cwdickens

The Big Purple Game Day has arrived, nothing in today's Times Union about playing less one on one basketball. Do not let UMBC's conference record (1-6) fool you, in general they have played America East teams very close and are capable of beating us unless we beat ourselves first. UALBANY MEN’S BASKETBALL Marshall a key player for Danes By Pete Dougherty Jim Franco/Times Union archive UAlbany’s Amar’e Marshall is second on the team in scoring (17.1 points per game), rebounding (5.0), assists (2.0), steals (1.9) and minutes (31.2). ALBANY — Given what Amar’e Marshall has done on the basketball court this season, it is hard to believe a criticism he heard before arriving at the University at Albany. “A lot of coaches would have said I was probably out of shape in high school,” Marshall said. Really? A 6-foot-4 redshirt sophomore from Montclair, N.J., Marshall has been everything the Great Danes hoped for when he transferred in from Hofstra. He is second on the team in scoring (17.1 points per game), rebounding (5.0), assists (2.0), steals (1.9) and minutes (31.2). But out of shape? That characteristic definitely hasn’t followed him to UAlbany. “I thought Amar’e would be a double-digit scorer,” Danes coach Dwayne Killings said. “He’s always been a gifted scorer throughout his career, going back to AAU. That was his rep. The part that surprised me, he’s a runner. He runs the floor well. He gets out before dunks, finds shots.” “I’m just taking pride in that now, doing extra sprints after practice,” Marshall said. “It definitely translated to the game, and that’s what you guys see out there.” Marshall will be a key player as UAlbany (11-11, 3-4 America East) heads down the stretch of the America East season, beginning Saturday night against Maryland-Baltimore County (6-16, 1-6). He scored 20 points Thursday night in the Danes’ 81-59 loss at Vermont — the 19th time in 22 games he has been in double figures — but was one of the few healthy starters. Sophomore Marcus Jackson will be sidelined “a few weeks,” according to Killings, by a hand injury. Sophomore Jonathan Beagle was limited to a career-low eight minutes “because he wasn’t feeling great.” Point guard Sebastian Thomas, the team’s leading scorer (18.2), gutted his way through a lower-back injury against Vermont but was 1-for-12 from the field. Whatever the Danes can get from Marshall will be valuable as they aim for a top-four conference finish and a home playoff game. “When you watch him, as a guy that in all reality is a sophomore in college — he redshirted one year, didn’t play a lot last year — what he’s doing today, what you really get excited about is what he’s going to do tomorrow and a week after that, the month after that,” Killings said. “I’m pleased with his play, and he’s very coachable, he’s very positive. He wants to be good.” He was the first of five players who arrived via the transfer portal. Thomas (Rhode Island), Tyler Bertram (Charlotte), Muneer Newton (William Penn) and Marcus Filien (Cornell) have had varying degrees of success to help UAlbany erase memories of last season’s 8-23 record. “When I entered the portal,” Marshall said, “it was where I felt comfortable at, because that’s what I wanted coming out of recruitment in high school. My big thing on entering the portal this time, I would just go wherever I was wanted and wherever they’re going to use me the most. That, and my relationship with D.K. (Killings) and all the other coaches, was great. They’ve got a lot of confidence in me; all the guys have got a lot of confidence in me.” “He’s a very talented player,” Thomas said. “He can still go to another level. He’s one of the best players in our league. I’m just happy for him.” UALBANY VS. UMBC When: 7 p.m. Saturday Where: Broadview Center, Albany TV/Radio: ESPN+ (streaming), WTMM 104.5 FM

Sending e-mail to Scott about scrimmage time. From Inside Lacrosse: America East: Parity Rampant

UMBC WBB Record 8-12 overall, 4-4 conference. Feb 3 (Sat) 1:00 PM AE at UMBC Baltimore, Md. ESPN+ Int'l Video Live Stats Tickets Preview History

I think Coach Mullen game plan called for limited three point shooting....

My concerns about Jonathan Beagle started with the UMass-Lowell game. I am not sure if he has an issue with Killings and/or one or more of the assistants and/or one or more of his team mates. He just not seems to be himself. I know Marcus Jackson tried speaking with him during the Bryant game on the sidelines and Jonathan would have nothing to do with the talk. Whatever the issue, I strongly feel Marcus Jackson knows because these two are the closest of friends as I never see one without the other. I hope Jonathan does not have a game fatigue.

2023-24 Women's Basketball Standings 2023-24 Women's Basketball Standings SCHOOL CONF CPCT. OVERALL PCT. STREAK UAlbany 7-1 .875 18-3 .857 L1 Vermont 7-1 .875 15-7 .682 W6 Maine 7-1 .875 14-8 .636 W2 UMBC 4-4 .500 8-12 .400 W2 Bryant 3-5 .375 10-11 .476 L2 Binghamton 3-5 .375 8-13 .381 W1 UMass Lowell 3-5 .375 3-17 .150 L4 New Hampshire 2-6 .250 8-13 .381 L2 NJIT 0-8 .000 8-13 .381 L8

2023-24 Men's Basketball Standings 2023-24 Men's Basketball Standings SCHOOL CONF CPCT. OVERALL PCT. STREAK Vermont 7-0 1.000 17-5 .773 W8 UMass Lowell 6-1 .857 15-5 .750 W1 Bryant 6-1 .857 14-8 .636 W1 New Hampshire 4-3 .571 12-8 .600 L1 UAlbany 3-4 .429 11-11 .500 L1 Binghamton 2-5 .286 10-10 .500 W2 Maine 2-5 .286 10-12 .455 L2 UMBC 1-6 .143 6-16 .273 L3 NJIT 1-7 .125 5-15 .250 L1

Saturday is truly going to be a test for UAlbany MBB. While UMBC may be 1-6, only one conference loss in excess of 7 points against Bryant. Are we sure that Benson will not pull the plug on this "Great Dane Train Wreck" after this season? I see the Transfer Portal with a few UAlbany MBB players thus making next year a rebuilding year.

Another less then healthy UAlbany team, perhaps, with Beagle and Jackson, a better result may have occurred. However, did Vermont take the foot off the petal because they have to play on Saturday?

I must question the substitutions timimgs and the lack of shots from beyond the arc, most of our shots came with under 10 seconds left on the shot clock. Perhaps, a healthier team, the actual game plan may have been different with a different result. Our team can go up to Burlington and beat this Vermont team.

From Inside Lacrosse: On the eve of their season opener, IL's Terry Foy examines the two issues he thinks will be most substantial in determining whether their season meets the standard.

FOOTBALL CBA star Jones set to attend UAlbany By James Allen Kelly Marsh/Times Union archive CBA’s Donald Jones played quarterback, running back and receiver on offense this past season, and safety on defense. Donald Jones recently completed a tremendous three-year varsity football career at Christian Brothers Academy, were he was the lead component to the Brothers winning three straight Section II Class AA championships. When he begins his college career, Jones will not be far away as he has decided to compete next for the University at Albany. Jones, named the Times Union’s Large School Offensive Athlete of the Year in 2021, 2022 and 2023, played quarterback, running back and wide receiver on offense and defensive back during his career at CBA. “The coaching staff there is one I have been around attending their summer camps,” Jones said. “I feel very comfortable with them and felt it is a good situation for me.” Jones also considered LIU and Stony Brook before selecting the Great Danes, a program that advanced to the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) national semifinals during the 2023 season. The senior excelled on offense and defense for the Brothers and likely will continue as a defensive player in college. “They said defense, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was offense too,” Jones said. “I have been working on my hands. I took a week off after the season ended and I have been working out with (younger brother) Archie with him throwing and me catching.” Jones is the only starter to play all three seasons under the tutelage of CBA coach Bobby Burns. He led the Brothers to a trio of title victories against Shenendehowa, the last one coming when the Brothers prevailed 18-15 at Troy High when Jones threw a touchdown pass, caught a touchdown pass and returned an interception 98 yards for a touchdown. After the victory, Burns said of Jones, “I challenged him to be the best player on the field tonight and he was. We had some moments where we really didn’t play well at all, but really good teams find a way to win whether they’ve got to do this, that or the other thing.” Jones has not settled on a major yet. The senior says it is hard to believe he soon will be beginning his college football career. “Everything has gone by in a blink of an eye,” Jones said.

For the America East, a 3:00 PM starting time is huge change from our late morning starts...

UALBANY WOMEN’S BASKETBALL Team seeking offensive spark By Pete Dougherty Jim Franco/Times Union archive UAlbany’s Helene Haegerstrand is averaging 9.8 points and 28.8 minutes a game this season. “Everyone (has to) just stay ready,” she said. VERMONT AT UALBANY When: 7 p.m. Thursday Where: Broadview Center, Albany TV: ESPN+ (streaming) ALBANY — Beauty was in the eyes of the trophy-holder. The America East women’s basketball championship game last March was attractive only to those who savor defense. The University of Albany and Vermont shot a combined 24 percent, resulting in 89 rebounds. Vermont had three players in double figures for rebounding, and the Catamounts persevered for a 38-36 victory at Patrick Gymnasium and the conference’s bid to the NCAA Tournament. The teams had tied for the regular-season title at 14-2. Vermont got the No. 1 seed and home court for the final because of a tie-breaker. That underscores the importance of regular-season games such as Thursday night’s meeting between UAlbany and Vermont at Broadview Center. “We don’t go to one site and play back-to-back-to-back (in the tournament),” Great Danes coach Colleen Mullen said Wednesday. “You’re hosting if you’re the higher seed. “Playing in Patrick Gym last year, with a sold-out crowd in a small gym, it was an electric environment, but it was a tough environment to play in. We are comfortable at home. Broadview is an amazing place to play. We have a great record at home. We want to give us ourselves the best chance to go to the NCAA Tournament, and being able to host and being the 1-seed is what makes every game in the conference important.” Not only are the Great Danes (18-2, 7-0 America East) on a 14-game winning streak — tied for third-longest in the nation entering Wednesday — they have won 20 consecutive home games. That includes the final 10 of last season, when Hudson Valley Community College was their home base. UAlbany could be a bit compromised against Vermont (14-7, 6-1), whose only conference loss was Jan. 6 at Maine. The Danes lost guards Meghan Huerter (right ankle) and Lilly Phillips (lower right leg) in their 54-46 victory over New Hampshire on Saturday. “They’re day-to-day,” Mullen said. “They haven’t practiced. They’ve done some shooting. We’re hopeful that they’ll be able to play, but we’re not sure. We’re preparing for the worst, hoping for the best.” The Danes have only 10 players. Seven of them are averaging more than 17 minutes per game. “Everyone (has to) just stay ready,” said graduate forward Helene Haegerstrand, averaging 9.8 points and 28.8 minutes a game. “It doesn’t matter if you start or not, we’re all getting minutes, and we all have to perform in our minutes to be able to do what we do.” Haegerstrand, Phillips, Lucia Decortes and Kayla Cooper all were a part of that tournament game in Vermont, the lowest-scoring in America East history. “That was a grind-out fight,” Mullen said. “No basket came easy, and the difference last year was that Emma Utterback (18 of Vermont’s 38 points) had that breakout speed in transition that we didn’t have, and she got some easy baskets.” Heading into Thursday’s game, UAlbany topped the nation’s 348 Division I schools in scoring defense (50.6). Vermont was seventh. “We have to have another defensive-minded game to stop them in transition, but figure out a way to score a little bit better,” Mullen said. “The only way to do that against a team that’s so disciplined and methodical is to move the ball side to side, make them play for a lot of the shot clock, then getting the ball inside and getting their bigs in foul trouble.”

LBANY MEN’S BASKETBALL Tough road test ahead for Danes By Pete Dougherty UALBANY AT VERMONT When: 7 p.m. Thursday Where: Patrick Gymnasium, Burlington, Vt. TV/Radio: ESPN+ (streaming), WTMM 104.5 FM Jim Franco/Times Union archive UAlbany’s Sebastian Thomas said of Vermont: “I just know they win. They have a winning culture. They’re hard to beat. ... It'll be a test for us.” ALBANY — At one time it was quite the rivalry. The University at Albany and Vermont men’s basketball programs combined for 15 of the past 21 America East titles, although 10 of those belong up north to the Catamounts, who have maintained a level of excellence. Vermont, the two-time defending champion, has won 20 consecutive conference games, the longest current streak in Division I, and will attempt to extend that Thursday night at home against a Great Danes program that is trying to return to the level of its past glory. UAlbany (11-10, 3-3) seeks its first winning season since 2017-18. The Great Danes have won just one of the past 15 meetings against the Catamounts — a 63-62 victory in 2021 at Burlington — with the 14 losses by an average of 14 points. “It’s a game people circle on their calendar because of the history, what’s happened before our time,” third-year UAlbany coach Dwayne Killings said. “Our kids understand that. The interesting piece with the (transfer) portal, you’re trying to inject that into guys like Sebastian (Thomas), Amar’e (Marshall), Muneer (Newton). This is foreign territory for them in terms of the magnitude of the game, what it all means. It’s the next game on the schedule in their minds.” Thomas (Rhode Island), Marshall (Hofstra), Newton (William Penn), Tyler Bertram (Charlotte) and Marcus Filien (Cornell) all transferred into the program last offseason, but they didn’t have to play in the America East to appreciate what Vermont (16-5, 6-0) has done. “When I was at URI, I watched their games,” said Thomas, a teammate of the Catamounts’ Ileri Ayo-Faleye at Rhode Island. “I just know they win. They have a winning culture. They’re hard to beat. You’ve got to be very disciplined to beat them. It’ll be a test for us.” “Defense has to be the main priority vs. them,” Marshall said after doing film study on Vermont. “You can’t close out any of those guys with a short hand because they all can shoot it.” The Danes, finishing up a three-game road swing, are coming off an 86-79 victory at New Hampshire. They had lost their previous three games, allowing an average of 92 points. Two of UAlbany’s three conference victories have been on the road. The Danes did not win a road America East game last season, although winning in Burlington will be a stern test. Vermont leads the all-time series, 25-9. “What they do is they play their game there,” Killings said. “They play with great energy, they get the crowd behind them, they try to be disruptive. … They execute at a high level. What they do so well is they put pressure on you. They put pressure on your defense because they space it for their shooters, they don’t turn the ball over (league-best 7.8 turnover per game), and they share the ball and move it.” Notes: Danes starting forward Marcus Jackson is questionable for the Vermont game because of a hand injury. He was wearing a hand split and did not practice Wednesday. “He’ll get re-evaluated, and we’ll make a decision,” Killings said. … Guard Will Amica, who hasn’t played since Jan. 2, continues to recover from a hamstring injury and also is listed as questionable.

Vermont comes into this contest with an overall record of 16-5 and 6-0, in conference. Are they unbeatable in conference? No, but UAlbany will have to bring both offense and defense to the game if they want a chance to win. No doubt, Patrick Gym will be at capacity this evening. Feb 1 (Thu) 7:00 PM AE at Vermont Burlington, VT Watch 104.5 The Team Live Stats Preview Game Notes History

The America East appears, in some situations, has paired. up road games in a manner similar to ECAC Hockey. The UAlbany MBB weekend to Maine then New Hampshire and the Maine WBB weekend trip to UAlbany then Binghamton. There is an effort on to control travel expenses.

College Insider Mid-Major Poll UAlbany WBB comes in at #18............

Want to see UAlbany MLAX and/or the America East... with rare exceptions this announcement offers alot of the ACC and John Hopkins... The ESPN Men's College Lacrosse TV schedule has dropped.

A critical game, I have not seen or heard any updates on Meghan Huerter or Lily Phillips injury status. Vermont WBB comes into this game with an overall record of 14-7 and 6-1 in conference record. Feb 1 (Thu) 7:00 PM AE vs Vermont Spread Respect/International Players' Night Albany, N.Y. Broadview Center ESPN+ Int'l Video Tickets History

Piseno Named Preseason All-America by Inside Lacrosse

Just a little over one year, WSOC has a new assistant coach: Women’s Soccer Adds Leslie Adams as Assistant Coach

The first DI Media is out and UAlbany WLAX is ranked at 21: ILWomen/IWLCA Division I Poll Rank Team Points Prev 1 Northwestern (0 - 0) 523 (20) -- 2 Boston College (0 - 0) 502 -- 3 North Carolina (0 - 0) 467 (1) -- 4 Denver (0 - 0) 458 -- 5 Syracuse (0 - 0) 452 -- 6 James Madison (0 - 0) 405 -- 7 Notre Dame (0 - 0) 383 -- 8 Loyola (0 - 0) 369 -- 9 Maryland (0 - 0) 347 -- 10 Florida (0 - 0) 336 -- 11 Stony Brook (0 - 0) 323 -- 12 Michigan (0 - 0) 290 -- 13 Penn (0 - 0) 268 -- 14 Johns Hopkins (0 - 0) 227 -- 15 Army (0 - 0) 213 -- 16 Virginia (0 - 0) 174 -- 17 USC (0 - 0) 162 -- 18 Penn State (0 - 0) 128 -- 19 Richmond (0 - 0) 126 -- 20 UMass (0 - 0) 112 -- 21 UAlbany (0 - 0) 96 -- 22 UConn (0 - 0) 83 -- 23 Clemson (0 - 0) 61 -- 24 Duke (0 - 0) 60 -- 25 Navy (0 - 0) 50 --

LOL, increase ticket prices and raise GDAC donation requirements....

The real situation is there any truth to what Siena's Athletic Director is saying privately to select alumni, sponsors, associates and donors about the future of their MBB coach.