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Go Griffs

The New Griffs
6'7" AJ Hawkins	6'3" Brett Chance

Griff Bits - March 19, 2008

Hello All, It’s good to finally get a moment to reflect on what was a very interesting season for all. And I mean, ALL… from myself, to the student-athletes, to the administration, the fans and critics alike. What we expected going in was a year of transition and establishing an identity for this young group. We went a good portion of the season not really having that identity. Were we a fast break team? A defensive oriented team? Tempo team? A smart team? Was this group of inexperienced guys a team at all? We needed to find out so much in not a lot of time. So we struggled and struggled mightily! Yes, at times we were downright awful. We had to go through it and that we did! Still, we managed to remain together and become a TEAM. There were only six other teams in the ENTIRE country with similar situations to us. Some of those teams had as many freshmen as we did but still had some really established veterans to lead the way. Most however had won and won big in years leading up to their rebuilding efforts which is different than our program and quite the advantage. I recently saw a quote from Florida’s Billy Donovan (which is one of the six teams mentioned above) in USA Today, he stated his frustration with his newcomers and how they were underachieving and did not want it bad enough. He said he was not looking forward to them becoming sophomores (The man has won two National Championships). However, I can honestly say, regarding my own team that I am particularly excited about my young guys and I am really looking forward to them becoming a year older. I am very proud of our team for many reason the first being that they managed to hang tough through some very challenging times especially through much criticism and disappointment. We are stronger because of the adversity we faced and that is why we were able to become a team towards the end of the year. What we needed to concentrate on was improving throughout the year and I think that was accomplished. How this team responded in the MAAC tournament was special. All those who came out in support or watched both games realized we were there to WIN! We made history by winning a game and would have been the story in all of college basketball had we pulled out the win against Rider. I said countless times that we wanted to be the team in the tournament that was dangerous and was in a position to make some noise. The showing against Rider solidified the Iona win. That it was not a fluke. We were good enough to win the tournament not just compete. That is our belief and that is what we have already begun to build on. Be strong when you stumble Be proud when you are humbled When you walk through the valley…walk like a MAN! Many thanks to all our fans out there. I am certain we lost some along the way, as it is the nature of the beast. I also know that we gained new ones as a result of the guys’ fortitude and I thank you for all the emails and phone calls voicing your insight and well wishes especially during the tournament. Stay Tuned and STAY PASSIONATE!!!!! TP

Other MAAC Links:

Fairfield, Iona, Loyola, Manhattan, Marist, Niagara, Rider, Siena, St. Peter's, sMAAC Trash Talk, Official MAAC Site