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Great Danes report: Getting inside

Oct. 17, 2007

The Sports Xchange

Getting inside · Notes, quotes · Strategy and personnel

 

Albany's quest for a third straight NCAA tournament berth is not as big of a longshot as some might think.

 

The Great Danes lost their top two scorers -- guard Jamar Wilson (18.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists per game) and wing Jason Siggers (13.8 ppg), but head coach Will Brown has done a nice job of meshing seven veterans with six newcomers. Albany will be very deep this season, and capable of outrebounding most conference foes.

 

Senior forward Brent Wilson, who averaged 11 points and five rebounds last year, is the 6-foot-8, 240-pound centerpiece. The group of talented newcomers is led by redshirt freshman guard Tim Ambrose, who missed last season for academic reasons.

 

Over three exhibition games in Barbados, Ambrose averaged 13 points.

 

"Tim Ambrose is strong, quick, and athletic," Brown told the Albany Times Union. "Jerel Hastings (a 6-5 junior college transfer from Dallas) is as quick and athletic as anyone we have. We have a combination of size and athleticism that's probably as good as it's been."

 

Defensive whiz Brian Lillis (6.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg, team-high 48 steals) will be a key to Albany's success. The 6-5 senior must provide perimeter scoring now that Jamar Wilson and Siggers are gone.

 

After he was inserted into the starting lineup last season, the Great Danes went 19-5.

 

STRENGTHS

The Great Danes have an experienced frontcourt led by senior forward Brent Wilson, who averaged 11 points and five rebounds last year. Wilson and senior guard/forward Brent Lillis are potential go-to guys. Albany has more size and athleticism than most conference foes.

 

WEAKNESSES

Albany has no proven scorers beyond senior forward Brent Wilson. Last year the Great Danes rode all-everything Jamar Wilson all the way to the NCAA Tournament. They'll spend the early part of 2007-08 figuring out the backcourt rotation.

 

LAST YEAR

23-10, 13-3 in the America East, won conference tourney; lost in first round of NCAA tournament

 

HEAD COACH

Will Brown (career 76-93); 7th year at Albany (76-93)

 

QUOTE TO NOTE

"I think (the trip) was productive. It gave us an opportunity to have 10 practices, two with our veterans and eight with everybody. I think probably the most important thing was to get all 13 of these guys to interact with each other on and off the floor. And we got a chance to play many different combinations. We got a chance to play the new with the old and got games under our belt." -- Coach Will Brown to the Albany Times Union, referring to his team's three-game exhibition trip to Barbados

 

SCOUTING THE NEWCOMERS

Redshirt freshman Tim Ambrose, a 5-11 shooting guard who sat out last year for academic reasons, averaged 13 points in three exhibition games. Freshman center Brett Gifford, a 6-11, 265-pounder, has a nice touch with either hand and will play significant minutes, if not start.

 

KEY EARLY-SEASON GAMES: Dec. 8 at St. Bonaventure; Dec. 17 at Duke; Dec. 22 vs. Boise State. Albany goes to Cameron Indoor Stadium for a Dec. 17 showcase on ESPN2. Five days later, the Great Danes host Boise State in a rematch of last year's BracketBusters' thriller, an 83-82 Broncos win.

 

PROGRAM DIRECTION

Two straight NCAA berths can do a lot for a program, as evidenced by Albany's strong recruiting class. While the Great Danes might not make it three in a row, head coach Will Brown has built Albany into a conference power that shows no signs of slippage.

 

PROBABLE STARTING LINEUP

G Jon Iati, G Brian Lillis, F Brent Wilson, F Brian Connelly, C Brett Gifford

 

ROSTER REPORT

 

 

Injuries are a major concern. According to the Albany Times Union, senior F Brent Wilson is recovering from Achilles' heel tendinitis, and senior G Jon Iatl, a 3-point specialist, is recovering from back surgery. Sophomore G Reid Anderson recently returned from a stress fracture in his foot. Freshman F Billy Allen is out with a herniated disc in his back.

 

For the time being, head coach Will Brown won't have a full squad for practice.

 

 

 

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