olddog71

Whoa, there! First of all, congratulations on becoming a full-fledged Dane fan. Anyone who still follows UAlbany sports when not on campus to take advantage of easy, cheap access to the games should be uplifted. Second, I think you may be a little harsh on Dane fans who have some sympathies for Siena. In past years, anyone in the Capital District who wanted to view D I games in person had to travel a distance to do so. Why not take advantage of what is close by? In doing so habitually, it is easy to reason why some Dane fans began to view Siena in a more positive light. I also think, like some posters have already said better than I, that some pull for Siena because it makes the Danes look better. It's nice to say after a Dane victory over Siena who has just beat some high-ranking team(s) that we could competer against the ranked team(s) as well. Don't discount the experience that some of us have enjoyed from the previous rivalry and what we actually witnessed. The number of fans in the Pepsi Arena may have be larger today, but it does not compare to the rivalries we were apart of in the past. I will give you three examples that come readily to mind which occurred 30 or more years ago. (1) A hard-fought game in University Gym (not the larger RACC) which was called 72-56 in Albany's favor with 1:26 left on the clock because a large fight broke out in the stands. (2) A one-point game won by Albany, again in University Gym, in the last few seconds in front of a crowd that was so partisanly Albany and so loud that the refs could not hear each other's whistles. I heard about the refs' difficulties from other refs who were talking about the game several days later more than 90 miles away. (3) A decisive 62-49 victory by Albany over Siena the year Siena decided to go D I from D III when Albany would remain D III for much longer. It was so wonderful to beat them I can still taste it. As you can read, many old-time fans can still see certain images firmly entrenched in their imaginations decades later. For us, the rivalry was very much intense. As I stated earlier, my wife and I have to drive a long distance to each Albany "home" game, and we have done so for well over three decades. That being said, I do not think it is impossible to be somewhat ambivalent toward our rivals. It is still possible to be a very loyal UAlbany fan and not have ill feelings toward Siena. Just imagine if you were a Saints fan today. I would feel a little intimidated by the rapid rise of a second competitor to your own program after having had no competition for 30 years.

Anyone have any idea how many tickets have been sold for the game tomorrow? The Times-Union usually provides a count the day before the game or so? I do not recall seeing any such statistics? Also, does anyone on campus have any idea how much interest there is for students attending the game? I would like to think that because UAlbany won its first game against Siena in the modern rivalry and thereby instituting real competition that there logically might be a little more interest in the game than there was since the rivalry began, but I also know that logic does not always apply and that there might be other more important factors for the turnout? I was disappointed that fewer spectators appeared for last year's game than for the previous year.

MTS, I'm not sure that anyone here thinks that UAlbany expects the Saturday game to be easy. All we have to do is remember our lone modern victory against you last year which was not decided until the last 5 minutes of the game. I certainly respect your team a lot more than that. You have a new coach who has inspired your team with motivation and pride. It has reflected itself in your two good showings this year. I am sure that anybody here who really knows Capital District basketball is not discounting your chances. I think you can see, however, in this thread the reasons why some UAlbany fans are not particularly great supporters of your program. This rivalry carries some baggage for some fans, particularly the older fans. Again, I am hoping that eventually this rivalry will command enough respect for each other's program from the fans and serious followers of basketball that the Pepsi will sell out. What do you think the turnout will be this year? Anyone hazard a guess in which year the Pepsi actually will sell out?

I'm also torn. My stance toward Siena has gone through a kind of evolution. It may change again. At first, I was very dead set against Siena. Not only did we have to battle the strong Siena basketball tradition that began in the 50's and was still going strong in the 60's and 70's when I attended "Albany State." Almost every Capital District fan would throw Siena's past success in your face, even when we were both Division III It made no difference that Doc Sauers's teams won a few more from them than they from us. Siena was always superior, but we Albany fans had a tough going sometimes in the eyes of the community. I was not from the Albany area, but I ended up marrying a girl from the area - actually from Loudonville. (We are still very much married, by the way.) But I remember on one occasion talking about the Albany-Siena series with my in-laws when one of them stated that they preferred Siena because Albany Staters were "always dirty." I also did not like the image I saw of many Siena rooters at our common games where men were dressed in fancy suits and women in furs. Needless to say, I was not very happy indeed. So for a few years after we got married, my wife was never allowed to mention even the word "Siena" in our household. (I'm usually not that controlling.) We had to refer to Siena as "that Loudonville school" or something worse. When we drove past the campus, I would even close my eyes - rather dangerous when you're at the wheel. My wife and I moved out of the area, and it has been somewhat difficult to get to UAlbany games, but we have continued our tradition of supporting the team every year for the last 35 years or so from a distance. Perhaps the longer distance from the scene of hostility has made me less antagonistic. Then Siena went D I, and I was mad that Siena was getting even more press, when they naturally deserved more press. Then I began to have a lot more sympathy for them when they had their successes in the 80's and 90's thinking that at least I am supporting Capital District basketball. I have never spent the time or money to attend one of their games, unless we were their opponent, but at least I dropped the hatred thing. When we began D I, the antipathy against them rose again. We were - and probably still are - not receiving enough respect. Last year's victory, however, was a real revelation: both teams had claim to respect in this area. When Siena lost its game last year to us, there were many posters on the Siena site - who after recovering from the initial shock - were actually really gracious to us. They appreciated the achievements of the team and all the work that Will Brown and others have brought to the program. That means, at least from the knowledgeable few of them, that UAlbany has achieved what I want from them: respect. I understand the bad, bad feelings that many Albany fans have toward Siena, but I just cannot hate them any more. I will root for them, especially if they make it past the MAAC tournament. They still represent the Capital District and may make a link for us to the world outside Eastern New York. My changed feelings toward Siena have not affected my intensity of feelings for the Danes when we go at each other. I really "get into" the games and will probably need medical assistance after I leave the game Saturday. I guess I also want to see the day come when there is enough respect from Siena for us that many Siena fans will also support us in their thoughts and attendance at UAlbany games. I don't expect them to switch allegiances, but greater appreciation of the "other" Capital District program would go a long way.

Alum73, Thanks for the info on the game statistics. The scene last night must have been very interesting in the coaching dynamics. Very easily, Coach Brown could have been sitting on the other side of the floor with the UCLA team. As reported today in the Times-Union, "The game was a reunion of sorts for Brown and UCLA coach Ben Howland, who hired Brown as his third assistant at the University of Pittsburgh in the summer of 2001." Our AD, McElroy, was not only attending the game as a former alumni and athlete of UCLA but also the man who was viewing Coach Brown and the team. He will be the man who most determines Brown's future after March. And then there was 95-year old paragon of successful coaching, John Wooden, watching it all.

Sarge, Great report! It must have been truly awesome to see the Danes play in such a historic arena. Interesting, though, your comparison of Pauley with SDSU's place. It is also hear your report that we are much closer to running on all 4 cylinders than we were in the previous 2 games. I was really beginning to doubt. Somebody please slap me!

Anyone have any idea what the attendance was last night in Pauley Pavilion? Just curious. The UAlbany website has not been updated yet with the stats from last night's game.

This Saturday would be soon enough. I echo everything else you said in your post.

Sarge, Thanks for your eye-witness report. I find your views of the team's performance rather disturbing. I had really been looking forward to this season, but now I've pulled back my optimism drastically. At this point in the schedule, I am dreading the future games worse than in the last five or so years. At least then we were not expecting much, and I was encouraged by the hustle and desire. The last two games have shown me the opposite. I'm not even sure any more whether we will have a winning record. I hope I am very wrong.

UAlbany women won their home opener today, 66-56. The record is now 2-2. Not a bad start for a rebuilding year. The attendance announced at 862 is not a bad turnout, especially considering that a men's game did not follow.

Thanks for verifying that there was some coverage of the game because, like you, I saw nothing online.

Why was there no coverage of tonight's game against San Diego State in the Times-Union or any aspect of the Danes' trip out West in today's paper? Siena's game against Syracuse rated a pre-game article, and there were two articles about the Saints in today's Times-Union. I am not complaining about the coverage Siena receives, but I wonder why we do not receive the treatment. Yes, I know, it's Syracuse, but Siena had coverage for its opener at Penn. To have no coverage for us at all is disrespectful.

Patch, Thanks for your info and opinions on this week's activity. I was unaware of Jamar's extended absence from practice. I hope he is recovering well. Yes, Jordan has certainly not been himself. Good point about the two-point difference in the Sacred Heart game. If any one of those scenarios had improved for us, we would be caressing the W and not hanging our heads in shame. Several posters have observed that maybe it was a good thing to lose this game early in the season. Perhaps they are correct. Time will tell whether this game will alert us to possible deficiencies or lower our self-confidence excessively. I have a feeling that we will do better on the West Coast than our effort against Sacred Heart.

UAlbany should have won that game by 20. We beat them last year on their court by about the same margin. Did they add any significant new personnel since last year? I don't think so. I just think we underestimated Sacred Heart from last year, and they came back for revenge. They did a very good job at it. I could not believe that Albany just did not adjust to Trim. Why did this occur? Are the players at fault? Is the coaching staff? This aspect of the game disturbed me more than any other. We should have known Sacred Heart was going to be good - much better than predicted - by their close game away at Rhode Island. I have heard many people observe Albany's lack of energy in the game. Brown certainly made a big deal about it, but others observed it, too. Why was our energy level so low? Some of you have mentioned the injuries to Jamar and Lucious. I hope this game is not a sign of the future. I will believe that we will play more like we did against Oakland and Florida. (By the way, I do not understand why few people have observed that we played very well in the first half against the currently 14th- or 15th-ranked team. That fact should be trumpeted much more than it is.)

Some people visiting this site wondered what kind of recruiting activities Trina Patterson was engaged in this fall. Here's a partial answer: http://www.albany.edu/sports/stories.htm#wbbrecruits05 Hope the new players work out well.

Good posts, everyone, on the reasons for our defeat and the disappointment we all share on the outcome. I have just one comment on the crowd. I thought the crowd was pretty much into the game for the first home event of the year. I too thought the crowd was bigger than the official count, but I am not going to argue. The frustrating aspect of the attendance for me is the frequent defeats UAlbany suffers when we have a large crowd. I know logically that we will enjoy the biggest attendance for the most important games when we have a lesser chance to win, but this trend still troubles me. Other teams see that we are not all that competitive at home. We have enjoyed a tradition over the last few decades of having a better attendance than other schools competing at whatever level we are playing. Our place should be a site where the opponents expect to lose. But I am just disgusted that we too frequently lose when we have big crowds. That trend affects the following games after the loss. It was crucial that we win last night, especially when we are supposed to be the superior Division I team in the area this year. We did not do it. A victory - even a one-point win - would have propelled interest in our program. We really lost an opportunity last night. It's disgusting when I look at the Times-Union's webpage and find Siena's coverage on top of ours -- especially when we were the home team with a greater impact on the readership. I hope this team, with all its supposed promise, can alter the trend and win a lot more often. I hope we do it soon, and I hope we do not lose another home game this season.

Why do you believe this potential turnout? Is the game being talked up much on campus? I certainly hope you are correct. I think UAlbany should win tonight's game handily, and maybe a success tonight will encourage a high turnout throughout the season. Have many students gone home already for Thanksgiving?

Yes, just go to the following link: http://www.albany.edu/sports/ Good luck with the transmission.

The first real Sagarin ratings of the 2005-06 season are now out. The previous rankings were pre-season and not based on any games played this season. 75 Boston U. 116 Albany-NY 141 Vermont 267 Binghamton-NY 273 Stony Brook-NY 279 Hartford 305 New Hampshire 306 Maine 315 UMBC(Md-Balt) It will be interesting to see how long our positive ranking will be maintained. Good luck tonight, Danes!

Unbelievable end to an up-and-down season. Perhaps the memory of today's game will give the team more confidence for next season. I wonder if the team was also responding to the transition to scholarship football. Very interesting ending today!

Florida continued its winning ways by beating Syracuse at MSG last night. Different from when Florida beat us, it was not the recipient of a home crowd. When Coach Brown predicted Florida could be a Final Four contender in two years, he was not overhyping this team. After losing some of its veteran players last season, I thought Brown might be exaggerating Florida's strength a litle this season. Florida could really be there this season. According to Ken Pomeroy, Florida now has the 2nd highest RPI in the nation. Now that over half the nation's Division I teams have already played a game this season, it's also interesting to note that UAlbany is now rated 4th in the country. We have moved up three positions from the beginning of the weekend, probably bases on Florida's record. Now I'm not about to claim that UAlbany deserves even close to such a high RPI rating, but it does tell me that this program has really advanced in just a couple seasons and that we can now contend with many of the country's better mid-major teams.

It's interesting what Brown said about Gifford. "He was king of unknown. He had played in very few tournaments and got very little exposure. I saw the young man and fell in love with him." Good scouting by our coach. Further Brown said, "Usually, when you get kids who are 6-10 at the mid-major, they're projects. . . . He's ready to play at the mid-major Division I level and make an impact." I don't think that Brown is overhyping this guy. We have often been accused of that on the America East board. It seems that our success in Division I is not going to decline after we lost a few players this year. This pattern of recruiting should ensure a quality program for quite a few years.

Here's the official announcement of the four men who signed LOI's this fall. There is no new info, but it is gratifying to see the continual progress in the development of DI basketball at UAlbany. "UNIVERSITY AT ALBANY MEN'S BASKETBALL SIGNS FOUR STUDENT-ATHLETES FOR 2006-07 "Albany, N.Y. -- University at Albany men's basketball coach Will Brown announced on Friday, Nov. 18 that four student-athletes have signed national letters of intent to play for the Great Danes in the 2006-07 academic year. Reid Anderson, a 6-foot-5, 190-pound swingman from Avon Lake, Ohio (Lakewood St. Edward H.S.), Brett Gifford, a 6-foot-10, 250-pound center from Columbia, Mo. (Rock Bridge H.S.), Michael Knight, a 6-foot-3, 185-pound guard from Seattle, Wash. (St. Petersburg College), and Mike Yocum, a 6-foot-9, 235-pound forward from Dresher, Pa. (Episcopal Academy), each made his commitment during the early signing period. "Anderson was named to the 2004-05 Associated Press Division I All-Ohio squad in the honorable mention category. He averaged 16.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists when he was chosen All-Northeast Lakes District. The Eagles reached the state tournament's regional semifinals and posted a 16-7 record last year. Lakewood St. Edward is expected to be a preseason top-10 team in the state rankings. "Gifford is one of four returning starters on a Rock Bridge High squad that finished 22-5 last season. The Bruins, who compete at the state's Class 5 level, advanced to the district tournament's championship final. Gifford averaged 14.9 points, 11.5 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game as a junior. "Knight, who appeared in all 28 games for Maryland-Baltimore County in 2004-05, is currently attending St. Petersburg College in Florida. As a high school senior at Seattle Prep in Washington, Knight was chosen second-team All-Metro after averaging 15.0 points, 4.5 assists and 4.8 rebounds. He was a member of the All-Metro third team as junior with a 13.8 scoring average. "Yocum was chosen first-team All-InterAc after leading his team to a 25-3 record against a national schedule. He averaged 12 points and 12 rebounds per game. Episcopal Academy won the InterAc championship with a perfect 10-0 mark, plus was the No. 1 ranked team in Southeastern Pennsylvania. His teammates Wayne Ellington (North Carolina) and Gerald Henderson (Duke) have also signed with Division I programs. "'We are very fortunate to complete our recruiting during the early period," Brown said. "I am excited that we have signed four quality student-athletes who address all of our needs. Gifford and Yocum are gifted big kids and should do very well at this level. Knight has already successfully competed in the America East Conference, while Anderson comes from one of the best high school programs in the state of Ohio. Both perimeter players are versatile and can play multiple positions.' ********************* 2006-07 University at Albany Men's Basketball Signings Name, Pos., Ht., Wt., Hometown (High School/Junior College) Reid Anderson, G/F, 6-5, 190, Avon Lake, Ohio (Lakewood St. Edward) Brett Gifford, C, 6-10, 250, Columbia, Mo. (Rock Bridge) Michael Knight, G, 6-3, 185, Seattle, Wash. (Seattle Prep / St. Petersburg College) Mike Yocum, F, 6-9, 235, Dresher, Pa. (Episcopal Academy)"

Thanks for your explanation, GODANESGO. It makes sense.

Sienafanie V, who is that?