February 3, 2010
Collier breaks through for Friars
Devon Collier scored a season-high 14 points for the Friars against Plainfield.
Click Here for photos from Plainfield at St. Anthony.
By Jason Bernstein
Editorial Director
JERSEY CITY – For St. Anthony’s Devon Collier, the season’s first six weeks had basically been a wash out. Ineligible for the first 12 games of the season, Collier returned to action on Jan. 18, but had yet to make the impact the Friars had expected from the 6-foot-8 standout.
That all changed last night as Collier reminded everyone why he was one of the country’s most sought-after prospects, scoring 13 second-half points to lead No. 3 ranked St. Anthony past No. 5 ranked Plainfield 61-47 at the Golden Door Charter School.
“In the second half, Devon played like the player we need him to be,” head coach Bob Hurley said. “In the second half Devon Collier made a bunch of big plays.”
“It’s been very difficult,” Collier said about his season thus far. “Coach Hurley expected more from me and when I first started out. I struggled and I let him down. Now I’ve got to gain his confidence and trust back.”
Collier entered the game for the first time with just 3:48 left in the opening half. The senior’s minutes had been limited since returning as he gets back into shape after missing the first month as well as a game last week with the flu.
After returning to the game with 7:01 left in the third, Collier would ensure that would not be another cameo appearance for him, blocking a shot, grabbing a rebound and scoring on a put-back within his first minute back.
“In the first half. I thought he was okay,” Hurley said. “Our younger guys inside weren’t playing very well so it was a matter of let’s throw him out there in a big game. He’s been in a bunch of big games in his life and I think he responded very well.”
Hurley’s faith was rewarded as the Oregon State-bound forward played a key role in the Friars’ second-half turnaround.
Trailing 34-29 midway through the third quarter, St. Anthony (17-2) broke the game open with a 19-0 run which last for nearly seven minutes.
Collier’s front-court partner in crime Derrick Williams started the surge with an old-fashioned three-point play. Elijah Carter followed with a long-range 3-pointer to give the Friars a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
Carter scored seven points and Williams added five points during the game-changing stretch. Collier had six points and four rebounds during that span. He scored the final four points of the run to make it 48-34 and put the game well out of reach.
St. Anthony outscored Plainfield (14-2) 23-11 in the fourth quarter. Collier scored eight points in the period, capping off his big night in style with a two-handed jam with 2:12 left in the game.
“I’ve been playing badly for the past few games,” Collier said. “This will give me more motivation and confidence to play better at the end.”
Collier, who admitted, he’s not yet in the condition he needs to be in, finished with a season-high 14 points and eight rebounds (all in the second half). Before last night, he had been averaging just 4.6 points per contest in five games this season.
Williams had 14 points, nine rebounds and three blocks. Carter scored 12 of his game-high 17 points in the second half as the Friars avenged a 51-48 defeat at the hands of the Cardinals in last year’s Dan Finn Classic.
St. Anthony’s defense also stepped up in a big way by limiting the Cardinals’ Tyrone Johnson to just 13 points. The Friars decision to switch to a box-and-one defense to slow him down paid off as Johnson was held scoreless over the game’s final 13 and a half minutes.
“He’s a terrific player,” Hurley said. “He had a terrific game against us last year and he’s one of the top guards in the state. The box-and-one kind of took him out of the game.”
Johnson was the lone player to score in double figures for the Cardinals. Dijon Jordan added nine points in defeat.
For Collier and the Friars, this was the type of performance they had in mind before the season began. They both know that there will need to be more of these games to reach their goal of bringing another state championship to Jersey City.
“(Devon’s) an important player,” Hurley said. “He’s a major college player. We’ve been playing without him and our younger kids have done a nice job, but its time for him to step up and be a player and leader out there.”
Dytrel Bracey drives to the hoop for two of the Friars' 19-straight points in the second half.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plainfield Cardinals (14-2) | 11 |
13 |
10 |
11 |
45 |
| St. Anthony Friars (17-2) | 16 |
6 |
16 |
23 |
61 |
| Plainfield | St. Anthony | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Plainfield: Sears 6 rebounds; Ty Johnson 4 rebounds. St. Anthony: D. Williams 9 rebounds; Collier 8 rebounds; Goodlet 5 assists. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||