BU by 3

[Dane Pound]

In the postgame Q+A the other night Brown said something like he didn't want a moral victory, he didn't want to come close against BU. Unfortunetly that's what happened. Certainly had chances with 3 shots to cut it to one in the last minute and unable to get a three off at the end.

 

Still another shot at BU coming up and it's not like they have a huge homecourt advantage. BU is like a well-oiled machine with interchangable parts coming off the bench. Well coached and really disiplined. I forgot just how good they are.

 

Brent Wilson was fantastic and I thought Brian Lillis played great defense. In fact, just about everyone was played well enough to win although I wish Zoellner would just try and dunk the ball when he gets it around the hoop instead of trying those little jump shots. If for no other reason tonight than to maybe get some fouls on Gardner and Bell who killed us.

 

I have to say this about Levi. He has been one of my favorite players since he came to Albany. Plays hard and is always a warrior but if I were Brown I would tell him to stay away from the officials and take him out of the game if he doesn't. He protested to the officials several times and I thought he was pretty lucky not to get a tech on him. He did have some questionable calls against him, especially the last one which I thought was on Zoellner, but I think if he keeps going after the zebras they are going to keep finding ways to call things on him.

[scottotile]

Is it just me or does Zoellner look like he plays at half speed? I swear, the last two games it look like he needed a nap before the jumpball.

[UA66]

I thought the entire team played hard except for Zoellner. He had three problems this afternoon: 1) he wore silicone-coated oven mittens - couldn't catch a pass all afternoon 2) missed at least half dozen shots from 2 feet away - because he shoots at the rim when he should be banking off the backboard; several times missed the rim completely; did connect twice in second half when he did use the backboard 3) dogged it getting back on defense - cost Albany a couple of easy hoops for BU. Zoellner is still a project.

 

Am I too much of a Lillis fan or did it seem the team played best when he was in the game?

[AlbanyObserver]

I like what Lillis does on the floor -- passes well, excellent defender, can rebound from the guard position. However, I would like him to shoot more. I think his motive is to pass before score. I feel like we lose a lot of offense when he subs for Levi.

 

Watching Levi complain to the refs is becoming a nag. He needs to turn it into positive energy -- pumping up his teammates after a good play, urging the crowd to get into the game and talking on defense. The last thing we need is him getting a reputation for this bitterness. Remember, in conference play, you see the same refs. He needs to make friends with them, like Jamar does.

[reeder]

I mentioned in a previous post (after the Villanova game) that Zoellner seems to be on a 1 second time delay. He is still a project - hasn't played competitive basketball in a long time - he didn't really play at all at BC and sat out last year. After watching him twice and listening to a couple of games, I think he needs to be more aggressive - needs to dunk the ball whenever he can and just accept that he will get some fouls.

 

Yes he is still a project but I think he will figure it out sooner than later. It's a fine line because we don't want him to turn into a Nick Billings who tries to be a lot more aggressive and just picks up fouls.

 

Listening to the BU link to the game, the announcers mentioned several times how well Lillis was playing defense - his aggressiveness...

 

The attendance also seemed pretty good - not relative to Siena but relative to 800 fans for games last year.

 

Hate to lose a game, but to keep things in perspective - BU is a team that beat Michigan and Rhode Island and played BC and UMass close. I think some people forget that they also won the AE regular season last year as well.

 

Let's hope they put this behind them and focus on New Hampshire

[alumni '92']

nice effort by the freshmen, B. Lillis and B. Wilson ... Danes made a strong run at a good team ...

I wish Zoellner would just try and dunk the ball when he gets it around the hoop instead of trying those little jump shots. - Dane Pound

Zoellner often gets the ball too far from the low post ... when he does have the chance to dunk, he far too frequently settles for putting it up ... draw the contact, please ... get up, good things will happen

[Patch]

Zoellner is a benefit to UA Hoops.

 

Yes he is still a project but that is more due to the fact he hasn't played competively in 3 years. In fact this is really his first year of collegiate hoop.

 

Really Big Guys look OK when playing well and look terrible when they're are not.

 

Let's forget about his pts and rebs for now and remember how often opponents use to penetrate down the lane for a layup in the past and how now it rarely happens with Kirsten in the middle. He is a presence that opponents must respect.

 

I believe he will continue to get better as the season goes on and that this team has the opportunity to be very good by the end of the season. In fact I could envision him as a consistent double double player by the end of the year.

 

If we become a solid team we are going to need Kirsten to be an intergal part.

 

I am not one for moral victories but if we can compete with a BU with Levi playing 16 minutes and Lucious having an off game (5 of 16FGA). We could be very interesting when all the pieces come together.

 

Lillis and B. Wilson should only get better with experience as will Kirsten.

 

I guess what I'm trying to say is this team is still a work in progress.