Owls Finish Year Ranked No. 4 In Two National Polls
A trip to the national semifinals has earned the Southern Connecticut State University baseball team a No. 4 final national ranking in both the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and the College Baseball Lineup polls. The Owls finished the 2011 season with a final mark of 45-9-1, setting a new single-season record for victories.
The Owls also won their first College World Series games in school history, finished No. 1 in New England and won the Northeast-10 Conference regular season title for the second consecutive year.

Yale's Mangano invited to Jr. National Team tryouts
Greg Mangano has already enjoyed one successful trip to China this offseason. Now, he’s hoping to return later this summer.

Mangano is one of 22 of the nation’s top collegiate athletes who have accepted invitations from the USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team Committee to attend the 2011 USA Basketball Men’s World University Games Team training camp.

The training camp, which will be held July 29-Aug. 7 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center (USOTC) in Colorado Springs, Colo., will be used to select the 12-member team that will represent the USA at the 2011 World University Games men’s basketball competition Aug. 13-23 in Shenzhen, China.

“The opportunity to try out for the USA team is a tremendous honor,” said Mangano, who averaged 21.5 points in four games during Yale’s 10-day visit to China in May. “I'm excited to have the chance to play against some of the best players in the country. My goal is to make the team and have an opportunity to represent our country in the world games. If nothing else, the tryout will help me improve my game by playing against the best competition which will only help me for my last season at Yale.”

Joining Mangano at the camp will be Notre Dame’s Tim Abromaitis, VCU’s Bradford Burgess, Missouri’s Marcus Denmon, Missouri’s Kim English, Cincinnati’s Yancy Gates, Pittsburgh’s Ashton Gibbs, Michigan State’s Draymond Greem, Alabama’s JaMychal Green, Xavier’s Tu Holloway, Syracuse’s Scoop Jardine, Vanderbilt’s John Jenkins, UC Santa Barbara’s Orlando Johnson, Minnesota’s Trevor Mbakwe, Lehigh’s C.J. McCollum, Texas A&M’s Khris Middleton, Kentucky’s Darius Miller, Alabama’s Tony Mitchell, West Virginia’s Aaric Murray, UConn’s Alex Oriakhi, Northwestern’s John Shurna and Wisconsin’s Jordan Taylor.

“After a lot of thought and consideration of potential players, the committee has put together a very strong roster for the training camp,” said USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team Committee Chair Jim Boeheim, the head coach at Syracuse. “As always, the committee will be looking for not only the most talented players, but also players that will work well as a team.”
Mangano, an Orange, Conn., native, is coming off a season in which he finished ninth in the nation in blocked shots (3.0 per game) and 24th in rebounding (10.0 rpg.). He averaged 16.3 points and was a unanimous first team All-Ivy selection and earned all-district honors from the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).
Mangano led the Ivy League in rebounding and blocked shots and was second in scoring. He is the first Ivy player to average a double-double for the season since Harvard’s Kyle Snowden in 1995-96. His numbers were even more impressive in Ivy games where he averaged 18.6 points and 10.4 rebounds, which both led the league.
Mangano, a four-time Ivy League Player of the Week selection, was dominant on both ends of the floor. His 85 blocks were the most in a season in school history and the third most in Ivy history. In addition, his 51 blocks in league games were a new Ivy record. He scored 20 points or more in nine games this season, including tallying a career-high 30 in a victory at Dartmouth. He led the Bulldogs in rebounding in all but four games and grabbed a career-high 17 at Brown.
In addition, he became the first Yale player since Chris Dudley in 1986-87 to average a double-double for the season.
Purdue University head coach Matt Painter, who previously assisted the 2009 USA U19 World Championship Team to a gold medal, is the head coach of the 2011 USA Men’s World University Games Team, while collegiate head coaches Cuonzo Martin of the University of Tennessee and Brad Stevens of Butler University will serve as assistant coaches.
The World University Games are held every other year and are organized by the International University Sports Federation (FISU). The United States, which has claimed a medal in every World University Games since beginning play in 1965, has captured a record 13 golds, three silvers and three bronze medals in the 19 WUGs in which a USA Basketball men’s squad has competed.

SCSU third in NE-10 in President's Cup standings:
The Southern Connecticut State University athletic department has placed third out of 16 institutions in the 2010-11 Northeast-10 Conference Presidents’ Cup race. The Owls totaled 161 points to match their highest finish and post their highest point total since joining the league. In the process, Southern Connecticut placed in the top three in the Presidents’ Cup for the second time in the past three years. The Presidents’ Cup is presented annually to signify overall athletic excellence in the Northeast-10 Conference and is awarded to the institution that compiles the most points based on the placement at the conclusion of the regular season of each of its programs which compete in league championships. SCSU is one of only public institutions in the conference.

Yale men’s basketball coach James Jones envisions a fast-paced offense next season. So quick, that’s he’s getting a head start on things.
Yale is leaving on a nine-day tour of China on Monday and will play four exhibition games against Chinese college students.

“We’re playing against the best university teams in China,” Jones said. “And then we get a chance to play with the FIBA rules with the 24-second shot clock. We have to play more up tempo which is what we really want to try to do next year.”
Game-planning aside, Jones said there’s no better way to build the team’s chemistry.
“Wonderful things can happen when you’re sitting next to someone on a plane ride for 16 hours,” Jones said. “The entire experience is great for chemistry. You’re in a place where you have to depend on each other for everything.
“This is my sixth or seventh foreign trip as a player or a coach and every time it’s just an unbelievable experience. There are dynamics formed between guys that maybe you haven’t hung out with before, you’ll hang out with him more now.”
The Bulldogs finished 15-13 overall and 8-6 in the Ivy League last season and bring back starters Greg Mangano, Reggie Willhite, Jeremiah Kreisberg and Austin Morgan. Mangano, who recently was invited to Team USA open tryouts for the best college players in the nation, is excited about getting another stage to hone his game.
“I’m so thankful for Yale for putting this together,” Mangano said. “I’ve never been out of the country before so I’m extremely excited. I can’t wait and it’s great to get back on the floor with all the guys.”
Yale had planned to go to Taiwan but the trip was supposed to last just five days and when Jones inquired about extending it he learned about the possibilities of playing in China. The team leaves on Monday and will visit Chengdu and Shanghai. The opener is May 19 against the University of Electronic Science and Technology.
The Chinese government of Chengdu will also pick up some of the expense. Yale great John Lee set up an endowment several years ago that allows the team to make a foreign trip once every four years. The last two trips have taken the Bulldogs to Spain and Italy.
Yale was allowed five days of practice for the NCAA.
“It will be a great learning experience for our team, both on and off the court,” Mangano said. “The trip will help prepare us for next season, and we’ll have the opportunity to grow as a team. I’m thankful for the opportunity we’ve been given.”
In addition to its league slate, Yale will play Florida and Wake Forest next season. The international experience will be beneficial.
“We see this as a once in a lifetime opportunity, and we look forward to the competition and the culture of the country,” Jones said.

Yale center Greg Mangano has been invited to participate in the Team USA open tryouts over the summer.
Mangano, who will be a senior next season, is one of just under 30 of the nation’s top college basketball players to receive an invitation. Twelve players will be selected to the team.
“It’s an honor and a privilege to even get a tryout,“ Mangano said. “I found out yesterday and don’t know a lot of the details. I’ll get a chance to play with some of the best players in the country who are my age.
“It’s going to be the rest returning college players in the country. I know they’ll put together a great team and hopefully I’ll be able to make it.”
Mangano recently entered the NBA draft but withdrew his name from consideration just before the deadline in order to maintain his collegiate eligibility. He did not hire an agent and will finish his education at Yale.
“I looked at the draft a lot more,” said the first-team All-Ivy selection. “There’s a lot of guys who decided to come back to college. It’s still going to be great competition and I wouldn’t say that the draft was weak this year but hopefully I’ll get a chance to show what I can do against some of the great competition.”
Yale coach James Jones said that Mangano, who averaged 16.3 points and 10 rebounds a game last season, entered the draft process very late which prevented most NBA teams from making contact with the 6-10, 240-pounder from Orange.
“I did get a call from the San Antonio Spurs who wanted to know how serious he was about coming out,” Jones said. “They wanted to fly him down for a workout. He entered the process late but it was still beneficial.
“I don’t know if Greg will be drafted next year but I want him to get invited to the pre-NBA draft camp and then at least get into the (NBA Developmental League).”
Said Mangano: “As far as getting my name out there it served the purpose. I still it was a good decision and I’m glad I went through with it but this USA tryout is great. Basketball-wise things are going well.”
Jones said that Mangano is becoming a more complete player with every practice.
“Greg practically dominated every Ivy League game he played in last year,” Jones said. “I gave him (former Yale star and NBA veteran) Chris Dudley’s stats. I showed him that he averaged over four offensive rebounds a game.
“That’s what Greg has to do. He averaged 10 rebounds a game last year and only about one offensively. He has to attack the basket, dominate the offensive boards and live on the free throw line.
“If he does that he’s going to have a special season.”
The national team tryouts are expected to include Ohio State freshman center Jared Sullinger and North Carolina’s Harrison Barnes.
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NEW HAVEN – Greg Mangano has withdrawn from the 2011 NBA Draft and will remain at Yale for his senior season. He submitted his letter to the NBA offices late last week.
“Finishing my education remains my top priority, but I think it was a good experience, and hopefully it benefits me in the future,” Mangano said. “My main goal at Yale has always been to win an Ivy League championship, and with the players we return next year, I think we have a great chance.”
The deadline for withdrawing from the NBA draft was Sunday at midnight.
Mangano, of Orange., native, enjoyed an outstanding season in 2010-11, finishing ninth in the nation in blocked shots (3.0 per game) and 24th in rebounding (10.0 rpg.). He averaged 16.3 points and was a unanimous first team All-Ivy selection and earned all-district honors from the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).
Mangano led the Ivy League in rebounding and blocked shots and was second in scoring. He is the first Ivy player to average a double-double for the season since Kyle Snowden in 1995-96. His numbers were even more impressive in Ivy games where he averaged 18.6 points and 10.4 rebounds, which both led the league.
Mangano and rest of the Bulldogs will get a head start on the 2011-12 season when they begin a 10-day tour of China on May 16.

By Bill Cloutier
Assistant Sports Editor
bcloutier@nhregister.com
Yale junior center Greg Mangano has declared himself eligible for the NBA. Mangano, from Orange, has not hired an agent in order to retain his with the school.
Mangano had a breakout junior season in which he finished ninth in the nation in blocked shots (3.0 per game) and 24th in rebounding (10.0). The former all-stater from Notre Dame-West Haven averaged 16.3 points and was a unanimous first team All-Ivy selection and earned all-district honors from the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).
Mangano said that at this time he fully intends on returning to Yale for his senior season.
"Coach (James) Jones told me there were some teams thta expressed some interest and he said that this path was the best thing for me to do right now," Mangano said. "It's get's me some exposure.
"I fully intend on pulling my name out by the May 8 deadline. There is a form I have to send into the NBA offices by May 8. I haven't hired an agent and that will get me fully reinstated by the NCAA."
Mangano didn't disclose which teams have shown interest.
"The most important thing to me right now remains the fact that I came to Yale to get a first class education and graduate from this university," Mangano said. "The decision to declare for the draft is just something we decided would be beneficial for my future. Playing in the NBA has always been a dream of mine, and this may help my cause.
"It's definitely exciting. It's exciting to know there is some interest."
Mangano said his decision wasn't impacted by the commonly-held belief that this is a weak NBA draft.
"I've looked at the mock drafts but I haven't really studied them," he said. "I've read that it really isn't a strong draft this year. Next year could be a stronger draft but it really doesn't make a difference. My plan right now is to get some exposure and then come back to Yale and have a really big season next year.
"I fully intend on graduating from Yale and that’s why I went there in the first place."
Mangano led the Ivy League in rebounding and blocked shots and was second in scoring. He is the first Ivy player to average a double-double for the season since Kyle Snowden in 1995-96. His numbers were even more impressive in Ivy games where he averaged 18.6 points and 10.4 rebounds, which both led the league.
Mangano, a four-time Ivy League Player of the Week selection, was dominant on both ends of the floor. His 85 blocks were the most in a season in school history and the third most in Ivy history. In addition, his 51 blocks in league games is a new Ivy record. He scored 20 points or more in nine games this season, including tallying a career-high 30 in a victory at Dartmouth. He led the Bulldogs in rebounding in all but four games and grabbed a career-high 17 at Brown.
"Greg had a tremendous junior campaign which is worthy of NBA interest," said Jones. "His ability to defensive rebound and his shot blocking ability makes him an outstanding candidate for the next level."
Underclassmen who have declared for the draft, but have not hired an agent, have until May 8 to withdraw their names from consideration and retain their eligibility.