Northwestern poses problems for UALR

PETE PERKINS
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

EVANSTON, Ill. -- This isn't a place a basketball coach wants to start. Not now.
The man who perfected Princeton's system of precise passes, dives, cuts, and back cuts -- a system that has bedeviled ranked teams for a decade -- has moved to Northwestern.
Bill Carmody, after 14 years assisting Pete Carril at Princeton, and four seasons at Carril's replacement, was hired last summer as Northwestern's head coach.
UALR Coach Porter Moser, hired as Sidney Moncrief's replacement on May 18, said he was disappointed when he heard Northwestern hired Carmody.
In his four seasons as Princeton's head coach, Carmody led his non-scholarship, Ivy League team to victories over teams from the Atlantic Coach Conference, the Big East, and Conference USA. His 1998-1999 team won the Rainbow Classic in Hawaii over Florida State, Texas, and North Carolina-Charlotte. North Carolina State and Georgetown fell to Princeton in the 1999 National Invitation Tournament.
Next up is UALR. The Wildcats will play host to the Trojans at 7:05 tonight at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
"When you say 'Princeton,' every coach cringes," Moser said. "It's the way they play. They spread you out, and then they back cut and back cut. They back cut you to death. They end up making you play ugly basketball because they're so disciplined. You can get frustrated very easily. And now, he's bringing that style to Northwestern. So he's going to run the same style, but with Big Ten talent."
Carmody said that is eventually the idea. But, for now, he will take the court with a team that finished last season at 5-25, and 0-16 in the Big Ten.
"We really had some terrific players at Princeton over the years," Carmody said. "The players there are much better than the players we have at Northwestern now. If we can get our players up to the caliber of the Princeton players, I'll feel pretty good, because those guys competed very well against very good teams.
"Over the long run, we'll get good players. One of the reasons I took this job is that, if we can compete at Princeton, and we're going to get better players here eventually, then why can't we do it here?"
Regardless of Northwestern's talent, Moser said it's difficult to prepare for teams coached by Carmody.
"They're hard to practice for," Moser said. "It's hard to get your scout team to run their offense like they do, because that's an offense that takes a long time to put in. Northwestern's been working on it the whole pre-season. For us to prepare for them, when we can only take three or four days, that's tough."
Even five weeks isn't enough time, Carmody said.
"If you've been at a place for a while, and you have freshmen, they can learn how a system's run by watching the older guys," Carmody said. "We have six freshman, six sophomores, and one junior, and none of them knows what it's supposed to look like when it's going good. That might slow down a team trying to learn it, because they don't see it working well right off the bat."
UALR, 4-24 last season, will start two freshmen against Northwestern, including 6-9 center Darius Eason.
"Our post players are very important to stopping Northwestern," Moser said. "They have to back off in the lane, play safety, and play really big. They have to get their arms out, to cover space. Northwestern will think, 'You give us 6 inches, we'll get the layup. We really have to pack it in."
Eason, of Little Rock McClellan, knows he will play a crucial role in UALR's defensive scheme.
"At center, I have to be aware of the whole court," Eason said. "I have to watch my man, and the paint. I have basically the hardest job, but my confidence is as high as it can be."

WHEN 7:05 tonight
WHERE Welsh-Ryan Arena
RECORDS UALR 0-0; Northwestern 0-0
SERIES First meeting
RADIO Live radio broadcast on Comcast Channel 11, pregame 6:35 p.m.; tape delay KABZ-FM 103.7

PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS
UALR HT. YR.
Alex Finger, G 6-0 So.
Laverne Smith, G 6-3 Sr.
Co Willis, F 6-5 Fr.
Damion Ninkovic, F 6-5 Jr.
Darius Eason, C 6-9 Fr.

NORTHWESTERN
Ben Johnson, G 6-2 So.
Jitim Young, G 6-2 Fr.
Winston Blake, F 6-5 So.
Jason Burke, F 6-6 So.
Aaron Jennings, C 6-9 So.

GAME INFORMATION
COACHES Porter Moser (0-0 in first season at UALR and overall); Bill Carmody (0-0 in first season at Northwestern, 92-25 in fifth season overall)
KEYS TO VICTORY UALR will have to hope it can maintain its shooting percentage from its two exhibition games. Defensively, UALR must maintain patience against Northwestern's motion offense. Northwestern will play its first regular season game under Coach Bill Carmody's Princeton offense. It must execute precise passes after only five weeks of preparation.
QUOTING COACH MOSER "Mostly, I'm looking forward to playing a Big 10 team on the road. We play most of our games on the road, so to be successful, we must show we can compete on the road, and win on the road."
QUOTING COACH CARMODY "Really, games this time of year don't mean much. Once you get into your conference schedule, they start meaning a lot. Right now, all you're trying to do is figure out which guys are going to go out and make the biggest difference for you."
NOTEWORTHY UALR is 10-2 in its last 12 season openers. ... The last time UALR opened a regular season on the road, in 1998, it defeated UAPB 86-80 in overtime. ... UALR lost its last three games last season by an average of 17.7 points. ... UALR is 1-19 in its last 20 games. ... Senior forward Stan Blackmon and senior guard Alan Barksdale, two of UALR's starters and top-three leading scorers from last season, will not start against Northwestern. Blackmon averaged a team-high 15.9 points a game last season. Barksdale averaged 13.5. ... Blackmon has scored 10 or more points in 16 consecutive games. ... Senior guard Laverne Smith has scored 10 or more points in 13 consecutive games. ... Barksdale is second on UALR's career list for three-point shots made with 175. Malik Dixon set the record of 199 from 1993-97. ... Northwestern finished last season at 5-25, and 0-16 in the Big 10 Conference.
-- Pete Perkins

This article was published on Saturday, November 18, 2000

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