Quick Facts: 2009-10 Record: 7-25 (2-14 America East)
Letterwinners Returning: 8
Starters Returning: 3
Newcomers: 3
Head Coach: Will Brown (10th season)/ 113-149 career-record
Under the tutelage of Will Brown, the Albany men's
basketball program has been a staple of consistency in the America East
Conference. Now entering his 10th season at Albany, Brown led the
Great Danes to four consecutive seasons with at least 15 wins
(2005-2006-2008-2009), while also leading the school to its first appearance in
the NCAA Tournament as a Division I program (2005-2006).
Unfortunately, the 2009-2010 season fell short of the high expectations
that Brown has built for this program. The Great Danes struggled to a 7-25
(2-14 America East) record and finished in ninth place in the America East
standings. One of the big issues last season was an inability to get stops on
the defensive end. According to Brown, an improvement on the defensive end
could lead to a strong season.
"No. 1 is we need to guard. We were always rock solid
defensively and very good on the glass," said Brown. "Last year we really struggled defensively.
In the past our defense and rebounding always gave us a chance to win
regardless of how we were playing offensively."
While the Great Danes return three starters and eight-letterman
from last year's squad, this is still an extraordinarily young squad that needs
to learn how to win at this level.
"This year we have nine freshmen and sophomores in our
program," Brown said of his roster. "Our main focus with this group early on
has been to get them to play as hard as they can every single time they step on
the court ... to find another level, be good teammates, and to take it personal
if they/we give up a basket ... embrace the defensive end. This group will be
together for the next few years and we feel they have a chance to be very good
moving forward."
Senior guard Tim Ambrose is one guy who will need to provide
leadership for this young team against a tough non-conference schedule, which
includes a match up with Georgia Tech in Atlanta.
"We need Tim
Ambrose to be a consistent player and scorer for us. He is more than capable,"
emphasized Brown. "I think he will
thrive with the players he will have around him this year. We need the Tim
Ambrose that we had as a sophomore. Tim should be a double-figure scorer. We
just need him to be solid on defense and play with some consistency. I am confident
he will have a good year."
While both
Logan Aronhalt and Mike Black made significant contributions during their
freshman season's, it's imperative that both take their game to the next level
in order for Albany to compete for a spot in the upper-half of the conference.
"We need
Logan Aronhalt to have a good year," Brown said of his sophomore guard. "He was
very highly touted coming out of high school. After two foot surgeries he is
finally healthy. He has lost thirteen pounds and is leaner and stronger. He was
very good down the stretch for us (last year). He is capable of consistently
scoring in double figures for us."
The
continued maturation of Black could be the key for him to emerge as one of the
elite playmakers in the conference.
"We need
Mike Black to continue to grow as a player. He had a very good conference
season and was rewarded for his efforts by making the All-Rookie team. He has
the talent level to be as good as any point guard in the America East."
With the
talent of the backcourt, combined with the ability of the coaching staff to get
the most out of its talent, it would be a surprise to see Albany struggle as
mightily as it did last season. With two junior-college transfers (Theo Hatcher
and Russell Moore) joining Australian import Luke Devlin, Brown has a strong
group of newcomers that are fully capable of providing an impact. While the
inexperience on the roster might make it tough for the team to gel early in the
season, there is a strong chance this will be a very competitive team once
America East conference play begins.