Hoops

New Zealand 2012/13 College Watch

"seems like Pittsburgh & St Louis were the only teams to take a Kiwi to the Big Dance, Mystro"

Pitt 24-7 #17 AP Top 25, #19 USA Today Coaches Poll, #16 ESPN Power Rankings

St Louis 24-6 #16 AP Top 25, #16 USA Today Coaches Poll, #17 ESPN Power Rankings

both pretty decent programs with pretty decent shots at progressing deep, not a bad situation and even better for New Zealand's International Prospects down the track with both Players being 7ft and very talented. Hawaii with Fotu was the only other program with an active Kiwi playing decent minutes and they were well off the pace.

seems like Pittsburgh & St Louis were the only teams to take a Kiwi to the Big Dance, Mystro

St Louis have won the Atlantic 10 Championship Final against VCU 62-56 for it's first A-10 title and only St Louis 2cnd Conference Championship in school history.
New Zealands Rob Loe had 7 points 8 rebounds 2 steals and 1 assist in the win.

#16 St Louis now head to the NCAA tourney

yup #17 Pitt went down to #19 Syracuse 62-59

Steve Adams contributed 6 points 7 rebounds 1 block 1 assist in 31 minutes.


THe St Louis Billikens defeated Charlotte 72-55 Friday in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 Conference Men's Basketball Championship at the Barclays Center. They face Butler in the next round.

Rob Loe played 23 mins for 7 points 4 rebounds 4 assists and a block.

Hawaii went down to UC Irvine 71-60

Fotu had 2 points 2 rebounds

If Jackson naturalizes and plays for the Tall Blacks NZ have the potential to do more than just make up the numbers on the world stage and push Australia in qualification series consistently and hopefully secure 2 Oceania berths in all major tournaments.

Cedric Jackson/Tai Webster or Bartlett
Kirk Penney/Cory Webster
Thomas Abercrombie/Leon Henry
Mika Vukona/Rob Loe
Alex Pledger/Steven Adams


there was a passport issue with Isaac Fotu from memory that had him playing as a naturalized player in Fiba tournaments, not sure if it has been rectified so Jackson obviously would be the 1 naturalized player selected.
Put Pledge in front of Adams due to chemistry.
3 legit 7ft on a Tallblacks squad!!

St Louis have beaten La Salle 78-54
Rob Loe was great, perfect 7-7 from the floor including 3 from behind the arc and 3-3 from the freethrow line. 26 minutes and equalled his career best of 20 points, adding 4 rebounds and 2 assists for the 7foot Kiwi. Saint Louis has captured its first outright regular season title since 1957 and will head to the Atlantic 10 Conference Men's Basketball Championship in Brooklyn, N.Y., as the No. 1 seed.

The Billikens are ranked #15 on USA Todays Coaches Poll and #16 on the AP Top25 and #16 in ESPN's Power Rankings.

In Panthers News.
Steven Adams becomes Pitt’s first Big East All-Rookie Team selection since DeJuan Blair in 2007-08. The preseason Big East Rookie of the Year, Adams leads the Panthers in rebounding (6.2 rpg.), blocked shots (62) and field goal percentage (.578). He also averages 7.1 points per game and has started all 30 of his games played this year. His team mate Tray Woodall was honored with the All-Big East Third Team on Sunday, following a vote of the league’s 15 head coaches.
Pitt opens Big East Championship play as the No. 4 seed and will face either No. 5 Syracuse, No. 12 Seton Hall or No. 13 South Florida.

Pitt are currently ranked #22 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, #20 in the AP Top25 and as low as #18 in the ESPN Power Rankings.

Great to have 2 New Zealanders playing in nationally ranked teams getting decent minutes and contributing. Even better that they are both 7ft. Add Pledger to the mix and we have never had deeper stocks at Centre.

he's normally pretty solid but he had quite the shocker.

Hawaii have lost to Cal State Northridge 88-75
Isaac Fotu had 6 points 4 rebounds in the loss.

St Louis went down to Xavier 77-66.
Tough night for Rob Loe, 0 points (0-3) 3 boards 2 blocks.
Not quite as tough as Australia's Cody Ellis who went 0-15 including 0-11 behind the arc but managed to get 4-5 from the charity stripe and 5 defensive rebounds.

Pittsburgh downed Villanova In Overtime, 73-64 and now face DePaul on the road. The Panthers have moved up to #20 and Pitt has won 10 of its last 13 games and 11 of its last 15 contests. Pitt and DePaul meet for the second time this season as Pitt claimed a 38-point home win (93-55) at the Petersen Events Center on Jan 26th.

Hawaii have gone down to Cal Poly 61-64.

Freshman Forward Isaac Fotu played 35 minutes for 17 points (7/13) 9 rebounds 2 assists.

#18 St Louis have won 11 straight with their victory over George Washington 66-58

Rob Loe played 27 minutes in the win and had 6 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal.

#23 Pittsburgh have beaten Villanova in OT 73-64.
Adams did not play due to a sprained left ankle.

Pitt have beaten USF 64-44

Steve Adams played 16 minutes for 5 points 6 rebounds 5 blocks and an assist.

St Louis got the win over St Joseph's 70-53

Rob Loe 11 points 6 rebounds 1 block 1 assist in 29 mins while Australia's Cody Ellis contributed 3 points 1 rebound 2 steals and an assist.

St Louis have beaten VCU 76-62

They are now 1st in the Atlantic 10 Conference.

Rob Loe played 17mins for 5 points 2 rebounds 3 assists.

#20 Pitt have lost to #16 Notre Dame 51-42

Steven Adams played 21 minutes and scored 8 points (3/5 from the field and 2/4 from the line) and had 4 rebounds 2 blocks and 2 steals.

Pitt have lost to Marquette 79-69.

Adams had 4 points on 2/5 shooting and 5 rebounds 2 assists in 26minutes

Pacific beat Hawaii 80-71.

Christian Standhardinger led the Warriors with 20 points and nine rebounds. Isaac Fotu added 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting, and Vander Joaquim scored 10.

St Louis have defeated Charlotte 76-58.

Rob Loe played 19 minutes in the Billikens win and finished with 6 points 1 rebound and 5 fouls.

Warriors have gone down to UC Davis 89-65
Hawai’i’s “big three” of Vander Joaquim, Christian Standhardinger and Isaac Fotu were basically nullified by a UC Davis zone defense that double-teamed in the low post. They are the team’s top three scorers and rebounders, but they combined for 16 points and 11 rebounds. Standhardinger himself was averaging 22.4 points and 11.2 rebounds per game during the previous five-game winning streak.

Isaac Fotu played 13minutes for only 2 points courtesy of freethrows and 2 rebounds 1 assist and 1 block.



Pitt are now ranked #16 and face #18 Marquette next.
They have already beaten #17 Cincinnati and #6 Syracuse #19 Georgetown.

http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/sports/ron-cook/cook-sit-back-take-in-adams-ride-674942/

An article from the Pittsburgh Post Gazette about Steven Adams and his NBA prospects. Good read.

The St Louis Billikens have beaten Richmond 56-46.
Rob Loe played 10 foul plagued minutes and went 0/2 from the floor and had 4 rebounds 1 assist 1 steal.

The University of Hawai'i Warriors defeated UC Irvine, 78-72
That was their 5th consecutive victory and they had recently lost to them 68-64, on January 9 in Irvine. They now sit in 2cnd place in the 10-team Big West conference with five games remaining. Long Beach State, which lost at Hawai’i on Thursday, is still in first place at 10-2.
Isaac Fotu added 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field, and also grabbed six rebounds.

I started a new job so haven't got to watch many games of late.

he seems to be steadily improving with each game and they have claimed a couple of decent scalps. I have read that Jamie Dixon would like him to be more selfish offensively but if his team aren't getting him the ball their isn't a whole lot he can do.

I watched the Pitt vs Cincinnati game and IMO Adams was very good. He may not have had the rebounds, but he did all the dirty work in boxing out and opening the way for his team mates to scoop up the boards.

One thing that is not helping him is that his team mates do not go to him often enough, and having said that, their entry passes to him in the post were not often high quality...

When he got the ball in a decent position in the post nobody for Cincinnati could guard him and it was an all but certain score each time.

The Pittsburgh Panthers have continued their form with a win over #17 Cincinnati 62-52

Freshman Centre Steven Adams had 13 points (5/6 from the field and a much improved 3/4 from the freethrow line) 2 rebounds 2 assists and 4 blocks in 29 minutes.

Adams has been steadily improving and the Panthers may have a good shot of going deep in the tournament this season

University of Hawaii have picked up a road win over UC Santa Barbara 78-73

Isaac Fotu had 8 points (3/4) 3 boards and 3 blocks in 15 minutes on the floor. His team mate Christian Standhardinger notched career highs of 31 points and 16 rebounds.

St Louis Billikins have beaten St. Bonaventure 67-57

Rob Loe played 13 minutes before fouling out. He had 4 points (2/2) 1 rebound and 2 blocks.

Pitt have beaten De Paul 93-55

Steven Adams played 24 minutes for 9 points and a season high 14 rebounds 2 assists and 3 blocks.

Pitt face No. 5 Louisville on Monday and hosts No. 3 Syracuse next Saturday.

University of Hawaii have gone down to Cal Poly 88-59

Isaac Fotu played 24 minutes for 14 points (6/11) 5 rebounds and a steal.

prob around the mark so far for a freshman centre in a tough conference but a little under what people were expecting with all the hype.
I think he will live up to the hype eventually but it will come after he is fully comfortable with everything off the court (living in the U.S and the workload with his education) and develops his game under a good Coach in a good program and learns the systems and expands his Basketball I.Q.
The one and done isn't going to happen but I don't think it was ever on the cards with his Minders/Family intentions of him making the most of the educational opportunities from what I have ever read.

He's has been prone to picking up early fouls limiting his minutes and he hasn't been racking up the points but he has been contributing defensively and doesn't take a heap of bad shots. Jamie Dixon by all reports has been happy with his progression and I think if he can keep his grades up and keep progressing, when he finally does declare, he will be ready, and he will go in the first round. I think next season we will start to see the offensive/defensive game that people are hoping for.

Pitt have beaten Providence College 68-64.
Adams had 8 points and 3 offensive rebounds 1 assist and a block in 18 minutes.

Isaac Fotu had 10 points 8 rebounds in Hawaii's loss to UC Davis 93-82.

The St Louis Billikins have gone down to Rhode Island 82-80.

Rob Loe had 7 points (3/10) 7 rebounds and 3 assists and 1 steal in 35 minutes of action.

Pitt have held on to defeat UCon 69-61

Despite his foul trouble (he sat most of the second half) Adams finished with 3 points 9 boards and 3 blocks.

University of Hawaii have triumphed 60-52 over Pacific
Isaac Fotu had 4 points 11 rebounds and a block in 26minutes.

Pitt Vs Villanova tomorrow I believe.The game marks the final Big East Conference matchup played at Villanova before Pitt departs for the Atlantic Coast Conference next year.

I honestly think Adam's minders are encouraging him to stay and get an education regardless of how he goes on the court.

sorry I don't follow Women's Basketball.

Young Tall Black Rob Loe has backed up his great game against UMass the other night with another strong performance but unfortunately it wasn't enough to get his St Louis Billikins over the line against Temple ending a nine game winning streak.

St Louis went down 54-64.
Loe played 26 minutes for a double double of 17 points (7/11 from the field including 3/4 from behind the arc) 11 rebounds 1 assist and 1 steal.
No other St Louis player scored in double figures.

The University of Hawaii Warriors went down to Long Beach State 76-72 today.
Isaac Fotu played 30mins for 6 points (2/3) 6 rebounds and a steal.

Pitt have fallen to Marquette 74-67 in OT.

Steven Adams finished the game with 4 points 6 rebounds 4 blocks and a steal.

Career night for Rob Loe with the St Louis Billikins against UMass helping them to a 70-62 victory capping a 9-0 home stand.

Loe lead all scorers with 20 points (6/10 and was 2/4 from behind the arc and 6/7 from the freethrow line) 7 rebounds 1 assist in 27 minutes on the floor.

Great effort from the young Tallblack.

Here's a link to some highlights and game report.

http://www.slubillikens.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=27200&ATCLID=205917870

The basketball world got a look at Tai Webster last year and it liked what it saw. Offers from colleges started flowing in and after an enjoyable recruiting process he opted to sign with Big Ten school the University of Nebraska while on an official visit there in December. The Cornhuskers as they are known, are very much a program on the rise and are coached by up and coming first year head coach Tim Miles, they currently sit at 9-6 for the season. Miles knows just how important Tai Webster will be to his team and recruitment experts have begun to cotton on to how exciting of a player this kid really is. ESPN have him ranked as the 29th best point guard in the 2013 class and his emergence led college basketball analyst Fran Fraschilla to declare: "I'd be shocked if there were 25 better 17-year-old players in the States than this kid".

http://kahnapedia.blogspot.co.nz/2013/01/kiwis-in-college-tai-webster-exclusive.html#!/2013/01/kiwis-in-college-tai-webster-exclusive.html

UH Warriors went down to UC Irvine 68-64

Fotu with 4 points 3 rebounds 3 assists in 33minutes

Pitt Panthers Vs Georgetown Hoya's

Pitt have pretty much had their way with the 19 ranked Hoya's 73-45 handing the Hoyas their worst loss in nearly four decades.

Steven Adams in 26mins had 6 points 3 rebounds 3 blocks 1 steal.
Talib Zanna had 15 points to lead the way for the Panthers.
No player scored in double figures for the Hoyas.

Rob Loe had a quiet night with just 2 points (1/2) 1 rebound 1 block 1 steal in 15 minutes for the St Louis Billikins in their victory over Savannah State.

In the previous game against New Mexico Rob Loe scored 7 points.

St Louis have now won 8 games in a row.

Pitt have gone down to Rutgers 67-62.

Steven Adams had 8 points (4/6) 4 rebounds 2 steals in 28 minutes.

Pitt (24) travel to the Verizon Center to take on Georgetown (15) next for the final Big East game between the two schools. It will be the 77th time the 2 schools have met with Georgetown holding a 41-35 advantage in the series but Pitt has won five of the last seven meetings between the two schools. Pitt is 6-2 vs. Georgetown in the Verizon/MCI Center since 2001.

Hawaii beat UC Riverside 76-61 to stay atop of the Big West Conference. Redshirt Freshman Brandon Jawato came of the bench for Hawaii to drain 7 straight 3's in the first half and finished the game with 21 points and Christian Standhardinger added 17 points and five rebounds as a crowd of 6,214 at the Stan Sheriff Center watched the Warriors improve to 9-5 overall and 3-0 in the Big West, tied for first place with Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

Freshman Forward Isaac Fotu contributed 10 points (5/7) 3 rebounds 3 assists in 30 minutes of action.

http://www.warriorinsider.com/2013/01/updated-warriors-top-fullerton-on-jeffersons-buzzer-beater/

some great highlights of Fotu and include Jefferson's floater on the buzzer to win it for Hawaii.

I think a lot of people just expected him (Adams) to go in and just dominate but I don't think he's greedy offensively and is still finding his feet defensively. I believe he will improve quickly as he adjusts to everything on the court and off it.

UH Warriors 90 - Cal State Fullerton Titans 88

Isaac Fotu with 29 points (20 points on 10/12 shooting in the first 20mins) 9 rebounds.

great numbers for the freshman forward.

Fotu is doing really well so far this season. Definitely worth keeping an eye on him.

As for Adams, I would be interested in the thoughts of others as to his progress to date in college hoops. I have not yet seen him play a game, but his stats in general appear to be underwhelming for a potential 'one and done' player...

The University of Hawaii made its Big West Conference debut a rousing success by holding off Cal State Northridge, 74-71. Isaac Fotu scored 16 points to go with his 11 rebounds. Coach Gib Arnold mentioning how special his freshman forward from NZ is after the game. Fotu seems to be enjoying his basketball in Hawaii.

Pitt have gone down 61-70 to Cincinnati

Adams played 24 minutes for 0 points 9 rebounds 1 assist 1 block and 4 fouls.

The University of Pittsburgh men’s basketball team earned its first national ratings of the 2012-13 season when it was ranked No. 24 in this afternoon’s Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN Coaches’ poll. Pitt earned 189 total votes in the Associated Press poll and garnered 97 votes in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches’ poll.


Pitt is one of six Big East Conference teams ranked in both top-25 polls: No. 4/3 Louisville, No. 8/8 Cincinnati, No. 9/7 Syracuse, No. 15/18 Georgetown, No. 21/20 Notre Dame and No. 24/24 Pitt.

taken from the Pitt Panthers Basketball website. Great to have a Kiwi starting/playing for a nationally ranked team

UH Warriors dropped the last game of the Diamond Head Classic to Mississippi finishing the tournament 1-2 in 6th place. Fotu had 11 points

Kennesaw State vs PITT

Pitt win 59-43

Adams with 7 points 7 rebounds 1 block in 24mins