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Girmindl's Ghost

A diary of Shaker High School's 2005-2006 basketball season, a retelling of Shaker's fabled 1979-1980 season, and general commentary on high school hoops, updated daily...


"I like sitting in the back row. I found that sitting against the wall is just easier on your back." -Dean Smith, on the comfort of the H-gym bleachers



Welcome!
If you've never visited Girmindl's Ghost before, I suggest you start by browsing through the articles in the FAQ section on the right. That will give you a better sense of what I'm up to here, and why there's a picture of H-gym to the left.

Feedback is encouraged in the comments and to the email address on the right. If you have specific knowledge of either the 2005 or 1979 team, please pass it along!

Check out Girmindl's Ghost at its second home on Timesunion.com!

Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Confessions of a Bison addict: This is part two of my recap of the quarterfinal overtime loss to Albany that ended Shaker's season. (You can read part I - the actual game recap - here. I'll be back in a few days with a recap of the whole season.)

It's cliche to write about how much a sports team can mean to people and how much it hurts to lose the last game, and I usually hate reading such stories in magazines or newspapers. I hate them for two reasons:

1) if you aren't a true fan of the team that is being discussed, you can never really relate to what the author is saying.

2) most sports writers themselves aren't real fans of the teams they write about, so they don't actually know what it feels like for the actual fans when the team loses. Instead, they are just trying to remember what it was like the last time their team lost, and translate that feeling to the current situation. Usually fails.

So this essay is only for real fans of Shaker basketball '05-06. If you weren't at the game Sunday, or if you didn't have trouble sleeping that night, don't bother reading it. It probably won't make any sense.

Confessions of a Bison addict

Repeat after me: It's just a high school basketball game.
Repeat after me: It's just teenagers playing a game for fun.
Repeat after me: It's not important in the grand scheme of things.
Repeat after me: It's just a high school basketball game.

If only I could get myself to believe any of that.

Sometimes I wish I didn't care. That I would wake up tomorrow and not think about Shaker basketball at all. And I could go to the games and not be devastated when they lost. That I could stop wondering "what if" about this season, 1980, 1992, and all the rest of it. But I can't. I just can't.

Over the last 36 hours, I've quickly cycled through the five classic stages of grief a number of times. You can pretty much get through all of them in about 10 minutes. Then you just go back to the beginning and start again, and you do it maybe 500 times in a row and 500 more times before next fall, and that's that. So that's what I did yesterday. Judging from my email, any number of my readers did the same: some cried themselves to sleep, some didn't sleep. Some sleepwalked through work and school on Monday, some never really woke up. Some people distracted themselves with silly chores, some spent hours daydreaming about what could have been.

How sick is it that we can model our psychological response to high school basketball like we model our response to death?

Let's start from the beginning.

Stage 1: Denial. I prefer to call this one "shock." I still can't believe they lost that game. Actually, that's not true. With 1:30 to go in the 4th, down 53-48 without the ball, I was mentally preparing myself for about a 60-54 loss. So I can believe that they didn't win. What I'll never believe is how it happened. No way. It was like I was watching some sick version of Hoosiers, in which after Hickory hit the winning shot, they just forgot to end the film and instead they spliced in the finish of the Shaker-Maginn game from Christmas break. I mean, have you ever seen such a horrifying finish - up 2 with 20 seconds to go, get scored on, turn it over and give up a game winner to some kid who hasn't scored all game - happen twice in one season? Nope. Not possible. It didn't happen. I'm still dreaming it. Vernon's steal and layup actually won the game. Shaker got a stop, made their foul shots, and ran out the clock. I'll see you in Glens Falls on Saturday night. Did you hear Mark Lyons isn't playing? I think we have an excellent chance.

After game 6 the 2003 NLCS, it was observed that several dozen people never left Wrigley Field. The game ended just after midnight EST, and a number of people simply sat in their seats till the sun came up, staring at the field. I don't think I could have sat in the RACC bleachers all night, but I could have gone an hour or two. Unfortunately, I wasn't given the chance because I was already starting to feel a deep, mellow...

Stage 2: Anger. The first person I was mad at was my mom. That sounds dumb, but you weren't there when she was trying to tell me how "this is what makes high school basketball so great." That would be bad enough an hour after it ended. She was going full bore before we had gotten out of the RACC. Ugggggghhhh. Still, I've heard this all before from my mom - wasn't it just one year ago she was giving me same speech after the Troy game? - so I was very easily capable of tuning her out.

I quickly turned my anger to other, more easily hatable, targets:

#1) The referees. UGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! I cannot BELIEVE those idiots called that foul on Vernon in the overtime. Talk about deciding a game with the whistle. They hand't called a rebounding foul away from the ball all freakin' game, and then they decide to do it with 25 seconds left in overtime? Exhibit 2: the foul on Schaller in overtime. Yeah, that was probably, by the book, a foul. But they had called 6 fouls the entire 4th quarter/overtime. No way that shot was going anywhere near the hoop, and no way Schaller's "foul" made the difference on the shot. Just garbage. Either of those calls aren't made, Shaker wins. It's that simple. But I'm not done yet. I'd seriously like to know what game they were watching in the first half. Every time they did blow the whistle, it was for something silly, like a touch foul on a dribble in the halfcourt set. And then every time someone got clobbered - Griff and Duclos come to mind in the first half (not to mention a few Albany drives) - not a peep. Here's a post-game email from Joe B., sums up this aspect of things great:
That was the worst officiated game i've ever seen, on any level, in any sport, on any continent, including Antarctica. You wanna talk about gettin screwed with ur pants on well we got pretty well doinked. Absolutly rediculous. Maybe i'll send u other thoughts when i stop wishing i knew the names adresses and fears of the refs.
I mean, first off, that's high comedy. But mostly I was glad when I got that email, because it proved I wasn't delusional.

#2) Albany. I'm not going to single anyone out, partially because I don't like to bash high school kids, but mostly because I don't know their names and I don't care. What a bunch of cheap shot artists. Who the hell is their coach, John Krease? I just kept picturing Karate Kid in my head. "I don't want him beaten. Out of commimssion. Do you have a problem with that?" Bad enough that they kept trying to "sweep the leg" against Brad. But the coup de grace was when that one kid got embarressed by Brad blocking him twice in a row and decided to cold-cock Hans with an elbow. Unreal. And look, I have a lot of respect for the high-pressure style of play Albany uses - this isn't whining about pressure or intense basketball. That's great, and Shaker could learn a lot from them in that category. But some of it is just too much. There's no room in high school hoops for intentionally trying to hurt people. But, of course, if the refs aren't going to punish it, it's pretty damn hard to deter.

Stage 3: Bargaining. I've never understood this stage. It's supposedly when you bargain with God to take away the grief, like "I'll go to church every day for the next 10 years if you go back in time and have Schaller make his 1-and-1." Hmmm. Well, I guess I did say that, but that's not the point. I do my bargaining before the game. Consequently, by the time they lose, God has already failed me and Shaker basketball. Games like Sunday won't make you lose your faith that God exists, but they certainly will make you wonder if there is any justice in the world. The rules of Karma are a bit hazy, but here's one that I was pretty sure existed, until Sunday:
Those who try off the backboard alley-oops in the 4th quarter of tied games will be condemned not only to miss said alley-oop, but also to lose said game, preferably via last minute collapse.
As soon as Albany missed that razzle-dazzle dunk, I knew the Bison would win if there was any justice in the world. And then it all came together in the last minute. But apparently, there isn't any justice.

Stage 4: Depression. This is my personal favorite, if only because it allows you to do some logical second-guessing, just to twist the knife a little further. And Sunday night, there were just so many: what if Hans doesn't get hurt, what if Schaller or Vernon makes even one foul shot in overtime, what if King misses one of his free-throws, what if Jordan doesn't hit that three, what if Brad didn't hur this ankle last week, what if Duclos doesn't lose his shoe, what if Brad tips the ball backward in overtime, what if the 6th man just cheered a little louder, plus all the reffing calls we've already discussed, and so on. Basically, when you lose by two in overtime, every single play can be second-guessed. However, two of my favorites are:

1) What if the scorer's table got the number of Albany fouls correct? This one might burn me up forever. When Albany got it's 6th foul of the second half, somehow the scorer's table decided it was only their 5th. Trust me, I was keeping track and I was furious at the time, although it didn't seem like that big of a deal. Fast forward 20 minutes, and Vernon is fouled on the floor in overtime with the score tied at 60, Albany's 9th charged foul but actually their 10th. See the difference? Instead of two shots, Vernon goes to the line for 1-and-1. Just shoot me.

2) What if I hadn't pulled an enormous Karma mistake? After Brad hit to make it 62-60 and Albany missed, giving Shaker the ball back with 40 seconds to go in overtime, I screamed down the aisle to my mom to get out my camera. I wanted to have it ready to take a picture of the scoreboard when the game ended. How much of an idiot am I? See, that's Karma. I'm such a loser.

Here's a couple signs you know your depressed:

You remember things you never knew you knew: You're sitting eating dinner after the game with your wife, neither of you have said a word in 15 minutes, and all of sudden your wife quietly states, "Hooks had such a good look at that three pointer midway through the third. That might have really changed things." To which you calmly respond, "Yeah, that was a great look. He was squared up perfectly. And it's funny, because I was just thinking about that short jumper Brad missed from the baseline in the second quarter." And then you both nod your heads and continue on.

You over-fantasize the alternative outcome: By Monday evening, I had firmly decided that if they had just won on Sunday, they were probably going to win the state title, or at least make the final four and lose a close game to Mt. Vernon. Seriously, is anyone doubting that outcome at this point? Not me. That's how delusional you get about these things. CBA? We'll kill 'em. Mt. Vernon? No problem! It's the natural consequence of losing - you never wonder who you would have lost to down the road, just who you would have beaten.

Stage 5: Acceptance. The good thing is that it only takes a few days to start to come around from a loss like Sunday. Some people think that it depends when you lose - like if you lose like that in the state title game, it's worse. That's not true. It's always the same. Doesn't really matter.

And I don't mean I'm completely over it. First off, I'll never totally get over that game, just like I'll never totally get over the regional game in '92, or even the Maginn game in December. And I don't mean mostly over it, that will take a little longer, too. But a good start. Besides, it's nice to wait a few days, anyway. if Schenectady kicks the crap out of Albany Saturday night, you'll take a lot more satisfaction out of it if you're still raging mad about Sunday. In fact, I reccommend a theraputic trip up to Glens Falls for that. Some good basketball to see, as well.

Ultimately, I relearn the same simple lesson every time this happens. I don't know how I forget it, but I do. And then it all becomes clear again, like it did this morning. The lesson goes something like this:

Repeat: Only one teams wins the state title. Everybody else loses.
Repeat: You'd feel just as bad losing by 40 as you do losing by 2 in OT.
Repeat: You'll never truly feel the highs unless you also feel these lows.

Think back to the best moments of this season: maybe Brad's shot against CBA, or Duclos jamming the alley-oop pass to open senior night, or even the incredible 6th man that showed up at the RACC Sunday and blew the doors off the other student sections. And then think back to the best moments in Shaker basketball history: Perkins hitting the winning shot in overtime of the '79 sectional title game, or maybe Kanders laying the ball in to win the '92 title.

None of those moments would be remotely interesting if you don't accept that Sunday night can happen. And if you never experience a game like Sunday night, and you never lay in bed wide awake thinking about it, and you never spend an hour or two daydreaming about "what if," well then you'll never really know how good it felt when Brad's jumper went in against CBA, or when Perkins banged home his hook shot agains Catholic Central.

So today, I'm more chipper. All the great moments of the season are coming back into my mind, and I'm starting to realize again that you're better off caring than not caring. And sure as the sun rises, I'll be back in those bleachers next fall, dreaming the same daydream about the state title we're destined to get one of these years.

In the end, it all boils down to this: my mom is right. Sunday night was why people watch high school basketball. And it's why you and I watch it too. Unless we were going to win the state title, this was the way it was going to end.

Now, if I could just get myself to believe that load of crap, I could stop thinking about that foul called on Vernon Sunday night. Or the foul shots. Or the sectional title.

If only they had won. At least we could have continued to daydream for another week.

Today (2/28) in 1980: Shaker did not play. Next game is tomorrow (well, sort of - it’s leap year in 1980), 2/29/1980, the sectional second round against Burnt Hills.

Monday, February 27, 2006

By the way: If you haven't seen the video of the kid from Greece-Athena, watch it ASAP. No other sport creates moments like this. Long live high school basketball.

Acknowledgements, 2005-06: First off, if you haven't read the Albany game recap yet, start there. Then maybe check out what's next for Girmindl's Ghost in the coming weeks. Then come back and read this post.

Before my readership disappears, I wanted to take the opportunity to thank the multitude of people who helped make the 2005-06 portion of Girmindl's Ghost such a joy to write this year. No matter how much it looks like an individual effort, writing projects are always reliant on dozens of people to make them work well. Girmindl's Ghost is a testament to that truth.

Without further ado, I'd like to thank...

First, the team. Non-fiction writing is only as good as the subject you are writing about. You guys made it easy. Congratulations on an outstanding year, and thanks for all the memories. No one is soon to forget this team, least of all me.

I'd like to thank a few people on the team in particular. Matt Bodgan first contacted me way back in the fall when I was initially considering following the team for the year. His encouragement and interest in the project ultimately spurred me to do it. He also sat for an extended interview that really gave me a feel for the team.

Brad Sheehan contacted me early on in the season when I was still feeling out my style and figuring out how I was going to do things. He offered me continuous insight into the mood of the team and was always available to answer any questions I had via email. Brad also sat for an extended interivew and discussed all aspects of the team with me.

Ryan Dare, Tom Duclos, and Vernon Cross also sat for interviews, the latter two of which still have not been published. Their candidness was indispensable to my understanding of the team, and my continued thinking about its dynamics.

I was probably more optimistic than a writer should be about the season. I had planned on conducting two or three player interviews this week, and maybe a few more before the title game the week after. My apologies to Hans, EC, Griff, Hooks, Schaller, Fallon, and Kahnle. I certainly wished I could have talked to all of you before it was over. In fact, I probably still will, since I'm toying with writing a book about all of this. So don't forget anything, fellas.

Coach Holmes was enthusiastic about the blog from the moment he found out about it, and he was always available for a quote or just to talk Shaker basketball. I conducted one extended interview with him, and I wish our second one - scheduled for after Shaker won the section title - was going to happen. Coach Brehm was always available to chat, and I wish I had taken him up more often on it, as he was very helpful.

Second, the students. Perhaps the single thing I love most about high school basketball is the intensity of the fans. And this year's Shaker students were among the best ever in that capacity.

Tom Maldonado, Chris Caradori, and Joe Bianchino were invaluable to me throghout the season. They were constantly available to answer questions, offer opinions, and even write game recaps when I couldn't make it to the game. Tom and Chris sat for an extended interview about the 6th man, giving me great insight into the current Shaker student body.

Tom, Chris, and Joe also convinced me that it would be a good idea to come sit with the students for the game, perhaps the most memorable night of the season for me. They were excellent hosts in the 6th man, and despite my being 10 years older than them, they never once treated me like an adult. Thanks, guys.

Other students were extremely helpful to me that night. I did short interviews with perhaps 15 or 20 students that night. Particular thanks to Kyla and Moe, who did extended interviews via email to help me fill out my story. Throughout the season, 6th man members wrote emails, talked to me at games, and otherwise helped me understand both the team and its fans.

Third, the adult fans. I never imagined so many people who sat in the Shaker bleachers would read Girmindl's Ghost. It was actually a little awkward by January. I was something like a B-list celebrity in the bleachers, and that's definitely something I'm not completely used to. Luckily, virtually all of the feedback I got in the bleachers was positive.

Particular thanks goes to a few people. The Sheehan family was always quick to talk to me, give me some insight about the team, and generally be very receptive to my inquires. Bill Hooks gave me plenty of information, and not to mention more than a few Twix bars, all of it unsolicited but very appreciated.

I also had a large contingent of adults who I never met in the bleachers but got to know pretty well via email. Although they are too numerous to mention, they were all helpful with their candid assessments of the games and the team, and for continually reprimaning me when my bias or judgement was a bit off. Thank you.

Fourth, the tech-side. Despite me constantly tearing them to shreds, the Times Union stuck with me. For that I'm grateful, because they helped me reach a far wider audience than I ever could have imagined. Mike Huber was a patient and keenly helpful boss who was able to give me quick and friendly technical support, day after day. Jim Margolis was extremely helpful in accomadating my incessant requests for aditional exposure and hype for the blog.

Fifth, the readers: I never expected thousands of people to read Girmind's Ghost. But that's what happened. I was sincerely flattered that so many people enjoyed following a Shaker hoops season through my eyes. It was gratifying to know that there are other people out there who love high school basketball, even if they don't have a connection to the team. Thank you for the kind words, helpful critiques, and reassuring support during the season.

Finally, I'd like to thank my wife, Sarahjane. Sarah was an enthusiastic supporter of Girmindl's Ghost from the first day I mentioned it as an idea in the Spring of 2005. She loves high school basketball almost as much as I do, so it wasn't a big chore to get her to the games. But it did require a lot of understanding on her part when she had to sit in the bleachers alone as I conducted an interview, or chatted with people in the hall, or went off to sit in the student section. She never complained once. Her willingness to spend entire dinners talking about the team was remarkable, and her ability to see things at the game that I often missed was a godsend. Ultimately, her love and support was the reason I was able to juggle the pressure of work and school and blogging as well as I did. Thanks you, sweetie.

On the other hand, I wouldn't expect anything less from a girl I decided to ask on a date while I was sitting in the student section.

I'm sure that I'm leaving plenty of people out right now (I'm aware that I haven't mentioned anyone who helped me with the '79-80 stuff - that will come later), and for that I apologize.

Again, thank you.

Girmindl's Ghost, the aftermath: First off, if you haven't seen the game recap from the Albany game, check it out. Here's a description of what lies ahead for Girmindl's Ghost over the next few weeks:

#1) Albany recap, part II: I don't have the heart or the perspective to write this esssay yet. Maybe tomorrow. Check back and see, I'll probably have something either then or Wednesday.

#2) A review of the season
: I'm gong to wait a few days to let it all sink in, and then write a final essay on the 2005-06 team.

#3) The '79-80 team: We still have that dream to crush. For the next two weeks, I'll focus my attention on the final days of the 1980 sectional tournament. I also finally got in touch with Tim Cain '81, and I think I'll have an interview with him soon.

#4) Girmindl's Ghost, the book: I'm still seriously toying with the idea of writing a book based on all of this. I think it could be really good. I'd probably need to take a year off to do it, since I'd need to do about 100 interviews, but what the heck. It's more fun than my regular job.

Sectional Recap, Quaterfinals:

Executive Summary: Albany 64, Shaker 62 (OT). Anyone who was at this game will not soon forget it. It had everything, good and bad. There was great play, there was sloppy play. The Bison scored at will and took a huge lead. The Bison couldn't hit the ocean and fell way behind. Brad scored his 1,000th point. Hans got knocked out of the game on a cheap elbow. It was just that kind of game. At multiple points, it seemed that each team was dead in the water: the Bison were down 53-48 with 1:30 to go, ahead 54-53 with 20 seconds to go, down 56-54 with 10 seconds to go, and up 62-60 with the ball at 25 seconds left in overtime. In each case, one of the teams made a great play. Albany just made the last one. All this said, I'm still in shock. They had this game won, twice. And yet they didn't win. And now it's over. Final score: Albany 64, Shaker 62 (OT). TU box score here (it's wrong). Shaker finishes the season 17-5.

Full Report, Ask me about it in 20 years: I arrived at the RACC in time to watch much of the Maginn-CCHS game, which turned out to be a blowout. I brought along a nice contingent: SJC and my mom are with me, and SJC's parents will be meeting us here shortly. Other pregame notes:

1) The RACC is great: As I mentioned last week, the RACC is a great place to have the quarterfinals. It's just a great basketball atmosphere: the student sections can sit in bleachers behind the hoops that are really close to the court, there are comfortable chair-back seats at teh center courts, and the place can get pretty loud. Probably the main downside is the parking situation at SUNY - you have to walk like half a mile, and boy was it cold yesterday.

2) Early game results: Schenectady beat Nisky by 3, CBA beat Columbia by 13, and Maginn blew out CCHS. So the Bison are the only hope left for the Suburban Council.

3) Enormous 6th man: The 6th man has wisely chosen to stand in the bleachers behind the basket. Smart move. They are really close to the court. And there are a ton of them. And they are really loud. You can hear them throughout the RACC, just great student fan support. Albany has no equivalent organized student section. Neither did Maginn or CCHS. Only Shaker seems to have a playoff-quality student cheering section today.

4) Warmups: No one is under any illusions about how this game is going to go. Shaker has a more offensively disciplined team, and Brad is the best player on the court. Albany has a higher level of athleticism and will almost certainly try to pressure Shaker into turnovers. Both teams look pretty crisp in warmups, and everyone seems excited. Let's get it on!

1st Quarter

Shaker won the tip, but immediately tuned it over for an Albany layup. Albany then stole the inboudns for another layup. Oh, no. Not tonight, fellas. Hans answered with a three pointer, and Brad got a foul shot and a hoop. 6-4 Shaker. That's better. The teams traded misses, Albany hit a three, Duclos made a driving hoop, Brad hit again, and Eddie made a shot. 12-9 Shaker. Albany made another 3, Duclos made another layup, and then Albany got a basket right at the buzzer on a putback. Ughh. 14-14 at the quarter.

1st quarter notes:

1) Rough, rough game: Albany had four fouls in the first and Shaker two. It could easily have been triple that for both teams. The refs are really letting things go, at both ends. But it definitely helps Albany, since they play the pressure style defense. Griff got clobbered in the lane twice in the first quarter, and no calls. The kind of plays that just simply can't be clean blocks - two or three defenders get him with the body as he went up. That spells trouble. There were also some questionable plays by Albany in the first: Brad was tripped up coming down the court in what looked like an intentional shove to me by an Albany player. He complained to the ref, but there wasn't a call.

2) Turnovers: If Shaker can get the ball in the halfcourt set, they are the better team. They spotted Albany 4 points to start the game and a cheap one at the end. Otherwise, Albany had just two threes and 1 hoop in their halfcourt set. The Bison look pretty good, but not great, in the halfcourt. But they are giving away a lot of turnovers to the pressure.

3) Huge 6th man: The 6th man is really loud, and they are visibly annoying the Albany players on the court. At one point, Albany was on the foul line (missed both) and one of their rebounders was jawing with the 6th man - that can't be good for keeping your head in the game. The 6th man also got into it with the Albany mascot, which was fun.

4) Duclos shoe: Duclos lost his shoe on the second Albany steal and basket of the game, and that was the moment I really thought they were in big trouble: they had turned it over twice, they were down 4-0, they hadn't take a shot yet, and Duclos was playing defense with one shoe. It was not a good sign. But to their credit, they weathered the storm quickly and got back into it.

2nd Quarter

The first 4 minutes of the second quarter was probably the best basketball I saw the Bison play all year. They went on a 13-3 run that almost blew Albany out of the gym. They were so close to ending this thing early, I can't tell you. Hans opened the quarter with a long three from the corner and was also fouled, for a 4-point play. Brad hit a shot jumper from the baseline and a post basket, Hans put down another three and then Hooks hit a two point jumper. All of a sudden, it was 27-17 and the Bison had the ball. Wow. They had a number of posessions up 10, but never got the extra 4 or 6 pont run that could really have buried Albany psychologically. Albany got two hoops in a row, Hooks hit another 3 to make it 30-22, but then Albany finished the quarter on a 6-2 run, and it was 32-28 Shaker at the half. I headed out to the concession for a Twix.

Second quarter notes:

1) John Hans came to play: Hans looks so confident from behind the three point line right now. I believe he's 3 for 3, or maybe 3 for 4. Doesn't matter, though, because if he's going to shoot like that in the second half, this game is over. Albany doesn't seem to have an answer for him. Hooks looks good, too.

2) Brad swatting everything: Brad had 4 or 5 blocks in the first half, and that was a huge problem for Albany. Much like Colonie, Albany relies on dribble penetration to get to the hoop and get baskets, but Brad has turned them away quite a few times. He probably has half a dozen phantom blocks in addition to the actual ones. Brad also got 2 or 3 of his first half baskets on that alley-oop play, which seemed to baffle Albany. He never jammed one, but it was good for three easy layups.

3) Griff momentarily out: Griff headed to the bench at one point with what looked like a groin pull. Not good. Luckily, he returned less than a minute later.

4) Could go either way: My father-in-law and I were in agreement on this much: if Shaker plays well in the 2nd half, they probably win. But Albany could certainly beat them by 5 points if they don't play well, so this is anybody's game.

Shaker's scoring looked like this at the break:

Brad 5 1 11
EC 1 0 2
TD 2 0 4
Hans 3 1 10 (3 threes)
Hooks 2 0 5 (1 three)

Total 13 2 32 (4 three pointers)

3rd Quarter

A total disaster. Well, almost a total disaster. Albany won the quarter 12-3. I guess it could have been a lot worse. Shaker simply couldn't break Albany's press. The Falcons switched to a diamond zone trap, and it really rattled the Bison. Albany kept the trap going in the halfcourt, so even when Shaker got the ball over the timeline, they faced a lot of pressure. Luckily, two things were happening at the other end. One, Albany wasn't making shots. Two, Brad was blocking or phantom blocking everything in sight. Albany ran off the first 10 points of the quarter to make it 38-32, but then with 1:50 left in the quarter Hans finally got Shaker in the scoring column with a three, and it was only a three point game. Albany added another buzzer beater basket to end the quarter 40-35, but overall i was relieved. They had really weathered a storm there, and to only be down five was extremely fortunate.

Third quarter notes:

1) Summed up the bad parts of the year: The third quarter was a good representation of Shaker's trouble throughout the year. The turnovers were just killer. They literally couldn't get the ball up the court at one point. Their pressbreaking just wasn't up to par. I think they should have used Brad more at mid-court. He's such a big target and he passes well. Instead, they kept trying to move the ball up by having the guards pass it back and forth. And when they did break the press, they didn't punish Albany by going to the hoop with it. Instead, they slowed it down and got into their offense.

2) Brad's touches: And even in their offense, they took a whole lot of jumpshots. Brad only got the ball in the psot once in the 3rd, I think. And he missed a post move that he usual makes. It was that kind of quarter.

4th Quarter

A quarter of basketball I'll never forget. Never. Shaker opened the quarter on a 5-0 run to tie the game at 40. Brad simply took over the game, scoring Shaker's first 10 points of the 4th. He was unstoppable. It really made you wish they had just gotten him the ball every time down the floor in the 3rd quarter. Turnaround jumpers, drop steps, post moves, the whole package. When Brad tied the game at 40, he also went over 1,000 points on the season. They stopped the game to recognize him. The teams traded baskets to make it 42-42 with about 5 minutes to play, and then Albany ran off 7 straight to make it 49-42. During that stretch, two things happened: first, Erwyn gave Hans a hard elbow to the face, knocking him out of the game with what looked like a concussion. It sure looked like a cheap shot to me, but I didn't have the best view. Unreal. Second, Albany had a breakaway layup opportunity and tried a "pass off the backboard for a dunk," which they missed. If there is any justice in the world, Shaker would win this game. What a bunch of thugs and showboats Albany is. Brad answered with a basket and a foul shot, but Albany got a hoop and a foul shot too, and it was 51-45 with under 3 to play. Eddie hit a 3 from the corner to make it 51-48, but Albany got an easy basket to make it 53-48.

There was only a 1:20 to play, Hans was sitting on the end of the bench slumped over. And Albany had the ball. It did not look good. Shaker got a stop and Eddie got to the line for a 1-and-1 and calmly made both shots. 53-50, less than a minute to go. I thought Shaker might start fouling, but they just went to a press. At the other end of the court, Vernon got a great steal and got it to Hooks, who drove to the hoop and dished to Schaller for a layup. Yessssssss! I've never seen someone so nervous to take an open layup. But Schaller hit it, and the entire crowd was now on its feet. 40 seconds to go. Albany inbounded and got near halfcourt, but again Vernon got a steal and broke for the hoop. He made an amazing layup and easily could have got a foul call too, but holy shit the Bison are winning! Holy shit! It was truly the most improbable moment. Down 5 just 40 seconds earlier, the Bison had taken the lead without Albany ever getting a shot off. Oh my lord, they're going to win this game!!!!!!!!!!! Albany, to their credit, did not panic. They took a timeout and brought the ball down the court with about 25 seconds to play. I thought Shaker should use a couple of fouls (Albany wasn't in the bonus) whenever Albnay drove, but the Bison chose to stay home and play tough. Jamil Jordan then calmly drained a three pointer from the wing. Ughh. Great shot under pressure. 56-54 Albany, timeout Shaker. There were about 14 seconds to go. The Bison inbounded the ball, Albany pressing. They got it up the court and Schaller had it in the corner. He got it to Hooks at the wing who fired a pass into Brad in the post, and Brad hit an uncontested layup with 5 seconds to go. Yeaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The crowd went absolutely nuts. Albany got a timeout and actually got a good look at the hoop, but couldn't score. We're going to overtime.

4th quarter notes:

1) I can't believe it: I literally can't believe they are in this game. When they were down 53-48, I really thought the season was over. Just huge plays by Vernon. His steal and breakaway layup was probably the single most exciting moment of the season. It just was unbelieable that they had the lead.

2) The Hans sucker shot: I didn't have the best view of it, but it certainly looked like a cheap shot to me. Albany was coming down the court on offense, and Erwyn was late getting down the floor. He ran by Hans, put his elbow up, and all of sudden Hans was laying face down on the floor. Give me a break. That's thug basketball. Brad began arguing with the refs immediately after it happened, but to no avail. It really made it all the more dramatic that they came back. With Schaller at the point, you're not exactly going with experience. But Steve did a great job.

3) The backboard dunk: I would hate to coach Albany. They have so much talent on that team, but they do things sometimes that would just kill me as a coach. The breakaway layup that they pissed away trying to do an alley-oop jam was unreal. Maybe you excuse that in a regular season game up by 25, but in a playoff game that's tied? Give me a break. If Shaker had won, that would have been the play recurring in Albany's coach's nightmares all summer.

4) Brad on a mission : Brad simply would not be denied in the 4th quarter. He had 11 points and was simply a monster at both ends. I've seen him take over a game and carry Shaker on his back, but not like that. It was amazing.

Overtime

Just a wild four minutes. And enough what-if's to last a few years, at least for me. Albany got the first basket, but Brad immediately tied it with a post-move. It really looks like Albany has given up trying to guard Brad, it's that ridiculous. He's just scoring at will. The teams traded misses and turnovers for a few minutes. Then Albany missed and Schaller was fouled brining it up, putting him on the line for a 1-and-1 with 2:10 to go. He missed the front. Uggggh. I think I'm going to have a heart attack. Albany scored, but then Brad answered immediately with a lay in off a nice move. 60-60. Then ALbany missed, and Vernon was fouled with 1:09 to go, putting him on the line for a 1-and-1. Please, Vernon. Just make the first one. Please. He missed. Albany brought the ball up and missed a shot with about 50 seconds. Shaker came down and Brad scored again, another post move. Unstoppable. 62-60 Shaker, 40 seconds to go. C'mon, just one stop and make some foul shots!!!!! C'mon!!!! And they got the stop! Even better, they got numbers on a break. They got the ball to Griff charging to the hoop, and he dished off to Vernon for a layup. Vernon was, in my view - delirious as it was - clobbered trying to put it in, but no call, but Schaller got the rebound!!!!! But wait, there's a foul called on Vernon for going over the back on the board. Ugghhhhh. Still, they're up 2 with 20 seconds to go. Albany brings to ball up, doesn't get much of a look and misses a jumper. But wait, they called a foul on Schaller on the shot. Geez, that was the game right there. Marquis King gets to the line, about 8 seconds to go. He calmly made both foul shots, and he deserves a ton of credit for that. Huge high pressures situation. Shaker inbounds all the way to halfcourt, and Vernon brings it up the right side quickly. For a moment, Brad looks open in the lane, but Vernon doesn't pass it. Then somehow, Albany gets a steal on the wing and flings the ball back the other way. It looks like they are going to get a breakaway layup, but the kid pulls up near the three point line, thinking time is expiring. He fires with about 2.2 seconds to go, and misses. But he follows his shot and gets a tip right at the buzzer. And it counts. 64-62 Albany. Game over.

I was literally stunned. I looked around, and it definitely wasn't how it was supposed to end. Brad was laying face down on the court near the three point line. Griff was sitting at midcourt with his head in his hands, and Hans was still on the end of the bench - I'm not sure he even saw or knew what happened, his head was still in his hands the way it had been for the last half-hour.

It was so errily similar to the Maginn game, I can't tell you - Shaker up two, less than 30 seconds to play, lose on a steal and a breakaway to a kid who scored his only 2 points on the last play of the game. Just a horrible way to lose. I can't even describe it right now.

And I'm not sure I'm going to even try, until tomorrow. It's worth it's own essay, and I'll give it to you then when I've had more time to think about. It was just over so quick. It was just over so quick.

Here is the partial boxscore. Note that it's wrong, because it doesn't have Vernon or Schaller's missed 1-and-1's:

NameFGFTFTAFT %3-PtPoints
Eddie Cross12367%17
Vernon Cross100--02
Tom Duclos200--04
Pat Fallon000--00
John Hans022100%414
Brian Hooks100--15
Steve Schaller100--02
Brad Sheehan1244100%028
TOTAL188989%662


And here is the quarter log:


12345Total
Albany 141412168 64
Shaker1418321662

Today (2/27) in 1980: Shaker did not play. Next game is the sectional second round against Burnt Hills.

Sunday, February 26, 2006

I'm not sure what to write: Albany 64, Shaker 62 (OT). Ugh. I'm still in shock. It's going to take a long time to get over this one. In some ways, you don't ever get over a game like this - it's the end of an era, and I'll probably be wondering "what if" 30 years from now. I don't think I'll ever forget the highs (Vernon's steal and layup that capped an unreal rally) or lows (Brad laying face down on the court after it was over) of this game. I guess it hasn't even sunk in yet.

Still, one of the best high school hoops game I ever saw. If they had won, I would probably call it the best high school hoops game I ever saw. At multiple points, it seemed that each team was dead in the water: the Bison were down 53-48 with 1:30 to go, ahead 54-53 with 20 seconds to go, down 56-54 with 10 seconds to go, and up 62-60 with the ball at 25 seconds left in overtime. In each case, one of the teams made a great play. Albany just made the last one.

Sure, the reffing was crappy. And sure, it sucks to lose a game like this. And sure, I can second-guess more than a dozen things off the top of my head right now. But this was high school hoops at its finest. The 6th man was exhilerating. The gym was rockin'. And the players played their hearts out, on both teams. As my mom said on the way out - trying to console us - "that's why high school basketball will always draw huge crowds."

To which I responded, "Shut up hell up, mom. I don't want to hear it."

Full report tomorrow.

Nothing left to say: Today. 5:30pm. SUNY Albany RACC. Shaker vs. Albany. Be there. You have no excuse. Because it's either win or go to the movies on Monday.

I'll have a teaser game recap up tonight and a full report tomorrow AM.

Today (2/26) in 1980: Shaker played its first-round sectional game against Bishop Gibbons. The game was played at Shaker, the final game - win or lose - at home for the Bison, who had compiled a 23-0 record in the new gym over the previous two seasons. It wasn't expected to much of a game (Gibbons was 1-20 on the year) and it defintiely wasn't. The Bison led 43-20 at the half, and all the starters - except Perkins - left the game late in the 3rd quarter to a standing ovation, with the Bison comfortably ahead, 64-31.

The reason Perkins didn't leave is becase he was just one point shy of the Shaker single-game scoring record. On Shaker's first posession of the 4th quarter, Sam hit a short shot in the lane for his 41st and 42nd point, breaking Norm Frani's single-game high of 41, which was set in 1976. After the basket, Girmindl called a timeout and Sam walked off the H-gym new gym court for the last time in his high school career. It was a monster performance, a fitting ending to two years of domination in that gym - 42 ponts, 28 rebounds, and 9 blocks, all turned in in just over 3 quarters of play. Sam hit on 19 of the 25 shots he took aginst the undersized and overmatched Gibbons team.

The second stringers won the 4th quarter 16-10 and the game ended 80-41. Cain chipped in with 8, Tuecke had 6, and Dave laLiberte added 8.

In other first round sectional play around the league in 1980:

#8 Burnt Hills beat #9 Columbia
#5 Linton beat #12 Guilderland
#13 Troy upset #4 CCHS
#3 CBA beat #14 Colonie
#6 Albany beat #11 Shen
#7 Saratoga beat #10 Nisky
#2 Mont Pleasant beat #15 Maginn

That means the bracket looked like this for the second round:

Here's the partial boxscore from the Gibbons game:

Shaker (80) -- Perkins 19 4 42; Cain 3 2 8; Tuecke 3 0 6; Meehan 2 1 5; Brundige 1 0 2; Mitchell 0 2 2; LaLiberte 4 0 8; Howard 2 1 5; Barker 1 0 2. Totals 35 10 80.

Shaker 19 24 21 16 - 80
Gibbons 10 10 11 10 - 41

Record: 21-0 (1-0 playoffs)
Next '79-80 game: 2/29/1980, against Burnt Hills at Mechanicville High School.

Saturday, February 25, 2006

Sectional Preview, Quarterfinals: The real battle begins tomorrow afternoon at SUNY. Eight teams remain. Before we get to the game previews, a few notes:

1) Go to the game: I guarantee you that Albany High will have a large and loud fan base there tomorrow. Don't let them turn a netural-site match into a home game. Game time is 5:30 tomorrow. Probably won't start on time since they onl allow 1.5 hours for each game, but get there on time anyway. Worst case scneario is you have to watch the end of the CCHS-Maginn game. God forbid. In fact, my advice is to get there early enough to watch the entire Maginn-CCHS game. Or just nag your wife enough that you can do the entire quadruple-header. Also, don't just pick out any old seat at the RACC - find the Shaker section and sit in it - people tend to cheer much more loudly when they are congregated together.

2) One year ago: Shaker busted out of sectionals in this round last year, on this court, on a Sunday afternoon, to an inferior Troy team. The Bison led by as many as 9 points in the 4th quarter before Tiki Mayben lit up the gym for something like 15 points in th 4th. Very depressing. Even more depressing because right before the Troy surge started, I turned to SJC and said, "looks like they are going to win this one going away" or something like that. So don't do something idiotic like that this year.

Let's preview the games in order as they will happen tomorrow :

Nisky vs. Schenectady, 1:00
: Ok, I'm just going to come out and say it up front. I like Nisky to win this game. They impressed me in the Suburban Council Championship game. They had absolutely no problem with Amsterdam on Wednesday. And they play very well together. Grastorf, Halyako, and Ritter are all scoring threats, and they tend to move the ball around well and get open shots. If they shoot well, they can beat anyone. They've won 8 of their last 9, and they've done it playing well.

That said, the reason I'm picking them is because Schenectady looks pretty listless right now. In their last two games, they've gotten blown out by CBA and played a surprisingly close game with Bethlehem. They clearly have more talent than Niskyauna, but it's not always used well. Lyons is prone to foul trouble and silly turnovers. And they have lapses of selfishness. If Schenctady brigns their 'A' game, they win, perhaps easily. But ff they show up with anything less or undermestimate Nisky, they are in trouble. Call it a wild pick, but I get the feeling this is the game Schenectady self-destructs. Originally, I picked SHS, but after the 1st round, I don't trust them one bit. Nisky 61, Schenectady 54.

CBA vs. Columbia, 2:30: I tell you, the schedule for Sunday really turned out as poorly as possible for me. Here's my ranking of how much I care about seeing each game:

Shaker-Albany: I'll be there. period.
Nisky-SHS: I'd really, really like to see this game.
Maginn-CCCHS: A definite passing interest.
CBA-Columbia: Very, very little interest.

Thus, you can see the problem. The two games I really want to see are 5 hours apart. Given that SJC is not going to want to sit through all four games, my sense is that I'm going to end up either just going to the two late games, or I'll end up going to all four games, sitting through the first two alone. Anyway, I can't imagine Columbia even keeping this one close. Normally, when a team's top four scorers are outside gunners, you say that they can hang with anyone if they shoot well. But that was proven untrue back in December, when they shot the lights out of the H-gym new gym - Zampier had 41 points and 9 threes - and still couldn't stay with the Bison. I think he'd have to score 50 tomorrow to make this a game. CBA is just going to have a field day on offense, particular inside. It's just too mucha for Columbia to handle. Sure, CBA didn't look great on Wednesday, but it was senior night and they did start their bench seniors. CBA 71 Columbia 53.

3) CCHS vs. Maginn, 4:00: This is the only matchup of the day where the two teams have already faced each other this year. Early in January, Maginn won by two in overtime. Two weeks ago, Maginn blew out CCHS, although John Barna, CCHS's center, did not play. And that's important. He could be the key to this game. Maginn isn't a great inside team, and they are particular weak with rebounding. CCHS might be able to exploit this. Still, it's hard to pick against Taylor Battle - he's one scary opponent. In the month of February, he's gone for 33, 43, 36, and 33, and made 17 three pointers. Teams have beaten Maginn both ways this year - either by holding Battle in the low 20's or by shutting everyone else down. But I think he goes crazy tomorrow. I'll take Maginn, with Battle scoring 38 or more. Maginn 68, CCHS 51.

4) Shaker vs. Albany, 5:30: Most commenters over on the syracuse.com forums seem to think this will be the best game of the day. That might be true. Albany plays an unptempo game, has some very good, athletic guards, likes to press, and has a nice inside player in Erwyn. Shaker, well, I don't think we have to review Shaker's strengths here. We've done enough of that this year. These two teams actually met in a preseason scrimmage, and played a tight game there.

Seven keys for the Bison if they want to win tomorrow, probably none which will surprise you:

#1) Ballhandling: This is the main issue as I see it. Break the Albany pressure with a minimum of miscues, and the Bison win this game. That's easier send then done, of course.

#2) Rebounding: No cheap baskets. And plenty of cheap ones for us.

#3) Brad's touches: It'll be interesting to see how Albany tries to defend Brad. From what I understand, they are a man-to-man team, but most opponents have found little success with that this year against the Bison.

#4) Jumpshots: Shaker shot very well two weeks ago against Colonie, not as well against Nisky and Queensbury. That makes a huge difference in a game like this, especially if Albany is really going to push the tempo off missed baskets with long rebounds.

#5) Tempo: Shaker needs to play their game tomorrow, and not get into a running war with Albany. Patience on offense will be rewareded with baskets, I'm convinced Shaker can beat Albany consistently in the half-court set. But I'd prefer not to start a track meet with a team that is very athletic and uses presssure well.

#6) Guard defense: Despite all the attention Erwyn gets, Albany's top scorers are actually guards, and they hit a lot of threes. The Bison have had mixed results against good guard play this year, and on occasion they've been torched by it. Can't happen tomorrow.

#7) Fan support: Check out htis stat: if Shaker brings a serious crowd this year, they win. In the game where they brought a lackluster crowd against a good opponent - AP, Maginn, Nisky - they've lost. Might be a spurrious correlation, but I wouldn't take any chances. It's time for the 6th man, and for the Shaker adults, to roar.

I'm actually pretty confident right now. I think the Bison will come to play tomorrow, and I like the matchup. Shaker 66, Albany 56.

And here's the bracket if you are interested:

Hope to see you at the games tomorrow! Lets go Bi-son!!!!

Today (2/25) in 1980: Shaker did not play. The Bisons' next game is the first round of sectionals, 2/26/1980, against Bishop Gibbons. Click here for the 1980 Class AA bracket.

Friday, February 24, 2006

Stats attack, press passes, and dickie V: A few items of interest today, none particularly serious or pressing, but three things I found reasonably interesting.

First item of the day: Reader Kevin W. alerted me to some interesting statistics that he found by using the Times Union stats page:
A quick look at the TU stats page showed that [as of Tuesday] Shaker was dead last in AA in threes (45), and way ahead of anyone else in free throws (272, CBA is next with 241). If you look at the 3-pt leaders, most of the teams at the top (save for Maginn and Columbia) are bad teams, they get behind early and start jacking up threes to try to come back. But the free throw leaders are interesting. The three top FT teams - Shaker, CBA, Maginn - are all top teams, but after that it's a mix of good and bad teams. For example, Amsterdam is in the pack right behind Maginn with 225 (most of them from Czeski), while Schenectady has only 194 and Nisky is among the last teams with 164. Now that I've written all this, I guess there is really no point to this, but it's still interesting to think about.
Thank, Kevin. Well, here's one point: I knew Shaker was more of a power team than a shooting/finesse team, but I didn't know it was that skewed. First in free throws and last in three pointers? Very surprising. And look, it's not a bad thing: they have the best inside player in the section, so it makes sense. And as Kevin points out, a lot of the best three point teams are bad teams that fall behind. But it definitely has altered my view of this year's team a bit.

The main reason it's so shocking to me is that Shaker has averaged more than two threes per game this year. I don't have the stats, but I bet 45 threes is not dead last 15 years ago. High school hoops has simply followed college hoops and become a game where the three point shot is very,very important. I can remember games in the 90's where nobody on either team made a three. Sure, it wasn't often, but it happened. If Shaker is making two a game and is last in the section, it's not happening ever these days.

The free throw shooting also surprised me. Sure, Brad gets to the line a ton, but did you ever think Shaker was more of a power-type team than CBA? Consider how the Big 10 has such a "rough" reputation, it's surprising to me that any Suburban team is near the top. But hey, this is a good thing. Especially since we shoot foul shots pretty well.

If anyone has any other interpretations of these stats, let me know.

Second item of the day: Press row on Sunday. I got confirmation today that I can have a seat there (and at Glens Falls/Pepsi), which is cool because it's right on top of the court. And because I can go to all the remaining games for free. That just means more money for Twix. On the other hand, it's kind of lame. As I've said before, I'm not going to sit there the whole game like some dispassioned TU reporter, especially if they have some rule like "press row people can't cheer." But I was thinking about whether there are any creative uses I could make of my seat on the row that would either be helpful to the team, helpful to the Shaker fans at the game, or helpful to this blog. I thought of a few things:

1) Live-blog the game: the upside to this is that people not at the game could follow it virtually real-time. The downside is that I'd have to sit there with my laptop, basically reducing me to reporter who doesn't give a shit. Plus I don't know if they have internet.

2) Take lots of great pictures: Obviously, I'll do this if I can remember my camera.

3) Douse myself in blue paint and lead cheers: See, this is exactly what I would have done with this kind of access 10 years ago. Just make an absolute spectacle and hopefully pump the team and the fans up. Obviously, this is why they don't give press passes to the 6th man. Unfortunately, my maturity has probably moved me beyond this. At least for the quarterfinals. All bets are off for the sectional finals state tournament.

4) Scream at the TU writers on the row: I mean, come on fellas. Did anyone read the Times Union yesterday? They covered every single game from Wednesday night except the Shaker game. At least they had the boxcore on line. Oh wait, they f!@#$% that up too. And in the worst way possible: they denied Bodgan his hoop. Let the record show that I got four emails today about that mess-up. So yeah, I plan on saying my peace Sunday afternoon.

Anyway, that's what I came up with. I'll probably go down there for pre-game and then maybe a quarter or two, take pictures and see what it's like to be a real reporter. If anyone has any great ideas for manipulating my access into something cool, drop me an email. I'm open to all suggestions, serious journalistc ones and crazy fan stunts alike.

Third item of the day: My brother-in-law Pete '02 (who goes to college in Boston) and I had this email exchange yesterday. First, I get this email from him yesterday morning:
I was watching the GT vs. Duke game last night and Dicky V. mentioned something about GT's great recruiting class that included "a kid from New York, Sheehaaan (hard second a)". Pretty funny to hear Vitale mention a Shaker dude. Actually, I guess its pretty funny when he says anything.
How true. And not a bad mention for Brad, either. Maybe Vitale will start calling him a "diaper-dandy" next year. Pete's email also reminded me of when Perkins was at Carolina, only because my pops would go crazy every time he'd be on the foul line on TV and they'd show either "Shaker High" or "Latham, NY" next to his name. I mean, totally bonkers. It would literally make his day. And it wasn't just my dad. Everyone around town would go ga-ga to see it. It was like our whole town was on the foul line, not Sam. As a kid, I was totally into it, but looking back on it, it's actually pretty absurd. Then again, back in 1982 there was only like 1 college basketball game on TV each week, so I guess it was a bigger deal. Anyway, I responded to Pete with this email:
Shaker beat the crap out of Queensbury last night in the first round of sectionals. At the point the starters left the game (early 3rd quarter), it was 41-14.
To which Pete had this to say:
That's a pretty solid victory. We used to beat up on them pretty bad in the Shaker Invitational Tournament in soccer too. Good way to get some early season wins.
Let me translate that last email for you: "Sure, they won big. But everybody wins big over Queensbury, even Shaker soccer, which has historically sucked. So don't think this means they are going to steamroll through the rest of sectionals without giving you a heart attack along the way."

And hey - that's a good reminder. We need a good effort on Sunday. One win at a time. Because no one wants to go the movies on Monday.

Today (2/24) in 1980: Shaker did not play. The Bisons' next game is the first round of sectionals, 2/26/1980, against Bishop Gibbons. Click here for the 1980 Class AA bracket.

I've finally gotten around to working on the '79-80 team in earnest, beyond the daily recpas. To that end, I've updated the player profile that you can find in the FAQs. Here's the team photo:


From left to right: Chuck Meehan '80, Dave LaLiberte '80, Jim Brundige '80, Joe Barker '81, Mike Mitchell '80, Tim Cain '81, Sam Perkins '80, Brain Roche '80, Jeff Tuecke '81, John Brennan '81, George Roe '81, Jim Howard '80, Brian Warner '82.

Thursday, February 23, 2006

Sectional Recap, round 1: This post is going to be a little different than the usual recaps, because there's so much to talk about around Section 2. I'm going to keep the Shaker recap a bit shorter - because it was such a blowout last night - and spend some time discussing the other games and the implications for Sunday. That said, we'll still start with Shaker...

Executive Summary: Shaker 54, Queensbury 26. And it could have been a lot worse if Shaker didn't let up in the 2nd half. An absolute mismatch. I have know idea how Queensbury beat Troy last week. The Bison just completely overpowered them. It was 31-12 at the half, and the starters were pulled with 5:30 to go in the 3rd and the score 41-14. The second team cruised the rest of the way. It's hard to say how Shaker looked - the turnovers were way down and the rebounding was good, but against a team like Queensbury, it's just tough to tell. Final score: Shaker 54, Queensbury 26. TU box score here (it's wrong). Shaker improves to 17-4 overall (1-0 sectionals) lose and your out. Next game: Sunday, 2/26,, sectional 2nd round vs. Albany, 4th game of the quadruple header at UAlbany (5:30 scheduled start).

Full Report, The only blowout: Arrived at Shaker at 6:35 for the 7:00 start. Noticed a few things:

1) It's not going to be a big crowd: From what I hear, all around the tournament last night it was a small crowd - the combination of school vacation, midweek games, and quite a few mismatches on paper tends to do that (check out the bleachers at Albany High in this picture from last night.) Shaker was no exception - the adult section filled up to normal capacity, but the student section only ever got about 1/2 full. Throw in that the 6th man wasn't about to rub it in Queensbury face if Shaker got up a lot early, and it looked like a serene night. Plus, the cheerleaders weren't there.

2) Queensbury looks like a JV team: Watching Queensbury warm up, I knew it was over. They might be an AA school, but the kids on the team look like a Class C varsity, or a Class AA JV. They just look young, not big, and not strong. The roster says they have a kid who is 6'5", but I don't see anyone matching that description on the court.

3) I forgot my camera: I'm such an idiot. I forgot my camera again. That's three games in a row since I decided I should bring it. Stupid. Email any photos you have to me and I'll put them up.

4) Brad is hurt: Brad sprained his ankle on Sunday. It was wrapped halfway up his calf last night. Watching warmups, he looked a little tentative on it, but it didn't seem to affect him in the game. Which is nice because...

5) Brad closing in on 1,000: Brad needs 31 points to get to 1,000 for his high school career.

5) Caradori is announcing: And because the crowd is small and quiet, you can actually hear him pretty well. The 6th man started a "We want Elkin" chant, and Chris responded by accidentally making the mic feedback louder than it has all season. Hillarious.

1st Quarter

Shaker won the quarter 14-6, despite not shooting very well as a team. The exception was Brad, who was hitting everything in sight. He scored Shaker's first 8 points, Hooks added a jumper, Griff 2 fouls hosts, and Tommy Kahlne had a layup.

1st quarter notes:

1) Game over: Sometimes an 8-point lead is a close game, and sometimes it's over. This is over. The Bison didn't even play that well - lots of missesd open looks. On the other hand, they had very few turnovers and the Bison were getting every rebound - Queensbury was only getting one chance on offense. Too much talent, too much height, and too much team. Queensbury cannot stop Brad, period. A very pleasing result for the first round, especially compared to what happend arond the rest of the tournament (more on that later).

2) Quiet crowd: Everyone knows it's over. The 6th man is sitting down - there's not a whole lot of them and it would be impolite at this point to mock the Spartans. People are applauding politely, but this is going to be a golf match for the spectators.

3) Bison press: About halfway through the first, Shaker used a full court press. I liked that.


4) Deep bench: Holmes is using a very deep bench already - VC, Hooks, Schaller, Kahnle, and Fallon all saw action in the first quarter. I don't think the starters will be around much in the second half - especially Brad because of his ankle.

2nd Quarter

Shaker won the quarter 17-6 to take a 31-12 halftime lead. They looked pretty darn good, too, although if the shooting hadn't taken a vacation it could easily be 45-12. Griff opened the quarter with a hoop, Hans hit a three, Brad got an inside hoop, Vernon got a basket. 23-9. Queensbury got it to 23-12, and then the Bison ran off 8 points to close the quarter, on baskets by Vernon, EC, Brad, and Hans. Nice job. I headed down the bleachers for a Twix.

Second quarter notes:

1) Queensbury can't hit the ocean: They only get one shot each trip because of Shaker's rebounding dominance, and their shots aren't falling. They only have 5 baskets in the first half.

2) I like the Shaker defense: In particular, the guards are really hounding Queensbury. Hans is all over his man, and since Queensbury hasn't gone inside all game, it's really disrupting their offense.

3) I assume Brad is pretty much don: As are the rest of the starters. Brad has 12 at the half, so he'll probably have to wait till Sunday to get 1,000. His ankle didn't look like it bothered him very much.

Shaker's scoring looked like this at the break:

Brad 5 2 12
Griff 1 2 4
EC 1 0 2
VC 2 0 4
Hans 2 0 5 (1 three)
Hooks 1 0 2
Kahnle 1 0 2

Total 13 4 31 (1 three pointer)

Halftime notes:

1)Youth 6th man: Sitting behind me tonight is not the usual junior high 6th man, but instead what looks to be a 3rd-grade 6th man. The rountine they've come up with is to reverse the Shaker score and then act accordingly. They began at the half by yelling to each other that Shaker is only up 13-12 (reversing the 31). They kept this up for the remainder of the game. Ahhh, 3rd graders.

2) SJC shows up: My wife was helping my sister with something, so she didn't get over to Shaker until the half (I know, I know, why wasn't my sister '99 at the game? I tried to get her to come. I think she's coming Sunday). She took one look at the score, asked if Brad was playing, and then announced, "you haven't been stuffing yourself on candy, have you?" because we hadn't eaten dinner. Bill Hooks had given me two Twix just moments before, but I had luckily not opened them. I showed SJC the unopened Twix, and scored some praise for that. Yeahhhh!

3rd Quarter

The starters began the quater, immeidately went on a 9-2 run, and then were promplty removed for the rest of the game with about 4:50 to go in the quarter. Eddie and Brad did all of the scoring on the run. Duclos added a foul shot before leaving. Queensbury then "ran off" 4 points and Hooks closed the quarter with a nice three. Shaker won the quarter 13-6 and took a 44-18 lead into the 4th.

Third quarter notes:

1) It's so relaxing to watch a blowout: This is really what I needed on the opening night of sectionals. Laying back in the bleachers and enjoying the game, I surmise that elsewhere around Section 2 there are top seeds having a tougher time (turns out I was right) and that makes me smile.

2) Quick, quick game: The refs are calling fouls, but the action is moving along at a fast pace - there aren't that many out of bounds or other clock stoppages. We'll be home by 8:30.

4th Quarter

Serious 2nd team time. Marv would certainly call it garbage time. Hooks made a hoop, Kahnle made a hoop, Schaller hit a three, and Bodgan hit a three. And then, Holmes got Haris Fazlani in for his first minutes of the season, and then got JV call-up John Weinheimer in for some time too. This generated the biggest roars from the crowd, and the team tried to get them shots, but neither was able to connect on a basket. Queensbury ran off the last 4 points and the game ended 54-26.

4th quarter notes:

1) 2nd team nervousness: I feel like the 2nd team looked a little nervous or out of sync last night. They played fine overall, but they didn't look like they were playing with a lot of confidence last night on offense. That's weird, because they usual do look confident, particularly individually when they are playing with the starters. On the other hand...

2) Some real good moments: First, Hooks is the exception to the above comment - he looks very confident right now. Both of his shots in the second half were identical - catch the ball on the wing, square to the hoop, and knock it down. Tommy Kahnle looks good too - very strong and all business. Fallon had a huge block as well.

3) Comic relief: With about a minute to go, the funniest play of the season occurred. The Bison had the ball on offense and a rebound came off toward the corner near the Bison bench. Someone went to save it (I think it was Bodgan) but couldn't quite get it in time and ended up passing it toward the Shaker bench, right to Griff, who happened to be standing up in front of his seat. Without missing a beat, Griff caught the ball and threw a quick pass to Fallon in the post, generating huge laughs from the bench, the crowd, Holmes, and even the refs. It kinda summed up the lighthearted nature of the 4th quarter and the relaxing aspect of the victory.

Here is the partial boxscore:

NameFGFTFTAFT %3-PtPoints
Eddie Cross222100%06
Vernon Cross200--04
Tom Duclos01250%01
John Hans100--15
Brian Hooks200--17
Thomas Kahnle200--04
Griff McLoughlin122100%04
Steve Schaller000--26
Brad Sheehan73475%017
TOTAL1781080%454

And here is the quarter log:


1234Total
Queensbury 6668 26
Shaker1417131054


Note that the boxscore is incorrect. They gave Bodgan's three to Schaller, and they don't have Fallon's missed foul shots. Otherwise, I think it's ok. And geez, that's some nice balanced scoring, eh?

A few things to sum up:

1) Blowouts are nice: As you'll see below, Shaker had one of the only blowouts of the night last night. That's a good thing...

2) A good effort: It was very hard to judge how well they played because Queensbury just wasn't up for much of a fight last night. But overall, I thought the effort was good, definitely better than against Nisky in the Suburban tournament.

2) On to the big time: No more H-gym new gym and no more games that are blowouts on paper. Starting Sunday, it's a war. But more on this below...

Final score: Shaker 54, Queensbury 26. TU box score here (it's wrong). Shaker improves to 17-4 lose and your out. Next game: Sunday, 2/26,, sectional 2nd round vs. Albany, 4th game of the quadruple header at UAlbany (5:30 scheduled start).

SECTIONAL 1st ROUND WRAP-UP

Here are the scores and TU summaries from last night (higher seed in caps):

SHAKER over Queensbury, 54-26
ALBANY over Shen, 75-52
NISKY over Amsterdam, 67-43
SCHENECTADY over Bethlehem, 73-61
Catholic central over COLONIE, 65-59, OT
MAGINN over Ballston Spa, 66-62, OT
COLUMBIA over Lasalle, 63-62
CBA over Guilderland, 59-49

A few points:

1) The night of the almost-upsets: It really could have been a bloodbath last night. Bethlehem hung tough with Schenectday, Guilderland was beating CBA at the half, Maginn needed a furious 4th quarter rally to catch B. Spa in overtime. Only Nisky, Albany, and Shaker played comfortable games, which is a reminder as to how easy it can be to lose in sectionals.

2) The Suburban holds its own: The Big 10 won 5 of the 8 game, which is about what I expected and predicted. And it was certainly a better showing than many people had thought, especially since some people were predicting 7 wins for the Big 10. In fact, if the two overtime games go the other way, the Suburban wins 5 of 8 games. It's probably still true that the Big 10 is a better conference at the top, but it's hardly clear anymore that the Big 10 is better top to bottom. It looks to me like the conferences are pretty evenly matched.

3) Results for predictions: I got six of eight correct from my predictions earlier this week. I got Columbia wrong and Colonie wrong. I should never have picked Colonie to get to the final four - I was just shaky on Maginn (I still am). But I'm still surprised CCHS beat them last night. The Columbia-Lasalle game, as I've said, could have gone either way. Where I was really wrong was in not believing that B. Spa could give Maginn a game. That surprised me quite a bit. Other people probably did better with their brackets, although the closeness of a lot of the games means that no one could have been that far off in their predictions.

All of this means that the bracket now looks like this:

Don't let anyone tell you that those aren't four good games, either. It's possilbe that any of them could be blowouts, but except for the CBA game I wouldn't be shocked about any results. In fact, I think there's a pretty darn good chance Nisky is going to beat Schenectady on Sunday. I'm really excited about that game. I'll have my quarterfinal preview up on Saturday, and I'll dissect each of the matchups.

My gut predictions right now are: Shaker, Nisky, Maginn, CBA. I reserve the right to revise them by Saturday.

Today (2/23) in 1980: Shaker did not play. The Bisons' next game is the first round of sectionals, 2/26/1980, against Bishop Gibbons. Click here for the 1980 Class AA bracket.

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

Bison roll: Shaker 54, Queensbury 26. Never even close. The starters exited for good midway through the 3rd, at 41-14. Queensbury just didn't have much of a fight in them. Brad showed up with a sprained ankle, heavily taped, but played well, scoring 17 in basically a half worth of playing time. The crowd was lackluster. Next up: the winner of Shen/Albany, Sunday at 5:30 at Ualbany. Full game report tomorrrow AM.

UPDATE (9:15): Other games... Schenectady beats Bethlehem (73-61)... Nisky over Amsterdam (63-47), Maginn over B. Spa in overtime (don't know score)... Columbia over Lasalle (63-60)... CCHS beast Colonie in overtime (65-59)...CBA beat Guilderland 59-49...Albany beat Shen 75-62...so it looks like this on Sunday:

1:00 Nisky vs. Schenectady
2:30 CBA vs. Columbia
4:00 Maginn vs. CCHS
5:30 Shaker vs. Albany

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