Every year, when college basketball season reaches the month of March, a mid-major program captures the nation’s collective heart with a unique combination of improbable plays and a unique story. This normally occurs during the NCAA Tournament, with teams such as Florida Gulf Coast transforming from beach town also-rans to high flying world beaters over the course of a weekend. In 2015, though, that spot was claimed before Selection Sunday by the Albany Great Danes, whose story has (literally) spanned the globe to lead up to their own moment in the sun.
For those who don’t know the story of the Great Danes, a story few outside of Albany knew until Saturday, you’ve missed a turbulent ride to the team’s third straight NCAA Tournament appearance. The team started this season 2-6, including a double digit home loss to Holy Cross, who were aggressively mediocre in the Patriot League this season. It was only after a convincing road win in their annual rivalry game with Siena that Albany turned things around, losing just twice the rest of the way while posting a 15-1 regular season conference record.
But, while the Great Danes were turning their season around at the beginning of conference play, a turn for the worst changed things for their star player. Peter Hooley, whose dagger three point shot sealed Albany’s 2014 America East championship game victory at Stony Brook, received news that his mother had taken a turn for the worse in her long battle with colon cancer heading into the team’s game against Stony Brook on January 19th. For Hooley and head coach Will Brown, there was no decision to be made, as Hooley immediately made his way back to his native Australia to be with her.
On January 30th, Sue Hooley lost her battle with colon cancer at the age of 52.
Faced with an unfair situation that would have caused lesser men to shut down, Hooley returned to action for Albany on February 13 against N.J.I.T., halfway across the globe from where he suffered a loss worse than any that could be dished out on a basketball court. Albany went 8-0 in his absence and, after a loss to Stony Brook in his second game back, won their final three games to finish the regular season.
Albany plays in the America East conference, a one bid league that has produced one of the most famous moments in NCAA Tournament history. The first of those moments took place a decade ago, when the Vermont Catamounts rode a T.J. Sorrentine shot from the parking lot to upset Syracuse. Albany nearly had an even more memorable moment, leading UConn by double digits in the second half as a sixteen seed before eventually falling late in the 2006 tournament.
Being in a one bid league, there is no room for error for teams in the America East conference tournament. The Great Danes have been reminded of this many times, typically against the Stony Brook Seawolves. Dallis Joyner’s tip in at the buzzer in the 2012 America East semifinals for Stony Brook against the Great Danes immediately comes to mind when thinking of the harsh consequences of a single moment in this one bid league tournament, as does Mike Black’s winner for Albany over Stony Brook in the 2013 semifinals, two moments that have set up a nice rivalry between the two New York state universities.
Albany and Stony Brook won two games in this year’s conference tournament to set up a rematch in the 2015 championship game. This time, unlike last year’s tilt in Long Island, the Great Danes would host the game as the tournament’s top seed. If you’d watched the first 38 minutes of the game, though, you’d have never guessed that Albany was so dominant in regular season play, as they trailed by seven points with 1:56 to play, even failing to hit a three point shot to that point.
Thanks to some Stony Brook turnovers and missed free throws, though, the game managed to stay in reach. And pandemonium ensued. And a guy who was dealt the worst possible hand just months earlier got the moment he deserved.
By the way, look for a moment at Hooley’s feet after letting go of the ball.
After the game both he and head coach Will Brown said that there was an angel watching over that shot. After looking at the nonsensical form Hooley was forced to employ when letting the ball go, even the most cynical person may believe that to be true.
Since the shot, the court storm, and the tears, Hooley has been something of a celebrity, appearing on SportsCenter several times to talk about the shot, his mother, and to shoot crumpled up paper into a garbage can.
All of this is wonderful, and seems like it couldn’t have happened to a nicer, more deserving person. But Hooley’s shot also means that Albany has at least one more game to worry about, a 14 vs. 3 matchup with the Oklahoma Sooners on Friday in Columbus, Ohio. So can Hooley and company dial up enough heroics to keep their dream season alive?
Obviously, the answer to the previous question is “probably not.” Oklahoma is seeded lower than Florida and Duke, Albany’s last two opponents in the NCAA Tournament, but are ranked ninth by KenPom, and fifth in his adjusted defensive efficiency rating. For an Albany team that ranks 218th nationally in scoring, this only exacerbates what’s been a problem for them all season.
With that said, Albany plays one of the slowest games in college basketball, with an adjusted tempo of 320th out of 351 Division I teams. While they lack the speed and strength to physically beat Oklahoma, limiting the number of possessions in the game and hoping to get hot from the field has yielded some strange results in this tournament before.
Besides, Albany does have some talent, even if it isn’t the talent you’ve been given access to on national television all season long. Sam Rowley, while undersized, is a determined and creative low post scorer, while Evan Singletary has proven to be a big shot taker and maker, having scored 18 points against potential third round opponent Providence in Albany’s season opener.
And with an angel on Albany’s side, you just never know what can happen.