About Us
Sam Perkins has had his finger on the pulse of the America East for the better part of a decade, starting his America East journey as a high school student and finishing it as a member of the media. During that time he has been in attendance for over 500 America East contests. He traces his passion for the America East back to a gray Sunday in March of 2002, when he watched Stijn Dhondt’s miracle buzzer-beater propel Boston University on to the America East championship game and NCAA Tournament, and Trevor Gaines leave his heart and soul on the court in Vermont’s upset loss. Widely regarded as the “America East insider” (or in other circles as “that guy who should really get a life”), Sam spent the previous 3 years as Hoopville.com’s America East beat writer and has established working relationships and friendships with a host of current and former America East players, coaches, administrators, and officials. Sam has had pieces published by the Associated Press as well as several other publications and newspapers and worked as a correspondent for Boston.com. He has also been a featured guest on several sports talk radio shows, and is currently finishing a book entitled “Stronger at the Broken Places,” which he was co-authoring with the late Gaines, a close personal friend, and is now completing it posthumously in his honor. Sam resides in the greater Boston Area with his wife, Diana, and recently completed his Master’s Degree in Journalism at Northeastern University with honors.
Matt Whitrock was introduced to America East basketball by the most notable one-bid wonders of conference history — the 2005 Vermont Catamounts. Those Catamounts would later become Enemy No. 1 for four years while he attended Boston University and the Terriers struggled to a 1-8 record against their northern foe. Matt’s interest in all things statistical and mathematical ultimately led to a degree in Computer Science. Matt also spent five semesters as the Thursday sports columnist for The Daily Free Press, BU’s independent student newspaper, and was one of the founders of that paper’s basketball blog, Full Court Press. Matt currently lives on Long Island, where he spends his spare time crunching numbers, watching a dangerously high amount of basketball, and toiling away on this blog.