1 loss to Florida State.
Starter Mason McVay walked five, struck out nine and gave up two runs in four innings. McVay and Albert Cardenas kept FSU hitless from the second inning through a solo homer by James Ramsey, whose homer and bases loaded single accounted for all three FSU RBI.
Sophomore Mike Ellis starts today's third game of the series.
INDOOR TRACK
Raqurra Ishmar finished second in the shot put at the Sun Belt Indoor Track and Field Championship Saturday.
