Houston Baptist

Wednesday Recap: Tar Heels Too Potent for Texas

Raphielle Johnson — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 23:13:16 -0800

In each of North Carolina's last two games sophomore forward Harrison Barnes shot 4-for-12 from the field and scored nine points. Some may have been concerned given the fact that those performances came against Appalachian State and Nicholls State, ignoring the fact that the Tar Heels still managed to win both games by comfortable margins. Barnes is fine, as he showed in North Carolina's 82-63 win over Texas by scoring a season-high 26 points and grabbing ten rebounds in just 25 minutes of action. With an offensive rating for the night of 177.5 it's probably fair to say that this was his most efficient performance of the season to date, with the visiting Longhorns not having much of an answer for either Barnes of his teammates.

"Everyone only looks at the points, but I look at what we're doing defensively, and I really thought he was more active tonight," said North Carolina head coach Roy Williams of Barnes' performance. "If he's attacking the basket, I like that. I also like when he shoots the three-point shot. He's got a wide variety of options, and hopefully we moving forward where we can use all of them."

One of the big concerns for Rick Barnes' team was the play of their big men, as Texas doesn't have a talent the caliber of either Gary Johnson or Tristan Thompson on this year's roster. Sure enough they were handled on the glass, as North Carolina grabbed 22 offensive boards and out-rebounded texas 49-34. John Henson scored 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds while Tyler Zeller finished with eight points and 11 rebounds as UNC outscored Texas 42-26 in the paint. J'Covan Brown and Jonathan Holmes scored 16 apiece but when the other three starters combine to score just one point it doesn't matter much if they get 16 from someone off the bench like they did from Sheldon McClellan on Wednesday.

"We have got to get somebody that is going to run our team and run our offense," said Barnes. "We are starting three guards, so it's not like it should be a problem, but we are not playing with a purpose on the offensive end. We've got a long ways to go, but we've enough guys that want to do this thing and we'll get it fixed."

In the matchup of stellar point guards Kendall Marshall was far more effective than Myck Kabongo, racking up nine assist to just two turnovers while the freshman played just 15 minutes and turned the ball over four times (one assist). Texas, due to their lack of star power, has to have a group effort every night out especially when it comes to hitting the boards. They didn't get that, or North Carolina didn't allow them to do so, and the Longhorns paid for it dearly. With the number of weapons that North Carolina has, a fight that could be a bit more equitable in a couple of months didn't play out that way in Chapel Hill.

Other Notable Happenings

1. Seton Hall wins at Dayton to move to 10-1 thanks in part to Patrik Auda.
In previous seasons senior power forward Herb Pope picking up his fourth foul would be the beginning of the end for the Seton Hall Pirates. But in a sign of just how much things have changed in South Orange that was not to be, much to the detriment of the Dayton Flyers. The big reason why: Patrik Auda, who scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half to help lead the Pirates to the 69-64 victory in their first road game of the season. The sophomore from the Czech Republic also blocked three shots on the night, and the Flyers really didn't have an answer for him defensively.

Pope finished with 14 points, nine rebounds and five assists in 29 minutes before fouling out late while Jordan Theodore (14 points, eight assists) and Aaron Cosby (13 points) also reached double figures. Seton Hall shot 54% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc on the night as well as assisting on 19 of their 27 made baskets. Dayton hung tough due in part to their eight-point edge at the foul line but it wasn't enough to keep The Hall from moving to 10-1 on the season. With Big East play beginning next week there's reason for optimism with regards to Kevin Willard's program, and they're talented enough to make a run at an NCAA Tournament berth.

2. Ole Miss falls to Middle Tennessee but the bigger deal is Murphy Holloway's ankle.
Kermit Davis' Blue Raiders were expected by many to beat Ole Miss and move to 11-2 on the season, and that they did by the final score of 68-56. Middle Tennessee outscored Ole Miss 42-29 in the second half with Raymond Cintron knocking down some huge three-pointers in scoring a team-high 18 points. But the game turned for the Rebels with 10:09 remaining, when leading scorer Murphy Holloway went down with a left ankle injury.

At that point the game was tied at 42, but Ole Miss would not score another field goal until Terrance Henry's jumper with 3:36 remaining made the score 60-50 in favor of Middle Tennessee. Freshman Jelan Kendrick is still working his way into the flow of things, and despite his talents it's clear that the Rebels need Holloway on the floor in order to be effective offensively. Holloway will undergo x-rays on Thursday, and if he's out for an extended amount of time the Rebels will be in some trouble.

3. Alabama finally gets some shots to fall as they jumped Oklahoma State early.
As ESPN color commentator Fran Fraschilla pointed out early in the Crimson Tide's 69-52 win over Oklahoma State it's not that Alabama can't shoot that's the issue. The shots simply weren't falling for Anthony Grant's team, and that changed in a hurry as the Tide raced out to a 19-4 lead with 14:26 remaining in the first half. Alabama shot 57% from the field in the first half on their way to a 40-22 halftime lead, and Trevor Releford led three starters in double figures with 19 points as the Tide played well without the injured JaMychal Green (shoulder). Freshman Trevor Lacey started in Green's place and took full advantage, scoring 12 points and grabbing four rebounds in 32 minutes of action. Green's expected back in the near future, and with he and Tony Mitchell up front the Tide need their guards to shoot the ball well in order to reach their full potential. Safe to say that 7-for-15 from deep is a nice step in that direction.

Quick Hitters

1. If one were to make a list of schizophrenic college basketball teams this season Loyola Marymount would without a doubt be on that list. The Lions' achievement on Wednesday: a 69-45 loss at Morgan State with the Bears picking up their second victory of the season. LMU may pull an upset or two in WCC play, but their inconsistency may doom them to the bottom half of the standings.

2. Duquesne picked up a good win as they ended George Mason's 18-game home win streak by the final score of 75-64. Sean Johnson scored 15 points while T.J. McConnell and Eric Evans scored 12 apiece. McConnell's playmaking ability helped keep the Patriots at bay as they looked to come back in the second half.

3. Despite leading by 12 points at one point in the second half Arizona State dropped to 2-6 at home, losing 68-65 to Fresno State. Kevin Olekaibe's three-pointer with 29.9 seconds remaining gave the Bulldogs the lead for good, negating a 22-point outing from Keala King.

4. Freshman Amir Garrett made his debut for St. John's, scoring three points and grabbing two rebounds in 15 minutes of action. The Red Storm had a serious fight on their hands against UT-Pan American but they did enough late to escape with the 66-61 victory. D'Angelo Harrison and God'sgift Achiuwa combined to score 43 of their 66 points.

5. Something to take out of Penn State's 74-67 win over Cornell is the play of Jermaine Marshall, who scored 12 points to go along with four rebounds, three blocks, two assists and two steals. Patrick Chambers needs someone to be a consistent sidekick for Tim Frazier, and hopefully Marshall took a step in that direction.

6. Houston Baptist picked up a good win as they beat Santa Clara 72-71 in Houston. Tyler Russell scored 19 points and Art Bernardi added 16 for the Huskies, who watched Evan Roquemore miss a pair of free throws with 1.9 seconds remaining to remain ahead.

7. No undefeated teams lost on Wednesday but unfortunately for Hartford no winless teams got off the schneid either. The Hawks dropped an 89-86 double overtime result at Marist despite 23 points and eight rebounds from Nate Sikma. Isaiah Morton led the Red Foxes with 23 points while Chavaughn Lewis added 16, seven rebounds and three steals off the bench.

Three Notable Performances

1. F Mike Scott (Virginia)
33 points, 14 rebounds and two assists in Virginia's 83-77 win at Seattle.

2. F Wendell McKines (New Mexico State)
23 points and 17 rebounds in the Aggies' 82-62 win over McNeese State.

3. G Rayvonte Rice (Drake)
29 points (12-18 FG), five rebounds, four assists and two blocks in the Bulldogs' 87-64 win over Central Arkansas.

Jon Teitel's Coaches Interview Series: Chicago State's Bob Hallberg

Jon Teitel — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 10:14:01 -0700

In the latest installment of his coaches interview series CHN writer Jon Teitel spent some time with former Chicago State head coach Bob Hallberg, who racked up a record of 223-84 in ten years at the Windy City school. Hallberg led the Cougars to a third place finish in the 1984 NAIA Tournament, capping off one of the most successful seasons in school history.

Jon Teitel: In high school you played for legendary coach Jim Arneberg. What was it like to play for him, and how much of an influence was he on your own decision to go into coaching?

Bob Hallberg: The defining moment in my life that changed my whole career was not making the varsity squad as a sophomore in high school. Coach Arneberg brought me up to the varsity for the playoffs, and to my surprise he grabbed me by the shoulders during a game and told me to "get in there and steal the ball." I went out there and played like I was possessed because he was such a great motivator, and I made up my mind to go into coaching soon after that.

JT: You began your collegiate coaching career at St. Xavier after starting out as a high school coach. What was the biggest difference between coaching high school players and coaching college players?

BH: One advantage of college coaching is being able to recruit players, and I have always believed that you can only win with good players. Some coaches think they can win with any kind of players due to their coaching ability, but they are wrong. College players are also more talented and athletic than high school players.

JT: In 1977 you became coach at Chicago State and went 25-5 in your first season. Why did you make the switch, and how were you able to be so successful so quickly?

BH: I have a bad gym story that tops them all. At St. Xavier we had an intramural gym with no bleachers: we did not even have enough room for a regulation college court. I went to Chicago ST for the facility, and I increased my coaching salary by a whopping $4,000, which was very good considering I had a wife and two kids. The main reason we won so many games is because we had good talent.

1984 NAIA Tournament

JT: Darron Brittman scored 31 points in a one-point double overtime win over Kearney State that saw both teams combine for 69 fouls. Was that the most physical game you have even seen?

BH: At one time it was considered to be the most exciting game in NAIA tourney history even though a lot of people do not remember it now. It was a very high-scoring game despite not having a three-point line at that time. We were down nineteen points before we even knew what happened, and I called over my two star players and told them that they were choking in front of a huge crowd. That seemed to get us going, and it was an amazing comeback victory for us.

JT: Your next game was a two-point win over Chaminade. How close did you come to losing that game?

BH: They had a 6'5" All-American, but Charles Perry hit a jumper over him with three seconds left, despite being only 5'10". Perry was known as "Captain Video" due to the goggles he wore.

JT: Your "Heart Attack Kids" had a two-point overtime loss in the semifinals to Fort Hays State. How devastating was the loss, and what was the feeling like in your locker room afterwards?

BH: There were a lot of fouls called, but we had more depth than Fort Hays. Their coach Bill Morse had his son Ron on the bench who never played, but he put him in towards the end of the game because they were running out of players. They missed a shot with four seconds left, but Ron ran over, got the ball, and made a shot at the buzzer as he was falling out of bounds. They ended up beating Dick Bennett's Wisconsin-Stevens Point team in the title game to win it all.

JT: You had a four-point overtime win over Westmont in the third place game. Was your team just exhausted from all the overtime games, and did you consider your run in the tourney to be a success or a failure?

BH: Whenever I go into the locker room at the end of a season, I do not do any ranting and raving. Once it is over, there is nothing you can do about the outcome, so I just try to end on a high note. There is only one team in the country that ends their season on a successful note, and I was proud of my team for going so far.

JT: In 1985 your program made the leap to Division I and you set a record for the most wins at a school in its first season of Division I competition with 16. What was the biggest difference between the two divisions, and how was your team able to be so competitive so quickly?

BH: I had two good guards in Brittman and Perry, and I felt they could hold their own with anyone in the country. I am 5'7" myself, so maybe I am partial to the little guys, but you cannot score if you cannot get the ball up the floor. When we were making the move to Division I, a lot of people said we would not be able to compete, but we proved them wrong.

JT: You also set an NCAA record for consecutive home victories with a 75-game win streak from 1981-1986. How big a home-court advantage was your crowd, and did it eventually reach a point where the fans expected you to win every single home game?

BH: We had good fan support, and they made a lot of noise. Everyone has more confidence at home.

JT: In 1987 you became coach at UIC, where you only had one 20-win season during your nine years there. Why did you make the switch, and do you have any regrets when you look back on your decision?

BH: I have no regrets whatsoever, as the UIC Pavilion was the nicest facility in Chicago. I have never stepped into a program that was highly successful: they were all challenges, which I enjoyed. I looked up at the bleachers during my first game at UIC as they were singing the national anthem, and I counted 97 people in the stands (half of whom were probably my family!). I was born too soon before the big money came, but back then when I signed a $50,000 contract, I thought I had won the Illinois lottery!

JT: For the past decade you have been athletic director/coach of the St. Xavier women's basketball team. Is it hard to do both gigs at the same time, and what is the biggest difference between coaching men and coaching women?

BH: I never thought I would be back at St. Xavier at all, much less coaching women. I like being AD, and I have a great staff that helps me out. The confidence factor is a big difference; the men think they are all Michael Jordan but the women all think they stink. The women are more intelligent; if they get a B in a class, they are disappointed that they did not get an A. I tell them that they cannot always get an A on the court; turning the ball over or missing a shot is just part of being a player. My friends thought that I could not get the women to play my up-tempo game, with a bunch of pressing and running, but I did. However, I cannot yell at them the way I did with the guys.

JT: You have spent your entire coaching career in the city of Chicago. What do you enjoy most about the city, and has it been easy on your family to not have to move around all over the country?

BH: I became a trivia question, as I coached at three different schools without having to move even once. Former coach Dick Versace said that my downfall is that I never moved around the country. However, when a coach moves to Texas and has a son start high school there, and then moves to Maryland and has a daughter start college there, it can be tough to be so spread out, so I put my family first. I heard someone complaining about me once on sports radio after I said that I was happy in Chicago and "did not have to go to Duke to be happy", but that is the truth.

JT: When people look back on your career, how do you want to be remembered the most?

BH: I would like to be remembered as a coach who really understood his players and was a good communicator. I loved winning, but I understood the difference between being an old coach and being a teenage player, which not all coaches can do. I was someone who my players could come talk to about any of their problems.

Hallberg is also on Jon's list of best coaches in Great West history (the league itself is going into its second year of official competition)

Chicago State: Bob Hallberg (1977-1987) 223-84

Houston Baptist: Gene Iba (1977-1985) 128-96, 1 NCAA tourney, 2 conference titles, 1-time conference COY

NJIT: NO COACH HAS BEEN THERE FOR 5 YEARS

North Dakota: Rich Glas (1988-2006) 335-194, three conference titles

South Dakota: Dave Boots (1988-present) 465-182, six-time conference Coach of the Year

Texas Pan American: Sam Williams (1958-1973) 244-164, one NAIA title, one-time national Coach of the Year

Utah Valley University: Dick Hunsaker (2004-present) 121-80

Houston Baptist Schedule: 2008-09

Press Release — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 11:52:08 -0700

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DATE	DAY	OPPONENT	LOCATION	TIME (CT)
*NOV*
8	Sat	East Texas Baptist (exhibition)	Sharp Gym	7:05 pm
14	Fri	Marquette	Milwaukee, WI	7:30 pm
16	Sun	Middle Tennessee State	Murphreesboro, TN	3:00 pm
21-23	Fri-Sun	SMU Classic	Dallas
21	Fri	SMU	"	7:30 pm
22	Sat	Illinois State	"	5:00 pm
23	Sun	Alabama State	"	5:00 pm
29	Sat	Texas-Arlington	Sharp Gym	7:05 pm
*DEC*
4	Thur	Villanova	Philadelphia, PA	TBA
7	Sun	South Alabama	Mobile, AL	2:00 pm
13	Sat	New Orleans	Sharp Gym	7:05 pm
15	Mon	North Texas	Denton	7:05 pm
20	Sat	Northwestern State	Sharp Gym	2:05 pm
22	Mon	Wisconsin-Green Bay	Sharp Gym	7:05 pm
29-31	Mon-Wed	Duel In the Desert (hosted by Utah State)	Logan, UT
29	Mon	Wyoming	"	6:30 pm
30	Tue	Utah State	"	9:05 pm
31	Wed	Howard	"	6:30 pm
*JAN*
6	Tue	Iowa State	Ames, IA	7:05 pm
9	Fri	Ohio State	Columbus, OH	TBA
13	Tue	Utah Valley	Sharp Gym	7:05 pm
19	Mon	Wisconsin-Green Bay	Green Bay, WI	7:05 pm
25	Sun	Santa Clara	Santa Clara, CA	4:00 pm
28	Wed	Fresno State	Fresno, CA	9:05 pm
*FEB*
1	Sun	Boise State	Sharp Gym	2:05 pm
3	Tue	New Jersey Tech	Newark, NJ	6:05 pm
7	Sat	Middle Tennessee State	Sharp Gym	7:05 pm
9	Mon	Chicago State	Sharp Gym	7:05 pm
19	Thur	Louisiana Tech	Ruston, LA	7:00 pm
21	Sat	New Jersey Tech	Sharp Gym	7:05 pm
26	Thur	Southwestern Assemblies	Sharp Gym	7:05 pm
*MAR*
2	Mon	Chicago State	Chicago, IL	7:00 pm
4	Wed	Utah Valley	Orem, UT	8:05 pm

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