Recapping Westchester Knicks Week 10 & 11: Knicks Go 2-2 In Four Game Stretch, Kenny Wooten Becomes First Call-Up Of Season, And More

Following a back-to-back against the Lakeland Magic, the Westchester Knicks had a six day break before the team returned to action. The Knicks had three games in four nights, which included a meeting against the Salt Lake City Stars and a home-and-home with the Capital City Go-Go. Westchester closed out week 11 with a division battle against the Maine Red Claws.

While there was plenty of action during the week, Westchester saw their first player earn an NBA call-up. Kenny Wooten became the 11th WC Knick to earn a promotion to the Association when he inked a two-way contract with the New York Knicks on January 14.

Westchester Closes Out Game Against Salt Lake City Stars To Pick Up 108-104 Win

The Westchester Knicks put up 51 points in the first half behind 21 points from Tyler Hall. The Knicks started off the second quarter on a 11-4 run behind three triples by Hall. The Knicks rookie guard put up eight straight points later in the quarter.

Efficient perimeter shooting was a key for Westchester in their victory. J.J. Moore drained two threes on back-to-back possessions in the fourth quarter, as Moore continues to be an effective player off the bench. The Knicks finished the game strong and picked up a 108-104 win over the Salt Lake City Stars.

Westchester had a balanced offensive outing against Salt Lake City, as seven Knicks scored in double figures. Tyler Hall posted 24 points on 5-of-9 from beyond the arc. Andrew White III recorded 14 points and four rebounds on 4-of-6 from deep. Zak Irvin tallied 10 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Tim Bond (11), Lamar Peters, J.J. Moore and V.J. King (10) finished in double figures.

The Knicks shot 48.8 percent from the field and 56.3 percent from deep.

Knicks Win First Game Of Home-And-Home Against Capital City Go-Go

Just like the previous game against Salt Lake City, the Westchester Knicks continued their efficient shooting performance in their second game of a back-to-back. The No. 4 three-point shooting team connected on 15 perimeter shots, while the team shot 75 percent from deep and totaled 36 points in the second quarter. The Knicks picked up their third victory in a row with a 112-96 victory over the Capital City Go-Go.

Lamar Peters (22) and Ignas Brazdeikis (20) each scored 20-plus points, while Peters dished seven assists on 6-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc and Brazdeikis grabbed six rebounds and four assists on 8-of-16 from the field. J.J. Moore finished with 19 points and five rebounds on 7-of-12 from the floor. Kadeem Allen recorded 11 points, eight assists and five rebounds. V.J. King totaled 11 points and four rebounds on an efficient 4-of-5 from the field.

Westchester shot 52.6 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from three-point range.

Westchester Splits Week Meetings Against Capital City

Both teams nearly matched each other in the first quarter. Westchester opened the game with a 13-0 run then Capital City put together a 12-0 run of their own. It was a one possession game after the first two quarter after Kadeem Allen scored 15 points and the team shot 50 percent from the field.

While the Go-Go outscored the Knicks in the third quarter, Westchester scored eight straight points at the end of the third quarter and opening 90 seconds of the fourth quarter. The Knicks were down nine points in the final 33 seconds of the game, but Allen drained two three-pointers in eight seconds to cut the deficit to four points. The two teams split their two meetings this week following a 116-110 win for Capital City.

Kadeem Allen recorded a double-double (27 points and 12 rebounds), along with five assists and two steals. J.J. Moore totaled 26 points on 10-of-18 shooting from the field. Andrew White III finished with 15 points and six rebounds. Tim Bond and Amir Hinton each recorded 11 points, while Bond added seven assists and four rebounds.

Knicks Make Comeback In Fourth Quarter, But Fall To Maine Red Claws

Despite a 13-point first quarter, the Westchester Knicks rebounded with a 33-point second quarter and cut their deficit to single digits, 54-46. In the fourth quarter, the Knicks put together a 19-2 run through four and half minutes and took the lead. Westchester trailed by as many as 18 points, but fought hard in the first six minutes of the fourth quarter and took a three-point lead at the midway point. Westchester head coach Derrick Alston saw that the team never quits.

“One thing about this team is we’ve lost our share of games, but they’ll never quit,” Alston said. “We’ve been down big in some games, 20 points, and there’s always a time where we’ll take the lead. You use all that energy getting back, but I just know this team has no quit. No matter whose out there. Our top guys. Our back up guys. When they get an opportunity, they’re really hungry and that’s a great feeling having a group of guys like that being their coach.”

Out of the 28 points Westchester put up in the final 12 minutes, 10 of those came from J.J. Moore. While both teams traded leads in the final six minutes of the game, the Maine Red Claws scored a 110-103 win.

Knicks assignee Ignas Brazdeikis finished with 29 points and six rebounds on 11-of-20 shooting from the field and 4-of-10 from deep. Andrew White III recorded 16 points and six rebounds on 3-of-9 from beyond the arc. Ivan Rabb notched his 10th double-double (12 points and 12 rebounds) of the season. Tim Bond totaled 12 points, six rebounds and four assists. J.J. Moore contributed 12 points on 5-of-11 from the floor.

Kenny Wooten Becomes First Call-Up Of Season; Inks Two-Way Deal With New York Knicks

Kenny Wooten was a Westchester Knick that was expected to earn a call-up when the signing period opened. He made an impression with his shot blocking, elite athleticism, and put together a string of games where he averaged 15.5 points per game and swatted 14 shots in the past three outings.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, the New York Knicks signed Wooten to a two-way contract. Bobby Marks of ESPN notes his two-way contract is for the rest of this season and the 2020-21 season, along with having 42 days of service time this season.

While he is making an impact and developing his game in Westchester, Wooten will get a chance to display his skills in the Big Apple later this season.

Beno Udrih Joins Westchester Knicks Coaching Staff

Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

Prior to Saturday’s game against the Maine Red Claws, the Westchester Knicks announced Beno Udrih has joined Derrick Alston’s staff as an assistant coach. Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic noted on January 17 that Udrih was spending time around the team and he was at the Knicks practice. Udrih spent 13 years in the NBA, including 31 games with the New York Knicks during the 2013-14, and won two championships with the San Antonio Spurs.