DG154

Concluding our look at action from College Basketball '14, dread gallery #154 focuses mostly on the teams with more than one player with dreads - specifically, Nebraska, Lamar, VCU, and Louisiana Tech - and on a player who had no choice but to excel in basketball from the day his parents named him ...... Jordair.

1. Jordair Jett, 6-1, 215-pound senior G for Saint Louis U, has his eyes on the rim while driving between F Ryan Rhoomes (#30) and G Mandell Thomas of Fordham during 1st half on Jan. 18. Jett had a better game than his season averages, finishing with 18 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists as Saint Louis improved to 17-2 with a 70-48 home victory.


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2. Not a good outside shooter, Jordair Jett takes many of his shots on drives to the basket, including this one against 6-11 C Steve Zack of LaSalle during 2nd half on Feb. 8. It was quite a 2nd half for Jett, as he scored 15 of the Billikens' last 17 points in the last 11:30 of the game, including a layup past Jack with 3.7 seconds to carry SLU a 65-63 road victory. 

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3. Jordair Jett finds himself in a position a lot of players do when they have ball against VCU - facing a double team, this one by guards Treveon Graham (#21) and Rob Brandenberg during 1st half on Feb. 15. After a 9-0 run wiped out a 9-point Saint Louis lead, the Billikens outscored the Rams 11-9 in the final 2 minutes to pull out a 64-62 home victory. Jett had 14 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 turnovers in 37 minutes as SLU improved to 10-0 in the Atlantic 10 and 23-2 overall. 

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4. One week later Jordair Jett drives against George Washington G Joe McDonald during 2nd half at St. Louis. Jordair led the #10 ranked Billikens with 16 points, 4 assists, and 2 steals as their winning streak reached 19 in a row with a 66-59 win over GW. Duquesne, 3-10 in the A-10, ended the streak 5 days later.

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5. G Korey Billbury of Oral Roberts begins to drive, not that Jordair Jett can see him, at St. Louis on Nov. 21 .....

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6. ..... Now that he can see again, Jett realizes he has some catching up to do to stay with Billbury. Jett finished with 15 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocked shots; while Billbury had 6 points, 15 rebounds, and 2 blocked shots. SLU improved to 4-0 with a 72-55 home win over ORU.
Billbury and Jett would both make my all-America with dreads team at the end of the season; but only Jett made my dread all-America team too. Throughout his career with the Billikens Jordair did the opposite of what most players do with their dreads; that is, the longer they got, the less he restrained them. Often during his freshman and sophomore seasons he was on the court with reduced dreads. But in most games this season he barely restrained them at all, and that was enough to convince me to make him a dread all-American for the first time. It certainly made for a lot of great photos and videos.

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7. With SLU and UMass tied in the closing seconds on Mar. 9, Jordair Jett lifts off about 8 feet away from the basket past G Derrick Gordon and F Raphiael Putney (#34) ......

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8 ..... and gets to the basket for an uncontested game-winning layup with 3.4 seconds remaining. With SLU on a 3-game losing streak (including a loss on senior night), they needed a win in the final game of the regular season to clinch their 2nd straight Atlantic 10 regular season crown; and Jett delivered, scoring the Billikens' final 6 points of the game and 17 overall in a 64-62 road win over the 23-6 Minutemen.

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9. Jordair Jett is presented the Atlantic 10 Conference player of the year award by A-10 commissioner Bernadette McGlade before the first quarterfinal game of the A-10 tournament on Mar. 14 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. SLU then went out and lost to #9 seed St. Bonaventure 71-68.

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10. Jordair Jett takes on North Carolina State shot blocker BeeJay Anya - listed at 6-9, 300 pounds) - and gets fouled midway through 1st half of an NCAA Tournament 2nd round game on Mar. 20. Jett made 1 of the 2 ensuing FT (he struggled at the line all game, hitting 4 for 10) to cut N.C. State's lead to 19-14. Seeded 5th in the Midwest region, SLU struggled and was in deep trouble against the 12th seeded Wolfpack. They trailed by 16 with 8 minutes to play and had no business winning. But win they did; thanks to a bunch of missed FT by N.C. State, the Billikens came back, got the game into overtime, and pulled it out 83-80. Jett finished with 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. 

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11. One more time Jordair Jett takes it to the basket against the opponent's big man, this one being Louisville's 6-9 Stephan Van Treese, during 1st half in the 3rd round of the NCAA Tournament. In the previous two seasons Saint Louis won in the 2nd round then lost in the 3rd round. And it was no different this season. The Billikens wiped out an 11-point 1st half deficit to take a 29-27 lead with 14:17 remaining in the game. But Louisville quickly regained the lead and slowly pulled away, eventually winning 66-51. Jett had 15 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists in his final game as SLU finished the season at 27-7.
Jordair was not selected in the NBA draft (no surprise), and there's no indication he's thinking about trying for an NFL career (which a lot of people think he could); so my guess you'll be seeing these dreads at a D-League arena near you next season. Whatever happens and wherever it happens, good luck, Jordair.

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12. I have no doubt that if Terran Petteway were to unleash his dreads, they would look just as awesome as Jordair Jett's. But Petteway, the 6-6, 209-pound sophomore F for Nebraska, unfortunately kept this same partially reduced dreads look for every game this season, which significantly reduced my enjoyment of watching him play. Here he defends against Ohio State F LaQuinton Ross at Lincoln on Jan. 20. Petteway had 8 turnovers (ouch!) but also 18 points and 5 rebounds in a 68-62 win over the Buckeyes. After starting 0-4 in Big 10 play (as usual), this win started the Cornhuskers on one of the most remarkable turnarounds by any team in the country this season. 

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13. Minnesota G Maverick Ahanmisi gets whacked in the face by Terran Petteway during 1st half on Jan. 26. Ahanmisi shot no FT in the game, so either this was not a FG attempt or Terran got away with one. Petteway, who averaged 3.1 PPG as a freshman for Texas Tech in 2012 before transferring to Nebraska, scored a career high 35 points (10-15 FG), the last two on 2 FT with 1 second remaining to ice the game as the Cornhuskers held off a late rally by the Gophers, winning 82-78.

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14. Terran Petteway defends a shot by Penn State G D.J. Newbill during 1st half on Feb. 20 ..... OK, enough of Terran on defense ......

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15. ..... Here's what he does best, or at least the most. Petteway took 427 shots from the field (131 more than anybody else on the team) and made 42.6% of them. He made 5 of 12 in this game against Penn State (and 14 of 19 FT) and scored 26 points as the Huskers won 80-67 to move above the .500 mark in conference play at 7-6.

16. After going 8-1 in their final 9 games of the regular season to finish 11-7 in the Big 10, the Cornhuskers earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 16 years. But it was a short stay for NU. Terran Petteway dunks on Baylor F Rico Gathers during 2nd half on Mar. 21, cutting the Bears' lead to 58-40 with 7:43 remaining. After scoring on their first possession of the game, Nebraska didn't make their next shot from the field until the 10:33 mark, falling behind 12-3 and trailing by at least 7 points for the rest of the game. Baylor, thanks to a 38-10 advantage in made FT, rolled to a 74-60 victory. Petteway had 18 points (5-15 FG, including 0-7 on 3-pointers) as NU finished with a 19-13 record.
Terran scored in double figures in 30 of the 32 games and ended up as the Big 10's leading scorer at 18.1 PPG. I don't think the Huskers are going to be picked to finish in last place in the Big 10 again next season.
As for those dreads ...... well, I can always hope that he turns them loose them next season; but after the season he just had, do you really think he's going to mess with success?

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17. For Nebraska's other player with dreads, reducing his dreads is not an option. Actually, 6-7, 200-pound junior F David Rivers did have his dreads reduced for a few games during January of his sophomore season; but he returned them to normal for the final 7 weeks of the season, and I don't remember any games this season when they were reduced. During his first two seasons Rivers preferred to have his dreads loose - like he does on Nov. 30 this season, as he and Northern Illinois G Daveon Balls watch G Deverell Biggs put up a shot against C Jordan Threloff. But there very few other games this season where he looked like this. His dreads have grown too long, and so for the majority of games he bunched them into a ponytail to keep them from getting in his face.
David was in the starting lineup in 6 of the Cornhuskers' first 7 games. But after finishing with 1 point, 1 rebound, 2 turnovers, and 3 fouls in this 63-58 win over Northern Illinois, Coach Miles exiled him to the bench, and he played only twice (for a total of 9 minutes) in Nebraska's next 9 games ......

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18. ..... But with the Huskers riding a 5-game losing streak, including an 0-4 start in Big 10 play, Miles decided, "Maybe I should put Rivers back in." Rivers played 14 minutes against Ohio State on Jan. 20, here missing a one-hander over C Trey McDonald during 1st half, and he played no fewer than 10 minutes in every game for the rest of the season.  

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19. David Rivers goes all out trying to get an offensive foul called against F LaQuinton Ross during 2nd half on Jan. 20, as Deverell Biggs also defends. Sorry, David, the official has a good look at this one and decides not to blow his whistle. Rivers finished with 4 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 blocked shot as Nebraska defeated #17 ranked Ohio State 68-62 to end their losing streak and start their incredible turnaround.

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20. Minnesota F Joey King shoots a layup, only to have David Rivers block it, keeping Nebraska's lead at 53-41 with 11:23 remaining at Lincoln on Jan. 26. Rivers did not score in 20 minutes, but had 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal in addition to this block in an 82-78 victory over the Gophers. 

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21. David Rivers, teammate Shavon Shields, and Illinois G Jaylon Tate are fixated on a loose ball during 2nd half on Feb. 12. 

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22. Revealing his inner Kenneth Faried, David Rivers lets it be known, "This rebound is mine!" during 2nd half on Feb. 12. He finished the game with 7 rebounds (3 more than he had in any other game at that point of the season) and 2 points in 28 minutes in a 67-58 home win over Illinois.

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23. David Rivers has another close encounter with Ohio State F LaQuinton Ross, this one during 1st half of a quarterfinal game in the Big 10 tournament on Mar. 14. Although his dreads certainly are long enough, I was very reluctant to include David on this year's dread all-America team, because there were too many games - especially late in the season, where he had two bands around his dreads. Come on David, one is enough! Rivers finished with 8 points and a season high 9 rebounds in a season high 33 minutes, but the Cornhuskers were one and done in the Big 10 tournament, losing to the Buckeyes 71-67. Despite the loss, their 8-1 surge down the stretch, which boosted them to a 4th place finish in the Big 10, was enough to get them into the NCAA Tournament. 

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24. David Rivers begins to make a move to the basket against 7-1 C Isaiah Austin during 1st half of Nebraska's 74-60 loss to Baylor in an NCAA Tournament 2nd round game at San Antonio on Mar. 21. Rivers had 4 points, 2 steals and 2 blocked shots in 29 minutes before fouling out. The loss dropped the Huskers' record to 0-7 all time in NCAA Tournament games - a streak that needs to end next season.
Rivers' role on the team is to be a role player. Only one time all season did he attempt more than 5 shots in a game. His bio on the team's website puts it best: "While he averaged 3.0 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game, Rivers insertion into the starting lineup solidified the Huskers' rebounding and defense over the final month of the year ..... Rivers saw his minutes increase (after the game on Jan. 20) and he continued to make major contributions to NU's success."
DAVID RIVERS (2013-14): 25 games, 20 MPG, 3.0 PPG, 47.4 FG%, 2.9 RPG, 1 SPG 

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David Rivers, Terran Petteway, Jordair Jett - all players who made major contributions to their teams' success. That is the case with many of the players in DG154, including Shaq Goodwin.

25. Shaq Goodwin, 6-9, 240 (or so)-pound sophomore F for Memphis, drives against F Le'Bryan Nash of Oklahoma State during 1st half at Orlando on Dec. 1. Less than 2 weeks after being whipped by Oklahoma State 101-80, Memphis turned the tables on the Cowboys, defeating them 73-68 in the championship game of the Old Spice Classic. Goodwin had 17 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocked shots in 39 minutes in the rematch against OSU and was named MVP of the 8-team tournament.  

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26. Louisville G Russ Smith drives to the basket but decides he better pass the ball rather than shoot it and have Shaq Goodwin block it on Jan. 9. Goodwin had 15 points and 8 rebounds as Memphis improved to 11-3 with a big road win over #12 ranked Louisville 73-67.

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27. Two days later Shaq Goodwin tries to knock the ball away from Temple G Quenton DeCosey in AAC action at Philadelphia. Shaq hit 7 of 11 shots from the field and recorded the second of his 4 double-doubles this season, finishing with 23 points and 11 rebounds as the Tigers capped an outstanding road trip with a 79-69 win over Temple.
There aren't any action photos where Goodwin's dreads look very impressive, because he's already got them in a ponytail even though they're not that long. But at least they are dreads. For at least part of his time in HS, Goodwin had his hair in loose braids. That's why I didn't welcome him into the house last year (although I should have); I wanted to be sure they're actually dreads now, and I am.  

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28. Shaq Goodwin tries to force his way out of a double team by Virginia forwards Akil Mitchell and Mike Tobey during 1st half of a 3rd round game in the NCAA Tournament on Mar. 23 at Raleigh. Despite Goodwin's 7 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists, the Tigers' season came to an end with a 78-60 loss to #1 seeded Virginia. Goodwin dropped close to 40 pounds during the offseason after his freshman year, and his play improved significantly. He led the Tigers in rebounding and blocked shots and was 4th in the AAC in FG percentage (58.4). He earned 2nd team all-AAC honors as well as a starting nod on my all-America with dreads team. If he continues to improve this offseason, by this time next year we might be talking about him being drafted by the NBA.  

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As far as success on the court goes, Lamar is kind of the ugly duckling of DG154. So unsuccessful were the Cardinals, in fact, that the school didn't even wait until the end of the season to fire Coach Knight (the son of you know who). But there wasn't anything ugly about the dreads of three players on the team.

29. 6-0 sophomore G Donnell Minton, one of at least 5 Division 1 players with dreads from Indianapolis, was in his hometown for the season opener on Nov. 9, here defending a drive by Butler G Kellen Dunham. It was not a happy homecoming for Minton. No, Lamar was not expected to win; but at least he could have shot better than 0 for 8 from the field. He finished with 2 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 assist in an 89-58 defeat. Off to the left in this shot is senior F Amos Wilson. Minton missed his first 14 shots from the field this season before finally hitting one on Nov. 27 (his 5th, and the team's 7th, game).  

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30. Of course, what we like the most about Donnell Minton is that, for the 2nd straight season (most of it), he played with his dreads completely unrestrained and loose. Here he puts up a token hand as Abilene Christian G Parker Wentz takes a jump shot during 1st half on Jan. 23. Donnell scored a season high 12 points in 27 points as Lamar snapped a 14-game losing streak and picked up their only road win of the season, defeating ACU 65-57.  

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31. Donnell Minton dribbles away from Northwestern State G Brison White during SLC action on Feb. 15. With the Cardinals down to 8 players (due to injury), Minton played a season high 38 minutes and finished with 6 points and 5 rebounds in an 87-67 home loss. 

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32. The Cardinals added a third player with dreads when 6-1, 195-pound freshman G/F Marcus Owens joined the team this season. Here Owens defends against ORU sophomore G Korey Billbury in a game at Tulsa on Feb. 27. Owens had one of his better games, scoring 9 points in 12 minutes. Billbury finished with 20 points and 9 rebounds as ORU won 75-67. Owens showed promise in a season that saw him make my feshman all-America with dreads team. His specialty is shooting. In 390 total minutes played he had 9 assists, and 63 of his 105 FG attempts were from 3-point range. He hit 30% of his 3-pointers and 34.3% on all attempts, numbers he hopefully will improve on in the near future.

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33. After Marcus Owens has his shot blocked, Amos Wilson, 6-5, 195-pound senior F, grabs the rebound and hits a layup (left photo) to cut Lamar's deficit to 10-7 during 1st half against Southeastern Louisiana on Mar. 8. In the same game (right photo) Wilson looks to go to the basket. Playing his final game in a Lamar uniform, Wilson recorded his 3rd double-double of the season with 19 points and 10 rebounds, but the Cardinals lost on senior night 71-62. Although the wins just didn't happen (LU went 4-26 this season, an 'improvement' from 3-28 last season), Amos played pretty well in his two seasons with the Cardinals, making honorable mention for my all-America with dreads team in both seasons. Too bad we won't be able to see these dreads for another season.
Lamar played in the play-in game for the NCAA Tournament in 2012 and was mediocre for several seasons before that; but they've really and suddenly fallen on hard times. Hopefully under new management they'll be able to quickly at least get back to mediocrity. Although Wilson will be gone, Minton and Owens are due back next season.
AMOS WILSON (2013-14): 30 games, 30 MPG, 11.4 PPG, 48.7 FG%, 5.4 RPG
DONNELL MINTON (2013-14): 23 games, 16 MPG, 3.5 PPG, 28.0 FG%, 1.5 RPG, 1 APG

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Clemson G Rod Hall appeared in a couple of photos in DG153, but that was only a tease. This is where you'll find the best photos I could find of Hall from this season. Thanks to the Greenville News and Anderson Independent Mail seemingly having a competition to see who can offer the most photos online, there's no shortage of Clemson football and basketball photos available. So just like last season, I'll have more photos of Rod than any other player.

34. Rod Hall, 6-1, 205-pound junior G, does what he does the most - trying to shoot while driving to the basket, here against F Mark Williams and G Will Cummings during 1st half on Nov. 21. I don't know for sure, but this probably was when Williams was called for a foul on Hall with 12:24 to go until halftime. Hall had 13 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists in Clemson's 72-58 victory over Temple, the 4th win in a season-opening 5-game winning streak.

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35. Rod Hall goes to the basket against G Jalen White and F Darryl Palmer of South Carolina State on Dec. 3. Rod's dreads were already sick when he was a freshman, and now they've grown to the point that they're among the longest in Division 1. 

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36. Rod Hall defends a shot by G Karon Wright during 1st half on Dec. 3. Hall finished with 9 points and 4 assists in 37 minutes in a tougher-than-expected 65-49 home win over SCSU.

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37. With Clemson trailing by 1 at Auburn, Rod Hall tries to give Clemson the lead but has no chance, as 7-0 C Asauhn Dixon-Tatum comes over and blocks his shot before it even leaves his hand. Auburn got the rebound and made 2 FT with :14 on the clock to go up by 3. Then with 1 second remaining Auburn, leading by 2, intentionally missed the second of 2 FT, and it almost cost them. Hall rebounded the miss and heaved a shot from at least 80 feet away - and barely missed (!), with the ball bouncing off the rim. Hall finished with 16 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals, but Clemson fell to 8-3 with the 66-64 road loss.

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38. Rod Hall drives against North Carolina on Jan. 26. It's as certain as death and taxes: Clemson losing to North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Hall had just 6 points and 2 assists as the Tigers fell to an incredible 0-57 all time vs. UNC at Chapel Hill, losing this one 80-61. Rod has been on the floor for the last 2 of those 57. Next season's ACC schedule isn't out yet, so we don't know if he'll get one last chance to end the streak or not. 

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39. Clemson may not be able to beat North Carolina, but they did enjoy a victory against Duke this season. Here Rod Hall takes it to the basket against star F Jabari Parker of Duke on Jan. 11. Hall finished with 11 points and 4 assists in a 72-59 home win over the Blue Devils.

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40. No wonder Rod Hall is such a lousy outside shooter. It might help, Rod, if you shoot with your eyes open.
I'm just joking, of course. Hall has his eyes closed as he is fouled by Syracuse G Tyler Ennis while taking, and making, a 3-pointer during 1st half on Feb. 9. After scoring 4 points in the first 6 minutes of the game, Clemson scores 4 on this one possession to cut the Orange's lead to 10-8. It was Hall's only FG of the game. Incredibly Hall attempted only 5 3-point shots as a freshman and only 9 as a sophomore. But with the team needing him to score more this season, he launched 67 threes and made a respectable 22 of them (33%).

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41. Rod Hall defends against Syracuse F C.J. Fair during 2nd half on Feb. 9. Clemson went 4-5 in their 9 conference road games, including a 57-44 loss in their first ever ACC road game against Syracuse. I noticed that for a couple of games in January Rod dabbled with having his dreads partially reduced. But for almost every game he had the house-of-dread approved single rubber band around his dreads, so I was able to include him on the dread all-America team for the 3rd straight season. 

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42. Rod Hall has to battle G Tyler Lewis as well as his own dreads as he tries to score against North Carolina State on Feb. 18. This play notwithstanding, Rod didn't have much trouble scoring in this game. He hit 6 of 10 from the field and scored 20 points - the first 20-point game of his career - as the Tigers improved to 16-9 with a 73-56 home win over the Wolfpack.

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43. "Come on, man!" Rod Hall bemoans a call (or the lack of one) against Duke in a quarterfinal game of the ACC tournament on Mar. 14 .....

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44. ..... Hall no doubt was feeling even worse after this play. With the Tigers trailing by 3 and 3.8 seconds remaining, he took an inbounds pass in the backcourt and headed straight to the basket. But just as he's about to go up to shoot, G Tyler Thornton strips the ball from him with 0.3 seconds remaining, and time expires. Clemson had gone on a 15-5 run to take a 1-point lead with 9 seconds to go; but Duke regained the lead on 2 FT with 3.8 seconds to go, setting the stage for Hall to come up short. Rod led the Tigers with 13 points (5-7 FG), but their hopes of reaching the NCAA Tournament ended with the 63-62 loss to Duke.  
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45. Rod Hall gets it right this time, driving between F Nnanna Egwu (left) and G Tracy Abrams of Illinois for the game-winning layup with 9.3 seconds remaining in an NIT 2nd round game at Clemson on Mar. 23. With the 2nd seeded (in their region) Illini's arena under renovation, 3rd seeded Clemson got to play the game at home and took advantage. Hall finished with 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 5 points, and 7 turnovers (yikes) as the Tigers survived Illinois 50-49.

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46. Rod Hall defends as Belmont G Reece Chamberlain looks to pass the ball during an NIT quarterfinal game on Mar. 25. Hall finished with 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 5 points, and "only" 4 turnovers this time as the Tigers advanced to the NIT final four with a 73-68 victory over #5 seeded Belmont.

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47. Rod Hall is fouled by SMU F Sterling Brown while battling for possession during 2nd half of an NIT semifinal at Madison Square Garden on Apr. 1. Hall led the Tigers with 18 points (including a career high 3 3-pointers); but after they shot 56% in the 1st half, Clemson shot only 24% in the 2nd half, blew a 12-point lead and lost to SMU 65-59 to end their season with a 23-13 record. The Tigers went 13-18 and 16-15 the previous two seasons, so this was an improvement. But will they improve again and enough to get to the Big Dance in Hall's senior season? Hopefully; but with star F K.J. McDaniels skipping his senior season and moving on to the NBA, their chances don't look good.

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48. Doug Brooks, 6-3, 180-pound G for VCU, attempts a 3-pointer against Virginia Tech on Dec. 21. Brooks had a season high 6 points and 2 rebounds in 8 minutes as VCU whipped VT 82-52. Brooks didn't play a lot this season but did make a significant contribution in the NCAA Tournament, hitting a couple of 3-pointers in the 1st half of the Rams' season-ending loss to Stephen F. Austin. As often as he shot the ball this season, it's not a reach to say that he might become a big-time scorer in the seasons ahead. In 106 total minutes played he took 55 shots, 39 of which were 3-pointers. Can't wait to see what he'll do once he gets more minutes. 
DOUG BROOKS (2013-14): 24 games, 4 MPG, 1.9 PPG, 25.5 FG%

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49. And I also can't wait to see what Mo Alie-Cox will do in more minutes. As was mentioned in my dread news report, Alie-Cox, the 6-6, 260-pound freshman F, did a lot in the 14 minutes per game he played this season. Heck, put him on the court for 30 minutes and he might lead the nation in blocked shots. Here against Virginia Tech on Dec. 21 Alie-Cox tries to get a handle on the ball. He finished with 5 points and 7 rebounds in 13 minutes as VCU improved to 10-3 with the easy win. 

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50. VCU calls their style of playing defense "havoc", for their ability to disrupt opposing offenses with frequent traps, as demonstrated here by Mo Alie-Cox and star G Briante Weber against St.Joseph's G Chris Wilson during the Atlantic 10 championship game on Mar. 16.

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51. MO SAYS NO! ..... VCU fans chanting their three favorite words might have lost their voices on Mar. 1, as Mo blocked 5 shots in 17 minutes, including this highlight reel rejection of a driving Jordair Jett. Alie-Cox also had 6 points and 3 rebounds. VCU led by no less than 8 points throughout the 2nd half and cruised to a satisfying 67-56 victory over #10 ranked and A-10 leading Saint Louis.






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52. Mo says WHOA .... or WOE .... or 'FRO!
Mo Alie-Cox tries to stop G DeAndre Bembry's drive to the basket on Mar. 16. Big mistake. At least Mo had enough sense to get his hand out of the way, or Bembry might have slammed it through the rim along with the ball. The dunk cut VCU's lead to 43-42 with 12:16 remaining in the A-10 championship game at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. 4th seeded St.Joseph's went on to defeat #2 seeded VCU 65-61.

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53. Mo Alie-Cox slams home a dunk of his own in the A-10 quarterfinals against Richmond. In 25 minutes Mo had 7 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocked shots as the Rams defeated the Spiders for the third time in 6 weeks, 71-53.
Seeded 5th in their region in the NCAA Tournament, VCU lost in the 2nd round to #12 seed Stephen F. Austin 77-75 in OT, ending their season at 26-9. And I'm not blaming the loss on a bad JeQuan Lewis foul that allowed SFA to score a 4-point play with 3.6 seconds to go to send the game into overtime, I'm blaming it on Alie-Cox, for having his dreads reduced. Hopefully it will be a lesson learned and we won't see his dreads reduced ever again.

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There's a good chance VCU will be my favorite team to watch in 2015. My favorite time to watch this season (and last season too) was Louisiana Tech. It's really a shame they weren't on TV nearly often enough.

54. One of three players with dreads on the Louisiana Tech roster, 6-6, 220-pound senior G Cordarius Johnson puts up a shot against Oklahoma F D.J. Bennett on Dec. 30. Johnson scored 17 points in 26 minutes as the Bulldogs, after blowing an 81-74 lead with 2 minutes remaining in the 2nd half, came back from a 4-point deficit with 1:45 to play in overtime, finishing the game on an 11-3 run to defeat the Sooners 102-98. Other than this game, a 13-point loss at St.Mary's in November, and a 15-point loss to Oklahoma State in mid-December, LA Tech did not play a difficult nonconference schedule; so when the calendar turned to 2014,  they knew that winning the CUSA tournament was going to be their only path to the NCAA Tournament. 

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55. Chris Anderson, 6-6, 220-pound senior F, provides a textbook demonstration of how you're not supposed to play defense, going for a fake by Tulane G Jay Hook during 1st half at New Orleans on Jan. 16. At least it's a nice shot of his dreads. Anderson had a season high 10 missed FG attempts (4-14), finishing with 11 points and 7 rebounds as Tech routed Tulane 73-45.

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56. When 6-3, 180-pound junior G Kenneth Smith is near the ball on defense, it's a turnover waiting to happen for the opposing offense. Here Smith, who ranked 9th in Division 1 in steals (2.5 per game), deflects a pass from F Shawn Smith to G Chris Thomas on Jan. 25 against Marshall on the Bulldogs' home court in Ruston, LA. Smith scored a season high 17 points and had 13 assists (for the 2nd game in a row) and 6 steals in a 98-77 blowout win over Marshall. 

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57. Cordarius Johnson's dreads try to blind him as he begins a drive against G Kareem Canty in the game against Marshall on Jan. 25. For Johnson and Kenneth Smith this was the first season they had to bunch their dreads into a ponytail. They were too long not to. With his dreads not in a ponytail in this game, Cordarius shot 1 for 8 from the field.

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58. See there, Cordarius, having your dreads bunched makes it easier to see where you're going, doesn't it. CJ drives to the basket against F Jordan Swing of UAB during 1st half on Mar. 2 at Birmingham. With his dreads in a ponytail in this game, Johnson shot 2 for 11 from the field (oh, well), finishing with 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 steals in 19 minutes in a 67-58 road win over UAB.

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After defeating Rice 70-48 in their next game, Louisiana Tech finished in a 4-way tie for 1st place in CUSA with a 13-3 record and got the #1 seed for the conference tournament at El Paso. The Bulldogs breezed to victories in the quarter- and semifinals, leaving them one win away from the NCAA Tournament.

59. Chris Anderson is in the pole position in this scramble for a loose ball among him, Kenneth Smith, and guards James Woodard (#10) and Shaquille Harrison of Tulsa during 2nd half of the championship game of the CUSA tournament on Mar. 15. Anderson finished with 10 points and 7 rebounds but shot just 2 for 11 from the field.

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60. Kenneth "Speedy" Smith takes a shot over James Woodard on Mar. 15. Smith, who averaged 6 FG attempts per game this season, took a season high 13 shots in this game (making 5), but it wasn't enough. He finished with 16 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists, but could not cool off Woodard, who scored 27 points (8-13 FG) to lead Tulsa to a 69-60 victory and the championship.

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61. Kenneth Smith handles the ball as ex-dread G Tavon Sledge of Iona defends during a 1st round game in the NIT on Mar. 19. With Sledge playing with his dreads reduced for the entire 2012-13 season, honestly I wasn't too disappointed to see that he had cut them off. 

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62. Kenneth Smith listens in as Chris Anderson pleads his case to one of the officials on Mar. 19. Chris finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds for the last of his 3 double-doubles in a game in which neither team led by more than 5 points throughout the 2nd half.

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63. With the Bulldogs down 1 in the closing seconds and their season about to end, it's Speedy Smith to the rescue, rising above the crowd around the basket to tip home an offensive rebound for the game-winning points with 2.2 seconds to play. In one of the most exciting games of the season that you probably didn't see, Smith had 14 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 5 steals as the Bulldogs advanced to round 2, defeating Iona 89-88. The video (link below) begins just after Smith has made the tip in; but stay with it, they show replays of it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRpfxHA25Gk

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64. Kenneth Smith tries to knock the ball away from Georgia F Brandon Morris during NIT 2nd round action at Athens on Mar. 22. Smith would finish the afternoon with 3 points and 4 assists in 32 minutes.

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65. Cordarius Johnson and F Nemanja Djurisic battle for possession on Mar. 22 as Chris Anderson stands by. Johnson hit 5 of 6 shots during 1st half as LA Tech jumped out to a big lead. They started the game with an 8-0 run, then had a 10-0 run to make it 18-2, then had an 11-0 run to take a 39-13 lead and force Georgia to call time out for the 4th time in the first 13 minutes of the game. Cordarius finished with 16 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals.

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66. F Marcus Thornton takes a foul instead of letting Chris Anderson dunk it with 16:09 remaining in 2nd half. Anderson made both FT to make it 52-29, LA Tech's biggest lead of the 2nd half. Anderson had an outstanding game, finishing with 18 points and 8 rebounds in 28 minutes.
And then Georgia came back. And kept coming. And kept coming, cutting the lead to 62-55 with 4:27 to go. And even after Tech went back up by 13 with 2:40 to play, Georgia still kept coming. They pulled to within 75-71 with 19 seconds to go, but Tech made just enough FT to hang on. In the battle of the Bulldogs, Louisiana Tech advanced to round 3 with a 79-71 road win of Georgia.

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67. Florida State G Devon Bookert gets himself tangled up trying not to lose the ball as he is pressured by guards Kenneth Smith and Raheem Appleby during a quarterfinal NIT game at Tallahassee on Mar. 26. Smith played 36 minutes in the Bulldogs' final game of the season, finishing with 16 points, 6 assists, and a career high 14 rebounds.

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68. Cordarius Johnson puts up a layup against FSU forwards Jarquez Smith (#5) and Okaro White on Mar. 26. Johnson finished with 11 points and 2 rebounds in 27 minutes in his final game in a Louisiana Tech uniform.
The Bulldogs ended the Seminoles' 2013 season with a 1st round win in the NIT at Tallahassee; and this season the Noles returned the favor. Trailing by 8 after Devon Bookert banked in a 3-pointer with 41 seconds to play, the Bulldogs rallied frantically, closing with 3 with 18 seconds to go. And thanks to a turnover and a couple of missed FT by FSU, Tech had two possessions with a chance to tie; but, agonizingly, Appleby missed 3-pointers on both of the possessions, and FSU held on for the 78-75 win.
The Bulldogs finished the season at 29-8, with the 29 wins tying for the most in school history. Chris Anderson and Kenneth Smith earned spots on my all-America with dreads team. But despite all of Tech's success, I still had some disappointment - because I felt they had a good chance of making some noise in the NCAA Tournament if they had gotten there. Smith has one more chance to get over the hump, and indeed the Bulldogs may be even better next season; but with Johnson and Anderson no longer on the team, it's not going to be as much fun to watch.
CORDARIUS JOHNSON (2013-14): 37 games, 21 MPG, 7.4 PPG, 37.3 FG%, 4.0 RPG, 1.2 SPG 

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We're rapidly approaching the finish line of DG154; but before we get there, we have to make a stop at a CAA school in southeast Virginia for a look at a player who made both of my all-America teams this season .....

69. ..... I'm talking about Marcus Thornton, 6-4, 185-pound junior G for the William & Mary Tribe, shown here looking to make his move as G Kendall Anthony defends for Richmond on Dec. 4. Thornton scored 26 points in the game, but W&M dropped to 4-4 on the season with a 71-60 home loss to the Spiders.

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70. Marcus Thornton dunks to give the Tribe a 39-33 lead over Wichita State late in 1st half at Wichita on Nov. 14. The Tribe stayed in the game until the Shockers went on an 18-4 run early in the 2nd half. Thornton finished with 18 points and 3 assists in a 79-62 defeat.

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71. Other than 3-pointers, most of Marcus Thornton's points come on drives to the basket, such as the one (left photo) against Charleston on Jan. 27. Thornton's dreads gets some lift (right photo) as he drives against G Johnathan Burroughs-Cook, also on Jan. 27. Marcus scored 26 points (10-17 FG) - one of 14 games he had with 20+ points, with a high game of 28 - in W&M's 74-63 home win over Charleston. 

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After finishing 6-26 in Thornton's freshman season in 2012 and then 13-17 last season, the Tribe entered this season's CAA tournament at 18-11, including a 10-6 mark in league play, good for 3rd place.

72. Marcus Thornton has his eyes on two more points as he goes to the basket against Charleston in a CAA quarterfinal on Mar. 8 at Baltimore. Trailing by 15 late in the 1st half, the Tribe roared back in the 2nd half, caught up, and then finished the game on a 12-2 run in the final 4 minutes to advance with a 70-59 victory. Marcus scored 16 points in the game, and had 21 the next day in a 75-71 win over Towson, the league's 2nd place finisher. And so, the Tribe, a team that never has played in the NCAA Tournament, stood one victory away as they took on regular season champ Delaware in the CAA title game on Mar. 10. 

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73. Marcus Thornton tries to drive past G Jarvis Threatt and his pink socks during the CAA championship game on Mar. 10.

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74. Marcus Thornton celebrates after hitting the last of his 4 3-point FG, capping a 9-1 run and giving W&M a 69-65 lead with 3:36 to play. The Tribe had led by 8 early in the 1st half before falling behind by as many as 12 early in the 2nd half.
The Tribe would go on and build their lead to 6 with 1:20 remaining before the roof caved in. The Blue Hens scored 7 unanswered points on their next three possessions to take a 1-point lead with :12 on the clock, leaving W&M with one last chance .....

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75. ..... Marcus Thornton, for the win .....
Well, William & Mary still has never made it to the NCAA Tournament, with Thornton's miss of a long 2-pointer sealing the Tribe's fate, a gut-wrenching 75-74 defeat. Thornton finished with 22 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists, but W&M fans will have to wait 'til next year - again - for that first trip ever to the Big Dance. With the NIT deeming no CAA teams worthy of a bid, and with W&M declining to play in the CBI or CIT, the Tribe's season ended with a 20-12 record.
Thornton, who made my all-America with dreads team for the 2nd year in a row, also repeated as the leading scorer among all players with dreads at 18.7 PPG (18.8 last season). The Tribe figure to be good again next season, but I got to believe they just missed their best chance to get to the NCAA Tournament. Although Thornton returns, six seniors do not, and three of them were starters.

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Just a couple of other items before wrapping this up. I mentioned in DG152 that I would have a photo of every player with dreads. So I lied. I didn't have one of Mississippi Valley State F Ervin Thomas (but there was one of him in my dread news report), and I also didn't post one of Pittsburgh F Aron Nwankwo, who played a total of 16 minutes in his 9 games played this season, finishing with 10 points, 7 rebounds, 1 blocked shot, and 2 turnovers.  
There also were some players who late in the season looked like their hair might be in dreads; so at the start of next season I'll be taking a closer look at F Chris Obekpa of St. John's, G Devonte Brown of Indiana State, and G Markese McGuire of UIC. And hopefully next season we'll also see the dreads of Marshall G Justin Edmonds, who redshirted this season while recovering from a serious knee injury.

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NEXT
That concludes my abbreviated coverage of basketball for this year. If I can find some time, I might do a little something on pro basketball before the NBA season begins. But that's highly (very highly) doubtful at this point, so don't hold your breath. Next up is a return to football. But before we get started on the 2014 season, in my next post I'll have a special blast from the past - which I should have ready by next weekend at the latest.