Looking Back

“Courtesies of a small and trivial character are the ones which strike deepest in the grateful and appreciating heart.”


-Henry Clay

This week for me was much needed for a while. Not having a game and being here in Buffalo has allowed me to look at my life and have some time to look back on my life.  Last year, we had an away game around Thanksgiving and ended up eating our Thanksgiving Dinner at Cracker Barrel, exactly what I wanted. This year, however, we were actually able to have a Thanksgiving meal. The majority of our team isn’t from here, so we either ate at a teammate’s house or friend’s house. Fortunately for me, Jake Kroll, who is a good friend of mine and the team’s manager, invited me to celebrate Thanksgiving with him and his family. We drove to Boston, New York…yes, Boston, New York where his Aunt and Uncle lived. Being from Florida, when they told me we were going to Boston and we’re driving, my first thought was, ‘Do we have time for that, because I have practice tomorrow?’ Come to find out there is town called Boston about thirty-five minutes south of the UB North Campus.

Once we get there, I see the beautiful house that is basically located in, what I call, the country. It was a cozy cabin-like house that the family had added on to and made into a house that I’ve only seen in movies. There we had a very delicious and filling Thanksgiving Dinner, where I also met Jake’s family. Being around them and how they interacted and reminisced on past family events made me think about how my family use to celebrate Thanksgiving back when I was home.

Leading up to Thanksgiving, my mom would cook for hours, making all types of dishes. The house use to smell so good that I had to stay busy or I would just fantasize on what I was going to do that food once I got. My mom would have to run us out of the kitchen, because my sister or I would always try to get a little taste of anything or steal a devil egg when we had the chance. Once it was time to actually eat, the family would all come over or we go to a family member’s house and eat until we couldn’t eat anymore; also, catching up with everybody, sharing stories, and just enjoy each other’s company before we went our separate ways. My family isn’t perfect, but Thanksgiving and family gatherings allowed us to put all our difference aside and be happy.

Being in Boston with Jake’s family allowed me to look back on those times and remind me to be thankful for everything I have. It’s those times when you can just feel happy about your life and everybody who has been apart of it and what they have done to make you who you are today. It also made me really miss my family and how they make me feel when I’m with them. I want them to know that are loved and missed.

I know it’s past Thanksgiving, but it’s never too late to tell somebody that you’re thankful for everything they did for you, even if it was something minor. Now, I would get into a few stories about leftovers but that’s a whole other blog by itself. Until next time, that’s Wats’ Up!

A Message From Mom

The following post is from Tony's mother, Kelli Watson.


I can remember it like it was yesterday…. Ten boys on the court, all 5 yrs old, for their very first organized basketball game ever…. After the jump, the ball was tipped into the other side of the court… my son, Tony “T-II” Watson, grabbed the ball and made a fast break to the opposite end of the court and straight to the basket…after an easy lay up and 2 points the crowd was going crazy!!! The other team looked stunned… But, unfortunately, the rule at the YMCA in 1995 was “No Fast Breaks” in that age division and the ball was called back… but I knew at that moment, that he was going to be something special and also fun to watch!  

Year after year, season after season, I enjoyed watching him play and never missed a game… I was his biggest fan, with team colors on, yelling encouraging words and sometimes not so nice things to the opposition… All through Rec ball, Middle School, Travel ball, and High School I never tired of watching him play, and would get just as excited and pumped on game day as the team would…. I even had a stint as “scorekeeper” once, but had to give up the job, because I couldn’t cheer, yell, and clap like I wanted to at the scorers table! The excitement of being there in the gym, witnessing proud moment after proud moment, would be something that I would never change in the world… It was our family’s lifestyle and there was no other way to live in our world…

So, fast forward to 2009… after numerous teams, games and seasons so many years of living the life as a FAN of my child, who was now going away (and I mean 8 states away) to play ball in college  was a huge transition for me…. Since I didn’t own an airline, and UB wasn’t conveniently located down the street I knew I would have a hard time not being there for each and every game… It’s too bad that games aren’t broadcasted on TV in the state of Florida….Thank goodness we have the internet, text messaging and multi-media because each and every game I am able to still put my game gear on, grab some snacks and glue myself to my lap top! Even when UB is playing away, I pay for access to watch the games…. I don’t want to miss a thing!  

I’m still his biggest fan…. Just 8 states away…. People always ask me, who is your favorite team? And I’m proud to say that I am a UB Bull now…. TRUE BLUE!!! I love how the community embraces our Team, I love how the student body supports our Team, and I love how the Faculty encourages our Team!!! Count me in as one of the BIGGEST FANS STILL…. And I’m sure if you listen real close on game day, you can hear me cheering all the way from FLORIDA!   

My Expectations

"Your expectations opens or closes the doors of your supply, If you expect grand things, and work honestly for them, they will come to you, your supply will correspond with your expectation."

-Orison Swett Marden

As we all know, last year we fell short of a MAC Championship but still made a good run in the CIT with a 20-win season. With a strong core of the team returning, my expectations for this season are higher than ever. We have been very aggressive in our workouts and have been determined to strive for excellence, so that we can achieve our goal of that MAC Championship.

People say if don't have high expectations for yourself, you won't be disappointed. While that may be true, I believe that if you don't have high expectations for yourself, you won't reach your full potential. We have set that bar high and expect to reach that bar given the talent we have, our drive for success and a coaching staff that is just as hungry as we are, if not hungrier.

Walking through campus this year, I can feel the anticipation and the buzz for this season to start. Not only are we excited, but the entire student body, I feel, is ready for what we have to bring to the table. I feel like this only adds to our expectations, because we have the student body backing us and are expecting us to win. Our first test is this Friday night at home against St. Peters, where some of these expectation questions will be answered. Until next time, that's 'Wats Up'!

Life Lesson Learned

“Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.”

-Vincent Van Gogh

Since the age of four I have been playing basketball and I have learned a countless number of lessons about life that have made me the young man that I am today; for example, how to talk to people, how to handle criticism or advisory, and responsibility and taking full ownership of my actions. Now with two MAC games played and both of them slipping out of our hands, I have yet again learned another life lesson that I will never forget. And that lesson is appreciating the little things.

Starting the MAC 0-2 is not what we expected, however some lessons are learned the hard way and this is one of those times. Now you could blame our losses on missed shots or a number of things, but the real answer is not getting the little things done. For those who don’t know what I mean by little things, a little thing could be a lot of things. Setting a good screen, boxing out, cutting hard, getting loose balls, getting deflections, taking charges, and number of non-categorical events that happen in a game. Taking two early losses in MAC play, I feel that this is an aspect that we must improve on. Vincent Van Gogh said it the best, “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.” Once we can get this concept cemented into our brains, the sky will be the limit. Until next time, that’s Wats’ Up! 

MAC, here we come!

We’re on the bus right now on the way back from Cornell University, where we were able to end our non-conference schedule with a win; bringing our record to 8-4. Tonight’s win felt good, because as you all know we just suffered a lost to BYU last Thursday and to be able to learn from our mistakes, refocus, and come out and put on a solid performance against a team who went to the sweet sixteen last year makes it all sweeter.

We are now about to begin our conference schedule, with a home game against Bowling Green this Saturday. Those who follow our progress know that we were projected to finish in last place in the MAC. To us, it’s not a surprise and it’s our number one motivational tactic that we have used all season.  We feel as if this year can be really special if we continue to get better daily and fix the little mistakes that are keeping us from reaching our full potential. Right now, as we continue to make our strides, our minds are focused; we are working on our weaknesses, and never forgetting where we started and where we’re going.

Expect MAC play to be very exciting, very physical, and very passionate because every single game is a rivalry game. MAC, here we come! Until next time, that’s Wats’ Up!