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...