The 2012 All-Casey Team

By Paul Casey Gotham

In this season of honors, awards and All-Americans, I offer the All-Casey Team – a collection of players from the Atlantic 10, Metro-Atlantic Athletic, Big Ten, Horizon League, Missouri Valley, Mid-American, Atlantic Coast and even the Junior College ranks.

To be eligible one has to have played at least one game with yours truly sitting court side. I sat down recently and took account of my ventures since the beginning of November. Fifty-four, give or take a few, is the number of games viewed from press row. That means my wife, or better two-thirds (as opposed to better-half because she always carries a little more of the load), earns her own All-Casey nomination, if for no other than reason than she did double-duty walking Lady, our three-year old Lab-mix. Those of you familiar with Labradors understand that a three-year old is about half-way through the puppy stage. So imagine the walk with that 60-pound puppy.  Oh yeah, good exercise. Smitty knows a thing or two about these walks as do the progeny.

Speaking of Smitty, the number of games was decreased by one when we met our personal mayhem of black ice on Route 86  one January night. In what can only be described as feeling like someone on the side of the highway picked up the pavement and dumped us over the side. We found ourselves sliding some 50-60 feet down the embankment ending in a creek bed.

We can laugh now, especially when I recollect Smitty ending the 9-1-1 call with: “Yeah and you might want to send more emergency vehicles as another car just went off the road about 50 yards behind us.”

It was that kind of night. All told, four other vehicles were forced into off-roading exercises in a half-mile area.

Come to think of it, the Chevy gets an All-Casey. After being towed from the creek bed and getting the thumbs up from one of New York State’s finest, we hopped in the pick-up, turned around and drove two hours back to Rochester. No problems… other than the white-out conditions that brought traffic to a standstill and elicited yet another Smitty classic: “You’re going off the road!”

Did I mention it was that kind of night?

On to the selections.

First Team

Andrew Nicholson (St. Bonaventure) Did someone just say well, DUH! As the season wore on, Nicholson rolled up double-doubles like he was popping them out of a Pez dispenser. The Mississauga, Ontario native notched six double-doubles in his last 11 collegiate games. It’s hard to pick just one, but his Reilly Center swan song will be talked about for years. With an Atlantic 10 tournament bye at stake, Nicholson scored 32 and grabbed 14 as the Bonnies defeated St. Joseph’s in double overtime.  Ten days later, Nicholson accounted for 25 and 10 as Bona again trimmed the Hawks, this time in the opening round of the A-10 tourney. Beyond the points and rebounds, Nicholson blocked a shot and took a charge in the final minute of the second victory over St. Joseph’s. When asked about his defensive performance, Nicholson replied: “I shot an air ball on offense, so I needed to get back on ‘D’ and make a big play.”

Trevor Mbakwe  (University of Minnesota) Stats don’t quite sum up Mbakwe’s contributions to Minnesota’s effort. Sure, he turned in a 16-point, 12-rebound performance as the Golden Gophers opened the Old Spice Classic with a victory over DePaul.  His two assists, two steals and one block were equally impressive. Check that. His block brought down the house. A Blue Demon, who shall remain nameless to protect the innocent, attacked the basket in the open floor generating a head of steam with four or five full strides. He took off, and Mbakwe, from a standing position, leapt off two feet and ceased all forward motion. I half expected to see Mbakwe get a spot in Old Spice commercials: “Puh, puh, puh, puh, puh, PUH, POWER!” From then on, it was amusing to watch opposing players do anything possible to avoid having their shot blocked. Mbakwe suffered a season-ending injury against Dayton in the Old Spice championship game. Rumor has it, he received a medical redshirt. That would be a good thing for Minnesota and college basketball.

Speaking of the Flyers…

Chris Johnson (University of Dayton) Sure, Johnson scored double figures in 10 of UD’s final 12 regular season games. His 20 and 11 output when the Flyers thrashed UMass was impressive. More impressive was Johnson’s ability to defend ANYBODY on the court. He went from containing UMass point guard Chaz Williams, to fronting Terrel Vinson in the post, to denying Javon Farrel on the perimeter. And he did it without missing a beat.

Scott Machado (Iona College) The Gaels led the nation scoring nearly 83 points per game. Machado averaged 9.9 assists. His seven assists against Canisius were more than meets the eye. The Golden Griffins collapsed into tight 2-3 zone all night and scoring was at a premium as was Machado’s game. In the MAAC quarter-finals he dished eight dimes with one miscue as Iona beat Marist. To say Machado slows the game to his speed dabbles in litotes. He rarely, if ever, appears out of control.

Ramone Moore (Temple University) Foul trouble limited Moore to just a few minutes of play in the first half of the Owls game vs. SBU at the Reilly Center. Moore responded with 19 in the second half as the Owls defeated Bonaventure. A week later, Moore scored 18 at the Tom Gola Arena with the La Salle Explorers giving him little to no breathing room.

Second Team

Tu Holloway (Xavier University) The Musketeers shot 24-of-45 (53 percent) including an eye-popping 13-of-20 in the second half to defeat St. Louis in the semi-final round of the A-10 tournament. The Billikens entered play holding opposing shooters under 38 percent. Xavier played to the Bills’ strength by running deliberate, methodical half-court sets. X never looked uncomfortable, and Holloway was the reason. Press conference critiques aside, Holloway handed out six assists and scored 17 against an eventual Sweet Sixteen team on that infamous Saturday in December.

Langston Galloway (St. Joseph’s University) It is a treat to watch Galloway work off the ball. He never stops moving. He possesses a strong physique with just enough foot speed to make it work. He’s not fast, but quick. Court quick. He knows angles and knows how to read screens. Early in that double overtime classic at the Reilly, SJU led 16-15. Galloway accounted for 12 on four straight threes. He made it 14 with a nifty backdoor cut along the baseline.

Erik Etherly (Loyola- Maryland) – Usually, I am not a big fan of dunks, except when it involves Etherly. His ability to slice past defenders in mid-air is a head-scratcher. Eight points and two rebounds against Bona looks pedestrian until one considers his efforts to slow Nicholson. Twenty-one points versus Niagara in the MAAC quarters was anything but usual.

George Beamon (Manhattan College) On a stormy, stormy night in Buffalo, New York, Beamon scored 33 points, grabbed eight caroms, dished out a pair of assists while blocking as many shots and picking up three steals. Yet, it might have been what he didn’t do that was most impressive: commit any fouls or any turnovers. His ability to catch, up fake, go a dribble or two and nail a baseline jumper is borderline incomparable.

OD Anosike (Siena College) The nation’s leading rebounder (12.5) also turned in 23 double-doubles. And he did that in a lineup with a six-man rotation. The “Siena Six” outlasted a surging Manhattan team in the MAAC quarters.  A game in which Anosike scored 14 on 4-of-7 shooting.

Others considered:

Kevin Dillard (University of Dayton) – How many days until the Flyers open 2012-13?

Chaz Williams (University of Massachusetts) – There’s fast. Then there’s Williams.

Terrell Vinson (University of Massachusetts) – Inside and out, he’s going to be a handful next season.

Earl Pettis (La Salle University) Senior scored 33 including the last 13 in regulation against Temple.

Demitrius Conger (St. Bonaventure) What is the over-under on number of double-double next year?

Scott Wood (North Carolina State) – He may look like Ollie from Hoosiers, but he shoots a whole lot better. He scored 20 as the Wolfpack beat SBU on a buzzer-beater at Rochester’s Blue Cross Arena.

Zach Filzen (University of Buffalo) – Sometimes, half court is within range.

Ben Averkamp (Loyola-Illinois) Big man with a catch-and-shoot game.

Harold Washington (Canisius College) Well worth the sixty-minute drive to see him play.

R.J. Mahurin (Indiana State)  If for no other reason than the comment by Sycamore coach, Greg Lansing:  “He remembers the plays we get him shots, but he doesn’t remember the other plays. ”

Dylon Cormier (Loyola-Maryland) He made a move in the MAAC quarters that I am still not sure what I saw. It went something like this – a crossover to beat one defender and a quick lateral movement past another into a jumper. Somewhere in there a law of physics was refuted.

Casey’s Freshmen

Juan’ya Green (Niagara University)  Good times ahead at the Gallagher.

Emmy Andujar (Manhattan College) – Can catch the ball in traffic and distribute better than anyone I saw this year.

Isaiah Jefferson (Monroe Community College) – Solid mid-range game.

Eddie Mitchell (Rider University) – Imagine a six-foot point guard dunking over a seven-foot center.

Mike Powell (Rhode Island University) – Will the point guard stay in the Ocean State now that Bobby Hurley is on the coaching staff?