olddog71

Yes, how about doing a story on the latest developments in Kirsten Zoellner's career since he left UAlbany? To the best of my knowledge, the Times-Union has not reported on Zoellner's contract with the team in Greece.

I know this news has already been reported here, but just to refresh your memories it was reported on the Athletics website again today. "Albany, N.Y. - University at Albany's Brent Wilson leads a group of four Great Danes who are traveling in a basketball tour of Holland and Belgium, with six exhibition games schedules from Aug. 24-30. Jason Siggers, Michael Knight and Carl Ross are also members of the NCAA All-Star Team. "UAlbany associate head coach Eric Eaton is coaching the squad. The NCAA All-Stars will meet the Dutch National Police and Sportcentrum Vrije Universiteit Lions in Amsterdam, Holland to begin the trip. The Belgium schedule includes Gent Dragons, Leuven, Brussels and Oostende. "Wilson, a 6-foot-8 forward, was named to the All-America East Conference third team last year after averaging 10.4 points and 4.3 rebounds. Siggers, a 6-foot-4 swingman, scored at a 5.0 clip off the bench and made 21-of-51 three-point field goals. Knight and Ross, who each transferred into the program last spring, are expected to make contributions this season in the UAlbany backcourt." It's great that two new members of the team will be gaining valuable experience and the opportunity to play in real competition before the actual season begins. Getting the new guys into the lineup should be much smoother than usual because of this trip.

Given those figures, it looks like UAlbany is rated the top team in the Northeast. I'm not sure if we have ever had such a high ranking in any Division I sport for our region. Go, Danes!

Like several of the rest of you, I am feeling very conflicted (Normally, I don't like that word.) about the news coming from South Carolina and my attempt to continue normal activities, such as posting here. I read through the analysis on College Hoops Net's view of UAlbany's team, and it looks like the analyst pretty accurately summarized UAlbany's challenges and opportunities, as well as where we've come from recently. It's ironic that this analysis was posted today. The team owes a debt of gratitude to one of its greatest boosters. I wish Phyllis Hall and family the very best.

You may have a point about the lack of coverage for our football camp. I have another concern about the lack of coverage. I just went back through the archives of the Times-Union and have found no coverage about Zoellner's signing with a team in Greece. Am I wrong that there was no article about this? If so, what gives? I'm sure sports editors read this site for clues about what may be going on with UAlbany basketball and other sports, but there is no excuse for ignoring the posting of the news that was found on the official UAlbany athletic site about Zoellner's new job. Perhaps this apparent lack of coverage belongs on the basketball-winter sports thread, but I thought it has a link to the concern mentioned in this topic.

Why bother with the expense of tracks. Just mount the whole thing on a pole, and then it can swing around on its own with the prevailing wind. (Okay, sorry for that one. It's Friday.)

I think this coming game is the last of a 3-year deal. The previous contract was also a 3-year deal, and the game in December will be the 6th meeting between the schools in the modern era. If this year is the last year, it will be time to renegotiate.

Thanks, UAalum72, I checked it out. You are correct. You have come through again.

Where is the link to this list? It's too hot (I'm not in AC), and I'm too lazy to search. Thanks.

I saw the same news release and wondered the same. Grunes was from Germany. Is it possible that she wanted to return home?

In an article entitled "All About Home Cooking," which appeared in yesterday's Times-Union, the sports writer specifically indicated UAlbany as a potential host for many of the events which it could host in a future ESG contest. The writer mentioned the positive changes that are occurring on the campus which would make Albany a good host for future games. This event could attract good student-athletes who might not otherwise consider UAlbany as a school. Here are some quotations from the article: "'We've had some calls and discussions with Albany,' Smith said. 'My understanding is that the Giants' contract goes through 2008, so we might be looking at '09 or beyond. "'We don't have a formal proposal from Albany, but it would be good for our staff. We know the venues in Albany, and that would make it easier to move events in case of rain like we had here. We'd want a formal proposal and a new inventory. Even at UAlbany there has been a lot of change.' "Chabot also pointed to changes at the University at Albany as key to bringing the Empire State Games back for the first time since 1998. Competition for hotel rooms since the New York Giants moved their training camp to Albany has been a major factor keeping the games away from their headquarters city. "'I think there's a real good chance we can have the games in Albany,' Chabot said. 'With the UAlbany administration change, I see potential for showcasing the college and showcasing the area.'" The article mentions the Giants training camp as an obstacle for hosting the ESG since both events overlap in time, and there is keener competition for hotel space. Here is the link to the article: http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story...wsdate=8/1/2006 Hosting the Empire State Games is a good way to attract athletes representing a big variety of sports and from all over the State to attend UAlbany. I can see students who might want to play football, for example, to consider UAlbany after viewing plans and actual construction of a new stadium. Other athletes in baseball and lacrosse, among others, might be surprised to see the quality of fields UAlbany offers.

Kyle Graham quit on the team after only 5 games. He was getting 10+ mpg and shooting 25% from the floor. From what I heard the coaches wanted him to be patient and he thought he should be starting. He was athletic and would have helped along the way but didn't seem to me to be a possible mainstay of the program. If you check the schedule you'll see shortly after the departure of Graham and Johnson the team got better. They went from being 1-4 to winning 20 of their last 27 games. Coincidence, maybe. Courtney last I heard was at or considering St. Rose. 15509[/snapback] In contrast to Graham, Courtney was a major contributor to the team in the previous season. He had good defensive skills and kept us in the game when we would have lost or kept the losing margin lower. Considering he was a walk-on, he helped the team a lot when we were at our lowest. I understood that he went to St. Rose because it was in his best academic interest to do so. St. Rose offered a certain educational program that we do not provide. When the team got better, there was much less of an opportunity for him to contribute on the floor. I have a great deal of respect for Courtney Johnson and am thankful he played for us at a time when we needed all the help we could get.

I know a lot of people feel that way, but I think it's tough to put so much into a non conference game early in the season. I remember reading a quote from Brown and Iati saying that the Siena lost was devastating because the players read the bulletin boards and they felt like they let everyone down. It went on to say that it took them a long time to recover. I know the game is important, but I wouldn't want a loss to shake their confidence. 15497[/snapback] I think the Siena game is important to me because I have seen a lot of the past rivalry as well as all the "modern" games. I think the Siena game will be important to this team because the team members will want revenge from Siena. Playing in front of the largest local crowd will be enough to motivate this team. Why did we lose to Siena last year? Two factors that have gone largely undiscussed was UAlbany's brutal schedule beforehand. I give our fans a lot of credit for not bringing up our game against UCLA just four days beforehand with the close loss and the plane flight home with the time zone changes. We also lost because we underestimated the benefits that Siena's new coach would bring to the team. This year we will not do that against an untested opponent. We will know much better what they will do. More important than my personal passion for this game will be team's desire to prove itself. It will be a very good early test of how well we will do in conference play, which even to me, is vastly more important than how well we do against a non-conference opponent. Yes, Reeder, you are correct. The Siena game was disastrous to us early last season. It destroyed any shred of confidence we had gained from our earliest game last year against Oakland and our good performance against Florida. It made the early losses against Sacred Heart, Harvard, and New Hampshire seem like typical losses. But this year's start and last year's early start are vastly different. Last year we still had yet to learn how to win, but this year we will be ready for any opponent. Most of our new recruits have personally witnessed some of our best games at the end of last year. They will have high expectations for their adopted team; previous years' rookies had only ill-defined promises.

One factor we have going for us this year is the realistic desire to win. It's hard to remember back almost a whole season, but Coach Brown stated that the biggest challenge to the 2005-06 team was the belief that the team was good and that he had to teach them to win games. Remember he had been saying the same thing for two seasons. Now that we have won the AE and did very respectfully against UConn, we don't have to prove ourselves in the same way. Our team struggled mightily at the beginning of the season when they were still doubting themselves. We will have a difficult time at the beginning of this season again, but the bigger challenge will be to prevent overconfidence. I will be looking for revenge against Siena. This game is a must to me. As the season progresses, it will be very interesting to see how we match up against conference opponents. Once again, we will be the marked team, but the competition will be keener. This year we will be the target not only because we are supposed to be good, but also because we actually took the title. I also foresee greatly improved AE teams, better coaching, higher attendance at opponent schools, and other factors that will make the repetition of a conference title more difficult. If we can repeat as conference champion, it will be a great testimony to Coach Brown's ability to recruit and provide effective game plans. Good luck, Danes, you'll need it, but you also have the ingredients to improve on a greatly improved previous season.

Steve, The letter is posted on the Siena board. The thread was moved from the regular site to the Siena Smack Board. It was done immediately after I posted my concerns about the treatment of Patch over on the regular board. Here's the link" http://www.arborwood.com/awforums/show-top...fid=7155&taid=3 You will probably have to register with the site to gain access to the Smack Board. It's been relatively quiet since the original remarks were made. Some Siena posters were also concerned about "outting" the letter writer and daughter. It's nice to see some people still have some ethical concerns.

I feel worse about the personal attacks on you in the same thread. Someone simply assumed that you were the author of the letter. Then someone else - someone for whom I had more respect - assumed certain erroneous facts about your sexuality which I find very disrespectful. Dane96, thankfully, chose to respond effectively to those allegations. Thankfully, few people decided to respond to comments made on that thread. If others had decided to jump in, I would have responded much less positively than Dane96. You are the one who has chosen not to comment here about those statements. You are the one who has shown some class in this little matter. Of course, since you are banned on their site, you don't even have the right to defend yourself. Some people over there have a tendency to choose to make ridiculous statements based on scant evidence and then instigate arguments with people from other schools. If I had been the moderator over there, I would have cut that discussion off right away. Second option would have been to send the thread over to the Smack Board. Third, I would have temporarily banned those who had made the obnoxious remarks. None of these actions occurred. But what do you expect from people who assume that they are the "Crown Jewel of the MAAC?"

Patch, I feel your pain. Personally, I don't think we'll make the top 144. I think the analysts, who could care less about the lower parts of their rankings, think our success last season was just an anomaly, and that UAlbany will revert back to its lower rankings. Our league also gets low marks and may contribute to our low standing. If so, it will be great to prove them wrong again. After this season, the developers of this ranking will have no excuse but to give us greater consideration. Of course, I could be very wrong, but right now I'd actually prefer being somewhat of an unknown.

Back then I had free rein to the bathroom. No, I am a male, but I could guarantee free access to the urinal at any time in the game without the prospect of waiting in line - now another casualty of our success. Seriously, even though we were losing - even at home - most of the time, it was exciting just to know that we were actually now playing Division I teams after the promises that we would be going D I that had been made years beforehand. It was already a different style of game that I had been used to seeing. Players were now more athletic and showing greater skill. It wasn't such a bad times, but I'm glad to see where we are now. I'll trade it for the bathroom waits.

I can't imagine getting all these new recruits so far in advance if it had not been for the great national exposure we received in the UConn game. Thank goodness the season turned around and we were able to go to the Big Dance. What a difference a month going through the regular season makes in the total team picture! Brown is certainly taking advantage of the spotlight UAlbany was in last March.

15387[/snapback] Reeder, Thanks for the update. For one, I was wondering when the schedule might be released. Since it was distributed relatively early last year, I thought we might see it early this year, too. I also appreciate that Brown gave a reason why the games haven't been announced. Wow! Sounds like the coaches aren't leaving a stone unturned in the search for future Great Danes. It's good to hear from the coach that the new players will help the team progress. After last year's lineup of Florida, UConn, and others, it's difficult for me to realize a more difficult OOC schedule. And we will certainly need to be tested in a year when I see the AE as being much more tough and competitive. We already know some of the non-conference opponents, but I can't imagine the others in the lineup that should challenge us more. The coaching team is being very tight-lipped about the remaining games. Once again, thanks for the information, and I enjoy being pleasantly surprised all the time.

On the university's website today: http://www.albany.edu/sports/ The blurb discusses concrete plans for the men's basketball team to travel to China in 13 months. The article has a picture of McElroy holding up a Nanjing T-shirt. Just more good publicity for the athletic program and another great opportunity for the team to gain experience. The school's drive to improve our basketball takes another step forward. The info about the school's trip is, of course, not new information, but it keeps the prospect of the trip alive in the media.

JonUA97, I agree with many of your points. Here's where I disagree. I don't think bad behavior is good anywhere. Here's just one of my objections to it to which I think you might agree. Bad behavior reflects poorly on our beloved school. It becomes more acute when our school is doing well because it allows others' opinions of us to become more justifiable when their main motive for criticizing us may be more based on jealousy or rage or some other emotion. A few people on the AE board, for example, criticized poor behavior of some of our fans at some home games this year. I have to agree with some of their objections, and some of these people who criticized UAlbany actions are people whom I very much respect. I am really proud of how our fans generally react, and I really enjoyed the long overdue appreciation from the student body this last season, and I don't want anything to detract from the increasing respect we seem to be gaining from everyone in the college basketball world. Yes, I want other teams to fear coming to the RACC because of the support we give our teams, rather than the disrespect we show our opponents. The final AE conference game against Vermont is a very good example of how we can legitimately intimidate others by our positive support. Yes, I agree that Mrs. McCaffery overstepped the boundaries here. A coach and his family have higher behavioral expectations than others, and she went overboard. But why should Siena can the coach based on this one incident? The coach, whether you want it or not, has brought back respectability to a program that went 6-24 the season before. And, they beat us. Besides that, I don't have major objections to what you have to say, and I greatly admire your loyalty to the team, especially when you have to travel long distances to view our Great Danes.

bob87, I agree with some of what you say, but I also think the kid should suffer some consequences too. His timeliness was wrong, and the school could suffer as a result of it. It's not too demanding to expect that the kid should have some responsibility when he does not follow the rules. He had more than ample opportunity to make his intentions known before the deadlines. Maybe a hard lesson for him now, but perhaps he will learn from it. It seems that Siena did give this kid some options, including a conditional release, but the kid either rejected the offer or did not go through the prescribed routine. Too bad for him. When you break the rules, don't expect the other side to make even more concessions to you. Mensah had options. Personally, I don't understand Mensah's rationale for leaving Siena. It's not such a bad school in basketball, and the kid's other choices for attending are not that much better, considering that he would have to sit out a year anyway. How much does he gain from that, but I'm not in his shoes, so perhaps I don't really understand his position. Yes, I agree that Siena is not going to get this kid back. Offering him back his scholarship and a position on the team again is not going to work when the situation has gotten so far out of hand, but I am also somewhat sure that we don't know the whole story on how negotiations went. I can easily imagine that Mensah and his lawyer (whom I really blame most for the current predicament) put so much pressure on Siena with their threats that the athletic administration was backed into a corner and was far less willing to relent on all the kid's demands. Those of you who follow my comments here on this board and on Siena's board know very well that I am not a Siena apologist and that I speak up when I feel their posters start insulting us, but in this situation I think the school is getting a bad rap when they're not entirely responsible.

I'm mostly with Gorvy on this issue although I'm not exactly ready to accuse many of our posters over here with schadenfreude. Mr. Mensah has simply not followed the rules, and then he expects everyone to bend over backwards to comply with all his requests. His timing has been particularly poor, and he should not expect to get off completely and avoid all the consequences associated with his indiscretions. If schools' administration has to play by the rules, then student-athletes should also be held up to the same standard of behavior. It is noteworthy that the NCAA came out resolutely and relatively quickly on this matter. The NCAA ruling is testimony to how unjust Mr. Mensah's demands are. I also dislike Mensah's attitude toward the school. He has displayed an utter disregard of loyalty to the institution that is basically giving him free clearance to obtaining an education. He could have made his decision much earlier. I think that the Siena administration was put into a corner by Mensah's late desire to transfer. The school had to make quick decisions that would comply with NCAA regulations regarding transfers which caused the administration to look hard-nosed in the matter. Siena also gave this young man some choices to avoid the situation the two sides are in now. All the kid had to do was submit his requests in writing, and then the school could make a decision. It is galling that his lawyer, who should be very knowledgeable about such processes, seems to ignore this requirement. Everybody knows such requests should be put in writing! Most deplorable of all, however, is the lawyer's decision to play the "race card." His ploy, at least for me, calls into question his whole strategy and all the legal maneuvers he has made on his client's part. I have no sympathy at all for such tactics. The lawyer is becoming very desperate and will stoop at nothing to get what he wants for Mensah. It's too bad this matter has not already been resolved. At many points in these proceedings, Mensah could have chosen to defuse this situation and chosen another path to attain his goal, but he and his lawyer have opted instead for an uncompromised resolution.

To me, the scene looks like it comes from Binghamton's Events Center. The place looks empty. Could that have happened after Binghamton lost to Vermont in the conference tournament? Is the player in the picture Jimmie Covington? I really don't know.