Alderson Broaddus Basketball

[JDonAB92]

Re: Alderson Broaddus Basketball

Wheeling Jesuit ends its Jesuit affiliation. I assume they are doing this because they are hoping another suitor buys the school. I don't know.

http://wvmetronews.com/2019/04/10/wh...ool-years-end/

Gannon fires their men's coach John Reilly after going 242-162 in 14 seasons, and he always played a tough schedule. What do schools and athletic directors want out of coaches today? I thought the guy was one of the better coaches we faced year-in and year-out. The guy is a solid teacher of the game.

[UFOILERFAN]

Re: Alderson Broaddus Basketball

Wheeling Jesuit ends its Jesuit affiliation. I assume they are doing this because they are hoping another suitor buys the school. I don't know.

http://wvmetronews.com/2019/04/10/wh...ool-years-end/

Gannon fires their men's coach John Reilly after going 242-162 in 14 seasons, and he always played a tough schedule. What do schools and athletic directors want out of coaches today? I thought the guy was one of the better coaches we faced year-in and year-out. The guy is a solid teacher of the game.

In the comments of the article one person says that Alderson Broaddus is "darn near closing". Hyperbole or is there something we don't know?

[JDonAB92]

Re: Alderson Broaddus Basketball

Hyperbole based on an economic event about four years ago that really seems to have been rectified by new president. People have been saying that about Salem for 29 years now. They seem to stay alive.

[JDonAB92]

Re: Alderson Broaddus Basketball

Marija Ilic, a former Alderson Broaddus women's basketball player, wrote a wonderful piece on the 1955 Alderson-Broaddus College basketball team in the April 17 edition of the Barbour Democrat. I have subscribed to the Barbour Democrat since I graduated. I get it mailed to me and enjoy it.

Ilic had a color picture in the Barbour Democrat of the 1955 WVIAC tournament program. She also had a picture of the 1954 Alderson-Broaddus team that was WVIAC champs. A lot of great names in that picture. Of course, Carl Hartman was on there and he would later get drafted by the Boston Celtics. Joe Miller was also a NAIA All-American along with Hartman. Jack Funk is in the picture seated next to Hartman. Jack was a long time AB professor, baseball coach and assistant basketball coach and an overall great man. Tom Surrett was on that team and was on the WVIAC all-tournament team. Dick Wonkka was on that 54 team and in the picture. Wonkka was an excellent professor when I was up at A-B. He taught science but had a strong knowledge on politics. He was a staunch conservative ,and he and I had some great back-and-forth back in the day. I really liked the man.

Ilic had a great piece, I tell ya'. I know she quoted Bob Kuska a lot in the article who has done an unbelievable amount of research over the past decade on A-B basketball. She tells of how the school at the time only had enough money for lodging for the team. The school did not have enough money to transport the players out to Kansas City. I remember Funk telling me this story too. But Bingo Levicky was a big A-B fan who got along with every one in town and in the county. He went around for A-B getting a dollar here and there from people on Main Street, miners up in the hills and every farmer and gypsy passing through. Levicky collected $345 which was enough to put the players on a train for Kansas City. I think Wonkka told us once in class that the players had to bring their own money for food. He said a lot of the guys would get extra sandwiches from the cafeteria and put them away for the trip.

Ilic stated that around 1000 people went on another train to KC. She also got details on how the people in town packed the movie theater downtown to listen to the broadcast of the game on radio. Not everyone in the area in those days even had a radio. That movie theater was in operation when I was in school but I believed shut down shortly after I graduated.

The 1955 team defeated Minot State in the first round 100-72. Rex Pyles was the coach and was well-known in the US as an innovator of fast-break basketball. 100 points....before the shot clock and before the three-point line. A-B defeated Quincy 88-84 in the second round before falling to Arkansas Tech in the Elite Eight. Wonkka and Funk would both tell how the team was worn down from lack of food and terrible accomodations. Kuska wrote about that as well in his many writings on A-B basketball.

I miss the hyphen in A-B. That is what I grew up with. I would like to see it come back to be truthful. But it is what it is. I am glad the school published another article on the school website from an environmental science major and his research project on water and pollution. I am glad we are really showing some "thinkers" and people with an "open mind" backed with research, data and science.

[JDonAB92]

Re: Alderson Broaddus Basketball

I read the G-MAC operating codes for baseball. It says the top 8 schools make the tournament based on overall record. We are currently at the 8th position and done with the conference schedule. We do play one OOC game today against Salem....a team that drilled us earlier in the season. Tiffin is 9th and has four games this week at Walsh. We currently have a three game lead on the dragons. We need the win today it looks to clinch. If we lose today, Tiffin needs to win three at Walsh. It would be nice to win at home today.

Softball finished 12th out of 14 schools only ahead of Walsh and OVU.

Men's Lacrosse finished tied for 6th out of 7 schools.

Women's lacrosse finished 8th out of 8.

I figure men's track and field finish mid to lower mid tier in the conference meet and the women will finish near last but will probably edge out a team or two based on field events.

Men's basketball landed a big man transfer. No one in the top 8 or 9 rotation has announced they are leaving which should help with continuity. Spruell sat out this season but practiced.

I am guessing ole' Denny is back after the league he coached in folded recently and didn't even finish out the regular season. It would be nice to make the baseball tournament so we can have a glimmering light at the end of the spring sports season. Football schedule released and shows us hosting ODU and Hillsdale next season as part of the conference slate. Hopefully the fall will bring some better success.

[Looking For 9]

Re: Alderson Broaddus Basketball

Diamond games have really been messed up this year. I'm not sure it will get much better in Ohio.

[JDonAB92]

Re: Alderson Broaddus Basketball

Alderson Broaddus wins 17-5 over Salem. AB finishes the regular season at 21-27-1. Salem is 24-23. Salem beat us earlier in the season.

The announcer for our team said we could now finish any where between 6th and 9th depending on what happens this weekend. I think the only way we don't make it is if Tiffin wins all 4 games at Walsh and wins the tiebreaker with us.

[JDonAB92]

Re: Alderson Broaddus Basketball

Former AB pitcher Randy Dobnak was called up from the Minnesota Twins single A roster to the Double A roster. He was dominant in Single A ball for the Twins farm team.

[JDonAB92]

Re: Alderson Broaddus Basketball

Our newest commit is 6'8" Akram Ben Salah from Comenius Prep Academy in South Carolina.

The vid looks a few year old:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkxH0XMt_Uk&t=38s

Here is a scouting report done this past February on Akram who is a native of Tunisia:

http://www.phenomhoopreport.com/unsi...ram-ben-salah/

[Looking For 9]

Re: Alderson Broaddus Basketball

Nice to see a good sized frost go D2. He will get better instead of sitting and getting 3 minutes a game.

[JDonAB92]

Re: Alderson Broaddus Basketball

Nice to see a good sized frost go D2. He will get better instead of sitting and getting 3 minutes a game.

He has some skills for a kid his size. I don't know whether he is D-I or not, and time will tell if he can play at this level. I do know from what I have read is that he is close to a 4.0 student. He also doesn't mind playing different roles that involve something other than scoring. Richard Lemon has a similar skill set for a player that size.

I do know of a JUCO forward we have offered and a high school senior PG we have offered. Based on who we have offered and their style of play and having Bruce Spruell coming in at guard, I believe we may spread the floor more, shoot the three more, cut more and run more of a 5-out motion offense rather than having a post-presence. It also appears by the point guards slated for next year or offered, that we will go more up-tempo than usual. Time will tell.

[Looking For 9]

Re: Alderson Broaddus Basketball

Lemon was a horse and would do what it took to win.

[JDonAB92]

Re: Alderson Broaddus Basketball

Latest G-MAC baseball standings has us finishing at 8th place and in the tournament next week. There are 13 total programs with baseball.

Men's track finished 8th out of 12 schools at the conference meet.

Women's track finished 12th out of 12.

[JDonAB92]

Re: Alderson Broaddus Basketball

ABU men's soccer team finishes with a cumulative GPA of 3.4 for the entire school year. I think that is outstanding. Pretty successful season too.

Former ABU pitcher Randy Dobnak won his first AA start for the Minnesota Twins farm team by pitching 6 innings, allowing 2 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk and 7Ks. He is 4-0 on the year with a 0.84 ERA. He is moving the ladder!

[JDonAB92]

Re: Alderson Broaddus Basketball

Carrie Bodkins has been named athletic director at Alderson Broaddus University. The AB grad will take over the athletic department. A press conference is being held as I type this. It is a new day on the hilltop.

Carrie Bodkins introduced as the new @ABBattlers Athletic Director pic.twitter.com/9wO9uejW4W

— WBOY12SportsZone (@12SportsZone) May 16, 2019