reeder

Just saw this post on the AE board. UNH was a powerhouse in the 90's. When I was at UA in the 80's we played them when they transitioning from DIII to DII.

They would play play their playoff games in the Yale bowl and get really good crowds - their home field was horrible (University Field looks like a stadium compared to their field). They actually sent several players to the NFL - they were a very good program. They were a pretty consistent playoff team in the mid 90's.

Not sure what happened to the program - what is happening to all the football programs in the Northeast?

Maybe UA can pick up a couple of players.

It's inappropriate for them to bash us, it looked like MTS was being critical and Indian Up North was pretty harsh. I have not heard anyone say that UA will overtake Siena - it's not a bad thought.

The reality is that we are not very good today - injuries, transfers sitting out, bad leadership before Brown...Doesn't really matter why.

I do think we will be much better next year, the frontline is still a question mark - Zoellner is unproven and Dyson will be a frehman. I do think the backcourt will be one of the best in the AE. At halftime, Doc Sauers said that Wilson is good, but Jordan would be the best player on the team - that will be an impressive backcourt with Iati.

If UA can compete as hard next year as they are this year with the improved talent they will definitely be a top tier team. Neither the Siena posters nor anyone should judge the team based on the performance against Siena. Today and next year, Siena is a better team - that doesn't mean that UA won't be able to win - see NC State

From Today's TU:

Hughes AWOL: Brown said Sunday he has "no idea" if 6-8 sophomore forward Jamal Hughes will ever return to the team.

The school announced last week that Hughes, who hasn't played this season following the death of his grandfather, will miss the rest of this year for "personal reasons."

Brown said Hughes is still enrolled in school but has returned to Rochester to be with his family.

"I have no idea at this point (if Hughes will play for UAlbany)," Brown said. "I've said this all along, you try to stay patient and you want what's in the best interest in the kid. You want to make sure everything is fine family-related before we worry about him playing."

Hughes transferred this season from Brown Mackie College in Salina, Kan., where he averaged 8.2 points and 6.8 rebounds last year. He initially left the program in mid-November but returned during the semester break. 

I am sure he is a nice kid, but let's get the scholarship back and move on. Brown has to do what's best for the program. Not sure if he will be able to use it for the Spring signing period - if he can, let's get it back and get another big man.

Tough to start out with three losses - as good as UA may be, Fordham, Hofstra and Lehigh are all better teams. Obviously anything can happen, maybe UA can win one of those games or possibly beat Brown.

Article in USA today about Mid Majors vying for the tournament had a section on freshman. Mentioned that while Albany at 3-14 will probably not make the tournament, Iati is averaging over 40 minutes per game in conference game having played 324 of 325 possible minutes.

I found the link - last paragraph

Iati in USA Today

Johnson made too many mistakes, a lot of bad passes and never looked to shoot. Iati just couldn't buy a basket for most of the game. Did it seem like Johnson was playing a lot at the point today?

Also, was that Hughes on the bench sitting next to Jamar wearing a sweatsuit? I sure hope so - want him to stay close to the team.

DP,

I cannot find stats for Wilson on a consistent basis - is there a link that you have?

Can Gary Jones make it to the NFL?

Jones Ranked 20th best running back in draft

Top ranked small school running back

Pre-Season draft interview

Rounds 4-7?

Did you mean 700?

No, 500

Lot of talk on Hansen's board about Marist and Duquesne looking at the Pioneer League. Why would they want to go to the Pioneer League? Academics? They will not be full time members of the NEC - just associate members like UA. The MAAC will still be their primary conference. How about the travel as they are so spread out in the Pioneer League

I have watched a few MAAC games on television the last couple of weeks, a couple of thoughts.

1. Siena has by far the best facilities - I'm surprised they don't te in recruiting by just selling the Pepsi to recruits. The other facilities are very unimpressive.

2. The quality of play does not seem that different than the AE - overall. Teams like Manhattan are definitely better, but overall it didn't seem that different.

Good Post - from everything I've read and heard, the priorities are bleachers for all the fields and a synthetic surface for lax and field hockey. Lax is the only sport where UA has been able to send a team to the NCAA D1 tournament and they have to play some of their games at high schools and at Union.

I was at UA before the bubble and before the RACC, there were serious space issues then as intramurals had to compete with basketball - there was varsity and jv basketball, intramural basketball and floor hockey competing for space. I would have thought the RACC and the bubble would have improved that - I guess that it hasn't.

Keeping track of Dyson - another double digit performance last night - just 10 points but it's more that he was scoring earlier in the season.

Didn't they already honor Sauers at the Hall of Fame ceremony this year. I was at the game when he got victory 500 and the players carried him off on their shoulders. It must be a little tough on him now watching the team struggle as he spent so many years leading the UA teams.

Article in USA today about Hicks and Loyola going for the record for most consecutive losses (couldn't find it in the online edition). I think it was 29 consecutive losses and one of two winless teams in Div 1 this year.

Will Hughes return next year?

1 - We don't know why he isn't playing - I assume he couldn't get all the coursework made up in time, or it could be that he wasn't into it after the .

2 - How does Brown assure that he return next season? Regardless of why he left, Brown won't have the time to make him feel important over the next couple of months. Brown has to focus on the team and making J. Wilson, Zoellner and Jordan feel like part of the team. This is a similar situation that Ford had a couple of years ago with the kid from HVCC who was injured in an early game and eventually transferred to WVU. Ford commented that he couldn't make him feel like part of the team as he rehabbed his injury because he was focused on the other players.

3 - As a 6'8" player he will be important next year - Zoellner and Dyson are big and even if they contribute, it would be good to have another post player. I know Wilson is coming in at 6'7" (listed at 6'8"), but he seems to be more a perimeter player.

4- Does Brown have enough confidence that Hughes will return to wait for him or does he not renew the scholarship and find another big man in the spring?

Patch, you're correct, some of the players receive need based aid today. Not sure of the number - two years ago there were 10 that were either receiving need based aid scholarships or scholarships in other sports. 60 is a round number ( I think the scholarship limit is actually 63), maybe it's 50. The restriction is 63 scholarships - so while some athletes may receive financial aid, that is not included in the scholarship number. You may end up with 80 kids on the team - 63 scholarship and 17 walk ons with some kind of aid.

In terms of coaches, you would need a recruiting coordinator to be competitive. You would also need additional full time coaches as many of the UA coaches are grad assistants - I believe the only full time positions are Ford, and the the offensive and defensive coordinators (I don't think that Rossomando and Mion are full time employees) and the position coaches are usually grad assistants that turn over every couple of years.

While the numbers are round, 1AA programs generally have budgets in the $1.5 million dollar range - about $1 million more that UA currently spends. This is what schools like Furman and Georgia Southern spend annually ( I live in the south and those are programs that I am most familiar with). THese schools also have pretty good attendance so they have some revenues to offset some of the expenses.

I don't think a dwindling MAAC is an upgrade. I think it will force Albany to make some tough decisions pretty soon. They have a committment to the NEC through 2006 - I think creating a Pioneer league set up may be the only way to continue to have some sort of Championship game - like the ECAC bowl.

Ruler, your earlier post mentions facilities - $100 including a stadium. The UA website does mention that they are in the planning stages for an artifical surface for lax, field hockey and for football practice - it also mentions upgrading the bleachers. There is no mention of a stadium - I think that would be great. Want to understand where you got the info and how confident you are.

Athletics donation statement

1 - The MAAC will probably lose more teams (St. Peter's is awful) and probably cease operations .

2 - Maybe they combine the MAAC and NEC and create two divisions like the Pioneer league and have a championship.

3 - At some point the top 10 on DOn Hansen's site, Dopke or the Sports Network will make no sense as they are now ranking 1/2 the teams in mid major football.

4 - How long will Albany stay as a mid major. Looking at the costs of scholarships alone - figure $20k per student - tuition, room and board and other misc costs - times 60 kids - $1.2 million. Would also need additional coaches... - figure $1.5 million incremental costs. That's a lot of cash.

They have home games against Stony Brook, Hartford and UNH - all winnable

Ruler,

I am also an ex Great Dane football player that didn't really follow the basketball program until the last couple of years.

I would love to see UA go full scholarship. The interesting thing is that when I played - about 20 years ago, we had similar conversations about an expanded facility, larger crowds and moving up from division III . It's exciting to see what they have done the last couple of years but I do look forward to moving towards full scholarships.

I lived in Connecticut in the mid 90's and would drive to basketball games at Bridgeport and the University of New Haven, but I didn't really start following the team again until Brown took over. Basketball is struggling, but there is a bright future - I would rather see them struggle vs. BU and Vermont than Potsdam and Buffalo State.

Never saw Cetnar play - is he the only former UA player to play professionally?

Next year, Brown will be in year 3 of a 4 year contract so he has to deliver (will have the same kids in year 4). Also, he has said several times this year that next year they will be all his recruits and that they will be good next year and for years to come.

They will finish above 500 next year - they will have too much talent not to do so. I've said this before, but UA has enough talent in street clothes today to be a top tier team - above 500 without any of the freshmen coming in. Anything less than 500 would be extremely disappointing.

It will be a TV game so Voelker needs to find a way to get bodies in the seats

If Siena can average 5000 fans (even excluding the Albany game). How many fans can a competitive UA team average?

I think it's reasonable to have 1000 fans from the community and 1000 students - there is no reason that UA could not legitimately average 1500 fans per game next year. I think Voelker should be measured on his ability to deliver that number of fans for a competitive team.

Even Loyola averages over 1000 fans.