America East

America East Player of the Week

Press Release — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 01:49:59 -0800

BURLINGTON, Vt. - Vermont men's basketball junior Mike Trimboli (Norwalk, Conn.) has been named the America East Men's Basketball Player of the Week. The conference made the announcement today.

Trimboli averaged 22.0 points and shot 67 percent from the field to lead the Catamounts to their first two victories of the season last week. Trimboli, a preseason America East All-Conference selection, scored a game-high 22 points, including the 1,000th of his career as UVM downed New Jersey Tech 91 -71 on Tuesday. He connected on 9-of-10 shots and also dished out six assists.

In a 59-57 win over Towson, Trimboli scored 22 points for the second straight outing and also grabbed five rebounds. He netted 14 of his 22 in the deciding second half to help the Cats win in their home opener.

With 22 points in the win over NJIT on November 20, Trimboli became the 27th Catamount in the history of the program to top the 1,000-point mark. Trimboli needed 16 going into the game and reached that in the first half by shooting a perfect 7-for-7 from the floor. He becomes the first Catamount since T.J. Sorrentine '05 to accomplish the feat, as Sorrentine went over 1,000 with 16 points at Massachusetts on December 2, 2003 during his junior year as well.

Trimboli's 940 points through two seasons was the fourth-best pace in school history behind only Eddie Benton (1,307 points), Taylor Coppenrath (1,086) and Sorrentine (974). With 1,028 points for his career, Trimboli is tied with Dave Lapointe '69 for 25th all-time in school history

I owe Yale an apology

Raphielle Johnson — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 22:11:30 -0800

I begin this blog with a quote from my last post: "Although you normally want to wait until a team plays more than two games to state that they are the clear favorite to win their conference, can anybody truly challenge Penn at the top of the Ivy League? Preseason prognosticators tabbed Princeton to finish second, but they're sitting in last place right now. Maybe Cornell or Yale? Who knows, but I'll take the Quakers over the field." (January 29th) Whoops. After this weekend's games (a sweep of Princeton and Penn), James Jones' Yale Bulldogs are atop the Ivy League with a 5-1 conference record. Yale is led by the tandem of guard Eric Flato and guard/forward Casey Hughes. This is an experienced ballclub that should hang around for the duration of the season and challenge for the league's automatic bid. They've played two more games than Penn, which explains the two-game lead in the win column (they're tied in the loss category), and they've got the Columbia/Cornell road swing this coming weekend. If they can get through that with at least a split, if not a sweep, the Bulldogs have their next four games at home. The season ends with games at Penn and Princeton, and those games could indeed decide who represents the Ivy in the NCAA Tournament. In the MAAC, preseason favorite Marist has gotten themselves into quite a jam in the standings. They're only one game behind Loyola (MD) thanks to their win over the Greyhounds on Saturday, but they're 2-3 record in the last five games has put them into a tougher spot when it comes to seeding for the MAAC Tournament. 2 1/2 games separate second place from eighth in the standings, and seeds 7-10 get to play on the first day of the tournament. With the improvement of teams like Niagara and Fairfield since the beginning of the year, the last weeks of the regular season will be a sight to behold. The only given at this point is that St. Peter's and Iona will occupy the bottom two spots in the standings. Also, congrats to the Iona Gaels, who got their first win of the season on Saturday in a 79-67 win over Rider. Given the mentality of head coach Jeff Ruland, the celebration on the court was probably short-lived, and look out for this team in Bridgeport. One and done scenario, a team that many won't expect much from...a recipe of an upset or two. Or maybe even a run to the tournament crown. The Duquesne story just gets better by the week. Given the offseason turmoil experienced by the Dukes in the first year of the Ron Everhart era, another year of futility was expected. But after wins over Xavier and St. Bonaventure, the Dukes are sitting in the middle of the Atlantic 10 standings at 5-4 in the league. Although they're only two games out of first place, a championship would be too much to ask. But as this program grows and they get players healthy, look out. Speaking of the A-10, Rhode Island head coach Jim Baron may be well on his way to claiming the league's Coach of the Year award. It's one thing to improve your conference win total from one year to the next. But to do it with a completely different style of play? URI under Baron had always preferred a half-court style of play, but this year they're getting it done with an up-tempo style. Jimmy Baron (yes, he's the coach's son), Will Daniels and Kaheim Seawright are the main offensive threats. But I have no way of explaining the 45-44 win at Fordham on Saturday. Let's just give them credit for finding a way to win in spite of shooting 28% from the field. Two games in the next week will go a long way in deciding the Patriot and America East: Holy Cross at Bucknell (2/9) and Vermont at Albany (2/11). In both matchups, so long as all teams involved take care of business, the first place team will visit the team right behind them in the standings. In the NEC, two games separate second place from eighth, but the actual story may be that eighth place (Wagner) has 2.5 games between themselves and ninth place. Keep in mind that only the top eight teams in the standings qualify for the conference tournament. In order for LIU to pass Wagner, they would need to finish a full game ahead of the Seahawks given Wagner's season sweep of the Blackbirds.

First Weekend of Conference Play Full of Surprises

Raphielle Johnson — Sun, 07 Jan 2007 21:32:14 -0800

The first college basketball weekend of 2007 has delivered some interesting results. First off, how many people expected Hartford and Maryland-Baltimore County to be on top of America East after the first weekend of play? The Hawks, led by first-year head coach Dan Leibovitz, won a 62-60 thriller at Maine on opening night, then followed that win with an 80-75 double-OT home win over Boston University. The Hawks only have two seniors on the roster, so it would be understandable if people looked to their future instead of the present. Of course the two seniors, forwards Bo Taylor and Alex Zimnickas, are important contributors, but the Hawks also have some solid youngsters playing a part in their success. Freshman guard Joe Zeglinski is the team's second leading scorer, and sophomores Jaret Von Rosenberg, Michael Turner and Fabrice Tafo combined for 26 points off the bench in their win at Maine. A young team has its bumps in the road, but the future could be now for the Hawks. As for the Retrievers of UMBC, at first glance winning their first two league games on the road would be a surprise. But when you factor in that they have played 11 of their first 15 games on the road this year, it's not such a shock. In their 72-53 win at struggling Stony Brook, the Retrievers outscored SBU 47-24 in the second half. Five players average at least 8.5 points per game, led by junior guard Brian Hodges' 15.4 per game. Just like Hartford, who can really predict whether or not the 6-9 Retrievers can keep this momentum rolling remains to be seen, especially for a team that essentially goes six deep (Chris Seaborn and Uwem Eshietedoho play less than 14 minutes per game each). I wish I would have suggested Uwem's name for our all-name team. St. Joseph's and Rhode Island lead the A-10 right now, but how about some love for the Duquesne Dukes, 73-63 winners at St. Louis on Saturday. We all know the story of the campus party shooting this past offseason and the depleted roster as a result. But give first-year head coach Ron Everhart and his staff credit, and the players as well, for competing and not feeling sorry for themselves. Will they compete for a league title? Doubtful, but things are looking up for this program and they will show up every night to play. Raise your hand if you thought that before the season started West Virginia and Providence would be two of the Big East's four undefeated teams (in league play) after the first full weekend of conference play? If your hand is raised you're either a fan of either team, or you're lying. Frank Young has played lights out in the Mountaineers' three Big East wins, games against UConn, Villanova and St. John's that haven't been close at all. Joe Alexander and Da'Sean Butler make for an imposing head of John Beilein's 1-3-1 zone due to their size and length, and Darris Nichols has been solid at the point. Do not sleep on this team come March. As for Providence, they hit a bump in the road against Florida State in their first game without suspended guard Sharaud Curry (92-62 is a significant bump), but they have recovered to take care of both Marquette and Seton Hall at home. Geoff McDermott is one of the more underrated forwards in the nation, for he can do it all. And big man Herbert Hill has improved substantially, an essential development for a team without the services of its best post player from last season (Randall Hanke). Next up for the Friars is a trip to inconsistent Louisville, and Curry reportedly (according to the Providence Journal-Bulletin) will be back for that one. Providence has a chance in their next four games (at UL, at Seton Hall, Rutgers, Villanova) to play themselves into good position for an NCAA Tournament bid, so long as Tim Welsh and his staff find a way to combine Curry's return with the improved play of his replacement, freshman Dwain Williams. In the CAA, did anyone expect to see George Mason tied for last at 0-3? The Patriots lost a lot from last season's Final Four team, so the early results should underscore just how important seniors are for programs in non-BCS leagues (Not that seniors aren't improtant to BCS leagues, but the nouveau riche programs seem to have an easier time recruiting). Of the four teams at the top of the CAA, whose schedule would I not want this week? Hofstra. The Pride get Old Dominion at home Monday night, then visit Drexel on Thursday. We'll see if Tom Pecora's bunch can do enough on the glass in those two showdowns, a signifcant change from their first three conference games against schools (Georgia State, UNC Wilmington and Delaware) with a combined league record of 1-8 to this point. Sacred Heart and FDU lead the NEC, but with only one winless team in league play (St. Francis NY), this should be a wild winter in that league. The top eight qualify for the conference tournament, and seeding determines home court for each round, so every game will be of the utmost importance. An interesting note on the NEC is that only Robert Morris (10-3) and Fairleigh Dickinson (7-6) have overall records above .500. Sacred Heart is currently 7-7, so the league winner could find themselves in the opening round game in Dayton (Ken Pomeroy ranks the NEC 30th out of 32 leagues in his conference RPI). Siena leads the MAAC at 4-0 in conference play, but unfortunately for Iona the watch continues. The Gaels, the nation's lone winless team at 0-13, visit preseason favorite Marist Tuesday night. I don't see them winning that one, but a home game with rival Manhattan may be enough to get this team going on Friday night. Not to mention the inconsistent play of the Jaspers this season, you never know what could happen. Just keep playing hard guys. Also, how many other teams in the nation are as thankful for their four-year transfers as Loyola (MD)? Gerald Brown (Providence)and Omari Isreal (Notre Dame) have been key contributors for Jimmy Patsos this season, and the Greyhounds could make some noise come MAAC Tournament time. I almost forgot to mention the fact that Providence honored Dave Gavitt on Saturday night, naming the Dunkin Donuts Center court "Dave Gavitt Court". For a man that played such an instrumental role in the success of the Providence program, as well as the members of the Big East, it is an honor well deserved. Thank you for your contributions to the game Mr. Gavitt. Lastly, a note on a team outside of the northeast. I'm glad that I once again drank the Oregon "Kool-Aid". They've burned me in the past, but I think things will be different this year. It remains to be seen how the return of Malik Hairston affects this squad when that time comes. Good night.

America East Conference Preview

CHN — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 09:15:12 -0800

Conference Previews | Top 144 | 06-07 Preview Home

America East Preview

Conference Rank: 22nd

Conference Page

All-Conference

Player of the Year - Jamar Wilson, Albany, G

Mitchell Beauford, Stony Brook, G

Mike Trimboli, Vermont, G

Blagoj Janev, New Hampshire, F

Martin Klimes, Vermont, C

Nat'l	Team (Click for Preview)	Conf	Tourney
90	Albany	1	NCAA
149	Vermont	2
186	New Hampshire	3
225	Maine	4
231	Boston U	5
241	Binghamton	6
276	Stony Brook	7
306	UMBC	8
319	Hartford	9

Preseason Head Coach Interviews:

Randy Monroe - UMBC

Other AE Preview Articles:

NYC Metro Preview: Stony Brook

Metro Preview: 14 NYC Area Schools

Raphielle Johnson — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 09:53:00 -0800

2005-06 was a pretty good year for the schools in the New York City metropolitan area. Two (Iona and Seton Hall) qualified for the NCAA Tournament, and three more (Fairleigh Dickinson, Hofstra, and Manhattan) played in the Postseason NIT. While some of the area’s best perimeter talent exhausted their eligibility last season, many talented players return, including some of the more underrated talents in the nation. And don’t forget about coaching changes at Manhattan, St. Peter’s and Seton Hall. With some of the teams at the bottom of the season-ending poll returning many contributors from last season, look for basketball in the New York metropolitan area to be even more competitive this season.

In the coming days, you will read a preview of each team in the area, working up from number fourteen to number one. Also, there will be picks for All-Area teams, as well as area Player, Coach, and Newcomers (Freshman and Transfer) of the year. A new preview is added daily.

	#1 Hofstra	#2 Marist

#3 SJU	#4 Ford	#5 Wagn.	#6 Iona

#7 SHU	#8 LIU	#9 Manh.	#10 Colum.

#11 SPC	#12 SFNY	#13 Stony	#14 FDU

Raphielle Johnson Previews the 14-team NYC Metro Region.

Player Awards, Honors, and All-Metro Team

The time is here!

Raphielle Johnson — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 16:17:23 -0700

Well, the 2006-07 season officially began Friday night, when schools across the nation put held their first practice of the season. This probably shouldn't even be called a practice, since it primarily consists of player intros, contests, and a scrimmage run at the pace of a glorified jog. The primary goals of the players and coaches are to avoid injuries and put last year behind them. This is what I saw in watching Florida's event the other night. Dropping the replica Sears Trophy after raising their national title banner was the perfect way to say that last year is over, and there are new things to accomplish. The must see TV takes place the following morning, when the coaches get to do their thing...and run their players into the ground. But this will never be on TV, so the Friday night style will have to suffice. The worst news of the opening weekend of practice came from Durham, where Duke announced today that starting point guard Greg Paulus broke a bone in his foot. It's a similar injury to the one that Carlos Boozer suffered in 2001, but don't expect to see Paulus until he's 100%. Boozer broke his foot in the middle of conference play, making it imperative that the Devils get him back for the NCAA Tournament. He took a few games to get back into game shape, but he was there to help Duke win a national title. That's the goal of a school such as Duke, similar to that of the New York Yankees, so who knows when Paulus will be back on the court. This most likely puts the ball in the hands of a committee, including freshmen Jon Scheyer and Gerald Henderson, and I'm interedted to see how they handle the role change. With this being a Northeast-dominated blog, there are some things in those leagues that I am looking forward to this year. Can anyone challenge Penn and Princeton in the Ivy League this year? I see Penn as the solid favorite, and Ibby Jabber should make first year head coach Glen Miller's transition that much easier. Is Vermont on the way back in America East? Yes, but they'll have their hands full with Albany, Maine, and Binghamton. Stony Brook should win more than four games this season as well. Iona and Manhattan have to reload after heavy losses, so look for Marist (led by Jared Jordan) to win the MAAC. How Lindy's rated Jordan the 17th best point guard in America is beyond me, but they'll find out how wrong they were when the Old Spice Classic tips off next month in Florida (I'm saying that he'll prove himself to be one of the nation's best). And the NEC looks to be pretty wide open, with Robert Morris leading the way. Will Wagner believe the hype as they did last year, failing to qualify for the conference tournament? Or will they come out "humble and hungry", to borrow a phrase from Joakim Noah? They've got the talent to challenge for the title, but the intangibles remain to be seen. I'm calling this upset right now: Fordham over Tennessee in the first round of the Preseason NIT. But don't expect Sacred Heart to beat North Carolina. And I like the new "common site" format, along with guaranteeing each team at least two games. In the past, losing early in the NIT could leave quite a gap in a team's schedule, or congest a schedule for a team not expecting to get to MSG. This should help with those issues. And with this being the 50th anniversary of the Ivy League, I leave you with this interesting fact. Only seven times in the history of the league has there been a champion (outright or co-) not named Penn or Princeton. I find this to be amazing.