2023-24 MBB Preseason Expectations and Predictions

[cwdickens]

I noticed on our MBB schedule for the November 19 game at Quinnipiac, the game is referenced as the Doc Sauers Invitational.  Does anyone know what this is about? 

[godanesgo99]

8 hours ago, UA1882 said:

 

I am a little surprised about the coverage as well.  But maybe that's what you get when you were one of the worse teams in the country last year.  Need to build hope, hopefully that starts this year.  

Several people answered my bitch complain. I completely get the lack of fan interest. What I don't get is the lack of press interest. To me that screams one of two things.... Either the TUseless and the gazette realize that no one cares and haven't assigned anyone to write stuff, or the school has been closed lipped and isn't providing info for them to report on.

Stuff like having only 2 days notice for the Purple and Gold scrimmage and very few if any advertisements for tickets and the season. Maybe they are posting on Instagram? There is almost nothing on Twitter (x) or Facebook. Instagram can go F itself BTW. 

Zero hype.

Does the school expect another brutal season? Maybe that's why they and the press are so silent.

[Eli]

I thought on paper we were supposed to be better than last year by long shot?

[cwdickens]

2 hours ago, godanesgo99 said:

Several people answered my bitch complain. I completely get the lack of fan interest. What I don't get is the lack of press interest. To me that screams one of two things.... Either the TUseless and the gazette realize that no one cares and haven't assigned anyone to write stuff, or the school has been closed lipped and isn't providing info for them to report on.

Stuff like having only 2 days notice for the Purple and Gold scrimmage and very few if any advertisements for tickets and the season. Maybe they are posting on Instagram? There is almost nothing on Twitter (x) or Facebook. Instagram can go F itself BTW. 

Zero hype.

Does the school expect another brutal season? Maybe that's why they and the press are so silent.

For me, the Times-Union has been delivering the same level of coverage for the time of year for us and the other school then throw in sports including the D1 Hockey programs at Rensselaer and Union.

I have to ask this question: Who is reading the newspapers?

So, if you are not going to follow UAlbany Sports on Instagram, you going to miss some things.  What do you really need know?... where & when the game is going to be played and the game's result.

Just rambling...

 

[nysteve661]

We are picked 7th in the coaches conference poll, UNH and NJIT picked behind UA, Vermont picked first as usual, UMASS Lowell a close second.  All-conference team is a bunch of seniors and graduate students.  Guess Beagle will have to wait his turn.

[bob87]

Coaches are more optimistic than blue ribbon yearbook. They picked Albany last. 

However games are never decided on who was picked to win

[B9j2j6s]

With the transfer portal the way it is, these coaches polls are more and more a reflection on how you did last year.  No one knows how everyone is going to be this year.  Less than a month to go can't wait.  

[godanesgo99]

3 hours ago, cwdickens said:

So, if you are not going to follow UAlbany Sports on Instagram, you going to miss some things.  What do you really need know?... where & when the game is going to be played and the game's result.

Just rambling...

 

Don't even have an instagram account. I used to, but I just never found the site worthwhile. I have absolutely zero interest in using the site. 

What do I need to know beyond when/where/result? I don't know. It seems in past years there have been articles on individual players, their backgrounds, their personal stories. What compels us to want to root for them? How does the team look so far? Is there internal excitement? Do they think the team will surprise and exceed expectations? Who will get minutes? I don't know. Anything. Something. Obsessed fans are starving. 

[godanesgo99]

 

[bob87]

15 hours ago, B9j2j6s said:

With the transfer portal the way it is, these coaches polls are more and more a reflection on how you did last year.  No one knows how everyone is going to be this year.  Less than a month to go can't wait.  

Polls have always reflected how you did last year

[godanesgo99]

I missed the zoom tonight for a work issue. Anyone attend? How did it go?

[cwdickens]

12 hours ago, godanesgo99 said:

I missed the zoom tonight for a work issue. Anyone attend? How did it go?

I missed the Zoom call, due to Fall foliage trip to the Schoharie Valley (spouse request) however I see that the Times Union had an article yesterday.

UALBANY MEN’S BASKETBALL

 

Thomas warmed up to playing with Danes

 

By Mark Singelais

Alan Hubbard/ PhotoByFriday LLC

UAlbany junior guard Sebastian Thomas averaged 22.8 minutes, 5.8 points and 2.8 assists per game for Rhode Island last season.

Alan Hubbard/PhotoByFriday via URI Athletics

UAlbany junior guard Sebastian Thomas said the number of losses the Danes had last season left him unsure of his level of interest in the school at first.

At first, Sebastian Thomas wasn’t interested in transferring to the University at Albany men’s basketball program. He wouldn’t return head coach Dwayne Killings’ phone calls.

Thomas had 23 reasons for his indifference. The Great Danes went 8-23 last season and finished last in the America East Conference.

 

“Just looking at the record last year, it was kind of hard,” Thomas said Wednesday with a laugh. “I’m here now, so hopefully we can turn it around.”

Killings is counting on Thomas, a 6-foot-1 junior guard who played the past two seasons for the University of Rhode Island, to be part of a big turnaround. The Great Danes open Nov. 7 at UMass.

“I think he’s got a chance to be the best point guard in the league,” Killings said. “My standard for him is really high and I think there’s some days where, it may not be his favorite thing, but I think he’s got a chance to have a perfect game. When I’m saying that, 10 assists, no turnovers. He has the ability to impact the game on offense and defense. He’s got a gift. He makes players better.”

Even with UAlbany’s addition of Thomas and four other transfers, the America East coaches don’t expect the Great Danes to be much better than last season. The Great Danes were chosen seventh of nine teams in the preseason coaches’ poll announced Wednesday.

“I don’t agree with it,” Thomas said. “I think we’re better than that, but it is what it is. Being picked seventh, I think on the positive side, nobody expects us to do good, so I feel we can prove a lot of people wrong in our conference and hopefully this season we’re higher than seventh.”

Vermont is the preseason favorite to win its third straight league title, followed by UMass Lowell in second.

Unlike some who might transfer down from an Atlantic-10 school, Thomas did not ride the bench at URI. He played in 32 games as a sophomore last season and started 13 — the first six and final seven. He averaged 22.8 minutes, 5.8 points and 2.8 assists per game. Thomas had an assist/turnover ratio of 1.6, which would have ranked 10th in the league if he’d qualified.

The lefty Thomas shot only 34 percent from the field, 25 percent from 3-point range.

The Rams went 9-22 under new head coach Archie Miller. Thomas, a Providence native, decided to enter the NCAA transfer portal after the season. Killings’ initial attempts to contact Thomas were met with silence.

“To be honest, when I first entered the portal, I wasn’t that interested in Albany,” he said. “I wasn’t answering DK’s phone calls at first. It took a while to warm up. But then ultimately I got down here on a visit, going into the visit with the mindset that I can’t picture myself here and ended up loving it. One thing that stood out to me was the relationships built here, how open everyone is, how DK is with his players. I feel like I really need that personally. That’s something that attracted me to come here.”

Killings credited UAlbany assistant Ryan Daly with being persistent in his pursuit of Thomas. He said Thomas had “impressive” offers from other schools, including within the America East.

When they first sat down, Killings said, Thomas didn’t seem open to the idea of coming.

“We were resilient with him,” Killings said. “The second meeting, we sat down and I thought his mind was open to the program because we talked about, ‘We didn’t have the success we wanted this past year, but here’s our plan for you and here’s an example of things that we’ve done within our program.’”

Killings and Daly sold Thomas on the renovated Broadview Center, previously known as SEFCU Arena, and the chance to play with sophomore forward Jonathan Beagle, the America East Rookie of the Year.

“He started to see the potential,” Killings said. “I know the threat we are to this league and any team we play. A lot of it’s going to be because of the young man to my left (Thomas).”

Notes: Redshirt sophomore forward Justin Neely, coming back from an ACL tear, is “progressing really well” and has a Nov. 2 appointment with his surgeon to be evaluated for a clearer idea of his return, Killings said. … Sophomore guard Marcus Jackson, who fractured his left wrist, will be evaluated in early November. Killing said it’s “not super serious.”… Beagle is day-today with a rolled ankle.

Edited October 20, 2023 by cwdickens
grammar

[UAalum72]

Met someone today who was at the zoom meeting, said about 25 people took part. Mostly he said they will tell us when to show up to pick our seats, depending on your ranking in the contribution list - you don't just show up at 5:30 the first day. We'll see

[DanesRGood]

On 10/18/2023 at 7:40 AM, McFan said:

I'd say it's a few things (and the first three deserve a "thanks Captain Obvious" response):

1. The teams performance in recent years does not get a fan base excited. 

2. The coaches issues (and I'll leave it at that).

3. Playing at HVCC last year, although that should be offset by the buzz of a new arena.

4. Last, but in my mind certainly not least, is the transfer portal.  I see it having it's effect on teams at this level.  There's almost no watching a kid grow.  No way of knowing what to expect from year to year.  Little connection to the players as they are rarely here for more than a few years.  I think winning overcomes some of this but for me it's tough to stay as connected when it's a different set of players every year.  

My prediction/expectation - who knows.  I'm hopeful better than last year and a healthy Neely alone should do that.  Other than that I've got nothing.

For me it's 1, a good bit of 2 and 4. I didn't watch nearly as many games last year as I used to. I never used to miss a game. I also came up to 1-2 games a year and hit a road game or two when they were in the area.  My interest level is so much lower and when I watch the games I don't know many of the players so it's not as interesting. Of course I want them to win and be good.

[cwdickens]

On 10/20/2023 at 5:21 PM, UAalum72 said:

Met someone today who was at the zoom meeting, said about 25 people took part. Mostly he said they will tell us when to show up to pick our seats, depending on your ranking in the contribution list - you don't just show up at 5:30 the first day. We'll see

I have received the email on my ranking as a GDAC contributor.  I have included some of the text leaving out my ranking and points as a matter of privacy. 

GDAC Priority Points/Ranking as of 10.26.23 - MBB

 

Thank you for your continued support of UAlbany Basketball through your 2023-24 season ticket commitment. We are so excited to welcome you all to the brand-new Broadview Center. You and all the Great Dane fans that placed season ticket deposits will be welcomed to the Broadview Center on either November 8 or 9 to select your new season ticket location(s).  

 

The Great Dane Athletic Club (GDAC) priority point system is designed to reward loyalty and philanthropic support and will be used to determine the order in which fans choose their new seat locations.  The priority point system is a ranking that is used to allocate a multitude of benefits including, America East and NCAA Tournament ticket availability and location, season ticket upgrades, parking, and special events. Priority points are awarded to donors who contribute annual gifts to the GDAC, season tickets as well as gifts to athletic scholarship endowments, athletic facility projects, and other special contributions to UAlbany Athletics.

The following is the format used to determine points and ranking:

·         Current Giving to Athletics (Unrestricted): 2 per $100

·         Current Giving to Athletics (Restricted): 5 per $100

·         Consecutive Years Giving: 5 per year

·         Lifetime Giving to Athletics: 1 per $100

·         Consecutive Years Purchasing Season Tickets: 5 per year

·         Current Faculty/Staff at UAlbany: 10 points (one time)

·         UAlbany Alumni: 10 points (one time)

 

As of Thursday, October 26^th, you have accumulated nnnn GDAC Priority Points. Your donor ranking, which includes all athletic contributors, is nnn of 8,843.  As of, October 26^th, 2023, your seat selection slot would be 27.

 

Deadline for season ticket deposits and donations is Monday, October 30, 2023. Fans looking to improve their season ticket selection slot prior to the Select-a-Seat Night would need to make an additional contribution by the October 30 deadline. If you would like to make an additional GDAC contribution to support our student-athletes, click here.  All donations made prior to October 27^th, will be added to your priority point total, and will improve your seat selection slot. A final email determining your order and containing your final point total will be sent on November 1, 2023.