Dance Card: Albany, America East

Who? The Great Danes of Albany- even more precisely and more persnickety, the State University of New York at Albany.

What? Scooby-Doo was not an inspiration for choosing the name Great Danes. Their mascot is Damien, which... is actually a little scary.

Where? Albany, New York, the longest continuously chartered city in the United States.

When? March 10th, in Albany, New York.

Why? They won the America East conference tournament.

How? Shereesha Richards had 26 points, seven rebounds, and four steals as Albany routed Stony Brook, 70-46.

Surprise? Predicted to finish first in the conference, they took first by two games over Stony Brook.

RPI: 107

SOS: 341

Record: 28-4 (15-1 America East)

Good wins: Marist.

Bad losses: Quinnipiac.

Who's running this show? Katie Abrahamson-Henderson, since 2010. She played both at Georgia and Iowa.

Extra, Extra! The Albany Times-Union.

Sophomore forward Shereesha Richards, America East's Player of the Year, leads an international Albany squad with 20.3 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. Second-leading rebounder Tammy Phillip is the only senior on the team. Junior point guard Sarah Royals drops over five dimes per game, and 6-9 junior Megan Craig stands out from the crowd.

Things that intrigue me: six countries and three continents. Basketball is truly a global game. Also, 62.7% shooting for Richards.