Two weeks ago, Jayvon Graves walked into head coach Jim Whitesell’s office with a surprising announcement. He would be entering his name into the 2020 NBA Draft.
Men’s basketball junior guard Jayvon Graves announced on Friday that he is planning to declare for the 2020 NBA Draft, with the ability to return to college next year if he withdraws his name no later than 10 days after the scouting combine.
Troy Keller was preparing to make a presentation in his field ecology class last week when he discovered some shocking news: the NCAA canceled its Division-I college wrestling championships. Keller, a back-to-back 165 lb. Mid-American Conference champion, was looking forward to competing for the school’s first All-American honor since 2004. But instead, he was told that his career would be ending, but “not on his own terms.”
Three-star men's basketball recruit Josiah Freeman asked for a release from his commitment to UB and UB granted it, according to UB Athletics. Freeman signed his national letter of intent with the Bulls in November, after turning down offers from nine other schools, including Old Dominion and Siena.
The Mid-American Conference canceled all remaining regular season and championship competitions for the remainder of the 2019-20 academic year, commissioner Jon Steinbrecher announced Thursday. “During this unprecedented health crisis that continues to evolve daily, we fully support the decision made today by the Mid-American Conference and the NCAA,” UB Athletics Director Mark Alnutt said in a press release. “While we are disappointed for our student-athletes, coaches and staff who have worked diligently to prepare this spring and have had their seasons cut short, their health, safety and well-being will always be our top priority.”
The UB men’s basketball team had three student-athletes earn Mid-American Conference postseason honors, the league announced Wednesday morning. Senior guard Davonta Jordan was named the MAC Defensive Player of the Year, while sophomore guard Ronaldo Segu was named the MAC Sixth Man of the Year and junior guard Jayvon Graves was named first-team All-MACAll-MAC.
In the first round of the MAC Tournament, the No. 12 seed Miami (OH) Red Hawks upset the No. 5 seed Bulls, 85-79. After the Bulls started the game up 8-0, the Red Hawks stormed back and took a 49-39 lead into the half, led by junior guard Nike Sibande’s 23 first-half points. Sibande ultimately earned 31 points, leading the Red Hawks past the Bulls.
The Bulls (18-11, 9-9 MAC) celebrated their only graduating senior Theresa Onwuka on Saturday’s senior night, as UB closed out the regular season with a 72-58 win against Kent State (18-11, 11-7 MAC). Onwuka’s final regular season game for the Bulls came with a milestone: her 1,000th career point.
As the regular season ended Friday for UB men’s basketball and one stat stood out among the rest. UB led the nation in rebounding during the 2019-20 season, despite fielding a smaller lineup than some of its competitors.
Bowling Green, OH — UB men’s basketball (20-11, 11-7 MAC) defeated Bowling Green (21-10, 12-6 MAC) 88-84 Friday night at the Stroh Center during the last game of the regular season. Two of the top-four-ranked teams in the MAC battled as the 4-seeded Bulls got the best of the 2-seeded Falcons on their senior night.
As a high school freshman, Dyaisha Fair made her coaches a promise. She was going to be the best player they had ever seen. But she wasn’t being arrogant. She was simply stating the truth.
UB men’s basketball (19-11, 10-7 MAC) defeated Miami(OH) (12-18, 5-12 MAC) 75-69 at Alumni Arena on senior night Tuesday. In honor of the occasion, head coach Jim Whitesell gave senior forward Gabe Grant the starting nod over sophomore forward Jeenathan Williams. Grant hit 2 3-pointers early in the game, proving he was worthy of the starting spot.
Jordan Avissey never expected to be here. Not in a stadium. Not on the gridiron. And certainly not here — illegally climbing a barbed-wire fence at midnight to work out at the local football field in his home country of France.
UB women’s basketball (16-11) defeated the Ohio Bobcats (17-10) 63-62 at the Convocation Center Saturday afternoon. The Bulls have now won three-straight games for the first time in 2020. Saturday’s win also marks the 300th career victory for head coach Felisha Legette-Jack.
UB men’s basketball (18-11, 9-7 MAC) lost a hard-fought battle to the Akron Zips (22-7, 12-4 MAC) at Alumni Arena Saturday afternoon. The Bulls got off to a hot start, making their first four shots of the game and jumping out to a 10-2 lead.
UB women’s basketball (15-11, 6-9) defeated the Miami(OH) RedHawks (11-15, 4-11) 88-72 at Alumni Arena Wednesday. The Bulls previously defeated Miami 86-72 on Jan. 4. On the heels of a six-game losing streak, the Bulls have now won two in a row. Head coach Felisha Legette-Jack doesn’t see the six games as losses, but as learning experiences.
Felisha Legette-Jack is taking a holistic approach to her team’s struggles this season. The UB women’s basketball head coach, now in her eighth season at UB, is trying to salvage what has been a rather uninspiring 2020 campaign.
UB men’s basketball (18-10) lost to MAC East foe Ohio (14-14) 80-69 at the Ohio University Convocation Center Tuesday evening.
Madelyn Hickingbottom and Alexis Lucyshyn have a lot in common. They’re from the same country. They play the same position. And they both committed to UB as freshmen in 2018.
UB women’s basketball (14-11) defeated Bowling Green (8-18) 62-56 at the Stroh Center Saturday afternoon. The win ended the Bulls’ six-game losing streak and pushed them back into ninth place in the MAC standings.
Solutions by The State News
