Episode 54: The season is finally here; our mega preview

Dave Crespo of the podcast was at AU Media Day and the Chalk Talk Oct. 21, where he spoke to most of the players and coach Mike Brennan, and had these initial takeaways of the 2017-18 AU Eagles who were predicted to finish ninth in the Patriot League by the conference's coaches and SIDs....

After a down then up offseason for the Eagles, the fellas regather a month out to break down all the changes and start thinking about this new version of the team. Click through to listen....

The fellas dive into American's greatly disappointing season that ended way too soon, and try to stir up some optimism heading into a long offseason. Click through to listen....

Crespo and Jake hold a late-night session to break down American's late-season success and the Eagles' prospects as they head into the league tournament. Listen for the perfect preview of Patriot League postseason basketball.Listen above or below....

If American's season ends early in the Patriot League tournament — a quarterfinal loss at Bucknell seems most likely — the 2016-17 season will be chalked up as a disappointment. A team that couldn't even win double figure games. Injuries. Regression for Delante Jones. An unsteady rotation.Except that it hasn't been a complete wash. It's been far from that. Freshman Sa'eed Nelson is a big reason why. Nelson has made a struggling, slow-tempo team fun to watch because you never know what he'll do next. Fr...

American defeated Navy 74-58 to improve to 7-21, 4-13 in the Patriot League heading into its regular-season finale at Loyola. Here are five key plays/sequences from the win.  1. Matt Cimino gets start, starts hotThe GW transfer made the most of his first start of the season, making two quick 3s, feeding Charlie Jones for a perfect backdoor -- Cimino has proven to be the best backdoor-passing player on the team -- and finishing with 12 points, four rebounds, and three blocks in 25 minutes. Cimino was th...

American fell 69-54 to Holy Cross in its home finale, dropping the Eagles to 6-21, 3-13 in the league. Here are five key plays/sequences from the game.  1. Holy Cross 9-0 run to startAmerican came out slow, a recurring problem throughout the season. After a Matt Husek 3 (more on him in a minute), the Crusaders got to the rim three straight times.  2. American scores nine straight to even thingsJames Washington provided a needed spark off the bench, slicing through the zone and dishing to Mark Gasp...

American seniors Yilret Yiljep and Charlie Jones and head coach Mike Brennan spoke after American's 69-54 loss to Holy Cross on senior day. Full video above and select quotes below. YY ON TAKING THE OPENING TIP"It was very emotional. It was very emotional for me. It's been a long time. I haven't stepped on the court since freshman year. It was just very inspirational and very emotional."CHARLIE ON WHAT THE DAY WAS LIKE"It was great to see YY finally get what he deserved for sticking through, perseverin...

For me, the story of Charlie Jones began during the semifinals of the 2014 Patriot League tournament against Holy Cross. The host Eagles looked dead in the water, with a lifeless offense and trailing the Crusaders by 10 points early in the second half.That's when the no-name freshman walk-on happened. That's when Charlie Jones saved American's season en route to the league title and a trip to the NCAA Tournament. First, Charlie hit a 3. Then he scored a layup. Then he blocked a shot. Later, he saved a ...

American picked up its third Patriot League win at Army. Here are five key plays/sequences from the game.  1. Lonnie Rivera goes off in the first halfLonnie had a big first half with 10 points, two rebounds, a steal and an assist. It was the beginning of a nice bounce-back game for the sophomore who played 30 minutes — 23 more than he did vs. BU.  2. Army's turnoversSome of them were forced — see Alex Paquin get a hand on the ball here — and many of them were unforced, but Army was a turnover mach...

Crespo returns to join Sam and Jake and so are the Eagles back to the win column. The fellas break down AU's recent improved play, assess their chances of making a late run, and dissect the Patriot League with two weeks left in the season. Listen above or below....

Here are five key plays/sequences from American's 67-64 loss to Boston U.  1. American starts 5-5 from field, grabs 14-4 leadThe Eagles haven't had many fast starts this year and have played consistently from behind. So it was a good sign to see them come out sharp with all five starters scoring in the opening minutes to burst out to a double-digit lead, including a Charlie Jones 3. Charlie, often maligned for passing up open looks, has made one in three straight games.  2. Boston goes on 17-3 run...

Head coach Mike Brennan spoke after American fell 67-64 to Boston U, dropping the Eagles to 5-19, 2-11 in the Patriot League. Full video above and select quotes below. "Obviously losing is rough but I saw a lot of progress tonight. That makes me optimistic for tomorrow's practice, next two practices and going forward."ON BOSTON U POSSSESSION WITH 4.2 LEFT WHERE NO FOUL CALLED"We tried to foul right away and they didn't call it. Not that it was a bad call. We might not have fouled — I'm not complaining....

American fell 70-55 to Lehigh to drop to 5-18, 2-10 in the Patriot League. Here are five key plays/sequences from the game. Video cutups by Sam Healy.  1. Kempton and Gasperini trade offensive punches earlyThe early stages of the game were all about the big men. Lehigh established Tim Kempton on the first possession and he scored 10 of Lehigh's first 23 points to help the Mountain Hawks grab a double-digit lead. But Mark Gasperini held his own, scoring 10 points and staying on the floor with just one f...

Throughout the conference season, we'll provide our Patriot League power rankings tracking all the teams in the league. We'll use statistical analysis, the eye test, and more to evaluate where the 10 teams stand from week to week. The efficiency margin tool does not determine our rankings but rather helps guide us in our analysis. For example, do we believe American is the second-to-worst team in the league? No. KenPom's model isn't favorable to the Eagles. See below for our rankings, and of course feedback...

Photos from American's 70-55 loss to Lehigh. Also view on Google Photos. All photos by Steve Christensen. ...

Head coach Mike Brennan and junior Alex Paquin spoke after American fell 70-55 to Lehigh to drop to 5-18, 2-10 in the Patriot League. Mike BrennanON LEHIGH'S KAHRON ROSS"A player like Ross isn't gonna struggle for long. He's one of the best guards in the league obviously. Again, you can't focus on one guy because they've got so many guys who can hurt you."ON THE MATCHUP ZONE 1ST HALF VS SECOND HALF"We did (use) it in the second half. They were just better at attacking it. It slowed them down certainly ...

American fell to Bucknell 80-60 to drop to 5-17, 2-9 in the Patriot League. Here are five key plays/sequences from the game.  1. Bucknell scores 14 straight pointsThe Bison blitzed the Eagles from the outset, easily getting to the rim and beating American in transition. It got so bad for AU that Mike Brennan pulled his top three guys, including the nation's minutes per game leader Sa'eed Nelson, from the floor.  2. American creates Bucknell turnovers, creeps back into gameFor a bit it looked like ...

Sam and Jake break down all the reasons for American's struggles to this point, answer a mailbag of questions from listeners, and dish more about the general state of the program and its future under Mike Brennan.Listen above or below....

Throughout the conference season, we'll provide our Patriot League power rankings tracking all the teams in the league. We'll use statistical analysis, the eye test, and more to evaluate where the 10 teams stand from week to week. The efficiency margin tool does not determine our rankings but rather helps guide us in our analysis. For example, do we believe American is the second-to-worst team in the league? No. KenPom's model isn't favorable to the Eagles. See below for our rankings, and of course feedback...

Head coach Mike Brennan spoke after American fell 70-65 to Colgate, dropping the Eagles to 5-16 (2-8 Patriot League). Full transcription of quotes below. OPENING STATEMENT"Well we couldn't get stops essentially. They shot really well from the field. I thought offensively we looked better than we have, just got to be able to get stops at the end of the day. They made some close shots toward the end, they've been in close games so they finished it out today. We've go to learn how to finish out the game."...

Navy defeated American 71-53 to drop the Eagles to 2-7 in Patriot League play. Here are five key plays/sequences from the game.  1. Navy comes out on 11-0 run.After coming off  a disappointing loss on Monday to Holy Cross and tying a season high of 23 turnovers, it was interesting to see how the Eagles would react to another 1-3-1 zone. It wasn't good. American struggled to find open looks with many possessions coming down to the last few seconds. Navy hit open shots, got to the rim, and...

American defeated Lafayette 71-57 for its second Patriot League win of the season. Here are five key plays/sequences from the game.  1. Charlie Jones scores first nine pointsFrom the opening tip, the normally reserved-offensively Charlie Jones put his imprint on the game. Charlie scored American's first nine points on a 3, two pull-up jumpers and a backdoor layup. "Just knowing when I'm open to be a threat and knock down/make shots," Charlie said afterward of his 18-point performance, which tied a...

Head coach Mike Brennan and senior Charlie Jones spoke after American defeated Lafayette 71-57 to improve to 5-1, 2-5 in the Patriot League. Full video above and select quotes below. Mike BrennanOPENING STATEMENT"We got better shots than we have in the past. I thought that was a big difference in how we played tonight. I thought they missed shots that they normally make, so that always helps."ON BEST 3-PT SHOOTING GAME (8-15) OF SEASON"I mean, we worked on shooting. I think guys are getting more comfor...

Throughout the conference season, we'll provide our Patriot League power rankings tracking all the teams in the league. We'll use statistical analysis, the eye test, and more to evaluate where the 10 teams stand from week to week. The efficiency margin tool does not determine our rankings but rather helps guide us in our analysis. For example, do we believe American is the second-to-worst team in the league? No. KenPom's model isn't favorable to the Eagles. See below for our rankings, and of course feedback...