With the summer league season quickly advancing toward the playoffs, time is running short for getting a good look at the various Robert Morris players involved in the Pro-Am. But Wednesday night's return from the July 4th break brought two new faces to the court. Well, at least one new face. The other one looked pretty familiar.
Onto the action...
UPMC 102, SHALE ATTORNEY 80
The opener of the night brought a fresh look. Some of the rosters are different now that the West Virginia players are no longer participating, and a few new faces popped in to shore up the lineups. One was Kavon Stewart, who suited up for UPMC for the first time. Still not quite 100 percent after tweaking his knee in workouts, Stewart still showed plenty of flash and sizzle in his first appearance this summer. The heir apparent to the starting point guard spot following Anthony Myers-Pate's graduation, Stewart showed off his impressive handle and quickness early and often. The sophomore finished with 11 assists, one of the few times a player has hit double-digits this season.
His shot is still a work in progress, but there's no questioning Stewart's vision, ball-handling and and capabilities as a floor general. The shot will determine just how good he becomes offensively. Still, a pass-first point guard with his sizzle is always a plus even if the shot remains shaky.
On the other end, an old friend showed up. Former Robert Morris star Jeremy Chappell, gearing up for another season overseas, made his cameo appearance in the Pro-Am by playing in the first of two games. Chappell is the same player who won the NEC Player of the Year award in 2009 and starred in the "Chappell Show" for four years at RMU. He had 14 points, six rebounds and four assists.
SOUTH HILLS AUDI 86, SYSTEM ONE 85
No Robert Morris players participated in this one as South Hills barely remained undefeated. Pitt's James Robinson threw everything he had at the league's most balanced roster, but he and System One fell just shy. Robinson had 30 points to go with seven assists and six rebounds, one of the better all-around performances of the summer so far. Pitt teammate Mike Young also had an outstanding, well-rounded game with 20 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.
How did South Hills win, then? Lance Jeter happened. The bulldog of a point guard is one of the "old guys" in the gym but he still has game. He's one of the most pure point guards in the league every summer, and it's almost a right of passage to go up against him. Jeter had 14 points, but the real story was his 16 assists. Double-digit assist totals aren't common because of the number of missed shots and one-on-one opportunities, but Jeter always challenges the mark. His 16 on Wednesday are believed to be a league record.
PGT 96, BAKERY SQUARE 92
Another game and another argument proffered by Lucky Jones that he might be the MVP of the league. Jones, the league-leader in scoring, had 25 points and 11 rebounds to guide his team in a close one. Jones is taking a variety of shots and continuing to work on his 3-point prowess, as he knocked down 5-of-9 attempts from beyond the stripe. Pitt players Josh Newkirk (23 points, 8 assists) and Derrick Randall (19 points, 21 rebounds) provided plenty of support in the close contest.
Some of the roster shuffling meant Marcquise Reed suited up for Bakery Square for the first time. Reed and Chappell came off the bench for Bakery Square. In his second game of the night, Chappell chipped in six points and four rebounds. Reed, meanwhile, continued to show some flashes. He had 13 points, five rebounds and three assists, and he also had a couple of steals. Reed had a solid performance and if he sticks with Bakery Square, might do better away from the more dominant personalities of James Robinson and Michael Young on System One.
CRONS 90, GNC 88
The final game of the night had some of the best drama. With Pitt's Cam Wright and and Duquesne's Derrick Colter leading the charge, CRONS built up an early lead. Colter had 29 points and Wright had 24 points, and for the longest time it appeared they would guide CRONS to the win.
Then Karvel Anderson happened.
The former Robert Morris star took over the final few minutes of the game, single-handedly erasing an 8-point deficit with back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers in traffic. The second drew some "oohs", but the third - which tied the game at 88 - left the crowd a little stunned and in disbelief. RMU opponents can commiserate. Alas, Anderson never got a look at the game-winner. While the consensus among seasoned observers was that we would have fouled to give Anderson a shot at the winner, GNC chose to allow a game-winning shot and it resulted in a tap in at the buzzer. Anderson finished with 32 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists.
GNC had quite the RMU flavor. Andre Frederick joined the squad due to some miss-communication about his game time. Frederick normally suits up with UPMC but provided four points and four rebounds. He missed part of the second half after tweaking his knee, on which he's been wearing a brace. The other GNC regulars, Jafar Kinsey and Lionel Gomis, had really strong games. Gomis had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. He continues to be very active around the basket, and while his touch around the rim could use some polish, he's willing to be aggressive down low. He's definitely going to be one to watch once the preseason workouts begin. Kinsey, meanwhile, had his best game of the summer. He had 22 points to go with 2 assists, and he showed a nice shooting touch this time. Kinsey was 8-of-11 from the floor, including 6-of-9 from 3-point range.
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Charles Oliver, Aaron Tate, Jairus Lyles, Rodney Pryor, Ryan Skovranko and Elijah Minnie did not play. The final week of 'regular season' action resumes on Monday. There will be games on Wednesday even though they're not on the schedule.
Onto the action...
UPMC 102, SHALE ATTORNEY 80
The opener of the night brought a fresh look. Some of the rosters are different now that the West Virginia players are no longer participating, and a few new faces popped in to shore up the lineups. One was Kavon Stewart, who suited up for UPMC for the first time. Still not quite 100 percent after tweaking his knee in workouts, Stewart still showed plenty of flash and sizzle in his first appearance this summer. The heir apparent to the starting point guard spot following Anthony Myers-Pate's graduation, Stewart showed off his impressive handle and quickness early and often. The sophomore finished with 11 assists, one of the few times a player has hit double-digits this season.
His shot is still a work in progress, but there's no questioning Stewart's vision, ball-handling and and capabilities as a floor general. The shot will determine just how good he becomes offensively. Still, a pass-first point guard with his sizzle is always a plus even if the shot remains shaky.
On the other end, an old friend showed up. Former Robert Morris star Jeremy Chappell, gearing up for another season overseas, made his cameo appearance in the Pro-Am by playing in the first of two games. Chappell is the same player who won the NEC Player of the Year award in 2009 and starred in the "Chappell Show" for four years at RMU. He had 14 points, six rebounds and four assists.
SOUTH HILLS AUDI 86, SYSTEM ONE 85
No Robert Morris players participated in this one as South Hills barely remained undefeated. Pitt's James Robinson threw everything he had at the league's most balanced roster, but he and System One fell just shy. Robinson had 30 points to go with seven assists and six rebounds, one of the better all-around performances of the summer so far. Pitt teammate Mike Young also had an outstanding, well-rounded game with 20 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.
How did South Hills win, then? Lance Jeter happened. The bulldog of a point guard is one of the "old guys" in the gym but he still has game. He's one of the most pure point guards in the league every summer, and it's almost a right of passage to go up against him. Jeter had 14 points, but the real story was his 16 assists. Double-digit assist totals aren't common because of the number of missed shots and one-on-one opportunities, but Jeter always challenges the mark. His 16 on Wednesday are believed to be a league record.
PGT 96, BAKERY SQUARE 92
Another game and another argument proffered by Lucky Jones that he might be the MVP of the league. Jones, the league-leader in scoring, had 25 points and 11 rebounds to guide his team in a close one. Jones is taking a variety of shots and continuing to work on his 3-point prowess, as he knocked down 5-of-9 attempts from beyond the stripe. Pitt players Josh Newkirk (23 points, 8 assists) and Derrick Randall (19 points, 21 rebounds) provided plenty of support in the close contest.
Some of the roster shuffling meant Marcquise Reed suited up for Bakery Square for the first time. Reed and Chappell came off the bench for Bakery Square. In his second game of the night, Chappell chipped in six points and four rebounds. Reed, meanwhile, continued to show some flashes. He had 13 points, five rebounds and three assists, and he also had a couple of steals. Reed had a solid performance and if he sticks with Bakery Square, might do better away from the more dominant personalities of James Robinson and Michael Young on System One.
CRONS 90, GNC 88
The final game of the night had some of the best drama. With Pitt's Cam Wright and and Duquesne's Derrick Colter leading the charge, CRONS built up an early lead. Colter had 29 points and Wright had 24 points, and for the longest time it appeared they would guide CRONS to the win.
Then Karvel Anderson happened.
The former Robert Morris star took over the final few minutes of the game, single-handedly erasing an 8-point deficit with back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers in traffic. The second drew some "oohs", but the third - which tied the game at 88 - left the crowd a little stunned and in disbelief. RMU opponents can commiserate. Alas, Anderson never got a look at the game-winner. While the consensus among seasoned observers was that we would have fouled to give Anderson a shot at the winner, GNC chose to allow a game-winning shot and it resulted in a tap in at the buzzer. Anderson finished with 32 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists.
GNC had quite the RMU flavor. Andre Frederick joined the squad due to some miss-communication about his game time. Frederick normally suits up with UPMC but provided four points and four rebounds. He missed part of the second half after tweaking his knee, on which he's been wearing a brace. The other GNC regulars, Jafar Kinsey and Lionel Gomis, had really strong games. Gomis had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. He continues to be very active around the basket, and while his touch around the rim could use some polish, he's willing to be aggressive down low. He's definitely going to be one to watch once the preseason workouts begin. Kinsey, meanwhile, had his best game of the summer. He had 22 points to go with 2 assists, and he showed a nice shooting touch this time. Kinsey was 8-of-11 from the floor, including 6-of-9 from 3-point range.
------
Charles Oliver, Aaron Tate, Jairus Lyles, Rodney Pryor, Ryan Skovranko and Elijah Minnie did not play. The final week of 'regular season' action resumes on Monday. There will be games on Wednesday even though they're not on the schedule.
