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Tuesday, December 26, 2000
Kellogg stood tall New York City mayor Rudy Giulani is not the only Manhattan College alumnus famous for standing up against crime.
for Manhattan
Jaspers' player blew whistle
on gambling scandal
in 1951By Dave Reardon
Star-BulletinIn 1951 Jaspers' basketball player Junius Kellogg exposed a gambling scandal that involved 32 players from seven colleges. They admitted to taking bribes to fix 86 games in the late '40s.
Kellogg, Manhattan's leading scorer, refused to take part when approached to fix a game and notified his coach, Kenny Norton. Norton directed him to the D.A.'s office, and Kellogg helped bring the guilty parties to justice.
In 1954 Kellogg was confined to a wheelchair for life after a car accident, but remained active as a coach in wheelchair basketball and in other civic activities.
Basketball Tournament at Stan Sheriff Center RAINBOW CLASSIC
Tomorrow
Saint Louis vs. Texas A&M, 5 p.m.
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Kellogg, who died in 1998, appeared on the ballot for election to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame earlier this year.
While Kellogg's legacy is a huge part of Manhattan basketball, current coach Bobby Gonzalez said the Jaspers are more concerned with the here and now.
This week that means the Rainbow Classic. Manhattan (3-4) opens against host Hawaii (4-4) tomorrow.
"He's probably our most famous alumnus," Gonzalez said. "But when we recruit these guys now they barely know who Julius Erving is, much less Junius Kellogg."
Regardless, today's Jaspers battle in a style of which Kellogg would be proud.
St. John's beat Manhattan, 72-63, on Thursday, but the Jaspers led 38-32 at halftime.
"We played 'em tough, really tough," Gonzalez said.
"We like to play an up-tempo, press-and-run game, but we haven't averaged many points," he added. "We've played a lot of 'war games' against teams that like to keep the score in the 60s."
Manhattan might have a better chance to control the pace now that 6-7 freshman forward Dave Holmes is eligible. Holmes recently met NCAA clearinghouse requirements and, in his first college game, scored seven points and collected six rebounds in 21 minutes against St. John's.
The Jaspers' top player is senior Durelle Brown, a versatile 6-7 forward who scored a season-high 25 points against the Red Storm.
"He can play on the perimeter or post up," Gonzalez said. "He's very skilled and our only fourth-year guy."
Hawaii coach Riley Wallace said he expects a tough game.
"We look for them to mix their defenses a lot," Wallace said. "They play a brand of ball like Georgia State (which beat UH, 65-64, on Thursday)."
Wallace said post Troy Ostler, who sprained his left ankle in Saturday's 100-86 victory over Alabama-Birmingham, was still on crutches yesterday. UH's leading scorer and rebounder is expected to be out anywhere from two more days to two weeks.
Gonzalez is wary of the Rainbows, even without Ostler.
"They've got veteran guys. The foreign kids are older, they're men." Gonzalez said.
"I'm a little worried. We're playing Hawaii at Hawaii in their own tournament. Is that good? I don't know how good that is."
A capsule look at the teams in the 2000 Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic:
DETROIT MERCY
Record: 8-3, 0-0 Midwestern Collegiate.Coach: Perry Watson (131-79).
Top players: 5-10 Sr. G Rashad Phillips (21.3 ppg, 4.8 ppg), 6-4 So. G Willie Green (16.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.9 apg), 6-0 Jr. G Greg Grays (12.6 ppg, 2.8 apg), 6-7 So. F Terrell Riggs (10.6 ppg, 7.2 rpg).
First game: Iowa, 5 p.m., Thursday.
Outlook: The Titans began the season a Top-50 team, and have won three straight. But Phillips and Green have missed the past few games and an upset of Iowa will be difficult without them.
How about that: Watson has taken Detroit Mercy to the NCAA tournament twice. Not even former Titans coach Dick Vitale accomplished that.
GEORGE WASHINGTON
Record: 5-4, 0-0 Atlantic 10.Coach: Tom Penders (518-346)
Top players: 6-1 So. G SirValiant Brown (20.7 ppg), 6-3 So. G Chris Monroe (20.2 ppg, 5.6 rpg), 6-4 Sr. G Mike King (13.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 2.1 apg), 6-8 Sr. F Patrick Ngongha (7.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg).
First game: Tennessee, 7:30 p.m. Thursday.
Outlook: G.W. loves to run, but if it does so with Tennessee, it could find itself in triple-digit trouble.
How about that: The Colonials have four foreign players on their roster.
HAWAII
Record: 4-4, 0-0 WAC.Coach: Riley Wallace (286-251).
Top players: 6-10 Sr. F Troy Ostler (19.1 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 1.8 bpg), 6-6 Jr. G Predrag Savovic (15.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg), 6-5 Sr. F Nerijus Puida (10.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 6.4 apg), 6-7 Fr. F Phil Martin (8.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg), 5-11 Fr. G Jeep Hilton (2.1 ppg, 3.3 apg).
First game: Manhattan, 7:30 p.m., tomorrow.
Outlook: Just when the Rainbows looked like they were coming together, Ostler gets hurt. How far UH goes in this tournament depends in large part on how quickly he heals.
How about that: Hawaii, the defending champion, has an all-time record in the Rainbow Classic of 53-55.
IOWA
Record: 9-1, 0-0 Big Ten, No. 23 national ranking.Coach: Steve Alford (179-94)
Top players: 6-6 Jr. G Luke Recker (21.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.6 apg), 6-8 Jr. F Reggie Evans (16.3 ppg, 13.3 rpg), 5-11 Sr. G Dean Oliver (12.1 ppg, 4.4 apg).
First game: Detroit Mercy, 5 p.m., Thursday.
Outlook: Iowa shot 38 percent in losing to Kansas State, 86-78, on Saturday. Alford and Oliver implied the Hawkeyes were outhustled. Don't expect to see that here.
How about that: Recker began his college career here in 1997 as a member of an Indiana team which Hawaii beat, 82-65. Since then, he's survived Bobby Knight and a near career-ending auto accident.
MANHATTAN
Record: 3-4, 1-1 Metro Atlantic.Coach: Bobby Gonzalez (15-19).
Top players: 6-7 Sr. F Durelle Brown (21.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg), 5-10 Jr. G Von Damien Green (9.9 ppg, 4.6 apg), 6-2 So. G Justin Jackette (11.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.9 apg).
First game: Hawaii, 7:30 p.m. tomorrow
Outlook: The Jaspers should be a step quicker than most the Rainbows. If they can stop UH's outside shooting, victory is possible.
How about that: Gonzalez tripled Manhattan's conference victories with nine last year in his first season.
SAINT LOUIS
Record: 6-4, 0-1 Conference USA.Coach: Lorenzo Romar (67-62)
Top players: 6-4 Sr. F Maurice Jeffers (11.7 ppg, 2.7 apg), 6-1 So. G Marque Perry (11.3 ppg, 2.7 apg), 6-7 Sr. F Justin Tatum (9.2 ppg, 5.3 rpg), 6-10 So. F Chris Braun (8.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg), 6-2 So. G Josh Fisher (6.2 ppg, 3.3 apg).
First game: Texas A&M, 5 p.m. tomorrow.
Outlook: The Billikens are balanced, and come off an 80-70 victory Saturday over SW Missouri State. But it's doubtful they'll get further than the semifinals in this field.
How about that: Hawaii assistant Jackson Wheeler is a former Saint Louis assistant (1988-90).
TENNESSEE
Record: 10-1, 0-0 SEC, No. 6 national ranking.Coach: Jerry Green (299-204).
Top players: 6-0 Sr. G Tony Harris (13.9 ppg, 5.2 apg), 6-8 So. F Ron Slay (13.0 ppg, 5.2 rpg), 6-9 Sr. F Isiah Victor (12.6 ppg, 7.4 rpg), 6-7 Jr. F Vincent Yarbrough (12.5 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 3.6 apg), 6-10 Sr. C Charles Hathaway (6.6 ppg, 5.4 rpg).
First game: George Washington, 7:30 p.m., Thursday.
Outlook: The Vols are huge, physical, athletic and experienced. Last year they were accused of underachieving, but this group hasn't had that problem other than a 107-89 loss to Virginia last week. Tennessee is the obvious favorite to win the tournament, but a weak early season schedule could haunt it.
How about that: The last time the Vols played in the Rainbow Classic was 1990, when Allen Houston (currently of the New York Knicks) made the all-tournament team. This is Tennessee's sixth appearance.
TEXAS A&M
Record: 3-5, 0-0 Big 12.Coach: Melvin Watkins (65-60).
Top players: 6-4 So. G Bernard King (18.1 ppg, 4.3 apg), 6-6 Sr. F Carlton Brown (15.5 ppg, 8.1 rpg), 5-11 So. G Jamaal Gilchrist (8.4 ppg, 2.8 apg), 6-8 Sr. F Aaron Jack (6.6 ppg, 6.8 rpg), 6-6 Sr. F Nick Anderson (7.5 ppg, 5.8 rpg).
First game: Saint Louis, 5 p.m., tomorrow.
Outlook: The Aggies have performed unevenly against a mediocre schedule that would be plain lousy if not for North Carolina's presence. But they are in the tournament's weaker bracket, so advancing is not impossible.
How about that: No, King is not the son of the former NBA standout by the same name. But his father, Victor, started four years at center for Louisiana Tech and was drafted by the Lakers.
UH Athletics
Ka Leo O Hawaii
