J.J Robbins: A chance at Coaching Greatness

[Jucyfruit123]

New Coach Hired At Albany U, Peculiar Coaching Background

Albany, NY(AP Local)--- The University of Albany has made a coaching change in its basketball department for the upcoming season. A relative unknown in the American coaching ranks, J.J Robbins, was hired to a 3 year/250,000 a year contract yesterday. Robbins's background is unclear but we do know that his last job was coaching at a Peruvian high school in the secluded mountain town of Ubuja-Pieta. We here at the local AP branch in Albany don't know how he was found or why he was selected as coach of the Great Danes.
We all wish Coach Robbins the best of luck in the season and we hopefully will be able to get an interview to let you into the history of Mr. Robbins.
--- Local AP Sports Writer Malcom Travies

[Jucyfruit123]

Rosters For 04-05 Great Dane Basketball

STARTERS
PG--#14--Bobby Tran--Soph--5'9"--152lbs--Ovr:62
SG--#31--Aras Mark--Soph--6'1"--170lbs--Ovr:69
SF--#44--Jamon Maxiell--SR--6'6"--196lbs--Ovr:69
PF--#11--Lamar Cobb--Junr--6'6"--225lbs--Ovr:66
C--#12--Al Willett--Junr--7'1"--270lbs--Ovr:62

Bench

PFs #21 Robby Tucker----#23 Dannorriss Salisbury
SGs #4 Marcellus Fernandez----#1 Laurence Grady
PGs #2 Kory Hale

[Jucyfruit123]

SCHEDUEL 04-05

11/01 @FAU W,57-53
11/05 @Jacksonville W,56-45
11/19 @Miami (FL) W, 55-36
11/22 Tropical Invitational (Texas) W, 79-71
11/23 Tropical Invitational (Stanford) W, 68-45
11/24 Tropical Invitational (N. Carolina) W, 75-69
11/28 Utah W, 81-39
11/29 E. Washington W, 66-40
11/30 UC-Santa Barbara W, 65-42
12/18 @Hartford W, 98-51
12/24 Great Northern Shootout (Minnesota) W, 65-57
12/25 Great Northern Shootout (Alabama) W, 107-103 (OT)
12/26 Great Northern Shootout (Utah) W, 74-73
01/02 Boston U. W, 93-39
01/06 @New Hampshire W, 85-61
01/08 Northeastern
01/11 Binghamton
01/16 @Maine
01/19 @UMBC
01/22 @Vermont
01/27 Hartford
01/28 @UT-Pan America
01/29 @Boston U.
01/31 Savannah St.
02/02 Stony Brook
02/05 New Hampshire
02/09 @Binghamton
02/12 Maine
02/16 Vermont
02/19 UMBC
02/24 @Stony Brook
02/27 @Northeastern
Bold=Conference
Green=To Be Played
Red=Loss
Blue=Win

[vandnbyriver5]

That pG of yours should be able to shoot, last year he was replicated onto my Riverside team as "Orien Cox" (See Malcolm Payton Legacy)

hes little

[Jucyfruit123]

Danes Come From Behind Win Over Owls
Albany,NY(AP Local)---In a game that went from blow out to close in a very short amount of time, the Albany Great Danes came from behind at just the right time to beat out the FAU Owls on their home court 57-53.
In a dismal first half the Owls had 3 big runs that developed most of their enormous halftime lead.(14-2,10-3,9-3). Led by the rebounding of Raynardo Smith and Maury Norwood, who combined for 19 rebounds total. The Albany D was just getting run all over and the lack of rebounding on the other side of the court led to their being blow out at the end of a grueling first half.

HALF: FAU 39- Albany 22

Coach Robbins must have said something special to those kids at half time because they came out a new team. Led by the leading scorer Bobby Tran they were able to go on an 18 point run in the first 5 minutes to take a 40-39 lead. But foul trouble caught up with them and they had to sit out Tran and leading rebounder Lamar Cobb with 4 to play. The teams traded baskets back and forth untill the 1 minute mark when Cobb was put back in and he helped right away draining a deep rain-maker to go ahead 53-50 but FAU answered back with its own trey by Damon Coombs to tie it back up with 22 seconds to go. A deep inbound again to Cobb at the 3-pt line but as he shot he was fouled by Coombs, a sin in basketball defense, but Cobb overcame the contact and sank the 3-ball and free shot to give the Danes a 57-53 victory.

FINAL: Albany 57-FAU 53
Players of the Game
ALB: Lamar Cobb 9pts-3ast-3stl-8reb
FAU: Raynardo Smith 15pts-10reb

[Jucyfruit123]

Note: I have decided to Mix the games news and my own take on the game. (They are better at color commentary)
Great Danes Beat Dolphins Like A Rug 56-45
Albany, NY(AP Local)---Somewhere John Wooden is smiling.The wizard of Westwood was a notorious proponent of preparation. During his tenure at UCLA Wooden always held dear that talent, regardless of how vast, still required the refinement provided by the repetition of practice. With practice, talent could be married to purpose and thereby produce the types of results made famous by Wooden.

Albany came out shooting the ball with great accuracy. Led by the play of Jamon Maxiell who had 22 points, 12 in the frist half, the Danes out played the 'Phins handily. Jacksonville had more rebounds but that prevented them in the long run of having a transition offense and the Albany defense shut down must attempts.
During the second stanza the Danes seemed to go into cruse mode to soon and Jacksonville woke them up by pulling the game close and taking the lead with 5 and 1/2 minutes to play. But after waking up from their mid-game naps the Danes pulled away again and rode off into the Jacksonville sunset with a commanding 56-45 win.
----AP Local Sports, Danny D.

[Jucyfruit123]

Danes Blow Away the 'Canes in 55-36 Upset
November 20, 2004
Albany, NY(AP Local)---Domination. Thats the only word that fits for what happened to Miami last night. They were dominated by and underdog Albany team on their own floor. The Danes werent blown away by the 'Canes like many thought and the spread (19) led you to believe. It was pure and simple domination.

The first half featured the awe-inspiring play of PG Bobby Tran. All 16 of his points occured in the first half because he didnt play in the second. Tran was not alone in this stomping of Miami. He had help from Lamar Cobb and Jamon Maxiell. The Danes defense was tenacious. Something we are now coming to expect from Coach Robbins. They racked up an unbelieveable 14 steals in the first half. The Miami D was no match for the swift fast break game that Tran showed as all of his points came off of steals and fast breaks. At the half the Miami home crowd was already departing the arena in search of a better game and a beer down at the local bar to wash away their sorrows.

HALF: Albany 33- Miami(FL) 15

The second part of this game was no better for Miami and any one who left after the first half only missed the half time show consisting of a student shooting a half court shot for a free t-shirt and ball signed by the Miami football team. (Yes the football team). Tran sat out during the second half and that prolly kept the score down but the Danes still rolled the Hurricanes lousy defense and scored 22 more points, most coming off of the bench. Miami's offense picked it up a little in the second but it was most likely due to the lack of Bobby Tran and Jamon Maxiell's steals. The 'Canes vainly tried to mount a comeback but it was too little way too late.
FINAL: Albany 55-Miami(FL) 36
---AP Local Sports Writer, Danny D.

[Jucyfruit123]

SUNDAY SET-UP: Coach JJ Robbins
November 21, 2004

For those of you new to Albany or just new to this paper, every sunday we set up an interview with a member of the local sports community. Sometimes its a coach at the university or a high school. Sometime its a player on one of the teams and every now and then even the AD at the University of Albany. This week's Sunday Set-Up is with newly hired basketball coach at UA, Mr. JJ Robbins.

Danny D.:I would just like to welcome you coach to our great town here and wish you luck during the basketball season. Now to our interview questions. As I am sure most people want to know, what is your coaching background before the Albany job?

JJ Robbins: Thank you for your welcome Danny and Id have to say im glad to be here in such a great town. Well getting to your question my last job was not coaching at a small Peruvian high school in the mountains but in Eastern Russia coaching a team there. The Peruvian job was before that. My first coaching gig however was here in the states coaching for a small internationaly traveling squad. We were the kind that the national squads play in practice ball. That was in 1993. Since then i have had the Peruvian and Russian jobs and I served as an assistant on the Peruvian National team in the 2000 Olympic Qualifications.

DD: Well Coach that sounds like quite a trip. My next question stems from the last. How did the AD here at Albany contact you and why did you get the job?

JJ: Well when I heard the job was open here in Albany I sent in a resume of what I had done because it was becoming hard to teach basketball to russian kids who dont speak english. I thought I had no shot but I guess that the university researched me and thought I was the right choice. They sent me a letter and tickets to fly here and do a personal interview and a week letter as you all now know I was hired.

DD: Great!! Now that that mystery is solved we can move on to the present. What is your evaluation of the players that you have on the squad??

JJ: Well as you all have seen Bobby Tran and Lamar Cobb along with Jamon Maxiell are a good bunch of kids. Id expect us to do pretty well in conference play and as you have seen we are doing good out side of conference play as well. As for the rest of the team they are strong and should play well together. We also have 4 very promising freshman redshirts that im hoping will turn out good for us.

DD: Ok coach just one last question. This one is from an e-mail sent to me this week. Let me read it to you.----- Coach JJ, After the win over Miami how do you think the team will fare at the Tropical Invitational against Texas?-Conner Albany,NY.

JJ: Well the win over Miami was great but Texas is a much better team. Id love to say that we would win that one too but it will be tough. The team will stick in there and play their hearts out I can tell you that much.

DD: Well coach thank you for your time and Good luck against Texas tomorrow.

JJ: Thanks Dan, and GO DANES!!

[Jucyfruit123]

THE YEARS FIRST UPSET, DANES HEARD HORNS TO A 79-71 LOSS
November 23, 2004
Honolulu,HI (AP Albany)---In an unbelieveable game the Albany Great Danes beat the Texas Longhorns in the years first big upset. The stage was set in Hawai'i for a easy win for Texas and a nice lesiurely trip to Hawai'i for the Danes but the tables have been turned and now its the Horns on the long lonesome trip back to Texas.

The outcome, unimagineable at the begining, happened monday night. Out of nowhere the University of Albany Great Danes became a school to be reckoned with as they manhandled Texas all game. Led by leading scorers Lamar Cobb and Al Willett, who had 21 points each, and the double-double of Bobby Tran (19pts-12ast), the Danes out hustled and out played the longhorns all night. The first half showcased that wonderful fast break offense of Tran and Cobb along with the power game by Willett.

After the first half the break game was slowed down and became more of the power inside attack with Willett getting 13 of his points in the second period. The trey ball was raining down all during the second half as both teams combined for a 4 of 13 from beyond the arc. The center Benny Neskovic of Texas also dominated inside with his own double-double but when it came to the final buzzer the Danes had a 8 point lead and atleast another day in beautiful Hawaii.

Other results from the Tropical Invitational
Stanford 53-Tennessee 50
Iowa 81-Marquette 66
N. Carolina 65-BYU 60
----AP Local (Albany) Sports Writter Danny D.

[vandnbyriver5]

nice win, man, u really smoked those canes too, didnt you. I guess Orien Cox (or Bobby Tran) is really turning out well for you guys, just dont play him in the post :D :D

[Jucyfruit123]

Yeah he dont play much post but he goes inside alot on the fast breaks
right now im playing the stanford game and he is 4 of 5 from deep

[Jucyfruit123]

Albany Bleaches the Cardinal, Win Big 68-45
November 24, 2004
Honolulu,HI (AP Albany)----The Stanford Cardinal are now the second team to have a one way ticket out of Hawai'i due to a surprisingly good Albany team. Another outstanding all-around performance by Tran led the Great Danes to victory. Help was given from all parts of the team as all but 1 player scored. The defense we have come to love was back in action again, at least in the first half, with many steals and fast break opportunities.

HALF: Albany 40-Stanford 19

The second half was just a slower version of its brethren. The scoring by the Danes of Albany wasnt as fast due to the bench's minutes. Stanford's offense started to get going at times but a timely steal or blocked shot kept the margin between the two large. The closest it got was when Stanford hit a three with six minutes to play closing the gap to twelve.

FINAL: Albany 68-Stanford 45

When the game ended the score didnt matter, Stanford was already packing its bags and heading back to Palo Alto to study game film and see what went wrong. As for the Danes they get to spend one more day in glorious Hawai'i but the price for that is they are now facing #1 North Carolina who beat Iowa 83-78.
----AP Albany Sports Writer, Danny D.

[Jucyfruit123]

Miracle Man, Tran Leads Danes to Upset Victory.
November 25, 2004
Honolulu,HI (AP Albany)---For the second time in three days the paridise of Hawai'i became purgatory for another ranked opponent. This time the upsetee happened to be #1 in the country North Carolina. The Danes of Albany again playing the upseter, a role first found only 3 days ago during a win over then #19 Texas. Hawai'i is a paridise no more for UNC and UT.

During the first half the Tar Heels were never able to gain a commanding lead and the three ball by Tran of the Danes was almost unstopable. Runs started by NC were always countered by a great Danes D (no pun intended). The starting five never left the floor for Albany as they battled mightly against the goliath know as North Carolina. At the break the games was as close as the 2000 Presidental Election.

HALF: N. Carolina 35-Albany 35
Entering the second half the Tar Heel press seemed to finally sew up the Albany offense and foul trouble put the would be upsetters in doubt. But miracles do occur and with 2 minutes remaing and down by 7 the rain again started to pour. Three consecutive deep balls by Tran and Cobb put the underdog Danes up by 2. Answering quickly the Heels tied the game back up at 69. After a foul on the Danes next drive, putting them up by one, and then a defensive stop. The Heels started to foul. Maxiell went to the line and gave the folks back in Albany something to cheer about as he helped close the game and finish the biggest upset in school history.

FINAL: Albany 75-N. Carolina 69
---AP Albany Sports Writter, Danny D.

[Jucyfruit123]

Albany Rolls on, Obliterates Utes
November 29, 2004
Albany, NY (AP Local)---Not much to say about a win like the one we saw last night by the Danes. Again not favored but they show up anyways at home and open a 3 game strech with pure and absolute obliteration of their first opponent, Utah.

The whole game played the same way. Huge runs led by different people. Maxiell, Cobb, Willett, Hale, Mark, all combined for double digit point totals. Cobb led the team in rebound with ten, his first double-double of the year. Maxiell and the rest of the team played a more complete game of basketball than seen at anytime this year with 4 players having at least 1 in 5 major stat categories. For the second game this year all but one player scored and all but one also had an assist. Superstud Bobby Tran had to sit out most of the game due to foul trouble and the Danes still won without him. Tomorrow night they face E. Washington and on Tuesday UC-San Bernadino.

FINAL: Albany 81- Utah 39
----AP Local Sports writter Danny D.

[Jucyfruit123]

Second Half Win, Danes Down Eagles
November 30, 2004
Albany, NY(AP Local)---Stamina can win you ball games. Albany proved that last night as they were able to outlast E. Washington in the second half to win their 8th game of the year and 2nd at home.

E. Washington, not wanting to get embarrased like Utah, came to play. Led into the game by six consecutive points by Chip Thibodeaux and cleaning the glass better than windex they secured a lead. The normal fast break game and good defense was not in attendance tonight. By the time half rolled around the team on the floor for Albany had the game close but watching it looked like a blow-out.

HALF: E. Washington 26-Albany 24

A revitalized team showed up in the second half for the Great Danes as they came out with a new head man on offense and defense, Kory Hale. The shooting of Hale and Tran mixed with the now rebounding defense helped slow down and stop Thibodeaux. With about five minutes remaining in the second stanza Albany took a lead they wouldnt relinquish as they continued to roll on the Hale wave. After the game Hale, who didnt play one single minute in the first half, didnt even look tired after practiclely winning the game for his team and possibly earning a starting spot on the team.

FINAL: Albany 66-E. Washington 40
----AP Local Sports Writter, Danny D.

[soccerfreak2.0]

um not to sound mean or anything but you should play on the next level

[Jucyfruit123]

Danes Keep on Winning, Beat UCSB 65-42
November 31,2004
Albany, NY(AP Local)---Another win to end the home streak and thier last game for over 2 weeks. The Danes won once again beating San Bernardino handily 65-42. Another late game showing by Hale and Tran helped the Great Danes secure what looked to be a close game.

In the first half the game see-saw back and forth before PG Bobby Tran got hot and hit 4 straight three pointers to take a sizeable lead. The lack of rebounding by UCSB didnt help their cause as Albany got many second chance looks. The defense wasn't as dominating as it had been but they held tough to give them a sizeable advantage going into half time. Going into the next half the Danes just kept scoring, riding on the back of Tran to capitalize on his career day from the field (Tran--35pts-8stl-3ast-3reb).Tran alone out scored all of his teamates combined and fell only 12 points short of out scoring San Bernardino as well. His game was working from all spots, and especially well in the fast break with assistance from Hale in the steals department.
The two week break coming up will give the Danes a chance to practice for their first conference game and will give the coaches a chance to do some needed recruiting.
----Ap Local Sports Writter, Danny D.

[Maddox2Doehring]

are you playing on the worst difficulty possible? b/c the "ALBANY GREAT DANES" should not beat those teams that easily.

[Jucyfruit123]

First Id like to say no its not the worst difficulty
Second Tran and Hale (and Mark) all are good on D and Tran can shoot the three if you know how to shot it right (his 3 is like 80).
With lots of fast break points and lots of steals (avg like 17-18 per game)
thats lots of points (34-36 to be exact) now if you look at the point differences most of them are about that or less.

[Jucyfruit123]

Danes Dismantle Eagles, Put Them on the Endangered List
December 19, 2004
Albany, NY(AP Local)---For the second time this year the Great Danes have scored 80 points, but last night they didnt stop there. In an amazing show of offense they were able to put up 98 points against a helpless Hartford Eagles team. Led again by star PG Bobby Tran and assisted on defense and offense by SG Aras Mark, who combined added up to 53 of Albany's 98 points.

At points in the first half the Danes looked like a team on the ropes. In foul trouble early with Tran and Cobb sitting on the bench and backup PG Hale not performing well the Danes were down at points during the half. But the fast break game stated to pick up with a new PG, Laurnce Grady in and Aras Mark making easy layups the game started to get away from the lowly Eagle D.

HALF: Albany 46-Hartford 29

Going into the second half the D of Albany picked up even more and played more aggresive with Mark and Tran in. Creating turnover after Turnover and basket after quick, effortless basket a average sized lead begain to grow like the Hulk. In a 2 minute span the lead went from 14 to 34 as Albany went on a 20-0 run. After that all that was left for both teams to do was get in some bench time. Albany's bench combined for 19 bench points and Hartford got 15 of its own. By the end of the game though fouls got to Albany as Tran, Maxiell and Mark all fouled out in the last two minutes from the agressive defense.

FINAL: Albany 98-Hartford 51
KEY STATS:
Albany: 50 PIP (pts in paint)/29 Steals/33 FBP (fast break pts)
Hartford: 26 Rebounds/34 Turnovers/61% FG
----AP Local Sports Writter, Danny D.

[Jucyfruit123]

sry double posted lol

[Jucyfruit123]

Minnesota Falls Victim To Great Dane Attack
December 25, 2004
Seattle,WA(AP Albany)---Great free throw shooting can win ball games. Just ask the Great Danes of Albany. Making 14 of 18 free throws during the night might have been the difference in this win.

The first half turned out to be like what we have seen all year. Fast break points, steals, tenacious D and good bench work. The Danes held off Minnesota making them work for every point. Coach Robbins of Albany got his bench kids some play when Tran and Mark needed a rest. The combined play of all of Albany's guards resulted in a vast majority of first half points.

HALF: Albany 34-Minnesota 28

During the second half we witnessed much of the same kind of defense from the Danes. On the other side though, Minnesota was playing rough and it showed through nine team fouls. Most came on fast breaks giving Albany a chance at the line for the points and they came through giving a needed edge. This game wasnt as close as their other games against big schools (UNC and UT) but the bench was able to get alot of minutes and all players scored for the first time this year in the first win at the Great Northern Shootout.

FINAL: Albany 65-Minnesota 57
---AP Albany Sports Writter, Danny D.

[Jucyfruit123]

OT Thriller, Tran Burns Down The House in OT
December 26, 2004
Seattle,WA (AP Albany)---In most likely the best game of the year so far the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Albany Great Danes battled all game and we had to go into overtime to decide who would come out of battle alive.

The first half by Alabama finally showed how to stop the Danes fast break offense by playing a little bit of it themselves. The rebounders for 'Bama, Brennon Richard and Johnathen Krauser dominated the glass and contributed to the break with deep passes to Charles Parham and Ray Simon for easy baskets. The break offense for Albany however was broken in the first half because of the lack of being able to set up on defense. Dismal shooting by Bobby Tran when he had the ball and foul trouble on the part of Aras Mark also contributed to being down at half.

HALF: Alabama 45-Albany 33

During the begining of the second period more of the same occured with the Tide running at full steam and scoring at will. At one point they had a 20 point advantage on the Danes. Calling a time out with just over five minutes to play and down by an embarassing 16, Coach JJ Robbins gave his players a little pep talk. When play started again, knowing they needed a miracle, Bobby Tran got started. Already having a majority of the teams points from what little offense they had generated earlier Tran started raining down three after three like they were lay-ups. Picks and screens got him wide open jumpers and he was able to perform like an All-American. Going into the final seconds and still down by one, Aras Mark fouled out and sent Bama's best FT shooter, Parham, to the line. Draining both ends of the one-and-one, Albany needed one more three and Bobby Tran delivered as the buzzer went off and the swish was heard among the quiet crowd as they held their breath at KeyArena.

REGULATION: Alabama 86-Albany 86

Into overtime and with momentum against them the Crimson Tide tried to make things happen. With Parham dishing the ball inside Richard was able to score. But on the other side of the floor Tran was still playing one of the best second halves of all time still putting the trey ball in the basket. When the final buzzer went off the momentum built by Albany and Bobby Tran rolled the Tide for a unbelieveable win.

FINAL-OT: Albany 107-Alabama 103
KEY STATS
Albany: 60% 3pt/Tran 62pts-5stls-63% 3pt
'Bama: 60% FG/39 Assist/24 FBP/46 PIP/Richard 34pts/Simon 30pts

[Jucyfruit123]

Utah Comes to Play But Leaves Dissapointed
December 27, 2004
Seattle,WA(AP Albany)--- Again the heroics of one player decides the fate of a Albany Great Danes game. Bobby Tran with 3 seconds left on the clock was able to drive down the court and get a game winning trey as the buzzer sounded.

A first half that was as different as night and day from the last time these two teams faced, the Utes actually played defense. After watching game tape of their first meeting and correcting their faults and then seeing the game against Bama and learning from that, Utah came to shut down Tran and Co. The fast break game worked well for both teams at times and leader of the Danes Bobby Tran had another 30 point game. Both teams battled to the half-time buzzer and it was evident by 16 combined points in the final minute; ten of those going to Utah and helping them get a lead at the break.

HALF: Utah 34-Albany 29

Into the second half we saw much of the same; Small runs by both teams. First it was Albany with a 8-0 run bu that was countered by the Utes own 7-1 scoring run. The baskets were falling from all over as the teams shot 62% from the field. Heading into the final minute though and the game tied Aras Mark for Albany made a critical foul on Kirby Bradley of Utah as he was shooting. The basket droped and gave him one shot with five agonizing seconds to play. The crowd watched as he shot, the ball bouncing off the rim into Lamar Cobb's waiting hands. A quick time out was called and Coach Robbins look at the clock to see four seconds left. He then called on his shining star Bobby Tran to come through for them. Giving the ball to Tran, he drove down the court and put up a desparate three with two Utah defenders in his face. The buzzer sounded and then the silence was broken by the clanking of the rim and swish of the net as the game-winning shot fell.

FINAL: Albany 74-Utah 73
KEY STATS
Albany: 10-11 FT/24 Steals/Tran 35pts
Utah: 35 Rebounds/44 PIP/70% FG/Bradley 22pts-6ast

[Jucyfruit123]

NCAA Stat Leaders ( Week 8 )
Points Per Game
1. #34 Jarius Wilkins-Toledo-23PPG
2. #2 Caron Garcia-Tennessee-22.9PPG
3. #14 Bobby Tran-Albany-22.2PPG
4. #32 Doug Dawn-Louisville-21.5PPG
5. #0 C.J. Ward-UNLV-21.3PPG

Assists Per Game
1. #31 Booker Jameson-Prarie View-9.7APG
2. #11 Emmerson Hess-Campbell-7.6APG
T3. #10 Keith Gastel-Howard-7.4APG
T3. #11 Billy Blanchard-SMU-7.4APG
5. #24 Edwin Rush-Norfolk St.-7.3APG

Rebounds Per Game
T1. #4 Julio Murray-Mississippi St.-11.7RPG
T1. #35 Aki Pait-Fairfield-11.7RPG
3. #25 Ka'Ron Iti-Denver-11.3RPG
T4. #30 John James-Oral Roberts-11.2RPG
T4. #32 Pervis Ingram-Bethune-Cookman-11.2RPG
T4. #33 R. Nielsen-Rice-11.2RPG

Steals Per Game
1. #14 Bobby Tran-Albany-3.6SPG
2. #12 Happy Klatsky-Ga. Southern-3.5SPG
3. #31 Aras Mark-Albany-3.4SPG
4. #12 D'or Trotter-Alabama A&M-3.3SPG
5. #4 Leon Park-Hartford-3.2SPG

ESPN.COM TOP 10
1. North Carolina (11-1)
2. Georgia Tech (11-0)
3. Wake Forest (11-1)
4. Cincinnati (12-1)
5. Illinois (10-2)
6. Duke (7-1)
7. Kansas (6-3)
8. Arizona (9-2)
9. Louisville (7-1)
10. Mississippi St (12-3)

American East Conference Leaders
PPG #14 Bobby Tran-Albany-22.2PPG
APG #5 Stanislav Fowler-Northeastern-5.9APG
SPG #14 Bobby Tran-Albany-3.6SPG
RPG #50 Lou Largent-Binghamton-8.2RPG

[Jucyfruit123]

Albany Bench Stomps Terrier First String
January 3, 2004
Albany, NY(AP Local)---In a show of just pure basketball might the Danes beat up mightly on their smaller mascot brothers the Terriers. In a 93-39 win over Boston U. the Great Danes bench out scored the Terriers by 11 points.

During the game Albany showed pure dominance getting steal after steal and stop after stop. The offense of the Terriers looked like it was out there just because the Albany D needed somebody to pummel. The Danes had a total of 30 steals, their highest total of the year. They were able to hold Boston to a shooting percentage of 39 while they had 66%. The Danes also dished the ball nicely accumulating 23 assists. No one in the starting five was in after the 8 minute mark in the second half, allowing the bench to get 50 of the 93 points scored. Bench play was led by JR SG/PG Laurence Grady on offense and defense. Grady had 16 of the 50 points and got 7 steals to go along with those points. Bobby Tran was still the leading scorer for the game though getting all 21 of his points in the first half. This was the biggest difference in scores all year even beating out the first game against Utah when they won 81-39.

KEY STATS
Albany: 50 Bench Pts/30 Steals/23 Assists/66% FG/36 PIP/31FBP
Boston U.: 22 Rebounds/30 Turnovers/39% FG
----AP Local Sports Writter, Danny D.

[Jucyfruit123]

Wildcats Hang Tough But Still Lose
January 7, 2004
Albany, NY(AP Local)---A game that was close during most parts ended up being not as close as people thought. A New Hampshire team that came to play, and play hard, were able to play a steady game with Albany but just couldnt stop two main runs by the Danes that ended up being all they needed.

The first half looked like it might be the first close conference game for the Danes who are now 3-0 in conference play this year. Led by the limited yet always valuable play of Bobby Tran the Danes were able to get their first run started going 14-0 with just three minutes left in the first half. The inside game of the Great Danes was severely hampered though in the early part of the game due to an injury by center Al Willett. Team doctors said that it was a knee injury but couldnt comment any further on the severity or duration.

HALF: Albany 41-New Hampshire 27

A second half opened up for the Danes with another run to build on the first half lead and continue momentum. This 10-0 run was all the Danes needed to hold off the Wildcats through out the rest of the game. After that last run Coach Robbins went on ahead and put in the bench guys to get them some time. They were able to coast the game to a victory and a still undefeated season.

FINAL: Albany 85-New Hampshire 61
KEY STATS
Albany:69% FG/31 Assists/17 Steals/31 Bpts
NH:20 Turnovers/67% FG/24 Assists