My thoughts on the game....cut and pasted from AE

[Dane96]

This sentence is an addition to the below post: WHOMEVER SAID (I think GDGO) that Zoellner was typical tonight....was wrong. HE PLAYED VERY WELL. Missed some shots, but played well.

 

BTW, Rodger was fuming over the telecast....something happened and he was pissed that it didnt work.

 

 

Ok...where to start. Let's start with the game, then I will move on to griping.

 

If you don't like DEFENSE, you would have hated this game. The score would indicate a sloppy game, but these two teams went after each other. This is the first time in a long time that I have seen both teams hustle, dive, jump, get in faces, rotate, and flat out play at full steam for 40 minutes.

 

The players just couldnt get open. Fantastic team basketball.

 

Some assessments:

 

Etienne Brower was unconcsious in the first half. I mean the guy had people all over him, hands in his face and he simply was automatic...face up.

 

Gardner is just a good basketball player...all over the place and doing the little things.

 

Bell had a tough night but made some important buckets when it counted. Good teams sometimes get some lucky bounces; Bell got some ridiculous circus shots to fall.....the kid is a warrior.

 

Chazz Carr- Man o' man...I can count on one hand guys in the AE I would pay to see on a regular basis.....and CHAZ is one. The Wilson/Carr battle was fantastic. Two quick ballplayers just going after it. What I love about Carr is his ability to "see the screen" before it develops. He understands what defensive switches are going to be made based on the screens and he moves so well without the ball that he was THE ONLY PLAYER TO GET ANY SEPERATION FROM HIS DEFENDER TODAY.

 

For Albany:

 

Wilson is maturing very quickly. I really would rather a pure PG so he can be freed up to do his thing, but he is just a gutty ball player. He made a pretty stupid mistake which Brown immediately benched him for. What happened? He came right back out and really was the only player to get free for Albany. One thing I dislike about Jamar's game is he jump stops in the lane too much, when he is better off just taking it to the rack and trying to draw the whistle. My guess....he is a little gun-shy because of the charges.

 

Lillis....I love this kid. He is quick, strong, has a nose for the ball, and the kid is hands down one of the best defensive players in this league. He uses his feet very well to get into solid defensive position. Now the gripe for him. He was able to dribble penetrate a ton today.....but he passed or dribbled back out instead of taking a short jumper or going all the way to the rack. He is too far along to be doing that. It's time he asserts himself. I think if he goes off for one big game he will realize he can be an offensive threat.

 

Levine...for all the junk said about him I want to say this: WARRIOR. The kid is more 6'4-6'5 than 6'6 (GINZO's smiling). He had some tough plays or calls against him, but he kept his head in the game and his mouth shut. GREAT JOB BY HIM.

 

Zoellner....was very good today. He missed some shots...but they will come. Here are the positives: GOOD INTERIOR PASSER....GREAT HANDS IN THE POST. Here is what I think he needs to work on: AN up and under move. His post move is a little obvious for the defender to read. He needs to work on that...he will be fine. He also must anticipate where the ball is going to on a rebound. He is not a great leaper...so he needs to get to the spot quicker than a Bell or Brower who can outleap him.

 

Jordan....kid is in a funk and must snap out of it quick. I love his game, but he was terrible today. Missed assignments, no intensity, no dribble penetration.

 

Hillaire and Q had really quiet, but excellant games.

 

Coach Wolf was fantastic in the first half. He realized UA likes to get into a running game. He used an extended full court press that UA handled pretty well, but it still got us into a half-court game...something we would prefer not to do.

 

Coach Brown gets kudos for whatever he said in the lockeroom...the boys came out and attacked the press. I also loved his late game subsitutions....good defense for offense strategy.

 

This game was a great one to be at....and UA was right there. This team is one year, and a couple of players away from being GREAT.....and I DID SAY GREAT. The tourney is going to be real interesting....I would not want to face NU, BU, UA, or UVM....period.

 

GRIPING SESSION-

 

First, no offense, but anyone at BU thinking the school is ready for the A-Ten is insane. The gym had about 800 people there, including the Duxbury JR high school team, the little BU dance team, the little BU cheerleaders and about 25 UA fans. That is about 200 people (including the families of the above groups). Then you had the Beanpot ticket giveaway, getting a nice vocal student group out. On a Sunday, giving away impossible to get Beanpot tix, a battle of 2-4 in the conference and you cant fill the place. I dont think playing Duquense will give the boost necessary. Not a hit to BU...just the reality.

 

Now the real griping....

 

Lillis at the end of the game made a bonehead play. I dont know what coach called, but the kid dribbled into the corner....A NO-NO. It's over, so he needs to get his head up...but never again do you take the ball to the corner with 5.8 left.

 

THE MONSTER GRIPING....

 

I am not going into details, but the AE MUST DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE REFS. Today was the WORST OFFICIATED GAME I HAVE EVER SEEN! Period, end of story. Whether it was 3 BU players over a UA players back, Will Brown calling a timeout and the ref saying "I was watching the floor, I didnt hear you", to a horrible call on Bell, to player's "driving" without dribbling, from the right corner into the block, to a ball getting knocked 20 feet down the court but a push was called, to a good foul call on Wilson for the wrong reason (called for riding/handchecking when he actually came around and obviously reached around the guy)....these guys couldn't get it right. There was so much more but it disgusts me to talk about it. They took this game away from the players....and it was DISGUSTING.

 

Anyone there would know who I was because I through out a DIII ref comment and I rode these guys like rented mules.

 

I am out....the game was great...and I hope UA meets BU in the final....so i can see these two battle again. GREAT GAME!

[UAalum72]

BU announcers commented late in the game how Albany defense had completely shut off BU's inside attack in the second half. They also were bewildered by the officials.

 

I take it this was a different kind of game from the 43-41 wins over Columbia and Army a few years ago.

Edited January 30, 2005 by UAalum72

[GODANESGO]

Great analysis of the game D96. I think you're def right on the ref calls, although I only heard the game on radio. I would think towards the end of the game (and especially in OT) that the refs would relax a bit and let the two teams play. Instead, they clamped down and had something to say (fouls, traveling, etc.) on almost every possesion for both teams. Pretty pathetic.

 

But, to defend myself, I did make the "typical" comment about Kirsten. But I was refering to the fact that the announcers (BU's) were saying that anytime Kirsten missed a shot, traveled, had the ball stripped, etc. that it was horrible play. But that anytime he laid one in, it was simply because he was tall. It was said on at least a half-dozen occasions by their announcers, and it was getting pretty whinny on their part. We hear that crap way too much, especially on the AE board.

 

The fact is, if height was all that matters, Jamar wouldn't be playing, Lucious wouldn't be playing etc. There are plenty of 7 footers in the world who don't play basketball and I'm tired of hearing non-UA fans use that as an excuse like it's their job.

[reeder]

Listened to the game - a few thoughts:

1. Perimeter shooting continues to be a challenge - I know BU is a good defensive team but UA was 1 for 10 from the arc. They have struggled from behind the arc for the entire conference season.

2. Albany did a great job getting to the line in the second half. At about the 9 minute mark, they were shooting 1 and 1 and at about the 5 minute mark it was double bonus. I think that kept them in the game as BU had pulled out to a couple of big leads in the second half.

3. Brian Lillis will be a very good player once he improves his perimeter shooting.

4. I think Jamar should have been more aggressive in the first half. He didn't have any points and I don't know that he took more than one or two shots.

 

The next couple of weeks is important for the team - these are all games that they would be favorite to win: Stony Brook, New Hampshire, Bing and Maine.

[alum73]

I think Lillis only went to the corner because he was saving it from going out of bounds. It could have been a game ending TO right there, if he hadn't. The play was botched, but that happens.