By Paul Meyer
www.rmucolonials.com
Jan. 7, 2010 

Meyer on Morris Link

Moon Township, Pa. - And so we begin.

Again.

After a month or so of non-conference activity following the opening weekend of league play, Northeast Conference teams get back after it this weekend.

And already there's a big game in the league.

Robert Morris University, seeking its third consecutive regular-season championship, plays at Long Island tonight in a matchup of 2-0 teams.

The teams enter this game from widely different directions.

Long Island, picked by the NEC coaches to finish second this season, lugs a six-game losing streak into its arena. Robert Morris, picked to finish third this season, packed a three-game winning streak into its luggage for the trip to Brooklyn.

"We should roll into the conference schedule with confidence,'' senior forward Rob Robinson said. "That's what it's all about. Conference games are the ones that really matter. I feel like we're playing good basketball right now and going into the conference with a full head of steam.''

Freshman guard Karon Abraham, who like Robinson is on an offensive surge, agrees with his teammate.

"We're not playing our best ball, but we're playing better ball than before,'' Abraham said. "We're clicking right now. Everybody knows their role and we're together. We're together - no matter what. If we're down 10 (points), down 15, we're going to be together.''

That was readily apparent in each of the past three wins.

At Youngstown State, the Colonials led by 15 points with 11 minutes remaining only to fall behind by four points with three minutes left. They rallied to win, 72-67.

Against Ohio University, they trailed by six points midway through the second half but again rallied and won, 81-79.

And last Monday night against Morgan State, they trailed by 10 points at halftime and by six midway through the second half but once again rallied and won, 78-75.

Three wins, which brought them to 7-7 overall, by a total of 10 points.

"I feel we have a little bit more team chemistry right now,'' senior Mezie Nwigwe said. "I think if this was a couple weeks ago when he got (behind) everybody probably would have tried to do their own thing and go individual. But instead we stuck together as a team. I think we're getting better at that game by game. I think we're starting to trust each other more. We're starting to learn what everybody can do.''

It's helped the Colonials immensely that Robinson has begun playing as he did for much of last season. He's again become a presence inside - both offensively and on the glass.

In the past two games, he scored 44 points and had 17 rebounds - and was 6 of 9 at the free throw line.

"He's certainly playing his best basketball right now,'' coach Mike Rice said. "And we certainly need it.''

"It starts in practice,'' Abraham said of Robinson's recent improvement. "He's been communicating. He's been that leader and that senior we need on the court. That gets us amped and excited, and we go out and play with urgency and intensity.''

Abraham, an early leader for a spot on the NEC's all-rookie team, also has made important offensive contributions.

He's scored in double figures in five consecutive games and has scored 60 points in the past three games. He's 11 of 16 from beyond the arc and 17 of 19 at the foul line in those three games.

"I can't say enough about (Abraham),'' Robinson said. "It seems like he doesn't miss when he shoots threes. I didn't know he was going to be like this at the beginning of the year. I'm going to keep feeding him, keep finding him. If I see him open, I'm going to hit him. I'll pass up a layup for a three anytime if it's him shooting.''

Against Morgan State, Robinson and Abraham were a potent 1-2 punch in the second half. Combined, they were 12-of-15 from the field and scored a total of 34 points.

Nwigwe contributed 14 points against Morgan State, but he was more proud of another number - 11.

That's how few points Morgan State star Reggie Holmes scored after entering the game averaging 24.9 points a game.

Nwigwe did most of the heavy lifting defensively against Holmes, who was 3 for 15 from the field, including 2 of 10 from beyond the arc.

"My motive for this game basically was shutting down Holmes,'' Nwigwe said. "I knew I had big task ahead of me. I just came out hyped. Basically, when he gets the ball he tries to jab-step and get you off-balance and then go by you and shoot, so I just stood there until he made a move. I just wanted to stay disciplined. That was my whole thing.''

It mattered little to Nwigwe that Holmes was still bothered by a sprained right thumb he sustained three games earlier.

"I don't want to hear that,'' Nwigwe said. "That's excuses. Kobe (Bryant's) playing with a broken finger and he's getting 40 (points).''

"Mezie was so good (against Morgan State),'' Rice said. "Our coach/player relationship's been a roller coaster for the last three years, (but) he was disciplined. He was passionate. He was energetic. He was playing for his teammates. That's the Mezie Nwigwe I've been waiting for. There have been spurts of that (before), but he put a full game together.''

Senior forward Josiah Whitehead deserves a mention, too, for his contributions against Morgan State. Whitehead has played sparingly thus far, but in his 10 minutes Monday night he was 3-for-3 from the field for six points, grabbed four rebounds and provided some much-needed energy against the physical Bears.

"Energy is the key word,'' Rice said. "He's just finally giving energy in practice. He's earned minutes. I didn't use him (much before) because of the fact practice is so important to me. If you don't earn minutes in practice, then you're not going to play basketball here. He's changed his ways in practice.''

Perhaps Whitehead isn't alone in that regard.

"I thought our seniors certainly stepped up,'' Rice said. "They're kind of taking on that leadership role I've been begging and pleading for them to do.''

The Colonials didn't have a lot of time to savor the wins over Youngstown State, Ohio University and Morgan State. They knew Long Island loomed.

"After these three wins, I'm very excited,'' Rice said. "We have to make sure that this team understands what it's done the last three games and don't relax and rest on those three victories. We're not getting an at-large bid (to the NCAA tournament). The conference is everything.''

Maybe that's one reason LIU coach Jim Ferry is glad to be returning to conference play.

"Very anxious,'' Ferry said. "Very anxious.''

During its six-game losing streak, Long Island (4-9) has shot just 38.2 percent from the field while allowing 78 points a game.

"You've got to play the game the right way, and right now we're not doing that,'' Ferry said.

The Blackbirds, who were 12-6 and finished fourth in the NEC last season, have been forced to play a lot of underclassmen because three key players from last season aren't available this season. Julian Boyd, last season's NEC Rookie of the Year, is out because of a heart condition. Aurimas Adomaitis and Lucas Faggiano decided not to come back and are playing professionally overseas.

"We're still developing our identity,'' Ferry said.

Senior Jaytornah Wisseh leads the Blackbirds with a scoring average of 17.5 points per game. He also averages 4.9 assists per game and is shooting 82.3 percent at the foul line.

Ferry had to suspend Wisseh for the Blackbirds' two games in a tournament in Chattanooga last week for violating team rules. Wisseh returned Monday night at Bethune-Cookman but seemed a bit rusty. He was just 4-of-13 from the field, including 0-for-3 from three-point range. He did go 6-for-6 from the foul line and had 14 points in LIU's 78-69 loss.

The Colonials also play at St. Francis (N.Y) this weekend, meeting the Terriers in a 4:30 game Saturday. Before that, Saint Francis (Pa.) plays at St. Francis (N.Y.) tonight.

Saint Francis (Pa.) is the third team to begin NEC play 2-0 - which is kind of surprising. League coaches picked the Red Flash to finish 12th this season.

Second-year coach Don Friday thinks his team can do better than that.

"As the 12th-place preseason pick, we really have to be humble and have to fight and grind for everything we want,'' Friday said. "Nobody is going to give us anything, and we're not going to get any respect - and we shouldn't until we earn it. If we are going to make the (NEC tournament), that run will be forged in (our gym), in our weight room, in our therapy room or in the classroom.

"We need a blue collar, lunch pail, work-our-read-end-off mentality. And if we do that, that's good enough. No gimmicks. Hard work.''

AROUND THE NEC: Fairleigh Dickinson, which had lost 10 consecutive games, raised some eyebrows in the league with its 88-85 win against visiting Sacred Heart last Saturday. The Knights trailed, 67-45, with 11 minutes left ... "This team became a team tonight,'' FDU coach Greg Vetrone said. "They just did not quit.'' ... Sacred Heart didn't help itself by making just 14-of-29 free throw attempts ... FDU guard Mike Scott, who had no turnovers, had 13 assists, the most by a player in an NEC game since LIU's Antawn Dobie had 15 against St. Francis (N.Y.) Feb. 22, 2003 ... That same night, Monmouth beat Quinnipiac, picked to finish third, 72-60 ... "I have feared this game for a long time,'' Quinnipiac coach Tom Moore told the Asbury Park Press. "(Monmouth) is so much deeper (than last season), and they've got Whitney (Coleman) back.'' ... Coleman, who missed almost all of last season because of an injury, had a welcome 16 points for the Hawks ... In the three previous games combined, the senior guard scored only 11 points and was 3-for-28 from the field, including 1-of-14 from beyond the arc ... Central Connecticut State shot just 29 percent from the field in a 70-53 loss to Holy Cross Saturday ... "It was a matter of making shots, and we didn't make any shots,'' CCSU coach Howie Dickenman told the New Britain Herald. "It should have been a nail-biter. A finger amputation is what it turned out to be.'' ... In Rice's two-plus seasons at RMU, the Colonials in January/February are 33-4.