One-Bid Wonders

Special to One-Bid Wonders
By Zach Bye

When it comes to the America East matchup between UAlbany and Boston University, it seems the improbable becomes probable and the unlikely becomes certain.

With roughly 12 seconds remaining in the contest Wednesday night, hometown fans began to put on their jackets and prepare themselves for the sub-zero temperatures that awaited them outside the SEFCU arena in Albany. I remember the phrase I used on the air during my radio broadcast of the game after Mike Black’s two free throws gave Albany a seemingly comfortable six point cushion: “All signs here point toward a Great Danes victory that would give the club a 17-4 overall record and remain atop of the America East standings.”

I should have known better.

Boston’s junior guard DJ Irving would somehow jam six points into ten seconds to force overtime and eventually knock off a Danes team that had come into the contest a league best 7-1 at home.

Think about that for a brief second: Six points, ten seconds.

I found out after the fact that Boston’s play by play man and I both made the on-air analogy comparing Irving’s last second heroics to that of Reggie Miller against the Knicks in Madison Square Garden. It was the same scenario with the same result, except no Spike Lee on the sidelines, and Irving didn’t put his hands over his throat symbolizing ‘the choke’. My expression of disbelief must have matched that of the season high crowd of 3,685 judging by their gasp I could hear through my headset.

If this was the first time that UAlbany was on the wrong end of an absurd finish against Boston University I’m pretty sure Danes fans would tell you this single instance would fill their quota, but that’s not the case. Albany has now lost to Boston eight consecutive times dating back to 2009, and more specifically, four straight at home. Between then and now the matchup between the two has been nothing short of storybook. (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…)

Photo Courtesy of America East Athletic Communications

(West Hartford, CT) –On March 3rd, 2002, after 39 minutes and 59.2 seconds of game time, the University of Hartford and Boston University stood tied, 60-60, in the America East tournament.

In the eight-tenths of game time that followed, amazing happened. Terriers reserve (and ultimate-role player) Stijn Dhondt corralled a full-court inbounds heave behind the three point arc on the right wing, turned, and banked in the game winner, propelling the Terriers to the Championship game and on to the NCAA tournament, while dashing Hartford hopes and torpedoing the Hawks program for years to come.

Although his name and heroics have been largely forgotten by the next generation of America East hoops, Dhondt’s shot continues to reverberate around the league, and had hung over the head of Hartford’s program for a decade.

Ten years later to the day, against the same opponent, it was the Hawks who hit back-breaking three’s in the games closing moments, knocking off the Terriers while taking a step towards finally ridding themselves of the monkey that has hung on their backs since the “Matthews Miracle.”

“I think this could be a springboard win,” said Gallagher, who was well aware of the buzzer beater a decade earlier. “I’m so proud,” he added.

The Hawks held Boston University without a field goal for the final 6:14 of playing time, and responded from a tough first-half shooting performance, hitting 52.4 percent (11-21) of their second half shots en route to a 53-49 upset win.

Freshmen forwards Nate Sikma and Mark Nwakamma put the Hawks on their shoulders, leading Hartford to a comeback win in the games final minutes. Sikma scored a team high 16 points, burying four huge 3’s; Nwakamma battled his way to 13 points while ripping down a game-high 16 rebounds. (more…)

Alvin Abreu, R-Sr., G, New Hampshire (13.7 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 36.7 3FG%): Alvin Abreu has gone out the way that every since player who ever sets foot on a court should hope to conclude their careers: By leaving every last ounce of himself on the floor. A little over a month ago, when we began outlining our All-Conference Teams, Abreu was not on any of them. But Abreu – who perhaps works harder than any other player in the conference – had the February to end all Februarys, going straight BEAST MODE. The heart and soul of the Wildcats, Abreu put the team on his back and carried them from the Play-in Game to the fifth-seed.

Reason omitted from First-Team: Abreu might have been the best player in the AE during the month of February, but there are three other months, too, and those months had too many games where Abreu had more field goal attempts than points. Volume is valuable when it allows other players to thrive in lower-usage roles, but before the calendar hit February 1, the Wildcats weren’t thriving – they were diving, with the play-in game looking like a possible destination before UNH beat Hartford 52-51 in Durham to begin its race to 5th place. As spectacular as Abreu was down the stretch, his first three months of the season essentially locked him out of 1st-team contention.

Bryan Dougher, Sr., G, Stony Brook (13.4 PPG, 37.3 3FG%, 1.3 A/TO): A tireless worker, consummate leader, student-athlete, all-around good guy and flat-out winner, Dougher may be the single most important player to ever set foot at Stony Brook. Quiet and without a hint of ego or arrogance, Dougher is a silent assassin from long-range, and was the leading scorer for the regular season champion Seawolves. Although still susceptible to athletic guards off the dribble, Dougher made tremendous strides on the defensive end, and also showed off some surprising post-up moves. Dougher has started every single game of his career, and during that time has likely never taken a single player, practice, or moment off – or for granted.

Reason omitted from First-Team: Dougher can shoot the basketball, without a doubt. That, by itself, provides a lot of value – we named Four McGlynn Rookie of the Year, and McGlynn’s value is almost entirely provided by his shooting ability. But while Dougher is a great shooter, he’s not a historically great shooter, and in our eyes a top-5 player in the league has to excel in more than one area. That’s not to say Dougher is weak in every other area. He’s not. Dougher’s defensive ability has improved every season, his leadership is unquestioned, and he’s extremely durable. But it can’t be ignored that Dougher is only meaningfully better than average at one tangible aspect of the game.

D.J. Irving, Soph., G, Boston University (11.3 PPG, 5.4 APG, 2.3 A/TO, 108.7 ORtg): The fastest player in the conference, Irving was the engine that made the Terriers go, and made everyone around him much better. According to virtually every coach in the conference, not only was Irving the best Terrier, but teams would regularly structure their entire gameplan around containing him. Irving’s ability to drive the lane and dish to the open man made the Terriers offense run, and his court presence greatly contributed to the monster offensive season of teammate Darryl Partin, as BU’s point guard had a knack for getting the ball to Partin in the perfect position to score. The Terriers were clearly not the same team without Irving, as evidenced by their 0-4 spell when the guard was dealing with a concussion. Irving also excelled on the defensive end as the catalyst of the Terriers’ traps and presses, and applied constant pressure to opposing ball-handlers in the halfcourt.

Reason omitted from First-Team: Prior to Irving’s concussion, he was having a truly outstanding season and may have been the leading candidate for Player of the Year. And it’s clear that BU suffered in his absence. But after the concussion, while Irving was often good and rarely bad, there were too many games where he was essentially invisible. There’s a difference between looking to set up your teammates, which has always been a big part of Irving’s game, and doing so at the expense of your own offense. Irving reached double figures in points in nine of 11 games before the concussion, but was “held” to single-digit point totals in more than half of BU’s conference games, including three of BU’s four conference losses. Some of those low point totals were the result of teams selling out to keep Irving out of the lane, but there were more than a few occasions where we came to conclude that the biggest obstacle between Irving and the basket was himself.

Darryl Partin, R-Sr., G/F, Boston University (19.7 PPG, 160 FTA, 37.2 Shot%): Partin had an absolutely monster offensive season, finishing second in the conference in both overall scoring and scoring in conference games at 19.7 and 19.6 points per game, respectively. Partin excelled as a pick-and pop offensive player, and his lightning-quick release from anywhere on the court was deadly on catch-and-shoots running around screens. When he caught fire, no one on the league could get hotter than Partin, who could put points up by the barrelful. Although far from a good defensive player, Partin made strides on the defensive end of the ball as well.

Reason omitted from First-Team: Remember how we described Dougher as one-dimensional? Copy that for Partin. And while Partin’s ability to create his own shot may be far more robust than Dougher’s ability to do the same, nobody said anything about that created shot for self being a quality look. Partin may have invented the heat check. BU needed someone to absorb volume on offense, but that inevitably led to a predictable problem: Partin, a good shooter when spotting up or coming off screens, ended up taking a lot of contested leaners, long jumpers and 3′s off the dribble. If those sound like low-percentage looks, that’s because they were, which is why one of the most prolific scorers in the league had an effective field goal percentage of just 47.6. And when a player learns to expect that those low-percentage shots are occasionally required, it’s difficult to turn off the faucet and eschew those same types of looks earlier in the shot clock – Partin could be expected to throw up one of those shots early in the possession a few times a game. Did that make him difficult to guard? Yeah, probably, because any spot on the court could turn into a scoring opportunity. But it also meant too many empty possessions to be a first-team player on our list.

Gerardo Suero, Jr., G/F, Albany (21.7 PPG, 37.3 Poss%, 242 FTA, 107.8 ORtg): On the offensive side of the ball, Suero is not only the most physically gifted player in the league, but possibly one of the most gifted players the league has seen in a long time. Suero’s 21.7 points per game not only lead the league, but they are the highest single-season average the America East has seen since Taylor Coppenrath and Jose Juan Barea surpassed it in 2004-2005. In the past decade, only three times (Coppernath in 03-04 and 04-05, and Barea in 04-05) has an America East player scored at a higher clip. Suero’s package of size (6’4” 215), strength, athleticism, and ability and propensity to attack the hoop off the dribble are something the conference has not seen in a very, very long time. He was also a solid rebounder who got teammates involved distributing the ball.

Reason omitted from First-Team: Gerardo Suero averaged 4.2 turnovers per game. If that sounds like a lot, it’s because it is. It’s 4th in the nation. That number jumps to 4.7 in conference play. Gerardo Suero is also, by our reckoning, the worst defender among any current AE rotation player and quite possibly the worst defender we’ve ever seen in this conference. Is his scoring ability otherworldly? Yeah it is. But this is the blueprint for how a player can make more than 200 field goals and more than 200 free throws, lead the entire nation in percentage of possessions used, average almost six rebounds per game as a wing, and still miss out on 1st-team honors. Being benched after giving no effort whatsoever in a key game on national television doesn’t help either.

(Boston, MA) – Locked into third place in the standings and the third-seed in the conference tournament, Boston University had nothing to play for on their regular-season finale Saturday afternoon. Nothing, that is, except the seniors.

It was more than enough motivation for the Terrier.

On an emotional Senior Day, the Terriers’ seniors took center stage, leading BU to a 64 to 55 win over the hard-fighting Hartford Hawks.

“It was great to see the seniors go out – you always want to go out and win your last game at home, and they deserved it and I’m proud of them,” said Terriers head coach Joe Jones.

Darryl Partin scored 21 points on 7-16 shooting, while fellow seniors Matt Griffin and Jeff Pelage added eight and seven points apiece, respectively. Forward Travis Robinson chipped in eight points, and Dom Morris seven. Bu out-rebounded Hartford 37 to 18 and nine different Terriers scored in the win.

With a chance to secure fifth place in the conference standings, the young Hawks fought with everything they had, showing tremendous heart, determination, and incredibly scrappy-defense.

“We’re an energetic group, we play extremely hard, they [the team] love each other,” said Hartford head coach John Gallagher of the Hawks effort. “I went in that locker-room and we had seniors who’ve had a tough year, and we had three or four guys crying; that’s exciting to me – that’s exciting: We’ve got a winning locker room.”

Unfortunately, Hartford didn’t fight smart.

Despite continued success attacking the basket, Hartford forced 26 3’s, missing 19. The Hawks dug themselves into a deep hole under an avalanche of off-target bombs in the first half, and, after clawing back into the game attacking the hoop, handed the game back to the Terriers with another ill-advised heave in the games biggest moment.

Prior to tip-of, graduating Boston University seniors Partin, Pelage, Griffin, Pat Hazel and walk-on Chris Kurz were honored. Pelage, arguably the program’s biggest fan favorite, receiving – far and away – the most rousing ovation. (more…)

(Boston, MA) – In the good-enough-on-guts America East – where parity reins supreme and little separates the teams atop the conference (or those at the bottom for that matter) and on any given night anyone can beat anyone else – there is one key to victory above all others: Play harder than the other team for 40 minutes.

Apparently neither the Boston University nor Vermont received the memo.

When the dust settled from Wednesday night’s high-speed car wreck between the Terriers and Catamounts, it was Vermont who remained standing with a 68-67 win. With the victory over a long-time conference rival, the Catamounts had both a signature road win and some distance between themselves and the (now) third place Terriers.

But while the game brought a measure of clarity to the top of the America East standings, the fallout for both teams was just as many (if not more) questions than answers. (more…)

(Stony Brook, NY) With 12:46 left in the first half, Stony Brook forward Tommy Brenton fought through four BU defenders to rebound his own missed free-throw. Bested but not beaten, the Terriers quickly swarmed Brenton, knocking the ball loose. In the ensuing loose-ball scramble – which looked more like a gridiron pig-pile after a fumble – bodies flew in all directions as seemingly every player on the floor entered the scrum.

“This was definitely a championship caliber game, you could tell by both teams how hard they were playing – like it was their last game,” Brenton later reflected.

With sole possession of first place on the line, a sellout crowd and a national TV audience on ESPNU, the America East “Game of the Season” more than lived up to its billing Friday night. Host Stony Brook and visiting Boston University engaged in a heavyweight slug-fest, with both teams landing haymakers early and often.

Senior guard Bryan Dougher poured in 20 points, including several huge buckets in the clutch, Tommy Brenton continued to disrupt every facet of the game with nine points, eight rebounds and four steals, and all-out-effort on the defensive end and in the low post turned the tide for Stony Brook in a 66-57 win. The Seawolves now stand alone atop the America East standings at 8-1 in league play.

When the final buzzer sounded, both coaches — visibly exhausted — shared an embrace.

“They punched us, then we punched them back and the game kind of went back and forth from there,” said Stony Brook head coach Steve Pikiell. “It was a big-time college basketball game today. (more…)

(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…)

(Boston, MA)–Prior to tip-off Monday night, the question on the minds of many was: just how would the Boston University Terriers defend Albany and prolific scoring wing Gerardo Suero?

But no defense the Terriers could have drawn up would have been half as effective at stopping Suero as Suero himself: The junior college transfer played without the fire and effort to even compete, and virtually took himself out of the game.

“He just wasn’t there today, he just wasn’t in it,” said Albany head coach Will Brown of his offensive catalyst.

Point guard D.J. Irving powered the Terriers to their fourth straight win in conference play, as BU shot a season-high 51.1 percent from the floor and topped the Great Danes 70-57. The Terriers held the Great Danes, who entered the game second in the conference in scoring at nearly 75 points per game, to 18 points under their season average.

“This is the first game that we haven’t scored enough points to win, since our George Mason game,” said Brown.

The win re-established BU as one of the top contenders for the America East crown, only weeks after the Terriers looked dead in the water, losing seven straight.

“Our guys really did a great job in the game plan. I thought we played like a very good team for most of the game,” said BU head coach Joe Jones.

Irving posted team-highs of 17 points and 6 assists, tied a team-high with 3 steals, and caused general mayhem on both sides of the ball.

“D.J. Irving is their best player – he’s terrific,” said Brown. “They’re at their best when he [Irving]’s got the ball in his hands, and he’s getting guys shots.” (more…)

The Boston University Terriers took a huge hit Thursday, as it was announced that sophomore point guard D.J. Irving would be out indefinitely after suffering a concussion in the Terriers 68-43 loss the previous tuesday.

A point guard with blazing speed and the ability to get into the lane at will, through 11 games, Irving was averaging 12.6 points per game and 4.9 assists per contest while shooting nearly 46 percent from the floor while running BU’s offense. The proverbial straw that stirs the drink for the Terriers, Irving had emerged as not only the Terriers’ best player – and epicenter of its offense – but a candidate for America East Player of the Year.

The fastest player with the ball in his hands to come through the America East since NBA-er Jose Juan Barea, Irving has been nearly impossible to keep out of the lane, and was the perfect counterbalance to senior guard Darryl Partin’s bouts of extreme chucking.

Against Villanova nine days ago, Irving scored 11 points in 23 minutes, drawing constant praise from former NBA head coach Jeff Van Gundy, and looked like he belonged on the court against a premier Big East opponent.

(more…)