One-Bid Wonders

A three-time America East champion at Vermont, Taylor Coppenrath is playing for his fourth Spanish title.

It’s been almost two months since America East season came to an end when the Albany Great Danes were bounced from The Big Dance by top-seed Duke and the Stony Brook Seawolves took a tumble in the second round of the NIT at Iowa. But several America East alums are still chasing titles in some of the best leagues in the world.

Former America East Champions Taylor Coppenrath and Rashad Bell will be playing for their league championships this week in Spain and Hungary, respectively, while former two-time America East champ Jason Siggers is in hot pursuit of the chip in France.

From 2001-2005 Coppenrath flat-out owned the America East as the most statistically dominant player in league history. Over his four-year career at Vermont, the 6’9” 250 pound Coppenrath amassed 2,442 career points, good for third in the league’s all-time record book. After winning the 2002 Rookie of the Year award, Coppenrath won three straight Player of the Year awards (joining late, great Reggie Lewis as the only players in league history to win the award three times), leading the Catamounts to the NCAA tournament each time. His 14 Player of the Week awards are tied with former-NBA player Vin Baker for the most in America East history.

Coppenrath scored a combined 80 points in the league title game over his last two seasons at Vermont, earning championship MVP honors both years. His 43 points in the 2004 Championship Game (despite missing the previous three weeks and playing the entire game in a brace because of a broken wrist) remain an America East Championship Game record. Coppenrath, of course, would lead the Catamounts to their historic first-round upset of Syracuse University in the 2005 NCAA Tournament as a senior.

After turning pro, Coppernath went to training camp with the Boston Celtics in 2005 and Indiana Pacers in 2006, coming that close to making the league (according to several NBA insiders, if not for persistent back injuries that have nagged him throughout his career, Coppenrath would have been all but guaranteed at least a cup of coffee in the league).

Even though he came up short of his NBA dreams, Coppenrath has followed up one of the greatest college careers in America East history with one of the most successful professional careers of any AE alumn. In his eight years as a pro, Coppernath has played in the Euroleague (a trans-national league made up of the best teams from across Europe), as well as the top league’s in Greece (A1), Italy (SerieA), Spain (ACB – regarded as the top domestic league in the world outside of the NBA) as well as the second-division in Spain (LEB Oro) – all regarded as top domestic leagues.

After winning three league titles in college, as a professional, all Coppenrath has done is win. The LEB Oro (or LEB Gold) may be the second division in Spain, but it is widely regarded as a top-five league in Europe and Coppernath has entrenched himself as one of the league’s best players, guiding three different teams to the championship and a spot in the ACB the following season (the regular season and post season champions of the second division move up to the first division and the bottom two first division teams drop down to the following year).

Now Coppenrath has a chance to do it a fourth time, leading Lucentum Alicante (a team he has previously guided to a championship) through the playoffs and into a best-of-five championship series. Coppenrath’s eighth season of pro ball may have been his best, as he has averaged a team-best 14 points per game while shooting a robust 58.5 percent from the floor to go along with 5.8 rebounds (good for second on his team).

Coppenrath’s quest for his seventh championship (and fourth as a pro) tips off Friday, May 24, in a best-of-five game series.

Rashad Bell won the 2002 America East Championship at Boston University, now he’s playing for the Hungarian title.

If his career hadn’t coincided with Coppenrath’s, Bell would likely have been regarded as the premier America East power forward of his era. (more…)

Panhandle Park, San Francisco
Address: Panhandle, San Francisco, CA 94117, nestled in between Fell and Oak Street.

Pan Handle Park

In his autobiography Chocolate Thunder, Daryl Dawkins said of Bill Walton “Bill was the biggest dope smoker… I don’t think he bathed regularly.”

Essentially, San Francisco is a city of mini-Bill Walton’s.

The City is absolutely filthy – like Mike Rice Rutgers University gross. It has the feel of the Armageddon; mutant rats and all. Despite this, it is an absolute cultural Mecca; the only city I have ever been to that could be described as a post-apocalyptic utopia. Museums, art, sport, music, unique neighborhoods, a former maximum security prison that can be toured, crab sandwiches on the wharf, Chocolate from Ghirardelli Square – if it can be dreamed, San Fran’ most likely has it.

A traveler’s paradise, no matter what brought you to San Francisco, there is one universal experience all people who journey through the city share: Dealing with really bizarre people. Many are oddly charming (like city icon The Bushman); others, not so much.

I mean, is it asking for too much to be able to go out to a nice Thai Restaurant without having to witness the male body in all of its nude glory? What am I talking about? Yeah, people in San Fran love getting naked in public, especially men! We are talking about enough free-flying dongs that the city recently passed a ban on public nudity – of course, all of the enraged nudists protested by streaking through city hall.

I have often found in my travels that street ball is a microcosm of the city it is played in: How people play as well as how they conduct themselves on the court is reflective of the underlying culture and systems of the area. Some places, you have to dig a little deeper to see it, not so with San Francisco: From the moment I steeped onto the pavement at Panhandle Park I knew my experience would be unique to San Fran. (more…)

For Immediate Release

NEW ENGLAND BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME
www.nebasketballhalloffame.com
Individual Honoree Press Release

TAYLOR COPPENRATH TO BE INDUCTED INTO THE NEW ENGLAND BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME

Taylor Coppenrath has been named to the 2013 New England Basketball Hall of Fame. On Saturday, June 22, Taylor Coppenrath will join other honorees representing a variety of categories including coaches, players, teams and special contributors at a major ceremony at the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Widely known as one of the best basketball players from the state of Vermont, Taylor Coppenrath will return home after a sixth season playing in Spain. This season he has been named MVP of the LEB ORO league four different weeks and MVP for the month of October. He is currently the top player on his team and one of the top ten players in the league. After graduating from UVM Taylor has played 8 years in the top leagues in Europe and was the “MVP” of the 2010 Spanish Prince Cup and he is the only player to play in four consecutive cups playing on three different teams!

In 2005,Taylor was a finalist for the John Wooden Award as he led the University of Vermont to an unprecedented season, capped by a legendary upset of Syracuse in the NCAA Tournament. He finished second all-time in scoring at UVM, was MVP at UVM for three years and third in America East conference history with 2,452 points. The America East Conference named Taylor “Player of the Year” three consecutive years, and he received the Reggie Lewis Most
Outstanding Player in 2004 and 2005. A scholar/athlete Taylor was named to the America East Academic Honor Roll in 2003, 2004, and 2005. Taylor finished his senior year at UVM second in the NCAA Div I in scoring with a 25.1 points per game average.

The June 22 event will include a series of afternoon panel discussions featuring a number of former NBA and WNBA players who will be inducted that evening, as well as famed coaches, such as John Caliperi of Kentucky, former UMASS Coach. Renowned novelist, Harlan Coben, who was an outstanding player at Amherst, will be among the inductees, and will serve as an afternoon panelist.

The event — as much reunion as ceremony — has become one of the largest sports dinners in America. At the last ceremony, the event welcomed over 1,600 people and was a sell out. The 2013 event is expected to be a sell out.

For further information, visit www.nebasketballhalloffame.com.

OBW First Team All-Conference selection Alasdair Fraser is leaving Maine early (Photo by Sam Perkins).

(Orono, Maine) – For three years, University of Maine center Alasdair Fraser has left the earth quaking, backboards shaking and a trail of battered opponents, bruised egos, bent rims and busted basket supports in his wake.

On Tuesday, Fraser once again shook the earth at the University of Maine, but in a very different fashion.

In a story first broken by One-Bid Wonders, the junior center and OBW All-Conference First Team selection officially requesting his release from the university, bringing to an end his Black Bear career before his senior year. Fraser will either sign an overseas contract and begin his professional career, or transfer to another Division I institution to use up his final year of eligibility.

And with that, the dark days in Orono have turned pitch-black; the hurricane already raging has now grown into the storm of the century.

Listed at 6’7” 230 (and weighing in closer to 260) pounds of muscle, Fraser has stood tall for the Black Bears as a Scottish Wall on defense and immovable object on offense. As a junior Fraser averaged 13.4 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game, ranking eighth, fourth and second in the conference, respectively. Fraser also finished fifth in scoring in America East Conference games at 14.3 points per contest.

Sheer numbers do not do Fraser justice or accurately encompass his impact: Arguably the league’s most dynamic center, Fraser displayed a brilliant and diverse arsenal of low-post moves as well as a silky-smooth jumper out to the NBA 3-point line. He also ranked as one of the most efficient players in the league using NBA-style advanced metrics, despite drawing nightly double – and often triple – teams every trip down the court while playing in a chaotic and dysfunction system in which he was criminally underused and overlooked.

He was also the rarest of rare-breeds: a Black Bear player who continued to grow, develop and improve every year in Orono. Fraser made the leap from a bruising bulldozer and America East strongman as a freshman, to a cerebral big-man with a refined low post game and automatic mid-range jumper as a sophomore, before making another stride as a junior, adding a 3-point shot and deft passing touch.

Fraser showcased the depth of his talent and abilities in a January 22nd upset over Vermont, just missing a triple-double; pouring in 20 points on 9-of-15 shooting, ripping down 10 rebounds and dishing out eight assists while swatting a pair of shots.

Maine was already dealing with the crippling blow of losing its top scorer, most athletic player, and best raw talent in high-flying wing Justin Edwards, who announced his decision to transfer out of the university a month ago. Edwards led league in scoring at 16.7 points per game despite only scratching the surface of his raw abilities.

While Edwards’ departure sent the Black Bears to the mat for an eight-count, it is Fraser’s that might KO the program for the upcoming season – and beyond. (more…)

Caption: St. James’s Serman Harris (11) defends as Dre Wills of Mercersburg Academy drives to the basket on Tuesday, December 4, 2012. (Public Opinion/Ryan Blackwell)

(Burlington, VT) – It was a very happy birthday indeed for Vermont head coach John Becker last Wednesday. On the day he turned 45, Becker received the best gift a coach could ask for: a verbal commitment from Harry “Dre: Wills – a player with the skill set to turn every one of the Catamounts’ weaknesses into strengths.

Vermont fans may have to go all the way back to high-flying Tobe Carberry (’00) to find a Catamount guard with a similar skill-set to Wills. An extremely athletic, incredibly tough and very physical 6’1” combo-guard, Wills’ is a bit rough around the edges and a suspect shooter from behind the arc, but he is an elite-level defender, an elbows-above-the rim-athlete and a big-time play maker capable of blowing by his man off the bounce, slashing into the paint and finishing at – and well above – the rim.

Wills comes to Vermont from Indiana by way of a post-graduate year at Mercersburg Academy, a prep-school in Pennsylvania and had significant interest from, among others, Butler, Loyola-Chicago, Siena and Wisconsin-Green Bay and was also recruited by the likes of Xavier and Michigan before committing to the Catamounts. (more…)

Coolidge senior David Kadiri (Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post)

(Catonsville, MD) – While coaches around the country packed their suitcases for the Final Four coaches’ convention, the staff at UMBC continued to pound the pavement, landing their second commitment in as many days and the biggest recruit (on paper) to sigh with the school in a very long time: 6’8” Shot-eraser, backboard-shaker and human-highlight reel David Kadiri.

A human-pogo-stick from the basketball-Mecca of Washington D.C., Kadiri was fresh leading Coolidge High to a pair of championships in the D.C. Interscholastic Athletic Association and the inaugural D.C. State Athletic Association tournament, which pitted city public, private and charter schools.

A late bloomer who was just beginning to tap into his raw-talents as a senior, Kadiri had been offered – and heavily pursued – by Florida Gulf Coast University until the departure of head coach Andy Enfield to USC. Kadiri had also been offered by Duquesne of the Atlantic 10, America East-rival Stony Brook and North Carolina A&T, Gardner-Webb and Niagara. Several teams from higher-level schools reportedly made late-runs.

According to several college coaches and recruiters, Kadiri is known as a terrific athlete with a tremendous wingspan and a great motor, who is a monster on defense and dunks everything on offense. Kadiri already possesses outstanding timing and instincts blocking shots and pursuing rebounds and should make an impact from Day 1 on defense and on the glass. A raw-athlete on offense, Kadiri runs the floor extremely well for a big-man and is a monster finishing off alley-oops in transition, or skying over defenders for authoritative put-back dunks in traffic.

On his recruiting visit, during an open run with the Retrievers, Kadiri reportedly threw down nearly a dozen dunks over UMBC’s current roster.

Just weeks after having the interim tag removed following his first season at the helm, head coach Aki Thomas has now signed five incoming players, four of them – Kadiri, Bryan Harris, Will Darley and Charles Taylor Jr. – from the Baltimore/DC area.

On paper, Kadiri is easily the biggest recruiting coup during Thomas’ short tenure and the most hyped incoming freshman to land at UMBC in a very, very long time. (more…)

(Catonsville, MD) — The University of Maryland-Baltimore County has signed forward Devarick Houston, a 6’7” junior college transfer from Chattahoochee Tech, for the 2013-2014 season. A combo-forward with great length and athleticism, Houston averaged 12.8 points and 8.4 rebounds per game while shooting 50.4 percent from the floor over the past season.

A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Houston is regarded as a classic late-bloomer and has grown almost four inches since graduating high school while transitioning from the guard to forward positions, and is reportedly just beginning to scratch the surface of his potential. Houston will have two-years of eligibility at UMBC.

The scouting report on Houston (from several different recruiters and coaches) is that he has plus-athleticism and length and terrific energy and effort on the court. He will is reportedly already a DI impact-level defender and rebounder (“relentless” is a word used to describe him on the glass) who should make an immediate impact for the Retrievers in both areas of the game – if true, a huge get for a UMBC squad which struggled greatly defending and rebounding the ball.

Offensively, the word on Houston is that he is still very rough around the edges, but can shoot the ball from behind the arc and is a highlight-reel waiting to happen in transition. He has drawn comparisons on offense to Boston University Terrier Malik Thomas, but with more physical strength.

With Houston, along with incoming freshmen Will Darley and Charles Taylor Jr., and transfer Bryan Harris (who played four games at Wofford), UMBC head coach Aki Thomas has now signed four players to his first recruiting class. Darley is being billed as the replacement for graduating senior-shooter Brian Neller, while Taylor is another high-end athlete and Harris a scoring guard.

While UMBC lost more than could ever be summed up by mere statistics with the graduation of leading scorer and Second Team All-Conference guard Ryan Cook (the team’s hardest worker and heart and soul), with their incoming recruiting class and the return of 6’10” center Brett Roseboro from injury, UMBC should already be much longer and more athletic next season.

Thomas has also granted a scholarship to senior point guard Quinton Jones, who spent the previous two seasons as a walk-on point guard. Jones has established himself as a heady and steady player at the point guard position, solid on-ball defender, and top-end locker room presence.

With the four players signed as well as the addition of Jones as a scholarship player, Thomas still has two more scholarships to use.

(San Diego, CA) — Have you ever read Heaven is a Playground?

In 1974, a writer spent the entire summer observing the lives of a group of young street ball players in Brooklyn. Using basketball as a vehicle, the book presented the reader with hard hitting, and at times stomach churning, insight into the culture of poverty, race and the inner city. This is a book not about sport, but sociology.

Who am I and why are you reading this?

I’m a dude who travels a lot and plays far too much basketball.

My guess about you is that you’re catching a connecting flight somewhere in the America East Bermuda Triangle between Albany, Orono and Baltimore and have some time to kill. Or maybe you just really like mid-major basketball and Sam and Matt aren’t providing enough off-season content.

At any rate, back to me: how much basketball have I played? Enough to know that Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000 hours of practice theory is phooey!

But what basketball has not given me in terms of contracts and endorsement deals, it has given me in the form of insight, experience and understanding about the underlying culture of many of this country’s cities and small towns – and the people who toil on deadwood floorboards and cracked concrete courts.

Some people travel to sample food, or go to museums, and while that’s all well and good, it’s playing street ball that flips my flap jacks.

Periodically, during this off-season, I am going to relay some of the stories, anecdotes and encounters I have accumulated over the past couple years traveling and playing ball, as well as showcase different courts, players and events around the country as I experience them.

-Noah “Peanut Butter Pie” Perkins

Noah Perkins graduated magna cum laude from the University of Massachusetts at Boston in 2012. He’s a  philosopher, sociologist, explorer and world traveler who spends far too much of his time roaming cracked concrete courts and deadwood floorboards across the country. He also happens to be the younger brother of OBW creator Sam Perkins. Noah currently resides in San Diego, California, living the life of “The Dude” from The Big Lebowski, except instead of bowling, he plays far too much basketball.

Maine guard Justin Edwards flies above the fray and skies past Northeastern forward Reggie Spencer (44) for two of his career-high 30 points Wednesday night. Edwards powered the Black Bears to a 76-73 win.

(ORONO, Maine) – The America East’s top scorer, and arguably the league’s most dynamic, athletic and physically gifted player is taking his talents elsewhere: University of Maine sophomore scoring-machine Justin Edwards is leaving the Black Bears.

In a press release published earlier today, the University of Maine announced that Edwards would transfer from the school at the end of the semester, confirming rumors that had swirled for several days.

“Justin is a fine young man and we thank him for his hard work and accomplishments in our program. We wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors,” said Maine head coach Ted Woodward in a prepared statement.

A 6’2” guard with jaw-dropping athleticism, Edwards averaged 16.7 point per game to tie for the league-lead in scoring with Binghamton freshman Jordan Reed. Edwards averaged 5.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists and a 1.9 steals (which led the league) and 32.7 minutes per game while being named to the America East Second Team All-Conference as voted on by the coaches (he was selected to the OBW Third-Team).

As a freshman, Edwards averaged 13.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.4 steals per game, was named to the All-Rookie Team and finished as the runner-up to then Vermont guard Four McGlynn for league Rookie of the Year Honors.

Edwards played elbows above the rim and reigned as the league’s best dunker – regularly rattling the back-board in games with dunk contest-worthy slams, including multiple 180-degree reverse jams on of alley-oops. (more…)

(Philadelphia, PA) – At 2:28 pm Eastern Time, the clock hit 0:00 at the Wells Fargo Center and struck midnight on the Albany Great Danes’ Cinderella season.

Albany, a 15th seed in the NCAA Tournament and perhaps the biggest underdog to ever come out of the America East as the fourth seed in their own conference tournament, fell to second-seed Duke 73-61.

The Great Danes came up short in their upset bid, but walked off the hardwood and out of the bright lights of the game’s biggest stage with their heads held high: For 40 minutes, the bigger, stronger, faster Blue Devils hit Albany with everything it they had – usually in the form of a back-board shaking sledgehammer slam from Mason Plumlee, or a Seth Curry swish – and every time the Great Danes hit Duke right back.

Albany lost the game, but the Great Danes were magnificent in defeat, proving they belonged on the same court as one of the best teams in the country and arguably the most storied program in college basketball history.

“We challenged them. We made Duke work. We made Duke beat us,” said Albany head coach Will Brown.

From the opening tip until the final horn, the Great Danes played the Blue Devils as equals. And this wasn’t a Duke team looking past the Great Danes while playing at walk-through speed: this was a Duke squad still trying to swallow the bitter taste of last season’s upset by 15-seed Lehigh, squarely focused on Albany for revenge.

After spending a year stewing on the Lehigh debacle, Duke came out playing for blood. Albany played even harder.

“We didn’t quit, but we never did all season,” said redshirt freshman guard Peter Hooley. “We were right there with them. I think we are proud of ourselves. We never gave up.”

“We went down fighting against one of the best teams in the country,” said Albany senior shooting guard Jabob Iati.

Iati led the way for the Great Danes, scoring a team-high 15 points on 4-of-9 shooting including 3-of-4 from behind the arc. The smallest player on the floor, Iati was fearless driving the lane and drilling deep three’s with several long arms in his face. Iati, who would be generously listed at 5’9”, added six rebounds and six assists, leaving every last drop he had on the floor in the final game of his career. (more…)