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BASKETBALL
ISSUE VOL. 64 NO. 35
COVER DESIGN BY JENNA BOWER & COVER PHOTOS BY CHAD COOPER
basketball issue
Mackenzie Loesing and Shannon Evans to lead UB men’s and women’s teams
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The Spectrum breaks down this season’s men’s and women’s basketball rosters
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Rachael Gregory returns for the Bulls after nearly two full years away from the sport
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The Hurley system
Friday, November 14, 2014
Hurley looks to transform Buffalo’s overall game
JORDAN GROSSMAN
ASST. SPORTS EDITOR
Men’s basketball head coach Bobby Hurley always considered himself a “hardnosed, gritty player” on the basketball court. He would be the first person to dive for a loose ball and always looked to create a great shot rather than a good shot. He would bloody and bruise his 6-foot-2 frame by jumping into the front row of fans just to keep a ball in play. He would be the first person to express his emotion in front of sold out crowds of screaming basketball fans after a charismatic play. Hurley, a legendary point guard for Duke University, was an essential part of Duke’s team from 1989-93 and multiple national championships. He is still the all-time NCAA leader in assists (1,076) and still holds many individual Duke records. He learned the game under coach Mike Krzyzewski and his father, Bob Hurley Sr. – two of the most revered minds in basketball. Now in his second year as a head coach, Hurley plans to use his experiences to teach an unpolished Buffalo team how to succeed the way he did as a player. He wants a fastpaced offense and has assembled athletic playmakers to do so. This is now Hurley’s team. The Bulls’ roster features five freshmen and two transfers. Hurley recruited all but four players. Each player was carefully chosen to serve a different purpose for the team. “Every team you look at, you build a style of play around your players,” Hurley said. “Last year, I knew we were very good defensively. I knew offensively, especially in the half court, we would throw the ball inside to Javon [McCrea].” McCrea, a forward, is Buffalo’s all-time leading scorer and his graduation was a loss to the Bulls’ offense. But his absence allows Hurley to fully implement his fast-paced offense in which guards are the centerpieces. Hurley said the team will often have two point guards on the floor at one time this season. Sophomore Shannon Evans and freshman Lamonte Bearden will handle the responsibility of running the offense the most. “As long as we rebound, I have complete confidence in [Bearden] and Evans to create plays out on the court for us,” Hurley said. Hurley and Evans share similar traits. They are both emotional players that feed off of energy and are both great ball handlers and shooters. Evans will be given the freedom to showcase his ‘Hollywood’ persona and talent to create winning plays. He will be crafted to be ‘Hurley’s point guard.’
Men’s basketball head coach Bobby Hurley will focus on a fast-paced style of play this season and use his past experience as a player to better the Bulls. CHAD COOPER, THE SPECTRUM
“Shannon’s decision-making is improving every day,” Hurley said. “He has a better understanding of how to play the game. Physically, his skills are getting better and better. His ability to get in the lane because of his quickness can hurt you in a number of ways on offense.” The guards are not the only players that will factor into the fast-paced style of play. Senior forward Will Regan is big man but will be integral to Hurley’s offense. Unlike McCrea, Regan is also a threat from beyond the arc – he shot 36.8 percent from threepoint range last season. “[Regan] is going to benefit with our guards being playmakers,” Hurley said. “He will outhustle his opponent on the offensive glass and will beat his man down the court on defense. He has the capability of scoring in multiple different ways.” Hurley lauded junior forward Raheem Johnson, saying he is one of the most mobile big men in the conference. He will also give significant minutes to junior forward Justin Moss.
“Offensively, [Moss] is stepping away from the basket and making shots, then would drive into the lane with his size and make an easy basket,” Hurley said. “There are more minutes available with Javon gone, so he’ll have his opportunity.” According to Hurley, Moss had one of the best preseasons of anyone on the team. He and Regan may not bring the same production of McCrea to the team, but they will further Hurley’s fast-paced vision. Hurley’s guards will mostly be relied on to set the offense and create plays, but some will also be asked to play a more physical role. Junior guard Jarryn Skeete is a versatile player in Hurley’s system because he can play both guard and forward. “I’m asking a lot from Jarryn because he will be asked to guard bigger players in the post and do things that guards would not usually do,” Hurley said. “But he’s up to the challenge.” As a player, Hurley wasn’t one of the most physically intimidating players on the court. It was his hustle and dedication that
made him one of the all-time college greats. He expects the same of his players. It’s easy to write off the Bulls this season. They are projected to finish fourth in the MAC East and the team replaced star seniors with inexperienced freshmen. Hurley is still figuring out his starting five. But the team trusts Hurley and his system. The Bulls may not be the biggest or best team in the conference, but Hurley hopes they’ll be the scrappiest. He wants them to dive for loose balls and excite the crowd, like he did 20 years ago. “I always like my teams to embrace a blue-collar look,” Hurley said. “They have it. I want people to see us play and feel we outwork every team that plays against us. That means getting loose balls, taking charges and playing with great energy on the floor.” email: sports@ubspectrum.com
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Editorial Board EDITOR IN CHIEF
Sara DiNatale
MANAGING EDITOR
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OPINION Spectrum season predictions: men's and women's basketball As the men’s and women’s basketball teams prepare for their 2014-15 campaigns to get underway, The Spectrum’s sports staff gives its prediction for each team’s record, breakout player and Mid-American Conference Tournament finish. Men’s basketball predictions Record: 15-16, 9-9 MAC It’s going to be hard for this year’s squad to match the success of last season’s MAC East regular season title and 19 wins. The Bulls graduated three starters – Javon McCrea, Joshua Freelove and Jarod Oldham. McCrea averaged 18.5 points, 9.9 rebounds per game and won MAC Player of the Year. Freelove was second on the team in scoring (13.5 points) and Oldham averaged 8.5 points and a team-leading 5.3 assists per game. This is a lot of production to replace.
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The views expressed – both written and graphic – in the Feedback, Opinion and Perspectives sections of The Spectrum do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial board. Submit contributions for these pages to The Spectrum office at Suite 132 Student Union or news@ubspectrum.com. The Spectrum reserves the right to edit these pieces for style and length. If a letter is not meant for publication, please mark it as such. All submissions must include the author’s name, daytime phone number, and email address. The Spectrum is represented for national advertising by MediaMate. For information on adverstising with The Spectrum, visit www.ubspectrum.com/advertising or call us directly at (716) 645-2452. The Spectrum offices are located in 132 Student Union, UB North Campus, Buffalo, NY 14260-2100
Breakout player: Lamonte Bearden, freshman guard There are a lot of possible breakout players for this season.
Women’s team has a golden opportunity – will they seize it?
OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR
Fiday, November 14, 2014 Volume 64 Number 35 Circulation 7,000
Although this is head coach Bobby Hurley’s second season in Buffalo, it’s the first year almost all the players are Hurley’s. Only two players on the roster were not brought to Buffalo by Hurley, and seven of the Bulls’ 12 players didn’t play for Buffalo last season. The Bulls do return senior forward Will Regan, a preseason All-MAC selection, and sophomore guard Shannon Evans, a First-Team All Freshman player last season. But there may be a tougher learning curve for this year’s team than the 2013-14 roster. We predict the Bulls will go 6-7 in nonconference play and 9-9 in MAC competition – resulting in the fourth-best record in the MAC East.
Find the light
Professional Staff
THE SPECTRUM
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OWEN O’BRIEN
MANAGING EDITOR
Championship or bust. Did you ever think these three words would describe a Buffalo women’s basketball season? I sure didn’t. But hey, aren’t these the three words you want to hear about the teams you affiliate with? Let’s begin with a little history lesson. Before Felisha LegetteJack took over as Buffalo’s head coach, the Bulls won just 17 conference games in the previous four seasons. They’ve won 18 MAC contests in the past two years. Wow. This isn’t the kind of turnaround you expect from a new head coach – or at least most
head coaches. But Legette-Jack has proven she’s different. She brought Hofstra from a nine-win team to an NIT berth in four seasons. Then, she went on to coach at Indiana (the home of college basketball, if you ask me.) But Indiana fired Legette-Jack after six seasons. Three months later, she became Athletic Director Danny White’s first hire at UB. And the coach doesn’t forget the opportunity White gave her, thanking him as often as she possibly can. But it should be White thanking Legette-Jack. She has made an irrelevant program into a preseason MAC East favorite in three seasons. Buffalo received eight of 12 votes to win the MAC East in this season’s coaches poll. It’s the first time the Buffalo’s women’s squad has been picked to win its division. What Legette-Jack has done in her first two seasons is nothing short of phenomenal. Buffalo won just nine total games and four conference games the season before her hire. And now, it’s time for the Bulls to take another step. As junior guard Mackenzie Loesing said, “we were predicted to win the MAC East and that
Hurley era truly begins
TOM DINKI
SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR
Let’s face it: Last season was the men’s basketball team’s best shot to win a Mid-American Conference Championship. The Bulls had all-time leading scorer Javon McCrea. It had one of the best defenders in the conference in Jarod Oldham. It had Josh Freelove – a great threat from beyond the arc. Now, all of those players are gone. And all Buffalo has to show for it is a MAC East regular season title before it was upset by Eastern Michigan in the quarterfinal of last year’s tournament. But the season was good enough for second-year head coach Bobby Hurley to be ru-
mored for several ‘big-time’ coaching vacancies and ultimately receive a contract extension though the 2018-19 season from Buffalo. And with his basketball pedigree and name recognition, it made sense despite his head coaching inexperience. But last season’s success won’t define Hurley’s Buffalo legacy – that will be defined by what he does from here on out. That’s because it was former 14-year head coach Reggie Witherspoon who constructed the majority of that MAC East championship team. Witherspoon brought McCrea and almost every other key piece last season to Buffalo – not Hurley. And that’s not to take anything away from what Hurley accomplished in his 19-win first season. The Bulls don’t win the East if Hurley doesn’t convince Freelove to transfer from Alabama State and Shannon Evans to recommit to Buffalo. And who can say for sure that Witherspoon would have done better than Hurley with last season’s roster? But no one can deny Witherspoon put the pieces in place for Buffalo to contend in 2013-14. Now, Hurley must build up the roster to its own championship
When you graduate more than half of your scoring – Buffalo averaged 73.5 points per game last season with 40.5 coming from the three senior starters – new players will need to produce. Hurley has many options for new rotation players, but it seems freshman guard Lamonte Bearden will be a part of the starting lineup and play major minutes. Bearden, a 6-foot-3 guard from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was ranked as the 28th best high school point guard in the country. Playing with players like Regan and Evans will allow him to showcase his talents, without feeling the pressure to do “too much.” And of course, Hurley teaching you how to play guard is a nice bonus. Bearden could provide a similar spark as Evans did his freshman year, which would be major boost to the Bulls. means nothing unless we make it mean something.” In my column last season, I wrote about how the Bulls needed to significantly improve for the 2013-14 season to be considered a success. They did. Buffalo went from 12 to 17 victories and earned a double-bye in the MAC Tournament. And fittingly, the expectations rise again this season. Senior forward Kristen Sharkey and Loesing are arguably the two best players in the conference. Senior forward Christa Baccas could be poised for a Defensive Player of the Year award. Sophomore forward Alexus Malone has a fullyear of experience and junior guard Karin Moss is an incredible ball handler. And don’t let me forget, sophomore guard/forward/whatever you need her to be that day Rachael Gregory returns to the court for the Bulls. Watch out. There’s not a better top-six in the conference. The Bulls’ loveable underdog stage is over. They are now the team. If you had asked me in September which Buffalo team had the best chance at winning a MAC title, I would have told you the women’s basketball team without hesitation. But how will the Bulls respond to being “the chased,” rather than the chaser? After last season’s MAC quarterfinals loss, Legette-Jack was surprisingly chipper. And looking back now, it’s clear that it’s because she had moved on to the 2014-15 season.
CHAD COOPER, THE SPECTRUM
The Spectrum picks senior forward Christa Baccas as the breakout player for the women’s basketball team. SEE PREDICTIONS, PAGE 8
This is the Bulls’ year to take home their first MAC championship. Despite being picked to win the MAC East, Buffalo received just one vote in the coaches poll to win the overall MAC championship – it shouldn’t take too many brain cells to realize who that vote came from. “We’re the favorite for me every year, wherever I’m at,” Legette-Jack said. There’s one major difference this season though. Legette-Jack has a legitimate reason to believe it this season. “I knew that 80 percent of my offense was coming back. I knew that 80 percent of my kids were coming back and I have really good kids,” Legette-Jack said. That’s something else you have to get used to when speaking with Legette-Jack. The phrase “my kids.” She views the girls who come though her program as her own children. Legette-Jack said the difference between this year’s team and last year’s is that “the light turned on” during the offseason. “You know sometimes when you are walking around a room and it’s dark and you are like feeling around,” Legette-Jack said. “You know where everything is, you know where everything belongs, but the lights aren’t on, then the light turns on. The light turned on.” The analogy may be long, but it’s simple: The Bulls have a MAC Championship in the room. All they need to do is locate the switch. email: owen.obrien@ubspectrum.com
These upcoming seasons will define his tenure contention year – and its starts with this season. Hurley has some left over pieces to work with like Evans, Jarryn Skeete and Will Regan, but he’s essentially starting from scratch. Buffalo’s roster includes five freshmen and three other players who have never logged a Division I minute. They have talent, but it’s clearly ‘raw’ talent at this point. The young players showed promise in the Bulls’ exhibition game against Wheeling Jesuit, but they also showed they have work to do. Hurley was not happy with the team’s rebounding and said Buffalo had breakdowns they needed to clean up. He admitted he’s still learning his team and there will certainly be a learning curve with this roster. But that roster is ‘officially’ his. There are only four players left on it who were recruited by Witherspoon. More than half weren’t even on the roster last season. If the Bulls continue to have success under Hurley, no one can say it’s Witherspoon’s success like some could last season. Having such turnover and his own new players might even be a good thing for Hurley in the long run. It will allow him to fully im-
plement his guard-heavy, up-tempo system. Hurley said he knew the ball was going to go to McCrea last season. McCrea was such a skilled player that if he was on your roster, you had to center your offense around him. The Bulls were successful with that strategy last season, but clearly resetting the play by giving it your big man slows down the pace of an offense. In a few seasons, Buffalo’s roster could exclusively feature Hurley players: athletic, fast and play making. In two years, Evans will be a senior. Talented freshman guard Lamonte Bearden will be a junior. All of Buffalo’s now inexperienced players will be experienced. This should be the year Hurley builds the roster up to in order to compete for the MAC It can be Hurley’s version of the 2013-14 year. If Hurley sticks around and doesn’t bolt early, Buffalo has a good opportunity to win a MAC Championship under him. It just won’t be this season. email: tom.dinki@ubspectrum.com
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The flash & force
Friday, November 14, 2014
of Buffalo basketball
CHAD COOPER, THE SPECTRUM
Mackenzie Loesing and Shannon Evans are Buffalo’s most important players, but their personas couldn’t be more different. TOM DINKI AND OWEN O’BRIEN SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR & MANAGING EDITOR
Shannon Evans cut toward the net, basketball in hand. It was the first Bobby Hurley Basketball Camp in the summer of 2013. Members of the Buffalo men’s and women’s basketball teams were facing off in a 2-on2 pickup game for the entertainment of several children sitting in the stands of Alumni Arena. Evans was just trying to go for a layup. He didn’t mean to jump as high as he did. Mackenzie Loesing wasn’t guarding Evans. But when Evans had a clear run to the basket, she knew she had to do something. Loesing came over to contest Evans. She jumped – a decision she’d later call a “mistake.” Evans leaped over Loesing, slamming the ball into the net as the children looking on “ooo’d” and “ahh’d.” Loesing received text messages from her friends who saw the play. Evans thinks someone has it on camera. When Evans was interviewed, he was quick to say, “You should ask her about that.” Loesing screamed, “Oh, no. Oh my God. We don’t talk about that,” when addressed about “the incident.” “What he fails to tell when he tells that story is I’m pretty sure I hit some threes in his face that day,” Loesing added. Evans, the men’s basketball team’s freshman point guard experiencing his first summer in Buffalo, had dunked over Loesing, the women’s basketball team’s leading scorer from the year before. On Thursday, the two were joking around in Alumni Arena, keeping calm the evening before the Buffalo basketball season’s opening doubleheader. The two have storied and similar journeys. They have a similar season set before them, too. They’re the stars of their teams. They both feel like they failed their teams when the Bulls needed them most – playing their worst games in the conference tournament. They’ll both use that disappointment as motivation for this season. But their similarities end once they hit the hardwood. When Evans met Loesing earlier that summer, he told her, “My name is Shannon, but people call me ‘Hollywood.’” Loesing was confused, shocked and a little hesitant. “When he first introduced himself to me as Hollywood, I was like, ‘Who does this kid think he is?’” Loesing said. “I think I said to him ‘I will never call you Hollywood.’” He earned the nickname ‘Hollywood’ after returning an interception for a touchdown in his sophomore year of high school. He danced in the end zone, prompting the announcer to call him ‘Hollywood’ over the intercom. And everything the sophomore point guard does is very ‘Hollywood.’ He says his favorite NBA player is Los Angeles Laker Nick Young, also known as ‘Swaggy P.’ He named his two pet bearded dragons ‘Ralph’ and ‘Lauren’ after the American fashion icon and clothing store Ralph Lauren. He was one of the first to volunteer when rapper A$AP Rocky invited fans to take the stage at UB’s 2013 Fall
Fest. “I’m just always happy. I like to have fun,” Evans said. “I like to make people smile and laugh. Why not have fun if you can?” His Hollywood persona makes appearances on the court as well – his playmaking ability got Buffalo the No. 1 play on SportsCenter last year. Evans’ persona might give off the impression he wants attention, and he might. But it’s more than just a way to show off. It’s a release. “I like the little flash stuff. You know we play so hard in practice, when stuff like that happens it’s rewarding,” Evans said. “We got classes, tests, exams, practice after practice, weight room, it’s overwhelming. So when the game time comes you just want to have fun.” Whereas Evans is about the ‘flash,’ Loesing is more likely to run you over. Head coach Felisha Legette-Jack nicknamed Loesing “Mack Truck” last season because as she puts it “if you are in her way, it might be a foul, but you are going to remember she came.”
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Evans looking to prove himself as the point guard in Bobby Hurley’s system, they will both be instrumental to determining if Buffalo wins a championship in the next few seasons. Evans is ‘Hollywood.’ Loesing is a ‘Mack Truck.’ But their journeys to Buffalo are eerily similar. Both made All-Freshman teams once arriving to campus. Both have played, and lost, MAC Tournament quarterfinal games. Both are evolving as players and both are trying to take that “next step.” *** There is a local gym in Suffolk, Virginia where neighborhood kids played recreational basketball Thursday nights and Saturday mornings. The gym had two courts. The high school kids played on one, the kids in middle school played on the other. Eighth grader Shannon Evans wanted to play on the high school court. “I would kill it over there. I would play people my age and I was just killing them,” Evans said. He was eager to prove himself. He
When he first introduced himself to me as Hollywood, I was like, ‘Who does this kid think he is?’” Loesing said. “I think I said to him ‘I will never call you Hollywood.’ - Mackenzie Loesing Loesing only knows one speed – and it’s specifically 127 miles per hour, she said. At 5-foot-10, she is bigger than the average Mid-American Conference guard. She embraces the nickname, saying it makes her feel “strong.” Her brother Brad said she has “no fears.” “It makes me feel no matter what’s in my way, I’m going to get to where I need to go,” Loesing said. And Jan. 18, 2014, she got where she needed to go. With Buffalo needing a game-winning score with 15 seconds remaining, Loesing took the ball at the top of the key and drove to the basket for the game-winning score. The Mack Truck delivered the final basket of the evening and an 84-83 Buffalo victory. Evans and Loesing’s on-court personas couldn’t seem more different. This was exemplified at Bulls Madness, an annual basketball pep rally, two years ago. Loesing wanted to “show the boys how it’s done” and she beat three men’s players in the three-point contest. Evans wore ‘stunna shades’ during player introduction and won the dunk contest by throwing an alley-oop pass from the 200 Level. Evans and Loesing are arguably the two most important players to their respective teams this season. It looks like it could be Loesing and the women’s team’s “year.” The Bulls were predicted to finish first in the MAC East for the first time in program history. For Evans and the men’s team, it may be more of a year in transition after graduating three starters – including MAC Player of the Year Javon McCrea. With both Loesing on pace to become the program’s all-time leading scorer and
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would make his way over to the high school court, only to be “knocked around” and told, “Hey, get out of here” by the older players. But when Evans was finally given a chance to play with the ‘big boys,’ he did not disappoint. Evans scored against the older players with the same ease he did against kids his own age. The high school players became angry at the sight of the eighth grader knocking down outside shots and cutting to the basket. “Ever since, I started playing over there,” Evans now says with a smile. Loesing didn’t have to leave her house in Ohio to find competition. She has three older brothers and always tried to compete with them – whether it was basketball, kickball or board games. Loesing was a “tomboy” as a child. Her mother, Rita, couldn’t get her to wear frilly dresses or play with dolls. “I don’t even think she recognized for a long time that she was a girl,” Rita said with a laugh. And it didn’t help that her brothers “never really treated her like a girl,” according to Rita. They wouldn’t be gentle with her during sports – she’d be treated like anybody else. “There may have been a few times where she went home crying, a little, upset maybe, as we all have, but it toughened her up and I think it made her better,” said her brother Brad, 25. Her family said Loesing would cry if she lost in games like Chutes and Ladders – a memory Loesing “doesn’t remember” – but Loesing believes all that has built her competitive attitude.
Loesing’s father Rick said she never compared her skill level to other girls. “It was always ‘Can I do what my brothers can do?’” Rick said. When Evans was shooting in the gym and Loesing in her yard, the two both had larger dreams they were building toward. And they found motivation from the idols they trained and grew up with. Evans had to prove himself against Division I caliber athletes every time he took the courts of Suffolk, Virginia. Evans can name drop with ease a list of Suffolk players who went on to Division I basketball, including Marquette’s Davonte Gardner, VCU’s Briante Weber and former NBA Developmental League player Andre Jones. Even former NBA star Allen Iverson and NFL quarterback Michael Vick are from Suffolk. Evans ran into Vick three times in one week a few summers ago at a Suffolk 7/11, Wendy’s and mall. Evans has a theory as to why so many talented athletes have come out of Suffolk. “I think it’s in the water honestly,” he joked. “It’s the water we drink.” When the college players would return home to Suffolk for the summer they would tell Evans, “You’re next,” giving the young guard dreams of one day stepping on a Division I court himself. “You see these guys doing big things, you just want it for yourself as well and it makes you go harder,” Evans said. While Evans lists off an assortment of Division I players he tried to emulate, for Loesing, there was only one name: Brad. Brad, her brother, was Loesing’s basketball idol. She used to go to his AAU games to watch him. When she began playing, Loesing asked Brad do drills with her after practice. Loesing was often called “Brad with a ponytail,” according to her mother. Loesing said she’s still called by that nickname and she loves it. Even her jersey number, 35, is homage to her brother. Brad played basketball at Division I Wofford and currently plays overseas in Germany. Loesing was amazed at all the Division I offers Brad received, and wanted the same for herself. *** The men’s and women’s basketball teams found their stars in the players other schools crossed off their list. Evans and Loesing both faced rejection before settling in Buffalo. And they never forget the feeling. Evans has been overlooked for most of his playing career. He stands at just 6-foot-1. Only 5-foot-7 Arizona State transfer Christian Pino tops Evans out as the team’s shortest player. “Shannon has something to prove,” said Armona Evans, his mother. “Nobody believed in him. I feel like he has this chip on his shoulder … He’s like, ‘Well all the people say I couldn’t make it. I was too little and this and that. I’m going to prove them wrong.’” Despite a successful career at Nansemond River High School, Evans did not have a single Division I offer by graduation. He “didn’t get all the glory and all the write-ups in the paper,” like the other Suffolk players did, according to Armona. If Evans was going to play on a Division I men’s basketball court like he had seen so many other Suffolk players do, he was going to have to prove himself at a prep school. But getting a scholarship to a prep school became a challenge for Evans. Fort Union Military Academy told Armona, “Shannon would have been too flashy for us.” Even Hargrave Military Academy, where Evans would eventually star alongside current Louisville players Terry Rosier and Anton Gill, did not give Evans a scholarship. Armona and Evans’ father, Shannon Evans I, had to decide whether or not to pay $32,000 tuition to give their son an opportunity to continue his dream toward Division I basketball. “I told my husband, ‘Look, we got to do this for him. We can’t let him fail. He wants to play Division I basketball. Let’s do it,’” Armona said. The investment paid off. Evans committed to Buffalo a few months into his Hargrave career after meeting former Bulls head coach Reggie Witherspoon and former assistant Turner Battle. “It was the best $32,000 I spent for eight months,” Armona said with a laugh. Evans did not forget about Fort Union’s comment that he was too flashy. “When we played them I made sure I put up a couple numbers on them,” he said with a smile. Loesing will never forget the one scholarship she didn’t get. She was speaking with schools like Loyola, Chicago and Bryant while being recruited. She also received attention from in-state schools like the MAC’s Miami Ohio. Only the RedHawks’ offer was missing a vital element – a scholarship. She looks forward to Buffalo’s matchups with Miami Ohio every season. “I will never forget the fact that they
ubspectrum.com
Friday, November 14, 2014
5
FLASH FORCE CHAD COOPER, THE SPECTRUM
Evans made his first public appearance in a Buffalo jersey in stunna shades during Bulls Madness last year. He earned the nickname ‘Hollywood’ for his flashy style on and off the court.
asked me to walk on their team, so it’s always a way to kind of get back at them and say, ‘You made a mistake,”’ Loesing said. Loesing averages 18.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and two steals per game in five matchups against the RedHawks. The Bulls also possess a 4-1 record over the two seasons in the contests, including a MAC Tournament victory in which Loesing had 24 points. *** Loesing will be the first to tell you Jan. 18, 2014 wasn’t her finest performance on a basketball court. Loesing had struggled – there’s no other way to put it. After scoring 18 firsthalf points, she shot just 2 of 9 in the second half and surrendered five turnovers. Legette-Jack pulled her out of the game 75 seconds into overtime after four more missed shots. “At the time, I was probably really angry,” Loesing admitted. “I was probably tugging out my jersey as coach Jack always points out I do. I probably was very unhappy, but in hindsight, it was definitely a smart call.” Loesing sat right next to her coach for the next three minutes – itching to get back into the game. But she didn’t dare say a word to Legette-Jack – she just followed the coach with her eyes when she felt composed and ready to “help fix what [she] had broken.” “I think she would be eyeing the janitor if he was the one subbing her in,” Legette-Jack said. “She just wants to play and learn from her mistakes on the fly. But sometimes you have to sit her down.” Legette-Jack put Loesing back in the
CHAD COOPER, THE SPECTRUM
Loesing embraces the nickname “Mack Truck” for her aggressive style of play. Her play has made her into one of the best players on the women’s basketball team.
game – or took her “out of timeout,” as Loesing referred to it – with 55 seconds left. “She can be like, ‘I’m ready, I’m ready’ and I’ll be like, ‘You sit your tail down.’ And we got that type of relationship,” Legette-Jack said. “We know it’s all in love and all about trying to win and she trusts me and I trust her.” Loesing hit the final shot in Buffalo’s 84-83 victory that evening. She was met by her teammates in a moment of jubilation. It’s a moment that still gives her chills. And she knows it was made possible because Legette-Jack put her in “timeout.” *** Shannon Evans had just made a play that would later be named No. 1 on Sportcenter’s Top-10 plays. But Bobby Hurley wasn’t happy. It was March 8, 2014 – the day of Buffalo’s regular-season finale against Bowling Green. Evans raced down the court with teammate Justin Moss on the fast break. Eye contact was all the two players needed. They had done the play in practice before. But would it work in an actual game? Instead of laying the ball up himself, Evans lobbed up an alley-oop for Moss off the backboard. Moss slam-dunked the ball. Alumni Arena erupted. ‘Hollywood’ had gotten the best of Evans – and he knew it. He immediately turned to the sideline and patted his own chest to apologize to his head coach. Hurley had warned him about choosing the flashy play over the safe play, but the opportunity to ‘wow’ the crowd was too tempting.
Hurley had a simple message for his freshman point guard after the game. “He said ‘Don’t do it again,’” Evans said. Loesing and Legette-Jack reached the point in their relationship where the head coach knew when to sit Loesing down for a few minutes. Evans knew the line to cross with Hurley – he knew just how close to get without crossing it. These relationships are hard to build. And it was even harder for Evans and Loesing to do so because neither player was originally recruited by Legette-Jack or Hurley. *** The recruitment process is the “glamour of college sports,” according to Loesing. “It’s when the coaches fawn all over you and they tell you that you are the greatest and they can’t wait to have you and they are so excited to have you as a part of their program and it’s all positivity, positivity, positivity,” she said. Then, one week before Loesing was due to arrive in Buffalo to start summer practice, the coach who courted her was no longer there. Former head coach Linda Hill-McDonald was let go May 30, 2012. Two weeks later, Buffalo named LegetteJack head coach and Loesing admitted she was “scared out of her mind.” Legette-Jack doesn’t hide her emotions. She will tell her players what they are doing wrong and she won’t sugar coat it. This was intimidating at first. But summer practice began and it was too late to reconsider Buffalo. Former men’s basketball head coach Reggie Witherspoon was fired the same
day Buffalo’s 2012-13 season ended in the MAC Tournament. Evans had plenty of time to find a new home. Only UB wouldn’t give him his release papers, he said. Evans called Buffalo every day to decommit so he could look for a new school to fulfill his Division I dreams. In hopes of getting his release, he tweeted he was reconsidering Buffalo – to the dismay of his father and Bulls fans. But Evans had to leave Buffalo. He had no idea who the new coach would be or if the coach would like his flair on the court. Would the new coach think he was ‘too flashy’ as well? “I said, ‘Oh my God, this new coach might come in and not like Shannon’s style,’” Armona said. Loesing had similar fears. She didn’t know how this demanding coach would like her. Loesing said Legette-Jack and her staff were supportive, but they didn’t know her and she didn’t know them. “We all had to deal with this passionate lady who feels kind of crazy at times but who we will do anything and everything for,” Loesing said. “We had to get to know her slowly and she had to get to know us slowly.” Hurley traveled more than 550 miles just to meet Evans. He paid a visit to the Evans’ Suffolk home in hopes of luring the young guard back to Buffalo. When Hurley arrived, he was treated as a celebrity. Armona was working in her garden when Hurley approached the house, and she was “star struck” at the sight of him. SEE FLASH AND FORCE, PAGE 8
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Friday, November 14, 2014
Justin Moss, junior forward
Rodell Wigginton, junior guard Wigginton is a transfer from College of Central Florida. Although he meshes well with the team personnel, he is still learning the defensive scheme. “The real transition is getting used to the offense and defense,” Wigginton said. “In my old school, we played a type of defense. This defense is man-to-man mainly so I’m trying to transition into that.” Wigginton stands at 6-foot-5 and is a capable scorer, passer and rebounder. The versatile guard will try to make an impact off the bench.
2013-14 stats: 3.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 56.9 percent field goal Moss served as McCrea’s primary backup last season and played a significant role off the bench last season. Moss wants to help make up for the loss of production from Buffalo’s graduated seniors. “I just want to improve on what they did,” Moss said. “They were a big part of our team so I feel like I got some big shoes to fill.” Moss sat out of the Bulls’ exhibition game for what Hurley called “a violation of team rules.” Hurley did not say when Moss would return to the lineup, but did say “there are more minutes available with Javon gone, so he’ll have his opportunity.”
ROSTER BREAK DOWN
Lamonte Bearden, freshman guard Bearden enters the season as one of Buffalo’s highesttouted recruits ever and will receive significant playing this in his first season. He credits Evans for helping him grow as a player. “Shannon plays at a really fast pace and that really helps me in practice,” Bearden said. “He makes me play at a faster pace because usually I’m a smooth guy. I like to go at my own pace. He makes me practice harder everyday.” Bearden worked on his jump shot and off-the-ball defense to prepare for the upcoming season.
Shannon Evans, sophomore guard 2013-14 stats: 8.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 3.3 apg Despite standing at 6-foot-1, Evans made electrifying plays as a freshman and a key member of the bench last season. Evans did not start a game but played starter minutes, averaging 26.4 minutes a game along side departed senior guard Jarod Oldham. Evans is now taking over for Oldham as the team’s No. 1 point guard. Evans said he has improved in “being poised and reading the defense.” “I know where the ball should go most of time when the defense breaks down … just being more of a student of the game,” Evans said.
Xavier Ford, senior forward 2013-14 stats: 4.0 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 43.3 percent field goal Ford played well during stretches last season – scoring at least eight points in six games despite never playing more 22 minutes in a single contest. But he also scored two points or fewer in 14 games. His final season and year two in Hurley’s system could be the year the athletic Ford finally puts it all together. As a senior, he is focused on leading by showing his team rather than telling them. “I’m more of a lead by example type of guy,” Ford said. “Will’s more of the vocal guy, I’m more of a lead by example, just letting the younger guys know what it’s like to be a Division-I player.”
Christian Pino, freshman guard The Arizona State transfer is one of Buffalo’s peskiest players. The 5-foot-7 guard often had to defend Jahii Carson, one of the best guards in the PAC-12, last season at practice. “He’s just one of those guys I feel you need on the team to contribute the spark,” Moss said, who went to Romulus high school like Pino. “Put him on a point guard, [the guard] gets annoyed. [Pino] causes turnovers.” Raheem Johnson, junior forward Johnson, who previously played two seasons at Barton Community College, is also from Romulus high school. Johnson played 22 minutes and recorded six points and nine rebounds in this year’s exhibition game. At 6-foot-10, he could see major minutes in the Buffalo frontcourt this season.
Will Regan, senior forward 2013-14 stats: 10.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 36.8 percent field goal Regan is one of just two Buffalo seniors and the only Bull to be named First-Team All-MAC East. He will look to continue his success as a versatile big man who can also shoot from the outside. This time, he’ll be without the presence of UB all-time scoring leader Javon McCrea. “There’s certain things on the court Javon was able to do that no one else can,” Regan said. “But you can do your thing and pick up the play on different angles. For me … on the offensive end just take advantage of my play when the plays are ran for me and make open shots and attack the rim a little bit more.”
Jarryn Skeete, junior guard 2013-14 stats: 5.5 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.7 apg After breaking out as a true freshman point guard two years ago, Skeete moved to more of a scoring position last season and played fewer minutes. He also missed four games with an ankle injury and didn’t seem quite like himself upon returning to the lineup. “Jarryn Skeete was a guy that was injured throughout the year last year and that hampered his play at times,” Hurley said. “But he’s injury-free and looks really good.” Skeete is a “combo guard” this season, as Hurley will play him at the guard and forward positions.
Mory Diane, freshman guard ESPN ranked Diane as the 11th best player in Michigan last season. The Detroit native averaged 17.6 points, six rebounds and three steals a game as a senior. Diane played 21 minutes and had 14 points in Buffalo’s preseason game. He shot 4-of-7 from beyond the arc.
DIANE
SMART
BENCH
Ikenna Smart, freshman forward Smart, a 6-foot-10 forward, is another big body the Bulls may need to rely on to replace the rebounding production of McCrea. Smart averaged 13 points and 13 rebounds his senior year of high school. Bobby Frasco, freshman guard Frasco averaged 18.5 points, eight rebounds and four assists his senior season at Prospect high school in Illinois. Frasco is one of five UB freshmen this season.
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Friday, November 14, 2014
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Alexus Malone, sophomore forward
Ayana Bradley, senior forward
2013-14 stats: 7.6 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 45.5 percent field goal Malone made an immediate impact in the paint as a freshman last season. She emerged as a three-point shooter toward the end of the season, going 7 for 16 from beyond the arc in her last five games. Malone wants to continue to develop her outside game this season in order to be a more versatile player. “I want to take more shots on the perimeter and become more developed with my left hand and become a better passer overall,” Malone said.
2013-14 stats: 1.7 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 37 percent field goal Bradley will be one of the first players off the bench in her second year in Buffalo after transferring from Monroe Community College. “My role this year will be being a vocal player and running the floor and rebounding for the team,” Bradley said. “That’s what I do best: rebound and run the floor.”
Rachael Gregory, sophomore forward/guard Gregory returns to the court after sitting out for almost two years with a torn ACL she suffered her freshman season. Gregory was leading Buffalo in scoring at the time of her injury (10.7 ppg). She is not trying to return to the player was before the injury, however, and said she is a different player now. “I don’t think I’ll ever go back to where I was my freshman year,” Gregory said. “I think I’m a new player. I’m a new person all together. I don’t want to go back because I think that would be limiting myself. In terms of now, I think [I’m] a new player and a new situation and a new year.”
Christa Baccas, senior forward/center 2013-14 stats: 7.2 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 1.8 apg Baccas continued to be a defensive mainstay last season, finishing second on the team in rebounds (8.3 per game) and first in blocks with 2.3 per game. This year she wants to have more of an impact on offense. “Offensively I need to be more aggressive,” Baccas said. “I want to improve my offense and running the floor. Last year, I brought a lot to the team defensively. This year, I want to show what I can do offensively.” Her 188 career blocks ranks second in program history. She needs 261 more to break Kourtney Browns’ program record. Karin Moss, junior point guard 2013-14 stats: 4.2 ppg, 1.6 apg, 35 percent field goal Moss replaces graduated Bull Margeaux Gupilan at point guard. Moss said her goals are to create more assists and push the offense up on the court on fast breaks more frequently. “We’re trying to get a fast pace going this year,” Moss said. “Last year, we didn’t get as many looks in the open court and we’re trying to put that into our offense this year.” Moss is the shortest player on the team by four inches (5-foot-4) and has started just 14 games through her first two seasons, but she has made plays in critical moments. She scored the gamewinning basket with four seconds remaining in Buffalo’s 58-56 win over Miami Ohio last season. Kristen Sharkey, senior forward Mackenzie Loesing, junior guard 2013-14 stats: 16.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.4 apg After leading the Bulls in field goal attempts by 103 shots last season, Loesing’s role might change this season. “I look forward to being able to create more this year,” Loesing said. “Create for my teammates, get the ball inside more to those big post presence we have ... Just being able to create more and also being able to continue the scoring aspect of my game.” Loesing wants to distribute the ball more this year as Buffalo tries to run a more balanced offense. Loesing, a preseason FirstTeam All-MAC selection who is on pace to be UB’s all-time leading scorer, will still see plenty of opportunities to score this season.
2013-14 stats: 14.7 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 1.2 apg Sharkey emerged last season with 10 games of at least 20 points a Third-Team All-MAC selection. This season, she wants to focus on small aspects of the game as one of only two seniors on the team. “It’s always important to do the little things,” Sharkey said. “Dive for loose balls and energize the team. Those are the things that will bring our team together. As a leader, I’m going to show up ever day, be a ‘high-say, high-doer.’ Just lead by example and bring the team along with me.”
Katherine Ups, freshman guard Katherine Ups comes from Australia with her twin sister Liisa looking to make an impact off the bench in her freshman season.
Joanna Smith, sophomore guard 2013-14 stats: 1.9 ppg, 1.0 rpg, 7.9 mpg Smith looks to become more a regular rotation player this season after seeing limited playing time as a freshman. She had a careerhigh 10 points in a 62-50 loss to Bowling Green last season.
Camera Miley, sophomore guard 2013-14 stats: 3.2 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 38.5 percent field goal Miley was seeing significant playing time coming off the bench as a freshman before a knee injury ended her season after 11 games. She will try and get involved in Buffalo’s guard rotation.
Liisa Ups, freshman guard Like her twin sister, Katherine, Liisa Ups is a 5-foot-9 freshman guard from Australia who will try to work her way into the rotation. She had a game-high seven assists in Buffalo’s 89-54 exhibition win over Buffalo State.
KATHERINE
LIISA
BENCH
Mariah Suchan, freshman forward Suchan is one of three freshmen on the roster. She is a 6-foot-1 forward who will look to learn behind Sharkey and Malone.
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Friday, November 14, 2014
DON’T CALL IT A COMEBACK TOM DINKI
SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR
Rachael Gregory knows she’ll never be the player she was before she destroyed the cartilage in her knee, tearing it in three places. But the women’s basketball player doesn’t want to be. Even though she used to average 10.7 points per game, was the team’s leading scorer and was said to have potential to be one of the best players in her conference by head coach Felisha Legette-Jack, Gregory doesn’t want to be who she was before on the court. “I’m a new person all together. I don’t want to go back because I think that would be limiting myself,” Gregory said. After nearly two years away from the game, Gregory is returning to the lineup to a Buffalo team that is predicted to finish first in the Mid-American Conference East this season. She hopes to contribute and fit back into the team after missing the second half of her freshman season and medically redshirting last season. It was a routine play that caused Gregory to miss nearly two years of basketball. She cut to the basket in the first half of Buffalo’s Jan. 19, 2013 game at Toledo; only the play did not end routinely. Gregory’s knee need gave out. She didn’t need a doctor to tell her it wasn’t just a minor injury. “I kind of knew right then and there my season was over,” Gregory said. She had surgery and sat out the rest of the season. She decided to medically redshirt last season as opposed to playing half the season and coming back feeling less than 100 percent. She now has three
Sophomore guard Rachael Gregory dons a knee brace on her left leg. She will return to action for the first time since tearing her ACL two seasons ago. CHAD COOPER, THE SPECTRUM
seasons of eligilbity remaining. Gregory rehabbed to fully recover her knee. She was able to practice with the team a few times a week but would have to watch on the sidelines come game day. Sitting out from a game is tough for all players, but for Gregory, sitting on the sidelines went against what she was raised to do. Gregory grew up in Indiana, where
Continued from flash and force, page 5 Hurley is considered one of the best point guards ever and won two national championships for Evans’ father’s favorite school – Duke. Armona called Hurley’s hire a “Godsend.” Evans, however, had never heard of Hurley. “You talk about being a basketball fan and you don’t know who Bobby Hurley is? I couldn’t believe that,” his father said. As a point guard, Evans has learned over the past 20 months how valuable having Hurley as head coach is. Hurley is molding Evans into the point guard to run his high-flying, up-tempo system. Evans just wanted to shoot and score coming out of high school. Now, he considers himself a “student of the game.” Evans said he has to be the coach on the floor, so he spends more time than his teammates inside Hurley’s office to go over plays. He wants to make sure he’ll know where everyone should be on the court come game day. He is trying to “be a sponge and suck it all in.” “What else could you ask for?” Evans’ father said of having Hurley as a coach. “You could learn so much just day in and day out with him right there coaching you.” *** Both the men’s and women’s 2013-14 seasons ended March 13 at the MAC quarterfinals in Cleveland. Loesing remembers sitting on the podium above the media with her eyes pink and puffy. She remembers the disappointment in herself following her 4-of-20 shooting performance. When recalling the situation today, she gets chills. “I remember just going in there and it was hard to pick my head up because I knew personally, I had underachieved,” Loesing said. “I knew I didn’t have the best game of my life.” Evans played his “worst game of the sea-
son” that same day. He fouled out after playing only 18 minutes and the feeling “killed” him. He knew he’d have more opportunities for a title, but it was the final shot for the Buffalo seniors. He looks to “rekindle that fire” building into this season. *** A day before opening their seasons, Hollywood was ready for the photo shoot – ball in hand. Loesing had to run back to the locker room because her hair was still wet and she forgot her earrings. When Evans was struggling to spin the ball on his finger, Loesing proclaimed she could do it. She failed and both began laughing. After the final photo, the Mack Truck thought she looked too angry. Hollywood was satisfied. While Loesing transforms into a “truck” during games, off the court she has some Hollywood-like characteristics – fixing her hair, putting on earrings, criticizing her photos. While Evans portrays himself as Hollywood between the lines, he failed to spin the ball on his finger and took one glance at his photo before saying he liked it. The night before their season openers, the two most important Buffalo basketball players were laughing with each other in Alumni Arena. Despite the pressures that come with being ‘superstars,’ they are focused on that particular moment – regardless of if it’s a drill at practice, regular season game, MAC Tournament game or a photo shoot. Exactly eight months after one of their worst on the court moments, they took a step back for a light moment before the season begins. And this season, Hollywood and the Mack Truck will largely dictate how far the Bulls advance in the MAC Tournament. email: sports@ubspectrum.com
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Rachael Gregory returns to the court for the first time in nearly two years
Legette-Jack said “you live and breathe basketball.” “From the womb you have a basketball in your hand,” Legette-Jack said. “So for her not play one year and then to have to make a decision not to play that second year, that just tore her heart out. But what we’ve found is Rachael is a committed kind of person.” Gregory used the time away from basketball to improve in other areas. Because she did not have to focus on preparing for an opponent every week, Gregory focused on civil engineering. She pulled off a high GPA in a tough major. “Now, she’s going to split that time and she knows she can do both, she can play basketball and be a good student,” Legette-Jack said. Gregory also used the past year-and-ahalf to become an all-around player. Gregory couldn’t be on the floor for full contact, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t work on her free throw shooting or study film. She said she only played off of instinct her freshman season. Now, she’s learning more about the game. “I don’t just charge straight toward the basket,” Gregory said. “Now, I can read more situations.” Gregory said her shots improved and she shoots free throws better. A major knee injury can be a set back for a player, but Gregory says it has only enhanced her playing. “I think this time has given me the time to improve other parts of my game that I didn’t necessarily have my freshman year,” she said. Gregory hesitated to answer when
asked about what her first game in almost two years will be like for her. She was reserved, saying the most important thing will be to win. Legette-Jack warned she’d pull Gregory from the game if she sensed her sophomore guard/forward overwhelmed by the moment. The moment didn’t seem overwhelming for Gregory, as she scored 12 points and grabbed three rebounds in just 15 minutes in Buffalo’s 89-54 exhibition victory over Buffalo State Nov. 8. It was only a preseason game, but Gregory was able play in an actual game for the first time since January 2013. She cut to the basket without fear and played physically, as she got knocked down onto the floor several times. Legette-Jack just likes the fact she’s on the hardwood. “It’s just neat to watch her run and up and down the floor,” Legette-Jack said. “She’s certainly not at game shape right now, mentally or physically, but my goodness, she’s an athletic body and is a good choice to have. I’m really excited she’s a part of this thing.” Gregory wears a black knee brace on the court but said she has no complications from the injury – she tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), lateral meniscus and medical meniscus. Legette-Jack says Gregory “gets yelled at like everyone else.” Gregory may never be player who led Buffalo in scoring as a freshman again. But that might be a good thing. Gregory thinks she can be even better. email: sports@ubspectrum.com
Continued from Predictions, page 3 MAC Tournament finish Last year, a trip to Cleveland for the MAC Tournament was all but guaranteed. This year, we can’t really say the same thing. The Bulls have a lot of talent to replace, and are doing so with a lot of young, inexperienced players. It may be asking ‘too-much-too-soon’ for this team to compete with some of the more complete MAC teams. We expect the Bulls to host a first round MAC Tournament game and advance to Cleveland, but drop their first matchup in Quicken Loans Arena. Women’s basketball predictions Record: 20-9, 14-4 MAC Has there ever been more excitement surrounding Buffalo’s women’s basketball The Spectrum picks freshman guard Lamonte than this season? When Felisha Legette- Bearden as the breakout player for the men’s basJack accepted the head coaching position, ketball team. CHAD COOPER, THE SPECTRUM the women’s basketball team was coming off a nine-win season. She turned the will be the players most teams game plan Bulls into a 17-win team just two seasons for. But this allows for better matchups later. Now, it’s time for the team to take for other Bulls. Expect Baccas to take adanother jump. vantage on the offensive end this season. Unlike the men’s basketball team, the She had six double-doubles, a careerwomen’s squad returns most of its key high in assists and a career-low in turnplayers. After last season’s MAC quarter- overs last year. If her impact on the offinal loss, Legette-Jack was smiling be- fensive end is as intimidating as her decause she “knew [she] had 80 percent of fensive presence, Buffalo will be a very her offense coming back.” It was actual- scary team. ly 77 percent, but we think you get the point. MAC Tournament The Bulls have challenged themselves Last year, we said this was the only part with a tough nonconference schedule, so of the season that truly mattered for the we have them going 6-5, but also having men’s team. This year, the roles are rea historic conference season. After eight versed. The Bulls received their highestand 10 MAC wins in Legette-Jack’s first seed last year (No. 4) but were upset in two seasons respectively, we expect the the quarterfinals. Buffalo should have a Bulls to take the MAC East with a 14-4 much longer stay in Cleveland this year. record. We expect the Bulls to reach the MAC Championship game but fall to CenBreakout player tral Michigan. This year’s Buffalo team Senior forward Christa Baccas is one of has the talent follow the women’s soccer the most feared interior defenders in the team into the NCAA Tournament, but MAC. She finished second in the confer- we won’t find out until March. ence in blocks and averaged 8.3 rebounds per game. It’s no secret that junior Mack- email: sports@ubspectrum.com enzie Loeing and senior Kristen Sharkey
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AVAILABLE NOW!!! South Campus. Master bedroom / 2 baths, fully furnished, laundry, utilities & wifi included. Off-street parking. 716-570-6062 text preferred. MINNESOTA AVENUE, $350/rm. Includes utilities, laundry, internet & off-street parking. 716-446-1213 leave message. PERSONAL PERSONAL TONAWANDA PREGNANCY INFO CTR 716-694-8623 SERVICESSERVICES CITYA1DRIVINGSCHOOL.COM Beginners & brush-up driving lessons. 5hr class $30.00 716-875-4662.
MISSING
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DAILY DELIGHTS sponsored by Collegiate Village Apartments Crossword of the Day
Friday, November 14, 2014 FROM UNIVERSAL UCLICK
HOROSCOPES
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) -- Are you in the best possible mood? If not, you’ll want to do something about that before facing those who challenge you emotionally. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) -- You may need to know more today about a certain key topic than you ever have before -- and you know just whom to ask. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- Events just within your range of awareness can have a startling effect. It may be time to throw your hat in the ring. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) -- Your involvement can make the difference between success and failure, though a brief slowdown can be expected even when you’re on board. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) -- You must pay attention to all that is happening around you, lest you put yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time. ARIES (March 21-April 19) -- You may find yourself immersed in quite a puzzle; however, what is being challenged is not your mind, but your heart. TAURUS (April 20-May 20) -- You’re trying your best to balance thought and action. You may find it difficult to get off the starting line. GEMINI (May 21-June 20) -- Someone may be asking you to explain yourself, which gives you pause. You are not used to being in such a defensive position. CANCER (June 21-July 22) -- You know just how good you are at something, and the chance to prove it to others will be most welcome when it is presented to you. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) -- You may not have to reveal everything -- just enough to keep those around you from digging into anything that is too personal. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- You are sure to win the praise of someone who has been quite critical in the past. This may be indicative of a sea change of sorts. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) -- Like others, you are eager to experience more of something that has given you unexpected pleasure. A sacrifice may be required, however.
Edited by Timothy E. Parker November 14, 2014 TALL ORDER by Tim Burr
ACROSS 1 Indian prince 6 Clickable image 10 Populous continent 14 Wed stealthily 15 Grown-up chigger 16 Mud-dauber, e.g. 17 Unshakable person, emotionally 20 Presidential middle name 21 Bay 22 Wallach of Hollywood 23 Young child, informally 25 Cleared, as a blackboard 27 Blubber 30 Brewed drink 31 Father of Balder 32 Misfortunes 34 Almond shade 36 Make into a law 40 Impressive building 43 “Absolutely not!” 44 Home-builder’s strip 45 Doris Day lyric 46 Creole cooking staple 48 Ages and ages, collectively 50 It’s often sloppy 51 Brosnan TV character 54 Kind of drive 56 It’s often left hanging 57 Cruise stopover 59 “Relax, and that’s an
order!” 63 One headed for the top 66 Portend 67 “Tat-tat” start 68 Judge’s workplace 69 Copied 70 Formerly attached to “while” 71 Lauder of cosmetics
DOWN 1 Abbreviation for some mail 2 Hand cream ingredient 3 Cheek or jaw 4 Vertical position 5 Abdominal protrusion 6 Currency arm of the U.N. 7 “Kid” of fiction 8 One of four Holy Roman emperors 9 Gave courage to 10 Beard of grain 11 Men of knowledge 12 Coarse fiber 13 Garden pest 18 Lots 19 More inexplicable 24 Irregular edge, as for a book page 26 Kendrick and Paquin 27 Communicate silently 28 Musical miscellany 29 Dull as dishwater 31 Drummed out
33 A whistle may follow it in cartoons 35 Swedish rug 37 “Planet of the ___” 38 Dick Francis book “Dead ___” 39 Cafeteria staple 41 Naturally illuminated, in a way 42 Like some music 47 Basso Siepi 49 “Wanted” poster, e.g. 51 Brazilian dance 52 Boy Scout group 53 Musical practice piece 54 Euro fractions 55 Interoffice notes 58 Pinocchio, at times 60 Border on 61 Arid 62 Art deco name 64 Nancy Drew’s boyfriend 65 Mouse catcher
Friday, November 14, 2014 ubspectrum.com
10
SPORTS
High expectations for women’s team entering season
With impact experienced players returning, Bulls picked to finish first in MAC East JORDAN GROSSMAN
ASST. SPORTS EDITOR
Women’s basketball head coach Felsiha Legette-Jack said her team must have “tunnel vision.” The expectations for Legette-Jack’s team are the highest they’ve been in her three seasons in Buffalo. The Mid-American Conference preseason coaches poll predicted the Bulls to finish first in the MAC East. Buffalo returns four of five starters from last year’s team that clinched the highest conference tournament seed in program history. Legette-Jack said she is not thinking about conference championships. She’s thinking about Buffalo’s season opener against Sienna Friday. “We’re not thinking about MAC Tournament stuff, we’re thinking about how we’re going to keep getting this program better and better means not just being somewhere, but getting some place,” Legette-Jack said. Buffalo’s season ended in disappointment last year, as the Bulls lost 74-60 to Ball State in the MAC Tournament quarterfinals. The Bulls seem poised to make a deeper run this season as after gaining another year of experience and returning almost every key player from last season. “I think the teams mix well because we have been together for a long time,” said sophomore forward Alexus Malone. “We’ve had enough time to practice and get to know each other from the summer to now.” Junior guard Mackenzie Loesing headlines the list of returning players. Loesing led the team with 16.3 points per game. She also took 103 more shots than the next closest player on the team. Loesing wants to facilitate the ball more this season because Buffalo has more playmakers. “We have more scoring threats than we did in the past,” Loesing said. “Yeah, there will be situations where the pressure [and] the responsibility is on me to perform in those tight games, those tight situations where we need to score. But we also have so many threats on our team.” Two of those threats are post players
CHAD COOPER, THE SPECTRUM
Head coach Felisha Legette-Jack speaks with junior guard Karin Moss. Their season begins on Friday when they play Siena at Alumni Arena.
Kristen Sharkey and Malone, who Buffalo wants to center its offense around this season. Sharkey averaged 14.7 points and 8.7 rebounds per game in a breakout junior season last year. Malone emerged down the stretch last season as a freshman, scoring at least 10 points in seven of Buffalo’s final nine games. But Legette-Jack said the Bulls haven’t gotten the ball to Sharkey and Malone enough in the past and need to this season. “We’re going to play the game from the inside out,” Legette-Jack said. “I’m a post player, I’m a post player coach and I certainly have seen my guards shoot that ball way too fast. We want the game to go through Kristen Sharkey. We want the game to go through [senior forward] Christas Baacas and Alexus Malone. And if it does that, then our game can be a fun thing to watch.” Junior guard Karin Moss is set to replace former Bull Margeaux Gupilan as
Filling the void
the starting point guard. Legette-Jack doesn’t want Moss to overthink her role. “Karin is doing a good job of just playing basketball. I don’t want her to do anything different,” Legette-Jack said. “We’re going to pass the ball up the floor and then once the ball gets done the floor, we’re going to play basketball.” The Bulls will also get back sophomore forward/guard Rachel Gregory. Gregory returns to the lineup this season after a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), lateral meniscus and medical meniscus during her freshman season two years ago. She was Buffalo’s leading scorer at the time of her injury. The team will also debut twin freshman guards Liisa and Katherine Ups, as well as freshman forward Mariah Suchan. With sophomore guards Camera Miley and Joanna Smith on the roster, the Bulls feature seven underclassmen this year. Legette-Jack preaches the importance of defense to her players and they seem
email: sports@ubspectrum.com
Young Bulls squad looks to replace seniors after MAC East championship season
TOM DINKI
YUSONG SHI, THE SPECTRUM
SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR
This year’s men’s basketball team will look much different than last year’s squad that won the Mid-American Conference East regular season title. The Bulls graduated three of their starters – including UB all-time leading scorer Javon McCrea – and more than half of this year’s players (7 of 12) were not on the roster last season. “There’s a difference this year,” said head coach Bobby Hurley. “There are a lot of guys that have talent, but have yet to prove themselves in games. Right now, guys are battling to play and get on the floor.” A year after winning the East, Buffalo is picked to finish just fourth in the East this season as it transitions to a new core of young players. Hurley, now in his second season, said the Bulls have the pieces in place to replace last year’s seniors who led the Bulls to a 19-win season. “We knew we would have to have players that were ready to come in and fill a void and take the place of guys who were very important to us last year,” Hurley said. One of those players is sophomore guard Shannon Evans. Evans will take over for former Bull Jarod Oldham as the team’s No. 1 point guard. Evans wants to recapture the success he had as a freshman, when he made the All-MAC Freshman team, and build on it. “I’m going to try and pick up where I left off,” Evans said. “I’m going to bring more energy, play hard, try and get my teammates open and win games.” Freshman guard Lamonte Bearden will likely take on the role Evans had a last season: a highly touted play-making freshman who will see significant time in his first season. While Evans is the No. 1 point guard, Bearden also handled the ball and ran the offense in Buffalo’s 79-60 exhibition win over Wheeling Jesuit Nov. 6. Hurley said he expects Bearden to have a successful season and impact like Evans and junior guard Jarryn Skeete did as freshmen. The biggest hole in Buffalo’s lineup,
to be listening. Sharkey talks about doing “the little things” like diving for loose balls. Buffalo led the conference in blocked shots (135) and defensive field goal percentage (.371). Legette-Jack said the key for Buffalo’s success this season comes down to three factors. “Consistency. Toughness. Defense,” Legette-Jack said. “The shots will come [and] they’ll go. They’re going to fall; they’re not going to fall. But if we can be consistent with our effort, if we can stay consistent with our tenacity and stubbornness of our defense, we might have a shot.” The Bulls defeated Buffalo State 89-54 Nov. 8 in an exhibition matchup. Buffalo’s season officially begins Friday, Nov. 14 when the team hosts Siena at Alumni Arena. The game is scheduled for 5 p.m.
Senior forward Xavier Ford drives through the defense to score a basket. The Bulls kick off their season on Friday when they play San Diego State.
however, is the one left by McCrea. The Bulls have several ‘big men’ who will look to collectively make up for McCrea’s production, including forwards Will Regan, Justin Moss and Xavier Ford. Moss, a junior forward, was McCrea’s primary back up last season and Hurley said Moss has been Buffalo’s best player in practice at times. “I’m pleased with Moss’ development as a guy who would replace Javon,” Hurley said. Regan and Ford are the only seniors on the team and will try to replace McCrea’s leadership as well as his production. “I’ve been around the block a few times ... [I want to] empower some of the point guards to take over and be the vocal leaders they need to be,” Regan said.
That leadership might be key on a team with five freshmen. Hurley said Buffalo’s freshmen are prepared and add to the Bulls’ depth this season. “I don’t have to play five freshman that aren’t there physically,” Hurley said. “We brought in guys that are physically ready to compete.” The young Buffalo team will have to come together quickly as it faces a challenging opening weekend. The Bulls host South Dakota State – who won 19 games last season – Friday before traveling to face Kentucky, the No. 1 team in the country, on Sunday. Hurley said Buffalo is focused on South Dakota State first but acknowledged the opportunity and challenge Kentucky presents.
“We’re focusing on one game at a time. But that game is sitting there on Sunday,” Hurley said. “They have a lot of NBA prospects on their team right now and I want our guys to be up for the challenge. It’s going to be a great experience playing in a place like that and playing a team like that.” Hurley said he just wants his young team to improve throughout the season. “I want just to keep developing,” Hurley said. “When you have a young team and have young guys playing important roles early, you want to see them improve.” Buffalo’s season opener against South Dakota State is set for Friday at 7:30 p.m. in Alumni Arena. email: sports@ubspectrum.com