Christensen, Gibbs, lead gutsy Wildcats to dramatic Victory
by Sam Perkins
DURHAM, N.H. – Albany head coach Will Brown summed it up perfectly following his team’s Thursday night contest against the University of New Hampshire.
“Superior effort and superior toughness won this game,” remarked the Great Danes’ leader.
When games are decided by effort, toughness, and sheer determination, America East teams are going to be fighting an uphill battle against the Wildcats, as no one in the conference plays harder. Brown and his Great Danes found this out first hand, as UNH simply refused to lay down against a bigger, stronger, deeper, and more experienced opponent, willing themselves to one of the most gutsy, and impressive, victories in recent conference history. UNH got huge contributions from all seven men whom dressed for the game, but none were bigger than the emotional play of senior captain Mike Christensen en route to a 75-66 win in their conference opener against Albany.
Already playing without sophomore captain Radar Onguetou, whom will redshirt due to a knee injury, the Wildcats were also playing without high-flying freshman guard Tyrone Conley (battling a bout of Mononucleosis), and freshman forward Rony Tchatchoua (out due to academic reasons). The Wildcats entered the game with only seven available players, one of them being walk-on Shawn Tobey, and another being freshman James Valladares, who under any other circumstances would be red-shirting. Everything seemed to be mounted against UNH, as they hadn’t beaten Albany in two years, hadn’t won a league opener in ten, and were riding a seven game losing streak.
Albany seemed to present one of the worst possible match-ups for UNH in their attempt to end their losing skid, as lack of depth, inexperience, and a lack of a post game had been too much for the Wildcats during their losing skid. The Great Danes seem to have an abundance of all three, as the two-time defending America East Champions return seven players from last seasons NCAA tournament team, while the Wildcats only had three healthy bodies with any previous experience playing Division I basketball. Albany’s roster included seniors Jon Iati, Brian Lillis, Brent Wilson, and juniors Brian Connelly and Jimmie Convington, all of whom played on both of the Great Danes’ championship teams. Albany has been through the wars, and has veterans with the experience to know what it takes to win big games, something that New Hampshire has been struggling with all season.
Furthermore, Albany starts Connelly and Wilson, whom can both score around the post, and four of their five starters stand 6’5″ or taller. Post play has been an Achilles heel for the Wildcats, who started three guards, all of whom are below 6’3″, and forward Mike Christensen, whom despite standing 6’8″ has played the game of a perimeter-only guard for much of his career. Albany also plays a ten-man rotation, as lack of available bodies will never be an issue for the Great Danes, while the Wildcats were simply hoping to make it through the game with five men on the floor.
From the opening tip, it was evident just how important this game was to New Hampshire, as the Wildcats threw themselves after every lose ball, and every made basket resulted in an eruption from their bench. The Wildcats were running on a mix of adrenaline and emotion, and when Christensen nailed a three with just under eleven and half minutes to play in the first half to put UNH on top 18-14, the New Hampshire bench exploded as if he had sunk the game winner.
But the game was far from over, and Albany took advantage of their depth to go on an 18-4 run over the next five minutes, getting scoring from four different players during the stretch.
Trailing 32-22 with almost six and a half minutes left in the first half, Albany was on the verge of blowing the game open, but that’s when Christensen broke out of his slump and played some of the best basketball in his entire career. During the non-conference season, UNH head coach Bill Herrion had continually commented that he needed more from his senior, and it was no coincidence that during the Wildcats’ losing streak, Christensen had seemed lost offensively.
“The last three or four games Mike Christensen has not played really well on the offensive end of the floor, and he’s let not playing well on offense effect other parts of his game,” Herrion reflected.
During the team’s skid, fans in Durham began to turn on their lone four-year player. It’s unfair, however, to jump on Christensen as much as fans have, as he has found himself in a position that no player ever wants to be in during their career, as the Wildcats have been seemingly rebuilding during his entire four years, and after being a perimeter player during his first three years in school, Christensen has been asked to move into the post on both ends of the floor, somewhere he has never felt totally comfortable, while at the same time adjust to a new offense where his touches have been greatly reduced.
“It’s been brutally hard, it’s been tough, and I haven’t played well,” commented Christensen.
During the Wildcats’ losing streak, Christensen seemed to settle for fade-away jumpers, and struggled mightily to finish around the rim when he did get inside. But with his team on the brink of being blown out, Christensen put the team on his back, took the ball and shoved it right down Albany’s throat. “To be honest, the last few games I have missed countless lay-ups,” said Christensen, “and I have not finished inside, and I’ve really taken some heat for it, and I wanted to come in and finish everything.”
Christensen fully utilized his 6’8″ frame en route to 15 first-half points. One huge play came when Christensen bulled his way inside, and took a hard foul while converting a traditional three-point play. His resurgence couldn’t have come at a more important time, as the Wildcats fed off of their senior captain’s energy on the court.
“He’s big, if you pick up the stat sheet, every game Mike plays well, we win,” said Tyrece Gibbs. “We look for Mike to be a leader. When it comes to taking a big shot, we look to Mike first and foremost to take the big shot. When he’s scoring we feed off his energy.”
Alvin Abreu then followed Christensen’s lead, converting a tough three-point play in traffic. Then it was back to the Mike Christensen show, as the senior put the ball on the floor, spun past his man, then muscled past burly Convington and banked it in over Wilson, while authoritatively smacking the backboard. Christensen let out a booming yell as he ran back down the court, drawing an emotional response from his bench and the New Hampshire faithful, and suddenly it was a two-point game. After a Brian Lillis miss, Christensen completed the comeback by once again converting a tough lay-up in traffic, tying the game at 34 and sending the New Hampshire bench into a frenzy.
After two Albany baskets, Eric Gilchrese drilled a three, and New Hampshire went into halftime down one, 38-37. The Wildcats ended the half on an emotional high, but the question was, after expending so much emotion and energy to come back, and having so few bodies, if the Wildcats would have anything left for the second half.
After trading buckets early on, Albany held a two-point lead with 14:20 left, when senior gunner Jon Iati came off a screen and nailed a deep three in traffic to put Albany up five. It was the kind of demoralizing play that takes the wind out of an opponent’s sails, but New Hampshire isn’t a normal team when it comes to fight, and the Wildcats stormed back to tie the game at 45.
But Albany responded, going on an 8-2 run, making the score 53-47, and once again New Hampshire was on the verge of being put away. Again, the Wildcats refused to go away, and once again their comeback was sparked by their senior captain.
Albany’s defense had focused on preventing Christensen from scoring in the second half, as the Great Danes put at least one body on him at all times. In previous games when Christensen had found himself in similar situations, he had either forced shots that weren’t there or simply vanished on offense. But Christensen once again changed his game, and keyed the Wildcats’ decisive 9-1 run. Twice he drove the baseline and drew two defenders, and both times Christensen kicked the ball out to an open man for a three-pointer.
Abreu’s three as the shot clock expired, set up by a Christensen drive and dish, woke up the crowd and the New Hampshire bench, and Gibbs’ subsequent three to tie the game swung the momentum fully back into UNH’s favor. When Abreu banked in a deep three the next time down the court, putting New Hampshire up 56-54, the writing was on the wall.
After Albany cut the lead to one on a free-throw, freshmen James Valladares came through with the final nail in Albany’s coffin as his left handed reverse lay-up, after switching hands mid-air, sent the gym and the Wildcats’ bench into a frenzy, and any energy Albany had left evaporated.
Every time Albany made a run, UNH had an answer, getting contributions from their entire roster. Dane DiLiegro had a monstrous block, and turned red and then purple shouting encouragement from the bench. Abreu and Gibbs had ice-water pumping through their veins, nailing three-pointers from NBA range, and walk-on Shawn Tobey played lock down defense over the final minute and a half, filling in for Christensen after he fouled out. Gilchrese added the icing on the cake, making a career high thirteen free-throws. His best play, however, came on one of his two misses from the charity stripe, as after missing the front end of a one-and-one, he snaked through the mass of larger bodies, came up with his own rebound, and put it back in while being fouled. He then made the ensuing free-throw, ending any chance Albany had at a comeback.
For the first time in what seemed like an eternity, Herrion could relax and simply bask in the glory of a victory, one that he and his team earned every second of.
“I’m really proud of the kids,” said Herrion. “We haven’t won a game in a while, we’ve had a lot of close games, and we have not found ways to win. And it’s been frustrating. But we’ve really stayed positive, with these kids, I really like these kids, I like coaching them, I like coming in the gym with them, and I think they really, truly, deep down, want to win.”
The Wildcats were picked to finish in the basement of the America East by almost every publication, and in the league’s coaches poll. But after listening to Christensen talk after the game, you would never know it.
“We don’t doubt ourselves, we know we have talent,” said the senior forward. “People pick us last, but you’re going to tell me that the five guys they (Albany) put out there are better than the five guys we put out there? Absolutely not… we think we can win this league, that’s our mindset right now.”
It’s easy to get carried away after a win as emotional as the Wildcats’, and Christensen’s comments can easily be overlooked as simply those of someone caught up in the moment. The Wildcats will be fighting fatigue and youth the entire season, and most people still won’t be taking them seriously even after this victory. However, after watching their performance against Albany, I see no reason to doubt them, they made a believer out of me. And after putting up the fight they did, after leaving their blood and sweat and souls on the court for forty minutes, and after standing 1-0 in the conference for the first time in ten years, they’ve earned a chance to feel like champions, even if it is only for one game.
