Stony Brook Men's & Women's Cross Country

Stony Brook Men's & Women's Cross Country - On the women’s side, for the fourth consecutive year Stony Brook finds itself at the top of the America East preseason poll. The Seawolves collected six first-place votes and 62 total points as they begin their quest for a fifth straigt conference title.

Congrats Kym Hampton...honored tonight as NY Liberty's "Ring Of Honor"

Congrats to former Stony Brook Women's Basketball Color Analyst Kym Hampton, who will be inducted in the WNBA's NY Liberty "RING OF HONOR"...Kym broadcasted on WUSB for one-season before working full-time for the Liberty.

Football opens 2011 season at UTEP on Saturday

Kickoff
For a second straight season, the Stony Brook football team opens the season at an Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponent as the Seawolves travel to face UTEP on Saturday. Fans can hear the game live on WUSB 90.1 and GoSeawolves.org, with Mike Solano, Curt Hylton and Jeff Bernstein providing the action.The Series
UTEP (University of Texas at El Paso) competes as a member of Conference USA. The Miners were 6-7 last season, advancing to the New Mexico Bowl where they lost to BYU, 52-24. UTEP returns only two starters on offense - Joe Banyard and Donovan Kemp, but welcomes back nine on defense, including senior linebacker Royzell Smith. The Miners play their home games in the 51,500-seat Sun Bowl, which has hosted a bowl game each year since 1936.
The Series
Stony Brook and UTEP will meet for the first time in any sport. Coincidentally, this will be the third time in the last four years that the Miners have opened the season against a team from New York. UTEP faced Buffalo, Stony Brook's opponent on September 10, to start the season in 2008 and 2009.
Looking ahead
The Seawolves will travel upstate to face Buffalo, which opens its season against Pittsburgh.

Jim Nagle adds Gibson, Watkins to Stony Brook MLAX coaching staff

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Stony Brook head men's lacrosse coach Jim Nagle announced the hiring of Craig Gibson and Andrew Watkins as assistant coaches on Friday."I'm really happy that Craig and Andrew made the decision to follow me to Stony Brook," Nagle said. "I have a great relationship with these two guys. They are two of the best young coaches I've been around, which I think will create a smooth transition for the 2012 Seawolves."
Gibson, who served under Nagle for five seasons at Colgate, will work closely with the Seawolves offense. Under Gibson's watch, the Raiders scored upset wins against No. 9 Army and No. 5 Maryland in 2011. The South Salem, N.Y. native tutored Brandon Corp, one of the most prolific scorers in Colgate history.
Colgate won at least 11 games in three of Gibson's five seasons, finishing with a No. 12 ranking in 2009. Along the way, Corp earned Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year honors three times and was named a first-team All-American, Colgate's first in 79 years.
Gibson started his coaching career at Western New England College. He mentored Adam Cherry, the 2006 Pilgrim League Player of the Year who led the conference in goals (49) and points (69). He also worked in the Golden Bears' athletic office, working in the compliance department.
A four-year starter at Springfield College, Gibson led the Pride to three NCAA Tournaments. He graduated in 2004 as the school's all-time leader among midfielders in goals (122), assists (66) and points (188).

Watkins, a two-time team captain for Colgate under Nagle, broke into coaching in 2011, working with the defense. The Raiders allowed only 8.13 goals last year, which ranked 13th nationally.

Watkins, a Baltimore County native who started his final 31 games at close defense, was instrumental in leading Colgate to the Patriot League title and an NCAA Tournament berth. He led all defensemen with 33 ground balls and was the leader of a unit that allowed 8.74 goals and just eight man-up goals.

WUSB Sports staffer and Stony Brook women's basketball student-athlete Dani Klupenger works at KATU this summer.

Some of Dani's fine work:

First Warney, now Ryan Burnett commits to Stony Brook Men's Basketball

Sources confirm Ryan Burnett (G, 6’3″, 2012) has verbally committed to Stony Brook... Burnett is a player who has flown somewhat under the radar, garnered attention of several college programs. NC State, VCU, Richmond, George Mason, Western Carolina, Stanford, Missouri, St. Francis(NY), Yale, UVA, and UNC Charlotte also expressed interest.

Stony Brook primed for big year

After a successful 11-day European exhibition tour, in which Stony Brook finished with a 4-1 mark, what can Seawolves fans look forward to? And will the time spent together translate into a successful season? Getting a jump things certainly won't hurt the team, especially with junior college transfer Ron Bracey and redshirt junior Tommy Brenton in the fold.

Here’s what we know:
Bracey can play. The 6-5, 220-pound swingman led Stony Brook in scoring (11.6) during the trip. If he’s anything like former Seawolves standout wing Muhammad El-Amin, it could be another special season for Stony Brook. The Seawolves missed El-Amin’s do-it-all scoring touch last season. He had the ability to get the rim and had a solid mid-range game. Bracey appears to be in the same mold as El-Amin.

Brenton, who missed last season with a knee injury, has returned to being the rebounding freak he was two years ago when he led the America East. The redshirt junior averaged 7.6 rebounds per game. Dallis Joyner could be poised for a breakout season offensively. The 6-7, 270-pound senior averaged 10.6 points per game. Fellow senior Bryan Dougher averaged 10.2 points over the five games.
Stony Brook’s offense was as efficient as it ever has been as most of coach Steve Pikiell’s regulars all enjoyed double-digit scoring games.

"I don't think the trip could have gone any better," Pikiell said. "The guys played great out there, we saw some great historical sites in three of the world's greatest cities, we lucked out with the weather and nothing went wrong with our travel. I'm excited that we've started the year out with this special trip and now we will build on this once fall practice comes and start preparing for our regular season."
Stony Brook visited Dublin, London and Paris over the 11 days.

Stony Brook completes successful European tour

The Stony Brook men's basketball team completed its 11-day exhibition tour of Europe with a 4-1 record, hundreds of great photos and memories of a trip that has bonded the team together for its upcoming 2011-12 regular season.

"I don't think the trip could have gone any better," head coach Steve Pikiell said. "The guys played great out there, we saw some great historical sites in three of the world's greatest cities, we lucked out with the weather and nothing went wrong with our travel. I'm excited that we've started the year out with this special trip and now we will build on this once fall practice comes and start preparing for our regular season."

The Seawolves notched four wins, defeating Killester and UCD Marian while in Dublin, losing to Midnight Madness and beating Milton Keynes in London and topping Charenton in Paris. Pikiell regularly played nearly everyone on his roster, but many folks stood out with their numbers.

Junior college transfer Ron Bracey led the Seawolves in scoring on the trip averaging 11.6 points over the five games. He came off the bench in each contest and had team-high points against UCD Marian (19) and Milton Keynes (15). He scored seven consecutive points against Milton Keynes to begin the fourth quarter, effectively putting the game out of reach.

Senior Dallis Joyner was the second-leading Seawolves scorer at 10.6 points per game. He notched double figures twice on the trip, including a 16-point effort in the win over Charenton.

Senior Bryan Dougher was the third Stony Brook player to average over 10 points, coming in at 10.2 per game. He tied Bracey for the team-best 15 points against Milton Keynes. He also tied junior Tommy Brenton in assists per game with 4.8, including seven against UCD Marian.

In addition to his assist total, Brenton led the Seawolves in rebounding, posting 7.6 per game. He twice notched double figures in caroms, grabbing 10 against Killester and Charenton. He had an eight-assist performance against Milton Keynes, six coming in the first half alone.

Other Seawolves also had some strong performances. Junior Marcus Rouse dropped 21 points on Killester. Junior Leonard Hayes nailed four three-pointers as part of a 16-point game against UCD Marian. Senior Danny Carter had a 17-point, four-assist game against Killester. Sophomore Anthony Jackson put in 13 points and five assists against Charenton. Sophmore Dave Coley scored 10 points and grabbed four rebounds against Killester. Senior Al Rapier and sophomore Eric McAlister each grabbed eight rebounds in a game.

Among the sites in Dublin, the team visited the cliffs in Howth, Phoenix Park and the Great Famine Memorial. In London, the team visited the London Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace, the Churchill War Rooms and the London Eye. In Paris, the team saw the Eiffel Tower, Cathedral de Notre Dame and the Louvre.

Stony Brook will await the beginning of fall practice as it aims for the start of the 2011-12 regular season, which commences Nov. 11 at Indiana.

LONG ISLAND LONGSHOTS

STONY BROOK, N.Y. — It's another typical dog day of August football practice in the Big South.

The head football coach's distinct accent gets the attention of his players as they work through a series of drills in the stadium of their coastal campus. Between plays there's even the distant horn of a ferry as it prepares to cross Long Island Sound.

Wait .... Big South football on Long Island? As in New York?

Yes, one of the top football teams in the Division I-AA Big South Conference is Stony Brook University, a state school with an undergraduate enrollment of 16,000 located on northern Long Island. It may not make geographical sense for Stony Brook — which joined the Big South in 2008 and went 5-1 in conference games in each of the past two seasons — to align itself in a league whose six other institutions are based in Virginia and the Carolinas, but it's one of the steps the school is taking in its ambitious quest to build an elite college football program.

“I think they would agree it was a marriage of convenience,” said Stony Brook athletic director Jim Fiore, now in his ninth year on the job. “They needed a sixth member to get an automatic bid to the NCAA (FCS Championship) and we needed a home to give us a transition from zero to 63 scholarships in a conference that cared about football.”

In an economy that has forced many schools, including local rival Hofstra, to cut football entirely, Stony Brook, which competes in the America East Conference in all other sports, is moving in the opposite direction.

Recognizing the marketing value that football brings to a public university, the program has upped the ante by increasing its recruiting budget and emphasizing external fundraising. There are also plans to eventually expand the campus's 8,300-seat stadium.

Fiore sees the transition that the University of Connecticut made from I-AA to I-A in the past decade — and the ongoing transition by the University of Massachusetts — and views it as a model of where Stony Brook needs to be.

“UConn showed that you can take a nondescript football program and utilize those strengths to help the university in terms of marketing and branding,” Fiore said. “My job is to set us up for the next 40 years, not the next four years.

“Football is an important piece of that. Look at all the large states in the country. New York doesn’t have that flagship. We are an academically superior institution. Our job is to get us to a level that is commensurate with the academic side of the house.”

One of the ways to do that is to schedule matchups against schools at the highest level of competition. Stony Brook played the first I-A team in school history last year, a 59-14 loss to South Florida, and it kicks off the 2011 season on Sept. 3 with a 2,200-mile trip to El Paso to take on UTEP.

They already have games lined up through the next four years against Cincinnati, Marshall, Army, Buffalo and Boston College. In addition to giving the team visibility in football rich Texas, the UTEP game will also put $250,000 into the athletic department's budget before travel expenses.

The team, which finished 6-5 in each of the past two seasons, is certainly going to have to take some lumps from the big boys if they want to get to a level where they can consider joining them.

While sixth-year head coach Chuck Priore is excited about the future of the program, his main priority is improving on a season-by-season basis. The roster still has a mix of transfers — seven current players previously played on I-A rosters — but the staff has been focused on selling talented high school recruits on the value of Stony Brook.

“We’ve been able to gradually get our name out there to say ‘Hey, we’re a program that you want to be playing for,’” Priore said. “I think our players in the program now are better football players.

“We need to all be realists and understand where we are today. We’re still a program that’s growing, trying to get recognition and trying to get our alumni support financially. We’re really taking it a season at a time."

His boss agrees, although that doesn't stop him from imagining a day when the Seawolves are big enough to host games in venues like Citi Field or Yankee Stadium.

“We need to one day align ourselves [athletically] with the large research universities on the East Coast,” Fiore said. “I’m not saying we’re going to do that in 2014 or 2015 but if we’re not working towards being the best and setting high goals then we’re going backward.”

Stony Brook completes trip with 74-61 win over Charenton

Seawolves go 4-1 on exhibition tour of Europe
Dallis Joyner scored 16 points, and Anthony Jackson chipped in 13 to lead the Stony Brook men's basketball team to a 74-61 win over Charenton to end its European exhibition tour with a 4-1 record.

"We started out very slow tonight, but we found our rhythm in the second half, and I'm happy with the way we executed on both sides of the ball," head coach Steve Pikiell said. "Overall, this has been a great trip. A lot of our guys did some good things, and our two newcomers got a chance to fit in with what we do here. The regular season can't come soon enough."

Stony Brook led 17-13 after one quarter and went up 29-26 on a Jackson layup, but Charenton hit a couple of three-pointers late in the half to go into the locker room with a 32-31 lead.

The Seawolves quickly bounced back with an 11-0 run early in the third quarter to take the lead for good. Leonard Hayes broke the stalemate with a three-pointer, and then Bryan Dougher knocked down a pair of threes before Al Rapier ended the run with a fastbreak layup.

Joyner had a big second half that included a three-point play in the fourth quarter that put SBU up 18, 63-45.

In addition to his 13 points, Jackson added five assists and four rebounds. Ron Bracey contributed eight points and six boards. Dougher finished with nine points and three assists. Hayes had nine points, four rebounds and two assists. Tommy Brenton had five points, 10 rebounds and two assists. Marcus Rouse contributed five assists.

The Seawolves will head home, get ready for fall classes and then commence practice for the 2011-12 regular season on Oct. 15. The team returns 12 lettermen, including four starters, and will open the season Nov. 11 at Indiana. The non-conference schedule is available online, and season tickets for 13 home games at Pritchard Gymnasium plus the Dec. 17 Holiday Festival game at Madison Square Garden will go on sale Sept. 1.

WUSB SPORTS PICS IN ENGLAND:

WUSB's Jeff Bernstein and Dan Rickard at halftime of game against Milton Keynes in England on Thursday night.

WUSB's Jeff Bernstein and senior Danny Carter (Windsor, England) at postgame win against Milton Keynes in England on Thursday night.

Danny Carter's homecoming

By Danny Carter

Photo credit: Stony Brook

ENGLAND -- We are sitting on the train headed to Paris to start the third and final chapter of this tour. So far it has been an awesome and unforgettable experience. For me, personally, it has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience having all my teammates come to my homeland and experience the English culture.
We had the guys come over to my house in Windsor for a feast when we arrived in England, and we saw some amazing sites around London. The guys have loved London, and a number of them have said they already want to go back! I played the role of tour guide and answered numerous questions about the culture and how things worked in England.
We played two games and split them, losing the first to a strong Midnight Madness All-Star team, but we bounced back with our best performance yet against the Milton Keynes Lions. This was the first time I had played a game on my home soil in four years, and I received an amazing reception from fans, family and friends. It was a real meaningful experience for me, as my dad hasn’t been able to see me play basketball since my freshman year, so having this trip organized has been amazing, and I’m so grateful for the people who have made it happen.
This trip has been incredible for me, as I had never been to Ireland and hadn’t done any sightseeing since I was about 8 or 9 years old. Paris will be awesome and thoroughly enjoyable, and the competition will get tougher as we continue to build on what we have already achieved.
When leaving for this trip, I wanted to head into it with a mentality of “Just grabbing the bull by the horns

Seawolves rebound, streak past Milton Keynes 84-60

Ron Bracey and Bryan Dougher each scored 15 points, and the Stony Brook men's basketball played excellent defense as the Seawolves defeated the Milton Keynes Lions 84-60 Thursday night in Milton Keynes, England. The team improved to 3-1 on its five-game European exhibition tour.

"I'm proud of the team's effort tonight," head coach Steve Pikiell said. "We're a good defensive team, and tonight we forced turnovers and converted them into points. We executed well and made good shots. Now we'll turn our attention to going to Paris and playing our final game on Saturday."

Stony Brook took the lead for good early on with a 12-0 run that included a three-point play from Dougher. The Seawolves led 19-12 after one quarter.

Tommy Brenton also completed a three-point play in the first half as he made a reverse layup underneath the basket, drew the foul and hit the free throw.But he was mainly a facilitator in the first half as he dished out six assists before halftime and finished the game with eight to go with his five rebounds.

Stony Brook led 38-29 at halftime and then used defense to force turnovers in the third quarter. Dougher stole the ball from a Lions player and had a fastbreak layup early to make it 55-41. The Seawolves then expanded that lead to 18, leading 65-47 after three quarters.

Bracey took over in the first 1:52 of the fourth quarter, dropping seven points on Milton Keynes to make it 72-47. The Seawolves cruised to the victory from there.

Dougher finished with six assists in addition to his 15 points. Playing again in his native country, Danny Carter had 11 points and four rebounds. Dallis Joyner provided eight points and six rebounds. Anthony Mayo poured in eight points off the bench. Eric McAllister led all Seawolves with eight rebounds.

Stony Brook is back in action Saturday as the team makes its way to Paris, France to play Charenton.

London and Leonard Hayes

By Leonard Hayes

Photo credit: Stony Brook

LONDON -- This is my first time outside the country, so I want to thank Stony Brook for the opportunity. I have been having much more fun than imagined and have been amazed by the things we have seen.
In my eyes, London by far is the greatest city in the world. Sorry, New York.
From Buckingham palace to Big Ben, the sites are extraordinary and I’ve taken way more pictures than anticipated. Every time we turn a corner I feel like I’m always asking my teammates to take a picture or get in a picture with me. Also, Coach Pikiell has helped capture “some perfect” photos that he says you can’t get anywhere else. All of these sights are once in a lifetime and I’ve enjoyed every second.
I am kind of disappointed that London teenagers don’t use the phrase “what’s the craic?” like the Irish do. “What’s the craic” means “what’s up?” or “what’s happening?”
The team took its first train ride to Oxford Square, home to numerous shops. The way back was interesting because we broke into smaller groups to walk around and explore. AJay (Anthony Jackson) and I got a little lost but eventually found our way through the train station thanks to the kind London people.
Walking around the city of London is very fun and there are many clubs and cool shops to walk in. Many people stare at us and say, “Wow they are so tall” -- as if we can’t hear them. A few people have asked to take pictures with us. As we were walking to the London Eye, we got to see the Changing of the Queen’s Life Guard at the Household Cavalry Museum, which was cool because it’s only done at 11 a.m. each day, so we had perfect timing.
So far, this trip has been an amazing bonding experience for the team and has brought us much closer as a part of the Stony Brook family. I have one funny story for you.
So while shopping around Oxford Square, Dallis, Ron, AJay, Dave and I thought it would be funny if Al (Rapier) tried on this jumpsuit that they were selling in H&M. So as Al steps out of the dressing room in this navy blue jumpsuit with white graffiti and the legs only going down to his shins, we decide to take pictures. Next thing we know, there are 20 British shoppers behind us laughing and taking videos and pictures of Al dancing and posing in his blue jumpsuit. Unfortunately, he didn’t buy it. I thought it was a good look for him.
Lastly, when walking around Europe, especially London, watch out for the pigeons. They are ruthless and stubborn ,and if you don’t move, they will fly inches from your head and have you running for cover like they did to Eric in the park.
Overall this trip so far has been a dream come true. And I appreciate all the support Stony Brook University has provided for the program. It’s truly amazing and I will never forget it. God Bless You.

Stony Brook runs into Midnight Madness

LONDON - After winning its first two games in Ireland, the Stony Brook men’s basketball team had hoped to continue its success in England. Matched up against the Midnight Madness All-Stars, the Seawolves were taking on some of the United Kingdom’s best basketball players in a game that was dubbed “The Battle of the Atlantic.” Unfortunately, the result was a 79-75 Stony Brook defeat in a game that was played at Kingston College Arena.Senior Dallis Joyner led the Seawolves with 14 points, most coming in the second half. In his return to his native country, Danny Carter added 11 points and six rebounds. He connected on a set of three-pointers in front of family and friends and had received a warm welcome from the crowd prior to the game.
Bryan Dougher had 11 points and five assists, and Tommy Brenton grabbed seven rebounds and dished out six assists.
In a manner that was unaccustomed to Stony Brook, the entire game was played with the public address announcer calling the action to the audience, and music was played. And there was a funny moment at halftime when the Midnight Madness group was raffling off prizes. The top prize was a signed Luol Deng pair of shoes, and the winner was Coach Pikiell’s wife, Kate. However, she graciously gave the prize to an excited child that had been sitting near her during the game.
After the contest, the two teams shared in a group photo (as is becoming the custom for Stony Brook games in Europe), and then the two teams shared pizza for dinner.
The team will hope to rebound Thursday night against the Milton Keynes Lions. The game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., local, 2:30 p.m., Eastern.

Midnight Madness 79, Stony Brook 75 F

details soon...

Roselle Catholic’s Warney Picks Stony Brook For His D-1 Hoops

Roselle Catholic's Jameel Warney (left), seen here during 2010-2011 school year awards presentation with RC girls hoops star Melissa Tobie, recently committed to Stony Brook for his Division I college basketball in the 2012-2013 season. (Photo courtesy of Roselle Catholic High School)

 By JR Parachini For sidelinechatter.com

Jameel Warney could have taken his basketball skills to a much bigger school, much farther away.
Instead, the Roselle Catholic senior decided on a campus more to his liking and closer to home.
On Friday one of New Jersey's top big men gave a verbal commitment to continue playing at Division 1 Stony Brook. He will sign his scholarship letter-of-intent in November.
"All things considered it just seemed like a perfect fit for me," said the 6-7, 215 pound Warney, who is 51 points away from becoming Roselle Catholic's all-time leading scorer, boys' and girls' included.
Warney, a Plainfield resident, narrowed his decision to Stony Brook and Rider.
"At Stony Brook I felt the most comfortable, I was drawn to the coaches and I feel that I can make a big impact there right away," said Warney, who first visited the Long Island school in May and then again in late June and early August when he came back from playing in the Nationals in Florida. "The coaches love their jobs, I like the skill level and the students graduate. I'll play any position they want me to play."
Warney, who will turn 18 in the middle of basketball season on Jan. 31, originally set a timetable of Sept. 1 to make his verbal commitment by.
"I just couldn't wait anymore," said Warney, who plans to study sports management at Stony Brook. "Now I can just focus on education and basketball."
Stony Brook head coach Steve Pikiell, a former UConn standout player for Jim Calhoun, has already benefitted greatly from a star player from Union County. The Seawolves are guided by senior guard Bryan Dougher, who paced the team in scoring last year, earning America East Conference honors.
Another Scotch Plains standout, Charles Oliver, just graduated from Scotch Plains and will be playing at Rider.
"Rider was the first school to offer me a scholarship, but I waited it out before I gave them a commitment," Warney said. "I waited to see if another school caught my eye and that school was Stony Brook."
Warney said that other schools to offer scholarships included Drexel, Iowa, UNC-Charlotte, St. Bonaventure and Manhattan.
"In July a lot of schools came in, Iowa, places like that," Roselle Catholic head coach Dave Boff said. "Jameel thought about them, but decided to got to a school that he felt comfortable at and could be happy there for four years. He didn't get swayed by the big schools that came in late."
Warney emerged as one of the top juniors in the state this past season and finished the year with 1,288 career points. The school record is 1,338, which was set by 2010 graduate Allison Skrec, who helped lead the Lions to consecutive Union County Tournament championships in 2009 and 2010.
Roselle Catholic's boys' squad made the UCT semifinals this past season for the first time since the 1990s.
"We think we have a good chance of winning it this year," Warney said. "We're looking to do something special."
Last season, Warney averaged 21 points, 16.5 rebounds and three blocks and produced two triple-doubles. He was also second on the team in assists.
“That’s amazing for a center to be second in assists,” said Boff, who will be entering his fifth season at the helm of the Lions.
Warney scored a game-high 18 points in leading Roselle Catholic past visiting Governor Livingston 42-34 in the game that decided the Union County Conference’s Mountain Division championship. He also produced 20 points and 16 rebounds in RC’s 63-50 setback to eventual four-peat champion St. Patrick in the UCT semifinals at Rahway.
“I think he was the most dominant defensive player in the county,” Boff said. “Against St. Patrick he was our anchor on offense and defense. He was big in all of our UCT games and had over 20 points and 15 rebounds in our last three UCT games.”
Roselle Catholic went 22-8 and won a division title for the second straight season.
When Warney first stepped through the doors at Roselle Catholic three years ago he set goals that he was able to achieve.
"It took a lot of hard work," Warney said. "My coaches helped me a lot."
"He put a lot of stock in relationship with coaches and that's why he chose Stony Brook," Boff said. "He went with what he thought was his best choice.
"I am very proud of him and all of his hard work paid off. I told him that he would graduate as a scholarship player. We're all really, really proud of him."

STONY BROOK EUROPE WUSB BLOG - VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS - IRELAND GAMES

Life In London....Visited the Chrurchill War Room this morning.

A 8 a.m. wakeup this morning....lite breakfast, then visited the Churchill War Room this morning...These basement rooms where the London Army planned their strategy in WWII against Adolph Hitler and the Nazi party...Assoaciate Head Coach Jay Young, Director of Academic Support, Courtney Rickard ad Assistant Basketball Caoch Dan Rickard enjoy the tour.

The Seawolves have landed in London...

STONY BROOK EUROPE - LONDON BLOG - 8/15/11 - The Stony Brook Men's Basketball team landed in London early this morning safely...The team couldn't check-in to the Cavendish Hotel till the afternoon, so the team went on a tour of the city, which was awesome...then it was on to Windsor, England to visit the home of senior Danny Carter...we also stopped at the world-famous Windsor Castle, the Carter family cooked a spectacular meal for the team...plenty of food and good times...Kudos to the Carter family, which will be at the next two games, and already has planned to be in Madison Square Garden for the Stony Brook vs. Rutgers game in the 2011 Holiday Festival..To top things off, after settling-in at the hotel, I bumped into Hall of Fame singer Glen Campbell...what a day...time to get some much-needed sleep, since I am still winded from the "long meeting" at the Temple Bar in Dublin on Sunday nightl.

Petersen Among Seven Adelphi-to-Stony Brook Transfers

They once loved Joe Spallina at Adelphi. Perhaps not anymore.
The new Stony Brook women's head coach confirmed Monday a haul of seven transfers set to follow the move that he made in June, going from Adelphi, the NCAA Division II program he led to the last three national championships, to Stony Brook, the Division I program a little farther east on Long Island he hopes to build into a likewise D-I power.
Among the transfers are key players from Adelphi's latest title team, notables from the Division II national landscape: 2011 IWLCA Attacker of the Year Claire Petersen (182 points last season), Midfielder of the Year Demmianne Cook, Goalie of the Year Frankie Caridi, and rising junior midfielder Emily Mercier, who played in 14 games for the Panthers last season.
Add in three transfer freshman to Stony Brook originally recruited to Adelphi by Spallina — three-sport Comsewogue (N.Y.) High star Michelle Rubino, Ava Fitzgerald (Calhoun (N.Y.)) and Julie Nolan (Rocky Point (N.Y.)) — and it's a sign of a jailbreak to what now could be called Adelphi East in women's lacrosse circles. Petersen will be a senior, Cook a junior and Caridi a sophomore.
"I went from them really loving me over there to not so much," Spallina said of Adelphi, his alma mater. "But we're excited. We have 15 new bodies coming in with our other incoming freshmen. Ten of the 15 kids are midfielders, which we're happy about, plus Claire Petersen, who knows what she's doing."
The excitement doesn't stop with player personnel moves. Stony Brook's schedule has taken on even more of an elite, national scope. Spallina has added Duke to the schedule, and has kept Johns Hopkins and Maryland on it.
Outside of the America East schedule, the Seawolves this spring will play Hopkins on March 3, Duke on March 6, Maryland on March 20 and Spallina said he anticipates booking reigning champion Northwestern soon, a matchup he has said in the past he attempted to set while at Adelphi. "We're holding a date for each other," Spallina said of he and Wildcats coach Kelly Amonte Hiller.
It's all part of Spallina's plan to bring Stony Brook among the nation's elite — quickly.
"I'm not going to concede anything," he said of the approach in his first season at his new job. "We're going to try to put as competitive of a team out there as we can. We're going to change the culture immediately. That will start on Aug. 29. We're going to try to maintain the same style of play I had over at Adelphi. Try to bring as many great athletes in as we can and mold them into playing our system. We think we're going to have the pieces to put a competitive team on the field immediately."
Under Spallina, Adelphi was known for its run-and-gun style, which last year outscored opponents by an average margin of 15 goals per game, and a strong backer zone defense that neutralized other team's top scorers and led to fast breaks. The Panthers went 73-2 in his four years there. They finished a perfect 20-0 in 2011.
Of the Seawolves' 4-11 record last season, Spallina said Monday "that's not going to cut it. We don't do that."
In the fall, Stony Brook will play UMass and tournaments at Iona, Navy and George Mason. A date is also set to play Syracuse in a charity event at Manhasset on Long Island the day following the George Mason tournament.
"This fall is huge," Spallina said. "I know a lot of teams use fall as just to get the kids out there and roll them around. For us, we're going to implement our system. We're going to have to mesh our returning players and newcomers. Chemistry is going to be an important thing, but in speaking to a lot of the returning girls, they're ready for change. They're excited about the system we're bringing in and the types of players we're bringing in."
Stony Brook recently announced Spallina's assistant coaches: Caitlin Defliese, a four-year player at Boston University who was his top assistant at Adelphi and coached the defense and draw controls there. Kim Hillier, previously an assistant at LIU and an All-American midfielder at Hofstra, was also named an assistant. Hillier was a former coach of the Long Island Yellow Jackets.
On a personal level, Spallina said he is enjoying his new surroundings on his native Long Island.
"This is huge for me. It's huge for my family. I'm 15 minutes from work," he said of the commute from Rocky Point, where he lives with his wife and four children. "I don't have to wear multiple hats other than Major League Lacrosse [where he's an assistant]."
"Our recruiting angle doesn't really change much," he said. "We're going to be a team that's based out of Long Island just like the teams down in the Maryland area have strong Maryland contingents on their roster. We're going to try to keep with that mantra and try to compile as many of the great athletes as we can. Just keep chopping wood until we think we're where we need to be, which is competing at a high level."

Men's hoops shoots past UCD Marian 76-65

Junior transfer Ron Bracey scored a team-high 19 points and had a big three-pointer late in the game to stop an opponent rally as the Stony Brook men's basketball team defeated UCD Marian 76-65 at the UCD Sports Complex just outside the city centre of Dublin.

 

"We had another good effort against a well-coached team today. I was impressed with Marian's effort, and they had great fan support. But our guys stepped up and hit their shots, especially Ron who I think is showing what he's capable of. I'm also excited about the depth we have. Everyone's contributing, and when one guy is off, another guy is stepping up. That's going to be big for us come regular season."
The game was back-and-forth early on, and UCD quickly showed a penchant for knocking down three-pointers. But it was Marcus Rouse's three with five seconds left in the first quarter that put the Seawolves on top 22-20.
The second quarter was much of the same back-and-forth action, and again Stony Brook stepped up at the end. Trailing 36-34, Bryan Dougher knocked down a three-pointer to put the Seawolves up, and then Tommy Brenton made a big block on a Marian shot, pushing possession back to SBU. Dave Coley crashed to the rim and drew a foul and made both free throws to put the Seawolves up 39-36 at halftime.
In the second half, Stony Brook started to pull away with a 9-2 run that included triples from Dougher and Leonard Hayes. The Seawolves opened up their largest lead of the game, 15 points, with 5:25 left in the game at 70-55.

UCD Marian made a bit of a run late to close within 11, 73-62, with a minute remaining, but that's when Bracey took a pass from Anthony Jackson and drained a three from the near sideline in front of UCD Marian's bench, icing the victory for the Seawolves.

In addition to Bracey's 19, Hayes finished with 16 points. Dougher and Dallis Joyner each had eight points. Joyner also had a team-high eight rebounds. Bracey, Brenton and Anthony Mayo each had six boards. Dougher led the team with seven assists, and Jackson and Brenton both tallied four.
The Seawolves will head to London and will play Midnight Madness on Wednesday at 6 p.m., local, 1 p.m., Eastern.

WUSB Sports broadcasts first-ever Stony Brook athletic event from Ireland

A first-ever Euuropean broadcast for WUSB 90.1 FM, the home of Stony Brook University...WUSB has already broadcasted two games back to the United States from Dublin, Ireland...SBU won both games, beating UCD Marian today 76-65...The Seawolves head to London on Monday and will play Midnight Madness on Wednesday at Kingston College...WUSB will hopefully provide live action of that contest...

Co-Sports Director Jeff Bernstein broadcasting SBU-Killester in the picture.

Men's hoops scores win over Killester in Dublin

Marcus Rouse leads the Seawolves with 21 points.

Junior Marcus Rouse scored 21 points, and senior Danny Carter added 17 points and three assists as the Stony Brook men's basketball team had a successful overseas debut with a 100-75 win over Killester at the Irish Wheelchair Association.
"I thought it was a good first game for us," head coach Steve Pikiell said. "It was good for all our guys to get out there and play again, and they all made contributions. I think this bodes well for us, and now we'll have to come back tomorrow and play even better."
Early on, the Seawolves had to adjust to a different kind of basketball, a 24-second shot clock and a very physical Killester team. Stony Brook fell behind 11-2 before storming back to take a 14-12 lead with 2:15 remaining in the first quarter. The momentum-shifting basket came on a three-pointer from Rouse. The Seawolves did not trail the rest of the game.
It was 21-14 Stony Brook after one quarter and then 46-35 at halftime. The team started to pull away in the third quarter, going up 70-47 after senior Al Rapier stole the ball at midcourt and had an easy dunk.
In addition to Rouse and Carter's scoring outputs, sophomore Dave Coley chipped in 10 points, junior Leonard Hayes dropped in nine points and senior Bryan Dougher added eight points.
In his return to the court after missing last season due to injury, junior Tommy Brenton pulled down 10 rebounds to go with four points and three assists.

Each of the newcomers also contributed, as junior college transfer Ron Bracey had nine points and eight rebounds, and freshman Scott King had three points and a block.

Stony Brook is back in action Sunday against UCD Marian at 3 p.m., local, 10 a.m., Eastern.

Stony Brook - Killester UPDATE

Half: Stony Brook 46, Killester 35

STONY BROOK EUROPE BLOG: GUINESS TOUR PICS:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2099589323933.113543.1071409319#!/media/set/?set=a.2099589323933.113543.1071409319

STONY BROOK EUROPE BLOG POST:

Hi, Stony Brook, I'm Stony Burke

 

What would you say were the odds that our bus driver in Ireland’s name would be Stony Burke? One in a million shot I think, but true story that was our bus driver’s name.
We got into Dublin safely early in the morning around 5 a.m., but to everyone, it was really midnight and fatigue was starting to set in. We got to Dublin too early to check into the hotel, so our bus driver and our tour guide took us around the coast of Dublin.
We were treated to a great view of the Irish Sea over in Howth, where we took a great team picture. Then we worked our way around the coast and into the city where we stopped to see the Great Famine Memorial. We then went out to Phoenix Park just outside the city center, and our tour guide showed us the Irish President’s house, which turns out was designed by the same man who designed the White House in Washington. And it looks exactly the same!
By the end of the bus ride, our guys were pretty wiped out from jet lag, so we let them grab some lunch and then finally made it to the hotel. I think I’d like to get some sleep tonight, but it’s almost 10 p.m. here, and it’s still light out!
Tomorrow, we’ll do some more sightseeing, and then in the evening we’ll have our first game against Killester. I’m looking forward to seeing our guys compete here, and I think they’re excited too.

STONY BROOK EUROPE BLOG POST: PICS FOR 8/12

http://www.facebook.com/#!/media/set/?set=a.2098147287883.113471.1071409319&type=1

The team checking-out some sites near the dublin river.

Sources say Jameel Warney has committed to Stony Brook.

Sources say Jameel Warney has committed to Stony Brook.

 

High School: Roselle Catholic

Hometown: Roselle, NJ

Strengths: Warney is a big man who wants to be a big man. He anchors his game in the paint, has no illusions of drifting to the perimeter, and so is very refreshing in today's day and age. Well schooled in the high-low game, he can seal his defender for easy scores as well as he can make the pass from the high post and also has a good pair of hands. A good physical prospect, Warney has a long and cut build with pretty quick bounce around the rim to finish with dunks. He plays straight up defensively inside the paint but can also get off his feet to block shots from the weak-side

STONY BROOK EUROPE BLOG POST:

THE STONY BROOK MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM LANDED SAFELY IN DUBLIN AIRPORT EARLY THIS MORNING...THE TEAM IS IN THE AIRPORT WAITING FOR THEIR TEAM BUS AND WILL CHECK IN THE HOTEL AT 2 P.M. DUBLIN TIME

Basketball ready to fly to Dublin.

Stony Brook men's basketball ready to board soon.

STONY BROOK EUROPE BLOG POST:

For SBU, not your typical road trip
By Tom Chen

This isn’t your usual overnight trip to Vermont or Binghamton for an America East game. This is an 11-day tour of three major European cities. Packing for a trip like this is completely different.
Although the trip begins Thursday, everything really began during the spring when the players had to secure their U.S. Passports. Some of the players have never been out of the country, so they had to go through the whole process, including filling out the paperwork and getting their photos taken.
The team is bringing a bunch of electrical adapters for their cell phones, laptops, hair dryers, electric razors and other items. Europe has a different wattage system, and to complicate things further, it’s different in Ireland and England than it is in France, so everyone needs two different kinds of converters.
Among the other things we’ve been encouraged to pack are: driver’s license, credit cards, maps, language phrase books (for those days in Paris), an umbrella (for those days in London), a camera, gifts for the teams we are playing (gift exchange is common in Europe), and money belts.
We’ve also been encouraged to pack light. We’re allowed one checked bag at 50 lbs plus one carry-on and one personal item. Each additional checked bag is $75 per flight. However, we’ve also been encouraged to pack enough clothes for the entire trip because laundromats are hard to find and hotel laundry is expensive. What a catch-22.
It’s going to be tricky to make sure we’ve got everything we need in as few bags as possible. But that’s what last-minute packing is all about. Less than 24 hours until the flight from JFK.

Newsday.com - Stony Brook goes to Europe: SBU hoops looking forward to European trip

Photo credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
The Stony Brook University men's basketball team begins its trip to Europe this week and they'll be blogging and shooting video for this blog on Newsday.com
But before they leave, we asked the team what they are most looking forward to on the trip. These are their responses.

Ron Bracey – Junior Forward
I am looking forward to building chemistry with my new teammates so when the season comes, we are ready to play together. I’m also excited to have fun and learn about the European lifestyle.

Tommy Brenton – Junior Forward
I am looking forward to interacting with other cultures and learning European traditions and customs. This will be a great opportunity to test our team against professional club teams.

Danny Carter – Senior Forward
I am really excited about this trip because I get to go home and play for my school in front of the people who helped me get to Stony Brook. This is a great opportunity for our team to see new parts of the world, which can give us a great start to our season.

Dave Coley – Sophomore Guard
I look forward to learning a culture that is a lot different than mine and get to experience how Europeans interact with one another. I hope this trip becomes the greatest experience of my life.

Bryan Dougher – Senior Guard (pictured above)
I am most looking forward to playing against professional club teams from other countries and seeing how our team stacks up, especially since the styles of play are different than what we are used to.

Leonard Hayes – Junior Guard
I am excited to travel outside the U.S. for the first time and learn about the historic cultures and customs of Dublin, London and Paris. I can’t wait to visit historic landmarks and play against five professional club teams.

Anthony Jackson – Sophomore Guard
I look forward to exploring the world overseas. I have set a goal to play basketball overseas, and this trip will allow me to gain exposure to basketball clubs there.

Dallis Joyner – Senior Forward
I am looking forward to our team building chemistry outside of campus life. We will be together for 10 days, and this should help build a bond that we will remember forever. I have never left the country, so I will be taking this opportunity to see new and different things outside of America.

Scott King – Freshman Forward
Going on this trip as a freshman, I look forward to getting a head start on playing collegiate basketball. I also look forward to matching up with professional club teams, trying to win them and seeing historical sites along the way.

Anthony Mayo – Sophomore Forward
I am looking forward to playing some good competition, which will help us prepare for our upcoming season. I’m also looking forward to seeing places I’ve never seen before.

Eric McAlister – Sophomore Forward
I am excited to experience different cultures and different styles of basketball. I look forward to playing new and strong competition, which is going to help us prepare for our upcoming season.

Al Rapier – Senior Forward
I look forward to being able to build team chemistry and competing against professional players because I get to test my skills and see what strengths and weaknesses I have to improve on to play at the next level.

Marcus Rouse – Junior Guard
I hope to have an unforgettable experience in Europe. I hope we grow as a team and I look forward to taking full advantage of being able to leave the U.S. and visit Europe. I know a lot of people do not get this opportunity that my teammates and me are receiving.

Stony Brook on the Rise

By Jon Rothstein
MSG.com
The New York metropolitan area has another college basketball team to keep an eye on.

In a year where teams like Iona and LIU are expected to win their respective leagues, Stony Brook coach Steve Pikiell has put the Seawolves in position to win the America East Conference for the first time in his tenure on Long Island.

THE COACH: Check out below for what to know about Pikiell's group including a non-conference schedule with ample opportunities to make a national statement.
Steve Pikiell

A disciple of UConn coach Jim Calhoun, Pikiell has the Seawolves ready to peak in his seventh season on Long Island. Look for a balanced attack and a relentless commitment to rebounding to ultimately be the key for Stony Brook to reach their goal of advancing to the NCAA Tournament.

THE STAR: Bryan Dougher

The leading three-point shooter in America East Conference History, Dougher is a mid-major version of former Syracuse star Gerry McNamara. Lethal from deep and improved coming off screens, look for the Scotch Plains, N.J. native to make his senior season his best one yet.

THE LEADER: Tommy Brenton

Ferocious would be the word that best describes Brenton's approach. A tenacious competitor on both sides of the floor, the Seawolves' undisputed leader missed last season with a knee injury, but looks ready to come back with a bang. On pace to be the all-time leading rebounder in the history of the AEC, Brenton is also Stony Brook's best passer according to Pikiell.

THE NEWCOMER: Ron Bracey

Built more like a linebacker than a small forward, the burly Bracey will add instant toughness. At 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, Bracey figures to be a major asset both on the backboards and in defensive situations.

THE NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE:

11/11 @INDIANA

11/25 @NORTHWESTERN

12/11 @BOSTON COLLEGE

12/17 RUTGERS AT MSG

Congrats to Travis Jankowski '13 and Pat Cantwell '12

Congratulations to Travis Jankowski '13, who was voted MVP of the Cape League and Pat Cantwell '12 who won the leagues sportsmanship award. Stony Brook had six Seawolves baseball student-athletes play in the famed Cape Cod League this summer....arguably the best summer college league in the country. Certainly the league with the most tradition.

New WUSB Women's Basketball Color Analyst Nicole Kaczmarski on MSG Varsity Sunday at 7:30 p.m.

"Running Down a Dream," a film chronicling the recruitment of former Sachem High School basketball star Nicole Kaczmarski, will air at 7:30 p.m. Sunday night on MSG Varsity, iO TV (Channel 14). Kaczmarski will comment on the film, which first aired 10 years ago and takes a behind-the-scenes look at the recruiting strategies of some of the country's top coaches, including Pat Summitt of Tennessee and Geno Auriemma of Connecticut.

Politekhnika-Halychyna add Muhammad El-Amin

Politekhnika-Halychyna agreed on terms of contract with Muhammad El-Amin (196-G/F-87, college: Stony Brook). The 24-year-old guard started his pro career last season. He played for PVSK Pecs in Hungary. Muhammad El-Amin posted 22.0 points, 3.9 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game. He led the Hungarian League in scoring. Eurobasket.com named the guard into All-Hungarian League 2nd Team. Muhammad El-Amin graduated from Stony Brook back in 2010. He averaged 16.7 points, 3.4 boards, 1.9 assists and 1.1 steals per appearance in his senior season. The guard earned AP NCAA All-America Honourable Mention. He was also trumped All-AEC Player of the Year.

Cape League Notebook: Stony Brook Standouts Keep Rolling - Baseball America - Aaron Fitt

CHATHAM, Mass.—After taking in the Cape Cod League all-star game at Fenway Park on Friday, I stuck around to catch some more action around the Cape. Here are some observations from the final week of the league's regular season. • Stony Brook dominated the America East Conference this spring, going 22-2 to win the league by four games and finishing the regular season 41-10 overall. The Seawolves were upset in the AEC tournament, ending their season shy of regionals, but a number of Seawolves have made noise in the Cape League. Three Stony Brook players made the league's all-star game, including catcher Patrick Cantwell and center fielder Travis Jankowksi of Bourne, who started for the West team.
Two Seawolves led Orleans to the East Division title on Wednesday, the last day of the regular season. All-star righthander Tyler Johnson allowed just one hit over 6 2/3 scoreless innings to get the win in the first game of a doubleheader against Chatham, clinching the division. Johnson pitches primarily off a mid-80s sinker with serious life, and he effectively mixed in a slider and changeup.
"When I've got all three pitches working, especially with these kind of defensive guys behind me, it makes it real easy to pitch," Johnson said. "I just like to throw that (sinker), let it do its thing and get some ground balls."
Johnson's Stony Brook teammate, second baseman Maxx Tissenbaum, powered the Orleans offense, singling home a run in the fifth and driving a three-run homer to right field on a fastball from Trae Davis (Baylor) in the eighth, breaking the game open. Tissenbaum, who hit .344 as a freshman and .343 as a sophomore for the Seawolves, entered the day hitting just .216 with one homer, but his disciplined approach never wavered, as evidenced by his 14-9 walk-strikeout mark.
"I told him I was really proud of him for maintaining that good attitude and work ethic," Orleans head coach Kelly Nicholson said. "He played a lot for us last summer, and he was really good. He can hit. He's a good baseball player, and I think he's gotten a lot better defensively. He's going to walk more than he strikes out, he puts the ball in play—really a good contact guy."
Ace Nick Tropeano may be gone, but there is a lot of reason for Stony Brook to be excited heading into next season—as this summer illustrated.
"We had a real good year this year at school, and unfortunately we got left out of the regionals, but we've got a lot of good players up here," Johnson said. "Hopefully we're opening the world's eyes to our team and what we can do. It's been real fun, especially seeing my teammates do well up here too."

Stony Brook Globe Trotters Look to Europe for Advantage Next Season (Three-Village Patch)

European exhibition tour gives the men's basketball team more opportunities to prepare for the season and improve chemistry.

When Stony Brook’s men’s basketball team leaves for a three-country, five-game tour of Europe next week, both players and coach hope to come back with an advantage over their competition.

The journey for head coach Steve

Pikiell’s squad begins Aug. 11, with the team leaving the country for the first time in program history. They'll land in Dublin on Aug. 12 and play their first exhibition game on Aug. 13. After two games in Ireland, the team heads over to London for a pair of contests before finishing up in Paris.

Of particular interest for a Seawolves team that spent last season devastated by injury is the ten extra practices they will have before the tour. Once every four years, a standard collegiate career, the NCAA allows programs a globetrotting journey and grants them the additional practice sessions to prepare. Boston University took their trip last season and went on to beat SBU in the title game to win the conference for the first time in nine years.

“I’m looking to gain a lot from it. The ten practices are huge," Pikiell said. "...Especially with the newcomers because you have no idea what they’re all about yet in practice, so it gives you a little snapshot of what maybe they can do for you later on down the road.”

Another key advantage is getting Tommy Brenton, who missed all of last season with an injury, back into game-shape earlier. Brenton last played a game on March 17, 2010 and was the conference’s leading rebounder that season. Pikiell estimates that Brenton is currently at 80-90 percent of where he was and will benefit from the extra work.

This trip also gives the players a glimpse at their potential careers beyond Stony Brook. Pikiell said he believes that some of his roster could find themselves in the various European pro leagues.
Muhammad El-
Amin, the team's leading scorer during the 2009-2010 season, is one example. El-Amin spent last year in Hungary and has signed to play in the Ukraine for the upcoming season. He has been spending some time on campus recently with the Seawolves. Senior Danny Carter, who is from England, can also share some knowledge and has the added opportunity of playing in front of his family and friends for the first time in his college career.
"It gives them opportunity to get them some exposure in countries that I think they can keep playing in after they’re done with the Stony Brook experience," he said. "I truly think that they're good enough to play in some of those countries."

Vote Stony Brook for Best Collegiate Single-Sport Event!

VOTE

The athletics department is a nominee for "Best Collegiate Single-Sport Event" in the 2011 SportsTravel Awards.



Stony Brook Athletics has been nominated in the "Best Collegiate Single-Sport Event" category of the 2011 SportsTravel Awards, sponsored by SportsTravel Magazine. The department is nominated for hosting the 2011 NCAA Women's Lacrosse Championship final, which saw Northwestern defeat Maryland for the national championship in front of 8,011 fans.
The SportsTravel Awards are awarded based on criteria such as: 1) organization of and attendance at the event; 2) the event provided a superior experience for the competitors and spectators; 3) the site and/or venue of the event enhanced the event. The deadline for voting is Monday, Aug. 15, and the awards will be presented at the TEAMS '11 Conference & Expo, Oct. 3-6 in Las Vegas.
Stony Brook's fellow nominees in the category are the Big Chill at the Big House in Ann Arbor, Mich., the Notre Dame vs. Army football game at new Yankee Stadium in New York, the ACHA Div. I national championship game in Newark, Del., the BCS Championship game in Glendale, Ariz., and the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.
Stony Brook Athletics successfully hosted both the semifinals and title game of the 2011 NCAA Women's Lacrosse Championship, bringing over 20,000 supporters to the Three Village community. The department will now focus its efforts on hosting the 2012 NCAA Women's Lacrosse Championship, which is scheduled for May 25 & 27.

Big South media day dispatch: Stony Brook - Chris Lang, The News and Advance - Lynchburg, Va.

Chris Lang, The News and Advance - Lynynchburg, Virginia
One of the biggest questions for Stony Brook heading into the 2011 season was how Seawolves coach Chuck Priore would utilize the talented running-back trio of Edwin Gowins, Miguel Maysonet and Brock Jackolski.

Make that a tailback duo.

Gowins left school last week and will try to play at a Division III school, Priore said at the Big South media day in Charlotte. The oft-injured Gowins was considered the team’s top backfield option heading into the 2010 season, but he played in only two games and ran for 155 yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries before getting injured again.

Gowins was a potential 1,000-yard back, so the loss is significant, but that loss is dampened considerably by the returning production from Maysonet and Jackolski, who each hit the 1,000-yard mark last season. Gowins earned first-team All-Big South honors in each of his first two seasons, and he was named the College Sporting News’ national freshman of the year in 2008.

That made Priore’s decision to take on both Hofstra refugees—Jackolski and Maysonet—a curious one. It certainly paid off.

“I took a little bit of flack for taking two running backs with having that situation,” Priore said. “First of all, I took two great kids who were looking for an opportunity to stay home. And they’re two obviously good football players. In football, you know, things are always changing. You never know what’s going to happen. Stony Brook was fortunate enough to have Brock and Miguel, and Brock and Miguel were fortunate enough to have Stony Brook.”

Maysonet, who ran for 1,128 yards and 12 touchdowns last season, recounted the path he took from Hempstead on the western end of Long Island to Stony Brook on central Long Island after Hofstra disbanded its program following the 2009 season.

“When you first hear about the news, you’re like, nah, it’s not true,” Maysonet said. “Then I walked over to the stadium and I see all of the guys outside crying and I’m like, wow, it really is true. The first thing I did was call my head coach from high school to tell him about the news. Then right after that, I went home that weekend, and I’m driving home and Stony Brook calls and says, ‘You have a home here.’ So that was just a blessing. I didn’t even have to go through the whole recruiting thing. Stony Brook had a good thing going there.”

—Stony Brook was active again in the transfer market, and the Priore landed a few who have potential to be high-impact players right away.

* Masengo Kabongo, DL, Maryland. He was a four-star recruit in 2008 out of Stratford, Conn., who was rated the second-best high-school player in Connecticut. He didn’t play in 2010. He was originally born in the Congo and moved to the U.S. with his parents at age 12.

* Kevin Norrell, WR, Washington State. Norrell spent last season at El Camino Junior College in California after catching 11 passes for 124 yards as a freshman at Washington State.

* Fernando Diaz, OL, Pittsburgh. Diaz grew up in the Bronx and spent two years at Pitt, redshirting in 2009. He originally chose Pitt over UConn and Army. He’s a big body who can run block, a key in Stony Brook’s grinding offense.

* Dan Mulrooney, S, Boston College. He spent three years with the Eagles, redshirting one year. He only played in two games last season, but Priore said he’ll be key in replacing former SBU safety Arin West.

How is Priore consistently drawing such talent out to the middle of Long Island?

“I think they’ve jumped into the vision,” Priore said. “Any time you can sell the statement, ‘Look where we were four years ago, and look where we are today,’ people understand the investment of finances. We’ve got five away trips, and five charters. We’re doing things at the I-A level financially. I think kids are excited about joining that type of progress, because they see constant improvements. We’re building a $38 million rec center. We’ve got a brand new weight room being built for football right now as we speak. Plus, I think New York is exciting. We’ve got a great education opportunity for them, a place to socially have a good time as well as compete at a very high level.”

—With all of the talk of running backs at Stony Brook, quarterback Michael Coulter sometimes gets lost. He doesn’t put up flashy stats, but he was incredibly effective last season. He completed 133 of 210 passes for 1,811 yards and 17 touchdowns while throwing 10 interceptions. And with a speed complement to Matt Brevi and Jordan Gush in town in Norrell, he has a solid group of receivers to work with. Opponents should load up on the Seawolves’ running game at their own peril.

“He knows everything,” Maysonet said. “He can line up at receiver and know the routes. He could line up at running back and know everything there too. … He’s the general and he leads the troops.”

Said Priore: “He gets us into every run check and puts us in the right direction. A lot of their yards are a direct result of what Michael does from the shoulders up. He’s a 3.9 medical student, cerebral, and when you tell him once, he gets it. And he’s not a selfish person. And to run our offense, you can’t be a selfish person. There’s opportunities out there, but you can’t be selfish. He went six straight games without a turnover. And our running backs did not have a fumble at the line of scrimmage all year. Not one.”

—Stony Brook is playing two guarantee games this season, heading to UTEP and Buffalo in the season’s first two weeks. Priore said that trend will continue at least through 2014, and some of the FBS teams on the SBU future schedule include Boston College, Marshall, Cincinnati, Army and Buffalo.

—Stony Brook started 1-4 last season before winning five straight to get into position to claim the Big South’s automatic bid. The Seawolves lost at Liberty in the season finale and missed the postseason. Maysonet said there were lessons learned from the ugly start, one that culminated with an embarrassing performance in a loss at Lafayette.

“We woke up,” Maysonet said. “You could tell the games before that, we were there, we just couldn’t take that step. Once that happened, we just took off.”

Lax Duo From Comsewogue Ready to Take Next Step at Stony Brook - Three Village Patch

Connor Duddy and Matt Scalara jump from the undefeated regular season Warriors as seniors to the Stony Brook Seawolves with big plans.

 

 

Once and future teammates Connor Duddy and Matt Scalara still have unfinished business to attend to. Duddy and Scalara both graduated Comsewogue High School last June and both are headed down the road to Stony Brook University, where they are expected to make significant contributions to the Seawolves lacrosse scheme next spring

The one-time Warriors begin their collegiate careers unsatisfied with how their senior high school season ended – an upset loss to Huntington in the Suffolk County Class B semifinals after going undefeated through the regular season. Now to pursue their goal of winning a championship, Duddy and Scalara will have to do it on a national level at the NCAA title game.
Duddy, who scored 31 goals and notched another 40 assists for the Warriors last year as a midfielder, and Scalara, who added five goals and six assists as a long pole midfielder, start with a clean slate at Stony Brook. Both earned All-American status while at Comsewogue and both want to lay claim to a championship.
"It’s unfulfilling to go undefeated and not win," said Scalara. "I think that it makes you want it more."
"There is a sense of unfulfillment at Comsewogue," echoed Duddy. "I think it gives me more drive to move on and to get better at the next level."
Duddy was recruited by NTIT and the University of Jacksonville, while Scalara considered offers from Georgetown, Hofstra and the University of Massachusetts but both accepted offers from nearby Stony Brook.
"They have a good coach there and the whole program is going up," said Scalara. "I just thought it was the right place for me."
"I liked the field and the coaches," said Duddy, who decided to attend Stony Brook last summer. "Besides it’s close to home."
Also new to the Seawolves is former Ward Melville standout, head coach Jim Nagle, who previously coached at Colgate where he amassed an 86-64 record over 10 seasons.
Meanwhile, Duddy and Scalara each have their own high expectations for their collegiate career.
"I’d like to be an All-American at Stony Brook in one of my years there," said Duddy who plans to major in psychology. "I’m very excited to play at a whole new level. I’ve met the coach and he seems like he knows what he’s doing. I’ll just feel my way along into their system and see how it goes."
"I want to get better overall and hopefully get into a starting position," said Scalara. "I’m excited to play here. I used to go to their games when I was younger and I always wanted to do what they did. I’d also like to get better overall and maybe be an All-American."
Those wanting to catch the continuing story of how Matt Scalera and Connor Duddy perform at Stony Brook will have to wait until late next winter when the Seawolves begin their regular season campaign. Last year the Seawolves finished with an overall record of 10-4 and lost in the America East championship game to Hartford 11-10.