NBA All-Star Player to Speak at Men's Basketball Team Banquet

This event, being held at Valcour Educational Conference Center beginning at 6 p.m., is proudly sponsored by the Center for the Study of Canada.

"The Center for the Study of Canada is enormously pleased for the fourth consecutive year to be hosting the Men's Basketball Team Annual Banquet. This has been an exemplary season for the team, and one which the entire Plattsburgh State University community can take pride in," said Dr. Christopher Kirkey, center director.

Alfred 'Butch' Beard is a former National Basketball Association All-Star player and head coach. His efforts helped win an NBA championship with the Golden State Warriors, 1974-1975. During his career, he scored 5,622 points while playing nine seasons with the following teams: Atlanta Hawks, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Seattle SuperSonics, the Golden State Warriors and the New York Knicks.

Beard's collegiate career took place at the University of Louisville. He was also the New Jersey Nets Head Coach from 1994-1996.

"He really was a player who didn't get the credit he deserved," said Al Attles, Beard's former coach in an article on NBA.com. "He was the glue ... He had bounced around the league with a couple of teams. Of all the guards we had, he was more the classic point guard. He ran the break and took care of the ball."

"Butch Beard is a proven winner, and we are honored that he has agreed to address our team," said Head Coach Tom Curle. "His basketball resume as a player and coach are outstanding, and I know that the players and coaching staff are eager to learn from Coach Beard."

Beard coached SUNY Plattsburgh senior guard Anthony Williams when Williams was a freshman at Morgan State University, thereby setting Williams' All-American career in motion.

The Cardinals team, led by Head Coach Tom Curle for the past five years, set a SUNY Plattsburgh record for the number of wins in a season (27-3) this year and tied the school's benchmark with a 20-game winning streak. The team is also the first one to be a three-time SUNYAC champion since Buffalo State in 1995-1997.

Curle is ranked by both the National Association of Basketball Coaches and D3hoops.com as the top coach in the East Region and is the 2007 and 2008 SUNYAC Coach of the Year.

Fifteen SUNY Plattsburgh Men's Basketball Team players will be honored with awards at the Saturday, April 22 banquet: Anthony Williams (Brooklyn/Morgan State); Travis Gorham (Bridgeport, Conn./Post University); Khylan Hunt (Saratoga Springs/Hudson Valley Community College); Jared Lowe (Colchester, Vt./Colchester High School); Antwane Miller (Brooklyn/Paul Robeson High School); Ricky Rider (West Coxsackie/Ravena High School); Lance Darrell (Brooklyn/Global Studies High School); Shawn Gutzman (Brooklyn/Grady High School); Danny Tangney (Chester/Monroe-Woodbury High School); Farris Thomas (Wyandanch/Upper Room Christian High School); Josh Bruno (Ottawa, Ontario/Redeemer Christian); Errol Daniyan (Coram/Longwood High School); Tim Havens (Brooklyn/Frederick Douglass High School); RJ Ponesse (Wallkill/Wallkill); and Chris Ruiz (Bronx/St. Agnes High School).