Live Audio, Game Notes
Setting the Scene - AIC kicks off the 2009-10 camapign with an exhibition contest against Division I Connecticut at the XL Center in Hartford. This marks the third exhibition game between the two teams in the past four seasons.
On the Air - Today’s game can be heard live in the Greater Springfield area on 91.9 FM WAIC or online at
www.hot919.com.
Calhoun Connection - Connecticut head coach Jim Calhoun starred on the hardwood for AIC from 1963-66 and served as team captain his junior and senior years. He scored 998 points while at AIC, placing him fourth on the all-time scoring list at the time, and led the team to its first-ever NCAA Championship Tournament appearance in 1966. He began his Hall of Fame coaching career as an assistant at AIC from 1966-68 and was inducted into the College’s Athletic Hall of Fame as a Charter Member in 2004. Calhoun, who earned his bachelor’s in sociology from AIC in 1968, was elected to the the College’s Board of Trustees in 1994 and still serves as a member of the Board to this day and was the commencement speaker at AIC’s 115th commencement ceremony in May of 2000.
2009-10 Season Outlook - The American International College men’s basketball team has high hopes for the 2009-10 season as it looks to move to the top of the Northeast-10. The Yellow Jackets, who were picked to finish 10th in the Northeast-10 Preseason Coaches’ Poll, return eight letterwinners and three starters from a year ago and welcome three talented newcomers, including three Division I transfers.
Head coach
Art Luptowski is entering his 11th season at AIC, where he’s compiled a record of 134-150 (.472). He’s amassed a career record of 326-247 (.569) in 20 seasons as a college head coach and has lead the Yellow Jackets to a winning record in two of the last three seasons.
2008-09 REVIEW: AIC posted an overall record of 15-13 last season and were seeded eighth in the NE-10 Championship Tournament with an 11-11 league record. The Yellow Jackets were bounced in the first round by ninth-seeded Saint Anslem College, 81-65.
Isiah Wallace (Springfield, Mass.) was named a second-team conference all-star and was named to the all-rookie team after ranking in the top-10 in the conference in scoring and rebounding his freshman year.
KEY LOSSES: The Yellow Jackets lost two players that appeared in at least 22 games from last year in
Lucius Millinder (Bellville, N.J.) and
Colson Senat (Montreal, Que.). Millinder started 27 of the team’s 28 games played and finished second on the team in scoring with 10.0 points per game. He was second in the team with 6.1 rebounds per game and a .440 field goal percentage. Senat appeared in 22 games off the bench last season, averaging 4.4 points and 3.4 rebounds in 16.5 minutes per contest.
FORWARDS: AIC returns six players in the front court from a year ago; senior
Aikeem Vanderhorst (Bay Shore, N.Y.), juniors
Kent Graham (Kamuela, Hawaii),
Lloyd Kennedy (Brookline, Mass.) and
Byron Richards (Adelphia, Md.) and sophomores
Christian Sanon (Brandon, Fla.) and Wallace. Wallace led the team in scoring and rebounding with 17.7 points and 8.3 boards per game while shooting a team-best 47-percent from the field and 77.2 percent from the charity stripe. He ranked fourth in the NE-10 in rebounding, sixth in scoring and 12th in free throw percentage. Wallace scored in double-figures in all but one game last season and had 20 games where he scored 15 or more. Vanderhorst started all but one game last year, averaging 9.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. He also had 33 assists and 21 steals and scoring in double-figures, including a season-high 23 points in a 76-74 win at Merrimack. New up front are juniors
Denzel Jackson (Philadelphia, Pa.) and
Anthony Thomas (Baltimore, Md.). Jackson arrives after two seasons at the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore and Thomas arrives after two years at Howard University.
GUARDS: Senior
Mike Troll (New York, N.Y.) and sophomore
Adrian Hynes-Guery (Montreal, Que.) return in the back court for AIC. Hynes-Guery started all but one game in his rookie campaign, averaging 9.5 points and 4.8 rebounds per game while dishing out a team-best 85 assists and tallying 31 steals. He scored in double figures 15 times last season. Troll appeared in all 28 games off the bench last season, averaging four points and 1.8 rebounds in 19.5 minutes per game. He was second on the team with 58 assists. Junior
Sesoo Ikpah (Williamstown, N.J.) returns but will miss the 2009-10 season due to medical reasons. He will remain with the team this season as a captain and student assistant coach. Ikpah started 27 of the team’s 28 games played, averaging 9.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per contest while totaling 45 assists and 31 steals for the season. New in the back court are junior Allen Arabaye (Corona, Calif.), who spent the last two seasons at Northeastern University, and freshman
Ricky Hudson (Sewell, N.J.).
2009-10 SCHEDULE: The Yellow Jackets will open the year with an exhibition game against Division I Connecticut November 4 at the XL Center in Hartford and then opens the 2009-10 regular season with a non-conference game at Dowling College November 15. AIC will then open the home and Northeast-10 portion of its schedule November 18 when it hosts the University of New Haven. The Yellow Jackets will close out the home portion of their schedule February 20 against Adelphi and will close out the regular season at Pace University February 24.
Scouting UConn - The Huskies were picked to finish third in the 2009-10 BIG EAST Preseason Coaches’ Poll and are ranked 14th in the NABC Division I Preseason Coaches’ Poll after going 31-5 last season and advancing to the Final Four, where they were bounced by Michigan State in the national semifinals, 82-73. Senior guard Jerome Dyson and sophomore guard Kemba Walker were named to the BIG EAST Preseason Team, while senior forward Stanley Robinson received honorable mention.
Last Time They Met - Connecticut posted an 83-58 victory over AIC in an exhibition game at Gampel Pavillion November 5, 2008. Hasheem Thabeet scored a game-high 21 points on nine-of-nine shooting from the field while grabbing 10 rebounds and blocking six shots to lead the Huskies. Isiah Wallace scored 16 points with seven rebounds, four steals and three assists to lead the Yellow Jackets.
About the Series - Connecticut holds a 21-0 record over AIC, which doesn not include exhibition games. The last time the two team met in a regular season game was December 1, 1966, which the Huskies won 81-58 with current heach coach Jim Calhoun on the opposing bench.
Milestone Wins Within Reach - The Yellow Jackets need just 11 more victories to reach 900 all-time. AIC enters the season with 889 wins through its first 75 seasons. The Yellow Jackets are also approaching conference win No. 275 after entering the season with 267 wins in 29 seasons, all in the Northest-10.
Luptowksi Closing In On Milestone - Head coach Art Luptowski is closing in on his 150th career ain at AIC. He enters the 2009-10 campaign with a record of 134-150 through his first 10 season with the Yellow Jackets. Luptowski ranks third on AIC’s career wins list and is just one of three coaches with 100 wins in program history.
AIC Picked 10th By NE-10 Coaches - The Yellow Jackets were picked to finish 10th in the 2009-10 Northeast-10 Preseason Coaches’ Poll after finished eighth in the conference standings last season.