Division III Men's Basketball: Limiting turnovers key for Union

PHOTOGRAPHER: Bob Weiner

Last weekend’s scrimmage with Siena College was an excellent teaching aid for Union College head basketball coach Bob Montana.

“What happens when you turn the ball over against a team like

Siena that can really finish showed our players how important it is to take care of the basketball,” said Montana, whose team finished

9-15 overall and 5-9 in the Liberty League last season.

“It was definitely a disappointing year for us. We’re usually very competitive in this league. There was a stretch when we went to postseason in seven out of eight seasons.”

A good part of Union’s troubles resulted from injuries.

“We’ve got to keep our guys healthy,” Montana said. “Last year, 11 of our 13 guys were hurt at some point in the season. We only had our full team together for a couple of days on Nov. 26 and Nov. 27. Then we didn’t have the full team together again until Feb. 5-6.

“The good thing is that our kids didn’t quit. We won five of our last seven games, including victories over the teams that were on the top of the standings. I think that can carry over for us this year, because we have quite a few players back.”

Montana expects his starting lineup to include Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake graduate Steve Madej

(10 points per game), who is a

6-foot-1 guard, 6-4 forward Drew Desmarais (14 ppg), 6-2 wing Joe Lokitis, 6-5 foward Matt Covucci and 6-1 point guard Drew Goldstein. Key reserves will be forwards Rusmir Dzako and Nick Ciresi.

“Our goals are to take better care of the ball and to shoot the ball well. If we can do that, we’ll compete,” said Montana.

“Our seniors were part of our very successful team four years ago, and they don’t want to see our program falter on their watch.”

SCHEDULE

NOVEMBER

22 — vs. Framingham State in Babson Tournament; 23 — vs. Babson or Salve Regina in Babson Tournament; 25 — at Lehman.

DECEMBER

2 — at Southern Vermont; 4 — SUNYIT, 8; 6 — MIDDLEBURY, 4; 9 — WESTERN NEW ENGLAND, 7.

JANUARY

2 — Sig Makofski Tournament, 8; 3 —

Sig Makofski Tournament; 7 — EASTERN CONNECTICUT, 7; 13 — at Skidmore, 8; 16 —

CLARKSON, 8; 17 — ST. LAWRENCE, 4;

23 — at Hamilton, 8; 24 — at Hobart, 4; 30 —

VASSAR, 4.

FEBRUARY

3 — SKIDMORE, 8; 6 — at St. Lawrence, 8; 7 — at Clarkson, 4; 13 — at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 8; 14 — at Vassar, 4; 20 — HOBART, 8; 21 — HAMILTON, 4.

Home games in CAPS.

RPI

Veteran head coach Mike Griffin returns to lead the Red Hawks, who were 6-8 in the Liberty League and 11-14 overall.

Sam Simmons, a 6-4 senior forward, was one of the top players in the league a year ago. He scored 16.7 points and grabbed 8.3 rebounds per game. Other top veterans include 6-2 sophomore guard Jeremy Bull (6.7 ppg) and 6-3 junior forward Tim Rupp (6.0 ppg).

Local players on the roster include 6-2 sophomore guard Mike Hammond (Shenendehowa) and 6-2 sophomore guard Travis Jones (Columbia).

SCHEDULE

NOVEMBER

19 — at Mount Saint Mary, 7; 22 — vs. Milwaukee School of Engineering in All-

Engineers Clasic, 6; 23 — vs. MIT or Rose Hulman in All-Engineers Classic, 3; 30 — at Paul Smith’s, 2.

DECEMBER

2 — at College of St. Joseph (Vt.), 8; 4 — SOUTHERN VERMONT, 6; 6 — WENTWORTH INSTITUTE, 3; 30 — at Middlebury.

JANUARY

2 — vs. Kean University in Purple & Gold Invitational, 6; 3 —vs. Williams or CCNY in Purple & Gold Invitational; 11 — COLLEGE OF ST. JOSEPH (VT), 2; 16 — at Hobart, 8;

17 — at Hamilton, 4; 20 — at Vassar, 8;

23 — ST. LAWRENCE, 8; 24 — CLARKSON, 4; 30 — at Skidmore, 8; 31 — at Union, 4.

FEBRUARY

6 — HAMILTON, 8; 7 — HOBART, 4;

13 — UNION, 8; 14 — SKIDMORE, 4; 17 — VASSAR, 8; 20 — at Clarkson, 8; 21 — ST. LAWRENCE, 4.

Home games in CAPS.

SUNY-COBLESKILL

The Fighting Tigers, who are playing their first season at the NCAA Division III level after moving up from the NJCAA ranks, also hired a new coach in former Lehigh University associate head coach Matt Allen, who replaces longtime head coach Kevin McCarthy.

Allen, whose team will play its first six games on the road, only has one returning player from a year ago in Devon Williams (1.1 ppg), but Jason Taylor, a shooting guard who was an all-conference player two years ago, is back. Taylor scored 14.3 points per game in the 2006-07

season.

Two Section II products will be on the roster in 6-4 Kevin Mitchell of Hadley-Luzerne and 6-5 Josh McMillen of Granville.

SCHEDULE

NOVEMBER

Saturday — at SUNY-Oneonta, 2; 18 — at Medaille College, 7; 22 — at SUNY-Fredonia, 7; 30 — at Cazenovia, 3.

DECEMBER

6 — at Hartwick, 2; 8 — at New England College; 10 — ALBANY PHARMACY, 7;

13 — KEUKA, 1; 14 — at Lyndon State, 2.

JANUARY

11 — at Penn State Berks, 3; 14 — at SUNY-Institute of Technology, 8; 17 —17 —CAZENOVIA, 3; 23 — PENN STATE HARRISBURG, 7; 31 — at D’Youville, 3.

FEBRUARY

6 — at Rochester Institute of Technology, 7; 8 — PENN STATE BERKS, 3;

11 — D’YOUVILLE, 7; 15 — at Penn State Harrisburg, 3; 18 — SUNY IT, 8; 21 — at Keuka, 3.

Home games in CAPS.

SKIDMORE

The Thoroughbreds struggled both in the Liberty League (1-13) and overall (6-19), but three of their top four scorers return for head coach Luke Flockerzi.

Jon Douglas, a 6-7 junior forward, averaged 11.9 points per game in 24 starts, while Jeff Altimar, a

6-0 sophomore guard, topped the team at 12.6 ppg. Bobby Langford, a 6-7 forward/center, averaged 7.6 points.

SCHEDULE

NOVEMBER

21 — vs. New York Tech in Ken Wright Memorial Invitational; 22 — in Ken Wright Memorial Invitational; 25 — SOUTHERN VERMONT, 7; 29 — vs. Lyoming in Rochester Holiday Classic, 6; 30 — vs. Elmira in Rochester Holiday Classic, 1.

DECEMBER

2 — HARTWICK, 8; 6 — CASTLETON STATE, 2; 9 —PAUL SMITH’S, 7.

JANUARY

2 — vs. Connecticut College in Washington & Lee Tournament; 3 — in Washington & Lee Tournament; 10 — at Middlebury, 4; 13 — UNION, 8; 16 — ST. LAWRENCE, 8;

17 — CLARKSON, 4; 23 — at Hobart, 8;

24 — at Hamilton; RPI, 8; VASSAR, 4.

FEBRUARY

at Union, 8; 6 — at Clarkson, 8; 7 — at St. Lawrence, 4; 13 — at Vassar, 8; 14 — at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 4; 20 — HAMILTON, 8; 21 — HOBART, 4.

Home games in CAPS.