With no professional team for the city of Buffalo to call its own, basketball aficionados (and Dick Vitale lovers) around campus this week share the same sentiment for the Bulls' upcoming season, baby! Another season of Division I hoops brings with it the notion that big improvements are in store for the blue and white.
Nay Sayers may point to last year's dismal record of 5-23, but last season was a fresh start of sorts, as in "fresh"men. In fact, at least three freshman or sophomores were in the starting line up for every game last year, epitomizing the lack of experience that so often proves detrimental in the talent-saturated world of D-I basketball.
Albeit that one year is only one year, and many say the Bulls still fall under the distinction of a youthful squad, but a whole off-season of training under a great coach, plus a healthy Turner Battle can only equate to that which is positive.
Head coach Reggie Witherspoon points to last year's season as a mental obstacle his team will most likely grow from.
"I think sometimes when you go through adversity, it breeds closeness," said Witherspoon. "We've been through enough difficult times where we understand that we have to stick together."
As far as Buffalo's leader and point man Turner Battle is concerned, the adversity that came via his badly dislocated finger 20 games into last season is no longer an issue. "It's 100 percent," he said. And when asked what aspirations he has for this year's team, the junior pre-season All MAC selection answers without hesitation.
"Our ultimate goal is to win the MAC championship," said Battle. "I feel as though we have the tools we need this year in order to get it done. We have size, we have depth, and we have experience. Usually teams that have those tools win it every year. And I feel as though this year we have everything we need, and we just have to go out there and execute as a team."
The post-man that will most likely help UB to be successful into the month of March is 6-foot-10-inch junior Mark Bortz. Bortz is a forward with soft hands and a knack for blocking shots - averaging 3.1 per game last season.
This year, he and Battle (from Michigan and North Carolina respectively) made it clear how focused they were on Battle's aforementioned goal, staying in B-lo for most of the summer recess.
"Turner and Mark both had great summers," said Witherspoon. "They stayed here pretty much the entire summer and really had a great off season from the standpoint of individual development."
Other key players for the Bulls this year will be 6-foot-4-inch junior swingman Jason Bird, who knocked down 42 three-pointers a year ago and finished second on the team in scoring with 8.7 ppg, behind Battle's 12.7.
Like Bird, 5-foot-11-inch sophomore guard Calvin Cage also has the ability to shoot the long ball, finishing behind Bird with 29 threes made. Cage also led the team in free throw percentage at .879.
Rounding out the backcourt is 6-foot-3-inch sophomore Roderick Middleton, who stepped in for the injured Battle a year ago. Look for him to have more minutes this year after notching double figures in 10 games last season, while starting only five.
Joining Bortz in the frontcourt are guard/forward's Mario Jordan and Daniel Gilbert. Both are 6-foot-6-inches with the athletic ability to crash the boards and pull-up for the J.
Gilbert was second on the team in free throw percentage and third in three-point percentage and assists.
B.J. Walker, a 6-foot-9-inch, 240-pound sophomore power forward, comes into this season after perhaps the most impressive of all UB freshman campaigns. Walker recorded two double-doubles last year, becoming the first freshman to do so since 1996. He also surpassed 20 points on three different occasions, while averaging 10.2 points and 6.0 rebounds in conference games. Look for Walker to ignite the crowd with ferocious dunks.
The new faces for the Bulls include 5-foot-8-inch guard Marcus Henderson, 6-foot-11-inch forward Andrew Atman, 6-foot-6-inch forward Parnel Smith, 6-foot-9-inch center Brian Andre, and 6-foot-10-inch forward Yassin Idbihi, who is a 20-year-old native of Morocco who played high school ball in Germany.
"I think the newcomers are getting better every day," said Witherspoon. "This year more than any other year we have some veterans, and they have to be able to step up to that level, whereas before our newcomers were very close to being at the same level as our veterans. Our veterans now need to make it difficult for our newcomers so they can get better. But I think a few of them have a chance down the road to make an impact."
That road starts this Friday at Alumni Arena against local foe Canisius College. Highlighting this year's schedule is a trip to Big East rival Rutgers on Nov. 25 and a home game against Big Ten Penn State on Nov. 29. The Bulls are also slated to participate in ESPN's second annual bracket buster that will take place on Saturday, Feb. 21.
Season tip-off is set for 8 p.m. this Friday in Alumni Arena.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
