godanesgo99

Having gone to UA in the mid-90s my allegiance obviously changed - but growing up in Potsdam in the early 80's, the Bears were a force that will probably never be replicated by a SUNY School. While it was D3, the dynasty they put together from 1978-1987 was one of the greatest runs in College Basketball History... including a Hooleyesque buzzer beater in the national championship game to force overtime, and an eventual win. Had the 3 point line been in play at that time it would have been a game winner. 

An upstate NY film maker made a documentary about that run and Jerry Welsh's coaching career and the effect he had on Upstate NY basketball. It features Jim Boeheim, Rick Carlisle, Hal Cohen, John Beilein, Coach K from Duke, among many others, including former Bears players. Including one that went to the NBA. The first Potsdam D3 national championship was the first basketball game broadcast on ESPN. That was a golden era for basketball at a SUNY School... I mean a D3 player making the NBA? It was kind of a tribute to Welsh, and what appears to be a sales piece for him getting into Springfield.

Anyway, I watched the documentary on YouTube last night and thought I would share it with you all, as it is a pretty good watch.

it starts real slow, spends way too much time on local section X sports and the towns up there, but the basketball stuff in is just amazing. Most people could skip the first hour or more lol. If you look closely you might be able to spot a high school aged godanesgo99 in the background during one of the videos of the Bears basketball camp circa 1990. LOL.

Edit sorry for posting the video twice. It won't let me delete the second one. I wanted the link text in addition to the embedded video.

2 hours ago, haggyland said:

Are there any suggestions you could give to the head coach to help the team play with more anger?

😬

Obviously my language was chosen purposely in the moment, but you do want aggression and not coming out flat. You need blood pumping. Even this year the team has played poorly for periods of the first half in almost every game. They were losing to Union at the half. They tend to play better in the second halfs. You can't have the team tentative to attack.

 I make no comment on how you bring that out as a coach. Context of what I posted, and what happened is important.

When other teams go on a run and you call time out, that's when you need to to keep them calm, collected, and together ... stop the bleeding.  Starting at the halfway mark of the second half of the LCC gane through the first 10 minutes of the St. Joe's game, the team just couldn't get a stop or a basket. Team took too long to stop playing isolation sets and pressing too hard. Pressing plus frustration doesn't mix.

They have looked pretty strong in every game if 5-10 minutes of each game could be erased.

Very easy to be fired up with all that's going on in our little world of UA. Very easy to go overboard with posts. I'm guilty as charged.

There was a lot of positive with this dumpster fire of a game. 

As I said before, we did win by 9 after the 8:00 mark of the first half. 

St. Joe's was really physical in the first few minutes and the team started playing angry. This caused some bad shots and a ton of fouls. Miss the few good shots and they were quickly down a lot, and frustration took over. Whistle happy refs didn't help and all of a sudden it was 35-6. Learning to stay cool, calm, and collected is something this team doesn't seem to have and something the coaches need to work on them with. You want your team to play with a little anger, but that's to get you going. When you are down you need ice. Maybe it comes as they play more together, and maybe some of it could be the more than obvious distraction / cloud. It's more than just the off the court distraction though, as it's the same thing that happened when LCC went on their run.

The aforementioned whistle happy refs started to get everyone into foul trouble with Reddish and Little having 4 each in the first half and almost everyone else with 2 or 3. 

Davis went 6-11 from 3 for 32 points. No assists is concerning for the primary ball handler though. If he can continue to shoot over 50% from the floor, I'll take it.

Reddish had a monster dunk after a great fake on his defender. It was sullied by the technical, but I have no idea what it was for. Maybe words were said, but you couldn't see anything on the replay. Still had 15 points with foul trouble and almost no production in the first half.

Beagle continues to a big piece and more than anyone could have predicted. If he can continue to learn and get comfortable the skies the limit for him. Could be on an all-conference team as soon as this year. Never been a fan of big men shooting from the outside, but if he can prove he's a threat it can really open up the inside. Really help open the lane for for the drive. Would have been awesome for a player like Neely giving him room to work. Unfortunately we likely won't see that till next season.

Drumgoole and Patel were both very quiet this game. Little was very good in his time on the floor. Still needs work on D, but was productive.  Hutch has not been shooting well at all. The last 2 years he has been terrible shooting outside during the OOC, while shooting pretty well during conference play. Ketner played well too. Giving more than anyone gave him credit for. 6 rebounds and 8 points. He still seems to miss to many layups though. 

Honestly, this game was ugly hardnosed Philidelphia style basketball. They were meaner and hit first, but in retrospect I can still see this team winning it's share of conference games and improving throughout the year. We had some pretty good teams that did not look good to start the season then make a run late.

Had to dust off my purple and gold glasses to post that one lol

I apologize for posting an overly negative thread in the general Danes stuff forum. It was out of the frustration of a passionate fan and alum. I'm all for critical conversation of the school, the administration, the coaches, even the players performance to a smaller extent. That's what fans do, but I think this post was too much. 

Not sure if I can delete it or not.

Silly poll to pass the time in these hard times for UA....

Well UA won by 9 if we forget that the first 8 minutes of the game existed.

2 minutes ago, McFan said:

ESPN has us at 6 technicals.  Is that right?  What’s our record for T’s?

I see that. I only remember 3, but I think there was a couple flagrant 1s, maybe those count as technicals?

Third technical? Ketner had just been thrown on the ground. Don't blame him for yapping, but again undisciplined play.

1 minute ago, Clickclack said:

Brown had a history of poor recruiting, high turnover and awful offense....hire a new AD and let him go to work. 

I wasn't advocating to bring WB back. Just stating he was better strategically. Offense may have been deliberate and slow, but that's why he was called the grind.

The one positive is that since the score was 35-6 this game has been basically even. It could be way way worse.

DK is a way better "public face" of the program (current lawsuit excepted) but Brown was a way better X's and O's coach.

Brown put together game plans and offenses that kept the team competetive against teams with way more talent, but if you saw him in public you'd be lucky if grunted at you.

DK will come up you, shake your hand, and make you feel special. He connects with the community and is great in public. On the court he has the team standing around and isolating and looking disjointed on offense.

I really think the talent is there on this team, they just don't have a game plan. I'd love to see what WB could do with this roster. This is only DK's second year as a head coach, but at this moment he seems better as an assistant. If he survives this current situation maybe he will grow. It took WB a few years to get his feet under him.

This is real bad. That said, that dunk by Reddish was nice. No idea where the T came from after. Didn't look like anything was said.

I'm going to attempt to make no further comments in this thread, at least until after depositions and some factual information comes out. At the moment, everything is hearsay and speculation. 

No matter what happens: I can only hope that the University does the right thing. If it means firing DK for wrong doing and settling with the player, or fights hard for DK because it's an overblown accident that happened when getting hyped up for a game.

In today's world you can't touch a player, but I'll go on record saying that I don't believe that should be the case. While they are students, they are adults and shouldn't be coddled and given trophies for putting their shoes on the right feet. If someone needs a kick in the ass to get them going give it to them. Unfortunately, that isn't right in today's world and we have to judge all situations based on the times they happened in. 

I hope this is all overblown, the school and DK gets through it, and we keep improving and have a winning season followed by raising a few new banners with DK at the helm. If there was wrong doing, then I hope we rip off the band-aid quickly, get a new coach, and move on. Just please please please do not let that new coach be assface from Hartford. He grew the neighborhood, but not sure I could stand his antics on the court. 

On a different note, and what I think might be the worst part of this situation...

Last night my wife asked me what was going on. She thought this was a new second incident. Not sure any of the news sources have done a great job of pointing out that this is the same incident as last spring. If casual bystanders assume this is a second incident, it's going to do a lot more damage to the university.

1 minute ago, Dane96 said:

 

let’s be honest with ourselves. Luke is not looking for justice. He’s looking for a pay out.

If this is the case, I hope he gets nothing even if he deserves it all.

Lawyers and lawsuits are the backbone of our society and threats of legal action are what makes our system work. People just looking for a payout ruin it for all.

13 minutes ago, cwdickens said:

From the Times - Union

https://www.timesunion.com/sports/article/Former-basketball-player-sues-Killings-Benson-17590032.php?IPID=Times-Union-HP-breaking-bar

I hoping that when the UAlbany MBB team goes on the road, in particular, a road conference game, that Killings does not get a rude reminder of what he is facing by the opponent's fans.

Interesting line in this article that I hadn't seen before. Not sure if it makes any difference, but if true it could explain a lot. I have been on teams and in locker rooms where the coach tried to get the team angry. On my high school varsity team we had a team "mosh pit" with death metal blaring as we were getting up for a playoff game. If it was something like that and Fizulich had purposeful contact with the coach that was accidentally harder than intended, I'm not sure I think DK deserves to be sued or fired. This does not sound like a coach hitting him in anger, but was part of the hype up routine that may have gone too far. Accidents happen, and if you remember at the time the team didn't have a single win yet (I think this game was their first win if I remember correctly) and they needed a swift kick in the ass to get it together.

The plot is definitely thickening and I'm curious to see where it goes....

[Quote]Sometime after the incident, the complaint states, Killings told the team in the locker room that he struck Fizulich because he wanted him to “play angry, and he wanted the whole team to play angry.”[/Quote]

Torn ACL typically has a 9-12 month recovery time, and even the most optimistic cases take 6 plus. I believe that is before you can even resume practicing. Many players are never the same afterwards.

Since we are talking lawsuits today on the board, maybe Neely and UA can sue MVP Arena, Bob Belber, and the Siena students sitting right there. I know I saw them sweeping some debris from the floor in that area. Can't remember if it was right before or right after the incident. 

Clarification: The lawsuit comment above was in humor and is not a serious suggestion, but remembering them sweeping some debris and it not just being a slick section of the sticker was a serious comment.

Something still seems extremely fishy about this entire situation and honestly none of us know the whole story (at least I don't) so it's hard to comment on it, but I can say it doesn't seem to make sense.

Fizulich obviously had some form of a relationship with DK, as he followed him from Marquette. He got a fair amount of playing time for a Walk-on. I mean he got as much court time as any walk-on I can remember. No one transferred out of the program that DK had recruited. Doles and Horton were WB recruits that graduated. 

Just not sure I can see DK "violently attacking" a player for no reason. I mean if Fizulich instigated or "deserved" it for some reason, it's still not acceptable for a coach to strike a player, even in self defense, but it really seems far fetched. Also, if Fizulich did something to instigate a conflict, I doubt DK would have played him during the season. Did LF get the minutes he got as retribution because DK felt guilty over the incident?

I wonder if the real story could be found by talking with one of the players who graduated or transferred after last season. I doubt any current player would want to stick their neck out and say anything negative.

Sorry for the stream of consciousness rambling post. I think we are all just trying to understand what happened and try to figure out if we should be supporting our coach or calling for his head. Something tells me we well never know the real story.

1 hour ago, UAalum72 said:

Wyland says torn ACL - out for season

Well that blows chunks. Was so excited to see his game grow this year. 

Kinda like Colgate beating Syracuse last night.... insane 3pt shooting over a zone that failed to adjust. 

Glad I didn't go. Pretty confident UA holds on to win, but this feels embarrassing. As much as I think what Bryant did in winning by triple digits last week was abhorrent, I think I'd rather that than watching a school like Union keep it close. 

My son is sick and I don't feel like driving all the way to Troy to watch a D3 game by myself. Feel bad not supporting the team and wasting my 4 season seats for another game, but I can watch it on ESPN3. If it was at SEFCU I'd be there.

Hopefully the team uses this game to work on some things and we can figure out how to stop going half a half without scoring. Would love to see some work on X's and O's that aren't just isolate and attack one on one. Move the ball and get good shots. Let some of the bench get some good minutes to prove themselves, but the most important thing will be no injuries.

1 hour ago, UAalum72 said:

I think you need to use the "/s" sarcasm notification

I thought that was heavily implied lol. Thanks for the reminder tehe

OMG, the team finally got over the hump and won a close one. Amazing coaching job. So proud of everything they have accomplished despite the shortfalls of the players that normally screw up every week. The coaches found a way to pull us through. Definitely time for a 5 year extension for our leadership. They deserve it. This was the exciting turn around moment we have been waiting for!

The team has now matched the win total of the last two seasons combined and still has a game left. That's major improvement! They deserve another extension!

Speaking of rewatching the game, I found the exact spot that the game changed. UA was up 53-41 and Davis came up lame with a cramp or something and had to come out of the game. UA scored again on a sweet Amica layup after a beautiful no look pass from Edmead then UA didn't score again for about 9 minutes (Drumgoole Free throw) and didn't get another actual field goal until Reddish made a layup another 2-3 minutes later.

Davis was the catalyst for the UA run and when he came out with the apparent injury or cramp or whatever it was: the wheels fell off. Davis would come back, but he wasn't himself. He was limping around, not as quick, and was a liability on both sides of the court. Killings (and/or someone on the bench) should have realized that and not let him play. 

Patel had been an Energizer bunny and was everywhere on the court in the first half. He may have made some mistakes, but I was impressed with the energy he provided. He barely saw the floor in the second half. Maybe he should have been on the floor instead of an injured Davis.

Take the above, throw in a few questionable calls that helped fuel the crowd and suck the air out of UA and the tide had turned with no chance to reverse it. By questionable calls I am mentioning things like the shot clock I mentioned before and an obvious charge by Stormo that was called a block. Defenders feet were set but he was knocked off his feet by contact, regained balance then knocked over again. If he just fell on first contact it probably would have been called a charge but because he stayed on his feet the second part of the charge could appear at game speed that he wasn't set. Even the Siena homer commentators on TV thought it should have been a charge.

No blame on the refs. Calls like those could go either way. It wasn't the bad call that caused the issue, it was the environment that they created and UAs failure to respond to it.

Last comment on the game for now: I love Beagle's game and enthusiasm. He has the potential to be one of UAs all-time greats should he stay for 4 years. While I don't want him to change his style play on the court, I'd like him to actually win something and prove himself before showing his attitude. Trash talking is an amazingly fun part of basketball, but him barking at the Siena bench after getting fouled while making a layup before completing the three point play to put UA up 16 (50-34) didn't age well, as that was right around the Davis turning point I mentioned above. Yes it was in the heat of the moment, and I'd never want less energy from him, I'd rather save the trash talk until you've proven yourself. That moment may have fired up the Siena team as much as the Davis injury/cramp doused UAs flames.