Sean
Axani - The Player:
"The last game of the season, at Syracuse, Axani did a commendable job on Carmelo Anthony, the best freshman in the country. He held the kid to three points over the last 11 minutes of the first half, and kept him from going off completely in the second half. Then Axani fouled out and Anthony went nuts".
Bill Handleman, Asbury Park Press, Sunday March 16, 2003
[Photo by John Munson/The Star-Ledger]
"Rutgers' Sean Axani soars over three Georgetown defenders for two of his 11 points last night at the RAC"
[Photo by John Munson/The Star-Ledger,February 12, 2003]
"BELMAR - Longshots to start the season, underdogs in the play-offs, and left for dead in the fourth quarter of the JSBL championship game, LB Financial rose above expectations in winning the team's first ever JSBL title. After their 102-101 comeback victory over Larson Ford, LB Financial cememted their place in Jersey Shore Basketball League history."
[Ted Kaiser, Jersey Sports News]
After receiving a "head - butt" injury resulting in 14 stitches to his eyebrow within the first 10 minutes of the game, Sean went on to play and help the team make the win. He was one of only 7 players.
The next morning, Sean, sporting a black eye, was off to make a visit to a Special Olympics Summer Camp and give a bunch of wonderful kids a basketball lesson.
"The last game of the season, at Syracuse, Axani did a commendable job on Carmelo Anthony, the best freshman in the country. He held the kid to three points over the last 11 minutes of the first half, and kept him from going off completely in the second half. Then Axani fouled out and Anthony went nuts".
"That
game was a lot of fun, despite the fact that we lost," says
Axani. "Everybody played hard. That doesn't always
happen. It was like you remembered why you did all the things it
took for you to get there, all the hard work. That kind of
game gives you a sense of purpose".
Bill Handleman, Asbury Park Press, Sunday March 16, 2003
Rutgers
66, Georgetown 59
Rutgers defeats Georgetown 66-59
[Photo by John Munson/The Star-Ledger]
"Rutgers' Sean Axani soars over three Georgetown defenders for two of his 11 points last night at the RAC"
[Photo by John Munson/The Star-Ledger,February 12, 2003]
"Axani
couldn't prevent Georgetown's Mike Sweetney from notching his
32nd career double-double, but he did the next best thing, making the
Hoyas' 6-8, 260-pound baby bull forward earn every one of his 22 points
and 11 rebounds". "Probably the hardest double-double of his
entire career," Rutgers coach Gary Waters said. And it all
started with Axani's post defense - although he received plenty of help
with double teams. But someone had to make the first contact with
Sweetney and do whatever was possible to keep him off the blocks and
from catching the ball in his comfort zone. Axani, the Knights'
6-8 junior from Red Bank, did that in a physical game-long war with
Sweetney, forcing the Hoyas' star junior into 7-for-16 shooting and
frustrating him throughout the course of Rutgers' victory. Axani,
shooting 42.3 percent for the season, was
3-for-5, and
had 11 points, four rebounds and a career high 5 blocks."
had 11 points, four rebounds and a career high 5 blocks."
[Tom Lucci -
Star Ledger Staff,
February 12, 2003]
Rutgers
75, Boston College 72
"For
the third stright game, the Knights'
interior tandem of Kareem Wright and Sean Axani made a major opposing
force essentially disappear. After holding Syracuse's Hakim
Warrick to six points and Seton Hall's Kelly Whitney to three, Wright
and Axani limited Boston College's Craig Smith, one of the Big East's
best freshmen, to a career-low nine points [and six rebounds]
yesterday. The 6-7 265 pound Smith had been averaging 21.7 points
and 8.4 rebounds".
[Tom
Lucci - Star Ledger Staff, February 9, 2003]
Rutgers
68, Syracuse 65
[Tim Farrell / The Star Ledger January 30, 2003]
[Augusto F. Menzes/ Home News Tribune, November17, 2002]
[Tim Farrell / The Star Ledger January 30, 2003]
"Rutgers,
which held Syracuse to 1-for-9 from the 3-point range and forced 17
turnovers, was particularly effective in frustrating freshman sensation
Carmelo Anthony with game-long double teams. In the final 16
seconds, Syracuse came back down court and Anthony took a jumper inside
the 3-point line, but it missed badly. The ball was rebounded by
Rugters as time ran out."
[Tom Lucci, Star Ledger
Staff, January 30, 2003]
Rutgers
95, Notre Dame 82Preparation
for the season:
[Augusto F. Menzes/ Home News Tribune, November17, 2002]
Weight-training:
"Axani benches 320 pounds - more
weight than any other Scarlet Knight."
[Greg Tufaro, Home News Tribune, November 14, 2002]
[Jody
Summers / Home News Tribune, November 14, 2002]
Summer 2003
LB FINANCIAL SOARS
TO TITLE
[Jersey Sports News * August 24, 2003]
"BELMAR - Longshots to start the season, underdogs in the play-offs, and left for dead in the fourth quarter of the JSBL championship game, LB Financial rose above expectations in winning the team's first ever JSBL title. After their 102-101 comeback victory over Larson Ford, LB Financial cememted their place in Jersey Shore Basketball League history."
[Ted Kaiser, Jersey Sports News]
After receiving a "head - butt" injury resulting in 14 stitches to his eyebrow within the first 10 minutes of the game, Sean went on to play and help the team make the win. He was one of only 7 players.
The next morning, Sean, sporting a black eye, was off to make a visit to a Special Olympics Summer Camp and give a bunch of wonderful kids a basketball lesson.