Eckel: Consistency eludes Rider University men's basketball

As his first season as a head coach nears its most crucial time, Kevin Baggett just hopes to stop the crazy ride his team has taken him on this season.

Baggett and the Rider men?s basketball team are currently in fifth place in the 10-team MAAC, which is right in the middle of the pack.

That?s better than the doom and gloom predicted by both the coaches? poll and national magazines prior to this season. Some had the Broncs picked to finish seventh, one publication even had them ninth.

?We?re doing better than some people thought,?? Baggett said. ?But I never thought we would finish down there. I knew we were better than that.??

Now, with the right mix the Broncs can make a major move over the final two weekends of the season and put themselves in an ideal situation for the conference tournament in Springfield, Mass., in two weeks.

?It?s been a roller coaster season,?? Baggett said. ?We win five; we lose three. We win three; we lose five. I didn?t expect that. I really hoped we would be more consistent.??

That can start tonight when Rider hosts last-place St. Peter?s tonight at Alumni Gym and then takes on next-to-last-place Marist, Sunday, also at home.

A sweep over the MAAC doormats, and the Broncs would be no worse than tied for third place and no more than two games out of first place as they finish the regular season with the Buffalo trip that features games at first-place Niagara and tied-for-second-place Canisius.

?I hate saying things like this, but it?s a must-win weekend for us,?? Baggett said. ?If we play well and take care of business at home, I?ll take our chances going up to Buffalo for the final weekend.??

Home hasn?t been so sweet for the Broncs this season. The Broncs Zoo, normally a nightmare for the opposition, has seen the home team win just six of 11 games overall and just four of seven in the MAAC.

Again, that?s part of the inconsistency that has plagued Baggett in his first year as a head coach.

So too has been the play of St. John?s transfer Nurideen Lindsay. The Philadelphia native, who averaged double figures in the Big East, was expected to come in and be a dominant player, or at least a big-time scorer in the MAAC.

Thus far it hasn?t happened. Lindsay is averaging 8.6 points per game on 42 percent shooting and has a dismal assist/turnover ratio of 63/78.

If Lindsay can get it going over the final four games of the season and then in the tournament, who knows what the Broncs might be able to do.

?He?s had a couple of good games, but certainly he hasn?t been what we expected,?? Baggett said of the highly touted transfer.

?But he?s had to make some adjustments, had to learn the way we do things. It hasn?t been easy.??

That?s been the case for all the Broncs and the head coach. To transcend from former head coach Tommy Dempsey?s up-tempo style to Baggett?s more defensive approach has been a tough transition.

?There?s been a lot of learning and adjusting for me and the team,?? Baggett said. ?For me, it?s been a matter of keeping my emotions in check. I?m not a good loser and I can some times wear my emotions. I?ve had to learn to never get too high or too low.??

Despite the inconsistencies, Rider has more good wins in this 13-13 season than bad losses.

And the Broncs have beaten three of the four schools ? Niagara, Loyola, and Iona ? ahead of them in the standings and have a chance to do the same when it meets Canisius.

?The league is really wide open,?? Baggett said. ?I mean there isn?t anyone I?m afraid to play. Let?s see how things shake out over the next two weekends, because I think the match-ups will tell the story. But we have as good of a chance as anyone.??

Contact Mark Eckel at meckel@njtimes.com.

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Source: http://www.nj.com/times-sports/index.ssf/2013/02/eckel_consistency_eludes_rider.html

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