Sports Talk
By Brian DePasquale
Will Brown Named Head Basketball Coach
University at Albany Director of Athletics and Recreation Lee McElroy has announced the hiring of Will Brown as head men’s basketball coach. Brown, who has worked on the collegiate level since 1995, becomes the 15th head coach in the UAlbany program’s history.

Brown was appointed as Albany’s interim head coach last December 20, and guided the Great Danes to a 7-13 record over the last 20 games. Albany was among the conference leaders in scoring defense at 65.0 points per game. Brown, who joined the UAlbany staff as an assistant in September 2001, coached the team to several impressive victories, including a win over Vermont, the America East Conference’s regular-season champion. At age 30, Brown becomes the third youngest Division I head coach in the nation.

“Will Brown has proven over the last three months that he has the leadership skills and coaching expertise to manage a Division I program,” McElroy said. “He has high energy, commitment and integrity, plus values the student-athlete. I have been impressed with his professionalism and his ability to handle challenging circumstances.”

Brown previously served as the head coach at Sullivan County Community College in Loch Sheldrake, N.Y., from 1998-2001. He led the Generals to a 90-10 record over a three-year period with two regional and two district titles. Sullivan County C.C. posted a 30-2 record and reached the National Junior Collegiate Athletic Association (NJCAA) championship in 2000-01. Brown’s first SCCC squad appeared in the NJCAA “Final Four” and finished 32-3 overall. The Generals were ranked second nationally in scoring at 92.9 points per game, and ninth in team defense with a 67.1 average.

Brown was chosen the New York State Coaches Association junior college coach of the year in 1999. He also earned Mid-Hudson Conference coach of the year honors three times, and was District V’s top coach twice. In addition, he worked at Sullivan County C.C. as an associate athletic director and as an adjunct professor of sports management.

Previous to his appointment at Sullivan County C.C., Brown spent three years at The College of Saint Rose as an assistant coach on Brian Beaury’s staff. The Golden Knights made two NCAA Division II “Elite Eight” appearances in that span, and captured three New York Collegiate Athletic Conference (NYCAC) championships and two Northeast Regional crowns. Saint Rose compiled an 88-13 record from 1995-98.

As a collegiate player, Brown was a two-time NYCAC all-star and three-year starter at Dowling College, an NCAA Division II program on Long Island. He is the only player in school history to combine for more than 1,000 points and 500 assists. Brown completed his career as Dowling’s all-time leader in assists (591), three-point field goals (181) and free throw percentage (.859). He also played second singles on the school’s tennis team.

A native of Miller Place, N.Y., Brown earned first-team Class B all-state recognition as a high school senior, when he averaged more than 35 points per game. He was chosen All-Long Island and was a three-time All-Suffolk County selection.

Brown, who resides in Clifton Park with his wife, Jamie, has a master’s degree in management and a B.A. in marketing from Dowling College. His father, William, is currently the director of athletics at Miller Place High School, where he previously served as head basketball coach for 17 years. His teams won three Suffolk County League VII scholastic titles.

Will Brown’s Biography
Full Name: William John Brown IV
Date of Birth: October 8, 1971
Age: 30
Place of Birth: Miller Place, N.Y.
Albany Record: 7-13 (one year)
Overall Record: 7-13 (one year)

Education: Dowling College, M.A. in management, 1997
Dowling College, B.A. in marketing, 1995

College: Dowling College
Basketball:Three Varsity Letters (1991-95)
Tennis: One Varsity Letter (1995)

High School: Miller Place High School, Miller Place, N.Y.
Basketball: Four Varsity Letters
Tennis: Six Varsity Letters
Soccer: Two Varsity Letters

Family: Married to the former Jamie Ward, of Malta, N.Y.

Coaching:
1995-98 The College of Saint Rose Assistant Coach
1998-99 Sullivan County Community College Head Coach (30-2)
1999-00 Sullivan County Community College Head Coach (28-5)
2000-01 Sullivan County Community College Head Coach (32-3)
2001-02 University at Albany Interim Head Coach/Assistant Coach

2002 UAlbany Football Schedule Announced
Director of Athletics and Recreation Lee McElroy announced on March 18 the school’s football schedule for 2002. The Great Danes will play a seven-game Northeast Conference slate, and meet non-conference opponents, Montana, the defending Division I-AA national champion; Drake; Canisius; and Florida International.

The Great Danes begin their 30th season on Saturday, Sept. 7, with Montana, the I-AA national champion in 1995 and 2001. The Grizzlies, who are coming off a 15-1 campaign as a member of the Big Sky Conference, have made 11 NCAA post-season appearances.

Albany travels to Florida International, a first-year football program coached by former Miami Dolphins quarterback Don Strock, on November 9, and to Drake on October 12. The Bulldogs, who play in the 18,000-seat Drake Stadium, return first-team All-Pioneer League quarterback Ira Vandever, who accounted for 2,478 total yards and 20 touchdowns last season. The Great Danes are also on the road at Sacred Heart on September 21. The Pioneers put together a perfect 11-0 record en route to the 2001 ECAC Bowl and Northeast Conference titles.

UAlbany’s home schedule opens with conference-rival Central Connecticut State on September 14. Canisius will be the opponent for Homecoming and Family Weekend on October 19. Hall of Fame Day is set for October 5 versus Wagner. All games at University Field start at 1 p.m.

The Great Danes finished 7-3 last year, and tied for third in the NEC standings. Head coach Bob Ford will return 14 starters, including eight on defense and six on offense. Josh Bazan, the 2001 Football Gazette I-AA Mid-Major Linebacker of the Year, and Sports Network I-AA All-American, led the defense with 103 tackles, three fumbles recovered and four fumbles forced.

2002 Albany Football Schedule
September
7 (Sat.), at Montana, 3:05 p.m. 1
4 (Sat.), Central Connecticut State*, 1 p.m.
21 (Sat.), at Sacred Heart*, 1 p.m.
28 (Sat.), at Stony Brook*, TBA.

October
5 (Sat.), Wagner,* 1 p.m.
12 (Sat.), at Drake, 2 p.m.
19 (Sat.), Canisius (HC), 1 p.m.
26 (Sat.), St. Francis, Pa.*, 1 p.m.

November
2 (Sat.), at Robert Morris*, 1:30 p.m.
9 (Sat.), at Florida International, TBA
16 (Sat.), Monmouth*, 1 p.m.

All Times Eastern
*Northeast Conference Opponent

Track & Field Opens Outdoor Season in North Carolina
Rob Harrison won the long jump and took second in the triple jump to lead Albany to a third-place finish at the UNC Classic on March 23 at North Carolina’s Fetzer Field. The Great Danes placed fifth in the women’s team competition.

Harrison, a junior, posted a mark of 22 feet, 2.25 inches in the long jump to edge North Carolina’s John Hubbard. He finished second to North Carolina State’s Jason Viera in the triple jump with a leap of 46-01.50.

Freshman Kristof Molnar won the 800-meter run with a time of 1:52.68, and was 44-hundredths of a second better than Douglas Smith of North Carolina. Aggrey Morris was second in the 400-meter dash (49.12), while Paul Roche was third in the 110-high hurdles (15.26).

In the women’s meet, freshman Kristen O’Brien set a school record in the pole vault, when she cleared the bar at 10-feet even. Ashley Kangas narrowly missed another UAlbany mark in the javelin, as she finished sixth with a toss of 113-03.

Men
1. Akron 134
2. North Carolina 124.5
3. Albany 93.5
4. Duke 75
5. DePaul 68
6. North Carolina State 67
7. Columbia 49.5

Women
1. North Carolina 168.5
2. Akron 131
3. Duke 94
4. Villanova 88
5. Albany 65.5
6. North Carolina State 60
7. Columbia 55
8. DePaul 37

Baseball Will Play 14 Games at Heritage Park
The UAlbany baseball program will play 14 home games at Heritage Park during the 2002 season. The Great Danes, who are competing in the America East Conference for the first time, have scheduled conference doubleheaders at Heritage Park with Hartford (April 13-14), Stony Brook (April 20-21) and Vermont (May 4-5). The Great Danes will also face non-league opponents Boston College (April 9) and Manhattan (May 7).

“Heritage Park is one of the premier ballparks in the Northeast,” said Jon Mueller, who begins his third season as Albany’s head coach. “The playing field, seating capacity and surrounding elements will benefit the athletes and spectators. This arrangement also provides our school with the ability to host the conference tournament in the future.”

Heritage Park, the home facility for the Albany-Colonie Diamond Dogs, an Independent Northern League minor league baseball team, is located in Colonie, New York. The 5,000-seat stadium, with dimensions of 410 feet to center field, 325 feet on the left-field line, and 335 feet on the right-field line, opened in 1983.

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