Pipe Dream is bringing back a popular feature from last year titled “Ask Al,” in which I will ask men’s basketball coach Al Walker various questions about the upcoming basketball season. If you have a question you would like to see the coach answer in print, send an e-mail to chrisstrub@binghamton.edu with your full name, class year and major, and I will pick the best ones to be printed. (All submissions become property of Pipe Dream.) Here’s the first installment:

Coach, Albany and Maine were picked for this year’s Bracket Busters series. However, your Bearcats wiped the floor with Maine three times last year, including a solid post-season triumph. How do you feel about the Black Bears being selected over the Bearcats?

Um … why do you ask me these loaded questions? (Laughs) The impression was that all of the America East teams were going to be playing in the Bracket Busters, somewhat like the Metro Atlantic teams are. We were just disappointed when we didn’t get a game, when we finally found out that we were not part of the process … Overall, it was just disappointing when we found out we would not be involved.

The release of our 2006-07 schedule has still yet to be released due to negotiations regarding television rights. When do you think the schedule will be released, and are there any marquee games you could clue us in on while we wait? Perhaps a home opener date, or have things still not been finalized?

Things still have not been finalized with our schedule; quote un-quote … This is very unusual. This is the first time that the conference has opted to pursue whatever TV package they’re trying to pursue; other than that, we sit here and wait for the final schedules from the conference office … [But,] the opening date will be, I think, November the tenth.