At Colleges, Basketball Gears Up

The 'College Sports Notebook' is published each Friday. Please send items of interest—including local athletes competing at out-of-town colleges—to marcmaturo@aol.com.

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Joe Clinton of Pearl River was a star point guard at Albertus Magnus High School and is a member of his alma mater's Hall of Fame. As the men's basketball coach at Dominican College he has been selected the conference's coach of the year on three occasions. Additionally, his Chargers are three-time Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) champions.

But this year in his 20th at the helm, after five tightly contested games including some tough Division II teams, Clinton is struggling. Yet having to struggle is not totally a foreign experience for a coach usually accustomed to success.

"Seven [or eight] years ago we started 0-9 and wound up winning 11 with a great second half. As our kids mature I'm hoping it happens again," Clinton said Thursday evening. "I was hoping we'd be 2-2 after four [this year], but the games have been close. We're in every game but just can't get over the hump."

The Chargers are very young, however, fielding just one senior and one junior.

"With our youth we have to learn how to win, but we're talented," Clinton said.

The Chargers hope to nail down their first victory this weekend at Nyack College in the Comfort Inn Classic, starting with a 5 p.m. game today (Dec. 3) against Slippery Rock University (Nyack meets Merrimack at 7 p.m.). Dominican meets Merrimack on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Dominican is coming off a 69-60 loss to Post University. The Chargers, who trailed by nine at intermission, cut the deficit to five points with 15 minutes left in regulation. But they couldn't get over the hump despite 18 points and a game-high nine rebounds from senior center Almin Hodzic, who is averaging 30 caroms and 12 points a game. Sophomore forward Cory Quimby and junior forward Mike Calzonetti have also been effective off the boards with 28 and 26 rebounds, respectively. Carrying the scoring load to date are sophomore guard Leon Porter with 15 points a game and freshman guard Khaleev Ginyard with 13.

Prior to the Post game, Dominican traveled to Oregon to compete at the Western Oregon D2 Shootout. The Chargers lost 76-72 to the host school, and then lost 75-72 to St. Martin's University.

"Once we get that first win I think we'll be OK," Clinton said.

In a companion game against Post, the Dominican women's team prevailed 67-53 to reach .500 after six games. Rookie K.C. Jentzen of Pearl River turned in a strong effort off the bench with eight points and a team-high eight rebounds.

The Dominican women return to action on Dec. 9 with a game in Bronxville against conference opponent Concordia College at 5 p.m.

Bouncing back in a big way

The women's team at Rockland Community College put together a total team effort at home last night (Dec. 2), turning back Essex County College 90-85 in double overtime.

"It's a big win, a very big non-conference win for the program against a (NJCAA) Division II school," lauded second-year coach Rich Jacobson. "They have seven kids on scholarship; I have none. They had one kid with 42 points, she was unbelievable."

RCC was coming off a disheartening 79-53 loss to Orange County CC.

"I was not happy with the effort," Jacobson said. "We had a team meeting Wednesday after practice. Obviously, whatever I said worked. It was my 'Win one for the Gipper' Knute Rockne speech."

Guard Shawan Crooks of White Plains tied the score at 66-66 at the buzzer in regulation. In the second OT, Jacobson switched defenses.

"We got a couple of steals, got to the basket and got foul shots," the coach noted. "It was a total team defense, total everything."

Crooks clicked for 28 points, as did guard Katie Daly, a North Rockland graduate. Forward Christina Sanders of Spring Valley and Paramus Catholic had 17 points and North Rockland's Samantha Sydnor had six blocked shots.

RCC is away for its next two games, and then returns home on Dec. 9 against Division I Globe Institute of Technology.

Winter Baseball Clinic

The first snowflakes have yet to fall in the area, but registration closes Dec. 31 for the 2011 Winter Baseball Clinic conducted by veteran St. Thomas Aquinas College coach Scott Muscat of West Haverstraw.

A former Class A pitcher in the Milwaukee Brewers organization, Muscat will be assisted by STAC coaches Joe Curreri of Nanuet, a one-time Triple A hurler for the Chicago White Sox who was graduated from Albertus Magnus High School; Tappan's Jon Garvey, a former Spartans catcher; Stony Point's Brian Smith, a former North Rockland and Concordia College infielder and current member of the Irish National Team; and former San Diego and Texas minor-league infielder Manny Del Rosario.

Muscat has put together a 10-session schedule beginning Jan. 8 and running through Feb. 20. Individuals can attend either the full schedule ($300) or a five-session block ($175).

Instruction centers on a small-group approach, by ability, and will be conducted at two sites: the Nyack College Bubble that features a regulation turf infield, a hitting cage and indoor mound; and the gym on the STAC campus in Sparkill, featuring a 70-foot hitting cage and indoor mounds.

Special guest appearances are scheduled by Mahopac High graduate John Muller, a two-time all-conference player at STAC who went on to pitch in the Chicago Cubs organization; and Westchester resident Donovan Mitchell, a former Triple A player with the Houston Astros who is now a minor-league coach with the Mets.

For further information, including possible discounts for multiple children and Little League affiliations, contact Muscat at 845-216-1339 or smuscat@stac.edu.

Mortarboard Musings

• Junior guard Matt Morgan of White Plains contributed 13 points to help the Nyack College men's basketball team defeat St. Thomas Aquinas College 65-63 in double OT. Nyack hosts Merrimack tonight (Dec. 3) at 7 p.m. in the Comfort Inn Classic.
• The Nyack women's team beat Bloomsburg 69-53 for its second win against three losses. The Warriors, the defending CACC champion, were led by all-CACC forward Victoria Sweet with 17 points. Sweet, a senior from Harlem, is leading the team with 15 points and 10 rebounds a game. Nyack challenges East Stroudsburg tonight (Dec. 3) in the 46th Pocono Classic. Nyack meets Salem International on Saturday at the Koehler Fieldhouse in East Stroudsburg, Pa.
• Something will have to give Saturday afternoon at 3 o'clock as the STAC men's basketball team (0-4) looks for its first win against visiting Molloy College, which is also looking for its first win. STAC is coming off a 50-45 loss to NYIT in which Shaun Weaver of Congers chipped in two points and an assist in 27 minutes. West Nyack's Flynn McFadden, a senior guard, is getting sporadic playing time early in the season. STAC is home again on Dec. 8 for a game against Dowling at 7:30 p.m.
• Forward Delmar Reece of Yonkers is leading Molloy with 10 points a game. Molloy visits STAC on Saturday at 1 p.m., the first of three straight home games for the Lady Spartans. They will host Dowling on Dec. 8 at 5:30 p.m. and entertain Southern New Hampshire on Dec. 11 at 1 p.m. STAC lifted its record to 4-3 with a 66-61 victory over NYIT as junior forward Briana Sloper scored her 1,000th career point. Sophomore guard Bianca Kowgios of Yonkers had 13 points, six assists and four steals. Theresa Dowling of Congers and Clarkstown South scored eight points and had a team-high eight rebounds. Dowling had nine points and two assists as STAC shaded BYU-Hawaii 81-79 in the first game of a two-game road trip to Hawaii. STAC then lost to Hawaii Pacific, 76-60.
• Blauvelt's Jacqueline Pollack, a freshman at Boston College out of Tappan Zee HS, earlier this season turned in a 5k personal-best 19:02 at the UMass Cross Country Invitational. Pollack was the first female finisher last Saturday in the annual Alumni Run at Bear Mountain State Park. It was her first Alumni Run victory.