TOMMY DEMPSEY TAKES BINGHAMTON MEN'S BASKETBALL JOB

Tommy Dempsey takes Binghamton job http://t.co/5eO8Fyup -- Stony Brook Sports (@SBUSPORTSRADIO)

Stony Brook Athletics Statement on Conference Realignment

 

From Stony Brook University Director of Athletics Jim Fiore:
"We are acutely aware that conference realignment is driving the current and future landscape of intercollegiate athletics. With that reality in mind, we are constantly reviewing Stony Brook's position in the national landscape and among our peer institutions. Every decision we make is with the best interest of our student-athletes and our institution in mind. We are a top 50 research institution and a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU); our campus is only an hour outside of New York City; and we have a fast-rising athletics program that has proven it can compete on the national level. Those factors make our university inherently attractive to many, and we are flattered that media speculation regarding conference realignment has included Stony Brook. That said, we are proud members of both the America East Conference and the Big South Conference. We have not engaged in discussions with any other conference at this time."

Stony Brook to begin $21.1M arena renovation - Greg Logan, Newsday



For the past four seasons, Stony Brook's basketball teams have played in 1,800-seat Pritchard Gymnasium while Stony Brook Arena lay dormant next door, awaiting previously approved state funds for renovation to be unfrozen. The wait ends tomorrow when university officials formally announce a $21.1 million construction project to create a 4,000-seat sports and entertainment venue.
Construction is expected to begin the second week of June, and the facility is scheduled to open in the fall of 2014. The renovations will include four luxury boxes and a VIP lounge area at the loge level with premium courtside seating, thanks to an anonymous private donation of $1 million because state funds cannot be used for that purpose. The north side of the current structure will expand toward the parking lot to create room for concessions, restrooms and a concourse.
Seating capacity for basketball will be 4,008, expandable to 4,200 with floor seating for entertainment events. Unlike the previous arena, most of the seating is permanent except for grandstands that roll back at each end of the court, where student seating is located. One of the architectural companies involved also designed Citi Field for the Mets.
The renovation comes at a time when Stony Brook's men's basketball team has won two of the past three America East Conference regular-season titles and recently announced its best recruiting class ever.
"We've had a number of sellouts at Pritchard," said Dr. Samuel L. Stanley, university president. "I think if we continue what we've been doing with our basketball program, we won't have trouble filling that facility. I think it's going to be a hot ticket, actually."
Funds for the renovation were approved over budget cycles in 2005-06 and subsequently frozen by former Gov. David Patterson as a result of an economic downturn in 2008 after the original architectural plans were drafted. Stanley credited State Sen. Kenneth P. LaValle, who is chairman of the Higher Education Committee, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo for their help in making capital funds available again.
Stony Brook's football stadium bears LaValle's name because of the key role he played in moving the four anchor SUNY schools -- Stony Brook, Buffalo, Albany and Binghamton -- up to NCAA Division I athletics.
"The most important thing in building this athletic program has been getting the kind of facility that you need," LaValle said. "One of my first priorities when I became chairman again was to press for the money for the arena to be released. I had great support from Zimpher, who also was pushing for that money. We will have a state-of-the-art facility for the basketball teams."
As Stanley noted, the decommissioned Stony Brook Arena actually was costing the university money. Over the past three seasons, the athletic department had to recondition the arena to host an NIT game in 2010, an ESPN-televised regular-season game in 2011 and the America East championship game in March. Each drew a standing-room only crowd of about 4,400 and was televised nationally.
"It cost almost $100,000 per game to play in there, just to put makeup on the pig," Seawolves athletic director Jim Fiore said. "We were praying it didn't rain because, when it rained, it came right down on the court. We didn't tell anybody that. People had no idea how we were stressing. That place was a disaster. It was empty, cold, dreary and depressing. Those days are over."
Fiore said he already is in negotiations with several companies to sell naming rights to the building as well as prominent advertising space inside the arena. His plan is to build the season-ticket base and tie premium seating plans to donations to the athletic department.
Eventually, he hopes to hire an arena manager who will book events, such as concerts and comedians. An air-conditioning system will permit events to continue throughout the summer months.
"We think we've signed the best recruiting class we've ever signed in men's basketball," Fiore said. "We think the stars are aligning, and we have two years to upsell and make this Pritchard on steroids, Pritchard squared. Anything less than that will not be acceptable. We're going to invest in the infrastructure to sell it out regularly, not just one game."
Rather than lose the intimacy of Pritchard Gym, which has developed into a significant advantage for coach Steve Pikiell's men's team, plans call for front-row seats to be as close to the court as NCAA rules allow. In addition to digital scoreboards and video boards at each end of the court, the arena will have a lighting system that permits theatrical pregame introductions comparable to NBA games.
The upgraded facility should produce a significant increase in revenue, according to Fiore, but he assured Seawolves basketball games will remain affordable. "Not every seat will have a donation requirement," Fiore said. "There probably will be 3,000 general admission tickets. But we want to give our [donors] an opportunity to be close to the action . . . The best entertainment value is in your backyard. People that have come here know. We just have to do a better job of marketing it."
Pikiell's success has changed the atmosphere surrounding the men's basketball program, but it would be difficult to sustain if his team remained in Pritchard Gym, which ultimately will become a practice court.
"At the end of the day, we're a major research university that is playing in a high school gym," Fiore said. "It's all well and good because we're winning games, but facilities are a silent statement of your commitment to excellence."

Baseball sets wins record (43) with sweep of Maine

Game 3 Box Score
Game 4 Box Score

Stony Brook, N.Y. (May 19, 2012) – Junior Maxx Tissenbaum hit a go-ahead two-run double with two outs in the ninth as the Stony Brook baseball team scored nine runs over the final two innings to rally for 10-9 win over Maine in its regular season finale on Saturday. It was the 43^rd win for the Seawolves, breaking the school record for wins in a season set by last year’s team.
Stony Brook (43-11, 21-3 AE) won the first game of the day, 7-2, and won 19 of its final 20 games to close the regular season. The Seawolves clinched their second straight America East regular season title last weekend and hosts the 2012 America East Championships at Joe Nathan Field beginning on Wednesday.
The top-seeded Seawolves open the four-team double-elimination tournament with a rematch against No. 4 Maine on Wednesday. Check GoSeawolves.org for updates on game times and ticket prices.
Junior Travis Jankowski (Lancaster, Pa.) went 2-for-4 in the opener, breaking the school record for hits in a season (81) set by junior William Carmona (Hempstead, N.Y.) last season. Carmona collected three hits and had three RBI in game one.
Tissenbaum had two hits and three RBI in game two while freshman Cole Peragine (Belle Ewart, Ontario) tallied three hits and drove in four runs.
Maine jumped to an 8-1 lead after seven innings in the second game but the Seawolves struck for five runs in the eighth highlighted by a two-run double from Peragine and a two-run home run from sophomore Kevin Courtney (Lindenhurst, N.Y.), his second of the day.
The Black Bears scored a run in the bottom of the eighth to make it 9-6 but the first three Seawolves to bat in the ninth walked to load the bases. The next two batters struck out but Peragine followed with a two-run single to pull SBU within one.
Tissenbaum then drove a double to left and Peragine came all the way around to score and give the Seawolves a 10-9 lead.
Maine put runners on first and second with two outs in the ninth but freshman reliever Matt Gallup (Albany, N.Y.) got Tyler Patzalek to ground into a double play to end the game. Gallup (4-0) pitched the final 2.1 innings to earn the victory.
Carmona gave Stony Brook an early lead in the opener with a two-run home run in the first. Maine answered with two runs of its own in the bottom of the inning but Courtney hit a solo home run to right-center to put the Seawolves back in front.
Freshman Steven Goldstein (East Meadow, N.Y.) pushed the lead to 4-2 with an RBI single in the fifth and the Seawolves then put the game away with three runs in the seventh.
Senior Evan Stecko-Haley (Coral Springs, Fla.) allowed two runs in 6.1 innings to earn the victory.

BASEBALL: FOUR GAME SWEEP FOR STONY BROOK

GAME 1: STONY BROOK 5, Maine 1 F

GAME 2: STONY BROOK 5, Maine 4 F
GAME 3: STONY BROOK 7, Maine 2 F
GAME 4: STONY BROOK 10, Maine 9 F (43-11, 21-3)
* The 43 wins is the most in program history.

Baseball surpasses 40 wins with sweep of Maine

Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

Orono, Maine - Senior Tyler Johnson threw 5.0 shutout innings in the opener and junior Jasvir Rakkar tossed 4.0 innings of scoreless relief in game two as the Stony Brook baseball team eclipsed 40 wins for the second straight season with a doubleheader sweep of Maine on Friday afternoon. SBU won game one, 5-1 before rallying for a 5-4 victory to complete the sweep.
Stony Brook (41-11, 19-3 AE) becomes just the third team in America East history and first since Delaware in 1997-98 to win 40 games or more in back-to-back seasons. SBU has won 17 of its last 18 and 27 of its last 30.
SBU is just one win from tying the school record for wins, set by last year's team. The Seawolves close the regular season with a doubleheader against Maine on Saturday before returning home to host the 2012 America East Championships at Joe Nathan Field May 23-26.
Junior Maxx Tissenbaum (Toronto, Ontario) went 5-for-8 in the doubleheader while junior Travis Jankowski (Lancaster, Pa.) and freshman Cole Peragine (Belle Ewart, Ontario) collected four hits each.
Johnson (8-1) allowed just three hits and did not walk a batter in the opener before sophomore Frankie Vanderka (Levittown, N.Y.) pitched the final 2.0 innings to earn his fifth save.
Rakkar (5-2) gave up just a hit and a walk in his 4.0 innings. Sophomore Brandon McNitt (Chino Hills, Calif.) got the start and allowed three earned runs in 5.0 innings.

Stony Brook fell behind 3-1 after four innings in game two before Jankowski hit a solo home with two outs in the fifth. Maine answered back with a run in the sixth before freshman Steven Goldstein (East Meadow, N.Y.) led off the seventh with a homer to again bring Stony Brook within one.
The Seawolves took the lead for good with two runs in the eighth. Junior William Carmona (Hempstead, N.Y.) tied the game with an RBI double and he eventually came around to score on an RBI groundout from junior Tanner Nivins (Kitchener, Ontario) to put the Seawolves ahead.
SBU jumped to a quick lead in the opener as Jankowski singled to lead off, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and then stole third before coming home on a Carmona RBI groundout.
Peragine extended th lead to 2-0 with an RBI single in the sixth before Stony Brook put the game away with three runs in the sixth highlighted by a two-run triple from Nivins.

Congrats Dallis, Bryan, Danny and Tommy!

Hoops Scoops: The new CAA (Newsday)

The new CAA?

By Marcus Henry, Newsday

Photo credit: Photo by Shane Bufano

We know this conference realignment issue is not settled and likely won’t be for several years. The Big East, Big West, CAA, Conference USA and Mountain West are still in a bit of flux, while the Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC could still expand.
Right now we’ll just take a look at local the local fallout from the latest edition of conference musical chairs.
Here’s one Hoops Scoops version of what CAA Basketball should look like. Yes, we’ve included Stony Brook, Charleston and Davidson. This could all be moot, especially if the CAA decides to add Albany, Vermont or Boston University, instead of Stony Brook.
But we're sure that Stony Brook is on the CAA short list because of its recent success in football.

CAA
North
Delaware
Drexel
Hofstra
Northeastern
Stony Brook
Towson
South
Charleston
Davidson
George Mason
James Madison
NC Wilmington
William & Mary

Stony Brook is included because its football program is just what the CAA needs. Truth be told, Stony Brook may not be willing to join the CAA in all sports if the league doesn’t make changes to its alignment. Having to travel south of Delaware for more than half of its conference games can’t be appealing.
In our CAA alignment, Hofstra and Stony Brook will be reunited. With Old Dominion and VCU gone, the travel shouldn’t be as extensive for either school, especially if the league sticks with an unbalanced schedule. In an 18-game conference schedule, Hofstra/Stony Brook would play each team in the CAA North twice and each team in the South once.
To make the home-away schedule even, three of Hofstra/Stony Brook’s South Division games would be on the road and three would be at home. Add that to five home games and five road contests against the North Division teams and you have a balanced home-away slate.

Glenn Dubin '78 conferred honorary degree at Stony Brook commencement

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Glenn Dubin '78, an alumnus of Stony Brook University and former member of the football and lacrosse teams, has been conferred the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters and served as the keynote speaker at the 2012 Stony Brook University Commencement Friday at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium.

As a Stony Brook University alumnus, Dubin has inspired young students and athletes through his actions and his charitable donations. After earning his bachelor's degree in economics from Stony Brook in 1978, Dubin began his career in finance as a retail stockbroker at E.F. Hutton & Co. In 1984, Dubin co-founded Dubin & Swieca Capital Management, a company specializing in alternative investment strategies and recognized as a pioneer in employing multimanager hedge fund portfolios guided by the principles of Modern Portfolio Theory. The success of this company led to the creation of Highbridge Capital Management, an alternative asset management company that Dubin co-founded in 1992. He is now chairman and chief executive officer, and the company has evolved from a multistrategy hedge fund into a diversified investment platform that includes hedge funds, traditional investment management products and credit and equity investments with longer term holding periods. Highbridge and its affiliates manage approximately $29 billion for many of the world's most prominent institutional investors.

Dubin is also a renowned philanthropist. He is a founding board member and former board chair of the Robin Hood Foundation, an organization in New York dedicated to fighting poverty by applying investment principles to charitable giving. Since its inception in 1988, Robin Hood has provided more than $1 billion of grants to the most effective poverty fighting organizations in New York City, becoming an innovative leader in supporting and advocating for the underprivileged and underrepresented. He is also a board member of Mount Sinai Medical Center and the Museum of Modern Art in New York and serves as a member of the Dean's Executive Committee of the Harvard Kennedy School. In 2010, he and his wife Eva Andersson-Dubin, a practicing physician, founded the Dubin Breast Center at Mount Sinai. In 2005, Dubin funded the Glenn Dubin Endowed Scholarship Fund at Stony Brook, which offers scholarships to students from Washington Heights, where he was raised.

In 2010, Dubin donated $4.3 million to the Department of Athletics for the creation of an 8,000 square foot strength and conditioning facility named the Dubin Family Athletic Performance Center, which is scheduled to open in June. The gift was the largest private donation given to a SUNY Athletics department. Dubin, who played both football and lacrosse at Stony Brook, shows his passion for Seawolves athletics as a regular attendee at men's lacrosse and football games.

LISTEN LIVE: STONY BROOK BASEBALL at Maine

GAME 1: STONY BROOK 5, Maine 1 F
GAME 2: STONY BROOK 5, Maine 4 F (41-11, 19-3)
GAME 3: SATURDAY, 1pm LISTEN
GAME 4: SATURDAY, 4 pm LISTEN