Ualbany finally selects captain
After six games, junior Rizzuto named team’s solo leader
Nothing seems to be on schedule during this pandemic-infested college basketball season, and that has extended to a team choosing its captain (s) before playing a game.
The University at Albany announced Wednesday, more than two months after the season originally was supposed to begin, that junior guard Antonio Rizzuto will serve as the lone captain.
“We really have not been together much,” Ualbany coach Will Brown said Wednesday
on a Zoom media conference. “No spring, no summer, no fall (practices). We were basically on pause until Thanksgiving. I wanted to sit back and learn more about the individuals on this team and watch certain guys.”
Rizzuto a native of York, Pennsylvania, is the first solo captain at Ualbany since Levi Levine in 2003-04.
“As a coach, there’s no better feeling than knowing what you’re going to get from a certain player every single time he steps on the floor in practice and in games,” Brown said. “Antonio is a great example for others in our locker room to follow because of how hard he plays every day, how
hard he competes every day, and it has nothing to do with playing well.”
Rizzuto has started 42 of 61 career games for the Danes, averaging 8.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists. Ualbany (1-5 overall, 1-3 America East Conference) is preparing for a weekend series against New Jersey Institute of Technology at SEFCU Arena.
“I told the guys when coach Brown named me captain, I don’t think that changes much,” Rizzuto said. “There’s a lot of guys that have stepped up. This year’s way different because of COVID and with starting the way we did, and it takes a group of guys.
“Our record is 1-5. None of us are happy, but the way we’re losing these games at the end, by a few points, none of us are hanging our heads. We’ve just got to put a few pieces together.”
He established a Ualbany
season-high in the opener with a +21 plus/ minus rating in a onepoint loss to Marylandbaltimore County. Plus/ minus measures point differential when a particular player is on the court.
Rizzuto is someone who can’t be measured simply by numbers. He is considered the Danes’ top perimeter defender, usually drawing the opponent’s top scorer.
“He competes,” teammate C.J. Kelly said. “He’s vocal. He says the right things at the right times, and he doesn’t talk just to talk. What I like about him most is that he brings it no matter who he’s playing against, no matter what team he’s on in practice. He’s a great captain in my eyes.”
“You sense how important it is to Antonio, and how he appreciates the opportunity to wear the uniform and to play every day,” Brown said. “His energy and enthusiasm can be, and should be, contagious. It’ll spread throughout our locker room, throughout our team.”
The only surprise in the appointment is that junior Adam Lulka wasn’t selected as well. Lulka was a tri-captain the past two seasons, as a freshman with Devonte Campbell and Ahmad Clark, and as a sophomore with Clark and Nick Fruscio.
“We have quite a few leaders on our roster,” said Lulka, who has been slowed by injuries the past season and a half. “‘Tone’ is a great selection to be the sole captain of our team.
He’s unquestionable in his effort and his commitment to the team.
“I have had captaincy experience in the past. I can definitely continue to contribute to helping that in ways that Antonio might not be used to doing, so I still have a leadership role. A lot of other guys will too. So it will be great to see how we all work together.”