Seawolves Win On Super Saturday (Recap of Canisius vs. Stony Brook)

Being able to come to New York for Thanksgiving to see my wife and kids gave me the opportunity on Saturday to see one of my favorite teams, the Stony Brook Seawolves. The Seawolves were hosting the Canisus Golden Griffins as part of Stony Brook's Super Saturday.  The men's basketball game was moved up to a noon start time because the football team was hosting a game of their own, a FBS playoff game vs. Villanova.

If you follow Stony Brook Athletics, you could say it was not just a Super Saturday, but a Super Year for the Seawolves.  In the beginning of the year, the men's basketball team won the America East Regular Season Championship, then lost in the tournament final at home to Vermont.  It was their only loss of the season at home, but they did get a NIT bid, their second in the past three seasons.

Then the baseball team had one of the more amazing runs ever in the history of NCAA Division I college baseball postseason.  The Seawolves stunned LSU in Baton Rouge to qualify for the College World Series.  Now the football team was hosting another playoff game after making the Football Subdivision playoffs last season.

As noted, the men's team has been very successful the last three seasons.  Including the two NIT appearances in the 2009-10 and 2011-12 seasons, the Seawolves also made the America East championship game in the 2010-11 season as well.  Stony Brook would lose that game in the last seconds to Boston University.  Coach Steve Pikiell has built a strong program and he is looking to finally break the glass ceiling and make the NCAA Tournament this season with a veteran team.

Pikiell's 2012-13 Seawolves have several returning players including Dave Coley, Ron Bracey, Anthony Jackson, Marcus Rouse and Alex McAllister.  But the one returning player my color analyst,aka my seven year old son Matthew, was looking forward to see again was the preseason America East Player of the Year, senior forward Tommy Brenton, the hardest working man in college basketball.

Brenton is a man in constant motion. He averages five assists per game. If he is not setting up a player for a basket, he is setting a pick, or blocking out for a rebound, or hustling for a loose ball. Or in the case of the beginning of this game, Brenton was causing turnovers.  Brenton caused a turnover by pressuring a Golden Griffin player to step out of bounds on the opening tip.  He then stole the ball another two times early in the game.  Meanwhile, Jackson buried two three pointers and the Seawolves were up 11-2 not even four minutes into the game.

A season ago, this likely would have been another thrashing for Canisius.  Last season, the Golden Griffins team won all of five games.  But in the offseason, Tom Parrotta was fired and former Rhode Island coach, Jimmy Baron was brought in.  Baron brought his son Billy with him. The Barons already have given the Canisius faithful some hope.  The Golden Griffins came into the game undefeated at 3-0 with wins over Boston University, Saint Bonaventure and Buffalo.

Canisius showed why they are 3-0 by responding with a 12-3 run over the next four plus minutes. The Griffs, as they are known as, used their size advantage with Jordan Heath and Freddy Asprilla.  The Canisius big men helped cut the deficit to one, 15-14.

But a Stony Brook big man responded with a run of his own.  Freshman Jameel Warney would score the next nine Seawolves points. His three point play would make the score 24-14 with just less than nine minutes left.  Varney is quite impressive, with good post moves, a nice touch, relentless on the glass and plays as if he is a junior or senior.  Pikiell has a real find in the six foot eight inch forward from Plainfield, New Jersey.

A Rouse three extended the Stony Brook lead to 27-16.  But Canisius refused to go away.  Led by Harold Washington, Alshwan Hymes and Billy Baron, the Griffs and cut the lead down to six.  The Seawolves would lead 36-30 at the half.

Early on in the second half, my color analyst pointed out to me something that I believe would lead to some chippy play and frustrations later on in the half.  About three and a half minutes into the second half, Matthew pointed out to the scoreboard and said "They already have five fouls?!" Sure enough, the Griffs had been called for five fouls and the Seawolves only one.  A few Griffs' fans behind me had been chirping about the foul calls the entire game.

This might have led to some tempers flaring when Coley and Jordan Heath had an altercation near the Canisius basket after a foul by Carson Puriefoy.  Simultaneous technical fouls were called on Coley and Heath.  Also, Griffs' freshman Tyrel Edwards was ejected for leaving the bench.  Billy Baron made two free throws and Canisius was now down only two 43-41.

But Brenton and Warney made sure the Griffs would get no closer.  Led by the senior and the freshman, the Seawolves went on a 15-3 run over the next four minutes.  It would be capped by a floater from the freshman Puriefoy. I remember watching his dad, who was a three year starting guard at Bucknell and  I have got to know over Twitter (@CarsonPuriefoy).  His dad came over to meet me before the game.  As I noted on Twitter, it was my honor to meet him.

During this run, Coach Baron received a technical, likely frustrated by the foul call situation.  But his team did not lose its fighting spirit.  The Griffs would cut the lead down to six with a little over a minute left.  But Canisius would not get any closer as the Seawolves would hit their free throws, going 27 of 31 for the game.  Stony Brook would lead wire to wire and win 82-75.

Brenton, was the ultimate stat sheet stuffer on the day.  He just missed a double double with nine points, fourteen rebounds, six assists and three steals.  Jackson led Stony Brook with twenty one points. Warney added eighteen points while Coley contributed fourteen points.  The Seawolves also outrebounded the Griffs 40-26.

Billy Baron led all scorers with twenty two points, including ten of eleven from the free throw line. Jordan Heath had fifteen points and Washington added fourteen. The Griffs are now 3-1 on the season.

On Super Saturday, the men's basketball team held up their end of the bargain. Then the football team held up their end as well, defeating Villanova 20-10 in the first round of the Football Subdivision playoffs.  Miguel Maysonet, the nation's leading rusher in yards per game, had one hundred and sixty yards rushing.

For Stony Brook, it was truly a Super Saturday.

Wolfie Celebrates His Birthday With a Win (Recap of UMBC vs. Stony Brook)

Seventeen years ago, Wolfie made his debut as the mascot of the Stony Brook Seawolves. Seventeen years ago, Stony Brook wasn't even a Division I basketball team at the time.  The Seawolves weren't Division I until 1999 and didn't join the America East until 2001.  But here we were on a Thursday night, seventeen years later celebrating Wolfie's birthday and also celebrating the fact that Stony Brook was leading the America East heading into their game against UMBC.

The night started with Matthew and I barely getting to the game on time due to having to drop off my younger son at my in-laws, since my wife was coming back from a work meeting in New Jersey.  But before we could get into Pritchard Gymnasium, Matthew had to have his pregame ritual; a pretzel and a bottle of water.

When we got to our seats, it wasn't long before there was a timeout on the court.  The Stony Brook cheerleaders then rolled out a red carpet for several guest mascots and then for the guest of honor, Wolfie Seawolf.   Matthew and I only recognized one mascot, QuackerJack, the intrepid mascot of the Long Island Ducks Atlantic League baseball team.   They might be now the best professional baseball team on Long Island, since that major league team in Queens is seemingly getting worse by the minute.

In their first matchup of the season, the Seawolves traveled down to Maryland and drubbed the Retrievers by forty points, 89-49.   So you would think that Matthew and I would see a similar result last night.  Well, that's why they play the game.

In the first half, UMBC shot the lights out, hitting on fifty nine percent of their shots (sixteen of twenty seven).  However the Retrievers only led by one at the half, because the Seawolves had six three pointers in the first twenty minutes to keep the game close.  Considering UMBC came into the game with a record of 3-20, I kept saying to Matthew, this might be the best the Retrievers have shot from the field in a half for the entire season.

At halftime, everyone was invited to the concourse to have cupcakes in celebration of Wolfie's birthday.  However, Matthew and I chose to stay in the gym and watch the halftime CYO game.   Matthew had also brought with him my younger son's Wolfie Seawolf doll to the game.  I have to admit, the doll's facial features make it more imposing than the real life Wolfie.

The start of the second half saw Stony Brook briefly take the lead on a layup by Bryan Dougher.  But Ryan Cook and Chase Plummer responded with two three pointers to put UMBC back up by five, 41-36.  Seawolves' coach Steve Pikiell immediately called up timeout.  The fans near me couldn't believe how well the Retrievers were shooting on the night.

But Stony Brook would respond with a run and it was due in large part to their heart and soul; junior forward Tommy Brenton.  Brenton sat out most of the first half with two fouls and if you have seen enough Seawolves' games this season like I have, you know that he gives his team so much energy.

Over the course of eight minutes, Stony Brook would outscore UMBC 19-6.  During that run, Brenton played a major part.  He had five assists, three rebounds and a layup.  He also drew a pivotal fourth offensive foul on Plummer, the Retrievers' leading scorer, which sent Plummer to the bench.  With eight minutes left, the Seawolves were up eight.

During a media timeout, they had a Price is Right game with several Stony Brook students.  The question was "Tommy Brenton has the all time Stony Brook record for rebounds in a game.  How many rebounds did he have?"   The answer was seventeen.  It was very appropriate that the question was based on Brenton.

Much to their credit, UMBC refused to quit.  They kept the game within single digits and after a Brian Neller three pointer, the Retrievers were only down four, 64-60 with just less than three minutes left.  UMBC certainly did not look like a 3-20 team last night.

But eventually Stony Brook wore them down.  The Seawolves would outscore the Retrievers 16-8 the rest of the way.  At the end of the game, it was only fitting that Brenton again was involved.  He grabbed his sixth rebound of the game with six seconds left.  After he had grabbed the ball away from UMBC's Chandler Thomas, Thomas took offense and pulled away his arm.  Thomas drew a technical foul and Dougher hit two free throws for the final score of 80-68.

For UMBC, Plummer led all scorers with eighteen points.  Neller had eleven points and Ryan Cook added ten points.  The Retrievers played hard all night and they seemed a lot better than a 3-20 team.  They were certainly better than four teams that I had personally seen this season, two of whom UMBC beat; Binghamton and Towson (the other two teams are FDU and Colgate).  If they keep playing like this, I could see the Retrievers surprising some team in the America East tournament if that team isn't ready for them.

For Stony Brook, Anthony Jackson was the leading scorer with seventeen points for Stony Brook.  Dougher added sixteen, while Marcus Rouse and Dallas Joyner had fourteen points each.  Brenton only had three points on the night, but he had seven assists, six rebounds and a lasting impression on my six year old son.  Brenton is one of Matthew's favorite players.

As for Wolfie, he got lots of presents and adulation from his fans and his fellow mascot friends.  And of course, Wolfie led the way during the "Cotton Eye Joe" kids' dance.   Happy Birthday, Wolfie!

Hopefully Wolfie enjoyed the birthday present from his Seawolves;  their eighth straight win overall and their thirteenth straight home win.   Stony Brook is now 17-7 overall and 12-1 in the America East.   Too bad ESPN doesn't know how good the Seawolves are, since they were shunned from a televised BracketBuster game.

Hopefully soon enough, everyone will know how good the Seawolves really are.

SUNY Supremacy (Recap of Albany vs. Stony Brook)

The universities in the State of New York school system used to be known with their names starting with SUNY.  There was SUNY Stony Brook, SUNY Albany and SUNY Binghamton, to name a few.   They are officially known as the State University of New York at Stony Brook, the State University of New York at Albany and the State University of New York at Binghamton.

But several years ago, the schools decided to wisely market themselves without the SUNY in front of the name.  SUNY Stony Brook became Stony Brook University.  SUNY Albany became University at Albany and SUNY Binghamton became Binghamton University.  You no longer hear the term SUNY for the most part.

Like the name changes, the schools have a recent history of being Division I basketball programs.  Albany and Stony Brook both became Division I programs in 1999 and joined the America East in 2001.  Binghamton became a Division I program in 2001 and joined the America East the same year.  You could say the SUNY schools saved the America East from extinction after Delaware, Drexel, Hofstra and Towson left the America East for the CAA.

All three schools also have had recent success in the America East.  Albany won the America East Tournament Championship two years in a row in 2006 and 2007.   Binghamton won the America East Tournament Championship in 2009, albeit under controversy that set their program back years.  Stony Brook won the 2009-10 regular season America East Championship and barely lost in the tournament championship game in 2011 to Boston University.

In the 2011-12 season, two of the three schools have had some success.  Binghamton of course might go winless for the entire season.  But entering the game, Albany at 10-6 and 2-0 in conference and Stony Brook at 8-7 and 2-0 in conference have been carrying the SUNY flag.  And on Sunday, the teams faced each other with at least a share of the America East conference lead on the line.  You could say the game was for "SUNY Supremacy" of men's college basketball.

It was doubleheader day at Pritchard Gym, as the men's 2:00 P.M. game was the first game followed by the women's 5:00 P.M. game.   Despite a local New York football team having a home playoff game on TV during the game time start of the men's game, the gym was again full of red in support of the home team.  And the home team didn't disappoint its fans.

The game was tied early on at twelve with twelve minutes left in the first half.  It was a contrast of styles as the Great Danes scored all their points on four three pointers.  Meanwhile, the Seawolves hit six of their first ten shots, all two pointers.

But the Seawolves would go on a 19-6 run over the next five minutes.  And it was an unlikely source leading the way for Stony Brook.  Anthony Jackson, a reserve sophomore guard who only averages four points per game, would bury two three pointers during the run.  Stony Brook was up 31-18 with five minutes left.

Entering the game, Albany had one of the leading scorers in the country, junior Gerardo Suero, who averages twenty two points per game.  And it was Suero and fellow junior guard Mike Black, who kept the Great Danes in the game, as they combined to score Albany's first twenty points.   The Great Danes also had nine offensive rebounds in the first half,  which allowed them to have ten more field goal attempts than the Seawolves.  Despite Stony Brook shooting eighteen of twenty five from the field in the first half, the Seawolves were only up 44-33 at the half.

Albany Coach Will Brown must not have been too happy with his team's defensive performance in the first half.  The Great Danes didn't come out onto the court until three minutes prior to the start of the second half.   You figured Albany would come right out and get back in the game.

But the 2011-12 college basketball season has been hard to predict so far and sure enough, so was the start of the second half.  It must have been something Head Coach Steve Pickiell said at halftime, as Stony Brook came out and picked up where they left off in the first half.  The Seawolves went on a 12-4 spurt led by Bryan Dougher's two three pointers.  At the TV timeout with 15:41 left, Stony Brook was up 55-37.

I was at the game on Sunday with my two sons, Matthew and Jonathan, along with Matthew's friend Stephen and his mom, April, a friend of mine. Stony Brook makes their games family friendly.  This game was no exception. There was a halftime CYO game, a bouncy hippo race and as always the Cotton Eyed Joe dance, led by the Seawolves' intrepid mascot, Wolfie. Wolfie worked the crowd the entire game as I high fived him at least twice and waved one other time.  He also had his typical second half "Shake Weight" distraction, which always gets a laugh out of me.

The lead was still seventeen, 59-42 with about twelve and a half minutes left.  It looked like Albany was done for the day.  But when you have one of the leading scorers in the country, you are never out of the game. And sure enough, Suero became a one man wrecking crew for the Danes.  He scored ten of Albany's next sixteen points and the Great Danes were down only by nine, 67-58 with a little less than seven minutes left.

But the Seawolves and Dougher in particular were too much for the Great Danes.  He hit two more three pointers to put Stony Brook up fifteen, 79-64 with a little more than about two and a half minutes left.   The Seawolves went onto win 81-68 and temporarily take over sole possession of first place in the America East.  Maine is the only other undefeated team in conference but has played one less game.

For Stony Brook, Dougher scored fifteen of his nineteen points in the second half, all on three pointers.  Dallas Joyner had a double double with fifteen points and eleven rebounds and Jackson had eleven points.  The Seawolves had great balance on offense as eight players had at least six points or more in the game.

For Albany, Suero had a game high twenty eight points, including fifteen in the second half.  Logan Aronhalt added eighteen points and Black had fourteen points for the Great Danes. However, those three players combined for sixty of Albany's sixty eight points.

As we left Pritchard Gym, my younger son Jonathan was clutching his little Wolfie doll, which I got for him at the Stony Brook merchandise stand outside of the gym.  A nice memento for him to remember this day.  As for me, my memento was another good forty minutes of live college basketball.