College Sports

Stillwater native and UAlbany Baseball head coach Jon Mueller announced the Great Danes' 2022 season schedule. The 48-game slate features 18 games at Varsity Field and 30 games on the road. In typical Coach Mueller fashion, UAlbany will open with one of the toughest baseball programs in the country, the Georgia Bulldogs. Georgia plays in collegiate baseball's #1 conference the SEC.

The Albany Cup is returning and it should be. Siena College and the University at Albany officially announced the return of the premier Capital Region men's basketball series at a joint press conference Tuesday at 677 Prime in downtown Albany. Both athletic directors have confirmed for months on The Drive with Charlie & Dan that they were working towards an agreement. The three-year deal tips off at the newly renamed MVP Arena next season.

The Great Danes and the Saints haven't met in men's basketball since 2017, when UAlbany won a thriller 74-69 at the former Times Union Center. The year prior, a sellout crowd shook the SEFCU Arena as the two teams matched up on the UAlbany campus for the first time since the 1970's. Now, after a four year hiatus, the match up is back.

Each day, we watch the NBA and NHL shuffle another season of games. Canadian franchises are now playing in front of empty arenas. How will these stoppages effect the high schools and colleges in upstate New York? Will the expected surge of positive COVID 19 test results shut down games to fans or even worse cancel games?

It has been a bad decade in New York sports. The New York Giants Super Bowl victory in 2011 is the last major championship in the Big Apple. I say that all changes in 2022! Let's look into our 104.5 The Team crystal ball and see what happens in the New Year!

Jim Boeheim and his Syracuse Orange have struggled out of the gate this year. Losses to Colgate, VCU and Georgetown certainly have not been highlights on their road to a 5-5 record to start the season. A legitimate COVID outbreak has forced the program to be put 'on pause' since December 11th. With their 2nd game of ACC schedule just ahead, the Orange were in danger of possibly forfeiting conference games. Syracuse defeated Florida State 63-60 in Tallahassee on December 4th in there only ACC match-up so far.

UAlbany, who has won 3 out of their last 4 games, raced out to 24-7 lead over the Mountain Hawks and never looked back. Dre Perry led the Great Danes scoring attack with 18 points, while blocking 3 shots and snatching 2 steals on the defensive side. Freshman Justin Neely was a monster on the glass, grabbing 14 boards while adding 11 points of his own.

Assists are coming to organizations across the country from the NBA Foundation. The foundation is a non-profit organization established and initially funded by all 30 NBA teams. According to their website, nbafoundation.nba.com, "the Foundation is focused on driving economic opportunity and empowerment in the Black community." This month the foundation dished out its fourth round of grants. This distribution included 38 grants totaling $11 million dollars. One of those grants ended up at a small college just down the Taconic Parkway from the Capital Region.

Head Coach Dwayne Killings and the Great Danes men's basketball team are still getting to know one another. The media guide clearly states that 16 of the 22 players, coaches and staff are new to the program. More often than not, the cohesion that enables them to win college basketball games takes time for the players and the coaches to develop. Monday night in Chestnut Hill in Boston, the UAlbany Great Danes took a huge step in that process.

Monday night the UAlbany Great Danes continue their lesson plan under Coach Killings. Their non-conference schedule is a bear. Killings is aware but sees the benefits. "Monday presents a tremendous opportunity to compete against an ACC opponent on the road. As we continue our journey through this season, I am excited to see the growth of our program and players against a tough and versatile Boston College team" said Killings.

I laugh when people say that 'the Capital Region is a bad sports town.' Really? When people say that I sometimes feel that they are trying to find something wrong with everything. If you feel like I do, it's time to look at the facts. This is actually a pretty good sports 'town.'

For decades, student-athletes that were competing for the United States Military Academies had to complete their active duty military service time before they could pursue their professional athletic careers. Some famous ones over the past few decades have been NBA Hall of Famer David Robinson, former New York Giants wide receiver Phil McConkey as well as Dallas Cowboys legendary quarterback, Roger Staubach. McConkey spent 5 years as a Navy helicopter pilot before he put the shoulder pads back on. Well, a new New York Jets player may have helped change that situation.