University at Albany opens its basketball season Monday at Syracuse, but although spirits were high at today's annual media day, head coach Will Brown admitted that his team will be extremely short in the point-guard department early on.
Mike Johnson, the regular starter, was suspended by Brown for the first two games of the season because of a disorderly conduct incident last summer. He's been the best player in practice so far. That leaves backup point guards Michael Black and Derrek Tartt, both from Chicago, as the next guys in line. But both Black and Tartt are injured. Black has tendonitis in a knee, and Tartt has a lower-back injury that will require an MRI.
If both Black and Tartt can't play, Brown will have to use junior guard Tim Ambrose and Louis Barraza at the point. Both are really two-guards. Ambrose was the team's leading scorer last year at better than 14 points per game, and the Danes need plenty of offense from him again this year. Barraza is a three-point specialist. Both have worked out at the point, just in case.
Brown expects to use Ambrose, Johnson and 6-5 senior Will Harris (12.9 ppg, 6.5 rpg) in the normal starting lineup, along with 6-11 senior center Brett Gifford (2.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg). A number of players could earn that last starting spot, including the likes of 6-6 Billy Allen and the 6-5 Barraza, who are mainly perimeter shooters. Scotty McRae, a 6-8 versatile athlete, will also be in the mix, along with redshirt freshmen Logan Aronhalt and Jake Lindfors. Brown likes the hustle of 6-9 freshman Blake Metcalf.
Black and Tartt will play a lot when healthy. We'll have to see where guys like 6-5 freshman Ralph Watts and 6-7 freshman Gavin Glanton, the program's first recruit from Arkansas, fit in, along with 6-8 forward Fran Urli, from Croatia. Urli averaged 10.2 points and 7.1 rebounds at Panola College in Texas.
John Puck (6-10) and Jacob Iati, the younger brother of former UAlbany three-point specialist Jon Iati, are expected to redshirt.
Meanwhile, the UAlbany women will open Nov. 13. The Danes lost a couple of starters who left the team in Janae Aikin and Britney McGee. Head coach Trina Patterson will use a youth movement to replace them. The Great Danes have the best recruiting class in the America East Conference, and that includes 6-2 center Kiana Williams.
