GAME ON!

Despite it looking like this outside...


All games today are still ON, as this is going on right now in the arena (shootaround)...

The Lady Hawks tip off at 2 with the men following at 4. See you at the Hytche!

COACHES' CORNER RADIO SHOW

Today marked the third installment of the UMES Hawks Coaches' Corner Radio Show and we were finally able to go live from the Hawks Nest! We're looking forward to future shows there and working on promotional food specials for the lunch hour on Wednesdays! Be sure to listen in on WGOP 540 or online at http://www.umeshawks.com/ next Wednesday for more details and information.

Tim Burns joined Nick for the show today.

Coaches' Corner Details

Who: head coach Frankie Allen, players and other guests

What: Radio show, hosted on WGOP 540 a.m., live audio at www.umeshawks.com and live video streaming on www.umeshawks.com

Where: Hawks Nest (inside the Student Services Center on Campus)

When: Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to noon

Don't forget to join us next week!

Classes Resume

The guys have the day off from practice today as they begin their spring semester of classes. The entire athletic department wishes all student-athletes the best in their classes!

GO HAWKS!

GAME DAY! UMES @ Morgan State - Starters

UMES - Maroon Uniforms

3 White

11 Burns

24 Haley

32 Hines

34 Pitt

Morgan State - White Uniforms

3 D. Smith

11 Holmes

23 T. Smith

33 Thompson

34 Ali

GAME DAY! UMES @ Morgan State

Bret caught up with Jamal Brown during halftime of tonight's women's game. JB was in charge of the scouting report of the Bears for the evening.

Shootaround at Morgan State

Just a few photos from shootaround this morning...

Wooden carved bear statue

Presumably an old mascot?

She got a strike...

The bowling team was competing in the Bowie State Lady Bulldog Classic this weekend and since that was only about a half hour from our hotel, we decided to go support them! I had never been to a collegiate bowling event before, so this was really interesting to see. The guys learned very quickly that bowling is a 'friendly' sport and there is no trash-talking! It was very interesting/different to see coaches and players approaching each other and hugging and talking about things. One of the bowlers pointed out to me that the bowling 'sorority' is small and you see a lot of the same people at all the different events. And some of them knew each other from high school or whatnot. It made sense, but was still different for me, since the opponent always seems to be the 'enemy'!

The girls also had a lot of different cheers for strikes, spares, etc. The guys loved this and started making up some of their own. Maybe we'll be hearing these sometime in the future at the Hytche? Ask them sometime... maybe they'll teach them to you. :-)

Josh Bright cheers for the Lady Hawks. For those of us who aren't over 6-0, it was hard to see since all the bowlers crowd around right behind the lane. Lots of people were standing on chairs to see the action.

Assistant coaches Megan Raymond and Vince Brummell show/teach Mark Robertson about the different oil markings and how basketball plays differ to bowling strategy.

Tina Frahm gets ready to take her turn in a Baker set.

Mark Robertson, Roland Dunston and RJ Tucker give high fives to Paula Vilas.

RJ Tucker, Tyler Hines and Sean Berry cheer after a strike.

Gil Brown, Katherine Brown, Tina Frahm and Sean Berry pose for pictures between games.

Neal Pitt, Kaitlyn Young and Katie Shumaker pose for a picture between games.

ESPNZone

After the game tonight, the coaches decided to take us out for a nicer meal than when we order in and took us to Baltimore's Inner Harbor. I've only been there once before (in September) and loved the area, so I was excited to go. All the players and myself decided to go to the ESPNZone. Whenever there's a Zone in the area...I gotta go! Some of the other coaches/staff went to P.F. Chang's and Hard Rock Cafe.

A look at Pop's fries...
(Pop, would you like some fries with your ketchup?)

I was very impressed with Gil, he didn't want to order off of the kid's menu and proceeded to order BBQ Chicken and Ribs. With all the food he got, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have been able to finish it all. He definitely wiped out 75% of it.

UMES 70, CSU 62 - FINAL

Way to go Hawks! (and Lady Hawks!)

Stats and story online soon.

UMES takes over musical chairs

Associate head coach Jamal Brown's son, Gil, and our Athletic Director's son (above in white shirt) both participated in musical chairs during halftime. Gil (shown above in navy blue sweatsuit) made it to the final two but eventually lost. Gil's only seven and everyone in the stands was very impressed with his shots! Way to go Gil!

GAME DAY! UMES @ Coppin State - Starters

UMES - Maroon Uniforms

3 White

24 Haley

31 Robertson

32 Hines

34 Pitt

Coppin State - White Uniforms

5 Harper

11 Goldsberry

24 Brown

33 Coleman

50 Kucinskas

GAME DAY! UMES @ Coppin State

Coppin St.'s beautiful new arena, the Physical Education Center. Love all the windows everywhere.

Tyler Hines and RJ Tucker stretch prior to the game.

Athletic Trainer Taryn Arvold tapes ankles for about half the team prior to every game. Here she is shown with Neal Pitt.

Bret talks with Coach Allen during halftime of the women's game.

Travel Day AND Game Day

Today is a rare combined travel and game day. This means no early wakeup call and no early flights! Yeah for playing in Baltimore!

I'm sure I can speak for a lot of the travel party when I say that I'm happy we have a shorter stay (2 nights instead of 4) and no planes. We leave later this morning for Baltimore and play at Coppin State at 4 p.m. We'll stay in Baltimore tonight and tomorrow night before we play at Morgan State on Monday at 7:30.

GO HAWKS!

Autographs

The guys signed a bunch of their schedule posters this afternoon before practice to give to local schools and a few organizations in preparation for "Take A Kid to the Game" day on February 13.

Sorry Josh, I accidentally cut you out of the picture. :-/

COACHES' CORNER RADIO SHOW

Today marked the second installment of the UMES Hawks Coaches' Corner Radio Show. Once again this week we had to go live from the conference room since the Hawks Nest is still closed. Join us next week live from the Hawks Nest as it re-opens from Winter Break!

Coach Allen joined Bret and Nick today for the first time and discussed the past weekend at Florida A&M and Bethune-Cookman where the team went 1-1.

Senior Neal Pitt also joined the guys and talk about the past weekend, huge crowds and what it's like to be double-teamed.

Coaches' Corner Details
Who: head coach Frankie Allen, players and other guests
What: Radio show, hosted on WGOP 540 a.m., live audio at www.umeshawks.com and live video streaming on www.umeshawks.com
Where: Hawks Nest (inside the Student Services Center on Campus)
When: Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to noon
Don't forget to join us next week!

Good Morning!

I guess I shoulda been up just a tad bit earlier to get the true sunrise. Oh well, this is still pretty cool.

GAME DAY! UMES @ Bethune-Cookman - Captain's Meeting

Team captains Kevin White and Hillary Haley meet with the refs and captains from Bethune-Cookman before the game.

GAME DAY! UMES @ Bethune-Cookman - Starters

UMES - Gray Uniforms

3 White

11 Burns

24 Haley

32 Hines

34 Pitt

Bethune-Cookman - Black Uniforms

2 Miller

3 Reed

21 Dukes

32 Starling

33 Adams

GAME DAY! UMES @ Bethune-Cookman

The guys are currently at the Moore Gymnasium in Daytona Beach at shootaround. A little over four hours until tip-off.

Nature's very own whirlpool

After we got back from practice this evening, Taryn was going to take a bunch of the guys down to the pool to do some aquatic rehab. Before we got down to the pool, someone suggested going in the ocean. Taryn thought this was a good idea since it would be a little bit colder and the waves helped a bit more. At first it was freezing, but all in all it was a fun experience. Kevin White took some video/pictures, so once we get that edited we should have it online (hopefully sometime this week).

Can't Knock the Hustle: Reviewing UMES First Road Victory

The Hawks looked determined to get over the hump, and put forth a complete 40 minute effort on Saturday, downing FAMU, 67-51. The win was the first of the season on the road. Head Coach Frankie Allen demanded consistency from his team before the game, and for the most part, his players responded.

I liked how UMES was able to storm out of the gate - they built a double-digit lead in the game's opening minutes. The defense played together - there was more talking and pointing from players on the defensive end than I'd seen over the past few ballgames. The result was evident, as the Hawks held the Rattlers to just 12 points over the first 17 or so minutes. UMES lead at that point by 20, and it appeared they would coast to a victory.

FAMU, however, was able to rally over the last three minutes of the half, and had some momentum on their side at the break, trailing by just 13. Their run would continue in the early part of the second half, as the Hawks saw their lead cut down to three at one point. UMES again would respond, this time with aggressive play on the offensive end. I like the pick-and-roll game with junior point guard Kevin White - he was able to score in the lane consistently in half number two. Senior Neal Pitt, just three games back from an ankle injury, looked more like his old self down low. Freshman Sean Berry continued to impress, playing the final minutes on an ankle that was clearly hindering him. I love the guts.

The Hawks, who struggled at the line last weekend against South Carolina State, made their free-bees down the stretch, and were able to withstand the comeback attempt by the Rattlers. That to me is a big sign of improvement, and should be something this young team can fall back on from a confidence stand point moving forward.

The question now is can UMES build on the victory by doing it again on Monday. The Bethune Cookman gymnasium is one of the smallest, loudest gyms in the MEAC, and will offer another big January test.

Daytona Beach!

Another day, another day of travel. Woke up this morning around 8 a.m., bus left Tallahassee around 9 and we arrived to sunny Daytona Beach around 12:30-1. This is what Florida's about...sun!

The guys took full advantage of the four-hour bus ride watching film on Bethune-Cookman.

One of the first things we saw when we arrived was the granddaddy of them all... Daytona International Speedway! Man, that place was HUGE! I'm not a NASCAR fan, but I would love to see the inside of this place and just spend a day or two there. Maybe on a next trip...

We stopped for lunch at a mall food court and immediately all the guys went to Finish Line, Foot Locker, etc. INSTEAD of the food court! Oh well, they were smart, I shoulda done the same thing! My mom would be proud of me though, I left Finish Line (after eating) without buying anything. :-)

It's always interesting going in public places with these guys, since they're all 6-foot+ big dudes. Everyone is always staring and trying to figure out why they're so tall, etc. People amaze me sometimes... it's like they've never seen tall people before. I do believe I saw a few people asking some of the taller ones to take pictures with them... and not because they play college basketball... because they are tall. Seriously people?

The travel to our hotel was interesting. This is definitely a very interesting, diverse city. First we'd see some ritzy, nice hotels, houses, restaurants, etc. and then we'd see some slummy looking places. The "strip" along the beach/ocean definitely said TOURIST AREA! Gift/souvenir shops, restaurants and gimmicky things everywhere! It'd be interesting to see this place during spring break or during the summer.

The view from outside my hotel room.

Currently the guys are practicing at Moore Gymnasium on BCU's campus.

Tyler Hines took a bunch of pics on the drive here, once he gets them to me, I'll upload them for all to see.

Radio Interviews after FAMU game

On our postgame show last night, coach Frankie Allen and Sean Berry talked about the big win over FAMU.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN

Burns and Pitt Postgame Interviews

I caught up with Tim Burns and Neal Pitt back at the hotel following the big 67-51 win over FAMU.

UMES 67, FAMU 51 - FINAL

Stats and recap online soon.

Way to go Hawks! (and Lady Hawks!)

GAME DAY! UMES @ Florida A&M - Starters

UMES - Maroon Uniforms

3 White

11 Burns

24 Haley

32 Hines

34 Pitt

FAMU - White Uniforms

3 Walker

5 Jenkins

15 Bryant

32 Jackson

42 Crowder

GAME DAY! UMES @ Florida A&M

Slight change of schedule for me today. Since our women's team is also playing FAMU, I have assumed the role of being their SID too for the trip (Tyler had other things going on this weekend back in Md.). Instead of eating pre-game meal with the guys, Bret and I loaded onto the women's bus and back to their hotel to pick them up (they're staying at a different hotel than the men). They were all pleasantly surprised to see us. Once their game is done, will continue blogging as normal with game-day activities.

Coach Allen Interview pre FAMU

Caught up with coach Allen following shootaround today. We touched on a lot. Coach is focused on getting his team to be more consistent.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN

Rain, rain go away...

...come again on Wednesday (when we're not here!).

Shootaround at Florida A&M

Coach Allen watches one group work through their plays.

Athletic trainer Taryn Arvold bandages Sean Berry's bloodied hand up during shootaround this morning.

Assistant coach Nick Robinson works with the guards... Josh Bright, Roland Dunston and Hillary Haley shown here.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to assistant coach Mike Blaine!

(I know this isn't a women's blog, but HAPPY BIRTHDAY to women's associate head coach Revonda Whitley too!)

Another Long Day

Oh man, it's almost 1 a.m. and I pretty much haven't had a good, regular night's sleep since Wednesday. The bus was schedule to leave the Hytche at 4 a.m. this morning, so I never really went to sleep, except for about an hour or two nap until about 2:40. The first picture is my car's clock...the time when I left my apartment to go pick up Bret and Taryn.

This next picture is the obligatory morning shot of the baseball field. Yeah, it was like 3:40 a.m., pitch black. Didn't really see the sun until our flight was ready to take off at 8:10.
We arrived in Jacksonville, Fla. around 10:30 a.m. and were welcomed to sunny skies and beautiful greenery everywhere. Yay for Florida!
After we left the airport we had a 3-hour bus ride ahead of us to get to Tallahassee, home of Florida A&M University. We arrived at the hotel around 2:30 and everyone went to their rooms to crash and take naps before dinner at 6:30, film study at 8/8:15 and then practice at 9.

A picture of the brand, spanking new court for FAMU at the Al Lawson Multipurpose Center and Teaching Gymnasium (I believe there was a Jr. and other random words, in other words, it was a looooooooong name.) I love the colors orange and green, but not quite sure of their use together here.

Sorry for a relatively short post and lack of photos, hopefully tomorrow I can get my act together and take a few more :-) (And bring home a W!)

Packing

I LOVE traveling with our men's team, but as I am procrastinating packing for the upcoming trip to Florida, I can definitely say I HATE packing! I always feel like I'm going to forget something and remembering to pack game apparel AND travel apparel AND regular clothes = no fun. Oh yeah, and I still haven't put my laundry away from last weekend. The guys gotta have it easier - practice gear, game gear, sweats and t-shirts. That's it.

Oh and getting to the Hytche by 3:30-3:45 a.m. tomorrow also = not fun.

COACHES' CORNER RADIO SHOW

In the past few weeks, Bret and Nick have been busy preparing to debut a new weekly men's and women's basketball radio show. Today was the official debut of the show, hosted on 540 WGOP AM radio out of Pocomoke. Usually the show will be located at the Hawks Nest (inside the Student Services Center on UMES campus), but with the winter break, the Hawks Nest is closed. This will be great for fans because then they can come watch the show live and meet the coaches and their guests!

Today, however, we had to host out of the W.P. Hytche Athletic Center and our cozy conference room. Head coach Frankie Allen was unable to attend because he's on the road recruiting so assistant coach Mike Blaine took his place this morning. He talked with Bret and Nick about the schedule so far and his view on this weekend's matchup with Florida A&M.

Kevin White (aka "Mr. Bathrobe") was also a guest on today's show and discussed growing up in New York, playing at Technical Career Institutes, what brought him to UMES and his outlook on the season.

Coaches' Corner Details
Who: head coach Frankie Allen, players and other guests
What: Radio show, hosted on WGOP 540 a.m., live audio at www.umeshawks.com and live video streaming on www.umeshawks.com
Where: Hawks Nest (inside the Student Services Center on Campus)
When: Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to noon
Don't forget to join us next week!

GAME DAY! WSSU @ UMES

I just walked over to the Student Services Center to pick up the programs for tonight's game and the guys had just gotten over there and were starting to eat their pre-game meal. I forgot to snap a picture of them, but they're always so funny when they see me, always wanting something and/or needing something. Josh Bright was so excited to see that he is featured in the program tonight. It's great to see him back on the court after rehabbing from his knee injury.

GAME DAY! Winston-Salem State @ UMES

I apologize for not posting at all in the last few days. When we're at home, I have a lot less time on my hands since I have to get game-day programs done and published and work on other publications, releases and whatnot for all the other sports here at UMES.

Mondays are especially busy in the Sports Information office as we have to submit our nominations for MEAC Athlete of the Week for the various different sports that are going on (this week it was men's and women's basketball and men's and women's track and field). Once they release who has won the award, if it is one of our athletes, we have to write a release and get it online and out to the various media outlets. We also figure out who we think is deserving of the UMES Athlete of Week award. Additionally, we are responsible for compiling and writing Hawk Talk, which is published each Monday.

Since today is a game day, I also had to finish the programs for both the women's and men's and games tonight. Usually I have these done days in advance and just have to make a few minor, updated changes (stats, notes, etc.), but since we had a game on Saturday night, I had to create a lot of content for it.

We also have to get game notes and stats printed and copied among other minor tasks in preparation for tonight's doubleheader against Winston-Salem State.

GAME DAY! South Carolina State @ UMES

Unfortunately the UMES network/Internet is being worked on this weekend, so I won't be able to blog at all from the game today. That just means that you need to come down to the Hytche and catch some doubleheader action and watch both the men's and women's teams take on the Bulldogs!

Reviewing the Road

After a gruelling five game road trip, I am able to share some thoughts and observations from the past three games; losses at Ball State, Nebraska, and Oklahoma.

We all know that this year's version of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore men's basketball team is overall a young, athletic, and so-far, short-handed squad. Injuries have already taken their toll. The loss of senior Neal Pitt, last year's top scorer and rebounder, has slowed the Hawks in the post, while junior Josh Bright's absence has forced the healthy guards to play extended minutes. Head coach Frankie Allen was already facing the task of having to get his team, all new-comers with the exception of Pitt, Bright, and freshman Tyler Hines, to play as a unit, and now has had to mix-and-match different line-ups from an eight-man rotation. There certainly have been a number of challenges this team has had to face, and we are just now arriving at the start of conference play on the schedule.

The nine point loss at Ball State was closer than the final score indicates. UMES held several leads throughout the ballgame, including in the second half. The Hawks were able to stick to that night's game plan - slow the game down offensively, and play a packed-in, man-to-man on the defensive end. As a result, the Cardinals main man, Jarrod Jones (in front of at least one NBA scout) was held in check, as the 6'9 big man scored just 12 points, five below his average. In the end though, the Cards were able to make a few more plays down the stretch, and increased their lead with free throws in the final minute. Despite the loss, it was good to see an under-manned team fight for 40 minutes after two consecutive double-digit losses.

The Nebraska loss was perhaps a little more frustrating to take. I felt that the Hawks, who were heavy underdogs going into Lincoln, surprised everyone but themselves with their aggressive play over the first 20 minutes. The Cornhuskers led by just four at the break. UMES was able to force some turnovers on the defensive end by jumping the passing lanes, resulting in some nice transition hoops. I thought sophomore Hilary Haley, the Hawks' leading scorer, played well and was more in-sync with the offense. The front court controlled the boards by out rebounding NU, 40-32. UMES was physical, and looked flat-out confident out there against a Big-12 opponent.
It was the opening five minutes of the second half that did in the Hawks. Nebraska went on a 13-0 run, forcing UMES to play catch-up over the final 15 minutes. The Hawks played well enough to win for 35 minutes, but not for the 40 required.

Oklahoma, led by sophomore Willie Warren, one of the country's most dynamic and recognizable players, was as good as advertised. The Hawks were forced to battle this juggernaut with junior Tim Burns waging his own battle - against suspected food poisoning. The 5'10 guard received an IV before the game, but was gutsy enough to suit up anyway. I think it had something to do with our visit to an Oklahoma City restaurant the day before; perhaps our waiter didn't like us.
Either way, this one was quickly out of reach. The Sooners provided non-stop pressure throughout the course of the entire game, forcing too many Hawk turnovers. Freshman Sean Berry was a bright spot, grabbing a career-high 12 rebounds to go along with 16 points. He looked fearless at times in the post and on the window, going chin-to-chin with the 6'10, 296 pound OU freshman Tiny Gallon. Berry's hustle is contagious, and should only improve as the season moves forward.

Now that MEAC play has arrived, fans should begin to feel optimistic again. After all, conference wins are the only ones that really matter, and UMES is already 1-0, thanks to a December victory over Delaware State. The Hawks match-up Saturday against South Carolina State will serve as an accurate barometer, in terms of showing us where this team is a week into 2010. I like their chances; they are 3-1 at home, and just seem to simply play better at the Hytche. Besides, now that 14 hour travel days, food poisoning, and Willie Warren are in the rear view mirror, the task seems no where near as daunting.

Practice

I just walked by the arena and the guys were practicing. Noticed that assistant coaches Mike Blaine, Nick Robinson and Curtis Peery were "practicing" again. Love to watch them play, but wish it would be for other reasons than guys being out with injuries. Hopefully we get the wounded back on the court soon!

Back to P.A.....finally!

After a long and frustrating road trip to the Midwest, we're finally back home. We didn't have any travel problems on the way home like we've had throughout this road trip. The guys watched the movie, 300, on the bus ride from Baltimore to Princess Anne, but I had no interest in this movie so I slept.

Hopefully now that we're home, all the guys can rest up a bunch and get healthy as we prepare for MEAC play.

Oklahoma 88, UMES 54 - FINAL

Final stats and story will be up on www.umeshawks.com shortly.

GO HAWKS!

A couple of Oklahoma pictures

Just two pics from the game...

Jimmy Houston, professional fisherman, doing a demonstration and contest during halftime.

Coach Allen's post-game press conference

UMES @ Oklahoma - STARTERS

UMES - Maroon uniforms

3 White

5 Berry

24 Haley

31 Robertson

32 Hines

Oklahoma - White uniforms

2 Pledger

4 Fitzgerald

5 Crocker

13 Warren

34 Davis

GAME DAY! UMES @ Oklahoma

A few pictures from the Lloyd Noble Center - tip in just over an hour.