Dane Pound

I've really tried to focus on this season and not get caught up in what can be next year with incoming transfers, freshman, etc. However last night my wife and I were watching the Duke-Georgia State game (yeah, I married well). She commented how GT center Luke Schenshure was really influencing what Duke was doing in the paint and getting some easy putbacks on the offensive end. I was happy to tell her Zoellner is the same size (7'1) and a little stronger looking to me than Schenshure. We also noted by way of comparision, the guy guarding Schenshure, Sheldon Williams, is about Dyson's size (6'9-240lbs). Good chance both those guys will be on the court at the same time. I am in no way saying Dyson and Zoellner are ACC-type players. Just that it's going to be nice having some decent size inside next year. As much as I like the way Wyatt is playing I won't miss the days of playing a 6'6 center.

America East is doing a live webcast of all the tournament games. Going to (supposedly) include audio, stats and photos from the games as they happen. Here's the link to the webcast page.

Curious if anyone was planning on going to the tourney this weekend as well as the pre-game thing Friday evening. We're heading over Friday and making a 3 day weekend out of it. Weren't really crazy about the location of BU's campus so we are going to stay downtown. I have a feeling we'll be spending some time at Filene's Basement as well as Newberry St. Even though the BU crowds are apathetic and the arena smells like stale beer we're looking forward to it.

Sorry I am going to miss Sweetland's senior day as I'll be in Boston for the men's tourney. Story in the student paper about her. According to the story she'll be working for the New York Liberty after graduation. Sweetland story from the ASP.

The fans got behind Brown during his time as interim coach. Really thought that was kind of fun actually as it brought alot of the fans together. For whatever good it did LadyDP, myself and several other fans lobbied for Brown at the AE Tourney that year. We were seated next to Hitchcok and McElroy who probably wished they were sitting somewhere else (actually they were good sports about the whole thing). I really thought from a fans perspective they would have been taking a chance hiring anybody but Brown.

I doubt they would be very far out of port, if at all. If it is unsafe I could offer some other teams we'd like to see out there.

This blurb from Hoopville: Basketball on the High Seas: With the blessing of the Defense Department, North Carolina, Michigan State, Air Force and Navy will play a doubleheader on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier next season. ESPN would broadcast the games that would bring some of the nation's best programs to the nation's armed forces. You'd think with an admiral as president UA couldn't have gotten in one something like this.

Hutch had 14 pts and 15 rebounds last night. She's now averaging a double-double in conference play. She's 8th in scoring, first in rebounds, third in blocks and third in field goal percentage. Were it not for the surgery she would certainly be a candidate for POY. Maybe next year.

At the MAAC's level of play it does not take a lot of financial backing to keep your team competitive. It was apparent Siena was not willing to even come up with that amount of support. It's sad to say but true. Even if they are successful in reviving the program they aren't going to support it properly as everything is going to go to basketball.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL LOSES AT BOSTON U., BUT REMAINS IN FIFTH IN A-EAST STANDINGS Boston, Mass. – Senior guard Katie Terhune had 22 points to lead three players in double figures, as Boston University posted a 73-46 America East Conference victory over Albany on Tuesday, March 2 at Case Gymnasium. Boston U. (16-10, AE 11-6) used a 13-3 run midway through the second half to pull away for good. Terhune, who shot 8-of-14 from the field, and added six assists and four steals, made two three-point field goals in that stretch. Becky Bonner, a 6-foot-2 junior who transferred from Stanford, hit another long-range jumper from the right wing to give her team 51-33 lead with 8:28 remaining. The Terriers, who employed full-court pressure and a trapping defense, got off a quick start. Boston U. leaped to a 17-6 lead in the opening nine minutes. Bonner, who had 13 points, hit consecutive layups during the outburst. Terhune converted two baskets off steals, the second became a conventional three-point play when she was fouled, and made a 15-foot jumper. Albany (11-15, AE 8-9) trailed 29-19 at halftime. But the Great Danes, who are in fifth place in the conference standings, were still within striking distance with 12:34 left when Maree Jones was fouled as she scored in the lane. Jones’ free throw closed the gap to 38-30. Terhune, the school’s all-time scorer with 1,915 points, ignited the decisive run with a 3-pointer on her team’s next possession. "We did not play with a lot of energy today," said Albany coach Trina Patterson, whose squad committed a season-high 30 turnovers after winning three of their last four outings. "We weren’t very smart and had a lot of mental mistakes which resulted in sloppy play. We just want to take this loss and put it behind us." Danielle Hutcheson, a 6-foot-4 center, led the Great Danes with 14 points and 15 rebounds, her 10th double-double of the season. Alicia Learn added 10 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals. "We played exceptionally well on the defensive end," commented Boston U. coach Margaret McKeon, whose team has won all seven meetings in this series. "We did a great job of forcing turnovers, getting steals and turning it into offense." Adrienne Norris, a 6-foot-1 junior, had 15 points and eight rebounds for the Terriers, who held the visitors to 38.6-percent shooting and totaled 17 steals. Boston U. inched closer to Binghamton in the America East standings, and trails the second-place Bearcats by one game in the loss column.

It seems nutty to be discussing salaries during a year in which we just set the school record for losses in a season. That said if we improve the way most of hope next year I would expect a much better deal for Brown next time. I would include the bonuses Albany Observer mentioned plus maybe a beating $iena bonus. Brown took a chance forsaking the Pitt job to come to Albany and McElroy took a chance hiring a guy with very little D1 experience at the time. The way the first deal worked out it gave Brown a chance to prove himself which we are all confident he will. Once he's done that I don't see McElroy losing a good young coach by not paying him what he's worth.

Lost to BU 76-43. They need to beat UMBC on Saturday to lock up fifth place.

Prof's right about Marachuk. Overall I don't understand the pay structure most of the time. If I'm not mistaken when Hicks was here he was payed about the same as Hewitt was when he left $iena. It was Hicks first D1 head coaching job at the time and made no sense-resulted in a lawsuit.

It didn't recieve alot of fanfare but it was nice to see them honor Pipikis before Sunday's game. I'm not sure why they always do it so early before game time when the place is so empty, not that it was exactly full later on. Anyway, there have been plenty of cracks about Pipikis' game over the years but his effort exceded his ability. Truly cruel the way the injury occured just when his play was picking up. He seems like a nice kid and was an excellent student. Hopefully he recovers fully from his injury and is able to play overseas if that's what he chooses to do.

Long story on Mikus in yesterday's paper. Hard to figure out exactly what postion they have her playing as she had 16 rebounds in her most recent game but is also the school's leader in assists. Sounds like she could compete with James for the PG spot next year.

I would have preferred a chance to knock Stony Brook out of the tourney but I'll take UNH. This way I can get there early and root for UMBC who will not get a call against the screaming Marachuks in the early game. I remember Courtney got into foul problems in the second UNH game and seemed to be the start of his foul difficulties. They brought Childs in when he went to the bench and we had no one who could stop him. Seems like a league-wide stragedy to play us physical and let us foul ourselves out. This team has seemed exhusted it's last couple of games. Hopefully they can get their legs under them by Friday. On the bright side, Kenny Macalla hasn't missed a shot from the field or the line this year.

Big game tomorrow night against BU in pursuit of 3rd place. Championship Scenarios * Maine: The Black Bears have clinched the 2003-04 regular season title for the second straight year and will once again be the top seed for the 2004 Friendship Cottage Cheese America East Women's Basketball Championship. * Binghamton: The Bearcats are guaranteed to finish second, third or fourth in the conference standings. With a victory in one of its last two games, Binghamton will clinch the second spot. * Boston U.: The Terriers can finish as high as second, but no lower than fifth. Boston U. can claim the second spot if it wins out AND Binghamton loses out. * Hartford: The Hawks are in the same scenario as Boston U. as they can finish any place from second through fifth. Hartford would receive the second seed if it wins out AND Boston U. AND Binghamton both lose out. * Albany: The Great Danes are part of the log-jam at the middle of the pack and could finish from third down to seventh. * Vermont: A late-surging Catamount team has the possibility of finishing any where from fifth through 10th. * New Hampshire: The Wildcats can be as high as five, but as low as 10. * Stony Brook: The Seawolves can be as high as six, but no lower than nine. * Northeastern: The Huskies can be as high as six, but as low as 10. * UMBC: The Retrievers can be as high as eight, but as low as 10. A four-way tie for the fifth spot is still a possibility if Albany, Vermont, New Hampshire and Stony Brook all finish the season with identical 8-10 league records. If this was to happen, Vermont would be No. 5, New Hampshire No. 6, Albany No. 7 and Stony Brook No. 8.

Danes lose, eye tourney-TU. Danes lose regular season finale-Troy Record Barea scores his 1,000th-GoBU.com

UAlbany tries to avoid cellar-TU. Senior day for Pipikis and manger Eric Jaklitsch. I especially liked Brown's quote about the Vermont loss-"I told them, 'This is a feeling you need to remember, because it's not going to happen many more times at the University at Albany." Damn straight. Nice story in the paper about a devoted Manhattan fan. Not Danes-related but a nice article by Statefan's favorite columnist. He's taken by Manhattan.

Northeastern hit a 3 at the buzzer to make this look a little closer than it was. Back in the driver's seat for the fifth seed with an outside shot at 4th or even 3rd. Hartford is one game ahead but has games against Maine and goes to second place Bing. Danes have the tie breaker against Hartford as they swept them. Danes are two games behind BU with a game against them Tuesday. They'd need help but BU hasn't been playing well the past few games and the third seed would help us avoid Maine for another round. Game story from the UA site: WOMEN'S BASKETBALL EVENS AMERICA EAST CONFERENCE RECORD WITH 58-56 ROAD WIN Boston, Mass. – Alicia Learn had 16 points and Danielle Hutcheson added 11 points and 12 rebounds, as Albany held off Northeastern, 58-56, in America East Conference action on Saturday, Feb. 28 at Solomon Court. Northeastern (11-14, AE 5-11) took a 31-29 lead with 12:11 remaining on a three-point field goal by Melissa Kowalski, who finished with 11 points. Albany (11-14, AE 8-8) responded with 12 of the game’s next 15 points. Hutcheson, a 6-foot-4 junior who recorded her ninth double-double of the season, canned a pair of free throws to put her team ahead for good at 33-31. Hutcheson would later find a wide-open Jen Schumacher, who drilled a 3-pointer, and hit a jump hook in the lane for a seven-point advantage. The Great Danes, who have won six of their last eight outings to remain in fifth place in the conference standings, increased the margin to 50-38 with 4:44 left. Schumacher drained another long-range jumper, before Maree Jones converted a layup. However, the Huskies, who dropped their fifth straight, would make a run at the lead in the final two minutes. Joi Jefferson, who scored 12 points, fueled the outburst with a three-pointer from the top of the arc. Francesca Vanin, who had a team-high 13 points and grabbed nine rebounds, made two free throws to close the gap to 55-51 with one minute remaining. Jefferson, a 5-foot-9 senior, sank two more foul shots 20 seconds later to bring her club within one possession at 56-53. But Hutcheson, who did all of her scoring in the final period, made two of four free throw attempts in the stretch, before Northeastern’s Jody Burrows banked in a 3-point shot with one second left that produced the final score. "Today we used our three C’s, courage, character and confidence," said Albany coach Trina Patterson, whose team held Northeastern to 25.5-percent shooting, a season-low by an opponent. "These are the things that helped us win. I am proud of their ability to bounce back after a bad first half." Both teams struggled on offense in the opening stanza, as Northeastern led 16-15 at halftime. The Great Danes, who committed a season-high 29 turnovers overall, shot 26.3 percent in the period, while the home team was just 3-of-21 from the field. Sophomore guard Becky Ayers was the third player in double figures with 12 points for the Great Danes, who avenged a 73-52 home loss to Northeastern on Jan 10. Learn, a 6-foot-1 junior who produced her highest scoring total in conference play this season on 7-of-12 shooting, added nine rebounds. "I thought rebounding was the difference," commented Hutcheson, whose team held a 44-35 edge on the glass. "Everyone contributed on the offensive and defensive end, and we kept them off balance by switching defenses. We also kept our composure in the final minutes. We told ourselves we are not leaving here without the win."

We are looking pretty solid for 10th. Have we ever finished in last place before? Boston University: Will be No. 1 seed with a win at Binghamton or a Vermont loss. Will be No. 2 with a loss at Binghamton AND a Vermont win over Maine. Vermont: No. 1 with a win over Maine AND a Boston University loss at Binghamton. No. 2 in all other scenarios. Northeastern: No. 3. Maine: No. 4 with a win at Vermont or a Binghamton loss to Boston University. No. 5 with a loss at Vermont AND a Binghamton win over Boston University. Binghamton: No. 4 with a win over Boston University AND a Maine loss at Vermont. No. 5 in all other scenarios. Hartford: No. 6 with a win over UMBC. No. 7 with a loss to UMBC AND New Hampshire win over Stony Brook. No. 8 with a loss to UMBC and a Stony Brook win over New Hampshire. Stony Brook: No. 6 with a win at New Hampshire AND a Hartford loss to UMBC. No. 7 with a win at New Hampshire AND a Hartford win over UMBC. No. 8 with a loss at New Hampshire AND a Hartford win over UMBC. No. 9 with a loss AND a Hartford loss to UMBC. New Hampshire: No. 7 with a win over Stony Brook AND a Hartford win over UMBC. No. 8 with a win over Stony Brook AND a UMBC win over Hartford. No. 8 with a loss AND a Hartford win over UMBC. No. 9 with a loss AND a UMBC win over Hartford. UMBC: No. 6 with a win at Hartford AND a New Hampshire win over Stony Brook. No. 7 with a win AND a Stony Brook win over New Hampshire. No. 9 with a loss AND an Albany loss to Northeastern. No. 10 with a loss AND an Albany win over Northeastern. Albany: No. 9 with a win over Northeastern AND a UMBC loss. No. 10 in all other scenarios.

Another article about Mikus in today's paper. This is from the same general area of PA as Iati is from. They seem to be very serious about their basketball down there. Mikus Story.

Slightly off-topic as their is no mention of the Danes. Baltimore Sun has a preview of the top lacrosse teams in the country. UMBC (preseason #20 in the country) coach has warned his players not to take the AE lightly. Baltimore Sun article.

The AE coaches have released their "pre-season" picks. 2004 Coaches' Poll Team (First Place Votes) Points 1. Northeastern (4) 59 2. Maine (4) 57 3. Stony Brook 46 4. Vermont 39 t5. Albany 27 t5. UMBC 27 7. Binghamton 18 8. Hartford 15

Danes absorb biggest defeat -TU. Cats bring Great Danes to their knees-Burlington Free Press.