UAlbany Basketball Team Banquet

From the university website:



Friday, April 14, 2006
UAlbany Banquet on May 4 at Crowne Plaza
Albany, N.Y. – The historical achievements of the 2005-06 University at Albany men's basketball team will be celebrated at the program's annual postseason awards banquet, on Thursday, May 4 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in downtown Albany. The Great Danes captured the America East Conference regular-season and tournament championships and reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time as a Division I program. Reservations can be made by contacting Jeremy Friel at 518-442-3036. The cost is $25 per person.

I believe I have a final that evening. If not, hope to see ya' there.

Per the previous post, The Hold Steady will be in Albany on Friday, July 28th at Valentine's. They are gonna' tear the place apart. Then its the track for the weekend.
I survived a summer in Albany one time already...

Maggie & Jamie Dixon article-- link

Written a few months back-- helps one get a sense as to the type of person she was.
An excerpt:
“He stayed with us for four months, when returned from Holland,” Maggie says. “It was during that time that time that he told me that if I wanted to pursue basketball I had to put all my focus on that. I was involved in volleyball, basketball and other sports at that time, but he told me that I needed to focus on just basketball. I learned that it would take a lot of hard work and a lot of focus.

And that is not all that she learned.

“We became a lot closer when he returned home,” says Maggie. “You realize just how quickly things can be taken away from you. I love my brother.”

The cruel irony of this statement pisses me off and breaks my heart at the same time. Deepest condolences to the Dixon family.

Everyone knew it was a matter of time before Capel was lured from VCU-- great hire for Oklahoma. Also, Seton Hall did a great job by hiring Bobby Gonzalez. About time a major came knocking, even if Gonzalez is going to last 2 years at Seton Hall before moving on, IMO. The biggest coups of this offseason might turn out to be Andy Kennedy at Mississippi and Mike Anderson at Missouri.

Of course, Hartford America East fans anxiously await America East COY Lenny Harrison's replacement.

DI Coaching Carousel

Finally saw The Hold Steady in Brooklyn last weekend-- best rock band on the planet at this moment. Of course they'll never come to Albany. See 'em if you get the chance. Upcoming tour dates:

Fri Apr 28 TT The Bear's Cambridge, MA
Thu Jul 27 Castle Clinton New York, NY
Wed Aug 2 Mohawk Place Buffalo, NY
Thu Aug 3 Blossom Music Festival Cuyahoga Falls, OH
Sun Aug 6 Lollapalooza at Grant Park Chicago, IL

See ya' in Boston!

194 Days 'Til Midnight Madness...

Get well, coach Wooden.

After 3 weeks of the our the best sporting event on the planet, of course the Final Four has a tendency to be a bit anti-climactic. And you know what? Its probably better that way-- let me down easily, thank you.

I didn't think last year's tournament could be topped, and despite a lackluster final weekend, I think this tournament actually surpassed last year's. Congratulations, coach Donovan and Florida- you can finally shut up all the naysayers, myself included, always waiting for your team to lay an egg. Not this year.

For all the press the ACC, Big East and Big 10 received throughout this college basketball season, in the end, the SEC proved to be the best conference. Two Final Four teams, the NCAA and the NIT champions. Florida played the type of basketball that everyone expected from UConn in this tournament. Athletic and versatile frontcourt, and solid guardplay from Taurean Green. Looks like Will Brown had it right, who called Green the "x-factor" in yesterday's Times Siena and said Florida would be extremely tough if Green played well.

Of course I picked UCLA. However, Florida could have Adam Morrison, Randy Foye, JJ Reddick and Sheldon Williams on their team-- I'm still not picking them, not even to beat Stony Brook. Last night's win makes Florida, along with Texas, arguably the one of the two best sports schools in the country at the moment.

Joakim Noah just traveled again.

May or may not have seen Siggers during One Shining Moment-- maybe I was just hoping to see an Albany player. (Actually, it was confirmed ont he BPF site, so maybe I'm not completely delusional.)
And, I'm still waiting for the Coca-Cola/CSTV superfan ad. Thanks for nothing.

Only 194 days until Midnight Madness...Once I get over my basketball hangover, I guess it will be time to turn my attention to the Triple Crown and to another team that wears blue and orange-- merely a stopgap until mid-October.