Coaches Blog

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12.15.08: <-Link

 

We are getting closer to the start of the conference season. We have three non-conference games left on our schedule. We are 6-4 at this point with the only real disappointing loss being at Lehigh. We played fairly well in our last game against Canisius. I thought that Canisius could present some problems for us because they had some real good size on the interior and some good quickness and athleticism on the perimeter. We got off to a slow start but really got after it the last 32 minutes of the game. Our defensive energy and effort was excellent and we were relentless on the glass.

 

The players are in the process of finishing up with final exams. Our next game is at Sacred Heart on the 19th. They are a dangerous team because they shoot so many 3's and are capable of putting points on the board very quickly. We will have to defend the 3 and control the boards if we are to get a win on the road. We are still receiving contributions from a variety of players. We need to start shooting better, especially from the perimeter. Until that happens we need to make sure that we defend and rebound at a high level.

 

We lost power on Friday night. I had my family downtown at the Crowne Plaza over the weekend. It was nice to get our power back last night. My son did enjoy spending some time in the pool at the Crowne.

 

I was able to spend some time after the Canisius game with Levi Levine, Brent Wilson, Lucious Jordan, Jerrad Knotts, Brian Lillis, and his dad Terry. Levi is back from Romania. Brent drove up from Westchester and Brian and Terry flew in from Chicago. Jerrad and Lucious are in the local area. After the game we met at The Across the Street Pub. It was nice to hear them tell stories about the college years. They sounded like they graduated 20 years ago. We spent a few hours laughing. I did my best to just listen and enjoy. They even busted my chops!

 

I am especially proud of Levi Levine. Levi was in town all week. I asked him to address the team moments before the Canisius game. I told him to speak from the heart. Talk about his experiences in an Albany uniform and how the program has grown over the years. We pride ourselves in our scouting reports and our effort stats. It takes time to understand the detailed oriented scouting reports and to understand what the effort stats are all about. It was nice to hear Levi tell the team how much of an adjustment it was at first for him and his teammates! He was also quick to tell the team that if they embrace the scouting reports and effort stats that they will be very successful! I didn't even prep him on what to say! LOL! He also took great pride in letting the team know that the former players are following the program and that they want the program to continue to do great things.

 

Our team will continue to get better. We need to take steps forward in the next three games and have some momentum heading in to conference play. This team is a giant piece of clay that we need to continue to mold.