Dane Pound

I got an email this morning inviting me to the fall sports luncheon next Wednesday. Instead of being at the Armory Center they moved it downtown. I suspect Statefan had something to do with the move...

Not that we had much of a chance anyway, but I read Tchana verbelled to Fresno St. I'm sure the staff is involved with a variety of players. The only one insiders has Albany listed as offering is Brandon Ford, the 6'10 center from Canada.

Right you are Oldtimer. It was Doc Sauers second or third year of coaching. Were you at the game?

I ran Saturday morning as well and you can do me a favor and not look up my time . There were a lot of UA people there. In addition to the players you mentioned I saw Jen Schmaker, Hutch and the new center Kristen Peterson. Also Coach Banda and some people from his team, all or most of the UA track team, as well as Jeff Kaier, Roman Dubiel and Coach Mueller from the baseball team. Very well supported event by the UA community as there were alot of students as well. At the start the announcer was firing up the crowd by asking who was from UAlbany. I'm pretty sure Jamie Rodriguez, the guy who finished second ran track for UA a few years ago. There was a story on him last year when he ran the Stockade-a-thon. Pretty sure it's the same guy.

Not quite as surprising as on the men's side. UALBANY NAMES WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CAPTAINS FOR 2004-05 Albany, N.Y. – University at Albany head basketball coach Trina Patterson announced today that Danielle Hutcheson, Alicia Learn and Becky Ayers will serve as women's basketball captains in 2004-05. A three-year starter, Hutcheson became the first UAlbany women's basketball athlete to be named to the America East Conference first team after leading the Great Danes in both scoring (12.7 ppg) and rebounding (9.6 pg). Hutcheson, a 6-foot-4 center and native of Phoenix, Ariz., finished second in the conference in rebounding and ninth in scoring. A 6-foot-1 senior from Watkins Glen, N.Y., Learn averaged 10.0 points per game and 5.8 rebounds. Her team-high 48 blocks last season fell one shy of matching the program's single-season record. She was named to the America East postseason all-tournament team. Ayers, a 5-foot-8 junior guard, finished second on the Great Danes in scoring with an average of 12.2 points per game. The native of Canandaigua, N.Y. connected on 40 percent of her three-point field goals one year ago, when she made 52 of 128 attempts. The Great Danes, who are coming off their best campaign at the Division I level, begin preseason practice on Saturday, Oct. 16.

Would they need that much space for anything other than the NCAAs? UNH had about 600 people when they hosted last year and they've had one of the better AE programs. I'd think 600 in the old gym would provide a better atmosphere than that many in the RACC although the seats are more comfortable in the RACC. The new "Pablo's" are out. Danes are up to #90.

You're right Alum72 that there were appearances before the NCAA but the first one wasn't against Marist. I figured the first NCAA appearance question was too easy.

Albany basketball's first post season tournament appearence was against this current MAAC member. Which team was it?

Story in today's TU about former Albany assistant Tony Wise and his struggles as line coach for the Dolphins this year. Line coach is doubly frustrated-TU

Albany is probably one of the few schools that doesn't use it's basketball court for volleyball. As someone pointed out a while ago it's great that they have their own place. With all the talk of new facilities maybe they could think about painting the rest of the floor around the volleyball court to get rid of the basketball lines and make it completely "theirs." BTW Buchanan won setter of the week again. BUCHANAN EARNS AMERICA EAST SETTER OF THE WEEK FOR THIRD TIME IN FOUR WEEKS Boston, Mass. - University at Albany's Blair Buchanan has been named America East Conference Setter of the Week as announced by the conference office on Monday, Oct. 11. The sophomore helped the Great Danes to three league victories to open the America East schedule. This marks the third time in four weeks that Buchanan has earned the weekly honor. Buchanan amassed 125 assists for an average of 13.89 per game, in addition to recording 12 kills, 20 digs and four block assists. She leads the Great Danes with 774 assists on the season and is third on the squad with 153 digs. Buchanan has also climbed to fifth on the UAlbany all-time assists list with 1,640 for her career. UAlbany registered victories over Binghamton, Hartford and Northeastern by identical 3-0 scores to improve to 15-5 overall. This is the first time the Great Danes have started the conference season unscathed and the first time the program has defeated Northeastern. UAlbany also extended its unbeaten streak to nine matches, the program's longest at the Division I level, and has won 14 of their last 15 contests. UAlbany returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 16 when America East-rival Maine visits University Gymnasium.

You're right Brindle. This has been talked about at least for 10 years and probably longer. To me the major difference is now there are plans, etc while previously it was just rumors and talk. I may be wrong but I don't recall the Athletic Director ever giving a presentation to the friends of the program about the new facilities being planned before. This is looking like it's going to happen and when it does it will be a huge step forward for UA.

The America East Conference got underway this past week. We played Binghamton, Hartford, and Northeastern. I’m happy to report that we won all three matches in 3-0 sweeps. After fighting a little bit of nerves at the beginning of the Binghamton match, we finally found our groove and offensively put up some very big numbers - hitting .425 on the night. Our first road trip took us to Hartford (a place we pulled out a close 3-2 win last year), and to Northeastern (a team we’ve never beaten before). Hartford came out fired up to beat us and played with a lot of energy and passion. Defensively, it was not our best match, but we played well enough to come out on top. Against N.E., we played about as well as we have all year, and seemed to gain confidence as the match progressed. Defensively, we were very good (definitely much stronger than we were the night before). Ashley Green, Ashley Reed, and Susan Spierre were getting stuff blocks and touches all night. Ashley DeNeal and Eileen Rodriguez were both inspiring in the back court. This is what sophomore outside hitter, Shelby Goldman, had to say about the week: “This past week has been one of the most exciting, and rewarding weeks that this team, and this program have experienced. It is so great to get to the point in the season where everyone can start to feel their hard work paying off. We faced a very strong Binghamton on Tuesday of last week who during the first game lost their strongest player to a turned ankle. We remained composed and took the win that night 3-0. This weekend the competition heightened when we faced Hartford, and Northeastern. Northeastern, who has been one of our greatest rivals in this conference were a very talented team, and taking them in three straight was all we could have hoped for at this point. Our success up to this point has been tremendous, but everyone on this team knows that we still have a long way to go, and no one will be satisfied until we score the final point in the conference championship. Every team in this conference is a worthy opponent, and will be willing, and capable of beating any team on any given day. The girls, and I are very aware of this fact and go into every game as if it’s our last. We keep our eyes on the final goal, and for us that will be getting those rings!” As for Eileen Rodriguez’ countdown towards the NCAA career record for service aces, she picked up 5 more on the week. That leaves her 14 away from the record! This upcoming weekend is a big one. On Saturday we host Maine, who is currently tied with us at the top of the America East Standings. On Sunday we host two-time defending conference champion New Hampshire (both matches begin at 4:00). It should be a very competitive weekend! Sat. MAINE 4:00pm (following the football game) Sun. NEW HAMPSHIRE 4:00 pm As always, we look forward to seeing you in the stands! Thanks for your support! GO DANES!!! Kelly Sheffield

Just looking at the NEC scoreboard. CCSU beat Robert Morris on the road today! They look to be for real. That last game of the season could be for the title. Great win today. Bazan started right off the bat with a 50+ yard TD run. He looks so much faster than anyone on the defense. At the beginning of the year I was really pulling for Delgado at QB because he throws better but they really moved the ball well with Bazan although Uli threw a couple of nice passes. St. Francis had a couple of decent looking drives but threw at least two interceptions in the end zone. Dustin Wilson looked great, not just fast but he ran over some people and slipped some tackles-100+ yards on just 12 carries. I couldn't stay for the facilities plan after the game but I know some other people on the board did and I'm sure they'll fill us in.

Insiders has Albany offering Canadian center Brandon Ford. He's 6'10 and 240lbs. "Ford is one of the promising Canadian post players in Ontario's 2005 class. A solid Division I prospect with great size and strength." Canisius, Central Michigan and Oakland have also offered.

This question comes to mind because alot of the preseason college basketball magazines are out. Sixth is the highest I've seen Albany picked with a few sevens and some last place picks. Hopefully they are way off.

I don't think it was online.

In case you missed it Siena Tony has organized a chat with Gazette reporter Steve Amedio. He's invited people from this board to ask questions and Statefan did about Lucious Jordan. All the questions and answers are on the Siena forum near the top labeled Amedio Chat. Here's Statefan's Q+A: Two sets of questions: 1. Do you think Jim Coyne's plan to re-create the Patroons will be successful? If it is successful, what impact do you see it having on other local sporting events? Will it draw fans away from the River Rats or Siena basketball? 2. Can you identify what Section 2 high school players (including underclassmen) have a chance to play Division I basketball? Are any on the radar screen for either Siena or UAlbany? And, as a UAlbany fan, may I ask one more? 3. What impact and role do you see Lucious Jordan having and playing for UAlbany this and next seasons? Amedio's Reply The situation with Jim Coyne and the Patroons is a little out of my area, although I'm interested. From what I've heard about the Armory, though, it sounds like it will be a couple of years before that place is restored. Plus, they actually have to find a franchise that will locate here. But, it was a success under those circumstances in the past. No reason to think there won't be an audience again, provided they're able to bring in the "name" coaches and players they had during their first run. However, considering the competition from other U.S. leagues that didn't exist back then, as well as the potential to make big money overseas compared to the CBA's low salaries, I don't know if we'll ever see teams/coaches like we had in Albany during the Patroons' prior existence. 2. I don't see too many local high school games because of the time I spend covering both the Siena men and women's games. From what I've heard, here are some of the better ones: - Joe Bove, a 6-6 senior at CBA (potential Ivy League). - Greg Holle (Gary's younger brother), a 6-5 sophomore at CBA who is extremely talented. Also, a terrific baseball player. - Taylor Battle, a sophomore who attended CCHS last year. I'm not sure if he's still there or not. - Bradley Sheehan, 6-10 junior at Shaker. I know Siena is interested. I'm not sure if bigger schools will get involved. Still a little early to tell. I could probably name about 15-to-20 other players who are probably better suited to D-II, D-III levels. Maybe one or two of those will wind up at a mid-major or small D-I program. Because I don't cover UAlbany, I don't know if the Danes have interest in any of these guys. 3) From what I know about Lucious Jordan, he should fit in well at UAlbany. He had two solid seasons at Loyola against opposition comperable, if not better, than what he'll see in the America East. I don't think he's going to be a 20-point scorer for UAlbany, but he'll start and be pretty good. Between Jordan, Jamar Wilson and Iati, last year's freshman of the year in America East ... that's a very strong perimeter threesome.

Perhaps I'm the only one thinking it but I'm surprised Levi wasn't named. We talked about him being the de facto captain last year when none were named. Not that I disagree with any of the 3 picks and Levi can has another year left.

I think last years pics went up sometime after practices started. Three weeks or so to go. There are pictures of the new recruits and next years verbal on this site.

Sounds like you attend more games than I do Alum73. Have you seen the freshman play? Just curious because last night seemed like a good chance to get her in but she didn't play.

Insiders has listed Massapequa big man Kevin Vosilla as taking his official visit to Albany last Friday. He's a 6'7 230lb PF who averaged 18pts a game last season. He's scheduled to take a visit to Rider this Friday. Here's the description they have of him: "In past tournaments, Vosilla has shown a soft touch from mid-range, and he hits his free throws. Kevin has filled out in the last nine months and seems better equipped to handle the bigger bodies on AAU circuit (as well as anyone can). "

2 more tonight against Bing to make it 399. I was at the game and several people in the stands had oversized playing cards of the ace of spades. Very nice idea. Bing played tough the first two games but Albany answered everytime. Looked like the Bearcats kind of mailed in the last game.

I agree with you about the women's basketball game. I don't think we're alone in thinking $iena was looking to get out of that game until next year when Hutch and Co. graduate. It could just be a coincidence but I don't think so. The lacrosse game with $iena is a different story. The feeling I got from talking with Brian Depasquale was that it was Albany as much as or more than $iena that wanted to drop that game. Coach Marr has stated he is striving to make Albany a perenial top 20 team. One of the only ways to do that is to schedule tougher out of conference opponents. No offense to $iena but they don't fit that bill right now. We've all seen what's happened to the volleyball rankings when they played lower rated opponents-they've won 7 straight matches and their ranking has gone down two straight weeks because the wins have all come against lower rated teams. In the next few years we're going to have to face the facts that some other posters have pointed out. $iena will be a terrific rivarly in basketball but we're going to have to look elsewhere for rivalries in other sports because we are passing them by. I like the games against $iena as much as anyone but when UA's coaches are trying to build nationally recognized programs they're going to have to do it by scheduling up, not down. Especially in sports that don't offer alot of games like lacrosse or football. It would be great to see UA go out and smack the $aints around in lacrosse but I would much rather see them play (and hopefully win some) games against the established teams Dane96 mentioned.

Since Albany joined the NEC they've beaten two teams every time they've played them. Which teams are they?

I don't see where the other NY schools site are any better than UA's. They're all pretty much the same format and none of them have current pics at least for BB). Bing's team photo is from 2002-2003 for some reason. If I had to vote for the worst site in the AE it would easily go to Vermont. Maine has a nice site but they have that floating ad which I find irritating. It's interesting that Maine, UNH and Northeastern all feature ads on their sites. I wonder if they outsource they're web work and then sell advertising to offset some of the costs.