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| Egzon Gjonbalaj poured in a triple-double vs. Stevens, with 34 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists. Brooklyn athletics file photo by Damon Reid |
The Brooklyn men’s basketball team scores a lot of points – 90.7 per game, to be exact.
“We want to push the ball,” coach Rich Micallef said.
But a high-tempo offense is not the only reason that No. 17 Brooklyn (9-0, 3-0 CUNYAC) is one of the best teams in the nation. Offense is not even the Bulldogs’ main focus.
Brooklyn struggled on defense last year, Micallef said, and improving in that area has been his priority. The Bulldogs played a gap defense last season like that of Frank Martin’s Division I South Carolina team. One player would pressure the ball, and the defenders who were one pass away would guard the passing lanes, or gaps, on the court.
It was a complicated system, Micallef said, and “there were too many breakdowns.”
Micallef felt that he had not put his players in position to succeed. So he changed his approach. This year, Brooklyn plays what Micallef described as a “traditional” pack-line defense. One player still pressures the ball, while the others sag inside the three-point line.
“We try to keep it more simple,” Micallef said.
So far, it has worked. Brooklyn has held its opponent below 70 points in five games. Overall, the Bulldogs’ defense allows 72.7 points per game.
When the defense has been less than stellar, the offense has compensated for it. Brooklyn allowed more than 80 points in two games this season – and both, of course, were wins. New Jersey City, a team tied for first place in the NJAC, scored 86 points – to Brooklyn’s 94 – on Nov. 18. On Dec. 2, Stevens scored 92 – and Brooklyn had its highest-scoring game of the season, with 107 points.
Brooklyn’s most recent games had more typical results. The Bulldogs earned a 91-64 win over John Jay on Dec. 4 and a 95-71 win over Medgar Evers on Dec. 7.
Four Brooklyn players average double figures in scoring. Senior guard/forward Egzon Gjonbalaj leads the Bulldogs with 22.1 points per game, while senior forward Lorenzo Williams is second with 18.1 points per contest. Senior guard Jamel Gist averages 15.8 points per game, and senior forward Edon Gjonbalaj adds 13.2.
With their potent offense and stifling defense, the Bulldogs seem capable of returning to the CUNYAC championship game. Last season, Brooklyn lost to Baruch in the final, 90-83 in double overtime. Brooklyn had led, 66-64, before a Baruch buzzer-beater sent the game to its first extra period.
“Our guys remember that,” Micallef said. “We were so close to putting them away, and it got away from us. And hats off to Baruch, John Alesi does a great job with them, and they had an excellent team. But our guys remember that.”
“We’re extremely hungry,” Williams said. “We just want to get back there and actually bring it home with us this time.”
Of course, the Bulldogs have not yet faced their toughest league competition. Lehman (6-2, 3-0) and Staten Island (5-2, 2-0) are also undefeated in CUNYAC play, and Staten Island and Baruch (4-4, 1-1) were picked to finish first in the conference in the preseason poll. The Bulldogs play at Lehman on Dec. 11 and host Staten Island and Baruch in early January.
But if Brooklyn should be scared of those teams, they should be scared of Brooklyn as well. These are not the same Bulldogs as last year. They’re better.
“Last year we were just trying to outscore everybody,” Williams said. “Now we’re trying to outscore people and stop them from getting over 70 points, 65 points.”
NJAC leaders
In NJAC women’s basketball, Montclair State sits in first place with a 4-0 conference record, with Rowan right behind at 3-0. All of the other NJAC teams have at least one conference loss, including Stockton, the team picked to finish in first place in the preseason poll. The Ospreys are 1-2 in league play, with one of those defeats an overtime loss to Rowan.
Montclair State, the three-time reigning NJAC champion, was selected to finish in second place, and Rowan was picked to finish fourth. Montclair State hosts Rowan on Jan. 6.
