CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- With conference play ready to begin, Albany's Gerardo Suero and Hartford's Wes Cole claimed the final America East men's basketball weekly awards of the non-conference portion of the season. Suero is the Player of the Week, while Cole is the Rookie of the Week. The weekly honors for the week ending Jan. 1 were announced Monday afternoon.
Suero (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) put together a monster week, averaging 25 points, 8.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists in a pair of games, and earned his third Player of the Week honor of the season as a result. The junior guard single-handedly led Albany to a win at Mount St. Mary's on Saturday as he recorded his first career double-double (28 points, 10 rebounds) and with his team trailing by one, converted a three-point play with just 38 seconds left that proved to be the difference in the 65-64 victory. Suero also held his own against ACC competition, racking up 22 points, seven rebounds and eight assists in a loss at Maryland on Wednesday.
In just two months at Albany, Suero has established himself as one of the top players in America East, if not the country. The junior transfer leads the league and ranks fourth nationally averaging 22.0 points per game. He has gone over the 20-point mark in six straight games and 10 times overall this season. Suero also ranks 12th in rebounding, pulling down 5.4 boards per game, and is eighth in field goal percentage (.492) overall, which is second among guards. The Dominican Republic native has gotten to the free throw line a whopping 128 times, 39 more than anyone else, and ranks fourth among league leaders sinking 82.8 percent of his attempts.
Cole (The Woodlands, Texas) provided a spark off the Hartford bench and picked up his second Rookie of the Week honor of the season as a result. The freshman guard contributed 13 points, six rebounds and two steals in 25 minutes of action in the Hawks' loss at La Salle Saturday. The sharpshooter, who ranks second in America East with 33 made three pointers, netted 4-of-5 tries from long range against the Explorers. Cole is 18th among league leaders averaging 10.6 points per game and ranks sixth in three-point percentage (.371).
Conference Notebook
The Honor Roll
Several other America East players had top performances last week:
• Jimmy Gray scored a season-high 15 points and dished out three assists in Binghamton's loss to Manhattan Saturday.
• Boston University's Darryl Partin scored 19 points and added nine rebounds against Quinnipiac on Saturday.
• Gerald McLemore tied his season high by scoring 26 points in Maine's loss at Florida Gulf Coast.
• UMBC's Ryan Cook poured in a career-best 26 points on 9-of-14 shooting at Niagara Wednesday.
• Jordon Bronner scored a career-high 24 points on 7-of-11 shooting and added five assists to lead UNH to a win over Colgate Saturday.
• Ron Bracey tallied a career-high 16 points and added eight rebounds off the bench to lead Stony Brook to a win over Cornell Wednesday.
Conference play Commences
League play begins today with the 16-game round-robin schedule getting underway. Finishing among the league's top two is crucial for teams with championship aspirations. Only twice in America East's 32 year history has a team finished outside the top two and gone on to win the league title. Delaware captured the crown as the No. 3 seed in 1999 while Holy Cross finished third in the league's inaugural year (1979-80) and went on to win the championship.
Monday's Matchups
Hartford at Albany, 7 p.m.
The Great Danes have won six of their last nine while the Hawks are in search of their first win. Albany owns a 15-10 all-time edge in the series, but Hartford has won five of the last six meetings.
Maine at Binghamton, 7 p.m.
The Black Bears have won three of their last four and go for their third straight win in a road opener. Binghamton, winner of three straight conference openers, holds a 12-10 all-time edge, but Maine has won four straight in the series.
UMBC at New Hampshire, 7 p.m.
New Hampshire looks to reach the .500 mark Monday. The Wildcats, who hold a 10-7 all-time series edge, swept last year's set by an average of 17.5 points. UMBC hopes to snap a three-game losing skid in America East openers.
Vermont at Stony Brook, 7 p.m.
The Cats have won 11 of their last 12 openers and look for revenge against Stony Brook, which outsted UVM from the league tournament last year. The Seawolves, who have won three of the last five in the series, are 5-0 at home this year.
Anyone Could be Champion
Following the non-conference portion of the schedule, just two games separate the top five teams in the conference standings, with reigning champion Boston U. lurking just four games back. Albany (8-6) had the most success in 2011, matching its program's Division I record for most wins entering conference play.
Will Someone be the Sixth?
Dynasties have been an important part of the history of America East basketball, just not lately. Parity has hit the league as five different teams have won the last five America East titles, the only such stretch in the league's 32 year history. The last five league champions are Albany (2007), UMBC (2008), Binghamton (2009), Vermont (2010) and Boston U. (2011). Eight teams, including six different schools, have won consecutive league titles and of those, three (Drexel, Northeastern and Vermont) have won three in a row.
Offensive Firepower
America East boasts three of nation's top offensive threats. In fact, the league is the only Division I conference to have three players ranked among the nation's top 20 scorers. Albany's Gerardo Suero, who has scored 20-plus points in six straight games, leads the league and ranks fourth nationally averaging 22.0 ppg. Maine's Gerald McLemore is 11th averaging 20.8 ppg, while Boston University's Darryl Partin ranks 17th in the country scoring 20.2 ppg. All together the group has combined for 24 20-plus point performances.
Youth is Served
Several newcomers continue to make an immediate impact. In fact, six of the conference's top 20 scorers, including five freshmen, are newcomers. Albany's Gerardo Suero leads the league and ranks fourth nationally (22.0 ppg). Four-time America East Rookie of the Week Justin Edwards ranks fourth among America East leaders averaging 16.1 points per game and is also eighth in rebounding (6.2 rpg). Binghamton's Ben Dickinson (12.6 ppg), Vermont's Four McGlynn (10.9 ppg) and Hartford's Wes Cole (10.6 ppg) and Nate Sikma (10.0 ppg) rank 13, 17th, 19th and 20th, respectively.
Beating the Big Boys
Boston University's win over ACC member Boston College on Dec. 3 was America East's eighth over a Bowl Championship Series (BCS) conference school since 2008. Maine beat Penn State out of the Big Ten last season and also knocked off BC in 2010. Boston U. downed Indiana in 2009 and also knocked off Oregon St. of the Pac 12 in the College Basketball Invitational that season. Vermont beat both Colorado, which was then in the Big XII, and Rutgers of the Big East during the 2008-09 campaign while UMBC beat Nebraska (Big XII) that season.
Woodward Extended
Maine's Ted Woodward received a contract extension that will keep him in Orono through the 2014-15 season on the Dec. 22. The eighth-year Black Bear head coach led Maine to consecutive top-3 finishes in America East for only the second time in the past 20 years. He has a 98-125 all-time record at Maine and has led the Black Bears to a 40-31 record since the start of the 2009-10 season, including a 6-4 mark record so far this year. Woodward has also led his program to wins over BCS-Conference schools Boston College and Penn State.
AE WINS OVER THE "BIG SIX" SINCE 2008
ACC - Maine 52, at Boston College 51 (1/2/10)
- Boston U. 75, at Boston College 61 (12/3/11)
BIG EAST - Binghamton 66, at Rutgers 56 (12/6/08)
Vermont 77, at Rutgers 71 (11/22/09)
BIG XII - UMBC 66, at Nebraska 64 (12/23/08)
Vermont 84, Colorado 59 (12/30/08)
BIG TEN - Boston U. 71, Indiana 67 (11/19/09)
Maine 74, at Penn State 64 (12/21/10)
PAC-12 - Boston U. 92, at Oregon State (3/17/10)
America East, ESPN Do Deal
The America East Conference and ESPN announced a new five-year broadcast
deal that will significantly increase the league’s number of national
appearances on the ESPN family of networks on Nov. 28. The agreement
will run through the 2015-16 season. The 2011-12 package will include a
minimum of 48 national appearances on ESPN platforms, the most in league
history. The deal also includes flexibility that could increase
that total in future years. As part of the agreement, the conference’s
men’s basketball championship game will air on ESPN2, the 25th straight
year the America East title game will air on ESPN or ESPN2. The women’s
championship game will be distributed to regional sports networks via
ESPN Regional Television and also be broadcast on ESPN3, ESPN’s
multi-screen broadcast channel available through an affiliated internet
or video provider online via WatchESPN.com. For the fifth straight year,
ESPNU will broadcast a men’s regular-season conference game when Stony
Brook hosts Boston U. on Jan. 27 in a rematch of last year’s America
East Championship game. Additionally 11 regular-season basketball games,
four postseason contests and the men’s lacrosse championship game will
be broadcast exclusively on ESPN3, which also includes availability on
smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app and on ESPN on Xbox LIVE.
CBS Sports Network to air Five Games
The America East Conference and CBS Sports Network announced today a
national television package including both men’s and women’s basketball
games, the first such deal in league history. It will be the first time
that multiple conference regular-season games will be televised
nationally in one season. CBS Sports Network will broadcast five league
contests featuring eight America East schools starting in January.
America East previously partnered with the Network to televise two men’s
lacrosse games in 2010, including the conference championship game. The
package kicks off with a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day men’s matchup
between defending league champion Boston University and University at
Albany on Jan. 14 at 7 p.m. The two teams were picked first and fourth,
respectively, in the conference’s preseason poll. Old rivals University
of New Hampshire and University of Vermont will meet for the 132nd time
in men’s action on Jan. 29 at 12 p.m. The Catamounts will then face
Stony Brook University in a get together of the league’s last two men’s
regular-season champions on February 12. The preseason favorite on the
women’s side, UMBC, and 2011 league champion, Hartford, will square off
on Feb. 19 at Chase Arena in the first-ever nationally televised
conference women’s game. The final game of the package will feature
University of Maine at Stony Brook in men’s action on the final day of
the regular season, February 26.
Follow America East On the Go
America East unveiled its mobile app for iphone and andriod devices last
week. Now, fans can access America East news, stats, scores, standings
and more at any time! Download the AE on the Go iPhone app and get all
the latest in America East sports in a simple, interactive interface on
your iPhone or Android device. Simply search America East Conference on
the itunes store or Android Market and download the app. For just $4.99
upgrade to the premium app and get access to on-demand video including
highlights and features on athletes from around the league.
All Nine in BracketBusters
For the first time in league history, all nine teams will participate in
Sears BracketBusters, ESPN’s three-day men’s college basketball event
pitting potential NCAA Championship hopefuls against each other. The
event, which will feature 13 televised contests on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU or
ESPN3, will take place Feb. 17-19 with the matchups being announced
Jan. 30. Albany, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont will serve as home
teams for the event, while Binghamton, Boston University, Hartford, UMBC
and Stony Brook will be on the road. America East teams have appeared
on national television as part of the event in five of the last seven
years, including Vermont last year.
Back to Hartford
For the third straight season, University of Hartford will be the host
of the America East Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships. The
tournament, which will be combined for the third straight season, will
be held on March 1-4, 2012 at Chase Arena at the Reich Family Pavilion
on University of Hartford’s campus. The first, quarterfinal and
semifinal rounds for both the men and women will be held at the combined
tournament, while the title games will again both be held the following
weekend at the site of the highest seeds remaining.
Team Notes
Albany Great Danes (8-6)
Albany went .500 in the state of Maryland this past week, beating Mount St. Mary's, 65-64, on Saturday, Dec. 31 and dropping a close one to Maryland, 84-73, on Wednesday, Dec. 28 ... The Great Danes tied their Division I program mark for most wins (8) heading into conference play ... Gerardo Suero (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic/Our Savior New America) scored 50 points and grabbed 17 rebounds in two games this week ... Suero went 10-of-10 from the free-throw line, including the game-winning free throw, versus Mount St. Mary's (12/31) Suero, the 6-foot-4 junior guard, recorded his first career double-double in Division I with 28 points and 10 rebounds versus Mount St. Mary’s ... Luke Devlin (Sydney Australia/Newington College) is showing that he is back to full strength, scoring in double digits in three straight games, going 5-of-10 from beyond the arc in the last two games ... Logan Aronhalt ( Zanesville, Ohio/ Zanesville) netted 28 points and grabbed 11 rebounds (7 offensive) in two games this past week ... Aronhalt has now started in 61 consecutive games as a Great Dane ... Albany begins its conference play against Hartford on Monday, Jan. 2 in the SEFCU Arena ... The Great Danes are 15-10 all-time versus the Hawks.
Binghamton Bearcats (0-12)
Binghamton dropped its two games during the week - both to MAAC foes. The Bearcats played Canisius to the final minute before suffering a 75-66 setback on the road. Back home two nights later, Binghamton was blitzed by visiting Manhattan 94-51 ... Sophomore guard Robert Mansell (Philadelphia, Pa./Cheltenham) averaged 14.0 points in the pair of games, bumping up his team-high scoring average to 13.3 ppg. ... Freshman forward Omar Richards (San Diego, Calif./Horizon Christian) scored a season-high 15 points on perfect shooting at Canisius. Richards hit 4-for-4 from the field and 6-for-6 from the line. He added a season-high eight rebounds ... In the Manhattan game, junior guard Jimmy Gray (Binghamton, N.Y./Binghamton) hit for a team-high 15 points with three assists and two steals ... Freshman guard Chris Longoria (Peachtree City, Ga./Wheeler) added 13 points and three assists ... Binghamton is hoping to wipe the slate clean when conference play begins this week. Since joining the America East in 2001, Binghamton has the third-highest win percentage in league play, behind only Vermont and Boston University.
Boston U. Terriers (4-10)
Continuing a difficult non-conference late without sophomore D.J. Irving (Chester, Pa./Archbishop Carroll), Boston University (4-10) dropped two games on the road, as its losing streak increased to six contests, the program's longest losing stretch since the Terriers had six straight in 2006-07 ... Boston U. first dropped a 70-53 decision at La Salle followed by a 59-53 loss at Quinnipiac ... The Terriers' last six opponents have a combined record of 56-27 (.675), and Boston U. is the only America East team to have faced an opponent with a winning record in each of the last six games on its respective schedule ... The Terriers shot 45.8 percent in the first half, but La Salle shot 50 to take 43-29 halftime lead ... The Explorers held Boston U. to 34.6 percent in the second ... Redshirt freshman Malik Thomas (Harlem, N.Y./Frederick Douglass Academy II) had a team and season-high 17 points and eight rebounds in the contest ... Boston U. grabbed a 32-19 halftime lead at Quinnipiac, but the Terriers shot 25.9 percent and committed seven turnovers in the second half for the loss ... The Bobcats finished the game at 32.1 percent but hit 20 free throws against the Terriers' 11 to earn the victory ... Senior Darryl Partin (Seattle, Wash./La Salle) led Boston U. with a game-high 19 points along with a career-high nine rebounds ... The Terriers will next open the conference schedule on Thursday (Jan. 5) at Vermont before hosting Binghamton on Sunday (Jan. 8).
Hartford Hawks (0-12)
Hartford could not close out 2011 with a win as it fell at La Salle, 73-55, at Tom Gola Arena in Philadelphia on New Year's Eve ... Wes Cole (The Woodlands, Texas/The Woodlands) led the Hawks with 13 points, including 4-of-5 from downtown, while Mark Nwakamma (Leander, Texas/Leander) added 10 and pulled down nine boards, a career-high ... After a rough start to in non-conference play, the Hawks begin 2012 with the start of the America East Conference slate which includes a trio of games this week ... Hartford takes on Albany on Mon., Jan. 2 (7p.m.) before returning home for the first time since Dec. 10 to face New Hampshire on Thurs., Jan. 5 (7 p.m.) and Vermont on Sun., Jan. 8 (2 p.m.) ... Three Hawks register double digit scoring led by Andres Torres' (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico/Colegio Adianez) 10.6 points-per-game ... Rookies Cole and Nate Sikma (Bellevue, Wash./Bellevue) follow suit with 10.0 ppg each ... Cole leads the team and is second in the league with 33 three-pointers, averaging 3.0 treys-per-contest ... He has made at least one three in 10 of 11 games he has appeared in this year ... As a team, the Hawks lead the America East with 96 made three-pointers ... Five of the team's seven top scorers are freshmen ... Hartford's rookies have accounted for 65-percent of its scoring this season.
Maine Black Bears (6-5)
Maine had its three-game win streak snapped at Florida Gulf Coast 84-72 ... Gerald McLemore (San Diego, Calif./Worcester Academy) had a game-high 26 points on 7-14 shooting from behind the arc ... Raheem Singleton (Boston, Mass./Monroe Community College) added 12 points and four assists ... McLemore now has 1,407 career points and 281 career three-pointers, just 30 shy of Kevin Reed's school record of 311 ... He has scored more than 20 points in six out of the 10 games he's played in this season, and has led the team in scoring in five out of the last six games ... Mike Allison (Lynden, Ontario/National Elite Development Academy) had a pair of blocks against FGCU, giving him at least two blocks in three out of the four games he's played in ... Maine has shot at least 42 percent from long range in its last four games ... Maine continues play on Monday at Binghamton before hosting UMBC on Saturday.
UMBC Retrievers (1-11)
UMBC enters league play trying to halt a four-game losing streak after a 92-75 setback at Niagara on Dec. 28... The Retrievers snapped out a a shooting funk, hitting 48 percent from the floor vs. the Purple Eagles and reaching the 70-point mark for the second time this season... Junior guards Ryan Cook (Laurel, Md./St. Vincent Pallotti) and Brian Neller (Red Bank, N.J./Christian Bros. Acad.) scored 26 and 16 points respectively against NU, but UMBC was victimized by 13 treys by their hosts ... Cook now leads the Retrievers with 13.1 points per game as Chase Plummer’s (Plainfield, N.J./St. Patrick) streak of seven straight games in double figures was halted ... Cook hit all six free throw attempts (tying career-best) and has now converted 24 of 25 (96.0 percent) free throws to date... Has scored in double figures in 34 of 61 collegiate contests ... Neller moved into seventh place on UMBC's all-time list for three-point field goals... He has 125 and needs 12 more to move into sixth place ... The Retrievers open league play at UNH on Jan. 2 and play the home opener vs. Albany on Jan. 5 ... UMBC is 3-5 in eight previous America East lid-lifters, but all three of those victories (3-1) have occurred on the road ... The Retrievers have dropped their last three America East season opening games ... UMBC’s three series wins (3-5) at UNH's Lundholm Gymnasium have all occurred in even-numbered years (2004, 2008, 2010) ... The Retrievers have scored 70 or more points in only five of 17 games vs. the Wildcats and have scored less than 52 points on five occasions ... Nine of the first 14 meetings were decided by seven points or less, while the last three contests have all been decided by 17 or more points.
New Hampshire Wildcats (5-6)
New Hampshire rounded out its last week of non-conference action with a record of 1-1 ... the Wildcats finish their non-conference slate 4-2 at Lundholm Gymnasium ... The 'Cats are an impressive 13-3 on their home floor in non-conference action over the course of the last three seasons ... UNH capped off the week with a 71-64 victory over Colgate (Dec. 31), as sophomore Jordon Bronner (Sleepy Hollow, N.Y./Iona Prep) led the way, setting career highs in points (24), free throws made (8), field goals (7) and 3-point field goals (2) ... The point guard was tabbed the America East Player of the Game, finishing the afternoon with three boards and a pair of steals ... He shot a solid 7-of-11 from the floor and 2-of-3 from deep while knocking down 8-of-9 shots from the stripe ... Alvin Abreu (Lynn, Mass./Boys to Men Academy) notched 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including a perfect 3-for-3 mark from beyond the arc ... Chandler Rhoads (Berryville, Va./Air Force Prep) chipped in with 10 points, five boards and an assist ... In the outing prior the 'Cats fell to Sacred Heart, 77-59, at Lundholm Gymnasium on Dec. 29 ... Rhoads scored 12 of his team-leading 16 points in the second half earning America East Player of the Game honors as he rounded out his evening with two boards, two steals and one assist ... Brian Benson (Rochester, N.Y./Greece Athena) chipped in with 10 points and nine boards, narrowly missing his second double-double of the season in 33 minutes ... The Wildcats are back in action when they tip off their conference schedule on Monday, Jan. 2 (7 p.m.) against the University of Maryland Baltimore County at Lundholm Gymnasium.
Stony Brook Seawolves (5-6)
Stony Brook defeated Cornell and Rider at home for a perfect 2-0 week ... the Seawolves are now 5-0 at home this season and have won six consecutive home games, dating back to the end of last season ... Stony Brook finished its home non-conference schedule undefeated, the first time in the program's Div. I history it was accomplished the feat ... the program's Div. I record for most consecutive home wins is 12, which happened between Nov. 29, 2000 and Dec. 4, 2001 ... Stony Brook outrebounded both Cornell and Rider and has now outrebounded its opponent in eight of 11 games this season and seven of the last eight games ... junior Tommy Brenton (Columbia, Md.) had an impressive week, averaging a double-double over the two games ... he averaged 10.5 points and 10.0 rebounds in addition to 2.5 assists and 2.0 steals ... against Cornell, he scored seven of his 12 points in overtime ... against Rider, he produced nine points, 12 rebounds and four assists ... senior Bryan Dougher (Scotch Plains, N.J.) led the team in scoring last week with 16 against Cornell and 14 vs. Rider ... he has scored in double figures in eight straight games and is averaging 15.8 PPG over his last six contests ... sophomore Dave Coley (Brooklyn, N.Y.) averaged 13.0 PPG while shooting 11-for-20 from the field in the two games ... he had a team-high 16 in the Rider win and is averaging 13.4 ppg over his last five games ... Stony Brook will play three conference games this week, beginning with Vermont on Monday.
Vermont Catamounts (6-8)
Vermont lost its only game of the week, falling on a buzzer-beater to Northeastern on Friday 53-51 … NU’s Joel Smith broke a 51-51 tie with a jumper just before the horn to hand the Catamounts their fourth loss of the season at Patrick Gym … Freshman Four McGlynn (York, Pa./Dallastown) and junior Ben Crenca (Exeter, R.I./Worcester Academy) led Vermont with nine points each … Sophomore Brian Voelkel (Pleasantville, N.Y./Iona Prep) earned game-highs for both rebounds (11) and steals (5) … The five steals matched a career-best for Voelkel … Voelkel has now grabbed 10 or more rebounds in a game five times this season and 21 times in his career … Senior Matt Glass (Underhill Center, Vt./UMass) added a career-high five assists in the game … Five of UVM's eight losses this season have been by five points or less … Vermont finishes the 2011 calendar year with a record of 20-14, but only 7-6 at home … The Cats are giving up only 51.7 points per game over the last three … Vermont returns to action with a busy three-game week as America East play opens on Monday when it travels to face Stony Brook (7 p.m.) … The Catamounts will return home to face Boston U on Thursday (7 p.m.) and then they are at Hartford on Sunday (2 p.m.).