Alvarado out for three games with fractured orbital bone

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Mike Alvarado out for three games with fractured orbital bone under left eye
Alvarado showed up at practice sporting a bandage over his left eye




Manhattan's surprise season hit a major pothole Friday when coach Steve Masiello announced starting point guard Mike Alvarado will be lost for the final three games of the regular season as he deals with a fractured orbital bone under his left eye.

The injury occurred in the Jaspers? loss at Siena Tuesday night.

?If there?s one guy on this team we could not afford to lose right now, outside of maybe George Beamon, it was Mike,? the first-year coach said before practice Friday. ?Mike has really been growing into his role this year and to lose him is a big blow to our team.?

Alvarado showed up at practice sporting a bandage over his left eye because he was also suffering from double vision.

Both Alvarado and Masiello expect the sophomore to be back running the show in time for the MAAC Tournament that begins March 2 in Springfield, Mass.

?It?s really frustrating,? Alvarado told the Daily News. ?I thought I had a minor concussion and I thought I?d be back right away. But once I hard the news (Thursday) I was shocked. I was really surprised. We?re having such a great year and it?s toward the end of the season and the MAAC Tournament. It?s just bad timing.?

Alvarado suffered the injury when he took an inadvertent elbow to the face from Siena?s O.D Onisike.

?It was not intentional,? Alvarado said. ?But he?s a big guy and he gave me a good shot.?

The Jaspers (18-10, 11-5)are set to take on North Carolina-Wilmington Saturday at 2 p.m. in a Bracketbuster matchup at Draddy Gym and have two MAAC regular-season games remaining,against Canisius and Loyola (Md.) on Feb. 24 and 26, respectively, both at home. But Alvarado?s injury cast a pall over what has turned out to be a surprising turnaround season.

?This hurts,? junior guard and leading scorer George Beamon said. ?He was definitely growing and becoming a great leader. I?m praying for him. I?m hoping he gets through this.?

Masiello said he might look to freshman Donovan Kates to fill in at the point until Alvarado heals. That plan was all right with Kates.

?In high school I played backup to our point guard so it?s a position I?m used to,? Kates said. ?I?ll just try and get my teammates involved like Mike does. Just keep it simple. Limit turnovers and just do the best I can to try and help us win. But Mike?s loss is a big one for us. He?s a huge part of this team. Mike?s a great player. In my opinion, he?s the best point guard in our conference. With him being out it?s a big loss for us so the rest of us have to try and pick it up as a team until we can get him back on the court.?

?We never want to lose anybody,? said Beamon, who missed Friday?s practice with a swollen knee but is expected to play vs. UNC-Wilmington. ?But I?d rather we lose him now than in the MAAC Tournament because we?re definitely going to need him there. He?s a big member of our team. But this could be a good thing, to see who steps up, get some guys some playing time and then we can see what else we have and that could give us another factor for the tournament. Make a positive out of a negative.?

But Alvarado vows that come tournament time, he will be running the point again for the Jaspers.

?It?s a little sore right now and I have a little difficulty seeing out of my left eye,? Alvarado said. ?But I think I?ll be all right. It?s a little tender and I?m seeing double out of my eye, that?s why I?m wearing the eye patch. But I?ll be back for the MAAC Tournament. I?ll be wearing one of those Rip Hamilton masks. But I?ll be back. It?s just really frustrating right now. But I just have to find a way to help my teammates and stay as positive as I can and get ready to return for the MAAC Tournament.?

 

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Seahawks tired of getting pushed around





The 9-17 record is not what Buzz Peterson envisioned for his UNCW men's basketball team at this point in the season. He anticipated they'd be improving also, although it's difficult to make that case after the Seahawks took a 17-point beating at Old Dominion earlier this week.


Facts
UNCW (9-17) vs. Manhattan (18-10)

What You Need to Know: Seahawks go for just their second win in the ESPN BracketBusters series, facing the Jaspers of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Keeping versatile forward George Beamon (17.7 ppg, 41.4 percent 3PFGs) in check will be critical.

UNCW freshman Cedrick Williams is finishing strong, with 8.3 ppg and 8.7 rpg in the last three games.

?I thought we would be playing a little bit better,? Peterson said. ?But when (Craig) Ponder went out (in November), I had a lot of concern then. You've got to have good guard play. He was our one really true point guard we have. The rest of the guys fill in, they're combos or whatever. He was the one guy who played a lot of point and when that happened, it was a big concern of mine at the beginning of the year.?

The UNCW staff has patched together a backcourt rotation and looks forward to Ponder's return. He underwent ankle surgery on January 3rd, and hopes to be full speed by the summer.

What's really bothered Peterson in his second year on the sidelines, however, is watching his players get pushed around every night. The Colonial Athletic Association earned its reputation as a physical conference, both under the boards and on the perimeter. Tired of seeing his team lose the battles for position, Peterson ordered an accelerated weight training program, under the direction of strength coach Pat Murphy.

?We have been hitting the weights pretty hard,? Peterson said. ?We've gotten after it. I've had my whole staff in there watching the weights. We've spent 45, 50, 60 minutes in the weight room, several times a week.?

The five Seahawks who started against ODU weighed on average 190 pounds. Like most nights in the CAA this season, UNCW gave up 10-20 pounds per position. The battle for loose balls, rebounds and floor position is usually won by the stronger player.

Peterson has lamented not having a ?training table? on campus, somewhere that coaches and staff can control what foods their players eat, make sure they're receiving a well-balanced diet.

Some of the Seahawks slenderness can be attributed to their youth. Freshmen have played 49 percent of the minutes for the team this season. It's not uncommon for an 18 or 19-year-old's body to look puny compared to a 22 or 23-year-old.

UNCW has room to grow in all areas. Still, while skill development, tighter defensive rotations and a sharper basketball IQ are important, it could be bulging biceps, defined pectorals and stronger cores that determine whether UNCW climbs toward the conference's upper crust next season.

Each of the freshmen has mentioned their desire to get stronger in the offseason. Equally important is maintaining that weight as next season unfolds. Talking about it in February is one thing, however. Staying on that path during a long, dull summer requires a different level of commitment altogether.

 

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Seahawks look for BracketBusters good fortune in New York






In light of the travel expense, team record, nonconference factor, etc. I did not make the trip north for the UNCW ? Manhattan game, which tips at 2 p.m. Saturday.


No worries though, I?ll provide typical pregame coverage. And, because the game is a matinee, this seems like as good of a time as any. So here goes ?

UNCW (9-17) at Manhattan (18-10)

Seahawks are 1-5 all-time in the BracketBusters bonanza.


Ken Pomeroy is confident in the Jaspers chances. He projects a 76-62 Manhattan victory, gives the Seahawks an 11 percent chance of pulling the upset in the cozy Draddy Gymnasium. KenPom is 20-6 predicting UNCW games this season. He has Manhattan No. 103 in the nation in his rankings, while the Hawks are No. 239.


If Buzz Peterson runs into a genie in the Big Apple, I know one thing he?ll wish for: 20 pounds of muscle per player. The lack of weight won?t be as big of a deal today, but becoming stronger and heavier is a priority for the program as it attempts to return to relevance in the CAA.

Here?s general information on Manhattan College, which is actually located in Riverdale in the Bronx and apparently invented the 7th-inning stretch in baseball.

This will be the fourth game against the CAA this season for Manhattan, which is led by 6-foot-4 swingman George Beamon (17.7 ppg) and gets between five and eight points from seven other players, none of whom is bigger than 6-foot-7, 210 pounds. The Jaspers led wire-t0-wire in winning at Hofstra 68-59 in December. They also won at Towson by 19 and lost at George Mason by 20.




Can Hawks handle the pressure? ? Folks I trust who have seen the Jaspers live this season mention a quick, athletic team that likes to apply fullcourt pressure then rotate back into a zone. Their opponents turnover rate (23.3) reflects that style. Only 37 teams in the nation force their foes to lose the ball more frequently. Despite not having a true point guard in uniform, the Seahawks made strides with their ball control over the course of the season. They have a respectable turnover rate of 20.2 percent, slightly better than the national Division I average. In the last 11 games, they?ve only had one unacceptable turnover rate (26.0 percent in the 18-point loss at Delaware on Feb. 8th). On the other hand, they haven?t faced a team that really cranks up the fullcourt pressure consistently either. Tanner Milson has played well, of late. He?s committed seven turnovers in the last 198 minutes, and looks poised to finish the season at point guard. Showing poise against the Jaspers will be imperative today.

The Hawks must establish their posts inside ? As mentioned earlier, the Jaspers are short and light in the frontcourt. Keith Rendleman and Cedrick Williams are playing well and don?t have to worry about being outmuscled in the paint. But, a closer look reveals that Manhattan is very good at defending the paint, using their zone to hold opponents to 43.8 percent shooting inside-the-arc (41st in the nation). UNCW needs to win this matchup so it doesn?t fall into the trap of jacking out-of-rhythm 3-pointers.

Adam Smith ? This just feels like a good matchup for the Seahawks dynamic shooting guard. He?s had a solid freshman season ? and many of his best games have occurred outside the Colonial Athletic Association. He?s averaging 14.9 points and 3.1 rebounds on the season and has more assists (44) than turnovers (36).