Sports Talk
By Brian DePasquale
Gibbs Named to All-Conference Volleyball Team
Junior outside hitter Alissa Gibbs has been selected to the America East Volleyball All-Conference Team in voting by the league’s coaches. Gibbs was second in the conference at 5.01 kills per game and led the Great Danes in that category for the second straight season. A two-time America East Spalding Player of the Week selection, Gibbs’ 436 kills represent the fifth-highest single-season total in school history.

Gibbs posted 36 kills against Hartford on October 28, a mark that is tied as the eighth-highest single-match total in the nation this season. She recorded seven double-doubles in 2001, and was second on the squad in digs, assists and service aces.

Football Players on All-Academic Squad
UAlbany and Syracuse University each placed four players on the 2001 Verizon Academic All-District I University Division Football Team, selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

Roverback Ryan MacLean and outside linebacker Brian Green were named to the all-district unit for the second straight year. MacLean, a junior from Colden, N.Y., has a 3.69 cumulative grade point average in management information systems. He is second on the team in tackles (73) and hits for a loss (9), and has two fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles. Green, a senior captain with a 3.52 GPA in finance/marketing from Auburn, N.Y., has 54 tackles and three pass break-ups.

Defensive end Josh MacAnn, a junior who has a 3.21 GPA in geology, has played a key role on a unit which is ranked 19th nationally in scoring defense at 18.7 points per game. MacAnn, who hails from Rochester, N.Y., has 39 tackles and 2.0 sacks in his first year as a starter.

Mike Laroche, a sophomore right tackle from Queensbury, N.Y., has a 3.43 GPA in mathematics. He has blocked for an offense that leads the Northeast Conference in rushing at 185.3 yards per game, and is averaging 370.4 total yards.

The 21 players named to the District I team will advance to the national Academic All-America ballot. Results of national voting will be announced on December 10.

Basketball Signings
UAlbany men’s basketball coach Scott Beeten announced on November 26 that three student-athletes have signed national letters of intent to play for the Great Danes in 2002-03.

Making their commitments during the early signing period (Nov. 14-21) are Jamar Wilson, a 6-foot, 160-pound guard from Bronx, N.Y. (Our Savior New American School); Neal Barbaris, a 6-foot-10, 250-pound center from Hewitt, N.J. (Palm Beach Community College); and Levi Levine, a 6-foot-5, 220-pound forward from Manhattan, N.Y. (Cheshire Academy).

Wilson, who originally attended All Hallows High School in New York for two years, averaged 13 points, six assists, five rebounds and three steals as a junior. He scored 22 points against Oak Hill Academy, the USA Today national scholastic champion. Our Savior New American School posted a 26-9 record last year against a national schedule, and reached the National Association of Christian Athletes Tournament.

Barbaris, who did not play as a freshman at Fairleigh Dickinson University last year, is currently enrolled at Palm Beach Community College in Lake Worth, Fla. He averaged 14 points, 13 rebounds and seven blocked shots as a senior at West Milford High School in New Jersey. He earned second-team All-Passiac County honors by the Bergen Record.

Levine averaged 17 points and 11 rebounds as a New England Prep League All-Star at Cheshire Academy in Connecticut in 2000-01. He spent the previous two years at Manhattan Center High School. Levine was chosen to the Public School Athletic League’s All-Manhattan squad by the New York Daily News, when he contributed 21 points, nine rebounds and four assists per game.

In addition, UAlbany coach Mari Warner announced that Jen Schumacher has signed a national letter of intent to play women’s basketball in 2002-03. Schumacher is a 5-foot-8 guard from Lisle, N.Y. (Whitney Point H.S.).

Schumacher averaged 16.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists as a junior in leading the Golden Eagles to a 14-7 record and their second consecutive Susquenango League title. During her sophomore season, she totaled 11.5 points per game as Whitney Point reached the Section IV Class B championship game with a 22-2 record. Schumacher was a member of the Central squad that earned a gold medal at the 2001 Empire State Games.

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