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for January 2010
 It was statement time Tuesday night for two of Western New York’s best high school basketball teams as fourth-ranked Canisius traveled to fifth-ranked Timon in a key Monsignor Martin Association match up.
By the time it ended, the statement was quite clear; those in attendance got to witness a game for the ages.
In what goes down as in instant classic, Aaron Nevins went coast to coast for a layup to beat the buzzer in giving Canisius a breathtaking win 78-77 overtime victory.
Timon, down 20 at halftime, wrestled the lead with eight seconds left in overtime when Kyle Mackowiak took a perfect pass from Dut Dour for an uncontested layup.
Continue reading ‘Instant Classic: Canisius beats Timon with last second OT win’
 University at Buffalo sophomore Desi Green has been selected as the Mid-American Conference Wrestler of the Week. The 20th nationally-ranked wrestler posted a 3-0 record including an 8-6 decision over sixth ranked Jason Chamberlain of Boise State at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals on January 9 in Cedar Falls, IA.
In the Bulls’ opening dual versus ninth nationally-ranked Boise State on Saturday, Green faced sixth ranked Chamberlain. Following two periods, Green and Chamberlain entered the last period tied at 5-5. In the third period, the two would exchange escapes before Green sealed the deal with a takedown to defeat Chamberlain, 8-6.
Green contributed to the Bulls’ 18-17 upset of 12th nationally-ranked Nebraska, receiving a forfeit to give the Bulls a 12-3 lead in the match to secure the Bulls’ early lead.
Continue reading ‘Desi Green Named MAC Wrestler of the Week’
 There’s no meeting in the middle when it comes to the Bill Cowher billboard erected Monday by this site thanks to the donations of hungry Buffalo Bills fans. Either you love the idea, or you hate it. Trust me I’ve gotten numerous emails stating both. Very few people don’t have a strong opinion one way or the other.
One person that can be chalked up to supporting the plan is Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly. Kelly, speaking to WIVB claimed what most already know; for better or worse Buffalo Bills fans are a dedicated bunch and will do whatever necessary on their end to bring a winner to Western New York.
“These are Bills fans. They’ll do whatever it takes. It doesn’t matter. God bless ‘em. And I understand the money over what it cost the billboard will go to Hunter’s Hope, so great job guys,” said Kelly.
Continue reading ‘Jim Kelly appreciates you; vows to do his part’
 As we continue to wait for news to break regarding the Buffalo Bills’ search for a new head coach, we thought it’d be prudent to break away from the repetitive coverage and start talking about the shell of a football team that’s on the verge of getting re-molded.
One of the key sticking points that’s often bandied about when talking about top coaching candidates’ unwillingness to come to Buffalo is their overall lack of talent. This is a valid concern, even if it’s hyperbolized in Buffalo to an extent. Let’s face it – Seattle isn’t exactly brimming with untapped potential, either. While it’s true that Buffalo does lack young, potentially elite talent in key positions, namely quarterback, there are young players on this team with the ability to turn into star players at their respective positions.
Continue reading ‘Six young Buffalo Bills with significant upside’
 Senior Tyrone Lewis (Levittown, Pa.) again produced late-game heroics in a double-overtime contest, but the Niagara men’s basketball team (10-8, 3-3 MAAC) dropped a 90-86 road contest at Saint Peter’s (8-8, 3-3 MAAC) on Monday.
Lewis beat the buzzer at the end of regulation with a 3-pointer in front of the NU bench to knot the score at 64-64 and send the game into the first overtime. With 16 seconds remaining in the extra session, Lewis again sank a contested triple from the same spot, tying the score at 74-74, forcing a second bonus period.
Saint Peter’s Nick Leon, who finished with a game-high 29 points, scored the Peacocks’ final six points to claim the victory. His backcourt mate Wesley Jenkins added 27 points.
Continue reading ‘Niagara drops road contest in OT’
 Siena’s Clarence Jackson scored all 15 of his points in the second half on five 3-point field goals, and senior guard Edwin Ubiles added a team-high 22 points as the host Saints defeated Canisius 82-70 Monday night in the Times Union Center. Siena improves to 13-4 overall and 6-0 with its seventh-straight win, while the Golden Griffins slipped to 8-9 overall and 3-3 in conference play.
Senior Frank Turner led all players with a game-high 23 points to go with five rebounds, four assists and two steals in 40 minutes. Junior Rishawn Johnson was good for a season-high 13 points off the bench, while Julius Coles chipped in 10 off the bench.
Continue reading ‘Canisius can’t hold off first-place Siena’
 St. Bonaventure fans will get a chance to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the men’s basketball program’s Final Four appearance with the historic team that accomplished the feat on Saturday, Jan. 16.
The 1969-70 Final Four team that finished with a 25-3 overall record will be honored at halftime of the Brown and White’s A-10 contest against Saint Joseph’s. Gametime at the Reilly Center is slated for 7 p.m.
Continue reading ‘St. Bonaventure to honor 1970 Final Four Team’
 Buffalo fans wanting Bill Cowher were ready to pony up their own money to pay for a billboard, and now the message is up for everyone to see. The billboard made its debut on the I-190 North early Monday morning.
But will it matter?
All indications are that Cowher will not be roaming the Bills sideline come autumn 2010. Several NFL “insiders” including Adam Schefter of ESPN have claimed Cowher will not come to Buffalo. Schefter took to his twitter publicly on Sunday afternoon and sent me a direct message personally claiming his arrival is anything but imminent.
Continue reading ‘Billboard up, but will it matter?’
 The search for the next head coach of the Buffalo Bills continues, and as the search enters its second full week, the interview process is expected to pick up steam. With Buffalo only having conducted two interviews to this point – one with Perry Fewell and one with Leslie Frazier – Buffalo needs to pick up the pace in the spirit of due diligence.
Peter King of Sports Illustrated reported that the Bills would try to conduct interviews with four or five more candidates this week. Here’s how it works: assistants working for the 24 teams that are not currently still playing football can be interviewed at any point. Names such as Sean McDermott, Mike Zimmer and Mike Nolan – all of whom have been mentioned by different reporters, by the way – fall into this category.
Continue reading ‘Four potential Bills coaching interviews to ponder’
 The Sabres played one of their best weeks in recent memory to start the New Year, winning four of five (and earning nine of ten available points), and earning the “w” in every possible way. Buffalo showed resiliency in a three goal comeback against the Thrashers, defensive prowess when they shut out the Canadiens 1-0 at the Bell Center and explosive offense when the team scored the fastest opening three goals in Sabres’ history and prevailed 5-3. Thursday against the Toronto Maple Leafs was the Ryan Miller show, as the best goaltender in the league made forty eight saves despite Toronto’s best effort to crash the crease. Buffalo ended the week at home against the Avalanche, and again displayed their resilience, coming back from a two goal third period deficit, although they could not prevail in an eleven round shootout.
The biggest plus of the week without a doubt has to go to the varied ways in which the team managed to rack up points. From comebacks to shutouts to blowouts, the Sabres were able to do it all; and extend their lead in the Northeast Division to ten points over the beleaguered Boston Bruins. They don’t have the complete game of the 05/06 team yet, or the star power of the 06/07 President’s Trophy winning squad, but this current version of the Sabres is finally starting to shed its losing baggage and carve out a niche for itself as a team that just gets the job done.
Continue reading ‘Buffalo Sabres: The Weekly Plus/Minus’
Unless the billboard slated to go up on the Buffalo thruway Monday morning magically changes his mind, Bill Cowher will not be the next head coach of the Buffalo Bills.
At least according to Adam Schefter.
After admittedly harassing him, I finally got to communicate individually to ESPN’s Adam Schefter this evening.
He told me to formally scratch Cowher off the list of candidates for the Buffalo Bills head coaching position.
I asked Schefter if he’s willing to put his reputation on the line and be publicly embarrassed should he be wrong.
“Sure am. He won’t be there next season.” Schefter told me personally.
He said he doesn’t know if Cowher will coach in the NFL in 2010 or not, saying it would depend on the situation, but reasserted Cowher won’t be on the Buffalo sideline.
Of course, Schefter publicly tweeted today that the Bills wouldn’t land Cowher.
Anyone who reads Buffalo Sports Daily knows this isn’t fun to report, as I personally provided the vehicle to put up the Cowher billboard.
It will remain up until either Cowher, one of his representatives or the Buffalo Bills organization confirm.
Fortunately, money is also going to charity. Over $500 has been raised for Hunter’s Hope, and that drive will stay open until Valentine’s Day.
I also spoke to a source Saturday, who told me all his Cowher sources tell him “no way” about his prospects of coming to the Bills.
 The University at Buffalo wrestling team recorded its biggest upset in program history by defeating 12th nationally-ranked Nebraska, 18-17 at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals on Saturday afternoon at the University of Northern Iowa Dome.
After upsetting Nebraska in the first round of consolations, the Bulls (7-3-1, 0-0 MAC) fell to the seventh nationally-ranked Maryland, 31-7. In the opening round of the National Duals, Buffalo fell to ninth nationally-ranked Boise State, 31-7. This marked the first time the Bulls have ever faced Boise State, Maryland and Nebraska.
In the first round of the consolations, the Bulls pulled off the program’s biggest upset by defeating 12th nationally-ranked Nebraska, 18-17. The Bulls jumped out to an early 6-0 lead as senior Dan Bishop and sophomore Kevin Smith captured decisions at 125 and 133, respectively.
Continue reading ‘UB Wrestling upsets #12 ranked Nebraska’
 The Rochester RazorSharks defeated the Buffalo Stampede 133-104 at the Koessler Center in Buffalo Saturday night in the Stampede Home opener. Leading by only two at halftime, Rochester outscored Buffalo 71-44 in the second half to win the game going away.
The RazorSharks showed off a balanced offense, with seven players in double figures. Rochester was led by Randy Gill with 19 points and 7 assists. Keith Friel added 19 and Glen Dandridge 18 for the RazorSharks.
Buffalo was led by Derick Payne with 27 points. Mark Price added 20 points and 7 assists and Andy Robinson 19 for the Stampede. Rochester improved to 2-0 and Buffalo fell to 0-2.
The next game for Buffalo is Sunday, January 10 at 2:00 P.M. against the Maryland GreenHawks at the Koessler Center. It is Buffalo’s annual kids’ day game.
 When you’ve been scorching like the Buffalo Sabres have lately, even the losses are of the productive variety. After playing in flat-line mode through the first half of the game, the Sabres stormed back in the third period with a pair of goals to tie Colorado. The Avalanche finally ended the Sabres six-game winning streak in a shootout, 4-3.
Twenty-two skaters into the marathon shootout, Matt Hendrik finally ended the game after beating Patrick Lalime with a backhander. 11 Sabres took part in the shootout with Tim Connolly, Thomas Vanek and Jochen Hecht scoring.
Buffalo is still 6-0-2 in their last eight games.
Continue reading ‘Sabres finally lose in marathon shootout’
 The University at Buffalo men’s basketball team defeated Miami (OH), 73-55, in the Mid-American Conference opener for both teams at Alumni Arena on Saturday afternoon. The Bulls jumped out to an 18-3 lead and never looked back en route to their largest margin of victory over the RedHawks since joining the conference in 1998.
Rodney Pierce scored 21 points to lead UB scorers. It marked the sixth straight game that the senior guard surpassed the 20-point plateau.
Calvin Betts notched his fourth double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Buffalo (8-4, 1-0 MAC) led by as many as 17 in the first half before the RedHawks cut the lead to eight by halftime. Miami whittled the lead to three with 15:52 left in the game. A jumper by Pierce and a three-pointer by Betts quickly extended the UB lead to eight.
Continue reading ‘Bulls Take MAC Opener Over Miami, 73-55′
 The Niagara women’s basketball team lost to the Manhattan Jaspers, 70-54, in its MAAC home opener on Saturday afternoon at the Gallagher Center. Niagara (3-11, 0-3 MAAC) forced 27 turnovers, which are one short of tying a season-high, and scored 21 points from those turnovers. However, the Purple Eagles had 23 turnovers themselves and some ended potential runs
Liz Flooks (White Plains, N.Y.) led NU with 15 points; Flooks, entered the game seventh in the NCAA in 3-point percentage, was only 1-for-6 from behind the arc. Kayla Stroman (Syracuse, N.Y.) had seven assists for the second-straight game to outduel her counterpart, Michelle Pacheco, who had three assists.
Over at Canisius, Iona scored the opening 11 points of the game and forced the Canisius College women’s basketball team into nine turnovers during the first nine minutes en route to defeating the Golden Griffins 60-48 in the Koessler Athletic Center on Saturday. Canisius falls to 5-9 overall and 0-3 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, losing its seventh straight contest.
Continue reading ‘Bad day for women’s college hoops’
 Junior Kourtney Brown became the second fastest player in school history to reach the 1,000 –point mark, however the Bulls fell 72-56 on Saturday afternoon to the Akron Zips at Rhodes Arena. Brown finished with 20 points and 14 rebounds.
The Bulls got off to a quick start to the game, as they held a four-point lead with 13:04 left in the opening half. However, following an Abby Dowd three with 11:50 remaining in the half, the UB offense would go cold, failing to record another field goal for the rest of the half. Brown was able to keep the Bulls in the game though as she went 8-for-11 in the opening 20 minutes from the free throw line.
Continue reading ‘Kourtney Brown 2nd fastest to 1,000 points ever for Lady Bulls’
Oft-troubled Buffalo Bills running back Marshawn Lynch is already in hot water after a Buffalo News story reported he allegedly took $20 from a Buffalo Police Sergeant’s wife at a TGI Fridays in Hamburg last December 7.
Doug Hendrickson, agent for Lynch, vigorously denied the allegation via an email to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Hendrickson told Florio the allegation was “totally false and malicious.”
He may soon have more explaining to do.
Buffalo Sports Daily has learned the Hamburg incident isn’t the first time Lynch allegedly helped himself to someone else’s money. According to a very angry Steve Lapsley, Lynch pulled something similar this past August.
Continue reading ‘Second Allegation Against Lynch in 24 Hours’
A source I spoke with this morning told me that Bill Cowher is “nearly a lock” to coach in the NFL again in 2010. But Bills fans shouldn’t get excited quite yet. Just because the Buffalo is the only team with a help wanted sign hanging on their head coaching door, it doesn’t automatically equate to Cowher roaming the sidelines in Orchard Park next season.
“All my Cowher sources say no way”. The same source said, but also admitted there’s so much conflicting information out there they could be wrong.
Although there ‘s no other openings other than Buffalo at this moment—or at least once Pete Carroll is officially named Seattle Seahawks coach, that could still change in the coming days. Dallas hosts Philadelphia tonight in a wild-card round matchup and should the Cowboys lose there’s speculation Wade Phillips could get sent packing.
While on the surface it appears the Seattle opening has no direct effect on the Bills, in reality it possibly will. With Carroll taking the job there’s now an vacancy at USC and ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that USC athletic director Mike Garrett tried to hire Jeff Fisher in 2001.
Continue reading ‘Source: Cowher “nearly a lock” to coach in 2010′
 Prior to their upcoming season home opener tonight at Canisius College’s Koessler Athletic Center, the Buffalo Stampede have signed center Garrett Schmidt to the roster.
Schmidt, a 6-foot-11, 275-pound center, played his collegiate ball at Urbana University (NAIA). His prior professional experience includes stints with the Yamill Highflyers and Central Oregon Hotshots of the IBL (International Basketball League).
To make room for Schmidt the Stampede released Jonathan Battle.
The Stampede’s home opener tonight will feature their in-state rivals, two-time PBL champion Rochester Razorsharks. Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m.
Greg Gamble, former University of Buffalo star and one of 10 local players on the team, says Rochester doesn’t think much of Buffalo.
Continue reading ‘Stampede open home slate with Rochester tonight’
 Early this past week, news broke that Buffalo Bills running back Marshawn Lynch was facing a lawsuit stemming from his 2008 hit-and-run incident. This morning, the news gets worse on the Lynch front, as The Buffalo News is reporting that Lynch has been accused of stealing $20 from a woman in Hamburg last month.
The woman is the wife of Buffalo Police Sgt. William Crawford. Lynch allegedly took a $20 bill from the woman, and when her girlfriend confronted Lynch and asked for the money back, he threatened her.
Crawford filed a complaint against Lynch, and with the former Pro Bowl running back out of town after a disappointing 2009 season, a statement has since been given against Lynch. Crawford told the News that his wife and her friend are “terrified” of Lynch, whom he referred to as a “predator.” Crawford’s hope is that the case lands before a grand jury.
Continue reading ‘More legal trouble for Marshawn Lynch’
 Right now there’s three things life that are certain; death, taxes… and the Buffalo Sabres beating the Toronto Maple Leafs. Despite piling up a half century amount of shots on Ryan Miler, Toronto could not steal a win. Miller made a career-high 48 stops and Tyler Myers supplied the offense with a pair of goals as the Sabres pulled out a 3-2 victory.
The win is the Sabres 10th straight against the frustrated Leafs. Friday night’s victory was also Buffalo’s sixth straight overall; their longest since December of 2007.
Continue reading ‘Sabres beat Leafs for 10th straight time’
 The Buffalo Bills’ coaching search marches on. If you believe NFL analyst Mike Lombardi, that search might end soon, as he reported Thursday evening that he believes “have their guy in mind.” If you believe ESPN’s Tim Graham, GM Buddy Nix will continue the search through the weekend and into next week, as he believes that Nix has more candidates to interview.
While rumors and speculation continue to swirl from every frequented and obscure corner of the Internet, we’ll add a bit of our own to the mix. Does it seem to anyone else that the Bills are targeting candidates that are proponents of a 4-3 defensive scheme?
Clearly, this isn’t an exact science, and every coach will have different schematic preferences. What we do know for sure, however, is that the Bills have formally interviewed two candidates: former interim head coach Perry Fewell and Minnesota’s assistant head coach and defensive coordinator, Leslie Frazier. Both cut their coaching teeth teaching 4-3 defensive systems.
Continue reading ‘Should Bills look to stick with a 4-3 defense?’
 (**UPDATE** Oliver has been named UB defensive line coach.)
Football Scoop is reporting that Former Notre Dame Defensive line coach Jappy Oliver has been interviewed to replace Coach Brian Mohnsen as UB’s offensive line coach. Coach Moose was one of two coaches who I really wanted to remain, the other being Juan Taylor, but all indications are that Coach Quinn has decided to move the defensive line in a new direction.
Anyone unfamiliar with Jappy Oliver has a great excuse, in more than twenty five of coaching he has never been a head coach, or unit coordinator. Even when he coached at his former high school he was a positional coach. If Quinn was bringing him in as the defensive coordinator (spot still open) this would really concern me but if he is coming in as the DL coach his resume is one of the deepest and best you could find.
Continue reading ‘UB Hires DL Coach Jappy Oliver’
 If you reside in the Western New York area and/or follow the Buffalo Bills, unless you’ve lived under a rock the past day 24 hours you’re aware that Buffalo Sports Daily launched a Bill Cowher billboard campaign on behalf of Bills fans everywhere.
Thanks to a lot of hard work– and a ton of media coverage, that goal has been met. In less than four days we were able to raise the money and as a result the billboard will be up near downtown Buffalo Monday morning.
It doesn’t stop there. We’ve said from the beginning all proceeds after the funds were raised would go directly to the Hunter’s Hope Foundation. As of this posting we’ve already amassed a little over $200 for the charity. We’d like for the generosity of all our readers and Bills fans to keep it going.
Continue reading ‘Billboard Campaign Becomes Charity Campaign’
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