Hitting the Links - August 12

Good news America East fans. The weekly renditions of "Hitting the Links" are now officially back on the blogosphere.

We will recap the week that was featuring America East news from around the country giving you all the scoop you need to start another exciting year of college sports.

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame will honor its 2011 inductees this weekend, a class that includes Tara Vanderveer, the women's basketball coach at Stanford. Vanderveer, who played one season of collegiate basketball for the University at Albany, was featured by the Times Union today. Her path to coaching was an interesting one, at that, watching more games than playing because there was nowhere for girls to play back in the 1960s when she was growing up. Fast forward 50 years and she now has the reins of one of the most successful women's basketball programs in the country, two National Championships with the Cardinal and is one of only five Division I coaches to have over 800 wins. And that all started in Albany.

Sticking with the national headlines, University of Hartford President Dr. Walt Harrison, the chair of the Division I committee on academic performance, had a major role in implementing the new academic cutline for Division I programs. Below a four-year academic progress rate of 930 (50% graduation rate) and that team will be banned from postseason play.

Stony Brook University continues to find itself in the sports news. The men's basketball team, "on the rise" as some write, is touring Europe as you read this, prompting a trip-dedicated blog from Newsday. Joe Nathan, closer for the Minnesota Twins and a 1997 Stony Brook grad, set the Twins' franchise record for saves on Wednesday night, while new men's lacrosse head coach Jim Nagle received some press as he begins his first year at the helm.

It's August, which can only mean one thing: basketball schedules. UVM and Stony Brook both announced their non-conference tilts this week with both schools challenging themselves early on in preparation for a competitive league. Former Catamount and current Houston Rocket, Marqus Blakely stopped by basketball camp at his Alma mater and did this, while his former teammate, Joey Accaoui, was inking a deal to play professionally in Lebanon.

Former UVM baseball player and America Easy Player of the Year Matt Duffy was named a New York Penn League All-Star after batting .301 for the Houston Astros affiliate Tri-City Valley Cats. Duffy is currently teammates with former Stony Brook pitcher Nick Tropeano

In other baseball related news, the Maine Blackbears' pitching staff just got a whole lot better for 2012. Tommy Lawrence will transfer to Maine from Division I Winthrop. Lawrence put up some serious numbers on the bump this summer in the NECBL, including a .161 opponents batting average.

The Binghamton Bearcats are back on campus in Vestal, N.Y. and the local news stations have taken notice.

Will Brown and the University at Albany men's basketball team are at work this summer. The Great Danes will head north to Canada with a collection of Aussies, who had quite the trip from down under to the New York capital.

That will do it for 2011-2012's first edition of 'Hitting the Links.' Make sure to stay tuned to to the blog next week for features on a collection of America East basketball teams taking their talents to international territory this summer as well as some fall sports previews.

Stony Brook Euro-Trip

How does a three-country tour of Europe sound to close out the summer?

Good?

The Stony Brook men’s basketball team will get to do just that as it ventures overseas today for the next two weeks to hone its skills against some top European competition and to take in the sites.

Starting their journey in Dublin, the Seawolves will then take to the streets of London before concluding the trip in Paris. Mixed in with all the travel will be five exhibition games.

“‘Exciting’ is the word I use to describe the whole trip,” head coach Steve Pikiell said. “We’re seeing three of the greatest cities in the world and get a chance to play some games against some real good players too.”

This will be a once in a career trip for members of the team as NCAA guidelines permit college programs to take a preseason international trip once every four years.

The first stop for the Seawolves will be Dublin where they will have a day to relax and visit several local landmarks including the James Joyce Centre before its first exhibition game of the tour against Killester on Aug. 13. The very next day, the team will take on UCD Marion and then make its way to London.

Forward Danny Carter hails from Windsor, England so it will be a homecoming of sorts for the 6’9” senior.

“I think he’s excited to get back home and some of our other guys have never even been outside the country,” Pikiell said.

Four days, two more games and a trip to Buckingham Palace will conclude the London portion of the trip with Paris in wait. The Eifel Tower will be the main stop for Stony Brook in France as it plays its final exhibition game of the European tour on Aug. 20.

The trip will give the 2010-2011 America East Conference tournament runners-up a chance to gel before the season and it affords Coach Pikiell the opportunity of seeing a few new faces in the Seawolf red and white.

“I’m looking forward to seeing some newcomers in action, to see who improved during the course of the spring, but my main goal with this whole trip is everyone stays healthy,” Pikiell explained.

Injuries are something the men’s basketball team is all too familiar with after losing junior Tommy Brenton for all of last season. Brenton has been cleared for game action and anxiously awaits the chance to see the floor, according to his coach.

Coming off one of the most successful seasons in program history, Pikiell understands how valuable this time together will be for his team.

“I don’t know how the trip will correlate to March and having a great weekend on a neutral site but I think it’s a great experience, great for team chemistry,” Pikiell said. “Hopefully down the road the guys will be able to share the experience with people they are close to.”

You can follow the Seawolves throughout their trip by checking out a trip-dedicated blog or by following the team on Twitter.

Make sure you keep following the AExtra blog, as well, for another feature next week on the University at Albany men's basketball team's adventure to Canada.

Cape Cod League Update

First team All-America East, All-Northeast Region second team and a Cape Cod Baseball League all-star for the Bourne Braves.

Stony Brook's Travis Jankowski has had himself quite a baseball season.

And it got a little better on Saturday afternoon at Doran Park in Bourne, Mass.

Jankowski heard his name called as the Cape Cod League Most Valuable Player in a pregame ceremony before Saturday's playoff game against the Wareham Gatemen. Jankowski will now be listed amongst names like Evan Longoria, Jason Varitek, Ron Darling and Thurman Munson.

He is also the second America East baseball player to receive the honor. Carlos Pena (Northeastern) called himself MVP after the summer of '97.

The outfielder hit at a .329 clip this summer, good for sixth in the CCBL. He led the league in hits (57) and runs scored (31) and was third in stolen bases with 15.

The Seawolves' Pat Cantwell received the Cape League's Sportsmanship Award during the same pregame ceremony.

League playoffs are now underway and a handful of America East baseball standouts continue to produce. All six of Stony Brook's Cape League representatives made it to the playoffs with their respective teams. That included 2011 America East Player of the Year and first team All-American William Carmona (Wareham), Tanner Nivins (Brewster), Cantwell and Jankowski (Bourne) and Orleans' Tyler Johnson and Maxx Tissenbaum. They were joined by Maine's Steve Perakslis (Wareham).