Cambridge, Mass. - Junior right-hander Nick Tropeano (West Islip, N.Y), of the Stony Brook University baseball team, has been named America East Pitcher of the Week, the conference office announced on Monday, after leading the Seawolves to a 5-0 victory over the Florida Atlantic Owls in the season opener on Friday.
Tropeano struck out eight in 6.0 shutout innings to earn the win against an Owls squad that was averaging almost eight runs per game over their first five contests and was coming off a 7-4 victory over No. 20 Miami. He allowed just three hits and walked one.
The preseason all-american dominated right from the start, striking out five batters in the first 2.0 innings. He also did allow a runner past second base.
The Seawolves return to action this weekend, traveling to take on No. 18 North Carolina in a three-game series.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Kevin Crowley named America East player of the week
Crowley scored the Seawolves' first two goals on Saturday, giving Stony Brook just their third lead ever against Virginia. His fourth goal of the game, which cut the Virginia lead to 10-9, helped Stony Brook force overtime.
The Seawolves are back in action on Saturday, March 6, as they travel to face Marist at 1:00 p.m.
Stony Brook Baseball Weekend Game Notes:
The Seawolves (2-1, 0-0 AE) opened up their 2011 season by taking two of three from Florida Atlantic... FAU was the preseason pick to win the Sun Belt Conference and had defeated No. 20 Miami, 7-4, earlier in the week... Junior Nick Tropeano (West Islip, N.Y.) struck out eight in 6.0 shutout innings in the 5-0 Stony Brook win in the opener... Freshman Brandon McNitt (Chino Hills, Calif.) followed with 3.0 innings of shutout relief to earn the save... Senior Stephen Marino (Lake Grove, N.Y.) went 2-for-4 with three RBI... Junior right-handed pitcher Tyler Johnson (Chatsworth, Calif.) allowed just one run and five hits in 6.0 shutout innings to earn the win in SBU's 5-1 win on Saturday... Freshman Bryan Tatelman (South Windsor, Conn.) followed by allowing just one hit in 3.0 shutout innings to earn the save... Junior Pat Cantwell's (West Islip, N.Y.) two-out RBI single in the seventh broke a 1-1 tie... Cantwell hit .500 (6-for-12) in the three-game series... FAU won the series finale, 12-4, on Sunday... The Seawolves will travel to take on No. 18 North Carolina for a three-game series this weekend.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
LONG ISLAND PULSE: Rick Sowell
It’s been quite a year for Rick Sowell. The Stony Brook University men’s lacrosse coach led the Seawolves to a breakthrough season that culminated with an NCAA quarterfinal appearance and near upset of No. 1 Virginia last spring. Sowell earned America East Coach of the Year honors, won gold as an assistant for Team USA at the World Lacrosse Championships in July and signed a contract extension to stay at Stony Brook through 2015. Sowell, a three-time All-Pro with the Baltimore Thunder of the Major Indoor Lacrosse League, enters his fifth season at Stony Brook with high expectations. The Seawolves are ranked fifth in the USILA Coaches Poll and have the program’s first Final Four berth in their sights. The coach took time out from a recent practice to talk about Seawolves lacrosse, the program’s Canadian pipeline and his status as a role model.
LIP: You pushed top-ranked Virginia to the limit in a 10-9 NCAA quarterfinal loss. Has a loss ever had a more positive impact on a program?
Sowell: Since that day back in May it’s been almost amazing what’s happened and how our program has been perceived. I don’t know that I’ve ever had a loss that’s had that kind of positive aftermath. I think people were impressed with how we fought. They appreciated it. If I heard it once I heard it 1,000 times—and I didn’t mind hearing it each time—people talked about how much fun our team was to watch.
LIP: How do you replace Steven Waldeck?
Sowell: We don’t. We told our guys we’re not looking for the next Steve Waldeck because there’s no one here. He was a very unique player. He had the ability to affect the game in so many ways: Ground balls, faceoffs, on the defensive end picking off passes. He’d been the heart and soul of our program the last three years. No one person can [replace Waldeck]. But we’re hoping we can make up for his production. He covered up for some of these guys the last couple of years. Now it’s their turn. We need them to break out and do a little bit more.
LIP: Who are a few newcomers you expect to contribute?
Sowell: Kyle Moeller transferred from Manhattan. He’s from Ward Melville. Boy, we like him an awful lot. He has the ability to take the ball in one-on-one situations. We have a freshman from England, Jak Wawrzyniak, who is a very good athlete. He played on the English national team at the World Games. As a 19-year-old he was probably the youngest person in the highest division. So he’s played at a high level.
LIP: Break down Kevin Crowley’s game and what makes him such a threat on the field.
Sowell: He’s good with the ball. He’s like a running back in that he runs downhill and puts pressure on you defensively. Before you know it he’s 7 yards from the goal. He dodges with the stick up so he’s ready to shoot it or feed. He always dodges with his head up. A lot of times he’s looking for his good buddy Jordan McBride, who is one of the best finishers I’ve ever been around.
LIP: What’s the Canadian connection? You have six Canadians on the roster.
Sowell: It all started with a little luck. People ask, ‘Where’d you get Jordan McBride?’ The fact of the matter was I saw Jordan at the 205 Camp in 2006 when I was at St. John’s. He was a little heavier then, but you could see he had great hands. For whatever reason he didn’t make an impression with 99.9 percent of the other coaches. No one recruited him except me. I left St. John’s for Stony Brook that summer. And when I came to Stony Brook he was the first person I called. Now he’s excited about Stony Brook. He tells me, ‘Coach, I’ve got a good buddy of mine who wants to come to the United States and play lacrosse as well. His name is Kevin Crowley and you’ve got to see this kid play.’ That started it.
LIP: Do you feel any responsibility toward being the only black head coach in Division I lacrosse?
Sowell: I’m very proud to be an African American and I certainly hope I can have an impact. Maybe a young man can look up and see that not only can he play the game but maybe someday coach the game too. But I don’t know if I look at it as a responsibility. I’m really too focused on my team and trying to be successful. I am involved in helping increase minority participation in our sport and anything I can do along those lines. I’m pretty sure I’m the first African American Division I coach. I just don’t want to be the first one fired. First one hired is one thing. First one fired – I’m trying to avoid that. [laughs]
LIP: I don’t think you are in any danger right now.
Sowell: Knock on wood. You are only as good as that last game. Things are certainly going well. The challenge is to try to be consistent.
LIP: What is your favorite moment as a Seawolf?
Sowell: It was the morning of our quarterfinal game. We had our pregame meal at the Wind Watch in Hauppauge. It was the NCAA headquarters. Then we drove back to campus. Coming up Nichols Road with a police escort into our parking lot and all our fans were tailgating and wishing us good luck—that was really a special moment. It was unbelievable how far we’d come in four years.
LIP: You pushed top-ranked Virginia to the limit in a 10-9 NCAA quarterfinal loss. Has a loss ever had a more positive impact on a program?
Sowell: Since that day back in May it’s been almost amazing what’s happened and how our program has been perceived. I don’t know that I’ve ever had a loss that’s had that kind of positive aftermath. I think people were impressed with how we fought. They appreciated it. If I heard it once I heard it 1,000 times—and I didn’t mind hearing it each time—people talked about how much fun our team was to watch.
LIP: How do you replace Steven Waldeck?
Sowell: We don’t. We told our guys we’re not looking for the next Steve Waldeck because there’s no one here. He was a very unique player. He had the ability to affect the game in so many ways: Ground balls, faceoffs, on the defensive end picking off passes. He’d been the heart and soul of our program the last three years. No one person can [replace Waldeck]. But we’re hoping we can make up for his production. He covered up for some of these guys the last couple of years. Now it’s their turn. We need them to break out and do a little bit more.
LIP: Who are a few newcomers you expect to contribute? Sowell: Kyle Moeller transferred from Manhattan. He’s from Ward Melville. Boy, we like him an awful lot. He has the ability to take the ball in one-on-one situations. We have a freshman from England, Jak Wawrzyniak, who is a very good athlete. He played on the English national team at the World Games. As a 19-year-old he was probably the youngest person in the highest division. So he’s played at a high level.
LIP: Break down Kevin Crowley’s game and what makes him such a threat on the field.
Sowell: He’s good with the ball. He’s like a running back in that he runs downhill and puts pressure on you defensively. Before you know it he’s 7 yards from the goal. He dodges with the stick up so he’s ready to shoot it or feed. He always dodges with his head up. A lot of times he’s looking for his good buddy Jordan McBride, who is one of the best finishers I’ve ever been around.
LIP: What’s the Canadian connection? You have six Canadians on the roster.
Sowell: It all started with a little luck. People ask, ‘Where’d you get Jordan McBride?’ The fact of the matter was I saw Jordan at the 205 Camp in 2006 when I was at St. John’s. He was a little heavier then, but you could see he had great hands. For whatever reason he didn’t make an impression with 99.9 percent of the other coaches. No one recruited him except me. I left St. John’s for Stony Brook that summer. And when I came to Stony Brook he was the first person I called. Now he’s excited about Stony Brook. He tells me, ‘Coach, I’ve got a good buddy of mine who wants to come to the United States and play lacrosse as well. His name is Kevin Crowley and you’ve got to see this kid play.’ That started it.
LIP: Do you feel any responsibility toward being the only black head coach in Division I lacrosse?
Sowell: I’m very proud to be an African American and I certainly hope I can have an impact. Maybe a young man can look up and see that not only can he play the game but maybe someday coach the game too. But I don’t know if I look at it as a responsibility. I’m really too focused on my team and trying to be successful. I am involved in helping increase minority participation in our sport and anything I can do along those lines. I’m pretty sure I’m the first African American Division I coach. I just don’t want to be the first one fired. First one hired is one thing. First one fired – I’m trying to avoid that. [laughs]
LIP: I don’t think you are in any danger right now.
Sowell: Knock on wood. You are only as good as that last game. Things are certainly going well. The challenge is to try to be consistent.
LIP: What is your favorite moment as a Seawolf?
Sowell: It was the morning of our quarterfinal game. We had our pregame meal at the Wind Watch in Hauppauge. It was the NCAA headquarters. Then we drove back to campus. Coming up Nichols Road with a police escort into our parking lot and all our fans were tailgating and wishing us good luck—that was really a special moment. It was unbelievable how far we’d come in four years.
Author: Jason Molinet
Jason Molinet, 37, is a New York-based journalist who spent 11 years covering sports for Newsday. No one understands Long Island sports or has documented as much of its history over the last two decades as Molinet. You can read more of his work at jasonmolinet.com.
Jason Molinet, 37, is a New York-based journalist who spent 11 years covering sports for Newsday. No one understands Long Island sports or has documented as much of its history over the last two decades as Molinet. You can read more of his work at jasonmolinet.com.
SBU beats Binghamton, ready for tourney
If Stony Brook can continue to catapult long-range bombs during next weekend's America East Tournament with the same accuracy it was hurling three-point shots Sunday in its regular-season finale against Binghamton, this trying season of poor health and spotty offense could be quickly forgotten.
In sailing to a 67-42 victory, Stony Brook (13-16, 8-8) drowned Binghamton (7-22, 4-12) in a Niagara of sharp-shooting efficiency, converting 24 of 46 field-goal attempts, including a picture-postcard 10-for-19 on three-point attempts. Suddenly, the sometimes frightening months of an over-the-falls-in-a-barrel adventure felt closer to a joyride.
Binghamton never led - last tied at 12-12 - as Stony Brook scored a season-high 42 points in the first half and won every statistical comparison: Field-goal accuracy (Binghamton's was 29 percent), rebounding (33-27), assists (12-7), blocked shots (3-0), steals (6-5), fewer turnovers (9-14).
Junior post man Dallis Joyner, whose three consecutive baskets midway through the second half stretched Stony Brook's lead to 30 points at 62-32, finished with a season-high 16 points, added eight rebounds and made 6 of 8 free throws, reversing his team-low 41-percent season average. Junior guard Bryan Dougher added 15 points on 5-for-8 three-point shooting and guard Chris Martin, the team's only senior, contributed a career-high six assists, with four points and three rebounds.
Having missed 13 games after knee surgery, Martin is the embodiment of his team's 2010-11 campaign, played out during the total absence (also because of knee surgery) of last season's leading rebounder and all-around ace, Tommy Brenton.
"I had nerves for my last game, playing in front of a whole bunch of fans that I love,'' Martin said. "I thought I was going to be done for the season. But Rouse had the same thing done to him . I just tried to come back and help this team any way possible.''
As the conference tournament's No. 5 seed, Stony Brook will play No. 4 Albany at noon Saturday in Hartford, still with hope of qualifying for The Big Dance. Albany (9-7) won both of their regular-season meetings, but Stony Brook's 6-3 run to close out conference play has it feeling like a toughened survivor.
All 13 players on the team's roster - not counting the recuperating Brenton - saw action Sunday, including walk-on Ben Resner, and all of them scored except freshman guard Dave Coley, who played only two minutes because he recently returned from - what else? - a knee injury.
Stony Brook coach Steve Pikiell, lamenting the 52 player-games lost to injuries, nevertheless welcomed the next bungee jump. "This weekend coming up, there'll be adversity,'' he said. "There's referees, the other team, the site. But if any team's ready for adversity, it'll be us in this tournament.''
Men's hoops crushes the 'Cats 67-42
Dallis Joyner (Norfolk, Va.) had a season-high 16 points to go with eight rebounds and two blocks to lead the Stony Brook men's basketball team to a 67-42 win over Binghamton Sunday afternoon in front of a sold-out Pritchard Gymnasium crowd of 1,630.
The Seawolves shot a season-high 52.2 (24-for-46) percent from the field and made 10 three-pointers for the sixth time in 10 games on the way to ending the regular season with a 13-16 overall and 8-8 America East record. The Seawolves finish with a .500 or better conference record for the third straight season. Binghamton ends the regular season 7-22 overall and 4-12 in the league.
"This was a great game for us," head coach Steve Pikiell said. "We got all-around efforts from all our guys. Chris had a career-high assists, Dallis had a season-high in points and Bryan does what he does. And the community came out and did a great job supporting us. I hope the same crowd comes up to Hartford and supports us because our guys feed off of that."
Joyner was named Stony Brook's America East Player of the Game for his efforts. He was 5-for-5 from the field and 6-for-8 from the free throw line. Bryan Dougher (Scotch Plains, N.J.) added 15 points on five three-pointers, the seventh time this season he's had a game with five or more triples. Chris Martin (Springfield Gardens, N.Y.), who was honored as part of Senior Day prior to the game, had a career-high six assists.
Stony Brook used the three-ball to get off to a great start. The game was tied 12-12 when the Seawolves went on a 13-0 run that included three-pointers from Anthony Jackson (Columbus, Ohio) and Leonard Hayes (Voorhees, N.J.). Hayes' three at 9:24 came in transition off a pass from Jackson and made the score 25-12 in favor of Stony Brook.
Dougher's three-pointer at 3:15 of the first half gave Stony Brook its largest lead of the half, 19 points, at 39-20. The team went into halftime up 42-25, the most points its scored in a half this season.
In the second half, the Seawolves poured it on as Dougher connected on two more three-pointers on back-to-back possessions to open up a 21-point lead, 48-27. The team extended the lead to 30, 62-32, with a 20-5 run that was punctuated by Joyner's dunk at 8:25. At that point, Binghamton was only 2-for-12 from the field in the half.
In all, the Seawolves defense limited the Bearcats to 29.5 percent shooting (13-for-44) and 13 field goals and forced 14 turnovers that turned into 20 points. Stony Brook also outrebounded Binghamton 33-27 and blocked three shots. All 13 eligible Stony Brook players played in the game, and all but one scored at least one point.
Binghamton was led by America East Player of the Game Greer Wright, who had 11 points and four assists.
Stony Brook now turns its attention to the 2011 America East Championship, held at Chase Arena in the Reich Family Pavilion in West Hartford, Conn. March 3-6. The Seawolves are seeded No. 5 and will take on No. 4 Albany in the quarterfinals Saturday, March 5, at 12 p.m. The winner of the America East Championship receives an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Virginia nips Stony Brook in rematch
On a cold February afternoon, Virginia and Stony Brook played postseason-type lacrosse, conjuring memories of last May when the two met in an NCAA quarterfinal game at La Valle Stadium.
Top-ranked Virginia was victorious, 11-10, in overtime, but Stony Brook once again served notice that it is a whisker away from the sport's elite teams.
"I wouldn't say frustrating as it is disappointing,'' senior midfielder Kevin Crowley said of the loss in the season opener. Crowley scored four goals, but the bigger star this day was Virginia's Steele Stanwick, who scored five and added two assists.
Stanwick tallied the game winner 44 seconds into overtime as he picked off an errant pass and drilled the ball into the net, igniting a big celebration by Virginia (3-0). Stony Brook had erased two three-goal deficits and put together a six-goal fourth period.
Virginia had a 10-8 lead with 1:12 in regulation, but Crowley scored with 21 seconds left and Russ Bonanno tied it with just three seconds left to force sudden death.
Adam Rand won the critical faceoff in overtime, but shots by Robbie Campbell and Crowley missed the cage and Virginia regained possession. Stony Brook momentarily took the ball back in Virginia's end, but could not maintain control. "There was a scrum for it,'' Stony Brook goal keeper Rob Camposa said. "I tried to get behind the goal to be an outlet, [we] tried to save it, it went to Steele and he finished it.''
Stanwick said, "I think it was a matter of being in the right place at the right time. A little bit of luck. I was glad to be there.''
Thus ended another monumental effort by Stony Brook to topple one of the sport's perennial powerhouses. Despite the calendar and temperature, the game drew 4,312 in a veritable rematch from the quarterfinal, when Virginia won, 10-9.
"Obviously," Crowley said, "We would have liked nothing more than to get away [by winning] with that home crowd that came out and supported us.''
But, as Stony Brook coach Rick Sowell pointed out, "Unlike a year ago, we've only just begun.''
Midfielder Timmy Trenkel added, "It's not about how you start the season, it's how you finish.''
Virginia played without twins Rhamel and Shamel Bratton. The senior midfielders from Huntington were suspended for one game for what coach Dom Starsia termed, "A little violation of team policy. The issue has been resolved.'' He said both would return for practice today.
"There's probably a little dropoff without those two,'' Sowell said of the Brattons. "But not much. They still have a lot of good players.''
Stony Brook was without playmaker Tom Compitello, who was ill. Usually high scoring attack Jordan McBride only had two shots. Teammate attack Brett Drost had three goals and an assist. Stony Brook led in the key categories of faceoffs (17-9), ground balls (34-26) and shots (34-32)
The biggest compliment on Stony Brook's effort came from Starsia, who said, "This team is not a secret here by any stretch of the imagination.''
Women’s Hoops rolls to Senior Day victory over Binghamton...CONGRATS KIRSTEN, JODIE AND MISHA
Stony Brook (6-22, 3-13 AE) is the No. 8 seed in next week’s America East tournament and will take on No. 9 Maine in the opening round on Thursday at Chase Arena at 6:05 p.m. The winner will take on top-seeded UMBC in the quarterfinal round on Friday at 6:05 p.m.
Cochran added eight rebounds for the Seawolves, who held the Bearcats (18-11, 11-5 AE) without a field goal for 12 minutes in the second half. The 37 points was the fewest allowed by Stony Brook since a 46-37 win over Albany last season. Sophomore Sam Landers (Springfield, Va.) added 13 points while junior Tamiel Murray (Teaneck, N.J.) had a career-high 14 rebounds and six assists.
The game was close early with the Seawolves leading by just one midway through the first half. But Cochran then scored an inside hoop and Landers followed with a three to push the SBU lead to six.
Stony Brook led 28-19 following a three-point play from sophomore Gerda Gatling (Woodbridge, Va.) with 43 seconds left before a Jackie Ward lay-up cut the Seawolves lead to 28-21 at the break. Cochran’s 11 first half points matched her career-high as she went 4-for-8 from the field and 3-for-5 from the foul line.
The Seawolves took control of the game at the start of the second half, scoring the first seven points of the period to take a 35-21 lead. The Bearcats got within nine on a Ward jumper with 15:52 to go but Stony Brook then held Binghamton without a field goal for the next 12 minutes.
Without Binghamton struggling to score, the Seawolves slowly pulled away. The SBU lead grew to as many as 19 on a lay-up from sophomore Taylor Burner (Port Jefferson, N.Y.) with 4:15 left before a three from Ward finally ended the Bearcat drought.
Cochran finished the game 7-for-14 from the field and 8-for-14 from the line. The Seawolves America East Player of the Game, she also had two blocks and steal in her 32 minutes.
Binghamton scored just 16 second-half points and shot 29.2 percent for the game. Ward went 4-for-8 from three and was named the Bearcats America East Player of the Game
#1 Virginia edges #5 Men's Lacrosse in overtime, 11-10
Stony Brook-Virginia Photo Gallery Stony Brook, N.Y. - For the second time in nine months, #5 Stony Brook and top-ranked Virginia battled in an unforgettable lacrosse game, but the Cavaliers (3-0) prevailed again, topping the Seawolves (0-1), 11-10, in overtime. Senior Kevin Crowley (New Westminster, British Columbia) led Stony Brook with four goals and an assist and senior Brett Drost (Wading River, N.Y.) had the game of his collegiate career, scoring a career-high three goals and adding an assist. Steele Stanwick led all players with five goals and two assists for Virginia.
"Obviously we're disappointed with the loss, but this is the first game of the season, and we've got a ton of lacrosse to play," head coach Rick Sowell said. "I thought we played hard. Last year's loss to Virginia ended the season, but this time it's just the first game. We'll be prepared and ready to play Marist next week."
Virginia led by three twice in the fourth quarter, and took a 10-8 lead with 1:21 remaining in regulation after a goal from Colin Briggs. Crowley, who scored the 22nd hat trick of his career, tallied his fourth goal of the game after scoring on a pass from junior Russ Bonanno (Seaford, N.Y.) with 21 seconds left.
After Stony Brook called a timeout, senior Adam Rand (Niantic, Conn.), who dominated the face-offs against Virginia (17-of-26), once again, won the ensuing draw, setting the Seawolves up with the final possession of the game. Bonanno, who played in his first game as a Seawolf after transferring from Nassau Community College, got the ball behind the crease with nine seconds left. Attempting to elude his defender, Bonanno made a number of moves before going left and diving to beat Cavaliers goalie Adam Ghitelman, sending the 4,300+ fans into a frenzy, to tie the game at 10 with just three seconds left.
Rand, who won eight face-offs to end the game, created the first opportunity for Stony Brook in overtime. After securing the ground ball, Rand found junior Robbie Campbell (Delta, British Columbia), whose shot went high. Following a timeout, Crowley dodged his defender and found space, but his low shot was nicely saved by Ghitelman.
Virginia successfully cleared the ball before turning the ball over. Stony Brook regained possession, but an errant pass was intercepted by Stanwick, who scored the game-winner with 44 seconds left in overtime.
The fourth quarter and overtime featured a combined 11 goals from both teams after a total of 10 were scored through the first three.
Stony Brook took a 2-1 lead midway through the second quarter, just its third lead against Virginia in the series. Drost's goal gave the Seawolves a two-goal lead before Virginia tied it at three.
Drost scored at 11:52 of the third quarter to give Stony Brook its final lead of the game. Virginia outscored Stony Brook, 3-0, the rest of the quarter and led 6-4 going into the fourth.
Virginia took a 7-4 lead on Mark Cockerton's man-up goal with 7:12 left in the fourth. Crowley and Drost connected just 22 seconds later and senior Timmy Trenkle (Commack, N.Y.) scored the first of his two goals to cut the deficit to one.
Matt White's man-up goal gave the Cavaliers their second three-goal lead of the game with 3:29 remaining. But 29 seconds later, Drost came up big again, scoring an unassisted goal after creating from behind the crease.
On the next possession, Trenkle made it 9-8 after getting his hands free on a face dodge and scoring off an assist from Campbell.
Senior Rob Camposa (Syosset, N.Y.), making his first start since the America East Championship game against UMBC in 2009, stopped eight shots. Rand led all players with seven ground balls and junior Kyle Moeller (South Setauket, N.Y.), also playing his first game for Stony Brook, caused three turnovers.
Besides Stanwick's five goals, Cockerton and Briggs each had two goals. The Cavaliers were 3-for-5 on man-up situations.
Stony Brook is on the road next Saturday, travelling upstate to Poughkeepsie to face Marist at 1:00
Tropeano leads Baseball past Florida Atlantic in season opener
Boca Raton, Fla. - Junior right-hander Nick Tropeano (West Islip, N.Y) struck out eight in 6.0 shutout innings and senior Stephen Marino (Lake Grove, N.Y.) went 2-for-4 with three RBI to lead the Stony Brook University baseball team to a 5-0 season-opening victory over the Florida Atlantic Owls on Friday night at FAU Stadium.
Tropeano (1-0) allowed just three hits and a walk in his 6.0 innings as he shut down a Florida Atlantic squad that was averaging nearly eight runs per game over its first five contests and defeated No. 20 Miami, 7-4, earlier in the week. Making his first collegiate appearance, freshman Brandon McNitt (Chino Hills, Calif.) hurled 3.0 shutout innings to earn the save.
Stony Brook jumped on top with two runs in the second as sophomore William Carmona (Hempstead, N.Y.) doubled to lead off and then came around to score on a one-out single from sophomore Tanner Nivins (Kitchener, Ontario). Nivins eventually came around to score on a two-out single from freshman Joshua Mason (Woodland Hills, Calif.).
Tropeano, meanwhile, dominated from the start, striking out five over the first 2.0 innings. The Seawolves added a run in the fifth as junior Pat Cantwell (West Islip, N.Y.) was hit by the pitch with one out, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt from senior Chad Marshall (Paris, Ontario) before coming home on a run-scoring single from Marino.
The Seawolves added two insurance runs in the seventh on a two-run home run from Marino. McNitt took over for Tropeano to start the seventh, and allowed just three hits over the final 3.0 innings to secure the Stony Brook victory.
Carmona added three hits for the Seawolves, who pounded out 12 hits. R.J. Alvarez took the loss for the Owls, allowing three runs on eight hits in 4.2 innings.
The teams will continue the three-game set on Saturday at FAU Stadium. Game time is set for 4:30 p.m.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Canadian Helps Stony Brook Join Lacrosse’s Elite
The standing-room-only crowd of 10,024 at LaValle Stadium saw Crowley help get the ball upfield. But then Jordan McBride’s shot was stopped. The top-seeded Cavaliers, one of the marquee names in men’s lacrosse, escaped with a 10-9 victory. Crowley, the Enners Award winner as the nation’s outstanding Division I player, soon felt his disappointment dissolve into pride when he considered how far the Seawolves had come.
Now he is back for his senior season. The rest of the starting midfield returns, too. So does the starting attack. There is a buzz about Stony Brook, which is ranked fifth in the coaches’ poll, the best in program history, after its first trip to the quarterfinals. So Crowley clearly has thoughts about taking the next steps — making the semifinals and claiming the title — in a journey that starts at home Saturday against Virginia, which is ranked No. 1.
“It’s my last year and I always believe in dreaming big,” Crowley said. “It’s going to come down to the work ethic you put in. I think creating that family atmosphere is really important. I don’t believe there’s a limit to how far we can go if we bring it all together by the end of the year.”
One reason the Seawolves can dream big is Crowley, the preseason player of the year in the eyes of Lacrosse Magazine and the nation’s top senior in the eyes of the Hamilton Nationals, who made him the first overall pick in last month’s Major League Lacrosse draft. Last season, he became Stony Brook’s first first-team all-American. Crowley has gone from unheralded in western Canada to stardom on Long Island.
The unlikely story starts with Rick Sowell. He was the coach at St. John’s in July 2006 when he went to the Top 205 lacrosse camp in Maryland and spotted McBride, an attackman who is from the same city as Crowley — New Westminster, British Columbia. McBride had been working as an apprentice carpenter after graduating in 2004 from New Westminster Secondary School.
Sowell began recruiting him. The next month, Stony Brook hired Sowell to fill its coaching vacancy. He quickly called McBride. After McBride committed, he came for a visit in February 2007 and attended a season-opening loss to Virginia. He sat down afterward with Sowell in his office.
“I told him, ‘I know this guy back home who’s better than your best midfielder,’ ” McBride said. “He was like, ‘Tell me about him.’ I was like, ‘He’s 6-4, probably 200 pounds.’ ”
That was Crowley, who had been two grades behind McBride at New Westminster. They were friends from playing junior indoor box lacrosse together for two seasons with the New Westminster Salmonbellies. McBride was also a good friend of Crowley’s sister, Kara. The two players had known each other for several years.
There was no raging recruiting chase in the United States for Crowley out of high school. He said he had to contact colleges. Those that showed interest included Division I Bellarmine, Division II Notre Dame de Namur and Division III Whittier.
“I was still developing as a player, and it’s not as easy as it is nowadays to get looks being on the West Coast,” Crowley said.
He decided to stay in British Columbia, playing club lacrosse as a freshman at Simon Fraser University, all the while thinking he could play at a higher level.
After McBride’s tip, he got his shot. Sowell watched film of Crowley, although the view was not all that conclusive. But Sowell received a positive review from his former teammate in professional lacrosse, Jeff Gombar, who had coached in Canada. So Sowell made the scholarship offer.
“He said he was rolling the dice,” Crowley said.
As it turned out, Sowell said, “it’s been Jordan being the 7 and Kevin being the 11, I suppose.”
Last season, while Stony Brook won a program-record 13 games, the America East tournament title and an N.C.A.A. tournament game for the first time in just its second appearance, Crowley set its single-season record with 51 goals, three more than McBride, Stony Brook’s career leader in goals and a third-team all-American.
McBride, a senior, lauded his chemistry with Crowley. They have set up goals for each other 44 times the last three years. Crowley assisted on 26 goals over all in 2010 and became the America East player of the year and its scholar-athlete award winner for lacrosse.
The career points record at Stony Brook is 201, and Crowley is 26 away from breaking it. Sowell sees him as even-keeled, team-oriented and multitalented.
“He’s very good in transition,” said Sowell, who had to scheme against Crowley as an assistant for Team USA last July when it beat Team Canada for the gold medal at the world championship tournament in England. “He’s great on ground balls. He makes plays coming down, whether scoring or looking for his main man Jordan often. He just does so many things well.
“I think he’s got the target on his back now, the No. 1 draft pick and coming off last year and all the hype surrounding him.”
Crowley has dreamed about playing professionally, and he will be doing it in Canada.
Hamilton’s season begins in May. The indoor National Lacrosse League will also likely be in his future.
“He’s a phenomenal athlete and a phenomenal player,” said Jody Gage, Hamilton’s general manager. “He’s got good size. He’s got a great stick. He’s just a dominating player.”
Robbie Campbell, a starting junior midfielder for the Seawolves who grew up about 15 minutes away from Crowley in Delta, British Columbia, played field lacrosse with him on an under-14 team in New Westminster.
“He’s come a long way; I’ll be honest,” Campbell said.
“One thing I really respect about Kevin is he’s a hard worker. He’s a very mental player. He thinks the game a lot more than other guys do.”
Now Crowley would like to win a game against Virginia. Stony Brook is 0 for 8 against the Cavaliers. As Sowell said, a victory would proclaim this message: “Hello, world.”
“Playing Virginia is something you always circle on the calendar because you get a chance to prove yourself against the top competition,” Crowley said. “It could be my last chance at beating Virginia. That’s motivating in itself.”
Thursday, February 24, 2011
No. 1 VIRGINIA Visits No. 5 STONY BROOK on Saturday...WUSB 90.1FM
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Virginia hits the road for its first road contest of the season as the No. 1 team in the USILA coaches poll. The Cavaliers (2-0) head to Long Island on Saturday to face the Stony Brook Seawolves (0-0), who are ranked No. 5 in the coaches' poll.
The Cavaliers and Seawolves are set to clash inside LaValle Stadium. Faceoff is slated for noon. Virginia, who went undefeated in road games in 2010, is looking to win its seventh-straight road opener on Saturday. UVa lost its first true road game of 2004 at Denver.
Saturday's contest with Stony Brook is the ninth all-time meeting. Virginia holds an 8-0 advantage in the all-time series, including a 10-9 triumph in the 2010 NCAA quarterfinal round at LaValle Stadium in the last meeting of the series. Chris Bocklet had three goals and two assists in the victory to lead Virginia.
The Cavaliers enter the contest with the Seawolves on the heels of a 22-6 victory over Mount St. Mary's on Tuesday afternoon. Bocklet, the reigning ACC Offensive Player of the Week, scored four goals in the win. Bocklet has now scored at least three goals in six-straight games dating back to last season's home contest with Robert Morris on May 1. During the streak Bocklet has scored 24 goals and six assists for 30 points.
Goalie Adam Ghitelman made nine saves and picked up his 39th career win between the pipes for the Cavaliers in Tuesday's win. The nine saves give Ghitelman 417 for his career, moving him to 10th all-time in the UVa annals. The senior is one victory away from becoming the 17th player all-time in the country to amass 40 career wins in goal. The next victory for Ghitelman will tie him for the UVa record with Kip Turner and the Long Island native will be afforded the opportunity to attempt the feat in front of hometown crowd from nearby Cold Spring, N.Y.
Bocklet leads all Cavaliers with eight goals, while Stanwick has a team-best six assists – both leading the team with nine total points. Rhamel Bratton and Matt White each have four goals, while Shamel Bratton and Connor English round out the top scorers with three goals apiece in the young season.
Stony Brook head coach Rick Sowell is in his fifth season at the helm of Stony Brook as the Seawolves open up their 2011 campaign against UVa on Saturday. The Seawolves won the America East title for the second time in program history in 2010 and made Stony Brook's second all-time NCAA appearance. Stony Brook returns six starters and 22 letterwinners off of a 2010 squad that went 13-4, with two of those losses coming at the hands of the Cavaliers.
Returning for Stony Brook is its starting attack and midfield, two units that combined to tally 189 goals and 101 assists. The Seawolves' four preseason All-Americans, senior Jordan McBride, senior Tom Compitello and senior Adam Rand are part of an offense that ranked fourth in the country with more than 13 goals per game in 2010.
Virginia returns home on Monday to host VMI inside Klöckner Stadium. Faceoff is slated for 7:00 p.m.
Five Things You Need to Know
• Stony Brook lost only four games in 2010 and two of them came at the hands of Virginia.
• Seniors Rhamel and Shamel Bratton and Adam Ghitelman return home to Long Island for their last regular season contest in the region.
• Adam Ghitelman needs one more victory in between the pipes to become the 17th goalie all-time, second at UVa, to amass 40 career wins.
• UVa head coach Dom Starsia needs 9 wins to reach 327 career victories, giving him the most triumphs of any coach while coaching at a Division I school.
• Former UVa men's lacrosse player Jason Leneau plays the lacrosse double of the character "Dixon" in the CW's New 90210 show.
Team Comparisons
Statistic UVA ('10) SB ('10)
Goals-Shot Attempts 229-699 225-580
Goals Scored Average 13.47 13.24
Shot Pct. .328 .388
Assists 138 123
Ground Balls 632 594
Turnovers 257 314
Caused Turnovers 141 95
Total Goals 229 225
Man-up Goals 24 22
Man-down Goals 0 0
Man-up Opp. 24-51 22-56
Faceoffs 230-of-422 275-of-451
Faceoff Pct. .545 .610
Clears 313-of-338 232-of-298
Clear Pct. .926 .779
Penalties 59 71
Penalty Min. 46:30 55:30
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Dougher's OT run lifts men's hoops to victory
The wild game featured 25 three-pointers, 17 lead changes and four ties. With the win, the Seawolves have clinched the No. 5 seed in next week's America East Tournament and have improved to 12-16 overall, 7-8 in the league. Stony Brook will play No. 4 Albany in the quarterfinals next Saturday, March 5 at 12 p.m. Hartford drops into a sixth-place tie with New Hampshire at 6-9 and is 9-19 overall. Dougher was named America East Player of the Game for his team-high 17 points. Joe Zeglinski was Hartford's America East Player of the game for scoring a game-high 24 points.
Stony Brook shot a season-high 50 percent and made 10 three-pointers in the game. The Seawolves had a season-high 17 assists to just 12 turnovers and was 15-for-20 from the free throw line. Hartford attempted 44 three-pointers and made 15 of them, but was only 6-for-13 from the line.
"We were fortunate to come away with a victory tonight," head coach Steve Pikiell said. "Both teams played a great game, and we wouldn't have won tonight without some big plays from Bryan Dougher, Dallis Joyner and our freshmen Anthony Jackson and Eric McAlister."
The wild game seemingly shifted in Hartford's favor with 6:00 left in the second half as Morgan Sabia hit a three-pointer to put the Hawks up 10 points, 57-47. The Seawolves persevered and fought back by chipping away at the lead. Danny Carter (Windsor, England) hit a soft jump hook to end Hartford's run. Then Anthony Jackson (Columbus, Ohio) hit a wide-open three-pointer to cut it to five. After Dougher stole a pass, Jackson came back down and hit a runner down the baseline to make it a three-point game, 57-54, with 4:16 left.
Chris Martin (Springfield Gardens, N.Y.) hit a pair of free throws, and then dished a pass to Al Rapier (Chicago, Ill.), who put the Seawolves up with a layup. The teams traded the lead twice before Hartford's Ryan Baker had a outback layup to make it 61-60 Hartford with 1:13 to play, the 11th lead change of the second half alone.
Carter missed a pair of free throws, forcing SBU to foul. Zeglinski missed the 1-and-1, but the rebound kicked out to Hartford, forcing another foul. This time, Milton Burton sank both shots to put Hartford up 63-60.
With a chance to tie, Jackson missed a three-pointer, but Dougher grabbed the loose rebound near the corner. He swung the ball to Jackson, who dribbled in once, but then found a wide-open Leonard Hayes (Voorhees, N.J.), who drilled home the tying three-pointer to make it 63-63 and send the game to overtime.
Hartford was up two, 67-65, with 3:18 left in OT when Dougher took over the game. He buried a three-pointer at 2:37 to put SBU up one. Then he stole the ball from Burton and came back with a leaner to go up three. A missed Hartford layup put the ball back in Dougher's hands, and this time he drove down the baseline and nailed a runner over Zeglinski to make it five-point SBU lead. He capped his personal 9-0 run with a pair of free throws to make it 74-67 with 46 seconds left.
In the game's final minute, Stony Brook hit seven of eight free throw attempts to ice the win.
Besides Dougher's 17 points, four other Seawolves scored in double figures. Carter and Hayes each had 14 points. Jackson chipped in 10 points and a career-high seven assists. McAlister contributed 10 points on 3-of-4 shooting both from the field and the line.
Stony Brook will wrap up the regular season Sunday in a home contest against Binghamton at Pritchard Gymnasium at 2 pm. It will be Senior Day, and the Seawolves will honor Chris Martin prior to the contest. Only limited tickets are available for purchase. Call (631) 632-WOLF for more information.
Hartford edges women's hoops, 67-63
Stony Brook, N.Y. - Stony Brook University women's basketball team shot a season-high 54.3 percent but Jackie Smith hit the go-ahead free throws with 24 seconds left to send the Hartford Hawks to a 67-63 victory over the Seawolves on Wednesday at Pritchard Gymnasium.
Senior Kirsten Jeter (Elmont, N.Y.), sophomore Sam Landers (Springfield, Va.) and junior Destiny Jacobs (Glen Burnie, Md.) each scored 13 points for the Seawolves, who out-scored Hartford 36-16 in the paint. Nikkia Smith led four Hawks in double-figures with 13 points. Hartford shot 58.3 percent in the second half and went 6-for-8 from three.
The Seawolves led 53-45 midway through the second half but Hartford went on a 14-4 run over the next four minutes, taking a 59-57 lead on three-point play from Ruthanne Doherty with five minutes left. Jeter tied the game with two free throws before Hartford scored the game's next four points.
A Jacobs hoop brought SBU within two and Jeter then hit two more free throws to tie the game at 63 with 1:14 remaining. Neither team scored on their next possession, giving the Hawks the ball with 40 seconds left. The Hawks got the ball to Jackie Smith, who was fouled while shooting a three with 24.8 seconds remaining.
Smith hit two of the three freebies and Stony Brook called timeout with 19.7 seconds to go. SBU turned the ball over with under five seconds left and Daphne Elliot hit two free throws on the other end to seal Hartford's 13th straight victory over the Seawolves.
Hartford scored 22 points off 18 Stony Brook turnovers and went 19-for-24 from the foul line. Stony Brook out-rebounded the Hawks, 32-22. Jackie Smith and Landers were named their respective teams America East Players of the Game. Stony Brook scored the game's first seven points and led 15-6 midway through the first half as the Seawolves forced Hartford to miss 12 of their first 15 shots. Hartford closed within 15-12 but SBU scored the next six points to push its lead back to nine.
A three from Mary Silvia cut the Stony Brook lead to five but SBU once again had an answer as back-to-back hoops from Jacobs and sophomore Amanda Corona (North Hollywood, Calif.) gave the Seawolves a 25-16 lead with a minute left until halftime. Silvia hit another three on Hartford's ensuing possession as Stony Brook went into the break with a 25-19 advantage.
The Seawolves shot 54.5 percent (12-for-22) from the field in the first half. Hartford went just 6-for-24 from the field but went 5-for-7 from the foul line. The Seawolves did not shoot a free throw in the opening 20 minutes and turned it over 10 times.
Hartford opened the second half on fire, hitting three three-pointers in the first two minutes to take its first lead of the game at 28-27. But junior Whitney Davis (Muskegon, Mich.) hit two free throws and Jeter then stole the inbounds pass and converted the lay-up while getting fouled. She then knocked down the free throw to put SBU up by four.
A three-point play by Jacobs minutes later extended the Stony Brook run to 11 and gave the Seawolves a 38-28 lead. Hartford would not go away though, getting within 42-40 with the help of back-to-back threes from Silvia and Jackie Smith.
But Landers scored seven of the Seawolves next 11 points as SBU pushed their lead back to eight just over midway through the half.
Stony Brook closes the regular season on Saturday against Binghamton at Pritchard Gymnasium. Game time is set for 2 p.m. The Seawolves will honor their three seniors- Jeter, Misha Horsey (Wyncote, Pa.) and Jodie Plikus (Waterford, Conn.)- prior to the game.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Women's Hoops battles but falls to BU, 72-68
Senior Kirsten Jeter (Elmont, N.Y.) added 12 points and eight rebounds while junior Destiny Jacobs (Glen Burnie, Md.) had 11 points and seven boards. Kristen Sims scored 11 of her game-high 15 points in the second half to lead the Terriers.
Stony Brook (5-21, 2-12 AE) trailed 62-53 with 5:49 left but then went on a 9-2 run, cutting the Terriers lead to two on a driving lay-up from sophomore Gerda Gatling (Woodbridge, Va.) with 3:30 remaining. But Sims knocked down a three with the shot clock winding down and Mo Moran then hit two free throws to push the BU lead back to five.
The Seawolves trailed by four with 14 seconds left and Gatling at the line. But she missed both free throws and Chantell Alford hit one of two free throws for BU. Landers then missed a three on the other end as the Terriers held on for the victory.
SBU jumped on the Terriers at the start, hitting six of its first eight shots to grab a 14-5 lead just over four minutes in. All five Stony Brook starters scored in first four minutes.
BU (14-2, 11-3 AE) scored the next five points to climb within four but Jacobs then scored three straight hoops including a fast-break lay-up off a beautiful feed from Landers. Sophomore Juanita Cochran (Saginaw, Mich.) followed with an inside basket to push the Stony Brook lead to 22-10.
SBU led by 14 midway through the half following a contested jumper from sophomore Talisha Bridges (Kalamazoo, Mich.) just inside the three-point arc but the Terriers went on a 15-4 run over the next five minutes to slice the Stony Brook lead to three. BU cut the Seawolves lead to one on three occasions before finally tying the game at 36 on a Caroline Stewart free throw with 1:30 remaining.
But Landers answered with a long jumper from the top of the key and then hit two free throws to send Stony Brook into the break with a 40-36 lead. The 40 first-half points was a season-high for the Seawolves, who shot 51.9 percent and went a perfect 12-for-12 from the free throw line in the opening half.
Stony Brook scored seven of the first 10 points of the second half to push its lead back to eight but the Terriers answered with an 8-0 run to tie the game at 47 with 12:30 left. Bridges gave Stony Brook the lead back with a foul-line jumper but the Seawolves then went over five minutes without a field goal as BU scored 10 of the next 11 points to take a 59-50 lead.
Murray ended the drought with a three from the right wing before Kerry Cashman scored three consecutive points to build the BU advantage back to nine.
Stony Brook returns to action on Wednesday, hosting Hartford at Pritchard Gymnasium. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
Stony Brook men's lacrosse has NCAA hopes
Here is how the 2011 men's lacrosse season begins for Stony Brook University:
A team with a ranking fit for a national contender. A player, Kevin Crowley, in strong consideration for the Tewaaraton Award as the sport's top collegiate performer. A team eager and anxious to go where only the elite reside - deep in the NCAA Tournament.
There indeed is rarefied air surrounding Stony Brook lacrosse. The expectations are weighty but welcome after last season, when Stony Brook (13-4) won the America East title, beat Denver in a first- round playoff game and gave mighty Virginia a huge scare before losing, 10-9, in front of 10,000 fans on the Stony Brook campus.
"We don't want to be one- hit wonders,'' senior Jordan McBride said. He spoke of the possibility of turning Division I upside-down by yielding a contender not named Duke, Virginia or Syracuse. A contender that is ready to do some damage.
"We're that team right now,'' McBride said. The season can't start soon enough for the Seawolves, ranked fourth in one preseason poll, as they set out to prove they are a player in the national picture. That starts Saturday, Feb. 26, when Virginia visits in the season opener.
"We took the program to places it hadn't been before,'' Crowley said. "That was definitely important to the school and community around Stony Brook. I believe that success breeds success, and now we have that big-game experience going in. That can only help us in the long run for this season. I think our team welcomes the challenge. It's a fact of life that it's going to be there. It serves as motivation.''
Or, as teammate Tom Compitello of Hauppauge said, "We have a good thing going and we want to keep that going for as long as possible.''
Crowley, already the top pick in the Major League Lacrosse draft, will be marked by every opponent. He is ready, saying, "It's going to make me an even better player because if people are going to pay extra attention to me, that will have to make me step up my game. Throughout the course of the year, I can only hope that I'll be getting better knowing that I have to bring my 'A' game every game. I guess I welcome that challenge.''
For Stony Brook to surpass last season, it would have to make the Final Four. Coach Rick Sowell (fifth season, 76-77) has high hopes.
"We've created a monster and we won't back down from that,'' he said. "We'd much rather have it this way than the other way, where no one is talking about you. I'm not complaining; it comes with the territory . . . We have a lot back. I'm not going to hide from that.''
Sowell has had to retool his defense - he expects a big season from Manhattan transfer Kyle Moeller - but what an offense in Crowley (51 goals, 26 assists), McBride (48-8), Compitello (37-36), Robbie Campbell (20-17) and Kyle Belton (24-5). Adam Rand, who won 62 percent of his faceoffs, also returns.
Crowley said his personal goal of putting Stony Brook on the lacrosse map is reaching fruition.
"When we were coming in as freshmen, I wanted to try and get Stony Brook to be considered competitive with the top teams that I grew up watching,'' he said. "I think we've made steps toward it. We're not there yet, but that's kind of what we are working towards.
"I think everyone recognizes the importance of the first game and where that will put us the rest of the season. Everyone wants another crack at Virginia.''
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Brutus' 7 three-pointers doom SBU, 64-63
By
Et tu, Brute?
Since 6:41 remained in the first half, Stony Brook had not been behind in yesterday's ESPN BracketBuster game against Manhattan. But with the score tied and a minute left in overtime, the ball went to Manhattan's Kidani Brutus just outside the three-point arc on the right side.
Shakespearean drama in short pants: And you, Brutus?
The Bronx junior's nothing-but-net three-pointer mortally stabbed Stony Brook, sealing Manhattan's 64-63 victory. The Seawolves' loss was capped by the ultimate betrayal of poor free-throw shooting throughout the game and two crucial missed layups; in a microcosm of that, Marcus Rouse converted only two of three free throws with 44 seconds left and Bryan Dougher missed a driving layup at the buzzer.
"Can't remember'' the last time he hit a game-winner, Brutus acknowledged.
"Nintendo,'' kidded his coach, Barry Rohrssen. "He may be the PlayStation champion.''
"I am,'' agreed Brutus, who shot 7-for-9 from three-point range and had 25 points in a matchup with far more histrionics than might be expected from two struggling teams.
Both Stony Brook (11-16) and Manhattan (6-22) have spent the season battered by injuries and inexperience, but all that fell on deaf ears inside the close quarters of Pritchard Gym, a chamber of racket prone to leave all in attendance with impaired hearing. "Loud building,'' Rohrssen said. "Loud, loud building. We were having a difficult time trying to communicate with our team.''
Still, trailing 45-34 with just over nine minutes left, Manhattan was able to scramble back and quiet the storm. Brutus hit two three-pointers during the run, and his short jumper with 1:55 left tied the score at 55.
Stony Brook's Danny Carter missed a three-pointer, but Preye Preboye took the long rebound, leading to Dougher's converted floater to take back the lead at 57-55. That sequence fit the day's theme: Though Stony Brook's inaccurate shooting (35.6 percent for the game) repeatedly sounded fire alarms, its rebounders were ideal first responders. Stony Brook won the board battle, 43-32.
But Manhattan sophomore George Beamon, a former All-Long Island guard from Roslyn who had 23 points, slashed to the basket and banked in a jumper to tie the score with 31 seconds left.
Left with an inbounds play from near midcourt with two seconds to go, Stony Brook's Leonard Hayes lofted a perfect alley-oop pass to Preboye, but his layup wouldn't stay down.
A logical time to recall - as Stony Brook coach Steve Pikiell did after the game - how Stony Brook had missed seven of its 10 free-throw attempts down the stretch, finishing 15-for-27.
In overtime, Carter's follow shot and Dallis Joyner's layup quickly put Stony Brook ahead by four, but Brutus bookended two more three-pointers around a free throw by Demetrius Jemison for a 64-61 lead.
Stony Brook, meanwhile, turned the ball over three times in the extra period, another figurative knife in Pikiell's heart. When Rouse, fouled as he attempted a three-pointer with 45 seconds left, missed the middle of his three free throws, Stony Brook was left only with Dougher's last-ditch failed layup.
Rouse's 15 and Dougher's 11 points led Stony Brook, and Joyner and Carter took eight rebounds each. "Not enough,'' Pikiell lamented. "Not enough.''
Et tu, Brute?
Since 6:41 remained in the first half, Stony Brook had not been behind in yesterday's ESPN BracketBuster game against Manhattan. But with the score tied and a minute left in overtime, the ball went to Manhattan's Kidani Brutus just outside the three-point arc on the right side.
Shakespearean drama in short pants: And you, Brutus?
The Bronx junior's nothing-but-net three-pointer mortally stabbed Stony Brook, sealing Manhattan's 64-63 victory. The Seawolves' loss was capped by the ultimate betrayal of poor free-throw shooting throughout the game and two crucial missed layups; in a microcosm of that, Marcus Rouse converted only two of three free throws with 44 seconds left and Bryan Dougher missed a driving layup at the buzzer.
"Can't remember'' the last time he hit a game-winner, Brutus acknowledged.
"Nintendo,'' kidded his coach, Barry Rohrssen. "He may be the PlayStation champion.''
"I am,'' agreed Brutus, who shot 7-for-9 from three-point range and had 25 points in a matchup with far more histrionics than might be expected from two struggling teams.
Both Stony Brook (11-16) and Manhattan (6-22) have spent the season battered by injuries and inexperience, but all that fell on deaf ears inside the close quarters of Pritchard Gym, a chamber of racket prone to leave all in attendance with impaired hearing. "Loud building,'' Rohrssen said. "Loud, loud building. We were having a difficult time trying to communicate with our team.''
Still, trailing 45-34 with just over nine minutes left, Manhattan was able to scramble back and quiet the storm. Brutus hit two three-pointers during the run, and his short jumper with 1:55 left tied the score at 55.
Stony Brook's Danny Carter missed a three-pointer, but Preye Preboye took the long rebound, leading to Dougher's converted floater to take back the lead at 57-55. That sequence fit the day's theme: Though Stony Brook's inaccurate shooting (35.6 percent for the game) repeatedly sounded fire alarms, its rebounders were ideal first responders. Stony Brook won the board battle, 43-32.
But Manhattan sophomore George Beamon, a former All-Long Island guard from Roslyn who had 23 points, slashed to the basket and banked in a jumper to tie the score with 31 seconds left.
Left with an inbounds play from near midcourt with two seconds to go, Stony Brook's Leonard Hayes lofted a perfect alley-oop pass to Preboye, but his layup wouldn't stay down.
A logical time to recall - as Stony Brook coach Steve Pikiell did after the game - how Stony Brook had missed seven of its 10 free-throw attempts down the stretch, finishing 15-for-27.
In overtime, Carter's follow shot and Dallis Joyner's layup quickly put Stony Brook ahead by four, but Brutus bookended two more three-pointers around a free throw by Demetrius Jemison for a 64-61 lead.
Stony Brook, meanwhile, turned the ball over three times in the extra period, another figurative knife in Pikiell's heart. When Rouse, fouled as he attempted a three-pointer with 45 seconds left, missed the middle of his three free throws, Stony Brook was left only with Dougher's last-ditch failed layup.
Rouse's 15 and Dougher's 11 points led Stony Brook, and Joyner and Carter took eight rebounds each. "Not enough,'' Pikiell lamented. "Not enough.''
Men's hoops suffers 64-63 loss to Manhattan
Final Stats
Kidani Brutus nailed a three-pointer, one of seven in the game for him, with one minute left in overtime to lift the Manhattan Jaspers to a 64-63 win over the Stony Brook men's basketball team Saturday afternoon at a sold-out Pritchard Gymnasium crowd of 1,630. The game was scheduled as part of ESPN's BracketBusters event. Brutus finished with a game-high 25 points. Marcus Rouse (Upper Marlboro, Md.) finished with 15 points to lead the Seawolves and earn America East Player of the Game honors.
Stony Brook, which falls to 11-16 on the season, had an 11-point lead as late as 10:37 of the second half, but free throws crippled the Seawolves' chances to win. SBU was only 15-for-27 (55.6 percent) from the charity stripe. Manhattan improves to 6-22 on the year and was 9-for-15 (60 percent) from three-point range.
"I thought we played well enough to win the game," head coach Steve Pikiell said. "Our game plan was to outrebound them, and we did. But we had trouble guarding their best player, and we went 3-for-10 on our free throws in the second half. Still, we had chances to win the game, but we didn't hit our layups. As a coach, you do what you can to set them up to win, but they still have to be the ones to make the shots."
The Seawolves led the Jaspers by six, 31-25, at halftime and then took an 11-point lead at 10:37 after Anthony Mayo (Philadelphia, Pa.) converted a three-point play on a layup off a pass from Preye Preboye (Springfield, Mass.). But from there Brutus and George Beamon willed the Jaspers back into the game. Brutus' three-pointer at 9:18 cut the SBU lead to eight, 45-37. He sank another three at 6:19 to cut it to three, 48-45.
Leonard Hayes (Voorhees, N.J.) answered Brutus with a three-pointer of his own off a kick-out from Dallis Joyner (Norfolk, Va.), but Manhattan's Michael Alvarado sank a pair of free throws, and Beamon followed with a long three-pointer to make it a one-point game, 51-50, with 4:36 remaining.
The game was tied at 55-55 with under a minute remaining when Bryan Dougher (Scotch Plains, N.J.) cut through a pair of defenders into the lane and nailed a runner that got a good bounce off the rim through the net to put the Seawolves on top 57-55 with 44.8 seconds remaining. However, Beamon answered with a runner of his own coming down the baseline to tie the game. Stony Brook had a chance to win at the buzzer, but Preboye's alley oop layup attempt rimmed out, sending the game to overtime.
In the extra frame, Stony Brook jumped out to a four-point lead, 61-57, on a tip-in from Danny Carter (Windsor, England) and a Joyner layup. The Seawolves held that lead until 2:05 when Brutus buried his sixth triple of the game straight up with a defender on him. The Seawolves then turned the ball over on back-to-back possessions sandwiched by one Beamon free throw that tied the game at 61-61.
With a minute left, Brutus once again took the ball and again was one-on-one with a defender, spotted up and sank his seventh three-pointer of the game, giving the Jaspers a 64-61 lead. The Seawolves responded as Rouse drew a foul from Beamon while shooting a three-pointer. But the normally steady free throw shooting Rouse missed the second of the three free throws. Stony Brook trailed 64-63 with 35 seconds left. SBU then played great defense, forcing a missed jumper from Alvarado. That set up the final play, as Dougher took the ball, split defenders to get into the lane, got a layup attempt up, but the ball rimmed out as time expired.
Brutus and Beamon finished with a combined 48 points, representing 75 percent of Manhattan's scoring. In addition to Rouse's 15, Dougher added 11.
Stony Brook outrebounded Manhattan 43-32 and had 18 offensive boards, but only scored 14 second chance points. Manhattan took advantage of 13 Seawolves turnovers to get 20 points.
The Seawolves resume America East play Wednesday at Hartford at 7 p.m. The game will help determine SBU's seed in the upcoming America East Tournament.
Kidani Brutus nailed a three-pointer, one of seven in the game for him, with one minute left in overtime to lift the Manhattan Jaspers to a 64-63 win over the Stony Brook men's basketball team Saturday afternoon at a sold-out Pritchard Gymnasium crowd of 1,630. The game was scheduled as part of ESPN's BracketBusters event. Brutus finished with a game-high 25 points. Marcus Rouse (Upper Marlboro, Md.) finished with 15 points to lead the Seawolves and earn America East Player of the Game honors.
Stony Brook, which falls to 11-16 on the season, had an 11-point lead as late as 10:37 of the second half, but free throws crippled the Seawolves' chances to win. SBU was only 15-for-27 (55.6 percent) from the charity stripe. Manhattan improves to 6-22 on the year and was 9-for-15 (60 percent) from three-point range.
"I thought we played well enough to win the game," head coach Steve Pikiell said. "Our game plan was to outrebound them, and we did. But we had trouble guarding their best player, and we went 3-for-10 on our free throws in the second half. Still, we had chances to win the game, but we didn't hit our layups. As a coach, you do what you can to set them up to win, but they still have to be the ones to make the shots."
The Seawolves led the Jaspers by six, 31-25, at halftime and then took an 11-point lead at 10:37 after Anthony Mayo (Philadelphia, Pa.) converted a three-point play on a layup off a pass from Preye Preboye (Springfield, Mass.). But from there Brutus and George Beamon willed the Jaspers back into the game. Brutus' three-pointer at 9:18 cut the SBU lead to eight, 45-37. He sank another three at 6:19 to cut it to three, 48-45.
Leonard Hayes (Voorhees, N.J.) answered Brutus with a three-pointer of his own off a kick-out from Dallis Joyner (Norfolk, Va.), but Manhattan's Michael Alvarado sank a pair of free throws, and Beamon followed with a long three-pointer to make it a one-point game, 51-50, with 4:36 remaining.
The game was tied at 55-55 with under a minute remaining when Bryan Dougher (Scotch Plains, N.J.) cut through a pair of defenders into the lane and nailed a runner that got a good bounce off the rim through the net to put the Seawolves on top 57-55 with 44.8 seconds remaining. However, Beamon answered with a runner of his own coming down the baseline to tie the game. Stony Brook had a chance to win at the buzzer, but Preboye's alley oop layup attempt rimmed out, sending the game to overtime.
In the extra frame, Stony Brook jumped out to a four-point lead, 61-57, on a tip-in from Danny Carter (Windsor, England) and a Joyner layup. The Seawolves held that lead until 2:05 when Brutus buried his sixth triple of the game straight up with a defender on him. The Seawolves then turned the ball over on back-to-back possessions sandwiched by one Beamon free throw that tied the game at 61-61.
With a minute left, Brutus once again took the ball and again was one-on-one with a defender, spotted up and sank his seventh three-pointer of the game, giving the Jaspers a 64-61 lead. The Seawolves responded as Rouse drew a foul from Beamon while shooting a three-pointer. But the normally steady free throw shooting Rouse missed the second of the three free throws. Stony Brook trailed 64-63 with 35 seconds left. SBU then played great defense, forcing a missed jumper from Alvarado. That set up the final play, as Dougher took the ball, split defenders to get into the lane, got a layup attempt up, but the ball rimmed out as time expired.
Brutus and Beamon finished with a combined 48 points, representing 75 percent of Manhattan's scoring. In addition to Rouse's 15, Dougher added 11.
Stony Brook outrebounded Manhattan 43-32 and had 18 offensive boards, but only scored 14 second chance points. Manhattan took advantage of 13 Seawolves turnovers to get 20 points.
The Seawolves resume America East play Wednesday at Hartford at 7 p.m. The game will help determine SBU's seed in the upcoming America East Tournament.
Men's hoops suffers 64-63 loss to Manhattan
Final Stats
Kidani Brutus nailed a three-pointer, one of seven in the game for him, with one minute left in overtime to lift the Manhattan Jaspers to a 64-63 win over the Stony Brook men's basketball team Saturday afternoon at a sold-out Pritchard Gymnasium crowd of 1,630. The game was scheduled as part of ESPN's BracketBusters event. Brutus finished with a game-high 25 points. Marcus Rouse (Upper Marlboro, Md.) finished with 15 points to lead the Seawolves and earn America East Player of the Game honors.
Stony Brook, which falls to 11-16 on the season, had an 11-point lead as late as 10:37 of the second half, but free throws crippled the Seawolves' chances to win. SBU was only 15-for-27 (55.6 percent) from the charity stripe. Manhattan improves to 6-22 on the year and was 9-for-15 (60 percent) from three-point range.
"I thought we played well enough to win the game," head coach Steve Pikiell said. "Our game plan was to outrebound them, and we did. But we had trouble guarding their best player, and we went 3-for-10 on our free throws in the second half. Still, we had chances to win the game, but we didn't hit our layups. As a coach, you do what you can to set them up to win, but they still have to be the ones to make the shots."
The Seawolves led the Jaspers by six, 31-25, at halftime and then took an 11-point lead at 10:37 after Anthony Mayo (Philadelphia, Pa.) converted a three-point play on a layup off a pass from Preye Preboye (Springfield, Mass.). But from there Brutus and George Beamon willed the Jaspers back into the game. Brutus' three-pointer at 9:18 cut the SBU lead to eight, 45-37. He sank another three at 6:19 to cut it to three, 48-45.
Leonard Hayes (Voorhees, N.J.) answered Brutus with a three-pointer of his own off a kick-out from Dallis Joyner (Norfolk, Va.), but Manhattan's Michael Alvarado sank a pair of free throws, and Beamon followed with a long three-pointer to make it a one-point game, 51-50, with 4:36 remaining.
The game was tied at 55-55 with under a minute remaining when Bryan Dougher (Scotch Plains, N.J.) cut through a pair of defenders into the lane and nailed a runner that got a good bounce off the rim through the net to put the Seawolves on top 57-55 with 44.8 seconds remaining. However, Beamon answered with a runner of his own coming down the baseline to tie the game. Stony Brook had a chance to win at the buzzer, but Preboye's alley oop layup attempt rimmed out, sending the game to overtime.
In the extra frame, Stony Brook jumped out to a four-point lead, 61-57, on a tip-in from Danny Carter (Windsor, England) and a Joyner layup. The Seawolves held that lead until 2:05 when Brutus buried his sixth triple of the game straight up with a defender on him. The Seawolves then turned the ball over on back-to-back possessions sandwiched by one Beamon free throw that tied the game at 61-61.
With a minute left, Brutus once again took the ball and again was one-on-one with a defender, spotted up and sank his seventh three-pointer of the game, giving the Jaspers a 64-61 lead. The Seawolves responded as Rouse drew a foul from Beamon while shooting a three-pointer. But the normally steady free throw shooting Rouse missed the second of the three free throws. Stony Brook trailed 64-63 with 35 seconds left. SBU then played great defense, forcing a missed jumper from Alvarado. That set up the final play, as Dougher took the ball, split defenders to get into the lane, got a layup attempt up, but the ball rimmed out as time expired.
Brutus and Beamon finished with a combined 48 points, representing 75 percent of Manhattan's scoring. In addition to Rouse's 15, Dougher added 11.
Stony Brook outrebounded Manhattan 43-32 and had 18 offensive boards, but only scored 14 second chance points. Manhattan took advantage of 13 Seawolves turnovers to get 20 points.
The Seawolves resume America East play Wednesday at Hartford at 7 p.m. The game will help determine SBU's seed in the upcoming America East Tournament.
Kidani Brutus nailed a three-pointer, one of seven in the game for him, with one minute left in overtime to lift the Manhattan Jaspers to a 64-63 win over the Stony Brook men's basketball team Saturday afternoon at a sold-out Pritchard Gymnasium crowd of 1,630. The game was scheduled as part of ESPN's BracketBusters event. Brutus finished with a game-high 25 points. Marcus Rouse (Upper Marlboro, Md.) finished with 15 points to lead the Seawolves and earn America East Player of the Game honors.
Stony Brook, which falls to 11-16 on the season, had an 11-point lead as late as 10:37 of the second half, but free throws crippled the Seawolves' chances to win. SBU was only 15-for-27 (55.6 percent) from the charity stripe. Manhattan improves to 6-22 on the year and was 9-for-15 (60 percent) from three-point range.
"I thought we played well enough to win the game," head coach Steve Pikiell said. "Our game plan was to outrebound them, and we did. But we had trouble guarding their best player, and we went 3-for-10 on our free throws in the second half. Still, we had chances to win the game, but we didn't hit our layups. As a coach, you do what you can to set them up to win, but they still have to be the ones to make the shots."
The Seawolves led the Jaspers by six, 31-25, at halftime and then took an 11-point lead at 10:37 after Anthony Mayo (Philadelphia, Pa.) converted a three-point play on a layup off a pass from Preye Preboye (Springfield, Mass.). But from there Brutus and George Beamon willed the Jaspers back into the game. Brutus' three-pointer at 9:18 cut the SBU lead to eight, 45-37. He sank another three at 6:19 to cut it to three, 48-45.
 |  |
Leonard Hayes (Voorhees, N.J.) answered Brutus with a three-pointer of his own off a kick-out from Dallis Joyner (Norfolk, Va.), but Manhattan's Michael Alvarado sank a pair of free throws, and Beamon followed with a long three-pointer to make it a one-point game, 51-50, with 4:36 remaining.
The game was tied at 55-55 with under a minute remaining when Bryan Dougher (Scotch Plains, N.J.) cut through a pair of defenders into the lane and nailed a runner that got a good bounce off the rim through the net to put the Seawolves on top 57-55 with 44.8 seconds remaining. However, Beamon answered with a runner of his own coming down the baseline to tie the game. Stony Brook had a chance to win at the buzzer, but Preboye's alley oop layup attempt rimmed out, sending the game to overtime.
In the extra frame, Stony Brook jumped out to a four-point lead, 61-57, on a tip-in from Danny Carter (Windsor, England) and a Joyner layup. The Seawolves held that lead until 2:05 when Brutus buried his sixth triple of the game straight up with a defender on him. The Seawolves then turned the ball over on back-to-back possessions sandwiched by one Beamon free throw that tied the game at 61-61.
With a minute left, Brutus once again took the ball and again was one-on-one with a defender, spotted up and sank his seventh three-pointer of the game, giving the Jaspers a 64-61 lead. The Seawolves responded as Rouse drew a foul from Beamon while shooting a three-pointer. But the normally steady free throw shooting Rouse missed the second of the three free throws. Stony Brook trailed 64-63 with 35 seconds left. SBU then played great defense, forcing a missed jumper from Alvarado. That set up the final play, as Dougher took the ball, split defenders to get into the lane, got a layup attempt up, but the ball rimmed out as time expired.
Brutus and Beamon finished with a combined 48 points, representing 75 percent of Manhattan's scoring. In addition to Rouse's 15, Dougher added 11.
Stony Brook outrebounded Manhattan 43-32 and had 18 offensive boards, but only scored 14 second chance points. Manhattan took advantage of 13 Seawolves turnovers to get 20 points.
The Seawolves resume America East play Wednesday at Hartford at 7 p.m. The game will help determine SBU's seed in the upcoming America East Tournament.
Stony Brook women want postseason games
By Steven Marcus, Newsday
Abby Ford is realistic, but she allows herself to dream along with her women's lacrosse teammates at Stony Brook University.
Ford knows something about comebacks, so it is not impossible for her to imagine Stony Brook, which will host the NCAA Women's Lacrosse Championship in May, somehow being part of the action.
"To play on our own field would be extraordinary,'' Ford said. "But we're just trying to focus on the here and now.''
The first things first of lacrosse is qualifying for the America East Conference Tournament. "We should definitely be making the tournament this year,'' said coach Allison Comito, entering her sixth season with a 38-43 record.
Making the tourney would be a huge turnaround from last season's 3-12 finish.
Ford is a big part of that goal, or as Comito said of the junior attacker, "She's huge.''
Ford wasn't a lock to be available this season. She suffered a torn ACL in her left knee - for the second time in her career - and had surgery after last season.
"It was scarier the second time,'' said Ford, who suffered the identical injury before entering ninth grade. "I heard a pop.''
Ford knew the rigorous rehabilitation that was in store. "It's definitely difficult mentally and physically,'' she said. "It definitely takes a toll on you.''
Rehab carried her thorough all of last summer and into the fall. Finally, she was cleared to play. Her forte is assists, and she led the team with 16 in 12 games before her injury.
"When I was little, I wanted to score goals,'' she said. "As I grew up, it was more behind the net. I think it just grew from everything that I was taught.''
Ford's father, Mac, played at North Carolina and her sister, Molly, played for Georgetown.
"It makes me feel better to give an assist than scoring a goal,'' she said.
The scoring is left to seniors Melissa Cook (29 goals last season), Samantha Djaha (22) and Courtney Bertolone (20).
Stony Brook needs to improve defensively - it allowed 12.8 goals a game last year - and senior captain Cori Kennedy and sophomore Justyne Passarelli will be counted on to stabilize the defense.
The women's team has never made the NCAA Tournament. "Our ultimate goal is to get to the America East Tournament and win that before we can think about NCAA,'' Ford said.
That seems like a realistic start to the dream.
Abby Ford is realistic, but she allows herself to dream along with her women's lacrosse teammates at Stony Brook University.
Ford knows something about comebacks, so it is not impossible for her to imagine Stony Brook, which will host the NCAA Women's Lacrosse Championship in May, somehow being part of the action.
"To play on our own field would be extraordinary,'' Ford said. "But we're just trying to focus on the here and now.''
The first things first of lacrosse is qualifying for the America East Conference Tournament. "We should definitely be making the tournament this year,'' said coach Allison Comito, entering her sixth season with a 38-43 record.
Making the tourney would be a huge turnaround from last season's 3-12 finish.
Ford is a big part of that goal, or as Comito said of the junior attacker, "She's huge.''
Ford wasn't a lock to be available this season. She suffered a torn ACL in her left knee - for the second time in her career - and had surgery after last season.
"It was scarier the second time,'' said Ford, who suffered the identical injury before entering ninth grade. "I heard a pop.''
Ford knew the rigorous rehabilitation that was in store. "It's definitely difficult mentally and physically,'' she said. "It definitely takes a toll on you.''
Rehab carried her thorough all of last summer and into the fall. Finally, she was cleared to play. Her forte is assists, and she led the team with 16 in 12 games before her injury.
"When I was little, I wanted to score goals,'' she said. "As I grew up, it was more behind the net. I think it just grew from everything that I was taught.''
Ford's father, Mac, played at North Carolina and her sister, Molly, played for Georgetown.
"It makes me feel better to give an assist than scoring a goal,'' she said.
The scoring is left to seniors Melissa Cook (29 goals last season), Samantha Djaha (22) and Courtney Bertolone (20).
Stony Brook needs to improve defensively - it allowed 12.8 goals a game last year - and senior captain Cori Kennedy and sophomore Justyne Passarelli will be counted on to stabilize the defense.
The women's team has never made the NCAA Tournament. "Our ultimate goal is to get to the America East Tournament and win that before we can think about NCAA,'' Ford said.
That seems like a realistic start to the dream.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Stony Brook names Ryan Anatol head men's soccer coach
Stony Brook University has named Ryan Anatol its new head men’s soccer coach, Stony Brook Athletics Director Jim Fiore announced Friday. A winner everywhere he has been, Anatol comes to Stony Brook with a polished résumé that includes 10 years of coaching experience at college soccer’s highest level, most recently serving as an assistant coach at the University of South Florida.
“Building a nationally recognized soccer program is a high priority at Stony Brook, and the first step in that process was to identify the right person to lead our student-athletes,” Fiore said. “I chose Ryan to lead our program because I am confident that with his coaching and playing experience, he will have an immediate impact on our student-athletes, alumni, faculty, staff and broader Stony Brook community.
“Coach Anatol is committed to creating an environment where our success on the field will equal the university’s extraordinary success off the field, and he has our full support in those efforts. I am thrilled that he has agreed to take on the challenge of building a consistently successful soccer program within the very competitive America East Conference and on the national level.”
“I would like to thank Jim Fiore, Donna Woodruff and everyone involved in the search,” Anatol said. “I am truly honored for the opportunity to be the head men’s soccer coach at Stony Brook University. My family and I are excited to be moving to Long Island, and I am looking forward to working at such a fine academic institution, building a program that the community will be proud of and leading it to success on and off the field.”
Anatol recently completed his sixth season as an assistant under head coach George Kiefer at USF, helping the Bulls to an impressive 74-33-18 (.664) record, five NCAA Tournament appearances and one BIG EAST championship. In a conference that has sent seven teams to the NCAA Tournament in four of the last six seasons, the Bulls compiled a 36-18-10 (.641) mark in BIG EAST games during his tenure. Anatol helped guide the Bulls to the Elite Eight of the 2008 NCAA Tournament, the program’s best-ever finish.
Anatol also served as USF’s recruiting coordinator, helping bring in several top recruiting classes, all six of which were ranked in the top 25 in the nation, according to College Soccer News. Since his arrival at USF, the Bulls have had 23 All-BIG EAST selections, nine All-Region picks and two NSCAA All-Americans (Yohance Marshall and Jeff Attinella). Eight of Anatol’s players have gone on to be drafted and/or currently play in Major League Soccer.
Anatol has garnered multiple honors for his efforts. He was named one of College Soccer News’ Top Assistant Coaches for 2011, one of just 20 assistant coaches in the country to receive the honor. He also was one of only 12 assistants to receive the honor after the 2008 season. In 2009, he was named the NSCAA Northeast Region Assistant Coach of the Year and was a finalist for the Glenn “Mooch” Myernick National Assistant Coach of the Year.
In addition to his work on the field, Anatol has been a mentor to his student-athletes off the field, helping the Bulls earn the NSCAA Team Academic Award for four consecutive years from 2007-10. Two of his student-athletes, Zak Boggs and Francisco Aristeguieta, were named BIG EAST Scholar Athlete of the Year.
Prior to working at USF, Anatol spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Akron, helping lead the Zips to the NCAA Tournament in both seasons, winning the 2004 Mid-American Conference championship and compiling a 28-10-5 record. His efforts helped lay the groundwork for a Zips program that has now won four straight MAC championships and won the NCAA National Championship in 2010.
Anatol played his college soccer at USF from 1997-2000, serving as team co-captain his senior year. He was a member of back-to-back Conference USA championship teams in 1997 and ’98, advancing to the Elite Eight of the ’98 NCAA Tournament. He graduated from USF with a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications in 2002 and then earned his masters degree in Sports Science/Coaching at Akron in 2010. Anatol also has international experience, playing for his native Trinidad and Tobago’s Under 20 National team from 1995-96.
Anatol takes over a flourishing Stony Brook men’s soccer program that won America East championships in 2005 and 2009 and had a 10-7-3 mark in 2010, a third-place finish in America East and a berth into the conference tournament semifinals. The Seawolves will return 19 lettermen from last season’s team, including 2010 America East Midfielder of the Year sophomore Leonardo Fernandes (North Babylon, N.Y.) and leading scorer sophomore Raphael Abreu (New York, N.Y.).
What They are Saying about Stony Brook Head Men's Soccer Coach Ryan Anatol:
“Amongst his peers, Ryan has been voted one of the top assistant coaches in the country for the last three years now, and that’s an honor he has rightfully deserved. I value everything he’s done here at USF, and he was a big part of how we have become a program that consistently reaches the NCAA Tournament. He’s going to be a great head coach, and he’s going to be a great fit at Stony Brook University.”
- George Kiefer, University of South Florida Head Men’s Soccer Coach
“Coach Anatol is a player’s coach, and a mentor to all of us at USF. On the field, he made sure we were technically sound, and off the field he made sure we were doing all of the right things. He’s been there for me from the first day I was recruited to even now, years after I graduated. I’m proud to call him my coach and friend, and I wish him all the best.”
- Zak Boggs, former USF player (2007-09) and current member of the New England Revolution
“As a former player and proud alum, I was honored to be included in the search process for Stony Brook’s next men’s soccer coach. Coach Anatol has very impressive experience as both a player and a coach, and I know he is prepared and excited to lead Stony Brook back to a conference title and NCAA Tournament. I wish I had another four years of eligibility to play for him as I am sure that Stony Brook men’s soccer is headed towards great success with him as the head coach.”
- Rob Fucci ’06, former captain of Stony Brook men’s soccer and current member of the New York Fire Department
Albany rallies for 65-55 victory over women's hoops
Albany, N.Y. - Stony Brook University's women's basketball team led by as many as eight in the second half but the Albany Great Danes used a late 13-1 run to defeat the Seawolves, 65-55, on Thursday at SEFCU Arena. Senior Kirsten Jeter (Elmont, N.Y.) led Stony Brook with 10 points and nine rebounds.
Sophomore Juanita Cochran (Saginaw, Mich.) added eight points and nine rebounds while junior Destiny Jacobs (Glen Burnie, Md.) had nine points and seven rebounds. Ebone Henry led Albany (15-11, 8-5 AE) with 19 points and 12 rebounds.
Stony Brook (5-20, 2-11 AE) led 47-41 with nine minutes left but Albany scored 13 of the next 14 points to take a 54-48 lead with 4:25 to go. Cochran hit one of two free throws to end the run but Albany grabbed three offensive rebounds on their next possession before scoring on a Keyana Williams tip-in with the shot clock expiring to make it 56-49.
Junior Tamiel Murray (Teaneck, N.J.) hit a jumper to bring SBU within five but Henry drilled a three on the other end to put the game away. Albany shot 46.2 percent from the field in the second half while holding the Seawolves to 30 percent shooting.
Murray hit a long jumper for the first hoop of the game but Albany scored the next seven points to take an early five-point lead. The Great Danes built their lead to 13-6 before Stony Brook answered with a 12-4 run to tie the game at 18 with 7:36 left. Jeter had six points in the run.
Albany held the Seawolves scoreless over the next five minutes, but could manage only four points of their own over that stretch. Sophomore Sam Landers (Springfield, Va.) ended the drought with a three from the right wing before Jacobs hit two free throws with two minutes left to give Stony Brook its first lead since the early going.
Jeter followed with a short jumper and Jacobs then hit two more free throws to put Stony Brook in front, 27-22. SBU then forced an Albany miss on the ensuing possession and Murray leaked out for an easy lay-up to send the Seawolves into the break with a 29-22 lead. Stony Brook held Albany scoreless for the final 5:26 of the half.
The Great Danes quickly erased the Stony Brook lead though, scoring seven points over the first 1:20 of the second half to tie the game at 29. But SBU responded with an 8-0 run capped by three from junior Dani Klupenger (Aurora, Ore.).
Stony Brook still lead by eight with 14 minutes left following a three-point play from Murray but Albany scored seven straight points over the next three minutes to get within one. Cochran answered with a put-back hoop but Jeter fouled out on the ensuing possession and Julie Forester hit two free throws to make it 42-41.
The Seawolves once agains responded though as Klupenger knocked down a three and Cochran followed with another hoop to make it 47-41.
Stony Brook returns to action on Sunday, traveling to take on Boston University. Game time is set for 1 p.m.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Men's hoops misfires at Albany 58-43
The Stony Brook men's basketball team shot 31 percent from the field and made only 17 field goals as it fell to Albany 58-43 Monday night at SEFCU Arena in Albany, N.Y. Leonard Hayes (Voorhees, N.J.) led the Seawolves with 18 points.
The Seawolves' two-game winning streak is snapped, and they fall to 11-15 overall, 6-8 in America East. Albany leapfrogs Stony Brook in the standings at 6-7 and is now 13-15 overall. Stony Brook is tied with New Hampshire for fifth place with the tiebreaker in hand, half a game ahead of Hartford.
"This was our fifth game in 11 days and I thought it showed," head coach Steve Pikiell said. "We didn't play good defense, we didn't make shots and we were outrebounded. I thought we had some good looks at the basket early on, but nothing was going down. Give credit to Albany, they beat us."
Both teams struggled offensively early on, but the Seawolves took advantage of early UA turnovers to take an 8-4 lead after Hayes' three-pointer at 15:51.
Hayes had eight points in the first half, including a power layup off a pass from Dallis Joyner (Norfolk, Va.) that cut Stony Brook's halftime deficit to one, 23-22. Stony Brook was only 9-for-29 from the field in the first half, but was in the game thanks to turning nine Albany turnovers into 12 points.
The Great Danes opened the second half on an 11-2 run led by a pair of Luke Devlin buckets and capped by Tim Ambrose's three-pointer that made it 34-24 UA with 13:38 to play in the game.
Stony Brook cut the lead to seven on Bryan Dougher's (Scotch Plains, N.J.) three-pointer on a kick-out from Joyner, but Albany answered with another 11-2 run that was again punctuated by another Ambrose three-pointer to effectively put the game out of reach.
Stony Brook was 17-for-55 from the field and 4-for-18 from three-point range. The Seawolves were outrebounded 39-30 and got to the free throw line only eight times.
Ambrose led Albany with 22 points. The Great Danes finished 20-for-48 from the field, 7-for-21 from behind the arc and 11-for-13 from the free throw line.
Stony Brook will take a minor reprieve from conference play to host Manhattan Saturday as part of ESPN's BracketBusters event. The game emanates from Pritchard Gymnasium at 2 p.m.
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