MBB: State University of New York Athletic Conference

[jdex]

Magic, so you had a headstart ......your reputation allows this one ......

And at the finish ....Cortland 93, SUNYIT 63. No problem for RDragons, who are capable of such shooting but hadn't come close till this one. Over early. And this was a game that gave me pause. Despite IT's 1-5 record coming in including a 102-98 win over Utica most recently, IT had fallen to Clark, Bridgewater, Medaille, Union and Hamilton. Easy pickins today. Corts J. Smith 17 pts (15 at half) on 7x14fg, 6 assts; J. Winter 14 pts(6x14fg) 8 assts; B. Manning 14 pts(5x10fg, 4x8 3s). All 13 CSters score and Dragons with 27 assists, just 11 Trnvrs to IT's 20 (most early). Cortland 34x73fg and bigtime from beyond the arc. IT's T. Richardson 20 pts(8x17fg) 6 rebs; D. Rowe 16 pts(10x11ft). Corts idle till hosting Naz on Jan. 4. IT in Tampa after Christmas

[magicman]

Buffalo State in a close affair with Capital is down by 3 at the half 32-29. There were 7 ties and 9 lead changes with the Bengals holding their largest lead at 17-10 and the Crusaders held their largest lead at 22-17 as they had a 12-0 run to erase the Bengal advantage. Tied at 29 a hoop and harm by Capital with 1:13 left in the half provided the difference.

[magicman]

Buffalo St. and Capital in overtime and the Bengals lead 81-78 with 8.9 seconds left to play. Capital calls a time out and will inbound the ball under the Bengals basket. They need a three and fire one up with 1 second to go but it doesn't fall and the Bengals escape with the win. Huge sigh of relief from BengalsRule.  Details to follow.

[magicman]

I expected a close game between Buffalo State and Capital but didn't anticipate an extra session. Bengals were down 34-32 early in the 2nd when Jake Simmons explodes for 9 consecutive points in a minute and 27 seconds to put the Bengals up 41-34. Justin Mitchell then converted a pair of free throws to extend the lead to 9, Buff State's largest of the game. The teams exchanged baskets and then the Crusaders scored 7 unanswered points to pull within 2 at 45-43. Bengals go up by 7 at 50-43, only to have Capital respond with a 14-4 run to regain the lead at 57-54 with 7:17 to play. Three more lead changes and 2 more ties would occur when the Bengals Ahmed Nagaya hits a layup with 37 ticks left to put Buff St up 68-66. Following a time out the Crusaders tied it up with a jumper at :23 and the Bengals Nico McLean missed a 3 point attempt at the buzzer. The extra session began with a Capital miss, offensive rebound, another miss and the Bengals were off and running. Jake Simmons drove and scored and Buffalo St was never headed. Outscoring the Crusaders 9-1, they opened up an 8 point lead at 77-69 with 2:47 remaining. Key play was a nice inbounds pass by Nico McLean from underneath the Bengal basket to a leaping Ahmed Nagaya just in front of the hoop. Nagaya caught and shot while in the air, was fouled on the play and he made the free throw. Capital didn't quit however and with 40 seconds to go Crusader's Tim Congrove stole the ball (although it looked like McLean got mugged) and coasted in for an uncontested layup that narrowed the gap to a single possession. Bengals hit just enough free throws down the stretch to pull it out, 81-78.

Bengals were led by Jake Simmons with 24 points (10x21 fg, 2x8 3's, 2x5 ft). Justin Mitchell had his 3rd double double in the past 4 games as he totaled 18 pts (7x16 fg, 4x7 ft) and 11 rebounds. Ahmed Nagaya had his 3rd double double of the season with 15 pts (7x13 fg, 1x2 ft) and 10 boards. Nico McLean had 10 points, all coming from the charity stripe. Norman Simmons had a solid game with 4 pts, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals. Bengals vaunted bench didn't see a lot of action, as Buffalo St. starters played Oswego State minutes.  37,37,37,38 and 28 were the minutes played by the starting five. Buff St. shot 27x69 from the field (39.1%), only 2x13 from the arc (13.1%) and 25x38 from the stripe (65.8%). They committed 14 turnovers to 21 for Capital but were outrebounded 52 to 44.

Capital was led by Spencer Niekamp with 22 pts (8x14 fg, 3x6 3's, 3x4 ft). Keely winter had 16 pts and Ben Danhoff added 10. Crusaders shot 29x75 from the field (38.7%), worse than the Bengals from the arc, 3x23 (13.0%), and 17x23 from the line (73.9%).

Bengals go to 8-1 and will be off until December 31st when they take on Wesleyan at 6 PM in Catholic University's Residence Inn Greenbelt Classic Holiday Tournament.

I almost had the correct score as I predicted an 83-74 final. My posted total of 157 pts was only 2 off the 159  that was scored.

Jdex, no head start on the Cortland game, as I never knew it was going on until after I posted. Did have a pretty good MOV in that one as my 32 point prediction was only 2 off the money. My total only missed by 4 pts. 152 to an actual 156. Had I seen that halftime score ahead of time I would have predicted 110-58.    

[Bengalsrule]

Huge sigh of relief from BengalsRule.  Details to follow.

    Hugh sigh indeed my friend!!!  Alot of energy was expended last night by my beloved BENGALS. Kudos to a scrappy Capital squad that really took it to us for a good portion of the game. They outrebounded us, scored more fast break and 2nd chance points abd basically made life miserable for ther Black and Orange.. Fortunatly  the BENGAL starters got much need rest Friday because Capital made them earn every min Sat. Thank goodness for Ahmed Nagaya's layup with 38 secs left in reg and his "hoop and a harm" (I love that phrase) in OT!

I was surprised by the number of fans that made the journey from Columbus Ohio to support thier team!

[magicman]

A side story that has nothing to do with Bball or the YAC. Tonight was the final episode of CBS's Survivor: South Pacific. Normally I don't pay much attention to TV reality shows but a local girl, Sophie Clark from Willsboro, NY, was a contestant on this particular edition of Survivor. Willsboro is a very small town (population less than 2000) about 25 miles south of Plattsburgh. Sophie and her twin sisters had rented band instruments from my store over the years when they were in the school band. Tonight Sophie was the $1,000,000 winner of Survivor. A medical student, who graduated from Middlebury College, Sophie was valedictorian of her high school, as well as MVP of her soccer team and league her final year of high school. She recently spent a year in Africa as a member of a USA foreign aid program. I remember several months ago when I first learned she would be a contestant, I mentioned to my wife that I thought she would have a chance to win it. Didn't think she would win, but figured because of her athletic ability her fellow tribe members would be less likely to vote her off. Her mental ability was also quite beneficial, as she won the final challenge (figuring out how to put a puzzle together in the fastest time) and received immunity when the final vote to eliminate someone took place. The entire area will be buzzing tomorrow I'm sure.          

[magicman]

Here's a link to the article in the Plattsburgh Press Republican about Sophie Clark winning the Survivor Reality Show.

http://pressrepublican.com/0100_news/x1181958057/Willsboro-Native-the-ultimate-Survivor

[Bengalsrule]

magicman...Sounds like "Johnnys Family  Smokehouse and Sportsbar " in Willsboro is the place to be this Weds. night. Be sure you have a designated driver .

Congrats to Sophie and chalk another 1 up for NY State!

[magicman]

News out of Potsdam today announcing that former Potsdam great and All American, Mike Deane will be inducted into the New York State Basketball Hall of Fame. May have to get some Plattsburgh boys together and make a trip to Glens Falls to attend the ceremony in March. Here's the write up from the Bears website:

GLENS FALLS, N.Y.—The Basketball Coaches Association of New York has announced that former SUNY Potsdam All-American basketball player Mike Deane '74 has been selected for induction into the New York State Basketball Hall of Fame. Deane will be inducted with nine other members of the 2012 class on March 18.

As a player, Deane was one of the finest to ever don a Bears uniform. His 18.1 points-per-game average over three seasons is the highest in the history of the program. Deane is also Potsdam's career assist leader with 805 and he ranks sixth all-time with in scoring with 1,447 points in 80 games. As a senior in 1974, Deane was named the first of 13 Bears' basketball All-Americans. The Stony Point, N.Y. native was inducted into the Bears Hall of Fame in 1984.

After Potsdam, Deane served as a college head coach at Oswego State, Siena, Marquette, Lamar, and Wagner. In 26 seasons from 1980-2010, Deane amassed a 437-332 coaching record. His teams made four National Invitational Tournament appearances, including the championship game with Marquette in 1994, and four NCAA Tournament appearances.

The induction ceremony will take place at 10 a.m. in Heritage Hall at the Glens Falls Civic Center during the Federation State Tournament.

[jdex]

Ahhhh, Mike Deane. A great one. Honor's long overdue. Saw him several times disappoint the RDragons. And always the Cortland connection. Roommate at Potsdam......Bob Haggerty of Cortland, for sure a M. Deane booster! Works(ed) in Albany polictical circles. No doubt kept in close touch (and beyond) when at Siena.

[Bengalsrule]

  Just got this from a coach at Buff State. They are looking for 1 and possibly 2 games for the upcoming season (late Nov/early Dec). If any of you guys know of a non-Sunyac school looking to come to beautiful Western new york (BENGALS would return the favor, if need be, the following season) let me know!
  I know the BENGALS have already posted in the upcoming games section of D3Hoops but I know that there are those of you that wish the BENGALS schedule was tougher. Reach out and touch some teams and see what they say!

P. S. Congrats to Mike Deane!!

[Ethelred the Unready]

  Just got this from a coach at Buff State. They are looking for 1 and possibly 2 games for the upcoming season (late Nov/early Dec). If any of you guys know of a non-Sunyac school looking to come to beautiful Western new york (BENGALS would return the favor, if need be, the following season) let me know!
  I know the BENGALS have already posted in the upcoming games section of D3Hoops but I know that there are those of you that wish the BENGALS schedule was tougher. Reach out and touch some teams and see what they say!

P. S. Congrats to Mike Deane!!

They should check with U of R to see about one of their early tournaments.  Unless Buff State only wants to stay at home.

[magicman]

Ahhhh, Mike Deane. A great one. Honor's long overdue. Saw him several times disappoint the RDragons. And always the Cortland connection. Roommate at Potsdam......Bob Haggerty of Cortland, for sure a M. Deane booster! Works(ed) in Albany polictical circles. No doubt kept in close touch (and beyond) when at Siena.

jdex,
You are correct, the honor's lonnngg overdue. Not many could see the floor (and I mean the entire floor ) like Mike. His lifetime average of a double double in points and assists should have been enough to get him in the Hall even without his outstanding resume as a coach. Saw him play in countless games while he was at Potsdam. Even when I left Potsdam and moved to Watertown, I would still go back and see him play. He was always worth the trip. Was drafted and almost made the Milwaukee Bucks that fall after his graduation. He continued to come to Plattsburgh for many years (into his 40's) and play in the annual semi-pro tournament that the local police dept. put on right after the NCAA tourney was over. Always brought with him some stars of his Siena teams and they didn't always win the tournament (although they won their share) but were always in the final game. Hal Cohen from SU (whose daughter currently stars for the Cortland Women) would show up with a few of his treammates as well. Team out of Utica always came and brought some ringers also. Andre McCarter All American from UCLA came with the Utica team one year. Deane had some of his players, a couple of UVM boys and Union's all time leading scorer, Joe Cardany. Cardany had McCarter for lunch, Deane's team won the championship and Joe was the MVP. Those sure were good times. 

[magicman]

The new Top 25 Poll is out and Oswego and Buffalo St are continuing to represent the SUNYAC in the rankings. Oswego increased their vote total from last week by 25 points and moved up 1 placement to the #23 spot. Buffalo State, despite winning 2 games and increasing their vote total by 11 points fell 3 places to the #24 spot. Stevens Point with victories over two undefeated teams in a 5 day stretch went from #25 to #18.  Oswego with 1 win last week and idle Claremont-Mudd-Scripps also skipped over the Bengals. Oswego also hopped over Rochester as the Yellowjackets fell to the 25th position. Rochester was the only one of the 3 ranked New York State schools to actually lose points as they went from 82 down to 78. Hartwick and Hobart continue to come in the tail end of the ORV category each getting a single point.

Interesting to note that not a single team dropped out of the polls this week. This was no doubt, due to a limited number of games being played by teams in the Top 25, as 11 of the ranked teams were idle. Only 3 ranked teams suffered a loss and while those 3 tumbled a bit they were all fairly high in the standings at the time of their loss. They were #9 Marietta, who fell to #20, #13 UW-Whitewater who dropped to #16, and #16 Birmingham-Southern who slipped to #22. This was only the fourth time in the past six and a half years that no Top 25 team has dropped out of the poll. Only once since November of 2005 has the poll remained stable during the break that takes place at this time of year. That occured for the week ending December 21st, 2008. The other two instances were the weeks ending January 24, 2010 and February 6, 2011.     

[thebear]

Ahhhh, Mike Deane. A great one. Honor's long overdue. Saw him several times disappoint the RDragons. And always the Cortland connection. Roommate at Potsdam......Bob Haggerty of Cortland, for sure a M. Deane booster! Works(ed) in Albany polictical circles. No doubt kept in close touch (and beyond) when at Siena.

jdex,
You are correct, the honor's lonnngg overdue. Not many could see the floor (and I mean the entire floor ) like Mike. His lifetime average of a double double in points and assists should have been enough to get him in the Hall even without his outstanding resume as a coach. Saw him play in countless games while he was at Potsdam. Even when I left Potsdam and moved to Watertown, I would still go back and see him play. He was always worth the trip. Was drafted and almost made the Milwaukee Bucks that fall after his graduation. He continued to come to Plattsburgh for many years (into his 40's) and play in the annual semi-pro tournament that the local police dept. put on right after the NCAA tourney was over. Always brought with him some stars of his Siena teams and they didn't always win the tournament (although they won their share) but were always in the final game. Hal Cohen from SU (whose daughter currently stars for the Cortland Women) would show up with a few of his treammates as well. Team out of Utica always came and brought some ringers also. Andre McCarter All American from UCLA came with the Utica team one year. Deane had some of his players, a couple of UVM boys and Union's all time leading scorer, Joe Cardany. Cardany had McCarter for lunch, Deane's team won the championship and Joe was the MVP. Those sure were good times. 

I lived with Mike for his last year and a half at Potsdam.  Deane's exploits in the PBA and in the Patrick's tournament in Glens Falls were legendary, but you do forget his partner in crime, Mr. Ted Bence, who was brought along to set picks, play defense, rebound, and convert many of Deane's pinpoint passes off the out of bounds play.  Point guards always need someone to convert those passes into scores, and the big feller from Watertown did that with surprising success.  I especially remember a game where Deane & the boys (I think they may have been playing for Brodies) faced off against a Patrick's squad that featured Larry Fogle and Jim Town.

I will be in my old stomping grounds of Glens Falls on 3/18 for sure, will be a special day.  I think Mike is the third Potsdam Bear to go into the Coaches' Hall of Fame, (Jerry Welsh & Bill Merna precede him) and Bishop Ludden's Pat Donnelly shouldn't be far behind.
Also -dex, Stan Cohen, between his many years at the JUCO level, where he produced a couple of ABA players, and then his nearly four decades at Potsdam, is more than worthy of consideration as well.

Thanks for the memories Magic.