April 2, 2009 at 10:23 am
Filed under Basketball, Frost Heaves, Oregon State, Princeton, Recruiting, Today's News
Princeton recruit Jimmy Sherburne (left) was named to the was named the 2009 CNI/NOW All-Suburban Boys Basketball Team.
The College Basketball Invitational's best of three championship will have a winner-take-all game on Friday night, as Oregon State (17-18) was overcome by UTEP in El Paso. The Beavers were within three points in the final minute but the Miners secured the victory at the free throw line.
The Vermont Frost Heaves saw their season end with a 96-90 loss to the Wilmington Sea Dawgs in the wild card round of the Premier Basketball League playoffs.
March 31, 2008 at 8:42 am
Filed under Basketball, Frost Heaves, Today's News
Alex Wolff's Vermont Frost Heaves are back-to-back ABA champions!
Newsweek has an online exclusive about recruiting and new tuition policies in the Ivy League.
One of the many phone calls that Davidson head coach Bob McKillop received last week was from Princeton Athletic Director Gary Walters.
January 25, 2008 at 12:31 pm
Filed under Basketball, Frost Heaves, Photos
When I first pitched the idea of a Thursday evening trip to Drew University to see the Vermont Frost Heaves play, my wife’s response was “I was just thinking we don’t go see enough basketball.” So off to northern New Jersey we went after work.
The Jersey Express, who have relocated to Madison this season after two years at Essex County College in Newark, were already down 11-0 by the time we found Baldwin Gymnasium. While I was told in advance to expect a crowd in the single digits, a couple hundred fans were at the game, most to watch the sizable teen dance troupe that performed at halftime.
The prior minor league basketball game Nicole and I had attended was a Brooklyn Kings game a few years previous at LIU. The Kings play in the USBL and the level of quality in that game was pretty low. Lots of bored former St. John’s players trying to beat each other one-on-one.
My expectations for this ABA game were easily exceeded. The Frost Heaves are a well-assembled group of slashing guards, big men with soft hands and players who share the ball effortlessly. Many have interesting background stories about how they ended up in Vermont. There were two names on the roster I recognized from their collegiate days at St. Joe’s - John Bryant and Dwayne Lee. Watching the visitors play for a few minutes, it is easy to understand why they’re 20-3. The Express couldn’t slow Vermont down and while Jersey was able to get the lead down from 25 to 11 in the second quarter, they didn’t have the energy to sustain similar effort for all 48 minutes. The Frost Heaves can go deep into their bench and don't run just for the sake of running. If I was a coach, I would steal a certain diagonal cut into a baseline screen that they used in the first half for my playbook.
Project: Merch.
Dance Innovations did three different numbers as the halftime entertainment, complete with two costume changes and several props. The entire performance ran long. The countdown to the second half stayed frozen on 10:00 until the show was over.
We chose seats behind the only three obvious Frost Heaves fans we could see. According to team president Alex Wolff, these fans have been to every game this season, from Manchester to Halifax.
The 14 Club of the ABA brought their cowbells down from Vermont, ringing them every chance they had. Imagine 800 more cowbells and that’s part of the Frost Heaves’ significant home court advantage.
The officials and the die-hard Frost Heaves fans appeared to know each other, joking during media time outs.
As soon as the final buzzer sounded, the Frost Heaves met at center court to have a brief conversation with their coaching staff. They then headed directly for the three die-hard fans that had made the trip to New Jersey. Signs were handed out to every player, friends were gathered together and a team photo was taken. I ended up being recruited to take pictures for the group, but couldn’t resist snapping one of my own for the site.
Your final. Still looking for a box score, but I’d guess the two teams combined for 25+ made three point shots. Nicole's only request for our trip was that we get to see a four pointer. There was one recorded by the Frost Heaves under the league's unique "3D" rules in the first half, but the buzzer-beating half court jumper by Terrance Green at the end of the third quarter was judged by the officials as having been released with Green's foot on the division line. Too bad.
January 25, 2008 at 11:09 am
Filed under Basketball, Chris Young, Denver, Frost Heaves, Northwestern, Today's News
Northwestern (6-10) was downed by Michigan State, 78-62. The Wildcats are winless in Big Ten play.
Two free throws with five seconds left in overtime did in Denver (8-10) at Florida Atlantic, 70-68.
It was a successful trip to New Jersey for Alex Wolff's Vermont Frost Heaves. The 21-3 defending ABA champions raced past the Jersey Express 127-104. More on this game later today.
Chris Young will host a groundbreaking ceremony for a Boys & Girls Club in Carlsbad.
January 11, 2008 at 10:40 am
Filed under Basketball, Frost Heaves, Princeton, Today's News
Harvard vs. Dartmouth - 7:00 pm ET
The Princeton Packet and the Daily Princetonian file reports on the Lafayette game.
The Trenton Times' Mark Eckel has a column on Princeton's struggles this season.
For the past three years Princeton has shared an NCAA record they wish they didn't hold - fewest total points in a game in the shot clock era. Last night Saint Louis scored 20 points in a loss to George Washington, making the Billikens the current record holder in a season where new lows in offensive productivity appear to be happening every week.
How about Alex Wolff's Vermont Frost Heaves, who improved to 17-3 with a 107-99 win over Halifax. The Frost Heaves made 15 of their 30 three point attempts.
Around the Ivy League: Cornell (7-5) had no trouble with Division III Alvernia, 91-46.
May 19, 2007 at 2:24 pm
Filed under Chris Young, Frost Heaves, Today's News, Will Venable
C. Young (5-3) - 6.2 IP 6 H 1 ER 1 BB 5 K 2.89 ERA. 105 pitches, 75 strikes.
Chris Young shut down the Mariners well into the seventh inning and two bursts of offensive support helped the Padres to an 8-1 win in both teams' interleague opener.
Will Venable was 0-5 at the plate with an outfield assist as San Antonio was dropped by Frisco 6-3 in 13 innings.
Alex Wolff has stepped down as General Manager of the ABA Champion Vermont Frost Heaves. Wolff will continue on as team president.
"Me being the general manager was a consolidation of powers, and that was the way it was going to get off the ground," Wolff said. "I want to give the team a chance to flourish under a general manager who really understands small market sports."
April 1, 2007 at 9:07 am
Filed under Basketball, Frost Heaves
While the Georgetown Hoyas may have come up short of a national title, another Princeton alum was watching his team triumph this week. The Vermont Frost Heaves - a franchise owned by Sports Illustrated writer Alex Wolff '79 - won the ABA Championship on Thursday night, defeating the Texas Tycoons 143-95. It was a storybook conclusion to the Frost Heaves' inaugural season.
There were few bumps in the road for Wolff's team, who finished their season with a 34-6 record. The city of Barre celebrated the Frost Heaves' accomplishments with a parade and pot luck dinner on Friday.
Wolff reflects on his team's championship season here.
