Sean McCurdy is currently on a visit at W&M, a week after taking a trip to JMU. It seems like it’s down to the Tribe and Dukes for his services, and both camps have reported the visit as positive. In my opinion, W&M makes more sense for him strictly from a basketball standpoint, but we will see where his priorities lie. Updates will be posted as they come.

Baseball-The Tribe had another disappointing day, dropping their second straight to VCU, 5-4. This makes tomorrow a must-win to stay in CAA contention with a tough schedule ahead.

Tennis-The Men’s Tennis team dropped their match to #32 ODU, but Women’s Tennis kept it going and will play in the CAA final tomorrow at 10 AM in Newport News.

Football-The stat lines are out from the Spring game today, with RJ Archer’s line looking the best. He went 9-14 with 126 yards and a TD through the air, and 58 yards plus 2 TD’s on ground. Potts went 11-15 with 142 yards, and Phillips was 8-13 with 91.

Courtland Marriner had the best line on the ground, with 39 yards on 6 carries. The biggest thing I overlooked in my last post was Drew Atchison, who gained 84 yards on 4 catches. Cam Dohse caught a 48-yarder, and Joe Nicholas gained 48 yards with a touchdown. DJ McAulay had 40 yards, and Rob Varno gained 49 yards on 4 catches with a TD.

The defense had a sub-par game, but had sacks from Tracy, Lissemore, and Reyer. TJ O’Neill and Michael Pigram also had very good games, and Derek Cox was the standout in the secondary.

Basketball-The CAA came home with an L from the game tonight, but AP still had a pretty good game. He started slow, but ended with some very nice dunks against little defense. It was great to see the whole team there supporting him, also.

Tomorrow is another big day for the Tribe with the CAA Women’s Tennis final and the 3rd game of the VCU series, both of which are huge for the Tribe.

Benock to Mississippi State

Down to Joseph, O’Donnell, and McCurdy. O’Donnell is the point guard from Florida that we have been going after for a while, and Maurice Joseph is a Michigan State transfer that it seems we are looking at. He played around 16 minutes a game last year for the Spartans.

Finally, TheTribeHasSpoken.net offers it’s condolences, thoughts, and prayers to Hokie Nation after the tragedy that took place Monday.

Riley Benock, a 6-4 Kentucky guard has commited to W&M, the 4th commitment of the year. He is the Tribe’s third guard of the 2007 class, and also received an offer from Furman and interest from Penn State and Purdue. He was ranked #62 in the state by Kentuckypreps.com, who had this to say about him…

Versatile player that poses match-up problems. Effective passer and ball handler. Shot range most effective inside 15 feet. Can hit the 3. Must improve footwork to become better defender on the perimeter.

Here is the report from ESPN recruiting tracker…

6-foot-5 shooting guard Riley Benock orally committed to William & Mary on Saturday, reports the News-Enterprise. The senior chosed the Tribe over Furman and several NAIA schools. “It was the best option for me basketball-wise and academic-wise,” Benock said.

Here is a report from the recruiting section of a Kentucky Newspaper…

One of the state’s top sleepers, the 6-foot-4 Benock doesn’t play in an area that gets a lot of media attention. He’s a combo guard who can stroke it from the perimeter and also has exceptional passing skills. Benock averaged 12 points, seven rebounds and six assists as a junior and hit 50 three-pointers.

Also, his school website has many nice resources. First of all, total stats show he led the team with 18 points per game and 7 rebounds. It also has some nice movies, including a Benock dunk off the glass during warm-ups and also a nice reverse. Finally, it has an extensive photo gallery, which you can find here.

This could mean one of 2 things. First, it could mean Matt McFadden will not receive a scholarship this year. Second, it could mean somebody is going to transfer. Within the next week, we will know the answer, but I shudder at the thought of losing someone to a transfer after a breakthrough year.

Now on to the baseball game, William and Mary’s fifth straight win. Liberty got the loss in Lynchburg Tuesday in an 8-3 game which was headed by 2 Tim Park homers and 8 strong innings from Tyler Truxell. The Tribe had a total of 17 hits, including 2 each from Maliniak, Sheraton, McWhorter, and Sexton. Baseball returns home Friday for a 3-game set against CAA foe Georgia State, and faces Liberty at home next Tuesday.

Go Tribe!

The baseball team has continued it’s hot play, improving to 19-13 with a sweep over Wagner. In Saturday’s double-header, the first game belonged to Brent McWhorter and Greg Sexton. McWhorter went 2-4 with a homer and 4 RBIs, and Greg Sexton also went 2-4 with a homer and 2 ribbies in an 8-5 win. Sean Grieve pitched a very solid game, going 5 innings with only 1 run, but also served up 6 walks. The second game had an unlikely star in Jeff Wera, a back-up catcher who went 2-3 with 3 RBIs in a 6-4 win. Kevin Landry pitched a nice game, going 5 innings with only 1 earned run.

On Sunday, the Tribe won a hard-fought 14-12 game that involved little pitching. Tim Park, Mike Sheridan, and Greg Sexton went deep for the Tribe, and Greg Maliniak also added a 4-5 day. Warrik Staines had a tough day giving up 3 runs in a little over 2 innings, but it was his third time pitching in two days, which is definitely difficult.

Also, you can add Kentucky 2-guard Matt Walls to the Tribes recruiting radar, as he has an offer from W&M. I’ll try to get around to updating the recruiting page today.

Haven’t checked in for a while, seeing as not much is happening, but there is a little bit of stuff to update you one…

Basketball: The Tribe is still actively recruiting. Ben O’Donnell, a point guard from the Tampa area, has cut his list down to W&M and East Tennesee State. From the article, it looks like we are the current favorite…

“They want a point guard,” O’Donnell said. “I liked the campus more (than ETU’s) and it’d be a really good situation (playing-wise) for me.”

Also, the Tribe is going after an Arkansas transfer, Sean McCurdy. In his sophomore year, McCurdy played in 30 of the Razorbacks games this season, and had some nice assist/turnover ratio. He is also talking to Richmond(who just had a player transfer), Wofford, and Colgate. Both would seem to be good gets, but we have to take into account the fact that McCurdy would have to sit out a year.

This also has implications on the Tribes roster situation for next season. If we were to get both, it would definitely be a sign someone is transferring, and it would probably be a guard. If we only end up with one, it could either be a transfer or more likely McFadden will not have a scholarship this season and will have to earn it back this year.

An update on some players that have signed, Marcus Kitts is looking better and better, an average of 15 ppg in a recent tournament, including scoring 17 points with 11 rebounds in a game against rival Apex in the championship game. For a peak of his game, here is a video hosted by trianglehoops.net. Here are a couple of his box scores, and a link to him on the All-Tournament team. Also, check out this video of Valeriu Lazarescu winning another dunk contest.

Football: Spring practice has started, and I’ve got a couple updates. First of all, Derek Cox will be keeping a blog, which can be found at that link all season. RJ Archer will get a shot at quarterback this spring, along with now #11 Jake Phillips and Mike Potts. I’d be much happier if Archer stayed at receiver, however, we still have one of our best pass-catchers in that scenario.

The running back situation is also up in the air, as DeBrian Holmes is missing the entire spring with an ankle injury which opens up an opportunity for Tony Viola and speedster Courtland Marriner. Josh Rutter is also being held out of Spring practice, and TJ O’Neill will move back to linebacker.

Very excited about the upcoming football season, and hopefully I will get the opportunity to do some player interviews this at the start of pre-season practice(August) just like last year.

Baseball: The final note of his post, Tribe Baseball has emerged as one of the CAA’s top teams. They are currently second in the CAA, a game behind Old Dominion, with a 8-4 CAA record and a 16-13 overall record, and has a double-header against Wagner Saturday plus the series’ third game on Sunday. Wagner is currently 4-11 and the Tribe should roll in this series.

The reason the Tribe has gotten off to such a hot start has to do with veteran hitting and suprising freshman starters. The Tribe’s top hitter has been Greg Sexton, who got a walk-off double vs. a strong VMI team Wednesday night and has an OPS of 1.174, with 6 homers and 34 RBI’s. Senior second baseman Brent McWhorter has also been great, winning a CAA POW award on top of a 1.074 OPS. JuCo transfer Tim Park has been a very good lead-off man, and while he is not the typical player for that spot, his OPS is 1.077 and he was key to the VMI comeback. Finally, Robbie Nickle has a 1.038 OPS and 5 homers.

I’ll try to post about baseball post-every series, as Tribe baseball this year is really exciting!

Go Tribe!

Congrats AP!

Ya gotta believe. If you don’t, what’s the point?

CAA POY-Gary Neal, TU

All-CAA first team

Loren Stokes, HU
Frank Elegar, DU
Valdas Vasylius, ODU
Eric Maynor, VCU
Will Thomas, GMU

All-CAA second team

Antoine Agudio, HU(almost first team)
Drew Williamson, ODU
Herb Courtney, UD
BA Walker, VCU
Bennett Davis, NU

All-CAA third team

Adam Payton, W&M
Carlos Rivera, HU
Folarin Campbell, GMU
Juwann James, JMU
Jessee Pellot-Rosa, VCU

All-CAA Defensive team

Chaz Crawford, DU(DPOY)
Bashir Mason, DU
Adam Payton, W&M
Brandon Johnson, ODU
Bennett Davis, NU

CAA Coach of the Year(top 3)

1)Anthony Grant, VCU
2)Bill Coen, NU
3)Tony Shaver, W&M

CAA All-Rookie team

Matt Janning, NU(ROY)
David Schneider, W&M
Brian Johnson, UD
Pierre Curtis, JMU
TJ Gwynn, VCU

Next one out-Gerald Lee, ODU

CAA Women’s first team All-CAA

Meredith Alexis, JMU(POY)
Tamera Young, JMU
Kyra Kaylor, W&M
TJ Jordan, ODU
Tyresa Smith, UD

The 4 byes

VCU-The Rams took the one side by hanging on at Georgia State, and while they had a great season they limped to the finish line. With 3 potent guards in Jesse Pellot-Rosa, Eric Maynor, and BA Walker, plus the home-court advantage, the Rams will be tough to stop in the tournament.

ODU-Old Dominion had the strongest finish in the conference, winning their last 11 games including a blowout of ODU. They have the best shot in the conference at getting an at-large bid, and with great senior leadership in Arnaud Dahi, Valdas Vasylius, and Brian Henderson, I think they’ll get one.

HU-Hofstra is another guard-dominated team, with seniors Carlos Rivera and Loren Stokes, plus junior Antoine Agudio. They can be beaten inside, and were upset against Delaware, but are still not a team I’d like to face in the tournament.

DU-Drexel is the only other team with a shot at an at-large. In the early season they knocked off Syracuse and Villanova. They probably have the most inside-outside balance, with Chaz Crawford and Frank Elegar down low and Dom Mejia and Bashir Mason in the back-court. They were upset by W&M only 2 weeks ago, and are the most vulnerable of the top 4 teams, but to pull of the win the oppositions big men have to come to play.

The slate

8/9, noon game-W&M vs. GSU

W&M-The Tribe had one of the most surprising season’s of the year, finishing at 8-10 and tied for seventh place with a win @ GMU and over Drexel at home. Adam Payton was the biggest surprise, finally becoming a scoring threat averaging over 13 a game and holding serve as the Tribe’s best defender. David Schneider was a nice find, leading the team as a freshman, and Laimis Kisielius finally lived up to his potential. This isn’t the most talented team, but if you aren’t ready for them they will beat you.

GSU-GSU was the best of the worst this season, finishing in 9th place with 4 wins. Senior Lance Perique has led them throughout the year, with over 15 points a game and 5 rebounds. Leonard Mendez has also come out of nowhere, averaging over 13 per. They don’t have any outstanding wins, but did beat UNCW twice, NU once, and Towson once.

Prediction-W&M crushed GSU by 14 and 16 in their 2 games, and I expect no less on Friday. Tribe-65 Panthers-50

5/12 2:30 game-NU vs. UD

NU-The Huskies have also shocked the Colonial Athletic Association, losing most of their talent and their coach and still finishing in the same spot in the league. Bill Coen has done a great job with the Huskies, and with Bennett Davis and Matt Janning at the helm, they have a very solid team. The downside, though, is that while they were dominating at home, they were pretty much terrible on the road, and because of that I don’t see them making it past the second round.

UD-The Blue Hens finished last in the CAA, with a new coach in Monte Ross and without All-CAA Harding Nana. They are currently down to 6 players, one being a manager, but never really gave up and somehow blew out W&M in Delaware. They very easily could upset NU, but I don’t see it happening.

Prediction-While NU is bad on the road, and UD is definitely capable of pulling upsets, I think NU wins this one. NU-69 UD-62

7/10 6 pm game - Towson vs. UNCW

Towson-The Tigers are led by Gary Neal, one of the top players on their team. Neal can flat-out take over games, and has the entire CAA scared. They come and go with Neal, and if he gets hot they could pull off a second round upset. I definitely think they win their first game, though, as UNCW probably won’t be able to stop Neal.

UNCW-UNCW also has the firepower to pull off an upset, with Vladimir Kuljanin, Todd Hendley, and Montez Downey. Kuljanin can be a force down low, but tends to slack off on defense. The Hawks were expected to be near the top half of the Association, but Benny Moss hasn’t really impressed the Seahawk faithful.

Prediction-Close game, but Gary Neal takes over in the second half and TU wins by 8. 78-70.

6/11 8:30 game - GMU vs. JMU

GMU-Coming off a final four run, George Mason has not lived up to expectations. After a solid start to the season, the last couple weeks they have seemed to have given up and it has shown in their play. They are capable of an upset, with Will Thomas and Folarin Campbell, but I think it is more likely that they continue the slide.

JMU-Head Coach Dean Keener really hasn’t paid off for JMU. With another bottom 4 finish in the league, the Dukes looked terrible most of the year with losses against Youngstown State and many more terrible teams, and a shocking home victory against ODU. They could easily beat GMU in the first round in a rivalry game behind Pierre Curtis, Terrence Carter, and Juwann James.

Prediction-In the only upset of the first round, the Dukes beat GMU. Mason has seemingly given up, and I doubt that will change Friday night. 80-76 JMU.

Full Tourney Predictions:

GSU vs. W&M-W&M
NU vs. UD-NU
TU vs. UNCW-TU
GMU vs. JMU-JMU

W&M vs. VCU-W&M
NU vs. DU-DU
TU vs. ODU-ODU
JMU vs. Hofstra-Hofstra

ODU vs. Hofstra-Hofstra
W&M vs. DU-W&M

Hofstra vs. W&M-W&M

Because if you don’t believe, what’s the point?

(now for the no kool-aid predictions)

W&M over GSU
NU over UD
TU over UNCW
JMU over GMU

VCU over W&M
DU over NU
ODU over TU
HU over JMU

DU over VCU
ODU over HU

DU wins.

Oh, the irony.

The Tribe played on of it’s best game of the year, and it took ODU shooting 50% from behind the arc and the Tribe misses all kinds of free throws late to give them the win.

In a game where everyone pitched in, Nathan Mann and Laimis Kisielius led the team with 11 and 10 points. Kyle Carrabine was hot from 3 and scored 9, while AP had a uncharacteristic 8.

David Schneider got back into the swing of things this game, scoring 6 in 21 minutes. Alex Smith, too, had a nice game, scoring 4 and getting 7 rebounds.

The Tribe will probably face Georgia State at noon on Friday, in the 8/9 game. We will face JMU if they pull the upset over Hofstra tonight, but with the 2 convincing wins I’d rather play GSU.

GO TRIBE!

64-57

The Tribe was down as many as 25 in the second half, but behind Adam Payton’s 20 points the Tribe moved the lead to single digits. AP also had 4 steals, and was 9-15 from the floor.

Smith and Mann also pitched in well, with 9 and 8. Both had 6 rebounds, and Mann had 3 assists.

If the Tribe hadn’t shot so badly, to the tune of 32%, in the first half, they may have made this a game. It really never was close, partly due to Dominick Mejia’s 16 points going 6-11 from the floor.

We’ve got ODU on Saturday in the last game of the regular season, so here are the tournament scenarios.

Tribe win

+NU win(against GMU)+Towson loss=5th seed
+NU win+Towson win=7th seed
+NU loss+ Towson win=7th seed
+NU loss+Towson loss=6th seed

Tribe loss

+NU win+Towson loss=8th seed
+NU win+Towson win=8th seed
+NU loss+Towson win=7th seed
+NU loss+Towson loss=7th seed.