Dane Pound

I can see where you are coming from about a power conference game like Syracuse at the Pepsi (TUC). Other than that, the RACC will do nicely. If fact I think other than give Will Brown a new contract one of the best things the administration did this year was keep the AE Championship game at the RACC instead of moving it to the Pepsi. I'd like to see them do some improvements to the seating in the short term. That should go a long way to hosting the conference tourney. Looong term possibly expand it somewhat to increase capacity.

He's been offered scholarships for football by some Big 10 schools but supposedly Albany has offered Oskaloosa, Iowa PG Tayler Sash a scholarship for basketball. Most of the info about him is for football but he was a second team all-state player as a junior.

It is his Siena board so he doesn't mind Siena blabber. He can run his board however he wants. I'm sure he didn't put it there so we can take potshots at Siena. I remember seeing you guys painted at the Siena game a few years ago. Funny stuff.

Friends, Family, and Alumni of UAlbany Volleyball: Hello! As spring comes to a close, I figured that I would fill you in on how things are going here in Great Dane Land. We spent most of the spring working on individual skills. A lot of movement training and ball control skills, day-in and day-out. For Shelby Goldman, Hillary White, and Kristin Fiorillo, most of spring was spent rehabbing after off-season surgeries. All three of them are rehabbing great and are all ahead of schedule. This is an exciting time for the program here. Younger players have a great opportunity to show us whether they are ready to take their games to the next level and the older players on whether they can be successful leaders following the tremendous class that just graduated. It’s going to be a challenge without Ashley Green, Ashley Hunter, Ashlee Reed, and Eileen Rodriguez. They’ve meant so much to the program, but I know that we’ve got some players that are looking to step up. This past weekend former volleyball great, Susan Spierre, graduated Magna Cum Laude in Atmospheric Sciences, and Green (business administration w/ honors), Reed (human biology & psychology w/ honors), and Rodriguez (communications) also graduated. Susan will be attending graduate school as will Green (at UCONN) this fall. Eileen will be taking the LSAT’s this summer in preparation for Law School. Ashlee Reed will be traveling with Blair Buchanan this summer to play in Holland (the honor roll student is still trying to figure out what she’s going to do in the fall). Ashley Hunter will be graduating in the fall with a degree in accounting. This past spring Ashlee Reed won the Chancellor’s Scholar-Athlete Award which is selected by athletic director’s at SUNY’s Division I institutions, and also received the ECAC Medal which is presented to the top UAlbany student-athlete that has shown excellence in the classroom and as a competitive athlete. We are certainly very proud of what these young women accomplished in the classroom and on the court! I am also excited to say that we have received National Letter of Intents from two fantastic student-athletes for the upcoming fall. Sam Jacobson is a 6’1 setter from Glen Ellen, IL and plays for Sports Performance volleyball club – arguably the top club program in the country. Sam has improved as much as any setter in the country and has a very good career ahead of her. The Great Danes also recently received a commitment from Kate Eckhardt, a 6’0 outside hitter/libero from Ottawa, Ontario. Kate has played for the National Capitals – one of the top club programs in Canada and will be representing her country this fall in the Beach World Championships. Kate has a very high volleyball I.Q. She has a passion for playing and is a great competitor with tremendous all-around skills. Jacobson and Eckhardt join Whitney Johnson, a 6’2 outside/middle who signed an NLI in the fall, and Natasha Marquis, a 6’1 right-side attacker who transferred from Butte Junior College in January. I have attached a copy of our schedule. Hopefully we will see many of you at our home matches or on the road if we are in your area. Also attached is a graduation photo of Reed, Green, and Spierre looking good in their robes, and a picture of the seniors following the senior banquet at the Great Danes Awards. As always, if you’d like to be taken off of this list, or know of someone that would like to be added, let me know. Best wishes & GO DANES

I won't deny the tourney would have been a good chance for us to see more games than we might see now. It didn't work so there's no point in worrying about it from our end. I suspect one of the main reasons Siena fans are so irritated about us not participating in the challenge thing is $$$. A stand alone Albany-Siena game they can sell Albany fans a single ticket. The tournament they would have sold some kind of package for three games or whatever it ended up being. They often claim we have a small fan base but if we could have generated an extra 2,000-3000 (which I think is modest) at $40 or $50 for the package that's a lot of money to leave on the table.

I knew that thread was going to get crazy when the inital post essentially accused Will Brown of lying about the reasons for not playing the tournament. More power to you guys for going over there to take them on. It's pretty fun reading over there sometimes, sometimes it's just sad but either way it's entertaining. After what our whole portfolio of sports have accomplished in such a short time I don't think we have to justify ourselves to anyone. Especially those over at our Father of the Blessed Trust Fund.

No worries Bob. It probably will be televised on MSG.

I'm pretty sure Bob will make the trip to Jiangsu Province. Anybody else going for that game?

I know the merits of hoopscoop have been debated often on this and other forums. For example the average ranking of our recruits is 2.6 but should be 2.8. It's still fun to look at their class rankings of recruits and see Albany with the 69th best recruiting class in the country. By the ranking they really seem to like Carl Ross and Michael Knight a lot. I read somewhere in one of the California papers they described Carl Ross as a "human highlight film." I can't recall a previous Albany recruit who was described in those terms although Jamar is now. Not that I'm comparing the two. Here's the list of some teams of interest from hoopscoops rankings. Note Siena's ranking doesn't include Corey Magee who signed with Canisius but is coming to Siena so they should be higher: 28. STONY BROOK (22 Points)..........8 Recruits..........2.8 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........America East Conference..........(4) Nick Carter, 6'0, 2G, Suffolk (JC) NY; (3) Riiny Ngot, 7'2, C, Calgary (Father Lacombe) AB; (3) Kyle Wright, 6'5, 2G, Wolfeboro (Brewster (Academy) NH; (3) Chris Martin, 6'1, PG, Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME; (3) Emanuel Neto, 6'9, C, San Jacinto (JC) TX; (2) Marcus Robinson, 6'3, WF, Pittsburgh (Allderdice) PA; (2) Eddie Castellanos, 6'1, PG, Hoboken (H.S.) NJ, (2) Rio Pitt, 6'8, PF, Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY. 69. ALBANY (14 Points)..........5 Recruits..........2.6 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........America East Conference..........(3) Brett Gifford, 6'11, C, Rock Bridge (H.S.) MO; (3) Mike Yocum, 6'8, C, Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA; (3) Carl Ross, 6'4, 2G, San Joaquin Delta (JC) CA; (3) Michael Knight, 6'3, 2G, St. Petersburg (JC) FL; (2) Reid Anderson, 6'5, 2G, Lakewood (St. Edwards) OH. 115. NEW HAMPSHIRE (10 Points)..........5 Recruits..........2.0 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........America East Conference..........(2) Dan McGeary, 6'1, 2G, Northfield (Northfield-Mt. Hermon) MA; (2) Radar Onguetou, 6'5, PF, New Hampton (Prep) NH; (2) Seth Price , 6'8, PF, Grove City (H.S.) OH, (2) Jude Roybeal, 5'11, PG, Chochise (J.C.) AZ; (2) Sam Harrick, 6'11, C, Duxbury (H.S.) MA. 127. SIENA (9 Points)..........4 Recruits..........2.3 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Metro Atlantic Conference..........(3) Edwin Ubiles, 6'6, WF, Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT; (2) James Carr, 6'10, C, Bronx (Wings) NY; (2) Alex Franklin, 6'5, WF, Reading (Central Catholic) PA; (2) Ronald Moore, 6'0, PG, Plymouth Meeting (Plymouth Whitemarsh) PA. 127. VERMONT (9 Points)..........4 Recruits..........2.3 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........America East Conference..........(3) Joe Trapani, 6'8, PF, Madison (Daniel Hand) CT; (2) Kyle Robbins, 6'11, C, Portland (Cheverus) OR; (2) Nick Vier, 6'1, PG, Oradell (Bergen Catholic) NJ; (2) Marqus Blakely, 6'4, 2G, Metuchen (H.S.) NJ. 147. NORTHEASTERN (8 Points)..........3 Recruits..........2.7 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Colonial Athletic Conference..........(3) Baptiste Bataille, 5'10, PG, Stockbridge (Community Christian) GA; (3) Emmanuel Adako, 6'8, C, Winchendon (School) MA; (2) Eugene Spates, 6'7, PF, Collin County (JC) TX. 156. HARTFORD (8 Points)..........4 Recruits..........2.0 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........America East Conference..........(2) Artus Papans, 6'5, 2G, Broward (JC) FL; (2) Joe Zeglinksi, 6'0, PG, Philadelphia (Ryan) PA; (2) Cornelius Vines, 6'2, 2G, Syracuse (Henninger) NY; (2) Jarid Famous, 6'9, C, New Rochelle (Blessed Sacrament) NY. 199. MARYLAND-BALTIMORE COUNTY (5 Points)..........2 Recruits..........2.5 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........America East Conference..........(3) Ryan Washington, 6'7, PF, Woodstock (Massanutten Military) VA; (2) Justin Fry, 6'10, C, Elliottsburg (West Perry) PA. 199. VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH (5 Points)..........2 Recruits..........2.5 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Colonial Athletic Association.........(3) James Eversley, 6'6, WF, Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA; (2) Franck Ndango, 6'7, WF, Montverde (Academy) FL.

Great to see the women do well. I believe that's the second year in a row for Dana Peterson.

According to the story in today's paper Danes to play for softball tourney survival-TU. The illegal pitch was for sliding her front foot. Perhaps someone more knowledgable can explain. I'm pretty cynical considering the game was at UMass.

Terrific story in today's paper about the Danes javelin thrower. Danes thrive on his throws-TU

I've looked but haven't been able to find anything. Hopefully there will be some should they win the regional at UMass.

Nice story on her in today's TU. Tournament defeat spurs Danes' hurler.

From today's TU: Danes get some football incentive-TU

I thought that too 73. Of course Syracuse did play a game in Albany for Forth and they are almost as close as UMass. I'd think the thing that would help get a game in Albany would be UMass is supposedly trying to recruit Mark Lyons from Schenectady.

Story in today's TU about the whole deal. UAlbany balks at Siena's Pepsi event-TU

Announcement of the Gridiron Classic on the UA site: NORTHEAST CONFERENCE & PIONEER LEAGUE CHAMPIONS TO MEET IN GRIDIRON CLASSIC Somerset, N.J. -- The Northeast Conference (NEC) and Pioneer Football League (PFL) on Tuesday, May 16 announced a two-year agreement to meet in the Gridiron Classic, an exempted postseason football game that will match the champions of the two I-AA football conferences. The inaugural Gridiron Classic will take place on Saturday, November 18 with the NEC champion serving as host. The PFL winner will host the 2007 event. “We are very pleased about the postseason opportunity that the Gridiron Classic affords our student-athletes,” said Ron Ratner, NEC Interim Commissioner. “The NEC and its schools look forward to working with the PFL in making this a highly anticipated game at the I-AA level.” “Student-athletes thrive on competition and having a meaningful postseason opportunity is a high priority for our institutions,” said Patty Viverito, PFL Commissioner. “The PFL’s new full round-robin schedule will crown a true league champion and the Gridiron Classic gives our best team the chance to test and showcase their talents against another top-notch Division I-AA champion.” Central Connecticut State and Stony Brook are the defending NEC co-champions, while San Diego is the reigning PFL champion. The Northeast Conference consists of 11 institutions of higher learning located throughout five states and is celebrating its 25th year as an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association. Media coverage of the NEC extends to four of the largest markets in the United States - New York (#1), Pittsburgh (#22), Baltimore (#24), and Hartford/New Haven (#28). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference. The NEC began sponsoring football at the I-AA level in 1996, and has since increased its membership from five to eight institutions. Central Connecticut State, Monmouth, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, St. Francis (PA) and Wagner are full-time NEC members who sponsor football, and they are joined by associate members Albany and Stony Brook. Set to begin its 14th season, the Pioneer Football League is one of three Division I football-only sport conferences. The PFL is comprised of eight members: Butler, Dayton, Davidson, Drake, Jacksonville, Morehead State, San Diego and Valparaiso.

As others have pointed out it seems like the NCAA ruling came out too late. A lot of schools had already made out their schedules. That and it seems likes more and more of these tournaments popped up after the ruling and taking some schools out of the running. If it doesn't happen this year it should be interesting to see if it pops up again next year.

If I remember right Jon Iati verballed in May or June and then signed in November during the early signing period. I'm sure this sounds naive but aren't other coaches supposed to call off the dogs when a player gives a verbal commitment? No doubt there are exceptions but things would get pretty nutty if they didn't. I couldn't find any season stats for Little but he seems like a merciless scorer-37 points in a playoff game this year. Pretty much exactly what we'll need in a year when we'll lose Jamar and Jason Siggers. Stoneridge Prep sends their starting five to D1 schools just about every year and plays a lot of top schools around the country. He certainly shouldn't be overawed by the college game when he gets here.

I'm pretty sure Vermont was ranked higher last year than VCU will be next year. BU was ranked pretty high a few times they came into the RACC as well. On the women's side Mississippi State played there six or seven years ago. They were in the top 25 at the time. VCU might be the highest ranked non-conference opponent at the RACC.

Good column in College Baseball Insider by UAlbany coach Jon Mueller. Smoke signals, Black Bears and Seawolves on the way

I will say ST is free to run the Siena board as he sees fit. He went through the trouble to set it up and run it for all these years then he can do as he likes. That doesn't mean that you can't make fun of him here however. I personally am tired of the deleting and the warnings. The next BPF board upgrade will contain a way for me to deliver small electrical shocks to you via your keyboard. Consider yourselves warned. The thing I take umbrage (Siena fans will need to look that up) with is the unsophisticated fans crack. Several times this year we tailgated with Heineken before games. Granted I didn't buy any of the beer I drank but still tailgating with an imported beer. Totally classy AND sophisticated. No way Binghamton fans are doing that.

Thanks for the post Patch. That stuff from ST is pretty funny stuff. I don't think we could hire a better board villian.

I'll admit there are some good elements to the tourney as described but there also have been no specifics. As an Albany fan, I'm skeptical about any Siena proposal just as I'm sure they would be if we invited them to join us in some time of tournament. The thing I guess I don't understand about the discussion is that teams like UMass are being mentioned. I don't see what benefit it would have for a team like that. Under the proposed format as I understand it they would get a home game, a road game and then two at the Pepsi. Guessing that they would likely play Siena and Albany in Albany that would be essentially two road games for them. I don't see what's in it for them and why they would buy in. Maybe there's something I'm missing.