Black Bears
Most will point to the banked in three-pointer by Hartford's Andres Torres with 50 some seconds to go as the game breaker, but the tenor of the game was set during a six- or seven-minute span of the first half. UMaine went into one of it's patented funks (turnovers, bad shots, bad defense) and allowed Hartford to not only rally from a seven-point deficit, but assume control of the game.
The Black Bears tried to rally, but everytime they needed a key defensive play or execute a crucial offensive set, the Hawks made the plays. UMaine pulled within one, but by that time, it was Hawks, the No. 9 seed and losers of 14 consecutive games, who were dictating play.
Thus, for the second straight year, the Black Bears boarded the bus home just as the rest of us were getting set for the tournament to start. Would have been nice if the Black Bears could have stayed around and gotten a taste of the intensity in the arena when the quarterfinals began.
Quarterfinals
One of the best quarterfinal days in recent memory. Two overtime games, a No. 9 getting feisty with the No. 1 seed and the expected close game in the 4/5 game. Big, boisterous crowds.
Albany/Vermont
Albany demonstrated the value of playing tough and together, despite not having near the offensive weapons of Vermont. After trailing much of the game, Vermont finally took leads late in regulation and then in overtime, but the Great Danes, struggling mightily on the offensive end, found a way to hang in there. ... It was the first time a No. 7 has defeated a No. 2 in America East tournament history and it was electric in the building the whole game. ... It wasn't pretty, but that's the beauty of basketball; you can win with offense, you can win with defense or you can win by just out-gutting the other team.
UMBC/Boston U.
Another overtime upset, paced by UMBC stud Darryl Proctor, whose follow-up bucket with 2 seconds to go forced the extra period. ... Retriever guard Jay Greene didn't score until his two free throws sealed the win late in OT. But his play was scintillating. All he did was orchestrate UMBC's comeback from an 8-point deficit with about 2:30 left in regulation. ... BU's John Holland and Corey Lowe were hitting bombs and carried the load, but UMBC had better balance, getting strong performances from center Justin Fry and freshman Chauncey Gilliam. ... Gilliam, inexplicably left off the all-rookie team, clearly out-performed BU's Jake O'Brien, who was named rookie of the year. Word around Albany was that AE coaches punished Gilliam for his flagrant foul ejection vs. Boston U. during the regular season. What a joke.
Binghamton/Hartford
Speaking of jokes, what were the coaches thinking when they left do-everything Binghamton guard D.J. Rivera off the first-team all-conference team. In fact, not a single member of the No. 1 seeded Bearcats made the first team. ... Rivera is probably the quickest guard in America East since Hofstra's Craig "Speedy" Claxton. Yes, he's that quick. He's got a gear that nobody else has in this league.
UNH/Stony Brook
Playing without injured guard Alvin Abreu, the Wildcats led the entire way and held off a late charge. ... UNH's Rony Tchatchua was injured and left the floor late in the game. ... Wildcats will need all its bullets and another strong performance from Tyrece Gibbs, who was immense against Stony Brook. ... Watch out for the Seawolves and UNH in future years. They are young, mature, growing and getting better.
Quarterfinal studs
* Tim Ambrose, Brett Gifford (defended Marqus Blakely) and Will Harris of Albany. Hey, and don't forget Mike Johnson. All the little-known guard did was grab 10 rebounds and hit the biggest free throws of the game. He's a 51-percent free throw shooter.
* Blakely; he kept Vermont in the game
* Proctor, Greene and Gilliam. BU's Lowe and Holland were flashy, but the Retrievers were more persistent
* Binghamton puts extreme pressure on the opposition both offensively and defensively. That's a unique and great quality.
* Gibbs was stellar for UNH, both scoring and on the boards; sophomore Tyrone Conley hit several clutch shots.
* Stony's freshmen -- Bryan Dougher, Dallis Joyner and Tommy Brenton -- play hard and give Stony a great core for the years ahead.
* Wolfie receives the mascot of the tourney award for his awesome "Thriller" dance routine with the Stony Brook dance team. He got a standing ovation from the hard-core still hanging out at the SEFCU as the clock ticked toward 11 p.m.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Friday, March 6, 2009
Black Bears shut out
Just pulled into our hotel in Albany and immediately checked for the news from this morning's America East banquet.
For the first time in 16 years, the University of Maine didn't have a player named first, second or third team all-conference. Sean McNally was the Black Bears' best chance after a solid sophomore season, averaging 9.6 points and 7.4 rebounds. He's also the top offensive rebounder in America East.
UMaine guard Gerald McLemore was named to the all-rookie team. Junior Bernal was named to the all-academic team.
McNally was likely among a group of three or four players vying for the final couple spots on the third team. Hartford senior Jaret von Rosenberg made the third team. His own teammate, Michael Turner, had a strong season and was another candidate.
There were a few other surprises: Boston U.'s Corey Lowe was named first team all-conference over Binghamton's D.J. Rivera, who leads the league in scoring and is eighth in rebounding. UMBC's Jay Greene was also named the second team. I'd take Rivera and Greene over Lowe.
On the rookie team, Vermont's Garvey Young made it while Maryland-Baltimore County's Chauncey Gilliam did not. Gilliam has been among the league leaders in field goal shooting all season, averaged 11 points and 4 rebounds a game. He's also shooting 47 percent on threes compared to Young's 28 percent. Gilliam plays nearly 31 minutes a game while Young only plays a fraction of that. Interesting.
Binghamton, regular season co-champions and the No. 1 seed with two wins over Vermont, did not have a player named first-team all-conference. Vermont and third-place BU each had two.
AE post-season awards
For the first time in 16 years, the University of Maine didn't have a player named first, second or third team all-conference. Sean McNally was the Black Bears' best chance after a solid sophomore season, averaging 9.6 points and 7.4 rebounds. He's also the top offensive rebounder in America East.
UMaine guard Gerald McLemore was named to the all-rookie team. Junior Bernal was named to the all-academic team.
McNally was likely among a group of three or four players vying for the final couple spots on the third team. Hartford senior Jaret von Rosenberg made the third team. His own teammate, Michael Turner, had a strong season and was another candidate.
There were a few other surprises: Boston U.'s Corey Lowe was named first team all-conference over Binghamton's D.J. Rivera, who leads the league in scoring and is eighth in rebounding. UMBC's Jay Greene was also named the second team. I'd take Rivera and Greene over Lowe.
On the rookie team, Vermont's Garvey Young made it while Maryland-Baltimore County's Chauncey Gilliam did not. Gilliam has been among the league leaders in field goal shooting all season, averaged 11 points and 4 rebounds a game. He's also shooting 47 percent on threes compared to Young's 28 percent. Gilliam plays nearly 31 minutes a game while Young only plays a fraction of that. Interesting.
Binghamton, regular season co-champions and the No. 1 seed with two wins over Vermont, did not have a player named first-team all-conference. Vermont and third-place BU each had two.
AE post-season awards
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Gettin' in tune
Last 10/Last 5
When you're hot you're hot
Binghamton ... 9-1/5-0
Vermont ... 9-1/5-0
Boston U. ... 7-3/3-2
UNH ... 6-4/4-1
Stuck in the middle with you
Stony Brook ... 6-4/3-2
UMBC ... 4-6/3-2
You're as cold as ice
Albany ... 3-7/1-4
Maine ... 1-9/1-4
Hartford ... 0-10/0-5
When you're hot you're hot
Binghamton ... 9-1/5-0
Vermont ... 9-1/5-0
Boston U. ... 7-3/3-2
UNH ... 6-4/4-1
Stuck in the middle with you
Stony Brook ... 6-4/3-2
UMBC ... 4-6/3-2
You're as cold as ice
Albany ... 3-7/1-4
Maine ... 1-9/1-4
Hartford ... 0-10/0-5
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Tournament picks
PLAY-IN GAME
UMaine vs. Hartford
Hawks' last win was against Black Bears in January. Black Bears' last win was against Hawks in February. This game's in March. Nobody on UMaine's active roster has ever won a game in March (unless you count assistant coach Chris Markwood, who hit the last-second shot to beat BU four years ago). Hartford made it to the league championship game last year. Good news: Hartford's not a great rebounding team. Bad news: Hawks find the holes in a porous defense and knock down threes.
Pick: Hartford
QUARTERFINALS
Vermont vs. Albany
With or without Mike Trimboli, Vermont should win this game. Now, if Marqus Blakely missed the game, that would be different story. Albany's just not that good, making its near .500 record very impressive.
Pick: Vermont
Boston U. vs. Maryland-Baltimore County
This ought to be interesting. Two proud veterans (UMBC's Jay Greene and Darryl Proctor) against BU's "Iron Five" lineup. Hopefully the refs will let the best players stay in this game, because it's going to feature some terrific vets and two solid rookies (BU's Jake O'Brien, UMBC's Chauncey Gilliam).
Pick: UMBC
Binghamton vs. Hartford
Bearcats just too quick, too fast, too tough, too agile, too ... well, you get the picture.
Pick: Binghamton
New Hampshire vs. Stony Brook
Just might go double-overtime. Two young, aggressive, on-the-rise programs, either of which should give Binghamton a run for its money in the next round. I like Tyrece Gibbs, Alvin Abreu and Dane Diliegro just a tad more than Muhammad El-Amin, Tommy Brenton and Demetrius Young.
Pick: New Hampshire
SEMIFINALS
Vermont vs. UMBC
This will come down to how well Retrievers defend Marqus Blakely. Keep him from going off, and they'll stay in the game. Greene and Proctor will have the edge if it's close after the final TV timeout.
Pick: UMBC
Binghamton vs. New Hampshire
Wildcats are not impressed with Binghamton's No. 1 seed and Herrion's got them believing. Gibbs cancels Rivera, Diliegro cancels Fuller and Abreu cancels Mayben. And UNH has enough firepower on the rest of the roster to make a run at the upset.
Pick: UNH
CHAMPIONSHIP
Maryland-Baltimore County at New Hampshire
Call it the Acronym Bowl: UMBC vs. UNH for AE championship on ESPN. Home team wins something like 95.347813 percent of all America East championship games. Go crazy granite heads, go crazy.
Pick: UNH
UMaine vs. Hartford
Hawks' last win was against Black Bears in January. Black Bears' last win was against Hawks in February. This game's in March. Nobody on UMaine's active roster has ever won a game in March (unless you count assistant coach Chris Markwood, who hit the last-second shot to beat BU four years ago). Hartford made it to the league championship game last year. Good news: Hartford's not a great rebounding team. Bad news: Hawks find the holes in a porous defense and knock down threes.
Pick: Hartford
QUARTERFINALS
Vermont vs. Albany
With or without Mike Trimboli, Vermont should win this game. Now, if Marqus Blakely missed the game, that would be different story. Albany's just not that good, making its near .500 record very impressive.
Pick: Vermont
Boston U. vs. Maryland-Baltimore County
This ought to be interesting. Two proud veterans (UMBC's Jay Greene and Darryl Proctor) against BU's "Iron Five" lineup. Hopefully the refs will let the best players stay in this game, because it's going to feature some terrific vets and two solid rookies (BU's Jake O'Brien, UMBC's Chauncey Gilliam).
Pick: UMBC
Binghamton vs. Hartford
Bearcats just too quick, too fast, too tough, too agile, too ... well, you get the picture.
Pick: Binghamton
New Hampshire vs. Stony Brook
Just might go double-overtime. Two young, aggressive, on-the-rise programs, either of which should give Binghamton a run for its money in the next round. I like Tyrece Gibbs, Alvin Abreu and Dane Diliegro just a tad more than Muhammad El-Amin, Tommy Brenton and Demetrius Young.
Pick: New Hampshire
SEMIFINALS
Vermont vs. UMBC
This will come down to how well Retrievers defend Marqus Blakely. Keep him from going off, and they'll stay in the game. Greene and Proctor will have the edge if it's close after the final TV timeout.
Pick: UMBC
Binghamton vs. New Hampshire
Wildcats are not impressed with Binghamton's No. 1 seed and Herrion's got them believing. Gibbs cancels Rivera, Diliegro cancels Fuller and Abreu cancels Mayben. And UNH has enough firepower on the rest of the roster to make a run at the upset.
Pick: UNH
CHAMPIONSHIP
Maryland-Baltimore County at New Hampshire
Call it the Acronym Bowl: UMBC vs. UNH for AE championship on ESPN. Home team wins something like 95.347813 percent of all America East championship games. Go crazy granite heads, go crazy.
Pick: UNH
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Trimboli still sick
According to the Burlington Free Press, star Vermont guard Mike Trimboli is still out with an illness and his status for the America East tournament is uncertain. The illness caused Trimboli to miss his first game in four years Sunday when he didn't make the trip to Orono. The Catamounts still pounced on the Black Bears for a 93-81 win.
Color me a little skeptical on this. Kind of an unusual move to make an announcement that there "may" be an announcement the next day. All it does is excelerate the speculation. For me, I'll believe he isn't playing when they tip off at 12:07 p.m. Saturday and he's not there. Until then, I expect to see Trimboli. It wouldn't surprise me if there is some sort of statement today, it'll be along the lines of "Mike has shown some progress in the past 24 hours and he may be available, but we'll have a better idea in the next two days."
Sylvester Stallone may be in attendance at the press conference.
Color me a little skeptical on this. Kind of an unusual move to make an announcement that there "may" be an announcement the next day. All it does is excelerate the speculation. For me, I'll believe he isn't playing when they tip off at 12:07 p.m. Saturday and he's not there. Until then, I expect to see Trimboli. It wouldn't surprise me if there is some sort of statement today, it'll be along the lines of "Mike has shown some progress in the past 24 hours and he may be available, but we'll have a better idea in the next two days."
Sylvester Stallone may be in attendance at the press conference.
Post-season Awards
Preparations for the trip to UAlbany's SEFCU Arena and the conference tournament are in place and now it's time for Black Bears Pit to announce the selections for All-America East honors.
ALL-CONFERENCE
First Team
F - Marqus Blakely, Vermont
G - John Holland, Boston U.
G - D.J. Rivera, Binghamton
F - Darryl Proctor, Maryland-Baltimore County
G - Mike Trimboli, Vermont
Second Team
F - Colin McIntosh, Vermont
F - Reggie Fuller, Binghamton
G - Jay Greene, Maryland-Baltimore County
G - Corey Lowe, Boston U.
G - Tyrece Gibbs, New Hampshire
Third Team
G - Muhammad El-Amin, Stony Brook
G - Tim Ambrose, Albany
F - Will Harris, Albany
G - Michael Turner, Hartford
F - Sean McNally, Maine
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Marqus Blakely, Vermont ... in a close race with BU's John Holland and Binghamton's D.J. Rivera, Blakely wins his second straight POY. His ability to take over a game in any number of areas (rebounding, blocked shots, steals, scoring, assists) is the determining factor. He simply gives Vermont something nobody else in the league has.
ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
F - Jake O'Brien, Boston U.
F - Chauncey Gilliam, Maryland-Baltimore County
G - Gerald McLemore, Maine
F - Tommy Brenton, Stony Brook
G - Bryan Dougher, Stony Brook
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Jake O'Brien, Boston U. ... the 6-8 sharpshooter paces an outstanding class of first-year players.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Kevin Broadus, Binghamton ... He took over a Bearcat program that hadn't quite been able to turn the corner and in his second year, won a share of the league title and beat Vermont twice. If that isn't enough for league coaches to stand up and take notice then they are searching for issues.
ALL-CONFERENCE
First Team
F - Marqus Blakely, Vermont
G - John Holland, Boston U.
G - D.J. Rivera, Binghamton
F - Darryl Proctor, Maryland-Baltimore County
G - Mike Trimboli, Vermont
Second Team
F - Colin McIntosh, Vermont
F - Reggie Fuller, Binghamton
G - Jay Greene, Maryland-Baltimore County
G - Corey Lowe, Boston U.
G - Tyrece Gibbs, New Hampshire
Third Team
G - Muhammad El-Amin, Stony Brook
G - Tim Ambrose, Albany
F - Will Harris, Albany
G - Michael Turner, Hartford
F - Sean McNally, Maine
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Marqus Blakely, Vermont ... in a close race with BU's John Holland and Binghamton's D.J. Rivera, Blakely wins his second straight POY. His ability to take over a game in any number of areas (rebounding, blocked shots, steals, scoring, assists) is the determining factor. He simply gives Vermont something nobody else in the league has.
ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
F - Jake O'Brien, Boston U.
F - Chauncey Gilliam, Maryland-Baltimore County
G - Gerald McLemore, Maine
F - Tommy Brenton, Stony Brook
G - Bryan Dougher, Stony Brook
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Jake O'Brien, Boston U. ... the 6-8 sharpshooter paces an outstanding class of first-year players.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Kevin Broadus, Binghamton ... He took over a Bearcat program that hadn't quite been able to turn the corner and in his second year, won a share of the league title and beat Vermont twice. If that isn't enough for league coaches to stand up and take notice then they are searching for issues.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Vermont 93, Black Bears 81
Vermont scored 37 points in the final 13 minutes and earned a share of the regular-season America East title.
The Black Bears fall to 9-20 on the season and finish 4-12 in the league. UMaine has dropped four straight and nine of its past 10 games.
Sean McNally paced the Black Bears with 24 points and eight rebounds. Troy Barnies had 19. Also in double figures were Junior Bernal (12 points) and Kaimondre Owes (18).
After the Black Bears pulled within 56-54 with 13:13 left in the game, the Catamounts pulled away and led by as much as 20 points ... all in the final 13 minutes.
UMaine's play-in game foe, Hartford, is finishing the regular season against Boston U. and was trailing 36-16 late in the first half. Hartford rallied and pushed the game to overtime before falling.
The Hawks have lost 13 consecutive games. Their last win was in January against the Black Bears. UMaine's only victory in the past 10 games was against Hartford.
The Black Bears fall to 9-20 on the season and finish 4-12 in the league. UMaine has dropped four straight and nine of its past 10 games.
Sean McNally paced the Black Bears with 24 points and eight rebounds. Troy Barnies had 19. Also in double figures were Junior Bernal (12 points) and Kaimondre Owes (18).
After the Black Bears pulled within 56-54 with 13:13 left in the game, the Catamounts pulled away and led by as much as 20 points ... all in the final 13 minutes.
UMaine's play-in game foe, Hartford, is finishing the regular season against Boston U. and was trailing 36-16 late in the first half. Hartford rallied and pushed the game to overtime before falling.
The Hawks have lost 13 consecutive games. Their last win was in January against the Black Bears. UMaine's only victory in the past 10 games was against Hartford.
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