What now?

[Clickclack]

The CAA....seems like a pretty good league...but right now I am cool with the AE.

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So am I, other than football the CAA does nothing for me over the AEast, and travel to away games is tougher, but there's not much question it's a higher-attendance, higher-paying league for basketball coaches.

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I'm also happy to be in the AE right now. As great as this season has been, we all need to put it into perspective. It's only been ONE year, now is not the time to move to a better league yet. Lets grow the program.

[Patch]

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.

[Dane96]

Patch,

 

Please help me out here...what is wrong with the article, especially the points in bold. Those have all been well documented and Will has gone out and proved it completely wrong...but they were valid points in the past.

 

GO WILL BROWN!!!!!

[Patch]

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

[Clickclack]

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

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I think we are all watching with abated breath. No one knows the level of comitment this administration will make. Infact you could say that this will be a good beromitor to see what the future will be for all sports at this school as we will be able to more acuratally gage their level of comitment.

[daneguy04]

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.

 

Wait and Watch

13441[/snapback]

 

I agree with the wait and see, but in the spirit of reading into things I think Dr. McElroy is a relatively smart guy that you as said took a gamble this year. One has to assume that he knows how the fans feel about the coach and wanting him to say. It would be an even larger gamble then letting the coach go unsigned to come out and say its basically a done deal, especially if there is any chance that it doesn't happen.

 

Maybe I am giving him too much credit, but he is a Dr. so he has to be pretty smart, right??

[olddog71]

Patch,

 

I think I understand what you're thinking. We've got this really good thing going - finally, and now you might be thinking, it's going to be snatched away from us. I really hope you're wrong; I think even you're believing you're wrong.

 

As other posters stated, McElroy is no dummy. He's had a lot of experience in administration and is here to build a program - just as he has done anywhere he has been.

 

A couple things I know about many administrators: (1) They don't like to admit they made a mistake when they hire someone. McElroy basically hired Brown the year after he kept him after Brown stepped in for Beeten. (2) Administrators hate to replace personnel unless it's absolutely necessary. They have to search for suitable candidates, conduct background searches on top candidates, and then risk everything by putting their candidate up for approval from their head honcho. Why go through all that when you have someone who has more than filled the shoes of a head coach? (3) McElroy would be placing himself and his career in jeopardy if he canned Will Brown, now that Brown has become famous nationally.

 

Yeah, it's difficult waiting for that contract to get signed, but it will happen - and it will happen soon!

Edited March 22, 2006 by olddog71

[UAalum72]

Negotiations resume Monday Brown, UAlbany hope to strike deal . Story includes America East coaching pay scale

[Patch]

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.

[McFan]

Wow, those are some astronomical figures for AE head coaches. I just assumed $200K was the high end. $350K??.

 

What the heck are my season tickets going to cost next year?

[AlbanyObserver]

I think the days of paying our head men's basketball coach $105,000-$130,000/year are over. Albany wanted to move to Division I. Now, they are realizing how big business this is.

 

Show Will the Money!!!!!

[Dane Pound]

Wow, those are some astronomical figures for AE head coaches.  I just assumed $200K was the high end.  $350K??.

 

What the heck are my season tickets going to cost next year?

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I suspect there are going to be ALOT more season ticket holders next year (thanks in large part to Will Brown) to help defray that cost.

[Clickclack]

Wow, those are some astronomical figures for AE head coaches.  I just assumed $200K was the high end.  $350K??.

 

What the heck are my season tickets going to cost next year?

13459[/snapback]

 

I suspect there are going to be ALOT more season ticket holders next year (thanks in large part to Will Brown) to help defray that cost.

13465[/snapback]

 

Not to mention that we can probably expect a 25-50% raise in prices. Does that sound reasonable?

[McFan]

Wow, those are some astronomical figures for AE head coaches.  I just assumed $200K was the high end.  $350K??.

 

What the heck are my season tickets going to cost next year?

13459[/snapback]

 

I suspect there are going to be ALOT more season ticket holders next year (thanks in large part to Will Brown) to help defray that cost.

13465[/snapback]

 

Not to mention that we can probably expect a 25-50% raise in prices. Does that sound reasonable?

13466[/snapback]

 

Actually 25% would be very reasonable. I think they have to be careful though. If there is a down year, or even a short slump, people in this area have been known to abandon a team. High prices would only assist this process.

 

Even in the down years, if you are a basketball fan these have been a nice deal.

[Clickclack]

Does anyone know the number of season ticket holders this year?