Quick Toughts

This season has been extremely exciting. We have had a number a close game, which a handful of them were decided on the last possession. We have also had our up and downs, a few games that we let slip out of our hands, but also some winning streaks that lasted for weeks.

But now it’s time for the MAC Tournament. All year we have been working hard to get to this point. An intense summer, gurgling preseason, and pretty successful season has landed us a number two seed in the tournament and two games away from the big dance. The buzz around campus and support we get back from the community is at an all-time high. We as a team have come together and the most important part of the season and now we are ready for any opponent in the MAC. I feel it getting closer and closer, because I find myself struggling a little bit at night to fall asleep. It’s almost like a little kid before Christmas who can’t fall asleep, hoping he gets that big gift he has been dreaming about forever.

With all that we've been through and all that we have accomplished, we feel as if this season will be incomplete without the MAC championship and us dancing in the NCAA Tournament. Honestly, there isn’t any other option. 

Until next time, that’s ‘Wats Up’!

Trust It

“Trust yourself, trust your training, and trust your teammates.”

-Coach Witherspoon

 In case you don’t know, our winning streak was snapped last night at Kent State in a hard fought game that came down to the last minute of the game. We played extremely hard and stuck together throughout the game, but Kent made a couple more plays than we did. One of the main points that Coach Witherspoon has stressed is that quote above. For those who follow us, they know we are a strong team. However when we lose sight of the things we practice every day, we make the game harder than it should be. Last night’s game was a lesson learn and we will apply Coach’s quote better in our next game.

What’s next for us? We get an opportunity to get out of conference play for a game and play South Dakota State in an ESPN Bracket Buster Game. This will be my first time to South Dakota, as well for many of my teammates, so we’re excited. For those who are worrying about a drop off from us like last year, stop worrying! We’re good; it’s a long season and it has its up and downs. We have big things in line for us and we’ll be ready to give it our best punch.

Until next time, that’s ‘Wats Up’! 

On a Streak

Yesterday we landed back in Buffalo after defeating Northern Illinois, which makes it four in a row in MAC play. We are currently tied for second place in the MAC and feeling pretty good about our standings thus far. Obviously, we feel as if we could be undefeated in the conference but we have to continue to look forward and concentrate on our next opponent.

How many of you all have had a feeling as if something really good is about to happen or you just know that you are in a situation to do great things? For those who know what I’m talking about, they will understand me when I say, “I just gotta a feelin’!” We have been putting in so much hard work and fixed and tweaked things to better our team and out of three years have a been here, this team just feels like the one!

Our next game is home this Wednesday against Ball State, who is currently first place in the Western Division of the MAC and we are armed and ready for the challenge.

Until next time, that’s ‘Wats Up’!

Looking Foward

“Life's up and downs provide windows of opportunity to determine your values and goals - Think of using all obstacles as stepping stones to build the life you want”

~Marsha Sinetar

Right now, we are 6-4 and coming off of a tough overtime loss to Temple. Without a doubt we believe we should have won the game, but in the unfortunate event of losing we learned some valuable lessons. So far this season, each game, especially the losses, have open our eyes to an aspect of the game we need to improve on and that is exactly what we’re doing now during the winter break.

Only having a few games over the past few weeks have given us an opportunity to watch film and iron out the wrinkles in practice. With our non-conference schedule coming to an end after our next game against Buffalo State College, we will begin attacking the MAC.

This is where it really matters and everything we’ve learned during the season needs to be implemented. Our spirits are high, focused and ready to take on all our opponents set before us. 

Until next time, that’s ‘Wats Up’!

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!

Life on the Road

Quick update…. The Bulls are now 4-3 after losing a nail-baiter to St. Bonaventure. They hit a jump shot with about six seconds left in the game, causing us to race down the court and take a heavily contested jumper that didn’t fall. That now brings our road record to 2-3.

           

If you have been following us this entire season, you can see that we have obviously had some struggles on the road. Don’t worry though, you know Coach Witherspoon and the coaching staff are fixing that and now paying more attention to the little things than ever before.  However, life on the road is like no other. If you haven’t done the math yet, our last four games have been away making 5 out of our 7 games so far this season on the road (including Canisius). So you ask, what’s the big difference, it’s still basketball, it’s still the same size court, and a ten foot high rim, contrarily those who have played high level sports can testify, it’s a whole different story.

First of all, travelling to wherever the game is; just travelling takes a toll on the body and hydration is a must. Long bus rides have caused us to sometimes arrive to our destination at irregular times and maybe knocking us off our normal sleeping patterns. Next preparation for the game is key, as far as scouting reports and knowing the other team’s personnel. These sessions can make or break a team’s chances of winning. Than finally, the game, where we are in a gym with thousands of fans rooting against us. With thousands of fans and students chanting against you could startle you, and on the other hand energize the home team more than you know. So, with all that, our task at hand is a little tougher. Now, by any means, don’t think I’m looking for excuses or want you to feel sorry for us and if we want to be a great team, we have to get our road-game-mindset situated. This is what we signed up for!

But what I am saying is that, we have our own set of home games coming up, starting with Niagara University Wednesday night. And we are doing our best to learn from our past games and come out heads up and focused on doing the little things excellent. Also, I’m asking every UB fan to come out and support us and put the same if not more pressure on the opposing team as the other schools have done to us. Until next time, that’s Wats’ Up!

Time to Commit

 Commitment unlocks the doors of imagination, allows vision, and gives us the "right stuff" to turn our dreams into reality. 

James Womack

First of all, on behalf of the whole Men’s Basketball Family, we would like to say thank you for all the support we receive last Saturday during our home opener. Everybody from the floor seats, to the last row in Alumni Arena, to all the fans, friends, and family members who watched the game online, we truly appreciate the support. You honestly don’t understand how much of an impact you all have on the game when we can look into the stands and see, hear, and feel every single one of you all cheering us on. From the bottom of our hearts, Thanks!

Ok, now Wats’ Up? As you all probably already know, after our season home opener win against Navy, we took a trip to Youngstown State University and it didn’t quite go as plan. We just couldn’t find a way to pull it together in the most critical parts of the game. So what Coach Witherspoon and Coach Kwitchoff stressed after the game was our commitment to each other. Now, you question what does that mean? They want us to throw ourselves into the team and buy into everything their saying and COMMIT to the teams’ style and philosophies. For example, COMMIT to playing Buffalo defense, COMMIT to passing to the open men, COMMIT to setting good screens, and COMMIT to being a better teammate to one another. The coaches can testify that this year’s Men’s Buffalo team has the best or one of the best team chemistries and unity they have seen in all their years of coaching; plus the talent to compete with any team. 


So all we need now is to get that “commitment [that will] unlocks the doors of imagination, allows vision, and gives us the "right stuff" to turn our dreams into reality,” which is to get a MAC Championship and advance into the big tourney. Expect to see a different mindset that you all saw against YSU in our upcoming game against Towson this Saturday night. This is the time to jump of the UB Men’s Basketball Team Fan Wagon! 


Until next time, that’s Wats’ Up!

Tough Love

Does tough love pay off? This year, the cliché of the UB Men’s Basketball Team is that “we are young.” Everyone knows that we have five freshmen this year, making us one of the youngest, if not the youngest, team in the MAC. With that being said, the entire coaching staff has made it their goal to not only prepare us for the season, but also make us men. With this being my second year and comparing last year to this year, I can honestly say practices have been extremely rough, and very fast-paced. We have all been put in difficult situations throughout practice, making us both mentally and physically tougher as well as overall better individuals; making us a better team.

“This isn’t high school anymore, boys.” This has been Coach Witherspoon’s most repeated quote this season so far. In other words, we have to grow and man up to the challenges set before us this year. This is sort of déjà vu, because I can remember when I was in high school and was a wide-eye freshman with long hair. I had no clue what I was in for starting as a varsity point guard. My coach, who was also my dad, had similar quotes. His were, “You ain’t in middle school anymore,” or “This isn’t JV, guys,” and he said these whenever we had immature moments or were not playing to our full potential.

So the question still stands, does tough love pay off? Since practice has started, we as a team have taken long strides. Day by day you can see how we are improving in different aspects of our games. Our first test came Saturday, when we had our first scrimmage against Carleton University, a university from Canada. With Byron Mulkey and Mitchell Watt out due to injuries (short-term injuries, don’t stress people), we were a little short-handed but ready. We looked strong in moments and were able to pull out a three-point victory in the end. We could see where we needed work and where we need to improve. On the other hand, we got the win and we can see tough love really does pay off. 

Until next time, that’s Wats’ Up!

The Excitement is Brewing

Saturday night was the first Bulls Madness event since 2005 and it was long overdue. The event featured a 3-point Contest, Hot Shot Competition, Knockout, Dunking Contest, and an unexpected performance. 

The 3-point contest was won by me [Tony Watson II], where I was able to squeak by the crowd’s favorites Nicki Hopkins and Zach Filzen. The Hot Shot Competition was won by Brit Hedderson, Dave Barnett and a UB student. Dave Barnett hit a near half court shot giving his team the sure win. 

Knockout came down to Amy Gardener and one of UB’s own students, in which Amy was able to pull out the victory. 

The heavily anticipated Dunk Contest featured six UB Bulls from the men’s basketball team. Mitchell Watt was able to get a perfect score from the fans with his kick alley one-handed 180 Dunk. Alumni Arena went into a frenzy when Mitch’s jam went through the rim. 

Without a doubt the surprise of the night came from our very own Coach MacDonald, head coach of the women’s basketball team. Coach Mac and her Bulls all took the court; the players supplied the beat and Coach Mac supplied the rhymes. She “spit” a verse about the upcoming season that not only had both teams on their feet but also the fans throughout the arena. 

Bull’s Madness was a great event to jump start the upcoming basketball season. Both teams are heavily excited about the season and are expecting big things. Until next time, that’s Wats’ Up!     

Welcome

Through out the 2010-11 season men's basketball sophomore Tony Watson will be blogging.