Game Review: Erie BayHawks 82, Fort Wayne Mad Ants 93

The Erie BayHawks lost to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants 93-82 Sunday night, falling to 1-1 on the year.



Erie jumped out to a 22-14 first quarter lead, which made it seem like this might be a re-run from Friday night's win, but the Mad Ants stormed back to outscore Erie 56-38 in the second and third quarters to break this one open.

The BayHawks did a much better job taking care of the ball, committing just 12 turnovers (as opposed to 22 on opening night) with 19 assists.

Fort Wayne relied on a three-headed offensive attack. Ron Howard led the way with a much more efficient night 25 points on 13 shots (compared to 19 points on 16 shots Friday). Kyle McAlarney added 22, including four 3s. And Rob Kurz finally took and made a shot—several of them, in fact—on his way to a 16 point, 19 rebound night.

The BayHawks once again won the battle in the paint as John Bryant posted his second straight double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds. On the flipside, the Mad Ants had another less-than-stellar shooting night at 40.8 percent from the field, but they made up for it by hitting 9-20 from 3 and 22-26 free throws. Fort Wayne outscored Erie by a count of 49-18 on 3s and free throws alone.

Aside from Bryant, Donell Taylor was the lone standout for the BayHawks. The veteran guard posted a double-double of his own with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Even more impressively, he bounced back from a sloppy opener (2 assists, 6 turnovers) with a much more composed effort (7 assists, 3 turnovers). That's the ratio Erie would love to see on a consistent basis as they try to figure out their backcourt situation.

Jackie Manuel's shooting touch from Game 1 was nowhere to be found in this one and teammate Ivan Harris was no better. The two returning BayHawks combined to shoot just 8-30 from the field, 0-4 from 3-point range.

Coach Treloar played the starting five (Bryant, Harris, Manuel, Taylor, and Cedric Jackson) heavy minutes. Only Martin Zeno played more than 15 minutes off the bench. Kyle Goldcamp received a DNP-Coach's Decision for the second straight game, the only BayHawk yet to see game action this season.

The BayHawks' next two games are on the road against the Sioux Falls Skyforce (1-1) next Friday and Saturday, Dec. 4-5 before returning to Erie to host the Maine Red Claws (1-1) in their home opener Dec. 12.

Game Preview: Erie BayHawks (1-0) at Fort Wayne Mad Ants (0-1)

My apologies for originally writing that this game was being played tonight. It is, in fact, being played tomorrow (Sunday). I was working off the original BayHawks pocket calendar (photo here), which shows the game date incorrectly. Unfortunately, that means we have to wait an extra day before the BayHawks are back in action again. But that doesn't mean we can't start looking ahead to tomorrow's rematch of the opener.

Game 2 Preview: Erie BayHawks (1-0) at Fort Wayne Mad Ants (0-1)

Erie passed its first road test of the season last night. In game two Sunday night, they get to face the same opponent, but that doesn't mean the same result will come easily. Having now beaten Fort Wayne twice in eight days (counting the preseason game), the BayHawks need to avoid complacency in a game that figures to play out differently. The Mad Ants surely do not want to start the year 0-2 at home, and it's hard to imagine they'll shoot so poorly (35.7 percent) on consecutive nights.

Erie coming in: After winning a high scoring affair in the preseason, the grind-it-out defensive battle last night should have Erie feeling confident that they can handle whatever the Mad Ants throw at them. They'll need to guard against overconfidence setting in early in the season as Fort Wayne is still adjusting on the fly to the NBA call-up of Chris Hunter.

Fort Wayne coming in: They cannot be happy with last night's offensive production. Everyone who saw the box score questioned how Rob Kurz could play 33 minutes without attempting a shot. Look for Kurz to be more involved in thegame plan and look for the Mad Ants to re-establish the long range attack that worked for them for much of the preseason game against Erie a week ago.

BayHawks keys to success:

1. Limit turnovers.
   The one black eye on last night's box score for the BayHawks was turnovers. Erie had 22 turnovers to go with just 18 assists. More importantly, the bulk of turnovers came from the guys who are going to have the ball in their hands the most this season. Cedric Jackson had 7 and Donell Taylor and Jackie Manuel had 6 turnovers apiece. That's not going to cut it for the BayHawks to be successful over the course of the season.
   
   
2. Get big production from the bigs.
   Fort Wayne is thin up front and Sonderleiter had to play 41 minutes last night. Pound the ball inside to Bryant, Aminu, Gunter, and company. Sonderleiter had 5 fouls last night. If Erie can get him in foul trouble, that will really open up the paint for the BayHawks frontline to score at ease.
   
   
3. Heat up the Microwave.
   Ivan Harris has a tendency to be a streaky shooter, but when he's hot, he's automatic (hence the nickname). As they did much of last year, the BayHawks have him playing the 4, though he shoots more like a small forward. If he can space the floor with his shooting, it'll open up the inside even more for Erie.

The game tips at 5 p.m. Sunday. Watch the action live on NBA FutureCast or listen locally on the radio on WFNN 1330 AM.

Game Review: Erie BayHawks 85, Fort Wayne Mad Ants 77

The Erie BayHawks defeated the Fort Wayne Mad Ants 85-77 last night to open the season 1-0. The two teams will play again *tomorrow, Sunday, Nov. 29, at 5 p.m. in Fort Wayne.



The BayHawks seemed to follow my three keys to success (from yesterday's preview post) like gospel:

1. Dominate the paint.
   The BayHawks outrebounded the Mad Ants 47-36 and had strong performances from both John Bryant and Alade Aminu in their D-League debuts. Bryant got the start at center and made good on the opportunity, recording a double-double (16 points, 14 rebounds) to go along with 3 blocks and 3 assists. Aminu played about half as long as Bryant but still managed an efficient 9 points and 6 rebounds. Mad Ants center Sean Sonderleiter played pretty well himself, but he didn't have much help on the frontline. Fort Wayne clearly missed the presence of NBA call-up Chris Hunter down low.
   
   
2. Defend against the 3.
   Whether it was a change of defensive strategy from Erie or offensive focus from Fort Wayne, the BayHawks limited the Mad Ants to just 3 of 11 shooting from 3-point range after they shot 8 of 23 in their preseason game a week ago. The attempts went down, and so did the percentage, which was a recipe for failure for Fort Wayne against the size of the BayHawks.
   
   
3. Depend on experience.
   Not surprisingly, returning BayHawks Jackie Manuel and Ivan Harris were one and two in minutes played for Erie last night with Manuel playing all but one minute of the game. Manuel, known as a defensive stopper, led the team with 18 points on 5-9 shooting, including 2-3 from 3-point range. Top draft choice and Erie's number one draft pick Donell Taylor also chipped in with 16 points after a bit of an auspicious start.
   

*The game tips at 5 p.m. tomorrow. Originally, I had mistakenly wrote that it was to be played tonight. Watch the action live on NBA FutureCast or listen locally on the radio on WFNN 1330 AM.

Game Preview: Erie BayHawks at Fort Wayne Mad Ants

Put away those Thanksgiving leftovers, stash away the bags from Black Friday shopping, and tune into FutureCast. The Erie BayHawks tip off the 2009-10 NBA Development League season tonight on the road against the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. Locally, fans can also listen to the radio broadcast of the game on WFFN 1330 AM.

Erie plays at Fort Wayne again tomorrow night and then travels to play two games against Sioux Falls next weekend before returning to Erie for its home opener Dec. 12.

The BayHawks defeated Fort Wayne last Friday in preseason action, 106-100, so these teams have some familiarity with each other.

Erie BayHawks at Fort Wayne Mad Ants Game Preview

Erie coming in: The BayHawks made two surprising cuts to set its final 10-man roster, waiving guards Rod Wilmont and Oliver Lafayette. Both players had D-League experience and they were first and second on the team in scoring in Erie's preseason win over Fort Wayne. Obviously that begs the question, who's going to pick up the scoring slack for the BayHawks? Ivan Harris is the team's leading returning scorer, having averaged 15.7 points per game last season. Also look for top draft choice Donell Taylor to be heavily involved.

Fort Wayne coming in: Just prior to the preseason game, the Mad Ants saw Chris Hunter get called up to the Golden State Warriors. With that void up front, Fort Wayne turned to third-year forward Ron Howard to lead the charges, and he did not disappoint. He led all scorers in the preseason game with 24 points. Fort Wayne also boasts a trio of former Fighting Irish in Rob Kurz, Kyle McAlarney, and Ryan Ayers. Kurz, who was traded from Erie to Fort Wayne for Alade Aminu, will no doubt be up for this game after he struggled to find the touch shooting the ball in their preseason meeting.

BayHawks keys to success:

1. Dominate the paint.
   Look for the BayHawks to try to establish a low post game with Alade Aminu and/or John Bryant. This year's BayHawks are considerably bigger than last year's squad and dominating the paint may be their best course of action, especially with some questions at the point guard spot.
   
   
2. Defend against the 3.
   Almost 1/3 of Fort Wayne's shots (23 of their 78 attempts) came from beyond the arc when these teams played last week. The Notre Dame crew was especially lethal from distance as McAlarney and Ayers each hit three from distance. Kurz didn't make a 3, but he launched 5, so he's another long-range gunner to watch.
   
   
3. Depend on experience.
   Before this season is over, Erie will need contributions from everyone, but with five players making their professional debut tonight in a hostile environment, it's a good time to look to players who have been here before like Ivan Harris and Jackie Manuel.
   

The game begins at 7:30 tonight. And if their preseason matchup was any indication of what's to come, this will be a high-intensity, back-and-forth game that will come to down fourth quarter execution and free throw shooting. The season is finally here. Let the games begin!

Thanksgiving for the BayHawks

Happy Thanksgiving from Blog Talk BayHawk!

The roster was set yesterday, and the season begins tomorrow. Today, I've got a guest post over at ErieBlogs.com listing reasons for the new bunch of BayHawks to be thankful this holiday season.

Here's a sampling:

Your three returning players (Jarvis Gunter, Ivan Harris, and Jackie, Manuel) know what’s coming. As for the newcomers, just give it a few weeks. You may never fully warm up to the idea of Erie winters (at age 25, I still haven’t), but once you endure December’s fifth blizzard number, you should develop a sort of reluctant acceptance of the way it is around here. Sure, the games are played indoors, but that doesn’t mean you can’t reap the benefits of Erie’s winter climate. Surviving an Erie winter is badge of honor that we natives take for granted. So don’t fight it; embrace it. And when your opponents fly in from Rio Grande Valley, Texas, and Bakersfield, California, take joy in whatever fun twists Mother Nature throws their way. CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL POST.

Enjoy the post and enjoy the holiday!

Erie BayHawks 2009-10 Roster, Final Cuts

And then there were 10. The Erie BayHawks waived guards Oliver Lafayette and Rod Wilmont today to set its opening day 10-man roster.

The 2009-10 BayHawks roster is as follows:



Analyzing the cuts
Both of the final cuts came as surprises to me. Lafayette started 23 games for Erie last season and started the BayHawks' only preseason contest Friday against Fort Wayne. He scored 14 points on 3-7 shooting, (1-3 3PT, 7-7 FT), grabbed 5 rebounds, and dished out 2 assists with 2 turnovers in 21 minutes. As one of only four players returning from last season, it seemed like Lafayette would be back, but the coaching staff obviously felt differently.

Equally surprising to me was the decision to waive Wilmont. Not only did Wilmont have D-League experience, playing the full 2007-08 season with Fort Wayne, he also had played under BayHawks coaches John Treloar and Ben McDonald when they were assistants at Indiana University. After Wilmont led Erie to victory with a 23-point performance in the preseason game against his former team, his roster spot seemed secure. Clearly the coaches saw something in practice that overshadowed the lone preseason game.

The only thing that I can figure is that the coaching staff must have felt set in terms of scoring. Lafayette and Wilmont are both scoring guards capable of catching fire in a hurry. However, the coaches may have decided that more backcourt scoring was not necessary. Instead they ruled in favor of guards Zach Sowers and Martin Zeno., who scored a combined 8 points on 3-9 shooting but showed their worth in other ways that may not necessarily show up in a box score.

Analyzing the roster
Now that the final cuts have been made, a few things jump out at me:

• Size
  This year's bunch of BayHawks is significantly bigger than last year's version. Four players are listed at 6'10" or bigger and no one is smaller than 6'3".
  
  
• Youth
  Inexperience is sort of the status quo at this level. After all, it is called the Development League for a reason. Still, by cutting Lafayette and Wilmont, two guys with D-League experience, Erie will start the season with just five players with any pro basketball experience.
  
  
• Diversity
  The BayHawks have players from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Conference USA, WCC, and the Horizon League as well as NCAA Division II and NAIA Division II. The 10 players hail from nine different states—Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Lousiana, Mississippi, New Jersey, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.
  
  
• Versatility
  The official press release credited only Jackie Manuel with a slash in the position column, but I'd argue that every player is well-suited to play two positions with the exceptions of Cedric Jackson (point guard) and John Bryant (center).
  
  
• Fan Appeal
  BayHawks fans will recognize some familiar faces when Erie hosts its home opener Dec. 12. Jarvis Gunter, Ivan Harris, and Jackie Manuel return from last year's team, and they'll be joined by Gannon University alum Kyle Goldcamp.
  

Looking Forward By Looking Back

The Erie BayHawks must make two more cuts to trim its roster to the league-mandated 10 by Thursday at 5 p.m. Tell me, who is the heartless person that thought it would be nice to make Thanksgiving Day the final cut. I know the season starts Friday, but as Uncle Jesse always said, "Have Mercy, NBA D-League." OK, so he left out the NBA D-League part, but you get the idea.

Anyway, the BayHawks have to make two cuts. And whether that news comes down tonight, tomorrow, or Thanksgiving Day, it will be disappointing to two players who fought through training camp for a shot at a roster spot.

After watching Erie's 106-100 preseason victory over Fort Wayne (the official D-League box score wasn't loading as of this posting, but it's back up now) on Friday, it's my opinion that four men are battling for the BayHawks' final two roster spots.

Erie's starters on Friday included four returning players: Jarvis Gunter, Ivan Harris, Jackie Manuel, and Oliver Lafayette, and this year's first-round draft choice Donell Taylor. I think it's safe to say they're safe. Rod Wilmont led the team in scoring to secure his spot. I believe point guard Cedric Jackson also did enough to earn a spot with his play off the bench as he's probably the team's best ballhandler. Alade Aminu, another first-round pick, showed flashes of why Erie traded for him. That makes eight that are all but locked in.

That leaves big men John Bryant and Kyle Goldcamp as well as guards Martin Zeno and Zach Sowers. My hunch is that Erie will keep one of the bigs and one of the guards. For what it's worth, Sowers and Goldcamp did not see the floor until the second half against Fort Wayne. Bryant saw the most quality action of the foursome and played down the stretch. As I mentioned, I'm unable to view the box score right now, but I believe Bryant saw twice as many minutes as Goldcamp. Judging by that, you'd have to say that Treloar is leaning toward Bryant, but Goldcamp was very active defensively and was part of a key BayHawks surge in the late third quarter.

As for the guards, Sowers' game seemed to be perimeter-oriented. He demonstrated a quick release and did not shy away from the moment. Zeno's game was a bit quieter on Friday, but his Texas Tech resume speaks for itself.

Every spot matters on a 10-man roster, so you can bet that the coaching staff is doing everything it can to evaluate these players before deciding who to keep and who to cut. It won't be an easy decision to let any of them go, but we'll find out in the next 48 hours or so as the BayHawks set their official opening day roster.