Gordon Loses in the Tip-Off Classic Finals to Westfield State

Gordon waits for the presentation of the runner-up trophy for the first time in the six-year tournament's history.

(Wenham) Gordon finally lost a game in its annual Tip-Off Classic.  This was the 6th year of the event and the home-team Scots had won eleven straight games in the two-game annual format.

Westfield State did the streak ending as they held off Gordon, 54-51, at the Bennett Center on Saturday night. 

Brady Bajema and AaronTrigg  made the All-Tourney team but it was the Westfield State team and tournament MVP (Anthony Griffin) who were smiling afterwards. 

Coach Rich Sutter’s teams had reached the finals in 2005 and 2007 and lost but this time rode Anthony Griffin’s 22 points, clutch 3-point shooting in the second half, and terrific interior defense to the win.

The Owls (3-0) took the lead with 12 ½ minutes remaining in this low-scoring game (38-35) on Derek Leab’s only three and never trailed again. 

The Scots didn’t go away thereafter but any semblance of shooting accuracy sure did.  Over the next fourteen possessions, Gordon tallied just seven points but remarkably, this was enough to narrow the Owl lead to 43-41 with less than four minutes left. 

The game was there for the taking for the home team if they could make some consecutive shots.  I was thinking at the time, “This is the Tip-Off tourney and Gordon finds a way to win every year so hang in there and watch it happen.” 

But this time around, the next two baskets were scored by Westfield State as Asa Abbott and Nate Pollard both hit their only 3’s of the game.  This unusual (for this game) instant offense gave the Owls a 49-41 advantage with just over three minutes left. Those dagger 3’s tossed the Scots out of one-possession range for good.  Only Brady’s last-second 3 closed the spread to three (54-51) but there was no time left for a Gordon steal and a tying long shot attempt.

Westfield’s Anthony Griffin (6’ junior) was the tourney MVP and he deserved it.  He put in 22 points with quickness and an assorted shot selection. 

The Scots shot a woeful 28.6% (16 for 56) and missed some easy ones that were a big surprise to the significant crowd that gathered. 

I assumed before the game that Westfield State would have the tired legs after a tight game with Baruch the night before, but I was wrong.  They played with plenty of defensive energy.  Gordon may well have been feeling the effects of the long minutes for the starters needed in the tight Husson win on Wednesday.

The lack of a pure point guard plagued the Scots as both Aaron Trigg and Brady Bajema had five turnovers each.  They were heavily guarded and never had much success creating their own offense.  Aaron appeared to get more daylight during the game but his shots (missed five 3’s in the last ten minutes) wouldn’t fall consistently.  He ended up with 15 points but it took 22 shots to do it.

The Gordon faithful saw what happens when a defense shuts down the team’s inside game, specifically Greg Walker.  The 6’7” junior reached double figures 21 times last season and went into the Westfield State game with two straight highly productive outings.  The Owls active defense limited Greg to six shots and he registered just two points.  Lose the inside points and the pressure turns to outside shooting which on this night couldn’t make up the difference.

Gordon returns to action on November 24th (Tuesday) at Salem State at 8PM.  A week from that game (December 1st) the Scots host rival Eastern Nazarene.  I’ll be following those games long range (Barbados) with hopes of seeing the ENC contest on the Gordon website.

I trust that your Thanksgiving gatherings will be blessed events.

Boxscore

Gordon Routs Maine Maritime Academy in Tip-Off Classic Opener

(Wenham) It wasn’t a scrimmage but we did get to look at everyone as Gordon (2-0) breezed by Maine Maritime Academy (1-1), 91-59, in the first round of the Gordon Tip-Off Classic at the Bennett Center on Friday night.

The Scots will face Westfield State (defeated Baruch 81-77) in the championship game at 8PM on Saturday night.  Maine Maritime faces Baruch in the 6PM consolation match.

Gordon held its second opponent to the same 59 points as its first opponent (Husson) but the important numbers could well be the minutes of Brady Bajema (23), Aaron Trigg (21), and Greg Walker (20).  Yes, in this blowout they got plenty of rest.  Rest could well be a difference maker versus less rested Westfield State in the big game for the championship. 

This game started well for the visitors from Castine, Maine as they jumped to a 4-2 advantage on a jump shot by Sam Bell and a well-executed backdoor play layup by the Mariner’s tallest player (6-4 Jarred Sternbergh).

Over the next four minutes, however, Gordon put together a 17-2 run on shots from nearly every range.  Ben Gaskill (new haircut) was 4 of 4 from the foul line during this surge.  Mariner coach Chris Murphy went through two timeouts but it was clear that he didn’t have the firepower at either end on this night.

Later in the first half there was a 7 ½ minute stretch with a 22-5 run that turned a 22-12 game into 44-17 and a “how-much-will-they-win-by,” event.  Brady (2) and Garrett Harden (1) connected from long range during the spurt.

There was another nice run of points in the second half.  This time it was eleven unanswered featuring a couple of Mariner turnovers turned into fastbreak layups.  One of them involved a steal by Brady and a save by Ben, which led to a crowd-pleasing David Dempsey old-fashioned 3-point play down the other end.

Greg Walker - Leads Gordon scorers with 15 points on 7-for-10 shooting

The Scot shooting was terrific all night as the boxscore below indicates.  Greg Walker had a nice night inside (15 points) taking advantage of the single coverage inside that Gordon’s strong outside shooting causes. 

There was also an excellent student body crowd on hand.  I wondered about the different colored Pit shirts and learned that some prospective (wannabe?) students were visiting and had been given white shirts to wear at the game.  The so-called Sixth Man will need to be out in force against Westfield State.

We saw our entire team tonight.  I did see two freshmen put up 3-point air balls.  Sometimes doors get left open and the breeze……well, you know! 

I saw former players Mike Herr, David Flight, and Aaron Vogelzang in the house.  Maybe a few more of the “formers” will show up for the championship game.

Boxscore

Gordon Rallies Past Husson in Opener

Aaron Trigg - Hits crucial three in last minute

Okay, we weren’t actually on a rollercoaster but it sure felt like it. 

Gordon opened its 2009-10 season with a last minute rally that led to a 61-59 win over nonleague Husson (Bangor Maine) at the Bennett Center on Wednesday night.

This game had 21 lead changes (11 in the first half/10 in the second half) so there was plenty of uncertainty over how this one would end as the following four paragraphs will explain.

The Eagles took a 4-point lead (57-53) on a pair of Jay Uhrin free throws with three minutes left.  Unfortunately, for Husson, they would add just two more points (Matt MacKenzie free throws) the rest of the way covering six possessions.

Meanwhile, your Scots closed out the game with four point-producing possessions in an 8-2 run that clinched Win #1.

The key play?  How many times have we seen Brady Bajema bring the ball up as Aaron Trigg runs the baseline, gets a screen from a big man (Jeff Derr on this occasion) and gets an open look from the corner?  You’re right, often.  Tonight it happened in the last minute and Aaron connected on the three from the right corner to give the Scots a lead (58-57) they would never lose.

Husson did have several chances but poor foul shooting (13-25) cost them as Jay Uhrin missed the front end of a one-and-one with twenty seconds left.  Brady got the rebound, was fouled and hit both shots to give Gordon a 3-point lead (60-57).  Husson missed a three but Matt MacKenzie was fouled in the rebounding effort and made both to make things “interesting” (60-59) but only four seconds were left.  Brady was fouled on the inbound play and made the second free throw.  The Eagles were left with time only for a desperation three from in front of the scorer’s table by Brock Bradford that hit the backboard.  Normal breathing among the faithful then resumed!

So the Tod Murphy era begins on a thriller.  Mike Schauer had the same experience when he won a similarly close one at ENC in November of 2002 to start his seven-year Gordon run. 

The Scots started slowly and found themselves behind 16-5 after six minutes.  Not to panic, the Eagles soon after went through eleven straight possessions with zero points and the Scots put together eleven unanswered points to pull in front, 19-18, with 6:49 until halftime.  The rest of the game the lead changes were numerous and the final result seriously in question.

David Dempsey - Freshman starter gets eleven rebounds

We got our first look at two of the new guys (David Dempsey and Scott Nelson).  David (6’5” from Wallingford CT) earned a starting position and quietly was the leading rebounder with eleven.  Scott (6’ from Oakhurst NJ) played only five minutes but is the closest thing to a true point guard I’ve seen since Justin Kaufman graduated. 

One very impressive Scot stat was rebounds.  They had 52, which tops any game from last season.  The shooting?  Not so impressive.  Too many in-close misses as well as low percentage attempts to suit me.  Their 21 turnovers weren’t too tasty either.  But a win was the result and we all left happy over that.

The crowd was excellent.  Pity the second-half, opponent free throw shooter attempting one as the student body verbally thrashes him.  Credit the crowd for some of the Eagles 12 charity stripe misses.

A great assortment of player parents was on hand.  Besides from Massachusetts, I noticed parents from Arizona, Georgia, Ohio, Kansas, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Illinois, and Vermont.  I find it truly remarkable.

The team is right back on the Bennett Center court on Friday night (8PM) facing Maine Maritime (Castine ME) in the opening round, late game of the TipOff Tournament.  Baruch faces Westfield State in the first game.  All four teams will play again on Saturday night.

One of the Gordon parents is a Maine Maritime grad and his cheering habits will be closely watched during Friday’s game. 

Boxscore

Gordon Scrimmages Emerson

A rare breakout led by TMac, Aaron, and Jeff against Emerson

I got my first look at this year’s team on Tuesday night at the Bennett Center in a scrimmage against Emerson. 

The visitors gave the 2009-10 Scots an end-to-end taste of  irritating man-to-man defense.  Open shots were few and that very active Emerson defense prevented Gordon from cashing in on height advantages at every position very often.  But the Scots did put up 83 points as did Emerson.

Without stats and charting, my mission was to make sure everyone was back and also to check out the new players as well as the coach.

Aaron Trigg’s hair may have been different but his arsenal of shots looked the same. 

Ben Gaskill seemed to spend most of the night frustrated with himself.  He did miss a bunch of shots.  However, he looks bigger and was very aggressive around the basket.  Can he stay out of foul trouble?  He’s gone to the facial hair look.

TMac and Brady

I’ve seen Brady shoot better.  TMac’s intangibles seldom make a boxscore but the first charge taken was his.

The new guy?  Lefty Dave Dempsey is a player.  His quickness is noticeable and he can create his own offense. 

I also liked what I saw of freshman Scott Nelson of New Jersey.  He handled the ball well against as tough a man-to-man defense as the team will face.  He was the best natural point guard I saw.

Getting used to the new coach (Tod Murphy) will take a while.  First of all, Tod is at least a foot taller than Mike Schauer.  Also, Tod’s emotions were tightly in check during this scrimmage while those around during the last seven seasons could recall an occasional Mike Schauer sideline eruption. 

New to the 2009-10 staff is Ryan Smith.  He was quite the shooter back in the day.

Jordan Logan was not in uniform. Yes, this is Jerry’s brother.  Jordan told me that he was surprised that his parents weren’t on hand (for the scrimmage) since it was his 21st birthday.  He was joking but said that his parents (from Marietta GA) would be around for the season opener on November 18th.

That season opener (Husson) will be followed by the annual TipOff Tournament on the 20th and 21st.  I am looking forward to that stretch of home games. 

Plenty of good seats were available at the scrimmage

This is what the scrimmage crowd looked like.

Meeting New Coach Tod Murphy

Tod Murphy - Gordon men's basketball coach

I got my opportunity to talk to the new coach (Tod Murphy) on August 25th in his Gordon College office.  I already knew a little about him because of several internet stories.

In the interview, he told me that he knew nothing about Gordon before he heard about the head-coach opening.  “I wanted to move into a head coaching position and I wanted to do it in a Christian school,” he said. 

Tod had been an assistant at Cal Irvine but wanted to move away from Division One.  “I became disenchanted with the players’ motivations,” he told me.  “I was sure that at the Division Three level the players play because they love basketball not for any sort of scholarship.”

He had been a finalist for several other head coaching jobs in the last four years in California.  As a finalist in the Gordon job, he admitted that he didn’t know what to expect when he was brought in for an interview.  “I felt good about the phone interview, but I wasn’t sure if they offered me the job I would take it,” he said.  “But after coming here and visiting I realized that it was a no-brainer.  I fell in love with the school and the area.”

He said that he is now just as close to the ocean as he was in California.   He did realize, however, that the water temperatures would not be similar!

I learned that he had been a wingman in high school but suddenly grew 4-5 inches his sophomore year and that put him in close to the basket.  He graduated with the Cal Irvine scoring record and said that his development of turn-around, fall-away jump shot was the key to his scoring – “No one could block it.” 

Things were different at the pro level.  “I became more of a role player and a defensive player,” he said.  “I sat on the weakside and if things broke down on the other side, the ball would swing my way for 18-footers.  I also scored on a lot of offensive rebounds.”

He told me that any success he had in the NBA was due to his willingness to, “work his tail off,” and the fact that he has “a good basketball mind.”  “Larry Bird wasn’t a great athlete but mentally he was two steps ahead of everyone else,” he said.  “I wasn’t two steps ahead, like Larry, but I was a half step, and it made a difference.”

He believes that his basketball knowledge and work ethic will help the Gordon program.

Tod was well aware that Mike Schauer had developed a great program and that “the cupboard was certainly not bare.”  He said that he does not intend to change what’s here into “Tod Murphy’s program.”  “I want to continue what Mike Schauer has set up,” he added.

He did say, though, that the offense might be a little different.  “There will be continuity but I want to do more in creating shots for players like Aaron, Brady, Ben, and Greg,” he said.  He expected to use the man-to-man defense we’ve seen for Mike Schauer’s seven seasons.

He confirmed the good news that freshman David Dempsey ( 6’5” – Wallingford CT) is on campus.  One internet report has him as an excellent perimeter player.  An individual closer to the team says that David is the most athletic player this team has ever had.  

Tod looks to shorten the minutes of key players.  “The first 16 games are important and we’ll be ready for them,” he said, “but it’s 17-25 where we want to be peaking for the postseason.”  The frustrating thing for the Gordon faithful has been the team’s inability to win a semifinal game in the tournament.  Maybe fewer minutes will help to change that.

Tod realizes that recruiting will be a challenge.  He also realizes that with five seniors this team will need some replacements next season.  “I did a lot of recruiting at Cal Irvine but that was for Division One players,” he told me.

He said that he grew up a big fan of Jerry West’s.  Nowadays he said that his favorite player is Dwight Howard.  “He’s a tremendous player who works hard and hasn’t lost sight of his Christian faith,” he said.  He admires Albert Pujols and Scott Rolen for the same reasons.  Another player he admired was Kurt Rambis.  “Kurt was similar to me,” he recalled.  “He was a big scorer at Santa Clara but turned into a role player for the Lakers.  He did everything to help that team win games and that’s the kind of player I want to bring here to Gordon.”

Timmy MacDonnell - "He's the type of player I love " - Coach Murphy

Tod has seen some of the game films and not surprisingly, Timmy MacDonnell has caught his eye.  “He is one hard-nosed player,” said Tod.  “He told me that he had already taken one or two charges per game in summer league.”

Similar to thousands of coaches, Tod said he admired the coaching style of John Wooden of UCLA.  “He stressed preparation,” said Tod of Wooden, “and that’s what I’ll do.  This team has talent.  The important thing will be preparation.” 

At the time of the interview Tod was set up in a rented house nearby but without his wife (Kelly), and daughters Annie (6), Lacey (3 ½) and Kylie (22 months).  “I miss them,” he said.  “They’ll be here from California shortly.  It’s the longest we’ve ever been apart.”

So Mike Schauer and his three sons have left as Tod Murphy and his three daughters are arriving. 

In addition, to be noted is that Tod Murphy is a legitimate 6’9” and looks lean enough to be able to show as well as tell his players something. 

Mike Schauer was a serious 3-point scorer at Wheaton.  Tod was a serious in-close scorer at Cal Irvine.  I’ll be curious to see what Gordon’s developing inside game becomes in 2009-10 as Ben, Jeff, Jon, and Greg are coached by someone who knows the inside game personally. 

I will own up to the fact that I’m excited about the New England Patriots as their season is about to start.  I’m now also ready to get just as excited about this year’s Gordon College Fighting Scots team after having met the coach.  Bring on the season!