cwdickens

As I have said many times before watching Killings coach is like seeing a deer in the headlights ... the deer is getting hit ... sad that we did selected someone to be our coach with no head coaching experience at any level

Nothing.....

Would appear that neither the team and Killings showed up tonight

Watching this game on TV this evening and seeing how Killings handles himself on the sidelines may just be as important who wins and loses the game. Yes, for all 40 minutes

No one is going to roll over and quit and/or be fired until this ligation is finished.

Even if Fitz, his family and lawyers were not informed of the outcome (however there appears that they were told of the likely outcome, until the decision was made to keep Killings); just based on historical information out there one could reasonably be led to believe the University action would be a firing or resignation.

Absolutely, many including myself saw the resignations as a sign that incident was more serious than portrayed by the UAlbany Sports Administration. The assistant coaches likely concluded the atmosphere surrounding the program was toxic and to stay would be career ending if the sudent-athlete iled a lawsuit.

From today's printed edition of the Times Union: UALBANY 64, NAVY 50 Danes now 3-0 with win vs. Navy By Abigail Rubel The University at Albany women’s basketball team is off to its first 3-0 start since 2015 after a 64-50 win at Navy on Wednesday night. The start is even more impressive considering that the Great Danes have been without four key players — Helene Haegerstrand, Kayla Cooper, Morgan Haney and Lucia Decortes — in each game. “It’s amazing, and I’m so proud of these players. Despite all the adversity of not having a home gym, we can’t even practice where we play, we’ve got injuries, we’re going on the road for all of these games, I just can’t tell you how proud I am,” coach Colleen Mullen said. The Great Danes took the lead early and stayed ahead the whole way, never allowing Navy (1-2) back within single digits. Fifth-year guard Ellen Hahne continued to lead UAlbany in scoring with 19 points, going 11-for-13 from the foul line. Senior guard Fatima Lee added 11 points on 4-for-5 shooting, and senior guard Grace Heeps had eight points and 10 rebounds. Freshmen Taylor Moffat, Marie Sepp and Karyn Sanford all played, with Sanford scoring seven points on 3-for-6 shooting. “It was so exciting,” Mullen said. “She needed it for her confidence. Such valuable minutes for her, and for Marie and Taylor.” Bethlehem’s Maren Louridas led the Midshipmen with 16 points and added five rebounds. The Great Danes shot 21-for-52 (40 percent); Navy shot 20-for-59 (34 percent). Eighteen of UAlbany’s points came from free throws on 81.8 percent shooting, while the Mids were 5-for-6. Freshman forward Gia Pissot and sophomore forward Savanna Lewis both had four fouls, and 6-foot-4 center Kate Samson fouled out. The Great Danes pulled ahead with a 7-0 run halfway through the first period to go up 9-2, with four points coming from senior forward Tani-ya Hanner, plus a 3-pointer from Lee. Hahne and sophomore guard Lilly Phillips combined for a 6-0 run to end the first quarter with the Great Danes leading 17-6. The Mids went nearly four minutes in the second quarter without a basket before freshman forward Gia Pissott finally laid one in to make it 21-8. At halftime, the Midshipmen trailed by 33-20. “We kind of settled in and we pushed the lead,” Mullen said. “When we really started moving the ball side-to-side, we had some really good luck getting high-percentage shots. Defensively, in the first quarter we did tremendously. And then in the second quarter, their post player got in a little foul trouble, and they started spreading us out a little bit more.” The Great Danes built their lead to 21 points with an 8-0 run to start the third quarter and held Navy scoreless until senior guard Mimi Schrader’s 3-pointer, Navy’s first of the game, with 2:55 left in the period. The Mids went on an 8-0 run of their own in the final minutes of the game, with sophomore Savanna Lewis hitting a jump shot in the paint and Louridas finishing it with a 3, but couldn’t get back within single digits. “Those shots they missed, they really hit in the fourth quarter, so luckily we were able to hold them off,” Mullen said. “I was really just proud of how we stayed together.”

From the Albany Times Union: Ex-player sues UAlbany, coach Complaint from Fizulich alleges decision not to fire Killings racially motivated; AD named By Abigail Rubel Hans Pennink / Special to the Times Union UAlbany basketball coach Dwayne Killings embraces Luke Fizulich during a Feb. 2 game in Albany. Fizulich said Killings assaulted him before a Nov. 24 game. BENSON ALBANY — State University at Albany men’s basketball coach Dwayne Killings, athletic director Mark Benson and the school have been sued by former player Luke Fizulich over a pregame incident that occurred a year ago. The federal complaint alleges that Killings “violently and viciously grabbed (Fizulich), threw him up against a locker and struck him in the face, drawing blood” as the team was getting ready to play Eastern Illinois University on Nov. 24, 2021. Killings was investigated by UAlbany for that incident last spring and was found to have made “inappropriate physical contact” with a then-unnamed student in a pre-game “hype circle.” He was fined $25,000 and served a five-game suspension that concluded Monday, the day the suit was filed in the Northern District of New York. Fizulich had previously been rumored to be the player involved in the incident. The suit, first reported by The Daily Gazette, claims that the school initially decided to terminate Killings at the conclusion of its investigation, but that a press conference held by local business and civil rights leaders “rallied up” by a public relations firm working for the coach, who is Black, pressured the school to back off that decision — without informing Fizulich, who is white. The suit claims that Benson and UAlbany, “instead of protecting Fuzulich as a victim of the assault, showed preference to the assaulter because of his race.” It alleges the school violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits racial discrimination by programs that receive federal funds. Killings could not be immediately reached for comment Wednesday afternoon, when the basketball team was traveling to Philadelphia by bus for a Thursday game at Saint Joseph’s University. A UAlbany athletics spokesperson declined to comment, and Benson directed the Times Union to a university spokesman. “The University at Albany is committed to providing a safe and supportive environment for all students and fully and impartially investigates all allegations of misconduct against university employees,” the spokesman said in a statement. “As the university has previously stated, it immediately began its investigation into this matter and took timely and appropriate action at each stage as new information became available. The university previously disclosed the resolution of that investigation on April 2, 2022. The university cannot comment further on pending litigation.” The complaint charges Killings with assault and battery as well as “tortious interference” for allegedly impeding Fizulich’s ability to continue his studies at UAlbany and his participation in the basketball program, and for allegedly interfering with his ability to transfer to another team by putting “a negative word out to other schools about Fizulich which caused him to be blacklisted.” Benson is being sued for breach of contract for failing to uphold UAlbany’s Violence Prevention Policy, according to the suit. The suit claims that Fizulich did not initially report the assault, which was allegedly witnessed by every assistant coach and player on the team, because “he was humiliated, because of ‘locker room culture,’ and because of fear of losing a promised athletic scholarship offer for the next two years.” No one else on the team appears to have reported it. 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.” Fizulich was a sophomore walk-on who transferred to UAlbany from Marquette University, where Killings had been an assistant coach. He played 133 minutes in 22 games, scoring 38 points. Toward the end of the 2021-22 season, Fizulich had “a breakdown” and reached out in late February to a longtime trainer and former coach, who “immediately traveled for hours to offer Fizulich emotional support.” The coach persuaded him to tell his parents and report the alleged assault to the school, which he did on Feb. 27 with two games left in the regular season. Killings coached those games; news of the investigation became public on March 28. In early April, UAlbany announced that he would be punished by the fine and suspension. The school also shared an apology letter from Killings to university President Havidan Rodriguez. “I realize that the physical contact I had with the student-athlete during the pre-game hype circle was inappropriate, and not communicating it to the UAlbany administration was a mistake,” Killings wrote in the letter. “Neither action will be repeated, and the pursuit of success within my program is of paramount importance.” After UAlbany reversed its decision to terminate Killings, Fizulich sought to transfer but was told by several schools that interviewed him that “they did not want him because he was ‘messy,’ meaning that because his name was associated with the reported assault and publicized, no school would accept him on their basketball team,” the complaint states. Fizulich remains in the transfer portal. Two other UAlbany players, Jamel Horton and Jarvis Doles, successfully transferred in the off-season — Doles to University of Maryland/Baltimore County (near his home in Baltimore) and Horton to Mississippi State. The men’s basketball staff also underwent a near-complete turnover, with Matt Griffin, Hamlet Tibbs, Dannton Jackson and K.J. Baptiste all leaving for other programs. Fizulich is seeking “compensatory and punitive damages” related to his emotional and psychological well-being, reputation and the loss of educational and athletic opportunities and future career prospects, including future economic losses as a result of his inability to continue his basketball career.

Nov 19 (Sat) 3:00 PM vs Colgate Albany, N.Y. Events and Athletics Center - Saint Rose Live Stats Tickets History Wins against: Cornell and Niagara Loss against: Syracuse

From the Times Union: https://www.timesunion.com/sports/article/UAlbany-women-s-basketball-improves-to-3-0-with-17590774.php?IPID=Times-Union-HP-sports-package

In light of the lawsuit against Killings, Benson and the University, no one in a leadership will have the time and stomach to address the football coach issue. This time next year we will likely repeating ourselves/

UAlbany 33 - Navy 2O at halftime

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.

From the Navy website: Home Opener Ahead for Navy Women's Basketball on Wednesday From the UAlbany website: Women's Basketball Heads on the Road

Let us not forget the basketball team that plays with none of the drama, goes for win number 3: Nov 16 (Wed) 6:00 PM at Navy Annapolis, Md. Radio: WNAV ESPN+ WNAV Live Stats Int'l Stream Tickets Preview History

Let the depositions, motions to dismiss and counter motions begin...

The allegations outlined in the article confirms what I was told in one conversation with a long standing UAlbany fan concerning the incident and a second conversation with another individual previously associated with the MBB program. Based on the second conversation, I was told that there nearly all of last year's team witnessed the incident unfold and most were shaken by the incident. In my opinion, appeasing the local group, which expressed support for Killings, appears to be leading the University at Albany and esteemed athletic director to a very embarrassing lawsuit.

Wishing Neely, a full recovery with the hopes he can return to the court next year. Unfortunately for the Great Danes, they will have to play as team without him.

Hoping he can last forty minutes....

Will having Dwayne Killings on the sidelines and running the show make the difference? Let us see what Thursday bring us... hoping for the best.

Put this one in the Win Column ... cannot be overstated .... UAlbany WBB gets the job done with none of the hype and none of the drama

UAlbany is down 2-O to New Hampshire early

Heart breaker loss 1-0 to Penn State

Updated with links for live game coverage and live stats: Nov 13 (Sun) 1:00 PM #6 Penn State Second Round Ann Arbor, MI B1G+ Live Stats Tickets Preview History