UB Bulls

That's Jeff Redband, the former Batavia HS hoops star, in the white shirt, though, technically, he's a redshirt.  

Redband is sitting out his freshman season at Daemen College as a redshirt, giving him time to develop his game for the Division II level. He can practice with the team, but can't suit up for games. The status allows him to avoid losing a year of NCAA eligibility.

Daemen kicked off it's first official Division II season with an exhibition game against the UB Bulls, a Division I team that made the NCAA tournament for the first time last season, but was rocked in the off season by some key personnel changes.

Head coach Bobby Hurley left to take a position at a higher level university and last season's MAC player of the year, Justin Moss, was dismissed from the university for an alleged theft from a dorm room.

The Nate Oaks era, however, started in fine style, with the Bulls dominating Daemen 87-68.  The Bulls played the aggressive brand of basketball, which Oaks prefers, though were bedeviled by 24 turnovers.

Oaks, in his first season as a Division I head coach, has a reputation for being the top-flight recruiter, and the early returns for his freshman class look good.  C.J. Massinburg, from Dallas, scored 25 points, going 5-6 from beyond the arc and snagging five rebounds. Nick Perkins, a freshman from Ypsilanti, Mich., scored 12 points and had eight rebounds.   (In photos, Massinburg is 3 and Perkins is 33.)

If you can't tell, I love shooting sports, especially basketball.  The folks at the Univerity at Buffalo Athletic Department are kind enough to allow me access to courtside for UB Bulls games and I was able to go Friday night for the final home game of the season.

In a market where there is no NBA team and none of the Division 1 teams have really gone big time yet, UB is well positioned to become that local dominant program.

Look at what the Aztecs have done in San Diego, going from a nearly empty house every game to consistent sell-outs and one of the loudest crowds in college basketball. 

Friday's game was hopefully a preview of what's to come for the Bulls.  More than 6,000 rowdy fans in the stands.

"My teammates put on a show and that generates a buzz locally," said Will Regan, a Buffalo native, (top photo) after the game. "It's exciting for me because when I transferred back from Virginia I had a goal to sort of try and take this program to the next level. We're not there yet, but it's an exciting time."

The crowd was definitely a factor, said head coach Bobby Hurley following the hard-fought, always tight game that the Bulls won 77-75.

"This is what real big time college environment should look like in terms of a crowd," Hurley said.

Hurley would know. A standout at Duke University from 1989 to 1983, when Duke won two National Championships, Hurley played on the biggest stage and is now in charge of recharging the UB basketball program. In his second year, the team seems on the right track.  Friday's win gave the Bulls the  Mid-American Conference title.

Photos from last night's UB Bulls game against Niagara.

The Bulls won 88-62 and are 7-2 on the season.

Justin Moss (#23) had 24 points and 11 rebounds. Shannon Evans (#11) had 20 points. Jarryn Skeet (#10) had 17 points and Xavier Ford (#35) had 11 rebounds.