Posts Tagged ‘Julian Allen’

First of all here are the five players the Storm have put on their protected list; (meaning no other NBL teams can negotiate a deal with them) Al Stewart, Mike Williams, Lou McCroskey, Chris Cayole, and Eric Gilchrese.  *This list however doesn’t guarantee they will return to the Storm.

Here is a list of awards I’ve compiled looking back at the Summerside Storm’s first season in the NBL.

Opinions are my own, feel free to disagree.

Clutch Five (This would be my 5 guys on the court in a close game)

PG – Al Stewart

SG – Steph McDowell

SF – Chris Cayole

PF – Lou McCroskey

C – Mike Williams

 MVP – Mike Williams

Defender of the Year - Lou McCroskey

Team Player - Al Stewart

Community Award – Doug McKinney and Jared Carter

6th Man - Eric Gilchrese

Most Potential - Chris Cayole and Steph McDowell

Vocal Leader - Al Stewart

Most Improved - Troy Jackson

Best Scorer – Julian Allen

With all of those awards in consideration I feel the most vital player to the team’s success is Al Stewart.  Stewart’s on court abilities are well documented but it’s what he does off the court that makes him a needed piece.  Al is a second coach in a huddle during a time-out and the motivation in the locker room before every game.  I hope the Storm do everything in their power to make resigning Al Stewart a priority this off-season.

The announced crowd of 2579 at the Credit Union Place in Summerside were treated to a rough chippy game, but that had little effect on the Storm as they pulled out a 103-95 win over Moncton.

The Storm came out hot with something to prove after a 6 point loss in Moncton on Tuesday night.  Summerside scored 25 in the opening quarter while limiting the Miracles to just 16.

In the second quarter the Storm opened up a 20+ lead several times but with solid play from Trayvon Lathan and Terrence Woodyard combining for 20 first half points the Miracles managed to make it a respectable margin going into half.

Thursday’s halftime had a special ceremony for member’s of the Three Oaks Senior High AAA basketball team for their phenomenal gold winning performance at the Coal Bowl in Cape Breton.

Meanwhile the Miracle’s were clearly getting miracle whipped by their coach Mike Evans in the locker room for their first half play, but what ever was said to his team clearly had an impact because Moncton finally managed to play a good quarter out scoring Summerside 24-22.

Going into the forth Summerside still held a respectable 17 point lead over the Miracles, but if you know this struggling Moncton team you know that they don’t go to bed without a struggle, Thursday was no exception.  While Lathan Trayvon and Sylvania Watkins were playing Kevin Garnett style getting into the face of every Storm player possible, Terrence Woodyard and Michael Evans were dropping points like flies for Moncton.  They combined for 40 on the game and 17 in the final period.  However; Moncton’s sneaky yet aggressive play didn’t go as planned as they dropped another game and fall to (8-24) on the season.

This is a big win for Summerside even though their playoff hopes are essentially gone.  With an upcoming All Star weekend in Halifax this is a great time for players who don’t normally get many minutes to prove some people wrong and maybe earn a spot on the All Star roster.

To vote for your Storm player’s click here

The Storm were lead by Mike Williams with 21 points and 12 rebounds, he was closely followed by Troy Jackson and Julian Allen both with 19.

The Storm play next on Monday February 20th at 2pm. Join the Storm in celebration of Islander Day by meeting members of the organization in Tignish, Kensington, Stratford and Montague. The Storm are also continuing their Islanders Helping Islanders campaign in support of the Bring Bobby Jo Home Fund. Tickets for the February 20th game are available (a $10 value) to be sold for $5 at participating West Prince Credit Unions in Tignish, Alberton, O’Leary, Tyne Valley and Evangeline tomorrow; 100% of all proceeds from the Credit Union ticket sales will go to the Bobbi Jo campaign. Tickets will be available Saturday and Sunday at the community arenas.

To vote for your Storm player’s click here

Earlier today the NBL announced it’s All Star ballot and official voting  rules.

The Summerside Storm have six players on the ballet this year.

They are;

Julian Allen – Julian is a great scorer there’s no two ways about it, but in the last month in particular he’s been making the extra effort to find an open team-mate for a shot, ultimately that’s the difference between a good player and a great player.

Chris Cayole – We’ve all seen what this guy can do, that is when he’s actually playing.  Injuries have slowed down this sharpshooter but it doesn’t show in the voting results early on.  Don’t be fooled folks this is no Jason Kapono, Chris can do MUCH more then just shoot, but if  he’s in the three point competition I’m ‘all in’ on him.

Eric Gilchrese – Eric is another victim of the injury bug, playing in only 2/3 of the games this season.  This guy can light it up from anywhere on the court folks.  I would like to mention that Eric has a tendency to play better on the road (which is an excellent quality) so if your wondering why he’s on the ballot that’s why.

Stephen McDowell – This guy shoots to kill; Steph is a pure scorer, plain and simple.  My NBA comparison for him would be Derrick Rose because he can drop 30 like it’s nothing but also find a team-mate for a sweet dime.

Al Stewart – A fan favourite here in Summerside, and it’s not hard to see why.  Al is the Rajon Rondon of the NBL because of his double-double ability in terms of points and assist.  Al is a ‘must’ for the All Star game in my opinion and if he were not to be voting in I would lose a lot of confidence in fan voting.

Mike Williams – Possibly the best for last!  Did you guys know Mike’s middle name is “consistent”? Well, not really, but this guy is that and more.  Mike leads the team in rebounds and is second in assists, and after his five point spree in 4 second against London we now know he’s clutch too.

All six of those players deserve their spot on the ballot but there’s a few Storm players that weren’t mentioned and deserve a nod.

In my opinion those players are;

Louie McCroskey – Without a doubt the best defender on the team, he can guard almost any player on the court due to his size and quickness.

Jessan Gray – Jessan’s been one of the most consistent players for the Storm this year, it’s seems that whenever his number’s called for a big three he delivers.

Troy Jackson – This guy put up 39 points in a back-to-back road win in Saint John, if that’s not enough I don’t know what is.

There is a spot at the bottom of the voting pool where fans can ‘write in a player’ that’s where I would put either Louie, Jessan or Troy.

YOU CAN VOTE AS MANY TIMES AS YOU WANT

*Remember to better the odds of your favourite player only vote in Storm players.

To vote  for your Storm player’s click here

The Storm held on tight to the NBL Canada leaders, London Lightning, but were unable to come away with the win on Thursday night, final score being 113-107.

 It did not look good for The Storm at the end of the first quarter with Summerside only shooting 32% from the floor.  But they came out fighting in the second, keeping the game within one by the end of the half.  Summerside continued their hold on London until late in the forth quarter, when a few bad turnovers cost them the game.

 Top scorer was Julian Allen with 28 points, and Islander Doug McKinney led the team in rebounds with 11 boards.

 The Storm face London again, at home, February 9th, 7pm.

 

 

***Correction tonight’s game will NOT be on Eastlink TV

The Halifax Rainmen are back in Summerside tonight for a 7pm game, and they’re bringing Eastlink TV with them.

The Storm have no easy task tonight welcoming the (16-6) Rainmen with four of their top players sidelined due to injuries.  Chris Cayole who’s been out for over a month is unlikely for tonight,  along with doubtful’s Mike Williams and Eric Gilchrese, Storm coach Joe Salerno said Julian Allen will be questionable for tonight.

If Eastlink TV isn’t available in your area you can always watch the game online at

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/summerside-storm