1/28/08

RUTGERS PULLS DOUBLE-SHOCKER

It appeared as the ultimate mismatch. The last-place team in the Big East against a team that was 92-7 in the history of Peterson Events Center.

Yet, Rutgers knocked off Pittsburgh on the road – which was the Scarlet Knights second consecutive victory over a ranked team after a home win against Villanova earlier in the week.

Rutgers coach Fred Hill doesn’t want to make excuses for his team’s 0-6 Big East start, but his most talented player, freshman guard Corey Chandler, hasn’t been healthy for most of the season.

Chandler missed two games and still isn’t 100 percent after suffering a stress fracture earlier in the season.

``He came back and was out of sync,” Hill said. “But he’s been terrific the last two games.”

Chandler, who is still coming off the bench, averaged 16 points per game and was 4-of-9 from long distance in the two upset wins.

Hill said that Chandler’s injury also allowed his other freshman guard, Mike Coburn, to gain valuable experience. Coburn has played at least 30 minutes in seven of the last eight games and averaged 20 points and four assists in the victories over Villanova and Pittsburgh.

``We’re in the process of building something here,” Hill said. “Are we taking steps forward? No question. We’re still a long ways away, though.”

``Now people see where we’re headed,” he added. “Now it’s not a question when we’re going to get there. It’s a matter of when we’re going to get there.”
Foxsports.com

1/21/08

Newark East Side 62, Plainfield 58

Demetrius Smith dropped in a career-high 25 points to power East Side to the upset victory over Plainfield, No. 8 in the Star-Ledger Top 20, in Newark. Plainfield has lost three of its last four games. Alja-Quan Mann scored 13 points and Andre Flanigan added 12 for East Side, which rallied from a 35-25 halftime deficit. This victory comes on the heels of a close loss a Westfield. The score was 46-45. I wrote this before, but will this victory get the kids in the right frame of mind to all be on the same page and play hard together as a TEAM? We can only hope.


East Side Grads Battle on the Court

Pioneers Win Battle of NJAC Unbeatens. William Paterson University shot 70.8 percent from the field and 66.7 percent from three-point range in the first half to gain a 19-point lead, and although New Jersey City University outscored the Pioneers in the second half with record-setting free throw shooting, it couldn’t overcome the early deficit, as WPU snapped NJCU’s 15-game New Jersey Athletic Conference regular season winning streak, 77-69, in an NJAC North Division game on Saturday at the Rec Center.



Derek Miller 8 points

Al Holloway 7 points

1/15/08

Tough Times?????

East Side is off to a 1-7 start, that’s not a misprint it is really (1-7). The 2007-08 team is facing all types of adversity, but it’s mostly self inflicted. We have injuries and selfish play holding the kids back. The coaching staff has sacrificed some potential wins in an effort to discipline players. We understand that we are coaching more than a game and we are duty bound to make men out of our players.

The past few game scores were as follows:


Linden 54 East Side 35
Irvington 51 East Side 29
SPF 68 East Side 27
MXS 62 East Side 37

1/4/08

Sign of Things to Come?

East Side nets its first victory of the 2007-2008 season. Missing two key players, Eddie Brown and Demetrius Smith, a group of mostly freshmen and sophomores dispatched of Newark Vocational. While it wasn’t a thing of beauty, the victory should be a confidence booster.

Watchung Conference All-Decade teams


Eastside

Corey Chandler (2007)
Randy Foye (2002)
David McSwain (2003)
Calvin O'Neil (2003)
Pierre Mitchell (2003)