Campus Watch

by Amy Moritz
@amymoritz

St. Bonaventure's leading scorer will not return for her senior season. Doris Ortega along with guards CeCe Dixon and Tatiana Wilson were dismissed from the Bona women's basketball team.

"Obviously we wish them well," Bona coach Jim Crowley said. "It just didn't work here."

Crowley said all three have been granted their release and play at any school they wish. He also added about the departure, "I wouldn't say it was mutual."

Ortega started 27 games for the Bonnies last year, averaging 12.1 points. Dixon played in 24 games, missing five after being suspended for what was called an "internal team issue." The Bonnies seemed to be fighting through internal issues and chemistry problems at times last season. Combine that with a young team and several injuries and the program that went to the Sweet 16 in 2012 finished up 2013 with a 10-19 overall record and a 3-11 Atlantic 10 mark.

Wilson, who would have been a junior at Bona, averaged 9.1 minutes and saw action in 26 games.

Ortega and Dixon had been key components of the Bonnies run in 2012 as sophomores but seemed to stumble as juniors with the ability to take their game and leadership to the next level.

With their departures, Bona now returns just eight players -- two seniors and six sophomores -- with two freshman on the roster for next season.

Among those returning are seniors Ashly Zahn and Chelsea Bowker, who sat out last year as a medical redshirt with an ankle injury.

Among the sophomores returning are Katie Healy (Lancaster), Nyla Rueter and Emily Michael, all of whom saw significant playing time as freshmen.

Crowley said the team has responded very well to the loss of their teammates.

"From the time it happened, they have focused on moving forward," Crowley said. "We've gotten some great work ethic and leadership from people. They've had a solid spring and summer. We lost talent. Over the last two years we've lost a lot of it, but we have good talent here. We're getting used to each other, to playing together and for each other. Each day we're a day closer."

 

   UB athletic officials say that former Bulls wide receiver Saron Hood died today, reportedly following a workout. Hood, who caught four passes for the 2011 UB team and was mostly used on special teams, had been attending graduate school at Texas A&M. He was a native of San Diego.

 

by Amy Moritz
@amymoritz

Mike Kitts, a Sryacuse native who is regarded as one of the top officials in college basketball for the last 30 years, will be taking over the task of managing referees for the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

Kitts will officiate this next season and in the 2014-15 season will take over as Coordinator of Men's Basketball Officials for the MAAC. He will take over for Brad Tracy, who has been in the position since the 1990-91 season and is retiring after this season.

In 2008, Kitts was the Naismith Award winner, given annually to the nation's top referee. He has officiated 14 of the last 15 MAAC men's championship games.

Kitts has officiated the MAAC’s championship game in 14 of the last 15 tournaments, and in 2008, was the recipient of the Naismith Award, given annually to the nation’s top referee.

In a sit-down interview for the MAAC website (see below), Kitts said that a good referee has judgement, common sense and rule knowledge.

 

By BOB DICESARE

UB linebacker Khalil Mack, widely projected as no worse than a third-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, has been named a third-team All-American by Phil Steele's College Football Preview. Mack is one of five Mid-American Conference players cited.

Kent State RB Dri Archer is first team on special teams, while Toledo WR Bernard Reedy and Northern Illinois QB Jordan Lynch are second team on special teams. The only other non-special teams player honored from the MAC was Kent State DL Roosevelt Nix, a member of the fourth-team defense.

Lyncn and Archer were identified as "all-purpose" players.

Ohio State, UB's opponent in this year's opener, put LBs Ryan Shazier and Bradley Roby on the first team defense and QB Braxton Miller on the second team offense. Baylor, UB's Week Two opponent, has a first-teamer in OG Cyril Richardson and a third-teamer in RB Lache Seastrunk.

On the baseball front, Collegiate Baseball newspaper's Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American team includes two Bulls, reliever Ben Hertz and 3B/DH Tyler Mautner. Mautner batted .295 with 23 doubles and 35 RBIs. Hartz had six wins and a 2.01 ERA (UB's lowest since 2000). 

by Amy Moritz
@amymoritz

After four years playing soccer for Syracuse, Jenna Rickan is choosing to use all of her NCAA eligibility. And she's returning home to do it.

Rickan, a former standout at Kenmore West, joined the University at Buffalo women's basketball team for the 2013-14 season.

Since Rickan graduated from Syracuse as a psychology major in four years, the NCAA rules allow her to use her fifth year of eligibility to play another sport for another school. She will begin graduate school at UB in the fall while playing for the Bulls.

As a forward for Syracuse, she was part of turning around the Syracuse women's soccer program. Her freshman season the Orange went just 5-11-3. This past season, the team went 9-7-2 with Rickan scoring two goals with six assists.

Her experience of creating a winning culture will fit right in at UB as the 5-9 guard joins a Buffalo team that surged late in the season under first-year coach Felisha Legette-Jack. The Bulls finished just 12-20 overall but went 8-8 in Mid-American Conference play earning a first-round home playoff game for the first time since 2007. They nearly upset third-seeded Akron in the MAC quarterfinals before the Zips pulled off the 83-79 win.

At Kenmore West, she became the first player to pass 1,000-points and was a first-team All-Western New York selection.

 

Watch other segments from this week's "Bucky & Sully Show" here.

By Bob DiCesare

We showed you the first pictures of UB's ongoing floor resurfacing -- including the New York State image at center court -- last week. Now the athletic department has released a rendering of how things will look when the job is complete. As we first reported in early April, AD Danny White plans to emphasize the "New York State" aspect of the university in an effort to grow public awareness and alumni affinity.

By Rodney McKissic

The Niagara University women’s basketball team will enter next season minus three major contributors.

Starters Lauren Gatto and Kayla Stroman reserve Shy Britton will not return to the team, Niagara athletic department spokesman Derick Thornton confirmed on Tuesday.

Gatto and Stroman both received their degrees this month while Britton was dismissed from the team for a violation of the school’s student athlete’s code of conduct.

The 6-foot-2 Gatto will be difficult to replace. The Illinois-Chicago transfer led the team in scoring (14.0), rebounding (6.2) and field-goal percentage (49.0 percent). She graduated with a master’s degree in business management and had a year of eligibility remaining.

Stroman, who also earned a business management degree, was a fixture at point guard in her three-plus seasons at Niagara. She started all 31 games as a freshman before her sophomore season was cut short by a knee injury. Stroman, who had one season of eligibility remaining, started the next 63 games of her career, including 31 last season when she averaged 6.6 points and a team-high 4.0 assists.

Britton saw action in 30 games last season and started five while averaging 6.5 points and 3.2 rebounds.  

Photo courtesy MAAC

MONDAY UPDATE: Canisius is heading to North Carolina, where it will face the No. 1 overall seed Tar Heels.

By Keith McShea

The Canisius College baseball team achieved program firsts Sunday afternoon when it won the program's Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championship to also earn its first trip to the NCAA Tournament. 

They did it in walk-off style, but it sure was not your typical game-winning situation.

Junior Jose Torralba was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning to give Canisius a 12-11 victory over Siena before 517 at Arm & Hammer Stadium in Trenton, N.J.

"Getting hit with that pitch," Torralba said, "never felt better." 

By winning the MAAC championship, Canisius earns a trip to the NCAA Division I baseball tournament. See here for the conference-by-conference list of automatic bids.

Canisius will learn which of 16 NCAA regional sites it will head to at noon Monday, when the NCAA baseball selection show is aired on ESPNU. In the 64-team tournament, four teams are placed at each regional, and double-elimination tournament determines which teams advance to the Super Regional round.

"This is truly a very resilient group," said ninth-year Canisius coach McRae. "They’ve been through their ups and downs all season. With this group of guys and the way our season's gone, there couldn’t have been a better ending.

"It's overwhelming. It's a ton of emotions rolled into one. To think ... of how bad the program was when we inheritied it to take it where it is today, I couldn't be happier for everybody: from the first recruiting class to the guys who are here right now. It's an awesome experience for everybody." 

By Keith McShea

Canisius High school graduate Jeff White was named the Most Outstanding Player of Sunday's NCAA Division II championship game has he had 13 saves to help Le Moyne to a 11-10 victory over Mercyhurst. 

The Dolphins, ranked third in the nation, won their last 10 games of the season to claim the program's fourth national title, the last over top-ranked Mercyhurst University at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field.

White played every game for Le Moyne, with his 18-2 record matching the team's.

By Keith McShea

Amherst grad Ashley Fields, a sophomore on the Baylor track and field team, will compete in the NCAA Championships in two events after qualifying during Saturday's final day of the NCAA West preliminary meet at the University of Texas' Mike A. Myers Stadium. 

Fields earned a trip in the 200 meters and as part of the Bears' 4x400 relay team.

Fields scored a personal-best time of 23.27 in taking second in her heat of the 200. She was in a close race with six runners as she turned down the homestretch, but used a strong final kick to finish second. Overall, her time was fourth-best on the day.

By BOB DICESARE

Think of Penn State University and you probably think of the system’s flagship school in State College, Pa., not Penn State-Behrend or Penn State-Altoona.

Think of Ohio State University and surely the location that comes to mind is Columbus, not the satellites in Lima, Mansfield or Newark.

But when people outside of Buffalo think of the State University of New York, who knows what they’re thinking? Are we talking Binghamton? Albany? Stony Brook? Or any of the other schools that comprise the SUNY system?

The absence of a a clear-cut flagship entity and the opportunity to lay claim to being "The" State University of New York has been the motivation behind a movement within the University at Buffalo athletic department first reported on The Buffalo News “Campus Watch” blog in early April.

By Keith McShea

Andrew Wagner, an Iroquois High grad and junior defenseman at Mercyhurst, was named a Divsion II All-American for the second straight season. The team was announced Monday by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association.

The 6-3 Wagner was the Lakers' top defenseman, recording 25 ground balls and 11 caused turnovers while defending the opposition's top attackman each week. 

Last season Wagner received the William C. Schmeisser Award as Division II's Most Outstanding Defender.

Wagner and Mercyhurst will play in Sunday's Division II championship game against Le Moyne at 1 p.m. at Philadelphia's Franklin Field.

Wagner is one of many Western New York natives on the rosters of the teams participating in the national championship games this weekend in Philadelphia.

By Rodney McKissic

Canisius gained some much needed help in their backcourt with the addition of former Stetson guard Chris Perez.

The 6-foot-3, 210-pound Perez, who also played one season at Liberty, has already graduated from Stetson and will be eligible to play immediately. He has one season of eligibility remaining.

Perez is expected to fill the void created by the graduation of Isaac Sosa, the Golden Griffins' third-leading scorer behind Billy Baron and Harold Washington at 11.6 points a game.

Canisius not only loses both Sosa and Washington but reserve guards Alshwan Hymes and Reggie Groves, who had one season of eligibility remaining but has graduated and will not return to the team.

Also not returning are a pair of freshmen: Guard Jermaine Johnson, who will transfer to a junior college, and forward Tyrel Edwards who is seeking to attend an NAIA school.

In 31 games including 30 starts, Perez was Stetson's second-leading scorer at 15.1 points. He shot 48.6 percent from the floor overall and 31.1 percent from 3-point range. He also averaged 4.1 rebounds and led the team in steals with 35.

by Amy Moritz
@amymoritz

Buffalo State today announced the hiring of Candice Moxley as its women's hockey coach. Moxley was a former standout for the Niagara program, playing from 2001-05 and was a member of the Purple Eagles Frozen Four team her freshman year. At Niagara, she played in 135 games scoring 34 goals with 78 points. 

Most recently, Moxley spent the last three seasons as an assistant at Ohio State under Nate Handrahan, a former player and coach at Niagara.

Her coaching experience includes serving one season as head coach at Trinity College School in Port Hope, Ontario and two years as an assistant at Robert Morris where she also worked with Handrahan.

Moxley takes over a Buffalo State program which went just 6-18-1 this season as a member of ECAC D-III West. The Bengals have not had a winning season since 2000-01 when the team went 11-4-1 as a Division III independent.

Since Niagara eliminated its women's hockey program, Buffalo State is the only Western New York college to sponsor a varsity women's hockey program.

 

photo courtesy Buffalo State Athletics

By BOB DICESARE

The mass exodus from the Niagara basketball program continued over the weekend as freshman forward TJ Cline tweeted that he's landed at Richmond of the Atlantic 10. That came on the heels of the anticipated news that all-MAAC guard Juan'ya Green and his lifelong friend and Niagara teammate Ameen Tanksley both are joining former Purple Eagles coach Joe Mihalich at Hofstra. They will sit out next season and be eligible in 2014-15.

By Rodney McKissic

The mass exedous from Niagara in the wake of Joe Mihalich's departure continues with freshman T.J. Cline giving a verbal commitment to attend Richmond according to a source.

Cline, the son of Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman, visited Charlotte last week and informed the 49ers staff on Saturday that he would attend Richmond. The 6-foot-8, 220-pound Cline was named to the MAAC All-Rookie Team after averaging 7.9 points and 4.6 rebounds in 33 games. He also led the Purple Eagles in 3-point shooting percentage with 33.6 percent.

Cline must sit out the 2013-14 season per NCAA transfer rules, but will have three seasons of eligibility remaining. The news comes just days after Juan'ya Green and Ameen Tanksley joined Mihalich at Hofstra.

by Amy Moritz
@amymoritz

Carsen Chubak decided to forgo his senior season at Niagara as the goaltender signed an American Hockey League contract with the Adirondack Phantoms, the top affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers.

Chubak was the Atlantic Hockey Player of the Year and was a Top 10 Hobey Baker finalist. He led Niagara to the program's fourth NCAA tournament appearance and first Atlantic Hockey regular season title. This season he went 23-7-5 with a 1.91 goals against average and a .930 save percentage.

"We are happy for Carsen and wish him well with his professional endeavors," Niagara coach Dave Burkholder said in a release from the school. "The Phantoms are getting a very dedicated and focused individual."

The Phantoms went 31-38-7 in their fourth year in the AHL.

photo from www.purpleeagles.com

By BOB DICESARE

Niagara coach Chris Casey has landed his first recruit as he strives to stablize a Niagara basketball program that continues to be hit by defections.

Niagara has signed Karonn Davis,  6-2 combo guard from Friends Central near Philly, but sources say the Purple Eagles are losing senior-to-be Malcolm Lemmons, who has elected to transfer. Lemmons, a reserve guard, joins All-MAAC guard Juan'ya Green and rebounding leader Ameen Tanksley on the transfer wagon that's crowding since coach Joe Mihalich was announced as the new head coach at Hofstra. Sources say Green and Tanksley are preparing to visit Hofstra, which was not forbidden when they were granted their transfers by the Purple Eagles.

Could another defection be forthcoming?

By Bob DiCesare

St. Bonaventure basketball picked up its third recruit in the last 10 days today when 6-4 JUCO guard Andell Cumberbatch signed a national letter of intent. Cumberbatch, a native of East Orange, N.J., averaged 14.2 points and 8.2 rebounds last season.

"We're really impressed with the progression and improvement Andell has made in just one year," Bona coach Bona Mark Schmidt said in a university release. "He's a hard worker and his dedication and commitment has clearly yielded results. He's a great shooter who also crashes the glass hard, which is a rare combination we're looking to take advantage of right away."

The Bonnies also recently landed Xavier Smith, a 6-7 forward from Plano, Texas, and Denzell Gregg, another 6-7 forward, out of Syracuse. Both are high school recruits.

 

By Bob DiCesare

Justin Moss, a 6-foot-7 forward, has signed with UB out of Indian Hills Community College and is expected to step right in and play according to Bulls coach Bobby Hurley.

"Justin is going to be a great addtion to the program," Hurley said in a news release. "I'm confident that he will be an immediate contributor next year."

By Bob DiCesare

When coach Joe Mihalich left Niagara for Hofstra last month Purple Eagle fans could take comfort in the wealth of talent he was leaving behind.

It’s time to get uncomfortable.

All-conference guard Juan’ya Green and rebounding leader Ameen Tanksley have been granted transfer requests and are leaving the university, athletic department spokesman Derick Thornton confirmed today. The two sophomores are Philadelphia natives and lifelong friends.

Steven Means, a former defensive end at the University at Buffalo taken by Tampa Bay in the fifth round of the NFL draft, talks about growing up playing football in Buffalo:

By Rodney McKissic

Rutgers transfer Eli Carter just Tweeted he has narrowed his choices to Maryland and Florida. It was reported earlier this week that UB and new coach Bobby Hurley were among a host of schools in the hunt for the Scarlet Knights' leading scorer from a year ago. The 6-foot-2 guard averaged 14.9 points last season.

Carter played at St. Anthony’s in Jersey City with Hall of Famer Bob Hurley, Sr. which put UB in the mix. Bobby Hurley also hired former St. Anthony’s assistant Eric Harrield at UB.

 

---UB is believed to be in the mix for former Rutgers guard Eli Carter, who is transferring from the school.The 6-foot-2 guard averaged 14.9 points last season and was the Scarlet Knight's leading scorer.

The irony of Carter possibly playing in Western New York won’t be lost on St. Bonaventure coach Mark Schmidt.

Carter committed to the Bonnies in October, 2009 and later signed with the school, only to ask out of his letter of intent in May of the following year. Carter developed into a high-major player during his senior season at St. Anthony’s in Jersey City like his coach, Hall of Famer Bob Hurley, Sr., said he would and decided to attend Brewster Academy (N.H.). Carter signed with Rutgers in April, 2011.

Obviously in the Bulls’ favor is that Hurley’s son, Bobby, is coaching at UB, but he also hired former St. Anthony’s assistant Eric Harrield.

Working against UB is that others are in pursuit of the high-scoring guard including Florida and Duke. Florida assistant Rashon Burno played for Hurley at St. Anthony’s while Carter’s best friend, Cleveland Cavs guard Kyrie Irving, played at Duke.

---Rodney McKissic

Niagara University staged a welcoming event for new basketball coach Chris Casey, who paid tribute to Joe Mihalich and shared his excitement about the university's program.

---St. Bonaventure announced the signing of Denzel Gregg, a 6-foot-7 forward from Syracuse, who played his last two seasons at St. Thomas More Prep School in Connecticut.

Gregg helped St. Thomas to a 24-8 record and a spot in the National Prep School Tournament semifinals this past season. Gregg averaged 12 points and six rebounds a game for a balanced team that featured 10 players who received college scholarships.

“We’re most excited about Denzel's tremendous upside,” Schmidt said in a statement released by the school about the 17-year-old Gregg. “He's a long, athletic forward whose versatility will allow him to guard multiple positions at the defensive end and create mismatches on the offensive side of the ball.”

ESPN College Basketball analysts graded Gregg as one the top-125 class of 2013 forwards in the nation, and the New England Basketball Recruiting Report ranked him as the No. 22 overall prospect in his class.

An ESPN analyst had the following to say about the 195-pound senior:

“Gregg is an explosive athlete with incredible leaping ability. He's as quick off his feet as he is high above the rim, a terrific lob catcher and the type of finisher who can instantly change the momentum of a game.”

Gregg is St. Bonaventure’s first commitment this year.

---Rodney McKissic

by Amy Moritz

The University at Buffalo athletics department is dealing with the death of track and field athlete Brian Archie. The senior was found unresponsive at his apartment late last night. Police do not suspect foul play.

Archie was a standout at Niagara Falls High School. He won the long jump at the indoor state championships becoming the first male state champion in Niagara Falls school history. In 2009, he finished third in the long jump and eighth in the 100 meters at the state outdoor meet while winning Section VI titles in the long and triple jumps.

Last year with the Bulls, he placed sixth in the long jump at the Mid-American Conference Indoor Championships and was ninth in the event at the Outdoor Championships.

 

Niagara named Chris Casey its new men’s basketball coach Monday, ending a 12-day search to replace Joe Mihalich, who departed for Hofstra after 15 seasons.

Casey spent the last three seasons at Long Island University Post, where he took the Pioneers to two Division II NCAA Tournaments in 2012 and 2013, finishing with a 62-25 record.  In 2011-12, Casey was named East Coast Conference coach of the year and the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association Division II coach of the year.

This season, LIU Post finished with an 18-9 record and finished tied for second in the conference with a 13-5 ECC record, which was a determining factor Niagara, which returns its core group after claiming the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference regular season championship.

All of Niagara’s players attended Monday’s press conference to announce Casey’s hiring and Casey has three scholarships to fill. The Purple Eagles last NCAA appearance was in 2007.

---Rodney McKissic

--UB didn't have any live special teams play during Saturday's annual Blue & White Game but senior Branden Oliver, the Bulls top tailback, fielded punts.

The 5-foot-8, 202-pound Oliver will field punts next season in part to jump start the return game, but also to enhance his pro prospects. No returns took place and all punts were fair-caught as Oliver and Devin Campbell took turns fielding punts for both teams.

A windy, cold afternoon at UB Stadium was a good time to break Oliver in as a returner. In the second quarter Oliver, the Blue team tailback, fumbled a punt as part of the White team, giving the Blue team great field position and eventually led to the first touchdown of the game.

"It wasn't on purpose and I didn't know it was going to happen like that," Oliver said, laughing. "To the tell you the truth, I have to get used to the wind up here, this is my first year doing it so I have to get used to that."

Kicker Patrick Clarke connected on 2 of 3 field goals. After missing a 41-yarder in teh second quarter, he was good from 20 and 28 yards in the fourth. Punter Tyler Grassman, who punted for both teams, averaged 42.6 yards on 14 punts, including a game-long 60-yarder. Brian Orzechowski, a junior from Lockport, punted three times for an average of 39.5 yards.

---The defense showed flashes of what could potentially be one of the best defenses in the Mid-American Conference.

The Blue team, which featured most of the first team starting offense, led 7-0 at the half and to just 320 yards of total offense for the game. For Khalil Mack, one of the leaders on the White team, it wasn't good enough.

"I can't say that I'm happy, you can't be satisfied playing this game and you always want to get better," said Mack, who finished with three tackles, a forced fumble and a hurry. "There are certain things that we can improve on but we did a solid job as a group."

White safety Adam Redden (St. Francis) led both teams in tackles with 6.5 and a tackle for a loss, while linemen Dalton Barksdale and Max Perisse paced the Blue team with four tackles. Linebacker John Aubel finished with two sacks and Beau Bachtelle one. Aubel, Bachtelle, Redden, Khalil Mack, Jake Stockman and Kendal Patterson each had tackles for losses. White team was credited with four breakups while Blue recorded three.
"They really came out with something to prove and I really enjoyed watching the way they handled themselves on the field," Quinn said. "They pursued to the ball very well and wrapped up well. I was really pleased with that side of the football in the first half.

---Sophomore Tony Daniel and redshirt freshman Collin Michael will battled it out for the third spot at quarterback behind Joe Licata and Alex Zordich and both struggled on Saturday.

Daniel was 3 of 12 for 22 yards while Michael was 2 of 6 for 17 yards. Both were sacked twice.

---Quinn said the team will forgo the rotating captain system in favor of returning to four captains for the 2013 season. The players will determined before the start of the season. The captains on Saturday for the Blue team were Oliver, Fred Lee, Jasen Carlsen and Alex Neutz and for the White were Mack, Colby Wa, Beau Bachtelle and Najja Johnson.

---Way, a senior defensive end, was named the 1958 Lambert Cup Team Scholarship Award winner at Saturday morning's Champions Breakfast. ... Alex Dennison, Andre Davis, Jake Pickett, John Kling, Ron Willoughby, Albert McCoy and James Potts all sat out the spring game because of injuries. ... Players report for training camp Aug. 4 and open the season at Ohio State Aug. 31.

---Rodney McKissic