Moving the homestead

If you haven’t seen already via the Recorder’s website, or on the Recorder Sports department’s official Facebook and Twitter pages, but this blog has moved to it’s new home at sidelineguys.recordernews.com. There, you can find both The Sideline Guys blog with regular news and insight from myself and Mark Robarge, plus the weekly Sideline Guys webcast. Looking forward to having everyone join us at our new Internet home base, and make sure to change your bookmarks and subscriptions to the new URL.

Fonda-Fultonville shows how ugly good basketball can be

Anybody who tries to judge this year’s Fonda-Fultonville boys basketball team just by the numbers is really missing out on perhaps one of the best stories of the early season.

I had another chance Friday night to watch the Braves in action, this time in a Colonial Council matchup with traditional league power Voorheesville. And while the 43-31 final score or the fact that Fonda-Fultonville unofficially hit just 2 of 18 three-pointers may have made it seem like an ugly game to watch, it was actually a thing of beauty to coach Eric Wilson.

As I wrote in this morning’s game story, which you can read here if you subscribe to recordernews.com, the night had all the makings of disaster for Wilson and his team. But that unrelenting, in-your-face, 32-minutes-of-Hell defense – the hallmark of Wilson-coached teams for more than a decade now – means never having to rely on your offense alone to win.

As Wilson said after the game, good defense is not something that goes hot and cold, like shooting. And good defense is not simply a physical thing that requires size or speed; it’s as much a mental thing. Wilson spoke of “defensive intensity” as the key, and that was on display on both ends of the court last night.

In reality, Fonda-Fultonville and Voorheesville are two very similar teams this year. Both saw success last year, with the Braves winning the Section II Class B title and the Blackbirds advancing to the Class C semifinals before being eliminated by Hoosick Falls, but both lost many of the players who were key to that success. As a result, both are playing similar games, relying on defense to carry them along while they gain experience.

On Friday night, Fonda-Fultonville showed themselves to have two advantages. No. 1, their defense was just that much better, especially when they held the Blackbirds scoreless for nearly six minutes between the first and second quarters and when they put the game away in the fourth quarter. The Braves pressed full court from the opening tap, giving Voorheesville’s inexperienced guards all sorts of fits as they brought the ball up, challenging every entry pass to the Blackbirds’ big men and getting pressure on every shot.

And on the other end of the floor, Voorheesville simply had no answer for Fonda-Fultonville’s Luke Nethaway, especially during those two stretches. Nethaway had a game-high 19 points, with all but two of those points coming within those two game-defining bursts – the second coming after he spent nearly a full period in the locker room after hurting his knee while trying to acrobatically block a shot.

Nethaway is unquestionably the leader of this team, and a big reason for that – other than the fact that he is its most experienced player – is that his game is essentially emblematic of how the whole team plays. As Wilson said after the game, Nethaway may not be the most-skilled player in the area, but very few can match the sheer desire and willpower with which he attacks the game on both ends of the floor.

And his injury is a good example of that desire. After a Voorheesville steal, Joe Keenan took the ball downcourt for what looked to be an uncontested layup. Coming full speed all the way from the other end of the floor, however, Nethaway made a kamikaze leap to unsuccessfuly try to deny the score, instead locking up his knee as he hit first the floor and then the padded wall beyond the end line.

Wilson said his staff tried to keep Nethaway in the locker room to ice down the injured knee, but the 6-4 senior kept pestering them to let him just put a brace on and get back on the floor. When he finally got his way with about five minutes left in the game and the Braves still nursing the same four-point lead they had when he went down, Nethaway simply took over the game, scoring Fonda-Fultonville’s next 10 points as they put the game away with a 14-3 burst.

Yes, the Braves still have some work to do, especially on offense, where Nethaway can go forgotten when his less-experienced guards stop trying to work the ball inside and settle for a perimeter game that was missing in action Friday night. And Nethaway can probably help that process by being a little more demonstrative in asking for the ball when he’s on the floor.

But that’s all part of a learning process that is being made much easier for both Wilson and his players by that defense. This team may already be the best in the area (we’ll tell you what we think when we unveil our weekly Top 5 next week both here and on The Sideline Guys webcast), but their ceiling of success is so much higher as kids like Mike Downing and Jarrett Ladd and Charles Parslow and Will Turner continue to grow into their roles.

Amsterdam Lady Rams struggle in loss to Johnstown

First, some friendly links to spread around. The latest episode of The Sideline Guys with myself and Mark Robarge is up at sidelineguys.recordernews.com for your viewing enjoyment. In the video, we discuss the first full week of high school basketball action and touch on high school wrestling as well as some college football and basketball.

Also, as I posted here yesterday, you can follow the Recorder’s sports department across the web both on Twitter (@Recorder_Sports) and Facebook. We provided live updates from both the Fonda-Fultonville vs. Cobleskill-Richmondville and Amsterdam vs. Johnstown basketball games last night on our Twitter feed, and we’ll be providing those throughout the winter sports season and beyond.

Now, onto the bulk of this entry, the Amsterdam Lady Rams’ 65-43 loss to Johnstown on Tuesday night. It’s been a rough first two games for Eric Duemler’s young team, dropping contests to Catholic Central and Johnstown by a combined 54 points. The inexperience that Duemler told me about in the preseason was evident, as the Lady Rams have seven sophomores on their roster and started three of them last night.

That inexperience was exacerbated by the absence of junior Megan Smith, a third-year varsity starter, who sat out the game with a sling over her left arm. Smith is the Rams’ best perimeter player and a solid outside shooter who helps to add a calming presence to the game. Amsterdam’s only other returning starter, senior forward Angela Damiano, was the team’s best player last night, scoring 14 points before fouling out early in the fourth quarter.

The seven sophomores each had points where they flashed some potential, especially during the 10-2 second quarter run that gave Amsterdam its brief lone lead of the night, but as Duemler told me, this is a team that needs more experience together. The Rams also had a problem surrendering offensive rebounds against a taller Johnstown team. The tallest Amsterdam starter last night was the 5-foot-9 Damiano, and adding to that, the lack of experience in the post caused the team to be tentative at points when contesting rebounds.

It’s only two games in, so there’s definitely time for the team to build. Considering how much the Lady Rams are relying on youth, it seems certain that this team will be a work in progress, but one that could improve greatly by the time January and February roll around.

Fonda-Fultonville, Syracuse offer two ways to win a basketball game

OK, so I’m wearing a little bit a lot of egg on my face today after Syracuse dismantled No. 7 Michigan State last night at the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Instead of getting run out of the building by Tom Izzo’s Spartans, Jim Boeheim’s Orange actually met a team that played with even less discipline than they have so far this season.

Don’t get me wrong, Syracuse actually played well, especially Rick Jackson, who in my mind right now is right up there with UConn’s Kemba Walker as the Big East’s best players so far this season. Jackson’s 17 points and 16 rebounds, as well as sterling defense on one of the wings of the Orange’s patented 2-3 zone, led a Syracuse that again looked up and down all night long – spectacular at times, yet very sloppy and disorganized at others.

Like I said over the weekend after watching them struggle to beat a North Carolina State team that had lost its previous game to unranked Wisconsin by 39 points, the Orange can be their own worst enemy when they don’t play smart, disciplined basketball. Fortunately, the runs when they do play well, supplemented by Jackson’s dominance inside, have been enough to likely carry them into the top 5 when next week’s polls are released.

If the Orange want an example of intelligent, disciplined basketball, they need only to come down the Valley and check out the Fonda-Fultonville boys basketball team. I got my first look at them last night, when they knocked off Cobleskill-Richmondville in their first-ever Colonial Council game, and I walked away suitably impressed.

For a team that returned just one starter — Luke Nethaway — from a team that won a section title last year and has just four seniors on the roster, you would expect a rocky road, especially early in the season. But I was impressed by both the players and coach Eric Wilson as they easily held off the Bulldogs, 55-35.

Where most teams like to play what they call an inside-out game, where they try to work the ball in to their big men and have them either take it to the hoop or kick it out on the perimeter if the defense packs into the paint, Wilson has his team doing essentially the opposite. With the 6-4 Nethaway and 6-6 freshman Will Turner as the team’s only real size, Fonda-Fultonville basically uses a lethal perimeter game to bring the defense out and open up the middle for the big fellows.

Of course, that means you need some talented players out front, and the Braves have that in spades. Despite some voracious full-court, man-to-man pressure defense from Cobleskill-Richmondville, the Fonda-Fultonville backcourt — led by junior point guard Charles Parslow — had little problem getting the ball upcourt, save for about a three-minute stretch at the start of the second half.

Once they got the ball over the halfcourt line, their motion offense, with its constant screens and movement, opened up the Braves’ gaggle of outside shooters, who responded with 10 three-pointers. Senior Mike Downing and junior Dan Sheehan each hit three, while Parslow and fellow junior Jarrett Ladd each canned a pair.

Meanwhile, as planned, the outside barrage opened up the middle more for Nethaway, who is rapidly emerging from the shadow of his older brother, Josh. Wilson admitted his backcourt guys need to get the ball inside to him more, but given the success they were having from the perimeter, you can’t blame them for following a gameplan that was working.

And on defense, the Braves were every bit as tenacious as Cobleskill-Richmondville, forcing a host of turnovers and bad shots and keeping the Bulldogs from getting into any offensive flow.

The fact that this team showed so much poise and patience this early in the season makes me think Fonda-Fultonville could be a real force once again this year, as the new starters gain more and more experience and confidence. It may be a little early to say this, but I would not at all be surprised to see this team make another deep run in sectional play.

New Sideline Guys posted

You can check out this week’s edition of The Sideline Guys with Adam Shinder and I at sidelineguys.recordernews.com. This week, we talk high school basketball and a little bit of high school wrestling and Syracuse basketball. After you check it out, come back here and leave your comments.

Follow Recorder Sports on Facebook and Twitter

The Recorder sports department now has it’s own official Facebook and Twitter accounts where you can follow the latest local sports news online. Follow us on Twitter @Recorder_Sports and on our official Facebook page here.

I’ll be tweeting live updates from the Amsterdam at Johnstown girls basketball game tonight with tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m.

Great escape

I enjoyed my day off Saturday spending the day with my 4-year-old twins, then watching Syracuse do everything in its power to lose its first game of the season to North Carolina State.
These “great escapes” by the Orange are nothing new this season, as they have struggled against Detroit (a game I attended on another day off), William & Mary, Michigan and Georgia Tech – all games you would think the seventh-ranked team in the country would have little trouble not only winning, but dominating. In almost every case, though, Syracuse had to turn it on in the final minutes to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
Having watched almost every one of these games, the problem I see is one of discipline. The best description of the problem I’ve heard came from ESPN’s Len Elmore during Saturday’s game: Instead of making a good play, they try to make a great play. They’re trying for highlight-reel alley oops when a simple pass into the paint would do the job and cut down on those troublesome turnovers.
I know some of this can be explained away by the youthfulness of the team – with five freshmen seeing significant amounts of playing time – but one of the biggest scofflaws is point guard Scoop Jardine, a junior. I don’t know how many times in the first eight games of the season I have literally cursed the television screen after Jardine makes another boneheaded play as he tries to end up on Sportscenter.
Yes, he can take this team on his back and carry it, as he did at times Saturday night, but he can also lead them right down the drain with stupid passes, ridiculous 3-point shots and out-of-control drives down the lane that end in poor shots, offensive fouls or turnovers.
Maybe I’m a little old school, but the teams that you see in the late rounds of the NCAA tournament year after year after year aren’t the ones whose highlights are in ESPN’s top 10 night after night; they are the teams like Duke and Michigan State that play solid fundamental basketball and judge their performance by the final score, not by the individual stats.
Isn’t it ironic that Syracuse’s next game is against one of those teams – No. 6 Michigan State – Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden. Put me down now as picking this one as the night Syracuse takes its first loss, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a lopsided loss at that.
But, here’s hoping that being embarassed by a disciplined, well-coached team will show the Orange where they need to improve if they want to live up to the promise everybody has been touting since the end of last season.

First impressions

Got my first look at this season’s edition of the Amsterdam Running Rams last night when they opened their season with a 61-52 win over Catholic Central at AHS (my story from today’s Recorder can be read here.), and I was impressed with a lot of what I saw. There are still a multitude of issues to deal with — bench depth, turnovers, free throw shooting — but the starting five really had an excellent game, scoring all 61 of Amsterdam’s points. Here’s my quick impressions of each one of the starters.

Ramon Santiago: Extremely quick at point guard. Runs the floor well, and is especially good at passing in the transition game. Active and aggressive on defense, which translates to forcing plenty of turnovers when he avoids excessive contact. Turned the ball over a little too much, mainly a result of trying to force the issue on offense.

Antonio Johnson: Scores in bunches, just like he did last year. His shot can be streaky, but he’s got plenty of range and complements it with a couple of good moves to the basket. Mostly plays as an off-guard with Santiago in the game, but can shift over to the point when needed. Extremely dangerous when he inbounds the ball from under the basket, as he’s good at slipping away from traffic and popping open beyond the arc.

Hector Julia: Smooth and consistent. His jump shot wasn’t falling from beyond the 3-point line last night, but he still finished with 10 points due to a strong midrange game and nice touch near the rim. Handles the ball and passes well, serving almost as a point forward at times.

Tyler Major: Athletically and physically, he’s got the capability to become a special player. He’s quick, explosive and has a scorer’s mentality, leading all players last night with 23 points and scoring in a variety of ways. He can go the basket, pull up from 15 feet and isn’t afraid to step back and fire from long distance. Despite being listed at just 6-foot-1, because of his leaping ability (I saw him dunk several times during preseason practice), plays much bigger.

Dondre Edgerton: A tough interior presence and Amsterdam’s best player on the boards last night. Finished with nine points, but did his best work on the glass, and his rebounding presence was sorely missed when he was on the bench. Runs the floor well and even took a defensive rebound coast-to-coast before being fouled in the act of shooting.

Not a ton can be said about Amsterdam’s bench, considering no reserve scored and AHS head coach Joe Agresta stuck with his starting five the entire fourth quarter. Eumel Morrow, Ryan Bergh and Hector Hill were the only players to see significant minutes off the pine, though Agresta told me after the game that the bench and the full rotation remains a work in progress.

The starting five, however, works very well together, all five having seen significant varsity minutes a year ago. The Rams are somewhat undersized as a team (Morrow is the tallest player on the team at 6-foot-3), but the starters are all very quick. The size difference could hurt the Rams when they run into the Big 10′s top-tier teams like CBA and Troy, but Amsterdam’s team speed and fast-paced play will definitely work to its advantage at points.

With seven returning varsity players, including the entire starting five, the Rams do have a much more mature and controlled team than they did a year ago. If the 2009-10 Rams had found themselves going through some of the problems they did last night (turnovers, foul trouble and an 0-for-8 performance at the free throw line to start the second half), the game might well had gotten out of hand. This more experienced group overcame its errors, never once giving up the lead after a Johnson 3-pointer put AHS in front 23-21 in the second quarter and fending off numerous Crusader charges.

The path from here for the Rams is an interesting one to say the least, one that won’t see them back on their home floor until Jan. 7 against Bishop Maginn. The seven-game quasi-road trip starts Tuesday at LaSalle, followed by a trip to Schenectady on Friday before games against CBA, Bishop Gibbons, Johnstown and Gloversville in the Gloversville Holiday Tournament and finally Albany High before the Rams finally get back on their home hardwood.

Braves’ new world

Tuesday marked the dawning of a new era for the boys and girls basketball teams at Fonda-Fultonville Central School.
When the Braves beat Broadalbin-Perth on the road and the Lady Braves fell to Johnstown at home, it began the first season in which the teams will compete primarily against schools their own size.
Tuesday’s games were non-league contests that in the past were exceptions to the rule for Fonda-Fultonville, a Class B school that competed in the Western Athletic Conference and its predecessor, the Tri-Valley League, until this season. While the WAC has included nothing but smaller schools, Fonda-Fultonville has moved to the Colonial Council, where only one school (Voorheesville) is in a lower classification and two (Schalmont and Lansingburgh) are Class A programs.
A move like this has been talked about for many years, and the reason is as simple as looking at the school’s record in sectional competition. The boys’ basketball team’s sectional title last season under Eric Wilson was the first for the program since winning the Class C crown in 1970, even though the Braves won five WAC North titles in the eight years it competed in that league.
The girls, meanwhile, while considered an area powerhouse under longtime coach Wendi Waters has yet to win a sectional crown, coming closest when they fell in the Class B finals to Voorheesville in 2004. That comes even though the Lady Braves won the last seven WAC North titles.
While the school’s athletic director, Alex Mancini, objected to this characterization in a story I wrote last week, it’s one that the coaches and even district Superintendent James Hoffman – himself a former coach – agree to be a fair assessment. By routinely playing against competition of similar size, they not only hope, but expect, Fonda-Fultonville teams to see more postseason success in the future.
The only bad side to this move – at least for the basketball teams – may be the timing, as both are in rebuilding mode after losing a host of talented seniors – including WAC North MVPs Brandon Mercado and Paula Egelston. But neither team is shying away from the challenge – in fact, Waters told me after Tuesday’s loss to Johnstown that she specifically scheduled the traditional Class B powerhouse Lady Bills to give her players a taste of what they’ll be facing every night in the Colonial and also to get a feel for how those players will fare against the higher level of talent.
The rebuilding process may be a bit more painful this year because of the step up in class, but both teams are expected to reach greater heights in the future once they get through these growing pains.

New Sideline Guys posted

You can check out the latest episode of the Sideline Guys, our weekly webcast, right now at sidelineguys.recordernews.com.
This week, we’re previewing local high school basketball, as well as looking at the Fulton-Montgomery Community College teams and discussing the move by the Amsterdam Mohawks to leave the New York Collegiate Baseball League.
After watching the webcast, we invite your comments here.