Tuesday, March 07, 2017
Eagles Repeat as ASUN Champs
The game had
a true championship flavour. At opposite ends of the court, school
bands assembled in the stands to play bright and sassy tunes.
Cheerleaders, dance teams and mascots took the floor to stoke the
fires. For more than an hour, players from both teams practiced
shooting from long range, and from the paint. The public seating area
filled quickly, resulting in a record crowd of 4 711. It was the
noisiest place I have ever been in my life, except for the Slash
concert in downtown Belleville.
The Dirty Birds, with "Wings Up"
I sit under
the basket at the FGCU students' section. They are affectionately
known as the “Dirty Birds”. They spend the entire game trying to
unnerve the opposition. Some of their comments are hilarious, some
quite biting. With five minutes left, and with the Eagles holding a
substantial lead, they chant, “Season's Over”!
In the first
half, shots were either falling short, or clanking off the iron. They
had only made one shot from 8 attempts from three point range. Even
with their twin towers under the hoop-Demetris Morant and Marc-Eddy
Norelia, they were being outrebounded by the Ospreys. It did not look
good heading into the second half.
Coach Joe
Dooley, in his fourth season with the Eagles, commented: “We were a
little bit tight in the first half, but it was a great college
atmosphere. I thought the fans were terrific, and they really got us
going in the second half. We figured it out and started making
plays.”
With less
than five minutes gone in the second half, the Eagles had retaken the
lead by three points, and gained some momentum. A Norelia block at
one end, followed by a three point shot by Christian Terrell extended
the lead to 12 points, from which the Ospreys could not recover. The
dagger dashed their efforts.
The Eagles
continued their man-to-man defence throughout the game, even in the
forecourt, frustrating the Ospreys, often resulting in turnovers. The
Ospreys elected to play zone defence the entire game.
Brandon
Goodwin, previously announced as the “ASUN Newcomer of the Year”,
was named tournament MVP after the game. Were it not for the efforts
of the big men-Norelia, Morant, Simmons, and Mickle, the Eagles might
not be awaiting the draw for their NCAA selection next Sunday.
Goodwin and the other smaller players did contribute, but it was the
play of the giants in the second half that made the difference. They
outscored the Ospeys 20-6 in the second half on shots in the paint.
The Ospreys
had succeeded in the first half by making half of their shots. The
smothering defence of the Eagles held them to an 18% shooting
percentage in the second half, just not good enough. From three point
range, the Ospreys shot a dismal 7.1%. The Eagles lead the nation in
points scored in the paint.
Five of the
players on the Eagles finished in double figures, and the nine dunks
the team recorded surpassed the mark established by the original
“Dunk City” team that advanced to the Sweet Sixteen round
of the NCAA final tournament.
Spring
training baseball is in full swing here in Fort Myers. The Twins and
the Red Sox are the hosts in this area, with the Tampa Bay Rays not
far north up the coast.
At
a recent FGCU Eagles game, Red Sox players were invited to throw the
T shirts into the crowd. They then spent some time after the game
shooting hoops, just like in high school, according to David Price.
On Thursday, the Eagles are slated to throw out the first pitch at
the Red Sox game.
David Price
The
Everblades continue to lead in the ECHL. They continue to get stellar
goaltending from Anthony Peters. They play tomorrow night at the
Germian Arena in Estero.
The
Leafs play in Florida next week, trying to nail down a playoff spot.
It is on our agenda to catch that game with our grandson Hunter. A
great time for sports in SW Florida!!
James
Hurst
March
7, 2017
# posted by James Hurst @ 2:14 PM 
