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RANDOM THOUGHTS
3/22/13
 I
am so proud of this team. We battled Duke
and made Duke beat us. We were a bounce or
two away from really putting the pressure on
them. Duke is an outstanding team and will
have a chance to win a National
Championship. This team showed tremendous
heart and resiliency. They really came
together as a team and had a special season.
3/21/13
It has been a long week. Our guys are
focused and ready to play. The media
attention has been overwhelming in a good
way! Let’s play this game!
3/17/13
Selection Sunday Show was in the Hall of
Fame Room. We had about 100 people attend
the show and of course I made sure that we
had food. The opponent is Duke in Philly! So
happy that our fans will be able to make an
easy trip to Philly to support us! This is
going to be fun! We have a week to prepare
for one of the elite programs in all of
college basketball. We will get them ready
and I am confident that we will compete at a
high level! Also, can’t wait for some
cheesesteaks!
3/16/13
This team is unbelievable! Tremendous effort
and a great win for our program, our
university, the athletic department, and the
city of Albany. Very proud of our guys! So
happy for our seniors! We are in the NCAA
Tournament! We will find out who we play
tomorrow. I anticipate a 15 seed.
3/15/13
Good practice today at Patrick Gymnasium.
Our guys understand the scout. The big goal
of today was to finish our preparation and
make sure we get to the game healthy. We got
up a lot of shots. This team is ready to get
a W!
3/14/13
Just arrived in Burlington. We had a good
week of practice. Our guys were so anxious
this week. They just want to play this game.
UVM is an outstanding program and it is very
difficult to win at Patrick Gymnasium.
However, we have done it before in a big
game situation. Our guys are confident and
ready to play!
3/10/13
Outstanding team effort and a big win vs
Stony Brook! I thought we competed at a high
level and played a physical brand of
basketball. We played extremely hard and
were very unselfish on both ends. Big play
by Mike Black to win the game! Off to
Burlington for the Championship Game!
3/9/13
Survive and advance is the name of the game
this time of year. That is exactly what we
did tonight vs Maine. Our defense in the 2nd
half and our “Refuse to Lose” mentality
allowed us to advance to the semis. Our
crowd was outstanding! Tough game tomorrow
vs regular season champion Stony Brook. We
are looking forward to the challenge!
3/8/13
Congrats to Mike and Jacob for being named
All America East Conference. Congrats to
Peter for making the All Rookie Team. Again,
we had multiple guys make the All Academic
Team. Congrats to Sam and Jacob for all of
your success in the classroom. We play Maine
tomorrow and we are looking forward to it!
3/3/13
I thought we played extremely hard today and
with great energy and enthusiasm. We put
ourselves in a position to win the game down
the stretch. We came up short but I was
pleased with our effort. We needed to
maximize every possession in the final 3
minutes and we did not. Now we need to put
all of our energy and focus in to getting
ready for the America East Conference
Tournament Championship being held in
Albany, NY!
3/2/13
On our way down to Long Island. We play at
Stony Brook tomorrow afternoon. It is Senior
Day at Stony Brook and the game is
apparently sold out. Should be a great
atmosphere and a good game. Stony Brook won
the regular season championship and will be
the #1 seed in our conference tournament. I
know our guys are looking forward to the
challenge.
2/28/13
Tonight was Senior Night. I thought we
played a very good 2nd half. We were very
sluggish in the first half but played well
the last 20 minutes. It was important to
make sure our seniors won our last regular
season home game. Mike, Blake, Jacob, and
Jay have been outstanding representatives of
our program and a pleasure to coach!
2/27/13
We had a good day of practice and prep work
for UNH. This will be a tough game as UNH
plays very hard and they do a good job
defensively and on the glass. Peter Hooley
has been cleared to play so this will help
our team. It is very important that we are
very aggressive on both ends.
2/23/13
Our team showed tremendous resiliency today
vs a very good Fairfield team. We were
physical and our team defense was excellent.
John Puk was outstanding today. A very good
team win! Next game is at UNH on Thursday
and we should have Hooley back for that one.
2/22/13
On our way to Trumbull to check in to the
Marriott. Tomorrow is the BracketBuster game
at Fairfield. They have won 7 of the last 8
and have a big time player in Needham. They
are arguably the best defensive team in the
MAAC. We will need a great effort to win
this one.
2/20/13
Tough loss tonight at BU. They really hurt
us in the 2nd half with dribble penetration.
Watson was the difference in the game,
especially in the 2nd half. I thought
Johnson and Evans played well in place of an
injured Hooley. Hooley really would have
helped us in this one. We still had our
opportunities but we did not capitalize on
them. BU has a lot of young talent and will
make a run next year at the Patriot League
Championship!
2/16/13
A really good effort by our guys. We jumped
on Hartford early and never backed off. We
were very aggressive and physical on both
ends. I thought we really competed and
played very well as a group. We played a lot
of guys and they all contributed.
Unfortunately Peter Hooley took a blow to
the head and could be out a while.
2/15/13
We had a very productive week of practice.
We were able to get some rest but also work
on some things. The game vs Hartford is a
big game as it is for 3rd place. A win will
put us a game ahead of them and guarantee us
the tiebreaker with Hartford. They are
playing very well and Coach Gallagher is
doing a great job. They beat Stony Brook a
few days ago. We have to do a good job on
the Big Fella and defend the 3 point line.
We have worked hard this week on
understanding Hartford’s tendencies and I
think we are ready.
2/9/13
The storm is/was bad but not nearly as bad
as we were in the first half. We lost this
game in the first half. We made a few runs
in the 2nd half but just didn’t have enough
energy in the tank to put ourselves in a
position to win the game. Maine deserves a
lot of credit for how they played. We played
like a tired basketball team. We have a full
week to get some rest before we host
Hartford next Saturday.
2/8/13
We let the guys sleep in this morning.
Heading to practice now. We will be able to
practice in the arena for the first time in
my 12 years at Albany. Usually the ice is
down until an hour or two before game time.
Need to be careful how hard and how long we
practice today. Mike will not practice as
the ankle is still bothering him. We are
hoping he can play tomorrow. Maine is loaded
with talent so this will be a very tough
game.
2/7/13
Off to the airport. Weather in the northeast
is not good and Maine is expecting over 2
feet of snow. We are going to have to land
in Albany around 11am, have the kids go to
class, practice from 3-5 and then jump on a
bus and drive to Maine to beat the storm. On
the road again! Never ends!
We are on the bus again. Practice went well
but I get the sense our guys are tired.
Should be a 6.5-7 hour bus trip to Maine.
Hopefully we have some decent movies to
watch.
We arrived in Bangor at 1 am. Brutal trip!
2/6/13
Another terrific performance by our team.
Mike Black went down with an ankle injury
very early in the game. I thought DJ Evans
did an excellent job filling in for Mike. We
were very physical and we were committed to
throwing the ball inside early and often.
That combined with our rock solid team
defense allowed us to open up a big lead by
halftime. We did not let up in the 2nd half.
It was another opportunity to play a lot of
guys and they all contributed! We fly home
tomorrow and have to get ready for Maine
this weekend. Rumor has it that a big storm
is going to hit Albany and all of the
northeast. Just what we need!
2/5/13
Heading to the airport for our flight down
to Baltimore. We play at UMBC tomorrow
night. They have been playing very well of
late. Especially at home! This will be a
good test for us.
2/2/13
Tremendous effort by our guys and a much
needed win. We played unselfish basketball
on both ends. We really dissected the zone
and got great shots. It was nice to see guys
step up and knock down shots. We were able
to get out in transition as well. I thought
we really played well and it was nice to
play well in front of a big crowd. We were
able to play a lot of guys as well!
2/1/13
Tomorrow is the Big Purple Growl. It is
basically our Basketball Homecoming. The
SEFCU will be sold out as we have Binghamton
coming to town. Coach Dempsey has done a
good job with his team and they play hard.
We need a win to stop the bleeding. I don’t
think any of us expected to lose 3 in a row.
The Boston U loss stings even more right
now.
1/29/13
We were solid for a half but had no answers
for Stony Brook in the 2nd half of the game.
We really did not play well today on either
end. Stony Brook took advantage of our
struggles. Especially in the 2nd half. This
is the 2nd game in a row where we really
struggled to make shots. Need to keep
grinding. We still have a lot of games left
to play. Up next is the Big Purple Growl.
1/26/13
Another tough loss as we could not put the
ball in the basket. We were able to get some
really good looks but just could not knock
down shots. It was a very low scoring game
as both teams played physical on the
defensive end. We had a few lapses with our
out of bounds under defense. We gave up 6
points under and that cannot happen in a
game where two teams are struggling to
score. This is our first 2 game losing
streak of the season. Need to get ready for
a very good Stony Brook team.
1/25/13
Had a very good practice today in
preparation for our game vs UVM. We did not
play well in Burlington so our guys are
anxious to play them again. They play very
well together and are having another good
season. Should be a good test for us.
1/23/13
This was as difficult of a loss as we have
endured in a long time. We were up 6 with 16
seconds to go in regulation and lost in OT.
BU hit 4 3’s in a row down the stretch with
the last one being off our turnover with
less than 3 seconds left in the game. The
last 3 sent the game in to OT and BU had all
of the momentum. They continued to shoot
well and had way more energy than us in OT.
We were a deflated group. Irving and Papale
just kept hitting big shot after big shot.
We ended up losing 85-80 in OT. Basketball
is a crazy game and this was one of those
games we would like to forget! We need to
regroup as we have a very good UVM team
coming to the SEFCU in a few days.
1/19/13
A
real good win for us at Hartford! We got off
to a slow start. We were down 5 at the half
and Hartford had the momentum. The 2nd half
was a different story as our team defense
was outstanding. We held Hartford to 14
points and were able to get another road
victory. Rowley and Hooley were outstanding.
Puk and Metcalf did a great job defensively
on the big fella! Time to head home and get
ready for a talented BU team.
1/18/13
Off to Hartford for our next game. Taking
our players to Vito's for dinner. Nothing
like some good Italian food (Hopefully!). It
is good to get the players out of the hotel
so they are not just laying around. Hartford
has played very well at home this year. They
have a good team that really makes you work.
We will have to be very patient on both ends
in order to be successful!
1/16/13
A good win at UNH. We were up double digits
at the half and let it slip away early in
the 2nd half. UNH played well and made some
shots. We were a resilient group tonight. We
really kept our composure the final 10
minutes of the game. Mike Black was
outstanding again. Sam Rowley had a big 2nd
half for us. It was nice to get another W on
the road! We now have to get ready for a
good Hartford team. Another road game and
another team that will present some
challenges for us. We must have another 2
days of prep work.
1/15/13
On our way to the state of New Hampshire.
Otherwise known as the state that the Friel
Family built! We have not won in more than 5
years at UNH. I have a good feeling as we
had 2 tremendous days of prep work. We are
staying in Portsmouth near the water.
Portsmouth is an nice city. I would imagine
it is a popular place in the summer.
1/12/13
We beat a talented Maine team tonight. Mike
Black was spectacular and we did a solid job
as a team on both ends of the floor. It was
nice to play in the SEFCU again. It is so
important to take care of business at home.
We now have to get ready for a tough 2 game
stretch at UNH and at Hartford. Our kids are
doing a good job of executing the game plan
and putting themselves in a position to be
successful!
1/11/13
A few good days of practice. We play Maine
tomorrow night. Maine might be the biggest
team in the AE. They lead the conference in
scoring so we better be ready to defend and
rebound!
1/7/13
Our BIGS were outstanding tonight. The fed
the post early and often and got many easy
baskets. WE did not shoot the ball well from
the perimeter but we were aggressive in the
paint. Good solid effort overall. Next game
is not until the 12th at home vs a good
Maine team.
1/6/13
Very encouraging practice after a tough
loss. Guys are upset and looking forward to
playing tomorrow night!
1/5/13
Our most disappointing effort of the season.
Nothing went right for us and we were a step
slow all day. This was our first BAD outing
of the season. Credit Vermont and get ready
for the next one. We play on the 7th at
Binghamton.
1/2/13
We played well in the second half. We really
executed and held them to 48 points for the
game. Rowley and Puk were big on the glass!
It is always good to start conference play
with a W! Next game is at Vermont on the
5th!
1/1/13
Happy New Year! We have a 1 day prep for
UMBC. UMBC has some talented offensive
weapons. We will have to play good team
defense to slow them down.
12/31/12
A good team win. Brown really made us work.
I thought we did a nice job on the defensive
end. We were very impatient offensively in
the first half. Take the win and get ready
for the conference opener vs UMBC.
12/30/12
We play a well coached Brown team tomorrow.
Brown is coming off a big win over
Providence. Brown really does a good job of
executing and shooting the 3. We will have
to be very disciplined on D to get this one!
12/28/12
A good win at Navy. Navy really competes and
executes. Jacob Iati had a big night. He had
his crew from York, PA at the game. He
always plays well when they are in
attendance. It was nice to see Luke Devlin
play so well. He should be very confident
after this game. A win always makes the ride
home a lot smoother.
12/27/12
A very productive practice today. Our guys
are comfortable with Navy. Time to jump on a
bus and drive down. The weather is bad so we
cannot risk missing our scheduled flights. A
six hour bus trip might not sound fun but we
have plenty of movies to keep us occupied.
12/26/12
The first practice after Christmas is always
a tough one. Have to run all of that food
out of them. LOL! That is exactly what I
did. We really competed and ran the floor
hard and ran it often. We did a lot of
productive full court work. The guys were
focused and worked hard.
12/25/12
Merry Christmas!
12/21/12
Tough loss for us. We had no flow and were
completely out of sync. We still were in
control of the game late but just didn't
make enough plays in the final 2 minutes.
Was disappointed because we had been playing
so well before the break. Quinnipiac made
some big plays late. We need to get Mike and
Jacob back to 100% soon. We have a week
before our next game at Navy. Will be good
for the guys to get home for a few days to
spend some time with family.
12/20/12
Anxious to see how we play tomorrow. Today
was the first day Black and Iati practiced
in a week. We had a good flow going before
our break for final exams. Will be
interesting to see how sharp we are as a
group tomorrow night.
12/17/12
Never good when you find out that your 2
leading scorers are hurt and sick and both
will be out for a few days. Looks like Coach
Iati will have to suit up for a few
practices!
12/13/12
We have some time off now for final exams.
Don't play again until the 21st vs
Quinnipiac. Hopefully our guys finish strong
in the classroom!
12/12/12
It is never easy to play a team twice in a
season. South Carolina State came to play.
They outplayed us in the first half. With
that being said, 40 minutes is a long time.
We figured it out in the 2nd half. Jacob
Iati shot it well and Sam Rowley was big on
the glass.
12/8/12
Always nice to get a win on the road.
Colgate is a good shooting team and they
really spread us out. Burntakowski was a
match-up problem for us but we did a much
better job on him in the 2nd half. Jacob
Iati hit some ridiculous 3's! Was nice to
see that Mike Black had 7 rebounds. Direct
TV on the way home was a nice treat as well!
12/5/12
The game after Siena is always a concern. We
opened up a lead vs St. Francis, NY and hung
on at the end. This game was very similar to
our Wagner game. We made some mistakes vs
pressure but made our FT's when it mattered
most. We lost Mockford a few times and he
made us pay with the 3 ball! St. Francis
returned 4 starters from a year ago so they
were an experienced team. Mike Black led us
with 21 and Blake Metcalf was a beast on the
glass with 13 rebounds.
12/1/12
Our guys did a great job executing the game
plan. We did not allow Siena to hurt us on
the interior or on the glass. The guys
really understood what needed to be done. We
made a poor decision or two down the stretch
but otherwise we played solid basketball.
Good to get this game behind us!
11/30/12
Tomorrow is the annual game vs Siena. The
game is always a battle. Both teams play
very hard. We will have to do a great job on
Anosike and on the glass if we are going to
win. Our kids are excited and want to win
this one badly!
11/26/12
A good win vs Wagner. We opened up a nice
lead but struggled late vs the Wagner
pressure. Mike Black made some key plays for
us and we made our FT's down the stretch. We
have been good in close games. Hopefully it
continues!
11/20/12
We were staying 45 minutes away from South
Carolina St so we decided to shoot at the
USC practice facility. That went well. Jay
Guerrier started the game on fire by scoring
our first 9 points. We shot the ball
extremely well and played with great energy
and purpose. Mike Black led us with 23.
Metcalf and Rowley were strong on the glass
again. We will try and get a day or two of
rest since we don't play until the 26th.
11/19/12
Another travel day! The early season
schedule has been brutal! It never ends!
11/18/12
We could not have gotten off to a worse
start. We got down 20 in the first half. The
second half was our half. Mike Black was
limited with an injury so we went to DJ
Evans and he did a great job running the
show. Blake Metcalf had his best game of the
season. Tremendous team effort in the second
half. We were tied with less than 5 seconds
to play. Loyola had to go the length of the
floor to score. We lost on a fluke play. It
was unfortunate considering how hard we
battled back. I liked the fight in our team.
We just cannot spot a good team 20 points to
start a game. On our way back to Albany. We
have to practice tomorrow and then fly or
South Carolina. We play at South Carolina St
on the 20th.
11/17/12
We played like a tired team today but found
a way to survive and win vs UMKC. I thought
UMKC played very well. They made us work
defensively. Jacob Iati really shot it well
and Blake Metcalf and Sam Rowley were
outstanding on the glass. Not our best
effort but the name of the game is to win!
We need to get some rest and get ready for
Loyola who is the MAAC favorite.
11/16/12
That was an enjoyable banquet. Each coach
was asked to get up and say a few words. The
food was very good. The banquet was in the
casino which was neat. We are looking
forward to the game.
11/15/12
On our way to Mohegan Sun. We play UMKC on
Saturday. UMKC is a new opponent for us as
we have never played. Tomorrow we have a
banquet sponsored by the Hall of Fame. I
wonder what bad movie we will watch on our
way to Mohegan Sun?
11/13/12
Our guys were very resilient tonight. This
was great win for our program. We went cross
country and beat the defending Pac 12
Champions! I was very impressed with the
fight we showed in the second half. Mike
Black made a huge play in the final seconds.
We really executed down the stretch and it
was a great team victory.
11/12/12
Heading to our team meal at Red Robin. I am
not a Red Robin guy so I had to ask my 10
year old what to order. He told me Clucks n
Fries. Guess that is fancy for chicken
fingers/tenders and fries. They were okay.
It was good to eat out as a team. Red Robin
was right on the water so we had a nice
view.
11/11/12
I thought we were very good the first 15
minutes vs Ohio St. They were excellent the
last 5 minutes of the half. We had no
answers for Thomas and Craft shot the ball
very well. The buzzer beater 3 to end the
half really was a dagger for us! We
continued to play heard in the second half
but OSU was just too good. Now we have to
race to the airport to catch a flight to
Seattle. We play Washington on the 13th.
Washington is the defending PAC 12
Champions!
11/9/12
Great effort today vs Duquesne. I thought we
really fought hard and did some nice things.
Was happy for John Puk who had an
outstanding game. Duquesne was strong,
quick, and athletic. We made the necessary
plays down the stretch to hold on for a win!
This was a good way to start the season. Now
we have to get up early and practice
tomorrow morning and head to Columbus, OH to
play Ohio State on the 11th.
11/8/12
Great prep day today! Tomorrow is the season
opener in the SEFCU vs Duquesne. I expect
Duquesne to play hard and they will be well
coached. Coach Jim Ferry did a great job at
LIU and I would expect him to have success
at Duquesne. We really need to do a good job
with our transition defense. We cannot allow
easy baskets. I am interested to see this
group in a live setting. They have practiced
very hard and play well together.
11/3/12
I was very pleased with our second
scrimmage. We played a team who I believe
will be in the NCAA Tournament. It was a
very close scrimmage and we played well
overall. We really competed on both ends of
the floor and this scrimmage helped us get
better. We play our first game in six days.
We need to fine tune some things before the
opener.
10/27/12
Today was our first scrimmage. The goal was
to give each player an opportunity to play.
I thought we competed fairly well. We were
able to play a lot of different
combinations. Nobody played more than 20
minutes. It was nice to compete against
another team. I think the players were
getting tired of beating each other up every
day. We have a week before our second and
final scrimmage. We will play the second
scrimmage more like a game. It is important
for us to have a good week of practice and
to improve each day.
3/15/12
We
lost a tough game to a very good Manhattan
team. This game was the first one back for
All MAAC point guard Mike Alvarado. He had
been out a few weeks with an eye injury. He
made a huge difference for Manhattan. He
does a great job running the show. I just
thought they were physically and
athletically better than us. Beamon was
tough to stop. We played well the first 16
minutes of the game. Manhattan made a run
during the last 4 minutes to pull ahead at
the half. We basically exchanged baskets in
the 2nd half with us giving up too many easy
baskets. That was the biggest difference.
Manhattan wore us down as they played 10 or
11 guys. They just seemed quicker to the
ball. It was a good year for us and we were
glad to be able to play a post season game.
With a strong nucleus returning we need to
continue to work hard and get better!
3/9/12
I just found out that we will be playing
Manhattan in the Collegeinsider.com CIT
Tournament. It is exciting to reach the post
season and play another game. We will
actually be playing at home. Manhattan had a
great season and play a very aggressive
style of basketball. It should be a good
game. Congrats to our team!
3/5/12
I thought we played very well vs UNH. We did
a very good job defensively and on the
glass. Our focus was tremendous and we
played with a sense of urgency. The win put
us in the semis vs Stony Brook. We lost both
regular season games to a very good Stony
Brook team. We made a few adjustments and
played well vs Stony Brook. We did a
terrific job defensively. Unfortunately we
lost a heartbreaker at the buzzer. Joyner
made a big time tip in for Stony Brook just
before the final buzzer for the win. The
difference in the game was rebounding. Stony
Brook dominated us on the glass. I thought
we were better in every other area. However,
they pounded us on the glass and that was
enough for them to get the win. They are
playing very well and with a lot of
confidence. We let a great opportunity slip
away! I was very proud of how hard we
competed!
3/2/12
We are 24 hours away from game time. Our
kids are anxious and looking forward to the
challenge. They understand the game plan and
they are confident that they will execute
it! Congrats to G Suero, M Black, L Aronhalt,
and J Iati for being recognized by the
conference!
2/26/12
We will be playing UNH in Hartford on
Saturday. We are looking forward to the
match-up and I am confident our kids will
play well. They understand what we will need
to do in order to be successful and to make
a run in the tournament. Right now it is all
about survival. Win or go home!
2/23/12
We were able to get a win at Binghamton to
finish out the regular season. I was
confident that Binghamton would play well
and with a lot of confidence as they were
coming off a big win vs 1st place Vermont.
We played solid basketball and the game was
never in jeopardy. We played much better
against Binghamton on the road. We were
terrible at home vs Binghamton on Jan. 25.
Our team was focused and did not let the
injury situation impact our focus. It was
good for G Suero to get back on the court
and shake off some rest. We now have a week
to prepare for the conference tournament. It
looks like we will play either UNH or
Hartford.
2/19/12
I
had no idea we would only have 7 players
against Rider. So, we went with the Iron 7
against Rider. Our guys gave an unbelievable
effort for 40 minutes. All 7 guys had an
impact on the game. It was Senior Night so I
was very happy for Jacob Iati who hit 6 3's
and was named "Player of the Game". It was a
gutsy win! Hopefully we get healthy in time
for our last conference game at Binghamton
on the 22nd.
2/16/12
The UVM rematch was interesting. We were
without Suero, Aronhalt, and Devlin. We were
missing our top 2 scorers and our leading
rebounder. We decided to take the air out of
the ball and shorten the game. I felt that
would give us the best chance to win. Our
guys really executed the game plan. We were
down 1 with 10 seconds to go and I thought
we forced a travel but apparently I was
wrong. We were about to get up a tough 3
from the corner as time expired. It was a
tough shot and we lost by 3. The effort and
execution was very good. We need to regroup
for Rider.
2/12/12
At Maine is always a tough trip. At least
this year we only had to travel from Durham,
NH to Bangor, ME. This was a must win for
us. We were without 2nd leading scorer Logan
Aronhalt. This was a great test for us. We
played well overall. Especially since I
thought we were a very tired team after
watching us against UNH. We did not even
practice the day before the Maine game. I
met with the guys individually and then we
went over the Maine scout. Everybody
contributed for us. It was a good team
effort. It made the 7 hour trip back to
Albany a little more enjoyable! UVM is up
next.
2/10/12
UNH on the road is always a tough one for
us. They controlled tempo in the first half
but we were still up 4. Luke Devlin injured
himself and was unavailable for the 2nd
half. Logan Aronhalt was struggling but we
decided to see if his knee would be any
better in the 2nd half. He played a few
minutes and then we decided to shut him down
for the last 14 minutes of the game. UNH
jumped out to a lead in the 2nd half and we
were forced to press to get back in to the
game. UNH just made a few more plays down
the stretch. Our guys really competed down
the stretch to get back in to the game. The
ball didn't bounce our way. We looked like a
tired team against UNH. Maine is up next.
2/7/12
This was a difficult loss. One that I will
take the blame for losing. We were up 16
with 10 minutes to go and fell apart. We
needed to spend more time on offense and
make BU work. We should have shortened the
game. You live and you learn. Partin was
tremendous for BU in the 2nd half and really
carried them. This is one that will sting
for a while. UNH is up next.
2/5/12
This was a tough game for our kids to
swallow. They were looking forward to the
rematch against SB. We did some really good
things but just could not sustain the
overall effort. SB won the battle of the
50/50 balls and made us pay. They proved to
be the better team by sweeping the regular
season series. They defend well and play
physical on both ends. BU is up next.
2/2/12
A solid overall effort against UMBC. It is
always nice to play at home and win at home.
We need to continue to get better
defensively and remain more patient on
offense. Stony Brook is up next.
1/29/12
The dreaded same day trip. I cannot stand
same day trips. However, we have to follow
conference policy. Hartford at Hartford is
always a tough game for us. This game was no
different. John Gallagher had his team
ready. We actually played well in the first
half. Unfortunately Mike Black picked up his
3rd and 4th fouls very early in the 2nd half
and had to sit most of the half. Jacob Iati
did a tremendous job filling in for Mike. We
ended up winning by double digits but it was
not easy! A good win for us. UMBC is up
next.
1/26/12
A win is a win. A very uninspired effort.
The big thing is we got back on track with a
win. I thought Binghamton played hard and
well. We just didn't have any pep in our
step. I was disappointed with our effort but
not the final result. We have to continue to
work and get better. Hartford is up next.
1/20/12
The UVM game was a battle. We had a great
opportunity to win this one. We had 2
crucial TO's late in the game that really
hurt us. The mystery jump ball did not help
matters. Our guys put themselves in a
position to win on the road. Unfortunately
we did not capitalize. Glass hit a huge 3
for UVM late in the game. That is what 5th
year seniors are supposed to do! Binghamton
is up next and a must win.
1/17/12
I cannot believe I am saying this but we
actually lost this game on the offensive
end. We played with little offensive
patience and did not play smart. We got
behind big and tried to make a furious
comeback in the last 10 minutes but ran out
of gas and time. BU played well and did a
good job of limiting our dribble
penetration. Two losses in a row. We need a
win in our next one. UVM is up next.
1/9/12
Not sure our defense could have been any
worse. We just did not defend against Stony
Brook. We scored plenty of points to win the
game. However, we did not guard. The bench
had a field day for SB. We could not make a
run in the 2nd half because we did not
rebound the ball. SB played well and
deserved to win. We need to give a better
effort on D if we are going to be
successful. On to BU.
1/6/12
We dug ourselves a big hole early. We got
behind by double digits in the first 10
minutes of the game and then we woke up. We
were very good offensively the last 30
minutes of the game. It was not a stellar
defensive effort but we were able to pull
away and get a W on the road. Stony Brook is
up next.
1/3/12
Our guys played well against Hartford. We
were able to get the early lead and maintain
it. We really pulled away in the 2nd half.
This was a great way to start off the
conference season. We need to continue to
work and get better. UMBC is up next.
1/1/12
We have no time to waste. We need to get
ready for our conference opener against a
young and energetic Hartford team. Hartford
plays different from the other teams in our
league. They really space you out and make
you defend. This will be a good test for our
defense.
12/31/11
We survived! We were very lethargic in the
first half. Mount played with great energy
and was the better team in the first half.
We struggled mightily. I was not pleased
with our effort and that was the topic of
discussion at halftime. We played much
better in the 2nd half. The problem was
Mount was already confident after playing a
very good 1st half. We made big plays down
the stretch to hold on for a W! This is a
very long ride home but a good ride since we
were able to get a W! Happy New Year!
12/29/11
Our guys really competed. I loved the
overall effort. We just couldn't make the
big shot when we needed it the most. Alex
Len was a handful for us! He blocked and
altered a bunch of shots. He is very long
and was a difficult match-up for us. We did
some good things and we need to build off
this effort as we get ready for Mount Saint
Mary's on the 31st.
12/28/11
We play Maryland tonight. It will mark the
debut of 7'1 freshman Alex Len for Maryland.
We have no idea what he can do on the court.
I am assuming he can really play if Maryland
took him knowing he would have to sit out
games. We had 2 good practices on the 26th
and 27th and I am confident that we are
ready for Maryland.
12/26/11
The first practice back from Christmas break
is usually an ugly one! We practiced at 6pm
so the guys had ample time to get back to
campus. Practice was actually very
productive. We ran the holiday food out
them. Guys were upbeat and really got after
it. We will practice again tomorrow and then
head to Maryland. We will be in Maryland
from the 27th-31st. We play at Mount Saint
Mary's on the the 31st.
12/24/11
The last game before Christmas Break is
always tough. Kids are excited to go home
for a few days. You just hope that they
remain focused and do what is necessary to
get a W! We were able to jump out in front
against Dartmouth and had a good lead most
of the way. We got a little sloppy in the
final 10 minutes but the game was never in
jeopardy. We had a few kids who were
sprinting out of the locker room to get to
the airport in time for flights home.
Hopefully everybody has a great Christmas!
12/21/11
This
team is going to give me a heart attack! I
mean that in the nicest way possible! We had
a chance to put St. Francis away and let
them right back in the game. It was the home
opener for St. Francis and they had a nice
crowd. They play extremely hard and have
some talented perimeter shooters. One of the
keys for us was to defend the 3. We did a
solid job in the first half. The 2nd half
was a disaster as our rotations and
communication were very poor. When we
struggled to make shots our defense went
SOUTH! That is when your defense needs to be
at its best! The first 15 minutes of the 2nd
half was the worst defense that we played
all year. The last 5 minutes we dug in and
got stops.
12/19/11
The Brooklyn Bridge Marriott is a nice
place! Trying to get our guys very familiar
with St. Francis in a short period of time.
Preparation is key and we need to maximize
our prep time before we play tonight.
12/18/11
A tough overtime loss last night at Cornell.
We could not pull away in either half.
Turnovers killed us as we finished the game
with 25. I thought our guys showed
tremendous heart especially late in
regulation. We stole the ball with 1.9
seconds left and had a shot to win it. We
placed 5 players in double figures. The
difference was Cornell scored 37 points off
our TO’s. You cannot turn the ball over on
the road and win. Some of it was poor
decision making and I think not playing in
10 days had something to do with it as well.
Next up is St. Francis down in Brooklyn. We
need to get a W!
12/16/11
We are getting ready to head to Ithaca to
play at Cornell. Anxious to see how we
respond after a long lay-off. Cornell has
played very well at home and they play
extremely hard.
12/9/11
Our kids are getting ready for final exams.
This will be a big break in between games
for us. We will be out of our normal routine
since final exam times vary and different
guys have finals on different days. They
will get some time off and then we will have
to be creative with practice times so we
have everyone at practice.
12/8/11
I was very pleased with our effort last
night. Great bounce back game for our kids.
We built a lead and we were able to keep the
lead. We were very aggressive on both ends.
We were it attack mode and it was nice to
see. We don’t play again until the 17th at
Cornell. Cornell is good this year and very
good at home.
12/7/11
I am anxious to see how we respond vs.
Colgate tonight. Our kids are clearly upset
about Monday night and I am hoping that they
take it out on Colgate.
12/6/11
Well, that debacle is over. We had a great
opportunity to put the game away and did not
take advantage of it. Three bank shot 3’s at
the end of the shot clock/game clock did not
help! Siena went in to the locker room
during halftime feeling good and we went in
the locker room like we lost the game. We
let the last 4 minutes of the 1st half
consume us and allowed Siena to go on a run
in the 2nd half. We played tight and they
played very loose. We could not make a shot
in the 2nd half and allowed Siena to
dominate the glass. 2nd chance opportunities
were the difference in the game, especially
the 2nd half. You live and you learn! We
have to move forward as we play Colgate
tomorrow. Playing again right away will be
the best thing for us. We need to play
better with the lead!
12/4/11
It has been a long week. I thought we were
starting to get comfortable on the court and
now we have all of this time off. We just
need to keep working and get better!
11/29/11
This is going to be a long week! The Siena
game was suppose to be played Saturday Dec.
3 but they had some mix up with the MAAC in
regards to scheduling.
11/28/11
FDU was very talented. Big and physical up
front. Talented 1 on 1 players in the
backcourt. Our team defense was terrific and
we did a good job of attacking the rim on
offense. I was pleased that we did not allow
them back in the game in the 2nd half. Good
team effort. Next game is Dec. 5 at Siena.
11/26/11
We jumped out to a big lead vs. Navy but let
them right back in the game. We need to
develop that killer instict/sense of
urgency. It is nice to get a win and even
nicer to do it at home. However, we need
finish teams off! Need to get ready for FDU
on Sunday.
11/25/11
Awesome spread at the Crowne Plaza! I am
still stuffed. Need to get a W vs. Navy.
11/24/11
Happy Thanksgiving to all! Enjoy the day and
eat a lot of food. Try to avoid food coma!
We will be eating as a team at the Crowne
Plaza.
11/23/11
The George Mason game was brutal and the
drive home was even worse. We could not buy
a bucket last night. We were able to get
great shots from our best offensive players.
We could not throw the ball in the ocean!
Gerardo Suero got in early foul trouble
which hurt him and us. It was the first game
that he had experienced early foul trouble.
Our kids played hard but we could not make a
run because we could not score. After
watching the film we probably settled for
too many jump shots but they were good
looks. We have to shoot them with
confidence. The bus ride home was worse than
our shooting! LOL! Navy is up next.
11/22/11
We played very well against Monmouth. We
really forced tempo and were aggressive on
both ends. Our energy and enthusiasm was
terrific. We were able to play everybody
which was great since we play again tonight.
George Mason is talented and playing at
home. Hopefully we can maintain that great
energy and enthusiam.
11/20/11
Getting ready to head down to George Mason
to play Monmouth and George Mason. We play
Monmouth tomorrow night. I have a feeling it
will be just like our Brown game. Might be
less than 33 people in the building because
Fairfax is too far for Albany fans to drive!
We need to play with great energy and
enthusiasm for 40 minutes.
11/16/11
Syracuse is tremendous. They might get
better when they sub. Cuse is deep and
athletic. This might be the most talented
Cuse team in years. We did a nice job
overall. We attacked pressure with success.
The length and athleticism in the 2-3 zone
really bothered us as it does most teams. I
thought we really competed. They were just
too big, too athletic, and too good!
11/15/11
We were able to beat a resilient Brown team.
We opened up a nice lead but allowed them to
get right back in the game. Brown hit some
3’s and hurt us with a few back door cuts
for lay-ups. We did what was needed late in
the game to close it out. Our communication
on D needs to improve. It also hurt that
Mike Black got in to some foul trouble in
the 2nd hald. I counted 33 people in the
Dome for our game. It was like a closed
scrimmage. We play Syracuse tonight. I think
more than 33 people will be at the game!
11/13/11
We practiced at LeMoyne today. Coach Bassett
reached out to his son Matt to make this
happen. Matt is the Athletic Director at
LeMoyne. We had a good 2 hour practice. The
players are looking forward to competing in
the Carrier Dome. Brown is very good
offensively and they have an outstanding
point guard. We must do a great job on D and
not let the pg dictate play. I have a
feeling the Dome will be empty for this one!
11/12/11
Tough loss to open the season. I thought
Pitt played very well and we struggled
mightily. We expected Gibbs to cause
problems for us but we did not think Woodall
could shoot the ball like he did. If he
plays like that the rest of the season then
Pitt will be very good as usual. A bright
spot was Gerardo Suero getting to the FT
line on a consistent basis against a big and
physical team. Off to Syracuse to play
Brown.
11/10/11
We just finished our final practice before
the season opener at Pitt. The players are
excited and looking forward to competing
against one of the elite programs in all of
college basketball. Pitt is known for
toughness, defense, and offensive
efficiency. Also, they don’t lose very often
at home. I am anxious to see how we play
against a very good team in a tough
environment.
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