Patch

....alas I'm glad to see Todd Martin doing well at Troy University..

He's 2 years older

Played about a minute more

scored a smiggin more and rebounded less

Troy was 11-15 with an RPI of 242

Reeder - I understand your caution.

I met Yocum and Gifford just to say Hi at the NCAAs in Philly. I had met Yocum in Albany during the AE Championship game and realized he's probably 6'8" maybe 6'9" when he stands straight up (he tends to slouch a little) and I was quite surprised when I met Gifford he is atleast 6'10" maybe even a little bigger.

If Coach Brown says he has the skill set to help us right away and the potential to be somewhat special I'll believe him until I see otherwise.

To paraphrase something Brown said earlier after Gifford signed - he has the potential to have the most significant impact of any recruit, on the program since the signing of Jamar, that's high praise.

We all know Bigs coming to the AE level are always somewhat of a project so it should be interesting this summer and fall to get some reports on his progress and ability.

Ratings are opinion polls, very often the rater has never seen the player or has seen the player very rarely so take the ratings with a grain of salt.

All I know is that Gifford was getting some pretty good attention from schools much more highly regarded than UA (at the time). As for Yocum I was pleasntly surprised to see him make 3rd Team All Philly. There were quite a few players who were recruited and signed at a higher level who were also on the 3rd Team and quite a few on the Honorable Mention list too.

If Reid Anderson is anywhere near a Brian Lillis type I'd be thrilled.

If we can defend on the interior next season we will be very competitive.

Mike Yocum Third Team All City in Philly

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DAILY NEWS ALL-CITY TEAM

(Players listed by Name, School, Height, Position, Year)

FIRST TEAM

Wayne Ellington, Episcopal, 6-4, G, Sr.

Gerald Henderson, Episcopal, 6-5, F, Sr.

Derrick "D.J." Rivera, Neum.-Goretti, 6-2, G, Sr.

Rodney Green, Prep Charter, 6-5, F, Sr.

Rick Jackson, Neum.-Goretti, 6-9, C, Jr.

SECOND TEAM

Malik Alvin, Simon Gratz, 6-0, G, Sr.

Jeff Jones, Msgr. Bonner, 6-4, G, Jr.

Mike Ringgold, Roman Catholic, 6-6, F, Sr.

Reggie Redding, SJ Prep, 6-4, F, Sr.

Lewis Leonard, Frankford, 6-3, G-F, Sr.

Sammy Zeglinski, Penn Charter, 6-1, G, Jr.

THIRD TEAM

Name, School, Ht., Pos., Yr.

Mike Yocum, Episcopal, 6-9, C, Sr.

Ray "Doodles" Sims, Roman Catholic, 5-8, G, Sr.

Earl Pettis, Neum.-Goretti, 6-5, G, Sr.

Andrew Ott, Gtn. Academy, 6-10, C, Sr.

Zahir Carrington, Julia Masterman, 6-7, F, Sr.

HONORABLE MENTION

(Seniors Unless Noted)

Bradley Wanamaker, Roman, G, jr.; Antonio "Scoop" Jardine, Neumann-Goretti, G, jr.; Kevin Hudgeons, Ryan, C; Vinny Simpson, Dougherty, G; James "J.J." Franklin, Judge, G; Pat Kirby, O'Hara, F; Chris Mayo, West Catholic, G; Matthew "Moo" Johnson, Straw. Mansion, G; Kenny St. George, Central, G; Jernardo "Jay" Lucas, Comm. Tech, G; Aaron Stephens, Univ. City, G; Malcolm Eleby, Franklin LC, G, jr.; Markieff Morris, Prep Charter, F-C, jr.; Andrew "Scootie" Randall, Comm. Tech, F, soph.; Tyrell Coleman, Germantown, G; George Baker, Edison, G, soph.; Eugene Moss, Straw. Mansion, G-F; Kenny Moore, Univ. City, F, jr.; Kyle Griffin, Gtn. Academy, G, jr.; John Haldy, Haverford School, G, jr.; Julian McFadden, Chestnut Hill, G.

From HOOPSVILLE.......

Albany Rewards Brown: After coach Will Brown led No. 16 Albany to its best season at the Division I level and a near upset of No. 1 Connecticut in the NCAA Tournament, school officials rewarded him with a five-year contract extension. The Great Danes finished 21-11 this season and won the America East Conference championship. Against the Huskies, Albany led by 12 midway through the second half, forcing a furious rally by the Huskies to dodge the most shocking upset of all time. Brown has helped lift the program from the D-I cellar. Before this season, the Great Danes never finished above .500 in nine seasons. [3/29/06]

Levi, Sweet LU, ZO and Knotts depart. A Big THANK YOU to all four of you for helping lay the foundation.

We know we have a coach in place, possibly for 5 years.

1. Jamar is back, will he be better?

2. How much improvement we will see from the Iowa Connection?????

I would expect Brent's post up game and mid range game to continue to improve.

I expect Lillis to be a double digit scorer next season.

3. I expect Iati to be very solid and you just know he will win us a few games with his perimeter scoring or from the foul line to close out games.

4. Will Siggers step in next year for sweet LU?

5. How much can we expect from Covington and Connelly can/will they get the job done on the interior?

6. New recruits can Gifford or Yocum start or be major contributors as Freshmen.

7. Is Reid Anderson really a Brian Lillis who looks to score? That would make him a very interesting player.

8. What will Michael Knight's role be.

9. Will Bauman surprise us?

Can't wait for the season to start.

If the Contract is done and Coach Brown's a happy man at the Conference.......

I will be Happy to eat my doubtful words.

McElroy's legacy is on the line

I just got finished reading Etkin's article in today's TU.

Seems like he thinks there is more than crossing "T"s and dotting "I"s for the contract to be finished. Has somebody fibbed to us or is Etkin off base?

What affects would not signing Brown have if any on our program?

B9 - hopefully you understand that I was joking in my initial response to you.

I do believe 5 years would be appropriate and I just don't see 300,000 but......

If McElroy would have extended Brown 3 years like he did our women's coach I'm sure that with this seasons success that they would have revisited the contract and the figures would have jumped that's why I feel 200,000+ is where he should be at but that's just my opinion

AA94 - Will Brown is a good coach but our school does not have the money such as BU. Why Stonybrook ever paid that mUch dough is crazy in my opinion.

The one thing I know is that what one state school can do another can do if they choose. It's the administrations job to find a way.

If this contract situation doesn't work out (and I think it will) think about the ramifications of that and how that will be percieved by sponsors, the community, alumni and the entire AE.

I wonder what the people at ESPN like Billy Packer and Jim Nantz would have to say - I'm sure now it would draw some attention in their commentary - where as a few years ago it won't even be noted.

When was the last time a DI basketball team in the Capital Region has won their regular season conference title, their Conference tourney and made a great showing on national TV during the NCAAs (all in the same year). It doesn't happen that often so the man in charge should get handsomely rewarded.

In my opinion - It's time for the U Albany Administration to show their Coach some RESPECT.

B9 - stay away from the Kool Aid and the Wacky Tabacky - 300,000+ is never going to happen, 4 or 5 years should. I would hope it's 5 with limited out clauses.

If there fair I would expect Brown to be the third highest paid coach in the AE.

Wolff's contract (325,000) at BU is out of sight but Wolff has had great success at BU

Pikiels's contract(267,000) at Stony Brook is totally ridiculous, especially considering he has no DI Head Coaching experience and wasn't even the top guy as an assistant at Connecticut.

Siena rewards McCaffrey for a job well done!!!!!!

From the MAAC site, posted by MTS - Looks like it was a 5 year deal for over $200,000 per year with incentives.

Should be interesting to see how Albany treats our coach for winning 21 games, the AE regular season title, the AE Tournament title and thrilling the UA faithful at the NCAAs.

If the administration shows him he's wanted I'm sure Coach Brown will stick to his word as best he can. Look what Siena is doing right now for Coach McCaffrey and look what Stony Brook has done for Coach Pikiel.

Hey, if a ridiculous offer comes along anyone in their right mind has to be interested.

If the right offer comes along McElroy will surely pack his bags and head out.....

If the right offer comes along President Hall will pack his bags and head out.....

There's nothing at all wrong with that. It's a reality of "Big Business".

The key I think with Coach Brown is he is so young and therefore even with solid success he could hang around through another contract and be positioned well for a big reward.

He has a big upside, he's not at the tail end of his career, looking for a "Golden Parachute".

Verey Interesting - Administrative Support........

Stony Brook signs hoops coach Pikiell to extension

March 23, 2006

STONY BROOK, New York (Ticker) - Steve Pikiell won just four games in his first season as the men's basketball coach at Stony Brook. But he'll get a legitimate chance to turn the program around.

Stony Brook on Thursday signed Pikiell to a contract extension through the 2010-11 season.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

"This agreement reflects our belief that coach Pikiell is the right person to take us to heights never before experienced in men's basketball at Stony Brook University," athletic director Jim Fiore said. "Steve's vision, passion and enthusiasm has breathed much life into our men's basketball program and has clearly positioned the program for a turnaround in the coming years."

After replacing Nick Macarchuk as coach, Pikiell guided the Seawolves to a 4-24 record, including a 2-14 mark in the America East Conference, this past season. However in November, Pikiell landed a recruiting class that was ranked as the 32nd best in the country by Hoopscooponline.com.

"It is our collective goal to build and develop men's basketball at Stony Brook into a championship caliber program, one that the University, the greater Suffolk community, our alumni and our fans can be proud to support," Pikiell said.

Of the 7 salaries listed Brown is next to last. So I think it's safe to say the Albany position is one of the lowest paying in the Conference.

Wolff's salary is an unbelievable - 350,000

I guess Stony Brook is committed to hoop giving their first time Head Coach 267.000.

If I were a betting person I would bet Walker at Binghamton is making considerably more than Brown and he has had a longer time as a Head Coach to build a program.

Which SUNY school has gotten to the Big Dance first?

I wonder what they're paying at SUNY Buffalo?

If the Brook can go 267,000 for an inexperienced Head Coach will Albany go for about 200,000?

Let see how much respect UA has for its young coach.

NCAA Tournament: First Round Randomness

 

 

 

Jermaine Wallace’s game-winning three-pointer to beat Iowa was easily the best shot in the first round and could possibly be the most memorable shot of the tournament. But the most memorable moment of the first round took place five minutes after Albany lost to UConn. Albany played brilliantly and passionately and, despite the loss, every fan in Philadelphia was literally singing their praises long after the final buzzer …

From College Hoopnet

Being primarily a basketball fan but a follower of all UA athletics, can someone explain to me why it seems so hard to get a decent kicker.

It seems to be our achilles heel the past few seasons. It has probably cost us 5 games ove the last 2 seasons.

D96 - It's a good article.

I just don't have the faith in the administration.

As I said before, they gambled - they lost - now it's time to ante up.

I do think they'll try to short change Coach Brown, instead of embrace him and show him that he's wanted.

McElroy says in print - everything is done in principle and they're just ironing out the details.

Brown has said to the media you know its a business. He has never said the deal is done in principle.

I may be reading into things too much but as I said - Ijust don't have the faith, like many of the other posters do.

I'm hoping I'm totally off base and if I am I'll say "shame on me I was totally wrong". On the other hand if there is no word by the middle or end of next week I'll say - Heck, I don't know what I'll say.

Wait and Watch

Does Kasiecki has a pulse on the UA situation?????????

HOOPSVILLE

The Great Danes Have Arrived

by Phil Kasiecki

ALBANY, N.Y. - Those long seasons in the early Division I times are now behind the Great Danes.

Albany will be making its first NCAA Tournament appearance after winning the America East Conference championship on Saturday over three-time defending champion, Vermont................

Albany has suffered through some long seasons since joining Division I in 1999. In 2000-01, their first year in America East, they went 6-22; a year later, they were 8-20; 7-21 and 5-23 seasons followed. The Great Danes made a jump to 13-15 and finished fourth in America East last season with a 9-9 mark, but were promptly eliminated by Binghamton in the conference tournament. Even entering this tournament, Albany had never won an America East Tournament game. So this has been a season that has seemingly broken everything they went through early on.

Head coach Will Brown deserves a lot of credit. He was never the choice of many in Albany to lead the program, but he's built them into a winner by recruiting good kids and steadily progressing each year. Expectations were high this year, and he knew that would be a real adjustment, much like adjusting to having more personnel last year after playing with a skeleton crew the previous two years. Early on, the Great Danes had their struggles in non-conference play, partly from injuries to players like Brian Lillis and Lucious Jordan. Rumors persisted that Brown might not be back beyond this season with anything short of a title, even though he got a one-year contract extension last August. He shoots from the hip, and that hasn't always endeared him to some people, but he's a good man and has worked hard to get his team this far.

Leading the great stories with players is Jordan, a hometown kid who had a tough season but came through when they needed him to in the championship game. He scored 18 points to support star guard and conference Player of the Year Jamar Wilson, whose 29 points led the way. Jon Iati, a 5'9" junior guard who eats, drinks, sleeps and breathes basketball, went from leading the nation in minutes played as a freshman to seeming like an odd man out late this season, but he came off the bench to give them eight points in 11 minutes on Saturday. Jamar Wilson and Levi Levine came in together when the program struggled, and have seen it through to the end. Wilson has another year to go, as he redshirted two seasons ago with a knee injury, but they've been there when the program struggled mightily. Wilson has played out of position at the point, as his scoring ability would be better utilized at shooting guard, but he's played the position admirably the past two seasons.

Just the opposite of Jordan are Lillis and Brent Wilson, two key sophomores who hail from the Midwest. Lillis has a high basketball I.Q. and is capable of running the team, while Wilson bulked up and has good range on his jumper. They are major reasons why this team won't fall off the map next year..........

It's been quite a journey for the Great Danes to get to their first NCAA Tournament. They have arrived in Division I, and the America East Conference has taken notice.

Phil Kasiecki is Managing Editor of Hoopville and lives in Boston.

All-Tournament Team

Jamar Wilson, Albany (Reggie Lewis Most Oustanding Player)

Brent Wilson, Albany

Lucious Jordan, Albany

Martin Klimes, Vermont

Andre Heard, Binghamton

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

VISITORS: Vermont 13-17

TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS

## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN

40 McIntosh, Colin..... f 0-1 0-1 0-0 0 4 4 1 0 1 1 1 0 19

54 Holm, Chris......... f 5-8 0-0 2-3 2 0 2 1 12 0 2 2 1 24

20 Klimes, Martin...... c 2-2 0-0 0-6 2 3 5 0 4 1 2 0 0 19

13 Trimboli, Mike...... g 4-14 1-6 7-8 1 0 1 3 16 3 0 0 3 33

14 Cieplicki, Kyle..... g 2-8 1-4 4-4 0 2 2 3 9 1 1 0 0 29

03 Sisca, Rob.......... 3-7 1-2 0-0 1 0 1 2 7 0 0 1 1 14

21 Powlovich, Chad..... 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 2 2 1 0 0 0 1 1 10

25 McCrory, Timothy.... 2-3 0-0 2-2 2 1 3 1 6 0 0 0 0 11

34 Dean, Jordan........ 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0+

42 Shields, Ryan....... 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0+

44 Schneider, Ryan..... 0-5 0-3 0-0 0 3 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 16

50 Duell, Josh......... 3-5 1-3 6-8 0 4 4 2 13 3 0 0 1 25

TEAM................ 2 4 6

Totals.............. 21-54 4-19 21-31 10 23 33 15 67 9 6 5 7 200

TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 8-26 30.8% 2nd Half: 13-28 46.4% Game: 38.9% DEADB

3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 1-8 12.5% 2nd Half: 3-11 27.3% Game: 21.1% REBS

F Throw % 1st Half: 9-11 81.8% 2nd Half: 12-20 60.0% Game: 67.7% 3

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

HOME TEAM: Albany 21-10

TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS

## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN

04 Jordan, Lucious..... f 6-13 2-5 4-4 1 4 5 2 18 3 1 0 0 33

34 Wilson, Brent....... f 3-8 2-4 0-0 1 3 4 4 8 0 1 0 1 31

12 Zoellner, Kirsten... c 1-3 0-0 1-2 0 4 4 3 3 0 2 0 0 22

21 Lillis, Brian....... g 1-1 0-0 0-1 1 3 4 3 2 1 0 1 1 14

31 Wilson, Jamar....... g 10-18 1-2 8-8 2 6 8 2 29 4 1 0 0 32

01 Siggers, Jason...... 2-5 1-1 0-0 2 5 7 0 5 0 0 0 1 16

03 Bauman, David....... 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 2

11 Levine, Levi........ 3-5 1-1 0-0 1 0 1 3 7 1 1 0 0 21

14 Iati, Jon........... 3-5 2-3 0-0 0 2 2 2 8 1 0 0 0 11

23 Knotts, Jerrad...... 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

33 Connelly, Brian..... 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 2 2 2 0 0 1 0 0 9

54 Covington, Jimmie... 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 1 0 8

TEAM................ 1 1 2

Totals.............. 29-59 9-16 13-15 9 30 39 24 80 10 10 2 3 200

TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 17-29 58.6% 2nd Half: 12-30 40.0% Game: 49.2% DEADB

3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 5-7 71.4% 2nd Half: 4-9 44.4% Game: 56.3% REBS

F Throw % 1st Half: 5-6 83.3% 2nd Half: 8-9 88.9% Game: 86.7% 0

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Officials: Bob Adams, John Hughes, Fran Connolly

Technical fouls: Vermont-None. Albany-None.

Attendance: 4538

Score by Periods 1st 2nd Total

Vermont....................... 26 41 - 67

Albany........................ 44 36 - 80

Albany first-ever NCAA appearance (Div. 1) ... All-Tournament Team ...

Jamar Wilson (MOP) ... Andre Heard (Bing.) ... Martin Klimes (UVM) ...

Lucious Jordan (Albany) ... Brent Wilson (Albany).

Points in the paint-VERMONT 26,ALBANY 32. Points off turnovers-VERMONT 13,ALBANY 13.

2nd chance points-VERMONT 9,ALBANY 13. Fast break points-VERMONT 7,ALBANY 15.

Bench points-VERMONT 26,ALBANY 20. Score tied-0 times. Lead changes-0 times.

Last FG-VERMONT 2nd-00:21, ALBANY 2nd-00:27.

College Hoopnet - ONIONS

 

-Finally, all of this year’s #16 seeds, who proved that they indeed can play with the best in the land. Particularly we should never forget the spirit shown by Albany, a school that had never even come close to the Division I NCAAs before, yet was fearless in its first trip and had a double-digit lead on mighty Connecticut midway through the second half. Head Coach Will Brown has done a fabulous job with this program, and the Great Danes proved that their terrific performance back in December at UCLA was no fluke.

Lets hope the administration respects Coach as much as this author.

For what it's worth I've heard Brown is very high on Gifford in fact earlier in the year I believe he said that Gifford could have the biggest impact of any kid he has recruited since Jamar's recruitment.

I would think that the center's position is his to lose.

We are going to have tremendous depth (there should be some real battles in practice) which makes every practice better and therefore the team should become very solid.

FOX Sports Albany has done an excellent short Video highlighting the past few weeks of Great Danes Hoops. I can't attache the link so.......

Go to the top of the page in Media Links click on FOX Sports

Then in the Black header double click on Sports

Then doble click on UAlbany Shining Moments.

Mandatory viewing for any true UA fan.

He was supposed to be taping a segment for Leno tonight, Regis tomorrow. Didn't have time for Letterman. At least that's if Murphy didn't get his shows confused - UA 72

I think Murphy said that tongue in cheek and Coach Brown just joked along with him saying he couldn't fit Letterman in.

I just hope McElroy does the right thing, he gambled and he lost now it's time to ante up.

Washington Regional

Albany Unleashes, but Huskies Go the Distance

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By JOHN BRANCH

Published: March 18, 2006

PHILADELPHIA, March 17 — When Connecticut won the national championship in 2004, Albany finished last in the America East Conference. UConn won 33 games that season against some of the nation's toughest competition; Albany won 5 against some of the weakest.

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Julie Jacombson/Associated Press

Albany's Jamar Wilson driving against Hilton Armstrong of Connecticut last night. No 16th-seeded team has ever beaten a No. 1 team.

Scores:

N.C.A.A. | N.I.T.

Bracket:

Interactive | Printable

Conferences | Statistics

Polls: A.P. | USA Today

Women's Tournament

Discuss College Basketball

Two years later, on the same court, it took about 34 minutes for the two basketball programs to differentiate themselves. In a single night, in its first N.C.A.A. tournament appearance, Albany nearly made the improbable one-game trip from unknown to unforgettable.

Top-seeded UConn survived a hearty scare from the 16th-seeded Great Danes, overcoming a 12-point second-half deficit and emerging with a 72-59 victory. They move on to play Kentucky on Sunday.

In terms of frights, Albany provided far more than just a harmless poke-your-head-around-the-corner boo for the heavily favored Huskies. They gave an increasingly anxious crowd at the Wachovia Center and a national-television audience a real sense that it might witness the first defeat of a top-seeded team by a 16th-seeded team in the history of the N.C.A.A. tournament. As the game progressed, the feeling grew in accordance with Albany's lead, which reached 12 points with 12 minutes remaining.

"They told me we drew the entire country to watch history being made," UConn Coach Jim Calhoun said. "History wasn't made, thank God."

UConn used a 17-2 run to regain the lead with 5 minutes 48 seconds remaining. Guard Marcus Williams scored 5 quick points to start the surge, then hit a 3-pointer to end it. He finished with a game-high 21 points.

That 17-2 run was part of an emphatic 34-9 surge that UConn used to end the game, as Albany melted meekly back into a statistic, one showing that top-seeded teams hold an 88-0 edge over No. 16's.

As the game ended, the 34-year-old Albany Coach Will Brown grimaced as he extended a hand to Calhoun, who offered a quick hug and kind words.

Away from the small section of UConn fans, a sense of disappointment settled in over the arena until the purple-clad Albany section burst into applause, lifting most of the crowd into a standing ovation.

Before the game, Brown urged his players to make history, offering the "Why not us?" motto that the program adopted.

"People thought the 'Why not us?' was a gimmick," Brown said after the game. "It was not a gimmick. We believed."

Albany towed a small but spunky section of fans with it to Philadelphia. "Why not us?" they chanted at times.

UConn led by 31-30 at halftime, which raised the mostly nonpartisan crowd to its feet as the teams left the court. While the UConn band blared, it could not drown out the spreading adulation for the other team, as even those with no allegiance began to cheer the underdog.

On UConn's first possession of the second half, the ball was stripped. Albany regained the lead with about 18 minutes remaining when guard Lucious Jordan drove the length of the court for a reverse layup. A dunk by the 7-foot-1 Kirsten Zoellner gave Albany a 36-33 lead.

Two possessions later, the lead grew to 40-33. At a timeout with 15:04 remaining, all but the UConn fans were on their feet, turning Philadelphia, for a moment, into the capital of New York.

Momentum built. On one seemingly hopeless possession, as Albany continued trying to milk time from the clock, guard Jason Siggers tossed up a shot from the corner. As the shot arced the shot clock buzzed, but it was drowned out by the roar of the crowd as the ball slipped perfectly through the net.

But it never got any better, both for Albany and for the memorable, improbable storyline that the Great Danes drafted but could not complete. As UConn gained traction late in the game, an exhausted Albany team was left rooting for the passage of time.

"I would be a fool if I said I wasn't looking at the clock every couple of seconds," said Jamar Wilson, from the Bronx, who finished with 19 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds.

Brown vowed to stay at Albany to continue building the program. The school has played Division I basketball only since 1999.

That was the year Calhoun and UConn won their first national championship.

"This is David and Goliath, and we're bringing our slingshots," Brown told The Times earlier in the week. He also said he would pack two suits for the weekend, and that Albany would bring home and away uniforms, in case it pulled off the unforgettable.

It did not. But it is no longer unknown, either.

Coulda, woulda, shoulda?????

Lets land back on earth - UCONN has more talent, size, skill and athleticism at every position (we could argue Jamar) and with every player on their roster and they have a "Hall of Fame Coach".

We played our A$$e$ off on a national stage and showed the entire nation that Albany is one of the better new DI teams noone had ever heard of just like Jamar showed them he is one of the best players few have heard of.

As much as losing stinks every player for UA played as hard as they could, lets leave it at that.

The Danes could never afford to put together an advertising campaign that equalled what our basketball team did for the university.

Enjoy the moment.

Yocum and Gifford, I heard were both in attendance.

Do you think they were excited and do you think they and/or their parents or coaches feel good about their choice of school now (atleast from a basketball perspective). People in Missouri and even Philly must have wondered what kind of school these guys chose.