By Ronak Patel
JERSEY CITY, NJ – Preseason prognostications are simply that. They are merely fodder for the eons of fans and followers of that particular sport to fill up space before a season begins.
If you were to believe the preseason Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Coaches’ Poll, then Saint Peter’s University has no chance of making headway this season in the conference.
But as the calendar flips to December and conference season beginning, the Peacocks find themselves just two wins away from matching last year’s win total.
St. Peter’s is 3-4 overall on the young season and despite a recent four-game losing skid, the Peacocks served notice when they defeated Big East and their fellow state university brethren, Rutgers, 56-52 at the RAC on the season’s opening night. SPU went 5-26 last year.
The win was SPU’s third in 14 matchups with the Scarlet Knights. It was also SPU’s first win over a BCS foe since 2010 when they defeated Alabama in the Paradise Jam.
SPU also played Seton Hall tough, even leading by one at halftime before succumbing 76-61 to the Pirates at the Prudential Center. Senior forward Darius Conley battled foul trouble and an injury in the game’s second half.
While their start has impressed, seventh year head-coach John Dunne, who led the Peacocks to the 2011 MAAC Tournament title and NCAA Tournament berth, still is looking for consistency from his team, especially down the stretch of games.
“I don’t know what our ceiling is right now,” Dunne said after last week’s 66-61 loss to Farleigh Dickinson. “After a five win year, you don’t know what you have with four newcomers and then you can fooled into thinking your chemistry is better than it is when you get a big win at Rutgers.”
SPU controlled the pace for most of the game against FDU, but free-throw shooting (6-of-19) and sloppy offensive execution down the stretch – SPU shot 12-of-35 (34 percent) in the second half – were the main culprits in the setback.
“We had great execution in the games we won and also had tremendous defensive intensity,” Dunne said. “But then the true test has been when our backs have been against the wall at Binghamton and against FDU, we weren’t positive enough in the closing moments.
“If we’re going to win games this year in our league and rest of the non-conference, we need to figure out how to close games down the stretch.”
Outside of the double-digit setback to Seton Hall, the Peacocks have been in every other game down the wire, including wins over Central Connecticut St. (64-61) at home and on the road over Cornell (68-64).
The Peacocks, which return senior stalwarts in guards Blaise Ffrench (12.9 points a game, 6.0 assists), Yvon Raymond (10.9 points, 5.7 rebounds), and forward Conley (6.9 points), have been infused with a solid newcomer class, led by sophomore guard Desi Washington, who transferred from Delaware State.
Washington, a pinpoint shooter, leads the team in scoring at 15.9 a game and has provided Dunne with another ball-handler to go with Raymond and Ffrench. Graduate student Patrick Jackson, a 6-foot-6 forward, joined the team from Kent St.
“Over the summer, I didn’t know what type of team we would have this season,” Dunne said. “I knew we would compete better and I knew we would have little more depth than last season.”
For Washington, who couldn’t practice much with the team last season due to a torn meniscus on his left knee, the start to this year has been a mixture of relief and excitement.
“Last year, sitting on the bench and not being able to play, a lot of guys take it for granted,” Washington said. “But being able to play this year, it’s feels amazing and every second and every play counts.
“It was difficult at first not being able to play and then not being able to practice because I had surgery on my knee.”
But with a clean bill of health for this season, Washington has made an immediate impact. With his ability to come off screens and bury jumpers and also to maneuver around and pass defenders, Washington has provided an extra dimension to SPU’s attack. Washington has hit 19-of-52 3-pointers (36 percent), scored 18 points in the win over Rutgers and season-high 23 in the win over Central Conn. St.
“We have a different mindset this year,” Washington said. “We’ve taken every practice and workout seriously. Everything we’ve done, from practice to lifting weights, we had the mindset we weren’t going to have the same season as we did last year.”
SPU begins conference play on their home court, the Yanitelli Center, Wednesday night against conference power Iona, who’s off to a 3-2 start to the season.
“I think if we learn how to stick together, I think we can compete with anyone in our league,” Dunne said. “I think one through ten, our league is wide open and we’ll see how it plays out.”
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