ALBANY, N.Y. – Winners of three straight, and coming off a record-setting performance from the free throw line against Maine in their America East home opener, the University at Albany men's basketball team hits the road again for its next two games, starting Wednesday at New Hampshire before finishing Saturday at Stony Brook.
 
Game Info
Wednesday, January 15 at New Hampshire (7:00 p.m.)
Live Stats | ESPN3
 
Leading the Pack

• Cameron Healy has hit a three-pointer in 49-straight games
• Healy ranks second in the America East in FT% (.895) and third in 3FG% (.370)
• New Hampshire leads the America East in rebounding (43.50) and ranks second nationally
• UAlbany is 9-10 at New Hampshire in the America East era
• UAlbany is 24-17 lifetime against New Hampshire

 
Scouting New Hampshire
New Hampshire has compiled a record of 8-8 so far this season, and 1-2 against America East opponents.  Last season, New Hampshire won a total of five games, three of which came in-conference.  The Wildcats are the top rebounding team in the America East, averaging 43.5 rebounds per game, which also ranks second in the country, behind only the University of North Carolina's 43.6 rebounds per game.  Four Wildcats average double-figure scoring, and three average 6.5 rebounds or more, led by sophomore forward Nick Guadarrama, who averages 14.4 and 8.3, respectively.  The Wildcats have split their last 11 games, alternating wins and losses following a two-game skid early in the season.
 
Last Time vs. New Hampshire
UAlbany hosted the Wildcats for their Senior Night last season, coming up short in their final home game of the year 62-58.  The Great Danes went cold in the second half, shooting just 28.6% from the field and just 1-10 from three.  However, UAlbany did shoot 13-14 from the line in the second half, but New Hampshire hit 6-12 from three to make up for it.  The Wildcats led by as many as seven with 4:20 remaining, their largest lead of the night, and would only score three more points for the remainder of the game but UAlbany ran out of time and fell by four.
 
Last Time Out
The Great Danes hosted Maine on January 11, their first home game since December 14.  UAlbany went 2-2 in their four-games between hosting duties, falling at Boston College and St. John's, and winning at Columbia and Binghamton.  Against Maine, the Great Danes won 76-70, though they led by as many as 16 in the second half.  Highlighting the game was the four single-game free throw records the team set.  Collectively, UAlbany shot 35-44 from the line, setting records for free throws made and attempted, while Ahmad Clark set the same records for an individual player, shooting 19-24 in drawing 17 fouls on the afternoon.
 
Around the America East
Stony Brook has won five games in a row and leads the America East at 3-0 as one of three undefeated teams in the league.  Hartford and UAlbany are tied for second, both sporting 2-0 America East records and 9-8 overall records.  UMass Lowell is fourth at 2-1, one-half game ahead of preseason favorite and defending champion Vermont, who bounced back to climb to 1-1 after falling to the Seawolves in their America East opener last week.  New Hampshire is tied for sixth with Binghamton at 1-2 in-conference, while UMBC and Maine each remain winless against America East opponents.
 
Wednesday's America East Games

• UAlbany at New Hampshire, 7:00 p.m.
• Stony Brook at Hartford, 7:00 p.m.
• Vermont at Binghamton, 7:00 p.m.
• UMass Lowell at Maine, 7:00 p.m.

 
Charity Stripe
On January 11 vs. Maine, the team's first home game since December 14 and their America East home opener, UAlbany set four records from the free throw line in a 76-70 victory over the Black Bears.  As a team, the Great Danes set single-game program records with 36 free throws made and 47 free throws attempted.  The record was spurred in large part by senior guard Ahamd Clark, who set individual player single-game program records in the same categories, with 18 free throws made and 24 attempted.  The previous team records were set on January 13, 2018 against Maine, when the Danes shot 35-44 from the line.  Clark brok Brian Lillis' player recors of 16-18 from March 8, 2008 against Boston University.  Clark earned so many attempts by drawing 17 fouls during the game, and now ranks in a tie for second in single-game America East history in free throws attempted, with Drexel's Malik Rose (vs. Vermont, 1/31/93), and tied for third in free throws made with Rose (vs. Hofstra, 2/5/95), Hartford's Justin Bailey (vs. New Hampshire, 1/27/99), and Vermont's Clancy Rugg (at Binghamton, 3/2/14).  The America East record for free throws attempted is 28, held by Rose (vs. Hofstra, 2/8/95), and free throws made is 21, held by Vermont's Eddie Bendon (vs. Drexel, 1/29/94).
 
Streaking
Sophomore guard Cameron Healy started all 32 games for the Great Danes last season, and connected on a three-pointer in each of those 32 games.  Through 17 games this season, Healy has extended his made three-pointer streak to 49 games, the fourth-longest active streak in the nation.  The national leader is junior Mack Smith from Eastern Illinois, who has made a three-pointer in 65-consecutive games.
 
Approaching 400
At 9-8 in 2019-20, head coach Will Brown has won 393 games as a head coach, leaving him just eight wins away from hitting the 400-win milestone for his career.  After spending three seasons as an assistant coach at Saint Rose, Brown earned his first head coaching position at Sullivan County Community College ahead of the 1998-99 season.  In three years at Sullivan, Brown went 90-10 before being named interim head coach at UAlbany in the 2001-02 season.  Brown was named head coach officially, and since has compiled 303 of his 393 career victories with the Great Danes.
 
Coaches Cure CF
UAlbany's conference home opener against Maine on January 11 will be the team's Coaches Cure CF game for this season. UAlbany is one of 14 teams participating in Coaches Cure CF games this year, raising awareness through the initiative for cystic fibrosis, a genetic disorder that affects more than 30,000 people in the United States. The Great Danes, who have gone 5-1 in their Coaches Cure CF games, have raised more than $22,000 for the cause over the last six years. The UAlbany coaching staff will wear sweatsuits on the sideline during the game in solidarity with the initiative.  In the 2020 edition of the game, UAlbany defeated Maine 76-70.
 
Starting Right
For the first time since the 2015-16 season, the UAlbany men's basketball program began their America East schedule with a victory.  Following a stretch of three-straight conference-opening defeats, the Great Danes claimed a win at in-state rival Binghamton to start America East play 1-0.  In the previous three seasons, the Danes had lost in 2018-19 to Vermont, 80-51, in 2017-18 to Hartford, 72-64, and in 2016-17 at UMass Lowell, 85-79.  Their last victory was in 2015-16 over UMBC, 73-59.
 
Non-conference Wrapup
UAlbany finished their 15-game non-conference schedule with a 7-8 record, improving two games on their performance from the previous season.  The non-conference slate was highlighted by a three-games-in-three-days tournament at Quinnipiac, during which the Great Danes won two of three games.  UAlbany went 6-2 at SEFCU Arena during the first half of the season, but struggled on the road, securing their first away victory of the season against their final non-conference opponent, Columbia, with a go-ahead free throw with 0.7 seconds remaining.  Cameron Healy led UAlbany through the first half, averaging 15.6 points per game, followed closely by Ahmad Clark, who averaged 14.6.
 
Double-Double II
UAlbany's second double-double of the season came from senior and first-year Great Dane Romani Hansen, who scored 10 points and grabbed 10 rebounds at Monmouth.  Hansen's production came in just under 24 minutes of court time, his third-highest minute total of the season.  Hansen shot 4-9 from the floor and went even on rebounding, grabbing five offensive and five defensive.
 
Players of the Week
For the first time in 2019-20, UAlbany pulled in America East weekly awards.  Ahmad Clark and Trey Hutcheson swept the awards following their efforts against Niagara, winning Player and Rookie of the Week honors, respectively.  Clark averaged 18.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.0 assists in two games, including a 26-point and eight-assist night against Niagara.  Hutcheson scored a career-high 18 points against the Purple Eagles, making his seventh-straight start.
 
300
On December 14, 2019, UAlbany head coach Will Brown won his 300th victory as coach of the Great Danes.  In his 19th season, Brown claimed his 300th victory in his 574th game on the sidelines, overseeing his young squad earn a comeback 84-80 victory over visiting Niagara in the team's final home game of 2019.  Since taking over as the Great Danes' head coach during the 2001-02 season, Brown has won five America East titles, two America East regular-season titles, one NCAA Tournament victory, and guided his teams to seven 20-win seasons.  Currently in his 19th season at the helm, Brown has averaged more than 16 wins per season, including high-water marks of 24 wins in three separate seasons.
 
Down but Not Out
The Great Danes won their season-high third-straight game, defeating American University at SEFCU Arena 68-64.  UAlbany trailed by as many as 19 in the first half, before storming back to take the lead in the second.  The Danes fell behind again by as many as nine, before rallying a second time to claim a four-point victory.  Cameron Healy and Antonio Rizzuto scored 18 and 17 points, respectively, with Rizzuto shooting 6-9 from the floor and 5-7 from three.
 
Bobcats Invitational Wrapup
The UAlbany men's basketball team arrived at the Bobcats Invitational, where they would play three games in three days at Quinnipiac University, with a 2-2 record.  Leaving the tournament, the Danes were 4-3, holding a winning record for the first time all season after posting consecutive wins, also for the first time this season, to close out their three games.  After falling to tournament host Quinnipiac, the Great Danes received career nights from Kendall Lauderdale and Antonio Rizzuto to defeat Sacred Heart, and then held off a stingy Presbyterian squad to finish the tournament 2-1.
 
Double-Double
For the first time in his career, sophomore Malachi de Sousa recorded a double-double.  de Sousa scored 10 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the Great Danes' second game of the season, against Canisius.  It was the first double-double for a UAlbany player since February 2019 when Cameron Healy went for 31 and 10 in his record-setting performance against Binghamton.
 
Preseason Recognition
Sophomore guard Cameron Healy earned a spot on the America East Preseason All-Conference team.  After averaging 16.0 points per game last season and setting program records for three-point shooting, Healy earned a spot on the America East All-Conference Third and All-Rookie Teams a year ago, while finishing as runner-up for America East Rookie of the Year.  Additionally, senior guard Ahmad Clark was one of 50 players named to the Lou Henson Award Preseason Watch List, which recognizes the top mid-major player in the country.
 
Picked Fourth
For the second-consecutive season, the UAlbany men's basketball team was picked fourth in the America East Preseason Coaches' Poll, drawing 47 points to fall just behind Stony Brook's 48 in third.  Vermont was selected unanimously as the league favorite, marking the fourth-straight year the Catamounts have landed atop the preseason poll.  UMBC received the lone remaining first-place vote in second place with 53 points.
 
Record-Setting
Great Danes players set a handful of program records during the 2018-19 season.  Freshman Cameron Healy set or tied single-game and single-season marks for three-pointers made and attempted, and broke Jamar Wilson's freshman record for total points scored in a season with 512.  Additionally, Ahmad Clark tied the program record for single game assists with 10 at Niagara, and set a Division-I era single-season program record with 63 total steals.
 
From Deep
The Great Danes embraced the three-pointer last season, setting single-season program records for threes attempted (790) and made (274) in 32 games.  Sophomore Cameron Healy led the charge, taking 251 threes and making 104, including 55 in conference play, all of which were individual single-season program records.
 
Freshmen become Sophomores
For four of the last five games last season, starting February 21 against Stony Brook and excluding Senior Night on February 27, the Great Danes started freshman at all five positions.  The team started the season with freshmen at three starting spots, Cameron Healy, Adam Lulka, and Brent Hank, and moved to start four freshmen for the first time on December 20 against Manhattan when Antonio Rizzuto made his second career start.  All five freshman who played starting roles at some point last season return to the squad this year, including Healy and Lulka who each started every game last season.
 
Returning Depth
The Great Danes return nine players from the 2018-19 squad, including all five players who started at the end of the year.  The most prominent departure was Devonte Campbell, who averaged 7.8 points and 4.8 rebounds last year, while earning America East All-Defensive Team accolades for the third time in his career.  UAlbany returns each of its top five scorers, as well as two of its three most prominent bench players.
 
The North
In August, UAlbany took a week-long trip to play exhibition games against five Canadian universities.  The team played twice in Ottawa and three times in Montréal, ending the trip on a three-game winning streak against McGill University, Université du Québec à Montréal, and Concordia. 
 
Fighting Fires
During the offseason, sophomore guard Antonio Rizzuto signed up to be a volunteer firefighter with the McKownville Fire Department.  When he's not otherwise occupied with basketball or school work, Rizzuto answers calls when a situation requires respondents.  Rizzuto is an exterior firefighter, where he retrieves items from the trucks and hooks up the hoses to fire hydrants.
 
In-House
A point of pride for head coach Will Brown, each of his staff members holds a degree from the University at Albany.  Each of his assistant coaches, Jon Iati, Josh Pelletier, and Jerrad Knotts, hold UAlbany degrees, as do his director of basketball operations Greig Stire and video coordinator Shane Hammill.  Brown's is the only staff in the country that can boast holding degrees from their coaching institution across the board.  Iati, Knotts, and Stire all played for Brown during their collegiate careers.  Further, entering their eighth season together, the Great Danes staff is tied for the second-longest tenured staff in the country.  West Virginia coach Bob Huggins' staff enters their eighth year together, while Tom Izzo's staff at Michigan State enters their 10th.
 
Captains
The Great Danes announced three players, Ahmad Clark, Adam Lulka, and Nick Fruscio, to serve as team captains for the 2019-20 season.  Clark and Lulka each enter their second-straight season as team captains, while senior Nick Fruscio was selected by his teammates to serve in his final year.
 
Decade Recap
The Great Danes finished the 2010's with a record of 188-148, the second-highest decade wins total in program history behind the 190 victories during the 1980's.  UAlbany also won 93 America East games in the 2010's, and averaged nearly 19 wins per season in the last decade.
 
Next
UAlbany visits Stony Brook on Saturday, January 18 for a 7:00 p.m. tipoff.  The Great Danes return to SEFCU Arena on January 22 to face UMass Lowell.