Maine's Jon Sheets (Grass Valley, Calif./Nevada Union/Yuba City CC) has earned the first America East Player of the Week award of his career, while Hartford's Joe Zeglinski (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan) becomes the 10th player in school history to be named America East Rookie of the Week. The accolades were announced on Monday (December 4).
Sheets led the Black Bears to a pair of wins on the week as he averaged a team-high 19.0 ppg. The 6-1 guard scored 19 points including a three-point field goal late that broke a 65-65 tie and gave Maine the 68-65 win at Mount St. Mary’s. Sheets also added 19 points at NJIT as he knocked down three-straight three-point field goals to open the game. On the week, he was 13-of-25 from the floor, including 9-of-18 from behind the three-point arc.
The 6-0 guard led the Hawks to two wins on the week by averaging 18.0 ppg and 5.5 rpg. Zeglinski finished with a career-high 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting at Cornell and added five rebounds. He followed up that effort with another 18-point performance against Long Island at home, going 4-of-6 from three-point range while pulling down six rebounds. On the season, Zeglinski leads the team in scoring (13.0 ppg) and has been the leading scorer in four of six games this season.
AMERICA EAST NOTEBOOK
Defense Wins
Hartford and Maine both went 2-0 on the week and they can thank their defense for their success. The Black Bears allowed opponents to shoot just 36.0 percent from the floor and 28.0 percent from three-point land, while tallying 5.5 blocks per game and 9.0 steals per contest. Likewise, the Hawks limited foes to 40.4 percent shooting from the field and 31.6 percent from downtown, and recorded 9.5 steals per game.
Non-Conference Accomplishments
Sixty one games into the 2006-07 season, America East teams have combined for a 26-35 record (.426). With at least 53 regular-season non-conference games remaining it appears last year's combined total 33 non-league wins will be shattered this season. America East teams are also on-pace to tally 49 regular-season non-conference victories this season, which would be the most since the conference recorded 52 in 1994-95 when there were also nine teams in the league.
Road Warriors
America East has made its presence felt around the NCAA in the early going by winning non-conference road games. League teams have combined to win 17 road games in 2006-07, compared to just nine a season ago. Conference squads have also already topped the number of wins (12) away from home that they posted in 2005-06. The most notable road victory to date was Vermont's victory at #14 Boston College, but the overall road success of the league could loom large when the league's automatic qualifier is seeded for the NCAA Tournament and for other postseason candidates as well.
O-fficient
Boston University's Omari Peterkin (St. Thomas, Virgin Islands/Univ. of Notre Dame) has been the epitomy of efficient on the offensive end this season. The 6-8 center is shooting a league-best 63.4 percent from the floor (26-for-41) and 80.0 percent from the charity stripe (8-for-10).
Long Island Rivalry
Stony Brook hosts former America East member and Long Island rival Hofstra on Tuesday at 7 p.m. The Seawolves are coming off their second sellout in school history, a 72-44 loss to Villanoa, and expect another large crowd for this televised contest (MSG).
BracketBusters Rematch
Albany welcomes the Colonial Athletic Association's Virginia Commonwealth to SEFCU Arena on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in a rematch of last season's ESPN BracketBusters contest. Jamar Wilson scored a game-high 28 points as the Great Danes nearly knocked off VCU in front of 6,684 fans at Alltel Pavilion back on Feb. 17, 2006.
In-State Showdown
Boston University opens its doors for the second of two regular-season contests at Agganis Arena as the Terriers host in-state foe Massachusetts on Wednesday at 8 p.m. The men's game is part of a Boston U. doubleheader as the women take on Brown in the first game at 5:30 p.m. Agganis Arena will also serve as the site of the 2007 America East Men's Basketball Championship on March 2-4.
Newcomers Shine
With America East teams roughly a quarter the way through their 2006-07 schedules, it is apparent that newcomers all around the league are making a considerable impact. Freshmen, redshirt freshmen and transfers are littered throughout the conference leaders in several statistical categories. Below is a breakdown of the top-five scorers, rebounds and assists among newcomers.
Top-5 Scoring Newcomers
Rank Name, Team Average
3. Richard Forbes, Jr., Binghamton 14.7 ppg
5. Corey Lowe, Fr., Boston U. 14.3 ppg
6. Tyler Morris, Fr.-R, Boston U. 14.1 ppg
7. Joe Trapani, Fr., Vermont 14.0 ppg
t8. Joe Zeglinski, Fr., Hartford 13.0 ppg
Top-Five Rebounding Newcomers
Rank Name, Team Average
6. Lazar Trifunovic, Fr., Binghamton 6.1 rpg
7. Joe Trapani, Fr., Vermont 6.1 rpg
8. Scott Brittain, Fr., Boston U. 5.9 rpg
18. Emanuel Neto, Jr., Stony Brook 5.1 rpg
t24. Joe Zeglinski, Hartford 4.3 rpg
Top-5 Assist Newcomers
Rank Name, Team Average
4. Junior Bernal, Fr.-R, Maine 3.8 apg
5. Tyler Morris, Fr.-R, Boston U. 3.6 apg
6. Corey Lowe, Fr., Boston U. 3.1 apg
t11. J. Von Rosenberg, So., Hartford 2.3 apg
t11. Richard Forbes, Jr., Binghamton 2.3 apg
Boston's Youth Movement
With one of the least-experienced rosters in the nation, the youth movement at Boston University has begun. Only seven programs in all of Division I feature rosters with fewer career games played entering the 2006-07 season than the Terriers, with only five having less games started as well. Head coach Dennis Wolff returns a squad that has seen action in 144 Division I games, with a combined 50 career starts in those outings.
Three freshmen and a sophomore are currently in the Terriers' starting five. Led by Corey Lowe (Newton, Mass./Newton North) and Tyler Morris's (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) 14.3 and 14.1 ppg, respectively, Boston U.'s freshmen class is responsible for 70.2 percent of the Terriers offense.
Lights, Camera, Action
America East announced its most comprehensive television schedule in history with more than 50 men’s and women’s basketball games slated for broadcast in 2006-07 (see following page for complete schedule). Included in the package is the America East Men’s Basketball Championship, which will air live on ESPN2 on March 10 at 12 noon. It marks the 19th-consecutive year that the championship game will appear on ESPN/ESPN2.
America East and ESPN Regional Television will team up to produce and distribute games throughout the America East geographic footprint, which includes several of the nation’s top 25 media markets including New York (No. 1), Boston (No. 5), Washington, D.C. (No. 8), Baltimore and Hartford. In addition, no fewer than 12 games will be included in the ESPN Full Court package, the subscription service provided by ESPN. The games will also be available on-line via video streaming at AmericaEast.com, through the conference’s multi-media partner, XOS Technologies.
Ticket Sales Begin December 8
Tickets for the 2007 America East Men's Basketball Championship on March 2-4 at Boston University's Agganis Arena go on sale Friday, December 8. To purchase tickets visit www.AmericaEast.com.
Championship Returns to Boston
The America East Men’s Basketball Championship returns to Boston in 2007 as Boston University hosts the nine-team tournament on March 2-4 at Agganis Arena. The first round game will take place on Friday, March 2, followed by the quarterfinals on Saturday, March 3 and the semifinals on Sunday, March 4.
Tournament ticket packages are $30 for youth/students and $60 for adults. To purchase tickets call 617-353-GoBU or online at www.AmericaEast.com. To request media credentials for the conference’s premier event, email K.J. Cardinal (cardinal@americaeast.com).
TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES
Albany Great Danes
Albany (2-3, 0-0 America East) dropped a 76-75 double-overtime thriller to crosstown-rival Siena before 11,271 fans at Pepsi Arena on Dec. 2... The topsy-turvy affair featured 16 lead changes and 12 ties in the longest game played in the series since Dec. 29, 1961... Kenny Hasbrouck made what proved to be the game-winning shot with 1:11 remaining as the Saints have won five of the last six meetings, including two consecutive overtime decisions... Jamar Wilson (Bronx, N.Y./Our Savior New American School) had two opportunities to put his team ahead in the closing moments, including a 3-point field goal attempt that rattled in and out at the buzzer... Albany has now dropped eight consecutive overtime games... Wilson posted his fourth career double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds... The 6-1 senior is No. 2 on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,643 points... Jason Siggers (Dallas, Texas/Skyline) had 14 of his 17 points in the extra periods and established a career-high with nine rebounds... Siggers drained consecutive three-pointers to begin the first overtime... Brian Lillis (Urbandale, Iowa/West Des Moines Dowling) scored in twin figures for the sixth time as a collegian with 12 points... The 6-5 junior added seven rebounds and tied a career-best with six assists... Brian Connelly (Audubon, N.J./Camden Catholic) tallied a career-high 11 points (4-for-6 FGs) after going scoreless in his previous outing against nationally-ranked Connecticut... Freshman center Brett Gifford (Columbia, Mo./Rock Bridge) also had a career effort with eight points (4-for-5 FGs) before fouling out with 51.5 seconds left in regulation... The Great Danes, after losing three-straight on the road, return home on Dec. 6 against Virginia Commonwealth in a rematch of last year’s ESPN BracketBusters game... UAlbany and Siena renewed their series in 2001... The six meetings since have played to an average of 10,428 fans.
Binghamton Bearcats
Binghamton (3-3, 0-0 America East) dropped both games during the week - an eight-point defeat at Colgate and a 14-point loss at home to Rider... It is the first time since the 2004-05 season that the Bearcats have allowed back-to-back opponents to score 75 or more points - a span of 54 games... The last time it happened was against Syracuse (86 points) and Vermont (83) in December 2004... Senior forward Duane James (Miami, Fla./South Florida International Academy/Miami Dade JC) averaged a team-best 17.0 points in the pair of games, despite playing only 14 minutes against Rider because of a cut to his head... James shot 55 percent from the field and 90 percent from the free throw line and also added three three-pointers... Junior guard Richard Forbes (Far Rockaway, N.Y./Far Rockaway/Howard JC) averaged 14.0 points during the week, buoyed by a 19-point effort at Colgate... Junior guard Mike Gordon (Plainfield, N.J./Plainfield) averaged 11.5 points and 3.0 steals.... Freshman Lazar Trifunovic (Belgrade, Serbia/Secondary Railway Technical School) earned his first start of the season against Rider and responded with 10 points and seven rebounds in a season-high 33 minutes... Trifunovic leads the team in rebounds (6.2)... The Bearcats will play Mid-American member Akron for the first time this week... The Zips went 23-10 and advanced to the second round of the NIT last winter.
Boston University Terriers
Boston University (3-4, 0-0 America East) split a pair of games to end a four-game, two-week road slate... Boston U. lost 55-39 to St. Joseph’s (4-1) on Monday, Nov. 27 at Hawk Hill... Boston U. led 26-25 at the half, but after tying the game at 32, the Hawks went on a decisive 23-7 run to finish out the game... Freshman Corey Lowe (Newton, Mass./Newton North) led Boston U. with 11 points... Redshirt freshman Tyler Morris (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) was the team’s second-leading scorer with seven points and a career-high six rebounds... It was a turnover-prone game for both teams as St. Joe’s had 19 and Boston U. 26... The Terriers shot 30.6 percent (11-for-36) from the floor for the game - the lowest since Boston U. shot 25.4 percent (15-59) against Vermont in a 43-41 win on Jan. 22, 2006... Boston U. did find success at the free throw line, making 13-of-15 shots... The Terriers traveled through bad weather to Olean, N.Y. to face St. Bonaventure on Saturday, Dec. 2 and came away with a win over the Bonnies (3-4) 74-46... Boston U. had three players in double figures - Morris with 19, Lowe with 17 and senior Brian Macon (Boynton Beach, Fla./Miami Dade College) with 13... Morris went 5-for-6 from the three-point line in the second half after not attempting a three in the first... He shot 7-for-9 for the game and had two rebounds, two assists and one steal in 24 minutes... Lowe went 6-for-9 from the floor and had four rebounds and a career-high eight assists... Macon went 3-for-5 from the floor (3-for-4 from three) and had three assists, four rebounds and two steals... Freshman Scott Brittain (Oakville, Ont./Iroquois Ridge) had six points and a career-high 10 rebounds... Boston U. shot 60.0 percent from the floor as a team for the first time since 2003... The Terriers’ 10 3-pointers marked the third time this season Boston U. has hit that many from deep... Boston U. faces Massachusetts on Wednesday, Dec. 6 at 8 p.m. in Agganis Arena... It is the Terriers’ first home game in three weeks.
Hartford Hawks
Hartford (3-3, 0-0 America East) evened its record last week with wins over Cornell and Long Island... The Hawks erased a 10-point deficit in the final three minutes at Cornell, ending the game on a 13-1 run for a 63-61 final and their first road win of the season... Freshman Joe Zeglinski (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan) led the way with 18 points while senior Bo Taylor (Reston, Va./Paul VI Catholic/Bishop O’Connell/South Lakes) added 15... Hartford then returned home to defeat Long Island by a 64-49 margin despite shooting a season-low 33 percent... The Hawks made up the difference by turning up the defensive intensity and forcing a season-high 24 turnovers... Zeglinski scored 18 points once again to lead the team while sophomore Jaret Von Rosenberg (Mission, Texas/Sharyland/Collin County) chipped in with a career-high 10... Zeglinski leads the team in scoring at 13.0 ppg and has led the team in scoring in four games thus far, finishing in double figures four times... Taylor leads the team in rebounding at 5.7 rpg... Hartford has now won its last three games and is yielding only 53.3 ppg during the stretch... Last season the Hawks allowed an average of 65.9 ppg in their 13 wins... Hartford will begin a three-game road trip this week with games at Penn State and Monmouth... The Hawks and Nittany Lions will face off on Wednesday, December 6 at 7:30 p.m.
Maine Black Bears
Maine (4-4, 0-0 America East) won a pair of road games on the week... The Black Bears have now won four of their last five games... Maine is 3-1 in away games on the season... Jon Sheets (Grass Valley, Calif./Nevada Union/Yuba City CC) led Maine on the week as he scored 19 points in each game... He hit a three-point field goal late to break a 65-65 tie and give Maine the 68-65 victory at Mount St. Mary’s... Sheets had nine three-point field goals on the week and has a team-high 22 on the season... Sheets has now led Maine in scoring in each of the last three games.... Maine is holding its opponents to just 39.8 percent from the floor... Guard Kevin Reed (Yarmouth, Mass./Dennis-Yarmouth/St. Thomas More) leads Maine in rebounding, averaging 6.6 rebounds per game.... Maine has four different players averaging 10 or more points per game... The Black Bears blocked a season-high seven shots against Mount St. Mary’s... Among Maine’s top five scorers, two are freshmen and one is a sophomore... Reed moved into 11th place on Maine’s all-time scoring list this week... He currently has 1,266 career points... Reed also grabbed his 600th career rebound on the week and currently has 604 in his career... The Black Bears travel to Providence to face the Friars in their lone game of the week.
UMBC Retrievers
UMBC (3-5, 0-0 America East) junior reserve guard Brian Hodges (Upper Marlboro,Md./Bishop McNamara) produced the third-most prolific scoring game in UMBC’s 21-year Division I history on Monday, scoring 36 points in an 86-72 win at Morgan State... He played 27 minutes, coming off the bench to do the damage... Hodges’ performance is the most points scored since Derell Thompson scored a school record 43 points at Towson on February 15, 1992... Hodges hit 10-of-18 from the floor, 6-of-9 from long distance and 10-of-12 from the free throw line... The field goals were a career high and the three-point goals and free throws tied his career high... He added 19 points to his ledger in Friday’s loss at St. John’s... Hodges now has 113 three-point field goals and needs one more to reach sixth place, passing Rich Giddens (?01)... The Retrievers hit less than 40 percent from the field in losing games at St. John’s (78-57) and at home to Long Beach State (57-53) this weekend... In its last four games, UMBC foes have blocked 37 Retriever shots... Sophomore guard Thomas Young (Philadelphia, Pa./Plymouth-Whitemarsh) scored a career high 17 points versus Long Beach State, but a late 7-0 run by the 49’ers was the difference in the four-point loss... It was UMBC’s first decision of six points of less in the 2006-07 campaign, but the Retrievers have lost their last four games in that situation dating back to last season... UMBC is averaging just 10.4 turnovers per game in its last five outings... Philadelphia-area natives Young, Chris Seaborn and Matt Spadafora return “home” as UMBC visits La Salle on Thursday.
New Hampshire Wildcats
New Hampshire (1-6, 0-0 America East) lost two heartbreaking games in overtime this week... On Wednesday, UNH was defeated 83-81 in overtime by Harvard... Senior co-captain Jermaine Anderson (Beverly, Mass./Phillips Exeter) tallied 28 points to go along with nine assists and sophomore guard Tyrece Gibbs (Brockton, Mass./Thayer Academy) notched a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds... The Wildcats also came up just short to Long Island by a score of 70-62 in a second-straight overtime loss... Senior co-captain Blagoj Janev (Sydney, Australia/Australia Institute of Sport) posted a team-high 18 points with seven rebounds, while junior forward Mike Christensen (Reston, Va./Flint Hill) notched 13 points and eight rebounds in the loss... The last time UNH played consecutive overtimes came last season with a 59-56 loss in overtime before capturing a win over Albany, 78-71... The two-straight overtime defeats mark the first time in school history... The most overtime games played in season is four, which was set during the 1989-90 campaign when the team posted a 3-1 record in the extra stanza... UNH returns to action on Wednesday (Dec. 6) with a non-conference tilt against Rutgers. The tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.
Stony Brook Seawolves
Stony Brook (3-4, 0-0 America East) dropped a pair of games last week... The Seawolves lost a 64-58 decision to Maryland-Eastern Shore on Tuesday evening at the Indoor Sports Complex and in front of a sellout crowd of 4,285, SBU fell 72-44 to Villanova... In the loss to the Fighting Hawks, Mike Popoko (Baltimore, Md./The McDonogh School) notched the Seawolves first double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 boards... Mitchell Beauford (Queens, N.Y./Christ the King) added 11 points while Brandon Hickson (Irmo, S.C./Dutch Fork) came off the bench and played his finest game as a Seawolf, tallying a career-high 10 points... In just the second sellout in the Division I era, the Seawolves dropped a televised game on MSG to Villanova on Thursday evening... Andre Vanterpool (Manhasset, N.Y./Manhasset/MCC) had eight points, including an alley-oop dunk that was the No. 2 Play of the Night on SportsCenter... Ryan Jones (Washington, D.C./Hargrave/Elon) added eight points as well... The Seawolves play just one contest this week against Long Island rival Hofstra on Tuesday... Stony Brook alum and MLB All-Star Joe Nathan will be honored at halftime and the game will be televised on MSG.
Vermont Catamounts
Vermont (4-4, 0-0 America East) went 1-1 on the week in a pair of road contests at CAA members Towson and Delaware... On Friday freshman Joe Trapani (Madison, Conn./Daniel Hand) led Vermont with 15 points and a career high 10 rebounds for his first career double-double as the Cats fell 67-54... Friday’s game marked Vermont’s third in the state of Maryland this season (New Orleans, Maryland, Towson), with a trip to UMBC still on tap... On Sunday sophomore Mike Trimboli (Norwalk, Conn./St. Luke’s) tallied a career-high 25 points to go with six rebounds and three steals as Vermont came from behind to down Delaware 57-55... The Cats trailed by four, 55-51, but Trapani hit a put back with 1:17 remaining and then buried a three on the next possession to put Vermont on top for good... The win was the first all-time for UVM against Delaware in Newark, as the Cats were 0-13 prior... The contest also wrapped up a brutal stretch that saw Vermont open the year with seven of its first eight games on the road... Senior Chris Holm (Henderson, Nev./Green Valley/URI) had 16 rebounds on Sunday, matching a career high and he is now fourth in the nation (11.3 rpg)... Holm is also second in offensive rebounds in the nation with 41... Trimboli is ninth in the country in free throw percentage (95.5 percent)... Vermont returns to action Sunday when it opens a three game home stand against Iona at 1 p.m.