Ja-Marco...Ja-Polo....

Despite my best efforts last night, and the luke-warm acceptance received as I began this little, school-yard-ditty as I sat right next to a line-up of Chas Southern boys, JaMarco Warren still scored 21-points against the Cougs. Warren is a scrappy little guy, who seems to get lost in traffic which makes him a huge asset for the Bucs.

(Picture courtesy of Tyrone Walker/Post & Courier)

Cougs Win Over Charleston Southern! Improve to 3-3 for the season!

The Cougs found their groove last night in the second half at North Charleston Coliseum, despite letting the Buccaneers hang around all night, winning 79 to 70. This victory in Coach Cremins 800th career game boosted his all-time record to 479-321 over a span of 17-seasons. And the Cougs improved to 3-3 for the season. CSU fell to 3-3 as they loss to their longest standing rival spanning the past 42 years. The College leads this rivalry 46-22 all-time.

Click here for Post & Courier article

The Cougars controlled the pace of the game and did a superb job of keeping the Bucs forward Chris Moore contained as well as their BMOC Knysas (Did he pronounce that “nice ass”-any Lithuanians out there who want to give a help with pronouncing this kids’ name?) But as you know the old adage about closing one window, another "Ja-Marco…Ja-Polo" opens, JaMarco-Ja-Polo Warren led the Bucs with 21.

From the Den

The Cougs did a great job of moving the ball and opening up lanes to take it to the hoop; as a result Jermaine Johnson had his first double-double, grabbing 10 boards while putting 21 points (8-11 FG/5-10 FT) just shy of his career-high. Tony White Jr. was consistent and scrappy last night putting 17 points (5-10 FG/3-4 FT) on the board, hitting 4-6 from behind the arc. Dustin Scott added another 10-points (4-6 FG/1-2 FT/1-3 3FG). Antwaine Wiggins and Marcus Hammond combined for 10-points.

Bench production:
Goudelock (as seen in this Tyrone Walker picture courtesy of the P&C) with two steals and a few other attempts (we like this kid’s effort) joined Jeremy Simmons with 9-points, Diarra came in for a few minutes to shake things up and Donovan Monroe hit one of four three-ball attempts. Not bad bench production and the team seemed pretty fluid during the interchange.

Scoreboard---Record---1st---2nd---Final
Chas Southern (3-4)---29---41---70
The Bucs shot 36.4% (28-77) from the field, 87.5% (7-8) from the charity stripe and 26.9% (7-26) from behind the arc.
College of Charleston (3-3)---26---53---79
The Cougs shot 47% (31-66) from the field, 43.5% from the charity stripe and 23.3% from behind the arc.

Cougs win on the road at Fordham, 73-68

Quite honestly, there was a bit of confusion in regards to who was whom when it came to the Fordham and College of Charleston fans last December at John Kresse Arena; maroon and white are both school’s colors and the universal-collegiate-gray t-shirt was quite prevalent at the game. To much surprise Fordham had quite a large fan base here in Charleston, and with the student section off for the Christmas break, I almost felt outnumbered at our own place. The Cougs battled to beat Fordham by 10 (65-56) last season and I was a bit worried things might be more hostile this time in New York.

Despite getting off to a rough start this season, both teams and schools are quite similar in size, reputation and record. The only difference this season was that the Cougs haven’t been home all season and with another road trip to a hostile environment, things didn’t look promising.

Stop Spreading the News…
I’ll be the first to apologize for not making the trip to NYC, but as it is I am allergic to the Bronx. And what can I say? Not many Southerners decide to retire and live in NYC (my justification for the high turnout of Rams fans at Kresse last season).

I did catch the game on ESPN radio as Blackie and I headed to Charlotte on Saturday and despite the wonderful, half-fuzzed AM broadcast, I was quite concerned to hear Jeremy Simmons take a knee to the back of the head, but glad to hear that he was fine, just sitting out as a precaution. The Cougs had the lead at the half by 10-points (34-24) and despite a well executed effort at the end of the game, the Cougs held on to win by 5, with a final score of 68-58.
From the Den
Despite coming off the bench, Donavan Monroe led the Cougs with 15-points, Tony White Jr. and Goudelock both scored 12. Jermaine was in foul trouble early, but who said that was a bad thing? As long as they are smart fouls that help establish your dominance in the paint and not just lazy-lapses of judgment, the CofC Sports Fan says, “Foul On Brother”! Slipping into his spot was the “Rally from Mali” (West Africa), 6’10”, 235 lb center, Konimba Diarra who played for twelve minutes, hitting 2-4 (50 %) for 4 points in his first chance at double-digit minutes of playing time. (You know this kid is a senior and I am finally thinking that if he wants to make an impact on this Cougar team, this is the season to do it. So Konimba get tough in there and show us what you got!)

The Rams outscored us in the second half, 44-39, but the Cougs held on, played smart and won by (everyone get ready for this) hitting 7 of 8 free-throws in the final seconds of the game. The Cougs shot 51% (25-49) from the field and 73% (16-22) from the Charity-Stripe.

Press Play
The Cougars are now 2-3 on the season, tied with the Citadel for 4th in the SoCon (Southern Division) and our next game will be against Chas Southern this Wednesday. The Citadel plays Chas. Southern on Monday, so it would appear this will be one of those battles for Holy City bragging rights again this year! Go Cougs!

Donovan Monroe commits to the College of Charleston-Cougar basketball is reloading!

Fork Union point-guard, Donovan Monroe committed to the College of Charleston for next season (ESPN Briefing Room). The ex-Parkwood basketball player, Charlotte Royals (AAU Team) and Waxhaw, N.C. native was courted by Virginia Tech, St. John’s and UNC-Wilmington among others. More than likely, the offer from V-tech came after Fork Union’s basketball team defeated the Hokies in two straight games last November. Monroe first landed on my radar back in February, when Coach Cremins (see: “Coach Cremins is a recruiting road warrior”) made a morning trip to watch Fork Union play UNC’s Junior Varsity Squad, Donovan Monroe scored 17-points during the game handing the Tarheels JV-Squad their first loss of the season.

Scout.com lists (Monroe) the 6’2; 180-lb combo-guard as a "talented scorer and mid-range offensive weapon, with areas of improvement regarding his ball-handling skills and on the defensive-side of the ball, as well as consistency". (I always love it when they mention how key a player is and how dependable they are with dropping “big-game” buckets, but then note “consistency” as a weakness.) Especially because Monroe was the only consistent player (read: offensive-threat: hitting from the perimeter, dropping baskets with his left hand in the paint and driving to the basket against a 2-3 Zone) on the Fork Union squad. Assuming Monroe’s main improvements are needed on the defensive-side of the ball is quite fortuitous for Donovan because the Factory on George Street turns out defensive-machines every year. Welcome aboard Mr. Monroe!

Update: Click here for the Post & Courier’s coverage by Jeff Hartsell