One-Bid Wonders

UMBC head coach Aki Thomas served as a master motivator during his first season at the helm at UMBC, now he must become a miracle worker rebuilding the roster (Photo by Sam Perkins)

(Catonsville, MD) – When UMBC’s season came to an end in heartbreaking but heart-warming fashion in the America East Tournament, the real work began for head coach Aki Thomas and his staff: rebuilding his roster from the rubble of a devastated and dilapidated program.

Thomas’ burdensome load may have been lightened, slightly, by jettisoning weight in the form of early departures of four returning players; sophomores Will Wise, Nate Basalyga, Jarrel Lane and Jordan Wejnert have all left the team.

In his first season at the helm, after being named the interim head coach two days before the start of practice, Thomas injected life into a program that had barely been clinging to life support. Two days before the start of the conference tournament, Thomas was official named the head coach – dropping the interim tag – and rewarded with a contract extension.

Two days later, the same Retrievers squad that had spent the last three seasons giving up by the first media timeout, out-worked, out-hustled and out-fought third-seeded Hartford to pull off a 69-62 upset in the Quarterfinal. A day later, running on heart, the sixth-seeded Retrievers showed more grit and guts in their 85-72 semifinal loss to Vermont than they had during their previous three seasons combined.

The final horn of the semifinals marked the end of the careers of seniors Ryan Cook – the team’s heart and soul, leading scorer, best player and hardest worker all rolled into in one –Brian Neller – a long-range sniper who, along with Cook, comprised the teams lone true shooters – and forward Adrian Satchell – who enjoyed a renaissance in his one-season under Thomas.

Now Thomas and assistant coaches (and former UMBC players) Jay Greene and John Zito were faced with the daunting task of trying to overhaul an undermanned – and drastically under talented – roster. (more…)

UMBC head coach and the Retrievers bench exploded when senior guard Brian Neller drilled a dagger-three with 1:16 remaining to seal sixth-seeded UMBC’s upset win over three-seed Hartford (Photo by Sam Perkins).

(Albany, New York) – With 1:13 remaining, UMBC head coach Aki Thomas knelt on the edge of the court, pumped both his fists and let out a mighty roar that rose above the din of the crowd and ricocheted off the far walls of SEFCU Arena.

For the better part of a decade, emotional outbursts – tantrums, tirades and all manner of explosions – emanating from the Retrievers head coach have been common place on the UMBC sidelines.

But nothing like this.

Two days earlier, Thomas had been signed to a one-year contract and named the Retriever’s head coach, after spending the previous season – his first at the helm in Catonsville – wearing the “interim” tag. Now, he watched from the sidelines as senior sniper Brian Neller’s sixth three pointer of the night, a back-breaker from the right corner, found nothing but the bottom of the net, sealing the sixth-seeded Retrievers 69-62 upset of third-seed Hartford in the America East Tournament Quarterfinals.

What followed was a moment of pure euphoria and unadulterated joy. The Retrievers bench – downtrodden and defeated for the previous three seasons – followed their coach’s lead, leaping in excitement, embracing one another and bellowing towards the rafters.

“It’s never really been too much about me, it’s always been about the players and I always knew I was going to be okay. It’s always been for them – they’re the one that have been doing three tough seasons,” said Thomas after the game.

UMBC senior guards Ryan Cook and Brian Neller flat-out refused to watch their careers end on Saturday afternoon, willing the Retrievers to their first America East Tournament victory in four years. Playing in what could have been the final game of their careers, the duo put their team on their backs and combined for 44 points on 15-of-26 shooting.

Cook, who began his college career as a Division II walk-on before walking-on to his home-town team as a junior, was everywhere, pouring in a game-high 24 points on 8-of-13 shooting while playing frenetic defense. The 6’2” senior scored from everywhere on the court – step back jumpers, dizzying drives to the bucket, post-up hoops in the paint, while making one hustle play after the next. Cook single-handedly rattled off a 12-0 second half run, turning an eight-point deficit into a four-point lead. (more…)

Sponsored by Alex Lauritson-Lada and Liberty Concepts.

Founded in 2000, Liberty Concepts is a full service digital communications agency that specializes in helping create brands and develop online communities around them. A full service shop, Liberty Concepts has helped clients from discovery through execution.

UMBC forward Adrian Satchell (30) and guard Ryan Cook (12) battle with Boston University forward Dom Morris (15), Travis Robinson (24) and Nate Dieudonne (right foreground) as Terrier guard Zach Chionuma looks on (3) (Photo by Sam Perkins).

(Boston, MA) – Forwards Dom Morris and Chase Plummer did their best Doc Holliday and Johnny Ringo impressions on a wind-swept winter afternoon in Boston. Case Gymnasium stood in for the O.K. Corral and the Wild West deserts of Tombstone, Arizona, as and the Boston University Terriers and University of Maryland-Baltimore County Retrievers engaged in an all-out shootout on Saturday.

Morris led six Terriers in double-figures, scoring a career-high 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting while pulling down a team-high eight rebounds to lead the Terriers to an 81-75 win.

“I think we were doing a really good job offensively – for the most part – getting what we wanted but we just weren’t able to get stops in the second half,” said UMBC interim head coach Aki Thomas.

“We’re trying to get our guys to understand the importance of playing their best night in and night out and tonight we just didn’t have it,” said Terriers second year head coach Joe Jones. “The silver lining is that we won the game and we made the plays that it took down the stretch to win the game.”

Boston University head coach Joe Jones was unhappy with the Terriers’ lack of intensity and energy in Monday’s 81-75 win (Photo by Sam Perkins)

Boston University freshman point guard Maurice Watson Jr. scored 10 points while dishing out six assists to just one turnover, forward Malik Thomas scored 10 points and pulled down eight rebounds and freshman forward Nate Dieudonne scored 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting in just 14 minutes off the bench. Guard D.J. Irving added 13 points and freshman gunner John Papale chipped in 11.

Plummer was brilliant for the Retrievers, shrugging off swarming double-teams to pour in 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting, burying three triples and ripping down a game-high 11 rebounds.

“He’s quick: Once he gets the ball he’s turning. I know what he’s doing but by the time you react to it the ball is already in the air,” said Morris, a rival and nemesis of Plummer’s since their high school and AAU days.

Guard Ryan Cook added 15 points, six rebounds and three assists to just one turnover, hitting 6-of-9 shots and swishing all three of his three-point attempts. Senior guard Brian Neller scored 12 points, burying four bombs from long range and forward Adrian Satchell added 11 points and six rebounds.

Boston University shot a red-hot 51.7 percent from the floor (31-of-60), while UMBC shot an even hotter 52.5 percent from the floor (31-of-59) and a scorching 54.5 percent from behind the arc (12-of-22). The Retrievers dished out 17 assists to the Terriers 15. But the Terriers outscored the Retrievers 46-26 in the paint, committed just five turnovers on the day while forcing 12 Retrievers fumbles, and hit 15-of-20 free throws while UMBC attempted just two all game.

“There’s no need to talk about the free-throws because we didn’t guard anybody,” said Jones.

Fresh of an 85-80 overtime road win at Albany on Wednesday which saw Irving score six points in the final nine seconds of regulation, the Terriers appeared to be suffering from a hangover after Wednesday’s emotional high. After Cook opened the game with a lay-up, Thomas threw the ensuing unpressured inbounds away, leading to a Satchell lay-up. After Morris missed a bunny for the Terriers, Plummer drilled a three and UMBC led 7-0.

“The first possession, we go to take the ball out after they score – when that happens you’re just not ready to go,” said Jones. “Whether the Albany game – the overtime win, the emotional win – had anything to do with it, who knows, but the bottom line: We did not come out with the energy that it takes to be a great team. And that’s what we’re striving for.”

The Retrievers were selfless with the ball and stifling defending the perimeter, pushing their lead to 25-15 on a pull-up three by Cook with 7:09 left in the first.

UMBC freshman point guard Aaron Morgan pushes the ball in transition Saturday (Photo by Sam Perkins).

But the Terriers woke up, rattling off 10 straight points over the next four minutes to tie the game, with Morris and Papale providing four points apiece during that stretch.

The Retrievers responded with brilliant ball movement, as Plummer threaded the needle with a left handed hook pass from the paint past three defenders to Neller, who banged a three. Point guard Quinton Jones found Neller again with a nifty no-look pass out of a loose ball scramble for another deep three with 56 seconds remaining and the Retreivers went into the half leading 32-31. (more…)

Sponsored by Alex Lauritson-Lada and Liberty Concepts. Founded in 2000, Liberty Concepts is a full service digital communications agency that specializes in helping create brands and develop online communities around them. A full service shop, Liberty Concepts has helped clients from discovery through execution.

Boston University point guard Maurice Watson Jr., corrals a second-half pass with UMBC point guard Quinton Jones in hot pursuit (Photo by Sam Perkins).

(Boston, MA) – Offense was at a premium and defense hard to find on Saturday as the Boston University Terriers out-dueled the University of Maryland-Baltimore County Retrievers 81-75 in an all-out shootout between two run-and-gun offenses.

“We came out with no energy right from the start,” said BU head coach Joe Jones. “The silver lining is that we won the game and we made the plays that it took down the stretch to win the game.”

“Bottom line, we give up 50 points in the second half and that’s pretty much the tale of the game,” said UMBC interim head coach Aki Thomas.

Dom Morris led six Terriers in double figures, scoring a career-high 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting while pulling down a team-high eight rebounds. Point guard Maurice Watson Jr. scored 10 points and dished out six assists to just one turnover, forward Malik Thomas scored 10 points to go with eight rebounds, freshman forward Nate Dieudonne scored 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting, guard D.J. Irving added 13 points and guard John Papale chipped in 11.

Chase Plummer scored 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting, pulling down a game-high 11 rebounds and was generally the best player on the floor. Guard Ryan Cook scored 15 points, shooting 6-of-9 from the floor and 3-of-3 from behind the arc, and added six rebounds and three assists to just one turnover. Senior guard Brian Neller scored 12 points, on 4-of-9 shooting from downtown and forward Adrian Satchell added 11 points and six rebounds.

The game was played at a run-and-gun break-neck pace, with both team’s shooting better than 50 percent from the floor and posting a positive assist to turnover ratio. The game featured 10 ties and seven lead changes. (more…)

Mike Black, Albany, Sr., PG, 6’ 180:
2011-12 stats: 13.4 PPG, 4.3 APG, 109.5 ORtg
Black is the best point guard in the league, plain and simple. He quarterbacks the offense, makes precision passes on a dime, attacks the hoop ferociously, finishes in traffic, can drain it from deep. He defends. He’s a leader, a workhorse and a warrior. He’s the total package, and will likely be one of the top candidates for conference Player of the Year honors. Black makes the Great Danes go on both ends of the floor, and with the loss of Gerardo Suero and Logan Aronhalt, will need to be even bigger this season for the ‘Danes. He’s up to the task.

OBW Preseason Player of the Year/Defensive Player of the Year
Tommy Brenton, Stony Brook, R-Sr., F, 6’5” 230
2011-12 stats: 7.8 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 113.7 ORtg, 3.4 APG, 1.7 SPG
“The Bill Laimbeer of America East basketball,” as Albany head coach Will Brown likes to say, Brenton is THE enforcer in the league. Arguably the toughest and most physical player – and certainly the most hated among opposing players and fans – Brenton plays balls-out for 40 minutes a game. He’s big, strong, fast, extremely athletic, a terror on the glass and a tornado on defense. Did we mention he’s physical? Brenton has spent his first three seasons of eligibility doing all of the little things for the Seawolves, while doing it all on the defensive end, glass, and running the offense. Now the Seawolves need the point/power forward to step it up and score; with good footwork and several low-post moves, he has the ability, he needs the mindset. Brenton guards the opposition’s best offensive player, regardless of position, and changes the game defensively. His Basketball IQ and instincts are off the charts.

Alasdair Fraser, Maine, Jr., F/C, 6’7” 260
2011-12 Stats: 12.9 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 1.4 BPG
The Scottish-Wall/One-Man Army, Fraser is an immovable object once he establishes positioning on the low-blocks. Surprisingly athletic for such a broad player, Fraser has the best all-around low-post game in the conference, combining an array of low-post moves, tremendous strength, rebounding and play-side defense. He also has a soft touch and was near-automatic from mid-range when left open, so defenses can’t sag off him away from the hoop. Despite a marked increase in touches and workload from his freshman to sophomore season, Fraser’s offensive efficiency held steady. He’s the rare big man who will give you 28-30 effective and impactful minutes every night on both ends of the floor. While not a help-side defender, he routinely sends his own man’s shot packing when challenged. A huge match-up problem in the league, the only defensive strategy likely to work on him is active ball denial. He also loves haggis – seriously, I’m not kidding – so that’s gotta count for something.

Chase Plummer, UMBC, Jr., F, 6’6” 230
2011-12 stats: 15.4 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 34.4 Poss%, 180 FTA
Puh-puh-puh-puh-puh-puh-Plummer (Terry Crews Voice)! Plummer put up serious scoring and rebounding numbers last season despite being swarmed every time he touched the ball and getting hammered around the hoop. Plummer shouldered the heaviest load in the conference, due almost completely to the lack of any sort of supporting cast (especially in the front court). He finished second in the league in free-throw attempts, and first among returning players. He also crashes the glass at both ends, can score in a variety of ways around the hoop and behind the arc, and vastly improved his 3-point and free throw shooting from his freshman season. While his field goal percentage was poor for a front court player, it was largely due to the double and triple teams he faced on a nightly basis. His production was all the more impressive considering that he didn’t have a true point guard on the floor for the entire season. While UMBC had a terrible season last year, in many games Plummer was the only reason UMBC was even competitive. He also made noticeable strides down the stretch last season in decreasing his turnovers – the biggest flaw in his game – cutting his turnover rate by about 40 percent in his final seven games. With the addition of center Brett Roseboro and point guard Aaron Morgan, teams will no longer be able to double-team him the moment he steps off the bus, and his efficiency and shooting percentage are likely to improve drastically as a result. The safest bet of any player in the league to finish in the top 5 in scoring this season.

Brian Voelkel, Vermont, Jr., F, 6’6” 230
2011-12 stats: 4.6 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 5.1 APG, 1.7 SPG, 2.6 A/TO
He can’t shoot, run, jump, or move in any sort of agile or speedy manner, but Voelkel does literally everything else on the floor and has literally dominated games without scoring a point. A point/power forward, Voelkel owns the glass and has an insanely high basketball IQ. He is in all likelihood both the best passer and the best rebounder in the conference, which is a truly rare combination. Voelkel possesses every single intangible a player can have in basketball, and is what makes the Catamounts go. The quarterback on offense and defense, he’s gritty, physical, tough, and plays tremendously hard every night. He is a tremendous help-side defender who makes up for physical limitations with tremendous anticipation.

On Thursday night, two teams boasting a combined record of five wins and 53 loses met in an empty, echo-filled arena in West Hartford. In the shadows on the outskirts of the State capital, the two lowest ranked teams in one of the lowest ranked conferences in the country faced off in front of the deserted chair backs and barren bleachers in the play-in game of the America East tournament.

The game featured air-balls and missed free-throws, blown dunks, blown leads and flagrant fouls.

The match-up between eight-seeded UMBC and ninth-seeded Binghamton was some of the ugliest basketball imaginable.

It was beautiful.

UMBC forward Jake Wasco battles Ben Dickinson and Jabrille Williams for a rebound (courtesy of America East Athletic Communications)

Thursday night’s game was all that remains good in the America East Conference – one of the last bastions of true amateurism in the increasingly dark and seedy world of college basketball. Two teams with seemingly nothing left to play for, refusing to let their seasons end. Powered by guts and heart, the Retrievers and Bearcats left everything they had on the floor, for just one more day toiling in basketball obscurity.

When the dust cleared, the Bearcats, who had crawled through a 1-28 record in the regular season, celebrated their 73 to 67 overtime win as if they had just won the league title.

Jake Wasco, a senior forward for UMBC who lost 94 games in his career, and tasted victory just 13 times during his final three-seasons, left the floor with tears in his eyes. He didn’t want it to end.

None of them did.

“It’s about winning one game and buying another,” remarked Binghamton head coach Mark Macon after the game. “To come in there where they could have put their heads down and walked away… it’s about the team and not myself.” (more…)

Mike Black, Jr., G, Albany (13.6 PPG, 111.0 ORtg, 2.8 A/TO): Playing alongside the likes of Gerardo Suero, and in the same conference with D.J. Irving, Bryan Dougher, and Andres Torres, Black quietly emerged as the best player on his team and the best point guard in the league. While Suero put up monster scoring numbers for the Great Danes, it was Black who made the team go, running the offense flawlessly, showing tremendous poise under pressure, and shouldering a huge load when the team lost Suero, Logan Aronhalt, and several others from its supporting cast due to injuries. Black’s assists-to-turnover ratio and 3-point percentage in conference play were absurd, and he went hard every single night. In watching the Great Danes minus seemingly everyone except Black continue to battle till the end, it became abundantly clear who the team’s best player was.

Tommy Brenton, R-Jr., F, Stony Brook (7.8 RPG, 3.3 APG, 1.5 SPG, 114.3 ORtg): Brenton averaged a mere 7.9 points per game, but that doesn’t begin to tell the story: He was the most efficient offensive player on the league’s most efficient offense, the best defensive player on the league’s best defense, and the best rebounder on the league’s most dominant rebounding team. Brenton impacted – and many times outright dominated – every single facet of the game. He ran the Seawolves’ offense, leading the team in assists and assist-to-turnover ratio from the forward position. He locked down the perimeter on defense and dominated the defensive glass, sometimes doing both in the same possession. He expended a ton of energy covering the opponent’s best offensive player before turning around and running the offense at the other end. He shot nearly 57 percent from the floor, and scored big buckets in huge games. Most importantly, Tommy Brenton does two things: kick ass and chew bubble gum. And he’s fresh out of bubble gum.

Alasdair Fraser, Soph., C, Maine (13.0 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 1.4 BPG, 54.2 eFG%): Fraser went hard in the mother-****** paint: The 6’8”, 270-pound Scottish center/human continent was the best back-to-the basket big and most dominant true low-post player in the conference. One he got the ball on the low blocks, Fraser was downright unstoppable and immovable, ranking third in the conference in rebounding both on the season as a whole and in conference play, while finishing third overall in field goal percentage. He also displayed a deft passing touch. Fraser – like Plummer – faced consistent double-teams every night, as well as constant flopping from defenders, but still ranked as one of the most efficient offensive players in the conference. Despite playing on a team that packed up and quit during the conference slate, Fraser battled every game like his life depended on it.

Chase Plummer, Soph., F, UMBC (15.3 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 35.0 Poss%): How does a player for a four-win team that finished second to last in the America East in what was arguably the weakest season in conference history crack the First Team? Because this is an individual award, not a team award. Chase Plummer was a man among boys in the America East low post this season, putting up massive scoring and rebounding numbers – numbers that become absurd when considering the dearth of any sort of supporting cast (the Retrievers next-best player was a walk-on) and that Plummer faced consistent double and triple-teams all season long. Certainly, Plummer’s shooting percentage and turnovers were nothing to write home about, but his numbers remain incredibly impressive when considering that he literally had to shoulder more of the load, face more defenses designed to stop him and him alone, and had less supporting cast than literally every other player on every other team in the league – even Binghamton. When Gerardo Suero saw an entire defense sell out to stop him, he could look in one direction and pass to a first-team player, or look in the other direction and pass to a third-team player. When Chase Plummer got triple-teamed in the post, his best passing option was Ryan Cook. The guy was a monster, and the fact that he played for a bad team and had to try and take over games when everyone in the building knew who was getting the ball does not detract from the individual season he had or his candidacy for an individual award. Chase Plummer, everyone. He’s a man! *Terry Crews voice* “Puh-puh-puh-puh-puh-puh-Plummer!”

Brian Voelkel, Soph., F, Vermont (8.3 RPG, 5.0 APG, 1.7 SPG): How on earth does someone who averaged below five points per game while shooting 34 percent from the floor make the first team over Suero and Partin? Voelkel is an incredibly strange, quirky, and at times infuriating player, but he had a bigger overall impact on the entire game night in and night out than any of the scorers for the second team. He might not have scored much, but he literally changed the game in every other facet; dominating the glass, playing rock-solid defense, and making pin-point passes to generate tons of offense around him. Voelkel was the linchpin of the Catamounts terrific team defense, and a quarterback and point-forward who finished second in the league in assists and assist-to-turnover ratio while leading the America East in rebounding. He brought toughness, grit, and an incredibly high basketball IQ and was the best player on one of the league’s best teams. It’s possible to be the best player on one of the best teams without being a first-team player, but Voelkel was more than that – he was Vermont. The Catamounts’ offense and defense both aren’t the same without him on the floor.

(Boston, MA) — UMBC guard Jerrell Lane drove down the court, pulled up from behind the arc, and fired up an uncontested 3. As the final buzzer sounded, Lane’s wounded duck struck nothing but the bottom of the backboard.

It was the Retrievers season in a nutshell.

Boston University romped to an 83-48 win Tuesday night over visiting UMBC in a laugher between two teams headed in polar-opposite directions.

The host Terriers hit on all-cylinders, posting season highs in points (83), rebounds (45), blocks (nine), and point-differential (35), while emptying the bench with roughly five minutes remaining in game time. The win moves Boston University to 7-1 in America East play, the program’s best start to the conference slate since the 2003-2004 season.

“I was very pleased with our overall effort, and we got significant contributions from a number of guys,” said Terriers head coach Joe Jones, who saw 11 different Terriers score.

For the Retrievers, who fall to 2-6 in conference play and 3-17 on the season, the wheels appear to have fallen off. UMBC has now lost two straight games by 35 or more points and has fallen in six of their last seven.

“[BU] certainly came out and pushed us around, and I don’t think we responded very well – it’s a little disappointing and a little discouraging,” said UMBC head coach Randy Monroe. “It’s college basketball; you have to compete… we didn’t do it.” (more…)

The first full week of America East hoops has come to an end. So what did we learn? That the league is still far more of question marks than answers. Can New Hampshire and Stony Brook overcome key injuries on top of inexperience? Is Binghamton going to be the train wreck on the court this season that was predicted last season? Will UMBC be less dreadful than last year? Will this be the year that Albany turns things around? Can Maine make the move from surprising upstart to true contender? Is Hartford going to turn it around? We still don’t know – only time will tell. However, what we do know is that Boston University and Vermont look legit, and Maine could join them in the “contender” bracket. Without further ado, here’s a look back at the previous week in America East hoops.

(more…)