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LOCATION: Jersey City, NJ
CONFERENCE: Metro Atlantic Athletic (MAAC)
LAST SEASON: 14-15 (.483)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 10-8 (5th)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 2/3
NICKNAME: Peacocks
COLORS: Blue & White
HOMECOURT: Yanitelli Center (3,200)
COACH: Rodger Blind (Ursinus '72)
record at school 50-61 (4 years)
career record 50-61 (4 years)
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ASSISTANTS: Carlton Owens (Rhode Island '93)
Bill Maranz (Winston-Salem '89)
Paul Schoeb (Kean '81)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 19-15-13-8-14
RPI (last 5 years) 95-133-205-243-151
1998-99 FINISH: Lost in conference title game.
ESPN.com Clubhouse
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In a slight twist on an old clich, 1998-99 St. Peter's basketball was a case of the Blind leading the injured last season. In this case, the Blind, of course, was head coach Rodger Blind, who received a contract extension last spring after leading the injury-riddled Peacocks all the way to the 1999 MAAC title game, where they lost to Siena, 82-67. "I'm so proud of what they did," Blind said. "We were beat up in the press in our area and our guys just fought back." The Peacocks finished 14-15 and overcame a difficult first two months of the season. From the start of the season until Jan. 8, the team played each of its first 12 games without at least one of its top seven players. And until the end of December, center Jake Holmes and power forward Kamaal McQueen were together for just two games. There were later stretches where the team played without one or both of its All-MAAC guards, Ricky Bellinger and Jamar Hunter, because of injuries. Still, the team persevered. The Peacocks were 13-9 in their last 22 games after an injury-riddled start. They beat No. 4-seeded Canisius and No.1-seeded Niagara in the MAAC Tournament before losing to Siena. "By extending Rodger's contract, we are recognizing his accomplishment and that of his team," St. Peter's athletic director William A. Stein said. "They overcame a difficult start, worked through injuries and adversity and had a terrific finish in the tournament. This shows that we appreciate the job he has done and we want him to coach our team into the millennium."
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Blue Ribbon Analysis |
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BACKCOURT B BENCH/DEPTH C+
FRONTCOURT C INTANGIBLES B-
St. Peter's is the MAAC's mystery guest. That's because even without rock-solid Jamar Hunter, the Peacocks figure to have one of the MAAC's stronger backcourts. Ricky Bellinger should be a first-team all-league performer this season, while 6-1 senior point man Kalief Allen has been through the wars. But there are serious frontcourt questions now that the James Felton experiment didn't work out. If the 6-9 problem child had remained with the team and played to his potential, then Blind would have had three double figures scorers at his disposal in Bellinger, 6-5 widebody Kamaal McQueen and Felton. That would have certainly been enough for a first-division finish and might have been enough to scare the bejeezus out of MAAC favorites Siena and Iona in the conference tournament. Now, Blind enters the season in search of a third scorer. If he finds one and there are candidates in Kalief Allen, newcomer Melvin Robinson or one of the returning forwards then the Peacocks could still be a factor. If not, then they'll finish somewhere in the middle of the MAAC pack. |
While the man leading them is on solid ground, the team that Blind coaches is an unknown commodity. St. Peter's will play a lot of three-guard lineups now that 6-9 James Felton was kicked off the team in early September. Blind was going to count heavily on the 6-9 Felton, who made brief stops at St. John's and Florida State before enrolling at St. Peter's last spring. Some considered Felton a top 40 national recruit coming out of high school, but he played only six games at St. John's before being dismissed from the team for a violation of team policy (Felton allegedly failed a drug test and stole sneakers and t-shirts from the St. John's locker room. Felton still vehemently denies the theft charges). He averaged 2.2 points and 3.3 rebounds in those six appearances with the Red Storm. Felton resurfaced for a while at Florida State but left there. He was supposed to become eligible at the start of the second semester at St. Peter's and replace the graduated Jake Holmes in the middle. Things didn't work out, though, and at this writing Felton was trying the Division III route. With Felton gone, the centerpiece of the Peacocks' frontline will be the 6-foot-5, weight negotiable (depending on what he had for breakfast) power forward Kamaal McQueen. McQueen (10.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 26 assists, 23 steals), a budding star, was the Peacocks' third leading scorer last season. The 270-pound junior is a tough New York City youngster who doesn't shy away from contact. McQueen was particularly strong in the 1999 MAAC Tournament, especially in the title game when he registered a double-double (19 points, 11 rebounds). Like many young players, McQueen needs to be more consistent. "The MAAC Tournament gave people a chance to see how good Kamaal is," Blind said. "We just need him to build on that success." Upperclassmen Keith Sellers (seven starts in 1998-99), Damian Spencer (three starts) and Rodney Rodgers (four starts) all return and will all figure in the frontcourt rotation. The question: Which ones will start along McQueen? Sellers (4.3 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 19 assists, 11 steals), a 6-5 junior, must improve his shooting aim in order to earn the starting nod. Spencer shot just .364 from the field and .314 from behind the three-point line last season. Spencer (3.7 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 63 assists, 16 blocks, 23 steals) will see time at the small forward, but is really a two-guard. This JUCO import nearly shot better guarded (414 FG) than unguarded (20-44, .455 FT) last year. Rodgers might be the most talented of the three, but was maddeningly inconsistent season. That often happens to a player who becomes a full-time player again after an inactive transfer year (Rodgers transferred to St. Peter's from Drexel). Rodgers (4.8 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 28 assists, 6 steals) eventually worked the rust off and had 15 rebounds in a 106-103 victory over Niagara. If he is able to consistently play up to his potential, then he will also help ease the loss of Holmes, a solid board man. Rounding out Blind's list of frontcourt options are 6-7, 230-pound senior Jermaine Johnson, a former high school teammate of Rodgers and current Milwaukee Buck Tim Thomas at Paterson (N.J.) Catholic High School, as well as a gifted 11th-hour signee in 6-4 Melvin Robinson from Cardozo (N.Y.) High School. Johnson appeared in 19 games last season, including two starts, and averaged 2.7 points and 1.8 rebounds. He will be a role player. Robinson looks like a real find. Robinson was a second-team all-city performer at Cardozo (N.Y.) High School in 1997-98 and had originally committed to fellow MAAC school Loyola (Md.) However, Robinson failed to get the necessary SAT score to be eligible. Rather than lose a year, Robinson spent last year getting his academics in order and he will have four seasons of eligibility remaining. Robinson knows how to score; he might just need a little time to wear off the rust that comes with a year's inactivity. Robinson averaged 22.8 points and 11.1 rebounds at the traditional New York City PSAL power Cardozo. The backcourt situation is more settled with senior guards Ricky Bellinger and Kalief Allen. Bellinger was second-team all-conference and Allen led the team with 98 assists. There is no more consistent player in the MAAC than Bellinger (16.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 60 assists, 59 steals), who has averaged between 16.1 and 16.5 points in all three of his seasons at St. Peter's. He struggled a bit with his three-ball shooting (.286) a year ago, but he was able to beat his man off the dribble and either get to the rim or get fouled. And Bellinger believes in accepting charity, as evidenced by the fact that he shot .758 from the free-throw line. Allen (7.2 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 98 assists, 42 steals) is a steady hand at the point, although he could shoot his free throws a little better (35 of 54, .648 FT%). Backing up Allen will be 6-2 freshman point guard Andrew Wisniewski, last year's player of the year on Staten Island, or 5-9 junior Antoine Orr. Bet on youth being served here. Wisniewski was the top scorer on Staten Island, averaging 20.2 points and five assists last year. At just 170 pounds, Wisniewski will need to get plenty of second helpings in the cafeteria and will have find his way into the weight room. "Andrew is a very good ballhandler and passer, but he can also score," Blind said. "He can come in and immediately give us minutes at the point guard. We're excited about his upside potential. His stock really rose tremendously in the last year and if he gets stronger and continues with his work ethic, he should have an excellent college career." Orr looks like a deep reserve again in 1999-2000. A Bronx native, Orr (2.3 ppg, 0.7 rpg, 18 assists, 8 steals) appeared in 19 games last season, including two starts. Serving as either caddies to Bellinger or third starting guards will be the aforementioned 6-5 senior Damian Spencer and 6-6 freshman swingman Ryan Johnson, a smooth outside shooter. Johnson was the leading scorer for Red Bank Regional (N.J.), HS; no small feat because the team's loaded roster also included Tahj Holden (a Maryland signee) and Sean Axani (a Rutgers signee). Johnson averaged 16.3 points and 6.1 rebounds at Red Bank, where he played for his father, Steve Johnson. "He will give us immediate help in an area where we need to improve, three-point shooting," Blind said. "He does a lot of things well and he has a chance to come in and help us right away. He is a fine player now and we think he will continue to get better."
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