A 2002 NYU graduate, Sean Grant is in the second season of his second stint as an assistant coach with the New York University men's basketball program. Periodically throughout the 2009-10 campaign, he will provide his insights in this very space.
Written 2/4/10
Hi all, time has flown since my last post. I can’t believe that we are already half way through our UAA schedule. For those of you who have been following us closely you know that we’re currently 4-3 in the UAA. In case you haven’t had a chance to look us up recently I’ll catch you up on how we fared through our first half of the conference schedule.
We opened up with a big win against Brandeis University. It was a great way for us to open UAA play as we dropped both game to them last season. We then made the grueling trip to the Midwest and lost two tough games at the University of Chicago and Washington University in St. Louis. We came back home to Coles the following weekend and suffered a loss to Emory University. With our league record at 1-3 we picked up a huge win against the University of Rochester. It was a great team win and I think it highlights our team’s resiliency. It is very hard to come off a loss on Friday and beat a good team on Sunday and we were able to do that. We then built on our win against Rochester by sweeping at home last weekend against Carnegie Mellon University and Case Western Reserve University. Both games were typical UAA battles, with neither team being able to pull away. Fortunately, we were able to put together some good offensive possessions and rebound the ball well.
The UAA schedule is unique in that you play your first seven games of the schedule and then you play the second half of your schedule in reverse order. So the teams you play in your sixth and seventh games of the schedule are the same two teams you play in your eighth and ninth games of the schedule. Here at NYU we call it the flip. This year we flip with Carnegie Mellon and Case Western. Having just played two tight games with them in New York we know we have to bring a tremendous effort in both games for us to win on the road. With a three-game win streak in the league we feel confident, however, with five of our last seven games on the road we know we still have a lot of work to do to secure a great record in the UAA. Tomorrow night should be a great game and I’m excited for us to be back in action. If you have a moment check us out via live stats or the Carnegie Mellon webcast.
Written 1/11/10
It’s been a little while since I’ve checked in and I’m pleased to report that the semester is off to a terrific start for us. We opened up our second semester schedule with an 85-69 win at Hunter College. We took control of the game early with solid defense and outstanding offensive execution. We shot a season best 62.5% from the floor and we had great scoring balance as Richie Polan, Keith Jensen, and Carl Yaffe each scored 18 points.
We rang in the New Year with a pair of victories in our Holiday Classic over Wentworth Tech and Lebanon Valley College. Both games were physical, hard0fought contests for us, and our guys did a great job of playing two tough games on back-to-back days.
We opened up UAA play this past Saturday against Brandeis University, ranked eighth in the nation, and got a huge win at home, 62-50. This was our first win against a top-10 team since the 2007-2008 season. I was very proud of our guys and this was truly a great team win. We put forth a tremendous effort in practice last week in preparation, every man on our roster worked extremely hard and played his role well to help us be ready. That effort was reflected in our execution during the game. This is my eighth year being a part of NYU basketball and I can honestly say that I can’t remember being a part of a better win in my time here.
This is going to be a busy week for the Violets as we go on the road today to play at Wesleyan University on Monday. This weekend, we make the Midwest swing to play at the University of Chicago on Friday and at Washington University on Sunday. Wesleyan is our last non-conference opponent and then we have UAA contests the rest of the way. I’m excited to play on the road this week. Although I think the Coles Center is one of the best facilities in Division III basketball, we have an opportunity to go on the road and compete against quality opponents. We have a chance to build on our six-game win streak, and more importantly, continue to grow and improve as a team.
Written 12/21/09
We finished up the first semester portion of our schedule with a record of 5-2 and we were able to close out the semester on a two-game win streak. Our win against the United States Merchant Marine Academy was a very good game for us. We were down at the half and our players were able to make adjustments in the second half to allow us to take the lead and get the win.
Our last game of the semester was at New York City Tech. We ended up winning by a comfortable margin and it was a perfect way to finish the semester in that we executed very well, particularly against their zone defense. Also, we were able to get everyone some playing time.
As our final exam period draws to a close, I’d like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a happy holiday season. I hope you all get to take a little break to spend time with family and friends. We will resume play on December 30 at Hunter College and then we will be back at Coles for our New Year's Classic on January 2 and 3. I hope to see all of you in the New Year. In the meantime, enjoy the holidays!
Written 12/9/09
Currently we have a record of 3-2 as we are coming off a loss at home on Saturday against the College of Mount Saint Vincent. The game was a tough loss for us as we battled back from a double-digit deficit to take the lead late in the second half. Unfortunately Mount Saint Vincent hit a tough shot with five seconds left to take the lead for good.
Tonight we play our last home game of the first semester against the United States Merchant Marine Academy. It has been a busy week thus far with preparation for USMMA, however, our goal of improving our execution has remained a major focal point. As with every game tonight is another great challenge for us to get better on both ends of the floor, as well as an opportunity for us to get back on the winning track.
Written 11/12/09
The beginning of every season is always one of my favorite times of the year. The anticipation of that first game mingles with the hope that all of the hard work done in the summer and fall will lead to great things during the winter. Everyone from the players to the coaching staff is eager for that first real test. For us, that test will come on Sunday afternoon at the Coles Center when we tip off against Stevens Tech.
Head coach Joe Nesci often talks to our players about what a special opportunity it is to play college basketball at NYU and as an alumnus, I couldn’t agree more. The chance to experience the competition and travel opportunities in the UAA (University Athletic Association), combined with attending an outstanding school in the world’s most exciting city, has had a profound effect on my life. I was fortunate to be able to go to school and play basketball here and I am very thankful to be back here at NYU as a coach. The opportunity to help our players learn and to share with them the same experiences I had as a student-athlete is very exciting to me.
We have a terrific group of guys this year who work hard and play the game the right way. I am looking forward to observing the development of our team this year and I invite you to do the same. I hope to see you out on Sunday!
