The Coaching Career of Alex Irving

[Flash3]

Long Island @ St. Francis College

February 28th, 2008
Pope PE Center
Brooklyn, NY


Before the season, these teams were only rivals because they shared Brooklyn. But now they share Bayville, and up to 15 years of it's history. Coach Irving's assistants were once Jay Reynolds' assistants. Irving himself played for Reynolds, and might've been the best player he ever coached. There's bad blood between the coaching staff, and according to an unnamed 5'11 shooting guard on the Blackbirds', there's a lot of talk on the court between the players as well. In their first meeting, the Blackbirds were victorius at home, winning an 82-61 blowout. In the second meeting, the result was in favor of the Terriers.

St. Francis College picked up a big rivalry win today, winning 70-67 over the Blackbirds of Long Island. The Blackbirds nearly came back from being down as much as 21 points, thanks to a late scoring push by Jaron Chalmers, who ended up with 13 points and 7 rebounds off the bench. The key to this Terrier win was locking up Gerard Maxiell, who had 14 points, but on 5-17 shooting. The Terriers not only held the Blackbirds from shooting well, but they also outrebounded them by 7. Freshman PG Dawud Matthews had 15 points, while Sophomore SF Laurie Hanson had himself a great game with 19 points and 7 rebounds. The Terriers were without their best guard, James Delfico, who's dealing with injury.
----------------------------

The two teams shake hands after the game, as is tradition and rules. The Terrier players have secured the only win that'll matter to them this season, as they've been dreadful. There's grins on their faces, as they're enjoying the moment. The Blackbirds are just slapping hands and trying to get back to the locker room, awaiting what'll most likely be a long speech.

The lines move to the end, all the Blackbird players back to the visiting locker rooms, while SFC's players have run into the student section to celebrate. This is usually where the coaches have short conversation and wish each other luck.

"Good game. Good luck in the playoffs." said Reynolds, with a smile on his face.

"Yeah, thanks." replied Irving, clearly not wanting to be on the court at the moment.

"Almost came back there. I prefer Jaron Chalmers when he's drunk in an Orlando club." said Reynolds, with a wink, before walking off.
---------------------

How did Jay know? We paid the guy who emailed Clark to keep quiet. Unless.. Jay was the guy.

Long Island Blackbirds at St. Francis (NY) Terriers
Feb 28, 2008	1ST	2ND	SCORE
Long Island (16-11)	33	34	67
St. Francis (NY) (8-20)	46	24	70

Long Island Blackbirds
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Jermareo Linebaugh - G	27	3-5	1-1	5-5	1	4	2	0	1	12
Brannon Blackett - G	16	1-7	1-7	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	3
Gerard Maxiell - F	26	5-17	2-11	2-2	7	2	2	0	2	14
Jamion Nagata - F	18	4-9	2-5	0-0	1	1	0	0	1	10
Perry Whitted - F	20	6-7	0-0	0-0	7	3	1	1	1	12
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Chawkoby Ingerson - G	16	0-9	0-6	3-4	2	3	3	0	0	3
Jaron Chalmers - F	21	5-8	2-2	1-2	7	1	2	0	1	13
Dawan Mullins - F	5	0-1	0-0	0-0	1	1	1	0	0	0
Kueth McFadgon - F	1	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Laurynas Valavicius - F	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Harry Fullove - G	-- DID NOT PLAY --
TEAM TOTALS		24-63	8-32	11-15	27	15	11	1	6	67

St. Francis (NY) Terriers
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Dawud Matthews - PG	17	7-12	0-1	1-1	0	3	0	0	3	15
Aldrin Jeffries - SG	27	0-3	0-0	0-0	5	7	3	0	0	0
Laurie Hanson - SF	18	7-9	1-2	4-5	7	2	0	0	1	19
Howard Nubine - PF	27	4-9	0-1	4-6	8	4	1	0	2	12
Nouha Ellis - PF	27	5-6	0-0	1-4	7	2	0	0	3	11
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
James English - SG	16	2-3	0-0	2-2	1	2	1	0	4	6
Lucas President - PF	5	1-2	0-0	0-0	2	0	0	0	0	2
Sean Foster - SG	6	1-3	1-2	0-1	0	0	0	0	0	3
Cedrick Vianney - C	6	1-2	0-0	0-0	4	0	0	0	1	2
Cheikh Esterkamp - PG	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Zeljko Mulic - SF	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Richie Conklin - SG	-- DID NOT PLAY --
TEAM TOTALS		28-49	2-6	12-19	34	20	5	0	14	70

[Flash3]

Long Island vs Robert Morris

March 1st, 2008
HRW Center
Brooklyn, NY

The last game before the playoffs, the Long Island Blackbirds had already punched their ticket to the stage. The Colonials of Robert Morris, have not. They most likely would get in, as Quinnipiac was down in their game, but nothing had been set in stone. Win, and they're in. Lose, and they'd have to depend on another game, another team.

Looks like the Colonials are gonna have to depend on Quinnipiac's loss, as Long Island won this one, 80-74. The Blackbirds were coming off of a crushing loss @ St. Francis College, and really needed some momentum going into the playoffs. Gerard Maxiell fouled out early, so who were the Blackbirds going to rely on for buckets? Jamion Nagata (13 pts/4 rbs/3 ast/2 stl) and Jermareo Linebaugh (13 pts). Chawkoby Ingerson also chipped in 10 points off the bench.

For Robert Morris, senior PF Jamal Hogan had 22 points and 6 rebounds, and Max Zwikker had 16 points. Junior guard DeAnthony Thomas was surprising quiet. The Colonials (14-17, 7-11 NEC) now have to wait and see what happens, to see if their season is over or not. The Blackbirds (17-12, 12-6 NEC) await their playoff matchup.

[Flash3]

NEC PLAYOFF SCHEDULE

March 6th, 2008

1. Saint Francis vs 8. Robert Morris
4. Long Island vs 5. Monmouth
3. Sacred Heart vs 6. Central Connecticut
2. Wagner vs 7. Fairleigh Dickinson

March 9th, 2008

Conference Semifinals

Winner of 1/8 vs Winner of 4/5
Winner of 2/7 vs Winner of 3/6

March 12th, 2008

Conference Finals

[Flash3]

Long Island @ Monmouth

March 6th, 2008
Boylan Gym
West Long Branch, NJ


The first meeting between the Blackbirds and the Hawks took play on February 2nd. The Blackbirds, despite having Gerard Maxiell play only 8 minutes due to foul trouble, managed to pull out a close win, 77-73, thanks to their frontcourt of Jamion Nagata (12 pts/8 rebs) and Perry Whitted (18 pts/6 rbs). Monmouth saw good performances out of sophomore guard Rayshawn Krogh (12 pts/4 rebs/3 asts) and freshman PF Tracy Feist (14 points/7 rebs).

The second meeting between the two, ended in Long Island's favor again, as they won a blowout 81-63. Gerard Maxiell actually played well this game with 16 points and 10 rebounds, and 3 other Blackbirds (Nagata, Ingerson, Chalmers) hit double figures. Rayshawn Krogh was injured, and other Hawks were unable to pick up the slack. Keonta Doss had 17 points to lead Monmouth.

And the third meeting, this time in the opening round of the playoffs? Almost identical to the second one, as the Blackbirds won their opening playoff game 82-59, another blowout @ Monmouth. Gerard Maxiell led both teams with 29 points, while Jermareo Linebaugh (13 pts/6 ast/5 stl) and Jaron Chalmers (17 points/6 rebounds) were both big parts of the game.

For Monmouth, Freshman PF Homer Somerville had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while guards Varney Jackette (15 points) and Rayshawn Krogh (11 points/6 ast) also played well. This marks the end of Monmouth's season, but they should be fine for next year as Jackette and Somerville are freshman, and they will return their starting backcourt of Krogh and Keonta Doss. They also return their 5th starter, 6'7 Freshman PF Kelly Ziri. The future is bright for them.

Long Island will play Robert Morris- yes not Saint Francis. Robert Morris won their quarterfinal game off of a buzzer beating 3 from DeAnthony Jones. This is an 8-seed upsetting the top team, but it isn't the only upset of the day. Central Connecticut State, led by Albert Hatten's 29 points, blew out Sacred Heart 88-68.

"This has been a crazy day of basketball. I'd like to think that now we're the favorites to win the conference tournament now, seeing as we play Robert Morris, who we've beaten, and we've beaten Central CT and Wagner, the two teams in the other matchup. The same can be said for Wagner, who we did split with. Robert Morris was a challenge for us the last time we played, it was only 80-74. Again, we're on the road, but no problem there. We need to play tough and stick to our game plan, and we should come out victorious again."

Long Island Blackbirds at Monmouth Hawks
Mar 6, 2008	1ST	2ND	SCORE
Long Island (17-12)	33	49	82
Monmouth (13-17)	24	35	59

Long Island Blackbirds
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Jermareo Linebaugh - G	22	5-6	0-0	3-4	0	6	5	1	1	13
Brannon Blackett - G	23	3-7	2-5	1-2	3	2	4	0	1	9
Gerard Maxiell - F	23	12-27	5-13	0-0	5	1	4	0	1	29
Jamion Nagata - F	25	2-10	0-4	0-0	5	3	2	0	1	4
Perry Whitted - F	22	1-2	0-0	0-0	7	1	1	0	1	2
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Chawkoby Ingerson - G	11	2-3	0-1	2-2	1	2	2	0	1	6
Jaron Chalmers - F	15	6-10	2-3	3-4	6	0	0	0	0	17
Dawan Mullins - F	8	1-2	0-1	0-0	1	1	2	0	1	2
Kueth McFadgon - F	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Laurynas Valavicius - F	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Harry Fullove - G	-- DID NOT PLAY --
TEAM TOTALS		32-67	9-27	9-12	28	16	20	1	7	82

Monmouth Hawks
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Keonta Doss - SG	27	5-10	2-4	0-0	5	2	3	0	4	12
Rayshawn Krogh - SG	27	5-10	0-3	1-1	2	6	1	0	4	11
Varney Jackette - SG	23	6-20	3-8	0-0	4	2	0	0	2	15
Kelly Ziri - PF	23	2-3	0-0	0-0	9	3	1	0	8	4
Herman Somerville - PF	21	6-9	0-0	0-0	10	0	0	1	1	12
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Jarrad Christian - PG	10	1-1	0-0	1-2	0	3	0	0	1	3
Tracy Feist - PF	7	0-1	0-0	0-0	3	0	0	0	1	0
Damian French - SG	3	0-1	0-1	0-0	1	0	1	0	0	0
Nikola Mikulas - SG	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Can Bruce - C	8	1-2	0-0	0-0	4	1	0	0	1	2
Cameron Byerson - C	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Lenzie Mattox - C	-- DID NOT PLAY --
TEAM TOTALS		26-58	5-16	2-3	38	17	6	1	22	59

[FSanchez12]

Certainly following along. Glad to see someone using an NEC team. As an RMU alum I remember the many great games between LIU Brooklyn (at the time) and RMU. Great to see them battling it out once again in the playoffs.


Sent from my iPhone using Operation Sports

[Flash3]

Quote: Originally Posted by FSanchez12

Certainly following along. Glad to see someone using an NEC team. As an RMU alum I remember the many great games between LIU Brooklyn (at the time) and RMU. Great to see them battling it out once again in the playoffs. Sent from my iPhone using Operation Sports

Robert Morris has one of the highest team OVRs in our league, but they haven't performed to that OVR. It wouldn't surprise me at all if they beat us and went on the take the conference, they have some good guards and a solid big on their team. I chose an NEC team because I'm from NYC and one of my friends irl played for St Francis College (ironically my rival in the dynasty).

[Flash3]

Long Island @ Robert Morris

NEC Conference Semifinal
March 9th, 2008
Sewall Center
Pittsburgh, PA


There are three rookie head coaches in the NEC this year. Connor O'Donnell of Quinnipiac is the only one who didn't manage to make the NEC playoffs this year. Alex Irving of Long Island blew critics out of the water, his team ending with the 4th seed in the playoffs, when they were projected to be 6th. Robert Morris held the third rookie coach in Tom Rafferty. Rafferty is barely a rookie, having spent the last 10 years at RMU before the last head coach retired. He knew his players, and he had talent. Robert Morris was projected to win the NEC, but ended up just barely getting into the playoffs, before "upsetting" Saint Francis.

In the first Long Island/Robert Morris matchup, the Blackbirds won a 94-70 blowout, embarrasing the Colonials in front of their home crowd. 3 weeks later, in their second matchup, Robert Morris looked to do the same, leading at half by 14. The Blackbirds, despite not having Gerard Maxiell due to foul trouble, came back to win in, 80-74.

The third game was much like the first, with Long Island blowing out Robert Morris at their own house, 91-71. Six Blackbirds ended in double figures, including Gerard Maxiell, with 21 points, and Chawkoby Ingerson, with a career-high 19 points off the bench. DeAnthony Jones of Robert Morris ended with 13 points and 4 assists, while Max Zwikker ended up with 16 points and 4 assists. Robert Morris' season is over, but next year doesn't look too bad to them, as Jones (11 ppg) and Zwikker (10 ppg) are both returning. Long Island will be at home against Wagner for the conference championship.

"I have nothing but respect for Coach Rafferty and his great group of boys. He's a great coach and a class act. It was finally good to see Chawk play with some confidence. He's struggled with shooting the ball this season and I'm glad he finally opened up and let it fly today. Wagner is a really good squad and we split with them this season. They're really well-rounded when it comes to their scoring, and they've definitely got some size down-low. Should be a good one."

Long Island Blackbirds at Robert Morris Colonials
Mar 9, 2008	1ST	2ND	SCORE
Long Island (19-12)	43	48	91
Robert Morris (15-18)	33	38	71

Long Island Blackbirds
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Jermareo Linebaugh - G	22	3-7	0-2	4-4	2	5	6	2	4	10
Brannon Blackett - G	19	4-11	3-9	0-0	2	0	3	0	3	11
Gerard Maxiell - F	25	8-16	5-12	0-0	2	0	3	0	2	21
Jamion Nagata - F	24	6-12	0-2	0-0	5	2	8	0	1	12
Perry Whitted - F	24	5-8	0-0	0-0	8	2	2	1	1	10
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Chawkoby Ingerson - G	19	5-8	2-3	7-8	1	2	4	0	1	19
Jaron Chalmers - F	9	4-8	0-1	0-0	4	1	2	0	1	8
Dawan Mullins - F	8	0-1	0-0	0-0	2	2	0	0	0	0
Kueth McFadgon - F	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Laurynas Valavicius - F	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Harry Fullove - G	-- DID NOT PLAY --
TEAM TOTALS		35-71	10-29	11-12	26	14	28	3	13	91

Robert Morris Colonials
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
DeAnthony Jones - SG	24	6-11	1-3	0-0	3	4	2	0	11	13
Dominick Sheridan - SG	21	4-6	0-2	0-0	1	3	0	0	3	8
Max Zwikker - SG	24	6-15	2-4	2-2	3	4	1	1	4	16
Jamal Hogan - PF	20	3-6	1-1	0-0	11	1	2	0	2	7
Miles Strawberry - C	24	3-3	0-0	0-0	4	2	1	0	2	6
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Ronell Meyer - SG	9	0-3	0-2	0-0	0	0	1	0	2	0
Korey Coppenrath - PG	12	6-7	1-1	4-4	1	1	1	0	3	17
Elvin Clifton - PG	1	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	1	0	0	0	0
Daniel Youmans - PF	10	2-2	0-0	0-0	2	0	1	0	0	4
Lanny Neverett - PF	6	0-0	0-0	0-0	3	0	0	0	1	0
Dustin Northern - SG	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Coleman Pleick - SF	-- DID NOT PLAY --
TEAM TOTALS		30-53	5-13	6-6	28	16	9	1	28	71

[Flash3]

Has another rookie coach ever even made the NEC Championship? It was an accomplishment I should be proud of. I'm still a bit mad, and I can't pinpoint what it is. Ed and Rob are across from me, we're watching film from the last two games against Wagner, looking for their weaknesses, looking for ours. Winner goes to the tournament. But still, that's not what's bugging me. Big games don't make me nervous, they create an excitement within me that I can't explain.

I know what it is.

"Can we call some of the recruits, make sure they're doing well?"

My assistants both obliged. I didn't play on making any international calls, or any calls to the West Coast. The call went straight to the answering machine, and it left me as surprised as can be.

"This is Jay Reynolds, head basketball coach at St. Francis College. Leave a message at the tone, and I'll get back to you!"

The original call was made when after me and Ed left, the day after the St. Francis game. Rob confessed right away, he told us he'd been filling Jay in on our practice plans and gave him the video of Jaron. I've made plenty of tough decisions on the court this year, but this one trumped all of them. We'd be rolling into the playoffs with one less assistant coach.
_________________________

Gerard Maxiell and Perry Whitted lead their team off the practice court and into the locker room, the boys sweating after a long practice. A practice that could be the second last of their college careers. Their previous coach had told them that the only time they'd see an NCAA Tournament, it'd be on TV. Now, they're a win away from it, and this may be the biggest game of their lives. They walked into Coach's office, eager to hear what Irving and his staff had to tell them. Only the staff was a man short.

"We let go of Coach Joseph yesterday. He was giving St Francis our practice plans, and even sent over a video of Jaron in Orlando, the one we suspended him for." said Irving, resulting in two shocked faces, those of his team captains.

"I wanted to let you guys know beforehand, but I'll be telling the whole team at our short practice tomorrow morning (game day). I wanted to let you guys know that I appreciate the respect that you guys have shown me over the course of the season. I'm not much older than you guys, and as a rookie head coach with no collegiate experience, you had every reason to doubt me. Our season could end tomorrow, so I just wanted to let it out."

Perry Whitted: You put us in a position to succeed like no coach has. We were good in HS, but I personally haven't felt that same feeling of importance since then, until this season came around. You want us to win, and you bitch at the refs for us, unlike Chambers who really didn't seem to care as long as he was getting paid. So thank YOU, for being my dad off the court and the best coach I've ever had, on it.

Gerard Maxiell: I wasn't the #1 option even in HS, and even last year when I led the team in all of our shooting stats, I still didn't feel like the #1 option. I'm not the most confident guy, but you set me up for success like nobody has, and it empowers me to shoot the ball the best I ever have. I haven't liked many of coaches, but honestly, you're the one that's made the biggest impact on my life. The confidence I've gained on the court is confidence that'll stick with me off the court. I want to give other players that same impact one day.