LONG ISLAND
Record: 3-6
Last Game: W, 79-78, vs. Hartford 11/30
Last Meeting: Stony Brook 73, LIU 54 on 11/27/14 at MSG. Warney 18 pts, 9 rebs.
Listen/Watch:TV:
http://www.necfrontrow.com/schedule.php?sport=MBB&home%2Caway=LIUStony Brook radio:
http://www.whli.com/listen-live.aspxNotables:6-6/195 jr F Raiquan Clark 19.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.0 spg, .561 FG%, .831 FT%
6-3/180 rsr G Joel Hernandez 17.9 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 3.4 apg, .370 3-pt FG%
5-11/150 so G Jashaun Agosto 11.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 3.4 apg
6-7/215 rsr F Zach Coleman 10.6 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 1.2 spg, 1.0 bpg
5-11/175 so G Julian Batts 8.3 ppg, 2.0 spg, .432 3-pt FG%
Let's see if we can prevent any kind of hangover after Saturday's win. It's a pretty quick turnaround, but hopefully we're up to the task.
While our prior foe, St. Francis, was unanimously picked to finish first in the NEC, LIU was predicted to finish sixth under first-year coach Derek Kellogg, formerly of UMass. They stand at 3-6, and of their three wins, two were narrow wins over Hartford (by 2 at a tournament in Jamaica, and then by 1 at home this weekend), and the other was against the College of New Rochelle. Otherwise, they’ve been in all of their games, with five of their six losses coming by single digits, including a four-point loss to now 10th-ranked Miami, during which they cut a 13-point halftime lead to two before running out of time.
LIU will have done well to come close to duplicating last year’s 20-win total, particularly after losing two all-conference players, including NEC POY Jerome Frink, to graduation. Leading the way in their place is Clark, who joined the team as a walk-on a couple years ago and played a bit role last year. He dropped 34 on Tulane to start the year, and another 26 on Brown. Hernandez, who missed all of last year with a back injury, has hit for at least 20 in three games as well. And Agosto was an NEC All-Rookie selection last year.
Coleman is one of two players that Kellogg brought with him from UMass. He was a pretty good recruit at Kellogg's previous locale – UMass – but was really hampered by injuries. He got his degree there and began to play immediately at LIU. The other, Tyrn Flowers, will redshirt.
This one feels like a toss-up. I think we’re starting to figure out what works best for us, with Cornish and Olaniyi really showing that they deserve major minutes and at least consideration for starts. We’ve yet to put up a W away from home, and this would be a good one for us.