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01-05-2013, 08:57 PM
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#25 |
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Banned
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Re: The Coaching Career of Mitch Collins (CH2k8)
  vs.  Grambling State Outlasts ASU in Double OT The Birmingham News January 5th, 2008 It took them two extra periods, but the Grambling State Tigers (3-5) outlasted the Alabama State Hornets (2-7) Saturday to kick off conference play in the SWAC. Fouls killed the Hornets in overtime, as their three best players, Tariq McCalebb, Brennan Ebong, and Vasilis Alleyne, fouled out early in the first overtime period to put the Hornets in a hole. Ultimately, that hole was too big to crawl out of then the Tigers' hole they had dug thanks to all their turnovers. "A disappointing loss," said coach Collins. "The fouls hurt us... with guys getting unusual playing time they got tired... and I think that hurt us. We have to watch the fouls next time." The Hornets won't see Grambling State again until March, but they got a nice long look at them here. The Tigers' best player, senior two-guard Gerardo Day, hit the game-tying bucket with 0.3 seconds left in the second half that sent the game to overtime. "We were overconfident," said Collins. "Up by a basket with 4 seconds left we let the defense go to rest and we paid for it." Day led the Tigers in scoring with a masterful 32 points, to go with 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals as well. He shot just 7-25 from the field, but he was 15-19 from the free throw line. Junior center Russ Loug had 17 points and 19 rebounds, while sophomore small forward Kedn Madera added 12 points and 15 rebounds, both season highs. For the Hornets, the big men up front continued to impress as Jason Butler had 21 points and 9 rebounds on 9-18 shooting, and Jarrod Nystrom added 21 points and 16 rebounds in 31 minutes of action. Alleyne had a nice game, with 9 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 5 steals, while Halston Hanavan added 8 point, 3 rebounds and 2 assists in 25 valuable minutes off the bench. The Hornets will end their long 8 game road/neutral streak on Monday against the SWAC's best team this season, Jackson State (6-9).
d11king likes this.
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01-05-2013, 09:43 PM
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#26 |
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Banned
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Re: The Coaching Career of Mitch Collins (CH2k8)
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01-13-2013, 06:17 PM
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#27 |
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Banned
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Re: The Coaching Career of Mitch Collins (CH2k8)
 vs. Hornets Defeat Jackson State in Second Straight OT Affair The Birmingham News January 7th, 2008 In their second straight overtime game and third this season, the Alabama State Hornets (3-7) defeated the Jackson State Tigers (6-10) for their first win in conference play this season and their third overall under 1st-year head coach Mitch Collins. Down 6 with 21 seconds to play in the second half, the Hornets got the ball to their best three-point shooter, Tariq McCalebb. He faked out a defender and drained a three to put the Hornets down just one possession. A quick inbound and a foul sent Jackson State to the line, where they missed both free throws, setting up an opportunity for McCalebb with less than 8 seconds left. With 4.3 on the clock, he nailed another three to tie the game and send it into overtime. Vasilis Alleyne scored 8 points in the overtime period to send the Hornets to an 89-85 victory. "We ran our offense really well in overtime and towards the end of the game," said Collins. "Tariq and Vasilis and Brennan [Ebong] were taking the ball away, willing to be aggressive, and really led us throughout the whole game. That's the type of performance I like to see. It hasn't really been easy this year, but I know we're going to improve. If all goes well, we could finish at .500." To finish at .500 on the season, the Hornets would need to go 10-6 in their remaining conference games, which isn't out of the question considering the strength of their SWAC opponents. Ebong was the only starter for ASU that failed to reach double-digits in scoring. Ebong has had a tough season and has yet to reach double digits in any stat in a game this season, a disappointing note for the Hornets' point guard. McCalebb added 19 points and 6 assists in 30 minutes while Alleyne had 12 points and 6 boards in 33 minutes of action. Jason Butler had 13 points and 7 rebounds while fellow big man Jarrod Nystrom added 17 points, 9 rebounds and a block to his stat line. In Nystrom and McCalebb, the Hornets have two potential First Team All-SWAC players as they continue their fabulous seasons. Jackson State sophomore power forward Mikel Nengsu, widely regarded as the best player in the SWAC, dropped 26 points on the Hornets on 11-17 shooting while also grabbing 11 rebounds. Sophomore small forward Antonio Tafo played with a strained groin and still managed to net 13 points and grab 3 boards. Junior shooting guard Andre Dupre added 12 points and 7 rebounds for the Tigers, while junior big man Wahab Snyder grabbed five rebounds and scored 11 points on 6-8 shooting from the field. The Hornets will take on the SWAC's worst team this season, the Mississippi State Delta Devils (2-7), on Saturday as they return home after eight straight on the road or neutral courts. |
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01-13-2013, 07:37 PM
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#28 |
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MVP
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Re: The Coaching Career of Mitch Collins (CH2k8)
mpejkrm likes this.
__________________
“If you’re true to yourself, you’re going to be true to everyone else.” |
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01-16-2013, 12:58 PM
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#29 |
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Banned
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Re: The Coaching Career of Mitch Collins (CH2k8)
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01-16-2013, 04:18 PM
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#30 |
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MVP
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Re: The Coaching Career of Mitch Collins (CH2k8)
mpejkrm likes this.
__________________
“If you’re true to yourself, you’re going to be true to everyone else.” |
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01-17-2013, 08:32 PM
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#31 |
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Banned
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Re: The Coaching Career of Mitch Collins (CH2k8)
Press Conference with Coach Mitch Collins Melvin Hines: Hello all and thank you for joining us here on campus today. I'm Melvin Hines, athletic director at Alabama State University, and we all are pleased you could join us today to speak with our first year head coach Mr. Mitch Collins. Mr. Collins joined us this past season after two years coaching Division III Salem State University. He is a graduate of Binghamton University. I'll hand it over to Coach Collins now. Mitch Collins: Thank you very much, Mr. Hines. Thank you all for joining me here today to discuss the season so far. I'll be taking some questions but first, I would just like to thank all the athletic staff here at the university, along with my other supporting coaches, and most of all, the players, for making the start to my Division-I coaching career so enjoyable. VandyRedskins21: VandyRedskins21, Washington Post. Now that you have a taste of what conference play is like, what do you expect out of your team this year? Mitch Collins: I think we'd like to achieve a .500 or better record for the rest of the season. Our conference opponents aren't nearly as strong as our out-of-conference opponents and staying at .500 in our last 16 games could bring us to 11-18 overall. While that isn't fantastic, it should give us a solid seed for the conference tournament. The ultimate goal is to reach the Big Dance, but I'm not sure that's reachable at this point. Staying at .500 on the season would be great, but to do that, we'd need to go 10-6 for the rest of the season. Not sure if we can get there either, but it would be great. VandyRedskins21: One more question. Do you expect more from Ebong or is he giving everything he has for you? Mitch Collins: Ebong has been okay this season. He's playing his heart out, and maybe the stats don't show it, but he's been a big influence. However, the shooting percentage of not just Brennan, but the team as a whole, is below where we would like it and the defense hasn't improved to the level I was hoping. Part of that will come with maturity and growth, part will come when the coaches make better decisions. All players go through slumps, and I think that's what Ebong is going through right now. [Zygis] Zwikker has been playing very well in his backup role, so I have been pondering with the idea of moving him into the starting role for a game or two. David Rice: David Rice, Birmingham News. What would you call your bench this season, an asset or a liability? Mitch Collins: Definitely an asset. One of the best things on the team this year is the amount of depth we have. I'd say almost every guy on the bench has the capability to start on this team, and that's going to be a big help when some seniors leave after the season. I've been especially impressed with Jason [Butler]'s play, he's been a big help off the bench playing the four and the five. [Smackey] Norton and Halston [Hanavan] have played well too, and the prospects of coaching them for a few more season are very nice. Ryan Collett: Ryan Collett, Tuscaloosa News. How do you plan to fill the hole left by Jakob Gastel after he graduates this season? Mitch Collins: I'd give Gastel our breakout player of the year award so far. I don't think even I saw him playing at this high of a level. The defense could use some work but we will be tuning that up. In short, I'm not positive yet. I think it's likely than Jason [Butler] will take over, but if we can sign one of our power forward recruits, then they are likely to step into that starting role. Losing Jakob is going to be a big loss, but for now, we're focused on keeping him playing at this high of a level for the rest of the season. One more question. Mike Aramony: Mike Aramony, Mobile News. How impressed are you by Jarrod Nystrom's breakout performance this season? Mitch Collins: Very impressed. Nystrom has turned into a double-double machine, or at least a rebound machine. He's shooting well and even passing better than anyone expected. He's making a legitimate case for First Team All-Conference. As a big man, his numbers are beyond impressive. Even as a starter already, he has warranted several extra minutes and we're definitely keeping our eyes on him. Melvin Hines: Well, that's about all the time we have. Thank you all very much for joining us today. I hope you all enjoyed the press conference. |
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01-20-2013, 02:35 PM
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#32 |
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Banned
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Re: The Coaching Career of Mitch Collins (CH2k8)
vs.  Hornets Sting Weak Delta Devils The Birmingham News January 12th, 2008 Any doubts about whether Brennan Ebong was having a bad season were silenced when he dropped a team-high 13 points in Alabama State's 66-53 rout of the Mississippi Delta Devils in their return home Saturday. Ebong sparked a Hornets (4-7) team that had played 8 straight away or on neutral courts. Along with his 13 points, Ebong had 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. "I was just having a cold start," said Ebong. "For the first couple or weeks, Coach and the guys were telling me to step my game up, and I knew as a point [guard] I would need too. I kept saying I would, and today I delivered and we picked up a conference win." The Delta Devils (2-8) have had a rough season overall, struggling with blowout losses against other weak teams during out-of-conference play. It was no different on Saturday as Mississippi Valley State allowed the Hornets a 17-point cushion heading into the half, and despite outscoring ASU by four in the second half, it was for naught as they dropped the game by 13 points (coincidentally the same number of points that Ebong scored). Tariq McCalebb dropped 11 points on the Delta Devils while Vasilis Alleyne added 12 points in 25 minutes of action. Jarrod Nystrom didn't have his scoring tough, with just 6 points on 3-6 shooting, but had 2 blocks and 11 boards to lead the team in both categories. Javier Malaman had 8 points in 10 minutes off the bench, including going 2-2 in three point attempts. Smackey Norton also added 6 points, 3 rebounds and one steal in 11 minutes of action. The Delta Devils ran with only 4 players on the bench, and it seemed to hurt them as their players got more and more fatigued throughout the game. Injuries have severely hurt the club this season. Star senior shooting guard Darmetreis Goodwin had 13 points in 31 minutes but was 4-15 in shooting attempts and made 5 free throws. Junior small forward Osei Jefferies played 33 minutes despite being injured, and he added 7 boards. Junior power forward Jake Teague had 9 point and 6 boards in 25 minutes of action, while senior center Martell Ogunride was 5-9 shooting and added 2 blocks to his 10 points and 6 rebounds. Off the bench, senior perimeter man Roy Gamutimi was a stat-sheet-stuffer-supreme, adding 12 points and 2 each of rebounds, assists, and steals in 18 minutes. Alabama State will play the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions (4-6) at home Monday in Game 2 of this three-game homestand. |
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