Former Marist star guard Jared Jordan is playing for the Phoenix Suns’ entry in the 2008 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, Nev. The Suns have five games scheduled, with two earlier this week and three through the weekend, and the Friday and Saturday contests will air on NBA TV.
Fans can watch Jordan on NBA TV when the Suns take on the New York Knicks on Friday, July 18 at 4 p.m. Phoenix’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday, July 19 at 10 p.m. will also air live on NBA TV.
Jordan departed Marist as the program’s all-time leader in assists, finishing with 813 in his prolific career, which lasted from 2003-07. He led the nation in assists in his final two years as a Red Fox.
Following his Marist career, Jordan was selected with 45th overall pick of the 2007 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers. He played for the Clippers’ Summer League team, but was traded to the New York Knicks on Sept. 30. Jordan played for the Knicks in the preseason before being released, and he reached an agreement to play for Lietuvos Rytas in Lithuania in December.
“I’ll just keep working to try to make the NBA,” Jordan said. “That’s my ultimate goal. It’s an opportunity to showcase myself.”
Below is a complete schedule for the Suns’ Summer League games.
• Friday, July 18: New York, 4 p.m. (NBA TV)
• Saturday, July 19: Portland, 10 p.m. (NBA TV)
• Sunday, July 20: Washington, 6 p.m.
Marist’s Gauck earns Player Of The Week award
Rising junior outfielder/first baseman Ryan Gauck (Clifton Park) of the Marist baseball team was named Player of the Week in the Virginia-based Valley Baseball League this past week. Gauck, who has helped lead the Fauquier Gators to a 16-11 record, is hitting .389 with two homers and 15 RBIs so far this summer.
The Valley Baseball League is in its 47th season as an NCAA-sanctioned league and 16th as a wooden bat league. The league consists of 11 teams, which each playing a 44-game regular-season schedule.
Gauck went 10-for-16 (.625) this past week, scoring seven runs and driving in four. He had a slugging percentage of 1.000 and an on-base percentage of .727. On the season, Gauck ranks in the league’s top three in batting average (second), slugging percentage (tied for third), on-base percentage (first), runs scored (first), hits (second) and total bases (second). He started in left field for the North squad in the league’s All-Star Game, which was played last Sunday.
Gauck is joined on the Gators by fellow Red Foxes Eric Alessio (Nyack) and B.J. Martin (Manalapan, N.J.). Alessio, who just completed his sophomore year, is 2-2 with a 2.73 ERA in five starts. He has walked just four batters in 29.2 innings. Martin, who will be a red-shirt junior next year, is 1-2 with a 4.43 ERA. The opposition has hit just .167 against him in 20.1 innings pitched.
Vassar soccer teams announce schedule
While summer has yet to officially begin, it’s never too early to mark your calendar for the fall athletics season. Both of Vassar’s men’s and women’s soccer teams have completed ambitious 2008 schedules that will hopefully culminate in a pair of Liberty League Championship berths on Nov. 7-8 at a site to be determined based on final standings. The women’s teams get the early opener, traveling to Springfield, Mass. for a Sept. 6 game against Elms College at 3:30 p.m. The men’s team follows three days later with its own away game under the lights against Mount St. Mary on Sept. 9 at 7 p.m.
There will be plenty of opportunities to watch both teams perform at brand new Prentiss Field. Richard Moller’s women’s team will play six home games, while Andy Jennings’ men’s team has 11 home games, including seven straight from Oct. 4-26. The final two games, against Hamilton and Hobart on Oct. 25-26 could have playoff implications, adding to the lure of a season in which the Brewers hope to improve on last year’s 7-5-3 2007 campaign.
“Although we lost a few key players from last year’s team (including Liberty League First-Team defenseman Ben Fox), we have a strong nucleus returning,” says Jennings. “We are very excited to kick off the 2008 season at Prentiss Field with a good mix of league and non-league games.”
Aside from traditional seven games against Liberty League opponents, there will be several interesting teams on the 2008 slate. The Brewers will host Alfred University on Sept. 13 in the season opener, followed by a home contest against Stevens on Sept. 17. Green Mountain College visits Poughkeepsie on Oct. 4 and SUNY Cortland will conclude the home schedule on Senior Day, Nov. 1.
The women’s team played 12 home games last year, so Vassar’s 15 game schedule will feature six home contests this season. The Brewers will open the Prentiss Field schedule on Sept. 10 against SUNY New Paltz at 4 p.m. A highly anticipated home tilt against New York University will be played on Sept. 19, with an outing against SUNY Purchase the next day, Sept. 20. The Brewers will also play seven Liberty League games, five of which are on the road. Vassar’s last five games of the season will be away from campus as coach Moller’s team looks to qualify for the league playoffs after a 10-7-1 2007 season, one that included a second straight berth in the ECAC Tournament.
“I am very comfortable with our 2008 schedule and the mix of league and non-league opponents,” Moller said. “We are looking forward to the season with our goal being a place among the top four teams and a berth in the league championships.”