WBRS Sports Blog

Here is a photo of WBRS listener Mike Pritula (right) with former New York Yankees All-Star Bernie Williams. Mike won a free copy of Bernie's new CD "Moving Forward" and had an exclusive chance to meet the slugger for calling into the WBRS sports show "Overtime." Congratulations, Mike!

Meehan to Hoopsville: 'Strength of schedule is certainly what we would hang our hat on.'

By Jeffrey Pickette

On the night before "Selection Monday" the men's basketball team's postseason fate is still unclear..

After finishing the regular season 17-8 will the Judges make it back to the D-III NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive year? Or, will the eight losses, including one to a then 2-16 Chicago squad, spell doom?

Head coach Brian Meehan was a guest on Sunday night's d3hoops-sponsored Hoopsville Podcast and shared his thoughts on the team's postseason fate with the Hoopsville crew.

Meehan believed the team's demanding schedule--11th toughest in D-III hoops--is what the team "would certainly hang [its] hat on."

"Out of 25 games, 10 were against ranked opponents. And we've played well against the ranked opponents," Meehan said on the show. "I think all-in-all we finished second all alone in the UAA, which is traditionally one of the top conferences in the country."

"In my mind," he continued, "how do you not have more than one team from the UAA in the national tournament?"

When pressed by the panel, Meehan was hesitant to guarantee a berth, but he did sound hopeful.

"I think we're in," he said. "When I look, I think there's probably five, maybe six teams behind us, so I hope we're in."

However, Meehan was much less hesitant when asked to predict whether UAA-rival Carnegie Mellon--a team Brandeis beat twice this season--would make the tournament.

"Based upon regional rankings and they went up to Rochester and got a good win [Saturday], I think Carnegie Mellon is in and deservedly so."

The interview with Meehan lasted about 25 minutes and touched upon Meehan's thoughts on the season, his decision to discipline five players before the game at WashU, the best players in the nation (Meehan included DeLuca), and his thoughts on a conference championship tournament (The UAA does not have one, but Meehan won't be complaining; he was not in favor of the conference tournament format).

Meehan showed his humorous side during the chat as well.

"My wife threw me out of the house hours ago and told me to come back when we found out [if Brandeis made the tournament]. She said if we didn't get in, don't come back."

D3hoops predicts Brandeis will make the tournament and will face out-of-conference rival Amherst in the first round (d3hoops predicts the host school will be Ithica).

"I just hope the committee's as bright as you guys," Meehan said.

The actual bracket will be revealed Monday morning at 11:30

Head Coach Brian Meehan explains reasoning behind decision

By Jeffrey Pickette

Andre Roberson '10, Terrell Hollins '10, Kenny Small '10, Christian Yemga '11, and Napoleon Lherisson '11 all missed last Sunday's 82-57 road loss against Washington University in St. Louis because of the "violation of a team rule," according to head coach Brian Meehan.

The move left the Judges without the services of three-fifths of the usual starting lineup (Roberson, Hollins, and Yemga), the team's top reserve off the bench (Small) and one of the team's low-post-oriented reserves (Lherrison).

Meehan said that the five players did not violate any University policies.

"Although it wasn't really a big deal," Meehan said, "It was a team rule nonetheless. They had to deal with the consequences."

Meehan did not share the specifics of the violation, but did offer this nugget:

"A couple of guys did something and a few other guys should have been watching out for them and they didn't."

"We kind of pride ourselves in doing things the right way. Although it wasn't a major thing, it was still a violation," Meehan said.

"We have very few rules and we expect the guys to follow the simple rules that we have and this was a situation where although nobody got in trouble for anything, I just needed to take action because you have to follow through on your word."

As a result of the decision, the Judges were left with a limited rotation of players last Sunday.

Tyrone Hughes '12, Vytas Kriskus '12 and Rich Magee '10 joined mainstays Steve DeLuca (GRAD) and Kevin Olson '09 in the starting lineup against WashU. Beau Bonness '11 (18 minutes), John Weldon '10 (3 minutes), and Jaime Shannon '12 (1 minute) all came off the bench.

Both Yemga and Lherrison will not play in next weekend's games at Carnegie Mellon University (Friday) and at the University of Rochester (Sunday), according to Meehan. Meehan did say that Roberson, Hollins, and Small will be "suited up" this weekend.

However, he has not made his "final decision" as to whether they will play against Carnegie and Rochester.

"As of now, they certainly have the opportunity to be eligible to play," he said. "My guess is if the week goes well, they'll probably be back."

Roberson, Small, and Hollins are the third, fourth, and fifth leading scorers, respectively, on the team this season. The trio averages a combined 30.4 points per game, over 40 percent of the team's offensive production.

Yemga has averaged 5.0 points and 3.4 rebounds per game in 19 games this season. Lherrison has appeared in 14 games off the bench, averaging 1.4 points.

"We have to become more responsible for one another. I really feel what goes on off the court translates on the court," Meehan said.

"We've been really inconsistent this year and I think these are the types of things that lead to it. So, we're really going to get back to working on being consistent on and off the court."

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Post Game Reaction

Men's basketball team drops second straight game to start the season; WPI tops Brandeis 78-64 Saturday night in Worcester

By Jeffrey Pickette

Probably safe to say this isn't the start to the season the men's basketball team's coaches and players envisioned.

WPI handed Brandeis its second loss in as many games. Where the Lasell game last Tuesday was contested right down to the final shot at the buzzer, WPI pulled ahead in this game last Saturday night early in the second half.

Brandeis jumped out of the gate with an 8-3 lead four minutes into the game, behind two three-pointers from rookie guard Tyrone Hughes '12. Unfortunately for the Judges, the five-point lead would represent the team's largest of the game.

WPI sophomore forward Ben Etten sank two free-throws midway through the first-half, giving WPI a 13-12 lead and the Engineers never looked back. WPI increased the lead to six by halftime, 34-28, and to as many as 17 points at five different occasions in the second-half, before winning by the final margin of 14 points.

Brandeis falls to 0-2 and faces a must-win game in its home opener Tuesday night against UMass Dartmouth (7:30pm, WBRS with the call on the radio). Meanwhile, WPI improves to 4-0.

Inside the numbers...

... Brandeis had just 10 assists, while turning the ball over 23 times. WPI had a much more even 10:15 (2:3 if you prefer simplified fractions) assist to turnover ratio.

... WPI entered the game shooting only 28 percent from three-point range (14-50), but hit 6 of 14 shots against Brandeis (42.9%). Brandeis allowed Lasell to convert 12 of 23 three-pointers, or 52.2 percent.

...WPI went to the free throw line 34 times, while Brandeis went to the line only 20 times.

... Forward Terrell Hollins '10 fouled out (5 personal fouls) after only 12 minutes of play. He has appeared in just 29 of 80 minutes of action for Brandeis so far this season.

... Forward Steve DeLuca (GRAD) led all scorers with 18 points. Hughes added 11, while guard Kevin Olson '09 chipped in 10 points. Rookie forward Vytas Kriskus '12 scored 8 points off the bench.

Lineup change...

... Hughes was in the starting lineup, with guard Kenny Small '10 coming off the bench. Keep an eye on whether this becomes a permanent move.

Postgame chatter...

Coach Meehan on team's performance

"Nobody's at their best right now, everybody's struggling. We're trying to find an identity, we're trying to figure out how best to play with each other and it's just not there yet."

Coach Meehan on play of Tyrone Hughes

"He gives us another ball handler to help [guard Andre Roberson '10] out. He's at least giving us a little bit of defense...he's played two good games, but he has a long way to go. He's not there yet, but at least he's showing signs of having a willingness to do what we're asking him to do."

Asst. Coach McKoy on why the team lost

"A lot of times we just left guys wide open so that they would hit [three-pointers]...We weren't talking or communicating as much as we needed to. We weren't doing what we needed to do on offense, which was pound the ball inside. We were breaking down plays and rushing shots too much."

Steve DeLuca on team's offensive struggles

"They were [WPI] spreading us out offensively. They're a very good defensive team...and they make it difficult on the offensive end for us."

Kevin Olson on the team's surprising 0-2 start

"It's pretty unimaginable, I didn't foresee this one happening."

Tyrone Hughes assessing the first two games

"I feel like we just have a few missing pieces of the puzzle, but as soon as we get it together we'll be [on track]."

Final thought...

... Let's give Steve DeLuca the honors of having the final word:

"We need a win on Tuesday [against UMass Dartmouth]. It's probably the season if we don't win."

Ninth-ranked men's basketball team upset in season opener

By Jeffrey Pickette

With ten and a half minutes left in the second half of the mens' basketball team's seasoning opening tilt at Lasell College Tuesday night, chants of "overrated" from the Lasell faithful filled the gymnasium.

Brandeis, ranked ninth in D3hoops preseason top 25 poll, had just called a timeout following a turnover from forward Steve DeLuca (GRAD) and trailed 54-47.

The Judges were able to cut into the deficit, but ultimately these same "overrated" chants reverberated as the final buzzer sounded. Lasell avenged its tournament loss to Brandeis in the opening round of last year's NCAA tournament, squeaking by the Judges 68-66 this time around.

With the upset, Brandeis falls to 0-1, while Lasell is 1-0.

Brandeis trailed 68-64 with 1:43 left to play when Lasell sophomore guard Corey Godfrey converted a layup. The Judges would play suffocating defense for the remainder of the game, but could not muster enough offense to tie the score or take a lead.

Rookie guard Tyrone Hughes '11 stole the ball from Lasell rookie guard Kevin Richard with 52 seconds left on the clock. Guard Andre Roberson '10 drew a foul on the ensuing offensive possession and sank both his free throws, closing the gap to 68-66.

On Lasell's next possession, Richard turned the ball over for the second time in a twenty second span, crossing the half-court line for a back-court violation, giving Brandeis the ball with 32 seconds left.

Brandeis maintained possession for the rest of the game, missing three potential game-tying shots in the process. The final shot came with 2.5 seconds left on the clock when guard Kevin Olson '09 found Roberson under the hoop for an uncontested layup attempt.

The ball would not fall in, however, and forward Terrell Hollins' 10 last-ditch effort to tip the ball in was for not, cementing the upset victory for Lasell.

The three-point shot was Lasell's offensive weapon de jour, accounting for 12 of 26 converted shots and 23 of 54 shot attempts. Meanwhile, Brandeis was 5 of 11 from beyond the arc.

Four Judges scored in double figures, led by preseason first-team D3hoops All-America selection DeLuca's 16 points. Brandeis shot only 37.9 percent for the game (22-58), including only 7 of 23 (30.4 percent) in the first half.

Odds and Ends...

... Rookie guard Tyrone Hughes had an impressive debut. While first-year players are bound to have their ups-and-downs, if the Lasell game is any indication of how Hughes will play this season, Brandeis has a solid one-two punch with Roberson and Hughes at the point guard position.

Hughes had 10 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals in 24 minutes of play. His aforementioned steal in the final minute of the second half kept Brandeis' hopes for victory alive.

Brandeis seemed to be most effective when Roberson and Hughes were on the court together. This lineup move is similar to when coach Brian Meehan paired guard Kwame Graves-Fulgham '08 with Roberson last season.

... The starting lineup consisted of Roberson, DeLuca, Olson, guard Kenny Small '10, and forward Christian Yemga '11. Hollins, who coaches plan to use off the bench this season, played only 17 minutes.

... Brandeis missed three out of four free throw attempts in a 55-second span between 6:47 and 5:52 left in the second half. Brandeis did not hit a field goal in the final two minutes of play.

... Olson was 4-4 behind the three point line, accounting for 12 of his 14 points.

Final Thought...

Whether or not Brandeis is "overrated," as Lasell fans suggest, will be left up to the folks at D3hoops.com to decide. But, Brandeis faces a near-must-win situation this Saturday at WPI. With a difficult non-conference schedule lying ahead, Brandeis cannot afford to start the season at 0-2.

Next Game...

Brandeis plays WPI on the road Saturday night at 6pm. WBRS will be courtside with the call, so be sure to tune in via radio or computer.

Webcast 11/17