(Noah Hutchins and Park knocked Canisius back on Saturday /Photo: Larry Scheur)
 

 

 

Before a sellout crowd at The Park School on Saturday afternoon, 'The Game of the Week' yielded a result that will have major implications at the state level.  WNY and NYS Class A #1 Canisius entered the game without a local loss, but left knowing they have a long way to go if they are to repeat as Manhattan Cup champs for a fourth straight season.  The Pioneers wasted little time pushing the throttle forward after slipping behind 10-5 early on, and by midway through the second quarter, they were running like a well-oiled machine and looked like they were the team that NYS should regard as its best in Class A.  Noah Hutchins and Dan Scott performed like the best back court in the area, getting plenty of aid on the interior from Park's Julian Eziukwu and Quentin Nnagbo.  Their lead reached as many as 18 points in a game that saw them lead by double figures for the majority.  Canisius mounted a spirited comeback attempt in the fourth quarter, but the hole dug throughout proved to be too deep.  Ryan Bradley was a bright spot in the loss for the Crusaders, grinding throughout inside against Park's tandem of big men.

 

 

Park:  Dan Scott 25, Noah Hutchins 21, Brandon Smith 13, Quentin Nnagbo 10, Julian Eziukwu 6, John Orogun 2

 

Canisius:  Ryan Bradley 22, Austin James 16, Jayce Johnson 12, Nick MacDonald 12, Dwayne Vass 3, Jon Evans 2, Joe Jamison 2

 

 

We looked to improve our execution in the half court game. We like to run, but when our running game isn't successful, we want to make sure we execute in the half court game.

Canisius being a well-established program and the leaders of this league, it does bring a little bit more excitement – a rivalry if you will – to be competitive.

I appreciate when players listen and he understands his role.  We know we needed to score, but we needed to score within the team framework.  I'm proud of our guys that they're working together to find the best shot possible.  Shhoters have to shoot, scorers have to score, but it's not about leading with your scores – it's a team concept and that's why I keep talking about execution.

We've got to take a close look at these last couple minutes and figure out how we let them back in.  A great team is going to make a defensive stop every time they need to and we did not do that tonight.

 

I thought they played harder than we did and certainly made more plays

It was clearly too little, too late, we still lost.

We just have to work harder and that starts at practice.  They're clearly a better basketball team right now.  It's early in the season and we've got a lot of basketball to play…I'm looking forward to practice.

He's been terrific for us all year.  Today he played hard and left it all out there.

He's a terrific point guard.  He's strong, quick, athletic, and plays really smart.  He's a tough matchup for anyone…certainly us.

 

It's all about feeling confident.

Always excellent.  He's a good driver, a good dunker, he's a good everything.  He can do everything.

Right now it don't mean nothing because we got to come across them later

 

We took it as another game.  I think our bigs did a great job on the boards and our shooters were hitting their shots.

 

 

– There is so much to overcome when playing against Park.  When the Pioneers are hitting shots like they were in this game, you almost need to be perfect to have a shot.  Canisuis was far from perfect in this one.

 

– Dan Scott epitomizes "fierce competitor" when he gets cooking.  He said it's all about confidence after the game.  He's one of those players that gets in a zone that is palpable as your watching the game.  His 3-pointers come in bunches, mid-range jumpers start swishing, his defense dials up, and those dunks…it's pretty cool to witness.

 

– I love watching the looks Noah Hutchins gives his teammates while facilitating in the half court.  If they calling for the ball but not yet in position for it, or if they're not moving to the right spot, it's the same look I'd give someone if they asked me if I was going home early on Championship Saturday at Buff State.  Non-verbal communication…get to the right spot.

 

– Park coach Rich Jacob and Canisius' Kyle Husband are complete opposites in terms of coaching demeanor.  

 

– Rich Jacob was trying to call a timeout yesterday, but wasn't heard by the refs.  He definitely needed to be a little louder with his several requests.  But then the gentleman operating the clock hit the buzzer and stopped the clock in the middle of the game.  So Park got its timeout and the ref explained to him that that can't happen.  He asked "Then how is the coach supposed to get a timeout?"  The ref said he didn't care and offered a few funny responses as to tactics the coach could use and then stated again, that can't happen (stopping the clock).  Definitely the first time I've seen that.

 

– While the teams were warming up, the sun was setting and coming in through the windows.  It was the most blinding light for a couple minutes where I was sitting that I contemplated busting out the shades, but they were in my car.

 

– A select few people got to see frantic-court yesterday, an anxiety-riddled version of centercourt that looks more rattled than a snake in Arizona.  Could not find my phone.  After several minutes of staring in the same places, I finally walked over and checked my coat, where I insisted it wasn't.  And there it was.  I'm an idiot.

 

– The rematch is February 6th at Canisius.

 

 

-centercourt