MBB: NESCAC

Started by cameltime, April 27, 2005, 02:38:16 PM

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Bucket

Quote from: TheOsprey on March 22, 2020, 04:01:46 PM
To the Panther fans, is Sobel playing next season?  I can't find the previous discussion. Thanks.

It's my understanding that yes, Alex will be back next year.

TheOsprey

Quote from: Bucket on March 22, 2020, 07:30:23 PM
Quote from: TheOsprey on March 22, 2020, 04:01:46 PM
To the Panther fans, is Sobel playing next season?  I can't find the previous discussion. Thanks.

It's my understanding that yes, Alex will be back next year.
Thanks, I think they are the conf. favorite with him.  Without him, not so much. 

nescac1

#27887
Big time props to Colby Hoops for this preview.  I think he pretty well nails it.  I'd have only a few minor quibbles. 

I agree (and I think everyone really does) with the top tier.  Those are three top-25 teams to start the year.  But I think Tufts after such a strong year, and returning the POY, and losing only one guy (a key player, but with two very good rising sophs ready to take those minutes) is the best of the three heading into the season. 

My biggest quibble is with putting Colby in a tier by itself.  When Colby was humming, a big part of the reason was that Jefferson and Dorion were combining to shoot the ball with just ridiculous efficiency.  Once Jefferson got hurt (actually starting with the game before he got hurt) Colby really did struggle a bit.  In Colby's last ten games, they went 6-4.  The six wins included two wins over Bates (one in triple OT), narrow wins over struggling Wesleyan, Hamilton, and Southern Maine teams, and really only one very good win (beating Amherst).  Three of the four losses were by 10 or more points.  And again, next year, they are not only without Jefferson, but without fully half of the rotation.  Colby's system worked incredibly well when healthy, but that's a lot of guys to replace.  I do love their top four, for sure, all four of those guys can play, but the next 4-5 guys will all be totally new to the regular rotation.  What's also concerning is that for a team that focuses a ton on the 3 ball, the four returning guys aren't in the aggregate dead-eye shooters like Jefferson or Dorion.  And teams will be less likely to allow them breathing room next year as the top options to cover. 

To me, Colby, Trinity, Williams, and Wesleyan all have pretty strong top groups of 3-4 players, but then a lot of question marks after that. Colby has the best top four for sure, but Trinity and Williams each feature highly regarded rising sophomores to plug in behind the top four (whether those players actually pan out, remains to be seen).  And Trinity should get Whitt, a 6'9 big guy, back after he missed this year with an injury, he looked like a very promising player.  Colby Hoops noted Will Dorion, who seems like an impact recruit for Trinity, but I will also note that Williams' Brandon Roughley was the only NESCAC recruit (so far) to be named all-NEPSAC Class A (some were honorable mention as well) and the only NESCAC recruit to date in NERR's New England top 100.  The Ephs' also get Marc Taylor back after what was essentially a season lost due to injury. 

Bates is hard to figure.  So much depends on that trio of rising sophomores, who I love.  But Sarr and Iwowo are pretty raw as players -- guys like that could really use an off-season practicing with their peers, which now can't happen.  And Bates has pretty much no shooting (or anything else) returning on the wing.  I think the Bobcats are likely a year away, and could really struggle at times next season. 

I also might put Hamilton down in kind a tier by itself, right above Bowdoin (who I'd actually rank last heading into the season) and Conn.  There is some young talent there, but Hamilton went 16-9 versus an extremely weak schedule, finished 8th in the league, struggled big time down the stretch (5-7 in the last 12), and graduates a three-time all NESCAC / former POY in Gilmour, plus two more senior starters who were two of their four next leading scorers.  No double-digit scorer returns for them.  I don't really see any all-league candidates on the team except for MAYBE Cooper, but he missed the second half of the year to an injury, so presumably it was something pretty serious, limiting his prospects for a big leap forward next year.  Plus the Conts have only one rising senior on the roster, which is not a great situation to be in.  I think they are clearly headed for a rebuilding year. 



QuoteNothing like a being cooped up to spend some time posting. Stay safe and healthy everyone out there.

Looking at next year, I think the league breaks down into a few pretty clear tiers.

Rogers and Farrell are the two elite players (maybe Robinson if he's back to form) at the top of the league. After that I think there's a whole lot of players who you could find in the all-league discussion next year. Have noted some players I see as potential all-league players next year.

Top Tier

National contenders

Tufts -- Despite losing Savage (literally the only senior on their roster), who did everything for them and was their go-to-guy in any clutch situations, they are in a great position to replace him. Rogers will be an absolute handful and they'll still be deep in perimeter talent with Aronson, Thoerner, Morris, Brady, Cohen. Each of those first three guys all seem very capable of handling a larger load on offense.

All-League Potential: Rogers, Thoerner, Aronson, Morris

Middlebury -- I'd probably peg Midd as the favorite next year if Sobel is back. With or without him they'll be extremely good. They are teeming with big-time upperclassmen players. They will face the same questions defensively next year on the wing (although Sobel helps erase some issues). But Folger and Delorenzo were two of their better defenders against wings and now they mostly have small guards or big guys. Brockport exposed them athletically a bit. They should be a ridiculously good offensive team.

All-League Potential:Farrell, Eastman, Bosco, Sobel

Amherst -- Hard to get a read on the Mammoths after a strange year. Still a lot of questions to answer going into the season. Is Robinson back to his 2018-19 self? Can Day improve is consistency? Will the young big guys be able to step up? But, with Robinson, Day, Che, Allen, McCarthy that's a lot of perimeter talent to start with. I think you could argue putting Amherst in the tier below with Colby, but I have to think Robinson returns to a first-team all-league type player, which makes them a much different team.

All-League Potential: Robinson, Day, Che

Second Tier

Proven talent, lacking depth

Colby -- Mentioned a lot about them in my post from last week, but a lot will come down to players 5-8 in the rotation, which will be players who have not played much or true freshman. The top four is very good. Big man should be even more of a question mark as well.

All-League Potential: King, Hanna, Tyson, Tucker

Third Tier

Talent, but plenty of questions.

Williams -- Plenty of talented players, but very unproven. I think Williams' season made it look a bit worse than it was given the extremely difficult schedule. The defense was elite, but may slip without Feinberg and Babek. The offense is still a big question mark. CPS, Spivy and Jones all need to take big steps forward. If all three of them do, I think they could compete near the top of the league. If they don't it could be another up and down year. And they just need to make some perimeter shots, the shooting this year was a big struggle.

All-League Potential: CPS, Spivy, Jones

Wesleyan -- They return a lot, but they need a few guys to take a step forward. Sam Peek looks the part of a great Nescac player, but the shooting comes and goes. Antone Walker has never been a portrait of efficiency, if he can improve his shot selection and cut the turnovers that will help a lot. But this team should defend at an elite level and take a step forward.

All-League Potential: James, Peek, Walker

Trinity -- They lose a lot of minutes from good players including Padmore, Porydzy, Serretta, Bell and Brooks. Yet, there's still some players to build around. Colin Donovan is an all-league level player, Donald Jorden continues to be a very solid interior player and Steven Lora had a nice freshman year. Will Dorion seems like the most-likely incoming frosh to make a big impact as well. I'd expect a similarly inconsistent year, with stretches of great play.

All-League Potential: Donovan, Jorden

Bates -- Perhaps, these two teams could be in a lower tier, but it's close. Bates is probably another year away. Sarr, Baxter and Iwowo are super talented but will only be sophomores and it seems fairly likely that Sarr will not be able to play huge minutes given his constant foul trouble issues. Still, the future is bright and there will be a lot of opportunity for these young guys to expand their game.

All-League Potential: Sarr, Baxter

Hamilton -- I still like a lot of the players on this roster, but it was a really disappointing year for the Conts. None of the secondary players stepped up in ways that we might've expected, and Gilmour was left trying to do too much. I think Hamilton is in a somewhat similar position to Williams. They have a lot of talented players who need to all take steps forward. Cooper, Tirbaso, Mogan, Osarenren, Kendall, and Anderson all have plenty of talent to step forward. Just very hard to say if they will.

All-League Potential: Cooper, Tirbaso

Fourth Tier

The cellar dwellers

Bowdoin -- Going to be a long year in Brunswick without David Reynolds. Some solid players, but scoring is going to be hard to come by.

All-League Potential: Grad

Conn -- Should be improved and will be interested to see what the freshman class looks like. But they have a lot of improving to do to get close to the rest of the league (excluding Bowdoin).

All-League Potential:Draffan, McPherron

ContinentalDomer

I'll leave the prognostications alone, except to note that Hamilton has three rising seniors on its roster for next season:  Spencer Kendall, Vincent Conn (injured during his junior year, expected to return), and Mike McEnaney (see https://athletics.hamilton.edu/sports/mbkb/2019-20/roster)

Quote from: nescac1 on March 23, 2020, 03:30:48 PM
Big time props to Colby Hoops for this preview.  I think he pretty well nails it.  I'd have only a few minor quibbles. 

I agree (and I think everyone really does) with the top tier.  Those are three top-25 teams to start the year.  But I think Tufts after such a strong year, and returning the POY, and losing only one guy (a key player, but with two very good rising sophs ready to take those minutes) is the best of the three heading into the season. 

My biggest quibble is with putting Colby in a tier by itself.  When Colby was humming, a big part of the reason was that Jefferson and Dorion were combining to shoot the ball with just ridiculous efficiency.  Once Jefferson got hurt (actually starting with the game before he got hurt) Colby really did struggle a bit.  In Colby's last ten games, they went 6-4.  The six wins included two wins over Bates (one in triple OT), narrow wins over struggling Wesleyan, Hamilton, and Southern Maine teams, and really only one very good win (beating Amherst).  Three of the four losses were by 10 or more points.  And again, next year, they are not only without Jefferson, but without fully half of the rotation.  Colby's system worked incredibly well when healthy, but that's a lot of guys to replace.  I do love their top four, for sure, all four of those guys can play, but the next 4-5 guys will all be totally new to the regular rotation.  What's also concerning is that for a team that focuses a ton on the 3 ball, the four returning guys aren't in the aggregate dead-eye shooters like Jefferson or Dorion.  And teams will be less likely to allow them breathing room next year as the top options to cover.  To me, Colby, Trinity, Williams, and Wesleyan all have pretty strong top 4s, but then a lot of question marks after that. Colby has the best top four for sure, but Trinity and Williams each  feature highly regarded young players to plug in behind the top four (whether those players actually pan out, remains to be seen).  And Trinity should get that 6'9 big guy back who missed this year with an injury, he looked like a promising player. 

I also might put Hamilton down in kind a tier by itself, right above Bowdoin (who I'd actually rank last heading into the season) and Conn.  There is some young talent there, but Hamilton went 16-9 versus an extremely weak schedule, finished 8th in the league, struggled big time down the stretch (5-7 in the last 12), and graduates a three-time all NESCAC / former POY in Gilmour, plus two more senior starters who were two of their four next leading scorers.  No double-digit scorer returns for them.  I don't really see any all-league candidates on the team except for MAYBE Cooper, but he missed the second half of the year to an injury, so presumably it was something pretty serious, limiting his prospects for a big leap forward next year.  Plus the Conts have only one rising senior on the roster, which is not a great situation to be in.  I think they are clearly headed for a rebuilding year. 



QuoteNothing like a being cooped up to spend some time posting. Stay safe and healthy everyone out there.

Looking at next year, I think the league breaks down into a few pretty clear tiers.

Rogers and Farrell are the two elite players (maybe Robinson if he's back to form) at the top of the league. After that I think there's a whole lot of players who you could find in the all-league discussion next year. Have noted some players I see as potential all-league players next year.

Top Tier

National contenders

Tufts -- Despite losing Savage (literally the only senior on their roster), who did everything for them and was their go-to-guy in any clutch situations, they are in a great position to replace him. Rogers will be an absolute handful and they'll still be deep in perimeter talent with Aronson, Thoerner, Morris, Brady, Cohen. Each of those first three guys all seem very capable of handling a larger load on offense.

All-League Potential: Rogers, Thoerner, Aronson, Morris

Middlebury -- I'd probably peg Midd as the favorite next year if Sobel is back. With or without him they'll be extremely good. They are teeming with big-time upperclassmen players. They will face the same questions defensively next year on the wing (although Sobel helps erase some issues). But Folger and Delorenzo were two of their better defenders against wings and now they mostly have small guards or big guys. Brockport exposed them athletically a bit. They should be a ridiculously good offensive team.

All-League Potential:Farrell, Eastman, Bosco, Sobel

Amherst -- Hard to get a read on the Mammoths after a strange year. Still a lot of questions to answer going into the season. Is Robinson back to his 2018-19 self? Can Day improve is consistency? Will the young big guys be able to step up? But, with Robinson, Day, Che, Allen, McCarthy that's a lot of perimeter talent to start with. I think you could argue putting Amherst in the tier below with Colby, but I have to think Robinson returns to a first-team all-league type player, which makes them a much different team.

All-League Potential: Robinson, Day, Che

Second Tier

Proven talent, lacking depth

Colby -- Mentioned a lot about them in my post from last week, but a lot will come down to players 5-8 in the rotation, which will be players who have not played much or true freshman. The top four is very good. Big man should be even more of a question mark as well.

All-League Potential: King, Hanna, Tyson, Tucker

Third Tier

Talent, but plenty of questions.

Williams -- Plenty of talented players, but very unproven. I think Williams' season made it look a bit worse than it was given the extremely difficult schedule. The defense was elite, but may slip without Feinberg and Babek. The offense is still a big question mark. CPS, Spivy and Jones all need to take big steps forward. If all three of them do, I think they could compete near the top of the league. If they don't it could be another up and down year. And they just need to make some perimeter shots, the shooting this year was a big struggle.

All-League Potential: CPS, Spivy, Jones

Wesleyan -- They return a lot, but they need a few guys to take a step forward. Sam Peek looks the part of a great Nescac player, but the shooting comes and goes. Antone Walker has never been a portrait of efficiency, if he can improve his shot selection and cut the turnovers that will help a lot. But this team should defend at an elite level and take a step forward.

All-League Potential: James, Peek, Walker

Trinity -- They lose a lot of minutes from good players including Padmore, Porydzy, Serretta, Bell and Brooks. Yet, there's still some players to build around. Colin Donovan is an all-league level player, Donald Jorden continues to be a very solid interior player and Steven Lora had a nice freshman year. Will Dorion seems like the most-likely incoming frosh to make a big impact as well. I'd expect a similarly inconsistent year, with stretches of great play.

All-League Potential: Donovan, Jorden

Bates -- Perhaps, these two teams could be in a lower tier, but it's close. Bates is probably another year away. Sarr, Baxter and Iwowo are super talented but will only be sophomores and it seems fairly likely that Sarr will not be able to play huge minutes given his constant foul trouble issues. Still, the future is bright and there will be a lot of opportunity for these young guys to expand their game.

All-League Potential: Sarr, Baxter

Hamilton -- I still like a lot of the players on this roster, but it was a really disappointing year for the Conts. None of the secondary players stepped up in ways that we might've expected, and Gilmour was left trying to do too much. I think Hamilton is in a somewhat similar position to Williams. They have a lot of talented players who need to all take steps forward. Cooper, Tirbaso, Mogan, Osarenren, Kendall, and Anderson all have plenty of talent to step forward. Just very hard to say if they will.

All-League Potential: Cooper, Tirbaso

Fourth Tier

The cellar dwellers

Bowdoin -- Going to be a long year in Brunswick without David Reynolds. Some solid players, but scoring is going to be hard to come by.

All-League Potential: Grad

Conn -- Should be improved and will be interested to see what the freshman class looks like. But they have a lot of improving to do to get close to the rest of the league (excluding Bowdoin).

All-League Potential:Draffan, McPherron

ContinentalDomer

On a separate note, congratulations to Hamilton's Kena Gilmour on winning the 2020 Jostens Trophy, in recognition of his talents on the basketball court, his academic prowess, and his commitment to service.  Michael Schantz ('99) is the only other Continental to win this award.

https://athletics.hamilton.edu/sports/mbkb/2019-20/releases/20200323jmukdx

jumpshot

Yes, congratulations to Kena Gilmour. Michael Schantz (Hamilton '99), Michael Nogelo (Williams '98 first winner), and Blake Schultz (Williams '10) are the only award winners of the distinguished Jostens Trophy from the NESCAC.

nescac1

My mistake, Domer!  Conn returning for another year definitely helps Hamilton a bit.  Do you know what happened to Cooper?  I really liked his potential before he got hurt, lightning quick ...

SpringSt7

#27892
I have to say I am a little surprised to see these Hamilton conversations without any mention of Eric Anderson---second on the team in scoring as a sophomore (9.5 ppg) while shooting 42% from 3 on 4 attempts per game. Maybe I'm a little biased because he had a great game against Williams, but once Cooper went down he moved into the starting lineup and was pretty good--scored in double digit in 4 of their last 5 games, including a career high 19 points against Tufts in the NESCAC quarterfinals. Seems like an obvious breakout candidate and has a good chance of being their leading scorer next year.

Other NESCAC sophomores that might be flying under the radar--not the top sophomores, but guys who could be considered underrated and could take a big jump next year:

Nick Osarenren, Hamilton: Two-way wrecking ball, didn't take the step up that some thought he might after his freshman year but led the league in steals as a sophomore and still has the athletic mold to reek havoc as an upperclassmen.

Gabe Ravetz, Wesleyan: You don't take 7.5 threes per game if your coaching staff doesn't think you can make them. Only shot 34% from 3 on some very high degree of difficulty shots, if he improves his shot making ability and takes slightly better shots, plus a hopefully improved Wesleyan offense that returns 7 of its top 8 scorers, he could see his 10.3 points per game jump into the teens.

Ryan Moon, Williams: Never seemed to have his spot in the Williams rotation solidified, but played his play onto the floor by the end of the season (5 minutes a game in January, but 11 per game in February) and was even used in closing lineups over highly touted freshman Cole Prowitt-Smith. 2.4 A/TO was 7th in the league, 20% from 3 leaves a lot to be desired but 78% FT shooter indicates he is capable. Makes a ton of winning plays. Might get blocked by Prowitt-Smith and Spivy starting in the backcourt, but Coach App clearly likes him and should be able to find a good amount of minutes for him as a table setter and energy guy off of the bench

Michael Schretter, Amherst: Classmates Allen, Phelan, and McCarthy get most of the love on the perimeter, but Schretter should slide right into the starting 5 spot for Amherst next year after Eric Sellew's graduation. Typical physical Amherst center---6'7 but the 215 pounds he's listed at on the roster seems like it might need updating. Tough as nails and not someone any opposing center enjoyed going up against. Only 5.4 ppg but on 54% shooting with a surprising amount of touch with both hands in the post. Needs to stay out of foul trouble.

Carson Cohen, Tufts: Started all 29 games for a Sweet 16 and NESCAC championship team but seems to get overshadowed on the perimeter by classmate Tyler Aronson, who was pretty highly regarded coming in and is still bursting with all-league potential. 7.2 points on 37/31/57 don't get anyone excited, but actually scored slightly more as a freshman (7.9 ppg) in 7 less minutes and on better splits---37/31 again but 79% from the line--hard to say which year the fluke was, but with Savage graduating he should have the ball in his hands more. Averaged 3.5 assists per game which was 6th in the league, seems like a guy who could average 10 and 5 if he gets the chance.

Colby Hoops

Quote from: nescac1 on March 23, 2020, 03:30:48 PM
Big time props to Colby Hoops for this preview.  I think he pretty well nails it.  I'd have only a few minor quibbles. 

I agree (and I think everyone really does) with the top tier.  Those are three top-25 teams to start the year.  But I think Tufts after such a strong year, and returning the POY, and losing only one guy (a key player, but with two very good rising sophs ready to take those minutes) is the best of the three heading into the season. 

My biggest quibble is with putting Colby in a tier by itself.  When Colby was humming, a big part of the reason was that Jefferson and Dorion were combining to shoot the ball with just ridiculous efficiency.  Once Jefferson got hurt (actually starting with the game before he got hurt) Colby really did struggle a bit.  In Colby's last ten games, they went 6-4.  The six wins included two wins over Bates (one in triple OT), narrow wins over struggling Wesleyan, Hamilton, and Southern Maine teams, and really only one very good win (beating Amherst).  Three of the four losses were by 10 or more points.  And again, next year, they are not only without Jefferson, but without fully half of the rotation.  Colby's system worked incredibly well when healthy, but that's a lot of guys to replace.  I do love their top four, for sure, all four of those guys can play, but the next 4-5 guys will all be totally new to the regular rotation.  What's also concerning is that for a team that focuses a ton on the 3 ball, the four returning guys aren't in the aggregate dead-eye shooters like Jefferson or Dorion.  And teams will be less likely to allow them breathing room next year as the top options to cover. 

To me, Colby, Trinity, Williams, and Wesleyan all have pretty strong top groups of 3-4 players, but then a lot of question marks after that. Colby has the best top four for sure, but Trinity and Williams each feature highly regarded rising sophomores to plug in behind the top four (whether those players actually pan out, remains to be seen).  And Trinity should get Whitt, a 6'9 big guy, back after he missed this year with an injury, he looked like a very promising player.  Colby Hoops noted Will Dorion, who seems like an impact recruit for Trinity, but I will also note that Williams' Brandon Roughley was the only NESCAC recruit (so far) to be named all-NEPSAC Class A (some were honorable mention as well) and the only NESCAC recruit to date in NERR's New England top 100.  The Ephs' also get Marc Taylor back after what was essentially a season lost due to injury. 

Bates is hard to figure.  So much depends on that trio of rising sophomores, who I love.  But Sarr and Iwowo are pretty raw as players -- guys like that could really use an off-season practicing with their peers, which now can't happen.  And Bates has pretty much no shooting (or anything else) returning on the wing.  I think the Bobcats are likely a year away, and could really struggle at times next season. 

I also might put Hamilton down in kind a tier by itself, right above Bowdoin (who I'd actually rank last heading into the season) and Conn.  There is some young talent there, but Hamilton went 16-9 versus an extremely weak schedule, finished 8th in the league, struggled big time down the stretch (5-7 in the last 12), and graduates a three-time all NESCAC / former POY in Gilmour, plus two more senior starters who were two of their four next leading scorers.  No double-digit scorer returns for them.  I don't really see any all-league candidates on the team except for MAYBE Cooper, but he missed the second half of the year to an injury, so presumably it was something pretty serious, limiting his prospects for a big leap forward next year.  Plus the Conts have only one rising senior on the roster, which is not a great situation to be in.  I think they are clearly headed for a rebuilding year. 


Nescac1, fair points. One counter point is that Colby was also a 30-footer away from winning the NESCAC title without (or with an extremely limited) Jefferson and with Dorion shooting very poorly (he was playing through injury) those last 10 games.

Williams and perhaps Trinity/Wesleyan have higher upside than Colby, and could easily have better years than the Mules. But, Colby is bringing back four players who have all proven themselves to be very good. It's hard for me to see them being anything other than pretty solid, even with some legitimate depth questions. The other teams all have a wider range of outcomes in my mind.

The other teams have a lot of talent, but also far fewer proven players. Williams, in particular, has a ton of talented players and I think some of them are likely to breakthrough, but the only one to ever average double figures is CPS and nobody on the roster has scored with much efficiency. I'm generally optimistic about the Ephs, but they were a team that really struggled to score and lost their best scorer by a wide margin. Even with a lot of highly regarded recruits and young players, that's a big task.

nescac1

#27894
Lots of great points by both SpringSt7 and Colby Hoops!  Will King running the show as a sophomore should, in particular, be really fun to watch, and Tyson (despite being ROY) seems to remain underrated / overlooked, his overall contributions on both ends are critical for that squad. 

Regarding Williams, I was a LOT more pessimistic about the near-term future until the last few weeks of the season.  The Midd and Trinity games were pretty brutal.  But then they ended playing, I think, a very high level of basketball over the last five games. 

Ryan Moon (as noted by SpringSt), Jovan Jones, and Nate Karren all improved dramatically and played really well down the stretch, after some uneven play earlier in the year.  Cole Prowitt-Smith also played a more poised and consistent brand of basketball over the last few weeks, while tossing in the occasional jaw-dropping play as he had all season long.  Spencer Spivy, after a cold start to the year, struggled with injuries and illness much of the rest of the season, but did show what he is capable of in the NESCAC playoff game vs. Amherst, when he played stellar ball.  Brandon Arnold was just starting to emerge as a strong bench contributor when he unfortunately suffered a late-season injury.  Really, the only underclassmen who didn't end the year playing his best basketball was Alex Stoddard, but I'm still high on him based on what he showed over the course of the season.  Plus there is young big guy David Elien, who may emerge as an X-factor as a rim protector off the bench at some point ... That group of guys will still be fairly young next season, but all now have significant on-court experience after starting this season with virtually none. Granted, they will have to collectively make huge strides in just one off-season for Williams to return to even a top-four NESCAC squad, but that to me now seems reasonably likely, based on what I saw late in the season vs. how they were playing in December and January. 

ContinentalDomer

Cooper had a leg injury of some sort that shut him down for the season.  I really like NC's game - particularly his knack for getting in the paint, breaking down defenses, and making good decisions.  Those qualities were sorely missed during conference play (sorry, no other details on the injury).  A healthy Cooper and a healthy Vincent Conn (will be two seasons removed from surgery) represents a strong PG tandem.  Connor Rood, a 6'4" frosh who can play PG or SG, also seemed to gain confidence and trust down the stretch for Hamilton.  So there's some depth to build on at the point.

On a separate injury note, Patrick Mogan had a severe ankle sprain that shut him down for the last few weeks; he is a skilled big at both ends of the floor.  With a year under his belt, expect a significant leap forward from him.  Mogan will provide match-up problems because he can finish with both hands, and he can shoot it from the elbow and the arc.

It's the play of guys in between the paint and the point that will likely determine Hamilton's ceiling next season. 

Obviously, the 2020-21 Continentals will need to fill Kena's shoes by team play/committee.  It was apparent during January and February that as opponents loaded up their defenses on Kena, Hamilton spent a lot of time fishing for combinations to help him out. 

I expect that the roles of players on next year's squad will be a bit more clearly defined and their contributions will be more balanced from game-to-game.  Players won't be as inclined to watch and wait for Kena to make a big play or stop a run when the basket shrinks.  They'll play with more freedom, and benefit from an invaluable year of experience under their belts. 

What that translates into on the floor remains to be seen, but I wouldn't sell them short just yet.

Quote from: nescac1 on March 23, 2020, 05:20:20 PM
My mistake, Domer!  Conn returning for another year definitely helps Hamilton a bit.  Do you know what happened to Cooper?  I really liked his potential before he got hurt, lightning quick ...

SpringSt7

Luke Rogers is d3hoops.com 3rd-Team All-American and Sam Jefferson is an Honorable Mention All-American. Congrats to both, especially Jefferson who now gets to call himself an All-American, much deserved after a season limited by injury.

https://www.d3hoops.com/awards/all-americans/men/2020

Bucket

Not hoops, but NESCAC—and life—pertinent:

Former Bates AA lax player Jack Allard in coma and on ventilator due to Covid-19. Brutal.

https://www.uslaxmagazine.com/college/men/bates-alum-jack-allard-in-critical-condition-due-to-covid-19

Dave 'd-mac' McHugh

Quote from: SpringSt7 on March 24, 2020, 08:49:27 PM
Luke Rogers is d3hoops.com 3rd-Team All-American and Sam Jefferson is an Honorable Mention All-American. Congrats to both, especially Jefferson who now gets to call himself an All-American, much deserved after a season limited by injury.

https://www.d3hoops.com/awards/all-americans/men/2020

They both get to call themselves All-Americans. :)
Host of Hoopsville. USBWA Executive Board member. Broadcast Director for D3sports.com. Broadcaster for NCAA.com & several colleges. PA Announcer for Gophers & Brigade. Follow me on Twitter: @davemchugh or @d3hoopsville.

toad22

Quote from: Bucket on March 24, 2020, 09:00:31 PM
Not hoops, but NESCAC—and life—pertinent:

Former Bates AA lax player Jack Allard in coma and on ventilator due to Covid-19. Brutal.

https://www.uslaxmagazine.com/college/men/bates-alum-jack-allard-in-critical-condition-due-to-covid-19

This is so awful. This brings this virus very close to home for me. I have a lot of relatives who went to Bates, including my daughter, who is a nurse practitioner in CT in an emergency room. This thing is so bad. My heart goes out to Jack Allard. God bless him.