One-Bid Wonders

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.

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.

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…)

All four of the national post-season tournament fields have been announced, and a record five America East schools (Albany, Boston University, Hartford, Stony Brook, and Vermont) are set to represent the conference in post-season play.

All times listed are Eastern time zone, Daylight Savings Time.

NCAA Tournament, Round of 64

#2 Duke Blue Devils vs. #15 Albany Great Danes
Friday, March 22 @ 12:15 PM
TV: CBS

National Invitation Tournament (NIT), Round of 32

#7 Stony Brook Seawolves at #2 Massachusetts Minutemen
Wednesday, March 20 @ 7:15 PM
TV: ESPN3

College Basketball Invitational (CBI), Round of 16

Vermont Catamounts at Santa Clara Broncos
Tuesday, March 19 @ 10:00 PM
TV: None (PPV feed available from Santa Clara’s athletics website)

CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT), Round of 32

Rider Broncs at Hartford Hawks
Tuesday, March 19 @ 7:00 PM
TV: None (Free feed available from CollegeInsider.com here)

Boston University Terriers at Loyola (MD) Greyhounds
Tuesday, March 19 @ 7:30 PM
TV: None (Free feed available from CollegeInsider.com here)

For those of you who are waiting for the rest of our preseason “order of finish” predictions, we apologize for the delay in getting them up. Most of them are done, but one or two of the teams in the middle don’t have their full write-ups yet and we would prefer to post them in order.

All of the individual team previews will be posted in the next couple of days. Thank you for your patience and your readership.

John Holland is playing in the Spanish ACB League, widely regarded as the top domestic league in the world outside of the NBA.

The America East season may not begin until Albany tips off against Duquesne on Friday, November 9th at 6:30 pm, but two days earlier, an America East rivalry will be renewed. Only this time, instead of the dirty orange light of the glorified high school gymnasiums of the AE, it will be played under the bright lights of the world stage.

Nearly five years ago, on cold Boston night in January of 2008, two unheralded freshmen took the floor in an empty Case Gymnasium. Half a decade, over 3,600 miles, and an ocean away from their first encounter, former University of New Hampshire Wildcat Dane DiLiegro and former Boston University Terrier John Holland will face off again Wednesday night; the tenth time in their careers that they have gone head-to-head, but the first time as professionals.

Holland and DiLiegro will be playing in the Eurocup, a transnational professional basketball league — second only to the prestigious EuroLeague — comprised of top teams from the top leagues in Europe. DiLiegro will be taking the floor for Banco Di Sardigna Sassari of the Italian SerieA League, the top league in Italy and one of the top domestic leagues in the world outside of the NBA. Holland will be suiting up for Cajasol Banca Civica Sevilla of the Spanish ACB League, the top league in Spain and arguably the top domestic league in the world after the NBA.

“Its unbelievable being able to play against him again,” said DiLiegro excitedly while relaxing in Sassari, a city that sits on the northwest coast of the island of Sardigna, Italy. “I’m hoping that maybe I can get the opportunity to make him miss a free throw by making him laugh or something.”

“It’s going to be really fun to compete against him again.” said Holland, enjoying some down time in Sevilla, a city that sits on the Guadalquivir River in Spain. “I always admire his energy.” (more…)

When the fourth round of the NBA Developmental League Draft commenced, the professional career of former Boston University Guard Darryl Partin officially began.

Partin, the 2012 America East Player of the Year (as voted by the coaches), was taken by the Fort Wayne Mad Ants with the first pick of the fourth round.

Partin began his career in the Atlantic 10, playing two seasons for the La Salle Explorers before transferring to BU. In his two seasons on Commonwealth Avenue, Partin scored over 1,000 points, was twice named to the All-Conference First Team (he was selected to the One-Bid Wonders second team both seasons), and helped lead the Terriers to the America East Tournament Championship and NCAA Tournament in 2011.

During his senior year, Partin averaged 19.6 points per game, good for second in the conference and 23rd in the nation. Equal parts dominant scorer and offensive black hole, the 6’5” Partin was a shoot first, second, and third type of scoring guard, capable of shooting BU both into, and out of, games.

The D-League is branded as the official minor league of the NBA, and touts the number of alums annually called up to fill rosters in The League [87 was the count last season]. The Mad Ants are the minor league affiliate of Charlotte Bobcats, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks. (more…)

Today was Media Day in the America East. Coaches and athletic personnel from every team converged on SEFCU Arena in Albany for the league luncheon, meet-and-greet, and lots and lots of press conferences to kick off the 2012-2013 season.

It was on Albany’s home court – the site of the 2013 America East Tournament – that the official Preseason Coaches’ Poll was unveiled, revealing the predicted standings of the nine America East schools as voted on by the league coaches, as well as the preseason All-Conference selections.

There is always some gamesmanship that goes into the picks (acknowledging upperclassmen, nods of respect coaches – both accomplished and on the hot seat – and even some general ribbing), so they should be taken with a grain of salt (just take a look at the number of years in a row that BU was tabbed first).

Without revealing OBW’s own preseason predictions, which will be published in the near future, here is Sam Perkins’ breakdown of the nine America East teams in ascending order of how the coaches’ selected them. (more…)