HUNTINGTON - Much went wrong for Marshall's basketball team in its 87-67 Conference USA loss to league leader Memphis Saturday at the Cam Henderson Center.
HUNTINGTON - Much went wrong for Marshall's basketball team in its 87-67 Conference USA loss to league leader Memphis Saturday at the Cam Henderson Center.
The Thundering Herd allowed way too many jams. Which turned it into toast. Also, every time Marshall had an opportunity to make the crowd of 8,252 explode, the team imploded. A missed dunk by Tiger forward Ferrakohn Hall didn't spark a rally. Then, when DeAndre Kane made a great bounce pass on a break, Dennis Tinnon bungled the dunk attempt, defusing a potential crowd explosion.
There were also hoots at the officials from the partisans leaving the Henderson Center. They had a point on a potential powder keg of a situation. Under the Memphis basket, Kane was called for a flagrant foul on Joe Jackson, which was questionable, and nothing was called on an apparent chest bump from what appeared to be Tiger Wesley Witherspoon afterward to Kane. A small fracas broke out. It was a mess.
But although there were serious Marshall defensive lapses and missed opportunities, as well as the somewhat questionable officiating, there was another key to the Herd's loss.
Kane simply was not able.
Some of us have senior moments. The sophomore from Pittsburgh had a Truck Bryant moment.
MU coach Tom Herrion said his team "unraveled." Kane did more so than King Tut.
The 6-foot-4 guard connected on but 5-of-19 field goal attempts. He hit just 4-of-11 free throws. Rebounds? One in 36 minutes of action. And he had five turnovers.
And that from the team's game leading scorer, along with Tinnon. Both had 16 points.
There's more. Kane hit the grand slam of fouls: personal, flagrant, a technical that counted as a personal and one that did not.
Some of those were dumb. One was actually entertaining. The Pittsburgh native missed a dunk, but was able to gather the carom and tried to go back for another jam on the same leap. The problem: He was hanging on the rim to keep him in the air. T.
Kane's game just did not raise his team. It's something experienced many times like that of West Virginia's Bryant.
Fortunately, Bryant always appears after his train wrecks and addresses the media. Unfortunately, Kane wasn't given the opportunity. Marshall sports information Steven Schoon said it was his decision not to make the sophomore available. He hinted there was concern Kane would go off on the fracas, like Cincinnati players earlier this season after a brawl with Xavier.
HUNTINGTON - Much went wrong for Marshall's basketball team in its 87-67 Conference USA loss to league leader Memphis Saturday at the Cam Henderson Center.
The Thundering Herd allowed way too many jams. Which turned it into toast. Also, every time Marshall had an opportunity to make the crowd of 8,252 explode, the team imploded. A missed dunk by Tiger forward Ferrakohn Hall didn't spark a rally. Then, when DeAndre Kane made a great bounce pass on a break, Dennis Tinnon bungled the dunk attempt, defusing a potential crowd explosion.
There were also hoots at the officials from the partisans leaving the Henderson Center. They had a point on a potential powder keg of a situation. Under the Memphis basket, Kane was called for a flagrant foul on Joe Jackson, which was questionable, and nothing was called on an apparent chest bump from what appeared to be Tiger Wesley Witherspoon afterward to Kane. A small fracas broke out. It was a mess.
But although there were serious Marshall defensive lapses and missed opportunities, as well as the somewhat questionable officiating, there was another key to the Herd's loss.
Kane simply was not able.
Some of us have senior moments. The sophomore from Pittsburgh had a Truck Bryant moment.
MU coach Tom Herrion said his team "unraveled." Kane did more so than King Tut.
The 6-foot-4 guard connected on but 5-of-19 field goal attempts. He hit just 4-of-11 free throws. Rebounds? One in 36 minutes of action. And he had five turnovers.
And that from the team's game leading scorer, along with Tinnon. Both had 16 points.
There's more. Kane hit the grand slam of fouls: personal, flagrant, a technical that counted as a personal and one that did not.
Some of those were dumb. One was actually entertaining. The Pittsburgh native missed a dunk, but was able to gather the carom and tried to go back for another jam on the same leap. The problem: He was hanging on the rim to keep him in the air. T.
Kane's game just did not raise his team. It's something experienced many times like that of West Virginia's Bryant.
Fortunately, Bryant always appears after his train wrecks and addresses the media. Unfortunately, Kane wasn't given the opportunity. Marshall sports information Steven Schoon said it was his decision not to make the sophomore available. He hinted there was concern Kane would go off on the fracas, like Cincinnati players earlier this season after a brawl with Xavier.
It always seemed to me, however, such are opportunities for student-athletes to learn how to handle adversity. There's a bunch of it in the real world. And there isn't a bunch of people shielding you.
Those made available to the media were professional on the subject of Kane. Herrion said he "wasn't in the position to evaluate any one player." He pointed to the defense, saying it was "horrible."
And he was correct. Kane's teammate Shaquille Johnson called him a competitor and some of the missteps were because he was "frustrated."
Memphis coach Josh Pastner said nothing special was drawn up to contain Kane, who entered averaging 15.7 points.
"We talked about needing to do a great job on him," Pastner said. "He could go for 35 or 40 [points]. But we can't do too much with him because they have Pitts and Shaq Johnson and their big guys."
He earlier called Kane "a heck of a player" and a "big-time, big-time talent.
And, yes, sometimes Kane plays like a big-time talent.
Saturday, though, was not one of those times.
He had a Truck moment.
Reach Mitch Vingle at 304-348-4827, mitchvin...@wvgazette.com or follow him at twitter.com/MitchVingle.
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