Gazette Preview

[reeder]

Great previews in the Gazette today on Albany and Siena.

 

A few key points from the paper:

 

"Less minutes will help him," said Brown, who will probably use Iati off the bench. "He’s added 12 pounds and looks great. I think you’ll see how good a shooter he is this season."

 

"I’ll probably go with a nine-man rotation," said Brown. "We don’t need the freshmen to play this year. We have a versatile team that will play an up-tempo game."

 

On Brent Wilson "He’s the most skilled big man in our program," said Brown. "He can shoot from the perimeter and is solid in the low post. Brent can have a positive impact right away because he defends and rebounds."

Guards

 

On Dyson ""Joe has great size and a nice touch in the low post," said Brown. "He has to get acclimated to the speed of the game at the collegiate level. "

 

 

Given the comment on Iati, maybe the starting 5 is:

 

Wilson

Jordan

Levine

St. Hillaire

Zoellner

 

The other 4 in the rotation is much tougher given Brown's previous comments about Lillis and Brent Wilson playing. Not clear that Wyatt and Johnson will have much of a role on the team. They may initially, but once the AE season starts I can't see them getting minutes.

 

Would you rather have Wyatt at the 5 or Dyson? Even if Dyson has a learning curve, you have to keep him happy and develop him. Can't see Wyatt at the 4 given Brent Wilson's talent.

 

Johnson will not get minutes over Iati or Lillis once the AE season starts.

Edited November 12, 2004 by reeder

[Dane Pound]

The starting five for the first game of the year and the last game of the year may very well be different. From what you've said maybe the starting lineup will be:

 

J. Wilson

Jordan

Levine

B. Wilson

Zoellner

 

That's a pretty big starting lineup with a 6'8 PF and 7'1 center. If Brent Wilson can defend and rebound his shooting should drive people nuts. Doubling down on Zoellner will be nearly impossible with all those shooters on the floor.

[Dane96]

You also have to remember, Jordan will not be playing like a 6'2 guard. With his size and strength, opposing guards will feel like they are guarding a 6'4 or 6'5 guy.

[scottotile]

I cant wait!!! For the first time in a long while, its going to be a fun season. Throw the ball up and lets go!!

[alum73]

I can see Wyatt starting and Wilson finishing. Wyatt was doing a pretty good defensive job against much bigger centers last year. I don't think he'll be required to provide much offense which should come from the other 4 in your projected lineups.

[statefan]

Kudos to the Gazette and Bob Weiner for putting this together. When the Gazette's Steve Amedio did a "chat" on the Siena Board, he mentioned that putting together the weekly Siena and UAlbany coverage was time consuming and the sports editor had considered dropping it. He suggested that fans who like the coverage write the Gazette editor and make their feelings known. I intend to write such a letter this afternoon. This section is excellant and very informative.

 

Next point - I was going to write if the Athletic Dept could get the players' pictures to the Gazette, why couldn't they put them on "meet the team"; so in order to avoid foot-in-mouth, I checked the UA website just before writing this and the "meet the team" page now says it's under construction. I guess that's a step in the right direction.

 

Two additional quotes by Coach Brown that intrigued me:

on Lucious Jordan "Lucious has already become our leader on and off the floor"

on Jarred Knotts " He has great footwork in the low post and can face up to the basket and shoot. Has improved greatly from his sophomore year"

[reeder]

I subscribe to the electronic version of the gazette during basketball season. Besides the posters here and an occassional television game, it is the only source of info that I have on UA basketball.

 

It's impressive that they can provide such coverage on a regular basis. I just sent them an e-mail thanking them for the coverage.

 

Dane Pound, I would not be surprised if you are right about Wilson starting. Not sure if he starts day one or if he is transitioned during the non-conference games. I am not as familiar with all the conference teams in the AE as some others are, but I don't think any consistently play 2 players over 6'8" besides Binghamton. Also, I think Jamar and Jordan will be one of the best guard combos in the league - I know Barea and Barnes are good and Maine has some good guards as well. I'm certainly not going to post that on the AE board as I don't want to encourage Albany bashing, but I certainly believe it to be true.

 

I can certainly see this team pressing and playing defense the entire 94 feet.

[Dane Pound]

It's kind of funny because in the past the people of the AE board have accused Albany fans of overhyping their players and teams. This year when it looks like we'll actually have something good going most people are being pretty conservative.

 

That starting five is just a guess from Brown's newspaper quotes and from what we saw in the scrimmage. As much as I'd like Iati to start, that lineup should really be able to press and run.

 

I agree on the backcourt. I'd put Jordan and Wilson up against any other AE backcourt. I thought Jamar Wilson was one of the best guards in the conference as a freshman. It will be fun to watch what he can do this year.