Jimmy Bartolotta Sits Down with The Blog

It has been over a year since MIT made its surprise run to the second round of the NCAA tournament in 2009. The leader of that team, and MIT's all-time leading scorer, Jimmy Bartolotta has rode the success and media exposure from his senior season to a life he never envisioned entering MIT. The whirlwind began when MIT shocked the DIII world by winning their first ever NEWMAC tourney. After enjoying some success in the NCAA tournament, Bartolotta was awarded every major personal honor possible for a DIII basketball player, including D3hoops.com Player of the Year, NABC Player of the Year, ESPN/COSIDA Academic All-American of the Year, and the prestigious Jostens Award. Following the season, Bartolotta was invited to the site of the DI Final Four to compete in the NABC/Hershey's Senior All-Star Game. While there, Bartolotta was the media darling, receiving congratulations from Wisonsin head coach Bo Ryan, and being featured in articles in the New York Times, Boston Globe (written by Bob Ryan), the Denver Post, and ESPN, among others. With the media flurry, Bartolotta was approached by many international agents, finally signing with Mario Scotti of the Two Points agency. Following that, Bartolotta signed with Air Avellino of Italy's Serie A, joining former NBA and NCAA stars such as Dee Brown (Illinois), DeMarcus Nelson (Duke), and Chevon Troutman (Pittsburgh), as well as internationl stars such as Cenk Akyol (Turkey).

In this two-part interview, Bartolotta discusses his time in Italy, as well as his observations and expectations of the current MIT squad.

Part 1


Part 2


Check back to mitbasketball.blogspot.com for full coverage of MIT basketball.

MIT in the News: Mitchell Kates Stands Out in Jersey Shore Summer League

Below is an article from APP.com, that is about New Jersey-native Mitchell Kates and his stellar play in this summer's Jersey Shore Basketball League.

Kates impressive for Seaview Jeep

Taiwan Player Blog: Day 5, Mitch Kates and Will Tashman

Image courtesy of Dawn Anderson

All of the international teams embarked on a day tour of several famous locations in Taiwan. First, we ventured deep into the mountains to the Gold Ecological Park, an old gold mining town. There were numerous spectacular views, including one of a 35 foot solid copper statue of Lord Guan, a warlord in Asian history. We also were surprised to find the remnants of a miniature golf course from hundreds of years ago.Image courtesy of Dawn Anderson

Next, we visited Juifen old street, a famous alley located in the mountain town of Ruifang. The street was filled with vendors selling various goods and foods. In particular, there was a distinct smell of 'sticky tofu' (that is actually what it is called) that really stung the nostrils. Third, we visited the memorial of Chiang Kai Shek, founder of Taiwan. We witnessed the changing of the guards ceremony. For dinner, we went to a very fancy seafood buffet. Image courtesy of Dawn Anderson

Pat enjoyed some snail, while Noel stuck with the usual chicken fingers and fries. Jamie and Ben consumed a combined 6 pounds of desserts. Lastly, we took the world's fastest elevator to the top of the world's second highest building, Taipei 101. Even with a light fog at night, you could see for miles.Image courtesy of Dawn Anderson

Tomorrow afternoon we will be departing for the USA.

Some of our best memories can be recalled from this catchy tune. It was played everywhere we went.

Enjoy:

Taiwan Player Blog: Day 4, Mitch Kates and Will Tashman

Image courtesy of Dawn Anderson

We headed over to Kainan University early in the morning for an autograph session. We were extremely surprised to see a crowd of Kainan girls stretching for hundreds of meters. We spent the next hour signing posters and taking pictures with all of our new fans.

To warm up for the game, we played ping pong for an hour in the table tennis classroom. Jimmy Burke defeated Jamie Karraker in the finals of the tournament to take the crown.

Image courtesy of Dawn Anderson

In the championship game, we played Taipei Physical Education College in front of another packed house. After hot shooting from the floor early on, TPEC led after the first couple minutes, but Noel's inside presence helped to silence the crowd. Great shooting from Billy Johnson and stifling defense from Patrick Sissman helped propel us to a commanding lead in the second half. The seniors finished their career on top, as we all got to cut down the nets after the game. After a trophy presentation, we got to take a couple hundred last minute photos with the fans.

We said goodbye to our gracious hosts at Kainan University and headed back to the hotel to prepare for the night market.

The night market in Taipei was filled with street vendors selling everything from sunglasses to squid, which Billy Bender ate happily. The less adventurous crowd went to KFC for some fine dining. Several of the players bought t-shirts and other small gifts.

-Mitch and Will

MIT Wins Kainan Tournament

MIT is the champion of the 5th Annual Kainan University Invitational with a win over Taipei Physical Education College in the finals. The final score was 98-81.

Taiwan Player Blog: Day 3, Mitch Kates and Will Tashman

Image courtesy of Dawn Anderson

We didnt have a game until late afternoon today, so we got another chance to sleep in. Before we left for the game, some of the players got a chance to head down to the weight room for a quick lift.

The game was played in front of a packed house, as we played the host Kainan University. Unlike any college game, they play music in the background. DJ Adam, who announced for the Beijing Games, plays music ranging from Lady Gaga to Dr. Dre, and the entire crowd seems to know every song. He also commentates the game, and during one occasion joked about Billy Johnson going to college for 5 years. We won comfortably, putting us in the championship game against Taipei Physical Education College.

The MIT alumni association in Taiwan took the team out to dinner in Taipei for an extravagant 6 course meal. We went to a French restaurant called L'Idiot, and were served amazing food. The President of the Taiwan Alumni Association wished us luck in our championship game tomorrow. After the dinner, we headed back to the hotel and relaxed in the spa to keep our legs fresh.

Tomorrow should be a much more competitive game, so we will keep you posted.

-Will and Mitch

Taiwan Player Blog: Day 2, Mitch Kates and Will Tashman

Image courtesy of Dawn Anderson

We did not have a game until the afternoon so everyone got to sleep in. We ate breakfast at the hotel and took a bus over to the gym with the opposing team, watching Asian action films and music videos. We played a team from Kyushu, Japan. They were very quick and played hard the entire game. In the end, our superior shooting and rebounding helped us prevail.

Over the course of the first two days, we noticed some unexpected cultural differences. First, they have uniquely shaped bathroom utilities. Second, mopeds are the main form of transportation and they disregard all red lights. Third, the walk signal actually walks and then runs when time is running out to cross the street. Lastly, we bow and exchange gifts before and after games.

After we returned to the hotel, we went to the hotel's spa. After swimming under the waterfall, floating in the whirlpool, chilling under the water jets, and hanging out in the hot tub, we went to the steam room and showered. After showering, you are given yukatas. We went to dinner at the Windmill with all the other teams and the president of Kainan. There was another impressive spread of delicious food and desserts.

After dinner, several of us decided to indulge in an ancient Asain tradition. We ventured off to the Taiwan royal spa where we each received massages and were served tea, soup, fruits, vegetables, and cheesecake.

Tomorrow we play host Kainan University.

-Mitch and Will

Taiwan Player Blog: Mitchell Kates

Image courtesy of Dawn Anderson

Our first day in Taiwan we had a 6:30AM wake up call, which would normally be brutally early, but since our time clocks were so messed up, everyone was wide awake. They had an amazing breakfast spread, including made to order omelets and some unrecognizable fruits. We then took a charter bus to the Kainan campus, a college established only 8 years ago, with impressively large buildings and nice facilities.Image courtesy of Dawn Anderson

With the other teams in the tournament, we watched an interactive puppet show, highlighted by an impressive Titanic skit from Noel, Paul, Ben, Zuk, Will, and Kevin Bryne, all of whom stood at least a foot and a half above the puppet show curtain. Following the presentation, we had lunch and opening ceremonies. The president of the university wished all the teams well, which was followed by a largely male dominated cheerleading crew performance.

We played our first game in the afternoon against the Hsuan Chang, a team from Taiwan. Our size and strength were too much, and we were able to pick up a comfortable win. At night, after another gourmet meal (most of which we couldn't identify or eat) and numerous pictures with Kainan students and fans, we had basketball night. Kainan's clubs on campus performed a wide array of impressive talents. Also, each team had an opportunity to perform. We choose to go with a Taylor Swift/Miley Cyrus sing and dance combo (don't judge, we tried to pick songs they would recognize). To cap the night, the hotel had my lost luggage, which had been left in San Fransisco. We play at 11AM against a team from Japan tomorrow.

-Mitch Kates

Taiwan Player Blog: Will Tashman

After flying to San Francisco on an especially long flight, my body thought that that was our end destination. Unfortunately, my mind knew that we still had a 13 hour flight to go. It went pretty smoothly, or as smoothly as a 13 hour flight can be for a 6-7 guy. When we landed in Taiwan we went straight to the hotel, which was just as amazing as it looked in the pictures. Kainan university clearly wanted us to have a comfortable stay.

As we arrived at the gym for our first practice, I noticed significant differences from Rockwell Cage. The floor and hoops were normal, but the ceilings were especially high and the stands had just been put in. It was a little like playing in a really small football stadium.

The most shocking part of the trip has been the reaction of the Taiwanese people to us. Traveling with half a dozen guys about 6-6 or taller catches a lot of stares. Coach Paul Grant often hears "ooo's" and "ahhs" (see picture above). And with the number of pictures we take with the citizens and other basketball players, you would think we were in the NBA or something.

It has been an exciting and exhausting first couple of days.

-Will Tashman

MIT Returns to Taiwan to Defend Tourney Crown

For the full release, visit the MIT Official Athletics Site.

After a successful 2009-2010 season, MIT returns to the hardcourts this week at the Kainan Invitational tournament in Taiwan. The Engineers will spend nine days on the northeast coast of Taiwan while competing in the eight-team tournament, which will be held from May 24-27. Tech first made the trip to Taiwan in 2006 as it captured the inaugural championship title.

Behind the stellar play of Jimmy Bartolotta '09 and Mike D'Auria '06, the Engineers won four straight games en route the 2006 Kainan Invitational crown. Tech defeated Taiwan's SBL pro team, Yo Ming, 80-68, in the championship game. Leading the way for MIT this time around will be All-America selection, Noel Hollingsworth, as well as D3Hoops Northeast Rookie of the Year, Mitchell Kates. Tech is hoping to build on the success of its record-setting 2009-10 campaign, in which the team eclipsed the program record for wins in a season (22), made it back to the NCAA tournament for the second straight season, and rose to as high as #8 in the national D3hoops.com rankings.

For the 2010 tournament, the eight team field is divided into two groups for the preliminary rounds. The second-place teams in each group will face off in the Consolation Final on May 27 while the group winners will play for the Tournament Championship later on the same day.

Fans can follow MIT's progress in the tournament, including updates by some of the players, on MIT's official Twitter and Facebook pages. Follow along at http://twitter.com/MITengineers and http://www.facebook.com/MITengineers.

On Wednesday evening, the team will experience more special local hospitality from the MIT Club of Taiwan, who invited the team to a dinner in downtown Taipei. There are over 500 MIT alums in the Taiwan area. The MIT Club of Taiwan will also be welcoming MIT President Susan Hockfield on her upcoming Asian trip.