I'm going to miss Rayshaun McGrew, Carson Puriefoy and Jameel Warney for reasons that have very little to do with basketball. All three will leave Stony Brook with their degrees in hand. Community appearances? Anytime. Put the team ahead of individual accolades? Always. I am grateful to them for always taking time to interact with kids which, for Ray, meant sitting next to my 10-year-old son on a nine-hour flight from Rome to New York this summer.

Of course I will miss the basketball, too. On Saturday night, we will celebrate Ray, Carson and Jameel prior to tipoff of our regular season finale against Vermont. Fortunately it won't be the last time that we get to watch them play at Island Federal Credit Union Arena but we should all appreciate the time with them while we still have it. No matter which direction life beyond Stony Brook takes them, I know that each one will be successful. Although the season is far from over, the legacy that this senior class has created will live long after it.

Stony Brook Pioneers



Visitors to the recently renovated Stony Brook Athletics Hall of Fame are currently greeted by a graphic display recognizing four "firsts" in our history: Stu Goldstein as our first All-American, Lucy Van Dalen as our first NCAA national champion, Joe Nathan as our first major leaguer and Chuck Downey as our first NFL signee.

Jameel Warney, who has already achieved many "firsts" at Stony Brook, added another last Sunday at Maine when he eclipsed 2,000 career points (also becoming the first Seawolf and 110^th Division I player to reach the 2,000-point/1,000-rebound plateau). Jameel's incredible achievement was just the latest in a long list of "firsts" at Stony Brook. Some recent notables include:

- Will Tye became the first Stony Brook football player to appear in an NFL game in October as a member of the Giants.

- Last year, our women's lacrosse team became the first Stony Brook program to defeat a team ranked in the top five when it knocked off No. 5 Northwestern.

- Travis Jankowski became the first Stony Brook baseball player to be selected in the first round of the MLB Draft when the San Diego Padres chose him in 2012.

There are countless more that I could name. The student-athletes and teams that have broken through the proverbial glass ceiling have not only secured a place in our history but proven that anything is possible.

Here's to many more "firsts" in the days, weeks, months and years ahead…

Football's Present is Bright



It is no secret that the growth and success of our football program is critical toward our vision to positively transform the life of each student-athlete. Why? As we stated in Together We Transform, "football possesses the unique ability to generate revenue through ticket sales and donations, enhance Stony Brook's institutional profile that will help attract strong prospective students and student-athletes, and create a sense of pride that can connect alumni to campus. Recent decisions regarding NCAA governance, television and marketing rights deals, and conference realignment have all revolved around football, further demonstrating the significance of the sport within the national landscape of intercollegiate athletics."

There are many reasons why I am extremely optimistic about the immediate future of our football program. Two of those reasons are recent additions to our coaching staff, Carmen Felus and Chris Bache. Carmen just joined our staff as co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach while Chris was hired as offensive line coach in the week leading up to the Albany game last season and was promoted to co-coordinator last week.

When Jeff Behrman left to become the new head coach at Union College (where he will be excellent, by the way), it allowed Coach Priore to reevaluate where we were as an offense and how we could be most effective. Chris and Carmen have already added new wrinkles to our offense. While I'm not going to give away any details of what Seawolves fans (and opponents) will see this fall, I can tell you that I have absolute confidence in the direction that we are headed.

My job is to support Chuck and his staff so that they can give our student-athletes the best chance to succeed. We have made some investments in football but we still have a great deal of work left to do. It's true that we have a long-term plan for the future of football at Stony Brook, but I am also more optimistic than ever about the present.

On the Horizon

March Madness is here! The America East Men's Basketball Playoffs begin next week, and your Stony Brook men's basketball team earned the regular season title and top seed. That means that the road to the NCAA Tournament goes though Island Federal Credit Union Arena. We will host a quarterfinal game against the eighth-place team on Wednesday at 7. Be sure to check StonyBrookAthletics.com for all the details.

Our women's team will begin competition in the America East Tournament on March 5 in Binghamton so I will be sure to update you on those plans next week. Until then, GO SEAWOLVES!

Together We Transform!

Warm regards,

Shawn