“Why We Hate…”

Every Wednesday (or Thursday if we’re lazy) we’ll be bringing you another chapter in the series, starting with the teams of the A14. And since we tend to hate the best teams more [...]]]> Beginning today, a day you’ll never remember, GreenTintedGlasses.net is launching our brand new all important “off season” series…

“Why We Hate…”

Every Wednesday (or Thursday if we’re lazy) we’ll be bringing you another chapter in the series, starting with the teams of the A14. And since we tend to hate the best teams more (fancy that), we’ll be going in the order they finished conference play in the 2009-2010 season. In all honesty we could be kicking off with “Why We Hate Memories from the 2009-2010 Season”, but who wants to re-live the pain and anguish from the season that ended with six men on the floor? Not us, that’s for sure. That would be like forcing everyone to watch Titanic but deleting out the Propeller Guy scene, and we’re not that evil. With that said, let’s get things started with the team that everyone loves to… be ambivalent about…

“Why We Hate…the Fordham Rams”

School: Fordham University
Mascot: Rams
Founded: 1841
Location: New York City, NY
Colors: Maroon and White
2009-2010 record: 2-26 (0-16 conference)

J Felt: Ah yes, the Rams of Fordham. Look at that record, you read it right, they only won 2 games last season, none of them in conference. As such, I’m finding it hard to hate on them. How can you put down that fan base when they only had two games to celebrate last year? That’s like losing your virginity at age 28, have a dry spell until 34, and then never sealing the deal again, I can only feel sympathy.

You know you suck when your banner is larger than your crowd.

According to Wiki, their motto is Sapientia et Doctrina, which can only mean “be terrible at basketball”. Their gym is so old it originally had actual peach baskets and predates true Canadian independence. Their student section is asked not to jump for fear of game delays due to falling roof debris. I know, I know, it’s a historic place to play, but when your locker rooms likely resemble those from Hoosiers it’s time for an update.

As for the moment in Charlotte vs. Fordham history that could spark the most hatred… it would have to be last season for sure. When their crappy program with one good player almost beat us. And then their coach tried to get in a fight with Shamari Spears. Doesn’t he realize that Spears is made from 90% BadAss and is basically impossible to beat up? (The other 10% is mostly cheeseburgers and pizza, from what I understand)

On the 49erFanatics.com HateMeter, I’m giving them a 3 out of 10. While I tend to dislike almost all basketball programs but our own, I have too much sympathy for their fanbase to hate them anymore.

NLP: I can hate anything. For instance, I hate J Felt for referencing Canadia. Who does that? Only a Canadian.

But on to Fordham. I hate them because they were the game that showed the wheels were starting to come off the Niners season last year. Chris Gaston absolutely destroyed us inside and out, and be it not for the heroics of Derrio Green we would have been their lone victory of conference play.

They’re also a crappy program playing in a crappy gym. Their administration is also craptastic and worthy of my glorious hatred, investing absolutely no resources into their program for decades. You know you’re loathsome when you have to send an open letter to your fan base purporting to still have a pulse and denying the transfer of one of your players (Jio Fontan). I also have plenty of hatred for their attitude towards us when joining the A10 over concerns about the university’s academics. Sorry Rams, the only anvil in the A10(14) are you. Go join the Patriot League and get whooped on by Lehigh instead of pulling the rest of us down. Oh, and EAD.

So on to the 49erfanatics.com HateMeter: 4 These guys suck and I hate them, but we’re talking a daxified level of hatred. They annoy the shiitake mushrooms out of me, but not enough to really bring on the hatred. Like J Felt said, it’s more apathy and a hatred of their failure.

GreenTintedGlasses.net Hate Meter Score: 3.5

Put your votes in the poll and in the comments!

Pictures of hot chicks.

Not really, we’re just adding a weekly conversation about the state of Niner basketball between J Felt (me) and NLP. We’re both completely untalented and unfunny by ourselves, but together we form a mildly humorous duo capable [...]]]> So we’re trying this new thing. Adding a new dimension to our blog.

Pictures of hot chicks.

Not really, we’re just adding a weekly conversation about the state of Niner basketball between J Felt (me) and NLP. We’re both completely untalented and unfunny by ourselves, but together we form a mildly humorous duo capable of making you smirk once or twice. This one was started right after the Saint Joseph’s game. Read on…

J Felt (I’m in italics because I’m artsy): Well, who saw that coming? With the way we’ve been struggling, the thought of us beating a team down like that, in conference play no less, was far fetched. Saint Joe’s looked like us last year: bad at everything. They walked into a buzzsaw, and after 5 minutes into the game it was never in doubt. The Hawks forgot how to play basketball on the same day our team remembered. What does this victory tell you about our team heading into the last few games of the season?

Ian Andersen is fired up!!!

NLP (in regular, because he’s a straightfoward guy): It tells me that we need to play the Hawks more often.  I don’t know how much of it was execution on our part or ineptitude on their part, but I’ll take the result either way.  Take Ian and Gokhan for instance:  30 points between them.  Basically they were hitting the shots they’ve been missing as both have been able to get open looks during their respective scoring droughts (Ian’s lasting all season up until last night).  Really how often do you have someone as a Sr. who isn’t injured burst for 19 points when he’s been below the double-digit line all season?  Rare.
 
We’ll find out if we’re back this weekend when we take on the Foggy Bottom Colonials.  The team that lost three straight will lose that game by double digits.  The team we saw last night would win by double digits.  I don’t think we’ll see anything in between.  It’s going to be either one extreme or the other.

J: That GW game has worried me all season. They really are starting to develop as a rival, and Lutz even mentioned in the postgame, “they REALLY don’t like us.” So you know the Colonials will be fired up for the game, and it’s on MASN. We never win on that channel, unless you count barely beating Fordham as a win…
 
Speaking of Ian Andersen, where does his layup on the break rank amongst your “Most Awkward Fast Breaks” list? To me, it’s got to go pretty high, right up there with E.J. Drayton getting called for a palming violation against Miss St. a few years ago. I wonder what was going through Ian’s head, if his first intention was to bring down a tomahawk slam but got distracted by thinking about whether or not he should blow a kiss to his wife after a slam dunk.

N: I’m on Orbitz right now looking for flight and hotel packages (I’d take the bus up but NQH has never seen DC and we might head up tomorrow night and come back Sunday.  Point?  I’m trying to guarantee a loss.  Although we’re undefeated at the Smith Center with me in attendence… granted my last appearance was in 2002 when we still had Jobey, Cam, Eddie, and the Curtis Nash experiment hadn’t yet begun. 
 
Ian’s layup?  I think he achieved the minimum elevation possible while still leaving the ground… maybe 1 or 2 micrometers, which is funny because he can actually dunk fairly easily.  In warmups.  Important distinction.  Yesterday’s game is proof that the basketball gods are willing to relent at least for one game.  Bask in the glory Ian, there’s no knowing how long it will last!

Free the Golddusters!

J: Back to the really important issues. Which Goldduster is #1? Short haired brunette, or GingerDuster? There are serious arguments being made on both sides, but I think some people are neglecting the blondes. I would be worried about asking this question because it might offend some women, but we already know women don’t read our blog.

N: Look, they’re both gahgeous.  It just comes down to preference.  Most people will probably gravitate towards Ginger for the novelty factor and you can’t fault that. 
Personally?  Short-haired brunette wins the NLP Goldduster award.  Both can feel free to schedule a competition with GTG as judges to determine the ultimate winner. 

J: Its too bad our athletic department doesn’t have a page dedicated to them where we can bios and Judy Rose-approved headshots. They’d probably all list UNC-CH as their favorite college basketball team anyway. However, Short-Haired Brunetter Duster is probably leading the vote right now, You’re right, the only way to settle it is a GreenTintedGlasses.net Goldduster competition, which I’m sure Judy Rose would be more than happy to allow.
 
Back to basketball. There was a noticeable difference in the demeanor of our team last night. They were smiling and enjoying basketball. Even during the 7 game win streak, our team didn’t exactly look excited to be playing basketball until the end of the games, but last night they were a different team before tip off. I guess winning does that to you. It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out for the rest of the season. Do guys like Gokhan and Ian see more of a role? Will Derrio come out of his “slump”?

N: Do we really have to go back to basketball?  I guess I don’t want Judy Rose sticking a shank in my neck at the Richmond game.
 
Yeah the team looked like it had fun out there, which is the big idea.  Win and enjoy doing it.  We absolutely need more of that.  As for roles, I’m scared Bobby might overuse Ian after his ‘breakout’.  He’s still awful on defense and just doesn’t have the speed and overall athleticism to do anything more than come off screens.  If he’s on though, give it a whirl but watch that +/-. 
 
I do want more Sirin, I’ll admit it, I’m enamored with his game but he’s still a work in progress and needs to be more aware on defense, work on his dribbling as you mentioned when we were gtalking it up, and get stronger.  Most of those things will come in the off-season.  The SF position will be interesting.  Dewhurst just doesn’t provide much on offense, but he’s a great glue guy who can get offensive rebounds and tends to get fouled if and when he shoots.  But I really like the way Wilderness is playing.  It’s just unfortunate he’s never really developed that consistent jumper that teams have to respect.  Still, he’s amazing around the rim.  Easily our best finisher.  The question is whether teams will let him get there. 
 
As for Derrio, he’ll be fine.  He just needs to re-iterate that shooters mentality and have the short memory whenever he makes a mistake.  That doesn’t mean force up shots, that just means always believe a good shot will go in.

J: You know Judy has all that hair for a reason. She keeps a collection of weapons in there for people like you.
 
Sirin has an amazing shot, and fairly good basketball IQ, but call me when he can play defense, adds some muscle, and can dribble the ball out of double teams. If he can do at least one of those things, I say give him plenty more playing time, but in the meantime I like his “Sean Phaler + Skill” role right now. And Wilderness, man, what a beast. In my mind I’m picturing a Basden-esque senior year for Wilderness. Remember how much more dangerous Eddie was when he sort of developed a jumper? If Wilderness can do that and stay healthy, watch out, we could be really good next year.
 
I hate saying that with so much of the season left, but that’s really the biggest thing I’m getting from this season: we could be REALLY good next year. I’m already excited and this one’s not even over yet.

Obligatory

N: We’re the kings of next year.  For once, I’d like to be the king of this year.  This team could do it -the ability is there, but can they seize it?  That I don’t know.  I’m personally of the belief that unless we run the remaining 3 regular season games, we have to win the A10 title to make the NCAA tournament.  In the event we do run the table, I think we still have to make the A10 finals, or at least beat an RPI top 40 team like Dayton who had to play their way to AC by winning a first round game.
 
I’m excited too, but unlike the Pointer Sisters I’m still kind of hiding it.

J: I refuse to mention anything about the big post season event that happens following the conference tourney. No point getting our hopes up, because I hate to be disappointed. I will say this, we still have a chance because there are a TON of bubble teams that could easily drop off and let us in. We still have work to do.
 
Last topic for your discussion (I sense our reader is bored), what do you think matters the most heading into these last three games?

N: Our reader?  We have just one now?  :’(
 
Going into the last three games the difference is going to be defense.  We need to get better at it and play the kind of defense we did against Richmond.  We’ve been good at getting open shots this season, but they don’t always fall.  We’ve been good at getting Shamari the ball down low, but he doesn’t always get the call when he’s fouled.  But none of that should impact how hard we go at it on defense.  There’s no better way to keep a game close when shots aren’t falling than going all out on defense.
 
After that, it’s taking care of the ball.  We’re still turnover prone between the circles, and that’s the worst play to turn it over.  It’s an almost guaranteed layup/dunk/foul because of the numbers.

I leave to go to Vancouver for the Olympics, stay with JRitchie, and as I’m enjoying our visit, Charlotte goes and loses to Duquesne at home. (does anyone else remember how to spell that by saying ‘doo-kes-ney’?) Then we White-Out Xavier but get massacred regardless. Can we [...]]]>

He DOES look like a dinosaur!

I leave to go to Vancouver for the Olympics, stay with JRitchie, and as I’m enjoying our visit, Charlotte goes and loses to Duquesne at home. (does anyone else remember how to spell that by saying ‘doo-kes-ney’?) Then we White-Out Xavier but get massacred regardless. Can we officially call an end to White-Out-ing Xavier? We’re 1-2 in those games and Dayton already did it Xavier. I think we should do something insanely radical, like a Neon Green-Out, or Plaid-Out (aka Al Borlan night), or Hot Girls Sit Front Row-Out. Those are winning ideas.

Needless to say, I came back to the East Coast disappointed. Maybe I should blame myself. I’m sure the players were thinking, “That guy who yells really stupid stuff isn’t here, why should we bother?” and decided to phone it in and save their best efforts for when I was in attendance. Also missed was the debut of the “Ginger Nation” sign, as one of our loyal readers, Pip, is doing his part to further the redhead race (is that really a good idea?) by wooing the crowd favorite GingerDuster. We at GTG wish him luck, and although success is unlikely, anything is possible. We were in 1st place at one time, remember?

Being at the Olympics got me thinking, what events would best suit our players?

Ian Andersen would be in curling, for obvious reasons. Shamari Spears and An’Juan would make a good two-man bobsled team. Dewhurst would do the aerials. DiJuan would tear up the moguls. Derrio seems like a speed skater. K.J. would be a great defenceman for hockey. And Phil Jones and Chris Braswell would make a formidable two-man luge squad.

We can’t leave Bobby out, of course. There’s no other place for him but Figure Skating. Have you ever seen his trademark Spin-into-Crouch and Scream? His form is impeccable.

Well, now that I’ve officially wasted your time, we need to discuss our Niners. We’ve lost three in a row. That’s rough. We’ve arguably been in a tailspin since the UMass game and we’re having a difficult time recovering. Whereas earlier in conference play luck was on our side, we seem to have run out and can’t seem to get our mojo going again. Tonight’s game is the perfect opportunity for our team to get back on their feet and remember how to win. No more imitating Mitchell Baldwin, DiJuan, play like you know how to.

Predictions are below. You know what to do.

D-Fo – The Niners really need to find their rhythm again after the past couple of weeks.  In optimism, with true green-tinted glasses, I’m gonna say that it finally happens. Charlotte 75, Chicken-Hawks 68.

HP – Martelli leaves Halton scratching his bald head on what it once was like to be significant… Niners 78, Hawks 64.

letsgoNINERS11 – Phil Martelli looks like a dinosaur.  WTF happened to Saint Joe’s? Charlotte 82 – Joe’s 67

J Felt – Charlotte 85, Saint Ho-seph’s 69. Braswell, Green and Spears all wake up and nom nom on some Hawk meat.

JRitchie – Charlotte narrowly avoids continuing its losing ways by topping the hawks with a minute to go sealing the victory. Charlotte 73 – St. Joe’s 69

I just jinxed the entire season.

I should probably apologize, but I can’t stop repeating it. “First place. First Place.” We legitimately have a shot at FIRST PLACE in conference play now. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not designing a commemorative t-shirt or scheduling an appointment to get “A-10 [...]]]>

sign says it all.

I just jinxed the entire season.

I should probably apologize, but I can’t stop repeating it. “First place. First Place.” We legitimately have a shot at FIRST PLACE in conference play now. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not designing a commemorative t-shirt or scheduling an appointment to get “A-10 Regular Season Champions” tattooed on my flabby arms. But I am, to borrow the words of a so-called friend, “cautiously optimistic.”

With last night’s win over #15 Temple, it is really hard to keep expectations down for this team. If we can beat Temple, one of the strongest teams in the country, by double digits, why should we lose to anybody else in this conference? We can go toe-to-toe with everybody. So maybe we should expect the team to be in the hunt for FIRST PLACE with 2-3 games left. Why not?

As it stands, we’re in a three way tie for FIRST PLACE with Xavier and Temple. How is that possible? Well… Charlotte beat Temple, Temple beat Xavier, Xavier beat Charlotte. It’s the protype for breaking the transitive property of sports. Charlotte is better than Temple who is better than Xavier who is better than Charlotte who is better than Temple who is better than Xavier….help me I’m stuck. And let’s not forget Rhode Island’s in the mix still, a team that has become an At-Large NCAA team as of late.

After Shamarr left, it was seemingly addition by subtraction. While it would have been nice to see Shamarr stay and work on his game, it is seemingly evident that without his “shoot first, pass the ball later” mentality was hurting our offensive gameplan, and I’m not even mentioning his defense (I guess I just did). But now we’re seeing this young team gel together. DiJuan and Spears are as consistent as always, but Braswell and Green have emerged as serious players in conference play. Derrio and Chris’ performances in the Temple game were admirable, both of them hit key baskets late in the game. Did any one else’s heart stop for what seemed like an eternity when Derrio shot his last three of the night? On replay, the shot lasted just a second, but as that shot went up, I swear time stopped, or maybe it was just my heart. It’s hard not to be excited about the remaining ten games (and the next few seasons) with these two guys playing so well.

With ten games left, it’s hard for me to comprehend the idea that we’ll even come close to staying in FIRST PLACE. But it’s just nice to be competing again. 12th place really sucked. But FIRST PLACE? That’s an idea I could get behind.

Temple comes into [...]]]> Wednesday night the Niners play host to the 15th ranked Temple Owls at 7 PM in Halton Arena.  The Niners come off an impressive two game road trip in which they posted wins at Richmond and La Salle, with the latter coming on a dramatic last second shot by An’Juan Wilderness.

Temple comes into the game on a streak of their own, winners of 6 straight, the most recent of which against Fordham in which the Owls struggled in the 1st but pulled away in the 2nd half and won by 17.

Temple is nasty on defense.  In previous editions of GTG we highlighted some tough defensive teams like Richmond; however, the Owls are in a whole other league of defensive prowess.  They limit teams to 37.8% shooting from the field.  Good enough for 11th nationally.  To make matters worse teams are shooting just 27.1% from  beyond the arc, which is 5th nationally.  As impressive is the fact that Temple defends so well without fouling as they commit just 16.6/game which is good for 30th nationally.  Put it all together and opponents are scoring just 56.2 ppg. against Temple, 6th best nationally.  I think the message is clear.  TEMPLE IS NASTY ON DEFENSE.  The Owls aren’t too shabby with the ball either as they do a terrific job of moving the ball without turning it over.  Temple has a 1.4 assist:turnover ratio which like everything else seems to be in the top 10 nationally.

On the court Temple is led by a terrific backcourt duo in Ryan Brooks and Juan Fernandez.  Brooks is a 6’4″ Sr. who leads the team with 16 ppg.  Though not the best long-distance shooter, Brooks is dangerous both inside and out, and hauls in an impressive 5.3 rpg. Though listed as a guard in essence he’s a wing forward in his style of play.  His backcourt mate Fernandez is another 6’4″ guard who averages 13.5 ppg, good enough for 2nd best on the team, and leads the Owls in assists.  Fernandez is also deadly from behind the arc, converting on 45.5% of his attempts.  Another Sr. rounds out the perimeter bunch in 6’3″ Luis Guzman.  Though Guzman averages almost 31 mpg., he only scores just under 5 ppg. on mediocre shooting from the field and behind the arc.  However, he is a Sr. and executes how coach Fran Dunphry expects him to.

Facing another tall backcourt, Derrio Green and DiJuan Harris will have their work cut out for them, much as they did Saturday against La Salle when Rodney Green went off for 32 points.  With backcourt options thin after Green and Harris, more Barnett might be in order as his length could help neutralize the Temple height advantage in the backcourt.

Upfront for Temple, 6’9″ Jr. PF Lavoy Allen is a double-double machine.  Allen averages 10.6 ppg. and 9.8 rpg., the latter of which is best on the team.  Joining him typically is Michael Eric, a 6’11″ double first-named C who scores 4.8 ppg. in 14.6 mpg.  Other options in the paint for Temple include Craig Williams, a 6’9″ F and 6’6″ F Rahlir Jackson.

This is going to be a tough game for the Niners, but one they really need to win in order to be in serious consideration for post-season play.  Shamari Spears and Chris Braswell playing well in the paint will be essential, particularly on the offensive end where efficiency and high percentage scoring is a most.  Temple will seldom turn the ball over and the Niner back court will have to do the same, particularly when working entry passes into the post against bigger defenders.  Though this will be a difficult game on the order of ODU and Duke in terms of matchups, the Niners are playing their best basketball of the season and have the Halton crowd working to their advantage.