The Alum Report: EST College Roundup, Week of Nov 13-19

College basketball is finally in full swing, as of this past Wednesday. Here's how some former EST participants - the vast majority from the summer league - did in early games this week!

Division I

Saeeda Abdul-Aziz (Davidson): 2 pts, 3 rebs in 65-62 L to Furman; 10 pts, 3 rebs in 59-57 W over Appalachian St.

CeCe Mayo (Albany): 7 pts, 5 rebs in 68-44 W over Monmouth; 2 pts, 4 rebs in 59-52 W (OT) over Fordham

Danielle Migliore (St. Bonaventure): 4 pts, 5 rebs in 71-69 L (OT) to Canisius; 9 pts, 6 rebs, 2 asts in 70-51 W over Eastern Michigan

Division II

Nerea Brajac (Georgian Court): 3 pts, 3 rebs, 4 stls in 75-60 W over Mercy

Nina Fedullo (St. Rose): 2 pts, 6 rebs in 57-48 W over AIC

Lucy Tougas (Queens): 3 pts, 8 rebs in 64-48 W over Concordia

Division III

Cassidy Albright (SUNY Poly): 7 pts, 3 rebs in 80-50 W over D'Youville

Olivia Allrich (SUNY Oneonta): 6 pts, 4 rebs in 58-55 W (OT) over Wellesley; 8 pts, 5 rebs in 75-59 W over Vassar

Olivia Baumann (St. John Fisher): 6 pts, 4 rebs in 74-48 L to Christopher Newport (#2 in country); 8 pts, 2 rebs in 69-57 W over Chatham

Jordyn Burke* (Keene St.): 7 pts, 11 rebs in 89-56 L to Westfield St.; 2 pts, 11 rebs in 80-64 L to Framingham St.; 2 pts, 9 rebs in 76-71 L to St. Joseph's (ME)

Danielle Caivana (Cazenovia): 22 pts, 3 rebs, 3 asts, 2 stls in 90-75 W over Clarks Summit; 7 pts, 6 rebs, 3 asts in 79-68 W over Bard

Natalie DiSalvo (SUNY Geneseo): 4 pts, 3 rebs in 65-38 W over Houghton; 5 pts, 3 rebs, 2 asts, 3 blks in 73-59 W over Waynesburg

Sara Field (D'Youville): 9 pts, 5 rebs in 68-47 L to Keuka; 6 pts, 5 rebs, 2 stls in 80-50 L to SUNY Poly; 7 pts, 3 rebs in 56-35 L to SUNY Canton

Megan Flynn (Sage): 14 pts, 10 rebs, 3 stls in 59-52 L to Haverford; 7 pts, 8 rebs, 2 stls, 2 blks in 62-58 W over Penn St. Harrisburg

Jordan Hipwell (Suffolk): 5 rebs, 2 asts in 52-50 L to Salve Regina; 8 pts, 8 rebs in 90-45 W over St. Joseph's (BK); 9 pts, 3 rebs in 60-55 W over Ramapo

Brianna Laing (Hartwick): 4 pts, 2 rebs in 55-43 L to Brockport

Brianna Legacy (Keuka): 7 pts, 3 rebs in 68-47 W over D'Youville

Olivia Marshall (Clarkson): 6 pts, 6 rebs, 2 blks in 67-52 W over Oswego; 6 pts, 4 rebs in 67-38 L to University of New England

Lyndsey McCoy (Alfred): 2 pts, 1 reb in 83-64 L to Brockport; 11 pts, 4 rebs in 69-55 L to Hamilton

Katy McInerney (St. John Fisher): 2 pts, 2 rebs in 74-48 L to Christopher Newport (#2 in country); 2 pts, 2 asts in 69-57 W over Chatham

Paige Niemeyer (SUNY New Paltz): 21 pts, 6 rebs, 4 asts, 2 stls in 104-88 L to Westfield St.; 5 pts, 6 rebs, 4 asts in 76-73 W over Eastern CT State

Emily Padalino* (Dickinson): 4 pts in 58-42 L to Juniata; 7 pts in 78-67 L to Mount Union; 12 pts, 3 rebs in 81-70 L to Hiram

Kelly Pine (Hartwick): 6 pts, 6 rebs in 47-41 L to Union; 3 pts, 3 rebs in 52-40 L to Hamilton; 4 pts, 7 rebs in 55-43 L to Brockport

Katie Smith (Mount Saint Mary): 4 pts, 2 rebs, 3 asts in 77-31 W over Bard; 10 pts, 6 rebs, 3 asts in 73-61 L to Ave Maria; 10 pts, 5 rebs, 3 asts in 59-34 L to Middlebury

Julianna Taylor (SUNY Brockport): 17 pts (6/12 FG, 3/6 3s), 5 rebs, 2 asts in 83-64 W over Alfred; 9 pts, 4 rebs, 2 asts in 55-43 W over Hartwick

Lexi Tubbs (Cazenovia): 9 pts, 15 rebs, 3 asts in 90-75 W over Clarks Summit; 8 pts, 8 rebs in 79-68 W over Bard

Rylee vonWedel (SUNY Cortland): 5 pts, 3 rebs in 80-75 L to FDU-Florham

Emily Wander (Middlebury): 6 pts in 59-34 W over Mount Saint Mary

Liz White (Nazareth): 6 pts, 2 rebs, 4 asts in 72-32 W over Wells; 12 pts in 61-51 L to Keuka

Morgan Wolanin (SUNY Oswego): 3 pts, 12 rebs, 2 asts, 2 stls, 2 blks in 66-27 W over Medgar Evers

JuCo Hoops

Taylor Torchia (Mohawk Valley CC): 3 pts, 4 rebs, 4 asts in 77-38 W over Jefferson; 11 pts, 3 rebs, 6 asts in 75-59 W over Finger Lakes

* - alternate summer league participant that played in one week

The Alum Report: EST College Roundup

No fancy description needed to relay my excitement. Collegiate games are underway! Official games at the Division I & II levels began Friday, November 10. Nearly a dozen former EST summer league participants have tipped off their seasons with D1/D2 programs to date, either in their freshman or sophomore campaigns. A quick list:

- Danielle Migliore, the lone D1 sophomore on this list, has produced the most notable performance of the first two days. The inaugural EST girls' league MVP, now starting at the wing for St. Bonaventure, played 32 minutes & dropped a game high 21 points on 8/13 from the field and 5/9 from behind the arc. She added 5 rebounds, and her Bonnies rode a huge 3rd quarter into a 76-58 W over visiting Niagara.

- Former EST 1st teamers Julia Kelner, Saeeda Abdul-Aziz, and CeCe Mayo all had solid collegiate debuts at the Division I level, showing that they have the potential to be instant impact players for their teams. Kelner got the starting nod for Bryant in their opener, and she was a bright spot against a high-major opponent with solid play in the post. Kelner finished with 6 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks in 22 minutes of action, but they fell at Boston College, 65-42. Abdul-Aziz saw solid rotational minutes off the bench for Davidson and was productive with her time in a competitive victory. She finished with 5 points, 3 rebounds, an assist, and a steal in a 70-57 victory over Western Carolina. Mayo's Albany squad ran into the same fate as Kelner's group, as they ran into a #15 Maryland buzzsaw and fell 91-58, but she'll be someone that may prove important for the Great Danes as the year goes on. She contributed 3 points & 5 rebounds in 14 minutes of action off the bench in her debut.

- Former EST teammates and Foothills Council rivals Lucy Tougas and Nina Fedullo had their collegiate debuts on Saturday for Queens and Saint Rose, respectively, and both had solid performances while receiving good minutes off the bench. Tougas knocked down both of her shot attempts and registered 4 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and a block in 16 minutes - Queens lost their opener to Jefferson, the artist formerly known as Phila U, 60-54. St. Rose started off their '17-'18 campaign with a 61-43 victory over Concordia; Nina saw 22 minutes of action, one of four players to receive 20 or more minutes. She went 3/6 from the field and finished with 6 points, 5 rebounds, and a steal. Good individual starts to their collegiate careers!

- Nerea Brajac also had her collegiate debut Saturday for Georgian Court. The Cohoes grad saw 12 minutes off the bench, which would've likely been more if not for bumping into some foul trouble. She finished with 2 points and a rebound in their 78-60 defeat at the hands of Merrimack.

- Dominican (Samira Sangare), Florida Southern (Tara Sager), and Le Moyne (Liz Millea) all had their season openers as well. Dominican fell to 0-2 with losses to Mercy and St. Thomas Aquinas, Florida Southern split a pair on Friday and Saturday, and Le Moyne also split a pair with a victory over Goldey-Beacom and a loss to USciences.

Sunday's action:

- Queens (Lucy Tougas) vs. Chestnut Hill @ Jefferson - 12:00
- Bryant (Julia Kelner, Brooke Bjelko) @ Brown - 1:00
- St. Bonaventure (Danielle Migliore) @ Siena - 2:00
- Davidson (Saeeda Abdul-Aziz) @ NC State - 2:00
- St. Rose (Nina Fedullo) @ Georgian Court (Nerea Brajac) - 3:00

Best of luck to all - you can catch me at Siena in the afternoon!

Jeff's Journal: ESTers At The Next Level

This week marks the beginning of high school basketball season in New York. The whistles blowing and balls bouncing in HS gyms throughout the state means that high school games are just around the corner, with scrimmages starting on November 15 and games tipping off the following week. However, collegiate basketball has tipped off already at the Division I & junior college levels, with Division II games set to get going at the end of the week and Division III games to follow next week. Girls that participated in the first two years of EST events, namely the summer league, are dotted across rosters throughout all divisions of college hoops. A quick rundown of what has happened, and what's coming up next:

Danielle Migliore, the MVP of the inaugural EST girls league in 2015, started off her sophomore year at St. Bonaventure with a strong showing. It looks like she'll take on a much larger role with her squad in her second go-around, as she led the team in minutes played (35) in their exhibition contest against Division II Edinboro over the weekend. She had 12 points & 4 rebounds, with the points coming on 4 threes. They have two games that count for the record later this week, as they take on Niagara at home Friday and head to Loudonville to take on Siena Sunday.

Also at the D1 level, Saeeda Abdul-Aziz and her Davidson squad defeated Johnson C. Smith in their home exhibition last week. They also play twice at the end of this week where the freshman looks to make her collegiate debut, with Western Carolina & NC State on the schedule Friday & Sunday. Abdul-Aziz and Migliore's schools, both competing in the A-10, play each other once this year; Saturday, January 20 in Olean.

Friday & Sunday also mark the collegiate debuts of post duo Julia Kelner and Brooke Bjelko, as their Bryant squad starts off at Boston College and Brown. Albany, who features fellow freshman CeCe Mayo, also tips off Friday against a high-major opponent on the road, as they're slated for a 7:00 start in College Park against Maryland.

At the junior college ranks, it's been a great start for Taylor Torchia at MVCC. The freshman, who participated in the inaugural 2015 summer league on a Lady Knicks team coached by her father, has been a big reason that the Hawks are sitting at 3-0 after the first week of the season. After she saw 32 minutes in a blowout W over Columbia-Greene to start the season, she played a huge role in her team winning their host tournament - the Anthony Torchia Classic, dedicated to the memory of her late brother. She finished with 13 points, 7 assists, and 3 steals in a 70-47 semifinal W over North Country, and she followed it up with 6 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, and 3 steals in a 68-65 championship W over D1 JuCo Monroe College. Taylor earned tournament MVP honors for her performance. About 20 minutes east, her former TVL foes and AAU teammates Carli Brenon and Jordan Lee are suiting up for conference foe Herkimer. The Generals have started off 1-1, unfortunately without the services of Lee, who is eyeing a spring semester return from a knee injury. Brenon, nursing a knee injury of her own, made her season debut in a victory over Clinton CC Sunday. Box scores have yet to be added on the Herkimer website, but she saw plenty of minutes in the game and is an important addition to their guard depth.

The end of this week marks the beginning of Division II games. Liz Millea (Le Moyne) and Samira Sangare (Dominican) start their sophomore campaigns Friday night and follow up with games Saturday. Nerea Brajac makes her collegiate debut with Georgian Court, starting with an exhibition Tuesday night against D3 NJCU & following up with home games against NE-10 schools Merrimack and Saint Rose on Saturday & Sunday. Saint Rose boasts local freshman Nina Fedullo on the roster. Tara Sager and her Florida Southern squad tip off with games on Friday & Saturday, and Lucy Tougas & Queens start with games on Saturday & Sunday.

Many players that participated in the first two years of EST events, including a few that made appearances as summer league alternates, tip off their seasons with D3 programs over the next 10 days. The list of former ESTers playing at D3 programs:

• Cassidy Albright (SUNY Poly)
• Olivia Allrich (SUNY Oneonta)
• Natalie DiSalvo (SUNY Geneseo)
• Megan Flynn (Sage)
• Olivia Baumann, Katy McInerney (St. John Fisher)
• Paige Niemeyer (SUNY New Paltz)
• Emily Padalino (Dickinson)
• Danielle Caivana, Lexi Tubbs (Cazenovia)
• Morgan Wolanin (SUNY Oswego)
• Jordan Hipwell (Suffolk)
• Brianna Laing, Kelly Pine (Hartwick)
• Brianna Legacy (Keuka)
• Olivia Marshall (Clarkson)
• Lyndsey McCoy (Alfred)
• Julianna Taylor (SUNY Brockport)
• Rylee vonWedel (SUNY Cortland)
• Emily Wander (Middlebury)
• Sara Field (D'Youville)
• Kenna Guynup (Sage)
• Madison McCabe, Addy Sackett (SUNY Plattsburgh)
• Katie Smith (Mount St. Mary)
• Liz White (Nazareth)

Best of luck to all of these girls in the beginnings of their seasons - made it to a couple college games so far and hoping to catch several more before HS season picks up. Looking forward to seeing their successes at the next level and where members of upcoming classes of EST participants will be in the near future as well!