Sights and Sounds

Joe Jones has been involved in exciting, intense and crazy games before.

He didn't have to wait very long into his tenure at Boston Univeristy to get a taste of it again.

The Boston U.-Northeastern game last night lived up to the crosstown rivalry billing. Both students sections were rowdy and loud. In fact, at numerous points during the game, the gym was actually shaking.

The Roof was rockin'.

Ultimately it was Northeastern that came out on top, despite a valiant comeback by the Terriers. Down 11 at one point in the second half, Boston U. fought back to force overtime. The Huskies prevailed, however, 82-74.

The America East had a video camera there so check out the sights and sounds from Joe Jones' debut as the bench boss for Boston U.

America East Daily Word - November 11

Indiana head men’s basketball coach Tom Crean tweeted (@TomCrean) yesterday about his Hoosiers’ opener against Stony Brook tonight.

“This is going to be the toughest opener I have ever been involved in as a Head Coach. Wow. Stony Brook plays relentless and tough.” 

It is a fun time of year. This is when the mid-major teams get to take cracks at the big boys, pull off the season-defining upsets. Two of those games happen tonight on the men’s side – both on the road, both against teams with proud basketball traditions, both in hostile environments. Stony Brook takes on Indiana at Assembly Hall and Albany travels to Pittsburgh to take on the Panthers.

Crean is obviously not taking the Seawolves lightly. Maine beat Big Ten foe Penn State to start the season last year and Stony Brook has a chance to knock offthe Hoosiers. The Seawolves have the size, experience and depth to compete against Indiana. And what better place to show the nation you can compete than on national television? The Big Ten Network has that game tonight.

Albany opens with a tough Panther team, which will most likely be one of the best teams in the Big East come season’s end. ESPN3 has this game so it’s another great chance for an America East school to show some gumption and play hard against a top-tier opponent.

America East men’s teams have eight wins against BCS teams since 2008.

Boston U. will raise its 2010-2011 championship banner tonight when it hosts Northeastern. Hartford gets underway in just a bit when it takes on Sacred Heart at Mohegan Sun in the Connecticut 6 Classic. UMBC hosts Ivy League opponent Penn, while New Hampshire opens the 2011-2012 slate against Suffolk in Durham.

All nine women’s teams are in action tonight, which includes defending America East champion Hartford. The Hawks host Manhattan in a preseason WNIT first round matchup tonight. Boston U. welcomes Providence to Case Gym and preseason conference favorite, UMBC, hosts Morgan State at the RAC.For the complete schedule and live coverage links head over to AmericaEast.com.

The Press and Sun Bulletin featured Binghamton men’s basketball coach Mark Macon in today’s paper. Macon took over the Bearcat program two years ago but he had an ‘interim’ tag and the program was subject to all sorts of investigations and restrictions. Now, the Press and Sun Bulletin says, the program is all his. And he’s making the most of it. The team, meanwhile, is talented but still has plenty of room to grow under Macon. The women’s squad dominated Mansfield last night in an exhibition,81-28.

Vermont’s basketball teams are excited to get the season going. But perhaps not as excited as all the media in Burlington. The Free Press unrolled a four-page feature section on the Catamounts today with features on John Becker, previews of the women’s game today at Columbia, the men’s opener at South Florida and season outlooks for both teams. WCAX Channel 3 also went over to Patrick Gym to chat with the Cats.

Basketball isn’t the only thing happening this weekend. America East teams will play in two NCAA tournament contests. Boston U. hosts Harvard in a first round women’s soccer game tomorrow afternoon while New Hampshire takes on Michigan in Chapel Hill, N.C. in the first round of the NCAA field hockey tournament.

And we’ve got the men’s soccer championship game. Hartford and Stony Brook battle it out on Long Island for the right to go to the NCAA tournament.

 
Press and Sun Bulletin: Binghamton women get two commitments
Bangor Daily News: UMaine women's basketball capsule vs. CCSU
Foster's Daily Democrat: Wildcats not in awe of Wolverines
Foster's Daily Democrat: UNH Men eye breakout season
Foster's Daily Democrat: UNH women hope to ascend in AE
Pipe Dream: Volleyball's playoff chances come down to final weekend of season
Pipe Dream: Cross Country preps NCAA regionals
Pipe Dream: Swimming and Diving host Drexel in home opener
Pipe Dream: Walter named to All-Academic Team

Blogger Polls: Stony Brook

1. Stony Brook

2. Boston University

3. Albany

4. Vermont

5. New Hampshire

6. Hartford

7. Maine

8. UMBC

9. Binghamton

After a roller-coaster, injury-plagued season that saw them narrowly miss winning the America East tournament last season, an experienced Stony Brook squad is again among the favorites to win both the regular season and the conference tournament.

“We expect to make the NCAA tourney and nothing less,” senior guard and captain Bryan Dougher told the Statesman. “I feel we have all the right pieces with the new guys and having Tommy (Brenton) back, we will compete.”

Arguably their best player and a potential player of the year candidate, red-shirt junior Tommy Brenton missed all of last season with a knee injury. With his knee now 100 percent, his rebounding abilities, hustle and tenacity will be huge assets for the Stony Brook this year. In his sophomore year, he lead the conference in rebounding, as well as leading the Seawolves in assists and steals.

Brenton will have a lot of help thanks to the depth that head coach Steve Pikiell has recruited over the past few seasons. Dougher is one of the premier three-point shooters in the league, senior Dallis Joyner provides size and strength up front, and junior Leonard Hayes was one of the conference's most prolific scorers in the second half of last season.

“We went from a team everyone wants to play, to a team no one wants to play,” Pikiell told the Statesman.

Other players expected to be contributors include seniors Danny Carter and Al Rapier, as well as juniors Marcus Rouse and Ron Bracey. A high-scoring JUCO transfer, Bracey will be hoping to replicate the success of another player Stony Brook recruited from his junior college conference a few years back: former America East Player of the Year Muhammed El-Amin.

“I think he's going to be an offensive weapon for us,” Dougher told the Statesman. “He does things that no one else on the team can do, he will be an instrumental part of what we do here.”

Potential break-out candidates include sophomores Dave Coley, Anthony Mayo and Eric McAlister. Coley showed several flashes of his talent and driving ability as a freshman, the 6'9 Mayo gained over twenty pounds in the off-season, and McAlister is among the most athletic big men in the conference.

With other teams competing for top dog status, including Boston University, Vermont and Albany, Pikiell is confident that his program has taken the necessary steps to win it all and make the school's first NCAA tournament appearance.

“We've built a program now that competes for league titles every year,” Pikiell told the Statesman. “If you keep getting to the plate enough times, you're going to hit a home run one of these days.”

Written by Adrian Szkolar, Stony Brook University

America East Daily Word - November 10

Preseason tournaments, non-conference showdowns and banner raising ceremonies – all terms that can describe one of the best days of the year. Teams from all over the country open the college basketball season tomorrow.

All of the America East men’s and women’s squad hit the hardwood tomorrow night, or at least at some point this weekend. The Hartford women’s squad hosts a game in the Preseason Women’s National Invitation Tournament, an 8 p.m. tilt with the Jaspers from Manhattan. The Hawks will also raise a 2011 Conference Championship banner.

Nine of the 16 teams in this year’s field are coming off postseason berths last season including the Hawks, who made their sixth appearance in the NCAA Tournament a year ago. Friday night’s contest is one of three guaranteed games in the WNIT for Hartford. If the Hawks were to win against Manhattan, they would move on to the second round to face the winner of the Long Island-Drexel matchup.

Manhattan leads the all-time series against Hartford, 4-2.

Some other news out of Hartford this week, the Connecticut 6 Classic will be hosted by the University of Hartford in 2012. The one-day, three-game, six-team event is in its third year of existence and is held annually at the Mohegan Sun Arena. The announcement came on Tuesday that the Reich Family Pavilion would host the six Division I mid-major men’s basketball teams next season. Take a look at a video from the tip-off breakfast in downtown Hartford. 

Binghamton’s women’s squad is full of title aspirations this season. After being selected fourth in the preseason poll, the Bearcats are talented and excited. One of their top scorers, Andrea Holmes, is also back from a knee injury and sizing up an impact season in Vestal.

Maine announced the hiring of its new head softball coach yesterday. Lynn Coutts returns to her alma mater to take the reins of the softball program. Coutts played for the Black Bears in the mid-80s earning all-American honors as a senior in 1987. The Bangor Daily News and Portland Press Herald spoke with the new coach about her excitement returning to the program.

Before naming Coutts head coach, Maine relied on the services of interim head coach Maureen Barron, the wife of new head women’s basketball coach, Richard Barron. The women’s basketball squad is looking to make strides with its new coach, and it appears things are headed in the right direction.

The men’s soccer championship is set after last night’s semifinals. Hartford will travel to Stony Brook to determine the conference champ. The Hawks upset No. 1-seed Boston University, 1-0, while Stony Brook foiled an upset bid from Albany, defeating the Danes, 3-1. That title game will be played Sunday at 6 p.m. on Long Island.

Be sure to check back tomorrow for a basketball preview day on AExtra!

Albany Times Union: Great Danes previewed
Press and Sun Bulletin: Binghamton gets commitment from Md. sharpshooter
Bangor Daily News: NCAA passes over Maine for field hockey tourney
Foster's Daily Democrat: UNH draws Michigan in NCAA first round
Daily Free Press: Men's basketball: Jonesing for a championship
Daily Free Press: Partin the Interuption
Daily Free Press: Catch me if you can
Daily Free Press: Offensive struggles bite Terriers
Stony Brook Statesman: Seawolves beat Albany for spot in title game

Blogger Polls - Maine

For the next few weeks, before the regular season, our campus bloggers will pick their own preseason polls and breakdown the upcoming basketball season.

The 2010-2011 season for the University of Maine Black Bears was a streaky one. The Black Bears rattled off seven straight wins in the middle of the season during a time in which they saw themselves win twelve of fourteen games. But February was a different story as the Bears lost six straight games including eight of their last nine and lost in the quarterfinals to Hartford. Maine will lose their frontcourt to graduation, including leader Troy Barnies who averaged 14 points and 7.6 rebounds, but return one of America East’s best backcourts in Gerald McLemore and Raheem Singleton. 

Maine is coming off of a season in which they led the league in scoring at a 69.6 points per game as well as shooting percentage at 46.1, averaged 13.1 assists per game, and at one time was the top dog in America East at 8-1. Maine’s play is contingent on its star player McLemore. McLemore is a two-time all-conference selection, averaged 13.3 points per game good for 10^th overall last season, and is the conference’s active-leading scorer with 1,199 points. McLemore will be the catalyst for the success of this year’s squad. 

“Moving forward the sky is the limit for us. We have a lot of guards and a lot of speed on this team,” said senior guard Gerald McLemore. 

Raheem Singleton will be the counterpart in the backcourt for the Bears. Singleton is coming off a season in which he scored 8.6 points per game and was third among league leaders in assists with 3.7. Singleton will be used to push the tempo and get shooters open for Maine as he is best when in transition and in space. Singleton and McLemore will assume a leadership role along side the three other seniors, Andrew Rodgers, Travon Wilcher, and Svetoslav Chetinov. 

“I am really excited about this team. Half of our roster is freshman, but they get better everyday” said head coach Ted Woodward. 

Maine may have seven newcomers, but the team is excited about the potential of their incoming freshman. 6-1 guard Noam Laish from Israel averaged 11.6 points per game and grabbed 2.5 rebounds per game for Israel in the 2010 under-18 European championships. The big recruit for Maine is 6-3 guard Justin Edwards. Edwards was ranked as the eighth-best player in Canada and averaged 20.4 points per game, 5.7 assists, and 4.4 rebounds per game in high school. His leaping ability will be a spark plug for Maine. 

The guard laden Black Bears come into the season with a young and inexperienced frontcourt. Maine will start the season with Mike Allison and Alasdair Fraser. Allison is 6-9, 215 pound junior who will start at center and Fraser is a 6-7, 245 pound sophomore who will get the nod at forward. 

“It is nice to have my chance to step up. I know Troy had a phenomenal year last year but I think Ally [Fraser] and I are going to be stepping up this year and will be able to take care of business” said Allison. 

Allison will provide the length for Maine and Fraser will provide the space. Fraser had a productive off-season gaining experience from playing in Bosnia in the under 20 European championships and going head to head everyday in practice with a future San Antonio Spurs draft pick. Fraser also lost 20-30 pounds giving his body the ability to play at a higher level and making him much more effective at getting to the rim from the block position. The change in roster personnel has altered Maine’s defensive philosophies. 

“We are a different defensive basketball team. We have a lot of guards and some really big, bigs.

We have a lot of guys that have the capability of blocking shots inside and that allows us to pressure the ball a little bit more.” Said Woodward. 

Maine’s ability to score, take care of the basketball, and senior leadership from the guard position should allow them to finish at least fifth in America East. The question marks for Maine is their ability to rebound from the forward positions and how much production they will get from talented recruits Laish and Edwards. Maine has a high ceiling, but could easily finish around .500 once again. 

As for the rest of America East predictions it seems Boston University will once again be the top dog followed by Stony Brook, Vermont, Albany, Maine, New Hampshire, UMBC, Hartford and Binghamton.

-Written by Charlie Merritt, University of Maine-

Times Union's Sitdown With 6-9 Women's Hoops Freshman Megan Craig

The Albany Times Union's Tim Wilkin recently sat down with the Great Danes' women's basketball freshman Megan Craig. Craig is a 6-foot-9 center from New Zealand who has been in Albany with the team since last winter, but will step foot onto the court in uniform for the first time this week. Check out some of Craig's answers here, including the one to the inevitable question about dunking:

Q. You are going to start your college career this season. You came here last semester. Was that the first time you were in the U.S. (she is from New Zealand)?
A. No. I was actually on holiday in California when I was 14 or 15. But this has been the first time I have been away from home and away from my parents for a long time.

Q. When you left, it was not like you were going back home in a week.
A. (laughs). It actually took me awhile to adjust. It took me awhile to get my mind set to the fact that I was not going to be going home for a good, long while. Luckily, the team and the coaches here helped me to adjust. They helped me to forget about the homesickness.

Q. Did it take awhile to get over it?
A. It didn't take too long. A few weeks. After I initially got over it, it was fine.

Q. Did you know anyone over here at all?
A. I have a cousin in New York City. Other than that, it was just the team and the coaches. No one else.

Q. You had to make friends fast, didn't you?
A. Yup. I am a friendly person.

Q. What do you like most about this country?
A. I like the culture. There is something about American culture that makes me enjoy it here. New Zealand is more relaxed, an outdoorsy place. In America, it seems like you can always find something to do, people to talk to, people to see. You are never going to get bored.

Q. It's not like New Zealand is in the middle of nowhere. It's a thriving place. Was there anything here, when you first got here, that you said, 'Wow! That's different?'
A. I noticed there was a lot more people. People were more accepting of taller individuals than at home. At home, I am so much more of a phenomenon. I found I fit in more over here. They are not as excited or scared to see a tall person over here.

Q. You are 6-foot-9. You are tall.
A. (laughs). Very tall.

Q. Did you ever have a problem with that?
A. No. I was a very good person in high school, middle school. I never had any growth problems or health problems with my height. I was tested. I was perfectly normal.

Q. Can you play basketball a little bit?
A. I think I can (laughs).

Q. Describe your game.
A. I am more of a physical presence. I like to block shots. I like to rebound. I like to let my opponent know that I am there and she can't move me. She can't make me do what I don't want to do. I am a real physical presence. All the dirty work that needs to be done in the paint.

Q. Can you dunk?
A. I haven't tried yet. I have always had problems with my knees and ankles so I want to fix that up before I attempt to dunk. But I do want to get there by the end of the season.

Q. Do you follow the NBA?
A. Yes. I love the NBA. We were able to watch NBA games in New Zealand.

Q. Favorite NBA team.
A. Probably the Mavericks.

Q. Are you a Dirk Nowitzki fan?
A. I love Dirk Nowitzki. He is a presence. He does the dirty work. A great player.

Q. Favorite sport other than basketball.
A. Being from New Zealand, the national sport is rugby. I follow it. I also played another sport called netball.

Q. What is that?
A. It's a more disciplined game of basketball. There are seven players on the court and you can only play in certain areas. Highly played in the Commonwealth. I played it for years so it has been a huge part of my life.

Q. So, I guess it's safe to say that sports has been a big part of your life.
A. Yes, but I didn't really start enjoying sports until I was about 12. I didn't like it as a younger kid. I would play around with my cousins. I didn't really settle in with sports until high school. I loved it then. Was always on the go.

Q. You are giving this team something that most women's teams don't have. Being a young player, is there pressure on you?
A. There is going to be some sort of pressure, but I won't try to let it get to me. I know I will have my teammates and coaches backing me up. I will try not to think about it as much as I should. I try to just get on my game, get on with school and get on with everything else. Hopefully, my performance will show.

Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/sports/article/A-conversation-with-UAlbany-6-foot-9-freshman-2254737.php#ixzz1dDtgXnLQ

America East Daily Word - November 8

When Columbia and Yale squared off in men’s basketball, it wasn’t any ordinary game. It was brother against brother as James and Joe Jones matched wits on the sidelines.

Joe and his brother won’t be coaching against each other this season at least, but Boston U. fans are happy about that because Joe is now calling the shots for the Terrier men as they begin a quest for back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances.

Michael Vega of the Boston Globe wrote a feature about Jones today detailing his roots as a coach all the way from high school through his tenures as an assistant at Villanova and Boston College, the head man at Columbia and now to the helm of the defending America East champions. The feature looks into the reasons Jones was brought in to replace Pat Chambers, who accepted the head coaching position at Penn State, and what will make him successful in Boston.

One reason he will be successful is because he’s got a strong group of returning players who gave Kansas all it could handle in the Dance last year. That includes preseason all-conference selection Daryl Partin.

The Terriers will be tested early on this season, opening up at home against Northeastern before heading to Texas to take on the Longhorns.

The Binghamton men’s basketball team tangled with Mansfield last night in an exhibition contest. The young squad showed potential, according to the Pressand Sun Bulletin, in a 79-64 win at the Events Center. The women will see some exhibition action tonight as the Mansfield women invade Vestal for a game at the Events Center.

Several women’s basketball players were named to the candidate list for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award. UMBC’s Michelle Kurowski and New Hampshire’s Denise Beliveau earned the recognition on Friday. You can read the full release here.

It feels like spring today in Boston so let’s take a look at some lacrosse. The Stony Brook men’s squad made an appearance in Inside Lacrosse, looking into theSeawolves fall schedule and how things have been going so far under new head coach Jim Nagle. So far so good says the new coach as he prepares his squad for what will be a tight race in the America East this spring.

And we cannot forget some big news in women’s soccer. For the first time since the 2000 season, and America East women’s soccer team will host an NCAA Tournament game. Boston U., which won its fifth straight conference championship this past weekend, learned it will face Harvard in the first round on Saturday at Nickerson Field. The Terriers defeated Harvard, 3-0, during the regular season.

Daily Gazette: DePasquale's departure a huge loss
Pipe Dream: Women's soccer season one to remember
Pipe Dream: Bearcats knock off Providence to stay in playoff hunt
The New Hampshire: CHAMPS!

Blogger Poll - Vermont

For the next few weeks, before the regular season, our campus bloggers will pick their own preseason polls and breakdown the upcoming basketball season.

America East Men’s basketball predictions

Projected Standings:

1.     Boston University

2.     University of Vermont

3.     Stony Brook University

4.     University of Maine

5.     University of New Hampshire

6.     University of Albany

7.     University of Hartford

8.     UMBC

9.     Binghamton University         

Last year I took a lot of heat on this blog for picking Vermont to finish in the top-three of the America East and they ended up winning the regular season title in large part thanks to the outstanding play of then-freshman Brian Voelkel. As a freshman Voelkel lead the America East in rebounding and finished second in assists — an amazing feat for a player at the PF position.

               Voelkel will have to take on more of the scoring load this season due to the departure of Evan Fjeld who led Vermont scorers averaging 14.5 ppg last year. Certainly this will be an emphasis for new head coach John Becker, who replaces Mike Lonergan.

               Vermont, who returns four starters and ten players overall, will be led defensively by junior Brendan Bald who earned the America East defensive player of the year award last season. If one thing is certain, the Catamounts always seem to surpass the expectations of the pre-season predictions. In 16 of the last 18 seasons, UVM has matched or surpassed the coaches' preseason choice in either the final standings or by its finish in the conference tournament.

               Based on the fact that Vermont was picked third in this season’s coaches’ poll, UVM fans should be in for another beyond-expectations type season.

Written by Will Andreycak, University of Vermont