By Dylan Butler
“I told him we're going to be playing somewhere at midnight next year and your name will be mentioned and someone out there will say, 'That's what happened to Eric Chatfield,'” the former St. John's head coach said.
Fraschilla proved to be prophetic. The 6-foot-3 junior college transfer from Queensbridge has been on fire in his first 13 Division I games, averaging 19.3 points per game as the Lobos are off to an 11-1 start.
“He's a great kid, he's humble and he's one of a couple of our best players,” Fraschilla said. “He's off to a good career.”
Monday night, Chatfield began his Mountain West Conference career in fine fashion, scoring a game-high 27 points, along with six rebounds to spark the Lobos in a 75-67 come-from-behind win over San Diego State.
“I played a good game. San Diego State was a tough team,” Chatfield said. “We had to stay aggressive on offense and play good defense. We didn't want to lose our first conference game.”
Chatfield has led New Mexico in scoring nine times, including a season-high 30 points against Alcorn State, and leads the MWC in scoring. He has started all 13 games for the Lobos.
“He's really a throwback New York City guard,” Fraschilla said. “He's not a point guard, he's not a two-guard, he's a combination guard. He can take it strong to the hole, he can defend. He reminds me of bit of [former Detroit Pistons standout] Vinny Johnson.”
Fraschilla first saw Chatfield play at LaSalle Academy, when he was recruiting Chicago Bulls forward Ron Artest to play at St. John's. While they both grew up in Queensbridge and went to the same high school, Fraschilla said when it comes to personality, Chatfield and Artest are like night and day.
“Unlike Ron, Eric is very low-key, he minds his own business and is very quiet,” he said. “He's a simple kid, very appreciative.”
Strangely enough, it was another Queens basketball star, former Archbishop Molloy standout Kenny Smith, who helped land Chatfield at New Mexico.
“Last winter I got a call from Kenny Smith and he asked me if I could help Eric finish his junior college degree,” Fraschilla said. “I knew [Eric] was a good kid so I helped him get his associates degree and he signed with us.”
After averaging 13.1 points per game his senior year at LaSalle, helping lead the Cardinals to a 27-0 season and a city championship, Chatfield went to Angelina Junior College in Lufkin, Texas. He made an immediate impact for the Roadrunners in the 1998 NJCAA tournament as he outscored Houston Rockets guard Steve Francis, 44-42, in Angelina's win over Allegheny. Chatfield was named to the NJCAA all-tournament team.
In his sophomore year, Chatfield was named a first-team All-American, averaging 28 points, seven rebounds and three steals per game. He shot over 50 percent from the field and better than 40 percent from three-point range.
Chatfield said while he is pleased with how well he played against the Aztecs, he knows it is just one MWC game.
“I can't be satisfied with my first conference game,” he said. “If we play well the rest of our conference games and the remainder of the season, then I will be satisfied.”
Former Bayside resident Dennis Wolff nets 100th win
Holy Cross grad and Bayside native Dennis Wolff earned his 100th career win at Boston University Friday night when the Terriers defeated America East foe Hofstra, 74-70, at Boston University's Case Gym.
Wolff, who is in his sixth year as head coach at BU, also finds himself in pretty exclusive company. With the victory, Wolff eclipsed Cambria Heights native Rick Pitino's mark at BU and he is one win away from current St. John's head coach Mike Jarvis' mark as the Terriers all-time winningest coach.
“I've been lucky here,” Wolff said. “I've coached a lot of good players who have played hard. I'm proud of the hard work we've done to have a good program.”
Freshman guard Kevin Fitzgerald out of St. Francis Prep was instrumental in the win over the Pride. The 6-foot-2 freshman from Belle Harbor had six points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals in the win.
York's Brown garners CUNY honors
Garrianne Brown, a 5-foot-5 junior, has led the York women's basketball team to a 4-0 record and the lead in the South Division. The point guard from Brooklyn averaged 27.5 points and 6.5 assists in the Lady Cardinals 1-1 week, including a career-high 29 points in a win over City Tech.
Women's Basketball
West Virginia 81, St. John's 63. Despite having four players in double figures scoring, the Red Storm dropped its second straight Big East game at the WVU Coliseum Saturday afternoon.
Junior Rasheedah Brown scored a team-high 15 points to go along with four assists. Junior Giani Bowles came off the bench to net 14 points and freshman Sherri Brown and Katrina Johns scored 10 points apiece.
After taking on No. 3 Notre Dame in a game scheduled for Tuesday night, the Red Storm (5-7, 0-2) play conference foe Miami Saturday at 2 p.m. at Alumni Hall.
