cwdickens

Harvard had little more grit and I thought Killings was out-coached, in particular, when Harvard went with a taller team with no true point guards.

LACROSSE PLL to open at UAlbany again By Mark Singelais Jim Franco/Times Union archive The Premier Lacrosse League will return to UAlbany's Casey Stadium for training camp and opening weekend May 31-June 2. With a new twist, the Premier Lacrosse League will again open its season at the University at Albany. The PLL will hold its training camp on campus and play its opening weekend May 31 to June 2 at Casey Stadium. It’s the third straight year the league will begin at UAlbany and its fifth overall appearance at the school. “UAlbany has been a fantastic host for our training camp and opening weekend in years past, even hosting the most watched outdoor pro lacrosse game in Game 1 of our 2023 season,” PLL co-founder and CEO Mike Rabil said. “We look forward to kicking off this historic season for the PLL in Albany once again.” This year, the PLL is assigning each of its eight teams to a home city and state. The opening weekend will be the inaugural home games for the New York Atlas, which will play two games on back-to-back days at Casey Stadium. “We’re thrilled to give fans across New York the opportunity to welcome the Atlas home to the state at UAlbany this season,” Rabil said. The Atlas went 2-8 last season. They were led by attackmen Chris Gray, a North Carolina graduate who had 37 points, and Jeff Teat, a Cornell alumnus who had 36 points. The Atlas’ Trevor Baptiste of the University of Denver led the league by winning 77.4 percent of his faceoffs. The other PLL teams are the Boston Cannons, California Redwoods, Carolina Chaos, Denver Outlaws, Maryland Whipsnakes, Philadelphia Waterdogs and Utah Archers. The PLL remains a touring league that will play eight of its 10 regular-season weekends in teams’ home locations.The other two regular-season weekends, the All-Star Game and the playoffs, will be held at neutral sites. The league includes several UAlbany alumni, featuring attack Connor Fields and goalie Blaze Riorden. “The UAlbany community could not be more excited to continue our partnership with the PLL for another year of world-class lacrosse,” UAlbany athletic director Mark Benson said. “Albany has become the perfect venue to open competition each new season, and this year is made even more special with the privilege of debuting the Atlas as New York’s home team. We look forward to continuing the great tradition of lacrosse in the Capital Region.”

UALBANY MEN’S BASKETBALL Amica out to make bigger contribution Oft-injured senior guard feeling healthy this season, gaining playing time in rotation By Pete Dougherty Stephen Weaver/Times Union archive UAlbany senior guard Will Amica has averaged 11 minutes of playing time a game over the Danes’ past six contests. UALBANY AT HARVARD When: 7 p.m. Tuesday Where: Lavietes Pavilion, Cambridge, Mass. TV/Radio: ESPN+ (streaming), WTMM 104.5 FM ALBANY — When he first arrived on campus more than three years ago, Will Amica brought with him a lot of promise for the University at Albany basketball program. The lone freshman on the roster in the final season of the tenure of former coach Will Brown, Amica played nine minutes that first season. Elbow and head injuries limited him to just one game. Since then, Amica has been plagued by problems in both hips, undergoing surgery on both. Entering this season, he had totaled nine games, scoring 18 points in 70 total minutes. Now in his fourth year, Amica is healthy again and making a growing contribution to the Great Danes (8-6), who will finish their nonconference schedule Tuesday night at Harvard (8-4). “He really wants to be a part of the impact,” third-year coach Dwayne Killings said. “He wants to win, he wants to have success. He’s trying to do his part. He’s an easy guy to root for.” Amica, a 6-foot guard, has averaged 11 minutes the past six games as he works his way into UAlbany’s playing rotation. In12 games this season, he has 22 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists, which may seem modest but they all surpass his career numbers coming into the season. The injury bugaboo finally has been pushed to the background. “I feel like I got my explosiveness back,” Amica said. “I can run, jump. Everything feels good.” That has been a long time coming for the young man out of Syracuse and a former player for the AAU Albany City Rocks. He potentially could have had a large role as a freshman under Brown. “He checked every box,” Brown said of Amica’s recruitment, “and I thought he would be a really good program kid. Coming out of high school, I was so impressed with his athleticism. He played so much bigger than what he is. Also, defensively, he was a guy that could be a pest, to guard other point guards 94 feet. We had high expectations for him when we recruited him. We were excited when he committed to us and decided to sign with us.” At no time did Amica believe he wouldn’t be back, despite the endless hours of doctor visits and rehab. He has tremendous parental support — “You see a lady, standing behind the bench, just being loud, that’s my mom,” he said — and an exceptional amount of fortitude to persevere. “I just had to tell myself just stay patient,” he said. “I trusted myself, I trusted my body, and I knew eventually I would come around and start to feel the way I did feel before.” “Will’s a great kid, and he’s got a great spirit,” Killings said. “He’s the same guy every day. He’s a low-maintenance guy. He’s good in the classroom, good in the community. He’s where he needs to be (on the court), gives you what he has. He comes and plays with this burst of energy and speed that is really good. We’re finding ways to use him more.” Amica, on schedule to graduate in May with a degree in business economics, is listed on the roster as a senior, but he could have two years of eligibility remaining because of an injury redshirt and the COVID-19 year. Those are decisions to be made after the season. “Right now, I’m just being where my feet are,” he said. “I’ve got more years of eligibility. After I graduate this year, I’m going to focus on getting my master’s after that. That’s as far as I’ve looked so far.” “The biggest focus for Will is graduating,” Killings said. “He’s a smart kid, capable student. With all these guys, let’s focus on the season, nothing else, nothing beyond it. Just get focused on the season, the week, the day that we’re in, and at the end of the journey, then we figure out the next best thing to do.” The next thing for the Great Danes to figure out is Harvard, which defeated UAlbany 60-53 two seasons ago in the only previous meeting between the schools. The Crimson have victories over Massachusetts and Army. UAlbany lost to UMass and defeated Army in November.

The Bryon's sold the business in 2018 and the new owners apparently lost in interest in the business in April 2023. Whoever are the current owners of the building, they are attempting to lease the building. Based on my understanding, Alumni Quad is still used for housing. Maybe, in the last 10 years, I have traveled this area less than 7 times. When your suburbanized, you limit where you travel to Albany.... Landmark Spectrum Movie Theatre, The Egg, Warehouse District along Broadway and City Center adjacent to The Empire State Plaza

Absolutely, from my take of the threads, most people feel this team is leap and bounds better than last year's team. Is it better coaching or recruiting.... my take recruitment .... a blend of players who like and are capable of the run and gun game. This the up tempo game that Killings promised three years ago.

America East Conference 2023-24 Women's Basketball Standings 2023-24 Women's Basketball Standings SCHOOL CONF CPCT. OVERALL PCT. STREAK UAlbany 0-0 .000 10-2 .833 W6 Vermont 0-0 .000 8-5 .615 W2 NJIT 0-0 .000 7-5 .583 W2 Maine 0-0 .000 7-6 .538 L1 Bryant 0-0 .000 6-6 .500 L1 New Hampshire 0-0 .000 6-7 .462 W1 Binghamton 0-0 .000 4-8 .333 W2 UMBC 0-0 .000 3-8 .273 W1 UMass Lowell 0-0 .000 0-11 .000 L11

2023-24 Men's Basketball Standings Print 2023-24 Men's Basketball Standings SCHOOL CONF CPCT. OVERALL PCT. STREAK New Hampshire 0-0 .000 8-4 .667 W2 UMass Lowell 0-0 .000 8-4 .667 W1 Vermont 0-0 .000 9-5 .643 L1 Binghamton 0-0 .000 7-5 .583 L1 Bryant 0-0 .000 8-6 .571 W2 Maine 0-0 .000 8-6 .571 L2 UAlbany 0-0 .000 8-6 .571 W1 UMBC 0-0 .000 5-9 .357 L4 NJIT 0-0 .000 3-8 .273 W1

UAlbany's Run and Gun is the truest version of the Run and Gun Offense, I have ever seen by an America East MBB Team. My question, how we respond if we have to play defense and/or teams start to use the full 30 second shot clock to slow down the game, defensive rebounding is going to be important. I truly looking forward to conference play as most AE teams will be prepared for this year's UAlbany team.

Reminded by someone else, 50 days to the MLAX first home match against Colgate.

A tough road game against a good Harvard MBB team 5-0 at home.

I kept wondering if UAlbany would have a sustained run during the game .... had to watch the entire game for the answer.... a run and gun game by both teams ... we lucky that LIU ran out of gas....

From today'sTimes-Union: UALBANY MEN’S BASKETBALL Danes have time to prep for LIU By Pete Dougherty UALBANY AT LIU When: 7 p.m. Thursday Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn TV/Radio: NEC FrontRow (streaming), WTMM 104.5 FM Stephen Weaver/Times Union archive UAlbany’s Marcus Jackson said his time management has improved since he started college. With no classes, he and the Danes can focus on LIU. ALBANY — For college basketball players, this is the most wonderful time of the year, and it’s not because Santa filled their stockings with Air Jordans or NIL bonuses. The University at Albany returned Tuesday from a brief holiday break to get ready for a Thursday night meeting against Long Island University at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The best thing about being back on campus? No classes. Students are gone until mid-January. “It’s a perfect time, honestly,” redshirt sophomore guard Justin Neely said. “We’re still in-season, the semester just finished up, and all we have is basketball. You work out, get extra lifts in, practice. You have more time to get some recovery and film. It’s a great time right now.” Coach Dwayne Killings gave his Great Danes (7-6) three days off after their 89-73 loss Friday at South Florida. They practiced Tuesday in Albany and headed to Brooklyn on Wednesday. “For our guys, now it’s a chance for them to be professionals, like pro athletes,” Killings said. “It’s just basketball. It’s a chance to really get better.” UAlbany’s second game of the season at Barclays Center — the Danes lost to Temple 78-73 on Dec. 10 in Brooklyn — comes in the middle of a four-game road stretch. The team closes out its nonconference schedule Tuesday at Harvard, then begins America East play on Jan. 6 at NJIT. With no other students on campus, the between-semesters respite means the players and coaching staff will have plenty of time together, both in Albany and while traveling. “We’re a close-knit team,” sophomore Jonathan Beagle said. “It’s fun hanging out with the guys and being able to just play basketball. We get to lock in on lifting and basketball practice and trying to get better every single day and trying to reach our full potential as a team.” “Nobody being here, what else is there to do besides be with each other?” redshirt sophomore Ny’Mire Little said. “We definitely bond more, see each other more, try to come together more, stay longer in the locker room. We can do more stuff longer because we don’t have school.” “When I came in here in my freshman year, my first semester,” sophomore Marcus Jackson added, “I was like, ‘I’ll be good, I’ll be able to handle the school, the basketball. I’ve played basketball my whole life.’ Then it hit me right in the face. My time management was awful. That was something I learned. I cherish the times we don’t have any classes. There’s a little more personal time and time to spend with the guys.” They will be on the court together Thursday in the Brooklyn Nets’ home arena, where LIU (1-10) awaits. The Sharks’ lone victory came Nov. 24, an 83-68 triumph over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. LIU, which has dropped six in a row, has three losses against teams in the top 100 of the NET rankings: Florida International (6), Miami, Fla. (61), and Rutgers (84). The Sharks also have lost to Pepperdine and UCLA. UAlbany is ranked 223rd by NET and LIU 347th. Columbia is the lone common opponent between UAlbany and LIU. The Danes defeated the Lions on Nov. 11, 78-75, and the Sharks lost 10 days later, 77-67. Both games were at Columbia.

Since I have become aware of @grayed danes_nil Instagram account, my awareness of the broader issues facing our student-athletes and students in general has been dramticly increased. Once again, @grayed danes_nil has touched on a subject that I have never seen spoken about: the mental health of our student-athletes. Worth the read: grayed_danes_nil Ava Poupard (attack) - junior out of New City, NY. But this post is not about lacrosse - this is about Ava Poupard the person and the work she does promoting mental health on campus. Ava is president of a campus organization called “The Hidden Opponent” - a nonprofit advocacy group that raises awareness for student-athlete mental health and addresses stigmas within sports culture. Here are some statistics for you to chew on: >> 35% of elite athletes suffer from a mental health crisis which may manifest as stress, eating disorders, burnout, or depression and anxiety. >> About 25% of college athletes in a study experienced “clinically relevant” levels of depressive symptoms. >> 30% of student-athletes have reported feeling overwhelmed. >> Approximately 33% of NCAA men experience depressive symptoms and anxiety. >> Roughly 50% of participating NCAA student-athletes reported levels of anxiety and 40% reported symptoms of depression. Local news (Spectrum) did a piece on Ava recently and I have edited down the video into two parts. It's worth taking a couple minutes to watch. So yes, I'm an Ava Poupard fan...and to show my allegiance I just bought two Ava Poupard shirts from the NIL merch store for me and my niece to wear to the home opener. Of course it will probably be like 14 degrees out so you won't see them. I put a link to the NIL merch store in our bio - go support our student-athletes and pick up some swag. I heard if you buy a Piseno shirt if comes with a free fake beard.

Navy comes to this contest with a record of 4-6. Dec 30 (Sat) 2:00 PM vs Navy New Years Eve Eve Bash Albany, N.Y. Broadview Center Tickets History

Wishing all, a happy holiday season and a healthy new year. The past year, we have witnessed the warm feelings of victory and the saddest that comes with defeat. However, we have realized that our student-athletes and coaches have given their all in their sports. In the new year, we can only hope for the best. Lastly, I appreciate everyone's thoughts and opinions on the variety of topics that touch Great Dane Fanes.

Playing on Tuesday night and flying to Florida equals Fatigue Factor: SOUTH FLORIDA 89, UALBANY 73 Danes fade in the second half By Pete Dougherty Brent Warzocha/UAlbany athletics UAlbany’s Sebastian Thomas, shown earlier this season, scored 17 points for the Danes in their loss to South Florida on Friday in Tampa, Fla. Perhaps the holiday break is coming at a good time for the University at Albany men’s basketball team. After shooting 60 percent in the first half and trailing the University of South Florida by just a point, the Great Danes looked worn down in the second half Friday afternoon and fell to the Bulls 89-73 in a nonconference game in front of 2,759 at the Yuengling Center in Tampa, Fla. UAlbany (7-6), which lost for the third time in four outings after a five-game winning streak, will give its players three days off for Christmas and return to game action Thursday at LIU. The Danes followed their sharp-shooting first half with a 27 percent effort after the break. They committed a season-high 20 turnovers, 10 in each half. “We didn’t have a ton of pop in the locker room (at the half ),” UAlbany coach Dwayne Killings said in a phone interview. “It’s been a long run to get to this point. They battled, they played hard, they tried. We didn’t get the 50-50 balls that we wanted. We need to learn to get those things. We got worn down as the game finished up.” No play epitomized UAlbany’s second-half woes more than a sequence with seven minutes to go and the Danes in a 74-64 hole. Ny’Mire Little stole the ball and drove the length of the court, only to have his shot blocked by 6-foot-10 Kasean Pryor. Both players went off the court as UAlbany’s Amar’e Marshall missed two uncontested layups, then kicked the ball out of bounds. That was part of a 10-0 South Florida run that put the Bulls in control of the game. Three players scored in double figures for UAlbany — Marshall (19), Sebastian Thomas (17) and Jonathan Beagle (17) — but their teammates combined for just 20. Little fouled out with five points in 21 minutes. Tyler Bertram, averaging 9.4 points per game, was shut out. Yet it was defense that did in UAlbany, which allowed 13 second-chance points in the second half. Brandon Stroud scored six straight points, all set up by offensive rebounds, in a two-minute stretch that punctuated South Florida’s second-half scoring run. “You have three guys lead you (in scoring), you can definitely win games if you defend at a high level,” Killings said. “We’re not doing that, so then you’ve got to score at a pretty high level. We didn’t get a lot of bench scoring (five points, to USF’s 14), so it’s hard to win games like that, especially on the road.” Beagle and Thomas starred in the first half, in which UAlbany led by three late in the half. Beagle had 15 points and Thomas 12 as UAlbany made 19 of its 31 field-goal attempts. South Florida (6-4), which won its fourth consecutive game, had a seven-point surge late in the half to retake the lead, but Thomas hit a shot from just inside the midcourt line at the buzzer to trim the Bulls’ intermission margin to 47-46. Pryor, who did a better job defensively on Beagle in the second half, was a matchup problem for the Danes. He scored six of South Florida’s first 10 points — including two dunks — in the second half, in which he scored 14 of his 21 points. “They made it a little harder to get it to (Beagle),” Killings said. “It was a little harder to make some of those plays the way we wanted in the second half. We did try to call his number a couple of times, but it didn’t go our way. At that point, the game started getting out of reach.” The Danes got to within two on Thomas’ three-point play with 13:41 remaining, but the Bulls never let them closer than that the rest of the way. USF led for 36:28 of the game’s 40 minutes.

I am not as optimistic, yes, this team will their share of conference games, however the operating mode of this team will not change. If we cannot win by overwhelming a team with our offense, our defense is not going to rescue a game, defense is just not in their DNA.

Sadly, the wheels have come off and the lack of defense shows.

Sounds like desperation has set in and the realization by their coach that he needed to recruit differently. SIENA MEN’S BASKETBALL For coach, building roster ‘one-year gig’ Two junior-college prospects report offers By Mark Singelais Jim Franco/Times Union archive Siena coach Carmen Maciariello said he’s exploring every avenue for players, including junior college, which has rarely produced players for the Saints. LOUDONVILLE — In the span of three hours last Sunday, two junior college players tweeted they were offered scholarships by Siena men’s basketball. It was notable because Siena hasn’t had a scholarship juco player for 16 years, though the Saints have come close a few times. Whether or not Northwest Florida State guard Tajuan Simpkins or Triton College guard Dylan Williams ever sign with the Saints, their posts on X indicate Siena coach Carmen Maciariello is exploring every option in this era of unprecedented roster turnover. “Just like transfer portal kids, one-year kids, two-year kids, I mean, now everything’s a one-year gig,” Maciariello said without specifically addressing Simpkins or Williams. “So I look at it as, if they’re a good player and they can do the work academically and they fit and their transcripts check out, then they’re a viable option.” Siena’s current roster is struggling badly entering Friday’s 2 p.m. game at Brown (3-9) of the Ivy League. The Saints have lost four straight to fall to 2-9 and have the nation’s third-worst scoring margin at minus-19.2 points per game. Former Siena coach Fran McCaffrey brought in a pair juco transfers, Mousse Diop and Levi Osby, when he got the job in 2005 and needed to fill the roster. Jimmy Pat-sos signed guard Jonathan Joseph in 2016, but he never attended Siena for academic reasons. Neither did guard Taelon Martin, who committed to Siena in January 2022 but de-committed two months later. Siena did have juco transfer forward Denzel Tchougang, who was a walk-on. Despite that scant history with juco players, Maciariello said it’s an avenue worth pursuing, even with current NCAA players available in the transfer portal. “Especially because you don’t ever know what’s going to be in the portal and you don’t want to ever kind of wait on guys to get in the portal that are rumored to be going in the portal,” Maciariello said. “Because one, even though NIL is not supposed to be involved (in recruiting under NCAA rules), guys go into the portal for other reasons than playing time.” Maciariello said he doesn’t think it’s especially hard to get juco transfers into Siena. “It think it depends on where they were and what courses they’ve been in,” he said. Simpkins, from Brooklyn, is a 6-foot-5 shooting guard averaging 14.3 points per game and shooting 50 percent from the field, 40.5 percent from 3-point range. He’s been offered by several Division I schools, including Hofstra and Radford, according to verbalcommits.com . Williams, a 5-11 point guard from Columbia, S.C., averages 16.6 points and 6.5 assists per game. He has been offered by Fairfield and Maine, among others, according to verbalcommits.com . With a federal judge imposing a preliminary injunction that prevents the NCAA from enforcing its transfer rules through the end of the spring, Maciariello is expecting even more roster turnover from year to year. “I think if this litigation and the NCAA doesn’t battle this result, it could be free-market movement every year, regardless of one-time, two-time, three-time transfers,” Maciariello said. “That’s not for me to judge or think about, but obviously, we always want to be involved with good players. So no matter now where they are, whether it’s here, junior college, prep school, high school, I mean, there’s a lot more academies now, as well, guys out of high school who want to take a gap year. So many different avenues to find players. We just want to find the right ones.” Brown, Friday’s opponent, is led by junior guard Kino Lilly Jr., who averages 18.8 points per game. He’ll be honored before Friday’s game in Providence for scoring his 1,000th career point. SIENA AT BROWN When: 2 p.m. Friday Where: Pizzitola Sports Center, Providence TV/Radio: ESPN+, JAMZ 96.3 FM

My first thoughts exactly.... when someone's talents shine out, UAlbany will have been their first for others, looking for a change or a grad degree, their last stop. As noted above, this is not just football, this covers MBB, WBB and MLAX, WLAX, however all sports at UAlbany will be touched by the Portal.

I do not know if he has season tickets for basketball.

Despite being a better team, winning the Capital Cup and a first rate facility for watching a game, interest in our program is in the basement. Whether or not school is in session, attendance needs to be double what it was tonight. The question will be asked: Why spend money on facilities and/or program upgrades if you cannot put fans in the stands. Yes, this MBB team is worth the cost of admission to watch. If they think the fans are waiting for conference games, I think they are wrong.

The UMass-Amherst team is 2-9 and a review of their wins and losses, I deem this game as winnable by the Lady Danes. Dec 20 (Wed) 12:00 PM at UMass Amherst, Mass. TV: NESN+ Tickets History

UALBANY 77, STONEHILL 38 Danes win their fifth straight Sports staff The University at Albany women’s basketball team crushed winless Stonehill 77-38 Saturday at Broadview Center to run its winning streak to five games. Kayla Cooper scored 12 of her game-high 16 points in the first half as the Great Danes (9-2) built a big lead early and cruised to the win. Stonehill (0-11) did not have a player score in double figures. UAlbany closed the first quarter on an 11-2 run to take a 24-9 lead through the first 10 minutes. Lilly Phillips sank two 3-pointers in the quarter. UAlbany closed the second quarter on a 12-0 run and led 43-21 at halftime. Deja Evans added 13 points and seven rebounds for UAlbany while Meghan Huerter chipped in with 11 points. Huerter and Phillips both sank three 3-pointers. UAlbany shot 9-for-18 from 3-point range. The Danes had a 20-10 scoring advantage in the third quarter and cruised to the win. UAlbany travels to UMass for its next game at noon on Wednesday.

The story caption was kinder than how the Times-Union had previously earlier yesterday: UALBANY FOOTBALL After harsh end, Danes to build By Mark Singelais Jim Franco/Times Union UAlbany coach Greg Gattuso will try to sustain success after reaching the FCS semifinals for the first time. With a nightmare of a finale behind him, University at Albany football coach Greg Gattuso was already talking about building on his team’s unprecedented 2023 season “We’re looking forward to the future,” Gattuso said Friday night. “I cannot wait to get back on the road recruiting with what we’ve accomplished and we’re going to move forward.” The Great Danes received a crash course Friday in what it means to compete against the very best in the Football Championship Subdivision. Making its first appearance in the semifinals, UAlbany was dominated from start to finish in a 59-0 loss to defending national champion South Dakota State before a crowd of 12,265 at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings, S.D. The Great Danes suffered the worst margin of defeat in program history, surpassing a 65-7 loss to Hofstra in 1990. It was an unceremonious ending to a season that saw UAlbany (11-4) win its first Coastal Athletic Association title (after being picked to finish 11th) and reach 11 victories for only the second time, matching the 1997 team in Division II. “It’s a punch in the gut, so we’ll be back,” Gattuso said. “We want to try to be at this level, and that’s an eye-opener for our football team and for some of our coaches to understand what it’s like to compete at the highest level.” Barring any unexpected departures, UAlbany will have eight offensive starters and four defensive starters back in 2024. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Reese Poffenbarger led the nation with 36 touchdown passes and redshirt freshman running back Griffin Woodell of Glens Falls won the CAA Offensive Rookie of the Year. Sophomore wide receiver MarQeese Dietz caught 45 passes after transferring from Old Dominion. He’ll step into a bigger role with wide receivers Brevin Easton and Julian Hicks departing. The entire offensive line should return intact. They were unable to create any running room Friday for Woodell, who had six carries for four yards against South Dakota State’s top-ranked defense. “One of the matchups we were worried about in this game was their defensive line,” Gattuso said. “We have a young offensive line. … We could not run the football and we know we’re going to be better as these guys are going to mature.” The defense will lose senior linebacker Dylan Kelly, the CAA Defensive Player of the Year, and defensive end AJ Simon, who had 12 1 /2 sacks. Defensive end Anton Juncaj has a year of eligibility left after setting a program record with 15 sacks. A UAlbany front seven that played well all year was smothered by South Dakota State’s offensive line. The Great Danes were held without a sack, seldom pressured quarterback Mark Gronowski and surrendered a season-high 220 rushing yards. Gattuso made it clear he’ll go back into the NCAA transfer portal for reinforcements. The Great Danes did that successfully with players like Poffenbarger and second-team All-American cornerback Aamir Hall, who’s a junior. “I’m not a person that loves the portal, in the sense of what it means and what it is for what we’re teaching kids,” Gattuso said. “But at the end of the day, we’re going to be good at the portal because we’ve done a great job of identifying talent and bringing people in and we’re going to continue to do that. I’m excited about our future.” UAlbany will try to turn this season into sustained success. They couldn’t after their last playoff appearance in 2019, which Gattuso blamed on the COVID-19 pandemic, which kept the staff from recruiting. UAlbany went 5-17 the past two seasons before this season’s turnaround. “We’ve got to grow in many ways,” Gattuso said. “When you see (South Dakota State’s) crowd and you see the facilities and you see the players, we have to grow as a program and understand what it’s going to take. On our end, we’ve got to be able to prepare and play a better game in a tough environment like this. But there’s a lot to build off this year. I know this is a sour mark at the end of the year and it’s disappointing, but what these guys have done this year is remarkable.”