Blog Talk BayHawk

Talking D-League With Blog Talk BayHawk

2010-06-21T15:26:00.004-04:00

Check out the Project Spurs podcast today, featuring yours truly! You may recall I spoke with the guys at Project Spurs months ago when Cedric Jackson was called up to San Antonio. Well, they called me back again last week to talk Austin Toros and D-League matters as they pertain to the Spurs. Much thanks to Jeff Garcia and Michael De Leon for inviting me on for the interview.

Things have been quiet around here lately, and it will stay that way for most of the D-League's offseason, but I'll be back with more regular posts as we draw nearer to the season. I may also write an occasional post regarding NBA Summer League action, particularly if there is noteworthy information about Erie BayHawks players.

In the meantime, you can catch me every Thursday at D-League Digest, where I am maintaining my presence with a weekly posting to supplement the great work Steve Weinman does there on a regular basis. Check out my recent articles with the links below:

2009-10 Players in Review: Michael Sweetney

2010-06-03T13:23:00.000-04:00

The addition of Michael Sweetney gave the BayHawks in mid-March provided an interesting stretch run of games. Teamed with the 300-pound John Bryant, Sweetney—listed at a very generous 260—gave Erie another low-post scoring option.

The former NBA lottery pick showed he still has a formidable offensive skill set, including deft footwork in the post and a feathery touch on his 15-18 foot jumper. In 9 games with the BayHawks, Sweetney averaged 13.2 points and 6.9 rebounds in 25.4 minutes per game while shooting a team-best 63.6 percent over that stretch.

He scored in double figures in 7 of his 9 appearances and made it clear that he knows how to handle himself on the offensive end. The problem is simply weight and conditioning. He did not look comfortable in his own jersey. It was tough watching him get up and down the court. And defensively, he really struggled to guard anyone outside of the lane, particularly when teams dragged him out in high pick ‘n rolls.

The bottom line for Sweetney is that if he’s serious about his basketball future, he will spend this summer getting into shape. He could come back as is and put up decent stats for a year in the D-League, but in order to get a look from the NBA, he’s going to have to display a serious work ethic to go with his skill set.

2009-10 Players in Review: Jarvis Gunter

2010-05-31T10:49:00.003-04:00

Jarvis Gunter averaged 13.6 minutes per game in 44 appearances with the BayHawks this season. Although he didn't score a lot, he led the team (among those who played at least 10 games) in field goal percentage at 61.2 percent.

Gunter was Erie's most athletic big man, a solid post defender, shot blocker and rebounder. His best game of the year came March 9 against Sioux Falls as he recorded season highs in both points (15) and rebounds (13) in helping Erie to a 116-93 victory.

Offensively is where his game has the most room for growth. He's a great finisher at the rim, but he has questionable hands and lacks a refined post-up game, which prevents him from seeing more playing time.

That said, Gunter brings energy and effort every time he sets foot on the court. Hustle, determination, grit–whatever you want to call it–Gunter has it. His all-out attitude on the court is what earned him minutes on a BayHawks team that started out with a loaded front court and later added the likes of Michael Sweetney. Gunter showed improvements from his rookie to sophomore season in the D-League, but the array of bigs on the BayHawks roster limited his opportunities to make a regular impact.

2009-10 Players in Review: Kyle Goldcamp

2010-05-27T13:33:00.002-04:00

If there was a team award for most improved player from the beginning to the end of the season, the BayHawks' Kyle Goldcamp would likely be named the winner. As the local kid–Goldcamp is from Pittsburgh but played his college ball at Division II Gannon University in Erie–there was a lot of added pressure and attention on Goldcamp during his rookie season with the BayHawks.

Many people thought just making the team was an accomplishment, and early in the season, it appeared like the coaches agreed as Goldcamp saw very little playing time. Then, just as Goldcamp seemed to be gaining some traction and earning some minutes, he was released from the team due to injury on Feb. 5. He was then reacquired Feb. 25, and he went on to log 20-plus minutes in eight of the team's final 12 games, including a season-high 36 minutes in the home finale against Springfield on April 2. In that game, Goldcamp tied his career highs in points (12) and blocks (2) while setting a new personal best with 3 steals. He also contributed with 8 rebounds as Erie won the game 107-90.

Goldcamp started each of the final five games for Erie and made 10 starts in his 32 appearances for the season. He finished the year averaging 3.3 points in 13.4 minutes per game on 50.4 percent shooting from the field.

The biggest takeaway from Goldcamp this season was his hustle and effort. He was a tenacious defender, the type of player that always got under the skin of whomever he was defending. Although he had his trouble with fouls (his 7.3 fouls per 48 minutes was the most among the BayHawks), he brought energy and effort every time he set foot on the court. He was also the best screener on the team, setting ferocious picks to free open his teammates.

Offensively, Goldcamp could benefit from a more polished post game and a better touch a la John Bryant from mid-range. He scored most of his points on put-backs, dunks, and layups. To be fair, though, the team didn't run many plays for him either.

All in all, I think it's safe to say that Goldcamp had a better-than-expected rookie campaign. The transition from D2 to the D-League is not an easy one to make, but after a slow start, Goldcamp adjusted well and made himself into a solid big man for the BayHawks capable of contributing on a regular basis. With the Erie connection, I know there are a lot of local fans hoping Goldcamp returns for a second season with the BayHawks. If he opts to return, I'm willing to bet the team would love to have him back.

2009-10 Players in Review: Cliff Clinkscales

2010-05-21T15:22:00.002-04:00

Clinkscales is a solid backup point guard. He joined the BayHawks in late December and helped sure up a shaky backcourt. Clinkscales is an excellent decision maker. In fact, he led the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (4.23).

He's a poor shooter (42.4 percent from the field, 1-9 from 3 for the season), and he lacks an explosive first step and the ability to finish strong at the rim. But he knows his role, and he does it well.

Clinkscales is a facilitator first and foremost. In a three-game stretch starting January 27, Clinkscales amassed 38 assists with just 7 turnovers. His smart play in December caught the eye of D-League Digest's Steve Weinman, causing him to write this high praise article, which inspired an entertaining dialogue in the comments section and throughout the season from other D-League bloggers (Hi Scott).

In truth, Clinkscales' ability level is somewhere between the way it's portrayed in Weinman's article and being the butt of jokes over at Ridicukous Upside. He is a solid backup point guard in the D-League. He won't make a lot of highlight reels, but he will make a lot of smart passes. He doesn't shoot like Blake Ahearn or drive like Cedric Jackson, but he's dependable, consistent performer capabale of giving some quality minutes and setting up a team's scorers in positions where they can be most effective.

2009-10 Players in Review: Ivan Harris

2010-05-18T13:15:00.002-04:00

Ivan Harris tied with John Bryant for the most games played as a BayHawk this season with 49. Harris started 29 of those and served as the sixth man in many of his other appearances. His final season numbers were 12.3 points and 3.8 rebounds in 32.2 minutes per game.

He finished first in 3-point attempts (183) and makes (66) among BayHawks. (Mike Gansey and Blake Ahearn exceeded his totals, but their numbers were split among two teams.) That works out to 36.1 percent from beyond the arc, which puts him 12th in the league among forwards who had at least 75 attempts. He also shot 55-64 (85.9 percent) from the free throw line, which was second on the team behind Blake Ahearn.

Harris' biggest problem was one of my biggest pet peeves all season long. He has a bad habit of stepping on the line and shooting a long two-pointer. I wish I had kept track of how many times this happened, but even if it was only once per game–and I'm pretty confident it happened more often than–that's 49 points he cost the team.

Foot position aside, Harris is a solid, if streaky, outside shooter. When he gets on a hot streak, he can be a really dangerous offensive weapon. He's a bit of a tweener at the forward position, not quite big enough to be a true power forward and not really quick enough to be a small forward, so that can be problematic at the defensive end.

I don't know if Harris will look to return for a third season with the BayHawks, especially if the role calls for him to come off the bench again. But I think that's what the team would expect of him if he chose to return. He's a good scoring forward, effective coming off the bench when the team needs a spark.

2009-10 Players in Review: Blake Ahearn

2010-05-14T13:04:00.003-04:00

Although he played just 13 games as a BayHawk after arriving in a late-season trade from the Bakersfield Jam in exchange for Alade Aminu, Blake Ahearn was one of the most entertaining and productive players the team had this season.

The change of scenery obviously came as a blessing for Ahearn, a former D-League all-star. In 17 games with the Jam, he averaged just 14.3 points per game on 36.7 percent shooting from the field and 27.7 percent shooting from 3. In Erie, all of those numbers improved dramatically. As a BayHawk, Ahearn averaged 25.7 points per game, the most of any BayHawk who played at least 10 games. And his shooting percentages were much better: 43.3 percent shooting from the field and 44 percent from 3.

He also upped his assists from 4.1 to 6.7 per game and became a real workhorse, averaging a staggering 45 minutes per game during his time with the BayHawks.

Ahearn really went off during the month of March. Four times he played the full 48 minutes. Four times he hit at least four 3-pointers. On March 15, he set a BayHawks franchise record with 38 points in a win over the Utah Flash. He followed that up with another 38-point effort that included seven made 3s against his former team, the Dakota Wizards, albeit in a losing effort.

More than anything, Ahearn is a shooter. But he's in a class all by himself when it comes to free throw percentage. Ahearn showed why he is the NCAA's all-time free throw percentage leader. He made all but nine of his 176 free throw attempt (94.9 percent) s this season, including an 11-game stretch when he connected on 54 in a row. The league's second-best free throw shooter, Kevin Kruger, finished at 91.4 percent.

Ahearn and Mike Gansey, affectionately dubbed the Rockers by Ridiculous Upside's Scott Shroeder formed one of the most explosive and entertaining backcourts in the D-League when they were healthy as exemplified by their season-best five-game winning streak in early March.

The future of the BayHawks backcourt is one of the most interesting questions heading into next season. They played well at times with Cedric Jackson at the point. They played well with Blake Ahearn at the point. They did not fair particularly well when the two had to share the backcourt. If Jackson, who earned three call-ups this season, lands on an NBA team to start next season, maybe that issue resolves itself. I know Erie would love to have Ahearn and Gansey together for a full season. But there are a lot of questions that need to be answered before that can happen, namely if Ahearn and Gansey both want to return to the D-League for another season. Consider me squarely in the camp rooting against a Barber Shop moment for this duo of Rockers.

2009-10 Players in Review: John Bryant

2010-05-10T12:40:00.003-04:00

John Bryant was one of the top rookie big men in the D-League this season. The 2009 WCC Player of the Year, Bryant averaged 13.4 points per game. He was even more effective on the boards. His 9.5 rebounds per game led the team and placed him eighth in the league. And at 7.4 defensive rebounds per game, Bryant ranked third.

Bryant also finished seventh in the league in double-doubles with 20 and seventh in blocks at 1.49 per game.

Offensively, Bryant has great touch for a big man. One of Erie's go-to plays was the pick and pop with Cedric Jackson and John Bryant. Big Bad John consistently nailed the jumper from the foul line or top of the key. He shot 49.6 percent from the field for the season. The one area of his offensive game that could use more work is down low on the block, where he often takes too long to initiate his move and looks indecisive or slow.

Conditioning is another question mark for the 300-pound Bryant. If he could shed some weight and get into better shape, he could get a look from an NBA team. He played just under 30 minutes per game, so it's not like he's unable to play long stretches, but it's visible to anyone watching that he doesn't have the prototypical NBA body, and he struggled against quicker, more athletic centers.

Defensively, Bryant was a key cog in Erie's defense, which ranked first in the league in defensive field goal percentage at 44.7 percent (thanks to Bob Chaikin for providing that stat.) In addition to the blocked shots, Bryant did a great job of altering countless others. On top of that, the mere presence of a 6'11", 300-pounder in the middle worked as a deterrent to keep players out of the paint in the first place, forcing tougher shots.

Bryant's future will be interesting to monitor. His combination of size and skill makes him one worth watching. As a rookie, he showed flashes of NBA potential. He also seemed overwhelmed at times by the speed of the game against certain opponents. I think if he returns to the D-League next season, Bryant could position himself for a call-up next season, but it will take a serious commitment on his part to improve not just his game but his conditioning and weight as well.

2009-10 Players in Review: Jackie Manuel

2010-05-04T15:25:00.002-04:00

Jackie Manuel is the player every coach wants on his team. He hustles, plays great defense, and rarely plays beyond his ability. His fourth season in the D-League and second as a BayHawk featured career high averages in minutes (41.7) and points (13.9) per game. Manuel also started more games as a BayHawk this season (43) than any other player.

Manuel missed a few games due to a death in the family, but he was Erie's Iron Man. He didn't just lead the team in minutes per game, he was second in the entire league, trailing only Iowa's Curtis Stinson. In addition to a spike in his scoring, Manuel boosted his assist numbers by almost a full point from 1.8 per game to 2.7.

Of course, Manuel's most valuable attribute on the court remains his defense. He was the defensive stopper when North Carolina won the 2005 NCAA championship, and he was the defensive stopper with the BayHawks this season, regularly accepting the challenge of guarding the other team's best perimeter player. His defensive range shows in the defensive stat categories as well. He was 25th in the league in steals (1.48) per game and 24th in blocks (0.91) per game.

Manuel is one of the most experienced D-League players. With that in mind, he'll have a tough decision on his hands next season. Does he return for a fifth D-League season? Does he test the overseas market? It's tough to say.

Despite enhancing his offensive game and adding some bulk last offseason, Manuel's improvements were not enough to earn him the NBA call-up he's worked so hard for. Aside from the issue of body size, the biggest question mark with Manuel is on the offensive end, specifically his jumpshot. It went from suspect to streaky this season. His 3-point percentage and free throw percentage both showed marginal gains from last season, but neither is where he needs them to be if he wants to catch the eyes of NBA scouts.Also, his overall field goal percentage dipped from 47.9 to 44.2 percent.

That said, Manuel has one of the most consistent performers for the BayHawks this season, scoring in double figures in 36 of his 44 games. He also probably had more highlight reel plays than any other player, mixing in a fair share of posterizing dunks and big time blocked shots. If Manuel doesn't return to Erie, it won't be because of a lack of interest from the BayHawks.

Frustrated Incorporated -or- Why I'm Not a Betting Man

2010-04-27T23:11:00.003-04:00

OK, so this is a personal rant. Read at your own discretion. The Rio Grande Valley Vipers just won the 2010 D-League championship. Congratulations to them, but they just drove a stake through my heart as well.

I entered the NBA D-League's 2010 "choose your own" Twitter contest. The rules were simple. Prior to the start of the playoffs, you had to tweet your picks for the D-League finals, who would win and the score of the decisive game. I had Rio Grande Valley over Tulsa in a 221-point finale.

As it turned out, only one other person had RGV vs. Tulsa in the finals. He or she had a final score of just 167 points. I'm not yet sure who that other person was, but I wonder if they were glued to the computer screen as I was, stuck watching a periodically updating box score with the game only being broadcast on tape delay on Versus and not streamed live via FutureCast.

If you do the math between our predictions, I needed the total to be 189 points or greater. The other person needed 187 or less. I was feeling pretty confident heading into the game, but the fluke was on. These were the same two teams that combined for 231 points in Game 1. Yet somehow, they had just 131 heading into the fourth, leaving me to root for one of these three outcomes.

Down the stretch it looked like they might actually make a run at the 189-point mark, but defenses stiffened down the stretch and the game was tied at 91 with 8 seconds left, Vipers ball. A stop from Tulsa and the game goes into overtime where all I would have needed was 9 combined points to cross the threshold. As fate would have it, Vipers guard Craig Winder beat the buzzer with a 3-pointer that won the D-league championship for Rio Grande Valley while simultaneously losing the contest for me...BY A MERE FOUR POINTS.

To put that into perspective, these teams combined to miss 96 shots in the game. Ninety-six! If they would've made two of those 96 and shot just 44.7 percent from the field, I would have won the contest. The teams combined to miss eight free throws. Convert on just half of those misses and I'd be in the winner's circle. Or, if Winder's shot misses and the game goes into overtime, I'm sitting pretty for a prize with an RGV win or a retry if Tulsa were to win.

Instead, I'm left to write this blathering blog post pining about what coulda-shoulda-woulda been had there just been a few more points. Four points to be exact. Of course, had I just predicted a 106-101 finale, this post never would have had to happen. Bummer.

2009-10 Players in Review: Mike Gansey

2010-04-27T13:52:00.003-04:00

Gansey was acquired by the BayHawks in a Dec. 31 trade that sent Erie's number one draft pick, Donell Taylor, to the Idaho Stampede. At the time of the trade, I was a bit skeptical since Taylor was a focal point of Erie's offense and Gansey was a sixth round pick by Idaho.

Fortunately, Gansey's arrival in Erie unleashed the player that helped West Virginia make an Elite Eight and Sweet 16 appearance in back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2005 and 2006. In 27 games as a BayHawk, Gansey averaged 18.4 points per game, highest among those who played at least 15 games with the team. He hit 59-181 3s (32.6 percent) and shot 83.1 percent from the line. But beyond the stats, what he gave Erie was the outside shooting threat that they did not have before acquiring him.

For the season, Gansey's 7.1 rebounds per game ranked him second in the D-League among guards. He actually averaged even better rebounding numbers with the BayHawks (8.2).

Gansey's best stretch of play came early in March. In six games, he averaged 26.2 points while shooting 18-37 from 3-point range, 10.5 rebounds, and 2 steals and led the BayHawks to a 5-1 record. He also earned D-League Performer of the Week honors for the week of Jan. 25, which was highlighted by the game against Springfield when he hit the game winning layup with just 8 seconds remaining.

Unfortunately, Gansey's time with the BayHawks was limited due to injury and illness. He missed 10 games in all.

Still, Gansey was one of the most valuable BayHawks this season and that's before you factor in the entertaining and informative blog he wrote over at Ridiculous Upside. After spurning the BayHawks in their inaugural season and choosing to play overseas after they made him their number one pick, Gansey won over the fans and organization with strong play on the court and great personality off it.

He showed glimpses of being NBA-caliber this season. Hopefully he's back in Erie next season to put together that same type of performance on a game-to-game basis and earn a shot at the next level.

2009-10 Players in Review: Cedric Jackson

2010-04-26T11:18:00.003-04:00

Rookie Cedric Jackson probably improved more than any BayHawks player from the beginning to the end of the season. His development was duly noted by scouts at the NBA level, too, as he earned call-ups from three NBA teams (Cleveland, San Antonio, and Washington).

At the D-League level, Jackson was one of the league's best point guards. He finished the season third in the league in assists (7.4), 12th in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.25), and fifth in steals (2.06) per game. Jackson was also a force attacking the rim. Using his lightning quick first step to get past his defender, Jackson earned a team-high 249 free throw attempts in his 34 games as a BayHawk while converting at a 72.3 percent clip. His 7.3 free throw attempts per game ranked ninth in the league. His nine double-doubles were also tied for sixth most among D-League guards.

The weak link of Jackson's game was his outside shooting. For the season, he shot 42.6 percent from the field and hit just 27 of 100 3-point attempts.

His best stretch of the season came in mid-January just prior to his first NBA call-up to the Cavs. In five games from January 10-19, Jackson averaged 36.8 minutes, 27 points, 9 assists, and 2 steals per game, and shot 47-55 from the free throw line. The BayHawks went 4-1 over that stretch. They proceeded to go 2-7 after he was called up to Cleveland.

Later in the season, team chemistry wasn't quite the same with Jackson and newly acquired Blake Ahearn in the backcourt, but that should not overshadow Jackson's development as a first-year pro. After three separate stints in the NBA, Jackson has his sights set on making an NBA roster to start the 2010-11 season. Despite limited minutes at the NBA level, I think the odds are at least 50/50 if not better that Jackson does land an NBA gig, possibly in Washington, where he finished the season on a high note.

He has NBA quickness. And at 6'3" he has good length for a point guard. Defensively he has a lot to offer. He was the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year at Cleveland State and was one of the best on-ball perimeter defenders in the D-League. Spending time in San Antonio under Gregg Popovich and in Cleveland under Mike Brown likely helped him learn some more about playing defense at the NBA level and defending the pick 'n roll.

If he doesn't make it, the reason will be shooting. Jackson should be spending hours every day this summer with a shooting coach, working to improve his outside jumper. If he can develop a respectable perimeter game to keep defenses honest, there will be nothing stopping him from earning a backup point guard role. If he remains the player he is today, he may still catch on somewhere in a niche role or he may wind up back in the D-League or playing overseas. It would be somewhat surprising to see him back with the BayHawks next season. He has NBA athleticism. If he can augment the skills he has and continue to work hard to refine his offensive game, he'll have an NBA contract as well.

Filling Out My NBA Playoff Bracket

2010-04-16T20:57:00.003-04:00

March Madness left me wounded (thanks a lot, Syracuse!) But the D-League playoffs have me on the rebound with my predictions after going 4-0 in the first round. So, I thought I'd take a stab at the NBA playoffs while I'm at it.

For what it's worth, I hit on six of the eight playoff teams in both my East and West preseason predictions. I narrowly missed on the Thunder (9th) and seriously underestimated Milwaukee, who I picked to finish dead last in the East.

The biggest difference is between the NBA playoffs and NCAA Tournament is that March Madness is one-and-done, which, as we all witnessed this year, opens the door to plenty of unpredictable upsets. In the D-League, the playoffs expanded to a best-of-3 series this season, so upsets are still possible, but it can't happen with just one fluke performance. The NBA model of best-of-7 means the best team usually wins. With that in mind, here are my picks:

1st Round
1. Cleveland Cavaliers over 8. Chicago Bulls in 4
4. Boston Celtics over 5. Miami Heat in 7
3. Atlanta Hawks over 6. Milwaukee Bucks in 6
2. Orlando Magic over 7. Charlotte Bobcats in 6

1. Los Angeles Lakers over 8. Oklahoma City Thunder in 5
4. Denver Nuggets over 5. Utah Jazz in 7
3. Phoenix Suns over Portland Trail Blazers in 6
2. Dallas Mavericks over San Antonio Spurs in 6

2nd Round
1. Cleveland Cavaliers over 4. Boston Celtics in 5
2. Orlando Magic over 3. Atlanta Hawks in 6

1. Los Angeles Lakers over 4. Denver Nuggets in 7
2. Dallas Mavericks over 3. Phoenix Suns in 6

Conference Finals
1. Cleveland Cavaliers over 2. Orlando Magic in 6

1. Los Angeles Lakers over 2. Dallas Mavericks in 6

2010 NBA Finals
Los Angeles Lakers over Cleveland Cavaliers in 7

I know the Lakers are entering the playoffs with several question marks. Their play has tapered off down the stretch. Andrew Bynum hasn't played in weeks. Kobe Bryant is showing signs of wear and tear. Plus, LeBron James has been a force all year long and seems hell bent on winning the title this year before becoming a free agent this summer.

Still, I picked the Lakers over the Cavs way back in October, and I'm a Lakers fan, so I'm sticking with the pick. It's almost impossible for a defending NBA champion to come in under the radar, but this Lakers team is not expected to win. People are talking about them like they're a lost cause. If anyone can perform an instant playoff turnaround, it's Phil Jackson. And if they do advance to the Finals to meet the Cavs, the Phil Jackson vs. Mike Brown coaching dynamic favors the Lakers. And although Kobe-LeBron is no longer a question in terms of athletic talent, LeBron still hasn't gotten it done in the postseason. There is no doubt that Kobe's competitive fire will be at an all-time high if this series materializes because he wants no part of being a torch passer. Not now. Not yet. Lakers in a memorable seven games is my prediction.

All NBA D-League Teams Announced

2010-04-16T20:26:00.006-04:00

The official 2009-10 All D-League teams were announced today as follows:

1st Team
Guard: Curtis Stinson, Iowa Energy
Guard: Reggie Williams, Sioux Falls Skyforce
Forward: Mike Harris, Rio Grande Valley Vipers
Forward: Cartier Martin, Iowa Energy
Center: Dwayne Jones, Austin Toros

2nd Team
Guard: Will Conroy, Rio Grande Valley Vipers
Guard: Mustafa Shakur, Tulsa 66ers
Forward: Alonzo Gee, Austin Toros
Forward: Rob Kurz, Fort Wayne Mad Ants
Center: Brian Butch, Bakersfield Jam

3rd Team
Guard: Antonio Anderson, Rio Grande Valley Vipers
Guard: Curtis Jerrells, Austin Toros
Forward: Alade Aminu, Bakersfield Jam
Forward: Larry Owens, Tulsa 66ers
Center: Earl Barron, Iowa Energy

Honorable Mentions
Guard: Morris Almond, Maine Red Claws
Guard: Desmon Farmer, Reno Bighorns
Guard: Orien Greene, Utah Flash
Guard: Cedric Jackson, Erie BayHawks
Guard: Coby Karl, daho Stampede
Guard: Keith McLeod, Albuquerque Thunderbirds
Guard: Garrett Temple, Rio Grande Valley Vipers
Forward: Romel Beck, Dakota Wizards
Forward: Rod Benson, Reno Bighorns
Forward: Bennett Davis, Utah Flash
Forward: Trey Gilder, Albuquerque Thunderbirds
Forward: Donell Taylor, Idaho Stampede
Center: John Bryant, Erie BayHawks
Center: Byron Mullens, Tulsa 66ers
Center: Greg Stiemsma, Sioux Falls Skyforce

Today also marked the release of the D-League blogosphere's All-D-League selections over at Ridiculous Upside, which included a vote from yours truly. The results can be seen below.

1st Team
Guard: Curtis Stinson, Iowa Energy
Guard: Reggie Williams, Sioux Falls Skyforce (Morris Almond)
Forward: Mike Harris, Rio Grande Valley Vipers
Forward: Cartier Martin, Iowa Energy (Rob Kurz)
Center: Dwayne Jones, Austin Toros

2nd team
Guard: Will Conroy, Rio Grande Valley Vipers
Guard: Morris Almond, Maine Red Claws (Mustafa Shakur)
Forward: Carlos Powell, Albuquerque Thunderbirds (Rod Benson)
Forward: Rob Kurz, Fort Wayne Mad Ants (Reggie Williams)
Center: Earl Barron, Iowa Energy

3rd Team
Guard: Mustafa Shakur, Tulsa 66ers (Curtis Jerrells)
Guard: Alonzo Gee, Austin Toros (Orien Greene)
Forward: Cartier Martin, Iowa Energy (Romel Beck)
Forward: Larry Owens, Tulsa 66ers (Carlos Powell)
Center: Rod Benson, Reno Bighorns (Brian Butch)

Honorable Mentions
Guard: Curtis Jerrells, Austin Toros
Guard: Donell Taylor, Idaho Stampede
Guard: Blake Ahearn, Erie BayHawks
Guard: Orien Greene, Utah Flash
Guard: Coby Karl, Idaho Stampede
Forward: Romel Beck, Dakota Wizards
Forward: Diamon Simpson, Los Angeles D-Fenders
Center: John Bryant, Erie BayHawks
Center: Brian Butch, Bakersfield Jam
Center: Greg Stiemsma, Sioux Falls Skyforce

Cedric Jackson Finishes NBA Season on a High Note

2010-04-15T14:43:00.000-04:00

It took three teams, four contracts, and 12 appearances, but Cedric Jackson finally got a chance to put his talent on display in the NBA last night in the Washington Wizards’ season finale, a 98-97 win over the Indiana Pacers.

In the game, Jackson set season highs for minutes played (19) and points (8). Granted the game was between two teams long eliminated from playoff contention, and Jackson did commit 5 turnovers to go along with his 4 assists. Still, the rookie point guard made plays down the stretch of an NBA game and scored all 8 of his points in the fourth quarter, including the game-winning 3-pointer, the first 3 of Jackson’s NBA career, with 1:31 left to play.

The game was just his fourth as a Wizard and only the third all year in which he played at least 10 minutes. His previous highs of 15 minutes and 6 points each came during games he played as a member of the San Antonio Spurs back on March 13 and 12, respectively.

Jackson, who earned his first call-up from the Cleveland Cavaliers, saw both his minutes per game and points per game increase with each subsequent call-up. He finished his rookie NBA season (12 games played) with averages of 6.3 minutes, 1.7 points, 1.2 assists, 0.9 turnovers, 0.7 rebounds, 0.2 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game. It’s a small sample size, but the fact that three different teams chose to take a look at him is proof that there is interest in the lightning quick point guard heading into next season. The biggest detriment of Jackson’s game is probably his shooting touch. He finished just 6-20 (30 percent) from the field, 1-6 (16.7 percent) from 3, and 7-12 (58.3 percent) from the free throw line.

After spending most of his call-up time with Cleveland and San Antonio riding the bench for playoff-bound teams, it was nice to see Jackson get an opportunity to finally play some legitimate minutes in the season finale for a Wizards team that has some serious questions to answer and holes to plug in its roster as it looks forward to the 2010-11 season.

An 8-point fourth quarter and game-winning 3? As Herm Edwards would say, he can build on this! If Jackson can put together a strong summer—especially if he can find a shooting coach and improve his outside jumper—then I’d say there’s no reason why Jackson shouldn’t be competing for a backup point guard spot in the NBA next fall, possibly even in Washington.

2009-10 Erie BayHawks Season in Review, Part 3: March/April

2010-04-14T08:00:00.000-04:00

This is the third part of my three-part month-by-month review of the BayHawks’ 2009-10 season. Be sure to also read parts one (November/December) and two (January/February). Today's post focuses on the months of March and April as Erie made one final push for the postseason only to come up short.

MARCH

Record: 6-5 (3-5 Home, 3-0 Road)
Iowa 116, Erie 111 (box | review)
Iowa 120, Erie 127 (box | review)
Sioux Falls 93, Erie 116 (box | review)
Erie 101, Albuquerque 97 (box | review)
Erie 116, Idaho 102 (box | review)
Erie 111, Utah 101 (box | review)
Dakota 109, Erie 105 (box | review)
Dakota 101, Erie 100 (box | review)
Fort Wayne 90, Erie 86 (box | review)
Fort Wayne 82, Erie 95 (box | review)
Fort Wayne 114, Erie 108 (box | review)

Transactions
March 2: Acquired Blake Ahearn in a trade with Bakersfield Jam for Alade Aminu.
March 10: Cedric Jackson called up by San Antonio Spurs
March 11: Acquired Mike Sweetney
March 20: Darnell Jackson re-assigned by Cleveland Cavaliers
March 21: Darnell Jackson recalled by Cleveland Cavaliers
March 31: Cedric Jackson called up by Washington Wizards

BayHawks C0-Players of the Month
Mike Gansey: 44.3 mpg, 21.3 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 48.9 percent shooting, 45.2 percent 3-point shooting, 2.1 spg
Blake Ahearn: 45.1 mpg, 24.6 ppg, 6.1 apg, 97.7 percent free throw shooting (85-87), 41.2 percent 3-point shooting

20/20 Hindsight
March was perhaps the most interesting month of the season for the BayHawks. Despite losing their all-star forward Alade Aminu, the BayHawks started the month strong, including a season-high five straight games behind the amazing guard play of Blake Ahearn and Mike Gansey. When Cedric Jackson returned to the lineup, the team suddenly seemed to have too much talent at guard and the team chemistry appeared affected. Mike Gansey then came down with an illness that cost him about two weeks worth of games, and the team ultimately came up short of the playoffs. Still, the team that played for much of the month of March looked like a team that could've been a playoff team had they played the full season together.

APRIL

Record: 2-0 (1-0 Home, 1-0 Road)
Springfield 90, Erie 107 (box | review)
Erie 105, Maine 97 (box | review)

Transactions
N/A

BayHawks Player of the Month
Blake Ahearn: 45 mpg, 31.5 ppg, 10 apg, 54.1 percent (13-24) 3-point shooting

20/20 Hindsight
The BayHawks closed the season on a high note, winning both of their games in April. The first game was a game they almost had to win, the Fan Appreciation Night home finale against league worst Springfield. The follow-up was much more telling of this team's character. The night after the Springfield game, Erie had to play in Maine in a televised game that the Red Claws needed to win to get into the playoffs. Erie was playing for pride, and yet they prevailed on the strength of Blake Ahearn's hot shooting.

Gansey Part of NBA Contingent Headed to China

2010-04-12T20:05:00.001-04:00

Straight press release from me today:

Erie BayHawks guard Mike Gansey is part of a contingent of NBA Legends and NBA Development League players headed to the Sichuan Province to participate in NBA Cares events and play two games in support of Beijing Aoshen basketball team charity efforts April 16-18. The activities are part of the NBA’s continued commitment to support rebuilding efforts in the earthquake stricken Sichuan Province.

Gansey was one of several D-League players that was asked to participate in the events and jumped at the opportunity to travel abroad. “I’ll represent Erie in the best way I can,” said Gansey. “As soon as I was asked I said ‘of course I want to go.’ I’ve been overseas before but never to China. I’m really looking forward to playing and hanging out with guys like Chris Mullin and Robert Horry and the rest of the D-League players,” he added.

Gansey departs Wednesday morning for the weeklong trip. The rest of the roster is still being finalized due to the ongoing D-League playoffs.

On April 17 and 18, Gansey and his teammates through an invitation from Beijing Aoshen basketball team, will participate in two exhibition games to celebrate the successful completion of the Chengdu International Basketball Invitation Tournament. The Chengdu NBA Aoshen Legends Game will be two friendly games that will see the NBA Legends switch sides and play for Aoshen at halftime of each game. The New Jersey Nets Dance Team and Mascot, SLY the fox will also make the trip.

Preceding the games, on April 16, Mullin, NBA D-League players and the New Jersey Nets dance team and mascot will join NBA Cares, the league’s global social responsibility program, to unveil four refurbished courts at the Dujiangyan Qingcheng Mountain Advanced Secondary School. Following the unveiling, the former NBA stars will host a basketball clinic for the students.

One hundred selected students and earthquake orphans from the Dujiangyan School will also be invited to attend the exhibition game on April 17 and 18 and will be recognized on court during the game.

Fans can watch for updates of Gansey’s trip on the team’s website at www.eriebayhawks.com.

2009-10 Erie BayHawks Season in Review, Part 2: January/February

2010-04-09T09:00:00.001-04:00

If you missed it, I looked back at November and December yesterday in part one of my 2009-10 season review.

Here now is part two of my three-part month-by-month review of the BayHawks’ 2009-10 season. Today's post focuses on the months of January and February when Erie continued to retool and reshape itself on the fly in an attempt to turn its fortunes around.

JANUARY

Record: 8-7 (3-3 Home, 3-4 Road, 2-0 Neutral)
Erie 86, Maine 94 (box | review)
Erie 75, Springfield 97 (box | review)
*Reno 88, Erie 92 OT (box | review)
*Erie 102, Los Angeles 89 (box | review)
Fort Wayne 89, Erie 87 (box | review)
Fort Wayne 70, Erie 100 (box | review)
Fort Wayne 97, Erie 109 (box | review via D-League)
Erie 91, Tulsa 91 (box | review)
Erie 102, Tulsa 97 (box | review)
Erie 113, Austin 121 (box | review)
Rio Grande Valley 110, Erie 88 (box | review via D-League)
Rio Grande Valley 100, Erie 94 (box | review via D-League)
Springfield 94, Erie 95 (box | review)
Erie 78, Maine 82 (box | review)
Erie 93, Springfield 91 (box | review)

*D-League Showcase

Transactions
Jan. 4: Acquired Booker Woodfox. Waived Martin Zeno.
Jan. 11: Acquired Frank Tolbert. Waived Booker Woodfox.
Jan. 23: Cedric Jackson called up by Cleveland Cavaliers
Jan. 29: Acquired Tychicus Snow.

BayHawks C0-Players of the Month
Alade Aminu: 33.4 mpg, 16.9 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 1 bpg
Cedric Jackson: 35 mpg, 21.5 ppg, 7.8 apg, 4.7 rpg, 2.4 spg

20/20 Hindsight
January was the month where Alade Aminu flashed his all-star potential with a 30-point, 23-rebound effort in front of NBA scouts in Erie's first game of the D-League Showcase. Unfortunately, the month ended with Aminu playing just 38 minutes combined in two games, foreshadowing the eventual deal that would send him out of Erie. On a positive note, January was the BayHawks' first winning month of the season, highlighted by a 2-0 performance in the Showcase, back-to-back road wins in Tulsa, and Mike Gansey's clutch free throws against Springfield that helped earn him D-League Performer of the Week honors.

FEBRUARY

Record: 1-8 (1-2 Home, 0-6 Road)
Iowa 101, Erie 87 (box | review)
Erie 94, Iowa 97 (box | review)
Erie 78, Iowa 102 (box | review)
Erie 82, Iowa 85 (box | review)
Erie 84, Fort Wayne 105 (box | review via D-League)
Erie 80, Fort Wayne 91 (box | review via D-League)
Dakota 108, Erie 114 (box | review)
Dakota 108, Erie 103 (box | review)
Erie 95, Maine 102 (box | review)

Transactions
Feb. 5: Waived Kyle Goldcamp due to injury.
Feb. 16: Re-acquired Cedric Jackson.
Feb. 24: Danny Green adn Darnell Jackson assigned by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Feb. 25: Re-acquired Kyle Goldcamp
Feb. 25: Waived Tychicus Snow
Feb. 26: Darnell Jackson recalled by Cavaliers
Feb. 28: Danny Green recalled by Cavaliers.

BayHawks Player of the Month
Mike Gansey: 39.4 mpg, 14.9 ppg, 6.8 rpg

20/20 Hindsight
February was a month to forget for the BayHawks, featuring a season-long six game losing streak and just one win, which happened to be the night Cleveland assigned both Darnell Jackson and Danny Green. Alade Aminu earned an all-star selection only to regress in his performance and see his playing time diminish. Cedric Jackson earned a call-up that left the team void of ballhandling and movement on offense. Mike Gansey earned my nod for player of the month over the likes of Ivan Harris, John Bryant, and Jackie Manuel, even though February was Gansey's worst shooting month as a BayHawk at 39.3 percent from the field. That about sums it up. February was an ugly month for Erie as game after game they reinvented ways to lose.

2009-10 Erie BayHawks Season in Review, Part 1: November/December

2010-04-08T11:16:00.006-04:00

The Erie BayHawks set the bar high by posting a 27-23 record and qualifying for the postseason in their inaugural season last year. The team had high hopes for the 2009-10 season despite an opening day roster that returned just three players from last year’s team. In fact, they were ranked fourth in the initial D-League power rankings.

But after winning the season opener on the road against Fort Wayne, Erie lost seven of their next eight games and never again rose above the .500 mark. The midseason trade that brought in Mike Gansey and late-season trade that brought in Blake Ahearn provided small boosts, but the team was unable to find a consistent winning formula, finishing the season 21-29, sixth in the East Conference and six games back of the eighth playoff spot.

Here now is part one of three of my month-by-month review of the BayHawks’ 2009-10 season, a season that was ultimately disappointing but not without its share of memorable moments.

NOVEMBER

Record: 1-1 (0-0 Home, 1-1 Road)
Erie 85, Fort Wayne 77 (box | review)
Erie 82, Fort Wayne 93 (box | review)

Transactions
Nov. 6: Acquired Alade Aminu from Fort Wayne for rights to Rob Kurz.
Nov. 16: Waived Derrick Mercer, Raheem Moss, Jeff Skemp, and Ryan Troutman.
Nov. 18: Waived Joe Jones.
Nov. 25: Waived Oliver Lafayette and Rod Wilmont.

BayHawks Player of the Month
John Bryant: 37 mpg, 15 ppg, 14 rpg, 2 bpg

20/20 Hindsight
Lafayette and Wilmont both signed with the Mad Ants soon after Erie cut them. Both would factor into Fort Wayne victories over Erie later in the season. Kurz pushed for a trade and had little or no interest in playing for the BayHawks, but I can't help but wonder how the season would've played out differently had he been on the roster all season in place of Aminu, who was himself eventually traded to Bakersfield.

DECEMBER

Record: 3-8 (1-5 Home, 2-3 Road)
Erie 101, Sioux Falls 110 (box | review)
Erie 109, Sioux Falls 107 OT (box | review via D-League)
Maine 116, Erie 90 (box | review)
Maine 81, Erie 77 (box | review)
Maine 96, Erie 75 (box | review)
Erie 88, Iowa 95 (box | review)
Erie 89, Iowa 99 (box | review)
Erie 108, Springfield 94 (box | review)
Iowa 99, Erie 90 (box | review)
Iowa 100, Erie 95 OT (box | review)
Bakersfield 78, Erie 91 (box | review)

Transactions
Dec. 18: Acquired Cliff Clinkscales. Waived Zach Sowers.
Dec. 31: Acquired Mike Gansey in a trade with Idaho for Donell Taylor.

BayHawks Player of the Month
Jackie Manuel: 42 mpg, 14.2 ppg, 6 rpg, 1.9 stocks (steals+blocks) per game

20/20 Hindsight
This wasthe month the train got off track. Erie lost its first five home games and sputtered offensively, failing to score 95 points seven times in 11 games. Fairly or not, Erie's offensive disarray was traced back to the failed experiment to play Donell Taylor at point guard. As a result, Taylor was shipped to Idaho for Mike Gansey, which also allowed rookie Cedric Jackson to take over the role of point guard. The Dec. 27 loss at home to Iowa was among the worst of the season for the BayHawks as they blew a 30-point lead before bowing out in overtime.

Final Game Highlights: Erie BayHawks 105, Maine Red Claws 97

2010-04-06T00:39:00.003-04:00

Erie wrapped up the season with a 105-97 win over the Maine Red Claws. It was their first win in seven tries against the Red Claws this season. The Red Claws finished the season with six straight losses and missed out on the playoffs at 27-23. Erie finished the year 21-29 by winning their last two games.

The 2010 D-League Playoffs will begin on Wednesday. The Erie BayHawks season is now over, but that doesn't mean Blog Talk BayHawk will shut down. We'll be transitioning into off-season mode, but not before recapping all of the ups and downs from the 2009-10 season.

Springfield Game Review + Season Finale Game Preview: Erie BayHawks (20-29) vs. Maine Red Claws (27-22)

2010-04-03T12:10:00.002-04:00

The BayHawks closed out their home schedule yesterday with a 107-90 victory over the Springfield Armor. Tonight, they finish the season on the road against the Maine Red Claws in a game that will be televised on Versus tonight at 11 p.m.

Erie coming in: Yesterday's win was the second in three games for the BayHawks and their 10th home win of the season (10-15). Blake Ahearn led the way with 31 points, including 6-14 from 3, and 11 assists. Mike Gansey also made a splash in his return to the lineup, shooting 7-12 from the field for 16 points to go along with 10 rebounds and 6 assists. Ivan Harris and John Bryant each chipped in with 15 points, and Mike Sweetney and Kyle Goldcamp each had 12. Abdulai Jalloh was a one-man wrecking crew for the Armor, scoring a game-high 35 points in a losing effort.

Check out the highlights below:

Maine coming in: After sporting one of the top records in the league earlier this season, the Red Claws have fallen off down the stretch. They've lost five straight, including a 102-95 loss at home last night against Fort Wayne, and currently sit in eighth place in the D-League standings at 27-22.

What's at stake tonight?
For Maine, the stakes couldn't be much higher. They need a win plus a loss by Reno in one of the Bighorns' final two games in order to make the playoffs because Reno (26-22) owns the tiebreaker by virtue of going 2-0 against the Red Claws this season.

For Erie, they have a chance to play the role of spoiler in a game that will be on national TV. This is also their final opportunity to break through and get a victory against Maine. The BayHawks are 0-6 against the Red Claws so far this season, but this is the first time Erie has played Maine since acquiring Blake Ahearn and Michael Sweetney. It should be a fun backcourt matchup with Maine's Russell Robinson and Maurice Ager going head-to-head against Ahearn and Mike Gansey.

Home Finale Game Preview: Springfield Armor (7-42) vs. Erie BayHawks (19-29)

2010-04-02T11:36:00.003-04:00

It's been a rocky season for the Erie BayHawks. Inconsistent play has led to a disappointing season that will see the team finish with a losing record and miss the playoffs after qualifying for the postseason as an expansion team last year. The season wraps up tomorrow night in Maine in a game that can be seen on Versus (tune in after the Final Four finishes!).

Tonight marks the final home game for the BayHawks. The friendly confines of Tullio Arena have been a bit too friendly for visiting squads this season. Erie is 9-15 at home. The good news is that their home finale opponent is the league's worst team, the Springfield Armor, who are just 7-42 this year. It's Fan Appreciation Night, and I have courtside seats, so here's hoping the BayHawks close out the home slate on a high note!

Game 49 Preview: Springfield Armor (7-42) vs. Erie BayHawks (19-29)

Springfield coming in: The Armor haven't won a game since March 16 when they defeated Albuquerque 108-104. They're currently on an eight-game losing streak. Worse yet, the Armor are 0-24 on the road this season. With tonight being their last game of the season, Springfield is going to be determined to break through and avoid the embarrassment of the 0-fer. It doesn't hurt that the Armor did defeat the BayHawks once earlier this season either, although both rosters are considerably different than they were back then.

Erie coming in: After winning five of their first six games in March, Erie closed the month by losing four of five and being eliminated from playoff contention. Point guard Cedric Jackson was called up by the Washington Wizards and thus will not be with the BayHawks for the final two games. Jackson's departure will shift Blake Ahearn back into the role as the primary ballhandler. The good news for Erie is that Mike Gansey is slated to return to the lineup tonight after missing the past three games recovering from the flu.

BayHawks keys to success: Honestly, there's not a whole lot new to say at this point in the season. Both teams are playing for pride, so I'm not going to get into the X's and O's for this one. But there are three storylines worth following tonight.

The Rockers Reunion
Ridiculous Upside's Scott Schroeder dubbed Ahearn and Gansey as the Rockers. I'm not sure if the Armor is more Iron Mike Sharpe or The Intruder, but you get the idea. When Cedric Jackson was with the Spurs, Ahearn and Gansey were really clicking in the BayHawks backcourt. Jackson returned, Gansey got sick, and production dropped off, but the tandem gets one last chance to shine in Erie tonight, and there will be no Barber Shop Incident that breaks up this team
Fan Appreciation Night
A large crowd is expected tonight in Erie as it is the final game of the season and Fan Appreciation Night. I don't know how much of a difference a packed crowd can make on a game, but I think it's safe to say the BayHawks would like to give their fans a good showing to close out the home schedule.
Springfield's Last Hope
As I mentioned earlier, the Armor has not won a road game all season long. However, one of the Armor's closest calls came during their only other trip to Erie. Springfield led by 8 points with just over four minutes remaining before the BayHawks mounted a late surge, eventually winning 95-94 thanks to two clutch three throws from Gansey. If Springfield loses again tonight, that 0-25 mark is going to stick with them for a long time. On the flip side, Erie doesn't want to be the team that ended that streak, especially in the home finale.

Cedric Jackson to the NBA, Version 3.0

2010-03-31T12:16:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, Scott Schroeder broke the news at Ridiculous Upside that Cedric Jackson is headed back to the NBA for the third time this season. His newest team is the Washington Wizards.

After playing out two 10-day contracts after a call-up by Erie's affiliate, the Cleveland Cavaliers, Jackson was more recently called up by the San Antonio Spurs where he spent another 10-day contract. He didn't receive a whole lot of playing time in either stop, but he did have the opportunity to team with the likes of LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal, and Tim Ducan, not to mention learn from the coaching staffs of two of the league's premiere franchises.

Unlike Cleveland and San Antonio, Washington is not a championship contender. Heck, they're not even sniffing the playoffs. They spent this season breaking up the core of their team after the Gilbert Arenas incident. That's good and bad for Jackson. The bad is that there aren't as many people in place to learn from with the Wizards. The good news is, Washington is a place where he could actually play this season or, at least, a place where he could latch on for a longer-than-10-day future.

I spoke at length with ProjectSpurs.com when Jackson was brought in by San Antonio, and not much has changed about his game or my opinion of him since then. Listen to part one and part two of my interview for more on what Jackson brings to the table.

There are only two weeks left in the NBA season, so I'm not sure how great of an impact Jackson can make now, but if Washington holds onto his rights, they can get a better look at him over the summer, bring him into camp, and maybe find him a spot on the roster at the start of next season.

Weekend Games Review: Fort Wayne Mad Ants vs. Erie BayHawks

2010-03-29T11:19:00.003-04:00

The Fort Wayne Mad Ants and Erie BayHawks finished their 10-game season series this weekend. Erie won Friday's meeting 95-82, but Fort Wayne claimed the series finale on Sunday, 114-110, to win the season series 6-4.

Highlights from Friday:

Highlights from Sunday:

Both teams have been eliminated from playoff contention and currently sit fifth and sixth in the East Conference, respectively. Fort Wayne is 19-28. Next they have two games at Springfield before finishing the season at Maine on Friday. Erie hosts Springfield on Friday before also finishing the season out at Maine on Saturday, a game that will also be shown on Versus.

There's not a whole lot to take from this weekend other than the fact that the BayHawks continue to be plagued by inconsistency.

Jackie Manuel looked good, scoring 22 and 20 points, respectively, but the team missed the shooting presence of Mike Gansey.

Neither Michael Sweetney nor John Bryant had much of an impact on the two games.

Blake Ahearn thrived with 29 points in Friday's win, and Cedric Jackson starred with 28 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists in Sunday's loss. Unfortunately, both players seem more comfortable playing with the ball in their hand, which neutralizes their effectiveness when they play together in the backcourt.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the performances of the former BayHawks in Friday's win for Fort Wayne. Oliver Lafayette torched Erie for 33 points and 8 assists (with 4 turnovers). He also hit a clutch jumper over the outstretched arms of Jackie Manuel with 44 seconds left to put the Mad Ants up 3 after Cedric Jackson had cut the lead to 1.

After Jackson scored again to cut it to one, Erie nearly stole the ball. But after a scramble for the loose ball, Rod Wilmont drained a 3 with 8.3 seconds left to put Fort Wayne up 4. Wilmont, who was one of the final preseason cuts by the BayHawks along with Wilmont, scored 16 points and added 8 rebounds for the Mad Ants. After Wilmont's 3, Michael Sweetney scored a quick bucket to trim the deficit back to 2. Erie fouled Lafayette, and he responded by calmly sinking two free throws to ice the game for Fort Wayne.

Short of a playoff berth, this had to be a great feeling for Lafayette and Wilmont to finish out the season with clutch performances against the team that let them loose to start the season.

For Erie, it was another in a long line of tough/disappointing losses on the season. The BayHawks are now just 9-15 at home this season with one home game remaining. That game comes against Springfield, the team with the worst record in the D-League. However, before Erie starts chalking up a victory, they should remember that the Armor did claim one of their seven wins against the BayHawks earlier this season.

Game Review: Fort Wayne Mad Ants 90, Erie BayHawks 86

2010-03-25T15:02:00.002-04:00

OK, so this is pretty skimpy as far as my reviews go, but I'm pressed for time, I didn't get to watch any of the game, and the BayHawks lost (again). Still, it's better than nothing.

Five sentence recap: Fort Wayne scored only 10 points in the first quarter. Following a Mad Ants comeback, the BayHawks rebuilt their lead to as much as 10 with just eight minutes left. The Mad Ants won the star player battle. Rob Kurz scored a team-high 23 points and added 15 rebounds to lead Fort Wayne. Cedric Jackson had 23 points for Erie, but he missed two shots in the final minute that would've given Erie the lead, and had 6 turnovers to go along with just 6 assists.

Player notes

Jackie Manuel started at small forward after missing the past three games for family reasons. He scored 8 points on 3-8 shooting in 39 minutes.
Mike Gansey missed the game with an illness and remains questionable for this weekend's games against Fort Wayne.
Aside from Jackson, Blake Ahearn and Ivan Harris were the only other BayHawks in double figures.

Erie's 86 points were the lowest the team had scored in more than a month and the first time the team hadn't eclipsed the 100-point mark in March. With the loss, the BayHawks fall to 18-28, half a game behind the Mad Ants (18-27). Fort Wayne now leads the season series 5-3 with two games remaining. Those games are the next two on the schedule with the Mad Ants and BayHawks meeting in Erie again tomorrow night at 7 p.m. and Sunday afternoon at 2.

Game Preview: Fort Wayne Mad Ants (17-27) vs. Erie BayHawks (18-27)

2010-03-24T09:19:00.003-04:00

Tonight's game is a makeup of a game that was canceled back on February 10 due to weather/travel difficulties. A quick glance at the standings tells you that this game doesn't matter as much as it would have then as neither team is competing for a playoff berth.

However, with their next three games are against each other, Fort Wayne and Erie will be battling for fifth place in the East Conference and to avoid finishing second to last, ahead of lowly Springfield.

Tonight's matchup is the eighth of 10 games these teams will play this season. Fort Wayne currently leads the series 4-3 and has won the past two meetings. The Mad Ants roster includes former BayHawks Oliver Lafayette, who played for the team last season, and Rod Wilmont, who was cut by Erie in the preseason this year.

Game 46 Preview: Fort Wayne Mad Ants (17-27) vs. Erie BayHawks (18-27)

Fort Wayne coming in: The Mad Ants come to Erie riding a three-game winning streak. They have not won more than three games in a row all season, so they'll have that as an additional motivating factor for tonight's game. Starting tonight, each of the Mad Ants' final six games is on the road, so they have their work cut out for them.

Erie coming in: The BayHawks lost two critical games in devastating fashion over the weekend against the Dakota Wizards, ending their playoff dreams and snapping what was a season-high five-game winning streak. Erie is just 8-13 at home this season, but they have a chance to improve on that mark with four of their final five games at home.

BayHawks keys to success:

Get the shooters involved.
The month of March was a great one for the BayHawks until this past weekend when they squandered away back-to-back games down the stretch. The biggest reason for their success was the hot shooting of Blake Ahearn and Mike Gansey. With the return of Cedric Jackson on Saturday (and the assignment of Darnell Jackson from the Cavs), the BayHawks' offense had a whole different focus.

Touches and shots were hard to come by for both Ahearn and Gansey, and the offense became stagnant, revolving around one or two players. Both Ahearn and Gansey are too good to be underused as they were on Saturday. Darnell Jackson won't be there tonight since he was released by the Cavs yesterday, so there should be additional shots to go around. In my opinion, those shots should go to Ahearn, Gansey, and Ivan Harris, especially when Cedric Jackson drives to the hoop and draws extra attention from help defenders.
Limit the Bryant/Sweetney combo
The Michael Sweetney experiment has been, for the most part, an effective one for the BayHawks. The big man has shown a deft shooting touch and a nice arsenal of post moves. You can see glimpses of why he enticed the Knicks as a lottery pick a few years and a few dozen pounds ago. The one area where I think Sweetney has proven to be a detriment to the team is when they play him at the power forward position beside John Bryant. Offensively, it's tough for other teams to match that kind of front line size, but Dakota exploited them on the defensive end, pushing the ball up after makes and misses and utilizing the quickness and agility of their 4s and 5s. Sweetney and Bryant are each effective on their own, but together, they seem to do more harm than good.
Continue to control Rob Kurz
Rob Kurz is another reason to limit the Bryant/Sweetney combo. Both players would struggle to defend the 6'9" Kurz, who is very comfortable stretching the defense. In four games against the BayHawks this season (he missed three of their matchups earlier this season), Kurz averaged just 9.3 points per game. Aside from the 16-point, 19-rebound effort he had in a 93-82 win over Erie back in November, Kurz has been pretty much a non-factor against the BayHawks. But Kurz was named an all-star for a reason, and this Erie roster is different than the ones that Kurz faced earlier in the year. The BayHawks need to be conscious of where he is on the court at all times. If they can keep his production down, they'll have a good shot to win the game.

Game Review: Dakota Wizards 101, Erie BayHawks 100

2010-03-21T22:21:00.004-04:00

The BayHawks wound up on the wrong end of a March Madness buzzer beater last night, losing 101-100 to the Dakota Wizards in an exciting game that was also featured on Versus.

It was a heartbreaking loss for a BayHawks team that included Darnell Jackson on assignment from Cleveland and Cedric Jackson back from his 10-day stint with the San Antonio Spurs. After Mike Sweetney hit 1 of 2 free throws to give Erie a one-point lead with 3.5 seconds remaining, Dakota's Corsley Edwards found Curtis Withers for the game-winning layup as time expired.

The loss dropped Erie to 18-27. Meanwhile, the Wizards improved to 26-19, ever closer to clinching a playoff berth.

The Jacksons led the way for Erie. Cedric had 22 points and 11 assists while Darnell had 32 points and 11 rebounds in his second game with the BayHawks this season. Sweetney added 20 points for the BayHawks. Unfortunately for Erie, the new and returning additions to the roster seemed to throw their rotations and team chemistry a bit out of whack.

Mike Gansey and Blake Ahearn seemed particularly affected by the changes. With Cedric Jackson dominating the ball at the point and Darnell Jackson commanding it in the post, there weren't many touches to go around for what had been the hottest guard tandem in the league. Gansey was held scoreless for the first time since being traded to the BayHawks Dec. 31. He did pitch in with 8 rebounds and 2 steals, but it had to be frustrating for him to get just six shots after averaging more than 24 points a game coming in.

Similarly, Blake Ahearn, who set a BayHawks team record with 38 points on Monday night in Utah and then tied it with 38 again Friday night, struggled to find his rhythm offensively. One night after hitting 7-11 from 3, Ahearn shot 1-5 from 3 and 4-12 overall, while tying his lowest point total as a BayHawk of 13 points. As a team, Erie shot just 1-14 from 3.

I'm not sure exactly where the last two losses would rank on Bill Simmons' Levels of Losing, but they were among the toughest to take as a BayHawks fan this season. Between Friday night saw Erie blow a 17-point fourth-quarter lead and surrender a 10-0 in the final 2:57 to turn a six-point lead into a four-point loss. And Saturday's follow-up was a lesson in how to silence 5,000+ (reported, more realistically 3,000) free-fries-frenzied fans. A layup at the buzzer? That just can't happen. And let's not forget about missing 11 free throws on the night, including a big one that could have made it a two-point game with 3.5 seconds left.

Jackie Manuel missed his third game since returning home for his grandfather's funeral. His absence was never missed more than on the final possession, where they could have used Manuel's stout perimeter defense.

For another perspective on the game, check out Jon L's review of the BayHawks-Wizards game over at Ridiculous Upside. It's always worth reading the comments over there as well.

Next up for the BayHawks is a three-game set against the Fort Wayne Mad Ants on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. All three games will be held in Erie.

Game Review: Dakota Wizards 109, Erie BayHawks 105

2010-03-20T00:33:00.003-04:00

These highlights really don't tell the story

This D-League game recap does a little better job.

My in-game tweets fill in some of the parts you won't find in the recap.

The bottom line is that Erie led 89-72 early in the fourth quarter and led for more than 22 minutes of the second half. Dakota outscored them 37-20 in the fourth and 10-0 in the final 2:57 to steal the win. Erie had a good look for Mike Gansey, Blake Ahearn, and John Bryant to either take the lead or tie in the final minute, but they couldn't get the shots to fall.

Ahearn was spectacular in the losing effort against his former team. He tied the BayHawks-record 38 points he scored last game against Utah. Tonight he did it on 11-22 shooting, 7-11 from 3, and 9-10 from the free throw line. Ivan Harris also had a big night with 26 points on 9-17 shooting, 6-12 from 3.

The refereeing was shaky down the stretch. Erie was whistled for twice as many fouls as the Wizards in the fourth quarter including a critical phantom foul call when it appeared that Lester Hudson tripped and fell over his own feet in the open court. That allowed Hudson to push Dakota's lead to 2 (he made 1 of 2 free throws) instead of giving the BayHawks the ball down by a point with a minute left.

With the loss, the BayHawks fall to 18-26. Dakota improves to 25-19 and increases their chances of earning a playoff berth. These teams will meet again Saturday night in Erie in a matchup that will air on Versus.

Weekend Games Preview: Dakota Wizards (24-19) vs. Erie BayHawks (18-25)

2010-03-19T13:17:00.000-04:00

After a successful but brutal four-day West Conference road trip during which the BayHawks won three games, Erie returns home to host games tonight and tomorrow against the Dakota Wizards. The BayHawks and Wizards split a pair of games last month in Erie. An interesting scheduling quirk: all four of the meetings between these teams this season will take place in Erie.

On February 25, the BayHawks won the first meeting 114-108. That was Erie's only win in the month of February, which came thanks to a monster effort from forward Darnell Jackson in his one and only game on assignment from Cleveland. The Wizards took their revenge the following night, winning 108-103 in Hasheem Thabeet's D-League debut.

Dakota coming in: The Wizards (24-19) are currently seventh in the D-League standings, but they come to Erie having lost two straight and three of their past five games. Hasheem Thabeet is back in the NBA and showing signs of improvement for the Grizzlies. Meanwhile, the Wizards have a new NBA assignee in Lester Hudson. Erie fans may remember him as the guy that averaged 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 4.5 assists while leading the Maine Red Claws to back-to-back wins over the BayHawks back in December. Hudson hasn't played big minites in his eight games since joining Dakota, but he's still averaging 14.5 points per game off the bench.

Erie coming in: The BayHawks (18-25) are riding a season-high five-game winning streak and trying to make a desperate last-minute playoff push. If there's any chance of a playoff berth, the BayHawks need to win out. They'll also need to get some help in the form of losses by the teams ahead of them (Dakota, Utah, Reno, and Idao). Erie just beat Utah, Reno, and Idaho, and now they're presented with a chance to increase their slim playoff odds with a back-to-back against Dakota.

The month of March has been especially good for Erie's backcourt of Blake Ahearn and Mike "Snuggles" Gansey. Ahearn has turned his (and Erie's) season around since arriving in a trade from Bakersfield. This month he's averaging 26 points and 7.2 assists per gane and shooting lights out from 3 (43.2 percent) and the free throw line (96.1 percent). Gansey's numbers have spiked this month as well. He's averaging 26.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.0 steals per game while shooting 55 percent from the field and 48.6 percent from 3. For selfish reasons, I don't want to see this backcourt get broken up; they play so well together, and the team is fun to watch with them clicking the way they have been the past several games. But if there's an NBA team out there in the market for a shooter, now would be the time to give Ahearn or Gansey the call-up.

BayHawks keys to success:

Keep it up
Call it lazy on my part or a cop-out answer, but I'm not going to bother getting too technical. Let the good times roll. The BayHawks are playing their best basketball of the season, and they know it's going to take that same sustained effort and execution the rest of the way if they're going to sneak into the postseason. Their next six games are at home, so the schedule helps them out a little bit in that regard, but it won't be easy.

March Madness with Blog Talk BayHawk

2010-03-18T00:18:00.001-04:00

I know this is a D-League blog, but that's not going to stop me from getting involved in the wonderful spectacle that is March Madness, specifically the bracketology. If you'd like the opportunity to compete against me, head on over to ESPN's Tournament Challenge. Sign up/log in, fill out your bracket and join my group:

Group name: Blog Talk BayHawk
Password: nbadleague

It's free to enter, and I'm giving away a Blog Talk BayHawk prize pack to the winner, which will include a customized bracket champion T-shirt and a few other items that I've yet to think of just yet. Oh, and 365 days of bragging rights 'round here. So, sign up today and tell a friend.

2010 Erie BayHawks: March Madness Edition

2010-03-17T12:15:00.004-04:00

The NCAA Tournament tips off tomorrow, and it's likely that most, if not all, of the Erie BayHawks will be tuning in to check out some of the tournament action. March Madness is something many of them are familiar with. Four of the BayHawks' alma maters are in the Big Dance this year. West Virginia and Ohio State are both 2-seeds, Georgetown is a 3-seed, and Arkansas Pine-Bluff plays Tuesday against Winthrop in the Opening Round game. Here's a breakdown of all of the BayHawks' NCAA postseason resumes.

Blake Ahearn, Missouri State (2003-2007)
Personal NCAA Tournament appearances: 0
Ahearn's Bears made three appearances in the NIT in his four years at the school. The 2005-06 team was the closest to earning an NCAA Tournament bid. They were No. 21 in the RPI, finishing 20-8 overall and 12-6 in the Missouri Valley, which was rated No. 6 in Conference RPI. The Bears finished 4-8 vs. the RPI top 50 and didn't have a loss outside that category. They lost in the Missouri Valley quarterfinals in a 4-5 game and saw their bubble burst on Selection Sunday.

John Bryant, Santa Clara (2005-2009)
Personal NCAA Tournament appearances: 0
Bryant had just one winning season in his four years with Santa Clara. The Bears posted a 21-10 mark his sophomore year, but lost to Gonzaga in the second round of the West Coast Conference Tournament and did not play in the NCAA or NIT. Despite Santa Clara's 16-17 record last year, Bryant was named the 2009 WCC Player of the Year as a senior.

Cliff Clinkscales, DePaul (2004-2008)
Personal NCAA Tournament appearances: 0
Clinkscales was a limited contributor for two DePaul teams that played in the NIT. In his freshman year, DePaul advanced to the second round of the NIT before being bounced by Texas A&M. Then, in his junior year, DePaul again qualified for the NIT and advanced to the quarterfinals where they lost by one point to Air Force.

Mike Gansey, West Virginia (2004-2006)
Personal NCAA Tournament appearances: 2
After transferring from St. Bonaventure, Gansey made the most of his two seasons with the Mountaineers. In 2005, he helped West Virginia make a run to the Elite Eight as a 7-seed in the West bracket. Gansey's 29 points led the Mountaineers' upset of the 2-seed, Wake Forest, a team led by Chris Paul in a 111-105 double-overtime thriller to reach the Sweet 16. There they knocked off Texas Tech. In the Elite Eight, West Virginia had a 20-point lead and appeared poised to move on to the Final Four before Louisville mounted a comeback for the ages. The Cardinals eventually won 93-85 in overtime.

In 2006, Gansey's final season at West Virginia, the Mountaineers returned to the tournament as a 6-seed, losing in heartbreaking fashion in the Sweet 16. Moments after WVU tied the game at 71, 3-seed Texas raced down the court and Kenton Paulino hit a 3 at the buzzer to advance the Longhorns. Gansey had 18 points and 5 rebounds in the final game of his storied Mountaineer career.

Kyle Goldcamp, Gannon (2007-2009)
Personal NCAA Division II Tournament appearances: 2
Goldcamp's arrival at Gannon sparked the Golden Knights to back-to-back NCAA Division II tournament appearances. Goldcamp's presence inside was one of the main reasons Gannon made it all the way to the Elight Eight.

Jarvis Gunter, Arkansas-Pine Bluff (2003-2008)
Personal NCAA Division II Tournament appearances: 0
Gunter's Golden Lions are dancing this year, but Arkansas-Pine Bluff never enjoyed a winning season during his seasons. They came the closest in 2006 when they lost to Southern in the finals of the SWAC Tournament.

Ivan Harris, Ohio State (2003-2007)
Personal NCAA Tournament appearances: 2
In his junior season, Harris and the Buckeyes earned a 2-seed in the Midwest bracket but were bounced in the second round by Georgetown. The following season, the Buckeyes earned a 1-seed. Harris played 20 minutes per game on a loaded team that also featured Greg Oden, Mike Conley, Daequan Cook, Ron Lewis, and Jamar Butler. In the Final Four, Harris scored 9 points and added 7 rebounds as the Buckeyes avenged the previous season's loss to Georgetown. However, the Buckeyes lost in the championship game to Florida.

Jackie Manuel, North Carolina (2001-2005)
Personal NCAA Tournament appearances: 2
The Tar Heels missed the tournament in Manuel's first two seasons. His junior year, they qualified as a 6-seed and defeated Air Force in round one before losing to Texas in the second round. Of course, no one on the BayHawks can compete with Manuel's senior campaign, where Manuel teamed with four NBA lottery picks to win the 2005 national championship. While Sean May, Raymond Felton, Rashad McCants, and Marvin Williams got the glory, Manuel did the dirty work as the team's best defender en route to the national championship.

Michael Sweetney, Georgetown (2000-2003)
Personal NCAA Tournament appearances: 1
Sweetney's only appearance in the tournament came in his freshman year at Georgetown when the Hoyas advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2001. He averaged 12.8 points and 7.4 rebounds per game for that Hoyas team. Though his production increased as a sophomore and junior (he declared for the NBA draft after his junior season), the Hoyas did not make the NCAA Tournament. Sweetney did, however, lead the Hoyas to the NIT championship in 2003, where they lost to St. John's.

Frank Tolbert, Auburn (2004-2008)
Personal NCAA Tournament appearances: 0
The Tigers never made an appearance in the NCAA Tournament in Tolbert's four seasons. His greatest year of statistical production came in 2007-08 as a senior when he averaged 13.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in just over 30 minutes per game.

Cedric Jackon, Cleveland State (2007-2009)
Personal NCAA Tournament appearances: 1
He's currently playing with the Spurs, but BayHawks call-up Cedric Jackson deserves a mention. After playing two seasons at St. John's, Jackson transferred to Cleveland State and sat out the 2006-07 season. He helped the Vikings make the NIT in 2008, but it was last season that he really put Cleveland State on the map. First, he hit this shot to upset Syrcause. Then, he led his 13-seed Vikings past Wake Forest in an impressive 84-69 first round upset with 19 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds, and 3 steals. They then lost in the second round to Arizona, but the fans of Cleveland State will always remember the '09 team and Cedric Jackson.

Game Review: Erie BayHawks 111, Utah Flash 101

2010-03-15T23:37:00.004-04:00

The Erie BayHawks won their season-high fifth consecutive game with a 111-101 victory over the Utah Flash on Monday night. The win, which improved the BayHawks to 18-25 on the year, also completed a perfect three-games-in-four-days road trip out West.

The Flash, who entered the game holding onto the eighth and final playoff spot, gave the BayHawks all they could handle in this one. The teams battled in an entertaining, back-and-forth game that featured 24 lead changes and 12 ties. Through the first 10 minutes of the fourth quarter, neither team led by more than three points. But the BayHawks closed the final three minutes on a 15-6 run to earn the victory.

The crucial sequence started with about two and a half minutes remaining in the game when Blake Ahearn found Michael Sweetney on a beautiful pick 'n roll. Sweetney slammed it home to put Erie up 98-95. Bennet Davis missed a shot at the other end. Mike Gansey grabbed the initial rebound, then had it poked away. Eventually Erie recovered and found John Bryant under the basket at the other end. He pumped, double-clutched, and scored the bucket plus the foul to extend Erie's lead to 101-95. On Erie's next offensive possession, Blake Ahearn hit a 3 from 35+ feet that put the nail in the coffin of the Flash.

Player/team notes

Ahearn had a tremendous game. He scored a season-high 38 points (12-22 FG, 3-6 from 3, 11-11 FT), 9 assists, and 5 rebounds in 46 minutes.
His tag team partner in the backcourt was on fire as well. Mike Gansey continued his March Madness memorial tour, scoring 33 points (12-17 FG, 4-6 from 3, 5-6 FT) with 7 rebounds and 4 steals.
Speaking of tag teams, John Bryant and Michael Sweetney finished the game on the court together, but for most of the game they rotated in and out for one another. Together, they accounted for 33 points and 17 rebounds while shooting 48 percent from the field.
In case you haven't done the math, that accounts for all but 7 of Erie's points. Ivan Harris had 4 and Cliff Clinkscales had 3 on a big 3 that he hit to give Erie its first lead of the fourth quarter.
Jackie Manuel and Frank Tolbert did not play.
The BayHawks shot well in this one: 41-78 (52 percent) from the field, 8-16 (50 percent) from 3, and 21-25 (84 percent) from the free throw line. On the flipside, Utah shot 38-85 (44.7 percent) from the field, 6-20 (30 percent) from 3, and 19-28 (67.9 percent) from the free throw line.

The BayHawks now return home to play back-to-back games against Dakota on Friday and Saturday night. Erie has their next six games at home before finishing the season on the road at Maine on April 3. In order to make the playoffs, the BayHawks need to win out and get some help, but they are not mathematically eliminated just yet.

The Flash, 22-20, next travel to Los Angeles for a game on Friday night.

Game Preview: Erie BayHawks (17-25) vs. Utah Flash (22-19)

2010-03-15T11:09:00.003-04:00

It's only March 15, but today is the final road game of the the month for the Erie BayHawks. It's also their third in the past four days. After winning on the road against Albuquerque on Friday and Idaho on Saturday, the BayHawks would love to sweep this West Conference roadtrip and extend their current overall winning streak to what would be a season-high five games.

This is the first and only game between the BayHawks and Flash this season. Utah currently holds the eighth playoff seed, but the race is tight, and a loss against the BayHawks would hurt as they try to make their playoff push.

Game 43 Preview: Erie BayHawks (17-25) vs. Utah Flash (22-19)

Erie coming in: The BayHawks have won four straight and have scored at least 100 point in every game this month. In the month of March, the trio of John Bryant, Mike Gansey, and Blake Ahearn have combined to average 71.2 points per game. The BayHawks still have very slim playoff hopes. They are 5.5 games out of the eight seed with just eight games to play, meaning they basically have to run the table and hope the teams ahead of them stumble down the stretch. A win over eighth-place Utah is essential if those flickering hopes are going to stay alive.

Utah coming in: The Flash are 3-2 in March, going W-L-W-L-W. Their most recent game was a 115-109 overtime win on the road against the Reno Bighorns. Jazz assignee Kosta Koufos led the way with 26 points, 16 rebounds, and 4 blocks, and Gabe Pruitt added 20 points off the bench. The Flash are 10-10 at home this season.

BayHawks keys to success:

Combatting Kosta Koufous
Barring any news that he gets recalled by the Jazz, Kosta Koufous will present an interesting matchup for the BayHawks. The 7-footer has averaged 20.7 points and 11.7 rebounds in three D-League appearances this season. Erie's best bet may be to try to punish him when he's on defense with their behemoth frontline combo of John Bryant and Michael Sweetney, which had some effectiveness Saturday against Idaho. The question will come at the other end if Bryant or Sweetney can defend Koufous. Jarvis Gunter and Kyle Goldcamp are the smaller but quicker options for defending Koufous. Whoever draws the assignment will play a key role for Erie tonight.
Attacking early
It's easy to fall in love with the 3-ball, especially when it has been working in your favor as it has for the BayHawks the last few months. But without Cedric Jackson and on the last game of a road trip, the team needs to be extra careful not to rely on outside shooting alone, especially early on in this one. A few missed shots and that's a recipe for digging an early hole that they don't have the energy to climb out of. Minus Jackson, Jackie Manuel is probably the best player Erie has to drive and create off the dribble, but Mike Gansey and Blake Ahearn are also capable of setting up plays for their teammates as is backup point guard Cliff Clinkscales.
Avoiding the last game letdown
By winning the first two games of this roadtrip on back-to-back nights, the BayHawks could simply call this trip a success and pack it in. No one expected them to sweep the three games anyway. Hopefully, that will not be the case. They have the chance to extend their winning streak to five, which would be the best they've done all season. Now is not the time to let up, not with an extended homestand (Erie plays its next six games at home) on the horizon. The last game of road trip is one of those extra-gear games where the standard effort won't be sufficient.

Game Review: Erie BayHawks 116, Idaho Stampede 102

2010-03-14T00:38:00.002-05:00

The Erie BayHawks never trailed en route to a 116-102 win on the route over the Idado Stampede. The win was the fourth straight for Erie, which ties a season high for consecutive wins. The BayHawks are now 17-25 on the season. Idaho drops to 20-20, on the outside looking in at the playoffs if they started today.

As has been the story in recent games, the trio of John Bryant, Mike Gansey, and Blake Ahearn led the way for the BayHawks. Together, they combined for 68 percent of Erie's points. Bryant had 24 points (10-26 shooting), 16 rebounds, and 3 blocks. The big man did have 6 turnovers, but he's responded in a big way since Erie traded Alade Aminu and put the onus on him to produce.

On the same night that his alma mater West Virginia won the Big East Tournament Championship, Gansey had a triumphant return to Idaho, where he played before being traded from the Stampede to the BayHawks back on Dec. 31. He scored 26 points (10-20 shooting) with 10 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals. In the month of March (5 games), Gansey is averaging 24.8 points per game on 52.1 percent shooting (45.2 percent from 3, 92.3 percent from the free throw line), to go along with 9 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.6 steals while playing 45 minutes per game.

Ahearn led the team in scoring with 28 points (10-20 shooting), but he did have just 3 assists with 6 turnovers. After scoring just 13 points in his BayHawks debut, which Erie lost, Ahearn has averaged 26.3 points per game as a key player in Erie's four-game winning streak.

The other story for the BayHawks tonight was the debut of Michael Sweetney. The former Georgetown Hoya played just under 24 minutes off the bench and made his presence felt with 19 points on 7-11 shooting while grabbing 9 rebounds. Conditioning remains a question for Sweetney, but he knows how to handle himself in the paint. And Erie did play the tag team of Sweetney and Big Bad John Bryant at times in this game.

Former BayHawk Donell Taylor did not play tonight for the Stampede, missing his second straight game (both losses). Taylor's production has improved across the board since being traded from Erie. With Idaho, Taylor averaged 22 points per game on 50.5 percent shooting (up from 18.7 and 45.4 percent with Erie). He's also averaging 6.7 rebounds and 4.8 assists with the Stampede (up from 6.2 and 2.8 with the BayHawks.)

The BayHawks will shoot for a 3-0 West Conference roadtrip Monday night when they visit Utah to take on the Flash.

BayHawks-Thunderbirds Review + BayHawks-Stampede Preview

2010-03-13T11:41:00.003-05:00

If the BayHawks can cram three games into four days, surely I can cram two posts into one. So, I'll start off with a quick review of last night's 101-97 victory over the Albuquerque Thunderbirds and then move on to a preview of tonight's matchup on the road against the Idaho Stampede.

Erie entered the game having scored at least 25 points in 11 straight quarters, but that streak wouldn't last long in Albuquerque. The BayHawks struggled offensively to start, scoring just 17 in the first quarter and 19 in the second to trail 48-36 at the half. As a team, the BayHawks shot just 15-46 from the field (32.6%), 0-7 from 3, and 6-10 from the free throw line in the first half.

But this game proved to be tale of two halves. Either coach Treloar gave one helluva halftime speech or else the BayHawks found a bottle of "Michael's Secret Stuff" from Space Jam. Either way, the BayHawks came out like gangbusters, scoring 30 in the third quarter and 35 in the fourth to claim a 101-97 victory. The win improves Erie to 16-25 on the season and extends their current winning streak to three games. The team's longest win streak this season is four, which happened back in mid-January.

Player notes:

John Bryant led all scorers with 28 points (on 10-24 shooting, 8-8 FTs) and added 13 rebounds and 2 blocked shots.
Blake Ahearn also had a double-double with 25 points and 10 assists (with 5 turnovers). He did, however, end his consecutive made free throws streak at 54. He finished 11-13 from the line in this one.
Mike Gansey also chipped in with 20 points (on 9-19 shooting) with 7 rebounds, 4 assists (though he did have 5 turnovers), and 3 steals.
Kyle Goldcamp got his second straight start for the BayHawks. His foul trouble continued as he fouled out in just 18 minutes of game time with 4 points and 6 rebounds.
Jackie Manuel also felt the wrath of the whistle. Coming off the bench after missing the last game with the flu, Manuel fouled out after playing 38 minutes, scoring 9 points and grabbing 8 rebounds.
The newest BayHawk, Michael Sweetney, did not play.

Game 42 Preview: Erie BayHawks (16-25) vs. Idaho Stampede (20-19)

Erie coming in: They're now riding a three-game winning streak and have scored at least 100 points or more in all four games since acquiring Blake Ahearn. An interesting subplot in this game will be the matchup of Mike Gansey against Donell Taylor. Erie traded Taylor to Idaho for Gansey back on Dec. 31. Both players have seen their production increase with their new teams, so it'll be interesting to watch them compete against their former teammates in the only meeting these teams have this season. Taylor missed last night's game and told me he's most likely not going to play tonight either.

Idaho coming in: The Stampede lost to the Los Angeles D-Fenders last night in overtime by a score of 121-115 and now sits ninth in the D-League standings, a half game back of Utah for the final playoff spot. They had won three straight prior to last night's loss.

BayHawks keys to success:

Embrace the pace, but don't be foolish.
If you're going to beat the Stampede, you're going to have to score in bunches. Under coach Bob MacKinnon, Idaho pushes the pace unlike any other team in the league. They've only had six games all season when they failed to score 100 points, and that's happened just once dating back to mid-January. So, Erie needs to be ready and willing to run and score with Idaho. But at the same time, they need to make sure they're taking smart shots and not making careless passes to jumpstart the break the other way for Idaho. It's the old saying, "Be quick, but don't hurry."
Control the defensive boards.
Idaho had 22 offensive rebounds last night on 58 missed shots. For the season, they get the offensive rebound on more than one third of their missed shots. By comparison, Erie has only allowed their opponents to offensive rebound one fourth of their missed shots this season. If John Bryant, Kyle Goldcamp, Jarvis Gunter, and company can win the battle of the boards, that'll be a major step toward stifling Idaho's high-powered offensive attack.
Don't rush things with Sweetney.
Michael Sweetney joined the BayHawks yesterday, but he did not play in their win over Albuquerque. He could debut tonight, but the matchup is not a good one for Sweetney as Idaho loves to run 'n gun whereas Sweetney is best-suited for a physical game, working down in the trenches in the half-court offense. The team is rolling right now with three straight wins, and Sweetney is an intriguing addition to the roster. But if it ain't broke, don't fix it. This may not be the game for Sweetney to get his feet wet in the D-League. We'll see.

Game Preview: Erie BayHawks (15-25) vs. Albuquerque Thunderbirds (18-22)

2010-03-12T14:35:00.003-05:00

The Erie BayHawks start a three-game, four-day roadtrip tonight when they travel to Albuquerque to take on the Thunderbirds in what will be the first and only meeting between these teams this season. But before I get into the preview, a quick note on the latest roster move for the BayHawks.

With Cedric Jackson called up to the Spurs, the BayHawks were back down to nine players until yesterday when they made a big addition. That big addition is Michael Sweetney. You may remember him from his days at Georgetown when he starred for the Hoyas and became a 2003 lottery pick of the New York Knicks. His NBA career appeared over after he was cut by the Celtics this preseason, but now he's in the D-League, so the final chapter of his story remains to be told.

Sweetney gives the BayHawks some additional size after they recently traded Alade Aminu. He's supposed to meet the team in Albuquerque today. I haven't seen Sweetney yet. But his D-League profile lists him at 6'8", 260 pounds. Given the commentary here from his preseason with Boston, I find it hard to believe that he's all the way down to 260. Regardless of the exact number, Sweetney is a big man's big man. He's not going to be spotting up from long range and stretching the defense. He's going to be banging bodies in the paint.

The question is where does he fit in? If they put him alongside John Bryant, the BayHawks could have the biggest front line in the D-League. Bryant's got the touch to play a high post position, but I'm not sure the two of them can coexist without hampering Erie defensively. Neither has the quickness or agility to keep up with power forwards at this level.

The better option, in my opinion, is to have Sweetney spell Bryant (or vice versa depending on production) and pair them with either Jarvis Gunter or Kyle Goldcamp. Both Gunter and Goldcamp are coming off arguably their best performance of the season in a blowout win against Sioux Falls. Furthermore, they're better equipped to handle the type of frontcourt player that bothers Bryant and Sweetney.

For more on Sweetney, check out Ridiculous Upside where Scott Schroeder broke the news of Sweetney's entry into the D-League and broke down the acquisition by Erie.

Game 41 Preview: Erie BayHawks (15-25) vs. Albuquerque Thunderbirds (18-22)

Erie coming in: After a forgettable February, the BayHawks have shown signs of life in March. The team is scoring 118 points per game led by the hot shooting of new acquisition Blake Ahearn and teammate Mike Gansey. In three games this month, guard tandem has combined to hit 24 of 45 from 3-point range while averaging nearly 48 points per game. They're also riding a two-game winning streak with the wins coming over two of the top three teams atop the latest edition of the D-League Power Rankings, Sioux Falls and Iowa.

Albuquerque coming in: The Thunderbirds finally ended a seven-game losing streak by defeating Fort Wayne on Tuesday, and they haven't had consecutive victories in more than a month. The departure of Carlos Powell to China has really hurt the team, leaving them searching for players to pick up the slack. Also, looking through the Albuquerque stats, I'm reminded that Kevin Pittsnogle is no longer with the team, robbing West Virginia fans of the coveted Gansey-Pittsnogle reunion.

BayHawks keys to success:

Offensive balance
Recent roster changes have forced the BayHawks to adjust on the fly. The smallball trend of a week ago appears dead, especially with Sweetney in the mix. Though I'm not sure if he'll play tonight since he's just meeting the team for the first time today, his presence inside gives them options. The key is to find balance. You don't want to force-feed (insert wisecrack here) Bryant and Sweetney in the post too much, and you don't want Gansey and Ahearn launching from deep all the time without giving the post players some touches. Balance the inside and outside game offensively and success will follow.
Smart play from the point guard position
One of the strengths of Erie this season has been their point guard play, particularly in regards to being smart with their decision-making. Recent call-up Cedric Jackson ranks 12th in the D-League this season in assist-to-turnover ratio and backup point guard Cliff Clinkscales actually leads the league at 4.02. Now the pressure is on Blake Ahearn to step up his game as a point guard. to In his debut at the position with the BayHawks, he had 15 assists with 5 turnovers against Sioux Falls. If he can maintain that kind of assist-to-turnover ratio, the BayHawks' hopes of winning will be in good hands.
A healthy Jackie Manuel
After missing Erie's last game with a nasty case of the flu, Manuel will return to action tonight. Like PlayStation 3, he only does everything. He is second in the D-League in minutes per game (41.5) and Erie's best defensive player, always accepting the challenge to check the opponent's top offensive weapon. He's also shown an array of offensive abilities this season, including an improved jumper, a post-up game against smaller defenders, and a penchant for the where-did-that-come-from posterizing dunk. A healthy Jackie Manuel is a big boost for the BayHawks as they try to get off on the right foot on this three-game roadtrip.

Talking Cedric Jackson with Project Spurs

2010-03-11T10:00:00.005-05:00

Last night I was interviewed by ProjectSpurs.com during their Spurscast Live post-game show following the Spurs-Knicks game. (San Antonio won 97-87.) Anyway, they wanted me to share my expertise on Cedric Jackson and discuss what kind of player the Spurs were getting. Unfortunately, due to technical difficulties, the first few minutes of my interview are cut off from the archived podcast, but the good news is that my Skype recorded the full thing.

So I uploaded it in two parts to YouTube, which you can listen to below. Much thanks to Michael De Leon and everyone at Projec tSpurs for having me on the show:

Part 1

Part 2

I also shared some thoughts on the Spurs' call-up of Cedric Jackson with Kurt Helin of NBC's ProBasketballTalk blog.

In other news, my weekly post is up on D-League Digest today. With March Madness just around the corner, I examine the D-League standings like a bracketologist and offer my playoff projections. For the full article, click on over to D-League Digest.

Game Review: Sioux Falls Skyforce 93, Erie BayHawks 116

2010-03-09T20:13:00.005-05:00

I don't know if the BayHawks have a roster full of morning people or just a collection of players who really care about the children, but Erie put a whopping on Sioux Falls earlier today in the 2nd annual School Kids Jam, which meant an 11 a.m. tipoff and more than 4,000 screaming kids packing the arena. Erie's 116-93 win snapped a nine-game winning streak for the Skyforce.

As expected with the early tip time, both teams started off a bit sluggish. They traded baskets for much of the first quarter with neither team leading by more than 5 until the final minute when Erie closed on a 7-2 run, capped off by a Blake Ahearn 3 at the buzzer. Despite being without both Cedric Jackson (called up by the San Antonio Spurs) and Jackie Manuel (out with the flu), the BayHawks' offense continued its recent success, scoring at least 25 points in each quarter en route to its third straight game of more than 100 points (or, as the Erie fans know it, three straight vouchers for free fries from McDonalds!)

Erie built the lead to 14 at the half and Sioux Falls would never get any closer the rest of the way. Erie spent the second half resting comfortably with the lead growing as big as 24. The Skyforce cut it down to 14 again late in the fourth, but the BayHawks had an answer every time and cruised to a convincing 23-point victory in front of a jubilant bunch of youngsters.

Player notes
Aside from 9 minutes of Cliff Clinkscales, who was scoreless with 2 points and 2 rebounds, the BayHawks essentially won this game (easily!) with just six players. And again, I feel I need to reiterate that neither Cedric Jackson nor Jackie Manuel were in uniform.

Before I get to the regulars, let me call attention to Kyle Goldcamp and Jarvis Gunter, who were both instrumental in today's win. . Playing behind John Bryant and Alade Aminu most of the year, neither player has had a lot of playing time, but they made the most of their opportunity today. It was just a little over a month ago that Goldcamp was released by the BayHawks for medical reasons. Today a healthy Goldcamp made his first career start and came through with arguably his best performance of the season. His statline was solid 12 points on 6-11 shooting, 7 rebounds in 27 minutes, but it was his energy, hustle, defense, and physical play (yes, he earned another 5 fouls for his efforts) that made the biggest impact by neutralizing the effectiveness of the Skyforce's fron line.

Similarly, Gunter came off the bench to spark the team defensively and managed to contribute on the other end as well. A pair of dunks highlighted his 15-point performance (on 6-8 shooting, 3-3 from the free throw line), and he also grabbed 13 rebounds in his 30 minutes on the court.

With the departure of Jackson and absence of Manuel, the recent smallball craze was not in the cards for the BayHawks, but that didn't stop the starting guards from producing. Something tells me Mike Gansey really likes playing basketball in the month of March. His hot start to the month continued as he tied for the team-high with 24 points, including 3-8 from 3-point range to go along with 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 dunk (see the :48 mark of the embedded video highlights atop this post.)

Meanwhile, the newest BayHawk, Blake Ahearn had a ridiculous statline. He went 8-8 from the free throw line to extend his streak as a BayHawk to 22 straight made free throws. He also dished out 15 assists. As for his shooting from the field? He was 4-7 from 3 and 0-10 from everywhere else for 20 points in all. Go figure.

The only two BayHawks I've yet to mention are John Bryant and Ivan Harris, both of whom had the jump shot flowing today. Bryant tied for a game-high with 24 points on 11-18 shooting with most of his success coming via his patented top of the key jumper. Harris was one of two BayHawks that played all 48 minutes (Gansey was the other). Harris scored 21 on 9-15 shooting, including 3-5 from downtown (see what happens when you take 3s and avoid the Ivans!).

Game notes
Defensively, Erie heeded my advice and honed in on Alexander Johnson, forcing the reigning D-League Performer of the Week to earn every point. He was just 2-5 from the field, in no small part because he went to the line for 18 free throw attempts, where he converted 13.

From the field, Erie was just slightly better shooting than Sioux Falls at 48.9 percent compared to 43,2 percent. The difference really showed up beyond the arc where Erie was 10-21 (47.6 percent) and Sioux Falls was 0-8 and at the free throw line where Erie was a perfect 16-16 and Sioux Falls was just 23-34 (67.6 percent).

With the win, the BayHawks improve to 15-25. The Skyforce falls to 24-16. Up next for the BayHawks is a major West Conference road trip. They will play in three cities in four nights all against teams they've yet to play this season. First, they'll take on the Albuquerque Thunderbirds on Friday night, followed by the Idaho Stampede on Saturday, and the Utah Flash on Monday.

Cedric Jackson Reportedly to Be Called Up by Spurs

2010-03-08T17:50:00.007-05:00

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, Cedric Jackson is going to be called up by the San Antonio Spurs in lieu of the recent injury to Tony Parker. This will be Jackson's second NBA call-up this season. The first came with the Cleveland Cavaliers back in January. He then earned a second 10-day contract with the Cavs before returning to the BayHawks in mid-February.

In my opinion, Jackson is a great pickup by San Antonio. Like Parker, Jackson is lightning quick off the dribble, and he has an uncanny knack for getting to—and finishing at—the rim. Just how fiercely does Jackson attack the rim? Well, he has taken nearly a quarter of the BayHawks' free throws this season (219 of the team's 980 attempts) despite missing nine games during his time with the Cavs.

His offensive shortcomings are outside shooting (28.6 percent from 3) and occasionally questionable shot selection, but that's been less and less of a problem as the season has progressed and he's matured as a player. Of course, on a team with players like Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobli, Jackson isn't going to be asked to be a primary scorer the way he is for Erie. The good news is, Jackson is also a terrific and efficient distributor who is more than capable of getting others involved. When he's not finishing at the rim, his dribble penetration is setting up open shots for his teammates. He's 3rd in the D-League with 7.4 assists per game, and his 2.29 assist-to-turnover ratio is good for 10th.

Jackson will likely assume the backup point guard role behind George Hill. In his previous NBA stint, Jackson played just 10 minutes in 5 games. The Cavs' short-handed guard situation was covered up quite nicely by LeBron James. The Spurs, however, don't have that same luxury, so it would not surprise me to see Jackson earn some legitimate minutes for the Spurs (*edit* Gregg Popovich may have other ideas with this less than ringing endorsement courtesy of 48 Minutes of Hell: “Anyone we sign isn’t going to help us this season.")

San Antonio has traditionally been a team built on defense. How's Jackson fit in on that end? He's a rookie, so there's room for improvement, but he is a good on-ball defender. He's fourth in the D-League in steals, averaging 2.1 per game, and he has the lateral quickness to stay in front of just about anyone. He's listed at 6'3," which is pretty good size for a point guard, but he's a little on the slender side and could struggle defending a bigger, physical point guard like Chauncey Billups or Andre Miller. Off the ball, I think Jackson is still learning some of the intricacies of NBA help defense and the pick 'n roll, but that's where his time with the Cavaliers—one of the best defensive teams in the league—surely helped out.

I'm not familiar enough with the Spurs to know if they have a unit that really looks to fast-break, but that's one area where Jackson really excels. Whether he's starting the break with a steal of his own or taking the outlet pass from a big man, Jackson has shown game after game that he's one of the best in the D-League at getting the ball from one end of the court to the other and making the right decision to get a score in transition. I know Richard Jefferson has had trouble adjusting to his role in San Antonio. Perhaps Jackson can get Jefferson some easy baskets on the break a la Jason Kidd when Jefferson was starring for the Nets.

The bottom line is that with Parker out six weeks, the Spurs are in the need for someone to fill in for the rest of the regular season. George Hill is capable of playing big minutes, but they're going to need a backup to contribute as they fight for playoff positioning. If Jackson signs on, he'll have an opportunity to learn from one of the best coaches in the game, Gregg Popovich, and the rare privilege of playing with LeBron, Shaq, and Duncan all in the same season.

Even if Jackson's tenure with the Spurs ends with Parker's return in April for the playoffs, this upcoming six week period (assuming he's on board for more than just another 10-day stint) could do wonders for Jackson's career future. He's already demonstrated that he's a willing and capable learner, taking his bench-heavy Cleveland experience in stride and saying all the right things upon his return to Erie. Plus, his game has never looked better. In the first two games this month, he's averaging 27.5 points on 56.7 percent shooting with 12.5 free throw attempts per game (76 percent free throw shooting), 7.5 rebounds, 7.5 assists, and 4.0 steals per game.

The Spurs are in Cleveland tonight, so Jackson will miss out on the opportunity to suit up against his former teammates. But he could be in uniform as early as Wednesday when the Spurs are home hosting the New York Knicks. It may take some time to adjust to a new system, new teammates, etc., but given the opportunity to be an NBA player for the second time this season, I'd be surprised if Jackson didn't make a positive impact as a Spur the rest of the way.

Implications for the BayHawks
As for Erie, this move puts a major dent in their offensive attack as Jackson was the conductor that helped their offensive engine get going with back-to-back 100-plus point efforts this past weekend against Iowa. Jackson's call-up would likely shift recently acquired Blake Ahearn into the starting point guard spot unless coach Treloar is set on going with a smallball lineup. If that's the case, toss Cliff Clinkscales into the mix alongside Ahearn, Mike Gansey, Jackie Manuel, and the line big man, John Bryant, when the BayHawks host Sioux Falls tomorrow morning at 11 a.m.

For another savvy D-League blogger breakdown of Jackson to the Spurs, check out Scott Schroeder's take from Ridiculous Upside.

Game Preview: Sioux Falls Skyforce (24-15) vs. Erie BayHawks (14-25)

2010-03-08T11:54:00.001-05:00

You would think the BayHawks' schedule would get easier after finishing off a weekend series against the team with the best record in the the league, the Iowa Energy. But up next for Erie is a showdown with the league's hottest team, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, winners of nine straight games.

On the positive side, the special 11 a.m. tipoff time Tuesday morning should be a little easier on the BayHawks since the game is at home. The early start time is part of the 2nd annual School Kids Jam, which means the arena will be packed with youngsters.

The BayHawks and Skyforce have not played each other since they split two games in early December in Sioux Falls.

Game 40 Preview: Sioux Falls Skyforce (24-15) vs. Erie BayHawks (14-25)

Sioux Falls coming in: The Skyforce have won nine in row, including a pair of victories over Iowa and a dramatic 99-98 win yesterday over Maine on a Leemire Goldwire 3-pointer with just 0.5 seconds left. Whereas Erie went just 1-8 in February, Sioux Falls enjoyed an 8-1 record last month and have stayed hot through three games in March. Their recent winning streak has them in second place in the East (six games back of first place Iowa) and fourth overall in the D-League.

Erie coming in: The BayHawks are coming off of arguably their biggest win of the season, a hard-fought 127-120 win over Iowa. It was Erie's first win against the Energy in 10 games this season and it came with a season-high in points. The victory snapped a three-game losing streak for Erie and was just their second win in their past 11 games. Although wins have been gard to come by, the BayHawks' offense has made some strides lately. They've scored more than 100 points in four of their last five games after topping the century mark just six times all season before that.

BayHawks keys to success:

Play to your strengths: embrace smallball
Since acquiring Blake Ahearn, coach John Treloar has started a smallball lineup with one big man (John Bryant) and four smalls (shooting guard/small forward Jackie Manuel plus guards Mike Gansey, Ahearn, and Cedric Jackson. I don't have access to the advanced statistics I'd like to see if this has, in fact, been the team's most effective lineup the past two games, but based on my personal observations, it certainly wouldn't surprise me. The combination of Jackson's driving ability and Gansey and Ahearn's shooting has worked very well. Jackson can get into the paint at will and has attempted 25 free throws in the past two games. Over the same stretch, Gansey and Ahearn have combined to shoot 17-30 from 3-point range.
Find an answer for Alexander Johnson.
The Skyforce forward has been on a tear as of late, averaging 30.3 points and 12.3 rebounds over the past four games, picking up the slack since Reggie Williams was called up by the Golden State Warriors and earning D-League Performer of the Week honors. He's doing all this while coming off the bench, but he is still playing 31.2 minutes per night. Johnson has been hard to handle for anyone, but considering the point I just made above about smallball, he poses an added challenge for the BayHawks.

The 6'9," 206-pound Johnson has three inches and nearly 20 pounds on Erie's best defender, Jackie Manuel, which may press Kyle Goldcamp into some additional playing time. Though he's averaging just 9.5 minutes per game, Goldcamp is probably Erie's most physical player. He has had foul trouble (7.7 fouls per 48 minutes...if that stat has any relevance), but he makes his opponent work for every shot and tends to frustrate them with his physicality. Jarvis Gunter and Ivan Harris are two other options for defending Johnson. Gunter is Erie's quickest big man and a talented shot blocker. Harris, more known for his offense has been called into post-defense duty lately with Erie's smaller roster, sometimes even moonlighting at the center position.
Get an early start to the early start.
The 11 a.m. tip will fill like 10 a.m. for Sioux Falls (you know, because of the time zone difference). That's early in the day to be playing basketball. Considering how hot the Skyforce has been lately, the first few minutes may be all Erie has to take advantage of this opportunity before muscle memory kicks in and the game intensity picks up. I'm looking forward to seeing what a crowd of hundreds of kids feels/sounds like. Hopefully it's enough to get Erie an early advantage as they try to pull another upset.

Game Review: Iowa Energy 120, Erie BayHawks 127

2010-03-06T22:23:00.002-05:00

How do you beat a team that you've never beaten in nine attempts?

The Erie BayHawks supplied the answer to that question in rousing fashion, defeating the Iowa Energy 127-120 to improve to 14-25 on the season.

So, how did Erie finally beat the Energy? Let us count the ways:

By scoring a season-high 127 points.
Erie entered the weekend averaging just 92.1 points per game. In last night's tough loss, they put up 111. Tonight, they made that look like a junior varsity effort. They scored at least 30 points in three of the four quarters and put up 66 in the first half.
By shooting lights out.
Erie also entered the weekend shooting a league-worst 44.7 percent from the field. Tonight they were marksmen, connecting on 54.9 percent from the field, including 12-18 from 3-point range.
By feeding the hot hands. Yes, plural.
Welcome to Erie, Blake Ahearn. After a so-so debut yesterday, Ahearn's second game as a BayHawk was a shooting clinic. He hit 5-8 from 3 and was a perfect 9-9 from the line, scoring 32 points to go along with 9 rebounds. Mike Gansey one-upped Ahearn from downtown, hitting on 6 of his 7 3-point attempts on his way to a 30-point, 11-rebound, 5-assist (with no turnovers) game.
By letting Cedric Jackson do his thing.
He came into the night with bruised ribs and left with a limp, but that didn't stop him from another night chalk full of purposeful drives to the basket. He finished with 25 points on 8-13 from the field and 8-10 from the free throw line as well as 6 assists and just 1 turnover.
By getting some unexpected bench help.
Although John Bryant got the start at center and managed to record yet another double-double in just 19 minutes of action, it was Kyle Goldcamp who played most of the crucial fourth quarter minutes (before fouling out with 4:26 remaining). His stat line wasn't spectacular, but stats don't always tell the story in the paint, and Goldcamp's feisty, scrappy play inside, particularly on the defensive end was key.
By playing with passion.
Whether it was Blake Ahearn trying to dunk (didn't quite work out) or Jackie Manuel sprinting in to the other side of the court in disbelief/disappointment when he thought he'd been whistled for his sixth foul (they changed the foul to Goldcamp), it was clear that the BayHawks had a sour taste in their mouths from the way they let last night's game get away from them in the fourth quarter. Moreover, no one wanted to be on the wrong end of 0-10. Gansey and Ahearn both played all 48 minutes. Manuel played 47:22. Even the bench was on their feet swinging towels above their heads, trying to fire up the crowd in the final minutes. This was a team playing like it had to have this game.

Iowa didn't make it easy. After Erie surged ahead by 12 in the fourth, Cartier Martin did his best to bring the Energy back by himself, scoring 15 of his game-high 37 in the fourth. But the BayHawks made the plays they needed to down the stretch and Ahearn iced the game at the free throw line.

The BayHawks next game is a matinee 11 a.m. tipoff Tuesday morning against the Sioux Falls Skyforce.

Game Review: Iowa Energy 116, Erie BayHawks 111

2010-03-06T09:54:00.002-05:00

Of the nine meetings this season between Erie and Iowa (all Erie losses), this was probably the most entertaining yet (and I'm not just saying that because I had a courtside view of this one). The teams combined for 227 points after averaging 185 points in the first eight matchups.

The Energy jumped out to an early lead, and finished the first quarter up 34-20, which had everyone thinking "here we go again." Mike Gansey drained three 3-pointers while Cedric Jackson attacked the rim relentlessly, bringing the BayHawks within one point before Iowa closed the half strong to lead 64-57.

Iowa started the second half as they started the game and reestablished a double-digit lead, but Erie would not go away. Another 3 from Gansey and one from Manuel helped chip away at the lead. Then, Cedric Jackson stole a pass and raced downcourt for the jam to tie the game at 84 with less than two minutes left in the third quarter. Moments later, the BayHawks took their first lead of the game at 86-85 as Cedric Jackson scored on another fearless drive that sent him crashing to the floor. The lead lasted just 5 seconds as Iowa took advantage of Jackson being down, pushed the pace and found Pat Carroll, who hit a 3 to put Iowa back up 88-86 at the end of the third.

The BayHawks gained momentum early in the fourth, retaking the lead and extending it to 100-92 on a tough fallaway foul line jumper from Blake Ahearn. The lead was still 6 points with 3:06 left to play, and it looked like the BayHawks might finally break through with their first win in nine tries against the Energy this season, but Iowa had one last push left in them and Erie went cold.

With the game tied at 108, Iowa played volleyball under the rim until Mark Tyndale finally scored underneath and gave Iowa its first lead since the start of the fourth quarter. Tyndale then applied fullcourt pressure to Cedric Jackson and drew the charge with an exaggerated fall as Jackson pushed off to try to get open. Tyndale hit one of two free throws to put Iowa up 113-110. Cedric Jackson then drew a foul at the other end and hit 1 of 2 to bring Erie within 2 with 32 seconds, but Jeff Trepagnier hit a dagger 3 with 17 seconds left to seal the victory for the Energy.

It was a crushing loss for the BayHawks. They led for 9:19 of the fourth quarter, but couldn't make the plays down the stretch to close out the win.

A quick look at how the BayHawks fared in terms of my 3 keys to success from my preview post:

Work the offense from the outside in.
They shot 8-21 from 3 (38.1 percent), which is an improvement from their season average but not by much. They did, however, ride the hot hand of Mike Gansey in the second quarter as he hit three triples that spearheaded their comeback. Also, while the shots weren't falling at an extremely high rate, the 3-point shooting did produce the other effect I wrote about by spacing the floor and opening up lanes for Cedric Jackson to penetrate.
Keep Bryant out of foul trouble.
While he did eventually foul out, he spaced his 6 fouls out pretty well and managed to play 35 minutes. The problem is that he had no answer for Earl Barron on the night as the Energy center had a banner night with 35 points and 24 rebounds (6 offensive).
The pride factor.
I'm not a big believer in moral victories. This loss hurt like all the others, but I was glad to see the way this team was competing in the fourth quarter. Execution was lacking in some areas down the stretch but the effort was definitely there. In the brief interaction I had with Gansey right after the game, his frustration was palpable. I'm pretty sure was a game the team felt they could have and should have won. And Gansey made it very clear that they're going to do whatever it takes to win the rematch tonight and avoid an 0-10 mark for the season.

There are several individual performances worth noting from this game:

We'll start with my co-MVPs of the game: Cedric Jackson and Mike Gansey. Jackson is reportedly nursing bruised ribs, but you'd never know it from the way he plays. I would have loved to see a shot chart from his game because I think it would look like a mass of dots around the basket. I tweeted that he was taking it to the hole like a young A.I. He spent a lot of time on the ground and probably picked up a few more bruises along the way, but he earned every one of his 30 points, which came on 9-17 shooting (11-15 from the free throw line). He also added 11 rebounds, 8 assists (6 turnovers), and 6 steals. Meanwhile Gansey had 24 on 9-16 shooting, including 4-7 from 3 to go along with 8 rebounds.
John Bryant also scored 24 points on 9-15 shooting. He had just 7 rebounds but an impressive 5 blocks. The biggest issue for him was on the defensive end dealing with the activity and athleticism of Earl Barron.
Blake Ahearn's debut wasn't great, but it wasn't terrible either. He got the start in the backcourt with Cedric Jackson as Erie went smallball with Gansey and Jackie Manuel at forward to start alongside Bryant. Ahearn's final statline: 13 points on 3-10 shooting (2-7 from 3) with 3 assists and 2 turnovers in 32 minutes. His reputation as a dead-eye free throw shooter preceded him, earning him the right to shoot the technical free throw on an illegal defense call. He made it and all five of his free throw attempts on the night.

Other miscellaneous team/game notes:

Neither team relied much on their bench in this one. Ivan Harris got 37 minutes as the sixth man, but the rest of Erie's reserves played just 12 minutes. Iowa got 27 quality minutes from Mark Tyndale, and that was about it.
Aside from Earl Barron, Jeff Trepagnier's performance stood out for the Energy. The veteran gunner scored 22 points on 7-14 shooting, but it was his two clutch 3s in the final three minutes that helped the Energy pull off the late comeback.
I'm not usually one to comment on the officiating. In fact, I'm not sure I've written anything about the officiating yet this season. If I have, it's been very little because, for the most part, I think they've been just fine. But last night the crew of Scott Bolnick, George McDaniels, and Janetta Graham struggled. There were at least three or four instances when they needed to huddle after making a call to discuss what just happened with a couple of the calls being reversed and several other calls that just seemed incorrect. Obviously I'm biased, but I'd love to see the video tape and check out some of those calls again.
The BayHawks and Energy meet for the 10th and final time tonight. Things will get underway in Erie at 7 p.m. As always, you can catch the live streaming action with FutureCast.

Game Preview: Iowa Energy (30-9) vs. Erie BayHawks (13-24)

2010-03-05T13:01:00.002-05:00

After a forgettable February that saw the BayHawks go just 1-8 and be all but eliminated (never give up hope!) from the playoff race, no one is happier to turn the calendar to March than the Erie BayHawks. The Bayhawks host the first of theireight March home games tonight as the East Conference-leading Iowa Energy return to Erie for a weekend set of games tonight and tomorrow.

These teams are pretty familiar with each other at this point, having played each other eight times already this season. The margin has been as much as 24 and as small as 3, but the result has always been the same: a BayHawks loss.

Erie is hopeful that their new acquisition, Blake Ahearn, who came from Bakersfield in exchange for Alade Aminu will be the missing piece that finally helps Erie defeat the Energy. Ahearn is expected to debut tonight, though his role is yet to be determined. If Cedric Jackson is good to go, Ahearn will likely come off the bench to spell Jackson at point guard and possibly Mike Gansey at shooting guard. If Jackson, who is dealing with bruised ribs, is unable to go, it's possible Ahearn could get the green light to be on the court from the opening tip. We'll have to wait and see.

There will be some new faces on the other sideline as well. Gone from the Energy roster since the last time these teams met are Courtney Sims (now playing overseas) and Othyus Jeffers (called up by the Utah Jazz). One of the new names on Iowa's roster is former BayHawk Darian Townes.

Game 38 Preview: Iowa Energy (30-9) vs. Erie BayHawks (13-24)

Iowa coming in: Despite maintaining the league's best win/loss record, the Energy enter this game riding a season-high three-game losing streak with all three losses coming at home. Tonight's game will also be the team's first since Othyus Jeffers was called up to the Utah Jazz. In four games against the BayHawks, Jeffers averaged 15.3 points and 7.3 rebounds in 33 minutes per game.

Erie coming in: The BayHawks current losing streak (two games) is actually shorter than Iowa's, but as I mentioned in the opening, that is just the tail end of a bad month of basketball that started with four consecutive losses to Iowa from February 3-9. March presents them the opportunity to redeem or repeat themselves.

BayHawks keys to success:

Work the offense from the outside in.
If you've been following my game previews this season, you'll note that this is a change of philosophy. But with the departure of Alade Aminu and the acquisition of Blake Ahearn, the BayHawks clearly have a team with different strengths and weaknesses. This is now a guard-heavy, perimeter-oriented team. Ahearn, along with Mike Gansey and Ivan Harris gives Erie three dangerous shooters to space the floor. If any one (or, preferably, a combination) of these players gets in a rhythm from long range, it will force Iowa to stretch its defense, opening holes for dribble penetration.
Keep Bryant out of foul trouble.
John Bryant is arguably the most dependable, consistent performer on Erie's roster. With the departure of Alade Aminu (had I mentioned he was traded yet?), Big Bad John becomes the anchor down low for Erie on both sides of the floor. Both Jarvis Gunter and Kyle Goldcamp provide great energy and will have to make up for the loss of Aminu's production on the glass, but Bryant is the big man most capable of carrying the team with his offense, which is why he needs to play smart and stay out of foul trouble against the Energy. Interestingly, Bryant and Iowa counterpart Earl Barron are tied for third in the D-League with 16 double-doubles this season.
The pride factor.
Don't try to tell me that Jackie Manuel, Mike Gansey, Ivan Harris, and company don't know what it takes to win in March. At this point in the season, the BayHawks are aware that it would take a monumental win streak and some luck to finish the season and make the playoffs. But there's still a lot to play for, including the shot at an NBA call-up, Summer League invite, etc.

One additional motivating factor that I hope and expect to see on display starting tonight at the Tullio Arena is the pride factor. Losing is one thing. But losing to a team eight straight times without a single win is tough to swallow. Six of Erie's eight losses against Iowa have come by 10 points or less, three by 5 or less, so it's not like they're being run out of the arena.

In order to break through with a win tonight in the ninth attempt it's going to take a determined, focused effort. Diving for loose balls, taking charges, holding that box out for an extra second to ensure the rebound is possessed, taking care of the ball, and working each possession for a quality shot attempt. The total package (insert Lex Luger joke here). NCAA March Madness is just around the corner, but the D-League version starts tonight for Erie. Like a tourney team in the big dance, the BayHawks have no margin for error. It's winning time.

(I'm feeling a little extra geared-up for this game because I have courtside seats for the action tonight. The game starts at 7 p.m. If you can't make it out to the arena but still want to watch the action unfold check out FutureCast, which streams all the D-League games live for free. Also, be sure to follow @BlogTalkBayHawk on Twitter. Depending on who I'm with at the game, the frequency of my in-game tweeting varies, but the enjoyability factor always remains a 10 out of 10, at least in my mind.)

More on the Alade Aminu Trade at D-League Digest

2010-03-04T15:08:00.000-05:00

It's day three of Alade Aminu trade analysis for me. The news broke on Tuesday and I weighed in on what Blake Ahearn brings to the BayHawks yesterday, but I had to write a more in-depth piece regarding the departure of the team's lone all-star this season.

The article, which I titled The Curious Case of Alade Aminu, is featured as my post of the week over at D-League Digest. It takes a closer look at the unusual progression/regression of Aminu's season with the BayHawks and my thoughts on what the move to Bakersfield could mean. Be sure to check it out along with all the great content provided at D-League Digest from site creator Steve Weinman and fellow contributor Matt Kolsky.

A Changing of the Guard?: What Blake Ahearn Means for Erie

2010-03-03T13:45:00.004-05:00

Depending on your perspective, the acquisition of Blake Ahearn either adds depth to the BayHawks' backcourt or clutters it. Depending on how you classify Jackie Manuel and Frank Tolbert, Erie's 10-man roster now consists of as many as 10 guards. At the very least the roster has shrunk with seven of the 10 players now listed at 6'7" or shorter, five of which are 6'4" or shorter.

After spending much of last season with the undersized Erik Daniels at center, Erie entered the 2009-10 season determined to be bigger, drafting in round two John Bryant after trading for Alade Aminu in round one. Aminu and Bryant made the team along with the returning Jarvis Gunter and local allocation Kyle Goldcamp. With the frontcourt seemingly solidified, Erie's early season question marks came in the backcourt, specifically outside shooting and ballhandling.

When the experiment to play top draft pick Donell Taylor at point guard failed, the BayHawks sent Taylor to Idaho in exchange for Mike Gansey. While Gansey was not a point guard, he aided the team's other pressing problem: the lack of outside shooting. Meanwhile rookie Cedric Jackson was establishing himself as a top-flight D-League point guard, even earning back-to-back 10-day contracts with the Cleveland Cavaliers for his strong, consistent play at point guard where he demonstrated his knack for getting to the rim (or at least the free throw line) and a remarkable assist-to-turnover ratio (second best in the D-League).

All of a sudden, with the combination of Jackson and Gansey, the BayHawks had a formidable backcourt to go along with Aminu and Bryant upfront. Add to that Jackie Manuel or Ivan Harris as the fifth man depending on need (perimeter defense and a slashing offensive game from Manuel and streaky-but-game-changing-when-he's-on outside shooting from Harris).

Yet for some reason, the BayHawks never seemd to role with what seemed to be their strongest quintet, and they began to play Aminu fewer and fewer minutes per game. His playing time dropped from more than 34 minutes per game in January, when he shined at the D-League Showcase and earned himself a D-League all-star selection, to just 19 minutes per game in February. Aminu's role in the BayHawks went from focal point to expendable asset in no time at all as he was dealt to Bakersfield for sharpshooting guard Blake Ahearn yesterday.

I'm obviously not a fan of letting Aminu go. I've been writing in game recaps for awhile now that he was being mis/underused by the team. I wish him all the best in Bakersfield. I hope he gets a chance to play big minutes there, and I also hope he takes the opportunity to use the change of scenery to his benefit and make the most of his potential.

So what do we make of the incoming talent? Acquiring Ahearn is no small feat. Last year, the 6'2" guard won the 3-point shootout and earned co-MVP honors of the 2009 D-League All-Star Game. Although he has been struggling with his shot in Bakersfield (36.7 percent from the field, 27.7 percent from 3), there is hope that he can regain his stroke as a BayHawk considering he is a career 41 percent 3-point shooter in the D-League and an unbelievable 95.4 percent from the free throw line.

The simple truth is that Erie is not a good 3-point shooting team. Mike Gansey has helped expand the offense, but even he's connecting at 31.7 percent from beyond the arc, which is just slightly above the team average. In fact, of the five BayHawks who have attempted at least 25 3-pointers this season, only Ivan Harris (38.1 percent) is above 32 percent. If Ahearn can't find the range with Erie, it's unlikely that this trade will be viewed as a success.

Ahearn also comes as insurance at the point guard position where Cedric Jackson is nursing a serious bruised ribs injury suffered last weekend against Dakota that will take weeks to heal completely. There's no word yet if Jackson or Ahearn will get the start at point guard this Friday when the BayHawks return to action. If Jackson can't go or is relegated to a supporting role, Ahearn and Gansey can team to give Erie its best shooting backcourt of the season at the expense of losing Jackson' penetrating ability. Along with Ivan Harris, the BayHawks now have three legitimate outside shooters to help space the floor. At the very least, it's a new wrinkle worth a shot considering where the team stands in the standings.

While it remains to be seen if the acquisition of Ahearn makes up for the departure of Aminu, the bottom line is that Erie is running out of time no matter who is on the roster. At 13-24, the BayHawks have already ensured themselves of a worse record than they had as an expansion franchise last season when they qualified as the seventh seed in the playoffs.

This season came with legitimate playoff hopes as well, but those thoughts are all but gone at this juncture of the season, especially with a weekend set against the Iowa Energy looming. The BayHawks are 0-8 against the Energy this season. Unless they manage to break through with a win Friday or Saturday, they will ensure themselves of a sub-.500 record for the season.

BayHawks Trade Alade Aminu to Bakersfield Jam for Blake Ahearn

2010-03-02T13:29:00.004-05:00

For the second time this year, the BayHawks have traded a first-round draft pick. In December, they traded the number two overall pick, Donell Taylor to Idaho for Mike Gansey. Today, they traded the number 10 pick, Alade Aminu, to the Bakersfield Jam for Blake Ahearn.

I have my own thoughts on this trade and what I'd call the misuse of Aminu, but I'm saving them for later this week when I have a little time to process and hopefully gather some more information on the trade. For now, here's the info on the trade straight from the press release:

The Erie BayHawks today acquired guard Blake Ahearn from the Bakersfield Jam in exchange for forward Alade Aminu.

Ahearn, 6-2 180 lbs., is currently in his third NBA Development League season. He was drafted by the Dakota Wizards in 2007 and averaged 19 points per game, including a league-leading 96% free-throw shooting percentage, helping him earn Rookie of the Year honors. In 2008-09 he again led the league in free-throw shooting connecting on 95% of his attempts, and averaged a team high 22.7 points and 5 assists per game.

After spending two months playing for Asefa Estudiantes of Spain's ACB league at the start of the 2009-10 season, Ahearn returned to D-League and was dealt from Dakota to Bakersfield. He’s appeared in seventeen games with the Jam this season averaging 14.3 points and 4.1 assists per game.

In 2009, Ahearn starred during All-Star Weekend, earning co-MVP honors in the League’s All-Star game a day after winning the three-point competition. He is a 2007 graduate of Missouri State where he finished as the all-time leading free throw shooter in NCAA Division I history with a 94.6% career mark.

Ahearn has had short stints with three different NBA teams including the Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves and San Antonio Spurs.

Aminu, a 2009-10 All-Star, was part of a 2009 draft day trade that sent the rights of forward Rob Kurz to Fort Wayne in exchange for the forward from Georgia Tech. He was averaging 12.2 points and 6.5 rebounds per game for Erie. Aminu will join the Jam today and is expected to be available for today’s game against the Los Angeles D-Fenders.

Ahearn will be in uniform for the BayHawks when they host the Iowa Energy in a two-game series Friday and Saturday night at the Tullio Arena with tip-off set for 7:15 p.m. each night.

Game Review: Erie BayHawks 95, Maine Red Claws 102

2010-03-01T13:41:00.002-05:00

The BayHawks' season-long struggle against the Maine Red Claws continued yesterday in a 102-95 loss at Maine. Erie is now 0-6 against the Red Claws. Their seventh and final meeting will take place on April 3, the last game of the season for both teams.

Danny Green was recalled by the Cleveland Cavaliers prior to this game, leaving the BayHawks to fend for themselves without the aid of Green, who led the team in scoring in their previous game.

John Bryant got the start at center and came through in a big way, scoring 32 points on 14-20 shooting while adding 12 rebounds. He did have 5 turnovers, however.

Ivan Harris and Jackie Manuel started at forward. Harris was 4-8 for 9 points in 27 minutes. Manuel played a team-high 46 minutes. It took him 16 shots to score 16 points, but he did chip in with 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and a steal.

At guard, Cedric Jackson got the start despite severely bruised ribs, an injury he suffered Friday against Dakota. He scored 19 points on 7-13 shooting, but he had just 4 assists with 3 turnovers. Mike Gansey had 7 assists as the starting shooting guard, but he scored just 6 points, shooting 3-14 overall, 0-6 from downtown.

The mystery of Alade Aminu continues to be a storyline for the BayHawks. The lone BayHawk to be named a D-League All-Star, Aminu went into the all-star break in a bit of a slump, and he has yet to emerge in no small part because he hasn't received the playing time. He played just 13:24 in this one, scoring 4 points on 2-3 shooting and grabbing 3 rebounds in the short time he was on the floor.

The BayHawks followed up a 35-point first quarter with 37 points combined in the second and third quarters. The game was tied at 54 at the half, but Maine scored the first 7 points of the third quarter, and Erie never regained the lead after that.

Erie falls to 13-24 on the season, ahead of only Springfield in the East Conference standings. Their flickering playoff hopes are now nothing more than a dream as they sit 6.5 games behind Utah for the eighth and final playoff spot with just 13 games to play.

And things don't get any easier. Up next for the BayHawks is a two-game set against the East Conference leading Iowa Energy, another team Erie has not beaten all season (0-8). Erie will host the Energy this Friday and Saturday at Tullio Arena.

Game Review: Erie BayHawks 103, Dakota Wizards 108

2010-02-27T09:37:00.004-05:00

For one night, Erie was the center of the D-League universe as the number two overall draft pick from the Memphis Grizzlies, Hasheem Thabeet, made his D-League debut for the Dakota Wizards.

Thabeet did not get the start for the Wizards and played just 17 minutes, 51 seconds in all, so while he may have been the headline for the game, he was not the story of the game. More on Thabeet in a bit.

The game itself was an exciting one. After a well-played, back-and-forth first quarter, Dakota opened things up with some hot shooting in the second quarter and led 63-44 at the half. Erie clawed back on the strength of Danny Green's shooting in the second half. The Cavaliers guard, wearing the familiar Cleveland uniforms on Cavaliers affiliate night, accounted for more than one third of Erie's points on the night. After cutting the deficit to four with about 5 minutes to play in the third, Erie watched Dakota rebuild the lead to 83-74 at the end of three.

The BayHawks fought back again, getting as close as three points with under a minute to play, but they killed themselves at the free throw line, shooting 6-14 in the fourth quarter. With the win, Erie falls to 13-23 on the year while Dakota improves to 19-16.

Player notes:

After a sluggish D-League debut Thursday night, Danny Green came out firing last night, showing exactly why he's an asset for the Cavs going forward. He scored 36 points (6-12 from 3) and added 9 rebounds. One word of caution, though. He had 5 turnovers and 0 assists to go with his 28 shot attempts. He's not a point guard, so those numbers aren't as troubling as they would be for Cedric Jackson, but it's something to watch. That said, his competitive fire was on full display, especially during the first sequence after Thabeet entered the game. The Wizards center swatted Green's layup attempt. Back at the other end, Thabeet had low post position of his own. But when he tried to make his move, Green swung in from the weak side, LeBron-style, and skyed to block the shot attempt of the 7-foot-3-inch Thabeet. The two NBA assignees were talking to one another frequently during the game.
Ivan Harris had an impressive game, even limiting his Ivans. He went 3-5 from long range and added 8 rebounds as Erie played a smallball lineup for much of the game with Harris as the 5-man.
Mike Gansey had a quiet 19 points on 8-13 shooting, including 3-6 from downtown. My favorite moment, however, was when Gansey grabbed an errant shot at the rim and scored the putback only to here the stadium announcer credit the bucket to John Bryant. I don't think they could look any less alike aside from skin color.
On the plus side, Cedric Jackson dished out 13 assists (with 4 turnovers). On the negative side, his shooting numbers were ugly: 1-11 from the field, 0-5 from 3, 4-10 from the free throw line. He also committed a careless foul with 38 seconds left in the game after Erie had made it a 3-point game. Dakota hit the two ensuing free throws, and Erie never got any closer the rest of the way.
In a matchup against Hasheem Thabeet, you would expect some focus on the Erie big men. Surprisingly, they were essentially irrelevant in this one. Jarvis Gunter got the start at center. In 9:34 of playing time he recorded one foul and nothing else. D-League All-Star Alade Aminu played even less (6:53) and went 0-2 with 2 rebounds. John Bryant got the most time of the big guys, playing 18:57, scoring 15 points on 6-10 shooting with 8 rebounds.

So, what did I think of Hasheem Thabeet? Well, I was planning to write a full, detailed piece on Thabeet's performance, but Ridiculous Upside's Scott Schroeder really hammered home the points I would have made. He called Thabeet's D-League debut overly unspectacular, and I agree. Here's an excerpt of what he wrote:

In what I assume is the first time in the eight year history of the Memphis Grizzlies Hasheem Thabeet's basketball career, he finally looked like he belonged: he didn't overmatch his opponents, but he wasn't overmatched, either. It seemed, for once, he was playing with his contemporaries.

This doesn't necessarily sound like a ringing endorsement of Thabeet because, well, it isn't. It's also not meant to tear him apart, because again, that's not what I'm attempting to do. He simply looked like an average D-League player, showing that this assignment probably should have come right away in November as opposed to near the end of February. It's quite pbvious that this assignment was necessary: Instead of playing garbage minutes for much of the last four months in Memphis, he could been in his present situation - playing more than ten minutes a game in an NBA system and working on the things he needs to develop.

My assessment is pretty much on par with what Scott said. Or, to channel Dennis Green, Thabeet was who we thought he was. The casual NBA fan may need this disclaimer. The D in "D-League" stands for "Development" not "D-level talent." As Danny Green found out, players in the D-League can play. Thabeet is a raw talent with some rough edges that need polished.

In the brief time he played last night, Thabeet showed flashes of what he does well: a blocked shot on his first defensive possession (and another blocked shot later). And he showed where he needs work: better, quicker post moves. To put it another way, Hasheem could use a little Hakeem on the offensive end. He also needs to limit his fouls (4 in 17 minutes) and be more active on the boards. There's no way someone 7'3" should finish with just 2 rebounds, especially when you consider that Erie actually had Ivan Harris matched up against him for a stretch of time.

Thabeet and the Wizards next travel to Fort Wayne to play the Mad Ants on Sunday. Expect to see more playing time for Thabeet. He belongs in the D-League for now. That's not a knock on him. It's just the truth. It will give him a chance to log some quality minutes against better-than-people-realize talent in an NBA-style game.

As for the BayHawks, they travel to Maine to play the Red Claws on Sunday. Erie is 0-5 against Maine this season. If the Cavaliers do not recall Danny Green, perhaps he could be the piece they need to finally break through against the Red Claws.

Game Review: Erie BayHawks 114, Dakota Wizards 108

2010-02-26T16:00:00.003-05:00

I take five days vacation and things go crazy. The BayHawks dropped two stinkers against Fort Wayne, and I returned from the Bahamas to snowy Erie just in time to catch the BayHawks take on the Dakota Wizards with the added bonus of Cavaliers Darnell Jackson and Danny Green.

Add to that the fact that Dakota will suit up #2 draft pick Hasheem Thabeet for tonight's game, and things are suddenly interesting in Erie, even as the team continues to struggle.

Quick notes from last night's 114-108 with for the BayHawks:

Darnell Jackson's 34 points and 12 rebounds were an impressive stat line, and he no doubt helped them prevail. But his post game has room for improvement. His go-to move was basically a dip-the-shoulder bull rush, which worked well enough to punish the Wizards last night. But I think he needs to become a bit more polished and develop a counter move or a second post move when bullying and brute strength doesn't work.
Danny Green's performance was perplexing to me. First of all, he didn't get the start. He was clearly among the most physically gifted athletes on the court, yet something seemed to be missing. Passion? Desire? I don't know if he underestimated D-League competition or just hadn't played in a long time (a definite possibility), but he looked sluggish at times despite a few highlight reel moments. I'm anxious to see how he responds tonight. (FYI: Darnell Jackson was recalled to the Cavs today, but Green should still be with the BayHawks as far as I know.)
Cedric Jackson runs one helluva fast break. He finished one assist shy of a triple-double. He's the engine that makes the BayHawks offense run.
Alade Aminu and John Bryant suffered the most from the Cavs' NBA assignments. The talented big man tandem played a combined 14 minutes.

See I told you it'd be quick responses. If you can't make it out to the game tonight, be sure to tune in to NBA FutureCast as Erie will be in the D-League (and to a lesser extent, the NBA) spotlight tonight with Thabeet coming to town.

Which D-Leaguers deserve a medal?

2010-02-25T11:00:00.001-05:00

This week at D-League Digest, I wrote a short post giving out fictional gold, silver, and bronze medals in the spirit of the Olympic Games. Check out the full post here.

Be Jealous

2010-02-21T11:00:00.001-05:00

As you read this, I'm on a boat (I'm on a boat!) cruising to the Bahamas. Seriously. I'm away on a spring break family vacation this week, and won't have my cell phone or laptop. So, basically, I'm going to be unreachable until Thursday, when I'm scheduled to return to Erie just in time to catch the BayHawks' next home game (barring any plane delays, of course).

So don't expect a recap of this weekend's Fort Wayne games because I won't be able to watch them and try not to miss me too much while I'm gone. In the meantime, stay current on the D-League with D-League Digest, Ridiculous Upside, D-League Dime, and D-League Daily.

Game Preview: Erie BayHawks (12-20) at Fort Wayne Mad Ants (10-19)

2010-02-20T10:00:00.003-05:00

Get used to this matchup. Erie and Fort Wayne will play five times the rest of the way this season with the first two games coming this weekend in Fort Wayne. The BayHawks lead the season series 3-2 and have won two straight against the Mad Ants.

Game 33 Preview: Erie BayHawks (12-20) at Fort Wayne Mad Ants (10-19)

Erie coming in: The BayHawks haven't played in almost two weeks and lost their last four games prior to the all-star break (all against the Iowa Energy). Point guard Cedric Jackson will return to the BayHawks' lineup for the first time since being called up to the Cleveland Cavaliers and being signed to consecutive 10-day NBA contracts.

Fort Wayne coming in: Like Erie, Fort Wayne has been struggling lately. The Mad Ants have lost six of their past seven games dating back before the all-star break, including a 94-90 loss against Reno on Tuesday in their first game back since the break. NBA-assignee Joe Alexander was traded to the Bulls at yesterday's NBA trade deadline from the Mad Ants' affiliate Milwaukee Bucks, which means Alexander's stint in Fort Wayne is over. Fort Wayne still boats two D-League all-stars, though, in Rob Kurz and Ron Howard.

BayHawks keys to success:

Shake off the rust early.
It's been a while since Erie's played a game. With their first game back coming on the road, all signs point to a slow start. They need to be very mindful of their offensive execution in the early going and not simply settle for quick perimeter jumpshots off one or two passes. If they can find a way to get some easy buckets in transition to shake off the rust, that would go a long way toward winning their first game since January.
Work Jackson back into the mix.
Erie has not had a player assigned to them this season from Cleveland or Toronto, which will make Cedric Jackson the first player with NBA experience this season to grace the court for the BayHawks. Although he's still a rookie, Jackson must take on more of a leadership role now that he's been to the next level. It'll be an adjustment switching back to a point guard with the scoring ability of Jackson, but his assist numbers have been good all season, so I think his return to the lineup will be a welcome one for the team. Jackson will likely square off against former BayHawk Oliver Lafayette and new Mad Ant acquisition and a former NBA player, Dan Dickau.
Win the frontcourt battle.
Erie's John Bryant and Alade Aminu are a formidable 1-2 punch up front, but they've had mixed results against Fort Wayne's big men. Jared Reiner, who is coming off an atrocious 1-12 performance on Tuesday, had a great performance in the Mad Ants' first trip to Erie earlier this year (18 points, 13 rebounds, 4 blocks) and Rob Kurz is a versatile all-star forward capable of scoring in a variety of ways. Throw in Sean Sonderleiter and Anthony Kent and the Mad Ants may have the edge in frontcourt depth. After waiving Kyle Goldcamp, Jarvis Gunter is the BayHawks' lone big man coming off the bench. Gunter is an energetic player and a very good rebounder. He'll likely have to play some quality minutes to spell Bryant and/or Aminu if Erie's going to be successful down low against Fort Wayne.

For more on Fort Wayne, be sure to check out their two blogs: Potter's New Blog and Martz Madnesss.

As always, the games this weekend at Fort Wayne can be streamed live online with NBA FutureCast. And if you miss a game, many of them are now accessible in the FutureCast archives.

Looking Ahead at the BayHawks Schedule

2010-02-19T08:52:00.002-05:00

The BayHawks' 11-day all-star break finally comes to an end tomorrow when they open a two-game weekend series on the road against the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. Recall that Erie lost its last four games heading into the all-star break and is 2-8 in their last 10 games with the two victories coming by 1 and 2 points against Springfield, the D-League's worst team in the standings.

With just 18 games remaining, Erie is hoping to make a post-all-star break run at a playoff spot, but it won't be easy. The two division winners plus the teams with the next six best records regardless of conference will make the playoffs. As the standings are right now, that would mean and Iowa would be the top seed from the East and Rio Grande Valley in the West with Austin, Maine, Dakota, Tulsa, Albuquerque, and Sioux Falls rounding out the playoff field. Erie currently sits at 12-20, which puts them 12th in the D-League standings. The BayHawks are five games back of Springfield for that eighth and final playoff spot.

As I mentioned last week over at D-League Digest, the BayHawks have the toughest schedule in the D-League. It doesn't let up much down the stretch either. Ten of their final 18 games are against the eight teams currently in playoff position, including two apiece against Iowa and Maine. Erie is 0-13 this season against the Energy and Red Claws so far this season.

Last year, Erie made the playoffs with a record of 27-23. Bakersfield had the worst record of the teams that qualified for the 2009 D-League playoffs with a 26-24 mark. In order to reach that mark, Erie would need to finish the season 14-4, which is quite the tall task for a team that has just one win streak of at least three games this season (they won four straight in mid-January).

Here's how their remaining schedule breaks down:

By team:
5 vs. Fort Wayne
4 vs. Dakota
2 vs. Maine
2 vs. Iowa
1 vs. Sioux Falls
1 vs. Albuquerque
1 vs. Idaho
1 vs. Utah
1 vs. Springfield

By location:
11 at home
7 on the road

By month:
February: 5
March: 11
April: 2

With the return of Cedric Jackson, there is some hope that the BayHawks can make the late-season surge they need. Of course, they'll have to take care of business against Fort Wayne and Dakota (and finally steal a game or two from Iowa and Maine). But it's the three-game, four-day West Conference road trip that looms in March as a potentially crippling or uplifting experience for this team.

In addition to the return of Jackson, the continued development of all-star Alade Aminu will be one of the biggest storylines for the BayHawks down the stretch. With two games on Versus (March 20 vs. Dakota and April 3 at Maine), there will be some added national exposure. There's plenty to look forward to in what has so far been a season marred by inconsistency and frustration. The final push starts tomorrow with a 7:30 p.m. tip off against the Mad Ants.

Talking Call-Ups at D-League Digest

2010-02-18T19:46:00.003-05:00

My weekly column went up this morning over at D-League Digest. If you haven't checked it out already, please do so. This week, I wrote about the players that have been called up from the D-League to the NBA so far this season. Find out which five have made the biggest impact for their NBA teams.

Cedric Jackson Returns to the BayHawks

2010-02-17T14:59:00.003-05:00

Yesterday the Erie BayHawks announced the re-acquisition of guard Cedric Jackson. Jackson was on a Gatorade Call-Up with the Cleveland Cavaliers for back-to-back ten day contracts. Although he played a total of just 10 minutes in 5 appearances with the Cavs, the brief taste of the NBA should have Jackson hungry for a return call-up down the line.

The BayHawks undoubtedly missed Jackson's presence in their lineup. Erie had won 4-of-5 and 6-of-8 games prior to his NBA call-up. The team responded by going just 2-7 after he joined the Cavaliers, including a four-game losing streak that remains active.

Through 23 games thus far this season with the BayHawks, Jackson is averaging 14.7 points and 7.6 assists per game. He returned to practice with the team yesterday and will be in the lineup as the BayHawks hit the road for games Saturday and Sunday vs. the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.

The reacquisition of Jackson also brings Erie's roster back to the league maximum of 10. Erie had been playing with just nine players since cutting Kyle Goldcamp on Feb. 5.

With Jackson back in the lineup, Erie hopes to make a push to claim one of the final playoff spots despite their current 12-20 record. By teaming the now NBA-experienced Jackson with D-League All-Star Alade Aminu, one-time D-League Performer of the Week Mike Gansey, defensive stalwart Jackie Manuel, and double-double machine John Bryant, the BayHawks have a formidable starting five that give them a fighter's chance of making a late run similar to last year when they strung together a lengthy win streak and earned a playoff berth.

For more on Jackson, check out Duane Rankin's story on GoErie.com.

Aminu Scores 4 Points in All-Star Game Loss

2010-02-15T10:39:00.002-05:00

After jumping out to an 8-0 lead and leading by as many as 13 points in the first five minutes of game, the East Conference struggled to score, eventually falling 98-81 to the West Conference in the 2010 D-League All-Star Game held Saturday afternoon.

Erie's lone representative, Alade Aminu, played about half of the game (18:43 of the 40 minutes, to be exact) and put up pedestrian numbers: 4 points on 2-5 shooting, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 blocks, and 3 turnovers. Still, it was a great opportunity for Aminu to play against the D-League's elite players. Hopefully it'll prepare him for a stretch run where the BayHawks will need him to be an all-star presence if they're going to make a run at the eighth seed of the playoffs.

Brian Butch of the Bakersfield Jam earned the game's MVP award for his 18-point, 13-rebound performance for the West. Click here for a full recap of the game and head over to D-League Digest and Ridiculous Upside for additional all-star weekend content.

Alade Aminu: D-League All-Star

2010-02-12T11:16:00.005-05:00

The D-League All-Star break is upon us. For most of the Erie BayHawks, it's a time to rest up, catch their breath, and prepare for the home stretch of the 2009-10 season. For Alade Aminu, it's a little different.

Aminu, the rookie power forward out of Georgia Tech, is the BayHawks' lone representative in Saturday's D-League All-Star Game, playing for the East Conference. He'll be one of 20 D-League stars competing in the game that will tipoff at 3 p.m. Eastern from Center Court at NBA All-Star Jam Session in Dallas, Texas.

Aminu's all-star candidacy took off in January at the D-League Showcase, where he wowed scouts with a 30-point, 23-rebound effort in the BayHawks' first Showcase game, a 92-88 win over Reno. After averaging just 9.8 points and 4.2 in November and December, Aminu starred in the month of January, averaging 16.9 points and 9.8 rebounds in 15 games.

While his numbers have dipped in February, there's no question that the BayHawks are most dangerous when Aminu is involved heavily in the offensive gameplan. He can also be disruptive for the opposition on the defensive end when he chooses to apply himself. His length makes him a capable shot blocker, but he's had just six games with 2 or more blocks so far this season. Still, his 25 blocks are second on the team behind John Bryant.

Aminu's all-star competition on the West Conference team includes Brian Butch, Dwayne Jones, Carlos Powell, and Diamon Simpson. It'll be interested to see Aminu matched up against the West's bigs because they're opponents he doesn't get to see much during the season. (Self-promotion alert: I tackled the topic of the D-League's unbalanced schedule at D-League Digest yesterday.) Like the Showcase, it's a great opportunity for Aminu to display his talents for an audience that will surely include plenty of NBA scouts.

Though the calls for his call-up to the NBA have quieted a bit due to some inconsistent showings in recent games, a big game against the other elite player in the D-League could vault Aminu back onto the short list of players on the radar of NBA teams for a spring call-up. Tune into NBA TV at 3 p.m. to watch Aminu in action or check back here Sunday or Monday for a recap of his all-star performance.

Read me at D-League Digest today

2010-02-11T16:18:00.002-05:00

I'm pleased to say that my writing was good enough (or at least not bad enough) in last week's debut piece about D-League All-Stars and their NBA doppelgangers that I was allowed back for a second post that went live this morning.

In this week's post, I take a look at the unbalanced D-League schedule (complete with tables proving that I did some research to defend my argument).

I won't give away the whole article because I think it's worth clicking over there to read it, but I will say that my impetus for writing the post/researching the issue in the first place was the BayHawks' seemingly never-ending diet of the Iowa Energy. As it turned out, I was onto something. Erie has the toughest schedule in the D-League. Click on over to D-League Digest to read the full article as well as the other posts the Digest's growing stable of writers.

Game Review: Erie BayHawks 82, Iowa Energy 85

2010-02-09T22:51:00.006-05:00

From the department of redundancy department, the Erie BayHawks lost to the Iowa Energy 85-82. For those keeping track, the BayHawks have lost four straight (all against Iowa) and are now 0-8 against the Energy this season. They're also eight games below .500 on the year with a record of 12-20.

The final margin was close. This was a winnable game for the BayHawks, but they played down the stretch like a team that had lost seven straight times to the other team. Iowa was in their heads. In the fourth quarter, Iowa seemed to make all the big plays—a key offensive rebound and putback by Earl Barron, an alley-oop from Curtis Stinson to Shy Ely (great name)—while Erie did not.

Erie trailed 83-78 with 2 minutes left when John Bryant was called for an illegal screen. After getting the defensive stop they needed, the BayHawks came down and looked scared. Three or four players passed up open shots before Jackie Manuel finally triggered a jumper and missed. Mike Gansey grabbed the rebound and another two or three players passed up shot opportunities. Again, Manuel finally tried to be the aggressor, but he was called for travelling. He immediately redeemed himself with a steal and dunk to cut the deficit to 83-80.

Again, Erie got the stop it needed with John Bryant gathering the rebound and starting the fast break with an outlet to Cliff Clinkscales. CC, as the Iowa announce team called him, ran it up court and took a floater in the lane that clanked off the rim. Iowa came back down and Curtis Stinson found Ely for the aforementioned alley-oop to put Iowa up 5, effectively ending the game.

The BayHawks won the first and third quarters, but lost quarters two and four by a combined 19 points. Neither team shot well (39.2 percent for Erie, 38 percent for Iowa).

Some quick player assessments from tonight's game:

John Bryant led Erie with 18 points, though he had only 7 rebounds.
Alade Aminu started but played only 23 minutes. He has 12 points, 9 rebounds.
Cliff Clinkscales had 10 assists, but he also shot just 2-10 from the field.
Mike Gansey had a team-high 15 rebounds, but his shooting woes against the Energy continued as he shot 3-11, 1-6 from 3.
Ivan Harris scored 15 points in 15 minutes off the bench. I guess that's why he was called "The Microwave" in college.
Jarvis Gunter rebounds with the best of 'em: 9 rebounds in 21 minutes of action.

Erie was scheduled to return home to host Fort Wayne tomorrow night. However, due to inclement weather, that game has been postponed and rescheduled for Wednesday, March 24. As a result, the BayHawks' all-star break starts early. There next game is not until Saturday, February 20. Cedric Jackson will likely return from the NBA and be back in the BayHawks' lineup for that one.

Game Review: Erie BayHawks 78, Iowa Energy 102

2010-02-06T23:10:00.004-05:00

So that happened.

It wasn't the most lopsided loss of the season for the BayHawks. That would be the 26-point shellacking the BayHawks suffered against Maine in their home opener back in December. It wasn't even the most demoralizing loss of the season. That would have to be the one they lost at Tullio Arena 100-95 in overtime against Iowa after blowing a 30-point lead in regulation.

I don't know what superlative to attach to tonight's loss, but it wasn't a good game for the BayHawks at all. The final score was 102-78, and the BayHawks needed a 29-point fourth quarter just to reach 78. I'll do the math for you: they scored 49 points through the first 36 minutes.

Jackie Manuel returned to the lineup for the BayHawks after missing last night's game, but I don't think he was 100 percent as he finished with more turnovers (5) than points (4). The rest of the team wasn't much better as Erie shot a woeful 36 percent for the night, including just 2-12 from 3.

Alade Aminu struggled yet again: 0-5 shooting, 2 rebounds, 3 turnovers, 3 personal fouls in just 12 minutes of action. If I can paraphrase Seinfeld, what's the deal with Aminu? Since being named a D-League All-Star, his production has swooned. He's averaging 11.7 points and just 4.7 rebounds per game in the past three games against Iowa. I don't know if it's an Iowa Energy thing, a lack of energy thing, or what, but the BayHawks cannot be competitive without a better showing from Aminu.

Jarvis Gunter was a small ray of sunshine for Erie in this one. The reserve forward came off the bench to play 33 minutes, scoring 8 points on 3-4 shooting while grabbing 11 rebounds (8 offensive). Ivan Harris led the team in scoring with 21 points on 8-19 shooting.

The BayHawks are now 12-19 on the season, including 0-7 versus Iowa. The East Conference-leading Energy improve to 25-6. The teams play again in Iowa on Tuesday night.

Game Review: Erie BayHawks 94, Iowa Energy 97

2010-02-05T23:12:00.001-05:00

Erie's struggles against the Iowa Energy continued tonight as the BayHawks lost 97-94 on the road. I missed the game because I was at work, but I'll post a quick review of what I can gather from the box score and play-by-play.

Erie had two chances to take the lead and a third to send it into overtime in the final 50 seconds, but Mike Gansey missed three 3-point attempts. He was 4-14 from downtown for the game, 9-22 overall for a team-high 26 points. Gansey's no stranger to late game heroics, winning two games in the final seconds last week against Springfield. Unfortunately, the shots didn't fall this time, and Erie missed a chance to steal one on the road. Gansey's been a workhorse for the BayHawks, but you have to wonder if playing all 48 minutes left him drained of energy for those final attempts.
The BayHawks actually outscored Iowa in the second half, including a curiously low-scoring fourth quarter that they won 17-13.
Alade Aminu scored the ball very efficiently (18 points on 9 shots), but he grabbed just 4 rebounds.
John Bryant had another double-double with 18 points and 17 rebounds.
Jackie Manuel, fresh off one of his best performances of the year, did not play in the game. Not sure on the reasoning, but consider the thin roster Erie's working with, you'd have to think it was some sort of health issue.
Cliff Clinkscales put up solid numbers: 14 points on 6-12 shooting, 13 assists and just 4 turnovers.
Iowa connected on 8-16 shots from 3-point range, including 4-6 from Pat Carroll.
Cartier Martin returned to the Energy after a stint for the Golden State Warriors. He scored 21 points in just under 30 minutes of playing time.

The BayHawks fall to 12-18 on the season and 0-6 against Iowa. The Energy improves to 24-6. These teams will square off again tomorrow night at 8 p.m.

Read me at D-League Digest

2010-02-04T14:38:00.003-05:00

In case you've been living under a rock for the past few months (do people still use that expression?), there's a great D-League blog out there run by Steve Weinman called D-League Digest. Steve does great work over there, combining the quality reporting you expect from traditional news outlets with the quality opining and observations you expect from blogs. So, when he asked me if I'd be interested in hopping aboard as an official contributor, I jumped at the opportunity.

D-League Digest is part of the ESPN TrueHoop Network (backstory), which means the content on the blog is just three clicks away from ESPN's home page...you know, if you have an aversion to direct hyperlinks or something.

For now, I'll be writing a weekly (Thursday) post for D-League Digest. It does not mean any major changes for Blog Talk BayHawk. I'm having a lot of fun with this blog and following the team this season as a season ticket holder, and I plan to continue writing it. Writing for D-League Digest simply gives me the chance to paint with a broader brush, to expand my thoughts to issues that span the D-League rather than focusing on just one team.

So, without further ado, click on over to read my first post at D-League Digest, "D-League All-Stars as NBA Players" and be sure to bookmark that site for future reading.

Game Review: Iowa Energy 101, Erie BayHawks 87

2010-02-04T14:01:00.003-05:00

The Erie BayHawks actually led this game 25-24 at the end of the first quarter, thanks in part to a sloppy quarter from the Energy, who committed 7 first-quarter turnovers. Unfortunately, the BayHawks responded with 8 turnovers of their own in the second quarter, including this godawful sequence to start the quarter:

Possession 1: Missed shot by Aminu, offensive rebound, Gansey's shot gets blocked (Iowa scores 1 point on the other end)
Possession 2: Turnover on a bad pass by Tolbert leads into a fast break resulting in two made free throws for Iowa
Possession 3: Missed layup by Tolbert (Iowa gets a layup going the other way)
Possession 4: Offensive foul on Tolbert (Iowa scores a bucket on the other end)
Possession 5: Turnover on a bad pass by Bryant leads into yet another fast break layup for Iowa.

In less than two-and-a-half minutes, Erie squandered away their 1-point lead and were faced with an 8-point deficit. After cutting it to six on a couple of occasions after a timeout, Erie watched Iowa's lead grow to 59-46 at halftime and as high as 24 in the second half before making a late mini-surge to make it respectable.

If you only look at the box score, you might think that two of the most important BayHawks, Mike Gansey and Alade Aminu had solid performances. Don't let the numbers fool you. Gansey scored 5 of his 15 in the final minutes after the game was in hand for the Energy, And Aminu, who inexplicably did not get the start in the game after he was named as a D-League All-Star, was outplayed by Earl Barron and the Energy front line. He never looked fully comfortable out there offensively.

Jackie Manuel was the lone bright spot for the BayHawks, and even that comes with the asterisk that he shot 4-10 from the free throw line. Erie was 9-20 from the charity stripe as a team. Ouch. Forty-five percent free throw shooting is not part of the recipe for knocking off the top team in the conference.

Ivan Harris shot 0-1 from 3-point range, but he was 4-6 on Ivans. For new readers, that's what I'm now calling the deep-two-point-jumper-from-anywhere-between-the-college-and-NBA-33-point-line shot that Harris is enamored with taking. His counterpart, Jeff Trepanier made a point to keep his toes behind the line, draining 6-9 from 3-point range and leading the Energy with 25 points. It's amazing how he's reinvented himself as a shooter. I miss the high-flying antics from his USC days, but he was deadly from deep in this one.

The BayHawks, who fell to 12-17 with the loss, now travel to Iowa for three more games against the Energy starting Friday night. Erie is 0-5 against Iowa this season. The Energy is now 23-6 on the year, leading the East Conference by four games.

Good News, Bad News: Cedric Jackson Signs Second 10-Day NBA Contract

2010-02-02T11:20:00.002-05:00

It's official. Cedric Jackson signed his second 10-day contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Kudos for Jackson for extending his stay in the NBA. While Jackson hasn't received much playing time—7 minutes to be exact—he has had the opportunity to practice and travel with a Cavs team that currently possesses the best record in the NBA, not to mention two historically great players in LeBron James and Shaquille O'Neal.

One can only hope that the young point guard is making the most out of his 10-going-on-20-day stay in the NBA, gleaning every bit of basketball wisdom he can from the players and coaches in Cleveland. The basketball future for Jackson is bright. Whether he finishes this season in Cleveland, Erie, or elsewhere, this NBA call-up experience should give him great momentum heading into his second year of professional basketball next season.

So that's the good news. Congratulations to Cedric Jackson.

The bad news is that the BayHawks won't be getting Jackson back in uniform for awhile now. With Erie's next four games coming against the D-League's best team, the Iowa Energy, this would've been the perfect time for Jackson to return to the lineup. Instead, as I mentioned in yesterday's piece about the team's fluctuating lineups, it's time to turn to a plan B, whatever that means.

For now, that plan appears to be Cliff Clinkscales, who has missed the past two games with injury. If he returns to the lineup Wednesday night (the team is hopeful that he will) when Erie hosts the Energy, it will certainly help the overall flow of the offense. In fact, Clinkscales leads the league in assists per 48 minutes at 12.7 and is second in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio at 4.2. (For comparison's sake, Cedric Jackson ranks third and tenth, respectively).

But while Clinkscales is proficient at distributing the ball to teammates and not turning the ball over, he lacks the explosiveness and finishing ability of Jackson. And, as D-League Digest's Steve Weinman pointed out back in December, he simply doesn't have the same aggressive, attack-the-basket game that Jackson brings to the table. Clinkscales does what he does well; he just doesn't do as much as Jackson did when he was running the show.

The natural move is to rely more heavily on Alade Aminu, John Bryant, and Mike Gansey on the offensive end. That's a good and recommended strategy. The problem is none of those players make their name as a penetrating, attack-the-rim player. The BayHawks don't really have that player on their roster right now, and that makes things easier on the defense. Perimeter defenders are able to play up on the shooters, and low-post defenders are able to body-up their men, knowing they won't have to slide into position to help on many drives.

If Clinkscales is not the solution to Erie's point guard problem, re-signing Maureece Rice might be. As I wrote at the end of last season, re-capping Rice's 2008-09 season with the BayHawks, "The playoff performance against Colorado certainly highlighted Rice’s strengths. He’s got a knack for getting to the rim, which he complements with a pretty consistent stroke from the outside." That's the kind of player the BayHawks need to add if they're going to flip the script and contend for a playoff spot this season.

Unfortunately, Rice's contract situation overseas may prevent that from happening. The news today, as reported by Duane Rankin, is that Rice's Ukrainian club, Azovmash Mariupol, isn't releasing him. "His agent has indicated that the club is holding the release up," Treloar said. "I'm not sure why that is. ... There's nothing we on the club level can do."

With Jackson playing in the NBA, Rice dealing with contractual issues, and Clinkscales battling injury, 5'7" Tyc Snow, who just signed with Erie and has played sparingly in two games for the BayHawks, is the only healthy point guard option left. Snow (has anyone figured out if it's "Tic" or "Tyc" yet?) is a wonderful tale of perseverance—having tried out at every open tryout for the BayHawks only to get cut time and time again—but he's not going to lead this team to the playoffs.

These next four games against Iowa are crucial. If the BayHawks get swept (Erie is already 0-4 versus the Energy this season), they'll drop to 12-20 with just 18 games remaining. And if they don't get quality point guard play against Iowa's Curtis Stinson, one of the D-League's best point guards, a sweep is very much a possibility. Point guard plan B better be good, and they better figure it out as soon as possible.

Assessing Inconsistency: Erie's Frequent Lineup Changes

2010-02-01T15:22:00.005-05:00

At 12-16, the Erie BayHawks currently sit in fifth place in the East Conference, 10 games out of first place and four games back in the loss column from the eighth and final playoff spot. Aside from a 12-day stretch in mid-January when they rattled off six wins in seven games, the BayHawks haven’t won back-to-back games all season. It’s been a season marred by inconsistency...

...from players, most notably Alade Aminu, whose game-by-game scoring chart would have spikes big enough to qualify for inclusion on the Legion of Doom's shoulder pads.

...on the roster, which has come via trade (Donell Taylor out, Mike Gansey in), cuts (bye-bye Zach Sowers, Martin Zeno, and the never-really-even-here Booker Woodfox), signings (hello Cliff Clinkscales, Frank Tolbert, Tyc Snow), and NBA call-ups (Cedric Jackson)

...and, most notably, in coach John Treloar’s starting lineups. In 28 games, the BayHawks have used 15 different starting lineups, including seven different variations in the past 10 games. Obviously, some of the lineup changes have been necessitated by the roster changes and injuries, but sometimes the lineup shifts seem arbitrary, unnecessary, and downright detrimental to the team. A little consistency could go a long way. More importantly, on a fundamental level, don’t you typically want your best five players to start the game?

Based on that basic tenant of basketball, I believe the starting five should be as follows:

Center-John Bryant
Power Forward-Alade Aminu
Small Forward-Jackie Manuel
Shooting Guard-Mike Gansey
Point Guard-?

We’ll get to the “?” in a second, but first let me address the four spots that should be on lockdown.

Center-John Bryant
Big Bad John Bryant—not to be confused with Big Bully Busick (two 90s WWF references? Uh oh, someone’s been reading too much Scott Schroeder lately)—is a walking double-double in the D-League, trailing only Dwayne Jones in that category this season. He’s also one of the best pick ‘n pop big men in the league, so teams should no longer act surprised when he displays his feathery touch from the top of the key and in. Bryant’s 23 starts are second on the team, but just last week he inexplicably came off the bench in back-to-back games against Springfield and Maine. Where's the consistency in that?

Power Forward-Alade Aminu
Aminu is the main reason I’m writing this post. After being touted as an NBA call-up candidate in recent weeks, he was demoted over the weekend, playing limited minutes after starting on Friday and then coming off the bench on Saturday against Springfield. Arguably the most talented BayHawk (and without Cedric Jackson on the roster, I’d put the argument to rest for the time being), there is no reason why Aminu shouldn’t be starting. Furthermore, there’s no reason why Treloar should be averse to the idea of Bryant and Aminu—Erie’s two best frontline players—playing side by side.

For what it’s worth, the BayHawks are 7-8 when Bryant and Aminu start together, 5-7 when one of them starts, and 0-1 when neither of them starts. I understand that 7-8 is nothing special, but it doesn’t tell the whole story. Erie had won four of five games with both Bryant and Aminu in the starting lineup before Cedric Jackson earned his NBA call-up. It was working. Jackson vacating the point guard spot was what changed and hurt them, not the Bryant/Aminu combination.

Small Forward-Jackie Manuel
The consummate team player and emotional leader of the BayHawks, Manuel has started a team-high 27 of 28 games this season and played a team-high 1,134 minutes this season. Despite an improved offensive game this season, he remains most valuable as a stout defender who welcomes the challenge of guarding the opposition’s best perimeter player. Ivan Harris is a better shooter, but Manuel’s energy, effort, and intensity warrant him the spot in my starting five every time. His flair for the occasional highlight reel dunk is a nice added bonus.

Shooting Guard-Mike Gansey
This midseason trade acquisition has paid off in a big way for the BayHawks, who are now 6-2 when he is in the lineup. He brings an added element to the offense with his perimeter shooting, which was what Erie knew they were getting in exchange for Donell Taylor. The surprise has been his contributions in other areas as he’s averaging 8.5 rebounds and better than a steal per game. His production has not gone unnoticed around the league as he was just named the D-League Performer of the Week for his late-game heroics in a pair of Erie wins over Springfield.

Point Guard-?
Point guard was a question mark heading into the season for the BayHawks. After their experiment to play number one pick Donell Taylor at the point failed (2.8 assists, 3.5 turnovers per game in his 13 games with Erie), the BayHawks found that their answer was on the roster all along: Cedric Jackson. Unfortunately, it worked out so well that Jackson earned a call-up to the NBA when the Cavaliers needed a fill-in for their injury-depleted backcourt situation. That left the BayHawks with just Cliff Clinkscales. There’s been love and, well...less than love for Clinkscales in the D-League blogosphere this season, but he’s best served as a role player—not running the team full time. With an injury costing him the past two games, the team had to dig even deeper and sign Tyc Snow, a little-known player from Mississippi Valley State.

The point is that if Erie gets Jackson back from Cleveland this week, the question is answered at the point guard position. On the other hand, if he gets signed to another 10-day contract (possible) or for the rest of the season (doubtful) by the Cavs, Erie needs to figure out a plan B in a hurry, whether it’s excavating Maureece Rice from his contract in Ukraine or finding someone else.

Final thoughts: The BayHawks should be riding their best-five the rest of the way. If Jackson returns, a starting five of Bryant, Aminu, Manuel, Gansey, and Jackson gives the team a legitimate chance to win every night with four quality scoring options and a good mix of size and speed defensively. Leave Harris as the sixth man to provide instant-offense off the bench and have Clinkscales, Tolbert, Gunter, and Goldcamp fill in as needed. If they can follow that prescription daily, maybe inconsistency won’t be the storyline of the second half of their season the way it has been so far.

Weekend Games Review: Erie Loses to Maine, Defeats Springfield

2010-01-30T19:19:00.000-05:00

The Erie BayHawks should've gone 2-0 on this weekend road trip. They didn't. The Erie BayHawks could've gone 0-2 on this weekend road trip. They didn't. After the smoke cleared on two games in two cities in a span of 18 hours, the BayHawks wound up 1-1.

I watched (and tweeted throughout) all of Friday night's giveaway game, which Erie lost 82-78 against a roster-depleted Maine Red Claws team. I watched none of Erie's 93-91 win over Springfield this afternoon, which featured Mike Gansey hitting the game winning layup with just seconds remaining.

There's a lot to cover from these two games, so I'll offer some quick notes on each game along with the video highlights and then go on to a player-by-player analysis for the BayHawks.

Erie BayHawks 78 at Maine Red Claws 82
With J.R. Giddens getting recalled by the Celtics, and Alexis Ajinca and Billy Thomas out with injuries, the Red Claws had a makeshift roster heading into this one that included two players making their team debuts, Russell Robinson and Dominique Coleman. Despite shooting 1-15 from 3-point range, the Red Claws found a way to win, outscoring the BayHawks 32-17 over the final 15:25 of the game.

Erie BayHawks 93 at Springfield Armor 91
The BayHawks overcame the early 1 p.m. tipoff, staying within a point at the end of one and taking the lead at the half in this one. It's no surprise that a game that featured 13 ties and 13 lead changes came down to the wire. Mike Gansey hit a driving layup with just 8 seconds to play, and T.J. Cummings missed a jumper that would've tied the game for Springfield as time ran out. Springfield star Morris Almond didn't get the start, but he still managed to score a game-high 28 points, going 12-13 from the free throw line.

Player notes:

Mike Gansey's calf must be feeling better. Not only did he tie for the team-high scorer in both games (21 vs. Maine, 27 vs. Springfield), the sharpshooting guard also played all 96 minutes of this weekend's game action. In addition to scoring the game winner against Springfield, Gansey was hot from the outside, connecting on 8 of 17 from 3 in the two games combined.
Like Gansey, Jackie Manuel played every minute of the way this weekend. He didn't shoot well (just 7-24 in the two games) but he contributed in other facets of the game—5 steals, 2 blocks—and the team is noticeably more active defensively when he's in the game. He also converted a team-high 11-12 free throws in today's win against Springfield.
The box score show that Frank Tolbert got the start in both games as a forward.
Considering how much more often he handled the ball than Manuel, I'm going to disagree. That said, Tolbert isn't fooling anyone into believing he's a point guard. His 0.9 assist-to-turnover ratio is not good, but the crucial nature of the turnovers actually made it worse, really costing them some crucial possessions against Maine. He also blew a dunk in that one and continued his shooting woes. Not a good weekend for Tolbert.
The fourth and final player that started both games this weekend was Ivan Harris, who shot the ball well (14-22 from the field, 3-6 from 3). Of course, more than 6 of those 22 attempts should have been 3s if Harris didn't have such an affection for shooting the long, foot-on-the-line 2-point jumpshot. This has been an issue that's bothered me all year long. Since it doesn't look like it's going to be changing anytime soon, I tweeted during the Maine game to start calling the long, foot-on-the-line 2-point jumpshot a "Harris" for the sake of concise language.
The biggest question of the weekend is what is going on with Alade Aminu? Unless he's got some sort of unreported illness or something, there is no reason he should play a COMBINED 38 minutes in two games. After getting off to a slow start against Maine, coach Treloar took Aminu out of the game at the 5:54 mark of the first quarter. He didn't return until early in the fourth quarter. Then today, Aminu didn't even get the start, entered almost 9 minutes into the game, and played a total of just 21:26, scoring just 2 points on 0-4 shooting. I'm not sure if more of the blame goes to coach Treloar for not giving Aminu the minutes or to Alade for underachieving, but these two performances definitely hinder him, especially when inconsistency has been the biggest critique of his game as he tries to earn an NBA call-up.
As much as Alade Aminu wants to forget about his weekend, John Bryant wants to remember it. Big Bad John went for 12 points, 16 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots on Friday, and he was even better today with a much more efficient shooting performance for 27 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocked shots. Are Scott Schroeder and I the only two who think Bryant and Aminu should be starting and playing together for the BayHawks? The starting five should be Bryant, Aminu, Manuel, Gansey, and a point guard, but probably not Tyc Snow.
As reported by Duane Rankin, point guard Tyc Snow tried out for the BayHawks all six times they've had open tryouts since the franchise began last season. This weekend, his persistence finally paid off as he made his BayHawks. With Cedric Jackson playing for the Cavs and Cliff Clinkscales a late scratch with an injury, the team needed to find a fill-in at point guard. Snow played just 20 minutes total with 3 assists and 2 turnovers in each outing. Snow likely will last until either Jackson and/or former BayHawk Maureece Rice returns to the team.
Jarvis Gunter saw limited action in both games, but he was the third big man in the rotation, behind Aminu and Bryant, but ahead of Kyle Goldcamp, who ironically has not played at all in the three games since this article was published with the headline "Goldcamp seeing more action with BayHawks."
Cliff Clinkscales missed both games with a foot/ankle injury.
Cedric Jackson played just 2 minutes in a Cavaliers 94-73 blowout victory over the Pacers. The BayHawks call-up scored his first NBA point (on 1-4 shooting from the free throw line) to go along with 1 rebound and 1 turnover. Despite Cleveland's shortage at guard, Jackson has played just 5 minutes total in 3 games with the Cavaliers.

Up next for the BayHawks is arguably their toughest four-game stretch of the season. All four games are against conference-leading Iowa. The first one is Wednesday night when they welcome the Energy to Erie, but the final three games are on the road in Iowa. Erie is 0-4 against the Energy this season, although all four games were decided by 10 points or less.

Game Preview: Erie BayHawks (11-15) at Maine Red Claws (16-9)

2010-01-29T10:45:00.004-05:00

First, an update on the BayHawks' guard situation:

Cedric Jackson is still with the Cavaliers. His 10-day contract runs through Tuesday, February 2, unless he signs a second contract with the team.

Maureece Rice is still on the team's radar, but he'd have to be bought out of the deal with his Ukraine team.

Cliff Clinkscales was hurt late in Wednesday night's win against Springfield but said he plans to play tonight against Maine. He will likely get the start considering the fact that he's the only point guard on the roster.*

*Not anymore. The BayHawks announced the signing of Tychicus “Tic” Snow today. Snow is a 5'7" 165-pound point guard from Mississippi Valley State. He played two seasons for the Delta Devils from 2005-2007. It's likely that he's a stopgap solution while the team figures out the situations involving Jackson and Rice, but it's not a bad idea to add someone considering how thin they've been at guard the past few games.

And now, on to tonight's preview:

Game 27 Preview: Erie BayHawks (11-15) at Maine Red Claws (16-9)

Erie coming in: The BayHawks snapped a three-game losing streak with a dramatic come-from-behind win at home against Springfield Wednesday night. They have a rematch on the road against the Armor tomorrow, but first they have to focus on doing something they have yet to do all season: beat Maine. The BayHawks are 0-4 against the Red Claws this season, including a 94-86 loss New Year's Day in their only trip to Maine so far this season.

Maine coming in: The Red Claws return home after a 3-0 trip out west where they defeated Bakersfield, Utah, and Idaho to improve to 16-9, good for second place in the East Conference. The Red Claws have been one of the busiest teams with NBA player movement this season as Alexis Ajinca, Bill Walker, Lester Hudson, and J.R. Giddens have all seen time with the team this year. According to the team's current roster, Giddens and Ajinca are on the roster for tonight's game. Additionally, the team just signed guard Dominque Coleman and made a deal sending Will Blalock to Reno for guard Russell Robinson. Both acquisitions are expected to be active for tonight's game against Erie.

BayHawks keys to success:

Keep the game in check early.
Two of Erie's losses against Maine were losses of 20+ points. They need to fight and claw through the first half to keep within striking distance. As they found out Wednesday night, anything can happen late in a close game. No one's expecting Erie to win this one, but if they stay close early, maybe they find a way to steal another one with some late game heroics from Mike Gansey...again.
Speaking of Gansey, ride the hot hand.
The BayHawks are just 11-15 on the season. Not so good. They are, however, an impressive 5-1 when Mike Gansey is in the lineup. The midseason trade that sent top draft pick Donell Taylor out of Erie raised some eyebrows (guilty as charged), but it's paid off for the BayHawks so far. Gansey gives them a pure shooting presence that they didn't have before, and he's also an underrated rebounder and defender.
Find a way to lesson the load for Clinkscales
Cliff Clinkscales has done an admirable job filling in for Cedric Jackson, but it's taking a toll on him. As the team's only point guard, he's played 40 minutes per game since Jackson was called up to the Cavs, and he's missed important minutes down the stretch of each of the past two games with injury issues. With Snow in uniform tonight, perhaps he gives Clinkscales a few minutes to rest up in this one. Otherwise, Mike Gansey and/or Frank Tolbert are going to have to play out of position. Neither is a natural point guard by any stretch of the imagination; however, the BayHawks did use a Gansey/Tolbert backcourt to go on an 8-0 run to close out the game Wednesday night versus Springfield. It might not be pretty, but they need to be creative in the short term until they get their point guard situation straightened out.

Game Review: Springfield Armor 94, Erie BayHawks 95

2010-01-27T23:01:00.003-05:00

I was wrong, and I'm glad I was wrong. I wrote in the preview that Erie would likely be playing with eight players. Fortunately, Mike Gansey made his return after missing five games in a row for the BayHawks with a calf injury. He was hands down the best BayHawk on this night, so it was only fitting that he hit a pair of free throws with 5 seconds left that put the BayHawks up 95-94.

By all accounts, it was a game the Armor should have won. Erie led for most of the first three quarters, but they let Springfield hang around despite a subpar game from Morris Almond, who finished with 24 points and 8 rebounds but 0 assists and 6 turnovers. After hanging around all game, Springfield finally sprung ahead in the fourth, leading by as many as 8 with just 4:05 left. But Erie stormed back with an 13-4 run, capped off by the Gansey free throws.

For the sake of full disclosure, the BayHawks may have been bailed out by a non-call on the game's final possession. I only got one look at it, but in live action Almond certainly seemed to draw contact worthy of a foul call as he drove to the basket in the closing seconds. He didn't get the call, instead was credited with a turnover, and that was the game.

BayHawks player notes:

Gansey was great in his first game back from injury. Playing a team-high 45 minutes, he led the way with 25 points on 9-15 shooting, including 5-8 from 3 to go with 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks.
Cliff Clinkscales will never be mistaken for a jump shooter, but he had his second straight solid performance filling in as the starting (and only) point guard for the called-up Cedric Jackson. He scored 12 points on 6-12 shooting to go along with 14 assists and just 2 turnovers. He did, however, have to leave the game late with an apparent leg injury. Without him on the court, Gansey and Frank Tolbert shared ballhandling duties. Neither player looked comfortable in that role, and the team's offense did not have the same rhythm and flow when Clinkscales was out.
Jackie Manuel remains the most consistent player for the BayHawks—not necessarily as a shooter, though he was on tonight—but in the way that he seems to leave his mark on most games with his defense, energy, and intangibles. He nearly had another drive for a posterizing dunk, but was fouled and failed to finish the slam.
Disappointingly, both Alade Aminu and John Bryant were not overly effective in this game. Aminu attempted just 9 shots, scoring 16 points with 8 rebounds. Meanwhile Bryant played just 22 minutes, scoring 11 on 4-8 shooting with 5 rebounds.
After scoring a season-high 10 points two games ago, Kyle Goldcamp did not play at all in this game.

The bottom line is that this was a 1-point win against a 5-win team, hardly reason to celebrate. Still, the win snaps the BayHawks' 3-game skid, and the fact that they were able to come back from 8 points down in the final four minutes says a lot about the team's resolve.

Now 11-15 on the year, the BayHawks have a tough road ahead of them. Next up, Erie goes on the road to meet a 15-9 Maine Red Claws team on Friday. The BayHawks have yet to beat Maine in four tries this season, losing by an average of more than 12 points per game. Then, on Saturday, Erie will travel to Springfield, where they'll undoubtedly encounter an Armor team hell bent on revenge after tonight's controversial defeat. Following the two game trip east, Erie has four straight against the D-League's top team, the Iowa Energy.

Game Preview: Springfield Armor (5-16) at Erie BayHawks (10-15)

2010-01-27T12:06:00.004-05:00

The good news for Erie is that they were just 11-14 at the midway point last season before turning things around with an eight-game winning streak and qualifying for the playoffs. The bad news is that they have a lot going against them if they're going to repeat that turnaround feat for the second straight year. For starters, they're a game worse than they were a year ago through 25 games. Secondly, their starting point guard and (arguably) best player is currently in the NBA and will miss, at minimum, the next three games. And third, starting guard Mike Gansey has missed five straight games with a bruised calf.

If the BayHawks are going to turn things around, tonight's the night to start it as they host the East Conference's basement dwellers, the Springfield Armor.

Game 26 Preview: Springfield Armor (5-16) at Erie BayHawks (10-15)

Springfield coming in: After going 3-2 in five straight against the Maine Red Claws between Jan. 8-21, the Armor dropped their most recent game, a home game against Austin on Saturday. After starting the season 1-10, the Armor is 4-6 in January, including an 87-75 win over Erie on Jan. 2. However, they are 0-7 for the season on the road. It was announced today that Major Wingate was released, which means the Armor will suit just eight players for tonight's game.

Erie coming in: The BayHawks have lost three straight, the last two without Cedric Jackson, who was called up to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Without Jackson and Mike Gansey, who has missed the past five games, the BayHawks are also down to an eight-man roster. News broke today that the BayHawks are considering bringing back Maureece Rice, who starred for the team last season and had been playing in Ukraine, but it could take some time before a deal is reached (if one is reached at all).

BayHawks keys to success:

Feed the post.
I wrote about this very topic at length on Monday, so I won't go into too much detail. I will simply add that in Erie's win over Springfield, Alade Aminu and John Bryant combined for 41 points and 21 rebounds. In the loss against the Armor, Aminu and Bryant had just 27 points and 19 rebounds.
Don't allow Mo to get any momentum.
Springfield's Mo Almond leads the D-League in scoring (among players who have played at least 10 games). He's going to score some points; the key is containing him and preventing him from scoring in bunches.
Win the the hustle battle = win the game.
Grabbing offensive rebounds, diving for loose balls, taking charges, getting deflections on defense. With both teams down to eight-man rosters, fatigue is bound to play a role in this one. The team that commits to making these energy plays throughout is likely to come out on top.

Know Thyself, Erie: Feed the Post

2010-01-25T11:50:00.004-05:00

The BayHawks have reached the midpoint of the season. After three cuts, three signings, a trade, an injury, and an NBA call-up, their roster is out of sync and out of sorts, and the team is just 10-15.

They essentially played Saturday night's game against Rio Grande Valley with six players. (The seventh man to play, Kyle Goldcamp, played less than four minutes.) What they're left with is a small roster but a big team. Alade Aminu, John Bryant, Jarvis Gunter, and Kyle Goldcamp are all 6'10" or bigger. Throw in forwards Ivan Harris and Jackie Manuel, and and they're basically down to two guards, three if you count Manuel. And as the team found out when Cliff Clinkscales had to sit because of a minor injury down the stretch on Saturday, Frank Tolbert is not comfortable playing point guard.

Mike Gansey has missed the past five games with a bruised calf. Cedric Jackson is now with the Cleveland Cavaliers. And the BayHawks are hurting as a result.

They've now dropped three in a row, erasing whatever positive energy they had going last week when they were riding a four game winning streak and relying heavily on Jackson. The good news is that after a forgettable 110-88 drubbing at the hands of the Vipers Friday night, Erie put up a fight in the game Saturday before RGV finally put them away 100-94. If there's a chance that the second half of the season is going to be any different than the first, they'll need to replicate the gameplan they displayed Saturday, only with near flawless execution. It's a tall order, both literally and figuratively. The plan is as follows:

Plan A: Alade Aminu (31 points on 14-22 shooting, 7 rebounds Saturday)
Plan B: John Bryant (22 points on 8-13 shooting, 19 rebounds Saturday)

As Tony Kornheiser would say, "That's it, that's the list."

Ivan Harris, Jackie Manuel, Frank Tolbert, and Cliff Clinkscales should all be thinking feed the post every time down the court. That's the way they can be most effective. Aminu and Bryant need to be the primary focus. Without Gansey, Erie doesn't have much of a threat from downtown besides Harris. Without Jackson, they don't have an every-play threat to drive and score, although the Jackie Manuel at 1:29 in this clip begs to differ. Down low is where they will consistently have an advantage at center, power forward, or both positions.

It may be simplistic and predictable, but it's necessary. Force feed Aminu. And Bryant. All game long. Until Gansey recovers or Jackson returns, they need to dominate teams down low and win the battle in the paint to have a chance to be successful. Even if they add another free agent, he's unlikely going to be a go-to scorer. It's hard to find those type of players this time of year.

At 10-15, the BayHawks are 10 games out of first place, but only 3.5 games out of the eighth and final playoff spot. It's not an impossible idea to suggest that Erie could make the playoffs, but it definitely won't happen unless they find a way to get Aminu and Bryant involved on almost every trip down the court.

Official Press Release for the Cedric Jackson Signing

2010-01-23T13:05:00.002-05:00

CAVALIERS SIGN JACKSON TO 10-DAY CONTRACT
FORMER CLEVELAND STATE GUARD BECOMES NINTH GATORADE CALL-UP THIS SEASON

CLEVELAND – The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed guard Cedric Jackson from the Erie BayHawks of the NBA Development League, Cavaliers General Manager Danny Ferry announced today. The signing of Jackson marks the ninth GATORADE Call-Up of the 2009-10 D-League season. Jackson will wear No. 9 for the Cavaliers.

During 10 games during the month of January with Erie, he increased his averages to 21.5 points on .407 shooting, 4.7 rebounds, 7.8 assists and 2.4 steals in 35.0 minutes per game and led the BayHawks to a 6-4 record, including a four-game winning streak from Jan. 10-17. The point guard posted game highs of 34 points on 9-21 (.429) shooting and 13 assists in his most recent game with the BayHawks on Jan. 19th versus the Austin Toros. In his 14 starts this season, he is averaging 16.5 points on .369 shooting, 4.7 rebounds, 8.2 assists and 1.8 steals in 35.4 minutes per game and in 23 games (14 starts) overall, Jackson has averaged 14.7 points on .397 shooting, 4.6 rebounds, 7.6 assists and 1.9 steals in 31.3 minutes per game.

As a senior at Cleveland State in 2009, the 6-foot-3, 190-pounder was named 2009 Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year and to the All-Horizon League Second Team for the second consecutive season. In two seasons with the Vikings, he had career averages of 12.3 points on .405 shooting, 5.3 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 2.8 steals in 32.2 minutes per game. He is only the second Cleveland State alumnus (Darren Tillis, 1982-83) to ever play for the Cavaliers.

Cedric Jackson to Sign 10-Day Contract With Cleveland Cavaliers

2010-01-22T19:06:00.006-05:00

Cedric Jackson is about to become the answer to a trivia question. It's been reported by Brian Windhorst of the Cleveland Plain Dealer that the BayHawks point guard will be signed to a 10-day contract by the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday. That would make Jackson the ~~first~~ *second Erie BayHawk to earn a Gatorade Call-Up since the team joined the NBA Development League. (A shout-out to Ridiculous Upside's Scott Shroeder for calling/suggesting this move by the Cavs ahead of time.)

The decision comes on the heels of injuries to Cavaliers guards Mo Williams and Delonte West. Williams is out for about a month with a shoulder injury whereas West is expected to miss just a few games with a finger injury. It remains to be seen how (or if) the Cavaliers will use Jackson, but it's definitely exciting for the former Cleveland State star to get the call-up to play with LeBron and company, arguably the best team in the NBA fresh off a sweep of the defending champion L.A. Lakers.

What it means for Jackson
The whole point of the D-League is to develop players for the NBA, so the fact that Jackson has earned that call-up is great. Now that he's there, what does he do with his opportunity? (I don't know that any call-up is going to overshadow Sundiata Gaines this season, but who knows.)

Aside from the injured Williams and West, the Cavs' official roster lists just two other guards: Daniel Gibson and Anthony Parker. Even if you stretched to mention Danny Green and/or Jawad Williams, the truth of the matter is that no one left on the roster is anything close to a point guard. Unless you count LeBron. Gibson has the body of a point guard, but he's a spot-up shooter (and a good one) way before he's a traditional point guard.

Jackson is definitely not a shooter, which, oddly enough, is part of the reason I think the Cavs decided to bring him in. Between Gibson, Parker, Williams, West, LeBron, and even Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Cleveland is loaded with shooters. Jackson brings something different to the table. He's explosive off the dribble and gets to the rim as well as any point guard I've seen in the D-League this year. His 148 free throw attempts put him sixth in the league among guards. And he's really been on a tear lately, as I wrote following the BayHawks' recent four-game winning streak:

The story of the BayHawks' mini-resurgence (let's not get carried away, they're still just 10-12 on the season) has been authored by Cedric Jackson. Whether it's Ridiculous Upside's Scott Shroeder or GoErie's Duane Rankin, Jackson has been the lead story from the past few BayHawks' games and for good reason. Over the four-game winning streak, Jackson has averaged 25.3 points, 8 assists, and 5 rebounds. He has had some ball control issues, turning it over 4.3 times per game over that four-game stretch, but he gets a good chunk of them back, also averaging 2.3 steals.

Most impressive has been the way Jackson's been scoring. He's always been good at getting to the line, leading the team with 131 free throw attempts (Alade Aminu is second on the team with 96 attempts), but lately he's been making the most of his opportunities. During the four game streak, Jackson's shot 34-38 from the line. I'll do the math for you: that equals 89.5 percent. As someone who still struggles shooting from the field (39.4 percent for the year, 29.5 percent from 3), that kind of performance from the free throw line is huge. And it's been a major key in Erie's recent success, but Jackson hasn't had to do it alone.

With Jackson not in the lineup for tonight's game against Rio Grande Valley (Cliff Clinkscales got the start at point guard), it looks like this deal is done, pending a physical. Cleveland plays at home against Oklahoma City tomorrow night. If Jackson's not in uniform in time for that one, the Cavaliers' next game is on the road against Miami on Monday.

What it means for the BayHawks
From a business perspective, this is great news. The team/organization should be proud to have one of its own called-up to the big time. They played a major role in helping Jackson develop this season and find his niche as a pro. Now maybe they can hope the Cavs return the favor in kind by being open to sending down the likes of Danny Green at some point this season.

I'm not sure that will happen, but this call-up does show that the Cavs have been monitoring the BayHawks, and that there is a healthy relationship between the two organizations as I've heard from numerous sources. Hopefully this experience will lead to more player movement between the two teams in the future in a continued partnership that should benefit both Cleveland and Erie longterm.

On the flipside, this definitely hurts Erie as a basketball team. The BayHawks had won four of their last six games heading into this weekend's homestand against Rio Grande Valley, and Cedric Jackson was one of the most important reasons why. Ideally, Jackson gets some run in Cleveland and does enough to earn himself a spot on their roster the rest of the season. But it's possible that 10 days from now Jackson returns to the BayHawks. Even if he's back in Erie in a week and a half, that's still five or six games for the BayHawks sans Jackson. Add to Jackson's absence the injury of Mike Gansey and Erie's offensive firepower is suddenly severely depleted.

Clinkscales will take over the starting point guard duties. He's capable of running the team as a facilitator, but he doesn't have the scoring punch, lightning-quick first-step, or ability to finish at the rim like Jackson. Maybe Erie can find another Frank Tolbert-like signing from the pool of available free agents. Look for the team to focus on the power game with Alade Aminu and John Bryant getting a lot of touches inside. But truth be told, it's going to be very tough for the BayHawks to contend and win games without Jackson running the show.

What it means for Blog Talk BayHawk
I'll still be focusing my effort on the BayHawks, who are currently down by double digits in the second quarter against Rio Grande Valley, but I'll also be paying more attention to the Cavaliers over the next 10 days, tracking Jackson's progress in the NBA, which could begin as soon as tomorrow night. So be sure to check back for updates and look for Jackson in a Cavaliers uniform (my guess is as good as yours as to which of the Cavalier color combinations he'll be wearing) very soon.

*Quincy Douby was the first BayHawk to earn a Gatorade Call-Up. Douby was called up to the NBA by the Toronto Raptors last season after playing five games for the BayHawks. Jackson, however, becomes the first BayHawk called up by the team's NBA affiliate (Erie and Toronto were not aligned until this season) as well as the first BayHawk player to start the season in Erie before earning the NBA call-up. Thanks to Jeff Johns, BayHawks director of marketing and communications, for alerting me to fix this error in my original post.

Game Review: Austin Toros 121, Erie BayHawks 113

2010-01-19T23:14:00.005-05:00

This was an entertaining game throughout. It featured blood (Alonzo Gee had to don a different jersey for most of the game after suffering a cut above his eye early on), sweat (a combined 85 free throw attempts meant their were plenty of bodies hitting the floor, a busy night for the towel boy), and tears (if you're an emotional fan of Toros Coach Quin Snyder, who was tossed in the first half for arguing with the referee.)

But it was a 72-second span late in the fourth quarter that proved to be the decisive stretch in this one. It started with 2:26 remaining in the game. That's when Cliff Clinkscales floating bank shot in the lane (he may or may not have called glass on that one) went in to tie the game at 111. That was the last field goal for the BayHawks, who were outscored 10-2 the rest of the way, losing 121-113 in Austin.

The sequence of events from Clinkscales' made basket at 2:26 down to 1:14 on the clock put this one to bed in a hurry. So let's do something a little different and use the play-by-play account to break down the breakdown of the BayHawks down the stretch.

2:15 - Austin's Curtis Jerrells misses a 3, but Dwayne Jones grabs his 6th offensive rebound of the night and is fouled by Kyle Goldcamp. He hits both free throws: Austin 113, Erie 111.

2:04 - Erie's Cedric Jackson takes a hop step into the lane and is called for travelling.

1:53 - Curtis Jerrells comes back at the other end with a layup off an assist from Alonzo Gee to put Austin up 115-111.

1:36 - Cedric Jackson misses a 3-pointer, and Austin's Alonzo Gee clears the rebound.

1:16 - The play that did essentially put the nail in the coffin of the BayHawks reads like this on the play-by-play: Gee Turnover: Lost Ball, Steal: Tolbert, Tolbert Foul. That's basically what it looked like live on FutureCast as well. Gee lost the ball to Tolbert, but in the scrum for the loose ball, Tolbert was called for his sixth personal foul. Curiously, there's also a play that says Tolbert Turnover: Lost Ball, Steal: Bowen listed at 1:14 after Tolbert was fouled out. I'm thinking the play-by-play must have that out of sequence, and that the Tolbert turnover happened right before his sixth foul on the loose ball.

1:14 - Technical foul on BayHawks Coach John Treloar, who clearly disagreed with the call against Tolbert. Malik Hairston hit the technical free throw and Alonzo Gee added two more for the personal foul, extending Austin's lead to 118-11.

That's how you give away a game in just over a minute: committing one turnover, missing your one and only shot (a 3), surrendering one offensive rebound, committing two personal fouls, and a adding technical foul for good measure.

Following all of that, Erie came out of a timeout with a missed three from Ivan Harris and a missed putback attempt by John Bryant, and the rest was history like the BayHawks' four-game win streak. They now sit at 10-13 on the year while Austin improves to 10-9.

Because it's too late to keep writing, and Internet readers love bullet points, here are some quick hit observations from watching the game on FutureCast:

Malik Hairston shredded the BayHawks defensively, scoring 31 points on 11-20 shooting (8-10 from the free throw line), and Dwayne Jones owned the boards, grabbing 15, including 6 on the offensive end. He also made a living at the line, shooting 10-12 from the stripe, accounting for a good portion of his 22 points on the night.
*Jackie Manuel and Mike Gansey did not play for the BayHawks. No word on why, but the FutureCast announcer did say on more than one occasion, and I quote, "Jackie Manuel not playing tonight." Thanks for elaborating...not.
Cedric Jackson continues to impress: a team-high 34 points (9-21 from the field, 3-8 from 3, and 13-17 from the line) with 13 assists, 5 rebounds, and just 4 turnovers. Seriously, 17 free throw attempts?! He's a one-man wrecking crew driving the lane.
By my count, Alade Aminu had 7 dunks on the night. That's not a stat the D-League counts, but it's impressive. He also matched Dwayne Jones with 15 rebounds. Those are all good things. In the "not good" column, he shot just 4-12 from the free throw line.
Speaking of free throws, Austin was 5-15 at the line early in the second half before connecting on 27 of their last 30 from the charity stripe. On a whistle-heavy night, they finished 32-45 (71.1 percent) while Erie shot 27-40 (67.5 percent).
Cliff Clinkscales had his best game in awhile, scoring 16 points on 8-11 shooting.
Kyle Goldcamp had his best game as a pro: 6 points (3-3 shooting), 6 rebounds, 2 blocks, and a steal in 21 minutes.

The BayHawks now return home to host a weekend series against the best team in the West, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. Games are Friday and Saturday night at 7 p.m.

*EDIT: I finally learned that Mike Gansey has missed the past three games with a bruised calf. No word yet on the status of Jackie Manuel and his DNP from last night.

Game Preview: Erie BayHawks (10-12) vs. Austin Toros (9-9)

2010-01-19T16:30:00.000-05:00

Two teams hovering at or near the .500 mark hook up tonight down in Austin. It’s the first and only time these teams will meet this season. Although Tulsa currently sits in sixth in the overall D-League standings and Erie is 11th, the teams are only separated by three games in the loss column. And who knows, a win for Erie could be a difference maker down the line if a playoff run is in the cards.

Game 23 Preview: Erie BayHawks (10-12) vs. Austin Toros (9-9)

Erie coming in: The BayHawks arrive in Texas riding a four-game winning streak that is not only their longest streak of the year, it’s also the longest active streak in the D-League. Cedric Jackson has been the catalyst for the recent turnaround, getting to the line and pushing the ball in transition. The team’s also gotten nice complementary play from recent additions Frank Tolbert and Mike Gansey, although Gansey did not play in the past two games (and I still haven’t heard why!)

Austin coming in: Whereas the BayHawks enter this game fresh off a weekend sweep of the Tulsa 66ers, the Toros lost their last game, which was Thursday night against those same 66ers. The player to watch for the Toros is Dwayne Jones. The Toros center leads the league in rebounds with 15.3 per game, including a whopping 6.2 offensive boards per game. He also scores 17.8 a game. It’ll be interesting to see how the BayHawks choose to defend him. John Bryant is a top rebounder himself, but Jones has a definitive agility advantage. Alade Aminu may be better suited to match Jones step-for-step, but I’m not sure he has the strength. Backups Jarvis Gunter and Kyle Goldcamp may also see time on Jones depending on the flow of the game. Malik Hairston is another Toro of interest, as he is on assignment (last I checked) from the Spurs, scoring a team-high 28 in Thursday’s loss against the 66ers.

And In a mostly unrelated note, I saw a guy at the gym the other day wearing an Austin Toros T-shirt. That seemed really unusual, especially without the team even being in town. If we weren’t both in the midst of exercising (woohoo for the treadmill!), I might’ve said something. Instead, I’ll forever wonder who that guy was and why he had a Toros shirt in Erie. So, a shout-out to that guy, whoever you are.

BayHawks keys to success:

Control the defensive boards.
This is obviously related to Dwayne Jones. As mentioned above, he averages more than 6 offensive rebounds per game, which is about half of the Toros’ team average. If John Bryant and Alade Aminu can control Jones and limit the Toros to one shot on offense, Erie will be in good shape.
Use the 3-ball wisely.
Earlier this year, I told the BayHawks to limit their 3-point shooting. That still holds true, but with the addition of Mike Gansey (if he’s playing) and the in-season improvement from Ivan Harris, Erie does have a few guys that can be dangerous from distance. Cedric Jackson, Jackie Manuel, and Frank Tolbert should resort to the 3 only as a last resort or when wide open after a nice setup pass.
Pace yourselves.
It’s the last game of a three-game roadtrip before returning to Erie. The team is riding high after four straight wins. This is a classic run-out-of-gas game. Erie needs to avoid the pitfalls. The first five minutes of the game. The first five minutes of the third quarter are typical times to give up a devastating run. This is a night when the coach need’s to have a quick trigger with a timeout to halt any pending surges by the Toros. Be ready, Coach Treloar.

Game Reviews (Yes, Plural): BayHawks Complete 2-0 Sweep in Tulsa

2010-01-18T00:03:00.000-05:00

All of a sudden, the Erie BayHawks are starting to show signs of life. After winning back-to-back home games against rival Fort Wayne, the BayHawks travelled to Tulsa and won a pair of tough games on the road against a 66ers team that entered the weekend second in the West (apparently not Western?) Conference.

Erie won 97-91 on Saturday night and 102-97 on Sunday. Highlights are below:

The story of the BayHawks' mini-resurgence (let's not get carried away, they're still just 10-12 on the season) has been authored by Cedric Jackson. Whether it's Ridiculous Upside's Scott Shroeder or GoErie's Duane Rankin, Jackson has been the lead story from the past few BayHawks' games and for good reason. Over the four-game winning streak, Jackson has averaged 25.3 points, 8 assists, and 5 rebounds. He has had some ball control issues, turning it over 4.3 times per game over that four-game stretch, but he gets a good chunk of them back, also averaging 2.3 steals.

Most impressive has been the way Jackson's been scoring. He's always been good at getting to the line, leading the team with 131 free throw attempts (Alade Aminu is second on the team with 96 attempts), but lately he's been making the most of his opportunities. During the four game streak, Jackson's shot 34-38 from the line. I'll do the math for you: that equals 89.5 percent. As someone who still struggles shooting from the field (39.4 percent for the year, 29.5 percent from 3), that kind of performance from the free throw line is huge. And it's been a major key in Erie's recent success, but Jackson hasn't had to do it alone.

Erie hasn't lost since acquiring Frank Tolbert. After making a 15-minute cameo Wednesday night in Erie's win over the Mad Ants, Tolbert got the start in both games against Tulsa. He made Coach Treloar look smart right off the bat, scoring 8 points in the first quarter as the BayHawks jumped out to a 24-15 lead. He followed that performance with a team-high 25 points yesterday on 8-10 shooting and a perfect 8-8 from the free throw line.

Tolbert's starting role came in place of Mike Gansey, Erie's other recent addition. Curiously, Gansey didn't play at all in Tulsa. No word on whether this was injury-related, a coach's decision, or what. Seriously, how is it that there is no news on this? He went from starting to not playing at all, and no one knows why? Lack of accessible information FAIL.

On a more positive note, Alade Aminu also played well over the weekend. Consistency has been the issue for him this year. With four straight double-doubles, he's on a bit of a streak of his own. Scott Schroeder thinks he'll get an NBA call-up before the year ends, writing, "If there was a stat that combined youth+athleticism+length+untapped potential, Aminu would lead the D-League." DraftExpress also values Aminu's potential, ranking him as the #2 D-League prospect.

The BayHawks head to Austin for a showdown with the 9-9 Toros on Tuesday night before returning to Erie for three straight home games.

Quick observations of the opposition

Moses Ehambe is one of the best shooters I've watched play against the BayHawks this season. He went 7-15 from downtown over the two games, but it seemed like every shot he hit was a big, momentum-gaining shot.
Mustafa Shakur had the dunk of the weekend, driving past his man and then hanging in the air long enough that Kyle Goldcamp may see himself on a poster someday. Kevin Henry of 66ers Nation said Shakur's a quiet scorer and generally, I agree. He gets 20 points, and you wonder where they all came from, but the two from that ferocious dunk were anything but quiet points.
High school-to-pros player Latavious Williams managed to grab 13 rebounds in 36 minutes, but he's clearly a raw talent at this stage of the game.
Deron Washington is a great energy player. It shows most in this stat. Of Tulsa's 66 free throw attempts in the two games, Washington attempted 22 of them, making 15.

Sizing Up the 66ers

2010-01-16T20:08:00.003-05:00

In anticipation of the weekend series against the Tulsa 66ers and in lieu of a traditional game preview, I turned to Kevin Henry, beat writer for the Tulsa World and author of the 66ers Nation blog, for a Q&A to get some information and insight regarding the 66ers. The 66ers enter the weekend with a record of 11-7, second in the West. Erie comes in at 8-12, fifth in the East, but riding a two-game winning streak.

BTB: For starters, Tulsa has won 5 of their last 6 games. What's been the main reason(s) for their recent success?

This is a completely different team than the 66ers of last year. Right now, there's only one active player (Moses Ehambe) from last year. Last year's team was very me-centered at times. This year's squad is truly a team and does a good job of making the extra pass to find the open man. It's a good unit that enjoys hanging around each other on and off the court. Also, I think Tulsa has a defensive-minded mentality and that has certainly made a difference this year. That comes straight from the parent Oklahoma City Thunder, which is also a vastly improved team this year.

BTB: Coming straight out of high school to the D-League, Latavious Williams was one of the biggest stories of the D-League draft. The 66ers used their first round pick (16th overall) on Williams. How has he developed through 18 games this season? What's his role on the team?

Tay, as he's called around here, is still picking up the game on the D-League level. He has started a number of games this year and has made more of an impact on the boards than in scoring. If you watch him play, you'll see he is very productive in the time he's in the game. Coach Nate Tibbetts watches his playing time and makes sure he's not overused. When Tay is in there, he'll do something on the defensive end to provide a spark. He has so much potential, and I think he'll only get better and better.

BTB: Tulsa currently sits tied for second in the West Conference. What will it take for the 66ers to surpass Rio Grande Valley and win the conference title?

Right now, it seems that the Vipers can't lose, despite different players being called up to the NBA. If Tulsa keeps playing solid defense, I think they can fight for the West Conference lead all season. This team may not be loaded with superstars like Idaho or RGV, but it is a solid team from top to bottom that can compete with, and beat anyone. They're 2-2 against RGV this year, so they have confidence when they step on the court with the Vipers.

BTB: Which 66ers players could you see playing at the next level? What do they need to do to make that next step?

I'll say Mustafa Shakur. He's a solid point guard who can create and score. He's also a leader and you can tell that the 66ers rely on him in close situations. He's a quiet scorer, meaning at the end of the night you'll look at the score sheet and wonder when he scored all of his 20-plus points. He does what he needs to do to make the team run and run well. That's a must for any NBA point guard, and I think Mustafa has the skills to play in the NBA.

BTB: Who's the most underrated player for the 66ers?

Larry Owens. He's a guy who can play the three or four position and score from anywhere on the court. He's not getting a lot of attention as so many people are focused on Latavious or Mustafa. Larry is quick and his teammates have faith in him to score if they need a big basket.

And finally, what do you see as the keys to defeating Tulsa?
Make Tulsa take bad shots. The 66ers haven't shot under 50 percent in any game for the last seven contests. Tulsa is playing with a smaller lineup right now because of callups and injuries so I think a team with a dominant inside game could cause problems. However, Tulsa's guards can rebound and beat you down the court, so another team has to be dominant inside and rebound well to give the 66ers a big headache.

Game Preview: Fort Wayne Mad Ants (8-11) vs. Erie BayHawks (7-12)

2010-01-13T15:16:00.002-05:00

Familiar foes prepare to tangle once again tonight. For the BayHawks, it's the third straight home game against the Mad Ants. Fort Wayne and Erie currently sit at fifth and sixth (out of seven) in the conference standings, respectively. That fact alone makes this game meaningful. Neither team can afford to fall further behind the playoff pace at this point.

Erie coming in: The BayHawks will be playing their third straight home game against the Mad Ants. They lost Saturday night 89-87, but then they bounced back with a dominating 100-70 win on Sunday afternoon. Tonight they will shoot for their first two-game home winning streak of the season. Alade Aminu is also coming off a big game. Like the BayHawks, his problem has been consistent, and the team will look for him to post big numbers again.

Fort Wayne coming in: Despite injuries to Rob Kurz and Jared Reiner, the Mad Ants won a big home game last night, defeating Maine 103-93, on the strength of a 34-11 third quarter. The Mad Ants hit 10 3s in the game, including 4 from Kyle McAlarney. Ex-BayHawk Oliver Lafayette had a big game as well, scoring 19 points on 8-13 shooting with 11 assists and 5 steals.

BayHawks keys to success:

1st-Quarter Energy
The weekend series with Fort Wayne was determined by the first quarter. On Saturday, Fort Wayne dominated the opening quarter, outscoring Erie 23-13. On Sunday, Erie won the first quarter 27-20 and never looked back. Expect the first quarter to be vital again today, especially with the Mad Ants playing the second night of a back-to-back after travelling in from Indiana.
Frustrate Sonderleiter
Without Reiner, who had a major impact in the Mad Ants' win on Saturday, Sean Sonderleiter will have to carry the load at center. Whoever he's guarding, whether it's John Bryant or Alade Aminu, should be a focal point on offense. If they can draw a few early fouls, they should be able to control the paint.
Give Jackson the keys to the car
Cliff Clinkscales has done some good things for the BayHawks, but he doesn't have the all-around game that Jackson brings to the table. Jackson's explosive off the dribble and gets to the rack better than anyone else on the roster. He may commit a few more turnovers than Clinkscales, but he also accounts for more points by virtue of his offensive abilities. Use Clinkscales as a change-of-pace reliever, but let Jackson be the main driver the rest of the way.

Poll: Which three BayHawks would you want as a team roster for NBA Jam?

2010-01-11T14:24:00.004-05:00

I could not be happier about this news that NBA Jam is coming back in 2010. Not only was it one of the most enjoyable games of my youth (Tecmo Super Bowl was #1 in my book), but it's gameplay was also very user-friendly, allowing anyone to pick up and play without feeling overwhelmed.

The fact that it's coming to the Nintendo Wii and that I just got the Wii for Christmas (well, my family, but that's close enough) makes it all the more perfect.

Anyway, one of the cool things about NBA Jam was its assortment of unusual hidden characters that ranged from Bill Clinton to Benny the Bull. I can only hope the Wii version replicates this.

Right now, you can vote on the new NBA Jam site for the three players you want to be on the roster for the Clippers, Kings, and Thunder, respectively (with the ability to vote on other teams coming in the future).

For hypothetical purposes, and to make this post blog relevant, I thought I'd pose the same question with a BayHawks twist. So, cast your vote for three BayHawks below and feel free to leave other fun NBA Jam thoughts/3-man rosters you'd like to see included in the game in the comments section below.

Which three BayHawks would you want as a team roster for NBA Jam?(poll)

Game Review: Erie BayHawks 100, Fort Wayne Mad Ants 70

2010-01-11T00:05:00.000-05:00

For the second time in five days, Alade Aminu was the focal point in an Erie BayHawks victory. The Georgia Tech product was a force on both ends of the court, dominating the paint and controlling glass, leading the BayHawks to a 100-70 thumping of the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. The win improves the BayHawks to 7-12 while the Mad Ants fall to 7-11.

Aminu played a team-high 45 minutes and made the most of his time on the floor, scoring 30 points on 11-17 shooting that included a variety of post moves and putbacks. He had 6 offensive rebounds to go along with 9 defensive. On the defensive end, he also added 3 blocks and 2 steals.

While Aminu helped the BayHawks put this game away, it was Cedric Jackson that got the BayHawks on the right track in this one. After the team scored just 13 points in the first quarter Saturday night, Jackson scored 13 in the first quarter all by himself on Sunday, while also dishing out 3 assists. He finished the game with a great all-around statline: 21 points on 7-10 shooting, 9 assists, 7 rebounds, 4 steals, and 4 turnovers. He was also mainly responsible for frustrating former BayHawk Oliver Lafayette, who finished 1-8 with just 4 assists for the Mad Ants.

It was a great offensive performance for the BayHawks after a miserable one the night before. Their shooting went from 35 to 50 percent, including 4-10 from 3-point range. Defensively, give some credit to Erie as they were more active on that end. But also chalk some of that up to Fort Wayne playing the second day of a back-to-back on the road in less than 24 hours. The Mad Ants shot a lowly 31 percent from the field, including 5-20 from downtown.

John Bryant is madly in love with the pick-and-pop jumpshot from just outside the free throw line. He's got a nice touch for a big man, and hits the shot at a high percentage, but he can't allow himself to become one dimensional. It was a good effort from him on the night as he notched another double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds. He also added 2 blocked shots.

On the Mad Ants side, what happened to Jared Reiner? The Fort Wayne center dominated the matchup Saturday night, but he played less than 24 minutes in this one, scoring just 8 points on 3-10 shooting. I saw that he came out of the locker room late at halftime, so maybe there was some sort of injury issue. If so, that could spell trouble for the Mad Ants, who were once again without Rob Kurz, who missed the each of the games in Erie with a back injury.

The BayHawks once again suited just nine players. Word on the street is that Frank Tolbert is headed to Erie to replace Booker Woodfox on the BayHawks' roster. The BayHawks started a lineup with Bryant at center, Aminu at power forward, Mike Gansey and Jackie Manuel on the wings, and Cedric Jackson at the point. I think that's Erie's best five going forward with Ivan Harris potentially taking minutes from Manuel/Gansey as the sixth man depending on the game situation.

Looking ahead, Erie trails Fort Wayne by just one game in the loss column with another rematch coming up in Erie Wednesday night. The BayHawks will try to win two straight at home for the first time this season as they continue to try to dig themselves out of this early season hole.

BayHawks Release Booker Woodfox

2010-01-10T11:43:00.003-05:00

Remember how I wrote that thing about the *newest, coolest named BayHawk, Booker Woodfox? Well, forget that ever happened. Woodfox was released by the team without ever playing in a game for the BayHawks.

The team is in the works to add a tenth player with former Auburn Tiger Frank Tolbert as a rumored possibility. They'll suit up just nine players again this afternoon as they host the Fort Wayne Mad Ants at 2 p.m.

*Cliff Clinkscales regains the title of coolest-named BayHawk

Game Review: Fort Wayne Mad Ants 89, Erie BayHawks 87

2010-01-09T21:39:00.004-05:00

The BayHawks won the final 36 minutes of this game, outscoring the Mad Ants in quarters two and four and playing them dead even in the third. But they still lost the game. It was the first quarter that did them in tonight, puzzling when you consider that they came in riding their first two-game win streak of the season. It seemed like this was as good a chance as any to get the home crowd buzzing with an electric start, but apparently the BayHawks blew a fuse somewhere between Boise and Erie.

They came out flat on offense, scoring just 13 points while committing five turnovers. Meanwhile, Fort Wayne came out with a purpose, scoring 23 in the period. The Mad Ants were led by center Jared Reiner, who scored 8 of his 18 points in the first quarter.

On the rivalry front, Oliver Lafayette made the most of his return to Erie, scoring 16 points that included 4-6 on 3-point shooting. Lafayette added 9 assists, 6 rebounds, and 4 steals in his solid all-around performance. Rod Wilmont was less of a factor, scoring just 3 points, but he grabbed 8 rebounds, including the final one that allowed him to clinch the game with 2 free throws in the final seconds. He made both to seal the win for Fort Wayne.

In a strange occurence, Erie actually shot better from 3 (41 percent) than they did from the field (37 percent). Mike Gansey's home debut was a mixed bag. He had 10 rebounds, which is good, and he hit 4-10 3s, which is good. But he also shot just 6-15 overall and committed a team-high 4 turnovers, 3 of which came in the team's sluggish first quarter.

Ivan Harris was 3-5 from downtown, but the two misses were chances to tie the game in the fourth quarter, including a shot with just six ticks left on the clock. Both Gansey and Jackie Manuel played the full 48 minutes for the BayHawks, who suited up just nine players. According to Ridiculous Upside, Booker Woodfox was released by the BayHawks, but I don't have any further details at this time.

Overall, it was a disappointing performance for the BayHawks. Fresh off a strong performance at the D-League Showcase, there was a glimmer of hope for a turnaround. With this loss, Erie's small margin for error grows even slimmer. They turn around for a rematch with Fort Wayne tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. and then again on Wednesday night. Unless they can bounce back with back-to-back wins, things are not looking up for the BayHawks.

Should the BayHawks Be Hopeful for 2010?

2010-01-08T14:26:00.002-05:00

After a rather lengthy holiday hiatus, I finally took the time to get back to my when-I-have-extra-time gig moonlighting for the popular local blog, ErieBlogs.com. I wrote about the positive vibe surrounding the BayHawks after a 2-0 showing at the D-League Showcase and the importance of the upcoming homestand against budding rival Fort Wayne. Here's an excerpt:

By playing well on the D-League’s big stage, in front of scouts and NBA executives, the BayHawks proved that they’re capable of bigger and better things this season. With more than half of the season schedule to go, there is still time to turnaround after a disappointing start, but there is also little room for error. And it starts this weekend against Erie’s rival, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.

Read the full post here.

Game Review: Erie BayHawks 102, Los Angeles D-Fenders 89

2010-01-08T08:44:00.002-05:00

The Erie BayHawks picked as good a time as any to win two games in a row, doing so in front of the NBA scouts gathered in Boise, Idaho, at the D-League Showcase. Yesterday's win came over the L.A. D-Fenders, 102-89. After the D-Fenders took a 3-point lead midway through the third quarter, the BayHawks went on a 17-4 run to close the quarter and never looked back, leading the rest of the way to improve to 6-11 on the season and 2-2 in 2010. The D-Fenders fell to 7-7 with the loss.

The big story of the game for the BayHawks was the performance of Mike Gansey: 25 points on 9-12 shooting (3-6 from 3), 15 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals. He also led the team in minutes played for the second straight game, showing that Coach Treloar plans to ride him the rest of the season. If he continues putting up numbers like he did yesterday and winning (the BayHawks are now 2-0 with Gansey in the lineup), the trade for Donell Taylor will be a successful gamble after all.

Of course, Gansey didn't win this one on his own. Despite struggling from the floor (5-13 shooting), Cedric Jackson continued to get to the free throw line (6-9), and registered a double-double (16 points, 11 assists). Jackson also atoned for 5 turnovers by recording 4 steals of his own.

John Bryant and Jackie Manuel both responded nicely after struggling in their Showcase opener against Reno on Wednesday. The BayHawks big man Bryant had 18 points on 7-10 shooting, 14 rebounds, and 2 blocks in 40 minutes. Meanwhile, Manuel contributed 14 points on 6-12 shooting with 5 rebounds.

Offensive consistency was the key for Erie in this one. Their quarter scores were 24, 25, 27, and 26. And the BayHawks also played a solid defensive game, forcing 18 turnovers that included 9 steals and 7 blocks while limiting the D-Fenders to 44 percent shooting. It was a good win, but like Jay-Z says, it's on to the next one, which happens to be the rival Fort Wayne Mad Ants tomorrow night back in Erie.

Game Review: Erie BayHawks 92, Reno Bighorns 88 (Overtime)

2010-01-06T21:57:00.004-05:00

Erie made their 2010 D-League Showcase debut this afternoon, defeating the Reno Bighorns 92-88 in overtime. The game was broadcast on NBA TV. I was at work, so I followed most of the first half through some combination of the D-League site's box score/play-by-play and the Ridiculous Upside Twitter account.

At halftime, I tweeted this simple statistical analysis. That's why they play 48 minutes. Erie's final shooting numbers were not nearly as pretty (41 percent from the field, 27.8 percent from 3, and 79.3 percent from the free throw line), but they found a way to grind out the win.

How'd they do it? Here are a few reasons why and some other general reactions to the game I unfortunately wasn't able to watch:

Alade Aminu.
Alade Aminu. Yes, he deserves the first two bullets. He was a beast today. In a game where John Bryant struggled, Aminu thrived. He played almost 45 minutes and led the team in both scoring (30 points on 12-20 shooting) and rebounding (23, including 7 offensive). Prior to the game, I suggested that the team needed to find a way to showcase someone in front of all the scouts in attendance. Aminu was that someone on this day.
What do we make of Mike Gansey? The newly acquired Gansey missed his first five shots as a BayHawk and finished just 5-17 from the field (3-11 from 3)—not exactly an improvement from Donell Taylor's shooting percentages. But perhaps the threat of his 3-point shooting helped the offense in general? Hard to say since I didn't watch, but he played a team-high 52 minutes, so apparently Coach Treloar liked something about what he was giving them. He did score 4 of the team's last 6 points in overtime, including a pair of clutch free throws and had 6 rebounds. Still, I'm a little surprised he was such a big part of the gameplan in game one with the team. Then again, if he can give them some 5-, 6-, or 7-11 games from beyond the arc, it'll make a lot more sense why Treloar pulled the trigger on this deal. After one game, it's way to early to say whether it was the right move, but the team is 1-0 with Gansey in the starting lineup, so that's a start.
The player most affected by Mike Gansey's arrival seemed to be Jackie "Iron" Manuel. He'd played 42.5 minutes per game coming into this game, but saw just 24 minutes of action tonight. Foul trouble also may have played a role, however, as Manuel picked up three fouls in the first quarter, his fourth before halftime, and eventually fouled out of the game.
Cedric Jackson got the bulk of the point guard minutes. Though he had 5 turnovers with his 11 assists, my bet is that his aggressiveness is getting his number called more often than Cliff Clinkscales. He led the team with 11 free throw attempts, converting 9, including the final two in overtime to seal the win. Jackson has a knack for getting to the rack and drawing contact (say that five times fast). He's under 70 percent at the line for the season, so if he can shoot like he did tonight on a regular basis, he'll become a much more dangerous threat when he drives to the basket.
It's hard to judge defense by numbers alone, but unless Reno just had an awful shooting day, you have to credit Erie for holding the Bighorns under 40 percent from the field.
What a tough Showcase experience for the Bighorns, losing both of their games in overtime.
Just as I was surprised by how much time Gansey saw, I was surprised that Booker Woodfox never got in the game at all, especially when the team went ice cold shooting in the second half.
One more for Alade Aminu. He grabbed the first defensive rebound of overtime. Scored the first four points of overtime to give the BayHawks new life after they squandered the lead in regulation. And fittingly he grabbed the final rebound as the game ended.

The BayHawks, who improved to 5-11, have little time to celebrate the win. They return to action tomorrow on the final day of the D-League Showcase, taking on the 7-6 Los Angeles D-Fenders. The game can be seen on NBA TV at 3:45 p.m. Eastern. If, like me, you don't get NBA TV, that unfortunately means you're out of luck for this one as the D-League is not streaming the NBA TV games on FutureCast.

Game Preview (Special Showcase Edition!): Erie BayHawks (4-11) vs. Reno Bighorns (5-9)

2010-01-06T10:49:00.003-05:00

BayHawks have a capital H, but Bighorns have a little H. Some things I'll just never understand.

These two teams square off today at 1 p.m. Eastern (11 a.m. local time) in Boise on day three of the D-League Showcase. It's the first and only time they'll play this year, meaning it's the first and only time the BayHawks will match up against the (unfortunately) recently retired from blogging "Boom Tho" Rod Benson this season. I won't be able to watch the game today as I'll be at work, but judging by the Twitstream of info I've been enjoyably following through the first two days of the Showcase, there will be good coverage of this game from other sources. So, be sure to check them all out as you go about your business.

Game 16 Preview: Erie BayHawks (4-11) vs. Reno Bighorns (5-9)

Erie coming in: After winning the final game of 2009, Erie started off 2010 with back-to-back losses on the road against Maine and Springfield, bringing their record to 4-11. Their disappointing record has brought about some changes. Mike Gansey was acquired from Idaho in a New Year's Eve trade that sent Donell Taylor to the Stampede. And earlier this week, the BayHawks cut Martin Zeno and signed former Creighton sharpshooter Booker Woodfox. Both Gansey and Woodfox are expected to be in uniform for their BayHawks debut today against Reno as Coach Treloar and the Erie staff try to get back on the winning track. This is Erie's first Showcase game this year. They play again tomorrow against the Los Angeles D-Fenders.

Reno coming in: The Bighorns have lost four straight games to drop to 5-9 on the year with their last win coming Dec. 26 against Tulsa. They lost their first game of the Showcase on Monday in double overtime against Dakota, 118-110. Russell Robinson led the way in defeat, scoring a game-high 34 points. You better believe they'll be geared up to make up for that tough loss in their second and final chance to impress the scouts in attendance at the Showcase today.

BayHawks keys to success:

Work in the new guys, but don't overwork them
Gansey and Woodfox should get some minutes today, but the team shouldn't be expecting them to carry the scoring load on day one. If they can get some timely 3-point shooting, that would be a great boost that the team has been searching for all year long.
Defend the paint
Whether its Reno's post game or penetration from the point guard position, Erie needs to buckle down and play some lockdown D. Generic? Maybe, but it's still a key to success.
Showcase someone
Jackie Manuel, Alade Aminu, John Bryant, and Cedric Jackson are all viable options. The point is, the BayHawks need to find a go-to player, and what better time to do so than the D-League Showcase?

Booker Woodfox: The Newest, Coolest-Named BayHawk

2010-01-05T16:39:00.003-05:00

Amid all the hubbub (there's a fun word I don't get to use often enough) surrounding the D-League Showcase this week, it's likely that the Erie BayHawks' roster move was merely a glitch on your basketball radar. They signed guard Booker Woodfox and waived guard Martin Zeno. If you did catch the news, your first thought was probably something like "Booker Woodfox? What a (insert descriptive adjective of choice here) name. Who's he?"

Well, I've done a bit of research to answer that question for you.

After playing two years of junior college at San Jacinto College, Woodfox went to Creighton as a junior and earned Missouri Valley Conference 6th Man of the Year. Then, as a senior, Woodfox averaged 15.8 points in 24.9 minutes per game and earned the Larry Bird MVC Player of the Year Award. More importantly for the BayHawks, he's a shooter, which is something they lack. Woodfox upped his 3-point attempts and 3-point percentage last year at Creighton, converting on 91-191 (47.6 percent) of his 3s, including a 7-9 effort on the road against St. Joseph's. He also shot 86.8 percent from the free throw line.

Woodfox coming out of nowhere is nothing new. The 6'1" guard was barely a blip on the Creighton fans' radar when he first signed on, but he won them over in a hurry as Max Univers writes on Inside Creighton Hoops here and here.

Of course, he wasn't totally off the Erie radar this season. After all, he did start out the season in training camp with Erie's favorite roster rival, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. It's only fitting that the BayHawks should add him now. Following the D-League showcase, Erie hosts the Mad Ants for their next three games, Saturday, Sunday, and next Wednesday (Jan. 13). Woodfox is just the latest in a growing list of players with ties to both the Mad Ants and BayHawks, which should make for a spirited series of games.

Shooting is clearly the reason he was brought in for Erie. Martin Zeno was not getting the job done at 36 percent from the field and just 0-7 from 3-point range. Along with the trade acquisition of Mike Gansey, the BayHawks are clearly trying to rebuild on the run with an emphasis on shooters.

Woodfox's size makes him a bit of a concern on the defensive end, howver, especially if he's going to play the two-guard at this level. I don't foresee him taking a lot of point guard minutes from Cliff Clinkscales/Cedric Jackson right now, but maybe that's a possibility down the line. In the meantime, other teams will try to exploit him on the defensive end if he's matched up against other two-guards. But that's a problem for the future.

The bottom line is that right now Erie has problems—major problems—shooting the ball, especially from 3-point range. Considering that Woodfox trails only Kyle Korver on the Creighton single season 3-pointers made list, I think he's definitely worth a look as an answer to solve Erie's shooting woes.

And finally, in totally useless non- and uber-non celebrity trivia, Woodfox is one day shy of being exactly two years younger than me. Hey, I told you I did some research!

NBA D-League, BayHawks on National TV

2010-01-04T19:39:00.003-05:00

The NBA Development League announced a deal with cable network Versus today. According to the press release, Versus will air 10 regular season and six playoff games throughout 2010. The games will air on Versus on Saturday nights at 11 p.m. Eastern, beginning Jan. 16, when the Fort Wayne Mad Ants meet the Sioux Falls Skyforce. Versus will tip off NBA D-League playoff coverage on April 10. All regular season and postseason games will be presented in HD.

The Versus schedule includes two Erie BayHawks games: March 20 when the BayHawks welcome the Dakota Wizards to Erie and April 3 when the BayHawks travel to Maine for the regular season finale.

The full schedule of D-League games to be televised on Versus is as follows:

DATE	GAME
January 16	Fort Wayne Mad Ants at Sioux Falls Skyforce
January 23	Fort Wayne Mad Ants at Iowa Energy
January 30	Bakersfield Jam at Idaho Stampede
February 6	Reno Bighorns at Rio Grande Valley Vipers
February 20	Dakota Wizards at Sioux Falls Skyforce
February 27	Bakersfield Jam at Austin Toros
March 13	Tulsa 66ers at Rio Grande Valley Vipers
March 20	Dakota Wizards at Erie BayHawks
March 27	LA D-Fenders at Rio Grande Valley Vipers
April 3	Erie BayHawks at Maine Red Claws

*Schedule subject to change

New Year, Same Old Struggles for BayHawks

2010-01-03T08:00:00.000-05:00

The Erie BayHawks started the New Year with back-to-back road games at Maine and Springfield, two expansion franchises at opposite ends of the standings. Erie lost 94-86 to Maine on Friday night.

They followed that up with another loss, falling 87-75 to Springfield yesterday afternoon.

The pair of losses came on the back of a blockbuster trade announcement New Year's Eve when the BayHawks shipped their leading scorer, Donell Taylor to Idaho for Mike Gansey. Neither Taylor nor Gansey have played for their new teams yet.

With the two losses, Erie now sits at 4-11 in a tailspin heading into the D-League Showcase, where they'll play—as will all 16 D-League teams—in front of NBA scouts during a four-day stretch running Monday-Thursday. Erie's games are Wednesday against Reno and Thursday against Los Angeles. This will be the only time Erie plays these two teams this season.

I didn't see the game against Maine, who is now 4-0 against the BayHawks, but I did watch almost all of the game yesterday against Springfield. The Armor came into the game with just one win on the season, and after the teams played to a 66-66 tie after three quarters, Erie hit the proverbial wall. They were outscored 21-9 in the fourth, and quite honestly, those numbers don't come close to showing how much they were outplayed down the stretch.

Looking at the stats, you'll see that John Bryant had a double-double and Jackie Manuel had 18 points on 8-16 shooting. They were OK, but no one had what I'd call a good game in this one. The team looked like a team that was playing the second game of a back-to-back. Ivan Harris shot 4-19 from the field (2-8 from 3), Alade Aminu was 3-11, Cedric Jackson went 4-13 with just 1 assist. And while Cliff Clinkscales had 8 assists, he added 4 turnovers and 0 points on 0-5 shooting.

The BayHawks are hoping that Mike Gansey will be the magic elixir for their shooting woes, but their biggest problem seems to be inconsistency. With the possible exception of Jackie Manuel, no one on the BayHawk roster seems to be dependable from game to game. Several of them have had breakout performances, including John Bryant, Ivan Harris, Cedric Jackson, and Cliff Clinkscales, but unless they can find a way to get them all on the same page soon, this team is not going to repeat its first year success, which culminated with a playoff berth.

BayHawks Trade Donell Taylor to Idaho Stampede for Mike Gansey

2009-12-31T10:27:00.004-05:00

The Erie BayHawks have agreed to trade their leading scorer and 2009 1st-round draft pick Donell Taylor to the Idaho Stampede for Mike Gansey. Ironically, Gansey was Erie's top pick in last year's draft, but he opted to play overseas instead.

The trade is a major shakeup for the BayHawks, who have started this season a disappointing 4-9, including a 1-5 record at home.

Taylor currently leads the team in scoring at 18.7 points per game, which is good for 17th in the D-League. Taylor also averges 6.2 rebounds and is second on the team in 3-point percentage. The biggest struggle for Taylor has been ball control as he's averaged just 2.8 assists with 3.5 turnovers per game on the year. Most recently, Taylor was benched for the majority of a game Erie won over Bakersfield, playing less than 10 minutes after getting the start.

As for what Erie is getting in return, Gansey is a different player than Taylor. He's more perimeter-oriented and staked his claim as a 3-point marksman during his college years at West Virginia. This season, however, his numbers are negligibly better than Taylor's from behind the arc. He's shot 14-39 (35.9 percent) from 3 compared to Taylor's 35.7 percent. 5-14

I'm a fan of Gansey, and I called for Erie to draft him again this year. I also understand Erie's desire to bring in a shooter—heck, I've been calling for it for weeks now—but with Gansey converting 3s at a rate no better than Taylor, I don't totally understand the thinking behind this deal, unless there's something more to it. Gansey is a good player, but there's a reason he went in the sixth round to Idaho whereas Taylor went in the first round to Erie. Gansey has started just one game for the Stampede; Taylor has started all 13 for the BayHawks.

But it's official. This is a straight-up one-for-one swap. It's definitely a gamble on Erie's side, but at 4-9, I guess they felt they needed to take a chance and mix things up a bit. If Gansey can be the hot hand from outside that they've lacked much of this season (save for Ivan Harris' 5-10 performance on Tuesday), maybe it'll be the spark they've lacked.

The other angle on this trade is the idea that maybe the BayHawks are looking at the possibility of addition by subtraction? Taylor is the leading scorer on the team, but that comes at a price. He's taken 227 shots this season. Jackie Manuel is next on the list at 166 FGA. While Taylor is talented, he's also got something to do with some of Erie's bad offensive habits, namely the contested, pull-up jumpshot from just inside the 3-point line.

Just as the addition of Cliff Clinkscales has helped facilitate ball movement for the Erie offense, the subtraction of Taylor may do the same. He's a skilled scorer, but at what cost? There's no stats to back it up, but just from watching the team, I can see that the ball does tend to stick when he's in there. If Erie can find a way to replace his scoring—and I don't expect that it'll come from Gansey alone—perhaps a new, fluid offense will develop. If not, well, they were only 4-9 with him anyway.

Erie won't play the Stampede until March 13 when they travel to Idaho. In the meantime, good luck to Taylor and welcome Mike Gansey. I'm skeptical of this trade for sure, but I understand why Erie felt compelled to shake things up on the final day of 2009. Here's hoping 2010 has brighter days ahead for the BayHawks.

Game Review: Erie BayHawks 91, Bakersfield Jam 78

2009-12-30T00:00:00.003-05:00

The Erie BayHawks came through on their win guarantee and won their first home game of the season, defeating the Bakersfield Jam 91-78. They did it with uncharacteristically good outside shooting, unusual player rotations from Coach John Treloar, and uninspired play from the Jam.

But let's start with those unusual player rotations. Starters Alade Aminu and Donell Taylor, who second on the team in minutes per game, played less than 10 minutes apiece. Jackie Manuel, who averages a team-high 43 minutes per game saw less than 29 minutes of action. Unusual, atypical, weird. Whatever you want to say about the lineups and player usage tonight, the bottom line is that it worked, at least for this night.

John Bryant led the team in minutes played with 42, and for good reason. This was by far Bryant's best home outing of the season. He shot 7-13 from the floor, routinely hitting the 15-18 foot jumper off the pick-and-pop, primarily run with Cedric Jackson. He also pulled down a team-high 16 rebounds, all on the defensive end.

Someone must have said something to Ivan Harris about his affection for the long two-point jumpshot. On this night, he limited his college 3-point attempts and hit consistently (5-10) from NBA 3-point range for 15 of his team-high 19 points on the night.

But the player of the game, in my opinion, was backup point guard Cedric Jackson. Cliff Clinkscales got the start on the basis of his hot recent play, but the two point guards split time evenly tonight, and Jackson played well enough that he was the man that closed the game out for the BayHawks. Jackson had 17 points on 6-9 shooting, 10 assists, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, and 4 turnovers. Clinkscales had a quiet night, going 0-2 from the field with just 4 assists.

Jackson was the closer tonight that Erie has lacked this season. There was a moment in the 4th quarter when the BayHawks appeared to be headed toward yet another late-game collapse. What had been a 19-point lead at one point was trimmed to 75-67 early in the 4th. That's when Jackson turned out the lights. He made a driving/floating layup to push the lead back to 10. Following another Bakersfield basket, Jackson found Jackie Manuel for an assist, again pushing the lead to 10. Then, following a Jarvis Gunter block, Jackson found Manuel again, this time on an alley-oop. Finally, Jackson got a steal and finished on the other end with a layup that made it 83-69 Erie. That sequence was when this game was put on ice, and most of the credit goes to Cedric Jackson as the catalyst. Credit him for stepping up in a big way in the wake of Clinkscales' recent success.

Bakersfield falls to 2-12 with the loss. Erie improves to 4-9 (1-5 at home) with the win. Unfortunately, this is the only time they'll play the Jam this season.

Up next for the BayHawks is a New Year's Day date in Maine where they'll meet a Red Claws team that is 3-0 against them, beating the BayHawks by an average of 17 points per game. This season has not started as well as many had hoped, but they ended it with a win at home. If they can start 2010 with a win on the road in Maine, maybe there's hope for this season to turn around yet.

Game Preview: Bakersfield Jam (2-11) at Erie BayHawks (3-9)

2009-12-29T15:16:00.002-05:00

Tonight the Erie BayHawks, in search of their first home victory, welcome the 2-11 Bakersfield Jam to town as part of a doubleheader. The BayHawks game follows a local high school game between Cathedral Prep and Warren.

The BayHawks' organization is so disappointed after blowing a 30-point lead Sunday against the Iowa Energy that they've issued a win guarantee to their fans, which states that if the BayHawks lose, all fans in attendance tonight can take their ticket stub to the box office and redeem it for a free ticket to an upcoming game.

More importantly than any box office issues, however, the BayHawks need to be concerned about what's going wrong on the court, especially at home, where they are now 0-5 to start this season.

Game 12 Preview: Bakersfield Jam (2-11) at Erie BayHawks (3-9)

Bakersfield coming in: After starting the season 0-9, Bakersfield has won two of its last four games, including a 115-98 win on the road against Maine on Sunday. Maine is the same team that swept the BayHawks in three games in Erie earlier this month. Bakersfield guard Jeremy Wise led the way in that win over Maine with 24 points, but he had the help of a balanced attack that included three bench players scoring in double figures. The fact that they were able to upset the Red Claws—by 17 points—tells me that the Jam may be more dangerous to the BayHawks than their 2-11 record suggests.

Erie coming in: Disappointing doesn't begin to describe the feeling surrounding this team right now. They blew halftime leads in back-to-back home games against the D-League's top team, Iowa, over the weekend to drop to 0-5 at home this season and a lowly 3-9 overall. The Sunday loss was particularly disheartening. Even after surrendering most of their 25-point halftime lead, Erie still had a chance to ice the victory in the final seconds up three by making just one of their two free throws, but Martin Zeno missed both, Cartier Martin hit the game-tying 3 at the buzzer to send it into overtime, and the rest is history.

BayHawks' keys to success:

Remember and forget.
This one is simply mental. The BayHawks need to put what happened at the end of their last game against the Energy behind them. Yes, blowing a 30-point lead is bad. Really bad. But it's one game. They need to move on and forget about it by the time tonight's game tips off. That said, they also need to remember that they were beating the league's best team handily, up by as many as 30 points at one point late in the first half. Clearly, there's a good deal of talent on this team, but they've been plagued by inconsistency.
Play like it's 1979.
The 1978-79 season was the last year the NBA played without a 3-point line, and that's what the BayHawks need to do. With a quarter of the season already done, it's clear that they are not an outside shooting team (27-100 on 3s this season). So stop shooting them. Check out the box score against Iowa on Sunday. Erie took just two 3-point field goals (missing both), and the no 3s strategy nearly resulted in a win over the league's best team and quite honestly it should have resulted in a win. Stick to what works: lay off the 3-ball.
Ride the hot hand.
Typically that's a saying applied to a shooter, but we've already addressed the fact that shooting is not a BayHawks strong point. In this instance, the hot hand is the ballhandling of newly acquired point guard Cliff Clinkscales. As Steve Weinman over at D-League Digest pointed out, Clinkscales has been on a tear as of late, racking up 35 assists and just 4 turnovers in the past three games. If he can keep distributing the ball at that rate, Clinkscales may make point guard one area of early-season concern that the BayHawks can actually cross off their to-do list.

Iowa Energy 100, Erie BayHawks 95 (OT)

2009-12-27T21:28:00.002-05:00

Note: This was the first home game I was unable to attend, so I'm going with a straight reprint of the press release that was sent to me.

The Erie BayHawks (3-9) continued to struggle at home losing to the division leading Iowa Energy (10-1) 100 – 95 in overtime at the Tullio Arena.

Erie led by as many as 30 points before being outscored in the third quarter 29 – 13. The Energy were led by Cartier Martin with 25 points. Martin hit a game tying three-pointer with 1.3 seconds left in the game to knot the score at 92. Curtis Stinson chipped in 23 and Earl Barron added a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

The BayHawks scoring was led by Donell Taylor with 25 points and 10 rebounds to mark a double-double. John Bryant added his sixth double-double performance of the season with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

The BayHawks take on the Bakersfield Jam Tuesday night in a 7 PM tipoff at the Tullio Arena. The game will feature the first in a series of High School Hoops Showcase games, with Cathedral Prep taking on Warren High School in a 5 PM tipoff. Tickets for the game are good for admission to the double header.