RGV Capsules: Ocelots to play host to combine on Saturday
HARLINGEN — Rio Grande Valley Ocelots FC will play host to its inaugural combine from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Harlingen Soccer Complex.
The combine is an open tryout to any players ages 18 and older. Any international players must possess proper documentation for travel within the country and abroad. Players must bring the appropriate equipment required for them to participate in the tryout, which includes but is not limited to cleats, shin guards, a water bottle and any other accessories needed in the event of inclement weather.
Registration begins at 7 a.m., and the fee is $15. Players will receive a T-shirt and shall have insurance coverage on the day of the event.
For more information, contact Ocelots general manager John Cannon (956) 534-3051. Players can print out a registration form by visiting www.mtalliancetx.com and searching for RGV Ocelots.
Basketball
McNeal's blocks helps Vipers things around, beat Energy
HIDALGO – The Rio Grande Valley were in the process of blowing a big lead and they needed a big play. The got it when guard Jerel McNeal blocked a 3-point attempt by Iowa’s Chris Lofton and saved the ball from going out of bounds. That led to a dunk by Mohammad Faye off a feed by Terrel Harris with 15.7 seconds remaining. That helped the Vipers secure a 135-128 victory over the Energy on Tuesday night at State Farm Arena.
“I was just using my instincts more than anything,” McNeal said. “Lofton is probably the best shooter on their team. I was on him pretty much the last four minutes. I was just trying not to let him get a look and I was close enough to him to get a hand on it.”
Vipers coach Chris Finch called it the play of the game, and they needed it. The Vipers led 129-125 at the time. Lofton, one of the top 3-point shooters in the NBA Development League, could have pulled his team to within one and given the Energy the momentum boost it needed to full erase a 17-point lead the Vipers had enjoyed in the third quarter.
“If we don’t make that play, the game may not even go our way,” Finch said.
The Vipers (19-8) appeared to be in full control with the big third-quarter lead, but the Energy (20-9) stormed back with a 12-0 run that pulled them to within 119-118 with 3:29 remaining.
The Vipers responded by taking a 129-123 lead with 53 seconds remaining. Othyus Jeffers pulled the Energy to within four points with a dunk with 47.5 seconds left.
“We turned the switch off and with a talented team like that, you can’t turn the switch off,” said Vipers point guard Ish Smith, who was assigned by the Houston Rockets on Tuesday. “That’s when they made their run, and it’s tough to push it back on when they make a run.”
Smith finished with 14 points, seven assists, six rebounds and four blocked shots. He flew in from Los Angeles where the Rockets were set to play the Lakers on Tuesday. Smith arrived in McAllen at about 11 o’clock on Tuesday morning.
McNeal led the Vipers with 27 points. Richard Roby had 22 points, Faye 19 points and Patrick Sullivan 13 points. Jeff Adrien, who was named the D-League’s player of the month for January earlier Tuesday, finished strong with 19 points and seven rebounds.
“It was a great team effort and everyone played together,” Adrien said.
For the Energy, it was about quantity and not quality in terms of shooting. They attempted a staggering 112 shots from the field and made 53 of them (47.3 percent). It’s the most the field goals attempts ever taken against the Vipers. Jeffers finished with 26 points and 10 rebounds. James Johnson had 10 points and 10 rebounds.
The Vipers and Energy meet again at 7 o’clock tonight State Farm Arena. It will be their fourth-straight game against each other. They split a pair of games Iowa on Friday and Saturday.
“It was never going to be a pretty game when you play a team three times in a row, and (tonight’s) game will probably be even uglier,” Finch said. “We told our guys the winner of this team will be the one that guts it out.”
David Hinojosa covers the Rio Grande Valley Vipers for Valley Freedom Newspapers. You can reach him at (956) 683-4442 or via e-mail at dhinojosa@themonitor.com.
Adrien earns player of the month honors
McALLEN – The defending NBA Development League champion Rio Grande Valley Vipers announced Tuesday that forward Jeff Adrien (6-foot-7, 245, UConn) is the NBA Development League player of the month for January.
During the month of January, Adrien averaged 20.7 points, 12.9 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 11 games (10 starts) while leading the Vipers to a 10-1 record. The Vipers recorded their best single-month winning percentage (.909) and had the second-highest number of total wins in a single-month in franchise history.
Adrien recorded a double-double in 10 games, falling short by one rebound in the other game. He scored a career-high 31 points on January 8 against the Austin Toros and recorded a career-high 16 rebounds (eight offensive) to go with a career-high four blocks on January 12 against the Erie BayHawks.
-- Vipers Services
Smith reassigned by Rockets
McALLEN – The defending NBA Development League champion Rio Grande Valley Vipers announced Tuesday that the Houston Rockets have reassigned point guard Ishmael Smith (6-foot-0, 175, Wake Forest) to the Vipers.
During his first assignment, which lasted from Jan. 17 through 22, Smith played in four games (one start) with the Vipers, averaging 12.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 1.8 steals in 31.8 minutes per game. He shot 43.1 percent (22 for 51) from the field, 30 percent (3 for 10) from behind the arc and 50 percent (4 for 8) from the foul line.
He scored a career-high 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting against the Maine Red Claws on Jan. 19 and finished by dishing out a career-high 10 assists to go with a career-high three steals against the Dakota Wizards on January 22.
Since getting recalled, Smith has played in two of the Rockets’ four games, recording two rebounds in three minutes against the Los Angeles Clippers and San Antonio Spurs. Smith is averaging 2.8 points, 1.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 12.0 minutes in 26 games (three starts) for the Rockets.
-- Vipers Services
Hockey
Notebook: Bees used to Gendur’s temporary status
McALLEN — Just because winger Dan Gendur is with the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees now doesn’t mean he’ll be with them for long.
Gendur, who is property of the Nashville Predators, has spent parts of the season with the Bees on a developmental loan. He has been assigned to the Predators’ AHL affiliate in Milwaukee twice this season, and for all he and the Bees know, a third time could be coming soon after his return to the Valley on Saturday.
Because of that, Bees coach Chris Brooks can’t do any long-term planning for Gendur. If Gendur’s around, that’s good for the Bees because of his higher level of thinking and vision and production, which included a goal and an assist Saturday against Texas. If he’s not around, that’s something the Bees have to deal with.
Brooks said "it’s hard" dealing with Gendur’s situation.
"You just sort of take it day-by-day," Brooks said, "and see what happens."
When he returned Saturday, Gendur was signed to a five-game contract that allowed the Bees to add him without making another roster move. If they hadn’t signed him to that kind of contract, they would have needed to make a move, regardless of how long Gendur stays.
PAGS SAGS? Brooks has stressed that one of the reasons he traded for Dominic D’Amour and Bo Cheesman was to get the Bees better defensively as a team. But one part of getting better defensively as a team is goaltending, and the Bees’ Juliano Pagliero hasn’t quite been the same as he did earlier in the season.
Pagliero has lost five of his last seven decisions and has had a save percentage over .900 only twice. Pagliero said Tuesday he’s "actually felt pretty good" recently but sees that his statistics have gone down.
"Obviously, play on my part comes into account. I played with a guy that once told me goalie stats…they take up the team just as well, equally," Pagliero said. "A big part of that is the team as well and… for a little bit in time it was both of us as well when it was slipping, too.
"I think, the last couple games, I actually think I’ve had pretty good games and slipped up a little bit on my part," he added. "Those were errors on my part, not the team’s. I’ve actually felt well the last couple games."
Brooks said "he’s got to better" when asked about Pagliero.
"He’s got to track the puck a little bit more. He’s got to get a little bit more aggressive," Brooks said. "I wouldn’t say the last two games have been his best performances of the year, but we need him to be better and we can’t make the mistakes we did in front of him."
Over two games against Texas, Pagliero went 1-1 while stopping 65 of 73 shots (89.04 percent).
LAST CALL: The latest troubling trend for the Bees has been their performance in the third period. Over their last three games, they’ve outscored opponents 10-3 through the first 40 minutes but have been beaten 7-3 in the final 20.
Though they won two of those games, the Bees know that’s a trend they need to stop.
"If we do everything perfect every time, it wouldn’t be an issue," defenseman Kyle Radke said. "It’s just the way the game is. In the last couple weeks we picked up a few new faces and we’re re-identifying ourselves as a team and what it takes. I don’t say necessarily that the third period is our fall-apart time at all, it’s just the way the last couple of games have gone."
But as Radke pointed out, the most important thing is managing to hang on for the win, which the Bees did twice.
Brian Sandalow covers the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees for Valley Freedom Newspapers. You can reach him at (956) 683-4436 or via e-mail at bsandalow@themonitor.com.
Bees pick up Kaufmann from Mallards
The Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees of the Central Hockey League announced Tuesday they have completed a trade with the Quad City Mallards acquiring goalie Jerad Kaufmann for future considerations.
Kaufmann has played two games for Quad City this season with a 2-0 record and a 3.01 goals-against-average while sporting a .908 save-percentage. Kaufmann started the season with the Dundee Stars of the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) in the United Kingdom.
“Jerad is big goalie at 6-foot-3 with lots of experience,” Bees coach Chris Brooks said. “I feel this trade will help us rise up the standings.”
Kaufmann has spent previous time in his professional career with the Bakersfield Condors (ECHL) and the Quad City Mallards (IHL) during last season. Kaufmann played collegiately at the University of Nebraska-Omaha where he was teammates with Bees forward Tomas Klempa for all four seasons.
The Bees also announced Tuesday that goalie Mike Brown has been placed on waivers. Brown appeared in three games for the Bees.
The Killer Bees are set to host the Rapid City Rush this Friday and Saturday night at the State Farm Arena. Both games get under way at 7:30 p.m.
-- Bees Services
College
TAMUK's Baptiste, Lincoln honored
KINGSVILLE – Texas A&M-Kingsville had a pair of players named to the 2010 D2Football.com All-America Team on Tuesday. Senior linebacker Tressor Baptiste and senior wide receiver Ryan Lincoln were each named to the honorable mention list.
Baptiste headlined a Javelinas' defense that finished the year ranked No. 1 in the nation against the run, allowing 57.0 yards per game. The defense finished sixth in total defense and 11th in scoring defense. It was his fifth All-America recognition this year.
Baptiste led the team with 40 solo tackles and three force fumbles. He added 66 tackles and 8.0 tackles for loss. He was previously named AFCA first team, Daktronics second-team, AP Little All-American third team and Don Hansen honorable mention. He was named the Lone Star Conference South Division's linebacker of the year.
Lincoln was the offensive leader for the 10-2 Javelinas. He led the team with 65 catches for 833 yards and five touchdowns. He added five rushing touchdowns on only 30 carries. He rushed for 249 yards for an average of 8.3 yards per carry. He finished his career with a school record 210 receptions and was second with 2,926 yards receiving. He was a three-time LSC South second-team wide receiver.
-- TAMUK Services
