Sports and Rants with Brett and Pants : isaiah Miles

Sunday, January 4, 2015

Hawks Improving

The Saint Joseph’s Hawks started conference play losing 64-60 to George Washington. From tip-off the Colonials played as if they had the game won. It appeared as if the Colonials put very little effort in the game. They played soft and let the shot clock run down each of their possessions. The Hawks did not play at a high-level the entire 40 minutes. It is a mystery as to what sparked the team, but something got them going in the second half.

Even with limited possessions and being down by 20 at one point, the Hawks played with hustle and desire. Character shows when a team is losing. St. Joe’s did not lose any tenacity while playing down throughout the entire game. SJU never gave up as they scored more points in the last 11 minutes, 32 compared to 28 in the first 29 minutes. The Hawks played better when they were pressing. Their passing was smoother on the run and they attacked the basket.

The Colonials are one of the better teams in the Atlantic 10. For the Hawks next match-up, they will travel to A.J. Palumbo Center in Pittsburgh to play Duquesne. Both teams are considered to be the weaker teams in the Atlantic 10. After playing Duquesne, Saint Joseph’s plays another top conference team, in VCU on Saturday. Playing these two tougher conference games early, will help the Hawks improve. We already saw the them improve throughout the George Washington game.

Isaiah Miles inconsistency is the Hawks biggest issue. His role on the team is to be the perimeter shooter. It appears as if Miles can only make an impact in a game when the team did not fall to an early deficit. He needs to learn to how to be part of the flow of the game even when the team is losing.

Right now, St. Joe's is a one man show. DeAndre Bembry is the only player the opposing team has to worry about. If DeAndre has the ball in his hands at the start of the game, St. Joe’s will not be trailing early. The team can feed off of his energy. Once the team has momentum, Bembry can act as a facilitator. The team needs to learn to play through him in order to play their best basketball.

Hawk fans can see the team’s potential. The team needs to learn how to play together as a team from tip-off and not when their backs are up against the wall. If pressure is how the team will score their points, then the quicker players should be on the court more.

- Pants

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SportsAndRants

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SportsAndRants

Instagram: http://instagram.com/sportsandrants

itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/sports-rants-brett-pants/id934063452?mt=2&uo=4

Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Miles, Hot or Cold

At the start of the season, St. Joseph’s Hawks were lacking a player that can carry the team and Isaiah Miles has had moments leaving fans questioning why he is part of the starting five. Recently, the starting forward has had moments having fans standing up and cheering.

Last season, Isaiah only averaged 9.3 minutes on the court. Miles did not receive enough playing time last year for him to grow. He was playing behind solid starters such as Halil Kanacevic and Ronald Roberts Jr. This year, Isaiah Miles is starting and averaging 29 minutes a game. His confidence has grown from this valuable playing time. He is no longer timid to shoot a three. At the start of the season, it appeared as if hesitation made his shot slow. Now, there is no hesitation and he is a better three point shooter because of it.

The Hawks last five match-ups were against Denver, Marist, Loyola, Villanova, and Temple. The six foot seven forward scored 24, 23, 9, 0, and 20 respectively. When Isaiah is hot, he is the most impactful player on the team. However, when he is not the team struggles. When St. Joe’s played Temple, Hawk fans first saw Miles’ true potential and why Coach Martelli recruited him. Miles led the team in scoring with 20 points and rebounding with 9. Miles’ presence was never felt against Villanova because in the first four minutes he had 2 fouls, which brought him to the bench early. Against Loyola, Miles had an average game statistically while the team played tremendously.

Miles dominated against Marist and Denver with his three point shooting. He went 4-7 behind the arc against Marist and 4-6 against Denver, combining to a 62% three point percentage. The first nine games of the season, he was shooting only shooting 23% behind the arc. Before Marist he never scored four threes before, now he has done in back to back games. He has accounted for almost a third of the team’s points during the past two games.

Isaiah Miles has shown that he can carry the team. The junior out of Baltimore has grown throughout the non-conference play and first 11 games of the season. Miles has likely become the shooter that the Hawks can rely upon to take a game deciding shot. It seems as if Isaiah Miles has grown into the three point shooter that the team needs for conference play, which starts January 3^rd at 2 against George Washington. St. Joe’s fans are hoping that Miles is not just on a hot streak, but this is the player he truly is.

- Pants