Students and season ticket holders came out in force as the men’s and women’s basketball teams showed their skills at the annual Red Sea Madness. Fans packed both sides of the Alumni Hall and used their thunder sticks and voices to express their approval throughout the night. Hosted by Stags In The Stands, the night included a little bit of everything in an eventful hour.
The cheerleaders and dance team performed to open the night, much to the delight of the crowd. The spirit groups received a little help from their friends when they were not on the court as both head coaches and teams displayed their own bursts of spirit and dance all evening. Head Women’s Basketball Coach Joe Frager tipped things off by encouraging a refrain of “Fear The Deer”, which Head Men’s Basketball Coach Sydney Johnson followed up with “We Are Fairfield” chant. Everyone took great delight in the cheers and the chants which reverberated throughout Alumni Hall.
When the cheers were done, the men’s and women’s basketball teams squared off in a dance off that captivated the audience. Both teams performed well but in a split decision, the men’s team edged the women’s team as Lucas the Stag cast the decisive vote.
The three-point contest followed with four teams going head-to-head in a timed event. Each team featured a women’s basketball player, a men’s basketball player, and a student. A slam dunk contest also entertained the fans with Marquis Gilbert, Malcolm Gilbert, and Mike Kirkland bringing the masses to their feet. The women’s basketball team provided the judges, who liberally doled out 9s and 10s for scores.
A costume contest and another performance by the cheer and dance teams capped the event with the dance group Remix ending the night. The enthusiasm spent by the fans was certainly reciprocated by the coaches and student-athletes, forming a perfect partnership for the upcoming regular seasons.
Steve Smith has been having a hard time getting open because he is being played by Quick 3G's or SF. he had the same issue in a few HS games I saw him play. He will be much more effective if he can play the PF position so that he can be covered by a slower player that cannot effectively cover the perimeter. For Smith to play PF he needs to improve his defense and rebounding at least to the level of Evanovich. If he can do that, he will be in a much better position to score. Smith and Evanovich are of similar Foot-speed. Evanovich was also much more effective against the slower defenders(PF's). The teams that put the quicker players on Evanovich were also able to shut him down.
Richards is much Quicker than both Smith and Evanovich. And he is more guard-like that Smith/Evanovich ..... he is also much shorter, a better ballhandler and Passer. He gets a lot of open three-pointers off fast breaks, 50-50 loose balls and turnovers. He is more similar to Tyler Nelson
If Smith can improve Rebounding and defense at the 4 , he could have the same impact as Evanovich. Remember that Evanovich made Zero three-pointers as a Frosh and transferred out of Iowa State.
JS I understand why you would like him at the PF position. But in order to do that I would think he would have to develope a little bit of a post up game as a way of creating different ways of scoring other than just taking his man outside. In fact even Evanovich who was so skilled as a shooter and perimeter player while being guarded by a slow player, even he developed a few moves inside during the time period when the team was shorthanded because of injuries. I think that is the main thing holding back the possibility that Smith will get much time at the 4.
Steve Smith has been having a hard time getting open because he is being played by Quick 3G's or SF. he had the same issue in a few HS games I saw him play. He will be much more effective if he can play the PF position so that he can be covered by a slower player that cannot effectively cover the perimeter. For Smith to play PF he needs to improve his defense and rebounding at least to the level of Evanovich. If he can do that, he will be in a much better position to score. Smith and Evanovich are of similar Foot-speed. Evanovich was also much more effective against the slower defenders(PF's). The teams that put the quicker players on Evanovich were also able to shut him down.
Richards is much Quicker than both Smith and Evanovich. And he is more guard-like that Smith/Evanovich ..... he is also much shorter, a better ballhandler and Passer. He gets a lot of open three-pointers off fast breaks, 50-50 loose balls and turnovers. He is more similar to Tyler Nelson
If Smith can improve Rebounding and defense at the 4 , he could have the same impact as Evanovich. Remember that Evanovich made Zero three-pointers as a Frosh and transferred out of Iowa State.
JS I understand why you would like him at the PF position. But in order to do that I would think he would have to develope a little bit of a post up game as a way of creating different ways of scoring other than just taking his man outside. In fact even Evanovich who was so skilled as a shooter and perimeter player while being guarded by a slow player, even he developed a few moves inside during the time period when the team was shorthanded because of injuries. I think that is the main thing holding back the possibility that Smith will get much time at the 4.
Agree it would be better that Smith develops a little Post up move, but Evanovich did not really do that until his senior year, when he also got stronger and became a better defensive player. I would say rebounding and defense are #1 priorities and a necessity. Post up move are nice to have. I feel that Smith can eventually be a very good player like the Big E, and even hit some big shots this year, but the opportunities for success are much greater as a PF we really have no proven outside shooter at the 4/5. I am not counting on Degnan being a 3-point shooter until I see it.
Smith will also compete for minutes as a backup to Marcus Gilbert at the 3 position. However, he is also competing with Doug Chappell and Tyler Nelson, who are also very good shooters, but seem to bring more of those "Other Skills" that you mentioned. In the Red-White, I believe that Smith and Nelson were matched up for most of the game at the 3 position. IMO, a 3G almost always beats a SF, if they are of similar talent levels
Smith has to grow at the 4. And maybe those early rebounds in the scrimmage are a sign he is. Marcus is going to be on the floor for 35 minutes for many games. The minutes are really at the 4 spot.
I must agree. Hopefully Smith will earn some minutes at the 4 and we'll see what he can do
Post by nashvillestag on Nov 1, 2014 12:16:30 GMT -5
JS, I have seen enough of Degnan to predict that he will be a good outside shooter (as well as an inside force). Not saying it will be immediately apparent, especially if he is deferring in the beginning to more experienced players (as some freshmen do). But sometime this year and throughout his career I do think he will be a legitimate force, both close to the basket and also away from it. And I would be very surprised if Steve was playing more minutes than Kevin at the PF position.
JS, I have seen enough of Degnan to predict that he will be a good outside shooter (as well as an inside force). Not saying it will be immediately apparent, especially if he is deferring in the beginning to more experienced players (as some freshmen do). But sometime this year and throughout his career I do think he will be a legitimate force, both close to the basket and also away from it. And I would be very surprised if Steve was playing more minutes than Kevin at the PF position.
I did not mean to imply that Smith would play more minutes than Degnan, just that if Degnan shows to be more of a inside/middle distance player, then Smith has a great opportunity to get some minutes at PF. And It could be that both of them will start in 2016.
From Alfredo Torres in THE MIRROR - "Fans pack Alumni Hall for Red Sea Madness":
The doors of Alumni Hall opened widely to all. The students of Fairfield University greeted all who enter the gymnasium with great excitement and joy. One by one, students received thunder sticks by members of Stags in the Stands. Finally, arriving into the gymnasium, the place had gone wild. It was a mist of red. The sounds of the crowd yelling, cheering and applauding resonated throughout the whole arena.....
Just as the women did, the men received a loud ovation from the students at Fairfield, one by one basking in the atmosphere of Alumni Hall. The crowd was going crazy. “My experience was beyond fun, I enjoyed meeting the team and rooting for my Stags.” said Becca Quillard ’18.
Freshman Morgan Rosemann said, “It was great, the dunk contest was my favorite part of the night. The energy was excellent, the gym was a packed house.”
“It was wild, the team and the cheers got all the students in the stands pumped for the new season that is approaching,” said Thomas Mitsch ’18.
With great reviews from the Fairfield community, Red Sea Madness was a huge success and had given a revival of school spirit throughout campus.