‘New year, new conference’: Monmouth loses CAA debut but remains optimistic
After losing three of its last four games by more than 30, Monmouth looked eager to turn the page against its new CAA peers.
WEST LONG BRANCH – I managed to see Monmouth three times during its nonconference slate, on trips all across New Jersey: at Seton Hall on opening night, at Rider on Nov. 30 and at Princeton on Dec. 10. The Hawks lost those games by an average of 30 points.
Each night told a similar story: Monmouth fell behind quickly and couldn’t make nearly enough shots to scrape their way back, letting the issue compound.
The Hawks fared better than that in Wednesday’s 68-55 loss to UNC Wilmington that marked their first game as members of the Colonial Athletic Association. After losing three of their last four games by more than 30, they appeared eager to turn the page against their new CAA peers following a 1-12 start to the season.
Myles Foster, a junior and the roster’s veteran leader, said assistant coach Rick Callahan made an important point during a recent team meeting.
“College basketball is unique,” Foster said. “You kind of have three opportunities: You’ve got your nonconference schedule, then you’ve got your conference schedule and then you’ve got the postseason. We just try to look at it, especially coming into the new year, ‘Alright, new year, new conference. We’re 0-0 now.’”
Coach King Rice, overseeing the program’s second transition to a new conference in a decade, was pleased with how the Hawks battled.
“We’re not into the moral victories, but I think we did some things to show that if we can take care of the ball and we stay together long enough, we’ll be pretty good in this league this year,” Rice said. “Everybody knows this isn’t how we normally are but we’re going to get it right and we’ll be very competitive in this league.”
Monmouth’s nonconference strength of schedule ranked 36th in the nation, according to KenPom.com. Rice is known for scheduling tough, and this year was no different despite having a young team with a whole new starting five. If you’re looking to explain why the Hawks started 1-12, a six-day trip to play Hall, Virginia and Illinois is a good place to start.
The Colonial will not spare them, though; it’s among a handful of premier mid-major leagues, as I wrote here back in February. This year’s contenders are a 12-1 Charleston team that’s received numerous votes in the AP poll for weeks, the UNC Wilmington group that just won its 10th straight game Wednesday, plus Towson, Hofstra and Delaware.
What’s held Monmouth back more than anything is its shooting. It ranks 352nd of 363 Division I teams in field-goal percentage (39.1), 345th in 3-point shooting (27.8) and 346th on free throws (62.3). I found only three other programs – Evansville, Florida A&M and Alcorn State – shooting below 40% overall, 30% from three and 70% from the line.
The Hawks also commit 16.7 turnovers per game, but there’s some better news in this department. After an ugly start, Monmouth is averaging only 12.5 turnovers per game over its past eight – as Rice said, taking better care of the ball.
It’s a noble goal for Rice to want Monmouth to be competitive in Year One, but there are foundational pieces in the room for future success. Freshman Jack Collins has started 12 of his first 14 collegiate games and poured in 20 points at Syracuse with five threes. He had four steals Wednesday, taking one of them and hauling it for a full-court assist to Klemen Vuga. He’s noticeably aggressive on defense and already capable of playing big minutes – including 37:19 against Wilmington (more on that below).
Fellow freshman Andrew Ball made his first start Wednesday and added six points and six rebounds. Like Collins, he’s another sizeable guard who fits in on the wing.
“I’ve definitely seen a lot from Andrew, Amaan (Sandhu), Collins,” Foster said. “I even try and put myself in their shoes and think back to my freshman year. What they’re being asked to do now is very difficult. I think every single game they’re learning more and more.”
Rather than fold against one of the CAA’s best teams, Monmouth closed within eight points with 11 minutes and change to play, leading Rice to insist that the Hawks will be a tough out in league play. If the Hawks can find their footing and pick up some CAA wins, it truly will feel like a new season; that 1-12 start will fade into memory.
“I’m sure (Wilmington coach Takayo Siddle) told his kids the same thing,” Rice said. “They had a great nonconference – well, everybody’s 0-0 now! All that don’t matter. So whichever side you’re on, it really doesn’t matter. I thought we battled today better than we’ve been battling, so that makes me think we’re moving in the right direction.”
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Thanks for stopping by on this Thursday morning. We have just a few stray notes to cover here, and then it’s on to 2023.
Some confusion had to be cleared up regarding Tahron Allen and Amaan Sandhu’s limited minutes. Rice said postgame that he was told during warmups neither Allen nor Sandhu could play due to tweaked backs. He said Sandhu hurt his going up for a rebound (unclear whether that was during warmups Wednesday or at a previous practice), and Allen tweaked his lifting. Allen was slated to start, so the Monmouth staff had to scramble to change plans. Both Allen and Sandhu gave it a go in the first group of subs, but neither lasted three minutes. That left eight healthy players to shoulder the load the rest of the way, leading Collins and Ball to earn some outsized minutes.
I wish I had caught the ending to Rider’s game against Georgia live. The Bulldogs led by 20 with less than 14 minutes to play, and Rider sliced that in half with a 13-3 run in just four minutes. Georgia still got its lead back to 15 multiple times but surrendered a 13-1 Rider stretch that made it a game. Mervin James cut it to 74-72 in the final minute, but Georgia hung on to win 78-72. Notably: Six different players scored for Rider in that 13-1 run. Dwight Murray Jr. was held to a season-low eight points on 4-of-17 shooting, yet Rider still almost completed the comeback. Big day for Tariq Ingraham in particular (15 points, seven rebounds, 5-of-5 on free throws).
I don’t think Seton Hall is a tournament team. There’s ample time for the Pirates to prove me wrong, but they’ve dug themselves a hole as the only team currently 0-3 in the Big East. I thought the adage was that defense travels well, but Marquette shot 54.1 percent as a team in its 83-69 win over visiting Seton Hall Tuesday. The Pirates also missed 10 free throws and are outside the top 300 nationally in free-throw percentage (66.3).