The Paw Print

A news publication created by Baruch's College Now high school journalism class

DAVID SACK

Champions Out Of Brooklyn

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            Deep in the heart of Brooklyn, there is a basketball team that has been a consistent champion, and you’ve probably never heard of them.

            The men’s basketball program at LIU-Brooklyn won three Northeast Conference Championships in a row from 2011-2013, and earned an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament as well.

            LIU plays their home games at the relatively new Steinberg Wellness Center, where the team moved after playing for decades at the old Brooklyn Paramount Theater.  The sparkling new gym played a big part in LIU’s success according to Nelson Castillo, a writer for Blackbirds Hoops Journal, which undoubtedly has the most in-depth coverage of LIU basketball. “Once they were able to move to their current home, they were able to consistently land quality players and help build a program that can stay competitive year after year,” Castillo said.

Castillo also believes that the few home games that LIU gets to play every year in the even newer Barclays Center draws fans and recruits as well.

            Once LIU was able to attract quality players from outside New York, they were on their way to a dynasty.

            One of these quality players was Jason Brickman, the star point guard who anchored all three championships, and played his last game in an LIU uniform this year. Brickman came all the way from San Antonio, as part of a Texas pipeline that was built by former LIU coach Jim Ferry, and has continued under current head coach Jack Perri. The pipeline also brought in other important players such as Julian Boyd, Kenny Onyechi, and EJ Reed.

            Speaking about his recruiting trip that he went on five years ago, Brickman said that he was “excited to be in New York,” and also stated “Brooklyn is a great area that is continuing to grow and get more popular.” There is no doubt that as Brooklyn and more specifically Fort Greene has grown, the program at LIU has grown.  

            In his 4 years at LIU, Brickman dazzled on the court, making assist after assist, and by his senior year, the basketball world knew he had a chance for 1,000 career assists. Despite the team’s disappointing 2013-2014 season, Brickman became the 4th player in NCAA history to accomplish the feat.

            Even though the last game of the season had no meaning for LIU, as they were buried in 9th place in the Northeast Conference and mathematically eliminated from qualifying for the NEC Tournament, the Steinberg Wellness Center was packed as many basketball fans wanted to see Brickman attempt to get assist number 1,000. He walked off the court one last time to a standing ovation, and after the game many fans lined up on the court to meet Brickman.

            “I had no idea there were so many people who came to watch me reach the milestone of 1,000 assists. Even though we lost the game it felt like we had just won a championship,” said Brickman. Brickman garnered national attention for the feat, receiving congratulations from all over the country from the likes of commentators such as Jay Bilas.

Brickman’s impressive four years at LIU have led to a spot on a professional team in Russia, Dynamo Moscow.

            And while Brickman and his teammates are grateful to the Brooklyn fans, the fans of Brooklyn feel the same way about the team.

            Phil Butleman, a Brooklyn resident and fan of the LIU basketball team has “had the pleasure of watching this team win three consecutive NEC championships.” Butleman also likes the “great view” of the game at the Steinberg Wellness Center, as well as the close proximity to Junior’s Restaurant.

            Right now the connection between the fans and the team is very strong, as the team has been among the lead leaders in attendance according to an article written by Castillo on his blog. But coming off a tough 9-20 season, and without the attraction of Brickman, it will be interesting to see if LIU can continue to draw large crowds this season. Castillo says that for the connection with the fans to grow, that the team will have to stay “consistent and competitive year after year.”

The Third Rate Game

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Dutch player Arjen Robben wants the third place playoff to be abolished.

          This past Saturday in Brasilia, the Netherlands defeated Brazil in the third place playoff at the World Cup. Although the players were 468 miles away from where they wanted to be — in Rio de Janeiro for the final — they undoubtedly felt worlds away.

           As is usually the case with these games that closely resemble exhibition games, the players and coaches had no interest in the match. There are exceptions to this, such as in 1994 when a fired up Swedish team easily defeated Bulgaria 4-0. But lets face it, Brazil, the country that has won more World Cups than any other country and paid millions of dollars to win a title on its home soil, and the Netherlands, who yet again came close to winning its first World Cup but fell short, had zero interest in 90 more minutes of football.

            If you don’t believe me, just listen to Dutch coach Louis Van Gaal, who is eager to get started coaching Manchester United and Dutch player Arjen Robben. “I think this match should never be played,” Van Gaal said. He went on to say, “After a tournament in which you’ve played so marvelously well, you go home as a loser just because you’ve lost the last two matches. This has got nothing whatsoever to do with sport.”

Robben was equally unexcited for the opportunity to claim third, “They can keep it. Only one prize counts and that is becoming world champion.”

 The only thing in common between Brazil’s humiliating 7-1 loss to Germany and the Netherlands’ crushing Penalty Kick shootout defeat by Argentina was the aftermath. Players on both sides were crying and probably wanted to think about anything other than soccer.

 The men’s basketball NCAA Tournament did away with its consolation game, and so did the NFL. The Euro Cup no longer has one. So why is FIFA so insistent in having this game? Many will tell you that it is tradition. But let’s not forget that FIFA really is just a business.

The third place play-off is one last marketing opportunity for FIFA. According to Soccernomics, a book written by Simon Kuper and Stefan Szymanski, the Third Place Play-off gives a 4.9% boost to the World Cup’s television ratings. That is obviously hard to resist for FIFA.

George Black of the New Yorker magazine recently penned an article titled “The Third-Place Game Is Often The Best Game.” He cites that the games are more close and exciting than the finals.

 The problems with Black’s comments are obvious. A close game does not mean a better game if less is on the line. Most teams and their fans do not care about the match, so it may be closer statistically, but the excitement is taken away because they are playing for a meaningless prize.

FIFA constantly attempts to remind its fans that everything it does is for the better of the game. If that were true, it would get rid of a game that the players and coaches express every four years they have no interest in playing. Players can get injured and miss time with their club teams, and are less rested as well.

Right after the Dutch finished off Brazil Saturday, one look at the players involved in the game told the story. The Dutch players who had just won had smiles, but no excitement. Sure they were happy they had won, but most would have been happier had they been spending to be with their families regrouping for club action. Meanwhile, the Brazilian players were humiliated. As Van Gaal said, nobody should lose two games in a row after such a great tournament. Brazil’s awful ending to their country’s World Cup was now much worse. 

            This game needs to go and it needs to go now.