Sports squawk

Howard Herman: The NBC guys' opinions at the end of the NFL season

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 15:54:00 -0500

In preparing for my role in this weekend's Super Bowl special section, I get the opportunity to interact with the national network producers and broadcasters. It's usually done via conference call, but I'll get the chance to speak with the guys from Fox, CBS and NBC.
This year it's NBC broadcasting Sunday's Patriots-Giants Super Bowl game. When you spend more than an hour on the phone, you don't get to write everything you hear into a story. That's why in this post, I'm giving you some transcriptions of questions and answers among NBC broadcast personnel.

Tony Dungy and Rodney Harrison, part of NBC's Football Night in America crew, were asked about the Boston-New York rivalry.

Tony Dungy: I grew up in Detroit and watched the Knicks and the Celtics, the Yankees and the Red Sox and you just had this rivalry for as long as I could remember. You've had great players, great coaches, great managers. It is polarizing, but there have been some tremendous athletes and coaches in both of these cities.
Rodney Harrison: From an historical standpoint, I don't really know the history between New York and Boston. I knew that once I came to this team in New England, they basically told me the first week I was there if you're going to hate anybody, hate the New York Jets -- hate any New York team. That first week of being there, you fell into that whole mindset that anything in New York you hate.

Dungy and Harrison were also asked about that gawd-awful Pro Bowl game that was played on Jan. 29 in Hawaii. It was bad even by Pro Bowl standards.

Harrison: I watched the Pro Bowl and I was very disappointed in the players. You understand from a player's standpoint, you figure out that I made it through the season and maybe they don't want to get injured. If you don't want to play -- I played in a couple of Pro Bowls -- if you don't want to play and if you don't want to give 100 percent, you should sit on the sidelines and allow someone else to get that opportunity. I was actually embarrassed by some of the players. When I played in the Pro Bowl, we played hard.
Dungy: I've coached in it several times as an assistant and as a head coach, and I can remember the first one I coached in 1984, we had Kenny Easley and Howie Long and there were no free passes in that game. The defense came to play. The offensive guys knew it. It was like a regular game. I coached again in 1999 and Randy Moss, I think it was his second Pro Bowl and he wanted to show the world he was the best player in football. You just had that competitiveness. I didn't see that the other night.

Al Michaels has done six Super Bowls for ABC and now two for NBC. He was asked about what many fans see as a key matchup, the one between Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and the Giants' Eli Manning.

Michaels: The matchup is tremendous. If you're going to put a couple of guys' names up in lights on the marquee, obviously, it's going to be Eli and Tom Brady. It's the first time in history that two guys that have won Super Bowl MVPs are going to face off against each other, that's never been done in the past. Brady is one of the greatest of all time. No matter what happens on Sunday, if you're having a conversation about the greatest quarterbacks of all time, Tom is very much in that conversation. Eli, on the other hand, is emerging now and becoming a major star -- always playing in the shadow of his brother. Now, with the opportunity in the house his brother built, to have one more Lombardi Trophy than his brother has. Eli has also captured the fancy of everybody around the country.

Bob Costas said that, when he hosted his first Super Bowl in 1986, he thought a two-hour pregame show was long. Now, he's hosting the show that starts at noon. He was asked about the importance of the Super Bowl.

Costas: I'm certainly not the first one to say it, but the Super Bowl has long since become an undeclared national holiday. Although most Americans watch football on a fairly regular basis, much moreso than any other sport, there are people who watch the Super Bowl who don't pay all that much attention to the league during the course of the year. You've got all of the avid fans, then you have all the casual fans and it's all built in with a lot of parties. At the center of it is a great game.

Thought you might find this all interesting.

-- Howard Herman, Berkshire Eagle Staff

Howard Herman: Chance at the 'Big Dance' for Minutemen?

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:27:29 -0500

Other than how my cold is doing, the one question I have been asked over and over the last few days is "Will UMass make the NCAA basketball tournament?"
To that, I say I'm not sure. If Selection Sunday was the same day as Super Bowl Sunday, I'd say no. But that doesn't mean I think this is not a worthy team.
As of early in the week, the Minutemen of Derek Kellogg would need to keep on winning and advance to at least the Atlantic 10 Conference semifinals in order to be considered for an at-large berth in the tournament. Of course, if the Minutemen win the A-10 title, they'd get an automatic bid.
Barring a cataclysmic collapse, UMass has guaranteed itself a slot in the NIT. It is a nice consolation prize considering that Kellogg hasn't gotten the team that close since he arrived.
There is one thing I do know -- the buzz is returning to UMass basketball. There was a near-capacity crowd at the Mullins Center on Saturday as the Minutemen beat Saint Louis 72-59.
"It actually brought back some memories for me, to have 8,500 people in the gym," Kellogg said. "Hats goes off to the crowd, I thought that was fantastic, and to the students for supporting the guys.
"I think they deserve it. I think they're playing a fun brand of basketball. We're competing at a high level."
It was actually 8,399, but who is going to quibble about 102 people?
"I thought the crowd, and the student section, being the way it was, really gave our team a boost," said Kellogg. "They were excited coming when they came into the locker room and seeing those people out there."
What made Saturday's game so important for Kellogg and the Minutemen isn't that there was a large crowd. That's nice, but the real important factor is that UMass won the game.
"It was big because I think that was kind of the next step for the program," said Kellogg. "If you recall, the Rider game, the place was packed for the first half. We were down, everybody left, and we ended up coming back and winning by 10 after being down by 21.
"Since I've been here, we've given away some opportunities with a good crowd. This was the first time as a program that we've taken advantage in a long time."
The proof will be in the pudding if the Minutemen draw well for their next home game on Feb. 8 against St. Bonaventure.

--Howard Herman, Berkshire Eagle Staff

Mount Greylock-Taconic wrestling: Two matches

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:05:40 -0500

Here are two matches -- at 132 pounds and 145 pounds -- from Mount Greylock's 57-21 wrestling dual win at Taconic on Thursday night:

-- Matthew Sprague, Eagle sports editor

What's next for Todd Poulton?

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:03:53 -0500

Why not hear it from him?

Howard Herman: Where are former Ephs now?

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:29:29 -0500

I read this week that the University of Cincinnati extended head football coach Butch Jones' contract, which means that Williams College graduate Mike Bajakian has a job for a few more years. Bajakian is the offensive coordinator there.

That got me thinking about where the guys on the Williams College basketball family tree are and how they're doing.

Dave Paulsen's Bucknell men are 15-5 and 5-0 in the Patriot League. The Bison look again to be the class of the Patriot League. One of Paulsen's Williams assistants, Dane Fischer, is on the staff at Bucknell.

One of Paulsen's former players, John Fitzgerald, is in his fifth season as the director of basketball operations at the University of Denver. The Pioneers are 15-5 and 5-2 in the Sun Belt Conference and doing very well.

Pat Duquette of Dalton, who played for Harry Sheehy, and former Paulsen assistant Jim McCarthy are on the staff of Bill Coen at Northeastern. The Huskies are 9-10. They have had some good wins and some not-so-good losses.

Boston University is a pretty impressive 11-11 under first-year coach Joe Jones. It's a rebuilding year on Commonwealth Ave., and Shaun Morris is one of the assistants on Jones' staff. Morris was on the staff of current Eph coach Mike Maker on both runs to the Division III Final Four.

Kevin App, a former Williams assistant, is now an assistant under Zach Spiker at Army. The Black Knights of the Hudson are 9-11.

Paul Culpo didn't play or coach at Williams, but he is as much a part of the Harry Sheehy/Williams tree as anyone. Culpo's Castleton State team is 10-7 and 9-1 in its league.

Devin Gotham, who left Paulsen's staff at Williams to coach at MCLA, is the women's coach at Nazareth, where his team is 9-8. Gotham gets to coach with twin brother Kerry.

Then there's former Paulsen assistant Pete Hutchins, who is the head coach at New Hampton Prep in New Hampshire. New Hampton is one of those power prep schools where players head to big-time D-I programs. He has two going to big programs: point guard Oliver Hanlan will be playing for Boston College, head coach Steve Donahue and former Williams assistant Woody Kampmann. Power forward Zach Auguste is going to Notre Dame.

And if you watched New Hampton at the Hoophall tournament, yes, the assistant coach with the Larry Bird-looking blonde hair was former Williams player Harlan Dodson. Dodson is teaching at New Hampton and assisting Hutchins.

-- Howard Herman, Berkshire Eagle Staff

Two of Warren Zevon's best, with a sports connection

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:24:32 -0500

Today (Jan. 24) would have been Warren Zevon's 65th birthday. The musician and frequent David Letterman guest died in 2003, but not before releasing a lot of outstanding music -- much more than you'd ever hear on the radio, which only seems to play his lone top-40 hit, "Werewolves of London."

Zevon had a couple of great songs, in fact, about sports. From his 1987 album "Sentimental Hygiene," here's a live version of "Boom Boom Mancini," about the former WBA light heavyweight champion boxer:

My personal favorite came from Zevon's 2001 album "My Ride's Here." Penned by author/sportswriter Mitch Albom and composed/sung by Zevon, here's "Hit Somebody (The Hockey Song)":

Writer/director/hockey lover Kevin Smith has written a "Hit Somebody" movie, based on the song. And if the voice of the fan in the song sounds familiar, that's because it's Letterman yelling "Hit somebody!"

-- Matthew Sprague, Eagle sports editor

Mount Greylock-Monument Mountain wrestling: Three matches

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 12:16:52 -0500

Here are three contested matches from Mount Greylock's 66-6 wrestling dual win over Monument Mountain on Wednesday night at MGRHS:

-- Matthew Sprague, Eagle sports editor

Howard Herman: You'll see a lot of Shabazz Muhammad soon

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 23:39:08 -0500

SPRINGFIELD - The best high school basketball player in America admits he gets nervous before some games.
If you were Shabazz Muhammad of Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas, you might too if every time you turned around at a tournament, you were looking at Coach K or Coach Cal.
Muhammad is a 6-foot-5 wing player who scored 37 points in 31 minutes Monday afternoon at the Hoophall Classic in Springfield. Muhammad was 12 for 22 from the floor, 12 of 14 from the line, had 6 rebounds and blocked 3 shots. His Vegas high school team beat DeMatha 73-65 before a packed house in Blake Arena at Springfield College. Muhammad was named the MVP of his team's game.
This is a kid who is being recruited by the best of the best in Division I, but he admits that it isn't always easy to see those giants of college roundball watching his games.
"It's kind of hard to forget about them. When you're in layup lines, you're looking to see who's there and you get kind of jitters," Muhammad said. "In the first two minutes [Monday] I had the jitters. Then you get going, and you don't know if they're there or not."
I can't imagine, and I bet every high school athlete in Berkshire County, can't imagine what it's like for these elite athletes in the recruiting process. Phone calls every couple of days, emails, letters, and messages. It must be crazy.
"It's kind of weighing on me," Muhammad said. "That's what happens in the recruiting process. I'm just weighing my options out right now."
Muhammad will wait until the spring to make his choice. That hasn't stopped his classmates or friends from discussing a choice and asking questions. Inquiring minds, after all, want to know.
"A lot. Probably 10 times a day during school, everybody asks me," he said. "I don't mind now. I just say I don't know yet, and go from there."
Muhammad has three more official visits and said he doesn't know where he'll go or when he'll go. Muhammad is still considering UNLV, but won't take an official visit there. He did say he would likely come east to make some visits.
Mike Krzyzewski might be glad to hear that Muhammad is considering an official visit to Duke. The player also said Arizona is on his radar screen, along with Kansas.
Muhammad kind of plays like Kobe Bryant or Carmelo Anthony, and watching him, one can see how the comparisons are made. For a teenager, Muhammad already has a man's body. He won't have to go to college and put on a lot of weight or hit the weight room.
"Those are the main two guys I really watch," he said. "I try to watch Kobe. His moves are second to none. He's a taller guy, he drives. He can post up a smaller guy. That's what I have, the post-up ability and the ability to rebound the ball at 6-6 is a good thing."
Muhammad isn't going to need a post-graduate year or a red shirt. He could even be a one-and-done in college.
Take this to the bank: We'll be watching him a lot on television next year.

-- Howard Herman, Berkshire Eagle Staff

Howard Herman: The REAL big game is Saturday night, plus big-time local hoops

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:41:56 -0500

Forget next month. The Super Bowl will be played Saturday night in Foxborough. Denver vs. New England. Tim Tebow vs. Tom Brady, Luke Skywalker vs. Darth Vader, Harry Potter vs. Lord Voldemort. However you want to frame this game, the AFC playoff game between the Pats and Broncos is sucking all of the air out of the sports world this week.
Giants-Packers? Fuggedaboutit. Texans-Ravens -- you kidding me? Who cares?
There's only one game that matters, at least in the eyes of the national media. The good thing is that hotels in the Foxborough area will be celebrating. You've got to house all of those ESPN types and national media members who will be descending upon New England.
And if you were a Tim Tebow doubter, stop it.

I've always been a fan -- and while he isn't a prototype quarterback, he did get the Broncos farther than anyone thought.

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If you missed any of Saturday's high school basketball at MCLA, where were you?
The Coaches vs. Cancer Classic had six basketball games, and some were very good. All of them helped raise a lot of money for cancer research.
Two observations from a day's worth of watching basketball: Lee is very good and Lenox is better than I anticipated.
The defending Division III champion Millionaires graduated MVP Kevin Carpenter, but first-year coach Scott Sibley has a nice nucleus led by 6-5 frontcourt player Chris Bravo. He's not just tall; he's long and he can defend. Bravo has some nice moves around the basket and can hit a jumper. The Millionaires will be a tough out.
Actually, after watching every team in the county on Saturday, I'm starting to feel like the Western Mass. Division III semifinals could be held in the county rather than at The Cage. That's because I think there could be as many as three teams in the semifinals. Lee, Lenox, St. Joseph's and Mount Greylock are all good teams. Only Greylock lost on Saturday, but the Mounties lost to a pretty good Division I Pittsfield team.
I'm not sure all four are going to get to Amherst, and I'm certainly not sure which three will get there. But I feel pretty good about this prediction - right now.

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And the best single sports performance I saw this weekend wasn't Tim Tebow's - I was too busy watching The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai on TV - belonged to Lee's Stephanie Young.
The junior post player had 23 points and 23 rebounds in a hard-fought win over Pittsfield on Friday night. She was dominating at both ends of the court.
If you're not doing anything on Valentine's night, the rematch will be played at PHS. Be there.

-- Howard Herman, Berkshire Eagle Staff

Howard Herman: Youth rules at UConn

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 00:58:04 -0500

The best college basketball team in New England is loaded with kids.
Now, I know that sounds silly because we often refer to college students and athletes as kids. But when you look at the University of Connecticut's roster, it is readily apparent that Jim Calhoun has a bunch of youngsters.
One year after winning the NCAA Division I championship and losing a star guard in Kemba Walker, the Huskies are once again highly ranked in both the AP and ESPN/USA Today polls. And they have accomplished that goal with an eight-player rotation that has one, count 'em, one upperclassman.
I saw UConn whip St. John's 83-69 in a Big East game last Saturday. The Huskies did it without playing a senior - and with playing only one junior.
Oh, and if he really is God's Gift, God might not be a basketball fan. I'm referring to St. John's starting forward God'sgift Achiuwa, a junior from Nigeria. He's a pretty good player, having posted 16 points and 5 rebounds in the loss to UConn. But Achiuwa is no real gift.
There are five upperclassmen (juniors or seniors) on the UConn roster and only junior Alex Oriakhi gets any kind of playing time. Three seniors played Saturday and they combined for three minutes of playing time.
A sophmore from Boston, Shabazz Napier (No. 13 in the photo), runs the show for UConn. The former Charlestown High School product had huge shoes to fill at the point -- first-round pick Walker.
"Sometimes we get out of control, including myself, and I've got to take control," said Napier. "The biggest thing last year is we all revolved around one guy and that was Kemba. I tried to be that one guy, but sometimes they won't allow me.
"Each and every day, we're getting closer and closer. I tell the guys, I'm not selfish at all. I want to get 15, I want to get 20 assists. That's good for me."
Freshman center Andre Drummond is going to be a beast in the low post. He's 6 feet, 10 inches tall and weighs 270 pounds. If you see him up close and personal, like from the press table in the XL Center in Hartford, there isn't much baby fat on him. If Drummond lasts three years at Connecticut, it'll be an upset or because of an injury.
Napier said that if UConn keeps playing good defense, it could be one of the top teams in the country. Frankly, I wouldn't be stunned if this team reached the Elite Eight or Final Four again.
"We're getting there," said Napier. "That's the great thing about it. Coach [Jim] Calhoun always tells us at the beginning of the year it's a great deal to hear people tell us that we have potential, but you don't want potential to follow you along each and every game.
"That means you're not doing something well. We actually want to play to our potential, and hopefully we'll be able to do that."

-- Howard Herman, Berkshire Eagle Staff

Howard Herman: Are you ready for some basketball?

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 16:09:48 -0500

There are two things about Christmas this year that I find a little
bit disconcerting.
First, there's no snow. You call what we saw on our lawns at 8:30
Friday morning snow? Not where I come from, and it doesn't snow as
much in Pittsburgh as it does here.
Since Christmas comes on Sunday, there won't be a full schedule of
NFL games. The league has moved its full slate of games to Saturday.
There will still be Sunday and Monday night games.
But without the NFL on Sunday, Christmas Day is now ceded to the
National Basketball Association. The full day of basketball kicks off
at noon when the Celtics play the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
You can see that game on TNT.
If you've followed my writings over the years, you know I'm not the
biggest NBA fan going. If I had my choice, I'd rather watch the Final
Four than the NBA Finals, and I'd rather be in Salem, Va., at the
Division III Final Four.
Having said that, the idea of a 66-game NBA schedule that starts on
Christmas has me really juiced for the season ahead.
There's something about those NBA games on a Tuesday night in early
November that do absolutely nothing for me. The fat is cut from the
schedule this way.
If the NBA finds itself succeeding this year beyond all measure,
maybe baseball and hockey will look at cutting their regular-season
schedules.
Do we need 162 baseball games or 82 hockey games? I think not.
Maybe by accident the NBA is on to something.

Howard Herman: Plenty of games over the holidays

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 11:25:27 -0500

Christmas is Sunday, so that means many of us are going to take some time off.
In between the presents, the food and the family, there is also going to be some free time. We're fortunate here in Berkshire County to be close to a lot of larger cities where professional and college sports are played.
So, if you're looking for something to do, here's a list of some events.

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The University of Massachusetts men's basketball team will be home twice through Dec. 31. The Minutemen host Davidson on Thursday at 7 p.m., and will host Central Connecticut on Dec. 30. Both games are at 7 p.m.
Boston College also has two home games. On Wednesday, the Eagles will play Sacred Heart in what has to be considered a gimme game - much like the UMass-Central Connecticut game. Then on Dec. 29, the Eagles will host Harvard. That's nationally-ranked Harvard. That's the same Harvard team that I saw beat BC last year. That game might just be circled on my calendar.
Closer to home, Siena will play once at the Times Union Center over the next two weeks. That game is Thursday against Princeton at 7 p.m. Albany has a Friday matinee at 2 against Dartmouth.
Tickets are never easy to get, but the UConn men are playing at the XL Center in Hartford twice in the next two weeks. The Huskies will host Fairfield on Thursday and then host St. John's at noon on New Year's Eve.
The Springfield Armor of the D-League are on the road until January - a 7-game roadie. Hope they packed enough.
Our regional minor league hockey teams have one game at home over the next two weeks, and both are on Friday, Dec. 30. The Albany Devils will host Manchester, while the Springfield Falcons will host the Providence Bruins. Bruins fans should go to Springfield.
And if you've got that feeling of adventure in you, there's always the Pinstripe Bowl. That's the bowl game at Yankee Stadium on Dec. 30. This year, Rutgers plays Iowa State. Iowa State is one of those teams we don't see quite enough of on television.
So, if you get tired of playing with your new gifts, take the family to a game.

- Howard Herman, Berkshire Eagle Staff

Howard Herman: All about hoops

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 10:44:46 -0500

I am often asked which sport do I prefer. Am I a football guy? A basketball guy?
Usually, I give the most generic of answers: "Whichever sport is in season," is the usual reply. But let me tell you this: The start of the high school basketballs season has me all gung ho.
All of our sports have their own excitement, but none of them have the Road to the Cage. That's the Curry Hicks Cage on the University of Massachusetts campus, and the home of the Western Massachusetts basketball tournament.
The Cage is undoubtedly the best thing that has ever happened to high school sports in the region. The run-up to the tournament can be just as much fun.
I have to say that I'm looking forward to seeing a Hoosac Valley game at the Adams Memorial Middle School. The high school is closed this year for renovations. Here's hoping that when the gym at Hoosac is renovated, what made it special isn't taken away. There is nothing like a Friday night in Cheshire when the Hurricanes are playing a rival team. The joint is jumping and there isn't any red paint left for sale anywhere.
Here's also hoping that the Pittsfield Boys and Girls Club once again becomes the center of basketball in central Berkshire County.
The Club has the most seats in Berkshire County and when full, the old barn on Melville Street can really rock. The noise stays in and when the gym is crowded, it has a Cage-like feel to it.
I am also very much looking forward to St. Joseph's appearance at the Hoophall Tournament in Springfield next month.
By the way, the Hoophall people are going to have Western Mass. player of the year awards and I'm planning to send a list of Berkshire County kids to put on their watch list. If you have any really good players who should be there, drop me a note at
hherman@berkshireeagle.com.

-- Howard Herman, Berkshire Eagle Staff

Howard Herman: Could Prokhorov run Nets AND Russia?

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 23:28:40 -0500

So New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov wants to be president of Russia.
Sounds pretty good to me. Besides, the way the Nets have played over the last couple of decades, Prokhorov may have a better chance beating Vladimir Putin for the presidency of Russia than his team does beating the Celtics, Heat or Bulls for the Eastern Conference championship.
Imagine if Prokhorov wins, the fun the Nets could have. Their charter would be Aeroflot, the Russian national airline. Their uniforms would be solid red -- no wait, that's the old Soviet Union. Instead of popcorn and Bud served at the game, we can get vodka and caviar.
The Nets could train in Moscow or St. Petersburg. They could have a summer team-bonding exercise in Sochi. Maybe the Springfield Armor, the Nets' D-League affiliate, could relocate to Siberia. That might keep the players in Brooklyn from playing badly and being sent to the minors. Would the Nets play two national anthems before the start of games?
If Prokhorov is elected, he would not be the first NBA owner to hold office. Herb Kohl, the retiring senator from Wisconsin, is also the owner of the Milwaukee Bucks.
"There is no prohibition on NBA owners running for or holding political office," Mike Bass, a league spokesman, told the New York Times.
If the Nets make the NBA Finals, which president -- Prokhorov or Obama -- would get the best seat? Can President Prokhorov borrow funds from the Russian treasury to give Chris Paul or Dwight Howard an extra year on a contract? Do the players on the Nets get dual citizenship? So many questions, so little time.
Will this lead to more team owners running for office? I'm sure that many Americans would have liked it if George Steinbrenner had run for office. Mark Cuban for governor of Texas sounds interesting. What would Massachusetts be like if Robert Kraft or John Henry were governor? If Henry ran the state, he might move the capital to Liverpool.
Good luck, Mikhail Prokhorov. Here's hoping you get your seat in Moscow -- and Dwight Howard.

-- Howard Herman, Berkshire Eagle Staff

Howard Herman: Anosike, Williams highlight UMass-Siena matchup

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 18:43:23 -0500

O.D. Anosike was in a pretty good mood Monday night.
Not only did his Siena basketball team pull out a 64-60 win over Capital Region rival UAlbany, but the junior forward said he was excited about playing against an old teammate tonight.
"I played on the same AAU team with Chaz [Williams]," Anosike said of the University of Massachusetts point guard.
Siena and UMass will play tonight in the third game of the Basketball Hall of Fame Holiday Showcase. There are four games scheduled for the MassMutual Center's floor with the UMass-Siena game scheduled to start at 7 p.m.
That schedule could be somewhat problematic because American International will play Philadelphia University at 3 p.m. while Springfield College will face Trinity at 5. The final game of the day will tip off after the UMass game, and in that, Fairfield plays Old Dominion. Tickets are $21 and $11, and are good for all four games.
Williams is the blur of a point guard. He has truly been the biggest difference between this year's Minutemen and last year's. The transfer from Hofstra is from Brooklyn, while Anosike is from Staten Island.
"Chaz is a great kid. Obviously, he's a tremendous guard. He's quick, small, energetic and he's really going to cause problems with his speed," Anosike said. "What he doesn't have in height he makes up with his heart.
"He plays very hard. He's going to give Evan [Hymes] a lot of problems."
Hymes is Siena's freshman guard, and there probably won't be a dunk contest between the two point guards, because both are listed at 5-foot-8.
The two teams come to Springfield on good notes. The Saints (3-5) rallied from a huge deficit to beat the Great Danes on Monday night, ending a five-game losing streak. The Minutemen (7-3) held off East Carolina on the road.
It'll also be a homecoming of sorts for Siena assistant coach Craig Carter. Carter worked for one season at UMass under Steve Lappas.
Carter was director of basketball operations in the 2004-05 season, but was let go with Lappas after the season. Carter replaced Paul Culpo of Pittsfield, who left UMass to take over as the head coach at Division III Hartwick.
"UMass was a great time," Carter said. "Unfortunately, it didn't end well. I've always had a great affinity for that place. It was one of my first jobs when I was first starting out [in coaching]."
Carter is a former assistant coach at Rutgers and is very familiar with some of the younger Minutemen.
"Being from New York, I know Chaz real well. He's going to be a tough matchup," said Carter. "Cady Lalanne, who comes off the bench, I was kind of recruiting him when I was at Rutgers. It'll be an interesting game. I'm looking forward to it."

-- Howard Herman, Berkshire Eagle Staff