SUNY Potdam

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Men End Season With a Victory

2.20.10

POTSDAM, NY- Anthony Williams, Jr. (Brentwood/Upper Room Christian) fought off visiting Geneseo 68-66 on Saturday afternoon at Jerry Welsh Gymnasium in the Bears' season finale.

Williams, Jr scored 18 points, grabbed six rebounds, and dished out six assists in his final game as a Bear.  Ben Walker (New Smyra Beach, FL/North Country CC) had 13 points.

Kyle Stevens led Geneseo with 26 points.

Both teams were close in the first half but a 23-8 Knight run spanning over 13 minutes gave them a nine point lead at 2:07.  Geneseo went into halftime up 38-31.

Geneseo would have the lead to start the second half, but the Bears would go on a 16-6 run and go up by three at 8:37.  The Knights would regain the lead briefly and the score would be tied four times until they would go ahead by one at 1:25.  Eddie Cross would then find Williams, Jr at the top of the key and he nailed the three-point basket to give the Bears the two point advantage.  The Knights had a chance to win the game with the final shot but Ethan Estabrooks' three-point attempt fell short and the Bears came away with the victory.

Potsdam concludes its season with a final record of 5-20 (4-14 in SUNYAC).

Bears Hold On to Defeat Brockport

2.19.10

POTSDAM, NY- Eddie Cross (Loudonville/Shaker) hit a three with four seconds left in the game and Anthony Williams Jr. (Brentwood/Upper Room Christian) sank a clutch free throw as the men's basketball team withstood a furious Brockport rally to win 78-76 on Friday night at Jerry Welsh Gymnasium.

Curtis Pierce (Brooklyn/George Westinghouse) led the Bears with 18 points and nine rebounds.  Cross had 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting with all of his baskets coming from beyond the three-point arc.  Williams, Jr had 12 points and six rebounds.

Brandon Williams (Rochester/Wilson) led the Golden Eagles with 11 points.

The Bears slowly built up a lead in the first half.  Potsdam had a 30-20 lead at 8:52 and pushed its lead to 16 at 3:54.  At halftime it was 46-31 Potsdam and the Bears were poised to take control of the game.  The Bears' big lead was in part to its three-point shooting which was a hot 87.5%.

Brockport would come back as they stormed out to a big 23-3 run to start the second half and go ahead 55-51 at 12:47.  The Bears took back the lead and went up by four at 8:53.  The Golden Eagles again would come back and were up 74-68 with 3:33 remaining in the game.  Potsdam would not let the game get away as they went on a 9-0 which culminated in Cross' big three with four seconds left.  A foul on Ben Walker put the Golden Eagles to the line and they made both free throws to get to within two.  A Brockport foul put Williams Jr to the line and he made one of two free throws with just over one second left as the Bears held on in the end for the victory.

Potsdam shot over 58% from the field in the game and was a blistering 83.3% from beyond the three-point arc.  Brockport shot just under 51% from the field but was only 33.3% in three-point attempts.

The Bears conclude their season tomorrow afternoon at 4 pm against Geneseo.

Balanced Team Effort Leads Men over New Paltz

01.29.10

POTSDAM, NY- The SUNY Potsdam men's basketball team got a balanced team effort as they powered their way past visiting New Paltz 71-52 on Friday night. The Bears' record is now 3-13 (2-8 in SUNYAC).

Curtis Pierce (Brooklyn/George Westinghouse) led the Bears and all scorers with 17 points and also grabbed eight rebounds.  Anthony Williams Jr. (Brentwood/Upper Room Christian) had 16 points and five rebounds, Eddie Cross (Loudonville/Shaker) had 13 points including making all three of his three-point attempts, and Ben Walker (New Smyrna Beach, FL/North Country CC) had 10 points for the Bears. 

Shereef Taylor and Jayquan Anderson led the Hawks with 10 points each.

The Bears trailed early in the game and the score was tied at 16 all with 8:28 to play.  A 18-5 Potsdam run, however, would give them a 13 point lead going into halftime.

It was all Potsdam in the second half as the Bears never trailed and increased their lead.  Potsdam shot over 76% from the floor in the second half and 70% for the game. The Hawks shot nearly 47% for the game and only 23% from beyond the three-point arc. New Paltz committed 18 personal fouls compared to the Bears eight.

The Bears return to action tomorrow afternoon as they host Oneonta at 4 pm.

Men Defeat Cortland

01.16.10

POTSDAM, NY- The SUNY Potsdam men's basketball team made two key layups in the final 1:26 and converted two free throws in the final seconds as they defeated visiting Cortland 63-60 on Saturday afternoon at Jerry Welsh Gymnasium.  The win snapped a eight game losing streak for Potsdam.

Three Bears scored in double figures led by Curtis Pierce (Brooklyn/George Westinghouse) who had 19 points on 9-for-12 shooting and also grabbed eight rebounds.  Olando Minott (Bronx/Samuel Gompers) chipped in 16 points and six rebounds and Ben Walker (New Smyrna Beach/North Country CC) had 11 points.

Paul Oliver led Cortland with 11 points.

The Bears came out fast in the first half as they went on a 12-4 run to start the game.  Cortland would soon catch up and go up by one with 9:57 left in the half.  Both teams traded baskets and the Bears would build a lead up to five at the 5:01 point of the game.  The Red Dragons would again come back and score the last three baskets of the first half to take a 32-28 lead going into halftime.

Potsdam would keep the game close as Cortland's biggest lead was 41-34 with 14:19 to play.  The Bears would regain the lead and following a three-pointer from Minott they had a 52-48 with 8:36 left.  The Red Dragons again came back and had a three point lead at 5:45.  Pierce made a layup with 1:46 to play and another layup by Eddie Cross (Loudonville/Shaker) 20 seconds later gave the Bears the one point lead.  Anthony Williams Jr. (Brentwood/Upper Room Christian) added another layup to put Potsdam up by three with 30 seconds left to play.  Cortland would convert their own layup to get to within one but Minott sank two critical free throws with nine seconds left to give the Bears a three point lead. Cortland shot a desperation three point attempt with time expiring that missed the mark and ensured the Potsdam victory.

The Bears head on the road next Friday to take on Geneseo at 8 pm.

Men Hit Century Mark in Dominating Win Over Canton

12.01.09

POTSDAM, NY- Five Bears scored in double figures as the SUNY Potsdam men's basketball team dominated SUNY Canton 104-62 in their home opener on Tuesday night. It is the first time the team has reached 100 points since scoring 112 against Paul Smith's in 2003.

Leading the way for the Bears was Anthony Williams, Jr (Brentwood, NY/Upper Room Christian Academy) who had 20 points on 8-for-10 shooting to go along with six rebounds.  Curtis Pierce (Brooklyn, NY/George Westinghouse) had 18 points on 8-for-11 shooting and picked up nine rebounds.  Ben Walker (New Smyrna Beach, FL/North Country CC) and Edward Cross (Loudonville/Shaker) both had 14 points each and Skip Schwartz (Pittsford, NY/Pittsford Mendon) had 10 points.

Jajuan Williams scored 14 points to lead Canton.

The Bears sprinted out to a 23-8 lead in the first half.  Potsdam held a 52-35 lead at halftime.

Potsdam continued to pound the ball down the lane in the second half and Canton could not stop the offensive surge.  The Bears shot 57.5 % from the field and 66.7 % from behind the three-point arc in the game.

The Bears begin SUNYAC play on Friday as they go on the road to take on Oneonta at 8 pm.

Men's Basketball 2009-10 Season Preview

11.13.09
Head coach Sherry Dobbs Jr. begins his seventh season (94-72 career record) at Potsdam facing a tough rebuilding task with the loss of six seniors to graduation including All Conference selections Damon Brown and Alvin Dike.  Dobbs is hoping to transition this year's team to a fast up-tempo style to counter a lack of interior size and take advantage of his clubs' speed and athleticism.
 

Senior Anthony Williams Jr. (Brentwood, NY/Upper Room Christian) and junior Eddie Cross (Hudson,NY/Shaker HS) lead seven returning players to the Potsdam roster. Williams started 27 games and averaged 6.5 ppg and 3.3 rpg from 2006-2008 and has the most game experience on the roster. Williams has the ability to play inside and outside and Dobbs is looking to him for senior leadership. Cross saw spot duty the last two seasons behind a wealth of experienced backcourt talent, but Dobbs expects Cross to have a breakout season.

Sophomore center Tom Kelso (Ogdensburg/Ogdensburg Free Academy) showed much promise during his first year in the program averaging 7.6 ppg and 6.2 rpg.  Dobbs notes that Kelso is the only experienced post player in the program, so he will have to provide inside scoring and rebounding while trying to stay out of foul trouble.

Potsdam's remaining returnees include sophomore guards Olando Minott (Bronx/Samuel Gompers), Eric "Skip" Schwartz (Pittsford, NY/Pittsford-Mendon), Marco Diaz (Bronx/Samuel Gompers), and Derek Denteh (Queens/Martin VanBuren). Minott had flashes of brilliance in his first season at Potsdam, starting 9 contests and averaging 3.9 ppg. Schwartz is a three-point specialist (19-51 for 37% in 2009) who will move into a regular role this season.  Diaz excels as a defensive stopper while Denteh provides quality depth at both guard positions.

Sophomore forward Mitch Howe (Fayetteville/Jamesville-DeWitt) joins the Bears after a medical redshirt last season.  Howe was a regular on the J-D's state Federation champions in 2007-08 and is being counted on to provide solid minutes in the post.  Sophomore guard Wesley Francisco (WashingtonHeights/Humanities) also joins the squad.

Dobbs' incoming class includes junior transfer Ben Walker (New Smyrna Beach, FL), who was an all-Region III selection in 2007-08 at North Country CC where he averaged 17 ppg, and first year recruits Joshua Lambert (Brooklyn/East NY Transit Tech), and Curtis Pierce (Brooklyn/George Westinghouse), both Class A All State Selections from the tough PSAL.  Walker is an athletic combo guard who excels defensively and in the transition game.  Lambert is an exciting point guard, who has an explosive burst to the hoop, and Pierce is a versatile athlete who can play all five positions.

Sharpshooter Jordan McAllister (Cornwall ONT/St. Joseph's Catholic), who averaged 25 ppg as one of the top prep players in Eastern Canada, and Cody Clary (Massena, NY/Massena), who led the Raiders to the overall Section X title, round out the incoming class.  Both are expected to see playing time in the Bears up-tempo style.

The Bears begin their season this Sunday when they travel to Utica College to meet the Pioneers in a 4:00 p.m. contest.

Alvin Dike Earns Chancellor's Award

04.15.09

(POTSDAM,NY) Senior Alvin Dike of Bronx was recently honored with the very prestigious Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence for demonstrating outstanding achievement as a student in the State University of New York System.

Dike, a biology major and a starting guard on the men's basketball team, was honored by SUNY Officer-in-Charge Dr. John J. O'Connor on April 7 in Albany and received a framed certificate and a medallion that may be worn at Commencement. (MORE)