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Top-Seeded Wolfpack's First-Ever
Trip to CAN Tourney a Short One
In its rookie season, the NC State alumni basketball team made waves.
After a rough start, the team barreled through the American Conference
to claim the regular season title. But there's no trophy for winning the
regular season - you get bragging rights but that's not the same as having
the tournament hardware on the mantle. It was tourney time, and the Wolfpack
would end its first season the way it began, with hard-fought games and
a hearbreaking loss.
First up was #8 Penn State Blue, the better of the two Nittany Lion squads. Blue played with no bench but showed more intensity than in the previous meeting. The first half was nip and tuck, with ferocious defense from both teams. Anna "Pebbles" Garwood and Nick "Bam Bam" Higgins buddied up to make a steal at halfcourt. Wil "Barney Rubble" also stepped up, making a big block on a Penn State breakaway and drawing a charge at the end of the half.
Mickey "Mr. Slate" Kalavsky and Coach Jason "Fred Flintstone" Singer keyed the Wolfpack offense in the first half, combining for 14 points. Dave "Arnold the newsboy" Annis had 2 ponts coming off the bench. At the half, NC State led 18-14.
The second half was much like the first. Dean "Dino" Duhon started things off with a timely block, while Anna connected on a 3-pointer from the left wing. Wil beat his man on an attempted steal and cruised in for a layup. Not to be outdone, Jason also beat his defender on a steal attempt and made a layup too. But Wil upped the ante by making a steal then a layup. Valerie "Betty Rubble" made a big block and the Pack started to pull away. Mickey, Wil and Valerie iced five free throws to put the game out of reach. The Pack survived and advanced with a 41-30 win.
After an hour to rest, NC State went up against #13 Clemson. The Tigers finished in the National Conference cellar, but they certainly didn't play like it this night. Dean scored a layup off a full-court pass from Jason early int he game but thatwas one of the few easy baskets the Pack would get in the first half. Tight defense kept State from getting a lot of open looks at the basket and the frustration just kept growing. Wil drew a technical for cursing after being called for a travel. "Right when the ref blew the whistle, I tried to tell Wil that was a good call, but that little potty mouth never listens," said a grinning Nick, who was just glad HIS mouth didn't get him into trouble. The Pack only scored 11 points in the first half, the lowest of the season. Clemson was in the driver's seat, 24-11.
Facing a rare halftime deficit, NC State buckled down on defense. The turning point came about midway through the second half. Jason scores on a layup, then Nick steals the ball and feeds Jason for another layup. Erinn "Wilma Flintstone" Newman draws a charge on the other end of the floor, then Mickey scores a layup and draws the foul. Dean drives for another layup, then Wil steals the inbound pass and shovels it to Mickey for another layup. And just like that, the Wolfpack is back in the game.
Anna makes a steal and Nick scores another bucket. Then Jason makes a steal and feeds it to Dean who gets the bucket and the foul. And just like that, the Pack is in the lead with less than two minutes to play! Both benches were on pins and needles as the game came down to the wire.
Clemson battled back to tie the game and foul trouble was catching up with the Pack. The Tigers drew a foul and took a one-point lead from the charity stripe. Jason picked up his sixth foul as he fought for an offensive rebound with 30 seconds to play. Clemson went back to the line and sank both free throws to jump out to a three-point lead.
Jason hollers from the bench to go for a three-pointer. Dean charges up the court with the ball and passes to Nick. Anna gets the ball but doesn't have an open look so she passes it back to Nick. With the clock winding down, Nick takes an off-balance three and misses. Dean races after a deep rebound on the right wing and tries to throw it back to the hoop but the clock hits zero. The Pack's dreams of a title are broken in a 31-28 nailbiter. Clemson advances to the final four to face Villanova, while NC State is left to come to grips with a harrowing loss.
"That was a rough game," said Coach Jason afterwards. "They play a lot like we do. I'm proud of the way the team came back and definitely proud of the season we've had, but the loss still hurts."
Wolfpack Trounce Carnegie Mellon,
Win CAN Atlantic Division Title
Painted on the wall of the gym at John Adams Elementary - where the alumni
basketball team concluded the regular season Tuesday - is the slogan "Learn
to Soar," a fitting way to describe a team that had a rough start
but finished on top.
Early in the season, it looked like The Wolfpack would struggle in its rookie season in the CAN basketball league. A solid preseason win over Carolina was quickly forgotten after two buzzer-beater losses to Ga. Tech and Ole Miss. Nobody was thinking about a division title... just finishing with a winning record would have been nice.
Then the Pack started winning, blowing the doors off the gym some nights as they routed division opponents. Soon the co-rec cagers were riding a six-game winning streak and playing for the division title. The last stop was lowly Carnegie Mellon.
It wasn't much of a stop.
Coach Jason "Irish Tenor" Singer mixed up his starting five a bit and the Pack proceeded to blow away the Tartans. (Yes, it's temping to call them Mellonheads instead, but we're good sports here.) "Crazy" Ivan Johnson was thrilled to get the start and he showed it on the court with a season high 6 points and the usual too-many-to-count rebounds.
The "Smackdown" power forward duo was not in full effect as Erinn "Smack" Newman was riding the pine with a sore ankle, leaving the low post to Betsy "Down" Murrett, who responded with several rebounds and a season-high 2 points. The moniker-less guard tandem of Anna Garwood and Judy Harney brought their A game, scoring 6 points from the perimeter and racking up several steals.
The Wolfpack defense was nearly impenetrable, with Valerie "Tickets Please" Usher and Nick "Big Daddy" Higgins making a number of key stops. The score at the half was 21-3, making it the team's best defensive performance all season.
With the win practically in the bag, the Wolfpack started having some fun. Jason cleared the benches and got everybody some time on the hardwood, even physically dragging Allison "Gabby" Lunsford away from some girly conversation to play. Billy "Gametime" Parker showed up just in time for the second half to drill a nice 3-pointer from the top of the key. Will "Smooth Move" Simmons hit a few buckets and showed how well he can do a behind-the-back dribble when no one is defending him. Jason managed to fake out everybody - including himself - with a fake jumper/behind the back pass.
It was a veritable circus. It was fun. It was a 40-19 victory. It was first place in the Atlantic Division and a first-round bye in the tournament.
"The tournament is going to be tough," Coach Jason said during his weekly radio show, broadcast from Mickey's Industrial Lubricant Emporium. "It's all serious from here but I wanted to end the regular season on a fun note. Normally, I'd kill Dean ["Diaper Dandy" Duhon] for ruining my perfect full-court pass or Dave ["Boy Wonder" Annis] for bogarting the ball so much, but it was all for laughs."
Sources close to the team said that Anna and Judy would be collectively known as "Piggly Wiggly." It's an odd name for two gals who maybe weigh 100 lbs soaking wet, "but you haven't seen them eat," said team owner and general manager Alex "Likely" Storey. "They disappear for a few weeks and their agent calls to say they wouldn't come back to play unless I let them hang out in the owner's box. Fair enough, but these two have been eating everything in sight! If I get anywhere near the chafing dish I'm afraid I'll lose an arm."
So who's Piggly and who's Wiggly? "Dude, I'm not touching that one with a 10-foot pole."
Game Notes: The 8-2 Wolfpack ended the season with a seven-game win streak, winning by an average of 16 points. NC State will play the winner of Texas Tech-Penn State Blue on Wednesday. Erinn "Smack" Newman says her ankle is a tad sore but is listed as probable for the tournament. Nick "Big Daddy" Higgins turned his ankle late in the first half and is listed as questionable. The writer of this article is listed as "dead meat" for bringing up the whole Piggly Wiggly thing.
Pack Chases Off William &
Mary 34-23
NC State kept to its winning ways against William & Mary Tuesday night,
and it was apparent from the opening tip that State would be in control
of this game. Head Coach Jason "Bellbottom" Singer purposely
tipped the ball to "Streaking" Dean Duhon, who got the basket
and the foul. That pretty much summed up the first half as the Wolfpack's
zone-breaking offense pounded the Tribe. Quick transition baskets by Jason
and outstanding outside shooting by Anna "Mood Ring" Garwood
propelled the Pack to a 22-6 halftime lead.
The offense struggled a bit in the second half, scoring only 12 points as the ball just wouldn't drop on a lot of shots. But that first half cushion was too much for the Tribe to overcome, and the defense made sure they didn't get the chance. Ivan "Leisure Suit" Johnson was once again a rebounding machine, and Nick "Butterfly Collar" Higgins made some key steals as the Pack walked away with its sixth straight win, 34-23.
"I think the key to our win was the execution of the zone-breaking offense and, as always, rebounding," said Coach Jason on his weekly call-in radio show. "We had a lot of weapons at our disposal. Mickey ["Polyester" Kalavsky], Ivan, Wil ["Pet Rock" Simmons]... I could go on and on."
A caller asked why the guard duo of Judy Harney and Anna Garwood didn't have a clever nickname like "Smackdown," the monicker given to power forwards Erinn "Smack" Newman and Betsy "Down" Murrett. "I don't know. Maybe the no-talent hack that writes the game summaries can't do any better than 'Smackdown,' which is just sooo original," Jason replied, with sarcasm dripping from every syllable.
The 7-2 Wolfpack will close out the regular season Tuesday against 2-6 Carnegie Mellon. The Pack is in second place in the Atlantic division and is likely to get a first round bye in the tournament.
Wolfpack Knocks Off Villanova
40-29
While Coach Sendek's team has hit a late-season slump, Coach Singer's
co-rec cagers are on a tear. After a 1-2 start, the Wolfpack have been
blowing away the competition on their way to the division lead. The next
challenger was the current division leader Villanova, a squad with a well-earned
reputation for playing tough, physical ball.
'Nova led 13-12 after a hard-fought first half. The Pack struggled to get their inside game going with the paint clogged with Wildcats. Things looked even worse when power forward Erinn "Scooter who?" Newman went down with a sprained ankle at the end of the half. Losing half of the "Smack Down" female duo was a source of great concern in the locker room. "It's gonna be tough playing without Smack for a while," said star micro-forward Allison "Mini Me" Lunsford. "I guess we'll be 'Up with Down' [power forward Betsy "Yeah, Scooter who?" Murrett] for a game or two."
The Smack-less Wolfpack found their stride in the second half behind strong outside shooting by Jason "Mr. Cool" Singer and hard drives to the hole by Nick "Mr. Intense" Higgins. Betsy more than held her own inside, while Allison and Valerie "Ms. Rookie" Usher put in quality minutes at guard. Ivan "Mr. Rebound" Johnson and Billy "Mr. J" Parker iced a series of free throws towards the end of the game to seal another Wolfpack victory 40-29.
The win knocked Villanova out of the top spot and put NC State in first place in CAN's American Division by a half-game with two games left in the regular season. "Knowing they play better when they're hungry, I was afraid to tell the team that win put us in the top spot," said Coach Jason at the post-game press conference. "We still need some improvements, but overall we are the elite team in our division. Boo-ya!"
Wolfpack Tops Colonials, 40-31
Tuesday’s showdown with local powerhouse George Washington had all
of the makings of being an ESPN Instant Classic, but the tides turned
against our storied Wolfpack when news that 80% of the normal female rotation
would be unable to make the game.
Coupled with the fact that two of the male starters had previous engagements, the outlook was bleak for Coach Singer’s Pack during his pre-game pep talk.
And so the battle began. First off, a special thanks to Angie “I Voted for Clay Last Year” Cascarano for ditching American Idol and forgoing precious hours of sleep to hit the hardwood and run with the Pack on this night. This was the start of the good news for the Pack.
It was clear to Coach Jason and his assistants early in the game that the Colonials really only had, as Wil “The Glove” Simmons pointed out, “1 guy”. This confused some of the NC State players, especially Nick “Big Daddy” Higgins, who could have sworn that there were 3 guys and 2 gals playing for the other team. After a hard fought first half, the Pack was up by 4, 22 –18.
After some halftime adjustments, Wil put the defensive clamps down on GW’s main scoring threat and the Pack came out hotter than beach sand in July. Mickey “Sticky Fingers” Kalavsky stripped the ball from the opposition to spark multiple fast breaks to break the game open.
Billy “Downtown” Parker dialed in from long range to seal the deal for the Wolfpack as they walked off the court victorious, 40 – 31.
Simple math was not the strong points of tonight’s scorekeeper as the Pack bench had to constantly remind them to update the score, but a win is a win.
The Pack is now 5-2 heading into next week’s match up versus Villanova.
Player of the Game honors go to Allison Lunsford and Angie Cascarano for fighting hard for the Wolfpack without any subs. Thanks again ladies.
Pack Puts Smackdown on UNC,
46-26
Beating Carolina in alumni sports is always a pleasure, but beating a
short-handed Carolina basketball team is almost a guilty pleasure. Almost.
The Red and White showed up Tuesday night to find a Carolina team short one female, which is not a good thing in a co-rec league. But the game went ahead with 5 wolves vs. 4 sheep and it seemed the game was over before it began. And it was. The Pack's aggressive offense wen into full gear and ran all over the hapless Heels 46-26.
Once again, Dean "Dove Bar" Duhon and Mickey "Kit-Kat" Kalavsky put in stellar performances. Billy "Payday" Parker finally found his range from the outside and fought hard on defense too. Ivan "Jujube" Johnson got it done on the boards and made some pretty no-look passes to the outside while Wil "Butterfinger" Simmons kept making no-look passes to nobody.
The defense was flat-footed at times (how do you play man coverage when the opponent is short one?) but found its rhythm and started clamping down in the second half. Allison "Lemonhead" Lunsford hounded the lone Tarheel female the entire game and Betsy "Milk Dud" Murrett played solid defense against several of the Carolina guys. Anna "Gummi Bear" Garwood played well on both sides of the ball and finished the game with a last-second tip-in. Coach Jason "Skor" Singer balked when questioned about running up the score with the last bucket. "Come on, I can't tell my peeps to not score, especially against Carolina."
The play of the game happened late in the second half when Erinn "Nestle Crunch" Newman picked up a deep rebound then did a pirouette to evade a Tarheel defender and make a downcourt pass - all in one motion - to Wil for a smoother-than-milk-chocolate layup. "Who knew those ballet lessons would come in handy on the hardwood?" said a beaming Erinn after the game.
Not Even Close: Pack Hammers
Penn State White 51-23
The NC State alumni basketball team was developing a habit of losing at
the buzzer, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, if you will. And
Coach Jason "they call me 'White Chocolate' down at the Y" Singer
wanted his rookie team to go cold turkey, starting with a win over a cupcake
Penn State "B" squad.
It was about as close to a feast as you can get in CAN basketball. The first half was a showcase of scrappy defense and powerful offense. Nick "Hot Dog" Higgins started it off by going 1-2 from the charity stripe. Then Nick and Anna "Banana" Garwood each picked up steals to stall the Nittany Lion offense. Then Nick scores. Jason scores. Jason scores again. Wil "No! Don't call me Carrot Top!" Simmons scores. Dean "Green Bean" Duhon scores. Erinn "House Salad" Newman scores. Nick scores again. Jason goes coast-to coast for another score. Anna scores twice, including a nice running layup down the right side to put NC State up 29-8 at the half.
Well, you don't need 10 trips through the buffet line to know that the roast of Nittany Lion was well done. The second half looked a lot like the first. Penn State showed more hustle and played tenacious defense but it wasn't nearly enough to get back into the game.
Billy "Lobstergram" Parker, who's been 0-for-a lot in long-distance shots, finally found the bottom of the net with a rainbow from the top of the key to make the final score NC State 51, Penn State White 23.
Jason led all scorers with 14 points. Judy "Hot Sauce" Harney
and Ken "Eggs Over Easy" Elliot keyed the defensive effort and
contained the Penn State offense. Anna and Billy fought Penn State for
loose balls like two kids trying to get the last piece of candy. Ivan
"I'll take seconds, and thirds, and fourths..." Johnson went
crazy under the net in this game, pulling down 9 rebounds. He really had
more than that, but the Rebound-o-Matic counter went up in smoke after
he notched three straight offensive boards. Mickey
"Krispy Kreme" Kalavsky did well on both sides of the ball,
recording his career-first quadruple single: 4 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists
and 2 steals. For alumni ball that's pretty good.
The "Keep Your Head in the Game" Play was a no-look pass from Billy to Anna in the second half. Billy was looking, Anna wasn't. Boink!
Alumni Basketball Loses
at the Buzzer 35-33
The NC State alumni basketball team was looking to get back to its winning
ways Tuesday night against Ole Miss. Coach Jason "I'm a terrible"
Singer was more than ready to put past hearbreakers behind him. "Some
smart guy one said that the past is prologue. While I have no idea how
the loss to Georgia Tech relates to logs - pro, amateur or otherwise -
that quote has been a source of inspiration."
Right from the opening tip, the Wolfpack and Rebels proved to be well-matched teams with equally scrappy defenses. Nick "How is that not a foul!?" Higgins and Wil "I better get a cool nickname or else" Simmons often found themselves in a tussle for a loose ball. Mickey "I can dunk... really!" Kalavsky put in a stellar performance with several nice moves under the basket. Anna "Why can't I be 'Long Bomb'?" Garwood and Billy "No, I should be 'Long Bomb!'" Parker lit it up from the perimeter.
Jason just might lose that nickname after getting 6 consecutive offensive rebounds - and missing 5 layups - in one possession in the first half. That’s great basketball. Someone needs to learn some fundamentals.
NC State capitalized on several missed shots by Ole Miss and built a five-point lead in the second half, keyed by Kenny "Mr. Clutch" Elliot. But the Rebels made some quick steals and tied the game up at 33 all with three minutes to play.
CAN basketball doesn't use a shot clock, so the Wolfpack had a lot of time to burn for the last shot. After attempting several shots, Ole Miss picked up a rebound and charged down the floor. A Rebel drained a 10-foot jumper from the baseline just as time expired. Wolfpack protests for a timeout fell on deaf ears, making the final score Ole Miss 35, NC State 33.
Pack Edged by Ga. Tech 35-34
The NC State alumni basketball team got the season off to a winning start,
crushing UNC in the preseason and pulling out a win against Michigan State.
Next up was Georgia Tech, a tough team that played in last year's
championship game.
It was a hard-fought game, with lots of hustle on both sides of the ball. Dean "and you only thought it was good in football" Duhon made a bid for the highlight reels with a coast-to-coast drive finishing with a sweet spin move for a smooth lay-up. Not to be outdone for play-of-the-game honors, Anna "I've got mad skills too" Garwood put up high-flying running jumper from the baseline that hits nothing but the bottom of the net. Judy, Betsy and Erin also brought their "A" game to the court, showing why they're the best gals in the league.
State led the entire game but it still wasn't enough to a void a very
Wolfpack-like hard-luck ending. With 22 seconds left, the Pack was up
up 35-32. Tech drove the court, pulled up for a jumper, drew a foul and
drained the basket. Tech missed the free throw but got the rebound. The
Wolfpack was whistled for another foul, and this time Tech made both shots
to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat 36-35.
Coach Jason "I ain't a Pirate no more!" Singer put the blame squarely on him. "I am lost for words. It ended sooo badly for us and it was all me. I'm spending Christmas chopping wood in a daytight compartment. That's what Herb would do."
Alumni Hoops Team Makes Debut,
Edges Mich. State
In the inaugural season of CAN basketball, East Carolina dominated the
field and won the first-ever championship. Their go-to man was, oddly
enough, a Wolfpacker. But after a beer or three from NC State GM Alex
"I got 10 fingers that need championship rings" Storey, free
agent Jason "Long Bomb" Singer saw the Lite and returned to
the fold as player and head coach of a new NC State squad.
Coach Jason is a firm believer in the run-and-gun offense. It worked
well in preseason as the Pack steamrolled North Carolina 35-13. The young
squad looked good, but there are no trophies in the preseason and it's
a long road to the championship. The first obstacle was Michigan State.
NC State took
the run-and-gun to the Spartans and came away with a 39-32 victory Tuesday
night. It was truly a team effort with outstanding play by everybody.
"The ladies were particularly impressive," said Coach Jason.
"Without Anna, Judy, Erin, Jackie, Allison and Liz out there, it
would've been a disaster. I had football on the brain tonight. I mean,
I kept thinking
it was third down and just threw hail marys down the court, but the gals
had their heads in the game and they made all the difference."