Albany guard Antonio Rizzuto can’t wait until the semester break, when classwork will no longer hamstring his time. Not for basketball, mind you. Rizzuto is looking forward to devoting more attention to his other pursuit: serving as a volunteer firefighter.
The sophomore from York, Pa., joined the McCownville Fire Department in April after a close friend told him how much fun it was. Rizzuto already had plenty on his plate as a student and a starter for the Great Danes. But he’s the type of person who can never sit still, and the offseason loomed as too much idle time.
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“Bored isn’t the right word,” he says. “I just wanted something else to do.”
Albany coach Will Brown had one demand when Rizzuto asked permission to wear a second uniform: Don’t go running into any burning buildings. Rizzuto hasn’t done that. His role is strictly exterior. He can help take the hose off the truck, attach it to the hydrant. But he hasn’t been certified to go inside during a fire.
Rizzuto trained with the department every Monday this summer. One of the drills included a live burn where he and other volunteers had to suit up with oxygen masks and go into a building with a controlled fire. They were tasked with finding a “person,” which was a test dummy. They then had to sit in the building for five minutes for a “Kumbaya” drill, absorbing the heat to get a sense of what battling a real blaze would feel like.
“That was pretty intense,” he says. “And when they put the fire out, the steam was actually hotter than the fire, so you had to be really careful.”
Rizzuto has an app on his phone and a pager that tell him when firefighters are needed. Because he is a volunteer, he can decide whether to answer the call. If he’s at practice or in class, he’ll simply respond no. He hasn’t been to many major incidents yet. There have been some false alarms, some campus microwave mishaps, a couple of car accidents and a minor flood. During the one serious house fire the department worked this summer, Rizzuto was back home on break.
He has had class on Mondays this semester so he hasn’t been able to attend many drills. Still, if a call comes up and he’s not busy with school or basketball, he says he would jump into action.
“I’m proud of Antonio’s commitment to the fire department and the community,” Brown says. “He is a difference maker in everything that he does. Being a student-athlete requires a tremendous time commitment. The fact that he sacrifices the little free time that he has is impressive.”
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On the court, the 6-foot-3 Rizzuto is averaging six points and 2.5 assists per game. He was leading the Great Danes (4-3) in 3-point shooting before struggling in the last two games of the Bobcats Invitational. He started wearing contact lenses for the first time this season, something he says has helped him become a better shooter. He’s not sure if he wants to become a professional firefighter after he graduates, but he knows he made the right decision to volunteer. The camaraderie and teamwork at the station house reminds him of basketball.
“That’s like my second family over there,” he says.
Missouri State schedules tough, learns about itself
Dana Ford knew his Missouri State team had a chance to be special this season. So he scheduled aggressively, putting teams such as Xavier, LSU and VCU on the docket, along with an appearance in the Charleston Classic.
“We wanted to be battle-tested,” he says. “Hopefully this sets us up for what we feel like is going to be a grind of a conference season. There are going to be a lot of one-possession games.”
Ford just didn’t expect to get so much practice — and unfortunate results — in those types of situations. The Bears, who were picked as Missouri Valley Conference favorites in the preseason, lost their opener to Little Rock by one point. They dropped a three-point decision at Xavier in part because of a highly questionable flopping call in the final minute. They opened play in Charleston with a four-point loss to Miami, then nipped Saint Joesph’s by a bucket in their second game. Sunday brought a 75-74 loss to Buffalo in which Missouri State committed a turnover, missed the front end of a one-and-one and fouled a shooter in the final 27 seconds to kick away a one-point lead.
The team has given itself little margin for error thanks to turnover issues and some shaky shooting. Tulio da Silva, the Valley’s newcomer of the year last season, was shooting just 41 percent from the field going into Sunday, nearly 14 percentage points down from 2018-19. He made 7-of-10 shots against Buffalo for 15 points, perhaps showing signs of getting on track. Ford says the 6-8 Brazilian is still getting used to playing alongside Gaige Prim, a 250-pound junior college transfer who has been the team’s best scoring option early.
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“He’s got to learn how to play double-post basketball,” Ford says. “But it’s all about energy and motor with him. He’s going to be fine.”
Will these close calls help or hurt Missouri State in the long run? There’s certainly no time to wallow. They play at LSU on Black Friday.
“My AAU coach used to tell me, ‘Y’all get me to the last two minutes, and I’ll bring it home,’ ” Ford says. “They’ve been getting there every game, so I’ve got to bring it home for them. We’ve got high-character kids. There’s no fold in us.”
Mid-bits
• Last week, TWMM wondered what Evansville might do for an encore after the stunning upset of then- No. 1 Kentucky. The answer: not much good. After beating NAIA program IU-Kokomo, the Purple Aces lost a close one at home to SMU, then fell to East Carolina by 17 points and George Washington by eight in the Bahamas Showcase. Walter McCarty’s team salvaged something out of the event by beating Morgan State in triple overtime on Sunday. Morgan State came in ranked 299th on KenPom.com. Insert shrug emoji.
• What are we to make of 4-0 UTEP? The Miners went 8-21 last season when Rodney Terry started three freshmen in his first season on the job. Terry supplemented the roster this year with several transfers, including former Fresno State forward Bryson Williams and ex-San Francisco guard Souley Boum. UTEP has beaten both New Mexico and New Mexico State at home, while its other two wins are against non-Division I teams New Mexico Highlands and Eastern New Mexico. At the very least, we know the Miners are the kings of New Mexico for the time being. They play New Mexico State, again, on the road on Dec. 3. Another win there, or at Houston on Dec. 19, and we might really have to start paying attention.
• Speaking of hot starts that may or not be a mirage, how about Delaware and Northern Iowa , who are both 6-0?
The Blue Hens were ranked just 183rd on KenPom going into Sunday afternoon. Their best win came over Oakland on a neutral court. They were picked to finish fifth in the Colonial Athletic Association poll, though Martin Inglesby’s club did receive two first-place votes. Nate Darling, a UAB transfer from Nova Scotia, is averaging 26.4 points per game and has made 23 of his 40 attempts from 3 (.575). Circle the Dec. 14 game against Villanova on your calendars.
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As for Northern Iowa, well, there could be something here. The Panthers got hot at the end of last year and made it to the Missouri Valley tournament title game. Ben Jacobsen brought in some talented freshmen and has a deep, balanced attack. Prove-it games are coming: West Virginia on Tuesday and at Colorado on Dec. 10.
Opportunity knocks
Each week here at TWMM, we’ll highlight some important and potentially résumé-boosting games involving mid-majors. This week is a big one for teams who’ll get chances to prove themselves in various holiday tournaments.
(All times ET; AP rankings as of Sunday night)
Dayton vs. Georgia in Maui, 2:30 p.m. Monday (ESPN2): The Flyers help open up the Maui Invitational. If they advance, they could play Michigan State on Tuesday, with Kansas, Virginia Tech and UCLA also in the field. But first, they’ll have to go through the undefeated Bulldogs and possible No. 1 NBA draft pick Anthony Edwards.
San Diego State vs. Creighton in Las Vegas, 10:30 p.m. Thursday (FS1): The undefeated Aztecs don’t get many shots at power-league opponents this season. It’s this game in the Las Vegas Invitational and a matchup with Utah net month in L.A. That’s it. So even though Creighton isn’t a world-beater, San Diego State had better take advantage to stay in the at-large picture.
Western Kentucky vs. No. 2 Louisville in Nashville, 5 p.m. Friday (CBS Sports on Facebook): The Hilltoppers lost a heartbreaker to Bowling Green in the opening game of the Paradise Jam, preventing a potential second-round matchup with Cincinnati. This quasi-rivalry game offers a chance for a major scalp, though Charles Bassey & Co. will have to play a nearly perfect game to pull it off.
No. 21 VCU vs. Purdue in Niceville, Fla., 9:30 p.m. Friday (CBS Sports): The winner of this game will take on the winner of Tennessee/Florida State. Needless to say, this is a big-time validation opportunity for the Rams. Winning both games would put them in Niceville, indeed. Even getting one would be pretty nice.
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No. 15 Utah State vs. Saint Mary’s, 11:30 p.m. Friday (ESPNU): It’s pretty wild the Aggies are going to cozy McKeon Pavilion (capacity: 3,500) for this one. Did the Bracket Busters come back and no one told us? Both teams were ranked to start the season. The Gaels, who fell off the radar a bit after losing to Winthrop, need this one a whole lot more than Utah State does. Give me Jordan Ford and Sam Merrill on the same floor all day, any day.
The Mid-Major Top 10
1. VCU (5-0): It was a quiet week for the Rams with just one game, a laugher against Florida Gulf Coast. This Thanksgiving weekend should make up for it — and determine whether VCU stays No. 1 next week. Last week: 1
2. Utah State (7-0): The Aggies trailed LSU by 19 points in the second half on Friday but came back and won. The game-winner was hit by – who else? – Sam Merrill. Utah State is still missing its second-best player, as Neemias Queta (knee) hasn’t played. KenPom isn’t sold on Craig Smith’s team yet, ranking it just 48th. But TWMM is pretty convinced. LW: 2
3. San Diego State (5-0): The schedule leaves a lot to be desired, which is why we’re so interested in Thursday’s game against Creighton. One blinking red warning sign: The Aztecs are shooting 56.8 percent as a team from the free-throw line. LW: 3
4. Saint Mary’s (4-1): The Gaels took care of business in their only game of the week, against Fresno State. Their offensive efficiency ranks 10th nationally, according to KenPom, and their 42.3 percent mark on 3s is seventh-best in the country. Bring on Utah State. LW: 4
5. Bowling Green (4-1): The Falcons have a star in junior guard Justin Turner, who hit the game-winner against Western Kentucky. Even more promising, Turner had an off shooting night Sunday, yet Bowling Green still managed to knock off Cincinnati 91-84 in overtime. That kind of weekend will definitely get you in the top 10. LW: Not ranked
6. Dayton (3-0): The Flyers have somehow only played three games, none against stout competition. So we’re basically taking, uh, a flyer on them at this point. We’ll learn a whole lot more about Anthony Grant’s team in Maui, and if things go well, the rest of the country could learn how awesome Obi Toppin is. LW: 7
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7. Vermont (5-2): I was ready to move the Catamounts up the rankings after their loss to Virginia. They went into Charlottesville and led late into the game, with Anthony Lamb scoring almost as many points as some ACC teams do in that building. But then Vermont followed that up with … a 72-67 loss to Rider, which was No. 150 in KenPom. Let’s be charitable and call it a post-Virginia burp, but that’s going to leave a mark on the old résumé. LW: 4
8. East Tennessee State (5-1): There was absolutely no shame in losing at Kansas by 12, and the Bucs made things pretty interesting late. This team is experienced, balanced and legit – feels kind of like a 12-over-5 seed upset waiting to happen in March. LW: 8
9. New Mexico (5-1): The loss at UTEP wasn’t great, but the Lobos bounced back and eked out a win at rival New Mexico State. That snapped a five-game losing streak in the rivalry. Ohio State transfer JaQuan Lyle has been outstanding, averaging 19.8 points, 5.2 assists and 4.3 rebounds while shooting 54.4 percent from the field. A big opportunity awaits tonight against Auburn in the Legends Classic in Brooklyn. LW: Not ranked
10. BYU (3-2): The Cougars followed up their big win at Houston by losing at Boise State in OT. Not great, Bob. But they begin play in Maui on Monday against UCLA, so there will be chances to impress. And the best news is that Yoeli Childs will be eligible to return from his unjust NCAA suspension on Dec. 4 against Utah. LW: 9
Dropped out: Western Kentucky, Evansville
Waiting room: Liberty
(Top photo of Antonio Rizzuto: Bill Ziskin/Albany)
