05.10.08:

Well, the series with Siena is going to continue. A three year deal has been signed. This is a great game for the city of Albany and the surrounding area. I am glad to see that we were given seats in Section 104 behind our bench. I think that was the right thing to do. The games have been competitive and I don’t expect next year to be any different. Siena will be very good next year. They will be the clear cut favorite in the MAAC. I think we will be inexperienced but very talented.

We are in the middle of final exams. They end next Thursday. Our players will be back on campus for summer school which starts on May 27th. Most of our newcomers will be on campus for the first summer session as well. The summer is a great opportunity to get ahead academically and to improve as a player. We try to take advantage of this time of year.

I am excited about our non conference schedule for next year. I am confident it will prepare us for America East Conference play. We will probably release the schedule at the end of the month.

Recruiting for the 09 class is going very well!

04.23.08:

It has been a hectic week. I was in Phoenix, AZ this past weekend. We had two young men visit Monday-Wednesday. Wednesday afternoon we had a young man arrive on campus for an unofficial visit. Tomorrow night is our banquet at The Pearl. I leave Saturday morning at 6 a.m. for the King James Tournament in Akron, OH. Chad O’Donnell will be with me in Akron and Pat Filien will at the Providence Jam Fest in Rhode Island. It never ends!

Recruiting is going very well! We should be finished with our 2008 class in the next week or two. If things play out like I am anticipating we will only have two scholarships for the 2009 class. This would allow us to focus on bringing in two post players to replace Jimmie Covington and Brian Connelly. We are heavily involved with some talented players.

Our schedule is just about complete for the 2008-09 season. Scheduling is always a major challenge. Trying to find 13 opponents to play in November and December is like putting together a giant puzzle. I am happy with the schedule that I have put together and I think our team will be challenged and that we will be well prepared for America East Conference play.

Our banquet is tomorrow night. We still have a few seats available. You can reserve a seat by calling Ken Dagostino at 518-442-3036. The banquet will officially bring closure to the season and the outstanding careers of Jon Iati, Brent Wilson, and Brian Lillis.

04.18.08:

Spring workouts are going great. The players are working very hard. Our individual workouts are all 1 on 1. One player and one coach. We are really trying to cater to specific individual needs. Each player has improved already. We will continue to challenge them on a daily basis. The new three point line has already been painted on the courts in the SEFCU. This is something that the players have been adjusting to and they have made strides.

The players are spending four days per week in the weight room. Our strength coach Justin Goulet has put together a grueling program that is challenging our players mentally and physically. The biggest thing is that our players have embraced the program and they are seeing results.

Reid Anderson and Rob Moores have decided to transfer. Both would like an opportunity to play major minutes and have decided to transfer down a level. The staff has been working hard to make sure that they will have plenty of options. Several DII programs have expressed interest and both are in the process of scheduling visits and taking visits. Reid and Rob are great kids and we wish them nothing but the best!

Recruiting is going great! We have signed 4 players in our 2008 recruiting class. All four are good offensive players. Our main weakness this year was the inability to manufacture offense off the bounce. Raffa, Johnson, and Aronhalt can all create and Lindors can score inside/out. I would like to think that we will have a much easier time scoring the basketball next year. Especially with Brian Connelly moving back to his natural power forward position. I think he will be a tough match-up at the power forward spot and he will be much more comfortable.

We are still actively recruiting for the 2008 and 2009 class. I will be flying to Denver tomorrow and Phoenix on Sunday. We are keeping all options open. We are looking at HS, Prep School, and JC kids. We are also looking at several D1 transfers. I am looking forward to watching the Martin Brothers AAU Program out in Denver. They have a talented group of players in the 09 class. Hopefully he can add some more Iowa flavor to our program.

Hope to see all of you at our banquet!

03.28.08:

It has been a while since my last post. We have been busy recruiting. I went down to Texas earlier in the week and the return trip was the worst in my coaching career! I went from Midland, TX to Houston, TX to Jackson, MS to Baltimore, MD to Albany, NY. I was not allowed to get off the plane until I got to Baltimore. At least the kid that I saw was worth the trip. Recruiting is going well.

Our guys have been off this week for Spring Break. Brian Lillis, Brian Connelly, Jimmie Covington, and Jon Iati drove down to Florida. I can only imagine what they did this week! The rest of the team went home. We begin our spring workouts on Monday. We will spend a lot of our time in the weight room. I am a big believer in strength development. We will also focus on player development and individual improvement. We are going to work with our guys 1 on 1 and really cater to specific individual needs. This will be a great opportunity for our players to get a ton of reps and really improve!

Logan Aronhalt just returned from Italy. He went with an Ohio All Star team to play in a tournament. His team went 3-2 losing to an Italian team and a team from Lithuania. Logan received the trophy for the leading scorer in the tourney. He averaged 29.8 points over 5 games. He is playing in several All Star Games including the Ohio vs. Kentucky game. Jake Lindfors was selected to play in the Chicago Windy City Classic which features the Top 30 players in the state of Illinois senior class. Anthony Raffa had a great prep school season and played very well against some of the best players in the country. We are very excited about our 2008 recruiting class.

The NCAA Tournament has been exciting. Most of the games have been very competitive. It seems that North Carolina, Louisville, and Kansas are playing the best right now. Unfortunately Carolina and Louisville with meet in the Elite Eight. I really think Louisville is one of the top four teams left in the tournament and Carolina is just dominating teams. I think that Kansas has the most talent and depth in the tournament. However, I picked UCLA to win it all before the tournament started. They have struggled a bit but they just keep on winning.

Brian Lillis was just offered a pro contract by a team in the 1st Division in Switzerland. It is a very good opportunity for Brian. However, Brian is a very smart kid who is going to have many options in regard to his future! We have several former Great Danes playing professionally. Levi Levine is in Ireland, Will Brand is in Luxembourg, Kirsten Zollener is in Germany, Antione Johnson is in Turkey, Jason Siggers is in Denmark, Jamar Wilson is in Belgium, and Lucious Jordan played with the Albany Patroons of the CBA.

03.13.08:

Unfortunately the season ended earlier than we had anticipated. We knew the first game in the America East Tournament was going to be a difficult one. Boston University was playing as well as any team in the league the last few weeks of the season. It is amazing to think that we were able to get to OT shooting 31% and getting dominated on the glass by BU. I thought the game with BU was a battle. We beat each other up for 45 minutes. I have a lot of respect for Dennis Wolff and his program.

The Hartford/UMBC game will be interesting. UMBC has the home court advantage and plenty of offensive firepower. Hartford plays multiple zone defenses, spaces the floor on offense, and can really shoot the 3. The two teams split during the regular season.

It is difficult to think that I will no longer have the opportunity to coach Jon Iati, Brian Lillis, and Brent Wilson. They are special kids and each comes from a great family!

How tough is Brian Lillis? He is having x-rays taken today on his hand, thumb, and big toe. He played in pain throughout conference play. We had to sit him out of several practices during the months of January, February, and March. This is something that we kept very quiet. All Brian wanted to do is help us win!

This week we brought some closure to the season. I met with my staff for three hours on Monday morning to discuss the season and the future. On Tuesday we met with the players individually to discuss the season and what they need to do to improve. The meetings were very productive. My philosophy is to always make sure my players know where they stand. I am blatantly honest with them because that eliminates any questions. I tell them what they need to hear, not what I think they want to hear. We had some great interaction and the meetings were very positive.

Workouts this spring will be very intense. We are going to focus on strength/conditioning and individual player development. We are going to challenge the returnees on a daily basis.

The staff will spend a lot of time on the road the next two weeks. We will be recruiting the 09 class and keeping our eyes and ears open for any potential players in the 08 class that are available as well as high major D1 transfers.

We like our young talent and we are excited about our future!

03.04.08:

It was great to win on Senior Day. Boston University is a very talented team that is well coached. They had won 8 of 9 coming in to our game. Our younger players did a nice job and were really focused. I tried to stress to them how important it was to win this game for the seniors! Josh Martin had his best game of the year. Al Turley and Brett Gifford provided us with some toughness up front. Brian Lillis only played 14 minutes because of foul trouble. This was a “TEAM” win!

Brian Lillis, Brent Wilson, and Jon Iati have meant so much to our program. The three of them have helped this program grow and grow quickly. Each one has played an important role in our success over the years. We are going to count on the “BIG GAME” experience of our seniors heading in to the conference tournament. We need to play with TOURNAMENT TOUGHNESS! Boston University is good enough to win this tournament and we need to play with great focus!

Our three recruits have finished off great careers. Anthony Raffa and The Winchendon School lost in OT in the NEPSAC Class A Championship Game to Brewster Academy. The NEPSAC is the best prep school league in the country. Brewster Academy is loaded with talent. Four of the starting five have committed to Arizona, Xavier, BYU, and Fordham. The 5th starter is a junior and is a high major D1 recruit. Even more impressive is the fact that Winchendon was missing their starting center who is a HM/NBA type player. Anthony was the leading scorer in the game with 24.

Jake Lindfors and Logan Aronhalt had great senior seasons. Jake faced constant double and triple teams all year long to average 27ppg. Logan Aronhalt saw all sorts of junk defense and averaged 23ppg. We are looking forward to having all three on campus this summer!

Coach Filien is down in Texas today working the recruiting trail. He is evaluating players for the 2008 and 2009 class. Coach O’Donnell has the Boston University scout and is busy breaking down film. If we are fortunate enough to beat BU then Coach Friel will have the UNH scout and Coach O’Donnell will have the Hartford scout. We have to be ready for any possible scenario. Coach Dags has the toughest job! He has to make sure nothing goes wrong! I am focused solely on Boston University. This will be a very difficult game. The first game is always the toughest.

We hope to see a lot of PURPLE and GOLD in the Events Center on Saturday night!

02.28.08:

It was nice to go on the road and beat a talented Binghamton team. We played with tremendous poise and focus. Our three seniors played well and led this team. Brett Gifford probably played his best game of the season and possibly his career. He was very aggressive and did a good job of clogging up the lane on defense. The guys really executed the scout. I would like to thank our fans that made the trip to Vestal. We appreciate the support!

Sunday is a big game for us. It is SENIOR DAY and we are playing Boston University who is playing great basketball. They were my pick to win the league. They are extremely well coached and very talented. Hopefully the SEFCU will be packed and we can send Brian Lillis, Jon Iati, and Brent Wilson off on a positive note. All three have meant so much to our program. It seems like Jon has been here longer than me! They have helped this program grow and accomplish some special things. Can this game be a sell out? These three young men deserve it!

Well, I have a plane to catch at 1:30. I am heading down to Baltimore to catch a game this evening. Recruiting never ends! It is tough to find time to get out and recruit during the season. Very rarely do we as coaches have a day off. We need to maximize our time and be very efficient when it comes to finding the time to get out on the road.

Anthony Raffa and The Winchendon School have advanced to the NEPSAC Class A semi-finals. He had 15 points and 9 assists last night in the quarterfinals. Logan Aronhalt is in the process of trying to lead Zanesville HS to a state championship. Unfortunately Jake Lindfors and Driscoll Catholic were upset in the playoffs. Poor Jake had to face a lot of Box and 1 and Triangle and 2 defenses late in the year. You have to love it when a team plays a Triangle and 2 on one guy!

02.25.08:

The Canisius game was a tough one! We jumped out to an early 18 point lead. We became passive the last ten minutes of the first half and our lead was 6 at intermission. We struggled offensively in the second half. We had some careless turnovers and we missed several wide open shots. Our ability to make perimeter shots is crucial to our offensive success. We have gotten better at attacking the rim. However, teams sag off us when we don’t make open jump shots and that closes down the driving lanes. I thought we let our offense negatively impact our defense. We did not get the big stops that we needed. Canisius deserves a lot of credit for playing hard and making the big plays. Games like this happen. I explained to our team that Canisius beat Niagara who is in 1st place in the MAAC. Vermont is a very good team and has two POY candidates in the AE and went down to Stony Brook last week and lost. Every game is a battle. You cannot take a game for granted or you will get beat! We need to move forward.

Binghamton is a big game for us. Our goal is to get the 2nd seed for the America East Conference Tournament. We need to beat Binghamton to have a shot at the #2 seed. It will be senior night at Binghamton and I would be shocked if the game was not sold out. Mike Gordon was terrific against us the first time we played. Obviously we need to do a better job on him. They have won three in a row and have some momentum. I am looking forward to seeing how we respond from the Canisius loss. Practice went well this morning.

We just need to stay focused down the stretch. The only expectations we need to concern ourselves with are the expectations that we have for ourselves. We don’t have much room for error and that is something that can be difficult for a group to understand. We will be fine.

02.21.08:

Last night was a tough one! UMBC is very talented and they have played well during the regular season. We were stagnant offensively in the first half and we got off to a slow start. We were not moving, cutting, or screening crisply. We did a much better job of being aggressive and attacking in the second half and overtime. Both teams made big plays late in the game and in overtime. I think the biggest difference was that we missed a BUNCH of easy shots!

Brian Lillis was tremendous in the 2nd half and Jon Iati made some big plays. Brent did not shoot the ball well but he did have 9 rebounds and 4 assists. It was nice to see the veterans step up and make some plays. I thought our three freshmen played fairly well. Al had some great moves in the low post, Tim was aggressive, and Josh played with poise.

We now have to get ready for our game at Canisius on Saturday night. Canisius has a very good player in sophomore point guard Frank Turner. He was the MAAC “Rookie of the Year” last year. They play very hard and they are quick and athletic. They also play much better at home. Hopefully we can avoid snow on this trip!

Coach O’Donnell is off to Iowa tomorrow to see two of our 2009 recruits. I will be in Illinois on Sunday to watch a JC perimeter player. You can never stop recruiting in this business! We are anticipating playing smaller and quicker in the future! The America East has become a league of 6’6 and 6’7 post players.

02.15.08:

The trip to Maine was a long one! It was an eight movie trip. Four on the way up and four on the way back. We got off to a slow start but once we settled down we were fine. Jon Iati played great. He really shot the ball well. Al Turley keeps on getting better. It was nice to see Josh Martin play under control and with great poise. Brian Lillis struggled shooting the ball but finished with 7 assists. It was a solid team effort.

This conference is wide open. We have three tough conference games remaining. UMBC is in first place. Binghamton is always tough in Vestal, NY and Boston University is playing like the team that was picked to finish first by the coaches. We have a week to prepare for UMBC. Our guys are excited about this game. It will be a challenge as UMBC can score consistently from all five positions.

I am off to D.C. on a recruiting trip. I am going to watch a game tonight and will return tomorrow. Coach Filien will be off to Texas tomorrow and Coach O’Donnell will be on his way to Illinois. The America East Conference is getting smaller, quicker, and more athletic. Especially up front! The post players are getting smaller each year. We need to improve our quickness and athleticism up front. That is a priority right now. We continue to recruit the 2008 class and are heavily involved with some talented student-athletes in the 2009 class (Would like to get another kid or two or three from Iowa!).

02.13.08:

It was nice to get a win at Vermont. Patrick Gymnasium is always a difficult place to play. I thought our guys did a great job of staying composed. They really did a good job executing the game plan. We wanted to make the game “UGLY” and wanted it to be an absolute grind. We handled the full court pressure well and made the big plays! It was nice to see Tim Ambrose be aggressive and keep his focus. He really did a nice job of attacking the defense. Al Turley and Brett Gifford clogged up the lane defensively and were able to get us a few buckets as well. It was also nice to see Brent and Jon step up and make big shots. How about that dunk by Lillis? He proved again last night why he is such a good player. He did a little bit of everything!

Now is the big test. How will we respond after this hard fought win? We have that fun trip up to Maine on Wednesday. We have played well in the past at Maine. However, this is a different year and a different team. I think we will play well. We realize that we need to get this one!.

02.11.08:

We just finished our third home game in a row. Unfortunately we lost to Hartford. I thought we played very hard. We just did not play smart. Hartford is a very difficult team to guard as they play very small and run a lot of motion offense. They do a very good job of spreading the floor and you really have to understand their offensive tendencies. They space the floor and all 5 guys on the floor can shoot the three. We had too many breakdowns which is we can attribute to a lack of consistent communication.

We also struggled with the pressure defense. We were passive and did not attack consistently. Unfortunately, our turnovers led directly to baskets for Hartford. We did not get a chance to defend them after we made mistakes.

We were able to get good shots on the offensive end. We made our first two 3 point shots and then shot 1/17 from beyond the arc the rest of the way. We missed a bunch of easy opportunities in the paint. It was a tough night overall. However, I did think we played hard. It was just a difficult match-up!

Now we have to get ready for Vermont with only one day prep. The energy in Patrick Gymnasium should be great. It is a tough place to play. We have never won a regular season game in Patrick Gymnasium. Hopefully this will be the first. This game will feature the three best players in the league. We must do a good job on Blakely and Trimboli. Both are talented and playing well. Vermont is playing very good basketball. They have gotten a lot better defensively and they have a guy that can dominate a game on the interior and a guy that can dominate a game on the perimeter. This will be a tough challenge.

Our guys did a nice job this morning at practice. They did not let the Hartford loss have a negative impact on our preparation for Vermont. We will continue to work and get better.

02.08.08:

Congratulations to Brian Lillis for being selected to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All District 1 University Men’s Basketball Team! His selection guarantees him a spot on the Academic All America ballot. Brian is a student-athlete in the truest sense. He has enjoyed a great career on the court and in the class room. I honestly believe he is the Most Valuable Player in the America East Conference.

We have been playing better of late. Our communication has improved and our defensive energy is getting more consistent. Our younger players are getting more comfortable and our overall focus is better. We are pretty good when we throw the first punch! We have to play with great energy and enthusiasm to reach our goals!

Hartford will be a tough test. They really spread the floor on offense and love to shoot the 3. They try to keep you off balance by playing multiple zone defenses along with some switching man to man. Hartford plays aggressive basketball on both ends.

Recruiting is going very well! Coach O’Donnell is in Iowa as I am typing this update. We are recruiting three student-athletes in the 2009 class that all play for the Martin Brothers AAU Program. This is the same program that Brent Wilson and Brian Lillis played for on the AAU circuit. We are hoping to get all three. The three young men that we signed as part of our 2008 recruiting class are all playing very good basketball this year. All three love the game and spend a lot of time in the gym! We are still recruiting for next year as we are always trying to improve our program. We could use a guy that can consistently score in the low post. That is an area where we need some improvement. We need a guy that can consistently score or get fouled in the paint!

Anybody follow the NBA? I thought the Phoenix Suns made a risky trade giving up Shawn Marion for Shaq. However, I think the Suns made the right move. There is some risk involved but now the Suns will be able to guard all of the talented big men in the Western Conference. I think Shaq will surprise some people with his play. He now has an opportunity for another ring. That should be enough motivation!

Hopefully we will have a great crowd for the Hartford game. This is a big game for us as we try to climb the AE ladder and create some separation in the standings.

02.05.08:

We are looking forward to the match-up with UNH tomorrow night. They are an interesting team. They really spread the floor and look to penetrate and kick. When the three ball is falling they are very tough! They get most of the three point shots off the dribble drive. They hope that you help off shooters so they can kick out for threes! Our guy’s are anxious for this game. They realize that we did not play at a high level at UNH.

The Big Purple Growl was a great event. It was nice to see the team throw the first punch! We are at our best when we are aggressive early in games. We need to play with great energy and enthusiasm. We do not have a lot of room for error and that is okay. We started two freshmen against Stony Brook. Tim Ambrose earned the right to start with his effort in practice the past few weeks. Al Turley got the start up front because he has the most potential of our big men and because he provided great energy off the bench at UMBC. We need production from the 5 spot. We are not getting much from the 5 spot and Al has the ability to get things done. He is just too nice right now!

Well, the match-ups for the BracketBuster were announced. We get to travel to Buffalo to play Canisius. Nothing like a trip to Buffalo in late February! The BracketBuster event is great if you get a TV game. The America East Conference was guaranteed four spots in the BracketBuster for this season. The top four teams in the pre-season poll were included in the event. UMBC was not in the top four of the pre-season poll and currently they are in first place. They have beaten three Atlantic 10 teams. They would have been involved in a TV game if they were a participant in the BracketBuster. The 14 TV games are great. The rest is nothing but non-conference games towards the end of the conference schedule.

How about Boise State? Do you think they are happy? They have to return another game to Albany, NY next year!

01.24.08:

The day after a disappointing loss is always tough. Watching the video from the game makes it worse! We were very flat and that is a major concern. We came out of the gate with great energy at Boston U and at Hartford. You would think that we would be excited to play in the SEFCU and would play with some enthusiasm. You cannot let an opponent shoot 65% for the game. They did hit some tough shots but we allowed them to get comfortable. We did get up by 12 in the 2nd half but the technical foul call really took away our momentum. It was a seven point swing. We struggled to score the rest of the way. We missed lay-ups, FT’s, and open 3’s from our two best 3 point shooters. When we struggle to score we need to be able to rely on our defense. This was not the case and it was disappointing.

Statistics can be very interesting. In all of our losses this season Brent Wilson has averaged 7.5ppg and 5.8rpg. In our three league losses he is averaging 4ppg and 4rpg. In all of our wins he is averaging 12.1ppg and 6rpg. In our four league wins he is averaging 15ppg and 8rpg. We need consistency from Brent!

It was nice to see Tim Ambrose play well last night. He has worked very hard the past week. He is also spending a lot of time with Jeremy Friel watching game tape. This has helped him as well.

We are off today. Tomorrow we will practice at 7 a.m. and it will be a grind! We will watch a defensive edit of the Maine game and then we will run, run, run, and do some more running! The team will be off on Saturday. Conference play can take a toll on a team. We need to make sure we give them enough rest when we have the opportunity. Plus, I am going on a recruiting trip to Florida on Saturday. We need to add some more toughness to the program! We will practice Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday in preparation for our Wednesday game at UMBC. UMBC is the most talented offensive team in our league. All five starters can put up big #’s! Tempo is going to be very important.

It is going to be nice having Josh Martin back on a consistent basis. He needs the practices to get himself back in shape. His ballhandling ability and confidence will definitely help. This will take some pressure off Brian Lillis and Jon Iati.

This team is a work in progress. We’ve had our moments. We do not have much room for error and that is okay. We need to defend and rebound at a high level so when we struggle to score we will still have a chance to win. We must play better at home! Especially since we’ve started to play well on the road!

01.17.08:

We had a good win at Boston University Wednesday night. We played with great energy and enthusiasm. The key was getting off to such a great start. We opened up a 17 point lead in the first half. Unfortunately that lead was cut down to eight at the half. Key players got in to foul trouble late in the first half which forced us to go to a line-up that has not played much together. I was proud of our effort in the 2nd half. We made some mistakes but we made plays when necessary. How good is Brian Lillis? He is playing great basketball! It was nice to see him go 15/16 from the FT line. Jon Iati hit some big shots and Brent was able to score a few baskets in the paint. Jerel Hastings keeps getting better and Brian Connelly had a few big hoops. This was probably the best game of the year for Brett Gifford. He was active and gave us a big boost.

Preparation for Hartford has been interesting. Brent Wilson woke up Thursday morning and was very sick. He did not practice and was hooked up to an IV in the afternoon. He has a bad sinus infection and the stomach flu. He was extremely dehydrated. He did not practice today either. We had him shoot some free throws and pay attention to the scout. We expect him to play on Saturday but he will not even be close to 100%. Jon Iati does not practice at all. He injured that same toe that he broke last year. We will have him go for an x-ray on Monday. He will just suit up on game day for the rest of the season. We cannot afford for him to practice and have the toe get any worse. We practiced with eight players the past two days. We have become a pretty good four vs. four team. Unfortunately the game is played 5 vs. 5.

Hartford is a great opportunity for us to get to 4-2 in league play. They are playing very well right now. They shoot the 3 well and play strictly zone defense. Hartford has been tough at home. Dan Leibovitz has done a nice job with the Hartford Program.

01.14.08:

We are four games in to the conference season. We opened up America East play with a disappointing loss at UNH. We did not play with any sense of urgency in the UNH game. We did a much better job against Vermont and Stony Brook to get ourselves to 2-1 in conference play. Unfortunately we struggled in our 4th game against a talented Binghamton team. Mike Gordon was on fire as he shot 8/11 from the three point line and scored 32 points. We could not make a shot in the first half. We missed open shot after open shot. The 2nd half was similar to the first. We struggled offensively and our defense was below average. Our biggest problem was our lack of communication. Communication has been a weakness of this team all year. It is something that we emphasize every day but we have not been consistent in games. We also did not do a good job executing the scouting report.

We are getting better offensively. We are attacking the basket more and getting some good post up opportunities. The three point attempts have gone down and we have the right guy’s shooting them. If we don’t make open shots we will not win many games. When your offense is struggling your defense needs to be stronger. This was not the case against Binghamton!

Brian Lillis has been very good the last three games! We need him to be a scorer! However, he needs some help. I felt that he was the only player that played with a sense of urgency against Binghamton. He has embraced the role but we cannot expect him to go for 20+ every night. We need some more consistency from certain individuals.

The past week has been difficult for us. We have been practicing with only nine players. Reid and Billy are out for the year. Jon missed several days of practice with an injured toe and our walk-on went home during Christmas break because he had bronchitis. None of our guy’s are getting any rest in practice. That can be tough. I need to make sure we stay fresh. I did think we were a little tired against Binghamton.

We have to get off the roller coaster and start being consistent. We need Josh Martin to get healthy. He will give us another quality player in our rotation. He takes a lot of pressure off Brian Lillis. Consistency will be the key to the rest of the season. We have very little room for error but that is okay! We need to understand that and keep plugging away.

12.23.07:

We had a tough loss against a very good Boise State team. Boise St. should be one of the top three teams in the WAC. We had plenty of opportunities but did not take care of business. Once again we struggled with turnovers. Several were illegal screens and offensive fouls. Still, the decision making needs to improve. Manufacturing offense is not the strength of this team. The players capable of manufacturing offense are young and still have a lot to learn! When we struggle offensively our defense needs to be even better! This was not the case against Boise. That needs to change! Now we need to get ready for Iowa State.

I hope that everybody has a Merry Christmas!.

12.13.07:

We are looking forward to playing in the SEFCU this weekend against a quick and talented St. Francis, NY team. Hopefully we will have a great crowd! It is crucial to defend your home court and our players realize the importance of winning at home. We want the SEFCU to be a very difficult place for our opponents to play!

It has been an interesting start to the season. We sit at 4-4 and have lost three road games in a row. Our defensive statistics have been impressive. We have been at the top of the America East in fg% defense, 3fg% defense, and rebounding. However, stats can be deceiving. I think we have played solid defense, not great defense. Our problem has been at the offensive end. We have turned the ball over too many times and this has led to easy baskets for our opponents. We are a work in progress offensively. We don’t have a team that manufactures offense easily. We need to do a better job of executing and we must value the ball.

Our three 2007 recruits have been playing very well. Jake Lindfors and Logan Aronhalt have been putting up impressive numbers. Anthony Raffa just scored 32 against Notre Dame Prep who has perimeter players that have signed with Louisville, Missouri, Marquette, Duquesne, and Holy Cross. I am confident that all three will continue to do very well!


SUMMARY OF THE LAST THREE GAMES

SIENA: The constant pressure from Siena bothered us early and often. We were tentative and passive instead of being aggressive. We dug ourselves a hole. I thought we played fairly well the last 13 minutes of the game. We were able to control tempo and mix up our defenses. Once we relaxed offensively we were fine. Too many of our turnovers led to points for Siena. You cannot give a talented team easy baskets and expect to win.

DELAWARE: This game reminded me of our game last year at Sacred Heart. We played with little energy. We were very flat. The arena was empty and we did not do a good job of creating our own energy. Foul trouble and turnovers were issues in this game. Brent Wilson only played 18 minutes because of fouls. We need him on the floor! Hopefully we realize how important it is to be focused and ready each and every time we step on the court. I don’t expect another effort like this one!

ST. BONAVENTURE: I knew this game was going to be interesting. They are much improved and play extremely hard. They are very tough at home. The Reilly Center is a difficult place to play. Fouls and turnovers hurt us in the 1st half. We had 5 players sitting on the bench with two fouls with 5 minutes left in the 1st half. We turned the ball over 11 times in the 1st half and several TO’s led to St. Bonaventure baskets. We settled down in the 2nd half and did a nice job up until 7 minutes to play. We built a 10 point lead but struggled to score down the stretch. We were able to get shots and most of them were good solid shots. The problem was that they were all mid-range jump shots or 3’s. We did not get anything at the rim. We broke down defensively at the wrong times and they hit some big shots. Brian Lillis was only able to play 20 minutes because of foul trouble. Brian is our leader and we can’t have him spending more time on the bench than on the court. Also, I have never coached, played, or watched a game where a team did not shoot a FT! We do need to attack more but 0/0 from the FT line is very odd!.

11.26.07:

We are off to a 4-1 start with our next game being on the road at Siena this Saturday at the Pepsi Arena. The Saints are talented and can really score the ball. We are looking forward to a great week of practice. Hopefully this game will be a sell out. Rivalry games are a lot of fun. Especially for fans, alumni, and the community. Our goal is to continue to get better each and every day. This game is important to us because it is the next game on our schedule. We don’t put too much emphasis on any particular non-conference game. We want to be prepared for conference play and playing our best basketball heading in to the conference season.

I was disappointed with the crowds at our last two home games. We appreciate the support from the fans that were in attendance. I am not an excuse guy so I don’t buy that the students were on Thanksgiving break as an excuse for having 2,000 people at the games. We should have more!

It was nice to see a team challenge the New England Patriots. I know Brian Connelly and his family were excited. They love the Eagles!

I was a big Boston Celtics fan growing up. However, it has been difficult to root for the Celtics the past few years. They have really struggled! The additions of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen have brought some life back to Boston. Paul Pierce, Garnett, and Allen are the best trio in the NBA. As of today, the Celts have the best record in the NBA!

Reading about the Knicks is better than reading the Sunday comics!.

11.22.07:

We are off to a 3-1 start. We continue to make progress and have gotten contributions from a variety of players. Our newcomers are starting to adjust to the D1 level. Jerel, Josh, Al, and Tim have all gained valuable experience early in the season. This team has a chance to be pretty good. We need to continue to form good habits and get better each day. We played a lot of players the last two games. We will continue to do that as long as we are being productive. Depth is overrated if it is not quality depth. I think we have quality depth but it is still early in the season.

Our goal is to get it done by committee! We will not rely on one or two individuals this year. It will be a team effort. Our veterans need to continue to lead and be a model of consistency. Jon and Brent still need to get healthy and get in better shape. However, we understand it will be a process since both had surgery and missed several months of action.

We practiced this morning (Thanksgiving Day) and we will have a team dinner at the Desmond Hotel. This gives us a chance to spend more quality time together. I am looking forward to spending some time with my wife and son today. I will probably watch some Sacred Heart tape and then some football. I need to make sure that I don’t eat too much. I have to watch the waist line!

We have been spending a lot of time in the weight room. We keep improving in that area. Our players have done a tremendous job increasing weights for each lift and decreasing overall % of body fat. We are hoping that all of the time that we spend in the weight room will give us an advantage over the competition.

I hope that we can pack the SEFCU for the Sacred Heart game. I don’t see any reason why we can’t put 4,000 people in the SEFCU on a consistent basis. I encourage everybody to come out and see this team. They play hard and they are a talented group!

Happy Thanksgiving!

10.19.07:

We have completed six practices and the players are working extremely hard. Billy Allen and Jon Iati have not practiced and Brent Wilson and Reid Anderson are both trying to get in to basketball shape. Both have missed extensive time the past few months dealing with injuries. We have not been able to substitute during practice since we’ve never had more than 10 players able to practice. We are trying our best to make sure that we give the 10 players enough time to rest and rinse during practice. With that being said, we do not have much time to waste as we open up on November 10th at Bucknell.

This group has been very physical and they are competing at a high level. We need to continue to develop the necessary chemistry to be successful. Chemistry is always an issue when you add six newcomers to a program. We continue to stress the importance of defense, rebounding, and communication. Those are three keys to our success.

We have not let up at all in the weight room. We are spending a lot of time in the weight room and it is paying dividends for us. All of the players are getting bigger and stronger. Most programs cut back or stop lifting once the season starts. We will make sure that we get three lifts in each week during the season. We also want to make sure the each player continues to reduce body fat, maintain or increase body weight, and increase the amount of weight that they lift. I don’t buy in to the theory that in-season lifting is all maintenance work. I don’t want to just maintain. I want us to continue to improve.

Former Great Dane Lucious Jordan was in a car accident in Holland last week. He was recently released from the hospital and is feeling better. He is hoping to return home in the next week to give his body a chance to heal. He was thrown 35 ft. from the car. He is very fortunate!.

10.02.07:

The first day of practice is right around the corner. The coaching staff is anxious to get going. We are still banged up and are very concerned that we will be missing a few players on October 12th. We figured we would have 12 for the first practice but that number might dwindle to 10 as a result of various injuries. We are definitely keeping the training staff busy!

Recruiting has gone very well! We have received three verbal commitments and expect all three to sign the National Letter of Intent in early November. We were able to address our perceived needs with this talented Class of 2008. It is very difficult to get your top recruit at any position. We were able to land our top choice at the point guard position, wing position, and the power forward position. A job well done by my staff!

Next weekend is Homecoming Weekend and we will be having our Purple/Gold scrimmage at 2:15 in the SEFCU Arena and we will have a short Q and A session afterwards on the court. This will give all of you an opportunity to see the team play an abbreviated scrimmage. We are practicing that morning as well.

09.04.07:

We just returned from our trip to Barbados. It was a great experience for our team and coaching staff. We were able to experience a new culture and play three games using international rules. We went 3-0 and everybody played meaningful minutes as I substituted freely. I was not concerned with the score but more interested in trying different combinations. The biggest adjustment was the 24 second shot clock and that you only have 8 seconds to cross half court with the ball. The Olympic training facility was under renovation so we played all of our games at Barbados Community College. It was hot! Barbados CC does not have air conditioning in the gym. The teams we played were very physical which was good for us.

Game 1
Albany 82
Lumber Yard Lakers 47

Ambrose 16, Hastings 14, Allen 11, Lillis 10, Gifford 10, Connelly 9, Turley 9, Moores 3

Game 2
Albany 64
Barbados League All Stars 44

Ambrose 14, Lillis 13, Connelly 9, Allen 8, Hastings 6, Turley 5, Covington 4, Gifford 3, Moores 2

Game 3
Albany 84
Tridents 61

Turley 16, Hastings 15, Moores 12, Connelly 10, Ambrose 9, Allen 8, Covington 7, Gifford 6, Lillis 1

DNP on the tour- B. Wilson, R. Andersen, J. Iati, J. Martin

Barbados was a beautiful island. The people were great. We stayed at the Crystal Cove Resort which was an all inclusive resort. It was nice to see the team bond. They went jet skiing, snorkeling, banana boating, and went on two island tours. It was very hot but all the ocean water and three pools at the resort kept us cool. It was a great experience for our program. You can view some of the pictures at the photo gallery on the athletic department web site.

08.03.07:

The month of July is finally over. It is a very long month for a college basketball coach. July is the biggest recruiting month of the year. College coaches are allowed out on the road to recruit for 20 of the 31 days. Many coaches travel coast to coast searching for talent. It can be an exhausting process. I was on the road for 17 of the 20 days. I visited Texas, Kentucky, West Virginia, NYC, and Florida for various tournaments. We as a staff are very comfortable with the talent level of the student-athletes that we are recruiting.

It was sad to hear of the tragic death of Wake Forest head coach Skip Prosser. I did not know Skip but I do know that he was an outstanding coach. From what I hear he was an even better person. The coaching profession is not an easy one and the life of a college coach can be quite hectic.

As a former Boston Celtics fan I was happy to see the Celts add Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to the team. Pierce, Garnett, and Allen will form a talented trio. Now the question is will the Celtics have any money left to fill out the rest of the roster? Boston will be fun to watch if the big three can stay healthy!

Our new players will head home this weekend. Summer school went well and I am sure they are excited to get back home and relax. We will start practice for our summer tour on August 25. That should be a lot of fun! It will give us a head start to the upcoming season.

07.18.07:

It has been a very hectic month of July. I just got off the road this morning. I headed to Texas on July 5th and was on the road for most of the first half of the recruiting period. I flew back to Albany for 11/2 days of camp before heading back out on the road. The first half was a productive one for me. I had a chance to get out and evaluate some of the student-athletes that my staff liked during the spring recruiting period. The summer is when I usually organize my “PRIORITY LIST”. I try to take my time and really get a feel for each kid. The second half of the recruiting period is from July 22-31. I will get a chance to evaluate a few more student-athletes and also follow our priority kids closely.

We will work the phones the next few days and then I am going to try to get away for a day or two. I am going to take my son to the Bronx Zoo and in to New York City. It will be his first time in NYC. Then I will be back on the road.

Our guys are still working hard this summer. Most will be on campus until August 3. It has been a productive summer for them in the classroom, in the weight room, and on the court. The summer is a great time to improve!.

06.21.07:

The month of June has been a hectic one. We moved in to a new house two weeks ago and it has been a process getting situated. I have been busy speaking at various functions in the area. In the past two weeks I have spoken at the St. Gregory’s School Athletic Banquet, the New Lebanon High School Athletic Banquet, and was on a guest panel with Tom Geisel of Key Bank and Jan Smith of GE at the Tech Valley Leadership Retreat in Rennselaerville. These functions are great and I really enjoy doing them. However, they can be very time consuming.

Our returning players have been doing a great job in the weight room. We implemented a challenging new program and the players have really embraced the program. It will be interesting to see how smooth of a transition it will be for our new players who will arrive this weekend. It will be a new experience for them. We feel that this new program and a continued emphasis on strength training will help us win games!

The July recruiting period is right around the corner. This is a very important time for our program. Most of the staff will be on the road for more than 20 days during the month of July. We will be going from coast to coast to try and find student-athletes that will be successful in the classroom and on the court at UAlbany. Our priority for the 2008 class is replacing Brent Wilson. We need a power forward that can stretch the defense with his perimeter shooting. Brent has been a valuable weapon for us the past three seasons. Having two commitments in place will allow us to really focus on bringing in a talented 4 man.

I am excited about our schedule for the upcoming year. No nights off for the Great Danes. We will need to be focused every time we step on the court. This schedule will prepare us for the grind of conference play. The opportunity to play Duke on ESPN2 is exciting for our program and the university. It will also be nice to get Brent Wilson and Brian Lillis back to Iowa for a game.

06.01.07:

All of our returning players are on campus for summer school. This is the time to get ahead academically and to improve as a player. We have revamped our strength and conditioning program. I sent our video coordinator Kenny Dagostino down to the University of Texas to spend some time with Todd Wright who is recognized as the best strength coach in the country. Kenny was able to watch Todd work with NBA lottery pick Kevin Durant and the men’s basketball program. This was very beneficial. We are looking for every possible way to help us have an advantage over our opponents. We started our summer program on Tuesday and our guys are very sore right now. The program is challenging them physically and mentally.

The July recruiting period is right around the corner. We are very excited about the potential our 2008 recruiting class. We will need to replace Jon Iati, Brian Lillis, and Brent Wilson. All three have been very good players for us. Our big focus heading in to July will be to find a replacement for Brent Wilson. We want to bring in a skilled power forward who can stretch the defense with his perimeter shooting ability. This will not be an easy task as the three point line will be moved back one foot for the 08/09 season. We have two commitments in the 08 class so we will have plenty of time to find the ideal power forward.

The NBA playoffs have been interesting. The San Antonio Spurs are tough. They are fundamentally sound on both ends of the court. I still think the Suns would be in the Western Conference Finals if Diaw and Stoudamire were not suspended for Game 5.

It was nice to see Jon Mueller and the baseball team win the America East Baseball Tournament Championship. He is a great guy and has done a tremendous job this season. They open up with Arkansas in the NCAA Tournament.

05.10.07:

We finished up our 2007 recruiting class with the addition of Josh “SCRAP” Martin from Simon Gratz HS in Philly. Josh is a tough hardnosed city guard who has a great feel for the game. He won a state championship as a junior and lost in the city final as a senior. Simon Gratz has a history of sending players to the Division 1 level. NBA players Aaron McKie and Rasheed Wallace played at Simon Gratz. Josh had offers from several programs and we were fortunate to be the university that he decided to attend.

We are excited about the potential of the 2008 Great Danes! It was very important to me that we continued to recruit and sign quality people. The young men in this class will have an impact on our program over the next four years. They will work hard and represent our program and university in a positive manner!

Gotta love the message boards! I would be a millionaire if I was given a dollar for every time a person in the media contacted me because they saw something on a message board. It is very comical and annoying!

05.10.07:

It has been a week of banquets. Our basketball banquet was Saturday May 5th at the Crowne Plaza. We had a nice mix of parents, alums, and season ticket holders at the banquet. Scottie McKay from News 13 did a great job with our highlight video. It was a great way to bring closure to a tremendous season.

This past Monday was our athletic department banquet which took place in the SEFCU Arena. A senior ceremony took place one hour before the banquet. This is a chance to recognize the graduating seniors and to show our appreciation for their years of dedication to the athletic department.

Our guy’s have been preparing for final exams. Hopefully all of them finish strong in the classroom as we approach the summer. They will have a chance to get home for a few weeks before summer school starts on May 29. The incoming recruits will start summer school on June 25. Each player will be on campus for at least six weeks this summer. Most will be on campus for 8-10 weeks.

The coaching staff has been busy recruiting. We are looking to add one more recruit to our 2007 class and we have been busy working the 2008 class. We already have a commitment from a wing in the 2008 class who will spend a year at a prep school. We will have two other scholarships to give in the 2008 class.

Best of luck to the lacrosse team this weekend in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament!.

04.27.07:

Just want to remind everybody that our banquet is Saturday May 5th at the Crowne Plaza in Albany. The cost is $35 per person and it will be all you can eat. A cash bar will be available. The banquet will start at 6:30 pm and we will be showing a 15 minute highlight video at the end of the banquet. Space is limited so please contact Kenny Dagostino at 442-3036 to reserve a spot.

I appreciate how passionate our fans have become the past few years. I have been receiving e-mails regarding recruits and how many student-athletes we have signed. All I can tell you is that the NCAA allows a program to have a maximum of 13 student-athletes on scholarship each year. We will have 13 student-athletes receiving scholarships on our roster this upcoming year. We will most likely have two walk-ons as well. It is not worth the time trying to piece everything together. We will have a roster of talented student-athletes who will represent the university and program in a positive manner. Just enjoy the off season!

Jamar Wilson is getting ready for some NBA tryouts starting on June 5. He is working hard and excited about the opportunity. Jason Siggers is going to have some options overseas. Several agents and general managers overseas have contacted me about Jason. Lucious Jordan has also decided to make an attempt at playing overseas. Hopefully some of these young men will be able to join Kirsten Zollner and Levi Levine as professional basketball players.

04.25.07:

The spring recruiting period has been a very productive one for our program. Two weeks ago we signed 6’7 280 PF/C Al Turley from Houston, TX. This week we have added 6’2 180 combo guard Robert Moores of Pratt CC, KS and 6’5 210 small forward Jerel Hastings of Lon Morris CC, TX. These two young men are very talented and will improve the overall depth of our basketball team.

Robert played for one of the most talented junior college programs in the Jayhawk Conference. He was the teams 2nd leading scorer, leader in assists, 3’s, and steals. He can play multiple positions on the perimeter. He has the ability to nail the long range jumper and he can get to the rim. I love the way he defends. He has great feet and excels at pressuring the basketball. Very few colleges realized that he was graduating and would have three years to play. I think they all assumed he was going back to Pratt for another year. Lucky us!

Jerel is an excellent athlete who has that special ability to draw fouls. He does a great job of attacking the basket. He is an excellent offensive rebounder and finisher. Jerel is a good mid-range shooter and can defend four spots on the perimeter. Lon Morris CC won the region championship and advanced to Hutchinson, KS where they finished 6th at the NJCAA National Tournament. He was the teams 2nd leading scorer, leading rebounder, and leader in FT’s made and attempted. He can do a little of everything. He played high school ball at Dallas South Oak Cliff HS and won a state championship as a senior. He signed with Stephen F Austin University and had a rough freshman year because of injury. He tore up his knee and had surgery during the early part of his freshman season. He missed 9 games as a result of the injury and came back too quickly. He was 100% this past season and was the best player on a very talented Lon Morris CC basketball team.

The team is working very hard this spring. We are spending a lot of time in the weight room and on individual player development.

04.20.07:

The staff has been very busy. We are trying to finish off our 2007 recruiting class. We recently signed 6’7 275 power forward Al Turley from Houston Westfield HS, TX. Al will bring great size to our frontcourt. He is a physical presence and is a very good athlete for a player his size. He led the city of Houston in block shots. Hopefully our fans will enjoy his rim rattling dunks! We will now look to bring in some perimeter scoring to complete our recruiting class.

We are very proud of our basketball program. The young men really came together as a team this year. The way they kept their composure in Burlington, VT was very impressive. They showed a lot of mental and physical toughness. This team just found a way to get it done!

The game against Virginia in the NCAA Tournament was not how we wanted our season to end. Unfortunately we did not play well. I thought Virginia played very well and set the tone in the early going. We made one of our first thirteen shots. You are not going to beat many teams when you are that cold. We really did appreciate all of our loyal supporters making the trip out to Ohio. We just wish we could have played better.

It was nice to see some of the young men rewarded by the America East Conference and coaches at the conference tournament banquet. Jamar was named POY, Brian Lillis DPOY, Jason Siggers 1st Team AE, and Brent Wilson 3rd Team AE. All of them had outstanding seasons.

The future of our program is bright. We are excited about next year. The young men in our program need to continue to improve and they will on a daily basis. We have high expectations for our newcomers but we also realize that they will need time to adjust to college. Our goal is to get to a 3rd consecutive NCAA Tournament. Somehow we need to find a way!

Our schedule next year will be as challenging as any schedule that I have ever assembled. We will have no nights off! Every time we step on the floor it will be a battle. Our goal is for the non-conference schedule to get us ready for conference play. I think the conference will be up for grabs.

We would like to congratulate and thank Coach Eaton as he heads to Quinnipiac University. He did an outstanding job for us the past two years. We had an outstanding staff.