Recap: Georgia State Stymies Hofstra, 59-43

The courses Georgia State University and Hofstra University have taken this season have been neither similar

CAA Walk-ons, the Soul of Sports!

    “A man can be as great as he wants to be. If you

To Tweet With Pride!

How Twitter can be utilized for good if monitored effectively. When Hofstra Pride men’s basketball coach

St. Anthony’s Jimmy Hall to Hofstra

Jimmy Hall, a 6-foot-7 power forward from reigning high school national champion St. Anthony, has pledged to Hofstra.

There’s nothing wrong with going nowhere but we should be going nowhere fast

Your homework between now and whenever I post again: Watch the criminally underrated, should-have-been-an-’80s-classic Streets of Fire . Three words: Teenaged Diane Lane! A pair of familiar and friendly faces welcomed me as I walked into Bogart’s, err, Chrebet’s, err, Bar Social June 23 for the NBA Draft party hosted by Mo Cassara and his staff. I shook hands, slapped shoulders and exchanged inside jokes with loyal readers HUSID80 and Jojogunne, both of whom had the same question: “Is the blog done?” I can’t blame them for asking—at the time, the only update I’d made since my April Fools’ Day post was a quick Q&A with Patrick Stevens previewing the NCAA men’s lacrosse tournament—and wondering if I’d gone the way of Beanie Babies, the Macarena and the idea people could get paid to write on the Internet. But even though I knew the blog wasn’t done (whoops—spoiler alert!), the question created an empty feeling in the pit of my stomach and guilt in my conscience. I already felt bad about neglecting the blog since the end of the season. I was disappointed with the inconsistency of the posts during the 2010-11 season, having had a job all year for the first time since I started Defiantly Dutch in August 2008, but figured I would finally try to use this off-season to get into a good routine and prepare myself for next year. I had some good ideas on chronicling (get it?) Charles Jenkins’ preparation for the draft along with the usual analysis and half-baked ideas I specialize in around here. Except—and you might not know this judging by my rather active Twitter feed, more on that shortly—I have been swamped at work. I mean, SWAMPED. My boss would be the first to admit she doesn’t know the first thing about basketball, but I’d swear she waited until the final buzzer sounded in UConn’s win over Butler in the national championship game to engage in some corporate reshuffling (translation: someone got fired) and entrust me with more responsibilities. That’s a good thing, because I get to contribute once again to the nitty gritty of adult life such as paying bills and buying groceries, but it has come at the price of the blog. I also have a regular freelance sportswriting gig that takes up a couple hours each day, so while it’s easy to plan to compile some DD posts come the weekend, by the time Friday afternoon arrives I just want to go out to dinner with my wife, sprawl out in the recliner and curse/cheer over the fate of my fantasy baseball team. Plus, as much as I’d like to, I usually can’t just whip up a blog post. A 500-word post turns into 1,000 words or more in no time flat (you know, like now). This is just something I spend a lot of time on, I can’t help that. Still, I feel bad that I haven’t followed in the footsteps of Mike Litos and Brian Mull and posted once or twice a week with the latest bits and bytes. I can’t say I feel bad about not following the day-to-day grind of recruiting, because I’ve never liked writing about recruiting and I never will and I’ll never try to bluff you and do a half-assed job of covering it. I admire those who do a good job with it and have established contacts on a challenging beat, and am glad to retweet the likes of Adam Zagoria of SNY and Zach Braziller of the New York Post who are the best at what they do. Still, while my general rule of thumb is I’ll write about a guy once he’s actually enrolled for the fall semester—an instinct proven correct by the Malik Nichols saga—I wish I could have been a bit better about posting about the signing of highly touted BCS transfers Jamal Coombs-McDaniel and Taran Buie, if only to fire back and take potshots at the handful of clueless Mason donks who don’t own a mirror and who are still under the delusion that so many of the players recruited by Jim Larranaga were of the high or even low character variety. Oh, wait, look at that, mission accomplished! (And speaking of Larranaga and his gloriously awesome departure to a retirement community in south Florida, I have a rant that is three-quarters finished, but I can’t decide if posting it would make me look like a stark raving psychopath or not. I mean, even a bigger stark raving psychopath than usual.) I hate that anyone sees my Twitter feed, where I rant about just about everything except Hofstra sports, and thinks I’ve ditched the blog. Twitter is a great way to blow off some steam during otherwise monotonous days and nights of work and I enjoy the interaction with people. But I haven’t forgotten that, despite all the occasionally R-rated ramblings about baseball and Scrubs and heaven only knows what else, the Twitter account name is still defiantlydutch. I’d also hate to think that anyone sees the blog inactivity and thinks of me as some unabashed fanboy (well, OK, that part is true) who thought it would be cool to write a blog and then quit when it got too hard and I found out that not everyone can be a writer. I’ve been doing this a long-ass time—more than half my life. If it was up to me, I’d still be getting paid for it, but if that was the case, I probably wouldn’t be doing Defiantly Dutch. And while I am disappointed every single day that I’m not covering baseball, and miss it more than just about anything, the truth is DD is a simpler and purer form of fun and that Cassara and, before him, Tom Pecora are far nicer to deal with than certain executives who work in one of Cassara’s old zip codes. Plus, with this post, I have officially presided over Defiantly Dutch longer than I went to Hofstra, which is pretty wild and something I take seriously. So, you know, this is a pretty good deal, even if it’s not optimal and even if I have to spend many more hours on real world grunt work and even if doing DD requires I develop the time management skills that have eluded me for 37 years and change. Ironically, in that it’s just pure coincidence, I wrote this as Bob Seger’s “Against The Wind” popped up on XM. My good friend Gary Moore already wrote about the struggles of running against the wind and writing a blog , so I won’t tread the same ground here except to say the line “deadlines and commitments, what to leave in, what to leave out” has never rang so true. I may have to leave in less Defiantly Dutch during the off-season, but the only thing that would drive me from here is a full-time paying job in sports journHAHAHAHAHAH I almost wrote that with a straight face. But seriously, I’m not going anywhere unless someone pays me to write about sports full-time. I’m sure the urgency of the start of the season (three months from Friday, but who’s counting?) will bring with it a sudden ability to find enough hours in the day to do everything, even if it means spending less time than I would like putting together posts. But until then, I’ll do my best to post here sporadically. There’s a lot to chew on, both looking back and looking ahead, and hopefully I can get to most of it. I’ve already had a nice sit-down with new assistant coach Patrick Sellers and I’ll have a story about him soon. And I spent two hours at Hofstra Friday making copies of Flying Dutchmen year-end statistics dating back to 1972-73, and it would be a crime against humanity if I failed to find several blog posts out of that treasure trove of geeky information. So while we may be going nowhere lately, don’t worry, we’re going nowhere fast. Hang on for the ride—whenever I start the Blue Beetle, that is. Email Jerry at defiantlydutch@yahoo.com or follow Defiantly Dutch at http://twitter.com/defiantlydutch .

CAA Basketball schedule rotation announced

Over the past 6 years, the 12 CAA basketball teams have been working on a set rotation of opponents. That rotation that involved 7 home-and-home series each year (5 of which were with permanent partners), plus two additional road-only and two home-only opponents. For 2010-2011, everybody knew what teams they’d be playing at home and on the road six years ago. For 2011-12 and the two seasons after that, there is a new rotation that was announced on Tuesday. Here are some quick thoughts on both the Northeastern schedule and the rotations for other CAA teams. We know that the Huskies will be playing both a home game and a road game against each of Delaware, Drexel, Georgia State, Hofstra, and Towson for the next three seasons. In the coming year, Northeastern will also have home-and-home series with Old Dominion and William & Mary. NU will host George Mason and UNC-Wilmington, and will travel to James Madison and Virginia Commonwealth. For 2012-13, the two additional home/away partners are GMU and VCU, with home games against ODU and JMU plus road games at UNCW and W&M. The following year, the Huskies get home-and-home series with JMU and UNCW, home games only against VCU and W&M, and away games only at GMU and ODU. STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE: Looking at the level of talent that’s expected to be on each of those teams, Northeastern has a favorable schedule. It’s no secret that the powerhouses of the CAA are George Mason, VCU, and Old Dominion – each one of those schools made it to the NCAA tournament in 2011, with VCU making an improbable run to the Final Four after squeaking into the field in one of the new “First Four” games added for this year. Each of those three teams has been highly competitive for the last several years, and likely will be for many more to come – so it’s nice that NU only has to play each of them twice in one of the three seasons on the new rotation (ODU in 2011-12, GMU and VCU both in 2012-13). Georgia State and Towson have long been bottom-feeders in the league, though both have new coaches (Ron Hunter and former Northeastern assistant Pat Skerry, respectively) this year. I’m not going to make any predictions on the Huskies’ end of season record right now, but it certainly should be better than the 6-12 mark the team played to this past season. ROAD GAMES: Travel-wise, Northeastern couldn’t have asked for better permanent partners. That was no doubt a consideration for each team, as the cost of travel for 12+ players per team plus coaches and team staff can get high. The team can take a bus to each of Delaware (just south of Philadelphia), Drexel (in Philly), and Hofstra (on Long Island); Towson is just outside of Baltimore making that a quick and easy trip through the air, and Georgia State is in downtown Atlanta – again, not hard to find flights to. James Madison and UNC-Wilmington are the most difficult to get to, so it’s nice that Northeastern will only have to play at each of those locations (Harrisonburg, VA and Wilmington, NC) twice each over the next 3 years. For those that don’t know the geography of the CAA, George Mason is in Fairfax, VA, just a short drive from Washington’s Dulles International Airport. Virginia Commonwealth is in downtown Richmond, VA, Old Dominion is in Norfolk, VA, and William & Mary is just north of Norfolk in Williamsburg (there is an airline adding direct flights from Boston to Norfolk in May, making trips to both ODU and W&M much easier). PROMOTION: In terms of promotion of games and drawing fans in, it’s too bad Northeastern doesn’t get to host VCU in 2011-12. Of the three CAA teams that danced this past March, the Huskies only get to host the one that didn’t win a game. They lost to two-time national runner-up Butler, but that doesn’t have nearly the promotional value of a team that made the Final Four coming to Matthews Arena, or even a team that beat Villanova in the first round (and, of course, made it to the Final Four back in 2006). Delaware, Drexel, Georgia State, Towson, and William & Mary have very little name recognition on Northeastern’s campus, and Hofstra is mainly recognized because of the population of New York students. Old Dominion beat Notre Dame in the 2010 NCAA tournament, but they still don’t have much name value. OUT OF CONFERENCE: For now, we don’t have much information on the out of conference schedule. Head Coach Bill Coen and Boston University Coach Pat Chambers reportedly came to an agreement last year that says the two teams open the season against each other for the next few years, alternating between home arenas. Expect a game on Commonwealth Ave on November 11th or 12th, and be prepared to see the Terriers raise their America East banner before the game. We’ve been told that Southern Illinois will be coming to Boston for homecoming, likely on November 19 in a basketball/hockey doubleheader similar to what we had this past year. The only other game we’re aware of is a road game at Louisiana Tech, probably the week before Christmas which would prevent the Huskies from playing another 3-game tournament in an exotic location like Hawai’i or Cancun. They’ll also host a Bracketbusters game sometime around February 17-19. All of those games could change, and there will probably be about 6 more games added to that list – possibly including an in-season tournament (or two, if the LaTech game gets moved to a different time on the schedule). THE REST OF THE CAA: There’s not a whole that that jumps out about the rest of the rotation. One good thing, though, is that Old Dominion, Virginia Commonwealth, and George Mason will all play each other twice per year for the next three years. Those will be some very exciting matchups, and it wouldn’t be too surprising to see some of those games on national networks. For the most part, travel makes sense. As I mentioned before, it had to have been a consideration. UNC-Wilmington will have a tough test each year, as that’s another team that’s been lower down in the standings for a few years and they drew each of George Mason, Old Dominion, and Virginia Commonwealth as permanent partners (to go with Georgia State and Hofstra).

Reid leaves Northeastern, reportedly signs with San Jose

Brodie Reid, the freshman standout for Northeastern, has reportedly signed with the San Jose Sharks, reports College Hockey News’ Joe Meloni . Word of Reid’s departure was rumored last night and confirmed this afternoon via Twitter, when Northeastern athletic director Peter Roby made a comment about Reid’s decision: Disappointed to learn of Brodie Reid’s departure. NHL rules not very friendly toward college hockey or players getting degrees. – Peter Roby, via Twitter Reid leaves Northeastern after scoring 11 goals and tallying 28 points, becoming Hockey East’s second-leading freshman scorer and Huskies’ top rookie this season. The decision is a major blow to a Huskies team which is poised to return a talented freshman corps next season. With Reid’s departure, the Huskies now have lost their top four scorers (McNeely, Macleod, and Silva are all graduating seniors), including 57 goals’ worth of offense.

Huskies got serious with Bulldogs

The University of Connecticut Huskies are what the Butler University Bulldogs would be if Butler played at the “major” instead of the “mid-major” level.

UConn wins national title the old-fashioned way

Connecticut battles inside, shuts down Butler 53-41 for Jim Calhoun’s third NCAA championship.

Towson, VCU, JMU Refuse to Stand Pat. Well, Towson Sorta’ Does…

Three quick hitters as we get life back together: Towson has hired Pat Skerry as its new coach, replacing Pat Kennedy. Skerry was an assistant at Pitt this past year. Skerry has crossed paths with CAA teams frequently in his past. He was an assistant at three schools who are popular nonconference foes–Providence (2008-2010), Rhode Island (2005-2008), and College of Charleston (2003-2005). Skerry has also been on the bench at Nor’easter (1998-2000) and William & Mary (2000-2003). Skerry was the head coach at division 3 Curry College in Massachusetts from 1996-98. *** The JMU Board of Visitors approved a new arena to be constructed in 2014 as part of its six year capital outlay plan. Estimated cost: $87.5 million. According to Mark Selig at the DNR: “In July, 2010, JMU athletic director Jeff Bourne said the school would spend $5 million to renovate the Convocation Center – including a new video scoreboard and new lighting. That plan appears to now be on hold.” I agree. *** Finally, in a news item slightly more shocking than the sun coming up tomorrow, Shaka Smart has reached a contract extension at VCU. The administration is holding off on contract terms, but my keen grasp of the situation allows me to say that Smart will earn “more money for a greater number of years.”

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