Wild American Gooner

When Sports Are More Than Just Sports

Category Archives: Basketball


by Leave a comment

Davidson Crowned Charlotte’s King of College Basketball

(Written for The Davidsonian in my capacity as sports editor. I will post everything I write on this blog as well as on Davidsonian.com)

Davidson took home the Hornets Nest Trophy for the second straight year by beating UNC-Charlotte 91-86 before a large crowd in what was certainly the best atmosphere at Belk Arena in the young season. Davidson led throughout, and impressively combated a substantial size differential with great post play and fantastic shooting. The game was not as close as the final score, as Charlotte scored a number of points in garbage time.

Charlotte was exactly the test Davidson needed at this point in the season. They presented substantial size up front and a veteran group of players that knows how to win. Mike Thorn Jr. is an NBA-quality center and his frontcourt partner Willie Clayton is one of the best offensive rebounders in the country. For a Davidson team that has struggled to rebound the ball this season, this was a big ask.

Despite an uncharacteristic 18 turnovers, Davidson passed the test with flying colors, shooting 58% on the day while out-rebounding Charlotte 37-31. Davidson’s bigs deserve tremendous credit for their work on the blocks today. They not only out-rebounded the 49ers, but they shut down Thorne Jr, limiting him to 10 points and 5 rebounds. Of the many highlights from today, that may be the most exciting for the future of this team.

“[This win] is huge for us,” Tyler Kalinoski ’15 said after the game, “We made some mistakes, but we kept fighting. The way we fought today shows a lot going forward.”

Davidson looked to attack the interior of the Charlotte defense with a vigor that hasn’t always been there, sending Clayton and two other 49er starters to the bench early in foul trouble. The ‘Cats hit the offensive glass and looked for cutters to beat the 49ers’ zone. Jordan Barham ’16 was especially effective against the zone in the first half, providing a huge spark off the bench for Davidson. Barham, who’d been averaging 9.0 points in just 12.8 minutes per game, hit his first 6 shots and had 13 first half points, finishing with 16 points on 7-8 shooting and 5 rebounds. In addition to his usual high-energy dunks, Barham impressed when he had the ball in his hands, facing up defenders and blowing by them.

Kalinoski caught fire in the second half, hitting five threes and making a wide variety of baskets when Davidson needed them most. All 19 of his points came after the break. The senior captain, who came into the game second in the Atlantic 10 in assist/turnover ratio, had another great overall performance, with 3 rebounds and 4 assists to go along with only 1 turnover.

“Tyler’s the heart of our team,” Coach Bob McKillop said of Kalinoski’s performance after the game, “Without doubt, he’s the one that makes us go. He’s got great courage, he’s got terrific tenacity, he’s a selfless teammate and he’s a winner.”

Davidson caught fire from behind the arc at the start of the second half, sending Charlotte back to man-to-man defense as they made their first 4 threes in the opening minutes to extend the lead up to 12 soon after the break. However, Charlotte found a lot of success getting the ball inside to Clayton as the second half wore on and kept the game close as Davidson’s fouls piled up. But Clayton’s 4th foul, which came with 12:22 left and the 49ers trailing by seven after he’d already scored 10 second half points, saw the Wildcats regain the momentum. A Kalinoski three followed by a Barham three gave Davidson a 75-62 lead with 8:32 to play.

Clayton soon returned only to foul out with more than 5 and a half minutes remaining. That was the final nail in the coffin. Charlotte was unable to get back into the game in the final minutes as Davidson kept making shots. Whenever the 49ers made a basket, Davidson would respond with a big one of their own deep in the shot clock. But to their credit Charlotte never quit, and made a few baskets right at the end to make the score as close as it was.

Davidson needed to play tougher today to combat Charlotte’s size advantage, and they got a boost from Andrew McAuliffe ’17. McAuliffe bodied up the 6-11, 270 pound Thorne Jr on the defensive end to aid Jake Belford ’16, Nathan Ekwu ’18 and Peyton Aldridge ’18, who were all in a lot of foul trouble. McAuliffe, whose action has been limited this year, stepped up in a big way. In addition to his defensive efforts, he also found ways to contribute offensively, tipping in one basket and dunking another, while occupying defenders down low.

That presence inside the arc helped get Brian Sullivan ’16 some better looks behind the arc. Sullivan, Davidson’s marksman who came into the game only 5-30 from three for the year, knocked down a triple on the first possession and made two more before the 10 minute mark of the first half, finishing with 13 first half points and 15 overall. It was a solid response from the captain, and one which will hopefully get his season going.

Davidson had used a 9-0 run to take an early 17-9 lead, but both teams shot the ball incredibly well and traded buckets for much of the first half. However, Davidson took a 45-38 lead into the break. With Clayton and Pierria Henry, the 49ers top perimeter defender, on the bench for much of the first half in foul trouble, Davidson found a way to out-rebound Charlotte 20-12 in the first half. Thorne was limited on the offensive end, more helpful as a means of drawing the Davidson defense into the paint and opening up lanes for Charlotte guards to attack.

Jack Gibbs ’17, coming off the Atlantic 10 player of the week award, chipped in 12 points and 5 assists for the Wildcats. For Charlotte, Clayton led the way with 17 points despite playing only 16 minutes. 5 others finished in double figures for the 49ers.

The annual “Battle for the Hornet’s Nest Trophy” has been contested each of the last 34 years. The Mecklenburg County rivalry has taken on added heat in recent years. Among Charlotte fans, there is a bit of a grudge held as recent conference changes for both schools have seen Davidson take Charlotte’s place in the Atlantic 10. (A year ago, Charlotte moved to Conference USA, a worse basketball conference in recent years, for the betterment of their football program). It must hurt that Davidson has now won two straight.

“Let’s face it, this is a game for the rights in the city,” McKillop said after the game, in which students wore shirts emblazoned with his nickname ‘The Silver Fox’ and his face, “And this is a terrific city, so it’s nice to get the victory this year.”

After lifting the trophy, Davidson’s next game is at home against Stetson at 4 pm on Saturday.


by 1 Comment

UNC Too Much for Davidson

Davidson hosted a very talented #6 UNC team at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, ultimately falling 90-72. The lower bowl was close to full with roughly equal amounts of Davidson and UNC fans, but Davidson fans were making most of the noise in the early going.

However, on the court, it was UNC whose play did the talking. Davidson got off to a fast start, with Peyton Aldridge ’18 hitting a couple triples in the opening minutes, but after the first media timeout, UNC locked down on defense and Davidson had trouble getting shots up, much less good shots.

UNC’s size proved a problem for the Wildcats on both ends of the court as Kennedy Meeks (19 points, 12 rebounds) and Brice Johnson feasted on the size differential, getting easy buckets on the offensive end and altering shots on the other end. Meeks in particular was impressive for the Tar Heels, going 9-13 from the field and also chipping in a pair of  blocks. On the perimeter, UNC’s guards were using their length to close out every Davidson shooter immediately. As a result, Davidson shot a season-low 30% from 3 and were quite limited with what they could do offensively.

The Davidson player who shone the brightest today was Aldridge, the freshman from Leavittsburgh, Ohio, who finished with a career high 25 points (6-10 from deep) and 6 rebounds . He was active on both ends of the floor, but excelled on offense, where he looked to attack from the opening tip. He was remarkably poised for a freshman, and considering the circumstances, his performance today was excellent.

Defensively, Davidson did okay given the quality of opposition. Rebounding wasn’t as big an issue as it could have been, as everybody chipped in to box out the UNC big’s. However, Davidson wasn’t able to disrupt the rhythm of national player of the year candidate Marcus Paige, who was able to create quality shots for his teammates, and for himself when he wanted to.

After Davidson had hung around for the opening quarter of the game, where UNC pulled ahead was when Davidson let them get out on the break midway through the first half.  When the Wildcats were careless with the ball, or took a bad shot, UNC were down the floor in a hurry. Their athleticism was unlike anything Davidson has seen this year, and UNC took advantage of any hesitancy or indecision.

The second half was much of the same for UNC, who looked comfortable throughout. J.P. Tokoto put an exclamation point on the victory with a ridiculous alley-oop in the final minutes, showing off the athleticism that plagued Davidson all day.

UNC’s defense locked in on Brian Sullivan ’16 and Tyler Kalinoski ’15 throughout and didn’t allow them much space to shoot. Because the Tar Heels didn’t double team anyone on the block, they were able to stick on Davidson’s two best scorers and prevent them from getting going. While Sullivan and Kalinoski did take a number of shots, they were rarely clean looks at the basket. The two captains found other ways to contribute today, but without their scoring, Davidson was always going to have a hard time.

From today’s game, it became clear that Davidson needs to focus on developing their inside-out game over the next month of non-conference play. When UNC didn’t have to worry about anyone scoring on the post, or anyone driving the lane, they stuck to Davidson’s shooters like glue as good Atlantic 10 teams will. Sure, the Wildcats didn’t shoot their best from deep, and to an extent, this team will always live and die by the three against teams like UNC. But they missed the 3’s today because they weren’t always good looks. To get those, the Wildcats need to find ways to get the ball inside more effectively. Davidson has the shooters to compete on a high level, but the offense isn’t quite there yet this year.

I spoke with Brice Johnson in the locker room after the game and he spoke quite highly of Aldridge, saying that he thought players like Aldridge would ensure a smooth transition into the Atlantic 10. (Unfortunately, my audio recorder malfunctioned, so that’s why I don’t have direct quotes).

Davidson’s next game is a trip to UCF on Wednesday night.


by Leave a comment

Davidson powers past Campbell

(Written for The Davidsonian in my capacity as sports editor. I will post everything I write on this blog as well as on Davidsonian.com)

Davidson beat Campbell handily in the second contest of the year at Belk Arena, winning by a score of 86-51. It was the first time the two schools had met since the Wildcats’ days in the Big South Conference (1992).

Davidson worked the ball inside with a lot more efficiency tonight, utilizing the screen to great success, both on and off the ball to free cutters near the basket. Davidson’s bigs got on the board early, and that opened up the three point shot as the game wore on. Davidson grabbed a 26-8 lead midway through the first half and never looked back.

Jake Belford ’16 was the offensive star for Davidson today, showing off his arsenal of post moves against the smaller Campbell front court. Belford scored a career high 20 points on 9-12 shooting. The rest of the scoring was balanced. All nine players that saw the floor in the first half got on the board by halftime, and all nine of those scored at least five.

Davidson had a scare when Jordan Barham ’16 went down grabbing his surgically repaired knee after a basket midway through the second half. He soon returned to the court after a quick trip to the locker room for treatment, so it appears he avoided serious injury. He even threw down an alley-oop quickly followed by a fast-break slam soon after he got back on the court, finishing 7-7 from the field for 14 points in limited action. Barham has been bringing sparks of energy of the bench and would be dearly missed if he had to miss any significant amount of time.

In most impressive fashion, Davidson’s first turnover came more than 18 minutes into the game on an offensive foul. At that point, the Wildcats had 10 assists. Campbell on the other hand had 8 turnovers and was 0-6 at the free throw line in the first half (they missed their first 9 overall). That made for a 43-23 ballgame at the break.

Nathan Ekwu ’18 and Oskar Michelsen ’18 continued their fast track to fan favorite status with more big plays today. Ekwu was efficient on offense and was a monster on defense when he came from the weak side. His blocks are sent back emphatically. Michelsen continued lighting it up from deep, knocking down three more threes. It’s worth noting that he hit eight of his first nine shots in his career, which all were behind the arc. Michelsen has already earned the “Feed the Finn” chant from the student section, that had been vacated by Swedish forward Chris Czerapowicz ’14.

Kyre’ Hamer led Campbell with 14 points and 6 rebounds. D.J. Mason also chipped in 15 points for the Camels, although he was a mere 1-6 from the free throw line.

UNC looms on Saturday, and the Wildcats will certainly be in for a tough test. The #6 Tar Heels will be an entirely different beast from what the Wildcats have faced thus far. National player of the year candidate Marcus Paige leads UNC, who also are also blessed with tremendous size that the Wildcats have not yet seen. The game is Saturday afternoon at Time Warner Cable Arena.


by Leave a comment

Davidson Wins Big in Season Opener

(Written for The Davidsonian in my capacity as sports editor. I will post everything I write on this blog as well as on Davidsonian.com)

The Davidson men’s basketball team opened their first ever season as a member of the Atlantic 10 with a 102-66 win against Catholic University at Belk Arena.

Tyler Kalinoski ’15 (19 points, 5-8 from 3) and Jack Gibbs ’17 (17 points on 7-9 shooting, 6 assists, 4 steals) were running the show for Davidson today. The two had complete command of the game and had their way on offense, especially in transition, where they looked to run at every opportunity. In the open floor, they showed off their vision, picking out teammates and pulling up for jump shots.

“Our guards got open and our big guys did a great job of running the pipe on fast breaks and because they did that, the defense sunk in and they gave us those open shots,” Kalinoski said.

Davidson began the game brightly enough, but it wasn’t until the defense got going that the offense began to take off in full. The Wildcats held Catholic without a field goal for a 12 minute stretch in the first half. That 29-9 run late in the first half helped Davidson pull away quickly. At the break, it was 47-23 Wildcats.

The second half was more of the same for Davidson, who were tremendous from deep. Kalinoski and Michelsen combined for seven triples in the opening ten minutes of the half. On the day, Davidson was 15-29 from deep. Everyone got in on the act in the end, and Davidson had 13 players get on the board, with a total of five in double figures.

“I was very pleased with the consistency of our performance from one to half to the other,” Coach Bob McKillop said after the game. “I liked the versatility that we presented, the different lineups we had, the minutes we distributed. I’m very, very pleased top to bottom of our roster in their performance today.”

Picked 13th out of 14 in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll, the Wildcats were out to prove the doubters wrong in the home opener. The big questions going into this season were about the play of the front court and whether the bench could provide any consistent scoring. Right from the start, the Wildcats went to battle down low. Davidson dominated the glass, albeit against a Catholic team that possessed no players over 6’7”. And from the bench, Oskar Michelsen ’18 scored 18 points in his debut, hitting six 3’s on only seven attempts, and Jordan Barham ’16 came in and attacked. Davidson’s bench totaled 51 points for the game.

On the whole, Davidson’s offense looks a lot different this year without De’Mon Brooks in the middle. The motion offense around the perimeter allows the Wildcats to spread the floor, and because all five players on the court are shooters, the defense can’t drop off anyone. Davidson is patient when swinging the ball, awaiting the moment when the defense makes a poor closeout or can’t get around a screen quick enough. When someone can catch and drive, or get the ball to someone on the block, the 3 point shooters are open in the corners. Kalinoski and Brian Sullivan ’16 were the two looking to drive off the catch in the half court, and everyone was knocking down the shots.

The freshmen all made a positive start to their Davidson careers. Peyton Aldridge ’18 (7 points, 11 rebounds) and Michelsen were particularly impressive, but Nathan Ekwu ’18 (10 points, 7 rebounds) also looked like he fit right in, highlighted by a thunderous block that sent Davidson down the court for a transition 3. The way Aldridge and Ekwu manhandled the undersized Catholic frontcourt says a lot about their respective abilities. More impressive though was Michelsen’s debut. His stroke from deep looks pure as silk.

“He [has] showed a remarkable feel for the game,” McKillop said of Michelsen’s transition to the college game. “It’s not about athleticism with us, it’s more about feel. And he really understands the flow of a game. I think he’s unselfish – he’ll make the extra pass – but you saw today, he made the shots and he’s not at all hesitant.”

“Our bigs did a great job attacking space and posting up,” Michelsen said. “Our guards did a great job of finding me on the arc and when you get a good pass to the pocket it’s pretty easy to shoot.

Jack Gibbs provided a pair of highlights as Davidson blew the game open late in the first half. All day he had been looking to push the ball, but he finally got free on two straight fast breaks . On the first, he drew two defenders before splitting them with a sweet, lefty bounce pass for an Aldridge slam. He took the second one on his own, powerfully spinning around a helpless Catholic defender for an easy layup. Gibbs has looked sensational thus far.

It will be vital to get Brian Sulllivan ’16 going soon, as the captain struggled shooting the ball all day. He contributed 7 assists, but he missed 10 of his 11 shots. The Wildcats didn’t need his scoring today, but his  contribution will be vital going forward.

The Wildcats next contest is Tuesday night at home against Campbell before #6 North Carolina travels to Charlotte for a date with Davidson at Time Warner Cable Arena next Saturday.


by Leave a comment

Wildcats Overcome Slow Start to Topple Lenoir-Rhyne in Exhibition

(Written for The Davidsonian in my capacity as sports editor. I will post everything I write on this blog as well as on Davidsonian.com)

Davidson Men’s Basketball opened their 2014-2015 campaign with an 83-56 win over Division II foe Lenoir-Rhyne at Belk Arena in an exhibition game. This was the first time the Wildcats took the new-look floor marked with the Atlantic 10 logos below the free-throw line, and after a sluggish first half, Davidson looks ready for the new challenge.

Trailing 33-30 at the break, The Wildcats got going in the second half thanks to improved play from guards Tyler Kalinoski ’15 and Brian Sullivan ’16. The two captains were each held to a lone field goal in the first half, but at the first media timeout of the second half, they’d combined for 9 points to swing the game in the Wildcats favor. Once the Wildcats got going in transition by forcing turnovers, they were able to find a rhythm in a hurry, building a 20 point lead less than 11 minutes after halftime. Overall, the Wildcats shot 65% in the second half.

Jack Gibbs ’17 was the undisputed star of the day for Davidson, scoring 26 points on an array of 3’s and drives, going 8-10 from the field. The sophomore guard, named a team captain this year, looks a much improved player from a year ago, showing off a new level of confidence on the court. The sophomore had his head up at all times in transition and was able to pick the right times to drive and when to kick. Off the ball, he was lights out from deep, knocking down 5-6 from behind the arc. He seems to have made the next step from a successful freshman season.

The Wildcats had struggled in the first half, shooting a mere 35% from the field in the half – including only 4-14 from inside the arc as Lenoir-Rhyne led for the majority of the half. Were it not for 15 first half points from Gibbs, Lenoir-Rhyne would have held a larger lead than the 3 point advantage they took into the break. The Bears dominated the offensive glass in the first half – they had 8 offensive rebounds – despite starting no players taller than 6’6”. That will be worrying for Coach Bob McKillop, who will certainly know that the Wildcats will need to find ways to rebound effectively despite the lack of size the Wildcats have up front.

Potentially even more so than in years past, Davidson’s offense looked especially reliant on the 3-ball in the early going. Every single one of the starters is looking to shoot, and from the first possession tonight – a Jake Belford ’16 triple deep into the shot clock – it became clear the Wildcats are going to be shooting a lot of 3’s this year. Only when Jordan Barham entered the game midway through the first half did anyone look to drive in the half-court offense.

But the real strength of this team will be transition offense. Gibbs and Kalinoski are pests defensively – each had 3 steals today – and every time they force a turnover, the Wildcats will be a threat. Gibbs has the speed to get up court in a hurry, and his ability to drive will force opposing defenses to back off Davidson’s shooters. That is where the ‘Cats will be the most dangerous. Spot up Sullivan, Kalinoski or Gibbs, and they will knock it down with regularity.

One question that looks to be answered is who is going to start at the 4. It appears the answer is freshman Peyton Aldridge. The Leavittsburg, Ohio product was active throughout, looking to shoot early on, and battling down low. He and the rest of the Wildcats struggled rebounding the ball in the first half, but he played much better in the second half, finishing with 11 points.

Nathan Ekwu ’18 also looks ready to contribute right away. The freshman forward from Nigeria is a major physical presence already, sending one Lenoir-Rhyne attempt back in impressive fashion. He grabbed eight boards off the bench, which helped the Wildcats limit the Bears on the board in the second half. He will need time to acclimate, but he will be a big part of the Davidson bench this year from day one, igniting the crowd with highlight plays on both ends.

Now done with preseason play, the Wildcats begin the regular season Saturday at 2 pm against Catholic at Belk Arena. A date with #6 UNC looms on the 22nd, so the Wildcats will be looking to get off to a fast start in preparation for the contest at Time Warner Cable Arena.